bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of effect of eutectic mixture of local anesthetics, amethocaine and 4% lignocaine in alleviating pain during venous cannulation in children up to three years
Authors: Sharma Rakesh , Kumar Pancham , Sood Ambika , Gupta Satendra
Published: May 2022

Background: Intense anxiety experienced by the parents and their children regarding venous cannulation may result in non-adherence to the recommended procedure. The aim of present study was to compare the effects of eutectic mixture of topical anesthetics, amethocaine and 4% lignocaine on pain responses during venous cannulation in children up to 3 years. Methods: The present hospital based, prospective, randomized comparative study was conducted from December 2019 to November 2020 at KNH and IGMC, Shimla. The study population was divided in to two groups, group I (less than one month) and group II (one month to three years) and were further divided into three groups (amethocaine, EMLA and 4% lignocaine). NIPS and FLACC score for 3 events (pre procedural, immediately after cannulation and three minutes after cannulation) were noted.Results: 99 children were enrolled in our study (59 in group one and 40 in group two) and all were fulfilling inclusion criteria. NIPS score was highest for lignocaine before, immediate and after cannula followed by EMLA and was least for amethocaine. FLACC score was highest for lignocaine before, immediate and after cannulation. FLACC score was lowest for amethocaine, immediately and after cannulation and for EMLA before cannulation.Conclusions: Amethocaine significantly reduces the pain response as compared to EMLA and 4% lignocaine group specifically immediately after cannulation and three minutes post cannulation.
Burden and pattern of congenital anomalies in newborns in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Siddiqui Arif , Ali Syed Manazir
Published: May 2022

Background: Anomaly is defined as a significant morphological or anatomic variation in the phenotype from the standard reference population. Objectives of current study was to investigate the incidence and pattern of congenital anomalies in the hospital delivered neonates, JNMCH, AMU, Aligarh.Methods: All the newborns delivered during the study period from October 2019 to November 2021 at JNMC, AMU, Aligarh were thoroughly examined and assessed for the presence of any congenital anomalies. Neonatal and maternal parameters were recorded in a predesigned proforma. Relevant investigations in the form of X-ray, ultrasonography and echocardiography were carried out in case of any suspected anomaly.Results: Out of the total 10932 neonates delivered during the study period, 197 babies had congenital malformations including 166 live births and 31 still births with an incidence of 1.8%. Musculoskeletal system was the most commonly system involved and congenital talipes equinovarus was the single most common malformation. Higher incidence of malformation was seen to be associated with still birth, prematurity, male gender and low birth weight babies.Conclusions: Regular antenatal checkups and anomaly scans can detect congenital malformations early. Pre conceptional counselling about maternal age at conception and birth order may help in preventing malformations associated with syndromes such as Down’s and Edward syndrome. Peri conceptional folate supplementation can prevent CNS malformations such as Neural tube defects significantly. Early diagnosis and treatment of maternal disease conditions like anemia, preeclampsia, hypertension and diabetes may affect occurrence of malformations.
Screening of mothers to detect Down syndrome: a practical approach in a resource limited setting
Authors: John Shaji Thomas , Gayathri Kizhanipurath
Published: May 2022

Background: Advanced maternal age, history of abortion and/or bleeding in pregnancy are risk factors for the birth of a chromosomally abnormal child. This study was done to find out their relationship especially in Down syndrome (DS).Methods: Retrospective observational study was done in children with DS and their mothers, from a major referral institution in India over a period of 20 years. The prevalence of abortion/bleeding in pregnancy with the age of mothers were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) V20 software and compared in all the cytogenetic profiles.Results: In mothers less than 35 years 21.8% had abortion, 8% had bleeding and 4.5% had both abortion and bleeding. In mothers more than 35 years 25% had abortion, 7.3% had bleeding and 4% had both abortion and bleeding. Thus 34.5% had abortion/bleeding in mothers less than 35 years and 36.8% in those above 35 years. 15.25% mothers were more than 35 years. When the individual cytogenetic pattern and the prevalence of abortion/bleeding were analysed in maternal age group less than 35 years; a higher prevalence was seen in the non-disjunction group (34.2%), followed by translocation (24%) and mosaic (21.42%). In maternal age group >35 years prevalence was high, though not statistically significant, in the mosaic group (66.67%) followed by non-disjunction (43%).Conclusions: Mothers with a history of abortion/bleeding and those above 35 years constituted 44.7%. Ideally all pregnant women should be screened for chromosomal aneuploidies, but in resource limited countries screening should be done at least in the above noted high risk groups.
Incidence, severity and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity in a tertiary care centre in Kerala
Authors: Kuriakose Mathews E. , Zacharias Rekha , R. Athira
Published: May 2022

