Decrease In Proportion Research Articles

Effect of Veau Class on Levator Veli Palatini Muscle Composition.

To examine levator veli palatini muscle composition in patients with nonsyndromic cleft palate and investigate the impact of Veau class. Prospective cohort study. Tertiary care academic hospital. Thirteen patients with nonsyndromic cleft palate were recruited. During primary palatoplasty, a sample of levator veli palatini muscle was excised and prepared for histological analysis. Fat and collagen content were determined utilizing Oil Red and Sirius red stains, respectively, while muscle fiber cross-sectional areas were calculated from H&E-stained samples, with analysis using histomorphometric methods. Immunofluorescent staining of myosin heavy chain isoforms was performed. Patients underwent repair at 10.8 months of age (interquartile range [IQR] 10.2-12.9). Fat content of the levator veli palatini muscle was low in both groups, ranging from 0% to 5.2%. Collagen content ranged from 8.5% to 39.8%; neither fat nor collagen content showed an association with Veau classes. Mean muscle fiber cross-sectional area decreased with increasing Veau class, from 808 µm2 (range 692-995 µm2) in Veau II to 651 µm2 (range 232-750 µm2) in Veau III (P = .02). There was also a nonsignificant decrease in proportion of type I muscle fibers with increasing Veau class (44.3% [range 31.4%-84.4%] in Veau II vs 35.3% [range 17.4%-61.3%] in Veau III). Muscle fiber area in levator veli palatini muscles decreases in Veau III clefts in comparison to Veau II. The impact of these differences in velopharyngeal dysfunction requires further analysis of a larger cohort.

Healthcare accessibility since and during Covid-19 pandemic among older individuals in Europe

Abstract Ensuring access to healthcare is critical to prevent illnesses and maintain health and functional abilities for older individuals. The Covid-19 pandemic is a major global public health threat that challenges healthcare availability and accessibility. The objective of the study was to compare healthcare accessibility for older individuals since and during Covid-19 pandemic. The study was based on a sample of individuals from wave 8 Covid-19 add-on and wave 9 Covid-19-add-on of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in the period from 2020 till 2021. The sample size was 44043 respondents from 26 European countries. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and McNemar test was performed. Overall, in 2021 there is a statistically significant decrease in proportion of respondents who forwent medical treatment (from 12% to 8%, in Latvia from 14,6% to 7%), postponed medical appointment due to Covid-19 (from 27% to 13%, in Latvia from 14,6% to 3,2%) and to whom appointment was denied by healthcare facility due to Covid-19 (from 5,3% to 4,5%, in Latvia from 6.9% to 3,3%) (p < 0.001). More often forwent medical appointment in 2021 was reported from females as well as respondents younger than 75 years, with good or very good self-rated health status and with less or no limitations due to health. Forwent medical treatment was reported more often from respondents with diabetes and hypertension. Results indicate that remote consultations are used more often than in 2020 (number of remote consultations varied between 1 and more than 100) and more often were reported by younger respondents (50-74 years). No significant association was found in self-rated health changes since and during Covid-19 pandemic for respondents who reported healthcare accessibility issues. As those issues were reported also by individuals with poor or fair self-rated health status and serious health conditions it can lead to a more rapid decline in health and functional abilities in the future. Key messages

ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTAMINATION OF ANALYTICAL SAMPLES DURING QUALITY CONTROL OF MEDICINES AND WORK WITHIN THE SAME LABORATORY ROOM WITH DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES

The aim of the stady. To determine the concentration of diclofenac sodium in the air of the working area within the same room in order to determine the possible contamination of the sample being analyzed, when simultaneously working with different substances of medicinal products.
 Materials and methods. Air sampling was carried out using a TYPHOON-S4 electric aspirator for 30 minutes at a speed of 20 l/min. The test to determine the concentration of diclofenac sodium in air was carried out by concentrating the analytical sample with regard to the microconcentration of the substance by the method of solid-phase extraction, using Oasis MCX 6cc (150 mg) LP Extraction Cartridges, after which desorption was carried out with a solvent - methanol. The obtained samples were analyzed by the method of high-performance liquid chromatography using a Dionex Ultimate 3000 chromatograph with a diode-matrix detector. The sensitivity of the method reaches ng/ml.
 The results. As part of the work, a specific, highly sensitive method for determining the concentration of sodium diclofenac in the air was developed and testing was carried out by determining the concentration of sodium diclofenac in the air of the working area during certain analytical operations (pouring, weighing the substance, crushing tablets containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient under analysis, homogenization). The linear dependence of the diclofenac sodium peak area on the concentration of the substance in the solution (0.025-10 μg/ml) has been proven. Based on the obtained data, it was established that the volatile microparticles of diclofenac sodium substance are subject to air deposition, and as a result, a certain amount of this API penetrates into the analyzed samples of other drugs nearby. This fact can lead to obtaining unreliable results during the control of the quality and safety of medicinal products, which can have negative consequences for preserving the health of the population when using medicinal products of inadequate quality. At the same time, the research results show a proportional decrease in the concentration of sodium diclofenac in the air of the working area within one laboratory room as the air aspiration distance from the analytical operation being performed increases. However, at a distance of 0.2 m, the content of sodium diclofenac in the air of the working area exceeds the MPC by two times. These results indicate not only the possible background contamination of the analytical sample during the simultaneous work of several or one operator with different APIs or ready-made medicinal products, but also the possible harm to the analyst's health.
 Conclusions. A technique for determining microconcentrations of the active substance in the air of the working area has been developed. It has been found that samples can be easily contaminated with microparticles from other sources if proper precautions are not taken during collection, sample preparation and analysis. Special care should be taken, precautions should be taken, and operating procedures should be developed to minimize the risk of unwanted migration of contaminants in the quality and safety control of medicinal products.

Hydrogen/PRF skeletal mechanism study based on shock tube experiments and kinetic analysis

In the present work, the experiments of measuring ignition delay times (IDTs) of the hydrogen/n-heptane mixture at high temperature (1130–1485 K) and low pressure (1.25 atm) by a shock tube is implemented. The results show that mixtures with higher hydrogen proportion and lower equivalence ratio present shorter IDT. In the case of high hydrogen proportion, the n-heptane addition causes an obvious inhibition effect on the ignition of the mixture. Whereas, as the hydrogen proportion decreases, such inhibition effect weakens. As the experimental values are consistent with the predicted IDTs by NUI (National University of Ireland) mechanism, the NUI mechanism was selected to conduct the kinetic study. The consumption of n-heptane at the initial stage of reaction is earlier than that of hydrogen because the activities of n-heptane’s H-abstraction and decomposition reactions are relatively high. With shock tube experimental data as the calibration basis, a skeletal hydrogen/PRF (Primary Reference Fuel) mechanism, was updated from a skeletal PRF mechanism. The skeletal hydrogen/PRF mechanism, consisting of 49 species and 162 reactions had been validated against shock tube experiment of hydrogen, n-heptane, isooctane pure fuel, PRF, and hydrogen/n-heptane mixture.

Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on Enhancement of Sliding Wear Resistance of Plasma-Sprayed Yttria-Stabilised Zirconia Coatings

An experimental investigation was performed to study the performance of thermally sprayed yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) coatings obtained with the reinforcement of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in different weight percentage proportions. The atmospheric plasma spray (APS) method was used to deposit YSZ + CNTs at three different weight proportions on low carbon steel (AISI 1020) following the industrial standard procedure. The quality of thermally sprayed coatings was evaluated to report on percentage porosity (ASTM B276), sliding wear resistance (ASTM G133-05), and metallurgical bonding of the coating with the substrate material. From this investigation results, it has been confirmed that the thickness of the coatings is almost uniform, and the percentage porosity is decreased with an increase in CNTs weight percentage proportion. ImageJ software has confirmed the presence of CNTs in the ceramic deposit, and also uniform distribution throughout the coating. Subsequently, the metallurgical bonding of the deposit is also ensured and confirmed that the deposit adheres on the substrate. The hardness of the coating found increased with the increase in CNTs proportion as 554 Hv with 1 wt.% CNTs, 805 Hv with 3 wt.% CNTs, and 933 Hv with 5 wt.% CNTs in thermally sprayed YSZ. The results obtained are highly appreciable when compared to the hardness (454 Hv) of thermally sprayed pure YSZ coating. From results of wear tests, it was found that at slow speed (i.e., 319 rpm), the minimum mass loss was identified for all the three different combinations of CNTs reinforced coatings. However, 5 wt.% of CNTs in YSZ has very minimum wear at 5 kgf load and subsequently mass loss increased with the decrease in CNTs weight percentage proportion. Based on wear resistance, it was found that the 5 wt.% CNTs in YSZ has a maximum wear resistance. Severe wear scars and coating delamination in 1% CNTs reinforced coatings were identified from the microstructural analysis. Therefore, addition of CNTs in YSZ coatings has a significant impact over the wear resistance and mechanical properties improvement of the coatings.

