Diverse Instruments Research Articles

Planning Implications Related to Sterilization-Sensitive Science Investigations Associated with Mars Sample Return (MSR).

Planning Implications Related to Sterilization-Sensitive Science Investigations Associated with Mars Sample Return (MSR).

Determination of Proximal Junctional Kyphosis in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Correction Fusion using Pedicle Screw Versus Hook Plus Screw Pedicle Instrumentation

Introduction: Spinal instrumentation in idiopathic adolescent scoliosis (AIS) aims to correct spinal deformity, and maintain spinal stability. Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) is a relatively common postoperative complication. Posterior-only fusion using diverse instruments such as pedicle screw and hybrid hook plus screw is favored to correct spinal deformity. The current study aims to compare PJK incidence between pedicle screw versus hybrid hook plus screw.
 Methods: This non-randomized clinical trial has been conducted on 71 AIS patients undergone posterior-only spinal deformity fusion using pedicle screw only (n=42) or hook plus pedicle (n=29) implantation in 2015-20. The proximal thoracic (PT), main thoracic (MT), T5-T12 sagittal Cobb angles and proximal junctional angle (PJA) were evaluated through radiographies taken at baseline, immediately postoperative, within 6 and 18 months. PJK was defined as PJA >10 degrees. 
 Results: Using both pedicle screw only and hook plus pedicle have led to significant improvement in MT, PT, PJA and T5-T12 angles (P-value<0.05); however, the two groups were not statistically different (P-value>0.05). Seventeen cases (23.9%) presented PJK among which 11 (26.2%) and 6 (20.7%) ones were in the predicle screw versus hook plus screw implantation groups, respectively (P-value=0.54). The comparison of PJA and T5-T12 Cobb angles revealed significant difference between the PJK versus non-PJK cases (P-value<0.05).
 Conclusion: AIS instrumentation was accompanied by satisfying outcomes using pedicle screw or hook plus screw. However, none of the applied instruments was superior over the other; PJK occurred in fewer cases undergone posterior-only approach of AIS correctional surgery using hook and screw.

Hybrid War as a Part of the Post-global World

The ongoing process of militarization of the informational environment leads to the evolution of approaches to the force-based methods of transformation of the geopolitical balance. It appears that the methods based upon the capabilities to limit the escalation appear to be the most acceptable. However, they open the door for chaotization of viral regions. That increases sharply the interest of the key players in the world politics towards this model of interstate competition that includes military means but is still below the level of classic conventional conflict. Earlier the use of such methods based upon the methods of interrelated informational, psychological and cyber-informational influence were addressed with caution since even 5–7 years ago these methods were not properly elaborated yet and did not give guaranteed results, as well as were related to the high risks of disclosure of the basic information about the organizers of actions and mostly were regarded as supplementary element to the more robust and tested methods of direct military aggression. Nowadays the leading role in the spectrum of military instruments is occupied by the hybrid wars that are a complex phenomenon that includes diverse instruments of political, informational and military (force) nature. The new potential of digital information society serves as an integrating basis for hybrid wars. With their emergence and practical approbation of the new model of war as well as their structural sophistication integration with the force instruments world enters a drastically new political era in which hybrid wars and especially the methods of informational manipulations take the leading roles and become the major instruments of the implementation of the state politics. For Russia that means a substantial change of the environment for competition with other countries as well as for an ultimate necessity to supplement to the foreign policy inventory with the new capabilities that go beyond classic diplomacy and also beyond the soft power potential that is rather underdeveloped in Russia.

Land-Based Financing Elements in Infrastructure Policy Formulation: A Case of India

A rapid increase in land and property values has been one of the driving forces of urban ecosystem development in many countries. This phenomenon has presented project proponents/policymakers with multiple options and associated challenges, nudging them to configure or incorporate elements of land-based financing in their policies and legislations. Specifically, the Government of India and various state governments have sought to monetize land through diverse instruments, for augmenting the financial viability of infrastructure and area development projects. This paper compares Indian central and state infrastructure policies/acts with regard to land monetization strategies. The analysis indicates that policies and legislations are taking a turn towards promoting land monetization mechanisms as a financing tool for cities and project implementation agencies. However, the approach is cautiously used and implementation is often seen to fall behind actual project timelines. Based on the findings, key determinants of a successful policy that captures an increase in land values, are identified. The learnings provide useful inputs for states to strengthen their policy documents and legislative/institutional frameworks, for ensuring the effectiveness of land-based financing tools.

