bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutrition-risk pregnancies and its association with birth outcomes: findings from a community-based intervention in India
Authors: Mukherjee Sreeparna G. , Bhattacharjee Ipsita
Published: April 2022

Background: The intervention is a part of a maternal and child nutrition project, operational in three districts of West Bengal, India. The current paper focuses on the identification of “nutrition risk pregnancies” at the community level and to determine the associations of the risk factors with birth outcomes like low-birth weight and pre-term birth.Methods: A cohort of 468 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in their 1st trimester were identified from 74 sub-health centers from 3 diversified blocks of West Bengal, India. Five key intervention strategies were followed in order to achieve desired pregnancy weight gain birth outcomes, like low-birth weight, pre-term birth was analyzed in relation to “nutrition risk pregnancies”.Results: About 22.2% of the pregnant women in severe thin body mass index (BMI) categories gave birth to low-birth weight children and about 33.3% had pre-term deliveries compared to pregnant women with normal BMI with 16.8% and 18.8% low-birth and pre-term deliveries respectively. Among the nutrition risk factors, 1st weight at the time of pregnancy registration (95% CI, p=0.04), gestational weight gain (95% CI, p=0.002), were significantly associated with low-birth weight children. Gestational weight gain was also significantly associated with pre-term births (95% CI, p=0.009).Conclusions: Gestational weight gain beyond or less than recommended range may pre-dispose to low-birth weight and pre-term births. Since this factor could be managed through the existing, public health service delivery systems and family-based inputs, efforts should be geared towards identifying the risk factors and working towards appropriate weight gain.
Comparative study of maternal and fetal outcome of tuberculosis in pregnancy in tertiary care centre
Authors: Buddhewar Amita S. , Anand Mamta N. , Anand Neelesh P. , Ubale Sunita M.
Published: April 2022

Background: Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge worldwide. TB among pregnant women can adversely affect health of the mother and fetus. Present study is aimed to determine the prevalence of the tuberculosis and to evaluate the risks of adverse pregnancy outcome in maternal tuberculosis.Methods: This was a prospective observational study done in tertiary care center over a period of 1.5 year from January 2019 to July 2021. Institute ethical committee approval was obtained. Pregnant women in the age group 18-42 years diagnosed with tuberculosis in antenatal period were included in our study for evaluating maternal and fetal outcomes. Data collected was entered in Microsoft excel sheet and analyzed. The qualitative and quantitative variables were categorized and expressed in terms of percentages or mean and standard deviations. The difference between the proportions was analyzed using chi- square or Fisher exact test. Student t test was used to test the difference between the means.Results: The prevalence rate of tuberculosis in antenatal women at our institute during study period is 2.019/1000 per pregnant women. Our study shows the higher risk of preterm labour, anaemia, ARDS, retroviral disease, threatened abortion and intrauterine growth restriction with tuberculosis in pregnancy. Tuberculosis has adverse effect on maternal and fetal outcome.Conclusions: Preconceptional counselling and early antenatal visits are important opportunities to screen and diagnose TB early in its coarse and ensure adequate treatment as per national programme. This will optimize the maternal and perinatal outcome.
Medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy: case report
Authors: Chatbi Zaineb , Fekkoul Soukaina , Rhazi Inas , Tahiri Hafsa , Saadi Hanane , Mimouni Ahmed
Published: April 2022

Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity. It is a leading source of morbidity and mortality within pregnancy. Methotrexate, a folic acid antagonist, has been widely used to treat appropriately selected ectopic pregnancies. We report the case of a 20-year-old woman, married, G2P0, having as antecedent a right tubal ectopic pregnancy benefiting from a right salpingectomy two years ago, who presents actually a paucisymptomatic ectopic pregnancy. Medical treatment with methotrexate was chosen with monitoring of the patient's hemodynamic status and hCG level.
Giant degenerative subserous leiomyoma simulating an ovarian cyst, a diagnostic conundrum: a case report
Authors: Kapur Anuradha , Naik Sonia , Maiti Saswati , Pandya Unnati
Published: April 2022

Leiomyomas are benign tumours of uterus and classified by their location in the uterus- submucosal, intramural, subserous. Uterine leiomyoma can have variable presentations. Pedunculated big subserous fibroids may outgrow their blood supply, undergo degenerative changes and may present as an ovarian mass. We would like to present a case of such variant which presented as a huge ovarian multiloculated cyst on MRI, but final diagnosis after histopathological examination concluded it to be leiomyoma with secondary degenerative changes. Giant degenerative fibroid might present as an ovarian mass which poses challenge in diagnostic course. This may confound with complex ovarian cyst on radiological modalities. Diagnostic certainty can be achieved only by skilful intraoperative examination and histopathology.
A colossal-sized pyometra drainage in postmenopausal female
Authors: Bhati Indra , Chandel Manvika , Kudri Balakrishna S.
Published: April 2022