Update on the clinical trial landscape: analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov registration data, 2000–2020

BackgroundThe clinical trial landscape has evolved over the last two decades, shaped by advances in therapeutics and drug development and innovation in trial design and methods. The tracking of such changes became possible with trial registration, providing the public with a window into the massive clinical research enterprise. The ClinicalTrials.gov website was launched in 2000 by the NIH National Library of Medicine and is the largest clinical trial registry worldwide. The purpose of this analysis is to describe the composition and methodologic features of clinical trials as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and to identify trends over time.MethodsWe analyzed data from the publicly available Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) database, focusing on trials (interventional studies) started between 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2020. Characteristics of design (e.g., phase, randomization, use of masking, number of treatment groups, sample size), eligibility criteria (age groups, gender), interventions, conditions, and funders (primary sponsor) were tabulated over time, by year trial started.ResultsThere were 274,043 registered interventional studies (trials) included in the analysis. Most trials were reported as randomized (65%); single site (60%); parallel-group (56%); funded by other sources (e.g., individuals, universities, and community-based organizations) (65%); and involving drug interventions (55%). Notable trends include an increase in the proportion of registered trials without FDA-defined phases (“Phase N/A”) over time, a decrease in proportion of trials that involve drugs or report treatment as a primary purpose, declining sample size and time to complete trials, and an increase in proportion of trials reporting results among completed trials. The proportion of missing registration fields has also decreased over time and more trials make protocols and other documents available. There is a current need to expand the registration fields in ClinicalTrials.gov to adapt to the evolving trial designs and reduce the number of trials categorized as “other.” Observed trends may be explained by changes in trial regulations as well as expanding and evolving trial designs, interventions, and outcome types.ConclusionsClinical trial registration has transformed how trial information is accessed, disseminated, and used. As clinical trials evolve and regulations change, trial registries, including ClinicalTrials.gov, will continue to provide a means to access and follow trials over time, thus informing future trial design and highlighting the value of this tremendous resource.

Моделювання впливу кільцевого включення на концентрацію напружень навколо видовженого еліптичного отвору у сферичній оболонці

Shell structures are widely used in various branches of technology and industry due to a combination of a high strength and a relatively light weight. In the majority of cases, actual structures have openings for manufacturing or design reasons, thus leading to a sharp increase in local stresses and, as a result, to a decrease in the strength and reliability of the structure as a whole. That is why reducing stress concentration in thin-walled structural elements is an important and topical problem in deformable body mechanics. This paper presents the results of a computer simulation and finite-element analysis of the stress and strain field of a thin-walled spherical shell with an elongated elliptical opening and an annular inclusion that surrounds the opening at a certain distance therefrom. The effect of the geometrical and mechanical parameters of the inclusion and its distance from the opening contour on the concentration of the stress and strain field parameters of the shell is studied. The stress and strain intensity distribution in the local stress concentration zones is obtained. It is shown that a rigid annular inclusion located at a certain distance from an opening allows one to reduce the stress concentration factor by nearly 27 percent with a proportional decrease in strain intensity in the vicinity of the opening. The elliptical opening elongation degree greatly affects the concentration of the stress and strain field parameters. If an opening is reinforced with a rigid annular inclusion immediately along its contour, the stress intensity in its vicinity increases, while the strain intensity decreases. The numerical calculations conducted show that surrounding an opening with a rigid annular inclusion located remotely therefrom reduces both the stress and the strain intensity in the vicinity of the opening. If an opening is reinforced immediately along its contour, a decrease in the maximum strain intensity is somewhat greater in comparison with the case where the rigid annual inclusion surrounding the opening is located at some distance therefrom. The use of specially selected and located reinforcements of elongated elliptical openings in spherical shells allows one to control the stress and strain intensity distribution and magnitude in the zones of local concentration of their stress and strain field parameters.

