bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STAFF RESTRUCTURING AT PUBLIC COMPANIES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL TOOLS
Authors: Grozdanić Radmila
Published: July 2021

Staff restructuring at public companies (an estimated 40% of Serbia’s 132,000 employees in public companies were made redundant in 2005) has a twofold impact: it raises the unemployment rate that is already worryingly high (34.7%) and it potentially creates new businesses with low sustainability prospects in the first three years as they are unprepared for long-term market positioning and high fiscal (73%) and parafiscal charges. The established practice of paying severance packages has failed to resolve the problem of unemployment in the long term, so good experiences of transition countries should be taken into account. In that sense, this study focuses on business incubators within public companies, aimed at staff restructuring, corporate entrepreneurship as an instrument of support to the creation of new businesses within the existing public companies, the orientation phase of corporate entrepreneurship among surplus labor, the possibility of supporting future entrepreneurs among surplus labor by providing them with repaired equipment and capacities, storage facilities, and raw materials needed by new businesses, and the creation of a risk capital fund for the insurance of loans and investments in the development of new capacities/skills of workers who will be made redundant.
MODERN TRENDS IN DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM WITHIN EUROPEAN UNION AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS UPON CROATIA
Authors: Vuković Ivan
Published: July 2021

This paper researches modern trends in development of tourism in European Union, as well as the implication on the development of tourism in Republic of Croatia, because EU has become the biggest regional integration in the world, with its tourism market, while with its economical potentials it has become the biggest and most significant regional economic community which has influence on the development of tourism in Croatia. It is known that EU from 1st of May 2005 consists of twenty-five most developed countries in Europe, thus excluding Switzerland and Norway, which have more than 470 million inhabitants, and participate in the worlds tourism trade with more than 40% of tourism turnover in the worldinhabitants, and participate in the worlds tourism trade with more than 40% of tourism turnover in the world, while in European proportions with more than 75%. On the other hand by their expenditure in tourism, members of EU are among most significant countries in the world, because they momentarily participate with more than 45% expenditure in world proportions for foreign tourism, as well as amity countries in tourism are the most significant source in development of tourism turnover in the world and Europe. At the same time, EU earns from tourism more than 40% of the total income from foreign tourism in the world, while in year 2004 this income is valued at $526 million. In this context it must be realised that Croatia as a traditional Mediterranean destination from the tourism aspact is a significant partner to EU and its members. Croatia with its natural, capital and human potentials has great importance for development of tourism in EU, because in year 2004 it had the total tourism turnover in the amount of 5,8 million tourists, 25 EU members participated with 75% of realized tourism turnover, while in realized foreign tourism incomes 6,9, the ratio from EU was greater than 85%. Recognition of Croatia as a motherly-traditional tourism destination, which means recognition of all natural, cultural, historical, capital and human potentials, at this moment, makes Croatia the most desirable tourism destination in Europe and in the world. In this context Croatia is of first-class importance to EU from the tourism aspect and only by mutual activities and coordination between Croatia and EU, is possible to achieve the perspective that Croatia becomes the European California.
USING DECISION-PROCESS ANALYSIS IN OPTIMISING PROBLEM SOLVING IN TOURISM MARKETING
Authors: Brajdić Igor , Jurković Tomislav , Pokos Sandra
Published: July 2021

For the range of problem situations belonging to tourism marketing, specific methods and techniques have been designed with the aim of making these situations easier to resolve. In addition to using such methods and techniques, it is possible to optimise the quality of resolving problem situations in tourism marketing through consistent adherence to the stages constituting the decision-making process in its broader sense. In analysing problem situations in marketing through the stages of decision-making, focus is placed on the client as the consumer of services in tourism. Such an approach has been realised in several tourism enterprises in Croatia in concrete cases in the field of promotion and procurement as a part of the marketing function. Overbooking and the level of communication among employees are standard problems encountered in hotel companies. The study has shown that the lack of communication within and between company levels is the reason why these problems are greater than they should be. The theoretical aspects of the decision process have been applied to the case of purchasing commercial goods, providing a better understanding of the process of purchasing commercial goods.
FORMING OF BUSINESS SYSTEM STRATEGY ACCORDING TO PROJECT APPROACH
Authors: Bistričić Ante
Published: July 2021

Strategic management development was based upon the forming of a business system strategy. Nowadays, strategic management is undisputed as a fundamental part of a successful business system. Without a systematic analysis, monitoring and prognosis of a business surrounding, it is highly risky to initiate any kind of management of business system activities. The purpose of business systems was the creation of strategies and not the realisation of the objectives set by the strategies themselves, and this is something that needed to be changed. First of all, a strategy is to be designed and then preparations for the launching (start) of the project followed by the realisation of project growth and development are to take place. In this way strategic management is linked to project management within a unique and continuously active process. The quick transformation of strategies into projects is reached with instruments such as project strategy forming measures and timely introduction of project management in the process together with the support of various experts. Project management is to be introduced in the process during the phase of strategy forming in order to initiate preparations for project launching as soon as possible, thus achieving quick realisation of strategic objectives.
Computational Modeling and Energy Absorption Behavior of Thin-Walled Tubes with the Kresling Origami Pattern
Authors: Li Jiaqiang , Chen Yao , Feng Xiaodong , Feng Jian , Sareh Pooya
Published: July 2021

