bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Real-Time Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation on Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Retrospective Case-Control Study
Authors: Shang Xiao , Yang Guang , Zhao Heng Jun , Zhang Ming , Cui Guo Zhen , Cui Jiu Wei , Wang Nan Ya
Published: August 2020

Objective

To compare the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and conventional ultrasound (US) during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≥ 3.0 cm in diameter.

Methods

A total of 149 HCC patients treated with RFA guided by either CEUS or conventional US between January 2012 and June 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into different groups based on the type of ultrasound guidance (CEUS or conventional US) and tumor volume (diameter < 3.0 or ≥ 3.0 cm). The progressionfree survival (PFS) and complete ablation rates were compared between groups, and risk factors for the PFS were investigated.

Results

Seventy four patients received CEUS-guided RFA, and conventional US was performed in 75 patients. Among patients with a tumor < 3.0 cm, the PFS and complete ablation rates were similar. However, for patients with a tumor ≥ 3.0 cm, those treated with CEUS had a significantly longer PFS (17.3 vs. 3.1 months, HR = 2.73; 95% CI, 1.28∼5.81; P = 0.007) and higher complete ablation rates at 6- and 12-month post-treatment (87.5% vs. 57.7%, P = 0.042; 75.0% vs. 38.5%, P = 0.009, respectively) than those treated with conventional US-guided RFA. The type of treatment (P = 0.024) and maximum tumour size (P = 0.011) were both found to be independent factors associated with the PFS.

Conclusion

Compared with conventional US, CEUS is more effective for guiding RFA in patients with HCC ≥ 3.0 cm. CEUS-guided RFA could target HCC more accurately, and its ability to immediately detect any residual tumor during RFA might contribute to an increase in complete ablation rates and reduced progression.
La construcción simbólica del rostro humano de las corporaciones
Authors:   , Echazú Estanislao
Published: August 2020

La responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) se ha ido construyendo según los distintos contextos hasta lograr posicionarse prácticamente en todo el mundo. Dada su relevancia en el campo de la comunicación estratégica, esta investigación analiza los informes de RSC de los bancos BBVA, Santander y Galicia publicados entre 2014 y 2017 en Argentina. Con ello, no solo se profundiza en el abordaje del concepto, sino que también se consigue identificar los ethos discursivos que proyectan las compañías financieras en relación con los principios y objetivos promovidos por el Pacto Global de Naciones Unidas. La presente tesis doctoral encuentra en la RSC y el discurso una relación integrada que permite a cada entidad crear representaciones y reflejar una imagen de sí hacia sus grupos de interés. A pesar de configurar una caracterización compuesta, las organizaciones exhiben en sus discursos una homogeneidad identitaria que es sostenida en el tiempo para generar una buena reputación. Ese entramado tan manifiesto es lo que conduce a formular una nueva definición de la RSC y realizar el Esquema discursivo del ser socialmente responsable, el cual es indispensable para conocer la construcción simbólica del rostro humano de las corporaciones.
YVYRA. Vivienda de prefabricación para el ámbito rural y suburbano del noreste argentino
Authors: Taborda Matías
Published: August 2020

La producción de viviendas prefabricadas es la actividad que mayor valor agrega a la foresto-industria del noreste argentino. Con el objeto de actualizar la oferta, el proyecto Yvyra (árbol en idioma guaraní) inicia la búsqueda de una vivienda cuya arquitectura sea apropiada para el territorio. Una que, entendiendo al paisaje como producto del encuentro cultura-naturaleza, asuma sus valores en el proceso proyectual del hábitat doméstico contemporáneo. Y, de este modo, arribar a un producto-vivienda que sintetice en sus espacios las variables: técnica, usos y pertenencia a un paisaje.
Потенциал рапсовых жмыхов в качестве сырья пищевого назначения
Authors: Рензяева Тамара Владимировна , Рензяев Антон Олегович , Кравченко Сергей Николаевич , Резниченко Ирина Юрьевна
Published: August 2020

