bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of instruments for modeling economic and commercial behavior in bovine production
Authors: Ghiglione Franco Alexis , Ferro Moreno Santiago
Published: June 2024

Agricultural companies base their decisions on the anticipated behavior of variables. This paper aims to analyze and model the behavior of livestock producers in relation to the adoption of marketing strategies in uncertain scenarios. Through structured questionnaires administered to cattle producers, stated preference models were developed for various strata, taking into account the number of animals. An inverse relationship was observed between income, derived from higher cattle stocks, and hypothetical and real choices of the direct marketing channel. Among the conventional variables, it was confirmed that beef cattle producers prioritize harvesting time over selling price and marketing cost.
Solving an Order Batching and Sequencing Problem with Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Canaslan Begüm , Gülcü Ayla
Published: June 2024

The purpose of this research is to determine whether a DRL solution would be a suitable solution for the OBSP problem and to compare it with traditional methods. For this purpose, models trained utilizing the PPO algorithm were tested in a complex and realistic warehouse environment, and an attempt was made to measure whether a strategy was developed to decrease the number of orders being late. A heuristic method was also applied and the results were compared on the same environment and data. The results showed that DRL approach that combines heuristics with the PPO algorithm outperforms the heuristics in minimizing the tardy order percentage in all tested scenarios.
Performance of Laboratory Designed Permeable Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Jakubėnaitė Ieva , Vaitkus Audrius , Škulteckė Judita , Šernas Ovidijus
Published: June 2024

Permeable asphalt pavement is one of the sustainable solutions to remove water from road surfaces. The aim of the research is to analyse the performance of permeable asphalt mixtures depending on the different nominal maximum size and, as a result, to determine the minimum air voids content, which ensures that the asphalt pavement is permeable. To analyse the permeability of asphalt mixtures, ten porous asphalt mixtures with different air voids content and nominal maximum size were designed and tested in terms of air voids content, horizontal and vertical water permeability, water sensitivity, water sensitivity after ultraviolet radiation and mass loss. The results showed that the PA 16 mixture, designed according to the technical requirements TRA ASPHALT 08, was the most porous and permeable mixture, while the modified PA 8 mixture (PA 8_M2) had the lowest air voids content and permeability. Based on the importance of vertical water permeability (0.5%), mass loss (0.3%), water sensitivity (ITSR) (0.2%), the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods showed that PA 11 (0.729 and 0.745) and PA 16 (0.684 and 0.631) had the highest overall weights.
Human DDX6 regulates translation and decay of inefficiently translated mRNAs
Authors: Weber Ramona , Wohlbold Lara , Chang Chung-Te
Published: June 2024

Recent findings indicate that the translation elongation rate influences mRNA stability. One of the factors that has been implicated in this link between mRNA decay and translation speed is the yeast DEAD-box helicase Dhh1p. Here, we demonstrated that the human ortholog of Dhh1p, DDX6, triggers deadenylation-dependent decay of inefficiently translated mRNAs in human cells. DDX6 interacts with the ribosome through the Phe-Asp-Phe (FDF) motif in its RecA2 domain. Furthermore, RecA2-mediated interactions and ATPase activity are both required for DDX6 to destabilize inefficiently translated mRNAs. Using ribosome profiling and RNA sequencing, we identified two classes of endogenous mRNAs that are regulated in a DDX6-dependent manner. The identified targets are either translationally regulated or regulated at the steady-state-level and either exhibit signatures of poor overall translation or of locally reduced ribosome translocation rates. Transferring the identified sequence stretches into a reporter mRNA caused translation- and DDX6-dependent degradation of the reporter mRNA. In summary, these results identify DDX6 as a crucial regulator of mRNA translation and decay triggered by slow ribosome movement and provide insights into the mechanism by which DDX6 destabilizes inefficiently translated mRNAs.
Prediction error determines how memories are organized in the brain: a study of Pavlovian fear extinction in rats
Authors: Kennedy Nicholas G. W. , Lee Jessica C. , Killcross Simon , Westbrook Fred , Holmes Nathan M.
Published: June 2024

How is new information organized in memory? According to latent state theories, this is determined by the level of surprise, or prediction error, generated by the new information: small prediction error leads to updating of existing memory, large prediction error leads to encoding of a new memory. We tested this idea using a protocol in which rats were first conditioned to fear a stimulus paired with shock. The stimulus was then gradually extinguished by progressively reducing the shock intensity until the stimulus was presented alone. Consistent with latent state theories, this gradual extinction protocol (small prediction errors) was better than standard extinction (large prediction errors) in producing long-term suppression of fear responses; and the benefit of gradual extinction was due to updating of the conditioning memory with information about extinction. Thus, prediction error determines how new information is organized in memory, and latent state theories adequately describe the ways in which this occurs.
Sex-dependent, lateralized engagement of anterior insular cortex inputs to the dorsolateral striatum in binge alcohol drinking
Authors: Haggerty David L. , Atwood Brady K.
Published: June 2024

