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To determine the fixation disparity and refractive error of first-year optometry students to ascertain any relationship between them and also identify any association between fixation disparity and visual symptoms at near. It was an analytical cross-sectional study involving 85 participants aged 17 to 27 years (18.60 ± 1.37), 41% of whom were males. Subjective refraction was done at 3 m and fixation disparity was measured with and without spectacle correction using the Wesson Fixation Disparity Card. All analysis was set within a 95% confidence interval with a p -value ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant. Refractive error ranged from 0.25 SEQ (spherical equivalent) to 5.50 SEQ. Mean fixation disparity ranged from 2.9 ± 2.6 to 3.9 ± 2.8 min arc. There was no statistically significant correlation between refractive error and fixation disparity without correction (r = −0.180, p = 0.098) and with correction (r = 0.155, p = 0.157). For fixation disparity in the ortho and exo direction, mean fixation disparity with correction of participants who experienced headaches during or after reading (5.1 ± 2.6 min arc) was significantly higher (p = 0.032) than participants who did not (2.0 ± 2.6 min arc). Myopia is common among first-year optometry students. Refractive error has no significant effect on fixation disparity. Headache is significantly associated with exo fixation disparity at near. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising need to protect and preserve the environment coupled with pressure from stakeholders, businesses are looking for ways to minimise the harmful effects of their operations on the environment by enhancing their circular economy capabilities and implementing sustainable manufacturing practices. Most prior research has investigated how circular economy and sustainable manufacturing enhance environmental performance, but scant research has explored the configurational effects of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices on environmental performance. This study employs a multi-method approach on a sample of 285 manufacturing firms, to examine the effects of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices on environmental performance from the theoretical lenses of resource orchestration theory. First, the study uses PLS-SEM to determine the symmetric effects of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices on environmental performance. Second, the study adopts fsQCA to unravel the best permutation of circular economy capabilities, sustainable manufacturing practices, or (3) a combination of both circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices to enhance or diminish environmental performance. We found that Sensing capabilities, Seizing capabilities, and Reconfiguring capabilities, as well as Sustainable product design, Sustainable manufacturing process, Sustainable Supply chain management, and Sustainable end-of-life management, have substantial effects on environmental performance. The finding further highlights that the configurations of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices rather than individual capabilities or practices strongly affect environmental performance. The findings support the value of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices for the manufacturing sector. • Examined the effects of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices on environmental performance. • Sensing and seizing capabilities but not reconfiguring capabilities predictors of environmental performance (EP). • Sustainable product design, supply chain management and end-of-life management predict environmental performance. • Recipes of circular economy capabilities and sustainable manufacturing practices drive high and low EP. • Two combinations of circular economy capabilities and one configuration of sustainable manufacturing practices enhance EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the relationship between peripheral refraction at the horizontal retina, axial length and parental history of myopia between myopic adults who have positive parental myopia and those with negative parental myopia. 69 males and 44 females in the age range of 18–25 years were assigned either a negative parental myopia (NPM) or positive parental myopia (PPM) group. In the corrected and uncorrected states, peripheral refractive error was measured up to 30° horizontally in 10° steps using an open field autorefractor. Axial length was measured using an Opto US1000 Fine A-Scan Ultrasonography (model US1000). Relative peripheral refractive error showed more hyperopic defocus that was statistically significantly more increased in the positive parental myopia group than in the negative parental myopia group (P ≥ 0.02). The overall mean ± SD axial length of all subjects was 23.38 ± 0.32 mm (range 23.01–25.01 mm). The study showed a statistically significant difference (P = 0.005) in axial lengths of young adult myopes (23.45 ± 0.36 mm) with parental myopia compared to those with similar spherical equivalent refraction who have non-myopic parents (23.28 ± 0.19 mm). There was significantly more hyperopic defocus at 30° N and 30° T retina in the corrected states of young adult myopes who had myopic parents compared to their counterparts with non-myopic parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Median filter is one of the predominant filters that are used to suppress impulse noise. Its simplicity and ability to maintain edges has led to an extensive application in the domain of image processing and computer vision. However, challenges such as moderate to high running time of the standard median filter algorithm and relatively poorer performance when the image is highly corrupted with impulse noise, have led to the design of several variations of the algorithm. One set of variation of the algorithm concentrates on generating quality outputs, while the other set focuses on reducing running time. Among the set targeting the reduction of the running time of the median filter is the DP approximated median filter. However, DP performs poorly when images are corrupted with moderate to high levels of