bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Troubles du Spectre de l’Autisme au Sénégal
Authors: Der Dieye Ndeye Awa , Fall Lamine , Delvenne Véronique
Published: March 2022

Les troubles psychiatriques de l’enfant sont mal connus et diagnostiqués tardivement au Sénégal, en particulier les troubles du spectre autistique (TSA) qui font trop souvent l’objet d’une stigmatisation. Nous avons réalisé une étude rétrospective descriptive sur une période de trois ans, entre janvier 2014 et décembre 2016 au sein du service de pédopsychiatrie du centre hospitalier national de Fann à Dakar, afin de rechercher les aspects épidémiologiques, cliniques, culturels de prise en charge des troubles du spectre de l’autisme. L’acceptation du diagnostic par les parents est difficile et la plupart évoquaient déjà d’autres explications plus culturelles, religieuses ou mystiques à la pathologie de leur enfant. Une majorité d’entre eux n’est pas revenue en consultation et n’a pas donné suite à la proposition de soins en ambulatoire, certains refusant le diagnostic, d’autres souhaitant un internement ou estimant que le suivi nécessitait un engagement et du temps dont ils ne disposaient pas.
L’Église aux périphéries : le dernier voyage de Paul (Ac 27,1–28,14)
Authors: Bernard Matthieu
Published: March 2022

Le dernier voyage de Paul joue un rôle précis dans l’ecclésiologie narrative des Actes : esquisser, de manière proleptique, la mission de l’Église aux « périphéries », les « extrémités de la terre » du programme d’Ac 1,8. Sans annonce explicite et malgré sa captivité, Paul reste un héraut de l’Évangile : il partage angoisses et espérances, nourrit d’un pain de grâce, se fait tout à tous, bénit et guérit. Des gestes inspirants pour la mission de l’Église, encore aujourd’hui.
La déchéance de nationalité devant la Cour suprême du Royaume-Uni : déférence judiciaire et sécurité nationale
Authors: Pougnet Rachel
Published: March 2022

Pour la troisième fois en l’espace de dix ans, la Cour suprême du Royaume-Uni a été confrontée à une mesure de déchéance de nationalité adoptée par le gouvernement britannique. Dans un arrêt « Begum » de février 2021, la Cour Suprême décide que Shamima Begum ne doit pas être autorisée à revenir sur le territoire britannique pour y conduire son appel contre sa déchéance de nationalité. La Cour suprême fait acte d’une importante déférence judiciaire face à des arguments de sécurité nationale. En effet, elle confère une large marge de manœuvre au gouvernement lors de l’examen des conditions de mise en œuvre de la déchéance de nationalité, à raison de la proximité de cette mesure avec des intérêts de sécurité nationale. La Cour suprême procède également à une mise en balance du droit à un recours effectif et du droit à un procès équitable face à des considérations sécuritaires.
Quelle effectivité pour le recours contre une décision de refus de visa ?
Authors: Jault-Seseke Fabienne
Published: March 2022

L’article 32, paragraphes 2 et 3, du code des visas lu à la lumière de l’article 47 de la charte des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne, impose à l’État membre qui a pris une décision finale de refus de délivrance d’un visa sur le fondement de l’article 32, paragraphe 1, sous a), vi), du code, en raison de l’émission d’une objection à la délivrance du visa par un autre État membre d’indiquer, dans cette décision, l’identité de l’État membre qui a émis une telle objection, le motif de refus spécifique basé sur cette objection, accompagné, le cas échéant, de la substance des raisons de ladite objection ainsi que l’autorité à laquelle le demandeur de visa peut s’adresser pour connaître les voies de recours disponibles dans cet autre État membre. Lorsqu’un recours est introduit contre cette même décision sur le fondement de l’article 32, paragraphe 3, du code, les juridictions de l’État membre qui a pris cette dernière décision ne peuvent pas examiner la légalité au fond de l’objection à la délivrance du visa émise par un autre État membre.
Mise en œuvre de l’accord procédural et détermination de la loi applicable au régime matrimonial
Authors: Fulli-Lemaire Samuel
Published: March 2022

Pour les droits dont elles ont la libre disposition, les parties peuvent, par un accord procédural qui peut résulter de conclusions concordantes sur ce point, choisir, pour régir une situation juridique déterminée, la loi française du for et évincer celle désignée par la règle de conflit applicable. L’accord procédural des parties sur la loi applicable à la détermination de leur régime matrimonial a vocation à produire effet tant pour l’instance en partage au cours de laquelle il est intervenu que pour celle, engagée ensuite par l’un des ex-époux afin de voir dire que la loi applicable à leur régime matrimonial est la loi portugaise, qui n’en est que la conséquence.
Le for de l’atteinte à la dignité d’une nation : l’article 7-2° du règlement Bruxelles I bis n’accueillera pas l’actio popularis
Authors: Muir Watt Horatia
Published: March 2022

