bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pelvic Health Assessment in Adult Females Following Pediatric Appendicitis: A Monocentric Retrospective Case—Control Study
Authors: Parente Giovanni , Di Mitri Marco , D’Antonio Simone , Cravano Sara , Thomas Eduje , Vastano Marzia , Lunca Robert , Gargano Tommaso , Libri Michele , Lima Mario
Published: March 2022

Background: The anatomical location of the appendix in females determines its close contact with the internal genitalia, involving the latter in case of acute appendicitis (AA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of pelvic health impairment in adult women who underwent appendicectomy during childhood. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted including all female patients who underwent appendicectomy for acute appendicitis at our Center between January 1985 and December 1995. The patients were divided into two groups, i.e., complicated AA (Group A) and not complicated AA (Group B), and were asked to respond to a questionnaire investigating their general health status, fertility impairment, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, endometriosis, and chronic pelvic pain. The same questionnaire was administered to female volunteers with past medical history (PMH) negative for AA. The data were compared using chi-square test and Fisher exact test (a p value < 0.05 was considered for statistical significance). Results: In total, 75 patients operated for AA during childhood (22 in Group A and 53 in group B) and 44 female volunteers with PMH negative for AA (group C) were enrolled in the study. Seventeen patients (77.3%) in group A, 40 (75.4%) in group B, and 29 (65.9%) in group C (p > 0.05) had pregnancies. The number of miscarriages among women who became pregnant in their life was 5 in group A, 13 in group B, and 12 in group C (p > 0.05). Chronic pelvic pain was reported by 7 out of 22 (31.8%) patients in group A, 7 out of 53 (13.2%) in group B, and 5 out of 44 (11.4%) in group C (A vs. C: p = 0.04, OR = 3.64; A vs. B: p = 0.06 and B vs. C: p = 0.52). Conclusions: In our series, AA, complicated or not, neither determined repercussions on fertility, risk of miscarriages, and ectopic pregnancies nor increased the risk of developing endometriosis. However, women who experienced complicated AA showed a higher prevalence of chronic pelvic pain onset in adulthood compared to healthy women.
The Status of Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Surgery in Children: A Nationwide Assessment
Authors: Schmedding Andrea , Alsweed Ahmad , Muensterer Oliver , Leonhardt Johannes
Published: March 2022

Inguinal hernia repair (IHR) is a common procedure in childhood. Laparoscopic IHR has been evolving for the last three decades. Although clear advantages have been shown, adaptation in Germany has been slow. We aim to study the current status of pediatric laparoscopic IHR. A survey was sent to all 89 pediatric surgical departments in Germany on current practices and preferences of open versus laparoscopic IHR. Two nationwide databases of administrative claims data from 2019 were analyzed and correlated with responses from the survey. A total of 56% of the pediatric surgical departments supplied data through the quality reports. The recall of our survey was 58% of all pediatric surgery departments. According to the pooled data, laparoscopic IHR was performed in 8.2% of all inpatients treated. Laparoscopic IHR was considered a training procedure in 48% of the departments. Five different laparoscopic techniques were described (most commonly percutaneous closure of the hernia under laparoscopic vision). The choice between open and laparoscopic IHR was mainly determined by the child’s age. Currently, only a minority of German children undergo inguinal hernia repair by laparoscopy. More training opportunities in the form of hands-on and video workshops may lead to more widespread employment of the laparoscopic technique.
Tremella fuciformis Crude Polysaccharides Attenuates Steatosis and Suppresses Inflammation in Diet-Induced NAFLD Mice
Authors: Khan Tariq Jamal , Xu Xiaofei , Xie Xiaoling , Dai Ximing , Sun Pingnan , Xie Qingdong , Zhou Xiaoling
Published: March 2022

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disorder characterized by an enhanced accumulation of lipids, which affects around 40% of the world’s population. The T. fuciformis fungus possesses immunomodulatory activity and other beneficial properties that may alleviate steatosis through a different mechanism. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect T. fuciformis crude polysaccharides (TFCP) on inflammatory and lipid metabolism gene expression, oxidative stress, and lipid profile. Mice were divided into groups receiving (a) a normal chow diet (NCD), (b) a methionine–choline-deficient (MCD) diet, and (c) a MCD diet with TFCP. Liver histopathology was performed, and the hepatic gene expression levels were estimated using qRT-PCR. The lipid profiles, ALT, AST, and efficient oxidative enzymes were analyzed using ELISA. The TFCP administration in the MCD-fed mice suppressed hepatic lipid accumulation, lipid metabolism-associated genes (HMGCR, FABP, SREBP, ACC, and FAS), and inflammation-associated genes (IL-1β, TLR4, TNF-α, and IL-6) whilst enhancing the expression of HNF4α genes. TFCP mitigated against oxidative stress and normalized healthy lipid profiles. These results highlighted that TFCP prevents NAFLD through the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammation, suggesting TFCP would potentially be an effective therapeutic agent against NAFLD progression.
Evaluation of the Effect of Dual-Stage Aging and RRA on the Hardening and Corrosion Resistance of AW7075 Alloy
Authors: Ładak Aleksandra , Cichoń Mateusz , Lachowicz Marzena
Published: March 2022

