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Balanced Incomplete Block Designs (BIBD) are the designs obtained from the arrangement of symbols in blocks following established rules and satisfying relevant necessary conditions. BIBDs have broad applications in many fields.The entries in a Hadamard matrix H are all +1’s or -1’s, satisfying the property HHT = n In [2]. Rhotrix is a new concept in mathematics having applications in cryptography. In this paper, using SBIB designs the Hadamard Rhotrices are constructed. AMS Subject classification: 05B05, 05B20, 62K10.

Chunting Liang *, Tongtong Huang *, Xiaofeng Zhang, Huaqing Rao, Zhiru Jin, Xiaoxiong Pan, Jingtao Li, Yingying Mo, Yongzhi Cai, Ji Wu Department of Ultrasonic Medicine, The First Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ji Wu, Department of Ultrasonic Medicine, The First Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email gxnnwuji@126.comPurpose: To study the thrombolytic effect and safety of cRGD urokinase liposomes (cRGD-UK-LIP) in rats with acute pulmonary microthromboembolism (APMTE), and explore the application value of echocardiography (ECHO) in animal models.Patients and Methods: Ninety-six SD rats were randomized into 6 groups (16/group): normal control, sham operation, APMTE, normal saline (NS), free urokinase (UK), cRGD-UK-LIP. Four groups (APMTE, NS, UK, cRGD-UK-LIP) of rats were injected with autologous thrombus to induce APMTE. Samples were injected into 3 groups (NS, UK, cRGD-UK-LIP) of rats after modeling. Echocardiography was used to assess right ventricle (RV) function and morphology in rats. Six rats in each group were randomly selected and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) of them was measured through ECHO-guided transthoracic puncture. Finally, the rats were killed and their tissues were taken for pathological examination.Results: Compared with normal control or sham operation group, rats in APMTE group had enlarged RV, decreased RV function, increased PAP, and lung tissue of them showed postthromboembolic appearance. There was no significant difference between NS group and APMTE group. RV morphology and function of rats in the UK group and cRGD-UK-LIP group were better and vessels with residual thrombus in these 2 groups were less than APMTE group, especially in the cRGD-UK-LIP group. In terms of PAP, only cRGD-UK-LIP group was significantly lower than APMTE group. No hyperemia, bleeding and swelling were observed in heart, liver and kidney of rats in each group.Conclusion: A rat model of APMTE was successfully established. cRGD-UK-LIP has better thrombolytic effect than free urokinase and it is safe. Echocardiography is not merely an important way to evaluate the morphology and function of RV, transthoracic puncture measurement under the guidance of it can be an effective way to monitor PAP in animal models.Keywords: cRGD urokinase liposomes, acute pulmonary microthromboembolism, targeted thrombolysis, right ventricle, echocardiography, pulmonary artery pressure

