bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Relationship between Safety Climate and Safe Behavior in Arak Petrochemical Complex in 2018
Authors: Heidari Ezatollah , Ghiasi Samira , Motlleby kashani Masoud
Published: March 2020

Introduction: In order to improve the level of safety and control accidents in the workplaces, it is essential to check the level of safety and safe behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety climate and safe behavior among the personnel of Arak petrochemical complex.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Arak Petrochemical Complex in 2018. All personnel of this complex (n = 122) were selected using the census method. In order to assess the safety climate and safe behavior, standard questionnaires were used. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 18.
Results: Among the factors affecting on safety climate, adequacy of health and safety procedures and rules as well as personnel participation in safety and health issues were the highest and lowest scores, respectively. Furthermore, among the factors of safe behavior, participation and safety observance factors received 2.77 and 2.72 scores, respectively. In this study, education, competency, and production pressure factors had a significant relationship with age groups. Moreover, production pressure and violations of rules factors had a significant association with work experience. Education and competency factors were also significantly correlated with marital status. In addition, a significant relationship was found between all safety climate factors and the occupational groups.
Discussion and Conclusion: Considering the significant statistical relationship between safety climate and safe behavior with occupational groups and demographic characteristics, more effective attention should be paid to workforce in the workplace.
Investigating and enhancing the safety culture from the perspective of the PDCA audit process
Authors: SEPEHR Parvin
Published: March 2020

Background and Aim: Regarding the industrialization process, many accident control strategies have been proposed. One of the best solutions to control accidents is to improve the organizations' safety culture. The present study investigated the safety culture among profiling factory workers and implemented the Plan-Do-Check –Act (PDCA) approach to promote the safety culture.
Method: The present study was conducted over three years from 2016 to 2019. In the first step, the safety culture of the organization was measured and then the control measures were taken with a view to the Deming Cycle and the audit process approach. In the final year, the safety culture of the organization was reevaluated. The effectiveness of interventions was evaluated by statistical tests such as paired t-test and SPSS 19 software.
Results: The safety culture mean score was negative before intervention (±18433.62), which changed into the positive value of 279± 25.38 after implementing the control measures. Considering 10 dimensions of the safetyculture, dimensions of training, employee attitudes, participation and communication, and product safety priority did not received a good score. Statistical tests showed a positive effect of control interventions (P = 0.001).
Conclusion: In recent years, existence of a safety management system has dramatically improved the rate of accidents and loss of time. Safety interventions in engineering design and operational processes lead to thepromotion of the safety culture.
Assessment of Health Risk of Occupational Exposure to Benzene, Toluene and Ethyl Benzene (BTEX) in One of Mahshahr Petrochemical Companies
Authors: Sharifi1 Adel , Amini nasab Anoosh sadat , Delavar Amin
Published: March 2020

Introduction: One of the most important sources of contaminants is chemicals that over time cause severe problems for employees who are exposed to various chemicals in the refining process units. The purpose of this study was to determine the highest level of exposure to BTEX compounds and to assess the health risk caused by exposure of refinery personnel in a Mahshahr petrochemical company.
Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in one of the mahshahr petrochemical companies in 2016-2017.  In this study, we first identified the causes of workplace harm by occupational groups. According to NIOSH method number 1501, air sampling and BTEX analysis were performed. To analyze the results, SPSS software was used for data analysis. Finally, the risk assessment was done in accordance with the method number 84101042 of Oil Ministry.
Results: The results of this study showed that benzene with a mean density of 0.58 ppm in the work area of site man, 0.43 ppm for shift workers and a density of 0.38 ppm for the presence of the supervisor in The location of the station has the highest density of ethyl benzene and toluene. Also, the results of the study showed that the risk level and the risk rating of the pollutants in the petrochemical company (site man) were 66.7% low risk, 8.3% Percentage of high risk and 12.5% of risk are moderate and very high.
conclusion: According to the results, benzene has the highest health risk of petrochemicals produced in petrochemicals, and due to the high level of exposure to benzene, it is recommended to take corrective and preventive measures to eliminate or reduce its exposure.
Determine the relationship between the effective factors in preventing accidents by using structural equation modeling of steel industry
Authors: Gholamnia Reza , Barzegar Mohsen
Published: March 2020

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between six main factors affecting prevention of accidents using structural equations.
Method: Initially, most previous studies were investigated and the most effective factors in preventing accidents and their relationship with each other were determined using the structural equations.  Later, a questionnaire was administered to investigate the accident victims of a steel industry in Yazd during five years. In the last stage, the data were examined by Smart-PLS software.
Results: By examining the numerical results, six main factors included about 58% of the share of accident prevention factors. At the 95% confidence level, the impact of safety culture (0.31), rules and instructions (0.29), training (0.28), engineering (0.24), human factors (0.31), as well as capital and equipment (0.38) factors were calculated. Moreover, the remaining 42% included unknown factors in the industry.
Conclusion: We found that economic, safety culture, and human factors had the highest effects.
Formação inicial e continuada de professores(as) de história: impactos na prática docente
Authors: Pina Maria Cristina Dantas , Aguiar Edinalva Padre , Lima Iracema Oliveira
Published: March 2020

