Good Quality Research Articles

KONTRIBUSI MUTU PENDIDIKAN WILLIAM. EDWARD DEMING DALAM MENGEMBANGKAN KONSEP TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Quality assurance or the quality of goods or products and services is an aspect that has always been a benchmark in the industrial world, especially where the level of success of a company can be measured from the products it produces (quality). This measure becomes very important in ensuring customer or consumer satisfaction to always be consistent in using the products or services of a company or educational institution, because educational institutions also offer services. Deming in Nasution explains that quality is conformity to market or consumer needs. Research on the Contribution of Educational Quality William. Edward Deming In developing the concept of Total Quality Management, the writer uses the method of literature or literature review, the aim is to see that the whole as a whole is more important than one part. Because it is hoped that descriptive data can be obtained. The result of this research is the Deming Prize or Deming Prize, to obtain this award the company/institution must register with the Deming Prize committee which then the company will be assessed with several assessment criteria as follows: A) policies and goals; B) its organization and operations; C) education and dissemination; D) collection and dissemination of information and its utilization; E) analysis; F) standardization; G) control; H) quality assurance rights I) influence and J) characterize future plans

Reproducibility of artificial intelligence-enabled plaque measurements between systolic and diastolic phases from coronary computed tomography angiography.

Current coronary CT angiography (CTA) guidelines suggest both end-systolic and mid-diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle can be used for CTA image acquisition. However, whether differences in the phase of the cardiac cycle influence coronary plaque measurements is not known. We aim to explore the potential impact of cardiac phases on quantitative plaque assessment. We enrolled 39 consecutive patients (23 male, age 66.2 ± 11.5 years) who underwent CTA with dual-source CT with visually evident coronary atherosclerosis and with good image quality. End-systolic and mid- to late-diastolic phase images were reconstructed from the same CTA scan. Quantitative plaque and stenosis were analyzed in both systolic and diastolic images using artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled plaque analysis software (Autoplaque). Overall, 186 lesions from 39 patients were analyzed. There were excellent agreement and correlation between systolic and diastolic images for all plaque volume measurements (Lin's concordance coefficient ranging from 0.97 to 0.99; R ranging from 0.96 to 0.98). There were no substantial intrascan differences per patient between systolic and diastolic phases (p > 0.05 for all) for total (1017.1 ± 712.9 mm3 vs. 1014.7 ± 696.2 mm3), non-calcified (861.5 ± 553.7 mm3 vs. 856.5 ± 528.7 mm3), calcified (155.7 ± 229.3 mm3 vs. 158.2 ± 232.4 mm3), and low-density non-calcified plaque volume (151.4 ± 106.1 mm3 vs. 151.5 ± 101.5 mm3) and diameter stenosis (42.5 ± 18.4% vs 41.3 ± 15.1%). Excellentagreement and no substantial differences were observed in AI-enabled quantitative plaque measurements on CTA in systolic and diastolic images. Following further validation, standardized plaque measurements can be performed from CTA in systolic or diastolic cardiac phase. Quantitative plaque assessment using artificial intelligence-enabled plaque analysis software can provide standardized plaque quantification, regardless of cardiac phase. • The impact of different cardiac phases on coronary plaque measurements is unknown. • Plaque analysis using artificial intelligence-enabled software on systolic and diastolic CT angiography images shows excellent agreement. • Quantitative coronary artery plaque assessment can be performed regardless of cardiac phase.

