bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Chemoradiation in Locally-Advanced Resectable Carcinoma of the Esophagus in a Single Rural Cancer Hospital in Western India
Authors: Anap Yogesh S. , Tanawade Prasad K. , Mathankar Manish J. , Mane-Patil Ashwini D. , Bagul Kiran G. , Pawar Reshma S. , Pawar Suraj B.
Published: April 2021

Background The current standard of care for the treatment of surgically resectable carcinoma of the esophagus is preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgery. There is strong evidence that this trimodality approach improves survival as compared with surgery alone.

Objective The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of this approach in a rural cancer institute in western India.

Materials and Methods The data of all the 157 consecutively treated patients with locally-advanced carcinoma of the esophagus from March 2013 to March 2017 who were started on preoperative chemoradiation were analyzed retrospectively.

Results Of the 157 patients who were started on preoperative chemoradiation, 68 patients underwent surgery. There are various practical reasons for not undergoing the definitive surgery, with the important being the socioeconomic support to the patients during the course of treatment.

Conclusion This study gave us insight into the strategic selection of patients for the trimodality approach as well as the need for continuous socioeconomic support throughout the treatment course.
Environmental and economic concerns surrounding restrictions on glyphosate use in corn
Authors: Ye Ziwei , Wu Felicia , Hennessy David A.
Published: April 2021

Significance

Since IARC classified glyphosate as a Group 2A probable human carcinogen in 2015, multiple regulations restricting glyphosate use have emerged worldwide. One question that has been insufficiently addressed is how weed-control alternatives to glyphosate compare in terms of health, environmental, and market effects. Our study analyzes these effects by enacting hypothetical glyphosate taxes at varying levels in US field corn. We find that, despite reducing the net toxicological burden on human health and the environment from herbicide substitution, any level of glyphosate tax would result in a net social welfare loss, mostly driven by the increased cost of corn production. Our results suggest that caution is warranted when regulating glyphosate, if only because replacement herbicides may cause more harm.
Dual nature of human ACE2 glycosylation in binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike
Authors: Mehdipour Ahmad Reza , Hummer Gerhard
Published: April 2021

Significance

The SARS-CoV-2 virus infects cells by docking the spike protein at its surface to a receptor protein exposed on human cells. Both receptor and spike are covered by sugars. With molecular dynamics simulations, we show that sugars attached to the N90 site of the human receptor interfere with binding to the virus, explaining reports of increased susceptibility to infection if N90 glycosylation is lost. By contrast, sugars at the human receptor N322 site strengthen the binding to spike by latching onto a site on spike that is targeted also by neutralizing antibodies. By characterizing the contrasting roles of sugars in the interaction between virus and host cells, we aid in the targeted development of neutralizing antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 fusion inhibitors.
Warm early Mars surface enabled by high-altitude water ice clouds
Authors: Kite Edwin S. , Steele Liam J. , Mischna Michael A. , Richardson Mark I.
Published: April 2021

Significance

Mars is cold today but once had lakes. We evaluated the water ice cloud greenhouse hypothesis for warming early Mars. Our results reconcile previous discrepant results by showing that the cloud greenhouse provides strong warming if the surface has patchy surface H2O but not if there is very extensive surface H2O. In our model, arid, warm, stable climates emerge with surface H2O (and low clouds) only at locations much colder than average surface temperature. At locations horizontally distant from the surface cold traps, clouds are found only at high altitudes, which maximizes cloud warming. As this scenario is consistent with geologic data that suggest a warm, arid early Mars climate, our results support the cloud greenhouse hypothesis for warming early Mars.
Autoregulation of insulin receptor signaling through MFGE8 and the αvβ5 integrin
Authors: Datta Ritwik , Lizama Carlos O. , Soltani Amin K. , Mckleroy William , Podolsky Michael J. , Yang Christopher D. , Huynh Tony L. , Cautivo Kelly M. , Wang Biao , Koliwad Suneil K. , Abumrad Nada A. , Atabai Kamran
Published: April 2021

Significance

The increasing prevalence of insulin resistance in the current obesity epidemic creates a significant need for ongoing investigations into the mechanisms that modulate insulin resistance. Long-term treatment of diabetic patients with high doses of insulin, especially in those that are obese, may cause further weight gain and exacerbate the risk of developing cancers. The work presented here demonstrates a previously unappreciated regulatory pathway by which insulin initiates dampening and/or termination of its own signaling pathway through an integrin-dependent pathway. These data identify a pathway that can potentially be targeted to reduce insulin requirements in patients with diabetes.
Hamaspora sinica var. sinica.
Authors:   USA, USDA-ARS
Published: April 2021

There is little published information on this plant pathogenic fungus, which has limited geographic distribution. It infects Rubus spp., which exist in other regions of the world with similar environmental conditions, therefore this species may pose a threat to native or agricultural plants if introduced.
Performance evaluation of dynamic pulley damper system for installation angle
Authors: Majima R , Hayashi K , Saito T
Published: April 2021

