bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
WEAR AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY PROPERTIES OF POLYPROPYLENE/PERIWINKLE SHELL PARTICULATES COMPOSITES FOR DENTAL IMPLANT APPLICATION
Authors: Dodo R. M. , Musa Z. , Abdulwahab M. , Bello K. A. , Abdullahi U. , Hamisu A. 
Published: February 2023

The present study explored wear and biocompatibility characteristics of polypropylene (PP)/ periwinkle shell particulates (PWS) composites for dental implant application. Wet-sliding the stainless steel ball against specimen disc revealed the abrasive wear behaviour of the composites under load and linear speed of 5 N and 10 cm/s respectively. In the wear tests, the specimens were wetted with simulated human saliva with and without sodium fluoride (NaF) additive. On the other hand, a mouse specimen was used to carry out a biocompatibility test. The composite demonstrated superb wear resistance at 40 and 50wt% reinforcement loading. Further, results showed that wear rate decreased considerably with increasing PWS content. Higher wear rate was noted on composites under condition of simulated human saliva with NaF addition. The biocompatibility test reveals that developed composite is harmless to the living tissues. Thus, PP/PWS composites could be recommended to be used as dental restorative material
ON PERFORMANCE OF ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING PLANS USING SEQUENTIAL PROBABILITY RATIO TEST BASED ON TRUNCATED LIFE TESTS USING SOME DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION
Authors: ZORAMAWA AMINU BELLO , DAURAN N. S. , USMAN H. , SYLVESTER IBRAHIM 
Published: February 2023

Sequential sampling procedure constitute a powerful tool to achieve experimental efficiency a sequence of sample are taken from the lot and allow the number of samples to be determined entirely by the result of the sampling process, it forms the basis of numerous sequential technique for different applications which was the special case for multiple acceptance plans, the performance of sequential probability ratio test provides better detection for a wide range of source strength and useful in choosing the best statistical test, which take less time to make decision, was developed on the software reliability measure based on failure intensity for the life time random variable for a truncated life test. In this paper, we considered the performance of acceptance sampling plans using sequential probability ration (SPRT) based on truncated life tests on Maxwell distribution and exponential distribution function in terms of obtaining the minimum number of sample sizes necessary to obtain specified average life time under a given consumer’s and producer’s risk. The SPRT provide an alternative to fix the plans that can help diminish producer and consumer risk of reaching at a wrong decision.
GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF PEGMATITES OF OGODO – ODOBOLA, NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA: A STATUS REVIEW
Authors: Omanayin Yunusa Adinoyi , Waziri N. M. , Onoduku U. S. , Alabi A. A. , Amadi A. N. 
Published: February 2023

Pegmatites are an extremely, coarse-grained igneous rocks of granitic composition, constituting of mainly large crystals of quartz, feldspar and mica. Their occurrence cut across various formations, but mostly around granitoids. They are known to host industrial, rare metals, exotic minerals and gemstones of economic value. Due to the continuous demands and recently discovered uses of some of these minerals, its continuous exploration can never be over-emphasized. Pegmatites occurrence in Nigeria were formerly confined to certain quadrants but resent research has proved they also exist in other zones too. Its occurrence in Ogodo-Odobola area is a recent discovery with scantily available literature. The Few available research work conducted on pegmatite of the Ogodo-Odobola area in Kogi State, North central Nigeria has been reviewed. The works focused on its feldspar content for economic value and the latter attempted the mineralization potential of the pegmatites. The area is revealed to be underlain by schistose and granitic lithologies and intruded by the pegmatite dykes of various dimensions. However, recent studies on granitic pegmatites have evolved just as the pegmatites, not only concentrating on their industrial potentials but also on rare metal mineralization potentials which presently are a key to unlocking the future technologically. A few of those relevant and recent studies in the field were also reviewed to bring forth new ways of dealing with this present world cake to geoscientists. White micas are a useful mineral for determining the degree of evolution in pegmatites.
A HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING APPROACH IN IDENTIFYING RAINWATER POTENTIAL FOR LONG-TERM WATER AND FOOD RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SEVERE CLIMATIC SCENARIOS: A CASE STUDY OF SOUTHERN KADUNA
Authors: Okon Samuel , Dozie Jerome Okoye , Heman Pikama , Abdullahi Argungun Sule , Alika Jeremiah 
Published: February 2023

The unavailability of freshwater in the Sahel region of Africa is one of the hindrances to meeting sustainable development goals. This, coupled with an increasing population, makes irrigation demand unmet. The SWAT hydrological model was used alongside the Water Evaluation and Planning Tool (WEAP) to analyse the current and future conditions under different climatic scenarios. The study found the impact due to urban expansion and climatic change to be severe in the irrigation sector, with an unmet demand of 258 Mm3. The unmet total future demand due to climate variation between 2006 to 2030 is observed to be 30 Mm3,273Mm3,370Mm3,368Mm3 for the climatic scenarios as considered in the study. The SWAT hydrological model produced a Nash-Sutcliffe of 0.837 and 0.75 during calibration and validation, respectively. studies considering water quality are recommended for future studies with also an evaluation of the sustainability of aquatic organisms within the catchment.
Vulnerabilidade em saúde na região de fronteira e Habilidades Sociais de adolescentes
Authors: Corrêa Rafael , Neufeld Carmen Beatriz , Gaspar de Matos Margarida , De Almeida Ana María 
Published: February 2023

Introdução: A vulnerabilidade em saúde de adolescentes em região de fronteira tem recebido destaque em pesquisas na área de educação e saúde pública, auxiliando na identificação e influências na alteração de comportamentos e relacionamentos nessa faixa etária, campo que as habilidades sociais tem demonstrado evidências no enfrentamento dessa problemática. O estudo buscou analisar a associação da vulnerabilidade em saúde na região de fronteira e as habilidades sociais de adolescentes, a fim de fundamentar futuras estratégias de prevenção e promoção de saúde. Métodos: Estudo de coorte transversal realizado com 722 adolescentes matriculados em escolas públicas na cidade de Foz do Iguaçu. A relação da vulnerabilidade com as Habilidades Sociais foi analisada no grupo geral e estratificada por gênero. O Teste Chi-quadrado e a Regressão Logística Binomial foram usados. Resultados: Demonstrou-se uma associação entre fatores de risco em saúde e as habilidades sociais de adolescentes, sendo relevantes: 1) O consumo de álcool, sentimento de solidão e envolvimento em brigas com o auto-controle; 2) Indicadores mais amplos de saúde sexual com as habilidades sociais; 3) O bullying, regulação parental com a empatia, e por fim 4) A atividade física, regulação parental com a desenvoltura social. Conclusões: O estudo demonstra a associação entre o repertório de habilidades sociais e a vulnerabilidade em saúde de adolescentes em região de fronteira, apontando evidências de programas para instrumentalizar futuras pesquisas, sendo assim o estudo indica: (i) Considerar a caracterização da vulnerabilidade em saúde apresentada neste estudo na região de fronteira entre Brasil, Paraguay e Argentina e a influência no repertório de habilidades sociais de adolescentes; (ii) Conduzir futuras pesquisas e intervenções em habilidades sociais considerando as intervenções e tecnologias que apresentam melhor evidência científica.
