bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data mining of customer reviews to analyse the consumer experience in hospitals
Authors: Pandiya Bhartrihari , Singh Ranjit , Raj Aditya
Published: February 2023

Background
Consumer experience is crucial in the healthcare industry as customers need intensive care and attention. The digital review texts posted by the patients and their relatives can be a great tool to understand how the customers in the healthcare industry opine about different aspects of the services, facilities, and treatment provided in the hospitals. This paper attempts to analyze online customer reviews through data mining for understanding the experience of customers regarding different aspects of hospitals. The paper uses different text mining tools with part of speech-based tagging for aspect-based opinion mining. The analysis of the different aspects extracted from the review data shows that customers write reviews about the aspects of the hospitals such as doctors, staff, facilities, treatment, care, overall management etc. The perception towards the staff, facilities, services, and treatment also highly contributes to the positive review ratings and hence positive consumer experience. The research work provides insights to stakeholders such as healthcare professionals and hospital administration. The digital space and footprint of the hospitals should also be positive as it is viewed by prospective customers. Government should also have stringent policies for continuously low-rated hospitals.
Developing the CARE intervention to enhance ethical self-efficacy in dementia care through literary texts
Authors: Lauridsen Sigurd , Schou-Juul Frederik , Folker Anna Paldam , Phil Marie-Elisabeth , Simonsen Peter , Skov Sofie
Published: February 2023

Background
Dementia care is essential to promote the well-being of patients but remains a difficult task prone to ethical issues. These issues include questions like whether manipulating a person with dementia is ethically permissible if it promotes her best interest or how to engage with a person who is unwilling to recognize that she has dementia.
To help people living dementia and carers manage ethical issues in dementia care, we developed the CARE intervention. This is an intervention focused on promoting the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia and carers, i.e., their confidence that they can manage ethical issues when they occur.
The purpose this paper is to explain and discuss how we have developed the CARE intervention to promote the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia, their family, and professional carers through a specific and, we believe, new use of literary texts.
Methods
The CARE intervention has been developed in two phases: First, we conducted a needs assessment of the occurrence of ethical issues in dementia care and the need for an intervention to support people living with dementia and their carers in managing such issues. Second, in a design phase, we developed the CARE intervention to meet identified needs.
Results
To address identified ethical issues in dementia care we designed the CARE intervention as a workshop format where people living with dementia and carers can meet, discuss literary texts, and deliberate on how to solve such issues. The workshop is structured by the following elements: An agenda of ethical issues, a collection of literary cases exemplifying ethical issues, a moderator with an understanding of dementia care, and an overview of the ethical principles relevant to the discussion of ethical issues.
This workshop concept is operationalized in three applications tailored to meet the specific ethical issues of each of the study´s three target groups: People living with dementia and family carers, professional and family carers, and professional carers.
Conclusion
We conclude the paper by stating that it is possible to develop an intervention that promotes the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia and family and professional carers.
Impact of social disparities and screening attendance on cervical cancer incidence among Danish women, 1987-2016.
Authors: Bønløkke Sara , Blaakær Jan , Steiniche Torben , Iachina Maria
Published: February 2023

Background: For cervical cancer (CC), the implementation of preventive strategies has the potential to make CC occurrence and death largely avoidable. To better understand the factors possibly responsible for the barriers to HPV vaccination and screening, we aimed to examine possible differences in biological and social parameters as well as screening adherence between women with and women without a prior CC diagnosis and according to disease stage.
Methods: Through the Danish Cancer Registry (DCR), women diagnosed with CC in Denmark between 1987 and 2016 were included. These were age- and residence-matched in a 1:5 ratio with controls from the general female population. The study population was sub grouped into a low-stage subpopulation with women with early-stage CC and matched controls and a high-stage subpopulation with women with late-stage CC and matched controls. Biological and social parameters were compared within the subpopulations as well as between low- and high-stage cases. For part of the study population, screening attendance was examined to compare differences in adherence.
Results: Overall, we found that the risk of CC is significantly increased in socially disadvantaged women and not least non-attenders in screening. Interestingly, the high-stage subpopulation was significantly older than the low-stage subpopulation (p<0.001), and when examining the impact of age further, we found that the risk of getting low-stage CC decreases significantly with increasing age, whereas the risk of getting high-stage CC increases significantly with increasing age. In the screening cohort, significantly less cases than controls were attenders in screening with the most pronounced differences seen in the old subpopulation (women aged 50-64 years) and in the high-stage subpopulation (p-values all <0.001). Interestingly, when examining the risk of CC for attenders and non-attenders, we demonstrated that many social parameters continue to influence the risk of CC, even in women attending screening.
Conclusions:Older women, socially disadvantaged women, and non-attenders in screening are particularly vulnerable in terms of developing CC, especially high-stage disease. Therefore, improvements in the participating rate in screening as well as a revision of the current screening guidelines are needed.
The artemisinin-induced dormant stages of Plasmodium falciparum exhibit hallmarks of cellular senescence and drug resilience
Authors: Tripathi Jaishree , Stoklasa Michal , Nayak Sourav , Low Kay En , Lee Erica Qian Hui , Rénia Laurent , Malleret Benoît , Bozdech Zbynek
Published: February 2023

