bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From drawing manual to academy. The training of Brussels 19th-century female amateur artists pertaining to the nobility
Authors: Wiertz Wendy
Published: March 2022

Au 19e siècle, les jeunes filles de la bourgeoisie, de la noblesse et des maisons royales d’Europe recevaient une éducation artistique. Si quelques-unes firent des arts leur métier en tirant profit d’une offre de formation en plein essor, la majorité – peu étudiée – d’entre elles pratiquait les arts en amateur. Cet article se concentre sur l’éducation artistique des artistes amatrices, en particulier celle des femmes de la noblesse dans le Bruxelles du 19e siècle. Pourtant très sensible à l’importance d’une éducation artistique, la noblesse ne vit naître dans ses rangs que de rares artistes professionnelles. La capitale offrait un vaste choix de formations. Des sources d’archives privées permettent d’approfondir les connaissances sur ces artistes amatrices et le paysage artistique de l’époque, tout en contextualisant les données liées aux artistes professionnelles.
A Heuristic-Based Task Scheduling Policy for QoS Improvement in Cloud
Authors: Tripathi Gaurav , Kumar Rakesh
Published: March 2022

Cloud computing is a big step in the parallel and distributed computing that offers pervasive access to the entire stack of computing resources located in the data center via the Internet in a virtualized manner. QoS is an important research direction in the cloud and is a collection of constraints that meets the service level agreement (SLA) between the users and service providers. These constraints are waiting time, completion time, response time, makespan, resource utilization, effective utilization of bandwidth, and load balancing. This work presents a distribution plan for transferring task loads to different virtual machines (VMs) with an efficient load balancing mechanism that is best suited in heterogeneous environments and improve the QoS parameter of users and cloud vendors simultaneously. In this paper, the expected uniform load of tasks that can be mapped to a particular VMs is calculated and after that, the optimal average completion time (OACT) of expected uniform tasks load to each VM is calculated.
A Hybrid Cloud Enterprise Strategic Management System
Authors: Ramaru Emmanuel , Garg Lalit , Chakraborty Chinmay
Published: March 2022

This paper is an attempt to address merging or existing and emerging systems with enterprise strategy in mind that optimizes operational productivity based on different hardware and software. Recent studies have shown that organization's growth and developments have necessitated a further research-driven stance towards technology-based approach by many emerging companies through competition, especially amongst global conglomerates. Hence, the problems of mitigating risk by combining software and hardware systems remain to further espouse the limitless possibilities especially with the global concern of security remain infinite. This presents upfront; the emancipation of humanity in solving earthly and galactic problems using space-based satellites and earth-based transceivers as part of the hardware hegemony. The aim is to create an encompassing integration by checking the effects of browsers, programming languages, plugins, hardware devices, and software; thus acknowledging the diverse complexities amongst technologies when converging and integrating various systems.
Advanced Cryptographic Standards-Based Secure Data Protocol for Distributed Data Storage and Communication in the Cloud
Authors: Pawar Ankush Balaram , Ghumbre Shashikant U. , Jogdand Rashmi M.
Published: March 2022

In this research, an ACS-based secure data protocol (ACS-based secure data protocol) is introduced for distributed data storage and communication in cloud. The component is constructed using the Owner’s Machine (OM), Data Processing Section (DPS), Cloud Monitoring Server (CMS), Metadata table, Key Management Server (KMS) and Receiver’s Machine (RM). The session key is generated by exchanging the data between the client and server using the mathematical operations, such as interpolation, hashing, Walsh transform and Elliptic curve cryptography. The Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (3DES) is used for performing the activities, like assigning index, uploading and slicing file and encrypting the sliced files. The fuzzy cluster-based mechanism and the angular distance are performed for indexing and retrieval. The metrics, such as E2E delay, time and detection rate are used for evaluating the developed ACS based secure data protocol in the presence of inside attack, password spoofing attack and Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack.
Business Demand for a Cloud Enterprise Data Warehouse in Electronic Healthcare Computing
Authors: Onyebuchi Amaonwu , Matthew Ugochukwu O. , Kazaure Jazuli S. , Okafor Nwamaka U. , Okey Ogobuchi Daniel , Okochi Prisca I. , Taiwo Janet Folasade , Matthew Ani Okechukwu
Published: March 2022

Cloud enterprise data warehousing is a top level strategic business and information technology (IT) investment initiative in any organization that is technologically inclined, profit driven and customer oriented. To build the data warehouse, data are obtained from numerous heterogenous data sources, transformed, cleansed and processed into an applicable data repositories for implementation across the healthcare organizational settings. The current paper constructed an enterprise cloud data warehouse for e-healthcare organization and connected the medical/clinical workforces through the enterprise e-healthcare data warehouse and allowed the medical solutions and clinical information of all the patient to be stored. The proposed system is expected to improved the e-Healthcare information management by providing a model to support medical software automation, hardware system integration and enhances the control and management of the patients records.
A Dynamic Weighted Averaging Technique for Trust Assessment in Cloud Computing
Authors: Mehraj Saima , Banday M. Tariq
Published: March 2022

