bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Static Alignment on Dynamic Knee Abduction Moments in Adolescent Athletes with Recent ACL Reconstruction
Authors: MUESKE NICOLE M. , ABOUSAMRA OUSSAMA , KATZEL MIA J. , VANDENBERG CURTIS D. , PACE J. LEE , FEIFER DANIEL , WREN TISHYA A. L.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Dynamic limb valgus, particularly high knee abduction moments, is a known risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and may result from poor static anatomic limb alignment, faulty biomechanics, or a combination of both. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of static lower extremity anatomic alignment and dynamic kinematic/kinetic measures on knee abduction moments during sidestep cutting in adolescent athletes with recent ACL reconstruction.

Methods

This retrospective study included 50 adolescents with recent unilateral ACL reconstruction (18/50 female, mean age = 15.8 yr, 7.6 months postsurgery). Frontal plane hip-to-ankle imaging was used to measure mechanical axis deviation and tibial–femoral angle. Three-dimensional motion capture provided lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during quiet standing and during the loading phase (initial contact to peak knee flexion) of an anticipated 45° sidestep cut. Imaging, static motion capture, and dynamic motion capture measures were investigated as potential predictors of average dynamic knee abduction moment using correlation and backward stepwise linear regression.

Results

Dynamic knee abduction moment was best predicted by a combination of younger age and dynamic measures: trunk lean toward the planting limb, knee abduction and external rotation, and ankle inversion. Although static measures were correlated with dynamic knee abduction moment in univariate analysis, no static/anatomic variables entered the model once the dynamic measures were included.

Conclusion

Knee abduction moments during sidestep cutting were related to dynamic factors reflecting frontal and transverse plane motion. Static (anatomic) lower limb alignment did not influence knee abduction moments once these dynamic factors were considered. Knee abduction moments and ACL injury risk are therefore not dictated by anatomic alignment and can be altered through neuromuscular/biomechanical training.
Power Reserve at Intolerance in Ramp-Incremental Exercise Is Dependent on Incrementation Rate
Authors: DAVIES MATTHEW J. , LYALL GEMMA K. , BENSON ALAN P. , CANNON DANIEL T. , BIRCH KAREN M. , ROSSITER HARRY B. , FERGUSON CARRIE
Published: February 2021

Introduction

The mechanism(s) of exercise intolerance at V˙O2max remain poorly understood. In health, standard ramp-incremental (RI) exercise is limited by fatigue-induced reductions in maximum voluntary cycling power. Whether neuromuscular fatigue also limits exercise when the RI rate is slow and RI peak power at intolerance is lower than standard RI exercise, is unknown.

Methods

In twelve healthy participants, maximal voluntary cycling power was measured during a short (~6 s) isokinetic effort at 80 rpm (Piso) at baseline and, using an instantaneous switch from cadence-independent to isokinetic cycling, immediately at the limit of RI exercise with RI rates of 50, 25, and 10 W·min−1 (RI-50, RI-25, and RI-10). Breath-by-breath pulmonary gas exchange was measured throughout.

Results

Baseline Piso was not different among RI rates (analysis of variance; P > 0.05). Tolerable duration increased with decreasing RI rate (RI-50, 411 ± 58 s vs RI-25, 732 ± 93 s vs RI-10, 1531 ± 288 s; P < 0.05). At intolerance, V˙O2peak was not different among RI rates (analysis of variance; P > 0.05), but RI peak power decreased with RI rate (RI-50, 361 ± 48 W vs RI-25, 323 ± 39 W vs RI-10, 275 ± 38 W; P < 0.05). Piso at intolerance was 346 ± 43 W, 353 ± 45 W, and 392 ± 69 W for RI-50, RI-25, and RI-10, respectively (P < 0.05 for RI-10 vs RI-50 and RI-25). At intolerance, in RI-50 and RI-25, Piso was not different from RI peak power (P > 0.05), thus there was no “power reserve.” In RI-10, Piso was greater than RI peak power at intolerance (P < 0.001), that is, there was a “power reserve.”

Conclusions

In RI-50 and RI-25, the absence of a power reserve suggests the neuromuscular fatigue-induced reduction in Piso coincided with V˙O2max and limited the exercise. In RI-10, the power reserve suggests neuromuscular fatigue was insufficient to limit the exercise, and additional mechanisms contributed to intolerance at V˙O2max.
Background Inactivity Blunts Metabolic Adaptations to Intense Short-Term Training
Authors: BURTON HEATH M. , WOLFE ANTHONY S. , VARDARLI EMRE , SATIROGLU REMZI , COYLE EDWARD F.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study determined if the level of background physical inactivity (steps per day) influences the acute and short-term adaptations to intense aerobic training.

Methods

Sixteen untrained participants (23.6 ± 1.7 yr) completed intense (80%–90% V˙O2peak) short-term training (5 bouts of exercise over 9 d) while taking either 4767 ± 377 steps per day (n = 8; low step) or 16,048 ± 725 steps per day (n = 8; high step). At baseline and after 1 d of acute exercise and then after the short-term training (posttraining), resting metabolic responses to a high-fat meal (i.e., plasma triglyceride concentration and fat oxidation) were assessed during a 6-h high-fat tolerance test. In addition, responses during submaximal exercise were recorded both before and after training during 15 min of cycling (~79% of pretraining V˙O2peak).

