bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plan-do-check-act was applied to improve the first success rate of radial artery catheterization in anesthesiology residents
Authors: Zhang Meng , Zhao Shuchuan , Bai Fangjing , Yu Shanshan , Xu Guangmin
Published: August 2023

Background:In the Department of Anesthesiology, radial artery puncture and catheterization is a basic skill for every doctor. Invasive arterial puncture directly measures the blood pressure value through the catheter, realizing real-time accurate monitoring of blood pressure fluctuation in critically ill patients, which provides the basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment; at the same time, part of the test specimen can be retained through the end of the invasive arterial catheter, which reduces the complications brought about by frequent blood collection and puncture. Therefore, we need to improve the success rate of the first attempt of radial artery catheterization in anesthesiology standardized training residents.
Objective:Improving the success rate of first attempt radial artery cannulation in anesthesiology standardized training residents.
Methods:Forty anesthesia residents undergoing standardized residency training at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from January to May 2023 were randomly divided into a control group and a PDCA group, with 20 residents in each group. The control group received standardized training with routine management and radial artery puncture and catheterization teaching; the PDCA group received training with PDCA cycle management and radial artery puncture and catheterization teaching. The success rate of the first attempt of radial artery cannulation, duration of radial artery cannulation, ultrasound use rate, whether the items were prepared with missing items and complication rate of the standardized training residents in the two groups were recorded and analyzed.
Results:One resident physician in the PDCA group did not participate in the assessment due to illness, so a total of 19 physicians in the PDCA group participated in the assessment, and all 20 physicians from the control group participated in the assessment.The first success rate of puncture in the PDCA group was 85% (17/20), which was significantly higher than that of 45% (9/20) in the control group (P=0.003).The time of radial artery cannulation after PDCA was 0.92(0.63,2.73) min, which was significantly shorter than that of 3.84(2.87,5.65) min in the control group (Z=4.68, P<0.05).The ultrasound utilization rate in the PDCA group was 45% (9/20), which was significantly higher than the 15% (3/20) in the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in item preparation omissions, assessment scores, and complication rates in the PDCA group of residents in the operational assessment compared to the control group.
Conclusion:PDCA management helps to increase the success rate of radial artery cannulation on the first attempt, shorten the time to puncture and place the cannula, increase the rate of complete preparation of items, as well as reduce the rate of complications.
Total variation image restoration model by adaptively selecting parameter
Authors: Liu Zhihong , Meng Ge , Dong Yuzhu
Published: August 2023

The choice of the suitable regularization parameter is very important to improve the quality and speed of the image inverse problem. To this end, this paper proposes a new scheme to choose the regularization parameter for the image restoration based on the total variation regularization model. To be more specific, since the proposed model is a nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization problem, we employ the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) to split the original model into several easily solvable subproblems and then the regularization parameter can be efficiently computed by using the meantime Morozov deviation principle. Numerical results show that the proposed model and algorithm are efficient in restoring blurred images that are corrupted by noise.
Rhabdomyolysis in older adults: outcomes and prognostic factors
Authors: Morin Anne-Gaëlle , Somme Dominique , Corvol Aline
Published: August 2023

Background : Rhabdomyolysis is a common condition in older persons, often associated with falls. However, prognostic factors of rhabdomyolysis have mainly been studied in middle-aged populations. This study aims to examine whether factors related to 30-day hospital mortality vary with patients’ age.
Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study included all patients admitted at the University Hospital of Rennes between 2013 and 2019 whose creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level was greater than five times the normal concentration. The primary endpoint was 30-day in-hospital mortality.
Results: 343 patients were included (median age: 75 years). The mean peak CPK was 21.825 IU/L. ; acute renal failure occurred in 57.7% of cases. For patients aged 70 years and over, a long lie after a fall were the main etiology. The in-hospital mortality rate at 30 days was 10.5% (23 deaths). The Charlson score, number of medications, CPK and creatinine levels varied according to age. Age was also a factor that was not proportionally associated with 30-day hospital mortality according to a multivariate analysis.
Conclusion: Factors influencing the severity of rhabdomyolysis are not evenly distributed according to age. The term rhabdomyolysis may encompass various clinical realities and be associated with different mechanisms. More research is needed to better understand physiopathological and prognostic factors of rhabdomyolysis, especially in the older population.
Feasibility of a quality improvement program based on routinely collected health outcomes in Dutch primary care physical therapist practice: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Smeekens LSF , Verburg AC , Maas MJM , Heerde R van , Kerkhof A van , Wees PJ van der
Published: August 2023

