Techniques In Terms Of Effectiveness Research Articles

Minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia : The GermanS2eguideline 2023-part4

Lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive for benign prostatic obstruction (LUTS/BPO) are one of the most frequent diseases in men and can have asignificant impact on quality of life. Instrumental therapies are common, and many patients seek minimally invasive treatment options. Presentation and evidence-based evaluation of the minimally invasive therapy for benign prostatic syndrome. Summary and overview of chapters 11-13 on minimally invasive therapies for LUTS/BPO of the current long version of the German S2e guideline. In case of absolute indication for surgery or after unsatisfactory or undesired medical therapy, minimally invasive treatments such as UroLift® (Neotract Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA), Rezῡm™ (Boston Scientific, Malborough, MA, USA), iTIND™ (Olympus America Inc., Westborough, MA, USA), and prostatic artery embolization (PAE) can be considered. These indirect/delayed ablative therapies offer lower morbidity and the possibility of performing them under local anesthesia, but they are inferior to direct ablative/resective techniques in terms of effectiveness and sustainability. The updated German S2e guideline summarizes evidence-based recommendations for new minimally invasive therapies for LUTS/BPO, which present alternative treatment options for selected patients.

The Effect of Flipped Classroom Technique on Developing English Speaking Skills of EFL learners

Various innovative language teaching techniques have been created and applied in language classes to improve students’ speaking skills. Flipped classroom technique, a new pedagogical model, has paved the way for transformation in the foreign language teaching field for it provides students with online instruction or language content in videos to be studied as homework and an opportunity to practice linguistic input in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the Flipped Classroom Technique on developing the English Speaking Skills of EFL learners. Semi-experimental method was used to examine the data. The population of the study was made up of Forty-seven intermediate EFL students in an English institute in Khorramabad, Iran. They were divided into two groups, experimental (males=8, females=9) and control group (males=9, females=8). Each group comprised of seventeen students. The experimental group was taught based on flipped classroom techniques while the control group was taught according to traditional methods. Besides, the participants’ age range was between 16 to 26 years old. The instruments used for data collection are the IELTS Speaking Test, Multimedia resources, Brainstorming, and the IELTS speaking rubric. The findings of the study show that there is a meaningful difference between those instructed with flipped classroom techniques and those instructed with traditional methods. Those who were taught by the flipped technique outperformed those who were instructed by the traditional methods. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the flipped classroom technique is an effective technique in terms of developing the speaking skills of EFL learners.

Deep Clustering-Based Anomaly Detection and Health Monitoring for Satellite Telemetry

Satellite telemetry data plays an ever-important role in both the safety and the reliability of a satellite. These two factors are extremely significant in the field of space systems and space missions. Since it is challenging to repair space systems in orbit, health monitoring and early anomaly detection approaches are crucial for the success of space missions. A large number of efficient and accurate methods for health monitoring and anomaly detection have been proposed in aerospace systems but without showing enough concern for the patterns that can be mined from normal operational telemetry data. Concerning this, the present paper proposes DCLOP, an intelligent Deep Clustering-based Local Outlier Probabilities approach that aims at detecting anomalies alongside extracting realistic and reasonable patterns from the normal operational telemetry data. The proposed approach combines (i) a new deep clustering method that uses a dynamically weighted loss function with (ii) the adapted version of Local Outlier Probabilities based on the results of deep clustering. The DCLOP approach effectively monitors the health status of a spacecraft and detects the early warnings of its on-orbit failures. Therefore, this approach enhances the validity and accuracy of anomaly detection systems. The performance of the suggested approach is assessed using actual cube satellite telemetry data. The experimental findings prove that the suggested approach is competitive to the currently used techniques in terms of effectiveness, viability, and validity.

Clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of autoinoculation in genital molluscum contagiosum in reproductive age group.

