Booster Type Research Articles

Internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for adolescents with anxiety disorders: a study protocol for a parallel three armed randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAnxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health concerns affecting children and adolescents. Despite their high prevalence, statistics indicate that fewer than 25% of individuals in this demographic seek professional assistance for their condition. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop innovative interventions aimed at improving treatment accessibility. ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the effectiveness of Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) for adolescents with anxiety, with a specific emphasis on involving parents in the treatment process.MethodsThe study is structured as a parallel three-armed randomized controlled trial, comparing Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) with planned feedback, iCBT with on-demand feedback, and a waitlist control group, each group including 56 participants. Participants in the two iCBT conditions will undergo a 14-week treatment regimen, while those in the waitlist control group will wait for 14 weeks before starting iCBT with planned feedback. Additionally, participants in the iCBT groups will be randomly assigned to receive a booster session or not. The study design is factorial including two factors: type of therapist feedback (factor 1) and booster or no booster (factor 2). The study population comprises adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years, residing in Denmark, diagnosed with an anxiety disorder according to DSM-5 criteria. The primary outcome measures are the Youth Online Diagnostic Assessment and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Assessments will occur at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups post-treatment.DiscussionThe findings of this study are anticipated to contribute to improving the accessibility of evidence-based treatments for adolescents with anxiety.Trial registrationThe study is registered at clinicalTrials.gov, under protocol ID 22/59602. The Initial release was the 16.10.2023, first posted due to technical problems 16.04.2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06368557?locStr=Odense,%20Denmark&country=Denmark&city=Odense&page=2&rank=13.

Antibody Fc receptor binding and T cell responses to homologous and heterologous immunization with inactivated or mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

Whole virion inactivated vaccine CoronaVac (C) and Spike (S) mRNA BNT162b2 (B) vaccines differ greatly in their ability to elicit neutralizing antibodies but have somewhat comparable effectiveness in protecting from severe COVID-19. We conducted further analyses for a randomized trial (Cobovax study, NCT05057169) of third dose homologous and heterologous booster vaccination, i.e. four interventions CC-C, CC-B, BB-C and BB-B. Here, we assess vaccine immunogenicity beyond neutralizing function, including S and non-S antibodies with Fc receptor (FcR) binding, antibody avidity and T cell specificity to 6 months post-vaccination. Ancestral and Omicron S-specific IgG and FcR binding are significantly higher by BNT162b2 booster than CoronaVac, regardless of first doses. Nucleocapsid (N) antibodies are only increased in homologous boosted CoronaVac participants (CC-C). CoronaVac primed participants have lower baseline S-specific CD4+ IFNγ+ cells, but are significantly increased by either CoronaVac or BNT162b2 boosters. Priming vaccine content defined T cell peptide specificity preference, with S-specific T cells dominating B primed groups and non-S structural peptides contributing more in C primed groups, regardless of booster type. S-specific CD4+ T cell responses, N-specific antibodies, and antibody effector functions via Fc receptor binding may contribute to protection and compensate for less potent neutralizing responses in CoronaVac recipients.

Metadiscursive Boosting in Russian Courtroom Discourse: Enhancing Persuasiveness in Defense Speeches

Recent studies are revealing new aspects of courtroom discourse, examining its generation and applying novel analytical methods. Yet, despite their significance and complexity, the use of metadiscursive tools remains scarce. These tools offer substantial promise for analyzing discursive practices, increasingly seen as not just informative but also interactive and impactful. The inherently interactive and persuasive nature of courtroom discourse underscores the need for metadiscourse as a potent analytical instrument. Such an instrument encompasses mechanisms for expressing attitudes toward the propositional content and for drawing the recipient into a dialogue with the speaker. This article addresses the metadiscursive dimension of defense speeches as a distinct genre within courtroom discourse. The study uses quantitative analysis on a corpus of Russian-language courtroom texts, innovatively applying metadiscursive analysis to identify linguistic elements that enhance the persuasiveness of defense speeches, with a focus on the technique of boosting. Throughout the study, five types of boosters were identified – markers of certainty, evidentiality, intensity, solidarity, and superiority – each serving one of five pragmatic functions: to show the speaker’s confidence in the truth of their assertions, to point to the credibility and reliability of the source, to amplify the emotional impact of the statement, to denote the upper bounds of a continuum, and to reference commonly known facts or shared experiences of events or situations. The study reveals that boosting at the lexical level is predominantly achieved through the use of evidential verbs and nouns, adverbs of measure, degree, and time, as well as superlative adjectives. Additionally, the frequent use of first-person plural pronouns was observed. The findings suggest that adept use of boosters in courtroom discourse is indicative of a lawyer’s pragmatic competence and is crucial for effective communication with the court and the jury.

Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Booster Dose with MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901-Beta SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Adults: A Phase I, Prospective, Randomized, Open-Labeled Study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines based on variant strains have been in use as booster doses to update immunity against circulating variants. Here we present the results of a phase one prospective, randomized, and open-labeled trial to study the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose consisting of a subunit vaccine based on the stabilized prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, MVC-COV1901, or its Beta version, MVC-COV1901-Beta. Participants aged ≥18 and <55 years who received two or three prior doses of MVC-COV1901 vaccines were enrolled and were to receive a booster dose of either 15 mcg of MVC-COV1901, 15 mcg, or 25 mcg of MVC-COV1901-Beta in a 1:1:1 ratio. Adverse reactions after either MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901-Beta booster doses after two or three doses of MVC-COV1901 were comparable and mostly mild and transient. At four weeks after the booster dose, participants with two prior doses of MVC-COV1901 had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies against ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Beta, and Omicron variants than participants with three prior doses of MVC-COV1901, regardless of the type of booster used. MVC-COV1901 and MVC-COV1901-Beta can both be effectively used as booster doses against SARS-CoV-2, including the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron variants.

Immunogenicity and safety of heterologous boost immunization with PastoCovac Plus against COVID-19 in ChAdOx1-S or BBIBP-CorV primed individuals.

This study aimed at evaluation and comparison of PastoCovac Plus protein-subunit vaccine in parallel with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) and BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) in primarily vaccinated volunteers with two doses of ChAdOx1-S or BBIBP-CorV. 194 volunteers enrolled the study who were previously primed with 2 doses of ChAdOx1-S or BBIBP-CorV vaccines. They were divided into two heterologous regimens receiving a third dose of PastoCovac Plus, and two parallel homologous groups receiving the third dose of BBIBP-CorV or ChAdOx1-S. Serum samples were obtained just before and 4 weeks after booster dose. Anti-spike IgG and neutralizing antibodies were quantified and the conventional live-virus neutralization titer, (cVNT50) assay was done against Omicron BA.5 variant. Moreover, the adverse events data were recorded after receiving booster doses. ChAdOx1-S/PastoCovac Plus group reached 73.0 units increase in anti-Spike IgG rise compared to the ChAdOx1-S/ ChAdOx1-S (P: 0.016). No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding neutralizing antibody rise (P: 0.256), indicating equivalency of both booster types. Adjusting for baseline titers, the BBIBP-CorV/PastoCovac Plus group showed 135.2 units increase (P<0.0001) in anti-Spike IgG, and 3.1 (P: 0.008) unit increase in mean rise of neutralizing antibodies compared to the homologous group. Adjustment for COVID-19 history, age, underlying diseases, and baseline antibody titers increased the odds of anti-Spike IgG fourfold rise both in the ChAdOx1-S (OR: 1.9; P: 0.199) and BBIBP CorV (OR: 37.3; P< 0.0001) heterologous groups compared to their corresponding homologous arms. The odds of neutralizing antibody fourfold rise, after adjustment for the same variables, was 2.4 (P: 0.610) for the ChAdOx1-S heterologous group and 5.4 (P: 0.286) for the BBIBP CorV heterologous groups compared to their corresponding homologous groups. All the booster types had the potency to neutralize BA.5 variant with no significant difference. The highest rate of adverse event incidence was recorded for ChAdOx1-S homologous group. PastoCovac Plus booster application in primed individuals with BBIBP-CorV or ChAdOx1-S successfully increased specific antibodies' levels without any serious adverse events. This vaccine could be administrated in the heterologous regimen to effectively boost humoral immune responses.