Origami structures have been widely used in various engineering fields due to their desirable properties such as geometric transformability and high specific energy absorption. Based on the Kresling origami pattern, this study proposes a type of thin-walled origami tube the structural
configuration of which is found by a mixed-integer linear programming model. Using finite element analysis, a reasonable configuration of a thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern is firstly analyzed. Then, the influences of different material properties, the rotation angle of the upper
and lower sections of the tube unit, and cross-sectional shapes on the energy absorption behavior of the thin-walled tubes under axial compression are evaluated. The results show that the symmetric thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern is a reasonable choice for energy absorption purposes.
Compared with thin-walled prismatic tubes, the thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern substantially reduces the initial peak force and the average crushing force, without significantly reducing its energy absorption capacity; moreover, it enters the plastic energy dissipation stage ahead
of time, giving it a superior energy absorption performance. Besides, the material properties, rotation angle, and cross-sectional shape have considerable influences on its energy absorption performance. The results provide a basis for the application of the Kresling origami pattern in the
design of thin-walled energy-absorbingstructures.
Identification of Novel Simulants for Toxic Industrial Chemicals and Chemical Warfare Agents for Human Decontamination Studies: A Systematic Review and Categorisation of Physicochemical Characteristics
Authors: James Thomas , Collins Samuel , Marczylo Tim
Published: July 2021

Chemical simulants have long been used in human trials of mass decontamination to determine the efficacy of decontamination interventions against more toxic agents. Until now, reliance has mostly been on individual chemicals as surrogates to specific agents (e.g. methyl salicylate for sulphur mustard). A literature review was conducted to identify chemicals that had been previously tested on human volunteers and that represent diverse physicochemical characteristics in order to create a repository for chemical simulants. Of the 171 unique chemicals identified 78 were discounted for the risk they could pose to human volunteers, 39 were deemed suitable for use and a further 54 were considered to be possible simulants but would require further research. Suitable simulants included both solid and liquid chemicals spanning a wide range of physicochemical properties including molecular weight, octanol/ water partition coefficient, vapour pressure and solubility. This review has identified an array of potential simulants suitable for use in human volunteer decontamination studies and is of relevance to future studies on systemic absorption and surface decontamination.
Nano-Crystallization: An Efficient Technology for Targeting Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Authors: Iqbal Furqan Muhammad , Delie Florence
Published: July 2021

Presently, nano-crystallization is widely accepted for increasing the solubility and biological barrier permeability of poorly soluble drugs. It improves the bioavailability of therapeutic agents, increasing the effectiveness for treating diseased conditions, and could be safely administered by oral, parenteral, or transdermal routes. Drug nanocrystals are drug particles coated with a thin polymer layer to enhance their stability and could be decorated with ligands for active targeting. In addition, nanocrystals, due to their morphological properties, improve cell internalization. Therefore, passive targeting by high cellular uptake and retention in the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) may be expected. Drug nanocrystals are formulated by either top-down or bottom-up methods and could be scaled up for industrial manufacturing. In the past few decades, nanocrystal formulation has been increasingly studied to overcome the limitations of BCS Class II and IV chemotherapeutic agents. The study of cytotoxic effects of drug formulation on cell lines gives an insight for estimating its in-vivo biodistribution. This review highlights the role of morphology, stabilizer, and ligand conjugation on drug targeting and cellular uptake in cancer cells, as well as a brief discussion on nanocrystal production.
Towards a MicroRNAs-Based Biomarker Panel for AIS: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Rivero-Segura Nadia Alejandra , Gomez-Verjan Juan Carlos , Ramírez-Aldana Ricardo. Mathn
Published: July 2021

