bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methods for removing reduced sulfur compounds from groundwater
Authors: Wilson E V , Litvinenko V A , Obukhov D I
Published: September 2020

Reduced sulfur compounds contained in natural waters adversely affect human health in wastewater, cause corrosion of collector materials and structures, and inhibit biological treatment processes. The methods to reduce the reduced sulfur compounds concentration in natural and waste waters are quite well known, however, in each case, in accordance with the requirements for the quality of treatment and the initial concentration of reduced sulfur compounds, it is necessary to adapt the methods used. This article presents the results of studies on the removal of reduced sulfur compounds from groundwater. The results of the reduced sulfur compounds oxidation method with hydrogen peroxide to sulfates with aeration and without aeration of the treated water are presented, as well as the results of studies on colloidal sulfur coagulation resulting from the incomplete oxidation of the reduced sulfur compounds. The expediency of using the reduced sulfur compounds of hydrogen peroxide with simultaneous aeration of the treated water as an oxidizing agent is shown. It was established that the contact duration of the treated water containing the reduced sulfur compound with hydrogen peroxide, both with and without simultaneous aeration, should be at least 30 minutes. The results of experiments on the colloidal sulfur coagulation are also presented, indicating that the use of sodium hydro-aluminate in proportion to aluminum sulfate, which ensures the ratio [OH+]: [Al3+] = 0,5, allows not only to achieve results in water purification with bringing the quality to the standards for drinking water, but also to reduce the coagulant dose in its active part by 30%, compared to other options. It has been analytically established that when using aluminum oxy sulfates or oxy chlorides for coagulation of colloidal sulfur, it is advisable to use the low-base coagulants.
Ultraviolet air disinfection in ventilation and air conditioning systems
Authors: Mikaeva S A , Mikaeva A S , Brysin A N
Published: September 2020

Not only human health depends on the microbiological purity of air, but also the production processes efficiency at the enterprises of agriculture, food, pharmaceutical industry, and other human activities. To solve the problems of microbiological air pollution and ventilation as well as air conditioning systems, ultraviolet irradiation devices based on low-pressure Hg-lamps are traditionally used. Based on world experience in air treatment of ventilation and air conditioning systems, convenient to use, the energy-efficient, small-sized and safe-to-operate disinfection devices based on amalgam ultraviolet lamps have been created. Recognizing the importance of the problem and taking into account the regulatory documents requirements, we have created professional installations for the ventilation, air channels and air conditioning systems’ disinfection: ultraviolet modules MEGALIT and bactericidal cells MEGALIT AERO.
On the need of adjusting the new rules for connecting to gas distribution networks
Authors: Edukov D A , Edukov V A
Published: September 2020

One of the important problems in meeting the heat supply needs of housing projects is the gas distribution network construction. The existing rules for connecting to gas distribution networks are constantly undergoing changes and do not provide an increase in the dynamics of gasification in the country as a whole. The article discusses various options for connecting applicants to a medium-pressure gas distribution network. As a result of the studies, it was shown that the refusal to install gas reduction points on the territory of the applicant’s site will have the best effect on increasing the dynamics of the gas distribution network and reducing the connection time for gas consumption networks in the district.
Adjustment of the harvesting and transport groups’ composition for grain harvesting in real time
Authors: Nikolaev N.
Published: September 2020

An algorithm and a system for the operational correction of the harvesting and transport complex composition for harvesting grain crops are developed. The system allows to adjust the structure of machine groups for harvesting, transhipment and transportation of grain promptly. The system is based on the machine conditions’ real-time monitoring and the transfer of control actions through a single control centre. The use of such organization of work reduces unproductive downtime of machines. As a result, the cost is reduced and the productivity of harvesting and transport groups is growing.
Theoretical principles for the diagnostic support development for transport and technological machines
Authors: Voronin V V
Published: September 2020

Three theoretical principles of developing the diagnostic support for technical objects of diagnosis are formulated, namely: the principle of dominance - knowledge about the set of possible defects of the diagnosis object is dominated by all other types of diagnostic knowledge; the principle of five systemic representations of the diagnostic object - in the problem of finding defects with maximum depth, in the general case, knowledge of the external, degradation, and structural representations of the diagnostic object is necessary; compliance principle - the operational reliability of the diagnostic object is to be supported by an effective maintenance system corresponding to it. The main goal of the work is to establish the interdependence between these principles. In addition, the listed principles are analysed in relation to the main diagnostic tasks and various classes of technical objects of diagnosis, and are also recommended for use in the development of diagnostic support for technical systems, including the development and maintenance of the diagnostic expert systems.
Production distortions: methods and approaches to assessment
Authors: Takhumova O V , Vasilieva N K , Loiko V I , Baranovskaya T P
Published: September 2020

