bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scanning the horizon: How might the psychological needs of the older adult population change in the recovery stage of the Covid-19 pandemic? Part one: Covid-19 and complicated grief
Authors: Patterson Christopher Wynne , Cole Kristina
Published: March 2024

This document was developed by clinical psychologists working in community older adult mental health services during Covid-19. Born out of discussions about what the profession should expect during the recovery phase, the present authors decided to write a document to inform and guide those working in psychological services on identifying and working with changes in the population’s mental health needs. This document focuses on the likely role of clinical psychology and is structured in two parts. The first part highlights the possibility of an increase in the prevalence of complicated grief before outlining how to work psychologically with it.
Main directions for rational use of water resources in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Authors:   Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakbayeva T.M.
Published: March 2024

The article identifies the main directions of the rational use of water resources in the Republic of Kazakhstan, specifically, the South Kazakhstan region. Rational water use is the process of efficient use of water resources, which guarantees the preservation and protection of water bodies from negative and excessive anthropogenic impact and at the same time provides the population and sectors of the national economy with water resources of adequate quality and in the amount that can guarantee not only satisfaction of needs, but also development of industry, energy, water transport and agriculture at the rates that are necessary for sustainable socio-economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan as a whole. The analysis of the foundations of rational water use was carried out; the main economic instruments affecting the process of water use in Kazakhstan are considered, an overview of the structure of water resources management in the South Kazakhstan region is made. Currently, it is necessary to ensure the rational use of natural resources, their protection from pollution and degradation, as well as skillfully restore, multiply and control them for the benefit of human society. Water resources as an object of management are a complex phenomenon and require a special approach for the formation of governing bodies with a clear division of their sphere of influence and responsibility.
Investigation on Fuel Properties of Synthetic Gasoline-like Fuels
Authors: Huang Weidi , Koichi Kinoshita , Yohko Abe , Mitsuharu Oguma , Kotaro Tanaka
Published: March 2024

Article
Investigation on Fuel Properties of Synthetic Gasoline-like Fuels

Weidi Huang 1,2, Koichi Kinoshita 1,*, Yohko Abe 1, Mitsuharu Oguma 1, and Kotaro Tanaka 2,3

1 Research Institute for Energy Conservation, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-2-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564, Japan
2 Carbon Recycling Energy Research Centre, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511, Japan
3 Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511, Japan
* Correspondence: koichi-kinoshita@aist.go.jp
 
 
Received: 8 November 2023
Accepted: 25 March 2024
Published: 27 March 2024
 

Abstract: Synthetic fuels have gained considerable attention due to their promising characteristics. A comprehensive survey was undertaken to assess the availability of synthetic fuels in the global market, followed by an investigation to evaluate their potential in engines. This report presents the initial findings regarding the physical and chemical properties of synthetic gasoline-like fuels, specifically DMC (dimethyl carbonate), bioethanol, EtG (ethanol-to-gasoline), G40, and bio-naphtha. A comparison was conducted between these synthetic fuels and conventional gasoline. Furthermore, discussions were provided to enhance the understanding of the potential influence of fuel properties on spray and combustion characteristics. EtG and G40 are specifically designed to emulate conventional gasoline. Results indicate that EtG and gasoline should be directly interchangeable in the engine or blended in any proportion because they have almost identical Research Octane Number (RON)/Motor Octane Number (MON), fuel density, and higher heating value (HHV). G40 has a higher RON (105) compared with that of gasoline (92.2), likely resulting from the high content of iso-paraffin in G40. Bio-naphtha exhibits the high fraction of paraffin and naphthene content relative to other fuels. The feature of chemical compositions results in a lower RON (55.9), lower HHV and smaller fuel density compared to other fuels. DMC and bioethanol blends in gasoline were investigated. Regardless of whether DMC or bioethanol is incorporated, under a 60% blend ratio, gasoline distillation accelerates initially, until DMC or bioethanol completely evaporates, after which gasoline distillation returns to its normal rate. With increasing the volumetric fraction of the ethanol in the blends, either chemical compositions or the RON/HHV basically change linearly.
Prevenção de acidentes domésticos infantis: conhecendo e tornando um amibiente seguro
Authors: Dantas Ellise Grazielle Mendonça , Rocha Socorro Alana Ramalho , Gonçalves Daniel José , Santos Leonardo Rodrigues dos , Martins Fernanda Duarte dos Santos , Martins Júnior Leônidas Nelson , Silva Vanessa Barbosa da , Alencar Nayanna Pereira Diniz Dália , Alencar Auriane de Sousa , Brito Pedro Emanuel Mendes , Pinto Juliana Mikaelly Silva , Ribeiro Alana Fernandes , Pedrosa Leila Aparecida Kauchakje
Published: March 2024