The corrosion resistance of the AW7075 alloy after RRA treatment was evaluated. The corrosion rate in the NSS test was assessed and the electrochemical parameters were determined. The results were compared with the results obtained for the alloy subjected to conventional aging (T6) and dual-stage aging (DA). In order to determine the state of alloy hardening, the tests were carried out simultaneously with the material hardness measurements and microscopic examinations. The hardness of the AW7075 alloy increased in the following order: DA < T6 < RRA. The tests revealed that the achieved increase in strengthening was correlated with the preservation of high resistance to general corrosion of the alloy after RRA treatment. After the corrosion tests, SEM microscopic observations were also carried out to determine the corrosion features. The corrosion rate can be arranged in the following order: RRA < T6 ≈ DA. At the same time, the alloy after RRA was characterized by the lowest value of the corrosion potential and the open circuit. The corrosion potential value can be presented in increasing order: RRA < T6 ≈ DA. The corrosion behavior of the aluminum alloy after dual-stage aging was similar to that of T6. However, it was accompanied by a decline in hardening.
Performance Assessment of Differently Dried Coating Systems for Potential Application in the Power Transformer Industry
Authors: Stojanović Ivan , Cindrić Ivan , Janković Lara , Šimunović Vinko , Franjić Hrvoje
Published: March 2022

Many companies in the power transformer industry are striving to speed up the drying process of coatings, which is why alternative drying methods are constantly being explored while maintaining the same coating protection properties. The infrared (IR) drying of protective coatings is a potential solution for their higher productivity, but has not yet been extensively investigated. In this paper, two solvent-borne coating systems, with and without zinc in the primer, from two different manufacturers, dried by infrared radiation and under atmospheric conditions, were studied. The coating systems consisted of epoxy primer, epoxy intermediate coat, and polyurethane topcoat. Anti-corrosion performance of the coatings was characterized using a salt spray chamber, pull-off adhesion testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) investigation, and open circuit potential (OCP) measurement. All samples were analyzed using stereo microscope. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for detailed study and chemical composition determination was used. The results showed that infrared technology notably reduced coating drying times while maintaining or improving anticorrosion performance properties compared to the coatings dried under atmospheric conditions.
Response of Soil Water Storage to Meteorological Factors in Alpine Shrub Meadow on Northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Jing , Zhang Fawei , Si Mengke , Lan Yuting , Li Bencuo , Lin Li , Du Yangong , Cao Guangmin , Guo Xiaowei
Published: March 2022

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) has an important function in ensuring the water ecological security of China, even Asia, and the soil water storage of alpine grassland is an important part of the ecosystem water. Grassland degradation directly affects the soil water storage capacity. However, the impact of degradation on specific soil storage capacity, especially alpine shrubs, is rarely studied. Here, we chose two plots of alpine non-degraded shrub and degraded shrub, using the automatic soil moisture monitoring system to study the change process of soil moisture storage, and then adopted the boosted regression tree (BRT) model to quantitatively evaluate the relative influence of environmental variables on soil water storage. Our results show: (1) The soil water storage in the growing season (May–September) is higher than that in the non-growing season (January–April and October–December), and the soil water storage reaches its highest in mid-July. (2) During the growing season, the 100 cm soil temperature was the most important factor affecting the seasonal variation in soil water storage, accounting for 51% of the total variation. During the non-growing season, the 40 cm soil temperature was the most important factor affecting the variation in soil water storage, accounting for 80% of the total variation. (3) The soil water storage of non-degraded Potentilla fruticosa shrub meadow increased by 6–25%, compared with degraded grassland shrub meadow during growing-season. (4) Various meteorological factors have a weak impact on soil water storage.
Asymmetric Relatedness from Partial Correlation
Authors: Saenz de Pipaon Perez Carlos , Zaccaria Andrea , Di Matteo Tiziana
Published: March 2022

Relatedness is a key concept in economic complexity, since the assessment of the similarity between industrial sectors enables policymakers to design optimal development strategies. However, among the different ways to quantify relatedness, a measure that takes explicitly into account the time correlation structure of exports is still lacking. In this paper, we introduce an asymmetric definition of relatedness by using statistically significant partial correlations between the exports of economic sectors and we apply it to a recently introduced database that integrates the export of physical goods with the export of services. Our asymmetric relatedness is obtained by generalising a recently introduced correlation-filtering algorithm, the partial correlation planar graph, in order to allow its application on multi-sample and multi-variate datasets, and in particular, bipartite temporal networks. The result is a network of economic activities whose links represent the respective influence in terms of temporal correlations; we also compute the statistical confidence of the edges in the network via an adapted bootstrapping procedure. We find that the underlying influence structure of the system leads to the formation of intuitively-related clusters of economic sectors in the network, and to a relatively strong assortative mixing of sectors according to their complexity. Moreover, hub nodes tend to form more robust connections than those in the periphery.
How Reliable Are Global Temperature Reconstructions of the Common Era?
Authors: Lüning Sebastian , Lengsfeld Philipp
Published: March 2022

