bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kejadian Gastritis Berdasarkan Aspek Promosi Kesehatan Dan Pola Makan
Authors: Irianty Hilda , Hayati Ridha , Suryanto Deni
Published: August 2020

Gastritis biasanya diawali dengan pola makan yang tidak baik dan tidak teratur sehingga lambung menjadi sensitif disaat asam lambung meningkat. Persentase dari angka kejadian gastritis di Indonesia menurut WHO adalah 40.8%, dan angka kejadian gastritis di beberapa daerah di Indonesia cukup tinggi dengan prevalensi 274.396 kasus dari 238.452.952 jiwa penduduk.Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan promosi kesehatan dan pola makan dengan kejadian gastritis di Desa Taruna Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Tengah tahun 2019. Jenis penelitian ini adalah kuantitatif dengan menggunakan metode survey analitik. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bulan Januari dan bertempat di Desa Taruna. Penentuan sampel dilakukan dengan menggunakan accidental sampling, sampel adalah masyarakat desa Taruna sebanyak 62 responden. Instrument penelitian yang digunakan berupa kuesioner, teknik pengumpulan data yaitu data sekunder (data dari Dinas Kesehatan Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan) dan data primer (data dari kuesioner), analisis data berupa data univariat dan bivariat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan antara pola makan (p=0.000) dengan kejadian gastritis. Variabel promosi kesehatan (p=1.000) tidak ada hubungan dengan kejadian gastritis. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah ada hubungan antara pola makan dengan kejadian gastriris dan tidak ada hubungan antara promosi kesehatan dengan kejadian gastritis. Saran kepada peneliti selanjutnya agar untuk memperdalam lagi penelitian ini dengan menambahkan beberapa variabel atau diubah menjadi penelitian kualitatif.
ATABETÜ’L-HAKAYIK’DA YER ALAN İKİLEMELER VE KALIP SÖZLER
Authors: AKYALÇIN Necmi , AYDOĞAN Damla
Published: August 2020

Türk dilinin en önemli eserlerinden biri olan Atabetü’l- Hakayık, Edip Ahmed Bin Mahmud Yükneki tarafından 12. yüzyılda, Karahanlı Türkçesi ile yazılmış ve Muhammed Dad İspehsalar Beye sunulmuş bir eserdir. Yazıldığı dönemin dilini önemli ölçüde yansıtan eser, elbette ki Türk dilinin zengin söz varlığından yararlanılarak yazılmıştır. Türkçenin anlatım gücü ve güzelliği olan ikilemeler ve belirli durumlarda temenni ifade etme ve/veya iletişim kurma amacıyla kullanılan kalıp sözler de Türkçenin bu zengin söz varlığı içerisinde azımsanamayacak bir yere ve öneme sahip yapılardır. Çalışmanın evrenini Atabetü’l-Hakayık adlı eser, konusunu ise bu eserde yer alan ikilemeler ve kalıp sözler oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada, söz konusu eserde yer alan “tününg kündüzüng”, “öküş az”, “tuş tenge” vb. ikilemeler; “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim”, “İlahi keçürgen idim sen keçür”, “Ugan rahmet itsün” vb. kalıp sözler tespit edilmiştir. Böylece, 40 beyit ve 101 dörtlükten oluşan eserin söz varlığı içerisinde ikilemelerin ve kalıp sözlerin kullanım sıklığı sayısal verileriyle ortaya konmuştur.
Two Human Cases of Echinococcus ortleppi Infection in the Lung and Heart in Vietnam
Authors: De Nguyen Van , Minh Pham Ngoc , Duyet Le Van , Bich Nguyen Ngoc , Son Trinh Nam , Jung Bong-Kwang , Chai Jong-Yil
Published: August 2020

This is a report of 2 cases of human hydatidosis caused by Echinococcus ortleppi in Vietnam. The patients were a 12-year-old male (case 1) having a cyst of 10.0×9.0 cm size in the lung and a 50-year-old female with a 3.0×3.3 cm-sized cyst in the heart. Eosinophilia was 33.7% in the male and 45.8% in the female patient. C-reactive protein was increased to 16.5 mg/L in the male and 18.2 mg/L in the female. Both patients were positive for ELISA at OD=2.5 and 3.1, respectively. Echinococcus protoscolices were collected from the cysts by amniocentesis and surgery. The protoscolices were identified as E. ortleppi by morphology and analysis of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) gene sequence. Both patients were cured by surgical resection of the hydatid cyst combined with albendazole medication. The E. ortleppi infection in lung is the second report, and the other in the heart is the first in Vietnam.
Molecular Identification of Adenocephalus pacificus (Cestoda) from Three Human Cases in Lima Province, Peru
Authors: Mondragón-Martínez Aarón , Martínez-Rojas Rosa , Garcia-Candela Enrique , Delgado-Escalante Abraham , Tantaleán-Vidaurre Manuel , Cruz-Neyra Lidia
Published: August 2020

