bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interpolation artifacts as a result of spatial aliasing: A case study of the airborne magnetic data set of southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Fonte-Boa Tobias Maia Rabelo , Melo Aline Tavares , Novo Tiago Amâncio
Published: July 2020

Linear features at an acute angle with the flight direction are imaged as a series of aligned circular anomalies in the images of Area 15 aeromagnetic survey, which covered part of the Brazilian southeastern region. These features are interpolation artifacts, a recurring problem found in airborne magnetic images that cause problems for qualitative and quantitative geophysical-geologic interpretation. This imaging problem is attributed to spatial aliasing. By running simulations of magnetic data on a synthetic model, we have physically demonstrated that the interpolation artifacts from Area 15 are due to inappropriate survey design. Besides the most common expression of artifacts, we described a geologically noncoherent linear pattern as a new type of artifact. Supported by spectral analyses, we found that the Area 15 aliased spectrum is similar to geologic high-frequency magnetic features, which constitutes a motive for unearthing the correct geophysical signal. Thus, we made use of four techniques for removing the artifacts. The trend enforcement method partially improved the images, whereas the inverse interpolation method was ineffective, apparently because Area 15 data are severely aliased. The constrained coherence diffusion and multitrend gridding methods were able to significantly reduce the presence of artifacts. Despite the high-frequency attenuation, these tools adequately enhanced the magnetic trends and minimized the artifacts. Therefore, the improved images are better suited for reliable geologic interpretation.
Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Evaluation of Cancer Variants Through Virtual Molecular Tumor Boards Informs Local Clinical Practices
Authors: Rao Shruti , Pitel Beth , Wagner Alex H. , Boca Simina M. , McCoy Matthew , King Ian , Gupta Samir , Park Ben Ho , Warner Jeremy L. , Chen James , Rogan Peter K. , Chakravarty Debyani , Griffith Malachi , Griffith Obi L. , Madhavan Subha
Published: July 2020

PURPOSE

The cancer research community is constantly evolving to better understand tumor biology, disease etiology, risk stratification, and pathways to novel treatments. Yet the clinical cancer genomics field has been hindered by redundant efforts to meaningfully collect and interpret disparate data types from multiple high-throughput modalities and integrate into clinical care processes. Bespoke data models, knowledgebases, and one-off customized resources for data analysis often lack adequate governance and quality control needed for these resources to be clinical grade. Many informatics efforts focused on genomic interpretation resources for neoplasms are underway to support data collection, deposition, curation, harmonization, integration, and analytics to support case review and treatment planning.

METHODS

In this review, we evaluate and summarize the landscape of available tools, resources, and evidence used in the evaluation of somatic and germline tumor variants within the context of molecular tumor boards.

RESULTS

Molecular tumor boards (MTBs) are collaborative efforts of multidisciplinary cancer experts equipped with genomic interpretation resources to aid in the delivery of accurate and timely clinical interpretations of complex genomic results for each patient, within an institution or hospital network. Virtual MTBs (VMTBs) provide an online forum for collaborative governance, provenance, and information sharing between experts outside a given hospital network with the potential to enhance MTB discussions. Knowledge sharing in VMTBs and communication with guideline-developing organizations can lead to progress evidenced by data harmonization across resources, crowd-sourced and expert-curated genomic assertions, and a more informed and explainable usage of artificial intelligence.

CONCLUSION

Advances in cancer genomics interpretation aid in better patient and disease classification, more streamlined identification of relevant literature, and a more thorough review of available treatments and predicted patient outcomes.
Delivering Business Analytics Competencies and Skills: A Supply Side Assessment
Authors: Seal Kala C. , Leon Linda A. , Przasnyski Zbigniew H. , Lontok Greg
Published: July 2020

This paper investigates the alignment of the demand side of business analytics (based on advertised job positions) with the supply side (based on the university curricula of U.S. business analytics programs). We text-mined job advertisements and core and elective course descriptions to identify the competencies demanded by business analytics–related jobs and those being taught in graduate analytics programs that include a business component. A comparative analysis of the competencies reveals that, although some of the competencies required by the jobs are taught adequately at the universities, a few key concepts and topics are not covered at sufficient depth as needed by the jobs. The research also shows that many traditional analytics topics are being over-taught at the universities when compared with the demand, whereas some key soft skills are not addressed at a sufficient level in many programs. The study provides a basis for future comparison of data-science positions and programs with the jobs and programs in business analytics.
Percepção de profissionais de saúde sobre utilização de tecnologias de informação e comunicação
Authors: Uchida Tânia Harumi , Fujimaki Mitsue , Umeda Josely Emiko , Higasi Maura Sassahara , Caldarelli Pablo Guilherme
Published: July 2020

As Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) são ferramentas necessárias para a qualificação da gestão em saúde. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a aceitação de profissionais de saúde sobre a utilização das TICs nos serviços do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) para a construção coletiva e práticas interprofissionais na qualificação da gestão e atenção à saúde. Inicialmente foram capacitados especializandos em saúde pública da Escola de Saúde Pública do Paraná para utilização de ferramentas livres do Google para compartilhamento de documentos, planilhas, agenda e realização de webconferências. Após a capacitação, foram realizadas entrevistas com um roteiro semiestruturado. As transcrições foram realizadas manualmente e posteriormente, analisadas pela análise de conteúdo de Bardin, utilizando o software ATLAS.ti 8.0. Os resultados apontaram fatores facilitadores para a utilização das TICs: "aceitação das TICs no serviço" e "reconhecimento das TICs como auxiliar para a prática da EPS", e barreiras como: "desconhecimento sobre as TICs e ferramentas livres do Google" e "falta de entendimento do conceito e da prática da educação permanente em saúde (EPS)". A capacitação oportunizou novos modelos mentais sobre o processo de trabalho e a apropriação tecnológica. Além disso, contribuiu para a reflexão coletiva e o desenvolvimento do senso crítico, que podem auxiliar na prática da EPS, na otimização do trabalho e na consolidação da interprofissionalidade.
Management of COPD exacerbations: pharmacotherapeutics of medications
Authors: Moore David
Published: July 2020

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is widely established as a health challenge, with predictions that it will be the third leading cause of global mortality and reduced health status within the next 10 years. Exacerbations of COPD are now the second largest cause of emergency hospitalisation in the UK. The respiratory clinical nurse specialist has an active role in the acute management of COPD exacerbations in the hospital setting, and it is essential that prescribing decisions are made based on the best available evidence. This article critically evaluates the pharmacotherapeutics and evidence base for the use of two medications, salbutamol and amoxicillin, in treating unstable COPD, and discusses implications for clinical practice.
Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in foals
Authors: Haggett Emily
Published: July 2020

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUC) is a common problem in foals. Gastric physiology differs between foals and adult horses, and the risk of EGUS also depends on age and other factors. This article aims to review what we know about EGUS in foals and provide some guidelines about the detection, management and prevention of EGUS in clinical practice.
Quadrant Fourier transform and its application in decoding OAM signals
Authors: Wu Chensheng , Paulson Daniel A. , Davis Christopher C.
Published: July 2020

We present a new, to the best of our knowledge, concept of using quadrant Fourier transforms (QFTs) formed by microlens arrays (MLAs) to decode complex optical signals based on the optical intensity collected per quadrant area after the MLAs. From a computational optics viewpoint, we show the most promising use of the QFT in low-cost and passive decoding of laser signals carrying optical angular momenta (OAM) that are prevalent in research frontiers of optical communications, computation, and imaging. There are numerous ways of creating, adding, and combining OAM states in optical waves, while decoding or demultiplexing approaches often turn out to be complicated or expensive. The simple OAM decoder formed by a pair of identical MLAs, which are concatenated in the focal plane and transversely offset by half-pitch length, can accomplish the imaging task with four pixels per cell. By sorting the gradient curls of the optical wave into local quadrant cells, the decoder analyzes the intensity reallocation that is proportional to the gradients and computes the gradient curls accordingly. The low-cost, compactness, and simplicity of the proposed OAM sensor will further promote OAM-based applications, as well as many other applications that exploit the spatial complexity of optical signals.
Connecting Black youth to critical media literacy through hip hop making in the music classroom
Authors: Evans Jabari
Published: July 2020

This article is an ethnographic study of a hip hop-based music education programme for students within elementary school classrooms. Drawing on two years of fieldwork in two urban schools, this case study describes how hip hop song composition encouraged participants to make essential and critical reflections about media’s place in their personal lives, peer groups, families and communities. The findings of this study suggest that the social and cultural capital of making hip hop music can contribute to bolstering academic learning for Black youth. Implications from this study also suggest informal interests and social identities rooted in hip hop music can connect youth to pathways for professions in creative labour, high-capacity technological skills, civic-mindedness and critical media literacy that could also transcend the classroom.
Not entirely analog(ous): Low-power FM radio as community, relations and knowledge in context
Authors: Dunbar-Hester Christina
Published: July 2020

At the turn of the millennium, scholars and pundits reflected on how communication systems could shape events and societies, often while basking in the perceived glow of the then-novel Internet. Others pled for reasoned engagement with the interplay between communication infrastructures and the social life of knowledge, a much-needed corrective in a moment of rampant breathless digital utopianism. This article explores the interplay between communication infrastructures and the social life of knowledge through specific sociotechnical arrangements, low-power FM (LPFM) radio and large-scale commercial Internet-based ‘platforms’, both of which exist in our historical present. In particular, I use the formation of LPFM, which occurred at the same time that commercial Internet traffic picked up steam, in order to ‘excavate the future’: I return to a not-so-distant past to consider what might yet be. The article’s central claim is that the case of LPFM iseven more relevantnow than at its inception, in a context where behemoth commercial Internet ‘platforms’ have come to dominate electronic communication.
Effect of FibroScan test in antiviral therapy for HBV-infected patients with ALT <2 upper limit of normal
Authors: Han Xian-Zhi , Zhang Shu-Feng , Yi Jia-Yin , Wang Bin , Sun Hui-Qing
Published: July 2020

Objective

The objective of this study is to detect the liver stiffness of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients with an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level of <2 upper limit of normal (2ULN) by FibroScan and compare histological changes to assess the progression of liver lesions and its test results.

