bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with Plasmodium vivax malaria in a prospective cohort of women from the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Dombrowski Jamille Gregório , Barateiro André , Peixoto Erika Paula Machado , Barros André Boler Cláudio da Silva , Souza Rodrigo Medeiros de , Clark Taane Gregory , Campino Susana , Wrenger Carsten , Wunderlich Gerhard , Palmisano Giuseppe , Epiphanio Sabrina , Gonçalves Lígia Antunes , Marinho Claudio Romero Farias
Published: April 2021

Background

Malaria in Brazil represents one of the highest percentages of Latin America cases, where approximately 84% of infections are attributed toPlasmodium(P.) vivax. Despite the high incidence, many aspects of gestational malaria resulting fromP.vivaxinfections remain poorly studied. As such, we aimed to evaluate the consequences ofP.vivaxinfections during gestation on the health of mothers and their neonates in an endemic area of the Amazon.

Methods and findings

We have conducted an observational cohort study in Brazilian Amazon between January 2013 and April 2015. 600 pregnant women were enrolled and followed until delivery. After applying exclusion criteria, 329 mother-child pairs were included in the analysis. Clinical data regarding maternal infection, newborn’s anthropometric measures, placental histopathological characteristics, and angiogenic and inflammatory factors were evaluated. The presence of plasma IgG against theP.vivax(Pv) MSP119protein was used as marker of exposure and possible associations with pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed thatP.vivaxinfections during the first trimester of pregnancy are associated with adverse gestational outcomes such as premature birth (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 8.12, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 2.69–24.54,p< 0.0001) and reduced head circumference (aOR 3.58, 95%CI 1.29–9.97,p= 0.01). Histopathology analysis showed marked differences between placentas fromP.vivax-infected and non-infected pregnant women, especially regarding placental monocytes infiltrate. Placental levels of vasomodulatory factors such as angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) and complement proteins such as C5a were also altered at delivery. Plasma levels of anti-PvMSP119IgG in infected pregnant women were shown to be a reliable exposure marker; yet, with no association with improved pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusions

This study indicates thatP.vivaxmalaria during the first trimester of pregnancy represents a higher likelihood of subsequent poor pregnancy outcomes associated with marked placental histologic modification and angiogenic/inflammatory imbalance. Additionally, our findings support the idea that antibodies against PvMSP119are not protective against poor pregnancy outcomes induced byP.vivaxinfections.
Identification of celastrol as a novel HIV-1 latency reversal agent by an image-based screen
Authors: Liu Hongbing , Hu Pei-Wen , Dubrulle Julien , Stossi Fabio , Nikolai Bryan C. , Mancini Michael A. , Rice Andrew P.
Published: April 2021

Although current antiretroviral therapies (ART) are successful in controlling HIV-1 infection, a stable viral reservoir reactivates when ART is discontinued. Consequently, there is a major research effort to develop approaches to disrupt the latent viral reservoir and enhance the immune system’s ability to clear HIV-1. A number of small molecules, termed latency reversal agents (LRAs), have been identified which can reactivate latent HIV-1 in cell lines and patients’ cells ex vivo. However, clinical trials have suggested that combinations of LRAs will be required to efficiently reactivate HIV-1 in vivo, especially LRAs that act synergistically by functioning through distinct pathways. To identify novel LRAs, we used an image-based assay to screen a natural compound library for the ability to induce a low level of aggregation of resting primary CD4+ T cells from healthy donors. We identified celastrol as a novel LRA. Celastrol functions synergistically with other classes of LRA to reactivate latent HIV-1 in a Jurkat cell line, suggesting a novel mechanism in its LRA activity. Additionally, celastrol does not appear to activate resting CD4+ T cells at levels at which it can reactivate latent HIV-1. Celastrol appears to represent a novel class of LRAs and it therefore can serve as a lead compound for LRA development.
Prediction of confirmed cases of and deaths caused by COVID-19 in Chile through time series techniques: A comparative study
Authors: Barría-Sandoval Claudia , Ferreira Guillermo , Benz-Parra Katherine , López-Flores Pablo
Published: April 2021

Background

Chile has become one of the countries most affected by COVID-19, a pandemic that has generated a large number of cases worldwide. If not detected and treated in time, COVID-19 can cause multi-organ failure and even death. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the behavior of the spread of COVID-19 as well as the projection of infections and deaths. This information is very relevant so that public health organizations can distribute financial resources efficiently and take appropriate containment measures. In this research, we compare different time series methodologies to predict the number of confirmed cases of and deaths from COVID-19 in Chile.

Methods

The methodology used in this research consisted of modeling cases of both confirmed diagnoses and deaths from COVID-19 in Chile using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA henceforth) models, Exponential Smoothing techniques, and Poisson models for time-dependent count data. Additionally, we evaluated the accuracy of the predictions using a training set and a test set.

Results

The dataset used in this research indicated that the most appropriate model is the ARIMA time series model for predicting the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, whereas for predicting the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Chile, the most suitable approach is the damped trend method.