Background: To study the incidence, severity and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in neonates delivered in or referred to neonatology and paediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital in Kerala.Methods: Cohort study in the department of neonatology and paediatrics, of a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. There were 56 newborns satisfying the inclusion criteria. Data was collected and entered in the standardized data collection chart, and analysed.Results: Out of the 56 newborns studied, 12 babies developed ROP, and the incidence was found to be 21.4% (12/56). 41.6% (5/12) each developed stage 1 and stage 2 disease, 16.66% (2/12) developed stage 3 disease whereas no one developed stage 4 or stage 5 disease. Multiple maternal risk factors were studied showed no statistical association. Incidence of ROP was found higher in lower gestational age group and low birth. Surfactant administration, longer duration of oxygen therapy, anemia, need for blood transfusion, sepsis and phototherapy were significantly associated with development of ROP.Conclusions: Incidence of ROP was found to be 21.4 % (12/56) with higher proportion of neonates developing early stages of ROP. The incidence of ROP in the present study is comparable to most of the national and international studies, but some studies showed increased incidence of ROP also. Most of the risk factors associated with ROP arise during the stay in neonatal intensive care unit and some of them are avoidable. The incidence of ROP can be decreased by monitoring the risk factors, timely screening, regular follow up and appropriate interventions.
De novo SOX6 variant: Tolchin-Le Caignec syndrome
Authors: Sinha Rahul , Singh Sonali , Kamila Gautam
Published: May 2022

Tolchin-Le Caignec syndrome (TOLCAS) is a developmental disorder characterized by intellectual impairment and behavioural issues such as autism, hyperactivity, aggressive episodes and mood swings and lack of sleep. The other manifestations include osteochondroma, craniosynostosis, dysmorphic facies, arachnodactyly, prominent occiput and bitemporal narrowing. We reported this rare syndrome in a 5 and half year old female child who presented with global developmental delay (language and cognitive predominant), autistic features, hyperactivity, aggressive behaviour and dysmorphism (high forehead, bitemporal narrowing, micrognathia, low set ears, hypertelorism, wide nasal bridge, scaphocephaly, clinodactyly). The whole exome sequencing detected de novo heterozygous missense pathogenic variant c.1378A>C, p. (Asn460His) in exon 11 of SOX6 gene with no similar variant found in either of the parents   confirmed the diagnosis of TOLCAS. This rare case report highlighted the phenotypic variation due to SOX6 gene mutation which the clinician should be aware of while dealing with dysmorphic child with cognitive and language delay with autistic features.
Intraosseous polymorphous adenocarcinoma of mandible
Authors: Gopal Ashish , Sahoo Anjan , Sharma Raman , Singh Karandeep , Mandal Shramana
Published: May 2022

Polymorphous Adenocarcinoma (PAC) is a type of salivary gland tumor commonly arising in the minor salivary glands with palate being the most frequent site of origin. PACs harbor recurrent PRKD1 E710D hotspot mutations in >70% of cases. It has propensity of malignant transformation along with locoregional or distant metastasis. However, the latter is very rare entity.  Often challenging for both the pathologist and surgeon is the histologic difference between other conditions like pleomorphic adenoma, adenoid cystic carcinomas and adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified. Interestingly, very rare sites of occurrence may herald the rarity, therefore the intraosseous origin in the maxilla and the mandible are seldom encountered. One such very rare case of PAC of the mandible with extensive destruction of hemimandible and the areas in the vicinity of the tumour with nodal and distant bony metastasis described here.
Wet Chemical Synthesis of Sb4O5Cl2 Used as an Effective Photocatalyst for Methylene Blue and Crystal Violet Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation
Authors: Makhloufi Rachid , Hachani Salah Eddine , Fettah Asma , Messai Bahia
Published: May 2022

The present scientific contribution aims to elaborate antimony oxychloride Sb4O5Cl2 via a wet chemistry method and to study its photocatalytic activity to degrade methylene blue and crystal violet cationic dyes. The prepared samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction PXRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR, Scanning electron microscopy analysis SEM and UV-Visible measurements. PXRD results revealed that the Sb4O5Cl2 was successfully formed in a monoclinic phase structure with P21/a space group. FTIR results show the presence of all characteristic bands that distinguished the prepared compound mainly include Sb−O, Sb−O−Sb, and Sb=O vibrating modes bands located at 503, 607, and 832 cm-1, respectively. SEM micrograph showed that the microstructure of the prepared antimony oxychloride is composed of particles with sand rose morphology. UV-Visible outcomes demonstrated that our synthesized Sb4O5Cl2 is an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of both methylene blue MB and crystal violet CV targeted dyes. MB degradation reached 93.67% after 30 min while CV degradation up to 92.56% after 360 min.
Development of Biosensors for Ethanol Gas Detection
Authors: Insawang Mekhala , Chaarmart Kongphope , Seetawan Tosawat
Published: May 2022

