Standard Error Of Mean Research Articles

Cadaveric Study on Comparison of Neck Extension Angles for Endotracheal Intubation in Rabbits Using a Rigid and Flexible Endoscope.

Endotracheal intubation in rabbits is always challenging due to the unique anatomical conformation. To improve endotracheal intubation success, this study determined the relationship between head placement angles guided by endoscope-assisted visualization techniques and the endotracheal intubation success rate. Thirty-two rabbit cadavers were used in the study. Six veterinary practitioners who had no experience with rabbit endotracheal intubation were randomly assigned to intubate rabbit cadavers using the guidance of either a rigid endoscope (RE) or flexible endoscope (FE), with the head placement angles with an ascending neck at 90, 100, 110, 120 and 130 degrees. The endotracheal intubation completed in 90 s was determined to be a success. The success rates using RE and FE were 97.2% and 95.9%, respectively. The means and standard error of means (SEM) of endotracheal intubation times guided by RE and FE were 53.7 ± 4.68 and 55.2 ± 4.24 s, respectively. Results from survival time analysis show that the five veterinarians successfully intubated the rabbit within 90 s, regardless of the different types of endoscopes. Angle was the only significant factor that affected the endotracheal intubation success. The head placement angle at 110 and 120 degrees had the highest success rate of endotracheal intubation compared to 90 degrees (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, for inexperienced veterinarians, the success of endotracheal intubation in rabbits, guided by endoscope-assisted visualized techniques regardless of rigid endoscope or flexible endoscope guidance, is improved when the head extension is 110 and 120 degrees.

Near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify overall thermal process intensity during high-moisture extrusion of soy protein concentrate

High-moisture extrusion (HME) is widely used to produce meat analogues. During HME the plant-based materials experience thermal and mechanical stresses. It is complicated to separate their effects on the final products because these effects are interrelated. In this study we hypothesize that the intensity of the thermal treatment can explain a large part of the physicochemical changes that occur during extrusion. For this reason, near–infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used as a novel method to quantify the thermal process intensity during HME. High–temperature shear cell (HTSC) processing was used to create a partial least squares (PLS) regression curve for processing temperature under controlled processing conditions (root mean standard error of cross-validation (RMSECV) = 4.00 °C, coefficient of determination of cross-validation (R2CV) = 0.97). This PLS regression model was then applied to HME extrudates produced at different screw speeds (200–1200 rpm) and barrel temperatures (100–160 °C) with two different screw profiles to calculate the equivalent shear cell temperature as a measure for thermal process intensity. This equivalent shear cell temperature reflects the effects of changes in local temperature conditions, residence time and thermal stresses. Furthermore, it can be related to the degree of texturization of the extrudates. This information can be used to gain new insights into the effect of various process parameters during HME on the thermal process intensity and extrudate quality.

The Olivine-Spinel-aSiO2melt (OSaS) Oxybarometer: A New Method for Evaluating Magmatic Oxygen Fugacity in Olivine-Phyric Basalts

