bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Far from Achievement for Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: SITEMBO HADSON
Published: May 2020

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a global agenda consisting of 17 goals which are to be achieved in 2030 by all member states. SDGs are more holistic goals i.e. these goals are closely interrelated and they affect the progress of one another. Sub-Saharan Africa countries are, once more lagging behind in the implementations of SDGs despite the efforts by governments, non-government organisations and international agencies. Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia where the three Sub-Saharan Africa countries on which the study focused. The three countries in this study were chosen on the basis that they cater to the general overview of African countries performance on SDGs. To conduct this study, a desk research method was adopted and secondary data was utilised. An in-depth analysis was done on the on three subs Saharan African countries i.e. Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia. Those goals where serious attention is needed are goals 1-9, 16 and 17. Most Sub-Saharan African countries performed better on goals 11, 12 and 15. It was concluded that the achievement of Sustainable development goals remains a mere dream for Sub Saharan Africa unless serious interventions are made.
Betacoronavirus Genomes: How Genomic Information Has Been Used to Deal with past Outbreaks and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Llanes Alejandro , Restrepo Carlos M. , Caballero Zuleima , Rajeev Sreekumari , Kennedy Melissa A. , Lleonart Ricardo
Published: May 2020

In the 21st century, three highly pathogenic betacoronaviruses have emerged, with an alarming rate of human morbidity and case fatality. Genomic information has been widely used to understand the pathogenesis, animal origin and mode of transmission of betacoronaviruses in the aftermath of the 2002-03 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks. Furthermore, genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis have had an unprecedented relevance in the battle against the 2019-20 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the newest and most devastating outbreak caused by a coronavirus in the history of mankind, allowing the follow up of disease spread and transmission dynamics in near real time. Here, we review how genomic information has been used to tackle outbreaks caused by emerging, highly pathogenic, betacoronavirus strains, emphasizing on SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.
Time to Cure and Predictors of Recovery among Children Aged 6-59 Months with Severe Acute Malnutrition Admitted in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Kabthymer Robel , Gizaw Getu , Belachew Tefera
Published: May 2020

Background: Treatment at stabilization center is an important intervention to avert the huge burden of mortality for children with complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Recent reviews indicated a wide range in recovery rate (34-88%) due to several context-specific factors. This study aimed to estimate time to recovery and to determine predictors of time to recovery among children aged 6-59 month with severe acute malnutrition. Method: Retrospective cohort study was used among 375 children aged 6-59 months admitted in Jimma university medical center, from September 2015 to September 2017. Kaplan Meir estimate and survival curve was used to compare the time to recovery using log-rank test among different characteristics. Cox Proportional Hazard Model was used to identify significant predictors of time to recovery. Results: Median time of recovery for cohort of SAM children’s was 19 days (95%CI: 17.95-20.05). Independent predictors of time to recovery were: Play stimulation, vaccination status, Tuberculosis, malaria, use of amoxicillin, deworming and shock. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the average length of stay on treatment and median time for recovery are within the sphere standard. Psychosocial stimulation, appropriate provision of routine medication and management of medical co-morbidity are needed to promote fast recovery.
Adverse Effect of Aerosol Pesticide on Lung Dysfunction amongPaddy Farmers in Purworejo, Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: Nurcandra Fajaria , Mahkota Renti , Miko Wahyono Tri Yunis
Published: May 2020

The World Health Organization estimated that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the highest non-communicable disease worldwide by2030, and pesticide exposure is one of major risk factors. This study aimed to determine effect of pesticide exposure on lung dysfunction among paddyfarmers. A case-control study was performed on April - May 2016 in Purworejo. The case group comprised 66 farmers suffering from lung dysfunction during2015 based on medical records, while the control group comprised 59 neighboring farmers showing normal lung function. Both case and control groups weretested using a spirometer and COPD assessment test (CAT) questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis of pesticide quantity (OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.317 -1.754) and duration of spraying (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.430 - 2.891) adjusted for confounders showed no clear associations. Pesticide remained a potentialhealth risk for lung dysfunction due to farming duration (OR = 5.61; 95% CI = 1.124 - 27.990) adjusted by age, personal protective equipment, records of lungdisease, smoking habit, dust exposure, and indoor air pollution. The farming duration was revealed to be a risk factor, but no clear association was found between quantity and duration of spraying to lung dysfunction.
Synthesis of Boiler Controllers of the Automatic Power Control System of Power Units
Authors: Kulakov G. T. , Artsiomenka K. I.
Published: May 2020