Methods

There were 36 patients who had a liver FibroScan degree of >7.3 KD (F1), and a liver biopsy was conducted. Along with serology of liver fibrosis, indexes and hierarchical processing were used for evaluation. The correlation between these factors was analyzed.

Results

The histopathological results of the liver were closely correlated with liver hardness. In the pathological diagnosis of chronic hepatitis, G represents the grade of inflammation and S represents the stage of hepatic fibrosis. Pathological examination resultsof H&E staining of liver tissue sectionsrevealed that the area under the work characteristic curve of the subjects in G2S1, G2S2, G3S2, and G3S3 stages was 0.923, 0.916, 0.955, and 0.971, respectively, with diagnostic cut-off values of 9.03, 9.85, 15.14, and 30.67, respectively. Furthermore, hydroxyapatite, type III procollagen, laminin, and type IV collagen of serum fibrosis indexes are associated with liver stiffness values (P< 0.05).

Conclusion

FibroScan can be used as an alternative to liver biopsy. It is meaningful in determining whether HBV infected patients with an ALT level of <2 ULN should receive antiviral therapy.
Seaweed resources of Tanzania: status, potential species, challenges and development potentials
Authors: Msuya Flower E.
Published: July 2020

Tanzania is endowed with a rich biodiversity of seaweed species that grow naturally in its oligotrophic waters of the Western Indian Ocean. Most of these species are unexploited. Only two red seaweedsEucheumaandKappaphycushave been studied for commercial farming and the industrial production is based on these species. Another genus of red seaweed,Gracilaria, has been studied and experimented upon for potential farming while others such as the greenUlva, the redHypneaand the brownSargassumhave been mentioned as potential species for farming. Farming technology used to cultivate the two commercial species is the shallow water off-bottom technology which is badly affected by the increase in surface seawater temperatures (climate change), causing massive die-backs and decreased seaweed production. Some deeper-water farming technologies have been developed but only tubular nets show promise and have been piloted. A number of opportunities exist in seaweed farming, which can be used to advance the industry. The future of the seaweed industry in Tanzania will depend on using the existing opportunities, including utilising the seaweed species already studied, exploring the potential of other seaweed species for farming, development of deeper-water farming technologies, added-value, and ensuring availability of good quality seed material.
A Neuron Noise-Injection Technique for Privacy Preserving Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Adesuyi Tosin A. , Kim Byeong Man
Published: July 2020

Data is the key to information mining that unveils hidden knowledge. The ability to revealed knowledge relies on the extractable features of a dataset and likewise the depth of the mining model. Conversely, several of these datasets embed sensitive information that can engender privacy violation and are subsequently used to build deep neural network (DNN) models. Recent approaches to enact privacy and protect data sensitivity in DNN models does decline accuracy, thus, giving rise to significant accuracy disparity between a non-private DNN and a privacy preserving DNN model. This accuracy gap is due to the enormous uncalculated noise flooding and the inability to quantify the right level of noise required to perturb distinct neurons in the DNN model, hence, a dent in accuracy. Consequently, this has hindered the use of privacy protected DNN models in real life applications. In this paper, we present a neuron noise-injection technique based on layer-wise buffered contribution ratio forwarding and ϵ-differential privacy technique to preserve privacy in a DNN model. We adapt a layer-wise relevance propagation technique to compute contribution ratio for each neuron in our network at the pre-training phase. Based on the proportion of each neuron’s contribution ratio, we generate a noise-tuple via the Laplace mechanism, and this helps to eliminate unwanted noise flooding. The noise-tuple is subsequently injected into the training network through its neurons to preserve privacy of the training dataset in a differentially private manner. Hence, each neuron receives right proportion of noise as estimated via contribution ratio, and as a result, unquantifiable noise that drops accuracy of privacy preserving DNN models is avoided. Extensive experiments were conducted based on three real-world datasets and their results show that our approach was able to narrow down the existing accuracy gap to a close proximity, as well outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches in this context.
Examining the patterns of uncertainty across clinical reasoning tasks: effects of contextual factors on the clinical reasoning process
Authors: Ramani Divya , Soh Michael , Merkebu Jerusalem , Durning Steven J. , Battista Alexis , McBee Elexis , Ratcliffe Temple , Konopasky Abigail
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Uncertainty is common in clinical reasoning given the dynamic processes required to come to a diagnosis. Though some uncertainty is expected during clinical encounters, it can have detrimental effects on clinical reasoning. Likewise, evidence has established the potentially detrimental effects of the presence of distracting contextual factors (i.e., factors other than case content needed to establish a diagnosis) in a clinical encounter on clinical reasoning. The purpose of this study was to examine how linguistic markers of uncertainty overlap with different clinical reasoning tasks and how distracting contextual factors might affect physicians’ clinical reasoning process.

