bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
JZL184 protects hippocampal neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injury via activating Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway
Authors: Xu Jing , Guo Qinyue , Huo Kang , Song Yinxue , Li Na , Du Junkai
Published: December 2020

JZL184 is a selective inhibitor of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) that has neuroprotective effect. However, the role of JZL184 in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the exact mechanism have not been fully understood. This study was designed to elucidate the role of JZL184 in cerebral I/R injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in hippocampal neurons. Hippocampal neurons were pretreated with various concentrations of JZL184 for 2 h, followed by OGD for 3 h and reoxygen for 24 h. Our results showed that JZL184 improved cell viability in hippocampal neurons in response to OGD/R. JZL184 treatment significantly inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities in OGD/R-induced hippocampal neurons. The increased TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 productions in OGD/R-induced hippocampal neurons were decreased after treatment with JZL184. Moreover, the OGD/R-caused intense TUNEL staining in hippocampal neurons was attenuated by JZL184. JZL184 treatment prevented OGD/R-caused increases in bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression and a decrease in bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, JZL184 treatment significantly promoted the activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway in OGD/R-induced hippocampal neurons. Additionally, silencing of Nrf2 reversed the protective effect of JZL184 on hippocampal neurons under OGD/R condition. Taken together, these findings suggested that JZL184 exerted protective effect against OGD/R-induced injury in hippocampal neurons via activating Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, which provided in vitro experimental support for the therapeutic benefit of JZL184 in cerebral ischemia.
Sestrin2 protects against traumatic brain injury by reinforcing the activation of Nrf2 signaling
Authors: Liu Xiaobin , Li Min , Zhu Jiabao , Huang Weidong , Song Jinning
Published: December 2020

Sestrin2 (SESN2) is stress-inducible protein that confers cytoprotective effects against various noxious stimuli. Accumulating evidence has documented that SESN2 has potent anti-apoptosis and anti-oxidative stress functions. However, whether it provides neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury (TBI) models remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to explore the regulatory effect of SESN2 on TBI using in vivo and in vitro models. We found that TBI resulted in a marked induction of SESN2 in the cerebral cortex tissues of mice. SESN2 overexpression in the brain by in vivo gene transfer significantly decreased neurological deficit, brain edema, and neuronal apoptosis of mice with TBI. Moreover, the overexpression of SESN2 significantly decreased the oxidative stress induced by TBI in mice. In vitro studies of TBI demonstrated that SESN2 overexpression decreased apoptosis and oxidative stress in scratch-injured cortical neurons. Notably, SESN2 overexpression increased the nuclear levels of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and enhanced the activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling in in vivo and in vitro models of TBI. In addition, the inhibition of Nrf2 significantly abolished SESN2-mediated neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, these results of our work demonstrate that SESN2 protects against TBI by enhancing the activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling.
Risk Factors for Child Death During an Intimate Partner Homicide: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Lyons Vivian H. , Adhia Avanti , Moe Caitlin A. , Kernic Mary A. , Schiller Madeline , Bowen Andrew , Rivara Frederick P. , Rowhani-Rahbar Ali
Published: December 2020

Corollary victims represent approximately 20% of all intimate partner homicides (IPH), and many are children. We used National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) data (2003–2017) to compare all IPH incidents with a child corollary victim (n = 227) to all IPH incidents where a child was present but not killed (n = 350). We examined risk factors for child fatality during an IPH. For each risk factor, we calculated the odds ratio for child death during the IPH, adjusting for multiple comparisons. Perpetrator history of suicidal behavior, rape of the intimate partner victim, a non-biological child of the perpetrator living in the home, and perpetrator job stressors increased odds while prior separation of the IPV victim from the perpetrator decreased the odds of a child death during an IPH incident. To our knowledge, this is the first case-control study using live-controls within NVDRS and can help direct prevention efforts for child death during IPH.
Impact of obesity on safety outcomes and treatment modifications with ado-trastuzumab emtansine in breast cancer patients
Authors: Lee Anna , Larck Chris , Moore Donald C
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate indicated for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines on chemotherapy dosing in obesity recommend using full weight-based cytotoxic chemotherapy doses to treat obese patients with cancer. These guidelines were published prior to the advent of anticancer antibody-drug conjugates. There is a need to investigate the safety of T-DM1 in obese patients.

Methods

This retrospective chart review included adult patients with breast cancer receiving T-DM1. The primary endpoint was a composite of the incidence of T-DM1 treatment modifications secondary to an adverse event. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of dose reductions, dose delays, treatment discontinuations, and adverse events.

Results

A total of 119 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who received T-DM1 therapy were included in this study: 44 obese patients and 75 non-obese patients. The composite outcome of treatment modifications due to toxicity was significantly higher in obese patients compared to non-obese patients (45% vs 25%, p = 0.024). Treatment delays were significantly higher in obese patients (36% vs 16%, p = 0.011). All-grade adverse events with a higher incidence in obese patients included left ventricular ejection fraction decrease (11% vs 5%), bilirubin increase (32% vs 12%), thrombocytopenia (61% vs 55%), and peripheral neuropathy (34% vs 27%).