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) typically presents as asymptomatic or itchy, discrete, smooth, flesh-colored, dome-shaped papules with central umbilication. Lesions on the genitals are often sexually transmitted and tend to be seen in young adults. Homologous auto implantation is a simple technique which helps in inducing a cell-mediated immune response to the antigens, aiding clearance of both local and distant lesions. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and side effect of the technique of autoinoculation for the treatment of genital MC in terms of reduction in number of lesions. Thirty-one patients having >5 genital molluscum attending skin outpatient department were enrolled out of which 30 remain. A well-defined mc lesion was approached using an insulin syringe (30 G) and pierced from a site just adjacent to the lesion. Results were assessed every 2 weeks for 2 months. 60% (n = 18) patients showed excellent response, 20% (n = 6) patients showed very good response, 6.6% (n = 2) patients showed good response and 13.3% (n = 4) showed poor response at the end of the study. The autoinoculation technique is an effective technique in terms of excellent clearance of MC lesions with fewer chances of recurrence, side effects, and shorter duration taken to achieve a complete response to distant lesions.

Photo Elicitation Interviewing Enriches Public Health Research on Fathers’ Role in Child Care and Feeding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Photo elicitation interviewing (PEI), as a visual qualitative research methodology, has been used widely in various fields with different participants. However, little has been written about using the method in public health research, especially involving men in low-income settings. In this paper, the authors reflect upon the use of PEI in a study that explored fathers’ experiences in child care and feeding in a low-income neighbourhood of Addis Ababa city in Ethiopia. The reflections focus on two overarching themes; (1) how PEI worked well as an effective technique in terms of addressing the research questions posed in this low-resourced setting and (2) how it served to enhance phenomenology in qualitative public health research. The researchers also discuss the limitations and lessons from employing this methodology through continuous reflexivity, which is valuable to qualitative work.

Isolated MPFL reconstruction with soft tissue femoral fixation technique in 54 skeletally immature patients: Clinical outcomes at 2 years follow-up. A French multicenter retrospective study

BackgroundMedial patello-femoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction is one of the therapeutic options to treat patellofemoral instability. Classically, a à la carte treatment of skeletal and ligament abnormalities is described. This option is difficult to achieve in children because bony procedures can damage the femoral and/or tibial growth plate. The objective was to evaluate a strategy for isolated reconstruction of the MPFL in the treatment of objective patellar instabilities in children, in a large cohort. The return to sport, knee function and pain or discomfort were studied as secondary endpoints. MethodsThis French multicenter retrospective study included 54 pediatric patients with objective patellofemoral instability. Patients were included if they had presented at least 2 episodes of objective patella dislocation. A Deie-like technique with gracilis tendon graft, soft tissue femoral fixation and patellar bone tunnels for patellar fixation was used. Recurrence of dislocation was studied as the primary endpoint, and the recurrence rate was compared with the literature. A comparison of functional scores (Kujala, Lille femoro-patellar instability score or LFPI Score and Tegner activity score) and NRS between pre- and postoperative was studied as a secondary objective. ResultsA recurrence of femoro-patellar instability was observed for five patients within 2 years follow up (9%). A significant improvement of the Kujala, LFPI score, Tegner and NRS scores was observed (p<0.001). ConclusionIsolated reconstruction of the MPFL presents a risk of recurrence of 9% at 2years follow-up. This technique significantly improves the functional scores of the knee. This modified Deie technique provides good clinical and functional results, allowing return to sports with an acceptable risk of recurrence of patellar dislocation, similar to those observed in the literature. Isolated MPFL reconstruction as a first-line treatment appears to be a reliable and effective technique in terms of recurrence of dislocation and functional scores. It allows early recovery and rehabilitation and has lower morbidity than procedures requiring bone gestures. Level of evidenceIII, retrospective comparative study.

Tests of demountable reinforced concrete slabs

This paper presents an experimental investigation of demountable reinforced concrete slabs using dry connections between reinforced concrete slab elements. The test specimens comprised six full-scale reinforced concrete slabs; one control slab monolithically cast, while the other five slabs were produced with mid-span demountable dry connections. The slab elements were cast separately and assembled using top and bottom steel plates joined to each side of the slab element by high tensile steel bolts with or without a shear key and embedded steel block. Theoretical analysis of the behaviour of the demountable slabs tested in comparison with the control specimen was also conducted.The test results showed that using a dry connection consisting of a shear key at the assembled section is the most effective technique in terms of moment resistance, deflection, and flexural stiffness. On the other hand, the dry connection with embedded steel blocks failed prematurely because of stress concentration at the block edges. The moment capacity and deflection predictions of demountable slabs have reasonably correlated with the experimental results but required additional calibrated data from experiments.

