DT Values Research Articles

Caries Experience and Erosive Tooth Wear in Finnish Men Conscripts 2021: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In Finland, the development of oral health in young, 19- to 21-year-old males regarding restorative treatment need seems to have slowed down according to cross-sectional conscript studies between 1976 and 2011. At the individual level, the mean number of decayed teeth (DT > 0) has also steadily continued to decline. In Finland, military service is mandatory, and around 85% of males complete it. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the oral health status of young men at the beginning of the 2020s. Methods: The data were collected in July 2021 in the eight biggest Finnish Defence force garrisons by ten calibrated dentists serving in the ranks. The inclusion criteria for this study were a year of birth between 2000 and 2002 and male gender (n = 508). Third molars were included. Restorative treatment need was evaluated using ICDAS scoring. The study was designed according to the STROBE guidelines. Results: Mean DT value was 1.13 when third molars were included and 1.03 when they were excluded. Mean DMFT value was 3.23 and 2.98, respectively. The proportion of conscripts with DT > 0 was 36.4% and 34.8%, respectively. The prevalence of caries was concentrated among a small number of conscripts. Most (76.5%) had BEWE (basic erosive wear examination) of 0–2. Conscripts in the moderate and severe ETW (erosive tooth wear) groups (BEWE 3–13) comprised 23.5% of the cohort. None of the conscripts fell into the most severe group (BEWE 14–18). Conclusions: The oral health of conscripts has improved over the last ten years, and restorative treatment need has decreased significantly. Compared to previous studies, restorative treatment need was concentrated on an even smaller proportion of conscripts.

Features in the Processes of Left Ventricular Remodeling Depending on the Degree of Renal Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Background: The aim of this research was to study the features of changes in the parameters of heart remodeling in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and chronic heart failure (CHF), depending on the degree of renal dysfunction (RD). Methods and Results: The study included 150 CHD patients with NYHA functional class (FC) I-IIII of CHF. All examined patients were subdivided according to the level of eGFR: Group A included 81 patients with CHF FCI-III and eGFRCKD-EPI>60 mL/min per 1.73m2; Group B included 69 patients with CHF FCI-III and eGFRCKD-EPI≤60 mL/min per 1.73m2. It was found an increase in left ventricular (LV) mass in Group B by 11.4%, compared to Group A (P=0.000). Analysis of LV systolic function showed that in Group B, values of LF ejection fraction and fractional shortening were significantly lower than in Group A (47.64±0.61% vs. 52.7±0.28%, and 25.40±0.46% vs. 28.23±0.25%, respectively, P=0.000). Thus, in Group B, we found CHFrEF, compared to Group A with CHFpEF. Analysis of diastolic function revealed that in Group B, the E/A ratio was statistically higher than in Group A (1.12±0.05 vs. 0.81±0.04, respectively, P=0.000). At the same time, in Group B, values of IVRT and DT were significantly lower than in Group A (85.01±0.8 ms vs. 91.25±0.99 ms, and 177.8±2.1 ms vs. 197.5±2.07 ms, respectively, P=0.000). Thus, the signs of the impaired relaxation (Grade 1 DD) and the pseudonormal filling pattern (Grade 2 DD) were found in Group A and Group B, respectively. Conclusion: RD in patients with CHF is an important factor in the significant deterioration of LV systolic and diastolic functions.

Thermophysical and conductometric study of lithium perchlorate in binary aqueous mixture of polyethylene glycol (PEG-400)

In the present study apparent molar volume, partial molar volume, viscosity and conductance parameters of lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) in 0.01m, 0.03m and 0.05m aqueous polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) have been determined by using density, viscosity and conductance data at five equidistant temperatures 298.15K, 303.15K, 308.15K, 313.15K and 318.15K. Data is analysed in terms of various molecular interactions by using Masson’s and Jones-Dole equations. The structure making/breaking behaviour of LiClO4 is interpreted from 2 the sign of [∂2 ϕv°/∂T2], dB/dT and temperature coefficient of Walden product i.e., d(Λm°η°)/dT values. In the present study LiClO4 has been found as structure-maker in 0.01 m, 0.03m and 0.05m aqueous polyethylene glycol (PEG-400).

