bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approaches to Learning: Does Medical School Attract Students with the Motivation to Go Deeper?
Authors: Mansfield Kylie J. , Peoples Gregory E. , Parker-Newlyn Lyndal , Skropeta Danielle
Published: October 2020

Graduate-entry, following a science degree, is the preferred pathway into many medical schools, however little is known about how the learning approaches of medical students compare to those of science students. This study compared the learning approaches and achievement orientations of science students with those aiming to enter graduate-entry medicine programs. The two factor study process questionnaire and the achievement goal orientation survey were used to compare students in; stage one: third year science students (n = 86) to graduate-entry medicine students (n = 158); stage two: applicants to graduate medicine (n = 84); stage three: first year science students (n = 363) to first year pre-medicine students (n = 68). Medical students and applicants to medicine demonstrated a greater preference for deep learning than third year science students (p < 0.0001). Pre-medicine students were similar to medical students. Medical students, applicants to medicine and pre-medicine students also all had a greater preference for a learning goal orientation. The preference for a deeper approach to learning and stronger learning goal orientation in students enrolled in medicine or aiming to gain entry to graduate medicine indicates a motivation towards the acquisition of knowledge. Medical educators need to ensure that students continue to develop positive and beneficial styles of learning to assist them to develop into life-long learners.
CNN-Based Fall Detection Strategy with Edge Computing Scheduling in Smart Cities
Authors: Pan Daohua , Liu Hongwei , Qu Dongming , Zhang Zhan
Published: October 2020

The livelihood problem, especially the medical wisdom, has played an important role during the process of the building of smart cities. For the medical wisdom, the fall detection has attracted the considerable attention from the global researchers and medical institutions. It is very difficult for the traditional fall detection strategies to realize the intelligent detection with the following three reasons: (i) the data collection cannot reach the real-time level; (ii) the adopted detection methods cannot satisfy the enough stability; and (iii) the computation overhead of collection device is very high, which causes the barely satisfactory detection effect. Therefore, this paper proposes Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based fall detection strategy with edge computing consideration, where the global network view ability of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is used to collect the generated data from smartphone. Meanwhile, on one hand, the edge computing is exploited to put some computation tasks at the edge server by the scheduling technique. On the other hand, CNN is equipped with both edge server and smartphone, and it is leveraged to train the related data and further give the guidance of fall detection. The experimental results show that the novel fall detection strategy has a more accurate rate, transmission delay, and stability than two cutting-edge strategies.
Exploiting Heterogeneous Parallelism on Hybrid Metaheuristics for Vector Autoregression Models
Authors: Cuenca Javier , Cutillas-Lozano José-Matías , Giménez Domingo , Pérez-Bernabeu Alberto , López-Espín José J.
Published: October 2020

In the last years, the huge amount of data available in many disciplines makes the mathematical modeling, and, more concretely, econometric models, a very important technique to explain those data. One of the most used of those econometric techniques is the Vector Autoregression Models (VAR) which are multi-equation models that linearly describe the interactions and behavior of a group of variables by using their past. Traditionally, Ordinary Least Squares and Maximum likelihood estimators have been used in the estimation of VAR models. These techniques are consistent and asymptotically efficient under ideal conditions of the data and the identification problem. Otherwise, these techniques would yield inconsistent parameter estimations. This paper considers the estimation of a VAR model by minimizing the difference between the dependent variables in a certain time, and the expression of their own past and the exogenous variables of the model (in this case denoted as VARX model). The solution of this optimization problem is approached through hybrid metaheuristics. The high computational cost due to the huge amount of data makes it necessary to exploit High-Performance Computing for the acceleration of methods to obtain the models. The parameterized, parallel implementation of the metaheuristics and the matrix formulation ease the simultaneous exploitation of parallelism for groups of hybrid metaheuristics. Multilevel and heterogeneous parallelism are exploited in multicore CPU plus multiGPU nodes, with the optimum combination of the different parallelism parameters depending on the particular metaheuristic and the problem it is applied to.
gMSR: A Multi-GPU Algorithm to Accelerate a Massive Validation of Biclusters
Authors: López-Fernández Aurelio , Rodríguez-Baena Domingo S. , Gómez-Vela Francisco
Published: October 2020

Nowadays, Biclustering is one of the most widely used machine learning techniques to discover local patterns in datasets from different areas such as energy consumption, marketing, social networks or bioinformatics, among them. Particularly in bioinformatics, Biclustering techniques have become extremely time-consuming, also being huge the number of results generated, due to the continuous increase in the size of the databases over the last few years. For this reason, validation techniques must be adapted to this new environment in order to help researchers focus their efforts on a specific subset of results in an efficient, fast and reliable way. The aforementioned situation may well be considered as Big Data context. In this sense, multiple machine learning techniques have been implemented by the application of Graphic Processing Units (GPU) technology and CUDA architecture to accelerate the processing of large databases. However, as far as we know, this technology has not yet been applied to any bicluster validation technique. In this work, a multi-GPU version of one of the most used bicluster validation measure, Mean Squared Residue (MSR), is presented. It takes advantage of all the hardware and memory resources offered by GPU devices. Because of to this, gMSR is able to validate a massive number of biclusters in any Biclustering-based study within a Big Data context.
Time-Series of Vegetation Indices (VNIR/SWIR) Derived from Sentinel-2 (A/B) to Assess Turgor Pressure in Kiwifruit
Authors: Jopia Alberto , Zambrano Francisco , Pérez-Martínez Waldo , Vidal-Páez Paulina , Molina Julio , de la Hoz Mardones Felipe
Published: October 2020

