bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of NAA and different nitrogen levels on nutrient uptake by BARI Gom-26 (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Islam Saiful , Jahan Nargis
Published: March 2020

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of NAA (0, 25, 50 ppm) at varying nitrogen levels (0, 50, 75, 100 % of the recommended dose) on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake by shoot and root and percentage of total NPK uptake by BARI Gom-26 at flowering and grain filling stage. Application of NAA at varying nitrogen levels had significant effect on P and K uptake by shoot and root at both stages, whereas, the N content of shoot at flowering stage and of root at the grain filling stage were non-significant.At both the stages, K content of root increased following all the treatments. At flowering and grain filling stage, P content of root and shoot increased and decreased due to different treatments. The maximum percentage of total NPK uptake was recorded from K followed by N and P respectively at both stages. In majority cases there was a decreasing trend in percentage uptake of N and P at grain filling stage compared with flowering stagewhereas, the trend was almost reverse in case of K. The N content of grain increased following all the treatments, the maximum being due to 25 ppm NAA in combination with 75 % N-fertilizer. Only decrease in P content of grain was recorded when 25 ppm NAA without any N-fertilizer was applied. In case of K content, 50 ppm NAA without any N-fertilizer resulted the only decrease. The highest nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by total plant was also recorded from 50 ppm NAA in combination with 50 % N-fertilizer at flowering stage, whereas, from 25 ppm NAA in combination with 75 % N-fertilizer at grain filling stage.J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 42(1): 69-76, June 2016
Fire hazard in readymade garment factories and its impacts on workers in Dhaka metropolitan area, Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Md Faruk
Published: March 2020

Mirpur Thana, located in the northwestern part of Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) is one of the most affected areas of fire in the RMG factories due to a large number of factories are operating in this area. Fire in the RMG sector has become a very common event in the recent years and causing colossal damage of lives and properties. The ultimate victims of fire in the factories are RMG workers because they become dead and injured and their livelihood held back. The present study based on the primary field investigation (including open ended questionnaire interview with a total of 70 workers), key informant interviews attempts to identify workers opinions on fire hazard issues and to understand the consequences, of how these problems become linked with the workers issue.J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 42(1): 77-93, June 2016
Post-harvest quality loss of small indigenous fish species in Sylhet region: ensure quality up to consumer level
Authors: Hossain Md Motaher , Barman AK Apurbo
Published: March 2020

The present study was designed to investigate the post-harvest quality loss of locally captured Small Indigenous Species (SIS) based on existing marketing system in Sylhet region. A total of 20 fish harvesters, 30 fish handlers (involve in sorting, loading and unloading, transporting, receiving at market), 10 depot owners, 10 auctioneers, 5 aratders was interviewed and 10 markets were visited to collect data about post-harvest activities and marketing of SIS from some areas of Sylhet and Sunamgonj district from July 2015 to December 2015. At harvesting places (100%) fish were the best quality (defect point <2). Fish sold in early market (7am  9 am) were also acceptable (defect point <2 to <3) in terms of quality. After harvesting rough handling (15%), compactness (3%), delay icing (10%), no icing (45%), marketing process (15%) and transportation (7%) lead to loss of a major proportion of total quality. On the basis of defect point average freshness quality of SIS were found <2 at harvesting places, <2 to <3 in landing center, during sorting, <2 to <3 during transportation and <2 to< 4 at market which were results from different activities associated with SIS handling and marketing.J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 42(1): 115-125, June 2016
Optimizing Chlorella Vulgaris And Anabaena Variabilis Growth Conditions For Use As Biofuel Feedstock
Authors: Tarin NJ , Ali NM , Chamon AS , Mondol MN , Rahman MM , Aziz A
Published: March 2020

Isolation and characterization of Chlorella vulgaris (green alga) and Anabaena variabilis (cyanobacterium) were made from natural and artificial water bodies of Dhaka University and Khulna, Bangladesh from March through December 2014 using modified Chu-10D medium to determine their potential as feedstock for biofuel production. Optimum growth measured as total chlorophyll and optical density under varying physical and chemical environments was determined. The optimum growth for C. vulgaris was obtained at pH 6.5 under light intensity of 110 μE m-2 s-1 and one and a half times the concentration of the Chu-10D. Compared to this, the optimum growth for A. variabilis was obtained at 7.0 pH, 90 μE m-2 s-1 light intensity and normal Chu 10D. Both organisms were grown at 25o C temperature. Aeration of medium showed a significant positive growth for both the isolates. Supplementation of medium with vitamin B1, B6, B7 and B12 would yield higher biomass of C. vulgaris as biofuel feedstock. Vitamins were not required for growing A. variabilis.

Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 42(2): 191-200, December 2016
PENGARUH KUALITAS PELAYANAN DAN HARGA TERHADAP KEPUASAN PELANGGAN PADA PIZZA HUT DELIVERY CABANG CILEUNGSI
Authors: Ramadan Risko , Rasipan Rasipan , Heruwanto Joni
Published: March 2020

ABSTRAK Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui kualitas pelayanan dan harga yang di berikan oleh Pizza Hut Delivery cabang Cileungsi serta untuk mengetahui kepuasan Pelanggan Pizza Hut Delivery cabang Cileungsi. Metode yang di gunakan dalam penelitian iniadalah metode kuantitatif hal ini di maksutkan untuk menghitung dari angket data kualitas pelayanan dan harga sebagai variabel bebas atau X1,X2 yang sudah di ketahui dan menghitung angket data kepuasan pelanggan,Hasil analisa regresi dapat di buat persamaan regresi berganda Penelitian menghasilkan dua temuan utama sesuai dengan hipotesis yang akan di ajukan yaitu kualitas pelayanan memiliki pengaruh positif terhadap kepuasan pelanggan lalu Harga memiliki pengaruh positif terhadap kepuasan pelanggan. Maka berdasarkan temuan tersebut maka untuk meningkatkan kepuasan pelanggan di sarankan agar dilakukan upaya memperbaiki kualitas pelayanan dan meninjau Harga. Kata Kunci ; Kualitas Pelayanan, Harga, Kepuasan pelanggan.
PENGARUH KUALITAS LAYANAN DAN PRODUK TERHADAP KEPUASAN NASABAH BANK SYARIAH
Authors: Budiningsih Susilowati , Primadhita Yuridistya
Published: March 2020

Kepuasan nasabah dapat dinilai dari kualitas layanan yang diterima oleh nasabah dan kualitas produk yang ditawarkan kepada nasabah. Ketika kualitas layanan dan produk dinilai baik oleh nasabah maka nasabah akan merasa puas dan selanjutnya akan memiliki kemungkinan yang lebih besar untuk loyal kepada bank tersebut. Sebagai negara dengan jumlah penduduk muslim yang besar, keberadaan bank syariah memiliki potensi besar untuk mengembangkan pasarnya karena menawarkan kegiatan perbankan yang sesuai dengan syariat Islam. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh kualitas layanan dan produk terhadap kepuasan nasabah bank syariah. Analisis kepuasan nasabah dilakukan guna membantu Bank Muamalat terus meningkatkan kualitas layanan dan produknya. Penelitian yang dilakukan terhadap 40 nasabah Bank Muamalat menunjukkan bahwa kualitas layanan dan produk berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kepuasan nasabah.
İngilizlerin Maraş’ı İşgali
Authors: ARSLANYÜREK Yaşar
Published: March 2020

İngiltere
için Anadolu coğrafyasındaki Güney Anadolu Bölgesi’nin ele geçirilmesinin üç temel
unsuru bulunmaktaydı. Bunlardan ilki bu bölgenin Hindistan yolundaki ve yine
İngiltere’nin elinde bulunan Süveyş ve Mısır’ın savunulmasında bir hareket üssü
olarak önem arz etmesiydi. Diğeri Sykes-picot’a göre Fransızlara verilmesi
kararlaştırılan ve petrol bakımından oldukça önemli bir yere sahip olan Musul’u
Fransızlardan almak amacıyla elinde bir koz bulundurmak istemesiydi. Bir diğer
neden de Maraş ve çevresinin işgal edilerek, bu bölgede kendi hâkimiyetlerinde
bir Ermeni Devleti ile bir de Kürt Devleti kurulmasının sağlanmasıydı. İngilizlerin
Güneydoğu Anadolu Politikası ve bu bağlamda Maraş’ın işgali, Ortadoğu Politikasının
bir devamı olup, İngiliz Hükümeti'nin Ortadoğu’yla ilgili amaçları bu
politikanın ortaya çıkmasına neden olmuştur. İngiltere bölgedeki işgallerine,
30 Ekim 1918’de Mondros Mütarekesi imzalandıktan sonra başladı. Zira 3 Kasım
1918 tarihinden başlayarak sırasıyla Musul, İskenderun, Kilis, Antep, Cerablus
ve sonrasında da Maraş, İngilizler tarafından işgal edildi.
100. Yıl Dönümünde Maraş Savunması Bağlamında Ders Kitaplarında "Biz" ve "Onlar"
Authors: ÇAM İrfan Davut , YILAR Murat
Published: March 2020

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Millî Mücadele sürecinde cereyan eden Maraş Savunması'na dair günümüz ders kitaplarında yer bulan satırları temel alarak "biz" ve "onlar"a ilişkin açıklamaları analiz etmektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda çalışma, nitel bir araştırma olarak tasarlanmıştır. Çalışmanın veri kaynaklarını günümüzde farklı kademelerde okutulan Sosyal Bilgiler ve Türkiye Cumhuriyeti İnkılâp Tarihi ve Atatürkçülük ders kitapları oluşturmuştur. Bu ders kitaplarından, 1 adet 4. sınıf Sosyal Bilgiler, 2 adet 8. sınıf ve 1 adet 12. sınıf Türkiye Cumhuriyeti İnkılâp Tarihi ve Atatürkçülük olmak üzere toplam 4 adet seçilmiştir. Kitaplar seçilirken, anılan konuyu içermiş olmalarına ve Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Talim ve Terbiye Kurulu Başkanlığı'nın onayından geçmiş olmalarına dikkat edilmiştir. Söz konusu ders kitaplarından çalışmanın konusuna ilişkin verilerin toplanması amacıyla doküman analizi yöntemine başvurulmuştur. Bu yöntemle toplanan veriler, içerik analizi tekniğiyle çözümlenmiştir. Yapılan analiz sonucunda, Maraş Savunması bağlamında ders kitaplarında "biz"e ve "onlar"a dair önemli ve dikkat çekici noktalar tespit edilmiştir.
Eight rules for improving the quality of papers on the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from aquatic animals
Authors: Smith P
Published: March 2020

The methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria, although relatively simple, are not robust. As a consequence, if the data generated in such tests are to be commensurate, all susceptibility tests must be performed using standard protocols. A review of the published literature of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria from aquatic animals revealed a frequent occurrence of significant errors, particularly with regard to testing methodology, quality control and the use of appropriate interpretive criteria in the performance and reporting of susceptibility tests. This opinion piece provides a set of rules that, if followed, would help authors to avoid these frequently detected shortcomings.
High occurrence rate of xanthomatosis and nephrocalcinosis in aquarium-housed Atlantic wolffish Anarhichas lupus and spotted wolffish A. minor
Authors: Béland K , Wong E , St-Cyr JF , Lair S
Published: March 2020

The Atlantic wolffish (AW) and the spotted wolffish (SW) are long-lived fish found in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans and are respectively classified as special concern and threatened species, mainly due to fisheries bycatch. To better understand health issues associated with the care of these species in public aquaria, reports from all necropsies performed in 2 zoological institutions between 2009 and 2019 were reviewed (31 AW and 8 SW). These wolffish were fed with a similar fish-based diet and kept in multi-species exhibits with comparable environmental parameters. The most frequent necropsy findings were the presence of xanthomas (AW: 41.9%; SW: 75.0%), nephrocalcinosis (AW: 42.9%; SW: 75.0%) and urocystoliths (AW: 6.5%; SW: 62.5%). Xanthomas were mostly located at the base of pectoral fins and were characterized by extensive granulomatous inflammation centered on accumulations of partly mineralized degenerate fatty material, mainly composed of cholesterol crystals. Nephrocalcinosis was characterized by the deposition of calcium salts within the renal tubules and was commonly associated with tubular necrosis. The aquarium-housed wolffish were fed a coldwater fish-based diet. However, the natural diet of wolffish is composed mostly of invertebrates such as urchins and crustaceans. Differences in nutrient composition between these diets, such as lipid and mineral content, may have contributed to the development of xanthomatosis, nephrocalcinosis and urocystolithiasis in wolffish housed in these institutions.
Reliability Analysis of an Instrument: A Preliminary Study of Experience in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) among Counsellor Trainees in a University
Authors: Azhar Anis Nurshafiqah , Ghazali Nor Mazlina
Published: March 2020

The study aims to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of Experience in Close Relationship among counsellor trainees in one of the local universities. The questionnaire had 36 items that were tested on 58 students from Bachelor of Counselling with Honours program. The Experience in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) is used to assess attachment styles. The ECR assesses individual on two sub-scale of attachment which are attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. This study presented listed items and internal consistency reliability analysis of Experience in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) in Malaysian context. The explanation on the items and reliability analysis represents the appropriateness of the instrument to trainee counsellors from public universities. The two sub-scale showed high reliability analysis. The reliability values of two sub-scale are reported respectively as following (i) attachment anxiety α = .86; and (ii) attachment avoidance α = .93. The instrument is reliable for assessing the attachment styles towards counsellor trainees at public universities. Therefore, the results from the pilot study showed that the questionnaire can be used without any modification in the actual study.

Keywords: Reliability; Experience in Close Relationship Scale; Counsellor Trainees; Preliminary study
The Effects of Gender and Reading Mediums on Reading Comprehension
Authors: Nero Corrin Alicia , Zulkiply Norehan
Published: March 2020

The present study examined the effects of gender and different types of reading mediums on reading comprehension among students. Forty undergraduates were asked to read four psychopathology texts (two digital texts and two print texts). Results showed that there was no significant difference in reading comprehension between gender. However, the mean scores obtained by females were slightly higher than males. Results also showed that reading comprehension between the two groups (print versus digital) was not significantly different. Nevertheless, the mean scores revealed that participants’ performance in print reading was slightly better than digital reading, suggesting that participants may have benefited a bit more from print reading. The present findings shed further light on the effects of digital reading and print reading on reading comprehension.

Keywords: Digital reading; Gender differences; Print reading; Reading comprehension
Consumption of Hydrocarbons and Its Relationship with Ozone Formation in Two Chinese Megacities
Authors: Chang Chih-Chung , Yak Hwa-Kwang , Wang Jia-Lin
Published: March 2020

Continuous measurements of ozone and its precursors were performed at sites in two Chinese megacities, i.e., an urban site in Beijing and a suburban site in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). At both sites, the total oxidants (O3 + NO2) varied with the ratio of ethylbenzene to m,p-xylenes, which serves as an indicator of photochemical aging. An observation-based method (OBM) was derived for calculating the photochemical consumption of individual non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) based on the observed NMHC concentrations and the ratio of ethylbenzene to m,p-xylenes. The results show a strong correlation between the oxidant level and the derived consumption of precursors at the two sites (R2 = 0.81 for the PRD site and R2 = 0.83 for the Beijing site), demonstrating a strong cause–effect relationship. The relative “consumption efficiency” among NMHCs was calculated based on the integrated amount of hydroxyl radicals derived from the ratio of ethylbenzene to xylenes. Thus, the percent contributions to ozone formation from each individual NMHC can be calculated. This concept of consumption is purely observation-based and provides an easy way to bypass complicated modeling and the necessity of knowing instantaneous concentrations of hydroxyl radicals, which are highly illusive in nature.
Large Sample Comparison of Parameter Estimates in Gamma Raindrop Distributions
Authors: Johnson Roger W. , Kliche Donna V.
Published: March 2020