Background
To evaluate the feasibility of an advanced Quality Improvement (QI) program to improve the quality of primary care physical therapists, based on routinely collected health outcomes of patients with nonspecific low back pain, by assessing three feasibility domains: 1) appropriateness, feasibility and acceptability for QI purposes 2) impact on clinical performance, and 3) impact on learning and behavioral change.
Methods
A mixed methods QI study using a concurrent triangulation design was conducted in primary care physical therapist practice. Feedback reports of process and outcomes of care, peer assessment and self-assessment were used in a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle based on self-selected goals. The program’s appropriateness, feasibility and acceptability and the impact on clinical performance were evaluated with the Intervention Appropriate Measure, Feasibility Intervention Measure, Acceptability Intervention Measure (scoring options 4–20) and with self-assessment of clinical performance (scored 0–10), respectively. The impact on learning and behavioral change was evaluated qualitatively with directed content analysis.
Results
Ten physical therapists from two practices participated. They rated a mean of 16.5 (SD 1.9) for appropriateness, 17.1 (SD 2.2) for feasibility and 16.4 (SD 1.5) for acceptability of the program. Participants scored their development in clinical performance with a mean score of 6.7 (SD 1.8). Participants became aware of the potential value of using outcome data and gained insight into their own routines and motivations. They changed their data collection routines, pursued to implement data in routine practice and explored the impact on their clinical behavior.
Conclusions
This explorative study demonstrated that a QI program, using health outcomes from a national registry, is judged as feasible.
Impact Statement:
This study provides preliminary evidence on how physical therapists may use health outcomes to improve their quality, which can be further used in initiatives to improve outcome based care in primary physical therapist care.
Comparison of the efficacy of carbapenems and cephalosporins for postoperative treatment of perforated appendicitis in children
Authors: Hang Tian , Chen Qiaolin , Guo Lizhen , Lin Houwei Lin
Published: August 2023

Background
Pediatric perforated appendicitis is a severe acute condition requiring abdominal surgery followed by postoperative antibiotics. Antibiotic choices vary significantly among children's medical centers, and the optimal postoperative anti-infective treatment for perforated appendicitis is unclear.
Objective
To investigate the pathogenic bacterial characteristics and the appropriate use of antibiotics in children with perforated appendicitis.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the records of 65 children (43 boys and 22 girls, mean age 6.92 ± 3.41 years) with perforated appendicitis admitted to the Department of Pediatric Surgery at our hospital between December 2019 and August 2022 and descriptively analyzed the drug-resistance characteristics of the common pathogenic bacteria. Patients were divided into carbapenem (CBP) group (32 cases) and cephalosporin (CPS) group (33 cases) according to the antibiotic type administered. C-reactive protein (CRP) recovery time, gastrointestinal function (GF) recovery time, hospital stay length, and postoperative complication incidence, were compared between the groups.
Results
Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common pathogens associated with perforated appendicitis. For the CBP and CPS groups, the CRP recovery times were (8.50 ± 3.57 )days and (6.85 ± 1.70 )days, respectively (P = 0.020).The GF recovery times were (37.63 ± 22.00 )hours and (36.26 ± 22.45)hours, respectively ( P = 0.805 ).The Hospital stay length were ( 9.56 ± 3.48 )days and ( 8.06 ± 1.95 )days, respectively ( P = 0.104 ).The over all
Assessment of three mixed arrays dataset for subsurface cavities detection using resistivity tomography as inferred from numerical modelling
Authors: Dosoky Wael
Published: August 2023

A three mixed arrays dataset have been evaluated in term of their capability of detectability and enhanced the resolution of the resolved images obtained by the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technique. This study is based on numerical modelling for studying the detection of the subsurface cavities, where four cavity models were generated to simulate air-filled cavities embedded in limestone sets at different depths. The synthetic data were generated for the cavity models using three individual arrays. These arrays are dipole-dipole (DD), pole-dipole (PD), and Wenner- Schlumberger (W-S). Then the apparent resistivity data obtained from two different arrays were merged to form a high-resolution single model. Based on the obtained results, a combination between dipole-dipole- Wenner- Schlumberger (DD + WS) yields the highest resolution image regarding cavity detection among the other type of mixed arrays (e.g. pole-dipole, and Wenner- Schlumberger (PD + WS) or dipole-dipole and pole-dipole (DD + PD)). The inverted resistivity sections obtained from (DD and WS) arrays resolved the cavity models more accurately than other types of composite datasets or individual array data, as well as a significant resolution enhancement with depth, was observed. The recovered model’s parameters (e.g. resistivity and geometry) obtained from DD and WS composite data shows closer parameters to the true actual model.
Is there an association between molar incisor hypomineralization and developmental dental anomalies? A case-control study
Authors: Yavuz Betül Şen , Sezer Berkant , Kaya Remziye , Tuğcu Nihan , Kargül Betül
Published: August 2023