Um acidente é caracterizado como um evento casual, não intencional, causado por fatores externos, que resulta em danos corporais ou mentais. Por sua vez, os acidentes domésticos estão diretamente ligados ao ambiente em que a criança reside. O objetivo do estudo é descrever acerca da prevenção de acidentes domésticos na infância. Observa-se que os acidentes domésticos representam uma das principais causas de mortalidade infantil em todo o mundo. Muitas vezes, esses incidentes poderiam ter sido evitados por meio de medidas preventivas simples. No entanto, é preocupante constatar que as crianças enfrentam perigos nos próprios ambientes que deveriam ser seguros, contribuindo assim para as estatísticas de acidentes domésticos em escala global. Conclui-se que, faz-se necessário explorar mais a complexidade dos acidentes infantis, destacando sua incidência, fatores de risco e estratégias de prevenção. A partir da melhor compreensão desses aspectos, é possível fortalecer os esforços coletivos para proteger e promover o bem-estar das crianças, permitindo que cresçam e se desenvolvam em ambientes seguros e saudáveis. Assim como, estimular a  educação dos pais, cuidadores e crianças sobre práticas seguras e medidas preventivas constitui a principal estratégia para a redução dos acidentes. Cabe destacar um papel importantíssimo dos profissionais da saúde, principalmente na atenção primária, consultas de puericultura e visitas domiciliares. A partir desses atendimentos pode-se identificar possíveis riscos de acidentes e trabalhar juntamente com a famílias maneiras de preveni-los. Como limitação, viu-se que asintervenções educativas abrangentes que abordam desde o armazenamento adequado de substâncias químicas e medicamentos até a importância de dispositivos de segurança em veículos e áreas recreativas são fundamentais para a promoção de um ambiente seguro para o desenvolvimento infantil.
Correlação entre a ocorrência de doenças diarreicas agudas e os dados de vigilância da qualidade de água para consumo humano no Brasil
Authors: Lacerda Mateus Clemente de , Batista Gabriele de Souza , Sousa Ayrton Flavio Nascimento de , Lacerda Ivens Lorran Clemente de , Almeida Maria Nayara de Vasconcelos , Cunha Patricia Hermínio , Araújo Marilia Marcy Cabral de , Rodrigues Andréa Carla Lima
Published: March 2024

O controle e vigilância da qualidade da água são essenciais para prevenir doenças de veiculação hídrica, como as diarreias agudas, causadas pelo consumo de água não tratada. Os parâmetros Escherichia coli e Cloro residual livre (CRL) são indicadores primários da qualidade da água, relacionados à contaminação fecal e à eficácia do tratamento, respectivamente. Neste sentido, este estudo investiga a relação entre a incidência de doenças diarreicas agudas e esses indicadores, buscando identificar variações regionais e temporais nos dados do Sistema de Informação de Vigilância da Qualidade da Água para Consumo Humano (Sisagua) de 2014 a 2023. Para isso, foram utilizadas análises estatísticas para verificar a influência das características dos sistemas (SAA) e soluções alternativas coletivas (SAC) de abastecimento de água na porcentagem de inconformidade nas amostras de E. coli e CRL. Com o intuito de avaliar os dados espacial e temporalmente, aplicou-se o índice de Moran e o teste de Mann-Kendall. Os resultados obtidos revelaram a existência de desigualdade entre os dados de qualidade da água em sistemas localizados nas zonas urbana e rural, com a zona rural e as SAC tendo maior incidência de amostras inconformes. Os estados do Pará, Maranhão e Piauí destacam-se por problemas quando ao atendimento aos planos de amostragem, inconformidade das amostras e ocorrência de doenças diarreicas agudas, necessitando de políticas públicas específicas para mitigação dos efeitos. As regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil demonstraram melhor desempenho geral no atendimento à portaria de potabilidade, enquanto o Ceará se destacou pelo cumprimento do plano de amostragem. O trabalho auxilia na elaboração de estratégias voltadas para aprimorar a qualidade da água e fortalecer o cumprimento aos planos de amostragem, através da identificação das áreas com maiores deficiências, permitindo a priorização de ações de vigilância da qualidade da água pelo poder público ou da implantação de novas tecnologias, como os sistemas inteligentes de monitoramento da qualidade da água.
A necessidade da implementação de políticas públicas para a gestão dos recursos hídricos, com vistas à segurança hí-drica no estado do Acre
Authors: Paula Valdemar Matos , Araujo Girlene Lima de , Nascimento Beatriz Silva , Melo Robson Carlos Pereira de , Feitosa Alan Augusto Nobre , Santana Rodrigo da Gama de , Pereira Moises Parreiras , Serrano Rodrigo Otávio Peréa , Moreira José Genivaldo do Vale
Published: March 2024