L’article 7, point 2, du règlement (UE) n° 1215/2012 du Parlement européen et du Conseil, du 12 décembre 2012, concernant la compétence judiciaire, la reconnaissance et l’exécution des décisions en matière civile et commerciale, doit être interprété en ce sens que la juridiction du lieu où se trouve le centre des intérêts d’une personne prétendant que ses droits de la personnalité ont été violés par un contenu mis en ligne sur un site Internet n’est compétente pour connaître, au titre de l’intégralité du dommage allégué, d’une action en responsabilité introduite par cette personne que si ce contenu comporte des éléments objectifs et vérifiables permettant d’identifier, directement ou indirectement, ladite personne en tant qu’individu.
Participation of external consultants and management of an organizational change project: Longitudinal case study
Authors: Sghari Amira
Published: March 2022

Plusieurs auteurs affirment que la participation des consultants externes influence le changement organisationnel. Toutefois, ils n’expliquent pas sa nature. De plus, cette influence a toujours été traitée de façon statique, négligeant la dynamique du processus de conseil. Cet article explore l’influence de la participation des consultants externes tout au long d’un processus de changement. Une démarche qualitative par étude de cas longitudinale est menée dans une banque leader sur le marché tunisien dans le cadre de son processus d’implémentation d’un Global Banking System divisé en trois phases. L’influence de la participation des consultants externes tout au long du processus de changement organisationnel varie selon les phases de changement analysées.
An integrative model of the impact of the store environment in supermarkets and hypermarkets
Authors: Garrouch Karim , Mzoughi Mohamed-Nabil , Chaieb Safa
Published: March 2022

Cette recherche vise à vérifier un modèle intégrateur combinant les modèles S-O-R, C-E-V et C-A-B dans les situations d’achat en supermarché et en hypermarché. Elle vérifie principalement l’impact de l’environnement du magasin sur l’émotion, la valeur expérientielle, et l’intention de fréquentation. Pour tester les hypothèses, un questionnaire a été administré à 465 individus quittant 12 magasins sélectionnés. La méthode des équations structurelles a permis la vérification du modèle proposé. Les résultats montrent que l’intention de de fréquentation est influencée par la valeur perçue relative à l’aspect visuel, au divertissement, à l’efficacité et à la valeur économique. Les variables sociales sont également importantes dans la création de plaisir entraînant une amélioration de perceptions des valeurs intrinsèques et extrinsèques. Cette étude recommande une intégration systématique du management de tous les éléments environnementaux dans la gestion stratégique et opérationnelle des hyper et supermarchés, afin de créer de la valeur pouvant être bien perçue par les clients. Cette gestion fait appel à différentes composantes d’ambiance et de design, ainsi qu’à des composantes sociales. Elles sont contrôlables puisque les managers peuvent faire en sorte que le personnel se comporte d’une manière qui satisfait les clients. La valeur perçue est intégrée en tant que concept multidimensionnel dont chaque dimension est présentée comme un facteur déterminant de l’intention de fréquentation.
The effect of sustainability performance and CSR on corporate tax avoidance with board gender diversity as mediating variable
Authors: Mouakhar Khaireddine , Kachouri Maali , Riguen Rakia , Jarboui Anis
Published: March 2022

Cet article vise à examiner empiriquement comment la performance durable modère la relation entre l’évasion fiscale et la RSE par le biais de la diversité du genre au sein des conseils d’administration. La modélisation par équation structurelle est appliquée pour tester la relation entre la performance durable, la RSE et l’évasion fiscale pour un ensemble de données de panel de 300 entreprises britanniques répertoriées au cours de la période 2005-2017. Les résultats montrent que la performance durable modère la relation entre l’évitement de l’impôt et la RSE. Ainsi, cette étude démontre empiriquement que les entreprises ayant des activités de performance durable sont mieux placées pour obtenir plus de transparence en réduisant l’évasion fiscale. L’originalité de cet article consiste à proposer la mise en place de liens directs et indirects entre performance durable, RSE et évasion fiscale.
Peaberry and normal coffee bean classification using CNN, SVM, and KNN: Their implementation in and the limitations of Raspberry Pi 3
Authors: Gope Hira Lal , Fukai Hidekazu
Published: March 2022

Peaberries are a special type of coffee bean with an oval shape. Peaberries are not considered defective, but separating peaberries is important to make the shapes of the remaining beans uniform for roasting evenly. The separation of peaberries and normal coffee beans increases the value of both peaberries and normal coffee beans in the market. However, it is difficult to sort peaberries from normal beans using existing commercial sorting machines because of their similarities. In previous studies, we have shown the availability of image processing and machine learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), support vector machines (SVMs), and k-nearest-neighbors (KNNs), for the classification of peaberries and normal beans using a powerful desktop PC. As the next step, assuming the use of our system in the least developed countries, this study was performed to examine their implementation in and the limitations of Raspberry Pi 3. To improve the performance, we modified the CNN architecture from our previous studies. As a result, we found that the CNN model outperformed both linear SVM and KNN on the use of Raspberry Pi 3. For instance, the trained CNN could classify approximately 13.77 coffee bean images per second with 98.19% accuracy of the classification with 64×64 pixel color images on Raspberry Pi 3. There were limitations of Raspberry Pi 3 for linear SVM and KNN on the use of large image sizes because of the system's small RAM size. Generally, the linear SVM and KNN were faster than the CNN with small image sizes, but we could not obtain better results with both the linear SVM and KNN than the CNN in terms of the classification accuracy. Our results suggest that the combination of the CNN and Raspberry Pi 3 holds the promise of inexpensive peaberries and a normal bean sorting system for the least developed countries.
Multiple localized nodal solutions of high topological type for Kirchhoff-type equation with double potentials
Authors: Wu Zhi-Guo , Guan Wen , Wang Da-Bin
Published: March 2022