In the Cloud computing, trust management has become a key requirement for its security as it has an important role where service-interactions take place in an anonymous environment. Trust assessment is an essential part of trust management technology for making any authorization decisions in the Cloud-based trust authorization system. The critical concern in trust assessment is the optimal assignment of weights to different factors that are involved in the trust assessment of the Cloud computing. The paper proposes a weighted averaging method for the Cloud computing paradigm wherein multiple factors are assigned weights dynamically by WMA-OWA functions. The proposed work overcomes the influence of the inflexibility of subjective weight assignment methods wherein weights are assigned manually or subjectively by experts based on their preferences such as random allocation, expert opinion, and, average weight. The experimental result shows that the proposed method can achieve greater flexibility, adaptability, and dynamic adjustment capability in the Cloud computing.
Dynamic Butterfly ACM for Risk Optimization on the Real-Time Unix Operating System
Authors: Asthana Abhishek , Pradhan Padma Lochan
Published: March 2022

The system access control mechanism is the process of communicating, mediating and transforming each and every request to system resources, application and data maintained by the real time operating system and determining whether the request should be approve, created, granted, valid or denied as per system security policy. The access control mechanism, assessment and decision is enforced by implementing regulations established by a security policy. The different access control policies can be applied, corresponding to different level (development, deployment & production) of criteria for defining what should, and what, when and how should be or not be allowed, and, in some sense, to different definitions of what ensuring security means. We have to investigate the basic concepts behind access control design and enforcement, and point out different security requirements that may need to be taken into consideration.We have to apply the attributes of UFS (Read, Write & Execute) to integrate, communicate, synchronizing on real time operating system for all the time and every time.
TOE Model Analysis for AI Vision Open API
Authors: Jang Hyun-Ho , Phuong Huy Tung , Vo Thi-Thanh-Thao , Gim Gwangyong
Published: March 2022

Recently, there is a growing number of developers have developed software with utilizing open API. This has resulted in much support for the introduction and delivery of open API not only at the corporate level but also at the government level to promote social development through cost reduction and development of new technologies. However, in introducing Open API, an organization must also consider its internal and external environment and individual dimensions, but no research has been conducted on these kinds of factor. This study seeks to discuss about the importance of factors through qualitative analysis and find out which of the various factors should be considered first by the organization to introduce open API in the organization.
Text-Dependent and Text-Independent Writer Identification Approaches
Authors: Kaur Rajandeep , Rani Rajneesh , Pahuja Roop
Published: March 2022

Writer identification is a wide-spreading biometric which can be used as a legitimate mean to identify an individual. It facilitates the experts to automatically identify the person in many security concerns applications such as forensic science. Due to this, much attention has been drawn in this field from the last few decades. On the basis of input text, it can have various forms like online, offline, text-dependent or text-independent writer identification. The paper will present a systematic study on text-dependent and text-independent writer identification of handwritten text images for various Indic and non-Indic scripts. The various segmentation techniques used to segment handwritten text are also presented in detail. The various datasets available for researchers are given for various scripts such as English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Farsi, Devanagari, Bangla, and Kannada discussed by doing exhaustive analysis of various studies. We hope that our research will be helpful in giving better understanding of the area and provides various directions for further research.
Analysis of Cognitive Levels of Questions With Bloom's Taxonomy
Authors: Lourdusamy Ravi , Magendiran Poovizhi , Fonceca Clayton Michael
Published: March 2022

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, Cognitive Development is to transform the thinking levels of students from a Low Order Cognition (LOC) to a Higher Order Cognition (HOC). According to Bloom there are six levels within the cognitive sphere which include the dimensions; remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. This article presents a scientific method to evaluate whether question papers administered by an institution caters to all the aforesaid cognitive level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. A software application QAUDIT was created to analyze the same using the text mining method to find terms or words pertaining to each question in the question paper. Text extraction and text categorization mechanism were employed in the software application.
Orrs Orchestration of a Resource Reservation System Using Fuzzy Theory in High-Performance Computing
Authors: Tiwari Ashish , Garg Ritu
Published: March 2022

In the computing world, every company is focusing on the early reservation system. In the early reservation the price, quality of service, time, and everything is maintained and reserved for the user on the due interval. ORRS is a step toward this global vision and specifically designed to act as a flexible reservation supporting multiple services according to user's need and pricing (such as traditional immediate reservation (TIR) request and ORRS reservation. Thus, it is both important and challenging to reserve computing services and the cost of the services in an efficient manner. In the ORRS reservation system, the fuzzy rough set feature selection decreases the dimensional structure and problems of a large database in the computing world. The researcher is now going at a rapid speed in the field of maintaining cost based on decision making like on-demand, reserved, the spot to increase resources utilization and profit. The implementation had done in our research work by the use of cloud simulator.
A Formal Language for Modelling and Verifying Systems-of-Systems Software Architectures
Authors: Seghiri Akram , Belala Faiza , Hameurlain Nabil
Published: March 2022

