bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chinese ESL Instructors' Beliefs and Practices of Intercultural Education in a Ubiquitous Environment
Authors: Shen Min , Peng Chew Fong , Teng Yap Teng , Hua Fan
Published: July 2022

Primarily motivated by the practical question of whether it is feasible to identify the barriers that English instructors would face while cultivating students' intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in a ubiquitous learning (u-learning) environment, the study outlined in this chapter examined English instructors' online teaching experience in terms of their beliefs and pedagogical practice. A mixed-method research design was adopted to collect data from a survey among 110 English as a second language (ESL) instructors in Chinese universities and interviews with five of them. The findings indicated significant tension between Chinese ESL instructors' disposition towards effective intercultural education in a u-learning environment and their deeply held pedagogical conviction that teaching ICC requires face-to-face interactions. The authors, therefore, suggest that Chinese ESL instructors should be equipped with alternative teaching beliefs toward more innovative educational approaches.
Developing Intercultural Competence and Intelligence in the ESP Classroom
Authors: Clouet Richard , García-Sánchez Soraya , Fidalgo-González Leticia
Published: July 2022

Foreign language learning in higher education has gone beyond the mere acquisition of vocabulary and grammar knowledge for communication purposes. It has become apparent that learners need to focus on a deeper knowledge of cultures and how this interacts in intercultural encounters, hence the necessity to develop their intercultural communicative competence. It is also vital to train students to become interculturally intelligent to operate effectively across cultures in their future professions. The authors of this chapter revise key concepts (such as culture, intercultural awareness, or intercultural intelligence), five general models of intercultural intelligence, and four educational approaches to identify the value or intercultural intelligence for future professionals in any English for specific purposes (ESP) area that aims at successful cross-cultural communication (e.g., for translators and interpreters). Finally, they propose a three-stage general model to design ESP courses to enhance learners' intercultural competence and help them reach intercultural intelligence.
Good Practices in ESP
Authors: Moncada-Comas Balbina , Diert-Boté Irati
Published: July 2022

Multimodal and multichannel practices are at the core of this chapter. Multimodal research questions the notion that language is the most important aspect for meaning conveyance and acknowledges the interplay between linguistic, paralinguistic, and non-linguistic resources. Multichannel learning thrives on the idea of distance learning and on the use of media resources and technology that are part of effective instruction. Drawing on Morell's analytical system, this chapter analyzes an English for specific purposes (ESP) subject to compare onsite and online classroom practices from a multimodal and multichannel perspective and to evaluate whether these practices are efficient in feedback provision. By considering the teacher's multimodal competence and multichannel awareness, this study provides a detailed view of the most effective strategies of the virtual and the face-to-face modes and how these can be integrated and implemented to provide feedback and to motivate/encourage learners.
Do You Use Instagram?
Authors: Garcia Maria Teresa Martinez , Garcia Valentín Martinez
Published: July 2022

This chapter explores the uses of social networks, specifically of Instagram, in a Content and Language-Integrated Learning (CLIL) History and Valencian classroom in a high school context. The authors provide an overview of all the benefits and disadvantages of using Instagram in the classroom as an example on how to provide learners with content and interaction anytime and anywhere (as proposed within the ubiquitous learning methodology). Moreover, the chapter presents and discusses an example on how this platform could be used in any classroom and to teach any subject (with a real example implemented in a Spanish Contemporary History class in a high school in Spain) and ends with an explanation and tips on how to specifically implement this platform in the classroom.
Fuzzification Technique for Candidate Rating and Selection
Authors: Iwasokun Gabriel Babatunde , Idowu Ayowole Oluwatayo , Kuboye Bamidele Moses
Published: July 2022

The traditional ways of candidate selection and recruitment are prone to subjectivity, imprecision and vagueness. With a view to achieving objective and precise selection and recruitment while keeping up with technological improvement and changes, this paper discusses a fuzzification-based technique for candidate rating and selection. The technique comprises a fuzzy logic component that is an extension of Boolean logic and used for establishing accurate selection process and precise solutions to multi-variable problems. There is a knowledge base component which forms the database of multi-level information and rule base which composes a set of if-then statements for decision making. Its inference engine applies a pre-defined procedure on input from the rule base and fuzzy logic interfaces for final recommendations. The proposed methodology performs pre-defined procedures that are based on some input sets which stores multi-level information derived from several pre-specified scores. Results from the implementation of the proposed technique established its practical function.
Construction of an Online Education Platform Based on SOA Architecture and Multimedia Technology
Authors: He Tao , Rahman Abdul , Farooqi Ataur Rahman
Published: July 2022

With the deepening of basic education information work, the establishment of regional basic teaching platform, in order to integrate educational resources, unified teaching platform, centralized management of teaching information, education information development is an urgent matter. In view of the above situation, the multimedia teaching system for primary and secondary schools is designed and implemented based on the actual project requirements. In view of the characteristics of wide distribution and many applications of multimedia teaching platform in primary and secondary schools, the current mainstream architecture is adopted to realize the efficient application, flexible expansion and convenient maintenance of the system through centralized management and distributed deployment.
Stock Market Prediction Based on Big Data Using Deep Reinforcement Long Short-Term Memory Model
Authors: K. Ishwarappa , Anuradha J.
Published: July 2022

