IC Measurement Research Articles

Comparative evaluation of facial divine proportions in males and females with average growth pattern

Facial beauty of an individual depends on proportion and its relationship to various facial parts which varies in each individual. The values of measured proportion in beautiful faces are likely to approximate divine proportion and may show variation with ethinicity, sex, growth pattern. Hence, aim of the study was to evaluate and compare vertical and horizontal parameters of facial divine proportions in male and female subjects with average growth pattern. 30 subjects (18-30 yrs age) with average growth pattern (based on cephalometric measurements FMA, Yaxis, GoGn-SN and facial axis angle) were divided into two groups as Group I (Male subjects, n=15) ; Group II (female subjects, n=15). Standardized frontal facial photographs of all the subjects were obtained. Nine vertical and four horizontal parameters were measured on all the facial photographs using IC Measure software and were used to evaluate horizontal and vertical facial proportions and then compared to divine proportions considering 1.618 as 100%. Horizontal and Vertical facial proportion in males were higher than females. Group I showed that three of seven vertical facial proportions were close to divine proportion (1.618) whereas only one vertical facial proportion in Group II were close to divine proportions. Horizontal facial proportions in both the groups deviated more from divine proportion (1.618).There was difference between males and females for the vertical and horizontal facial proportions with values being larger in males. This should be considered as an accessory guideline in planning orthodontic or orthognathic treatment.

What Degree of Radiological Compression Predicts Cauda Equina Syndrome: A Retrospective Study at a National Tertiary Center

ObjectiveCauda Equina Syndrome (CES) is diagnosed both clinically and radiologically. However, it's unclear if a specific degree of cauda equina compression (CEC) on imaging can confirm the diagnosis. This study aimed to identify an optimal percentage of prolapse to canal ratio (PCR) on MRI that correlates with CEC, facilitating reliable decision-making for CES symptoms. MethodsA single-center retrospective case series analysis was conducted from 2020 to 2021. Sixty-one patients who underwent emergency lumbar discectomy within 48 hours of presentation were included, divided into a CES group and a disc prolapse (DP) group. CES cases were identified using ICD-10 code G83.4. PCR was calculated by dividing the width of the disc herniation by the total width of the spinal canal at the level of the herniation on single mid-sagittal T2 MRI scans, using the IC Measure software on Windows. ResultsCES most frequently occurred at the L4/5 level (37/61). The median PCR in CES cases was 76.19% (66.67 – 85.71), significantly higher than in DP cases, 48.08% (31.33 – 55.56) (p<0.001). A PCR threshold of 40% maximized sensitivity at 100% but had a specificity of 45%. Conversely, a threshold of 75% maximized specificity at 100% with a sensitivity of 50%. The optimal PCR, determined by the Youden index, was 66%, yielding a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 97%, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.923. ConclusionsSimple radiological measurements of PCR can potentially triage CES patients and guide their management. Future studies should correlate PCR with clinical signs and symptoms for a comprehensive assessment.

Effect of heating and bending on localized critical current in 2G HTS tapes with non-contact trapped field measurements

Current-voltage measurement (I–V curve) is a typical method to identify the critical current (Ic) of second-generation high-temperature superconducting tapes (2G HTS tapes). However, it is difficult to characterize the local Ic of 2G HTS tape on the millimeter (mm) scale due to the set spacing of the voltage electrodes (several centimeters), so non-contact trapped field distribution measurements have been used to define local defects in Y–Ba–Cu–O bulks and 2G HTS tapes, especially for the quality analysis for long lengths of 2G HTS tapes. In order to discuss the possible degradation of 2G HTS tape during heating and bending (both important parameters in joining process), this study used both trapped field measurement and I–V measurement to characterize the effect of heating (190 °C–230 °C) and bending (radius = 3.75 mm–22.35 mm) processes on the degradation of 2G HTS tape Ic. In addition, according to electromagnetic calculations, the local Ic (within a few millimeters) of the 2G HTS tape can be obtained from the flux density and distribution of the trapped magnetic field. Comparing the two sets of Ic measurements showed very good agreement. This study demonstrates the accuracy of optimized heating and bending parameters as well as spatial position and local Ic values of processed 2G HTS tape through non-contact trapped field measurements.

