bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doğum yapan kadınların obstrüktif defekasyon sendromu ve konstipasyon açısından değerlendirilmesi
Authors: YEŞİLÇINAR İlknur , ACAVUT Gamze , ULUBAY Mustafa
Published: September 2020

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, doğum yapmış olan kadınların Obstrüktif Defekasyon Sendromu ve konstipasyon açısından değerlendirilmesi ve doğum şeklinin Obstrüktif Defekasyon Sendromu’na etkisinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırma evrenini bir eğitim araştırma hastanesinin jinekoloji polikliniğine başvuran, en az bir doğum yapmış olan 239 kadından oluşturmuştur. Araştırmanın verileri, literatüre dayalı olarak hazırlanan katılımcıların sosyo-demografik ve obstetrik özelliklerini içeren anket formu, “Obstrüktif Dışkılama Skorlaması” ve “Bristol Gaita Skalası” ile toplanmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların %60’ı vajinal, %40.0’ının sezaryenle doğum yaptığı belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların %46,4’ünde konstipasyon, %4,6’sında obstrüktif defekasyon sendromu olduğu belirlenmiştir. Obstrüktif defekasyon sendromu ile yaş, doğum şekli ve menapoz arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki bulunmamıştır. Bristol gaita skoru ile doğum şekli arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki bulunmuştur. Ayrıca kadınların obstrüktif defekasyon sendromu puanları ile Bristol gaita skoru puanları arasında anlamlı ilişki olduğu belirlenmiştir.Sonuç: Doğum yapan kadınlarda obstrüktif defekasyon sendromu yaşama oranının düşük, konstipasyon oranının ise yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Doğum yapan kadınlarda konstipasyon yaşama oranının yüksek olması nedeniyle konstipasyonu önleyici yaklaşımların (erken mobilizasyon, lifli gıda tüketimi) desteklenmesi, sağlık ekibi tarafından danışmanlık verilmesi ve konu ile ilgili randomize kontrollü çalışmaların yapılması önerilmektedir.
Seismic Monitoring of Super High-Rise Building Using Ambient Noise with Dense Seismic Array
Authors: Wu Xiaoyang , Guo Zhen , Liu Lanbo , Chen Yongshun John , Zou Changqiao , Song Xiuqing
Published: September 2020

We report the first thorough seismological study of the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world, by applying seismic interferometry to ambient noise recorded by a dense seismic array. We extract the building responses by deconvolution of the seismic vibrations for three components of the impulse response functions (IRFs), and retrieve two wave types corresponding to vertical and horizontal wave components that travel along the core tube of the tower. Five new resonant modes are identified here for the first time between 1 and 5 Hz. Displacements for the resonant modes around 1 Hz are strongly attenuated by the passive damper system installed on the top floor of the building. Refuge floors connected to the outrigger trusses system have unique structural properties, characterized by a specific resonant mode, which apparently shifts from 1.8 Hz at the base of the building, to ∼3  Hz at the top. The most interesting observation is the diurnal variation in both the seismic velocities and the mechanical response of the building, which correlates with temperature, and was detected by repeated measurement of coda waves for the IRFs and the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio. Seismic velocity appears to increase for the structure at midnight due to cooling that drives an increase in rigidity, which reaches a local maximum in the early morning and decreases after sunrise. In summary, our study demonstrates the effective application of seismic ambient-noise interferometry for structural health monitoring and for hazard assessment for super high-rise buildings worldwide.
Leveraging Deep Learning in Global 24/7 Real-Time Earthquake Monitoring at the National Earthquake Information Center
Authors: Yeck William Luther , Patton John M. , Ross Zachary E. , Hayes Gavin P. , Guy Michelle R. , Ambruz Nick B. , Shelly David R. , Benz Harley M. , Earle Paul S.
Published: September 2020

Machine-learning algorithms continue to show promise in their application to seismic processing. The U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is exploring the adoption of these tools to aid in simultaneous local, regional, and global real-time earthquake monitoring. As a first step, we describe a simple framework to incorporate deep-learning tools into NEIC operations. Automatic seismic arrival detections made from standard picking methods (e.g., short-term average/long-term average [STA/LTA]) are fed to trained neural network models to improve automatic seismic-arrival (pick) timing and estimate seismic-arrival phase type and source-station distances. These additional data are used to improve the capabilities of the NEIC associator. We compile a dataset of 1.3 million seismic-phase arrivals that represent a globally distributed set of source-station paths covering a range of phase types, magnitudes, and source distances. We train three separate convolutional neural network models to predict arrival time onset, phase type, and distance. We validate the performance of the trained networks on a subset of our existing dataset and further extend validation by exploring the model performance when applied to NEIC automatic pick data feeds. We show that the information provided by these models can be useful in downstream event processing, specifically in seismic-phase association, resulting in reduced false associations and improved location estimates.
Nötrositik asitli siroz hastalarında serum ve asit sıvısı TNF-alfa, interlökin-6, nitrik oksit ve myeloperoksidaz seviyelerinin, asit enfeksiyonu açısından tanısal ve prediktif değeri
Authors: HARMANDAR Ferda , HARMANDAR Orbay , TEZEL Ahmet
Published: September 2020