X-ray and anatomical features of the lower jaw alveolar cortical layer in children

Introductionthe world studies showed the interest in measurement of the buccal or anterior cortical plate thickness. Data indicate a significant superiority of the spongy substance over the compact one in the distal part of the jaw, which makes it possible to think about a higher effectiveness of transcortical injections. The empirical “rule of 10″ provides for the choice of a method of anesthesia in children for primary teeth but demonstrates difficulties with high-quality anesthesia accompanied for permanent teeth. Therefore, the importance of clinical examination and anatomical investigation of the jaw cortical plate in children for competent planning of transcortical interventions has been determined. AimTo study the features of the clinical and X-ray anatomy of the cortical layer in distal alveolar part of the mandible in children. Material and methodsThe assessment of the X-ray anatomical characteristics of the mandible was carried out according to 150 anonymized cone-beam computed tomograms of patients aged 6–12 years, performed for the treatment of major diseases. Qualitative assessment and examination of the cortical plate of the distal alveolar part of the mandible were carried out on the skeletonized certified preparations of aged 6–12 in the amount of 50. ResultsThe age characteristics of the cortical plate in the area of the chewing group of teeth in the mandible were determined according to macro anatomical studies, which confirms with the X-ray results. Therefore, the obtained images serve as actual confirmation of X-ray studies, which are ranked by age. The thickness of the cortical plate in the second primary molar of the mandible in subgroups 6, 7 and 8 years has a proportional increase from the cervical region to the apical projection. The average thickness of the cortical plate is 1.57 mm at 6 years, 1.52 mm at 7 years, 1.6 mm at 8 years and 1.84 at 9 years. The cortical plate thickness in the first primary molar of the mandible in subgroups 6 and 7 years has a proportional decrease from the cervical region to the apical projection as well as an inverse proportion to age. The average thickness of the cortical plate is 1.33 mm. In the first molar of the mandible at the age limit of 6–12 years the attention is drawn to the linear increase in tissue volume from the cervical region to the apical projection up to 8 years. At 6–8 years the average thickness of the cortical plate in this age group is 1.74 ± 0.2 mm, at 9 years - 2.03 mm, at 10 - average value in the cervical region it is 1.53 ± 0.23 mm, in the root middle it is 2.19 ± 0.13 mm and in the apical projection it is 1.98 ± 0.16 mm, at 11–2.22 mm and at 12–2.35 mm. For the second primary molar the average thickness of the buccal cortical plate of the second primary molar is 1.4 mm in cervical part, 1.68 mm in the root middle and 1.81 mm in the apical projection. Finally, thickness of the buccal cortical plate in the cervical region of the first permanent molar is 2 mm in groups. ConclusionThe study makes it possible to determinate with noninvasive way the age limit for the least pronounced zone of the buccal cortical plate.

An interrupted time series approach to assess Marine Protected Area impacts on recreational fishing licence sales

Abstract Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly used as a management and conservation strategy. However, the effects of MPA implementation (i.e. restrictions on extractive use) on recreational fishers' spatial behaviour are often not considered. Spatial shifts in fishing pressure and which port fishers choose to fish from can have ecological and economic impacts. Therefore, it is critical that MPA impacts on recreational fishers are adequately investigated and weighed against potential conservation benefits from MPA designation. The State of Oregon, USA, has a system of five no‐take marine reserves (MRs) with adjacent limited‐take MPAs. This study used an interrupted time series approach to investigate how fishing licence sales were impacted by MR implementation. This study found that recreational fishers near only one MR were potentially adversely impacted by MR implementation. The proportion of coastal licence sales near Redfish Rocks MR displayed an immediate sustained 47.1% proportional decrease following reserve implementation. Conversely, there was a 0.5% proportional increase in monthly demand for licence sales near Otter Rock and Cascade Head MRs. This study suggests that most MRs in Oregon were designated in a manner that limited significant adverse impacts to some ocean users, a specified MR objective. The process of MR planning in Oregon, which involved considerable public input, could be used as an example for MR designation in other similar settings. However, when a potential MR site and adjacent town's conditions match those at Redfish Rocks MR, there may be adverse socio‐economic impacts that should be weighed against potential ecological benefits. This study also demonstrates the application of an interrupted time series approach. When sufficient data are available, this is a robust approach that addresses numerous shortfalls of traditional MPA impact evaluations.