After printing the sheets: other lives of the Book in the Printing Press through two illustrative examples

At the printing presses of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries the books could still be modified even when its sheets had been definitively printed. Insertions, substitutions, partial reprints, amendments made by hand or even the erratum were diverse instruments to change the text. Two extraordinary examples of some of these procedures are found in La Araucana by Alonso de Ercilla and in the Guzman de Alfarache by Mateo Aleman.

The governance of genome editing techniques for the European bio-based industry

ABSTRACT Genome editing techniques (GETs) could support the transition towards a circular bio-based economy. This would require a regulatory framework that enables technical and scientific progress while ensuring safety for humans and environment. In this context, there is a debate among stakeholders in Europe whether products resulting from GETs should be subject to the GMO legislation. This paper analyses different stakeholder positions and underlying arguments on this question based on the Politically Inherent Dynamics Approach (PIDA). This takes into consideration the role of actor interests, the problem structure, institutions and alternative instruments. The analysis, based on a series of expert interviews and a Delphi survey, reveals that differing stakeholder positions are strongly shaped by differing beliefs and interests. This leads to a divergence in the definition of the problem structure, and the related solutions, in terms of the institutional set-up and alternative instruments considered. It highlights the need to reach a shared vision among actors of the problems that need to be solved, in order to understand if GETs can be considered as one potential ‘solution’, embracing the precautionary and innovation principles. Alternative instruments are proposed, including a call for higher stakeholder engagement and diverse regulatory instruments.

Interfacial properties of trithiocyanuric acid functionalized cellulose nanofibers for efficient recovery of gold ions from aqueous solution

Recovery of gold ions from solution is most popular in the field of comprehensive recycling of secondary resources. Herein, we designed an efficient trithiocyanuric acid functionalized cellulose fiber adsorbent functionalized by covalent coupling of chloroacetyl chloride and trithiocyanuric acid for efficient recovery of gold ions from aqueous solution. The functionalized cellulose fibers were characterized by diverse instruments. The adsorption property of fibers was evaluated by different adsorption models. The maximum adsorption capacity is 340.42 mg/g at pH 4.0 at ambient temperature. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic models were in accord with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively, showing that the adsorption behavior was dominated by monolayer chemsorption. Langmuir and D-R models were agreed with the adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model was best fitted with the adsorption kinetics. The results indicated that the functionalized cellulose fibers were a facile and efficient sorbent for recovery of gold ions.

Analytical methods assessment for exchangeable cations analysis in soil: MIP OES appraisement

ABSTRACT Soil monitoring and research often requires a comparison of laboratory data generated by diverse instruments and in different laboratories to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the results. The outcomes of this work highlight a performance comparison among different analytical methods for the determination of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), in soil. Five soil samples were used for analytical methods comparison, corresponding to an argentine agricultural soil interlaboratory, and four soil samples from the Pampa region of Argentina were used for analytical application of the instrumental methods. The results obtained with flame atomic absorption and emission spectrometry (FAAS-FAES) and microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP OES) were compared to those obtained by conventional analytical methods as complexometric titration and flame photometry. As there were no significant differences between classical methods with instrumental ones, FAAS-FAES and MIP OES were validated following criteria based on international guidelines. Accuracy, precision, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, sensitivity, analytical sensitivity, and working range were evaluated. The results established the satisfactory performance of FAAS-FAES and MIP OES for exchangeable cations. MIP OES is an efficient alternative to FAAS-FAES, with wide linear dynamic range, which is advantageous concerning to the concentrations in which these exchangeable cations are found in soils, avoiding sample dilutions. The most remarkable advantage of MIP OES is the low running costs as it does not use flammable and toxic gases. Due to its benefits MIP OES could be recommended as the main analytical method for exchangeable cations determination.