For more than ten years, Central Chile has faced drought conditions, which impact crop production and quality, increasing food security risk. Under this scenario, implementing management practices that allow increasing water use efficiency is urgent. The study was carried out on kiwifruit trees, located in the O’Higgins region, Chile for season 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. We evaluate the time-series of nine vegetation indices in the VNIR and SWIR regions derived from Sentinel-2 (A/B) satellites to establish how much variability in the canopy water status there was. Over the study’s site, eleven sensors were installed in five trees, which continuously measured the leaf’s turgor pressure (Yara Water-Sensor). A strong Spearman’s (ρ) correlation between turgor pressure and vegetation indices was obtained, having −0.88 with EVI and −0.81 with GVMI for season 2018–2019, and lower correlation for season 2019–2020, reaching −0.65 with Rededge1 and −0.66 with EVI. However, the NIR range’s indices were influenced by the vegetative development of the crop rather than its water status. The red-edge showed better performance as the vegetative growth did not affect it. It is necessary to expand the study to consider higher variability in kiwifruit’s water conditions and incorporate the sensitivity of different wavelengths.
Design and Analysis of Binary Scalar Quantizer of Laplacian Source with Applications
Authors: Peric Zoran , Denic Bojan , Savic Milan , Despotovic Vladimir
Published: October 2020

A compression method based on non-uniform binary scalar quantization, designed for the memoryless Laplacian source with zero-mean and unit variance, is analyzed in this paper. Two quantizer design approaches are presented that investigate the effect of clipping with the aim of reducing the quantization noise, where the minimal mean-squared error distortion is used to determine the optimal clipping factor. A detailed comparison of both models is provided, and the performance evaluation in a wide dynamic range of input data variances is also performed. The observed binary scalar quantization models are applied in standard signal processing tasks, such as speech and image quantization, but also to quantization of neural network parameters. The motivation behind the binary quantization of neural network weights is the model compression by a factor of 32, which is crucial for implementation in mobile or embedded devices with limited memory and processing power. The experimental results follow well the theoretical models, confirming their applicability in real-world applications.
Wolbachia’s Deleterious Impact on Aedes aegypti Egg Development: The Potential Role of Nutritional Parasitism
Authors: Allman Megan J. , Fraser Johanna E. , Ritchie Scott A. , Joubert D. Albert , Simmons Cameron P. , Flores Heather A.
Published: October 2020

The artificial introduction of the endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis, into Aedes (Ae.) aegypti mosquitoes reduces the ability of mosquitoes to transmit human pathogenic viruses and is now being developed as a biocontrol tool. Successful introgression of Wolbachia-carrying Ae. aegypti into native mosquito populations at field sites in Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia has been associated with reduced disease prevalence in the treated community. In separate field programs, Wolbachia is also being used as a mosquito population suppression tool, where the release of male only Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti prevents the native mosquito population from producing viable eggs, subsequently suppressing the wild population. While these technologies show great promise, they require mass rearing of mosquitoes for implementation on a scale that has not previously been done. In addition, Wolbachia induces some negative fitness effects on Ae. aegypti. While these fitness effects differ depending on the Wolbachia strain present, one of the most consistent and significant impacts is the shortened longevity and viability of eggs. This review examines the body of evidence behind Wolbachia’s negative effect on eggs, assesses nutritional parasitism as a key cause and considers how these impacts could be overcome to achieve efficient large-scale rearing of these mosquitoes.
Hermetia illucens and Hermetia fenestrata (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Colonization of “Spoiled” Stingless Bee Geniotrigona thoracica (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Hives in Malaysia
Authors: Ivorra Tania , Hauser Martin , Low Van Lun , Tomberlin Jeffery K. , Nur Aliah Natasha Azmi , Cammack Jonathan A. , Heo Chong Chin
Published: October 2020

Meliponiculture, the keeping of domesticated stingless bees such as Geniotrigona thoracica (Smith, 1857) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is an increasingly popular agricultural industry in Malaysia. This study reports the soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) species of the genus Hermetia colonizing stingless bee colonies in Malaysia. The larvae were reared in the laboratory to the adult stage and identified through molecular and morphological approaches. Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758) and Hermetia fenestrata de Meijere, 1904 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) were identified from the sample provided. Earlier records of stratiomyids in stingless bee nests were misidentified as H. illucens. This paper represents the first identified record of H. fenestrata colonizing a “spoiled” stingless bee colony. In addition, adult and larval morphological differences between both species and the roles of both species in bee nest decomposition are discussed.
Advanced Manufacturing and Machining Processes
Authors: Shokrani Alborz , Biermann Dirk
Published: October 2020