How does alcohol consumption alter synaptic transmission across time, and do these alcohol-induced neuroadaptations occur similarly in both male and female mice? Previous work shows that anterior insular cortex (AIC) projections to the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) are uniquely sensitive to alcohol-induced neuroadaptations in male, but not female mice, and play a role in governing binge alcohol consumption in male mice. Here, by using high-resolution behavior data paired with
in-vivo
fiber photometry, we show how similar levels of alcohol intake are achieved via different behavioral strategies across sex, and how inter-drinking session thirst states predict future alcohol intakes in females, but not males. Further, we show how presynaptic calcium activity recorded from AIC synaptic inputs in the DLS across 3 weeks of water consumption followed by 3 weeks of binge alcohol consumption change across, fluid, time, sex, and brain circuit lateralization. By time-locking presynaptic calcium activity from AIC inputs to the DLS to peri-initiation of drinking events we also show that AIC inputs into the left DLS robustly encode binge alcohol intake behaviors relative to water consumption and AIC inputs into the right DLS in males, but not females. These findings suggest a fluid-, sex- and lateralization-dependent role for the engagement of AIC inputs into the DLS that encode binge alcohol consumption behaviors and further contextualize alcohol-induced neuroadaptations at AIC inputs to the DLS.
Slow kinesin-dependent microtubular transport facilitates ribbon synapse assembly in developing cochlear inner hair cells
Authors: Voorn Roos Anouk , Sternbach Michael , Jarysta Amandine , Rankovic Vladan , Tarchini Basile , Wolf Fred , Vogl Christian
Published: June 2024

Sensory synapses are characterized by electron-dense presynaptic specializations, so-called synaptic ribbons. In cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs), ribbons play an essential role as core active zone (AZ) organizers, where they tether synaptic vesicles, cluster calcium channels and facilitate the temporally-precise release of primed vesicles. While a multitude of studies aimed to elucidate the molecular composition and function of IHC ribbon synapses, the developmental formation of these signalling complexes remains largely elusive to date. To address this shortcoming, we performed long-term live-cell imaging of fluorescently-labelled ribbon precursors in young postnatal IHCs to track ribbon precursor motion. We show that ribbon precursors utilize the apico-basal microtubular (MT) cytoskeleton for targeted trafficking to the presynapse, in a process reminiscent of slow axonal transport in neurons. During translocation, precursor volume regulation is achieved by highly dynamic structural plasticity – characterized by regularly-occurring fusion and fission events. Pharmacological MT destabilization negatively impacted on precursor translocation and attenuated structural plasticity, whereas genetic disruption of the anterograde molecular motor Kif1a impaired ribbon volume accumulation during developmental maturation. Combined, our data thus indicate an essential role of the MT cytoskeleton and Kif1a in adequate ribbon synapse formation and structural maintenance.
The Recurrent Temporal Restricted Boltzmann Machine Captures Neural Assembly Dynamics in Whole-brain Activity
Authors: Quiroz Monnens Sebastian , Peters Casper , Smeets Kasper , Hesselink Luuk Willem , Englitz Bernhard
Published: June 2024

Animal behaviour alternates between stochastic exploration and goal-directed actions, which are generated by the underlying neural dynamics. Previously, we demonstrated that the compositional Restricted Boltzmann Machine (cRBM) can decompose whole-brain activity of larval zebrafish data at the neural level into a small number (∼100-200) of assemblies that can account for the stochasticity of the neural activity (van der Plas et al., eLife, 2023). Here we advance this representation by extending to a combined stochastic-dynamical representation to account for both aspects using the Recurrent Temporal RBM (RTRBM) and transfer-learning based on the cRBM estimate. We demonstrate that the functional advantage of the RTRBM is captured in the temporal weights on the hidden units, representing neural assemblies, both in simulated and experimental data. Our results show that the temporal expansion outperforms the stochastic-only cRBM in terms of generalisation error and achieves more accurate representation of the moments in time. Lastly, we demonstrate that we can identify the original time-scale of assembly dynamics, by estimating multiple RTRBMs at different temporal resolutions. Together, we propose that RTRBMs are a valuable tool for capturing the combined stochastic and time-predictive dynamics of large-scale data sets.
A bigura-based real time sentiment analysis of new media
Authors: Xu Haili
Published: June 2024

Public opinion mining is an active research domain, especially the penetration of the internet and the adoption of smartphones lead to the enormous generation of data in new media. Thus generation of large amounts of data leads to the limitation of traditional machine learning techniques. Therefore, the obvious adoption of deep learning for the said data. A multilayer BiGura modal-based technique for real-time sentiment detection is proposed. The proposed system is analysed on different viral incidents such as Gaza’s invision. The exact case scenario is as follows “Taking Israel’s demand for millions of people from northern Gaza to migrate to the south”. In the experiment, the highest accuracy of the model in evaluating text content emotions and video content emotions reached 92.7% and 86.9%, respectively. Compared to Bayesian and K-nearest neighbour (KNN) classifiers, deep learning exhibits significant advantages in new media sentiment analysis. The classification accuracy has been improved by 3.88% and 4.33%, respectively. This research identified the fidelity of real-time emotion monitoring effectively capturing and understanding users’ emotional tendencies. It can also monitor changes in public opinion in real-time. This study provides new technical means for sentiment analysis and public opinion monitoring in new media. It helps to achieve more accurate and real-time monitoring of public opinion, which has important practical significance for social stability and public safety.
Double-target self-supervised clustering with multi-feature fusion for medical question texts
Authors: Shen Xifeng , Sun Yuanyuan , Zhang Chunxia , Yang Cheng , Qin Yi , Zhang Weining , Nan Jiale , Che Meiling , Gao Dongping
Published: June 2024