The Pacific tapeworm Adenocephalus pacifcus (syn. Diphyllobothrium pacificum) is a causative agent of diphyllobothriosis occurred in Pacific coast of South America, mainly in Peru. Source of infections are traditional meal from raw or undercooked marine fish such as “cebiche”. We confirmed 3 new cases, one including scolex and the other two headless. A strobila 46 cm long without scolex was discharged from an 8-year-old boy before treatment. Specimens were confirmed morphologically by presence of tegumental protuberances on proglottids and small sized eggs. Partial sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene was congruent with A. pacificus sequences.
Novel method for measuring aquatic bacterial productivity using D10-leucine based on protein synthesis rate
Authors: Tsuchiya K , Sano T , Tomioka N , Kazuhiro K , Imai A , Hayakawa K , Nagata T , Okamoto T , Kuwahara VS , Kohzu A
Published: August 2020

The most widely used method for measuring bacterial production is tritium-labeled leucine (3H-Leu). Although this method provides methodological simplicity and high sensitivity, the employment of radioactive isotopes is often restricted by regulations, particularly in field settings. In this study, we developed a non-radioactive method for measuring bacterial productivity based on the protein synthesis rate, using deuterium-labeled leucine ((CD3)2CDCD2CD(NH2)COOH; D10-Leu); the proposed method was then compared and verified with the3H-Leu method. The procedures of the proposed method are (1) incorporation of D10-Leu by bacteria, (2) acid hydrolysis (HCl) to amino acids and (3) quantification of D10-Leu (m/z142.10) by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In the LC-MS/MS analysis, we detected a larger amount of D9-Leu (m/z141.10) and D8-Leu (m/z140.10) than that of D10-Leu, suggesting that incorporated D10-Leu was rapidly metabolized such as in deamination and aminotransferase reactions. The incorporation rates of D10-Leu, D10-Leu + D9-Leu (D10+D9-Leu) and D10-Leu + D9-Leu + D8-Leu (D10+D9+D8-Leu) were significantly positively correlated to that of3H-Leu, confirming the validity of the proposed method. Since D7-Leu (m/z139.10) could not be detected, the amount of exogenous leucine incorporated into protein can be accurately estimated through D10+D9+D8-Leu measurement. The new compound-based quantification method using stable isotope-labeled leucine can be a powerful tool to estimate pure protein synthesis rate for measuring bacterial production.
Trophic hierarchy of coastal marine fish communities viewed via compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids
Authors: Xing D , Choi B , Takizawa Y , Fan R , Sugaya S , Tsuchiya M , Ohkouchi N , Chikaraishi Y
Published: August 2020

Coastal marine ecosystems are very complex and composed of myriad organisms, including offshore, coastal, and migratory fish occupying diverse trophic positions (TPs) in food webs. The illustration of trophic hierarchy based on the TP and resource utilization of individual organisms remains challenging. In this study, we applied compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids to estimate the TP and isotopic baseline (i.e. δ15N values of primary resources at the base of food webs) for 13 fish and 1 squid species in a coastal area of Sagami Bay, Japan, where a large diversity in the isotopic baseline is caused by an admixture of ocean currents and artificial nitrogen inputs. Our results indicate that the TP of fish and squid varies between 2.9 and 3.9 (i.e. omnivorous, carnivorous, and tertiary consumers), with low variation within individual species. Moreover, the δ15N values of phenylalanine revealed the diversity of isotopic baselines between and within species. Low values (7.8-10.3‰) and high values (18.6-19.2‰), with a small variation (1σ < 1.0‰), were found in 2 offshore species and 3 coastal species, respectively. In contrast, highly variable values (9.8-19.7‰), with large variation within species (1σ > 1.0‰), were found for the remaining 9 migratory species. These results represent evidence of differential trophic exploitation of habitats between offshore and coastal species, particularly among individuals of migratory species, that were all collected in a single area of Sagami Bay.
Mechanisms of the 14-3-3 Protein Function: Regulation of Protein Function Through Conformational Modulation
Authors: OBSILOVA V. , KOPECKA M. , KOSEK D. , KACIROVA M. , KYLAROVA S. , REZABKOVA L. , OBSIL T.
Published: August 2020

Many aspects of protein function regulation require specific protein-protein interactions to carry out the exact biochemical and cellular functions. The highly conserved members of the 14-3-3 protein family mediate such interactions and through binding to hundreds of other proteins provide multitude of regulatory functions, thus playing key roles in many cellular processes. The 14-3-3 protein binding can affect the function of the target protein in many ways including the modulation of its enzyme activity, its subcellular localization, its structure and stability, or its molecular interactions. In this minireview, we focus on mechanisms of the 14-3-3 protein-dependent regulation of three important 14-3-3 binding partners: yeast neutral trehalase Nth1, regulator of G-protein signaling 3 (RGS3), and phosducin.
Allosteric Modulation of Ligand Gated Ion Channels by Ivermectin
Authors: ZEMKOVA H. , TVRDONOVA V. , BHATTACHARYA A. , JINDRICHOVA M.
Published: August 2020

Ivermectin acts as a positive allosteric regulator of several ligand-gated channels including the glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl),  aminobutyric acid type-A receptor, glycine receptor, neuronal α7-nicotinic receptor and purinergic P2X4 receptor. In most of the ivermectin-sensitive channels, the effects of ivermectin include the potentiation of agonist-induced currents at low concentrations and channel opening at higher concentrations. Based on mutagenesis, electrophysiological recordings and functional analysis of chimeras between ivermectin-sensitive and ivermectin-insensitive receptors, it has been concluded that ivermectin acts by insertion between transmembrane helices. The three-dimensional structure of C. elegans GluCl complexed with ivermectin has revealed the details of the ivermectin-binding site, however, no generic motif of amino acids could accurately predict ivermectin binding site for other ligand gated channels. Here, we will review what is currently known about ivermectin binding and modulation of Cys-loop receptor family of ligand-gated ion channels and what are the critical structural determinants underlying potentiation of the P2X4 receptor channel.
PERENCANAAN STRATEGIS SISTEM INFORMASI MENGGUNAKAN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE PLANNING (EAP) FRAMEWORK
Authors: Sasue Novita Sari , Wijaya Agustinus Fritz
Published: August 2020

