bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Residual properties and durability of GFRP composite exposed to alkaline solution and natural weather for a decade
Authors: Sawpan Moyeenuddin Ahmad , Beg Mohammad
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the residual thermal and mechanical properties of pultruded GFRP composite rebar following a decade of conditioning in an alkaline solution and exposure to natural weather conditions. The study focuses on evaluating the changes in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer matrix and its impact on the rebar's mechanical performance. The results indicate that the Tg retained approximately 94.7% of its initial value, with the decrease attributed to the plasticizing effect of absorbed water. The flexural modulus, flexural strength, and transverse shear strength were found to retain 91.8%, 77.2%, and 97.3% of their original values, respectively. The reductions in strength and stiffness were primarily attributed to a weakening in the bonding between the fibres and the polymer matrix. Fractographic analysis revealed that the failure of the plasticized and softened polymer matrix contributed to the observed reductions in strength. Interestingly, the short beam shear strength remained relatively unchanged, as the diffusion of water into the core of the rebar at ambient temperatures had a minimal effect. This slower water diffusion in the core led to insignificant degradation of the short beam shear strength.
Seasonal Assemblages of picocyanobacteria in the subtropical segment of the Kuroshio Current
Authors: Chan Ya-Fan , Chung Chih-Ching , Gong Gwo-Ching , Lin I-Jung , Hsu Ching-Wei
Published: July 2023

A long-term observation has been conducted on the community composition diversity of picoplankton in the subtropical segment of Kuroshio Current from 2009 to 2015. The results showed that Synechococcus mainly distributed in the surface water layer regardless of seasonal changes, and the number of cells ranged from 104 to 105 cells mL− 1. In contrast, the maximum value of Prochlorococcus was maintained at more than 105 cells mL− 1 throughout the year, and the stirring effect caused by the monsoon determined their distribution in the water layer. In the summer and the autumn, Prochlorococcus were mainly concentrated at the water layer near the bottom of the euphotic zone. In the spring and the winter, they were evenly distributed in the euphotic zone. In addition, the results of 16S rRNA gene diversity analysis showed that the seasonal changes in the relative abundance of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus in the surface water of each station accounted for 20 to 40% of the total reads. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria approximately accounted for 45% and 10% of the total picoplankton in the four seasons. The clade-II of Synechococcus and the High-light II of Prochlorococcus were the dominant strains in the waters all year round. These data will be important basic parameters for us to study the impact of global environmental changes on marine biogeochemical cycles in the western boundary currents in the future.
Analyze of the socio-economic drivers of land use land cover changes in Western Ethiopia
Authors: Bekere Jembere , Senbeta Feyera , Gelaw Abren
Published: July 2023

A variety of socioeconomic and environmental factors have contributed to changes in LULC around the world in recent years. This study examines the socioeconomic factors that accelerated LULC in Western, Ethiopia. Data was generated from landsat images and through both primary and secondary sources. Primary data include household survey, field observation, group discussion; key informants’ and interviews. Landsat images classified with supervised classification technique and maximum likelihood classifier through arc GIS 10.3 to develop LULC maps of the study area. Accuracy assessment and kappa coefficient were used to approve the accuracy of the classified LULC, and farm land, settlement, bare land, forest land, and water body were the major LULC classes in the District. Forest cover in three decades (1990–2020) decreased from 12.1% in 1990 to 2.6% in 2020 in the study area. Binary logistic regression model examined the relationship between the (dependent) and the main socioeconomic (independent) variables. A logistic regression was performed to ascertain how independent variables and the driving forces for LULC change (Natural forces or anthropogenic forces) and the model was statistically significant (x2 = 23.971, df = 5, P < 0.001).The model explained 13.9% (Nagelekerke R2) of the variance in the driving forces for LULC dynamics and correctly classified 66.1% of cases. The study identified Age, Gender, Educational status and landholding sizes significantly determine driving forces for LULC dynamics and have the greatest chance to choice the anthropogenic forces. Thus relevant stakeholders should take integrated actions to decrease the driving forces for LULC dynamics through restoration of landscape.
Atorvastatin improves intestinal mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil in mice by modulating the and epithelial barrier and inflammatory signaling pathways
Authors: Vital Kátia Duarte , Pires Luiz Octavio , Gallotti Bruno , Silva Janayne Luihan , Jesus Luís Cláudio Lima , Alvarez-Leite Jacqueline Isaura , Ferreira Ênio , Azevedo Vasco Ariston Carvalho , Martins Flaviano Santos , Cardoso Valbert Nascimento , Fernandes Simone Odília Antunes
Published: July 2023

Chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis is a major side effect of cancer treatment. Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme reductase inhibitors used to treat hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerotic diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that atorvastatin (ATV) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and resulting from the regulation of different molecular pathways. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ATV on intestinal homeostasis in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced mucositis. Our results showed that ATV protected the intestinal mucosa from epithelial damage caused by 5-FU mainly due to inflammatory infiltrate and intestinal permeability reduction, downregulation of inflammatory markers, such as Tlr4, MyD88, NF-κB, Tnf-a, Il1β, and Il6 dose-dependent. ATV also improved epithelial barrier function by upregulating the mRNA transcript levels of mucin 2 (MUC2), and ZO-1 and occludin tight junction proteins. The results suggest that the ATV anti-inflammatory and protective effects on 5-FU-induced mice mucositis involve the inhibition of the TLR4/MYD88/NPRL3/NF-κB, iNos, and caspase 3 signaling pathways.
Direct and Rapid Synthesis of Arylphosphines (PIII) by Oxalyl Chloride Promoted Reduction of Inorganic Phosphorus Salts [TBA][H2PO4] with Trichlorosilane and Palladium Catalysis
Authors: Wu Xiaofeng , Tian Yaling , Liu Tao , Xu Wenbo , Liu Haichao , Chai Yao , Wang Zhibin , Wang Xi-Cun , Quan Zheng-Jun
Published: July 2023

Given the high demand for organophosphorus compounds (OPCs), developments of sustainable routes toward OPCs synthesis attract much attention. Numerous efforts are contributing to P4transformations into P1chemistry. Nevertheless, the existing methods necessitate energy-immense multisteps often utilize corrosive and dangerous reagents originating from P4/Predallotropes, harmful intermediates, and chemical waste, impeding further exploration and practical applications. Herein, direct and efficient transformation of inorganic phosphates [TBA][H2PO4] into OPCs is demonstrated. These salts were activated by cost-efficient oxalyl chloride at 20°C in 5 minutes, through a double chlorination of OH on phosphorus upon elimination of CO2and CO molecules, followed by reducing the resultant intermediate with trichlorosilane, then coupling with haloaryls under palladium-catalysis to provide desired OPCs. Diverse OPCs with tolerance of various functionalities on aryl halides achieved with potential scale-up and industrial applications, eliminating the reliance on extortionate, problematic P4allotropes. X-ray diffraction and DFT calculations revealed activated intermediate [TBA][PO2Cl2].
Long-term organic amendments enhanced soil organic carbon storage and stability in a typical paddy soil of Southern China
Authors: Chen Xianni , Xu Hu , Mustafa Adnan , Huang Qinghai , Liu Kailou , Sun Nan , Xu Minggang
Published: July 2023

Background
The contribution of long-term fertilization to soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in arable soils is well acknowledged. The present study soil samples were collected from a 29 years long field trial in a red paddy soil of Jiangxi province, southern China to assess the effects of long-term fertilization on SOC storage and stability in top and sub-soil layers. The SOC storage of whole soil and SOC fractions were quantified at three soil depths (0–20, 20–40, 40–60 cm) under four treatments: no fertilization (Control), a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), double the rates of NPK (2NPK), NPK plus manure (NPKM).
Results
The results showed that the effect of inorganic fertilizer application on SOC storage across the soil profile (0–60 cm) was negligible except for the 2NPK treatment. The larger SOC storage of the Non-labile C fraction was observed in the 2NPK (25.0 t C·ha− 1) and NPKM (23.8 t C·ha− 1) treatments compared to other treatments, and the NPKM treatment significantly (p < 0.05) accreted the SOC storage of less-labile C fraction by 46.7% averagely compared to other treatments. Besides, the SOC storage of passive pool (less-labile C + non-labile C) under NPKM was 30.7% higher than that in the Control. This was further supported by the higher proportion of passive than active pool indicating that fertilization, especially organic combined with inorganic fertilization, improved soil C stability. Additionally, the effect of different fertilization on SOC storage was mainly reflected in the surface soil, while very weak in the deeper soil as revealed by the stratification ratio and C sequestration rate.
Conclusion
Inorganic fertilizer combined with organic fertilizer have the ability to increase the storage and stability of SOC which further depend on annual C input and differences in soil depths. Taken together, in red paddy soil, the current fertilization had a significant effect on changing the dynamics of SOC in the topsoil, but a weak effect on the subsoil.
Farmers’ participation decision in high value market and its effect on food security of smallholder avocado producers in Sidama region, Ethiopia
Authors: Legesse Tibebu , Ashebir Aneteneh , Kebede Kehabtimer
Published: July 2023