We are concerned with sign-changing solutions and their concentration behaviors of singularly perturbed Kirchhoff problem

   \begin{document}$ \begin{equation*} -(\varepsilon^{2}a+ \varepsilon b\int _{\mathbb{R}^{3}}|\nabla v|^{2}dx)\Delta v+V(x)v = P(x)f(v)\; \; {\rm{in}}\; \mathbb{R}^{3}, \end{equation*} $\end{document}

where \begin{document}$ \varepsilon $\end{document} is a small positive parameter, \begin{document}$ a, b>0 $\end{document} and \begin{document}$ V, P\in C^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{3}, \mathbb{R}) $\end{document}. Without using any non-degeneracy conditions, we obtain multiple localized sign-changing solutions of higher topological type for this problem. Furthermore, we also determine a concrete set as the concentration position of these sign-changing solutions. The main methods we use are penalization techniques and the method of invariant sets of descending flow. It is notice that, when nonlinear potential \begin{document}$ P $\end{document} is a positive constant, our result generalizes the result obtained in [5] to Kirchhoff problem.
Electric vehicles can have only a minor role in reducing transport's energy and environmental challenges
Authors: Moriarty Patrick
Published: March 2022

Many governments have supported the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) through purchase subsidies or waiving fuel taxes. The key findings of this paper are that the benefits of EVs may have been overstated, at least for some countries, as their energy savings and climate mitigation advantages depend on such factors as annual kilometres travelled per vehicle, electricity fuel mix, vehicle size and even local conditions. Because serious climate change has already arrived in the form of increasing frequency and severity of extreme events, we do not have the decades required for electricity production to be predominantly from non-carbon sources. Further, there are a variety of other challenges facing private transport—EVs just as much as conventionally powered vehicles. These include traffic casualties, non-engine air and noise pollution, light pollution, land requirements for roads and parking, and the intrusion of roads into natural habitats. With the promotion of EVs, these other transport problems run the risk of being downplayed. If all the environmental challenges facing road vehicles are to be effectively and quickly tackled, significant reductions in road vehicular travel are needed.
An analysis of the algebraic structures in the context of intertemporal choice
Authors: Rambaud Salvador Cruz , Jover Blas Torrecillas
Published: March 2022

Framework and justification: The content of this paper is located on the intersection of two fields: Finance and Algebra. In effect, the current dynamism shown by most financial instruments makes it necessary to endow the foundations of finance with, as general as possible, algebraic structures. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to provide a novel view of the fundamentals of finance by using purely algebraic concepts and structures, more specifically the properties of separability and additivity of the involved discount functions and their corresponding operators. This approach provides more flexibility to the axioms of financial mathematics, so anticipating potential changes in the behavior of the so-called "rational" decision makers. Methodologically, this paper uses a variety of algebraic tools which fit the intuition behind the financial logic. Indeed, the main contribution of the paper is the wide variety of algebraic concepts belonging to the abstract algebra which can be applied to describe the behavior of intertemporal choices.
An integrative prognostic and immune analysis of PTPRD in cancer
Authors: Ou Chunpei , Peng Qin , Zeng Changchun
Published: March 2022

PTPRD plays an indispensable role in the occurrence of multiple tumors. However, pan-cancer analysis is unavailable. The purpose of this research was to preliminarily study its prognostic landscape across various tumors and investigate its relationship with immunotherapy. We exhibited the expression profile, survival analysis, and genomic alterations of PTPRD based on the TIMER, GEPIA, UALCAN, PrognoScan and cBioPortal database. The frequency of PTPRD mutation and its correlation with response to immunotherapy were evaluated using the cBioPortal database. The relationship between PTPRD and immune-cell infiltration was analyzed by the TIMER and TISIDB databases. A protein interaction network was constructed by the STRING database. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was executed by the Metascape database. A correlation between PTPRD expression and prognosis was found in various cancers. Aberrant PTPRD expression was closely related to immune infiltration. In non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, patients with PTPRD mutations had better overall survival with immune checkpoint inhibitors, and these patients had higher TMB scores. PTPRD mutation was involved in numerous biological processes, including immunological signaling pathways. A PTPRD protein interaction network was constructed, and genes that interacted with PTPRD were identified. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that a variety of GO biological processes and KEGG pathways associated with PTPRD were involved in the therapeutic mechanisms. These results revealed that PTPRD might function as a biomarker for prognosis and immune infiltration in cancers, throwing new light on cancer therapeutics.
Research on thermoeconomic fault diagnosis for marine low speed two stroke diesel engine
Authors: Xu Nan , Zhang Guolei , Yang Longbin , Shen Zhenyu , Xu Min , Chang Lei
Published: March 2022