Manufacturing is one of the major sections of the economy along with services, construction and agriculture [...]
Testing the Accuracy of the ARIMA Models in Forecasting the Spreading of COVID-19 and the Associated Mortality Rate
Authors: Ilie Ovidiu-Dumitru , Ciobica Alin , Doroftei Bogdan
Published: October 2020

Background and objectives: The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has not only changed, but also affected the lives of tens of millions of people around the world in these last nine to ten months. Although the situation is stable to some extent within the developed countries, approximately one million have already died as a consequence of the unique symptomatology that these people displayed. Thus, the need to develop an effective strategy for monitoring, restricting, but especially for predicting the evolution of COVID-19 is urgent, especially in middle-class countries such as Romania. Material and Methods: Therefore, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models have been created, aiming to predict the epidemiological course of COVID-19 in Romania by using two statistical software (STATGRAPHICS Centurion (v.18.1.13) and IBM SPSS (v.20.0.0)). To increase the accuracy, we collected data between the established interval (1 March, 31 August) from the official website of the Romanian Government and the World Health Organization. Results: Several ARIMA models were generated from which ARIMA (1,2,1), ARIMA (3,2,2), ARIMA (3,1,3), ARIMA (3,2,2), ARIMA (3,1,3), ARIMA (2,2,2) and ARIMA (1,2,1) were considered the best models. For this, we took into account the lowest value of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for March, April, May, June, July, and August (MAPEMarch = 9.3225, MAPEApril = 0.975287, MAPEMay = 0.227675, MAPEJune = 0.161412, MAPEJuly = 0.243285, MAPEAugust = 0.163873, MAPEMarch – August = 2.29175 for STATGRAPHICS Centurion (v.18.1.13) and MAPEMarch = 57.505, MAPEApril = 1.152, MAPEMay = 0.259, MAPEJune = 0.185, MAPEJuly = 0.307, MAPEAugust = 0.194, and MAPEMarch – August = 6.013 for IBM SPSS (v.20.0.0) respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that ARIMA is a useful statistical model for making predictions and provides an idea of the epidemiological status of the country of interest.
Biofouling Mitigation Approaches during Water Recovery from Fermented Broth via Forward Osmosis
Authors: Kalafatakis Stavros , Zarebska Agata , Lange Lene , Hélix-Nielsen Claus , Skiadas Ioannis V. , Gavala Hariklia N.
Published: October 2020

Forward Osmosis (FO) is a promising technology that can offer sustainable solutions in the biorefinery wastewater and desalination fields, via low energy water recovery. However, microbial biomass and organic matter accumulation on membrane surfaces can hinder the water recovery and potentially lead to total membrane blockage. Biofouling development is a rather complex process and can be affected by several factors such as nutrient availability, chemical composition of the solutions, and hydrodynamic conditions. Therefore, operational parameters like cross-flow velocity and pH of the filtration solution have been proposed as effective biofouling mitigation strategies. Nevertheless, most of the studies have been conducted with the use of rather simple solutions. As a result, biofouling mitigation practices based on such studies might not be as effective when applying complex industrial mixtures. In the present study, the effect of cross-flow velocity, pH, and cell concentration of the feed solution was investigated, with the use of complex solutions during FO separation. Specifically, fermentation effluent and crude glycerol were used as a feed and draw solution, respectively, with the purpose of recirculating water by using FO alone. The effect of the abovementioned parameters on (i) ATP accumulation, (ii) organic foulant deposition, (iii) total water recovery, (iv) reverse glycerol flux, and (v) process butanol rejection has been studied. The main findings of the present study suggest that significant reduction of biofouling can be achieved as a combined effect of high-cross flow velocity and low feed solution pH. Furthermore, cell removal from the feed solution prior filtration may further assist the reduction of membrane blockage. These results may shed light on the challenging, but promising field of FO process dealing with complex industrial solutions.
The Origin and Evolution of Late Holocene Tsunamiites in the Doñana National Park (SW Spain): Trace Elements as Geochemical Proxies
Authors: Pozo Manuel , Ruiz Francisco , González-Regalado María Luz , Carretero María Isabel , Monge Guadalupe , Rodríguez Vidal Joaquín , Cáceres Luis Miguel , Abad Manuel , Tosquella Josep , Izquierdo Tatiana , Muñoz Juan Manuel , Prudencio María Isabel , Dias María Isabel , Marques Rosa , Gómez Paula , Toscano Antonio , Romero Verónica , Arroyo Marta
Published: October 2020