The article concerns the problem of structure-and-parametric optimization of a cascade automatic control system (CACS) by an example of a boiler power controller and a fuel controller. This CACS, which is a part of automatic control systems for power units, consists of two loops, viz. of an inner loop (which purpose is stabilization of the system) and an outer loop (designed for the adjustment) and, also, of two controller, viz. an outer controller (which is a basic one) provided for stabilization of the output value of the object (in our case, of the actual power unit capacity) and of an inner controller (which is an auxiliary one) provided to regulate fuel consumption. The internal controller builds up the control action with the aid of the boiler load controller of the power unit. As compared to single-loop automatic control systems, the cascade  system provides better quality of transient control due to the higher performance of the internal loop of the system. This advantage is especially noticeable when compensating for disturbances that come through the channel of regulating impact. The article presents two methods of setting, viz. the fuel controller and the boiler power controller. The application of these methods can improve the quality of power control and reduce fuel consumption in transient modes in comparison with the setting of these controllers of a typical power unit automatic power control system. The results of computer simulation of transient processes in CACS for input step surge and internal perturbation confirm the advantages of the methods are presented in this article.
Computational Study of the Yield of Solid Wood Pyrolysis Products under High Pressure
Authors: Vasilevich S. V. , Malko M. V. , Degterov D. V. , Asadchyi A. N.
Published: May 2020

The kinetic model of wood pyrolysis under pressure is discussed in the present paper taking into account the diffusion of the resulting gas-phase products (i.e. heavy hydrocarbons) and their decomposition reactions. This model is based on a simplified mechanism of wood pyrolysis, including two parallel chemical reactions, viz. the primary decomposition reaction of  wood biomass with the formation of solid and gaseous components and the thermal decomposition reaction in the biomass pores of hydrocarbons formed in the primary process. The model takes into account the diffusion processes of the primary pyrolysis products from the resulting pores and thermal decomposition in the pores of these products. Based on the developed model, a computer program for calculating the main parameters of the pyrolysis process under pressure was created and the mass yield of solid pyrolysis products under various conditions was calculated. The calculation took into account the main parameters that affect the yield of solid wood biomass products, viz. temperature and pyrolysis pressure, particle sizes, porosity, etc. The calculations demonstrated that the increase of the pressure at which the pyrolysis of wood biomass is carried out causes an increase of the formation of the amount of solid products, which corresponds to the available experimental data. It was established that at a pressure of 1 atm when a sample size is of 0.025 m, the maximum yield of solid products is observed at the temperature of 600 °C. As the pressure increases the maximum yield increases, while the temperature at which the maximum is reached decreases. So, at a pressure of 10 atm when a particle size is of 0.025 m, the maximum yield of solid products is observed at the temperature of about 500 °C, and it is higher than that at 1 atm by 1.18 times. It was also determined that the temperature of the maximum yield of charcoal decreases with increasing sizes of pyrolyzable samples. Thus, when a sample size is of 0.5 m, this temperature is about 400 °C at 10 atm.
Case Study: Reconstructing the 2015 Dulcepamba River Flood Disaster
Authors: Newmiller Jeanette , Walker Wesley , Fleenor William E. , Pinter Nicholas
Published: May 2020

In March 2015, the village of San Pablo de Amalí on the Dulcepamba River in Ecuador was hit by a flood that killed three residents, destroyed five homes, and eroded several hectares of farmland. Residents asserted that the recent construction of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric facility built in the river channel directed flood flows toward the village, causing the associated damage and fatalities. We conducted a forensic hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the catchment to assess potential causal mechanisms affecting flooding, including the construction of the hydroelectric facility. Hydrologic analysis demonstrated that the river flows produced by the March 2015 storm were equivalent to a 6-year return interval event, with a discharge of 58.6 cms, not the much more extreme 33-year return interval, 400-cms event that had been suggested in a report produced by the hydroelectric company. Hydraulic modeling determined an ∼2-m elevation surcharge of water attributable to the hydroelectric facility, suggesting that damage to the village would not have occurred without the obstruction created by debris blockage of the hydroelectric plant intake. Hydrologic modeling also quantified monthly totals of water availability in the Dulcepamba watershed, including average dry-season flow volumes. When compared to flow volumes allocated to the hydroelectric operator, the modeling indicated that the seasonal water availability in the Dulcepamba watershed is not sufficient to collectively meet the minimum in-stream environmental flow requirements, the agriculture demands from local subsistence irrigators, and the flow volumes allocated to the hydroelectric operator.
Additional Value of 99mtc-mdp Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography-computed Tomography for Detection and Characterization of Bone Lesions in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Yang Yingzhuo , Yang Wen , Wang Qiao , He Wenguo , Shu Bin , Duan Yun
Published: May 2020