Food insecurity is an enduring, critical challenge in Ethiopia. Linking farmers to high-value markets continue to be a viable option for breaking the food insecurity. Many studies have emphasized on factors determining smallholders’ participation in high value markets. Despite their undeniable importance, these studies have methodological limitations since they neglected the importance of this for food security. Thus, this study aimed to fill a knowledge gap in the area by investigating the factors influencing smallholder avocado farmers’ participation in a high-value market channels and how it impacts households' food security in the study area. This study employed a cross-sectional research design and multistage sampling techniques to achieve the objectives of the study. Both primary and secondary data were collected. The primary data were collected from randomly selected 389 avocado producers using a semi structured questionnaire. Secondary data were collected from journals, annual reports, websites and different published and unpublished materials. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and propensity score matching model were used to analyze the data. The result of the binary logit model revealed that the participation of avocado producers in a high-value market channels was influenced by age, educational status, the quantity of avocados sold, and price of avocado in quintal and market information. The ATT estimation of PSM model indicated that the participation in high-value market channels had a positive and significant influence on the food security in the study area. Given the substantial contributions participation in the high-value market channels to food security, concerned bodies in Ethiopia should encourage more households to participate in the high-value market channels.
Gender Inequality, Income Inequality, Educational Inequality and Economic Growth Across Continents of the World
Authors: Aidoo Daniel Kwame , Donkoh Joana Antwi
Published: July 2023

This paper investigated the effects of gender inequality, income inequality, educational inequalityand economic growth across continents of the world. Specifically, six continents consisting of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America were used. The study design was cross sectional in nature. Secondary source of information on gender inequality, unequal access to education as well as Gini coefficient as an intermediary for income inequality were obtained on six continents of the world from the UNDP Human Development Report 2021/2022. The retrieved data were disaggregated based on the six continents and analysed using Lease square regression to show the associations between gender inequality, income inequality, educational inequality and economic growth respectively. The sorted data was subjected to statistical analysis using IBM-SPSS Version 26. Kuznets and social justice theories served as the theoretical footings on which the study is premised. Findings revealed that inequality in education decreased the economic growth of Africa, Europe and North America. Also, gender inequality increased the economic growth of Asia and Europe. Additionally, Africa was the only country that showed increasing gender inequality was associated with decreasing economic growth. The study recommended that Africa leaders should put equity measures in place to reduce inequality in education as well as gender inequality to improve the economic growth of the continent. Again, leaders of Europe and North America should initiate educational equality policies to promote the economic growth of their continents.
Social mechanisms of urban plot pricing in the small town of Tohoun (Togo)
Authors: Kossi NYALEWO Mawussi , Tchakouni SONDOU , Martial NASSI Karl , Gbati NAPO , Coffi AHOLOU C.
Published: July 2023

The dynamism of the economy in African cities has led people to put on the market all the goods and possessions they have, including land. However, once very inalienable and imbued with sociocultural norms, the land is exchanged and sold today, similar to other goods on the market. However, unlike other goods where the fixing of the price responds to the law of supply and demand, that of the earth remains singular and obeys various logics for its determination. The small town of Tohoun in Togo does not escape the varied conditions for fixing the price of land. This article aims to understand the social effect of the mechanisms for fixing the prices of plots through documentation, interviews with 23 resource persons and questionnaire surveys conducted with 48 transferor and buyer households. Theories of the approach by the Hedonic Price Method (MPH) of S. Rosen and the theory on the land market, reflecting the collective representations of Maurice Halbwachs, were mobilized to confront the results. The results showed that the prices of plots vary for several reasons, most of which are inserted in social relations. Urban plot prices are not set on the basis of the organization of society as a market, culminating in the economic profitability of financial and regal structures, but rather on the basis of social privileges in small and medium-sized towns.
Surgical waiting lists and queue management in a Brazilian tertiary public hospital
Authors: Pazin-Filho Antonio , Preto Ribeirão , Jardim Gustavo , Marques Diego , Souza Danilo Arruda , Marques Claudia , Vicente Luis , Edner Edwaldo , Carlos Benedito
Published: July 2023

Background Centralized management of queues helps to reduce the surgical waiting time in the publicly funded healthcare system, but this is not a reality in the Brazilian Unified Healthcare System.Objectives To describe the implementation of the "Patients with Surgical Indication" (PSI) in a Brazilian public tertiary hospital; To assess the impact on waiting time and its use in rationing oncological surgeries during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Methods Retrospective observational study of elective surgical requests (2016–2022) in a Brazilian general, public, tertiary university hospital. We recovered information regarding the inflows (indications), outflows and their reasons, the number of patients, and waiting time in queue.Results We enrolled 82,844 indications in the PSI (2016–2022). The waiting time (median and interquartile range) in days decreased from 98(48;168) in 2016 to 14(3;152) in 2022 (p < 0.01). The same occurred with the backlog that ranged from 6,884 in 2016 to 844 in 2022 (p < 001). During the Pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of non-oncological surgeries per month (95% confidence interval) of -10.9(-18.0;-3.8) during Phase I (January 2019-March 2020), maintenance in Phase II (April 2020-August 2021) 0.1(-10.0;10.4) and increment in Phase III (September 2021-December 2022) of 23.0(15.3;30.8). In the oncological conditions, these numbers were 0.6(-2.1;3.3) for Phase I, an increase of 3.2(0.7;5.6) in Phase II and 3.9(1 ,4;6,4) in Phase III.Conclusion Implementing a centralized list of surgical indications and developing queue management principles proved feasible, with effective rationing. It unprecedentedly demonstrated the decrease in the median waiting time in Brazil.
Zinc Oxide and Copper Oxide surfaces as potential adsorbent layers for Greenhouse gases and Hydrogen: A Molecular Dynamics Analysis
Authors: Krishna Anjaly B , Arjun S , babu Jeetu S , Vamadevan Rakhesh
Published: July 2023