Critical current stability of 2G REBCO tape for space-flight HTS leads

High reliability is an essential requirement for all spaceflight hardware. Like the Hitomi x-ray observatory, its follow-on mission XRISM uses 2G REBCO tapes as current leads for the superconducting magnets that are a key component of the Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) that cools the detector array. While the Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) worked flawlessly in orbit, during its development there were indications that the critical current of its specialized REBCO tapes could degrade over time when exposed to normal-humidity air. To demonstrate that the updates to the XRISM HTS lead assemblies had mitigated this risk, a series of tests were carried out to measure the stability of Ic of dozens of samples over a period greater than the flight assemblies were exposed to air during integration and test. The test rig allowed not only the measurement of the sample Ic , but also the localization of the voltage rise as the current approached Ic . We will discuss the trends in the critical current of the samples, as well as localization of lower Ic regions.

How to assess the intellectual capital of firms in uncertain times: a systematic literature review and a proposed model for practical adoption

PurposeIntellectual capital (IC) plays a crucial role in today’s volatile business landscape, yet its measurement remains complex. To better navigate these challenges, the authors propose the Integrated Intellectual Capital Measurement (IICM) model, an innovative, robust and comprehensive framework designed to capture IC amid business uncertainty. This study focuses on IC measurement models, typically reliant on secondary data, thus distinguishing it from conventional IC studies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis across Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO Business Source Ultimate in February 2023. This yielded 2,709 IC measurement studies, from which the authors selected 27 quantitative papers published from 1985 to 2023.FindingsThe analysis revealed no single, universally accepted approach for measuring IC, with company attributes such as size, industry and location significantly influencing IC measurement methods. A key finding is human capital’s critical yet underrepresented role in firm competitiveness, which the IICM model aims to elevate.Originality/valueThis is the first SLR focused on IC measurement amid business uncertainty, providing insights for better management and navigating turbulence. The authors envisage future research exploring the interplay between IC components, technology, innovation and network-building strategies for business resilience. Additionally, there is a need to understand better the IC’s impact on specific industries (automotive, transportation and hospitality), Social Development Goals and digital transformation performance.

Ic measurement of twisted multifilamentary MgB2 wires with non-magnetic sheath over a wide range of temperatures and fields

All-superconducting rotating machines have the potential for meeting the high power density and high efficiency required for electrical aircraft applications. However, very high AC loss encountered in superconducting armature windings could hinder their development. Multifilamentary MgB2 wires are one of the promising candidates for the stator windings, due to their potentially low AC loss properties with small filament size and twist pitches. As the first step, the dependence of critical current and n-value on magnetic fields and temperatures Ic(B, T) and n(B,T), which are basic input parameters for AC loss simulation, needs to be measured. In this work, we present transport Ic measurements in three non-magnetic multifilamentary MgB2 wires (MgB2/Nb/CuNi/CuZn): one large wire with a 0.70 mm diameter and 25 mm twist pitch, and two small wires with a 0.48 mm diameter each and a 10 mm and 30 mm twist pitch respectively. A four-probe direct current method is used to measure Ic of the MgB2 wires with variations in temperature (15 – 35 K) and magnetic field (0 – 5.5 T). Full Ic data for the small wire with 10 mm twist pitch was obtained, and the n-values were mostly less than 20. While the Ic data for the large wire at low fields was more limited due to heating, the n-values were higher and could be up to around 100. The difference is attributed to the different filament sizes. Experiments also found that there is no significant hysteresis in the transport critical current measured by decreasing or increasing magnetic fields due to the non-magnetic sheaths. This non-hysteretic characteristic is critical for lowering AC loss because the additional losses from magnetic sheaths can be eliminated. From the magnetic-field dependence of critical current density, an empirical expression has been developed that provides suitable extrapolations to lower fields for the large wire.

A practical stress-based test method for evaluating reversible stress limit for critical current degradation in rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes.

