bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Dam Construction to Land Use and Land Cover Changes Using Remote Sensing: A Case of Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam
Authors: Samsudin Sarah Hanim , Setu Anita , Effendy Alyaa Filza , Ismail Mohd. Nadzari
Published: November 2020

Increase demand of electricity has driven the exploration of Hulu Terengganu hydroelectricity dam as an option to generate electric power supply. Therefore, as a way to monitor the landscape changes, spectral indices were used to study on the spatial-temporal changes over the Hulu Terengganu catchment area. Spectral indices technique was applied on satellite images which acquired on three different years to describe the changes before the construction phase, during the construction phase and post-construction phase. Satellite images used in this study are SPOT-5 and Landsat 7 for year 2006, SPOT-5 and Landsat 8 for year 2014 and Spot-7 and Sentinel 2 for year 2018. Alteration of the land use and land cover has recorded degradation of the forest area by -5.53% during the dam construction phase (2014) and -8.35% during post-construction phase (2018). It also found that water body has remarkable change of 10,141% increase from 2014 to 2018. The result from this study would be useful as an overview for future planning, decision making and dam management activity related to the Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric dam operation
SCS+C Topographic Correction to Enhance SVM Classification Accuracy
Authors: AL-Doski Jwan , Mansor Shattri B. , Paik San H'ng , Khuzaimah Zailani
Published: November 2020

The topographic impact may change the radiance values captured by the spacecraft sensors, resulting in distinct reflectance value for similar land cover classes and mischaracterization. The problem can be more clearly seen in rugged terrain landscapes than in flat terrains, such as the mountainous areas. In order to minimize topographic impacts, we suggested the implementation of Modified Sun-Canopy-Sensor Correction (SCS+C) technique to generate land cover maps in Gua Musang district which is located in a rugged mountainous terrain area in Kelantan state, Malaysia using an atmospherically corrected Landsat 8 imagery captured on 22 April 2014 by Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. The results showed that the SCS+C method reduces the topographic effect particularly in such a steep and forested terrain with classification accuracy improvement about 4% which was statistically significantly with the McNemar test value Z and P measured 6.42 and 0.0001 on the corrected image classification90.1%accuracy compared to the uncorrected image86.2%for the test area. Thus, the topographic correction is suggested to be the main step of the data pre-processing stage in mountainous terrain before SVM image classification
The Effect of Make a Match Learning Models and Cognitive Ability to Recognize the Concept of Number
Authors: Rahmatunnisa Siti , Yus Anita , Eviyanti Evi
Published: November 2020

This study aims to investigate: (1) the difference of ability to recognize the concept of numbers between children taught by Make a Match learning model based on creativity and children taught by Make a Match learning model; (2) the difference of ability to recognize the concept of numbers between children who have high cognitive abilities and low cognitive abilities, and (3) the interaction between Make a Match learning model with children's cognitive abilities on the ability to recognize concepts. The sample in this study is 28 children in class B1 for the experimental class who are taught by Make a Match based on creativity and for the control class, class B2 consisted of 28 children who were taught by Make a Match.  They are 5-6 years old children  at Raudhatul Athfal Mutiara Bunda Banda Aceh. The results show that: (1) The ability of children who taught by Make a Match learning model based on creativity  is 44.96, it is higher than children who taught by Make A Match learning, it is  34.64, (2) The ability to recognize the number concept of children who have high cognitive abilities obtained an average value of = 46.89, while children who have low cognitive abilities obtained an average value of = 33.21,  and (3) The results show that there was no significant interaction between the use of learning and children's cognitive abilities (high and low) in influencing the ability to recognize the concept of numbers.
Risky Behaviours among Adolescent Students of Pokhara Valley: A School-Based Cross-sectional Survey
Authors: Ranabhat Kamal , Thapa Kanchan , Shahi Shubhadra , Rana Himalayan
Published: November 2020

Background: Adolescence is the period of physical and mental vulnerabilities where health risk behaviours are common due to their experimental nature and decision-making power. A higher prevalence of risky behaviours among adolescents has been reported globally which resulted in adverse effects on health and wellbeing. The present study aims to explore the overall prevalence of health risk behaviours among adolescents.

Methods: This study was conducted in 2014 using the WHO guideline of a Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) in the Pokhara valley of Nepal using a stratified clustered sampling technique. A descriptive study was conducted among 1190 adolescent school students of the valley. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analysed using SPSS for descriptive statistics.

Results: The response rate of the participants was 95.35%. The prevalence of the current use of tobacco, alcohol, and drug was 15.9%, 17.1%, and 4.1% respectively. The mean age of first use of tobacco, alcohol, and drug was found 14.07±1.82, 14.19±1.78, and 15.52±1.61 years respectively. Two third (66.4%) of the participants reported having sexual intercourse one or two times within the last 12 months. Among them, 21.4 % reported no use of condoms during sexual intercourse. The mean age of first sexual intercourse was 14.69±1.56 years. Similarly, 42.2% reported being injured in the past 12 months of study.

Conclusions: The study shows a higher prevalence of health risk behaviours among adolescents. Tobacco, drug, alcohol use, and risky sexual activities were initiated at a younger age.

