bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Menstrual hygiene practice and its determinants among Adolescent Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Anbesu Etsay Woldu , Aychiluhm Setognal Birara
Published: June 2021

Background: Poor menstrual hygiene practices can lead to gynecological problems, psychosocial stress, and reduced access to school. Menstrual hygiene has not received adequate attention in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, there were fragmented and inconsistent findings. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of menstrual hygiene practice and identify its associated factors among adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: The protocol for this review had registered at PROSPERO with registration number: CRD42020165628. In this study, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline will be used. Online electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL and grey literature will be searched to retrieve available studies. Joanna Briggs Institute checklist will be used to assess the quality of the studies. Heterogeneity among studies will be examined using a chi-squared test and I-squared statistic.To investigate sources of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses and meta-regression will be performed. Sensitivity analysis will be conducted to identify influential studies. Publication bias will be examined by funnel plots and Egger’s test. The statistical analysis will be conducted using STATA version-16 software. A random-effect model will be used to estimate the pooled prevalence, and statistical significance will be determined at a p-value of <0.05.Discussion: Poor menstrual hygiene practice affects the health of millions of adolescent girls in developing countries. Currently, there are no synthesis research findings on the overall pooled prevalence of menstrual hygiene practice and its associated factor in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis will be used to inform policy-makers, programmers, planners, clinicians, and researchers to design appropriate strategies.
Prevalence of infected chronic wound isolates and their Minimum inhibitory concentrations against third generation cephalosporins at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda
Authors: Khalim Wangoye , James Mwesigye , Martin Tungotyo , Samba Twinomujuni Silvano
Published: June 2021

Background: Globally, the burden of infected chronic wounds is likely to increase due to the rising levels of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and non-communicable diseases such as Diabetes mellitus and cancer. Furthermore, the burden of antibiotic resistant strains in infected chronic wounds is likely to increase especially in resource constrained areas like Mbarara regional referral Hospital where the selection of antibiotic therapy does not usually depend on known antibiotic susceptibilities. Therefore the objectives of this study were; (I) to determine the prevalence of infected chronic wounds isolates from patients admitted in the surgical ward of MRRH, Uganda and (II) to determine the MIC of infected chronic wound isolates against the third generation cephalosporins.Method(s): This study was a descriptive analytical survey of bacterial isolates from infected chronic wounds among patients admitted in the surgical ward of MRRH, Uganda. Seventy five (75) study participants were recruited in the study using convenient sampling technique. Wound swabs were aseptically collected, registered in the laboratory register and depending on the nature of samples; each specimen was inoculated on chocolate, blood, mannitol salt sugar, xylose lysine decarboxylated agar, and MacConkey Agar and incubated at 350C-370C in the incubator. Broth microdilution method was used to test for MIC.The collected data was entered into Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA version 15.0 for statistical analysis. Chi square/Fishers’s Exact test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to analyse data for objective 1 and 2 respectively.Results: The most prevalent pathogens isolated were staphylococcus aureus (40.6%,) and Klebsiella spp (29%,) while the least prevalent pathogens were Providencia spp(1.4%, n=1/69) and Enterobacter agglomerans(2.9%, n=2/29). Generally, staphylococcus aureus exhibited the lowest MIC against cefoperazone+sulbactum 2g (Sulcef®) and ceftriaxone 1g (Epicephin®) (4.33±8.41µ/ml and 15.77±23.32µ/ml respectively). However, the differences in mean MIC observed across various groups were not statistically significant (P >0.05).Conclusion: The most prevalent pathogens isolated from patients with infected chronic wounds at the surgical ward of MRRH were Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp and proteus spp and the most effective third generation cephalosporins were cefoprazone+sulbactam 2g and ceftriaxone 1g (Epicephin®) while the most ineffective antibiotics were cefpodoxime 200mg and cefixime 400mg.
Muographic Monitoring of Hydrogeomorphic Changes Induced by Post-Eruptive Lahars and Erosion of Sakurajima Volcano
Authors: Oláh László , Tanaka Hiroyuki K. M. , Hamar Gergő
Published: June 2021

Post-eruptive destabilization of volcanic edifices by gravity driven debris flows or erosion can catastrophically impact the landscapes, economies and human societies surrounding active volcanoes. In this work, we propose muography as a tool for the remote monitoring of hydrogeomorphic responses to volcano landscape disturbances. We conducted the muographic monitoring of Sakurajima volcano, Kyushu, Japan and measured continuous post-eruptive activity with over 30 lahars per year. The sensitive surface area of the Multi-Wire-Proportional-Chamber-based Muography Observation System was upgraded to 7.67 m2 ; this made it possible for the density of tephra within the crater region to be measured in 40 days. We observed the muon flux decrease from 10 % to 40 % through the different regions of the crater from September 2019 to October 2020 due to the continuous deposition of tephra fallouts. In spite of the long-term mass increase, significant mass decreases were also observed after the onsets of rain-triggered lahars that induced the erosion of sedimented tephra. The first muographic observation of these post-eruptive phenomena demonstrate that this passive imaging technique has the potential to contribute to the assessment of indirect volcanic hazards.
Association of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) With the Risk of Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome: a Case-control Study
Authors: Kavei Parivash , Rad Esmaeil Yousefi , Akbari Soheila , Falahi Ebrahim , Mardani Mahnaz , Birjandi Mehdi , Saboori Somayeh
Published: June 2021