Conclusions

This study suggests obese patients receiving T-DM1 may require more treatment modifications secondary to adverse events compared to non-obese patients. Larger studies are needed to determine if obese patients are at higher risk for specific T-DM1-induced adverse events.
Study of color kinetics of banana (Musa cavendish) under microwave drying by application of image analysis
Authors: Nagvanshi Sagar , Venkata Subbarao Kotra , Goswami TK
Published: December 2020

Microwave drying works on the volumetric heating concept promoted by electromagnetic radiation at 0.915 or 2.450 GHz. In this study, banana ( Musa Cavendish) was taken as the sample and treated under microwave drying. The effect of two process variables, namely slice thickness (2, 3.5, and 5 mm) and microwave power (180 W, 360 W, and 540 W), were studied on drying kinetics and color kinetics. It was observed that the inverse variation relationship exists between drying time and microwave power level while drying time and slice thickness exhibited a direct variation relationship. A Computer Vision System (CVS) was developed to measure the color values of banana in CIELab space using an algorithm written in MATLAB software. Once the color parameters were obtained, they were fitted in First and Zero-order kinetic models. Both models were found to describe the color values adequately. This study concludes that microwave drying is a promising dehydration technique for banana drying that reduces the significant time of drying. Application of CVS is an excellent approach to measure the surface color of banana.
Research ethics committees, ethnographers and imaginations of risk
Authors: Bell Kirsten , Wynn LL
Published: December 2020

Ethnographers’ concerns about institutional ethics review are by now well-known and several hypotheses have been advanced to explain their complaints. Many have highlighted the lack of epistemological fit between ethnographic methods and ethics review paradigms. Others point to the existence of a “victim narrative” and suggest that circulating horror stories are unrepresentative of ethnographers’ experiences, or argue that ethnographers’ complaints disguise a self-interested and un-reflexive desire to avoid oversight. A final explanation suggests that resistance is restricted to an ageing cohort of scholars raised in an era before ethics review became the norm. Drawing on two surveys of ethnographers conducted a decade apart, we conclude that the most convincing explanation for the longstanding “chorus of complaint” is the fundamental epistemological conflict between ethnographic methods and the way ethics review is currently constituted. We conclude that the time has come to radically reframe and restructure ethics review regimes.
Bayesian optimisation for low-noise aerofoil design with aerodynamic constraints
Authors: Chaitanya Paruchuri , Vellanki Pratibha
Published: December 2020

This paper presents an optimisation approach for designing low-noise Outlet Guide Vanes (OGVs) for fan broadband noise generated due to the interaction of turbulence and a cascade of 2-dimensional aerofoils. The paper demonstrates the usage of Bayesian optimisation with constraints to reduce the computation cost of optimisation. The prediction is based on Fourier synthesis of the impinging turbulence and the aerofoil response is predicted for each vortical modal component. A linearised unsteady Navier-Stokes solver is used to predict the aerofoil response due to an incoming harmonic vortical gust. This paper shows that to achieve noise reductions of 0.5 dB the penalty on the aerodynamic performance of 33% is observed compared to baseline aerofoil. Hence, the geometry changes such as thickness and nose radius can’t reduce broadband noise without effecting aerodynamic performance.
Thermal evaluation of a highly insulated steel stud wall with vacuum insulation panels using a guarded hot box apparatus
Authors: Moore Travis V. , Cruickshank Cynthia A. , Beausoleil-Morrison Ian , Lacasse Michael
Published: December 2020

This paper presents the results of a Guarded Hot Box (GHB) experiment on a wall assembly made up of both steel stud framing and an external insulating assembly which incorporates vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) for which knowledge of the composition of the VIP barrier foil is not readily available. The purpose of the tests is to provide an experiment result for thermal resistance of a wall assembly containing several sources of thermal bridging, including those due to the barrier foil at the edge of and joint material between the VIPs and the condensation potential on the interior surface due to the steel studs. The steady-state GHB experiments were completed in accordance with ASTM C1363 for an interior air temperature of 20.9°C and an exterior air temperature of −34.9°C; this resulted in a thermal resistance for the wall assembly of 6.8 ± 0.8 m2 K/W. Surface temperature measurements on a VIP in the wall assembly indicated that increased levels of heat transfer were occurring at the edges of the VIPs as compared to the center of the panel confirming thermal bridges were present at the panel edge. Measurement of the temperature on the interior surface of the sheathing board around the steel stud indicated that the external insulation effectively minimized the risk of condensation due to the steel studs. Determining the thermal resistance and condensation risk for a wall assembly which contains VIPs for which knowledge of the barrier film is not readily available demonstrates the potential for use of such a wall assembly according to energy and building code requirements. The wall assembly and test details can also be used to compare industry standard calculation methods and detailed 2D and 3D simulations to the GHB test result. The comparison can be used to inform on the validity of using calculations and simulation methods in lieu of testing for energy and building code compliance. The comparison of calculations and simulations is not the scope of the work presented in this paper and will be explored in future publications.
Determining the thermal resistance of a highly insulated wall containing vacuum insulation panels through experimental, calculation and numerical simulation methods
Authors: Moore Travis V , Cruickshank Cynthia A. , Beausoleil-Morrison Ian , Lacasse Michael
Published: December 2020