Keywords: Adolescent health; health risk behaviours; Nepal; substance abuse.
Kajian Yuridis Dasar Hukum Jaksa Penuntut Umum Melakukan Upaya Hukum Kasasi Terhadap Putusan Bebas (Vrijspraak) Dalam Sistem Peradilan Pidana Indonesia
Authors: Sulistyo Heru Drajat
Published: November 2020

This study discusses theoretically normative about the appeal made by the Public Prosecutor on the verdict free (vrijspraak) in the Indonesian Criminal Justice System intended to find solutions to the juridical problems arising from the acquittal. The problem in this study, namely: What is the legal basis for the Public Prosecutor to conduct an appeal against the verdict (vrijspraak). The research method used is a normative legal research method and uses secondary data types, including primary legal materials, secondary legal materials and tertiary legal materials collected through library studies, print media, electronic media. The results of the research study, namely: the legal basis of the Public Prosecutor conducting an appeal against the verdict (vrijspraak) is the Decree of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Indonesia Number M.14-PW.07.03 of 1983 dated December 10, 1983 concerning Supplementary Guidelines for the Implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code (item 19) . Then the Supreme Court Decree Reg. no: 275 K / Pid / 1983 in the Raden Sonson Natalegawa case was the first decision to be born as jurisprudence for a free verdict after the entry into force of the Criminal Procedure Code. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court Decision Number 114 / PUU-X / 2012 dated March 28, 2013. The existence of the Constitutional Court Decision Number 114 / PUU-X / 2012 dated March 28, 2013, the public must accept the Public Prosecutor is contested with legal action to appeal against the acquittal (vrijspraak).
Analisis Transaksi Terapeutik Sebagai Sarana Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Pasien
Authors: Kusumaningrum Anggraeni Endah
Published: November 2020

This paper aims to know and analyze therapeutic transactions as a means of legal protection for patients. Therapeutic transactions are agreements between physicians and patients who authorize the physician to perform activities to provide health services to patients based on the skills and skills possessed by the doctor. The legal relationship in such therapeutic transactions creates rights and obligations that must be obeyed and implemented by each party. This research uses normative juridical approach method with primary data source is secondary data supported by primary data. Primary data is obtained directly through interviews and secondary data in the form of legal materials, both primary, secondary and tertiary which will be analyzed qualitatively through data collecting, data reduction, data presentation and verification of data or conclusions. The results obtained that therapeutic transactions position physicians and patients, on the same relationship with the hope of providing legal protection for the parties, but in fact the norms have not been able to provide legal protection. That happens because there is no arrangement of the implementation of the transaction therapeutic consistently.
PENYELESAIAN PERKARA KECELAKAAN LALU LINTAS DENGAN PELAKU DIBAWAH UMUR
Authors: Irawan Joshua Evandeo , Mandiana Sari , Widjiastuti Agustin
Published: November 2020

Traffic accident often happens and involved underage child as driver of the vehicle and might lead to fatal consequences, such as the death casualities. In Indonesia, it is stipulated in Act No. 22 Year 2009 concerning Traffic and Road Transportation. The result shows that M’s illegal underage driving caused the death of K. Thus, M and his family are obliged to give compensation to the K’s family as stipulated in of Act No. 22 Year 2009 throughout Juvenile Justice System as the case procedur using Diversion case is stipulated in Act No. 11 Year 2012 regarding Juvenile Justice System
Türkiye’de İşsizliğin Sağlık Üzerindeki Etkisi: Ampirik Bir Analiz
Authors: ECEVİT Eyyup , ÖZTÜRK YAPRAK Zeynep , ÇETİN Murat
Published: November 2020

İşsizliğin sağlık üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri bilinmesine rağmen bunların boyutları araştırmacılar tarafından tam olarak ortaya konulamamaktadır. Temel sorun, sağlıklı işgücü arzı ve işsizlik ile sağlık arasındaki karşılıklı etkileşimde sosyal faktörlerin etkili olmasından kaynaklanıyor olabilir. Sosyal sınıf, yoksulluk, yaş, gelir düzeyi ve konut farklılıkları sosyal faktörler olarak sıralanabilir. Sosyal faktörler, işsizlik ve sağlık arasındaki ilişkiyi dolaylı olarak etkilerken işsizlik ve sağlık karşılıklı olarak birbirlerini doğrudan etkilemektedirler. İşlerini kaybedenlerin bir takım sağlık sorunlarının ortaya çıkması (depresyon, kaygı, intihar, akciğer kanserine bağlı ölümler, yetersiz beslenme, sağlık hizmetlerine erişememe) kaçınılmaz iken sağlıksız işgücünün de ekonomik büyüme üzerinde olumsuz etkilerinin olması muhtemeldir. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye için 1988-2018 dönemine ait işsizlik ve sağlık verilerinden yararlanılmıştır ve zaman serisi analizi yapılmıştır. Sağlığı temsilen doğuşta yaşam beklentisi, finansal gelişmeyi temsilen yurt içi kredilerin GSYİH içindeki payı, enflasyonu temsilen TÜFE ve ekonomik büyümeyi temsilen GSYİH ve işsizliği temsilen toplam işgücü içerisindeki işsizlik oranı alınmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlar şöyledir: uzun dönemde işsizlik, finansal gelişme ve enflasyondan doğuşta yaşam beklentisine tek yönlü nedensellik ilişkisi tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca uzun dönemde ekonomik büyüme ile sağlık arasında karşılıklı nedenselliğe rastlanmıştır. Kısa dönemde ise ekonomik büyümeden sağlığa ve sağlıktan finansal gelişmeye doğru tek yönlü nedensellikler söz konusudur. Bu sonuçlar uzun dönemde işsizliğin sağlığın önemli bir nedeni olduğunu kanıtlar niteliktedir. Buradan hareketle politika yapıcılara işsizliğin azaltılmasına ek olarak işsiz kalanların ekonomik, sosyal ve sağlık bakımından desteklenmesi tavsiye edilmektedir.
Rosenthal effect over the academic career decisions of EMI students at higher education level: A case study
Authors: ALTAY Mehmet , EVİŞEN Nilüfer
Published: November 2020