Performance Study of Booster-Driven Hybrid Cooling Units for Free Cooling in Data Centers

In the data center, using ambient energy cooling technology can effectively reduce the average power use efficiency, and the heat pipe as an effective use of ambient energy device has attracted much attention. For the dynamic heat pipe, reducing the power consumption of the pump effectively is the key to improving the efficiency. In this paper, the rotary booster is selected as the gas phase booster device of the heat pipe unit, the standard unit of the rotary booster is improved, and three types of boosters are obtained, including two improved boosters and one standard unit. Comparative test studies are conducted on three different types of boosters, and the power of the booster shows a downward trend with the increase in indoor and outdoor temperature differences (outdoor temperature decreases). With the increase in indoor and outdoor temperature differences, the cooling capacity increases first and then decreases. When the indoor and outdoor temperature difference is greater than 20 °C, the suction pressure of the booster is greater than the saturated condensing pressure force under outdoor ambient temperature, and the work of the booster decreases. Among the three types of boosters, the medium pressure ratio booster energy efficiency ratio (EER) is the largest. After throttling the standard unit, results show that its cooling capacity unit increases, but the booster power also increases, and the EER is still smaller than that of the improved unit.

Adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron boosters for long interconnection and large fanouts

Adiabatic quantum flux parametron (AQFP) is energy-efficient superconducting logic that operates with zero static energy consumption and extremely small dynamic energy consumption thanks to the adiabatic switching of the logic gates. One drawback in AQFP logic circuits is the wire length and fan-out limitations because of the low driving ability of the logic gates, which results in a large circuit area and significant latency. In the present study, we propose AQFP boosters with high driving ability. Two types of AQFP boosters are proposed: one is composed of a parallel connection of AQFP buffers, and the other uses multistage buffers driven by one excitation clock. We evaluated the maximum wire length of the proposed boosters by circuit simulations, including thermal noises, and found that the maximum wire length is 3.9 mm for fan-out one and 1 mm for fan-out four. We implemented the boosters and demonstrated their correct operations at low-speed tests. We also demonstrated a 5-to-31 decoder using the proposed boosters. It was shown that the circuit area, latency, and energy consumption were improved by about 30% compared to the design without the boosters.

Relative effectiveness of monovalent and bivalent mRNA boosters in preventing severe COVID-19 due to omicron BA.5 infection up to 4 months post-administration in people aged 60 years or older in Italy: a retrospective matched cohort study

Limited evidence is available on the additional protection conferred by second mRNA vaccine boosters against severe COVID-19 caused by omicron BA.5 infection, and whether the adapted bivalent boosters provide additional protection compared with the monovalent ones. In this study, we aimed to estimate the relative effectiveness of a second booster with monovalent or bivalent mRNA vaccines against severe COVID-19 in Italy. Linking data from the Italian vaccination registry and the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance system, between Sept 12, 2022, and Jan 7, 2023, we matched 1:1 each person aged 60 years or older receiving a second booster with a person who had received the first booster only at least 120 days earlier. We used hazard ratios, estimated through Cox proportional hazard models, to compare the hazard of severe COVID-19 between the first booster group and each type of second booster (monovalent mRNA vaccine targeting the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, bivalent mRNA vaccine targeting the original strain plus omicron BA.1 [bivalent original/BA.1], and bivalent mRNA vaccine targeting the original strain plus omicron BA.4 and BA.5 [bivalent original/BA.4-5]). Relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) was calculated as (1-hazard ratio) × 100. We analysed a total of 2 129 559 matched pairs. The estimated rVE against severe COVID-19 with the bivalent original/BA.4-5 booster was 50·6% (95% CI 46·0-54·8) in the overall time interval 14-118 days post-administration. Overall, rVE was 49·3% (43·6-54·4) for the bivalent original/BA.1 booster and 26·9% (11·8-39·3) for the monovalent booster. For the bivalent original/BA.4-5 booster, we did not observe relevant differences in rVE between the 60-79-year age group (overall, 53·6%; 46·8-59·5) and those aged 80 years or older (overall, 48·3%; 41·9-54·0). These findings suggest that a second booster with mRNA vaccines provides additional protection against severe COVID-19 due to omicron BA.5 (the predominant circulating subvariant in Italy during the study period) in people aged 60 years or older. Although rVE decreased over time, a second booster with the original/BA.4-5 mRNA vaccine, currently the most used in Italy, was found to be still providing protection 4 months post-administration. NextGenerationEU-MUR-PNRR Extended Partnership initiative on Emerging Infectious Diseases (project number PE00000007, INF-ACT). For the Italian translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Influence of age and vaccination interval on canine parvovirus, distemper virus, and adenovirus serum antibody titers