To satisfy the requirements of low fuel consumption, low emission, and high efficiency of the shipping industry, marine diesel engines are developing in the direction of automation and energy-saving, which increases the possibility and complexity of marine diesel engine failures. A one-dimension thermodynamic model for the marine diesel engine is built with AVL Boost software. The model is applied to a low-speed two-stroke 6S50MC diesel engine, and the error between the main performance parameters obtained by simulation and the test bench data is less than 3% under 100% and 75% load. Based on the model, 6 typical single faults and many typical double faults concomitant phenomena of diesel are reproduced. Based on the second law of thermodynamics, the exergy flow among the components and the external environment is analyzed. The thermoeconomic model of a marine diesel engine is established where the "fuel" and "product" of the components are defined according to their function. The fault diagnosis results show that the effects of faults generally propagate through the diesel engine system and affect the behavior of several components, resulting in induced malfunction in normal components. Therefore the malfunction MFi of each component is the superposition of the intrinsic malfunction and the induced malfunction according to the malfunction and dysfunction analysis. The thermoeconomic fault diagnosis method can be used to narrow the search range of abnormal components though it cannot accurately locate the fault.
Mixed-integer quadratic programming reformulations of multi-task learning models
Authors: Lapucci Matteo , Pucci Davide
Published: March 2022

In this manuscript, we consider well-known multi-task learning (MTL) models from the literature for linear regression problems, such as clustered MTL or weakly constrained MTL. We propose novel reformulations of the training problem for these models, based on mixed-integer quadratic programming (MIQP) techniques. We show that our approach allows to drive the optimization process up to certified global optimality, exploiting popular off-the-shelf software solvers. By computational experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets, we show that this strategy generally leads to improvements in terms of the predictive performance of the models, if compared to the classical local optimization techniques, based on alternating minimization strategies, that are usually employed. We also suggest a number of possible extensions of our model that should further improve the quality of the obtained regressors, introducing, for example, sparsity and features selection elements.
Detection of Cardiovascular Disease Using Ensemble Feature Engineering With Decision Tree
Authors: Debasmita GhoshRoy  , Alvi P. A. , Tavares João Manuel R. S.
Published: March 2022

Cardiovascular diseases are a cluster of heart-related issues, including many comorbidities, which are becoming a leading cause of human death across the globe. Hence, an essential framework is demanded for the early detection of CVDs which can help to prevent premature death. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare has opted for this challenge and makes it easier to detect CVDs using a computational model. In this study, the authors built a reduced dataset using ensemble feature selection methods and got five features as per their weight values. Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, and Decision Tree classification techniques are utilized to check the effectiveness of newly designed datasets through different validation approaches. The authors also worked on data processing and visualization techniques, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and T-sne for understanding the data structure. From the findings, it was possible to conclude that DT has achieved an optimal accuracy and AUC of 98.9% and 0.99 ROC with leave one out Cross Validation (CV).
Factors Influencing Patient Adoption of the IoT for E-Health Management Systems (e-HMS) Using the UTAUT Model
Authors: Dadhich Manish , Hiran Kamal Kant , Rao Shalendra Singh , Sharma Renu
Published: March 2022

This study examines factors influencing patients' adoption of the IoT for e-Health Management System (e-HMS). A conceptual framework is built by applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to achieve the research objectives. The constructs viz. performance expectations, perceived healthcare threat, facilitation, and trust were employed to analyze the behaviour intention of healthcare IoT devices in the medical context. A questionnaire was prepared and circulated to 210 IoT healthcare users. Further, a synergy of Smart-PLS and ANN was used to determine factors influencing adopting the IoT for e-HMS. The study yields a novel insight that would render vital benefits to users and service providers. The outcomes of this research can assist IoT inventors, medicinal specialists, and vendors to enhance the optimization of e-HMS. The results make some new reporting facts to improve IoT 4.0 practices in the e-healthcare system and structural model assessment.
Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Crop Yield Using Integrated Satellite and Climate Data
Authors: Jhajharia Kavita , Mathur Pratistha
Published: March 2022

India is the second-largest producer of wheat crop. Timely and appropriate prediction of wheat crop yield is essential for global and local food security. This research work has integrated multiple source data to predict crop yield across the Rajasthan state of India using lasso regression, support vector machine, random forest regression, and linear regression for crop yield prediction. This study used multiple vegetation indices (enhanced vegetation index, normalized vegetation index, soil adjusted vegetation index, chlorophyll vegetation index, and normalized difference water index). The results indicated that integrating multiple source data improves the model performance for all the machine learning models. Satellite data contributed additional information to the crop yield prediction than other data variables, and SAVI achieved better performance than other vegetation indices. We found that the support vector machine outperformed all the other approaches. The present study is a significant effort to integrate the multiple source data for the considerable area yield prediction.
Experimental Investigations and Statistical Modeling of Specific Wear and Coefficient of Friction in a Novel Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composite
Authors: Batra Neel Kamal , Dikshit Iti , Singh Ravinder Pal
Published: March 2022