Effectiveness, economics, and safety of drop nets and helicopters with net‐gunning for capturing white‐tailed deer

AbstractCapture and handling of animals is an essential component of wildlife research. Human population growth, coupled with rapid land use changes, have resulted in increased wildlife‐human interactions and subsequently increased public awareness and sensitivity to animal welfare. However, few publications have compared capture techniques in terms of effectiveness, economics, and animal safety across the same environment. We evaluated capture effectiveness, monetary cost, and safety for drop nets and both single and tandem helicopters with net‐gunning techniques for white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; deer). We captured 32 (drop nets), 68 (single helicopter), and 71 (tandem helicopters) deer over 6 study periods (3 autumn and 3 spring) from August 2011 to February 2014. Catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE, person hours/deer) was lowest for tandem helicopters (2.3) followed by single helicopter (2.7) and then drop nets (65.8). Animals captured using drop nets heavily favored younger males compared to both helicopter and net‐gunning techniques. Capture cost (total cost/deer) was greater for drop nets ($655 USD) than either single helicopter ($164) or tandem helicopters ($231). Total mortality (capture‐related and postcapture myopathy) was highest for drop nets at 12.5% followed by 5.9% for single helicopter and 4.2% for tandem helicopters. While all 3 techniques were safe and effective methods for deer capture, the tandem helicopter technique was superior in balancing effectiveness, cost, safety, and maximizing spatial coverage, all of which must be considered when selecting among available capture methods.

Effective Covering Array Generation Using an Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

In the test case generation process of combinatorial testing, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is widely concerned for its simple implementation and fast convergence rate; however, it often falls into local optimum due to premature convergence. To attack this problem, a novel adaptive value measurement strategy is adopted by weighing the relationship between current test cases and historical test cases. The test case with the minimum average hamming distance is selected as the optimal test case, and the inertial weight linear differential decrease strategy is developed to ensure better inertial weight in different search stages, further to improve the capability of generating smaller covering arrays. In addition, we integrate the simulated annealing strategy into the improved PSO to improve the ability of particles jumping out of the local optimum, and an innovative approach for generating a better covering array is proposed. Experiments on 16 classical random strength covering arrays suggest that our approach outperforms six other techniques in terms of effectiveness.

Comparison of kinesio taping and cold therapy in patients with total knee arthroplasty: A randomized controlled trial

Objective To investigate the effects of kinesio taping and cold therapy on pain, edema, range of motion, muscle strength, functional level and quality of life in patients with total knee arthroplasty. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting A university hospital. Subjects One-hundred patients were included. Intervention Patients were allocated into three groups; control group, kinesio group and cold therapy group. The control group received a standard rehabilitation program. Kinesio taping group received two fan-shaped kinesio taping bands and cold therapy group received cold packs in addition to the standard rehabilitation program. Main measures The outcome measures were pain, edema, range of motion, muscle strength, functional level and quality of life. Participants were assessed at preoperative, discharge and postoperative third month. Results The groups were similar at preoperative. A significant difference was determined in terms of pain in kinesio taping group compared to the control group at the discharge. Cold therapy was efficient in reducing postoperative swelling but kinesio taping had no significant effects on swelling control. There was no difference between the groups in terms of range of motion, muscle strength, functional level and quality of life. The groups were similar in all parameters at the postoperative third month measurements. Conclusion Fan-shaped kinesio taping is an effective technique in terms of postoperative pain relief. Cold therapy is an effective method in terms of edema control. Kinesio taping and cold therapy has no specific beneficial effect on functional level, muscle strength and quality of life compared to control group.