Abstract The compositions of cotectic olivine-spinel pairs in mafic magmas provide information on the oxygen fugacity of their host liquid, which can be accessed with a thermodynamic analysis of the olivine-spinel-liquid peritectic reaction: 3 F e 2 S i O 4 o l i v + O 2 s y s = 2 F e 3 O 4 s p + 3 S i O 2 m e l t The extraction of redox information from cotectic olivine-spinel pairs requires a well-defined silica activity value (aSiO2melt) for the melt of interest, as well as a method to calculate aFe2SiO4oliv and aFe3O4sp from chemical analyses of olivine and spinel, respectively. In this work, we develop a new olivine-spinel-aSiO2melt (OSaS) oxygen barometer that utilizes MELTS to obtain values of aSiO2melt, which are used with values aFe2SiO4oliv and aFe3O4sp determined from established solution models for olivine and spinel. We find that two implementations of the spinel-liquid peritectic equilibria can successfully generate magmatic oxygen fugacity values, (1) using a combination of mineral activity models from the literature (classical-OSaS) and aSiO2melt determined from MELTS, and (2) directly from chemical potentials obtained from MELTS, where a correction is added to the MELTS-derived chemical potentials for the magnetite component of the spinel (MELTS-OSaS). The two implementations of the OSaS were tested by using each model to recover the experimentally reported fO2 values for a dataset consisting of 50 olivine-spinel-glass assemblages derived from 14 published experimental studies. This dataset was filtered to remove potential disequilibrium phase assemblages, experiments with failed redox buffers, and poor-quality EMP analyses. Data quality metrics for the dataset filtration included Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine and melt, Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine-spinel, and an examination of whether aSiO2melt values were consistent with the reported phase assemblages. The classical-OSaS implementations reproduced the fO2 values reported from the experimental dataset with a standard error estimate (SEE) of ±0.39, root mean standard error (RMSE) of ±0.40 and average deviation of ±0.31. In testing the MELTS-OSaS model, we identified that the solution model for magnetite underpredicted the values of aFe3O4sp; therefore, we used the 50 experiments to assign a correction to the MELTS-predicted chemical potentials of magnetite. We tested 35 the MELTS-OSaS model with the magnetite correction on a dataset of 18 additional buffered experiments, filtered for redox equilibrium and not included in the original experimental dataset. We find that the MELTs-OSaS model, which includes the correction for the magnetite chemical potential, reproduces fO2 values for the 18 experiments with an SEE of ±0.20, root mean standard error (RMSE) of ±0.23 and average deviation of ±0.18. The OSaS oxybarometer can return magmatic fO2 values with a standard error of ± 0.20 to 0.39 log units, depending on the model selected, provided that the olivine-spinel cotectic temperature is known to an accuracy of ±25°C, the H2O content of the melt can be estimated within ±1.5wt%, and that the crystallization pressure of the olivine-spinel pair is < 500 MPa. We also propose that the OSaS models can be applied to experimental run products to determine or confirm oxygen fugacity values. We additionally suggest that the careful application of the OSaS oxybarometer can provide a reliable and robust alternative for performing redox studies on samples that do not contain sufficient glassy material to support the application of spectroscopic techniques (i.e., XANES and Mössbauer).

Assessing Satellite-Derived OpenET Platform Evapotranspiration of Mature Pecan Orchard in the Mesilla Valley, New Mexico

Pecan is a major crop in the Mesilla Valley, New Mexico. Due to prolonged droughts, growers face challenges related to water shortages. Therefore, irrigation management is crucial for farmers. Advancements in satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ET) models and accessibility to data from web-based platforms like OpenET provide farmers with new tools to improve crop irrigation management. This study evaluates the evapotranspiration (ET) of a mature pecan orchard using OpenET platform data generated by six satellite-based models and their ensemble. The ET values obtained from the platform were compared with the ET values obtained from the eddy covariance (ETec) method from 2017 to 2021. The six models assessed included Google Earth Engine implementation of the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (geeSEBAL), Google Earth Engine implemonthsmentation of the Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (eeMETRIC) model, Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop), Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS), Priestley–Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL), and Atmosphere–Land Exchange Inverse and associated flux disaggregation technique (ALEXI/DisALEXI). The average growing season ET of mature pecan estimated from April to October of 2017 to 2021 by geeSEBAL, eeMETRIC, SSEBop, SIMS, PT-JPL, ALEXI/DisALEXI, and the ensemble were 1061, 1230, 1232, 1176, 1040, 1016, and 1130 mm, respectively, and 1108 mm by ETec. Overall, the ensemble model-based monthly ET of mature pecan during the growing season was relatively close to the ETec (R2 of 0.9477) with a 2% mean relative difference (MRD) and standard error of estimate (SEE) of 15 mm/month for the five years (N = 60 months). The high agreement of the OpenET ensemble of the six satellite-derived models’ estimates of mature pecan ET with the ETec demonstrates the utility of this promising approach to enhance the reliability of remote sensing-based ET data for agricultural and water resource management.