Systems of systems (SoS) are a set of independent systems that are constantly evolving. These systems cooperate in order to achieve a common goal, known as an SoS mission. It is difficult to capture their behaviours while operating in a hierarchical, cooperative and evolutionary structure. Thus, a software architecture based approach is defined in order to model and analyze these systems, reducing their increasing complexity. It ought to describe an SoS on both structural and behavioural levels. In this paper, ArchSoS, an ADL dedicated to describe SoS software architectures, is extended with a syntax-driven formal description, based on Bigraphic Reactive Systems (BRS). SoS defined via ArchSoS have both a graphical and a textual view. For this syntax to be executable, and to verify SoS evolutions, an operational semantic for ArchSoS is defined. It is implemented in Maude language to permit ArchSoS behavioural simulations, and its formal analysis is done through Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). The proposed approach is illustrated through a Crisis Response SoS as a case study.
Facile Fabrication of the Glass Substrate Coated Nitrogen-doped TiO2 Spheres/Polytetrafluoroethylene Based on Hydrophobic-Photocalatytic Self-Cleaning Properties
Authors: Aini Fitri Nur , Wahyuningsih Sayekti , Hastuti Sri
Published: March 2022

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been prepared by optimization of nitrogen and polytetrafluoroethylene. N-TiO2 has been modified by optimizing doping concentration in two-step process synthesis via solvothermal treatment, by mixing TiO2 and variation ammonium carbonate as a nitrogen source at 0.5 M, 1.0 M, 1.5 M. Synthesized materials denoted as N-TiO2, were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared ( FTIR), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), and spectrophotometer UV Vis. Based on the XRD pattern, a shift diffraction pattern was assigned to [101] that indicated the nitrogen successfully doped. The functional group identified by FTIR shown an O-Ti-N bond seems to influence the energy gap of TiO2. The presence of nitrogen as an impurity in semiconductor TiO2 was decreased the amount of bandgap energy from 3.10 eV to 2.95 eV. Synthesized N-TiO2 is a nanosphere morphology. Glass substrate containing N-TiO2/PTFE has excellent self-cleaning in a ratio N-TiO2/PTFE (1:3) and based on optical properties, show that each coating on the glass substrate has high transmittance for composition N-TiO2/PTFE (1:3) > 90%. The contact angle before and after oleic acid contaminant under visible light are 97.68 and 94.16º, respectively. The discoloration of methylene blue (MB) coated on the glass performed under visible light shown 60.32% degradation.
Effects of Fabrication Techniques and Durability Performance on Resistance of Fibre-based PEDOT:PSS/GO pH Sweat Sensor
Authors: Zaidi Siti Nurazlina , Ismail Khadijah , Tawil Siti Nooraya Mohd
Published: March 2022

Most wearable electronics widely incorporate metal electrodes for parameter detection but these electrodes possess drawbacks due to corrosion and performance degradation. Therefore, in this work, pH sweat sensor is fabricated by using highly conductive, stable and non-toxic PEDOT:PSS/GO nanocomposite on flexible cotton fibre substrate. This work is aimed to determine the effects of fabrication techniques and durability performance on pH sensitivity of fibre-based PEDOT:PSS/GO sensor via resistance measurements. In this work, a wearable fibre-based sensor is developed by using Poly (3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and Graphene Oxide (GO) nanocomposite. Sample characterisations are completed by analysing absorbance spectrums, FESEM images and XRD spectra. One layer PEDOT:PSS/GO of 4:2 ratio is fabricated on cotton fabric by using dip coating and screen-printing techniques. Lower resistance of 105 Ω and higher conductivity are achieved by using dip coating technique compared to screen printing, as better absorption of nanocomposite into fiber strands via this method, leads to excellent charge distribution on coated fabric. Resistance increases proportionally with pH values. Resistance of 1.547 kΩ, 3.791 kΩ and 9.18 kΩ are measured for pH 4.00, 6.86 and 9.18 respectively. Nanocomposite layer fabricated with dip coating is also stable, durable and remained intact on the coated fabric after soaking test in distilled (DI) water for 45 minutes. On the other hand, resistance values are 3.11 Ω, 4.81 Ω and 6.54 Ω when the sensor bends at 30°, 60° and 90° respectively. This is due to additional introduced strain and redistribution of charges on the fabric after repeated movements. Based on excellent chemiresistive response towards sweat pH detection, several health conditions such as hyperhidrosis, normal state and cystic fibrosis associated with sweat pH of 4.00, 6.86 and 9.18 respectively, could be possibly identified. These promising results open up possibilities for future studies in the development of nanocomposite-based health monitoring wearable devices.
Comparison of Recycled Waste Amount for Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste between Two Apartment Projects
Authors: Nadarason Kageishieny , Nagapan Sasitharan , Kaliannan Suaathi , Arumugan Niwasiny , Sohu Samiullah , Al-Emad N.
Published: March 2022

Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste is increasing enormously due to rapid growth of construction industry in developing countries. A few irresponsible contractors dumped illegally the excessive C&D waste in the forest, mangrove swamp, oil palm plantations, roadside and in the sea or lake. However, there are some responsible contractors who carried out recycling practices in the construction project to cut the amount of waste sent to gazette landfills which are approved by local authorities or government. Therefore, this paper is aimed to investigate the total C&D waste amount recycled waste before sending it to designated landfills. This study only focused on four types of C&D waste namely timber, metal, concrete and packaging material. The method that is used for this study is ‘on-site quantification’ based on the volume and gathered ‘recorded recycling amount’ from the project manager and safety officer. This study is conducted at two construction apartments (site I and site II) in Johor Bahru. The data collection was taken weekly for 6 months’ period. The collected data were analyzed using cumulative amount of volume, weight in meters (m3) and percentages. As results, timber was the dominant waste produced at site I while metal waste was highly generated in Site II. About 47% (29.85m3) of total waste produced at site I was timber waste. About 49% (50.39m3) of metal waste generated at site II. There are 36.13m3 of C&D waste recycled at site I and 66.21m3 of C&D waste was recycled at site II. The study found that timber and metal were highly recycled waste materials at both apartments. Finally, a total of 473.86m3 waste recycled in both projects, and this amount save from to be dumped at landfills which is not a suitable hierarchy. This study will create awareness to all construction practitioners, about the needs of recycling practice to minimize the amount of C&D waste send to landfills.
Mechanical Properties of Stone Mastic Asphalt Incorporating Nano Titanium Modified Asphalt Binder
Authors: Norbi Mohd Safwan Hakim , Masri Khairil Azman , Nur Syafiqah Shamimi Mohd. Zali , Putra Jaya Ramadhansyah
Published: March 2022

Due to its rough surface texture, Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) can create great qualities, such as good skid resistance and better visibility during rainy days, as well as optimal light reflection. The service life of SMA, on the other hand, reduces owing to a rapid increase in traffic loads, heavy traffic, and environmental conditions. TiO2's stable qualities and optimal content can help to improve the performance of modified asphalt at a reasonable cost and with low filler content. This study explores the effect of nano titanium on the performance of stone mastic asphalt. Virgin bitumen is modified with 2% and 4% of nano titanium by bitumen weight. The physical properties of the bitumen are accessed by carrying tests such as penetration tests, softening points, and ductility. The results show that the modified bitumen samples of 2% Nano-TiO2 powder content for bituminous tests have enhanced hardness, consistency, and ductility. While for the performance tests for the SMA samples are abrasion, Marshall stability, resilient modulus, and dynamic creep. Overall, 2% Nano-TiO2 powder content has been determined for the optimum content and best performance, where it provides high stability, strength and enhances stiffness effectiveness, which can improve SMA performance. However, the findings show lack of awareness and research is a factor that does not receive special consideration from the industry or the government. Therefore, the sharing of ideas and technology for each continuous research is needed to improve construction quality.
The Effect of Water to Cement Ratio on the Fresh and Hardened Mortar Containing Steel Slag as Cement Replacement Material
Authors: Li Xiao Feng , Doh Shu Ing , Ho Chia Min , Chin Siew Choo , Jing Guo Qing
Published: March 2022

The development of construction requires large amounts of resources which resulted in scarcity in good quality natural resources. Cement, being the main and widely used binder in the construction industry, are sourced from non-renewable source which causes negative impact to the environment. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of SS on the fresh and hardened properties of mortar under conditions of different replacement ratio (2.5% and 12.5%) and water to cement ratio (w/c) (0.4, 0.45, 0.5). Flow table test, compressive strength test, flexural test and water absorption test have been conducted in this study. Results showed that flow table value of fresh mortar increased with the increase of w/c for both SS replacement ratio. Fresh property of mortar with lower SS replacement ratio was more sensitive to the variation of w/c. The increased w/c ratio has negative effect on the compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar specimens. Water absorption capacity of SS mortar increases with the increasing on w/c for both SS replacement ratio and the mortar specimens with higher SS replacement ratio has higher water absorption capacity at the same w/c level.
Performance of Asphaltic Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash under Low Temperature
Authors: Ming Ng Cui , Ing Nicole Liew Siaw , Masri Khairil Azman , Putra Jaya Ramadhansyah , Al-Saffar Zaid Hazim , Warid Muhammad Naqiuddin Mohd , Hassan Norhidayah Abdul
Published: March 2022