Objective: The aim of this case-control study was to investigate the association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and PCOS risk in the 120 newly-diagnosed cases of PCOS and 120 healthy controls aged between 18-45 years in Khorramabad of Iran. Results: Energy intake was significantly more in PCOS patients (p=0.01) and these people were less active than control women (p=0.001). The mean ± SD of DII in PCOS patients was 0.4±2.09 while it was 0.45±1.92 in control group (p=0.001). There was a positive association between increasing DII score and the risk of PCOS with the OR of 2.41(1.15, 5.02) in the crude model when we compared the fourth quartile with the lowest one. This association was still significant in several models after adjusting for age and energy intake in the model 1 (P- value for trend=0.001), in the second model and after adjusting for the level of activity, education, and family history of PCOS along with the first model (P- value for trend 0.003), and finally after additional adjustment for BMI in model 3 (P- value for trend 0.003). Results of present study showed that consuming more pro-inflammatory diets with higher DII scores are associated with increased risk of PCOS.
Sleep Disturbance, Psychiatric Issues, and Employment Status of Iranian People Living with HIV
Authors: Najafi Arezu , Mahboobi Marzieh , Soltani Saber , Jafarpour Ali , Haghighi Khosro Sadeghniiat , Aghajani Faezeh , Nakhostin-Ansari Amin , Kazerooni Parvin Afsar , Bazargani Matin , Ghodrati Somayeh , Akbarpour Samaneh
Published: June 2021

Objectives. Psychiatric problems and sleep disturbance among people living with HIV (PLWH) are associated with response to treatment, prognosis, and high-risk behaviors. We aimed to assess sleep disorders, psychiatric characteristics, and employment status among Iranian PLWH. Results. In total, 304 patients with a mean age of 40.01 (SD=9.60) years participated in the study. About 72% of the participants had a global PSQI score of more than 5, with a mean of 7.71 (SD=3.31). About 55.6%, 50%, and 67.4% of patients had abnormal scores for depression, anxiety, and stress. Unemployed patients had 2.13 times more chance (95% CI: 1.01-4.53) of having poor sleep quality compared to employed patients, and stress increased its likelihood by 3.18 times (95% C: 1.47-5.88).
B subgroup detection in a small hospital transfusion service
Authors: Elardo E. , Elbadri N. , Sanchez C. , Powell V. , Smaris M. , Li Y. , Jacobson J. , Hilbert T. , Hamilton T. , Wu D.W.
Published: June 2021

The ABO blood group system includes phenotypes, or subgroups, that differ in the amount of A and B antigens present on the red blood cells (RBCs). These subgroups also differ in the A, B, or H substances present in secretions (for individuals who have the secretor phenotype). B subgroups are very rare and are less frequently reported than A subgroups. Usually, B subgroups are discovered during serologic testing when there is a discrepancy between RBC and serum grouping results. Subgroups of B are usually identified by a reference laboratory using molecular and adsorption-elution methods. This report details a case of a young, healthy, pregnant woman with a B subgroup detected by a small transfusion service using adsorption-elution methods. Serology and genotyping of the ABO gene was performed at a reference laboratory where the serology was consistent with a B subgroup, but no changes were identified in ABO gene sequencing. It is important to correctly identify B subgroups in donors and recipients to help resolve ABO discrepancies and potentially prevent ABO incompatibility in blood transfusion, thus minimizing transfusion reactions.
Adaptation of Indoor Health and Comfort Criteria to Mitigate Covid-19 Transmission in the Workplace
Authors: Wardhani Dyah Kusuma , Susan Susan
Published: June 2021

The research discussed the application of indoor health and comfort criteria that needed to be reviewed to create good indoor environmental quality and reduce the transmission of the Covid-19 virus where people spent most of their time indoors. A confined area, which was poorly ventilated and reliant on air conditioning, helped transmit the Covid-19 virus easily as air recirculation was the main cause of office clusters. One of the categories of Greenship Interior Space, Indoor Health and Comfort (IHC), could be used as a guide for creating better indoor quality. The method used for the research was a systematic literature review to define, study, analyze, and classify all available research relating to adaptation of indoor health and comfort criteria to mitigate the transmission in the workplace. The results show the adjustment to IHC criteria in IHC 1-10, which focus on providing good air quality by introducing outside air, stopping air recirculation, reducing indoor user capacity, and reducing indoor biological and chemical pollutants. To illustrate the implementation of the new normal, Ciputra University workplace was being observed, as the findings of the results, some strategies that are in line with the objectives of IHC 1, IHC 2, and IHC 5. Adjustment of these criteria must be supported by implementing health protocols through basic hygiene routines, fitness screening, and maintaining physical distancing.
Senior Lecturers’ Learning Mechanisms During Emergency Remote Teaching at Binus University
Authors: Rahayu Esti , Devina Devina
Published: June 2021

