bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prospective study of tubercular co-infection in HIV infected patients in VIMSAR, Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, India
Authors: Bariha P. K. , Pujari U. P. , Kullu B. K. , Thakur A.
Published: May 2018

Background: Tuberculosis is the most common opportunistic infection in HIV positive patient. This is a major challenge faced by HIV positive patient.  Methods: This study was carried out at Medicine Department and ART Centre, VIMSAR, Burla to know the epidemiology and clinical profile of HIV and TB co-infection. This is a prospective study in which all adult patients attending to our hospital for period of one year with HIV-TB co infection are enrolled. There were 269 patients. The clinical parameters are studied after all detailed history and clinical examination. The diagnosis of Tuberculosis was made by relevant investigation like Sputum AFB, Chest X-ray, CSF Study, CT Scan, Pleural Fluid Study, Ascitic fluid study etc.Results: The results indicate majority of the patients out of 211 patients 74 (82.52%), were male 34(16.35%)were female and TGTS were-3(1.42%). Age group mostly affected were 26-35 years (38.1%) and 36-45 years (38.1 %). Extra-pulmonary TB constituted 56.28% and Pulmonary TB-43.72%. 41.99% completed anti-TB treatment and mortality was 12.99%. Mean CD4 count at the time of diagnosis-218iu/l; and patients with low CD4 cell count at the time of diagnosis had high mortality.Conclusions: Extra-pulmonary TB is predominant among HIV TB co-infection and the working-class population affected more than the rest TB Meningitis and Disseminated TB are associated with a bad prognosis when compare to other forms of TB. A low CD4 count at the time of Tuberculosis diagnosis is associated with a higher mortality and early suspicion diagnosis of tuberculosis and early initiation of ATT in HIV patients reduces mortality and morbidity significantly.
ASSISTÊNCIA HUMANIZADA: PERCEPÇÃO DO ENFERMEIRO INTENSIVISTA
Authors: Dos Santos Emilenny Lessa , De Araújo Dórea Savia Nobre , De Souza Maciel Maria da Piedade Gomes , Ferreira Dos Santos Leila Karoline , Da Silva Mariana Barbosa , Lins Moraes Maria Goretti
Published: May 2018

Objetivo: analisar a percepção do enfermeiro intensiva sobre a assistência humanizada. Método: estudo qualitativo de cunho analítico realizado em um hospital público do estado de Alagoas, Brasil, nos meses de setembro e outubro de 2016. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi a entrevista semiestruturada aplicada junto a dez enfermeiros. Os dados foram trabalhados mediante análise de conteúdo na modalidade temática. Resultados: as três categorias que emergiram das falas tratam de aspectos da humanização como ferramenta de trabalho, associada ao uso da tecnologia e sua influência na recuperação do paciente crítico. Conclusão: na percepção dos enfermeiros intensivistas, ofertar uma assistência agregada à humanização é importante, por influenciar no tratamento e na recuperação do paciente.
Descritores: Humanização da assistência. Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Cuidados de enfermagem.
PROGRAMA DE CONTROLE DA HANSENÍASE EM CAPITAL HIPERENDÊMICA: UMA AVALIAÇÃO OPERACIONAL
Authors: Goiabeira Yara Naya Lopes de Andrade , Rolim Isaura Letícia Tavares Palmeira , De Aquino Dorlene Maria Cardoso , Dos Santos Leonardo Hunaldo , Lima Alice Bianca Santana , Soeiro Vanessa Moreira da Silva
Published: May 2018

Objetivo: avaliar o Programa de Controle da Hanseníase em capital hiperendêmica no Brasil. Método: pesquisa de
avaliação, realizada em todas as instituições de saúde que operacionalizavam o programa de controle da hanseníase
no município de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil, abrangendo todos os casos novos e contatos de casos de hanseníase
notificados no ano de 2012. Resultados: o programa foi classificado como “Bom” quanto às taxas de abandono
(3,4%) e quanto ao grau de incapacidade física no diagnóstico (94,6%). Os indicadores proporção de alta por cura
(42,5%) e proporção de contatos examinados (29,1%) foram classificados como “Precários”. O indicador proporção
de casos curados no ano com grau de incapacidade física avaliado na alta foi classificado como “Regular” (82,5%).
Conclusão: o Programa de Controle da Hanseníase no município não vem atuando de maneira efetiva e resolutiva,
sugerindo uma deficiência na qualidade do acompanhamento dos casos até a completude do tratamento.

