Frequent Problem Research Articles

Effectiveness of Baby Massage on Weight Infants Aged 7-12 Months

Growth and development babies depend a lot on fulfillment nutrition. A number of frequent problem happen in fulfillment nutrition difficulty eat what you can cause happening disturbance growth in babies. Prevalence difficulty eat of 33.6%, 44.5% of them suffer malnutrition light until moderate and 79.2 % of subject study has experience difficulty eat more than 3 months (Rikesda, 2018). Baby massage can increase absorption food so that baby more fast hungry and baby will more often suckle. This research aim to know influence baby massage to baby 's weight at 7-12 months on groups treatment and control. This research use quantitative study quasi experiment with design two group pretest- posttest design. Which consists of 30 infants aged 7-12 months that consisted of 15 as group intervention and 15 as group control. Retrieval technique sample use purposive sampling technique. Data analyzed using paired t-test and Independent-test. On research this obtained mark significance test results paired T-Test of 0.000 (P=0.000<0.05). Can concluded that is influence baby weight after done massage. Research results expected can increase mother 's knowledge about importance massage baby for increase baby weight.

Radiation Treatment Plan Evaluation: An Educational Tool for Radiation Oncology Trainees

Background Resident education in radiation treatment plan evaluation is variable, but it is a critical component of resident education as treatment plans are patient-tailored and customized. Prior studies have reported that over 90% of residents are interested in additional resources, but most report insufficient training. We developed a case-based educational curriculum to increase confidence and competence in plan evaluation by incorporating physics and dosimetry faculty input. We used this pilot study to evaluate feasibility of implementing dedicated treatment plan evaluation teaching sessions at an academic institution. Methods A single institution pilot study with 14 volunteer residents involving pre- and post-plan evaluation teaching session. Three de-identified central nervous system (CNS) cases, including high-grade and low-grade gliomas, were selected that corresponded to the topics of the residents' clinical lectures during the time they were administered. Physics faculty and dosimetrists developed treatment plans that incorporated common problems identified during plan evaluation including inaccurate contours, excessive doses to organs at risk (OARs), suboptimal beam arrangements, and inadequate target volume coverage. An interactive, dosimetry-led teaching session reviewed the cases and tips for requesting plan changes. Residents completed anonymous follow-up surveys regarding the cases and didactic session. Results Seven of 14 (50%) eligible residents completed the three initial case surveys which took on average 11 minutes and 55 seconds to complete (range 8 minutes 39 seconds -13 minutes 50 seconds). Of the participants, most correctly identified the major issues with each case: correctly indicating which plans they would approve and the differences between plans. However, a minority of residents were able to accurately discuss more nuanced details, with only 57% and 42% correctly rejecting inaccurate contours and OAR constraints, respectively; 29% accurately listed the pros and cons of specific beam arrangements; and 14% identified techniques dosimetry could use to improve target coverage. On the follow-up survey, 100% of residents reported that both the cases and the review session improved their confidence and understanding of treatment planning and plan evaluation and stated that they would like to see similar educational material incorporated in residency training in the future. Discussion We describe an effective, multidisciplinary tool to supplement resident education in plan evaluation. This curriculum simulates frequent problems that providers face and provides tools to collaborate with dosimetry and physics to improve treatment plans. Additional follow-up on evaluating and improving confidence and preparedness with plan evaluation in independent practice is warranted. Resident education in radiation treatment plan evaluation is variable, but it is a critical component of resident education as treatment plans are patient-tailored and customized. Prior studies have reported that over 90% of residents are interested in additional resources, but most report insufficient training. We developed a case-based educational curriculum to increase confidence and competence in plan evaluation by incorporating physics and dosimetry faculty input. We used this pilot study to evaluate feasibility of implementing dedicated treatment plan evaluation teaching sessions at an academic institution. A single institution pilot study with 14 volunteer residents involving pre- and post-plan evaluation teaching session. Three de-identified central nervous system (CNS) cases, including high-grade and low-grade gliomas, were selected that corresponded to the topics of the residents' clinical lectures during the time they were administered. Physics faculty and dosimetrists developed treatment plans that incorporated common problems identified during plan evaluation including inaccurate contours, excessive doses to organs at risk (OARs), suboptimal beam arrangements, and inadequate target volume coverage. An interactive, dosimetry-led teaching session reviewed the cases and tips for requesting plan changes. Residents completed anonymous follow-up surveys regarding the cases and didactic session. Seven of 14 (50%) eligible residents completed the three initial case surveys which took on average 11 minutes and 55 seconds to complete (range 8 minutes 39 seconds -13 minutes 50 seconds). Of the participants, most correctly identified the major issues with each case: correctly indicating which plans they would approve and the differences between plans. However, a minority of residents were able to accurately discuss more nuanced details, with only 57% and 42% correctly rejecting inaccurate contours and OAR constraints, respectively; 29% accurately listed the pros and cons of specific beam arrangements; and 14% identified techniques dosimetry could use to improve target coverage. On the follow-up survey, 100% of residents reported that both the cases and the review session improved their confidence and understanding of treatment planning and plan evaluation and stated that they would like to see similar educational material incorporated in residency training in the future. We describe an effective, multidisciplinary tool to supplement resident education in plan evaluation. This curriculum simulates frequent problems that providers face and provides tools to collaborate with dosimetry and physics to improve treatment plans. Additional follow-up on evaluating and improving confidence and preparedness with plan evaluation in independent practice is warranted.