Recrudescent infections with human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, presented traditionally the major setback of artemisinin-based monotherapies. Although introduction of artemisinin combination therapies (ACT) largely solved the problem, the ability of artemisinin to induce dormant parasites still poses major obstacle for current as well as future malaria chemotherapeutics. Here, we developed a robust laboratory model for induction of dormant P. falciparum parasites and characterized their transcriptome, drug sensitivity profile and cellular ultrastructure. We show that P. falciparumdormancy requires a ~5-days maturation process during which the genome-wide gene expression pattern gradually transitions from the ring-like state to a highly unique form. The transcriptome of the mature dormant stage carries hallmarks of cellular senescence with downregulation of most cellular functions associated with growth and development, but upregulation of selected metabolic functions and DNA repair. Moreover, the P. falciparum dormant stage is considerably more resistant to essentially all antimalaria drugs compared to the fast-growing asexual stages. Finally, the unique cellular ultrastructure further suggests unique properties of this new developmental stage of the P. falciparum life cycle that should be taken into consideration by new malaria control strategies.
SNW domain containing protein 1 (SNW1), a novel insulin resistant gene induces hyperglycemia via inducing gluconeogenesis and downregulating glucose uptake in gestational diabetic mother
Authors: BHUSHAN Ravi , Rani Anjali , Trivedi Rhimjhim , Gupta Dinesh Kumar , Tripathi Anima , Kumar Ajay , Rawat Shiv Govind , Dubey Pawan Kumar
Published: February 2023

Objective
Gestational Diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an emerging maternal health problem with increasing incidences. The lack of complete understanding of pathophysiological mechanism and novel regulatory biomarkers makes the early diagnosis difficult. Hence, the present study aims to decipher novel regulatory gene, which will help better understand the pathophysiology of GDM and serve as novel diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers.
Materials and Methods
We performed high-throughput RNA sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore-MinION sequencing platform. Gene network analysis (STRING and Cytoscape), module extraction (MCODE), functional and pathway enrichment analysis (DAVID and Enrichr) were performed to identify the novel hub gene. Identified novel hub genes were validated through qRT-PCR and tested for their sensitivity and specificity. Serum metabolites were measured using 800MHz Bruker Avance NMR spectrometer and were compared between GDM and healthy control. PANC1 cells were transfected to validate the novel biomarkerand their possible regulatory mechanism. All expression and statistical analysis were carried out using Graph pad prism 9.
Results
Transcriptomic study leads to identification ofSNW1 as most sensitive and specific (AUC = 0.98; sensitivity = 96.7 and; specificity = 96.7; p < 0.001) biomarkerwhich isup-regulated (fold change = 1.09; p < 0.001) in GDM. Metabolomics study identified elevated gluconeogenesis which is evident from decreased level of amino acids like alanine (GDM = 397.5 ± 28.12; NGT = 515.1 ± 24.03) and elevated level of pyruvate (GDM = 17.35; NGT = 16.17) and glucose (GDM = 4.67; NGT = 3.25) in GDM and control respectively.SiRNA mediated knockdown of SNW1 causes significant downregulation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT/GPT), and insulin receptor substrate (IRS1) while significant upregulation of glucose transporter (GLUT2 and GLUT4) and insulin (INS) at mRNA as well as protein level both.
Conclusion
SNW1 is novel insulin resistant gene which induces hyperglycaemia via elevating gluconeogenesis and decreasing the glucose uptake. Hence SNW1 can be used as diagnostic biomarker for early diagnosis of GDM mother.
Prevalence and characterization of virulence-associated genes and antimicrobial resistance in Aeromonas hydrophila from freshwater finfish farms in Andhra Pradesh, India
Authors: Suresh Kummari , Pillai Devika
Published: February 2023

Aeromonas hydrophila, a natural inhabitant of aquatic environments and known to become pathogenic in fishes under favourable conditions, have also been reported to cause broad spectrum of infections in humans and animals. The prevalence, virulence- associated genes and antimicrobial resistance in 57 A. hydrophila isolates from 100 freshwater fish farms (253 fishes) of Andhra Pradesh, India was studied. The isolates showed resistance to trimethoprim (35.9%), co-trimoxazole (21.1%), oxytetracycline (19.3%), doxycycline (17.5%), and enrofloxacin (8.93%), while they were completely sensitive to ciprofloxacin. Majority of the A. hydrophila isolates were strong (33%), moderate (50%) and weak (17%) biofilm formers, having role in virulence and colonization in host. The virulence gene distribution in representative A. hydrophila isolates was very high for enolase (enol, 96.4%), followed by flagellin (fla, 94.7%), cytotonic enterotoxins (alt, 91.2%), cytotoxic enterotoxins (act, 84.2%), lipase (lip, 77.1%), serine protease (ahp, 54.3%), aerolysin (aerA, 50.8%), and elastase (ahyB, 43.8%), respectively. 80% of the isolates carried a maximum of four virulence genes, whereas none carried the DNAase (exu) or haemolysin (hly) genes. Hemolytic assays on blood agar demonstrated that β-hemolysis was present in 70% of the isolates. These findings will create awareness among aquaculturists on the potential risk of spread of the isolates and the virulence associated genes across other sectors and the need for practicing best management practices in aquaculture.
Surveillance cardiopulmonary exercise testing can risk-stratify childhood cancer survivors: who are at risk for long-term cardiovascular complications and why?
Authors: Tsuda Takeshi , Davidow Kimberly , D’Aloisio Gina , Quillen Joanne
Published: February 2023

