bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender Analysis of the Tuna Value Chain's Purchasing Stage in the South Central Provinces of Vietnam-Case Study of Binh Dinh Province
Authors: Thu Nguyen Dang Hoang , Raj Rachel Sundar , Quyen Cao Le , Hang Le Thi Minh , Thi Nang Thu Tran , Lebailly Philippe
Published: December 2020

This study aims to identify the gender disparities between men and women as purchasing actors in the tuna value chain in South Central provinces, thereby suggesting gender-sensitive policies towards gender equity, women’s empowerment, and sustainable tuna fisheries management. The study was conducted with the aid of a set of structured questionnaires executed through personal interview surveys. Tam Quan and Quy Nhon fishing ports in Binh Dinh province were chosen as study sites for conducting gender analysis at the tuna value chain's purchasing stage in the South Central provinces of Vietnam. Forty respondents were directly interviewed at their home or at the fishing ports in Binh Dinh province in May 2020, of which are ten middlemen and nine middlewomen purchasing yellowfin and bigeye tunas at Tam Quan fishing port; and twelve middlewomen and nine female traders purchasing skipjack tuna at Quy Nhon fishing port. This study used gender analysis tools such as the Harvard, Moser, and the USAID's six gender dimensions to identify gender differences between men and women in the tuna purchasing stage in productive, reproductive, and community managing roles. Some policy recommendations for improving gender equity, women's empowerment, and sustainable tuna fisheries management were proposed, including (i) describe the importance of women's reproductive role in gender-responsive strategies; (ii) establish tuna trading management board at the fishing port to collect information on the needs, issues, and interests of purchasing actors; (iii) organize training courses on tuna business and management skills at the fishing ports during the low season for the full participation of middle-actors, especially women; (iv) provide access to savings, credit, and microfinance for female traders to create opportunities for expanding their business; (v) improve facilities at the fishing ports to increase the overall well-being of the fish trading communities; (vi) introduce alternative job opportunities for laborers in the tuna purchasing stage during the low season; (vii) support laborers trading yellowfin and bigeye tuna in seeking other ways to make a living due to the depletion of these tuna resources.
The Effectiveness of Islamic Project Module Towards Formation KEMAS Kindergarten Children Values
Authors: Mustafa Nurul Aliah , Ismail Mazeni , Kamarudin Mohd Fauzi , Shah Norela Mohamed
Published: December 2020

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of using the Islamic Project© Module by preschool teachers in the development of KEMAS kindergarten children in the state of Kelantan. This module seeks to provide significant and critical data on the integration of values in subject-matter teaching. The Modified Delphi technique was used to get consensus for the different module components. Experts from different educational fields fully involved in the module development. The respondents were 100 teachers from 100 government sponsored-kindergarten in the rural areas (TABIKA KEMAS) in Kelantan. All participating teachers were given 3 days of intensive training before implementing the Moral project approach. Using Kirkpatrick's 4-Level Assessment Model, the results of this study clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of this intervention model. Repeated measure of the ANCOVA analysis also showed that there were significant differences in comparisons between the intervention (experimental) and control groups. The findings further revealed a significant increase in teacher practice score change between the intervention and control groups over time (F-stat = 528.71, p-value = <0.001); and control over time (p-value = <0.001). Additionally, a significant increase in teacher attitude score change between the intervention and control groups (p-value = <0.001) was also recorded.
Conductive hearing loss after surgical treatment of otosclerosis—long-term observations
Authors: Szyfter Witold , Gawęcki Wojciech , Bartochowska Anna , Balcerowiak Andrzej , Pietraszek Marta , Wierzbicka Małgorzata
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Surgical treatment of otosclerosis has been a commonly accepted method of treatment for many years. The improvement of hearing after surgery is sometimes even spectacular, and good results are obtained in many centres in over 90% of the entire operated population. However, in the years following the procedure, some patients develop permanent or progressive conductive hearing loss. The aim of the study is to present a group of patients with conductive hearing loss that appeared after the first otosclerosis surgery and to analyse the causes of its occurrence.
Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on patients who were first operated on in the years 2000-2009. Their medical records were analysed by the end of 2019, which made it possible to obtain results on at least 10 years of postoperative follow-up. The group consisted of 1118 patients, aged 14-82, including 802 women and 316 men.
Results: Reoperations due to conductive hearing loss were performed on 93 patients, who accounted for 8.3% of the originally operated patients. They were much more often performed on patients after stapedectomies (19.7%) than on patients after stapedotomy (5.5%). Intraoperatively, prosthesis displacement was found to be the most frequent observation (44.1%) and was often associated with erosion or necrosis of the long process of incus (28%). Less frequent reasons of hearing loss were: adhesions around the prosthesis (10.8%), too small hole in the stapes footplate (8.6%), too short prosthesis (8.6%), progression of otosclerosis (7.5%), too long prosthesis (6.4%), presence of a granuloma around the prosthesis (5.4 %), and displacement of incus (4.3%).
Conclusions: Surgical treatment in otosclerosis is a widely accepted and good method. It allows improvement in hearing in the vast majority of patients treated in this way. Unfortunately, over the years, some patients develop conductive hearing loss again. Reoperation gives a chance to find the cause and improve hearing in most of these cases.
Self-help incentives and threats associated with vocational development
Authors: Kabat Adrian
Published: December 2020