Self-Compacting Concrete with Low Binder Content and Recycled Aggregates - Economical or Ecological Solution?

Despite the fact that the self-consolidating concrete is present on the market since the 1990s, it still faces a number of problems that limit its use in many countries. In Poland, in addition to economic barriers (the standard self-compacting concrete is much more expensive than standard concrete, which is most obtainable at low classes such as C16/20 and C20/25), there are also problems with a higher shrinkage resulting from the large amounts of grout There are also frequent problems with a high viscosity of the standard self-consolidating concrete, limiting the areas of its use. Development of a concrete technology and, in particular, the new generation of stabilizers (VMA) produced an alternative to the traditional self-consolidating concretes, i.e. the self-consolidating concretes with a low binder content - less than 380 kg/m3 , or even down to 315 kg/m3 . The low binder content in the new generation of the self-consolidating concretes, comparable to the binder content of standard products, makes them more economically competitive. The low viscosity of these mixtures result in much easier application, and the contraction rate lower in comparison to the standard self-consolidating concrete, which make them ideal substitutes of standard concretes. In the age of sustainable development, the requirements of the certification related to multi-criteria evaluation system such as LEED, BREEAM and DGNB, considerable importance to the issue of CO2 emission reduction. The production of self-compacting concrete with low binder content and recycled aggregates result in lower CO2 emissions than production of other self-consolidating concretes with high binder content. The use of recycled aggregates coupled with reducing the binder content make the self-compacting concrete more attractive in terms of their environmental impact. This solution allows for reduction in both the heat of hydration due to low cement content, and also for higher scores in multi-criteria evaluation building systems, due to the use of waste materials. This paper attempts to present the advantages and disadvantages of economical and ecological analyze of waste material usage such as recycled aggregates in SCC solutions.

Nutritional Support in Terminal Patient

Malnutrition is a frequent problem in the situation of terminal illness. The indication of artificial nutritional support in these patients creates ethical conflicts that are difficult to resolve. Palliative care is a type of approach that seeks the humanization and wellbeing of patients with chronic conditions, regardless of the underlying disease. In this sense, seeking the joint participation of a multidisciplinary care team, the patient, and his or her family is the main goal. In patients in this situation, nutrition should be regarded as an approach that is able to provide benefits but that can also bear risks. Therefore, its indication should be subject to a careful and continuous evaluation. Indication for hydration and artificial nutrition (HAN) is based on respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Nutrition in palliative patients should be addressed in the same ways as other care processes, such as antibiotic therapy or mechanical ventilation. Therefore, HAN should be indicated to improve patient comfort and clinical outcomes, but when HAN results in suffering or discomfort, outweighing its benefits it should be contraindicated or discontinued. This paper suggests lines of action that can serve as clinical guidance, although decision-making must always be individualized, taking into account the balance between risks and benefits of this treatment modality. The patient's wishes must be given top priority.