Stature and mitigation systems affect the risk of leg injury in vehicles attacked under the body by explosive devices
Authors: Rebelo Eduardo A , Grigoriadis Grigoris , Carpanen Diagarajen , Bull Anthony M. J. , Masouros Spyros 
Published: February 2023

A finite-element (FE) model, previously validated for underbody blast (UBB) loading, was used here to study the effect of stature and of mitigation systems on injury risk to the leg. A range of potential UBB loadings was simulated. The risk of injury to the leg was calculated when no protection was present, when a combat boot (Meindl Desert Fox) was worn, and when a floor mat (IMPAXXTM), which can be laid on the floor of a vehicle, was added. The risk of injury calculated indicates that the floor mat provided a statistically significant reduction in the risk of a major calcaneal injury for peak impact speeds below 17.5 m/s when compared with the scenarios in which the floor mat was not present. The risk of injury to the leg was also calculated for a shorter and a taller stature compared to that of the nominal, 50th percentile male anthropometry; shorter and taller statures were constructed by scaling the length of the tibia of the nominal stature. The results showed that there is a higher risk of leg injury associated with the short stature compared to the nominal and tall statures, whereas the leg-injury risk between nominal and tall statures was statistically similar. These findings provide evidence that the combat boot and the floor mat tested here have an attenuating effect, albeit limited to a range of possible UBB loads. The effect of stature on injury has implications on how vehicle design caters for all potential anthropometries and indeed gender, as women, on average, are shorter than men. The results from the computational simulations here complement laboratory and field experimental models of UBB, and so they contribute to the improvement of UBB safety technology and strategy.
Impact of telemedicine on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 lockdown period
Authors: Al-Mutairi Abrar M. , Alshabeeb Mohammad A. , Abohelaika Salah , Alomar Fadhel A. , Bidasee Keshore R. 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundThe lockdown at the start of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Saudi Arabia (March 2020 to June 2020) shifted routine in-person care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to telemedicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact telemedicine had during this period on glycemic control (HbA1c) in patients with T2DMMethods4,266 patients with T2DM were screened from five Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), HbA1c (before and after the COVID-19 lockdown), duration of T2DM, comorbidities and antidiabetic medications data were obtained. Mean and standard deviation of differences in HbA1c were calculated to assess the impact of telemedicine intervention. Correlations between clinically significant variances (when change in the level is ≥0.5%) in HbA1c with demographics and clinical characteristic data were determined using chi square test.ResultsMost of the participants were Saudis (97.7%) with 59.7% female and 56.4% ≥60 years of age. Obesity was 63.8%, dyslipidemia 91%, and hypertension 70%. Mean HbA1c of all patients slightly rose from 8.52% ± 1.5% before lockdown to 8.68% ± 1.6% after lockdown. There were n=1,064 patients (24.9%) whose HbA1c decreased by ≥0.5%, n =1,574 patients whose HbA1c increased by ≥0.5% (36.9%), and n =1,628 patients whose HbA1c changed by &lt;0.5% in either direction (38.2%). More males had significant improvements in glycemia compared to females (28.1% vs 22.8%, p&lt;0.0001), as were individuals below the age of 60 years (28.1% vs 22.5%, p&lt;0.0001). Hypertensive individuals were less likely than non-hypertensive to have glycemic improvement (23.7% vs 27.9%, p=0.015). More patients on sulfonylureas had improvements in HbA1c (42.3% vs 37.9%, p=0.032), whereas patients on insulin had higher HbA1c (62.7% vs 56.2%, p=0.001). HbA1c changes were independent of BMI, duration of disease, hyperlipidemia, heart and kidney diseases.ConclusionTelemedicine was helpful in delivering care to T2DM patients during COVID-19 lockdown, with 63.1% of patients maintaining HbA1c and improving glycemia. More males than females showed improvements. However, the HbA1c levels in this cohort of patients pre- and post-lockdown were unsatisfactorily high, and may be due to in part lifestyle, age, education, and hypertension.
C-reactive protein levels could be a prognosis predictor of prostate cancer: A meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Kechong , Li Chao , Chen Tao , Zhang Xuejun , Ma Baoluo 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundThe relationship between the C-reactive protein (CRP) and prognosis in prostate cancer (PCa) has been widely discussed over the past few years but remains controversial.Material and methodsIn our meta-analysis, we searched 16 reliable studies in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Otherwise, we have successfully registered on the INPLASY. We also performed random- and fixed-effects models to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively.ResultThe result of our meta-analysis shows that elevated CRP levels were related to worse overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.752, 95% CI = 1.304–2.355, p = 0.000), cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR =1.823, 95%CI = 1.19-2.793, P = 0.006), p = 0.026), and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.663, 95% CI = 1.064–2.6, p = 0.026) of PCa patients. There was significant heterogeneity, so we performed a subgroup analysis according to the staging of the disease and found the same result. Furthermore, the heterogeneity was also reduced, and no statistical significance.ConclusionOur study shows that the level of CRP could reflect the prognosis of prostate cancer patients. We find that PCa patients with high levels of CRP often have worse OS, CSS, and PFS, although the stages of the patients’ disease are different. More studies are needed to verify this idea.