Raindrop size distributions have been characterized through the gamma family. Over the years, quite a few estimates of these gamma parameters have been proposed. The natural question for the practitioner, then, is what estimation procedure should be used. We provide guidance in answering this question when a large sample size (>2000 drops) of accurately measured drops is available. Seven estimation procedures from the literature: five method of moments procedures, maximum likelihood, and a pseudo maximum likelihood procedure, were examined. We show that the two maximum likelihood procedures provide the best precision (lowest variance) in estimating the gamma parameters. Method of moments procedures involving higher-order moments, on the other hand, give rise to poor precision (high variance) in estimating these parameters. A technique called the delta method assisted in our comparison of these various estimation procedures.
Analysis of Research Status of CO2 Conversion Technology Based on Bibliometrics
Authors: Xing Yi , Ma Zhiliang , Su Wei , Wang Qunhui , Wang Xiaona , Zhang Hui
Published: March 2020

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air has risen sharply due to the use of fossil fuels, causing environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect, which seriously threatens humans’ living environment. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions while addressing energy shortages requires the conversion of CO2 into high added-value products. In this paper, the status of CO2 conversion research in the past ten years is analyzed using the bibliometric method; the influence of countries and institutions, journal article statistics and other aspects are statistically analyzed, and the research status of carbon dioxide catalytic conversion is briefly introduced. Finally, according to the analysis results and the existing problems of CO2 catalytic conversion research, the future development direction of CO2 catalytic conversion research is prospected.
Using ISSR Genomic Fingerprinting to Study the Genetic Differentiation of Artemia Leach, 1819 (Crustacea: Anostraca) from Iran and Neighbor Regions with the Focus on the Invasive American Artemia franciscana
Authors: Eimanifar Amin , Asem Alireza , Wang Pei-Zheng , Li Weidong , Wink Michael
Published: March 2020

Due to the rapid developments in the aquaculture industry, Artemia franciscana, originally an American species, has been introduced to Eurasia, Africa and Australia. In the present study, we used a partial sequence of the mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (mt-DNA COI) gene and genomic fingerprinting by Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs) to determine the genetic variability and population structure of Artemia populations (indigenous and introduced) from 14 different geographical locations in Western Asia. Based on the haplotype spanning network, Artemia urmiana has exhibited higher genetic variation than native parthenogenetic populations. Although A. urmiana represented a completely private haplotype distribution, no apparent genetic structure was recognized among the native parthenogenetic and invasive A. franciscana populations. Our ISSR findings have documented that despite that invasive populations have lower variation than the source population in Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), they have significantly revealed higher genetic variability compared to the native populations in Western Asia. According to the ISSR results, the native populations were not fully differentiated by the PCoA analysis, but the exotic A. franciscana populations were geographically divided into four genetic groups. We believe that during the colonization, invasive populations have experienced substantial genetic divergences, under new ecological conditions in the non-indigenous regions.
CDE++: Learning Categorical Data Embedding by Enhancing Heterogeneous Feature Value Coupling Relationships
Authors: Dong Bin , Jian Songlei , Zuo Ke
Published: March 2020

Categorical data are ubiquitous in machine learning tasks, and the representation of categorical data plays an important role in the learning performance. The heterogeneous coupling relationships between features and feature values reflect the characteristics of the real-world categorical data which need to be captured in the representations. The paper proposes an enhanced categorical data embedding method, i.e., CDE++, which captures the heterogeneous feature value coupling relationships into the representations. Based on information theory and the hierarchical couplings defined in our previous work CDE (Categorical Data Embedding by learning hierarchical value coupling), CDE++ adopts mutual information and margin entropy to capture feature couplings and designs a hybrid clustering strategy to capture multiple types of feature value clusters. Moreover, Autoencoder is used to learn non-linear couplings between features and value clusters. The categorical data embeddings generated by CDE++ are low-dimensional numerical vectors which are directly applied to clustering and classification and achieve the best performance comparing with other categorical representation learning methods. Parameter sensitivity and scalability tests are also conducted to demonstrate the superiority of CDE++.
Spatial-Temporal Characteristic Analysis of Ethnic Toponyms Based on Spatial Information Entropy at the Rural Level in Northeast China
Authors: Zhao Fei , Fu Yao , Luan Guize , Zhang Sujin , Cai Jingzhi , Ding Jieyu , Qian Jiangkang , Xie Zhiqiang
Published: March 2020