The elemental content—mainly trace elements—of samples from two boreholes (PLN, CM) with evidence of tsunamiites, located in the Doñana National Park (SW Spain), were studied. The geochemical variations of the REE, LILE, HFSE, and other elements (Al, Ti, S, Na, Br, Sc, Co, Cr) were interpreted according to the mineralogy present in the samples. The results obtained show the geochemical complexity of the estuarine paleoenvironments, in this case with the existence of three Holocene-age tsunamigenic deposits (around 4.25, 3.56 and 2.2–2 kyr BP). The statistical analysis of the samples’ geochemistry, by means of linear correlation and factor analysis, made it possible to differentiate two associations. The first is representative of an inherited mineralogy (REE-Y-Rb-Sr-Cs-Th-U-Hf-Al-Ti-Co-Cr-Sc); the second includes elements (Br-Na) linked to mineral formation under evaporite conditions (halite). The trace element geochemistry of sediments thus becomes an excellent tool to identify tsunamiites in the studied zone, especially those elements that are clear proxies for marine incursions (Na, Br, Sr) and high energy events (Hf, Ti). The parent area of the provenance of the materials is mainly of felsic composition.
Bilayered Fibrin-Based Electrospun-Sprayed Scaffold Loaded with Platelet Lysate Enhances Wound Healing in a Diabetic Mouse Model
Authors: Losi Paola , Al Kayal Tamer , Buscemi Marianna , Foffa Ilenia , Cavallo Aida , Soldani Giorgio
Published: October 2020

The present study examined the effects of a bilayered fibrin/poly(ether)urethane scaffold loaded with platelet lysate by a combination of electrospinning and spray, phase-inversion method for wound healing. In particular, the poly(ether)urethane layer was obtained using by a spray phase-inversion method and the fibrin fibers network were loaded with platelet lysate by electrospinning. The kinetics release and the bioactivity of growth factors released from platelet lysate-scaffold were investigated by ELISA and cell proliferation test using mouse fibroblasts, respectively. The in-vitro experiments demonstrated that a bilayered fibrin/poly(ether)urethane scaffold loaded with platelet lysate provides a sustained release of bioactive platelet-derived growth factors. The effect of a bilayered fibrin/poly(ether)urethane scaffold loaded with platelet lysate on wound healing in diabetic mouse (db/db) was also investigated. The application of the scaffold on full-thickness skin wounds significantly accelerated wound closure at day 14 post-surgery when compared to scaffold without platelet lysates or commercially available polyurethane film, and at the same level of growth factor-loaded scaffold. Histological analysis demonstrated an increased re-epithelialization and collagen deposition in platelet lysate and growth factor loaded scaffolds. The ability of bilayered fibrin/poly(ether)urethane scaffold loaded with platelet lysate to promote in-vivo wound healing suggests its usefulness in clinical treatment of diabetic ulcers.
In Situ Synthesis of Alumina Nanoparticles in a Binary Carbonate Salt Eutectic for Enhancing Heat Capacity
Authors: Nayfeh Yousof , Rizvi Syed Muhammad Mujtaba , El Far Baha , Shin Donghyun
Published: October 2020

A binary carbonate salt eutectic (Li2CO3-K2CO3)-based nanofluid was in situ synthesized by mixing with a precursor material, aluminum nitrate nonahydrate (Al(NO3)3·9H2O). Thermal decomposition of the precursor was successfully carried out to synthesize alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles at 1 wt.% concentration. A thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed a complete thermal decomposition of aluminum nitrate nonahydrate to alumina nanoparticles. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was employed to confirm the size and shape of the in situ formed nanoparticles; the result showed that they are spherical in shape and the average size was 28.7 nm with a standard deviation of 11.7 nm. Electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the observed nanoparticles are alumina nanoparticles. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to study microstructural changes in the salt. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was employed to study the heat capacity of the in situ synthesized nanofluid. The result showed that the heat capacity was enhanced by 21% at 550 °C in comparison with pure carbonate salt eutectic. About 10–11 °C decrease of the onset melting point of the binary carbonate salt eutectic was observed for the in situ synthesized nanofluids.
Rifabutin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers as a Tool in Oral Anti-Mycobacterial Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Rouco Helena , Diaz-Rodriguez Patricia , Gaspar Diana P. , Gonçalves Lídia M. D. , Cuerva Miguel , Remuñán-López Carmen , Almeida António J. , Landin Mariana
Published: October 2020

Oral anti-mycobacterial treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD) is limited by the low aqueous solubility of drugs, along with the altered gut conditions of patients, making uncommon their clinical use. Hence, the aim of the present work is focused on the in vitro evaluation of rifabutin (RFB)-loaded Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), in order to solve limitations associated to this therapeutic approach. RFB-loaded NLC were prepared by hot homogenization and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, surface charge, morphology, thermal stability, and drug payload and release. Permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers and cytotoxicity and uptake in human macrophages was also determined. NLC obtained were nano-sized, monodisperse, negatively charged, and spheroidal-shaped, showing a suitable drug payload and thermal stability. Furthermore, the permeability profile, macrophage uptake and selective intracellular release of RFB-loaded NLC, guarantee an effective drug dose administration to cells. Outcomes suggest that rifabutin-loaded NLC constitute a promising strategy to improve oral anti-mycobacterial therapy in Crohn’s disease.
Impacts of Acute Sucralose and Glucose on Brain Activity during Food Decisions in Humans
Authors: Zhang Xiaobei , Luo Shan , Jones Sabrina , Hsu Eustace , Page Kathleen A. , Monterosso John R.
Published: October 2020