A Study to Assess the Self-Efficacy, Health Related Quality of Life and Attitude towards Hospitalization among Re-Admitted Patients in Selected Hospitals, Vijayapur

We sought to examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQL) and a first emergency rehospitalization and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) having a wide variation in ventricular ejection fraction and functional status1 .  Aim The present study was aimed to evaluate the self- efficacy, health related quality of life and attitude towards hospitalization among re-admitted patients  Materials and Methods Hospital patients who have been readmitted are the study's source of data. A sample 142 obtained from hospitals for the correlation descriptive research design and quantitative methodology.  Results Out of 142patients majority 79(55.6%) had very high self efficacy, 58(40.8%) had high self efficacy and remaining 5(3.5%) patients had very low self efficacy out of 142 patients majority 121(85.2%) had good health related QOL, 19(13.4%) had moderate QOL and remaining 2(1.4%) patients had very good QOL out of 142 patients majority 79(55.6%) had positive attitude, 39(27.5%) had strongly positive attitude and remaining 24(16.9%) patients had fairly positive attitude.  Conclusion The aim of the study to assess quality of life among readmitted patients and some of the study subjects has the moderate quality of life and majority of the study subject is good quality of life and some of the participats fairly positive attitude towards the hospitalization and self efficacy.

Integrated assessment of yield, nitrogen use efficiency and ecosystem economic benefits of use of controlled-release and common urea in ratoon rice production

Controlled-release urea (CRU) is commonly used to improve the crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, few studies have investigated the effects of CRU in the ratoon rice system. Ratoon rice is the practice of obtaining a second harvest from tillers originating from the stubble of the previously harvested main crop. In this study, a 2-year field experiment using a randomized complete block design was conducted to determine the effects of CRU on the yield, NUE, and economic benefits of ratoon rice, including the main crop, to provide a theoretical basis for fertilization of ratoon rice. The experiment included four treatments: (i) no N fertilizer (CK); (ii) traditional practice with 5 applications of urea applied at different crop growth stages by surface broadcasting (FFP); (iii) one-time basal application of CRU (BF1); and (iv) one-time basal application of CRU combined with common urea (BF2). The BF1 and BF2 treatments significantly increased the main crop yield by 17.47 and 15.99% in 2019, and by 17.91 and 16.44% in 2020, respectively, compared with FFP treatment. The BF2 treatment achieved similar yield of the ratoon crop to the FFP treatment, whereas the BF1 treatment significantly increased the yield of the ratoon crop by 14.81% in 2019 and 12.21% in 2020 compared with the FFP treatment. The BF1 and BF2 treatments significantly improved the 2-year apparent N recovery efficiency, agronomic NUE, and partial factor productivity of applied N by 11.47–16.66, 27.31–44.49, and 9.23–15.60%, respectively, compared with FFP treatment. The BF1 and BF2 treatments reduced the chalky rice rate and chalkiness of main and ratoon crops relative to the FFP treatment. Furthermore, emergy analysis showed that the production efficiency of the BF treatments was higher than that of the FFP treatment. The BF treatments reduced labor input due to reduced fertilization times and improved the economic benefits of ratoon rice. Compared with the FFP treatment, the BF1 and BF2 treatments increased the net income by 14.21–16.87 and 23.76–25.96%, respectively. Overall, the one-time blending use of CRU and common urea should be encouraged to achieve high yield, high nitrogen use efficiency, and good quality of ratoon rice, which has low labor input and low apparent N loss.

Cloud media video encoding: review and challenges

AbstractIn recent years, Internet traffic patterns have been changing. Most of the traffic demand by end users is multimedia, in particular, video streaming accounts for over 53%. This demand has led to improved network infrastructures and computing architectures to meet the challenges of delivering these multimedia services while maintaining an adequate quality of experience. Focusing on the preparation and adequacy of multimedia content for broadcasting, Cloud and Edge Computing infrastructures have been and will be crucial to offer high and ultra-high definition multimedia content in live, real-time, or video-on-demand scenarios. For these reasons, this review paper presents a detailed study of research papers related to encoding and transcoding techniques in cloud computing environments. It begins by discussing the evolution of streaming and the importance of the encoding process, with a focus on the latest streaming methods and codecs. Then, it examines the role of cloud systems in multimedia environments and provides details on the cloud infrastructure for media scenarios. After doing a systematic literature review, we have been able to find 49 valid papers that meet the requirements specified in the research questions. Each paper has been analyzed and classified according to several criteria, besides to inspect their relevance. To conclude this review, we have identified and elaborated on several challenges and open research issues associated with the development of video codecs optimized for diverse factors within both cloud and edge architectures. Additionally, we have discussed emerging challenges in designing new cloud/edge architectures aimed at more efficient delivery of media traffic. This involves investigating ways to improve the overall performance, reliability, and resource utilization of architectures that support the transmission of multimedia content over both cloud and edge computing environments ensuring a good quality of experience for the final user.