O texto propõe uma discussão acerca da relação entre formação inicial e continuada e prática docente de professores de História que atuam na Educação Básica. A discussão será conduzida com base na pergunta: “Em que medida a formação, em diferentes níveis, reflete na prática docente dos professores?”. A análise toma por base os resultados obtidos por meio da pesquisa Ensinar História: um estudo sobre as práticas de ensino e a produção de narrativas históricas por professores de História da Educação Básica (Paraná – São Paulo – Bahia – Goiás 1998-2014), coordenada pela professora Marlene Cainelli (UEL), tendo como fundamento as referências conceituais da Educação Histórica. Para este texto fizemos um recorte analisando as práticas dos professores da Bahia. Os dados foram analisados com base na análise de conteúdo e apresentados de forma contextualizada, portanto, dizem respeito ao universo investigado. Cruzando os dados do perfil dos professores com os referentes às escolhas metodológicas, não visualizamos diferenças marcantes que indiquem aprimoramento proporcionado por maior tempo e grau de formação; no tocante às narrativas sobre temas históricos, alguns professores com mestrado concluído ou em curso à época da pesquisa apresentam relatos mais organizados, atualizados e de maior nível de complexidade.
Examining the strategies used by school principals to cope with stress in an Istanbul context
Authors: Kaplan Sayi Aysin , Kul Mehmet
Published: March 2020

The Turkish educational system has been constantly changing over time. New systems are frequently introduced and when the results prove to be unsuccessful, a reversion of the former system emerges. Moreover, in order to identify ways and strategies to do this, it is also important to see the situation clearly and to decide the structure of support systems for principals. Survey design is used in this study. The population consists of principals of schools in the city of Istanbul in the academic year 2017â€“2018. The sample group consists of 161 principals from various public and private schools located on the European side of the city. Data were interpreted by % (percentage), t-test, one-way analysis of variance and the Scheffe test. The results indicate that the coping strategies, most commonly preferred by principals, are spending time with loved ones, building an optimistic perspective, and avoiding circumstances causing stress in order of importance.
Keywords: Coping strategies, public and private schools, school principal, stress.
Kadında Cinsel İşlev Bozukluğunun Tedavisinde Bilinçli Farkındalık Temelli Müdahaleler: Sistematik Bir Derleme
Authors: DURNA Gülşah , ÜLBE Selva , DİRİK Gülay
Published: March 2020

Kadın cinsel sağlığı son 10-15 yılda giderek gelişen bir araştırma alanı ve klinik uygulamaların odağı haline gelmiştir. Yargılayıcı olmadan ve kabullenici bir tutumla dikkatin anlık deneyimlere odaklanmasını vurgulayan bilinçli farkındalık temelli müdahaleler, cinsel işlev bozukluğu yaşayan kadınlar için umut verici bir tedavi seçeneği olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda bu derleme çalışmasının amacı, cinsel işlevselliğin çeşitli aşamalarında sorun yaşayan kadınlarda bilinçli farkındalık temelli psikolojik müdahalelerin kullanılabilirlik ve etkililiğini değerlendirmektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, çeşitli veri tabanları “sexual dysfunction AND mindfulness”(“cinsel işlev bozukluğu” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”), “sexual desire AND mindfulness” (“cinsel istek” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”), “sexual arousal AND mindfulness” (“cinsel uyarılma” ve “ bilinçli farkındalık”),, “sexual pain AND mindfulness” (“cinsel ağrı” ve “ bilinçli farkındalık”), ve “orgasm disorder AND mindfulness” (“orgazm bozukluğu” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”) anahtar kelimeleri ile taranmıştır. PRISMA karar kriterlerine bağlı kalınarak yapılan tarama 2000 ve 2017 yılları arasında yayınlanmış 13 araştırma makalesi tespit edilmiştir. Bulgular, hem bireysel hem de grup odaklı bilinçli farkındalık temelli terapilerin cinsel tepki döngüsünün çeşitli boyutlarında yaşanan cinsel işlev bozukluklarında anlamlı düzeyde iyileşme sağladığını ve bu iyileşmelerin uzun dönemde korunduğunu göstermiştir. Cinsel işlevsellikle ilgili birincil sonuçların yanında, depresyon ve kaygı, çift uyumu, iletişim gibi pek çok alanda da olumlu değişime yol açtığı görülmektedir.
Ruhsal Hastalıklarda İyileşme: Kavram Analizi
Authors: DOĞAN Reyhan , MERCAN Neşe , YÜKSEL Çiğdem
Published: March 2020

