bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flexible working: a new way forward to an old concept
Authors: Broekes Belinda
Published: December 2021

This article provides a high level overview around flexible working, an employer and employees legislative requirements and the benefits available to those who choose to embrace flexible working. Flexible working is not a new concept however COVID-19 has had an impact on working patterns that many companies never considered or wanted to implement. The application of flexible working in the veterinary industry is not well explored, which is concerning given the health and wellbeing concerns the industry already faced prior to the pandemic. Veterinary practices being able to accommodate a flexible working request will always come down to a number of considerations such as position, type of work and the flexible working request that the employee is exploring.
Health and husbandry of companion parrots
Authors: Vickery Stacey , Hollwarth Ashton
Published: December 2021

Parrot ownership is growing increasingly popular in the UK. Many veterinary professionals will find themselves treating a parrot at some point in their careers. Knowledge of the husbandry requirements of different species including housing, diet, hygiene, socialisation and enrichment is essential in order to evaluate these patients.
The art of delegation: integration of the veterinary nursing assistant into New Zealand veterinary practice
Authors: Young Angela C
Published: December 2021

Background:

In 2016 veterinary nursing assistants (VNAs) were introduced as an additional tier to New Zealand veterinary practice.

Aim:

This study explores the utilisation of VNAs in New Zealand veterinary practices to ascertain the impact of an additional staffing layer to patient outcomes, workload management and staff wellness.

Method:

Through focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants, three themes emerged allowing evaluation of the Allied Veterinary Professionals Regulatory Council (AVPRC) Scope of Practice (SP) (AVPRC, 2020) and development of delegation guidelines (DG).

Results:

Analysis identified weak processes in delegation. The practice-based perspectives of VNA staff utilisation supports the AVPRC SP.

Conclusion:

Effective communication of the SP and DG for veterinary practice utilisation could contribute to reducing workload pressure. Additionally, individual practice staff discussions regarding own and colleague job expectations, along with review of contractual job descriptions, could further evolution of multi-tiered practices leading to improved patient outcomes, team wellness and business success.
Development of Affective Self-Assessment Instrument of Chemistry for High School Student as the Daily Assessment Guideline
Authors: Alivi Farintis Jihadul , Widihastuti Widihastuti
Published: December 2021

The study objectives were (1) developing a valid and reliable Affective Self-assessment Instrument of Chemistry for High School Student and (2) discovering the chemistry affective domain ability trend of high school students based on gender. The current development study utilized 10 non-test instrument development procedures from Mardapi. The study population was all high school students in Yogyakarta Special Region. The sample size was 405 students categorized into two stages and sampling techniques, i.e., the trial stage using cluster random sampling and the measurement stage using simple random sampling. The data analysis techniques were validity test using the Aiken index and construct validity and reliability using the second-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis model. The study findings were (1) the Affective Self-assessment Instrument of Chemistry for High School Student had 15 valid and reliable items and 15 available items to be utilized by teachers to measure students’ affective in the learning process and (2) the chemistry affective domain ability trend of male high school students was dominated by the “good” category and “very good” category for female students.
Pixel-Based Calibration and Atmospheric Correction of a UAS-Mounted Thermal Camera for Land Surface Temperature Measurements
Authors: Zhu Yan , Cherkauer Keith
Published: December 2021

Highlights

A novel pixel-based calibration algorithm and an atmospheric correction method are developed.

Application of the calibration methods reduces the RMSE of measurements to less than 1.32°C.

The calibrations facilitate stitching of images together to form whole-field mosaics.

Abstract. Thermal imagery can be used to provide insight into the water stress status and evapotranspiration demand of crops, but satellite-based sensors are generally too coarse spatially and too infrequent temporally to provide information of use for the management of specific fields. Thermal cameras mounted on small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have potential to provide canopy temperature information at high spatial and temporal resolutions useful for crop management; however, without appropriate camera corrections, the measurement biases of these uncooled thermal cameras can be larger than ±5°C. Such uncertainty can render such camera measurements useless. In this research, a pixel-based (non-uniformity) calibration algorithm and an atmospheric correction method based on in-field approximate blackbody sources (water targets) were developed for a thermal camera. The objective was to improve the temperature measurement accuracy of the thermal camera on various land surfaces including soil and vegetation. With sufficient accuracy, temperature measurements can be used for the estimation of latent heat flux of field crops in the future. The thermal camera was first calibrated in a laboratory setting where the camera and environmental conditions were controlled. The results indicated that in the range between 10°C and 45°C, the calibrated temperatures were accurate, with an average bias of 1.76°C, and had a high linear correlation with reference temperatures (water target temperatures) (R2 > 0.99). Variability of measurements was also better constrained. In-field atmospheric correction is also important for obtaining high-accuracy thermal imagery. By applying both pixel-based calibration and atmospheric corrections, the RMSE (root mean square error) of validation targets from two dates in 2017 was reduced from 4.56°C and 6.36°C before calibration to 1.32°C and 1.24°C after calibration. The calibration process also increased the range of temperatures in the imagery, which enhanced contrast and may help with identification of tie-points and stitching of images together to form whole-field mosaics. Keywords: Atmospheric correction, Pixel-based calibration, Thermal remote sensing, UAS, Water targets.
Optical design of type-1 x-ray telescopes and their application to STAR-X
Authors: Saha Timo T. , Zhang William W.
Published: December 2021

