Split Rate Research Articles

Fertilization by ICSI generates a higher number of live births than IVF in a pioneer facility applying >90% single blastocyst-stage embryo transfers

Following earlier studies introducing an IVF-ICSI Split model on couples with unexplained infertility to avoid the scenario of unexplained failed or poor fertilization, PIVET has adopted a high ICSI rate approaching 90%, whereas the general rate among Australian facilities is around 60%. This observational study with retrospective data analysis reports on the IVF±ICSI procedures conducted over the period 2011 to 2019 with follow-up of ensuing pregnancies through 2020. Using autologous oocytes, 2343 women had 3434 IVF±ICSI cycles where 84.5% of women had 88.9% of initiated treatment cycles using ICSI and only 5.3% of women had 4.0% of cycles by IVF. The remaining 10.1% of women utilized the IVF-ICSI Split model for the remaining 7.2% of cycles. It was shown that oocyte fertilization rates were significantly higher for ICSI (p<0.0001), but not significant for women >40 years. The utilization rates of the ensuing embryos were ~45% across all ages with no significant differences across the ages, except for those small numbers of women ≥45 years who had a higher rate from IVF-generated embryos (p<0.0002). Pregnancy outcome were higher from ICSI-generated embryos across the age groups, being especially marked among the younger women <40 years (p<0.0001). Miscarriage rates were lowest for the IVF-generated pregnancies (overall 6.7% vs 22.8%, p<0.0001) but nevertheless the final live birth productivity rates per initiated treatment cycle remained higher from the ICSI-generated pregnancies (56.5% vs 46.3%; p<0.0001). Although this study does not meet the highest standards for EBM, it emanates from a pioneer facility with >40 years of published activity and which practices 90% blastocyst transfers in >90% SET cycles. The study supports a high ICSI rate of almost 90% and an IVF-ICSI Split rate of 10%.

EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON FRUIT SPLINTING IN THOMPSON NAVEL ORANGE

Fruit splitting is one of main problems extensively observed in citrus-growing area located in the northern parts of Iran. In order to investigate the effect of 2,4-D and GA3 on incidence of fruit splitting in Thompson ‘navel’ orange, an experiment, as a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, was carried out in two consecutive years of 2016 and 2017. The main factors of this experiment included timing of spray at different growth stages (full bloom, petal fall, and June drop), 2, 4-D (0, 10, 20 mg L–1), and GA3 (0, 50, and 100 mg L–1). In the end of experiment, the characteristics including fruit length, fruit diameter, rind thickness, cellulase and polygalacturonase activities, total soluble solid, percentage of split fruit, and fruit yield were measured. Results showed that using 2, 4-D and GA3 not only decreased the rate of fruit splitting but also increased fruit yield as compared to controls. The highest fruit length, fruit diameter, rind thickness, total soluble solid and the lowest activities of cellulase and polygalacturonase were obtained using 100 mg L–1 GA3 and 20 mg L–1 2, 4 D during the full bloom. In general, the results revealed that using 2, 4-D and GA3 during the full bloom increased fruit yield while reduced fruit splitting and maintained the qualitative characteristics of Thompson ‘navel’ orange.

Paid platelet donors: Points to consider

Paid platelet donors: Points to consider

Are credit rating disagreements priced in the M&A market?

This paper examines the effect of credit rating disagreements on merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions. We show that acquirers with split ratings prefer to use stock to finance their acquisitions. More importantly, we find that acquirers with split ratings experience lower announcement returns. Further analysis shows that overpayment by acquirers with split ratings is concentrated in acquirers with entrenched managers. Our results are robust to alternative identification strategies. Overall, our evidence indicates that credit rating disagreements are heavily priced in the M&A market.

A Novel Method for Accurate Quantification of Split Glomerular Filtration Rate Using Combination of Tc-99m-DTPA Renal Dynamic Imaging and Its Plasma Clearance.