Results

High step displayed a reduced incremental area under the curve for postprandial plasma triglyceride concentrations by 31% after acute exercise and by 27% after short-term training compared with baseline (P < 0.05). This was accompanied by increased whole-body fat oxidation (24% and 19%; P < 0.05). Furthermore, stress during submaximal exercise as reflected by heart rate, blood lactate, and deoxygenated hemoglobin were all reduced in high step (P < 0.05), indicating classic training responses. Despite completing the same training regimen, low step showed no significant improvements in postprandial fat metabolism or any markers of stress during submaximal exercise after training (P > 0.05). However, the two groups showed a similar 7% increase in V˙O2peak (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

When completing an intense short-term exercise training program, decreasing daily background steps from 16,000 to approximately 5000 steps per day blunts some of the classic cardiometabolic adaptations to training. The blunting might be more pronounced regarding metabolic factors (i.e., fat oxidation and blood lactate concentration) compared with cardiovascular factors (i.e., V˙O2peak).
Relationship between Obesity, Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity, and Dynapenia in the Elderly
Authors: Padilla Colón Carlos J. , Toledo Gerardo Jovet
Published: February 2021

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between obesity, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and dynapenia in subjects from 65 to 90 yr old in a geriatric center. A population of 45 subjects between 65 and 90 yr was used in this investigation. Body composition was measured through a bioelectrical impedance instrument using data from the NHANES III study of elderly men and women (>60 yr) to identify sarcopenia and the following cutoff points to identify dynapenia (men, <26 kg; women, <16 kg) with manual dynamometer. The statistic used consisted of chi-square for the analysis of two categorical variables. Student’s t-test was used for the analysis of one categorical variable and one continuous variable and the descriptive analysis that included frequencies, proportions, mean, and SD. The relationship between sex with obesity, sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity showed a significant relationship, with greater significance in obesity with P = 0.003. In women, the highest percentage was found in the results of dynapenia (56%) and obesity (44%), whereas in men, the highest results were found in dynapenia (50%), sarcopenia (50%), and sarcopenic obesity (55%). Dynapenia is found on a larger scale in both sexes compared with obesity, sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity.
Pitfalls in the diagnosis of Gaucher disease in Iraq: A diagnostic experience from a developing country
Authors: Thejeal Rabab Farhan , Abdulwahhab Saja Baheer , Saadi Nebal Waill
Published: February 2021

Background and Objectives: Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare hereditary disorder caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase. An early and definitive diagnosis minimizes the sequelae of misdiagnoses, and unnecessary and invasive diagnostic procedures.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the period from June to August, 2018, to analysing data of thirteen patients, retrospectively. They presented to the gastrointestinal and metabolic clinics in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital in Iraq, and had wrong and delayed diagnosis of GD.

Results: Two groups of patients were identified, based on diagnosis by enzymatic assay (considering the test positive when the enzyme level is below the normal value); those who had false positive (low level of the enzyme) result and received enzyme replacement therapy for long time, and those who had false negative (normal level of the enzyme) results which caused delay in their diagnosis and treatment. Two main factors that misled the diagnosis were identified.

Conclusion: Each patient with Gaucher disease need to be approached by taking a thorough history, a proper clinical examination, and then by being investigated, accordingly. Biomarkers and molecular genetic studies are more accurate and solid additional tools, to the enzymatic assays on dried blood sample (DBS).

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2930

How to cite this:Thejeal RF, Abdul-Wahhab SB, Saadi NW. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of Gaucher disease in Iraq: A diagnostic experience from a developing country. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):782-787. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2930

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Aggressive thromboprophylaxis improves clinical process and decreases the need of Intensive Care Unit in Covid-19
Authors: Ugur Murat , Adiyeke Esra , Recep Eymen , Bakan Nurten , Yiyit Nurettin
Published: February 2021

Background and Objectives: COVID-19 might cause thrombosis in the arterial and venous system either directly or via indirect means such as cytokine storm or hypoxia. Enoxaparin might contribute to clinical recovery in COVID-19 patients, both by reducing the risk of thrombosis with anticoagulant effect and avoiding the cytokine storm with its anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, the clinical results of prophylactic enoxaparin usage in COVID-19 patients in our hospital were investigated.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the patients who had hospitalized in our hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 12 and April 17, 2020. Patients were divided into two groups according to their clinical status. Patients who were discharged to their home were in Group-I and were transferred to intensive care unit (ICU) were in Group-II. Patients’ demographics and laboratory examinations were compared between the groups. Then the effect of LMWH treatment in the rate of ICU transfer was evaluated.

Results: There were 1216 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the study period. Increased age, levels of D-Dimer and fibrinogen and decreased hemoglobin, platelet, lymphocyte values were found to be statistically significantly risk factor for the need of ICU. Transfer rates of ICU were two times more in the patients who did not used enoxaparin and readmission after the discharge was higher in the patients who did not received enoxaparin in the hospital.