Este estudo focaliza a relevância crítica das bacias hidrográficas no contexto do Estado do Acre, Brasil, e destaca a urgência na efetiva implementação do Plano Estadual de Recursos Hídricos (PLERH). A análise inicial se concentra na importância socioambiental das bacias, enfatizando seu papel crucial na sustentabilidade ambiental, no desenvolvimento econômico e no bem-estar das comunidades locais. A conscientização social acerca das limitações na oferta desse recurso natural é apresentada como um tema central, ressaltando o PLERH não apenas como um instrumento de gestão, mas também como uma ferramenta educativa essencial. A gestão eficiente é identificada como um componente crítico na implementação de políticas hídricas, com o PLERH emergindo como um guia claro que promove a colaboração entre setores diversos para uma administração equitativa dos recursos hídricos. Os comitês de bacia são reconhecidos como mecanismos essenciais de manutenção, proporcionando fóruns de participação e governança, nos quais representantes governamentais, usuários da água e comunidades locais podem tomar decisões integradas. Além disso, a proposta do PLERH destaca os benefícios intrínsecos de uma política hídrica bem elaborada, promovendo não apenas o desenvolvimento sustentável, mas também a preservação da biodiversidade e dos serviços ecossistêmicos. A relevância do PLERH para o cumprimento dos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) é enfatizada, ressaltando sua contribuição para os objetivos globais de sustentabilidade. Por fim, este estudo destaca que a implementação efetiva do PLERH não é apenas uma questão local, mas uma contribuição significativa para um panorama global mais sustentável, alinhando-se às aspirações da comunidade internacional para um futuro ambientalmente equilibrado e socialmente justo, promovendo o desenvolvimento socioeconômico equilibrado e a proteção do meio ambiente para as gerações presentes e futuras.
El principio de supletoriedad en la jurisdicción penal de adolescentes: problemática en su aplicación práctica
Authors: Bernal Rodríguez Rafael
Published: March 2024

Es importante reflexionar sobre la actual situación del Régimen Especial de Responsabilidad Penal del Adolescente (RERPA) y, para ello, analizaremos diversas corrientes de pensamientos, materializadas tanto en la doctrina como en la jurisprudencia, en relación al principio de supletoriedad dentro del proceso penal juvenil.
Al momento que el Juez Penal de Adolescentes le corresponde aplicar el principio de supletoriedad y acudir al Sistema Penal Acusatorio como norma supletoria, se va a encontrar una serie de incompatibilidades, como las que se detallarán en el presente trabajo, dejando al descubierto el quebrantamiento por acción u omisión de los derechos humanos de los adolescentes en conflicto con la ley penal.
De esta manera, se evidenciará la urgencia de una reforma procesal en la jurisdicción penal de adolescentes, al igual que la jurisdicción ordinaria en adultos. Esto implica la creación de un nuevo sistema penal juvenil de corte acusatorio que cumpla con las tendencias actuales en el respeto de los derechos humanos.
Principles, applications, and challenges of digital predistortion technology
Authors: Chen Boyuan , Wu Wei
Published: March 2024

A power amplifier plays a crucial role in the transmitter end of wireless communication systems. Despite enhancing operational efficiency, it inadvertently introduces nonlinear distortion, leading to signal degradation and spectral regrowth. This occurrence necessitates the incorporation of additional linearization techniques in transmitter terminals to optimize both efficiency and linearity concurrently. Among these, Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) technology stands out as a well-researched and extensively employed strategy for alleviating the nonlinear distortion induced by power amplifiers. This paper embarks on a comprehensive exploration of DPD technology, offering insight into its evolutionary path and elaborating on its foundational principles and essential techniques. The discussion extends to elucidate the significant technical challenges and the burgeoning trends within the DPD technology landscape. The narrative underscores the significance of DPD in enhancing the performance and efficiency of wireless communication systems, particularly in the context of burgeoning technological advancements and escalating demands for superior communication quality and broader bandwidth. Through a meticulous examination of the DPD technology paradigm, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse and research, shedding light on prospective developmental avenues and potential enhancements that could further augment the efficacy and reliability of DPD technology in contemporary communication systems.
CO2 emissions prediction based on regression, neural network and SVM
Authors: Liu Xing
Published: March 2024

As a matter of fact, with the fast-pace development of global economics and technology, the natural environment is suffering from great amount of greenhouse gases emissions, which attract a lot of attentions from researchers. Specifically, in statistics and data science, experts believe that making accurate CO2 emissions prediction could help governments make policies accordingly. In this paper, three different machine learning models (regression, neural network and support vector machine) are analysed in terms of their construction process and performance on CO2 emissions prediction. Besides, some practical applications from these studies are shown. In general, based on the analysis, these models have made great achievement on CO2 emissions prediction and they all solve the issue in various perspectives. Therefore, this study will show the effectivity of machine learning models on CO2 emissions prediction and encourage more scientists from different majors to take part in it. Overall, these results shed light on guiding further exploration of carbon emission prediction.
Comparative analysis of energy saving effect of passive exoskeleton designs
Authors: Wang Ruoyao
Published: March 2024