The following article presents vocational development as a lifelong process and its connection to self-help via the European Qualification ramework and personal development. Instances of self-help strategies to augment vocational development are displayed, followed by a growing body of interdisciplinary evidence which brings new light on the problems that occur with self-help. It shows that self-help might help as well as harm. Finally, it brings attention to a demand for further studies about the threats associated with self-help and a need for a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms.
Projeto de Aplicação Móvel Utilizando Lean UX: Estudo de Caso no Aplicativo Pratique
Authors: Falcão Mariana , Fonseca Ramon , Ramalho Welliana Benevides , Dos Santos Sairo Raoni , De Medeiros Joêmia
Published: December 2020

A presença constante de smartphones no cotidiano tem aumentado o investimento em soluções através de aplicações móveis. Com tantos aplicativos disponíveis ao usuário, passa a ser primordial investir em metodologias de desenvolvimento que coloquem o usuário a frente do processo, a fim de proporcionar uma experiência agradável. Dentre as diversas metodologias existentes, o Lean UX vem se destacando por sua característica ágil, em que se prioriza a experiência a ser projetada para o usuário e que diminui a necessidade de se produzir uma extensa quantia de entregáveis. Diante disto, esta metodologia foi aplicada ao projeto do aplicativo Pratique, que tem como objetivo aproximar pessoas com interesses esportivos em comum. Portanto este trabalho teve como finalidade adaptar e aplicar o Lean UX ao desenvolvimento do design deste aplicativo.
Ajude o Math: Um game para o auxílio no estudo da matemática
Authors: Morais II Marçal , Sena Ricardo , Da Silva Auany
Published: December 2020

Este artigo descreve o processo de elaboração e desenvolvimento do jogo Ajude o Math que possui, como finalidade, a inserção das TIC’s na sala de aula contribuindo para o ensinamento e estudo das operações básicas da matemática de forma lúdica. Espera-se ao fim do desenvolvimento e aplicação do jogo que os resultados esperados sejam alcançados e que esse novo meio de transmitir ensinamentos seja bem aceito por alunos e professores.
Technocratisation and Depoliticisation of Democracy Promotion and Development Aid
Authors: Heidlmayr-Chegdaly Ingrid
Published: December 2020

In the last decades the promotion of democracy and governance became a major component of western governments’ and multilateral organisations‘ foreign policies. Gradually external democracy promotion became a vast field of research in political science and transformation studies. While much scientific research focuses on instruments and strategies of multilateral donor institutions, such as the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is to date subject to few researches. The thesis offers new empirical insights into actors‘ implementation and strategies of development and political aid to Morocco, with a strong focus on the actors‘ orientation, identity and will and contributes to a more systematic research on non-western actors‘ role in external aid. The focus lies on the different conceptualisation and implementation of EU and AfDB democracy and governance assistance regarding the donors‘ operational and strategic orientations. Morocco was chosen as an appropriate country cases study, because the country is the largest recipient of EU bilateral aid within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the most important regional client of the AfDB. The thesis demonstrates that donors adopt technocratic approaches and understandings of democracy and governance. Consequently, objectives of democracy and governance promotion are conflicting or competing and political aid, including democracy and governance promotion, becomes more technocratic and depoliticised. Thus, the actors‘ orientation and modes of interaction limit the implementation of external political aid to a technical-operational level.
Use of A New Extracorporeal Membran Oxygenator System and First Experiences
Authors: ERGÜN Servet
Published: December 2020

Objective: In this study, we aimed to share our first experiences about the extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) system that we have just started to use and compare it with the system we used before.

Methods: Between January 2019 and December 2019, 27 consecutive patients under the age of 18 who were operated for congenital heart disease and needed ECMO support were retrospectively analyzed. İn this period The Medos Deltastream diagonal pump and Sorin Revolution ECMO systems were used.

Results: Successful wean was observed in six (42.9%) patients in Medos ECMO group and two (15.4%) in Sorin ECMO group. Five (35.7%) patients discharged in the Medos ECMO group. In Sorin ECMO group all patients died. The difference between the groups in terms of the number of patients discharged was statistically significant (p = 0.02). Lactate clearance was 14 hours in Medos ECMO and 48 hours in Sorin ECMO (p = 0.02).

Conclusion: In this study, in which we shared our first experiences regarding the first use of the Sorin ECMO system in the postcardiac pediatric patient group, we observed slower lactate clearance, lower succesful wean and higher mortaly rates. Therefore, this should be taken into account during the use of this system.
The relationship between microvascular angina and De Ritis ratio in normal coronary artery patients with recurrent chest pain / De Ritis ratio and microvascular angina
Authors: YİLDİRİM Arafat
Published: December 2020

Objective: De Ritis ratio (AST/ALT) is a strong predictor of outcomes in both heart failure and acute coronary syndromes. The usability of this parameter in patients with normal coronary arteries who had repeated application to health institutions due to chest pain has not been evaluated before. In this paper we aimed to investigate if De Ritis ratio may be used as a guiding in this group of patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included 545 patients with normal coronary arteries according to the coronary angiographies performed in our clinic between January 2018 and June 2019. They were grouped into two according to hospital admittance with chest pain after angiography; group 1: no application, group 2: repeated application. At least 8 hours of fasting venous samples were collected for routine laboratory tests.