As a symbol language, toponyms have inherited the unique local historical culture in the long process of historical development. As the birthplace of Manchu, there are many toponyms originated from multi-ethnic groups (e.g., Manchu, Mongol, Korean, Hui, and Xibe) in Northeast China which possess unique cultural connotations. This study aimed to (1) establish a spatial-temporal database of toponyms in Northeast China using a multi-source data set, and identify their ethnic types and origin times; and (2) explore the geographical distribution characteristics of ethnic toponyms and the evolution of rural settlements by comparing the spatial analysis and spatial information entropy methods. The results found that toponyms reflect not only the spatial distribution characteristics of the density and direction of ethnic groups, but also the migration law of rural settlements. Results also confirm that toponyms contain unique cultural connotations and provide a theoretical basis for the protection and promotion of the cultural connotations of toponyms. This research provides an entropic perspective and method for exploring the spatial-temporal evolutionary characteristics of ethnic groups and toponym mapping.
Rate Adaption for Secure HARQ-CC System with Multiple Eavesdroppers
Authors: Wu Yue , Yin Shishu , Zhou Jian , Yang Pei , Yang Hongwen
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we studied the secure transmission of a hybrid automatic repeat request with chase combining (HARQ-CC) system, under the existence of multiple eavesdroppers and limited latency. First, we analyzed some critical performance metrics, including connection outage probability (COP), secrecy outage probability (SOP) and effective secrecy throughput (EST). Then, to maximize the EST, three optimization problems of rate adaption were discussed: (i) optimizing the code rate with a given secrecy redundancy rate by a parameterized closed-form solution; (ii) optimizing the secrecy redundancy rate with a given code rate by a fixed-point method; (iii) optimizing both code rate and secrecy redundancy rate by an iterative optimization algorithm. We also considered COP and SOP constraints among the problems while corresponding solutions were deduced. Finally, numerical and simulated results verified our conclusions that the approximated SOP matches well with Monte–Carlo simulation for a strict reliable constraint, and that the optimized transmitting rate enhances EST efficiently with multiple eavesdroppers and retransmissions. Moreover, the influence of the number of eavesdroppers on secrecy performance was analyzed. Briefly, secrecy performance inevitably deteriorates with increasing number of eavesdroppers due to raised information leakage.
Identification and in Silico Characterization of Novel and Conserved MicroRNAs in Methyl Jasmonate-Stimulated Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Needles
Authors: Krivmane Baiba , Šņepste Ilze , Šķipars Vilnis , Yakovlev Igor , Fossdal Carl Gunnar , Vivian-Smith Adam , Ruņģis Dainis
Published: March 2020

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-protein coding RNAs of ~20–24 nucleotides in length that play an important role in many biological and metabolic processes, including the regulation of gene expression, plant growth and developmental processes, as well as responses to stress and pathogens. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize novel and conserved microRNAs expressed in methyl jasmonate-treated Scots pine needles. In addition, potential precursor sequences and target genes of the identified miRNAs were determined by alignment to the Pinus unigene set. Potential precursor sequences were identified using the miRAtool, conserved miRNA precursors were also tested for the ability to form the required stem-loop structure, and the minimal folding free energy indexes were calculated. By comparison with miRBase, 4975 annotated sequences were identified and assigned to 173 miRNA groups, belonging to a total of 60 conserved miRNA families. A total of 1029 potential novel miRNAs, grouped into 34 families were found, and 46 predicted precursor sequences were identified. A total of 136 potential target genes targeted by 28 families were identified. The majority of previously reported highly conserved plant miRNAs were identified in this study, as well as some conserved miRNAs previously reported to be monocot specific. No conserved dicot-specific miRNAs were identified. A number of potential gymnosperm or conifer specific miRNAs were found, shared among a range of conifer species.
Comparing Hot and Cold Loading in an Integrated Biomass Recovery Operation
Authors: Kizha Anil Raj , Han Han-Sup , Anderson Nathaniel , Koirala Anil , T. Louis Libin
Published: March 2020

The balance of production activities at the landing is pivotal to the success of any forest harvesting operation and has a direct impact on the cost and efficiency of the enterprise. The primary objective of this study was to understand the operational characteristics of the loader in a hot operation (handling both sawlog and biomass components concurrently) and cold operation (handling biomass and sawlogs separately) for harvesting sawlogs and biomass. Systematic work sampling techniques were employed to obtain “snapshots” of the loader activities for a cable logging operation, including the interaction of the loader with other operational phases and delay time for both hot and cold configurations. The results show that for hot loading at the landing, the yarder was the most utilized machine (85%), and was the bottleneck of the operation, followed by the loader (70%). In the hot loading configuration, 39% of operational delay during truck loading was caused by the loader and was predominantly due to movement of the loader within or between the landings. This was followed by the yarder (19%, due to rigging activities) and the chaser (15%, to maintain the crews’ safety). In the cold loading configuration, delays due to the unavailability of roll-off bins constituted up to 77% of the operational delay. This suggests that the number of bins and trucks hauling biomass has a crucial role in the overall efficiency of the biomass harvesting system, and should be well balanced with loading capacity. Additionally, the choice of hot or cold biomass loading operations is highly dependent on the site and operating conditions.
Exploring the Perceptions of and Experiences with Traditional Foods among First Nations Female Youth: A Participatory Photovoice Study
Authors: Hanemaayer Rebecca , Anderson Kimberley , Haines Jess , Lickers Kitty RLynn , Lickers Xavier Adrianne , Gordon Kelly , Tait Neufeld Hannah
Published: March 2020

Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples within Canada have expressed a desire to consume more traditional foods; however, there are a number of barriers to doing so. Southern and urban communities face unique challenges associated with traditional food consumption. To address these concerns and build on community interests in a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario, a participatory research project was initiated. This community-based study utilized Photovoice methodology to explore the perceptions of and experiences with traditional foods among local youth. Participants ranging in age from 15–22 (n = 5) took photos of their local food environments, including locations where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared during two seasons of the year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ stories behind 8–10 self-selected images. A thematic analysis was subsequently utilized to identify patterns and themes illustrated by the photos and interview content. The youth conveyed contextual understandings of traditional foods and a preference for these items, despite their limited consumption, preparation or harvesting of these foods. The youth also identified the important influence of families and communities on their individual perceptions and experiences with traditional foods. Recommendations to reduce barriers to traditional food choices among youth are made.
Compositional Data Analysis in Time-Use Epidemiology: What, Why, How
Authors: Dumuid Dorothea , Pedišić Željko , Palarea-Albaladejo Javier , Martín-Fernández Josep Antoni , Hron Karel , Olds Timothy
Published: March 2020

In recent years, the focus of activity behavior research has shifted away from univariate paradigms (e.g., physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep) to a 24-h time-use paradigm that integrates all daily activity behaviors. Behaviors are analyzed relative to each other, rather than as individual entities. Compositional data analysis (CoDA) is increasingly used for the analysis of time-use data because it is intended for data that convey relative information. While CoDA has brought new understanding of how time use is associated with health, it has also raised challenges in how this methodology is applied, and how the findings are interpreted. In this paper we provide a brief overview of CoDA for time-use data, summarize current CoDA research in time-use epidemiology and discuss challenges and future directions. We use 24-h time-use diary data from Wave 6 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (birth cohort, n = 3228, aged 10.9 ± 0.3 years) to demonstrate descriptive analyses of time-use compositions and how to explore the relationship between daily time use (sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity) and a health outcome (in this example, adiposity). We illustrate how to comprehensively interpret the CoDA findings in a meaningful way.
Efficient Removal of Cd(II) Using SiO2-Mg(OH)2 Nanocomposites Derived from Sepiolite
Authors: He Zhendong , Ren Bozhi , Hursthouse Andrew , Wang Zhenghua
Published: March 2020

The pollution of Cadmium (Cd) species in natural water has attracted more and more attention due to its high cumulative toxicity. In the search for improved removal of cadmium from contaminated water, we characterized uptake on a recently identified nanomaterial (SiO2-Mg(OH)2) obtained by subjecting sepiolite to acid-base modification. The structural characteristics of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 were analyzed by means of SEM-EDS, Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD). Static adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of contact time, temperature, amount of adsorbent, and pH-value on the adsorption of Cd(II) by SiO2-Mg(OH)2. The results show that the pore structure of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 is well developed, with specific surface area, pore size and pore volume increased by 60.09%, 16.76%, and 43.59%, respectively, compared to natural sepiolite. After modification, the sepiolite substrate adsorbs Cd(II) following pseudo-second-order kinetics and a Langmuir surface adsorption model, suggesting both chemical and physical adsorption. At 298 K, the maximum saturated adsorption capacity fitted by Sips model of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 regarding Cd(II) is 121.23 mg/g. The results show that SiO2-Mg(OH)2 nanocomposite has efficient adsorption performance, which is expected to be a remediation agent for heavy metal cadmium polluted wastewater.
Web-Based Visualization of Scientific Research Findings: National-Scale Distribution of Air Pollution in South Korea
Authors: Park Yeonkyeong , Song Insang , Yi Jeeeun , Yi Seon-Ju , Kim Sun-Young
Published: March 2020

Background: As scientific findings of air pollution and subsequent health effects have been accumulating, public interest has also been growing. Accordingly, web visualization is suggested as an effective tool to facilitate public understanding in scientific evidence and to promote communication between the public and academia. We aimed to introduce an example of easy and effective web-based visualization of research findings, relying on predicted concentrations of particulate matter ≤ 10 µg/m3 (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) obtained from our previous study in South Korea and Tableau software. Our visualization focuses on nationwide spatial patterns and temporal trends over 14 years, which would not have been accessible without our research results. Methods: Using predicted annual average concentrations of PM10 and NO2 across approximately 250 districts and maps of administrative divisions in South Korea during 2001–2014, we demonstrate data preprocessing and design procedures in the Tableau dashboard, comprising maps, time-series plots, and bar charts. Results: Our visualization allows one to identify high concentration areas, a long-term temporal trend, and the contrast between two pollutants. The application of easy tools for user-interactive options in Tableau suggests possible easy access to the scientific knowledge of non-experts. Conclusion: Our example contributes to future studies that develop the visualization of research findings in further intuitive designs.
Health Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Selenium, and Manganese in Japanese Women: An Adjunct Study to the Japan Environment and Children’s Study
Authors: Ma Chaochen , Iwai-Shimada Miyuki , Tatsuta Nozomi , Nakai Kunihiko , Isobe Tomohiko , Takagi Mai , Nishihama Yukiko , Nakayama Shoji F.
Published: March 2020

