bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Participatory Evaluation and Yield Determination of Climate-smart Brachiaria Grasses for Improving Livestock Production among the Farmers in Embu and Meru Counties
Authors: Muriithi Catherine , Nganga Beatrice , Kagete Eliud , Njarui Donald , Micheni Alfred 
Published: February 2021

Aims: To introduce brachiaria grasses in Meru and Embu Counties to increase the range of fodder/forage varieties available to smallholders through the use of climate-smart brachiaria grasses for increased income. The project also aimed at identifying the best brachiaria varieties suitable for the target Agro-Ecological ones through evaluation by the farmers and yield assessment.
Study Design: Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD)
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Embu and Meru Counties during the short rains of 2015.
Methodology: Three varieties of brachiaria were introduced in the short rains of 2015 in KALRO Embu, Geeto Igoji in Meru, and Embu County. These were Brachiaria decumbense -Cultivar Basilisk, Brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar BRS Piata and Brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar Toledo. Plots of 5x5m were planted and replicated three times using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) to increase the range of fodder/forage varieties available to smallholder and assess the yield and acceptability of the different brachiaria grasses varieties. The three varieties were planted in the mega demonstration sites. The grass performance was analyzed through pairwise ranking and the grass with the best attributes was selected. Yield data was also collected.
Results: After ranking, the results indicated that the rate of growth and the amount of biomass as the most important attributes followed by the animals' response after feeding and the rate of rejuvenation after harvesting respectively. Using the attributes, the group members concluded that Brachiaria decumbense- Cultivar basilisk was the best followed by brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar piata and finally brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar Toledo.
Conclusion: In conclusion, based on the attributes, the best brachiaria varieties for use in Embu and Meru Countries are Brachiaria decumbense –Cultivar Basilisk and Brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar Toledo. Based on yield, Brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar Toledo is the best in Embu County while Brachiaria brizantha- Cultivar Basilisk is the best in Meru County.
The Capability of Students towards Mathematics Using Student’s Feedback
Authors: Memon Muteeullah , Waleed Muhammad , Ahmed Shahzaib , Beejal Suresh Kumar , Ali Owais , Muhammad Faiz 
Published: February 2021

The attitude of students towards mathematics is most important factor especially for the engineers in their practical observation relating to the understanding of particular problems in their field. To analyze this reservation, the study is conducted using students’ feedback towards the performance of students in Calculus and Differential Equation subjects. During the analysis, a case study of 17A and 17B batches of 1st and 2nd semesters are selected. The marks of the Mathematics subjects namely Applied Mathematics-I (Calculus) and Applied Mathematics-II (Differential Equation) is collected from the students individually using university students portal and the results is calculated by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v.16) which shows the overall students’ perception towards the mathematics subjects. The results imply that there is no significant relationship between the marks of calculus and differential equation. Furthermore, the null hypothesis is rejected for the disciplines such as Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics and Textile of 17A and Civil, Mechanical and Electrical of 17B Batch. Although the null hypothesis is accepted only for the Electronics department of 17A and Mechatronics, Electronics and Textile of 17B Batch. It is recommended that the teachers must put efforts on the students for the understanding of Mathematics concepts and improve their attitude towards it, so that they can perform better in their future practical life.
Evaluations of Hemostatic Activity of Ethanol Extract of Euonymus fortunei Aerial Parts
Authors: Ouyang Xi-Lin , Shu Lin-Yan , Qin Xiao-Ya , Yang Li 
Published: February 2021