Time-Restricted Feeding Could Not Reduce Rainbow Trout Lipid Deposition Induced by Artificial Night Light.

Artificial night light (ALAN) could lead to circadian rhythm disorders and disrupt normal lipid metabolism, while time-restricted feeding (TRF) could maintain metabolic homeostasis. In mammals, TRF has been demonstrated to have extraordinary effects on the metabolic regulation caused by circadian rhythm disorders, but studies in lower vertebrates such as fish are still scarce. In this study, the impacts of ALAN on the body composition and lipid metabolism of juvenile rainbow trout were investigated by continuous light (LL) exposure as well as whether TRF could alleviate the negative effects of LL. The results showed that LL upregulated the expression of lipid synthesis (fas and srebp-1c) genes and suppressed the expression of lipid lipolysis (pparβ, cpt-1a, and lpl) genes in the liver, finally promoting lipid accumulation in juvenile rainbow trout. However, LL downregulated the expression of genes (Δ6-fad, Δ9-fad, elovl2, and elovl5) related to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) synthesis, resulting in a significant decrease in the proportion of LC-PUFA in the dorsal muscle. In serum, LL led to a decrease in glucose (Glu) levels and an increase in triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (H-DLC) levels. On the other hand, TRF (mid-dark stage feeding (D)) and mid-light stage feeding (L)) upregulated the expression of both the lipid synthesis (srebp-1c and pparγ), lipolysis (pparα, pparβ, and cpt-1a), and lipid transport (cd36/fat and fatp-1) genes, finally increasing the whole-body lipid, liver protein, and lipid content. Meanwhile, TRF (D and L groups) increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and LC-PUFA in serum. In contrast, random feeding (R group) increased the serum Glu levels and decreased TG, total cholesterol (T-CHO), and H-DLC levels, suggesting stress and poor nutritional status. In conclusion, ALAN led to lipid accumulation and a significant decrease in muscle LC-PUFA proportion, and TRF failed to rescue these negative effects.

Humic Acids Formation during Compositing of Plant Remnants in Presence of Calcium Carbonate and Biochar

The investigation of the mechanisms organic matter transformation in compost organic fertilizers is an urgent task of modern soil ecology and soil chemistry. The main components of such fertilizers are newly formed, weakly humified labile humic acids (HAs). The objective of the study is to determine the mechanism of converting the newly formed HAs into the forms with increased resistance to microbiological and biochemical influences. Obtained during the plant residues decomposition, HAs were studied in the incubation experiment (0, 30, 90 days). Calcium carbonate and biochar produced by rapid pyrolysis from birch and aspen wood, at 550 °C, were used as the composting mixture compounds. Decomposed plant residues—fresh aboveground mass of clover (Trifolium pratense L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), as well as dry oat straw (Avena sativa L.) were the material used for humification. To obtain Has, 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M Na4P2O7 were used. Then, HAs were separated from fulvic acids (FAs) using a 0.5 M H2SO4. The amount of labile HAs (HAs1) was estimated by their content in 0.1 M NaOH. The amount of stabilized HAs (HAs2) was calculated by the difference between the HAs content in 0.1 M Na4P2O7 and 0.1 M NaOH. Preparation of HAs for elemental composition and NMR analysis was performed according to the International Humic Substances Society’s recommendations. The possibility of converting newly formed HAs into stable forms (calcium humates), whose share in the HAs composition reaches 40–50%, has been shown. However, the mechanism of HAs transformation under the studied reagent’s influence was different. In the presence of calcium carbonate, it is caused by the physicochemical processes of newly formed HAs rearrangement. However, in the presence of biochar, this is due to the humification processes’ intensification and to the increase in the aromatization degree confirmed by the increase in the optical density, as well as by the increase in carbon and oxygen proportion, and by the decrease in hydrogen proportion in HAs molecules. The understanding of HAs formation and transformation mechanisms at the early humification stages can help to optimize the methods of obtaining organic fertilizers.

