bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Personal and Shared Frameshift Neoantigen Vaccines in a Mouse Mammary Cancer Model.
Authors: Peterson Milene , Murphy Sierra Nicole , Lainson John , Zhang Jian , Shen Luhui , Diehnelt Chris W , Johnston Stephen Albert
Published: February 2020

Background: It is widely hoped that personal cancer vaccines will extend the number of patients benefiting from checkpoint and other immunotherapies. However, it is clear creating such vaccines will be challenging. It requires obtaining and sequencing tumor DNA/RNA, predicting potentially immunogenic neoepitopes and manufacturing one-use vaccine. This process takes time and considerable cost. Importantly, most mutations will not produce an immunogenic peptide and many patient’s tumors do not contain enough DNA mutations to make a vaccine. We have discovered that Frameshift peptides (FSP) created from errors in the production of RNA rather than from DNA mutation are potentially a rich source of neoantigens for cancer vaccines. These errors are predictable, enabling the production of a FSP microarray. Previously we found that these microarrays can identify both personal and shared neoantigens.Methods: Here, we compared the performance of personal cancer vaccines (PCVs) with that of a shared antigen vaccine, termed Frameshift Antigen Shared Therapeutic (FAST) vaccine , using the 4T1 breast cancer model. Sera from 4T1-tumor bearing mice were assayed on the peptide microarray containing 200 FS neoantigens and for the PCV, the top 10 candidates were select and personal vaccines constructed and administrated to the respective mice. For the FAST, we selected the top 10 candidates with higher prevalence among all the mice challenged. Seven to 12-days challenged mice were immunized, combined or not with checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) (αPD-L1 and αCTLA-4). Primary and secondary tumor clearance and growth were evaluated as well as both cellular and humoral immune response against the vaccines targets by IFN-γ ELISPOT and ELISA. Lastly, we analyzed the immune response of the FAST-vaccinated mice by flow cytometry in comparison to control group.Results: We found that PCVs and FAST vaccines both reduced primary tumor incidence and growth as well as lung metastases when delivered as monotherapies or in combination with checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. Additionally, the FAST vaccine induces a robust and effective T-cell response.Conclusions: These results suggest that FSPs produced from RNA-based errors are potent neoantigens that could enable production of off-the-shelf shared antigen vaccines for solid tumors with efficacy comparable to that of PCVs.
The Genotoxin Colibactin Shapes Gut Microbiota in Mice
Authors: Tronnet Sophie , Floch Pauline , Lucarelli Laetitia , Gaillard Deborah , Martin Patricia , Serino Matteo , Oswald Eric
Published: February 2020

Background : The genotoxin colibactin produced by resident bacteria of the gut microbiota may have tumorigenic effect by inducing DNA double strand breaks in host cells. Yet, the effect of colibactin on gut microbiota composition and functions remains unknown.Results: To address this point, we designed an experiment in which pregnant mice were colonized with: i) a commensal E. coli strain, ii) a commensal E. coli strain plus a genotoxic E. coli strain, iii) a commensal E. coli strain plus a non-genotoxic E. coli mutant strain unable to produce mature colibactin. Then, we analysed the gut microbiota in pups at day 15 and day 35 after birth. At day 15, mice that were colonized at birth with the genotoxic strain showed lower levels of Proteobacteria and belonging taxa, a modest effect on overall microbial diversity and no effect on gut microbiome. At day 35, mice that received the genotoxic strain showed lower Firmicutes and belonging taxa, together with a strong effect on overall microbial diversity and higher microbial functions related to DNA repair. Moreover, the genotoxic strain strongly affected gut microbial diversity evolution of receiving pups between day 15 and day 35.Conclusions: our data show that colibactin, beyond targeting the host, may also exerce its genotoxic effect on the gut microbiota.
The care-givers of patients with persistent vegetative state have a terrible life: the result of a qualitative study
Authors: Alimohammadi Ehsan , Arast Atefeh , Abdi Alireza
Published: February 2020

