High-quality Rate Research Articles

Evaluation of sleep quality and depressive symptoms among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundDepression and sleep disorders are interrelated and have high prevalence. Based on previous findings, medical students experience high rates of depression and low sleep quality, due to the challenges during medical training programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students faced extra physical and psychological pressure. This study aimed to evaluate sleep quality and depressive symptoms and their possible association among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsOne hundred twenty-one medical students completed the survey. Twenty-six percent of participants had a good sleep quality. Mean sleep duration of participants was approximately 6 h per day. Moreover, they had a mean sleep latency of 28 min and a mean PSQI score of 7.76. We found the prevalence of moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression among participants to be 22%, 6%, and 7%, respectively. The participants’ mean PHQ-9 score was found to be 8.4.ConclusionsWe found a relatively high depression rate, poor sleep quality, and a significant inverse relationship between sleep quality and depression severity score among medical students who were doing their clinical rotations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, quarter of moderate to severely depressed participants were taking antidepressants. Our findings highlight the need for future interventional studies that address these issues among medical students.

Chargemaster Pricing Variation for Commonly Billed Procedures in Interventional Cardiology.

A chargemaster is a database of all of the billable items offered by a hospital with their base price listings. A 2018 executive order required all American hospitals to publish their chargemasters to increase price transparency and reduce healthcare expenditures. Chargemaster listings, however, demonstrate marked variability and inconsistency and have not been associated with consumer benefit. The objective of this study was to analyze chargemasters for commonly billed interventional cardiology procedures across five diverse states to explore relationships between price listings and hospital characteristics, ownership, location, and hospital quality. Chargemasters were downloaded from hospitals in five states selected to represent the nation's healthcare diversity. Price listings for five interventional cardiology procedures (percutaneous coronary angiography, coronary angiography, single-vessel angioplasty, single-vessel stent, and percutaneous coronary intervention of acute myocardial infarction) were extracted. Statistical analyses such as the Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to explore relationships between mean chargemaster price listings for each procedure and hospital characteristics, ownership, location, and quality ratings. The median mean chargemaster price of four of the five interventional cardiology procedures significantly differed across all states. Price listings were significantly higher in urban versus rural areas and in general acute care hospitals and state government-owned facilities. The highest prices were found with the highest hospital quality rating. Chargemaster price listings for common interventional cardiology procedures varied significantly across these five states. Urban and metropolitan hospital location, hospital type, and hospital ownership could be factors driving increased chargemaster procedure prices. Prices were highest at hospitals with the highest quality rating.

Assessment of Risks for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Brain Injury

The aim of the study was to develop a risk model for upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bleeding in patients with brain injury of various etiologies.Material and methods. Case histories of 33 patients were included into a retrospective descriptive study: 22 patients had severe brain injury of various etiologies, and 11 patients after elective surgery for cerebral aneurisms with uneventful postop period were taken for comparison. The patients were grouped in two arms: Group 1 included patients with obvious signs of GIT bleeding (N=11) and Group 2 had no obvious signs of bleeding (N=22). Complaints, life and medical history, comorbidities, specialists’ exams data, results of laboratory and instrumental examinations, therapeutic regimens were analyzed. Presence of disproportionate pathologic sympathetic overreaction to acute brain injury, i.e., paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH), was assessed on admission and on Days 1, 3 and 5 after brain injury. Results. A model for upper GIT bleeding risk assessment was designed using logistic regression. The resulting model gains high quality rating: χ²=33,78, 3; p<0,001; OR=315. The risk of upper GIT bleeding exceeded 95% in patients having combination of 4 symptoms in their medical history (presence of PSH on Day 1 after acute brain injury; Karnofsky performance scale index 75; lack of neurovegetative stabilization in the acute period of brain injury; gastric and/or duodenal ulcer).Conclusion. Determining the risk factors thresholds enables stratification of patients by the risk for upper GIT bleeding. Modification of the identified four risk factors (presence of PSH on Day 1after acute brain injury; Karnofsky performance scale index 75; lack of neurovegetative stabilization in the acute period of brain injury; gastric and/or duodenal ulcer) will probably reduce the occurrence of upper GIT bleeding in patients with acute brane injury of various etiology.