Molecular dynamics (MD) is used to simulate the adsorption characteristics of Hydrogen and greenhouse gases like Methane and Carbon dioxide on Zinc oxide and Copper oxide surfaces at room temperature. The simulation based on the Reax-FF inter-atomic potential was used to quantify and illustrate the adsorption process of hydrogen on the chosen adsorbents at different incident energies. Our simulation results have shown that Zinc oxide is a more effective adsorbent for hydrogen than Copper oxide at room temperature. The adsorbent properties and adsorption mechanism remain relatively constant regardless of variations in the incident velocity of the adsorbate. The results of methane adsorption at 300 K indicate that Zinc oxide is a more effective adsorbent than Copper oxide. However, both adsorbents have equal efficiency in adsorbing carbon dioxide at the same temperature. Molecular dynamics simulation at different temperatures ranging from 50 K-450 K reveals that Copper oxide can adsorb methane molecules at low temperatures while Zinc oxide retains its adsorption properties regardless of temperature.
MFFA: Music Feature Fusion Attention Model for Music Emotion Classification
Authors: Chen Jie , Su Yuping , Zhang Yumei , Wu Xiaojun
Published: July 2023

Music emotion classification is becoming an important research direction due to its great significance for the music information retrieval (MIR). For the music emotion classification task, how to fully extract related features from the original music audio is the key to improve classification accuracy. In this paper, we propose a music feature fusion attention (MFFA) model to improve the efficiency of mining music emotional features. The proposed model combines a feature fusion attention (FFA) module and a Bi-directional Gated Recurrent Units (BiGRU) module to extract music emotional features from both spatial and temporal dimensions. Firstly, we use the FFA module as a feature extractor, feeding the log Mel-spectrogram of music audio into it, to obtain more comprehensive and effective feature information through multi-scale feature fusion and multi-layer attention mechanisms. At the same time, global residual connection and local residual connection in the FFA are used to learn features in all aspects. The BiGRU module is then used to further capture the temporal relationships of music sequences, and feature concatenation is used to fuse spatial and temporal features. The experimental results show that the proposed model has 1.2%~7.9% improvement over five other baselines. Also, the ablation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the combination of FFA module and BiGRU module of the proposed model.
Global Trends and Prospects of Community Participation in Marine Protected Areas Based on Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Jiang Xun , Yu Jing , Liu Fangming , Zhang Kuncheng , Wang Quanbin , Zhang Zhaohui
Published: July 2023

Marine protected area (MPA) is an effective tool for preserving marine organisms and ecosystems under the background of climate change and intense human activities. As a helpful management approach in MPAs, community participation has received substantial attention from researchers worldwide. To identify the research status in the field of community participation in MPAs, 391 papers obtained from the Web of Science were reviewed with bibliometric methods and VOSviewer. The results showed that the number of publications had kept growing from 1994 to 2022. The USA having the most number of publications, followed by Australia. Environmental science was identified as the major thematic area. The studies concentrated on community-based marine resources management, the participation mode of communities and participatory planning and monitoring. Besides, we summarized the experience and lessons of community participation to illustrate the role of community involvement in the construction and management of MPAs. Finally, the outlook for future research was presented based on the analysis above. We recommend promoting cross-disciplinary cooperation and combining quantitative and qualitative methods to support this research. Meanwhile, it was critical to study further the specific path of community participation and fully utilize the local knowledge to supplement scientific data. The current study provided an overview of the characteristics of publications, research trends and primary research methods in the study of community participation in MPAs. The results will help to explore the ways to mitigate conflicts between MPAs and communities. We hope that our study could promote their coordinated and sustainable development and contribute to marine conservation and human well-being.
PTEN-related ceRNA (MEG3-hsa-miR-222-3p-NRG1/CLVS2) axis as a prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer
Authors: Pan Ke-Hao , Chen Ming
Published: July 2023