Compatibility of Drought Magnitude Based Method with SPA for Assessing Reservoir Volume: Analysis Using Canadian River Flows

The traditional sequent peak algorithm (SPA) was used to assess the reservoir volume (VR) for comparison with deficit volume, DT, (subscript T representing the return period) obtained from the drought magnitude (DM) based method with draft level set at the mean annual flow on 15 rivers across Canada. At the annual scale, the SPA based estimates are larger, on an average of nearly 70%, compared to the DM based estimates. To ramp up the DM based estimates to be in parity with SPA based values, the analysis was conducted through the counting and the analytical procedures involving only the annual SHI (standardized hydrological index, i.e. standardized values of annual flows) sequences. It was found that MA2 or MA3 (moving average of 2 or 3 consecutive values) of SHI sequences was required to match the counted values of DT to VR. Further, the inclusion of mean, as well as the variance of the drought intensity in the analytical procedure, with the aforesaid smoothing led DT comparable to VR. The distinctive point in the DM based method is that no assumption is necessary such as the reservoir being full at the beginning of the analysis—as it is the case with the SPA.

Statistics of the earthquakes in the central Himalaya and its vicinity in last 56 years, with an emphasis in the 25 April 2015 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake

To understand the variation of stress levels in the region 80°E – 89°E and 26°N – 31°N, the statistical analysis of earthquake frequency-magnitude distribution and spatio-temporal variation of fractal correlation dimension of earthquake epicenter distribution are estimated. The analysis is carried out on declusterised catalogue containing 1185 events of 56 years from February 1964 to November 2020. The study area is divided into three regions the western Nepal and vicinity (Region A), central Nepal and vicinity (Region B) and eastern Nepal and vicinity (Region C), respectively. The magnitude of completeness (Mc) varies from 3.6 to 4.0 for the study period. The spatial fractal dimension (Dc) and b-value are calculated as 1.89 ± 0.02 and 0.68 ± 0.03 for the western Nepal, 1.76 ± 0.01 and 0.60 ± 0.05 for the central Nepal, whereas they are estimated as 1.85 ± 0.02 and 0.63 ± 0.03 for the eastern part of the Nepal. The b-values obtained for all three regions are very low comparing to global average value of 1. The time clustering of the events in the respective regions are 0.26 ± 0.003, 0.31 ± 0.004 and 0.26 ± 0.02 as indicated by temporal fractal dimension (Dt). The higher Dc, lower b and Dt values associated with the regions indicate high stress concentration and stronger epicenter clustering in these regions. The strongly increasing trend of fractal dimension and strongly decreasing trend of b-value show the high probabilities of occurring the large earthquake in both central Nepal (82.5°E – 85.5°E and 27.5°N – 30°N) and eastern Nepal (85.5°E – 88.2°E and 26.45°N – 28.6°N) as compared to western Nepal (80°E – 82.5°E and 28°N – 30.5°N). This statistical analysis of spatial and temporal characteristics of the earthquake activity may give significant signs of the future seismic hazard along central Himalaya region.

Rotation acceleration of asteroids (10115) 1992 SK, (1685) Toro, and (1620) Geographos due to the YORP effect

Context. The rotation state of small asteroids is affected by the Yarkovsky–O’Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effect, which is a net torque caused by solar radiation directly reflected and thermally reemitted from the surface. Due to this effect, the rotation period slowly changes, which can be most easily measured in light curves because the shift in the rotation phase accumulates over time quadratically. Aims. By new photometric observations of selected near-Earth asteroids, we want to enlarge the sample of asteroids with a detected YORP effect. Methods. We collected archived light curves and carried out new photometric observations for asteroids (10115) 1992 SK, (1620) Geographos, and (1685) Toro. We applied the method of light curve inversion to fit observations with a convex shape model. The YORP effect was modeled as a linear change of the rotation frequency υ ≡ dω∕dt and optimized together with other spin and shape parameters. Results. We detected the acceleration υ = (8.3 ± 0.6) × 10−8 rad d−2 of the rotation for asteroid (10115) 1992 SK. This observed value agrees well with the theoretical value of YORP-induced spin-up computed for our shape and spin model. For (1685) Toro, we obtained υ = (3.3 ± 0.3) × 10−9 rad d−2, which confirms an earlier tentative YORP detection. For (1620) Geographos, we confirmed the previously detected YORP acceleration and derived an updated value of υ with a smaller uncertainty. We also included the effect of solar precession into our inversion algorithm, and we show that there are hints of this effect in Geographos’ data. Conclusions. The detected change of the spin rate of (10115) 1992 SK has increased the total number of asteroids with YORP detection to ten. In all ten cases, the dω∕dt value is positive, so the rotation of these asteroids is accelerated. It is unlikely to be just a statistical fluke, but it is probably a real feature that needs to be explained.