Purpose To precisely quantify split glomerular filtration rate by Tc-99m-DTPA renal dynamic imaging and plasma clearance in order to increase its consistency among doctors. Methods Tc-99m-DTPA renal dynamic imaging was performed according to the conventional radionuclide renal dynamic imaging by five double-blinded doctors independently and automatically calculated split GFR, namely, gGFR. Moreover, the conventional radionuclide renal dynamic imaging was assessed to only outline the kidney, blank background, and automatically calculated split GFR, gGFR′. The total GFR value of patients, tGFR, was obtained by the double-plasma method. According to the formula, Precise GFR (pGFR) = gGFR′/(gGFR′ + gGFR′) × tGFR. The precise GFR value of the divided kidney, pGFR, was calculated. The Kendall's W test was used to compare the consistency of gGFR and pGFR drawn by five physicians. Results According to Kendall's W consistency test, Kendall's coefficient of concordance was 0.834, p = 0.0001 using conventional method. The same five doctors used blank background again and the same standard Gates method to draw the kidneys, which automatically calculated gGFR′. Using input formula, the pGFR was calculated and Kendall's W consistency test (Kendall′s coefficient of concordance = 0.956, p = 0.0001). Conclusion The combination of Tc-99m-DTPA renal dynamic imaging combined with the double-plasma method could achieve accurate split GFR, and because of the omission of influence factors, the consistency of pGFR obtained by different doctors using this method was significantly higher than that of conventional Tc-99m-DTPA renal dynamic imaging.

Intrinsically Ru-Doped Suboxide TiO2 Nanotubes for Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic H2 Generation

In the present research, we investigate the synergistic effects of Ru-doping and Ar/H2 reduction treatment on the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance and hydrogen evolution rate of TiO2 nanotube array photoelectrodes. The Ti–Ru alloy with 0.2 at. % Ru was used to grow anodic self-organized Ru-doped TiO2 nanotube layers. An ideal synergy between Ar/H2 reduction treatment and Ru-doping results in the extended absorption toward the visible light region and improved photoelectrocatalytic activity. The black Ru-doped TiO2–x photoanode’s water splitting rate improves remarkably (∼ninefold) compared to the black TiO2–x sample (∼twofold). Moreover, the black Ru-doped TiO2–x photoanode shows a considerable increase in the H2 production rate (1.91 μmol h–1 cm–2) compared with the pristine TiO2 nanotube layer (0.044 μmol h–1 cm–2). We have also developed an ab initio model of pristine, Ru-doped, and Ru-doped hydrogenated TiO2 nanotubes to rationalize our experimental findings from the theoretical perspective.

A study of unfavorable splits in the sagittal ramus osteotomy with a short lingual cut

In the bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, a short lingual cut is made on the medial side of the ramus; however, in some cases, a true fracture occurs on the buccal side of the ramus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the splitting pattern of the mandible and the form of the mandible, the surgical technique used, and the postoperative occurrence of relapse after ‘unfavorable’ splits. The investigation examined 143 patients in whom a short lingual cut was attempted. The rate of unfavorable split was 14.7% (42/286). A strong correlation was observed between the reach of the lateral bone cut to the inferior border of the mandible and an unfavorable split. According to multivariate regression, the factors leading to an insufficient lateral bone cut were the degree of inward curvature of the ramus (P=0.001) and the position of the lateral bone cut (P=0.002). There was no significant difference in relapse between cases of unfavorable and normal splits. An unfavorable split does not affect the prognosis of the occlusion, but it is important to confirm the inward curvature of the ramus and set the position of the lateral bone cut adequately to avoid unfavorable splits.

Efficacy of the in vitro splitting of human preimplantation embryos from ART programs

Background/aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of in vitro embryo splitting (IES) procedures. We also assessed the quality of the blastocysts developed from embryos obtained from different sources. Materials and methodsGood quality embryos at 6–8-cell stages were categorized according to their fertilization sources: 1) frozen-warmed donated embryos, 2) chromosomally abnormal embryos, 3) parthenogenetic embryos, and 4) embryos derived from fertilization of in vitro matured oocytes (rescue IVM). After IES, splitting and developmental efficiency was assessed. Furthermore, the quality of the developed blastocysts was evaluated by Hoechst and propidium iodide (PI) staining. ResultsThe data showed a high rate of both splitting and developmental efficiency in the frozen-warmed embryos after IES (140% and 71.7%, respectively), followed by chromosomally abnormal embryos (96.8% and 52.5%, respectively). Results of the Hoechst and PI staining showed that the mean ± SD cell numbers of the control group were higher (113.11 ± 16.01) than that of twins A (donor blastomeres embryos, 58 ± 12.2) and B (recipient blastomeres embryos, 50.4 ± 8.5), respectively. Conclusion Chromosomally normal embryos enrolled in IES are more potent to develop into viable blastocysts. For research purposes, 1PN and 3PN embryos are the best options for splitting procedures, regardless of the poor quality of developed blastocysts.