An astronomical x-ray telescope’s capability rests on the quality of its optics, which
in turn rests on its point spread function (PSF), field of view (FOV),
and photon-collecting area. The design and implementation of telescope
optics must optimize these three parameters in the context of
mathematical prescription, optical fabrication, engineering, and
resources such as mass and cost constraints. In this paper, after
reviewing important features of grazing incidence optics and the many
different mathematical prescriptions in the literature, we
quantitatively compare the advantages and disadvantages of these
prescriptions, using detailed ray trace, to optimize the PSF and FOV
for a given set of requirements. Then, we apply this approach to
optimizing the designs for a proposed future x-ray telescope, Survey
and Time-Domain Astrophysical Research eXplorer (STAR-X), a NASA
Medium-Class (MIDEX) mission by optimizing the combination of PSF and
FOV.
S-transform application in phase extraction of spectrally resolved interferometry measuring step height
Authors: Luo Wentao , He Yu , Tang Yan , Cheng Xiaolong
Published: December 2021

Spectrally resolved interferometry is widely used in the measurement of distance, displacement, film thickness, and surface morphology in micro/nano-scale geometric measurement. The core of spectrally resolved white-light interferometry is phase extraction. Temporal phase shifting, Fourier transform, wavelet transform, and other methods are commonly used in phase extraction of spectrally resolved interferometry. The S-transform, providing frequency-dependent resolution and having good time–frequency characteristics, is widely used in power quality disturbance analysis, seismic wave analysis, and phase recovery in profilometry. S-transform is used to extract the phase of the spectrally resolved white-light interferometry signal measuring step height. Compared with Fourier transform and wavelet transform, it is proved that S-transform is a feasible method in phase extraction of spectrally resolved interferometry measuring step height.
Parametric amplification interactions in time-periodic media: coupled waves theory
Authors: Koutserimpas Theodoros T.
Published: December 2021

Waves and their interactions with time-periodic media have recently been of theoretical interest for their unusual properties. It has been revealed that such interactions lead to momentum gaps at

ω
=
N
Ω

/

2

, where

ω

is the wave frequency,

Ω

is the modulation frequency, and

N
∈

Z

. While waves can propagate at the boundaries of the momentum gaps, it has been shown that waves exhibit parametric amplification in the momentum gaps due to the active nature of such temporally dynamic media. In this paper, the coupled waves theory is used for the modeling of the parametric amplification phenomena in time-periodic optical media. Simple formulas are derived using the 0th and first Fourier components of

θ
(
t
)
=
1

/

ε
(
t
)

, approximating the results of the cumbersome stability analysis of the associated hypergeometric equation of the electric displacement field and providing the conditions to define the wave parameters, which can fall in the momentum gap, resulting in parametric amplification or allow propagating modes. Numerical results are compared with the Hill’s determinant of the Floquet theory and FDTD simulations showing that the coupled waves theory can efficiently model the first and second momentum gaps. Further extensions can be made to higher-order gaps, by considering higher-order harmonics and following the same steps of this analysis.
Four-wave mixing in graphdiyne-microfiber based on synchronized dual-wavelength pulses
Authors: Jin Xinxin , Bao Wenli , Zhang Han , Zheng Zheng , Zhang Meng
Published: December 2021

We demonstrate four-wave mixing (FWM) in the graphdiyne (GDY) microfiber based on the synchronized dual-wavelength pump pulses that are transformed from a mode-locked fiber laser. Benefiting from the large nonlinear refractive index of GDY and the synchronized pump pulses, a maximum conversion efficiency of −39.05 dB can be achieved in GDY with only an average pump power of 6.9 mW, greatly alleviating the possible damage compared to previous investigations employing the continuous-wave pump. In addition, our proposal can be applied to measure the effective nonlinear coefficient

γ

of the GDY-microfiber, which could be extended as a practical measurement tool for

γ

of nanomaterials-based devices.
Single-shot three-input phase retrieval for quantitative back focal plane measurement
Authors: Shen Mengqi , Zou Qi , Jiang Xiaoping , Feng Fu , Somekh Michael G.
Published: December 2021