Nowadays, exoskeletons have a wide range of application in many fields. Among various types of exoskeletons, passive exoskeletons have become a major development field in exoskeleton device due to their lightweight and simple structure characteristics. This study provides an analysis of an ankle passive exoskeleton and a full lower limb passive exoskeleton design on their respective energy-saving effect during walking. The two selected designs both represent common approaches within the fields of ankle and full lower limb exoskeleton. Through a comparative evaluation of the structures and energy-saving methods of the two designs, the study validates the effectiveness of both designs. Drawing from the characteristics of the designs and comparative analysis, the study discusses the performance and limitations of both designs and outlines potential improvement and applications of both designs. Base on the analysis and the findings, the study aims to contribute to further advancement of passive exoskeleton design and offers some suggestions for its development.
Domain-specific knowledge graph rule pattern mining based on generative adversarial networks
Authors: Ji Lin , Zhang Hongyi , Zhang Yue
Published: March 2024

Most existing knowledge graphs (KGs) in specific domains suffer from problems of insufficient structural knowledge mining, superficial constraint of rules, incomplete system of rule patterns and higher error rate in the process of automated rule generation. In this paper, we present an adversarial generative approach for rule mining based on generative adversarial networks (GANs). The method firstly extracted a rule set according to a specific rule pattern defined manually, the rule set is then used as the adversarial training dataset for the GAN, That is, the discriminator determines whether a rule is true or not by learning the pattern of the rule set, and the generator tricks the discriminator by forging rules and improves according to the feedback from the generator.Finally, a generator is obtained to generate new rules that conform to the rule pattern, and a discriminator is obtained to determine the confidence of the automatically constructed triples.
Enhancing Convolutional Neural Networks via separately trained kernels for digit recognition
Authors: Yang Zhaochen
Published: March 2024

This paper introduces a novel methodology for pre-training neural networks. Instead of the traditional approach of running a single classifier for all objects, the method used in the research constructs individual classifiers for each object to extract unique features. These classifiers, in essence, act as a series of binary classifiers, each pre-training a distinct set of convolutional kernels. These individually trained kernels are then combined and processed by a comprehensive classifier. The methodology leverages the power of individual feature extraction and collaborative processing to enhance the overall performance of the classifier. The results demonstrate that this innovative pre-training approach leads to a significant improvement in classification performance, yielding higher accuracy compared to conventional methods. It underscores the benefits of incorporating individual object feature extraction and combined processing in the pre-training phase of neural network-based classification tasks. The study opens new paths for improving pre-training methods in neural networks, with potential applications in various fields that require high-accuracy object recognition. Future work will delve deeper into the potential challenges associated with model complexity and overfitting, and will also include a more comprehensive evaluation using extensive training, cross-validation, and independent test sets. This will further validate the effectiveness of our proposed pre-training methodology.
Face-threatening and Face-saving Speech Acts of Teachers: A Discourse Analysis of Classroom Interactions
Authors: Aporbo Russel J. , Barabag Judy Marie C. , Catig Bernadette U. , Claveria Christine Maybelle P.
Published: March 2024

Politeness is fundamental to social order production and social interaction precondition. However, it is inevitable to encounter impoliteness in communication that could threaten a person's self-image. Hence, this study aims to explore the face-threatening acts of teachers in terms of positive and negative faces, as well as how they exhibit face-saving acts in classroom talks. This study employed a discourse analysis approach to investigate how teachers use language to threaten or save students' face needs during classroom interactions. The researchers collected the data from the video recordings taken by researchers from the twelve (12) research subjects' classroom discussions with their students at La Filipina National High School in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. The data was analyzed using the politeness theory of Brown and Levinson (1987) and revealed that the teachers' face-threatening acts in terms of positive face are an insult, disapproval, criticism, bringing bad news, threat, non-cooperation, and unleashed negative emotions. While in terms of the negative face, they employed reminders, accepting compliments, giving offers and suggestions. The analysis also showed that teachers exhibited face-saving acts (Bald- on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record) directly and indirectly by telling jokes or giving hints. These study findings contribute to our understanding of the complex nature of face-to-face communication in the classroom and provide insights into how teachers threaten or manage face needs in their interactions with students.
Investigation into the Source of Students’ English Speaking Difficulties
Authors: Rajendran Megala , Subramanian Jeyalakshmi , Ramesh S. , Lamessa Oli , Prakash A. , P. Revathi
Published: March 2024

English speaking skill is one of the four main language skills. Most learners who learn English as a foreign language face speaking difficulties. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the main source of students’ English speaking difficulties at Rift Valley University. A simple random sampling technique was employed to choose 70 students. A questionnaire was utilized to collect primary data. Classroom observation was an additional tool to gather data on how students communicate in English and observe teachers' methods of teaching speaking skills. The results identified five major sources of students’ English speaking difficulties: teachers' related problems (traditional teaching method, poor English proficiency, poor classroom management), students’ related problems (lack of practice, lack of interest, mother tongue), overcrowded classrooms, poor course material design and absence of internet access. This study is significant for learners, instructors and syllabus developers.
Evaluating the Impact of Digital Interactive Games in Developing EFL Grammar Skills
Authors: Khan Raja Muhammad Ishtiaq , Alahmadi Alaa , Kumar Tribhuwan
Published: March 2024

