bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self-reports vs. physical measures of spinal stiffness
Authors: Nielsen Jonas , Glissmann Nim Casper , O’Neill Søren , Boyle Eleanor , Hartvigsen Jan , Kawchuk Gregory N. 
Published: December 2020

Background
Objectively measured reduction in lumbar posterior-to-anterior (PA) stiffness is associated with pain relief in some, but not all persons with low back pain. Unfortunately, these measurements can be time consuming to perform. In comparison, the Lumbar Spine Instability Questionnaire (LSIQ) is intended to measure spinal instability and the Lumbar Spine Disability Index (LSDI) is created for self-reporting functional disability due to increased spinal stiffness. Given the above, the aim of this study is to compare measures of the LSIQ and LSDI with objective measures of lumbar PA stiffness as measured by a mechanical device, Vertetrack (VT), in patients with persistent non-specific low back pain (nsLBP).

Methods
Twenty-nine patients with nsLBP completed the LSIQ and LSDI at baseline and after two weeks. On these same occasions, PA spinal stiffness was measured using the VT. Between measurements, patients received four sessions of spinal manipulation. The resulting data was analyzed to determine the correlation between the self-report and objective measures of stiffness at both time points. Further, the patients were categorized into responders and non-responders based on pre-established cut points depending on values from the VT and compared those to self-report measures in order to determine whether the LSIQ and the LSDI were sensitive to change.

Results
Twenty-nine participants completed the study. Measures from the LSIQ and LSDI correlated poorly with objectively measured lumbar PA stiffness at baseline and also with the change scores. The change in objectively measured lumbar PA stiffness following spinal manipulation did not differ between those who improved, and those who did not improve according to the pre-specified cut-points. Finally, a reduction in lumbar PA stiffness following intervention was not associated with improvement in LSIQ and LSDI outcomes.

Conclusions
The current data indicate that the LSIQ and LSDI questionnaires do not correlate with measures obtained objectively by VT. Our results suggest that these objective and self- reported measures represent different domains and as such, cannot stand in place of one another.
Perception Practice and Existing Knowledge Level of Farmers towards Agrochemical Use in Sitakunda Upazilla of Bangladesh
Authors: Ratna Suravi Rahman , Chowdhury Kishwar Jahan , Das Sanjoy , Hoque Md. Emdadul , Mamun M. M. Abdullah Al 
Published: December 2020

Aims: This study aimed to know the knowledge level and perception of the farmers regarding the use and impact of agrochemical and to find out the correlation of knowledge level and pesticide use with their age, education, farm size, number of pesticide use.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Chittagong District of Bangladesh in four different unions of Sitakunda Upazilla between May 2018 and June 2018.
Methodology: We surveyed 142 farmer households from nine villages of three unions, selected through multistage purposive random sampling. They were interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire. A key informant survey was done by interviewing Upazila agriculture officers and agrochemical retailers.
Results: No overuse of fertilizer and pesticide were found. Findings showed that 66.2% of farmers were medium knowledgeable, with 14.79% low and 19.01% high knowledgeable. Applications of obsolete pesticides were found to be used. Farmers’ knowledge level is significantly correlated with the education level and the number of pesticide uses.
Conclusion: There was a gap between amounts of fertilizer applied than the recommended level except for gypsum. Most of them did not know the standard application rate of fertilizer and pesticide. Farmers’ knowledge level should be improved and the adoption of rational use of agrochemicals is needed through extension activity to get proper yield and to inform them of precautionary measures.
Effects of Organic Manure Source and Weeding Frequencies on Growth Parameters of Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorious)
Authors: Olorukooba M. M. , Suleiman R. , Olukotun O. , Mohammed R. , Apene E. , Essien J. , Danbaki C. A. , Olafemi S. O. 
Published: December 2020