This paper presents quantitative measurements facilitated with a new optical system that implements a single-shot three-input phase retrieval algorithm. The new system allows simultaneous acquisition of three distinct input patterns, thus eliminating the requirement for mechanical movement and reducing any registration errors and microphonics. We demonstrate the application of the system for measurement and separation of two distinct attenuation measurements of surface waves, namely, absorption and coupling loss. This is achieved by retrieving the phase in the back focal plane and performing a series of virtual optics computations. This overcomes the need to use a complicated series of hardware manipulations with a spatial light modulator. This gives a far more accurate and faster measurement with a simpler optical system. We also demonstrate that phase measurements allow us to implement different measurement methods to acquire the excitation angle for surface plasmons. Depending on the noise statistics different methods have superior performance, so the best method under particular conditions can be selected. Since the measurements are only weakly correlated, they may also be combined for improved noise performance. The results presented here offer a template for a wider class of measurements in the back focal plane including ellipsometry.
Introduction and expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and reinfections in Qatar: A nationally representative cohort study
Authors: Abu-Raddad Laith J. , Chemaitelly Hiam , Ayoub Houssein H. , Coyle Peter , Malek Joel A. , Ahmed Ayeda A. , Mohamoud Yasmin A. , Younuskunju Shameem , Tang Patrick , Al Kanaani Zaina , Al Kuwari Einas , Butt Adeel A. , Jeremijenko Andrew , Kaleeckal Anvar Hassan , Latif Ali Nizar , Shaik Riyazuddin Mohammad , Abdul Rahim Hanan F. , Nasrallah Gheyath K. , Yassine Hadi M. , Al Kuwari Mohamed Ghaith , Al Romaihi Hamad Eid , Al-Thani Mohamed H. , Al Khal Abdullatif , Bertollini Roberto
Published: December 2021

Background

The epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 (or Alpha) variant is insufficiently understood. This study’s objective was to describe the introduction and expansion of this variant in Qatar and to estimate the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection with this variant.

Methods and findings

Reinfections with the B.1.1.7 variant and variants of unknown status were investigated in a national cohort of 158,608 individuals with prior PCR-confirmed infections and a national cohort of 42,848 antibody-positive individuals. Infections with B.1.1.7 and variants of unknown status were also investigated in a national comparator cohort of 132,701 antibody-negative individuals. B.1.1.7 was first identified in Qatar on 25 December 2020. Sudden, large B.1.1.7 epidemic expansion was observed starting on 18 January 2021, triggering the onset of epidemic’s second wave, 7 months after the first wave. B.1.1.7 was about 60% more infectious than the original (wild-type) circulating variants. Among persons with a prior PCR-confirmed infection, the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection was estimated to be 97.5% (95% CI: 95.7% to 98.6%) for B.1.1.7 and 92.2% (95% CI: 90.6% to 93.5%) for variants of unknown status. Among antibody-positive persons, the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection was estimated to be 97.0% (95% CI: 92.5% to 98.7%) for B.1.1.7 and 94.2% (95% CI: 91.8% to 96.0%) for variants of unknown status. A main limitation of this study is assessment of reinfections based on documented PCR-confirmed reinfections, but other reinfections could have occurred and gone undocumented.

Conclusions

In this study, we observed that introduction of B.1.1.7 into a naïve population can create a major epidemic wave, but natural immunity in those previously infected was strongly associated with limited incidence of reinfection by B.1.1.7 or other variants.
Validation of the Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) for dengue outbreaks: Evidence from the national vector control program in Mexico
Authors: Benitez-Valladares David , Kroeger Axel , Tejeda Gustavo Sánchez , Hussain-Alkhateeb Laith
Published: December 2021

Background

During 2017, twenty health districts (locations) implemented a dengue outbreak Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) in Mexico, which processes epidemiological, meteorological and entomological alarm indicators to predict dengue outbreaks and triggers early response activities.

Out of the 20 priority districts where more than one fifth of all national disease transmission in Mexico occur, eleven districts were purposely selected and analyzed. Nine districts presented outbreak alarms by EWARS but without subsequent outbreaks (“non-outbreak districts”) and two presented alarms with subsequent dengue outbreaks (“outbreak districts”). This evaluation study assesses and compares the impact of alarm-informed response activities and the consequences of failing a timely and adequate response across the outbreak groups.

Methods

Five indicators of dengue outbreak response (larval control, entomological studies with water container interventions, focal spraying and indoor residual spraying) were quantitatively analyzed across two groups (”outbreak districts” and “non-outbreak districts”). However, for quality control purposes, only qualitative concluding remarks were derived from the fifth response indicator (fogging).