The key point in the development of any economic system is the balanced formation of various conditions that reflect the economic, social, political, infrastructural and technological aspects of the process under study. The indicated priorities are traced in the organization of economic activity in various sectors of the economy, including the sphere of construction production and services. The presented work was an attempt to determine the vector of the construction industry sustainable development, based on the allocation of imbalance indicators and a system of criteria that reflect uniform development and growth. The following methods were used by us as the research methods: synthesis, a method of multi-stage analysis and functional dependence, the method of financial ratios, design and construction, etc. The study reflects a theoretical approach to assessing the existing imbalances based on a criteria-based assessment of sustainable development of construction production in a single economic space of the country. The priority of regional development in the general concept of sustainable functioning necessitates consideration from the point of view of the cause-effect relationships and the formation of the indicators system for quantitative characteristics, taking into account socio-economic, environmental production, which determined the identification of sub-indexes of causation (efficiency conditions), intermediate results (environmental standards ) and the consequences (the result of energy savings). The practical significance of the work lies in the development of proposals to improve the sustainability of the domestic organizations involved in the construction industry. The proposed methodological approach is universal and can be used for various sectors of the economy, including for assessing the sustainable development of agricultural production.
To the question of the construction investment impact on the business regional activity
Authors: Shtofer G A , Vetrova N M , Gaisarova A A , Smirnova I Yu
Published: September 2020

The scale and effectiveness of investment activity is mainly associated with the creation of an attractive investment climate in the region, which reflects a combination of factors that allow the investors to safely invest in order to provide the materials, resources and get guaranteed benefits with high material output. Construction has always been distinguished by capital and material consumption, cycle time, the use of special equipment and technologies, as well as a special management system to attract and implement investments. But even with the correct calculations, investments may not bring the expected results due to lack of business and entrepreneurial resources, including those at the regional level. But on the other hand, investment processes in general, and in construction in particular, form the business activity of the region and business entities. The purpose of the study is to clarify the methodology for assessing the investments impact (general and in construction) on the business activity level in the region. The tasks of identifying the level of investments’ influence on the parameters of business activity in the region and conducting testing of the proposed developments on the Crimean region example were solved. As a result, a definition of business activity in the region was developed with the allocation of the regional socio-economic system parameters’ blocks with a justification of the investment activity characteristics, including in construction. An approach to assessing the business activity of the region is proposed, within the framework of which the correlation dependence of the investments influence on the regional business activity level is calculated using the example of the Crimean regional complex. The identified parameters of the investments’ impact flows both in construction, material production, and in innovation, can serve as the basis for developing a set of measures to stimulate the investors regarding the required indicators of the socio-economic development of the territory.
Project finance risk management at the stages of the housing projects’ life cycle
Authors: Voronina N V , Steksova S Yu
Published: September 2020

Project financing is currently one of the possible ways to attract financial resources to the Russian economy in modern conditions. In the construction industry, due to the deficit of own funds and liquid assets, a decrease in business activity is observed. If the effective measures to support housing construction are not taken, the consequences for the construction industry and its related sectors of the economy will be disastrous. Therefore, the introduction of a new mechanism for financing the housing projects will allow the enterprises to receive funds on sufficiently favorable terms and will serve as an impetus to the industrial development as a whole. The project finance use in housing is possible only with the use of escrow accounts. In this regard, the new risks for the project participants appear and those that were traditionally present with project financing are redistributed. To create an effective project financing system, it is necessary not only to develop a methodology for identifying risks with project financing, but also to develop a risk management system that allows to take the informed decisions about the financing possibility taking into account uncertainties. The authors systematized and identified the risks of project financing at all the project life cycle phases, on the basis of which a project financing risk management system was developed.
Project infrastructure bonds as a tool for the PPP projects’ additional financing in the healthcare facilities’ construction
Authors: Sidorenko E N , Semiglazova V A
Published: September 2020

The article discusses the possibilities of using the additional sources of financing in the construction and operation of infrastructure health facilities in the framework of public-private partnership agreements. The specificity of infrastructure bonds as a form of investment in the infrastructure facilities’ creation in the health sector is clarified.