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential for calculation methods to determine the thermal resistance of a wall system containing vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) that has been experimentally characterised using a guarded hot box (GHB) apparatus. The VIPs used in the wall assembly have not been characterised separately to the wall assembly, and therefore exact knowledge of the thermal performance of the VIP including edge effect is not known. The calculations and simulations are completed using methods found in literature as well as manufacturer published values for the VIPs to determine the potential for calculation and simulation methods to predict the thermal resistance of the wall assembly without the exact characterisation of the VIP edge effect. The results demonstrate that disregarding the effect of VIP thermal bridges results in overestimating the thermal resistance of the wall assembly in all calculation and simulation methods, ranging from overestimates of 21% to 58%. Accounting for the VIP thermal bridges using the manufacturer advertised effective thermal conductivity of the VIPs resulted in three methods predicting the thermal resistance of the wall assembly within the uncertainty of the GHB results: the isothermal planes method, modified zone method and the 3D simulation. Of these methods only the 3D simulation can be considered a potential valid method for energy code compliance, as the isothermal planes method requires too drastic an assumption to be valid and the modified zone method requires extrapolating the zone factor beyond values which have been validated. The results of this work demonstrate that 3D simulations do show potential for use in lieu of guarded hot box testing for predicting the thermal resistance of wall assemblies containing both VIPs and steel studs. However, knowledge of the VIP effective thermal conductivity is imperative to achieve reasonable results.
Reflections on student power: An absurdist viewpoint
Authors: Bierdz Brad
Published: December 2020

This exploration takes a look at how students in higher education are disempowered through regimes of social power that are always already extant and ubiquitous within educational regimes. Moreover, this exploration pays particular interest and attention to students in higher education because in many cases throughout relevant research, these student populations are conceived as being the most empowered students within a broad educational landscape, which this piece foundationally challenges. Fundamentally, this article uses a Camusian or Absurdist notion of power and social identity to make sense of how students in higher education take up space within seemingly disempowered educational spaces only to insistently and futilely call to themselves and other students as empowered, although such insistences are empty fallacies of specific social humanities hailing towards their only perceived means of ‘valuable’ social interaction defined by modern conceptions of humanity always already within power relations.
Optimal Design of Paired Built Environment Interventions for Control of MDROs in Acute Care and Community Hospitals
Authors: Squire Marietta M. , Sessel Gareth K. , Lin Gary , Squire Edward N. , Igusa Takeru
Published: December 2020

Objectives:

Our goal was to optimize infection control of paired environmental control interventions within hospitals to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).

Background:

The most widely used infection control interventions are deployment of handwashing (HW) stations, control of relative humidity (RH), and negative pressure (NP) treatment rooms. Direct costs of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections are typically not included in the design of such interventions.

Methods:

We examined the effectiveness of pairing HW with RH and HW with NP. We used the following three data sets: A meta-analysis of progression rates from uncolonized to colonized to infected, 6 years of MDRO treatment costs from 400 hospitals, and 8 years of MDRO incidence rates at nine army hospitals. We used these data as inputs into an Infection De-Escalation Model with varying budgets to obtain optimal intervention designs. We then computed the infection and prevention rates and cost savings resulting from these designs.

Results:

The average direct cost of an MDRO infection was $3,289, $1,535, and $1,067 for MRSA, CRE, and VRE. The mean annual incidence rates per facility were 0.39%, 0.034%, and 0.011% for MRSA, CRE, and VRE. After applying the cost-minimizing intervention pair to each scenario, the percentage reductions in infections (and annual direct cost savings) in large, community, and small acute care hospitals were 69% ($1.5 million), 73% ($631K), 60% ($118K) for MRSA, 52% ($460.5K), 58% ($203K), 50% ($37K) for CRE, and 0%, 0%, and 50% ($12.8K) for VRE.

Conclusion:

The application of this Infection De-Escalation Model can guide cost-effective decision making in hospital built environment design to improve control of MDRO infections.
Readiness and leadership in evidence-based practice and knowledge management: A cross-sectional survey of nurses’ perceptions
Authors: Lunden Anne , Kvist Tarja , Teräs Marianne , Häggman-Laitila Arja
Published: December 2020

Although research on evidence-based practice (EBP) has been available for several decades, EBP has not been implemented successfully by nursing management. Evidence-based practice is a key area of knowledge management (KM), and EBP and KM are subject to similar challenges. However, there has only been limited research on KM and EBP within the context of nursing. The aim of this study was to describe and explain nurses’ perceptions of their own readiness for EBP, and their perceptions of the managerial and organizational support for enhancing competency and EBP. The study design was a cross-sectional survey carried out in accordance with STROBE. Data were collected from 125 nurses using two international instruments and one instrument developed for this study. The data were then analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. Less than half of the nurses reported that their practices were often evidence-based, and only a third had often searched for evidence. The nurses perceived the weakest areas of management leadership to be arranging resources, solving problems and encouraging discussion in the context of EBP, and anticipation of nurses’ competency needs, ensuring competency and intervening when competency was inadequate in the context of KM. The results emphasize the need to develop nurse training, management leadership and an operational environment conducive to KM and EBP. Managers should take a more visible role in mentoring nurses for EBP and in identifying the developmental needs of nurses’ competencies.
Serum C-reactive protein and WBC count in conservatively and operatively managed bacterial spondylodiscitis
Authors: van Gerven Christina , Eid Kevin , Krüger Tobias , Fell Michael , Kendoff Daniel , Friedrich Michael , Kraft Clayton N
Published: December 2020

Purpose:

C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count are routine blood chemistry parameters in monitoring infection. Little is known about the natural history of their serum levels in conservative and operative spondylodiscitis treatment.