Global mean annual temperature has increased by more than 1 °C during the past 150 years, as documented by thermometer measurements. Such observational data are, unfortunately, not available for the pre-industrial period of the Common Era (CE), for which the climate development is reconstructed using various types of palaeoclimatological proxies. In this analysis, we compared seven prominent hemispheric and global temperature reconstructions for the past 2000 years (T2k) which differed from each other in some segments by more than 0.5 °C. Whilst some T2k show negligible pre-industrial climate variability (“hockey sticks”), others suggest significant temperature fluctuations. We discuss possible sources of error and highlight three criteria that need to be considered to increase the quality and stability of future T2k reconstructions. Temperature proxy series are to be thoroughly validated with regards to (1) reproducibility, (2) seasonal stability, and (3) areal representativeness. The T2k represents key calibration data for climate models. The models need to first reproduce the reconstructed pre-industrial climate history before being validated and cleared for climate projections of the future. Precise attribution of modern warming to anthropogenic and natural causes will not be possible until T2k composites stabilize and are truly representative for a well-defined region and season. The discrepancies between the different T2k reconstructions directly translate into a major challenge with regards to the political interpretation of the climate change risk profile. As a rule of thumb, the larger/smaller the pre-industrial temperature changes, the higher/lower the natural contribution to the current warm period (CWP) will likely be, thus, reducing/increasing the CO2 climate sensitivity and the expected warming until 2100.
Performance Evaluation of VANET Routing Protocols in Madinah City
Authors: Abdeen Mohammad A. R. , Beg Abdurrahman , Mostafa Saud Mohammad , AbdulGhaffar AbdulAziz , Sheltami Tarek R. , Yasar Ansar
Published: March 2022

Traffic management challenges in peak seasons for popular destinations such as Madinah city have accelerated the need for and introduction of autonomous vehicles and Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) to assist in communication and alleviation of traffic congestions. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the performance of communication routing protocols in VANETs between autonomous and human-driven vehicles in Madinah city in varying traffic conditions. A simulation of assorted traffic distributions and densities were modeled in an extracted map of Madinah city and then tested in two application scenarios with three ad hoc routing protocols using a combination of traffic and network simulation tools working in tandem. The results measured for the average trip time show that opting for a fully autonomous vehicle scenario reduces the trip time of vehicles by approximately 7.1% in high traffic densities and that the reactive ad hoc routing protocols induce the least delay for network packets to reach neighboring VANET vehicles. From these observations, it can be asserted that autonomous vehicles provide a significant reduction in travel time and that either of the two reactive ad hoc routing protocols could be implemented for the VANET implementation in Madinah city. Furthermore, we perform an ANOVA test to examine the effects of the factors that are considered in our study on the variation of the results.
Dual-Polarized Dipole Antenna for Wireless Data and Microwave Power Transfer
Authors: Liao Liangbing , Li Zhiyi , Tang Yuzhu , Chen Xing
Published: March 2022

This manuscript presents a broadband high-efficiency dual-polarized dipole antenna for wireless power and data transfer. The proposed antenna mainly consists of cross-dipole patches, matching baluns, and a ground plane. The dual-polarized radiation mode was achieved by using two linear-polarization matching baluns to feed the cross-dipole patches orthogonally. The proposed dual-polarized dipole antenna realizes a bandwidth with S11 less than −10 dB (4.28 GHz–5.92 GHz) and a high radiation efficiency of about 95%. An independent rectifying circuit was designed, and a microwave energy transmission experiment was carried out. The final measured conversion efficiency for the two polarized ports at 5.8 GHz was about 77.6% and 76.4%, respectively. Simulation and measurement results showed that the proposed antenna is suitable for both wireless power and wireless data transfer applications.
A Repetitive Low Impedance High Power Microwave Driver
Authors: Yang Hanwu , Zhang Zicheng , Gao Jingming , Xun Tao , Li Song
Published: March 2022

A low impedance high power microwave (HPM) driver is designed, which can be used in studying multi-gigawatt HPM devices such as the magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO), based on a helical pulse forming line (PFL) and the Tesla pulse transformer technology. The co-axial PFL is insulated by ethanol–water mixture, whose dielectric constant can be adjusted; and the helical line increases the output pulse width as well as the impedance to make a better match with the load. By the optimal combination of PFL charging voltage and output switch working voltage, the reliability of the PFL can be improved. The Tesla transformer has partial magnetic cores to increase the coupling coefficient and is connected like an autotransformer to increase the voltage step-up ratio. The primary capacitor of the transformer is charged by a high voltage constant current power supply and discharged by a triggered switch. A transmission line is installed between the PFL and the HPM load, to further increase the load voltage. A ceramic disk vacuum interface is used for improving the vacuum of the HPM tube. The experiments show that the driver can operate at 30 GW peak power, 75 ns pulse width and 5 Hz repetition rate.
The Balance of Outlays and Effects of Restructuring Hard Coal Mining Companies in Terms of Energy Policy of Poland PEP 2040
Authors: Kaczmarek Jarosław
Published: March 2022