Field trials were carried out during 2018 and during 2019 dry season periods at Federal College of Forestry and Mechanization Afaka Kaduna, located between latitude 10° 35”N and longitude 007° 21”E at altitude 644 m above sea level, to determine the effects of organic manure source and weeding frequencies on growth parameters of jute mallow (Corchorus olitorious). The experimental treatments consists of ten combinations of poultry manure + weed free, cow dung + weed free, goat dropping + weed free, poultry manure + weeding at 2 WAT, cow dung + weeding at 2 WAT, goat dropping + weeding at 2 WAT, poultry manure + weeding at 4 WAT, cow dung + weeding at 4 WAT, goat dropping + weeding at 4 WAT and no organic manure application + no weeding which were laid out in a randomize complete block design (RCBD) and replicated 3 times The growth parameters observed and measured were crop vigour score, plant height, shoot diameter, number of leaves and number of primary branches. Result of the study showed that at harvest (8 WAT) all the treatments significantly affected the vigour of jute mallow crop and gave comparable score than the least observed with no nutrient + no weeding as control. The result revealed that plant growth at harvest exhibited significantly taller plant with application of poultry manure + weeding at 2 WAT. In conclusion the result obtained from the study showed that poultry manure at 4 tons /ha + weeding at 4 WAT resulted in taller plant height, wider shoot diameter, increased number of leaves, number of branches than all other treatment due to lower weed infestation, it is therefore recommended as the best treatment combination to obtained the best growth rate of jute mallow.
Soil Quality Indicators as an Assessment Tool to Maximize the Productivity of Pulse Crops
Authors: Saliha B. Bhakiyathu , Indrani R. , Priyanka C. 
Published: December 2020

The present research investigation was taken up during 2017-2019 to evaluate the properties and fertility status of soils through physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil quality in the major pulse growing regions which were classified into three categories viz., low yielding (< 400kg ha-1), medium (400 to 700 kg ha-1) and high yielding (> 700 kg ha-1). 300 samples collected from these zones were subjected to analysis and weight ages were assigned to each soil quality attribute through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and those that explain at least 5% of the variation in the data were examined by using SPSS software. The mean percentage of water stable aggregates was the highest (51%) in high yielding soils which can be attributed to the beneficial effect of organic manure application and balanced fertilizer usage. Most of the samples in the high yielding soils were neutral to slightly alkaline (pH of 7.20 to 7.85), while that of medium and low yielding soils were moderately alkaline and neutral to slightly alkaline respectively. However low yield category had an average cation exchange capacity of 12.2 c mol (p+) kg-1, whereas that of medium and high yield categories recorded 21.8 and 36.9 c mol (p+) kg-1 respectively. The soils of high, medium and low yield zones recorded 282,234 and 138 kg ha-1 of available nitrogen respectively. The sulphur status in pulse growing soils revealed deficiency in 88 percent of the samples from low yielding zones which needs due attention. The overall results of the study concluded that the higher values of soil attributes such as aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, available nitrogen, available potassium and extractable micronutrients corresponded well with the high yield category indicating the importance of these soil quality indicators for improving the pulse productivity in low yield zones.
Impact Assessment on Knowledge of Weather Based Agro-advisory Services among Farmers in Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Prasad S. Arul , Vijayashanthi V. A. , Manimekalai R. , Yogameenakshi P. , Pirathap P. 
Published: December 2020

Weather influences the production and productivity of various crops. If farmers aware about the real time weather factors such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction and rainfall it will be the effective to prevent the crop failure and achieve high yield with better economic returns. The right weather information at right time facilitates the farmers to plan agricultural operations from selection of crops to post harvest to avoid crop losses. 382 AAS bulletins were prepared and disseminated to the farmers during 2019-2020. To study the effect of weather based agro-advisory services, a random sample survey was conducted from 60 farmers from villages of Tiruvallur and Tiruttani block of Tiruvallur district. Results indicated that focusing illiterate farmers are much more important and dissemination of weather advisories in audio or visual format is preferable to make them to adapt weather based agricultural practices. The survey revealed that 65 per cent of farmers check weather forecast before going for spraying operation, 73 per cent for irrigation and 55 per cent for animal husbandry maintenance. Our study revealed that the farmers focus more on spraying and irrigation operation based on weather forecast. Further, awareness is to be created to realize that they should also need to follow weather forecasts from the selection of crop to post harvest in order to achieve better productivity and good income.
Generalized Hadamard Matrices and Generalized Hadamard Graphs
Authors: Nishadi W. V. , Perera A. A. I. 
Published: December 2020