The Relationship Of Family Support With Quality Of Life COVID-19 Patient in Hospital Inpatient Room Cibubur Family Partner in 2021

Abstract: A good quality of life in COVID-19 patients is very necessary to ensure that patients are able to obtain the best health status and maintain optimal physical function or abilities. One way to improve the patient's quality of life is by providing good family support. This study aims to determine the relationship between family support and the quality of life of COVID-19 patients. This study used a cross-sectional design. Sampling used a total sampling technique with a sample size of 36 respondents. Data collection used a questionnaire. The data analysis used was univariate and bivariate analysis in the form of the chi-square test. Univariate analysis obtained showed that the majority of COVID-19 patients who were treated in inpatient rooms did not receive enough family support, namely 52.8% (19 respondents) and the quality of life of most COVID-19 patients was in the poor category, namely 58.3% (21 respondents). . The results of bivariate analysis showed that there was a relationship between family support and the quality of life of COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in the inpatient room at Mitra Keluarga Cibubur Hospital (p=0.021). It is hoped that families can provide support and motivation to COVID-19 patients while still complying with the health protocols implemented at the hospital
 Keywords: Covid 19, Family Support, Quality of Life

The Relationship between Nutritional Status and The Quality of Life for Elderly in RW 3 area of Pasar Minggu, Jakarta, Indonesia

Background. Person’s physical abilities will decrease when elderly. The definition of elderly is someone who has reached the age of more than 60 years. Decreased physical ability can lead to reduced nutritional status which has an impact on decreasing quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nutritional status and the quality of life for elderly in RW 3 area of Pasar Minggu. Methods. This study used a quantitative correlation design with a cross sectional approach. The population of this study is the elderly in the RW 3 area of Pasar Minggu. Data was collected from 187 respondents through a questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed by SPSS. Result. Study showed malnutrition 45%, normal 35%, obesity 20% and good quality of life 35%, poor quality of life 65%. Test result p value, 0.002

The Rise of Data and ai in Parliamentary Proceedings – The Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget

Abstract In 2019 the administration of the Norwegian Parliament designed and adopted a strategic goal for digitization: The Parliament shall exchange, process, publish and preserve parliamentary information digitally and efficiently, with good quality. One outcome of this effort was the project “StorSak”. This project aims to implement an information system which handles document production and parliamentary proceedings in a coherent digital value-chain. One of the investment areas in the StorSak project is exploring the use of machine learning (ml) and artificial intelligence (ai). The project quickly singled out metadata handling as an area of interest, and the categorization of documents and proceedings using theme wording.

The factors involved in surgical decision-making in younger women diagnosed with breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: A qualitative analysis.

Women diagnosed with breast cancer must make important surgical decisions. The decision-making process for younger women is complex, with this group more likely to have an advanced diagnosis and life-stage considerations that can impact on treatment. This study investigated the decision-making process of women aged <50 years who had undergone breast cancer surgery within the preceding 12 months in Aotearoa New Zealand. Twelve women participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews to explore the factors that influenced treatment decisions. Thematic analysis resulted in three themes. Fear was the main concept identified as the primary influence on initial decision-making. Good quality shared decision-making between patient and clinician was found to provide essential support during the diagnosis to treatment period. In addition, women expressed a need for multi-modal presentation of medical information and more material reflecting younger women. These findings inform provision for younger women making surgical decisions when diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ecological Environment Assessment and Driving Mechanism Analysis of Nagqu and Amdo Sections of Qinghai-Xizang Highway Based on Improved Remote Sensing Ecological Index

