A qualitative study of developing beliefs about health, illness and healthcare in migrant African women with gestational diabetes living in Sweden

Abstract: Abstract Background Gestational diabetes (GDM) is associated with health risks for both mother and child, and is particularly relevant to migrant women and women of African origin. With today’s extensive global migration, contact with the new society and health system confronts the migrant’s culture of origin with the culture of the host country. The question is whether immigrants’ patterns of beliefs about health, illness, and health-related behaviour change over time, as no previous studies have been found on this topic. The purpose was to explore development over time, during and after pregnancy, of beliefs about health, illness and healthcare in migrant women with GDM born in Africa living in Sweden, and study the influence on self-care and care seeking. Methods Qualitative prospective study. Semi-structured interviews, with 9 women (23–40 years), on three different occasions: during pregnancy (gestational weeks 34–38), and 3 and 14 months after delivery managed at an in-hospital diabetes specialist clinic in Sweden. Results Beliefs were rather stable over time and mainly related to individual and social factors. GDM was perceived as a transient condition as health professionals had informed about it, which made them calm. None, except one, expressed worries about relapse and the health of the baby. Instead women worried about being unable to live an ordinary life and being bound to lifestyle changes, particularly diet, developing diabetes and needing insulin injections. Over time knowledge of appropriate diet improved, although no advice was experienced given by the clinic after delivery. The healthcare model was perceived as well functioning with easy access but regular follow-ups were requested as many (decreasing over time) were unsure whether they still had GDM and lacked information about GDM and diet. During pregnancy information was also requested about the healthcare system before/after delivery. Conclusions Beliefs changed to a limited extent prospectively, indicated low risk awareness, limited knowledge of GDM, irrelevant worries about future health, and being unable to live a normal life, associated with problematic lifestyle changes. Beliefs about the seriousness of GDM in health professionals influenced patients’ beliefs and health-related behaviour. The healthcare organisation urgently needs to be improved to deliver appropriate and timely information through competent staff.

Gynecology and obstetrics
Public aspects of medicine


Well-posedness of a class of two-point boundary value problems associated with ordinary differential equations

Abstract: Abstract This paper introduces the regular decoupling field to study the existence and uniqueness of solutions of two-point boundary value problems for a class of ordinary differential equations which can be derived from the maximum principle in optimal control theory. The monotonicity conditions used to guarantee the existence and uniqueness of such equations are initially a special case of the regular decoupling field method. More generally, in case of the homogeneous equations, this paper generalizes the application scope of the monotonicity conditions method by using the linear transformation method. In addition, the linear transformation method can be used to handle the situation where the monotonicity conditions and regular decoupling field method cannot be directly applied. These two methods overall develop the well-posedness theory of two-point boundary value problems which has potential applications in optimal control and partial differential equation theory.


Comparison of three vision therapy approaches for convergence insufficiency

Abstract:
Purpose: We compared the effectiveness of three active vision therapy approaches for convergence insufficiency (CI).
Methods: This randomized clinical trial included patients meeting the eligibility criteria and with symptomatic CI, who were allocated into three groups. In the home-based vision orthoptic therapy (HBVOT) group, patients performed the pencil push-up procedure 15 min/day for 5 days/week. In the office-based vision orthoptic therapy (OBVOT) group, patients underwent 60-min orthoptic therapy using a major amblyoscope twice weekly with additional home orthoptic therapy. In the augmented office-based vision orthoptic therapy (AOBVOT) group, patients performed orthoptic exercises using 3-diopter over-minus lenses and a base-out prism in addition to major amblyoscope therapy, and additional home reinforcement was prescribed during the same time period.
Results: All 84 subjects (mean age, 26.8 ± 8.3 years) showed a statistically significant improvement in near exophoria, positive fusional vergence (PFV) at near, near point of convergence (NPC), stereoacuity, and Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) scores at follow-up. Exophoria decreased by 64%, 68%, and 85% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.2). PFV increased by 68%, 100%, and 100% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P < 0.001). NPC decreased (improved) by 86%, 89%, and 96% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.4). The CISS scores decreased by 75%, 96%, and 100% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: Our results showed that in adults with CI, the augmented office-based orthoptic treatment was relatively more effective than the other treatments.

Maryam Aletaha
Farideh Daneshvar
Mahnaz Mosallaei
Abbas Bagheri
Mohammad Reza Khalili


Evolution of Value Added Chains in Asia Pacific Region and Opportunities for Russia

Abstract: This paper examines the changing patterns of transnational value chains in the Asia-Pacific region. The methodology is based on the analysis of data extracted from the OECD – WTO Trade in Value Added Database (2016). The study demonstrates that 1) Asia-Pacific countries show extremely high involvement in the global value chains; 2) intra-Asian value chains develop at a fast pace, reflecting the trend towards regiona-lization of economic ties in Asia-Pacific (caused by the processes of transformation within China, the growing income divergence in the region and the development of regional integration mechanisms); 3) the level of participation in global value chains differs across countries and is subject to constant changes. In particular, Chinese manufacturers are moving to the processes with higher value added, and the role of an ‘assembly shop’ in the region is shifting to the ASEAN countries. Russia’s participation in the value chains in the Asia-Pacific region is currently limited to its role as a supplier of raw materials. High tariffs make manufacturing oriented towards Asia less viable, especially considering that most of Asia-Pacific countries have free trade agreements with each other. However, favorable rules of origin in Asian RTAs as well as good political relations with leading Asian countries in conditions of tensions between them still create some opportunities for involving Russia in regional value chains at the more advanced stages

Igor Alekseevich Makarov
Anna Konstantinovna Sokolova

Пространственная экономика

Economic Research Institute of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences


Effect of Word Sense Disambiguation on Neural Machine Translation: A Case Study in Korean

Abstract: With the advent of robust deep learning, neural machine translation (NMT) has achieved great progress and recently become the dominant paradigm in machine translation (MT). However, it is still confronted with the challenge of word ambiguities that force NMT to choose among several translation candidates that represent different senses of an input word. This research presents a case study using Korean word sense disambiguation (WSD) to improve NMT performance. First, we constructed a Korean lexical semantic network (LSN) as a large-scale lexical semantic knowledge base. Then, based on the Korean LSN, we built a Korean WSD preprocessor that can annotate the correct sense of Korean words in the training corpus. Finally, we conducted a series of translation experiments using Korean-English, Korean-French, Korean-Spanish, and Korean-Japanese language pairs. The experimental results show that our Korean WSD system can significantly improve the translation quality of NMT in terms of the BLEU, TER, and DLRATIO metrics. On average, it improved the precision by 2.94 BLEU points and improved translation error prevention by 4.04 TER points and 4.51 DLRATIO points for all the language pairs.

Quang-Phuoc Nguyen
Anh-Dung Vo
Joon-Choul Shin
Cheol-Young Ock

Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering


A Case Report of Gabapentin-induced Psychotic Disorder

Abstract:
Gabapentin was first approved for treatment of epilepsy by FDA, but later it received more attention due to its effects on pain relief, especially neuropathic pain and post-herpetic neuralgia, and in treatment of anxiety and insomnia. The most common side effects of gabapentin include somnolence, ataxia, and fatigue. However, no studies have reported gabapentin induced psychotic disorder. Here, we report a patient on gabapentin with symptoms of delusional disorder.
A 42-year-old married housewife without any history of psychiatric disorder, received gabapentin (100 mg once a day) for treatment of first time insomnia. Psychotic symptoms including persecutory delusion occurred and about 12 hours after the onset of symptoms the patient discontinued gabapentin for 24 hours. Consequently, all symptoms were quickly subsided. The patient's assessment was performed using the Naranjo scale. The patient’s score was 9, thus other possible causes of psychosis were ruled out. According to this report, gabapentin could induce psychotic symptoms in patients who have not even had a history of drug use or specific illnesses.

Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences


PROCEDURE ENABLING SIMULATION AND IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF OPTICAL EFFECTS IN CAMERA-BASED TIME-OF-FLIGHT SENSORS

Abstract: This paper presents a simulation approach for Time-of-Flight cameras to estimate sensor performance and accuracy, as well as to help understanding experimentally discovered effects. The main scope is the detailed simulation of the optical signals. We use a raytracing-based approach and use the optical path length as the master parameter for depth calculations. The procedure is described in detail with references to our implementation in Zemax OpticStudio and Python. Our simulation approach supports multiple and extended light sources and allows accounting for all effects within the geometrical optics model. Especially multi-object reflection/scattering ray-paths, translucent objects, and aberration effects (e.g. distortion caused by the ToF lens) are supported. The optical path length approach also enables the implementation of different ToF senor types and transient imaging evaluations. The main features are demonstrated on a simple 3D test scene.

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences

Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)


Neuromuscular Fatigue Does Not Impair the Rate of Force Development in Ballistic Contractions of Submaximal Amplitudes

Abstract: The effect of muscle fatigue on rate of force development (RFD) is usually assessed during tasks that require participants to reach as quickly as possible maximal or near-maximal force. However, endurance sports require athletes to quickly produce force of submaximal, rather than maximal, amplitudes. Thus, this study investigated the effect of muscle fatigue induced by long-distance running on the capacity to quickly produce submaximal levels of force. Twenty-one male amateur runners were evaluated before and shortly after a half-marathon race. Knee extensors force was recorded under maximal voluntary and electrically evoked contractions. Moreover, a series of ballistic contractions at different submaximal amplitudes (from 20 to 100% of maximal voluntary force) was obtained, by asking the participants to reach submaximal forces as fast as possible. The RFD was calculated for each contraction. After the race, maximal voluntary activation, resting doublet twitch, maximal force, and RFD during maximal contraction decreased (-12, -12, -21, and -19%, respectively, all P-values < 0.0001). Nevertheless, the RFD values measured during ballistic contractions up to 60% of maximal force were unaffected (all P-values > 0.4). Long-distance running impaired the capacity to quickly produce force in ballistic contractions of maximal, but not of submaximal, amplitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that central and peripheral fatigue do not affect the quickness to which muscle contracts across a wide range of submaximal forces. This is a relevant finding for running and other daily life activities that rely on the production of rapid submaximal contractions rather than maximal force levels.