Hadamard matrices and their applications have steadily and rapidly grown during the last 2 decades. Due to that many researchers have developed various concepts on Hadamard matrices. This paper concentrates on Generalized Hadamarad matrices. In the first part of this work, some new results on construction of generalized Hadamard matrices GH(p; pn) over Cp are introduced. In the second part, graphs obtained from generalized Hadamard matrices are introduced, namely generalized Hadamard graphs. In particular, we show that the generalized Hadamard graphs are pn- regular. Our results have been illustrated by constructing pn- regular graphs for different values of p and n.
Flux Shorting Mitigation on Semiconductor BGA Device through Process Design Enhancement
Authors: Jr. Antonio R. Sumagpang , Jr. Edwin M. Graycochea , Gomez Frederick Ray I. 
Published: December 2020

With the new and upcoming technologies in semiconductor industry, packages like the ball grid array (BGA) are getting more challenging to process due to inherent issues that come along. Process improvement through modification in the design of indirect material is one key direction to improve the productivity during assembly manufacturing. In this paper, an enhanced design of dipping plate is presented to solve the issue of flux shorting due to out-of-specs dipping plate at ball attach process. The study used a side by side comparison to prove that the new design is better than that of the out-of-specs indirect material. With the new enhanced design of dipping plate and the optimized flux depth parameter, flux shorting occurrence was successfully mitigated.
Antiviral Treatment for COVID-19: A Systematic Review
Authors: Arias Francisco A. , Chavez Pier Teran- , Panato Alessandra Maggi- , Ortega Diego Flores- , Ortega Alex Rojas- 
Published: December 2020

Aim: In December 2019, there were reports of a new type of coronavirus that affects the different health systems of the world. We have carried out a systematic review of the possible antivirals studied that could be useful in this public health catastrophe.
Data Sources: A search strategy with MESH terms was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Also, RCTs published in clinicaltrials.gov were reviewed. The databases were searched between April and June 2020.
Study Selection: We selected all Randomized Controlled Trials evaluating the effects of antivirals and 5 studies were included from a research database of 280 articles collected between. After removing duplicated articles, 43 were selected for review. Finally, 5 articles were eligible for full-text review and included in the article.
Results: Current randomized controlled trial data showed no clinical improvement in terms of mortality, need for oxygen support or need for intubation in patients who used antivirals versus those who did not. No clinical improvement was demonstrated. It was observed that there is difficulty in calculating clinical improvement, this large difference makes the eligible studies difficult to compare.
Conclusion: These predictors, however, need further work to validate reliability. More clinical trials involving antivirals are needed to observe a relationship between clinical improvement or mortality from SARS-CoV-19.
Puzzle Out the Reason behind Habitual Miscarriage
Authors: Ahmad Waqas , Bilal Shahid , Azhar Sarah , Khan Muhammad Aitmaud Uddolah , Iqbal Nasima , Farooq Lubna 
Published: December 2020