Pyometra is an infrequent gynecological emergency observed mostly in postmenopausal females. It requires prompt diagnosis and interventions, as it might be indicative of various gynecological malignancies and in rare cases it can also result in burst abdomen if left unaddressed. Hereby, is a case report of an 83-year-old debilitated female, P11L6, who presented with a large pyometra corresponding to 32 weeks size uterus. After she underwent a panel of radiological imaging and other investigations and ruling out all possibilities of malignancy, a decision to drain the pyometra under ultrasonography (USG) guidance was taken. The drainage required meticulous negotiation of the severely stenosed cervix. Finally, 2.5 liters of purulent fluid was drained out at once. Women was discharged in a healthy condition and advised for follow up.
A rare case of cervical dysgenesis presented with endometriosis and ectopic kidney
Authors: Gupta Shivani , Yadav Garima , Singh Pratibha , Shekhar Shashank
Published: April 2022

Cervical dysgenesis is a rare cause of obstructive amenorrhoea. We are presenting a case of a 15-year-old girl presented with primary amenorrhoea diagnosed with cervical dysgenesis with left ectopic kidney and endometriosis. The patient underwent laparoscopy followed by exploratory laparotomy with total abdominal hysterectomy with left salpingectomy followed by neovaginal creation and right ureteric D-J stenting and vaginal mould insertion. Cervical agenesis treatment should aim at the re-establishment of patency of the outflow tract. A fistulous tract with stent placement has been done in some cases but eventually, hysterectomy is required in view of recurrent and severe pelvic infection is a common problem. Ovarian function can be preserved if a hysterectomy is performed timely.
The role of physiotherapy in promotion of physical activity during the COVID-19
Authors: Juwita Citra Puspa
Published: April 2022

Background: Physical activity is the right therapy in minimizing the incidence of non-communicable diseases in the community. Physiotherapy has a role in improving body function and movement, one of which is by using physical activity therapy. This study wanted to know the role of physiotherapy in promoting physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The research design is descriptive quantitative using a questionnaire in order to collect data. The questionnaire consists of 12 statements with Likert scale answers. A total of 42 physiotherapists were selected by simple random sampling spread across developing provinces in Indonesia.Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 84% of physiotherapists continued to serve patients, even almost every day. Promotion of physical activity by physiotherapy is better during the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic. The 97% of physiotherapists agreed to promote physical activity. The 66% physiotherapists believe that patients can be motivated to do physical activity if given recommendations by physiotherapists. As many as 79% of physiotherapists have time to provide promotions to their patients. Physiotherapists also stated that 45% of health workers know about physical activity and 66% of physiotherapists believe that clients/patients will do physical activity if recommended by them.Conclusions: It is a necessity for Physiotherapists to always promote physical activity to clients/patients and the wider community.
Association of COVID-19 infection severity with vaccination and diet: a comparative cross-sectional study
Authors: Khan Tayyab Mumtaz , Saleem Zohaib , Nazir Aqsa , Khalid Faiza , Khan Shahrukh , Mansoor Hina , Mansoor Sana , Mumtaz Madeeha
Published: April 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the socio-economic lives of people around the globe. Along with preventive measures like wearing mask, social distancing, practicing hand hygiene and staying home, the two main immunomodulatory strategies are vaccination and healthy diet intake. Our study was aimed to determine the inter-relationship between COVID-19 severity and vaccination status and between COVID-19 severity and diet. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was performed among 183 COVID-19 patients from July 2021 to December 2021 in a COVID-19 dedicated hospital of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The convenient sampling was used to select the participants. Self-designed proforma with high reliability (Cronbach alpha value= 0.790) was used for the collection of data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for the evaluation of study variables. Chi-square test was utilized to check the correlation between vaccination and COVID-19 and between diet and COVID-19.Results: Out of 183 participants 95 (51.91%) were vaccinated while 88 (48.09%) were un-vaccinated. Depending upon the guideline for COVID-19 infection severity provided by Government of Pakistan, 95 (51.92%) patients had asymptomatic infection, 72 (39.34%) patients had non-severe infection, 11 (6.00%) patients had severe infection, and 5 (2.74%) patients had critical infection. The association between vaccination and COVID-19 infection was statistically significant (p value 0.004). The correlation between COVID-19 infection severity and various diet types was also significant with plant-based diet (p=0.0001), animal-based diet (p=0.002), fast food (p=0.01), and micronutrients (p=0.0003).Conclusions: In short, our study suggests that COVID-19 infection was less severe among vaccinated patients in comparison to non-vaccinated patients. Furthermore, it also showed that high intake of plant-based diet and micronutrients was protective against COVID-19 infection whereas high intake of animal-based diet and fast food was associated with more severe COVID-19 infection.
Factors associated with the occurrence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Embakasi Central Sub-County, Nairobi County
Authors: Ceciliah Wambogo N. , Alloys Orago S. S. , John Oyore P.
Published: April 2022