The article aimed to present the balance of outlays and the effects of restructuring Polish hard coal mining companies in the face of directions of the Energy Policy of Poland PEP 2040. The research problem is defined by the following question: have the goals of restructuring coal mining companies been achieved (and to what extent), and has the restructuring-related expenditure been economically rational? An answer to this question is based on the verification of five research hypotheses, in particular, have the incurred costs of restructuring contributed to changes to the energy mix (its desired time and degree), reducing related expenditure? The scope of research comprises all companies engaged in the extraction of solid mineral energy resources (the entire industry). An assessment of the restructuring process was conducted from two perspectives related to its time and scope. The first perspective was the restructuring programme as a sub-process of the economic transformation (1990–2020), and economic forecasts until the planned coal phase-out (2021–2049). The second perspective was an analysis of the mechanism that determines companies’ performance after carrying out typical and direct restructuring activities (2007–2021). Two multivariate measures were developed for methodological purposes, and the analysis also made use of a logit prediction model and several financial analysis ratios. The analysis led to the general conclusion that the restructuring of hard coal mining companies was not effective—it did not ensure their independent and effective functioning. In particular, the analysis led to the following conclusions: (1) the restructuring process had different levels of intensity, which allowed for its periodization; (2) the main and increasingly important factor of changes was human labour productivity (as opposed to objectified labour—machines and equipment); (3) the identified mechanism of creating results pointed to the areas of inappropriate management; (4) the previous restructuring costs did not contribute to changing the energy mix, and they are likely to rise until coal phase-out.
Performance Analysis and Benchmarking of PLL-Driven Phasor Measurement Units for Renewable Energy Systems
Authors: Ali Zunaib , Saleem Komal , Brown Robert , Christofides Nicholas , Dudley Sandra
Published: March 2022

Phasor measurement units (PMUs) are a key part of electrical power systems, providing the dynamic monitoring and control of electrical units and impacting overall operation and synchronization of a network if not properly designed. This paper investigates the use of a phase-locked loop (PLL)-based algorithm for PMUs (to accurately find the magnitude, phase, and frequency) in a three-phase system. Various PLLs are reported in the literature, ranging from the very basic to advanced, capable of dealing with normal and abnormal grid behavior and mainly used for the control of grid-connected converters. In this paper, a number of PLLs were utilized to perform PMU functions, and a benchmarking study has been investigated to analyze the developed PLL-driven PMUs under various grid conditions (such as unbalanced faults, harmonics, and frequency variations). The simulation and experimental results were provided to support the performance capabilities and suggested limitations. In addition, the best PMU in benchmarking was used in the Kundur’s two-area system to show the significance of PMUs in a power system.
Orderly Charging Strategy Based on Optimal Time of Use Price Demand Response of Electric Vehicles in Distribution Network
Authors: Goh Hui Hwang , Zong Lian , Zhang Dongdong , Dai Wei , Lim Chee Shen , Kurniawan Tonni Agustiono , Goh Kai Chen
Published: March 2022

In order to manage electric vehicles (EVs) connected to charging grids, this paper presents an orderly charging approach based on the EVs’ optimal time-of-use pricing (OTOUP) demand response. Firstly, the Monte Carlo approach is employed to anticipate charging power by developing a probability distribution model of the charging behavior of EVs. Secondly, a scientific classification of the load period is performed using the fuzzy clustering approach. Then, a matrix of demand price elasticity is developed to measure the link between EV charging demand and charging price. Finally, the charging scheme is optimized by an adaptive genetic algorithm from the distribution network and EV user viewpoints. This paper describes how to implement the method presented in this paper in an IEEE-33-bus distribution network. The simulation results reveal that, when compared to fixed price and common time-of-use pricing (CTOUP), the OTOUP charging strategy bears a stronger impact on reducing peak–valley disparities, boosting operating voltage, and decreasing charging cost. Additionally, this paper studies the effect of varied degrees of responsiveness on charging strategies for EVs. The data imply that increased responsiveness enhances the likelihood of new load peak, and that additional countermeasures are required.
Duhem and Natanson: Two Mathematical Approaches to Thermodynamics
Authors: Badur Janusz , Feidt Michel , Ziółkowski Paweł
Published: March 2022

In this article, the previously unrecognized contributions of Pierre Duhem and Ladislavus Natanson in thermodynamics are shown. The mathematical remodelling of a few of their principal ideas is taken into consideration, despite being neglected in the literature. To emphasize these ideas in an appropriate epistemological order, it would be crucial to first revalue and reconstruct some underrepresented parts of the proceedings process through which Duhem and Natanson created their thermodynamics. Duhem and Natanson’s scientific works are against the background of modern continuum mechanics, presenting relevant approaches. In line with the long-held beliefs of many French and Polish researchers, the article mentions that Duhem and Natanson’s ideas dated back to one century ago. Both scientists were qualified in the same Royal Way, which in this case includes chemistry, mechanic of fluid and solid, electro-chemistry, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, and relativistic and quantum mechanics. Therefore, it is possible to connect and then compare the results of their conceptions and approaches. Duhem and Natanson are both in firm opposition with Newtonian mechanisms. Thus, the Maupertuis least action principle created the ground for their efforts, in which they flourished as an elementary quantum.
Influence of Parking Sheds on Energy Efficiency of Road Refrigerated Transport
Authors: Filina-Dawidowicz Ludmiła , Csiszár Csaba
Published: March 2022