Aim: To investigate the hemostatic effect of ethanol extracts of Euonymus fortunei and their different polar fractions, and to analyze the changes in intracellular calcium ion concentration in platelet cells.
Methodology: Bleeding time and clotting time was assessed by the slide method and the tail-breaking method, respectively. Four coagulation indexes, including prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, and the content of fibrinogen, as well as platelet aggregation effect were also determined. The concentration of calcium ions in platelet cells treated by n-butanol fraction with good active hemostatic activity was also examined.
Results: Compared with the control group, the n-butanol fraction of E. fortunei can not only significantly shorten the bleeding time and coagulation time, but also obviously shorten activated partial thromboplastin time. However, no significant difference was found on the content of fibrinogen. Platelet aggregation experiments show that the n-butanol fraction can increase the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of platelet cells, which may be related to the activation of downstream signals through the platelet membrane G protein-coupled receptor.
Conclusion: Ethanol extract of E. fortunei has excellent hemostatic activity, which may be related to the increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration caused by G protein-coupled receptor on the platelet membrane surface. E. fortunei could be a potential medicinal plant used for hemostatic treatment.
A Comparative Assessment of the Quality of Communication and Interactions between Dental Students and Dental Technicians for Fixed Prosthesis in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Shetty Karunakar , Mona Raghad Mohammed , Ashy Fatmah Abdulrahman , Aljahdali Sarah Naji , Alhazmi Lama Salman 
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Improving communication and collaboration between members of the dental team is important to the long term aim of improving the quality of dental care for patients. The aim of this cross‑sectional study was to compare and assess the communication and interactions between dental students and laboratory technicians for fixed prosthesis.
Materials and Methods: The Survey based study was conducted online using a self-structured, pre-tested, closed ended with Face validity and content validity and consisting of 18 questions for dental students and 18 questions for dental technicians. Questionnaire was designed to compare and assess the quality of communication between dental students and laboratory technicians for fixed prosthodontics in Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. The data were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Chi-square test was used to compare and assess the quality of communication between dental students and laboratory technicians for fixed prosthodontics. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: In our survey around forty percent of technicians indicated that work authorization forms were complete and legible to provide the prosthesis. Regarding Communication with the dental technicians by the dental students, 38.5% (77) of them communicate by filling the authorization form, 38.5% (77) of them giving instructions to the delivery boy and 21% (42) of them giving instructions over the phone.
Conclusion: Communication between dentist and dental students are very important and it is recommended to fill the authorization form for fixed prosthesis. Technicians should undergo training with designing of fixed prosthesis especially pontic design.
Elbow tendinopathy and occupational biomechanical overload: A systematic review with best-evidence synthesis
Authors: Curti Stefania , Mattioli Stefano , Bonfiglioli Roberta , Farioli Andrea , Violante Francesco S 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
To evaluate the evidence of an association between occupational and non-occupational exposure to biomechanical risk factors and lateral elbow tendinopathy, medial elbow tendinopathy, and olecranon bursitis.

Methods
We carried out a systematic review of the literature. We searched MEDLINE (up to November 2019) and checked the reference lists of relevant articles/reviews. We aimed to include studies where (a) the diagnosis was based on physical examination (symptoms plus clinical signs) and imaging data (if any); and (b) the exposure was evaluated with video analysis and/or direct measurements. A quality assessment of the included studies was performed along with an evaluation of the level of evidence of a causal relationship.

Results
We included four studies in the qualitative synthesis: two prospective cohorts and two cross-sectional studies. All the included studies investigated “lateral/medial epicondylitis”, albeit the diagnosis was not supported by imaging techniques. Two cohort studies suggested that a combination of biomechanical risk factors for wrist/forearm is associated with increased risk of “lateral epicondylitis”. This association was not observed in the two included cross-sectional studies. The cohort studies suggested that a Strain Index score higher than 5 or 6.1 could double the risk of “lateral epicondylitis”. No association with increased risk of “medial epicondylitis” was observed.

Conclusions
There is limited evidence of a causal relationship between occupational exposure to biomechanical risk factors and lateral elbow tendinopathy. For medial elbow tendinopathy, the evidence is insufficient to support this causal relationship. No studies on olecranon bursitis and biomechanical overload were identified.
Association between comprehensive workstation and neck and upper-limb pain among office worker
Authors: Nakatsuka Kiyomasa , Tsuboi Yamato , Okumura Maho , Murata Shunsuke , Isa Tsunenori , Kawaharada Rika , Matsuda Naoka , Uchida Kazuaki , Horibe Kana , Kogaki Masahumi , Ono Rei 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Our study aimed to investigate the association between comprehensive workstations and neck and upper-limb pain (NUP) among office workers.