Background: Acute ischemic stroke is among the main causes of mortality worldwide; a rapid and opportune diagnosis is crucial to improve a patient's outcome. MicroRNAs are quite useful for a rapid and accurate diagnosis.Methods: We perform both structural networks approach and a meta-analysis (using a random-effect model to evaluate the heterogeneity and risk bias, according to the PRISMA statement) to analyze the feasibility to develop a microRNA-based biomarker panel for an opportune AIS diagnosis. Results: Structural networks identify a set of eight miRNAs (miR-16, miR-124-3p, miR-484, miR-15a, miR-4454, miR-107, miR-125b-5p and miR-320b) as preliminary microRNA-based biomarker panel, from these only three microRNAs are significantly associated with the main risk factors of AIS, (miR-107: hypertension, 95% CI 9.74-53.24 p<0.0001, type 2 Diabetes mellitus, 95% CI 2.18-19.26); p=0.0008; miR-16 hypertension, 95% CI 1.26-3.56 p=0.0046, smoking, 95% CI 1.07-3.54 p=0.0277; and miR-15a hypertension, 95% CI 1.26-3.56 p=0.0046; smoking, 95% CI 1.07-3.54 p=0.0277). However, the meta-analysis reveals that data is highly heterogeneous and biased; and only microRNAs isolated from plasma samples and further processed in microarrays are the most reliable to distinguish AIS patients.Conclusions: Together our results show that although there are some miRNAs that seem to be associated with AIS, we are still far to develop a miRNA-based biomarker for AIS diagnosis and it is necessary to harmonize the protocols, results and include more populations for further studies otherwise we will remain throwing punches in the dark.
Rochelle Salt Based Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Composite Produced with Simple Additive Manufacturing Techniques
Authors: Lemaire Etienne , Thuau Damien , De Vaulx Jean-Baptiste , Vaissiere Nicolas , Atilla Atli
Published: July 2021

One century ago, ferroelectricity and then piezoelectricity were discovered using Rochelle salt crystals. Today, modern societies are invited to switch towards a resilient and circular economy model. In this context, this work proposes a method to manufacture piezoelectric devices made from agro-resources such as tartric acid and polylactide significantly reducing the energy budget without requiring any sophisticated equipement. These piezoelectric devices are manufactured by liquid phase epitaxy grown Rochelle salt (RS) crystals into a 3D printed poly(Lactic acid) (PLA) matrix being the artificial squared meshes which mimic the natural wood anatomy. This composite material can easily be produced in any fablab with renewable materials and at low processsing temperatures, reducing then the total energy consumed. Manufactured biodegradable samples are fully recyclable and have good piezoelectric properties without any pooling step. The measured piezoelectric coefficients of manufactured samples are higher than many piezoelectric polymers such as PVDF-TrFE.
Tofacitinib Blocks Entheseal Lymphocyte Activation and Modulates MSC Adipogenesis but Does Not Directly Affect Chondro- and Osteogenesis
Authors: Russell Tobias , Rowe Hannah , Bridgewood Charlie , Cuthbert Richard , Watad Abdulla , Newton Darren , Jones Elena , McGonagle Dennis
Published: July 2021

Entheseal spinal inflammation and new bone formation with progressive ankylosis may occur in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This study evaluated whether JAK inhibition with tofacitinib modulated the key SpA associated cytokines, TNF and IL-17A and whether tofacitinib also modulated bone marrow stromal cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) function including osteogenesis since post inflammation new bone formation occurs in these conditions. Methods: Conventional entheseal derived αβ CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells were in-vestigated following anti-CD3/CD28 bead stimulation to determine IL-17A and TNF levels in Tofacitinib treated (1000nM) peri-entheseal bone (PEB) and peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMC) following ELISA. Bone marrow stromal cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) colony forming unit (CFU-F) and multilineage potential was evaluated using tofacitinib (dosages ranging between 100, 500, 1000 and 10000nM). Results: Induced IL-17A and TNF cy-tokine production from both entheseal CD4+ T-cells and CD8+ T-cells were effectively inhibited by tofacitinib. Tofacitinib treatment did not impact on CFU-F potential or in vitro chondro- and osteogenesis. However, tofacitinib stimulation increased MSC adipogenic potential with greater Oil Red O stained area. Conclusion: Inducible IL-17A and TNF production by healthy human entheseal CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells was robustly inhibited in vitro by tofacitinib. However, tofa-citinib did not impact on MSC osteogenesis but stimulated in vitro MSC adipogenesis the relevance of which needs further evaluation given the adipocytes are associated with new bone formation in SpA
Decentralized Decisions and Technological Progress: A Formal Proof
Authors: Tao Yong
Published: July 2021

This paper provides attempts to formalize Hayek’s theory of knowledge. It has been theoretically shown that exponential income distribution is a spontaneous order of the well-functioning market economy. We show that this theoretical result is supported by the empirical evidence from the United Kingdom and China. In particular, we empirically show how the income structure of China evolved towards an exponential distribution after the market-oriented economic reformation. Furthermore, we strictly prove that, if the income structure of an economy obeys an exponential distribution, the income summation over all households leads to an aggregate production function with Hicks-neutral-like technical progress, in which the technology factor is exactly equal to society’s information stock that is a result of combining all of decentralized decisions.
Influence of the Production Process on the Binding Mechanism of Clinched Aluminum Steel Mixed Compounds
Authors: Kalich Jan , Füssel Uwe
Published: July 2021