Giriş ve Amaç: Asitli siroz hastalarında ortaya çıkan spontan asit enfeksiyonu, mortalitesi yüksek bir komplikasyondur. Çalışmamızda, spontan asit enfeksiyonu sırasında, proinflamatuvar sitokinler olan interlökin-6 ve tümör nekrozis faktör-alfanın asit sıvısı ve serumda, nitrik oksit ve myeloperoksidazın ise asit sıvısındaki düzeylerine bakıp, bu sonuçların asit enfeksiyonu açısından tanısal ve prediktif değeri olup olmadığını araştırdık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya alınan 40 hasta, steril asitli grup, kültür negatif nötrositik asitli grup ve spontan bakteriyel peritonitli grup olarak ayrıldı. Hastalardan başvuru anında asit sıvısı ve serum örnekleri alınarak saklandı. Daha sonra tüm olguların asit sıvısı ve serumunda immünoradyometrik yöntemle interlökin-6 ve tümör nekrozis faktör-alfa, asit sıvılarında ELISA ile myeloperoksidaz ve enzimatik yöntemle nitrik oksit düzeyleri çalışılarak üç grup birbiriyle ayrı ayrı karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: Olguların asit sıvısı ve serum interlökin-6 düzeyi ortalaması kültür negatif nötrositik asit ve spontan bakteriyel peritonit grubunda steril asit grubundan anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur. Asit sıvısı tümör nekrozis faktör-alfa düzeyi ortalaması spontan bakteriyel peritonit grubunda steril asit grubuna kıyasla anlamlı derecede yüksek saptanırken, serum tümör nekrozis faktör-alfa düzeyi ortalamasında her üç grup arasında istatistiksel anlamlı fark saptanmamıştır. Asit sıvısı myeloperoksidaz düzeyi ortalaması kültür negatif nötrositik asit ve spontan bakteriyel peritonit grubunda steril asit grubundan anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur. Asit sıvısı nitrik oksit düzeyi ortalaması arasında ise her üç grup arasında istatistiksel anlamlı fark saptanmamıştır. Sonuç: Elde edilen bulgular, asitli siroz hastalarında, spontan asit enfeksiyonu tanısında, asit sıvısı ve serumdaki interlökin-6 ile asitteki myeloperoksidaz düzeylerinin, konvansiyonel yöntemlere yardımcı olabileceğini, nitrik oksit ve tümör nekrozis faktör-alfa değerlerinin ise tanısal açıdan uygun olmadığını düşündürmektedir.
Переосмысление итогов Второй мировой войны в современной Японии
Authors: Чугров Сергей
Published: September 2020

75-летие со дня окончания Второй мировой войны – рубеж, характеризующийся приходом поколений, у которых отсутствует личный опыт переживания войны, а также кризисом Ялтинско-Потсдамской системы международных отношений. В фокусе этого исследования – процесс переосмысления итогов Второй мировой войны в Японии как часть наметившегося мирового тренда к разрушению общего, конвенционального понимания военного прошлого. Анализ нацелен на комплексное осмысление взаимовлияния смены модальности мышления и формирования новой конфигурации политических сил в Азиатско-Тихоокеанском регионе, в том числе с точки зрения перспективы российско-японских отношений. Актуальность темы исследования заключается в том, что изменение восприятия военной истории в разных странах и появление конфликтующих друг с другом национальных нарративов – важный индикатор существующих и назревающих противоречий и кризисов в международных отношениях. В связи с этим особый интерес представляет изучение динамики восприятия проблемных моментов военного прошлого. Понимание существа этих метаморфоз может иметь прогностическую ценность и способствовать выстраиванию эффективного политического курса России на японском направлении в условиях усложняющейся геополитической реальности и нарастающей нестабильности в международных отношениях. Кроме того, существенно расширяется поле концептуализации политик фальсификации исторического прошлого за счет вовлечения в аналитический процесс восточноазиатских реалий. Результаты дискурс-анализа подтверждаются данными анкетирования 166 студентов Университета Сока (Токио) по проблеме отношения к итогам войны, а также данными полевых наблюдений автора в период работы в течение семестра (апрель – июль 2020 г.) в качестве приглашенного профессора этого университета. Автор приходит к выводу, что значительную часть молодых японцев, особенно когорты 20-летних, тяготит продолжающееся пребывание в “послевоенном периоде” в статусе “проигравшей нации”, который напоминает об ответственности за Войну на Тихом океане. В сознании нации произошел “взаимозачет Перл-Харбора с Хиросимой и Нагасаки”.
Amendments to Russian Constitution and International Institutions Decisions: EAEU Prospective
Authors: Verlaine Michel , Shashkova Anna , Kudryashova Ekaterina
Published: September 2020