One of the most common asphalt concrete pavement distresses is low temperature cracking, also known as thermal cracking. Characterizations of low temperature cracking and formulation for pavement design have taken a lot of effort. Asphalt binder has viscoelastic behaviour, so asphalt mixture behaviour changes as the temperature changes. At high and low temperatures, the asphalt binder shows viscoelastic plastic behaviour and elastic behaviour. Low temperature cracks that grow day by day due to the movement of vehicles are the most significant pavement cracks caused by cold climates. It needs early and premature repairs to build and expand low temperature cracks. The aim of this research is to perform Low Temperature Cracking analysis of asphalt materials (laboratory and analytical assessment), in light of the latest update of binder cracking temperature. The role of basic material properties in low-temperature cracking was studied in this work. As a result, statistical analysis in the cohesive failure condition revealed that the asphalt mixture aggregate's free energy was ineffective in this cohesion failure. Fly ash had been used in the other type of asphalt mixture. It was proven that the addition of fly ash as an additive can improves the low temperature resistance of the asphalt mix. The binder with 60/70 penetration grade was used. The different amount of fly ash (0%, 1%, 3% and 5%) was added to the asphalt mixture. Marshall Stability and flow, resilient modulus and dynamic creep were carried out to investigate the mechanisms of cracking at low temperature. From the results obtained, there are significant effect comes from the addition of the fly ash. The result show that the addition of 5% fly ash produce the best outcomes for the density, stability, stiffness, resilient modulus and dynamic creep. Thus, it can conclude that the existence of fly ash in the mixture is able to enhance the mechanical performance of the AC14 dense-graded asphalt.
Dual TCR-α Expression on Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells as a Potential Confounder of TCR Interpretation
Authors: Suliman Sara , Kjer-Nielsen Lars , Iwany Sarah K , Lopez Tamara Kattya , Loh Liyen , Grzelak Ludivine , Kedzierska Katherine , Ocampo Tonatiuh A , Corbett Alexandra J , McCluskey James , Rossjohn Jamie , León Segundo R , Calderon Roger , Lecca-Garcia Leonid , Murray Megan B , Moody D Branch , Van Rhijn Ildiko
Published: March 2022

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells that are highly abundant in human blood and tissues. Most MAIT cells have an invariant TCRα-chain that uses T cell receptor α-variable 1-2 (TRAV1-2) joined to TRAJ33/20/12 and recognizes metabolites from bacterial riboflavin synthesis bound to the Ag-presenting molecule MHC class I related (MR1). Our attempts to identify alternative MR1-presented Ags led to the discovery of rare MR1-restricted T cells with non–TRAV1-2 TCRs. Because altered Ag specificity likely alters affinity for the most potent known Ag, 5-(2-oxopropylideneamino)-6-d-ribitylaminouracil (5-OP-RU), we performed bulk TCRα- and TCRβ-chain sequencing and single-cell–based paired TCR sequencing on T cells that bound the MR1-5-OP-RU tetramer with differing intensities. Bulk sequencing showed that use of V genes other than TRAV1-2 was enriched among MR1-5-OP-RU tetramerlow cells. Although we initially interpreted these as diverse MR1-restricted TCRs, single-cell TCR sequencing revealed that cells expressing atypical TCRα-chains also coexpressed an invariant MAIT TCRα-chain. Transfection of each non–TRAV1-2 TCRα-chain with the TCRβ-chain from the same cell demonstrated that the non–TRAV1-2 TCR did not bind the MR1-5-OP-RU tetramer. Thus, dual TCRα-chain expression in human T cells and competition for the endogenous β-chain explains the existence of some MR1-5-OP-RU tetramerlow T cells. The discovery of simultaneous expression of canonical and noncanonical TCRs on the same T cell means that claims of roles for non–TRAV1-2 TCR in MR1 response must be validated by TCR transfer-based confirmation of Ag specificity.
The therapeutic relationship and change processes in child psychotherapy: a qualitative, longitudinal study of the views of children, parents and therapists
Authors: Nuñez Lucia , Fernández Sofía , Alamo Nicolle , Midgley Nick , Capella Claudia , Krause Mariane
Published: March 2022