Quantitative evaluation of chronically obstructed kidneys from noncontrast computed tomography based on deep learning

ObjectiveTo quantitatively report renal parenchymal volume (RPV), renal sinus volume (RSV), and renal parenchymal density (RPD) for chronically obstructed kidneys from noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT). MethodsThis retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board of our hospital with a waiver of informed consent. We retrospectively collected 304 consecutive NCCT scans of urinary obstruction and constructed two datasets: one with 167 patient scans for parenchyma and sinus segmentation (segmentation dataset) and the other containing 137 scans from different patients diagnosed with chronic urinary obstruction (CUO dataset) and paired with split glomerular filtration rate (sGFR). A cascaded three-dimensional (3D) U-Net model was developed and validated for parenchyma and sinus segmentation. The RPV, RSV, and RPD of the CUO dataset were calculated by the model with manual editing. A multivariate analysis was performed to show the association between all parameters and the sGFR. ResultsIn the test dataset, the Dice values for parenchyma and sinus segmentation were 0.95 ± 0.04 and 0.90 ± 0.05, respectively. Compared with those of nonobstructed kidneys, the RSV and RPD of obstructed kidneys increased, but RPV and sGFR decreased (P < .001). For chronically obstructed kidneys, age (r = −0.292, P < .001), RPV (r = 0.849, P < .001), RSV (r = -0.331, P < .001), and RPD (r = −0.296, P < .001) were significantly correlated with sGFR. The fitted regression model was sGFR = 10.873−0.111 Age + 0.211 RPV - 0.022 RSV (r2 = 0.712). ConclusionsNCCT combined with deep learning has the potential to be a single radiological procedure for morphological and functional evaluation of chronically obstructed kidneys.

Physicochemical and electrochemical characterization of Nafion-type membranes with embedded silica nanoparticles: Effect of functionalization

Introduction of nanoparticles in membranes allows a significant enhancement of their performance in energy production, water treatment and other applications. However, the effect of nanoparticles’ surface functionalization and the mechanism of their impact on membrane properties remain poorly studied. In this paper, we examine a Nafion-based membrane and its modifications, each containing 3 wt% SiO2. The effect of functionalization by propyl, 3-aminopropyl and 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl is investigated. The water uptake, contact angle, conductivity, diffusion permeability to NaCl, current-voltage curves (CVC), chronopotentiograms (ChP), and the difference between the pH of the desalination compartment output and input solutions (characterizing the water splitting rate) are reported. It is found that the doping of the membranes with nanoparticles leads to increasing their conductivity in all cases except 3-aminopropyl, which imparts a positive charge to the nanoparticles; the diffusion permeability decreases and permselectivity increases in all cases. The latter is explained by transformation of the mesoporous membrane structure to the microporous one. The impact of nanoparticles on the membrane conductivity, CVC and ChP is mainly caused by an additional (positive) space charge introduced into the pore solution and at the membrane surface by the electric double layer surrounding the nanoparticles. The greater the surface charge density of the nanoparticles and the smaller their size, the stronger the impact. Accordingly, the highest conductivity, current density at a low fixed voltage and chronopotentiometric transition time are shown by the sample doped with SiO2 and 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl. The interplay between electroconvection and water splitting phenomena is discussed.