Conclusion: Enoxaparin treatment in COVID-19 might be effective not only anticoagulant effect but also anti-inflammatory effect that decreased the risk cytokine storm. In the patients with COVID-19 disease, starting enoxaparin treatment in the earlier stage will decrease the risk of microthrombosis in vital organs and might improve the clinical outcomes.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3687

How to cite this:Ugur M, Adiyeke E, Recep E, Bakan N, Yiyit N. Aggressive thromboprophylaxis improves clinical process and decreases the need of Intensive Care Unit in Covid-19. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):668-674. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3687

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Leadership approaches for modern nursing practice
Authors: Ellis Peter
Published: February 2021

This article identifies leadership as a key responsibility of all nurses, including those working in cardiovascular care—whether they are in a leadership role or whether they have to exercise it in their practice. It identifies that, contrary to early theories, leadership knowledge and skills may be taught and learned. It identifies the core definitions of leadership as being influenced by the person, result, position, purpose or process. It goes on to discuss two key approaches to leadership that suit modern nursing practice: contingency theory and transformational leadership. These approaches are demonstrated as pertinent to modern nursing practice because they focus on the development of people and the team, and require emotional intelligence.
Central venous pressure monitoring in critical care settings
Authors: Hill Barry , Smith Catherine
Published: February 2021

Patients who present with acute cardiovascular compromise require haemodynamic monitoring in a critical care unit. Central venous pressure (CVP) is the most frequently used measure to guide fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients. It is most often done via a central venous catheter (CVC) positioned in the right atrium or superior or inferior vena cava as close to the right atrium as possible. The CVC is inserted via the internal jugular vein, subclavian vein or via the femoral vein, depending on the patient and their condition. Complications of CVC placement can be serious, so its risks and benefits need to be considered. Alternative methods to CVC use include transpulmonary thermodilution and transoesophageal Doppler ultrasound. Despite its widespread use, CVP has been challenged in many studies, which have reported it to be a poor predictor of haemodynamic responsiveness. However, it is argued that CVP monitoring provides important physiologic information for the evaluation of haemodynamic instability. Nurses have central roles during catheter insertion and in CVP monitoring, as well as in managing these patients and assessing risks.
Strategies to protect the emotional health of frontline NHS staff in the pandemic
Authors: Glasper Alan
Published: February 2021

Emeritus Professor Alan Glasper, from the University of Southampton, discusses strategies being employed to alleviate stress among NHS staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
Learning the lessons from patient safety incidents
Authors: Tingle John
Published: February 2021

John Tingle, Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some key reports and sources of information that can help inform patient safety teaching and learning
Postoperative mobilisation as an indicator for the quality of surgical nursing care
Authors: Jakobsen Dorthe Hjort , Høgdall Claus , Seibæk Lene
Published: February 2021

Background:

Postoperative mobilisation is an important part of fundamental care. Increased mobilisation has positive effect on recovery, but immobilisation is still a challenge in postoperative care.

Aims:

To report how the establishment of a national nursing database was used to measure postoperative mobilisation in patients undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer.

Methods:

‘Mobilisation’ was defined as at least 3 hours out of bed on postoperative day 1, with the goal set at achieving this in 60% of patients. Data entry was performed by clinical nurses on 4400 patients with ovarian cancer.

Findings:

46.7% of patients met the goal for mobilisation on the first postoperative day, but variations in duration and type of mobilisation were observed. Of those mobilised, 51.8% had been walking in the hallway.

Conclusions:

A national nursing database creates opportunities to optimise fundamental care. By comparing nursing data with oncological, surgical and pathology data it became possible to study mobilisation in relation to cancer stage, comorbidity, treatment and extent of surgery.
Laplacian integral subcubic signed graphs
Authors: Hou Yaoping , Wang Dijian
Published: February 2021

A (signed) graph is called Laplacian integral if all eigenvalues of its Laplacian matrix are integers. In this paper, we determine all connected Laplacian integral signed graphs of maximum degree 3; among these signed graphs,there are two classes of Laplacian integral signed graphs, one contains 4 infinite families of signed graphs and another contains 29 individual signed graphs.
The ageing ‘care crisis’ in Japan: is there a role for robotics-based solutions?
Authors: Ide Hiroo , Kodate Naonori , Suwa Sayuri , Tsujimura Mayuko , Shimamura Atsuko , Ishimaru Mina , Yu Wenwei
Published: February 2021

Japan is facing a ‘care crisis’. There is an urgent need to ascertain the extent to which potential users are willing to use robotics-aided care before its roll-out as a formal policy. Based on our recent survey, we discuss home-care professionals’ real perceptions and their implications for the future development and implementation of home-care robots. While they showed some concerns about robotics-aided care, they perceived ‘physical support’, ‘communication’ and ‘monitoring’ functions positively. A small number of care professionals recommended assistive technologies listed in the insurance payment scheme. We conclude that both individual preferences and formal policy options are necessary for an effective implementation of robotics-aided care.
Transforming care work and care jobs for the future of decent work
Authors: Addati Laura
Published: February 2021