Grammar is considered an essential aspect of language that demands careful planning and instruction. The outbreak of COVID-19 significantly impacts language teaching. The use of games is effective in enhancing grammar skills. The present study aimed to explore the role of digital games in developing EFL learners' grammar skills. The study used a quasi-experimental design to gather the data. The study participants were 56 EFL male learners divided into control, experimental, and control groups. Data was gathered by the use of grammar tests on pre and post-tests. The data were analyzed using SPSS software after going through the assumptions of the data. The data analysis indicated that implementing digital games significantly improved learners' grammar skills. The findings suggest that games enhance learners' grammar skills.
The Effect of Multi-Media Usage in Cognitive Demands for Teaching EFL among Jordanian Secondary School Learners
Authors: Alzobidy Soleman , Al-qadi Maha Jamal , Belhassen Saleh Belgacem , Naser Issa Mohammad Muflih , Al Maaytah Shahab Ahmad
Published: March 2024

The role of teaching methods in EFL context is too essential and it should receive a continuous improvement due to time, environment and need changes. Several studies have examined whether certain methods improve and develop teaching process. However, cognitive demands for teaching EFL focusing on planning and critical thinking among students need further attention and focus. Accordingly, this study is aimed at investigating the effect of multi-media usage in cognitive demands for teaching EFL among Jordanian secondary school learners. This study adopted quantitative research design by distributing a questionnaire. The target population was EFL teachers at public and private secondary school. The findings indicated that multimedia (YouTube, Video, Picture, and PowerPoint) enhance cognitive demands of for teaching EFL. Multimedia more specifically, allow students to improve critical thinking and plans well when learning EFL. The study concluded that pictures help in enhancing critical thinking and planning of EFL learners as well as multimedia provide an opportunity that allow these learners to think out of the box and plan their lessons and topic effectively.
Safety and Early Results for Off-Label Use of Intranasal Calcitonin for Treatment of Nondisplaced Acromial and Scapular Spine Stress Fractures After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Authors: Mandalia Krishna , Gulotta Lawrence , Ross Glen , Shah Sarav
Published: March 2024

Immobilization for acromial and scapular spine stress AU4fractures (AF/SSF) after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is associated with patient dissatisfaction. Our study reports the effects and safety of intranasal calcitonin alongside sling immobilization on pain and function in the treatment of AF/SSF after RSA. The treatment was regimented calcitonin (salmon) 200 unit/actuation nasal spray (1 spray/day) for 6 weeks with sling immobilization for 4 weeks. Each patient was monitored through blood work. Visual analog scale, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, and active range of motion were collected preoperatively, postoperatively, at presentation of AF/SSF, and after completion of calcitonin treatment. Two hundred eighty-two RSAs were performed by two board-certified orthopaedic surgeons, of which 18 patients sustained AF/SSF (6.4%). Ten patients met inclusion criteria (nine AFs and one SSF). After calcitonin treatment, patients demonstrated an average improvement of visual analog scale of 5.8 points, active range of motion of 46_, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score of 43.6 points at average 7.53 months after RSA. No medical complications were reported at 6-month follow-up after calcitonin treatment. The use of intranasal calcitonin was not associated withadverse events including no aberrations/signs of cancer at 6-month follow-up after administration. Calcitonin with sling immobilization markedly improved clinical and functional outcomes of patients with nondisplaced AF/SSF and may be considered by orthopaedic surgeons for symptom management.
Manual diagnosis of thermal skin burns. The second report
Authors: Stepanova Marina , Zinov'ev Evgeniy , Barsukova Irina , Novoseltsev Svyatoslav , Narushak Irina
Published: March 2024

The novelty of this study lies in the application of manual (osteopathic) approach to the diagnosis of thermal skin burns in patients in the acute period (1-3 days) of burn injury in order to study the depth and area of high-temperature skin lesions in burns. Materials and methods: 24 patients with II-III degree thermal burns with a lesion area up to 10% were examined by clinical, osteopathic, and instrumental methods. Clinical (palpation diagnostics), instrumental (laser Doppler fluorometry), analytical, and statistical methods of research were used. The study result is the substantiation of the palpation diagnostics method for determining the true depth and area of the burn wound, the condition of the underlying tissues, the involvement of which in the burn process in the projection of the burn wound affects the course and prognosis of II-III degree thermal burns in patients and their quality of life in the future. The novelty, informativeness, and efficiency of the manual method of diagnosis are shown (Russian Patent for the invention No. 2339300 “A method for diagnosing the depth of a burn wound”)
Comparison of the short and medium term efficacy of ortholox UHMWPE sternal cerclage band system and figure-of-8 wire sternum closure technique in patients at risk for sternal dehiscence
Authors: Eroglu Erdinc , Acipayam Ahmet , Yasim Alptekin , Acipayam Mehmet
Published: March 2024