Dynamic pulley damper system (DPDS) as an innovative methodology for a response control system using a block and tackle mechanism to provide enhanced vibration reduction in high-rise buildings, has been proposed. The key aspect of this system is to exponentially increase the damper movement using an amplification mechanism comprising movable pulleys and a wire. This paper presents the relation between the arrangement of the wire’s angles, particularly in the amplification part, and the vibration reduction effect. The DPDS is introduced into a center-core high-rise building. Two small building varieties with different core heights are designed; then, a wire is stretched between the frame and the core structures. The capability of the DPDS to control vibration is confirmed via the shaking table test. Additionally, the accuracy of the simulation models is verified by a comparison with the experimental results. Moreover, this paper includes a parametric analysis test to determine the wire-stretching angle for establishing the most efficient design. The results of the above analysis show that the wire-stretching angle influences the seismic performance of the DPDS.
Case study: Estimating the occurrence of sea water intrusion using geoelectrical method in Pangandaran district
Authors: Yuliatmoko R S , Kurniawan T , Sunardi B , Hardy T , Martha A A , Rohadi S , Riama N F
Published: April 2021

Research to find out intrusion in Pangandaran is very interesting, because this area is close to coastal objects that has been expanding and leading tourist attraction in West Java, Indonesia. This intrusion information is useful to determine aquifer locations which indicate below that the location is saturated water. If this aquifer locations are detected in large areas and wide volume, then this location will have potential liquefaction during a big earthquake. This research could be used as the first step before the next research to measure and calculate on either location by detail grid and radius with these 2 lines, so it is gotten direct and large distribution of sea-water intrusion. The purpose of this study is to identify the subsurface structures to get an overview of sea-water intrusion. The method used is geoelectrical based on the electrical resistance value of the rock type. The results of the measurement of 2 lines and data processing showed that the line in Pesona Park Pangandaran and the line in SMPN 1 Soccer Field Pangandaran showed the presence of sea-water intrusion that very salty with a resistance value of 0.5-2.0 ohm-meter, at a depth of 19-20 meters.
Understanding important variables for mode preference; A Case study of intercity land mode
Authors: Roza A , Karim M R , Rusli A N , Rusli A M
Published: April 2021

This study aims to describe factors that influenced the mode preference for intercity land movement in Malaysia. Bus and train as intercity land public transport service was observed during the construction of the ETS (Electric Train Service) project in Malaysia. This study adopted a qualitative research study using the Revealed Preferenced data and crosstabs procedure. The reliability test has been used over 17 questionnaire items to measure the consistency of the questionnaire. The result indicated that the overall reliability of the questionnaire is reliable. To evaluate the adequacy of the sample size, the factor analysis had conducted. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s test value is significant, which measures verified the sampling adequacy for the sample analysis. This research highlighted that the variable of fare, travel time, mode accessibility, departure frequency, and mode availability are some important attributes that influenced bus user preference for intercity land movement. Learning a lesson from the KL- Ipoh corridor, the completion of the ETS double-tracking project is predicted to affect the bus mode’s ridership in the KL - Penang corridor. This finding can be beneficial for setting future strategy on particular intercity modal goals.
The performance service evaluation of Sibinuang regular passenger train
Authors: Adji B M , Wahyuni S , Yosritzal  , Fashalli A
Published: April 2021

The Regular Sibinuang train is one of the railway bases of public transportation, which is serving passengers of Padang – Pariaman corridor, from Padang Station in Padang to the Gandohria station in Pariaman. While PM No. 48 of 2015 regulates the Minimum Passenger Service Standards (SPM) of passenger railways. It needs to be investigated whether the services of the Regular Sibinuang passenger train are in accordance with the SPM. Three hundred respondents are obtained by distributing questionnaires to Sibinuang (Regular) train passengers. The parameters observed in this study were 26 attributes. The analysis was conducted by using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method. This method compares the level of importance with the level of satisfaction (performance), which is separated into four quadrants. As the result, there are five attributes included in quadrant IV. Those attributes are ‘the availability of CCTV cameras,’ ‘the availability of toilets which have good air circulation,’ ‘the availability of a handle for standing passengers,’ ‘the availability of station information to be passed in sequence, and the availability of facilities for disabled passengers.’ The results of the analysis in this quadrant should be the primary reference for PT. KAI Regional Division II West Sumatra as the main priority to immediately improve.
Sustainable affordable Housing Delivery System (HDS); A comparative study of Indonesia and United Kingdom best practices
Authors: Monika M P , Suraji A , Hardi J , Ferial R
Published: April 2021