Descritores: Hanseníase. Avaliação em saúde. Indicadores de qualidade em assistência à saúde.
UNIVERSIDADE E CONHECIMENTO
Authors: Salles João Carlos
Published: May 2018

Editorial
The Kriyākramakarī’s Integrative Approach to Mathematical Knowledge
Authors: Wagner Roy
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this paper is to review the general organization of knowledge in the Kriyākramakarī, a sixteenth-century treatise of Kerala mathematics. Specifically, I will argue that the authors' interest in justification or proof is integrative, rather than hierarchical or cumulative. In other words, the purpose of proofs in the Kriyākramakarī is to connect various different aspects of mathematics, rather than just establish results by means of previously known results.
Perception of Ethical Issues Among the Law Enforcement and Firefighter Psychologists From Romania
Authors: Mînjină Bogdan
Published: May 2018

Ethical psychological practice is essential for beneficiaries’ protection and welfare. This survey research addressed a specific issue, namely compliance with and beliefs about ethical principles and standards of psychologists from the Romanian national law enforcement and firefighting organizations. A total of 140 psychologists, 60.08% of target group members, rated frequency and ethical character of 139 ethically questionable behaviors. Several positive ethical elements were found as lack of almost universal behaviors and many rare behaviors (46.04%). Among the ethical problems found were counted: behaviors and beliefs related to the involvement in ethical practice promotion among psychologists and to the interaction with coordinating and homologous psychologists in the professional or ethical impasse situations. The highest quality ratings of resources for ethical practice guiding and training were made for Code of Deontology and the lowest for legal cases. Several solutions were proposed to improve ethical professional awareness and practice of target group members. The present research showed the difficulty of finding benchmarks to interpret results of an ethical research and the need to approach ethical issues not only from the quantitative view but also from qualitative and/or transcultural view.
A Review of Treatment Failures Presented inCommitted: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care
Authors: Tochkov Karin , Williams Nichole
Published: May 2018

Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Careexplores the complex battle over involuntary hospitalization for mental illness. This article aims to explore the flaws of involuntary commitment as the authors presented in their book and seeks to foster a discussion that will improve the lives of the mentally ill. This discussion includes the negative experiences of patients, some of the legal issues surrounding involuntary care, and some issues with the process of commitment that were presented in the book.
Mental Health in Higher Education: A Comparative Stress Risk Assessment at an Open Distance Learning University in South Africa
Authors: Poalses Jacolize , Bezuidenhout Adéle
Published: May 2018

Universities depend on committed efforts of all staff members to function effectively. However, where occupational demands outweigh occupational resources, challenging work becomes stressful, followed by an exhausted, disengaged workforce. It is unlikely that disengaged university staff will provide adequate care and service to geographically distant and psychologically isolated learners. As students rely heavily on the support of both administrative staff, as well as academic staff, to manage their learning experience, the work stress experienced by both groups deserves research attention. This study employed a comparative mixed method design, including administrative and academic staff from an Open Distance Learning university in South Africa using the Job Demands-Resources measurement instrument. Findings established from 294 university staff members elucidated staff members’ experience of work stress within a mega-distance learning university in the developing world. Mindfulness about the stressors that influence university personnel can inform strategic interventions required to alleviate distress for each employment category.
Goal Orientation and Academic Performance in Adult Distance Education
Authors: Neroni Joyce , Meijs Celeste , Leontjevas Ruslan , Kirschner Paul A. , De Groot Renate H.M.
Published: May 2018

Research has shown the importance of goal orientation in predicting academic performance for children, adolescents, and college students in traditional educational settings. Studies on this relationship within adult distance education, however, are lacking. To fill this gap, the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between goal orientation and academic performance in adult distance learners. A sample of N = 1128 distance university students (age 18-75 years) filled out an online questionnaire. Their exam grades were collected from the files of the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL). A mixed model regression showed performance approach goal orientation to be a positive predictor of academic performance, whereas performance avoidance and work avoidance were negative predictors of academic performance. Non-significant results were found for mastery approach as well as for mastery avoidance. Implications of these results are discussed.
SOBRE ZUMBIS E SUJEITOS DOTADOS DE MENTES: O CETICISMO DE DRETSKE ACERCA DO CONHECIMENTO DE SI
Authors: Chediak Karla De Almeida , Marques Edgar Da Rocha
Published: May 2018

Resumo: No presente artigo, apresentamos nossa interpretação dos argumentos fornecidos por Fred Dretske para fundamentar seu ceticismo acerca da possibilidade de conhecermos introspectivamente que possuímos estados mentais e que, portanto, não somos zumbis. Mostramos que a posição cética acerca do conhecimento de si adotada por Dretske tem como fundamento a sua concepção externalista e informacional de todos os estados mentais e que essa forma de conhecimento demanda um outro tipo de abordagem.Abstract: In this article, we present our interpretation of the reasons given by Fred Dretske to support his skepticism about the possibility of knowing introspectively that we have mental states and that therefore we are not zombies. We show that Dretske’s skeptical position on self-knowledge is based on his externalist and informational conception of all mental states and that this form of knowledge demands another approach.
A simple Spectral Observer
Authors: Torres Lizeth , Jiménez-Cabas Javier , Gómez-Aguilar José Francisco , Pérez-Alcazar Pablo
Published: May 2018