Background. Asymptomatic childhood cancer survivors (CCS) frequently show decreased exercise performance. Poor exercise performance may indicate impaired future cardiovascular health.
Methods. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed in asymptomatic off-treatment CCS (age ≥10 years). Those excluded were children with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. Patients were divided into Good and Poor performance groups by their peak oxygen consumption (pVO2*) at 35 and 25 ml/kg/min in males and females, respectively. * denotes weight-indexed values.
Results. Thirty-eight males (19 Good, 19 Poor) and 41 females (25 Good, 16 Poor) were studied. Total anthracycline dosage was comparable among 4 groups. The BMI, although normal, was significantly higher in Poor groups. Peak work rate (pWR*), pVO2*, peak oxygen pulse (pOP*), and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT*) were significantly lower, whereas heart rate (HR) increase by WR* (DHR/DWR*) and peak respiratory exchange ratio (pRER) was significantly higher in Poor groups. Simultaneously plotting of weight & pVO2 and DHR/DWR* & pOP* revealed a distinct difference between the Good and Poor groups in both sexes, suggesting decreased skeletal muscle mass and decreased stroke volume reserve, respectively, in Poor CCS. Decreased endurance at peak exercise was noted in Poor groups by simultaneously plotting DVO2*/DHR and pOP*. Ventilatory efficiency was mildly diminished in the Poor groups.
Conclusions. Decreased stroke volume reserve, decreased skeletal muscle mass, impaired muscle energy metabolism, decreased ventilatory efficiency, and increased BMI characterized Poor CCS in both sexes. This unique combined CPET analysis provides useful clinical biomarkers to screen subclinical cardiovascular abnormality in CCS.
A patient with Situs Inversus Totalis who underwent Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a case report
Authors: Corzo Héctor Joaquín Pérez , Sotelo José Sergio Verboonen , Salas Roberto Esau Salgado , Manzano Jeffry Romero , Barba José Aldo Guzmán , Mejía Francisco Javier Quero , Fong Jhonattan Arturo Barriga , Estrada Isaac Esparza
Published: February 2023

Introduction Obesity is associated with several preventable health issues, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Bariatric surgery has shown potential treating obesity. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is one of the several bariatric surgical techniques that is gaining popularity as primary bariatric surgery. Situs Inversus Totalis (SIT) is an uncommon hereditary abnormality that can make laparoscopic surgery challenging due to the anatomy's mirror-image aspect.
Case report We present the case of a 54-year-old female, BMI was 54.36 kg/m2. She was diagnosed with Situs Inversus Totalis, with no other known diseases, drug intake, or allergies. We performed a conventional laparoscopic gastric sleeve modifying the original trocar ports positions like a mirror to match the anatomy.
Conclusion Laparoscopic gastric sleeve is a safe and effective procedure for patients with Situs Inversus Totalis. Preoperative diagnosis can help lower the risk of complications by having a proper surgical plan.
EVOLUTION OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING: ESSENCE AND PRINCIPLES
Authors: Miroshnуchenko O. , Krukhmal O. , Khvostenko A.
Published: February 2023

The article examines the theoretical and methodical aspects of the organization of management accounting, taking into account the conceptual-methodical and evolutionary aspects. The role of management accounting in the process of developing and making effective management decisions has been studied. The purpose of the article is to study the evolution of management accounting and generalize the approaches of domestic and foreign scientists to define the concept of management accounting. A well-structured and effectively functioning information system at the enterprise, which ensures effective management thanks to the use of reports prepared based on this system, is based on management accounting. The essence of management accounting is providing information that supports the implementation of the management process at its various levels. The demand for financial information from the management accounting system results from different decision-making and control situations arising under certain management conditions. Without it, rational management of the enterprise would be impossible. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the introduction of management accounting at enterprises provides a complete picture of the enterprise's financial state and contributes to the adoption of effective and quick decisions. Thus, specific approaches of scientists regarding the interpretation of the concept of "management accounting" have confirmed that such accounting provides informational support to managers in decision-making, economic planning, and control over the implementation of the plan. Investigating the evolution of management accounting, it was found that it began to function in the 1970s. Its implementation at enterprises in those days contributed to changes in their organizational structures, which allowed companies to adapt to new operating conditions and stimulated the development of a new concept of development. It is also worth noting that management accounting is not mandatory at the moment, but is regulated independently by the management staff. Those enterprises that effectively use management accounting capabilities direct their efforts to find strategies for achieving business goals and choosing the most acceptable alternatives.
Primary School Teachers' Experiences in the Identification of Gifted Students and Nominating Them to Science and Art Centers
Authors: EROL Mustafa , GEDİK Osman , DEMİRTAŞ Berat
Published: February 2023