The Pro‐Pro ligated tripeptides Ile‐Pro‐Pro 4 (IPP) and Val‐Pro‐Pro 5 (VPP) isolated from the fermented milk exhibit marked anti‐hypertension activity. Additionally, the naturally occurring Pro‐Pro ligated tripeptide Gly‐Pro‐Pro 6 (GPP) exhibits antioxidant properties. These peptides have enormous potential to be used as dilatory supplements. In the present study, we achieved a scalable, convenient, and high‐yielding synthesis of IPP, VPP, and GPP along with two more hydrophobic Pro‐Pro ligated tripeptides (APP 7, LPP 8) by employing the TAG technique. We used acid labile (2,4‐bis(octadecyloxy)phenyl)methanol as the TAG. We demonstrated synthesis of one of IPP at molar scale. We think that our method has the potential to be escalated to an industrial scale without much difficulty and they become available for general use as dietary supplements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Origin and branching pattern of profunda femoris artery (PFA) is important for surgeons and interventional radiologists. Branching patterns of PFA have been described by many authors since 18th century. The aim of this present study is to identify the variations of origin of PFA and its circumflex branches origin from PFA related to inguinal ligament. Materials and Methods: 40 lower limbs from embalmed human cadavers (15 male and 5 female) where dissected and observed for the origins of PFA and its circumflex branches.10 computerized tomographic lower limb angiograms from patients who underwent angiographic procedures were also included in the study. Conclusion: High origin of profunda femoris artery in 4 specimens out of 40 specimens. Average distance from mid inguinal point to the origin of profunda femoris artery was 3.95 centimeters.Origin of lateral circumflex femoral artery from femoral artery was seen in 4 specimens. Origin of the branches of the lateral circumflex femoral artery directly from the femoral artery was observed in 2 specimens.Origin of medial circumflex femoral artery from profunda femoris artery in all 40 specimens. Branching pattern of profunda femoris artery follow 90% of pattern I and 10% of pattern III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body Worn Camera (BWC) is an Information Technology (IT) artefact that has begun to be used in law enforcement. In this paper, we develop a research model that focuses on law enforcement agents' perspective about the ethical use of BWC, by extending rational choice theory (RCT) from the standpoint of cost/benefit of using BWC, contextual factors, as well as organisational justice. The paper tests the relationship between three factors: a) work motivation, b) cost of using BWC, and c) benefit of using BWC and police perceptions of ethical use of BWC. In addition, we test the moderating effects of work-related uncertainty on the above three relationships. The associations between organisational justice factors and work motivation are also discussed. Further, in collaboration with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), we develop three grey BWC scenarios that are not clearly ethical nor clearly unethical. We apply a survey methodology to test the model in the context of grey scenarios. The results show that work motivation and the risk of using BWC are negatively related with the law enforcement agents' perceptions about ethical use of BWC and these relationships are negatively moderated by work-related uncertainty, while justice constructs are positively associated with perceived work motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: Intervention effectiveness is shown to vary in its influence on teenagers' outcomes with cybersecurity problem-solving and engagement. In-depth, high-intensity types of intervention may be more effective for female students. Background: Instructional interventions are being developed to address both the critical shortage in cybersecurity talent and gender gaps in the cyber workforce. These interventions need rigorous evaluation. Specific types of instructional strategies are particularly effective for STEM learning. Also, gender differences are found in the benefit students derive from certain instructional methods. An important question is whether certain instructional methods are particularly effective for cybersecurity learning, and consistent in both male and female students. Research Questions: Do cybersecurity interventions affect problem-solving, cybersecurity engagement, and/or cybersecurity self-efficacy? Are there gender differences in terms of intervention effectiveness? Methodology: Study 1 (n = 79) included a 60-min workshop model where participants, assigned to treatment and control groups, completed surveys pre- and post-intervention. The treatment group experienced a workshop on computer networking, without any technology. The control group did not receive the workshop. Study 2 (n = 34) was a week-long intervention whose participants had formal lessons, built websites, and defended themselves from an ongoing simulated cyberattack. Participants completed a survey on cybersecurity learning and engagement three times during the intervention. Findings: Study 1 showed no main treatment effect, but females experienced greater gains in problem-solving than males. In Study 2, there was positive growth over time and females experienced greater growth in cybersecurity self-efficacy relative to males.

Introduction: Laparoscopic Whipple’s pancreaticoduodenectomy (WPD) is one of the most advanced minimally invasive procedures. In recent years, with advancements in minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic WPD has been increasingly adopted as a safe and feasible technique. This study aims to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic WPD to open WPD in resectable ampullary, periampullary and head of pancreas malignancies. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent WPD from January 2015 to January 2021 at the department of surgical gastroenterology in a tertiary care medical college hospital was conducted. Patient demographics and pre-operative details, intraoperative parameters (operating time and blood loss), post-operative length of hospital stay, median intensive care unit (ICU) stay, time to resume oral diet, post-operative complications, interventional procedures, mortality, 3-year survival, 3 year recurrence-free survival and overall survival were analysed. Results: Forty-two patients underwent WPD during our study period; 14 patients underwent laparoscopic WPD and 28 patients underwent open WPD. None required conversion. The majority of the patients had periampullary carcinoma in both the groups. Laparoscopic WPD showed a trend towards shorter ICU stays, hospital stays and surgical site infections (SSIs) compared to open WPD. The median operating time was significantly longer in the laparoscopic WPD group (380 min) compared to the open group (285 min). However, median blood loss was significantly lower in the laparoscopic group (250 mL vs. 300 mL). The pancreas-specific post-operative complications like delayed gastric emptying, post-operative pancreatic fistula or post-operative pancreatic haemorrhage did not differ significantly between the groups. All patients had R0 resection and the mean lymph node yield was comparable between the two groups (14.92 vs. 13.42). The reoperation rate or mortality rate did not show any statistical significance between the two groups. The overall survival was 46 months in the open group and 48 months in the laparoscopic group. Three‑year survival was 74.1% in the open WPD group and 69.2% in the laparoscopic group. Three‑year recurrence‑free survival was 55.5% in the open group and 69.23% in the laparoscopic group. Conclusion: Laparoscopic WPD appears to be safe and feasible, with similar short-term and long-term survival outcomes. With a trend favouring laparoscopic WPD in terms of blood loss, hospital and ICU stay and post-operative SSIs, it should be offered to selected patients when the expertise is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]