The constitutional reforms in Russia are amongst the most significant news for Russia’s partners in international relations. The configuration of international law and Russian domestic legal order falls within the scope of the constitutional changes of 2020, and there is no chance that this change will be abandoned by the legislator. This particular amendment was not actively commented on during the nationwide discussion on the constitutional reform; it drew mostly experts’ attention. The article alleges that the constitutional amendment restricting the applicability of international case law in Russia is both a transient response to the instant political tension around Russia, and a formalization of the positivistic trend well established in domestic judicial practice. The positivistic trend is part of the process shaping Russia’s own approach to international law. The prospective amendment concerning international case law in the Constitution of the Russian Federation will not hinder the rules expressly stated in the treaties of the EAEU. However, the resolutions of the EAEU’s structures and institutions, including the case law of the Court of the EAEU, are likely to be scrutinized in a defensive way by Russian Constitutional court in situations extraordinary for the Russian State, ensuring their conformity with the unquestionable and unconditional supremacy of the Russian Constitution.
Политические практики: проблематизация данности или поклонение ей?
Authors: Гудалов Николай
Published: September 2020

Обзор инициирован выходом книги Джона Ганнела “Conventional Realism and Political Inquiry: Channeling Wittgenstein” (Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 2020). В теоретико-методологическом плане его подход развивает актуальную повестку практического и лингвистического поворотов, хорошо иллюстрируя и ее издержки. Цель обзора – определить вклад работы Ганнела и выявить проблемы в этом контексте. Решены три задачи: сделан обзор основных идей книги; частных ее недостатков; проблем, репрезентативных для указанной широкой тематики. Сначала параллельно решены первые две задачи, затем – третья. Отталкиваясь от идей Людвига Витгенштейна, Ганнел раскрывает свою позицию “конвенционального реализма” применимо к политике. Ганнел системно показал, что политика во многом заключается в коллективных языковых практиках людей, которые множественны и изменчивы. Они не могут быть сведены к какой-либо догматической парадигме, злоупотребляющей риторикой метафизики, “естественности” или “науки” для оправдания той или иной политики. В создании множества практик и в их изменении заключена коллективная творческая свобода людей. Она же предполагает и их ответственность. Однако отмечена уязвимость общей идеи, преувеличивающей единство содержания мышления и языка. Показаны три тесно связанные, репрезентативные проблемы, прямо касающиеся политики. Первая и самая широкая – в сочетании тривиальности и релятивизма. Не вполне ясно, как сопоставлять разные практики, понимать связи между ними. Сохраняются риски реификации социальной “данности” или тривиальной констатации произвольного “переключения” между “данностями”. Больше внимания нужно уделять критическим, не релятивистским, но и не догматическим концепциям рациональности. Вторая проблема – в том, что недооценена роль философии и политической науки в рационально-критической оценке политических практик. Третья – в том, что сам Ганнел сначала критиковал обоснование практик учеными, но затем во многом сделал то же самое, отстаивая нормативный ориентир демократии.
The Presence of Legionellae in Respiratory Devices
Authors: Nutting Andrew
Published: September 2020

Legionella is a bacterium found naturally in moist environments. Persons can become
infected when they inhale airborne droplets of water containing such bacteria. Legionellosis
cases associated with the use of respiratory devices such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
(CPAP) units, jet nebulizers, portable room humidifiers, and respiratory ventilation equipment have
been identified in context of a Legionellosis outbreak. However, a systematic search for the presence
of Legionella bacteria in respiratory devices outside of a Legionellosis outbreak has not been reported.
The goal of this study was to carry out such a survey on different types of respiratory devices in long
term care facilities. Twenty-four respiratory devices including 9 CPAP, 4 BIPAPs, 5 oxygen humidifiers,
and 6 ventilators were included in this study. A total of 72 sampling swabs were obtained for the testing
of Legionella bacteria inside the respiratory devices. Culture and PCR tests for Legionella pneumophelia
were made in tandem. No legionella pneumophelia bacteria were found in any of the respiratory devices sampled.
Although there have been reports in the past of potential legionellosis cases associated with the use of respiratory
devices, our data suggest that there are probably no legionella bacteria present inside respiratory devices
separate of a Legionellosis outbreak.
The Vietnam Syndrome and Its Effects on the U.S.
Public and Foreign and Domestic Policy Decisions During the Post-Vietnam Era Between 1975-1991
Authors: Giovannini Kyle
Published: September 2020

First, the Vietnam Syndrome had a significant cultural impact on the American public which
altered the U.S. public’s collective cultural view of war from an interventionist to an
anti-interventionist stance. Naturally, this shift in public perception influenced U.S.
presidents’ foreign and domestic policy decisions from President Gerald Ford to President
George H.W. Bush. Second, the Vietnam Syndrome’s anti-interventionist effect challenged the
established security of containment policy through military intervention, forcing presidents
and their administrations to implement different rhetorical approaches and messages to unshackle,
in their view, America from the anti-interventionist effects of the Vietnam Syndrome on foreign
policy decisions. Third, as a means to defeat the lasting impacts of the Vietnam Syndrome, the Bush
administration and the U.S. military enhanced U.S. domestic policy through a multi-stage propaganda
and media censorship campaign to rally public, congressional, and international support for the
Persian Gulf War; which, upon America’s victory in the war, established the New World Order and
re-established America’s security abroad.
Effects of Prolonged Load Carriage of Knee Adduction Biomechanics
Authors: Drew Micah Daniel
Published: September 2020