It is not known how acute sucralose and glucose alter signaling within the brain when individuals make decisions about available food. Here we examine this using Food Bid Task in which participants bid on visually depicted food items, while simultaneously undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Twenty-eight participants completed three sessions after overnight fast, distinguished only by the consumption at the start of the session of 300 mL cherry flavored water with either 75 g glucose, 0.24 g sucralose, or no other ingredient. There was a marginally significant (p = 0.05) effect of condition on bids, with 13.0% lower bids after glucose and 16.6% lower bids after sucralose (both relative to water). Across conditions, greater activity within regions a priori linked to food cue reactivity predicted higher bids, as did greater activity within the medial orbitofrontal cortex and bilateral frontal pole. There was a significant attenuation within the a priori region of interest (ROI) after sucralose compared to water (p < 0.05). Activity after glucose did not differ significantly from either of the other conditions in the ROI, but an attenuation in signal was observed in the parietal cortex, relative to the water condition. Taken together, these data suggest attenuation of central nervous system (CNS) signaling associated with food valuation after glucose and sucralose.
Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris C60 restores T Cell Population in Small Intestinal Lamina Propria in Aged Interleukin-18 Deficient Mice
Authors: Saito Suguru , Kakizaki Nanae , Okuno Alato , Maekawa Toshio , Tsuji Noriko M.
Published: October 2020

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a major commensal bacterium in the small intestine, are well known beneficial bacteria which promote establishment of gut-centric immunity, such as anti-inflammation and anti-infection. In this report, we show that a LAB strain Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris C60 possess an ability to activate antigen presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs), and intestinal T cells which possibly support to maintain healthy intestinal immunological environment in aging process. We found that CD4+ T cells in the small intestine are dramatically decreased in aged Interleukin-18 knock out (IL-18KO) mice, associated with the impairment of IFN-γ production in the CD4+ T cells, especially in small intestinal lamina propria (LP). Surprisingly, heat killed-C60 (HK-C60) diet completely recovered the CD4+ T cells population and activity in SI-LP and over activated the population in Peyer’s patches (PPs) of IL-18KO mice. The HK-C60 diet was effective approach not only to restore the number of cells, but also to recover IFN-γ production in the CD4+ T cell population in the small intestine of IL-18-deficient mice. As a possible cause in the age-associated impairment of CD4+ T cells activity in IL-18KO mice, we found that the immunological activity was downregulated in the IL-18-deficient DCs. The cytokines production and cellular activation markers expression were downregulated in the IL-18-deficient bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) at the basal level, however, both activities were highly upregulated in HK-C60 stimulation as compared to those of WT cells. Antigen uptake was also attenuated in the IL-18-deficient BMDCs, and it was significantly enhanced in the cells as compared to WT cells in HK-60 stimulation. An in vitro antigen presentation assay showed that IFN-γ production in the CD4+ T cells was significantly enhanced in the culture of IL-18-deficient BMDCs compared with WT cells in the presence of HK-C60. Thus, we conclude that HK-C60 diet possesses an ability to restore T cells impairment in the small intestine of IL-18-deficient environment. In addition, the positive effect is based on the immunological modification of DCs function which directory influences into the promotion of effector CD4+ T cells generation in the small intestine.
Dietary Factors and Tinnitus among Adolescents
Authors: Tomanic Milena , Belojevic Goran , Jovanovic Ana , Vasiljevic Nadja , Davidovic Dragana , Maksimovic Katarina
Published: October 2020

The number of people suffering from constant tinnitus is ever-increasing and has spread to all age groups, including adolescents. The etiology of tinnitus is multifactorial, but dietary factors have been rarely investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between dietary factors and constant tinnitus among adolescents from an urban environment. A population-oriented cross-sectional study was carried out during the 2019/2020 school year in 12 Belgrade secondary schools. There were 1287 school children aged from 15 to 19 years who participated in the study. There were 1003 respondents who completed a questionnaire on tinnitus (response rate 77.9%; 31% male). We used the standardized Tinnitus Screener questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire specially designed for this study and adapted to Serbian adolescents. A logistic regression analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between fresh vegetables and fruits and tinnitus presence. On the other hand, the risk of constant tinnitus increased with the increased intake of white bread, carbonated beverages, and fast food. In conclusion, we show that fresh fruit and vegetable intakes may be negatively related to tinnitus frequency, while sweetened sodas, fast food, and white bread may raise the odds for tinnitus.
Genetic Analysis of Zoonotic Gastrointestinal Protozoa and Microsporidia in Shelter Cats in South Korea
Authors: Kwak Dongmi , Seo Min-Goo
Published: October 2020