The multi-material design and the adaptability of a modern process chain require joining connections with specifically adjustable mechanical, thermal, chemical or electrical properties, whereby previous considerations have focused primarily on the mechanical properties. With clinching, the multitude of possible combinations of requirements, materials and component or joint geometry makes it impossible to determine these joint properties empirically. As a result of the established and empirically based procedure, no model exists to date that considers all questions of joinability, i.e. the materials (suitability for joining), the design (joining safety) and the production (joining possibility) and allows a calculation of the achievable properties. It is therefore necessary to describe the physical properties of the joint as a function of the three bonding mechanisms force closure, form closure and material closure in relation to the application. This approach enables the illustration of the relationships along the causal chain "joint requirement - binding mechanism - joining parameters". In this way the adaptability of the mechanical joining technology can be improved. A geometric comparison is made using metallographic cross sections, of clinched joints of the combination of aluminum and steel. The torsional testing of the rotationally symmetric clinching points for detection of the mechanical stress state are qualified as examination method and technological test. By measuring the electrical resistance in the base material, in the clinch joint and during the production cycle (after clinching, before precipitation hardening and after precipitation hardening), this change in the stress state can also be detected.
Genetic Variation of Native Perilla Germplasms Collected from South Korea Using SSR Markers and Morphological Characteristics
Authors: Oh Jun Seok , Sa Kyu Jin , Park Hyeon , Hyun Do Yoon , Lee Sookyeong , Rhee Ju-Hee , Lee Ju Kyong
Published: July 2021

Using morphological characteristics and SSR markers, we evaluated the morphological and genetic variation of 200 Perilla accessions collected from the five regions of South Korea and other region. In morphological characteristics analysis, particularly, leaf color, stem color, degree of pubescence, leaf size were found to be useful for distinguishing the characteristics of native Perilla accessions cultivated in South Korea. A total of 137 alleles were identified in the 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 13, and the average number of alleles per locus was 6.85. The average gene diversity (GD) was 0.649, with a range of 0.290-0.828. From analysis of SSR markers, accessions from the Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do regions showed comparatively high genetic diversity values compared with those from other regions in South Korea. In the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis, the 200 Perilla accessions were found to cluster into three major groups and an outgroup with a genetic similarity of 42%, and did not showed a clear geographic structure from the five regions of South Korea. Therefore, it is believed that landrace Perilla seeds are frequently exchanged by farmers through various routes between the five regions of South Korea. The results of this study are expected to provide useful information for conservation of these genetic resources and selection of useful resources for the development of varieties for seeds and leafy vegetables of cultivated var. frutescens of Perilla crop in South Korea.
On modeling the problems of high-temperature radiation gas dynamics
Authors: Gol’din Vladimir Yakovlevich , Gol'dina Dinamika Alekseevna , Kolpakov Andrey Vasilievich , Shilkov Alexander Victorovich
Published: July 2021

Mathematical models of High-Temperature Radiation Gas Dynamics (HTRGD) are considered. The possibility of instability of contact boundaries at a high radiation energy density is shown. Equations of the three-temperature approximation are consistently derived. Numerical methods for solving the problems of HTRGD are discussed.
Analysis of the problem on preparing future primary school teachers for the organization of pupils’ labor training
Authors: Palshkova Iryna Oleksandrivna , Balakirieva Viktoriia Anatoliivna , Skoromna Marianna Volodymyrivna , Shpaliarenko Yuliia Anatoliivna
Published: July 2021

Analysis of the problem on preparing future primary school teachers for the organization of pupils’ labor training. The preparation of future primary school teachers for organizing labor training of young learners in the educational process of high school has been analyzed in the article. The essence and structure of the “readiness of future teachers to organize labor training of young learners” phenomenon have been revealed. The preparation of future primary school teachers for the organization of labor training of young learners in the educational process of high school has been monitored. The problems of young learners’ labor training have been discussed, and the forms and methods for preparing future primary school teachers for the organization of labor training have been developed. Preparation as a general concept is interpreted as an organized, purposeful long-term educational process in different types of educational institutions whose ultimate aim is to achieve the readiness to carry out professional pedagogical activities in a particular specialty. Readiness of future primary school teachers to organize labor training is interpreted as a result of preparing students during their studies at a higher pedagogical institution, as the state of the future teacher who has mastered the system of knowledge on productive, project technologies. The formation of future primary school teachers’ readiness is not a spontaneous or involuntary process. This is a systematic and purposeful activity.
Public health in the “year of coronavirus”
Authors: Salagay O. O. , Soshkina K. V. , Letnikova L. I. , Starodubov V. I. , Drapkina O. M. , Halfin R. A. , Kobyakova O. S. , Khabriev R. U.
Published: July 2021

In recent years, one of the priority areas of work of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and subordinate organizations has become the formation of an unified system of strengthening public health, including both infrastructure and program elements, and specific measures. This work analyzes the results of activity on the formation of the coronavirus infection system.
Experience in Studying Herd and Individual Immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Medical Workers
Authors: Reshetnikova I. D. , Agafonova E. V. , Tyurin Yu. A. , Kulikov S. N. , Gilyazutdinova G. F. , Lopushov D. V. , Shaykhrazieva N. D. , Isaeva G. Sh. , Ziatdinov V. B.
Published: July 2021

The aim was to study SARS-CoV-2 immunity among medical workers in Kazan.