Background

To make the question text represent more information and construct an end-to-end text clustering model, we propose a double-target self-supervised clustering with multi-feature fusion (MF-DSC) for texts which describe questions related to the medical field. Since medical question-and-answer data are unstructured texts and characterized by short characters and irregular language use, the features extracted by a single model cannot fully characterize the text content.

Methods

Firstly, word weights were obtained based on term frequency, and word vectors were generated according to lexical semantic information. Then we fused term frequency and lexical semantics to obtain weighted word vectors, which were used as input to the model for deep learning. Meanwhile, a self-attention mechanism was introduced to calculate the weight of each word in the question text, i.e., the interactions between words. To learn fusing cross-document topic features and build an end-to-end text clustering model, two target functions, L cluster and L topic, were constructed and integrated to a unified clustering framework, which also helped to learn a friendly representation that facilitates text clustering. After that, we conducted comparison experiments with five other models to verify the effectiveness of MF-DSC.

Results

The MF-DSC outperformed other models in normalized mutual information (NMI), adjusted Rand indicator (ARI) average clustering accuracy (ACC) and F1 with 0.4346, 0.4934, 0.8649 and 0.5737, respectively.
Enhancing fraud detection in auto insurance and credit card transactions: a novel approach integrating CNNs and machine learning algorithms
Authors: Ming Ruixing , Abdelrahman Osama , Innab Nisreen , Ibrahim Mohamed Hanafy Kotb
Published: June 2024

Fraudulent activities especially in auto insurance and credit card transactions impose significant financial losses on businesses and individuals. To overcome this issue, we propose a novel approach for fraud detection, combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with support vector machine (SVM), k nearest neighbor (KNN), naive Bayes (NB), and decision tree (DT) algorithms. The core of this methodology lies in utilizing the deep features extracted from the CNNs as inputs to various machine learning models, thus significantly contributing to the enhancement of fraud detection accuracy and efficiency. Our results demonstrate superior performance compared to previous studies, highlighting our model’s potential for widespread adoption in combating fraudulent activities.
An intrusion detection system based on convolution neural network
Authors: Mo Yanmeng , Li Huige , Wang Dongsheng , Liu Gaqiong
Published: June 2024

With the rapid extensive development of the Internet, users not only enjoy great convenience but also face numerous serious security problems. The increasing frequency of data breaches has made it clear that the network security situation is becoming increasingly urgent. In the realm of cybersecurity, intrusion detection plays a pivotal role in monitoring network attacks. However, the efficacy of existing solutions in detecting such intrusions remains suboptimal, perpetuating the security crisis. To address this challenge, we propose a sparse autoencoder-Bayesian optimization-convolutional neural network (SA-BO-CNN) system based on convolutional neural network (CNN). Firstly, to tackle the issue of data imbalance, we employ the SMOTE resampling function during system construction. Secondly, we enhance the system’s feature extraction capabilities by incorporating SA. Finally, we leverage BO in conjunction with CNN to enhance system accuracy. Additionally, a multi-round iteration approach is adopted to further refine detection accuracy. Experimental findings demonstrate an impressive system accuracy of 98.36%. Comparative analyses underscore the superior detection rate of the SA-BO-CNN system.
Graph-based event schema induction in open-domain corpus
Authors: Yan Keyu , Liu Wei , Xie Shaorong , Peng Yan
Published: June 2024

An event schema provides a formal language for representing events and modeling knowledge about the world. Existing event schema induction methods often only applies text features to the cluster, restricting its cluster capabilities. This article presents a Graph-Based Event Schema Induction model to extract structural features from our constructed graph. Inspired by in-context learning, we propose a way to conceptualize clusters to generate event schemas. We evaluated the clustering experiment using the Adjusted Rand Index (ARI), normalized mutual information (NMI), accuracy (ACC), and BCubed-F1 metrics and generated event schemas based on overlap ratio and acceptable ratio. The experimental results show that our method has shown improvement in terms of clustering effectiveness, and the generated event schemas achieved highly acceptable ratio.
Effect of glucocorticoid blockade on inflammatory responses to acute sleep fragmentation in male mice
Authors: Hasan Zim Warda , Nguyen Van Thuan , Ashley Noah T.
Published: June 2024