Assessing the Applicability of Low Impact Development Techniques in Arid and Semi-arid Regions

Low impact development (LID) techniques are increasingly used as a stormwater management strategy to maintain the hydrological conditions of developed areas and mitigate the negative consequences of stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. Although LID techniques have been commonly used in moderate to humid areas, further information is needed on their effectiveness in semi-arid and arid regions. This study aims to examine and compare the effectiveness of LID techniques in arid and semi-arid climate conditions. First, a comprehensive study was conducted to rank LID techniques based on literature reviews while also incorporating different stakeholder priorities. Then, the city of Varamin, Tehran, Iran, was chosen as a low slope arid and semi-arid study region to assess the applicability of the best three high-ranked LID techniques using the storm water management model (SWMM). The results indicated that rainwater harvesting is the most effective technique in terms of stormwater quality and quantity management. The implementation of the rainwater harvesting technique across the case study is likely to decrease the average discharge, peak discharge, total volume, total runoff, and total suspended solids (TSS) by respectively 31.2%, 12.7%, 40.71%, 40.77% and 37.91%. Besides, rainwater tanks were projected to provide the water demands of home gardens during the five dry months, in addition to other domestic needs for water conservation objectives. The application of LID techniques in such water-limited regions can be useful for both stormwater management and water conservation.

Evaluation of Multistage Oral Mucosal Grafting From Single Donor Site in Reconstruction of Severely Contracted Ocular Socket

Background: Management of severely contracted ocular socket with inability to retain ocular prosthesis is one of the most difficult problems to tackle. This study aimed to evaluate feasibility, cosmetic outcome and donor site complications of multistage Mucous Membrane Grafting (MMG) from single donor site. Methods: In this prospective, non-randomized study, 07 patients with severely contracted ocular socket (grade 3-5 Gopal Krishna classification) underwent repair with oral MMG in multiple stages under general anaesthesia. Graft harvested from single donor site from inner aspect of lower lip at every surgery. Subsequent surgery was done 08 weeks later after healing of donor site and reassessment of residual socket contraction. All patients were given customised ocular prosthesis. Patients evaluated for ability to retain the prosthesis and cosmetic outcome. Results: Mean age of patients was 43.5 years. Majority of patients were grade 4 socket contraction. Majority required 2 stages of MMG surgery. While 2 patient required 3 stages of MMG. One patient with grade 5 contraction unable to achieve satisfactory retention of prosthesis even after 3 stages of MMG. Rest all patients had adequate expansion of surface and were able to retain customised ocular prosthesis with satisfactory cosmetic outcome. No patient developed donor site infection or contracture. Conclusion: MMG from single donor site in multiple stages for repair of severely contracted ocular socket is effective technique in terms of ease of surgery, cost effectiveness, ability to retain prosthesis and cosmetic outcome. Keywords: contracted socket, mucous membrane graft, buccal mucosa, ocular prosthesis.

Outcome of Infected Nonunion of Long Bones Treated by Single-Stage Bone Grafting and External Fixation at Northwest General Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan

Background: Infected nonunion of long bones after fractures is one of the most challenging complication to treat in clinical practice. It is commonly treated by a two-stage approach; controlling infection initially and then application of external fixator and bone graft. Treatment with Ilizarov had been the gold standard but is associated with few complications. The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical, radiological and functional outcomes of infected non-union of long bones treated with single-stage bone grafting and external fixation.Material and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out at Orthopedics Department of Northwest General Hospital, Peshawar Pakistan from 2014 to 2019. Medical records of 17 patients, aged 32 years and treated with Single-stage bone grafting and external fixation were reviewed. Nonunion included 7 humerii, 5 femurs, 3 tibias and 2 radius/ulna. Preoperative plain radiographs for any sequestrum or sclerosed bone margins and baseline investigations (like CBC, ESR, CRP and Vitamin-D status) were reviewed. All patients underwent radical debridement, reaming of intramedullary canals, external fixation and autogenous bone grafting. The outcomes evaluated were union of the bone (clinically and radiologically), resolution of infection, complication rate and number of re-intervention surgeries.Results: Among 17 patients, 10 were males and 7 were females. After treatment, mean follow-up duration was 9.414.48 months (4–18 months). None of the patients were lost to follow-up, had recurrence of infection or required further surgery. The mean duration of bone union was 8.4  4.48 months (range 3 to 17 months) and all of the patients achieved infection free union with satisfactory functional outcome.Conclusions: Single-stage bone grafting and external fixation is an effective technique in terms of resolution of infection and satisfactory bone union without any complications and can be used as an alternative to Ilizarov for treating cases of infected nonunion of long bones.

