bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of the "Stomp" herbicide application on the microbial prevalence in the soil
Authors: Hamidović Saud , Vukelić Nikolina , Gavrić Teofil , Jovičić-Petrović Jelena , Kljujev Igor , Karličić Vera , Lalević Blažo
Published: December 2022

Agricultural production has benefited a lot from herbicides; however, the use of herbicides caused many environmental problems. Herbicide application can affect the biodiversity of an ecosystem by killing non-target organisms. Microorganisms in the soil are important factors for plant growth; they represent the biological factor of soil fertility. Herbicides can have a beneficial effect on the development of some microorganisms and a negative on others, leading to depletion of microbial diversity in soil. The objective of this work is to determine microbial activity in the soil and to isolate herbicide-resistant bacteria after the use of the "Stomp" herbicide. Agar plate method was used for the determination of microbial prevalence in the soil. The results showed an increase in the total number of bacteria, ammonifiers, fungi, and actinomycetes. Nine isolates, mostly Gram-positive spore-forming rods, showed an ability to grow in the mineral salt medium with different concentrations of "Stomp" herbicide. Isolates G1/1 and G1/2, showed high level of tolerance at the initial pendimethalin concentration of 25 mg/l. Those isolates have the potential to be used to decontaminate herbicide affected ecosystems.
Agrogenic evolution of soddy-podzolic soil: Feasibility of repeated re-involvement in cultivation of the fallow lands formed on band clays
Authors: Litvinovich Andrey , Lavrishchev Anton , Bure Vladimir , Grujić Tara , Saljnikov Elmira
Published: December 2022

Transformations of the soddy-podzolic gleyic clay soil in a long-term agricultural use (> 200 years) was studied in Leningrad region, northwest Russia. This feasibility study investigated the possibility of re-cultivation of these soils after long term fallowing. Morphological structure, particle size distribution, content and ratio of ferrous and oxide forms of iron in the profile of virgin (indigenous forest) and arable drained soil were analysed. In addition, changes in the organogenic-profile were traced in the course of long-term agrogenesis (> 200 years). In virgin forest soil, during its pedogenesis the loss of fractions <0.01 mm from the eluvial layer was 877.4 kg m-2 , and the loss of <0.0001mm was 287.5 kg m-2 , as compared with parent material not affected by the processes of pedogenesis. However, long-term agrogenesis (>200 years) led to increased eluvial losses of fine earth particles. The loss of fraction <0.01 mm from the arable horizons was 1244.8, and < 0.0001 mm was 570 kg m-2 , respectively. This was due to multiple yearly tillage that increased the porosity of the soil and thus intensified lessivage, which led to increased leaching and eluvial losses. The total loss of colloids from the entire profile of virgin soil was 262.1 kg m-2 , and from the arable layer of drained soil - 290.1 kg m-2 . The humus enrichment of the colloids of the plough (P) horizon of the arable soil was two times lower than that of the surface (AY) horizon of the virgin soil. The relative share of the participation of colloids in the fixation of humus by the soil was the same (11.6 and 10.9%, respectively). In the subsurface horizons, the absolute content of humus in the colloids decreased, and the share of participation in the fixation of humus increased. When soddy-podzolic gleyic clay soil is brought to cultivation then the water-air regime is improved, content and composition of humus, depth of arable horizon is increased and the soil acidity decreased. At the same time the leaching of fine earth materials is accelerated. When this soil was withdrawn from crop production, the positive changes achieved as a result of cultivation were gradually lost. For the first time we could qualitatively calculate the losses of the fine earth fractions for the given soil from top soil. Taking into account the high costs of re-cultivation of the former land and a high cost of re-installation and maintenance of an optimal hydrological regime (drainage network) we concluded that repeated ploughing and involvement of arable soddy-podzolic gleyic clay soil into cultivation is economically unreasonable.
Morphometric and biochemical properties of Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum as affected by duration of growing period
Authors: Lavrishcheva Tatiana , Osipova Galina , Lavtishchev Anton , Zhapparova Aigul , Saljnikov Elmira
Published: December 2022