The energy efficiency of road refrigerated transport is still a less researched area, despite a significant amount of energy being used for cooling perishable goods inside the refrigerated vehicle. The refrigeration units of these vehicles continuously operate while en route from the cargo sender to the recipient, even during the vehicle’s forced stopovers due to the driver’s working time limitations. This article aims to summarize the impact of the parking sheds used in rest and service areas on the energy consumption of the vehicle’s refrigeration unit. The achievable cost savings by decreasing the energy consumption of the semi-trailer’s refrigeration units are also presented. We establish a mathematical model to calculate the heat balance and verify our approach. The calculation results, which were carried out under certain operating conditions of the refrigeration unit of a semi-trailer, provide an opportunity to achieve savings on a scale of 12.03%. Lastly, ideal locations of rest and service areas with sheds along the motorways and expressways in Poland are also proposed.
Many-Objective Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem with Green Consideration
Authors: Sang Yanwei , Tan Jianping
Published: March 2022

With the increasingly customized product requirements of customers, the manufactured products have the characteristics of multi-variety and small-batch production. A high-quality production scheduling scheme can reduce energy consumption, improve production capacity and processing quality of the enterprise. The high-dimensional many-objective green flexible job shop scheduling problem (Ma-OFJSSP) urgently needs to be solved. However, the existing optimization method are difficult to effectively optimize the Ma-OFJSSP. This study proposes a many-objective flexible job shop scheduling model. An optimization method SV-MA is designed to effectively optimize the Ma-OFJSSP model. The SV-MA memetic algorithm combines an improved strength Pareto evolution method (SPEA2) and the variable neighborhood search method. To effectively distinguish the better solutions and increase the selection pressure of the non-dominated solutions, the fitness calculation method based on the shift-based density estimation strategy is adopted. The SV-MA algorithm designs the variable neighborhood strategy which combines with scheduling knowledge. Finally, in the workshop scheduling benchmarks and the machining workshop engineering case, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and SV-MA algorithm are verified by comparison with other methods. The production scheduling scheme obtained by the proposed model and SV-MA optimization algorithm can improve production efficiency and reduce energy consumption in the production process.
Crown Profile Modeling and Prediction Based on Ensemble Learning
Authors: Chen Yuling , Dong Chen , Wu Baoguo
Published: March 2022

Improving prediction accuracy is a prominent modeling issue in relation to forest simulations, and ensemble learning is a new effective method for improving the precision of crown profile model simulations in order to overcome the disadvantages of statistical modeling. Background: Ensemble learning (a machine learning paradigm in which multiple learners are trained to achieve better performance) has strong nonlinear problem learning ability and flexibility in terms of analyzing longitudinal data, and it remains rarely explored so far in the field of crown profile modeling forest science. In this study, we explored the application of ensemble learning to the modeling and prediction of crown profiles. Methods: We evaluated the performance of ensemble learning procedures and marginal model in modeling crown profile using the crown profile database from China fir plantations in Fujian, in southern China. Results: The ensemble learning approach for the crown profile model appeared to have better performance and higher efficiency (R2 > 0.9). The crown equation model 18 showed an intermediate performance in its estimation, whereas GBDT (MAE = 0.3250, MSE = 0.2450) appeared to have the best performance and higher efficiency. Conclusions: The ensemble learning method can combine the advantages of multiple learners and has higher model accuracy, robustness and overall induction ability, and is thus an effective technique for crown profile modeling and prediction.
Numerical Analysis of Time-Fractional Whitham-Broer-Kaup Equations with Exponential-Decay Kernel
Authors: Yasmin Humaira
Published: March 2022

This paper presents the semi-analytical analysis of the fractional-order non-linear coupled system of Whitham-Broer-Kaup equations. An iterative process is designed to analyze analytical findings to the specified non-linear partial fractional derivatives scheme utilizing the Yang transformation coupled with the Adomian technique. The fractional derivative is considered in the sense of Caputo-Fabrizio. Two numerical problems show the suggested method. Moreover, the results of the suggested technique are compared with the solution of other well-known numerical techniques such as the Homotopy perturbation technique, Adomian decomposition technique, and the Variation iteration technique. Numerical simulation has been carried out to verify that the suggested methodologies are accurate and reliable, and the results are revealed using graphs and tables. Comparing the analytical and actual solutions demonstrates that the proposed approaches effectively solve complicated non-linear problems. Furthermore, the proposed methodologies control and manipulate the achieved numerical solutions in a vast acceptable region in an extreme manner. It will provide us with a simple process to control and adjust the convergence region of the series solution.
Increased Production of Taxoids in Suspension Cultures of Taxus globosa after Elicitation
Authors: Barrales-Cureño Hebert Jair , Ramos Valdivia Ana C. , Soto Hernández Marcos
Published: March 2022