Solar PV’s Micro Crack and Hotspots Detection Technique Using NN and SVM

For lifelong and reliable operation, advanced solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment is designed to minimize the faults. Irrespectively, the panel degradation makes the fault inevitable. Thus, the quick detection and classification of panel degradation is pivotal. Among various problems that promote panel degradation, hot spots and micro-cracks are the prominent reliability problems which affect the PV performance. When these types of faults occur in a solar cell, the panel gets heated up and it reduces the power generation hence its efficiency considerably. In this study, the effect of the hotspot is studied and a comparative fault detection method is proposed to detect different PV modules affected by micro-cracks and hotspots. The classification process is accomplished by utilizing Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network technique and Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques. The investigation of both the techniques permits a complete analysis of choosing an effective technique in terms of accuracy outcome. Six input parameters like percentage of power loss (PPL), Open-circuit voltage (VOC), Short circuit current (ISC), Irradiance (IRR), Panel temperature and Internal impedance (Z) are accounted to detect the faults. Experimental investigation and simulations using MATLAB are carried out to detect five categories of faulty and healthy panels. Both methods exhibited a promising result with an average accuracy of 87% for feed-forward back propagation neural network and 99% SVM technique which exposes the potential of this proposed technique.

Contamination and Decontamination of Autologous Bone in the Operating Room: A Systematic Review

To perform a systematic review of the literature to determine the rate of contamination of autologous bone fragments inadvertently dropped on the operating room floor, the microbial profile (contaminating organism), and the outcome of intraoperative decontamination techniques in terms of effectiveness and cellular toxicity. PubMed, Medline, and Embase were searched for English literature published from 1990 through 2020 using terms such as "bone graft contamination," "dropped osteoarticular fragments," "autogenous bone decontamination," and similar interchangeable words. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Inclusion criteria consisted of all studies on contamination of host bone fragments, means and/or rate of autologous bone contamination in operating rooms, microbial analysis of contaminated bone autograft, outcome of decontamination, and cellular viability after decontamination. All potentially eligible studies underwent a full-text review and cross-referencing after title and abstract screening. Data on authors, publication year, study type, means and rate of contamination, microbial profile, decontamination technique, and effectiveness and cellular toxicity outcomes were extracted. Analysis and synthesis of data were performed on Microsoft Excel 2016. The rate of contamination for dropped osteoarticular or osteochondral host fragment approached 40%. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common organism contaminating the bone graft when dropped on the operating room floor. A 5-minute bath in 10% povidone-iodine solution followed by 1-minute bulb syringe lavage with normal saline has proved successful in decontamination and maintenance of cellular viability. Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Evaluation of sutureless mesh repair for inguinal hernia: A prospective study

Background and Aims: Hernias are among the oldest known affliction of humankind. Many procedures have been developed till date to minimize or abolish tissue tension during repair of inguinal hernia. In present study we aimed to evaluate sutureless mesh repair for inguinal hernia. Material and methods: The present study was conducted on 50 consecutive male patients between 20-50 years of age and having uncomplicated inguinal hernia. Patients were operated upon using sutureless mesh repair technique. During the follow up patients were evaluated in terms of post-operative complications, hospital stay, operative time and recurrence if any. Results: We found that mean operative time was 39.36 (2.96) minutes and mean total duration of stay in hospital was 1.06 days. There were no complications in the immediate period. At one week postoperatively, seroma formation, wound infection and scrotal swelling were seen in 3 (6%) cases, 2 (4%) cases and 1 (2%) case respectively. Conclusion: Sutureless tension free mesh repair for the treatment of inguinal hernia cases is an effective technique in terms of decreased time of operative procedure and hospital stay, and decreased postoperative complications.