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) complications are the second leading cause of death in pregnant women globally, trailing only anaemia. Despite the fact that urinary tract infection (UTI) has been a threat to public health in Nairobi for the past five years, especially in the Embakasi Central sub-county, no studies on the occurrence of ASB and related factors have been conducted in Nairobi County.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analytical design study was conducted in five wards of Embakasi central sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya. A questionnaire and routine urine microscopy were used to collect data from 369 expectant women attending ANC in selected facilities. independent t test and chi-square tests were between the independent and dependent variables at p≤0.05.Results: The respondents were 26 years old on average, majority of the women had attained secondary education (46.7%, n=172), were married (66%, n=241) and professed Christianity (72.2%, n=265). The proportion of women in employment (52%, n=192) was slightly higher than the unemployed (48%, n=175). The occurrence of ASB was significantly higher in first trimester as compared to the other trimesters (p=0.000). Also, the occurrence of ASB differed significantly by religion (p=0.002) and by employment status (p=0.003). Most of the expectant mothers had heard of ASB, mainly from health care workers (58.9%, n=119) or the media (31.7%, n=64). ASB was more likely to occur in women who had never heard of ASB (p=0.000).Conclusions: The prevalence of ASB is relatively higher than the rest of the African continent. Knowledge levels, religion, family sizes, trimester of pregnancy and employment status were strongly linked to ASB. Consequently, a number of interventions and policy recommendations have been made in this paper.
Socio-economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic and its coping measures in a rural area of central Kerala
Authors: Vijayan Sajna M. , Abraham Ruth , Vanlalhriatpuii Emmanuelle
Published: April 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly considered one among the largest human disaster in the current decade, causing simultaneous health and socioeconomic suffering. This study was conducted to study the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 pandemic at the household level and the coping measures among adults in a rural area.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area of Thrissur district for a period of eight months. Cluster sampling was done. Among the total subcentres in a rural primary health centre (PHC), one subcentre was selected using lottery method. The consecutive houses were included till the calculated sample size was obtained. After establishing a rapport with the subject, data was collected using a semi-structured interview schedule from the participant using questions in local language.Results: Mean age was 47.6±13.7 years. The common social impacts due to the pandemic were loss of job (53.8%), difficulty in finding jobs (47.1%) difficulty due to inability to travel (37%), skipping of at least one of the meals (27.5%), difficulty in travelling back to permanent home (20.7%), difficulty in getting health services (14.4%). The major economic impacts were losing your wage due to lockdown (74%) and difficulty in repaying loans (63%). The main coping measure was government’s public distribution system 72.3%.Conclusions: There were social issues and economic crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic and its lock down measures among the population. Both government and non-governmental sectors should understand the magnitude of the problem and should find the ways to tackle the situation.
The impact of self-efficacy on physical activity in the elderly
Authors: Juwita Citra Puspa
Published: April 2022

Background: Sufficient physical activity is a lifestyle that must become a habit in the elderly so that it can reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases. This study aims to determine the correlation self-efficacy with physical activity in the elderly.Methods: The research study design was cross sectional on 106 elderly people aged >60 years in DKI Jakarta, Indonesia. Collecting data by interview using the global physical activity questioner (GPAQ) and the self-efficacy for exercise scale (SEE). Data were analyzed descriptively and analytically; the relationship was obtained if p<0.05.Results: Most of the respondents have high physical activity (58%), 29% have medium physical activity, and 13% have low physical activity. There is a correlation between self-efficacy and physical activity (r=0.60, p=0.000). In addition, there is also a correlation between comorbidities (r=0.33, p=0.018) and occupation (r=0.631, p=0.000) with physical activity.Conclusions: Sufficient physical activity influenced by self-efficacy, occupation, and comorbidities as much as 40% and 60% explained by others.
Prevalence of thyroid disorders in an out-patient department setting: a retrospective study
Authors: S. Krishneswari R. , Shaji Navya Mariam , Maheshkum Balakrishna ar S.
Published: April 2022

Background: Disorders of the thyroid gland has become one of the most common endocrine diseases affecting the global population next to Diabetes Mellitus. Data available on the prevalence of thyroid disorders among Indian population is scanty. This study is aimed to investigate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in the local population visiting the endocrinology out-patient department of National Homoeopathy Research Institute in Mental Health, Kottayam.Methods: This is a hospital based retrospective descriptive analysis carried out among the patients attended in the endocrinology out-patient department of National Homoeopathy Research Institute in Mental Health (NHRIMH), Kottayam. Patients with Thyroid disorders who seek treatment from the endocrinology OPD for a period of six months (January 2021 to June 2021) were selected for this retrospective analysis.Results: Data were collected from the medical records department of NHRIMH and were analyzed based on the age, sex, different types of thyroid disorders and the medicines prescribed including potency.Conclusions: Females are commonly affected with thyroid disorders and the common age group is between 40 and 49 years. The most common thyroid disorder encountered is hypothyoidism and the most common medicine used is ‘thyroidinum’.
Assessment of mental health status among type 2 diabetics in urban field practice area of JSS Medical College, Mysuru
Authors: Abhishek R. , Murthy M. R. Narayana , Chandan N.
Published: April 2022