Robust discriminant latent variable manifold learning for rotating machinery fault diagnosis

Fault diagnosis is an important technology for performing intelligent manufacturing. To simultaneously maintain high manufacturing quality and low failure rate for manufacturing systems, it is of great value to accurately locate the fault element, evaluate the fault severity and find the fault root cause. In order to effectively perform feature extraction for rotating machinery fault diagnosis, a robust discriminant latent variable manifold learning (RDLVML) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Specifically, RDLVML algorithm could effectively select the features of the high-dimensional fault data, and extract the low-dimensional fault features with better discrimination. Through the idea of discriminative learning, the accuracy of fault diagnosis was improved by increasing the aggregation of the same state feature samples and the difference between different classes of feature samples. A novel weighted neighborhood graph is proposed by constructing the q-Rényi kernel function, which could effectively suppress the interference of outliers and noise, and make the RDLVML algorithm more robust. Moreover, the fault diagnosis method of rotating machinery based on RDLVML is proposed in this paper. Through experimental verifications and comparisons with several classical feature selection algorithms, rotating machinery fault diagnosis could be more accurately performed by this method.

A cross-sectional study of the association between sleep quality and anxiety in postsecondary students in Ontario

Postsecondary students frequently report high rates of anxiety and poor sleep quality. The association between poor sleep quality and anxiety is poorly understood in this population. We conducted a cross-sectional study of students enrolled in two faculties at Ontario Tech University (OTU) - Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) and Faculty of Education (FEd), and students attending the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) during the fall of 2017 to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality and moderate to extremely severe anxiety, as well as the association between them. Participants completed self-report questionnaires to measure sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), anxiety (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 Items [DASS-21]), socio-demographic, lifestyle and health-related variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure the association between poor sleep quality and moderate to extremely severe anxiety, as well as to control for covariates. A significant correlation between PSQI scores and DASS-21 anxiety scores was found in both populations: students who reported poor sleep quality were more likely to report moderate to extremely severe anxiety. This association decreased but still remained high even after controlling for important covariates (i.e., biological sex, stress, and depression).

Do single-case experimental designs lead to randomised controlled trials of cognitive behavioural therapy interventions for adolescent anxiety and related disorders recommended in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines? A systematic review.

Although Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective for 60% of adolescents with anxiety disorders, only 36% are in remission post-intervention. This indicates that more effective treatments are needed which should be reflected in the NICE guidelines. We hypothesised that Single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) may provide a framework for accelerating the development of novel interventions. The primary purpose of this review was to investigate whether SCEDs are currently followed by randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of CBT intervention for adolescent anxiety disorders named in the NICE guidelines. The secondary objective was to investigate whether using SCEDs prior to RCTs could be a helpful approach. For the primary search of SCEDs five databases were used (PsycINFO, PubMed, PsycArticles, Web of Science and ProQuest). Nineteen articles met eligibility criteria including a total of 107 participants. For the secondary search of RCTs named in the NICE guidelines for adolescent anxiety disorders 53 articles met inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The 19 SCED studies included in the review were conducted with participants with a diverse range of anxiety disorders and across a range of CBT formats. Two of the SCEDs were followed by RCTs, but neither of these were named in the NICE guidelines for anxiety disorders. All of the SCEDs identified were rated as low quality with none meeting the criteria for the highest or second highest quality rating. From the secondary searches, none of the RCTs named in the NICE guide were preceded by SCEDs. It was concluded that currently SCEDs were not followed by RCTs of CBT interventions named in the NICE guidelines for adolescent anxiety disorders. However, it was suggested that SCEDs may provide an important framework for the development of more effective interventions for adolescents with anxiety.