In this modern era, the stock market is one of the important platforms for several business developments to ensure their growth for upcoming years. Big data is another technical aspect of the stock market to import large amounts of stocks. Deep Reinforcement Long Short Term Memory (DRLSTM) model is proposed for achieving better prediction rate for stock market trends based on the technical indicators. Three most popular banking organizations data is obtained in real-time live stocks from the NIFTY-50 market data. The data is enclosed based on trading days from 2000 to 2020. The bid data approach known to be a Hadoop framework is used simultaneously to handle large amounts of data for processing through distributed storage. The experimental results are performed based on the mean squared error (MSE) for the proposed model which obtained a low error rate of 0.017% for SBI, 0.014% for HDFC, and 0.018% for BajajFin. The proposed model is evaluated and results are compared with other existing techniques which the RLSTM outperforms by obtaining a high accuracy rate.
A Study on the Effect of Educational Games and Cooperative Learning Applications on Solving Students' Learning Problems
Authors: Yıldız Emre , Şimşek Ümit
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of educational game (EG), reading-writing-game (RWG), reading-writing-application (RWA) and traditional methods on academic achievement, motivation, anxiety, and retention of their knowledge. On this basis, pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design was followed. Thus, the sample of the study was 149 7th grade students. Data were collected with the prior-knowledge test, academic achievement test, motivation and anxiety scale. In the analysis of data descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, were used. As a result, it was found that the EG method was more effective than the RWG, RWA and traditional method in improving the academic achievement of students. In terms of learning motivation and permanence of the information, it was seen that there is a significant difference between EG and traditional method in favor of the students who applied EG method. As for learning anxiety, the results showed that there is a significant difference among EG, RWA, and traditional method in favor of the students who used EG method.
Image Compression and Encryption Based on Integer Wavelet Transform and Hybrid Hyperchaotic System
Authors: Srinivas Rajamandrapu , N. Mayur
Published: July 2022

This paper address the issue of image compression and encryption is to minimize the amount of data required to represent the images and to provide better privacy and security to the users. A joint lossless algorithm: Integer Wavelet Transform (IWT) with hybrid hyperchaotic system is proposed to enhance the security of data transmission. IWT is used to compress the images and then the encryption is performed by hybrid hyper chaotic system. A hybrid hyperchaotic system: Fractional Order Hyperchaotic Cellular Neural Network (FOHCNN) and Fractional Order Four Dimensional Modified Chua’s Circuit (FOFDMCC) is used to generate the pseudorandom sequences. The pixel substitution and scrambling is realized by Global Bit Scrambling (GBS) that improves the cipher unpredictability. In this study, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequence is adopted instead of binary operation that resists the cipher images from crop attack, differential attack and salt and pepper noise. In the experimental phase, the proposed algorithm showed good performance in encryption compared to existing algorithms.
Performance Analysis and Systematic Review of Privacy Preservation-Based Authentication Models and Cryptographic-Based Data Protocols
Authors: Pawar Ankush Balaram , Ghumbre Shashikant U. , Jogdand Rashmi M.
Published: July 2022

This paper proposes a privacy preservation-based data security and secure data protocol for distributed Data Storage and Communication (DSaC). An effective performance analysis is done between privacy preservation-based data security approach for authenticated encrypted access and secure data protocol for DSaC in cloud and the approaches are compared with the traditional schemes like Ins-PAbAC, Homomorphic Proxy Re-encryption (HPRE), LAM-CIoT, SA-EDS, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and Data Encryption Standard (DES). The proposed privacy preservation approach achieved a minimum time of 12614ms, maximum detection rate of 0.985, maximum privacy factor of 0.645, maximum TPR of 0.785, and maximum TNR of 0.777 for Switzerland dataset and the ACS-based secure data protocol achieved a minimum time of 5527ms, maximum detection rate of 0.953, minimum E2E delay of 85, maximum TPR of 0.817, and maximum TNR of 0.754 for Cleveland dataset.
Machine Learning Interpretability to Detect Fake Accounts in Instagram
Authors: Sallah Amine , Abdellaoui Alaoui El Arbi , Agoujil Said , Nayyar Anand
Published: July 2022

This study is related to the detection of fake accounts on Instagram dataset that used by previous works. For this purpose, various Machine Learning algorithms have been used such as Bagging and Boosting to detect fake accounts on Instagram. Machine Learning now allows eight to learn directly from data rather than human knowledge, with an increased level of accuracy. To balance the two classes of data, we used the SMOTE algorithm which allows to obtain the same number of individuals for each class. We also incorporated methods for interpreting complex Machine Learning Models to understand the reasons for a model decision like SHAP values and LIME, we preferred to use SHAP values because it provides a local and global explanation of the model and also the values add up to the real estimation of the model, which LIME does not provide. Results show an overall accuracy of 96% for the XGBoost and Random Forest. In what follows, an online fake detecting system has been developed to detect malicious accounts on the Instagram.
Social Enterprise Financing Case Study
Authors: Baporikar Neeta , Sauti Lucia
Published: July 2022