Background: 99mTc-labelled methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) uptake can diagnose bone metastasis in patients. The purpose of our study was to assess the additional value of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) over whole-body planar scintigraphy (WBS) and SPECT in detecting bone lesions in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.Methods: Data from 126 patients (169 lesions) with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who underwent WBS, SPECT, and SPECT/CT in this 2-year prospective study. These scans of patients were directly compared for detection and characterization of bone lesions. McNemar’s multistep analysis was performed in patient-based and lesion-based.Results: On patient-based analysis, SPECT/CT significantly reduced the number of equivocal diagnosis than WBS and SPECT (p＜0.004), and SPECT significantly reduced the number of equivocal diagnosis than WBS (p＜0.004). The diagnostic coincidence rate of SPECT/CT (90.2%) is significantly higher than WBS (45.5%) and SPECT (61.6%). On lesion-based analysis, SPECT/CT significantly decreased the number of equivocal lesions than WBS and SPECT. SPECT/CT interpretation revealed 98 benign lesions and 37 malignant lesions, more than WBS and SPECT. For all the 112 patients, 32 equivocal patients were diagnosed definitely based on SPECT/CT findings, and received specific treatment and management.Conclusion: SPECT/CT can add incremental value to whole‑body bone imaging by significantly improves diagnostic sensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and decrease the number of equivocal lesions that do not contribute to diagnosis. Moreover, SPECT/CT can contribute to change the clinical management of patient and identify a more accurate metastatic range.
Exosome-delivered miR-15a/16 target PD-L1 to inhibit immune escape in gastric cancer
Authors: Yang Changliang , Zhang Haiyang , Zhang Qiumo , ning Tao , Deng Ting , Liu Rui , Bai Ming , Ying guoguang , Ba Yi
Published: May 2020

Background: The programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway plays crucial role in various types of cancer. However, the underlying mechanism of PD-L1 expression dysregulation in GC has not been revealed. High expression of PD-L1 and low expression of miR-15a/16 often leads to poor prognosis of gastric cancer, therefore PD-L1 was regarded as a key target for the treatment of gastric cancer. This study aims to determine whether exosomes with miR-15a/16 could target PD-L1 and inhibit immune escape in gastric cancer (GC).Methods: The protein expression levels of PD-L1 in tumor tissues and normal tissues of patients were evaluated by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), then confirmed that PD-L1 was a target of miR-15a/16 by luciferase reporter assay. HEK293T cells were transfected with miR-15a/16, exosomes were isolated by sequential differential centrifugation then cultured with gastric cancer cell lines, the protein and RNA levels of the PD-L1 were determined by western blotting and real-time qPCR. A mouse xenograft model was adopted to assess the association between exosome loaded miR-15a/16 and tumor growth in vivo. Flow cytometry was performed to analysis the effect of exo-miR-15a/16 on CD8+T lymphocytes and INFγ+ of mice.Results: We found that compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues, PD-L1 protein expression was significantly increased while miR-15a/16 expression level was significantly inhibited in tumor tissues. In addition, we found that miR-15a/16 mimics could downregulate PD-L1 expression, while miR-15a/16 inhibitors enhanced PD-L1 expression in human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901. Exo-miR-15a/16 could target PD-L1 and inhibit immune escape in gastric cancer.Conclusions: Our study confirmed that miR-15a/16 in exosomes could suppress tumor growth and inhibit immune escape by targeting PD-L1 in vivo and in vitro, which might serve as a potential biomarker in monitoring the activity of gastric cancer.
Prevalence of Excess Weight Gain and Associated Risk Factors Among Postmenopausal Women: A Population-based Study in Ghana
Authors: BONSU ISAAC MENSAH , Myezwa Hellen , Brandt Corlia , Omoniyi Moses M. , Ajidahun Tunde A.
Published: May 2020

Background:Excess weight (obesity and overweight) is a pervasive condition that is considered a global epidemic and a threat to public health. Furthermore, numerouschanges in fat deposits occur with the advent of menopause, leading to a change in the distribution of body fat. Therefore this study determined the prevalence of excess weight gain and associated risk factors among postmenopausal women (PW) in Ghana.Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted over five months at Bono-East regional capital, Techiman in Ghana. A total of 378 postmenopausal women were recruited for this study. Validated questionnaires were administered to obtain the socio-demographic data from each study participant. Anthropometrics such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) among participants were also determined. Data were inputted into excel, and analysis was done using IBM SPSS 25.Results: The mean age of study participants was 60.09±6.24 years with the 51-60 years age group having the highest frequency (48.8%). Out of the total study participants, 26.8%, 8.2% and 9.0% with desirable weight were recorded using BMI, WHtR, and WHR respectively. And there was no significant difference (P=0.999) between the proportions for WHtR and WHR. However, the distribution of study participants with desirable weight by BMI was significantly higher than that of WHtR (P=0.0031) and WHR (P=0.0063). BMI, WHtR and WHR recorded participants with the excess weight of 73.2%, 91.8%, and 91.0% respectively out of the total study participants and there was no significant difference among the stratified study participants. Participants age ≤50 years were at a high risk of been obese even though it was not significant. Study participants with > 15 years of the postmenopausal stage have a high chance of been obese for BMI and WHtR but not WHR.Conclusions: The prevalence rates of obesity and overweight were higher among postmenopausal women using the WHR than BMI and WHtR. Participants age ≤ 50 years, parity and those from the Ga tribe were also at a higher risk of having abdominal obesity.
Evaluation of Sample Pooling for Screening of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Mulu Andargachew , Alemayehu Dawit Hailu , Alemu Fekadu , Tefera Dessalegn Abeje , Wolde Sinknesh , Aseffa Gebeyehu , Seyoum Tamrayehu , Habtamu Meseret , Abdissa Alemseged , Bayih Abebe Genetu , Beyene Getachew Tesfaye
Published: May 2020