Objective: To establish the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network related to phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) in prostate cancer (PCa), and screen messenger RNA (mRNA), microRNA (miRNA) and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) related to the prognosis of PCa to provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and prognosis of PCa.
Methods: Transcriptome data of 498 prostate cancer samples and 52 normal prostate samples were extracted in Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and differential expression (DE) lncRNAs, miRNA and mRNA were screened. The CytoHubba plug-in was used to identify the triple regulatory network of hub genes. On this basis, the PTEN-related ceRNA regulatory network was constructed. Kaplan-Meyer method was used to explore the related factors about the prognosis of PRAD patients. The gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) were performed to explore functional annotation and enrichment pathways.
Results: Amount to 1918 DElncRNAs, 68 DEmiRNAs and 2920 DEmRNAs were screened. And 8 lncRNAs, 7 miRNAs and 525 mRNAs were incorporated to build the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA triple regulatory network by Cytoscape software. The enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG showed that these interaction proteins function mainly enriched in chemotaxis, urogenital system development and cell morphogenesis involved in differentiation. Three lncRNAs (MEG3, AGAP11, and ADAMTS9-AS2), five miRNAs (miR-93-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-222-3p, miR-590-3p and miR-3619-5a) and six mRNAs (NRG1, SHH, TIMP3, CLVS2, NFAT5 and ADAM22) were identified by the Cytoscape plug-in cytoHubba. Kaplan-Meier analysis screened out 2 DEmRNAs(NRG1 and CLVS2), 1 DElncRNAs(MEG3) and 1 DEmiRNA(miR-222-3p), which were associated with the prognosis of PRAD (P<0.05). Finally, we established a PTEN-related MEG3-hsa-miR-222-3p-NRG1/CLVS2 ceRNA network in PRAD. NRG1 and CLVS2 were related with methylation and immune infiltration in PRAD, which were high expressssion in PRAD by Immunohistochemical analysis.
Conclusion: In this study, the key RNAs related to PRAD prognosis are screened out by constructing the PTEN-related ceRNA regulatory network of PRAD, which provides a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of PRAD.
Changes in essential oil composition of Thymus vulgaris under different storage conditions and its antimicrobial activity
Authors: Trong L. V. , Thinh B. B.
Published: July 2023

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) has been used for centuries in traditional medicine due to its various health benefits, and it is widely used today in aromatherapy, cosmetics, and even as a culinary herb. This study aimed to investigate how the chemical compositions and antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from the aerial parts of T. vulgaris were affected by storage at different temperatures. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of air-dried samples and analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The study observed changes in the essential oil’s composition when stored in a refrigerator (4 °C) and at room temperature (25 °C) for three months. The results revealed that the proportions of compounds with lower boiling temperatures such as β-myrcene (2.29–0.20%) and α-pinene (2.74–0.24%) along with γ-terpinene (7.84–4.81%) and p-cymene (10.93–5.61%) as thymol and carvacrol precursors, were significantly decreased when stored at room temperature. However, the amounts of thymol and carvacrol increased by 51.64 and 21.81%, respectively, after three months storage period, indicating a rise in the oil quality index. Storing the essential oil in a refrigerator resulted in minimal changes to the essential oil composition and maintained its primary quality. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was tested using the broth microdilution method and demonstrated that the essential oils from both storage methods retained their antimicrobial activity compared to freshly extracted ones. In summary, these findings are beneficial for essential oil producers and consumers in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
Developing a Digital Video: Medical Students’ Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak,, Cheah Whye Lian , Abdul Rashid Ayu Akida ,   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak,, Hazmi Helmy ,   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak,, Law Leh Shii ,   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak,
Published: July 2023

The study used a cross-sectional design to describe the production of video and perceptions of medical students during their Community Medicine and Public Health posting. A video on the COVID-19 was developed as part of students personalised and active online learning assignment during the movement control order (MCO) using the identify, conceptualise/connect, storyboard, develop, review/reflect/revise (ICSDR) development model. The study obtained student feedback via an online survey upon completing the video. A total of 39 students participated in the video production and online discussion. According to the respondents, the ICSDR model was useful in fostering their creativity in a structured manner and enabling more systematic learning. Additionally, their experiences were impactful and increased professionalism. The activity was authentic and fostered students’ decision-making for better teamwork and collaboration. The study is crucial as it addressed the healthcare needs of the local community aligned with the philosophy of the medical course, thus producing competent and compassionate graduates.
Burnout and Stress Among Residents in Four Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Stress Overload Scale-Short Form
Authors:   Emergency Medicine, King Hamad University Hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain, Abuzeyad Feras Husain , Bashmi Luma ,   Research Department, King Hamad University Hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain, Alqasem Leena ,   Senior Specialist Public Health, Authority for Medical Responsibility (AMR), State of Kuwait, Al-Refae Fawaz ,   Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS), State of Kuwait, Al Balushi Asma ,   Trainees Affairs Department, Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB), Sultanate of Oman, Al Saywid Basim ,   Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hashem Rawan ,   Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS), State of Kuwait, Ali Abdullah ,   Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS), State of Kuwait, Almusalam Abdulla ,   Research Department, King Hamad University Hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain, Das Priya ,   Research Department, King Hamad University Hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain, Hsu Stephanie ,   Research Department, King Hamad University Hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain
Published: July 2023