Circular RNA PARG adjusts miR-140-3p to influence progression in sepsis.

Sepsis has been characterized as a frequent medical problem with high mortality and severe complication medical problem in the intensive care unit (ICU). Here, qRT-PCR was used to examine circRNA PARG expression levels in patients with sepsis and in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMEC). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-simulated HPMEC were hybridized using RNA-Fluorescence in situ hybridization to confirm the location of circRNA PARG and miR-140-3p. The biological role of downregulated circRNA PARGin cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory and apoptosis responses was evaluated. performed A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine the relationship between the circRNA PARG with miR-140-3p. In this study,circRNA PARG aberrant expression was found, and the effects of circRNA PARG on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated apoptosis of HPMEC cells were further investigated. Down-regulated circRNA PARG led to significant alleviation of LPS-simulated cell apoptosis via inhibition of inflammatory and apoptosis-related genes, while upregulated circRNA PARG exhibited the opposite effects. Further findings indicated that circRNA PARG positively modulated the relative level of miR-140-3p, which has been confirmed using the luciferase reporter assay. Upregulated circRNA PARG led to a reversal of LPS-simulated cells after transfection of miR-140-3p mimic. In general, a novel insight into understanding the important effects of circRNA PARG in sepsis is provided.

Information System for Determining Student Achievement Using the K-Means Method

Value is an important thing in the world of education and requires a special processing and policy, both in its use, maintenance and recording. Because of the importance of using this value, it is necessary to carry out systematic and effective processing of the values ​​obtained by students. Processing grades consisting of formative grades, assignment grades, and semester grades for each student. To calculate the student's grades, the K-Means method was used to determine students who excel at SMA Swa Bina Karya. The information system for determining outstanding students at Swa Bina Karya High School is still manual. Where the process of recording and calculating student grades is still manual where the recording of each student's grades is recorded in the gradebook owned by each homeroom teacher so that the process of making class ranking reports requires a lot of time and the resulting information is less effective and efficient. To be able to overcome this frequent problem, the authors designed a system for determining student achievement using the K-Means method using Microsoft Visual Basic.Net 2008 and the database used was Sql Server 2008. With the design of this system, the homeroom teacher and school principal can receive more accurate and timely class ranking reports. Besides that, this system also helps admin work much more effectively and efficiently

Depression in Elderly People

Depression is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of will or laziness. It is not a simple “being sad” or bored, but rather a pathology that needs intervention, treatment, and monitoring by professionals with expertise in mental health. It is a disorder that impacts the lives of people who do not receive timely help affecting not only the individual himself in his feelings, thoughts, and behaviors but also harming his relationships and daily life and is prevalent among elderly people. Depression manifests through multiple symptoms, is caused by numerous factors, and is preventable with specific practices. It is described as the “most frequent mental health problem worldwide,” has a higher prevalence in women, is different from mourning and sadness, and needs to be addressed to avoid extreme situations, such as suicide.

Detection of Insomnia and Its Relationship with Cognitive Impairment, Depression, and Quality of Life in Older Community-Dwelling Mexicans.

Sleep disturbances are one of the most frequent health problems in old age, among which insomnia stands out. It is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, frequent awakenings, or waking up too early and not having restful sleep, which may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and depression, affecting functionality and quality of life. Insomnia is a very complex multifactorial problem that requires a multi- and interdisciplinary approach. However, it is frequently not diagnosed in older community-dwelling people, increasing the risk of psychological, cognitive, and quality of life alterations. The aim was to detect insomnia and its relationship with cognitive impairment, depression, and quality of life in older community-dwelling Mexicans. An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in 107 older adults from Mexico City. The following screening instruments were applied: Athens Insomnia Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire WHOQoL-Bref, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory. The frequency of insomnia detected was 57% and its relationship with cognitive impairment, depression, and low quality of life was 31% (OR = 2.5, 95% CI, 1.1-6.6. p < 0.05), 41% (OR = 7.3, 95% CI, 2.3-22.9, p < 0.001), and 59% (OR = 2.5, 95% CI, 1.1-5.4, p < 0.05), respectively. Our findings suggest that insomnia is a frequent clinical disorder that is not diagnosed and a significant risk factor for cognitive decline, depression, and poor quality of life.