Aims: As no data is available in Pakistan so the aim of current study is to find out the link of multiple risk factors with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in Pakistan.
Study Design: Case control study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study conducted in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi and Polyclinic Hospital Islamabad from November 2018 to April 2019.
Methodology: Subjects were investigated on the basis of an in depth Performa. For data analysis Statistical package for social sciences version-20 was used. Beside this, height in cm, weight in kg and blood pressure in mmHg were recorded. All the statistical calculations were performed by using SPSS 20. For association analysis of qualitative variables Spearman bivariate correlation was calculated while for numerical variables ANOVA was applied. Multinomial logistic regression model was used and the odd ratio and relative risk were calculated.
Results: Among cases 91.34% were having spontaneous miscarriage and majority (64.86%) were during first trimester. Spearman bivariate correlation reported a strong association of recurrent pregnancy loss with the risk factors including family history, smoking, obesity, history of hypertension and history of diabetes, having highly significant p-values, on the hand, significant association of maternal age with the frequency of recurrent pregnancy loss was found but not with the paternal age and parity. The multinomial logistic regression model showed that smokers were19.012 times more prone to develop recurrent pregnancy loss.
Conclusion: The multiple risk factors including maternal age, obesity, smoking, family history, body mass index, hypertension and diabetes have a strong association with the recurrent pregnancy loss. So keeping these risk factors in mind a careful evaluation of each pregnancy is necessary to reduce the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss.
Novel PLEKHG5 mutations in a patient with childhood‐onset lower motor neuron disease
Authors: Gonzalez‐Quereda Lidia , Pagola Inmaculada , Fuentes Prior Pablo , Bernal Sara , Rodriguez Maria Jose , Torné Laura , Salgado Garrido Josefa , Gallano Pia , Jericó Ivonne 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe PLEKHG5 gene encodes a protein that activates the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signaling pathway. Mutations in this gene have been associated with distal spinal muscular atrophy IV and intermediate axonal neuropathy C, both with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Two families with low motor neuron disease (LMND) caused by mutations in PLEKHG5 have been reported to date. We present a third LMND family, the first nonconsanguineous, due to two not previously reported PLEKHG5 mutations. Our results confirm and extend previous findings linking PLEKHG5 mutations to lower motor neuron diseases.
Conductive Materials for Healing Wounds: Their Incorporation in Electroactive Wound Dressings, Characterization, and Perspectives
Authors: Korupalli Chiranjeevi , Li Hui , Nguyen Nhien , Mi Fwu‐Long , Chang Yen , Lin Yu‐Jung , Sung Hsing‐Wen 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe use of conductive materials to promote the activity of electrically responsive cells is an effective means of accelerating wound healing. This article focuses on recent advancements in conductive materials, with emphasis on overviewing their incorporation with non‐conducting polymers to fabricate electroactive wound dressings. The characteristics of these electroactive dressings are deliberated, and the mechanisms on how they accelerate the wound healing process are discussed. Potential directions for the future development of electroactive wound dressings and their potential in monitoring the course of wound healing in vivo concomitantly are also proposed.
Deep Drug Penetration of Nanodrug Aggregates at Tumor Tissues by Fast Extracellular Drug Release
Authors: Yao Yongchao , Dai Xin , Tan Yifeng , Chen Ying , Liao Chunyan , Yang Tian , Chen Yun , Yu Yunlong , Zhang Shiyong 
Published: December 2020