Maturation of 'Baigent' apples protected by anti-hail nets and sprayed with aminoethoxyvinylglycine and ethephon

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest spraying with aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) and ethephon on fruit maturation of 'Baigent' apple (Malus domestica) trees grown under black anti-hail nets. The treatments were: control; 125 mg L-1 AVG, sprayed 30 days before anticipated harvest time (DBAH); 120 mg L-1 ethephon 7 DBAH; 62.5 mg L-1 + 62.5 mg L-1 AVG 30 and 20 DBAH; and 62.5 mg L-1 + 62.5 mg L-1 AVG 30 and 20 DBAH + 120 mg L-1 ethephon 7 DBAH. Fruit were harvested in the commercial harvest of the control treatment (harvest 1) and 14 days later (harvest 2). Yellowing and loss of firmness were delayed by the treatments with AVG and accelerated by that with ethephon. AVG application in a single rate of 125 mg L-1 30 DBAH or in two split rates of 62.5 mg L-1 30 and 20 DBAH delays fruit maturation. The pre-harvest application of AVG in a single rate reduces the red color of the fruits, which is not affected by application in split rates, combined or not with ethephon, regardless of the date of harvest.

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate on Grain Yield and Malt Quality of Three Malt Barley (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Hordeum vulgare &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;L.) Varieties at Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

Grain yield and malt quality of barley are largely influenced by the specific variety, soil property and applied nitrogen fertilizer rates. Consequently, nitrogen fertilizer application could lead to tradeoff between grain yield and malt quality and grain yield resulting in significant loss for beverage industries and farmers. Thus a field experiment was carried out during 2018/2019 main cropping season on Nitisol at Arsi Zone of Ethiopia to study the effect of grain yield and malt quality response of malt barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) Varieties to different rates of nitrogen fertilizer. Factorial combination of three malt barley varieties (Holker, Ibon and Fanaka) and five rates of nitrogen fertilizer (11.5, 23, 34.5, 46 and 57.5 kg N ha-1) were laydown in split plot arrangement Nitrogen fertilizer rate as main plot and varieties as sub plot replicate three times. Data on soil sample analysis results revealed that, the soil physic-chemical property didn’t show significant variation in both before planting and after harvest. The interaction effects of nitrogen fertilizer rate and varieties had significant influence on grain yield, thousand kernel weight and hectoliter weight. Malt extract content and germination energy were significantly affected by main effect of malt barley varieties, while grain protein content affected only by nitrogen rate. Thus application of 57.5 kg N ha-1 to Ibon malt barley variety produced better (2.629 t ha-1) grain yields at the study area. From this point of view it can be conclude that Ibon Varity fertilized with 57.5 kg N ha-1 was found to be better in terms of both yield performance and economic feasibility for malt barley production in study area.

Response of Canopy Leaf Area Index and Architecture of Tropical Rainforests in Sri Lanka to Climatic Variation along an Altitudinal Gradient

Ground mulching can affect the availability of nitrogen to a common bean crop depending on the C/N relationship. The objective of this paper was to study the response of the crop grown after corn to nitrogen application rates and time, under no-tillage. The study was conducted at the ‘Embrapa-Arroz e Feijao’ experimental station, located in the municipality of Santo Antonio de Goias, GO, Brazil, in 1999 and 2000. The soil of the experimental site was Oxisol and experiments were conducted during the dry season using center pivot sprinkler irrigation. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. The common bean cultivar used was Apore. All treatments received 120 kg/ha of N during the crop cycle, with split applications or not, in different doses twenty days before sowing, at sowing, and at topdressing. The treatments were: T1 (0-0-120 kg/ha), T2 (0-17,5-102,5 kg/ha), T3 (0-40-80 kg/ha), T4 (0-60-60 kg/ha), T5 (0-80-40 kg/ha), T6 (0-120-0 kg/ha), T7 (40-40-40 kg/ha), T8 (0-17,5-102,5 kg/ha), and T9 (0-60-60 kg/ha). In the last two treatments, the corn mulch was chopped. Common bean under no-tillage needed a higher nitrogen dose at sowing in relation to conventional tillage. In the no-tillage system, the appropriate rate of N at sowing was 60kg/ha. When the N rate was higher than 60kg/ha, grain yield decreased. The same N split application rate produced higher yield when the corn mulch was chopped. KEY-WORDS: Phaseolus vulgaris ; N split application; mulch.