İyileşme kavramı farklı disiplinler
tarafından kullanılan bir kavramdır. Ruh sağlığı alanında iyileşme için farklı
tanımlara rastlanmaktadır. Ruhsal hastalığa sahip her birey için anlamı farklı
olan iyileşmenin evrensel bir tanımı yoktur. Bireyin kendisi, ailesi, sağlık
profesyoneli ve klinik açıdan bakıldığında birden fazla iyileşme anlayışı
olduğu görülmektedir. Sağlık profesyonellerinin ruhsal hastalığa sahip bireye
özgü, iyileşme tanımının üzerine inşa edilen uygulanabilir, somut müdahaleleri
yapılandırabilmesi için iyileşme kavramının netleştirilmesi büyük önem
taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı ruhsal hastalıklarda iyileşme kavramının
analizini yapmaktır. İyileşme kavramı Walker and Avant’ın kavram analizi
yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. Literatür incelemesi; Mayıs- Eylül 2018 tarihleri
arasında Pubmed, Science Direct, Ovid ve Google Akademik veri tabanlarında
“iyileşme, iyi olma, şifa bulma, iyilik hali, hastalıktan kurtulma, salah,
sağlık bulma, ruhsal hastalık, kavram analizi, recovery, healing, wellness,
mental health, concept analysis” anahtar kelimeleri ile yapılmış ve kavram
analizi için uygun 5 Türkçe, 18 İngilizce makale, 2 kitap, Türk Dil Kurumu
sözlüğü ve Oxford ingilizce sözlük incelenmiştir. Walker and Avant’ın kavram
analizi yöntemine uygun olarak yapılan analizin ilk adımında kavram ’iyileşme’
olarak seçilmiş, ikinci adımında analizin amacına yer verilmiştir. Üçüncü
adımda kavramının sözlük tanımı ve diğer kullanım alanlarındaki farklı
tanımları incelenmiştir. Dördüncü adımda kavramın tanımlayıcı özellikleri;
bireysellik, umut, anlam bulma, ilişki, destek, güçlenme olarak belirlenmiştir.
Beşinci ve altıncı adımda kavram tanımlayıcı özellikler doğrultusunda model,
sınırda ve karşıt vakalarda tartışılmıştır. Yedinci adımda kavramın ortaya
çıkmasını sağlayan hazırlayıcı faktörler güven, kabul, saygı, insan hakları,
kültür ve iyileşme programları; iyileşme oluştuktan sonra ortaya çıkan
özellikler iç-görü, baş etme, sorumluluk ve işlevsellik olarak belirlenmiştir.
Son adımda iyileşmenin değerlendirildiği farklı ölçüm araçları sunulmuştur. Ruhsal
hastalıklarda iyileşme kavramının kavram analizi yöntemiyle ayrıntılı bir
şekilde incelenmesinin, iyileşme kavramının netleştirilmesine ve ruh sağlığı
alanında iyileşme odaklı hizmetlerin sunumuna katkı sağlayacağı
düşünülmektedir.
Alkol Bağımlısı Bireylere Uygulanan Hemşirelik Müdahaleleri: Sistematik Derleme
Authors: YAMAN Zeliha , YILMAZ Mualla
Published: March 2020

Bu
çalışma, alkol bağımlısı olan bireylere yönelik hemşireler tarafından yapılmış
araştırmaları gözden geçirmek ve bu araştırmaların hemşirelik müdahalesine etkisini
belirlemek amacıyla yapılmış bir sistematik derlemedir. Bu süreçte ulusal ve
uluslararası veri tabanları taranmış, ölçütlere uygun toplam 7 çalışma
değerlendirmeye alınmıştır. Değerlendirmeye alınan çalışmalarda alkol bağımlısı
olan bireylere uygulanan müdahaleler sırasıyla: Kısa Bilişsel Davranışçı Terapi
Müdahale Programı, Bilişsel Davranış Terapisi - Kendi Kendine Yardım Kitapçığı,
Psikoeğitim Programı, Yang Stili T'ai Chi Uygulaması, Bilişsel Davranışsal
Modele Dayalı Psikoeğitim ve Egzersiz Müdahale Programı, Tidal Modele Dayalı
Psikiyatri Hemşireliği Yaklaşımı ve ’
Nörofeedback
Temelli Öz Düzenleme Eğitimi dır.
Bu modele
dayalı uygulamaların alkol bağımlısı olan bireylerin ruh sağlığı üzerinde
olumlu sonuçları olduğu görülmektedir. Ülkemizde alkol bağımlısı olan bireylere
yönelik hemşireler tarafından yapılan çalışmaların yetersiz olduğu ve bu alan
ile ilgili randomize kontrollü çalışmaların yapılmasının ve uygulamaya
aktarılmasının bireylerin yaşam kalitesinin arttırılması açısından önemli
olduğu düşünülmektedir.
Bedensel Öz-Bilincin Nörolojik Temelleri ve İlişkili Psikopatolojiler
Authors: TEKGÜN Ege , ERDENİZ Burak
Published: March 2020

Bedenden gelen farklı duyusal bilgilerin dinamik bir şekilde işlenmesine bağlı olarak insanların bedensel farkındalıklarının değişmesi, bedensel öz-bilinç yaklaşımının ortaya çıkmasına neden olmuştur. Son yıllarda yapılan çalışmalara göre farklı duyu sistemlerinden gelen bu duyusal bilgilerin (örn. vestibüler, bedensel-duyusal) birlikte işlenmesi ve yorumlanması, bedensel öz-bilincin oluşması için temel bir gereksinim olarak gözükmektedir. Bu bağlamda duyusal sinyallerin uyumlu ya da uyumsuz olması sonucunda hem uzuv hem de tüm beden algısında çarpıcı değişimler gözlenmektedir. Bu alanda yürütülen çalışmaların temel varsayımı, bedensel deneyimlerin farklı duyulardan gelen sinyallerin tümleştirilerek birlikte işlenmesi sayesinde olduğu yönündedir. Bu makalede bedensel öz bilincin deneysel olarak nasıl çalıştığını incelenmesi ve altında yatan duyusal süreçlerin tartılması amaçlanmıştır. Buna ek olarak, daha önce yapılan deneysel çalışmaların kısıtları tartışılmıştır.
Bipolar Bozuklukta Farkındalık Temelli Bilişsel Terapi
Authors: AYDOĞDU Burcu Ebru , DİRİK Gülay
Published: March 2020