Analysis of TMT heterogeneity and IPO underpricing of listed companies in the low carbon economy sector: Evidence from China’s stock market
Authors: Zhou Xiaohua , Feng Guan , Ren Yong 
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Issuance pricing is an important part of the operation of the securities market. Its pricing is directly related to the interests of issuers, investors and underwriters, as well as the regulatory and resource allocation functions of the securities issuance market. When the industry expectations vary greatly, the company has greater TMT heterogeneity. When the market expectation gap expands, the possibility of risk conversion increases. IPO underpricing occurs in stocks of developed countries, developing countries and emerging countries. Because the issuer and the underwriter investors have different information, for example, the information advantage of the underwriter will bring risks to investors when purchasing IPO shares. IPO underpricing is a compensation for the risks brought by information asymmetry.Methods: At present, little attention has been paid to how the value of listed companies affects the underpricing of intellectual property. This paper will fill in this gap and empirically study the impact of management ability of senior management team on IPO underpricing. Therefore, starting from the Chinese stock market, this paper studies the evidence of vertical parallel executives, heterogeneity of senior management team and IPO underpricing.Results: The average values of NCSKEW (C1) and DUVOL (C2) were −0.301 and −0.203, respectively, which were close to the descriptive statistics of the study.Discussion: The dependent variable data in this paper has certain reliability. The minimum value of NCSKEW is −0.361 and the maximum value is 0.392, indicating that the fragmentation risk of different stocks is relatively high.
Characterization of the microenvironment in different immune-metabolism subtypes of cervical cancer with prognostic significance
Authors: Lai Wujiang , Liao Jinrong , Li Xiaoxuan , Liang Peili , He Liqing , Huang Keke , Liang Xiaomei , Wang Yifeng 
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Immune cell infiltration and metabolic reprogramming may have great impact on the tumorigenesis and progression of malignancies. The interaction between these two factors in cervical cancer remains to be clarified. Here we constructed a gene set containing immune and metabolism related genes and we applied this gene set to molecular subtyping of cervical cancer.Methods: Bulk sequencing and single-cell sequencing data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database respectively. Immune and metabolism related genes were collected from Immport and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database respectively. Unsupervised consensus clustering was performed to identify the molecular subtypes. Cibersort was applied to evaluate the immune cells infiltration status. Differential expression analysis and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed to characterize the molecular pattern of different subtypes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used for prognosis prediction model construction and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for performance evaluation. The hub genes in the model were verified in single-cell sequencing dataset and clinical specimens. In vitro experiments were performed to validate the findings in our research.Results: Three subtypes were identified with prognostic implications. C1 subgroup was in an immunosuppressive state with activation of mitochondrial cytochrome P450 metabolism, C2 had poor immune cells infiltration and was characterized by tRNA anabolism, and the C3 subgroup was in an inflammatory state with activation of aromatic amino acid synthesis. The area under the ROC curve of the constructed model was 0.8, which showed better performance than clinical features. IMPDH1 was found to be significantly upregulated in tumor tissue and it was demonstrated that IMPDH1 could be a novel therapeutic target in vitro.Discussion: In summary, our findings suggested novel molecular subtypes of cervical cancer with distinct immunometabolic profiles and uncovered a novel therapeutic target.