The research aimed to identify senior lecturers’ experiences with online teaching during ERT (Emergency Remote Teaching). The ominous Covid-19 forced tertiary education institutions in Indonesia to employ ERT, both synchronous and asynchronous online teaching, from March 2020. Not all existing lecturers were professionally ready for this change, specifically senior lecturers who had been teaching for more than 25 years. These senior lecturers entered into unfamiliar territory as they had been experiencing the drastic transition to ERT. This transition could be viewed as a learning process as they went through certain learning mechanisms. The qualitative method was used to examine the learning mechanisms of senior lecturers who have been teaching during this ERT. This method was appropriate, as it allowed an understanding of lecturers’ experience in their professional growth. This case study examined five senior lecturers who have been teaching English as a Foreign Language at the university level for more than 25 years. Data analysis followed the procedures developed by Braun and Clarke. The research finds that each lecturer experiences learning mechanisms, including identification, coordination, reflection, and transformation. During the identification, they learn to understand the needs to adapt, adopt, and change. They also experience different kinds of unfamiliar events that have to be faced. They adapt to the unfamiliar situation during the phase of coordination through reading, joining webinars (web seminars), and mentoring during the coordination. Each of them reflects on the process of shifting boundaries of their competencies or knowledge from previously teaching offline to online. The last learning mechanism is the transformation that leads to profound changes after experiencing disruptions in the current workflow. Those multiple disruptions shape them in facing ERT.
Due to the absence of rules for the execution of Madliyah livelihood in the law of the Indonesian religion justice
Authors: Marsis Edi , Sudarsono . , Ruba'i Masruchin , Hamidah Siti
Published: June 2021

Provisions for the execution of the madliyah livelihood conditions in statutory regulations, especially in the provisions of Article 70 of Law Number 7 of 1989 concerning the Religion Courts as amended by Law Number 3 of 2006 and Law Number 50 of 2009, directly result in a lack of certainty. The law on the right to maintain madliyah livelihood also has direct implications for the trust of society, especially women, in the Religion Courts which should be able to defend women's rights and serve as a bridge to resolve issues of rights that should be obtained, namely madliyah livelihood after divorce. The execution of the wife's madliyah livelihood has implications for the judge's decision, namely: first, the judge does not have a legal basis regarding how the procedure for carrying out the execution that should be carried out for the process of executing the madliyah livelihood. Second, there is no complete regulation up to the implementation of decisions in regulating the rights to support the wife and children - one of which is the madliyah livelihood. Efforts to be able to provide legal certainty for executions at the Religion Courts can be done by completing regulations and building mechanisms.
Democratization of Zemstvo Electoral System in Ukraine after February Revolution of 1917
Authors: Kozachenko A. I.
Published: June 2021

The paper analyzes the legislation of the Provisional Government of Russia of 1917 which ensured the democratization of the Zemstvo electoral system by introducing general, equal, direct elections by secret ballot. According to the transitional legislation of 1917, elections of county and provincial councillors were held according to the proportional electoral system. As a result of the elections, the provincial and county zemstvos were Ukrainized and democratized by involving peasants’ representatives. However, given voters’ low political culture and lack of political experience, this electoral system proved ineffective. Participation in the elections of mainly one public organization - the Peasants' Union, which received the right to elect provincial councillors, led to a decrease in the zemstvo governors’ professional training level, which was one of the reasons for the zemstvo self-government decline.
Elections of volost councillors on the resolution of county zemstvos representatives’ congresses could be held under both majority and proportional electoral systems, which indicates the expansion of suffrage. On the territory of the Left Bank of Ukraine, the elections of volost councillors were held under the majority electoral system, which was quite justified, as voters were not ready for elections on the basis of the proportional system. Holding the volost elections showed a number of shortcomings, which, objectively, included insufficient level of election commissions’ preparation and, as a result, violations of the law. The low level of voters’ political and legal culture did not allow to ensure the proper conduct of the election campaign. Opposition by anti-democratic and anti-Ukrainian forces in the process of holding zemstvo elections led to absenteeism among voters.
Criminalistics analysis of cyber tools for committing crimes
Authors: Латиш Катерина
Published: June 2021