Canine core vaccine titer screenings are becoming increasingly popular in veterinary practice as a tool to guide vaccination decisions, despite a lack of supportive, peer-reviewed evidence-based literature. Additionally, it has been suggested that the canine core vaccine duration of host protective immunity can persist past the currently recommended vaccination interval. Thus, this study evaluated serum antibody titers against three core antigens in dogs with known vaccination histories and lifestyles, analyzing the effect of life stage, exposure risk, and time since last vaccination (TSLV). Clinically healthy dogs (n = 188) presenting to the primary care services of three colleges of veterinary medicine were selected to represent a variety of ages, breeds, and vaccination history. Serum antibody titers for canine parvovirus (CPV), canine distemper virus (CDV), and canine adenovirus-2 (CAV2) were measured via virus neutralization and hemagglutination inhibition. CAV2 and CPV titers decreased, while CDV titers had a decreasing trend with increasing time since last vaccination or vaccination interval. When assessing circulating antibody levels historially associated with protective immunity across various vaccination intervals, 62% (95%CI 36–82%; 8/13) of dogs had positive titers for CDV 5 years post last vaccination, while 92% (95%CI 67–99%; 12/13) of dogs were positive for CAV2 and CPV. Both advanced age and life stage were associated with lower titers and thus, identify a canine population cohort likely at higher disease risk. The results of this study revealed that patient duration of core vaccine-mediated immunity changes with a number of variables, with animal aging and time since vaccination influencing host humoral immunity. This provides further support for the performance of canine core antibody titers to assess whether a vaccine booster and/or specific type of booster is warranted.

Axillary Lymphadenopathy After a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose: Time to Resolution on Ultrasound Follow-Up and Associated Factors.

BACKGROUND. Because administration of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines is ongoing, radiologists are continuing to encounter COVID-19 vaccine-related axillary lymphadenopathy on imaging. OBJECTIVE. The purposes of this study were to assess time to resolution of COVID-19 vaccine-related axillary lymphadenopathy identified on breast ultrasound after administration of a booster dose and to assess factors potentially associated with time to resolution. METHODS. This retrospective single-institution study included 54 patients (mean age, 57 years) with unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy ipsilateral to the site of injection of a booster dose of messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine visualized on ultrasound (whether an initial breast imaging examination or follow-up to prior screening or diagnostic breast imaging) performed between September 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, and who underwent follow-up ultrasound examinations until resolution of lymphadenopathy. Patient information was extracted from the EMR. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors of time to resolution. Time to resolution was compared with that in a previously described sample of 64 patients from the study institution that was used to evaluate time to resolution of axillary lymphadenopathy after the initial vaccination series. RESULTS. Six of the 54 patients had a history of breast cancer, and two had symptoms related to axillary lymphadenopathy (axillary pain in both patients). Among the 54 initial ultrasound examinations showing lymphadenopathy, 33 were screening examinations and 21 were diagnostic examinations. Lymphadenopathy had resolved a mean of 102 ± 56 (SD) days after administration of the booster dose and 84 ± 49 days after the initial ultrasound showing lymphadenopathy. Age, vaccine booster type (Moderna vs Pfizer-BioNTech), and history of breast cancer were not significantly associated with time to resolution in univariable or multivariable analyses (all p > .05). Time to resolution after administration of a booster dose was significantly shorter than time to resolution after administration of the first dose in the initial series (mean, 129 ± 37 days) (p = .01). CONCLUSION. Axillary lymphadenopathy after administration of a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose has a mean time to resolution of 102 days, shorter than the time to resolution after the initial vaccination series. CLINICAL IMPACT. The time to resolution after administration of a booster dose supports the current recommendation for a follow-up interval of at least 12 weeks when vaccine-related lymphadenopathy is suspected.