Conclusion

The ARIMA models are an alternative to modeling the behavior of the spread of COVID-19; however, depending on the characteristics of the dataset, other methodologies can better predict the behavior of these records, for example, the Holt-Winter method implemented with time-dependent count data.
Mixed Methods Lot Quality Assurance Sampling: A novel, rapid methodology to inform equity focused maternal health programming in rural Rajasthan, India
Authors: Brar Aneel Singh , Hedt-Gauthier Bethany L. , Hirschhorn Lisa R.
Published: April 2021

India has experienced a significant increase in facility-based delivery (FBD) coverage and reduction in maternal mortality. Nevertheless, India continues to have high levels of maternal health inequity. Improving equity requires data collection methods that can produce a better contextual understanding of how vulnerable populations access and interact with the health care system at a local level. While large population-level surveys are valuable, they are resource intensive and often lack the contextual specificity and timeliness to be useful for local health programming. Qualitative methods can be resource intensive and may lack generalizability. We describe an innovative mixed-methods application of Large Country-Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LC-LQAS) that provides local coverage data and qualitative insights for both FBD and antenatal care (ANC) in a low-cost and timely manner that is useful for health care providers working in specific contexts. LC-LQAS is a version of LQAS that combines LQAS for local level classification with multistage cluster sampling to obtain precise regional or national coverage estimates. We integrated qualitative questions to uncover mothers’ experiences accessing maternal health care in the rural district of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India. We interviewed 313 recently delivered, low-income women in 18 subdistricts. All respondents participated in both qualitative and quantitative components. All subdistricts were classified as having high FBD coverage with the upper threshold set at 85%, suggesting that improved coverage has extended to vulnerable women. However, only two subdistricts were classified as high ANC coverage with the upper threshold set at 40%. Qualitative data revealed a severe lack of agency among respondents and that household norms of care seeking influenced uptake of ANC and FBD. We additionally report on implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, fidelity, and cost) and how study results informed the programs of a local health non-profit.
Restoration of gallery forest patches improves recruitment of motacú palms (Attalea princeps) while diversifying and increasing wildlife populations
Authors: Peacock Jo , Tonra Christopher M. , King Johnathan , Davies G. Matt
Published: April 2021

Globally, forest-savanna mosaic landscapes are of significant conservation importance but have been widely impacted by human land-use. We studied how restoration, through cessation of long-term cattle grazing impacts (i) forest regeneration; (ii) forest understory structure and composition; and (iii) populations and diversity of large mammals and nocturnal birds, within naturally patchy gallery forests in the Beni Savannas of Bolivia. Comparing grazed and restored sites, we assessed the abundance and composition of tree functional types at different life stages (seedlings, saplings and adults), with focus on the region’s key palm speciesAttalea princeps(motacú). Additionally, we surveyed habitat structure and composition in the shrub and ground-layer, and monitored occurrence and encounter rates of large mammals and nocturnal birds along dusk and evening transects. We found evidence of lower recruitment of motacú palms on the grazed site and lower potential for natural motacú regeneration. Principal Components Analysis revealed forests on grazed sites had simpler, more open shrub-layers and altered ground-layer structure and composition including increased bare ground. Mammal species richness was greater on the restored site, and there were more declining, globally threatened and site-unique species. Species richness was similar for nocturnal birds within forests on both the grazed and restored site, but nearly all species tended to be encountered more frequently on the restored site. Our results suggest cattle negatively impact forest regeneration and alter the structure and composition of the shrub and ground layer with potential consequences for the diversity and abundance of wildlife. Our study represents one of only a handful completed in the Beni region of Bolivia to date. The Beni is currently under pressure from widespread, largely unregulated cattle ranching. Our results thus provide vital evidence to support development of restoration and conservation policy, and its integration with rangeland management in this threatened and critically understudied region.
Can’t simply roll it out: Evaluating a real-world virtual reality intervention to reduce driving under the influence
Authors: Vankov Daniel , Schroeter Ronald , Twisk Divera
Published: April 2021

Driving under the influence (DUI) increases the risk of crashes. Emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), represent potentially powerful and attractive tools for the prevention of risky behaviours, such as DUI. Therefore, they are embraced in prevention efforts with VR interventions primed to grow in popularity in near future. However, little is known about the actual effectiveness of such DUI-targeting VR interventions. To help fill the knowledge gap, this study explored the effects of one VR intervention as delivered in the real world. Using pre and post test design, including an intervention group (n = 98) and a control group (n = 39), the intervention evaluation examined young drivers’ (aged 18 to 25, no known history of DUI) intention and self-reported behaviour three months after the intervention as compared to the baseline. The results did not provide evidence for statistically significant effects of the VR intervention on self-reported DUI behaviour during the three months post intervention and DUI intention at three months post intervention. Such results might be due to the fact that the recruited participants generally self-reported little DUI behaviour, i.e. positively changing behaviour that is already positive is inherently challenging. Nevertheless, the results question the utility of funding the roll-out of arguably attractive technologies without a thorough understanding of their effectiveness in particular settings. To improve the potential for future positive outcomes of such interventions, we provide suggestions on how VR software might be further developed and, subsequently, leveraged in future research to improve the likelihood for behavioural change, e.g. by collecting, analysing and presenting objective driving performance data. Alternatively, future endeavours might focus on participants with known DUI history and examine the effects of the VR intervention for this particular higher-risk group.
Analysis of cytokines in SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 patients in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Merza Mohammed Yousif , Hwaiz Rundk Ahmed , Hamad Badraldin Kareem , Mohammad Karzan Abdulmuhsin , Hama Harmand Ali , Karim Abdulkarim Yasin
Published: April 2021

