Application Of Time Research Articles

Sustainable Treatment of Oral Traumatic Ulcers with Licorice Containing Hydrogels: Integrating Computational Modeling, Quality by Design, Green Synthesis, and Molecular Biological Evaluation.

The urge to implement innovative approaches that align with eco-friendly practices and hold promise for enhancing oral health while promoting environmental sustainability has been increasing. This current work aims to develop a sustainable treatment for oral traumatic ulcers using licorice-based hydrogels (LHGs) containing hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as the green gelling agent. Licorice root aqueous extract was phytochemically profiled using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Forty-three compounds were detected, with Glycyrrhizic acid being the major component of the extract (34.85 ± 2.77%). By implementing a Quality by Design (QbD) approach, the study investigates the effects of different licorice extract and HEC concentrations on key variables such as pH and viscosity of the prepared formulations, ulcer and wound healing scores, and tissue growth factors via a Full Factorial Experimental Design. The LHGs exhibited desirable consistency, spreadability, and clarity. Statistical analysis, employing an ANOVA test, revealed the high significance of the constructed models with the licorice concentration being the key independent factor affecting all dependent outputs. The pH as well as the viscosity of the prepared LHGs were positively influenced by licorice extract concentration, with higher concentrations leading to increased alkalinity and viscosity. Rheological behavior analysis revealed a pseudoplastic flow with demonstrated thixotropy which is advantageous for application and prolongation of residence time. The wound healing process was assessed through ulcer size, traumatic ulcer healing score (UHS), collagen-1 expression (COL-1), growth factors (EGF, VEGF), pro-inflammatory markers (TNF-α), wound healing score (WHS). LHGs prepared using higher levels of both factors, 30% dried licorice root extract and 4% HEC, demonstrated enhanced wound healing, elevated growth factor expression of 66.67% and 23.24%, respectively, and 88% reduced inflammation compared to the control group, indicating their potential in expediting oral ulcer recovery. Overall, these findings highlight the promising role of green licorice-based hydrogels in promoting sustainable oral mucosal healing.

Chromatographic speed classification for liquid chromatography using average theoretical peak time (ATPT)

BackgroundThe development of analytical techniques in the field of liquid chromatography has brought new frontiers in performance and analytical speed for the technique. The proper evaluation of the analytical boundaries achieved with those developments was not addressed in the literature, since different liquid chromatography (LC) techniques have not yet received any classification regarding their chromatographic speed. Defining chromatographic analysis speed based simply on analysis time is an outdated concept since it is sample and analyte-dependent. In this context, the application of the Average Theoretical Peak Time concept (ATPT) is proposed as a unified metric for chromatographic speed classification. ResultsThis metric was evaluated using PCA analysis in a group of more than 50 publications, which generated the classification of LC methods in normal, high, hyper, and ultra-high-speed separations using ATPT. Normal speed (ATPT values greater than 18000 ms/peak) was found in HPLC, nano-LC, SFC, and CEC methods. Therefore, high-speed methods (ATPT values between 4000 and 18000 ms/peak) were found in UHPLC techniques, while LC × LC methods presented higher ATPT values between 1000 and 4000 ms/peak being classified as hyper-speed separations. ATPT can also be used as an optimization parameter, since older methods show higher ATPT values, while recent published papers show lower values of this metric. This behavior is justified due to the improvement of the LC methods over the years. SignificanceThis work fulfills the gap in chromatographic definitions and metrics, regarding analytical speed in one-dimensional and multidimensional liquid chromatographic techniques and shows that ATPT metrics is a robust parameter that can be used to classify the separation speed as well as a metric to evaluate the LC Method optimization. It also corrects the historical application of separation time as a metric for chromatographic speed.