Toxic element pollution is a serious global health concern that has been attracting considerable research. In this study, we elucidated the major routes of exposure to three toxic elements (mercury, cadmium, and lead) and two essential elements (manganese and selenium) through diet, soil, house dust, and indoor air and assessed the potential health risks from these elements on women from the coastal area of Miyagi prefecture, Japan. Twenty-four-hour duplicate diet, house dust, soil, and indoor air samples were collected from 37 participants. Cd, Pb, Mn, and Se concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and Hg concentrations using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. We found that soil and house dust were the primary reservoirs of these elements. Diet contributed most strongly to the daily intake of these elements, with mean values of 0.72, 0.25, 0.054, 47, and 0.94 μg/kg/day for Hg, Cd, Pb, Mn, and Se, respectively. The mean hazard quotient of Hg was 1.53, indicating a high potential health risk from Hg exposure in daily lives. The intakes of other elements were below the tolerable limits. Future studies with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm our findings.
Demoralization and Its Relationship with Depression and Hopelessness in Suicidal Patients Attending an Emergency Department
Authors: Costanza Alessandra , Baertschi Marc , Richard-Lepouriel Hélène , Weber Kerstin , Berardelli Isabella , Pompili Maurizio , Canuto Alessandra
Published: March 2020

Emergency departments (EDs) play an increasingly crucial role in the management of patients with suicidal behavior (SB). Demoralization has been associated with SB in various populations and conditions, but little is known about the effect of this construct in SB patients who attend an ED. Therefore, a more inclusive SB assessment which considers the demoralization construct could be useful in clinical practice. The main aim of this study was to assess the presence and severity of demoralization in patients visiting EDs for SB. Secondly, the maintenance of the relationship between demoralization and SB after controlling for depression and the proportion of variance which accounted for hopelessness was investigated. A cross-sectional study of patients (N = 199) visiting an ED for SB was performed, which examined the role of demoralization, hopelessness, and depression on suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs). Demoralization was strongly and positively correlated with SI. Demoralization was related to major depressive episodes, but it was confirmed to be a different and, probably, more sensitive construct for SB, validating its specificity in relation to depression. Hopelessness accounted for a small portion of the variance in SI, compared to demoralization. Formal support for the association of demoralization with SI was provided. Demoralization can improve SB assessment in EDs, particularly among patients whose suicide risk can be unnoticed. Furthermore, demoralization represents a clinically useful concept to increase comprehension of the suffering of the suicidal patient and a possible target for psychotherapeutic interventions.
Development and Validation of the Overall Foot Pain Questionnaire in Motorcycle Riders
Authors: Casado-Hernández Israel , Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo Ricardo , Losa-Iglesias Marta Elena , Soriano-Medrano Alfredo , Morales-Ponce Ángel , Martiniano João , López-López Daniel , Calvo-Lobo César
Published: March 2020

Objectives: Our primary aim was to develop a transcultural adaptation of a cycling questionnaire using the Borg CR-10 scale as a tool to describe the discomfort among motorcyclists during the riding process in two trial sessions. Design: A transcultural adaptation and descriptive cross-sectional study. Settings: Jarama motorcycling circuit (Madrid, Spain). Participants: The participants were riders recorded across in a final motorcycling race. Interventions: The study design is based in two tools, the adapted Motorcyclist Questionnaire (MQ-21) with 21 items and Borg CR10 Scale® was used to determine discomfort level during motorcycling performance. The translation procedure, reliability, and reproducibility were performed. Results: All items showed an almost perfect intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (ICC = 0.909–1.00), except for item 9 (ICC = 0.881). Almost perfect internal consistency was shown for the total score (Cronbach α = 0.899). No systematic differences existed among test and retest in all items (p > 0.05) according to Bland–Altman plots. Respondents experienced slight discomfort on their body parts during the test-retest 1 h riding process. Foot discomfort was scored as 1.20, being the eighth of the 12 studied body parts. Conclusions: Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the MQ-21 questionnaire were excellent and this questionnaire may be recommended to be used in motorcycling sports and clinical settings to evaluate the discomfort.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Behaviour of Midwives Concerning Periodontal Health of Pregnant Patients
Authors: Nguyen Jennifer Gia-linh , Nanayakkara Shanika , Holden Alexander C. L.
Published: March 2020

Maternal gum disease is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birthweight. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviour of Australian midwives regarding the periodontal health of pregnant women to inform interprofessional antenatal care. This was an observational, cross-sectional study. We circulated an online questionnaire to Australian midwives from August 2018 to February 2019. Key outcome variables were knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviours related to oral health. Key predictor variables were years of practice, practice location, and dental history. We summarized responses with frequency tables and assigned tallied scores for analysis using non-parametric statistical tests. 100 responses were analysed, including from rural (n = 23) and urban (n = 77) midwives. Eighty percent of midwives agreed that maternal dental care can positively affect pregnancy outcomes. Fluoridated toothpaste use (19.1%) was incorrectly answered to prevent gum disease more often than psychological stress control (7.9%), a correct answer. Rural midwives demonstrated a significantly higher knowledge score (p = 0.001) and significantly more positive practice behaviours towards oral health (p = 0.014) than urban midwives. Australian midwives have positive attitudes towards antenatal oral health but misunderstand gum disease aetiology and prevention. This study highlights areas to improve interprofessional education for optimal oral health and pregnancy outcomes.
Performance of Different Urban Design Parameters in Improving Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Health in a Pedestrianized Zone
Authors: Ma Xuan , Wang Mengying , Zhao Jingyuan , Zhang Lei , Liu Wanrong
Published: March 2020