The objectives of this study were to investigate whether elicitors induce the production of taxoids in Taxus globosa by testing the hypothesis that the cells induce a greater accumulation of taxoids depending on the type and concentration of the elicitor treatment tested. Cell cultures were initiated from Taxus globosa friable calli for producing taxoids using the Gamborg medium supplemented with different initial combinations of growth regulators as follows: naphthaleneacetic acid, benzylaminopurine, picloram, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The cell suspension cultures were then used for evaluating taxoid production through different elicitor treatments, such as methyl jasmonate, ethanol, buthionine sulphoximine, and hydrogen peroxide. The cell suspension cultures showing the best growth characteristics were found in the medium supplemented with 10.74 µM of naphthaleneacetic acid and 3.33 µM of picloram. The highest biomass for the cell cultures was obtained in the EtOH-2 treatment (0.12 ± 0.005 mg·g−1 of dry weight) after 8 days, while the biomass in the control treatment at that time was 0.095 ± 0.2 mg·g−1 of dry weight. The exogenous application of a combination of elicitors buthionine and hydrogen peroxide in the cell suspension cultures significantly increased the concentration of the 10-deacetylbaccatin (1662 µg·g−1 of dry weight), cephalomannine (334.32 µg·g−1 of dry weight), and the production of taxol (157.0 µg·g−1 of dry weight).
How Strong Are Soccer Teams? The “Host Paradox” and Other Counterintuitive Properties of FIFA’s Former Ranking System
Authors: Kaminski Marek M.
Published: March 2022

I investigate the paradoxes associated with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) point-based ranking of national soccer teams. The ranking has been plagued with paradoxes that incentivize teams to avoid playing friendly matches, i.e., matches that are not part of any official FIFA tournament or preliminaries, and applying other counterintuitive strategies. The most spectacular paradox was the dramatic underrating of the hosts of major tournaments. For a long time, host teams, which were absent from preliminary matches, would play only friendly matches that awarded few points. Here, I present three models that estimate the magnitude of the resulting “host effect” at 14.2–16 positions. Such an estimate counteracts the intuition that a large investment in hosting a tournament should result in an improvement in the host team’s standing. However, as discussed here, a given host’s low ranking could decrease interest in the tournament, and likely result in a major loss of advertisement revenue.
Poetics of Expulsion in UK Narratives of the New Galician Diaspora
Authors: Miranda-Barreiro David
Published: March 2022

Since 2008, thousands of young Galician graduates have left their country looking for the job opportunities they cannot find at home, with the UK (particularly London) as their main destination. A noticeable feature of this movement is the increase of women migrants, who have sometimes occupied unskilled, low-paid jobs despite their university qualifications. Starting in the second decade of the 21st century, a corpus of narrative texts written by Galician women authors (Alba Lago, Anna R. Figueiredo, María Alonso, and Eva Moreda) has given visibility to these experiences. Lago’s, Figueiredo’s, and Alonso’s characters express anger and frustration as a way of denouncing the precariousness of their situation and the material conditions that led to their departure from Galicia. Combining different theoretical approaches from migration studies (Morokvasic; Nail; Kędra), criticism of global neoliberalism (Bourdieu; Bauman; Sassen), and affect theory (Ahmed), I propose an analytical framework for reading these texts as expression of a “poetics of expulsion” with four thematic axes: expulsion, exploitation, (dis)connection, and repossession. I finish by considering Moreda’s novel as illustrative of a different view of migration, focusing on the migrant’s agency and on migration as a personal choice (Silvey and Lawson).
True Brachial Artery Aneurysm in Patients with Previous Arterio-Venous Fistula Ligation and Immunosuppressant Therapy for Renal Transplantation: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Barac Sorin , Rata Andreea Luciana , Popescu Alexandra Ioana , Onofrei Roxana Ramona , Chiriac Sorin Dan
Published: March 2022

Background/Objective: Brachial artery aneurysm (BAA) is a serious complication in patients with previous arterio-venous fistula (AVF), renal transplantation (RT), and immunosuppressive regimens. Until now, there has been no standard of care for these patients, especially for patients undergoing chronic dialysis and immunosuppressive treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate data from the literature regarding these patients and to suggest recommendations for the best approach to their treatment. Methods: A review of the literature was performed by searching the PubMed database in the English language. The review was accompanied by two case reports. A total of 24 articles with different variables—demographics, renal transplantation, aneurysm size, and type of surgery—were subjected to the review. In addition, two cases are reported. Conclusion: This review suggests that the best treatment for these patients is open surgery, with aneurysmectomy and graft interposition. Results: All patients had RT. The age of patients ranged from 26–77 yo, with a male predominance. The majority had an AVF ligated after RT. The main clinical symptoms were pain, swelling, and pulsatile mass (66%). All patients, except one, were treated through open surgery. The first option for treatment was reversed saphenous vein graft interposition (36%), followed by ePTFE graft (16%).
After Hospital: Should Older Care-Needing Patients Be Transferred to Their Homes or to an Intermediate Care Institution?
Authors: Gautun Heidi , Hartford Kvæl Linda Aimée , Bratt Christopher
Published: March 2022