666-P: How Satisfied Are People with Type 2 Diabetes with a Basal Insulin Titration App? Findings from the Intervention Group of a Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the myDoseCoach app, an insulin titration app for basal insulin for people with type 2 diabetes. We asked app users in this study to evaluate the quality of the app via a modified version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). A total of 120 participants (median age: 60.0 yrs; A1C 8.1%; BMI 31.8 kg/m², diabetes duration 10.0 yrs., 39.0% female) of the intervention arm completed the MARS. Reliability of the 11 item version was high with Cronbach’s α = 0.915. Mean MARS rating was 4.4 (range 1-5), indicating a rather high quality rating. Less than 10% indicated a low quality of the app (rating <3); 10% were indifferent and more that 70% rated the quality of the app as “4” or higher. Figure 1 shows the ratings of the 11 single items. Bivariate correlations showed that neither older age (r=-0.064; p=0.322) nor gender (r=0.102; p=0.180) were significantly associated with the quality rating. The results indicate that the vast majority of the app users evaluated the quality of the App positively with regard to its engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality. Disclosure D.Ehrmann: Advisory Panel; Roche Diabetes Care, mySugr, Dexcom, Inc., Speaker's Bureau; Berlin-Chemie AG, Dexcom, Inc. N.Hermanns: Advisory Panel; Insulet Corporation, Research Support; Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diagnostics, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Speaker's Bureau; Dexcom, Inc., Berlin-Chemie AG. T.Roos: None. K.Finke-groene: None. B.Kulzer: Advisory Panel; Berlin-Chemie AG, Abbott Diabetes, Bayer Inc., Dexcom, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Insulet Corporation, embecta, Research Support; Sanofi, Roche Diabetes Care. Funding Sanofi

Fabrication of 4H-SiC piezoresistive pressure sensor for high temperature using an integrated femtosecond laser-assisted plasma etching method

The processing, particularly, etching of brittle, hard, and anti-corrosion materials represented by the third-generation wide bandgap semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC), is a significant challenge. Although SiC has excellent electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, the difficulty of processing limits its application in various sensor devices. To solve this problem, in this study, an integrated processing method of femtosecond laser-assisted SiC dry etching is proposed, which realizes high surface quality and high rate etching of the SiC microstructure. Specifically, the effects of different laser processing parameters on the processing effect were first studied through orthogonal experiments. Experiments indicate that compared with laser power and laser scan times, laser processing speed has a more obvious impact on the processing effect. Subsequently, considering the elastic modulus anisotropy of SiC, a 5 MPa piezoresistive pressure sensor chip was designed. Using the proposed composite processing method, a chip sensitive diaphragm was obtained. The diaphragm thickness and diameter are 76 μm and 1700 μm respectively. The overall sensor chip dimension was 4000 μm × 4000 μm × 350 μm. Static tests demonstrated that the sensor have excellent performance with sensitivity of 6.8 mV/MPa, linearity of 0.69% FS, and repeatability of 0.078% FS. In addition, by designing high-temperature packaging, the sensor achieved a pressure test at 400 °C. This study verifies the feasibility of the composite processing method, realizes the fabrication and measurement of high-temperature pressure sensors, and provides a reference for the micro-and nanostructure processing of various SiC sensors.

Synergistic changes in river-lake runoff systems in the Yangtze River basin and their driving force differences

Climate change and human activities simultaneously alter river–lake relationships. Determining the dynamics of river–lake runoff systems on multiple time scales and their differences in response to driving forces can provide insights into hydrological processes and water resource management. This study investigates the synergistic evolution of river–lake runoff systems in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin (MLYR) using the cross-wavelet transform method. The effects of different driving force changes on river–lake runoff regimes are quantified based on the Budyko hypothesis, and an InVEST model is developed to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of habitat quality. The results indicate that during the variation period, the runoff distributions of the Yangtze River–Dongting Lake and Yangtze River–-Poyang Lake runoff systems are both skewed towards lower values in the flood seasons compared with those in the base period. The storage of lakes mitigates the extent of human disturbance to the mainstream hydrological regime, particularly under extremely low conditions. From 1960 to 2021, five significant resonance periods are indicated in the river–lake runoff system, and the phase–angle relationships indicate a positive phase coupling between the lake and mainstream hydrological regimes, with the lake lagging behind the mainstream; however, this interaction tends to weaken. In the mainstream and Dongting Lake basins, subsurface conditions are the dominant factor contributing to runoff variability, with contributions ranging from 50.9% to 72.6%; in the Poyang Lake basin, precipitation is the dominant factor, with a contribution of 50.6%; and in the Han River basin, changes in the potential evapotranspiration contribute to 50.6% of runoff variability. The proportion of high habitat quality in the MLYR is approximately 52%, the Dongting and Poyang Lake basins indicate a high habitat quality rating. However, frequent human activity is the main reason of conversion from higher habitats to lower ones, which may result in wetland habitat degradation.