The article is devoted to the problems of the information and communication technologies which are used as cyber tools for committing crimes. Due to the coronavirus and the widespread lockdown, crimes have also moved to online space. The empirical base of cybercrime is analyzed taking into consideration the latest trends caused by the ongoing pandemic. Mostly this category of crimes is latent and quite difficult to investigate. Especially due to the lack of knowledge in the field of informatics, which is constantly being transformed (changed), by investigators and other participants of the pre-trial investigation. Modern scientific and technical tools are needed to detect, collect and fixed electronic traces of cybercrimes. It should be enhance the technical capabilities of forensic laboratories that specialize in the investigation of cybercrimes related to the use of information technology. But there is a problem because of lack of financial support and needness quite expensive equipment for conducting new computer expertise. This requires significant additional funding, which is not fully provided to the police station by the government. Cybercrime is a transnational crime that has no borders. Criminals from different countries can unite and detect such complicity in a timely manner is quite difficult. So it is necessary international cooperation with FBI, Interpol and other organizations, law-enforcement bodies. During the investigation it should be reconstruct the stages of the hacker's growth and return to his the very beginning, when he was not a such professional, but only gaining experience. The complication of identifying criminals is also that they use traditional tools such as Wi-Fi routers and non-traditional ones such as "boto-farms" which are used as cybertools for committing the crime.
Assessment of the negative impact of low-frequency vibrations on technological pipelines of compressor stations
Authors: Khayrullina Radmila , Valeev Anvar
Published: June 2021

The intensive development of gas transport and compressor manufacturing aimed at increasing the unit capacities of gas pumping units, creating high-flow centrifugal compressors, increasing the productivity of compressor shops has led to the appearance of fundamentally new problems in the diagnosis of industrial pipelines. The reasons for premature failure of piping manifold of gas pumping stations can be associated with both high static voltage in the pipelines and a high level of vibration. The main reasons for the increased vibration of the technological pipelines of the centrifugal compressor can be significant disturbing forces of the gas flow, coincidence of the natural frequencies of the pipeline system elements with frequencies of the disturbing forces, low dynamic stiffness of the pipeline- support system or a combination of the above conditions. The most effective method for studying problems such as low-frequency vibrations is the combination of engineering means for calculating dynamic processes and the results of measurements of the parameters of these processes in real systems and operating modes of the compressor stations. The hypotheses of the occurrence of low-frequency vibrations in pipelines are considered during the study, the acoustic properties of the process piping, and the resonant vibrations conditions are calculated. A computer model was created in the ANSYS Workbench software in order to consider the loading conditions for process piping. Based on Gazprom company standard 2-2.3-324-2009, an algorithm is proposed that is of practical importance for engineers of plant diagnostics operating gas transmission equipment. It is proposed to combine the performance of vibroacoustic studies and computing modeling with the determination of trends in the technical condition of the system for the analysis of changes in vibro-parameters. As a result of the work, direct measurements of the vibrodiagnostic specialists of the operating compressor station were compared with the obtained modeling data. Some methods were proposed to reduce the impact of operating conditions and design of the process piping on unacceptable low-frequency vibrations.
The Strategic Imperative and the Paradigm Shift in Economics
Authors: Sapir Jacques
Published: June 2021

The very idea of strategic thinking is quite opposed to the tradition of linking the choices of agents, individual or collective, to the process of maximization under constraints. The theory of general equilibrium has closed the door to the notion of strategy, just as the theory of generalized free trade has closed that of sovereignty. But this paradigm is falling apart. With a new approach of radical uncertainty, something made even more obvious with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are relearning the science and art of strategy, the more so because we are living in a world of a balance of power. But what would be the definition of strategy? Quite clearly we must distinguish between state and company strategy. This debate is also at the very center of the controversy over the role and meaning of institutions in economics. There is also a variety of strategies and those having a distinct appetite for risk must seriously consider whether to practice the art of strategy or not.
Strategic Development of Control Systems of Modern Situation Centers
Authors: Evdokimov Dmitriy
Published: June 2021

Introduction. A complex system of distributed situational centers is one of the main vectors of the transformation of public administration in Russia. Each region needs additional infrastructure to develop a promising mechanism of multifunctional tools for effective electronic administration and management of socio-economic processes within public and private partnerships. The versatility and exclusivity of this mechanism lie in its large-scale capabilities, which make it possible to engage the most important spheres of the state’s life in detailed monitoring, analysis, forecasting, and strategizing. Study objects and methods. The research featured the management systems of situational centers, which aim at developing public administration and regulation by increasing the speed of decision-making. The study involved such standard methods as economic analysis, classification, expert assessment, deduction, etc. Results and discussion. The results can serve as a theoretical basis for modifying the existing and planned situational centers in Russia, especially those that will form an integral part of the system of distributed situational centers. Taking into account the rapid development of new public administration instruments, it is necessary to bridge the gap between Russia and other countries. Conclusion. Modern realities dictate new approaches in the field of public administration and regulation. That is why the development of situational centers is a strategically important area for creating a centralized system for managing the country. Improving the functionality of such centers will lead to a qualitative improvement in the entire structure of the state apparatus.
Kuzbass Trade and Transport Hub: Strategic Relevance for Sectoral and Regional Development
Authors: Sasaev Nikita
Published: June 2021