Akademik metinlerde kaçınma ve güçlendirme ifadeleri: İngiliz dili eğitimi ve fizyoterapi araştırma makaleleri üzerine karşılaştırmalı çalışma

The current corpus study intended to examine and compare the use of hedges and boosters in discussion sections of English Language Teaching and Physiotherapy research articles that were published between 2020 and 2022. This study also aimed to discover the frequency and types of hedges and boosters in two disciplines. 15 research articles from each disciple were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The chi-square test was also run to analyze the data to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in terms of the use of hedges and boosters between the two disciplines. According to the results of the descriptive statistics, the number of hedges outnumbered the boosters in both disciplines. Furthermore, findings revealed that the differences in the use of hedges between the two disciplines were significant and meaningful. On the other hand, there were no significant differences regarding the use of boosters. Some similarities and variations were found in terms of the categories of hedges and boosters used in the discussion sections of research articles in the two disciplines.

CREDIT SCORING MODELLING USING MACHINE LEARNING METHODS

Abstract. Credit scoring is considered a successful fi eld of application and a methodological subset of intelligent data analysis. The problem of credit scoring within the framework of thoughtful data analysis can be attributed to the class of classifi cation methods of machine learning. A classifi cation task is used to fi nd diff erent representatives of certain predefi ned classes. The main area of application for scoring modeling is risk management, but in general, scoring models are used for various tasks of binary classifi cation, diagnostics, forecasting of the probability of occurrence of a certain unexpected event, detection of hidden signs through the prism of observed characters with a certain probability, etc. The article discusses credit scoring models built using machine learning methods. The article builds 6 models, among which two with the best characteristics are highlighted: the «random forest» model and the TPOT model. Using the classifi cation report and the ROC curve, it was determined that both models achieve an F1-score -- 0.71 for the studied sample, which is quite acceptable for the credit scoring task. The built models can be used when assessing the creditworthiness of a bank’s clients. The credit scoring model eliminates subjective judgments of bank employees and analyzes data that a person may not notice, making it more eff ective for those clients who can be given credit. The use of machine learning methods also saves time in analyzing data provided by the client for credit approval. In future research, it is advisable to create ensembles of the analyzed algorithms or to consider Bayesian models, and certain types of neural networks or boosters. It is also necessary to carry out detailed feature engineering and model interpretation which is important for fi nal decision-making. Keywords: machine learning, credit scoring, «random forests», TPOT model, classifi cation report, ROC curve

A Comparative Corpus-based Analysis of Boosters in NESs and NNESs’ Academic Articles

The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequently used boosters in academic articles written by Native (NESs) and Non-native (NNESs) Speakers of English (Turkish researchers) in the field of English Language Teaching. Investigating whether differences exist in the use of these markers between NESs and NNESs’ academic articles was another aim of the study. Within this purpose, data was collected from one hundred academic articles (NESs= 50, NNESs= 50 articles) published between 2016 and 2021 in two different international journals indexed in ERIC by using the keyword ‘English Language Teacher Education’, and the data were analysed using AntConc concordance tool. Log-likelihood statistics were run to find out whether any significant difference exists between NESs and NNESs’ use of boosters in terms of frequency. The analysis revealed that statistically significant underuse of boosters by NESs writers in terms of their use of types of boosters was found.

Effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Against Infection, Hospitalization, and Death: A Target Trial Emulation in the Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant Era.

The effectiveness of a third mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose (booster dose) against the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant is uncertain, especially in older, high-risk populations. To determine mRNA booster vaccine effectiveness (VE) against SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, and death in the Omicron era by booster type, primary vaccine type, time since primary vaccination, age, and comorbidity burden. Retrospective matched cohort study designed to emulate a target trial of booster vaccination versus no booster, conducted from 1 December 2021 to 31 March 2022. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Persons who had received 2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses at least 5 months earlier. Booster monovalent mRNA vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech's BNT162b2 or Moderna's mRNA-1273) versus no booster. Booster VE. Each group included 490838 well-matched persons, who were predominantly male (88%), had a mean age of 63.0 years (SD, 14.0), and were followed for up to 121 days (mean, 79.8 days). Booster VE more than 10 days after a booster dose was 42.3% (95% CI, 40.6% to 43.9%) against SARS-CoV-2 infection, 53.3% (CI, 48.1% to 58.0%) against SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalization, and 79.1% (CI, 71.2% to 84.9%) against SARS-CoV-2-related death. Booster VE was similar for different booster types (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273), age groups, and primary vaccination regimens but was significantly higher with longer time since primary vaccination and higher comorbidity burden. Predominantly male population. Booster mRNA vaccination was highly effective in preventing death and moderately effective in preventing infection and hospitalization for up to 4 months after administration in the Omicron era. Increased uptake of booster vaccination, which is currently suboptimal, should be pursued to limit the morbidity and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in persons with high comorbidity burden. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