Results: 545 patients with a mean age of 52.3 ± 11.2 (41.1%male) were included in the study. 16.5% of them had repeated applications with chest pain. Mean De Ritis ratio and CRP levels were different between the groups (p=0.028 and 0.045, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, De Ritis ratio was the only parameter that predicted repeated application with an Odds ratio (OR) = 3.062 ,95% CI= 1.267- 7.400 and p=0.013).

Conclusion: Elevated De Ritis ratio and CRP conclude us that there may be microvascular coronary disease in this group of patients. The repeated application with chest pain, although normal coronary artery was obtained, should be taken into consideration and it should be kept in mind that additional tests may be required to rule out microvascular coronary disease.
Opere Pankreas Adenokanserli Hastalarda Kemoterapiye Kemoradyoterapi Eklemenin Katkısı
Authors: UÇAR Gökhan
Published: December 2020

Giriş: Pankreas kanserleri kansere bağlı ölüm nedenleri arasında dördüncü sırada yer almaktadır. Genel sağ kalımı iyileştirmek adjuvan kemoterapi (KT) ve kemoradyoterapi (KRT) çalışmaları yapılmaktadır. Biz de pankreas kanserinde retrospektif olarak adjuvan tedavide kemoradyoterapinin etkisini araştırmayı amaçladık.

Yöntemler: Ocak 2010 ve Aralık 2017 tarihleri arasında merkezimizde pankreas kanseri nedeniyle opere edilen ve sonrasında adjuvan tedavi verilen 90 hastanın verileri retrospektif olarak tarandı. Hasta dosyalarından yaş, cinsiyet, ECOG performans durumu, vücut kitle indeksi (VKİ), evre, adjuvan dönemde aldığı tedaviler, KRT alıp almadığı, incelenerek kayıt edildi.

Bulgular: Çalışmaya toplam 46 hasta dahil edildi. KRT kolunda ortanca GSK 16,9 ay (7,8-2,63 ay) iken KT kolunda ise 17,6 ay olup iki grup arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark saptanmadı( p=0,875). Ortanca DFS,KRT kolunda 12,2 ay iken KT kolunda 7,2 ay saptandı(p:0,3).

Tartışma: Sonuç olarak, literatürde yapılan son çalışmalarla uyumlu olarak bizim çalışmamızda da pankreas kanserli hastalarda adjuvan tedavide kemoterapiye kemoradyoterapi eklemenin genel sağ kalım ve hastalıksız sağ kalıma katkısı gösterilemedi.
Tükürük Bezi Tümörü Tanısında Ultrasonografi (USG), Mangnetik Rezonans Görüntüleme (MRG), Bilgisayarlı Tomografi (BT), İnce İğne Aspirasyon Biyopsisi’nin (İİAB) Karşılaştırılması
Authors: DOBLAN Ahmet
Published: December 2020

Giriş: Tükürük bezleri tümörlerinde benign ve malign neoplazm arasındaki preoperatif farklılıkların belirlenmesi cerrahi operasyonun gerekliliği, aciliyeti ve kapsamını belirlemede önemlidir. Çalışmanın amacı, tükürük bezi kitlesi nedeniyle opere olmuş hastalarda, tükürük bezi tümörlerinin tanımlayıcı özelliklerinin ve tanı yöntemlerinin tanısal değerlerinin belirlenmesidir.

Yöntemler: Çalışma, 2008-2016 yılları arasında, tükürük bezinde malign veya benign kitle nedeni ile opere edilen hastaların, tıbbi kayıtlarının retrospektif incelenmesi ile yapılan tanımlayıcı tipte bir araştırmadır. Hastalara preoperatif dönemde yapılan Ultrasonografi (USG), Magnetik Rezonans Görüntüleme (MRG), Bilgisayarlı Tomografi (BT), İnce İğne Aspirasyon Biyopsisi’nin (İİAB) sonuçları ve postoperatif dönemde histopatolojik tetkik sonuçları değerlendirildi. Kullanılan tanı yöntemlerinin sensitivite, spesifite, pozitif prediktif değer (PPD), negatif prediktif değer (NPD), eğri altında kalan alan (AUC±SE) değerlerinin hesaplanması için ROC analizi yapıldı.

Bulgular: Çalışma grubu 114 kişiden oluşmakta olup yaş ortalamaları 46.90±14.32 yıl idi. Çalışma grubunun %54.4’ü erkek, %71.9’u 40 yaşın üstündeydi. Tükürük bezi tümörlerinin %71.9’u parotiste idi. Hastaların tanı amaçlı yapılan histopatoloji incelemesinde % 11.4’ünün malign tümöre sahip olduğu bulundu. Hastalarda en sık rastlanan benign tümör çeşidi pleomorfik adenom, en sık rastlanan malign tümör çeşidi mukoepidermoid kanser olarak saptandı. Sensitivite, NPD, AUC±SE değerlerinin en yüksek olduğu yöntem MRG, spesifite ve PPD değerlerinin en yüksek olduğu yöntem İİAB idi.

Sonuç ve Öneriler: Sonuç olarak, hastalarda tükürük bezi tümörlerinin en sık parotis bezinde (%11.4’ü malign) görüldüğü, en sık benign tükürük bezi tümörünün pleomorfik adenom, en sık malign tükürük bezi tümörünün mukoepidermoid kanser olduğu bulundu. Sensitivite, NPD, AUC±SE değeri en yüksek olan yöntem MRG ve spesifite ve PPD değeri en yüksek olan yöntem İİAB idi. USG, BT, MRG, İİAB’nin tükürük bezi tümörlerindeki tanısal değerlerini inceleyen, daha geniş örneklemlerde yapılacak klinik araştırmaların faydalı olacağı düşünüldü.
Akciğer Malignitelerinde Bronş Lavajı Sitolojisinin Tanısal Duyarlılığı
Authors: DURSUN Elif
Published: December 2020

Amaç: Bu araştırmada; akciğer kanseri tanısında kullanılan bronkoskopik yöntemlerden olan bronş lavajı sitolojisinin tanısal duyarlılığı araştırılmıştır.