AbstractHerein, a new nanodrug of azobenzene‐functionalized interfacial cross‐linked reverse micelles (AICRM) with 5‐fluorouracil loading (5‐FU@AICRM) is reported. Upon irradiation with 530 nm light in water, the surface azobenzenes of the nanoparticles change from polar cis‐conformation to nonpolar trans‐conformation, resulting in the aggregation of 5‐FU@AICRM within minutes. Simultaneously, the conformation change unlocks hydrophilic 5‐FU with a strong water immigration propensity, allowing them to spray out from the AICRM quickly. This fast release ensures a thorough release of the drug, before the aggregates are internalized by adjacent cells, making it possible to achieve deep tissue penetration. A study of in vivo anticancer activity in A549 tumor‐bearing nude mice shows that the tumor inhibition rate (TIR) of 5‐FU@AICRM is up to ≈86.2%, 31.6% higher than that of group without green light irradiation and 20.7% higher than that of carmofur (CF, a hydrophobic analog of 5‐FU)‐loaded AICRM (CF@AICRM), in which CF is released slowly under light irradiation because of its hydrophobicity. Fast drug release upon nanodrug aggregation provides a good solution for balancing the contradiction of “aggregation and penetration” in tumor treatment with nanodrugs.
Combination Therapy of Killing Diseases by Injectable Hydrogels: From Concept to Medical Applications
Authors: Poustchi Fatemeh , Amani Hamed , Ahmadian Zainab , Niknezhad Seyyed Vahid , Mehrabi Soraya , Santos Hélder A. , Shahbazi Mohammad‐Ali 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe complexity of hard‐to‐treat diseases strongly undermines the therapeutic potential of available treatment options. Therefore, a paradigm shift from monotherapy toward combination therapy has been observed in clinical research to improve the efficiency of available treatment options. The advantages of combination therapy include the possibility of synchronous alteration of different biological pathways, reducing the required effective therapeutic dose, reducing drug resistance, and lowering the overall costs of treatment. The tunable physical properties, excellent biocompatibility, facile preparation, and ease of administration with minimal invasiveness of injectable hydrogels (IHs) have made them excellent candidates to solve the clinical and pharmacological limitations of present systems for multitherapy by direct delivery of therapeutic payloads and improving therapeutic responses through the formation of depots containing drugs, genes, cells, or a combination of them in the body after a single injection. In this review, currently available methods for the design and fabrication of IHs are systematically discussed in the first section. Next, as a step toward establishing IHs for future multimodal synergistic therapies, recent advances in cancer combination therapy, wound healing, and tissue engineering are addressed in detail in the following sections. Finally, opportunities and challenges associated with IHs for multitherapy are listed and further discussed.
Extremely Stable Luminescent Crosslinked Perovskite Nanoparticles under Harsh Environments over 1.5 Years
Authors: Jang Junho , Kim Young‐Hoon , Park Sunjoong , Yoo Dongsuk , Cho Hyunjin , Jang Jinhyeong , Jeong Han Beom , Lee Hyunhwan , Yuk Jong Min , Park Chan Beum , Jeon Duk Young , Kim Yong‐Hyun , Bae Byeong‐Soo , Lee Tae‐Woo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractOrganic–inorganic hybrid perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) are a very strong candidate emitter that can meet the high luminescence efficiency and high color standard of Rec.2020. However, the instability of perovskite NPs is the most critical unsolved problem that limits their practical application. Here, an extremely stable crosslinked perovskite NP (CPN) is reported that maintains high photoluminescence quantum yield for 1.5 years (>600 d) in air and in harsher liquid environments (e.g., in water, acid, or base solutions, and in various polar solvents), and for more than 100 d under 85 °C and 85% relative humidity without additional encapsulation. Unsaturated hydrocarbons in both the acid and base ligands of NPs are chemically crosslinked with a methacrylate‐functionalized matrix, which prevents decomposition of the perovskite crystals. Counterintuitively, water vapor permeating through the crosslinked matrix chemically passivates surface defects in the NPs and reduces nonradiative recombination. Green‐emitting and white‐emitting flexible large‐area displays are demonstrated, which are stable for >400 d in air and in water. The high stability of the CPN in water enables biocompatible cell proliferation which is usually impossible when toxic Pb elements are present. The stable materials design strategies provide a breakthrough toward commercialization of perovskite NPs in displays and bio‐related applications.
Recent Progress in Short‐ to Long‐Wave Infrared Photodetection Using 2D Materials and Heterostructures
Authors: Guan Xinwei , Yu Xuechao , Periyanagounder Dharmaraj , Benzigar Mercy Rose , Huang Jing‐Kai , Lin Chun‐Ho , Kim Jiyun , Singh Simrjit , Hu Long , Liu Guozhen , Li Dehui , He Jr‐Hau , Yan Feng , Wang Qi Jie , Wu Tom 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe extraordinary electronic, optical, and mechanical characteristics of 2D materials make them promising candidates for optoelectronics, specifically in infrared (IR) detectors owing to their flexible composition and tunable optoelectronic properties. This review presents the recent progress in IR detectors composed of 2D materials and their hybrid structures, including graphene, black phosphorous, transition metal dichalcogenides, halide perovskite as well as other new layered materials and their heterostructures. The focus is on the short‐wave, mid‐wave, and long‐wave infrared regimes, which pose a grand challenge for rational materials and device designs. The dependence of the device performance on the optical and electronic properties of 2D materials is extensively discussed, aiming to present the general strategies for designing optoelectronic devices with optimal performance. Furthermore, the recent results on 2D material‐based heterostructures are presented with an emphasis on the relationship between band alignment, charge transfer, and IR photodetection. Finally, a summary is given as well as the discussion of existing challenges and future directions.