Application of AI in Multilevel Pain Assessment Using Facial Images: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The continuous monitoring and recording of patients' pain status is a major problem in current research on postoperative pain management. In the large number of original or review articles focusing on different approaches for pain assessment, many researchers have investigated how computer vision (CV) can help by capturing facial expressions. However, there is a lack of proper comparison of results between studies to identify current research gaps. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence models for multilevel pain assessment from facial images. The PubMed, Embase, IEEE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for related publications before September 30, 2023. Studies that used facial images alone to estimate multiple pain values were included in the systematic review. A study quality assessment was conducted using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies, 2nd edition tool. The performance of these studies was assessed by metrics including sensitivity, specificity, log diagnostic odds ratio (LDOR), and area under the curve (AUC). The intermodal variability was assessed and presented by forest plots. A total of 45 reports were included in the systematic review. The reported test accuracies ranged from 0.27-0.99, and the other metrics, including the mean standard error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), ranged from 0.31-4.61, 0.24-2.8, 0.19-0.83, and 0.48-0.92, respectively. In total, 6 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Their combined sensitivity was 98% (95% CI 96%-99%), specificity was 98% (95% CI 97%-99%), LDOR was 7.99 (95% CI 6.73-9.31), and AUC was 0.99 (95% CI 0.99-1). The subgroup analysis showed that the diagnostic performance was acceptable, although imbalanced data were still emphasized as a major problem. All studies had at least one domain with a high risk of bias, and for 20% (9/45) of studies, there were no applicability concerns. This review summarizes recent evidence in automatic multilevel pain estimation from facial expressions and compared the test accuracy of results in a meta-analysis. Promising performance for pain estimation from facial images was established by current CV algorithms. Weaknesses in current studies were also identified, suggesting that larger databases and metrics evaluating multiclass classification performance could improve future studies. PROSPERO CRD42023418181; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=418181.

Influence of two collection frequency intervals on sperm quality of standard and miniature bull Terriers during short breeding periods: A clinical field study.

The quality of canine sperm can be influenced by many factors, such as breed, body weight, age, ejaculatory frequency, nutrition, and environment. In the UK, it is common practice for standard Bull Terriers (SBT) and miniature Bull Terriers (MBT) to require male donors during a short breeding period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of semen collection frequency on ejaculate volume and nine sperm parameters in SBT and MBT males, considering age and body condition score (BCS). Ejaculates from six adult SBTs and four MBTs were collected 5 times at two consecutive intervals (Time Series [TS]1, 24 h vs. TS2, 48 h), 1 week apart. Ejaculate volume, concentration, total output, viability (live sperm), subjective total motility, vigor, and total morphological defects, including head, midpiece, and tail defects of sperm, were evaluated. A multivariable mixed linear model for repeated measures was used to analyze the effects of semen collection frequency, age, breed, and BCS on ejaculate volume and sperm parameters. Semen collection frequency, age, and, to a lesser extent, breed, and BCS significantly affected sperm parameters. Semen collection frequency affected all sperm parameters (p < 0.05) but not ejaculate volume (p > 0.05). Total sperm output, sperm vigor, total motility, and tail defects decreased (p < 0.05) at the end of TS1. However, sperm parameters remained relatively constant (p > 0.05) in TS2 between semen collection sessions. Overall, poorer sperm parameters were observed in older dogs (aged 5-8 years) than in younger dogs (aged 4 years). MBT produced less (p < 0.001) ejaculate volume (3.2 ± 0.2 mL vs. 4.3 ± 0.2 mL: Least Squares Mean ± Standard Error of Mean), lower total sperm output (221.8 ± 19.2 × 106 vs. 348.6 ± 19.2 × 106) and lower total morphological defects (25.0 ± 1.1% vs. 31.3 ± 0.9%), and a higher percentage of live sperm (77.0 ± 1.4% vs. 71.7 ± 1.1%) than SBT. In addition, a BCS of 4 positively influenced (p < 0.05) viability, vigor, and total sperm motility. Despite differences in age, breed, and BCS, better sperm parameter values were observed in all semen collection sessions. However, intensive semen collection (TS1) appears to be less effective in maintaining good sperm quality. For breeding or artificial insemination purposes, a 48-h interval between collection sessions is recommended for both breeds. The results of this study could be used to further optimize assisted reproductive technologies in both breeds.

Validation of Microionization Chambers in Small-field Dosimetry.