Rosenthal effect, also known as expectancy effect, is a psychological phenomenon at which individual’s acts take the form of what others, very often an authority or a respected one, expects from them. It appears to be among the determinant factors for students while selecting their path to higher education. On the other hand, the previous research also found out that EMI universities rank considerably more among the primary expectations by parents in such countries as Turkey. In this vein, several factors ranging from social prestige to academic success are often given as reasons for the preference. However, there is also some doubt concerning the challenges faced in the intake of contextual knowledge. This current study aimed to investigate the tenets of Rosenthal effect exposed by students before an EMI university over their success and participation in higher education level. The data came from 30 EFL preparatory year students at an EMI university in Turkey through a standardized open-ended written interview and a questionnaire in Likert-scale. The results indicate that most of the participants agree on the existence of others’ expectancy while determining their career paths. It is also clear that the effect mostly contributed positively to their decisions as well as to their success rates while sustainability of participation and lack of enthusiasm appear to be its basic negative consequence. A considerable number of the prospective EMI students also indicated that they do not feel proficient enough to take courses successfully in another language than their mother tongue. Further studies are required to investigate students’ motivation and external factors in selecting an EMI institution.
DEMOKRAT PARTİ DÖNEMİ 19 MAYIS KUTLAMALARININ AYIN TARİHİ MECMUASI’NA YANSIMASI (1950-1955)
Authors: SEMİZ Onur
Published: November 2020

Bu araştırmanın konusu, önemli bir tarihi kaynak niteliği olan Ayın Tarihi Mecmuası’ndan Demokrat Parti’nin ilk beş yılındaki 19 Mayıs Kutlamalarının yansımasıdır. Araştırmada, Osmanlı Devleti döneminde milli bayram kültürünün gelişimi, 19 Mayıs tarihinin milli bayram olma süreci anlatıldıktan sonra Ayın Tarihi Mecmuası’ndan 1950-1955 yılları arasındaki 19 Mayıs kutlamalarını takip etmek amaçlanmıştır.

Konu ile ilgili gerekli literatür taraması yapıldıktan sonra Ayın Tarihi Mecmuası’nın ilgili sayıları kapsamlı bir şekilde incelenmiştir. Bu süreç neticesinde 1950-1955 yılları arasında 19 Mayıs kutlamaları hakkındaki saptamalar ifade edilmiştir.

Çalışmanın sonunda söz konusu milli bayramın Ayın Tarihi Mecmuası’nda ayrıntılı bir şekilde yansıdığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. İlgili dönemde yapılan kutlamalar hakkında verilen bilgilerin 19 Mayıs kutlamalarının detayları hakkında doyurucu bilgiler sunulduğu anlaşılmıştır.
MYANMAR (BURMA) MÜSLÜMANLARININ TARİHİ
Authors: GÜNARSLAN Hüseyin
Published: November 2020

Güneydoğu Asya´nın en az gelişmiş ülkesi olan Myanmar bünyesinde 135 farklı etnik kimliğe ve yüzden fazla dile ev sahipliği yapması ile bilinmektedir. Ülke 1948 yılında İngiliz yönetiminden bağımsızlığını aldıktan sonra bu farklılıklarını ülkenin kalkınması adına fırsata dönüştürme çabası içinde iken 1962 darbesi ile yanlış bir yöne girmiş ve aralarında milyonlarca Müslüman’ın da bulunduğu azınlıklar için yaşanmaz bir ülkeye dönüşmüştür. Geçmişte Burma krallığı döneminde Müslümanlarla tanışmaya başlayan ülkenin Budist halkı özellikle İngiliz yönetimi altına girmesi ile birlikte Müslümanlardan nefret ettiği bir zaman dilimine girmiştir. Günümüze kadar ulaşan bu nefret sebebi ile ülkede binlerce insan hayatını kaybetmiştir. Daha çok Arakanlı Müslümanlara uygulanan zulümle andığımız Myanmar'da aslında Arakan eyaletinde yaşayandan çok daha fazla Müslüman diğer eyaletlerde dağılmış bir şekilde bulunmaktadır. Arakan Müslümanlarının yaşadıkları dünya kamuoyu tarafından kısmen bilinmekle birlikte ülkenin geri kalanında yaşayan Müslümanlar hakkında ise yeterince bilgiye sahip olunamamaktadır. Çalışmamızın konusu işte Arakan eyaleti dışındaki eyaletlerde yaşayan Myanmar Müslümanlarının tarihi hakkındadır. Onların geçmişten günümüze bu ülkede neler yaşadıklarının tespit edilmesi ile birlikte günümüzde yaşananların daha iyi anlaşılabileceği düşünülmektedir. Yeterince tanınmayan bu insanların tarihinin ortaya konulması ile birlikte çok daha detaylı ve tanıtıcı çalışma ile bu insanların gördüğü zulüm dünya kamuoyuna duyurulabilir ve durdurulabilir.
Fracturas: Cuarenta año de tratamiento con FED. Alternativa para países en desarrollo
Authors: Aybar Montoya Alfredo
Published: November 2020