The article is an edited version of a keynote speech given at the 2019 Global Carework Summit and highlights the findings of the International Labour Organization report Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work. It takes a comprehensive look at the nexus between unpaid care work, paid work and paid care work, and its contributions to the future of work debates and global policy work around the achievement of gender equality.
Electrostatic impacts of plasmonic structure on the performance of monolithically integrated hybrid III-V/Si waveguide-coupled photodetectors
Authors: Ding Q. , Sant S. , Schenk A.
Published: February 2021

3D opto-electrical simulations are employed to investigate impacts of a plasmonic structure on the performance of a hybrid III-V/Si waveguide-coupled p-i-n In0.53Ga0.47As photodetector with butt-coupling scheme. The plasmonic device is formed by placing an Ag strip on the i-region. The resultant frequency response curves show a strong dependency on the Schottky barrier height at the metal/i-region interface. Quantum efficiency and 3dB bandwidth are generally degraded, except when the barrier is higher than 0.4 eV. The observed effects are mainly due to electrostatic changes in the i-region induced by the Schottky interface.
Executing a business model change: identifying key characteristics to succeed in volatile markets
Authors: Allegretti Sebastian , Seidenstricker Sven , Fischer Heiko , Arslan Sefkan
Published: February 2021

The world is changing, and with it comes the requirement that enterprises change to survive in today's volatile markets. However, the change does not just include launching a new product on the market but also changing the business model of the whole organisation. To sustain in today's fast-changing markets, companies have to detect new market opportunities on time, assess them and find a way to incorporate the most beneficial opportunities into their business. Without this awareness that a company must change with the changing market, it risks losing its significance in the market. Both the change of the business model and the change of the organisation are needed to succeed in the market. An outstanding example of such a company is Netflix. They have successfully changed their business model twice: first, from an online-DVD-rental service to a streaming provider and then, to a content provider. They were aware of upcoming new technologies on-time, evaluated them and planned the implementation in the market while the old technology was still profitable. The present work outlines the major changes in Netflix's business model and how they managed the change process successfully.
Collagenous Gastritis Masquerading as Eosinophilic Gastritis
Authors: Klein Jeremy , Wilkins Benjamin J. , Verma Ritu , Muir Amanda B.
Published: February 2021

A 11-year-old boy presented to the gastroenterology clinic after a 5-month history of fatigue, pallor, intermittent abdominal pain, and iron-deficiency anemia. Although the initial upper endoscopy was visually normally, the histological assessment was suggestive of eosinophilic gastritis. After multiple scopes and failed therapies, histologic analysis revealed a focus of thickened subepithelial collagen deposition suggestive of collagenous gastritis. A retrospective review of gastric biopsies using Gomori trichrome stain revealed previously unappreciated collagen deposition. This case report illustrates the benefit of performing trichrome stain on gastric biopsies in the setting of persistent or isolated gastric eosinophilia or iron deficiency anemia.
Bridging the Gap: Patient Navigation Increases Colonoscopy Follow-up After Abnormal FIT
Authors: Idos Gregory E. , Bonner Joseph D. , Haghighat Shida , Gainey Christina , Shen Stacy , Mulgonkar Ashwini , Otero Karla Joyce , Geronimo Christine , Hurtado Maria , Myers Caitlin , Morales-Pichardo Jennifer , Kahana Doron D. , Giboney Paul , Dea Stanley
Published: February 2021

INTRODUCTION:

Recent studies indicate low rates of follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) within safety net health systems. A patient navigation (PN) program is an evidence-based strategy that has been shown to improve colonoscopy completion in private and public healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a PN program to encourage follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal FIT within a large safety net hospital system.

METHODS:

We established an enterprisewide PN program at 5 tertiary care hospitals within the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services system in 2018. The PN assisted adult patients aged 50–75 years with an abnormal FIT to a follow-up colonoscopy within 6 months. PN activities included initiating referral for and scheduling of colonoscopy, performing reminder phone calls to patient for their upcoming colonoscopy, and following up with patients who did not attend their colonoscopy. We assess the effectiveness of the PN intervention by comparing follow-up colonoscopy rates with a period before the intervention.

RESULTS:

There were 2,531 patients with abnormal FIT results (n = 1,214 in 2017 and n = 1,317 in 2018). A majority were women (55% in 2017 vs 52% in 2018) with a mean age of 60 ± 6.2 years. From a previous mean of 163 days without PN in 2017, the mean time from abnormal FIT to colonoscopy with PN improved to 113 days in 2018. The frequency of colonoscopy completion with PN increased from 40.6% (n = 493) in 2017 to 46% (n = 600) in 2018.

DISCUSSION:

After the introduction of the PN program, there was a significant increase in patients undergoing follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal FIT and patients were more likely to undergo colonoscopy within the recommended 6 months.
Longitudinal and Circumferential Distributions of Dysplasia and Early Neoplasia in Barrett's Esophagus: A Pooled Analysis of Three Prospective Studies
Authors: Raphael Kara L. , Inamdar Sumant , McKinley Matthew J. , Martinez Nichol , Cavaliere Kimberly , Kahn Allon , Leggett Cadman L. , Iyer Prasad , Wang Kenneth K. , Trindade Arvind J.
Published: February 2021

INTRODUCTION:

Studies have shown that dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus (BE) has a predilection for the right hemisphere. There is limited information on the longitudinal distribution. The aim was to determine both the longitudinal and circumferential distributions of dysplasia and early neoplasia from 3 prospective studies.