К основным приоритетам развития производства отечественной пищевой продукции относится рациональное использование сырьевых ресурсов, в том числе поиск новых возможностей для использования вторичных продуктов переработки растительного сырья – жмыхов масличных культур. Целью данной работы является изучение потребительских свойств рапсового жмыха, полученного переработкой очищенных от семенных оболочек масличных ядер семян рапса, а также определение перечня нормативных требований для использования его в производстве продуктов питания. Выполнен обзор работ по использованию рапсовых жмыхов в составе кормов для животных и пищевых продуктов. Представлен анализ компонентного состава и показателей качества рапсовых жмыхов, полученных из переработанных с оболочкой семян рапса, в сравнении со жмыхом, полученным переработкой очищенных от оболочек масличных ядер семян. Определен перечень нормативных требований в отношении содержания антипитательных соединений, микробиологических и токсикологических показателей безопасности к рапсовому жмыху пищевому, полученному переработкой очищенных от оболочек масличных ядер семян рапса.
Использование фуллерена при хранении и сушке яблок
Authors: Шевченко Татьяна Викторовна , Устинова Юлия Владиславовна , Юстратов Владимир Петрович , Безруков Михаил Сергеевич , Василенко Дарья Евгеньевна
Published: August 2020

Изучение физических и химических свойств фуллеренов и их производных, а также растворов на их основе позволяет прогнозировать поведение последних в различных процессах, в том числе технологически значимых, в частности при использовании в пищевой промышленности. В этой связи актуальным является разработка новых технологически доступных методов функционализации углеродных наноструктур и исследование возможностей их практического применения. Целью данного исследования являлось изучить возможность применения фуллерена в технологии хранения и сушки яблок. Экспериментальная часть работы включала обработку искусственно поврежденных целых яблок и их долек с помощью воды, обработанной фуллеренсодержащим природным материалом – шунгитом, перед их хранением и сушкой. Установлены важные бактерицидные технологические свойства такой воды, снижающие степень гниения яблок полученных от механических повреждений. Установлена возможность полного исцеления фруктов от повреждений и процессов гниения при их обработке водой с примесью фуллерена. Доказано влияние воды с фуллереном на процесс сушки яблок. Установлено снижение потерь витаминов за счет ингибирования окислительной ферментативной реакции на поверхности среза яблок. Доказана способность наноколичеств фуллерена снижать общие энергетические затраты на сушку яблочного сырья. Применение фуллерена, обладающего особенными химическими свойствами, в технологии хранения и сушки яблок целесообразно, что на сегодняшний день пока не испытано при хранении и сушке яблок промышленными способами.
Real-time and offline evaluation of myoelectric pattern recognition for the decoding of hand movements
Authors: Abbaspour Sara , Naber Autumn , Ortiz-Catalan Max , Gholamhosseini Hamid , Lindén Maria
Published: August 2020

Pattern recognition algorithms have been widely used to map
surface electromyographic signals to target movements as a source for
prosthetic control. Recent literature has underscored differences between offline
classification accuracy, the most common performance metric, and the usability
of upper limb prostheses. Since the majority of investigations on pattern
recognition algorithms have been conducted offline by performing the analysis on
pre-recorded datasets, less knowledge has been gained with respect to real-time
performance (i.e., classification when new data becomes available with limits
on latency under 200-300 milliseconds). Therefore, a
comparative offline and real-time performance analysis between common
algorithms had yet to be performed. In this
study, we investigated the offline and real-time performance of nine different
classification algorithms decoding ten individual hand and wrist movements.
Surface myoelectric signals were recorded from the dominant forearm of fifteen able-bodied subjects while performing the ten
movements. The offline decoding demonstrated that Linear discriminant analysis
(LDA) and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) significantly (p<0.05)
outperformed other classifiers with an average classification accuracy of above
97%. The real-time investigation revealed that in addition to the LDA and MLE,
multilayer perceptron also outperformed the other algorithms in classification
accuracy (above 68%) and completion rate (above 69%).
Macroscopic Traffic Dynamics in Urban Networks during Incidents
Authors: Amini Sasan , Tilg Gabriel , Busch Fritz
Published: August 2020