In the present work, experimental investigations were performed to study the effect of various machine parameters like sliding velocity (S_v), sliding distance (S_d), and load (L), on specific wear (W_s) and coefficient of friction (COF). The experiments were performed on a novel carbon fiber reinforced composite consisting of fishbone powder as filler. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop the statistical models to predict the specific wear rate and coefficient of friction (µ) of the developed composite. A set of 20 experiments were designed according to the central composite design technique. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out at a confidence interval of 95% to determine the parameters that significantly affect (p<0.05) the output responses. It was also found that among the various parameters, the influence of S_d was most significant (33.4%) on W_s followed by S_v (20.3%) and L (17.9%). For COF, the percentage contribution of S_v was maximum i.e. 64%, followed by S_d (17.8%) and L (7.8%).
AttentiveSDN
Authors: Al Ahmad Mahmoud , Rout Suchismita , Patra Sudhansu Shekhar , Sahoo Bibhudatta , Dubey Harishchandra , Barik Rabindra Kumar
Published: March 2022

Internet users are increasing day by day due to its support for many applications and creation of innovative services. Along with this, energy consumption is also becoming an important concern in networking. Several researchers have investigated energy saving schemes for networks. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an excellent choice which improves network functionalities with flexible management aided by centralized control. Recent studies designed efficient algorithms for advancing SDN with overall energy savings. Shutting down idle links and switches are one among numerous such solutions available for SDN. In this paper, we proposed a novel algorithm named AttentiveSDN for reducing the energy consumption in SDNs. Here the controller collects the traffic and the link status from the switches involved in network operation and takes the decision to put which idle links and switches into sleep state . We evaluated the performance of the AttentiveSDN algorithm using Mininet. The result has shown that our proposed approach saves more power than existing solutions.
Target Sentiment Analysis Ensemble for Product Review Classification
Authors: Ogutu Rhoda Viviane Achieng , Rimiru Richard M. , Otieno Calvins
Published: March 2022

Abstract— Machine learning can be used to provide systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experiences without being explicitly programmed. It is fundamentally a multidisciplinary field that draws on results from Artificial intelligence, probability and statistics, information theory and analysis, among other fields that impact the field of Machine Learning. Ensemble methods are techniques that can be used to improve the predictive ability of a Machine Learning model. An ensemble comprises of individually trained classifiers whose predictions are combined when classifying instances. Some of the currently popular ensemble methods include Boosting, Bagging and Stacking. In this paper, we review these methods and demonstrate why ensembles can often perform better than single models. Additionally, some new experiments are presented to demonstrate the computational ability of Stacking approach.
Security-Enabled Retransmission and Energy Conservation Architecture With Cluster-Based Multipath Routing in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
Authors: Asha G.  , Srivatsa S. K.
Published: March 2022

The primary requirements of a heterogeneous wireless network topology, adaptive and smart resource allocation to users, protocols for routing and lifetime enhancement, access to the network with security and appropriate network selections. Routing algorithms deliberate on the performance of the network to evenly distribute load and thus enhance the lifespan of individual nodes, clustering algorithm decides on allowing the right nodes into the network for enhanced security feature, and finally the ability to analyse, predict the context of individual nodes/sensors in the network. Architecture of the proposed network includes the parameters such as decision making ability to sustain the clusters, decision on members of the clusters until the communication process is completed, local network abilities and disabilities, price, preferences of individuals, terminal and access points of the service providers. Network lifetime of the entire network is observed to be enhanced up to 91% with triple layer architecture.
Flexural Behavior (Load-Strain Curve) of Reinforced Concrete Beams Covered by Gypsum Layers and Exposed to Elevated Temperatures
Authors: Warwar Raid Sattar , Said Abdul Muttalib I.
Published: March 2022

The paper presents the results of exposure of normal concrete to elevated temperatures (400 and 700) °C covered by layers (gypsum and plaster) with different thicknesses (10 and 20) mm. Through the figures shown in the paper, which were obtained from the experimental side of the research, the load-strain curves improved when the gypsum thickness increased during the specimens' exposure to fire. Where the relationship between them at a temperature of 400°C in a thickness of 20 mm was better than 10 mm when exposed to fire, so by increasing the thickness of the gypsum, the occurrence of strain is less because it protects the surface of the concrete from direct exposure to heat and thus prevents the occurrence of cracks in the outer surface of the concrete.
Gravimetric and Statistical Analysis of Combined Protection Performance of Lavandula latifolia and Ricinus communis on Low Carbon Steel
Authors: Loto Roland Tolulope , Loto Cleophas Akinloto , Olaniyan Oladimeji
Published: March 2022