Creation of improved UXK equipment for cleaning cotton from large impurities

This article establishes a number of requirements for cotton fiber processing enterprises to improve production efficiency and rational use of resources and maintain high rates of natural quality of cotton fiber during processing. In addition, as a result of the research, it was found that changing the impact pressure of the scraper brush, creating a new shape of the scraper device, changing the relative position of the grate and the scraper brush, placing an additional scraper device after the scraper brush, so as not to be part of the dirty mixture that separates the piece of cotton, were found some positive results. The proposed design of the cotton cleaning section of the UXK purifier, due to the above features, makes it possible to increase the cleaning effect compared to the existing purifier, since in the proposed version, the process of cleaning cotton from large impurities is carried out twice in each section of the USC, which cleans cotton from large impurities. The proposed technical solution was taken as a basis and a plan was developed for preparing its structural diagrams and working drawings, manufacturing a laboratory stand for the cleaning section, conducting laboratory experiments with it, substantiating the main parameters of the working bodies according to the proposed scheme, and introducing the proposal into production.

Effect of COVID-19 on Type 2 Diabetes Self-Care Behaviors: A Rapid Review.

The aim of this review was to describe how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown affected the self-care behaviors of people living with type 2 diabetes. A systematic rapid review was conducted using four electronic databases. Studies reporting on the lockdown's impact on at least one of the self-care behaviors that were published from January 2020 through October 2021 were included. Findings were synthesized narratively, using the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists ADCES7 Self-Care Behaviors as a framework. The methodological level of evidence and quality ratings of the articles were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist. Fifteen articles were included. Most studies reported on at least five of the self-care behaviors. There were reported increases in diabetes-related stress, as well as in increases in dietary intake and changes in the timing of meals. Physical activity was reported to decrease. Overall, taking medications and glycemic self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) were unaffected by the lockdown. Of the studies reporting glycemic outcomes, the lockdown appeared to have little negative effect. None of the articles assessed all the self-care behaviors. The self-care behavior of SMBG was the least assessed. Most articles had a medium level of evidence and a medium to high quality rating (scores >60%). The findings from this review found the COVID-19 lockdown had a variable impact on diabetes self-care behaviors. Because the potential for future COVID-19 surges and/or other virulent transmissible diseases remains a concern, health care providers should continue to address the importance of self-care behaviors to mitigate the risk of poor health outcomes in people with diabetes.

Abstract TP155: Patient Centered Outcomes In Pediatric Moyamoya Arteriopathy

Introduction: Little is known about quality of life, sleep, and mental health in children with moyamoya arteriopathy (MMA). A better understanding of patient-centered outcomes may lead to improved counseling and treatment of childhood MMA. Methods: MMA patients <26 years old (when developmentally appropriate) and their parents/guardians completed a series of validated, age-appropriate questionnaires. Measures included the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Inventory (assessing health-related quality of life), Patient-Reported Outcomes Information System (PROMIS) sleep questionnaires (assessing sleep disturbance, defined as disturbed sleep, and sleep impairment, defined as impairment of daily activities due to poor sleep), and PROMIS depression/anxiety questionnaires. Results: Seventeen participants with MMA were enrolled, with 8 children and 17 parent proxies completing questionnaires. Median age was 7.3 years (IQR 6.6, 10.1 years). The cohort included 8 (47%) females and children with both moyamoya disease (n=9, 53%) and moyamoya syndrome (sickle cell disease n=4, neurofibromatosis n=3, hemophilia A n=1). On the PedsQL (100 = best quality of life), children with MMA scored relatively low in emotional (mean = 73.2), social (mean = 74.5), and school/work (mean = 72.1) quality of life domains compared to the physical (mean = 82.6) domain. On parent proxy PROMIS sleep questionnaires, 53% of children with MMA qualified as having sleep disturbance (41% moderate-severe) and 47% had sleep impairment (35% moderate-severe). Of 25 child and parent proxy PROMIS depression/anxiety forms, 48% indicated moderate-severe anxiety and 24% moderate-severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Children with MMA have high rates of poor quality of life, sleep disturbance, sleep impairment, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Future directions include comparison of patient centered outcomes in MMA to children with other stroke etiologies as well as unaffected siblings. A better understanding of patient centered outcomes will allow for improved counseling and targeted therapies to address MMA-related sleep, emotional, social, and school-based impairment.