Methods

In this descriptive exploratory study, physicians participated in a live or video recorded simulated clinical encounter depicting a patient with unstable angina with and without contextual factors. Transcribed think-aloud reflections were coded using Goldszmidt’s clinical reasoning task typology (26 tasks encompassing the domains of framing, diagnosis, management, and reflection) and then those coded categories were examined using linguistic markers of uncertainty (e.g., probably, possibly, etc.).

Results

Thirty physicians with varying levels of experience participated. Consistent with expectations, descriptive analysis revealed that physicians expressed more uncertainty in cases with distracting contextual factors compared to those without. Across the four domains of reasoning tasks, physicians expressed the most uncertainty in diagnosis and least in reflection.

Conclusions

These results highlight how linguistic markers of uncertainty can shed light on the role contextual factors might play in uncertainty which can lead to error and why it is essential to find ways of managing it.
Modeling the spread of Covid-19 pandemic: case of Morocco
Authors: Lotfi Bilal , Lotfi Ismail , Aoun Oussama
Published: July 2020

Objective

This paper is establishing the relationship between the spreading dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic in Morocco and the efficiency of the measures and actions taken by public authorities to contain it. The main objective is to predict the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco and to estimate the time needed for its disappearance.

Methods

For these reasons, we have highlighted the role of mathematical models in understanding the transmission chain of this virus as well as its future evolution. Then we used the SIR epidemiological model, which proves to be well suited to address this issue. It shows that identification of the key parameters of this pandemic, such as the probability of transmission, should help to adequately explain its behaviour and make it easier to predict its progress.

Results

As a result, the measures and actions taken by the public authorities in Morocco allowed to record lower number of virus reproduction than many countries.

Conclusion

So, in the case of Morocco, we were able to predict that the Covid-19 pandemic should disappear in a shorter time and without registering a larger number of infected individuals compared to other countries.
Moving Businesses toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Evidence from an Italian “Benefit-For-Nature” Corporation
Authors: Battaglia Massimo , Gragnani Patrizia , Annesi Nora
Published: July 2020

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) are the most relevant and recent attempt to integrate sustainable development ambitions and environmental concerns in a policy framework. Recently, few studies have been conducted to investigate the gap between sustainability reporting and the SDGs, initiating a new stream of research (Lozano 2015; Rosati and Faria 2019). However, the role of accounting systems as a support for moving toward goals and targets outlined by the SDGs has been poorly deepened in not-traditional profit-oriented businesses. Among these, there are cooperatives: jointly owned benefit corporations. The peculiarity of cooperatives lays in the collective governance and the fact that profits are re-invested in the cooperative or in local projects and activities rather than being distributed to the shareholders. The present study intends to fill this gap by answering the following research question: can a cooperative, given its peculiar nature, contribute to sustainability? To do so, the annual sustainability reports of the largest Italian cooperative have been analyzed under the lens of SDGs. The results show that cooperatives can actively contribute to sustainability, especially on the local level. In fact, they have proved to be important players in transposing the SDGs from the national level to the local level, constituting an important link between the international community and the local one.
The Mondora Method: Quantum Leaders in Benefit Corporations
Authors: Nigri Giorgia , Del Baldo Mara , Agulini Armando
Published: July 2020

Sustainable development is now seen as the business paradigm for the 21st century and poses a significant dilemma for managers, which is to balance economic goals, environmental impact and social development. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to sustainable entrepreneurship as a concept combining triple bottom line (TBL) aspects since introducing social and ecological values and goals, in addition to economic ones, is seen as a long-term strategy for survival and value creation. Italy’s socio-economic context where there are a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social enterprises has proven to be a good field for new hybrid forms of for-purpose business. This paper is a single case in-depth study conducted over three years (2017–2019) analyzing Mondora, a certified and legally recognized Benefit Corporation that has introduced full-spectrum teal practices in its governance structure and is shifting the paradigm as a flourishing enterprise. The aim of this paper is to analyze the legal and governance framework of Mondora as a benefit corporation and delineate a best-case example that embraces new leadership practices as a pilot for future research on benefit corporations. The implications lie in the fact that the typology of the social entrepreneur present in benefit corporations has the characteristics of the quantum leader outlined by Tsao and Laszlo (2019).
Geoengineering
Authors: Unmüßig Barbara
Published: July 2020