The socio-economic development of regions and states depends on the combination of existing strategic factors, as well as on their competent implementation. Recent decades saw rapid dynamics and changes in the functioning conditions of economic systems: new trends have lead to new challenges and shocks at the global, national, regional, industry, and corporate levels. The deteriorating economic situation and the increasing pressure on the material and technological resources create additional restrictions and obstacles to sectoral and regional development in Russia. The disproportionate distribution of resources makes regions look for asymmetric and radically new strategic solutions, thus consolidating all available resources for a qualitative economic breakthrough. The Strategy of the Socio-Economic Development of the Kemerovo Region (Kuzbass) for the period up to 2035 was approved by the regional government. It establishes the fundamental transformation of Kuzbass into a large Siberian trade center and hub as a strategic priority for all directions, including industrial and regional development. The scale of the priority necessitates additional study of certain aspects of this strategic direction. The research objective was to determine the strategic relevance of the Kuzbass trade and transport hub in the strategizing of regional and sectoral development. The author assessed the interests in this strategic priority and their systematization by appropriate groups, defined the conceptual structure of the Kuzbass trade and transport hub, highlighted the relationship with the strategic contours of the Strategy of Socio-Economic Development, explained the role of the future hub for sectoral and regional strategizing, and indicated its social and economic efficiency.
Performance of potential evapotranspiration models in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Goh Ee Hang , Ng Jing Lin , Huang Yuk Feng , Yong Stephen Luo Sheng
Published: June 2021

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) is an important parameter for the operation of irrigation projects and water resources management. The globally recognized PET estimation model, the FAO-56 Penman–Monteith (FAO-56 PM) model, had been criticized for its requirement of many detailed meteorological variables, but nevertheless has been accepted as the baseline model in many worldwide studies. The performances of different PET models can be found to be excellent for a specific location but may not be representative in other regions. The aim of this study is to select the most suitable PET model to estimate PET in Malaysia. Three radiation-based models and four temperature-based models were compared with the FAO-56 PM model at seven selected meteorological stations in Peninsular Malaysia. The mean bias error, relative error (Re) and normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were used to evaluate the performances of the PET models. The Re values of Turc models were below 0.2 at all stations, while Priestly–Taylor, Thornthwaite, Thornthwaite-corrected and Blaney–Criddle models were above 0.2. The Makkink and Hargreaves–Samani models were below 0.2 at most of the stations. Thus, the Turc model was recommended as the best model to estimate PET in Peninsular Malaysia.
Characterization of particles and their relation with residual aluminum in water treated with pulsating floc blanket clarifiers and conventional clariflocculators using PACl
Authors: Srivastava Shashank , Brighu Urmila , Gupta Akhilendra Bhushan
Published: June 2021

A pulsating floc blanket clarifier (PFBC) employing cyclic contractions and rarefactions to a bed of densely concentrated suspension of flocculated particles in a fluidized state, was compared with conventional clariflocculator (CC) at pilot scale (8,000 L/day) in continuous mode of operation. For influent turbidity varied from 2 to 20 NTU, coagulation-flocculation behavior exhibited under the two fundamentally different treatment processes with PACl influenced inter-related performance parameters. The residual turbidity was found to be lower by 74%, flocs and fine colloids in suspension larger by 73 and 75% respectively, and the total and dissolved residual aluminum lower by 50 and 49% respectively on average for PFBC compared to CC. Particulate form comprised major fraction (≈72%) of total residual aluminum for both. PFBC abetted formation of a more consolidated floc structure, which rendered the shape, size and morphology such that the settling velocity was 50% to 410% higher than that of the CC flocs. Reaction-limited aggregation (RLA) process and inter-particle bridging were dominant and the resulting floc structure and its formation mechanism have been presented.
Disinfection by-products in drinking water distribution system of Bucharest City
Authors:   National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology, Paun Iuliana , Chiriac Florentina Laura , Iancu Vasile Ion , Pirvu Florinela , Niculescu Marcela , Vasilache Nicoleta
Published: June 2021