State Preparation Boosters for Early Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation

Quantum computing is believed to be particularly useful for the simulation of chemistry and materials, among the various applications. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in the development of near-term quantum algorithms for quantum simulation, including VQE and many of its variants. However, for such algorithms to be useful, they need to overcome several critical barriers including the inability to prepare high-quality approximations of the ground state. Current challenges to state preparation, including barren plateaus and the high-dimensionality of the optimization landscape, make state preparation through ansatz optimization unreliable. In this work, we introduce the method of ground state boosting, which uses a limited-depth quantum circuit to reliably increase the overlap with the ground state. This circuit, which we call a booster, can be used to augment an ansatz from VQE or be used as a stand-alone state preparation method. The booster converts circuit depth into ground state overlap in a controllable manner. We numerically demonstrate the capabilities of boosters by simulating the performance of a particular type of booster, namely the Gaussian booster, for preparing the ground state of N2 molecular system. Beyond ground state preparation as a direct objective, many quantum algorithms, such as quantum phase estimation, rely on high-quality state preparation as a subroutine. Therefore, we foresee ground state boosting and similar methods as becoming essential algorithmic components as the field transitions into using early fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Effects of restraint parameters using PIPER 6y in reclined seating during frontal impact

Objective This study explores possible challenges for child occupants in reclined seating positions, applying current protection systems. Using PIPER 6 y in frontal impacts, the aim was to investigate the effect of restraint parameters in reclined seating positions, in addition to an upright position, varying booster design, shoulder belt outlet, and pretensioner activation. Method Eighteen full frontal impacts were simulated using the PIPER 6 y human body model restrained on a booster in a front passenger seat. The type of booster, pretensioner activation and shoulder belt outlet were varied with the vehicle seat in ‘upright position’ (25°) and ‘reclined position’ (40°). Three booster principles were used: booster seat (BoosterA), booster cushion (BoosterB) and representing properties of a vehicle built-in booster cushion (BoosterC). The two shoulder belt outlets include ‘nominal D-ring’ and ‘rearward D-ring´. Results Overall, activation of the pretensioner reduced the overall body displacement as well as the head and neck response in both seating positions. Submarining occurred only in the case of BoosterB in ‘reclined position’ without pretensioner. Some differences were observed for the lap belt interaction with pelvis in the non-submarining simulations. Greater pelvis displacement was observed in ‘reclined position’ as compared to ‘upright position’. In both seating positions, greatest pelvis displacement was observed for BoosterB, due to relatively more forward initial lap belt position. While both provided favorable initial lap belt to pelvis contact, BoosterC offered more efficient lap belt restraint than BoosterA, since the lap belt remained lower on the pelvis and the vertical movement of the pelvis was more limited compared to BoosterA. When in ‘reclined position’, the ‘rearward D-ring’ position enabled earlier coupling of the torso due to initial shoulder belt to shoulder contact, resulting in lower head and neck responses as well as shorter head displacement compared to ‘nominal D-ring’ Conclusions Submarining can be addressed in reclined seating positions using current booster design in combination with a seatbelt pretensioner. Lap belt routing was influenced by booster design and reclined seating, affecting the overall kinematics and responses of the PIPER 6 y. This study highlights the importance of including the whole context of child occupant protection when investigating reclined seating, such as the interaction and compatibility of booster, vehicle seat and seatbelt.