The emergence of the novel coronavirus and then pandemic outbreak was coined 2019- nCoV or COVID-19 (or SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019). This disease has a mortality rate of about 3·7 percent, and successful therapy is desperately needed to combat it. The exact cellular mechanisms of COVID-19 need to be illustrated in detail. This study aimed to evaluate serum cytokines in COVID-19 patients. In this study, serum was collected from volunteer individuals, moderate COVID-19 patients, severe cases of COVID-19 patients, and patients who recovered from COVID-19 (n = 122). The serum concentrations of interleukins such as IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The concentrations of IL-1 and TNF-α were did not differ significantly among groups. However, the concentration of IL-6 was significantly higher in moderate COVID-19 and severe cases of COVID-19 groups compared to control and recovered groups indicating it to be an independent predictor in the coronavirus disease. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were significantly lower in the recovery group than the severe case of the COVID-19 group. In contrast, the level of IL-10 in recovered COVID-19 patients was significantly higher in compare to severe cases, COVID-19 patients. Varying levels of cytokines were detected in COVID-19 group than control group suggesting distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis. However, additional investigations are needed to be to be performed to understand the exact cellular mechanism of this disease.
Effects of subthreshold nanosecond laser therapy in age-related macular degeneration using artificial intelligence (STAR-AI Study)
Authors: Hanna Verina , Oakley Jonathan , Russakoff Daniel , Choudhry Netan
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To investigate changes in retinal thickness, drusen volume, and visual acuity following subthreshold nanosecond laser (SNL) treatment in patients with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Design

Retrospective chart review.

Methods

Patients with intermediate ARMD treated with a single session of SNL (2RT®, Ellex R&D Pty Ltd, Adelaide, Australia) were included. Swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging (Triton; Topcon Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan) was performed within 6 months before and after SNL treatment. Retinal layers were segmented using the artificial intelligence-enabled Orion® software (Voxeleron LLC, San Francisco, USA). The macular region was analyzed according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study map. Mean difference and standard deviation in baseline and post-treatment retinal layer thicknesses are reported.

Results

37 eyes from 25 patients were included in this study (mean age 74.7±9.2 years). An average of 51±6 spots were applied around the macula of each study eye, with a mean spot power of 0.33±0.04mJ. Increases in total retinal thickness were observed within the outer temporal and inferior sectors (P<0.05). Within the annulus, there was an increase in thickness of the sub-retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) space [0.88±2.41μm, P = 0.03], defined between the RPE and Bruch’s membrane. An increase in thickness of 1.13±2.55μm (P = 0.01) was also noted in the inferior sector of the photoreceptor complex, defined from the inner and outer segment junction to the RPE. Decreases in thickness were observed within the superior sector of the inner nuclear layer (INL) [-1.08±2.55μm, P = 0.01], and within the annulus of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) [-1.44±3.55μm, P = 0.02].

Conclusions

At 6 months post-SNL treatment, there were sectoral increases in OPL, photoreceptor complex, and sub-RPE space thicknesses and sectoral decreases in INL and ONL thicknesses. This pilot study demonstrates the utility of OCT combined with artificial intelligence-enabled software to track retinal changes that occur following SNL treatment in intermediate ARMD.
Pathway-based analysis of anthocyanin diversity in diploid potato
Authors: Parra-Galindo Maria Angelica , Soto-Sedano Johana Carolina , Mosquera-Vásquez Teresa , Roda Federico
Published: April 2021

Anthocyanin biosynthesis is one of the most studied pathways in plants due to the important ecological role played by these compounds and the potential health benefits of anthocyanin consumption. Given the interest in identifying new genetic factors underlying anthocyanin content we studied a diverse collection of diploid potatoes by combining a genome-wide association study and pathway-based analyses. By using an expanded SNP dataset, we identified candidate genes that had not been associated with anthocyanin variation in potatoes, namely a Myb transcription factor, a Leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase gene and a vacuolar membrane protein. Importantly, a genomic region in chromosome 10 harbored the SNPs with strongest associations with anthocyanin content in GWAS. Some of these SNPs were associated with multiple anthocyanin compounds and therefore could underline the existence of pleiotropic genes or anthocyanin biosynthetic clusters. We identified multiple anthocyanin homologs in this genomic region, including four transcription factors and five enzymes that could be governing anthocyanin variation. For instance, a SNP linked to the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene, encoding the first enzyme in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway, was associated with all of the five anthocyanins measured. Finally, we combined a pathway analysis and GWAS of other agronomic traits to identify pathways related to anthocyanin biosynthesis in potatoes. We found that methionine metabolism and the production of sugars and hydroxycinnamic acids are genetically correlated to anthocyanin biosynthesis. The results contribute to the understanding of anthocyanins regulation in potatoes and can be used in future breeding programs focused on nutraceutical food.
Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory findings for patients of different age groups with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a hospital in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ibrahim Mutasim E. , AL-Aklobi Obaid S. , Abomughaid Mosleh M. , Al-Ghamdi Mushabab A.
Published: April 2021

