bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Mechanical Circulatory Support on Exercise Capacity in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure
Authors: Huang Janice , McDonnell Barry J. , Lawley Justin S. , Byrd Jessica , Stöhr Eric J. , Cornwell William K.
Published: September 2022

Approximately 6 million individuals have heart failure in the United States alone and 15 million in Europe. Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) improve survival in these patients, but functional capacity may not fully improve. This article examines the hypothesis that patients supported by LVAD experience persistent reductions in functional capacity and explores mechanisms accounting for abnormalities in exercise tolerance.
Nutritional Modulation of Sleep Latency, Duration, and Efficiency: A Randomized, Repeated-Measures, Double-Blind Deception Study
Authors: LANGAN-EVANS CARL , HEARRIS MARK A. , GALLAGHER CHLOE , LONG STEPHEN , THOMAS CRAIG , MOSS ANDREW D. , CHEUNG WILLIAM , HOWATSON GLYN , MORTON JAMES P.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to test the hypothesis that a novel nutritional blend composed of tryptophan, glycine, magnesium, tart cherry powder, and l-theanine enhances subjective and objective measures of sleep during free living conditions.

Methods

In a randomized, repeated-measures crossover and double-blind deception design, participants (n = 9 males and 7 females, age = 24 ± 3 yr, body mass = 69.8 ± 11.6 kg, stature = 170.8 ± 9.1 cm) completed a 3-d familiarization period, followed by 3-d intervention and placebo trials. Subjective Pittsburgh Quality Sleep Index, Core Consensus Sleep Diary, and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale survey tools, alongside objective actigraphy measures of sleep, were assessed, with daily nutritional intake, activity, and light exposure standardized between trials. Participants provided daily urine samples for assessment of targeted and untargeted metabolomes.

Results

The intervention trial reduced sleep onset latency (−24 ± 25 min; P = 0.002), increased total sleep time (22 ± 32 min; P = 0.01), and increased sleep efficiency (2.4% ± 3.9%; P = 0.03), while also reducing morning sleepiness (P = 0.02). Throughout the study, 75% of participants remained blinded to sleep assessment as a primary outcome measure, with 56% subjectively indicating improved sleep during the intervention trial. Metabolomic analysis highlighted several significantly altered metabolomes related to sleep regulation between trials, inclusive of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, d-serine, and l-glutamic acid.

Conclusions

Data demonstrate that using the proposed blend of novel nutritional ingredients during free living conditions reduced sleep onset latency, increased total sleep duration, and increased sleep efficiency, leading to reduced perceptions of morning sleepiness. These effects may be mediated by the upregulation of key metabolites involved in the neurophysiological modulation of the sleep/wake cycle.
Evaluation of assisted reproductive technology treatment outcomes based on stimulation dosages and anti-Mullerian hormone levels
Authors: Pannu Navdeep Singh , Samsudin Nurulhafizah , Ye Lo Jia , Tian Tee Sze
Published: September 2022

Background: Serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) have a significant association with ovarian response in the event of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles. The present study was performed to evaluate the ovarian stimulation protocols selection with respect to serum AMH levels in patients and its impact on ART outcome.

Methods: Based on the serum AMH, 191 women were classified as low, normal and high responders. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Human Menopausal Gonadotropin (HMG) dosages in controlled ovarian stimulation were determined. Retrieval, maturation, fertilization and utilization rates were measured. Subgroup analysis was done using one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc analysis. The relationship between AMH levels and fertilization was determined using Pearson’s correlation analysis. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: According to AMH levels, the majority of the patients were normal responders (52.4%) followed by high responders (29.8%) and low responders (17.8%). The average FSH, HMG per day and number of days HMG required was found to be significant among the different responders. Further, retrieval rate and blastulation rate was found to be significant among the different responders. A positive correlation was found between AMH and the number of oocytes retrieved and number of oocytes successfully fertilized, which was found to be significant. In addition, there was a significant inverse relationship between AMH levels and age.

Conclusions: The study outcomes revealed that the rates of retrieval, maturation, fertilization, embryo utilization and blastulation were higher among the high responders compared with the low responders. Thus, proper increase in dosages of ovarian stimulation protocol is required among the low responders to achieve quality embryos.
Covid-19-induced pulmonary hypertension in children, and the use of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors
Authors: Dimiati Herlina , Umara Dimas Arya , Naufal Iflan
Published: September 2022

Respiratory tract infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first occurred in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and was declared as a pandemic by WHO. The interaction between the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) in children is not widely known. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDEI), one class of drugs used to treat PH, including sildenafil, can suppress angiotensin type I (AT-1) receptor expression. Furthermore, it reduces proinflammatory cytokines and infiltrates the alveolar, inhibits endothelial and smooth muscle transition, mesenchymal cells in the pulmonary artery, and prevents clotting and thrombosis complications. Sildenafil has shown positive effects by diverting the blood flow to the lungs in such a way that ventilation is adequate and can also be anti-inflammatory.
INNOGEN. Guía de innovación docente con perspectiva de género en Comunicación
Authors: Rebollo Bueno Sara , Sánchez Ramos María
Published: September 2022