Materials and methods. Studied were serum samples from 348 medical workers from 10 medical organizations in Kazan, divided into groups according to the level of the alleged risk of infection of employees. To determine IgG, a two-stage direct version of the solid-phase ELISA and the test-system “SARS-CoV-2-IgG-ELISA-BEST” (Russia) were used.

Results and discussion. At the time of the study and over the previous three months, the examined medical workers had no symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection or respiratory tract infections; there were negative results of examining nasopharyngeal/ oropharyngeal swabs for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Seroprevalence for IgG to SARS-CoV-2 virus for different medical organizations in Kazan ranged within the scope of 3.3–30.8 % and averaged 16.4 %. The wide variation in seroprevalence values in medical workers of different medical organizations may indicate different levels of intensity of professional contacts and the effectiveness of anti-epidemic measures in these medical organizations. Among medical workers with seropositive results, the prevalence of persons with a very high coefficient of positivity (49.1 %) is observed, which characterizes high level of antiviral antibodies. The presence of a high proportion of seropositive individuals among medical workers, who have had an asymptomatic form of COVID-19 confirms the high intensity of the latent epidemic process, which must be taken into account when organizing preventive measures, including vaccination.
A Coxoperitoneal Shunt as Salvage for a Recurrent Giant Seroma of the Hip After Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Authors: Lehnen Aude , Wyss Roland , Meier Christoph , Kalberer Fabian , Breitenstein Stefan , Wahl Peter
Published: July 2021

Case:

A giant seroma developed in the hip of a 44-year-old man after resection arthroplasty performed for recurrent periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). The seroma persisted despite joint reconstruction but was ultimately treated successfully by internal drainage through a coxoperitoneal shunt.

Conclusion:

Resection arthroplasty of the hip is considered a salvage procedure for failed implant retention in the situation of persistent PJI. Nevertheless, functional results are poor and further soft-tissue complications may occur. A giant seroma of the hip may be drained into the peritoneal cavity, permitting healing without risking contamination from external, percutaneous drainage.
Effects of milling on the metals analysis of soil samples containing metallic residues
Authors: Clausen Jay , Beal Samuel , Georgian Thomas , Gardner Kevin , Douglas Thomas , Mossell Ashley
Published: July 2021

Metallic residues are distributed heterogeneously onto small-arms range soils from projectile fragmentation upon impact with a target or berm backstop. Incremental Sampling Methodology (ISM) can address the spatially heterogeneous contamination of surface soils on small-arms ranges, but representative kilogram-sized ISM subsamples are affected by the range of metallic residue particle sizes in the sample. This study compares the precision and concentrations of metals in a small-arms range soil sample processed by a puck mill, ring and puck mill, ball mill, and mortar and pestle prior to analysis. The ball mill, puck mill, and puck and ring mill produced acceptable relative standard deviations of less than 15% for the anthropogenic metals of interest (Lead (Pb), Antimony (Sb), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn)), with the ball mill exhibiting the greatest precision for Pb, Cu, and Zn. Precision by mortar and pestle, without milling, was considerably higher (40% to >100%) for anthropogenic metals. Media anthropogenic metal concentrations varied by more than 40% between milling methods, with the greatest concentrations produced by the puck mill, followed by the puck and ring mill and then the ball mill. Metal concentrations were also dependent on milling time, with concentrations stabilizing for the puck mill by 300 s but still increasing for the ball mill over 20 h. Differences in metal concentrations were not directly related to the surface area of the milled sample. Overall, the tested milling methods were successful in producing reproducible data for soils containing metallic residues. However, the effects of milling type and time on concentrations require consideration in environmental investigations.
Sublimation of terrestrial permafrost and the implications for ice-loss processes on Mars
Authors: Thomas Douglas , Michael Mellon
Published: July 2021

Sublimation of ice is rate-controlled by vapor transport away from its outer surface and may have generated landforms on Mars. In ice-cemented ground (permafrost), the lag of soil particles remaining after ice loss decreases subsequent sublimation. Varying soil-ice ratios lead to differential lag development. Here we report 52 years of sublimation measurements from a permafrost tunnel near Fairbanks, Alaska, and constrain models of sublimation, diffusion through porous soil, and lag formation. We derive the first long-term in situ effective diffusion coefficient of ice-free loess, a Mars analog soil, of 9.05 × 10⁻⁶ m² s⁻¹, ~5× larger than past theoretical studies. Exposed ice-wedge sublimation proceeds ~4× faster than predicted from analogy to heat loss by buoyant convection, a theory frequently employed in Mars studies. Our results can be used to map near-surface ice-content differences, identify surface processes controlling landform formation and morphology, and identify target landing sites for human exploration of Mars.
Structures and Kinematics of the Huanghua Depression in Bohai Bay Basin, East China: Implications for the Formation Mechanism of a Transtensional Basin
Authors: Mao Liguang , Zhao Xianzheng , Zhang Shixun , Su Yumeng , Jin Fengming , Liang Xufeng , Li Hongge , Wang Wenqing , Xiao Ancheng
Published: July 2021