Background The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any association between molar incisor hypomineralization and developmental dental anomalies.
Methods Two pediatric dentists evaluated panoramic radiographs of 429 children aged 8–14 years with molar incisor hypomineralization (study group) and 437 children without molar incisor hypomineralization (control group) in terms of developmental dental anomalies. Twelve different developmental dental anomalies were categorized into four types: size (microdontia, macrodontia); position (ectopic eruption of maxillary permanent first molars, infraocclusion of primary molars); shape (fusion, gemination, dilaceration, taurodontism, peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisors); and number (hypodontia, oligodontia, hyperdontia) anomalies.
Results No significant difference was observed in the frequency of developmental dental anomalies between the study and control groups in total, females, and males (p > 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the distribution of developmental size, position, shape, and number anomalies between the study and control groups (p = 0.024). The most common anomaly in both groups was hypodontia (6.3% and 5.9%, respectively). There was a significant difference between the study and control groups in terms of subtypes of shape anomaly in all children and females (p = 0.045 and p = 0.05, respectively).
Conclusions While a significant difference was observed between the distributions of types of developmental dental anomalies between individuals with and without molar incisor hypomineralization, there was no difference in terms of the frequency of developmental dental anomalies.
Self-perception of health and physical activity levels among young Ghanaians before and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Nyawornota Vida Korleki , Adamba Clement , Tay Doris Akosua , Nyanyofio Oscar , Muomah Rosemary C. , Chukwuorji JohnBosco C. , Nwonyi Sampson K. , Malete Leapetswe , Joachim Dale , Ocansey Reginald
Published: August 2023

Background: Emerging research has suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions and lockdown resulted in decreasing physical activity levels and poor health globally. Most of the studies reporting on the pandemic and physical activity were from advanced countries. This study assessed self-perceived health status and physical activity among youth and adults in Ghana before, during, and after the COVID-19 restrictions.
Methods: The participants were 932 young Ghanaians who completed an online survey as part of the General Health, Speech, and Physical Activity Relationship Assessment Study in Ghana. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), anxiety was assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
Results: Out of the 937 participants involved in the study, 56.5% were males and 35% were females. Places where participants engaged in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and gender showed significant associations with levels of PA. How participants perceived their health status did not show a significant association with physical activity in this study.
Conclusion: A high proportion of participants reported performing physical activity in their homes during the pandemic. The home is a convenient place to engage in physical activity and must be encouraged, especially during pandemic restrictions.
BERT Model for Roman Urdu Fake Review Identification
Authors: Ullah Muhammad Farhat , Saeed Ali , Li Jianqiang , ullah Amin , Mahmood Tariq , Adeel Mahammad
Published: August 2023

The variety of e-commerce and online business environments makes spotting fraud or fake reviews challenging. The goal of this research is to create methods that could ensure the authenticity of reviews. Numerous endeavors have already been made by the research community to address this problem. Unfortunately, these efforts were confined to a specific number of languages, such as English, Arabic, and a few others. Roman Urdu is being used across the subcontinent. For this task, this language hasn't been properly investigated. On the other hand, Transformer-based models have demonstrated tremendous success over the past few years for a variety of Natural Language Processing applications. Transformer-based models, however, have not been investigated for the goal of examining fake Roman Urdu reviews. This study compares multiple transfer-based models, including BERT_base and BERT_large with five deep learning models Simple RNN, LSTM, Bidirectional LSTM, GRU, and Bidirectional GRU aims to close this research gap. The evaluation was conducted using frequently applied metrics, i.e., ROC-Accuracy, F_1, Precision, and Recall. The BERT_large with Bi-LSTM model produced the best results (ROC-ACC=0.94 and F_1=0.94). Results from a previous study using the same corpus were improved by 6% in this investigation.
Marble Production and Environmental Pressure: A Case Study of Hayatabad Industrial Estate Peshawar, Pakistan
Authors: Khan Nazish Huma , Nafees Mohammad , Saeed Tooba , Zuljajal Fazli , Akbar Hasham , Rehman Ali
Published: August 2023

Background and Objectives:
A gradual growth of the human population has increased the demand for resources, which has put pressure on available natural resources. Industrialization is one of the important sectors to meet human needs. The increasing trend of industrialization is associated with a considerable amount of waste generation which can significantly affect the environment. The marble manufacturing industry is one of the major waste-generating industries that requires special mitigation and environmental assessment to minimize its harmful impacts on the environment.
Methodology:
For this purpose, Hayatabad industrial estate was visited for marble processing plants to know about the mitigation process for marble-waste management. During the fieldwork, 6 marble processing plants were investigated and kept under observation for production to waste management process. To determine the quality of wastewater, samples were also taken at industrial discharge points. The assessment of marble processing plants included the analysis of physical and chemical environmental resources (product and byproduct) generated by the marble industries. To reduce the pollution load, wastewater of the marble industry was treated in the laboratory by adopting physical and chemical treatment methods. The results obtained were compared with the required permissible limits recommended by the Pak-NEQS and WHO.
Results
Findings of the study revealed that the chemical parameters of wastewater were observed above the required limits suggested by the Pak-NEQS/WHO. The noise was also found above the required standards which needs special attention. In terms of water, air and land resources, contamination has been observed through unsafe waste disposal strategies adopted by the marble industries. Results of the chemical treatment (coagulation) with hydrated ferric chloride showed maximum removal of suspended load with 92% efficiency.
Conclusion
It is concluded that marble processing units pose serious threats to the environmental quality by degrading air, water and soil resources. Keeping in view the national standards, these industries need special attention for the waste generation and its safe disposal.
Social Emotional Competence among School-aged Children in the Chinese Context: Validation of the WCSD Social Emotional Competency Assessment
Authors: Cheung Rebecca Y. M. , Ng Ocean O. S.
Published: August 2023