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed the global public health importance of robust diagnostic testing. To overcome the challenge of nucleic acid (NA) extraction and testing kit availability efficient method is urgently needed.Objectives: To establish an efficient, time and resource-saving and cost-effective methods, and to propose an ad hoc pooling approach for mass screening of SARS-CoV-2 Methods: Direct clinical sample and NA pooling approach was used for the standard reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test of the SARS CoV-2 targeting the envelop (E) and open reading frame (ORF1ab) genomic region of the virus. In this approach, experimental pools were created using SARS CoV-2 positive clinical samples spiked with up to 9 negative samples prior to NA extraction step to have a final extraction volume of 200μL (maximum dilution factor of 10). Viral NA was also subsequently extracted from each pool and tested using the SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR assay.Results: We found that a single positive sample can be amplified and detected in pools of up to 7 samples depending on the ct value of the original sample, corresponding to high, medium, and low SARS CoV-2 viral copies/reaction. However, to minimize false negativity of the assay with pooling strategies and with unknown false negativity rate of the assay under validation, we recommend poling of 4 in 1 using the standard protocols of the assay, reagents and equipment. The predictive algorithm indicated a pooling ratio of 4 in 1 was expected to retain accuracy of the test irrespective of the ct value (relative ribonucleic acid RNA copy number) of the sample spiked and result in a 237% increase in testing efficiency. Conclusions: The approaches showed its concept in easily customized and resource-saving manner and would allow expanding of current screening capacities and enable the expansion of detection in the community.
Association between neck circumference and the risk of decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate in the general population of China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Xue Jing , Li Bing , Wang Jie , Yu Songyan , Wang Anping , An Ping , Mu Yiming
Published: May 2020

Background: The burden of chronic kidney disease is increasing substantially worldwide. Neck circumference (NC), an anthropometric index for upper-body adiposity, has been recognized as an indicator of cardiometabolic diseases. However, the association between NC and renal dysfunction has not been fully disclosed. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between NC and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the general population in China. Methods: A total of 8805 participants (3322 men and 5483 women) were enrolled in this study. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between NC and eGFR. The male and female subjects were divided into four groups according to the neck circumference quartiles. The primary outcome was defined as an eGFR ≤ 90 mL/min/1.73 m2.Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed that in both sexes, higher neck circumference was significantly associated with a higher risk of decreased eGFR even after fully adjusting for age; other anthropometric indexes, including body mass index and waist to hip ratio; traditional risk factors for chronic kidney diseases; and sociologic risk factors (Quartile1 as a reference; the odds ratios [95% confidence intervals] were as follows: Quartile 2, 1.26[0.99-1.59]; Quartile 3, 1.40[1.07-1.83]; Quartile 4, 1.71[1.22-2.38] in men; Quartile 2, 1.14[0.95-1.37]; Quartile 3, 1.31[1.03-1.66]; Quartile 4, 1.32[1.04-1.68] in women.) Stratified analyses suggested that the association was significant among subjects with prediabetes and those with normal serum uric acid levels. When the subjects were stratified according to blood pressure or BMI, the association persisted among male subjects with abnormal blood pressure and was strengthened among male subjects who were overweight/obese, while the association disappeared among female subjects. Conclusions: NC is independently associated with the risk of decreased eGFR in the general population in China, indicating that NC could contribute to renal dysfunction risk assessment.
Optimizing our patient’s entropy production as therapy? Hypotheses originating from the physics of physiology
Authors: Seely Andrew Ervine
Published: May 2020

Physical laws dictate that energy is preserved; yet energy gradients irreversibly dissipate, thus producing entropy. As living complex non-equilibrium systems, humans must produce entropy continuously over time to create healthy internal emergent order. Entropy production is measured by heat production divided by temperature. Several hypotheses are presented. First, human entropy production is due to both metabolism and consciousness, dissipating energy and information gradients. Second, the physical drive for maximal entropy production is responsible for spontaneous formation of fractal multi-scale self-similar structures in time and space, ubiquitous and essential for health. Third, the evolutionary drive for enhanced function and adaptability selects states with both robust basal and maximal entropy production (i.e. the capacity to augment it when required). Last, targeted focus on optimizing our patients’ entropy production will improve health and clinical outcomes. These hypotheses have implications for understanding health, metabolism and consciousness, and offer novel clinical treatment strategies.
Perceptions, Generalized Anxiety and Fears of Pregnant women about Corona Virus infection in the heart of Pandemic
Authors: Hossain Nazli , Samuel Mahwish , Sandeep Rekha , Imtiaz Sadaf , Zaheer Sidra
Published: May 2020