This work developed a biosensor for the measurement of ethanol gas in the air. The biosensors were synthesized by mixing signal layer materials containing SiO2 and polyimide (PI) substrates using the enzyme Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) and coenzyme Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) as a biosensor. The electrodes were coated on biosensors by DC magnetron sputtering method for test the response performance of the developed biosensors. The ADH/NAD+ was immobilized on the Ag electrode by Glutaric dialaehyde 25 wt. % cross-linking procedure. It was found that, alcohol biosensors can be exhibited sensing ethanol gas at even low concentrations from 300 ppb to very high concentrations up to 1900 ppm, response time 3 s, recovery times 1-2 minutes and good sensitivity. The SiO2 substrate has excellent, which provides significant advantages for wearable electronic device that compact, easy to use and reduce direct contact with alcoholics. The alcohol biosensors can adoption in next generation to other electronic devices, because easy to integrate, such as a module alcohol biosensor with wireless or the fabrication of the RCL circuit. Furthermore, the alcohol biosensors based on SiO2/Ag/ADH, PI/Ag/ADH is artificial intelligence strategy for stable practical wearable electronic devices.
The Problem of Historical Consciousness in The Jörn Rüsen’s Philosophy and Theory of History
Authors:   Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Linchenko A. A.
Published: May 2022

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of J. Rusen’s theory of historical consciousness. It is one of the most widespread theories in modern foreign philosophy and theory of history. It emphasizes that J. Rusen’s studies of the essence, structure, transformation processes and social functions of historical consciousness should be considered in the context of the idea of rehabilitation of the modern in present foreign philosophy and the searches of the synthesis of the achievements of narrative and hermeneutic philosophy of history. The idea of dynamic nature of J. Rusen’s understanding of historical consciousness is justified. It is related to the interpretation of historical consciousness as a person’s ability to orient in time and be a subject of memory culture. The key concepts of J. Rusen’s theory of historical consciousness such as historical experience, interpretation, orientation, narrative competence and historical culture are analyzed and comprehended in the article. It is concluded that there is a need for further development of J. Rusen’s theory in order to clarify the socio-ontological foundations of historical consciousness.
Adaptative Strategies under the Conditions of Serious Disabling Disease as a Subjective Element of the Disease Situation
Authors:   Saratov State University, Orlova M. M.
Published: May 2022

The article analyzes adaptive strategies of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in terms of the author’s «disease situation» concept. The identified strategies are considered as aspects of the «disease situation» subjective element. The author examines the model of coping strategies, which is specific for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, as a system of coping strategies contradictory in its functions, connected with the semantic refocusing of a person and the rejection of a new social identity of the disabled person. We have obtained the results that allow outlining conditions models in multidimensionality – both objective and subjective.
Polscy gameplayerzy a trolling, czyli o zachowaniach antyspołecznych na „YouTube”
Authors: Maćkowiak Rafał
Published: May 2022

„YouTube” has more than 1 billion users. It is one of the most popular portals on the Internet. 300 hours of video are uploaded to „YouTube” every minute. On the website you will find many comments from trolling. In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people. This article shows what are the forms of internet trolling, for example: the purposeful incorrect Spell, Advertising other websites or channels and placing greetings in the comments.
​​Research Prioritization in Indian Livestock Sector: A Policy Appraisal
Authors: Bardhan D. , Singh S.R.K. , Raut A.A.
Published: May 2022

Background: Livestock makes multi-faceted contribution to socio-economic development of rural people. However, challenges exist in exploiting the opportunities offered by this sector. Focused research efforts will be a key factor in addressing these challenges. There is a need for a critical and objective evaluation of livestock research priorities at the regional, species and commodity-specific levels so as to ensure optimum use of scarce resources. This study was aimed to identify regional, species and commodity wise priorities for allocation of livestock research resources. Methods: The study used multi-criteria scoring model incorporating the multiple objectives for making choices. The objectives included were growth, equity, sustainability and participation in trade. Such scoring models are used to rank a long list of commodities, research alternatives and target domains. Result: The study identified regional, species and commodity priorities for allocation of livestock research resources. Significant tradeoffs in the priority rankings of states were revealed when equity and sustainability indicators were considered. Species-wise prioritization including all the criteria revealed that cattle and buffalo stake the highest claims on research resources. The study also revealed inter-regional variations in allocation of research resources based upon species.
Plasma DNA as a potential biomarker for breast cancer detection
Authors: Purnomosari Dewajani , Indrayani Ulfah Dian , Irianiwati . , Sulistyoningrum Dian Caturini
Published: May 2022

Breast cancer is a major malignancy among Indonesian women. It is often diagnosed inthe later stages of cancer, which leads to poor prognosis and survival of the patients.This study investigated plasma DNA concentration as a potential biomarker for breastcancer. The benefit of using this detection is the cost-effectiveness and the samples canbe collected from patients using non-invasive methods. Plasma samples were obtainedfrom healthy controls (n=18) and cancer patients (n=22). Each sample was split intotwo equal portions for DNA isolation using two different methods for the NaI methodand a commercially available kit (Qiagen/ QA) method. The DNA concentration wasdetermined by using a GeneQuant spectrophotometer (Pharmacia). The t-test was usedfor statistical analysis, which was performed using the SPSS 17.0 software. Compared tothe commercial method, extraction using NaI yielded higher DNA concentration, both fromsamples of healthy controls and cancer patients (p=0,008 and p=0.000, respectively).Furthermore, regardless of the isolation method used, the plasma DNA concentrationwas higher in healthy controls than in cancer cases (p=0,032 and p=0.005, for NaIand QA methods, respectively). In conclusion, isolation methods significantly affect DNAconcentrations. The plasma DNA concentration of healthy controls is significantly higherthan those of the cancer cases, suggesting that plasma DNA concentration might be apotential biomarker for breast cancer detection with less invasive sampling method thantissue biopsies.
The significance of glycated haemoglobin, randomized admission blood glucose, and fasting blood glucose on in-hospital adverse cardiac events in patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Hartopo Anggoro Budi , Susanti Vina Yanti , Anggraeni Vita Yanti
Published: May 2022