The association between sleep and the immune-endocrine system is well recognized, but the nature of that relationship is not well understood. Sleep fragmentation induces a pro-inflammatory response in peripheral tissues and brain, but it also activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, releasing glucocorticoids (GCs) (cortisol in humans and corticosterone in mice). It is unclear whether this rapid release of glucocorticoids acts to potentiate or dampen the inflammatory response in the short term. The purpose of this study was to determine whether blocking or suppressing glucocorticoid activity will affect the inflammatory response from acute sleep fragmentation (ASF). Male C57BL/6J mice were injected i.p. with either 0.9% NaCl (vehicle 1), metyrapone (a glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor, dissolved in vehicle 1), 2% ethanol in polyethylene glycol (vehicle 2), or mifepristone (a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, dissolved in vehicle 2) 10 min before the start of ASF or no sleep fragmentation (NSF). After 24 h, samples were collected from brain (prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus) and periphery (liver, spleen, heart, and epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT)). Proinflammatory gene expression (TNF-α and IL-1β) was measured, followed by gene expression analysis. Metyrapone treatment affected pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression during ASF in some peripheral tissues, but not in the brain. More specifically, metyrapone treatment suppressed IL-1β expression in EWAT during ASF, which implies a pro-inflammatory effect of GCs. However, in cardiac tissue, metyrapone treatment increased TNF-α expression in ASF mice, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect of GCs. Mifepristone treatment yielded more significant results than metyrapone, reducing TNF-α expression in liver (only NSF mice) and cardiac tissue during ASF, indicating a pro-inflammatory role. Conversely, in the spleen of ASF-mice, mifepristone increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), demonstrating an anti-inflammatory role. Furthermore, irrespective of sleep fragmentation, mifepristone increased pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in heart (IL-1β), pre-frontal cortex (IL-1β), and hypothalamus (IL-1β). The results provide mixed evidence for pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of corticosterone to regulate inflammatory responses to acute sleep loss.
Bioaccessibility of condensed tannins and their effect on the physico-chemical characteristics of lamb meat
Authors: García Salas Alejandro , Bárcena-Gama Jose Ricardo , Ventura Joel , Muñoz-García Canuto , Escobar-España José Carlos , Crosby Maria Magdalena , Hernandez David
Published: June 2024

The bioaccessibility of tannins as antioxidants in meat is essential to maximise their effectiveness in protecting the product. This property determines the amount of tannins available to interact with meat components, inhibiting lipid and protein oxidation and, consequently, prolonging shelf life and preserving the sensory quality of the product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioaccessibility of condensed tannins (CT) from Acacia mearnsii extract (AME) and their effect on the physico-chemical characteristics of fattened lamb meat. Thirty-six Dorset × Hampshire lambs (3 months old and 20.8 ± 3.3 kg live weight) were used. The lambs were distributed equally (n = 9) into four treatments: T1, T2, T3 and T4, which included a basal diet plus 0%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75% of CT from AME, respectively. At the end of the fattening period, bioaccessibility was evaluated, the animals were slaughtered and a sample of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle was collected to assess colour, lipid oxidation, cooking weight loss and shear force on days 1, 4, 7 and 14 of shelf-life, in samples preserved at −20 °C. In addition, the long chain fatty acid profile was analysed. A completely randomised design was used, and the means were compared with Tukey’s test (P < 0.05). The mean lightness (L*), yellowness (b*) and hue (H*) values were higher for T3 and T4. The addition of CT did not affect (P > 0.05) redness (a*), cooking weight loss (CWL) or shear force (SF). T4 decreased (P < 0.05) stearic acid and increased cis-9 trans-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Bioaccessibility was higher in the supplemented groups (T1 < T2, T3 and T4). In conclusion, supplementing CT from AME in the diet of lambs did not reduce lipid oxidation, but T3 or T4 improved some aspects of meat colour and CLA deposition.
Accuracy and Precision Evaluation of Unmanned Automatic Gas Detection Tube Measurement Device Using IoT
Authors: Kim Il-Gyu , Lee Ik-Sang , Kim So-Young
Published: June 2024

The number of chemical accidents occurring nationwide when handling chemicals increased from 66 in 2022 to 116 in 2023. When a chemical accident occurs, response personnel must quickly detect the substances causing the accident and establish a plan for disaster prevention and resolution. However, due to the hazards and risks associated with accidents, ensuring the safety of response personnel while determining the origin of the accident is challenging. Generally, easy-to-use manual detector tubes are widely used during initial accident responses; however, using personal protective equipment, such as gloves and protective clothing, makes determining the origin difficult. An unmanned gas detection tube measuring device was patented in a previous study to address this issue. However, its use is limited because the accuracy of the device has not been evaluated. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the accuracy and precision of the unmanned gas detector. Ammonia was selected as the target substance because it frequently causes accidents. To ensure the reliability of the unmanned gas-measuring device, a comparative analysis was conducted using the manual detector with a single gas-measuring device as a sensor. The manual detector showed a higher error compared to the standard error due to the delay in reading time and deviation in the individual reading. However, the measurement error of the unmanned gas detector was 19.8%, which was within the manual detector measurement error range; the accuracy was higher than that of the manual detector. Therefore, an unmanned gas detector is preferable over a manual detector.
Verification Experiment of Vacuum Sprinkler Extinguishing System to Improve Performance Efficiency in Semiconductor Plants
Authors: Park Ha-Jin , Kim Hak-Joong
Published: June 2024