A System Architecture of a Fusion System for Multiple LiDARs Image Processing

LiDAR sensors are extensively used in autonomous vehicles and their optimal use is a critical concern. In this paper, we propose an embedded software architecture for multiple LiDAR sensors, i.e., a fusion system that acts as an embedded system for processing data from multiple LiDAR sensors. The fusion system software comprises multiple clients and a single server. The client and server are connected through inter-process communication. Multiple clients create processes to process the data from each LiDAR sensor via a multiprocessing method. Our approach involves a scheduling method for efficient multiprocessing. The server uses multithreading to optimize the internal functions. For internal communication within the fusion system, multiple clients and a single server are connected using the socket method. In sequential processing, the response time increases in proportion to the number of connected LiDAR sensors. By contrast, in the proposed software architecture, the response time decreases in inverse proportion to the number of LiDAR sensors. As LiDAR sensors become increasingly popular in the field of autonomous driving, the results of this study can be expected to make a substantial contribution to technology development in this domain.

Impact of conditional economic incentives and motivational interviewing on health outcomes of adolescents living with HIV in Anambra State, Nigeria: A cluster-randomised trial

BackgroundAdolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) have had worse outcomes compared to adults. They face enormous difficulty in accessing HIV care services. We hypothesize that conditional economic incentives (CEI) and motivational interviewing could increase retention in care, medication adherence and ultimately viral load suppression. Therefore, we evaluated the one-year impact of conditional economic incentives and motivational interviewing on the health outcomes of ALHIV in Anambra State, Nigeria. MethodsUsing a cluster-randomised design, we examined the one-year (from December 1, 2018, to November 30, 2019), individual-level impact of an Incentive Scheme comprising conditional economic incentives and motivational interviewing on achieving undetectable viral load (primary outcome), CD4+ count, adherence to antiretroviral therapy and retention in care (secondary outcomes) by ALHIV in Anambra State, Nigeria. Twelve HIV treatment hospitals were stratified according to the type of clinic (secondary or tertiary) and randomly assigned to the intervention arm or control arm to receive the Incentive Scheme or routine care, respectively. ALHIV aged 10–19 years, initiated into HIV care for a minimum of 6 months, and who adhered poorly to medications (<100% adherence rate) were eligible for the study. Participants in the intervention arm received motivational interviewing at the study baseline and every visit. They also received US$5.6 when HIV viral load (VL) was <20 copies/mL at month 3, US$2.8 if the VL remained suppressed at months 6 and 9, and US$5.6 if the VL remained <20 copies/mL at month 12. ResultsOf the 246 trial participants, 119 were in the intervention while 127 were in the control arm. There was no difference in the baseline characteristics of the participants between the intervention and control arm except for the number of participants with undetectable viral load and the number of participants with ≥95% adherence. Although participants in the intervention arm had a 10.1% increase while those in the control arm had a 1.6% decrease in proportion with undetectable viral load (≤20 copies/ml) after 12 months, the change in the primary outcome was not statistically significant. Similarly, the differences in the secondary outcomes were not statistically significant. ConclusionThe Incentive Scheme did not improve the virologic outcome of ALHIV after 12 months. Differences in the secondary outcomes after 12 months were also not significantly different from the baseline. Trial registrationWe registered the trial retrospectively with The Pan African Clinical Trials Registry: https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/(PACTR201806003040425) on 2/2/2018.

Impact of Covid-19 on gastrointestinal cancer surgery: A National Survey.