Background persistent vegetative state (PVS) is one of the results of traumatic brain injury. These patients are hospitalized for a long time, and need more cares. The caregivers are first members who provide care and have some challenges accordingly. With regards to a lack of information in this issue, the current study was conducted to explore Iranian care-givers experiences of caring for PVS patients following traumatic brain injury. Methods this study was conducted as a descriptive phenomenological study in 2019. Semi- structured interviews were done on caregivers of PVS in a center of trauma in Iran. The interviews were recorded and wrote verbatim, then analyzed using seven steps of Collazi with management of MAXQUDA software. Guba and Lincoln`s criteria were used in favor of rigor, including credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability.Results twelve people participated in the study and five themes, and ten subthemes extracted from 428 codes. The themes were “falling into tensions”, “seeking peace”, “imposed therapeutic duties”, “preserve connection” and ‘unheard sounds ”. Conclusion In this study, the caregivers of PVS experienced some injuries and familial crises. They wished peace by praying and drain their feelings, also did some imposed duties, and tried to address all the needs of patient. They assessed patients’ signs daily and some information gap, therefore, wanted to obtain them by relationship with staff. The caregivers communicated with patients and hoped to recovery of patients. They were complained of accommodations and lack of staff visits.
Late-Onset Famılıal Medıterranean Fever: Sıngle-Center Experıence And Lıterature Revıew
Authors: Aydin Okan , Egeli Bugra Han , Ozdogan Huri , Ugurlu Serdal
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by recurrent fever and serositis attacks. The disease onset occurs before 20 years of age in 90% of patients. Rarely, the disease onset occurs after 40 years of age. Aim: We aimed to compare the patients with early and late-onset of disease. Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of 2020 patients registered in our FMF center in the years 2008-2017. Patients with disease onset after the age of 40 (Group 1) were collected. The control group (Group 2), disease onset before the age of 20, was randomly selected with twice amount of the study group. Demographic, clinical and genetic data were recorded. Results: Out of 2020 patients, 41 were in group 1 (2.02%). The male to female ratio was 1:1.7 in both groups. The delay of diagnosis was 5.6±5.75 years in group 1, 10.7±12.3 years in group 2. In terms of clinical features, the only significant difference between two groups belonged to fever seen in 26 (63.4%) patients in group 1 and 67 (81.7%) patients in group 2 (p=0,026). M694V mutation frequency was higher in group 2 whereas exon 2 mutation frequency was higher in group 1. The mean colchicine dose in the 6 months was 1.38±0.64 mg in group 1, 1.61±0.47 mg in group 2. Discussion: In patients with late disease onset, the results of decreased mean colchicine dose during the last 6 months, decreased fever ratio, and increased exon 2 mutation frequency might point out to mild disease severity. Keywords: Familial Mediterranean Fever, late-onset, early-onset, MEFV mutation, colchicine
Evaluation of WGS-subtyping methods for epidemiological surveillance of foodborne salmonellosis.
Authors: Mohammed Manal , Thapa Salina
Published: February 2020

Background: Salmonellosis is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide. Although human infection by non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) enterica subspecies enterica is associated primarily with a self-limiting diarrhoeal illness, invasive bacterial infections (such as septicaemia, bacteraemia and meningitis) were also reported. Human outbreaks of NTS were reported in several countries all over the world including developing as well as high-income countries. Conventional laboratory methods such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) do not display adequate discrimination and have their limitations in epidemiological surveillance. It is therefore very crucial to use accurate, reliable and highly discriminative subtyping methods for epidemiological characterisation and outbreak investigation. Methods: Here, we used different whole genome sequence (WGS)-based subtyping methods for retrospective investigation of two different outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Dublin that occurred in 2013 in UK and Ireland respectively. Results: The core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) was discriminatory and separated the outbreak strains of Salmonella Dublin from the non-outbreak strains that were concordant with the epidemiological data however cgMLST could not discriminate between outbreak and non-outbreak strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, On the other hand, other WGS-based subtyping methods including multilocus sequence typing (MLST), ribosomal MLST (rMLST), whole genome MLST (wgMLST), clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs), prophage sequence profiling, antibiotic resistance profile and plasmid typing methods were less discriminatory. Conclusions: Foodborne salmonellosis is an important concern for public health therefore, it is crucial to use accurate, reliable and highly discriminative subtyping methods for epidemiological surveillance and outbreak investigation. The rapid development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics tools have enabled WGS of any bacterial strain feasible. Various typing tools have been proposed by using WGS data but currently, the adoption of WGS-based methods have proved to be difficult due to lack of standardization. There are many layers on obtaining WGS data and there is need of standardization from the type of sequencers used to the bioinformatics analysis. Therefore, the emerging genetic analysis techniques should be combined with conventional phenotypic and molecular methods for routine surveillance and outbreak investigation until the WGS-based methods can be fully exploited, improved and standardized.
Recombinant PAL/PilE/FlaA DNA vaccine provides protective immunity against Legionella pneumophila in BALB/c mice
Authors: Chen Yingying , Yang Zehui , Dong Ying , Chen Yu
Published: February 2020

Background: Legionella pneumophila (L.pneumophila), a Gram-negative small microorganism, causes hospital-acquired pneumonia especially in immunocompromised patients. Vaccination may be an effective method for preventing L.pneumophila infection. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a better vaccine against this disease. In this study, we developed a recombinant peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL)/type IV pilin (PilE)/lagellin (FlaA) DNA vaccine and evaluated its immunogenicity and efficacy to protect against L.pneumophila infection.Results: According to the results, the expression of PAL, PilE, FlaA proteins and PAL/PilE/FlaA fusion protein in 293 cells was confirmed. Immunization with PAL/PilE/FlaA DNA vaccine resulted in highest IgG titer and strongest cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response. Furthermore, the histopathological changes in lung tissues of mice challenged with a lethal dose of L.pneumophila were alleviated by PAL/PilE/FlaA DNA vaccine immunization. The production of T-helper-1 (Th1) cytokines (IFNγ, TGF-α, and IL-12), and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) were promoted in PAL/PilE/FlaA DNA vaccine group. Finally, immunized with PAL/PilE/FlaA vaccine raised the survival rate of mice to 100% after challenged with a lethal dose of L.pneumophila for 10 consecutive days.Conclusions: Our study suggests that the newly developed PAL/PilE/FlaA DNA vaccine stimulates strong humoral and cellular immune responses and may be a potential intervention of L.pneumophila infection.
Caloric restriction attenuates C57BL/6J mouse lung injury and systemic toxicity induced by real ambient particulate matter exposure
Authors: Li Daochuan , Chen Shen , Li Qiong , Chen Liping , Zhang Haiyan , Li Huiyao , Yu Dianke , Zhang Rong , Niu Yujie , Lu Shaoyou , Ye Lizhu , Zeng Xiaowen , Dong Guanghui , Chen Rui , Aschner Michael , Zheng Yuxin , Chen Wen
Published: February 2020