Objetivo: Mostrar la evolución del manejo de fracturas de las extremidades con la alternativa Fijación Externa Descartable (FED). Actualmente existe gran cantidad de dispositivos internos y externos para el tratamiento de estas lesiones, algunos, los más publicitados, son costosos para nuestro medio. El joven médico tiene la sensación, en particular para los casos graves, de que, si no los dispone, no estarían en condiciones de curarlos. Material y Métodos: Se describen las  experiencias de algunos clásicos de la Ortopedia (1850) hasta las experiencias de Escuelas actuales (2020) y también, comparativamente, nuestro punto de vista con el método que denominamos Sistema FED. Se revisa el cómo y porqué de la curación de los huesos fracturados. Los casos comprenden fracturas en zonas diafisiarias, metafisiarias, y peri articulares de huesos grandes, fracturas cerradas y fracturas abiertas incluso con pérdidas óseas y grandes heridas. También el manejo de casos con deformidades o complicados atribuibles a tratamientos inadecuados. Se enfatiza que únicamente en base a clasificaciones, se puede estimar diagnósticos exactos, alcances de pronósticos y, propuestas de alternativas de tratamiento. Resultados: Los casos más variados, complejos, incluso con pérdida ósea, se resolvieron competitivamente con la técnica Sistema FED. Conclusiones: Para países en vías de desarrollo como el nuestro, donde los foráneos dispositivos son costosos, la alternativa del Sistema FED, es una opción de manejo eficiente simple y económico.
Agonistas del receptor de GLP-1
Authors: Arbañil- Huamán Hugo César
Published: November 2020

Se describe la evolución y descubrimiento de una molécula derivada del proglucagón con efecto incretínico, en la búsqueda de una molécula resistente al rápido metabolismo ocasionado por la DPP-4, se encontró y desarrolló moléculas como el Exendin 4 y posteriormente las moléculas sintéticas, específicas para el receptor de GLP-1 y resistentes al metabolismo de DPP-4 y con efecto beneficioso cardiovascular y renal en los estudios de seguridad antes de su aprobación, en particular los de larga acción y parenterales, no así los de absorción oral.
Artritis Reumatoide. Manejo de Biológicos y Moléculas Pequeñas
Authors: Morales-Soto Nelson Raúl
Published: November 2020

Resumen
High Representation of Archaea Across All Depths in Oxic and Low-pH Sediment Layers Underlying an Acidic Stream
Authors: Distaso Marco A. , Bargiela Rafael , Brailsford Francesca L. , Williams Gwion B. , Wright Samuel , Lunev Evgenii A. , Toshchakov Stepan V. , Yakimov Michail M. , Jones David L. , Golyshin Peter N. , Golyshina Olga V.
Published: November 2020

Parys Mountain or Mynydd Parys (Isle of Anglesey, United Kingdom) is a mine-impacted environment, which accommodates a variety of acidophilic organisms. Our previous research of water and sediments from one of the surface acidic streams showed a high proportion of archaea in the total microbial community. To understand the spatial distribution of archaea, we sampled cores (0–20 cm) of sediment and conducted chemical analyses and taxonomic profiling of microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in different core layers. The taxonomic affiliation of sequencing reads indicated that archaea represented between 6.2 and 54% of the microbial community at all sediment depths. Majority of archaea were associated with the order Thermoplasmatales, with the most abundant group of sequences being clustered closely with the phylotype B_DKE, followed by “E-plasma,” “A-plasma,” other yet uncultured Thermoplasmatales with Ferroplasma and Cuniculiplasma spp. represented in minor proportions. Thermoplasmatales were found at all depths and in the whole range of chemical conditions with their abundance correlating with sediment Fe, As, Cr, and Mn contents. The bacterial microbiome component was largely composed in all layers of sediment by members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, uncultured Chloroflexi (AD3 group), and Acidobacteria. This study has revealed a high abundance of Thermoplasmatales in acid mine drainage-affected sediment layers and pointed at these organisms being the main contributors to carbon, and probably to iron and sulfur cycles in this ecosystem.
Royleanone Derivatives From Plectranthus spp. as a Novel Class of P-Glycoprotein Inhibitors
Authors: Garcia Catarina , Isca Vera M. S. , Pereira Filipe , Monteiro Carlos M. , Ntungwe Epole , Sousa Francisco , Dinic Jelena , Holmstedt Suvi , Roberto Amílcar , Díaz-Lanza Ana , Reis Catarina P. , Pesic Milica , Candeias Nuno R. , Ferreira Ricardo J. , Duarte Noélia , Afonso Carlos A. M. , Rijo Patrícia
Published: November 2020