The superior electromechanical properties of second-generation high-temperature superconducting rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) coated conductor tapes make them viable candidates for high magnetic field applications. To characterize their electromechanical properties (EMPs) under operating conditions, the critical current degradation behavior of the REBCO tapes should be evaluated. Conventional evaluation methods for EMPs usually rely on a strain-based test method that utilizes an extensometer to measure the deformation induced on the coated conductor tape. This study aims to establish a practical stress-based test method that determines the reversible stress limit for critical current (Ic) degradation in REBCO tapes without using extensometers under uniaxial tension. For an efficient test procedure, Ic measurements were initially performed with broad stress intervals and then changed to narrow stress intervals before the critical current degraded irreversibly. Four commercially available REBCO tape samples were used to validate the reliability of the proposed stress-based test method. It was then assessed by comparing them with those obtained using the conventional strain-based test method. Statistical estimations were used to determine the reproducibility of the results. These results provide a basis for an international round-robin test guideline to establish a test method for measuring the electromechanical properties of high-temperature superconducting tapes at cryogenic temperatures.

Combating toxic emissions from thermal recycling of polymeric fractions laden with novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in e-waste: an in-situ approach using Ca(OH)2.

Legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in printed circuit boards are gradually being replaced by novel BFRs (NBFRs). Safe disposal and recycling of polymeric constituents in the polymeric fractions of e-waste necessitate the removal of their toxic and corrosive bromine content. This is currently acquired through thermal recycling operations involving the pyrolysis of BFRs-containing materials with metal oxides. Nonetheless, the debromination capacity toward NBFRs is yet to be established. Thus, this study aims to address these two crucial gaps in the current knowledge pertaining to the plausible formation of brominated toxicants from the thermal decomposition of NBFRs and their thermal recycling potential. Herein, we investigate the pyrolysis of a mixture of 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE) and Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis (2,3-dibromo propyl ether) (TBBPA-DBPE) in the presence of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymers at various loads. To demonstrate a viable debromination route, pyrolysis of NBFRs-ABS mixture with Ca(OH)2 was also investigated. The latter is a potent debromination agent for legacy BFRs. Upon pyrolysis with Ca(OH)2, the bromine content in the collected oil was reduced up to 80.49% between 25-500 °C. Products of the co-pyrolysis process generally feature non-brominated aromatic and aliphatic compounds; a finding that indicates an effective thermal recycling approach. As evident by IC measurements, no HBr emission could be detected when Ca(OH)2 is added to the mixture. As XRD patterns show, Ca(OH)2 is partially converted into CaBr2. DFT calculations provide pathways for the observed surface debromination characterized by surface-assisted fission of aromatic C-Br bonds and the formation of CaBr sites. Outcomes reported herein are instrumental to designing and operating a thermal recycling facility of polymeric materials contaminated with high loads of bromine, i.e., most notably during scenarios encountered in the thermal recycling of e-waste.

Female directors in the boardroom and intellectual capital performance: Does the “critical mass” matter?

This research aims to investigate the influence of female directors on Intellectual Capital Performance (ICP) using a sample of manufacturing-listed companies in China. Our study investigates the link between having two or more female directors and the Modified Value-Added Intellectual Coefficient (MVAIC) methodology, employing the critical mass theory from 2004–2017. We find that having a critical mass of female directors (three or more) shows a significant positive impact on MVAIC and its components, including human capital efficiency, structural capital efficiency, relational capital efficiency, and physical capital efficiency, with physical capital being the critical driver. Our study reveals that the critical mass participation of female directors substantially influences the IC efficiency of privately owned companies compared to state-owned companies. Moreover, the number of female directors also affects the IC performance of manufacturing companies in multiple regions. Our findings support the validity of group classification identified by Kanter and Critical Mass Theory. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the few pieces of research that studies the role of female board directors in IC performance and Chinese manufacturing firms using MVAIC as an IC measure.

Critical current degradation behaviour of various REBCO tapes under uniaxial strain

REBCO coated tapes have become one of the most practical superconducting materials, which have been considered in the design of high-field magnets for fusion in the future. At present, several manufacturers are able to produce commercial REBCO tapes. During the fabrication and operation of REBCO magnets, REBCO tapes are subjected to tension, compression, bending, and torsion loads, resulting in applied strains. However, the critical current (Ic) of REBCO tape is strain dependence. Therefore, the clear Ic performance of a single REBCO tape under applied uniaxial strain is required before designing REBCO conductors/magnets in order to help select an appropriate tape specification and manufacturer. In this paper, several measurements of Ic and n-value versus applied uniaxial strain were performed on different kinds of REBCO tapes, which were produced by Shanghai Superconductor Technology and Fujikura at 77 K with self-field on the U-spring device. The width of the REBCO tape is from 3 mm to 5 mm, and the thickness of the substrate is from 25 μm to 50 μm. The results show that the Ic of most of the tapes are reversible under applied uniaxial compressive strain. The width of the tape and the thickness of the substrate affects the irreversible tensile strain limit. The n-value of the REBCO tape hardly depends on the strain condition.