Cichorium intybus is a valuable crop due to its high nutritional and pharmaceutical value. In this work, the study of the effect of harvesting time on the biometric and biochemical properties of Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum (chicory salad witloof) was carried out on five varieties. The period of vegetation affects rosette diameter, number of leaves and root weight. A strong correlation between the weight of roots before laying for forcing and the weight of forcing heads (r = 0.79) was revealed. The roots of variety Conus, managed to accumulate a sufficient amount of nutrients for the formation of heads in a 98 days. The accumulation of sugars in forcing heads depended on their initial content in roots with a 75% reliability (r = 0.75). The results showed that in the northern latitudes the forcing can be carried out in winter in any room without light at a temperature of 10 to 17°C. In addition, subsurface heating of the substrate or maintaining water in the containers with roots provided a larger yield of heads obtained in a shorter time.
The influence of winter intercrops on the yield and yield components of maize in the subsequent sowing time
Authors: Vojnov Bojan , Šeremešić Srđan , Vasiljević Marjana , Krstić Đorđe , Vujić Svetlana , Pejić Borivoj , Ćupina Branko
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cover crops and interactions on yield and yield components of maize in the semi arid conditions. Research was carried out in the production years 2020 at the Rimski Šančevi experimental station of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. The winter cover crops consisted of the combined intercrops: winter pea (Pisum sativum ssp. arvense L.) + triticale (Triticosecale) (PT) and single-species cover crops winter pea (P) and control without cover crops (C), all with nitrogen fertilization 50 kg ha -1 (N50) and without the use of fertilizer (N0). The sowing of winter cover crops was carried out in autumn in the first decade of November, and their mulching and plowing was done in the last week of May. After plowing and soil preparation, maize (NS4051) was sown in the first decade of Jun and harvested in October. The statistical significance (p<0.05) was found between different variants regarding the use of cover crops. The highest yield was achieved in a mixture of PT (N0) 8.54 t ha -1 . The use of cover crops as green manure has a positive impact on the productive properties of maize with a reduction in inputs and possible lower production costs.
O Sopro dos viventes: inspirações entre Arte e Ciência
Authors: Macêdo Silvana Barbosa
Published: December 2022

Neste artigo rememoro as atividades e os impulsos que resultaram no projeto Ar, que foi realizado pelo duo colaborativo asikainen&macêdo. Investigo, por meio deste trabalho, a complexa rede política, cultural, econômica, científica, social e estética das relações que envolvem a questão do desmatamento, do aquecimento global e do negacionismo científico. Durante duas residências nas florestas do Brasil e da Finlândia, asikainen&macêdo estabeleceram diálogos com cientistas que desenvolvem pesquisas sobre mudanças climáticas, para a elaboração deste projeto artístico que continua nos apontando para problemas cada vez mais urgentes.
Núcleo de extensão e prática profissional na área da moda: formação complementar e inclusão social
Authors: Solino Lívia Juliana Silva , Soares Moally Janne de Brito , Dantas Ítalo José de Medeiros
Published: December 2022

O Núcleo de Extensão e Prática Profissional (NEPP) é uma iniciativa do Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) como forma de interligar os saberes acadêmicos com os diferentes atores da sociedade. No campus Caicó, interior do supramencionado estado, o NEPP foi fundado em 2017, passando a ofertar cursos de formação continuada para mulheres em situação de vulnerabilidade social, de modo a engendrarem em um ofício, adentrando no mercado de trabalho. Ademais, o núcleo ainda permite o desenvolvimento da prática profissional dos alunos do curso superior de tecnologia em Design de Moda. Tendo isso em mente, este artigo visa expor e discutir as ações institucionais e o impacto do NEPP entre os anos de 2021 e 2022 no cenário sociocultural local. Para tanto, empregou-se o método de pesquisa-ação, com verificação qualitativa dos objetivos. De tal maneira, ofertou-se um curso de técnicas de bordado, importante elemento regional, revitalizando o fazer local. Aliado a isso, forneceu-se um cenário para o desenvolvimento de uma coleção de moda pelos alunos da graduação, empregando tal motivo artesanal em sua configuração, conduzindo uma parceria com as alunas de bordado de modo a elas mostrarem seus trabalhos. A coleção, portanto, tinha a intenção de servir como vitrine para os trabalhos das mulheres em situação de vulnerabilidade social. Com isso, as oficinas tiveram duração de quatro (4) dias. Nesse entremeio, as alunas inscritas no curso do bordado surpreenderam pela forma rápida que aprenderam a bordar.
Fatigue and Failure Analysis of Sandwich Composites using Two Types of Cross-Ply Glass Fibers Laminates and Epoxy Resin
Authors: Monteiro Cheloni João Pedro , Silveira Marcio Eduardo , Najar Lopes Eder Sócrates , Da Silva Leandro José
Published: December 2022

Sandwich structures have become effective structural elements for engineering applications due to their good design flexibility. Understanding the material behavior under static and dynamic loads, as well as the failure mechanisms of these sandwich structures, is of great importance. This work evaluates the fatigue and static bending behavior of epoxy resin specimens and sandwich composites composed of an epoxy resin core with glass fiber laminated faces. The fatigue life, failure modes, and stiffness degradation of these specimens are determined experimentally. The specimens were cycled under constant amplitude and monitored by a data acquisition system that allowed continuous data collection. Three stages of failure were identified using microscope analyses and stiffness degradation curves. In the case of an imposed displacement of 2 mm, the sandwich structures were shown to have a significantly lower fatigue life than the epoxy resin specimens.
Perceptions of undergraduate allied health students of the clinical learning environment and clinical educators’ attributes at the University of Ghana
Authors: Quartey J , Acheampong K , Kwakye S K , Dankwah J
Published: December 2022

Background. Clinical education is a vital aspect of the education of health sciences students and consists of two components, i.e. the clinical learning environment and supervision.Objectives. To determine the undergraduate allied health sciences students’ perceptions regarding clinical educators’ attributes and the clinical learning environment.