Psikoterapi yaklaşımı olarak bilişsel davranışçı terapinin (BDT) bipolar bozuklukta kullanımı yaygın olsa da ampirik bulgular BDT’nin etkililiğini her zaman desteklememektedir. Bu durum, başka terapi yaklaşımları ile ilgili arayışlara yol açmaktadır. Son dönemlerde ise Farkındalık Temelli Bilişsel Terapinin (FTBT) bipolar bozuklukta etkililiğinin incelenmeye başlandığı görülmektedir. Mevcut gözden geçirme çalışmasında FTBT’nin bipolar bozukluk üzerindeki etkilerini inceleyen çalışmalar bir araya getirilmiştir. Çünkü son yıllarda birçok bozuklukta etkisi incelenen FTBT’nin bipolar bozuklukta etkin olup olmadığını ve nasıl bir etkisi olduğunu inceleyen çalışmalar biraraya getirilerek alanyazına katkı sağlamak amaçlanmıştır. Bu nedenle yapılan incelemeler sonucunda ulaşılan 12 çalışma örneklem özellikleri, yöntemsel arka planları ve sonuçları bakımından incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma kapsamında gözden geçirilen araştırmalarda FTBT’nin bipolar bozukluk tanısı olan kişilerde kaygı, depresyon ya da mani/hipomani semptomlarında azalma sağlayabildiği, katılımcıların bu psikoterapi yönteminden fayda gördüklerini belirtme eğiliminde oldukları ve farkındalık düzeylerinde artışa sebep olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca katılımcıların dikkat, bilgi işlemleme, bellek, duygu düzenleme ve olumlu duygulanımlarında artış olduğu gözlenmiştir. Fakat tıpkı BDT araştırma sonuçları gibi bu bulguların her çalışmada desteklenmediği, FTBT’nin manik ve hipomanik semptomlarda azalma sağlayıp sağlamadığı bilgisinin ise araştırmaların genellikle remisyon dönemindeki kişilerle yürütülmesi sebebiyle netleştirilemediği görülmektedir.
Modern Çağın Bütünsel Teknolojik Bağımlılığı: Phubbing
Authors: YAM Faruk Caner , İLHAN Tahsin
Published: March 2020

Son zamanlarda teknoloji bağımlılığı ve türleri günümüz insanlarının en büyük sorun alanlarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Bu sorun türleri öncelikli olarak internet ve oyun bağımlılığı iken, akıllı telefonun gelişimi ile yeni bir boyut kazanmıştır. Bireyler akıllı telefonları sayesinde tüm teknolojik hizmetleri her an ulaşabilir hale gelmişlerdir. İlerleyen süreçte akıllı telefon teknolojisindeki gelişmelere ve bireylerin kullanım yoğunluklarının artması ile akıllı telefon bağımlığı olarak kavramsallaştırılan yeni bir sorun alanı oluşmuştur. Yakın zamanda ise akıllı telefon bağımlılığı ile açıklanmakta zorlanılan bu durum için İngilizce phone (telefon) ve snubbing (yok sayma, kötüye kullanma) kelimelerinden oluşan Phubbing kavramı ile ifade edilmeye başlamıştır. Bu çalışmada phubbing kavramının bileşenleri ve dinamikleri olan internet bağımlığı, oyun bağımlılığı, sosyal medya bağımlılığı, akıllı telefon bağımlılığı, gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu, nomofibi, netlessfobi kavramları açıklanarak ilgili alan yazına katkı sağlanması amaçlanmıştır.
Inteligencia naturalista: efectos sobre el pensamiento crítico y las necesidades de cognición
Authors: Maturana Gerson Aurelio , Lombo María Lisbet
Published: March 2020

Se analiza la incidencia de un programa pedagógico basado en el fortalecimiento de la inteligencia naturalista sobre el desarrollo de habilidades de pensamiento crítico y las necesidades de cognición en estudiantes de cuarto de primaria de un colegio público de Bogotá. En el estudio participaron 99 estudiantes pertenecientes a tres grupos intactos: dos experimentales y uno de control. La metodología sigue el enfoque cuantitativo. Las diferencias de grupos se contrastaron a través de la prueba t de Student. Así mismo, se determinó la relación entre variables a partir del coeficiente de correlación de Spearman, ρ [rho]. Como instrumentos para la recolección de información se emplearon el test HCTAES de Halpern y el test de necesidad de cognición, con medición en dos momentos: uno antes del tratamiento experimental —pretest— y otro al finalizar el programa de formación en inteligencia naturalista —postest—. La intervención adoptó como enfoque pedagógico la enseñanza problémica propuesta por Majmutov. Los resultados muestran cambios en los grupos experimentales y de control. También muestran una correlación positiva entre las variables consideradas: formación en inteligencia naturalista y el aumento en las habilidades de pensamiento crítico; como también, su relación con la existencia previa de necesidades de cognición.
Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q): Factorial structure and cut-off points for the Spanish version
Authors: León-Mejía Ana , Calvete Esther , Patino-Alonso Carmen , Machimbarrena Juan M. , González-Cabrera Joaquín
Published: March 2020