Background: The current uncertainties and alarming situation of COVID-19 pandemic may cause anxiety, mental distress and fears among pregnant women, who otherwise may have been progressing well. Till date, there is no robust empirical evidence, how the COVID-19 pandemic might have influenced the generalized anxiety and fears among pregnant women.Objective: To determine the perceptions, anxiety and fears of current COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant women during antenatal and immediate postpartum period.Setting: Pregnant women attending antenatal outpatient department, or women who recently delivered at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Unit II, Ruth Pfau KM Civil Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, Karachi were included in the study.Methods: A pre-designed, validated questionnaire was used by medical doctors through a face-to-face interview to collect the desired information. Associations were determined using parametric tests and a p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: A total of 286 pregnant women with a mean age of 26.47 ± 4.81 years were enrolled in the study. The mean gestational age of women was 33.04 ± 7.54 weeks. Majority of women 67.8% (n=194) perceived that COVID-19 can affect the pregnancy, it can be transmitted to newborn baby 83.2% (n=238), and can affect the child if mother has infected with this virus 84.6% (n=242). Most of the women 84.6% (n=242) were afraid of COVID-19 infection, and reported mean fear level of 5.86 ± 3.12 on a scale of 1 to 10. Women who perceived that COVID-19 can affect the child had significantly higher level of GAD scores (n=37, 15.3%, p-value 0.042). Similarly, women who were afraid of COVID-19 infection had significantly higher (n=40, 16.5%, p-value 0.046) GAD score. Women who had high GAD score (≥7) also had significantly higher (p-value 0.020) fear score (6.90 ± 3.23 vs 5.68 ± 3.07) compared with women who had normal GAD score (<7).Conclusion: High proportion of women had stronger belief that if mother have infection, child will also have it and it’s likely to be transmitted from mother to child. Although there is not enough evidence to support vertical transmission of infection as yet but it is still appearing as a major stressor among pregnant women.
A Perspective of Graduate Education in Soil Science: The Future
Authors: Black C. A.
Published: May 2020

An increase may be expected in the number of students who take some graduate work as an extension of undergraduate work. Nonresearch, nonthesis masters degrees will probably gain increasing popularity for such students. The subject matter of graduate curricula should see closer integration of the agricultural and engineering aspects of soil science and a trend toward environmental quality, particularly if this field is funded at the expense of agriculture. If the supply of money becomes tighter, the current high cost of teaching a first‐class set of graduate courses in soil science to the few Ph. D. students at most universities will probably be reduced by some kind of cooperative arrangement.

The trend for the future will probably be an increase in recruitment of students for graduate study at the institution at which they received their B. S. degree.

The enrollment of U. S. graduate students in soil science is probably now at a plateau or peak level. In view of the current tendency of the U. S. to reduce foreign commitments and in view of the current financial difficulties of the universities, a decrease in the number of foreign students whose graduate study is subsidized by the universities may be expected.

Although no trend is evident in the universities to change the method of subsidizing graduate education in soil science, several forces now at work in the federal government may have a marked effect on financial support: (1) Bills have been proposed to provide institutional grants to support the universities. (2) The current national Administration is proposing a plan to share some of its revenue with the states. Both this and the institutional grants bills, if written into law, might include the federal funds now earmarked for agriculture. (3) The Administration is pushing a loan program that would shift much of the cost of education to the students.

The buying power of support for research on the traditional agricultural applications of soil science may be expected to decrease. Support for newer applications will increase.

Additional undergraduate teaching positions will probably become available in decreasing numbers to 1980, when undergraduate enrollments will decline, and the need for new teachers will disappear. An increasing proportion of the undergraduate teaching positions will be in junior colleges and 4‐year colleges. The universities will probably maintain their monopoly on graduate study in soil science unless they are debilitated by continued attack of the far‐left, antiscience members of society, whereupon government research organizations may be expected to add this function.
A Simple Classroom Demonstration of Differences in Photosynthetic Capacity Among Species
Authors: Moss Dale N. , Smith Lawrence H.
Published: May 2020

Plant species differ markedly in their maximal rates of leaf photosynthesis. These differences can be demonstrated by having plants of these contrasting species compete for CO2 in a continuously illuminated, closed system. Under those conditions, species with the lower photosynthetic capacity succumb in about 1 week. A simple system suitable for classroom demonstrations of this phenomena consists of a transparent closed box into which are placed pots or flats containing plants of the two types growing in sand. Illumination can be by any convenient light source giving a continuous illumination at an intensity of 0.05 cal cm−2 min−1 (400 to 700 nm) or about 1000 ft‐c.
Use of Videotape Clips to Bring Contemporary Field and/or Laboratory Research to the Crop Science Classroom
Authors: Burger A. W. , Aleamoni L. M.
Published: May 2020

Student reactions to the use of black and white videotape clips to introduce or amplify subject matter areas in the introductory crop science course at the University of Illinois were taken on a pretest and two posttests during each of two semesters of the 1970–1971 academic year. The data indicate that as the semester progressed, students found the videotape clips: (i) increasingly useful; (ii) more easily adjusted to; (iii) less difficult to follow; (iv) more convincing regarding their usefulness in acquainting them with agronomy research staff and their wares; (v) more helpful in keeping crop science teaching modern; (vi) capable of accomplishing the course objective better than movies; (vii) increasingly less different from color videotapes; and (viii) increasingly free of mechanical difficulty with replay.