Yöntemler: Araştırma kapsamında 2015 ve 2016 yıllarında Dicle Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Göğüs Hastalıkları Servisinde akciğer kanseri ön tanısı ile bronkoskopi yapılan ve kesin tanıları malignite olan 286 olgunun bronkoskopi raporu ile endobronşiyal biyopsi ve bronş lavajı sitoloji raporları retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. Araştırmada betimleyici istatistikler kullanılmıştır. Cinsiyet ile tanı arasındaki ilişki Ki-Kare testi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Kanser tanısı konulan kadın-erkek olguların yaş ortalamaları arasındaki farkın anlamlılığı ilişkisiz örneklem t-testi ile değerlendirilmiştir.

Bulgular: Araştırmada elde edilen bulgulara göre bronş lavajı sitolojisinin tanısal duyarlılığı % 16.6 gibi nispeten düşük bir oranda saptanmıştır. Bronkoskopik olarak uygulanan diğer bir yöntem olan endobonşiyal biyopsinin patolojik incelemesi ile %81.1 oranında tanı konulmuştur. Aynı işlemde hem bronş lavajı hem de biyopsi alınan 76 hastadan 1’inde ve bazı kısıtlamalar nedeni ile biyopsi alınamayan 8 hastadan 5’inde bronş lavajı sitolojisi malignite pozitif bulunmuştur.

Sonuç: Bronş lavajı her ne kadar tanısal duyarlılığı düşük bulunmuş olsa da endobronşiyal lezyonu olmayan, biyopsi alınmasını kabul etmeyen ya da lezyonu frajil ve kanama riski yüksek olup biyopsi alınmasından çekinilen hastalarda bronkoskopik olarak alınabilecek tek örnek olması nedeni ile önem arz etmektedir.
Designing, Developing, and Evaluation of a Germane Load-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Program for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
Authors: Kaboli Maryam , Kadivar Parvin , Abdollahi Mohammad Hossein , Arabzadeh mehdi
Published: December 2020

Objectives: The current study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a germane load-based cognitive rehabilitation program designed for students with special learning disabilities. Methods: The exploratory, descriptive method was used for designing the program. Thematic analysis (Sterling (2001)) was used to estimate the germane load themes. Based on the previous studies, 85 specific germane load codes were identified and evaluated. According to the results, the Multimedia Principle in germane load, Multi-personalization principle, and the Feedback principle consisted of 16, 17, 12 basic themes, respectively. Besides, the Reflection principle, as the most important learning principle in germane load, contained 17 basic themes, and the Guided Activity principle consisted of 8 basic themes. The content validity method was used to validate the program, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with a panel of 10 experts as well as two relative content validity coefficients (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). Results: The minimum and maximum content validity index (CVI) for each article or program component are 0.8 and 1, respectively, and the minimum and maximum content validity index (CVR) for each article or program component are 0.7 and 1, respectively. Conclusions: The results showed that the germane load-based cognitive rehabilitation program for students with special learning disabilities has appropriate content validity as well as the necessary validity for educational, clinical, and research purposes.
Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli and Its Serotypes Isolated from Poultry Feed in Relation to Seasons in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Iram Shajeela , Hassan Mehmood ul , Khawaja Tabinda
Published: December 2020

Background: The increasing prevalence of Escherichia coli as a foodborne pathogen in poultry poses a high risk to food safety. The resistant strains of E. coli may contribute resistant genes to human endogenous flora, causing fatal diseases. Moreover, these pathogens are serious threats to poultry farming. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the effects of seasonal variations on the bacterial load of E. coli and to evaluate its antibiogram profile. Methods: All feed samples were evaluated for the identification of E. coli and its serotypes, using conventional culture methods and biochemical characterization. Positive samples were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The bacterial load of E. coli was estimated by measuring the total viable count, and the antibiogram data were calculated using two methods, that is, disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) measurement. Results: Of 204 feed samples investigated, 38 isolates were positive for E. coli. All positive samples were also confirmed via universal and species-specific PCR assays, and 8/38 were documented as E. coli 0157:H7 strains. The bacterial load of E. coli was also determined by measuring the total viable count, and the results revealed the highest ratio (6.44×108 CFU/g) from June to August and the lowest ratio (2.06×108 CFU/g) from December to February. The multidrug resistance of E. coli O157:H7 was validated by antimicrobial susceptibility tests since all isolates showed high resistance to chloramphenicol, penicillin derivatives, fluoroquinolones, and oxytetracycline, respectively, and were only susceptible to aminoglycosides. Conclusions: Considering the high bacterial load of E. coli from June to August, the poultry industry needs to establish appropriate and effective hygienic and storage policies, especially during these alarming months. Moreover, surfacing and propagation of resistant strains of these pathogens may obscure future assessments for treatment purposes.
Ultra Rapid and Highly Sensitive Disperser-less Liquid-liquid Microextraction of Organophosphate Pesticides Prior to Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry Detection
Authors: Rahbar Nadereh , Hesami Mohammad Mehdi , Ramezani Zahra , Savarizadeh Aye
Published: December 2020