Con el fin de fomentar prácticas docentes sensibles al género en el ámbito de la enseñanza universitaria en comunicación, esta guía ofrece una serie de directrices, estudios y experiencias en materia de innovación con perspectiva de género. En esta línea, desde el ámbito de la psicología y de la pedagogía se realizan aportaciones generales sobre la importancia de aplicar este modo de proceder en las aulas. Asimismo, desde un enfoque de carácter práctico, docentes e investigadoras de los tres grados impartidos en la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Sevilla (Comunicación Audiovisual, Periodismo y Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas) aportan sus herramientas y recursos como ejemplo de una propuesta educativa basada en los valores de igualdad y respeto. El empleo de las imágenes, las posibilidades que ofrece la industria cinematográfica o las campañas publicitarias son solo algunos de los ámbitos que se abordan.
Prevalence of leakage and its negative impact on quality of life in people living with a stoma in the UK
Authors: Osborne Wendy , White Maddie , Aibibula Miriayi , Boisen Esben Bo , Ainsworth Rachel , Vestergaard Martin
Published: September 2022

Background:

People with a stoma are reported to experience leakage, which negatively impacts patient quality of life (QoL).

Aim:

To assess the impact of leakage experienced by individuals with a stoma in the UK.

Methods:

Data were analysed from 301 patients living in the UK who completed a questionnaire concerning the physical and psychosocial impact of living with a stoma.

Findings:

Most respondents had had their stoma for more than 5 years. Nine out of 10 worried about leakage to varying degrees and half the respondents accepted that this was a worry they had to live with. Almost 70% experienced leakage onto clothes within the preceding year, and 28% experienced this monthly. Peristomal skin complications were experienced by 82% of respondents, the severity of which correlated with reductions in QoL.

Conclusion:

Despite the consequential negative impact of leakage on QoL, individuals are not seeking advice to resolve leakage-related issues, including from their specialist stoma care nurse.
Introducció
Authors: Comalat Maite , Agustí Lluís
Published: September 2022

Introducció del volum 7 (any 2022) de l'Anuari de Biblioteques, Llibres i Lectura per Maite Comalat i Lluís Agustí.
Thermal hysteresis in scattering by VO2 spheres
Authors: Lakhtakia Akhlesh , Mackay Tom G. , Waseer Waleed I.
Published: September 2022

Vanadium dioxide (

V
O

2

) transforms from purely monoclinic to purely tetragonal when heated from 58°C to 72°C, and the transformation is reversible but hysteretic. Electromagnetically,

V
O

2

transforms from a dissipative dielectric to another dissipative dielectric if the free-space wavelength is

λ
0

<
1100

n
m

; it transforms from a dissipative dielectric to a plasmonic metal (or vice versa) if

λ
0

>
1100

n
m

. Calculating the extinction, total scattering, absorption, radiation pressure, backscattering and forward-scattering efficiencies of a

V
O

2

sphere, we found clear signatures of thermal hysteresis in (i) the forward-scattering, backscattering, and absorption efficiencies for

λ
0

<
1100

n
m

, and (ii) the forward-scattering, backscattering, total scattering, and absorption efficiencies for

λ
0

>
1100

n
m

. Vacuum and null-permittivity quasistates occur between 58°C and 72°C, when tetragonal

V
O

2

is a plasmonic metal, once each on the heating branch and once each on the cooling branch of thermal hysteresis. But none of the six efficiencies show significant differences between the two quasistates.
Self-propagated chaotic dynamically enhanced optical physical layer encryption communication system based on bidirectional long short-term memory neural network
Authors: Zhong Qing , Liu Bo , Ren Jianxin , Li Yongxin , Guo Zhiruo , Mao Yaya , Wu Xiangyu , Ma Yiming , Wu Yongfeng , Zhao Lilong , Sun Tingting , Ullah Rahat
Published: September 2022

The physical layer chaotic encryption of optical communication is considered as an effective secure communication technology, which can protect data and be compatible with existing networks. Theoretically, any chaotic system or chaotic map has ideal complex dynamics. However, due to the limited precision of simulation software and digital equipment, the chaotic system often degrades dynamics, which hinders the further application of digital chaotic system in many fields. In this paper, we propose a self-propagated nonlinear chaotic dynamical enhanced optical physical layer encryption scheme based on bidirectional long short-term memory neural network (Bi-LSTM-NN). The Bi-LSTM-NN is used to train and learn the dynamical enhanced chaotic sequences with different initial values iteratively, and finally the chaotic sequences with self-propagated dynamical enhancement are output. The correlation coefficient (CC) of chaotic sequences by the enhanced chaotic system and Bi-LSTM-NN are more than 0.98. Compared with the original chaotic system, the range of sample entropy above 0.8 is more than 2 times, and the sensitivity of the initial value x0 is up to 2.28 times, and y0 is up to 1.3 times, making the key space reaches 10520. The scheme successfully encrypts constellation points and information in the frequency domain. In addition, the scheme achieves encrypted 16 quadrature amplitude modulation-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (16QAM-OFDM) signal transmission of 65.9 Gb/s using 2 km 7-core optical fiber. The experimental results show that the scheme can ensure data security, and in the future optical network has a good application prospect.
Scheme to estimate water-leaving albedo from remotely sensed chlorophyll-a concentration
Authors: Yu Xiaolong , Lee Zhongping
Published: September 2022