Background

Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rage worldwide, clinical and laboratory studies of this disease have been limited in many countries. We investigated the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory findings of COVID-19 infected patients to identify the effective indicators correlated with the disease.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted at King Abdullah Hospital in Bisha Province, Saudi Arabia, from March 20 to June 30, 2020. Patients of different age groups were confirmed as having COVID-19 infection using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the patients were statistically analyzed.

Results

Of the 132 patients, 85 were male and 47 were female, with a mean age of 50.9 years (SD±16.7). The patients were elderly (n = 29) and adults (n = 103). Of these, 54 (40.9%) had comorbidities, (25%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 12 (9.1%) died. On admission, the main clinical manifestations were fever (84.1%), cough (64.4%), shortness of breath (25%), chest pain (20.5%), and fatigue (18.2%). In all patients, increased neutrophils and decreased lymphocytes were observed. Patients’ lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was elevated. C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated in 48.5%, D-dimer in 43.2%, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in 40.9% of patients. The elderly showed higher neutrophil (p = 0.011) and lower lymphocyte (p = 0.009) counts than adults. Glucose, creatine kinase-MB, LDH, bilirubin, D-dimer, and ESR were significantly higher in the elderly than in the adults. The COVID-19 death group had a higher leucocyte count (p = 0.036), and higher urea (p = 0.029) and potassium (p = 0.022) than the recovered group but had a lower hemoglobin concentration (p = 0.018). A significant association was determined between COVID-19 death and the presence of cardiovascular disease (χ2(1) = 16.297, p<0.001), hypertension (χ2(1) = 12.034, p = 0.001), renal failure (χ2(1) = 3.843, p = 0. 05), old age (t (130) = 4.9, p <0.001), and ICU admission (χ2(1) = 17.6 (1), p<0.001).

Conclusions

Investigating some of the laboratory and clinical parameters could help assess the disease progression, risk of mortality, and follow up patients who could progress to a fatal condition.
Characterization of the roles of activated charcoal and Chelex in the induction of PrfA regulon expression in complex medium
Authors: Gaballa Ahmed , Sunil Sriya , Doll Etienne , Murphy Sarah I. , Bechtel Tyler , Guariglia-Oropeza Veronica , Wiedmann Martin
Published: April 2021

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is able to survive across a wide range of intra- and extra-host environments by appropriately modulating gene expression patterns in response to different stimuli. Positive Regulatory Factor A (PrfA) is the major transcriptional regulator of virulence gene expression in L. monocytogenes. It has long been known that activated charcoal is required to induce the expression of PrfA-regulated genes in complex media, such as Brain Heart Infusion (BHI), but not in chemically defined media. In this study, we show that the expression of the PrfA-regulated hly, which encodes listeriolysin O, is induced 5- and 8-fold in L. monocytogenes cells grown in Chelex-treated BHI (Ch-BHI) and in the presence of activated charcoal (AC-BHI), respectively, relative to cells grown in BHI medium. Specifically, we show that metal ions present in BHI broth plays a role in the reduced expression of the PrfA regulon. In addition, we show that expression of hly is induced when the levels of bioavailable extra- or intercellular iron are reduced. L. monocytogenes cells grown Ch-BHI and AC-BHI media showed similar levels of resistance to the iron-activated antibiotic, streptonigrin, indicating that activated charcoal reduces the intracellular labile iron pool. Metal depletion and exogenously added glutathione contributed synergistically to PrfA-regulated gene expression since glutathione further increased hly expression in metal-depleted BHI but not in BHI medium. Analyses of transcriptional reporter fusion expression patterns revealed that genes in the PrfA regulon are differentially expressed in response to metal depletion, metal excess and exogenous glutathione. Our results suggest that metal ion abundance plays a role in modulating expression of PrfA-regulated virulence genes in L. monocytogenes.
Evaluation of HA-D222G/N polymorphism using targeted NGS analysis in A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus in Russia in 2018–2019
Authors: Danilenko Alexey V. , Kolosova Natalia P. , Shvalov Alexander N. , Ilyicheva Tatyana N. , Svyatchenko Svetlana V. , Durymanov Alexander G. , Bulanovich Julia A. , Goncharova Natalia I. , Susloparov Ivan M. , Marchenko Vasiliy Y. , Tregubchak Tatyana V. , Gavrilova Elena V. , Maksyutov Rinat A. , Ryzhikov Alexander B.
Published: April 2021