Introduction: Incidence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in service members is twice
that of the general population. Yet, it is currently unknown how body borne load and
duration of walking with body borne load impact knee adduction, biomechanics linked to
progression and severity of OA. Purpose: This study sought to examine magnitude
and variability of knee adduction joint angle and moment throughout a prolonged walking
task with body borne load. Methods: Eighteen participants had knee biomechanics
quantified every five minutes while they walked at 1.3 m/s during a 60-minute over-ground
walking task with three body-borne loads (unloaded, 15 kg and 30 kg). Statistical Analysis: Thirteen
participants with complete data sets were submitted to statistical analysis. Peak of stance
(0-100%) knee adduction joint angle and moment, initial contact and range of adduction
motion, and coefficient of variation of peak knee adduction angle and moment, and range
of adduction motion were submitted to a repeated measures ANOVA to test the main effect
and interaction between time (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min) and load (0 ,15 and 30 kg).
Results: Body borne load significantly increased peak knee adduction moment (p 0.05);
whereas duration of walking task significantly increased peak stance (p 0.05). Conclusion: Prolonged
walking with body borne load increased knee adduction biomechanics related to knee OA pathogenesis.
The larger knee adduction moment exhibited with the addition of load and the larger knee
adduction angle exhibited towards the end of the prolonged walking task may increase
loading of the medial knee joint compartment and increase risk of knee OA.
A 30-Year Agroclimatic Analysis of the Snake River Valley American Viticultural Area
Authors: Becker Charles L.
Published: September 2020

Climate change poses serious threats to global agriculture, however some localities and crops may benefit from increasing temperatures. Grape production in southern Idaho may be a beneficial example as vineyard acreage has increased over 300% since the designation of the Snake River American Viticultural Area (SRVAVA) in 2007. We perform a statistical characterization of agroclimate within the SRVAVA that centers around four primary objectives: utilization of a novel, 30-year high resolution climate dataset to provide insight and agrometrics unavailable at coarser resolutions, climatic implications of the unique topography within the SRVAVA, identification of statistical trends, and correlation of SRVAVA climate to large-scale climate indicators such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In Chapter 3 we build on the identified correlations to large scale climate and utilize a long short-term memory (LSTM) model in conjunction with empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to create a novel, data driven method to forecast regional temperature trends with lead times up to one year. Favorable results for local viticulture include an increase in growing degree days and season length, as well as reduced frequency of freezing events. Possible disadvantages include increased risk to shoulder season freezing events with warmer winters, increased magnitude of strong freezing events, mid-season heat stress, and higher susceptibility to powdery mildew outbreaks. Additionally, with strong correlations identified with large-scale climate indicators, we find EMD an effective method to increase modeling power by using multiple frequencies of the signals as input into a LSTM machine learning algorithm that can accurately predict temperature trends up to one year in advance. This climatic characterization and modeling framework could potentially inform many agricultural management decisions such as cultivar choice, vineyard site selection, fungicide spray timing, irrigation strategy, and canopy management.
Agricultural Workplace Compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency's
Worker Protection Standard
Authors: Phinney Rachel
Published: September 2020

Agricultural workers are at high risk for occupational pesticide exposure and pesticide-related
illness. The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is the primary federal regulation aimed at reducing
pesticide exposure among agricultural workers. Agricultural employers are responsible for complying
with the nearly 100 WPS requirements, including the provision of pesticide safety training,
personal-protective equipment, and decontamination supplies to employees.

Despite the potential health implications of WPS violations, information is limited regarding
compliance levels in Idaho. We aim to fill this gap by describing compliance trends according to
WPS inspection results archived by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). We analyzed
557 WPS inspections conducted on Idaho farms between 2001-2019 using SAS and STATA statistical
software. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to describe the frequency and
characteristics of violations observed collectively and during each inspection.

According to inspection reports, approximately 46% of inspections (n=266) resulted in at least one
WPS violation. An average of 3 of 55 (5.4%) requirements were violated during Tier 1 inspections
(SD=7.22), and an average of 7 of 55 (12.7%) requirements were violated during Tier 2 inspections
(SD =9.08). Farm employers most frequently violated the sections of the WPS pertaining to pesticide
safety training and the central location (an accessible area where pesticide information is to
be displayed).

Nearly 50% of WPS inspections resulted in at least one violation, suggesting that WPS noncompliance
is common across farms in Idaho. Training and central location requirements may have been most
frequently violated due to the logistical challenges of complying with these sections, or because
of the relative ease in which they could be accurately monitored. Additional WPS research, education,
and outreach is needed, not just for the purpose of improving reported compliance rates, but in fact
to better protect farmworkers from pesticide exposure and related illness.
Beliefs About Effective Instructional Practices Among Middle Grades Teachers of Mathematics
Authors: Dale Lauren A.
Published: September 2020