Methods:

Pre- and postoperative serum levels of CRP and WBC count in 145 patients with spondylodiscitis were retrospectively assessed. One hundred and four patients were treated by debridement, spondylodesis, and an antibiotic regime, 41 only with a brace and antibiotics. The results of the surgical group were compared to 156 patients fused for degenerative disc disease (DDD).

Results:

Surgery had a significant effect on peak postoperative CRP levels. In surgically managed patients, CRP peaked at 2–3 days after surgery (spondylodiscitis: pre-OP: 90 mg/dl vs. post-OP days 2–3: 146 mg/dl; DDD: 9 mg/dl vs. 141 mg/dl; p < 0.001), followed by a sharp decline. Although values were higher for spondylodiscitis patients, dynamics of CRP values were similar in both groups. Nonoperative treatment showed a slower decline. Surgically managed spondylodiscitis showed a higher success rate in identifying bacteria. Specific antibiotic treatment led to a more predictable decline of CRP values. WBC did not show an interpretable profile.

Conclusion:

CRP is a predictable serum parameter in patients with spondylodiscitis. WBC count is unspecific. Initial CRP increase after surgery is of little value in monitoring infection. A preoperative CRP value, and control once during the first 3 days after surgery is sufficient. Closer monitoring should then be continued. Should a decline not be observed, therapy needs to be scrutinized, antibiotic treatment reassessed, and concomitant infection contemplated.
Evolution of drug resistance in HIV protease
Authors: Shah Dhara , Freas Christopher , Weber Irene T. , Harrison Robert W.
Published: December 2020

Background

Drug resistance is a critical problem limiting effective antiviral therapy for HIV/AIDS. Computational techniques for predicting drug resistance profiles from genomic data can accelerate the appropriate choice of therapy. These techniques can also be used to identify protease mutants for experimental studies of resistance and thereby assist in the development of next-generation therapies. Few studies, however, have assessed the evolution of resistance from genotype–phenotype data.

Results

The machine learning produced highly accurate and robust classification of resistance to HIV protease inhibitors. Genotype data were mapped to the enzyme structure and encoded using Delaunay triangulation. Estimates of evolutionary relationships, based on this encoding, and using Minimum Spanning Trees, showed clusters of mutations that closely resemble the wild type. These clusters appear to evolve uniquely to more resistant phenotypes.

Conclusions

Using the triangulation metric and spanning trees results in paths that are consistent with evolutionary theory. The majority of the paths show bifurcation, namely they switch once from non-resistant to resistant or from resistant to non-resistant. Paths that lose resistance almost uniformly have far lower levels of resistance than those which either gain resistance or are stable. This strongly suggests that selection for stability in the face of a rapid rate of mutation is as important as selection for resistance in retroviral systems.
Automated Isoform Diversity Detector (AIDD): a pipeline for investigating transcriptome diversity of RNA-seq data
Authors: Plonski Noel-Marie , Johnson Emily , Frederick Madeline , Mercer Heather , Fraizer Gail , Meindl Richard , Casadesus Gemma , Piontkivska Helen
Published: December 2020

Background

As the number of RNA-seq datasets that become available to explore transcriptome diversity increases, so does the need for easy-to-use comprehensive computational workflows. Many available tools facilitate analyses of one of the two major mechanisms of transcriptome diversity, namely, differential expression of isoforms due to alternative splicing, while the second major mechanism—RNA editing due to post-transcriptional changes of individual nucleotides—remains under-appreciated. Both these mechanisms play an essential role in physiological and diseases processes, including cancer and neurological disorders. However, elucidation of RNA editing events at transcriptome-wide level requires increasingly complex computational tools, in turn resulting in a steep entrance barrier for labs who are interested in high-throughput variant calling applications on a large scale but lack the manpower and/or computational expertise.

Results

Here we present an easy-to-use, fully automated, computational pipeline (Automated Isoform Diversity Detector, AIDD) that contains open source tools for various tasks needed to map transcriptome diversity, including RNA editing events. To facilitate reproducibility and avoid system dependencies, the pipeline is contained within a pre-configured VirtualBox environment. The analytical tasks and format conversions are accomplished via a set of automated scripts that enable the user to go from a set of raw data, such as fastq files, to publication-ready results and figures in one step. A publicly available dataset of Zika virus-infected neural progenitor cells is used to illustrate AIDD’s capabilities.