In this study, the negative pressure in the secondary-side pipe of a negative-pressure sprinkler system is confirmed to be -0.05 MPa. Furthermore, even if three sprinkler-head glass bulbs are damaged, the pressure in the pipe remains at -0.02 to -0.05 MPa, thus forming a negative pressure. The head release times of the negative-pressure sprinkler system and pre-operation sprinkler system are 8 s faster on average than that of a negative-pressure facility. The release time is reduced if a negative pressure is formed with a certain amount of digestive water in the pipe by minimizing the discharge of digestive water inside the pipe.
Combustion Mechanism of Polyurethane Foam in Refrigerated and Frozen Warehouses Based on Fire-Case Analysis
Authors: Hwang In-Ho , Kim Woochang
Published: June 2024

The PAMS refrigerated and frozen logistics warehouse in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do experienced a fire in January 2022. This event exhibited distinct characteristics compared to existing fire cases because of architectural variations. Notably, the main structural component was fire-resistant, and the floor height was elevated. Consequently, conducting research on fire prevention and response strategies specific to the built environment of refrigerated and frozen warehouses with increased floor heights is imperative. A 1/10th scale model of the actual PAMS warehouse (room 208) was constructed for reproduction experiments. Additionally, basic experiments were conducted using the samples of polyurethane foam collected from fire sites. During these basic experiments, the polyurethane foam was ignited at approximately 315 ℃. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis revealed a complete decomposition of the foam at approximately 388 ℃, accompanied by a significant mass reduction rate of approximately 80%. Intriguingly, our observations of the 1/10th scale model, even with the loading dock entrance remaining open, indicated the presence of pulsating smoke, suggesting a backdraft event. Upon opening the upper part of the neutral zone, rapid combustion occurred. These findings indicate that the introduction of oxygen through a collapsed upper wall section in refrigerated and frozen logistics warehouses, even during the decline phase of a fire, can induce rapid changes in the combustion behavior of polyurethane foam. These findings should be considered for the development of fire prevention and response protocols for such facilities.
Analysis of the Light Extinction Effect of Polymethyl Methacrylate by Smoke Particle Size in Combustion Conditions
Authors: Lee Seonhyo , Jeon Joonho
Published: June 2024

Large amounts of smoke and toxic gases generated during combustion are the main causes of fire casualties and are major factors that hinder evacuation (i.e., by reducing the visibility). Since the size of the smoke particles closely influences the scattering and absorption of light, it has a direct effect on the opacity of the smoke. Therefore, it is important to determine the correlation between the particle size distribution of smoke particles and smoke opacity to ensure the safety of evacuees. In this study, the correlation between density and size distribution of smoke particles from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and visibility were measured with and without flame conditions. We achieved this by setting up an ISO 5659-2 smoke density chamber, equipped with a particle measuring device (OPC), and recording the visibility changes with increasing temperature. Specific optical density and visibility secured during evacuation were compared. As the specific optical density increased, the particle concentration with a size of 0.25 - 0.3 μm decreased but the one with a size of 0.3 - 0.58 μm increased significantly. Regression analysis confirmed that 0.25 - 0.58 μm particles affected light extinction the most. The difference in visibility secured during evacuation was determined based on the number of particles and size distribution.
Inteligência Emocional como ferramenta de negociação para resolução de conflitos: um estudo de caso na Faculdade UNINA, Curitiba, Brasil
Authors: Fritz Monika
Published: June 2024