In an ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), glucose metabolism undergoes disturbance secondary to acute myocardial injury, which affects the clinical outcome during the acute phase. Glucose metabolic disturbance indices are glycated haemoglobin, admission random glucose, and fasting glucose in blood circulation during STEMI. This is a retrospective cohort study, aimed to investigate whether glycated haemoglobin, admission random blood glucose, and fasting blood glucose levels are the risk factors for developing in-hospital adverse cardiac events in STEMI. The result showed that among the three glucose metabolic disturbance indices, fasting glucose was an independent predictor (adjusted OR: 1.010 (95% CI: 1.001-1.018) and the most accurate factor (AUC 64.9 %) for adverse cardiac events. Other glucose metabolic indices, namely random blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin, were associated with increased odds to develop adverse cardiac events but they did not independently predict adverse cardiac events. Therefore, fasting blood glucose was an independent predictor and the most accurate factor for adverse cardiac events in the acute event of STEMI.
Perspective of Small Medium Enterprises in West Nusa Tenggara on export plans
Authors: Mas'ud Riduan , Azizurrohman Muhammad , Hamim Khairul , Elbadriati Baiq , Supiandi Supiandi
Published: May 2022

Purpose — The purpose of this study is to investigate how Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) react to their plans to engage in export activities, particularly in the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).Research method — The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative by distributing questionnaires to respondents containing multiple choice and open-ended questions.Result — This study found that the majority of SMEs have been export-oriented. They want to export for a variety of reasons, including expansion of their business network, international market demand, increased company revenues, and availability of suitable raw materials. Lack of extensive overseas markets/networks, lack of understanding of export procedures, and lack of adequate Human Resources seem to be one of the reasons given by SMEs who say NO or do not want to carry out export activities (HR).Significance/contribution/recommendation — In terms of the issues covered, this study differs from others. The majority of research focuses solely on the impact of SMEs and their export prospects. Meanwhile, the focus of this research is on SMEs' responses when it comes to organizing their product export efforts.
Učinki splošne anestezije na kognitivne sposobnosti pri otrocih – pregledni članek
Authors: Mlinarič Lešnik Vesna , Bregar Janez , Kreft Hausmeister Ivana
Published: May 2022

Teoretični modeli nastanka kognitivne motnje po splošni anesteziji vključujejo več dejavnikov, saj ima večina splošnih anestetikov širok razpon delovanja na številne nevrotransmiterske sisteme v osrednjem živčevju. Raziskave na živalih nakazujejo, da so nevroni v fazi celičnega razvoja bolj občutljivi na škodljive učinke splošnih anestetikov v primerjavi z zrelimi nevroni. Raziskave, ki so bile izvedene na otrocih, večinoma temeljijo na retrospektivnih podatkih, rezultati pa nakazujejo, da splošna anestezija najbolj prizadene sposobnosti, ki se funkcionalno v tistem obdobju najintenzivnejše razvijajo (npr. govor med 2. in 4. letom starosti), vendar pa trenutno ni mogoče podati povsem jasnega zaključka glede učinkov na posamezne kognitivne funkcije. Večina ugotovljenih primanjkljajev je subkliničnih, kažejo pa se na širokem področju kognitivnih sposobnosti, pri splošnih intelektualnih sposobnostih pa primanjkljajev niso dokazali. Kognitivne posledice splošne anestezije pri otrocih so lahko raznolike in se prepletajo s samim vzrokom za uporabo splošne anestezije. Klinične smernice svetujejo, da se splošna anestezija pri otrocih uporablja v čim nižjem odmerku in traja čim krajši čas. Splošni konsenz je, da bi kljub morebitnemu tveganju za kognitivno oškodovanost, izostanek od potrebnih zdravstvenih posegov prinesel več negativnih posledic kot splošna anestezija, zaradi česar pa je iz psihološkega vidika smiselno, da smo pri obravnavi pozorni tudi na morebitne težave otrok, ki so bili izpostavljeni medicinskim posegom pod splošno anestezijo.
Lymph node metastasis from non-melanoma skin cancer
Authors: Woods Robbie S. R. , Woods Jack F. C. , Fitzgerald Conall W. R. , Alameer Ehab , Lopez Joseph , Singh Bhuvanesh , Shah Jatin P.
Published: May 2022