Geobacillus stearothermophilus STCC4517 spore suspensions showed survival curves with shoulder phenomena independent of sporulation temperature and pH, whose duration was an exponential function of treatment temperature.

Deviations in linearity in survival curves are common in inactivation kinetics during heat treatment. These might lead one to underestimate how effective thermal treatment is. In previous research we reported a relationship between decimal reduction time values (DT) and shoulder lengths (Sl) of survival curves which was characteristic of each microorganism. However, the impact of other factors such as sporulation temperature and pH of the treatment media on shoulder length is still not known. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of sporulation temperature (45, 55 and 65 °C) and pH (4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0) treatment has on the profile of survival curves and on the relationship between Sl/DT of G. stearothermophilus STCC 4517. The results obtained demonstrated that all the spore suspensions, independently of sporulation temperature and pH, showed survival curves with shoulder phenomena, whose duration was an exponential function of treatment temperature. Although both parameters had a significant effect on heat resistance, the relationship between the shoulder length and DT values was constant at all pHs for spores produced at the optimum sporulation temperature.

An introduction of a reward-based time-series forecasting model and its application in predicting the dynamic and complicated behavior of the Earth rotation (Delta-T values)

This study aimed to propose a reward-based time-series forecasting model (RBTM) as a novel method to model and forecast time series with no learning algorithm. This method extracts features of time series as distinctive rules and calculates their proper relevant rewards. These rules and rewards are kept in the knowledge base part. The next value is estimated by using rules, rewards, and the prior value of a time series. To evaluate RBTM, it was run to forecast four different time series, and the results were compared with those of MLP, TDNN, NARX, ANFIS, and LSTM models. The findings showed that errors in RBTM decreased by 0.6% to 84.4% compared to the other methods. Then, RBTM was used to forecast the dynamic and complicated behavior of the Earth rotation (DT values), as a real-world application. In this case, the data from 1800–2000​ and 2000–2018 were selected to model and test the parts, respectively. The mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of the test part were 1.04 and 1.40, respectively. To evaluate the accuracy of the forecasts, the RBTM results were compared with the prediction results of the previous models. The findings indicated that the MAE and RMSE of RBTM decreased by 48% and 39%, respectively, as compared to those of the other methods. Finally, the results of forecasting DT values using RBTM from 2019–2030 were reported.

S3346 TNF-alpha Inhibitor Adherence Review: Healthcare Practitioner Administration Compared to Self-Administration

Introduction: Adherence is the extent to which a person’s behavior coincides with health related advice. Poor medication adherence leads to poorer clinical outcomes. TNF-alpha inhibitors (TNF inhibitors) have a significant relationship between clinical outcome and rate of medication adherence. TNF inhibitors are either self-administered (SA) or administered by a healthcare practitioner (HC P-administered), such as a Registered Nurse (RN). To better understand medication adherence in SA and HCP-administered TNF inhibitor populations, an analysis was conducted to measure medication adherence to the HCP-administered product, infliximab, through an alternate site infusion pharmacy. These results were then compared to SA medication adherence rates according to previously published analyses. The comparative results show that administration of infliximab by an RN results in higher medication adherence rates than those reported for SA TNF inhibitor patients. Methods: The analysis was conducted using data extracted from a CPR+ dispensing system, targeting infliximab dispenses with a start of service date (SVC START DT) between 1/1/20 and 8/31/20. Unique patients with at least two SVC START DT values were included. The eligibility of each patient was considered to end as of their final SVC START DT. Adherence was calculated using the industry-standard metric “Proportion of Days Covered” (PDC) methodology. Medication coverage of each treatment was calculated as: Medication Coverage = SVC START DT + Days Supply -1 Adherence was reported as a percentage of analyzed patients with a PDC value of 80% and as the average PDC value of the analyzed population. Results: A 92% average PDC was observed in the overall infliximab RN administered population, with 89% of patients at or above the 80% PDC threshold required to be considered “adherent”. No statistically significant difference in average PDC across age band, sex, or disease state was observed. Conclusion: In this study, patients receiving infliximab administered by an RN (HCP-administered) have a very high adherence rate, as measured by PDC. As it has been reported that patients utilizing SA TNF inhibitors have an average adherence rate of only 37%, these data represent a substantial improvement over SA treatment as it relates to adherence. Additional patient factors not related to the method of administration that could affect adherence including treatment outcomes were not evaluated.Table 1.: Overall Patient Adherence.