Outbreaks of influenza, which is a contagious respiratory disease, occur throughout the world annually, affecting millions of people with many fatal cases. The D222G/N mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of A(H1N1)pdm09 are associated with severe and fatal human influenza cases. These mutations lead to increased virus replication in the lower respiratory tract (LRT) and may result in life-threatening pneumonia. Targeted NGS analysis revealed the presence of mutations in major and minor variants in 57% of fatal cases, with the proportion of viral variants with mutations varying from 1% to 98% in each individual sample in the epidemic season 2018–2019 in Russia. Co-occurrence of the mutations D222G and D222N was detected in a substantial number of the studied fatal cases (41%). The D222G/N mutations were detected at a low frequency (less than 1%) in the rest of the studied samples from fatal and nonfatal cases of influenza. The presence of HA D222Y/V/A mutations was detected in a few fatal cases. The high rate of occurrence of HA D222G/N mutations in A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, their increased ability to replicate in the LRT and their association with fatal outcomes points to the importance of monitoring the mutations in circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses for the evaluation of their epidemiological significance and for the consideration of disease prevention and treatment options.
Qual a Importância Quantitativa dos Choques na Dotação de Tempo para as Flutuações nos Ciclos Económicos? Lições da Bulgária no Período 1999-2018
Authors: Vasilev Aleksandar Zdravkov
Published: April 2021

A dotação de choques ao tempo é introduzida numa configuração de ciclos de negócios reais, aumentada com um sector governamental detalhado. O modelo é calibrado para dados búlgaros para o período após a introdução do sistema de currency board (1999-2018). A importância quantitativa da presença de choques no tempo total disponível para as famílias é investigada para a magnitude das flutuações cíclicas na Bulgária. Embora as horas trabalhadas se tenham tornado mais voláteis, e os salários um pouco mais suaves, o efeito quantitativo de um tal choque é considerado pequeno, e portanto não muito importante para a propagação das flutuações do ciclo económico.
Four-year-performance of oak and pine seedlings following mechanical site preparation with lightweight excavators
Authors: Dumas Noé , Dassot Mathieu , Pitaud Jonathan , Piat Jérôme , Arnaudet Lucie , Richter Claudine , Collet Catherine
Published: April 2021

Mechanical site preparation methods that used tools mounted on lightweight excavators and that provided localised intensive preparation were tested in eight experimental sites across France where the vegetation was dominated either by (L.) Moench or (L.) Kuhn. Two lightweight tools (Deep Scarifier: DS; Deep Scarifier followed by Multifunction Subsoiler: DS+MS) were tested in pine ( L., var. (Loudon) Hyl. or Aiton) and oak ( (Matt.) Liebl. or  L.) plantations. Regional methods commonly used locally (herbicide, disk harrow, mouldboard plow) and experimental methods (repeated herbicide application; untreated control) were used as references in the experiments. Neighbouring vegetation cover, seedling survival, height and basal diameter were assessed over three to five years after plantation. For pines growing in , seedling diameter after four years was 37% and 98% greater in DS and DS+MS, respectively, than in the untreated control. For pines growing in , it was 62% and 107% greater in the same treatments. For oak, diameter was only 4% and 15% greater in , and 13% and 25% greater in , in the same treatments. For pines, the survival rate after four years was 26% and 32% higher in and 64% and 70% higher in , in the same treatments. For oak, it was 3% and 29% higher in and 37% and 31% higher in . Herbicide, when applied for three or four years after planting, provided the best growth performances for pines growing in and and for oaks growing in . For these species and site combinations, DS+MS and DS treatments reduced the neighbouring vegetation cover for one to four years following site preparation.Molinia caeruleaPteridium aquilinumPinus sylvestrisPinus nigracorsicanaPinus pinasterQuercus petraeaQuercus roburM. caeruleaP. aquilinumM. caeruleaP. aquilinumM. caeruleaP. aquilinumM. caeruleaP. aquilinumM. caerulea P. aquilinumP. aquilinum
As políticas públicas e a sustentabilidade da agricultura brasileira
Authors: Rocha Santos Tiago , Augusto Hélder dos Anjos , Santos Lucas Rocha , Paula Andréa Maria Narciso Rocha de
Published: April 2021

Ao longo das últimas décadas o Estado brasileiro, em suas diferentes conformações, perseguiu ideias de crescimento e desenvolvimento que acabaram por influenciar diretamente no modo como a agricultura é praticada e impactado aqueles que dela vivem, assim como a sociedade que dela depende. Este trabalho pretende trazer um apanhando sobre as relações entre “agricultura, desenvolvimento, políticas públicas e sustentabilidade”. Conta inicialmente com a abordagem destas dimensões no processo da modernização da agricultura e, em seguida, no universo das políticas públicas para a agricultura familiar no Brasil. A principal ferramenta metodológica foi a análise bibliográfica - complementada com dados secundários oficiais, do governo e de institutos de pesquisa - assim, trata-se conceitualmente de um estudo exploratório. Os resultados permitem vislumbrar um pequeno compêndio sobre os intentos de políticas para a agricultura, tanto para a categoria dos agricultores familiares, como no que tange a política agrícola hegemônica, do latifúndio e da degradação ambiental. Além disso, é possível refletir ao longo do trabalho sobre a imensa habilidade dos atores sociais em pautar políticas capazes de incidir sobre a realidade do país a fim de transformá-la rumo a um caminho virtuoso de desenvolvimento rural sustentável.
Os caminhos para a titulação de territórios remanescentes quilombolas no Brasil
Authors: Maciel Silvana Araújo , Pereira do Santos Raimundo Wilson
Published: April 2021