Identifying and Tracking Solar Magnetic Flux Elements with Deep Learning

Deep learning has drawn a lot of interest in recent years due to its effectiveness in processing big and complex observational data gathered from diverse instruments. Here we propose a new deep learning method, called SolarUnet, to identify and track solar magnetic flux elements or features in observed vector magnetograms based on the Southwest Automatic Magnetic Identification Suite (SWAMIS). Our method consists of a data pre-processing component that prepares training data from the SWAMIS tool, a deep learning model implemented as a U-shaped convolutional neural network for fast and accurate image segmentation, and a post-processing component that prepares tracking results. SolarUnet is applied to data from the 1.6 meter Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. When compared to the widely used SWAMIS tool, SolarUnet is faster while agreeing mostly with SWAMIS on feature size and flux distributions, and complementing SWAMIS in tracking long-lifetime features. Thus, the proposed physics-guided deep learning-based tool can be considered as an alternative method for solar magnetic tracking.

The mental health of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been proposed to be associated with several mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, diminished sexual satisfaction, and lowered health-related quality of life, etc. A systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature was conducted comparing the mental health of women with and without PCOS. Ten English and Chinese databases were searched up to 12/31/2018. Random-effects models were introduced, and subgroup analysis, sensitivity test, and meta-regression were carried out to determine the source for heterogeneity among studies. Forty-six studies, including 30,989 participants (9265 women with PCOS and 25,638 controls), were qualified for review according to the inclusion criteria. Twenty-eight studies reported depression symptoms, 22 studies were on anxiety, 16 studies showed quality of life (QoL) status, 12 studies were about sexual dysfunction, five on emotional distress, four on binge eating, and four on somatization. Women with PCOS reported significantly higher depression (SMD = 0.64; 95% CI 0.50-0.78), anxiety (SMD = 0.63; 95% CI 0.50-0.77), lower QoL (SMD = - 0.55; 95% CI -0.69 to -0.40), and not significant sexual dysfunction (SMD = - 0.24; 95% CI - 0.49 to 0.01). Studies from different countries, adopting various diagnosis criteria, using diverse instruments, as well as in different years, have reported heterogenetic results. Women with PCOS in China reported a larger effect size of depression and anxiety than patients from other countries. The results of this study have indicated that women with PCOS suffer from depression, anxiety, and experience a lower quality of life, whereas their sexual function is not distinct from that of healthy women. Psychological health care interventions for women with PCOS were addressed.

Parental Homework Involvement in Early English Literacy: Challenges and Implications

This study explores the challenges experienced by Korean parents when they are asked to become involved in their young children’s English literacy homework. The study draws on a larger research project that explored the learning progress and associated challenges of primary-school-aged Korean learners when taking English decoding instruction and the difficulties that the parents face when helping their children at home. Data were collected through a four-month exploratory intervention in 2017 with 14 children and their 11 parents in Seoul. Diverse instruments were utilized in the collection and triangulation of data from the parents, including demographic questionnaires, parent interviews, parent diaries, informal talks, and a research journal. Data analyses revealed rich information about the emerging challenges related to parental involvement in their children’s English decoding homework assignments. These challenges generally clustered around three themes: (1) parental lack of familiarity with early English reading practices, (2) perceived lack of professional support, and (3) parents’ attitudes towards homework involvement. Suggestions for facilitating parental support and school-home connections are discussed in the light of these three themes.

Representações do aprender línguas em narrativas visuais: o que mostram as imagens de sites de escolas de inglês

This article is about the discourse on learning languages construed and transmitted by images in websites of private schools specialized in foreign languages teaching, evidencing the representations construed by these establishments to society. The argument favors the consideration of images in language studies, and the theoretical basis adopted includes the socio-semiotic approach to language, the Grammar of Visual Design, and the concept of social representation. The corpus analysis evidences the representation of the learning in optimal conditions of comfort, homogeneity, with the presence of resources and diverse instruments, in which the student is an agent of processes related to linguistic reception. It is concluded that these visual narratives contribute to the idea widely spread in society that the ideal language learning happens in private specialized schools and is reserved for few people.