A liderança empresarial envolve a capacidade de alcançar resultados por meio da influência e da negociação. A inteligência emocional é crucial nesse processo, equilibrando o pensamento racional e emocional para resolver conflitos e liderar equipes. Um estudo na Faculdade Unina com 20 participantes não encontrou uma relação direta entre inteligência emocional e estilos de negociação, sugerindo que todos podem se beneficiar do aprimoramento emocional. Os resultados identificaram dois estilos predominantes de negociadores - catalisadores e controladores - independentemente do sexo, cargo ou tempo na instituição. Os participantes demonstraram um equilíbrio emocional e habilidades de comunicação eficazes, mas também uma possível falta de diferenciação na gestão das próprias emoções e na influência sobre os outros. Concluiu-se que o desenvolvimento contínuo das habilidades emocionais requer prática e reflexão. Embora a hipótese inicial não tenha sido diretamente confirmada, os insights obtidos sugerem ações iniciais, como tipos específicos de treinamento.
Ratio of Height to Sternomental Displacement as a Predictor for Difficult Airway: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: . Farha , Valsan Neera , Kadiru Moona Abdul , Raphael Paul O , Zulfikar Mazhar , Bharathan Bijina , . Jubairiya , . Naseema
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Unanticipated difficult airway is still a cause of morbidity and mortality. Various parameters are used to predict difficult airways. Recent studies have found that measuring the Sternomental Displacement (SMDD) can help establish a difficult airway. Aim: To find whether the Ratio of Height to Sternomental Displacement (RHSMDD) could be used as a predictor for Difficult Laryngoscopy (DL) and intubation. Secondary objectives included comparing RHSMDD with routine assessment parameters like Modified Mallampati Score (MMT), SMD, Thyromental Distance (TMD), and Inter Incisor Distance (IID). Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at Malabar Medical College, Calicut, Kerala, India among 120 adult patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anaesthesia. Airway parameters like MMT, IID, TMD, SMD, Sternomental Displacement (SMDD), RHSMDD, Ratio of Height to Sternomental Distance (RHSMD), and Ratio of Height to Thyromental Distance (RHTMD) were measured preoperatively and associated with Cormack Lehane’s laryngoscopic grading and Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS) value. A comparison of airway parameters with laryngoscopy and intubation was done by the Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed, and optimal cut-off values for significant quantitative indices were calculated. Sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were also calculated and compared. Results: The incidence of DL was 27.5%, and Difficult Intubation (DI) was 10.8%. Age (p-value=0.013), weight (p-value=<0.001), and height (p-value=0.019) showed a significant association with DL. It was found that only RHTMD was statistically significantly higher in the DI group (p=0.044). All other parameters did not show statistical significance in either group. The calculated cutoff value for RHTMD was ≥18.45 cm. The highest specificity (96.3%) and NPV (90.43%) were observed for Body Mass Index (BMI) alone as a predictor of DI. The highest sensitivity (93.75%) was observed for TMD alone in predicting DL. The combination of MMT+RHSMD yielded the highest sensitivity and NPV for DI. Conclusion: RHTMD showed significance in DI and remains a better predictor. RHSMDD cannot be used as a predictor for a difficult airway. The combination of parameters demonstrated high sensitivity and NPV, suggesting they can be combined with modern ultrasound airway measurement for more accuracy
Bridging the Divide: Tackling Recruitment Challenges in Indian Clinical Trials: A Narrative Review
Authors: Ghotankar Shambhavi S , Devkar Rajendra , Deshmukh Madhura
Published: June 2024

India’s clinical trial landscape has witnessed rapid growth over the period, with the recent introduction of remote trial patient monitoring utilising technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The vast and diverse population, combined with well-established medical infrastructure and skilled professionals, makes India an ideal location for conducting clinical research. Many international pharmaceutical companies have chosen to outsource their operations to India as well. However, despite India emerging as a significant hub for clinical trials, recruiting participants still presents unique challenges. This review aimed to shed light on the hurdles faced in recruiting participants in Indian clinical trials and explore potential solutions to bridge this gap. It has been highlighted that overcoming the challenges in recruiting participants in Indian clinical trials requires a multi-faceted approach involving various stakeholders. Along with the powerful steps taken by the government in reforming policies and regulatory norms, certain innovative and effective strategies need to be designed to streamline the processes of participant recruitment.
Effect of Turmeric Powder Supplementation on Egg Production, Hatchability and Internal Egg Quality Characteristics of Quail Eggs
Authors: Longjam S. D. , Goswami R. , Kalita G. , Samanta A. K. , Ahmed F. A.
Published: June 2024

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of dietary supplementation of turmeric powder at a rate 0, 1, and 2% on egg production, hatchability and internal egg quality characteristics of Japanese quails (Coturnix Japonica). A total of 225 numbers of 54 weeks old Japanese quails were randomly selected from the Poultry farm, Instructional Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram, of which 150 were female and 75 were male. The birds were divided equally into three treatment groups i.e. T0, T1 and T2 comprise of 75 birds each. T0, T1 and T2 were supplemented with 0, 1 and 2 per cent turmeric powder of basal diet respectively. Each group were again divided equally into five replicates trails. The mean Hen Day Egg Production (%) was significantly higher (P˂0.01) during 59th weeks of age in turmeric supplemented groups of T1 followed by T2. No significant difference was observed between the treatment groups in regard to hatchability percentage. Albumen index and Haugh unit were recorded as non- significant between the treatment groups. Yolk index and shell thickness was significantly higher at (P˂0.01) and (P˂0.05) respectively in 2 percent turmeric supplementation. The yolk colour score was found to be significantly higher (P˂0.01) with increased level of turmeric powder supplementation. Therefore, it is concluded that supplementation of 1% turmeric powder in the diet improve egg production while 2% inclusion improves the internal egg quality characteristics (yolk index and yolk colour) of quail eggs.
Research on the Effect of China's Direct Investment on Countries along the Belt and Road Based on RMB Internationalization
Authors: Li Min
Published: June 2024