Impact of indentation on the performance of high Jc Nb3Sn strand

To meet the peak magnetic field requirements of the central solenoid (CS) and toroidal field (TF) magnets in the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) that are composed of Nb3Sn strands with high critical current density (Jc) have been developed. The Short-Twist-Pitch (STP) design is adopted to avoid performance degradation caused by the electromagnetic cycles. But the STP design and tight cabling will cause severe indentation at the contact point between strands. Previous studies on Nb3Sn CICC show that the indentation has a significant effect on the critical current (Ic) and residual resistivity ratio (RRR) of the superconducting strand. Therefore, the same study was carried out for the high Jc Nb3Sn superconducting strand produced by Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) and Kis wire Advanced Technology CO., Ltd. (KAT). In this paper, the Ic and RRR measurements of sample at different indentation depths were made, and the results were compared with the previous Nb3Sn indentation strands and flat rolled samples. Also, the hysteresis loss of the samples with different indentation depth was measured, and the change of effective filament diameter with indentation depth was obtained.

A Wideband Circulator Leakage Canceler for Retro-Directive RF System

This letter presents a wideband circulator leakage canceler (CLC) IC using a negative capacitance (NCAP). It enhances a conventional circulator with a wider bandwidth and high isolation for a full-duplex retro-directive short-range wireless power transfer (WPT) application. The proposed CLC consists of a directional coupler (DC), a hybrid coupler, and a low-pass filter network (LPFN) integrated with NCAP, which shows a considerable capability of suppressing the leakage power signal from transmitter (TX) output to receiver (RX) input. The CLC was fully implemented in the Samsung LR6LP 65-nm RF CMOS process and occupied the size of 2.1 mm <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times0.89$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm. The measurement of IC with a commercial circulator shows an average cancelation of 19 dB over the range of 225 MHz from 2.31 to 2.535 GHz. The input P1dB in band was measured at 16 dBm while the noise figure (NF) of antenna-receiver (ANT-RX) path increased by 5.2 dB at 2.5 GHz.

P128. Holographic superimposition of spine model

<h3>BACKGROUND CONTEXT</h3> The current surgical practices are undergoing evolutionary adoption of mixed reality-based technologies. Augmented reality (AR) comes into the field as a possible way of augmentation of the real anatomical structure during surgery without any attention drift of the surgeon. Operative error is a major concern during complex surgical procedures and disruption of the surgeon's attention potentiates toward it. Pedicle screw placement procedure in surgical fusion surgery is a complex procedure in nature and current conventional practices disrupt surgeons' attention. Implementation of head-mounted display based augmented reality platform, HoloLens, into the procedure increases the accuracy of fixation of pedicle screw where it depends on the use of the conventional method of recognition of the target object and of projection of holographic images into the surgeon's operative field which limits the required dynamic and interactive nature of the procedure. <h3>PURPOSE</h3> This paper aims to develop and validate a novel method of recognition of the target object and overlaying hologram into the target object of the field of spine surgery procedure with respecting the spatial relationship of the geometry of a reference tool in the surgical field. There are two tasks to achieve this objective. First, the development of a novel method of holographic projection for spinal surgery. Second, to examine the accuracy of the projection of the hologram into the target object with or without movement of the target spine model and patient reference model. <h3>STUDY DESIGN/SETTING</h3> The study has been divided into 1) development and 2) validation arms. The holographic model has been built with Unity Editor, Mixed Reality Tool Kit, and C# programming languages to define the behavior of the model. The target structure of the complex geometry of the spine model and the patient reference model has been designed and integrated into the game engine. The holographic behavior of both models has been designed with the script based on C# programming languages. The experiment has been designed to test the accuracy of the holographic superimposition. So, it has been experimented in laboratory benchwork condition. <h3>OUTCOME MEASURES</h3> The model will recognize the target patient reference model for spine surgery. <h3>METHODS</h3> The experiment has been conducted to test the target position of anatomical landmark structures with the help of virtually calibrated softwares. The mixed reality captures of the recognition of patient reference model has been taken and analyzed with IC Measure 2 software. <h3>RESULTS</h3> The HoloLens recognizes and projects holograms into the complex spinal geometry maintaining the spatial relationship of the simple geometry of the patient reference model with or without movement. It limits the maximum positional error at 1.31 +/- 3.57 mm, the form error rate at 0.022 mm +/- 0.17 mm and rotational error at0.89°+/- 1.65° without any statistically significant differences of error rate among all the axes. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> This study has established a novel model to create a holographic projection of complex geometry and stabilization of the hologram with the dynamic procedure. So, this novel model would create the first way of dynamic augmentation of interactive surgical guidance system into the operative field of spine surgery procedure even in the spaces. <h3>FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS</h3> This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.