Global climate change and urban heat islands have generated heat stress in summer, which does harm to people’s health. The outdoor public commercial pedestrianized zone has an important role in people’s daily lives, and the utilization of this space is evaluated by their outdoor thermal comfort and health. Using microclimatic monitoring and numerical simulation in a commercial pedestrianized zone in Tai Zhou, China, this study investigates people’s outdoor thermal comfort in extreme summer heat. The final results provide a comprehensive system for assessing how to improve outdoor human thermal health. Under the guidance of this system, local managers can select the most effective strategy to improve the outdoor thermal environment.
The Associations Among Health-Promoting Lifestyle, eHealth Literacy, and Cognitive Health in Older Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Li Shao-Jie , Yin Yong-Tian , Cui Guang-Hui , Xu Hui-Lan
Published: March 2020

Background: Healthy lifestyles and health literacy are strongly associated with cognitive health in older adults, however, it is unclear whether this relationship can be generalized to health-promoting lifestyles and eHealth literacy. To date, no research has examined the interactive effect of health-promoting lifestyles and eHealth literacy on cognitive health. Objective: To examine the associations among health-promoting lifestyles, eHealth literacy, and cognitive health in older adults. Methods: Using a stratified cluster sampling method, we conducted a survey with older adults in four districts and two counties in Jinan (China). Older adults (n = 1201; age ≥ 60 years) completed our survey. We assessed health-promoting lifestyles, eHealth literacy, and cognitive health, and collected participants’ sociodemographic information. Results: Health-promoting lifestyles and eHealth literacy were significantly and positively associated with cognitive health (both p < 0.01). In addition, eHealth literacy was positively associated with health-promoting lifestyles. Moreover, the interaction of health-promoting lifestyle and eHealth literacy negatively predicted cognitive health (β = −0.465, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Health-promoting lifestyles and eHealth literacy were associated with the cognitive health of Chinese older adults, both independently and interactively. Further, eHealth literacy was associated with health-promoting lifestyles in older adults. Therefore, interventions regarding healthy lifestyles and eHealth literacy would benefit older adults.
Comparison of Methodologies to Estimate Dietary Cadmium Intake in an Italian Population
Authors: Filippini Tommaso , Upson Kristen , Adani Giorgia , Malagoli Carlotta , Baraldi Claudia , Michalke Bernhard , Vinceti Marco
Published: March 2020

Cadmium is a metal that is toxic to humans, and the major source of cadmium exposure in the non-smoking general population is diet. To identify major food sources and lower exposure from diet, an accurate estimate of dietary cadmium intake is needed. Hence, the objectives of this study are to develop a method to assess dietary cadmium intake using a biomarker measurement and to improve the estimation of dietary cadmium intake when using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). In a random sample of an Italian population, we collected dietary habits by FFQ and measured cadmium in foods and beverages. These data were used to compute the estimated weekly dietary intake (WDI) of cadmium (µg) by kilogram (kg) of body weight (bw) (WDIFFQ). We also measured fasting serum cadmium levels by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We used these data to develop a model for the estimation of the biomarker-derived dietary cadmium intake (WDIbio). In the 51 subjects recruited, the median level of serum cadmium was 0.041 µg/L (interquartile range (IQR): 0.030–0.054). The median WDIFFQ and WDIbio were 1.34 µg/kg bw/week (IQR: 0.86–1.70) and 0.72 µg/kg bw/week (IQR: 0.55–1.11), respectively. The correlation between the two estimates was low-to-moderate (r = 0.291). In exploratory analyses, the correlation was slightly higher in women and participants ages <50 years, and markedly higher in participants with body mass index <25 kg/m2 and smokers. Our approach allows for the dietary contribution to be isolated from the overall cadmium exposure measured with a biomarker; the estimated dietary cadmium intake was roughly similar to that estimated using the FFQ, especially in select subgroups. Future refinements to the biomarker-derived dietary cadmium intake approach should take into consideration additional sources of cadmium exposure, as well as factors affecting its absorption and metabolism.
Professional Competence or Personal Relationship? Research on the Influencing Mechanism on Repeated Purchase Intention of Agricultural Resources
Authors: Li Lan , Li Gang , Chen Junqi
Published: March 2020

Based on social exchange, rational choice, and perceptual choice theory, this paper examines the influence of professional competence, personal relationship, and their interaction on repeated purchase intention in the context of rural agricultural marketing. Adopting the survey method and hierarchical regression analysis, this study tested the hypotheses with a data set of 578 farmers from China, and assessed the robustness of the results by structural equation modelling. The results show that both personal relationship and professional competence have a significantly positive impact on repeated purchase intention while the interaction between the two has a significant negative effect on repeated purchase intention. The results expose the struggle farmers experience in choosing between emotional and rational thinking when making purchasing decisions in the urbanization and industrialization process of a rural area. The results also enrich the research on the marketing of agricultural resources and have important implications to agricultural retailers.