Gennaro Boccia
Gennaro Boccia
Davide Dardanello
Paolo Riccardo Brustio
Cantor Tarperi
Luca Festa
Chiara Zoppirolli
Chiara Zoppirolli
Barbara Pellegrini
Barbara Pellegrini
Federico Schena
Federico Schena
Alberto Rainoldi


Study on PM2.5 pollution and the mortality due to lung cancer in China based on geographic weighted regression model

Abstract: Abstract Background PM2.5 has become a major component of air pollution in China and has led to a series of health problems. The mortality rate caused by lung cancer has reached the point where it cannot be ignored in China. Air pollution is becoming more and more serious in China, which is increasingly affecting people’s lives and health. Methods Considering the variations in the geographical environment in China, this paper studied the relationship between PM2.5 concentration and lung cancer mortality based on the geographical weighted regression model in 31 provinces in 2004 and 2008, autonomous regions and municipalities of China. Results The results indicated there was a significant positive correlation between PM2.5 concentration and lung cancer mortality (r = 0.0052, P = 0.036). Additionally, the longer the time of exposure to PM2.5 is, the higher morbidity is. Conclusion It is suggested that the Chinese government should launch some environmental policy, especially in those areas with severe PM2.5 pollutions, and keep the citizens away from exposure to PM2.5 pollution in the long term.


Evaluation of Respiratory Protection Program in Petrochemical Industries: Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process

Abstract: Background: Respiratory protection equipment (RPE) is the last resort to control exposure to workplace air pollutants. A comprehensive respiratory protection program (RPP) ensures that RPE is selected, used, and cared properly. Therefore, RPP must be well integrated into the occupational health and safety requirements. In this study, we evaluated the implementation of RPP in Iranian petrochemical industries to identify the required solutions to improve the current status of respiratory protection. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 24 petrochemical industries in Iran. The survey instrument was a checklist extracted from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration respiratory protection standard. An index, Respiratory Protection Program Index (RPPI), was developed and weighted by analytic hierarchy process to determine the compliance rate (CR) of provided respiratory protection measures with the RPP standard. Data analysis was performed using Excel 2010. Results: The most important element of RPP, according to experts, was respiratory hazard evaluation. The average value of RPPI in the petrochemical plants was 49 ± 15%. The highest and lowest of CR among RPP elements were RPE selection and medical evaluation, respectively. Conclusion: None of studied petrochemical industries implemented RPP completely. This can lead to employees' overexposure to hazardous workplace air contaminants. Increasing awareness of employees and employers through training is suggested by this study to improve such conditions. Keywords: analytic hierarchy process, petrochemical industries, respiratory protection program

Hadi Kolahi
Mehdi Jahangiri
Haleh Ghaem
Akbar Rostamabadi
Mandana Aghabeigi
Payam Farhadi
Mojtaba Kamalinia


Micro, Small-Financial Financing and Its Implications on the Profitability of Sharia Banks

Abstract:
Development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Indonesia has increased yearly, but this is not followed by MSME financing in Sharia banking, where the proportion is relatively decreasing in a couple years. This study aims to analyze the influence of the deposit or third party fund to MSME financing and also to analyze the implication of MSME financing to MSME financing and its impact on the profitability of Sharia banks. Sharia banks are expected to be even more active in collecting funds from third parties with various strategies that can be used. As has been discovered from the above research, the amount of fund raising to the allocation of MSME financing is also getting bigger. This study uses a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to see the long term effect and response to shocks that occur in the studied variables.  The result shows that in the short run and the long run CAR has  negative and significant  effect on MSME financing.  TPF, NPF, BOPO and FDR have positive significant to MSME financing in the long term. TPF, CAR, NPF have positive significance to Sharia banks profitability in the long term. BOPO and NPF have positive significance in the short run. Shock to CAR is negatively responsed by MSME financing. Shock to MSME financing is negatively responsed by Sharia banks profitability (ROA) and is stable in the long term.

Abstrak dalam Bahasa Indonesia : Perkembangan Usaha Mikro, Kecil dan Menengah (UMKM) di Indonesia meningkat setiap tahun, tetapi ini tidak diikuti oleh pembiayaan UKM di perbankan syariah, yang proporsinya relatif menurun dalam beberapa tahun. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh Deposito atau dana pihak ketiga terhadap pembiayaan UMKM dan juga menganalisis implikasi dari Pembiayaan UMKM terhadap profitabilitas bank syariah. Bank-bank syariah diharapkan untuk lebih giat lagi dalam menghimpun dana dari pihak ketiga dengan berbagai strategi yang dapat digunakan. Seperti telah diketahui dari penelitian diatas yaitu jika jumlah penghimpunan dana semakin besar maka alokasi pembiayaan UMKM juga semakin besar. Penelitian ini menggunakan Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) untuk melihat efek jangka panjang dan respon terhadap shock yang terjadi pada variabel yang diteliti. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa dalam jangka pendek dan jangka panjang CAR memiliki pengaruh negatif dan signifikan terhadap Pembiayaan UMKM. TPF, NPF, BOPO dan FDR memiliki signifikan positif terhadap pembiayaan UMKM dalam jangka panjang. TPF, CAR, NPF memiliki signifikan positif terhadap profitabilitas bank sharia dalam jangka panjang. BOPO dan NPF memiliki signifikan positif dalam jangka pendek. Guncangan terhadap CAR direspon negatif oleh pembiayaan UMKM. Kekagetan terhadap pembiayaan UMKM secara negatif direspon oleh Profitabilitas Bank Syariah (ROA) dan akan stabil dalam jangka panjang.

Aminah Nuriyah
Endri Endri
Mukhamad Yasid

DeReMa (Development Research of Management): Jurnal Manajemen


Identification of wild-caught phlebotomine sand flies from Crete and Cyprus using DNA barcoding

Abstract: Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are vectors of Leishmania spp., protozoan parasites responsible for a group of neglected diseases called leishmaniases. Two sand fly genera, Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia, contain species that are present in the Mediterranean islands of Crete and Cyprus where the visceral (VL), cutaneous (CL) and canine (CanLei) leishmaniases are a public health concern. The risk of transmission of different Leishmania species can be studied in an area by monitoring their vectors. Sand fly species are traditionally identified using morphological characteristics but minute differences between individuals or populations could be overlooked leading to wrong epidemiological predictions. Molecular identification of these important vectors has become, therefore, an essential tool for research tasks concerning their geographical distribution which directly relates to leishmaniasis control efforts. DNA barcoding is a widely used molecular identification method for cataloguing animal species by sequencing a fragment of the mitochondrial gene encoding cytochrome oxidase I. Results DNA barcoding was used to identify individuals of five sand fly species (Phlebotomus papatasi, P. similis, P. killicki, Sergentomyia minuta, S. dentata) circulating in the islands of Crete and Cyprus during the years 2011–2014. Phlebotomus papatasi is a known vector of zoonotic CL in the Middle East and it is found in both islands. Phlebotomus similis is the suspected vector of Leishmania tropica in Greece causing anthroponotic CL. Phlebotomus killicki was collected in Cyprus for the first time. Sergentomyia minuta, found to present intraspecific diversity, is discussed for its potential as a Leishmania vector. Molecular identification was consistent with the morphological identification. It successfully identified males and females, which is difficult when using only morphological characters. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the barcodes acquired, representing their genetic relationships along with other species from the area studied. All individuals identified were clustered according to their species and subgenus. Conclusions Molecular identification of sand flies via DNA barcoding can accurately identify these medically important insects assisting traditional morphological tools, thus helping to assess their implication in Leishmania transmission.

Emmanouil Dokianakis
Nikolaos Tsirigotakis
Vasiliki Christodoulou
Nikos Poulakakis
Maria Antoniou


An Intersection–Union Test for the Sharpe Ratio

Abstract: An intersection–union test for supporting the hypothesis that a given investment strategy is optimal among a set of alternatives is presented. It compares the Sharpe ratio of the benchmark with that of each other strategy. The intersection–union test takes serial dependence into account and does not presume that asset returns are multivariate normally distributed. An empirical study based on the G–7 countries demonstrates that it is hard to find significant results due to the lack of data, which confirms a general observation in empirical finance.


Analysis of Distribution Process to the Increasing of Escherichia Coli in Dairy Fresh Milk Products from X Cattle Farm in Surabaya

Abstract: Fresh milk was one of food ingredients with high nutrition and widely consumed by people with no processed before consumed so it’s easily damaged. This research aims to determine the bacteriological quality of the milk before after distribution, and to analyze an increase of the bacteria Escherichia coli during distribution. The research was an descriptive with observational methods. Subjects were selected by purposive sampling with the number of samples were 4 samples of milk before distribution and 20 samples of milk after distribution of Escherichia coli test. Milk samples were tested before and after the distribution. After distribution during 2 hours, 1 sample was taken every 20 minutes every day during 4 days continuously. Data obtained by interviewing, observing and testing of milk samples to the laboratory. Data were analyzed by descriptive and simple linear regression analysis. The results showed that hygiene and sanitation in the milk process and distributions were not good. The result of laboratory test showed that fresh milk positively contaminated with Escherichia coli was exceeds the standard of microbial contamination in food set by SNI 7389: 2009. The number of Escherichia coli increased during 2 hours for distribution based on a statistical test simple linear regression. Escherichia coli bacterial contamination in milk could be caused from lack of awareness to sanitary hygiene of milk process. Bacteria increased during distribution may be due to lack of good hygiene and sanitation during the distribution process. Therefore it necessary to carry out the processing of milk before the consumption, to monitor the sanitation of the farms by prevent the damage, improve of sanitary and to test the samples of fresh milk regularly for keep a good quality of product.

Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering


Safety and efficacy of ponceau 4R for cats, dogs and ornamental fish

Abstract: Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of ponceau 4R for cats, dogs and ornamental fish. The following ponceau 4R concentrations in complete feed were considered safe: 31 mg/kg for cats, 37 mg/kg for dogs and 137 mg/kg for ornamental fish. Inhalation exposure of ponceau 4R is regarded as hazardous. In the absence of data, the Panel cannot conclude on the irritancy potential of ponceau 4R to skin or eyes. No conclusion could be made on the skin sensitisation of ponceau 4R. Ponceau 4R is effective in adding colour to feedingstuffs.

EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP)

Nutrition. Foods and food supply
Chemical technology


Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Planetarium Gerhana sebagai Alat Bantu dalam Pembelajaran Ilmu Pengetahuan Bumi Antariksa (IPBA)  pada Materi Gerhana

Abstract:
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran planetarium gerhana untuk pembelajaran IPBA. Mengetahui hasil uji coba media pembelajaran planetarium gerhana pada pembelajaran IPBA. Mengetahui respon dari para responden terhadap media pembelajaran planetarium gerhana yang telah dikembangkan secara teoritis pada pembelajaran IPBA. Jenis penelitian ini adalah Research and Development, subjek penelitian ini adalah guru fisika SMA Pelita Kasih. Penelitian pengembangan ini menggunakan metodologi 4D (Define, Design, Development, and Disseminate). Penilaian dan validasi produk media pembelajaran planetarium gerhana  ini telah dilakukan oleh ahli materi, ahli media. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data kemudian diinterprestasikan dengan skala 5 menurut Sukarja, dihasilkan kriteria penilaian media sangat baik dengan analisis penilaian media menurut ahli materi menunjukkan kualitas sangat baik dengan persentase keidealan 85,4% dan layak untuk digunakan. Penilaian media menurut ahli media menunjukkan kualitas Baik dengan persentase keidealan 77,3% terkait dengan segala aspek yang ada pada media yang telah dikembangkan dan layak untuk digunakan dengan sedikit koreksi untuk perbaikan media tersebut. Sehingga media tersebut dapat menunjang ketertarikan pelajar dalam pembelajaran.
Kata kunci: Pengembangan, Media Pembelajaran, Planetarium Gerhana.

Vera Siska Pratiwi
Afrizal Mayub
Dedy Hamdani

Prodi Pendidikan Fisika and Unib Press, Universitas Bengkulu


PENGGUNAAN BAP DAN TDZ UNTUK PERBANYAKAN TANAMAN GAHARU (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk.)

Abstract: Agarwood (A. malaccensis Lamk.) is one of the important tropical forest trees, which produces a high economically valuable fragrant resinous wood. The increase of agarwood demand from year to year leads to uncontrolled illegal harvest of this plant from its natural habitat. To encounter this problem, there is an urgent need to develop agarwood plantation. Tissue culture is an alternative method to provide genetically good seedlings for plantation in the future due to its short period and mass quantity of planlet production. In addition, through this method, its might also provide homogenous plant, and free pest and diseases. The objectives of the study were (1) to find out the optimal concentration of BAP or TDZ for inducing shoot multiplication of agarwood in in vitro conditions. MS (Murashige And Skoog, 1962), was used as basal media. The experimental design of the research was completely randomized design (RAL) with treatment of BAP concentration ( control; 0,50 ppm; 0,75 ppm; 1,0 ppm) or TDZ concentration (control; 0,25 ppm; 0,50 ppm; 0,75 ppm), in 3 units, of replicate every units consist of 4 bottles, every bottle containing one explants coming from axillaries and adventitious shoot explants. Results indicated that two types of agarwood explants grown in vitro in MS basal media containing BAP 0,50 ppm or TDZ 0,25 ppm produced the highest number of shoots and leaves of agarwood plantlets, as well as its plantlet shoot length


Improvement of Drainage Density Parameter Estimation within Erosion Potential Method

Abstract: This paper analyses the possibilities to derive drainage density map, a parameter used within Erosion Potential Method (EPM, Gavrilović), for the Dubračina catchment study area in better detail and precision. EPM method is used for erosion assessment in the karstic areas characterized by torrential rivers. In this paper, three different methodologies were used to derive drainage density map each using different assumptions and allowing different spatial variability. The third case of drainage density map provides most realistic spatial variance of the drainage density parameter with lower values along the edges of the catchment and higher values concentrated along the river and tributary intersections.

Nevena Dragičević
Barbara Karleuša
Nevenka Ožanić


Translating John V. Murra’s ‘The Economic Organization of the Inca State’ into Romanian as ‘Obra DE Amor’

Abstract: This paper addresses one of the first translations of a US anthropological monograph into Romanian. Its author, John V. Murra (1916–2006), born into a Russian-Jewish family in Odessa, grew up in Romania, where he studied and became involved in the Communist movement before his departure for Chicago in 1934. His 1956 PhD thesis in anthropology at University of Chicago on the Inka state was a first step towards turning Murra into an influential figure in the field of Andean anthropology. His sister Ata Iosifescu lived in Romania and translated his PhD thesis into Romanian, published in 1987 as Civilizaţie inca: organizarea economică a statului incaş(Inka Civilization: the Economic Organization of the Inka State). Based on their correspondence kept at the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC), I propose to reconstruct this translation’s story: the context, the constraints and the process of translation itself. I am also addressing the question of the book’s reception in Romania.

Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Sociologia


К 70-летию со дня рождения А. Н. Куклина (1948—2018) [Anatolij Kuklin (1948—2018); pp. 312-313


HIV incidence among sexual health clinic attendees in England: First estimates for black African heterosexuals using a biomarker, 2009-2013.

Abstract:
Introduction
The HIV epidemic in England is largely concentrated among heterosexuals who are predominately black African and men who have sex with men (MSM). We present for the first time trends in annual HIV incidence for adults attending sexual health clinics, where 80% of all HIV diagnoses are made.
Methods
We identified newly diagnosed incident HIV using a recent infection testing algorithm (RITA) consisting of a biomarker (AxSYM assay, modified to determine antibody avidity), epidemiological and clinical information. We estimated HIV incidence using the WHO RITA formula for cross-sectional studies, with HIV testing data from sexual health clinics as the denominator.
Results
From 2009 to 2013, each year, between 9,700 and 26,000 black African heterosexuals (of between 161,000 and 231,000 heterosexuals overall) were included in analyses. For the same period, annually between 19,000 and 55,000 MSM were included. Estimates of HIV incidence among black Africans increased slightly (although non-significantly) from 0.15% (95% C.I.0.05%-0.26%) in 2009 to 0.19% (95% C.I.0.04%-0.34%) in 2013 and was 4-5-fold higher than among all heterosexuals among which it remained stable between 0.03% (95% C.I.0.02%-0.05%) and 0.05% (95% C.I.0.03%-0.07%) over the period. Among MSM incidence was highest and increased (non-significantly) from 1.24% (95%C.I 0.96-1.52%) to 1.46% (95% C.I 1.23%-1.70%) after a peak of 1.52% (95%C.I 1.30%-1.75%) in 2012.
Conclusion
These are the first nationwide estimates for trends in HIV incidence among black African and heterosexual populations in England which show black Africans, alongside MSM, remain disproportionately at risk of infection. Although people attending sexual health clinics may not be representative of the general population, nearly half of black Africans and MSM had attended in the previous 5 years. Timely and accurate incidence estimates will be critical in monitoring the impact of the reconfiguration of sexual health services in England, and any prevention programmes such as pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Adamma Aghaizu
Jennifer Tosswill
Daniela De Angelis
Helen Ward
Gwenda Hughes
Gary Murphy
Valerie Delpech


UTRme: A Scoring-Based Tool to Annotate Untranslated Regions in Trypanosomatid Genomes

Abstract: Most signals involved in post-transcriptional regulatory networks are located in the untranslated regions (UTRs) of the mRNAs. Therefore, to deepen our understanding of gene expression regulation, delimitation of these regions with high accuracy is needed. The trypanosomatid lineage includes a variety of parasitic protozoans causing a significant worldwide burden on human health. Given their peculiar mechanisms of gene expression, these organisms depend on post-transcriptional regulation as the main level of gene expression control. In this context, the definition of the UTR regions becomes of key importance. We have developed UTR-mini-exon (UTRme), a graphical user interface (GUI) stand-alone application to identify and annotate 5′ and 3′ UTR regions in a highly accurate way. UTRme implements a multiple scoring system tailored to address the issue of false positive UTR assignment that frequently arise because of the characteristics of the intergenic regions. Even though it was developed for trypanosomatids, the tool can be used to predict 3′ sites in any eukaryote and 5′ UTRs in any organism where trans-splicing occurs (such as the model organism C. elegans). UTRme offers a way for non-bioinformaticians to precisely determine UTRs from transcriptomic data. The tool is freely available via the conda and github repositories.

Santiago Radío
Santiago Radío
Rafael Sebastián Fort
Rafael Sebastián Fort
Beatriz Garat
José Sotelo-Silveira
José Sotelo-Silveira
Pablo Smircich
Pablo Smircich


Fenómeno de Lúcio: Resposta ao Tratamento Alternativo com Poliquimioterapia Multibacilar

Abstract: A hanseníase é uma doença infectocontagiosa de evolução crónica, causada pelo Mycobacterium leprae. Seu curso crónico pode ser interrompido por episódios reacionais agudos ou subagudos. O fenómeno de Lúcio é uma reação imunológica vasculítica que ocorre em doentes com lepra lepromatosa. Surge com máculas purpúricas que evoluem com necrose e ulceração, de forma ascendente, deixando cicatriz atrófica. Os autores descrevem o caso de um paciente de 73 anos, sexo masculino, com lesões ulceronecróticas em membros inferiores e exposição tendinosa em calcâneo. Com base em dados clínico-laboratoriais e exame dermatológico, confirmado diagnóstico de lepra lepromatosa com vasculite do tipo fenómeno de Lúcio. Evoluiu com boa resposta ao esquema alternativo de tratamento com poliquimioterapia multibacilar.

Camila Araujo Dantas
Caroline Medeiros Prohmann
Lorena Barcelos e Silva
Rafael Figueiredo Gatti
Thalita Marçal Machado
Rosa Maria Cordeiro Soubhia
João Roberto Antonio

Revista da Sociedade Portuguesa de Dermatologia e Venereologia

Dermatology
Infectious and parasitic diseases


Near-Integrability of Low-Dimensional Periodic Klein-Gordon Lattices

Abstract: The low-dimensional periodic Klein-Gordon lattices are studied for integrability. We prove that the periodic lattice with two particles and certain nonlinear potential is nonintegrable. However, in the cases of up to six particles, we prove that their Birkhoff-Gustavson normal forms are integrable, which allows us to apply KAM theory in most cases.


Removal of Microcystin-LR by a Novel Native Effective Bacterial Community Designated as YFMCD4 Isolated from Lake Taihu

Abstract: Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is the most toxic and frequently detected monocyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxin produced by cyanobacteria, which poses a great threat to the natural ecosystem and public health. It is very important to seek environment-friendly and cost-efficient methods to remove MC-LR in water. In this study, the MC-degrading capacities of a novel indigenous bacterial community designated as YFMCD4 and the influence of environmental factors including various temperatures, MC concentrations and pH on the MC-degrading activities were investigated utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, the MC-degrading mechanism of YFMCD4 was also studied using HPLC coupled with a mass spectrometry equipped with electrospray ionization interface (HPLC-ESI-MS). The data showed MC-LR was completely removed at the maximum rate of 0.5 µg/(mL·h) under the optimal condition by YFMCD4. Two pure bacterial strains Alcaligenes faecalis and Stenotrophomonas acidaminiohila were isolated from YFMCD4 degraded MC-LR at a slower rate. The MC-degrading rates of YFMCD4 were significantly affected by different temperatures, pH and MC-LR concentrations. Two intermediates of a tetrapeptide and Adda appeared in the degradation process. These results illustrate that the novel YFMCD4 is one of the highest effective MC-degrading bacterial community, which can completely remove MC-LR and possesses a significant potential to treat water bodies contaminated by MC-LR.