Water-leaving albedo (αw(λ)) is an important component of the ocean surface albedo and is conventionally estimated based on remotely sensed chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl) (termed Chl-αw). We show that estimated αw(λ) by Chl-αw could be significantly biased in global oceans, because there is no guarantee of closure between the modeled remote sensing reflectance (Rrs(λ)) from Chl-inferred inherent optical properties (IOPs) and the input Rrs(λ) that is used to derive Chl. We thus propose a simple and improved scheme, termed Chl-αw_new, and show that the step to infer IOPs from Chl is not necessary, where αw(λ) can be accurately estimated from satellite-measured Rrs(λ) and a Chl-based look-up-table (LUT) for the bidirectional relationships of angular Rrs(λ). Evaluations with both HydroLight simulations and satellite measurements show that Chl-αw_new is equivalent to the recently developed αw scheme based on IOPs (IOPs-αw, [Remote Sens. Environ. 269, 112807]), where both schemes could significantly improve the estimation of αw(λ) compared to Chl-αw. Comparisons among Chl-αw, Chl-αw_new, and IOPs-αw highlight that optical closure of Rrs(λ) is essential for accurate remote sensing of αw(λ), while the model for Rrs(λ) bidirectionality has rather minor impacts. The impact of improved αw(λ) estimations on the solar flux exchanges at the air-sea interface is preliminarily evaluated in this effort, where the use of Chl-αw_new could increase the estimation of reflected solar radiation by over 68.7% in turbid waters compared to that using Chl-αw, highlighting the necessity of incorporating accurate αw schemes into the coupled ocean-atmosphere models, especially for regional models in coastal oceans.
Deep-SMOLM: deep learning resolves the 3D orientations and 2D positions of overlapping single molecules with optimal nanoscale resolution
Authors: Wu Tingting , Lu Peng , Rahman Md Ashequr , Li Xiao , Lew Matthew D.
Published: September 2022

Dipole-spread function (DSF) engineering reshapes the images of a microscope to maximize the sensitivity of measuring the 3D orientations of dipole-like emitters. However, severe Poisson shot noise, overlapping images, and simultaneously fitting high-dimensional information–both orientation and position–greatly complicates image analysis in single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy (SMOLM). Here, we report a deep-learning based estimator, termed Deep-SMOLM, that achieves superior 3D orientation and 2D position measurement precision within 3% of the theoretical limit (3.8° orientation, 0.32 sr wobble angle, and 8.5 nm lateral position using 1000 detected photons). Deep-SMOLM also demonstrates state-of-art estimation performance on overlapping images of emitters, e.g., a 0.95 Jaccard index for emitters separated by 139 nm, corresponding to a 43% image overlap. Deep-SMOLM accurately and precisely reconstructs 5D information of both simulated biological fibers and experimental amyloid fibrils from images containing highly overlapped DSFs at a speed ~10 times faster than iterative estimators.
Electric field measurement of femtosecond time-resolved four-wave mixing signals in molecules
Authors: Walz Francis , Pandey Siddhant , Tan Liang Z. , Shivaram Niranjan
Published: September 2022

We report an experiment to measure the femtosecond electric field of the signal emitted from an optical third-order nonlinear interaction in carbon dioxide molecules. Using degenerate four-wave mixing with femtosecond near infrared laser pulses in combination with the ultra-weak femtosecond pulse measurement technique of TADPOLE, we measure the nonlinear signal electric field in the time domain at different time delays between the interacting pulses. The chirp extracted from the temporal phase of the emitted nonlinear signal is found to sensitively depend on the electronic and rotational contributions to the nonlinear response. While the rotational contribution results in a nonlinear signal chirp close to the chirp of the input pulses, the electronic contribution results in a significantly higher chirp which changes with time delay. Our work demonstrates that electric field-resolved nonlinear spectroscopy offers detailed information on nonlinear interactions at ultrafast time scales.
Optical biosensor based on weak value amplification for the high sensitivity detection of Pertuzumab in combination with Trastuzumab binding to the extracellular domain of HER2
Authors: Li Dongmei , Weng Chaofan , Chen Chaoyi , Li Kan , Lin Qiang , Ruan Yi , Zhang Jingjing , Wang Shuqian , Yao Jia
Published: September 2022

A real-time optical phase sensing scheme based on weak value amplification was proposed to monitor the especially binding process of Pertuzumab combined with Trastuzumab on HER2 positive cells. From the wavelength shift of output spectrum, the phase difference between measuring and referential path related to the concentration of Pertuzumab as well as Trastuzumab could be calculated. With this approach, the limit of detection (LOD) of 5.54 × 10−13 M for Pertuzumab assay was achieved. Besides, the kinetics signal of Pertuzumab in combination with Trastuzumab binding to HER2 was detected in real time. Experimental results demonstrated that both Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab can be captured by HER2, but the former was significantly superior to the latter in terms of the target number. Additionally, the binding speed was analyzed and demonstrated to be closely correlated with the initial concentration of the targeting agents.
Optical couplers and step-index fibers fabricated using FDM 3D printers
Authors: Gozzard David R. , Craine Rebecca , Hickey Deon , Martin Alex , Shen William , Sones Bailey
Published: September 2022