Results

The average coverage of vector control responses was significantly higher in non-outbreak districts and across all four indicators. In the “outbreak districts” the response activities started late and were of much lower intensity compared to “non-outbreak districts”. Vector control teams at districts-level demonstrated diverse levels of compliance with local guidelines for ‘initial’, ‘early’ and ‘late’ responses to outbreak alarms, which could potentially explain the different outcomes observed following the outbreak alarms.

Conclusion

Failing timely and adequate response of alarm signals generated by EWARS showed to negatively impact the disease outbreak control process. On the other hand, districts with adequate and timely response guided by alarm signals demonstrated successful records of outbreak prevention. This study presents important operational scenarios when failing or successding EWARS but warrants investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of EWARS using a more robust designs.
A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of influenza vaccination and probiotic supplementation on immune response and incidence of influenza-like illness in an elderly population in Indonesia
Authors: Koesnoe Sukamto , Masjkuri Nuning , Adisasmita Asri , Djauzi Samsuridjal , Kartasasmita Cissy , Sundoro Julitasari , Nadjib Mardiati , Korib Mondastri , Muthia Alisa Nurul , Muzellina Virly Nanda , Habibah Ummu , Nursyirwan Saskia Aziza , Djaya Kristoforus Hendra , Bachtiar Novilia Sjafri , Sari Rini Mulia
Published: December 2021

Aim

To investigate the effect of influenza vaccination with or without probiotic supplementation on the immune response and incidence of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the elderly.

Methods

A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a modified factorial design was conducted in 554 healthy elderly subjects aged 67 ± 5.6 (ranging from 60–90) years old in the Primary Health Care Center (Puskesmas area) of the Pulo Gadung District East Jakarta. Subjects received either a trivalent influenza vaccine or placebo at the start of the study, and a probiotic supplement (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011) or a placebo for 6 months. Subjects were randomly assigned into four intervention groups: influenza vaccine and probiotics (n = 141), influenza vaccine and placebo (n = 136), placebo and probiotics (n = 140), and both placebo (n = 137). The primary outcome was ILI incidence within 6 months. The secondary outcomes were seroprotection and seroconversion rates at 1, 4, and 6 months after administering the interventions.

Results

This study showed that the trivalent influenza vaccine increased seroprotection (RR 3.6 [95%CI 2.92–4.47]; p<0.010) and seroconversion (RR 29.8 [95%CI 11.1–79.5]; p<0.010) rates 1 month after vaccination in elderly people while the probiotic supplement did not alter influenza antibody titers (p = 1.000 and p = 0.210). The relative ILI incidence risk was similar between vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups, as well as in the probiotic group compared to the non-probiotic group.

Conclusion

The tested trivalent influenza vaccine significantly induced seroprotection and seroconversion in the vaccinated subjects, while probiotics administration did not influence these parameters. Vaccinated individuals displayed a similarly low ILI incidence as those in the Control Group. However, the observed trend towards a reduction of ILI incidence with probiotics supplementation warrants further assessments in a larger, at-risk population.

Clinical trial registry number

NCT03695432.
Professional development and career-preparedness experiences of STEM Ph.D. students: Gaps and avenues for improvement
Authors: Ganapati Shweta , Ritchie Tessy S.
Published: December 2021

This study presents the experiences of current science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Ph.D. students and alumni with respect to professional development opportunities in their Ph.D. training. Specifically, it investigates if and how the Ph.D. training supports graduates to pursue non-academic and non-R&D roles, which have become increasingly common career paths post-graduation. A mixed-methods questionnaire was developed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding the graduate school experiences of current Ph.D. students and recent Ph.D. graduates pursuing diverse career paths. The study investigates the values, needs, and conceptions of professional development from the student perspective, as well as the contributions of peers and mentors in graduate school towards their professional development. Experiences of Ph.D. alumni are used to identify the barriers for transitioning to the first job post-graduation and to provide an assessment of the current professional development opportunities in Ph.D. programs. It is reported that although Ph.D. training allowed alumni to develop a robust skillset that includes research, teaching, and scientific writing; some common barriers associated with obtaining a job post-graduation were lack of awareness about career options, limited or no professional networks outside academia, and a lack of preparation and support for non-academic job transitions. Through analyzing the student perspective on various aspects of professional development, the study identifies gaps and avenues for improvement for professional development in Ph.D. training, including increased awareness of diverse career paths for STEM PhDs, increased networking opportunities for PhD students with sectors outside academia, embedding professional development in the PhD curriculum, and others; so that programs can support students in entering the labor market in a variety of careers that extend beyond academia and traditional R&D jobs, using interventions that resonate with the students and meet their needs.
Why enterprise resource planning initiatives do succeed in the long run: A case-based causal network
Authors: Zerbino Pierluigi , Aloini Davide , Dulmin Riccardo , Mininno Valeria
Published: December 2021