Feral cats that are roaming outside can serve as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens, negatively impacting public health. They may experience high levels of parasitic infection. Some gastrointestinal protozoa and microsporidia possessing zoonotic potential in cats include Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Blastocystis sp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Toxoplasma gondii. Here, we show the infection rates and risk factors of intestinal protozoa and microsporidia detected from shelter cats on Jeju Island in South Korea in 2020. Among 158 cats, we detected genes for five internal protozoa and microsporidia, namely, Cryptosporidium felis (0.6%), G. duodenalis (3.8%), Blastocystis sp. (0.6%), E. bieneusi (3.8%), and T. gondii (1.3%). Furthermore, 16 cats (10.1%) were PCR-positive for at least one protozoan or microsporidium. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe the existence of C. felis, G. duodenalis assemblage F, Blastocystis sp. ST4 subtype, and E. bieneusi genotype Peru11 in cats in South Korea. Despite the small number of positive samples, this study expands our understanding of the incidence of zoonotic gastrointestinal protozoa and microsporidia in shelter cats and genetically characterizes the isolates found in the infected animals. Moreover, these findings emphasize the need for a better control strategy on protozoa and microsporidia in cats, tailored to their individual needs, to protect animal and public health.
Female Student Migration: A Brief Opportunity for Freedom from Religio-Philosophical Obedience
Authors: Nguyen Kieu Nga , McLaren Helen Jaqueline
Published: October 2020

Vietnamese Confucian religio-philosophical ideals regulate social order in the family, community, and nation state. As a result, women’s duties to their husbands, fathers, ancestors, and Vietnam powerfully permeate all aspects of gendered life. This study of 20 Vietnamese women explored their experiences as international students in Australia. Primary focus was on how their gendered Confucian histories compelled their migratory journeys, influenced changes to their intimate partner experiences while in Australia, and the reimagining of identity, hopes and dreams on looking forward at their future returns to gendered life in Vietnam. The application of Janus Head phenomenology enabled understanding of how the women’s temporality became influenced by fascinations of future change, mixed with feelings of uncertainty and limbo that arose when forward facing hopes were thwarted by their looking back realities. There was an intense sense of unresolve as time drew closer to the end of their studies, in which the women associated feelings related to returning to Vietnam’s strict Confucian informed gender order as a “living Hell.”
DynDSE: Automated Multi-Objective Design Space Exploration for Context-Adaptive Wearable IoT Edge Devices
Authors: Schiboni Giovanni , Suarez Juan , Zhang Rui , Amft Oliver
Published: October 2020

We describe a simulation-based Design Space Exploration procedure (DynDSE) for wearable IoT edge devices that retrieve events from streaming sensor data using context-adaptive pattern recognition algorithms. We provide a formal characterisation of the design space, given a set of system functionalities, components and their parameters. An iterative search evaluates configurations according to a set of requirements in simulations with actual sensor data. The inherent trade-offs embedded in conflicting metrics are explored to find an optimal configuration given the application-specific conditions. Our metrics include retrieval performance, execution time, energy consumption, memory demand, and communication latency. We report a case study for the design of electromyographic-monitoring eyeglasses with applications in automatic dietary monitoring. The design space included two spotting algorithms, and two sampling algorithms, intended for real-time execution on three microcontrollers. DynDSE yielded configurations that balance retrieval performance and resource consumption with an F1 score above 80% at an energy consumption that was 70% below the default, non-optimised configuration. We expect that the DynDSE approach can be applied to find suitable wearable IoT system designs in a variety of sensor-based applications.
Experimental Study and Analysis of Thermal Comfort in a University Campus Building in Tropical Climate
Authors: Balbis-Morejón Milen , Rey-Hernández Javier M. , Amaris-Castilla Carlos , Velasco-Gómez Eloy , San José-Alonso Julio F. , Rey-Martínez Francisco Javier
Published: October 2020

This study presents the evaluation of the performance and acceptability of thermal comfort by students in the classrooms of a university building with minisplit-type air-conditioning systems, in a tropical climate. To carry out the study, temperature and humidity measurements were recorded, both outside and inside the selected classrooms, while the students were asked to complete thermal surveys on site. The survey model is based on the template proposed by Fanger and it was applied to a total number of 584 students. In each classroom, the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and the Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) were estimated according to Fanger’s methodology, as well as the Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and the Actual Percentage Dissatisfied (APD), which were obtained from the measurements and the surveys. The results of this study showed that the PMV values, although they may vary with the insulation of the clothing, do not affect the TSV. Furthermore, comparing PMV vs. TSV scores, a 2 °C to 3 °C difference in operating temperature was found, whereby the thermal sensitivity for TSV was colder, so it could be assumed that the PMV model overestimates the thermal sensitivity of students in low-temperature conditions. In addition, an acceptability by 90% with thermal preferences between 23 °C and 24 °C were also found. These results indicate that it is possible to increase the temperature set point in minisplit-type air-conditioning system from 4 °C to 7 °C with respect to the currently set temperatures, without affecting the acceptability of the thermal environment to the students in the building.
Medium Optimization for Spore Production of a Straw-Cellulose Degrading Actinomyces Strain under Solid-State Fermentation Using Response Surface Method
Authors: Liu Huanran , Zhang Dan , Zhang Xia , Zhou Chuanzhi , Zhou Pei , Zhi Yuee
Published: October 2020