Lean Optimization of Batch Production in an Aluminium Company

This work investigates the optimization of a batch type of production and operational management in an aluminium company using a lean manufacturing system. The operation and production system of the case study company runs in various sectors, which led to waste in the system, hindering the company's ability to meet customer demand. Through operational data analysis and questionnaires, the team identified the types of waste generated by the case study company. Lean manufacturing techniques such as eight deadly wastes, Heijunka, takt time, 5S approach, quality tool management, value stream mapping, Kaizen, Kaban, Gemba, and top and bottom-level involvement were employed to manage the waste. The findings reveal defects in inventory, transportation, waiting times, and untapped ideas of employees, all of which significantly impact the company's performance. This allows for daily production of small batches of aluminium alloys (AA3001, AA3105, and AA3110) without issues, supported by the principle of pull production. Additionally, the application of Takt time results in a significant reduction of production time, leading to improved efficiency. The study also highlights the high interaction effect of transportation, defects, and inventory wastes on various production lines, such as the bogie fitting line paint line, and anti-intrusion. Among the lean manufacturing tools, Kaban, standard work, and 5S are identified as the most frequently used. The research findings provide valuable insights for manufacturing industry leaders to spot the performance gaps and enhance the application of lean manufacturing practices.

Impact of rest time on creep recovery of asphalt mixtures modified with calcined marl filler

Recently, there has been a trend among pavement engineers and scientists to utilize natural mineral resources found in different parts of the world to develop and enhance sustainable infrastructure. One of such materials is calcined clay. However, the fatigue performance of asphalt mixtures made with these alternative materials needs to be properly studied. Due to its complex composition, asphalt concrete exhibits diverse non-linear characteristics when subjected to different conditions. As such, the impact of rest time, considering the effect of hardening relaxation and healing on the creep recovery of asphalt mixtures modified with calcined marl filler (CMF), has been evaluated in this present study. Thus, the locally sourced marl was pulverized and calcined to produce CMF. Different amounts of CMF were added to asphalt mixtures as a mineral filler, ranging from 0% to 100% by weight. Afterwards, the rheological properties of CMF mastic using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) were investigated. Notably, the outcomes of the experiments revealed compelling insights. Specifically, under the influence of 50% CMF modification, the asphalt mixtures exhibited a remarkable rutting resistance, with values reaching 12.7 kPa for unaged conditions and 16.1 kPa for aged conditions. Additionally, the results underscored an enhancement in the low-temperature characteristics of the bitumen mastic, which consequently contributed to heightened resistance against fatigue-induced damage. Furthermore, the statistical analysis, such as the student t-test, deployed to compare the creep recovery with and without rest time indicated that the creep recovery changes with the application of rest time. Hence, at long rest times, the hardening relaxation behavior reduces and the chances of healing increase, leading to a decrease in the amount of deformation in the samples.

Changes in Neck and Shoulder Muscles Fatigue Threshold When Using a Passive Head/Neck Supporting Exoskeleton During Repetitive Overhead Tasks.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a head/neck supporting exoskeleton (HNSE) on the electromyographic fatigue threshold (EMGFT) of the neck and shoulder muscles during a simulated overhead work task. Overhead work is a well-known risk factor for neck and shoulder musculoskeletal disorders due to the excessive strain imposed on the muscles and joints in these regions. Fourteen healthy males performed a repetitive overhead nut fastening/unfastening task to exhaustion while wearing and not wearing the HNSE at two neck extension angles (40% and 80% of neck maximum range of motion). Electromyographic signals were continuously recorded from the right and left sternocleidomastoid (SCMR, SCML), splenius capitis (SCR, SCL), upper trapezius (UTR, UTL), and anterior deltoid (ADR, ADL) muscles. The normalized electromyographic amplitude (nEMG) data was time normalized, and a bisegmental linear regression was applied to determine the muscle fatigue break point. The results showed a significant increase in fatigue threshold time in the SCMR (p < .001), SCML (p = .002), and UTR (p = .037) muscles when the HNSE was used. However, the EMGFT times for the right and left deltoid and left trapezius muscles showed a nonsignificant reduction due to the head/neck support exoskeleton use. In addition, the neck extension angle did not reveal a significant effect on muscles' EMGFT time. Overall, the findings confirmed a significant delay in fatigue onset in sternocleidomastoid muscles, as measured by the electromyographic fatigue threshold. This finding suggests that the HNSE can be an effective ergonomic intervention for reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in overhead workers. However, further studies are needed to investigate the effect of the HNSE at other neck extension angles and more realistic tasks to ensure the generalizability of our results. The present findings emphasize the application of the fatigue onset time to evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions, including exoskeletons, which can subsequently be utilized to alleviate postural demands and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Application of dynamic time warping optimization algorithm in speech recognition of machine translation