Background: The present study aims to validate the 40-item and the brief 17-item Washoe County School District-Social Emotional Competency Assessment, a self-report measure of social emotional competencies, among Chinese school-aged children residing in Hong Kong.
Methods: A total of 349 children (M = 9.86 years, SD= 1.22; 45.82% girls) and their parents (77.84% mothers) completed a set of questionnaires independently. The factor structures of both versions of the Washoe County School District-Social Emotional Competency Assessment were evaluated by confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation models were then conducted to examine their predictive validity.
Results: Findings showed that both the 40-item and the 17-item versions fit adequately to the data. Both versions were also associated with positive and negative affect, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. However, only the 40-item version was associated with prosocial behavior.
Conclusions: The present findings demonstrated adequate factor structures and predictive validity of the full version and the brief version of the Washoe County School District-Social Emotional Competency Assessment in measuring social emotional competencies among Chinese children. Hence, the measure serves as a useful tool for researchers, educators, and mental health practitioners to assess school-aged children’s social emotional competencies in the Chinese context.
Transorbital Approach Scientific Trend: Analysis of Publications and Citations Over Years
Authors: Codes Marta , Somma Alberto , Ferrés Abel , Topczewski Thomaz , Mosteiro Alejandra , Guizzardi Giulia , Reyes Luis Alberto , Matas Jessica , Enseñat Joaquim
Published: August 2023

Background: Transorbital approach has gained significant consideration over the last few years, as evidenced by the growing number of publications. The present study aims to describe and quantify the number of publications and citations over the years in order to identify key moments in its history.
Methods: Data from annual publications and citations of the transorbital approach between 1950 and 2022 have been extracted from the Web of Science and later uploaded to Microsoft Excel. Three parameters were analyzed: 1) absolute number of publications; 2) annual absolute growth of citations; 3) trend of publications.
Results: Results showed an average number of publications of 18.6 with 266 citations per year. Regarding the number of publications, the analysis showed four key moments in history: 1985, 2001, 2010-2011, and 2018-2019. Around 1985, related to studies on transorbital lobotomy. Around 2001, due to experimental studies in vascular pathology. During 2010-2011, when the concept of transorbital neuroendoscopic surgery was introduced. Around 2018-2019, when different case series were published. However, analyzing the annual absolute growth of citations, one key moment was detected: 2019, achieving a significant positive annual growth of +522 citations. The analysis of the publication trend shows a positive trend line, forecasting 60-63 publications per year in the next 3-5 years.
Conclusions: Despite the inherent limitation of this study, this analysis showed that the recent 2019 is a turning point for transorbital surgery being the year with the most citations and publications. The following years will determine the exact place of this technique in the skull base armamentarium.
Primary care physicians’ perceptions of Israel’s quality monitoring program – 2010 and 2020
Authors: Nissanholtz-Gannot Rachel , Burger Ayala , Rosen Bruce
Published: August 2023

Background: Monitoring the quality of primary care is essential for improving healthcare services. The National Program for Quality Indicators in Community Healthcare in Israel was launched in 2000 to assess and enhance primary care services. The program measures various aspects of healthcare quality, and its effectiveness depends on the perceptions and attitudes of primary care physicians. A 2010 survey of Israeli primary care physicians found widespread support for the program, alongside concerns about its effects on workload and competitiveness. In the wake of those findings, the leadership of the quality monitoring program and several health plans reported instituting measures to mitigate the program’s unwanted side effects.
This study assessed the extent to which physicians’ perceptions had changed between 2010 and 2020. The study specifically sought to investigate physicians' experiences with the program, their perspectives on quality indicators, and the program's impact on their work and patient care.
Methods: Surveys in 2010 and 2020 gathered data from primary care physicians employed by health plans in Israel. Stratified random sampling ensured representation across healthcare settings. The study sample comprised 605 physicians in 2010 and 405 physicians in 2020. The questionnaires collected data on physicians' experiences, perceptions, challenges, and suggestions related to the quality monitoring program.
Results In both rounds of the survey, most of the physicians considered the quality monitoring program important or vital (88% of the physicians in 2010, 81% of them in 2020). However, concerns were raised about excessive managerial pressures (63% of study population in 2010, 58% in 2020), increased workloads (47-48% in both surveys), and over-competitiveness (58% in 2010, 60% in 2020) associated with the program.
Conclusions: The study indicates that while support for the program in general remains high, it continues to have undesirable side effects. The steps taken to mitigate those side effects apparently had little effect or were offset by other developments. The leaders of the quality monitoring program and the health plans should take additional steps to address these side effects.
Social Awareness of the Causes, Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and the Review of Lay Theories
Authors: DOKSAT Neslim GÜVENDEĞER , ASLAN Mahi , POLAT Oğuz , MASATCIOĞLU Gözde , DOKSAT Mehmet Kerem , UYSAL Cem
Published: August 2023