Background: Caloric restriction (CR) is known to improve health and extend life span in human beings. The effects of CR on adverse health outcomes in response to particulate matter (PM) exposure and the underlying mechanisms have yet to be defined. Results: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with CR diet or ad libitum (AL) and exposed to PM for 4 weeks in a real-ambient PM exposure system located at Shijiazhuang, China, with a daily mean concentration (95.77 μg/m³) of PM 2.5. Compared to AL-fed mice, CR-fed mice attenuated PM-induced pulmonary injury and systemic toxicity characterized by reduction in oxidative stress, DNA damage and inflammation. Analysis of RNA sequencing revealed that several pulmonary pathways involved in production of ROS, cytokine production, and inflammatory cell activation were inactivated, while those mediating antioxidant generation and DNA repair were activated in CR-fed mice upon PM exposure. In addition, transcriptome analysis of murine livers revealed that CR led to induction of xenobiotic metabolism and detoxification pathways, corroborated by increased levels of urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and decreased cytotoxicity measured in an ex vivo assay. Conclusion: These novel results demonstrate, for the first time, that CR in mice confers resistance against pulmonary injuries and systemic toxicity induced by PM exposure. CR led to activation of xenobiotic metabolism and enhanced detoxification of PM-bound chemicals. These findings provide evidence that dietary intervention may afford therapeutic means to reduce the health risk associated with PM exposure. Keywords: Caloric restriction, particulate matter, pulmonary injury, systemic effects, RNA sequencing, xenobiotic metabolism.
Infection of highly insecticide-resistant malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii with an environment friendly entomopathogenic bacteria Chromobacterium violaceum reduces its survival, blood feeding propensity and fecundity
Authors: Gnambani Edounou Jacques , Bilgo Etienne , Sanou Adama , Dabire Roch K. , Diabate Abdoulaye
Published: February 2020

Background This is now a concern that malaria eradication will not be achieved without the introduction of novel control tools. Microbiological control might be able to make a greater contribution to vector control in the future. The interactions between bacteria and mosquito make mosquito microbiota really promising from a disease control perspective. Here, we studied the impact of Chromobacterium violaceum infections isolated from both larvae and adult of wild caught Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes in Burkina Faso on mosquito survival, blood feeding and fecundity propensy.Methods To assess entomopathogenic effects of C. violaceum infection on mosquitoes, three different types of bioassays were performed in laboratory. These bioassays were the impact of C.violaceum infection on mosquito survival, blood feeding and fecundity, respectively. During bioassays mosquitoes were infected through the well-established system of cotton ball soaked with 6% glucose containing C.violaceum.Results C. violaceum kills pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes An. coluzzii (LT80 of 8.78 ± 0.18 at 10 8 bacteria cell/ml of sugar meal). Interestingly, this bacterium had other negative effects on mosquito lifespan by significantly reducing (~59%, P<0.001) the mosquito feeding willingness from day 4-post infection (~81% would seek a host to blood feed) to 9- day post infection (22 ± 4.62% would seek a host to blood feed). Moreover, C. violaceum considerably jeopardized the egg laying (~16 eggs laid /mosquitoes with C. violaceum infected mosquitoes vs ~129 eggs laid / mosquitoes with control mosquitoes) and hatching of mosquitoes (A reduction of ~22 % of hatching rate with C. violaceum infected mosquitoes). Compared to the bacterial uninfected mosquitoes, mosquitoes infected with C. violaceum showed indeed significantly higher retention rates of immature eggs and follicles.Conclusion These data showed important properties of Burkina Faso C. violaceum strains , which are highly virulent against insecticide resistant Anopheles coluzzii , and reduce both mosquito blood feeding and fecundity propensities. However, additional studies as the sequencing of C. violaceum genome and the potential toxins secreted will certainly provide useful information render it a potential candidate for the biological control strategies of malaria and other disease vectors.
Oxytocin Use in Trial of Labor after Cesarean and Its Relationship with Risk of Uterine Rupture in Women with One Previous Cesarean Section: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies.
Authors: ZHANG Huan , LIU Haiyan , LUO Shouling , Gu Weirong
Published: February 2020