Speech recognition is the foundation of human-computer interaction technology and an important aspect of speech signal processing, with broad application prospects. Therefore, it is very necessary to recognize speech. At present, speech recognition has problems such as low recognition rate, slow recognition speed, and severe interference from other factors. This paper studied speech recognition based on dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm. By introducing speech recognition, the specific steps of speech recognition were understood. Before performing speech recognition, the speech that needs to be recognized needs to be converted into a speech sequence using an acoustic model. Then, the DTW algorithm was used to preprocess speech recognition, mainly by sampling and windowing the speech. After preprocessing, speech feature extraction was carried out. After feature extraction was completed, speech recognition was carried out. Through experiments, it can be found that the recognition rate of speech recognition on the basis of DTW algorithm was very high. In a quiet environment, the recognition rate was above 93.85 %, and the average recognition rate of the 10 selected testers was 95.8 %. In a noisy environment, the recognition rate was above 91.4 %, and the average recognition rate of the 10 selected testers was 93 %. In addition to high recognition rate, DTW based speech recognition also had a very fast speed for vocabulary recognition. Based on the DTW algorithm, speech recognition not only has a high recognition rate, but also has a faster recognition speed.

Detection of Authentication of Meat Products by Low Cost Closed-tube Molecular Methods

Nowadays adulteration of meat products, especially of ground meat products which form an easy case scenario for implementing adulteration practices due to their structure and texture, emerges a critical issue of raised concern threatening fair trade, food quality and consumers&amp;rsquo; health and protection. Food authentication testing is the tool to address this kind of fraud. There is several analytical methodologies applied for meat authentication targeting at different biomarkers and using a variety of analytical techniques. However, the applied methodologies should exhibit suitable performance characteristics such as reliability, sensitivity, reproducibility and availability in order to be fit for purpose. During the last 20 years, amplification tests have emerged as an important diagnostic tool, not only for clinical applications, but also for food quality and safety. It was urgent to develop molecular techniques fast and sensitive. The introduction of new DNA technologies has facilitated the ease and accuracy of of methods for fraud detection. The closed-tube methods of Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and Gold Nanoparticles linked with oligonucleotides used as molecular probes are well known for their robust and highly sensitive and specific amplification of target DNA. Moreover, these techniques are rapid, low-cost diagnostics and available on site. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular methods developed that can be applied for investigating ground meat adul-teration and focuses on the advantages of the rapid closed tube methods that can yield color results interpreted with the naked eye. The application of such time- and cost-effective molecular tools in the food market is proposed to provide a first-level filter for meat adulterated products, serving as a complementary tool to the more in-depth -omics approach.

Removal of pesticides from fresh-cut Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. chinensis L.) by sequential multi-frequency ultrasound cleaning treatments

Pesticides may remain on the surface of fresh produce due to inappropriate and inadequate cleaning. In view of the public health significance of pesticide residues in fresh produce and the long-term effects of low dose exposure of these pesticides, decontamination procedures are needed for ready-to-eat foods, especially vegetables. Ultrasound cleaning is considered to be an effective environmentally-friendly decontamination process which is unique in its ability to remove pesticides compared to other conventional methods. The reduction of dimethoate and diazinon residues from fresh Chinese cabbage by sequential multi-frequency ultrasound cleaning treatments was investigated in this study to ascertain the levels of reduction after cleaning. The ultrasonic treatment has higher efficiency on the removal of these organophosphorus pesticides compared to ordinary water cleaning. The removal rates of ultrasonic cleaning treatments for dimethoate and diazinon residues were in the range of 20.10–72.42% and 29.60–77.37% compared to the ordinary water cleaning with 13.24–19.89% and 17.32–24.16% respectively. In addition, quality parameters for the leaves treated were also assessed. The physical impairment and vitamin C loss increased with the increase in ultrasonic frequency combination and cleaning time. Application of triple frequency ultrasound and extended washing time resulted in high dimethoate (>70%) and diazinon reduction (>75%) alongside slight perceptible darkening in colour of the leaves. The use of multi-frequency ultrasound in sequential mode is an effective technique for the removal of pesticide residues from leafy vegetables. However, ultrasonic operating conditions should be considered to maintain product quality.