noise. This paper therefore proposes an Improved Approximation Median Filtering Algorithms (IAMFA-I & IAMFA-II) based on DP to generate a better output. The introduction of Mid-Value-Decision-Median in DP reduces the chances of selecting corrupted pixel for denoised image. Experimental results indicate that the IAMFA-II has better running time and equivalent output compared with DP, while IAMFA-I generates better output and has equivalent running time when compared with DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), barriers related to transportation may impair access to care, with potential implications for prognosis. Although few studies have explored transportation barriers among patients with ASCVD, the correlates of delayed care due to transportation barriers have not been examined in this population. We aimed to examine this in U.S. patients with ASCVD using nationally representative data.Methods: Using data from the 2009-2018 National Health Interview Survey, we estimated the self-reported prevalence of delayed medical care due to transportation barriers among adults with ASCVD, overall and by sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between various sociodemographic characteristics and delayed care due to transportation barriers.Results: Among adults with ASCVD, 4.5% (95% CI; 4.2, 4.8) or ∼876,000 annually reported delayed care due to transportation barriers. Income (low-income: odds ratio [OR] 4.43, 95% CI [3.04, 6.46]; lowest-income: OR 6.35, 95% CI [4.36, 9.23]) and Medicaid insurance (OR 4.53; 95% CI [3.27, 6.29]) were strongly associated with delayed care due to transportation barriers. Additionally, younger individuals, women, non-Hispanic Black adults, and those from the U.S. South or Midwest, had higher odds of reporting delayed care due to transportation barriers.Conclusions: Approximately 5% of adults with ASCVD experience delayed care due to transportation barriers. Vulnerable groups include young adults, women, low-income people, and those with public/no insurance. Future studies should analyze the feasibility and potential benefits of interventions such as use of telehealth, mobile clinics, and provision of transportation among patients with ASCVD in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro and small businesses (MSBs) in developing countries increasingly use motor tricycles to navigate transportation-induced supply chain disruptions. However, there is a lack of empirical understanding of whether and when these resources benefit such firms. This study draws on the contingent resource-based theory to examine how motor tricycle deployment relates to the performance of MSBs under varying conditions of supply chain dynamism in a developing country. The study tests its hypotheses on primary data from 267 micro and small manufacturers in Ghana using moderated regression analysis. The results indicate that motor tricycle deployment positively relates to MSB performance in Ghana (β = 0.024, SE = 0.007, p = 0.001). The results further show that supply chain dynamism positively moderates the relationship between motor tricycle deployment and MSB performance (β = 0.008, SE = 0.004, p = 0.035). In contributing to the limited literature on the firm-level performance implications of the increasing use of motor tricycles among micro and small businesses in developing countries, this study's results underscore the importance of adopting a contingency-based approach to understand the complexities inherent in the relationship between motor tricycle deployment and firm performance in these settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The World Health Organization recommends the implementation of interventions focused on the early detection of clinical risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) as effective strategies for the control of CVD in low resource settings. However, due to health system resource constraints, surveillance capacity for the identification of high-risk populations for non-communicable diseases, including CVD have been inadequate. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of CVD clinical risk factors among healthy adults residing in the Cape Coast metropolis of Ghana. The clinical risk factors assessed included glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, lipid control and blood pressure. Methods The study participants included 70 healthy adults without a previous diagnosis of CVD from Cape Coast metropolis. Blood samples, blood pressure and anthropometric measurement were obtained for each participant. Serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels were measured. Results Approximately four out of ten participants were either overweight or obese. Almost three-quarters of the sample were considered prehypertensive or hypertensive. About three in ten were clinically prediabetic. About a third of the participants had high non-HDL cholesterol levels. Triglyceride concentration levels were found to be high in almost 10 percent of the study sample. Approximately six percent were identified as having metabolic syndrome. Conclusion A significant proportion of the study participants were identified to be at risk for CVD. There is the need for adaptive and less resource-intensive CVD risk-factor screening interventions to allow for the timely detection and management of CVD risk factors in low-resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thinning intensity in uneven-aged interior Douglas-fir dominated stands influenced the spatial pattern of live trees. • Thinning influenced the spatial correlation of live tree diameters. • No spatial relationship existed between surviving and dead trees in unthinned plots. • The unthinned plots exhibited mainly small tree mortality. Understanding the spatial patterns of trees and their interactions can reveal the ecological processes driving forest stand structure and stand development over time. We assessed temporal changes in tree spatial patterns in uneven-aged interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) dominated stands in central British Columbia, Canada. Data were available on 24 plots in three blocks over 21 years, 18 of which had received pre-commercial thinning (PCT) treatments