The village fund as a support tool in spatial planning activities: a case study of Poland

With respect to space, local authorities may deploy diverse instruments designed to promote the engagement of local communities in the spatial planning and decision-making process. The Village (Polish: Sołecki) Fund, established for rural and urban-rural communes, is one of the ways for achieving this goal. Resources from the Village Fund may be used for, e.g. spatial planning, which is one of a commune’s own tasks. The activities related to the Village Fund have triggered studies focused on the units which run such funds and, on the amounts, earmarked for goals pertaining to spatial planning. On top of that, the spatial distribution of communes delivering such tasks has also been assessed. The analyses covered statistics as well as budget queries in communes which allocated funds for activities connected with spatial planning.

Effect of Study Design and Survey Instrument to Identify the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes, 2000-2018: A Systematic Review.

Previous studies have used a variety of survey measurement options for evaluating the association between physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms, raising questions about the types of instruments and their effect on the association. This study aimed to identify measures of PA and depressive symptoms and findings of their association given diverse instruments and study characteristics in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Online databases, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched on July 20, 2018, and January 8, 2019. Our systematic review included observational studies from 2000 to 2018 that investigated the association between PA and depressive symptoms in T2DM. Of 2294 retrieved articles, 28 studies were retained in a focused examination and comparison of the instruments used. There were a range of standard measures, 10 for depressive symptoms and 7 for PA, respectively. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) for depressive symptoms and study-specific methods for PA were the most popular. Overall, 71.9% found a significant association between PA and depressive symptoms. Among studies classified as high quality or reliability, the figure was 81.8%. A majority of the sample found an association between depressive symptoms and PA, which is fairly consistent across study characteristics. The findings provide the evidence for the health benefits of PA on reducing depressive symptoms in persons with T2DM, suggesting active engagement in PA for effective diabetes management. However, guidelines for objective measurements and well-designed prospective studies are needed to strengthen the evidence base and rigor for the association and its directionality.

Policy Synthesis through Regional Experimentations: Comparative Study of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in Three Chinese Provinces

ABSTRACT Policymakers often face difficulties in determining appropriate national policy instruments based on the results of small-scale experimentations conducted by subordinate governments due to regional disparities and the inherent characteristics of such policies. This research explores policy synthesis via regional experimentations as a novel policy experimentation model. In policy synthesis, the upper government determines instruments for each element of a national policy by communicating with and learning from the experiences of local governments and then synthesizes the policy elements by conducting large-scale experiments. This study analyzes the experimentation of the Chinese New Cooperative Medical Scheme as a case to demonstrate the feasibility of applying policy synthesis. It also compares the experimentations conducted in three provinces and reviews the strategy adopted by the central government. It is found that the Chinese central government learns the pros and cons of diverse policy instruments from regional experimentations to produce a balanced synthesized policy.

Application of Data Mining Techniques for Sensor Drift Analysis to Optimize Nuclear Power Plant Performance

The Power Plants are engineered and instrumented to ensure safety in all modes of operation. Hence they should be continuously monitored and maintained with necessary Instrumentation to identify performance degradation and the root causes to avoid calling for frequent maintenance. The degraded performance of Instrumentation & Control systems may also lead to plant outages. Different studies have suggested that a well maintained instrumentation with errors and response times within the permissible limits may increase the availability minimizing outages. The I&C systems are designed for monitoring, control and safety actions in case of an event in a power plant. The sensors used are single, redundant, triplicated or diverse based on the type of application. Where safety is of prime concern, triplicated and 2/3 voting logic is employed for initiating safety actions. Diverse instruments are provided for protecting the plant from any single abnormal event. Redundant sensors are used to improve plant availability. Wherever 2/3 logics are used, the sensors shall uniformly behave and the drifts across the sensor may lead to crossing the threshold, initiating a protective action. Instead of waiting for the regular preventive maintenance schedule for recalibrating the sensors, the drift in the sensors are analyzed by developing a combined overall online monitoring parameter which will give an early warning to the operator the need for recalibration of the redundant sensors. This paper deals with development of one such parameter through data mining techniques for a representative process in a nuclear power plant.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND CONTEMPORARY TRENDS: MUSIC IN ASEAN COMMUNITIES