Fei Yang
Jian Guo
Feiyu Huang
Isaac  Yaw Massey
Ruixue Huang
Yunhui Li
Cong Wen
Ping Ding
Weiming Zeng
Geyu Liang


Stratégie sylvopastorale et renouveau des pratiques pastorales en forêt au Maroc

Abstract: Au Maroc, la forêt constitue une réserve pastorale à longueur d’année, et produit, en année normale, 1,5 milliard d’unités fourragères soit 17% du bilan fourrager national. La question pastorale constitue l’un des facteurs de désertification des formations forestières dans un contexte bioclimatique où l’aridité touche plus de 93% du territoire national. C’est ainsi que le département des Eaux et Forêts et ses partenaires ont élaboré en 2016 une stratégie sylvopastorale nationale. La vision retenue consiste à ce que les ressources sylvopastorales soient gérées durablement dans le long terme moyennant la bonne gouvernance de tous les biens, services que recèlent les territoires forestiers. Cette stratégie sylvopastorale traite des questions de restauration des écosystèmes naturel.


Metabolomic Profiling of Bile Acids in an Experimental Model of Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract: For people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), considered the most common neurodegenerative disease behind Alzheimer’s disease, accurate diagnosis is dependent on many factors; however, misdiagnosis is extremely common in the prodromal phases of the disease, when treatment is thought to be most effective. Currently, there are no robust biomarkers that aid in the early diagnosis of PD. Following previously reported work by our group, we accurately measured the concentrations of 18 bile acids in the serum of a prodromal mouse model of PD. We identified three bile acids at significantly different concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.05) when mice representing a prodromal PD model were compared with controls. These include ω-murichoclic acid (MCAo), tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). All were down-regulated in prodromal PD mice with TUDCA and UDCA at significantly lower levels (17-fold and 14-fold decrease, respectively). Using the concentration of three bile acids combined with logistic regression, we can discriminate between prodromal PD mice from control mice with high accuracy (AUC (95% CI) = 0.906 (0.777⁻1.000)) following cross validation. Our study highlights the need to investigate bile acids as potential biomarkers that predict PD and possibly reflect the progression of manifest PD.

Stewart  F. Graham
Nolwen  L. Rey
Zafer Ugur
Ali Yilmaz
Eric Sherman
Michael Maddens
Ray  O. Bahado-Singh
Katelyn Becker
Emily Schulz
Lindsay  K. Meyerdirk
Jennifer  A. Steiner
Jiyan Ma
Patrik Brundin


垄作覆膜种植对夏玉米生长和土壤水分动态的影响

Abstract: 旨在探索垄作覆膜对夏玉米动态生长过程、作物产量和水分利用效率及土壤水分运移规律的影响。试验设置垄作覆膜（RM）和平作不覆膜（NM）处理，在试验数据分析的基础上，采用Logistic方程及其修正方程分别拟合株高和叶面积指数生长动态，结合数值模型HYDRUS-2D模拟典型降雨过程的土壤水分动态。结果表明：Logistic方程拟合下，垄作覆膜与平作未覆膜处理夏玉米株高最大增长速率及其出现时间分别为5.1，5.2 cm/d和播种后39，41天（3年均值），同时垄作覆膜夏玉米叶面积指数最大增长率较平作未覆膜提高了14.6%，增长速率最大值出现时间提前了2天；垄作覆膜夏玉米穗长、穗粒数、百粒重、产量及水分利用效率较平作未覆膜分别增加了7.8%，15.4%，1.3%，6.0%和3.1%（3年均值）。HYDRUS-2D模型对典型降雨后土壤剖面水分变化的模拟结果表明，垄作覆膜能增加降雨入渗，增大0—20 cm土层和0—200 cm剖面平均含水量。垄作覆膜种植具有增产保墒效应，但其增产效应与生育期气象条件有关，生育季降雨过多或过少都会影响其增产效应。

王 冯 王乃江 董勤各 周立峰

Editorial Department of Journal of Soil and Water Conservation


Sobre a direção no teatro de figuras – uma utopia

Abstract:
O estudo analisa o percurso do Figuren Theater Tübingen e alguns procedimentos criativos utilizados pelo seu diretor, Frank Soehnle, em suas recentes encenações. O texto se atém principalmente a aspectos como interpretação e inspipração; texto literário e texto cênico; as possibilidades expressivas dos objetos; as relações entre artes cênicas e artes visuais; e o papel do diretor.

Palavras-chave: Figuren Theater Tübingen. Encenação teatral. Processo de criação.

Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina


Review of The Well-Ordered Universe: The Philosophy of Margaret Cavendish by Deborah Boyle

Abstract: A review of Deborah Boyle's recent book The Well-Ordered Universe: The Philosophy of Margaret Cavendish (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017).

Western Libraries, The University of Western Ontario

Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
Philology. Linguistics
History (General)


Intravenous morphine versus intravenous paracetamol after cardiac surgery in neonates and infants: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Abstract Background Morphine is worldwide the analgesic of first choice after cardiac surgery in children. Morphine has unwanted hemodynamic and respiratory side effects. Therefore, post–cardiac surgery patients may potentially benefit from a non-opioid drug for pain relief. A previous study has shown that intravenous (IV) paracetamol is effective and opioid-sparing in children after major non-cardiac surgery. The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that intermittent IV paracetamol administration in children after cardiac surgery will result in a reduction of at least 30% of the cumulative morphine requirement. Methods This is a prospective, multi-center, randomized controlled trial at four level-3 pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) in the Netherlands and Belgium. Children who are 0–36 months old will be randomly assigned to receive either intermittent IV paracetamol or continuous IV morphine up to 48 h post-operatively. Morphine will be available as rescue medication for both groups. Validated pain and sedation assessment tools will be used to monitor patients. The sample size (n = 208, 104 per arm) was calculated in order to detect a 30% reduction in morphine dose; two-sided significance level was 5% and power was 95%. Discussion This study will focus on the reduction, or replacement, of morphine by IV paracetamol in children (0–36 months old) after cardiac surgery. The results of this study will form the basis of a new pain management algorithm and will be implemented at the participating ICUs, resulting in an evidence-based guideline on post-operative pain after cardiac surgery in infants who are 0–36 months old. Trial registration Dutch Trial Registry (www.trialregister.nl): NTR5448 on September 1, 2015. Institutional review board approval (MEC2015–646), current protocol version: July 3, 2017

Gerdien A. Zeilmaker-Roest
Joost van Rosmalen
Monique van Dijk
Erik Koomen
Nicolaas J. G. Jansen
Martin C. J. Kneyber
Sofie Maebe
Greet van den Berghe
Dirk Vlasselaers
Ad J. J. C. Bogers
Dick Tibboel
Enno D. Wildschut


Placenta and appetite genes GDF15 and IGFBP7 are associated with hyperemesis gravidarum

Abstract: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting associated with unfavourable outcomes during pregnancy. Here, Fejzo et al. perform genome-wide scans for HG and pregnancy nausea and vomiting and identify genetic associations at two loci implicating the genes GDF15 and IGFBP7.

Marlena S. Fejzo
Olga V. Sazonova
J. Fah Sathirapongsasuti
Ingileif B. Hallgrímsdóttir
Vladimir Vacic
Kimber W. MacGibbon
Frederic P. Schoenberg
Nicholas Mancuso
Dennis J. Slamon
Patrick M. Mullin
23andMe Research Team


Behavior of Salmonella Typhimurium on Fresh Strawberries Under Different Storage Temperatures and Wash Treatments

Abstract: Fresh strawberries are one of the most popular fruits in China and are vulnerable to microbial contamination. In this study, the behavior of Salmonella Typhimurium on fresh strawberries stored at refrigeration and room temperatures, as well as the effectiveness of mild heat wash treatments at 47, 50, and 53°C on bacterial survival was investigated. The modified Gompertz, Huang, log-linear, and Weibull models were used to fit bacterial growth and survival curves under different treatments. A secondary model based on linear regression was developed to describe the effect of washing temperature on the kinetic parameters of S. Typhimurium survival derived from the Weibull model. During 72 h storage, S. Typhimurium on fresh strawberries stored at 4°C was reduced by 1.35 log CFU/g and growth of 5.64 log CFU/g was observed when strawberries were stored at 25°C. Bacterial reductions of 1.22 ± 0.15, 1.92 ± 0.06, 2.27 ± 0.07 log CFU/g were obtained when washing was carried out at 47, 50 and 53°C for 240 s, respectively. The wash temperature was an important parameter for bacterial inactivation and bacterial populations declined significantly in conjunction with washing time (p < 0.05). Warm wash treatments lead the visible color changes of strawberries, showing a slightly darker appearance while acceptable. The goodness-of-fit indices indicated that the log-linear model provided a satisfactory fit to describe the bacterial survival at 4°C. According to the smaller Akaike information criterion (AIC) value, the modified Gompertz model performed slightly better than the Huang model in describing bacterial growth at 25°C. The high adj-R2 (≥0.90) and small RMSE (≤0.22) indicated the Weibull model better described bacterial behavior under mild heat treatments. We found a close linear relationship between wash temperatures and ln k and ln n. These models were validated by independent experimental data and the values of the bias and accuracy factors fell into the acceptable range.