This study aims to validate the Razor Nano Chamber (RNC) and Razor Chamber (RC) dosimetric characteristics in a small field. The dosimetric parameters of the two chambers were compared. The chamber characteristics of leakage (pre and post), stability, energy dependency, dose linearity, dose rate effect, stem effect, angular dependency, ion recombination effect, and polarity effect were studied. Relative dose measurements of the percentage depth dose, profile measurement, and output factor (OF) measurements were performed for small fields. All measurements were performed in a Theratron 780E telecobalt unit and an Elekta Versa HD™ Linear Accelerator. The measured pre- and postirradiation leakage and energy dependency were within 0.5% of the acceptable limit. In the stability check, the standard error and standard error of mean were 0.047% and 0.068%, respectively, for both RNC and RC. The deviation in the angular responses of the RNC and RC ion chambers was negligible. In the ion recombination measurements, both the RNC and RC were overestimated for the 10 flattening filter-free photon beam. In small fields, there were no significant differences in the kpol values for either chamber. The RNC showed good agreement in the relative dose measurements compared to the RC. RNC and RC showed good agreement in small-field dosimetry. The RNC angular dependency and OF showed a superior response compared to the RC because of the small volume spherical shape and high spatial resolution, which gives a reduced penumbra and no volume averaging effect.

The Effect of Location, Time, and Environmental Conditions on Fish Use of Southern Temperate Saltmarshes

Fish use of saltmarsh varies spatially, temporally, and with environmental conditions. The specific impact of these effects on fish assemblages in southern temperate Tasmania, Australia—the only mangrove-free Australian state—is as yet largely unknown. Seasonal variation in fish abundance, richness, diversity, and size was investigated in succulent saltmarshes in three estuaries (Marion Bay, Barilla Bay, and Ralphs Bay) in south-eastern Tasmania. All parameters varied between sampling locations. Greater numbers of fish were recorded at two sites (Marion Bay, mean density and standard error of 396.9 ± 71.3 individuals per 100 m2; Barilla Bay, mean density and standard error of 94.1 ± 30.1 individuals per 100 m2) than have been previously reported in Australian saltmarshes. Fish abundance was greatest in July–August (mean density and standard error of 200.2 ± 49.7 individuals per 100 m2) reflecting the breeding patterns of the numerically dominant Atherinosoma microstoma. Both abundance and species richness responded positively to water temperature in ordinal logistic regression models, and species richness and diversity increased with water depth in the models. It is likely that the strong differences between sampling locations are partly related to differences in water depth and water temperature between the estuaries. They may be also related to the habitat context of each estuary, especially the presence or absence of seagrass. The greater numbers of fish found in the present study relative to abundances reported in mainland Australia may relate to the absence of mangroves and the consequent differences in seascape habitat context, including greater water depths in marshes. Importantly, these results demonstrate that temperate southern hemisphere saltmarshes are year-round habitat for fish, thus emphasising their importance as a fish habitat.

Development of yield prediction model for wheat by using AquaCrop model with different nitrogen dose applications in Central Anatolia Region (semi arid) conditions

In this study, yield prediction was made for Tosunbey and Bayraktar bread wheat varieties under rainfall conditions and 4 different fertilizer ratios with AquaCrop model, one of the plant growth models. In this experiment conducted at Haymana Ikizce Research Farm, actual field observations and model predicted grain yield, biomass, and green area coverage ratio were evaluated. Mean deviation (α), standard error (RMSE), and model efficiency coefficient (E) tests were used to determine the performance of the model. The AquaCrop model was calibrated in the first year and validated based on observational data collected in the first and second years of the experiment, respectively. Based on the results obtained, it was observed that the AquaCrop model simulated grain yield at different levels of nitrogen fertilizer applications with higher precision for Bayraktar variety. For Bayraktar variety, grain yield E = 0.93 in the first year and 0.99 in the second year for grain yield, and E = 0.83 in the first year and 0.98 in the second year for biomass, indicating excellent agreement between model and observation was found. In Tosunbey variety, first-year grain yield E=0.66 and 2nd year grain yield 0.76 were found. The 2nd year RMSE value for grain yield of Bayraktar variety was 0.266, and the 2nd year RMSE value for the grain yield of Tosunbey variety was 0.664 and found to be statistically compatible. Grain yield, biomass, and percent cover (CC) values obtained from the model were found to be highly consistent with field observations.

Analysis of Sinus Variability in a Group of Cameroonian Athletes.

Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a useful method for assessing the heart's ability to adapt to endogenous and exogenous loads. Data from African population on HRV are scarce and even more so in sports populations. This study aimed to compare cardiac autonomic modulation response in Cameroonian athletes and sedentary. Methodology. We conducted a prospective and analytical study in sports teams in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The participants in our study were divided in three groups; people who practiced little or no sporting activity (sedentary as group 1) or who were regularly physically active as part of a sports team (footballers or handballers as second and third groups). They had to be aged 18 or over and have given their informed consent. Heart rate (HR) was continuously recorded at rest for ten minutes and then transferred to a computer equipped with Kubios HRV Standard software for analysis. Means ± mean standard errors were compared using the one-way ANOVA test, followed by Tukey's post-test. The significance threshold was set at 0.05. Of the 60 people selected to participate to our study, 75.0% were sportsmen (40.0% handball players and 35.0% footballers). The resting HR of sedentary people was higher (p < 0.001) than that of footballers and handball players. The SDNN, RMSSD, and pNN50 of sedentary people (16.22 ± 1.04; 9.97 ± 0.46; and 0.16 ± 0.06) were lower than those of footballers (30.13 ± 2.93; 20.61 ± 2.46; and 2.99 ± 0.63, with p < 0.001) and handball players (29.00 ± 1.86; 16.44 ± 1.16; and 2.15 ± 0.38, with p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively). Absolute and relative very-low-frequency (VLF) power, absolute low and high-frequency (LF and HF) power, as well as total power (TP) were lower in sedentary people (3.66 ± 0.08 and 16.21 ± 0.64; 5.04 ± 0.15 and 2.50 ± 0.16 and 246.40 ± 18.04) compared to footballers (5.09 ± 0.24 and 26.87 ± 1.76; 5.85 ± 0.32 and 3.92 ± 0.22 and 836.10 ± 103.70, with p < 0.001, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001) and handball players (4.86 ± 0.16 and 30.82 ± 2.67; 6.03 ± 0.19 and 3.46 ± 0.16 and 927.30 ± 94.12, with p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001). The LF/HF ratio was 12.1% and 20.1% lower in sedentary people (7.55 ± 0.58) compared with footballers (8.46 ± 0.50) and handball players (9.07 ± 0.60), respectively. Sportsmen showed greater parasympathetic and global modulation when compared to sedentary people.

Youth Athletes With Sever's Disease Exhibit Altered Achilles Tendon Ultrasound Characteristics: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Calcaneal apophysitis (Sever's disease) is an overuse condition caused by repetitive traction stress to the calcaneal apophysis. Whether Achilles tendon morphology is altered in this young patient population remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to identify differences in Achilles tendon morphology between youth athletes diagnosed with calcaneal apophysitis and healthy controls. This retrospective chart review included 46 patients (n = 23 Sever's disease, 15F/8M, 12.4 ± 2.3 years old) and (n = 23 healthy controls, 13F/10M, 15.9 ± 1.5 years old) who sought care in a Children's Hospital Sports Medicine/Orthopedics Department between 2012 and 2022. We measured ultrasound-derived degree of tendon thickening, Achilles tendon thickness (cm), and cross-sectional area (CSA [cm2]). Separate multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were used to compare degree of thickening, mass-normalized Achilles tendon thickness, and CSA between participant groups, covarying for age. Cohen's d effect sizes were used to assess the magnitude of mean differences and standard error (MDSE) between groups. Young athletes with Sever's disease had a significantly greater degree of tendon thickening with a large effect compared with healthy controls (MDSE: 0.07 [0.01] mm P < .001, d = 1.39). Achilles tendon thickness and CSA did not statistically differ between groups; however, the magnitude of between-group differences for these measures (MDSE: 0.18 [0.05] cm, MDSE: 0.27 [0.07] cm2, respectively) were moderate. Our findings demonstrate previously unrecognized differences in Achilles tendon morphology between young athletes with clinically diagnosed Sever's disease and healthy controls. Our study supports incorporating diagnostic ultrasound as part of a comprehensive examination to ensure appropriate diagnosis and clinical management for adolescents with heel pain.

Guillain-Barre in the long-term acute care hospital setting: Ventilation does not prolong stay