The study aimed to reveal the awareness of bipolar disorder in society in a Turkish sample and to evaluate the lay theories on bipolar disorder in the Turkish population. The group representing the "academic group" of the sample comprised a total of randomly selected 804(71.5%) participants, including senior and/or graduate students in the field of psychology and university graduates in the field of psychology or health. Regardless of the field of psychology and health, 320 participants (28.5%) were working in other fields, representing the sample’s group of "those working in other fields other than the academic group." Study’s results showed that being interested in mental illnesses plays a more significant role in awareness of both the causes and symptoms of bipolar disorder than being educated and working in the field.The participants who did research to obtain information in the field of psychology/psychiatry knew that the disorder was hereditary and didn’t arise due to psychological reasons more correctly than the participants who didn’t do any research.The study revealed the necessity of education and awareness studies for the overall society and people who haven’t been acquainted with this disorder before regarding the importance of medical and psychological therapy to treat the disease.
Clarifing of Mining Process Water by Electrocoagulation
Authors: Solis-Marcial Oscar Joaquín , Talavera-López Alfonso , Ruelas-Leyva Jose Pablo , Hernández-Maldonado Jose Alfredo , Zarate-Gutiérrez Roberto , Ortiz-Marin Alejandro David , Serrano-Rosales Benito
Published: August 2023

Today, the lack of fresh water is one of humanity's biggest problems. This problem of water scarcity also affects industries, one of the most affected is mining. Electrocoagulation has shown great efficiency in the treatment of organic contaminants and heavy metals, and it is proposed in this work for the elimination of ions and undesirable organic compounds present in the mining-metallurgical process water and has shown great efficacy over toxic metals like arsenic, since their presence reduces the efficiency of the processes, such as flotation, using two types of electrodes, stainless steel, and aluminum. The best results were achieved with aluminum ones, being able to remove the 90% of the copper, this ion may cause a decrease in flotation efficiency. The turbidity of the water during the process was measured to determine the amount the solid present in the water, observing a reduction around of 95%, the sedimentation of the clots come about in two stage, first the coagulant was formed which trap organic matter increasing the size until reaching a particle size sufficient to settle, this process presents a zero-order kinetic model, continuing with the settle of formed clots, this stage represented by a second-order kinetic model. Test flotation were carried out with process water and electrotreated process water, obtaining an increase of 1.5% in gold recovery and 2% in silver, using electrotreated water. The formed clots were analyzed by Scanning Electronic Microscopy founding that metal ions were trapped in the clots, and the electrocoagulation can remove toxic substances like arsenic.
Assessing the Gumbel-Logistic Model's Performance in Modeling Long-Term Rainfall Series in a High-latitude Plain Region
Authors: Wang Yuge , Kong Jian , Lan Ling , Wang Xiekang , Yan Xufeng
Published: August 2023

The frequency of extreme events is increasing on a global scale due to various factors, accounting for natural disaster such as landslides, floods and droughts. Heilongjiang province, which is agriculturally important for China, has suffered from several extreme rainfall events in the past as a high-latitude plain region (43°26’ N-53°33’N). Analyzing historical rainfall characteristics of Heilongjiang region is useful for understanding and predicting the behavior of extreme rainfall events, providing effective strategy of reducing the economic loss of agriculture. In this paper, precipitation data from 1974 to 2017 is selected to estimate whether the monthly extreme rainfall and annual rainfall series in Heilongjiang Province obey the Gumbel-logistic model. Then we compare the Gumbel-Logistic distribution based on the data length of 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years with the original 44-year data to determine the appropriate data partition length and explore the reasons for the errors. Combining the empirical frequency and KS test, this paper concludes that the proposed model is appropriate for the representation of the joint distribution of annual monthly rainfall and corresponding amounts, which improves the rainfall assessment of these two positively correlated variables in this region. Univariate and bivariate return periods and correlation coefficients are derived as the basis for assessing the risk of extreme rainfall. The proposed model obtained from the 5-year data length has the largest error, while the distribution curve is progressively smoother as the data length increases.
Evaluation of Groundwater Quality and Contamination Using Groundwater Pollution Index (GPI), Nitrate Pollution Index (NPI) and GIS
Authors: Al-Aizari Hefdhallah S. , Aslaou Fatima , Al-Aizari Ali R. , Al-Odayni Abdel-Basit , Al-Aizari Abdul -Jaleel M. , Darwesh Nabil
Published: August 2023