Mit großmaßstäblichen Technologien das Klimasystem unserer Erde zu manipulieren, kurz Geoengineering (GE), ist längst nicht mehr die Idee einzelner Verfechter. Im klimapolitischen Diskurs erfährt GE eine Aufwertung – je weiter das 1,5-Grad-Ziel in die Ferne rückt, desto eher scheint GE eine Option zu werden. Der Beitrag skizziert die Debatte um und die Risiken von GE und bewertet die Diskursverschiebung in der klimapolitischen Debatte, zeichnet Regulierungsversuche, schildert die Alternativen zu GE und würdigt die zivilgesellschaftlichen Interventionen zum demokratischen Umgang mit Risikotechnologien.
Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of carbon nanotubes used as cathode materials for Al–air batteries from a renewable source of water hyacinth
Authors: Sasrimuang Suparat , Chuchuen Oranat , Artnaseaw Apichart
Published: July 2020

Water hyacinth (WH) is a noxious weed. Its rapid growth can clog waterways, causing widespread ecological and environmental threats as well as power generation and irrigation issues. In the present study, water hyacinth was utilized as a precursor to synthesize multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using a simple chemical vapor deposition method. FESEM-EDS revealed that the synthesized MWCNTs had noodle-like, dense, and rough surfaces. TEM confirmed that MWCNTs had a bamboo-like structure with the diameter of 30–40 nm, and the wall thickness of approximately 7 nm. The interlayer distance was found to be approximately 0.34 by XRD. Raman spectra displayed three major bands of MWCNTS: D-band at 1,340 cm−1, G-band at 1,596 cm−1, and (D + G)-band between 2,783 and 2,953 cm−1. The ratio of the D-to-G band intensity was 0.94 ± 0.03, indicating that the synthesized MWCNTs had well degree of graphitization. Electrochemical measurement results of the prepared MWCNTs cathode for aluminum–air battery showed that MWCNTs exhibited higher energy capacity than commercial graphite. Collectively, this study shows that water hyacinth could be used effectively as a precursor for the production of MWCNTs, thus successfully converting the noxious weed into high value-added materials.
Fatigue behavior of beech and pine wood modified with low molecular weight phenol-formaldehyde resin
Authors: Pečnik Jaka Gašper , Kutnar Andreja , Militz Holger , Schwarzkopf Matthew , Schwager Hannes
Published: July 2020

Modification of wood improves certain properties of natural wood and presents competitive alternatives to synthetic materials that may have larger environmental impacts. One aspect of modified wood that is currently not fully understood is the dynamic performance and how it is affected by the modification process. In this study, low-molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin was applied to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood. The effect of this modification was evaluated using a three-point bending test undergoing cyclic loading. Compared to reference samples, modified wood showed higher static performance but revealed a reduction in cyclic fatigue strength (9% for pine and 14% for beech). Cyclic fatigue strength of unmodified wood was found to be 67% of the static modulus of rupture for both species. With PF resin modification, the fatigue strength dropped to 58% for pine and 53% for beech. While fatigue strength decreased, there was no reduction in cyclic modulus or change in the creep rate within the stationary creep phase. It is important to consider the reduction in fatigue strength when using PF modified wood for any construction purposes with expected cyclic loading conditions.
Fertility preservation in borderline ovarian tumor patients and survivors
Authors: Poulain Marine , Vandame Jessica , Tran Chloé , Koutchinsky Sonia , Pirtea Paul , Ayoubi Jean-Marc
Published: July 2020

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) represent around 15% of all epithelial ovarian cancer. Around one third of those patients is under 40 and has not completed childbearing when the tumor is diagnosed. Cancer survivors are more and more concerned about their future fertility since a large proportion of those with BOTs are young. Whatever the tumor stage, information regarding future fertility after treatment and fertility preservation (FP) options must be delivered to all patients before treatment. A multidisciplinary team will discuss and propose personalized treatment and FP strategies. Nowadays, the FP options offered to patients with BOT are the followings: i) minimal invasive conservative surgery, ii) oocyte cryopreservation after controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) or in vitro maturation (IVM) and iii) ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Generally, the most common strategy to preserve future fertility is represented by minimal invasive conservative surgery. However, with the remarkable success and evolution of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) – notably progress and efficiency in COS and oocyte vitrification – have led to offer another potential approach for FP consisting in oocyte cryopreservation. Several COS protocols, such as random start or dual stimulation associating tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors with gonadotropins provide similar results when compared to standard protocols while providing safety by minimizing the risk of high estrogen exposure. When COS is contraindicated, oocyte cryopreservation can still be possible throw IVM. Even though, oocyte competence after IVM is lower than that obtained after COS. A less used approach is cryopreservation of ovarian tissue, consisting in freezing ovarian cortex fragments for a future thawing and graft. Some concerns and limitations regard the ovarian cortex graft and the risk of reintroducing malignant cells once performed. Nonetheless, the latter it is the only option in prepubertal patients.
Association ofnitric oxidesynthase3gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism with idiopathic asthenozoospermia in Iranian Azeri males: a case-control study
Authors: Chavoshi Reza , Khalifeh Zadeh Kaleybar Seyed Babak
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Recently, oxidative stress (OS) has been described extensively as an important cause of men infertility. The nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) gene expression involved in normal spermatogenesis regulation in testis. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) onNOS3gene are reported in association with sperm function and spermatogenesis impairment in infertile men. In present study, we investigated association ofNOS3gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism in Iranian Azeri male with idiopathic asthenozoospermia (AZS).