This study explores beliefs about effective mathematics instruction among middle grades
teachers of mathematics. Using prior syntheses of research on instructional practices linked
to students’ mathematics achievement, the conceptual framework draws on features and strategies
associated with Explicit Attention to Concepts (EAC) and Student Opportunities to Struggle
(SOS). Data sources include mathematics teachers’ self-reported priorities, comfort, and
frequency of implementing EAC and SOS strategies, as well as the participants’ teaching
context and school demographics. Participants include 98 full-time Grades 6-8 mathematics
teachers from 22 districts, and 34 schools in southwest and central Idaho. Findings include
positive correlations among EAC and SOS beliefs, comfort, and frequency of implementation,
as well as differences across school settings, years of experience, and number of distinct
mathematics courses taught.
Single Molecule Super-Resolution Microscopy Study on the Precision
with Which DNA Nanostructures Can Orient Fluorescent Dyes
Authors: Ward Brett Michael
Published: September 2020

DNA nanotechnology enables the rapid, programmable self-assembly of novel structures and devices
at the nanoscale. Utilizing the simplicity of Watson-Crick base pairing, DNA nanostructures are
capable of assembling a variety of nanoparticles in arbitrary configurations with relative ease.
Several emerging opto-electronic systems require a high degree of control of both the position
and orientation of component fluorescent molecules, and while DNA nanostructures have demonstrated
these capabilities, the precision with which DNA can orient fluorescent molecules is not well
understood. Determining these bounds is critical in establishing the viability of DNA nanotechnology
as a method of assembling fluorescent molecular networks.

In this work, using a combination of single molecule emission dipole imaging and super-resolution
microscopy techniques, we correlate the orientations of fluorescent dye molecules to the orientations
of their DNA substrates along five degrees of freedom. Several species of dyes were embedded within
a DNA sequence using either one or two covalent tethers. These strands were incorporated directly
into DNA origami structures to investigate the dependence of the location and binding architecture
of the dye on the orientational precision of DNA nanostructures. Dye functionalized strands were
also folded into a simpler four-arm junction, which was then immobilized on an origami structure
to study the influence of the DNA substrate on dye orientation. Correlated analysis of super-resolution
images of origami structures and single molecule emission dipole images from the embedded fluorescent
molecule within the same structure allowed us to directly measure the relative orientations of dye
molecules within DNA nanostructures. The resulting measurements revealed a moderate degree of polar
angle control but a large variation in azimuthal control for the majority of structures examined.
These measurements establish a single-molecule method for measurement of correlated orientations
and provide a powerful approach for future studies on increasing the precision in the orientational
control of fluorescent dye molecule monomers by DNA nanostructures.
MXenes as Flow Electrodes for Capacitive Deionization of Wastewater
Authors: Mansoor Naqsh E.
Published: September 2020

The energy-water nexus poses an integrated research challenge, while opening up an
opportunity space for the development of energy efficient technologies for water remediation.
Capacitive Deionization (CDI) is an upcoming reclamation technology that uses a small applied
voltage applied across electrodes to electrophoretically remove dissolved ionic
impurities from wastewater streams. Similar to a supercapacitor, the ions are stored in the
electric double layer of the electrodes. Reversing the polarity of applied voltage enables
recovery of the removed ionic impurities, allowing for recycling and reuse. Simultaneous
materials recovery and water reclamation makes CDI energy efficient and resource conservative,
with potential to scale it up for industrial applications. The efficiency of the technology
depends on the architectural design of the CDI cell, control of operating conditions, and the
nature of the electrodes used. In this project we report on the performance of Ti3C2Tx
MXenes flow electrodes in a CDI cell design. MXenes are a novel class of two-dimensional (2D)
transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides with the general formula Mn+1XnTx
where M is an early transition metal, X is carbon and/or nitrogen, Tx represents the surface
terminations. Ti3C2Tx MXenes synthesized at Boise State, were
employed as a flow electrode solution in an established CDI cell for targeted and selective ion
removal. Performance metrics of achieved adsorption capacity, ion removal efficiency, regeneration
efficiency, energy consumption, and charge efficiency, exceed those of currently prevalent electrode
systems. In addition, rheological properties of the Ti3C2Tx MXenes
colloidal solution were evaluated. This work establishes the deionization performance of
Ti3C2Tx MXene based flow electrodes while providing further insight
towards understanding the effect of structure and surface functionalization on the resultant
deionization efficiency.
A Computational Framework to Model Mesenchymal Stem Cell
Nucleus Mechanics Using Confocal Microscopy
Authors: Kennedy Zeke
Published: September 2020

The mechanical properties of the cell nucleus are emerging as a key component
in genetic transcription. It has been shown that the stiffness of the nucleus in
part regulates the transcription of genes in response to external mechanical stimuli.
The stiffness has been shown to change as a result of both disease and changes to
the external environment. While the mechanical structure of the nucleus can be visually
documented using a confocal microscope, it is currently impossible to test the stiffness
of the nucleus without a mechanical testing apparatus such as an atomic force microscope.
This is problematic in that the use of a mechanical testing apparatus involves
deconstructing the cell in order to isolate the nucleus and is unable to provide data
on internal heterochromatin dynamics within the nucleus. Therefore, our research focused
on developing a computational framework that would allow researchers to model the mechanical
contributions of the nucleus specific geometry and material dispersion of both chromatin
and LaminA/C within an individual nucleus in order to improve the ability of researchers
to study the nucleus. We began by developing a procedure that could generate a finite
element geometry of a nucleus using confocal images. This procedure was then utilized
to generate models that contained elasticity values that corresponded to the voxel
intensities of images of both chromatin and LaminA/C by using a set of conversion factors
to link image voxel intensity to model stiffness. We then tuned these conversion factors
by running in silico atomic force microscopy experiments on these models while
comparing the simulation results to atomic force microscopy data from real world nuclei.
From this experiment we were able to find a set of conversion factors that allowed us to
replicate the external response of the nucleus. Our developed computational framework will
allow future researchers to study the contribution of multitude of sub-nuclear structures
and predict global nuclear stiffness of multiple nuclei based on confocal images and AFM
tests.
Material Design, Processing, and Engineering Requirements
for Magnetic Shape Memory Devices
Authors: Armstrong Andrew
Published: September 2020

For magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloys, a magnetic field stimulates a shape change.
We use the shape change to build devices such as micro-actuators, sensors, and microfluidic
pumps. Currently, (as a novel technology,) devices suffer from some material and magnetic
driver shortcomings. Here we address the issues related to operating temperature,
repeatability, failure, and magnetic driver development. To increase the operating
temperature of the MSM material, we alloyed Fe and Cu to Ni-Mn-Ga. We showed that the
element-specific contribution to the valence electron density as parameter systematically
determines the effect of each element on the variation of the martensite transformation
temperature of the 10M phase. To stabilize the material, we developed a micro-shotpeening
process that adds stresses to the material surface, thereby inducing a fine twin microstructure.
The treatment allowed nearly full magnetic-field-induced strain, and extended fatigue life of
the material from only one thousand cycles in the electropolished state to more than one million
cycles in the peened state. We measured the effect of the peening process on material actuation
when in MSM pump configuration. In the polished state, the deformation was stochastic, with a
sharp-featured, faceted shrinkage. In the treated state, the deformation was smooth and repeatably
swept along the surface akin to a wave.

To actuate the MSM micropump without electromotor, we developed a linear electromagnetic
actuation device and evaluated its effectiveness in the switching mechanism of the material.
By compressing the magnetic field between opposing coils, we generated a strong magnetic field,
which caused a localized region to switch at selected poles. In the next iteration of the drive,
we inserted the MSM sample between two linear pole arrangements of high pitch density to
approximate a moving vertical field. The incremental stepping of the vertical field between
poles caused translation of the switched region. The results of this dissertation demonstrate
the suitability of MSM alloys for high-precision, persistent, and reliable actuators such as
micropumps.
Occurrence of possible drug related interactions in medical patients in out-patient departments of Pakistan
Authors: Butt Hammad A. , Khan Ammara , Suleman Naveed
Published: September 2020

Background: Data regarding occurrence of drug-drug interactions in Pakistan is rare. In the current study, we have tried to find out the clinical adversity and frequency witnessed in prescriptions of a medical outpatient department.Methods: Patient prescriptions were analyzed for potential drug-drug interactions.  A sample of 364 patients, visited outpatient department who were being prescribed at least two drugs simultaneously using a drug interaction program website.Results: The 364 patients (72.8% male, mean age 57.9±15.2 years) were prescribed a median of six drugs (range 2-13) at OPD visit. Three hundred forty nine patients (95.8%) had at least one potentially interacting drug combination. 2636 potential interactions were seen in the visiting patients. Out of these 124 (4.7%) were of major severity, 1730 (65.6%) moderate and 515 (19.5%). Out of 124 patients with a potential DDI with major severity, no patient was re-hospitalized within 2 months after discharge due to a probable drug-related problem associated with the potential DDI.Conclusions: A large percentage of patients were detected having one or more potential drug-drug interactions, using drug interaction detection program. However, the percentage of patients having clinically adverse consequences due to drug-drug interactions appears to be very low.
A prospective observational study on prescribing pattern of antimicrobial agents in the post-operative general surgery ward of a tertiary care teaching hospital
Authors: R. Velvizhy , Pandian Johan J.
Published: September 2020

Background: This prospective observational study was done to know the current prescription trend of antimicrobial agents in the post-operative ward. To evaluate the current pattern of antimicrobial agents in the post-operative surgical cases of a tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: The study was carried out in collaboration with the Department of General Surgery and Department of Pharmacology during April 2013 to March 2014. All parameters like demographic data, antimicrobials agents prescribed by surgeons, dose, frequency, duration, route, formulation, brand or generic drugs, adverse events were collected in the specially structured case proforma. Descriptive statistics was applied using SPSS version 17.0.Results: During the study period, 513 patient case records were analysed in which males are higher than females. A total of 816 drugs were used in 484 patients during the study period. 162 were on a single drug, 190 were on two drugs, 42 were on three drugs and 90 were on fixed dose combination. Brand name of the drugs and parenteral route of administration were preferred in the study. Cephalosporins (52.32%) and metronidazole (34.38%) were the most commonly prescribed group of antimicrobials followed by penicillin (0.9%), aminoglycosides (6.58%), quinolones (5.23%), macrolides (0.45%) and tetracycline (0.14%). Totally 135 (27.89%) patients received drugs which are not included in the essential medicine list of WHO and 112 (23.14%) patients received drugs which are not from national EML.Conclusions: The maximum prescribed antimicrobial agent in the post-operative ward was third generation cephalosporins.
A clinical study of uropathogens causing urinary tract infection in children and adolescents in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Rezia R. Abisha , Vijendra R. , Gopi Anjana
Published: September 2020