A maior bandeira do negro sempre foi a resistência ao sistema que os excluiu por séculos. Assim, inúmeros direitos foram adquiridos, inclusive o direito ao território historicamente habitado, entretanto a titulação de seus territórios, ainda, é caracterizada como um sonho distante para a grande maioria das comunidades remanescentes de quilombo do Brasil. Visando uma análise dessa problemática traçamos como objetivo geral: analisar as etapas do processo de titulação de territórios quilombolas no Brasil. Utilizou-se na metodologia a pesquisa bibliográfica em livros, teses, dissertações, artigos de periódicos, leis etc., utilizando uma abordagem qualitativa do tipo descritiva. A pesquisa em documentos da Fundação Cultural Palmares - FCP e do Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária - INCRA (Superintendência Regional - SR 24). Realizamos entrevista com um representante do INCRA SR 24 para maiores esclarecimentos sobre os processos de regularização fundiária dos territórios quilombolas no Brasil. Constatou-se que a conquista da titulação do território nas comunidades remanescentes passa por questões burocráticas e acontece de forma muito lenta, mesmo após a inserção do artigo 68 no Ato das Disposições Constitucionais Transitórias – ADCT da Constituição Federal que garante às comunidades remanescentes de quilombo o direito aos territórios tradicionalmente ocupados. A inserção das comunidades nas políticas públicas governamentais a médio e longo prazo é fator primordial para garantir a melhoria nas condições de vida, educação, saúde e trabalho, no interior dessas comunidades. Entretanto, a conquista do território, nem sempre garante o acesso a ações e projetos para o desenvolvimento social e econômico das mesmas.
Dos vagões ao asfalto
Authors: Barros Cézar Freitas , Silva Rusvenia Luiza Rodrigues Batista da
Published: April 2021

Partimos da análise da Associação Comercial e Industrial de Anápolis (ACIA), por meio da qual, em pesquisa documental e verticalizada, acessamos questões que ajudam na compreensão da formação e uso do território anapolino no que concerne à ordem infraestrutural e simbólica. A metodologia se baseou no estudo dos condicionantes sócio-históricos dos atores escolhidos e na leitura e catalogação de atas de reunião produzidas pela entidade. O recorte temporal sugerido se deu para atender aos objetivos de pensar, com aporte das atas, a participação da ACIA nos processos de produção e uso do território anapolino e goiano, em que destacamos aqui os modais ferroviário e rodoviário. Empreende-se assim uma análise profunda nesse intervalo (1936–1976), onde concluímos que a associação e a classe representada por ela se inseria no quadro de poder local anapolino a partir do poder simbólico acumulado pelos atores, e utilizava desse capital político para fazer reivindicações ao poder público. Apesar de conseguir o atendimento de alguns pleitos, a classe dominante anapolina era muitas vezes preterida por Brasília, nova capital federal, e principalmente Goiânia, então recém-construída capital do estado de Goiás.
Learning from Imbalanced Educational Data Using Ensemble Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Lenin Thingbaijam , Chandrasekaran N.
Published: April 2021

Student’s academic performance is one of the most important parameters for evaluating the standard of any institute. It has become a paramount importance for any institute to identify the student at risk of underperforming or failing or even drop out from the course. Machine Learning techniques may be used to develop a model for predicting student’s performance as early as at the time of admission. The task however is challenging as the educational data required to explore for modelling are usually imbalanced. We explore ensemble machine learning techniques namely bagging algorithm like random forest (rf) and boosting algorithms like adaptive boosting (adaboost), stochastic gradient boosting (gbm), extreme gradient boosting (xgbTree) in an attempt to develop a model for predicting the student’s performance of a private university at Meghalaya using three categories of data namely demographic, prior academic record, personality. The collected data are found to be highly imbalanced and also consists of missing values. We employ k-nearest neighbor (knn) data imputation technique to tackle the missing values. The models are developed on the imputed data with 10 fold cross validation technique and are evaluated using precision, specificity, recall, kappa metrics. As the data are imbalanced, we avoid using accuracy as the metrics of evaluating the model and instead use balanced accuracy and F-score. We compare the ensemble technique with single classifier C4.5. The best result is provided by random forest and adaboost with F-score of 66.67%, balanced accuracy of 75%, and accuracy of 96.94%.
Opposition based Spider Monkey Optimization Algorithm for Load Balancing in LTE Network
Authors: Sivagar M.R. , Prabakaran N.
Published: April 2021