Background Trial of labor after a previous cesarean delivery (TOLAC) has helped to reduce the rate of cesarean section (CS). But the increased rate of adverse outcomes limites the spread of TOLAC. The most serious one is the risk of symptomatic uterine rupture, which is possibly associated with oxytocin. This meta-analysis was to evaluate the risk association between oxytocin use and uterine rupture in TOLAC. Methods Multiple electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched for case-control or cross-sectional studies about TOLAC, oxytocin and uterine rupture, which were published between January 1986 and October 2019. The bias-corrected Hedge's g was calculated as the effect size using the random-effects model. The risk of bias was evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Quality of the evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) certainty ratings system. Results There were 14 studies meeting inclusion criteria including 48457 women undergoing TOLAC. The pooled rate of VBAC and rate of uterine rupture in spontaneous labor were 74.3% and 0.7%. And the pooled rate of VBAC and rate of uterine rupture in induction labor were 60.7% and 2.2%. The women with spontaneous labor had significantly higher rate of VBAC (p=0.0032) and lower rate of uterine rupture (p=0.0003) than that with induction labor. The pooled rates of uterine rupture in women using oxytocin and women not using oxytocin in TOLAC were 1.4% and 0.5%. There was significant difference between these two groups (p=0.0002). Conclusions In TOLAC, women with induction labor had higher risk of uterine rupture than that with spontaneous labor. Oxytocin use may increase the risk. So simplified and standardized intrapartum management, precise procotol and cautiously monitoring of oxytocin in TOLAC are necessary.
The Impact of Keratoconus Apex’s Slope on Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity
Authors: Liduma Sanita , Luguzis Artis , Krumina Gunta
Published: February 2020

Background: The image optical quality is affected by changes in corneal shape of patients with keratoconus. The goal of this study was to explore which corneal parameters determine the visual quality in keratoconus subjects, which corneal slope parameter has the strongest correlation with visual quality and contrast sensitivity. Methods: The study covered eyes of 77 subjects, graded from the first to third keratoconus stages. To characterize the shape of cornea, we obtained measurements in two ways: (a) projected two perpendicular axes onto a cornea – the main axis passed through the central point of the cornea (visual axis projection) and keratoconus apex, while the second axis was perpendicular to the main axis – and read elevation values at points on theses axis; (b) projected circles with different diameters around the central part of the cornea (1, 2 and 3 mm) and read elevation values at points equally displaced on these circles. The measurements were used to calculate various elevation change (slope) parameters. Results: According to the acquired data, the visual acuity of a corrected eye does not have a strong correlation with the measured keratoconus apex slope. Contrast sensitivity displayed a strong correlation with keratoconus slope in the central part of the cornea (with a radius of 1 mm). Correlations in different spatial frequencies ranging from 0.47 to 0.6. Conclusion: Contrast sensitivity is more important parameter which describes the visual quality of keratoconus subjects than visual acuity. The most important region which determines the visual quality in keratoconus subjects is the region with a 1 mm radius of the corneal centre in the opposite direction of keratoconus apex.
THE ISSUE SUSTAINABILITY STARTUP FINANCING DURING THE LIFE CYCLE
Authors: Kasianenko V. , Kotenko N.
Published: February 2020

Around the world, lack of funds and poor choice of investors are causing the death of the vast majority of startups right from the very beginning of their existence. Research on problems and prospects for start-ups in Ukraine focuses primarily on the search and improvement of macroeconomic tools and methods, while foreign resources offer specific practical recommendations that are chaotic, aimed at solving "point" problems, and do not contain a generalized methodological framework. The article clarifies the meaningful characteristics of startups - time constraints (10 years), stages of business cycles (pre-seed, seed, startup, growth, expansion, maturity, and possible exit), and fundraising. An analysis of the structure of sources of funding for start-ups in the European Union has shown that most founders rely on their own resources and the help of friends and relatives; the least involved fundraising tools are loans, IPOs, and ISOs. On the other hand, business angels and venture capital are active mainly in the "adult" stages of startup development. These findings enabled the authors to systematize the fundraising sources according to the stages of the startup development and to identify the vulnerable elements that threaten the sustainability of the fundraising startups, which is defined as the ability to implement the program or project and maintain the positive results in the long run. An analysis of approaches to assessing the level of sustainability of funding has led to the conclusion that in order to fundraise effectively for startups, it is important not only to diversify sources of funding but to select the right types of resources that will meet the project's mission and founders' expectations. In view of this, the authors propose to divide all types of fundraising sources into three categories: internal, supportive or neutral, and external. Such a division, supported by the motivational characteristics of the startup for its founder, allows authors to take into account the individual constraints and capabilities of each source and maximize the benefit and sustainability of funding. The work identifies the most vulnerable interstage transition in the startup lifecycle and proposes to use an additional source of fundraising, to support the local community, to ensure financial sustainability.
Keywords:
startup, startup lifecycle, fundraising, sustainability of fundraising, public funding.
RELIABILITY TO BANKS: AN OVERVIEW OF WORLD AND DOMESTIC APPROACHES TO DETERMINING CONTENT AND MAIN CHANNELS OF IMPACT
Authors: Buriak A. , Lasukova A.
Published: February 2020