Methods. This cross-sectional study included 169 undergraduate students, randomly recruited from various allied health professions programmes of the University of Ghana. The McGill clinical teacher evaluation tool and the clinical learning environment inventory were used to determine students’ perceptions of clinical educators’ attributes and the clinical learning environment, respectively. The Kruskal-Wallis test and independent t-tests were used to test for relationships between students’ level and programme of study and their perceptions. The level of significance was set at 95%.

Results. Of the 169 participants, there were 99 (58.6%) male students, 79 (46.7%) third-year students and 82 (48.5%) medical laboratory science students. Only 16 (9.5%) participants indicated visits by lecturers during clinical rotations. The third-year students had a statistically significant perception of their clinical learning environment (p=0.000), while the differences between perceptions of clinical learning environment among the various programmes were also statistically significant (p=0.028), but not for clinical educators’ attributes (p=0.261).

Conclusion. Allied health sciences students have positive perceptions of their clinical learning environment and clinical educators’ attributes. More frequent visits by lecturers to students during clinical rotations may ensure that student innovation is achieved in accordance with their classroom tuition.
Reporting quality of Master of Medicine (MMed) mini-dissertations using the STROBE checklist
Authors: Grossman E
Published: December 2022

Background. The 2011 Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) directive to make a research component compulsory for specialist registration has been decried in some circles as encouraging low-quality research.Objective. To assess the reporting quality of South African (SA) MMed mini-dissertations using the STROBE checklist.Methods. A total of 100 monograph-format mini-dissertations reporting retrospective observational research were extracted from a pool of 335 mini- dissertations. Analysis of each was undertaken using a 24-point STROBE Statement checklist. Scoring was as follows: 1 = the item was compliant with STROBE recommendations; 0.5 = partially described; and 0 = not addressed at all. Satisfactory compliance was set at 66%, thus a STROBE score of 17-24 was considered satisfactory. Data were entered into an Excel spread sheet and analysed descriptively.

Results. STROBE item compliance for individual mini-dissertations was at a mean of 83.1%; range 50-97%; median 85% and mode 89%. Sixteen mini- dissertations were non-compliant, scoring below 17 as per the set threshold of 66%. This indicates an 84% satisfactory sample. Only Item 5 (Key settings and locations) was at 100% compliance. The four lowest scores were for STROBE items (9) Bias (29.5%); (10) Study size/power analysis (52%); (1) Title (69%) and (14) Missing data (69%).

Conclusion. The majority of sampled mini-dissertations, evaluated as per STROBE recommendations, are transparently reported to allow the reader to follow what was planned, done, found and which conclusions were drawn. As such the results confer a measure of reporting quality on the SA MMed research endeavour. The use of dissertation templates, commonly using STROBE-type headings and prompts, might have contributed to the good scores obtained. Importantly, areas of weakness in the writing of the SA MMed mini-dissertations have been highlighted and show which items require attention.
New Managerialism: The Educational Executives’ Selection Policies in the Educational Administration in Greece
Authors: Andrikopoulos Vasilios P. , Ifanti Amalia A.
Published: December 2022

This study attempted to explore the impact of New Public Management policies on the selection process of the educational executives in Greece, in the 1981-2020 period. For this purpose, primary and secondary sources were examined, i.e.: institutional and legislative texts issued by
the Greek Department of Education during that period as well as the relevant literature on the topic. Data analysis revealed that during the first two decades the selection policies and practices for the educational executives’ post had constantly focused on the teaching experience as
the main asset for the candidate teachers. The advent of the new millennium coincided with a shift in the country’s educational administration system. In particular, the selection criteria were enriched being complemented with the scientific knowledge and the managerial skills along
with teachers’ academic qualifications, professional development, and their lifelong learning experiences. In this way, the Greek state appeared to follow the international trends and to adopt specific elements ascribed to the New Public Management approach. In conclusion, the New Managerialism
challenges on the educational administration in Greece unveiled invisible aspects of the current transformation taking place in the public sector, which unavoidably drove to major configurations or even reversed the status quo of the bureaucratically organized educational systems.
Heritability enrichment in context-specific regulatory networks improves phenotype-relevant tissue identification
Authors: Feng Zhanying , Duren Zhana , Xin Jingxue , Yuan Qiuyue , He Yaoxi , Su Bing , Wong Wing Hung , Wang Yong
Published: December 2022

Systems genetics holds the promise to decipher complex traits by interpreting their associated SNPs through gene regulatory networks derived from comprehensive multi-omics data of cell types, tissues, and organs. Here, we propose SpecVar to integrate paired chromatin accessibility and gene expression data into context-specific regulatory network atlas and regulatory categories, conduct heritability enrichment analysis with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics, identify relevant tissues, and estimate relevance correlation to depict common genetic factors acting in the shared regulatory networks between traits. Our method improves power upon existing approaches by associating SNPs with context-specific regulatory elements to assess heritability enrichments and by explicitly prioritizing gene regulations underlying relevant tissues. Ablation studies, independent data validation, and comparison experiments with existing methods on GWAS of six phenotypes show that SpecVar can improve heritability enrichment, accurately detect relevant tissues, and reveal causal regulations. Furthermore, SpecVar correlates the relevance patterns for pairs of phenotypes and better reveals shared SNP-associated regulations of phenotypes than existing methods. Studying GWAS of 206 phenotypes in UK Biobank demonstrates that SpecVar leverages the context-specific regulatory network atlas to prioritize phenotypes’ relevant tissues and shared heritability for biological and therapeutic insights. SpecVar provides a powerful way to interpret SNPs via context-specific regulatory networks and is available at https://github.com/AMSSwanglab/SpecVar, copy archived at swh:1:rev:cf27438d3f8245c34c357ec5f077528e6befe829.
Wi-Fi Handshake: analysis of password patterns in Wi-Fi networks
Authors: Carballal Adrian , Galego-Carro J. Pablo , Rodriguez-Fernandez Nereida , Fernandez-Lozano Carlos
Published: December 2022