Objective Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, resulting in loss of muscle function and potentially respiratory failure requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Data describing the demographics and outcomes of patients with severe GBS requiring prolonged ventilation in the long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting is limited. We hypothesized that patients with GBS requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation require longer lengths of stay in an LTACH and are discharged with poorer functional status than GBS patients who do not require mechanical ventilation. Design, Setting, and Participants We conducted a retrospective study of GBS patients admitted over a 9-year period at an independent, large LTACH and compared ventilated versus non-ventilated GBS patients’ lengths of stay and functional ability at the time of admission and discharge. Interventions Not Applicable Main Outcome Measures and Results We found no significant difference in mean (standard error of means) lengths of stay between ventilated and non-ventilated GBS patients admitted to an LTACH (48.4 (± 8.0) vs. 38.8 (± 5.7) days, P 0.37). We also found that ventilated patients with GBS were discharged from an LTACH with similar functional ability than non-ventilated GBS patients (4.5 vs. 4.0, P 0.43 on 10 ft walk; 4.7 vs. 4.5 on P 0.70; 5.0 vs. 4.2, P 0.21 on 150 ft walk). Conclusion These findings suggest that GBS patients suffering from prolonged mechanical ventilation may expect similar lengths of stay in an LTACH as non-ventilated GBS patients and a similar or greater rate of functional improvement during their stay. These data support admission of chronically ventilated GBS patients to an LTACH for ongoing care after their acute care without the anticipation of greater length of stay or less rehabilitation outcomes with respect to non-ventilated GBS patients. Keywords: Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Assisted Ventilation, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, LTACH, Critical Care

OS TESTES SITUACIONAIS DE INTELIGÊNCIA EMOCIONAL COMO UM TESTE ADAPTATIVO COMPUTADORIZADO

The present study aimed to assess whether an emotional understanding test (STEU) and an emotional management test (STEM) could benefit from being administered as computer-adaptive tests (CATs) without impacting the validity of the test scores. To this end, 11 item selection algorithms (ISAs) were benchmarked for their bias and efficiency. Two simulation studies were run using the same response patterns from the 688 participants used in the original validation study, the same 11 ISAs, but differed in their stopping rules (SRs). For the first study, one simulation was run for each ISA with the SR being standard error lower than (ΔSE &lt; ), the most commonly used stopping rule criterion. For the second study, k simulations were run for each ISA, for each test, with the SR being a fixed number of items between 1 and k, where k was the total number of items of the relevant test (32 for the STEU and 30 for the STEM). Results of the first simulation showed that testing with all ISAs resulted in accurate ability estimates, all of them having r &gt; .98 between their estimates and the estimates calculated with the entire test. The first simulation also showed that, using the best performing ISA, 368 (53.5%) participants needed to answer at least one fewer item without loss of validity. The second study showed that the STEU stood to benefit the most, with the mean standard error (MSE) being minimized six items before the end of the test, though ISAs based on the Kullback–Leibler information performed worse. However, these ISAs also displayed slightly less bias, , than the Fisher information-based ones . For the STEM, no ISA minimized MSE levels before the end of the test, but up to six fewer items for the STEM and 15 fewer items for the STEU could be administered with a slightly higher tolerance of ΔSE &lt; . These results indicate that the use of CAT methodology to administer these tests is viable, and EI testing stands to gain from using CAT tests. Future studies should test ISA performance with additional testing constraints.

Biomechanical responses on specific load carriage and positive gradient walking: A pilot study

Objectives: Normal load carriage is an inevitable part of military marching tasks. Military tasks are inextricably related to carrying huge loads irrespective of different terrain. Continuous carrying of heavy loads from level ground to uphill gradient may alter kinetic and kinematic responses. Such responses, in the long run, may cause the risk of injury. This study was designed to find out the effects of external load on kinetic and kinematic responses at specific loads and grades (+10°). Materials and Methods: Six healthy Indian soldiers mean (± standard error of mean [SEM]) age 30.5 ± 3.5 years, height 168.7 ± 2.8 cm, weight 73.8 ± 7.08 kg participated in this study, walking on treadmill (Deneb and Polak-speed-1625) at 3.5 kmph for 6 min at 10° inclination for two conditions, with no-load and 30 kg compact-load at controlled laboratory condition 25°C and 50% relative humidity (RH). Compressive, shearing, torque, joint reaction force, and erector-spine forces for kinetic and angular changes of neck, trunk, thigh, forearm, upper arm, and leg were analysed by biomechanical analysis software (Ergomaster 4.6). A paired t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance were applied to determine the significant effects of the load on dependent variables. Results: Significant changes were found in kinetic (compressive, shearing, torque, joint reactive force, and erector spine force) and kinematic (neck and trunk) parameters with subsequent increments of loads. Conclusion: From this study, it was concluded that walking in uphill condition, compressive, shearing, torque, joint reactive force, and erector spine force was found to be increased by 2.58, 4.65, 4.06, 2.83, and 4.06 folds, the angular changes found in neck and trunk were 1.78 and 1.25 folds compared to no-load conditions, respectively. The exerted forces, namely compressive force 74.12%, shearing force 86%, joint reaction force almost 75%, and erector spine force 83.82%, were very close to the injury risk profile; only the change of torque was not much closer to the risk profile. Such findings could be used for recommending load carriage guidelines for future studies.