Comparison of paravertebral block vs. general anesthesia for percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A retrospective study
Authors: Fei Miaomiao , Qin Wendong , An Guanghui , Li Dujian , Li Cheng , Xiong Lize 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundGeneral anesthesia is used in the majority of patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy. To reduce the general anesthesia-related risks and complications, this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the paravertebral block as a novel and alternative anesthetic method for percutaneous nephrolithotomy.MethodsThis was a retrospective study. A total of 198 patients under percutaneous nephrolithotomy were included. Among them, 76 patients received paravertebral block and 122 received general anesthesia. Patients’ characteristics, surgical outcomes, anesthetic outcomes, and perioperative complications and the visual analog scale (VAS) were recorded to evaluate the efficacy and safety of paravertebral block compared with general anesthesia. Intergroup differences of the parameters were analyzed using an independent t-test and χ2-tests appropriate.ResultsSeventy-six patients who underwent paravertebral block completed the surgery successfully, three patients were supplemented with propofol for discomfort during ureteroscopy, and two patients were supplemented with remifentanil for incomplete nerve blockade. Patients who underwent paravertebral block had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists grade and heart function grade, including patients with contraindications to general anesthesia. Intraoperative and postoperative adverse events and the anesthesia costs were less in patients who underwent paravertebral block. VAS pain scores during the postoperative period in patients who underwent paravertebral block were lower than those in patients who underwent general anesthesia without the use of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia.ConclusionIn this retrospective study, paravertebral block was found to be effective and safe in providing intraoperative anesthesia for percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and had less adverse events and anesthesia costs. Paravertebral block is an attractive alternative anesthesia for patients at increased risk of comorbidities following general or neuraxial anesthesia.
Case Report: Defect repair post-resection of cervical tracheal granular cell tumor by cervical anterior banded myofascial flap: A case study and literature review
Authors: Liu Zhu , Li Zhendong 
Published: February 2023

ObjectiveA case of cervical tracheal granular cell tumor (CTGCT) is reported together with a discussion on the clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and treatment of CTGCT. Additional cases of tumors in the tracheal membrane are also discussed. A simple and viable tracheal reconstruction method was proposed. The research design involves a case report and literature review.MethodsTwenty-four case reports on cervical GCT with complete clinical data were identified, with a specific focus on cases involving surgical treatment of tumors in the cervical tracheal membrane.ResultsTwenty-eight reports of GCT in the cervical trachea and six reports on cervical tracheal membrane tumors were identified. The clinical data of a middle-aged Asian woman with a cervical GCT was also discussed.ConclusionCervical GCT is a rare disease, and tracheal resection is a reasonable treatment for cervical tracheal GCT. The proposed procedure is a simple and feasible method for reconstruction of the cervical tracheal membrane defect using a double-pedicled banded myofascial flap.
Ex vivo tumor dissection followed by kidney autotransplantation in bilateral wilms tumor
Authors: Zhong Zhihai , Jiang Hong , Chen Huadong , Wu Chenglin , Wang Yuanqi , Zhang Zhichong , Li Jun , Liu Juncheng 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionSuccessful management of bilateral Wilm's tumor (BWT) involves a radical resection while preserving enough normal kidney tissue. Nephron-sparing surgery often results in an R1/R2 resection with a high recurrence rate in children with huge or multiple tumors, or tumors proximity to the renal hilum. In contrast, kidney autotransplantation can completely resect the tumor while maintaining homeostasis and preserving the patient's healthy kidney tissues.MethodsWe summarized the clinical data of 8 synchronous BWT patients who underwent kidney autotransplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 2018 to 2020. Ex vivo tumor resection and kidney autotransplantions were performed on 11 kidneys. The baseline characteristics, perioperative management, and survival status were reported.ResultsNephron-sparing surgeries were performed on 5 kidneys in vivo. Among all the 8 patients, six of them (75%) received staged operation and the other 2 patients (25%) received single-stage operation. No residual tumors were found on the postoperative imaging in all the 8 patients. In total, 6 (75%) patients occurred complications after the autotransplantation, among which, 2 (33.3%) patients had complication of Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa, and 4 (66.7%) patients had complication of grade &lt; 3. During the 38 months of follow-up, 87.5% (7/8) of patients were tumor-free survival with normal renal function. One patient died from renal failure without tumor recurrence.DiscussionTherefore, our study indicated that autologous kidney transplantation can be an option for patients with complex BWT if the hospital's surgical technique and perioperative management conditions are feasible.