The management of non-melanoma skin cancers metastatic to the neck is challenging due to variability in biological behavior and patterns of regional lymphatic spread. Metastatic non-melanoma skin cancers to the parotid and neck often behave aggressively, with a high incidence of local recurrence after treatment and reduced five-year survival outcomes. Patterns of lymphatic spread are different from those seen in mucosal squamous cell carcinoma, with higher prevalence of disease in the parotid and superficial lymphatics. These factors require that treatment is individualized to achieve optimal outcomes. Traditionally, the management of non-melanoma skin cancers metastatic to lymph nodes has involved surgical excision followed by adjuvant radiation therapy. However, novel systemic therapies are showing promising results and their role in the management of these cancers is evolving
Capacity building for wildlife health professionals: the Wildlife Health Bridge
Authors: Meredith Anna , Anderson Neil , Malik Pradeep , Nigam Parag , Thomas Alexandra , Masters Nic , Guthrie Amanda , Davidson Hannah , Patterson Stuart , Amin Rajan , Skerratt Lee , Kock Richard , Sainsbury Anthony
Published: May 2022

The Wildlife Health Bridge was established in 2009 with the aim of improving the expertise and knowledge base of wildlife health professionals in biodiverse low- and middle-income countries. The Wildlife Health Bridge centres around partnerships among educational institutions: the Zoological Society of London, the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the Wildlife Institute of India, and the University of Melbourne Veterinary School. The Wildlife Health Bridge provides quality education in wildlife health, ecosystem health, and wildlife biology, facilitates the interchange of students between collaborating countries for research studies and provides a global graduate network of wildlife health professionals. In addition to established Masters’ level wildlife health training programmes run by the partner organisations, the Wildlife Health Bridge has developed a collaborative field-based course, Interventions in Wild Animal Health, provided annually in India since 2016, which has trained 138 veterinarians to date, enhancing local and international capacity in managing emerging wildlife health issues and building global professional linkages. The Wildlife Health Bridge’s Wild Animal Alumni network facilitates networking and exchange between Wildlife Health Bridge institutions and graduates, with over 701 members from 67 countries, half of which are biodiverse low- and middle-income countries. Collaboration between educational institutions has enabled new ideas and ongoing developments in the delivery of materials and learning outcomes. The Wildlife Health Bridge is building global capacity in trained wildlife health professionals, through educational programmes and a synergised network, with the aim of impacting conservation practice to benefit human, domestic animal and wildlife health.
X, Y VE Z KUŞAĞININ İŞ ARAMA KANALLARINI KULLANMA FARKLILIKLARINA YÖNELİK BİR ALAN ARAŞTIRMASI
Authors: BALUN Bora , DİNÇAY İsmail Hakkı
Published: May 2022

Özellikle ekonomik beklentiler, teknolojik gelişmeler ve sosyal değişimler kuşakların olaylara bakış açısına, düşünce yapılarına ve hemen her alana olduğu gibi bireylerin çalışma yaşamına da doğrudan etki etmektedir. Çalışma yaşamının ilk hareket noktası ise iş arama süreciyle başlamakta, bu süreçte izlenilen yöntem ve tercihler kuşaklar arasında farklılıklar gösterebilmektedir. Sırasıyla x, y ve z kuşaklarının iş hayatının ilk adımı olan iş arama kanallarına bakış açıları, iş arama kanallarını nasıl kullandıkları ve bu süreci etkileyen faktörlerin belirlenmesinin amaçlandığı bu çalışma, İŞKUR Eskişehir İl Müdürlüğüne iş başvurusunda bulunan bireylerle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma sürecinde toplam 14 sorudan oluşan bir anket uygulanmış, elde edilen veriler IBM SPSS Statics 25 programıyla analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda üç kuşağında iş arama süreçlerini farklı etkinlik düzeyinde kullandıkları; Z kuşağının teknolojiyi iş arama sürecinde daha etkin kullandığı; iş arama süresi uzadıkça bireylerin iş arama kanallarını daha etkin ve daha verimli kullandıkları tespit edilmiştir.
Influence of the Surface Chemistry Differences between Zirconia and Titanium with the Same Surface Topographies on Bone Formation
Authors: Tokunaga Yoshiki , Hirota Masatsugu , Hayakawa Tohru
Published: May 2022

In previous studies regarding the osseointegration of zirconia (ZrO2) implants, a lack of consistency was observed in the surface topographies of the ZrO2 and Ti samples because of the difficult processability of ZrO2 surfaces. To resolve this problem, we used the molecular precursor method (wet process), which is a surface-modifying technique that can easily change the surface chemistry without changing the surface topography. A roughened Ti surface was prepared using sandblasting (large-grit) and acid treatment. We were able to create ZrO2-coated Ti implants with the same topography as that of roughened Ti substrates using the molecular precursor method, which solution contained a Zr complex. The uniform presence of tetragonal Zr was confirmed, and the apparent zeta potential of the surface of the ZrO2-coated Ti implant was higher than that of Ti. In animal experiments, ZrO2-coated Ti implants showed an equivalent or higher bone-to-implant contact ratio compared to that of the non-coated implants inserted into the femur bone defects of the rats. ZrO2 with the same surface topography as that of roughened Ti exhibits a promotion of osteogenesis equivalent to or better than that of Ti in the early stages of bone formation.
FUSE: Future Urban Simulation Environment Towards Integration of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles in Low-level Airspace
Authors: Souanef Toufik , Panagiotakoupoulos Dimitrios , Tsourdos Antonios , Crockford Chris , Cheetham Chris , Mewse Chris
Published: May 2022