Waktu Kerja Fleksibel Dan Supervisi Dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Karyawan Studi: Sales Eksekutif Pt. Theta Nusantara Jaya Daerah Cianjur Dan Sukabumi

This study aims to determine whether the application of flexible working time and supervision has an influence and can improve the performance of executive sales employees at PT. Theta Nusantara Jaya Cianjur and Sukabumi areas. The research method used is a quantitative method. The sample in this study were 42 respondents who are sales executives of PT. Theta Nusantara Jaya Cianjur and Sukabumi areas using saturated sampling technique. Data were obtained through a research questionnairewhich was distributed to all samples containing 24 servers regarding the variables of flexible working time, supervision and employee performance, using a differential semantic measurement system. Furthermore, the data that has been obtained will be analyzed with various tests to answer the hypothesis in this study. The results showed that there is a positive and sinificant influence between monitoring variables on employee performance and simultaneously the application of flexible working time and supervision can improve the performance of executive sales employees at PT. Theta Nusantara Jaya Cianjur and Sukabumi areas.

Pre‐deacidification of hazelnut oil by short‐path distillation: Changes in 3‐chloropropane‐1,2‐diol esters, glycidyl esters, free fatty acids, tocopherols, and diglycerides

AbstractPerforming pre‐deacidification using short‐path distillation at high temperatures and vacuum levels is a general application for fats and oils with high free fatty acids (FFA) to reduce their FFA contents to reasonable levels before steam distillation or neutralization. This study aims to determine the changes in 3‐chloropropane‐1,2‐diol esters (3‐MCPDE), glycidyl esters (GE), and diglyceride (DG) as well as the losses in tocopherols during this process. A bleached hazelnut oil having 12.10% FFA content was distilled using a molecular distillation unit at 200 °C, 220 °C, and 240°C temperatures and 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mbar absolute pressures. The target was to reduce FFA content to less than 2% with minimum tocopherol loss. The results showed that considerable removals in FFA and GE contents were achieved by increasing the temperature and vacuum, while fewer decreases were detected in 3‐MCPDE and DG concentrations. Tocopherols were dramatically decreased by temperature rising, therefore, the lowest temperature (200°C) and absolute pressures (0.25–0.5 mbar) might be suitable for pre‐deacidification of hazelnut oil, where the distilled oil contained 1.78%–1.90% FFA, 243.11–286.76 mg kg–1 tocopherol, 0.50–0.55 mg kg–1 3‐MCPDE, 0.03–0.05 mg kg–1 GE and 4.00–4.22 mg kg–1 DG.Practical Application: Vegetable oils with high free fatty acid (FFA) contents are generally subjected to physical refining to avoid considerable refining loss. However, high temperatures applied to vegetable oils during physical refining result in the formation of 3‐MCPDE&amp;GE, and the loss of some nutrients, such as tocopherols. These adverse effects can be reduced through application of lower temperatures and shorter time during physical refining. This can be applied after the FFA contents of the oils are decreased to reasonable levels (less than 2%) by distillation (pre‐deacidification) before the deodorization. Although this technique has been implemented in many plants, there is almost no information on the effects of applied conditions on 3‐MCPDE and GE and some other minor constituents. This manuscript explains the changes in these compounds during the pre‐deacidification of hazelnut oil by molecular distillation. Suitable distillation conditions were also suggested, which would be very useful for industrial refining plants.