Enterprises require sufficient finances on a sustainable basis to achieve their set goals and deliver effective, efficient, innovative, and quality services. More so the social enterprises as they cater to a larger base. Yet social enterprises the world over face funding challenges. Special schools are no exception, even if they are established by the government for social upliftment and enhanced inclusivity. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the challenges special schools face in Windhoek, Namibia. Adopting exploratory research design with mixed methodology approach, quantitative data collection by questionnaire from 50 participants and qualitative data collected through structured interviews include four management staff of two special schools, one each from philanthropic organization Ministry of Education. Findings reveal the various reasons for challenges in financing are due to the Government abolishment of the School Development Fund (SDF) and cuts in education budgets due to financial crisis. Recommendations include special planning and private-public partnerships.
Augmented Reality Assistance for Aging People
Authors: J. Divya Udayan , Halonen Raija , Cherukuri Aswani Kumar
Published: July 2022

The development of Augmented Reality is becoming robust and matured by the combination of real-time performance with virtual information. With the proliferating geriatric population, the benefits of AR systems can be suitably harnessed for supporting the elderly in home activities, mobility and entertainment, among others. Hence, the development of AR to assist aging population is now feasible, but an overview of the existing research is not yet attempted. The objective of this systematic literature review is to provide the detail technical progress on the current situation of AR application and reviews the different domains using AR for supporting the ageing population. Search was conducted on five databases including Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Science Direct, ACM Digital Library and Springer Link.350 papers were initially searched and after detail study 71 were selected for the review. To conclude, the review proposed six components to be noted when developing new AR applications for the elderly.
The Digital Disruptive Intermediaries in the Tourism Industry
Authors: Valsamidis Stavros Ioannis , Zoumpoulidis Vasilios Ioannis , Maditinos Dimitrios I. , Mandilas Athanasios A.
Published: July 2022

Nowadays, the new technologies offer new capabilities for the tourism industry. New disruptive innovations have appeared forcing the tourism companies to adjust to the new changes and challenges. Disruption in the tourism industry is currently happening and is overthrowing the status quo. Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Booking.com are four of the most influential tourist companies. They leverage demand-side economies of scale by scaling up the customer acquisition and providing a great user experience. Their primary business requirement is the ability to respond to new, unforeseen or unpredictable business requirements and customer demands, in order the willingness to embrace disruption to be achieved. Their reorganization of the allocation of demand and supply leads to a disruption of tourist markets, particularly those that were formerly monopolised. This study examines the best practices in the business models of four digital disruptive intermediaries (DDIs) in the tourism industry through two different methods: SWOT Analysis and PESTEL Analysis.
How Bias Impacted the Project Manager Decision to Not Terminate a Failing Project
Authors: Strang Kenneth David , Vajjhala Narasimha Rao
Published: July 2022

Almost half of projects have failed globally during the last 50 years yet most studies in the literature review were inclusive. The research design was a robust repeated measures controlled experiment where the 16 participants received all treatments, which may be contrasted to a similar 4 x 4 factorial experiment with a control group (common in psychology or healthcare) resulting in a group size of only 4. All but the individual project manager (PM) factors were controlled, while primary demographic and behavior data were collected. PM’s were tested for competence using a risk management scenario, and given two manipulated conditions (a basic and a biased treatment). Since the organizational and project level factors were controlled, some individual level factors impacted the decision. PM’s with higher competence made better decisions, with a 22% effect size, when all other factors in the model were accounted for. Competent non-certified PM’s made better decisions as compared to certified incompetent PM’s.
Correlations Between the UN SDGs and Educational Technology From the Perspective of Taiwan's Educational Innovation
Authors: Ho Shin-Jia
Published: July 2022

Society 5.0 is characterized by problem solving and value creation, decentralization, diversity, resilience, and environmental harmony. It also indicates that the major mankind needs to face are presented in the seventeen SDGs proposed by the UN. Therefore, the educational context of the UN SDGs was investigated in this study. Through a dialogue with Taiwan’s educational context and link with the educational technology behind the current Society 5.0 proposed by Japan, UN SDGs were discussed and aligned with the 12-year national basic education program of Taiwan. Societal design was applied to drive the practice of maker education, demonstrating the three core ideas of the 12-year national basic education: taking initiative (ontological view), engaging the public (cognitive view), and seeking the common good (ethical view). Defining the 12-year national basic education program can help truly implement the connotations of education in SDGs and highlight the key role of educational technology.
CNN-Based Deep Learning Technique for the Brain Tumor Identification and Classification in MRI Images
Authors: Mandle Anil Kumar , Sahu Satya Prakash , Gupta Govind P.
Published: July 2022