Methods
This cross-sectional study included 307 office workers (median age, 39 years; 88% men). Workstations (presence of armrest, armrest position, number of monitors used, mouse position, mouse usage, keyboard usage, and keyboard position) were investigated in terms of 17 items and judged as “adequate” or “inadequate.” NUP was assessed using a numerical rating scale. NUP locations included the neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. In the statistical analysis, outcome variables were the presence of pain in each part, while explanatory variables were the number of inadequate workstations. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with adjustment for age, gender, working duration, and exercise habit.

Results
The prevalence of neck pain was 47% (n = 143), shoulder pain was 50% (n = 153), elbow pain was 7.2% (n = 22), and wrist pain was 13% (n = 40). In the adjusted model, the number of inadequate workstations had significant positive associations with elbow pain (odds ratio [OR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06.1.81) and wrist pain (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.17.2.26). However, the number of inadequate workstations was not significantly associated with neck pain or shoulder pain.

Conclusions
Workstation-related factors (presence of armrest, armrest position, mouse usage, and keyboard usage) were significantly associated with elbow and wrist pain. Our findings suggest that workstations can contribute to elbow and wrist pain in office workers.
Comparative Efficacy of Different Triage Methods for Psoriatic Arthritis: Results From a Prospective Study in a Rapid Access Clinic
Authors: Sarabia Samantha , Farrer Chandra , Yeung Jensen , Jerome Dana , Cook Richard J. , Eder Lihi 
Published: February 2021

ObjectiveWe undertook this study to identify the optimal combination of triage methods to identify psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among psoriasis patients with musculoskeletal symptoms in a rapid access clinic and to describe their outcome after 1 year.MethodsPatients with psoriasis and no prior diagnosis of PsA were referred for assessment of their musculoskeletal symptoms. Each patient was assessed by the following 3 triage modalities: 1) assessment by an advanced practice physical therapist; 2) targeted musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK‐US); and 3) PsA screening questionnaires. The patients were then evaluated by a rheumatologist who determined the patient's disease status and classified them into the following groups: not PsA, possibly PsA, or PsA. Patients returned for a 1‐year follow‐up visit and were reassessed for change in their disease status. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each individual modality, as well as for combinations of modalities.ResultsA total of 203 patients with psoriasis and musculoskeletal symptoms were enrolled. The percentage of patients classified as having PsA was 8.8%, and 23.6% were converted into the possibly PsA group. There was no significant difference in the individual performance of the modalities. The highest sensitivity was seen with MSK‐US (89%), and the highest specificity was found with the Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation questionnaire (79%). The addition of MSK‐US data improved the performance of the modalities. A total of 9 patients were classified into the PsA group after 1 year. All patient‐reported outcome measures had significantly improved at 1 year (P < 0.001).ConclusionCombining MSK‐US with a screening questionnaire for PsA improved the triage of patients with suspected PsA.
Physician Global Assessment as a Disease Activity Measure for Relapsing Polychondritis
Authors: Rose Emily , Ferrada Marcela A. , Quinn Kaitlin A. , Goodspeed Wendy , Arnaud Laurent , Sharma Aman , Yoshifuji Hajime , Kim Jeff , Allen Clint , Sirajuddin Arlene , Chen Marcus , Grayson Peter C. 
Published: February 2021