Step-index optical fiber preforms are manufactured and drawn into fibers using low-cost consumer-grade fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers with no other specialist tooling. The fibers are fabricated from polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) cladding with an acrylonitrile buatadiene styrene (ABS) core, resulting in V < 2.4 after drawing. The fibers are measured to have a loss of α ≈ 0.78 dB/cm, which matches previous polymer fibers manufactured using draw towers. The printing of multimode optical couplers with reliable 50:50 split ratios is also demonstrated. This work points toward the fabrication of useful and bespoke optical devices with low-cost 3D printers.
High power picosecond green and deep ultraviolet generations with an all-fiberized MOPA
Authors: Pan Lei , Geng Jihong , Jiang Shibin
Published: September 2022

We demonstrate high power picosecond green and deep ultraviolet (DUV)
lasers based on an all-fiberized master oscillator power amplifier
(MOPA). The main power amplifier is fabricated with a highly Yb-doped
large mode area (LMA) silicate glass fiber. It delivers 75.2-W laser
output at 1029 nm with a pulse repetition rate of 10 MHz
and a pulse duration of 70 ps. With a lithium triborate (LBO)
crystal, a 43.0-W green output at 514.5 nm has been achieved
with a pulse duration of 55 ps. With a caesium lithium borate
(CLBO) crystal, a 14.5-W picosecond DUV output at 257 nm has
been generated, which is the highest power for the all-fiber based DUV
laser, to the best of our knowledge.
Brewster metasurfaces for ultrabroadband reflectionless absorption at grazing incidence
Authors: Fan Huiying , Chu Hongchen , Luo Hao , Lai Yun , Gao Lei , Luo Jie
Published: September 2022

Previous reflectionless
metasurfaces based on
balanced electric and magnetic responses in engineered resonant
meta-atoms become ineffective at oblique incident angles and usually
have strong reflection at grazing incidence, where the impedance
becomes near-zero or divergent. Here, by introducing the concept of
anomalous generalized Brewster effect to metasurfaces, we demonstrate
an exceptional resonance-free Brewster metasurface that exhibits
ultrabroadband zero reflection at grazing incidence. The anomalous
generalized Brewster effect is obtained via combining the mechanisms
of the generalized Brewster effect and the anomalous Brewster effect,
which are both resonance-free and thus enable ultrabroadband
functionalities. As a practical application, Brewster metasurfaces
exhibiting ultrabroadband reflectionless perfect absorption at grazing
incident angles are constructed and demonstrated by full-wave
simulations and microwave experiments. Our work could enable
reflectionless wave manipulation at grazing incidence with an
ultrawide working bandwidth.
Multi-gigahertz mode-locked femtosecond Yb:KLuW waveguide lasers
Authors: Bae Ji Eun , Mateos Xavier , Aguiló Magdalena , Díaz Francesc , Ajates Javier García , Romero Carolina , Vázquez de Aldana Javier Rodríguez , Rotermund Fabian
Published: September 2022

We demonstrate multi-gigahertz continuous-wave mode-locking of a Yb:KLuW waveguide laser. A femtosecond-laser-inscribed Yb:KLuW channel waveguide in an extended laser cavity delivers a fundamentally mode-locked laser near 1030 nm. A tunable few-centimeter-long cavity containing a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber as mode-locker generates self-starting femtosecond pulses with average output powers exceeding 210 mW at repetition rates of 2.27, 2.69, and 3.55 GHz. The laser cavity, which includes a wedged waveguide, is extended by using a lens pair that controls the laser fluence on the saturable absorber for reliable mode-locked operation without instability. The presented laser performance, mode-locked up to 3.55 GHz, highly suggests the potential of crystalline Yb:KLuW waveguides for realizing high-power ultrafast lasers with higher GHz repetition rates in a quasi-monolithic cavity.
Transcriptome profiling of barley and tomato shoot and root meristems unravels physiological variations underlying photoperiodic sensitivity
Authors: Schneider Michael , Vedder Lucia , Oyiga Benedict Chijioke , Mathew Boby , Schoof Heiko , Léon Jens , Naz Ali Ahmad
Published: September 2022

The average sowing date of crops in temperate climate zones has been shifted forwards by several days, resulting in a changed photoperiod regime at the emergence stage. In the present study, we performed a global transcriptome profiling of plant development genes in the seedling stage of root and shoot apical meristems of a photoperiod-sensitive species (barley) and a photoperiod insensitive species (tomato) in short-day conditions (8h). Variant expression indicated differences in physiological development under this short day-length regime between species and tissues. The barley tissue transcriptome revealed reduced differentiation compared to tomato. In addition, decreased photosynthetic activity was observed in barley transcriptome and leaf chlorophyll content under 8h conditions, indicating a slower physiological development of shoot meristems than in tomatoes. The photomorphogenesis controlling cryptochrome gene cry1, with an effect on physiological differentiation, showed an underexpression in barley compared to tomato shoot meristems. This might lead to a cascade of suspended sink-source activities, which ultimately delay organ development and differentiation in barley shoot meristems under short photoperiods.
Spatial and temporal evolution of urban economic development efficiency in China’s Yangtze River economic belt from the perspective of sustainable development
Authors: Yao Fengge , Xue Liqing , Liang Jiayuan
Published: September 2022