Exertional dyspnoea in patients with mild‐to‐severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: neuromechanical mechanisms

In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exertional dyspnoea generally arises when there is imbalance between ventilatory demand and capacity, but the neurophysiological mechanisms are unclear. We therefore determined if disparity between elevated inspiratory neural drive (IND) and tidal volume (VT ) responses (neuromechanical dissociation) impacted dyspnoea intensity and quality during exercise, across the COPD severity spectrum. In this two-centre, cross-sectional observational study, 89 participants with COPD divided into tertiles of FEV1 %predicted (Tertile 1=FEV1 = 87±9%, Tertile 2=60±9%, Tertile 3=32±8%) and 18 non-smoking controls, completed a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) with measurement of IND by diaphragm electromyography (EMGdi (%max)). The association between increasing dyspnoea intensity and EMGdi (%max) during CPET was strong (r=0.730, P<0.001) and not different between the four groups who showed marked heterogeneity in pulmonary gas exchange and mechanical abnormalities. Significant inspiratory constraints (tidal volume/inspiratory capacity (VT /IC)≥70%) and onset of neuromechanical dissociation (EMGdi (%max):VT /IC>0.75) occurred at progressively lower minute ventilation ( ) from Control to Tertile 3. Lower resting IC meant earlier onset of neuromechanical dissociation, heightened dyspnoea intensity and greater propensity (93% in Tertile 3) to select qualitative descriptors of 'unsatisfied inspiration'. We concluded that, regardless of marked variation in mechanical and pulmonary gas exchange abnormalities in our study sample, exertional dyspnoea intensity was linked to the magnitude of EMGdi (%max). Moreover, onset of critical inspiratory constraints and attendant neuromechanical dissociation amplified dyspnoea intensity at higher exercise intensities. Simple measurements of IC and breathing pattern during CPET provide useful insights into mechanisms of dyspnoea and exercise intolerance in individuals with COPD. KEY POINTS: Dyspnoea during exercise is a common and troublesome symptom reported by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is linked to an elevated inspiratory neural drive (IND). The precise mechanisms of elevated IND and dyspnoea across the continuum of airflow obstruction severity in COPD remains unclear. The present study sought to determine the mechanisms of elevated IND (by diaphragm EMG, EMGdi (%max)) and dyspnoea during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) across the continuum of COPD severity. There was a strong association between increasing dyspnoea intensity and EMGdi (%max) during CPET across the COPD continuum despite significant heterogeneity in underlying pulmonary gas exchange and respiratory mechanical impairments. Critical inspiratory constraints occurred at progressively lower ventilation during exercise with worsening severity of COPD. This was associated with the progressively lower resting inspiratory capacity with worsening disease severity. Earlier critical inspiratory constraint was associated with earlier neuromechanical dissociation and greater likelihood of reporting the sensation of 'unsatisfied inspiration'.