Infrainguinal bypass using varicose veins with external scaffolding

Background: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is associated with high rates of mortality, amputation, and impaired quality of life. The great saphenous vein (GSV) is the first-choice material for surgical revascularization of the infrapopliteal arteries. It may occur that the autologous material is not of good quality, presenting varicosities and ectasias which can affect bypass patency. The long-term patency rate of these operations is still not clear and few evidences are still present in literature. The aim of our study is to report the technical feasibility and efficacy of infrainguinal bypasses performed with autologous ectatic or varicose vein and with the use of external vascular supports. Materials and Methods: From September 2005 to January 2023, infrainguinal venous bypasses with autologous varicose or ectatic vein using an external vascular support were collected in the present study. The indication for surgery was the presence of CLTI with rest pain and/or gangrene. In case of localized dilatations of a segment of the GSV a partial bypass scaffolding (i.e. 10 to 15 cm) was used. Patients with a long segment of varicose vein underwent a completely covered ex situ vein bypass after a bench devalvulation. Follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and every 6 months thereafter, by clinical examination and color Doppler ultrasound. The outcome measures were technical success, 30-day and long-term primary and primary assisted bypass patency, as well as the limb salvage rate. External support infection rates upon reoperation for surgical wound infection as well as graft aneurysmal dilatation over time were also analyzed. Results: 63 patients underwent infrainguinal bypass with autologous varicose or ectatic venous material. In 51 patients (80.9%) the GSV was used, in 3 cases (4.8%) the short saphenous vein (SSV) and in 9 cases (14.3%) a composition of both saphenous veins or with one arm vein. Technical success was achieved in all cases and the mean surgical time was 320±80 minutes. No intraoperative mortality was recorded. At 30 days the primary patency and limb salvage rate were 97.8%, due to two early bypass occlusions. No infections of the external vascular support were recorded. During a mean follow-up of 54.6±27.2 months 8 (13.1%) hemodynamic stenoses requiring reoperation and 3 (4.9%) thromboses of the bypass were found. The primary patency rate was 62.8%, assisted primary 76.3%, with a limb salvage rate of 78%. Conclusion: In our experience, the great saphenous vein, even if ectatic or varicose, has proved to be a valuable conduit for the preparation of a infrainguinal bypasses in CLTI patients, with a satisfactory patency and limb salvage rates. In addition, composite vein graft also using arm vein, could be used in infrainguinal bypass with acceptable results. Also in the light of these results, a “saphenous sparing" surgical approach during corrective surgery for venous insufficiency of the lower limbs should be recommended, so as not to preclude future surgical treatments for limb salvage.

FoVolNet: Fast Volume Rendering using Foveated Deep Neural Networks.

Volume data is found in many important scientific and engineering applications. Rendering this data for visualization at high quality and interactive rates for demanding applications such as virtual reality is still not easily achievable even using professional-grade hardware. We introduce FoVolNet-a method to significantly increase the performance of volume data visualization. We develop a cost-effective foveated rendering pipeline that sparsely samples a volume around a focal point and reconstructs the full-frame using a deep neural network. Foveated rendering is a technique that prioritizes rendering computations around the user's focal point. This approach leverages properties of the human visual system, thereby saving computational resources when rendering data in the periphery of the user's field of vision. Our reconstruction network combines direct and kernel prediction methods to produce fast, stable, and perceptually convincing output. With a slim design and the use of quantization, our method outperforms state-of-the-art neural reconstruction techniques in both end-to-end frame times and visual quality. We conduct extensive evaluations of the system's rendering performance, inference speed, and perceptual properties, and we provide comparisons to competing neural image reconstruction techniques. Our test results show that FoVolNet consistently achieves significant time saving over conventional rendering while preserving perceptual quality.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) for low-input lawns in the Mediterranean environment