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. One of the most challenging obstacles in cancer treatment is multidrug resistance (MDR). Overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is associated with MDR. The growing incidence of cancer and the development of MDR drive the search for novel and more effective anticancer drugs to overcome the MDR problem. Royleanones are natural bioactive compounds frequently found in Plectranthus spp. The cytotoxic diterpene 6,7-dehydroroyleanone (1) is the main component of the P. madagascariensis (Pers.) Benth. essential oil, while 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (2) can be isolated from acetonic extracts of P. grandidentatus Gürke. The reactivity of the natural royleanones 1 and 2 was explored to obtain a small library of new P-gp inhibitors. Four new derivatives (6,7-dehydro-12-O-tert-butyl-carbonate-royleanone (20), 6,7-dehydro-12-O-methylroyleanone (21), 6,7-dehydro-12-O-benzoylroyleanone (22), and 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxy-12-O-benzoylroyleanone (23) were obtained as pure with overall modest to excellent yields (21–97%). P-gp inhibition potential of the derivatives 20–23 was evaluated in human non-small cell lung carcinoma NCI-H460 and its MDR counterpart NCI-H460/R with the P-gp overexpression, through MTT assay. Previously prepared diterpene 7α-acetoxy-6β-benzoyloxy-12-O-(4-chloro)benzoylroyleanone (4), has also been tested. The P-gp inhibiting effects of compounds 1–4 were also assessed through a Rhodamine 123 accumulation assay. Derivatives 4 and 23 have significant P-gp inhibitory potential. Regarding stability and P-gp inhibition potential, results suggest that the formation of benzoyl esters is a more convenient approach for future derivatives with enhanced effect on the cell viability decrease. Compound 4 presented higher anti-P-gp potential than the natural diterpenes 1, 2, and 3, with comparable inhibitory potential to Dexverapamil. Moreover, derivative 4 showed the ability to sensitize the resistant NCI-H460/R cells to doxorubicin.
A Review of Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Therapeutic Repurposing and Unmet Clinical Needs
Authors: Chen Po-Lin , Lee Nan-Yao , Cia Cong-Tat , Ko Wen-Chien , Hsueh Po-Ren
Published: November 2020

For the initial phase of pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), repurposing drugs that in vitro inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been attempted with overlooked or overestimated efficacy owing to limited clinical evidence. Most early clinical trials have the defects of study design, small sample size, non-randomized design, or different timings of treatment initiation. However, well-designed studies on asymptomatic or mild, or pediatric cases of COVID-19 are scarce and desperately needed to meet the clinical need. However, a trend could be observed based on current clinical evidence. Remdesivir and favipiravir may shorten the recovery time; lopinavir/ritonavir does not demonstrate treatment efficacy in severe patients. Triple therapy of ribavirin, lopinavir, and interferon β-1b showed early viral negative conversion, and the major effect may be related to interferon. Some small sample-size studies showed that interleukin-6 inhibitors may demonstrate clinical improvement; non-critical patients may benefit from convalescent plasma infusion in small sample-size studies; and the role of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19 remains unclear. Combination therapy of traditional Chinese medicine with antiviral agents (ex. interferon, lopinavir, or arbidol) may alleviate inflammation in severe COVID-19 patients based on small sample-sized observational studies and experts’ opinion. Most of the published studies included severe or critical patients with COVID-19. Combination therapy of antiviral agents and immune-modulating drugs is reasonable especially for those critical COVID-19 patients with cytokine release syndrome. Drugs to blunt cytokine release might not benefit for patients in the early stage with mild disease or the late stage with critical illness. Traditional Chinese medicine with antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2 and immune-modulation is widely used for COVID-19 patients in China, and is worthy of further studies. In this review, we aim to highlight the available therapeutic options for COVID-19 based on current clinical evidence and encourage clinical trials specific for children and for patients with mild disease or at the early stage of COVID-19.
Availability of Nickel in Soil Evaluated by Various Chemical Extractants and Plant Accumulation
Authors: Jakubus Monika , Graczyk Małgorzata
Published: November 2020

This work presents quantitative changes of nickel in soil and plants under the influence of compost and fly ash. The research was carried out in a 3-year experiment on medium soil fertilised with compost or fly ash. The plants: narrow leaf lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.), camelina (Camelina sativa L.), and oat (Avena sativa L.) were planted in consecutive years. The soil from the experiment was subjected to extraction by sequential analysis with the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) method, and single extractions using 1 mol·dm−3 HCl and DTPA solutions, obtaining the amount of nickel in various combinations with the soil solid phase. Total contents of the metal in soil and cultivated plants were determined. On the basis of Ni contents in the soil and cultivated plants, the bioconcentration factors and the risk assessment code were calculated. The type of amendments had a significant impact on the nickel content in lupine, for camelina and oat was the greatest in the control conditions. The differences between the amounts of Ni determined for bioconcentration factors were significant and depended on the amendments and nickel obtained by different methods. Regardless of the experimental conditions, the amount of Ni in the exchangeable bonds (Fr. I) had the greatest impact on the content of Ni in lupine and oat, whereas NiDTPA in the case of camelina.
Identification of Field Tolerance and Resistance to Mal Secco Disease in a Citrus Germplasm Collection in Sicily
Authors: Russo Riccardo , Caruso Marco , Arlotta Carmen , Lo Piero Angela Roberta , Nicolosi Elisabetta , Di Silvestro Silvia
Published: November 2020