The protection performance of admixed Lavandula latifolia and Ricinus communis (LLRC) oil distillates on low carbon steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 and HCl was performed by gravimetric measurement. Data output shows LLRC distillate effectively stifled the corrosion of the carbon steel with peak protection performance of 96.35% at 1% LLRC concentration in H2SO4 solution and 88.72% at 6% LLRC concentration in HCl solution. LLRC performed more effectively in H2SO4 solution than in HCl. The performance of LLRC in H2SO4 exhibited significant non dependence on observation time while LLRC concentration strongly influenced its performance. In HCl solution observation time and LLRC concentration influenced the performance output of LLRC distillate in different proportions. Statistical evaluation rated the influence of LLRC concentration the protection performance of LLRC at 90.66% compared to 2.22% for observation time, while the corresponding values in HCl are 55.37% for LLRC concentration and 21.04% for observation time. Calculated data for standard deviation shows relatively minimal variation from mean values with respect to LLRC concentration and observation time at lower LLRC concentration in H2SO4 solution. At higher LLRC concentration, the degree of variation increases due to relative instability with respect to exposure time. The standard deviation values in HCl are significantly and relatively higher than the values obtained in H2SO4 solution due to significant deviation from mean values which signifies extensive instability with respect to exposure time. The margin of error shows 91.7% and 93.3% of LLRC protection performance data in H2SO4 and HCl solution are greater than 80% inhibition efficiency at margin of error of +6.99% and +6.31%.
Experimental Investigation of Thermal Assessment of Smart Passive Cooling System
Authors: Al Shizawi Miaad , Kumar Vinod
Published: March 2022

Energy consumption in conventional domestic housing in Oman is quite high due to cost intensive mechanical air conditioning systems. For the climate conditions in Oman, it is expected that energy conservation using smart passive cool roof will be valuable and significant. This paper presents the thermal assessment and energy efficiency of a novel forced convective evaporative cooling system with radiation reflector. The results revealed that the proposed smart passive cool system can reduce the indoor air temperature of the building models, with highest reduction in the room and roof surface temperature of 13.07 °C (36.7%) and 66.42 °C (75.7%) respectively. This is due to its ability to inhibit solar radiation and dissipate heat by evaporation, forced convection due to the dynamic behavior of air in the air ventilation between primary and secondary roofs, and nocturnal radiation. The research has conclusively demonstrated that the smart passive cool roof system presented significantly lower the heat fluxes through the roofs and can be applied to residential and commercial buildings for energy consrvation
Does systemic property cause the continuing accumulation of severe debt in developed economies?
Authors: Senanayake H. , Wimalaratana W. , David K.
Published: March 2022

Even developed economies experience continuing severe debt problems. Debt crises were an old phenomenon, but since the global financial crisis of 2008, economists began to pay renewed interest on the subject. Recent studies show that unsustainable financial conditions that exist may be the decisive macroeconomic challenge in the 21st century. Unsustainable financial conditions mean nothing other than the overwhelming debt and debt relations. In this paper, the authors question whether there could be an inherent fundamental systemic cause that leads to creating unsustainable debt bubbles when the basic economic activity of supply and demand takes place. Upon making a scientific inquiry on the said problem, by employing deductive methodology, this paper finds out that there exists an ‘unavoidable inherent systemic contradiction’ in the economic system that leads to creating unsustainable debt growth. Understanding this unique behaviour of any money-based exchange economic system (not limited to capitalism) is essential to device new macroeconomic policy tools bringing stability to the global economy.
Preparedness and relative opinions of the owners of agro-based businesses to attain institutional support to face global challenges: a case of Sri Lankan SMES
Authors: Upulwehera J. M. H. M. , Liyanage D. Y. H. , Bandara K. B. T. U. K. , Lalani J. M. G. , Gamage S. K. N. , Rajapakshe P. S. K. , Jayasundara J. M. S. B. , Ekanayake E. M. S. , Prasanna R. P. I. R.
Published: March 2022

This study is geared to address the apparent lack of scholarly work on the relative opinion of SME owners in the agribusiness sector on institutional support towards SMEs in facing global challenges, using a case study-based, qualitative method. A set of key informant interviews was held with 10 SME owners representing several agribusiness industries using the purposive sampling method. The data were analysed by a thematic analysis and identified three key global challenges of SMEs: global market competition, global financial crisis, and challenges from Multinational Companies (MNCs)/ Transnational Companies (TNCs)/ large-scale companies. The findings emphasized the association between SMEs’ global challenges and the generality of numerous SME and institutional defects.
Association of Anti-Contagion Policies with the Spread of Covid-19 in United States
Authors: Faghani Ali , Hughes M. Courtney , Vaezi Mahdi
Published: March 2022

Background

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19, raised worldwide concern. The present study investigates the association between anti-contagion policies and the spread of COVID-19 across the United States.

Design and methods

We selected the most frequently implemented COVID-19 anti-contagion policies in all the U.S. states issued from 29 February 2020. Accordingly, we modified an epidemiological model and combined it with a comprehensive statistical analysis to evaluate the policies’ individual and overall likely impact.

Results

For the first time, a novel index, evaluates the associations between policy implementation and COVID-19 spread at both statewide and national levels. Our results indicate that governmental policies requiring mask use, businesses social distancing, and quarantining travelers may be most effective for controlling COVID-19 spread. Simultaneously, widespread orders like school closure and safer-at-home that can be particularly disruptive to the economy and social fabric of society may be unnecessary given their lack of association with reducing infection.