Urban economic development is crucial to regional economy and people’s life, and enhancing the efficiency of urban economic development is of great significance to boost sustainable and healthy economic and social development. In this paper, from the perspective of sustainable development, data of 104 cities in China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2004 to 2019 are selected, and the urban resource consumption index and urban pollutant emission index are synthesized as new input-output indicators using the Time Series Global Principal Component Analysis (GPCA), combined with the Global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) Index Model, Standard Deviation Ellipse (SDE) Model to measure the total factor productivity index of urban economic development in China’s YREB and analyze its spatial and temporal evolution. The results show that from 2004 to 2019, the total factor productivity index of urban economic development in China’s YREB showed an overall fluctuating upward trend with an average annual growth of 5.8%, and the analysis by decomposing indicators shows that the growth of total factor productivity of urban economic development in China’s YREB is mainly influenced by the growth of technological progress. Meanwhile, there are obvious regional differences in the efficiency of urban economic development in China’s YREB, with the largest difference in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the second largest in the upper reaches, and the smallest in the lower reaches. From 2004 to 2019, the efficiency center of gravity of urban economic development efficiency in the YREB has always been located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River region. The spatial distribution pattern of urban economic development efficiency in the YREB is dominated by the northeast-southwest direction and tends to be concentrated in the study time period.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor initiation and hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis
Authors: Hendryx Michael , Dong Yi , Ndeke Jonas M. , Luo Juhua
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a relatively new class of antidiabetic drugs. Emerging findings from laboratory studies indicate that SGLT2 inhibitors can improve liver function and suppress the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors improves HCC prognosis in a human population.

Methods

We used National Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)—Medicare linked data in the United States to evaluate the role of SGLT2 inhibitor initiation on the survival of HCC patients. 3,185 HCC patients newly diagnosed between 2014 and 2017 aged 66 years or older with pre-existing type 2 diabetes were included and followed to the end of 2019. Information on SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was extracted from the Medicare Part D file.

Results

SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was associated with significantly lower mortality risk after adjusting for potential confounders (HR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.54–0.86) with stronger association for longer duration of use (HR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.41–0.88). Further, we found that SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was associated with a lower risk mortality risk ranging from 14% to 60% regardless of patient demographic variables, tumor characteristics, and cancer treatments.

Conclusion

Our large SEER-Medicare linked data study indicates that SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was associated with improved overall survival of HCC patients with pre-existing type 2 diabetes compared with no SGLT2 inhibitor use. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and elucidate the possible mechanisms behind the association.
Effect of Different Sintering Cycles on the Flexural Strength of Full Contour Monolithic Zirconia – An In-Vitro Comparative Study
Authors: Sanath Kumar Shetty  , Feba Maria Varghese  , Mohammed Zahid  , Kevin Fernandes  , Fahad Mohammad  , Prakyath Malli
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND

Monolithic zirconia restorations are known to exhibit good mechanical properties and acceptable aesthetics. During the fabrication of zirconia prostheses, the sintering process is the most critical step which determines the performance of the final product. However, a lot of issues with zirconia restorations were related to sintering cycles which can affect the crystalline content and grain growth that can affect its mechanical properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effect of different sintering cycles on the flexural strength of full-contour monolithic zirconia.

METHODS

In this in-vitro study, a total of 44 bar-shaped zirconia samples (Amann Girrbach Ceramill® CAD/CAM Material – ZOLID HT+) of final dimensions 20 x 4 x 2 mm were fabricated using Amann Girrbach Ceramill mind – computer-aided designing software and Amann Girrbach Ceramill® motion2 – computer-aided milling unit. These samples were randomly allocated into four groups with 11 samples in each group namely, Group 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Group 1: Long sintering cycle, Group 2: Intermediate sintering cycle, Group 3: Short sintering cycle, Group 4: Ultra-short sintering cycle) and sintered under the respective sintering cycles. The Ceramill® therm (Amann Girrbach) sintering furnace provided 3 sintering cycles ranging from the longest group-1 (19 hours), to the short sintering cycle group-3 (8 hours), with an intermediate sintering cycle group-2 (15 hours). The zircon (KDS) sintering furnace provided an ultra-short sintering cycle group-4 (2 hours). The testing of flexural strength was performed using a three-point bend test on a universal testing machine. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed by one-way ANOVA using SPSS software.

RESULTS

One-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant difference in the flexural strength of full-contour monolithic zirconia sintered under the four different sintering cycles. (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The flexural strength of full-contour monolithic zirconia was influenced to some extent by various sintering cycles. The longest sintering cycle (Group 1) showed the least flexural strength whereas the intermediate sintering cycle (Group 2) showed the highest flexural strength. Also, the ultra-short sintering cycle (Group 4) of 2 hours exhibited flexural strength comparable to the rest of the groups with longer sintering cycles, thus making the cycle a viable alternative to the conventional sintering cycles, thereby making the ‘tooth-in-a-day‘ possible for the patients.
Fuzzy Sets in Stochastic Modelling
Authors:   , Provinský Pavel
Published: September 2022