The degradation of road network performance due to incidents is a major concern to traffic operators. The development of urban traffic incident management systems requires a comprehensive understanding of traffic dynamics during incidents. Recently, the concept of the macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) contributed to such an understanding and has been used in a wide range of applications. However, the MFD is merely reproducible under recurring traffic patterns. Motivated by a few studies which argue the existence of the MFD with a clockwise hysteresis loop during incidents, we tackle this limitation of the MFD and propose a framework to study the characteristics of the MFD under non-recurring congestion. More specifically, we introduce a criticality score (CS) which represents network redundancy and postulate that links with a higher level of CS impose a larger hysteresis loop on the MFD. We design an experiment in a microscopic traffic simulation to study the relation of closed links and the resulting MFDs. The results confirm our postulation and we observe that links with similar CS have a comparable impact on the shape of the MFD. The main contribution of this paper is the possibility to develop a framework for incident detection in urban networks under limited sensor coverage. However, the findings of the study may strongly rely on the assumptions, for instance, the network structure, the OD pairs, and drivers route choice during incidents. Thus, future studies are required to study other network topologies as well as more realistic driver route choice during incidents.
Biosorption of Cu(II) Ions from Aqueous Solution using Plantain Stalk (Musa Paradisiaca L.)
Authors: Eyenubo O. B. , Peretomode O. , Osakwe S. A.
Published: August 2020

The study presents the adsorption of Cu (II) ions from aqueous solution by plantain stalk (musa paradisiacal) in relation to its equilibrium and kinetics characteristics, using batch adsorption method. The adsorbent was characterized using FTIR Spectrometry. The following functional groups were observed; hydroxyl, carbonyl, amine and phosphate groups which confirms the potential capability of sorption of the biosorbent. The study shows that there was optimum adsorption at pH 6.0 (75.41%) for Cu (II) ions. There was significant adsorption from the lowest to the highest time (5-180mins) and also there is a significant removal of the metal ions from the lowest to the highest concentration (10 mg/l-500 mg/l). The study also revealed that adsorption of Cu(II) ions by plantain stalk from aqueous solution is best described by Langmuir isotherm due to its R2 values of 0.950. When both order rate equations were tested, data showed a good compliance with the pseudo-second-order rate constant for Cu(II) ions due to its R2 value of 0.999, while the data for pseudo-first-order did not show a good compliance with Cu(II) ions due to its R2 value of 0.549. The results obtained from this study show that plantain stalk is a good adsorbent for the removal of Cu (II) ions from aqueous solution.
New approaches to assessing the contractile function of the left ventricular in patients with heart failure on the background of modulation of cardiac contractility.
Authors: Сафиуллина А.А. , Ускач Т.М. , Саидова М.А. , Добровольская С.В. , Терещенко С.Н.
Published: August 2020

Обзор посвящен роли современной трансторакальной эхокардиографии и новому способу неинвазивной оценки сократительной функции левого желудочка – исследованию эффективности миокардиальной работы у пациентов хронической сердечной недостаточностью. Освещаются актуальные аспекты ремоделирования левого желудочка и левого предсердия у данной категории пациентов. Обсуждается роль и важность метода спекл-трекинг эхокардиографии в оценке механической функции левого предсердия. Представлены сведения об относительно новом электрофизиологическом методе лечения - модуляции сердечной сократимости у пациентов с хронической сердечной недостаточностью, как с фибрилляцией предсердий, так и без нее. Анализируются результаты обратного ремоделирования левого желудочка по данным эхокардиографических параметров основных исследований, посвященных модуляции сердечной сократимости. В статье оцениваются перспективы применения метода оценки эффективности миокардиальной работы левого желудочка как инструмента возможного обратного ремоделирования у пациентов с хронической сердечной недостаточностью и фибрилляцией предсердий на фоне модуляции сердечной сократимости