Case Study: Successful Rehabilitation of a Torn Rotator Cuff through Physical Therapy for Positive Functional Recovery

Older adults often suffer from shoulder pain. Rotator cuff problems are typically responsible for shoulder pain. The majority of rotator cuff disorders can be treated conservatively. Shoulder issues are rather common. More than 30% of people have shoulder pain at some time in their lives. Shoulder discomfort is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal problems in people over the age of 65. The rotator cuffs are four muscles that connect the top arm bone (humerus) to the upper shoulder blade (scapula). If the rotator cuff is injured, every motion on the affected shoulder, including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and internal and external rotation, may be difficult. Having a rotator cuff tear restricts movement of the shoulder, which makes it difficult for the patient to do everyday tasks such as getting dressed or washing their hair. They may also find it difficult to remove something from their back pockets. patient was completely immobile when injured. Treatment was provided for up to three months, and almost 30 rehabilitation sessions were conducted during this time. In each rehabilitation session, patients were treated with electrotherapeutic modalities, dry cupping, and manual therapy exercises. The rehabilitation session lasted up to an hour. After one month of rehabilitation, the shoulder pain was noticeably reduced and nearly gone. Following the treatment, she achieved the most improvement in her functional capacity. For instance, she is now able to put on clothes without any assistance. Now she can comb her hair on her own. It was proven that exercise treatment significantly reduced pain and improved function in individuals with fully ruptured or torn supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons. Keywords: Rotator cuff, full thickness tear, disability, surgery, shoulder pain, physical therapy.

Hypothesis Testing for Matched Pairs with Missing Data by Maximum Mean Discrepancy: An Application to Continuous Glucose Monitoring

ABSTRACT A frequent problem in statistical science is how to properly handle missing data in matched paired observations. There is a large body of literature coping with the univariate case. Yet, the ongoing technological progress in measuring biological systems raises the need for addressing more complex data, for example, graphs, strings, and probability distributions. To fill this gap, this article proposes new estimators of the maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) to handle complex matched pairs with missing data. These estimators can detect differences in data distributions under different missingness assumptions. The validity of this approach is proven and further studied in an extensive simulation study, and statistical consistency results are provided. Data obtained from continuous glucose monitoring in a longitudinal population-based diabetes study are used to illustrate the application of this approach. By employing new distributional representations along with cluster analysis, new clinical criteria on how glucose changes vary at the distributional level over 5 years can be explored.

An innovative PDMS cell to improve the thermal conductivity measurements of nanofluids

The traditional methods to measure the thermal conductivity of nanofluids (NFs) do not allow the investigation of critical features that affect the NF's heat transfer performance. For instance, during the thermal conductivity measurements, the NF's thermal properties may be subject to several critical features such as sedimentation, aggregation and wall adhesion of NPs. In addition, the measurement cell has severe functional limitations in terms of full cleaning and performing direct visualizations due mainly to design, geometrical and material constraints. These are frequent problems encountered at the transient hot-wire and transient plane source (TPS) methods, two popular techniques often used to measure NF's thermal conductivity. In this way, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), due to its unique properties, such as thermal stability and excellent optical transparency, was applied to fabricate an innovative and simple cell that offers a more straightforward and efficient way to clean the NPs deposited on the walls and as a result to avoid any possible sample contaminations.