Physician burnout and stress can have consequential effects on healthcare services and are a leading cause for medical errors and lower quality of care. This is the first study to assess the prevalence rates and associated variables for burnout and stress levels of medical residents in four Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by combining the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and Stress Overload Scale-Short Form (SOS-S) as assessment tools. A cross-sectional, quantitative research method design using an online survey. This online survey was distributed to second year and above medical residents training in tertiary healthcare centres in four GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman). Eligible residents (n = 16,686) were recruited via convenience sampling. Out of 2,886 respondents, 996 responses were excluded due to incomplete information. The data was collected from 13th September 2020 to 15th November 2020. Of 1,890 included medical residents, 961 (50.8%) were females, and the mean (SD) age was 29.5 (3.2) years old. Personal burnout prevalence rates were the highest, followed by work-related and patient-related burnout (98.4%, 97.8%, and 79.3%, respectively). Arab and Kuwait Board residents had the highest rates of burnout across all domains. Stress overload scores were high with 51.6% of residents at high risk for illness, with Saudi Board residents most likely to be at high risk and Oman Medical Specialty Board residents at low risk. Burnout predictors included: no access to a wellness programme (p = 0.000), longer shifts (p = 0.000), high personal vulnerability (p = 0.000), and intention to leave (p = 0.05). Our findings show that burnout and stress rates are high for GCC residents, suggesting a significant problem for residents to provide the highest quality of healthcare possible. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of residency wellness interventions to address this issue.
Academic Performance of Preclinical Medical Students in Association with Gender, Ethnicity and Entry Qualification
Authors:   Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia, Mohamad Zainal Nurul Hayati , Lang Debby Marissa ,   Fourth Year Doctor of Medicine Programme, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia, Shahbudin Shahadatunnur Najad ,   Fourth Year Doctor of Medicine Programme, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia, Vimalanathan Prrashant ,   Fourth Year Doctor of Medicine Programme, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia, Mohd Nor Nurul Huda ,   Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
Published: July 2023

Various qualifications are accepted as the entry requirement into the Medical School of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) including Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), matriculation and Asasi Sains Pertanian (ASPER). We aim to determine the relationship between academic performance of preclinical medical students with sociodemographic factors of gender, ethnicity and entry qualification. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using secondary data from the Deputy Dean’s Office (Academic of Medicine) of the Medical School of UPM. Information was obtained on three cohorts of preclinical medical students (n = 308), which includes gender, ethnicity, entry qualification and examination results of Packages 1 to 9 and the Professional Examination I. Their identities and year of enrolment were kept anonymous. Data were analysed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) v26.0 using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test (significant if p < 0.05). No significant association was seen between gender and the academic performances of the preclinical medical students. The Chinese ethnic group had a significant association with good academic performance, whereas the Malay ethnic group had an association with poor academic performance. There were significant associations between STPM intake and good academic performance for Cohort 1 in Package 1 (p = 0.007); 2 (p < 0.001); 5 (p = 0.007); 6 (p = 0.012); 7 (p = 0.006); 8 (p = 0.002) and for Cohort 2 in Package 1 (p = 0.049), 6 (p = 0.031) and 9 (p = 0.049) but no significant association for Cohort 3. In conclusion, academic performance is significantly associated with Chinese and Malay ethnicity. Furthermore, STPM graduates outperformed students from other entry qualifications in the Medical School of UPM.
Anatomy Practical Session Using a Virtual Three-Dimensional Anatomy Application During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Asari Mohd Asnizam , Hadie @ Haji Siti Nurma Hanim ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mohd Ismail Zul Izhar ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Kasim Fazlina ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mohd Yusof Nurul Aiman ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Shamsuddin Shamsi Amalina ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mohd Amin Mohamad Syabil Ikhwan ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mukhtar Siti Fatimah ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Simok Anna Alicia ,   Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
Published: July 2023

COVID-19 caused interruptions to the anatomy curricula in medical schools worldwide. During the pandemic, the Anatomy Department of the School of Medical Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) conducted online anatomy practical sessions using two-dimensional atlas images and pre-recorded demonstration videos, which were shown live during synchronous learning or embedded into our learning management system for students to learn asynchronously. Some lecturers experienced logistical and technical difficulties during the online practical sessions, which necessitated rescheduling. Given the limited online resources, the School of Medical Sciences, USM purchased the Complete Anatomy application (3D4Medical, Ireland)—a 3D anatomy atlas application—to increase the effectiveness of the online practical session. This article presents the basic features and benefits of using the Complete Anatomy application for practical sessions. We further share our insights regarding the use of virtual technology in teaching so that other institutions may learn from our experiences.
Self-interacting dark matter on small and large scales
Authors: Correa Camila A.
Published: July 2023