Every country has its way to provide a Housing Delivery System (HDS). The law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2011 explained that the government provides and facilitates the people on housing and human settlement through the National Affordable Housing Program (NAHP) and One Million Houses Program. The United Kingdom’s government is improving the quality and quantity of properties for renting and also providing housing support for vulnerable people based on the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. The ambition of adding one million new homes by 2020 is very attractive. Indonesia and the United Kingdom have the same aims at planning and building better places to live for everyone with affordable prices. Although the countries got a similar program, the housing delivery system in Indonesia needs to transform for a better achievement of its housing delivery system. This study will be focusing on Housing Delivery System (HDS) differences between Indonesia and the United Kingdom for sustainable affordable housing programs. The objective of this study is to identify the differences between housing delivery systems in Indonesia and the United Kingdom for affordable housing. This study aims at investigating the comparative analysis of data about housing delivery systems in Indonesia and the United Kingdom. This study will provide valuable information to improve the housing delivery system in Indonesia based on the United Kingdom for affordable and social housing.
The implementation of reproductive health program during the flash flood disaster in Sijunjung, West Sumatra in 2018
Authors: Nursal D G A , Aprianty  , Halawa S P
Published: April 2021

Disaster has negative impacts on the reproductive health conditions of disaster victims, especially for vulnerable groups, namely increased maternal and neonatal deaths, increased risk of cases of sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of the reproductive health program in the flash flood disaster in Sijunjung Regency, West Sumatra in 2018. The research was conducted qualitatively with a systems approach in the form of input, process and output. Determination of informants were done by purposive sampling. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews, FGDs, and document review. The results showed the input component: there was no regional regulation on reproductive health programs during a disaster, there were no special personnel for reproductive health, adequate funds, adequate facilities and infrastructure. Process components: no activity planning, no special reproductive health team, data collection has been carried out, needs assessments have been carried out, reproductive health services are available, monitoring has been carried out regularly. Output component: lack of information regarding the existence of reproductive health services during a disaster to the community so that the services provided are not optimal. The implementation of reproductive health programs during the flash flood disaster in Sijunjung Regency has not been optimal in terms of input, process and output. It is hoped that the head of the Sijunjung Regency Health Office will improve the implementation of the reproductive health program during the disaster.
CPTU results at a silt test site in Norway: effect of cone penetrometer type
Authors: Paniagua P , Lunne T , Gundersen A , L’Heureux J-S , Kåsin K
Published: April 2021

Five different cone penetrometers from different manufacturers have been used in comparative testing program at the Norwegian GeoTest site (NGTS) on silt in Halden, Norway. The influence of cone type on the standard CPTU parameters is quantified. The corrected cone resistance shows approximately the same level of scatter as the penetration pore pressure, but far less scatter compared to the sleeve friction. Most of the tests show good repeatability within each series of tests. For the derived parameters of normalized friction ratio (Fr) and pore pressure parameter (Bq), the scatter is seen to be larger than the measured parameters which is expected from combining several parameters with scatter. The pore pressure parameter shows less scatter than the normalized friction ratio. An attempt has been made to understand the reasons for the large variations on the friction measurements and recommendations for future CPTU testing on silt are given.
Using SHANSEP for verification of unreliable piezocone data in clays
Authors: D’Ignazio M , Lehtonen V
Published: April 2021

The evaluation of the undrained stability of old embankments on soft clays relies upon the accurate modelling of undrained shear strength in the subsoil. It is vital to account for the effects of consolidation to determine the increased shear strength below the embankment. The CPTU test is a fast in-situ test that provides continuous measurements with depth and can be easily performed through the embankment to evaluate the strength increase. The interpretation of undrained shear strength from CPTU requires the selection of cone factors, which are normally based on laboratory or in-situ (e.g. field vane) tests or empirical correlations. However, CPTU measurements can be negatively affected if the test is poorly executed or if the apparatus lacks proper calibration. This paper discusses how the SHANSEP empirical model for clays can be used to verify the reliability of the available CPTU measurements in a given site investigation case. Further, the paper attempts to provide insights into the selection of empirical cone factors for modelling undrained shear strength for embankment stability. The SHANSEP model describes the undrained shear strength of clays in terms of normalized properties, where the soil strength is defined by means of the overconsolidation ratio (OCR) and two material coefficients that require empirical calibration. The applicability of the method is presented for a case study from Western Finland, where CPTU testing was carried out both on the side and underneath an old railway embankment. The results of the study are exploited to suggest recommendations for engineering practice.
Strength and deformation characterization of Norwegian organic cohesive soil (gyttja)
Authors: Holstad Ø. B. , Degago S.A.
Published: April 2021