PurposeTo understand the actual impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and frame the future strategies, we conducted a pan India survey to study the impact on the surgical management of gastrointestinal cancers.MethodsA national multicentre survey in the form of a questionnaire from 16 tertiary care gastrointestinal oncology centres across India was conducted from January 2019 to June 2021 that was divided into a 15-month pre-Covid era and a similar period of active Covid pandemic era.ResultsThere was significant disruption of services; 13 (81%) centres worked as dedicated Covid care centres and 43% reported suspension of essential care for more than 6 months. In active Covid phase, there was a 14.5% decrease in registrations and proportion of decrease was highest in the centres from South zone (22%). There was decrease in resections across all organ systems; maximum reduction was noted in hepatic resections (33%) followed by oesophageal and gastric resections (31 and 25% respectively). There was minimal decrease in colorectal resections (5%). A total of 584 (7.1%) patients had either active Covid-19 infection or developed infection in the post-operative period or had recovered from Covid-19 infection. Only 3 (18%) centres reported higher morbidity, while the rest of the centres reported similar or lower morbidity rates when compared to pre-Covid phase; however, 6 (37%) centres reported slightly higher mortality in the active Covid phase.Conclusion Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant reduction in new cancer registrations and elective gastrointestinal cancer surgeries. Perioperative morbidity remained similar despite 7.1% perioperative Covid 19 exposure.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00423-022-02675-6.

Comparative Analysis of Combustion Behaviors and Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engines Fueled with Biodiesel or Biodiesel Blends

In this study, we carried out an experimental analysis of combustion behaviors and emission characteristics of pure biodiesel and biodiesel–dimethyl ether (DME) blends and determined the impacts of the biodiesel ratio and the nozzle parameter on the combustion pressure characteristics in the time domain/frequency domain and emission characteristics. The findings show that with a decrease in the biodiesel proportion in biodiesel–DME blends, the maximum combustion pressure and fuels in the premixed combustion stage decrease with a retarded maximum value phase, but the maximum heat release in diffusive combustion increases and the maximum amplitude of pressure rise acceleration decreases. All of the pressure level curves of BD100, BD80, and BD50 contain a rapid decrease stage 1, a slow decrease stage 2, and a fluctuating stage 3. With a decrease in the biodiesel proportion, the exhaust gas temperature, NOx emissions, and smoke emissions of BD100, BD80, and BD50 decrease gradually. Compared with a 5 × 0.43 mm nozzle, the maximum combustion pressure and maximum heat release rate of BD50 for a 4 × 0.35 mm nozzle were higher and the phase of the maximum value was advanced. Soot emissions for the 4 × 0.35 mm nozzle were lower, which is especially obvious under a high brake mean effective pressure (BMEP).

Citation of publications in the natural sciences in the long-term observation

The author examines the chronological structure of bibliographic references to scholarly publications in the Web of Science (WoS) journals, in the context of using bibliometric methods in library (for specifying terms of collection acquisitions and preservation) and information practices. Seven thematic domains (WoS’ Subject Areas) within the natural sciences are discussed. The specifics of publication «aging» (citation decrease in proportion to the distance from the publication date) depends on their subject area and country. The determinant para-meters are: time period (from the publication date) to the maximum yearly citation value, ramp time (stabilizing yearly citation), yearly citation level (percent of maximum level), dynamics of citation timetable in the long term (up to 40 years). The author demonstrates that the shape of citation graph depends on the subject area and virtually does not depend on the country of publication.In six of seven subject areas (mathematics excluding), time of achieving maximum of yearly citation makes 2–4 years. Ramp time period (constant yearly citation level) differs greatly (from 8 to 23 years). Ramp level differs greatly for different subject areas and, within one domain, for the countries from 12% to 63% of maximum yearly citation. The secondary citation is observed in many subject areas at the end of observation period. This phenomenon needs further research. The chronological structure of bibliographic references for Mmathematics differs significantly from the other six subject areas: the y early citation rises a long the longer period (over 40 years); however, the dynamics of citation graph cannot be observed due to the limited time period of the study.

Modulating the active phase structure of NiMo/Al2O3 by La modification for ultra‐deep hydrodesulfurization of diesel

AbstractHerein, a series of mesoporous NiMo/LaAlOx with various La contents were constructed through a solvent evaporation‐induced self‐assembly protocol, and their catalytic activities were investigated for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of 4,6‐DMDBT. It has been confirmed that the incorporation of La influences the electronic structure and morphology of NiMoS active phase. The lower amount of La (x ≤ 1.0 wt.%) could facilitate the formation of “Type II” NiMoS phase by weakening the interaction of Mo‐O‐Al leakage and promoting the sulfidation of both Mo and Ni species as well as increasing the ratio of “Type II” NiMoS phase, thereafter boosting the HDS performances. Further increasing La incorporation, however, leads to the generation of inactive NiSx phase and decrease of NiMoS active phase proportion, the HDS activities of corresponding catalysts were suppressed. NiMo/LaAlOx‐1.0 exhibits the highest activity for 4,6‐DMDBT HDS because of its moderate metal‐support interaction, optimal morphology and the largest proportion of “Type II” NiMoS active phase.