METHODS:

This is a pooled analysis from 3 prospective studies of patients with treatment-naive BE. Both circumferential and longitudinal locations (for BE segments greater than 1 cm) of dysplastic and early neoplastic lesions were recorded.

RESULTS:

A total of 177 dysplastic and early neoplastic lesions from 91 patients were included in the pooled analysis; of which 59.3% (n = 105) were seen on high-definition white light endoscopy, 29.4% (n = 52) on advanced imaging, and 11.2% (n = 20) with random biopsies. The average Prague score was C3M5. Of 157 lesions within BE segments greater than 1 cm, 49 (34.8%) lesions were in the proximal half, whereas 92 lesions (65.2%) were in the distal half (P < 0.001). The right hemisphere of the esophagus contained 55% (86/157) of the total lesions compared with 45% (71/157) for the left hemisphere (P = 0.02). This was because of the presence of high-grade dysplasia being concentrated in the right hemisphere compared with the left hemisphere (60% vs 40%, P = 0.002).

DISCUSSION:

In this pooled analysis of prospective studies, both low-grade dysplasia and high-grade dysplasia are more frequently found in the distal half of the Barrett's segment. This study confirms that the right hemisphere is a hot spot for high-grade dysplasia. Careful attention to these locations is important during surveillance endoscopy.
APPLICATION OF ADVANCED COMBUSTION MODELS IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES BASED ON 3-D CFD LES APPROACH
Authors: Vítek Oldřich , Macek Jan , Doleček Vít , Syrovátka Zbyněk , Pavlovic Zoran , Priesching Peter , Tap Ferry
Published: February 2021

This paper deals with the application of advanced simulation techniques for combustion modeling in the case of an internal combustion engine. The main focus is put on models with a high predictive ability hence 3-D CFD was selected while using LES (turbulence model) and detailed chemistry (both SI and CI ICE) or turbulent flame propagation (SI ICE). Both engine types are considered – spark ignited ICE and a compression ignited engine. Examples are shown and comparison with available experimental data is presented. The main conclusion is that such models are capable of high quality predictions while very little tuning is needed. This is desired as such models could be applied in the early phases of ICE development. On the other hand, such calculations are very demanding in terms of computational power.
COMPUTATIONAL METHODOLOGY TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF MASS TRANSFER RATE ON ATTENUATION OF LEAKED CARBON DIOXIDE IN SHALLOW AQUIFERS
Authors: Fučík Radek , Solovský Jakub , Plampin Michelle R. , Wu Hao , Mikyška Jiří , Illangasekare Tissa H.
Published: February 2021

Exsolution and re-dissolution of CO2 gas within heterogeneous porous media are investigated using experimental data and mathematical modeling. In a set of bench-scale experiments, water saturated with CO2 under a given pressure is injected into a 2-D water-saturated porous media system, causing CO2 gas to exsolve and migrate upwards. A layer of fine sand mimicking a heterogeneity within a shallow aquifer is present in the tank to study accumulation and trapping of exsolved CO2. Then, clean water is injected into the system and the accumulated CO2 dissolves back into the flowing water. Simulated exsolution and dissolution mass transfer processes are studied using both nearequilibrium and kinetic approaches and compared to experimental data under conditions that do and do not include lateral background water flow. The mathematical model is based on the mixed hybrid finite element method that allows for accurate simulation of both advection- and diffusion- dominated processes.
ON THE USE OF A FLUX-SPLITTING SCHEME IN THE NUMERICAL FLUTTER ANALYSIS OF A LOW-PRESSURE TURBINE STAGE
Authors: Pátý Marek , Halama Jan
Published: February 2021

The endeavour to increase the power output of steam turbines results in the design of low-pressure stages with large diameters. Such designs, featuring long and thin blades, are increasingly susceptible to unfavourable aeroelastic effects. The interaction of structure and flow may induce blade vibrations, known as flutter, which act detrimentally on the operational life of the machine. The present work employs a time-marching numerical simulation to investigate the flutter behaviour of a low-pressure transonic turbine cascade. Its blades are subject to a harmonic motion based on the results of a structural analysis and its susceptibility to flutter is evaluated via the energy method. The computations are performed with an in-house Finite Volume Method code. The flow model is based on 2D Euler equations in Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation with the AUSM+-up scheme for inviscid flux discretization. A higher-order spatial accuracy is achieved by using a MUSCL approach, for which both the gradient reconstruction and the slope limiting are given a careful examination-by comparing the convergence and accuracy of multiple methods. The computational model is validated by experimental data on the Fourth Standard Configuration turbine cascade.
An OGC web service geospatial data semantic similarity model for improving geospatial service discovery
Authors: Miao Lizhi , Liu Chengliang , Fan Li , Kwan Mei-Po
Published: February 2021