A brain tumor is an abnormal development of cells in the brain that are either benign or malignant. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to identify tumors. Manual evaluation of brain tumors from MRI images by a radiologist is a challenging task. Hence, this paper proposes VGG-19 Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN)-based deep learning model for the classification of brain tumors. Initially, in the proposed model, contrast stretching technique is employed for noises removal. Next, a deep neural network is employed for rich feature extract. Further, these learning features are combined with classifier models of CNN for training and validation. performance analysis of the proposed methodology and experiments have been carried out using publicly available MRI images in Figshare dataset of 3064 slices from 233 subjects. The proposed model has achieved 99.83% accuracy. Moreover, the proposed model obtained precision 96.32%, 98.26%, and 98.56%, recall of 97.82%, 98.62%, 98.87%, and specificity of 98.72%, 99.51%, and 99.43% for the Glioma, Meningioma, and Pituitary tumors respectively.
The Moderating Effect of External Financing on the Relationship Between Innovation Input and Enterprise Performance Based on the Moderating Effect Model of Two Interactions
Authors: Feng Jing , Yao Yonghong , Yang Qiaowen
Published: July 2022

This article takes China's high-tech companies from 2010 to 2019 as a sample to explore the correlation between innovation investment and corporate performance, and the moderating effect of external financing on innovation investment and corporate performance. The main research conclusions are as follows: (1) Innovation investment has a positive impact on corporate performance. (2) Equity financing has a positive regulatory effect on innovation input and corporate performance. (3) Debt financing has a negative regulatory effect on innovation input and corporate performance. The negative adjustment effects of debt financing from strong to weak are: bond financing, long-term borrowing, short-term borrowing, and commercial credit.
Forecasting the Diffusion of Smart Speakers in the Indian Market Using Bass, Gompertz, and Logistic Models
Authors: Tiwari Shalini Rahul , Jain Mayank , Jain Neha
Published: July 2022

Forecasting the diffusion of new products in an emerging market is important yet challenging due to a lack of historical data. Managers often resort to inefficient forecasting practices to understand diffusion and to stay ahead of the competition. Our study aims to forecast sales for smart speakers in India, that have been introduced recently. Due to the lack of adequate sales data, our research has used data of analogous products using look-alike analysis to estimate the parameters of diffusion models. We forecasted future sales using three relevant diffusion models – the Bass, the Gompertz, and the Logistic to determine the model to forecast sales for smart speakers. The analysis revealed that the Bass model gave better predictions as compared to the other two models. The results were validated using parameter estimates from secondary literature. Our study predicts that the aggregate sales of smart speakers in India will peak around 2023-27.
The Degradation of the most Common Stainless Steels: Real Case Issues
Authors: Mosca Cristina , Paglia Christian , Jornet Albert
Published: July 2022

Stainless steel may be susceptible to localized corrosion. Despite this fact, still too many infrastructures are planned with an inadeguate metal chemical composition or placed in wrong environments. In most cases, a clear underestimation of these factors affects the stainless steel durability. These unexpected issues cause a significant technical and economical impact. In this work, several case studies of Inox exposed to unfavorable environmental conditions are presented. A wide range of structures, such as house handles, a swimming pool, a parapet, an industry plant and a waste water collection tank are investigated with respect to the corrosion behavior. Temperature and humidity cyclic variation, promote the enrichments of aggressive agents and lead to degradation. A too low Molybdenum content of the steels is inadequate for some type of structures and service conditions. The weldability changes depending on the steel type and along the thermally affected zones, intergranular corrosion may appear. In addition, a galvanic contact of the stainless steel with existing low alloyed steels components promotes the deterioration of the latter.
Influence of Different Zoning on Part Thickness in the Multi-Stage Incremental Forming Based on the Extrusion from the Forward and Reverse Side of the Sheet
Authors: Cheng Gui Xi , Zhu Hu , Jung Dong Won
Published: July 2022

In the multi-stage incremental forming of straight-wall parts based on the extrusion from the forward and reverse side of the sheet, different forming area zoning will have different effects on the part thickness. The larger the area of the sheet metal participating in forming is, the better the thickness distribution is. However, the forming area zoning can be adjusted by using the inclination angle α and the height H of the auxiliary zoning surface. Research results show that the forming area of the sheet metal participating the forming will increase and the thickness of the formed part will also increase with the inclination angle α decreases and with the height H increases.
Cardiac Dysfunction Is Not Associated with Increased Reintubation Rate in Patients Treated with Post-extubation High-Flow Nasal Cannula
Authors: Sim Jae Kyeom , Choi Juwhan , Oh Jee Youn , Min Kyung Hoon , Hur Gyu Young , Lee Sung Yong , Shim Jae Jeong , Lee Young Seok
Published: July 2022