Conclusions

The absence of any COVID-19 vaccines during the first several months of its pandemic necessitated using governmental policies to help stop the spread of this disease. Our index showed the association between implemented policies and COVID-19 spread, highlighting the specific policies with the greatest association - mandatory quarantine upon entering a state, businesses implementing social distancing, and mandatory mask use - and those with less association like school closure and saferat- home orders. This study provided evidence to inform policy choices for the current global crisis and future pandemics.
Human papillomavirus prevalence in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in South America
Authors: Oliveira Antônio Carlos , Cavalcanti de Lima Israel Carlos , Frez Marques Vitor Marcelo , Alves de Araújo Wudson Henrique , De Campos Ferreira Chrystiano
Published: March 2022

Background: Some studies have addressed the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancer in South America; however, no studies have systematically gathered prevalence and conducted a meta-analysis.

Aim: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of HPV in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas in South America.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis using the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. Data were extracted and analyzed using random-effects models to estimate the pooled prevalence of HPV.

Results: We identified 209 nonduplicated studies, of which 38 were selected. The overall prevalence of HPV was 24.31% (95% CI 16.87–32.64; I2 = 96%, pheterogeneity <0.001). HPV prevalence in oropharyngeal cancer was 17.9% (95% CI 7.6–31.4; I2 = 96%, pheterogeneity <0.001) and that in oral cavity cancer was 23.19% (95% CI 14.94–32.63; I2 = 94%, pheterogeneity <0.001).

Conclusions: We found an overall prevalence of HPV in 24.31% of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas in South American patients. The prevalence of HPV was 17.9% for oropharyngeal cancer and 23.19% for oral cavity cancer.
Unusual case of isolated major aortopulmonary collateral artery perfusing entire functional left lower lobe of the lung
Authors: Riggs Kyle W , Mahajan Siddharth , Kholwadwala Dipak , Meyer David , Parnel Vincent A
Published: March 2022

Pulmonary sequestrations are nonfunctioning pulmonary parenchyma supplied by a systemic artery. We describe an 18-month-old baby girl with no significant past medical history who was found to have a large isolated collateral from the aorta entirely perfusing the functional left lower lobe. Cardiac catheterization confirmed the major aortopulmonary collateral artery supplying the left lower lobe with normal drainage into the left atrium. At a multidisciplinary meeting, decision was made to preserve the functional lobe. During surgery, the collateral artery was dissected and its course within the pleural space appreciated, the main left pulmonary artery was isolated. Intraoperatively surgeons anastomosed an 8 mm ringed conduit from the left pulmonary artery, anteriorly to the proximal aspect of the collateral. The patient tolerated the surgery well. Postoperative echocardiogram showed pulmonary flow to the lower lobe, and she was discharged home on postoperative day 2 without complications.
Reoperation after modified Björk procedure for tricuspid atresia
Authors: Chatti Sana , Ghedira Faker , Mahfoudhi Houaida , Mrad Melek Ben , Messai Mohamed , Nouar Mohamed , Denguir Raouf
Published: March 2022

Rarely performed nowadays, the Björk procedure is an alternative to the Fontan palliation for biventricular repair in patients with tricuspid atresia. The right atrium to right ventricle conduit failure leads to serious long-term complications. The management of such patients at high surgical risk remains challenging. We report a successful reoperation in a young adult 25 years after the modified Björk intervention, who presented with severely narrowed and calcified valved conduit.
Neonatal ascending aorta thrombosis
Authors: Bansal Nikhil , Ghosh Rajarshi , SenGupta Sanjoy , Chatterjee Sujoy , Chatterjee Srirup , Bose Satyajit
Published: March 2022

Ascending aorta thrombosis (AAT) in a neonate is a rare and lethal event. To date, AAT has been reported in around 25 patients, out of whom only eight patients had concomitant arch involvement. We report a case of one such patient with ascending aorta and arch thrombosis and present a brief review of the available literature.
Hemodynamic rounds and clinical pathology correlation
Authors: Sagar Pramod , Sivakumar Kothandam
Published: March 2022

A 32-year-old male with symptomatic polycythemia was investigated by hematologist for myeloproliferative malignancies and underwent five therapeutic phlebotomies. The identification of hypoxia on pulse oximetry later led to pulmonology evaluation that showed normal lung function tests as well as normal lung parenchyma and airways on advanced imaging. The absence of murmurs and significant precordial findings, normal chest X-ray, and unremarkable findings in electrocardiogram apart from first-degree heart block delayed the cardiac referral. Cardiac imaging showed a significant right to left shunt through a large oval fossa defect, mild hypoplasia of the right ventricle, normal right ventricular function and mild fibrosis within the myocardium. Hemodynamic assessment with test balloon occlusion led finally to a complete closure of the defect, which normalized the hypoxia. A step-by-step clinical approach finally leading to the management is presented in this clinicopathology correlation and hemodynamic rounds.
Further clarification on the variants of double-outlet right atrium
Authors: Krishna Mani Ram , Anderson Robert H.
Published: March 2022