The ecological environment along the Qinghai-Xizang highway is an important part of the construction of the ecological civilization in the Xizang region, and current research generally suffers from difficulties in data acquisition, low timeliness, and failure to consider the unique "alpine saline" environmental conditions in the study area due to the unique geographical environment of the Qinghai-Xizang plateau. Based on the GEE platform and the unique geographical environment of the study area, the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) was improved, and a new saline remote sensing ecological index (SRSEI) applicable to the alpine saline region was constructed by using principal component analysis as an ecological environment quality evaluation index. The spatial distribution pattern and temporal variation trend of ecological environment quality along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway Nagqu-Amdo section were analyzed at multiple spatial and temporal scales using the ArcGIS 10.3 platform and geographic probes, and the driving mechanisms of eight control factors, including natural and human-made, on the spatial and temporal changes in SRSEI were investigated. The results showed that:① compared with RSEI, SRSEI was more sensitive to vegetation and had a stronger discriminatory ability in areas with sparse vegetation and severe salinization, which is suitable for ecological quality evaluation in alpine saline areas. ② The spatial scale of ecological environment quality in the study area had obvious geographical differentiation, and the areas with poor ecological quality were mainly concentrated in the northern Amdo County, whereas the areas with excellent and good quality grades were mainly distributed in the central-western and southeastern Nagqu areas. On the temporal scale, the ecological environment of the study area as a whole showed an improvement trend over 32 years, and the vegetation cover in the central-western and southeastern areas increased significantly, which had a strong improvement effect on the ecological environment. The improvement area was 1 425.98 km2, accounting for 99.82%. The mean value of SRSEI was 0.49, with an overall fluctuating upward trend and an average increase of 0.015 7 a-1. ③ The land use pattern was the most driving influence factor in the change of ecological environment quality in the study area, with an average q value of 0.157 6 over multiple years, and the influence of environmental factors was low. The multi-factor interaction results showed that the ecological environment in the study area was the result of multiple factors acting together, all factors had synergistic enhancement under the interaction, the influence of human factors was gradually increasing, and the interaction of the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation and land use pattern was the main interactive control factor of ecological environment quality in the study area. This study can provide a theoretical basis for ecological environmental protection and sustainable development along the Nagqu to Amdo section.

Over 43%-power-efficiency GaInN-based photoelectric transducer on free-standing GaN substrate for optical wireless power transmission system

We investigated the GaInN-based photoelectric transducers (PTs) aiming at the application to optical wireless power transmission systems. A PT device structure with Ga0.9In0.1N multiple-quantum-wells (MQWs) as a light absorption layer was grown on a free-standing GaN substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and subjected to the device fabrication. The PT performance was evaluated via the two-terminal current-density vs. voltage characteristics taken under a monochromatic light illumination. The fabricated PT devices exhibited a high open-circuit voltage of approximately 2.3 V and a high shunt resistance of 41 kΩcm2, thanks to its good material qualities. In addition, its surface reflection was markedly suppressed by an adoption of a wet surface treatment and an anti-reflection coating, resulting in a high external quantum efficiency of 90% and a high short-circuit current density of 1.4 mAcm−2. Through the above investigation, a high power-conversion efficiency as great as 43.7% was achieved for the GaInN MQW PTs at a light illumination with 390 nm in wavelength and 5 mWcm−2 in optical power density.