Background: Cardiac dysfunction patients have long been considered at high risk of reintubation. However, it is based on past studies in which only conventional oxygen therapy was applied after extubation. We investigated association between cardiac dysfunction and reintubation rate in situation where high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was widely used during post-extubation period.Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of patients treated with HFNC after planned extubation in medical intensive care unit of single tertiary center. Patients were divided into normal function group (ejection fraction [EF] ≥45%) and cardiac dysfunction group (EF <45%). The primary outcome was reintubation rate within 72 hours following extubation.Results: Of 270 patients, 35 (13%) had cardiac dysfunction. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. There were no differences in the changes in vital signs between the two groups during the first 12 hours after extubation except diastolic blood pressure. The reintubation rates were 20% and 17% for cardiac dysfunction group and normal function group, respectively (p=0.637). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, cardiac dysfunction was not associated with an increased risk of reintubation within 72 hours following extubation (hazard ratio, 1.56; p=0.292).Conclusion: Cardiac dysfunction was not associated with increased reintubation rate within 72 hours when HFNC is immediately applied after planned extubation.
Genome-Wide Mapping of Plasma IgG N-Glycan Quantitative Trait Loci Identifies a Potentially Causal Association between IgG N-Glycans and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Liu Di , Dong Jing , Zhang Jie , Xu Xizhu , Tian Qiuyue , Meng Xiaoni , Wu Lijuan , Zheng Deqiang , Chu Xi , Wang Wei , Meng Qun , Wang Youxin
Published: July 2022

Observational studies highlight associations of IgG N-glycosylation with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, the causality between these conditions remains to be determined. Standard and multivariable two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses integrating a summary genome-wide association study for RA and IgG N-glycan quantitative trait loci (IgG N-glycan-QTL) data were performed to explore the potentially causal associations of IgG N-glycosylation with RA. After correcting for multiple testing (p < 2 × 10−3), the standard MR analysis based on the inverse-variance weighted method showed a significant association of genetically instrumented IgG N-glycan (GP4) with RA (odds ratioGP4 = 0.906, 95% confidence interval = 0.857–0.958, p = 5.246 × 10−4). In addition, we identified seven significant associations of genetically instrumented IgG N-glycans with RA by multivariable MR analysis (p < 2 × 10−3). Results were broadly consistent in sensitivity analyses using MR_Lasso, MR_weighted median, MR_Egger regression, and leave-one-out analysis with different instruments (all p values <0.05). There was limited evidence of pleiotropy bias (all p values > 0.05). In conclusion, our MR analysis incorporating genome-wide association studies and IgG N-glycan-QTL data revealed that IgG N-glycans were potentially causally associated with RA. Our findings shed light on the role of IgG N-glycosylation in the development of RA. Future studies are needed to validate our findings and to explore the underlying physiological mechanisms in the etiology of RA.
High-Fat Diet–Induced Obesity Alters Dendritic Cell Homeostasis by Enhancing Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation
Authors: Chen I-Chun , Awasthi Deepika , Hsu Chia-Lang , Song Minkyung , Chae Chang-Suk , Dannenberg Andrew J , Cubillos-Ruiz Juan R
Published: July 2022

Obesity is associated with increased cancer risk and weak responses to vaccination and sepsis treatment. Although dendritic cells (DCs) are fundamental for the initiation and maintenance of competent immune responses against pathogens and tumors, how obesity alters the normal physiology of these myeloid cells remains largely unexplored. In this study, we report that obesity caused by prolonged high-fat diet feeding disrupts the metabolic and functional status of mouse splenic DCs (SpDCs). High-fat diet–induced obesity drastically altered the global transcriptional profile of SpDCs, causing severe changes in the expression of gene programs implicated in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function. SpDCs isolated from obese mice demonstrated enhanced mitochondrial respiration provoked by increased fatty acid oxidation (FAO), which drove the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species that impaired Ag presentation to T cells. Accordingly, treatment with the FAO inhibitor etomoxir, or antioxidants such as vitamin E or N-acetyl-l-cysteine, restored the Ag-presenting capacity of SpDCs isolated from obese mice. Our findings reveal a major detrimental effect of obesity in DC physiology and suggest that controlling mitochondrial FAO or reactive oxygen species overproduction may help improve DC function in obese individuals.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of births in Pernambuco Brazil
Authors: Da Costa Heitor Victor Veiga , Vieira do Bonfim Cristine , Fusco Wilson , Moreira Morvan de Melo , Maciano de Paula Neto Fernando
Published: July 2022

This study aimed at analysing the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the time series and spatial patterns of live births in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, from 2010 to 2021. This is an ecological study that applied intervention analysis in time series, with the goal to identify how projected data behaved in relation to observed data in the months December 2020 to November 2021, i.e. months representing conceptions from March2020 to April 2021. For the state of Pernambuco, a discrepancy up to +5.7% was found between the observed and projected data, while the respective difference for the São Francisco mesoregion showed the opposite trend with maximum discrepancy of –9%. The results did not indicate a clear change in the number of live births but supported the expected continuation of the downward trend of the previous years. Considering the importance of the number of live births in the context of demography, economy and public health, monitoring must be maintained to analyse the possible future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on live birth projections.
Quantitative risk assessment of respiratory exposure to acrylonitrile vapor in petrochemical industry by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency method
Authors: Sajedian Ali Asghar , Karimi Ali , Yarandi Mohsen Sadeghi , Moshiran Vahid Ahmadi , Koozekonan Aysa Ghasemi , Golbabaei Farideh
Published: July 2022