The Discourse Function of Preposing in English and Arabic with Reference to Translation

The current study aimed to explore the phenomenon of preposing in the English and Arabic languages, and to identify its main salient characteristics and functions. It also attempted to address the most frequent translation problems associated with this phenomenon and to propose solutions to such problems based on sound scientific and theoretical grounds. Preposing refers to advancing a sentence constituent to the initial position for rhetorical or structural purposes. This study employed the descriptive analytical approach to delineate and analyze the various aspects of this phenomenon by reviewing a set of examples in multiple contexts. From a theoretical perspective, a sentence that involves a transition of one of its elements is considered a marked sentence as contrasted with the unmarked one that adopts the typical arrangement of words. This study concluded that syntactic discrepancies among languages might cause translational complications, particularly with word order. Moreover, it was found that fronting is used more frequently in Arabic than in English. Hence, a structural shift proposed by Catford (1965), is one of the suggested solutions to such complexities. Finally, it is worth noting that this study has some pedagogical implications, as the realization of language similarities and contrasts can contribute to facilitating the process of second language acquisition. In addition, this knowledge helps enrich the linguistic repertoire and the teaching content of language instructors.

Involvement, depressive symptoms, and their associations with problems and unmet needs in caregivers of adult eating disorder patients

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the most important problems and needs caregivers of adult inpatients with eating disorders (EDs) are confronted with in their everyday lives. A further aim was to investigate the associations between problems, needs, involvement, and depression in carers.MethodsFifty-five caregivers of inpatients with EDs (26 anorexia nervosa, 29 bulimia nervosa) completed the Carers' Needs Assessment, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire. The relationships between variables were tested via multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses.ResultsThe most frequent problem reported by caregivers was a lack of information about the course and treatment of the illness and consequent disappointment, whereas their most frequently reported needs were different forms of information and counselling. Problems, unmet needs, and worrying were especially high in parents compared to other caregivers. Involvement mediated significantly between problems (b = 0.26, BCa CI [0.03, 0.49]) as well as unmet needs (b = 0.32, BCa CI [0.03, 0.59]) of caregivers and their depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur findings underline the importance of including the problems and needs of caregivers of adult eating disorder patients in the planning of family and community interventions, to support their mental health.Level of evidenceLevel III: Evidence obtained from cohort or case–control analytic studies.

Experimental study on the fretting fatigue of Inconel 718 superalloy

Fretting fatigue is a surface damage phenomenon appearing in mechanical assemblies subjected to time-varying contact forces. This type of failure is a very frequent problem in many engineering components, with special relevance in the blade-disc connections in aircraft gas turbines. In this study, different plain and fretting fatigue tests were done using different load levels and also under two different temperatures, at room temperature and high temperature (650 °C), in order to obtain the fretting fatigue behaviour in both conditions and compare them with that of plain fatigue test. The contact pair used to carry out these tests is the frequently used cylindrical pad pressed against a dog-bone test specimen with a rectangular cross-section. The material used to manufacture both elements is the often used Nickel alloy Inconel 718, which is widely used in the manufacture of gas turbine parts. Moreover, and because the material was received in annealed condition, this material was heat treated to improve its mechanical properties. Results of tests under different conditions are analysed and compared. Subsequently, the fracture surfaces for different specimens are analysed and fatigue crack growth rate under different testing conditions are presented and compared with data from the literature.

Monitoring of adverse drug reactions in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving oral hypoglycemic agents

Background: This study intends to ascertain the prevalence and overall burden of various adverse drug reactions (ADRs) driven by oral antidiabetics for treating type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in India. Methods: Patients with T2DM taking oral antidiabetic medications participated in prospective observational research. Data collection used the pretested format by the Indian pharmacovigilance program to record the history of drugs suspected to be responsible for ADRs. The causality evaluation is according to the guidelines of the Uppsala Monitoring Center and the World Health Organization. Results: This study included 424 patients with established diabetes. Female patients showed a non-significant higher percentage of ADRs (p = 0.059). Naranjo’s assessment recorded 51 suspected ADRs with significant (p = 0.042) categorical differences in casualty. According to ADR severity, there was a significant (p = 0.048) difference between moderate 8.25% (n = 35) and mild 3.80% (n = 16); however, none of the ADRs showed severity. Metformin caused abdominal discomfort, itching, and rashes, accounting for 4.95% (n = 21) of all reported adverse reactions. Gliclazide and glimepiride induced hypoglycemia, itch, and rashes, 1.65% (n = 7), abdominal pain, 1.18% (n = 5), flatulence caused by acarbose, abdominal discomfort caused by pioglitazone, and pedal edema caused by pioglitazone 1.18% (n = 5). Conclusion: ADRs due to oral antidiabetic agents are a frequent problem. Therefore, active pharmacovigilance is essential for risk identification, management, and establishing a robust antidiabetic drug ADR database.