Introduction: This study aims to examine the experiences of primary school teachers in the identification of gifted students and nominating them to science and art centers.Method: This research was carried out within the scope of phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs. The research study group was determined by the criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. The research study group consisted of 15 primary school teachers working in İstanbul. The study data were obtained through semi-structured interview forms developed by the researchers and personal interviews conducted with the study group. The data were analyzed by content analysis. Researcher triangulation was used in the analysis of the data. To minimize data loss, the data were recorded with a voice recorder.Findings: According to the study's findings, it was determined that the classroom teachers took into account the students' cognitive, affective, and social characteristics while identification them with giftedness and made observations depending on the process.Discussion: Although many features are used to identify gifted students when the relevant literature is examined, it has been determined that cognitive features are frequently used in the identification of gifted students.
Research on a double frame hydraulic press with PTS using winding steel wires
Authors: Zhang Xinbo , Wang Xigui , Zhang Zhen , Wang Feng , Song Xiuyan
Published: February 2023

The desired preloading effect of a hydraulic press frame parts (upper/lower semi-circular beams and columns) with Pre-Tightening Stress (PTS) by means of Winding Steel Wires (WSW), which is directly related to the reliability and normal safe operation of the hydraulic press. The deformation of the Hydraulic Press Column (HPC) is an important indicator of the optimal preloading effect of the hydraulic press. As a technical bottleneck, the continuous cumulative deformation of a HPC under seven time-varying steps is critical issues especially in theoretically calculated for a 20 MN double-frame hydraulic press with PTS using WAW. A solid model with a PTS frame is pre-designed by 3D software, and two simulation methods, equivalent pressure loading and equivalent temperature loading, are used to simulate and analyze the continuous cumulative deformation of the HPC under each step in Ansys Workbench software. By comparing the deformation and error analysis in the three cases above, the feasibility of the two simulation methods is verified, which leads to the advantages and disadvantages of each method in order to guide the subsequent design.
Tribonacci-Lucas Dizi Uzayları
Authors: KARAKAŞ Murat , ŞEVİK Uğurcan
Published: February 2023

Bu araştırmada, temel olarak Tribonacci-Lucas sayılarını kullanarak yeni dizi uzayları
tanımlıyoruz. Daha sonra bu uzayın bazı topolojik özelliklerini inceleyerek, bazı
kapsama bağıntıları veriyoruz. Ayrıca uzayımızın Köthe-Toeplitz duallerini
hesaplayarak, bazı matris sınıflarını karakterize ediyoruz. Son olarak, uzayımızın
düzgün konvekslik, kesin konvekslik, süper yansımalılık gibi geometrik özelliklere
sahip olup olmadığını inceliyoruz.
Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Polymerization: Synthesis, Characterization and Optical Properties
Authors: ÇETİN Adnan
Published: February 2023

The new thiazole-based polymer was synthesized by the Suzuki-Miyaura crossing-coupling reaction of 5-bromo-N-(3-bromophenyl)thiazol-2-amine and 9,9-dioctyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diboronic acid bis(pinacol) ester. The synthesized monomer and poly[N,N'(1,3-phenylene)bis(thiazol-2-amine)-co9,9’dioctylfluorene] (Poly[Tm]) were characterized by the Elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis and Gel Permission chromatography. Furthermore, the optical properties of the Poly[Tm] were studied at three concentrations of 0.625, 1.25 and 2.5 mM in solution. The absorption band edge values of Poly[Tm] decreased with the increasing concentration of the solutions. When the concentration of the Poly[Tm] solution was increased, transmittance values of the Poly[Tm] were increased, and its molar extinction coefficient was resulted in higher absorbance values. Synthesized Poly[Tm] could provide a novel concept for the design of transistors and photovoltaics.
EFFECT OF HIGH-PRESSURE TREATMENT ON THE STABILITY OF QUINOA PROTEIN-CANOLA OIL NANOEMULSIONS IN TERMS OF DROPLET SIZE AND LIPID OXIDATION
Authors: CEYLAN Mehmet Murat
Published: February 2023

The stability characteristics of soluble nano-sized quinoa protein isolates prepared by different high-pressure homogenization in terms of droplet size and lipid oxidation were studied. Commercial quinoa protein isolates (QPI) were exposed to high-pressure homogenization (HPH) at various pressure (50, 100 and 200 MPa) and pressure cycles (one-cycle and two cycles). The quinoa isolate aggregates were utilized to produce oil-in-water nanoemulsions, which demonstrated the good stabile characteristics for 28 day of storage at 4 oC. While quinoa protein / canola oil nanoemulsions (QPCON) produced with untreated QPI and QPI samples by other HPH treatments were shown a significant increase in terms of droplet size and lipid oxidation in 28 days of storage, QPI samples treated with HPH at 100 MPa for a cycle (100 MPa-1) was found as the most efficient treatment in the stability of protein aggregate sizes and less oxidation level. The sample showed a slight increase from 98 nm to 117 nm for droplet size and from 58 to 102 mmol/kg for lipid oxidation from day 0 to day 28.
Backwashing of granular media filters and membranes for water treatment: a review
Authors: Turan Mustafa
Published: February 2023