In several road projects in western Norway, it is common to encounter a soil consisting of mineral soils with an organic part and high water content. The organic soil is referred to as gyttja and the organic part originates from remains of plants and animals rich in fats and proteins. It is common to find up to 14 m thick soil layers containing gyttja. The amount of organic content is much lower than peats however this is observed to significantly alter the engineering property of mineral soils involving clay and silt. However, there exists no systematic study on characterization of strength and deformation properties of gyttja in Norway. As a result, it is a common practice to excavate and replace such soils. However, this shall not be a viable engineering solution as removal of organic soils gives a significant CO2 emission. This implies that it is important to find ways to deal with such types of soils apart from always replacing them. To achieve this, it is essential to establish engineering properties for characterization of strength and deformation behaviour of gyttja. This research work thus focuses on looking at these aspects based on extensive field and laboratory tests. Effect of cement as a stabilization method to improve strength is also experimentally looked at. Results are also compared with available data from literature documenting other countries experiences with organic soils. This work presents and discusses main trends, correlations and characteristics related to strength and deformation behaviours of Norwegian gyttja.
Large deformation failure analysis of slopes using the smoothed particle finite element method
Authors: Meng Jingjing , Mattsson Hans , Laue Jan , Zhang Xue
Published: April 2021

Slope instability and landslides can be catastrophic events leading to loss of lives and properties. To prevent and assess the risks of slope failures, it is often desired that the dynamic process of the slope failure can be simulated, which is difficult with the classic Finite Element Method (FEM). In this study, the smoothed particle finite element method is developed based on the popular and efficient FEM. A numerical example with a slope model is employed to demonstrate the capacity of the proposed approach. An elastoplastic material model based on the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion is used. The run out distance and failure mass is recorded which paves a way of being able to better quantify slope failure consequence and risk.
Stability of the Gunneklev Fjord sediments
Authors: Le T M H , Rønning S , Moseid M , Lacasse S , Eek E
Published: April 2021

The seabed of the Gunneklev Fjord, with exceptionally soft contaminated sediment, is to be capped. The sediment, containing, among others, mercury and dioxins mixed with natural mud, has an undrained shear strength less than 1 kPa and thickness up to 2.5 m. To reduce the potential for leaching of mercury and dioxin from these sediments, Hydro Energy AS developed a remediation plan for Gunneklev Fjord which includes capping of the contaminated sediment with either sand or a mixture of sand and active charcoal. This paper presents an assessment of the risk associated with the cap placement over the contaminated sediment. The potential for the cap causing sliding of the sediment, which could re-expose even more severely contaminated layers and spread the contaminated material, was analysed deterministically and probabilistically. The sediment’s undrained shear strength and thickness and the cap thickness were modelled as random variables. The deterministic analyses gave a safety factor over 3. The probabilistic analyses indicated, however, that the probability of sliding can be high for areas where the seabed inclination is steeper than 1:50, and if the average undrained shear strength is less than 0.4 kPa. The analyses highlight the importance of careful cap placement on the sloping seabed of the fjord, and the need to control the cap thickness. The analyses were used to support decision-making on the design of the cap and the placement method.
Modelling the railway induced ground vibrations in soft soil areas of Western Finland
Authors: Pelho A , Mansikkamäki J
Published: April 2021

The vibrations induced by railway are a major problem in Western Finland’s soft soil areas, where the residential areas are located near railway. FTIA started to investigate the problem and together with VR-Transpoint, they organized extensive test drives in the Kokemäki-Pori railway. The rolling stock was brought to test drives from Russia. The test drives were monitored and the measured data is used in this study for the 2D modelling of the vibration phenomena. The main goal of this study was to investigate the resulting vibrations at various train speeds at particular site in 2D FE model. The study focuses on the frequency of the input load and the output vibration. The track-embankment-ground system has a frequency response to the input load, which can be assumed to be the natural frequency of the subsoil. The natural frequencies can be calculated with response analyses. With good assumption of the natural frequencies of the ground, the model can be used to discover which frequencies of the input load causes harmful vibration in the railroad environment. The train speed affects to the frequencies of the input load. The model can also be used to find the certain speed of a certain rolling stock, which will cause the certain frequency that will propagate and cause harmful vibrations in a certain soft soil areas.
Impact of installation on the recovery of the bearing capacity of displacement piles in sensitive clay
Authors: Yannie Jorge , Karlsson Mats , Dijkstra Jelke
Published: April 2021

Deep foundations are essential for the soft soil deposits that are ubiquitous in the Nordic countries. Precast driven displacement piles are commonly used, due to the ease of installation and their low cost. The stiffness and strength of the clay surrounding the piles will change during and after the pile installation process. This paper presents an effective stress based numerical framework that elaborates the pile set-up and pile ageing mechanisms observed empirically. For the trial case studied, it is demonstrated that the magnitude of the increase in axial bearing capacity over time is strongly linked to the pile installation stage. Furthermore, it is found that classic effective stress based soil mechanics concepts readily describe the observed behaviour.
In-situ ballast condition assessment by tamping machine integrated measurement system
Authors: Barbir O , Adam D , Kopf F , Pistrol J , Antony B , Auer F
Published: April 2021