ObjectiveRelapsing polychondritis (RP) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of cartilage that lacks validated disease activity measures. Our objective was to test physician global assessment (PhGA), a measure of disease activity commonly used in rheumatic diseases, in a cohort of patients with RP, which has not been done before.MethodsAdult patients in an observational cohort of RP underwent standardized, comprehensive evaluation at approximately 6‐month intervals. PhGA was scored by 3 physicians from the evaluating institution on a scale of 0–10 for each visit. A random subset of 20 visits was scored by 3 independent physicians not affiliated with the evaluating institution. Treatment change between consecutive visits was categorized as increased, decreased, or unchanged.ResultsIn total, 78 patients were evaluated over 164 visits. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) for the 3 raters from the evaluating institution was excellent (0.79 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.73, 0.84]) but was poor in the subset of cases scored by the additional raters (ICC2,10.27 [95% CI −0.01, 0.53]). Median PhGA was 3 (range 0–7). PhGA weakly correlated with C‐reactive protein level (rs= 0.30,P< 0.01). In response to increased treatment, median PhGA decreased from 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2, 4) to 2 (IQR 2, 3) (P< 0.01) but rarely went to 0.ConclusionWithin a single center, PhGA can be used to quantify disease activity and monitor disease response in RP. Persistent disease activity despite treatment, rather than a relapsing‐remitting pattern, is observed for most patients with RP. Reliability of PhGA may not generalize across different institutions. A validated disease‐specific activity index is needed in RP.
Relationship Between Changing Body Mass Index and Serum Uric Acid Alteration Among Clinically Apparently Healthy Korean Men
Authors: Hwang Jiwon , Lee Mi Yeon , Ahn Joong Kyong , Cha Hoon‐Suk 
Published: February 2021

ObjectiveGout and hyperuricemia incidence is increasing worldwide, reflecting pandemic overweight and obesity. However, the magnitude of the association of body mass index (BMI) changes with serum uric acid (UA) level in the general population has remained unevaluated.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study enrolled 27,422 Korean men who underwent a comprehensive health check‐up between 2015 and 2017. BMI change was categorized into 7 groups. The relationship between BMI change and serum UA level alteration was determined using multivariable regression models.ResultsThe mean age, BMI, and serum UA level were 38.8 years, 24.7 kg/m2, and 6.2 mg/dl, respectively. All BMI change categories had a clear dose‐response relationship with the serum UA level changes. The corresponding β coefficient of serum UA level changes was 0.13 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.11, 0.16), 0.25 (95% CI 0.2, 0.3), and 0.44 (95% CI 0.36, 0.52) for a BMI decrease of 0.5–1.5, 1.5–2.5, and ≥2.5, respectively. Compared with no BMI change, the multivariate odds ratios of achieving normouricemia for a BMI increase of 0.5–1.5, 1.5–2.5, and ≥2.5 were 0.88 (95% CI 0.83, 0.95), 0.67 (95% CI 0.60, 0.75), and 0.60 (95% CI 0.49, 0.74), whereas those for a BMI decrease of 0.5–1.5, 1.5–2.5, and ≥2.5 were 1.17 (95% CI 1.07, 1.27), 1.28 (95% CI 1.08, 1.52), and 1.46 (95% CI 1.13, 1.88), respectively.ConclusionBMI change could have a significant association with the alteration of serum UA levels of apparently healthy men. Despite its small effect size, the health risks and benefits of BMI change would be emphasized for serum UA level alteration.
Renal‐Clearable Ultrasmall Polypyrrole Nanoparticles with Size‐Regulated Property for Second Near‐Infrared Light‐Mediated Photothermal Therapy
Authors: Zeng Weiwei , Wu Xixi , Chen Ting , Sun Shengjie , Shi Zhifeng , Liu Jia , Ji Xiaoyuan , Zeng Xiaowei , Guan Jian , Mei Lin , Wu Meiying 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe critical issue that hinders the translation of nanomaterials from basic research to clinical trials is their potential toxicity caused by long‐term body retention. It is still a huge challenge to integrate renal‐clearable and theranostic properties into one nanomedicine, especially exploring the nanomaterials with optical absorption in the second near‐infrared light (NIR II) biowindow with deep penetration and less tissue scattering. Here, ultrasmall polypyrrole (PPy, ≈2 nm)‐based theranostic agents via a facile and green one‐step method, which exhibit fluorescence (FL)/photoacoustic (PA)/NIR II multimodal imaging, superior photostability, as well as high photothermal conversion efficiency of 33.35% at 808 nm and 41.97% at 1064 nm is developed. Importantly, these ultrasmall PPy‐PEG nanoparticles (NPs) reveal abundant tumor accumulation and efficient renal clearance. Both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that ultrasmall PPy‐PEG NPs have excellent photothermal effect under NIR II laser irradiation that can effectively eliminate the tumors with extremely low systemic toxicity.
Field‐Free Manipulation of Skyrmion Creation and Annihilation by Tunable Strain Engineering
Authors: Feng Chun , Meng Fei , Wang Yadong , Jiang Jiawei , Mehmood Nasir , Cao Yi , Lv Xiaowei , Yang Feng , Wang Lei , Zhao Yongkang , Xie Shuai , Hou Zhipeng , Mi Wenbo , Peng Yong , Wang Kaiyou , Gao Xingsen , Yu Guanghua , Liu Junming 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCreation and annihilation of skyrmions are two crucial issues for constructing skyrmion‐based memory and logic devices. To date, these operations were mainly achieved by means of external magnetic, electrical, and optical modulations. In this work, we demonstrated an effective strain‐induced skyrmion nucleation/annihilation phenomenon in [Pt/Co/Ta]n multilayers utilizing the shape memory effect of a TiNiNb substrate. A tunable tensile strain up to 1.0% can be realized in the films by thermally driving phase transition of the substrate, which significantly decreases the nucleation field of skyrmions by as many as 400 Oe and facilitates the field‐free manipulation of skyrmions with the strain. Such a strain effect can be attributed to the synergetic interplay of the planar magnetic moment twirling and decrement of interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. In addition, the strain tunability is found to be strongly related to the strain direction due to magnetoelastic interaction. These findings provide a novel strategy for developing strain‐assisted skyrmion‐based memory and logic devices.
Temperature‐Controlled Optical Activity and Negative Refractive Index
Authors: Liu Meng , Plum Eric , Li Hua , Li Shaoxian , Xu Quan , Zhang Xueqian , Zhang Caihong , Zou Chongwen , Jin Biaobing , Han Jiaguang , Zhang Weili 
Published: February 2021