Over the past decade or so, China has steadily and prudently promoted the internationalisation of the RMB on the basis of market- and enterprise-driven decisions, providing strong support for the smooth operation of the real economy.2022 The report of the 20th Party Congress proposed "orderly promotion of the internationalisation of the RMB". This indicates that the RMB has moved from a cautious stage of exploration and experience accumulation to a new stage of system design and action. This indicates that the internationalisation of the RMB has moved from the cautious stage of exploration and accumulation of experience to the new stage of orderly promotion of institutional design and action. Therefore, this paper adopts a linear and non-linear approach to construct a regression model to empirically analyse the impact of RMB internationalisation on China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) along the "Belt and Road". The results show that RMB internationalisation has a positive impact on China's outward FDI along the Belt and Road, and this impact varies with the increase in geographical distance; secondly, RMB internationalisation may also affect outward FDI by affecting foreign trade. This paper suggests that China should seize the opportunity of the development of the Belt and Road strategy and use RMB internationalisation to promote OFDI in countries along the Belt and Road, expand bilateral foreign trade and achieve common development.
The Role of Alcohol Consumption in Cardiovascular Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Chaudhry Raheel , Afridi Masooma , Mahmood Arhum , Khan Shahroz M. , Kayed Hadeel Al , Tahera Syeda I. , Saleem Ayesha , Sajawal Muhammad , Masmoum Mohd.Diya , Nazmin Farhana , Ullah Imdad
Published: June 2024

There remains a debate on the effects of alcohol use on cardiovascular health. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between this link and blood pressure, lipid profiles, and the frequency of cardiovascular events to shed light on it. A comprehensive search strategy using PRISMA guidelines resulted in nine papers that met the inclusion requirements. Moderate alcohol usage was shown to have a U- or J-shaped connection with cardiovascular events; excessive intake or abstinence was associated with increased risk, but moderate consumption had preventive advantages. Moderate drinkers showed positive changes in their lipid profiles and lowered blood pressure in comparison to heavy or non-drinkers. The wide range of research highlights the need to consider individual characteristics and study techniques. Despite the potential cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol use shown by these studies, treatment recommendations should be cautious. To provide personalized recommendations to patients and policymakers, future research should focus on explaining mechanisms, examining modifiers, and assessing the effects of different types of alcohol and drinking habits on cardiovascular health.
Determining the Effect of IBA and Rooting Media on Air Layering in Kinnow (Citrus spp)
Authors: Kumar Shubham , Joseph Annjoe V. , Bahadur Vijay
Published: June 2024

The present investigation was carried out in the department of Horticulture, Prayagraj, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and sciences, Prayagraj during 2023-2024. The study aimed to determine the best treatment combination for increasing farmer profitability and yield. A Factorial Randomized Complete Block Design including twelve treatment combinations and three replications was used to set up the experiment. The treatments consist of various IBA Concentration (1000 and 1500 ppm) rooting media (Cocopeat, vermicompost and soil). Result showed that the treatmentT8(Soil+Cocopeat+IBA at 1000ppm) achieved the best growth features, including success percentage (91.67%), survival percentage (66%), number of days to root formation (initial rooting)(27.67), number of days to complete rooting(46.33),Root length(5.43),Root thickness(3.03), number of roots per layer(13.10), number of new sprouts in a layer per month(6.00,11.67,10.33,6.33),number of new leaves in a layer per month (7.67,11.33,12.6,13.6) and length of new shoot in a layer per month (7.67,11.33,12.6,13.6). The results of the study can be used to obtain the best results for propagating this plant vegetatively.
Characterization of Flow Behaviour in a Crude Oil Production Well
Authors: Sfiriac Laura , Stoianovici Doru , Stoicescu Maria , Chis Timur
Published: June 2024

The estimation of pressure drop in vertical wells is not just important, it's a critical aspect.
Reservoir production capacity depends on Reservoir Pressure, Thickness and Permeability of the Production Zone, Type and Spacing of Reservoir Boundaries, Well Radius, Reservoir Fluid Properties, Near Well Conditions, and Relative Permeabilities of the Reservoir.
Reservoir production capacity can be mathematically modeled based on flow regimes such as transient flow, steady-state flow, and pseudo-steady flow. These models can describe how a reservoir produces hydrocarbons as a function of variations in pressure and other parameters.
The well's flow rate as a function of bottom pressure characterizes the flow through the reservoir, and this defines the well's behavior curve (IPR—"Inflow Performance Relationships").
To moddeling to oil well production I analysis the mechanical skin factor calculated using the Karakas and Tariq (1991) to the diameter of the perforations of 10 mm and the length of a performance of 152.4 mm and the diameter of the perforations of 40 mm and the length of a perforation of 1270 mm for the Duns & Ros, Orkiszewski, Hagedorn & Brown, and Beggs & Brill correlation.
This paper addresses the procedures for establishing IPR curves for various reservoir types and well configurations.
New Modeling Approaches for Ethylene Oxychlorination in Fluidized Bed Reactors: Industrial and Low Flow Rate Conditions
Authors: El Bazi Wail , Bideq Mustapha , El-Abidi Abderrahim , Yadir Said
Published: June 2024