Background: To assess the mental health status and to determine the associated risk factors of mental health disorder among Type 2 diabetics residing in urban field practicearea of Department of community medicine, JSS Medical College, Mysuru.Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in urban field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, JSS Medical College, Mysuru. Total 390 Diabetics were included in our study. Pre-designed, semi structured questionnaire and DASS 21 scale was used for data collection and the data was analyzed using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 23 (Licensed to JSSAHER). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 162 (41%), 126 (32.3%), 124 (31.8%) respectively. Age, education, tobacco chewing, history of hypertension were statistically significantly associated with depression. Age, occupation, hypertension were statistically significantly associated with anxiety. Age, education, occupation were statistically significantly associated with stress.Conclusions: Depression, anxiety and stress among diabetics in our study is less. Age, education, occupation, history of hypertension were common factors associated with mental health status. Counselling should be done at regular intervals for all T2DM patients for better mental health well-being.
Utilization of maternal health care services and ownership and use of mobile phones among Indian women
Authors: Gunamany Susanna , Subramanyam Malavika A.
Published: April 2022

Background: Even with years of maternal and child health programmes and interventions, maternal and child health issues persist in India. Given the expansion in the ownership and use of mobile phones, mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been designed and implemented to facilitate MCH services. This study aims to assess whether ownership and use of mobile phones by Indian women are associated with the utilization of maternal health indicators such as antenatal carevand institutional delivery services.Methods: This study used the latest publically available data on mobile phone use from a nationally representative household survey (n=12047) to examine the association between mobile phone ownership and use, such as access to the Internet or not, texting facility available on the phone or not with having at least four ANC visits or an institutional delivery. The data fitted survey-adjusted logistic regression models adjusted for women’s autonomy, access to mass media, and other sociodemographic covariates.Results: Household ownership of a mobile phone was positively associated with receiving ANC (OR=1.21; CI=1.08-1.36) in fully adjusted models. Women with access to the Internet and SMS facility also had higher odds (OR=2.87; CI=1.54-5.34) of reporting an institutional delivery and receiving an ideal ANC (OR=1.25; CI=1.01-1.64) in the fully adjusted models Conclusions: Patriarchal social norms potentially affect women’s use of mobile phones. mHealth based maternal and child health (MCH) interventions in India, particularly those targeting underprivileged/disadvantaged women, are unlikely to be effective unless measures are made to increase access to, and autonomy in, mobile phone use. Partnering with social scientists in designing such interventions and other policy-relevant implications are discussed.
Post vaccination adherence to COVID appropriate behaviours
Authors: Mittal Chhaya , Mishra Abhishek Kumar , Bano Tanveer , Kumar Arun
Published: April 2022

Background: COVID-19 is the most important public health problem of the world presently. Many people require hospitalization after infection and for some people disease is fatal. COVID vaccination and COVID appropriate behaviours are the most effective way to prevent disease. In the light of new mutant strains of Corona virus in some countries, e.g. omicron variant, against that vaccine may not be so effective, the importance of COVID appropriate behaviour has been increased further. In this connexion this study was planned to assess the post COVID vaccination covid appropriate behaviours (CAB) of vaccine beneficiaries in a vaccination centre in Northern India. To evaluate the post vaccination COVID appropriate behaviour and protective efficacy of two most commonly used vaccines in India.Methods: Present cross-sectional study was done among beneficiaries of COVID vaccines at vaccination centre LLRM Medical college. After institutional ethical clearance and informed consent patients were asked about post vaccination COVID appropriate behaviours and severity of COVID symptoms they experienced after being COVID positive. The symptoms of COVID-19 were compared in pre and post vaccination group. Simple random sampling was used to select beneficiaries. A total 391 patients submitted the responses. Information thus collected on predesigned Google form.Results: Participants showed good knowledge regarding CAB, and bearing mask was most commonly followed CAB. Beneficiaries agreed that they need to follow CAB post vaccination too.Conclusions: A total of 93.1% vaccine beneficiaries were aware of COVID appropriate behaviours. Bearing face mask and physical distance were most commonly used COVID appropriate behaviours. Approximately 10% of beneficiaries followed COVID appropriate behaviours less promptly post vaccination.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental and physical health of students (schools and colleges) and teachers
Authors: Kaur Surinder , Cheema Sangeeta , Cheema Prerna , Kaur Amandeep , Singla Anju
Published: April 2022