Chlorine is widely used in Romania and all over the world as a disinfectant of drinking water. During the chlorination process, the natural organic matter and inorganic ions react with chlorine forming disinfection by-products (DBPs). The predominant organic disinfection by-products are trihalomethanes (THMs) while the main inorganic disinfection by-products are chlorate and chlorite ions. THMs were detected in all investigated drinking water samples from Bucharest distribution system with values from 27.8 µg/L up to 75.1 µg/L, which are below the maximum concentration value admitted by Romanian drinking water legislation of 100 µg/L. Chloroform constitutes the major component in total THMs concentration found in all tested drinking water. Chlorate and chlorite anions were not detected in any of the investigated drinking water samples. THMs concentration was correlated with total organic carbon (TOC), residual chlorine and chloride.
Database with pollution sources and impact assessment in Bega and Timis River basins
Authors:   National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology, Neidoni Dorian Gabriel , Nicorescu Valeria , Andres Ladislau , Negrea Sorina Claudia , Diaconu Lidia Ani
Published: June 2021

This paper presents the ecological state of large areas of the Bega and Timis River basins, evaluated based on physical-chemical parameters of water samples in relation to the anthropogenic sources of pollution that occur along these rivers. For the monitoring program, twelve sampling points on the Bega and ten sampling points on the Timis were established in order to determine surface water quality. The potential sources of pollution were highlighted by a downstream vs. upstream analysis. Ecological conditions have been assessed taking into account the national legislation, which transposes the Water Framework Directive on promoting the sustainable use of water based on the long-term protection of water resources. The main sources of pollution were related to the discharges from localities and industry, but the current ecological status of the two water bodies analyzed is in a relatively good state.
Assessment of soil quality in the area of casting parts waste storage specific to cast iron activities
Authors:   National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology, Stanescu Bogdan Adrian , Cuciureanu Adriana
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this paper was to present an environmental assessment specific to a case study with reference to the storage of sand waste from a cast iron foundry, a factory with a long period of operation located in Transylvania, Romania. The environmental assessment started from the need to achieve compliant conditions for long-term storage of waste specific to cast iron casting parts activities. The activities performed in the project were carried out in stages and in parallel with the activities of sand waste valorification from the non-compliant deposit. The collaboration of the factory owner with the local environmental authorities was able to effectively materialize the objectives of the soil evaluation and facilitated the obtaining conditions for new compliant deposit construction. The evaluation of the soil quality was performed in areas where the deposited material, respectively the sand waste from the casting of the cast iron was already valorificated and, in that case, access to the soil layer was facilitated. Thirty soil samples and a control sample were analyzed and interpretation of the results was performed in corelation to specific legislation. The conclusions of the study were provided to the beneficiary and, also to the environmental authorities in order to authorize future activities (capitalization of the remaining waste, arrangement of a new landfill).
Advances in the Arena of 1-(4-hydroxy-6-Methyl-2H-Pyran-2-On-3-yl)-
3-Arylpropenone: Preparation, Reactivity and Transformations
Authors: Chaudhri Vishwas , Prakash Richa , Pundeer Rashmi
Published: June 2021

The 1-(4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-on-3-yl)-3-aryl-2-propenones, chalcone analogs
derived from dehydroacetic acid (DHA), play a significant role in synthetic organic chemistry
and proved to be an important intermediate for the wealth of multifarious biologically active molecules
especially heterocyclic compounds. The review is an attempt to compile the transformations
of DHA-chalcones to various classes of products.
A Novel Feature Selection Method Based on MRMR and Enhanced Flower Pollination Algorithm for High Dimensional Biomedical Data
Authors: Yan Chaokun , Li Mengyuan , Ma Jingjing , Liao Yi , Luo Huimin , Wang Jianlin , Luo Junwei
Published: June 2021

Background:

The massive amount of biomedical data accumulated in the past decades can
be utilized for diagnosing disease.

Objective:

However, the high dimensionality, small sample sizes, and irrelevant features of data often have
a negative influence on the accuracy and speed of disease prediction. Some existing machine learning
models cannot capture the patterns on these datasets accurately without utilizing feature selection.

Methods:

Filter and wrapper are two prevailing feature selection methods. The filter method is fast but
has low prediction accuracy, while the latter can obtain high accuracy but has a formidable computation
cost. Given the drawbacks of using filter or wrapper individually, a novel feature selection method,
called MRMR-EFPATS, is proposed, which hybridizes filter method Minimum Redundancy Maximum
Relevance (MRMR) and wrapper method based on an improved Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA).
First, MRMR is employed to rank and screen out some important features quickly. These features are
further chosen for individual populations following the wrapper method for faster convergence and less
computational time. Then, due to its efficiency and flexibility, FPA is adopted to further discover an optimal
feature subset.

Result:

FPA still has some drawbacks, such as slow convergence rate, inadequacy in terms of searching
new solutions, and tends to be trapped in local optima. In our work, an elite strategy is adopted to
improve the convergence speed of the FPA. Tabu search and Adaptive Gaussian Mutation are employed
to improve the search capability of FPA and escape from local optima. Here, the KNN classifier with
the 5-fold-CV is utilized to evaluate the classification accuracy.