Methods

In this case-control study, we collected 50 males with idiopathic AZS as a case group and 50 age and ethnically matched male as healthy controls from East Azerbaijan area, Iran. The case and control groups genotyping was performed using tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (Tetra-ARMS PCR) method.

Results

Genotype frequency in AZS patients was 40% GG, 60% GT, and 0% TT, whereas in healthy controls were 60% GG, 30% GT, and 10% TT. Statistical analysis showed that the GT heterozygous genotype frequency ofNOS3gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism in AZS patients was significantly more than healthy controls (p>0.05).

Conclusions

We demonstrated thatNOS3gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism was associated with AZS in Iranian Azeri men. However, more studies on different geographic areas, races and ethnicities are required to determine exact role ofNOS3gene rs1799983 G/T polymorphism in idiopathic AZS.
Study on the structure activity relationship of the crystal MOF-5 synthesis, thermal stability and N2 adsorption property
Authors: Wang Sheng , Xie Xianfei , Xia Wenke , Cui Jiaming , Zhang Shengquan , Du Xueyan
Published: July 2020

The parallel flow drop solvothermal method was utilized to synthesize the crystal of MOF-5 by taking the molar ratio of the metal ions to the organic ligands of 2:1 at 140∘C, and the reaction time at 12 hours. Meanwhile, the structure and properties of MOF-5 were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM analysis shown that the crystal morphology of MOF-5 changed from sheet to cubic with increasing reaction temperature and molar ratio of the metal ions to the organic ligands, and its thermal stability was also gradually increased. TGA analysis shown that its thermal stability could live up to 489.36∘C. FTIR analysis shown that the terephthalic acid is completely protonated, and the Zn2+ and the carboxyl group are formed by the coordination of the multi-tooth bridge in the crystal of MOF-5. Then the structure activity relationship of the crystal MOF-5 synthesis, microstructural, thermal stability and N2 adsorption property were further studied.
Optimization of the preparation process of mung bean puffed infant rice cereal and evaluation of the structure and digestion characteristics of starch
Authors: Cao Jiabao , Lu Baoxin , Zhang Dongjie , Cao Longkui , Wang Xia , Fan Guangqi
Published: July 2020

The present study was carried out to produce a high quality puffed infant rice cereal from rice and mung bean through extrusion technology. Experiments were designed using 3 independent variables (i. e. 14–18% feed moisture, 400–550 r/min screw speed and 125–175 °C barrel temperature) and 3 response variables (i. e. bulk density, water solubility index and degree of gelatinisation) at five different levels of central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The results of optimization demonstrated that 14% feed moisture, 400 r/min screw speed and 175 °C barrel temperature could generate rice-mungbean extrudates with desirable functional properties. The selected extrudate samples were further examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, in vitro digestibility and fundamental nutrient analysis. Notably, the initial oval-shaped particle structure of starch in the raw materials disappeared, the surface debris and roughness increased, and the density decreased. The time required for the gelatinization of puffed infant rice cereal was the shortest, which was in agreement with the positioning of ready-to-eat weaning food for infants. Moreover, the puffed infant rice cereal displayed higher peak viscosity and breakdown value, smaller retrogradation value and greater top taste value compared to the commercial infant rice cereal. Besides maintaining the initial characteristic peak of starch, the puffed infant rice cereal demonstrated characteristic absorption peaks of COO- in the vicinity of 1546 cm−1 and 1437 cm−1, indicating the formation of carboxylate during extrusion. In addition, the puffed infant rice cereal exhibited firm diffraction peaks at the diffraction angles of 7.4°, 12.5° and 20.5°, indicating that a certain amount of starch changed from type A to type V. Furthermore, the digestive rate of puffed infant rice cereal was higher than that of commercial infant cereal (90.21 versus 86.96%, respectively; p < 0.05). Altogether, our findings reveal that the developed puffed infant rice cereal meets the standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC; 74-1981).
A stable class of modified Newton-like methods for multiple roots and their dynamics
Authors: Kansal Munish , Cordero Alicia , Torregrosa Juan R. , Bhalla Sonia
Published: July 2020