The principal aim of a spectral observer is twofold: the reconstruction of a signal of time via state estimation and the decomposition of such a signal into the frequencies that make it up. A spectral observer can be catalogued as an online algorithm for time-frequency analysis because is a method that can compute on the fly the Fourier transform (FT) of a signal, without having the entire signal available from the start. In this regard, this paper presents a novel spectral observer with an adjustable constant gain for reconstructing a given signal by means of the recursive identification of the coefficients of a Fourier series. The reconstruction or estimation of a signal in the context of this work means to find the coefficients of a linear combination of sines a cosines that fits a signal such that it can be reproduced. The design procedure of the spectral observer is presented along with the following applications: (1) the reconstruction of a simple periodical signal, (2) the approximation of both a square and a triangular signal, (3) the edge detection in signals by using the Fourier coefficients, (4) the fitting of the historical Bitcoin market data from 2014-12-01 to 2018-01-08 and (5) the estimation of a input force acting upon a Duffing oscillator. To round out this paper, we present a detailed discussion about the results of the applications as well as a comparative analysis of the proposed spectral observer vis-à-vis the Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT), which is a well-known method for time-frequency analysis.
Pedestrian Injury Severity Analysis in Motor Vehicle Crashes in Ohio
Authors: Uddin Majbah , Ahmed Fahim
Published: May 2018

Background: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 116 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in Ohio in 2015. However, no study to date has analyzed crashes in Ohio exploring the factors contributing to the pedestrian injury severity resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This study fills this gap by investigating the crashes involving pedestrians exclusively in Ohio. Materials and Methods: This study uses the crash data from the Highway Safety Information System, from 2009 to 2013. The explanatory factors include the pedestrian, driver, vehicle, crash, and roadway characteristics. Both fixed- and random-parameters ordered probit models of injury severity (where possible outcomes are major, minor, and possible/no injury) were estimated. Results: The model results indicate that being older pedestrian (65 and over), younger driver (less than 24), driving under influence (DUI), being struck by truck, dark-unlighted roadways, six-lane roadways, and speed limit of 40 mph and 50 mph were associated with more severe injuries to the pedestrians. Conversely, older driver (65 and over), passenger car, crash occurring in urban locations, daytime traffic off-peak (10 AM to 3:59 PM), weekdays, and daylight condition were associated with less severe injuries. Conclusion: This study provides specific safety recommendations so that effective countermeasures could be developed and implemented by the policy makers, which in turn will improve overall highway safety.
Mapping the Distribution of Particles in Hydrogel in Use for Nanoplasmonic Biosensors: A Comparison of Preparation Methods
Authors: Muri Harald Ian , Hoang Linh , Hjelme Dag Roar
Published: May 2018

The distribution of noble metal nanoparticles in hydrogels are influencing their nanoplasmonic response and signal used for biosensor purposes. By controlling the particle distribution, it is possible to obtain new nanoplasmonic features with new sensing modalities. Particle distributions can be characterized by using volume-imaging methods such as the focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) and the serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) techniques . Since the pore structure of hydrogels is contained by the water absorbed in the polymer network it may pose challenges for volume-imaging based on electron microscope techniques since the sample must be in a vacuum chamber. The structure of hydrogels can be conserved by choosing appropriate preparation methods, which also depends on the composition of the hydrogel used. In this paper, we have prepared low-weight percentage hydrogels, with and without gold nanorods (GNR) for conventional SEM imaging by using two different drying techniques; (1) the critical point drying (CPD) technique and (2) hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) drying of hydrogels. A qualitative characterization of the GNR-hydrogels was carried out to study the GNRs positioned in the polymer network. The effect of the two different drying methods on the hydrogel morphology were also compared. The use of HMDS as an alternative to the CPD has several advantages involving less parametrical variables for drying, involving less effort, being cost-effective, and requires no equipment use. In addition, choosing an optimized sample preparation method for SEM with optimized imaging parameters is highly important for obtaining accurate information about materials that is not correlated to artifacts. Hence, the results obtained from the preparation methods and SEM imaging parameters in this paper are useful for developing methods for mapping the metal particle distributions in micro-hydrogels by using FIB-SEM and SBFSEM techniques.
Quality Assessment of Crowdsourced Data (CSD) Using Semantics and Geographical Information Retrieval (GIR) Techniques
Authors: Koswatte Saman , McDougall Kevin , Liu Xiaoye
Published: May 2018

Crowdsourced Data (CSD) generated by citizens is becoming more popular as its potential utilisation in many applications is increasing due to its currency and availability. However, the quality of CSD, including its relevance, is often questioned as the data is not generated by professionals nor follows standard data collection procedures. The quality of CSD can be assessed according to a range of attributes including its relevance. Information relevance has been explored through using in Geographic Information Retrieval (GIR) techniques to identify relevant information. This research tested a relevance assessment approach for CSD by adapting relevance assessment techniques available in the GIR domain. The thematic and geographic relevance were assessed using the Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF), Vector Space Model (VSM) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. The thematic and geographic specificities of the queries were calculated as 0.44 and 0.67 respectively, which indicates the queries used were more geographically specific than thematically specific. The Spearman's rho value of 0.62 indicated that the final ranked relevance lists showed reasonable agreement with a manually classified list and confirmed the potential of the approach for CSD relevance assessment for other possible crowdsourced data analysis.
Apoptosis and Necrosis on T47D Cells Induced by Shiga-Like Toxin from Local Isolates of Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: Suardana I Wayan , Pinatih Komang Januartha Putra , Widiasih Dyah Ayu
Published: May 2018

Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induction are targeted in the strategy of cancer therapy. Furthermore, bacterial toxin such as shiga-like toxin producing Escherichia coli has been suggested to be used as novel therapeutic agent against tumor malignancies either as independent anti-neoplastic agents or in combination treatment with chemo or radiotherapy. The aim of study was to investigate the potency of shiga-like toxin originated from local strains of E. coli O157:H7 as a new cancer therapy. As many as 10 culture cells T47D cell line were subjected by crude extract Shiga like toxin originated from five local isolates of E. coli O157:H7 i.e. KL-48(2), SM-25(1), SM-7(1), DS-21(4), and one isolate ATCC 43894 as a control with IC50 doses, respectively. The treatment was observed for 24 h, with two replications. An FITC-Annexin V and PI assay was used to observe apoptosis and necrosis effect, and simultaneously with cell cycle analysis using propidium iodide (PI) staining. Results of study showed T47D cell treated with Shiga-like toxin from local strain KL-48 (2) show the lowest viable cell, followed by SM 7(1), ATCC 43894, SM-25(1), DS-21(4) and contrary with control with each percentages as 15.20, 16.36, 22.17, 22.64, 33.86, and 94.36%, respectively. The results were also confirmed by the induction of the cell cycle arrest in phase G0-G1 as inactive phase, i.e. 66.41, 63.37, 61.52, 55.36 and 47.28% for T47D cell treated with toxin of KL-48(2), ATCC 43894, SM 25(1), SM 7(1), and DS 21(4), respectively. These results show tendency deleterious effect of Shiga-like toxin from local isolates on T47D cell, so that concluded they have potency as a good anticancer drug in Gb3-expressing breast cancer.
Stochastic Gravity and Ontological Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Andersen Thomas C
Published: May 2018

Some physicists surmise that gravity lies outside of quantum mechanics. Thus theories like the standard semiclassical theory of quantum to gravity coupling (that of Rosenfeld and Møller) are possible real models of interaction, rather than a mere approximation of a theory of quantum gravity. Unfortunately, semiclassical gravity creates inconsistencies such as superluminal communication. Alternatives by authors such as Diósi, Martin, Penrose, and Wang often use the term 'stochastic' to set themselves apart from the standard semiclassical theory. These theories couple to fluctuations caused by for instance continuous spontaneous localization, hence the term 'stochastic'. This paper looks at stochastic gravity in the framework of a class of emergent or ontological quantum theories, such as those by Bohm, Cetto, and de Broglie. It is found that much or all of the trouble in connecting gravity with a microscopic system falls away, as Einstein's general relativity is free to react directly with the microscopic beables. The resulting continuous gravitational wave radiation by atomic and nuclear systems does not, in contrast to Einstein's speculation, cause catastrophic problems. The small amount of energy exchanged by gravitational waves may have measurable experimental consequences. A very recent experiment by Vinante et al. performed on a small cantilever at mK temperatures shows a surprising non-thermal noise component, the magnitude of which is consistent with the stochastic gravity coupling explored here.
Measurement of Immature Granulocytes (IG) Percentage to Assess Severe Bacterial Infection in Latvian Children: A Secondary Data Analysis
Authors: Pavare Jana , Grope Ilze , Gardovska Dace
Published: May 2018

Background: Detection of small proportion of serious bacterial infections (SBI) with potentially life threating course in a large group of children with fever admitted to emergency department (ED) is still complicated. Measurement of immature granulocytes (IG) percentage may be used as a marker of bacterial infections. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the IG percentage is a useful additional predictive marker of SBI. Methods: This study included 258 children with febrile infections admitted to the ED. Clinical follow-up, microbiological and radiological tests were used as reference standards for the definition of SBI. Study population was categorized into two groups: (i) infected patients with no suspicion of SBI (n = 75); (ii) patients with suspicion of SBI (n = 183). IG percentage, white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were analyzed from the first routine blood samples at hospital admission. Results: A statistically significant difference in IG percentage levels was observed in children with SBI and those without - the mean IG percentage was 1.2% for the SBI group, 0.3% for those without SBI. The cutoff level of IG percentage to predict SBI was 0.45 (84% specificity, 66% sensitivity, 90% positive predictive value). We combine variables and evaluate their additive values. The sensitivity of WBC to detected SBI improved from 74% to 85% when IG percentage was added to the prediction models. When CRP, WBC and IG percentage were combined, the sensitivity to predict SBI increased to 93%, the specificity to 86%. (95% CI 77–93%). Receiver operator characteristic analysis to predict SBI showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 for IG percentage. Conclusion: Addition of IG percentage to traditionally used markers of SBI as WBC and CRP may help to identify children with serious bacterial infections. Furthermore IG percentage can be rapidly obtained from the traditional full blood count without any extra sampling and costs.
Smoking Topography among Korean Smokers: Intensive Smoking Behavior with Larger Puff Volume and Shorter Interpuff Interval
Authors: Kim Sungroul , Yu Sol
Published: May 2018