A simple model (Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor) has been developed to predict the behavior of industrial ethylene oxychlorination fluidized beds operating in a turbulent regime. The approach showed good agreement both with results from industrial reactors and with those corresponding to the (Simple two phases-Plug bubble-Mixed flow emulsion approach) validated in the literature. For low flow rates, the use of the (Simple two phases - Plug bubble - Plug emulsion model) adapted to these conditions enabled us to highlight the location and extent of undesirable thermal hot spots for the process, and to propose actions to control them by acting on the temperature and/or on the feed gas flows. By comparing this model with the plug approach, the significant slowdown in ethylene conversion caused by resistance to mass transfer when feed flow rates are low is highlighted. Copyright © 2024 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Use of Image‐Based Flow Cytometry in Bacterial Viability Analysis Using Fluorescent Probes
Authors: Pan Youwen , Kaatz Laura
Published: November 2012

This protocol was developed to utilize imaging flow cytometry (IFCM) in combination with fluorescent dyes to both enumerate and analyze morphological features of live and dead cells in a mixed live/dead bacterial sample. The fluorescent dyes used in this protocol include 5(6)‐carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA), which indicates the functional activity of esterase inside viable bacterial cells, and DRAQ7, a dye that exploits membrane‐compromised bacterial cells to enter and stain the cell. The live cell population stained with CFDA emits a fluorescent green color while the dead cell population stained with DRAQ7 emits a fluorescent red color, which allows the two populations to be distinctively separated by the IFCM system. Additionally, the cytometer captures a clear image of each object, which can then be analyzed for morphology features. The IFCM system is able to reliably, accurately, and precisely determine a bacterial cell concentration as long as the concentration of cells in a sample is no less than 1 × 103 cells/ml. The two dyes, CFDA and DRAQ7, have been demonstrated to be an effective stain combination for bacterial viability analysis. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 27:2C.5.1‐2C.5.11. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Isolation and Cultivation of Agrobacterium Species from Natural Sources
Authors: Rebecca Morton Elise , Fuqua Clay
Published: November 2012

Selected species of the genus Agrobacterium have been extensively studied in the laboratory, but far less is known regarding their natural distribution. Agrobacterium can be isolated from a variety of environments, but identifying the bacteria is challenging and involves physiological assays as well as molecular diagnostics. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 27:3D.4.1‐3D.4.11. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Growth and Maintenance of Escherichia coli Laboratory Strains
Authors: Son Mike S. , Taylor Ronald K.
Published: November 2012

Escherichia coli is a Gram‐negative bacterium, commonly used in both teaching and research laboratories. This unit includes protocols for the growth and maintenance of E. coli in any teaching‐ or research‐associated laboratory. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 27:5A.4.1‐5A.4.9. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Patterned Three‐Dimensional Encapsulation of Embryonic Stem Cells using Dielectrophoresis and Stereolithography
Authors: Bajaj Piyush , Marchwiany Daniel , Duarte Carlos , Bashir Rashid
Published: November 2012

Controlling the assembly of cells in three dimensions is very important for engineering functional tissues, drug screening, probing cell‐cell/cell‐matrix interactions, and studying the emergent behavior of cellular systems. Although the current methods of cell encapsulation in hydrogels can distribute them in three dimensions, these methods typically lack spatial control of multi‐cellular organization and do not allow for the possibility of cell‐cell contacts as seen for the native tissue. Here, we report the integration of dielectrophoresis (DEP) with stereolithography (SL) apparatus for the spatial patterning of cells on custom made gold micro‐electrodes. Afterwards, they are encapsulated in poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels of different stiffnesses. This technique can mimic the in vivo microscale tissue architecture, where the cells have a high degree of three dimensional (3D) spatial control. As a proof of concept, we show the patterning and encapsulation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and C2C12 skeletal muscle myoblasts. mESCs show high viability in both the DEP (91.79% ± 1.4%) and the no DEP (94.27% ± 0.5%) hydrogel samples. Furthermore, we also show the patterning of mouse embryoid bodies (mEBs) and C2C12 spheroids in the hydrogels, and verify their viability. This robust and flexible in vitro platform can enable various applications in stem cell differentiation and tissue engineering by mimicking elements of the native 3D in vivo cellular micro‐environment.
The Effect of PP and Peroxide on the Properties and Morphology of HDPE and HDPE/PP Blends
Authors: Gu Jiaqi , Xu Haiyan , Wu Chifei
Published: November 2012

Peroxide cross‐linked high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and blends of HDPE and polypropylene (PP) were prepared by reactive extrusion. The effect of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and PP on the properties and morphology of HDPE and blends was studied. The addition of DCP decreased the melt flow rate (MFR) and increased the HAAKE torque and impact strength in both systems. The elongation at break was increased at low DCP concentration (0–0.1 wt%) and then decreased at high DCP concentration. The addition of PP slightly decreased the MFR and mechanical properties of peroxide cross‐linked HDPE. With the addition of DCP, the molecular weight was increased and the molecular weight distribution was broadened in both systems. Scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces indicate that HDPE/PP blends are indeed a two‐phase system. With the addition of DCP, the compatibility of the two phases was improved, resulting in an increase in the impact strength. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 2013, 32, 21326; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21326