Wen Wang
Yu Zhou
Yu Zhou
Xingning Xiao
Xingning Xiao
Guiling Yang
Qiang Wang
Wei Wei
Yuanjing Liu
Hua Yang


Factors predicting active treatment free-survival and initial experience with mpMRI as a selection tool in patient undergoing active surveillance: 10-year follow-up of SIUrO PRIAS-ITA working group

M. Roscigno
F. Badenchini
G. Napodano
M. Borghesi
C. Marenghi
T. Magnani
G. Simone
G. Conti
G. Guazzoni
M. Tanello
A. Ranieri
M. Battaglia
A. Lapini
V. Altieri
E. Bollito
G. Cicchetti
P. Colombo
M. Colecchia
P. Ditonno
M. Fabiano
E. Frego
H. Rodolfo
R. Montironi
C. Patriarca
A. Pili
A. Paganelli
R. Sanseverino
T. Rancati
C. Bangma
L.F. Da Pozzo
R. Valdagni

Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology

Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens


Recuperação Completa de Doente com Carcinoma da Próstata Estádio IV Durante a Pandemia COVID-19

Abstract: A doença causada pelo coronavírus (COVID-19), inicialmente descrita em Wuhan, China, foi recentemente declarada pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) como uma pandemia global. A idade avançada e a presença de comorbilidades, características bem definidas na população portadora de tumores sólidos, foram interpretadas como fatores de risco para doença grave e morte. O estado de imunodepressão relacionado com o cancro e os seus tratamentos associados também parece desempenhar um papel ativo no prognóstico, resposta e resultados clínicos neste tipo de doentes. Apesar dos doentes oncológicos metastizados não serem bons candidatos para o tratamento em Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI), o prognóstico individual deve ser tido em consideração. Descrevemos um caso de um doente com neoplasia da próstata (CaP) metastizado (estádio IV) infetado pelo SARS-CoV-2, que necessitou de UCI e recuperou da infeção pelo COVID-19.

Gil Falcão
Cabrita Carneiro
Luís Campos Pinheiro


Dancing monkeys in Serbian and Korean – exhaustivity requirements on distributive share markers

Abstract: In some languages, distributive markers/quantifiers can attach to the argument that is being distributed (the distributive share), as opposed to the restrictor of the sentence (the distributive key). Researchers agree that distributive share markers can also distribute over events (and not only individuals), but disagree as to what these markers are semantically – universal distributive quantifiers or event plurality (pluractional) markers. In this paper, we experimentally probe spatial event distribution. On a universal quantification account, exhaustive distribution over a spatial distributive key is enforced, while on the pluractional analysis there is no such requirement. We carried out two picture verification experiments to test exhaustivity requirements in intransitive sentences with distributive share markers from two typologically different languages: the Serbian marker po and the Korean marker -ssik. We found evidence for an exhaustivity requirement over pluralities of non-atomic individuals (groups), but not over designated spatial locations. We interpret these findings as evidence that the semantics of (spatial) event distribution with distributive share markers involves a (spatial) distributive key. Specifically, po/-ssik have a universal quantificational force (with a meaning akin to per (each)) establishing a distributive relation between individual events and elements of the spatial distributive key. Plural individuals made salient in the visual input can serve to divide up the spatial key into chunks of space that have to be exhausted.

Ana Bosnić
Hamida Demirdache
Jennifer Spenader

Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar


Combinations C-shaped root canals in mandibular premolars and second mandibular molars with each other and with the complex channels of other teeth of the lower jaw according to the cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract: From 340 CBCT included in this study, 65 patients (19.1%) found a C-shaped root canals in the mandibular first premolars, 13 patients (3.8%) - C-shaped root canals in mandibular second premolars, 34 (10%) patients - in the mandibular second molars. Patients with C-shaped root canals in the mandibular first premolars 10,77% found C-shaped root canals in the mandibular second premolars. This is 2,8 times higher than the incidence C-shaped canals in the mandibular second premolars (3,85%) patients in the sample. C-shaped root canals in the mandibular second molars in 20,6% of patients were combined with the C-shaped root canals first mandibular premolars. It is 2 times larger than those in the sample (10%). The combination of C-shaped root canals in the first mandibular premolars and mandibular second premolars with mandibular incisors and canines with two canals not exceed their prevalence in the sample.

Эндодонтия Today


Maternal cardiovascular adaptation to twin pregnancy: a population-based prospective cohort study

Abstract: Abstract Background In women with singleton pregnancies, maternal adaptation is considered a stress test for later life cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to assess maternal adaptation in women with twin pregnancies compared to women carrying singletons during and after pregnancy. Methods This was a population based prospective cohort study of 91 women with twin pregnancies and 8107 women carrying singletons. The association of twin pregnancy and maternal adaptation was examined using regression analyses. In pregnancy, we measured soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), placental growth (PGF) factor, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and the occurrence of pre-eclampsia (PE). After pregnancy, measurements were obtained on SBP and DBP, cardiac function, retinal calibres, intima media thickness and distensibility of the common carotid artery. Results sFLT-1 and PGF concentrations were higher in early (13.4 weeks) and mid-pregnancy (20.4 weeks) in women with twin pregnancies compared to women with singleton pregnancies. Women with twin pregnancies had a different DBP pattern in pregnancy. Women with twin pregnancies were more likely to have PE (odds ratio 3.63; 95% CI [1.76 to 7.48]). Six and ten years after pregnancy, no differences in maternal adaptation were observed. Conclusions Women with twin pregnancies show an altered adaptation during pregnancy compared to women with singleton pregnancies. This is associated with a substantially increased incidence of PE, but does not lead to persistent altered maternal adaptation years after pregnancy.

Maria C. Adank
Zoe A. Broere-Brown
Romy Gonçalves
M. Kamran Ikram
Vincent W. V. Jaddoe
Eric A. P. Steegers
Sarah Schalekamp-Timmermans


Loss of PRSS56 function leads to ocular angle defects and increased susceptibility to high intraocular pressure

Abstract: Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, affecting up to 70 million people worldwide. High intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucoma. It is well established that inefficient aqueous humor (AqH) outflow resulting from structural or functional alterations in ocular drainage tissues causes high IOP, but the genes and pathways involved are poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that mutations in the gene encoding the serine protease PRSS56 induces ocular angle closure and high IOP in mice and identified reduced ocular axial length as a potential contributing factor. Here, we show that Prss56−/− mice also exhibit an abnormal iridocorneal angle configuration characterized by a posterior shift of ocular drainage structures relative to the ciliary body and iris. Notably, we show that retina-derived PRSS56 is required between postnatal days 13 and 18 for proper iridocorneal configuration and that abnormal positioning of the ocular drainage tissues is not dependent on ocular size reduction in Prss56−/− mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the genetic context modulates the severity of IOP elevation in Prss56 mutant mice and describe a progressive degeneration of ocular drainage tissues that likely contributes to the exacerbation of the high IOP phenotype observed on the C3H/HeJ genetic background. Finally, we identify five rare PRSS56 variants associated with human primary congenital glaucoma, a condition characterized by abnormal development of the ocular drainage structures. Collectively, our findings point to a role for PRSS56 in the development and maintenance of ocular drainage tissues and IOP homeostasis, and provide new insights into glaucoma pathogenesis.

Cassandre Labelle-Dumais
Goutham Pyatla
Seyyedhassan Paylakhi
Nicholas G. Tolman
Syed Hameed
Yusef Seymens
Eric Dang
Anil K. Mandal
Sirisha Senthil
Rohit C. Khanna
Meha Kabra
Inderjeet Kaur
Simon W. M. John
Subhabrata Chakrabarti
K. Saidas Nair


Single Eye mRNA-Seq Reveals Normalisation of the Retinal Microglial Transcriptome Following Acute Inflammation

Abstract: Background: Whether retinal microglia can maintain or restore immune homeostasis during and after inflammation is unclear. We performed single-eye mRNA-sequencing on microglia at different timepoints following a single inflammatory stimulus to characterise their transcriptome during and after resolution of endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU).Experimental Approach:Cx3cr1CreER:R26-tdTomato (C57BL/6) male heterozygotes were administered tamoxifen via different regimes at 4–5 weeks of age. Four weeks post-tamoxifen, mice were injected intravitreally with 10 ng lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin induced uveitis, EIU). Six-hundred retinal microglia were obtained by FACS from individual naïve retinas and at 4 h, 18 h, and 2 weeks following EIU induction. Samples were sequenced to a depth of up to 16.7 million reads using the SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low Input RNA kit. The data was analysed using Partek software and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Genes were considered differentially-expressed (DEG) if the FDR step-up p-value was ≤0.05 and the fold-change was ≥±2.Results: Flow cytometric analysis indicates that the Cx3cr1CreER:R26-tdTomato strain is both sensitive (>95% tagging) and specific (>95% specificity) for microglia when tamoxifen is administered topically to the eye for 3 days. During “early” activation, 613 DEGs were identified. In contrast, 537 DEGs were observed during peak cellular infiltrate and none at 2 weeks, compared to baseline controls (1,069 total unique DEGs). Key marker changes were validated by qPCR, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. C5AR1 was identified and validated as a robust marker of differentiating microglial subsets during an LPS response.Conclusion: Using EIU to provide a single defined inflammatory stimulus, mRNA-Seq identified acute transcriptional changes in retinal microglia which returned to their original transcriptome after 2 weeks. Yolk-sac derived microglia are capable of restoring their homeostatic state after acute inflammation.

Oliver H. Bell
David A. Copland
Amy Ward
Lindsay B. Nicholson
Clemens A. K. Lange
Clemens A. K. Lange
Colin J. Chu
Andrew D. Dick
Andrew D. Dick


Estimates for Lyme borreliosis infections based on models using sentinel canine and human seroprevalence data

Abstract: Two models were developed to estimate Lyme borreliosis (LB) cases. One was based on the seroprevalence of Borrelia infections in human samples. This model used corrections for false negative and false positive results from published test sensitivity and specificity measures. A second model based on Borrelia infections in sentinel dogs was used to quantify the prevalence of Lyme disease Borrelia infections in humans; the reference baseline for this model was human and canine infections in Germany. A comparison of the two models is shown and differences discussed. The relationships between incidence, prevalence and total infection burden for LB were derived from published data and these were used in both models to calculate annual incidence, prevalence and total LB infections. The modelling was conservative and based on medical insurance records coded for erythema migrans. Linear model growth rates were used in place of the commonly adopted exponential growth. The mean of the two models was used to create estimates for various countries and continents. Examples from the analyses for LB estimated for 2018 include: incidence – USA 473,000/year, Germany 471,000/year, France 434,000/year and UK 132,000/year; prevalence – USA 2.4 million, Germany 2.4 million, France 2.2 million and UK 667,000; total infections – USA 10.1 million, Germany 10.0 million, France 9.3 million and UK 2.8 million. Estimates for the world for 2018 are: incidence 12.3 million/year; prevalence 62.1 million; and total infection burden 262.0 million. These figures are far higher than officially published data and reflect not only the underestimation of diagnosed cases, which is acknowledged by health agencies, but also undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cases.