Plastic as a Soil Stabilizer

Soil stabilization is any process which improves the physical properties of soil, such as increasing shear strength, bearing capacity etc. which can be done by use of controlled compaction or addition of suitable admixtures like cement, lime and waste materials like fly ash, phosphogypsum etc. The cost of introducing these additives has also increased in recent years which opened the door widely for the development of other kinds of soil additives such as plastics, bamboo etc. This new technique of soil stabilization can be effectively used to meet the challenges of society, to reduce the quantities of waste, producing useful material from non-useful waste materials. Use of plastic products such as polythene bags, bottles etc. is increasing day by day leading to various environmental concerns.Therefore the disposal of the plastic wastes without causing any ecological hazards has become a real challenge. Thus using plastic bottles as a soil stabilizer is an economical utilization since there is scarcity of good quality soil for embankments. This project involves the detailed study on the possible use of waste plastic bottles for soil stabilization. The analysis was done by conducting plate load tests on soil reinforced with layers of plastic bottles filled with sand and bottles cut to halves placed at middle and one-third positions of tank.The comparison of test results showed that cut bottles placed at middle position were the most efficient in increasing strength of soil. The optimum percentage of plastic strips in soil was found out by California Bearing Ratio Test and using this percentage of plastic, plate load test was also performed. The size and content of strips of waste plastic bottles have significant effect on the enhancement of strength of the soil].

Application of Machine Learning Methods for Process Optimization in Electronic Packaging Processes

Epoxy resins are commonly used as encapsulation materials in electronic packaging processes. Fluctuations in the materials lead to both changes in processability and to varying quality. Ideally, these variations should be identified, and measures taken as quickly as possible to reduce scrap parts and thus costs. A promising optimization approach for encapsulation processes are machine learning models, which have already shown good results in quality predictions, especially for injection molding. Subsequent quality measurements are avoided with good quality prediction models. With this type of models, not only predictions can be made, but also optimal parameter combinations can be found. In this paper, models for predicting quality criteria warpage and residual enthalpy of the epoxy molding compound were set up, trained and validated. Time series of in-situ sensors were used, from which relevant features were extracted and which, together with machine parameters, provide a dataset for prediction. The most promising prediction models are random forest regression and gradient boosting regression. T hey predict warpage with an accuracy of 90% to 91% and the residual enthalpy with an accuracy of 95%. Subsequently, optimization models of the machine parameters were set up. All relevant target variables were considered in a cost function, through the minimization of which an optimal parameter set was found. The gradient boosted tree and Bayesian optimization were determined to be the most promising models, as they lead to the lowest values of the respective cost function.

Ocular radiation exposure is negligible in normal volume endourological practice.

The annual dose limit for radiation exposure to the eye has been reduced recently; the eye is widely recognised as one of the most radiosensitive tissues in the body. There is minimal good quality research as to the radiation dose that the eye receives during endourological surgery and this study aimed to address this. A prospective study was performed over an 8-month period at a single large teaching hospital in the UK. Three index procedures were included: ureteric stent insertion, ureteroscopy (URS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Surgeons wore a dosimeter on the glabella with fluoroscopy time (FT) and dose area product (DAP) recorded for each case. A total of 404 procedures were included (247 URSs, 150 ureteric stent insertions and 7 PCNLs). Dosimeters were worn by ten surgeons. Mean FTs (URS 20.56s; ureteric stent 18.96s; PCNL 360.67s) and mean DAP (URS 100.82cGy/m2, ureteric stent 119.82cGy/m2 and PCNL 1121.62cGy/m2) were identified with significant intersurgeon variability. No surgeon had a total dosimeter dose >0.00mSv. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recently reduced the yearly eye dose limit from 150 to 20mSv. Cataractogenesis is no longer considered a typical deterministic effect, with a threshold level below which no effect occurs. Even in higher volume centres, these annual limits are unlikely to be reached. Lead glasses may be considered for surgeons and radiologists with the highest exposure but, for the majority, ocular radiation exposure is negligible.