The text introduces floppy logic, which is a new multivalued logic. Floppy logic consistently links fuzzy sets to probability theory. The most important results of this work include proof that all statements equivalent in standard two-valued logic are also equivalent in floppy logic. It follows that floppy logic retains all the properties of standard two-valued logic which can be expressed as an equivalence. Another important result is the proof that floppy logic is a model of Kolmogorov probability theory. We can therefore apply all the concepts and tools of probability theory in floppy logic. Much focus was given to practical examples of work with floppy logic. Floppy logic is compared to several other theories and also presented in historical context.
Impactos do Ensino Remoto na Rede Pública do Cariri Cearense durante a Pandemia de Covid-19
Authors: Vasconcelos Wesley Guilherme Idelfoncio de , Santana Bibiana Belisário , Machado Jayne , Brasil Laura Oliveira , Nunes Rosane da Silva
Published: September 2022

Com o passar da pandemia de Covid-19, a rede pública passou a pensar meios pedagógicos de se retomar as aulas, porém o acesso a elas acabou sendo diferenciado devido às diferenças socioeconômicas. Neste trabalho, estão descritos os resultados de uma pesquisa aplicada na E.E.M. Luiz Gonzaga de Alcântara, no município de Tarrafas (CE), realizada com alunos e professores, sobre os impactos do ensino remoto na pandemia e quais foram as suas percepções. Através de uma metodologia mista, para melhor desenvolver este estudo de caso, contando com abordagens quanti e qualitativas, neste artigo estão os resultados e considerações de como as desigualdades de acesso à internet impactaram o ensino médio neste município.
Complaints Review and Remedies Mechanisms under the Ethiopian Public Procurement System: A Critical Review of the State of Law & Selected Practices
Authors: GebreMichael Atakilti HaileSelassie
Published: September 2022

The Ethiopian Public Procurement & Property Administration Proclamation No. 649/2009 is the primary legislation regulating public procurement procedures, complaint review mechanisms, remedies, administration and disposal of public property. It is supplemented with a Procurement Directive aiming at operationalizing the principles and rules embodied in it. This Public Procurement system has largely modeled itself from the 1994 UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services which features a complaints review mechanism with compulsory hierarchical complaint review mechanisms. The procuring public bodies assume mandatory first instance review jurisdiction on complaints lodged against their own decisions. The complaints review board and the courts are respectively the higher levels of review bodies. It has been 12 years since this law has been put in action and this work aspires to examine and analyze the state of law and practice on suppliers’ complaints, review mechanisms and remedies by drawing relevant insights from the 1994 & 2011 UNCITRAL Model Laws. It is focused on the analysis of the rights of suppliers to file complaints, the complaint review bodies and their scope of competence, the powers of the courts and the award of remedies. It has been established that the Ethiopian public procurement complaints review system is constrained by obstacles that the law opted to include prohibitive clauses on the amenability of major procurement decisions which practically impairs the effectiveness of the review system. The prohibitions on the reviewability of procurement decisions limit the availability of review to be at the later stage of the procurement procedure and result in far fewer remedies. Moreover, the review board’s features of independence and requirements of professionalism are fundamentally compromised. Review jurisdiction by the courts has been very uncertain until the cassation interpretation by the Federal Supreme Court in the Jedaw case made a settling judgment.
Reforming Emergency Procurement to Protect against Corrupt Decision-Making while Ensuring Swift and Unencumbered Procurement
Authors: Rankin Claire
Published: September 2022

Procuring officials are afforded greater discretion when it comes to carrying out procurement during emergencies. As such, they have more freedom to deviate from standard procurement practices. Under the current South African procurement framework, it appears to be that little is done to ensure that such discretion is not exercised in a fraudulent or corrupt manner. Such an anti-corruption objective remains important in public procurement, even during emergencies. The prevalence of corruption in procurement undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic provides unfortunate evidence of such a need. However, emergencies also demand a swift ability to procure goods and services. In this article I discuss the potential of utilising guidelines to limit the discretion granted to procuring officials; oversight throughout emergency procurement, and centralised procurement as a means through which an anti-corruption objective can be introduced into emergency procurement. The ability of each of these suggestions to serve as an effective anti-corruption mechanism is analysed alongside their ability to ensure swift procurement without unnecessary impediment.
Analytical evaluation and bioclinical validation of new aldosterone and renin immunoassays
Authors: Coulon Caroline , Lotierzo Manuela , Fesler Pierre , Roubille Camille , Badiou Stéphanie , Dupuy Anne Marie , Cristol Jean Paul
Published: September 2022

Objectives

Aldosterone and renin determinations play an important role in the etiological diagnosis of secondary hypertension. The analytical performances of new aldosterone and renin immunoassays on the Lumipulse G600II® system (Fujierbio) were investigated and compared with those of the iSYS® system (IDS) on patients concerned by medical investigations in a context of suspected or proven Primary aldosteronism.

Methods

By using the Lumipulse® G Aldosterone and Renin assays we performed imprecision study, linearity and method comparison (n=107). Accuracy of this new renin assay was tested using the International Standard (WHO IS 68/356). We also assessed the equivalence of the different samples types (n=29).