Cyclic Voltammetric (CV) Evaluation of Electro chemical Behaviors of K3 [Fe (CN)6 ] and Uric Acid

Cyclic Voltammetry has a multipurpose electroanalytical technique for the study of electroactive species, the method displays redox behaviour of chemical species inside a wide range potential. The current at the working electrode is observed as a three-cornered excitation potential is applied to the electrode. The purpose of this paper was to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) of the K3 [Fe(CN)6 ] and uric acid; electrochemical nature of K3 [Fe(CN)6 ] and uric acid, effects of varying the concentrations analytes on peak currents and peak splitting and scan rate CV on peak currents and peak splitting. All the reagents used for this experiment were analytical grade. K3 [Fe(CN)6 ] and uric acid solutions were prepared. The experiment has been implemented with the principles of cyclic voltammetry. The relationship between the scan rate and the peak current were investigated and the result shows that there is a direct relationship between scan rate and peak current that is Ipα V1/2. As articulated on the above voltammograms, the peak current increases with the augmentation of the concentrations of K3 [Fe(CN)6 ], So that, the researcher conclude the manifestation of direct relationship between peak current and concentration of analytes. The experiment of this research shows that the increasing of diffusion coefficient (D) with increasing of concentrations /and scan rate.The peak currents and peak splitting fluctuate with variation of scan rate of CV. Similarly, the peak currents and peak splitting vacillate with variation of concentration of the analytes.CV therefore can be used as an indication of major analytical tool for the determination of the trace elements which are electro active in nature. The electrochemical nature of K3 [Fe(CN)6 ] and uric acid were determined; reversible and irreversible respectively.

Determination of bone age using deep convolutional neural networks

Aim: Bone age assessment is an important measure of skeletal maturity in children with a growth development disorder. Furthermore, age estimation is an important method applied in various situations such as growth observation, immigrant registration, legal criminal justice, and body detection. In this study, we aimed to develop a computer-assisted bone age detection system. Materials and Methods: This detection is usually evaluated by a trained physician using a radiological examination of the left wrist and a reference model. However, this evaluation method was stated to cause differences brought by interobserver and intraobserver variabilities. Several automated approaches have been proposed to overcome these problems, but none of them have been proven to be generalized according to different races, age ranges, and gender. Considering today's technology, it is observed that developments in the software are already used in the field of health. In this study, bone age was determined from X-rays of the left wrist using convolutional neural networks, which are a popular subject of recent years. Results: In the study, in which a total of 150 patients' images were used, different deep learning architectures were used and the results were compared. On average, the success rate was best at 98.39% with different training-testing split rates. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that deep learning could be used to determine bone age.

Repair of Pediatric Split Earlobe Deformity With Anterior Straight-Line Closure and Posterior Z-Plasty: Surgical Technique and Review of 26 Cases.

Split earlobe deformity typically results from earring-related trauma or, less commonly, from congenital malformation. Several surgical approaches to repair the earlobe have been described, with the goals of reconstructing normal contour of the earlobe, avoiding notching of the free margin, and minimizing scar visibility. The authors reviewed 26 consecutive patients who underwent earlobe reconstruction using the senior author's novel technique, which involves anterior straight-line closure paired with a posterior Z-plasty. Baseline demographic characteristics, etiology of split earlobe, follow-up, outcomes, and rate of complications were analyzed. The median age at surgical repair was 8.04 (interquartile range, 4.53-12.84) years. Most patients had acquired split earlobe deformity secondary to trauma. Median follow-up was 86.5 (interquartile range, 29-385.5) days. Only 4 patients had less than satisfactory results, 3 having residual contour abnormality and 1 noting earlobe asymmetry. None of these patients desired revision. No keloid formation, dehiscence, or other postoperative complications were reported. The authors describe a novel and effective surgical technique that successfully reconstructs split earlobe deformity. This technique minimizes visible scarring with an anterior straight-line repair combined with posterior Z-plasty to avoid notching.

On the splitting rate of rate of a tower of Artin-Schreier type

In this note we study the asymptotic behaviour of the number of rational places in a tower of function fields of Artin-Schreier type over a finite field with 2s elements, where s &gt; 0 is an odd integer.