Through the perspectives of children, parents and therapists, this study explored the therapeutic relationship as a change facilitator in different moments of psychotherapy. The children, parents, and therapists (N=15) who formed part of five therapeutic treatments were studied using a qualitative, longitudinal design. Thirty semi-structured interviews were done; half at the beginning and half after four months of psychotherapy. Children’s drawings were incorporated, and data were analysed through grounded theory methods and qualitative analysis guidelines for drawings. Participants identified several aspects of the therapeutic relationship as change facilitators. From the first encounters, the therapists’ close and adaptable attitude promoted an improved motivation for psychotherapy and enhanced engagement among children and parents. Later in the process, a positive, child-centred and affective therapeutic relationship fostered the child’s trust with the therapist as well as a positive relational experience, promoting associated changes in children and the development of socio-affective tools. Parents and therapists saw their own relationship as a change facilitator, as well as a broader understanding in parents of their children and an improved relationship with them. Parent’s and child’s changes helped each other. Specific and common aspects between participants’ perspectives provided a richer understanding of the studied phenomena. This study supports the view that a positive therapeutic relationship facilitates early changes in the motivation of children and parents, and provides them with a healing, relational experience as it develops. A positive parent-therapist relationship is also key for changes to further progress.
Advancement in the child attachment interview and the child and adolescent reflective functioning scale using a PDM-2 framework: case reports
Authors: Bizzi Fabiola , Locati Francesca , Parolin Laura , Goetz Yael Shmueli , Brusadelli Emanuela
Published: March 2022

The Child Attachment Interview (CAI) is a well-established semi-structured interview, widely used to identify attachment representations in middle childhood and adolescence. The application of the Child and Adolescent Reflective Functioning Scale (CRFS) to CAI narratives allows for an assessment of child mentalization, considered a strong predictor of attachment security. The 2nd edition of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM-2) includes CAI and CRFS as valid and reliable assessment measures in order to assess the dominion of the Mental Functioning axis. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the informative power of CAI and CRFS for the overall understanding of mental functioning and personality in a PDM-2 framework. The present report includes the discussion of two clinical cases of school-aged children in applying the Psychodiagnostic Chart-Second Edition (PDC-2) to the CAI transcript. The first case concerns a young male, aged 10, suffering from Oppositional-Provocative Disorder (externalizing disorder), while the second case concerns a young female, aged 15, suffering from Somatic Symptoms Disorder (internalizing disorder). PDC-2 for children and adolescents was used. Data from the scoring of CAI and CRFS were combined with a systematic evaluation of the qualitative contents emerging from CAI transcripts. A detailed analysis suggests that both the CAI and CRFS are useful attachment-oriented measures, able to explore child’s mental states, and together with the application of PDC-2 they provide an essential contribution in the understanding of developmental psychopathology. Implications of this innovative approach for clinical assessment, treatment design, and interventions are further discussed.
The influence of Mycoplasma species on human and canine semen quality: a review
Authors: Domrazek Kinga , Kaszak Ilona , Kanafa Szymon , Sacharczuk Mariusz , Jurka Piotr
Published: March 2022

Mycoplasma species (spp.) are bacteria that are difficult to detect. Currently, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is considered the most effective diagnostic tool to detect these microorganisms in both human and veterinary medicine. There are 13 known species of human Mycoplasma and 15 species of canine Mycoplasma. Owing to the difficulties in identifying the individual species of Mycoplasma, there is a lack of information regarding which species are saprophytic and which are pathogenic. The prevalence of the individual species is also unknown. In addition, in both humans and dogs, the results of some studies on the impact of Mycoplasma are conflicting. The presence of Mycoplasma spp. on the epithelium of reproductive tract is often associated with infertility, although they are also detected in healthy individuals. The occurrence of Mycoplasma spp. is more common in dogs (even 89%) than in humans (1.3%–4%). This is probably because the pH of a dog’s genital is more conducive to the growth of Mycoplasma spp. than that of humans. Phylogenetically, human and canine Mycoplasma are related, and majority of them belong to the same taxonomic group. Furthermore, 40% of canine Mycoplasma spp. are placed in common clusters with those of human. This suggests that species from the same cluster can play a similar role in the canine and human reproductive tracts. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the impact of Mycoplasma on canine and human male fertility as well as the prospects of further development in this field.
Correlation between Clinical Dementia Rating and brain neuroimaging metrics of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Chakraborty Sumit , Mandal Santanu , Kundu Sourav , Sau Arkaprabha
Published: March 2022

Context:

Dementia is an already established major clinical health problem globally as well as in India. Neuroimaging, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has an established role to support a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by identifying certain brain atrophy patterns.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to assess clinico-radiological utility of neuroimaging biomarkers of AD.

Settings and Design:

This was an observational study with cross-sectional design with 36 patients of AD in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.

Materials and Methods:

Patients with AD in the age group of 55–90 years were subjected to MRI brain examination as per protocol at the Department of Radiodiagnosis, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata. The GCA (Global Cortical Atrophy) score, mesial temporal atrophy (MTA) score, Fazekas grading score, and Koedam score were determined and these MRI parameters were correlated statistically with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score for further analysis.

Statistical Analysis Used:

IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20 was used as a statistical tool, and Spearman's rho coefficient was used as statistical test for correlation, and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results:

Average hippocampal volumes showed a significant negative correlation with CDR depicting a clinical deterioration, can be used as probable marker of brain atrophy. This is reinforced by the findings of significant positive correlations of CDR with GCA, MTA, and Koedam's score.