Results

The imprecision evaluation showed all CVs <3% and <6% for Lumipulse® G Aldosterone and Renin assays respectively. The linearity was excellent over the clinical range and the comparison with the iSYS® assays (n=79) showed a strong correlation (R2=1) despite a slight tendency to underestimation (bias of −17.53 pg/mL or 48.56 pmol/L for aldosterone and −15.395 pg/mL for renin). Moreover, the contingency studies based on diagnostic criteria showed that Lumipulse® G results lead to the same clinical diagnosis that iSYS® results. A clear correlation was obtained between EDTA and heparin plasma as well as with the serum for all range of measures.

Conclusions

The Lumipulse® G Aldosterone and Renin assays present performances compatible with a routine use in medical laboratories. The precise quantification in the low range can be of interest in some clinical contexts especially standing/laying tests. However, the standardisation against the WHO International Standard Renin would be advisable.
Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants in Kastamonu province (Türkiye)
Authors: Şen Gökhan , Akbulut Sefa , Karaköse Mustafa
Published: September 2022

This study is aimed at determining some of the plants traditionally used in the treatment of diseases by the local people living in Kastamonu province center and surrounding villages. A face-to-face questionnaire was applied and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 52 informants, 34 women and 18 men. Identification of 92 plants belonging to 41 families has been confirmed and their medicinal uses have been recorded. The most used families were Rosaceae (13 taxa), Asteraceae (11), and Lamiaceae (11). The most preferred folk recipes of medicinal plants was decoction (55 taxa) and in preparations and applications, the most used were the leaves (45 taxa). According to the International Classification of Primary Care categories, plants were the most used for digestive disorders (37 taxa), respiratory disorders (27 taxa), and urological disorders (24 taxa). The highest use-value was recorded forUrtica dioica(0.519), and highest relative frequency citation was recorded forTilia rubrasubsp.caucasica(0.231). Male genital diseases had the highest informant consensus factor value (0.83). New areas of use were also determined forPilosella leucopsilonsubsp. pilisquama,Galium palustre, andAstragalus nitens. With this study, new information for folkloric medicines is presented and the usage of herbal drugs in the study area are enhanced.
Preparation of PEEK-NH2/graphene network structured nanocomposites with high electrical conductivity
Authors: Liu Huizhi , Mei Qilin , Ding Guomin , Xiao Han , Chen Shuhui , Huang Zhixiong
Published: September 2022

The percolation thresholds of poly ether ether ketone/graphene (PEEK/Gr) composites in most studies are high due to the random distribution of Gr in the matrix. Here, aminated poly-ether-ether-ketone/graphene network (PEEK-NH2/GN) nanocomposites were prepared by electrostatic adsorption of PEEK-NH2 with positive charges and graphene oxide with negative charges, followed by in -situ reduction and hot-pressing. The GN structure of composites was well presented in the images of scanning electron microscope. The PEEK-NH2/GN nanocomposites exhibited excellent electrical conductivity with a maximum conductivity of 0.0634 S·cm−1 and a percolation threshold as low as 0.25 vol%. In addition, the maximum tensile strength of nanocomposites was reached at 93 MPa when the Gr content was 0.5 wt%. We believe that this approach is a new avenue for the production of low filler high conductive polymer composites with potential commercial prospects in various fields.
Periodic solution of a discrete commensal symbiosis model with Hassell-Varley type functional response
Authors: Chen Shangming , Chong Yanbo , Chen Fengde
Published: September 2022

A non-autonomous discrete commensal symbiosis model with Hassell-Varley type functional response is proposed and studied in this paper. Sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of positive periodic solution of the system.
Bark from Nordic tree species – a sustainable source for amphiphilic polymers and surfactants
Authors: Kwan Isabella , Huang Tianxiao , Ek Monica , Seppänen Rauni , Skagerlind Peter
Published: September 2022

Many of the amphiphilic molecules, or surfactants, are produced from fossil-based raw materials. With the increasing awareness of the climate situation, focus has shifted toward more environmentally friendly solutions to replace fossil-based products. This has led to more interest towards the forest. The circular bioeconomy is focused on making use of residues and waste and on optimizing the value of biomass over time via cascading. Nowadays, bark is seen as a waste product by industries and mainly incinerated as solid fuel. The bark contains interesting compounds but some of these are only available in low amounts, less than 1 % in the bark, while other components are present in several percentages. However, some of these components are potential candidates for the manufacture of amphiphiles and there seems to be a strong match between bark availability and surfactant demand. The global amount of bark available is approximately 359 million m3and more than 10 million m3of industrial bark are generated annually in Sweden and Finland. The bark of Norway spruce, Scots pine and silver birch contains approximately 25–32 % of extractives and part of these extractives has a potential as a surfactant backbone. This matches the global surfactant demand of about 15.6 million tons. Therefore, industrial bark has a significant potential value as a raw material source for amphiphilic molecules and polymers. This review focuses on betulin, condensed tannin and suberin. These compounds have been studied on individually and methods to extract them out from the bark are well investigated, but to utilize them as amphiphilic compounds has not been explored. With this review, we want to emphasis the potential of using bark, what today is seen as a waste product, as a raw material for production of amphiphiles. Moreover, a techno-economic analysis has been performed on betulin, tannins and suberin.
Effects of local fiber discontinuity on the fatigue strength parameter at the fiber inclusion corner in fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Wang Cong-Man , Ping Xue-Cheng , Wang Xing-Xing
Published: September 2022