Some differences in reaction to the use of videotape clips in crop science teaching were observed between course‐required and course‐elective enrollees.
Functional data analysis of models for predicting temperature and precipitation under climate change scenarios
Authors: Ghumman Abdul Razzaq , Ateeq-ur-Rauf  , Haider Husnain , Shafiquzamman Md.
Published: May 2020

Evaluating the impact of climatic change on hydrologic variables is highly important for sustainability of water resources. Precipitation and temperature are the two basic parameters which need to be included in climate change impact studies. Thirty years (1985–2015) climatic data of Astore, a sub-catchment of the Upper Indus River Basin (UIRB), were analyzed for predicting the temperature and precipitation under different climate change scenarios. The station data were compared with the results of two global climate models (GCMs) each with two emission scenarios, including Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5. The Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope were applied to explore various properties of precipitation and temperature data series for a trend analysis. The commonalities and dissimilarities between the results of various GCMs and the trend of the station data were investigated using the functional data analysis. Two cross distances were estimated on the basis of Euclidean distances between the predicted time series; subsequently, the differences in their first derivatives were used to evaluate their mutual dissimilarities. The long-term predictions by GCMs show a decreasing trend in precipitation and a slight increase in temperature in some seasons. The result of GCMs under both the emission scenarios showed almost the same pattern of changes in the two hydrologic variables throughout the century with their values reporting slightly higher for the RCP8.5 scenario as compared to those for RCP2.6. Validation of the GCM results using GCM-CSIRO-Mk3.6 revealed an overall agreement between the different models. The dissimilarity analysis manifested the difference between the results of temperature predicted by various GCMs.
Hydrological drought risk recurrence under climate change in the karst area of Northwestern Algeria
Authors: Bouabdelli Senna , Meddi Mohamed , Zeroual Ayoub , Alkama Ramdane
Published: May 2020

This study aims to estimate hydrological drought risk using probabilistic analysis of bivariate drought characteristics to assess both past and future drought severity and duration in three basins located in the widest karst massif of northern Algeria. The procedures entail: (1) identification of extent of meteorological drought that could trigger corresponding hydrological drought through their characteristics; (2) assessment of future risk of extreme drought according to two emission scenarios of the representative concentration pathway (RCP 4.5 and 8.5); and (3) estimation of drought return periods using bivariate frequency analysis and investigation of their future change rates under climate change. Hydrological droughts were computed by using the bias-corrected future climate projections from nine global climate models downscaled using the Rossby Centre Regional Climate model (RCA4), and GR2M hydrological model. The analysis revealed a connection between meteorological and hydrological drought occurrences and the response time depended on the memory effect of the considered basin. We also found strong consensus between past drought event return periods, determined by bivariate frequency analysis, and those determined by climate models under RCP8.5 scenario. Finally, in regards to drought return periods (10, 50 and 100 years), the risk of extreme drought recurrence in the future has been projected to be larger than the reference period.
Electrical behavior and enhanced photocatalytic activity of (Ag, Ni) co-doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized from co-precipitation technique
Authors: Jeyachitra R. , Kalpana S. , Senthil T. S. , Kang Misook
Published: May 2020

Methylene blue (MB) dye is the most common harmful, toxic, and non-biodegradable effluent produced by the textile industries. The present study investigates the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) and Ag–Ni doped ZnO NPs on the performance of photocatalytic degradation of MB dye. Pure ZnO and Ag–Ni doped ZnO NPs are synthesized using the co-precipitation method. The crystalline nature and surface morphology of the synthesized pure ZnO and Ag–Ni doped ZnO NPs was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis. The presence of spherical-like morphologies was confirmed from SEM and HRTEM analysis. The presence of Ni–O and Zn–O bands in the synthesized materials was found by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. The MB dye was degraded under UV-light exposure in various pH conditions. The Ag (0.02%)–Ni doped ZnO NPs exhibits highest photocatalytic activity of 77% under pH 4.
Escherichia coli removal during domestic wastewater treatment in outdoor high rate algae ponds: long-term performance and mechanistic implications
Authors: Chambonniere Paul , Bronlund John , Guieysse Benoit
Published: May 2020