Amomum longiligulare polysaccharide 1- PLGA nanoparticle promotes the immune activities of T lymphocytes and dendritic cells

Amomum longiligulare polysaccharide 1 (ALP1) was extracted from Amomum longiligulare T.L. Wu fruits and the poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticle enveloping ALP1 (ALPP) showed a good promoting effect on the activation of macrophages in our previous study. To further understand the immunomodulatory property of ALPP, the effect of ALPP on T lymphocytes and dendritic cells was investigated in the present study. The proliferation rates of chicken T lymphocytes and chicken bone marrow dendritic cells (chBM-DCs) that were treated with ALP1 or ALPP were determined by using MTT method. Meanwhile, the relative mRNA levels of cytokines from T lymphocytes and surface molecules of chBM-DCs were determined by using qRT-PCR method. In addition, the drug uptake capacity of chBM-DCs was also tested. As a result, the promoting effect on the proliferation of T lymphocytes and the Th1-type immune response of ALPP was better than that of ALP1. In addition, ALPP was much more effectively swallowed by chBM-DCs so that its promoting effect on the proliferation and maturation of chBM-DCs was higher than that of ALP1. To conclude, ALPP had a stronger immunomodulatory activity than ALP1, and showed the potential to become a new type of immune booster.

Text Mining and Determinants of Sentiments towards the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster of Twitter Users in Malaysia

Vaccination is the primary preventive measure against the COVID-19 infection, and an additional vaccine dosage is crucial to increase the immunity level of the community. However, public bias, as reflected on social media, may have a significant impact on the vaccination program. We aim to investigate the attitudes to the COVID-19 vaccination booster in Malaysia by using sentiment analysis. We retrieved 788 tweets containing COVID-19 vaccine booster keywords and identified the common topics discussed in tweets that related to the booster by using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and performed sentiment analysis to understand the determinants for the sentiments to receiving the vaccination booster in Malaysia. We identified three important LDA topics: (1) type of vaccination booster; (2) effects of vaccination booster; (3) vaccination program operation. The type of vaccination further transformed into attributes of “az”, “pfizer”, “sinovac”, and “mix” for determinants’ assessments. Effect and type of vaccine booster associated stronger than program operation topic for the sentiments, and “pfizer” and “mix” were the strongest determinants of the tweet’s sentiments after the Boruta feature selection and validated from the performance of regression analysis. This study provided a comprehensive workflow to retrieve and identify important healthcare topic from social media.

Assessment of the effect of adhesion boosters on shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets on bleached teeth

Background: The bleaching procedure results in damage to the outer enamel layer by forming porosities, which leads to demineralization and modification in the calcium–phosphate ratio. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of adhesion boosters on shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets on bleached teeth. Materials &amp; Methods: 60 maxillary premolars teeth were randomly divided equally into 2 groups. Group I were bleached teeth and group II had non-bleached teeth. Each group was further divided equally into 3 subgroups (n = 10) depending on the type of adhesive booster used (Enhance LC, All-bond 2, and no adhesive booster [control]). Maxillary premolars brackets were bonded. Debonding was done with a universal testing machine, and the SBS was recorded. Results: The mean shear bond strength (MPa) in Group IA was 10.5, in IB was 13.2, in IA was 10.5, in IC was 14.3, in IB was 13.2, in IC was 14.8, in IIA was 9.8, in IIB was 11.2, in IIA was 9.8, in IIC was 12.3, in IIB was 11.2 and in IIC was 12.8. The difference was significant (P&lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Adhesive boosters increased the shear bond strength of both bleached and non-bleached teeth significantly.

Dependency of the Blast Wave Pressure on the Amount of Used Booster

Most of the damage caused by an explosion is caused by a pressure effect. The magnitude of the pressure generated by the explosion is influenced by the external characteristics of the environment (surrounding objects, their arrangement, geometry, etc.) and internal characteristics (type of explosive, type of charge, booster and others). An effective combination of internal factors creates a symmetry that results in the highest possible value of pressure generated by the charge explosion. The paper focuses on the influence of the booster reaction on this symmetry. The scope of the paper is to understand the dependency of the blast wave pressure on the amount of used blaster to increase the efficacy of explosions on the environment and structures to increase the protection of affected structures. The open-air field tests were conducted using different types of explosives: trinitrotoluene and three different types of industrially made ANFO explosives (pure ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, ammonium nitrate and fuel oil plus aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate and fuel oil mixed with trinitrotoluene). The obtained data were compared with the analytical approach for setting the generated maximal pressure on the front of the blast wave.