Mal secco is a tracheomycotic disease caused by the fungus Plenodomus tracheiphilus (Petri) Gruyter, Aveskamp, and Verkley that has caused severe damage and loss of yield in the citrus industry in the Mediterranean area, for 100 years. While the disease can affect different cultivated citrus species, lemon (C. × limon var. limon (L.) Burm. f.) and citron are the most susceptible. The identification of resistant or field-tolerant clones and hybrids is a major goal for lemon growers and breeders. To identify sources of resistance or tolerance to the disease, we performed a phenotypic survey on a lemon and lemon-like open-field germplasm planted at CREA (Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops), Italy, in an area with high pathogen pressure. Phenotyping was performed visually, four times, for three consecutive years, on a total of 50 accessions, with two or three replicate trees per accession. Moreover, molecular screening based on real-time PCR was performed, for two consecutive years, on twigs, young leaves, and mature leaves of all plants, to detect the pathogen in the absence of clear symptoms. The accessions were categorized into seven groups based on the presence of visual symptoms, real-time PCR pathogen detection, and canopy volume. The results revealed sources of tolerance in lemon and citron hybrids. The molecular screening identified P. tracheiphilus in all lemon clones, with mean Ct values ranging from 17 to 39. The screening also identified P. tracheiphilus in clones without clear symptoms, indicating their ability to tolerate the disease. Moreover, a strong negative correlation was found between the Ct values in twigs and symptom severity (r = −0.72). This indicates that the DNA from twigs is the most appropriate for use in performing reliable phenotyping of mal secco susceptibility in adult plants. An autotetraploid lemon (Doppio Lentini) seems to be immune to the disease, under natural pressure, since P. tracheiphilus was not detected by real-time PCR and visual screening. Overall, the data obtained are a valuable resource for identifying both the most tolerant lemon varieties suitable for areas with high pathogen pressure and the best breeding parents for the introgression of resistance genes into lemon genotypes.
How to Handle Your Dragon: Does Handling Duration Affect the Behaviour of Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps)?
Authors: Stockley Victoria R. , Wilkinson Anna , Burman Oliver H.P.
Published: November 2020

Reptiles are popular as pets and it is, therefore, important to understand how different aspects of housing and husbandry impact on their behaviour and welfare. One potential cause of stress in captive reptiles is interaction with humans; in particular, the effect of handling. However, little research on handling has been carried out with reptiles, particularly relating to the type of gentle handling likely to be experienced by pet animals. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether the amount of time that bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), a commonly kept pet species, experienced gentle handling induced no or differing levels of anxiety, as reflected in their subsequent behavioural response to novelty. We found that there appeared to be a mildly aversive effect of handling time on subsequent behavioural response to novelty. Longer durations of handling (5 min or 15 min) appeared to increase anxiety-related behaviour, with handled animals showing more frequent tongue flicking behaviour when they experienced a novel environment and reduced time spent in close proximity to a novel object. These results suggest that handling bearded dragons, even in a gentle way, may increase their anxiety. However, it is not yet known whether animals may habituate to handling for longer periods if provided with additional experience.
Inbreeding Alters the Gut Microbiota of the Banna Minipig
Authors: Wei Limin , Zeng Bo , Zhang Siyuan , Li Feng , Kong Fanli , Ran Haixia , Wei Hong-Jiang , Zhao Jiangchao , Li Mingzhou , Li Ying
Published: November 2020

The gut microbiota coevolve with the host and can be stably transmitted to the offspring. Host genetics plays a crucial role in the composition and abundance of gut microbiota. Inbreeding can cause a decrease of the host’s genetic diversity and the heterozygosity. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to compare the differences of gut microbiota between the Diannan small-ear pig and Banna minipig inbred, aiming to understand the impact of inbreeding on the gut microbiota. Three dominant bacteria (Stenotrophlomonas, Streptococcus, and Lactobacillus) were steadily enriched in both the Diannan small-ear pig and Banna minipig inbred. After inbreeding, the gut microbiota alpha diversity and some potential probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Tricibacter, Ruminocaccae, Christensenellaceae, etc.) were significantly decreased, while the pathogenic Klebsiella bacteria was significantly increased. In addition, the predicted metagenomic analysis (PICRUSt2) indicated that several amino acid metabolisms (‘‘Valine, leucine, and isoleucine metabolism’’, ‘‘Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis’’, ‘‘Histidine metabolism’’) were also markedly decreased after the inbreeding. Altogether our data reveal that host inbreeding altered the composition and the predicted function of the gut microbiome, which provides some data for the gut microbiota during inbreeding.
How Volatile Compounds, Oxidative Profile and Sensory Evaluation Can Change with Vacuum Aging in Donkey Meat
Authors: Maggiolino Aristide , Lorenzo José Manuel , Centoducati Gerardo , Domínguez Rubén , Dinardo Francesca Rita , Marino Rosaria , Malva Antonella della , Bragaglio Andrea , De Palo Pasquale
Published: November 2020

This study aims to improve knowledge on donkey meat and the vacuum aging effect on the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), oxidative profile and status and the sensory characteristics. Ten 18-month old Martina Franca donkeys’ male foals were involved in the trial. Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle was extracted from each left half carcass, between the fourth and the ninth rib. Each muscle was divided into five sections, vacuum packaged, stored at 2 °C, and randomly assigned to one of the different aging time (1, 3, 6, 9, and 14 days of aging). Volatile compounds, oxidation parameters, and antioxidant enzymes were analysed, and a sensory test was performed. A nested one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for aging time as an independent variable. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Aldehydes are the most produced VOCs, but no changes were observed during vacuum aging (p > 0.05). Nitrogen compounds increased during aging (p < 0.01). TBARs and hydroperoxides did not change during the storage, whereas the protein carbonyls increased (p < 0.05). Vacuum aging slowed down lipid oxidation and put in evidence the presence of protein oxidation and degradation, influencing the VOCs productions and sensory evaluation.
Effects of Dog-Based Animal-Assisted Interventions in Prison Population: A Systematic Review
Authors: Villafaina-Domínguez Beatriz , Collado-Mateo Daniel , Merellano-Navarro Eugenio , Villafaina Santos
Published: November 2020