ANALISIS KINERJA DAN BUDAYA MUTU DI IGD RS PKU MUHAMMADIYAH YOGYAKARTA II

Concern to quality service in nowadays becoming global issue that triggered by consciousness to give best service for patient or by request from eksternal side of hospital. Goverment push hospital to give good quality of service by giving evaluation of hospital standarization. PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Jogjakarta unit II which new one of health service unit right now striving to improve quality of service. Result of the beginning observation findout evaluation of activity are often neglected, particularly on unit emergency. The objective of this observation is to find out performance and quality culture in management unit emergency of PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Jogjakarta unit II, This observation using qualitative method with case study as observation plan that using interview as observation instrument involving board of management and officer of unit emergency of PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Jogjakarta unit II. The Self Assesment accreditation in 2008 and first edition of accreditation standard in 2012 result show that quality service standard that using by unit emergency of PKU Muhammadiyah Jogjakarta unit II for develop their quality of service its guided line for survey of hospital accreditation in 2008 instructed by Indonesia health ministry that poured into activity guidance of unit emergency, but because lack availability of unit emergency officer make unit emergency can’t support implementation of unit emergency activity guidance. Working culture in unit emergency of PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Jogjakarta unit II its only doing fast emergency response but not yet support quality service development because not yet develop service evaluation process. Service process evaluation hard to do because of limitation number of human resource. The result of unit emergency performance show by AKPPGD, DOA and result of accreditation in 2008 already achieve the standard, but not yet fulfill quality standard evaluation of health service management base on first edition of accreditation in 2012.

Study on flexible job shop scheduling problem considering energy saving

The Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSP) is an extension of the classical Job Shop Scheduling Problem (JSP). The research objective of the traditional FJSP mainly considers the completion time, but ignores the energy consumption of the manufacturing system. In this paper, a mathematical model of the energy-efficient flexible job shop scheduling problem is constructed. The optimization objectives are completion time, delay time, and total equipment energy consumption. To solve the model, an improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (CT-NSGA-II) is proposed to obtain the optimal scheduling solution. First, the heuristic rules of GLR were used to generate the initial population with good quality and diversity. Second, different crossover and variation operators are designed for the process sequencing and equipment selection parts to enhance the diversity of the evolutionary population. The sparsity theory is introduced to find sparse solutions and three neighborhood structures are designed to perform local search on sparse solutions to improve the uniformity of the optimal solution set distribution. Finally, a competitive selection strategy based on the bidding mechanism is proposed for the Pareto optimal solution set to obtain a better scheduling scheme. The experimental results show that the proposed improved algorithm is feasible and effective in the FJSP problem considering energy consumption, and the algorithm has some application value in improving the efficiency of smart shop operation.

The Impact of Relationship Marketing Strategies on Customer Loyalty in the High-End Hair Salon Industry in Auckland

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0cm; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;"&gt;The business world is a competitive place, and enterprises must cultivate sustainable relationships with their clients to gain customer loyalty. Concepts of relationship marketing (RM) are becoming vital in the service industry. Different RM strategies are used to attract customers, but some of these strategies do not achieve customer loyalty as easily as predicted due to customers&amp;rsquo; changing behaviour patterns. This paper investigates the impact of RM strategies on customer loyalty through relationship qualities (customer satisfaction and trust) by concentrating on the high-end hairdressing sector in Auckland. Additionally, this research investigates the expectations of customers of high-end hair salons formed by RM strategies, which influence their satisfaction, trust, and customer loyalty to their service provider. The results indicate that brand image shows a significant relevance to trust, satisfaction, and customer loyalty claiming that brand image is an essential element of RM. Additionally, this investigations revels that, hair salons in Auckland are looking forward to ascertaining a sustainable relationship with their clients through a spectrum of strategies such as positive brand image, good service quality, reasonable price, and good value deals to earn optimistic relationship quality, which will ultimately escalate to customer loyalty. Findings of this research will be useful in supporting hair salons to gain a greater understanding of their customers by adopting effective RM strategies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Reduced sleep quality defines a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder with lower Glx levels in the resting thalamus and worse response inhibition