Conclusions

AIDD pipeline offers a user-friendly interface for comprehensive and reproducible RNA-seq analyses. Among unique features of AIDD are its ability to infer RNA editing patterns, including ADAR editing, and inclusion of Guttman scale patterns for time series analysis of such editing landscapes. AIDD-based results show importance of diversity of ADAR isoforms, key RNA editing enzymes linked with the innate immune system and viral infections. These findings offer insights into the potential role of ADAR editing dysregulation in the disease mechanisms, including those of congenital Zika syndrome. Because of its automated all-inclusive features, AIDD pipeline enables even a novice user to easily explore common mechanisms of transcriptome diversity, including RNA editing landscapes.
Utilizing deep learning and graph mining to identify drug use on Twitter data
Authors: Tassone Joseph , Yan Peizhi , Simpson Mackenzie , Mendhe Chetan , Mago Vijay , Choudhury Salimur
Published: December 2020

Background

The collection and examination of social media has become a useful mechanism for studying the mental activity and behavior tendencies of users. Through the analysis of a collected set of Twitter data, a model will be developed for predicting positively referenced, drug-related tweets. From this, trends and correlations can be determined.

Methods

Social media data (tweets and attributes) were collected and processed using topic pertaining keywords, such as drug slang and use-conditions (methods of drug consumption). Potential candidates were preprocessed resulting in a dataset of 3,696,150 rows. The predictive classification power of multiple methods was compared including SVM, XGBoost, BERT and CNN-based classifiers. For the latter, a deep learning approach was implemented to screen and analyze the semantic meaning of the tweets.

Results

To test the predictive capability of the model, SVM and XGBoost were first employed. The results calculated from the models respectively displayed an accuracy of 59.33% and 54.90%, with AUC’s of 0.87 and 0.71. The values show a low predictive capability with little discrimination. Conversely, the CNN-based classifiers presented a significant improvement, between the two models tested. The first was trained with 2661 manually labeled samples, while the other included synthetically generated tweets culminating in 12,142 samples. The accuracy scores were 76.35% and 82.31%, with an AUC of 0.90 and 0.91. Using association rule mining in conjunction with the CNN-based classifier showed a high likelihood for keywords such as “smoke”, “cocaine”, and “marijuana” triggering a drug-positive classification.

Conclusion

Predictive analysis with a CNN is promising, whereas attribute-based models presented little predictive capability and were not suitable for analyzing text of data. This research found that the commonly mentioned drugs had a level of correspondence with frequently used illicit substances, proving the practical usefulness of this system. Lastly, the synthetically generated set provided increased accuracy scores and improves the predictive capability.
Author Correction: Stairway Plot 2: demographic history inference with folded SNP frequency spectra
Authors: Liu Xiaoming , Fu Yun-Xin
Published: December 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
The Geophysical Sustainability Atlas: Mapping geophysics to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Capello Maria A. , Shaughnessy Anna , Caslin Emer
Published: December 2020

Geophysics is enhanced if the value it adds to society, economic systems, and the environment is assessed, understood, and communicated. A clear value proposition can inspire new generations of scientists to pursue careers in geophysics and motivate current geophysicists to expand their activities and utilize their skills in ways that could enable their long-term employability or entrepreneurship. One way to position geophysics and geophysicists as value creators is to map geophysical applications and practices to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. A Geophysical Sustainability Atlas was developed to illustrate how geophysics contributes to each of the SDGs and to provide examples of specific applications and collaboration strategies. The atlas aims to facilitate an understanding of the value geophysics brings toward achieving each SDG, providing geophysicists and stakeholders with a sense of being frontline contributors in the pursuit of these objectives and, at the same time, providing a visualization of current and future opportunities related to the sustainability of our world and our profession.
Python Earth Engine API as a new open-source ecosphere for characterizing offshore hydrocarbon seeps and spills
Authors: Trainor-Guitton Whitney , Turon Leo , Dubucq Dominique
Published: December 2020

The Python Earth Engine application programming interface (API) provides a new open-source ecosphere for testing hydrocarbon detection algorithms on large volumes of images curated with the Google Earth Engine. We specifically demonstrate the Python Earth Engine API by calculating three hydrocarbon indices: fluorescence, rotation absorption, and normalized fluorescence. The Python Earth Engine API provides an ideal environment for testing these indices with varied oil seeps and spills by (1) removing barriers of proprietary software formats and (2) providing an extensive library of data analysis tools (e.g., Pandas and Seaborn) and classification algorithms (e.g., Scikit-learn and TensorFlow). Our results demonstrate end-member cases in which fluorescence and normalized fluorescence indices of seawater and oil are statistically similar and different. As expected, predictive classification is more effective and the calculated probability of oil is more accurate for scenarios in which seawater and oil are well separated in the fluorescence space.
A high school student's introduction to geophysics through acquisition, processing, and interpretation of GPR data from marked and unmarked grave sites
Authors: Ferguson Daniela , Henderson Betty , Neff Warren
Published: December 2020

During the 2019–2020 school year, a high school student engaged in a science fair project that involved acquiring, processing, and interpreting geophysical data. The project used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to identify response signatures of marked and unmarked grave sites in Fairlawn Cemetery in Stillwater, Oklahoma. During the investigation, the student was introduced to GPR acquisition equipment, seismic processing algorithms, and interpretation techniques. With the help of local university outreach and community mentors, the student was able to complete the science fair project with a positive outcome.
Presence of the weak ferromagnetism in pure antiferromagnetic systems with octahedral structure: Effective field theory analysis
Authors: Jurčišinová E. , Jurčišin M.
Published: December 2020