The condition of the ballast bed is one of the most important parameters to be determined in order to assure a safe and economical operation of railway systems. Better knowledge of ballast condition provides an advantage in defining the optimum time for ballast bed cleaning or renewal. State of the art ballast condition quantification methods all require in-situ ballast sampling followed by laboratory tests, reducing track availability and making additional track closure necessary, thus making the determination of ballast condition a time-consuming and challenging task. The tamping process is the core maintenance activity in ballasted track and it is crucial for the economical service life of the track and essential in restoring the track geometry for safe train operations. During the tamping process, the tamping tines interact with the ballast matrix, transferring the displacement caused by the dynamic excitation to the ballast, compacting it under the sleeper. This interaction is observed and measured in-situ within the framework of a research project presented in this paper. Lateral forces and compaction energy, together with the loading and unloading response of the ballast matrix during compaction are used to determine the ballast condition. Serving as a confirmation of the ballast condition definitions made based on the in-situ measurements, a semi-analytical model of the tamping unit-ballast matrix interaction has been developed. The mechanical model is used to simulate different ballast conditions in order to optimize the ballast life cycle and improve the understanding of ballast behaviour under cyclic loading.
A management tool to reduce the risk of damage caused by geotechnical groundworks
Authors: Piciullo L , Bekele Y , Depina I , Nadim F , Langford J
Published: April 2021

A qualitative risk management tool, developed in the R&D project “BegrensSkade” [1], was recently updated in the R&D “REMEDY”-project [2] to include quantitative risk analysis. The tool contributes to the main objective of REMEDY to reduce the risk of damage to neighbouring structures caused by groundwork, as well as developing practical tools for risk assessment and management for the industry, to aid decision making. The tool is programmed in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and implemented in Excel spreadsheet software to emphasize usability among non-experts. The risk methodology implemented in the tool is based on the risk management framework described in the ISO 31000 guidelines [1]. This paper provides a tool overview describing the qualitative and quantitative procedures. The tool has been employed in several projects. The recent upgrades further simplify and improve its use, hopefully also expanding the use amongst project stakeholders. The tool can be downloaded from the project web page: https://www.ngi.no/eng/ProiectsBegrensSkade-II-REMEDY-Risk-Reduction-of-Groundwork-Damage/Risk-management-tools. Currently, only the qualitative procedure has been validated and is available for downloading. The quantitative procedure, after a test period, will be formally released and integrated into the tool.
Identification of seawater intrusion using geoelectrical resistivity method in the Goa Cina Beach Malang Area, Indonesia
Authors: Hasan M F R , Fransiska C D , Suaidi D A , Wisodo H , Martina N , Rahmat A
Published: April 2021

Seawater intrusion can cause groundwater that is looked fresh initially but becomes brackish and even salty. It makes decreasing the quality of groundwater in the area. The Goa Cina Beach, Malang has a geological structure of rock in limestone, sand, and gravel. These rocks have greater porosity, so that the potential to pass water or water infiltration is also quite large, both freshwater and saltwater. Starting from these problems, it is needed to identify groundwater distribution that is not affected by the seawater intrusion process. The geoelectric method effectively determines geological parameters such as depth of bedrock, minerals, fluids, and shallow exploration to identify groundwater aquifers. Data acquisition was carried out using the geoelectrical resistivity method with Wenner configuration with three measurement points. Furthermore, the data processing used Res2dinv Software. The results showed that the measured resistivity value between 0.01000-501 Ωm with a maximum depth of 19.9 meters. The seawater intrusion distribution is assumed to be on lines 1 and 2 at an average depth of 10-19.9 meters with a resistivity value of 0.01000-0.230 Ωm. At the same time, the area that is not expected to experience seawater intrusion is on Line 3. The making of wells for coastal areas needs to consider the distance from the shoreline and rock porosity for minimizing the potential for seawater intrusion.
Classification of soil quality using K-Nearest Neighbors methods
Authors: Ratih I D , Retnaningsih S M , Dewi V M
Published: April 2021

The damage or deterioration of the material due to reaction with the environment is called corrosion. The corrosive of soil can cause natural disasters such as landslides. Soil corrosivity is a serious problem in industrial and infrastructure activities. Soil corrosivity is also a problem at PT. IPMOMI, because of the large number of metal pipes that are planted underground which functions to drain fluid in the form of seawater as the main material for steam production. PT. IPMOMI wants to install metal pipes underground, Therefore PT. IPMOMI requires information about the status of soil corrosivity at that location. To overcome soil corrosivity, PT. IMOMI will install cathodic protection on the soil with high corrosivity. One of the efforts to deal with this problem is by mapping the subsurface corrosion zone. Before mapping the corrosion zone, it is necessary to know the level of soil corrosivity whether it is very high, high, medium, low, or very low. So that to determine the level of soil corrosivity whether very high, high, medium, low, or very low, a classification method is needed. In this study, the classification method used is the nonparamteric classification method, namely K Nearest Neigbors. The results of classification accuracy were 83.3% and variable chargebility had a higher contribution than the depth level in the classification model.
IDF (intensity-duration-frequency) curve and unit hydrograph as signature of characteristic changing of Way Kuala Garuntang Watershed
Authors: Jokowinarno D , Banuwa I S , Yuwono S B , Tugiyono  , Bakri S , Setiawan A
Published: April 2021