Filter backwashing is a supplemental part of a drinking water treatment (DWT) facility to wash the filter bed at regular intervals using water or air scour/water by fluidizing the filter bed. Deposited material induces clogging the filter pores and enhances head loss in the bed. Biofiltration has been extensively utilized to decrease organic matter and manage the occurrence of disinfection by-products within drinking water sources. Biological rapid sand filters are frequently utilized to eliminate ammonium from groundwater provinces with the purpose of meeting drinking water requirements. Biological activated carbon (BAC) filters need to be backwashed to wash and enhance the treatment capability by detaching both restrained materials and residual biomass. The reclamation of activated carbon-used backwash water (UBW) was managed by exercising an ultrafiltration (UF) procedure.
Nieobecność roślin w humanistyce. O potrzebie plant studies, symbolice drzew, lasu i ich terapeutycznych właściwościach
Authors: Szpunar Magdalena
Published: February 2023

Humanistyka i nauki społeczne długo były niewrażliwe na rośliny, nie dostrzegając ich znaczenia i wartości w naszym życiu, co bywa określane mianem ślepoty na rośliny. W związku z tym, iż subtelne życie roślin rozgrywa się poza ludzką percepcją, zwykle pozostaje ono niedostrzegalne i tym samym nieobecne w naszej świadomości. Postrzeganie roślin jako pozbawionych ruchu lokuje je na najniższych poziomach bytów. Swoją widzialność zyskują one dopiero wtedy, gdy w świecie człowieka pojawiają się jako źródło pokarmu, lek, materiał budowlany, czy dekoracja. Celem artykułu było zwrócenie uwagi na praktyki kulturowe związane z roślinami, nasze relacjami z nimi, aby dostrzec międzygatunkową zależność oraz co nie mniej istotne, konieczność rozwijania studiów nad roślinami. Wychodząc naprzeciw temu wyzwaniu, tekst ten stara się zrehabilitować długoterminową nieobecność roślin w dyskursie humanistycznym, uwalniając je od antropocentrycznej izolacji. Artykuł stanowi rozprawę o charakterze metateoretycznym i metadyscyplinarnym, i czerpie z dorobku plant studies w obrębie kulturoznawstwa, socjologii oraz filozofii. Tekst wprowadza w problematykę plant studies, próbując ustalić ich zakres i cel, ale także zwraca uwagę na wielowymiarowość nurtu plant studies, który funkcjonuje jako obszar badań humanistycznych oraz praktyka społeczna, redefiniująca rozumienie tego, co ludzkie i pozaludzkie. Artykuł postuluje budowanie relacji z roślinami w ontologii myśli słabej, z pełnym poszanowaniem niewyraźności i niejednoznaczności roślinnego życia.
Edukacja międzykulturowa drogą wychowania dla przyszłości. Aktualne problemy i wyzwania w Polsce
Authors: Babicki Zbigniew , Dudek Mieczysław
Published: February 2023

Artykuł zwraca uwagę na wyzwania, jakie stają przed społeczeństwami w dobie szybkich zmian społecznych, kulturowych i politycznych. Cechą charakterystyczną współczesnych społeczeństw jest ich coraz większa wielokulturowość, która zakłada akceptację różnorodności, istnienie pojedynczych kultur w sferze publicznej i prywatnej. Do życia i współdziałania w społeczeństwach wielokulturowych może przygotować edukacja międzykulturowa, która kładzie nacisk na dialog międzykulturowy. Zadaniem edukacji międzykulturowej jest zatem kształtowanie takich postaw społecznych, które pozwolą współczesnym społeczeństwom rozwijać się pokojowo i budować stabilną przyszłość. Podjęta problematyka staje się szczególnie istotna w obliczu wojny, zmian społecznych, politycznych w różnych częściach Europy, nasilającego się zjawiska emigracji itp. Problemy te w dużym stopniu dotykają Polski. Pojawia się wobec tego pytanie, jak Polska jest przygotowana do wielokulturowości? Jaki jest dyskurs naukowy w tym obszarze? Jakie propozycje kierunków rozwoju edukacji międzykulturowej?
Estudio de la flora del Parque Ecológico Nacional “Antonio Raimondi” en Ancón, Lima - Perú
Authors: Merino Monterrey Jo Annie , Cóndor Núñez Natalia , Echia Rodríguez Esaú
Published: February 2023