Features and effectiveness of neuromarketing research of consumer behavior in the brand management system

The work shows the significance and role of modern marketing research formats in managing the customer experience in the development of brands under the conditions of a turbulent market. The possibilities and actual problems of the progress of neuromarketing research in the system of brand management of enterprises are studied. Attention is focused on the peculiarities of the current stage in the progress of technologies for working with neural networks of the brain, the limitations of its systemic understanding, which do not allow to fully realize the potential of neuromarketing and related applied directions, which are important and promising for increasing the efficiency of brand development by enterprises. A marketing audit of the project of consumer testing of new packaging design concepts for brand goods (with shelf imitation and eye-tracking) for Ukrainian enterprises was carried out. The effectiveness of the integrated application of time- tested research technologies and explanatory capabilities of social and psychological sciences, as well as the latest tools for researching neural activities and the expediency of auditing the results on the basis of sustablished patterns of consumer behavior is proven. The peculiarities of taking into account situational and subjective conditioning of behavioral reactions in the formation of projects and conclusions of neuromarketing research are elaborated. Problematic aspects and the importance of ensuring systematicity in the diagnosis of problems and the development of constructive marketing solutions regarding the improvement of the customer experience and the development of brands, with the long-term preservation of the integrity of their concepts, especially during the volatility of markets and during periods of crisis, are demonstrated. The prospects and advantages of applying new principles and approaches to the development of brand management systems of companies are determined. Scientific and practical recommendations have been developed and substantiated, algorithmic schemes of separate processes of diagnostic identification of problems regarding the formation and nature of behavioral reactions in interactions with brands, as well as their constructive processing in customer experience management, increasing the efficiency of brand management of enterprises, have been proposed.

Principle, development and application of time–temperature indicators for packaging

AbstractTime–temperature indicators (TTIs) can visually reflect the remaining shelf life of various products, especially in cold chain transportation, by taking consideration of both time and temperature influences. Though various TTIs have been developed, few have been commercialized. This review aims at providing a timely reference to scientific community and valuable guidance for the future design of TTIs to boost the commercialization. This review firstly introduces the general principle and models for TTIs including key parameters of reaction rate constants, activation energies and activation energy matching. Then, four classical types of TTIs covering diffusion‐based, polymer‐based, enzyme‐based, and microbial TTIs are introduced regarding their working mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages as well as commercialized TTI products as examples. The development trend of TTI design and fabrication is highlighted from three categories including nanoparticles, electrospun nanofibers and printable inks. Furthermore, the review summarizes recent application of TTIs for monitoring the quality and safety of various products (meat, seafood, dairy, vaccines and fruits and vegetables). We also point our concerns from the perspective of safety, accuracy, multifunctionality and commercialization for the future development of TTIs.

Surface Wildfire Regime and Simulation-Based Wildfire Exposure in the Golestan National Park, NE Iran

This research analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns of wildfire regime attributes (e.g., seasonality, size, frequency, and burn rate) across the Golestan National Park (GNP), northeast Iran over the last two decades. We used a variety of data, including existing vegetation data, current vegetation survey, and historical wildfire data, and then data were processed through ArcMap. We also predicted fire exposure profiles (burn probability (BP), conditional flame length (CFL (m)), and fire size (FS (ha)) by the application of the minimum travel time (MTT) fire spread algorithm. The kernel density estimation (KDE) method was used to estimate wildfire likelihood, based on recent wildfires (2000–2020) that occurred in the GNP. Finally, we developed a logistic regression model to investigate how independent variables such as weather, fuel, and topographic data influence wildfires in the park. Wildfires in the landscape have not been constant in either space or time. Their extent, seasonality, frequency, and other wildfire regime characters varied considerably across the landscape. Our results highlighted that shrublands in the southern part of the park showed, in general, the highest values in terms of the wildfire regime attributes. Large fires (10–100 ha, 51%) and very large fires (&gt;100 ha, 24%), fire intervals greater than 10 years (90%), and high burn rates (&gt;1% y−1, 35%) are all characteristics that contribute to high wildfire activity in shrublands. Similarly, areas predicted to have high wildfire exposure levels (average BP = 0.004; average CFL = 1.60 m; average FS = 840 ha) are found in the fuel models of high-load grass and medium-load shrub. Finally, the regression model results revealed that weather and fuel were the most influential parameters (R2 ≥ 0.2), while topography had comparatively less influence in the study area. In light of these results, we suggest proactively incorporating this information into fire and fuel management which can help develop a fire prevention plan, predict fire ignition probability and frequency, and finally address altered fire regimes threatening the park.