Background: Animal-assisted interventions, in concrete dog-assisted intervention, have been introduced in prisons to reduce recidivism as well as to improve the well-being of prisoners. Therefore, the aim of the present systematic review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the research on the effects of dog-based animal-assisted therapy in prison population. Methods: An electronic search of the literature was performed, and 20 articles were included. The PRISMA guideline methodology was employed. Results: Included studies involved a total of 1577 participants. The vast majority of protocols included activities related with dog training, dog caring, or activities, which included vocational or educational components. Duration of dog-based therapies ranged between 60 and 120 min, with the frequency being between 1 and 3 days/week. Statistically significant improvements in prisoners were observed in 13 studies. Conclusions: Dog-based animal-assisted therapy may improve anxiety, stress, recidivism, and other social variables in male or female inmates.
Management of Thermal Injuries in Donkeys: A Case Report
Authors: Lohse Jorge , Pietrantoni Pierpaolo , Tummers Christian
Published: November 2020

Burn injuries are uncommon in large animals and there are no reports of these injuries in donkeys. Burns cause local and systemic effects. Extensive thermal injuries can be challenging to manage and the extent of the burn surface affected will directly impact the severity of the illness and the prognosis. Burns are classified according to the depth of injury into four categories, from first-degree burns, and the least affect to fourth-degree burns, which are the more severely affected patients. This case report describes the medical management of four donkeys that sustained various degrees of external burn injuries during the wildland–urban interface fire in Valparaiso, Chile. The donkeys were treated topically for several weeks and closely monitor for inadequate nutritional intake. Water based topical medications are preferred in burn cases because they can be easily applied and removed without interfering with wound healing. Of note, the caloric demands of these cases can be achieved by increasing the amount of grain, adding fat (i.e., vegetable oil), and free-choice alfalfa hay. All donkeys recovered and were retired to an animal shelter.
Suppression of Methane Generation during Methanogenesis by Chemically Modified Humic Compounds
Authors: Efremenko Elena , Senko Olga , Stepanov Nikolay , Mareev Nikita , Volikov Alexander , Perminova Irina
Published: November 2020

The introduction of various concentrations of chemically modified humic compounds (HC) with different redox characteristics into the media with free and immobilized anaerobic consortia accumulating landfill gases was studied as approach to their functioning management. For this purpose, quinone (hydroquinone, naphthoquinone or methylhydroquinone) derivatives of HC were synthesized, which made it possible to vary the redox and antioxidant properties of HC as terminal electron acceptors in methanogenic systems. The highest acceptor properties were obtained with potassium humate modified by naphthoquinone. To control possible negative effect of HC on the cells of natural methanogenic consortia, different bioluminescent analytical methods were used. The addition of HC derivatives, enriched with quinonones, to nutrient media at concentrations above 1 g/L decreased the energetic status of cells and the efficiency of the methanogenesis. For the first time, the significant decrease in accumulation of biogas was reached as effect of synthetic HC derivatives, whereas both notable change of biogas composition towards increase in the CO2 content and decrease in CH4 were revealed. Thus, modification with quinones makes it possible to obtain low-potential HC derivatives with strongly pronounced acceptor properties, promising for inhibition of biogas synthesis by methanogenic communities.
Thermal Stability Analysis of the Mg/TeO2 Ignition Composition after 180 °C Exposure
Authors: He Xiang , Ye Yaokun , Yan Nan , Ding Feng , Li Chaozhen , Lv Zhixing , Huang Jinhong
Published: November 2020

In order to satisfy the performance requirements of the pyrotechnic ignition composition of a space mission under an extreme thermal environment, it is necessary to analyze and verify the thermal stability of magnesium/tellurium dioxide (Mg/TeO2) ignition composition at a temperature of 180 °C. The thermal stability of the ignition composition of Mg/TeO2 and its components after exposure to 180 °C for 2–10 days was studied by means of apparent morphology analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), content change analysis, and the P-t curve test. The results showed that after exposure to 180 °C for 2–10 days, no obvious changes, such as ruptures, expansion, or shrinkage, were found by optical microscope, and no changes in morphology and surface details were found by scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD showed that no other new substance was found in the mixture except magnesium hydroxide (Mg (OH)2). DSC showed that the main reaction peak temperature of the ignition composition of Mg/TeO2 was after 500 °C and that no endothermic/exothermic reaction occurred before 380 °C. The exothermic pre-reaction took place at 381 °C to 470 °C, the weight loss ratio was within 0.71%, the content of the magnesium component varied from 0.49% to 0.90%, the peak pressure attenuation of the ignition composition of 360-mesh Mg/TeO2 was 8.07%, and the pressure rise time was basically unchanged. The results showed that the ignition composition of Mg/TeO2 had good thermal stability after exposure to 180 °C temperatures.
Fluidization Dynamics of Hydrophobic Nanosilica with Velocity Step Changes
Authors: Al-Ghurabi Ebrahim H. , Asif Mohammad , Kumar Nadavala Siva , Khan Sher Afghan
Published: November 2020