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Services (OWS) are highly significant for geospatial data sharing and widely used in many scientific fields. However, those services are hard to find and utilize effectively. Focusing on addressing the big challenge of OWS resource discovery, we propose a measurement model that integrates spatiotemporal similarity and thematic similarity based on ontology semantics to generate a more efficient search method: OWS Geospatial Data Semantic Similarity Model (OGDSSM)-based search engine for semantically enabled geospatial data service discovery that takes into account the hierarchy difference of geospatial service documents and the number of map layers. We implemented the proposed OGDSSM-based semantic search algorithm on United States Geological Survey mineral resources geospatial service discovery. The results show that the proposed search method has better performance than the existing search engines that are based on keyword-based matching, such as Lucene, when recall, precision, and F-measure are taken into consideration. Furthermore, the returned results are ranked based on semantic similarity, which makes it easier for users to find the most similar geospatial data services. Our proposed method can thus enhance the performance of geospatial data service discovery for a wide range of geoscience applications.
Subsurface structure investigation of the United Arab Emirates using gravity data
Authors: Saibi Hakim , Hag Diab Bakri , Alamri Mohammed Saeed Mohammed , Ali Hamdan Abdo
Published: February 2021

The crustal structure beneath the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is still relatively unknown. Here, we use regional gravity data to constrain the subsurface density distribution and structure of the crust of the UAE by applying diverse gravity derivatives methods such as horizontal derivative (HDR), analytic signal (AS), and tilt angle (TA) to analyze the subsurface structure and perform three-dimensional (3D) gravity inversion for imaging crustal structure from the surface down to 35 km depth. The results are compared with known geological regional structures and the location of the petroleum fields.

The Bouguer anomalies range from −100.8 to 113.5 mGal. The 3D gravity inversion results and the maximum Bouguer values coincide with the ophiolitic Hajar mountains in the east and the successive anticlines (uplifted basement rocks) and synclines in different parts of UAE, which could be promising sites for future mining and petroleum exploration. Also, the 3D density model results and the minimum Bouguer anomalies are located over the Aruma Basin, eastern UAE Platform, and Low Central UAE Platform, which can be the places for deep groundwater aquifers. These new results from HDR, AS, and TA successfully identify known geological structures, especially in the eastern part of UAE.
Voluntary exercise improves sperm parameters in high fat diet receiving rats through alteration in testicular oxidative stress, mir-34a/SIRT1/p53 and apoptosis
Authors: Heydari Hamed , Ghiasi Rafighe , Hamidian Gholamreza , Ghaderpour Saber , Keyhanmanesh Rana
Published: February 2021

Objectives

High fat diet can lead to testicular structural and functional disturbances, spermatogenesis disorders as well as infertility. So, the present investigation was proposed to clarify whether voluntary exercise could prevent high fat diet induced reproductive complications in rats through testicular stress oxidative and apoptosis.

Methods

Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups; control (C), voluntary exercise (VE), high fat diet (HFD) and high fat diet and voluntary exercise (VE + HFD) groups. The rats in the VE and VE + HFD groups were accommodated in apart cages that had running wheels and the running distance was assessed daily for 10 weeks. In VE + HFD group, animals were fed with HFD for five weeks before commencing exercise. The sperm parameters, the expressions of testicular miR-34a gene, and P53 and SIRT1 proteins as well as testicular apoptosis were analyzed in all groups.

Results

The results indicated that voluntary exercise in VE + HFD group led to significantly increased GPX and SOD activities, SIRT1 protein expression, sperm parameters, and decreased the expression of miR34a gene and Acp53 protein, and cellular apoptosis index compared to HFD group (p<0.001 to p<0.05). The SOD and catalase activities, SIRT1 protein expression, sperm parameters in VE + HFD group were lower than of those of VE group, however, MDA content, expression of Acp53 protein, apoptosis indexes in VE + HFD group was higher than that of VE group (p<0.001 to p<0.05).

Conclusion

This study revealed that voluntary exercise improved spermatogenesis, in part by decreasing the testicular oxidative stress status, apoptosis through alteration in miR-34a/SIRT1/p53 pathway.
An insight on safety, efficacy, and molecular docking study reports of N-acetylcysteine and its compound formulations
Authors: Rind Laiba , Ahmad Mohammad , Khan Mohammad Irfan , Badruddeen  , Akhtar Juber , Ahmad Usama , Yadav Chandan , Owais Mohammad
Published: February 2021

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is considered as the body’s major antioxidant molecules with diverse biological properties. In this review, the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy report on both the preclinical and clinical summary of NAC is discussed. Both in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies along with the clinical data have shown that NAC has enormous biological properties. NAC is used in the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning, diabetic nephropathy, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and ulcerative colitis, etc. Numerous analytical techniques, for instance, UPLC, LC-MS, HPLC, RP-IPC are primarily employed for the estimation of NAC in different single and fixed-dose combinations. The molecular docking studies on NAC demonstrate the binding within Sudlow’s site-I hydrogen bonds and formation of NAC and BSA complexes. Various hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids generally exist in making contact with NAC as NAC-BSA complexes. Docking studies of NAC with the active site of the urease exposed an O-coordinated bond through nickel 3002 and a hydrogen bond through His-138. NAC and its analogs also made the allosteric pockets that helped to describe almost all favorable pose for the chaperone in a complex through the protein. Thus, we intended to highlight the several health benefits of this antioxidant compound and applications in pharmaceutical product development.
NP-internal structure and the distribution of adjectives in Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ
Authors: Kouankem Constantine
Published: February 2021