Restoring trust in banks is one of the measures to ensure the implementation of the nationwide banking sector rehabilitation program. The article summarizes the world and domestic experience of researching trust in banks by identifying the main approaches and characteristics of its manifestation. The main direction is characterized by the search and identification of key factors that affect the level of trust in banks, their assessment, taking into account the peculiarities of the country. Domestic experience indicates the importance and feasibility of creating a favorable macro- and microeconomic climate in the country. It has been determined that the manifestation of public trust in banks can be assessed through financial and non-financial aspects. The financial aspect of assessing bank trust is based on the using of quantitative indicators, the non-financial aspect is an approach of assessing bank trust by finding and identifying factors that affect the level of trust in banks that can be managed and predicted to prevent crisis-related phenomena. Non-financial factors include socio-demographic indicators (gender, age, marital status, education, income, access to information); religious, political and economic values, determinants at the country level (GDP per capita, financial crisis, deposit insurance and bank concentration in the country). According to the group of socio - demographic indicators, women trust banks more than men; trust in banks tends to increase with income; by age and education - decreases; different media channels for getting information have different effects on trust. According to the group of religious values - trust in banks by religious people is higher and depends on religious denominations. Political and economic values have a positive and significant impact on the level of trust, namely wealth, social assistance and democracy. Keywords: level of trust, financial sector, trust in banks.
BANKING INNOVATION AS A FACTOR IN STRENGTHENING CONFIDENCE AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Authors: Kryvych Ia. , Dranitsyna A.
Published: February 2020

The purpose of the article is the development of the definition and concept of "banking innovations". The classification of banking innovations is proposed and includes product (development of new or modification of existing banking products), process (improvement of banking business processes), marketing (innovations in sales channels and marketing communications of banks), technological (related to the development of technical bank capabilities) and management (changes in the organizational structure of banks, mechanisms of planning, control, incentives, etc.). The research proves the concept of "banking innovations" can be applied to all innovations in bank functioning.

This paper distinguishes definition between finance and banking innovations. Finance innovations are related to the creation and dissemination of new financial instruments as well as financial technologies, institutions and markets. The concept of "banking innovation" should be understood as a process with focus on developing new or improving existing banking products (services), technology of their promotion, as well as new innovative methods of managing banking institutions in order to obtain additional income and competitive advantages.
The chronology of the most important banking technologies development is analyzed in this article. Correlations between the innovative activity of banks, technological and scientific achievements of humankind are found.Key trends of development of the banking services market (contactless payment, biometric identification, digital wallets and QR codes, Internet of Things, cryptocurrency, fintech movement) are identified and characterized. The paper is emphasizes the connection between banks' innovation activities, the formation of customer loyalty and the increasing of trust to banks.
Keywords:
banking innovation, financial innovation, trust, loyalty.
FORMATION BASIS OF ENERGY REFORM WITH "SMART" TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Vakulenko I. , Kolosok S. , Pryimenko S. , Matvieieva Iu.
Published: February 2020

The Ukrainian energy system is one of the least efficient in the world. In terms of energy intensity, GDP is one of the last places in the corresponding world rankings. The need to reduce energy consumption of production is a key driver of reforming the energy sector of Ukraine's economy. Ukraine's international commitments and strategic course for integration with the European Union set priorities in the country's energy policy. Ukraine's energy strategy reflects key areas for the future development of the industry and is developed in the light of global trends and experience of the European Union. However, the implementation of the strategy requires a number of measures, including the adaptation of national legislation to the requirements of the European Union in order to form a new model of a competitive energy market. In addition, an important aspect of energy reform is the innovative nature of the measures envisaged for implementation. In particular, particular attention should be paid to the application of technologies that will form the basis of the energy system in the medium to long term. Such technologies include, in particular, “smart” grids that require a systematic approach to scale them up.
The article deals with the reasons of low energy efficiency of the Ukrainian economy and the dynamics of the energy intensity index of the gross domestic product of Ukraine from the early 90s to the present and its relation with the world average. The structure of the country's energy balance and transformation of the electricity market are considered as one of the key directions of reforming the country's energy system. In addition, the article identifies that the development of "smart" energy networks is today an alternative direction for the development of electricity. The importance of continuous support of energy market participants for the formation of favorable business and investment environment is identified, as well as the potential consequences of state policy fluctuations of energy market actors on the example of solar energy support in Ukraine are identified.
Keywords:
"smart" grids, energy, GDP, energy strategy.
Short-term Low Oxygen Treatment Immediately After Planting Alters Asparagus officinalis var. UC157’s Harvest Timing
Authors: Li Ling , Watanabe Takashi , Uragami Atsuko , Kitazawa Hiroaki , Wang Xiangyou
Published: February 2020