Background: Organophosphates (OPPs) are toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems through poisoning water and food. Objectives: A very simple and fast disperser-less liquid microextraction strategy before chromatographic detection was designed for the analysis of organophosphates in various water solutions. Methods: A 60 µL aliquot of chloroform, as extraction solvent (without using disperser), was introduced into the sample solution by rapid injection, and the sedimented organic phase was analyzed to assay some organophosphates. Results: Analytical characteristics, including limits of detection (0.0003 - 0.001 µg.L-1), linear dynamic ranges (0.001 - 100 µg.L-1), relative standard deviations (2.5 - 10), enrichment factors (up to 238), and extraction recoveries (84% - 108%), indicated the high efficacy of the developed method for analyzing the target analytes. Conclusions: The proposed procedure was effectively used for the analysis of the OPPs in real tap water, river water, and fruit juice samples. In the present study, the examined analytes were in the range of 0.07 - 1.56 µg.L-1.
Examining Change in Student Anxiety and Depression After the First Year of a Professional Program Secondary to Perceived Stress: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study
Authors: Taylor Mary Ann , Neal Amber Nicole , Schellinger Jana , Ostrowski Stephanie , White Amelia , Rodriquez Mayra , Meehan Andrew , Tiller Elizabeth
Published: December 2020

Background: Research has shown that students in the health sciences experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. Objectives: In this study, we endeavor to investigate these results among first-year pharmacy and veterinary students at Auburn University and among first-year medical students at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (VCOM) Auburn Campus. Methods: We surveyed students after their first year in their respective professional programs using a modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) survey. The survey was modified to establish changes in depression and anxiety levels before and after the first year of coursework. Results: Two hundred ninety-five students participated in the survey, 95 veterinary students, 127 pharmacy students, and 73 VCOM students. All programs showed a statistically significant increase in student-reported levels of depression and anxiety. Students from the Harrison School of Pharmacy showed the greatest increase in anxiety and depression, followed by students from VCOM and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Females in all programs entered their programs with higher levels of anxiety than males and also completed their first year with higher anxiety scores than males in the same programs. Conclusions: Students in all three professional programs reported increased levels of anxiety and depression with the largest increase reported in pharmacy students. Efforts to identify the triggers, understand the consequences, and develop interventional methods to improve student wellbeing are recommended.
The Frequency of Genetic Alleles of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin in Infants and Children with the Cholestatic Idiopathic Hepatic Disease in Khorasan Razavi- Iran
Authors: Gholami Sara , Vahedi Saeedeh , Kianifar Hamidreza , Hamzehloei Tayebeh
Published: December 2020

Background: Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a common genetic cause of childhood liver disorders. Its prevalence is highly variable around the world. Although this genetic deficiency is the main cause of neonatal jaundice, few studies have investigated AAT in Iran. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the association between specific alleles of AAT with idiopathic neonatal jaundice disease in patients with idiopathic jaundice. Methods: In this study, 30 neonates with a definitive diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis referred to Ghaem, and Dr. Sheikh hospitals in Mashhad (Iran) are included. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed on the extracted DNA from their blood samples. In the lack of commonly mutated alleles detected, the whole gene exons were DNA sequenced. Results: In the molecular test, we found no case of PiS or PiZ allele. The mutated alleles of PiS and PiZ were not appeared in patients with neonatal jaundice using the PCR-RFLP method. DNA sequencing was performed in 30 patients. Other rare missense variations were detected in the form of heterozygous (for Glu400Asp in 8 patients and Val237Ala in 2 patients), homozygous (for Glu400Asp in 1 patient), and compound heterozygous (for Glu400Asp/Val237Ala in 3 patients and Val237Ala/Asp280Val in 1 patient). Conclusions: The AAT deficiency caused by PiZ and PiS allelic variants was noted among infants with neonatal cholestasis in the Khorasan province of Iran. Other rare variants in the PiM might be caused by AAT deficiency and presenting the neonatal cholestasis. The possible functional study should be considered for the mutations identified.
Hepatoprotective Effect of Allium hooshidaryae Hydroalcoholic Extract on Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Male Rats
Authors: Ovji Saeed , Dastan Dara , Soleimani Asl Sara , Nili-Ahmadabadi Amir
Published: December 2020

Background: Acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity is a highly prevalent drug used for the treatment of pain. Allium hooshidaryae is widely used as herbal medicine in western Iran. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the protective effects of A. hooshidaryae methanolic extract (AhME) on liver damage induced by APAP. Methods: Rats were divided into six groups. Groups 1 (negative control) and 2 (positive control) received normal saline; groups 3 received 200 mg/kg of AhME, and groups 4 - 6 received AhME at the doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg once daily, by gavage, respectively. After the 14 days, except for groups 1 and 3, the other groups received 2 g/kg of APAP. After 48 hours, hepatic tissue and blood sample were taken for histopathology and biochemical experiments. Results: APAP induced a notable increase in serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST, P < 0.001), alanine transaminase (ALT, P < 0.001), alkaline phosphatase (ALP, P < 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, P < 0.01), nitric oxide (NO, P < 0.001), and lipid peroxidation (LPO, P < 0.001) levels in hepatic tissue. It also significantly reduced the level of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total thiol groups (TTGs) as well as glutathione contents (GSH) in hepatic tissue (For all P < 0.001). Following the use of AhME, a noteworthy improvement was observed in hepatic serum enzymes and oxidant/antioxidant parameters in liver tissue. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that AhME prevents APAP-induced hepatotoxicity through improvement in the hepatic antioxidant status.
Aquinas on Consciousness and the Human Soul
Authors: Furton Edward J. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: December 2020