The recently reported (Jurčišinová E. and Jurčišin M., J. Magn. & Magn. Mater., 513 (2020) 167085) possibility of the existence of the weak ferromagnetism with small but nonzero spontaneous magnetization in pure antiferromagnetic systems with the octahedral structure is confirmed using the six-site effective-field theory cluster approximation of the antiferromagnetic spin-

Ising model on the octahedral lattice. The sublattice magnetizations, the total spontaneous magnetization, as well as the Néel temperature of the model are found and compared to those obtained in the framework of the recursive lattice approach. The performed analysis allows one to conclude that the existence of the weak ferromagnetism in pure antiferromagnetic systems with the octahedral structure is directly related to their intrinsic geometry. The spontaneous magnetization and the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic model are also determined and briefly discussed.
The Productivity J-Curve: How Intangibles Complement General Purpose Technologies
Authors: Brynjolfsson Erik , Rock Daniel , Syverson Chad
Published: December 2020

General purpose technologies (GPTs) like AI enable and require significant complementary investments. These investments are often intangible and poorly measured in national accounts. We develop a model that shows how this can lead to underestimation of productivity growth in a new GPTs early years and, later, when the benefits of intangible investments are harvested, productivity growth overestimation. We call this phenomenon the Productivity J-curve. We apply our method to US data and find that adjusting for intangibles related to computer hardware and software yields a TFP level that is 15.9 percent higher than official measures by the end of 2017. (JEL E22, E23, G31, L63, L86)
Ten Facts on Declining Business Dynamism and Lessons from Endogenous Growth Theory
Authors: Akcigit Ufuk , Ates Sina T.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we review the literature on declining business dynamism and its implications in the United States and propose a unifying theory to analyze the symptoms and the potential causes of this decline. We first highlight 10 pronounced stylized facts related to declining business dynamism documented in the literature and discuss some of the existing attempts to explain them. We then describe a theoretical framework of endogenous markups, innovation, and competition that can potentially speak to all of these facts jointly. We next explore some theoretical predictions of this framework, which are shaped by two interacting forces: a composition effect that determines the market concentration and an incentive effect that determines how firms respond to a given concentration in the economy. The results highlight that a decline in knowledge diffusion between frontier and laggard firms could be a significant driver of empirical trends observed in the data. This study emphasizes the potential of growth theory for the analysis of factors behind declining business dynamism and the need for further investigation in this direction. (JEL D33, E25, J24, L13, O33, O34)
АНАЛИЗ СОСТОЯНИЯ ЗУБНЫХ РЯДОВ ПО ИНДЕКСУ РАСПРОСТРАНЕННОСТИ КАРИОЗНОГО ПРОЦЕССА – КПУ (з) У ЖИТЕЛЕЙ ПСИХОНЕВРОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ИНТЕРНАТОВ ЗАПАДНОЙ ЗОНЫ КРАСНОЯРСКОГО КРАЯ, СТРАДАЮЩИХ УМСТВЕННОЙ ОТСТАЛОСТЬЮ
Authors: Chizhov Yurij Vаsil’evich , Rаdkevich Аndrej Аnаtol’evich , Mitrofаnov Pаvel Viktorovich , Bril’ Elenа Аleksаndrovnа , Dovnаr Svetlаnа Аntonovnа , Denisenko Vlаdimir Ivаnovich , Sаrgsyаn Irinа Ivаnovnа
Published: December 2020

Цель. Определение состояния зубных рядов у жителей психоневрологических интернатов западной зоны Красноярского края, страдающих умственной отсталостью, с помощью индекса распространенности кариозного процесса – КПУ(з).Материалы и методы. Обследовано состояние зубных рядов у 387 (307 мужчин и 80 женщин) жителей психоневрологических интернатов западной зоны Красноярского края, страдающих умственной отсталостью. Из 307 мужчин 205 были взрослого (26–44 года) возраста, 76 мужчин зрелого возраста (45–59 лет) и 26 мужчин пожилого возраста (60–75). Из 80 женщин 54 были взрослого возраста (26–44 года), 13 женщин зрелого возраста (45–54 года), 13 женщин пожилого возраста (55–75 лет). Состояние зубных рядов было оценено с помощью индекса распространенности кариозного процесса – КПУ(з), который показывает оценку интенсивности кариеса зубов среди популяции.Результаты. Изучение индекса интенсивности кариеса зубов – КПУ(з) у лиц данной категории позволило выявить большую нуждаемость в различных видах стоматологической помощи, особенно в ортопедической – более 90% во всех обследуемых возрастных группах в не зависимости от пола и возраста.Заключение. Обследование с применением данного индекса КПУ(з) позволяет выявить, спланировать, привести к системе ортопедические, хирургические и терапевтические мероприятия в популяции жителей психоневрологических интернатов, страдающих умственной отсталостью.
КЛИНИКО-ЛАБОРАТОРНАЯ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКА СОЧЕТАННЫХ ВИРУСНЫХ КИШЕЧНЫХ ИНФЕКЦИЙ У ДЕТЕЙ В Г.БАКУ
Authors: Rustamova Lala Islakhovna , Kuliyeva Zemfira Mekhdiyevna , Qilindjova Fatma Vagifovna , Isayeva Mekhriban Musayevna , Akhundova Rena Mamedovna
Published: December 2020