Oscillatory time–frequency concentration for adaptive bearing fault diagnosis under nonstationary time-varying speed

Being a promising post-processing solution, application of time–frequency concentration (TFC) suffers in an adaptive fault diagnosis scenario due to non-adaptive extraction of bearing fault signature from noise-associated vibration signals under nonstationary time-varying speed. Aiming at solving this problem, a novel method called oscillatory time–frequency concentration (OTFC) is proposed by oscillation based adaptive extraction of time-varying bearing fault signature with the help of tunable Q factor wavelet transform (TQWT). OTFC can effectively suppress unwanted noise while adaptively reveals the time-varying fault characteristic frequency (FCF) and corresponding harmonics with excellent readability. Two distinct numerical simulations and experimental case studies have been utilized to verify the performance of the proposed OTFC. The results show that the proposed OTFC not only performs better than the conventional TFC method namely synchrosqueezing wavelet transform (SST) but also shows superior performance than traditional continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and advanced TFC method namely multitaper synchrosqueezing wavelet transform (MST).

Morphological Interface Between Restorative and Pulp-Capping Materials: A Systematic Review.

Bioceramic materials (BCMs) are widely used in vital pulp therapy (VPT) for their biocompatibility and bioactivity; however, their mechanical properties are equally important in the clinical outcome of the pulp-capped teeth. To carry out an analysis of the research produced on the morphology of the interface between BM and restorative materials (RM) through a systematic review. An electronic search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science until December 9, 2022. The keywords used in combination with truncation and Boolean operators were: (morphology OR filtration OR porosity) AND (silicate OR composite) AND (cement) AND ("pulp capping" OR "vital pulp therapy" OR "vital pulp treatment"). Of the 387 articles initially retrieved from the electronic search databases, 5 articles met the criteria for qualitative data collection. MTA and Biodentine were the most studied BCMs. All the articles used a scanning electron microscope as a method of evaluating the samples. Sample sizes and setting times of RM and BCMs differed between studies. Three out of 5 studies used similar conditions of recorded temperature and humidity of 37°C and 100%, respectively. The different biomaterials used, the application of adhesive systems, humidity and restoration time affect the bonding performance and the ultrastructural interface between BCMs and RMs. The scarcity of research on this point makes it necessary to delve into it and study new materials to obtain more scientific evidence.

Geoacoustic Inversion with a Single Vector Sensor and Multichannel Dispersion Curves

This paper discusses the value added by using a single vector sensor over a conventional pressure-only hydrophone for geoacoustic inversions. Inversion methods based on genetic algorithms are used to estimate the seabed properties. Synthetic signals of impulsive arrivals first are modeled using KRAKEN and RAM propagation models, each being modified to predict components of the vector field. While KRAKEN is utilized to directly compute dispersion curves, RAM provides full-field results that require the application of time warping to separate the modal arrivals. Combinations of dispersion curves utilizing all vector sensor channels are compared to curves estimated with the pressure-only channel. Within the time warping analysis, both binary masking and band-pass filter masking methods are applied to compare stability of results. The environment modeled for the synthetic analysis and inversion method utilize sound speed profiles measured during the Monterey Bay 2019 at-sea experiment and assume a sediment layer of constant thickness overlying a deeper sub-bottom type. White noise is added to the synthetic data at different signal-to-noise ratios to evaluate the impact of signal excess on the results. A hybrid optimization approach is used to improve the results of the genetic algorithm method. The analysis with synthetic data is consistent with the analysis of broadband, impulsive data collected from the experiment, indicating that the additional information from the vertical velocity channel further improves the geoacoustic parameter estimates.