The strains capable of degrading cellulose have attracted much interest because of their applications in straw resource utilization in solid-state fermentation (SSF). However, achieving high spore production in SSF is rarely reported. The production of spores from Streptomyces griseorubens JSD-1 was investigated in shaker-flask cultivation in this study. The optimal carbon, organic nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen sources were sucrose, yeast extract and urea, respectively. Plackett–Burman design (PBD) was adopted to determine the key medium components, and the concentration levels of three components (urea, NaCl, MgSO4·7H2O) were optimized with the steepest ascent path and central composite design (CCD), achieving 1.72 × 109 CFU/g of spore production. Under the optimal conditions (urea 2.718% w/v, NaCl 0.0697% w/v, MgSO4·7H2O 0.06956% w/v), the practical value of spore production was 1.69 × 109 CFU/g. The determination coefficient (R2) was 0.9498, which ensures an adequate credibility of the model.
A Spatially Explicit Decision Support System for Assessment of Tree Stump Harvest Using Biodiversity and Economic Criteria
Authors: Jönsson Mari , Sjögren Jörgen , Hannrup Björn , Larsolle Anders , Mörtberg Ulla , Nordström Maria , Olsson Bengt A. , Strömgren Monika
Published: October 2020

Stump harvesting is predicted to increase with future increasing demands for renewable energy. This may affect deadwood affiliate biodiversity negatively, given that stumps constitute a large proportion of the coarse deadwood in young managed forests. Spatial decision support for evaluating the integrated effects on biodiversity and production of stump harvesting is needed. We developed a spatially explicit decision support system (called MapStump-DSS), for assessment of tree stump harvesting using biodiversity and economic criteria together with different scenarios for biodiversity conservation and bioenergy market prices. Two novel key aspects of the MAPStump-DSS is that it (1) merges and utilizes georeferenced stump-level data (e.g., tree species and diameter) directly from the harvester with stand data that are increasingly available to forest managers and (2) is flexible toward incorporating both quantitative and qualitative criteria based on emerging knowledge (here biodiversity criteria) or underlying societal drivers and end-user preferences. We tested the MAPStump-DSS on a 45 ha study forest, utilizing harvester data on characteristics and geographical positions for >26,000 stumps. The MAPStump-DSS produced relevant spatially explicit information on the biodiversity and economic values of individual stumps, where amounts of “conflict stumps” (with both high biodiversity and economical value) increased with bioenergy price levels and strengthened biodiversity conservation measures. The MAPStump-DSS can be applied in practice for any forest site, allowing the user to examine the spatial distribution of stumps and to obtain summaries for whole forest stands. Information depicted by the MAPStump-DSS includes amounts, characteristics, biodiversity values and costs of stumps in relation to different scenarios, which also allow the user to explore and optimize biodiversity and economy trade-offs prior to stump harvest.
Promoting the Absence of Pesticides through Product Labels: The Role of Showing a Specific Description of the Harmful Effects, Environmental Attitude, and Familiarity with Pesticides
Authors: Farías Pablo
Published: October 2020

Few studies have analyzed the mechanisms of how environmental labels influence consumers’ perception and consequent behavior. The present study puts forth specific questions of how pesticide-free products should be promoted through product labels. Data were collected via controlled experimentation. The results demonstrate that pesticide-free labels with specific information on the harmful effects of pesticides have a more positive impact on perceived value and purchase intention relative to pesticide-free labels with a general description of the harmful effects of pesticides. The results also show that the positive effects of promoting the absence of pesticides through product labels on perceived quality, perceived value, and purchase intention are stronger among individuals who are high in environmental attitude and familiarity with pesticides. Policymakers, producers, and retailers could use these findings for better decision-making.
High Rate of Circulating MERS-CoV in Dromedary Camels at Slaughterhouses in Riyadh, 2019
Authors: Aljasim Taibah A. , Almasoud Abdulrahman , Aljami Haya A. , Alenazi Mohamed W. , Alsagaby Suliman A. , Alsaleh Asma N. , Alharbi Naif Khalaf
Published: October 2020

MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus that has emerged in humans in 2012 and caused severe respiratory illness with a mortality rate of 34.4%. Since its appearance, MERS-CoV has been reported in 27 countries and most of these cases were in Saudi Arabia. So far, dromedaries are considered to be the intermediate host and the only known source of human infection. This study was designed to determine the seroprevalence and the infection rate of MERS-CoV in slaughtered food-camels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 171 nasal swabs along with 161 serum samples were collected during the winter; from January to April 2019. Nasal swabs were examined by Rapid test and RT-PCR to detect MERS-CoV RNA, while serum samples were tested primarily using S1-based ELISA Kit to detect MERS-CoV (IgG) antibodies and subsequently by MERS pseudotyped viral particles (MERSpp) neutralization assay for confirmation. Genetic diversity of the positive isolates was determined based on the amplification and sequencing of the spike gene. Our results showed high prevalence (38.6%) of MERS-CoV infection in slaughtered camels and high seropositivity (70.8%) during the time of the study. These data indicate previous and ongoing MERS-CoV infection in camels. Phylogenic analysis revealed relatively low genetic variability among our isolated samples. When these isolates were aligned against published spike sequences of MERS-CoV, deposited in global databases, there was sequence similarity of 94%. High seroprevalence and high genetic stability of MERS-CoV in camels indicating that camels pose a public health threat. The widespread MERS-CoV infections in camels might lead to a risk of future zoonotic transmission into people with direct contact with these infected camels. This study confirms re-infections in camels, highlighting a challenge for vaccine development when it comes to protective immunity.
Regional Uneven Development of Agriculture in the World Economy at the Beginning of the XXI Century
Authors: Deryugina I. V.
Published: October 2020