At Present telecommunication is progressed due to the development of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard. This LTE network provides high-speed wireless communication for mobile devices and satisfies requirements of customers from multi-cells. However, due to the congestion of mobile devices, each cell in the network may get overloaded. So, load balancing is the main challenge to the LTE network for reducing congestion or load in the cell. For load balancing, optimal cell selection method is presented in this paper. Initially, load factor of each cell is estimated. The load factor is compared to the pre-defined threshold load value. After comparison, the high load cell handles users to the optimal cell or low load cell. This optimal cell has been selected with the Opposition-Based Spider Monkey Optimization Algorithm (OSMOA). Simulation results show that the proposed approach works better than previous methods in terms of call blocking rate (CBR) and call Dropping Ratio (CDR).
Prediction of Students’ Performance based on Academic, Behaviour, Extra and Co-Curricular Activities
Authors: Jenitha T. , Santhi S. , Jeba J. Monisha Privthy
Published: April 2021

Since Academic institutions contain huge volume of data regarding students such as academic scores, scores in co and extracurricular activities, family annual income, family background and other supporting documents, predicting individual students performance in all aspects manually is a difficult task. The proposed work uses data mining techniques to identify students who are eligible for scholarships and other benefits. Students are classified into different categories by means of academic, behavior, extra and co-curricular activities. Machine Learning algorithms such as Naive Bayes, Decision Tree Classifier and Support Vector Machine are used for predicting the performance of the student. With the help of this proposed model parents and instructors can monitor student’s performance and they can also provide essential technical and moral support. Also this helps in providing academic scholarship and training to the students to support them financially and to enrich their knowledge. It suggests the Academic Institutions to organize induction or training programmes at the beginning of the semester. Technical training, motivational talks, Yoga, etc are organized by the institutions by keeping in mind of students physical and mental health. Considering the e-learning platforms huge volumes of data and plethora of information are generated. In this work, various learning models are constructed and their accuracies are compared to analyse which algorithm out-performs.
Comparative Analysis for Content Defined Chunking Algorithms in Data Deduplication
Authors: Viji D. , Revathy Dr.S.
Published: April 2021

Data deduplication works on eliminating redundant data and reducing storage consumption. Nowadays more data generated and it was stored in the cloud repeatedly, due to this large volume of storage will be consumed. Data deduplication tries to reduce data volumes disk space and network bandwidth can be to reduce costs and energy consumption for running storage systems. In the data deduplication method, data broken into small size of chunk or block. Hash ID will be calculated for all the blocks then it’s compared with existing blocks for duplication. Blocks may be fixed or variable size, compared with a fixed size of block variable size chunking gives a better result. So the chunking process is the initial task of deduplication to get an optimal result. In this paper, we discussed various content defined chunking algorithms and their performance based on chunking properties like chunking speed, processing time, and throughput.
Online Customer Reviews on Restaurant Using Blockchain
Authors: Saveetha D. , Maragatham Dr.G.
Published: April 2021

Modern day businesses are largely dependent on digital technologies. People prefer viewing the reviews before making any decisions. It applies to all consumables like buying Electronic items, Clothing, Travel, Guest-House, Restaurant, Rental, Housing, Automobile, Cosmetics, Jewellery, Movies, etc. Online services like Mantra, Yelp, Amazon, Facebook, Google My Business, Trip Advisor offer great services to the customer. However, drawbacks of these systems are fake reviews, negative reviews and sometimes even tampering of the reviews given by the customers, which has a huge impact on the business leading to huge financial losses. Sometimes a competitor in the business might also influence the ratings being provided. The centralized storage of these reviews also leads to problems like tampering or manipulation of the data being stored. In this paper we propose an application in the restaurant industry that solves all these drawbacks by making use of the Ethereum blockchain. The food reviews given by the customers are stored as smart contracts in the blockchain, which can't be altered, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the reviews. Validity of the reviews is ensured because it is difficult for the restaurants to delete or create new accounts to wipe away the bad reviews given. Blockchain is immutable so we ensure that the reviews are genuine and the system is trustable.
Excellence in design for online business
Authors: Eyt-Dessus Annora , Houx Leonard
Published: April 2021

The Business School is one of the UK’s top ranked business schools, renowned for its expertise in Finance in particular, and its location in the heart of London. The School has been steadily expanding for more than a decade but was reaching the limits of its physical campus space. However, there remained the desire to develop innovative learning, expand and reach new audiences. Developing a new distance program, that built on the School’s existing reputation for Finance, showcased its world-class faculty and had a global reach was identified as the ideal opportunity to explore a new strategic direction. We built a fully online program with a high rate of engagement, satisfaction and achievement. Its enrolment continues to grow, increasing our international diversity. Online learning is now embedded as a core part of the School’s strategy and is seen as key to future expansion. Beyond this, our organisation cultivated far more expertise and best practice to draw on in a time of crisis than if we had outsourced. This shows the high impact an excellent learning design can make to the culture and capacity of an organisation.
Using FeedbackFruits to enhance student learning: Scaling for transformative implementation
Authors: Campbell Chris , Borer Lenka , McCarthy Sheila
Published: April 2021