Trigeminal neuralgia secondary to vascular compression and neurocysticercosis: illustrative case.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a frequent neurosurgical problem negatively influencing the quality of life of patients. The standard surgical treatment is microvascular decompression for primary cases and decompression of the mass effect, mainly tumors, for secondary cases. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) in the cerebellopontine angle is a rare etiology of TN. The authors report a case in which NCC cysts around the trigeminal nerve coexisted with a vascular loop, which compressed the exit of the trigeminal nerve from the pons. A 78-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of persistent severe pain in the left side of her face, refractory to medical treatment. On gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, cystic lesions were observed around the left trigeminal nerve and a vascular loop was also present and in contact with the nerve. A retrosigmoid approach for cyst excision plus microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve was successfully performed. There were no complications. The patient was discharged without facial pain. Albeit rare, TN secondary to NCC cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis in NCC-endemic regions. In this case, the cause of the neuralgia was probably both problems, because when both were treated, the patient improved.

Lifestyle in adults with type II diabetes mellitus who attend the Pumapungo health center. Cuenca-Ecuador

Background: Type II diabetes mellitus is one of the preventable diseases with a high incidence today. In addition, it is one of the most frequent problems in the country, in which having a healthy lifestyle such as a good diet, physical activity and exercise, knowledge of the disease, a positive emotional state and adherence to treatment is essential to maintain this healthy lifestyle. To control the disease and not show complications that put health at risk; as well as the well-being of the individual.Objective: The objective that was raised in the thesis was to determine the lifestyle in adults with type II diabetes mellitus who attend the Pumapungo Health Center in the city of Cuenca, period 2022 - 2023.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was carried out. The sample consisted of 241 adults between 25 and 64 years of age with type II diabetes mellitus from the Pumapungo Health Center. For the collection of sociodemographic data, a document was used and to determine lifestyles, the IMEVID test was applied. For the analysis and tabulation of the results, the following programs were used: Excel 2019 and the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0; using descriptive statistics with tables and multivariable association statistics based on chi-square and p-value.Results: When analyzing the results found, it was shown that adults who attend the Pumapungo Health Center in the city of Cuenca that have an inadequate lifestyle in 67.6% because they do not practice healthy habits. In conclusion, type II diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which, if healthy lifestyles are not maintained, systemic complications can developed.

Welfare assessment of horses and mules used in commercial beef cattle ranches in Brazil

This study aimed to identify, among the equine welfare indicators included in two available protocols (Assessment Protocol for Horses and AWIN - Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses), those suitable to assess the welfare of ranch horses and mules in commercial beef cattle ranch in Brazil and report the welfare status of these animals when kept under such management and working conditions. Twenty-two equine animal-based welfare indicators were evaluated in 84 horses and 51 mules from seven commercial ranches located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Most of the indicators showed no or little changes from an acceptable standard of animal welfare, defined when the welfare indicators were scored 0 or when a small number of animals were scored 1, for variables scored from 0 to 2. Those indicators which indicated frequent welfare problems (forced approach test, hoof problems, body condition score, integument alterations, lesions at mouth corners, and orbital tightening) were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). Differences between ranches were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis test, and between mules and horses, the Mann-Whitney test was used. The first principal component of the PCA indicated that forced approach test and integument alterations were directly associated with each other and inversely associated with body condition score, lesions at mouth corners, hoof condition, and orbital tightening. Ranch 1 showed a higher score on the forced approach test than Ranch 5, which may be related to variations in their handling routines. Mules showed a greater avoidance response during the forced approach test, while horses had a higher incidence of hoof problems, which may be associated with the differences in behavior and anatomy of these animals. We conclude that, except for facial expression indicators, all other animal-based welfare indicators were useful for assessing the welfare of ranch horses and mules, but that they were not sufficient to carry out a complete welfare assessment of these animals, since it lacks proper environmental-based indicators. Thus, we consider this study as a first step towards the development of a specific protocol to assess the welfare of ranch horses and mules. Additionally, our results clearly show that most of the welfare problems identified in this study can be prevented or mitigated by training cowhands on how correctly raise and handle the ranch horses and mules under their care.