This paper presents the design of a digital twin that blends aviation, gaming, simulation, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create a synthetic environment within which strategies, laws and platforms for electric aviation may be tested out. This digital twin has been called Future Urban Synthetic Environment (FUSE). FUSE includes an in-built Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) that can be used to run simulations to test the coordination of all urban traffic. It uses real GIS tagged imagery data and implements it at runtime into the game engine and thus link the optimised imagery loading to the visual performance of the simulation engine. FUSE provides a 3D digital twin of specified areas designed to simulate the effects (in terms of noise, visual impact, privacy) of drones and electric air taxis operating under various operational scenarios (such as number of deliveries allowed per day, maximum payload weight, no-fly areas, position of depots, vertiports, etc.). With so much high-fidelity data it is difficult for any game system to effectively render the environment and do justice to the detail whilst enabling enough of the landscape to be rendered to keep in focus the detail when looking out at the horizon.
Nanoparticles Impregnated Wound Dressing Material and Its Mechanistic Insight for Chronic Wound Healing: Recent Progress
Authors: Singh Manoj , Thakur Vanita , Kumar Vikas , Raj Mayank , Gupta Shivani , Devi Nisha , Upadhyay Sushil K. , Macho Marketa , Banerjee Avik , Ewe Daniela , Saurav Kumar
Published: May 2022

Wounds are structural and functional disruptions of the skin that occur because of an accident. Chronic wounds are caused by a breakdown in the finely coordinated cascade of events that occurs during wound healing. Wound healing is a long process that split into at least three continuous and overlapping processes: an inflammatory response, a proliferative phase that leads to tissue repair, and third one is tissue remodeling. Therefore, wound healing studies are extensively studied to develop techniques that can achieve maximum recovery with minimum scar. Several growth hormones and cytokines secreted at the wound site tightly regulate wound healing processes. The traditional approach for wound management has been represented by topical treatments. Metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver, gold, zinc) are increasingly being employed in dermatology due to their favorable effects on wound healing, as well as in treating and preventing bacterial infections. The development of wound dressings materials has now been used to overcome the issues of external environments. The impregnated nanomaterials have provided moist environment that removes the exudates and avoid maceration. This review highlights the mechanism and focus on the current advancement of various nanoparticles impregnation material for wound healing process that can protect wound from infection and maintain the optimum exchange of gases.
Development of a Biotechnology Platform for the Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901
Authors: Lea-Smith David John , Mills Lauren A , Moreno-Cabezuelo Jose Angel , Wlodarczyk Artur , Victoria Angelo J , Mejias Rebeca , Nenninger Anja , Moxon Simon , Bombelli Paolo , Selao Tiago Toscano , McCormick Alistair
Published: May 2022

Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901 reportedly demonstrates the highest, sustained growth of any known cyanobacterium under optimized conditions. Due to its recent discovery our knowledge of its biology, including the factors underlying sustained, fast growth, is limited. Furthermore, tools specific for genetic manipulation of PCC 11901 are not established. Here, we demonstrate that PCC 11901 shows faster growth than other model cyanobacteria, including the fast-growing species Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, under optimal growth conditions for UTEX 2973. Comparative genomics between PCC 11901 and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 reveal conservation of most metabolic pathways but PCC 11901 has a simplified electron transport chain and reduced light-harvesting complex. This may underlie its superior light utilization, reduced photoinhibition and higher photosynthetic and respiratory rates. To aid biotechnology applications we developed a vitamin B12 auxotrophic mutant but were unable to generate unmarked knockouts using two negative selectable markers, suggesting that recombinase- or CRISPR-based approaches may be required for repeated genetic manipulation. Overall, this study establishes PCC 11901 as one of the most promising species currently available for cyanobacterial biotechnology and provides a useful set of bioinformatics tools and strains for advancing this field, in addition to insights into the factors underlying its fast growth phenotype.
A New Spatial Downscaling Algorithm to Generate A Long-Term Global 250-m Resolution NDVI Product
Authors: Ma Zhimin , Dong Chunyu , Lin Kairong , Yan Yu , Luo Jianfeng , Jiang Dingshen , Chen Xiaohong
Published: May 2022

Satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time-series data are useful for monitoring the changes of vegetation ecosystems in the context of global climate change. However, there are currently no ideal NDVI datasets that reconcile long-term series with high spatial resolution. Here, we have developed a simple and novel data downscaling algorithm based on the coefficient of variation (CV) statistics, which combines the detailed spatial features of MODIS data with the long-term temporal information of AVHRR data. The proposed data fusion method helps generate a global monthly NDVI database that has a 250 m-resolution and covers the long period of 1982−2018. We evaluated the accuracy of the fused data against MODIS NDVI using the metrics of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Pearson’s correlation coefficients (R). Validation suggests a high performance of the downscaling algorithm and a high accuracy of the new NDVI database. We further applied the downscaled data to monitor NDVI changes of various vegetation types and in areas having high vegetation heterogeneity, and we obtained stable results similar to MODIS data. The whole data downscaling and validation processes were completed on the Google Earth Engine platform, and here we provide a code for users to easily get the data for any part of the world. The downscaled global-scale NDVI time series has high potential in monitoring the temporal and spatial dynamics of the terrestrial ecosystems under changing environments.
VALUE RELEVANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY REPORT: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA
Authors:   Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Made Endiana I Dewa , Ayu Suryandari Ni Nyoman ,   Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar
Published: May 2022

This present study aimed at providing empirical evidence of whether sustainability report has value relevance for investors in buying or selling shares and affects firm value. This study used two research models. The first research model was used to examine the effect of book value and earnings on firm value. The second research model was used to examine the effect of sustainability report on firm value and define the value relevance of sustainability report. The samples of this study were 306 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2017-2020. As a result, this study found that sustainability report is very useful information in making investment decisions. Investors do not only use short-term profits as a reference but also take sustainability report and long-term profits as a reference in making investment decisions.
­­­Comparative Analysis of Quality Factor and Digital Inverter Performance in Gate Underlap and Overlap DMG FinFETs
Authors: Chaudhary Rashi , Saha Rajesh
Published: May 2022

This paper presents a comparative 3D simulation study of Quality factor among Gate Underlap and Overlap techniques in both Si and Ge Dual Material Gate (DMG) FinFETs using the Sentaurus TCAD tool. The results of both the techniques are carefully examined and compared with Conventional DMG FinFET to analyze the performances of these devices. The effect of gate overlap/underlap techniques on threshold voltage (Vth), ION/IOFF ratio, drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL), transconductance (gm), subthreshold swing (SS), and Quality factor (Q) are investigated. It is found that DMG Ge FinFETs have higher gm and quality factor values as compared to DMG Si FinFETs. The prospects of these techniques in low-power digital applications have been performed by implementing complementary DMG FinFET based inverter circuit. We have extracted the average delay and noise margin where it renders better performance such as high current gain and no overshoot and undershoot peaks in the transient characteristics.
Evaluation of outcomes in the management of primary sporadic desmoid type fibromatosis at a specialist soft tissue sarcoma unit
Authors: Khan Misbah , Almond Max , Ford Samuel , Desai Anant
Published: May 2022

Background
Desmoids are rare fibroblastic tumours whose treatment in any individual case presents a persistent challenge. We endeavoured to evaluate various clinicopathological factors contributing to tumour behaviour.
Methods
This is a retrospective review of 95 primary truncal sporadic fibromatosis managed between 2011 and 2020. We studied progression rate for wait and watch(WW) and recurrence rate for the surgically treated group. Relevant event-free survivals and potential risk factors were analysed over a median length of follow-up of 27 months.
Results
66 patients (69.5%) received watchful surveillance and 28 upfront surgery. 2-year progression-free survival in WW group (88.9%) was higher than RFS in the surgical group (77.1%) p = 0.02. Adverse event rate compared favourably, 28.8% in WW and 28.6% in surgical group. At final follow-up, rate of stable disease for WW was 47%, and the regression rate was 24.2%. On Cox regression analysis, meantime to progress was 14 ± 2.0 months, with larger tumour size as a significant prognostic indicator(p = 0.05). Surgical group's mean time to recurrence was 13.8 ± 2.76 months, with tumour location a significant contributing factor(p = 0.05).
Conclusions
This study confirms to the safety of both treatment approaches. Adverse event rates remained comparable, but event-free survival was longer for the watchful surveillance group.
The Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on the Long-term Outcomes of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Liu Fang , Liu Jia , Chi Hongjie , Liu Jiamei , Chen Mulei , Wang Xin
Published: May 2022

Objective
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Meanwhile, antithrombotic therapy for AF patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a worldwide problem. Therefore, AF plays a very important role in AMI patients with HCM. The main objective of this study is to investigate the long-term prognosis of patients which are AMI and HCM with or without AF.
Methods
A total of 78 HCM and AMI patients with or without AF were enrolled. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (including cardiac death, cardiogenic shock, AMI, repercutaneous coronary intervention, re-coronary artery bypass grafting and stroke) and secondary endpoints (including rehospitalization, recurrent angina, thrombosis, bleeding, heart failure and arrhythmias) were recorded in-hospital and during the 5-year follow up.
Results
There were no differences in observed in-hospital and 5-year mortality between the two groups. The incidence of stroke in AF group was significantly higher than that in non-AF group (20.6% VS. 0%, P = 0.017). The 5-year outcomes including MACEs and secondary endpoints were both inferior to the group without AF (log-rank P = 0.021 and 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion
AMI and HCM patients with AF exhibited worse long-term outcomes than patients without AF. More attention should be paid to the antithrombotic therapy in patients with AMI and HCM complicated with AF.
An elaborate dynamic model of dual-motor precision transmission mechanism for performance optimization
Authors: Zheng Jieji , Tan Ruoyu , LI Baoyu , Fan Dapeng , Xie Xin
Published: May 2022