The materialistic premise supposes that a patient’s reduced brain activity indicates that the mind is beginning to approach nonexistence. Such persons may not be brain dead, but they have a life that is close enough to death to allow us to treat them with a certain disregard. For the Catholic, this overlooks the enduring presence of the soul and its two spiritual powers of intellect and will. St. Thomas Aquinas is our best guide to exploring the implications of this view for patients in states of diminished consciousness. The externally observable activity of the brain, even when dramatically lessened, does not represent any loss of the powers of the soul, which continue to function through a combination of natural and divine influences.
Expediente
Authors: Palavra Moda
Published: December 2020

Expediente
Editorial V.14 N.31
Authors: Teixeira Júlio Monteiro , Braglia Israel de Alcântara , Rech Sandra Regina
Published: December 2020

Editorial
Respondent summary report business survey :
Authors: Helgeson Jennifer F , Fung Juan F , Roa Henriquez Alfredo R , Zycherman Ariela , Butry David T , Nierenberg Claudia , Zhang Yating , Ramkissoon Donna H
Published: December 2020

The goal of this report is to provide small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) stakeholders (e.g., owners and managers) who took part in the NIST Business Survey: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery survey1 between July 8 and August 8, 2020 with a summary of self-reported data. This survey was the initial phase of a longitudinal research effort on SME Complex Event Resilience (CER) undertaken by the Applied Economics Office (AEO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
MODELING OF NATURAL ELEMENTS WITH SMART MATERIALS THROUGH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Authors: MIGUELEZ GARCIA MONICA , DOMINGUEZ SOMONTE MANUEL
Published: December 2020

The latest advances in additive manufacturing have opened the door to the production of objects with irregular shapes or previously impossible to manufacture. In addition, the use of intelligent materials has been linked to these developments, capable of adopting programmed behaviors with minimal human interference.
Below is a further step in this new paradigm, introducing natural geometric shapes taking advantage of the geometric freedom that this technology provides. This modeling together with the use of intelligent materials represents an approach to natural life, since it not only imitates form but also behavior.
In this article, both the possible geometric design methodology is exposed, the intelligent materials that can be used through additive manufacturing, since until now not all of these materials available on the market can be used. Finally, the design procedures for manufacturing are presented, as well as the potential uses of this entire system, some of which are already being implemented.
MOBILITY OF BLIND PEOPLE USING THE SMARTPHONE’S GPS AND A WEARABLE TACTILE DISPLAY
Authors: VELAZQUEZ GUERRERO RAMIRO , PISSALOUX EDWIGE , DEL VALLE  SOTO CAROLINA , CARRASCO ZAMBRANO MIGUEL ANGEL , MENDOZA ANDRADE ABRAHAM , VARONA SALAZAR JORGE
Published: December 2020

This paper presents a novel wearable system devoted to assist the mobility of blind and visually impaired people in urban environments with the simple use of a smartphone and tactile feedback. The system exploits the positioning data provided by the smartphone’s GPS sensor to locate in real-time the user in the environment and to determine the directions to a destination. The resulting navigational directions are encoded as vibrations and conveyed to the user via an on-shoe tactile display. To validate the pertinence of the proposed system, two experiments were conducted with test users. The first one involved a group of 20 voluntary normally sighted subjects that were requested to recognize the navigational instructions displayed by the tactile-foot device. The results show high recognition rates for the task. The second experiment consisted of guiding two blind voluntary subjects along public urban spaces to target destinations. Results show that the task was successfully accomplished and suggest that the system enhances independent safe navigation of visually impaired and blind people. Moreover, results show the potentials of smartphones and tactile-foot devices in assistive technology.

Keywords: assistive technology, GPS localization, mobility of blind people, tactile-foot stimulation, vibrotactile display, wearable system.
INFLUENCE OF MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY TOLERANCES IN CIRCULAR AND PULSE-FREE GUIDES GEOMETRIES OF ESCALATORS
Authors: CABANELLAS  BECERRA JOSE MARIA , CANO MORENO JUAN DAVID
Published: December 2020

Escalators and moving walkways sector have maintained the basic mechanical design for more than a century. The permeability from new patented designs is negligible. This paper presents the first published work in the literature about polygonization problem, oscillatory pulsating movement, in escalators, which occurs when roller chains pass through curved geometries. Conventional geometries (circular curved rails) and pulse-free designed geometries have been analyzed. Pulse-free geometries present a better kinematic behavior than circular paths, which increases passenger comfort, improves mechanical behavior and lowers maintenance costs. The results show that errors, produced by manufacturing and assembly tolerances, in the theoretical path up to 2mm, are admissible. Therefore, pulse-free guides present a robust kinematic behavior and will improve escalator passenger comfort and allowing to save manufacturing and maintenance costs.