Despite remarkable academic efforts, why Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) post-implementation success occurs still remains elusive. A reason for this shortage may be the insufficient addressing of an ERP-specific interior boundary condition, i.e., the multi-stakeholder perspective, in explaining this phenomenon. This issue may entail a gap between how ERP success is supposed to occur and how ERP success may actually occur, leading to theoretical inconsistency when investigating its causal roots. Through a case-based, inductive approach, this manuscript presents an ERP success causal network that embeds the overlooked boundary condition and offers a theoretical explanation of why the most relevant observed causal relationships may occur. The results provide a deeper understanding of the ERP success causal mechanisms and informative managerial suggestions to steer ERP initiatives towards long-haul success.
Acoustic emission corrosion feature extraction and severity prediction using hybrid wavelet packet transform and linear support vector classifier
Authors: May Zazilah , Alam M. K. , Nayan Nazrul Anuar , Rahman Noor A’in A. , Mahmud Muhammad Shazwan
Published: December 2021

Corrosion in carbon-steel pipelines leads to failure, which is a major cause of breakdown maintenance in the oil and gas industries. The acoustic emission (AE) signal is a reliable method for corrosion detection and classification in the modern Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. The efficiency of this system in detection and classification mainly depends on the suitable AE features. Therefore, many feature extraction and classification methods have been developed for corrosion detection and severity assessment. However, the extraction of appropriate AE features and classification of various levels of corrosion utilizing these extracted features are still challenging issues. To overcome these issues, this article proposes a hybrid machine learning approach that combines Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) integrated with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for multiresolution feature extraction and Linear Support Vector Classifier (L-SVC) for predicting corrosion severity levels. A Laboratory-based Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) test was performed on carbon-steel samples for AE data acquisition over a different time span. AE signals were collected at a high sampling rate with a sound well AE sensor using AEWin software. Simulation results show a linear relationship between the proposed approach-based extracted AE features and the corrosion process. For multi-class problems, three corrosion severity stages have been made based on the corrosion rate over time and AE activity. The ANOVA test results indicate the significance within and between the feature-groups where F-values (F-value>1) rejects the null hypothesis and P-values (P-value<0.05) are less than the significance level. The utilized L-SVC classifier achieves higher prediction accuracy of 99.0% than the accuracy of other benchmarked classifiers. Findings of our proposed machine learning approach confirm that it can be effectively utilized for corrosion detection and severity assessment in SHM applications.
Axially rigid steerable needle with compliant active tip control
Authors: de Vries M. , Sikorski J. , Misra S. , van den Dobbelsteen J. J.
Published: December 2021

Steerable instruments allow for precise access to deeply-seated targets while sparing sensitive tissues and avoiding anatomical structures. In this study we present a novel omnidirectional steerable instrument for prostate high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BT). The instrument utilizes a needle with internal compliant mechanism, which enables distal tip steering through proximal instrument bending while retaining high axial and flexural rigidity. Finite element analysis evaluated the design and the prototype was validated in experiments involving tissue simulants and ex-vivo bovine tissue. Ultrasound (US) images were used to provide visualization and shape-reconstruction of the instrument during the insertions. In the experiments lateral tip steering up to 20 mm was found. Manually controlled active needle tip steering in inhomogeneous tissue simulants and ex-vivo tissue resulted in mean targeting errors of 1.4 mm and 2 mm in 3D position, respectively. The experiments show that steering response of the instrument is history-independent. The results indicate that the endpoint accuracy of the steerable instrument is similar to that of the conventional rigid HDR BT needle while adding the ability to steer along curved paths. Due to the design of the steerable needle sufficient axial and flexural rigidity is preserved to enable puncturing and path control within various heterogeneous tissues. The developed instrument has the potential to overcome problems currently unavoidable with conventional instruments, such as pubic arch interference in HDR BT, without major changes to the clinical workflow.
Poverty reduction in rural China: Does the digital finance matter?
Authors: Chen Boou , Zhao Chunkai
Published: December 2021

As digital finance is widely spread and applied in China, this new format of financial technology could become a new way to reduce poverty in rural areas. By matching digital financial indexes of the prefectural-level cities with microdata on rural households from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) in 2017, we find that digital finance significantly suppresses absolute poverty and relative poverty among rural households in China, which is supported by a series of robustness tests, such as the instrumental variable approach, using alternative specifications, and excluding extreme observations. Additionally, we provide evidence that the poverty reduction effect of digital finance is likely to be explained by alleviating credit constraints and information constraints, broadening social networks, and promoting entrepreneurship. Our findings further complement the research field on financial poverty reduction and offer insights for the development of public financial policies of poverty reduction in other countries, especially in some developing countries.
Influence of agriculture on child nutrition through child feeding practices in India: A district-level analysis
Authors: Dey Deepshikha , Jana Arup , Pradhan Manas Ranjan
Published: December 2021