Background: Mental health issues are the leading impediment to academic success. During COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in well-being and an increase in mental health problems were registered. Younger people and women seemed to be particularly affected by the isolation strategies, leading to development of loneliness, anxiety, depression and extreme mental stress. The objectives of the present study were to assess the core symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in students and teachers during covid pandemic second wave.Methods: An E-Performa was created as google form. All the students and Teachers were requested to fill this Performa and submit it. The collected responses were analyzed statistically and a p<0.05 was considered to be significant.Results: A total of 483 responses were collected. Death from COVID was reported either in the family/friend’s family or neighbourhood in 122 (27.1%) students and (45.5%) teachers which was very stressful for them and it was significantly associated with negative emotions arising out of depression, anxiety and stress. Sleep pattern was reported to be disturbed in 246 (54.6%) students and 57.6% teachers.Conclusions: Everyone around the globe was distressed and scared of deadly virus. But young generation was more effected mentally and some physically also. Teachers as well as students should be prepared for such type of disastrous management. Students from underprivileged families should be rehabilitated both for physical and mental health issues.
Eosinophilia and hyperglycemia: a friend or foe?
Authors: Krishna Surabhi V. S. , Jha Atul , Kota Sunil K. , Bhartiya Manish
Published: April 2022

Infectious disease can precipitate new onset diabetes, complicate diabetic ketoacidosis or derange hyperglycemia. There are well studied mechanisms like an increase in production of pro inflammatory cytokine (TNF A, IL-B, and IL-6) which causes spike in the blood glucose level. However, some observational and invitro studies have shown that eosinophil do have a role in glycemic stabilization through alternatively activated macrophages (AAM). A 40-year-old male, not a known diabetic, was referred to our hospital for evaluation of high eosinophil count and hyperglycemia. He found to have severe eosinophillia, serological test for filarial positive and responded to heterazan therapy. His repeated blood smear test for microfilaria was negative. He was initially started on insulin basal bolus regimen (10 units total per day) and attained quick glycemic control with omission of insulin and with single dose of metformin 500 mg. In vitro studies on animals have also shown that when mice were fed with a diet of helminth, they showed sustained metabolic response characterized by decreased fasting glucose, improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. We discuss the controversial concept of the association whether eosinophilia increases the risk profile or does it mitigate the risk of the deadly disease, diabetes.
Utility of mHealth initiatives in the Indian context
Authors: Gunamany Susanna
Published: April 2022

India is the second-largest nation in the world, with two-thirds of its population living in rural areas. The demographic and environmental shift of the country is augmenting the already existing high burden of public health concerns. India has improved the prevailing health scenario despite several limitations like vast geographical area, lack of quality transportation facilities, high population density, undernutrition, illiteracy, and poverty in the past decade. These factors continued to be the underlying causes to slow down the pace of achieving an efficient healthcare system. Significant disease burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, poor health infrastructure, limited human resources at government facilities, accessibility issues related to health care by rural inhabitants increases the existing catastrophes in health care delivery in the country. This paper aims to analyse the utility of mHealth initiatives in the Indian context. For a developing nation like India, mHealth provides access to people, including rural populations located in remote locations with limited access to healthcare facilities. mHealth solutions could cater to different kinds of health needs, depending on the demographic characteristics and type and access to a mobile phone a user may have. It is more beneficial for a country like India. It becomes nearly impossible for the urban population to regularly visit a healthcare facility due to the limited infrastructure and human resources, the condition of healthcare facilities and the pressure on care providers. The use of mobiles for reaching out to many consumers across the country, especially the vast rural population, for information dissemination, education, consultation and monitoring will be the actual use of mHealth.
How do Firms Innovate in Latin America? Identification of Innovation Strategies and Their Main Adoption Determinants
Authors: Vargas Fernando
Published: April 2022

The study of innovation in Latin American firms has concentrated almost exclusively on the determinants and impacts of innovation investments and outputs. Less attention has been paid to how firms innovate. This study applies factor and cluster analysis to a unique dataset of harmonized innovation surveys from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, to identify the main innovation practices and strategies performed by Latin American firms. Three of the four identified innovation strategies can be linked to results from similar studies using European firm-level data. However, none of these strategies resembles a strong science or research orientation. An approach to "open management" innovation emerges as idiosyncratic for Latin American firms. These innovation strategies are associated with differences in sales growth and labor productivity. The analysis also shows that firm resources and capabilities drive innovation strategy selection
Increasing Power Transfer Capability of Transmission Lines Using the Quasi-Dynamic Operation and Monitoring System
Authors: Shokouhandeh Hassan , Kamarposhti Mehrdad Ahmadi , Lorenzini Giulio , Solyman Ahmed Amin Ahmed , Agieb Ramy Said
Published: April 2022