Visible light photocatalysis alleviates ceramic membrane fouling caused by intracellular organic matter of Microcystis aeruginosa

Ultrafiltration (UF) is an effective technology for treating algae-containing water. The algal intracellular organic matter (IOM) released by dead algae during an excessive algae growth phase causes more serious membrane fouling than viable algal cells and algal extracellular organic matter (EOM), which seriously restricts stable operation of UF. This paper studied the removal of IOM by a Bi2O3–TiO2/PAC (Bi-doped TiO2 nano-composites supported by powdered activated carbon) photocatalytic oxidation-ceramic ultrafiltration membrane, the inhibitory effect of membrane fouling at different photocatalytic oxidation times, and the fouling mechanism. The results show that both the adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation of Bi2O3–TiO2/PAC can significantly remove proteinoids and humic acid-like fluorescent components present in IOM, with removals of UV254 and DOC reaching up to 81.8% and 44.0%. The generated superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals positively affect the degradation of organic compounds of various molecular weights, and holes mainly degrade acidic low-molecular weight organic compounds. When the photocatalytic oxidation time was extended to 60 min, the membrane flux increased by 70.7% and the reversible resistance and irreversible resistance decreased by 83.4% and 90.1%, respectively. Under these conditions, the fouling mechanism changed from complete blockage to intermediate blockage. In the late stage of photocatalytic oxidation (90–120min), part of the high and medium molecular weight organic components were oxidized to produce low-molecular weight organic compounds (LMW acidic and neutral organic compounds), and blockage of filter cake became the main fouling mechanism. After photocatalysis, the zeta potential decreases significantly and the interaction forces between pollutants and pollutants are transformed into repulsive forces. Application of an appropriate photocatalytic oxidation time can alleviate the ultrafiltration membrane fouling caused by algal-derived organics.

Analysis of Frequency and Patterns of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) in Haart Naive HIV Sero Positive Patients at Unth, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu: An Application of Ewing's & Time and Frequency Domain Method

Analysis of Frequency and Patterns of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) in Haart Naive HIV Sero Positive Patients at Unth, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu: An Application of Ewing's & Time and Frequency Domain Method

How is Time Alone Introduced? Experiences and Preferences of Adolescents and Parents

PurposeTime alone between health care providers and adolescent patients is a core element of quality adolescent primary care, yet not all adolescents receive this care. Clinicians' apprehension about how best to introduce time alone may contribute to lower levels of time alone. This study aims to understand how adolescent patients and their parents or guardians experience the introduction of time alone during adolescent preventive visits. MethodWe conducted semistructured interviews with adolescents, aged 11–17 years (n = 35) and a parent or guardian of the adolescent (n = 35) across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Minnesota. We used thematic analysis to describe (1) parent and adolescent experiences learning about time alone for the first time and (2) parent and adolescent reactions to this experience. ResultsKey findings from this study suggest that adolescents prefer a universal application of time alone with an option to opt out (e.g., “At this age, I always ask parents to step out for a few minutes, are you okay with that?”), rather than opt in (e.g., “Would you like your parent to step out?”). Parents noted that time alone should not be a surprise but rather should be presented as routine, so they are not left to wonder if time alone was offered to their adolescent for a particular reason. DiscussionFindings suggest universal presentation of time alone with the option for adolescents to opt out may improve acceptability of time alone and support delivery of highquality care.

Research progress in the application of time in range: more than a percentage.

Glucose monitoring is an important part of medical care in diabetes mellitus, which not only helps assess glycemic control and treatment safety, but also assists with treatment adjustment. With the development of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), the use of CGM has increased rapidly. With the wealth of glucose data produced by CGM, new metrics are greatly needed to optimally evaluate glucose status and guide the treatment. One of the parameters that CGM provides, time in range (TIR), has been recognized as a key metric by the international consensus. Before the adoption of TIR in clinical practice, several issues including the minimum length of CGM use, the setting of the target range, and individualized TIR goals are summarized. Additionally, we discussed the mounting evidence supporting the association between TIR and diabetes-related outcomes. As a novel glucose metric, it is of interest to compare TIR with other conventional glucose markers such as glycated hemoglobin A1c. It is anticipated that the use of TIR may provide further information on the quality of glucose control and lead to improved diabetes management.