Aim: In this retrospective study, it was aimed to compare the short and medium term efficacy of Sternal Cerclage Band System and Figure-of-8 wire closure technique in open heart surgery patients with risk for sternal dehiscence.
Material and Methods: In total, 320 open heart surgery patients with risk for sternal dehiscenceattempting to Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University Medical Faculty Hospital between 28.12.2017 and 11.12.2021were subjected to this restrospective study. Since the study is retrospective, randomization and randomization procedures are not in question.The patients included in the study were divided into 2 groups as Steel Wire (standard procedureFigure 8 wiretechnique), and the Sternal Cerclage (sternum was closed with the Ortholox® Sternal Cerclage Band System). Baseline characteristics and outputs of patient groups were compared.
Results: Age and body mass index (BMI) means were significantly higher in Cerclage Band group (p<0.05). 53.8% of Cerclage Band group and 38.1% of Steel Wire group had obesity, and the difference was significant (p<0.05). Diabetes mellitus (DM) rate was 36.3% in Steel Wire group and 48.4% in Cerclage Band with statistically significant differences (p<0.05). In Cerclage Band group, 42.5% of patients were smoker, whereas 3.8% of Steel Wire group were smokers (p<0.05). Length of hospital stay, sternal stability and infection after surgery rates were similar between patient groups with statistically insignificant differences (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Although there are differences between Cerclage Band and Steel Wire, results and outputs were similar, and showed that Sternal Cerclage Band System is a safe and useful technique in open heart surgery patients with risk for sternal dehiscence.
Women’s Employment: A Bibliometric Approach
Authors: AKIR Sinem , RE Pinar
Published: March 2024

This paper aims to analyze how contributions have been made to the literature on women's employment with a quantitative bibliometric approach. Main articles, authors, institutes, countries, journals, and most cited authors' genders of women's employment literature were determined, and how they differed in the context of developed and developing countries was discussed. As far as we know, this kind of quantitative literature review on women's employment has not been done before, and the literature differences between developed and developing countries have not been examined in this way. While the number of publications written for developed and developing countries is constantly increasing, the publications of developed countries are always more than those of developing countries. While the journals in which articles about developed countries are published are mostly sociology journals, the journals of the articles about developing countries are journals with the theme of economy and development. The USA is the country where the most publications are produced for both, while developing countries such as South Africa, in particular, stand out in the developing countries list. In terms of institutes, while there are institutes of developing countries in developing countries’ institute list, universal institutions such as the World Bank also publish very effectively. 75% of the most cited authors are women in developed countries, while this rate is 50% in developing countries.
The Conceptual Framework of Economic Literacy
Authors: R H
Published: March 2024

Economic literacy means being able to understand and use economic concepts and thought methods in order to increase their level of welfare. However it’s nearly associated with economic education, it is extremely important for both economics students and citizens, because it helps people to know the effects and constraints of fiscal and monetary policies by governments or policy makers. Also individuals may make more informed decisions about how to consume and invest, if they could use the basic economic concepts and methods. For this reason, researches are being conducted to determine economic literacy in many parts of the world -such as the USA, England, Canada, Australia and Germany. These studies reveal that economic literacy is generally at a low level and that economic literacy varies according to gender, ethnicity, age, and annual family income. This particular study aims to outline the basic principles and components of economic literacy. In this context, standard tests used to determine economic literacy will be discussed and the findings obtained based on these tests may be included.
BEYOND WORDS: HARNESSING SPEECH SOUND FOR SPEAKER AGE AND GENDER DETECTION USING 1D CNN ARCHITECTURE WITH SELF-ATTENTION MECHANISM
Authors: Abdulhassan Alia , Jaid Umniah
Published: March 2024

Beyond the immediate content of speech, the voice can provide rich information about a speaker's demographics, including age and gender. Estimating a speaker's age and gender offers a wide range of applications, spanning from voice forensic analysis to personalized advertising, healthcare monitoring, and human-computer interaction. However, pinpointing precise age remains intricate due to age ambiguity. Specifically, utterances from individuals at adjacent ages are frequently indistinguishable. Addressing this, we propose a novel, end-to-end approach that deploys Mozilla's Common Voice dataset to transform raw audio into high-quality feature representations using Wav2Vec2.0 embeddings. These are then channeled into our self-attention-based convolutional neural network (CNN) model. To address age ambiguity, we evaluate the effects of different loss functions such as focal loss and Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence loss. Additionally, we evaluate the accuracy of the estimation at different durations of speech. Experimental results from the Common Voice dataset underscore the efficacy of our approach, showcasing an accuracy of 87% for male speakers, 91% for female speakers and 89% overall accuracy, and an accuracy of 99.1% for gender prediction.
Is it necessary to calibrate the rotational speed of the centrifuge?
Authors: Lahham Cezar , lahham elias , Aramouny Sarah , a Mahmoudd , Habash Ghassan
Published: March 2024