There is direct relation between global warming and precipitation. Air capacity of water increase by 7% to increasing of 1°C of air temperature, causing more water vapor content in the air. This research aims to investigate how IDF Curve and Unit Hydrograph can be used as signature of characteristic changing of Way Kuala Garuntang Watershed. The study area is Way Kuala Garuntang watershed and rainfall data source is from automatic rainfall recorder of Stasiun BMKG Maritim Panjang, ARR Tipping bucket installed at Way Kuala Garuntang watershed, and 4 manual raingauges. From the research can be concluded that IDF Curve can be used as signature of characteristic changing of Way Kuala Garuntang watershed mainly the changing of rainfall intensity in various of return period. Meanwhile, due to average of IUH of 5 flood events in 1 year data serie, and significant differences of Qp between IUH and SUH, the Unit Hydrograph was not suitable as signature of characteristic changing of Way Kuala Garuntang watershed.
Identification morphological variability of six mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) As a conservation strategy for local varieties
Authors: Mulyono D , Irawati Y , Syah M J A
Published: April 2021

Morphological traits of six Mangosteen varieties were observed for two years from 2017 to 2019. This research aims to determine the growth and fruit characters of six mangosteen varieties in IP2TP Subang. The study was conducted in a randomized block design with 6 varieties: Kaligesing, Puspahiyang, Wanayasa, Ratu Kamang, Ratu Tembilahan, and Lingsar as a treatment and repeated 5 times. Each treatment unit is comprised of 6 trees. The observed characters comprised growth characters, leaf characters, and fruit characters. The results showed that the growth of several mangosteen varieties tested in relatively the same environmental conditions was quite varied, especially in the character of plant height and stem perimeter. Leaf character varied in leaf shape. Fruit characters also varied, especially characters fruit weight and plant with fruit. Ratu Tembilahan variety was the most adaptive variety because it had the highest growth ability and the highest fruit production.
Identification of changes in the morphological space structure of Bandar Lampung City using overlay geographic information system analysis
Authors: Ghazi A B , Fitra H A , Persada Citra
Published: April 2021

Cities are developing due to population growth, socio-economic structure changes, technology and spatial interaction with its surroundings. “Bagian Wilayah Kota (BWK) C” or so-called “urban zone C” of Bandar Lampung municipality comprising districts of Sukarame, Tanjung Senang, and Way Halim is currently growing both internally and externally due to the development of Trans-Sumatera highway and Institute Teknologi Sumatera (ITERA). The dynamics of development and activities have caused a growing physical urban space, affecting the changes of urban structure directly. The current development in BWK C has been considered as unmanageable and potentially caused some problems in spatial plan in the future. To prevent the chaotic of spatial plan in the future, this study aims to identify the changes of urban structure in BWK C of Bandar Lampung municipality due to the internal and external development of its area. This study benefits in providing comprehensive standpoints about the process of urban structure changes based on urban activities so that city government could gain a systematic discourse of urban development which advantages in policymaking for spatial development in Bandar Lampung municipality in the future. This study conducted several analytical methods ranging from comparative analysis, spatial analysis, and hierarchical centrality index analysis. For data collection, this study applied secondary data survey and field work observation, using data from 2010 to 2016. The findings of this study reveal that the physical development in BWK C is getting compacted as its morphology changed from ribbon shaped city to octopus shaped city.
Electrochemical reaction of corrosion and its negative economic impact
Authors: Akpoborie J. , Fayomi O.S.I. , Inegbenebor A.O. , Ayoola A.A. , Dunlami O. , Samuel O.D. , Agboola O.
Published: April 2021

Persistent corrosion problems through hazardous chemicals and hydrocarbon are potentially harmful resulting into failure and breakdown of infrastructure in marine, oil and gas vessels, petroleum distillation plant, and chemical processing industries. Despite this unstoppable catastrophe, reduction in the amount of cost incurred by corrosion has been an effort by researcher in the field of material science to tackle. This paper addresses the major challenge of materials failure in services resulting to high cost, and the potential remedy form from several applications.
Omics community detection using multi-resolution clustering
Authors: Rahnavard Ali , Chatterjee Suvo , Sayoldin Bahar , Crandall Keith A , Tekola-Ayele Fasil , Mallick Himel
Published: April 2021

Motivation

The discovery of biologically interpretable and clinically actionable communities in heterogeneous omics data is a necessary first step toward deriving mechanistic insights into complex biological phenomena. Here, we present a novel clustering approach, omeClust, for community detection in omics profiles by simultaneously incorporating similarities among measurements and the overall complex structure of the data.