En el mes de septiembre de 2014 se efectuó un estudio de la vegetación en el distrito de Ancón en Lima Metropolitana, al interior del Parque Ecológico Nacional “Antonio Raimondi”. Se registró la composición de especies de flora según su clasificación por géneros y familias. Para la evaluación cuantitativa se examinaron componentes como la abundancia relativa, frecuencia relativa, densidad y cobertura de la vegetación. Se registraron 14 especies y 1 morfoespecie de flora distribuidas en 1050 individuos; las 14 especies agrupadas en 10 géneros y 7 familias. Las especies más dominantes fueron Tillandsia purpurea Ruiz & Pav. con un 41.55%, Tillandsia latifolia Meyen con un 24.23% y Solanum multifidum Lam. con 14.02% de abundancia relativa. La familia Solanaceae fue la más diversa, representada por tres especies dentro los géneros Solanum y Nicotiana. Las especies T. latifolia, T. purpurea y Nicotiana paniculata L. fueron las más frecuentes, principalmente presentes en las Quebradas Inocentes y Quebradilla. Las especies T. purpurea y T. latifolia presentaron mayor densidad por área. Las “Tillandsias” y “Cactáceas” abarcan la mayor cobertura de vegetación en el lugar, distribuidas en la zona centro y norte, mientras que la vegetación herbácea presentó menor cobertura y se ubicó en la zona sur del área de estudio. De las 14 especies identificadas, 9 especies presentan endemismos y tres especies de la familia Cactaceae presentan categorías de amenaza: dos especies En Peligro (EN) y una especie se encontraría En Peligro Crítico (CR) o Vulnerable (VU). El ámbito de estudio está siendo planificado por el gobierno central como un modelo de ciudad sostenible, por tal motivo, conocer la flora y sus comunidades vegetales, brindará herramientas para su conservación e incorporación en la planificación urbana.
The Emerging Landscape of Natural Small-molecule Therapeutics for
Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Bhat Shahnawaz Ali , Ahamad Shakir , Dar Nawab John , Siddique Yasir Hassan , Nazir Aamir
Published: February 2023

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with no disease modifying therapeutics. HD is characterized by extensive neuronal loss and is caused by the inherited expansion of the huntingtin (HTT) gene that encodes a toxic mutant HTT (mHTT) protein having expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) residues. Current HD therapeutics only offer symptomatic relief. Infact, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two synthetic small-molecule VMAT2 inhibi-tors, tetrabenazine (1) and deutetrabenazine (2), for managing HD chorea and various other diseases in clinical trials. Therefore, the landscape of drug discovery programs for HD is evolving to discover disease-modifying HD therapeutics. Likewise, numerous natural products are being evaluated at different stages of clinical development and have shown the potential to ameliorate HD pathology. The inherent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of natural products mitigate the mHTT-induced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, improve mitochondrial functions, and augment the anti-apoptotic and pro-autophagic mechanisms for increased survival of neurons in HD. In this review, we have discussed HD pathogenesis and summarized the anti-HD clinical and pre-clinical natural products, focusing on their therapeutic effects and neuroprotective mechanisms.
Decision Support Model for Contractor Selection
Authors: Mergawy Reem T. , Hosny Hossam E. , Abdelazeem Abdelazeem S.
Published: February 2023

Introduction:

The construction and infrastructure industries in Egypt have recently experienced huge growth, which of course requires methodical planning, full feasibility studies, and wise selections of project executors' teams, including engineering design offices, management agencies, and contracting firms. Consequently, to guarantee achieving the predetermined project designs and objectives, a careful assessment of the incorporating contractor company must be carried out.

Problem Statement:

Improper contractor selection leads to several problems throughout the project delivery phase, including inadequate quality and delays in the expected project time, which results in cost overruns. Rather, it also sometimes results in suspending the project and failing to complete it. Moreover, in most public and governmental projects, in accordance with law 182/2018, the responsible employee is forced to choose the lowest-priced bid regardless of any other considerations, only passing the project's minimum technical score defined by the appropriate authority, and this is illogical and must be reconsidered.

Methodology:

In order to find a solution to these problems, the following steps were taken in this paper: (1) Forty-eight factors affecting contractor selection were identified through surveying; (2) the seven most important factors were selected based on the fuzzy Delphi technique (FDT); and (3) competitive contractors were prioritised at the pre-bidding stage for the construction project by utilising the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with the analytic network process (ANP).

Results:

Seven of the forty-eight factors were selected using the fuzzy Delphi technique, and to calculate their relative weights, AHP and ANP were combined to obtain the most important variables affecting contractor selection. Next, a model user interface for picking contractors was developed to make it easier for project owners and managers to apply. To fully understand how the model functions, a realistic case study involving four bidders competing for the contract has been included.

Conclusion:

Since government agencies oblige decision-makers to select the lowest-priced bidder, this model can be used during the tendering process's prequalification stage to ensure that all potential contractors are qualified while including the most influential criteria from the Egyptian construction market's perspective.
Influence of the intensity of exciting radiation on the luminescent properties of nanopowders NaYF-=SUB=-4-=/SUB=- : Yb/Tm
Authors: Burikov S.A.  , Filippova E.A.  , Fedyanina A.A.  , Kuznetsov S.V.  , Proydakova V. Yu.  , Voronov V.V.  , Dolenko T.A.
Published: February 2023