It is proposed to expand the list of PPPs in the healthcare sector by means of the non-concession models. In concessions, there are a number of restrictions removed in the application of non-concessive PPPs. Therefore, the project bonds should be separated from the concession bonds. The project bonds’ liquidity is determined by collateral, which can be the government guarantees, future cash income, real estate created. It is important to legally link the use of project bonds and the issuance of state guarantees in the long term, developing the institution of the rights’ pledge to claim the future cash payments.
The investment process features in housing construction of municipalities
Authors: Ivanova D G , Ivanova O E , Sukhinin S A
Published: September 2020

Investment activity has many aspects and is determined by the goals, objectives, investors’ interests, its potential opportunities for investing funds, as well as the type and expected return of the invested object. Investments are the financial basis for housing construction. The essence of the investment process in housing is to find the financial resources and carry out the practical actions with them in order to make a profit and achieve another useful effect through the housing construction and its implementation on the market. Based on the economic feasibility principles, the investment process has a certain volume and terms of financial investments, which in the case of housing construction come in the form of capital investments. Ensuring the specific construction projects’ implementation, investments are of particular importance for municipalities, contributing to the expansion of their housing stock and improving the living conditions of the population through the new built housing acquisition. The investment process in housing has a number of specific features associated with the buildings’ construction long duration. At the same time, investments in housing construction are more reliable and less risky in comparison with other types of financial investments, since they can provide the investor with a greater profit in the implementation of constructed residential real estate. Due to the dynamism of the housing market, its conjuncture significantly affects the structure transformation, the investment level and the construction activities of municipalities. This study is dedicated to the investment process features’ consideration in the housing construction of municipalities.
On the issue of the construction products brands’ promoti
Authors: Khan R S , Surkov V V , Druzhba O V , Druzhba K G
Published: September 2020

For a number of reasons, the domestic construction industry has traditionally been characterized by a conservative attitude to such means of influencing the market as marketing in general and branding in particular. The excess of demand over supply, observed in the Russian housing market for a long time, allowed the construction companies to consider marketing as an unnecessary, unproductive element of market activity. However, the active growth in production volumes that took place in the field of housing over the past 20 years has led to a significant intensification of competition between the construction companies, contributed to the increased demands from the consumers, and, as a result, forced many construction companies to reconsider their old attitude to marketing. To date, almost every major construction company operating in the housing market is already actively using certain marketing tools. Branding was no exception in this series either. Creating and promoting brands of construction companies and residential complexes has become a daily practice. A review of the current situation, problems and prospects in this area are the objectives of this article.
Economic-mathematical model for calculating the labor cost as a part of the investment construction project’s cost on the estimated standardization and market pricing methods’ basis
Authors: Dyakova O V , Vasilenko Zh A , Usatkina O I , Alexandria A V
Published: September 2020

Effective management of investment and construction projects is associated with the problem of cost estimation. The guidelines for the construction products’ determining prices disclosing methods have been developed. However, in practice, the investor estimates, which is an important condition, but not sufficient are used as basic. The need for an accurate calculation of the investment construction project cost for both the investor and the contractor dictates the new requirements for finding approaches to the materials’ systematization, as well as streamlining the procedure for calculating the construction products’ price. At the pre-investment stage of design, cost optimization should be carried out by calculating the capital investments using the aggregated indicators. In this situation, priority attention should be directed to rationing and labor costs. The calculation of probable labor costs for a certain period will make it possible to increase the validity of the decisions taken at the initial stage of the investment construction project’s development. Today it is necessary to develop a new approach to the issue of calculating labor costs in construction, which, on the one hand, will determine the amount of labor costs and production efficiency, and on the other hand, make an investment and construction project attractive in modern market conditions.
Development of an effective business intercommunicating system based on the electronic document management introduction for a construction company
Authors: Kostikova A V , Tarasova I A , Kazanova N V , Krivoklyakina E G
Published: September 2020

In context of industry 4.0, where the information component and intercommunicating technologies prevail over the traditional interaction forms, and the business intercommunicating sphere goes into virtual space, enterprises face the need to develop a new business intercommunicating system in order to improve the business intercommunicating system and improve management efficiency in general. The business intercommunicating basic unit is a document. The documents’ movement in all cases reflects the management apparatus organizational structure and the responsibilities distribution between its constituent parts. The basic business processes’ point automation during the documents’ exchange with external contractors becomes insufficient and in modern conditions requires a total transition to the document management in electronic form. The article proposes the measures aimed at modernizing the information flow schemes and the document management system for integrating electronic intercommunicating processes into the construction company management model. The purpose of this article is to propose a method for improving the business intercommunicating system of a construction enterprise based on its business model reengineering and the digital technologies’ introduction. Actually, the method will include the structural analysis stages, logical design, construction and verification of the “as-is” model, the requirements’ formulation for a digital business intercommunicating system, the business processes’ reengineering, the “to-be” models’ formation. As a result of the system project’s implementation, it was possible to streamline all accounting and settlement processes; reduce losses associated with the documents’ movement, effectively organize the employees’ work and ensure their high-quality interaction; speed up the process of exchanging information with external contractors; provide the opportunity to receive various analytical data for management decisions.
The essence and prospects of business development in Russia in modern conditions
Authors: Zilberova I Yu , Shumeev P A , Novoselova I V
Published: September 2020