There have appeared in the literature a lot of optimal eighth-order iterative methods for approximating simple zeros of nonlinear functions. Although, the similar ideas can be extended for the case of multiple zeros but the main drawback is that the order of convergence and computational efficiency reduce dramatically. Therefore, in order to retain the accuracy and convergence order, several optimal and non-optimal modifications have been proposed in the literature. But, as far as we know, there are limited number of optimal eighth-order methods that can handle the case of multiple zeros. With this aim, a wide general class of optimal eighth-order methods for multiple zeros with known multiplicity is brought forward, which is based on weight function technique involving function-to-function ratio. An extensive convergence analysis is demonstrated to establish the eighth-order of the developed methods. The numerical experiments considered the superiority of the new methods for solving concrete variety of real life problems coming from different disciplines such as trajectory of an electron in the air gap between two parallel plates, the fractional conversion in a chemical reactor, continuous stirred tank reactor problem, Planck’s radiation law problem, which calculates the energy density within an isothermal blackbody and the problem arising from global carbon dioxide model in ocean chemistry, in comparison with methods of similar characteristics appeared in the literature.
Aberrant pain modulation in trigeminal neuralgia patients
Authors: Joshi Ila , Mattoo Bhawna , Mohan Virender K. , Bhatia Renu
Published: July 2020

Objectives

The present study attempts to understand the role of supraspinal nociceptive pain modulation in typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) patients by using a conditioned pain modulation paradigm and estimation of plasma levels of two important neuromodulators; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and β-endorphin.

Methods

Twenty TN patients and 20 healthy, age and gender-matched subjects participated in the study. The participants' hot pain thresholds (HPT) were measured over their affected side on the face. Testing sites were matched for healthy controls. For the conditioned pain modulation their contralateral foot was immersed in noxious cold (5 °C) water bath (conditioning stimuli) for 30 s and HPT (testing stimuli) was determined before, during and till 5 min after the immersion. Plasma Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and β-endorphin levels were estimated to understand their role in disease pathogenesis and pain modulation.

Results

Change in HPT during foot immersion was significantly higher in healthy controls compared to TN patients (p<0.0001). The changes recorded in HPT in patients, were significant only in 2nd and 3rd minute post immersion. While in healthy controls, the effect lasted till the 4th minute. The concentration of beta-endorphin was significantly lower in TN patients (p=0.003) when compared to healthy controls.

Conclusions

The results suggest that there is an impairment in supraspinal pain modulation also known as Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls in typical TN and that the reduced levels of β-endorphin may contribute to the chronic pain state experienced by patients.
Crowd counting via Multi-Scale Adversarial Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Zhu Liping , Zhang Hong , Ali Sikandar , Yang Baoli , Li Chengyang
Published: July 2020

The purpose of crowd counting is to estimate the number of pedestrians in crowd images. Crowd counting or density estimation is an extremely challenging task in computer vision, due to large scale variations and dense scene. Current methods solve these issues by compounding multi-scale Convolutional Neural Network with different receptive fields. In this paper, a novel end-to-end architecture based on Multi-Scale Adversarial Convolutional Neural Network (MSA-CNN) is proposed to generate crowd density and estimate the amount of crowd. Firstly, a multi-scale network is used to extract the globally relevant features in the crowd image, and then fractionally-strided convolutional layers are designed for up-sampling the output to recover the loss of crucial details caused by the earlier max pooling layers. An adversarial loss is directly employed to shrink the estimated value into the realistic subspace to reduce the blurring effect of density estimation. Joint training is performed in an end-to-end fashion using a combination of Adversarial loss and Euclidean loss. The two losses are integrated via a joint training scheme to improve density estimation performance.We conduct some extensive experiments on available datasets to show the significant improvements and supremacy of the proposed approach over the available state-of-the-art approaches.
Variable Search Space Converging Genetic Algorithm for Solving System of Non-linear Equations
Authors: SS Venkatesh , Mishra Deepak
Published: July 2020

This paper introduce a new variant of the Genetic Algorithm whichis developed to handle multivariable, multi-objective and very high search space optimization problems like the solving system of non-linear equations. It is an integer coded Genetic Algorithm with conventional cross over and mutation but with Inverse algorithm is varying its search space by varying its digit length on every cycle and it does a fine search followed by a coarse search. And its solution to the optimization problem will converge to precise value over the cycles. Every equation of the system is considered as a single minimization objective function. Multiple objectives are converted to a single fitness function by summing their absolute values. Some difficult test functions for optimization and applications are used to evaluate this algorithm. The results prove that this algorithm is capable to produce promising and precise results.
Octreotide-related exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in congenital hyperinsulinism
Authors: Ros-Pérez Purificación , Golmayo Luz , Cilleruelo María L. , Gutiérrez Carolina , Celaya Patricia , Lacámara Nerea , Martínez-Badás Itziar , Güemes María , Argente Jesús
Published: July 2020

Background

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CH) is the most frequent cause of persistent hypoglycemia in the newborn. Octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin receptor analog (SSRA), is a second line treatment for diazoxide unresponsive CH patients. Although it has been found to be a safe and effective treatment, long-term benefits and side effects, have not been thoroughly evaluated.