One of the key methods for reducing the possible interruptions and the pressures imposed on the operator is to employ the hidden capacity of the transmission lines. The basis of selecting the line capacity is the ability of the operator to preserve the allowed distance between the transmission line and the ground, trees, vehicles, and other obstacles that are directly under the line. One of the methods that increase the capacity of the employed line is the line monitoring equipment and using the dynamic capacity. Although the dynamic capacity method costs less than other options, it might be costly and laborsome. Thus, there should be a tradeoff between the dynamic and static capacity, known as the quasi-dynamic capacity. This term indicates that the dynamic capacity is used in studies for making logical decisions for changing the static capacity or operation of the operator. In many cases, this technology can be implemented temporarily and then removed or displaced for other applications. The purpose of this study is to present a quasi-dynamic method for determining and operating the line capacity to reduce the costs required to determine the complete dynamic capacity and improve the assumptions used in determining the static capacity.
COVID-19 Distribution Predicting in Nursing Caring Office Room: A Case Study at Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center
Authors: Watcharanat Prapada , Vengsungnle Ponthep , Naphon Paisarn
Published: April 2022

The risk of spreading the virus largely depends on the airflow behavior and the change in direction caused by the air supply and location of the exhaust air. The generated particles may travel long during sneezing, adversely affecting human bodies to defend against COVID-19 infectious diseases. This paper examines airflow path and airborne pollutant distribution in the nursing caring office room for COVID-19 patients ward at Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, Nakhornnayok province by computational fluid dynamics modeling and field measurement. Fifteen dummies of nursing staff stay in the room, and only one dummy (Patient) generated COVID-19. It is found that the generated particles during sneezing may travel a long distance as compared with the normal respiration and the ventilation system can effectively remove contaminants from the room and distribution in the room. From the obtained results, the keeping a social distancing should be more than 1.5 m for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 from person to person.
Modeling of Mechanical Performance from Concrete Made by Combining Iron Sand and Glass Powder Filler under Hot Water Curing Condition
Authors: Sugito Sugito , Alisjahbana Sofia W. , Riyanto Hery
Published: April 2022

The proportions of the concrete are critical for obtaining a high-strength, high-quality product. Different concrete grades may support varying loads and have varying ratios. Therefore, the objectivity of this research is to study mechanical performance from concrete treated with iron sand, glass powder, and hot water curing. The level of iron sand and glass powder treatment added to the SNI concrete composition is 2% to 10%, 1% to 5%, (w/w), respectively. The curing time and temperature were applied between 1 hr to 4 hr and 301 K to 343 K. The compressive strength of the concrete was tested on 0, 1, 3, 7, and 28 days after molding using UTM with a combination of linear regression and response surface models for optimization. The addition of iron sand and glass powder to increase the best compressive strength was 10%, 2.45%, respectively. Iron sand treatment of 10% combined with glass powder filler 3.04% was predicted to give the best compressive strength of 32.50 MPa. The compressive strength value of this treatment was 21.78% higher than that of SNI concrete. Treat the curing temperature, curing time, and age of the concrete which gives the best compressive strength (28.33 MPa) with SNI concrete composition of 301 K, 4 days, and 28 days. This research shows that the addition of iron sand, glass powder, and hot water curing to the composition of SNI concrete can increase its compressive strength.
Derivative Operator of Order ε+ρ-1 Associated with Differential Subordination and Superordination
Authors: Al-Khafaji Thamer Khalil MS. , Abdul-Rahman Asmaa KH.
Published: April 2022

Professors Miller and Mocanu established the theory of differential subordination and its twin, the theory of differential super ordination, which are both based on reinterpreting fundamental inequalities for real-valued functions for the situation of complex-valued functions. Using different types of operators to study subordination and super ordination characteristics is a technique that is still extensively employed, with some investigations leading to sandwich-type theorems, as is the case in the current work. The objective of this work is to derive differential Subordination and Super ordination outcomes using the derivative operator of order E+-1. Differential subordination and super ordination results are achieved for analytic functions connected with the integral operator in the open unit disc. These findings are achieved by examining relevant types of admissible functions, differential supremacy theorem, several operator differential hyperboloids requiring partial integration of a stacking suprageometric function are produced, as well as the best subordinates. The result of a sandwich type links the outcomes of dependency and dependency using Theorem 9. Keep track of intriguing corollaries for certain occupations by using the best subordinate and dominant skills. Presented in this paper may be used to motivate the usage of alternative hyper-geometric functions related to partial integration.
Using Dynamic Pruning Technique for Efficient Depth Estimation for Autonomous Vehicles
Authors: Muthana Mahmoud , Nasser Ahmed R.
Published: April 2022

Even with the significant progress that has been achieved in monocular depth estimation in recent years, the need for better real-time inference and reduction in computing resources usage associated with the network performance is persistent. In this paper, an enquiry into the efficacy of pruning on depth estimation models is performed. Encoder-decoder model based on the ResNet-50 backbone architecture employing pruning based on channel prioritization is designed to achieve higher performance and prediction speed. This is while attempting to keep a balance in the trade-off between accuracy and performance of the network. The presented approach is trained and evaluated for outdoor scenery on the KITTI dataset to demonstrate the effectiveness and the performance improvement of the presented framework when compared to similar methods. This shows competitive accuracy when compared to state-of-the-art methods and highlights how pruning can speed up inference time by more than 16% and leading to fewer operations compared to the non-pruned model.
Optimized Context-Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder in Video Compression Standard Without Probability Estimation
Authors: Mrudula S.T. , Srinivasa Murthy K.E. , Prasad M.N. Giri
Published: April 2022