Defining and Predicting Consumers Bread Choices based on Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Healthy Living Orientations

The bread still constitutes an essential part of meeting the daily nutritional requirement. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of individuals and their bread consumption preferences and perceptions with a focus on quality and healthy life. The data are obtained digitally with 9583 consumers from survey questions created on google form throughout Turkey throughout the year 2020. First, descriptive statistics of the answers to the comprehensive survey questions are revealed. Then, correlation analysis is conducted to show the relationships between the variables, in line with each sub-objective set up under the primary purpose. Finally, by using some data mining and machine learning algorithms, it is tried to reveal future expectations based on some main determinant parameters such as health and quality expectation for bread consumption of consumers. All statistical and inferential evaluations are made using the Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME) analytics platform. The findings discover that increasing income and education level in bread consumption improves the level of awareness about health and quality of life in people, and these attitudes and perceptions bring about a proportional decrease in bread consumption of individuals. On the other hand, as a vicious circle, it reveals that the sedentary life brought by work-life in modern society causes an increase in body weight and an unhealthy living ecosystem. This study, it is tried to define and predict the behavioral attitudes of consumers toward bread consumption. The findings can offer meaningful advice to all actors and political decision-makers involved in the bread market and supply chain and consumers.

Harmonic Gradience in Greek Rap Rhymes

This study investigates the gradience in mismatch acceptability in Greek rap Imperfect Rhyme. We consider that the rhyme domains of a rhyming pair are in a Base-Reduplicant correspondence relationship, requiring segmental identity in Place of Articulation, Manner of Articulation and voicing, and manifesting a gradient acceptability of featural mismatches. Analysis shows that voicing mismatches are highly marked in Greek rap rhyme, implying a high perceptual salience, which seems to be language-specific. Mismatches only in Place of Articulation seem to be the most harmonic and frequent mismatch pattern, while Harmony and similarity decrease in inverse proportion to the number of mismatching features. Mismatches in Greek rap rhyme are, in principle, accepted between unmarked corresponding consonants. Obstruents, mainly Stops mismatch in Place of Articulation, and Coronals mismatch in Manner of Articulation. In general, mainly Coronal Obstruents and, to a lesser extent, Nasals are involved in mismatches. Due to the attested high avoidance of voicing mismatches, which are acoustically non-salient, we propose that, in Standard Modern Greek, perceptual salience is not purely phonetic, as it seems to be also based on the language-specific phonological grammar.

Investigating the developmental timing of self-regulation in early childhood

Self-regulation often refers to the executive influence of cognitive resources to alter prepotent responses. The ability to engage cognitive resources as a form of executive process emerges and improves in the preschool-age years while the dominance of prepotent responses, such as emotional reactions, begins to decline from toddlerhood onward. However, little direct empirical evidence addresses the timing of an age-related increase in executive processes and a decrease in age-related prepotent responses over the course of early childhood. To address this gap, we examined children’s individual trajectories of change in prepotent responses and executive processes over time. At four age points (24 months, 36 months, 48 months, and 5 years), we observed children (46% female) during a procedure in which mothers were busy with work and told their children they had to wait to open a gift. Prepotent responses included children’s interest in and desire for the gift and their anger about the wait. Executive processes included children’s use of focused distraction, which is the strategy considered optimal for self-regulation in a waiting task. We examined individual differences in the timing of age-related changes in the proportion of time spent expressing a prepotent response and engaging executive processes using a series of nonlinear (generalized logistic) growth models. As hypothesized, the average proportion of time children expressed prepotent responses decreased with age, and the average proportion of time engaged in executive processes increased with age. Individual differences in the developmental timing of changes in prepotent responses and executive process were correlated r = .35 such that the timing of decrease in proportion of time expressing prepotent responses was coupled with the timing of increase in proportion of time engaging executive processes.