Conclusion:

Extensive experimental results on six public high dimensional biomedical datasets show
that the proposed MRMR-EFPATS has achieved superior performance compared to other state-of-theart
methods.
The Effect of Aging on Body Temperature: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis
Authors: Hernandes Júnior Paulo Roberto , Sardeli Amanda Veiga
Published: June 2021

Background:

Since age is the major risk factor for chronic diseases and mortality, it
seems mistaken that older adults have lower basal temperature than young individuals. Many confounding
factors could hinder the achievement of a consensus, such as the different sites of measurement,
control of basal conditions, health conditions, age difference compared, sex, and others.

Objective:

The aim was to meta-analyze previous studies in order to find a consensus regarding the
effects of aging on body temperature in humans, considering different types of temperature assessments,
age difference and sex.

Methods:

A systematic search was performed in PubMed and 16 studies comparing basal temperature
between older and young adults were meta-analyzed.

Results:

Older adults have significantly lower body temperature than young adults (-0.17 °C
(-0.30; -0.03), p=0.04). Considering the different sites of measure, while core temperature tended
to be lower in older adults (-0.13 °C (-0.27; 0.01), p=0.07), and skin temperature was not different
(-0.21 °C (-0.5; 0.08), p=0.15). The aging effects were more prominent in men when assessed by
oral temperature and when compared between higher age difference.

Conclusion:

Indeed, there is a small reduction in overall temperature with aging, drove by the reduction
in core temperature rather than skin temperature. The confirmation of these findings by
this meta-analysis, now provide the base for the development of strategies to face the impairment
in thermoregulation and metabolic efficiency with aging.
AIoT Data Management, Analytics and Decision Making (Artificial Intelligence of Things Data Management, Analytics and Decision Making)
Authors: Izonin Ivan
Published: June 2021

Nowadays, the fast development of hardware for IoT-based systems creates appropriate conditions for the development
of services for different application areas. As we know, the large number of multifunctional devices, which are connected
to the Internet is constantly increasing. Today, most of the IoT devices just only collect and transmit data. The huge
amount of data produced by these devices requires efficient and fast approaches to its analysis. This task can be solved by
combining Artificial Intelligence and IoT tools. Essentially, AI accelerators can be used as a universal sensor in IoT systems,
that is, we can create Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). AIoT can be considered like a movement from data collection
to knowledge aggregation. AIoT-based systems are being widely implemented in many high-tech industrial and infrastructure
systems. Such systems are capable of providing not only the ability to collect but also analyse various aspects of
data for identification, planning, diagnostics, evaluation, monitoring, optimization, etc., at the lower level in the entire system's
hierarchy. That is, they are able to work more efficiently and effectively by generating the knowledge that is needed
for real-time analytics and decision-making in some application areas.
Peri-operative imaging techniques of the sentinel lymph node in veterinary oncology
Authors: De Bie P. , Favril S. , De Vos S. , De Rooster H.
Published: June 2021

When cancer cells spread through lymphatic vessels, the first lymph node they reach is the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Hence, if the SLN is free from metastatic cells, it can be assumed that further lymph nodes will be free of metastatic tumor cells too. If metastatic tumor cells are identified in the SLN, the patient is at risk of developing distant metastatic disease. In that case, further diagnostic and therapeutic steps are needed and the patient’s prognosis gets worse. The SLN can be located at an anatomically unpredictable location. This is likely due to lymphangiogenesis, which alters the normal lymphatic pathway and drains the metastatic cells to another lymph node than the expected anatomically closest one. Therefore, identifying the SLN by an accurate mapping technique is necessary. In this article, the existing techniques for SLN mapping are reviewed, and their use in human and veterinary medicine is compared.
Энергетический спектр и оптическое поглощение эндоэдральных комплексов Er-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-C-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-@C-=SUB=-90-=/SUB=- на основе изомеров N 21 и N 44
Authors: Мурзашев А.И. , Жуманазаров А.П. , Кокурин М.Ю.
Published: June 2021

The article simulates the optical absorption spectra (OAS) of endohedral complexes Er2C2 @ C90 based on isomers No. 44 (C2) No. 21 (C1) of fullerene C90. For this purpose, the energy spectra of the indicated isomers have been calculated. The calculation was carried out within the framework of two models. Within the framework of the first model, which is traditional, only hops of π-electrons from site to site were taken into account (the integral of hopping to the nearest sites B ~ -2.6 eV). Within the framework of the second model, developed in a series of our works [1-5], in addition to hopping from site to site (the integral of hopping to the nearest sites B ~ -1.0 eV), the intrasite Coulomb interaction (ICCI) of π-electrons was also taken into account (the integral of the Coulomb interaction U ~ 7.0 eV). Comparison of the OSS curves obtained by us with the experimental data [5] convincingly indicates that the second model adequately describes the OSS of the endohedral Er2C2 @ C90 complexes based on the investigated isomers. The magnitude of charge transfer from the Er2C2 system to the fullerene shell turned out to be -4e.
Наблюдение квантовых биений двухфотонно возбужденных состояний атомов Xe при фотоионизации
Authors: Викторов E.A. , Пастор А.А. , Сердобинцев П.Ю. , Безуглов Н.Н.
Published: June 2021