NASYCENIE PROCESU ABSORPCJI PROMIENIOWANIA TERMICZNEGO W ATMOSFERYCZNYM DWUTLENKU WĘGLA

Abstract: W artykule przedstawiono zwięzły przegląd prac dotyczących wpływu wzrostu stężenia dwutlenku węgla w atmosferze na wzrost w niej absorpcji promieniowania termicznego. Zwrócono uwagę na różnice wyników obliczeń w pracach różnych autorów. Przeprowadzono weryfikację eksperymentalną, która potwierdziła możliwość nasycenia się procesu absorpcji promieniowania termicznego dla CO2 w atmosferze. Wskazano możliwości doskonalenia modeli klimatycznych poprzez wykorzystywanie bezpośrednich wyników pomiarów w pracach eksperymentalnych.

Jan Kubicki
Krzysztof Kopczyński
Jarosław Młyńczak

Informatyka, Automatyka, Pomiary w Gospodarce i Ochronie Środowiska

Environmental engineering
Environmental sciences


Quality of life, psychological distress and violence among women in close relationships: a population-based study in Finland

Abstract: Abstract Background The aim of this study was to examine associations between exposure to violence, quality of life, and psychological distress. Women aged 19–54 years who had been exposed to violence by someone in a close relationship were compared with women unexposed to violence in Finland. We also aimed to investigate associations between different forms of violence (physical, sexual, emotional, or any combination of these) with quality of life and psychological distress. Methods We selected a sample of 22,398 women who had returned self-completed questionnaires from a Finnish population-based health survey between 2013 and 2016. Exposure to violence during the past year was assessed through specific questions from the survey. The EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index was used to measure quality of life, and ordinary least square regressions were fitted. The mental health inventory (MHI-5) was used to measure psychological distress. We investigated associations with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Among women in Finland, the prevalence of exposure to violence in any type of close relationship during the past year was 7.6%. Women who had been exposed to violence had significantly worse scores of the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index, and psychological distress was significantly worse (p < 0.001), compared with unexposed women. Strong associations were found between combinations of violence and both quality of life (coefficient − 0.51, p < 0.001) and mental health (odds ratio 4.16, 95% confidence interval 3.44–5.03). Compared with women who had been exposed to violence by a stranger, women who had been exposed to violence by someone in a close relationship had significantly lower quality-of-life scores (p < 0.001). Conclusions This study found that experience of close relationship violence had a negative influence on both quality of life and psychological distress among women in the general Finnish population. Comparison with victims of violence by strangers shows that some of the lower quality-of-life scores among victims are driven by the perpetrator and victim being in a close relationship. Preventive policies in primary care settings aimed at screening and educating young people should be considered as an early form of intervention to reduce the negative mental health consequences of violence.

Tomomi Hisasue
Marie Kruse
Jani Raitanen
Eija Paavilainen
Pekka Rissanen


PUBLIC INTEREST IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

Abstract: The basis of legal relations in public procurement are private and public interests. The purpose of the study is a substantive assessment of the authors hypothesis that the purpose of legal regulation and financial support of public procurement is to satisfy the public interest expressed in the form of a public need for goods, works, and services. The methodological basis of the study rests on historical and systematic approach, analysis, synthesis and comparative-legal methods. The results of the analysis of normative legal acts regulating public procurement, doctrinal literature and practice showed that public interest denounced in the form of public need is realized through public procurement. Public and private interests can be realized exclusively jointly since these needs cannot objectively be met individually. In general, ensuring public as well as private interests boils down to defining and legally securing the rights and obligations of the customer and their officials, which safeguards them in the process of meeting public needs through public procurement. The study revealed the dependence of the essence of public interest on the political regime, which determines the ratio of public and private interests. Public interest in public procurement is suggested to understand as the value-significant selective position of an official or another person authorized by the government, which is expressed in the form of the public need for the necessary benefit; gaining such benefit involves both legal regulation and financial security. The purpose of legal regulation of public procurement is to satisfy public interest. These concepts should be legally enshrined in Law No. 44-FZ.

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)


Spontaneous Pathologic Splenic Rupture in a Patient with <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Infection, First Case Reported in Israel

Abstract: Travelers exposed to malaria may develop severe disease and complications. A less well-known complication is spontaneous pathologic splenic rupture, which is still under-reported and has never been reported in Israel. In this paper, we report a 23 years old healthy young man presenting in the emergency department, two weeks after coming back from Sierra Leone, with intermittent fever, mild tachycardia and mild left upper quadrant abdominal pain. The patient was diagnosed with <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> infection and developed rapidly after hospital admission spleen rupture. He was managed conservatively at first but ultimately underwent splenectomy after being hemodynamically unstable. In the recovery period, the patient developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and was reintubated. A high level of suspicion is recommended in every malaria patient presenting with left upper quadrant abdominal pain, even if minimal. Ultrasonography availability in the internal medicine department may be a critical diagnostic tool, especially in non-endemic areas.

Yves Weinberg
Arie Feldman
Daniel J. Jakobson
Joseph Mishal


PERCEPTION OF “STRESS” AND “STRESSORS”AMONG FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS AND EFFECT OF INTERVENTION ON THEIR STRESS PERCEPTION

Abstract:
Objective: To explore perception of stress & stressors among first year medical students, with or without intervention.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana and duration of the study was of eight months starting from Oct 2017.

Methodology: All the first year medical students who were willing to participate and present in class and filled the post it notes and perceived stress scale-questionnaire completely were included in this study. These 240 students were randomly divided to two equal groups of 120 students in each; group I received intervention and thus labeled as intervention group, whereas group 2 included remaining half of students which did not receive any intervention (non-intervention group). The intervention was in form of a 2 days’ workshop on stress management. The contents of workshop were carefully selected in concordance with the identified stressors from response of students on the post-it-notes.

Results: About 45% (109) were boys and 55% (131) were girls. Most common stressors identified were, time management (24.1%), lack of guidance from teacher regarding test/exam preparation (20.8%), failure to memorize and retain learned facts (19.1%), lack of peer support (12.5%), frequent test/exams (10.8%) long courses (8.3%) and conflict with teachers/friends (4.1%). Mean baseline perceived stress scale score in intervention group was 19.72 ± 6.04 where as in non-intervention group it was 19.27 ± 0.583. The difference of PSS scores before (baseline) and after intervention (delayed) was statistically significant (p-value <0.001) between two groups.

Conclusion: We may conclude from our study findings that the moderate degree of stress is not uncommon among first year medical students and the stress-management intervention improves perception of stress by addressing the common stressors as identified by them.


Spacing Allocation Method for Vehicular Platoon: A Cooperative Game Theory Approach

Abstract: Recently, spacing policies of the vehicular platoon have been widely developed to enhance safety, traffic efficiency, and fuel consumption. However, the integrated spacing policies aim to maximum overall benefit, and the distributed spacing policies intense to get optimal monomer benefit. Ignoring the fairness of the benefit allocation of each vehicle will reduce the motivation to constitute the platoon. To fill this critical gap, this study proposes a spacing allocation method by treating spacing decisions as cooperative games. A flock’s model which is used to be the payoff function is introduced based on bionic motion principles. We present a characteristic function of the platoon for the cooperative game model considering the specific structure of the platoon. The τ value, Shapley value, and average lexicographic value are introduced and applied to allocate the spacing fairly. Proposed methods are compared with constant distance policy in some typical situations. The simulation results demonstrate that the spacing policy based on cooperative game theory improved the stable time for consistency control and the convergence of longitudinal following error.

Yang Liu
Changfu Zong
Xiaojian Han
Dong Zhang
Hongyu Zheng
Chunmei Shi


Genetic Markers of Adaptation of <named-content content-type="genus-species">Plasmodium falciparum</named-content> to Transmission by American Vectors Identified in the Genomes of Parasites from Haiti and South America

Abstract: ABSTRACT The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, was introduced into Hispaniola and other regions of the Americas through the slave trade spanning the 16th through the 19th centuries. During this period, more than 12 million Africans were brought across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and other regions of the Americas. Since malaria is holoendemic in West Africa, a substantial percentage of these individuals carried the parasite. St. Domingue on Hispaniola, now modern-day Haiti, was a major port of disembarkation, and malaria is still actively transmitted there. We undertook a detailed study of the phylogenetics of the Haitian parasites and those from Colombia and Peru utilizing whole-genome sequencing. Principal-component and phylogenetic analyses, based upon single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in protein coding regions, indicate that, despite the potential for millions of introductions from Africa, the Haitian parasites share an ancestral relationship within a well-supported monophyletic clade with parasites from South America, while belonging to a distinct lineage. This result, in stark contrast to the historical record of parasite introductions, is best explained by a severe population bottleneck experienced by the parasites introduced into the Americas. Here, evidence is presented for targeted selection of rare African alleles in genes which are expressed in the mosquito stages of the parasite’s life cycle. These genetic markers support the hypothesis that the severe population bottleneck was caused by the required adaptation of the parasite to transmission by new definitive hosts among the Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) spp. found in the Caribbean and South America. IMPORTANCE Historical data suggest that millions of P. falciparum parasite lineages were introduced into the Americas during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which would suggest a paraphyletic origin of the extant isolates in the Western Hemisphere. Our analyses of whole-genome variants show that the American parasites belong to a well-supported monophyletic clade. We hypothesize that the required adaptation to American vectors created a severe bottleneck, reducing the effective introduction to a few lineages. In support of this hypothesis, we discovered genes expressed in the mosquito stages of the life cycle that have alleles with multiple, high-frequency or fixed, nonsynonymous mutations in the American populations which are rarely found in African isolates. These alleles appear to be in gene products critical for transmission through the anopheline vector. Thus, these results may inform efforts to develop novel transmission-blocking vaccines by identifying parasite proteins functionally interacting with the vector that are important for successful transmission. Further, to the best of our knowledge, these are the first whole-genome data available from Haitian P. falciparum isolates. Defining the genome of these parasites provides genetic markers useful for mapping parasite populations and monitoring parasite movements/introductions.

Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte
Charles A. Yowell
Maha A. Elbadry
Jacques Boncy
Christian P. Raccurt
Bernard A. Okech
Erica M. Goss
Marco Salemi
John B. Dame


Physical model test study on shear strength characteristics of slope sliding surface in Nanfen open-pit mine

Abstract: A physical model for the footwall slope of Nanfen open-pit mine, China was established using a self-developed deep geological engineering disaster model test system. A thermosensitive similar material, paraffin, was selected to simulate a weak structural plane in the slope to reproduce the landslide process. From an experimental perspective, the variation trend of shear strength parameters of weak structural plane and the mechanical support characteristics of NPR (negative Poisson’s ratio) anchor cable under the condition of a large landslide deformation and failure were examined. The results of this model test showed that slope failure has four distinct stages: (1) soil compaction stage, (2) crack generation stage, (3) crack propagation stage, and (4) sliding plane transfixion stage. According to the test results, the rock mechanics parameters of weak surface in the footwall slope of Nanfen open-pit mine were calculated. The cohesion is approximately 1.35 × 105 Pa, and the internal friction angle is approximately 6.33°. During slope failure, the NPR anchor cable experiences a large deformation but no damage occurs, indicating that the NPR anchor cable can be continuously monitored and reinforced during the deformation and failure of landslide. The stress characteristics of NPR anchor cables during the test are consistent with the monitoring results of Newtonian force at the landslide site, proving that NPR anchor cables are effective and reasonable in landslide monitoring and early warning.