Theory of dynamic mode-II delamination in end-loaded split tests

The dynamic mode-II energy release rate (ERR) of the end-loaded split (ELS) test with applied time-dependent displacement is derived for the first time with the effect of vibration included. Dynamic Euler-Bernoulli beams are used together with a deflection condition to simulate contact. To understand the dynamic effect and the relative dynamic contribution from each vibration mode, a ‘dynamic factor’ and a ‘spatial factor’ are defined. It is found that the contribution of the ith vibration mode is dependent on the spatial factor, which is a function of the delamination length and the total length of the ELS specimen. Certain vibration modes are dominant dependent on the spatial factor. In addition, for a given spatial factor, there may be a certain vibration mode, which makes approximately zero contribution to the ERR. The developed theory is verified against results from finite-element method (FEM) simulations and it is in excellent agreement. This work now allows the loading rate-dependent mode-II delamination toughness of materials to be determined by using ELS tests. In addition, it provides understanding of the structural dynamic response in the presence of mode-II delamination and can guide the design of structures to mitigate against vibration-driven delamination.

New improved Aggregator: predicting which clinical trial articles derive from the same registered clinical trial.

ObjectivesTo identify separate publications that report outcomes from the same underlying clinical trial, in order to avoid over-counting these as independent pieces of evidence.Materials and MethodsWe updated our previous model by creating larger, more recent, and more diverse positive and negative training sets consisting of article pairs that were (or not) linked to the same ClinicalTrials.gov trial registry number. Features were extracted from PubMed metadata; pairwise similarity scores were modeled using logistic regression and used to form clusters of articles that are likely to arise from the same registered clinical trial.ResultsArticles from the same trial were identified with high accuracy (F1 = 0.859), nominally better than the previous model (F1 = 0.843). Predicted clusters showed a low error rate of splitting of 8–11% (ie, when 2 articles belonged to the same trial but were assigned to different clusters). Performance was similar whether only randomized controlled trial articles or a more diverse set of clinical trial articles were processed.DiscussionMetadata are surprisingly accurate in predicting when 2 articles derive from the same underlying clinical trial.ConclusionWe have continued confidence in the Aggregator tool which can be accessed publicly at http://arrowsmith.psych.uic.edu/cgi-bin/arrowsmith_uic/RCT_Tagger.cgi.

Long-term outcomes after pyeloplasty for pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction in adults associated with renal congenital anomalies: Age, sex and renal function matched analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the long-term outcomes after pyeloplasty for pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) associated with renal anomalies. Patients and methods: Data were collected for patients after pyeloplasty for PUJO associated with renal anomalies and analysed retrospectively. Long-term functional success was evaluated by comparing the renographic split renal function (SRF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at last follow-up with baseline values. A change of 5% in SRF was considered significant. Factors affecting functional outcome were assessed. The outcomes were compared to an age, sex and renal function matched group with PUJO in otherwise normal kidneys (Group 2) to evaluate the pattern of difference in functional recoverability in both groups. This was assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: The study initially included 70 adult patients, with a mean age of 31.8 years. At a median of 44 months, 55 patients completed follow-up (Group 1) and no statistically significant changes in GFR (P = 0.7) and SRF (P = 0.06) were found. In all, 17, four and 34 patients showed a decrease, increase and static SRF (functional success rate was 69%). Higher preoperative SRF (P = 0.02) and Anderson–Hynes (A–H) pyeloplasty (P = 0.003) were associated with functional preservation. In the comparison with the other matched group (Group 2), the patients in Group 2 had better functional recoverability after pyeloplasty than patients with associated anomalies [GFR (P = 0.001), SRF (P = 0.002) and functional success (P = 0.001)]. Conclusion: Functional preservation after pyeloplasty in associated renal anomalies could be achieved in 69% of patients, which was significantly lower than those with otherwise normal kidneys. A–H pyeloplasty and higher preoperative SRF were associated with better functional outcomes. Abbreviations: A–H: Anderson–Hynes; HSK: horseshoe kidneys; OR: odds ratio; PUJO: PUJ obstruction; SRF: split renal function; T1/2, half-time