This article seeks to provide a snapshot of the security of Wi-Fi access points in the metropolitan area of A Coruña. First, we discuss the options for obtaining a tool that allows the collection and storage of auditable information from Wi-Fi networks, from location to signal strength, security protocol or the list of connected clients. Subsequently, an analysis is carried out aimed at identifying password patterns in Wi-Fi networks with WEP, WPA and WPA2 security protocols. For this purpose, a password recovery tool called Hashcat was used to execute dictionary or brute force attacks, among others, with various word collections. The coverage of the access points in which passwords were decrypted is displayed on a heat map that represents various levels of signal quality depending on the signal strength. From the handshakes obtained, and by means of brute force, we will try to crack as many passwords as possible in order to create a targeted and contextualized dictionary both by geographical location and by the nature of the owner of the access point. Finally, we will propose a contextualized grammar that minimizes the size of the dictionary with respect to the most used ones and unifies the decryption capacity of the combination of all of them.
Energia elétrica e a Covid-19: um estudo da reação do mercado brasileiro às medidas da agência reguladora
Authors: Da Silva Rita de Cássia , Favato Kelli Juliane , Da Silva Robson Batista , Musial Nayane Thais Krespi , Barros Claudio Marcelo Edwards
Published: December 2022

As Resoluções 878/2020 e 885/2020 da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica propuseram soluções para enfrentar os impactos da Covid-19 no Brasil, a primeira vedou a suspenção de fornecimento de energia por inadimplência para alguns consumidores, e a segunda criou a Conta-Covid para empréstimos as distribuidoras a serem pagos em até 60 meses. Neste contexto, o artigo objetiva analisar a reação do setor elétrico brasileiro diante as Resoluções Governamentais. Trata-se de um estudo empírico-analítico, fundamentado na Hipótese de Mercado Eficiente e Hipótese da Informação Incerta. Os resultados mostram que o mercado reagiu negativamente à Resolução de vedar o corte de energia por inadimplência, enquanto que a Resolução da Conta-Covid não demonstrou significância estatística. Este estudo contribui com a academia ao evidenciar a reação do investidor do setor elétrico com notícias de intervenção de órgão regulador na pandemia.
AYURVEDIC PERSPECTIVE AND MANAGEMENT OF SCAR ENDOMETRIOSIS: A REVIEW
Authors: Kashyap Khushbu , C Swathi , Chaturvedi Ashutosh
Published: December 2022

Endometriosis is a common benign disorder associated with chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and other symptoms which affect women of reproductive age. Nowadays, the increase in cases of caesarean section increases the cases of abdominal wall scar endometriosis. The curative treatment in modern medical science excises the mass, showing a high recurrence rate. Ayurveda gives knowledge of various gynaecological disorders and various approaches to treating them. Causative factors and symptoms of scar endometriosis give identical signs and symptoms of vataja vrana and various types of yonivyapad. This review aims to understand scar endometriosis from an Ayurveda perspective better, decrease the reoccurrence rate and surgical intervention, and improve the quality of life.
PULSATILE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW
Authors: Gangadhar B. , Sree B. Sai Bhanu , Swamy PV , Devi M. Aruna
Published: December 2022

Pulsatile Drug Delivery Systems (PDDS) are gaining a lot of interest as the delivery of the drug will be at the right site and at the right time, and the amount of drug that is reaching the site of action will also be so accurate, and therefore it generally improves the patient compliance. These followed a sigmoidal drug release profile and were characterized by a time of no drug release followed by a rapid and complete drug release. This article focuses on the various types of methodologies involved for the existing system and different marketed technologies, including PulsincapTM, OROS, DIFFUCAPS, CODAS®, TIMERx®, and CONTIN®, which follow the above mechanism to render a sigmoidal drug release profile, diseases requiring pulsatile drug delivery system, need for PDDS and evaluation of PDDS.
Swot Analysis as a Tool to Increase Spare Parts Sales at PT Trakindo Utama
Authors: Norbaiti . , Maladi Muhammad , Munawaroh Siti , Boedi Soelistijono , Fatillah Noor
Published: December 2022