To control asparagus harvest timing, we investigated the effects of short-term low (5%) oxygen (O2) treatment in the cultivation area on asparagus growth and yield using a closed cultivation system. During 120 days of cultivation, low O2 treatments were initiated at 0 to 4, 20 to 24, and 40 to 44 days after planting (DAP). The sprouting spears and control crown yield gradually decreased with increasing DAP. However, low O2 treatment at 0 to 4 DAP significantly delayed the decrease until 80 DAP, although the total yield did not change during cultivation. In contrast, low O2 treatments at 20 to 24 and 40 to 44 DAP did not affect yield performance. Taken together, short-term low O2 treatment immediately after planting can change the harvest timing of white asparagus and can be used for effective asparagus culturing in a closed system, such as a plant factory.
Experimental evaluation of spur dikes placement position effect on the hydraulic and erosion conditions of intakes
Authors: Zamani Mostafa , Rabiefar Hamidreza , Rostami Mohammad
Published: February 2020

The use of spur dikes have been recently considered by researchers in order to change the direction or flow regime in the lateral intake. In this study, the effect of spur dikes on increasing the intake discharge has been examined to minimize turbulence, erosion and sedimentation. Five experimental models in two different discharges were used. The model without the spur dike is the control model, and spur dikes in the other models were placed upstream and in the direction of the intake; upstream and in front of the intake; downstream and in front of intake; and also upstream and in front of intake as a form of spur dike series. The results showed that the spur dikes downstream and in front of the intake had the highest input discharge to the intake in both discharge states. A lower rate of erosion and sedimentation was achieved when the spur dike was located upstream of the channel.
Review on biological wastewater treatment and resources recovery: attached and suspended growth systems
Authors: Machineni Lakshmi
Published: February 2020

The treatment of wastewater for reuse is a potential solution to meet ever increasing urban, industrial, agricultural, and environmental demands across the world, where clean water availability is scarce. There are several traditional wastewater treatment processes that offer varying degrees of effectiveness in addition to presenting environmental, economic, and social disadvantages. Development of promising and inexpensive technologies to provide the reusable water in needful amounts using wastewaters as a cheap source of key nutrients and organic matter is required. Wastewater treatment by biological methods is becoming more important in the light of recovering value-added plant nutrients, heavy metals, biosolids, and bioenergy resources. Different types of solid contaminants in effluents can be removed simultaneously by pure cultures or mixed microbial consortia. Based on the structural organization of microbial biomass, biological treatment systems are classified into two types: dispersed growth system and attached growth system. Biological treatment methods associated with fixed-film growth have been recognized as highly effective and more energy efficient than suspended growth systems. This review discusses the recent breakthroughs in advanced biological wastewater treatment using both the systems, and also focuses on key energetic resources recovery driven by biological technologies.
La cartografía histórica como fuente para el estudio del paisaje cultural marítimo de la Bahía de Cádiz. Una propuesta analítica y metodológica
Authors: Gómez-Muñoz María Soledad
Published: February 2020

En el presente trabajo proponemos un método de estudio sustentado en la información que nos proporciona la cartografía histórica, aplicado al caso de la Bahía de Cádiz, al sur de la Península Ibérica; método basado en la corriente de estudio de los paisajes culturales marítimos formulados, por primera vez, por Chister Westerdahl. Gracias a esta metodología, hemos podido estudiar la evolución de cada uno de los factores que componen el paisaje marítimo de la Bahía; sobre todo los aspectos relacionados con el contexto físico del paisaje, además de otros elementos vinculados directamente con el desarrollo de las actividades del hombre en el ámbito marítimo, o elementos que ponen en evidencia esa idiosincrasia característica de una comunidad costera. En líneas generales podríamos decir que, esterabajo ejemplifica la utilidad de la cartografía histórica en estudios del paisaje, en donde paulatinamente va adquiriendo mayor peso como fuente de documentación primaria; sin obviar el carácter interdisciplinar e integrador tan representativos de este tipo de análisis.
Economía e intensificación agrícola: Variabilidad en trayectorias de cambio agrícola en la América Prehispánica
Authors: Vargas Juan Carlos
Published: February 2020

El paso de una economía de subsistencia a una economía política ha sido considerado como una de las transformaciones fundamentales para el surgimiento de sociedades complejas. El desarrollo de estrategias agrícolas intensivas que permitió la acumulación de excedentes se ha argumentado, fue una condición necesaria para la aparición de jerarquías regionales en distintas partes del mundo. Una de las principales evidencias que los arqueólogos han usado para demostrar la relación entre agricultura y el surgimiento de la desigualdad social ha sido el paisaje, el cual ha sido modificado mediante la implementación de estructuras a través del tiempo por las sociedades humanas alrededor del mundo. La elaboración de terrazas, campos elevados, sistemas hidráulicos para el cultivo, ha sido relacionada con procesos de intensificación económica y organización política centralizada. Este artículo presenta una discusión a partir de la revisión de los modelos arqueológicos de economía política en los que la construcción de estructuras para la producción de excedentes alimentarios fue crítica para el surgimiento de desigualdad social. Para esto se presenta un análisis comparativo de distintos casos de sociedades complejas provenientes de Colombia y otras regiones de América entre los que se encuentran los Llanos de Casanare, la región Calima; la región del Valle Black Warrior (Mississippi - Estados Unidos); los Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia), la Isla de Marajo (Brasil), la región de Yaguachi (Ecuador) y los Llanos de Barinas (Venezuela). Se plantea que, así como arqueológicamente se han identificado distintas trayectorias de cambio social en el pasado, también existieron distintas trayectorias de cambio agrícola, las cuales guardan relación con el surgimiento de desigualdad y complejidad social.   Palabras clave: Cambio agrícola, sociedades complejas, arqueología del paisaje.
Nadine Mooren: Hegel und die Religion
Authors: Mathorne William
Published: February 2020