Nomophobia is a situational phobia leading to a deep, irrational, and disproportionate fear of not being able to use the smartphone. An instrumental study on the Spanish version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was carried out. The objectives were: 1) To analyse its factor structure and reliability; 2) to test for the invariance of sex and age groups, and 3) to obtain specific cut-off points by sex and age non-existent to date. Sampling was incidental and non-probabilistic with 5012 participants (57.9%, females) aged 12-24 years (M = 18.04, SD = 3.3). The confirmatory factor analysis revealed a hierarchical model with four correlated factors explained by a general second-order factor. The internal validity and reliability values of the NMP-Q dimensions are satisfactory, ranging between .78, .85, .86, and .92 (Omega w). A multigroup analysis confirmed the invariance across sex and age groups. Building on the NMP-Q scores, we calculated 3 cut-off points using percentiles 15th, 80th and 95th (unnomophobic, at risk of nomophobia, and nomophobic). Females aged 12-15 years had the highest nomophobic scores. We can conclude that the proposed sex and age cut-off points will allow us to better identify nomophobic problems from a clinical point of view.
CAD-integrated Parametric Design Cycle for Structural Membranes
Authors: Goldbach A. , Bletzinger K.-U.
Published: March 2020

The design cycle of membrane structures consists of three interactive and highly non-linear disciplines. Formfinding is performed in order to find a geometry that allows the prestressed structure to carry loads through tension only. Once a formfound geometry is set, structural analysis
needs to assess the structure's safety and usability. The most challenging step is the cutting pattern generation, which aims at finding the planar pieces which can be elevated to build spatial membrane structures with a minimum deviation from the desired shape and prestress state.

Isogeometric B-Rep Analysis (IBRA) allows the designer to perform analyses on the original CAD model without leaving the CAD environment. High quality is ensured for the geometry and the mechanical approximation by using Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). Additionally, the topology information
of multipatches can be transferred to the analysis in order to enrich the design space. Trimmed and coupled surfaces can thus be included in the analysis. Parametric models allow the designer to examine a large variety of geometrical and mechanical entities with one model.
 The advantages
of the CAD-integration with IBRA for the highly interactive design of structural membranes are shown in this contribution.
Parametrization, Integration and Buildability: Design and Construction of a 50m Span Freeform Roof in Bangkok
Authors: Poirriez Catherine , Franceschi Marine , Bouzida Yacine
Published: March 2020

Whizdom 101 is a new high-end fully integrated and digital mixed-use development comprising both commercial spaces and residential towers. The centre of the commercial space is covered by the big roof, a 50m span freeform steel roof covered with ETFE, forming an aerated and relaxing
space for the pedestrians. Several shapes and structural systems have been explored at early stage of the project to best integrate the roof in its environment. The resulting shape is a quiet and smooth surface providing shade and natural ventilation to the spaces below. Although complex,
the geometry was generated to fully take into account the buildability - all the steel members were translated in a language of plates and single radii, comprehensible for the fabricator. Initially made of conical surfaces, the edge beams sections geometry was rationalized through parametric
modelling in order to be only made of cylindrical surfaces which are developable and therefore easy to fabricate.
Form Follows Availability – Designing Structures Through Reuse
Authors: Brütting Jan , Senatore Gennaro , Fivet Corentin
Published: March 2020

This work proposes a new direction in structural design: the synthesis of structures through the reuse of elements. Reusing structural elements reduces the environmental impacts of building structures because it avoids sourcing new material, it reduces waste and it requires little energy.
Designing structures from reused elements is unlike conventional structural design because stock element availability is a design input. In other words, structures must be designed subject to availability of given element characteristics such as length and cross-section type, which have a
major influence on the optimal structure layout and form. In this new paradigm structural form follows availability. In this work new computational methods for the synthesis of reticular structures through reuse are formulated to address two scenarios: a) reuse of reclaimed elements from a
given stock, and b) design of an element stock which is used as a kit of parts to build diverse structures. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the potential of the proposed methods. It is shown that structures produced by these methods have a significantly lower environmental impact
than minimum weight structures made of new elements.
Resource-Aware Network Topology Management Framework
Authors: Abbasi Aaqif Afzaal , Shamshirband Shahab , Al-qaness Mohammed A. A. , Abbasi Almas , AL-Jallad Nashat T. , Mosavi Amir
Published: March 2020

Cloud infrastructure provides computing services where computing resources can be adjusted on-demand. However, the adoption of cloud infrastructures brings concerns like reliance on the service provider network, reliability, compliance for service level agreements (SLAs), etc. Software-defined networking (SDN) is a networking concept that suggests the segregation of a network’s data plane from the control plane. This concept improves networking behavior. In this paper, we present an SDN-enabled resource-aware topology framework. The proposed framework employs SLA compliance, Path Computation Element (PCE) and shares fair loading to achieve better topology features. We also present an evaluation, showcasing the potential of our framework.
A Partial Information Decomposition Based on Causal Tensors
Authors: Sigtermans David
Published: March 2020

We propose a partial information decomposition based on the newly introduced framework of causal tensors, i.e., multilinear stochastic maps that transform source data into destination data. The innovation that causal tensors introduce is that the framework allows for an exact expression of an indirect association in terms of the constituting, direct associations. This is not possible when expressing associations only in measures like mutual information or transfer entropy. Instead of a priori expressing associations in terms of mutual information or transfer entropy, the a posteriori expression of associations in these terms results in an intuitive definition of a nonnegative and left monotonic redundancy, which also meets the identity property. Our proposed redundancy satisfies the three axioms introduced by Williams and Beer. Symmetry and self-redundancy axioms follow directly from our definition. The data processing inequality ensures that the monotonicity axiom is satisfied. Because causal tensors can describe both mutual information as transfer entropy, the partial information decomposition applies to both measures. Results show that the decomposition closely resembles the decomposition of other another approach that expresses associations in terms of mutual information a posteriori. A negative synergistic term could indicate that there is an unobserved common cause.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Assosiated Pneumonia in China: Current Status and Future Prospects
Authors: Ahmed Temoor , Noman Muhammad , Almatroudi Ahmad , Shahid Muhammad , Khurshid Mohsin , Tariq Farheen , ul Qamar Muhammad Tahir , Yu Rongrong , Li Bin
Published: March 2020