Multiparametric MRI Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. A Mono-Institutional Study.

The aim of this paper is to define the pre-treatment radiological characteristics of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) using morphological and non-morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), based on HPV status, in a single-institution cohort. In total, 100 patients affected by OPSCC were prospectively enrolled in the present study. All patients underwent 1.5T MR with standard sequences, including diffusion-weighted imaging with and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM-DWI) technique and a dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. For all patients, human papillomavirus (HPV) status was available. No statistically significant differences in the volume of primary tumors (PTs) and lymph nodes (LNs) were observed based on HPV status. When comparing the two patient groups, no significant differences were found for the PT radiologic characteristics (presence of well-defined borders, exophytic growth, ulceration, and necrosis) and LN morphology (solid/cystic/necrotic). Tumor subsite, smoking status, and alcohol intake significantly differed based on HPV status, as well as ADC and Dt values of both PTs and LNs. We detected no significant difference in DCE-MRI parameters by HPV status. Based on a multivariate logistic regression model, the combination of clinical factors, such as tumor subsite and alcohol habits, with the perfusion-free diffusion coefficient Dt of LNs, may help to accurately discriminate OPSCC by HPV status.

The influence of the elemental and structural chemical composition on the ash fusibility of sugarcane bagasse and sugarcane straw

Agricultural residues have been pointed out as an important source to energy conversion by direct burning. Nevertheless, their use still faces operational problems, such as slagging and fouling, mainly related to the inorganic fraction of their composition. The objectives of this work were to understand the fusion behavior of sugarcane biomass ash formed during thermal conversion and the tendency of slag and fouling to occur, in addition to propose possible solutions to minimize these problems using a mixture of biomass species and/or additive minerals. To that end, experimental measurements and thermodynamic simulations were employed to relate the chemical composition to the fusibility. The ashes chemical composition was characterized by EDS and XRD, while the ash fusion temperatures AFT́s (DT, ST, HT and FT) were measured by AF700 equipment and estimated using FactSage modeling. Statistical analysis helped to derive the relationship between chemical composition and AFT́s. The ashes were rich in SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 and revealed that for bagasse the element that most contributes to increase DT is Si, whereas for straw the presence of Al has a stronger effect to increase DT. Fe was found to act as flux element. XRD results showed the phases differences, finding more amorphous components in straw ash than in bagasse, which may lead to a different ash fusion behavior. Straw 2015 ash presented a DT of 733 °C while for bagasse 2015 and 2016 ashes the values of DT were 777 and 917 °C, respectively. In contrast, the DT of straw ash increased when mixed with bagasse 2015 and 2016 to values of 841 and 885 °C, respectively, and also when 1% of Al2O3 was added, obtaining a DT of 930 °C. For bagasse samples, the additives showed a minor effect on ash melting behavior.

Replication of GWAS significant loci in a sub-Saharan African Cohort with early childhood caries: a pilot study

BackgroundEarly childhood caries (ECC) is a rapidly progressing form of dental infection and a significant public health problem, especially among socially and economically disadvantaged populations. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for ECC among a cohort of Sub-Saharan African children and to determine the role of genetics in the etiology of ECC.MethodsA sample of 691 children (338 with ECC, 353 without ECC, age < 6 years) was recruited from schools in Lagos, Nigeria. Socio-demographic, dental services utilization and infant dietary data were obtained with interviewer-administered questionnaire. Oral examination was conducted using the WHO oral health diagnostic criteria. Saliva samples were collected from the children for genetic analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected from previous study for genotyping. Genetic association analyses to investigate the role of genetics in the etiology of ECC was done. Bivariate comparisons and Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess associations between ECC and predictor variables, p < 0.05.ResultsOf the 338 children with ECC, 64 (18.9%) had Severe-Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC). Children aged 48–59 months comprised the highest proportion of subjects with ECC (165; 48.8%) and S-ECC (24; 37.5%) while female subjects had higher dt (3.13 ± 2.56) and dmft values 3.27 ± 2.64. ECC was significantly more prevalent among children who were breastfed at night ≥ 12 months (OR 3.30; CI 0.39, 4.75), those with no previous dental visit (OR 1.71; CI 0.24, 2.77), those who used sweetened pacifiers (OR 1.85; CI 0.91, 3.79) and those who daily consumed sugar-sweetened drinks/snacks (OR 1.35; CI 0.09, 18.51). A suggestive increased risk for ECC (OR 1.26, p = 0. 0.0397) was observed for the genetic variant rs11239282 on chromosome 10. We also observed a suggestive reduced risk for ECC (OR 0.80, p = 0.03) for the rs131777 on chromosome 22. None of the genetic variants were significant after correction for multiple testing (Bonferroni p value p = 0.004).ConclusionsProlonged night-time breastfeeding, poor utilization of dental services and daily consumption of sugar were risk factors for ECC. Larger sample size is needed to confirm the results of the genetic analysis and to conduct genome wide studies in order to discover new risk loci for ECC.