of varying intensity. We first applied the Clark and Evans aggregation index and the L function, a transformation of Ripley's K function, to describe the spatial pattern of live trees in thinned and unthinned plots over time. Second, we analysed the spatial correlations between live tree diameters using the mark correlation function and the mark variogram. Third, the spatial pattern of dead trees in the unthinned plots after 21 years was analysed. Lastly, we tested the spatial relationship between dead and surviving trees in the unthinned plots. In all three blocks, the spatial patterns of live trees in the unthinned plots were clustered through time. The moderate thinning treatments had random or regular spatial patterns that remained unchanged through time, because of reduced mortality rates and low levels of ingrowth. The heavier thinning initially retained a clustered pattern at small inter-tree distances; however, this changed to a random pattern with increasing distance 15 years post-thinning and remained as such until the end of the study period. Tree diameters were not spatially autocorrelated in the thinned plots, although there was positive spatial correlation of tree diameters in the unthinned plots, probably due to competitive growth inhibition among neighbouring trees. Dead trees were primarily smaller in size and were significantly clustered at all spatial scales. The lack of spatial relationship between dead and surviving trees indicated that mortality was a random process. Our study contributes to a better understanding of how spatial patterns of trees change over time in these stands, which could help in the design of silvicultural regimes that mimic natural processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Unthinned plots had a higher size inequality (measured by the Gini coefficient ratio - GCr) than thinned plots. • Size inequality decreased with time in unthinned plots, but increased in heavily thinned plots. • Growth dominance (GD) decreased with increasing thinning intensity. • GD changed from negative to positive with time for thinned plots on 2 of 3 sites. This study sought to gain insight into the impact of thinning treatments on stand structure dynamics in uneven-aged interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) dominated stands in central British Columbia (BC), Canada. We applied the Gini coefficient (GC) and the growth dominance coefficient (GDc) to determine how size inequality and growth dominance changed through time in both pre-commercially thinned (PCT) and unthinned stands across a moisture gradient. We used data from 24 plots in three blocks of a long-term study on the response to PCT, comprising five measurements over a 21-year period. The stand structures of each of the thinned plots were not identical before thinning. Therefore, the GC of the post-thinning measurements was expressed as a ratio relative to the pre-thinning treatment GC, referred to as the Gini coefficient ratio (GCr), to compare changes in size inequality through time across the PCT treatments. Three PCT treatments were applied, which differed in intensity and spatial pattern. All PCT treatments were applied in such a way that size inequality was reduced immediately after thinning. Size inequality did not decrease with increasing thinning intensity. There was a non-constant decrease in GCr in the unthinned plots, but an increase in the more heavily thinned plots over time. GDc decreased with increasing thinning intensity, where smaller trees were relatively more productive as the thinning intensity increased. Over time, thinned plots on the site with limited soil moisture and the moistest site shifted from negative to zero to positive growth dominance, while the GDc in the thinned plots with moderate soil moisture remained negative. These results suggest that site characteristics impact the response to PCT in these stands, and consequently should be considered in the design of the thinning treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenic globin disorder characterized by the production of a structurally abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) variant Hb S, which causes severe hemolytic anemia, episodic painful vaso-occlusion, and ultimately end-organ damage. The primary disease pathophysiology is intracellular Hb S polymerization and consequent sickling of erythrocytes. It has become evident for more than several decades that a more complex disease process contributes to the myriad of clinical complications seen in patients with SCD with inflammation playing a central role. Drugs targeting specific inflammatory pathways therefore offer an attractive therapeutic strategy to ameliorate many of the clinical events in SCD. In addition, they are useful tools to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms that promote individual clinical events and for developing improved therapeutics to address more challenging clinical dilemmas such as refractoriness to opioids or hyperalgesia. Here, we discuss the prospect of targeting multiple inflammatory pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of SCD with a focus on new therapeutics, striving to link the actions of the anti-inflammatory agents to a defined pathobiology, and specific clinical manifestations of SCD. We also review the anti-inflammatory attributes and the cognate inflammatory targets of hydroxyurea, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for SCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with sickle cell disease often experience acute and chronic bone pain due to occlusive events within the tissue vasculature that result in ischemia, necrosis, and organ degeneration. Macroscopically, sickle bone is identified in clinical radiographs by its reduced mineral density, widening of the marrow cavity, and thinning of the cortical bone due to the elevated erythroid hyperplasia accompanying the disease. However, the microstructural architecture of sickle bone and its role in mechanical functionality is largely unknown. This study utilized micro-CT and biomechanical testing to determine the relationship between the bone morphology, tissue mineral density, and trabecular and cortical microarchitecture of 10- and 