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) linked with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. Firstly, the SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. Initially, the major proportion of virus-infected cases (i.e. about 99%) was reported in China and now it is being reported in other counties as well. Humans begin to be infected within their communities and transmittance of the viral epidemic increased rapidly due to lack of understanding of its transmission routes and precautionary measures. The existence of SARS-CoV-2 in China threatened the population greatly due to the high incidence of fatal respiratory infections. Current investigations speculated that this virus transferred into a human from viral-infected bats. However, the process of interspecies viral transmission is an important scientific question to be addressed. Due to the continuous increase in the patients infected with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included this viral epidemic to the priority list of diseases. Therefore, accelerated research developments are required to control the spread of this outbreak, as it is declared as a public health emergency by WHO especially in the absence of efficacious drugs and vaccines. Our review encompasses the recent status of disease severity in China, a particular replication mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and potential risks and precautionary measures required to avoid contact with this fatal viral infection.
Identification and Characterization of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters from Halophilic Marine Fungus Eurotium rubrum
Authors: Bandapali Obul Reddy , Hansen Frederik Teilfeldt , Parveen Alisha , Phule Pradeep , Goud Emmagouni Sharath Kumar , Acharya Suraj Kumar , Sørensen Jens Laurids , Kumar Abhishek
Published: March 2020

Eurotium rubrum is a halophilic marine ascomycete, which can bear the hypersalinities of the Red Sea and proliferate, while most living entities cannot bear this condition. Recently, a 26.2 Mb assembled genome of this fungus had become available. Marine fungi are fascinating organisms capable of harboring several biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), which enables them to produce several natural compounds with antibiotic and anticancerous properties. Understanding the BGCs are critically important for the development of biotechnological applications and the discovery of future drugs. There is no knowledge available on the BGCs of this halophilic marine ascomycete. Herein, we set out to explore and characterize BGCs and the corresponding genes from E. rubrum using bioinformatic methods. We deciphered 36 BGCs in the genome of E. rubrum. These 36 BGCs can be grouped into four non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) clusters, eight NRPS-like (NRPSL) BGCs, eight type I polyketide synthase (T1PKS), 11 terpene BGCs including one β-lactone cluster, four hybrid BGCs, and two siderophore BGCs. This study is an example of marine genomics application into potential future drug-like compound discovery.
Characterization of Ionospheric Scintillation Index over Low Latitude: Nepal Region
Authors: Ansari Kutubuddin , Bae Tae-Suk , Jamjareegulgarn Punyawi , Khan Shakera , Lim Soo-Hyeon
Published: March 2020

The ionospheric scintillation is a rapid phase and amplitude fluctuation of satellite signals due to the small-scale irregularity of electron density in the ionosphere. The characterization of the scintillation index in a proper way is a crucial aspect of the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals for the purpose of space-based navigation, satellite communication, space weather as well as earth observation applications. In the current study, we analyzed the ionospheric scintillation index during the year of 2018 to 2019 over the Nepal region which locates itself almost being sandwiched between India and China and in the vicinity of low latitudes. The characteristic variations of scintillation occurrence are studied during the several geomagnetic storm and quiet days. The results show that the S4 indexes are varying from the 0.05 to 0.45 during the whole year. The S4 indexes behave higher variations during the whole day in the starting of the year and start to decrease at end of the day as well as at the ending months of the year 2019. The S4 values become completely less during the sunset time, while they have higher values during the sunrise. Especially, the S4 index during the storm days are larger than during the quiet days. It is worthy to note that the variations of S4 index studied in this current study do not follow the sunset property during the year of 2019. Consequently, the causes should be discovered and discussed additionally in the next research paper.
A Hint on the COVID-19 Risk: Population Disparities in Gene Expression of Three Receptors of SARS-CoV
Authors: Cai Guoshuai , Cui Xiang , Zhu Xia , Zhou Jun
Published: March 2020

The current spreading novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious and pathogenic and has attracted global attention. Recent studies have found that SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV share around 80% of homology and use the same cell entry receptor, ACE2. These inspired us to study other receptors of SARS-CoV, which may be used for SARS-CoV-2 binding as well. In this study, we screened the gene expression of three receptors (ACE2, DC-SIGN and L-SIGN) in four datasets of normal lung tissue from lung adenocarcinoma patients and two single-cell RNA sequencing datasets from normal lung and bronchial epithelial cells separately. No significant difference in gene expression of these three receptors were found between gender groups (male vs female). We found higher gene expression of DC-SIGN in elder with age>60 and higher gene expression of L-SIGN in Caucasian than Asian. Similar to ACE2, we observed significantly higher DC-SIGN gene expression in the lungs of smokers, especially former smokers. However, smokers upregulate ACE2 and DC-SIGN gene expression in different cell types. In the whole lung, ACE2 is actively expressed in remodeled Alveolar Type II cells of former smokers, while DC-SIGN is largely expressed in monocytes of former smokers and dendritic cells of current smokers. In bronchial epithelium, no obvious gene expression of DC-SIGN and L-SIGN was observed while ACE2 was found to be actively expressed in goblet cells of current smokers and club cells of non-smokers. In conclusion, our findings may indicate that smokers, especially former smokers, and people over 60 have higher risk and are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Also, this study provides hints on possible SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity mechanisms in lung infection.
Insufficient Sensitivity of RNA Dependent RNA Polymerase Gene of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Genome as Confirmatory Test using Korean COVID-19 Cases
Authors: Kim Soyoun , Kim Dong-Min , Lee Baeckseung
Published: March 2020