Cultivos lácticos como potenciadores de compuestos bioactivos de avena

The objective of this work was to study lactic fermentation as a biostrategy to enhance the antioxidant activity of oats. The adaptability of 31 strains of lactic bacteria (LB) in an oats/water system (OWS/SAA) was evaluated, measuring growth, acidification and fermentation activity (impedimetric method; detection time [DT], maximum rate of conductance change [MRCC/VMCC] and percentage of conductance change [PCC]). Moreover, the content of phenolic compounds (PC) was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method (gallic acid equivalents [GAE]), free peptides and amino acids and free radical scavenging activity (DPPH• and ABTS•+ methods) of methanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from fermented OWS/SAAs (fOWS/SAAf) were determined. Six strains have shown the best adaptability to SAA, with high values of VMCC (0.34-0.47 μS/min) and PCC (53.6-66.6%), and low values of DT (≤ 3 h). In these f/OWS/SAAf the chemical composition was also modified (PC concentration, peptides and free amino acids) with strain-dependent behavior. The PC content in f/OWS/SAAf using these six strains (29.1-36.9 μg GAE/ml) was higher than the control content in OWS/SAA control (17.1 ± 1.9 μg GAE/ml). An increase (9-25.5%) in antioxidant activity in f/OWS/SAAf methanolic extracts was detected using both methods. Minor modifications were observed in the peptide and free amino acid content of SAA and their antioxidant activity. Our results show LB ability to adapt to oat as fermentation substrate and increase the content of its antioxidant compounds.

Thermal Finite Element Simulation of Dry Block Calibrator Based on Multi-fixed-Point Cells

On-site thermometer calibration by the temperature scale transfer technique based on fixed points can effectively improve the calibration level of thermometers in large-diameter hot water pipes. Calibrations of contact thermometers in large-diameter hot water pipes are often carried out using dry block calibrators. Axial temperature gradients and the drift of reference thermometers are the main sources of error for the use of the traditional dry block calibrators. To overcome these disadvantages, a new dry block calibrator with small multi-fixed-point cells was designed in this work to improve the homogeneity of the inner temperature field and calibrate the reference thermometers in situ. The calibrator was based on small multi-fixed points including the melting point of Hg (234.28 K), the melting point of Ga (302.91 K), the melting point of H2O (273.15 K) and was developed for use in the temperature range from − 50 °C up to 100 °C. The calibrator was designed using thermal Finite Element simulations carried out with COMSOL Multiphysics and has an ectopic multi-fixed-point structure. The melting process of the multi-fixed points was simulated using the effective heat capacity method, and the fraction of the liquid phase for the fixed-point material was obtained at different phase-transition radius values and temperature plateaus of multiple fixed-points cells were obtained at different dT values. The simulation explored the influence of different heating temperatures on the temperature plateaus of multiple fixed-points cells, and the functional relationship between the heating temperature and the temperature plateaus of multiple fixed-points cells was obtained, calculating the error between temperature plateaus and thermometer at different heating power, providing a technical basis for the subsequent prototype experiments and the validation of the prototype design through experimental measurements in future work.