This article discusses the structural and internal properties of adjectives in Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ, a Grassfield language spoken in the west region of Cameroon. It focuses on material inside the NP with a view towards establishing the structural positions of NP-internal constituents such as adjectives. I analyze adjectives and propose, following Scott, Gary-John. 1998. Stacked adjectival modification and the structure of nominal phrases.School of Oriental and African Studies Working Papers in Linguistics and Phonetics8. 59–89, Scott, Gary-John. 2002. Stacked adjectival modification and the structure of nominal phrases. In Guglielmo Cinque (ed.),Functional structure in DP and IP: The cartography of syntactic structures, 91–120. New York: Oxford University Press that adjectives pattern within the DP just like adverbs pattern within the clause. In Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ, an adjective can be placed before the noun, after the noun or alternatively before and after the noun. Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ adjectives can further be distinguished as belonging to three classes: pure adjectives, verbal adjectives and nominal adjectives. In this paper I focus principally on the position in which attributive adjectives are generated inside the DP. However, issues relating to the internal structure of adjectives will also be mentioned. I show that Cinque, Guglielmo. 1994. On the evidence for partial N-movement in the Romance DP. In Guglielmo Cinque, Jan Koster, Jean-Yves Pollock, Luigi Rizzi & Raffaella Zanuttini (eds.),Paths towards universal grammar, 85–110. Georgetown: Georgetown University Press, Cinque, Guglielmo. 2003. The dual source of adjectives and XP-vs. N-raising in the Romance DP.Incontro annuale di dialettologia, Padua, 26, Cinque, Guglielmo. 2010.The syntax of adjectives: A comparative study.Linguistic Inquiry Monographs. Cambridge: MIT Press), and Laenzlinger, Christophe. 2005. French adjective ordering: Perspectives on DP-internal movement types.Lingua115 views are both necessary to fully capture adjectival placement facts in Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ. Building on and refining the analysis given by these authors, I demonstrate that the type of mechanism involved in introducing adjectival modification correlates with the syntax of the adjective. On the proposal advanced here, depending on their syntactic distribution, adjectives are generated in specifier positions directly and NumP versus FP movement yields the surface structure.
Third-order differential equations with three-point boundary conditions
Authors: Cabada Alberto , Dimitrov Nikolay D.
Published: February 2021

In this paper, a third-order ordinary differential equation coupled to three-point boundary conditions is considered. The related Green’s function changes its sign on the square of definition. Despite this, we are able to deduce the existence of positive and increasing functions on the whole interval of definition, which are convex in a given subinterval. The nonlinear considered problem consists on the product of a positive real parameter, a nonnegative function that depends on the spatial variable and a time dependent function, with negative sign on the first part of the interval and positive on the second one. The results hold by means of fixed point theorems on suitable cones.
Study on the fabrication of in-situ TiB2/Al composite by electroslag melting
Authors: Xue Jing , Wu Wenyun , Ma Jianbo , Huang Haijun
Published: February 2021

In-situ TiB2 particles can be synthesized via the salts-Al reaction by adding mixed K2TiF6 and KBF4 (Ti/B=1/2) salts into Al melt. In this research, a novel electroslag melting technology was proposed to synthesize TiB2 particles by the salts-Al reaction in order to reduce the reaction time period and purify the melt of composite. The effects of current of electroslag melting on the synthesis of TiB2 particles and mechanical properties of composite were investigated. The results showed that TiB2 particles could be in-situ synthesized by electroslag melting at 600 A for 15min. Compared with 60 min at 850°C of traditional LSM method, the efficiency of preparation was greatly improved. In addition, the dispersion of TiB2 particles in the composite prepared by electroslag melting was improved, meanwhile the non-metallic inclusions in the composite was reduced. The values of YS, UTS and El pct of composite prepared by electroslag melting were higher than that of the composite prepared by traditional LSM method.
Characterization and Comparison Research on Composite of Alluvial Clayey Soil Modified with Fine Aggregates of Construction Waste and Fly Ash
Authors: Jili Qu , Junfeng Wang , Andrian Batugin , Hao Zhu
Published: February 2021

Fine aggregates of construction waste and fly ash were selected as additives to modify the characteristics of Shanghai clayey soil as a composite. The laboratory tests on consistency index, maximum dry density, and unconfined compressive strength were carried out mainly for the purpose of comparing the modifying effect on the composite from fine aggregates of construction waste with that from fly ash. It is mainly concluded from test results that the liquid and plastic limit of the composites increase with the content of two additives. But their maximum dry density all decreases with the additive content. However, fine aggregates of construction waste can increase the optimum water content of the composites, while fly ash on the contrary. Finally, although the two additive all can increase the unconfined compressive strength of composites, fly ash has better effect. The current conclusions are also compared with previous studies, which indicates that the current research results are not completely the same as those from other researchers.
Electrooxidation of 2-propanol on the mixture of nanoparticles of Pt and RuO2 supported on Ti
Authors: Spasojević Miroslav , Spasojević Milica , Marković Dušan , Ribić-Zelenović Lenka
Published: February 2021