Groundwater is an essential and indispensable resource, meeting the dire needs for drinking and irrigation purposes. The aim of this study is to assess the suitability of groundwater quality for drinking purposes. This evaluation will be conducted using the groundwater pollution index (GPI), the nitrate pollution index (NPI), and the geographic information system (GIS) in Sidi Slimane, Morocco, Morocco. In the study, a comprehensive collection of 20 samples were obtained from various locations for analysis and evaluation. The result of Piper and Gibbs diagrams uncovered that the characteristics of groundwater are shaped by various factors, including the weathering of parent rocks, evaporation, interactions between rocks and water, as well as ion exchange processes. The GPI value ranged from 0.7 to 10.8 with an average of 7.03. These findings indicate that 60% of the groundwater samples analyzed in the study area were classified as highly polluted and unsuitable for drinking purposes. The values of NPI were ranged between − 0.9 and 10.5. Based on the NPI classification, about 80% of the overall groundwater samples obtained are highly polluted, indicating that the groundwater in the study area is unsuitable for drinking purposes. This study plays a vital role in identifying the polluted areas and highlighting the need to take appropriate measures to control the sources of pollution in the study area, in order to protect water resources and ensure the provision of safe water to the local population.
Intraspecific variation in fine root morphology of European beech: A root order-based analysis of phenotypic root morphospace
Authors: Leuschner Christoph , Rüther Eva , Hertel Dietrich
Published: August 2023

Fine roots are multifunctional organs that may change function with ageing or root branching events from primarily absorptive to resource transport and storage functions. It not well understood, how fine root branching patterns and related root functional differentiation along the root axis change with soil chemical and physical conditions. We examined the variation in fine root branching patterns (the relative importance of 1st to 4th root orders) and root morphological and chemical traits of European beech trees in dependence on soil depth (topsoil vs. subsoil) and soil chemistry (five sites with acid to neutral/alkaline bedrock). Bedrock type and related soil chemistry had only minor influence on branching patterns: base-poor, infertile sites showed no higher fine root branching than base-rich sites. The contribution of 1st -order root segments to total fine root length decreased at all sites from about 60% in the topsoil (including organic layer) to 45% in the lower subsoil. This change was associated with a decrease in specific root area and root N content and an increase in mean root diameter with soil depth, while root tissue density did not change consistently. We conclude that soil depth (which acts through soil physical and chemical drivers) affects the fine root branching patterns of beech to a larger extent than soil chemical variation across soil types. To examine whether changes in root function are indeed triggered by branching events or result from root ageing and diameter growth, spatially explicit root physiological and anatomical studies across root orders are needed.
Development of glucose/pH responsive smart hydrogel of carbopol and application in microneedles
Authors: Pi Mingli , Weijun Liu , Huang Beibei , Wu Tingxuan , Zhang Tao , Wang Wei
Published: August 2023

A new glucose-responsive polymer made from carbopol and 3-phenylboronic acid was developed with condensation reaction. The resulting polymer possesses a pKa of 6.86 ± 0.38 at a proper feedstock ratio of 1:2 (w/w), which approached the physiological pH. The hydrogel made of the corresponding polymer exhibited good features in response to changes of glucose concentration and solution pH value. The features were elevated owing to the addition of ammoniated ZnO nanoparticles, and be related to the structure morphology of hydrogel converted into irregular sheet along with porous structure from initial regular lamellar. Two types of microneedles containing insulin were also made and demonstrated their enough piercing abilities by mechanical compression test. Transdermal release tests of insulin in vitro displayed well responsive release performances, and then the pulsatile releases ensued since glucose concentration alternated between 400 and 100 mg/dL, indicating that the developed micronedle system can realize the controlled release of insulin, i.e. the constructed smart carbopol polymer have potential application in the field of biomedicine.
The Effect of COVID-19 Infections and Vaccination on Menstrual Cycle Symptoms in the South of Jordan: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Lubad Mohammad Abu , Abu-Helalah Munir , QawaQzeh Mohammad , Alahmad Esra’a Alahmad , Al-Tamimi Malak , Ruba'i Mohammad , Etoom Sahm , Alfayoumi Rawan , Aldaoudeyeh Fatima Aldaoudeyeh , AlAbabneh Ekram , kharabsheh Ahlam , Alshraideh hussam
Published: August 2023