Euseius concordis (chant) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as a potential agent for the control of yerba mate red mite Oligonychus yothersi (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Oligonychus yothersi (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae), known as yerba mate red mite, is typically found on the abaxial face of leaves, feeding on mesophyll cell contents in yerba mate crops. Euseius concordis (Chant) is a generalist mite, feeding on other mites, pollen, and nectar, and can be a promising control agent of O. yothersi. This study aimed to evaluate development time, reproduction, survival, and sex ratio of this predatory mite when feeding on O. yothersi on yerba mate leaves. A life-cycle study was performed in a climate chamber at 22 ± 1 °C and 12 hours of photophase, 19 ± 1 °C during scotophase, and 70 ± 10% relative humidity. The study started with 36 experimental units, which were examined three times a day during immature development and once during the adult stage to evaluate reproductive parameters. Mean developmental times of egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and egg-adult stages were the following: for females, 2.14 ± 0.15, 1.59 ± 0.12, 1.97 ± 0.11, 2.18 ± 0.13, and 7.88 ± 0.21, respectively; for males, 2.00 ± 0.67, 1.77 ± 0.52, 1.94 ± 0.52, 2.05 ± 0.69, and 7.75 ± 1.08. Mean pre-oviposition, oviposition, and post-oviposition periods were 3.31 ± 0.33, 10.4 ± 0.74, and 1.50 ± 0.28, respectively. Sex ratio was 0.67 and mean life expectancy was 15.22 days for females and 12.51 ± 1.91 days for males. Mean daily oviposition was 1.67 ± 0.08 eggs per female, with a mean value of 20.14 ± 1.42 eggs per female. T, Ro, rm, λ, and DT values were: 16.33, 10.03, 0.14, 1.15, and 4.91, respectively. This study demonstrated that E. concordis is a predator with potential to be used in biological control programs, successfully developing and reproducing when feeding on O. yothersi under laboratory conditions.

Effect of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and lopinavir/ritonavir on the QT corrected interval in patients with COVID-19

BackgroundAdministration of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prolongs QTc corrected interval (QTc). The effect and safety of Lopinavir/Ritonavir in combination with these therapies have seldom been studied. ObjectivesOur aim was to evaluate changes in QTc in patients receiving double (Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin) and triple therapy (Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin + Lopinavir/Ritonavir) to treat COVID-19. Secondary outcome was the incidence of in-hospital all-cause mortality. MethodsPatients under treatment with double (DT) and triple therapy (TT) for COVID-19 were consecutively included in this prospective observational study. Serial in-hospital electrocardiograms were performed to measure QTc at baseline and during therapy. Results168 patients (±66.2 years old) were included: 32.1% received DT and 67.9% received TT. The mean baseline QTc was 410.33 ms. Patients under DT and TT prolonged QTc interval respect baseline values (p < 0.001), without significant differences between both therapy groups (p = 0.748). Overall, 33 patients (19.6%) had a peak QTc and/or an increase QTc 60 ms from baseline, with a higher prevalence among those with hypokalemia (p = 0.003). All-cause mortality was similar between both strategy groups (p = 0.093) and high risk QTc prolongation was no related to clinical events in this series. ConclusionsDT and TT prolong the QTc in patients with COVID-19. Addition of Lopinavir/Ritonavir on top of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin did not increase QTc compared to DT.

Noninvasive DW-MRI metrics for staging hepatic fibrosis and grading inflammatory activity in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

To assess the value of various diffusion parameters obtained from monoexponential, biexponential, and stretched-exponential diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) models for staging hepatic fibrosis (HF) and grading inflammatory activity in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). 82 patients with CHB and 30 healthy volunteers underwent DWI with 13 b-values on a 3T MRI unit. The standard apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCst) was calculated using a monoexponential model. The true diffusion coefficient (Dt), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (Dp), and perfusion fraction (f) were calculated using a biexponential model. The distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) and water-molecule diffusion heterogeneity index (α) were calculated using a stretched-exponential model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed for diffusion parameters to compare the diagnosis performance. The distributions of hepatic fibrosis stages and the inflammatory activity grades (METAVIR scoring system) were as follows: F0, n = 1; F1, n = 16; F2, n = 31; F3, n = 19; and F4, n = 15. A0, n = 1; A1, n = 14; A2, n = 46; and A3, n = 21. ADCst, Dt and DDC values showed negative correlation with the fibrosis stage (r = - 0.418, - 0.717 and - 0.630, all P < 0.001) and the inflammatory activity grade (r = - 0.514, - 0.626 and - 0.550, all P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of Dt (AUC = 0.854, 0.881) and DDC (AUC = 0.794, 0.834) were significantly higher than that of ADCst (AUC = 0.637, 0.717) in discriminating significant fibrosis (≥ F2) and advanced fibrosis (≥ F3) (all P < 0.05). Although Dt (AUC = 0.867, 0.836) and DDC (AUC = 0.810, 0.808) showed higher AUCs than ADCst (AUC = 0.767, 0.803), there was no significant difference in their ability in detecting inflammatory activity grade ≥ A2/A3 (P > 0.05). Dt and DDC are promising indicators and outperform ADCst for staging HF. While both Dt and DDC have similar diagnostic performance compared with ADCst for grading inflammatory activity.