Case presentation

Some authors have indicated that exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a common but under-recognized adverse reaction in adults treated with octreotide. However, no pediatric patient with SSRA-induced EPI has been reported to date. Here we report a case of an infant with diazoxide unresponsive, diffuse CH, caused by a heterozygous pathogenic paternally inherited mutation in the ABCC8 gene (NM_000352.4:c.357del), that developed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and secondary vitamin K deficiency associated to chronic octreotide therapy.

Conclusions

We point out the atypical clinical onset with a cutaneous hemorrhagic syndrome, emphasizing the clinical relevance of this potential side effect.
Prenatal screening diagnosis and management in the era of coronavirus: the Sardinian experience
Authors: Monni Giovanni , Corda Valentina , Iuculano Ambra
Published: July 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new coronavirus, was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly, affecting many other countries. The disease is now referred to as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).The Italian government declared a state of emergency on 31st January 2020 and on 11th March World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Although the COVID-19 incidence remained considerably lower in Sardinia than in the North Italy regions, which were the most affected, the field of prenatal screening and diagnosis was modified because of the emerging pandemic. Data on COVID-19 during pregnancy are so far limited. Since the beginning of the emergency, our Ob/Gyn Department at Microcitemico Hospital, Cagliari offered to pregnant patients all procedures considered essential by the Italian Ministry of Health. To evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activities of our center, we compared the number of procedures performed from 10th March to 18th May 2020 with those of 2019. Despite the continuous local birth rate decline, during the 10-week pandemic period, we registered a 20% increment of 1st trimester combined screening and a slight rise of the number of invasive prenatal procedures with a further increase in chorionic villi sampling compared to amniocentesis. Noninvasive prenatal testing remained unvariated. The request for multifetal pregnancy reduction as a part of the growing tendency of voluntary termination of pregnancy in Sardinia increased. The COVID-19 pandemic provides many scientific opportunities for clinical research and study of psychological and ethical issues in pregnant women.
Recent progress on applications of 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices in pulse shaping and all-optical signal processing
Authors: Liu Meng , Wei Zhi-Wei , Luo Ai-Ping , Xu Wen-Cheng , Luo Zhi-Chao
Published: July 2020

Due to the exotic electronic and optical properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, topological insulators, transition metal dichalcogenides, black phosphorus, MXenes, graphitic carbon nitride, metal-organic frameworks, and so on, have attracted enormous interest in the scientific communities dealing with electronics and photonics. Combing the 2D materials with the microfiber, the 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices could be assembled. They offer the advantages of a high nonlinear effect, all fiber structure, high damage threshold, and so on, which play important roles in fields of pulse shaping and all-optical signal processing. In this review, first, we introduce the fabrication methods of 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices. Then the pulse generation and the nonlinear soliton dynamics based on pulse shaping method in fiber lasers and all-optical signal processing based on 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices, such as optical modulator and wavelength converter, are summarized, respectively. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in the future development of 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices are given. It is believed that 2D material-decorated microfiber photonic devices will develop rapidly and open new opportunities in the related fields.
Towards a Political Economy of Communication in Development?
Authors: Enghel Florencia
Published: July 2020

In thedevelopment communicationequation, whether more theoretical, empirical and analytical attention is given to ‘development’ or to ‘communication’ makes a difference: where the emphasis is on development, it is at the expense of communication. Since communication and media arguably play an increasingly pervasive role in the everyday life of citizens and in the politics, economies and governance of most societies, the characteristics and role of specific forms of applied communication strategies in the context of the neoliberal project merit critical scrutiny. Given a complex global scenario, what can a political economy approach bring into an agenda for the future of development communication as a field of study, a practice and an institutional project? This article outlines ways in which a focus on political economy dimensions may contribute to understanding the obstacles and limits to a transformative practice of international development communication.
Joint use of eddy current imaging and fuzzy similarities to assess the integrity of steel plates
Authors: Versaci Mario , Angiulli Giovanni , di Barba Paolo , Morabito Francesco Carlo
Published: July 2020

Steel plates bi-axially loaded are characterized by mechanical deformations whose 2D image representations are very difficult to achieve. In this work, the authors propose an innovative approach based on eddy current techniques for obtaining 2D electrical maps to assess the mechanical integrity of a steel plate. The procedure, also exploiting fuzzy similarity computations, translates the problem of the assessment of the mechanical integrity of a steel plate into a suitable classification problem. The results obtained by this proposed procedure show performances comparable to those provided by well-established soft computing approaches with a higher computational complexity.