Conclusions:

It is proposed that global cortical atrophy, MTA, and Koedam score can be used as a basic screening imaging biomarker of AD in the population with dementia.
Assessment of quality of life and prevalence of readmission in patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Samuel Jeny , Charles Anoora , George Christine M. , Thomas Elsa , Swathy S. , Kumar Sujith S. , G. Boby J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Cardiovascular diseases have been responsible for one-fifth of all deaths in India over the last decade. The overall purpose of this research was to study patients who have had a myocardial infarction (MI) and their subsequent readmission rate. The study focused on understanding the quality of life of patients with MI, the adverse effects of drugs used in MI, and the compliance of patients with their medication. Patient counselling was given by clinical pharmacists regarding the importance of medication adherence and nonpharmacological therapy such as diet and exercise in the management of MI. The study showed that patient counselling can significantly improve medication adherence and, thereby, quality of life in patients with MI.

Objectives

To assess the quality of life and prevalence of readmission among patients with MI, to monitor the adverse drug reactions (ADR) and its management, and to study the effect of patient counselling initiated by clinical pharmacists on medication adherence and knowledge of the patients in a tertiary care hospital.

Patients and methods

A total of 61 patients with MI were subjected to Morisky medication adherence scale 8-item questionnaire to measure medication adherence, modified Hartwig’s Siegel assessment scale to measure the severity of ADR, and the WHO-UPSALA evaluation scale to identify causality. The short form 36 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life.

Results and conclusion

According to the study, 14 ADRs were observed. Patients who have experienced chronic MI had a far greater readmission rate. People who experienced a MI had a lower quality of life. The findings in this study revealed that patient counselling was able to enhance patient understanding and medication adherence. This contributes to the development of a positive professional relationship between the pharmacist and the patient. Better understanding of disease and medication can improve health and quality of life of patients.
Morphomolecular identification, metabolic profile, anticancer, and antioxidant capacities of Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16 isolated from an Egyptian remote cave
Authors: Elkhateeb Waill A. , Mettwally Walaa S.A. , Saleh Shireen A.A. , Fayad Walid , Nafady Ibrahim M. , Daba Ghoson M.
Published: March 2022

Background

There is a pressing need to screen for new sources of potent bioactive compounds to help in treating current widespread diseases. Fungi represent the perfect candidates that can fulfill this need owing to their ability to produce bioactive compounds.

Objective

To screen for fungi from a novel source, chemically analyze their extracts, and evaluate some of their bioactivities.

Materials and methods

Soil samples from El Shekh Sayed bat cave in Asyut, Egypt, were targeted as a novel source of fungi. Silylated ethyl acetate extracts were prepared from isolates of interest, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer chemical analyses were performed on these extracts to identify existing metabolites. Moreover, the extracts were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activities against human colon cancer (HCT116) and human breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines.

Results and conclusion

A total of 31 strains were isolated from the bat cave, and two of them were identified as Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16. Chemical analyses of their silylated ethyl acetate extracts resulted in the detection of 114 compounds. Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16 extracts have recorded antioxidant activities of 74.41±0.59 and 65.58±1.55%, respectively. The Penicillium sp. NRC F1 extract has exerted a cytotoxicity of 95.72±1.13 and 97.29±0.61% against HCT116 and MCF7 cell lines, respectively, whereas the Penicillium sp. NRC F16 extract has recorded 95.43±1.4 and 97.08±1.07%, respectively, against the same cell lines. The results propose these strains as bioactive metabolite producers and encourage further in vivo investigations to confirm their potency.
Association of Sleep Disturbances and Craniofacial Characteristics in Children with Class II Malocclusion
Authors: Balraj Krishna , Shetty Vabitha , Hegde Amitha
Published: March 2022

Background:

Behaviour problems, poor academic performance and failure to thrive are some of the potential sequelae of sleep problems in children. Hence, there is a need to evaluate the prevalence of sleep problems and significant associations in children with skeletal class II malocclusion with mandibular retrognathism.

Aims:

This study aimed to determine associations if any between sleep practices and problems and craniofacial characteristics in children with skeletal class II malocclusion with mandibular deficiency.

Settings and Design:

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a group of children with skeletal class II malocclusion with mandibular retrognathism.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty children aged 8–14 years with skeletal class II with mandibular retrognathism and who required myofunctional therapy were selected. A validated sleep questionnaire assessed the sleep practices and problems. A detailed clinical examination including tonsils and evaluation for mouth breathing was performed. A lateral cephalogram recorded specific linear, angular variables as well as upper and lower pharyngeal airway space.

Statistical Analysis:

Descriptive statistics, frequency, and percentages were calculated, and the Chi-square test was used.

Results:

All children reported at least one sleep problem, with snoring reported by 76% of the children. Forty-two percent of the children showed a decreased upper airway, whereas 80% showed a decreased lower airway. Significant associations were seen between SN-MP and noisy breathing, upper airway, and snoring with a P value of 0.017. We also found significant associations between upper and lower airway and sleep positions with a P value of 0.021 and 0.005, respectively.