The review is devoted to the role of modern transthoracic echocardiography and a new method of non-invasive assessment of left ventricular contractile function-the study of the effectiveness of myocardial work in patients with chronic heart failure. The current aspects of left ventricle and left atrium remodeling in this category of patients are highlighted. The role and importance of speckle-tracking echocardiography in evaluating the mechanical function of the left atrium is discussed. Information is provided about a relatively new electrophysiological method of treatment-modulation of heart contractility in patients with chronic heart failure, both with and without atrial fibrillation. The results of reverse remodeling of the left ventricle are analyzed according to the echocardiographic parameters of the main studies devoted to the modulation of heart contractility. The article assesses the prospects for using the method of evaluating the effectiveness of left ventricular myocardial function as a tool for possible reverse remodeling in patients with chronic heart failure and atrial fibrillation against the background of heart contractility modulation
A Novel Information retrieval system for distributed cloud using Hybrid Deep Fuzzy Hashing Algorithm
Authors: Dr. V. Suma
Published: August 2020

The recent technology development fascinates the people towards information and its services. Managing the personal and pubic data is a perennial research topic among researchers. In particular retrieval of information gains more attention as it is important similar to data storing. Clustering based, similarity based, graph based information retrieval systems are evolved to reduce the issues in conventional information retrieval systems. Learning based information retrieval is the present trend and in particular deep neural network is widely adopted due to its retrieval performance. However, the similarity between the information has uncertainties due to its measuring procedures. Considering these issues also to improve the retrieval performance, a hybrid deep fuzzy hashing algorithm is introduced in this research work. Hashing efficiently retrieves the information based on mapping the similar information as correlated binary codes and this underlying information is trained using deep neural network and fuzzy logic to retrieve the necessary information from distributed cloud. Experimental results prove that the proposed model attains better retrieval accuracy and accuracy compared to conventional models such as support vector machine and deep neural network.
Quantificação das cargas de nitrogênio e fósforo na sub-bacia hidrográfica do ribeirão Bom Jardim (MG)
Authors: Campos dos Santos Alessandra , Soler Martins Caroline , Aparecida de Melo Nágela , Eduardo Alamy Filho José
Published: August 2020

A poluição e a degradação dos recursos hídricos, principalmente por atividades antrópicas, constituem-se em alguns dos maiores desafios da gestão da água. O avanço da agricultura e da pecuária em áreas de vegetação natural pode comprometer o fornecimento de água em quantidade e de qualidade. Isso porque essas atividades geram poluentes que podem ser transportados para os corpos d’água. Assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo estimar as descargas de nutrientes (nitrato, nitrito, nitrogênio amoniacal e fósforo) e os índices de abatimento desses nutrientes para diferentes cenários de uso e ocupação do solo na sub-bacia do ribeirão Bom Jardim, utilizando o modelo Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), e comparar com valores medidos em campo. A referida sub-bacia está localizada entre os municípios de Uberlândia e Uberaba (MG), e seus cursos d’água alimentam o reservatório de água do Bom Jardim, destinado para o abastecimento público da cidade de Uberlândia. Os resultados gerados por meio das simulações no SWAT mostraram que as áreas ocupadas por agricultura tendem a gerar uma quantidade maior de escoamento superficial, o que contribui para o aporte de nutrientes no exutório da sub-bacia. As simulações também mostraram que a substituição de parte das áreas de agricultura por mata é uma alternativa interessante no que diz respeito à redução das descargas de nutrientes. Os índices de abatimento de nutrientes calculados apontaram o nitrato como o mais sensível a alterações, indicando que uma dada substituição por floresta consegue retribuir em uma maior atenuação deste nutriente. Palavras-chave: Bacia hidrográfica. SWAT. Simulação hidrológica.
Segurança hídrica no Brasil: situação atual, principais desafios e perspectivas futuras
Authors: Campos dos Santos Alessandra , Reis Alan , Mendiondo Eduardo Mario
Published: August 2020