The Bohai Bay Basin in East Asia is a rift basin created by Cenozoic subduction of the oceanic Pacific plate beneath the Asia continent. Many prior studies suggest that the basin was initially formed in the Paleocene with the development of several NNE-trending extensional grabens, but subsequently impacted by right-lateral shear along these existing NNE-trending structures in the middle Eocene, transforming the Bohai Bay Basin into a transtensional basin and producing EW-trending grabens in the Bozhong and the northeastern Huanghua depressions. However, how this transformation occurred remains to be fully understood. Based on seismic and drilling data, we herein investigated the fault structures, basin architecture, and evolutionary stages of the Huanghua Depression in the central-west Bohai Bay Basin to examine the strain partitioning and evolution mechanism during the Paleogene syn-rifting stage. The results reveal that the Huanghua Depression is composed of three structurally distinctive zones, namely, a dextral transtensional, a NW-SE extensional, and a N-S extensional zones from southwest to northeast, which are separated from each other by two transfer zones. The NW-SE extensional zone is interpreted as a horsetail structure on the northern termination of the dextral transtensional zone. This dextral transtensional zone and the Tan-Lu Fault zone to the east served as strike-slip boundaries within which EW-trending depressions such as the northeastern Huanghua and Bozhong depressions formed in the middle Eocene.
Morphological Variation of the Deciduous Second Molars in the Baka Pygmies
Authors: Šimková Petra G. , Weber Gerhard W. , Rozzi Fernando V. Ramirez , Slimani Lotfi , Sadoine Jérémy , Fornai Cinzia
Published: July 2021

The Baka Pygmies are known for their short stature resulting from a reduced growth rate during infancy. They are peculiar also for their teeth erupt earlier than in any other African population, and their posterior dentition is larger than in non-Pygmy populations. However, the Baka’s dental morphology, like several other aspects of their biology, is still understudied. Here, we explore the variation of the Baka’s deciduous upper and lower second molars (dm2s) in comparison to a geographically heterogeneous human sample by means of 3D geometric morphometrics and analysis of dental traits. Our results show that the different populations largely overlap based on the shape of their dm2s, especially the lower ones. Their distal region and the height of the dentinal crown differ the most, with the Baka showing the most extreme range of variation. Upper and lower dm2s covary to a great extent (RV=0.82). The Baka’s and South Americans’ dm2s were confirmed among the largest in our sample. Despite the Baka’s unique growth pattern, long-lasting isolation, and extreme dental variation, it is not possible to distinguish them from other populations based on their dm2s’ morphology only.
Analysis of Copy Move Forgery Detection Process Using Fuzzy C Means Based DeepLearning Algorithm in Digital Image
Authors: Nampoothiri Parameswaran , N Sugitha
Published: July 2021

Technological advances in the digital world have led to a tremendous growth in the popularity of digital photography in all walks of life. However, photo editing software tools are easy to use and make photo manipulation a breeze. Therefore, there is a need to find the wrong part of the image. Therefore, this work focuses on finding false images used using the copying process, better known as Copy Move Forgery Detection (CMFD). A copy of Motof spoofing basically means to hide or duplicate a place in a region by attaching certain parts of the same image to it. Initially, digital input images are pre-processed with a Gaussian filter, which is used to blur the image and reduce noise. After further development, a collection of Multi-kernel Fuzzy C-means clustering (MKFCM) was developed to classify images into multiple groups and depending on the various features, the features were extracted using the SIFT algorithm. Finally, with the help of an in-depth reading method, part of the illegal images are found. Test results show that this method is effective and efficient in detecting digital image deception and its functionality and the proposed method is shown in false images.
Assessment of Catatonia and Inter-Rater Reliability of Three Instruments: A Descriptive Study in an Acute Mental Health Unit in Urban South Africa
Authors: Zingela Zuksiwa , Stroud Louise , Cronje Johan , Fink Max , Wyk Stephan van
Published: July 2021