Исследована ионизация когерентно двухфотонно возбужденной суперпозиции 4f-состояний атома Xe фемтосекундным импульсом пробного лазера в сверхзвуковом пучке с регулируемой задержкой между импульсами накачки и пробным. Регистрируемая колебательная структура в сигналах фотоионизации связана с когерентными биениями суперпозиции возбужденных состояний. Высокая эффективность предложенной схемы регистрации квантовых биений обусловлена практически 100%-й эффективностью сбора фотоэлектронов в отличие от ранее используемой регистрации флуоресценции. Ключевые слова: квантовые биения, двухфотонное возбуждение, фемтосекундная ионизация.
Влияние поливинилпирролидона на структуру и оптические свойства ZnO-MgO нанокомпозитов, полученных полимерно-солевым методом
Authors: Шелеманов А.А. , Нурыев Р.К. , Евстропьев С.К. , Киселев В.М. , Никоноров Н.В.
Published: June 2021

Приведены результаты исследований влияния поливинилпирролидона на структуру и оптические свойства нанокомпозитов ZnO-MgO, полученных полимерно-солевым методом. Синтезированные нанокомпозиты исследованы методами оптической и люминесцентной спектроскопии и рентгенофазового анализа. Увеличение содержания этого полимера в растворах приводит к уменьшению размеров формирующихся кристаллов ZnO, увеличению интенсивности люминесценции нанокомпозитов ZnO-MgO в синей части спектра и к ее подавлению в длинноволновой части. Эффективность фотогенерации синглетного кислорода нанокомпозитами ZnO-MgO, полученными полимерно-солевым методом, возрастает при повышении содержания поливинилпирролидона в исходных растворах. Ключевые слова: люминесценция, спектры, кристаллы, ZnO, синглетный кислород.
Об использовании арсенида индия в качестве материала волновода при измерениях методом нарушенного полного внутреннего отражения
Authors: Карандашев C.А. , Лухмырина Т.С. , Матвеев Б.А. , Ременный М.А. , Усикова А.А.
Published: June 2021

Рассмотрены вольт-амперные характеристики и фототок "монолитных" диодных оптопар, оптически связанных общей для них подложкой из InAs, оценена возможность использования значений фототока для измерения ослабления "исчезающей волны" при полном внутреннем отражении от границы раздела волновод (подложка из InAs)/поглощающее анализируемое вещество. Ключевые слова: оптические сенсоры, датчики химического состава вещества, диодные оптопары, анализаторы МНПВО, анализаторы исчезающей волны, фотодиоды среднего ИК диапазона, светодиоды среднего ИК диапазона.
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Web-Based Caregiver Decision Aid (Safety in Dementia) for Firearm Access: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Betz Marian E , Polzer Evan , Nearing Kathryn , Knoepke Christopher E , Johnson Rachel L , Meador Lauren , Matlock Daniel D
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Firearms are common in the households of persons with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). Safety in Dementia (SiD) is a free web-based decision aid that was developed to support ADRD caregivers in addressing firearm access.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of SiD among a web-based sample of ADRD caregivers.

METHODS

SiD was tested in 2 phases by using participants who were recruited from a web-based convenience sample (Amazon Mechanical Turk participants). In phase 1, caregivers were randomized to view either the intervention (SiD) or the control (Alzheimer’s Association materials), and the blinding of participants to the study arms was conducted. In phase 2, caregivers of individuals with ADRD and firearm access were recruited; all of these participants viewed the firearm section of SiD. In both phases, participants viewed SiD independently for as long as they wanted. Measures for evaluating decision-making and SiD acceptability were used, and these were assessed via a self-administered web-based questionnaire.

RESULTS

Participants were recruited for phases 1 (n=203) and 2 (n=54). Although it was feasible to collect the study outcome data in a web-based format, in phase 1, there were no significant differences between SiD and the control in terms of decision-making and self-efficacy. The majority (137/203, 67.5%) of phase 1 participants spent between 5 and 10 minutes reviewing the resources. In phase 2, 61% (33/54) of participants spent 5 to 10 minutes viewing the firearm section, and 31% (17/54) spent 10 to 20 minutes viewing this section. Usability and acceptability were high across the phases.

CONCLUSIONS

SiD represents a new resource for promoting safety among people with dementia, and high acceptability was achieved in a pilot trial. In this sample, SiD performed similarly to Alzheimer’s Association materials in supporting decision-making and self-efficacy.