Perencanaan strategis Sistem Informasi (SI) dilakukan untuk mendapatkan solusi terhadap penerapan SI di organisasi. Proses perencanaan strategis SI harus dikelola berdasarkan suatu petunjuk yang jelas dengan tujuan untuk menyelaraskan antara strategi dan tujuan bisnis di organisasi. Saat ini, penerapan SI di Dinas Perkerjaan Umum Kota Semarang masih belum optimal dikarenakan sebagian besar pengelolaan datanya masih bersifat manual, maka dari itu dibutuhkan suatu perencanaan strategis SI yang tujuannya adalah proses bisnis dalam organisasi berjalan efektif dan efisien dalam mendukung proses bisnis organisasi. Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP) merupakan proses pendefinisian arsitektur dalam penggunaan informasi untuk mendukung bisnis dan rencana untuk mengimplementasikan arsitektur tersebut.. Dengan menggunakan Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP) dapat dijadikan metode untuk mencapai sasaran bisnis bagi Dinas Pekerjaan Umum Kota Semarang, selain itu juga keuntungan dari penerapan EAP adalah untuk mendukung pengambilan keputusan dan perencanaan yang baik di organisasi.
POLA PERSEBARAN SEKOLAH SMA DAN SMK DI KABUPATEN OGAN KOMERIN ULU, OGAN ILIR, PENUKAL ABAB LEMATANG ILIR, DAN PRABUMULIH MENGGUNAKAN METODE AVARAGE NEARST NEIGHBOUR
Authors: Arisca Windu Dinda , Agustini Eka Puji
Published: August 2020

Dinas Pendidikian Sumatra Selatan telah memiliki sebuah sistem informasi geografis mengenai persebaran sekolah yang ada di Provinsi ini. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengetahui pola persebaran SMA dan SMK yang ada di Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ulu, Prabumulih, Ogan Ilir, dan Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir menggunakan metode “Avarage Nearest Neighbour” dengan aplikasi arcgis 10.3 berdasarkan 3 macam variasi pola persebaran mengelompok, pola persebaran acak (random), dan pola persebaran seragam(reguler) yang telah terpetakan di website Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan KEMDIKBUD Sumatra Selatan.
Effectiveness of lockdown strategy : a mathematical view.
Authors: Haque Nazrul , Karmakar Tushar , Karmakar Soudip
Published: August 2020

This study provides an analysis of lock down strategy during a pandemic situation.We have conducted two different approaches to address the effectiveness of lock down. We have constructed a compartmental epidemic model to show how reproduction number varies between a lock down scenario and without lock down scenario. We have also used a conditional probabilistic approach to show how lock down help in identifying the infectious and more susceptible individuals. Note that, we are not giving predictions, rather we are examining it from rigorous mathematical view.
Introducing Perennial Grain in Grain Crops Rotation: The Role of Rooting Pattern in Soil Quality Management
Authors: Duchene Olivier , Celette Florian , Barreiro Ana , Dimitrova Mårtensson Linda-Maria , Freschet Grégoire T. , David Christophe
Published: August 2020

The use of the perennial grain intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey) may have the potential to sustain soil health and fertility through the development of an extensive root system. However, references are scarce to demonstrate its potential influence in a context of a limited perennial grain growth phase, integrated into annual grain crops succession. This study aims at determining how early a perennial crop rooting system differs from that of an annual crop through root development and root traits and microbial indicators. Our results indicate that the two-year-old intermediate wheatgrass promotes a denser and deeper rooting system with proportionally more root biomass and length deeper in the soil profile. From the first growing season, the perennial grain demonstrated a suite of root traits typical of a more resource-conservative strategy, and more belowground-oriented resource allocation. Soil fungal biomass indicators were enhanced. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) indicators were notably found to be improved at 1 m depth during the second growing season. This study provides evidence that grain-based agriculture can benefit from the potential of deeper and long-lived root systems of intermediate wheatgrass to manage soils. The periodic use of a short-term perennial phase in the crop rotation has the potential to improve soil functioning in the long term.
Using Plastic Mulching Improves Greenhouse-Grown Pakchoi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) Growth and Water Use Efficiency under Irrigation Scheduling Based on Soil Water Content
Authors: Xie Yue , Wang Shenglin , Luo Chen , Sun Mengyao , Wang Yixin , Yang Jingjing , Wang Qian
Published: August 2020