Malnutrition continues to be a primary concern for researchers and policymakers in India. There is limited scientific research on the effect of agriculture on child nutrition in the country using a large representative sample. To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined the spatial clustering of child malnutrition and its linkage with agricultural production at the district-level in the country. The present study aims to examine agricultural production’s role in improving the nutritional status of Indian children through child feeding practices. The nutritional indicators of children from the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015–16) and the agricultural production data for all the 640 districts of India obtained from the District-Wise Crop Production Statistics (2015–16), published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India were used for the analysis. The statistical analysis was undertaken in STATA (version 14.1). ArcMap (version 10.3), and GeoDa (version 1.8) were used for the spatial analysis. The study found a higher prevalence of malnutrition among children who had not received Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF), Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), and Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD). Further, child feeding practices- MMF, MDD, and MAD- were positively associated with high yield rates of spices and cereals. The yield rate of cash crops, on the contrary, harmed child feeding practices. Production of pulses had a significant positive effect on MDD and MAD. Districts with high cereal yield rates ensured that children receive MMF and MAD. There is a significant spatial association between child feeding practices and malnutrition across Indian districts. The study suggests that adopting nutrient-sensitive agriculture may be the best approach to improving children’s nutritional status.
Validation and measurement invariance of the Occupational Depression Inventory in South Africa
Authors: Hill Carin , de Beer Leon T. , Bianchi Renzo
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to validate the recently developed Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) in South Africa. A total of 327 employees (60% female) participated in the study. Bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis indicated that the ODI can be considered essentially unidimensional. The ODI displayed strong scalability (e.g., scale-level H = 0.657). No monotonicity violation was detected. The reliability of the instrument, as indexed by Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega-total, Guttman’s λ2, and the Molenaar-Sijtsma statistic, was highly satisfactory. Measurement invariance was observed across age groups, sexes, and ethnicities, as well as between our sample and the ODI’s original validation sample. As expected, the ODI showed both a degree of convergent validity and a degree of discriminant validity vis-à-vis a measure of “cause-neutral” depressive symptoms. Moreover, the ODI manifested substantial associations, in the anticipated directions, with measures of work engagement, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Overall, the ODI exhibited excellent structural and psychometric properties within the South African context. Consistent with previous research, this study suggests that occupational health specialists can confidently rely on the ODI to investigate job-related distress.
A data-driven approach for examining the demand for relaxation games on Steam during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Croissant Maximilian , Frister Madeleine
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major source of stress for a majority of people that might have negative long-term effects on mental health and well-being. In recent years, video games and their potential positive effects on stress relief have been researched and “relaxation” has been an important keyword in marketing a certain kind of video game. In a quasi-experimental design, this study investigated the increase of average daily player peak (ADPPs) for the COVID period compared to the pre-COVID period and if this increase was significantly larger for relaxing games in contrast to non-relaxing games. Results showed a medium-sized increase of ADPPs over all types of games but no difference between relaxing games and non-relaxing games. These results are discussed in regards to their potential of presenting gaps between the current theoretical models of the influence of video games on mental health and actual observed player behaviour.
Validity and reliability of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) among university students of Bangladesh
Authors: Dhira Tahia Anan , Rahman Mahir A. , Sarker Abdur Razzaque , Mehareen Jeenat
Published: December 2021

This study investigated the reliability and factorial validity of General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) in the context of university students in Bangladesh. The research aimed to assess whether the original one-dimensional model or a model containing both somatic and cognitive-emotional factors is appropriate. A repeated cross-sectional survey design based on convenience sampling was used to collect data from 677 university students. The factor structure of the GAD-7 was assessed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and its convergent validity was determined by investigating its correlations with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS). Results showed excellent reliability of GAD-7 as measured by Cronbach’s α. CFA suggested that a modified one-factor model is appropriate for the sample. This model provided high values of comparative fit index (CFI), goodness of fit index (GFI), and Tucker Lewis Index (TLI), low value of standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) and a non-significant root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Correlation between GAD-7 and PHQ-9 was 0.751 and 0.934 between GAD-7 and PHQ-ADS. Overall, the study provided support for modified unidimensional structure for GAD-7 and showed high internal consistency along with good convergent validity.
Mammalian antiviral systems directed by small RNA
Authors: Takahashi Tomoko , Heaton Steven M. , Parrish Nicholas F.
Published: December 2021