Intensity of the bands of upconversion luminescence of β-NaYF4 : Yb3+/Tm3+ nanopowders in DMSO suspensions vs intensity of exciting radiation were analyzed. Ranges of changes in the intensity of excitation have been established, in which either the processes of energy transfer from the sensitizer ion to the activator ion or the decay of intermediate levels of activator ions dominate. Keywords: rare earth ions, upconversion luminescence, nanoparticle suspensions, sensitizer, activator.
Dependence of photoluminescence of carbon dots with different surface functionalization on hydrogen factor of water
Authors: Khmeleva M. Yu.  , Laptinskiy K. A.  , Kasyanova P. S.  , Tomskaya A. E.  , Dolenko T. A.
Published: February 2023

The pH dependences of the photoluminescence of carbon dots synthesized by the hydrothermal method with polyfunctional and monofunctional (carboxylated and hydroxylated) surfaces have been studied. As a result of the analysis of the obtained photoluminescence and absorption spectra of aqueous suspensions of all studied types of carbon dots at different pH values, a significant effect of the acidity of the environment of nanoparticles on their optical properties was found. It has been found that the greatest changes in the spectral characteristics of absorption and photoluminescence of carbon dots with COOH, OH, and NH2 surface groups appear in the pH ranges of 2-5 and 8-12. The obtained results are explained are explained by the processes of protonation/deprotonation of the surface groups of carbon dots. Keywords: carbon dots, surface functionalization, absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence, hydrogen index, deprotonation.
Determination of individual and average characteristics of native blood erythrocytes by the static spectral digital microscopy method
Authors: Doubrovski V. A.  , Torbin S.O.  , Zabenkov I.V.
Published: February 2023

The method of static (non-flow) spectral digital microscopy (SSDM) method to identify, to count and to determine the standard and individual characteristics of native blood erythrocytes is suggested. The object to study was the whole donor blood diluted by saline and placed into the counting Goryaev camber. Among the standard characteristics of erythrocytes, the following were determined: the concentration of erythrocytes in a blood sample RBC (Red Blood Cells concentration), the scatter of erythrocytes by volume RDW (Red cells Distribution Width), including RDW-SD and RDW-CV, hematocrit HCT, mean erythrocyte volume MCV (Mean Cell Volume). n addition, the possibility of measuring the average hemoglobin content in erythrocyte MCH (Mean Cell Hemoglobin), MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration), as well as the total content of hemoglobin HGB in the blood sample (Hemoglobin) was investigated. The peculiarity of SSCM method proposed lies in the fact that it fundamentally allows to determine not only the general hematological characteristics of blood samples (RBC, RDW-SD and RDW-CV, HGB), but also the mean values of the characteristics of native blood erythrocytes (MCV, MCH, MCHC), and also, and most importantly, the individual characteristics of each erythrocyte. The latter permitted the authors to introduce a new type of erythrocyte characteristics ICV, ICH, ICHC (Individual Cell Volume, Individual Cell Hemoglobin, Individual Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration). In turn, this made it possible to obtain the histograms of hemoglobin distribution in erythrocytes of a blood sample along with the traditional distribution of their volumes, which can serve as an additional tool in the field of hemodiagnostics. Thus, the paper shows that SSCM method makes it possible to compile an individual metrological "passport" for each erythrocyte of the blood sample under study --- this is the main feature of this work. Keywords: erythrocyte identification, erythrocyte counting, individual characteristics of erythrocytes, static spectral digital microscopy.
Coherent control and creation of population gratings for a pair of attosecond pulses in a resonant medium based on one-dimensional rectangular quantum wells
Authors: Arkhipov R. M.  , Belov P. A.  , Arkhipov M. V.  , Pakhomov A. V.  , Rosanov N. N.
Published: February 2023

Attosecond pulses can be used to create and control coherence in resonant media, since their duration is shorter than the population relaxation times T1 and medium polarization T2. Previously, the possibility of creating and ultrafast control of electromagnetically induced gratings (EMIG) of atomic populations in a resonant medium was shown using a sequence of extremely short light pulses, when the pulses coherently interact with the medium and do not simultaneously overlap in the medium. These studies were carried out in various approximations, when a finite number of energy levels of the medium is taken into account, or when the pulse amplitude is small. In this paper, based on a direct numerical solution of the time dependent Schredinger equation without the indicated approximations, we study the possibility of ultrafast coherent control of populations and the creation of an EMIG by a pair of attosecond pulses in a multilevel resonant medium with a low density of particles. The medium is modeled using a one-dimensional rectangular potential well with infinitely high walls. The studies performed show the possibility of ultrafast coherent control of the properties of resonant media based on quantum wells using attosecond pulses. Keywords: electromagnetically induced gratings, coherent interaction, extremely short pulses, unipolar pulses, attosecond pulses, medium coherence.
Collisional-radiative recombination of Ne-=SUP=-++-=/SUP=- and Ne-=SUP=-+-=/SUP=- ions with electrons in the decaying plasma of a low-pressure barrier discharge
Authors: Ivanov V. A.
Published: February 2023