Scarce water resources limit protected vegetable production in North China. Implementing efficient water-saving techniques is crucial for maintaining protected vegetable production and sustainability. A two-growing season field experiment was conducted in a glass greenhouse to explore the effects of water-saving techniques with irrigation scheduling based on soil water content on the growth and quality of pakchoi and the fate of irrigation water. Three water-saving techniques were investigated: micro-irrigation (M-0), furrow irrigation with plastic mulch (F-P), and micro-irrigation with plastic mulch (M-P) compared to furrow irrigation (F-0). F-P and M-P treatments enhanced pakchoi growth and primarily increased the total root length of the root system (0–0.2 m) compared to F-0. The two treatments further induced an improvement of pakchoi quality. Compared to M-0, F-P and M-P treatments showed better performance in reducing evaporation by 57–70% and proportion of evaporation in evapotranspiration, and consequently exhibited more pronounced effects on water saving. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was improved in F-P by 50% in both seasons and was improved in M-P by 84 and 95% in spring season and autumn season, respectively. Combining irrigation scheduling based on soil water content with plastic mulch is a feasible way to improve IWUE in protected vegetable production by reducing water consumption and enhancing crop growth.
The Effect of Growth Activators and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the Soil Properties, Root Yield, and Technological Quality of Sugar Beet
Authors: Artyszak Arkadiusz , Gozdowski Dariusz
Published: August 2020

The strategy “from farm to fork” assumes a reduction in the usage of fertilizers and plant protection products in EU agriculture. The aim of this study, conducted over the years 2017–2019 in several locations in Poland, is to evaluate the application of growth activators with and without plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria to reduce mineral nitrogen fertilization without negative effects on the root yield. We studied the effect of these activators on selected soil properties. The experimental treatments included the application of the growth activators Penergetic (K + P) and Azoter, which contains the bacteria Azotobacter chroococcum, Azospirillum brasilense, and Bacillus megaterium, before sowing or during vegetation. The nitrogen rates were reduced by 30% in comparison to full nitrogen mineral fertilization (control treatment). In selected experiments, the application of Penergetic and Penergetic with Azoter caused a higher content of nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3) and ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4) after the sugar beet harvest as well as higher contents of mineral nitrogen (Nmin), P, K, and Mg in the soil in comparison to the treatment with the full dose of mineral nitrogen fertilization. The obtained results proved that it was possible to reduce the mineral application of nitrogen by 30% without a decrease in the biological and pure sugar yield, and even with an increase in the sugar yield caused by the application of the growth activators Penergetic (K + P) and Azoter.
Power Transmission Efficiency Analysis of 42 kW Power Agricultural Tractor According to Tillage Depth during Moldboard Plowing
Authors: Kim Yeon-Soo , Kim Wan-Soo , Siddique Md. Abu Ayub , Baek Seung-Yun , Baek Seung-Min , Cheon Su-Hwan , Lee Sang-Dae , Lee Kyeong-Hwan , Hong Dong-Hyuck , Park Seong-Un , Kim Yong-Joo
Published: August 2020

In order to optimize tractor design and optimize efficiency during tillage operation, it is essential to verify the impact through field tests on factors affecting the tractor load. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of tillage depth on power transmission efficiency of 42 kW power agricultural tractor during moldboard plowing. A load measurement system and a tillage depth measurement system were configured for field tests. To analyze the effect of tillage depth on power transmission efficiency and fuel consumption, the data measured in the three-repeated field test were classified according to tillage depth. As the tillage depth increased from 11 cm at the top of the hardpan to 23 cm at the deepest, the required power of the engine increased by approximately 13% from 35.48 kW to 40.11 kW, and the power transmission efficiency also increased significantly from 66% to 95%. Among them, the power transmission efficiency of the rear axle was significantly increased from 38% to 59%, which was the most affected. As the tillage depth increased, the overall power requirement is greatly increased due to the resulting workload, but the fuel consumption and the specific fuel consumption are reduced because the engine speed of the tractor is reduced. As the tillage depth increased from 11 cm to 23 cm, the fuel consumption rate was rather reduced by 13.5% as the engine rotational speed decreased 11.3% due to the increase work load of tractor. In addition, the specific fuel consumption decreased from 302.44 g/kWh to 236.93 g/kWh, showing a fuel consumption saving of up to 21.7% during moldboard plow. In addition, as the tillage depth increased, the ratio of the value excluding the mechanical and hydraulic power requirements has significantly decreased from 34% to 5% as the power transmission efficiency increases. This study considers the soil properties according to the soil depth, as well as the power transmission efficiency and fuel consumption rate. The research results can provide useful information for research on power transmission efficiency and selection of an appropriate power source of agricultural tractor according to tillage depth during moldboard plowing and are expected to be used in various ways as basic studies of digital farming research in agricultural machinery.
Characterization and Localization of Calb2 in Both the Testis and Ovary of the Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)
Authors: Xiang Yuting , Wu Yahui , Zhang Haoran , Wu Jikui , Zhang Junling
Published: August 2020

Although its function in mammalian gonads has been gradually recognized, the expression and function of calretinin (CALB2)—a Ca2+-binding protein—in the testis and ovary of fish are still unclear. Here, we identified the cDNA sequences of calb2 in Paralichthys olivaceus (P. olivaceus); analyzed its gene structure and phylogenetic and syntenic relationship by bioinformatics; and investigated its tissue distribution and localization in the gonads by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The P. olivaceuscalb2 gene has 11 exons and 10 introns, and the full-length cDNA is 1457 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 816 bp encoding 271 amino acids. The CALB2 of P. olivaceus has a higher homology with Lates calcarifer (99%) compared with other species. The conserved synteny of calb2 neighboring gene loci was also detected in fish. Real-time PCR showed that the expression of calb2 mRNA is abundant not only in the brain, but also in the gonads, and exhibits a higher expression in the testis than in the ovary. Western blotting indicated that the CALB2 protein has a higher expression in the testis compared with the ovary. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the CALB2 protein appears in Leydig cells and the ovarian germ epithelium. These results reveal that calb2 plays an important role in the gonads of P. olivaceus.
The Probable Use of Genus amaranthus as Feed Material for Monogastric Animals
Authors: Manyelo Tlou Grace , Sebola Nthabiseng Amenda , van Rensburg Elsabe Janse , Mabelebele Monnye
Published: August 2020