CABAC is a Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder utilized in novel AVC/H.264 of video standard. AC (arithmetic coding) permits important enhancement in the compression. However, the complexity of implementation is main drawback because of slowness and hardware cost. In this paper, we propose the implementation of MPEG4/H-264 AVC against M-decoder without PE (Probability Estimation). Furthermore, in order to estimate an algorithm, we have compared many existing methods, and the comparison takes place based on power dissipation and device utilization.
Measure of Volatility and Its Forecasting: Evidence from Naira / Dollar Exchange Rate
Authors: Adedotun Adedayo F. , Onasanya Olanrewaju K. , Alfred O. Olusegun , Agboola Olasumbo O. , Okagbue Hillary I.
Published: April 2022

In the last five decades, Box Jenkins methodology has been in existence to model univariate time series data but fails or has limitations on modeling volatility. Most financial time series data do exhibit heavy tail and thick distribution, to this effect various parametric and semi-parametric non –linear time series models have been proposed two or three decades ago to capture volatility. However, this research entails measuring volatility and its forecasting using time series exchange rate annual data over the period from 1981 to 2020 (wide periodicity). The exchange rate was transformed to return, and parametric non –linear time series was modeled on it. It was found out that GARCH (1,2) reveals continuous volatility for short while and was the best model to predict the exchange rate volatility based on the evidence from measurement volatility tool; RMSE, MAE, MAPE among other extensions of GARCH models; EGARCH and TGARCH. EGARCH (1, 4) captures the asymmetry effect revealing that negative shocks will persistently have an effect on the volatility of the naira/dollar exchange rate.
The LINC00313/miR-4429 axis provides novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Wang Jinxiang , Zhang Lihua , Wang Caihong , Chen Yanfang , Sui Xiaomei
Published: April 2022

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that the LncRNA/miRNA axis plays a key role in many types of tumorigenesis. However, the potential role and clinical value of LINC00313/miR-4429 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain elusive and need further study. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of LINC00313/miR-4429 axis in NSCLC. Methods: The expression of LINC00313 and miR-4429 in serum, tissues and cell lines of NSCLC patients were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The diagnostic value was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the prognostic value was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression. Result: The expression of LINC00313 was significantly up-regulated while the expression of miR-4429 was down-regulated in NSCLC serum, tissue and cell lines. A negative correlation was found between LINC00313 and miR-4429 in patients with NSCLC. ROC curves showed that LINC00313 and miR-4429 had high diagnostic value and Kaplan-Meier curve results showed that high expression of LINC00313 and low expression of miR-4429 predicted poor prognosis. Conclusion: In summary, our data show that the ectopic expression of LINC00313 and miR-4429 has promising clinical significance in the diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC. The LINC00313/miR-4429 axis may provide novel biomarker for NSCLC treatment.
6-Shogaol alleviates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis by attenuating inflammatory response in mice through the NF-κB pathway
Authors: Qiu Jian-li , Chai Yu-na , Duan Feng-yang , Zhang Hui-juan , Han Xiao-yan , Chen Ling-yan , Duan Fei
Published: April 2022

Liver fibrosis is a global health problem caused by a number of diseases related to liver damage. 6-Shogaol is a biologically active substance derived from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe with anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. To explore the effects of 6-Shogaol on liver fibrosis, we used a mouse model of the condition in which mice were injected intraperitoneally with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) at a dose of 2 mL/kg three times per week for a period of 4 weeks. 6-Shogaol was administered orally at two different doses (5 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg) 30 min before CCl4 injection. CCl4 induced severe liver injury and fibrosis, as indicated by significant inflammatory cell infiltration, disordered liver structure, increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (liver damage markers) in serum, elevated collagen deposition, and overexpressed alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, marker of hepatic stellate cells activation) in liver tissues, whereas 6-Shogaol administration rescued those alterations dose-dependently. We found that 6-Shogaol suppressed CCl4-induced inflammatory response by inhibiting macrophage recruitment, release of pro-inflammatory factors, and activation of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in liver tissues. Additionally, we demonstrated that 6-Shogaol blocked CCl4-induced activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, which is a vital transcriptional regulator of the inflammatory response. Altogether, this study demonstrates that 6-Shogaol can prevent CCl4-induced liver fibrosis by suppressing inflammatory response through the NF-κB pathway and suggests that 6-Shogaol can be used for liver fibrosis prevention.
Influence of Psychological Capital on Absorptive Capacity and Knowledge Transfer
Authors: Zonatto Vinícius Costa da Silva , Silva Priscila Rodrigues da , Zanotto Júlia Ziliotto , Degenhart Larissa , Marquezan Luiz Henrique Figueira
Published: April 2022