Цель исследования заключалась в изучении эпидемиологических и клинических особенностей сочетанных вирусных кишечных инфекций среди детей. Этиологическая диагностика острых кишечных инфекций вирусной этиологии осуществлялась с помощью серологического метода (Метод иммунохроматографического анализа).Установлено, что сочетанные вирусные кишечные инфекции при первичном инфицировании регистрировались в основном у детей первых 2-х лет жизни. В возрастной структуре сочетанных вирусно-вирусных инфекций ротавирусно-аденовирусная ассоциация регистрировалась достоверно чаще, чем ротавирусно-астровирусная. Наши исследования показали, что наиболее частой клинической формой при сочетанных вирусных кишечных инфекциях является гастроэнтерит.
ЛЕСНЫЕ ПОЖАРЫ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ ЕРМАКОВСКОГО МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОГО РАЙОНА КРАСНОЯРСКОГО КРАЯ В 2018 ГОДУ
Authors: Koval Yulia Nikolaevna
Published: December 2020

В статье приведен обзор пожаров, которые произошли на территории Ермаковского муниципального района. Автор проанализировал особенности пожароопасного сезона в 2018 году, в частности – число пожаров, площадь, освоенность лесной территории, климатические условия, растительность, а так же техническое оснащение и уровень охраны лесов. Рассмотренные лесные массивы распложены на особо охраняемых природных территориях, где обеспечивается активный отдых для населения. В связи, с чем высока вероятность пожаров от антропогенных факторов. Отмечено, что на начало пожароопасного сезона приходится самое большое количество пожаров – 89%, которые происходят по вине человека. С апреля по июнь регистрируются 73% пожаров, которые преобладают по площади. А в июле высок риск пожара от «сухих» гроз. Однако, не смотря на сложность тушения пожаров и удаленность от населенных пунктов, отмечена слаженность и оперативность работы сотрудников лесопожарного центра. Это подтверждается активной борьбой с лесными пожарами – 100%.
ВЛИЯНИЕ ЭКЗАМЕНАЦИОННОГО СТРЕССА НА АМПЛИТУДУ ВОЛН ЭЭГ В ТЕМЕННОЙ ДОЛЕ ГОЛОВНОГО МОЗГА У СТУДЕНТОВ ФАКУЛЬТЕТА БИОЛОГИИ-ХИМИИ С РАЗЛИЧНЫМИ ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНО-ТИПОЛОГИЧЕСКИМИ ОСОБЕННОСТЯМИ
Authors: Rustamova Tukazban
Published: December 2020

Во время эмоционального напряжения основным показателем функционального состояния ЦНС является изменение амплитудно-частотной характеристики ЭЭГ. В связи с этим, выявление некоторых аспектов нейрофизиологических механизмов формирования этих состояний во время экзаменационного процессапредставляет значительный интерес как с теоретической, так и с практической точки зрения. Кроме этого, важно изучение возрастныхособенностейданных изменений и интеграционной реактивности ЭЭГ-коррелятв периоды эмоционального напряжения и изменения физиологических функций.Цель. Сравнительное изучение возрастных закономерностей динамики амплитуды альфа-, бета-, дельта- и тета-волн ЭЭГ, характеризующих электрическую активность теменной доли головного мозга, во время эмоционального напряжения в условиях экзаменационного стресса у студентов I-го и V-го курса факультета биологии-химии с различными типами темперамента.Материалы и методы. Исследования проводились за 2 месяца до экзаменов в обычные дни (ОД), за 30 мин до экзамена (ДЭ) и через 30 мин после экзамена (ПЭ).Перед началом исследования у студентов определялся тип темперамента нервной системы по тестам Г.Айзенка.Ситуативная тревожность и индивидуальное тревожное состояние определялось в трех разных ситуацияхпо Д.Д. Спилбергу с помощью экспресс версии тест-анкет. Электрофизиологические исследования включали проведение ЭЭГ коры теменной доли мозга (Р правой и левой) в течении 10-12 минут. Результаты.Установлено, что в зависимости от темперамента нервной системы у студентов I-го и V-го курса имеется статистически достоверная разница в показателях электрической активности мозга. Кроме того, существует статистически достоверная разница между группами.У студентов с меланхолическим типом в том же возрасте при сравнении периодов ОД, ДЭ и ПЭ выявлены статистически достоверные различия в показателях ЭЭГ. У 17-летних студентов меланхолического типа в периоды ДЭ и ПЭ, в каждой из парных (левой и правой)теменных долей головного мозга от воздействия эмоциональной напряженности тревожной ситуации амплитуда ЭЭГ дельта-, тета- и альфа-волн вI семестре изменяется по нарастающей. Однако у тех же студентов бета-волны изменяются двухфазно. Во время экзаменационного процесса от воздействия эмоционального напряжения у студентов меланхолического типа в левой и правой теменных долях головного мозга в ритме амплитуды волн ЭЭГ резких отклонений не происходит. В экзаменационной ситуации у студентов V-го курсав отличие от студентов I-го курса нейрофизиологический коррелят эмоционального напряжения в зависимости от изменений активности в разных участках долей головного мозга между разными группами не различается.Заключение. В зависимости от силы, подвижности и стабильности нервной системы изменение ритмов амплитуды волн ЭЭГ головного мозга в период ДЭ и после имеет различный характер. В амплитуде большинства волн в период ПЭ наблюдается частичное снижение.
The Potential Influence of Vitamin A, C, and D and Zinc Supplements on the Severity of COVID-19 Symptoms and Clinical Outcomes: An Updated Review of Literature
Authors: Alzaben Abeer Salman
Published: December 2020