Acrylonitrile is a potential carcinogen for humans, and exposure to this substance can cause adverse effects for workers. This study aimed to carcinogenic and health risk assessment of acrylonitrile vapor exposure in exposed personnel of a petrochemical complex. This crosssectional study was performed in 2019 in a petrochemical complex. In this study, to sample and determine acrylonitrile’s respiratory exposure, the method provided by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH 1601) was used, and a total of 45 inhaled air samples were sampled from men workers, aged 39.43 ± 9.37 years. All subjects’ mean exposure to acrylonitrile vapors was 71.1 ± 122.8 μg/m3. Also, the mean exposure index among all subjects was 0.02 ± 0.034. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment results showed that the mean Hazard quotient index was 4.04 ± 6.93. The mean lifetime cancer risk index was also 2.1 × 10-3 ± 3.5 × 10-3 and was in the definite risk range. Considering that both carcinogenicity and health indicators of exposure to acrylonitrile in the studied petrochemical complex are more than the recommended limits, the necessary engineering and management measures to control and manage the risk to an acceptable level are essential to improving the worker’s health.
Ozone sauna therapy and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy could potentially improve outcome in women with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing assisted reproductive technology
Authors: Dias Ashini R. , Bitsaktsis Constantine , Emdin Daniella , Bosman Lisa , Smith Andre Hugo , Merhi Zaher
Published: July 2022

There are limited treatment options for women with severely diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) who experience repeatedly failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and with persistently thin endometrial lining thickness (EMT) during frozen embryo transfer cycles. Therefore, a large majority of patients resort to using donor oocytes and gestational carriers. Data from existing animal and human studies suggest that ozone sauna therapy (OST) and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) are emerging as potential therapeutic adjuncts for female reproduction. This study was conducted to assess the fertility outcome of OST + PEMF in vivo in patients undergoing IVF/frozen embryo transfe and the effects of OST in vitro on human granulosa cell (GC) function. Forty-four women with DOR underwent their 1st IVF cycle (Cycle 1), and then were administered transdermal and intravaginal OST + PEMF, twice a week for 3 weeks, followed by a 2nd IVF cycle (Cycle 2) using the same protocol as in Cycle 1. GCs collected from another six women who underwent egg retrieval were equally split and cultured with OST (test) or placed in room temperature (control) outside the OST chamber in the same room. The results demonstrated that Cycles 1 and 2 had no significant difference in the number of days of stimulation, baseline hormones measured, number of oocytes retrieved or peak estradiol levels. However, the number of embryos formed after OST + PEMF in Cycle 2 was significantly higher than the Cycle 1. Furthermore, EMT measured in Cycle 2 demonstrated a significant increase compared to Cycle 1 and all patients reached a satisfactory EMT of approximately 7 mm. In vitro studies demonstrated that OST led to a 5-fold significant increase in the aromatase enzyme while a significant 50% reduction was noted in the side-chain cleavage enzyme in GCs. Both OST + PEMF are known for their vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant actions, which could enhance endometrial receptivity and increase the number of formed embryos without increasing the number of oocytes retrieved, suggesting an improvement in oocyte quality. Finally, ozone can alter genes involved in steroidogenesis suggesting that it could improve ovarian function.
A Comparative Examination of Cyclic Fatigue and Fragment Length of Three Different Types of Endodontic Rotary Files
Authors: Abduljabbar Saleh Hanaa , Husham Abdulhameed Othman
Published: July 2022

Introduction:

Although of great scientific advancement in the properties and form, fracture of nickel-titanium (NiTi) files could occur during their use. The goal of this study was to compare resistance to cyclic fatigue of various rotary systems used in endodontics.

Materials and Methods:

Three types of NiTi rotary systems were tested – group A: One Curve, group B: Edge File, and group C: lusterdent NiTi files. In these files, taper is 0.06, and their diameter is 25 mm. Stainless steel block was used. This block contains artificial canals with a 60o curvature, 5 mm radius of curvature, 21 mm length, and 1.5 mm width. A number of cycles before fracture were obtained and measurement of fragment length was achieved. Statistical evaluation of readings was accomplished with ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test.

Results:

There were statistically significant differences between the three types of NiTi rotary systems considering the number of cycles before file fracture (P < 0.001). The differences between fracture lengths were not statistically significant (P = 0.15).

Conclusion:

The Edge File revealed the highest cyclic fatigue resistance.
Evaluation of Friction and Surface Characteristics of Two Types of Self-Ligating Bracket Gate
Authors: Kanbar Hussein A. , Obaid Dina H. , Ibrahim Ali I.
Published: July 2022

Introduction:

Frictional forces generation during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances impedes appropriate tooth movement; hence, research is ongoing to explore “frictionless” techniques. This in vitro study compares Damon Q and Pactive self-ligating metallic brackets in terms of friction and surface characteristics of the bracket gates when using CuNiTi archwires during leveling and alignment stage and examines the effects of aging conditions on frictional force generation.

Methods:

A total of 108 metallic self-ligating brackets (Damon Q and Pactive) were investigated for frictional resistance with round 0.014″ and rectangular 0.014″*0.025″ CuNiTi archwires post exposure to water storage and acidic attack aging conditions. The bracket gate surface characteristics were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Results:

There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in friction generation between the two bracket systems when coupled with 0.014″ CuNiTi archwire, but the Pactive brackets yielded significantly higher frictional forces (P < 0.05) when coupled with 0.014″*0.025″ archwire. The SEM findings revealed nonsignificant differences (P > 0.05) between the surface characteristics of the bracket gates.