BackgroundClinical assessment of catatonia includes the use of diagnostic systems, like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) and International Classification of Disease Manual 10 (ICD-10), or screening tools such as the Bush Francis Screening Instrument (BFCSI)/Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) and Braunig’s Catatonia Rating Scale. In this study, we describe the inter-rater reliability (IRR), utilizing the BFCSI, BFCRS and DSM-5 to screen for catatonia. MethodData from 10 participants recruited as part of a larger prevalence study were used to determine IRR by five assessors after they were trained in the application of the 14-item BFCSI, 23-item BFCRS and DSM-5 to assess catatonia in new admissions. Krippendorff α was used to compute the IRR, and Spearman’s correlation was used to determine concordance between screening tools. The study was performed at a 35-bed acute mental health unit in Dora Nginza Hospital, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Participants were mostly involuntary admissions under the Mental Health Care Act of 2002 and between the ages of 13 and 65 years and older.ResultsThe majority (8, 80%) were 35 years or less and males (8, 80%). At least six (60%) of the ten participants were found to have catatonia based on the BFCSI/BFCRS and DSM-5 criteria.The BFCRS (complete 23-item scale) had the greatest level of inter-rater agreement with an α=0.798, while the DSM-5 had the lowest level of inter-rater agreement with an α=0.565. The highest correlation coefficients were observed between the BFCRS and BFCSI.ConclusionThe BFCSI and BFCRS were found to be sensitive tools for screening for catatonia with high IRR and high correlation coefficients, while the DSM 5 showed some deficiencies in screening for catatonia with low IRR and lowest correlation with the other two tools.
Analysis of in-hospital mortality among people with and without Diabetes in Australian Public Hospitals (2014-2017)
Authors: Gao Tina , Agho Kingsley E , Piya Milan K , Simmons David , Osuagwu Uchechukwu L
Published: July 2021

Background

Diabetes is a major public health problem affecting about 1.4 million Australians, especially in South Western Sydney, a hotspot of diabetes with higher than average rates for hospitalisations. The current understanding of the international burden of diabetes and related complications is poor and there is paucity of data on hospital outcomes and/or what common factors influence mortality rate in people with diabetes in Australia. This study determined in-hospital mortality rate and the factors associated among people with and without diabetes.
Methods

Retrospective data for 554,421 adult inpatients was extracted from the population-based New South Wales (NSW) Admitted Patient Data over 3 financial years (from 2014-15 to 2016-17). The in-hospital mortality per 1000 admitted persons, standardised mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated. Binary logistic regression was performed, adjusting for potential covariates and co-morbidities for people with and without diabetes over three years.
Results

Over three years 8.7% (48,038 people) of admissions involved those with diabetes. This increased from 8.4% in 2014-15 to 8.9% in 2016-17 (p = 0.007). Across all age groups, in-hospital mortality rate was significantly greater in people with diabetes (20.6, 95% Confidence intervals CI 19.3–21.9 per 1000 persons) than those without diabetes (11.8, 95%CI 11.5–12.1) and more in men than women (23.1, 95%CI 21.2–25.0 vs 17.9, 95%CI 16.2–19.8) with diabetes. The SMR for those with and without diabetes were 3.13 (95%CI 1.78–4.48) and 1.79 (95%CI 0.77–2.82), respectively. There were similarities in the factors associated with in hospital mortality in both groups including: aged > 54years, men, the widowed, those who stayed longer than 4 days or received intensive care in admission and had respiratory and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Conclusions

The study found that in-patients with diabetes continue to have higher mortality rates than those without diabetes and the Australian population. Overall, similar factors influenced mortality rate in people with and without diabetes in this region indicating that continued improved management of all inpatients is needed in order to minimise the persistent poor outcomes.
Comparison of Hydrometallurgical and Hybrid Recycling Processes for Lithium-ion Battery: An Environmental and Cost Analysis
Authors: Ganesh Aravind , Subramaniam Pushpavanam , Kaur Arshinder , Vaidyanathan Lakshmi
Published: July 2021

There is a strong emphasis on shifting to Electric Vehicles (EVs) throughout the globe for reducing the impact on global warming. Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) are predominantly used in EVs and these can be a significant threat to the environment if not disposed safely. Two routes namely pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes have been proposed in the literature for recycling LIBs. In this paper, we focus on quantifying the environmental impact of hydrometallurgy and hybrid (pyrometallurgy followed by hydrometallurgy) recycling processes and determine the option which has a lower impact on the environment. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used for the environmental impact assessment of LIB recycling. The analysis is performed assuming ideal conditions for the hydrometallurgical and hybrid process in the inventory analysis. The reason being it was possible to determine the reaction yields only by theoretical calculations and not by field or experimental study. We have provided the lower bounds of impact by assuming a 100% conversion rate for the calculation of reaction yields in inventory analysis. Hence, this paper serves as a precursor or feasibility study for the policy-making step before setting up the battery recycling plants. The main contribution of this research is stepwise methodology development for LCA of LIB recycling and theoretical estimation of the reaction yields for inventory analysis. It was found that the cathode, anode, and foil of the LIB contribute most to the impact compared to the rest of the inputs. The impact due to separator, cell case, cables, leaching agent, slag-forming agent and reducing agent were minimum. The results show that the environmental impact of the hybrid process is found to be slightly better than the hydrometallurgy process across all environmental indicators. Further, a simple cost analysis was performed, and it also supports the hybrid process as a better option due to lesser variable costs.
Rectal Foreign Bodies in Older Men: a Novel Challenge and Humanistic Care for the Society
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Xin Peiyuan , Zhang Tao , Zhou Chuxin , He Xianli , Bao Guoqiang
Published: July 2021