A segurança hídrica consiste em garantir o acesso a água de qualidade e em quantidades suficientes para satisfazer o bem-estar das presentes e futuras gerações, bem como a manutenção dos ecossistemas. Esse tema está ganhando cada vez mais espaço entre os líderes mundiais e nas discussões ambientais, econômicas e sociais. Sendo um país de dimensões continentais, o Brasil apresenta regiões com características distintas, como clima, paisagens, densidade populacional e, consequentemente, diferentes problemas relacionados à segurança hídrica. Diante disso, esta revisão tem como objetivo principal caracterizar a situação atual da segurança hídrica no Brasil, indicar alguns desafios inerentes a esse tema e quais são as perspectivas possíveis para lidar com tais fatos. A metodologia consiste em caracterizar o país segundo algumas variáveis relacionadas à segurança hídrica, sendo: disponibilidade hídrica; demandas de água; captação e tratamento de esgoto; e gestão de recursos hídricos. Então, essas variáveis serão relacionadas a alguns desafios enfrentados no Brasil em relação à segurança hídrica. Por fim, são apresentadas perspectivas e recomendações para a implementação de ações visando à melhoria da segurança hídrica no Brasil.
Palavras-chave: Segurança Hídrica. Recursos Hídricos. Brasil. Gerenciamento. Usos da Água. Disponibilidade Hídrica. Mudanças Climáticas.
THE ARTISTIC FUNCTION OF NARRATIVES IN THE SACRED BOOKS AND RELIGIOUS-HISTORICAL EVENTS IN MODERN PERSIAN NOVELS
Authors: Sotiboldieva Sarvinoz Ruzievna
Published: August 2020

Every nation has its own way of life, culture, spiritual and religious values. These values are also reflected in the fiction, which is the product of the artistic thinking of that nation. Since the creation of the Holy Qur'an, the Bible, the Torah, and the Psalms, they have played an important role in the lives of people who believe in a particular religion. One of the main reasons for this is the existence in the holy books of stories didactic in spirit about life and death, good and evil. The writers make effective use of these stories, as well as the exemplary lives of the prophets and religious historical events, in shaping the plot of their works, and in increasing the effectiveness of the ideas they put forward. Considered one of the hearts of ancient civilization, Iran is famous for its heroic spirit and epic traditions that glorify kings. But the twentieth century went down in history as the century in which modern-type novelism flourished in Iran. It was a new century for Iranian novelists to be recognized not only domestically but also globally. The purpose of the study is to shed light on the impact of religious narratives on the art of the work, their ideological and artistic function. The study found that sacred narratives given in the sacred books and the new interpretation of religious-historical figures in the modern Persian novels has significantly impacted on the styles of writers.
KEYWORDS: Qur'an, Torah, Bible, Modern Persian Romanism, Style, Abel and Cain, Archetype, Motive, Life of Prophets, Religious Story.
Movimiento afrodescendiente colombiano en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de 1991: de la política de influencia a la política del poder
Authors: Morales Alonso Mónica Johanna
Published: August 2020

Este trabajo analiza, desde la sociología política, la participación del movimiento social afrodescendiente (MSA) colombiano en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de 1991. Se recurrió a dos categorías conceptuales para el análisis: la estructura de oportunidad política (EOP) y la política de la influencia, para identificar cómo se generó la apertura para la participación de este movimiento en la esfera institucional, en el contexto de crisis y violencia política que enfrentaba Colombia en la década de 1980. Para esta investigación se acudió a literatura especializada, se entrevistó a líderes afrodescendientes y se rastreó noticias de prensa. Así, se reconstruyó históricamente la participación política del MSA en escenarios institucionales y se identificaron sus formas de acción colectiva. A partir de lo anterior, fue posible definir sus demandas de identidad, desarrollo económico y titulación del territorio en el artículo transitorio 55 de la Constitución de 1991.
Factores determinantes en la implementación del Plan Plurinacional para combatir el racismo en Ecuador: Eje Justicia y Legislación, 2009-2017
Authors: Crespo Enríquez Paola Anabel
Published: August 2020