Keywords: polygonization effect, pulse-free guides, escalator, roller chains
A TOOL FOR THE PURCHASING DECISIONS MAKING FROM SUPPLIERS AND THE PRE-SALES SATISFACTION IN AN ONLINE SALES CAMPAING
Authors: PASTOR MORENO RAFAEL , GARCIA VILLORIA ALBERTO
Published: December 2020

We conduct a study of an outlet company decision problem that occurs when the company launches an online sales campaign. At the end of the campaign, the company has to decide which presales to customers are satisfied and which purchase orders are issued to its suppliers. The goal is to find the best trade-off between profit and number of presales that are not satisfied. At present, the company solves this problem manually. We model and solve the problem with an integer linear programming model. We show that the model is a useful tool for the decision maker to calculate different optimal trade-offs that are compared in order to obtain a more suitable solution. Moreover, we illustrate how this tool can be easily adapted for other type of campaigns and companies. The company considers that the obtained results are satisfactory. Additionally, a computational study is carried out and results demonstrate that the tool is very efficient for solving even much bigger campaigns.

Keywords: online sales campaign; decision making
KARAKTERISTIK FISIKOKIMIA DAN PROFIL SENSORI MANGGA GEDONG PADA DUA TINGKAT KEMATANGAN
Authors:   Program Studi Magister Ilmu Pangan, Sekolah Pascasarjana, IPB University, Bogor, Utami Mutiara , Wijaya Christofora Hanny ,   Departemen Ilmu dan Teknologi Pangan, Fakultas Teknologi Pertanian, IPB University, Bogor, Efendi Darda ,   Departemen Agronomi dan Hortikultura, Fakultas Pertanian, IPB University, Bogor, Adawiyah Dede Robiatul ,   Departemen Ilmu dan Teknologi Pangan, Fakultas Teknologi Pertanian, IPB University, Bogor
Published: December 2020

Mangoes of Gedong variety (Mangifera indica L. var. gedong) is one of the exported commodities from Indonesia. Half mature mangoes of this type are called gedong mangoes, whereas the full ripe mangoes are called gedong gincu mango. This research aimed to determine the physicochemical charac-teristics, sensory attributes and volatile compounds of the above two mango types. The results showed that gedong mangoes had a lower pH value, less total soluble solid, harder texture, and the skin color had a lower intensity of lightness, redness, and yellowness as compared to gedong gincu mango. The sensory analysis using rate-all-that-apply (RATA) method showed that attributes of color, fibrous, aroma (fruity, caramel, cooked, green, fermented, floral, sweet), taste (sweet, sour), melting, firmness, juiciness and astringency were significantly different between gedong and gedong gincu mango. The overall sensory of gedong gincu mangoes was more preferred by the panelists with the hedonic score of 6.20±0.09 (6= like) while that of gedong mango was 5.37±0.09 (5= slightly like). The sensory profiles of both mangoes were supported by the analysis of their volatile compounds. The gedong mango had predominantly green type of volatiles aroma while the gedong gincu was dominated by the fruity sweet ones. The sensory acceptability of gedong gincu mango was significantly higher rather than that of gedong mango.
KONDISI OPTIMUM PERLAKUAN AWAL DAN PENGERINGAN KULIT BUAH NAGA KERING
Authors:   Program Studi Teknologi Industri Pangan, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember, Apriliyanti Mulia W. , Suryanegara Muhammad A. ,   Program Studi Teknologi Industri Pangan, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember, Wahyono Agung ,   Program Studi Teknologi Rekayasa Pangan, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember, Djamila Siti ,   Program Studi Keteknikan Pertanian, Politeknik Negeri Jember, Jember
Published: December 2020

Antioxidant plays an important role in keeping the body health. Antioxidant is needed to prevent the occurrence of oxidative stress, which causes of various degenerative diseases. Betacyanin in the dragon fruit peel takes part in antioxidant activity. The research is conducted using the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM). This research aims to optimize the initial treatment condition by applying natrium metabisulfite immersion and drying on the dried dragon fruit peel. Three design composite factors used are natrium metabisulfite concentration (X1: 0.2-0.4%), drying temperature (X2: 65-75°C), and drying duration (X3: 4-5 hours) with betacyanin content (Y1) and antioxidant activity (Y2) as the response. A quadratic model is a method chosen for this research. The surface response showed the natrium metabisulfite concentration, temperature, and drying duration had signifi-cant effects on the betacyanin content and antioxidant activity. The most optimum condition of initial treatment is showed by immersion in 0.23% natrium metabisulfite and drying temperature of 70°C for 4.5 hours which resulted in 44.07 mg/100 g of betacyanin concentration and 50.56% antioxidant activity.
Open Source Framework for Enabling HPC and Cloud Geoprocessing Services
Authors: Montañana José Miguel , Marangino Paolo , Hervás Antonio
Published: December 2020