Tribological Behaviour of Polymers in Terms of Plasma Treatment: A Brief Review

Abstract A review to enrich the literature concerning the effect of various plasmas on the tribological behaviour of polymers and monitor the developments of plasma for the modification of polymer surfaces over recent decades using up-to-date data. A comparative study of plasmas was conducted to identify the most useful and efficient ones which facilitate optimal improvements with regard to the characterizations of polymer surfaces and tribological properties. The studies included in this review strongly suggest that (besides Plasma-Immersion Ion Implantation, PIII) atmospheric plasmas (dielectric barrier discharges, DBD) are an effective technique in terms of modifying the characterizations of polymer surfaces thereby enhancing the tribological behaviour of polymers under different operating conditions that extends the operating life of elements within the machine.

Techniques for ovarian tissue transplantation and results

Fertility preservation has emerged as a field of growing interest thanks to increasingly effective cancer treatments in women. For young women with good prospects of surviving cancer, fertility preservation counseling before gonadotoxic treatment is imperative to offer them a potential chance of future childbearing. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation emerges as a strategy for fertility preservation, especially for prepubertal girls, adolescents and women in whom cancer treatment cannot be delayed. Numerous surgical techniques have been reported and are currently being used for frozen-thawed ovarian tissue reimplantation, but successful approaches all adhere to the same fundamental micro-surgical principles: 1) finding a well vascularized orthotopic transplantation site, and 2) fixing the ovarian tissue by means of stitches, Interceed® and/or fibrin glue. Orthotopic reimplantation has proved to be the most effective technique in terms of resumption of ovarian endocrine function in more than 95% of all reported cases, and fertility restoration in over than 40% of patients in our series.

DCA‐based unimodal feature‐level fusion of orthogonal moments for Indian sign language dataset

Sign language recognition system classifies signs made by hand gestures. An adequate number of features are required to represent the shape variations of sign language. As compared to individual feature set, a combination of features can be effective due to the fact that a particular feature set represents different shape information. A simple concatenation results in large feature vector size and increases the classification computational complexity. Discriminant correlation analysis (DCA)‐based unimodal feature‐level fusion has been applied on uniform as well as complex background Indian sign language datasets. DCA is a feature‐level fusion technique that takes into account the class associations while combining the feature sets. It maximises the inter‐class separability of two feature sets and also minimises the intra‐class separability while performing the feature fusion. The objective of DCA‐based unimodal feature fusion technique is to combine different feature sets into a single feature vector with more discriminative power. The performance of proposed framework is compared with individual orthogonal moment‐based feature sets and canonical correlation analysis (CCA)‐based feature fusion technique. Results show that in comparison to individual features and CCA‐based fused features, DCA is an effective technique in terms of improved accuracy, reduced feature vector size and smaller classification time.

Performance and reliability concern scheme for efficient garbage collection and wear leveling on flash memory-based solid state disk

In the near future, data is expected to double in every two years, which translates to more than one terabyte of data for every person on earth. The difficulty of storing and fetching required data from data centers and servers will consequently increase. As a result, significant attention has been given to the flash memory-based solid state drive (SSD) from consumer electronics companies, which has begun to replace the existing hard disk drive and is highly likely to be used as a storage unit for most of consumer electronics to achieve low power consumption. In contrast to traditional disk, SSD uses semiconductor chips to store data. This structure enjoys original technical characteristics, including low power consumption, shock resistance, and high performance in random access. Such features can overcome the shortcomings of magnetic disks. However, flash memory, the basic unit of SSD, has many distinctive characteristics that cause various challenges. Flash memory does not support updating in the place method. A write operation can be performed only on an empty or erased unit, making the process more time-consuming. Moreover, each storage unit has a limited number of erase cycles, after which the block becomes invalid. This research proposes a new scheme called performance and reliability concern to increase the reliability and performance of SSDs. The eligibility of the proposed scheme is proven through EagleTree simulator. The scheme is also compared with other state-of-the-art techniques in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme provides sufficient performance and reliability for SSD.