Conclusion:

All the children exhibited at least one sleep problem. There was a strong association of certain sleep practices and sleep problems with cephalometric variables.
Awareness and Preparedness of Dentists at Handling Medical Emergencies in Delhi-National Capital Region – A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Dudeja Pooja , Sharma Manisha Lakhanpal , Srivastava Dhirendra , Dudeja Krishan Kumar , Dahiya Vinita , Passi Deepak
Published: March 2022

Context:

A medical emergency (ME) may come as a surprise during our busy appointment schedules. Whether or not the office has prepared for this emergency generally decides how it will turn out.

Aim:

This cross-sectional survey aimed to evaluate the awareness and preparedness of dentists at handling MEs in a dental office.

Settings and Design:

The study was conducted over three months (December 2015 – February 2016) at two dental colleges of Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). Materials and

Methods:

The total number of participants was 384, which were divided into four groups of ninety-six participants each, i.e., Group 1 (Interns); Group 2 (Academicians); Group 3 (Postgraduate students (PG)) and Group 4 (Private practitioners (PP)).

Statistical Analysis:

The collected data was analysed on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and subjected to ANOVA and Posthoc Bonferroni tests.

Results:

Academicians were found to have the maximum awareness about MEs occurring in the dental office, while, interns had the minimum preparedness for the same and their difference with the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

A huge gap exists between the awareness and preparedness of dentists at managing MEs. Sound knowledge of essential drugs reinforced by regular practical training, mock drills and properly equipped dental offices is the need of the hour.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Dental Practitioners, Interns and Post-Graduate Trainees about Covid-19 Pandemic in Chennai
Authors: Krithika Chandrasekaran , Srinath Srithi , Marlecha R Bharath , Sridhar Chitathoor , Sreedevi J , Jeddy Nadeem , Kumar A C Vinod
Published: March 2022

Background:

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been sweeping around the globe and the cases have been reported in India since the second week of March, with Chennai being one of the most affected cities. Healthcare professionals, particularly the dental personnel have a higher risk of infection due to close face-to-face contact and the risk of inhalation of aerosolised particles.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice about COVID-19 among interns, post-graduate trainees and dental practitioners.

Material and Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted using Google forms among three groups: interns, post-graduate trainees and dental practitioners. Data obtained was analysed by Chi-square test, Kruskal–Wallis and post hoc test using SPSS IBM software.

Results:

Of total score of 9 for knowledge-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 7.2, 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, with no statistically significant difference among the groups (P = 0.24). Of total score of 4 for attitude-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 1.6, 2.0, and 1.9, respectively, with statistically significant difference among the groups (0.009). Of total score of 7 for practice-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 3.2, 3.3, and 3.1, respectively, with no statistically significant difference among them (P = 0.63).

Conclusion:

Though the knowledge about COVID-19 appeared adequate, the attitude and practice component needs improvement. Continuing dental education programs and webinars can be conducted to update the dental professionals about the protocols to be followed during COVID-19 pandemic.
Efficacy of Passive Ultrasonic Irrigation in The Removal of Three Different Intracanal Medicaments - An In-Vitro Study
Authors: Shakapuram Gangaraju , Pachalla Mayuri Sailaja , Karne Anand Ramtheerth , Shiva Sandeep , Deepa J , Kommineni Supriya
Published: March 2022

Background:

A successful root canal treatment involves the elimination of microorganisms, and prevents them from reinfecting the root and/or peri-radicular tissues. This can be mainly achieved by efficient cleaning and shaping of the root canal system. Due to the complexity of the root canal morphology, hand and rotary files cannot clean areas such as the isthmuses and lateral canals. In such cases, effective irrigation and the use of intracanal medicaments are essential. Medicaments that are applied should be removed before obturation.

Aim:

To evaluate the efficacy of passive ultrasonic irrigation in the removal of three different intracanal medicaments – Triple antibiotic paste (TAP), Odontopaste, and Metapex using a stereomicroscope.

Methodology:

A total of 45 single-rooted human teeth were selected and decoronated. The root canals were shaped with ProTaper rotary files. The specimens were fixed in modified Eppendorf vials with silicone material. The roots were split longitudinally, and a standardized groove was prepared in the apical part. The teeth were randomly divided into three groups each containing 15 samples based on the intracanal medicament used: TAP, Odontopaste, and Metapex. The root halves were reassembled with sticky wax and remounted in the Eppendorf vial. Each specimen was irrigated with 3% NaOCl and agitated using a passive ultrasonic device. The root segments were disassembled. Digital images were obtained using a stereomicroscope.

Results:

The data were evaluated statistically using Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests. There was a statistically significant difference in the remaining intracanal medicament score (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Odontopaste showed the least remaining amount score, whereas TAP and Metapex showed greater retention within the dentin.