Background: In most European countries, communities need to provide health and social care services to an increasing number of severely ill patients discharged from hospitals. We investigated whether nurses in hospitals and in the communities’ health and social care services experienced that the administration in the municipalities allocated older patients the right type of services after hospital discharge. Methods: We used data from Norway, with a qualitative pilot study and quantitative analysis (structural equation modeling) of surveys involving 2431 nurses on inpatient wards in acute hospitals and 4312 nurses working in nursing homes or home nursing. Results: Dissatisfaction was widespread with the use of patients’ homes the first days after hospital discharge. Among nurses working in hospitals, 38% were commonly or very commonly disagreeing with the use of the patient’s home after hospital discharge, 25% among home nurses, and 18% among nurses in nursing homes. Home nurses were more prone to oppose the use of patients’ homes if they also experienced that their service had inadequate staffing or inadequate medical equipment. Conclusions: This research indicates conflicting priorities between the bureaucracy and nurses involved in actual work with older patients. From the nurses’ perspective, the municipalities’ administration was offering too few older patients short-term-stay in an intermediate care institution as part of the clinical pathway from hospital to home. However, providing more recourses to home nursing would improve their ability to provide sufficient care to older patients discharged from hospital.
Joint Pain and Arthritis as First Clinical Manifestation of Systemic Amyloidosis and Multiple Myeloma: Case Report and Brief Literature Review
Authors: Mazziotta Francesco , Buda Gabriele , Del Giudice Maria Livia , Orciuolo Enrico , Benedetti Edoardo , Masini Matilde , De Tata Vincenzo , Galimberti Sara , Petrini Mario
Published: March 2022

Amyloidosis is a rare disease that is often seen in conjunction with multiple myeloma (MM). Its damage varies depending on the anatomical site affected; however, it is believed that many cases of amyloidosis are misrecognized due to the fact that its signs and symptoms are nonspecific. Joint amyloidosis, in particular, may be confused with degenerative or autoimmune diseases. When it is associated with MM, it can significantly precede the diagnosis of the latter. We describe a case report of a woman of Nigerian heritage diagnosed with MM with widespread joint manifestations compatible with a diagnosis of amyloidosis, which had preceded the diagnosis of MM and benefited from MM treatment. Faced with the suspicion of amyloidosis, if confirmed, this can be used to anticipate the diagnosis of MM, and at a more advanced stage, it can benefit from the treatment of the MM.
Effects of Extended Viewing Distance on Accommodative Response and Pupil Size of Myopic Adults by Using a Double-Mirror System
Authors: Lin Shu-Yuan , Su Hui-Rong , Lo Chen-Cheng , Yeh Shang-Min , Lee Chi-Hung , Wu Richard , Lin Fen-Chi , Chu Yen-Wei , Huang Shuan-Yu
Published: March 2022

Purposes: This study discussed the accommodative response and pupil size of myopic adults using a double-mirror system (DMS). The viewing distance could be extended to 2.285 m by using a DMS, which resulted in a reduction and increase in the accommodative response and pupil size, respectively. By using a DMS, the reduction of the accommodative response could improve eye fatigue with near work. Method: Sixty subjects aged between 18 and 22 years old were recruited in this study, and the average age was 20.67 ± 1.09. There were two main steps in the experimental process. In the first step, we examined the subjects’ refraction state and visual function, and then fitted disposable contact lenses with a corresponding refractive error. In the second step, the subjects gazed at an object from a viewing distance of 0.4 m and at a virtual image through a DMS, respectively, and the accommodative response and pupil size were measured using an open field autorefractor. Results: When the subjects gazed at the object from a distance of 0.4 m, or gazed at the virtual image through a DMS, the mean value of the accommodative response was 1.74 ± 0.43 or 0.16 ± 0.47 D, and the pupil size was 3.98 ± 0.06 mm or 4.18 ± 0.58 mm, respectively. With an increase in the viewing distance from 0.4 m to 2.285 m, the accommodative response and pupil size were significantly reduced about 1.58 D and enlarged about 0.2 mm, respectively. For three asterisk targets of different sizes (1 cm × 1 cm, 2 cm × 2 cm, and 3 cm × 3 cm), the mean accommodative response and pupil size through the DMS was 0.19 ± 0.16, 0.27 ± 0.24, 0.26 ± 0.19 D; and 4.20 ± 1.02, 3.94 ± 0.73, 4.21 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. The changes of the accommodative response and pupil size were not significant with the size of the targets (p > 0.05). In the low or high myopia group, the accommodative response of 0.4 m and 2.285 m was 1.68 ± 0.42 D and 0.21 ± 0.48 D; and 1.88 ± 0.25 D and 0.05 ± 0.40 D, respectively. The accommodative response was significantly reduced by 1.47 D and 1.83 D for these two groups. The accommodative microfluctuations (AMFs) were stable when a DMS was used; on the contrary, the AMFs were unstable at a viewing distance of 0.4 m. Conclusions: In this study, the imaging through a DMS extended the viewing distance and enlarged the image, and resulted in a reduction in the accommodative response and an increase in the pupil size. For the low myopia group and the high myopia group, the accommodative response and pupil size were statistically significantly different before and after the use of the DMS. The reduction of the accommodative response could be applied for the improvement of asthenopia.
Effects of Psychological Distress and Coping Resources on Internet Gaming Disorder: Comparison between Chinese and Japanese University Students
Authors: Wu Anise M. S. , Lai Mark H. C. , Zhang Mengxuan , Yogo Masao , Yu Shu M. , Mao Sijie , Chen Juliet Honglei
Published: March 2022