Centrifuge has become a commonly used device in medical and dental clinics, especially for preparing platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich fibrin. The preparation protocol depends on the centrifugal force generated by the centrifugation process, which is directly affected by the rotational speed of the centrifuge. Therefore, any less accuracy in the real rotational speed results in a change in the centrifugal force that can affect the properties of the resulting material. For this reason, this study aims to ascertain whether the selected rotational speed of the centrifuge can be relied upon as an actual speed and can be used in the calculation of the centrifugal force. Fifteen new centrifuges from different origins were randomly selected. Each centrifuge was set at a specified speed. Then, two tubes were placed inside each one. A thin, flexible piece of plastic was placed touching the cap of the tubes during their rotation to make a sound. Following that, the sound was recorded with a special recording device. Subsequently, the fifteen recorded audio files were analyzed using a software application. Finally, the number of waves per minute was counted, and the rotational speed was calculated. It was found that ten of fifteen devices showed significant differences between the selected speed and the actual speed. Moreover, the percentage difference for these ten centrifuges ranged from 15-43%. In conclusion, it is recommended to pre-assess and calibrate the centrifugal speed in the beginning, to obtain the required centrifugal force.
Nurses' Knowledge Regarding Medication Errors in Government Hospitals
Authors: Abdalhussain Ahmed , ALKHAQANI AHMED , kazam Zaid , Muhsin Ruaa
Published: March 2024

Background: Nursing knowledge regarding medication error can be caused by various things, including personal causes (stress, exhaustion), predisposing conditions (extended work shifts, busy environmental settings), and a lack of experience and awareness regarding medication error. The most frequent medical errors in hospital settings involve the administration of medications. Objective: This study aims to assess nurses‟ knowledge regarding medication errors and to identify the relationship between nurses' knowledge and their demographic characteristics. Methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative carried out from 1 December 2022 to 1 February 2023 on the three Al Najaf Al-Ashraf Province hospitals. A non-probability sampling technique (convenience sample) accidentally. The study sample includes (200) nurses who work in Al-Sadr Medical City, Al-Hakim General Hospital, and Al-Zahraa Hospital. A questionnaire specifically designed to achieve the study's goals serves as the research instrument. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were validated using an expert panel and Cronbach's Alpha, respectively. Result: showed that (54%) of nurses were males and (41%) were aged (25-29) years old. Overall, nurses’ knowledge regarding medication errors was moderate. The nurse’s knowledge was found to be significantly associated with (workplace, qualification, years of experience and continuing nursing education courses). Conclusion: The study concluded that the nurses' general understanding of medication errors was moderate. The most knowledgeable nurses are those who participate in continuing nursing education programs. The nurses with greater levels of education have the most expertise in medication errors. The nurses with the greatest depth of knowledge about medication errors are those with the greatest number of years of experience.
Blood-Stream Infections: Causative Agents, Antibiotic Resistance and Associated Factors in Older Patients
Authors: Quang Hoang , Nhung Le , Thuy Pham , Quyen Phan , Huy Le , Dung Ho
Published: March 2024

Background: The rate of multi-drug antibiotic resistance in nosocomial bloodstream infections in elderly patients is increasing. This study examined the data for bloodstream infections to gain a better understanding of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 817 patients with the first positive blood culture between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. Results: Moyen’s age was 77.4 ± 9.8 years, male (52.4%) and SOFA 5.0 ± 4. ESBL(+) rate was 78/817 (9.5%). ESBL(+) rate for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae was 69/141 (48.9%) and 9/52 (17.3%), respectively. The most common isolates were Escherichia coli (17.3%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (13.7%), and Staphylococcus species (23.1%). The rate of septic shock and mortality accounted for 22.3% and 28.9%, respectively. Escherichia coli is highly sensitive to carbapenem, and resistant (>50%) with quinolone and aminoside. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were highly sensitive to carbapenem. Acinetobacter baumannii was resistant to meropenem (75%). Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was sensitive to quinolone (13.8 %), and highly resistant to remaining antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus had a low resistance rate for vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid. Multivariate analysis showed that the significant factors associated with mortality were age >75; SOFA >7; respiratory infection; intensive care unit treatment and presentation with septic shock. Conclusion: The mortality rate was still high, especially for antibiotic-resistant agents.
Semen oxidative stress in male infertility: A case–control study
Authors: Sharma Sandhya , Kota Karunakar , Pandya Nilay , Kaur Manjinder , Kota Vamshi
Published: March 2024

Background: Though a certain level of free radicals is required for the proper maturation of a sperm, excessive level of free radicals is believed to be a major factor contributing to male infertility.

Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to identify the level of oxidative stress (OS) among infertile males.