The difference of smoker’s topography has been found to be a function of sex, personality, nicotine yield, cigarette type (i.e., flavored versus non-flavored) ethnicity and etc. We evaluated the puffing behaviors of Korean smokers and its association with smoking-related biomarker levels. A sample of 300 participants was randomly recruited from metropolitan areas, South Korea. Topography measures during a 24-hour period were obtained using a CReSS pocket device. Korean male smokers smoked two puffs less per cigarette, compared to female smokers [15.0 (13.0–19.0) vs. 17.5 (15.0–21.0) as median (Interquartile range)], but had a significantly larger puff volume [62.7 (52.7–75.5) mL vs. 53.5 (42.0–64.2) mL); p = 0.012]. The interpuff interval was similar between men and women [8.9 (6.5–11.2) s vs. 8.3 (6.2–11.0) s; p = 0.122] but much shorter than other study results. A dose-response association (p = 0.0011) was observed between daily total puff volumes and urinary cotinine concentrations, after controlling for sex, age, household income level, nicotine addiction level. Understanding of the difference of topography measures, especially, larger puff volume and shorter interpuff interval of Korean smokers may help to overcome potential underestimation of internal dose of hazardous substitutes of smoking or corresponding its health effect.
Integrative Approaches to Reconstruct Regulatory Networks From Multi-Omics Data: A Review of State-of-the-Art Methods
Authors: Wani Nisar , Raza Khalid
Published: May 2018

Data generation using high throughput technologies has led to the accumulation of diverse types of molecular data.These data have different types (discrete,real,string etc.) and occur in various formats and sizes. Datasets including gene expression, miRNA expression, protein-DNA binding data (ChIP-Seq/ChIP-ChIP), mutation data(copy number variation, single nucleotide polymorphisms), GO annotations, protein-protein interaction and disease-gene association data are some of the commonly used genomic datasets to study biological processes. Each of them provides a unique, complementary and partly independent view of the genome and hence embed essential information about their regulatory mechanisms. In order to understand the functions of genes, proteins and analyze mechanisms arising out of their interactions, information provided by each of these datasets individually may not be sufficient. Therefore integrating these multi-omic data and inferring regulatory interactions from the integrated dataset provides a system level biological insights in predicting gene functions and their phenotypic outcomes. To study genome functionality through interaction networks, different methods have been proposed for collective mining of information from an integrated dataset. We survey here data integration approaches using state-of-the-art techniques such as network integration, Bayesian networks, regularized regression (LASSO) and multiple kernel learning methods.
Greatly Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells Using Metal Oxide Layers by Band-Gap Alignment Engineering
Authors: Zhou Lingling , Xiao Lufei , Yang Hai , Liu Jie , Yu Xibin
Published: May 2018

Band-gap alignment engineering has now been extensively studied due to its high potential application. Here we demonstrate a simple route to synthesize two metal oxide layers and align them together according to their bandgaps on surface of crystalline silicon(c-Si) solar cells. The metal oxide layers can not only extend absorption spectrum to generate extra carriers but also serve to separate electron-hole pairs more efficiently. As a consequence, the photovoltaic performance of SnO2/CdO /Si double-layer solar cell (DLSC) is highly improved compared to CdO/Si and SnO2/Si single-layer solar cells(SLSCs) and SnO2/CdO/Si double-layer solar cell(DLSC). By the alignment engineering, the SnO2/CdO/Si DLSC produces a short circuit photocurrent (Jsc) of 38.20 mA/cm2, an open circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 0.575 V and a fill factor (FF) of 68.7%, corresponding to a light to electric power conversion efficiency (η) of 15.09% under AM1.5 illumination. These results suggest that with the use of metal oxide layers by band-gap alignment engineering, new avenues have been opened for developing high-efficiency and cost-effective c-Si solar cells.
Greatly Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells Using Metal Oxide Layers by Band-Gap Alignment Engineering
Authors: Zhou Lingling , Xiao Lufei , Yang Hai , Liu Jie , Yu Xibin
Published: May 2018

Band-gap alignment engineering has now been extensively studied due to its high potential application. Here we demonstrate a simple route to synthesize two metal oxide layers and align them together according to their bandgaps on surface of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. The metal oxide layers can not only extend absorption spectrum to generate extra carriers but also serve to separate electron-hole pairs more efficiently. As a consequence, the photovoltaic performance of SnO2/CdO /Si double-layer solar cell (DLSC) is highly improved compared to CdO/Si and SnO2/Si single-layer solar cells(SLSCs) and SnO2/CdO/Si double-layer solar cell (DLSC). By the alignment engineering, the SnO2/CdO/Si DLSC produces a short circuit photocurrent (Jsc) of 38.20 mA/cm2, an open circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 0.575 V and a fill factor (FF) of 68.7%, corresponding to a light to electric power conversion efficiency (η) of 15.09% under AM1.5 illumination. These results suggest that with the use of metal oxide layers by band-gap alignment engineering, new avenues have been opened for developing high-efficiency and cost-effective c-Si solar cells.
Modulation of TRPV1 Function in Human CD4+ T Cells by Nanodiamond and Nanoplatinum Liquid, DPV576
Authors: Ghoneum Mamdooh H. , Gimzewski James K. , Ghoneum Aya D. , Katano Hideki , Agrawal Anshu
Published: May 2018

Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels act as sensors of pain, temperature, and other external stimuli. We have recently shown that DPV576, an aqueous mixture of nanodiamond (ND) and nanoplatinum (NP), can modulate the activity of TRPV on human primary keratinocytes, suggesting their potential as a possible pain modulator [1]. CD4+ T lymphocytes also express TRPV channels, and we sought with special interest to examine the effect of DPV576 in modulating the functions of TRPV channel expression and secretion of cytokines on human CD4+ T lymphocytes. Human primary CD4+ T cells were activated with anti CD3/CD28 with and without DPV576 at 1:25 and 1:100 dilutions for 24 hours in vitro. TRPV Receptor expression (TRPV1 and TRPV4) on CD4+ T cells was examined by flow cytometry. The capacity of DPV576 to modulate the activity of TRPV1 agonist capsaicin in CD4+ T cells was also determined. Activation of CD4+ T cells was determined by production of cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-10 using specific ELISA kits. DPV576 treatment of CD4+ T cells that were activated with anti CD3/CD28, resulted in increased expression of TRPV1 channel but had no effect on TRPV4. This was accompanied by increased secretion of IFN-g and reduced expression of TRPV1 in capsaicin activated CD4+ T cells. In addition, DPV576 inhibited the capsaicin, induced the production of both IFN-g and TNF-α, and enhanced the secretion of IL-10. We conclude that short term exposure to DPV576 inhibits the activity of TRPV1 channels in CD4+ T lymphocytes, which may suggest its possible beneficial use for pain management. 
Chronification of Tympanic Perforation with Mitomycin C in a Rat Model
Authors: Esteban Tomás , Atucha Noemí M. , Moraleda José María , García-Estañ Joaquín , Insausti Carmen L. , Moraleda-Deleito Javier
Published: May 2018

Background. A rat model of chronic tympanic membrane perforation was developed to be used in the search of new materials for the sealing of these perforations. Methods. A longitudinal study was carried out in rats subjected to incisional myringotomy followed by the application of mitomycin C alone or with dexamethasone. Rats were checked at days 3, 7, 10, 14 and weekly thereafter until perforation closure, for up to 6 months. Results. The addition of dexamethasone is a key component in order to obtain a chronic opening. Myringotomies treated with saline had a mean healing time of 8.5 days. At 8 weeks, 70.5% of these remained perforated and at 6 months this number fell to 21.4%. Conclusion. This technique is able to maintain more than 70% of tympanic membrane perforations patent for at least 8 weeks. This rat model is adequate for its use in preclinical or translational research.
Small Molecule Therapeutics for the Initial and Adjunctive Treatment of Snakebite
Authors: Bulfone Tommaso C. , Samuel Stephen P. , Bickler Philip L. , Lewin Matthew R.
Published: May 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently added snakebite envenoming to the priority list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). It is thought that ~75% of mortality following snakebite occurs outside the hospital setting, making the temporal gap between a bite and antivenom administration a major therapeutic challenge. Small molecule therapeutics (SMTs) have been proposed as potential pre-referral treatments for snakebite to help address this gap. Herein, we discuss the characteristics, potential uses and development of SMTs as potential treatments for snakebite envenomation. We focus on SMTs that are secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) inhibitors and metalloprotease (MP) inhibitors.
Residual Stress, Phase, Microstructure and Mechanical Property Enhancement of Ultrafine Bainitic Steel through Laser Shock Processing
Authors: Subramaniyan Prabhakaran , Kalainathan Sivaperuman , Shukla Pratik , Vasudevan Vijay K
Published: May 2018

The study proposes laser shock peening without a coating of high strength ultrafine bainitic steel to mitigating the fatigue failures for automotive and structural engineering applications. Laser pulse density of 2500 pulses/cm2 (75% overlapping) was optimised based on the induced residual stresses for employing the wide range of characterisations. The roughness and topographic results showed that surface roughening was controlled by tuning the laser pulse density. The High-Resolution X-ray Diffraction analysis confirmed the lattice misorientation resulting peak shift and the trend towards martensite phase transformations. The electron microscopic micro/nanostructure analyses revealed the grain refinement features such as nano-twins, micro shear bands and shear cells. The work hardening depth and nanomechanical properties were significantly enhanced. A fully reversed (R= -1) high-cycle fatigue tests extended the lifespan by an average of fifteen times than the untreated. Also, it has potential to repair the structural components effectively.
Grating-coupled Surface Plasmon Resonance (GC-SPR) Optimization for Phase-interrogation Biosensing in a Microfluidic Circuit
Authors: Rossi Stefano , Gazzola Enrico , Capaldo Pietro , Borile Giulia , Romanato Filippo
Published: May 2018

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) based sensors have the advantage of being label-free, enzyme-free and real-time. However, their spreading in multidisciplinary research is still limited and almost confined to prism-coupled devices. Plasmonic gratings, combined with a simple and cost-effective instrumentation, have been poorly developed compared to prism-coupled system mainly due to their lower sensitivity. Here we describe the optimization and signal enhancement of a sensing platform based on phase-interrogation method, which entails the exploitation of a nanostructured sensor. This technique is particularly suitable for integration of the plasmonic sensor in a lab-on-a-chip platform and can be used in a microfluidic circuit to ease the sensing procedures and limit the injected volume. The careful optimization of most suitable experimental parameters by numerical simulations leads to a 30 to 50% enhancement of SPR response, opening new possibilities for applications in the biomedical research field while maintaining the ease and versatility of the configuration.
A Novel Approach for the Short-Term Forecast of the Effective Cloud Albedo
Authors: Urbich Isabel , Bendix Jörg , Müller Richard
Published: May 2018