Conclusions:

Damon Q brackets generate low frictional forces, suggesting better performance than Pactive brackets during the first phase of orthodontic treatment. A modified scoring system was developed for an objective description of bracket surface characteristics.
Microleakage Evaluation of Glass Hybrid Restoration Following Usage of Papain-Based Gel and Ceramic Bur for Caries Removal
Authors: Alkhawaja Halah Abdulkareem A. , Al Haidar Aseel Haidar M.J.
Published: July 2022

Introduction:

In the field of pediatric dentistry, an urge to adopt a more comfortable, minimally invasive, and stressless technique for caries removal became a must. Coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak necessitates a paradigm change in the global health care protocols, requiring alternative, nonaerosol generating approaches. This study aimed to measure and compare the influence of two methods of caries removal, namely, Brix3000 and CeraBur, on the microleakage of glass hybrid restorative material.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty human primary molar teeth with accessible occluso-gingival carious cavitation were randomly allocated into CeraBur and Brix3000 groups. After selective caries excavation, samples were restored with Equia Forte HT, thermocycled, dipped in thiazine dye, washed, and sectioned through the restoration center. Then microleakage was measured using a stereomicroscope (30× magnification) at both occlusal and gingival margins.

Results:

No statistically significant difference was found between the two methods of caries removal (CeraBur and Brix3000) at both occlusal (P = 1.000) and gingival margins (P = 0.612).

Conclusions:

Brix3000 caries removing gel did not negatively affect the microleakage of Equia Forte HT compared to the CeraBur and hence can be used alternatively to the conventional drilling methods.
Filling Ability of Various Root Canal Sealers into Simulated Lateral Canals
Authors: Alalaf Nur Ayad , Alkhalidi Emad Farhan
Published: July 2022

Background:

This study aimed to assess and compare the depth of penetration of TotalFill BC, AH Plus Jet, and GuttaFlow Bioseal sealers into simulated lateral canals.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 30 extracted mandibular premolars were selected. Simulated lateral canals were made. The specimens were randomized into three experimental groups of 10 each. The specimens were cleared for visualization under a stereomicroscope at 10× magnification. The depth of penetration was assessed by a four-grade scoring system. Data were submitted to Fisher exact test at 5% significance.

Results:

There was statistically no significant difference among the experimental groups regarding the depth of penetration (P > .05).

Conclusion:

All root canal sealers experimented with herein showed a comparable depth of penetration in the simulated lateral canals regarding their filling ability.
High Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis as a Result of 5-Oxoproline
Authors: Patel Suvika , Parikh Falguni , Kulkarni Niranjan
Published: July 2022

High anion gap metabolic acidosis is a common acid–base disorder encountered in hospitalized patients and more so in the intensive care unit. The most common causes are accumulation of lactate, ketones, and urea and ingestion of certain toxins. In the absence of these, lesser-known etiologies such as accumulation of D-lactate or pyroglutamic acid (PGA) should be suspected. PGA (5-oxoproline) is an endogenous organic acid that can accumulate in serum to cause anionic gap metabolic acidosis. This can occur with inherited defects in enzymes that participate in the y-glutamyl cycle or can be acquired in association with therapeutic paracetamol use, malnutrition, sepsis, antibiotics, and renal impairment. Our case illustrates that prompt recognition of this entity and discontinuation of offending agents such as paracetamol result in rapid recovery, thus reducing the hospital stay.
Taking Good Care of Joints for Optimal Health in Rheumatology
Authors: Benlidayi Ilke Coskun
Published: July 2022

Patients with rheumatic diseases involving the joints experience pain, decreased range of motion in affected joints, and deterioration in functional activities. Individuals with arthritis require a comprehensive management strategy including pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options. Patient education and self-management protocols such as joint protection techniques are essential in the management of arthritis. The present topical review focused on joint protection, its implications on patients’ daily living, and the potential effects among patients with arthritis. Implementing joint protection principles, such as avoiding repetitive movements, prolonged grips, and positions of deformity, is of great importance to provide a better outcome in patients with arthritis.
Lactate Dehydrogenase
Authors: Pandarathodiyil Anitha Krishnan , Ramanathan Anand , Garg Ranjana , Doss Jennifer Geraldine , Rahman Fazliny Binti Abd , Ghani Wan Maria Nabillah , Vijayan Srinivas Prasad
Published: July 2022

Lactate dehydrogenase enzyme (LDH) helps in the conversion of glucose into pyruvic acid during aerobic glycolysis and is found in the cytoplasm of most cells in the human body. When oxidative stress occurs in the body, LDH may be released extracellularly and its level is usually indicative of the severity of tissue damage. LDH has proved to be an inestimably resourceful marker in early prediction of serious diseases involving extensive tissue or cellular damage. This short communication explores the potential of LDH as a salivary biomarker of cell injury and death.
A Comparison of the Marginal Accuracy of Metal Copings Made with Three Different Brands of Nickel–Chromium Alloys and Various Sprue Designs
Authors: Rashidi Tabish , Bhasin Navreet , Bumb Pratik P. , Singh Amitu , Pawar Shubhra J. , Priyadarshi Siddharth
Published: July 2022

Introduction:

It is important to construct the sprue in a way that ensures that the mold gets an appropriate supply of metal at the right speed. Many manufacturers now offer sprue designs that have not been advocated in textbooks or publications for their normal use.