Since mid-December of 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading from Wuhan, China. As of February 21, total 75,773 confirmed cases worldwide have spread to more than two dozen countries. Transmission of COVID-19 can occur early in the course of infection since SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in asymptomatic patients are similar to that in the symptomatic patients. Therefore, more sensitive diagnostic methods are needed to detect early phase of the infection to prevent secondary or tertiary spreads. Here, we compare the RT-PCR confirmatory test results using two different SARS-CoV-2 viral RNAs from two Korean COVID-19 confirmed cases.RT-PCR method targeting the RdRP gene, which was recommended by WHO guideline, was less sensitive than targeting N genes (as per CDC guideline). Because many countries follow the WHO guideline, our findings may contribute to the early diagnosis of COVID-19.
Soil Arthropods Indicate the Range of Plant-facilitation on the Soil of Mediterranean Drylands
Authors: Meloni Fernando , Martinez Alexandre Souto
Published: March 2020

Drylands are arid and semiarid ecosystems, where the lack of rains imposes harsh conditions for the survival of organisms. These ecosystems are also susceptible to degradation and desertification, and their conservation depends on the understanding of the ecological functioning of vegetation and soil. In drylands, the vegetation is spatially structured as a mosaic of patches (vegetation) and interpatches (bare soil), a consequence of plant-plant interactions (facilitation and competition). Empirical data and modeling approaches reinforce the role of ecological facilitation for the maintenance of all organisms in drylands. However, the actual range of facilitation is still poorly known. Here, we explored data of meso- and micro-arthropods found in soil as bioindicators to infer the range of facilitation provided by plants to soil. We regarded data of abundances and species densities (independent samples) collected in random patches and bare soil places as dependent variables. Data of patch size and distances between bare soil and patches were arranged in a single shuffle, producing a 1-d coordinate system centered at the border of the patch. Discrete portions of this system are taken to calculate averages and variances of abundance and species density, and we investigated how soil communities variate across the patch border. We employ techniques of signal analysis to reduce the data noise and obtain a smooth and continuous behavior, which allowed us to fit a logistic function. Our findings indicate that soil communities suddenly change from simple patterns to numerous and diverse communities in bare soil regions, meaning that the influence of vegetation on soil goes beyond the patch border. We interpreted the variations in fauna as a consequence of the positive influence provided by plants (or its lack) on surrounding bare soil. We observe a fast decaying of fauna quantities at 0.35 m outside the patch border, a threshold that reveals the mean range of facilitation provided by plants. However, the changes in soil communities outside the patches seem not necessarily related to the efficiency of soil processes mediated by arthropods, which seem to be more active inside large patches. Concluding, we found a minimum patch-size (radius ~ 0.5 m) able to maintain high diverse communities in soil, and an average distance of vegetation influence along the patch border (halo between 0.35 and 0.50 m). This information can be interpreted in terms of facilitation provided by plants to soil conditions, which seems to differ from the quantitative functionality of soil processes. Our findings contribute to the general understanding of the ecological functioning of drylands, as well as to better plan conservation actions.
Spatial and Temporal Variability of Microbial Communities and Salt Distributions Across an Aridity Gradient Before and After Heavy Rains in the Atacama Desert
Authors: Shen Jianxun , Shirey Timothy , Wyness Adam , Claire Mark , Zerkle Aubrey
Published: March 2020

Over the past 150 million years, the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert has been transformed by geologic and atmospheric conditions into one of the most unique and inhospitable landscapes on the planet. This makes it an ideal Mars analog that has been explored for decades as preliminary studies on the space life discovery. However, two heavy rainfalls that occurred in the Atacama in 2015 and 2017 provide a unique opportunity to study the response of resident extremophiles to rapid environmental change associated with excessive water and salt shock. Here we combine geochemical analyses with molecular biology to study the variations in salts and microbial communities along an aridity gradient, and to examine the reshuffling of hyperarid microbiomes before and after the two rainfall events. Analysis of microbial community composition revealed that soils within the southern desert were consistently dominated by Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Verrucomicrobia; soils within the hyperarid sites were dominated by Aquificae and Deinococcus-Thermus before heavy rainfalls, while these organisms almost totally diminished after rainfall, and the hyperarid microbial consortia and metabolisms transformed to a more southern desert pattern along with increased biodiversity. Salts at the shallow subsurface were dissolved and leached down to a deeper layer, both benefitting and challenging indigenous microorganisms with the excessive input of water and ions. Microbial viability was found to change with aridity and rainfall events but correlated with elevation, pH, conductivity, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and soil organic matters (SOM). Metagenomic functional pathways related to stressor responses also increased in post-rainfall hyperarid soils. Our findings contribute to the primary goal of Atacama Mars analog research for understanding the microbial community structure and adaptations: this study sheds light on the structure of xerophilic, halophilic, and radioresistant microbiomes in hyperarid environments, and their response to changes in water availability.
Whole Virus Detection using Paper Potentiometry
Authors: Tabib-Azar Massood , Dolai Subhashish
Published: March 2020