In the self-interacting dark matter paradigm (hereafter SIDM), dark matter (DM) is assumed to have non-gravitational interactions with itself. SIDM has been constrained by observations of galaxy clusters. More recently, measurements of large DM densities at the center of the Milky Way’s galaxy satellites are indicating that DM-DM interactions can potentially induce gravothermal core collapse. In this proceeding an overview of the combined measurements of cluster-size galaxies and kinematics of local satellite galaxies is used to argue that DM interactions should depend on the relative velocity of the DM particles.
Photomultiplier characterisation and its impact on background for SABRE South
Authors: Melbourne William J. D. , Stanley Owen , Urquijo Phillip , Zurowski Madeleine J.
Published: July 2023

SABRE (Sodium iodide with Active Background REjection) South is a NaI(Tl) based dark matter direct detection experiment located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) [J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2156, 012064 (2021), arXiv:2205.13849]. It is designed to detect an annual modulation of WIMP recoils as an independent replication of the long-standing DAMA/LIBRA modulation signal. SABRE South will have a low energy threshold of 1 keV in the NaI(Tl) crystal detector and a low experimental background. This requires precise characterisation of the photomultipliers used to understand both their sensitivity at low thresholds and their contribution to the background. We report on the photomultiplier characterisation test bench developed for the crystal detector photomultipliers including studies of the single photon response, transit time, and dark noise. A specific focus is on estimating the contribution to the experimental background of coincident photomultiplier noise due to its predominance at low energy and inability to be modelled using traditional MC simulation.
Influence of Geant4 physics list on simulation accuracy and performance
Authors: Breier Róbert , Fuss Alexander , Kluck Holger , Mokina Valentyna , Palušová Veronika , Povinec Pavel
Published: July 2023

A main goal of current low background physics is the search for rare and novel phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, e.g. the scattering off of a potential Dark Matter particle inside a CaWO_44 crystal or the neutrinoless double beta decay of Ge nucleus. The success of such searches depends on a reliable background prediction via Monte Carlo simulations. A widely used toolkit to construct these simulations is GEANT4, which offers a wide choice of physics models, so-called physics lists. To facilitate the selection of physics lists for simulations of CaWO_44 and Ge targets, we quantify their impact on the total energy deposition for several test cases.
The DarkSide-20k TPC and underground argon cryogenic system
Authors: Thorpe Thomas N.
Published: July 2023

DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) will exploit the physical and chemical properties of liquid argon (LAr) housed within a large dual-phase time project chamber (TPC) in its direct search for dark matter. The TPC will utilize a compact, integrated design with many novel features to enable the 20t fiducial volume of underground argon. Underground Argon (UAr) is sourced from underground CO_22 wells and depleted in the radioactive isotope ^{39}39Ar, greatly enhancing the experimental sensitivity to dark matter interactions. Sourcing and transporting the \mathcal{O}𝒪(100t) of UAr for (DS-20k) is costly, and a dedicated single-closed-loop cryogenic system has been designed, constructed, and tested to handle the valuable UAr. We present an overview of the (DS-20k) TPC design and the first results from the UAr cryogenic system.
Exponential enhancement of dark matter freezeout abundance
Authors: Shakya Bibhushan
Published: July 2023

A novel paradigm for thermal dark matter (DM), termed “bouncing dark matter”, is presented. In canonical thermal DM scenarios, the DM abundance falls exponentially as the temperature drops below the mass of DM, until thermal freezeout occurs. This note explores a broader class of thermal DM models that are exceptions to this rule, where the DM abundance can deviate from the exponentially falling curve, and even rise exponentially, while in thermal equilibrium. Such scenarios can feature present day DM annihilation cross sections much larger than the canonical thermal target, improving the prospects for indirect detection of DM annihilation signals.
LE ROLE DU BIEN-ETRE AU SEIN DE LA FAMILLE DANS LA RECHUTE CHEZ LE SCHIZOPHRENE : A PROPOS DUN CAS CLINIQUE
Authors:   Doctorantea lUniversite Mohammed V-Rabat.Equipe de Recherche en PsychologieSociale, Clinique et du Travail., Naji Hind , El Ouafa Jamal ,   Professeur de Psychologie, Universite Mohammed V-Rabat.Equipe de Recherche en PsychologieSociale, Clinique et du Travail., Belaid Fatiha ,   Professeur de Psychologie, Universite Mohammed V-Rabat. Equipe de Recherche en PsychologieSociale, Clinique et du Travail.
Published: July 2023