This study aims to determine the role of SWOT analysis in generating strategies to increase sales of spare parts at PT Trakindo Utama Satui Branch during the Covid19 pandemic, see what alternatives are appropriate for use by PT Trakindo Utama Satui Branch. This study uses a qualitative approach by conducting a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Data collection was carried out through interviews with the head of the branch head of PT Trakindo Utama Satui and assisted by the Sales Product Support Supervisor. The results of the study reveal that PT Trakindo Utama, Satui Branch is in the first quadrant, which means that the Growth strategy supports aggressive growth policies (Growth Oriented Strategy). Increasing sales of spare parts and development to other sectors such as construction, forestry, plantations can be carried out as soon as the local economic situation improves. For this reason, the SO strategy, namely utilizing strengths and maximizing opportunities can be implemented.
Phytoplankton Composition and Abundance in Mbiakong River, Cross River Estuary, Niger Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Asuquo G. I. , Akpan I. I. , George U. U. , Asuquo I. E. , Ukpatu J. E. , Ejiogu I. N.
Published: December 2022

The phytoplankton composition and abundance in Mbiakong River, Cross river estuary, Niger Delta, Nigeria was studied for a period of one year (March, 2021-February, 2022). Plankton net of mesh size 55µm was used to collect plankton samples from below the water surface, after towing for 5 minutes. The content was emptied into plastic containers and fixed immediately with 4% formalin in the field for preservation. After 48hrs in the laboratory, the preserved plankton samples were concentrated to 10 ml. The concentrated sample was agitated to homogenize before pipetting 1ml sub sample with sample pipette. Enumeration and identification were performed using a zeis inverted microscope at x400 and x 1000 magnification. Species identification was done using recommended keys and guides. A total of 615 individual organisms comprising of 35 species belonging to five taxonomic groups were recorded from Mbiakong River. The most abundant group was the Bacillariophyceae which was represented by 12 species (302 organisms) consisting of 49.11%. This was followed by Chlorophyceae represented by 10 species (199 organisms) consisting of 32.36%, Cyanophyceae represented by 12 species (109 organisms) consisting of 17.72%, Euglenophyceae represented by one species (three organisms) consisting of 0.33% and the least abundant was the Dinophyceae represented by one species (two organisms) consisting of 0.14%. The study revealed that species composition and abundance was high in June.
Drug-drug Interactions between Warfarin and Antimicrobials: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sulayi Ali Hadi Al , Almassabi Abdulmanem Alawi , Al-Mansour Saeed Saleh Mohammed , Mansour Hassan Saeed Hassan Al , Al Kulib Mohammed Hamad Mohammed , Al Aqil Mohammed Mana Masoud , Masad Ali Hamad Al , Abbas Yahya Salem Al
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Warfarin is a highly effective oral anticoagulant; however, its use is confined due to a valid concern about bleeding. This systematic review investigates the drug-drug interactions that may occur in patients on warfarin therapy and the use of antimicrobials.

Methodology: PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, EBSCO, and Cochrane library were searched. Study articles were screened by title and abstract using Rayyan QCRI then a full-text assessment was conducted.

Results: Eleven studies were included, with a total of 83438 patients. The included studies have reported different antibiotics were associated with bleeding events in patients on warfarin therapy. Three studies associated reported GIT bleeding. Older adults and patients who underwent valve replacement surgery and were on warfarin therapy were found to have an increase in INR with associated antibiotic use.

Conclusion: Patients on warfarin run the risk of a variety of drug interactions. Most interactions but not all—increase the risk of bleeding, and the majority of these are linked to higher international normalised ratios. The good news for doctors is that most common drug interactions with warfarin are triggered by a small number of well-known drug classes, and their effects are shown through a small number of pathways, many of which are clear. The risk of harm brought on by drug interactions can be decreased by being aware of these guidelines, using thoughtful prescription practises, and exercising judicious monitoring when new medications are added to regimens containing warfarin.
Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used for the Treatment of Skin Diseases in Southern Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Azhar Muhammad Farooq , Ali Ehsan , Qadir Sohail , Zubair Muhammad , Ahmad Muhammad Qadir
Published: December 2022

Skin conditions are among the most common health problems that affect people. Modern, allopathic, and natural medicine can all help to promote healthy skin.  Human skin problems can be successfully treated using medicinal herbs because they contain a wide variety of bioactive molecules. The goal of this research is to look into the dermatological properties of medicinal plants used by different ethnic communities in southern Punjab, Pakistan and it seeks to establish a foundation for the development of novel medications with anti-skin activity. The snowball sampling method was employed for expert sampling in the southern Punjab districts of Multan and Vehari. Direct interviews with traditional herbalists (Hakeem) and shopkeepers selling medicinal plants (pansar) were done between August and December 2021. After gaining their prior informed agreement, 120 experts from southern Punjab were interviewed. 21 medicinal plants were recorded to be utilized in the treatment of skin problems. Plants are largely members of the Asteraceae and Piperaceae families. Leaves (62%) are the plant portion most frequently used as a treatment for skin conditions. Decoction (23%) is the most frequently used method in the study area. Aloe barbadensis miller having the highest Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) value while the frequency citation (FC) value ranged from 20 to 60. The highest value of FC was also recorded for Aloe barbadensis. The fidelity level (FL) ranged from 66 to 100%. The documented 15 medicinal plants have a higher FL value than 85%.
Factors Associated with Sexual Behaviour among Adolescents in Chipata District, Zambia
Authors: Christopher Zimba , Mwaba Sidney O. C. , Thankian Kusanthan
Published: December 2022