Uniatrial but biventricular atrioventricular connection is a rare congenital cardiac abnormality where the left atria-ventricular connection is absent and the right atrio-ventricular connection straddles the crest of the muscular ventricular septum. This anomaly has been referred to as double outlet right atrium and the atrio-ventricular valve as a common atrioventricular valve in the past. In the absence of a primary atrial septal defect, the atrio-ventricular junction is not a common junction and the valve cannot hence be described as a common trio-ventricular valve. We demonstrate this paradox by an illustrative case and contrast this with two other cases where a common atrio-ventricular valve was predominantly committed to the right atrium.
Familial left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy due to a novel mutation in the MYH 7 gene
Authors: Alawani Sujata S , Paul Abraham , Krishna Mani Ram , Ahamed Hisham
Published: March 2022

Left Ventricular Non Compaction (LVNC) is considered a unique cardiomyopathy according to the American Heart Association guidelines. The genetic ethology of LVNC in children is not completely understood although upto 41% of LVNC are thought to be genetic. We report a family with LVNC due to a novel mutation in the MYH 7 gene.
Comparative evaluation of three techniques for paramedian subarachnoid block: Point-of-care preprocedural ultrasound assisted, real-time ultrasound guided and landmark based
Authors: Bhardwaj Deepak , Thakur Lokesh , Sharma Shalini , Rana Shelly , Gupta Bhanu , Sharma Charu
Published: March 2022

Background and Aims:

Preprocedural ultrasound (US) assisted and real-time US-guided subarachnoid block (SAB) are useful adjuncts for successful SAB. This study compared the feasibility and efficacy of real-time US-guided SAB with preprocedural US-assisted and landmark-based SAB using paramedian approach.

Methods:

The study enroled 150 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients, aged 20–65 years, scheduled for lower limb orthopaedic surgery under SAB. In group L (n = 50), the patients underwent landmark-guided SAB utilising paramedian approach. In group P (n = 50), preprocedural US-assisted SAB was instituted and in group M (n = 50) real-time US-guided SAB was administered. The number of needle attempts for a successful SAB was the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes included successful SAB in first attempt, time taken to perform SAB and patients’ satisfaction.

Results:

The number of attempts for SAB were (mean ± standard deviation = 1.05 ± 0.35, 1.00 ± 0.28, 1.03 ± 0.26) in groups L, P and M, respectively (P = 0.436). The SAB was successful in the first attempt in 82%, 82% and 80% in groups L, P and M, respectively (P = 0.207). The time taken for the successful SAB was more in group M as compared to groups L and P (groups L and M, P = 0.045 and groups P and M, P = 0.004). The patients’ satisfaction score was comparable.

Conclusion:

Real-time US guidance for spinal anaesthesia resulted in needle attempts comparable to landmark and preprocedural US-assisted SAB in patients with a normal spine. The time required for the completion of the block was more in real-time US-guided SAB.
Efficacy and Safety of Ceritinib 450 mg/day with Food and 750 mg/day in Fasted State in Treatment-Naïve Patients with ALK+ Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results from the ASCEND-8 Asian Subgroup Analysis
Authors: Cho Byoung Chul , Kim Dong-Wan , Batra Ullas , Park Keunchil , Kim Sang-We , Yang Cheng-Ta , Voon Pei-Jye , Sriuranpong Virote , Babu K. Govind , Amin Khalid , Wang Yingbo , Sen Paramita , Slimane Khemaies , Geater Sarayut
Published: March 2022

Purpose Previous report from the ASCEND-8 trial showed consistent efficacy with less gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged (ALK+) advanced/metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with ceritinib 450-mg with food compared with 750-mg fasted. In this subgroup analysis, we report outcomes in Asian patients of the ASCEND-8 trial.Materials and Methods Key efficacy endpoints were blinded independent review committee (BIRC)–assessed overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR) evaluated per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.1. Other efficacy endpoints were investigator-assessed ORR and DOR; BIRC- and investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and disease control rate; overall survival (OS). Safety was evaluated by frequency and severity of adverse events.Results At final data cutoff (6 March 2020), 198 treatment-naïve patients were included in efficacy analysis, of which 74 (37%) comprised the Asian subset; 450-mg fed (n=29), 600-mg fed (n=19), and 750-mg fasted (n=26). Baseline characteristics were mostly comparable across study arms. At baseline, more patients in 450-mg fed arm (44.8%) had brain metastases than in 750-mg fasted arm (26.9%). Per BIRC, patients in the 450-mg fed arm had a numerically higher ORR, 24-month DOR rate and 24-month PFS rate than the 750-mg fasted arm. The 36-month OS rate was 93.1% in 450-mg fed arm and 70.9% in 750-mg fasted arm. Any-grade GI toxicity occurred in 82.8% and 96.2% of patients in the 450-mg fed and 750-mg fasted arms, respectively.Conclusion Asian patients with ALK+ advanced/metastatic NSCLC treated with ceritinib 450-mg fed showed numerically higher efficacy and lower GI toxicity than 750-mg fasted patients.