There are strong incentives for human populations to develop antiviral systems. Similarly, genomes that encode antiviral systems have had strong selective advantages. Protein-guided immune systems, which have been well studied in mammals, are necessary for survival in our virus-laden environments. Small RNA–directed antiviral immune systems suppress invasion of cells by non-self genetic material via complementary base pairing with target sequences. These RNA silencing-dependent systems operate in diverse organisms. In mammals, there is strong evidence that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate endogenous genes important for antiviral immunity, and emerging evidence that virus-derived nucleic acids can be directly targeted by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), and transfer RNAs (tRNAs) for protection in some contexts. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the antiviral functions of each of these small RNA types and consider their conceptual and mechanistic overlap with innate and adaptive protein-guided immunity, including mammalian antiviral cytokines, as well as the prokaryotic RNA-guided immune system, CRISPR. In light of recent successes in delivery of RNA for antiviral purposes, most notably for vaccination, we discuss the potential for development of small noncoding RNA–directed antiviral therapeutics and prophylactics.
Production of Bioethanol using Waste Fruits under Acid and
Alkali Catalytic Hydrolysis: A Review
Authors: De Silva S.J. , Arachchige Udara S.P.R. , Nilmini A.H.L.R.
Published: December 2021

The present world highly depends on petroleum fuels to gain energy for transportation resulting in the
vast side of environmental problems such as global warming and air pollution. Due to this, the price of
conventional fuel escalating day by day. Accordingly, the world needs renewable, ecologically suitable,
cost-effective alternate against fossil fuels. Bioethanol is one of the most usable fuel or fuel additives
among the other biofuels. Ingoing qualities of bioethanol such as high-octane number, high oxygen
content, and low energy content are revealed that application of bioethanol produced from different
types of waste materials feedstock in the transportation and energy sector diminishes environment
pollution. It provides a solution for waste management. The world releases a considerable amount of
fruits as waste annually. Thereby, fruit waste is the cheapest feedstock to produce bioethanol. Fruit
waste such as whole rotten fruits, fruit peels, seeds and other residues consists of cellulose,
hemicellulose, lignin, starch and simple sugars. Conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to ethanol
is vital to advance pretreatment and hydrolysis techniques to obtain maximum ethanol content. The
production process of bioethanol from fruit waste mainly contains pretreatment; hydrolysis,
saccharification, fermentation and ethanol extracting process (distillation) steps. Yeast (S. cerevisiae)
is primarily used in the fermentation process because of its high conversion efficiency, cost-effectiveness
and feasibility of handling. Considering the optimum configuration for bioethanol production,
simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) is the best commensurate method having
maximum bioethanol concentration. The fermentation process could be appreciated through various
factors, such as temperature (30-33 ºC), pH of the medium (4-5), time of incubation, feedstock
concentration, inoculum size, agitating rate, N sources in the medium to gain high bioethanol
concentration.
Validation of the Endoscopic Part of the Spigelman Classification for Evaluating Duodenal Adenomatosis in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: A Prospective Study of Interrater and Intrarater Reliability
Authors: Karstensen John Gásdal , Bülow Steffen , Burisch Johan , Ellebæk Mark Bremholm , Ostapiuk Marcin , Pommergaard Hans Christian , Schmidt Palle Nordblad
Published: December 2021

INTRODUCTION:

In patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, the Spigelman classification is recommended for staging and risk stratification of duodenal adenomatosis. Although the classification has been used for decades, it has never been formally validated.

METHODS:

We included consecutive FAP patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopic surveillance and evaluated the inter- and intrarater reliability of the Spigelman classification.

RESULTS:

The interrater reliability of the endoscopic parameters and the Spigelman classification was good and excellent, respectively. The intrarater reliability of the endoscopic parameters and the Spigelman classification was moderate and good, respectively.

DISCUSSION:

The results support continued use of the Spigelman classification as the primary end point for future studies and as key endoscopic performance measure.
Determination of Transmittance of IR Windows made of CaF2 within Operational Temperatures of Electric Devices
Authors: Dziarski Krzysztof , Hulewicz Arkadiusz
Published: December 2021

The article presents summaries of works which have resulted in the presentation of a formula making it possible to determine an approximate transmittance of an IR window used in thermographic measurements of electric device temperatures. The equation was formulated after analysing components of the IR radiation reaching the camera lens in case when an IR window was not used and when an IR window was used. Conditions prevailing in course of the thermographic temperature measurement of electric devices contained in the switchgear were recreated in the performance of the works. The measurement system which was used in the experiment has been presented. Components of the IR radiation reaching the camera lens in case when the IR window was used and when the IR window was not used have been discussed. The obtained transmittance results of windows VPFR-75 FRK100-CL have been compared against data from literary sources.
Novelty Surface Coatings for Far Infrared Spectrum Black Body Radiators
Authors: Ligienza Andrzej , Bieszczad Grzegorz , Sosnowski Tomasz , Bartosewicz Bartosz , Firmanty Krzysztof
Published: December 2021