Of late, Zambia has been experiencing a situation where a lot of adolescents have fallen pregnant and has seen a rise in sexual activities among them. This has greatly been noticed in Chipata of the Eastern Zambia. It is for this this reason Chipata was chosen as a place for conducting this research. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with sexual behaviour among adolescents.  The study used the quantitative research method using a cross-sectional study design.  Participants in this study included 225 adolescents comprising 113 females and 112 males aged 15 -19 years.  The study was conducted in Chipata. Participants were selected by using Convenient Sampling. A structured interview questionnaire was used to collect data from participants. The data collected was analyzed with the help of SPSS version 25. The findings showed overwhelming involvement of adolescents in sexual activity (93%).  The study found that there where 16% girls compared to 14.7% boys that said they had sex before the age of 16. The study found that initiation into sexual activity was a major factor, with 33.3% of respondents giving it as a reason. This was followed by curiosity (27.7%), a need for goods and services (5.6%), intoxication (7.1%) and accidental indulgence after experimenting with touching (4.7%). The logistic regression analysis at 95% Confidence Interval showed that age predicted a strong likelihood of having one sexual partner. And respondents who were 19 years were negatively associated with likelihood of having one partner.  It was recommended that future research with a bigger and more comprehensive participant base is recommended to assess the socio- economic and cultural factors affecting adolescents in their sexual behaviours.
RNA Sequencing as a Diagnostic Tool
Authors: Ketkar Shamika , Burrage Lindsay C. , Lee Brendan
Published: December 2022

This JAMA Insights discusses RNA sequencing, which allows detection of qualitative and quantitative changes in RNA expression across the genome in clinical samples, and how it may improve molecular diagnostic rates achieved by diagnostic exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing alone.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Administration Trends Among Commercially Insured US Adults Aged 27-45 Years Before and After Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommendation Change, 2007-2020
Authors: Suk Ryan , Liao Kaiping , Bauer Cici X. , Basil Catherine , Li Meng
Published: December 2022

Importance

In 2019, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended patient-clinician shared decision-making for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in adults aged 27 to 45 years. Less is known about the HPV vaccine administration trends in this age group before and after this recommendation update.

Objective

To examine the association between the ACIP recommendation update and the HPV vaccine administration among US adults aged 27 to 45 years.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This large commercial claim-based retrospective cohort study used the Optum Clinformatics database for validated claims from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2020. A total of 22 600 520 US adults aged 27 to 45 years without previous HPV vaccination claims during the study and enrollment period were included.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The first-appearing HPV vaccination claim per individual was defined as a new HPV vaccine administration. Interrupted time-series analyses were conducted to assess the association between the ACIP update and the quarterly vaccine administration rate change. The annual rate trends across race and ethnicity groups and the proportions of vaccination cases by sub–age groups and valent types were also estimated. Vaccine administration trends were assessed by race and ethnicity in this age group because HPV vaccination trends were found to differ by race and ethnicity in the initially eligible population.

Results

Among 22 600 520 final study participants, the majority were men (50.9%) and non-Hispanic White (53.4%), and the mean (SD) age when first observed was 34.6 (5.8) years. In women, the ACIP update was associated with an immediate increase in vaccine administration rate (coefficient β2, 40.18 per 100 000 persons; P = .01) and an increased slope (coefficient β3, 9.62 per 100 000 persons per quarter; P = .03) over time postupdate. The ACIP update was only associated with an immediate increase in vaccine administration in men (coefficient β2, 27.54; P < .001). The annual rate trends were similar across race and ethnicity groups. Age at vaccine administration shifted over time (eg, women aged 40-45 years comprised only 4.9% of vaccinations in 2017, then 19.0% in 2019, and 22.7% in 2020). The most administered HPV vaccines in 2020 were 9 valent (women, 97.0%; men, 97.7%).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this population-based cohort study, there were statistically significant increases in HPV vaccine administration in adults aged 27 to 45 years after the ACIP recommendation update. Patient-clinician shared decision-making may have been the main associated factor for this increase. Further research is warranted to explore the decision-making process in receiving HPV vaccination and to develop effective decision aids to maximize the cancer prevention benefit in this age group.
Duration and Continuity of Medicaid Enrollment Before the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ku Leighton , Platt Isabel
Published: December 2022

Importance

COVID-19 relief legislation created a temporary moratorium on Medicaid disenrollment, but when the public health emergency ends, states will begin to “unwind” Medicaid enrollment. Prepandemic data shed light on factors that can affect Medicaid coverage stability.

Objective

To assess factors associated with the duration and continuity of Medicaid enrollment.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cross-sectional analyses of a Medicaid data set for 2016 that was released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in June of 2022, we analyze a nationally representative data set of 5.7 million persons, weighted to represent 70 million Medicaid beneficiaries in 2016. We focus on 22 million nondisabled, nonelderly adults for this analysis. The data were analyzed between July and September of 2022.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcomes were the average months of Medicaid enrollment in 2016 and the probability of churning, defined as a break in coverage between 2 periods of enrollment during the calendar year. We compared these outcomes by eligibility category, state, demographic characteristics, and key Medicaid policies, including whether the state expanded Medicaid and whether it used ex parte reviews (automated reviews of other administrative data to reduce renewal paperwork burdens).