Geoprocessing is a set of tools that can be used to efficiently address several pressing chal-lenges for the global economy ranging from agricultural productivity, the design of transport networks, to the prediction of climate change and natural disasters. This paper describes an Open Source Framework developed, within three European projects, for Ena-bling High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Cloud geoprocessing services applied to agricultural challenges. The main goals of the European Union projects EUXDAT (EUro-pean e-infrastructure for eXtreme Data Analytics in sustainable developmenT), CYBELE (fostering precision agriculture and livestock farming through secure access to large-scale HPC-enabled virtual industrial experimentation environment empowering scalable big data analytics), and EOPEN (opEn interOperable Platform for unified access and analysis of Earth observatioN data) are to enable the use of large HPC systems, as well as big data management, user-friendly access and visualization of results. In addition, these projects focus on the development of software frameworks, and fuse Earth-observation data, such as Copernicus data, with non-Earth-observation data, such as weather, environmental and social media information. In this paper, we describe the agroclimatic-zones pilot used to validate the framework. Finally, performance metrics collected during the execution (up to 182 times speedup with 256 MPI processes) of the pilot are presented.
Land Pricing Model: Price Re-evaluation Due to the Erosion and Climate Change Effects
Authors: Slaboch Josef , Čechura Lukáš
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study is to derive and apply the hedonic approach for determining and updating official land prices with respect to e.g. the impact of climate change that has occurred in the conditions of the Czech Republic in recent years. Pricing using the hedonic method is based on capturing individual factors separately. The evaluated soil ecological unit code consists of a 5-digit numerical code, which expresses the affiliation to the climate region (0-9, see table 1), the main soil unit (0-78), the slope of the land and the orientation to the point of the compass (0-9) and also the depth of the soil profile and skeletality (0-9). The derived hedonic pricing model is estimated using heteroscedasticity corrected estimator. The fitted model shows considerably high explanatory power and together with high parameter significance for majority of dummy variables (soil characteristics) as well as with theoretical and logical consistency represent a tool for new official land price settings in the process of land reevaluation due to the erosion and climate change effects.
Application of Markowitz Portfolio Theory to Producing the World Major Field Crops
Authors: Vasylieva Natalia
Published: December 2020

Development of growing cereals and oilseeds is a pressing issue for providing global food security and renewable energy. The study deals with applying methods of portfolio theory to mitigate natural and marketing uncertainties emerged from unstable yields and volatile prices for wheat, maize, barley, sunflower, soybeans, and rapeseed. The research outcome based on the utilization of Markowitz mean-variance indicators made possible to evaluate portfolio performances of the world top cereals and oilseeds producers. The study findings at a country level combined econometric forecasting of the crop revenues and modeling optimal portfolios of cereals and oilseeds subject to acceptable trade-offs between risks and expected revenues. The fulfilled calculations with Ukrainian focus clarified farmland allocations under cereal and oilseed crops to underpin biodiversity and keep firm positions in the world markets.
El Convenio de Estambul en Francia y en España: tareas pendientes
Authors: Brox Sáenz de la Calzada Alicia Ginebra
Published: December 2020

El pasado agosto de 2019 el Convenio de Estambul cumplía cinco años desde su entrada en vigor. En su momento, el texto fue ampliamente aplaudido porque supuso un hito en Europa en la lucha contra la violencia ejercida contra la mujer. No obstante, pasado el entusiasmo inicial que despertó en algunos sectores, conviene hacer ahora un balance de sus logros, así como de aquellas medidas que, por diversos motivos, siguen en ciernes, o se han quedado directamente en el tintero.
El constitucionalismo democrático y social: orígenes y características distintivas
Authors: Gambilonghi Mattia
Published: December 2020

El artículo tiene por objeto reconstruir la evolución doctrinal del pensamiento jurídico en la transición del constitucionalismo liberal – identificable con las teorías del "Estado de derecho" del siglo XIX – al constitucionalismo democrático-social que inspira y configura el "Estado social". En resumen, el constitucionalismo democrático-social puede considerarse el núcleo fundamental del pacto social mediante el cual la civilización europea y occidental logra ofrecer una alternativa democrática a la desintegración de los Estados liberales. Los principales rasgos del nuevo constitucionalismo se analizarán centrándose en lo que, en nuestra opinión, puede considerarse sus principales "pilares".
Problemas Abiertos sobre la publicación de los precedentes
Authors: Núñez Vaquero Álvaro
Published: December 2020

El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar algunos de los problemas centrales que surgen de considerar la publicación como un requisito para la existencia de precedentes. Defenderé la tesis según la cual no es necesaria la publicación para hablar de sistema de precedentes ni de precedentes en particular. Partiré presentando la importancia que tiene la publicación de precedentes. A continuación, analizaré qué significa decir que tenemos precedentes. Posteriormente, mostraré diferentes factores que determinan el tipo de publicación para, a continuación, presentar los problemas que genera considerar la publicación como un requisito para que haya precedentes. Concluiré intentando especificar qué papel juega la publicación en un sistema de precedentes.
El orden público ante la libertad religiosa. Reflexiones sobre un debate
Authors: Rolland Patrice , Bea Pérez Trad. de Emilia
Published: December 2020

Una práctica religiosa -el uso del velo integral- abrió un debate importante sobre los límites del orden público en relación con la libertad religiosa. En Francia, a raíz del Étude del Consejo de Estado adoptado en 2010, se hicieron varias distinciones: entre una concepción material e inmaterial del orden público, entre una concepción clásica y una concepción renovada y, en el plano político, entre una concepción liberal y una concepción republicana. El vínculo del orden público respecto a la libertad religiosa no es exáctamente igual al que mantiene con el resto de libertades, ya que la historia política los ha unido en una reflexión sobre los orígenes del Estado moderno. La búsqueda y justificación de los límites de la libertad religiosa conduce a un cuestionamiento más general del modelo político y social de la comunidad humana. Dicho de otra forma, este debate sobre el contenido del orden público se basa en si a las religiones, más allá del respeto al orden público en sentido estricto, se les puede exigir respetar el orden moral de una sociedad secularizada.