The high prevalence of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among Asian youth indicates an urgent need to identify protective factors and examine their consistency across Asian cultures in order to facilitate cost-effective interventions. Based on the transactional theory of stress and coping, this study collected data of 1243 online gamers (45% males; 18–25 years) through an anonymous survey from universities in China and Japan and investigated whether three coping resources (i.e., mindfulness, coping flexibility, and social support) serve to protect Chinese and Japanese youth from the impact of psychological distress on IGD tendency. After adjusting for the measurement non-invariance across samples, we found that Japanese students reported higher levels of IGD tendency and psychological distress than Chinese students. The results of multiple-group SEM analyses showed that, after controlling for other predictors, mindfulness served as the strongest protective factor against IGD across samples. Moreover, the buffering effect of mindfulness on the association between psychological distress and IGD tendency of female (but not male) students was observed. Our findings highlighted the cross-cultural invariance of the impact of psychological distress and coping resources on IGD in Chinese and Japanese youth, which can be considered in future IGD prevention programs.
Robust Estimation of the Chronological Age of Children and Adolescents Using Tooth Geometry Indicators and POD-GP
Authors: Zaborowicz Katarzyna , Garbowski Tomasz , Biedziak Barbara , Zaborowicz Maciej
Published: March 2022

Determining the chronological age of children or adolescents is becoming an extremely necessary and important issue. Correct age-assessment methods are especially important in the process of international adoption and in the case of immigrants without valid documents confirming their identity. It is well known that traditional, analog methods widely used in clinical evaluation are burdened with a high error rate and are characterized by low accuracy. On the other hand, new digital approaches appear in medicine more and more often, which allow the increase of the accuracy of these estimates, and thus equip doctors with a tool for reliable estimation of the chronological age of children and adolescents. In this study, the work on a fast and effective metamodel is continued. Metamodels have one great advantage over all other analog and quasidigital methods—if they are well trained, a priori, on a representative set of samples, then in the age-assessment phase, results are obtained in a fraction of a second and with little error (reduced to ±7.5 months). In the here-proposed method, the standard deviation for each estimate is additionally obtained, which allows the assessment of the certainty of each result. In this study, 619 pantomographic photos of 619 patients (296 girls and 323 boys) of different ages were used. In the numerical procedure, on the other hand, a metamodel based on the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Gaussian processes (GP) were utilized. The accuracy of the trained model was up to 95%.
In Vitro Biocompatibility of Several Children’s Toothpastes on Human Gingival Fibroblasts
Authors: Pecci-Lloret María Pilar , López-García Sergio , Rodríguez-Lozano Francisco Javier , Álvarez-Novoa Pablo , García-Bernal David
Published: March 2022

The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry has recommended fluoride toothpastes from the eruption of the first teeth in children. Toothpastes stay in the mouth in contact with human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) for a long time. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity of five different commonly used children’s toothpastes: Oral B Kids +3 (Procter & Gamble, Alicante, Spain), Fluor Kin Calcium (Kin, Madrid, Spain), PHB Junior (PHB, Barcelona, Spain), Colgate +3 (Colgate Palmolive, Madrid, Spain) and Vitis Kids (Dentaid, Valencia, Spain) on hGFs. The children’s toothpastes were exposed to hGFs at different concentrations (1:1, 1:2, 1:4). Afterwards, several tests were performed: MTT assays, cell cycle analyses, cell cytoskeleton staining assays, apoptosis/necrosis assays, and ICP-MS and ion chromatography. Oral B displayed the lowest cytotoxicity and was the toothpaste with the highest fluoride ion release; meanwhile, the other toothpastes were cytotoxic (*** p < 0.0001); Fluor Kin being the one with the lowest fluoride ion release. Among all the toothpastes analyzed, Oral B exhibited the best results in vitro in terms of biocompatibility. Future evaluations, both in vitro and in vivo, are required to confirm the biocompatibility of sodium lauryl sarcosinate and sodium lauryl sulfate containing toothpastes.