Results

In this cross-sectional analysis, we analyze a nationally representative Medicaid data set of 5.7 million persons, weighted to represent 70 million Medicaid beneficiaries in 2016, released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in June of 2022. The analysis focused on nonelderly, nondisabled adults (aged 18-64 years) with a weighted population size of 22.7 million, of which 18.4% were Black, 19.2% were Latino, 39.5% were White, 7.3% were other/Asian/Native American, and 15.5% had unknown race. Multivariable regression analysis indicated that those living in states that expanded Medicaid but did not use ex parte reviews had longer average duration (0.31 months longer; 95% CI, 0.03-0.59) and lower risk of churning(odds ratio [OR], .40; 95% CI, 0.39-0.40), whereas those living in nonexpansion states that used ex parte reviews had lower odds of churning (OR, .68; 95% CI, 0.66-0.70) but also had shorter average duration (3.1 months shorter; 95% CI, −3.4 to −2.8). Those living in expansion states that used ex parte reviews also had reduced churning (OR, .83; 95% CI, 0.82-0.85). The average duration varied widely by state, even after adjustments for demographic and state policy factors.

Conclusions and Relevance

If state Medicaid programs revert to prepandemic policies after the temporary moratorium ends, Medicaid coverage, particularly for nondisabled, nonelderly adults, is likely to become less stable again. Medicaid expansions are associated with improved continuity, but ex parte review may have a more complex role.
Implementation of Suicide Risk Estimation Analytics to Support Mental Health Care for Quality Improvement
Authors: Richards Julie E. , Yarborough Bobbi Jo H. , Holden Erika , Shulman Lisa , Stumbo Scott P. , Coley Yates , Simon Gregory E.
Published: December 2022

This quality improvement study describes use of estimation analytics to augment existing suicide prevention practices during routine mental health specialty encounters at a large US health care system.
Analysis of Daily Ambient Temperature and Firearm Violence in 100 US Cities
Authors: Lyons Vivian H. , Gause Emma L. , Spangler Keith R. , Wellenius Gregory A. , Jay Jonathan
Published: December 2022

Importance

Firearm violence is a leading public health crisis in the US. Understanding whether and how ambient temperature is associated with firearm violence may identify new avenues for prevention and intervention.

Objective

To estimate the overall and regional association between hotter temperatures and higher risk of firearm violence in the US.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study used distributed lag nonlinear models, controlling for seasonality and long-term time trends by city and pooled results overall and by climate region. The most populous cities in the US with the highest number of assault-related firearm incidence (ie, shootings) from 2015 to 2020 were analyzed. Data analysis was performed from October 2021 to June 2022.

Exposures

Maximum daily temperature by city.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the number of assault-related firearm shootings by city.

Results

A total of 116 511 shootings in 100 cities were included in this analysis. The pooled analysis estimated that 6.85% (95% CI, 6.09%-7.46%) of all shootings were attributable to days hotter than city-specific median temperatures. This equates to 7973 total shootings (95% CI, 7092-8688 total shootings) across the 100 cities over the 6-year study period, although the number of total persons injured or killed would be higher. Estimated risk of firearm incidents increased almost monotonically with higher temperatures, with a local peak at the 84th percentile of the temperature range corresponding to a relative risk of 1.17 (95% CI, 1.12-1.21) compared with the median temperature. However, even moderately hot temperatures were associated with higher risk of shootings. Although significant, there was low heterogeneity between cities (I2 = 11.7%; CochranQtest,P = .02), indicating regional or climate-specific variation in the daily temperature and incident shootings relationship.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings underscore the importance of heat adaptation strategies broadly throughout the year to reduce shootings, rather than focusing on only the hottest days.
Association Between COVID-19 Vaccination and Artificial Insemination Outcomes for Couples Experiencing Infertility
Authors: Wang Chao , Tang Dongdong , Liu Jiayin , Zhang Songying , Xu Yanwen , Qiao Jie , Cao Yunxia
Published: December 2022

This cohort study investigates the association between COVID-19 vaccination status and artificial insemination by partner outcomes among couples experiencing infertility in China.
Active Sites – Heterogeneous
Authors: Boudart Michel
Published: December 2022

The life cycle of active sites on solids between their birth and deat is sketched. This includes both their activation and modification under reaction conditions.
Catalyst Modeling – Biological
Authors: Villà Jordi , Warshel Arieh
Published: December 2022