AbstractChiral media exhibit optical activity, which manifests itself as differential retardation and attenuation of circularly polarized electromagnetic waves of opposite handedness. This effect can be described by different refractive indices for left‐ and right‐handed waves and yields a negative index in extreme cases. Here, active control of chirality, optical activity, and refractive index is demonstrated. These phenomena are observed in a terahertz metamaterial based on 3D‐chiral metallic resonators and achiral vanadium dioxide inclusions. The chiral structure exhibits pronounced optical activity and a negative refractive index at room temperature when vanadium dioxide is in its insulating phase. Upon heating, the insulator‐to‐metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide effectively renders the structure achiral, resulting in absence of optical activity and a positive refractive index. The origin of the structure's chiral response is traced to magnetic coupling between front and back of the structure, whereas the temperature‐controlled chiral‐to‐achiral transition is found to correspond to a transition from magnetic to electric dipole excitations. The use of a fourfold rotationally symmetric design avoids linear birefringence and dichroism, allowing such a structure to operate as tunable polarization rotator, adjustable linear polarization converter, and switchable circular polarizer.
Universal Approach to Rapid Amplified Plasmonic Sensing Using Helix Defect Phase Transition Polymers
Authors: Shugayev Roman , Devkota Jagannath , Kim Ki‐Joong , Cvetic Patricia , Ohodnicki Paul 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPermittivity sensing is a critically important analytical tool for bioscience, environmental, and industrial applications. The response time for commonly used plasmonic permittivity sensors is fundamentally set by the reaction kinetics of chemically adsorbed analytes. In this work, the proposal is to overcome this limit by combining plasmonic sensors with phase transition materials possessing a rapid amplified electrostatic response such as quadrupole moment induced molecular helix reversal. As a proof‐of‐concept, rapid sensing of CO2 on a phase transition polytetrafluoroethylene substrate and amplification of permittivity response in plasmonic Fabry–Perot sensor is shown. The demonstrated universal approach holds promise for a wide range of applications in fast, real time sensing and monitoring of biological and environmental processes.