The paper is devoted to one of the most acute problems in the world economy - regional uneven development of agriculture. The author determined the system of indicators that describe the uneven distribution of agricultural production between different regions of the world, studied the factors of efficiency of agricultural production - labor productivity, land productivity, capital productivity (capital return). The article demonstrates further consolidation of the trend of the second half of the XX century that manifested in the redistribution of agricultural production from North America and Europe to Asia, Africa, and Australia. The GDP created in agriculture in Asia already exceeded other regions of the world in 2000, and by 2017 the gap was even wider. Africa, having surpassed Europe in this indicator, ranked second in the world. The unevenness of economic growth in world agriculture manifested itself in the disproportions between the factors of efficiency of agricultural production - labor productivity and land productivity. Labor productivity was lowest in Asia and Africa, and the highest in Australia. Land productivity was characterized by diametrically opposite dynamics: the highest values were achieved in Asia, and the lowest - in Australia. The paper explains the disparity between labor productivity and land productivity by various technological modes of production (TMP) that have historically developed in agriculture in the East and West: land-saving TMP - in the East, and labor-saving TMP - in the West. The influence of informal institutions operating in traditional rural societies on the uneven development of agriculture is also studied. The disproportions in the development of the livestock sector of agricultural production, affecting the regional uneven development of the agricultural economy, are considered. The main forms and methods of organization of the livestock sector - from high-intensity to traditional - are analyzed. Special attention is paid to nomadic cattle breeding, which is currently preserved in various forms in 50 countries of the world. It is considered as a special nomad production mode. The article concludes that there is a need for a multipronged approach to conducting an international comparative analysis of capital productivity (index of capital return) in the agricultural sector of the economy that takes into account capital-labor ration a large-scale increase in labor productivity - a strategically important factor of economic growth in any country in the world.
On Models of Funding the Lifecycle Deficit
Authors: Nazarova A. G.
Published: October 2020

The article elaborates on the macro-analysis as related to the aggregated National Transfer Accounts (NTA), the topic originated in the prior publications in Voprosy Statistiki journal (Issues 4 and 11 of 2019), and builds upon the research conducted by HSE National Research University in 2020 as part of Russia’s participation in the global National Transfer Accounts project. The author explored various models of funding the economic life cycle deficit (various support system), adopted by separate groups of economies, through the lens of population savings in these countries. The article was profoundly examined how “excessive” household consumption is supported by public transfers and the correlation between the scale of such transfers and the household sector’s appetite for savings. By taking this research angle, the author aimed to develop deeper understanding of the underlying forces that drive savings into investments within the household sector. The author summarized key parameters of aggregated NTA for Russia in 2017–2019 to produce early quantitative assessments of the deficit funding structure. A closer look into relations between the funding models and incomes saved by population allowed to make cross-country comparisons and map Russia in global environment. The article discussions will be useful to the readers with an interest in demographic studies and socio-economics.
On the Statistical Reflection of Long-Term Growth in Agricultural Production
Authors: Ternovsky D. S. , Uzun V. Ya.
Published: October 2020

The article presents the results of a study aimed at proving the existence of systematic error in traditional calculations of long-term growth rates of agricultural production based on chain indices of agricultural production. According to the authors, the article also introduces a more accurate assessment of its dynamics with the account to the structure of the relationship between prices and the volume of agricultural production. The paper describes a theoretical model that is a methodological basis for the study and explains the discrepancy in assessing the dynamics of agricultural production using chain indices and indexes at constant prices. It allows establishing differences in the ratios of the Laspeyres, Paasche, and Lowe indices for crop and livestock production, due to factors in the formation of demand and the complex structure of the relationship between the price level and the volume of production. The adequacy of the constructed theoretical model is proved based on aggregated data that eliminated the influence of incompleteness of the initial information. As a result, it was established that livestock production is characterized by time-distributed changes in prices and quantity of products, which makes it possible to assess its dynamics using both chain indices and symmetric indices. It is proved that the dynamics of crop production cannot be adequately described using chain indices, since a positive correlation of prices of the previous period and production volumes of the current period causes an overstatement of the index in comparable prices of the previous year. Based on calculations within the proposed aggregated model, it is proved that the use of constant prices as the Lowe index weights, updated every five years, is an acceptable approximation of the Fisher symmetric index. Application of the indicated methodology for calculating the index to the data on Russian agricultural production by main types of products in 1990-2018 allowed to establish an overstatement of dynamics by 11.9%. The main difference falls on crop production (+ 19.6%), while for livestock - the differences are insignificant (-0.7%).