In recent years, environmental concerns have created a desire for the sustainable care of grass swards, with a specific goal of reducing resources needed for turfgrass maintenance by utilising low-input species best adapted to specific local environmental conditions. A two-year field experiment was conducted to compare the aesthetic or ornamental quality, and function potential, of different swards. The treatments consisted of four monostands of white clover (Trifolium repens L.), yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. ssp. rubra Gaudin), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. = Schedonorus arundinaceus Schreb. Dumort.), three two-species mixtures of white clover + yarrow, white clover + strong creeping red fescue, and yarrow + strong creeping red fescue, and one three-species mixture of white clover + yarrow + strong creeping red fescue. Within each plot, a botanical survey was performed each spring to estimate species relative abundance by determining the proportions of different species present. All plots were evaluated every two weeks during the growing period for visual quality and normalised difference vegetative index. Vegetation canopy height in each plot was measured before each biweekly mowing event, and clippings were collected to measure vegetative dry matter. Relative abundance of yarrow, strong creeping red fescue, and tall fescue was stable throughout the entire study period. The mixtures including yarrow displayed sufficient or higher quality ratings (≥6) in all seasons with the exception of winter, however, yarrow + strong creeping red fescue compensated each other's defects by maintaining their relative abundance (≥ 80%) over time as well suppressing or prevent significant weed invasion (relative abundance <15%). Moreover, yarrow or strong creeping red fescue monostands, or yarrow + strong creeping red fescue could be maintained with lower number of mowing events, due to their lower vertical growth. In conclusion, alternative plant species to turf-type grasses produced a visual quality equal to or better than tall fescue maintained under low fertilisation and mowing frequency. All swards that included yarrow produced better visual quality, exhibited better weed control, had lower vertical growth rate, and provided an aesthetically pleasant, persistent, and sustainable vegetative ground cover than other swards, and can be utilised as a low-input species.

Applying Ternion Stream DCNN for Real-Time Vehicle Re-Identification and Tracking across Multiple Non-Overlapping Cameras

The increase in security threats and a huge demand for smart transportation applications for vehicle identification and tracking with multiple non-overlapping cameras have gained a lot of attention. Moreover, extracting meaningful and semantic vehicle information has become an adventurous task, with frameworks deployed on different domains to scan features independently. Furthermore, approach identification and tracking processes have largely relied on one or two vehicle characteristics. They have managed to achieve a high detection quality rate and accuracy using Inception ResNet and pre-trained models but have had limitations on handling moving vehicle classes and were not suitable for real-time tracking. Additionally, the complexity and diverse characteristics of vehicles made the algorithms impossible to efficiently distinguish and match vehicle tracklets across non-overlapping cameras. Therefore, to disambiguate these features, we propose to implement a Ternion stream deep convolutional neural network (TSDCNN) over non-overlapping cameras and combine all key vehicle features such as shape, license plate number, and optical character recognition (OCR). Then jointly investigate the strategic analysis of visual vehicle information to find and identify vehicles in multiple non-overlapping views of algorithms. As a result, the proposed algorithm improved the recognition quality rate and recorded a remarkable overall performance, outperforming the current online state-of-the-art paradigm by 0.28% and 1.70%, respectively, on vehicle rear view (VRV) and Veri776 datasets.

Lemna as a Sustainable, Highly Nutritious Crop: Nutrient Production in Different Light Environments

Development of a nutritious, sustainable food source is essential to address worldwide deficiencies in human micronutrients. Aquatic floating plants (e.g., species in the family Lemnaceae, duckweeds) are uniquely suited for area-efficient productivity with exceptionally high rates of growth and nutritional quality. Here, we provide an overview of the role of dietary micronutrients (with a focus on carotenoids) in human health and the promise of Lemnaceae as sustainable crops. We examine the effect of growth light environment on plant biomass production and levels of the carotenoids zeaxanthin, lutein, and pro-vitamin A (β-carotene), as well as the antioxidant vitamin E (α-tocopherol), and protein. Data on each of these nutrients are reported on a plant dry biomass basis (as relevant for nutrition) as well as relative to the required input of light energy (as relevant to resource-use efficiency).