Materials and Methods: In the present study, semen Malondialdehyde (MDA) level, as an OS marker was studied in 96 normozoospermics who were taken as controls, and the values were compared separately to semen MDA levels of 75 oligozoospermics, 36 azoospermics and 19 necrozoospermics using unpaired t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The study showed significantly higher semen MDA levels in oligozoospermics and necrozoospermics compared to normozoospermics, but azoospermics did not show a statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: We concluded that excessive OS can be one of the major contributing factors for male infertility.
Acquaintance of medical students with the National List of Essential Medicines
Authors: Jani Chetan , Agrawal Apurva
Published: March 2024

Background: Undergraduate medical students are future prescribers of medicines, and they must understand the concept of essential medicines and their importance in healthcare. Regulations on Graduate Medical Education Amendment 2019, has revolutionized Indian medical education by introducing competency-based medical education which states that the major goals for an Indian medical graduate are to acquire the competency of a “clinician who understands and provides preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, and holistic care with compassion.” The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) has been included as a core topic in the curriculum of undergraduate medical students. This research attempted to understand the level of knowledge regarding the NLEM among undergraduate medical students.

Aim and Objective: To assess the baseline level of knowledge regarding the NLEM among undergraduate medical students.

Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was done among medical students of a government tertiary care teaching hospital in India. 1st year students were excluded as they were not taught about Essential Medicines and NLEM. A pre-validated multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to medical students and information was collected related to knowledge regarding NLEM significance, criteria for inclusion in NLEM, terminologies, and drugs in NLEM that are used for common conditions.

Results: Out of 600 students 237 (39.50%) students responded. 98 (41.35%) students were aware of recent NLEM-2022, 91 (38.40%) students were aware of terminologies used in NLEM, and 71 (29.96%) students were aware of the criteria for inclusion of any drug in NLEM. 175 (73.84%) students were unaware of updates in NLEM-2022. 165 (69.62%) students were unaware of the number of medicines added and deleted in NLEM-2022.155 (65.40%) students were not able to answer the questions regarding drugs for anaphylaxis and new antihypertensive drugs included in recent NLEM-2022.

Conclusion: Knowledge regarding NLEM is limited among undergraduate medical students. To sensitize medical students to rational drug therapy, there is an urgent need to improve their knowledge related to NLEM via educational interventions.
Trends of antihypertensive use in a tertiary care hospital in Nadia district of West Bengal, India
Authors: Barik Chinmoy , Shaw Kishore , Halder Indranil
Published: March 2024

Background: Being a major non-communicable disease hypertension contributes significantly to disease burden and mortality. Poor control of blood pressure (BP) increases the chance of recurrent stroke and mortality. Although various guidelines have been published to inform practitioners about hypertension and its management, it is necessary to monitor to how much extent the guidelines are being followed.

Aims and Objectives: The study aimed to observe antihypertensive medication prescription pattern among indoor patients in a tertiary medical college hospital and to know whether such trend of prescription is relevant and in conformity with the national and international guidelines.

Materials and Methods: A prescription-based survey was conducted over 6 months among patients admitted to the medicine ward in a medical college hospital in Nadia district of West Bengal. Relevant data were collected and used for analysis.

Results: A total of 500 prescriptions were evaluated. Two hundred and seventy-three patients were female (54.6%) and 227 patients were male (45.4%). About 56.2% of patients were in the senior age group with a higher contribution by the female subjects. Only 17% of patients had Grade 1 hypertension reflecting poor BP control among hypertensive patients. Combination drug was advised in more than half of cases (54.6%), whereas single drug was advised in 44.2% of cases. Amlodipine was the highest prescribing drug (66%) both as monotherapy and in combination followed by Lasix (54.6%), labetalol (31.6%), and telmisartan (11.4%). The thiazide group of drugs was used only in 1% of cases.

Conclusion: Overall, the management guidelines for hypertension were adhered in the prescriptions. The underutilization of thiazide-type diuretics remains an area of concern and needs necessary action. The public health delivery system may need to take appropriate measures to make people aware of BP control.
Review of research on ESG performance, executive background and firm value
Authors: Yang Yi , Zhang Hongmei
Published: March 2024

Under the background of green development theory and high-quality development, it is of great significance to promote enterprises to practice ESG development concept. By combing the relevant literature, this paper finds that foreign scholars have studied ESG earlier than domestic scholars, and the research results are also more. Current studies on ESG performance and enterprise value mainly focus on the impact of environment, social responsibility and corporate governance on enterprise value. Few studies focus on the overall impact of ESG performance on enterprise value, and scholars have not reached a consensus on the impact of ESG performance on enterprise value. Some scholars put forward that ESG is positively correlated with enterprise value, some scholars believe that there is no significant relationship between ESG components and enterprise value, and some scholars believe that ESG is not correlated with enterprise value. The differences in the results may be due to differences in how ESG performance is measured, or it may be due to the different countries and stages of development of the companies studied. Most foreign studies are based on enterprises in developed markets, and there is relatively little research on enterprises in emerging markets like China. In addition, few studies have addressed the transmission mechanism of the role of ESG performance and firm value, let alone considered the mediating role of executive background. Therefore, this paper studies the relationship between ESG performance and firm value of listed companies under the background of China's market economy. Secondly, it introduces the background of senior executives to explore whether the background of senior executives plays a certain role in the relationship between the two.