Rezension von Nadine Mooren: Hegel und die Religion – Eine Untersuchung zum Verhältnis von Religion, Philosophie und Theologie in Hegels System. Hegel-Studien, Beiheft 66. Hamburg: Meiner 2018.
Design research on applied Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) approach in teaching math for vocational college
Authors: Edo Sri Imelda , Tasik Wahyuni Fanggi
Published: February 2020

Several studies documented that mathematics, as it is taught in general secondary education, is far away from what is needed for most fields of vocational practice. Some studies found that workplace mathematics demands are very different from traditional mathematics taught in classrooms. Therefore, this study aims to design a learning trajectory for teaching mathematics in vocational college, oriented on the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) approach to improve students’ understanding and motivation in learning mathematics. Design research was chosen as an appropriate method to answer the research questions and achieve the research goals. Design research methods consist of three phases, namely preliminary design, experiment, and retrospective analysis. The research result shows that the learning trajectory can improve students’ understanding. Students enjoy the learning process and give a very enthusiastic response.
Effectiveness of Text Message Interventions for Weight Management in Adolescents: Systematic Review
Authors: Partridge Stephanie Ruth , Raeside Rebecca , Singleton Anna , Hyun Karice , Redfern Julie
Published: February 2020

Background

The incidence of obesity among adolescents is increasing. Text messages are a primary communication form for adolescents and potentially a scalable strategy for delivering population health interventions.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of text message interventions in reducing BMI in adolescents and describe characteristics that are common to effective interventions.

Methods

This systematic review included randomized controlled trials of text message lifestyle interventions involving adolescents aged 10 to 19 years with outcomes focused on obesity prevention or management. Primary outcome was objective or self-report change in BMI.

Results

In total, 4362 records were identified, and 215 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. A total of 8 unique studies were identified, including 767 participants, mean age 14.3 (SD 0.9) years, BMI 29.7 (SD 1.6) kg/m2 and 53.1% (407/767) female (31/101, 30.7%-172/172, 100.0%). All interventions were multicomponent. The median active intervention period was 4.5 months. During the active and extended intervention phases, text messages accounted for >50% (8 studies) and >85% (3 studies) of contact points, respectively. Text messages were heterogeneous, with a median of 1.5 text messages sent per week (range: 1-21). A total of 4 studies utilized two-way text message communication with health professionals Of the 8 studies, 7 demonstrated reductions in BMI or BMI z-score in the intervention group compared with the control at the end of the final follow-up. The effect was only statistically significant in 1 study at 6 months. Over 6 months, reductions in BMI (kg/m2) ranged from 1.3% to 4.5% and BMI z-score ranged from 4.2% to 28.1%. Overall quality of the studies was low.

Conclusions

Further research is required to elucidate the effectiveness and potential impact of text message interventions on weight and weight-related behaviors in adolescents.
Web-Supported Social Network Testing for HIV Among Men Who Have Sex With Men With a Migration Background: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Pilot Study (Preprint)
Authors: Op de Coul Eline , den Daas Chantal , Spijker Ralph , Heijman Titia , de Vos Marvin , Götz Hannelore , Vermey Koenraad , Zuilhof Wim , Van den Boogaard Jossy , Davidovich Udi , Zuure Freke ,   PREVENT Collaborators
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Of newly diagnosed HIV positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Netherlands, 29% have a non-Western migration background (MSM-NW). Among MSM-NW, HIV positivity rates are high (0.8%-2.0%), as is the proportion of late stage infections (39%). Factors such as HIV and sexual orientation–related stigma may form barriers for timely testing. Innovative approaches for HIV testing are needed to better reach MSM-NW. Social network testing (SNT) for HIV is an evidence-supported approach where peer recruiters identify persons (network associates) who could benefit from testing in their social or sexual networks. Web-supported SNT might be particularly promising for reaching people who may not be reached by regular care.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of our pilot PREVENT (Peer-Empowered Voluntary Extended Network Testing). In this pilot, we will explore whether SNT using HIV self-tests is feasible and acceptable among MSM-NW in the Netherlands and whether it reaches those who were never or not recently tested for HIV (>1 year ago).