Escherichia coli (E. coli) first-order decay rates ranging from 3.34 to 11.9 d−1 (25–75% data range, N = 128) were recorded in two outdoor pilot-scale (0.88 m3) high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) continuously fed primary domestic wastewater over two years (influent E. coli cell count of 4.74·106 ± 3.37·106 MPN·100 mL−1, N = 142). The resulting removal performance was relatively constant throughout the year (log10-removal averaging 1.77 ± 0.54, N = 128), apart from a significant performance drop during a cold rainy period. E. coli removal performance was not strongly correlated to any of the meteorological or operational parameters recorded (e.g. sunlight intensity, pH, temperature). Hourly monitoring of E. coli cell count evidenced that E. coli removal, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and pond temperature peaked in the late afternoon of sunny summer days. Such improved daytime removal was, however, not evidenced in spring, even under sunny conditions causing milder increases in pH, DO and temperature. Overall, the data confirm the potential of HRAPs to support efficient E. coli removal during secondary domestic wastewater treatment and suggests E. coli decay was mainly caused by dark mechanisms episodically enhanced by indirect sunlight-mediated mechanisms and/or high pH toxicity.
Dentition Status and Treatment Needs Among Orphans in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study
Authors: Alsayeh Abdulrahman , Abdulbaseer Mohammed , Aljelaly Heyam , Alshamrani Bader , Aldaijy Reem , Alshlash Khalid , Odeh Tala , Alshiha Abdulrahman
Published: May 2020

Background:

Oral health affects the general health and quality of life of an individual. It has been well documented that the absence of family support influences the general and oral health of children. Factors that lead to the development of a disease are likely to have their roots in a complex chain of environmental events that may have begun years before the disease occurs. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of dental caries and assess treatment needs of the orphans of Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Methods:

This cross-sectional study included 238 orphaned children aged 6 to 18 years. Clinical examination was conducted by two doctors, and oral findings were recorded according to the World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form (1997). The data collected was analyzed using SPSS 21.0.

Results:

Results revealed that 37% of the participants reported that they do not brush their teeth, 23%of the participants reported that they do not brush regularly, 17% of the participants reported that they brush one time daily, and 23% of the participants reported that they brush twice daily. The prevalence of dental caries among the participants was 96.6%. When examining treatment needs among study participants, 7.6% might need preventive caries arresting care, 49.6% might need fissure sealant applications, 51.3% might need at least one surface filling, 13.1% might need two or more surface filling, 2.5% might need crown for any reason, 0.4% of participants might need veneer or laminate, 0.2% of participants might need pulp care and restoration, and 8.1% might need extraction.

Conclusion:

Results of our study indicate that orphan children have low utilization of preventive and therapeutic oral health services. Urgent attention is required to plan a comprehensive dental health-care program to improve their oral health status.
Characterization of Mobile Work Zone Safety in Missouri
Authors: Sun Carlos , Feng Huang , Adu-Gyamfi Yaw
Published: May 2020

Work zones often deviate from normal conditions in terms of geometrics (e.g. lane closure, narrow lanes), striping/markings, signs, and traffic. A Mobile Work Zone (MWZ) is a special category of a work zone where the location of the work zone keeps changing, often rapidly. Despite MWZ safety being of great interest to transportation agencies, they have not studied it formally. This paper presents an examination of MWZs and collisions involving Truck-Mounted Attenuators (TMAs). This examination utilized data fusion of three major databases from Missouri: crash reports, department of transportation claim reports, and MWZ schedules. The fused dataset involved 139 crashes from 2012-2017. The areas of interest included initial impact location, contributing factors, third-party versus employee fault, vehicle type, work zone activity, seasonality, speed limit, time of day, collision lane, and work train configuration. The majority of the crashes were the fault of third parties (>80%) and distraction/inattentiveness was the largest contributory factor (66%). Public outreach and education should emphasize on the difficulty in providing early warnings of MWZs. There is a significant percentage of crashes involving lane changing (39.2%) and even collision of the middle TMA truck (21.8%). Thus, it is important for the public to understand that an entire work train is an integral unit. Higher speed limit dominated MWZ crashes (>75%), even though they only represented 3.6% of the MWZs scheduled. The results of this study on MWZs provide some foundation for other researchers to pursue statistical modeling, assuming that a larger database of MWZ crashes could be developed.
Virological Failure and Associated Risk Factors among HIV/AIDS Pediatric Patients at the ART Clinic of Jimma university Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Osman Fozia T. , Yizengaw Mengist A.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Pediatric antiretroviral treatment failure is an under-recognized issue that receives inadequate attention in the field of pediatrics and within HIV treatment programs. Despite the reduction in morbidity and mortality, a considerable proportion of patients fail to achieve a sustained virologic response to therapy. Thus virological failure is an increasing concern globally.

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the virological failure and associated risk factors among HIV/AIDS pediatric patients at Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) follow up clinic of Jimma University Medical Center, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods:

An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted at the ART follow-up clinic of Jimma University Medical Center. A structured English version checklist was developed and used for data extraction from patients’ charts from April -May 2019. Then the data was coded and entered using epi data 4.2 and exported to statistical package for social science (SPSS version 22) for analysis. Descriptive analysis was conducted for categorical as well as continuous variables. Multivariable logistic regression was performed in a backward, step-wise manner until a best-fit model was found.