Purpose – This research aimed to analyze the influence of psychological capital on the ability to absorb and transfer knowledge of Accounting students. A descriptive, quantitative and survey research was carried out with 235 students from the Accounting Sciences course of a public higher education institution. Methodology/approach – Data collection was carried out by means of a questionnaire and the analysis with the aid of structural equation modeling. Three hypotheses were established, of which one was refuted. Findings – The results demonstrate the direct influence of psychological capital on students' ability to absorb knowledge and an indirect influence of psychological capital on knowledge transfer mediated by absorptive capacity. It was found that students of the Accounting course with higher psychological capital are more likely to develop their absorptive capacity and, later, to transfer knowledge. This evidence shows that when students develop their psychological capital, their ability to absorb new knowledge is enhanced. Under these conditions, their ability to transfer new knowledge is high. Originality/value – This evidence indicates that students' absorptive capacity mediates the relationship between psychological capital and knowledge transfer. This mediation is complete, in which the effects of psychological capital are indirect on knowledge transfer. These results allow us to conclude that students with greater psychological capital are more likely to develop their ability to acquire, assimilate, transform and apply new knowledge, being able to transfer knowledge acquired in the course to their work activities.
La revisión constitucional de los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y la protección del derecho a la igualdad de los inversionistas locales
Authors: Álvarez Contreras Juan Miguel
Published: April 2022

El presente artículo discute el rol del juez constitucional colombiano en la protección del derecho a la igualdad de los inversionistas locales frente a los acuerdos internacionales de inversión (AII) suscritos por Colombia. A nivel global, los AII han sido acusados de crear tratos discriminatorios en contra de los inversionistas locales al otorgar a los inversionistas extranjeros mejores derechos sustanciales y procesales. Aunque la Corte Constitucional desde su creación ha tenido a su cargo el control de constitucionalidad de los AII suscritos por Colombia, solo recientemente, en el marco del control de los AII con Francia e Israel, hizo uso de ese control para abordar la posible violación del derecho a la igualdad de los inversionistas locales como consecuencia de la suscripción de tales tratados internacionales. El trabajo analiza la forma en que la Corte Constitucional realizó el control de constitucionalidad de los AII con Francia e Israel, particularmente en lo que atañe a las medidas adoptadas para la protección del derecho a la igualdad de los inversionistas locales. El artículo concluye que el tribunal constitucional, en su deseo de tomar parte en el debate moderno sobre los AII, pudo haber desconocido la naturaleza y el contexto histórico de esos tratados, así como su propia jurisprudencia en materia de protección del derecho a la igualdad. Así mismo, el texto pone en evidencia que la Corte no aplicó de forma uniforme y consistente su estándar de control respecto de todas las disposiciones de los AII, y que sus decisiones crean problemas prácticos que pueden convertirse, eventualmente, en obstáculos para la negociación y conclusión de AII por parte del gobierno colombiano.
24 preguntas para Stanley L. Paulson
Authors: Villa-Rosas Gonzalo
Published: April 2022

Este artículo corresponde a la traducción al castellano de la entrevista biográfica realizada al Profesor Dr. Stanley L. Paulson el 1 de junio de 2021 en la Universidad de Kiel (Alemania). El Profesor Paulson, nacido en 1941 en Fergus Falls (Minnesota, Estados Unidos), estudió filosofía en la Universidad de Minnesota y en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison, donde obtuvo los títulos de B.A., M.A. y Ph.D. A continuación, estudió derecho, obteniendo el título de J.D. en la Universidad de Harvard. Comenzó su carrera docente en 1972 al ser nombrado profesor del Departamento de Filosofía de la Universidad de Washington en San Luis. En 1983 fue nombrado también profesor de la Facultad de Derecho. En el año 2000 asumió la cátedra “William Gardiner Hammond” en la misma Facultad. Además de las becas del Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades, la Comisión Fulbright, la Sociedad Max Planck, la Fundación Rockefeller y la Fundación Alexander von Humboldt, recibió el Premio de Investigación de la Fundación Humboldt en el año 2003. Actualmente es investigador principal y codirector del Centro de Investigación Hans Kelsen del Instituto Hermann-Kantorowicz de Investigación Básica de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Kiel (Alemania). Con casi 200 publicaciones en inglés y alemán, traducidas a siete lenguas diversas al inglés, el Profesor Paulson ha centrado su investigación académica en la filosofía y la teoría jurídica europeas de los siglos XIX y XX. Un gran número de sus contribuciones están dedicadas a la filosofía jurídica y la teoría constitucional de Hans Kelsen. Es miembro del comité asesor de las Hans Kelsen Werke, editadas en Friburgo y compuestas por más de 30 volúmenes que contienen toda la obra de Hans Kelsen, y es también corresponsal internacional del Instituto Hans Kelsen de Viena. El Profesor Paulson es reconocido internacionalmente como una autoridad en la historia de la filosofía jurídica positivista en Europa.