Background: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the common infections in children. Incidence varies with age, race and gender. UTIs have become difficult to treat due to development of resistance among uropathogens. Regional data regarding the common uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern is required to guide the clinicians to start empirical therapy while treating UTIs.Aims: This study is aimed to study the profile of uropathogens causing UTI in children and adolescents, assess their antimicrobial susceptibility, the clinical course and outcome.Methods: All subjects with suspected UTI whose urine samples grew a positive culture of uropathogens were included in this prospective observational study. The study was done in the Department of Microbiology from July 2019 to December 2019. The urine samples were processed by standard methods (using 5% sheep blood agar and MacConkey agar) and antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The details of the pathogens grown, and their antimicrobial sensitivity and resistance patterns were recorded, and the subjects were followed up during their course in the hospital.Results: A total of 109 urine samples from paediatric and adolescent subjects showed positive cultures (97.32%). UTI was common among toddlers (46.7%). E. coli contributed to 40.3% of the cases, followed by Enterococcus and Klebsiella pneumonaie. E. coli was resistant to amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, cephalosporins and ciprofloxacin. The organisms were sensitive to meropenem, amikacin and piperacillin + tazobactam.Conclusion: Incidence of UTI and the uropathogens causing UTI varies with age. Different uropathogens and their resistance to commonly used antimicrobials is a concern for future treatment options in UTI.
Prescription pattern in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in a tertiary hospital: an observational study
Authors: Salwan Poonam , Singla Juhi , Salwan Shalini
Published: September 2020

Background: Drug utilization studies promote rational use of drugs and help to decrease the adverse drug reactions. Such studies are powerful tools to evaluate the role of drugs in the society. The present study is aimed to analyse and evaluate the trends and patterns of prescribing drugs among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in 112 patients of COPD admitted in the general and pulmonary medicine departments over a period of 1-year in SGT Medical College, Hospital and Research Institute, SGT University, Gurugram. Patients, who satisfied the inclusion criteria, were enrolled in the study after taking informed consent. Data was collected by using the specially designed data entry form and put in tabulated form. The results were expressed as percentages. The following information was collected for each patient: social demographics, smoking history, prescribed COPD treatments. Health related quality of life indices were obtained using validated questionnaires.Results: Out of the 112-study population, male patients were more in number (76.36%). The majority of the patients were from the age group of 61-70 years (47.2%) with 56.36% patients showing severe rating (poor score) of quality of life on COPD assessment test. Smoking was found to be more prominent in the study population (71.42%). Inhaled corticosteroids (67.85%) were most prescribed class of drugs in the management of COPD followed by systemic bronchodilators (64.28%). The most commonly prescribed bronchodilator was systemic methylxanthine (deriphylline-64.28%) followed by systemic β2 agonist (Terbutaline-62.5%). Inhaled corticosteroids (67.85%) were prescribed more often than systemic corticosteroids. Among antimicrobials, the most commonly prescribed drug was Amoxicillin-clavulanic combination (35.71%) and ceftriaxone (35.71%). Considering the drugs prescribed for co-morbid conditions, proton- pump inhibitors (73.21%) topped the list followed by antihistaminic (37.5%) for allergic conditions.Conclusions: The study concludes that symptomatic treatment was given to COPD patients in the hospital. The prescribing pattern was found to be in concordance with the current global Initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) guidelines in the management of COPD patients.
Pharmacotherapeutic audit meetings as a tool of improving prescribing practices
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Kant Ravi , Handu Shailendra , Charturvedi Jaya , Bhadoria Ajeet Singh , Dhamija Puneet
Published: September 2020

Background: Pharmacotherapeutic audit meeting (PTAM) is a good tool to review prescriptions for rationality and suggest measures for improving quality of prescriptions. To promote this, World Health Organization (WHO) and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) provided drug prescribing and drug use indicators. To assess the impact of PTAMs as an intervention for improving quality and rationality of prescriptions.Methods: This was a single centre, prospective study conducted from December 2018-February 2020. Prescriptions from outpatient surgical departments were collected, screened using WHO/INRUD core indicators and discussed in PTAMs. The same process was repeated over next 2 months to assess change in prescribing patterns after PTAM. Chi-square and Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis.Results: The difference in proportions for antibiotic prescribing was 8.7% [95% CI (1.0%-16.7%), p=0.02]; injectable preparation use was 0.7% [95% CI (-0.4%-2.3%) p=0.23]; prescriptions with generic name drugs was 10.9% [95% CI (5.6-16.2%) p<0.0001] and prescriptions from Essential drug list (EDL) was 8.1% [95% CI (2.5%-13.5%) p=0.0046].Conclusions: Our research showed PTAM could be an effective tool to implement WHO/INRUD drug prescribing indicators robustly. Hence, it could be included in WHO/INRUD policies as an intricate part of institutional healthcare delivery system.
Role of therapeutic drug monitoring of azathioprine and thiopurine methyltransferase enzyme status in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Indian scenario
Authors: Singh Maninder , Kaushal Sandeep , Gupta Kanchan , Sood Ajit
Published: September 2020