METHODS

The project aims to include 50 to 60 MSM and MSM-NW peers who will distribute 4 to 5 oral HIV self-tests each aiming to reach 200 network associates (NAs). Enrollment of peers includes 4 steps: (1) fostering interest in becoming a peer by health care professionals at sexual health clinics, HIV treatment clinics, and community settings; (2) sending peer contact information to the peer coordinator; (3) registering peers and giving program instructions by the peer coordinator and referring to the Web-based training at time2test; and (4) receiving precoded HIV self-tests for distribution in the peers’ networks. NAs who receive the self-test will log in with their test package code in the time2test application for step-by-step test instructions. After testing is complete, NAs receive tailored follow-up information depending on their test result.

RESULTS

Between January and May 2019, 10 STI clinics and 7 HIV treatment clinics started recruiting peers. Results of the PREVENT pilot are expected in December 2020.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first Web-supported peer-driven SNT pilot using HIV self-tests in the Netherlands and one of the first in Europe. Implementation is considered successful if it reaches MSM-NW who were never or not recently tested for HIV. Additionally, it may encourage conversations within the networks about risk behavior and barriers to HIV testing, potentially contributing to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS goal of zero HIV infections.

CLINICALTRIAL

Netherlands Trial Registry NL7424; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7424

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/14743
Supervised Digital Neuropsychological Tests for Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: Usability and Clinical Validity Study (Preprint)
Authors: Lunardini Francesca , Luperto Matteo , Romeo Marta , Basilico Nicola , Daniele Katia , Azzolino Domenico , Damanti Sarah , Abbate Carlo , Mari Daniela , Cesari Matteo , Borghese Nunzio Alberto , Ferrante Simona
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Dementia is a major and growing health problem, and early diagnosis is key to its management.

OBJECTIVE

With the ultimate goal of providing a monitoring tool that could be used to support the screening for cognitive decline, this study aims to develop a supervised, digitized version of 2 neuropsychological tests: Trail Making Test and Bells Test. The system consists of a web app that implements a tablet-based version of the tests and consists of an innovative vocal assistant that acts as the virtual supervisor for the execution of the test. A replay functionality is added to allow inspection of the user’s performance after test completion.

METHODS

To deploy the system in a nonsupervised environment, extensive functional testing of the platform was conducted, together with a validation of the tablet-based tests. Such validation had the two-fold aim of evaluating system usability and acceptance and investigating the concurrent validity of computerized assessment compared with the corresponding paper-and-pencil counterparts.

RESULTS

The results obtained from 83 older adults showed high system acceptance, despite the patients’ low familiarity with technology. The system software was successfully validated. A concurrent validation of the system reported good ability of the digitized tests to retain the same predictive power of the corresponding paper-based tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, the positive results pave the way for the deployment of the system to a nonsupervised environment, thus representing a potential efficacious and ecological solution to support clinicians in the identification of early signs of cognitive decline.
Visualization Environment for Federated Knowledge Graphs: Development of an Interactive Biomedical Query Language and Web Application Interface (Preprint)
Authors: Cox Steven , Ahalt Stanley C , Balhoff James , Bizon Chris , Fecho Karamarie , Kebede Yaphet , Morton Kenneth , Tropsha Alexander , Wang Patrick , Xu Hao
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Efforts are underway to semantically integrate large biomedical knowledge graphs using common upper-level ontologies to federate graph-oriented application programming interfaces (APIs) to the data. However, federation poses several challenges, including query routing to appropriate knowledge sources, generation and evaluation of answer subsets, semantic merger of those answer subsets, and visualization and exploration of results.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop an interactive environment for query, visualization, and deep exploration of federated knowledge graphs.

METHODS

We developed a biomedical query language and web application interphase—termed as Translator Query Language (TranQL)—to query semantically federated knowledge graphs and explore query results. TranQL uses the Biolink data model as an upper-level biomedical ontology and an API standard that has been adopted by the Biomedical Data Translator Consortium to specify a protocol for expressing a query as a graph of Biolink data elements compiled from statements in the TranQL query language. Queries are mapped to federated knowledge sources, and answers are merged into a knowledge graph, with mappings between the knowledge graph and specific elements of the query. The TranQL interactive web application includes a user interface to support user exploration of the federated knowledge graph.

RESULTS

We developed 2 real-world use cases to validate TranQL and address biomedical questions of relevance to translational science. The use cases posed questions that traversed 2 federated Translator API endpoints: Integrated Clinical and Environmental Exposures Service (ICEES) and Reasoning Over Biomedical Objects linked in Knowledge Oriented Pathways (ROBOKOP). ICEES provides open access to observational clinical and environmental data, and ROBOKOP provides access to linked biomedical entities, such as “gene,” “chemical substance,” and “disease,” that are derived largely from curated public data sources. We successfully posed queries to TranQL that traversed these endpoints and retrieved answers that we visualized and evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

TranQL can be used to ask questions of relevance to translational science, rapidly obtain answers that require assertions from a federation of knowledge sources, and provide valuable insights for translational research and clinical practice.