Effect of long-term tafamidis treatment on health-related quality of life in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.

To evaluate the effect of long-term tafamidis treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) enrolled in the Tafamidis in Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy Clinical Trial (ATTR-ACT) and long-term extension (LTE) study. We examined change from baseline in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary (KCCQ-OS) and clinical summary (KCCQ-CS) scores in patients who received tafamidis meglumine 80 mg for 30 months in ATTR-ACT and tafamidis (meglumine 80 mg or bioequivalent free acid 61 mg) for 30 months in the LTE study, and in patients who received placebo for 30 months in ATTR-ACT and tafamidis for 30 months in the LTE study. In ATTR-ACT, 176 and 177 patients were randomized to tafamidis 80 mg and placebo, respectively. Patients who continuously received tafamidis had a 6- to 7-point reduction in least squares (LS) mean (standard error) KCCQ-OS and KCCQ-CS scores at month 30 (-6.25 [1.53] and -7.48 [1.39]), with little or no further decline over the next 30 months (-5.92 [1.77] and -9.21 [1.88] at month 60). Patients who received placebo in ATTR-ACT had a 20-point reduction in LS mean KCCQ-OS and KCCQ-CS scores at month 30 (-19.60 [1.94] and -19.90 [2.01]), but the decline slowed after initiating tafamidis (-24.70 [3.04] and -25.30 [3.36] at month 60). Tafamidis reduced HRQoL decline in patients with ATTR-CM. Patients continuously treated with tafamidis for 60 months demonstrated stabilized HRQoL. In patients who initially received placebo in ATTR-ACT, tafamidis reduced the decline in HRQoL during the LTE study.

Quantitative Applications of ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy with Chemometrics for the Estimation of Amikacin in Amikacin Sulphate Injections

Background: Amikacin belongs to the class of aminoglycoside antibiotics used in the treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections. It is resistant to the aminoglycosides modifying enzymes, making it a clinically effective drug in multidrug-resistant infections. Methods: In this study, a simple Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used for the quantification of amikacin in amikacin sulphate injection. The infrared spectra were generated in the spectral range of 4000–667 cm-1. The calibration curve was computed through TQ Analyst Pro edition software, and the partial least square regression analysis found the linearity in the range of 10-60% w/w. Results: The best calibration results were obtained in the spectral region from 1040 to 1020 cm-1 with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 1.000. The residual mean standard error (RMSEC) value was 0.00235. The percent relative standard deviation (%RSD) values for intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 8.0. The percent relative error (%RE) values were calculated and found in between the range of 0.52 to 5.60. The percent recovery of the amikacin estimation was 113.09 ± 4.27(n=3). Conclusion: This validated method is considered a green method, which is suitable for the routine analysis of amikacin in amikacin sulphate injections.

Vildagliptin Nephroprotective Effect in Rats Model with Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity

Objective: To evaluate the nephroprotective effect of vildagliptin against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.&#x0D; Methods and Materials: Twenty-eight male rats have been divided into four groups: Control (received distal water), cisplatin treated group (received single dose of cisplatin (7mg/kg) intraperitoneally (IP) on day eight), vildagliptin plus cisplatin treated group (received vildagliptin 10mg/kg/day orally for 14 days, seven days before and seven days after the dose of cisplatin on day eight), and vildagliptin treated group (received the same dose and duration of vildagliptin mentioned previously). At the end, blood samples were collected to evaluate tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α), caspase-3, total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), urea, and creatinine. The serum levels of these biomarkers were expressed as mean ± standard error of mean. Additionally, kidneys were fixed in formalin for histopathological examination.&#x0D; Result: Vildagliptin treatment significantly reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, caspase-3, urea, and creatinine as well as increased the TAOC level in rats treated with vildagliptin plus cisplatin when compared with cisplatin treated group. Histopathological examination further supported the nephroprotective effect of vildagliptin in rats with cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. &#x0D; Conclusion: Vildagliptin improved kidney function and reduced cisplatin nephrotoxicity which may highlight the nephroprotective effect of this DPP-4 inhibitor against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Efficacy of ravulizumab in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis by time from diagnosis: A post hoc subgroup analysis of the CHAMPION MG study.