At the present stage, more and more new managerial and legal models appear in Russia in the context of a developing real estate market with the construction business organization. Some of them are the adapted models for managing the investment and construction projects, which are just beginning to be formed and used by entrepreneurs and managers in the Russian conditions. The article considers the business development as an important factor for the Russian economy as a factor in improving the investment and construction activities’ efficiency. The essence definition of business development as a system of organizational, legal and economic relations between the subjects of the real estate market related to the socio-economic territorial business development is formulated. The main business development stages are highlighted, including for the projects’ implementation in Russia.
The business models’ adaptive evolution in digitalization
Authors: Shumeyko M V , Sagamonova G V , Sagamonova E V
Published: September 2020

The article reveals the new strategic priority areas in the field of engineering. The advantages of digitalization and service are determined, and the main results of the adaptive evolution of business models are presented.
The introduction of intelligent electrical networks in Russia
Authors: Mikhnev I P , Salnikova N A , Orudjev N Y , Shestopalova E L
Published: September 2020

The article analyzes the development of modern energy. From the analysis should be the most promising area of development is the modernization of energy by reducing losses in power systems. Technically, this problem can be solved with the help of intelligent networks (Smart Grid). An example of the creation of intelligent electrical networks in the Russian Federation.
Methodology to assess the comfort level of the residential development of a microdistrict in the city
Authors: Ilyichev V A , Kolchunov V I , Gordon V A , Bakaeva N V
Published: September 2020

According to the RAACS urban planning principles, it is proposed to evaluate the level of comfortable and safe urban environment, based on a new methodological approach - technologies compatible with the biosphere - and a quantitative evaluation of the implementation of the city functions for each inhabitant. Among the functions of the city in the present work are considered: life support, providing entertainment and recreation, creating conditions for power, mercy, learning, realizing creative needs, strengthening ties with nature. As indicators that quantitatively reflect the level of implementation of the functions of the city and its components, it is proposed to introduce a system of quality indicators for the planning and design decisions of the territories of the urban districts. Using the vectorial representation of the current state of the system in this paper, we developed a methodology to assess the level of comfort and viability of the life support processes in a residential and neighborhood districts. The numerical implementation of the methodology for assessing the level of comfort is made for the component “Housing”, which plays a fundamental role in a cardinal increase in the comfort of the urban environment.
RETRACTED: Environmental Safety Conditions and Factors in zones of influence of water facilities
Authors: Bondarenko V L , Ylyasov A I , Hetsuriani E D , Semenova E A , Larin D S , Khetsuriani T E
Published: September 2020

Water problem is one of the most important problems at the present stage of development of the global system “Nature - Society – Man” is practically associated with all types of economic and other activities. The realities of emergency situations (ES) indicate that about 30% of emergencies on the planet Earth are directly related to water resources, which are formed within the spatial limits of basin geosystems interconnected with global water circulation within the Earth’s biosphere. The use of water resources within river basin geosystems by means of intra-basin regulation or inter-basin redistribution of water flow (surface, underground) determines the need for environmental safety (ES), which determines the protection objects’ state under the influence of agent, energy, information flows (AEI) emanating from (Activity Objects (A.O.)), operating as part of the NTE “N.E. - A.O. - P.” for the use of water resources in various technological schemes of economic and other activities. The methodological basis in the issues study on ensuring electronic safety on existing and new “A.O.” is a systematic approach, as a way of creating and describing the interconnection, interaction and interrelations processes (IIR) between the components of the system “Protection Object – Source of Environmental Hazard - Protective Measures” “P.O. – S.E.H - P.M.”, which may include all “P.O.”, the entire set of “P.M.”.
Methodology for selecting energy efficient and environmentally safe technologies and materials used in construction
Authors: Abramyan S G , Mikhailova N A , Vayngolts A I , Kotlyarevskaya A V
Published: September 2020