Behavior and Consequences of COVID-19-related Voluntary Disclosure: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Companies

With the explosion of COVID-19, a number of publicly traded companies in the pharmaceutical industry have thrown themselves into the development of novel coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics, and have voluntarily disclosed information about the development process. In this paper, six companies with different quality ratings of information disclosure in the pharmaceutical industry (refer to the results of the 2019 Shenzhen Stock Exchange quality assessment of information disclosure) were selected to explore the behavior and consequences of voluntary disclosure of information by listed companies in the pharmaceutical industry in China. The results show that voluntary disclosure of positive news will have a positive impact on the company’s share price. Companies with high disclosure quality ratings have lower price volatility before and after disclosure. Low-rated companies have volatile stock prices before and after disclosure, and the price gains are unsustainable for long periods of time, even falling back to lower levels than they were before disclosure. It is not the case that companies’ share prices do not fluctuate due to poor disclosure appraisal results, but rather they may cause a larger market reaction for the purpose of misleading investors. To some extent, this paper enriches the research on voluntary information disclosure of listed companies and will make listed companies understand the consequences of voluntary information disclosure on COVID-19-related issues, provide evidence for relevant supervisory authorities to regulate voluntary information disclosure further, and create a better voluntary information disclosure environment for China’s stock market.

A Homogeneous Flow Model for nitrogen cooling in the aluminum-alloy extrusion process

Extrusion of aluminum alloys has become extensively employed as a process to manufacture a variety of products. However, heat generated by the high deformation energy and the high friction forces imposed during the process may cause defects in the extrudate, as well as reduce tool life. So, effective die cooling is key in achieving high product quality and production rate. Nitrogen has recently been identified as a promising coolant; however, current modeling does not take the presence of two phases into account, only including either the liquid or the gas phase within cooling channels, which often results in poorly designed cooling systems. The present research was aimed at exploring the homogenous-flow approach as a simple, yet representative method to account for the liquid and the gas phase, as they both occur during the cooling subprocess. Ten AA6060 billets were extruded in an industrial production line, varying nitrogen flow rate and monitoring temperature trend at various locations of interest. A Finite Element model was then developed in a multiphysics environment, into which the simulation of both the extrusion process and the nitrogen flow were integrated, with the latter being represented as a homogeneous flow. Validation was performed against the experimental dataset through steady-state and transient analysis. This work proved the homogeneous-flow approach remarkably successful in capturing the involved physics and assessing the provided cooling effect quantitatively.

Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aimed to understand the effects of self-esteem on risky sexual behavior (RSB) among adolescents and young adults. We followed the procedures outlined in the Cooper’s five-step approach, and used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 reporting requirements. Published studies were identified using nine electronic databases. Studies were included based on (a) a focus on populations aged between 10 and 25 years; (b) an examination of the association between self-esteem-related factors, in line with RSB outcomes among adolescents and young adults; and (c) early sexual debut before 16 years, having multiple sex partners, and unprotected sex. In total, 11,216 studies were identified, of which nine studies met the inclusion criteria. All articles received high quality ratings. Despite methodological limitations, results showed that early sexual debut positively associated with self-esteem among female participants; condom use showed a negative association with lower self-esteem among female participants, while condom use decreased with decreasing self-esteem. Several sexual partners were found not to be associated with self-esteem. Intervention programs to increase the self-esteem of adolescents are recommended by educators to reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults. Moreover, subsequent studies should develop instruments that assess self-esteem using subscales and educational programs that enhance healthy self-esteem development and correct sexual norms in peer groups and local communities. KEY MESSAGE Early sexual debut was positively associated with self-esteem, and condom use negatively associated with self-esteem among adolescents. Intervention programs are recommended to establish healthy self-esteem and reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults. Future research should consider self-esteem as a pertinent aspect of sexual behaviors (e.g., physical pride, romantic capacity, and sexual autonomy).