The dual-motor precision transmission mechanism (DMPTM) is an alternative way to eliminate backlash completely while ensuring the stiffness of the servo system. However, most of the established models of DMPTM are not accurate enough, which are not conducive to the optimization of system performance and the design of high-precision controllers. In this paper, based on the detailed linear model of the single components of the DMPTM, the dead zone model considering the time-varying stiffness is proposed to describe the backlash of the two transmission chain and the friction of the mechanism is depicted by Stribeck model. Then, a high-precision dynamic model of the DMPTM is formed. Finally, the model validation experiments of the open-loop and closed-loop are carried out in the time domain and frequency domain. The experimental results show that the proposed model can accurately describe the nonlinear characteristics of the mechanism. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the proposed model and the actual system is ropen-loop >99.41% for open-loop and rclosed-loop >83.7% for closed-loop, which are both better than the existing model. In the frequency domain, whether it is open-loop or closed-loop, the frequency response of the proposed model also reproduces the actual system well, which verifies the accuracy of the model.
Do Announcement and Implementation of Prices and Subsidies Differentially Affect Water Consumption
Authors: agarwal sumit , Araral Edward , Fan Mingxuan , Yu Qin , Zhang Huanhuan
Published: May 2022

Do policy announcement and implementation of prices and subsidies have differential effect on water conservation in Singapore? Using monthly billing data on water consumption for 2.2 million residential accounts over 10 years, our difference-in-differences estimates show that the announcement of water price increase reduces water consumption by 3.7%, larger than the actual implementation of a 30% water price increase. Consumers with low water usage and price salience respond more to the announcement of price hike while consumers with high usage respond more to its implementation. An increase in low-salient utility subsidy could reduce the financial burden on low-income households without affecting water consumption. Our results suggest that the traditional market-based policy instruments, such as price and subsidy, could be combined with information salience to achieve sustainable outcomes efficiently, effectively, and fairly with minimal requirement on technology advancement and institutional innovation.
Design of preliminary groundwater monitoring networks for the coastal Tra Vinh province in Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Tuan Pham Van , Zhou Yangxiao , Stigter Tibor , Tuc Dang Van , Hai Dao Hong , Vuong Bui Tran
Published: May 2022

This study designed and assessed preliminary monitoring networks to fulfill the urgent need for essential information to formulate plans for sustainable groundwater resources development and management in the coastal Tra Vinh province of Vietnam. Groundwater overexploitation has resulted in aquifer depletion and saltwater intrusion, predominantly originating from formation water trapped in clays from past marine transgressions. A limited number of monitoring wells is operated and is insufficient to delineate the cone of depression and fresh/salt water interfaces. Since data from the existing monitoring were insufficient to explore variogram analysis and subsequent Kriging interpolation for the network design, groundwater flow and saltwater transport models were constructed to create groundwater level and salinity distributions. We followed an iterative procedure to select monitoring locations based on the contour maps of groundwater levels and total dissolved solids (TDS) constructed from the groundwater models. Priorities for the locating groundwater level monitoring wells were targeted in areas with cones of depression and boundaries, while priorities for salinity monitoring were given to coastal zone and fresh/saltwater interfaces. The standard deviation of Kriging interpolation error was used to assess the quality of the designed monitoring networks. Once the designed networks are implemented, observed data from the networks will provide valuable information for sustainable groundwater resources management in Tra Vinh province.
A Medical Image Segmentation Method Combining Inception Module with U-Net Model
Authors: ren xiaoling , guo xiaorong , Xu Shijun
Published: May 2022

U-Net models are widely applied to medical image segmentation. To address the limitation of low segmentation accuracy and edge blur incurred by the U-Net image segmentation method, a medical image segmentation method combining an inception module with a U-Net model is proposed. First, image enhancement is performed. Second, the enhanced results and original images are used as the inputs to the encoder of the inception module, which uses different receptive fields to extract image features at different scales. Finally, up-sampling operation is performed on the results processed by the encoder to obtain the final segmentation results. Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective to segment the images in the lung CT dataset with sharper edges in comparison to other existing methods, and the accuracy as well as the precision of segmented results are 96.2% and 98.85%, respectively, which are improved by 1.35% and 3.09%, respectively. Furthermore, segmented images from the ISBI dataset show more impressive details, and the accuracy as well as the precision of the image segmentation are 97.81% and 98.05%, respectively, which are improved by 3.29% and 1.12%, respectively. In the training process, the convergence speed of the proposed method is faster than that of the existing U-net method, which shows that the proposed method has strong generalization ability. The amount of structural parameters in the proposed method decreased by 41.80% compared with that in the existing U-Net method, showing lower computational complexity in both the training and the test stages.