Background:
Several recent studies and reports have highlighted the need for more evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 infections and vaccines on the reproductive system and menstruation.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey utilizing face-to-face interviews from 1 October to 31 December 2021 was conducted in the city of Kerak in the southern part of Jordan. The study questionnaire assessed the impact of COVID-19 infection and vaccines on menstrual symptoms. It included sociodemographic characteristics, medical and reproductive history, the contraceptive method, MC status, previous medical and drug history, and the effect of infection and vaccination on the MC.
Results:
This study questionnaire was completed by 400 participants with a mean age of 32.1±12.6. Regarding the history of COVID-19 infections, 33.8% of the participants reported a history of confirmed COVID-19 infections. 77.8% of them do not report any menstrual changes following the infection, while the remaining 22.2% reported changes in menstruation. The most commonly reported post-COVID-19 symptoms were irregular MC (27.6%) and light MC (24.15) or dysmenorrhea (24.1%). Heavy menstruation was reported by 17.2% of participants post-COVID-19 infection.
Two-thirds of study participants (66.6%) reported no changes in the MC following the COVID-19 vaccine. The most reported symptoms for those who experienced changes in the MC following the vaccination were irregular MC (13.1%), heavy menstruation (7%), and light menstruation (7%). Other reported symptoms were: dysmenorrhea (4.6%), intermenstrual bleeding (1.2%), and amenorrhoea (0.5%).
Conclusion:
This is the first published study from Jordan on the impact of COVID-19 infection and vaccine on menstrual symptoms. It revealed minor changes in the MC following COVID-19 infections and the COVID-19 vaccine. These findings are consistent with published reports. It is recommended that future clinical trials for new vaccines for women within childbearing age to include outcomes related to sex hormones and MC. Women should be encouraged to take the vaccines and to report symptoms for healthcare professionals for further assessment.
Accelerating Halide framework by automatic Affine scheduling using the stochastic optimization algorithm on MLIR
Authors: Wang Xiang-Yu , Shen Jian-Yu , Liao Shih-Wei
Published: August 2023

The increasing usage of computer vision algorithms in camera-centric devices has led to a growing need for optimizing these algorithms to improve their performance on resource-constrained platforms. Halide is a language specific to image processing algorithms that separates the algorithm's scheduling from its implementation, resulting in high performance. This thesis proposes an approach to improve the performance of Halide computer vision algorithms using stochastic algorithms such as simulated annealing to optimize scheduling, which enables exploring the global optimum of affine scheduling in constrained time. To convert the Halide program to MLIR, we use novel compile flows, namely the Halide to MLIR (HTM) converter. The efficacy of the approach will be evaluated on different platforms, such as x86, ARM, and RISC-V. The study demonstrates the potential of MLIR's transformation and optimization capabilities on Affine dialects and highlights the need for tuning infrastructure to fully leverage MLIR's optimization capabilities.
Synthesis modified Magnetite quantum dot-based nanofluid as an engineered stable material to enhanced oil recovery in carbonated reservoirs with stuyding mechanisms
Authors: Zeraatkar Ahmad , Heydarinasab Amir , Gerami Shahab
Published: August 2023

Using optimal and environmentally friendly exploration and production technologies for oil reservoirs will be essential in the coming decades. Therefore, we synthesis new engineered low-cost fluids with natural components to study enhanced oil recovery in carbonate reservoir in real rock, fluids and harsh reservoir conditions (high salinity and temperature). This study used low-cost and available Iron oxide quantum dot-based particles synthesized at optimum temperature to have colloidal stability, low formation damage with economic and environmental friendly approach. Modified Magnetite quantum dots (MMQDs) is compared with PEs-decorated magnetite nanostructure particles (MMNPs). MMQDs characteristics were investigated with XRD, FTIR, ASAP, FSM,DLS, HDT, Contact angle, IFT, Amott Cell Tests, Core Flood and PD tests. Structural disjoining pressure, adsorption, and permeability impairment were investigated with different concentrations. We found that PEs can bind to surface modifiers and improve dispersion and the main and predominant mechanism of hydrophilic-modified-nanostructures was the ability of making carbonate rock to be oil-wet. Core flood results show that efficiency in oil recovery of MMQDs is higher than MNPs fluid in same concentrations and can reach 33.8%. With our flooding test derived data, it can probably be said that 53.6% of the decrease is related to mineral uptake and the remaining is related to magnetite irreversible adsorption. However, irreversible adsorption of our MMQDS-1000 ppm fluid is only 1.7% in the core scale; however the important role of injected brine, needs to be discussed in detail in future studies.
Tension characteristics analysis of scraper chain of heavy-duty scraper conveyor with time-varying load
Authors: Li Shuai , Zhu Zhencai , Lu Hao , Xue Yujun
Published: August 2023

With the intensification and large-scale of coal mining, scraper conveyors are developing towards high power, large volume, long haul distance and high reliability. It is more and more important to obtain the dynamic tension of the scraper chain with time-varying load. The purpose of this paper is to obtain the dynamic tension of scraper chains of the scraper conveyor with time-varying load. First, according to the structural characteristics and working environment of the scraper conveyor and the polygon effect of the sprocket, the scraper conveyor dynamics model under the action of the time-varying load is established by the finite unit method; Second, the load variation rule of the bearing section is explored when the scraper conveyor and shearer work together; Furthermore, the element resistance of each discrete element, the stiffness coefficient of the scraper chain and the influence of polygonal effect of sprocket wheel are analyzed; And then, the dynamic tension of the scraper chain is obtained by the Hilber-Hughes-Taylor (HHT) method; Finally, the validity of the scraper conveyor dynamic model is verified by the example analysis and field measurement experiment. The obtained results can provide a theoretical basis for the reliability evaluation and parameter optimization of the scraper conveyor.
Fractographic Study of Thermoplastic Composites Based on Carbon Fiber/PA6 Conditioned in Heated Distilled Water and Saline Solution and Tested in Tensile
Authors: montagna larissa stieven , Morgado Guilherme Ferreira de Melo , Guimarães Alessandro , Passador Fabio Roberto , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira
Published: August 2023