Inflammatory bowel disease is mainly caused by dysragulated immune system. Inflammatory bowel disease incidences are rising in Asian countries with difficulty in their diagnosis and managements. There is rising the incidences and prevalence rate in India. Inflammatory bowel disease has two major subtypes Ulcerative colitis and chron’s disease. In ulcerative colitis inflammation occurs in lower part of large intestine that extend from anal verge to proximal colon while in case of chron’s disease there is transmural inflammation of gastrointestinal tract. This review is to provide comprehensive review focused on the current status of therapeutic drug monitoring of azathioprine metabolites in patients of inflammatory bowel disease.
Newer drugs for the treatment of hepatitis B viral infection
Authors: Venugopal Sreelakshmi , Harichandran Dhanya Thirookaran , SanalKumar K. B. , Sujatha M. B.
Published: September 2020

An average of about 2 billion people have been infected with Hepatitis B virus and approximately 240 million have chronic disease.Persistence of HBV is the major hindrance in the management of this infection.Also, the need of longterm administration of nucleoside/nucleotide analogues points to the significance newer drug researches in this area.
Corona virus response: narrative on how the virus transformed lives in the rural areas of Abia state, Nigeria
Authors: Enwereji E. E. , Ezeama M. C.
Published: September 2020

Background: Many people in communities especially children and elderly are at risk of losing their lives to pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, HIV and other preventable diseases unless urgent action is taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.  For instance, disruptions in immunization services for fear of getting infected with the virus will result in more children dying from pneumonia, which already kills many children in rural areas. Limited resources in rural areas may result to lack of basic hand washing facilities at home which form the fundamental mechanism to prevent COVID-19, thereby, expose   already vulnerable people in rural areas to infection.  Study assessed the extent to which individuals in rural areas effectively practiced preventive measures of COVID-19   infection as outlined by centre for disease control (CDC).Methods: This is   qualitative study that utilized   collaborative information from   36 health care professionals under the aegis of members of COVID-19 committee working together in partnership with   state government to ensure that best quality services are available to control, prevent and cushion   effects of COVID-19 during and after the COVID-19 crisis. This study is therefore, snapshot of activities individuals in rural areas take to prevent COVID-19 infection. Results: Findings showed that   preventive measures like lockdown and social distancing rules, wearing of face mask, hand washing with soap, and environmental cleanliness were slightly observed   thereby, exposing the rural areas to COVID-19 infection.  The study observed that   public and private life like sexual life, marital life, income, education, employment and social interaction were negatively affected.Conclusion: From the findings of the study, governments’ financial support during the lockdown was insignificant. Therefore, there is need for the governments to provide social amenities to alleviate the numerous socio-economic problems of individuals in the rural areas.
Analysis of patients of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to infections
Authors: Diwan Arundhati G. , Barsode Supriya S. , Nisal Amit R. , Deshpande Ruturaj S. , Patil Mayur D. , Shettar Neeraj S. , Lali Vishal C. , Pore Gargee M. , Saha Bhabatosh K.
Published: September 2020

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is characterized by an unremitting activation of CD8+ T lymphocytes and macrophages that leads to organ damage.Methods: 40 patients diagnosed of having HLH secondary to infections admitted in the last 5 years in a tertiary hospital in Western Maharashtra, were studied retrospectively. The data was collected from the indoor patient records and files, detailed clinical profile and all relevant investigations were noted.Results: 40 cases of diagnosed HLH were studied. Age group of 30-40 years was involved more (25%), followed by age group of 61-70 years. The condition was more common in males (64%). Dengue was more common having more chance of secondary HLH. Early diagnosis and treatment was effective in 90% cases.Conclusions: HLH was seen to occur more in tropical fevers. The mortality rate was more in haematological malignancies. Early diagnosis and rapidly initiated treatment had a positive effect in decreasing the mortality rate of the condition.
A clinical study of corneal complications of cataract surgery
Authors: . Anjana , Padmaja N. L. , Sundararajan D. , Bhuvaneshwari K. Namitha , . Manjunathan
Published: September 2020

Background: In this study we investigate the incidence of corneal complications of extra capsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS). We study the various etiological factors leading to these complications and also to highlight various prophylactic intra and post-operative measures to reduce these complications.Methods: Cataract surgery was conducted on 100 patients at Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A of 50 patients were subjected to ECCE with posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PCIOL) and group B of 50 patients to small incision cataract surgery with PCIOL.Results: On the first post-operative day, 5 post-operative cases developed corneal edema (10%) in ECCE and 4 cases (8%) in SICS. Striate keratitis developed in 4 cases of ECCE (8%) and 3 SICS (6%). Nearly 62% patients who underwent ECCE accepted cylinder between 0.25-0.75 D while there were 52% cases in SICS.Conclusions: In this study we conclude that with various advances in cataract surgery the incidence of corneal complication have reduced and have helped in early visual rehabilitation and minimization of post-operative astigmatism by careful selection of incision type and location for MSICS.