Effect of acute physical exercise on inhibitory control in young adults: High-intensity indoor cycling session

There is growing evidence that physical exercise (PE) may boost cognitive performance. However, criteria regarding PE intensity, duration, and frequency are still being studied. We hypothesize that high PE intensities have effects on inhibitory control. For this reason, our aim was to study the effect of acute PE on IC in healthy young students of a bachelor's degree in physical education and exercise via a 20-minute indoor cycling session at 80–90% HRmax intensity. We devised an experimental group design (n = 9) relative to a control group (n = 10) with pre-and-post-test IC measures. A Stroop task (two conditions) was administered to undergraduate students (Mage = 23.3, SD = 1.6) of a bachelor's degree program in Physical Education and Sports Sciences from a public university in Colombia. The computed MANOVA did not show an interaction effect between the experimental task of Stroop A-B x measure x group. However, a main effect of reduced response time was obtained after PE in the experimental group. Other main effects were observed in the number of correct and incorrect trials in the Stroop-B condition. The experimental group showed fewer correct answers after PE, and the control group showed fewer errors. It is concluded that high-intensity PE confers favorable effects on inhibitory control.

Abundant Opportunities to Improve Infection Control Training and Assessment in Dentistry

BackgroundInfection control (IC) training and practice in dental facilities is not well studied. The Nebraska Infection Control Assessment and Promotion program (ICAP) offers free consultations to Nebraska healthcare facilities, in which infection preventionists visit the site, interview stakeholders, and provide a complete assessment of the facility's IC program using an adaptation of the Centers for Disease Control's “Basic Expectations of Safe Care” infection prevention checklist. Here, we report the ICAP team's findings during voluntary assessments of dental IC programs.MethodsICAP solicited invitations into eighteen dental facilities (nine private practice clinics, seven public health clinics, and two other facilities) across Nebraska from 2018-2021. Fourteen assessments were conducted in 2018-2019 and four from April to June 2021; assessments were suspended in the interim due to the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsWe found 24% of facilities provided no IC training to employees upon hire and 35% did not provide annual refresher trainings. When facilities did offer training, key subjects were frequently omitted, including safe injection practices (omitted in 60%), protective personal equipment (PPE) selection and use (50%), hand hygiene (44%), and sterilization and disinfection procedures (38%). Few facilities required employees to demonstrate competency in PPE selection (19%), safe infection practices (7%), or hand hygiene or sterilization and disinfection (0% each). Additionally, few facilities performed audits with feedback regarding adherence to proper procedures for sterilization and disinfection (19%), hand hygiene (6%), PPE selection and safe infection practices (0% each). New hire and annual IC training rates were higher in post-pandemic assessments, but other measures had not improved.ConclusionsMost dental facilities offered employees IC trainings, but these were often neither routine nor comprehensive. Important gaps in dental IC programs included failures to assess employee competency regarding IC procedures and failures to engage in audit and feedback processes to ensure adherence to IC measures.

Morphometric Assessment of Third and Fourth Cervical Vertebra Based on Hassel and Farman Method: A Radiographic Study

To assess third and fourth cervical vertebra morphologic dimensions as per the cervical vertebral maturation stage proposed by Hassel and Farman from 7 to 18 years. A cross-sectional radiographic study was conducted on 264 participants within an age-group of 7-18 years who were further categorized into six subgroups having an interval of 1 year and 11 months chronologic age. The maturation stage and morphometric evaluation of the cervical vertebra were assessed for the same patient. The maturation stage was assessed as per the morphologic classification given by Hassel and Farman. The morphometric evaluation was assessed by measuring the anterior (AH3 and AH4), vertebral body (H3 and H4), posterior heights, and anteroposterior width (APW3 and APW4) of third and fourth cervical vertebra in millimeters which was carried out with the help of "IC measure software." One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey's multiple comparison, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were utilized to determine the significance and correlation between the vertebral maturation and millimetric measurement between age-groups. The multiple comparison levels were set at 0.05 level of significance. A high significant correlation was observed between PH3 and APW3 (r, 0.737**). Moderate significant correlation was observed with H3 and PH3 (r, 0.605**, 0.640*), and APW3, APW4 (r, 0.534**, 0.614*) in the initiation stage in both the vertebrae; AH3, H3 (r, 0.498**) and H3, APW3 (r, 0.576**) in deceleration stage. A negative moderate significant correlation between AH4, PH4 (r, -0.691**) was observed in the deceleration stage. The transition, maturation, and completion stages did not reveal any significant correlation. Significant morphologic difference was observed among all the stages of vertebral maturation. Higher dimensions were observed among males. Anteroposterior width had the highest dimension. Significant morphometric changes were observed in stages of maturation and transition stages. The dimensions of anterior, vertebral, and posterior height of the third and fourth cervical vertebra can supplement in identifying the precise morphologic classification whenever there is an overlap in the opinion of staging cervical vertebral maturation based on Hassel and Farman.