The paper gains relevance by discussing the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities and its key aspects using the example of facade systems. Based on the analysis of scientific publications, the authors note that energy efficiency should be considered during construction engineering, because the energy conservation factors assumed at this stage directly influence the energy performance during construction and operation. The point is made that a comprehensive scientific approach is required to select energy efficient materials and technologies, as materials meeting the energy efficiency and environmental safety requirements at the engineering stage may turn out carcinogenic at the operation stage due to failure to observe the work technology. At the construction stage, energy efficiency should be accomplished by using high-technology work methods. The scientific novelty of the research consists in offering a methodology for selecting energy efficient and environmentally safe construction materials and technologies, in particular, with the use of a computer program. A summary of the methodology is provided including the initial and resulting screen forms of the computer program. The practical relevance consists in adapting the new computer program for selecting energy efficient materials and technologies to make other structural systems of buildings and facilities.
Experimental studies of aspiration and pneumatic conveying systems at the enterprises manufacturing rubber products
Authors: Stefanenko I V , Azarov A V , Zhukova N S , Pushenko S L
Published: September 2020

The article is devoted to the study of aspiration systems and pneumatic transport in the workshops for the rubber products manufacturing. The methods for controlling dust from the rubber production plants to create favorable conditions in the operators’ working areas have been developed. A description of the existing and proposed schemes of pneumatic conveying systems has been presented. The new switch valves for pneumatic conveying systems have been considered.
Development of engineering decisions to reduce technological exposure to the environmental environment of oil flower
Authors: Yuriev Yu Yu , Sidyakin P A , Shchitov D M , Tatov A S
Published: September 2020

The way of neutralization of waste of oil-processing industry of receiving valuable secondary raw materials is developed for use in the construction industry.

Optimization of process of interaction of withdrawal of production of additive (DF-11) with waste of the ground is performed. The method of liquidation of the map of viscous production wastes of additives is developed. The special collector of waste is developed for selection of waste from the card.

The regression equation establishing connection between the number of the absorbed petrowaste and content in initial mix OPP, GP and KEKA, allowing to optimize composition of mix is received. The optimum maintenance of the components entering mix is defined.
Comparing dominance hierarchy methods using a data-splitting approach with real-world data
Authors: Vilette Chloé , Bonnell Tyler , Henzi Peter , Barrett Louise
Published: September 2020

The development of numerical methods for inferring social ranks has resulted in an overwhelming array of options to choose from. Previous work has established the validity of these methods through the use of simulated datasets, by determining whether a given ranking method can accurately reproduce the dominance hierarchy known to exist in the data. Here, we offer a complementary approach that assesses the reliability of calculated dominance hierarchies by asking whether the calculated rank order produced by a given method accurately predicts the outcome of a subsequent contest between two opponents. Our method uses a data-splitting “training–testing” approach, and we demonstrate its application to real-world data from wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) collected over 3 years. We assessed the reliability of seven methods plus six analytical variants. In our study system, all 13 methods tested performed well at predicting future aggressive outcomes, despite some differences in the inferred rank order produced. When we split the dataset with a 6-month training period and a variable testing dataset, all methods predicted aggressive outcomes correctly for the subsequent 10 months. Beyond this 10-month cut-off, the reliability of predictions decreased, reflecting shifts in the demographic composition of the group. We also demonstrate how a data-splitting approach provides researchers not only with a means of determining the most reliable method for their dataset but also allows them to assess how rank reliability changes among age–sex classes in a social group, and so tailor their choice of method to the specific attributes of their study system.
Eco-evolutionary adaptations of ochotonids (Mammalia: Lagomorpha) to islands: new insights into Late Miocene pikas from the Gargano palaeo-archipelago (Italy)
Authors: Moncunill-Solé Blanca
Published: September 2020

Climate change strongly affects the range of ochotonids (Order Lagomorpha), fragmenting their habitats and restricting them to ecological islands. The present paper discusses the adaptations of extinct ochotonids to insular stressors, providing baseline data for the management and conservation of extant species. For this purpose, the body mass (BM) and locomotion of the endemic Prolagus apricenicus and Prolagus imperialis from the Gargano palaeo archipelago (Late Miocene) were assessed. P. apricenicus was a small-sized ochotonid (BM 150–250 g) and P. imperialis was probably the largest Prolagus that ever lived (BM 500–750 g). The eco-evolutionary BM dynamics suggest a targeted ecological niche for P. apricenicus, whereas the BM of P. imperialis rose abruptly as a result of growth-rate increase. In both species, the locomotion was stable and less cursorial, with leaping skills, resembling extant rocky ochotonids. Convergent eco-evolutionary patterns are observed in extinct insular ochotonids, concerning an increase of BM (giants), more efficient chewing, less cursorial and more stable locomotion, leaping skills, as well as a slower life history (longer lifespan). Such adaptations are triggered by the specific selective pressures of insular regimes. The present results point to the long-lasting insular Prolagus species as reference taxa for addressing the management of extant rocky ochotonids.
Long-Range Interhemispheric Projection Neurons Show Biased Response Properties and Fine-Scale Local Subnetworks in Mouse Visual Cortex
Authors: Hagihara Kenta M , Ishikawa Ayako Wendy , Yoshimura Yumiko , Tagawa Yoshiaki , Ohki Kenichi
Published: September 2020