Background: In recent years, rectal foreign bodies are a common proctological emergency in the male population, especially in Chinese elderly men that often requires the intervention of the surgeon due to its complications. The aim of this review is to describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of rectal foreign bodies in elderly men and its possible challenge to clinicians and society. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in English databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, Chinese biomedical database) from January 2000 to December 2020. All rectal foreign bodies relevant studies were considered, if they reported the purpose for a foreign body in the rectum and related treatment measures. Contemporaneous rectal foreign bodies cases data from our center were also analyzed. Two authors independently extracted the data and reviewed the quality of the included research. According to the differences in population background, we divided the elderly Chinese male group and the elderly non-Chinese male group, the parameters of the two groups were analyzed by statistical methods.Results: A total of 159 literatures were preliminarily retrieved in initial literature search with rectal foreign body as the search term, including 86 Chinese literatures and 73 English literatures. A total of 582 patients were the elderly male patients, included 276 Chinese patients and 307 non-Chinese patients. In older men, the sources of foreign bodies can be divided into three categories: the ones that are inserted from the anus, the ones that are swallowed and thereafter become stuck in the rectum, the other that are caused by improper medical practices. The most common purpose for a foreign body in the rectum was insertion for erotic purposes. In the foreign body type, the daily articles account for the majority. Sexual articles are mainly found in pleasure seekers. There was no significant difference in foreign body sources, size, type, treatment selection and outcome between the two groups.Conclusions: In older men, there is an increasing number of cases of rectal foreign body emergency visits for erotic purposes and sexual needs. Although the source, size and type of foreign body are different, and patients can get a better recovery after active and appropriate clinical treatment, the sexual needs are social problem we should pay attention to in older men. Treatment of sexual issues is a multidimensional task that should be implemented as a collaborative effort and older people should get more humanistic care in this regard.
On the Theoretical Performance Limits of Long Repeated/Regenerated Optical IMDD Links
Authors: Francis Fredy , R Manivasakan
Published: July 2021

The introduction of optical amplifiers has drastically increased the capacity and the reach of optical transmission links. However, they add Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) noise, which progressively degrades the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) when cascaded and ultimately limits the transmission reach and performance. This is conventionally offset using regenerators, typically Optical-Electrical-Optical (OEO) conversion devices, that recreate the signal restoring its source SNR, albeit with bit errors due to the hitherto accumulated noise. These OEO regenerators tend to be expensive and add to the link latency, which sets the scene for widespread commercial implementation of all-optical regenerators in the near future. Our work aims to analyze the ideal, best-case theoretical gains achievable using an all-regenerator optical link as compared to an all-repeater link. So, this analytical study serves as a benchmark against which future link performance gains can be compared. We also translate this bound on BER advantage to extra reach or lower transmission power. We compare and contrast the evolution of noise power and BER down the link using the derived analytical expressions. The theoretical comparative study is then evaluated by incorporating the physical parameters of the devices. Both results agree and prove the dramatic increase in link reach achievable using all-regenerator links with minor input power penalties. Further, certain approximations to reduce the computational overhead for the described methods are proposed, which should find applications in dynamic reconfigurable optical networks.
Policy Analysis of Socio-cultural Determinants of Salt, Sugar and Fat Consumption in Iran
Authors: Amerzadeh Mohammad , Takian Amirhossein , Pouraram Hamed , Sari Ali Akbari , Ostovar Afshin
Published: July 2021

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the first reason for death worldwide, in which an unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor. It is estimated that 20 percent of all death is related to food. The Unhealthy diet includes many foods with excessive salt, sugar and fat. This paper reports a national study on the socio-cultural determinants affecting salt, sugar and fat consumption in Iran. Methods: This is a qualitative study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 various purposefully identified key stakeholders to collect data from December 2018 until August 2019 in Iran.Results: We identified socio-cultural determents of salt, fat and sugar consumption as follows: inadequate structure of traditional medicine, training some non-scientific principles, people's desire for traditional foods, low health literacy, inappropriate management of the media and social networks and the progressive decline of people's trust in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Worse still, the global trend of nutritional transition and people's tendency towards fast foods, unhealthy diet and junk foods, partially due to establishing children's taste mainly with salty, high-fat and sweet foods, has jeopardized their desire to eat healthily during adulthood. Conclusion: Reducing salt, fat and sugar consumption is problematic in Iran, mainly due to multi-dimensional socio-cultural determinants. In line with sustainable development goal (SDG) 3.4 to reduce 30 percent of premature death due to NCDs and related risk factors by 2030 in Iran, various stakeholders from multiple sectors, need to initiate coherent series of interventions to alter people's approach to select food, so they may reduce the consumption of foods with excessive salt, fat and sugar.