To comprehend the fatigue failure mechanism at the fiber discontinuity in fiber-reinforced composites, it is necessary to evaluate the local mechanical behaviors. The fatigue strength depends on the stress distribution at the fiber inclusion corner. An improved advanced finite element method (IAFEM) is proposed for the stress intensity factor (SIF) analysis at the fiber inclusion corner. In the IAFEM, the element stiffness matrix of singular inclusion corner element (SICE) is obtained, and the singular elastic field at the tip of the fiber inclusion is determined. The effects of load direction, fiber distribution, fiber geometry, and material properties on SIFs are analyzed numerically using the IAFEM. The difference in stress field distribution between two-dimensional and three-dimensional fiber inclusions is discussed. The IAFEIM and calculation results can provide reference for fatigue strength analysis and preparation of composite materials.
C-command constraints in German: A corpus-based investigation
Authors: Webelhuth Gert
Published: September 2022

Reinhart (1983) proposed that quantificational binding is subject to a surface c-command condition. Her claim has been widely accepted in the literature on the syntax-semantics interface. However, Barker (2012) presented systematic counterevidence against the c-command requirement from English. The current paper addresses the role of c-command constraints in the grammar of three phenomena in German: relative quantifier scope, quantificational binding, and negative polarity. The results of a large corpus study are presented that demonstrate empirically that scope of one quantifier over another, quantificational binding, and the licensing of negative polarity items in German are systematically possible in structural configurations where surface c-command cannot reasonably be assumed to obtain. Further corpus evidence is produced which shows that the non-c-commanding quantifiers in the examples typically occur in contexts where the set they quantify over is discourse-old or easy to accommodate. The overall picture that emerges from the empirical evidence is that topicality motivates wide scope, and scope rather than c-command licenses negative polarity items and bound pronouns.
Snow redistribution onto young sea ice: Observations and implications for climate models
Authors: Clemens-Sewall David , Smith Madison M. , Holland Marika M. , Polashenski Chris , Perovich Don
Published: September 2022

Vertical heat conduction through young ice is a major source of wintertime sea ice growth in the Arctic. However, field observations indicate that young ice preferentially accumulates wind-blown snow, resulting in greater snow thickness on young ice than would be expected from precipitation alone, and hence greater snow thickness on young ice than climate models represent. As snow has a low thermal conductivity, this additional snow thickness due to redistribution will reduce the actual heat conduction. We present new observations from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate Expedition which show that young ice rapidly accumulates a snow thickness of 2.5–8 cm, when wind-blown snow is available from the nearby mature ice. By applying a simple redistribution scheme and heat flux model to simulated conditions from the Community Earth System Model 2.0, we suggest that neglecting this snow redistribution onto young ice could result in the potential overestimation of conductive heat flux—and hence ice growth rates—by 3–8% on average in the Arctic in the winter in the absence of climate feedbacks. The impacts of snow redistribution are highest in the springtime and in coastal regions.
100 years of the Warburg effect: a historical perspective
Authors: Hardie D Grahame
Published: September 2022

Otto Warburg published the first paper describing what became known as the Warburg effect in 1923. All that was known about glucose metabolism at that time was that it occurred in two stages: (i) fermentation (glycolysis) in which glucose was converted to lactate, which did not require oxygen, and (ii) oxidative metabolism, in which the carbon atoms derived from glycolysis were fully oxidized to carbon dioxide, which did require oxygen. Warburg discovered that most tumour tissues produced a large amount of lactate that was reduced but not eliminated in the presence of oxygen, while most normal tissues produced a much smaller amount of lactate that was eliminated by the provision of oxygen. These findings were clearly well ahead of their time because it was another 80 years before they were to have any major impact, and even today the mechanisms underlying the Warburg effect are not completely understood.
Die Macht der (Re-)Präsentation durch das Controlling
Authors: Messner Martin
Published: September 2022

Eine zentrale politische Dimension des Controllings liegt in der Art und Weise, wie Controlling organisationale Sachverhalte darstellt bzw. konstruiert. Der Beitrag diskutiert drei Aspekte dieser Macht der (Re-)Präsentation: die Macht der Zahlen, die Macht des Vergleichs, und die Macht der Worte und der Bilder.
Kostenmanagement bei Bosch Powertrain Solutions
Authors: Gackstatter Uwe , Rücker Uwe-Christian , Lenzing Thomas , Pethe Axel , Pedell Burkhard
Published: September 2022

Die Bosch-Gruppe ist ein international führendes Technologie- und Dienstleistungsunternehmen mit weltweit rund 402.600 Mitarbeitenden (Stand 31.12.2021). Der Geschäftsbereich Powertrain Solutions (PS) ist innerhalb von Bosch der größte Geschäftsbereich mit einem Umsatz in zweistelliger Milliardenhöhe und mehr als 80.000 Mitarbeitenden an rund 60 Standorten weltweit. PS ist globaler Weltmarktführer für Komponenten, Systeme, Software und Services rund um das Antriebssystem und beliefert alle Autohersteller weltweit. Das Erzeugnis-Portfolio umfasst Benzin-, Diesel- und Gas-Komponenten sowie die elektrischen Antriebe inkl. der Brennstoffzelle.