Nanosilica is widely used in various applications, with its market expected to grow over USD 5 billion by 2025. The fluidized bed technology, owing to its intimate contact and efficient mixing of phases, is ideally suited for the large scale processing of powders. However, the bulk processing and dispersion of ultrafine nanosilica using the fluidized bed technology are critically affected by the interparticle forces, such that the hydrophilic nanosilica shows agglomerate bubbling fluidization (ABF), while the hydrophobic nanosilica undergoes agglomerate particulate fluidization (APF). This study carried out a detailed investigation into the fluidization hydrodynamic of the hydrophobic nanosilica by monitoring the region-wise dynamics of the fluidized bed subjected to a regular step change of fixed duration in the gas velocity. The gas flow was controlled using a mass controller operated with an analog output signal from a data acquisition system. The analog input data were acquired at the sampling rate of 100 Hz and analyzed in both time and temporal frequency domains. The effect of velocity transients on the bed dynamics was quickly mitigated and appeared as lower frequency events, especially in regions away from the distributor. Despite the apparent particulate nature of the fluidization, strong hysteresis was observed in both pressure drop and bed expansion. Moreover, the fully fluidized bed’s pressure drop was less than 75% of the theoretical value even though the bed appeared to free from non-homogeneities. Key fluidization parameters, e.g., minimum fluidization velocity (Umf) and the agglomerate size, were evaluated, which can be readily used in the large scale processing of nanosilica powders using fluidized bed technology.
Atmospheric Turbulence Study with Deep Machine Learning of Intensity Scintillation Patterns
Authors: Vorontsov Artem M. , Vorontsov Mikhail A. , Filimonov Grigorii A. , Polnau Ernst
Published: November 2020

A new paradigm for machine learning-inspired atmospheric turbulence sensing is developed and applied to predict the atmospheric turbulence refractive index structure parameter using deep neural network (DNN)-based processing of short-exposure laser beam intensity scintillation patterns obtained with both: experimental measurement trials conducted over a 7 km propagation path, and imitation of these trials using wave-optics numerical simulations. The developed DNN model was optimized and evaluated in a set of machine learning experiments. The results obtained demonstrate both good accuracy and high temporal resolution in sensing. The machine learning approach was also employed to challenge the validity of several eminent atmospheric turbulence theoretical models and to evaluate them against the experimentally measured data.
Performance Evaluation of a Proposed Machine Learning Model for Chronic Disease Datasets Using an Integrated Attribute Evaluator and an Improved Decision Tree Classifier
Authors: Mishra Sushruta , Mallick Pradeep Kumar , Tripathy Hrudaya Kumar , Bhoi Akash Kumar , González-Briones Alfonso
Published: November 2020

There is a consistent rise in chronic diseases worldwide. These diseases decrease immunity and the quality of daily life. The treatment of these disorders is a challenging task for medical professionals. Dimensionality reduction techniques make it possible to handle big data samples, providing decision support in relation to chronic diseases. These datasets contain a series of symptoms that are used in disease prediction. The presence of redundant and irrelevant symptoms in the datasets should be identified and removed using feature selection techniques to improve classification accuracy. Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is a comparative analysis of the impact of wrapper and filter selection methods on classification performance. The filter methods that have been considered include the Correlation Feature Selection (CFS) method, the Information Gain (IG) method and the Chi-Square (CS) method. The wrapper methods that have been considered include the Best First Search (BFS) method, the Linear Forward Selection (LFS) method and the Greedy Step Wise Search (GSS) method. A Decision Tree algorithm has been used as a classifier for this analysis and is implemented through the WEKA tool. An attribute significance analysis has been performed on the diabetes, breast cancer and heart disease datasets used in the study. It was observed that the CFS method outperformed other filter methods concerning the accuracy rate and execution time. The accuracy rate using the CFS method on the datasets for heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer was 93.8%, 89.5% and 96.8% respectively. Moreover, latency delays of 1.08 s, 1.02 s and 1.01 s were noted using the same method for the respective datasets. Among wrapper methods, BFS’ performance was impressive in comparison to other methods. Maximum accuracy of 94.7%, 95.8% and 96.8% were achieved on the datasets for heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer respectively. Latency delays of 1.42 s, 1.44 s and 132 s were recorded using the same method for the respective datasets. On the basis of the obtained result, a new hybrid Attribute Evaluator method has been proposed which effectively integrates enhanced K-Means clustering with the CFS filter method and the BFS wrapper method. Furthermore, the hybrid method was evaluated with an improved decision tree classifier. The improved decision tree classifier combined clustering with classification. It was validated on 14 different chronic disease datasets and its performance was recorded. A very optimal and consistent classification performance was observed. The mean values for accuracy, specificity, sensitivity and f-score metrics were 96.7%, 96.5%, 95.6% and 96.2% respectively.
Natural Frequency Prediction Method for 6R Machining Industrial Robot
Authors: Sun Jiabin , Zhang Weimin , Dong Xinfeng
Published: November 2020

The industrial robot machining performance is highly dependent on dynamic behavior of the robot, especially the natural frequency. This paper aims at introducing a method to predict the natural frequency of a 6R industrial robot at random configuration, for improving dynamic performance during robot machining. A prediction model of natural frequency which expresses the mathematical relation between natural frequency and configuration is constructed for a 6R robot. Joint angles are used as input variables to represent the configurations in the model. The quantity and range of variables are limited for efficiency and practicability. Then sample configurations are selected by central composite design method due to its capacity of disposing nonlinear effects, and natural frequency data is acquired through experimental modal test. The model, which is in form of regression equation, is fitted and optimized with sample data through partial least square (PLS) method. The proposed model is verified with random configurations and compared with the original model and a model fitted by least square method. Prediction results indicate that the model fitted and optimized by PLS method has the best prediction ability. The universality of the proposed method is validated through implementation onto a similar 6R robot.