Cohabitation with the schizophrenic patient isoftenfelt by the family as a burden. This burdenis not easy to manage, especiallysincethisis a chronicillness.This charge, whichismaterial and above all moral, provokesreactions in familymembers. The reactionsdifferaccording to the patients situation, hisdisturbedbehavior, the familys situation and the lattersability to manage thisburden. Throughthisclinical case, wewill show how well-beingwithin the familyplays a role in the mental health of our patient whois 57 yearsold, and her duration of remissiondoes not exceed one yearwithoutshe has another relapse.Whatwecanseethat the family of our patient ischaracterized by verystrongemotionalemotions, mostmembers of the family show hostility and aggressiontowardsher.The patient feltunwanted and unloved, sheevenrevealedduring an interview thatshefeels more comfortable in the hospitalratherthanat home, shealways has the impression thatherfamilyrejectsher, itistruethataccording to hisclinicalpicture, the feeling of persecutionispredominant.Thus, in the course of ourwork, wewereled to closely monitor the relationshipbetween the family and the patients condition through the parental imagos, whichcomesfrom the factthatweconsiderthat, when the familyischaracterized by hyper protection and / or a dominance expressedwith regard to the patient, the latter becomes more stressed due, in particular, to the increase in pressure whichweighs on him.There followsanoticeablereduction in the improvementprocesswhich leads him to relapse regularlycompared to a patient wholives in a familywhichischaracterized by balancedemotions and behaviorstowards the patient.
ORAL HYGIENE
Authors:   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students., Kaushal Nitika , a Bhawana ,   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students., Negi Monika ,   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students., Pant Neha ,   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students., Panwar Pravesh ,   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students., Gusain Shivani ,   Associate Professor BSc (Nursing) 4th Year Students.
Published: July 2023

Introduction: Oral hygiene is a Oral health is essential for total Overall health and satisfactory quality of life. According to the World Health Organization . Oral health has been defined as a state of being free of mouth and facial pain, oral infections and sores, and oral and other diseases that limit an individuals capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial well-being. Oral conditions like dental caries and periodontal or gum disease continue to plague humanity. The adverse effects of inadequate care for teeth, gums, bite, and jaws can move beyond the mouth to affect overall physical and psychological health. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of Middle school children regarding oral hygiene in the selected school of Shankarpur Dehradun..To determine the association between the level of knowledge among middle school children regarding oral hygiene and their selected socio -demographic variables. Method: The research approach present in the study is quantitative research approach aims to assess the knowledge of oral hygiene among middle school age children in selected school of shankarpur Dehradun. In this research study descriptive research design is used to assess the knowledge regarding oral hygiene among middle school aged children , in the S.G.R.R school Sehaspur, Dehradun .This research design is descriptive type of research design. The setting selected for present study is children of 6 to 12 years old in Shree Guru Ram Rai public school at Shankarpur Dehradun.Self structured questionnaire method are used for the data collection. Result: In middle school age students having 65% average knowledge and 34% good knowledge while 1% having poor knowledge . Majority of the students i.e 58.6% brushed once in a day. This was parallel to studies where students brushed twice a day. Conclusion : In our study it is evident that 11-12th years age group i.e 70 % student having more knowledge rather than other age group , the economic status having no corelation with knowledge regarding oral hygiene among students , in comparison middle class students having 80% knowledge . The following conclusion can be drawn from the study findings, which are supported by evidence from the other literature. The school age children are having adequate mean Knowledge score was 16.38 and mean Practice score was 15 regarding oral hygiene. The self administered Structured Interview Schedule Questionnaire has shown significant association between socio demographical variables and their knowledge.
ATTITUDE OF HS STUDENTS TOWARDS ACQUISITION OF ESL IN GARHBETA-I BLOCK OF PASCHIM MEDINIPUR DISTRICT
Authors:   Research Scholar, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, West Bengal, India., Dandapat Mrinmoy , Al Farabi Russell ,   Assistant Professor, Ramakrishna Mission Sikshanamandira, Howrah, West Bengal, India.
Published: July 2023

Learners attitude towards second language (L2) predicts their language performance because learners positive attitude helps them to achieve communicative competence in L2 while negative attitude prevents them in achieving. In general opinion, they will perform better in L2 if they shares positive attitude towards second language acquisition (SLA). In order to identify the same, the present study examines the HS learners attitude towards SLA in Garhbeta-I Block of Paschim Medinipur district. To collect data, a self developed questionnaire has been used and administered among the randomly selected HS students of government and government aided schools of Garhbeta-I Block. The data has been analysed by using descriptive statistics and t- test. The study has reflected positive attitude of learners towards SLA and disclosed that no significant differences exist among the learners attitude towards SLA in regards to their gender, streams of learning, educational advantages as first or next generation learners and their economic status of the family. On the basis of statistical analysis, the study thrashes out major findings of the study and discusses few significant implications.