Zhigang Tao
Yu Shu
Xiaojie Yang
Yanyan Peng
Qihang Chen
Haijiang Zhang

International Journal of Mining Science and Technology


Evaluasi Penggunaan Aplikasi Sistem Keuangan Desa (Siskeudes) di Nagari Kayu Tanam Kecamatan 2x11 Kayutanam

Abstract: Aplikasi Siskeudes ini merupakan suatu sistem yang dikembangkan oleh BPKP dalam meningkatkan kualitas tata kelola keuangan desa. Pemerintah Padang Pariaman sudah menetapkan Siskeudes untuk diaplikasikan namun pada kenyataannya masih banyak nagari yang ada di Kecamatan 2x11 Kayutanam khususnya nagari kayu tanam ini mengalami kendala dalam mengaplikasikannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi pelaksanaan aplikasi Siskeudes di Nagari Kayu dalam mewujudkan pengelolaan keuangan nagari yang transparan dan secara akuntabel. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif. Data penelitian didapatkan melalui observasi, studi dokumentasi, dan wawancara secara mendalam, kemudian dianalisis dengan tiga tahapan untuk penelitian ini. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) Penerapan Aplikasi Siskeudes di Nagari Kayu Tanam sudah cukup baik dalam penggunaannya, dilihat dari aspek efisiensi, efektif, dan kesesuaian dalam aplikasi tersebut melalui tahap perencanaan dan tahap pelaksanaan, sedangkan belum efektif dan belum ada kesesuaian pada tahap pelaporan dan tahap pertanggungjawaban, tetapi masih banyak kendala yang dihadapi dalam pelaksanaannya, yaitu; kurangnya sumber daya manusia yang ada; pelatihan-pelatihan dari pihak kabupaten belum maksimal; keterlambatan dalam penyusunan laporan pertanggungjawaban; dan partisipasi masyarakat yang masih kurang. (2) Faktor-faktor penyebab kendala yang ditemukan dalam penggunaan sistem keuangan desa tersebut, yaitu adanya kesalahan teknis, adanya gangguan lingkungan, dan adanya kelalaian manusia. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan, dapat disimpulkan bahwa penggunaan aplikasi sistem keuangan desa (Siskeudes) di Nagari Kayu Tanam Kecamatan 2x11 Kayutanam sudah cukup baik diterapkan tetapi dalam pelaksanaannya masih ada kendala-kendala yang terjadi.

Governmental Science Laboratory, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Riau

Political institutions and public administration (General)


Effect of Counterpart Surface Roughness on the Tribological Properties of Nano-SiO2 Modified PTFE Composites

Abstract: In order to study the effect of counterpart surface roughness on tribological properties of nanoparticles filled polyphenylene（PTFE）composites under dry friction condition, cold compression molding and hot sintering were used to prepare nano-SiO2 filled PTFE composites. The tribological properties of nano-SiO2 filled PTFE composites sliding on three kinds of counterpart (GCr15) surface with different surface roughness were evaluated by LSR–2M reciprocating friction and wear tester. The morphologies, microstructures and chemical compositions of the transfer films and debris were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), in order to reveal the friction transfer mechanism of nano-SiO2 filled PTFE composites from the microscopic perspective. The experimental results showed that the friction coefficients of pure PTFE and different content of nano-SiO2 filled PTFE composites increased with the increase of the surface roughness of the steel counterpart, while the friction coefficients were relatively small on the counterpart surface with roughness 0.1. The addition of nano-SiO2 effectively reduced the wear volume of PTFE on three different counterpart surface roughness, when the filling ratio was 0.5%, the best tribological property was obtained on the counterpart surface with roughness 1.2, the running-in time was nearly 10 minutes shorter than pure PTFE, and the wear resistance was 33.3% higher than that of pure PTFE. There was a synergistic effect between the content of nano-SiO2 and the counterpart surface roughness, the friction pair that compose of PTFE composites filled with nano-SiO2 and steel discs counterpart with certain surface roughness can effectively promote the friction transfer of composites, therefore the transfer films with high coverage, uniformity, continuity, rough surface and consistent with the direction of friction on the counterpart surface were formed, which is beneficial for reducing the wear of materials.

Gui GAO
Ruihong LI
Jun GONG
Honggang WANG
Dongya YANG
Junfang REN
Shengsheng CHEN

Editorial Department of Journal of Sichuan University (Engineering Science Edition)


المحققون الرقميون  لحل المعضلات المعلوماتية فى عالم الانترنت

ريهام محمود عبد الله

ريهام محمود عبد الله

المجلة الدولية لعلوم المكتبات والمعلومات

Bibliography. Library science. Information resources


Of Exile in America: The Immigrant Experience in “American Land” (2006) and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (1995) by Bruce Springsteen

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore the experience of exile in two folk ballads by Bruce Springsteen, “American Land” (2006) and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (1995). The paper examines the aesthetic and poetic aspects of the two ballads. “American Land” tells the story of a new immigrant who settles in America and portrays it as a Promised Land. In “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” Springsteen suggests that ordinary people undergo a metaphorical exile that has led John Steinbeck’s protagonist Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1939) to express his anger against the injustice of the Great Depression.

Association Française d'Etudes Américaines


High‐Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I and T Response Following Strenuous Activity is Attenuated by Smokeless Tobacco: NEEDED (North Sea Race Endurance Exercise Study) 2014

Abstract: Background Use of snus, a smokeless tobacco product, is increasing in Scandinavia. Strenuous physical activity is associated with an acute increase in high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin (swhs‐cTn) concentrations. Current smoking is associated with lower hs‐cTn, but whether this also holds true for smokeless tobacco and whether tobacco affects the hs‐cTn response to exercise remain unknown. Methods and Results We measured hs‐cTnI and hs‐cTnT concentrations in 914 recreational athletes before and 3 and 24 hours after a 91‐km bicycle race. Self‐reported snus tobacco habits were reported as noncurrent (n=796) and current (n=118). The association between snus use and change in log‐transformed hs‐cTnI and hs‐cTnT concentrations (ie, the differences between concentrations at baseline and 3 hours and 24 hours ) were assessed by multivariable linear regression analysis. Concentrations of hs‐cTn at baseline were lower in current than in noncurrent snus users (hs‐cTnI median, 1.7 ng/L; Q1 to Q3: 1.6–2.3 versus 2.0 ng/L; Q1 to Q3: 1.6–3.2 [P=0.020]; and hs‐cTnT: median, 2.9 ng/L, Q1 to Q3: 2.9–3.5 versus 2.9 ng/L, Q1 to Q3: 2.9–4.3 [P=0.021]). In fully adjusted multivariable models, use of snus was associated with lower change in hs‐cTn concentrations from baseline to 3 hours (hs‐cTnI: −29% [P=0.002], hs‐cTnT: −18% [P=0.010]) and 24 hours (hscTnI: −30% [P=0.010], hs‐cTnT −19%, [P=0.013]). Conclusions Resting hs‐cTn concentrations are lower and the exercise‐induced cardiac troponin response is attenuated in current users of smokeless tobacco compared with nonusers. Further insight into the pathophysiological processes underlying the attenuated cardiac troponin response to exercise in tobacco users is needed. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02166216.

Julia Brox Skranes
Øyunn Kleiven
Kristin Moberg Aakre
Øyvind Skadberg
Tor H. Melberg
Torbjørn Omland
Stein Ørn

Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease

Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system


Occupancy Prediction Using Low-Cost and Low-Resolution Heat Sensors for Smart Offices

Abstract: Solving the challenge of occupancy prediction is crucial in order to design efficient and sustainable office spaces and automate lighting, heating, and air circulation in these facilities. In office spaces where large areas need to be observed, multiple sensors must be used for full coverage. In these cases, it is normally important to keep the costs low, but also to make sure that the privacy of the people who use such environments are preserved. Low-cost and low-resolution heat (thermal) sensors can be very useful to build solutions that address these concerns. However, they are extremely sensitive to noise artifacts which might be caused by heat prints of the people who left the space or by other objects, which are either using electricity or exposed to sunlight. There are some earlier solutions for occupancy prediction that employ low-resolution heat sensors; however, they have not addressed nor compensated for such heat artifacts. Therefore, in this paper, we presented a low-cost and low-energy consuming smart space implementation to predict the number of people in the environment based on whether their activity is static or dynamic in time. We used a low-resolution <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>8</mn><mo>×</mo><mn>8</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> and non-intrusive heat sensor to collect data from an actual meeting room. We proposed two novel workflows to predict the occupancy; one that is based on computer vision and one based on machine learning. Besides comparing the advantages and disadvantages of these different workflows, we used several state-of-the-art explainability methods in order to provide a detailed analysis of the algorithm parameters and how the image properties influence the resulting performance. Furthermore, we analyzed noise resources that affect the heat sensor data. The experiments show that the feature classification based method gives high accuracy when the data are clean from noise artifacts. However, when there are noise artifacts, the computer vision based method can compensate for those artifacts providing robust results. Because the computer vision based method requires an empty room recording, the feature classification based method should be chosen either when there is no expectancy of seeing noise artifacts in the data or when there is no empty recording available. We hope that our analysis brings light into understanding how to handle very low-resolution heat images in these environments. The presented workflows could be used in various domains and applications other than smart offices, where occupancy prediction is essential, e.g., for elderly care.