The weathering and environmental factors to which components are exposed during their useful life can promote damage and, consequently, premature failure in service. Thus, through the morphological analysis of fracture surfaces, it is possible to identify the failure modes and the main fractographic aspects present on the fracture surface. From these data, it is possible to increase the knowledge of the behavior of the material in service or even to have information for preventive corrections in the processing and use of material. Fractographic studies of carbon fiber (CF)/thermoplastic matrix composites are still little explored in the literature and can bring important contributions to understanding the failure mode of this class of materials. The objective of this work is to study the fractographic aspects of CF/polyamide 6 (PA6) composite exposed to two different conditionings, that is, distilled water at 80 ºC and saline solution, tested in tensile. Scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that the CF/PA6 laminate has a good consolidation and also an excellent CF/matrix interface. Plastic deformations and fiber bridiging are present in the fracture surface of the unconditioned specimens. However, after conditioning in distilled water at 80 ºC, the matrix became more fragile and the interface weaker. The conditioning in saline solution was less aggressive due to the salt effect that decreased the water migration into the specimens. The fractographic study performed shows in details the influence of environmental deterioration using accelerated weathering on the fracture surface of thermoplastic laminates tested in tensile.
Do social networks attenuate the population-level impact of tuberculosis interventions? A mathematical modeling study
Authors: Milali Masabho Peter , Kim Hae-Young , Corliss George F , Bershteyn Anna
Published: August 2023

Mathematical modeling is vital for tuberculosis (TB) goal-setting and program planning. Many TB models assume “all-to-all” mixing, i.e., that any infectious individual can transmit TB to any susceptible individual in a population. We compared the impact of TB treatment and vaccination in an all-to-all compartmental model versus a social network model that had identical TB disease assumptions, but with transmission only among social contacts. We found that low-coverage or low-efficacy treatment or vaccination had considerably less impact on TB cases when modeled using a social network. Treatment that shortens TB disease by 20% reduced new TB cases by 71±0.1% after one year with a social network, compared to 82±0.9% with all-to-all mixing. Effective vaccination for 30% of the population reduced new TB cases by 72±1.1% after one year with a social network, compared to 94±1.3% with all-to-all mixing. In contrast, high coverage-coverage and high-efficacy interventions had similar impacts in both models. Results were consistent across modeled population sizes (10,000 – 150,000) and average number of contacts per person in the network (12 – 60). Use of all-to-all transmission models may overestimate the impact of low-coverage and low-efficacy interventions, with implications for TB target-setting and program planning when only sub-optimal interventions are available.
Global patterns of metal and other element enrichment in bog and fen peatlands
Authors: Osborne Chetwynd , Gilbert-Parkes Spencer , Spiers Graeme , Lamit Louis James , Lilleskov Erik A. , Basiliko Nathan , Watmough Shaun
Published: August 2023

Peatlands are found on all continents, covering 3% of the global land area. However, the spatial extent and causes of metal enrichment in peatlands is understudied and no attempt has been made to evaluate global patterns of metal enrichment in bog and fen peatlands, despite that certain metals and rare earth elements (REE) arise from anthropogenic sources. We analyzed 368 peat cores sampled in 16 countries across five continents and measured metal and other element concentrations at three depths down to 70 cm as well as estimated cumulative atmospheric S deposition (1850–2009) for each site. Sites were assigned to one of three distinct broadly recognized peatland categories (bog, poor fen, and intermediate-to-moderately rich fen) that varied primarily along a pH gradient. Metal concentrations differed among peatland types, with intermediate-to-moderately rich fens demonstrating the highest concentrations of most metals. Median enrichment factors (EFs; a metric comparing natural and anthropogenic metal deposition) for individual metals were similar among bogs and fens (all groups), with metals likely to be influenced by anthropogenic sources (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Sb) demonstrating median enrichment factors (EFs) > 1.5. Additionally, mean EFs were substantially higher than median values, and the positive correlation (< 0.40) with estimated cumulative atmospheric S deposition, confirmed some level of anthropogenic influence of all pollutant metals except for Hg that was unrelated to S deposition. Contrary to expectations, high EFs were not restricted to pollutant metals, with Mn, K and Rb all exhibiting elevated median EFs that were in the same range as pollutant metals likely due to peatland biogeochemical processes leading to enrichment of these nutrients in surface soil horizons. The global patterns of metal enrichment in bogs and fens identified in this study underscore the importance of these peatlands as environmental archives of metal deposition, but also illustrates that biogeochemical processes can enrich metals in surface peat and EFs alone do not necessarily indicate atmospheric contamination.