21-week-old femurs from transgenic sickle male mice and littermates with sickle trait, as well as a wild-type control. While bone tissue mineral density did not vary among the genotypes at either age, variation in bone microstructure were observed. At 10 weeks, healthy and trait mice exhibited similar morphology within the cortical and trabecular bone, while sickle mice exhibited highly connected trabeculae. Within older femurs, sickle and trait specimens displayed significantly fewer trabeculae, and the remaining trabeculae had a more deteriorated geometry based on the structure model index. Thinning of the cortical region in sickle femurs contributed to the displayed flexibility with a significantly lower elastic modulus than the controls at both 10- and 21-weeks old. Wild-type and trait femurs generally demonstrated similar mechanical properties; however, trait femurs had a significantly higher modulus than sickle and wild-type control at 21-weeks. Overall, these data indicate that the progressive damage to the microvasculature caused by sickle cell disease, results in deleterious structural changes in the bone tissue׳s microarchitecture and mechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Salmonella enterica is an important cause of diarrhea with the potential to cause systemic infection including sepsis, particularly in the tropics. Sepsis in particular requires quick and reliable identification to allow a rapid optimization of antibiotic therapy. We describe the establishment and evaluation of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as a rapid and easy-to-perform molecular identification procedure from agar and blood culture broths. Methods: Two newly developed FISH probes with specificity for Salmonella spp. were evaluated with 10 reference strains, 448 clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from Germany and Ghana including 316 Salmonella spp. strains, and 39 environmental Salmonella spp. isolates from rivers and streams in Ghana. One FISH probe was further tested with 207 pre-incubated blood culture broths from Germany with Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria in Gram stain. Results: Evaluation of the newly designed FISH probes demonstrated sensitivity of 99.2% and specificity of 98.4% for clinical isolates, sensitivity of 97.4% for environmental Salmonella spp. isolates, and sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99.5% for blood culture materials. Conclusions: FISH proved to be highly reliable for a rapid identification of Salmonella spp. directly from pre-incubated blood culture broths as well as after growth on agar. The inexpensive and easy-to-perform procedure is particularly suitable for resource-limited areas where more sophisticated procedures are not available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule [ALCAM/CD166/melanoma metastasis clone D (MEMD)] is an immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule. It is expressed developmentally in cells of all 3 embryonic lineages. The ALCAM expression is limited to subsets of cells in most adult tissues. ALCAM is localized at intercellular junctions in epithelium presumably as part of the adhesive complex that maintains tissue architecture. Over the past decade, alterations in expression of ALCAM have been reported in several human tumors (melanoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colorectal carcinoma, bladder cancer, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma). This review summarizes the current knowledge of the role of ALCAM in malignancies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Collectivism, power symmetry, credibility and benevolence predict collaboration. • Long-term orientation and uncertainty avoidance do not predict collaboration. • Different configurations of antecedents are associated with high and low levels of collaborations. • Dimensions of collaborative culture and trust are relevant for high and low levels of collaborations. • High levels of collaboration occurs in supply chains with high levels of long-term orientation. Supply chain collaboration (SCC) has been touted as a catalyst for competitive advantage and firm performance. Using the resource-based theory and transaction cost economics theory, this paper proposes that the dimensions of collaborative culture and trust are critical antecedents to supply chain collaboration. The resultant relationships were examined with both symmetric (PLS-SEM) and asymmetric (fsQCA) approaches using survey data from 166 firms operating in Ghana's downstream petroleum sector. PLS-SEM results suggested that higher levels of collectivism, power symmetry, benevolence, and credibility increased supply chain collaboration. In contrast, the influence of uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation on supply chain collaboration was not statistically significant. However, fsQCA results buttressed the PLS-SEM findings and revealed eight alternate causal configurations that are sufficient for higher levels of supply chain collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioavailability of bioactive peptides (BAPs) represents the amount of peptides absorbed through normal pathways, after oral intake, and distributed in target tissues to exhibit bioactive properties. The small intestine is the primary location of the gastrointestinal tract where peptide absorption mainly occurs. BAPs are beneficial to health upon reaching their physiological sites of action without structural changes. Despite the rapid and dynamic evolvement of research into food peptides, there is still a knowledge gap regarding their bioaccessibility and bioavailability for systemic circulation to targeted organs. Beside the digestive actions of endogenous proteases and peptidases, chemical and nutritional compositions of the food matrix and their physical forms (e.g., liquid, puree, gel, solid) are also critical factors that can influence the interactions, digestibility, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of BAPs. Detailed understanding of such food matrix factors can be explored for enhancing the bioavailability of BAPs and achieving their positive health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]