This review presents, discusses, and provides a comprehensive understanding of the potential use of amaranth as feed for monogastric animals. Amaranth is an ancient nutritious crop that has been cultivated for multiple purposes. In America, Asia, and Africa, the leaves of amaranth species are used as vegetables. The change in climatic conditions globally has resulted in shortages of rainfall, unpredictable weather, and lack of inputs such as fertilizer. This has led to scarcity of protein sources in the market and instability in prices which makes it necessary to consider alternative ingredients in poultry, pigs, fish, and rabbits feed formulation. Amaranth is rich in fiber, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds which have some health benefits in animals and can be used to improve productivity. It also contains anti-nutritional factors which can be reduced by several processing methods. Moreover, its use in monogastric nutrition is useful because amaranth has shown to improve monogastric productivity without having any adverse effect on animals’ productivity. Thus, from this review, it can be concluded that amaranth leaves and grains can be used successfully in monogastric animals though different processing methods which might need to be employed in order to reduce anti-nutritional factors before use in animals.
Hierarchies and Dominance Behaviors in European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis galloitalica) Hatchlings in a Controlled Environment
Authors: Masin Simone , Bani Luciano , Vardanega Davide , Chiodini Norberto , Orioli Valerio
Published: August 2020

Few species of reptiles are known to establish stable social structures and among these, chelonians provided scarce and conflicting results. Moreover, studies on turtles are usually performed on adult individuals. In this study, we checked whether and when hatchlings of the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis galloitalica) established stable hierarchical structures in their first year of life, whether hierarchies were stable in time and how steady they were. We also verified whether social ranks were associated to the individuals’ size. We observed dyadic interactions daily within three small groups of turtles reared in a controlled environment for seven months. After two months, the hatchlings started to interact and progressively established stable hierarchical structures. However, the effectiveness of the three types of observed aggressive behaviors in reversing social ranks was low and the resulting hierarchies were flat. We did not find a significant effect of the turtles’ size on their interactions’ outcome and hierarchy structure. Our results provide clear evidence of the development and the characteristics of social behaviors in young reptiles in captivity. This study could be a starting point for investigating social structures in wild populations.
Procalcitonin Detection in Veterinary Species: Investigation of Commercial ELISA Kits
Authors: Battaglia Federica , Meucci Valentina , Tognetti Rosalba , Bonelli Francesca , Sgorbini Micaela , Lubas George , Pretti Carlo , Intorre Luigi
Published: August 2020

In human medicine, procalcitonin (PCT), the precursor of calcitonin, is used for the rapid identification of the origin and severity of sepsis. In veterinary medicine, PCT has been studied in horses, cattle, and dogs, but the use of PCT in diagnostic and/or prognostic settings is not possible because of the lack of validated assays to obtain reference ranges. The aim of the present study was the investigation of commercially available ELISA kits for the detection of canine and equine PCT in plasma samples. Validation of the ELISA kits was performed by using species-specific recombinant proteins spiked both in plasma and buffer samples; linearity, limit of detection (LOD), recovery, and intra-assay and inter-assay variability were calculated. Moreover, clinical samples obtained from sick and healthy animals were also analyzed with the tested kits. Canine PCT was measured with a recombinant canine and a canine PCT ELISA kit. Equine PCT was measured with an equine and a human ELISA PCT kit. Our data demonstrate that the canine recombinant PCT ELISA kit can be used to measure canine PCT in plasma samples, showing an intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation less than 20% and a LOD of 11 pg/mL, whereas the present results do not support the use of the canine PCT ELISA kit. The human PCT ELISA kit is suitable to detect equine PCT with a LOD of 56 ng/mL, whereas the equine PCT ELISA kit did not detect recombinant equine PCT.
Transforming the Adaptation Physiology of Farm Animals through Sensors
Authors: Neethirajan Suresh
Published: August 2020

Despite recent scientific advancements, there is a gap in the use of technology to measure signals, behaviors, and processes of adaptation physiology of farm animals. Sensors present exciting opportunities for sustained, real-time, non-intrusive measurement of farm animal behavioral, mental, and physiological parameters with the integration of nanotechnology and instrumentation. This paper critically reviews the sensing technology and sensor data-based models used to explore biological systems such as animal behavior, energy metabolism, epidemiology, immunity, health, and animal reproduction. The use of sensor technology to assess physiological parameters can provide tremendous benefits and tools to overcome and minimize production losses while making positive contributions to animal welfare. Of course, sensor technology is not free from challenges; these devices are at times highly sensitive and prone to damage from dirt, dust, sunlight, color, fur, feathers, and environmental forces. Rural farmers unfamiliar with the technologies must be convinced and taught to use sensor-based technologies in farming and livestock management. While there is no doubt that demand will grow for non-invasive sensor-based technologies that require minimum contact with animals and can provide remote access to data, their true success lies in the acceptance of these technologies by the livestock industry.
Placental Adaptive Changes to Protect Function and Decrease Oxidative Damage in Metabolically Healthy Maternal Obesity
Authors: Santos-Rosendo Celeste , Bugatto Fernando , González-Domínguez Alvaro , Lechuga-Sancho Alfonso M. , Mateos Rosa Maria , Visiedo Francisco
Published: August 2020