Results

We show that omeClust outperforms published methods in inferring the true community structure as measured by both sensitivity and misclassification rate on simulated datasets. We further validated omeClust in diverse, multiple omics datasets, revealing new communities and functionally related groups in microbial strains, cell line gene expression patterns and fetal genomic variation. We also derived enrichment scores attributable to putatively meaningful biological factors in these datasets that can serve as hypothesis generators facilitating new sets of testable hypotheses.

Availability and implementation

omeClust is open-source software, and the implementation is available online at http://github.com/omicsEye/omeClust.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
APOE ε4 alters associations between docosahexaenoic acid and preclinical markers of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Coughlan Gillian , Larsen Ryan , Kim Min , White David , Gillings Rachel , Irvine Michael , Scholey Andrew , Cohen Neal , Legido-Quigley Cristina , Hornberger Michael , Minihane Anne-Marie
Published: April 2021

Docosahexaenoic acid is the main long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain and accounts for 30−40% of fatty acids in the grey matter of the human cortex. Although the influence of docosahexaenoic acid on memory function is widely researched, its association with brain volumes is under investigated and its association with spatial navigation is virtually unknown. This is despite the fact that spatial navigation deficits are a new cognitive fingerprint for symptomatic and asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. We investigated the cross-sectional relationship between docosahexaenoic acid levels and the major structural and cognitive markers of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, namely hippocampal volume, entorhinal volume and spatial navigation ability. Fifty-three cognitively normal adults underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, measurements of serum docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, including lysophosphatidylcholine DHA) and APOE ε4 genotyping. Relative regional brain volumes were calculated and linear regression models were fitted to examine DHA associations with brain volume. APOE genotype modulated serum DHA associations with entorhinal cortex volume and hippocampal volume. Linear models showed that greater serum DHA was associated with increased entorhinal cortex volume, but not hippocampal volume, in non APOΕ ε4 carriers. APOE also interacted with serum lysophosphatidylcholine DHA to predict hippocampal volume. After testing interactions between DHA and APOE on brain volume, we investigated whether DHA and APOE interact to predict spatial navigation performance on a novel virtual reality diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease in an independent population of APOE genotyped adults (n = 46). APOE genotype modulated DHA associations with spatial navigation performance, showing that DHA was inversely associated with path integration in APOE ε4 carriers only. This exploratory analysis suggests that interventions aiming to increase DHA blood levels to protect against cognitive decline should consider APOE ε4 carrier status. Future work should focus on replicating our initial findings and establishing whether a specific dose of supplementary DHA, at a particular time in the preclinical disease course can have a positive impact on Alzheimer’s disease progression in APOE ε4 carriers.
Isavuconazole Treatment of Invasive Fungal Sinusitis: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SECURE and VITAL Trials
Authors: Durand Marlene L , Kitt Therese M , Song Yi , Marty Francisco M
Published: April 2021

This post hoc analysis of international phase III isavuconazole trials identified 50 patients (90% immunocompromised or diabetic) with invasive fungal sinusitis (88% mucormycetes, Aspergillus) who received isavuconazole as primary (n = 33) or salvage (n = 17) therapy for a median of 82 days (range, 2–882). Overall survival was 82% at day 42 and 70% at day 84.
Optimal Text Document Clustering Enabled by Weighed Similarity Oriented Jaya With Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Venkanna Gugulothu , Bharati Dr K F
Published: April 2021

Owing to scientific development, a variety of challenges present in the field of information retrieval. These challenges are because of the increased usage of large volumes of data. These huge amounts of data are presented from large-scale distributed networks. Centralization of these data to carry out analysis is tricky. There exists a requirement for novel text document clustering algorithms, which overcomes challenges in clustering. The two most important challenges in clustering are clustering accuracy and quality. For this reason, this paper intends to present an ideal clustering model for text document using term frequency–inverse document frequency, which is considered as feature sets. Here, the initial centroid selection is much concentrated which can automatically cluster the text using weighted similarity measure in the proposed clustering process. In fact, the weighted similarity function involves the inter-cluster, and intra-cluster similarity of both ordered and unordered documents, which is used to minimize weighted similarity among the documents. An advanced model for clustering is proposed by the hybrid optimization algorithm, which is the combination of the Jaya Algorithm (JA) and Grey Wolf Algorithm (GWO), and so the proposed algorithm is termed as JA-based GWO. Finally, the performance of the proposed model is verified through a comparative analysis with the state-of-the-art models. The performance analysis exhibits that the proposed model is 96.56% better than genetic algorithm, 99.46% better than particle swarm optimization, 97.09% superior to Dragonfly algorithm, and 96.21% better than JA for the similarity index. Therefore, the proposed model has confirmed its efficiency through valuable analysis.
2D speckle tracking echocardiography as predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with non ST elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina
Authors: Lacanin MRA , Tucay EST
Published: April 2021

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

BACKGROUND

 2D speckle strain echocardiography has been recognized in different studies to provide additional important prognostic information in patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndrome (ACS)—more often on (ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.