The catalytic power of enzymes reflects billions of years of refinement by evolution. Thus, understanding enzyme action should be very instructive as a guide for general principles of catalysis. This review describes the emerging use of computer modeling as a key toll in correlating enzyme structures and catalysis. The review starts by describing general computer simulation approaches for calculations of free energies and related properties. It then moves to methods that allow one to evaluate the free energy of enzymatic reactions. This includes hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular orbitals methods, the empirical valence bond (EVB) method, and other approaches. Emphasis is placed on specifying the requirement from reliable simulation approaches, including the need for accurate potential surfaces and a proper configurational sampling. The ability of different approaches to satisfy these serious requirements is critically examined. Next, we examine what has been learned from simulations of enzymatic reactions about the origin of enzyme catalysis. It is pointed out that consistent simulation studies concluded that electrostatic effects are the key catalytic factor and that the corresponding catalytic energy is stored in preorganized polar active sites. Studies that examined the magnitude of other catalytic contributions and the validity of the corresponding catalytic proposals are also considered. These include studies of various ground state destabilization effects (e.g. entropic, strain, and desolvation contributions), studies of dynamical effects, and studies of the low barrier hydrogen bond proposal. It is concluded that these contributions do not play a major role in enzyme catalysis. Finally, the future of computer simulations as a critical tool in studies of enzymatic reaction is briefly considered.
Catalytic Distillation
Authors: Ng Flora T. T. , Rempel Garry L.
Published: December 2022

Catalytic distillation (CD) is a “green” reactor technology that combines a heterogeneous catalytic reaction and the separation of reactants and products via distillation in a single reactor/distillation column. CD is a rapidly developing field that incorporates catalysis, kinetics, and mass transfer to provide more selective and energy efficient processes. The heterogeneous catalyst provides the sites for catalytic reactions and also the interfacial surface for liquid/vapor separation. The distinct difference between the CD column and the conventional distillation column lies in the placement of solid catalysts usually incorporated in some kind of packing (CD packing) within the distillation column to provide a reaction section in addition to the traditional trays or random packings used for separations in the stripping the rectifying sections of the distillation column. Mass transfer characteristics of the CD packing in the reaction zone has significant influence on the product yield and selectivity. Equilibrium and nonequilibrium models have been developed to simulate and design CD processes. The benefits of CD include energy and capital savings, enhanced conversion and product selectivity, longer catalyst lifetime, and reduction of waste streams. Equilibrium limited and exothermic processes will benefit from CD. The first commercial application of CD was for the production of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). There are many other possible applications of CD such as the hydration of olefins, alkylations, esterifications, hydrolysis, aldol condensation, hydrogenation, desulfurization, and oligomerization of olefins. Currently most of the CD processes are related to the petroleum and petrochemical industries. The use of CD for the production of bulk and fine chemicals remain largely unexplored. Besides the development of new “green” processes using CD, fruitful areas of future research and development on CD include fundamental aspects of combining catalysis, reaction engineering, multiphase flow and separation, and the development of novel CD packings.
Colloids
Authors: Bönnemann Helmut , Richards Ryan
Published: December 2022

This article describes mono‐ and bimetallic colloid catalysts with regard to their wet chemical preparation and to selected applications in organic synthesis — namely of fine chemicals — and in fuel cells. The development of the field is covered from Faraday's first experiment in 1857 to recent papers published in 2002.
Diboration
Authors: Broene Richard D. , Baker R. Tom
Published: December 2022

The metal‐catalyzed addition of diboron compounds B2(OR)4to unsaturated organic molecules—including alkenes, allenes, alkynes, carbonyls, and imines and combinations of these groups—is reviewed, with emphasis on synthetically useful transformations. Mechanistic details of the reaction are discussed. Particular attention is paid to catalyst‐based chemo‐ and regioselectivity and substrate diastereoselection using chiral diboron compounds. Synthetically useful transformations of the resulting boronate esters are also presented.
Hydroamination – Heterogeneous
Authors: Müller T. E.
Published: December 2022

The direct addition of amines to carbon–carbon double and triple bonds (hydroamination) is of high interest for new processes for the production of amines. Currently, the reaction of ammonia with C2–C4 alkenes under supercritical conditions is studied most. Possible catalysts for this reaction are solid acids, mostly zeolites in the proton form. Structural, mechanistic, as well as thermodynamic and kinetic aspects are discussed. For the corresponding addition of amines to alkyne groups, zeolites ion‐exchanged with late transition metals proved to be most effective. Here, co‐catalysis between Lewis and Brønsted acid sites seems to be an important aspect.
Hydrocracking – Industrial Processes
Authors: Towler Gavin P. , Hoehn Richard K.
Published: December 2022

Hydrocracking can be used to accomplish several different processing objectives, treating feeds ranging from residual oils to naphtha and producing lighter products with lower sulfur and nitrogen content. The choice of process configuration depends on the feed and processing objective. Once‐through, single‐stage, two‐stage, separate hydrotreater and reverse‐flow process flowsheets are described. In all cases the reactor selection must address the issues of fluid distribution, heat removal, pressure drop, catalyst deactivation, and bed plugging. Common approaches to gas separation and product recovery are also described. Commercially licensed processes including H‐Oil, IFP hydrocracking, Isocracking, LC‐Fining, moderate pressure hydrocracking, Shell hydrocracking, and Unicracking are described with reference to the generic flowsheets. Relevant engineering issues such as fluid distribution, quench zone design, mercaptan recombination, heavy polynuclear aromatics control, heat integration, metallurgy considerations, process safety, and hydrogen management are discussed in detail. Approximate correlations for estimation of process utility requirements and capital investment are given.