Integration of information processed separately in distributed brain regions is essential for brain functions. This integration is enabled by long-range projection neurons, and further, concerted interactions between long-range projections and local microcircuits are crucial. It is not well known, however, how this interaction is implemented in cortical circuits. Here, to decipher this logic, using callosal projection neurons (CPNs) in layer 2/3 of the mouse visual cortex as a model of long-range projections, we found that CPNs exhibited distinct response properties and fine-scale local connectivity patterns. In vivo 2-photon calcium imaging revealed that CPNs showed a higher ipsilateral (to their somata) eye preference, and that CPN pairs showed stronger signal/noise correlation than random pairs. Slice recordings showed CPNs were preferentially connected to CPNs, demonstrating the existence of projection target-dependent fine-scale subnetworks. Collectively, our results suggest that long-range projection target predicts response properties and local connectivity of cortical projection neurons.
Viral Genomics to Inform Infection-control Response in Occupational Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Transmission
Authors: Whyler Naomi C A , Sherry Norelle L , Lane Courtney R , Seemann Torsten , Andersson Patiyan , Sait Michelle , Graham Maryza , Korman Tony M , Howden Benjamin P , Stuart Rhonda L
Published: September 2020

Healthcare workers are at increased risk of occupational transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We report 2 instances of healthcare workers contracting SARS-CoV-2 despite no known breach of personal protective equipment. Additional specific equipment cleaning was initiated. Viral genomic sequencing supported this transmission hypothesis and our subsequent response.
Changes in the Association Between Diagnostic Testing Method, Polymerase Chain Reaction Ribotype, and Clinical Outcomes FromClostridioides difficileInfection: One Institution’s Experience
Authors: Menon Anitha , Perry D Alex , Motyka Jonathan , Weiner Shayna , Standke Alexandra , Penkevich Aline , Keidan Micah , Young Vincent B , Rao Krishna
Published: September 2020

Background

In Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), the relationship between clinical, microbial, and temporal/epidemiological trends, disease severity and adverse outcomes is incompletely understood. In a follow-up to our study from 2010–2013, we evaluate stool toxin levels and C. difficile polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotypes. We hypothesized that elevated stool toxins and infection with ribotype 027 associate with adverse outcomes.

Methods

In 565 subjects at the University of Michigan with CDI diagnosed by positive testing for toxins A/B by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or PCR for the tcdB gene, we quantified stool toxin levels via a modified cell cytotoxicity assay (CCA), isolated C. difficile by anaerobic culture, and performed PCR ribotyping. Severe CDI was defined by Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria, and primary outcomes were all-cause 30-day mortality and a composite of colectomy, intensive care unit admission, and/or death attributable to CDI within 30 days. Analyses included bivariable tests and logistic regression.

Results

199 samples were diagnosed by EIA; 447 were diagnosed by PCR. Toxin positivity associated with IDSA severity but not primary outcomes. In 2016, compared with 2010–2013, ribotype 106 newly emerged, accounting for 10.6% of strains, ribotype 027 fell from 16.5% to 9.3%, and ribotype 014–027 remained stable at 18.9%. Ribotype 014–020 associated with IDSA severity and 30-day mortality (P = .001).

Conclusions

Toxin positivity by EIA and CCA associated with IDSA severity but not with subsequent adverse outcomes. The molecular epidemiology of C. difficile has shifted, which may have implications for the optimal diagnostic strategy for and clinical severity of CDI.
Novel Public-Key Encryption with Continuous Leakage Amplification
Authors: Qiao Zirui , Yang Qiliang , Zhou Yanwei , Xia Zhe , Zhang Mingwu
Published: September 2020