PURPOSE

 This study aimed to determine the clinical utility of 2D speckle tracking echocardiography in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with non ST elevation – acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

METHODOLOGY

This is a prospective cohort study which included 91 patients diagnosed to have NSTE-ACS. Baseline characteristics were collected and echocardiographic evaluations of patients were done within 48 hours of admission. In hospital and 6 months MACE were evaluated in relation to their baseline echocardiographic parameters, 2D speckle strain and strain rate analyses.

RESULTS

Among the conventional echocardiographic parameters, only left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD) and wall motion score showed significant difference between those with and without outcomes after 6 months. There were no significant difference among the 2D speckle tracking strain and strain rate parameters between those patients with and without major cardiac events during their in hospital admission. However after 6 months follow-up, there were significantly lower mean left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) (-14.22% ± 4.45 versus -16.44% ± 4.19, p-value 0.0261) and strain rate (-0.69 1/sec ± 0.36 versus -0.94 1/sec ± 0.25, p-value 0.009) were observed among patients with MACE compared to those without. Also, incidence of reduced GLS strain and strain rate, were significantly higher in those with MACE after 6 months. The left ventricular global circumferential strain and strain rate, and right ventricular global longitudinal strain did not have significant difference between those with and without but these had a generally lower value among those who had in-hospital and  6 months MACE. In this study, LV GLS sensitivity and specificity were 64.64% and 61.70% respectively, at cut-off value of <-15.0% for detecting MACE within 6 month follow-up. LV GLS cut-off point <-12.0%, which detects severe LV dysfunction in previous studies, have sensitivity of 40% but high specificity of 82.98% for predicting MACE after 6 months.

CONCLUSION

Both LV GLS strain and strain rate can be used to predict major adverse cardiovascular events after NSTE-ACS. Abstract Figure. ROC curve LV strain and strain rate
Medium-term prognostic value of angio-TC in type 2 diabetic patients without known cardiopathy
Authors: Garcia-Bellon AM , Gonzalez Gonzalez AM , Lara-Garcia C , Vivancos-Delgado V
Published: April 2021

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Introdution

The use of coronary angiography by cardiac CT for the active search for coronary disease in asymptomatic diabetic patients is not generally indicated. On the other hand, in the case of high-risk patients with a high calcium score, there are results that do show a potential benefit of expanding the study with CT coronary angiography.

Purpose

The aim was to determine the medium-term prognostic value of computed tomography non-invasive coronary angiography (CT angiography) to predict major cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients (p) without previous cardiac symptoms

Methods

Observational and prospective study in diabetic patients without symptoms suggestive of coronary heart disease (CHD), derived from performing a CT in the previous 5 years, for different reasons, not related to acute coronary syndrome. The presence of CHD was analyzed, as well as the incidence for cardiac events during follow-up.

Results

402 diabetic patients,  mean evolution time of the disease: 6.8 +/- 2.1 years, mean Hb1Ac 8.1 +/- 0.7%. 60% of patients were male. Regarding other cardiovascular risk factors: 66.3% were hypertensive. 58.8% dyslipidemic. 26.3% obese. 27.5% smokers. 32.5% ex-smokers. 36.3% had a family history of CHD. Most frequent indication for CT: CHD screening, with previous inconclusive tests (26.3%), followed by pre-surgery evaluation (25%). Agatston Score 278.3 ± 235.8, Agatston Score> 400 132 (32.8%), significant CHD 174 (43.2%), Vulnerable plaques 84 (20.9%)

The average follow-up was 5 years (+/- 1.3); 90 p (22.3%) suffered cardiac events (63 cardiac deaths, 27 non-fatal myocardial infarction). Best correlation with events was observed with the presence of significant coronary disease (ostruction> 50%) compared to the Agatston score and the presence of vulnerable plaques (adjusted c-index of 0.59 versus univariate c-index of 0.42, respectively)

The annual event rate for patients with normal coronary arteries was 1.8%, which translated into a 5-year event-free survival period.

The highest annual event rate of 22.3% was detected in patients with obstructive 3-vessel CAD

Conclusions

Non-invasive CT angiography allows, after quantifying plaque severity in diabetic patients, to reclassify patients at high / very high risk

Diabetic patients with normal coronary arteries on CT angiography had a 5-year survival period free of major cardiac events.