A High-Light-Load-Efficiency Low-Ripple-Voltage PFM Buck Converter for IoT Applications

A very high light-load efficiency low-ripple-voltage pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) buck converter for Internet of Things applications is presented in this article. The PFM buck converter is widely used because of its higher light-load efficiency. However, it has a higher ripple voltage than its pulsewidth modulation counterpart. Although the ripple voltage of a PFM buck converter can be reduced by increasing the output capacitance, we find that this leads to a decrease in the light-load efficiency due to increased controller loss. This problem is analyzed and verified by IC measurements in this article. The proposed PFM buck converter remarkably reduces the controller loss even at low ripple voltages by replacing the static comparator with a dynamic comparator, which provides a high voltage gain, fast evaluation speed, and low power consumption. In addition, to further reduce the controller loss, a dynamic shutdown control method, which selectively turns <small>off</small> control circuits, is used. The proposed PFM buck converter was fabricated with 0.35-&#x03BC;m CMOS technology. The magnitude and variation of the output ripple voltage are 3 and 2 mV, respectively, and the light-load and peak efficiencies are 81.1&#x0025; and 94.8&#x0025;, respectively.

Promoting Cognitive Complexity Among Violent Extremist Youth in Northern Pakistan

This article reports on the results of an intervention to promote cognitive complexity (measured by integrative complexity, IC) and perspective taking for youth detained for violent extremism at the Sabaoon Center for Deradicalization and Rehabilitation in northern Pakistan. Participants are sixty-four males (mean age 19.77, SD = 3.26) comprising three cohorts: CVE Detained, CVE Reintegrated, and PVE At-risk. The Sabaoon IC intervention consists of eight sessions with action learning contextualized according to an assessment of the push, pull and personal factors that shape the life experience of the youth. Pre and post testing results show significant gain in IC in the overall sample (Cohen's d= -1.80, 95% CI[-.87,-.49]), and in each cohort, indicating significantly increased ability to perceive validity in one's own changing views and others' differing views along with reduction in derogating or dehumanizing outgroups. Oral presentations showed expected IC scores showing differentiation, with the Reintegrated cohort showing higher order integrations and expressed confidence to be change-makers in their communities. Two subscales from the Violent Extremist Beliefs Survey (concerning beliefs about inter-religious harmony and risk-taking behaviors) showed expected changes, but self-report perspective taking and empathy measures were insignificant. Limitations: The entire Sabaoon sample was selected for the intervention, and due to time and operational constraints, it was not feasible to recruit a control group matched on important variables. Implications for using IC measurement and method for detained and at risk populations are discussed.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ANGULATION OF MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLAR IMPACTIONS WITH FACIAL SKELETAL TYPES AND CEPHALOMETRIC LANDMARKS

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of impacted mandibular third molar with skeletal facial types and different anatomical and cephalometric landmarks. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rehman College of Dentistry and Khyber College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan from October to December 2020. Panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 800 patients (aged 22-35 years) were retrieved from the records. Third molar impaction was classified by Winter’s classification using IC Measure software. The skeletal facial type was determined by measuring Point A Nasion Point B angle using Viewbox software. An association of third molar impaction with skeletal facial types, cephalometric and anatomical variables was evaluated. RESULTS: The most common mandibular tooth impactions type was Mesioangular impaction (81.3%) and skeletal facial type was skeletal class-I (47.5%). Comparative analysis among different impaction types using One-way ANOVA showed that although these impaction types did not differ significantly in terms of skeletal facies (p=0.07), significant difference in terms of age (p=0.028), Maxillary Mandibular Plane Angle (MMPA) (p=0.007), depth (p=0.000), ramus relation (p=0.000) and inferior dental nerve (ID) canal (p=0.001) were observed. ID canal was found to be positively but weakly correlated (r=0.2) with impaction types. Contrariwise, depth and ramus relation showed moderately negative correlation (r=-0.40 and r=-0.30, respectively) with impacted tooth angulations. CONCLUSION: Although it is difficult to predict the impaction type in patient based on their skeletal facies, associations between other anatomical and cephalometric variables were observed which may help in predicting the degree of difficulty that may be encountered during the surgical procedures.