Black body radiation sources are commonly used devices in areas related to thermal imaging and radiometry. They are the closest physical approximation of theoretical black body emitter derived from the Planck’s law. Majority of such devices are costly with restricted information about their production technology, including their emitter surface. A few relatively easily accessible coatings with potential application in such devices have been chosen and their emissivity measured. The paper presents measurements that provides information necessary to determine whether there are coatings viable for black body emitter or reference surface.
Diagnostic criteria of perfluorobutane-enhanced ultrasonography for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma in high-risk individuals: how is late washout determined?
Authors: Kang Hyo-Jin , Kim Jung Hoon , Yoo Jeongin , Han Joon Koo
Published: December 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal washout criteria of perfluorobutane-enhanced ultrasonography (PFB-US) for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk individuals.Methods: Participants at risk of HCC with treatment-naïve solid hepatic observations (≥1 cm) who underwent PFB-US from March 2019 to September 2020 were prospectively recruited. Arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE), washout time, and washout degree were evaluated. The diagnosis of HCC was made by non-rim APHE with late and mild washout. The per-lesion diagnostic performance for diagnosing HCC using different cutoffs for late washout (50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 seconds postcontrast) and the different time windows for determining washout (until 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 minutes postcontrast) were compared using the McNemar test.Results: In total, 101 participants with 113 observations (mean size, 33.5±2.8 mm; HCCs [n=82], non-HCC malignancies [n=16], benign [n=15]) were evaluated. Non-rim APHE was observed in 86.6% (71/82) of HCCs. As the cutoff time for late washout increased, the specificity increased to 100% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88.8% to 100%) at the 60-second cutoff with 62.2% sensitivity (95% CI, 50.8% to 72.7%). When the time window for determining washout became wider, the sensitivity and accuracy increased until 6 minutes, with 100% specificity at all times. Conclusion: Determining washout within 6 minutes after contrast injection with a 60-second cutoff for late washout showed the highest sensitivity without losing specificity for diagnosing HCC using PFB-US in individuals at high risk.
Central muscle relaxants in rheumatology practice
Authors: Polishchuk E. Yu. , Potapova A. S. , Karateev A. E.
Published: December 2021

The article describes the general principles of the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, discusses modern approaches to the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and nonspecific back pain (NBS). The issues discussed are: the efficacy and tolerability of the combined use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) of predominantly selective action (aceclofenac) and a centrally acting muscle relaxant (tolperisone) in the treatment of OA and NBS. Two clinical observations are presented that confirm the benefits of combined administration of NSAIDs and muscle relaxants in the treatment of OA and NBS. The efficacy and favorable safety profile of aceclofenac has been demonstrated in patients with comorbid diseases. Tolperisone has shown its efficacy both as a mean of controlling pain associated with muscle tension, and as an element of combination therapy not only for NBS, but also for OA.
Evaluation of the effect of chronic pain on the functional and physical status of patients in older age groups
Authors: Naumov A. V. , Manevich T. M. , Khovasova N. O. , Moroz V. I. , Meshkov A. D. , Demenok D. V. , Malysheva A. A.
Published: December 2021

Objective: to assess the structure and influence of chronic pain (CP) on the functional status of patients with geriatric syndromes.

Patients and methods. The study included 370 geriatric patients who were divided into two groups. Group A included 300 patients (mean age 75.1±8.25 years) with CP, and group B – 70 subjects of comparable age (75.1±7.75 years) without CP. All study participants were found to have polymorbidity: the Charlson index was 5.55±1.59 points in group A and 5.56±1.64 points in group B (p=0.963). All patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGE) to determine the functional status and diagnose geriatric syndromes.

Results and discussion. According to the CGE data, senile asthenia syndrome was detected in 127 (42.3%) patients with CP and in 20 (28.6%) patients without CP (p=0.035). The average number of geriatric syndromes in group A was 7.06±2.68, in group B – 5.2±1.8 (p<0.001).

Group A patients differed from those without CP in a significantly higher degree of dependence in daily life (Bartel index) and a lower score on the Physical Performance Battery.

Conclusion. Patients with CP have poorer physical functioning and a greater degree of dependence on others in their daily life. When planning the most effective complex strategies for the treatment and prevention of CP exacerbations, it is necessary to take into account the functional status of elderly patients.