The results of an experimental study and simulation of radiation generated by the processes of collisional-radiative recombination of neon ions Ne+ and Ne++ with electrons of the decaying plasma are presented. Plasma was created by a barrier discharge in a cylindrical glass tube with electrodes on its surface. Experimental conditions: neon pressure 0.65 Torr, electron density at the initial stage of the afterglow [e] ~ (1-5)·1011 cm-3. The main attention is paid to the comparative analysis of the collisional-radiative recombination of Ne+ and Ne++ ions based on the numerical solution of coupled differential equations for the densities of charged and long-lived excited particles and the electron temperature, taking into account the main elementary processes in decaying neon plasma. Comparison of the model solutions with the intensities of ionic and atomic spectral lines measured by the multichannel photon counting method indicates the need to refine the dependence of the rate of collisional-radiative recombination on the ion charge. Keywords: dielectric barrier discharge, doubly charged ions, collisional-radiative recombination, decaying plasma, elementary processes.
Comparison of the effects of unipolar half-cycle and resonant multi-cycle electromagnetic pulses on quantum systems
Authors: Arkhipov R. M.  , Arkhipov M. V.  , Rosanov N. N.
Published: February 2023

It is shown that not only multicycle resonant pulses with zero electric area, but also nonresonant unipolar pulses can be used to efficiently excite quantum transitions in a medium. Arguments are presented in favor of the advantages of unipolar pulses for excitation of quantum systems in comparison with resonant radiation. A simple relationship has been found showing that in order to compare the effects of unipolar half-cycle and resonant multicycle pulses on atomic systems. It shows that it is necessary to compare the electric area of ??a unipolar pulse and the area of ??the envelope of a bipolar pulse, rather than their energies. Keywords: unipolar pulses, electric pulse area, pulse area, extremely short pulses, attosecond pulses.
Рекордно толстые эпитаксиальные слои kappa(ε)-Ga-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-O-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-, выращенные на GaN/c-сапфире
Authors: Николаев В.И. , Поляков А.Я. , Степанов С.И. , Печников А.И. , Николаев В.В. , Якимов Е.Б. , Щеглов М.П. , Чикиряка А.В. , Гузилова Л.И. , Тимашов Р.Б. , Шапенков С.В. , Бутенко П.Н.
Published: February 2023

Record thick (up to 100 μm) epitaxial layers of a prospective semiconductor metastable Ga2O3 were grown by HVPE (Halide Vapor Phase Epitaxy) on GaN buffer layers on c-sapphire substrate. The X-ray diffraction spectra of the layers show that the structure of the layer is a pure k(ε)-Ga2O3 without any other phases. At the same time, the organization of the domain structure is noted, which manifests itself in the form of pseudohexagonal prisms with the inheritance of the orientation of the gallium nitride sublayer. Schottky diodes with a nickel contact were fabricated and the electrical and photoelectric properties of the layers were studied. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and frequency-capacitance (C-f) dependencies have been studied, photocurrent and photocapacitance spectra have been measured.
Real-Time Virtual Support as an Emergency Department Strategy for Rural, Remote, and Indigenous Communities in British Columbia: Descriptive Case Study (Preprint)
Authors: Novak Lauscher Helen , Blacklaws Brydon , Pritchard Erika , Wang Elsie Jiaxi , Stewart Kurtis , Beselt Jeff , Ho Kendall , Pawlovich John
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

British Columbia has over 200 rural, remote, and Indigenous communities that have limited health care resources due to physician isolation, sparsity in clinical resources, the lack of collegial support, and provider burnout. Real-time virtual support (RTVS) peer-to-peer pathways provide support to patients and providers. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating existing health care disparities and equitable access to timely care, RTVS presents a portable and additional opportunity to be deployed in a hospital or patient home setting in rural communities. We highlight the story of the Rural Urgent Doctor in-aid (RUDi) pathway within RTVS that successfully supported the Dawson Creek District Hospital (DCDH) emergency department (ED) in 2021.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to describe the rapid implementation process and identify facilitators and barriers to successful implementation.

METHODS

This case study is grounded in the Quadruple Aim and Social Accountability frameworks for health systems learning. The entire study period was approximately 6 months. After 1 week of implementation, we interviewed RUDi physicians, DCDH staff, health authority leadership, and RTVS staff to gather their experiences. Content analysis was used to identify themes that emerged from the interviews.

RESULTS

RUDi physicians covered 39 overnight shifts and were the most responsible providers (MRPs) for 245 patients who presented to the DCDH ED. A total of 17 interviews with key informants revealed important themes related to leadership and relationships as facilitators of the coverage’s success, the experience of remote physician support, providing a “safety net,” finding new ways of interprofessional collaboration, and the need for extensive IT support throughout. Quality improvement findings identified barriers and demonstrated tangible recommendations for how this model of support can be improved in future cases.

CONCLUSIONS

By acting as the MRP during overnight ED shifts, RUDi prevented the closure of the DCDH ED and the diversion of patients to another rural hospital. Rapid codevelopment and implementation of digital health solutions can be leveraged with existing partnerships and mutual trust between RTVS and rural EDs to ease the pressures of a physician shortage, particularly during COVID-19. By establishing new and modified clinical workflows, RTVS provides a safety net for rural patients and providers challenged by burnout. This case study provides learnings to be implemented to serve future rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in crisis.