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the differences between resting and active thalamic neurometabolite levels and inhibitory function in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients with poor sleep quality (PSQ was defined as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5 and sleep efficiency ≤85%) compared to OCD patients with good sleep quality (GSQ) and healthy controls (HCs), as well as the relationship of these indices to obsessive compulsive symptoms. MethodsFunctional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) was used to measure resting and active thalamic neurometabolite levels in 72 subjects (20 HCs and 38 OCD patients included in study analysis). Response inhibition function was measured by the Go-Nogo task before and during MRS recording. Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The symptoms of OCD, anxiety and depression were evaluated using relevant clinical scales. ResultsOCD patients exhibited significantly reduced Glx/Cr levels in the resting thalamus. The levels of resting thalamic Glu/Cr and Glx/Cr in OCD patients with PSQ were significantly lowest. OCD patients had significantly lower correct rates on Go tasks, higher error rates on Nogo tasks, and longer error average response times (EART) to the Nogo task. OCD patients with PSQ demonstrated the highest Nogo task error rate and the longest EART to Nogo task. Furthermore, PSQI scores exhibited negative correlations with Glu/Cr and Glx/Cr in the resting thalamus. ConclusionOCD patients with PSQ demonstrated reduced levels of thalamic resting Glx and more pronounced response inhibitory function impairment. Aberrant neurometabolite levels in critical brain regions, coupled with heightened response inhibition function deficits, may be a neurobiological basis for the PSQ that OCD patients generally exhibit.

Ex vivo storage of human osteochondral allografts: Long-term analysis over 300 days using a Ringer-based solution.

Large osteochondral defects are a major challenge in orthopedics, for which osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation is nowadays considered as an option, especially in young patients. However, a major issue with OCA is the need for graft storage, which ensures adequate cartilage integrity over time. The aim of this study was to test how long a Ringer-based storage solution can provide good graft quality after explantation and thus meet the requirements for OCA. For this purpose, human osteochondral allografts of the knee and ankle were analyzed. Live/Dead analysis was performed and glycosaminoglycan, as well as hydroxyproline content, were measured as crucial chondrocyte integrity factors. Furthermore, biomechanical tests focusing on stress relaxation and elastic compression modulus were performed. The critical value of 70% living chondrocytes, which corresponds to a number of 300 cells/mm², was reached after an average of 16 weeks of storage. In addition, a constant cell shrinkage was observed over time. The amount of glycosaminoglycan and hydroxyroline showed a slight and constant decrease over time, but no significant differences when compared from Day 0 to the values at Weeks 40-43. Biomechanical testing also revealed no significant differences at the different time points. Therefore, the results show that the Ringer-based storage solution at 4°C is able to provide a chondrocyte survival of 70% until Week 16. This is comparable to previously published storage solutions. Therefore, the study contributes to the establishment of a Ringer-based osteochondral allograft transplantation system for countries where medium-based storage solution cannot be approved.

Solar Wind Plasma Parameters in Relation with Good Quality Magnetic Cloud Related Geomagnetic Storms

We have analyzed magnetic cloud related geomagnetic storms detected during the period of solar cycle 23 and 24 with disturbances in solar wind plasma parameters. We have observed that all the MC related geomagnetic storms are accompanying with disturbances in solar wind plasma parameters. The magnitude of magnetic cloud related geomagnetic storms is soundly correlated with peak disturbances values of solar wind plasma parameters solar wind plasma velocity (SWPV), solar wind plasma density (SWPD), solar wind plasma temperature (SWPT), interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFB) and southward component of interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFBz). Large positive correlation with correlation coefficient 0.60 have found between magnitude of MC related GMS and peak value of related disturbances in IMFB and 0.67 between magnitude of MC related geomagnetic storms and peak value of associated disturbances in IMFBz. Additionally positive correlations with correlation coefficient 0.54 have been found between magnitude of MC related GMS and peak value of associated disturbances in solar wind plasma temperature ,0.40 between magnitude of MC related GMS and peak value of associated disturbances in solar wind plasma velocity, 0.27 between magnitude of MC related geomagnetic storms and peak value of disturbances in soar wind plasma density.