Results:

Of 140 HIV/AIDS pediatric patients enrolled in this study, 72(51.4%) were male and the mean age was 9.7±3.3 Years. ABC-3TC-NVP was the commonly used ART medication in this population, which was 37.1% followed by AZT-3TC-EFV(32.1%). The mean duration of antiretroviral treatment (ART) follow-up was 63.8±29.4 months. Among the study population, 11.0% of them had virological failure. Weight at ART initiation [OR=1.104, 95 CI% [1.013-1.203], p=0.024] and WHO clinical stage 3 [AOR=0.325, 95CI, 0.107-0.991,P=0.048] were the significant risk factors for the virological failure.

Conclusion:

A significant proportion of HIV/AIDS pediatric patients had virological failure. Weight at ART initiation and patients having WHO clinical stage 3 were risk factors associated with virological failure in this study. Governmental and non-governmental concerned bodies should invest their effort to devise strategies for the achievement of HIV/AIDS treatment targets.
Early Newborn Bath and Associated Factors among Parturient Women Who Gave Birth in the Last Month in Harar Region, Eastern Ethiopia, 2017.
Authors: Welay Fissaha T. , Mengesha Meresa B. , Gebremedhin Tsige S. , Gebremeskel Senait G. , Hidru Hagos D. , Weldegeorges Desta A. , Hailu Areaya G. , Baraki Mulu F. , Kassahun Selam S.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Neonatal thermal care is a vital intervention as newborns are susceptible to hypothermia than adults for certain reasons such as having a large body surface area, thin skin, little insulating fat, and overwhelmed thermoregulation mechanisms. Many newborn complications develop because of hypothermia due to thermal care malpractices. The leading thermal practice by women of developing countries is early bathing which predisposes newborns for life-threatening situations, such as low blood sugar levels, respiratory distress, abnormal clotting, jaundice, pulmonary hemorrhage and increased risk of developing infections. Hence, this research is aimed to provide substantial evidence regarding the women’s practices of newborn bath and the factors that determine early (<24hr) bathing.

Objective:

The study aimed to assess the early newborn bath and its associated factors among parturient women who gave birth in the last month in the Harar region, Eastern Ethiopia, 2017.

Methods:

The study applied an institutional-based cross-sectional study design by recruiting 433 women. The data collectors interviewed study participants face to face at the baby immunization ward from two hospitals and four health centers. The author calculated the sample size using a double population proportion formula. A systematic sampling technique from the women’s medical registration frame was used to select the final study participants. The data collectors gathered the data using a structured questionnaire adapted from different literature, checking its consistency, reliability and validity by a pretest.

Results:

The response rate of this study was 99.8%. The early newborn bathing practice was found in 153 (35.4% with 95% (CI): (30.3%, 40.3%) women. Uneducated (AOR=3.12 95% CI: (2.12-5.3), no knowledge of hypothermia (AOR=4.95 95% CI: (3.10-12.2), being Primi para (AOR=3.5 95% CI: (2.5-5.6) and no utilization of newborn bed net (AOR=6.2 95% CI: (3.3-45) were statistically significant factors determining early newborn bathing practice.

Conclusion:

The study revealed that although the ministry implemented a good deal of awareness promotion activities, women still practice early newborn bathing. Maternal illiteracy, giving birth for the first time, knowledge deficiency related to hypothermia and newborn bed net application were among the factors which demand improvement to solve the problem.
Targeting the Pipeline to a Diverse Dental Student Body: Saturday Academy at New York University College of Dentistry
Authors: Burns Lorel E. , Pezzullo Cheryline , Mejia Eugenia E.
Published: May 2020

Pipeline programs aim to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities in the dental profession. At New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), two dental students initiated the development of a pipeline program for high school students called Saturday Academy. The purpose of the program is twofold: to mentor and coach underrepresented minority and low‐income high school students through the college application process, and to expose them to the field of dentistry as a viable career option through both didactic and hands‐on learning. The aim of this pilot study was to determine outcomes for the first five years (2013‐17) of the Saturday Academy pipeline program at NYUCD with regard to the high school students’ experience with the program and their career interests after high school graduation. Across five cohorts, a total of 82 students participated in Saturday Academy. A “where are you now?” survey sent to 72 participants who reported high school graduation years between 2013 and 2018 received a response rate of 76%. The survey results showed that all (100%) of the responding Saturday Academy participants had graduated from high school and were enrolled in college, and 71% were interested in health profession careers. Almost half (47%) of the students self‐identified as being pre‐dental, and 96% reported that Saturday Academy had increased their interest in the dental profession. These pilot results justified an expansion of Saturday Academy at NYUCD in both size and creation of an alumni outreach initiative. Other dental schools may benefit from the strategies used by this program in establishing or expanding their pipeline programs.