The CHAMPION MG study demonstrated that ravulizumab significantly improved Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) and Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) total scores versus placebo in adults with acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive generalized myasthenia gravis (AChR+ gMG). This post hoc analysis aimed to assess these outcomes by time from MG diagnosis. Changes from baseline to week 26 in MG-ADL and QMG total scores were analyzed by time from MG diagnosis to study entry (≤2 vs. >2 years). Within each subgroup, least-squares (LS) mean changes for ravulizumab and placebo were compared using mixed models for repeated measures. In ravulizumab-treated patients, differences in LS mean (standard error of the mean) changes from baseline to week 26 were not statistically significant in the ≤2-years subgroup versus the >2-years subgroup for MG-ADL (-4.3 [0.70] vs. -2.9 [0.37]; p = .0511) or QMG (-4.3 [0.94] vs. -2.5 [0.50]; p = .0822) scores. No clear trends were observed in the placebo group. LS mean changes from baseline were significantly greater for ravulizumab versus placebo in both the ≤2 and >2 years from diagnosis subgroups for MG-ADL and QMG scores (all p < .05). The difference in treatment effect between the ≤2-years and >2-years subgroups was not statistically significant. No clinically meaningful between-subgroup differences in treatment-emergent adverse events were observed in ravulizumab-treated patients. Ravulizumab treatment improved clinical outcomes for patients with AChR+ gMG regardless of time from diagnosis. A numerical trend was observed favoring greater treatment effect with earlier versus later treatment after diagnosis. Further studies are required for confirmation.

Apllication Of The Moving Average Forecasting Method In Masonry Concrete Sales

This study aims to create a concrete sales forecasting system using the moving average method to predict sales for the next month in order to determine the amount of production that must be supplied in the next period. The study uses the moving average method which is widely used and has accuracy in forecasting. The results obtained mean error of 32630.95, MAD of 224532, MSE of 80977550000, standard error of 318154, Mape of 12.621% and average forecast of 1960074.0. The study implies that the moving average method is an effective tool for sales forecasting and can be used to make informed decisions about production planning and estimating future growth Highlight : The study aims to create a concrete sales forecasting system using the moving average method. The moving average method is an effective tool for sales forecasting and can be used to make informed decisions about production planning and estimating future growth. The study provides statistical measures such as mean error, MAD, MSE, standard error, and MAPE to evaluate the accuracy of the moving average method. Keywords: Sales forecasting, Moving average method, Production planning, Accuracy, Informed decisions.

A GIS-based Binary Logistic Regression Model for the Inundation Analysis; A Case Study on Elapatha DS Division, Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Flood susceptibility analysis (FSA) is a prerequisite for adopting flood mitigation and adaptation techniques. A number of technologies and models have emerged through time, and this study focuses on the Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) to investigate flood vulnerability of Elapatha Divisional secretariat (DS), Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka where has high impact from inundation. Rainfall, land use and land cover (LULC), elevation, slope, slope aspect, distance to the river, topographic wetness index (TWI), and stream power index (SPI) were the factors used in the model construction. These components were investigated in terms of their contribution to flood susceptibility using all location data and field plotting of responsible parameters in the study area using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, and all extracted data points were 96489, of which 50% were used for BLRM development using SPSS statistical software and remaining 50% for model validation. The coefficient of rainfall parameters, log value of elevation in meters, the tan value of slope in degrees, radiant value of aspect in degrees, (distance from the river)0.1, the ratio between SPI and TWI (SPI/TWI) and LULC band values of built-up area, water bodies and vegetations were 0.023, -2.254, -1.018, -0.005, -0.164, -0.003, 2.707, -.067 and -0.004 respectively. The accuracy was validated using Mean standard error (MSE) and area under curve (AUC) analysis, with values of 0.031 and 0.724 respectively. The Built-up area, elevation, and slope had the most impact on the inundation Elapatha DS division, and model performance represents 72.4% accuracy. Therefore, mitigation of inundation problems can be achieved through proper landscaping in the area.&#x0D; Keywords: Binary logistic Regression, Flood susceptibility Analysis, GIS software, Spatial analysis&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;