Pregnancy-related disorders, including preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, are characterized by the presence of an adverse intrauterine milieu that may ultimately result in oxidative and nitrosative stress. This scenario may trigger uncontrolled production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anion (O●−) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) such as nitric oxide (NO), along with an inactivation of antioxidant systems, which are associated with the occurrence of relevant changes in placental function through recognized redox post-translational modifications in key proteins. The general objective of this study was to assess the impact of a maternal obesogenic enviroment on the regulation of the placental nitroso-redox balance at the end of pregnancy. We measured oxidative damage markers—thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) and carbonyl groups (C=O) levels; nitrosative stress markers—inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrosothiol groups, and nitrotyrosine residues levels; and the antioxidant biomarkers—catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and expression, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), in full-term placental villous from both pre-pregnancy normal weight and obese women, and with absence of metabolic complications throughout gestation. The results showed a decrease in C=O and TBARS levels in obese pregnancies. Although total SOD and catalase concentrations were shown to be increased, both activities were significantly downregulated in obese pregnancies, along with total antioxidant capacity. Inducible nitric oxide sintase levels were increased in the obese group compared to the lean group, accompanied by an increase in nitrotyrosine residues levels and lower levels of nitrosothiol groups in proteins such as ERK1/2. These findings reveal a reduction in oxidative damage, accompanied by a decline in antioxidant response, and an increase via NO-mediated nitrative stress in placental tissue from metabolically healthy pregnancies with obesity. All this plausibly points to a placental adaptation of the affected antioxidant response towards a NO-induced alternative pathway, through changes in the ROS/RNS balance, in order to reduce oxidative damage and preserve placental function in pregnancy.
SelectStitch: Automated Frame Segmentation and Stitching to Create Composite Images from Otoscope Video Clips
Authors: Binol Hamidullah , Moberly Aaron C. , Niazi Muhammad Khalid Khan , Essig Garth , Shah Jay , Elmaraghy Charles , Teknos Theodoros , Taj-Schaal Nazhat , Yu Lianbo , Gurcan Metin N.
Published: August 2020

Background and Objective: the aim of this study is to develop and validate an automated image segmentation-based frame selection and stitching framework to create enhanced composite images from otoscope videos. The proposed framework, called SelectStitch, is useful for classifying eardrum abnormalities using a single composite image instead of the entire raw otoscope video dataset. Methods: SelectStitch consists of a convolutional neural network (CNN) based semantic segmentation approach to detect the eardrum in each frame of the otoscope video, and a stitching engine to generate a high-quality composite image from the detected eardrum regions. In this study, we utilize two separate datasets: the first one has 36 otoscope videos that were used to train a semantic segmentation model, and the second one, containing 100 videos, which was used to test the proposed method. Cases from both adult and pediatric patients were used in this study. A configuration of 4-levels depth U-Net architecture was trained to automatically find eardrum regions in each otoscope video frame from the first dataset. After the segmentation, we automatically selected meaningful frames from otoscope videos by using a pre-defined threshold, i.e., it should contain at least an eardrum region of 20% of a frame size. We have generated 100 composite images from the test dataset. Three ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists (ENT-I, ENT-II, ENT-III) compared in two rounds the composite images produced by SelectStitch against the composite images that were generated by the base processes, i.e., stitching all the frames from the same video data, in terms of their diagnostic capabilities. Results: In the first round of the study, ENT-I, ENT-II, ENT-III graded improvement for 58, 57, and 71 composite images out of 100, respectively, for SelectStitch over the base composite, reflecting greater diagnostic capabilities. In the repeat assessment, these numbers were 56, 56, and 64, respectively. We observed that only 6%, 3%, and 3% of the cases received a lesser score than the base composite images, respectively, for ENT-I, ENT-II, and ENT-III in Round-1, and 4%, 0%, and 2% of the cases in Round-2. Conclusions: We conclude that the frame selection and stitching will increase the probability of detecting a lesion even if it appears in a few frames.
Novel Faulted Section Location Method for Distribution Network Based on Status Information of Fault Indicating Equipment
Authors: Li Guanbin , Chen Qing , Zhang Jianlei
Published: August 2020

This paper proposes a novel faulted section location method for power distribution networks based on the status information collected by fault-indicating equipments. It has an advantage that it does not need to analyze and calculate any electrical parameters, and it is not affected by fault types and system parameters, so this method can be easily applied to power distribution networks. Firstly, a novel method for automatically constructing a line list is proposed in this paper—it can represent the topology structure of the power distribution line and the status information of fault-indicating equipment. Based on the line list, a topology search algorithm is proposed in the method to locate the faulted section. Considering that information loss will cause errors in the line list, an information loss detection algorithm is proposed to detect and correct the wrong status of fault-indicating equipments. Then, different fault conditions such as single fault, multiple faults, distributed generations in system and information loss condition are tested in power distribution networks with different topologies, and the simulation results indicate that the proposed method can deal with each case well. Moreover, the proposed fault location method has an advantage that the running time does not necessarily increase when the node scale is expanded.
Indirect Method for Measuring Absolute Acoustic Nonlinearity Parameter Using Surface Acoustic Waves with a Fully Non-Contact Laser-Ultrasonic Technique
Authors: Jun Jihyun , Jhang Kyung-Young
Published: August 2020