Paper-based sensors, microfluidic platforms and electronic devices have attracted attention in the past couple of decades because they are flexible, can be recycled easily, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive. Here we report a paper aptamer-based potentiometric sensor to detect the whole Zika virus for the first time with a minimum sensitivity of 2.6 nV/Zika and the minimum detectable signal (MDS) of 0.8x1e6 Zika. Our paper sensor works very similar to a P-N junction where a junction is formed between two different wet regions with different electrochemical potentials near each other on the paper. These two regions with slightly different ionic contents, ionic species and concentrations, produce a potential difference given by the Nernst equation. Our paper sensor consisted of a 2-3 mm x 10 mm segments of a paper with a conducting silver paint contact patches on its two ends. The paper is soaked in a buffer solution containing aptamers designed to bind to the capsid proteins on Zika. Atomic force microscopy studies were carried out to show both the aptamer and Zika become immobilized in the paper. We then added the Zika (in its own buffer or simulant Urine) to the region close to one of the silver-paint contacts. The Zika virus (40 nm diameter with 43 kDa or 7.1x10-20 gm weight), became immobilized in the paper’s pores and bonded with the resident aptamers creating a concentration gradient. The potential measured between the two silver paint contacts reproducibly became more negative as upon adding the Zika. We also showed that an LCD powered by the sensor, can be used to detect the sensor output.
Identification of Hand Movements from Electromyographic Signals Using Machine Learning
Authors: Mora Rubio Alejandro , Alzate Grisales Jesus Alejandro , Tabares-Soto Reinel , Orozco-Arias Simón , Jiménez Varón Cristian Felipe , Padilla Buriticá Jorge Iván
Published: March 2020

Electromyographic (EMG) signals provide information about a person's muscle activity. For hand movements, in particular, the execution of each gesture involves the activation of different combinations of the forearm muscles, which generate distinct electrical patterns. Conversely, the analysis of these muscle activation patterns, represented by EMG signals, allows recognizing which gesture is being performed. In this study, we aimed to implement an automatic identification system of hand or wrist gestures based on supervised Machine Learning (ML) techniques. We trained different computational models and determined which of these showed the best capacity to identify six hand or wrist gestures and generalize between different subjects. We used an open access database containing recordings of EMG signals from 36 subjects. Among the results obtained, we highlight the performance of the Random Forest model, with an accuracy of 95.39%, and the performance of a convolutional neural network with an accuracy of 94.77%.
An Evolutionary RGD Motif in the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 may Serve as a Potential High Risk Factor for Virus Infection?
Authors: Yan Shijia , Sun Haixia , Bu Xianzhang , Wan Guohui
Published: March 2020

Pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused serious harm to people's lives and health in Wuhan, China. By February 26, 2020, over 80,000 people were infected and 2,814 died from the infection. The initial route of infection is the binding of the spike protein (S protein) of the virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). From bioinformatics analysis, we found that the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 produced an evolutionary mutation of K403R compared with the S protein of SARS-CoV, forming an adjacent RGD motif at the interaction surface. As the RGD motif is considered as a ligand for many cell surface integrins, we proposed that the binding of S protein of SARS-CoV-2 with integrins may facilitate the infection process of the virus. Therefore, high-throughput virtual screening was performed by choosing the key residues of S protein interface of SARS-CoV-2 and the adjacent RGD motif as potential binding site, to search for the potential agents targeting interaction of S protein of SARS-CoV-2 with both ACE2 and integrins as potential therapeutic drugs. Various libraries including the FDA-approved drugs etc. were screened, and Nadide, Losartan, 9'''-Methyllithospermate B and Leonurine etc. were identified as representative potential drugs candidate for COVID-19.
Melatonin Attenuates RVLM Neuro-inflammation and Sympathetic Activation in Stress-induced Hypertension Rats
Authors: Zhang Shutian
Published: March 2020

Background: Hypertension is a cardiovascular syndrome with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide. Hypertension caused by various stress factors is called stress-induced hypertension (SIH). The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) "neuroinflammatory-sympathetic overactivation" is involved in SIH formation. Melatonin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and blood pressure lowering effects. The present study is to explore the antihypertensive effects and mechanism of central melatonin which based on microglia derived neuroinflammation. Methods: Stress-induced hypertension (SIH) was induced by electric foot-shock stressors with noise interventions in rats. Melatonin (0.01，0.1，1 mmol/L) was administered to RVLM and then blood pressure (BP) and serum norepinephrine (NE) were monitored to reflect sympathetic vasomotor activity in SIH rats. Excitatory neurotransmitter (Glutamate) and inhibitory neurotransmitter [γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)] were measured using ELISA kits. Markers of microglia M1 polarization (CD86) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs (IL-1β, TNF-α)) expression in the RVLM were measured by RT-qPCR. Results: (1) Stress-induced increase in blood pressure and serum NE concentration; RVLM microinjection melatonin attenuated the elevation of blood pressure and increase of plasma NE in SIH rats in a dose-dependent manner. (2) The expression of CD86, PICs (IL-1β, TNF-α) and c-fos were increased in SIH rats; RVLM injection melatonin attenuated RVLM neuroinflammation and its effect is concentration-dependent. (3). Stress-induced increase in glutamate concentration in RVLM; RVLM injection melatonin reduced glutamate level and increased GABA level in SIH rats in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion: RVLM injection of melatonin inhibits M1 polarization and has anti-hypertensive effects. Melatonin reduces M1 polarization in microglia might be a novel target and a new strategy for anti-stress induced-hypertension.