The increasing use of renewable energies as a source of electricity has led to a fundamental transition of the power supply system. The integration of fluctuating weather-dependent energy sources into the grid already has a major impact on the load flows of the grid. As a result, the interest in forecasting wind and solar radiation with a sufficient accuracy over short time horizons grew. In this study the short-term forecast of the effective cloud albedo based on optical flow estimation methods are investigated. The optical flow method utilized here is TV-L1 from the open source library OpenCV. This method uses a multi-scale-approach to capture cloud motions on various spatial scales. After the clouds are displaced the solar surface radiation will be calculated with SPECMAGIC NOW which computes the global irradiation spectrally resolved from satellite imagery. Due to a high temporal and spatial resolution of satellite measurements the effective cloud albedo and thus solar radiation can be forecasted from 5 minutes up to 4 hours with a resolution of 0.05°. In the following there will be a brief description of the method for the short-term forecast of the effective cloud albedo. Subsequently evaluation results will be presented and discussed. Finally an outlook of further developments will be given.
Intrinsic Run-time Row Hammer PUFs: Leveraging the Row Hammer Effect for Run-Time Cryptography and Improved Security
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Nikolaos Athanasios , Arul Tolga , Fan Yufan , Hatzfeld Christian , Schaller André , Xiong Wenjie , Jain Manishkumar , Saleem Muhammad Umair , Lotichius Jan , Gabmeyer Sebastian , Szefer Jakub , Katzenbeisser Stefan
Published: May 2018

Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) based on the retention times of the cells of a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) can be utilised for the implementation of cost-efficient and lightweight cryptographic protocols. However, as recent work has demonstrated, the times needed in order to generate their responses may prohibit their widespread usage. In order to address this issue, the Row Hammer PUF has been proposed by Schaller et al. [1], which leverages the row hammer effect in DRAM modules to reduce the retention times of their cells and, therefore, significantly speed up the generation times for the responses of PUFs based on these retention times. In this work, we extend the work of Schaller et al. by presenting a run-time accessible implementation of this PUF and further reducing the time required for the generation of its responses. Additionally, we also provide a more thorough investigation of the effects of temperature variations on the the Row Hammer PUF and briefly discuss potential statistical relationships between the cells used to implement it. As our results prove, the Row Hammer PUF could potentially provide an adequate level of security for Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) devices, if its dependency on temperature is mitigated, and, may therefore, be commercially adopted in the near future.
Changes of Colonic Bacterial Composition in Parkinson’s Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Gerhardt Sara , Mohajeri M. Hasan
Published: May 2018

In the last years evidence has emerged that neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are strongly associated with the microbiome composition in the gut. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most intensively studied neurodegenerative disease in this context. In this review, we performed a systematic evaluation of published literature comparing changes in colonic microbiome in PD to the ones observed in other NDs including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Multiple sclerosis (MS), Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To warrant comparability of different studies, only human case-control studies were included. Several studies showed an increase of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Verrucomicrobiaceae and Akkermansia in PD. A decrease in PD was observed of Faecalibacterium spp., Coprococcus spp., Blautia spp., Prevotella spp. and Prevotellaceae. On low taxonomic resolution, like phylum level, the changes are not disease specific and inconsistent. However, on higher taxonomic resolution like genus or species level, a minor overlap was observed between PD and MSA, both alpha synucleinopathies. We show that a methodical standardization of sample collection and analysis is necessary for ensuring the reproducibility and comparability of data. We also provide the evidence, that assessing the microbiota composition at high taxonomic resolution, reveals changes in relative abundance, that may be specific or characteristic for one disease, or a disease-group and might evolve discriminative power. The interactions between bacterial species and strains and moreover the co-abundances must be more deeply investigated before assumptions of the effects of specific bacteria on the host can be made with certainty.
High Surface Area Mesoporous Activated Carbon from Hemp Bast Fibre Using Hydrothermal Processing
Authors: Hossain Md Zakir , Wu Wei , Xu William Z. , Chowdhury Muhammad B.I. , Jhawar Anil Kumar , Machin Devin , Charpentier Paul A
Published: May 2018

Synthesis of activated carbon from waste biomass is of current interest towards sustainability. The properties of biomass derived activated carbon largely depends on the carbonization process. This study reports preparing extremel high surface area mesoporous activated carbon from hemp bast fibre using hydrothermal processing. Processing in hot water (390-500oC), then activation using KOH and NaOH was investigated at different loading ratios. The described approach was found to enhance the mesoporosity (centered at 3.0 to 4.5 nm) of the hemp derived activated carbon (HAC) from activation (confirmed by BJH pore size distribution and TEM imaging). BET results showed that the product has an extremely high surface area (2425 m2/g) while the surface functional groups (-OH, COOH, C=C/C-C) were confirmed and quantified by XPS and FTIR results. Increasing KOH concentration was found to enhance the surface area with an optimum biochar to KOH ratio of 1:3. The crystallite domain size of HAC was determined using Raman spectroscopy of different wavelengths. The procedure described in this study is an environmentally friendly scalable route for the mass production of activated carbon using hemp fiber.
A Method for Measuring the Real Part of the Weak Value of Spin for Metastable Atoms
Authors: Flack Robert , Monachello Vincenzo , Hiley Basil , Barker Peter
Published: May 2018