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is an ongoing viral epidemic that originated in China in December 2019. To date, no specific treatment is available for COVID-19. However, several studies have reported the benefits of vitamins A, C, and D and zinc in critically ill patients and in those with various infections, including respiratory infections and sepsis. The objective of this review is to discuss the potential role of vitamin A, C, and D and zinc supplementation in enhancing immune response, and reducing the severity of symptoms, and mortality rate in patients with COVID-19. Several clinical studies have shown that different doses of vitamins A, C, and D and/or zinc supplements reduce the ventilator, length of intensive care unit stay, and mortality rate. Future randomized clinical trials are warranted to conclusively establish protocols for the optimal doses of vitamin A, C, and D, as well as zinc supplements for improved clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Antioxidant, Nutritional, Structural, Thermal and Physico-Chemical Properties of Psyllium (Plantago Ovata) Seeds
Authors: Reyaz Shah Aunjum , Sharma Paras , Gour Vinod Singh , Kothari S.L , Dar Khalid Bashir , Ganie Showkat Ahmad , Shah Yasir Reyaz
Published: December 2020

The present investigation was carried out to characterize four different types of psyllium seeds including one landrace for their nutritional, structural, antioxidant profile and biological active compounds. DSC analysis showed the highest peak temperature (TP) of 107.57 ºC in RI-89 and end set temperature (TE) of 130.2 ºC for HI-5 cultivar. FT-IR analysis displayed strong absorption bands at frequencies 960, 1380, 1740, 2280 and 3280cm-1. SEM micrographs of each cultivar showed compact and irregular mass of fiber at various magnifications. Protein, fat, ash and total carbohydrate content of psyllium seed flour were recorded up to 13.33, 0.38, 5.0 and 77.88 %, respectively. Ethanol was found to be a suitable solvent than methanol to extract the phytonutrients from psyllium seed flour. DPPH free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of methanolic and ethanolic extract varied between 31 to 39 % and 38.9 to 43 %, respectively. However, ABTS-FRSA varied between 31.7 to 32.9 % and 33.2 to 34.3 %, for methanolic and ethanolic extract, respectively. Total flavonoids and total phenolic content was recorded up to 2.92 mg RE/g and 4.37 mg GAE/g, in ethanolic extract. The reducing power (RP) and Metal chelating activity (MCA) also varied significantly (p≤0.05) among the cultivars. The MCA ranged from 33.20 to 34.81 % in methanolic extracts and 34.62 to 36.07 % in ethanolic extracts. The lowest absorbance for reducing power was found in methanolic extract of landrace (0.16), whereas, the highest was found in ethanolic extract of RI-89 (0.37). Physico-chemical properties including oil and water absorption capacity of both seed and flour did not vary significantly among the cultivars, whereas significant difference was observed in seed hydration capacity among cultivars evaluated. Among the physical properties, L/W ratio ranged from 1.80 to 199, whereas porosity and angle of repose were of 59.2 to 67.7 % and 23.20 to 27.02º, respectively. Static coefficient of friction was found less using steel (0.484 to 0.667) as a test surface compared to wood (0.679 to 0.744) and plastic (0.536 to 0.560). Bulk density, true density and porosity of various psyllium seed cultivars varied between 0.57 to 0.63 g/cm3 and 1.50 to 1.77 g/cm3 and 58.2 to 67.7%, respectively. Geometric mean diameter (Dg), Arithmetic mean diameter (Da) and surface area of seeds (A) varied from 1.49 to 1.60 mm and 1.68 to 1.79 mm and 5.91 to 6.78 mm2, respectively.
Antimicrobial Activity, Total Phenolic and Ascorbic Acid Content of Terminalia Ferdinandiana Leaves at Various Stages of Maturity
Authors: Chaliha Mridusmita , Phan Anh Dao Thi , Cao Shan , Li Qin , Gorman Julian , Sultanbawa Yasmina , Cozzolino Daniel
Published: December 2020

This work investigated the effect of leaf development (maturity) on morphology, antimicrobial activity, total phenolic (TPC) and ascorbic acid content in leaves of Terminalia ferdinandiana, an endemic plant of Australia. The results of this study indicated that total ascorbic acid was in the range of 23.0 to 35.5 mg/100 g dry weight (DW), showing an increase with advance of maturity. TPC in water and methanolic extracts were in the range of 237.3 - 598.6 and 210.3 - 319.6 mg Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/ g DW, respectively. Leaf extracts exhibited pronounced inhibitory activity towards Staphylococcus aureus where total ascorbic acid and TPC were positively correlated with the observed antimicrobial activity. These results indicated that leaves extracts might be used as an alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents, with a great potential for application as an environmentally friendly sanitizer in the hospitality and healthcare industries.