TS-CAGR:Traffic sensitive connectivity-aware geocast routing protocol in internet of vehicles

High vehicular mobility, frequent path link disruption and disconnection as well as random distribution of vehicular nodes make the establishment of path link for data dissemination highly challenging and the existing ad hoc routing protocols ineffective. The presence of traffic lights in metropolitan environments has a significant impact on connectivity because changes to traffic signals can induce variations in the geographical distribution of nodes. The designing of connectivity-aware geocast routing protocol using multi-hop communicational pattern, which is sensitive to traffic signal and traffic noise is a significant and contemporary issue in urban Internet of Vehicles (IoV). In this context, this paper proposes a Traffic Sensitive Connectivity-Aware Geocast Routing (TS-CAGR) protocol to minimize the impact of a traffic signals on link connectivity among vehicles along a path. First, a system connectivity model focusing on segmentation of a road into platoon and cell formation due to traffic light is presented. Secondly, connectivity model is presented to compute and analysis the connectivity probability using both platoon and cell formation. Thirdly, the routing algorithm is proposed comprising of an adaptive path selection mechanism to find suitable path segments based on the On-the-Fly Segment Density (OFSD) approach. Next Hop Vehicle (NHV) selection using Angular Zone-based two-hop four-neighbor information (AZ-2-H-4-NI) approach, and Store-Carry-Retransmit (SCR) approach to cope with the frequent link disconnection problem. By combining both Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication patterns, the total probability of connectivity in cluster and cell-based vehicular node configurations has been computed. The performance of TS-CAGR is evaluated in an urban vehicular environment by considering performance parameters: throughput, end-to-end delay, packet delivery ration and routing overhead. The comparative performance evaluation attests to the superiority of the TS-CAGR protocol over the existing protocols.

Indoor air quality in Hungarian Passive Houses

The indoor air quality (IAQ) was investigated in 15 Passive Houses in the heating and non-heating seasons between 2019 and 2021 in Hungary. The concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5 mass, carbon dioxide, bacteria, fungi, and pollen were measured together with the monitoring of temperature, relative humidity and air change rate (ACR). The IAQ varied considerably among the investigated buildings. Significant seasonal differences were obtained for all physical parameters (temperature, relative humidity, ACR), certain VOCs (benzene, α-pinene, limonene), acetaldehyde, and airborne fungi. Considerable health concern was associated with the indoor concentrations of PM2.5 mass and nitrogen dioxide in many cases based on the evaluation of IAQ in relation to potential adverse health effects, while the peak concentrations of other pollutants (e.g. trichloroethylene, α-pinene, certain aldehydes, fungi) were also of concern in a couple of cases. The median indoor/outdoor concentration ratios of benzene, PM2.5 mass, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and fungi indicated that these pollutants are mainly of outdoor origin, while the other VOCs, aldehydes and bacteria showed higher concentration indoors. Overheating, the lack of proper particle filters in the mechanical ventilation system, and low ACR and relative humidity were identified as frequent problems related to the building characteristics. The emissions from building materials and furniture, the proximity of construction works and unpaved roads, and the allergenic vegetation might considerably influence IAQ. The results highlight that risk reduction measures are needed to create healthier indoor environment in the Passive Houses.