A method for measuring the real part of the weak value of spin for non-zero rest mass atoms is presented using a variant on the original Stern-Gerlach apparatus. The experiment utilises helium in the metastable 23S1 state. A full simulation for observing the real part of the weak value using the impulsive approximation has been carried out and it predicts a displacement of the beam, Δw, that is within the resolution of our detector. It also indicates how this shift might be increased. The full analysis also indicated that there is a limit, L, to the applicability of the weak value approximation and has been evaluated for our apparatus. This experiment has the possibility to be expanded to utilise other nobal gas species such as neon and argon in the 3P2 metastable state, but we shall restrict this paper to metastable helium only.
Respiratory Condition of Family Farmers Exposed to Pesticides in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Buralli Rafael J. , Ribeiro Helena , Mauad Thais , Amato-Lourenço Luís F. , Salge João M. , Diaz-Quijano Fredi A. , Leão Renata S. , Marques Rejane C. , Silva Daniele S. , Davée Guimarães Jean Remy
Published: May 2018

Pesticide exposure is a growing concern for public health. Although Brazil is the world's largest consumer of pesticides, few studies addressed the health effects among farmers. This study aimed to evaluate whether pesticide exposure is associated with respiratory outcomes among rural workers and relatives in Brazil during the crop and off-seasons. 82 family farmers were interviewed about occupational history and respiratory symptoms, and cholinesterase tests were conducted in the crop-season. Spirometry was performed during the crop and off-season. Respiratory outcomes were compared between seasons and multiple regressions were conducted to search for associations with exposure indicators. Participants were occupationally and environmentally exposed to multiple pesticides from an early age. During the crop and off-season, respectively, they presented a prevalence of 40% and 30.7% for cough, 30.7% and 24% for nasal allergies, and 24% and 17.3% for chest tightness. Significant relations between spirometry impairments and exposure indicators were found both during the crop and off-season. These findings provide complementary evidence about the association of pesticide exposure with adverse respiratory effects among family farmers in Brazil. This situation requires special attention as it may increase the risk of pulmonary dysfunctions, and the morbidity and mortality burden associated with these diseases.
Effect of Threshold Roll-Off on Static Noise Margin of Sram Cell
Authors: Ojha Sunil Kumar , Singh O.P. , Mishra G.R. , Vaya P.R.
Published: May 2018

Thethreshold roll-off is a vital phenomena to be considered for any low-power and small-scale circuit design. With the advancement of the fabrication processes the channel length of the transistors is reducing rapidly, this reduction in the channel length affects the threshold voltage of the transistors very severely. To evaluate the effect of channel reduction on the threshold voltage this paper analyzes the threshold roll-off by taking SRAM cell into consideration. The reason behind choosing SRAM cell is that now the IC’s are fabricated using system on chip (SOC) design technique and currently approximately 70-80% of the SOC area are covered by memories only. One of the most important Figure of Merit for SRAM cell is its Static Noise Margin (SNM) and hence the effect of threshold-roll is implemented with respect to SNM of the SRAM cell.
EQUALIZING THE BANK POSITION AND BUSINESSES IN CREDIT AGREEMENT WITH THE GUARANTEE OF MORTGAGE
Authors: Imanullah Najib
Published: May 2018

The Security Law, which regulates the land mortgage has significance meaning to move real sector, thus it can support the development of national economy. In this case, the traders, on the one hand, need capital for business activities, while on the other side of the capital owners seek to profit from their investment. Bank as an intermediary is required to be careful. An implementation of the precautionary principle is to have collateral for loans to businesses. One of the collateral is immovable asset (land), which is secured by the Mortgage. In practice, stipulation of mortgage is still more in favor of the bank. If this is allowed, it can be conditions that would adversely affect the parties. Thus, we need to make updates Security Law that balances position of banks and businesses, which in accordance with the attitude of mutual cooperation with based on the fundamental values which are reflected in the philosophical basis of the Indonesian nation.
FAIR AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT STANDARD IN NTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS
Authors: . Sefriani
Published: May 2018

In the last five years, the number of investors who suit against host state in the international arbitration forum increased significantly. Almost all lawsuits used fair and equitable treatment (FET) standard which has been violated by the host state. Most of international investment agreements including those that were made by Indonesia contain FET standard clauses. However, there are no definitions related to this standard. This condition potentially raises a very wide interpretation of the standard. The problem formulations in this article are how the history of FET is, where its position in international investment law is and what elements of FET standard are. The results show that the FET standard has existed since Havana Charter followed by various FCN, BIT and other international investment agreements. FET standard can be categorized as customary international, legally binding on all countries regardless their national law. Although there is no universal approval regarding the scope of FET standard, the writings which have been published and the arbitral tribunal decision mentions that those elements are legitimate expectation; due process; denial of justice; rule of law; non-discrimination; transparency; consistency, good faith, and reasonableness. 