Aim:

The goal of this research was to compare the sprue design's marginal fit to that of the other designs.

Methods:

During this investigation, we attempted to see whether the fabrication of metal copings could be improved. Three sprue designs were used in this research for the assessment of casting accuracy: normal cylindrical, funnel-shaped, and cuboidal or flattened sprue forms.

Results:

The mean marginal disparity of nickel–chromium (Ni–Cr) alloy copings made by three distinct brands was determined to be statistically insignificant.

Conclusion:

Within the limitation of the study, it was concluded that the marginal accuracy of metal copings fabricated with three different brands of Ni–Cr alloy did not reveal a statistically significant result. However, out of the three different sprue designs, that is, cylindrical, cuboidal, and funnel shape, the marginal accuracy of cylindrical and cuboidal sprue designs was found to be better than that of the funnel shape sprue design because the funnel shape sprue design is narrow at the point of attachment, thereby increasing the flow pressure and decreasing the turbulence of the molten metal.
Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone and Modified Hydroxyapatite Granules in Patients Requiring Immediate Dental Implants
Authors: Pragna K , Bulkar Vikas , Naveen Reddy R , Jamal Sayed Arshad , Zahir Hussain Mohammed Abid , Khader Anas Abdul
Published: July 2022

Objectives:

The objective is to compare demineralized freeze-dried bone and modified hydroxyapatite granules in patients requiring immediate dental implants.

Materials and Methods:

Forty patients for immediate dental implants were divided into Group I (demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft) and Group II (modified hydroxyapatite) based on the type of graft used. Success of graft was evaluated based on modified plaque index, gingival index, and Periotest at 3, 6, and 12 months follow up.

Results:

The mean modified plaque index, gingival index, peri-implant sulcular depth, and Periotest were recorded at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months at implant site and full mouth in both groups found to be nonsignificant (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

Both demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft and modified hydroxyapatite grafts were equally efficient in immediate dental implant placement sites.
Comparative Evaluation of Efficacy of Bioactive Glass, Tricalcium Phosphate, and Ozone Remineralizing Agents on Artificial Carious Lesion
Authors: Jena Debkant , Manas Abhigyan , Venkateswararao CH , Salama Mohamed Tharwat , Ismail Prabu Mahin Syed , Basha Shaik Riyaz
Published: July 2022

Objectives:

Evaluation of efficacy of bioactive glass (BAG), tricalcium phosphate, and ozone remineralizing agents on artificial carious lesion.

Materials and Methods:

Freshly extracted 48 human premolar teeth were included for this in vitro study. Remineralization of demineralized teeth was done with respective remineralizing agents (Group A – calcium sodium phosphosilicate [BAG], Group B – tricalcium phosphate [Clinpro Tooth Crème], Group C – ozone remineralizing agents, and control group: Group D – deionized water) three times a day for 12 days for 4 min. The degree of demineralization and remineralization was evaluated with Vickers hardness number.

Results:

There was a decrease in microhardness from baseline to demineralization in all the groups. The difference in microhardness values from demineralization to remineralization in all the three test groups was found to be statistically highly significant.

Conclusion:

BAG and Tricalcium phosphate had higher remineralizing capacity, which can be used clinically to treat early carious lesions.
Comparative Evaluation of Apical Sealing Efficacy of Guttaflow Bioseal, Super-Bond Rc Sealer and Adseal Root Canal Sealer
Authors: Mueen Ahmed Syed , Sorte Gawali Kranti , Paul Princy , Ismail Prabu Mahin Syed , Abdullah Alkhelaiwi Arwa , Abdullah Alkhelaiwi Mohammed
Published: July 2022

Objectives:

The objectives of this study is to evaluate apical sealing ability of GuttaFlow Bioseal, Super-Bond RC Sealer, and Adseal root canal sealer.

Material and Methods:

36 extracted human single rooted permanent teeth, divided into three groups (n = 12) and obturated by lateral condensation technique. Obturation and root canal sealing was done by either Group I: using GuttaFlow Bioseal, Group II: using Super-Bond RC Sealer and Group III: using Adseal sealer, system. Microleakage was assessed by means of dye penetration method.

Results:

The dye penetration in Group II was more than in Groups I and III in both vertical and horizontal directions, suggesting that GuttaFlow Bioseal and Adseal sealer are effective in reducing the apical leakage compared to Super-Bond RC Sealer.

Conclusion:

Bioceramic GuttaFlow Bioseal root canal sealers seal are better root canal sealer but they cannot totally eliminate apical leakage.