This paper proposes an indirect method to measure absolute acoustic nonlinearity parameters using surface acoustic waves by employing a fully non-contact laser-ultrasonic technique. For this purpose, the relationship between the ratio of relative acoustic nonlinearity parameters measured using the proposed method in two different materials (a test material and a reference material) and the ratio of absolute acoustic nonlinearity parameters in these two materials was theoretically derived. Using this relationship, when the absolute nonlinearity parameter of the reference material is known, the absolute nonlinearity parameter of the test material can be obtained using the ratio of the measured relative parameters of the two materials. For experimental verification, aluminum and copper specimens were used as reference and test materials, respectively. The relative acoustic nonlinearity parameters of the two materials were measured from surface waves generated and received using lasers. Additionally, the absolute parameters of aluminum and copper were measured using a conventional direct measurement method, with the former being used as a reference value and the latter being used for comparison with the estimation result. The absolute parameter of copper estimated by the proposed method showed good agreement with the directly measured result.
Bite and Sight: Is There a Correlation? Clinical Association between Dental Malocclusion and Visual Disturbances in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Grippaudo Cristina , Valerio Patricia , Romeo Cristiana , Fiasca Fabiana , Quinzi Vincenzo
Published: August 2020

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between malocclusions and visual defects. This is a case-control study evaluating the prevalence of visual defects in patients with different types of malocclusions. Methods: One-hundred and sixty patients aged from 5 to 14 were evaluated using the ROMA index to detect malocclusion; the ones with the lowest scores were used as the control group. They were also submitted to visual-capacity inspection for motility and refractive disorders. Results: Our work showed an enhanced prevalence of refractive defects or fusional vergence defects and alteration of eye movements (especially the saccades) in almost all dental malocclusions. Statistics: The Kappa test values for ROMA index were between 0.643 and 1.00 for the intraoperator agreement (0.00 < p < 0.002) and between 0.773 and 1.00 for the agreement between operators (p = 0 < 0.001). The statistically significance level for the correlation malocclusion/visual defects was set at p < 0.05. Statistical analyses were performed with the STATA software (version 15.0, Stata Corp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Conclusion: Considering the high level of the statistical analysis and the accuracy of the methodology used, these data allows the establishment of a huge correlation between sagittal, transversal and vertical malocclusions with ocular disorders (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and ocular motility defects).
Cross-Layer Installed Cable-Bracing Inerter System for MDOF Structure Seismic Response Control
Authors: Xue Songtao , Kang Jianfei , Xie Liyu , Zhang Ruifu , Ban Xinlei
Published: August 2020

Inerter-based vibration control systems have been developed rapidly in recent years. However, previous studies mainly focus on the development of new devices and parameter optimization strategies, while ignoring the improvements in the utilization efficiency of the inerter system that the bracing system and novel installation methods may bring. In this paper, a cross-layer installed cable-bracing inerter system (CICBIS) is proposed to improve the utilization efficiency of the inerter system, which can cross more layers and is suitable for shear-type multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structures. A demand-based cable-bracing inerter system (CBIS) design method is developed. The mass enhancement and utilization efficiency improvement of the inerter system caused by the cross-layer installation are quantified through calculating the effective inerter-mass ratio of the CBIS-equipped MDOF structure. A 10-story benchmark structure is used to verify the control performance of the CICBIS and the design method. The analysis results show that the proposed design method can exert the cable-bracing system’s adjustability and the damping enhancement of the inerter system. The CICBIS can reduce the total apparent mass and damping coefficient requirements of the inerter systems without increasing the control force. It means that the proposed design method is effective, and the CICBIS has a high efficiency.
Blind Modulation Identification of Underwater Acoustic MPSK Using Sparse Bayesian Learning and Expectation Maximization
Authors: Fang Tao , Xia Zhi , Liu Songzuo , Wu Xiongbiao , Zhang Lanyue
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a likelihood-based algorithm for identifying different phase shift keying (PSK) modulations, i.e., BPSK, QPSK, and 8PSK. This algorithm selects the modulation type that maximizes a loglikelihood function that is based on the known original constellation associated with the constellation of the received signals for the candidate modulation types. However, there are two problems in non-cooperative underwater acoustic Multiple Phase Shift Keying (MPSK) modulation identification based on the likelihood method. One is the original constellation, which as prior information is unknown. The other is the underwater acoustic multipath channel makes the constellation distort seriously. In this paper, we solved these problems by combining sparse bayesian learning (SBL) with expectation maximization (EM). The specific steps are as follows. Firstly, blind channel equalization can be achieved by channel impulse response (CIR), which is estimated by sparse bayesian learning in single input multi output (SIMO) underwater acoustic channel. Subsequently, we used expectation maximization to compensate amplitude attenuation and phase offset, as the original constellation of MPSK is unknown. Finally, modulation can be successfully identified by the Quasi Hybrid Likelihood Ratio Test (QHLRT). The simulation results show that the channel estimation method based on SBL can eliminate the influence of channel effectively, and the EM algorithm can make the received constellation converge to the preset constellation in the case of unknown original transmit constellation, which effectively solves these two problems. We use the proposed SBL-EM-QHLRT method to achieve an identification rate of more than 95% in underwater acoustic multipath channels with Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) higher than 15 dB, which provides a new idea for modulation identification of non-cooperative underwater acoustic MPSK.
Martha Rosler’s Protest
Authors: Schwartz Stephanie
Published: August 2020