Kinerja Microbial Fuel Cell dengan Variasi Hambatan Eksternal dalam Menghasilkan Energi Listrik dan Menyisihkan Senyawa Organik pada Limbah Cair

Abstract: Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) merupakan teknologi yang dapat digunakan untuk mengkonversikan senyawa organik yang terkandung dalam limbah cair menjadi energi listrik. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan variasi hambatan eksternal (1000 Ω, 800 Ω, 400 Ω, 200 Ω, 100 Ω, dan 50 Ω) pada reaktor MFC untuk menentukan kondisi optimum dalam menghasilkan energi listrik dan menyisihkan senyawa organik. Kinerja reaktor MFC dievaluasi berdasarkan besarnya beda potensial, kerapatan daya, efisiensi Coulomb (CE), dan penyisihan senyawa organik. Tujuan dari pengukuran parameter ini adalah untuk menentukan kinerja reaktor MFC dalam menghasilkan energi listrik dan menyisihkan senyawa organik pada masing-masing variasi penelitian. Selain itu, dilakukan uji biokimia untuk melihat aktivitas dari mikroorganisme dalam reaktor untuk kemudian dijadikan dasar dalam menentukan jenis mikroorganisme dominan yang tumbuh dalam reaktor MFC. Penentuan jenis mikroorganisme menjadi penting untuk optimasi kondisi lingkungan pada penelitan selanjutnya. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa kinerja reaktor MFC dipengaruhi oleh hambatan eksternal yang digunakan. Reaktor MFC dengan hambatan eksternal 100 Ω dipilih sebagai kondisi optimum karena menghasilkan kerapatan daya (174,2 mW/m2) dan penyisihan organik (91%) tertinggi dibandingkan dengan reaktor lain. Selain itu, nilai CE pada kondisi tersebut mencapai 57%, sedikit lebih rendah dari nilai CE yang dihasilkan oleh reaktor MFC dengan hambatan eksternal 50 Ω yaitu 65%. Berdasarkan uji biokimia, mikroorganisme yang tumbuh pada elektroda anoda adalah bakteri yang masuk dalam genus Clostridium (Clostridium sp1 dan Clostridium sp2) yang ditenggarai sebagai jenis bakteri yang termasuk ke dalam exoelectrogen. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut dapat lihat bahwa pemilihan hambatan eksternal yang tepat merupakan faktor penting dalam pengoperasian reaktor MFC.

Syarif Hidayat
Dini Widyani Aghnia
Edwan Kardena
Qomarudin Helmy


Regional ethnic autonomy: thinking and actions on the reconstruction of a unified multi-ethnic country by the CPC

Abstract: Abstract The founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established and consolidated a new type of socialist ethnic relations, and the people of all ethnic groups in China have embarked on a socialist road since then. This “had never occurred in thousands of years” in the history of China’s ethnic relations and was based on the correct path for solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics pioneered by the Communist Party of China (CPC), the institutional core of which is the system of regional ethnic autonomy. So to speak, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, as a fundamental political system of the country, is the reconstruction of the important content and system of ethnic relations and the reconstruction of the governance system of a unified multi-ethnic country. Around the year of 1949, the Chinese communists planned the system of regional ethnic autonomy in a systematical and comprehensive manner, and established a basic discourse guiding the ethnic work, ethnic policies and ethnic studies in the PRC. On the basis of historical literature, this paper arranges and sorts out the ethic policies and thinking context at the early stage of the governance by the CPC.

International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology

Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology


Research on Universal Design of Water-based Strength Training Fitness Products

Abstract: The existing strength training fitness products have the problems of single-use group and function. First of all, this paper takes the universal design as the research criterion, finds out the design pain point of the product to realize the strength training generalization, and proposes to use water as the medium to solve the problems of different groups when carrying out strength training because the products can not meet the different training intensity, universal safety,  and training parts. Then, the products can be generalized to different groups and their diversified training needs. Finally, the design scheme is analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, and compared with the best strength training universal products on the market, so as to verify that water as the medium is feasible for effectively realizing the product generalization in different groups and diversified training needs.


The impact of assistance on poverty and food security in a fragile and protracted-crisis context: the case of West Bank and Gaza Strip

Abstract: This paper assesses the impact of assistance on the wellbeing of Palestinian households. The impact evaluation analysis uses a difference-in-difference approach for the treatment of sample selection bias. The paper uses data from the 2013 and 2014 rounds of the Palestinian Socio-Economic and Food Security survey to estimate the impact of assistance to West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) households on their poverty and food security status. Results suggest that both poverty and food insecurity would have been much higher for WBGS as a whole without assistance, further increasing in areas with lower levels of assistance. However, the average positive impact of assistance hides a lot of heterogeneity. In fact, while there is a clear positive impact of the intensity of assistance on poverty reduction, food consumption and diet diversity in the West Bank, Gaza Strip analysis shows mixed results. Results highlight how the international community cannot disengage from supporting Palestinian households without severely impacting their wellbeing.

Donato Romano
Gianluca Stefani
Benedetto Rocchi
Ciro Fiorillo

Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling
Forestry


Ospemifene for vulvar and vaginal atrophy: an overview

Abstract: The menopause-related decline in estrogen levels leads to an array of genital, sexual, and urinary symptoms collectively known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause. The constellation of symptoms associated with vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) can have a profoundly detrimental effect on a woman’s sexual function, relationships, and quality of life. Ospemifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator indicated for treatment of moderate-to-severe symptomatic VVA in postmenopausal women who are not candidates for local vaginal estrogen therapy or have contraindications for estrogen products. Ospemifene is administered orally, thus avoiding the inconveniences of local therapy, and can be used in women with VVA and a history of breast cancer after completing all (including adjuvant) breast cancer treatment. As well as restoring vaginal health in symptomatic VVA, ospemifene may have collateral benefits of importance to postmenopausal women. In this Special Issue entitled “Treatment of Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy: Clinical Experience with Ospemifene,” illustrative case studies examine the experiences of women with VVA during treatment with ospemifene. Specific topics include the effects of ospemifene on bone markers; its use in breast cancer survivors and in women with dyslipidemia, urinary incontinence, or VVA-related sexual dysfunction; and its concomitant use with laser therapy.


Characterizing the role of Zn cluster family transcription factor ZcfA in governing development in two Aspergillus species.

Abstract: Filamentous fungi reproduce asexually or sexually, and the processes of asexual and sexual development are tightly regulated by a variety of transcription factors. In this study, we characterized a Zn2Cys6 transcription factor in two Aspergillus species, A. nidulans (AN5859) and A. flavus (AFLA_046870). AN5859 encodes a Zn2Cys6 transcription factor, called ZcfA. In A. nidulans, ΔzcfA mutants exhibit decreased fungal growth, a reduction in cleistothecia production, and increased asexual reproduction. Overexpression of zcfA results in increased conidial production, suggesting that ZcfA is required for proper asexual and sexual development in A. nidulans. In conidia, deletion of zcfA causes decreased trehalose levels and decreased spore viability but increased thermal sensitivity. In A. flavus, the deletion of the zcfA homolog AFLA_046870 causes increased conidial production but decreased sclerotia production; these effects are similar to those of zcfA deletion in A. nidulans development. Overall, these results demonstrate that ZcfA is essential for maintaining a balance between asexual and sexual development and that some roles of ZcfA are conserved in Aspergillus spp.

Ye-Eun Son
He-Jin Cho
Mi-Kyung Lee
Hee-Soo Park


The Pandemic Storm and the Design Culture’s Rafts: A Review of the Main Italian Architecture Magazines during the 20th and 21st Century’s Major Health Threats

Abstract: While the Covid-19 emergency has launched a widespread debate about the role of architecture, it is not the only health crisis to have impacted the 20th and 21st centuries. A survey of the leading Italian architectural magazines was performed to better understand how the design culture treated past pandemics, such as the Asian, Hong Kong, and Swine influenzas. Although the review did not reveal explicit reflections, some design constants in the planning of the city emerged cyclically in the background. This paper shows how, thanks to the debate on Covid-19, an incubation process that began a century ago is being completed, allowing only today the clarification of the media function of architecture in the construction of a critical awareness towards the pandemic phenomenon.


Análisis comparativo de la lógica técnico-política de reconstrucción: terremoto e incendios forestales en el Maule, Chile

Abstract: Los incendios forestales del 2017 ocasionaron importantes daños en la Región del Maule, y obligaron a un nuevo proceso de reconstrucción en las zonas rurales que ya habían sido afectadas por el terremoto del 2010. Este artículo realiza un análisis comparativo de la lógica técnico-política de reconstrucción de viviendas rurales de ambos procesos. Se utilizó una metodología cualitativa, realizando 15 entrevistas y un focus group con actores claves, además de analizar información secundaria para caracterizar los impactos y los instrumentos de política habitacional aplicados. Los resultados dan cuenta de la diversidad de enfoques utilizados para reconstruir. Por un lado, se advierten importantes avances, como la adecuación de las normativas técnicas y los instrumentos (subsidios), una mayor apertura a los procesos participativos, una planificación realizada por el Estado, y un control del voluntarismo de grupos privados. Por otro lado, se evidencia la existencia de desafíos pendientes en el ámbito de la estructura institucional, las relaciones entre actores relevantes y la participación comunitaria. Con todo, en el proceso de reconstrucción posterior a los incendios forestales, se aprecia un Estado que asume un mayor rol en la coordinación de los actores involucrados y de acompañamiento de las comunidades.

Stefano Micheletti
Dante Pancani Corvalán
Elena Pisani


A comparative study on knowledge and practice against malaria among Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) of low and high endemic regions of Tripura, Northeast India

Abstract: Introduction: This study was conducted to compare and evaluate the knowledge as well as the practice of community health volunteers, Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) in low and high malaria-endemic regions of Tripura, Northeast India. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all ASHAs working in the randomly selected two blocks of each low and high malaria-endemic areas were included in the study. While ASHAs with less than 1-year experience were excluded from the study. The ASHAs were interviewed and information was gathered on knowledge and practice against malaria management. Chi-square test was used to identify differences in responses among the ASHAs. Results: Significant differences in knowledge of mixed malarial infection (P < 0.001) and early symptoms of malaria (P = 0.005) were observed when responses of high malaria-endemic ASHAs (HMEA) were compared to low endemic ASHAs (LMEA). With respect to malaria testing skills, 83.16% HMEA affirmed that they could perform Rapid diagnostic (RD) kit tests as opposed to 57.24% LMEA, (P < 0.001). Disturbingly only two HMEA could correctly describe the duration for Pf and Pv treatment. Conclusion: The study identifies major lacunae in the balance of knowledge and practices of ASHAs in both study areas of Tripura. Therefore,for a successful projected malaria elimination program, community-level ASHA volunteers need to have accurate malaria knowledge and management approaches irrespective of the endemicity. This study will help to understand the operational constraints and plan educational training for ASHA volunteers in malaria-endemic regions.

Purvita Chowdhury
Subrata Baidya
Debosmita Paul
Biraj Kalita
Gunendra Saikia
Sanjoy Karmakar
Sanghita Paul

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care