The traditional music and performing arts in the ASEAN have found new powerful conduits of transmission with the advent of the digital age. Although claims of cultural ownership over music and dance occasionally appear on social networks and media platforms, the ubiquity of the Internet has in fact benefitted the general public, allowing them access to images and sounds hitherto unknown. Modernisation has taken its toll on the region’s musical heritage. Ancient elements of indigenous music have faded away. The influx of popular and Western music has increasingly eroded the space and demand for traditional music. Many orchestras in the region feature diverse musical instruments tuned to a common Western tuning system, thus relinquishing their Asian musical roots. The fusion of Asian musical ensembles with Western musical instruments has forced the tuning of gongs, xylophones, metallophones, and singing to the Western diatonic scale, losing their indigenous resonances, sonorities, and timbres. Urbanisation and the migration of the young into urban areas disrupted the discontinuity in generational transmission of music. Village rituals and ceremonies play an important role in preserving ancient religious systems where music, dance, and theatre were essential as part of agricultural life, trance and curing rites, and communal well-being. The onslaught of mass media and the Internet has also accentuated the de-sacralisation of ritual spaces, leaving many musical traditions behind as memories of the past.Keywords: traditional music, urbanisation, de-sacralisation, memories, ASEAN.

Customer to Customer Parking Reservation System

The Online Vehicle Parking Reservation System (OVPRS) is a framework that empowers clients/drivers to save a parking spot. It additionally permits the clients/drivers to see the stopping status at individuals’ park. The venture went for taking care of such issues by planning an electronic framework that will empower the clients/drivers to reserve a spot of an accessible parking spot at individuals’ park. The necessities for the created framework were gathered utilizing perception and meeting the client and staff part from individuals’ park. The information from meetings was examined utilizing Microsoft Excel in order to think of the utilitarian, non-useful and framework necessities. These prerequisites were later used to plan the framework by making information stream outlines and substance relationship graphs. The planned framework was actualized utilizing diverse advancement instruments which incorporate HTML for making interfaces, CSS for styling marry pages, JavaScript, and jQuery for dynamism in the site pages and as an info approval tool. XAMPP was utilized to assemble the database and PHP utilized as a server-side scripting dialect to associate the UIs to the database. The framework was tried by the specialists for blunders.

Barras Bravas: Youth Violence in Football Crowds at School

This article results from the analysis of the phenomenon of barras bravas (violent supporter groups) in football and its influence in school coexistence at three public educational institutions in Bogotá. The methodology of the study was mixed with a concurrent triangulation design (DITRIAC), hence diverse instruments were employed to verify the findings and cross-validate quantitative and qualitative data. The information obtained from a survey applied to 300 students was complemented with life histories, field notes and a document review of the institutional reports on school coexistence. The study revealed that violence emerges as a consequence of the participation in barras bravas, whose members attend the institutions where this research was conducted. The discussion reflects how important it is to vindicate the role of the school within the framework of public policies which both integrate youth dynamics and articulate programs and projects suitable for the Colombian context.

Data Collection Instruments for Obesogenic Environments in Adults: A Scoping Review.

The rise in obesity prevalence has increased research interest in the obesogenic environment and its influence on excess weight. The aim of the present study was to review and map data collection instruments for obesogenic environments in adults in order to provide an overview of the existing evidence and enable comparisons. Through the scoping review method, different databases and webpages were searched between January 1997 and May 2018. Instruments were included if they targeted adults. The documents were categorised as food environment or built environment. In terms of results, 92 instruments were found: 46 instruments measuring the food environment, 42 measuring the built environment, and 4 that characterised both environments. Numerous diverse instruments have been developed to characterise the obesogenic environment, and some of them have been developed based on existing ones; however, most of them have not been validated and there is very little similarity between them, hindering comparison of the results obtained. In addition, most of them were developed and used in the United States and were written in English. In conclusion, there is a need for a robust instrument, improving or combining existing ones, for use within and across countries, and more sophisticated study designs where the environment is contemplated in an interdisciplinary approach.