Leakage of private information, such as the secret keys, has become a threat to the security of computing systems. It has become a common requirement that cryptographic schemes should withstand various leakage attacks, including the continuous leakage attacks. Although some research progresses have been made toward this area, there are still some unsolved issues. In the literature, the public-key encryption (PKE) constructions with (continuous) leakage resilience normally require the upper bound of leakage to be fixed. However, in many real-world applications, this requirement cannot provide sufficient protection against leakage attacks. In order to mitigate these problems, this paper demonstrates how to design a leakage amplified PKE scheme with continuous leakage resilience and chosen-plaintext attacks security. In our proposed PKE scheme, the leakage parameter can have an arbitrary length. Moreover, the length of permitted leakage in our scheme can be flexibly adjusted according to the leakage requirements of application environment. Its security is formally proved under the classic static assumption.
Smart Affect Recognition System for Real-Time Biometric Surveillance Using Hybrid Features and Multilayered Binary Structured Support Vector Machine
Authors: W Thamba Meshach , S Hemajothi , E A Mary Anita
Published: September 2020

Human affect recognition (HAR) using images of facial expression and electrocardiogram (ECG) signal plays an important role in predicting human intention. This system improves the performance of the system in applications like the security system, learning technologies and health care systems. The primary goal of our work is to recognize individual affect states automatically using the multilayered binary structured support vector machine (MBSVM), which efficiently classify the input into one of the four affect classes, relax, happy, sad and angry. The classification is performed efficiently by designing an efficient support vector machine (SVM) classifier in multilayer mode operation. The classifier is trained using the 8-fold cross-validation method, which improves the learning of the classifier, thus increasing its efficiency. The classification and recognition accuracy is enhanced and also overcomes the drawback of ‘facial mimicry’ by using hybrid features that are extracted from both facial images (visual elements) and physiological signal ECG (signal features). The reliability of the input database is improved by acquiring the face images and ECG signals experimentally and by inducing emotions through image stimuli. The performance of the affect recognition system is evaluated using the confusion matrix, obtaining the classification accuracy of 96.88%.
History and future perspectives of barley genomics
Authors: Sato Kazuhiro
Published: September 2020

Barley (Hordeum vulgare), one of the most widely cultivated cereal crops, possesses a large genome of 5.1 Gbp. Through various international collaborations, the genome has recently been sequenced and assembled at the chromosome-scale by exploiting available genetic and genomic resources. Many wild and cultivated barley accessions have been collected and preserved around the world. These accessions are crucial to obtain diverse natural and induced barley variants. The barley bioresource project aims to investigate the diversity of this crop based on purified seed and DNA samples of a large number of collected accessions. The long-term goal of this project is to analyse the genome sequences of major barley accessions worldwide. In view of technical limitations, a strategy has been employed to establish the exome structure of a selected number of accessions and to perform high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the genomes of several major representative accessions. For the future project, an efficient annotation pipeline is essential for establishing the function of genomes and genes as well as for using this information for sequence-based digital barley breeding. In this article, the author reviews the existing barley resources along with their applications and discuss possible future directions of research in barley genomics.
Pulmonary vein isolation alone vs. more extensive ablation with defragmentation and linear ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation: the EARNEST-PVI trial
Authors: Inoue Koichi , Hikoso Shungo , Masuda Masaharu , Furukawa Yoshio , Hirata Akio , Egami Yasuyuki , Watanabe Tetsuya , Minamiguchi Hitoshi , Miyoshi Miwa , Tanaka Nobuaki , Oka Takafumi , Okada Masato , Kanda Takashi , Matsuda Yasuhiro , Kawasaki Masato , Hayashi Kenichi , Kitamura Tetsuhisa , Dohi Tomoharu , Sunaga Akihiro , Mizuno Hiroya , Nakatani Daisaku , Sakata Yasushi ,   the OCVC Arrhythmia Investigators
Published: September 2020

Aims

Previous studies could not demonstrate any benefit of more intensive ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) including complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) and linear ablation for recurrence in the initial catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to establish the non-inferiority of PVI alone to PVI plus these additional ablation strategies.

Methods and results

Patients with persistent AF who underwent an initial catheter ablation (n = 512, long-standing persistent AF; 128 cases) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either PVI alone (PVI-alone group) or PVI plus CFAE and/or linear ablation (PVI-plus group). After excluding 15 cases who did not receive procedures, we analysed 249 and 248 patients, respectively. The primary endpoint was recurrence of AF, atrial flutter, and/or atrial tachycardia, and the non-inferior margin was set at a hazard ratio of 1.43. In the PVI-plus group, 85.1% of patients had linear ablation and 15.3% CFAE ablation. After 12 months, freedom from the primary endpoint occurred in 71.3% of patients in the PVI-alone group and in 78.3% in the PVI-plus group [hazard ratio = 1.56 (95% confidence interval: 1.10–2.24), non-inferior P = 0.3062]. The procedure-related complication rates were 2.0% in the PVI-alone group and 3.6% in the PVI-plus group (P = 0.199).