This study investigated one technology that would allow for self, peer and group feedback for students. In order to enhance feedback given, the tool FeedbackFruits, allowed staff to implement in their course in a consistent and easy way. This study was conducted over two trimesters on the effectiveness, ease-of-use and the ability to be able to scale up across the university. Staff report they would use FeedbackFruits in the future and that students were generally positive with regards to using it. Although the study is continuing, the design-based research methodology allows for improvements in study design to be modified according to university needs in order to best evaluate the technology.
Two Finite Difference Schemes for Multi-Dimensional Fractional Wave Equations with Weakly Singular Solutions
Authors: Shen Jinye , Stynes Martin , Sun Zhi-Zhong
Published: April 2021

A time-fractional initial-boundary value problem of wave type is considered, where the spatial domain is

(
0
,
1
)

d

(0,1)^{d}

for some

d
∈

{
1
,
2
,
3
}

d\in\{1,2,3\}

.
Regularity of the solution 𝑢 is discussed in detail.
Typical solutions have a weak singularity at the initial time

t
=
0

t=0

: while 𝑢 and

u
t

u_{t}

are continuous at

t
=
0

t=0

, the second-order derivative

u

t
⁢
t

u_{tt}

blows up at

t
=
0

t=0

.
To solve the problem numerically, a finite difference scheme is used on a mesh that is graded in time and uniform in space with the same mesh size ℎ in each coordinate direction.
This scheme is generated through order reduction: one rewrites the differential equation as a system of two equations using the new variable

v
:=

u
t

v:=u_{t}

; then one uses a modified L1 scheme of Crank–Nicolson type for the driving equation.
A fast variant of this finite difference scheme is also considered, using a sum-of-exponentials (SOE) approximation for the kernel function in the Caputo derivative.
The stability and convergence of both difference schemes are analysed in detail.
At each time level, the system of linear equations generated by the difference schemes is solved by a fast Poisson solver, thereby taking advantage of the fast difference scheme.
Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of both numerical methods.
A user workflow for combining process simulation and pinch analysis considering ecological factors
Authors: Ong Benjamin H. Y. , Lucas Edward J. , Olsen Donald G. , Roth Simon , Wellig Beat
Published: April 2021

This paper aims to develop an innovative and practical method to accelerate Pinch Analysis problems using a combination of process integration, process simulation tools, and life cycle assessment techniques to design effective industrial energy efficiency measures rapidly. Data extraction and analysis is accelerated using the workflow, reducing pinch analysis duration, and therefore cost. This lowers financial barriers and is expected to help facilitate an increase in the number of conducted pinch analyses each year. An innovative ecological targeting step has been included in the workflow, which represents the option for end-users to further their CO2 savings, once energy targeting has been completed on a purely cost basis. It is expected that optimizing for costs first will enable the implementation of heat recovery solutions in industry. The methodology is applied to an example case study, and the learnings from industrial application is reported.
Polytriazole resins toughened by an azide-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OADTP)
Authors: Yu Zhuoer , Zhang Jun , Wu Bangqiang , Wan Liqiang , Huang Farong
Published: April 2021

An azido-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) compound, octakis(azidopropyl-3-oxycarbonyl-1-decyl-10-thiopropyl-3-)POSS (OADTP), is synthesized and characterized. POSS-polytriazole (PTA) resins are prepared from an azide, an alkyne monomer, and OADTP. The toughening effect of OADTP on PTA resins is analyzed by impact performance test and electronic microscope characterization, and the thermal performance of resins is measured by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results show that the addition of the POSS can improve the mechanical properties of PTA resins. The impact strength of POSS-PTA resins first increases and then decreases with the increase in the POSS compound, and the maximum one arrives at 54.8 kJ m−2 which increases by 44.2% as compared to 38 kJ m−2 of the PTA resin. A good thermal stability remains in POSS-PTA resins.
Is there an equality in the spatial distribution of urban vitality: A case study of Wuhan in China
Authors: Ou Guoliang , Zhou Min , Zeng Zhongping , He Qingsong , Yin Chaohui
Published: April 2021

Urban vitality is a spatial phenomenon and a public service. Previous studies often did not measure the fairness of the accessibility of urban vitality. This research analyzed the spatial distribution of urban vitality in Wuhan as a case study area using big data from multiple sources. The study used the two-step floating catchment area method (2SFCA) to measure the accessibility level of each residential district to the vibrant zones (VZs). Furthermore, the inequality in the level of accessibility of residential areas with different housing prices was assessed on the basis of the Gini coefficient. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the Gini coefficient of reaching the accessibility level of high-grade VZs is 0.426, and the corresponding sub-high-grade Gini coefficient is 0.274. This shows that the inequality in accessibility of different residential areas is more obvious as the level of vitality is higher and (2) residential areas with high housing prices have greater accessibility than those areas with low housing prices. It was also noticed that the level of accessibility and fairness in vitality is generally higher in central urban areas than in suburban areas. The Gini coefficient of high-grade vitality is generally higher than that of sub-high-grade. The results of this study provide a reference for researching the accessibility level of urban vitality, which considers the needs of population, and can also provide guidelines in urban planning regarding the allocation of services and resources.