A thermal process was employed to prepare a catalyst consisting of a mixture of metallic-Pt and rutile RuO2 nanocrystals. This catalyst was used for the electrooxidation of 2-propanol in an alkaline solution. The effect of the catalyst composition on its microstructure, surface properties and catalytic activity was examined. With increasing the RuO2 content, the catalytic activity increases, reaches its maximum and then decreases. The catalytic effect is a result of the bifunctional mechanism of the mixture of Pt and RuO2 nanocrystals. The RuOHad particles are formed on Ru atoms of the RuO2 nanocrystals at potentials more negative than on Pt atoms. These oxy-species facilitate the dehydrogenation, breaking of C–C bonds and oxidation of both 2-propanol and its intermediates, adsorbed on assemblies of adjacent Pt atoms.
Acute Inflammatory, Cortisol, and Soreness Responses to Supramaximal Accentuated Eccentric Loading
Authors: Merrigan Justin J. , Jones Margaret T.
Published: February 2021

Merrigan, JJ and Jones, MT. Acute inflammatory, cortisol, and soreness responses to supramaximal accentuated eccentric loading. J Strength Cond Res 35(2S): S107–S113, 2021—The purpose was to determine differences in time under tension, cortisol, inflammation, and perceived soreness between accentuated eccentric (AEL) and traditional loading (TRA) resistance exercise protocols. Resistance-trained men (n = 21) completed the AEL and TRA protocols in a random order, separated by 48 hours (sets × reps at eccentric/concentric) as follows: AEL65, 3 × 5 at 120/65% 1 repetition maximum (RM); AEL80, 3 × 3 at 120/80% 1RM; TRA65, 3 × 5 at 65/65% 1RM; and TRA80, 3 × 3 at 80/80% 1RM. Four linear position transducers measured eccentric time under tension (ETUT) and total time under tension (TTUT). Ultrasonography measured vastus lateralis muscle thickness and echo intensity at baseline and immediately post-exercise. Salivary cortisol was assessed at baseline, 0-, 15-, 30-, and 60-minute post-exercise. Perceived soreness was assessed at baseline, 24-, and 48-hours post-exercise. During rep 1, AEL65 and AEL80 had longer ETUT and TTUT than TRA65 (p ≤ 0.002) and TRA80 (p ≤ 0.008), respectively. However, AEL65 had shorter ETUT (reps 3–5) and TTUT (reps 3–5) than TRA65 (p ≤ 0.043). Similarly, ETUT (reps 2–3) and TTUT (rep 3) was shorter in AEL80 than TRA80 (p ≤ 0.045). However, there was no protocol effect for ETUT and TTUT (p > 0.05). Muscle thickness changes were trivial after each protocol (AEL80, d = 0.19; TRA80, d = 0.15; AEL65, d = 0.24; TRA65, d = 0.23), but changes in echo intensity were moderate (AEL80, d = 0.61; TRA80, d = 0.61; AEL65, d = 0.61; TRA65, d = 0.76). Salivary cortisol decreased below baseline at 30- and 60-minute post-exercise (p ≤ 0.006). Perceived soreness elevated from baseline to 24 hours for AEL80 (p = 0.006). The inflammatory, cortisol, and soreness responses after AEL were either low or similar to TRA, indicating similar recovery patterns between protocols.
The Acute Effects of Accentuated Eccentric Loading on Drop Jump Kinetics in Adolescent Athletes
Authors: Lloyd Rhodri S. , Howard Shawn W. , Pedley Jason S. , Read Paul J. , Gould Zach I. , Oliver Jon L.
Published: February 2021

Lloyd, RS, Howard, SW, Pedley, JS, Read, PJ, Gould, ZI, and Oliver, JL. The acute effects of accentuated eccentric loading on drop jump kinetics in adolescent athletes. J Strength Cond Res 36(9): 2381–2386, 2022—The purpose of the study was to determine the acute effects of accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) on drop jump kinetics in adolescent athletes. Fifteen male rugby players (mean ± SD: age = 16.2 ± 1.01, body mass = 73.38 ± 9.94, and height = 178.91 ± 6.74) completed 3 trials of a drop jump with and without an accentuated eccentric load using a dumbbell release technique that equated to 15% body mass. The addition of the AEL stimulus resulted in significant, moderate increases in jump height (p < 0.05; Wilcoxon r = 0.47) and braking and propulsive impulse (p < 0.05, Hedges' g = 0.43; p < 0.05, g = 0.61, respectively) but did not significantly influence reactive strength index. Concurrently, there were significant, moderate increases in ground contact times (p < 0.05; r = 0.45) and reductions in spring-like correlations (p < 0.05; g = 0.94). Neither the magnitude nor timing of peak landing force were significantly altered in the AEL protocol (p < 0.05, g = 0.38; p < 0.05, r = 0.10, respectively). Cumulatively, these data indicate that implementation of AEL resulted in meaningful improvements in jump height, driven by significant increases in braking and propulsive impulse. Despite extensions in ground contact times and reductions in spring-like behavior, neither peak landing force nor time to peak force were negatively altered by the AEL. These results indicate that adolescent athletes can realize superior vertical jump heights during drop jumps using AEL, without displaying marked changes in the magnitude or timing of peak landing force.