Conclusion

This randomized trial did not establish the non-inferiority of PVI alone to PVI plus linear ablation or CFAE ablation in patients with persistent AF, but implied that the PVI plus strategy was promising to improve the clinical efficacy (NCT03514693).
Nomogram to predict primary non-response to infliximab in patients with Crohn’s disease: a multicenter study
Authors: Ye Xiao-Qi , Cai Jing , Yu Qiao , Cao Xiao-Cang , Chen Yan , Rao Mei-Xin , Chen Bai-Li , He Yao , Zeng Zhi-Rong , Chen Hao , Lin Yi-Mou , Cao Qian , Chen Min-Hu , Zhang Sheng-Hong
Published: September 2020

Background

Infliximab (IFX) is effective at inducing and maintaining clinical remission and mucosal healing in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD); however, 9%–40% of patients do not respond to primary IFX treatment. This study aimed to construct and validate nomograms to predict IFX response in CD patients.

Methods

A total of 343 patients diagnosed with CD who had received IFX induction from four tertiary centers between September 2008 and September 2019 were enrolled in this study and randomly classified into a training cohort (n = 240) and a validation cohort (n = 103). The primary outcome was primary non-response (PNR) and the secondary outcome was mucosal healing (MH). Nomograms were constructed from the training cohort using multivariate logistic regression. Performance of nomograms was evaluated by area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration curve. The clinical usefulness of nomograms was evaluated by decision-curve analysis.

Results

The nomogram for PNR was developed based on four independent predictors: age, C-reactive protein (CRP) at week 2, body mass index, and non-stricturing, non-penetrating behavior (B1). AUC was 0.77 in the training cohort and 0.76 in the validation cohort. The nomogram for MH included four independent factors: baseline Crohn’s Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity, CRP at week 2, B1, and disease duration. AUC was 0.79 and 0.72 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The two nomograms showed good calibration in both cohorts and were superior to single factors and an existing matrix model. The decision curve indicated the clinical usefulness of the PNR nomogram.

Conclusions

We established and validated nomograms for the prediction of PNR to IFX and MH in CD patients. This graphical tool is easy to use and will assist physicians in therapeutic decision-making.
Effect of a reduced donor heart right ventricular distensibility on post-heart transplant haemodynamics
Authors: Nakamura Yuki , Yoshioka Daisuke , Asanoi Hidetsugu , Miyagawa Shigeru , Yoshikawa Yasushi , Hata Hiroki , Sakaniwa Ryoto , Toda Koichi , Sawa Yoshiki
Published: September 2020

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of a reduced right ventricular distensibility after heart transplant.

METHODS

This study enrolled 64 adult patients who underwent heart transplant at our institution. The degree of right ventricular distensibility was quantified by calculating the difference between right atrial pressures (RAPs) of X descent and Y descent (X–Y) from the RAP waveform in right heart catheterization. Histologically, the ratio of the interstitial tissue in myocardial biopsy samples was calculated.

RESULTS

Of the 64 patients, 35 (55%) had a reduced right ventricular distensibility at 1 week after heart transplant (X–Y > 1 mmHg, RD group), and 29 (45%) had a normal right ventricular distensibility (X–Y ≤ 1 mmHg, ND group). The mean RAP and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure 1 week after heart transplant in the RD group were significantly higher than that in the ND group. The mean RAP and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in the RD group gradually normalized 12 weeks postoperation. The ratio of the interstitial tissue of biopsy samples significantly correlated with the X–Y value. The number of patients who required inotropic support >14 days was higher in the RD group than in the ND group.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced donor heart distensibility was a common impairment early after heart transplant. It might result from interstitial oedema in the myocardial tissue of the donor heart. Reduced donor heart distensibility after heart transplant might be associated with early clinical outcomes; however, further investigation is required.
Emergency Powers and the Heterogeneity of Terror in Democratic States
Authors: Rooney Bryan
Published: September 2020

Terrorist violence has recently led several states to grant extraordinary powers to the executive. Yet scholars have only recently begun to examine whether the provision of such emergency powers influences the probability of future terrorist attacks. I argue that when democratic states grant emergency powers to the executive, domestic incentives can push leaders to take overly aggressive actions that are counterproductive for reducing future terrorist violence. However, these domestic incentives vary depending on the in-group or out-group nature of the terrorist group. I test this hypothesis using data on emergency power strength, states of emergency, and the frequency of terrorist violence. In a global sample of democratic states, I find that while emergency powers increase future attacks from out-group terror arising from separatist groups, they have no effect on terror from groups that reflect extreme positions within the political order. These results express the conditional nature of executive freedom in combatting terrorism.