This essay reconsiders the photomontages that Martha Rosler began making in the late 1960s to protest the war in Vietnam. Typically understood as a means of protest against the spatial mechanics of domination—against the mediated production of the difference between the home front and the war front or the “here” and “there” that drives modern warfare—the photomontages, this essay argues, also engage the temporal politics of protest. The problem of how to be “in time,” “to be present,” the problem that frames street photography and its critical history, is at the center of this essay and, it contends, Rosler’s protest. By drawing out this critical framework, this essay addresses the still-urgent questions that Rosler’s photomontages pose: When is the time of protest? Does protest happen now? Is there still time for protest?
Validation of MODIS C6.1 and MERRA-2 AOD Using AERONET Observations: A Comparative Study over Turkey
Authors: Aldabash Midyan , Bektas Balcik Filiz , Glantz Paul
Published: August 2020

This study validated MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, USA, Aqua and Terra Collection 6.1, and MERRA-2 (Modern-ERA Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application) Version 2 of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm against AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) ground-based sunphotometer observations over Turkey. AERONET AOD data were collected from three sites during the period between 2013 and 2017. Regression analysis showed that overall, seasonally and daily statistics of MODIS are better than MERRA-2 by the mean of coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and relative root mean square deviation (RMSDrel). MODIS combined Terra/Aqua AOD and MERRA-2 AOD corresponding to morning and noon hours resulted in better results than individual sub datasets. A clear annual cycle in AOD was detected by the three platforms. However, overall, MODIS and MERRA-2 tend to overestimate and underestimate AOD, respectively, in comparison with AERONET. MODIS showed higher efficiency in detecting extreme events than MERRA-2. There was no clear relation found between the accuracy in MODIS/MERRA-2 AOD and surface relative humidity (RH).
Impact of Precipitation with Different Intensity on PM2.5 over Typical Regions of China
Authors: Zhao Xin , Sun Yue , Zhao Chuanfeng , Jiang Huifei
Published: August 2020

Atmospheric aerosol pollution has significant impacts on human health and economic society. One of the most efficient way to remove the pollutants from the atmosphere is wet deposition. This study selected three typical atmospheric pollution regions in China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) regions, as research areas, and used the hourly precipitation and PM2.5 mass concentration data from 2015 to 2017 to investigate the removal impacts of precipitation on PM2.5. The PM2.5 mass concentration difference before and after the hourly precipitation events was used to denote as the impacts of precipitation. Hourly precipitation event was selected so that the time difference between two PM2.5 observations was short enough to limit the PM2.5 change caused by other factors. This study focused on the differences in the removal effect of precipitation on PM2.5 under different precipitation intensities and pollution levels. The results show that both precipitation intensity and aerosol amount affected the removal effect. A negative removal effect existed for both light precipitation and low PM2.5 mass concentration conditions. In contrast, a positive removal effect occurred for both high precipitation and high PM2.5 mass concentration conditions. The removal effect increased with increasing precipitation intensity and PM2.5 mass concentration before precipitation and was consistent with the change trend of wind speed at a height of 100 m. The findings of this study can help understand the mechanism of wet scavenging on air pollution, providing support for air pollution control in future.
Dissolved and Suspended Forms of Metals and Metalloids in Snow Cover of Megacity: Partitioning and Deposition Rates in Western Moscow
Authors: Vlasov Dmitry , Vasil’chuk Jessica , Kosheleva Natalia , Kasimov Nikolay
Published: August 2020

Concentrations and ratio of dissolved and suspended forms of metals and metalloids (MMs) in snow cover and their deposition rates from the atmosphere in the western part of Moscow were studied. Forms of MMs were separated using a filter with pore diameter of 0.45 μm; their concentrations were measured by ICP-MS and ICP-AES methods. Anthropogenic impact in Moscow caused a significant increase in dust load (2–7 times), concentration of solid particles in snow cover (2–5 times), and mineralization of snow meltwater (5–18 times) compared to the background level. Urban snow contains Sn, Ti, Bi, Al, W, Fe, Pb, V, Cr, Rb, Mo, Mn, As, Co, Cu, Ba, Sb, Mg mainly in suspended form, and Ca and Na in dissolved form. The role of suspended MMs in the city significantly increases compared to the background region due to high dust load, usage of de-icing salts, and the change of acidic background conditions to alkaline ones. Anthropogenic emissions are the main sources of suspended Ca, W, Co, V, Sr, Ti, Mg, Na, Mo, Zn, Fe, Sb, and Cu in the snow cover of traffic zone. These elements’ concentrations in roadside snow cover exceed the background values more than 25 times. The highest concentrations and deposition rates of MMs in the snow of Moscow are localized near the large and medium roads.