Impact of shoulders on the calculus of heat sterilization treatments with different bacterial spores

To date, heat is still the most used technology in food preservation. The calculus of heat treatments is usually based on Bigelow observations i.e. treatment time is an exponential function of the heat treatment temperature. However, a number of researchers have reported deviations from linearity in heat inactivation curves that caused errors in the calculus. This research was designed to evaluate the variability of shoulder length among different sporulated species, the impact of treatment temperature on these shoulders and the relationship between the traditional DT value and shoulder length. The heat inactivation kinetics of five bacterial spores of importance for the food industry was evaluated. B. weihenstephanensis and B. cereus did not show shoulders and DT values calculated ranged from 0.99 to 0.23 and from 1.33 to 0.56 respectively at temperatures from 100 to 102.5 °C. On the other side B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and G. stearothermophilus showed shoulders of 1.75–0.42, 1.92–0.43 and 3.22–0.78 and DT values of 1.52–0.32, 2.12–0.59 and 2.22–0.48 respectively in the range of temperatures tested. From the results obtained it was concluded that the presence and magnitude of shoulders depended on the bacterial spore species, the longest being those on the bacterial spores which showed greatest heat resistance. It has also been proved that shoulder lengths vary with treatment temperature in the same proportion of traditional DT values, with the relationship Sl/DT being constant. Thus, an equation which included the constant Sl/DT was proposed.

Effects of State of Charge on the Physical Characteristics of V(IV)/V(V) Electrolytes and Membrane for the All Vanadium Flow Battery

The VO2+/VO2+ redox couple commonly employed on the positive terminal of the all-vanadium redox flow battery was investigated at various states of charge (SOC) and H2SO4 supporting electrolyte concentrations. Electron paramagnetic resonance was used to investigate the VO2+ concentration and translational and rotational diffusion coefficient (DT, DR) in both bulk solution and Nafion membranes. Values of DT and DR were relatively unaffected by SOC and on the order of 10−10 m2s−1. Cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that no significant changes to the redox mechanism were observed as the state of charge increased; however, the mechanism does appear to be affected by H2SO4 concentration. Electron transfer rate (k0) increased by an order of magnitude (10−6 ms−1 to 10−8 ms−1) for each H2SO4 concentrations investigated (1, 3 and 5 M). Analysis of cyclic voltammetry switching currents suggests that the technique might be suitable for fast determination of state of charge if the system is well calibrated. Membrane uptake and permeability measurements show that vanadium absorption and crossover is more dependent on both acid and vanadium concentration than state of charge. Vanadium diffusion in the membrane is about an order of magnitude slower (~10−11 m2s−1) than in solution (~10−10 m2s−1).

Growth Analysis of Neuroscience Research in Asian Countries, 1989-2018: A Scientometric Study

The paper analyses the growth analysis of neuroscience research literature published by Asian countries and this study is confined to neuroscience literature in Asian Countries as reflected in the PubMed database from the years 1989 to 2018 (30 yrs.). PubMed database is used for data collection. It has observed that during the block period 1989 to 1998 and 2009 to 2018 the mean of relative growth rate was high and 1999 to 2008 during this block period relative growth rate was decreased. It is for the reason that the research on neuroscience was predominant all over the Asian Countries. Simultaneously, the value of Dt is increased from 2.77 in the block period of 1989 – 1998 to 5.48 in the block period of 1999 -2008. It shows that research study in the field of Neuroscience in Asian Countries has been increased over a period and slightly decreased in the block period 2014-2018 was 4.43. Overall observation in the application of Growth Models for the Neuroscience publications, it can be inferred that the exponential growth models fit well.