Mediante Decreto Ejecutivo No. 60, el Gobierno ecuatoriano aprobó el Plan Plurinacional, con el objetivo de eliminar la discriminación racial y la exclusión étnica y cultural y promover una ciudadanía plural, intercultural e inclusiva de los pueblos y nacionalidades históricamente discriminados. Uno de sus ejes de acción es la justicia y la legislación. En este contexto, el presente artículo analiza la fase de implementación de este eje e identifica aquellos factores (institucionales, políticos, económicos, sociales e ideológicos) que han incidido en su ejecución. Luego del levantamiento de información en varias instituciones que se encontraban a cargo de este plan se detectó que algunas de estas no disponían de datos cuantitativos ni resultados de gestión que permitieran evaluar la ejecución o cumplimiento de las acciones planteadas. Pese a haber transcurrido más de una década desde su promulgación, aún existen acciones que no se han ejecutado ni se ha realizado un seguimiento de su cumplimiento por parte de las entidades gestoras.
Participación ciudadana y politización institucional: veinte años de un dicotómico quinto poder en Ecuador
Authors: Moncayo Vives Guido Andrés
Published: August 2020

El presente artículo sostiene que el quinto poder del Estado ecuatoriano, el Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social, se encuentra politizado. Esta situación genera, por un lado, problemas de índole organizacional al interior de dicho poder; por otro lado, afecta el legítimo ejercicio de cada ciudadano de participar en la toma de decisiones públicas. Este trabajo, que también revisa el derecho a la participación ciudadana y la consolidación de dicho Consejo como aparato burocrático y organizacional en Ecuador, referencia algunas experiencias en la región latinoamericana, se complementa con un análisis histórico sobre la participación ciudadana e identifica los principales efectos de la politización en Ecuador. La metodología utilizada es histórica comparada y emplea datos cualitativos durante tres períodos de burocratización de la participación ciudadana: 1997-2008, 2009-2017 y 2018-actualidad.
What Do Entrance Examinations Say About EFL Outcomes at Universities?
Authors: Unser-Schutz Giancarla
Published: August 2020

Many Japanese universities now accept a large percentage of students who have not taken traditional entrance examinations, most commonly through recommendation. Although this can foster diversity, it can also lead to proficiency gaps amongst students in English courses. A longitudinal study was conducted of students through 2 years of required EFL courses using TOEIC results from the 1st and 2nd years, and matched surveys on attitudes towards English from the beginning, middle and end of 2 years of English courses. Students who gained admission through traditional entrance examinations tended to score higher on the TOEIC, but the results for the surveys were similar for both groups of students. Although the admissions process may not capture students’ attitudes towards English, it may be an indicator of post-matriculation performance, which will have increasing importance as university admissions processes change.
近年では、推薦入試等で定員を確保する傾向が、私立大学を中心に強まっている。この変化に伴い、学生の総合的な評価が可能になったという肯定的な側面がある一方、能力的格差が広がっているという指摘も見られる。本研究では、入試形態別に1・2年次のTOEIC結果及び入学時・2年次開始・2年次末に実施された英語学習に対する態度調査の結果比較を行った。英語学習に対する態度には有意な差がさほど見られなかったが、一般入試の学生のTOEICの平均点数が有意に高いことが判明され、推薦入試の学生のフォローが必要であることが示された。大学入学制度が大きく変わろうとしている今日、この問題がますます深刻になっていくことも最後に指摘する。
Reaksi Abnormal Return Dan Trading Volume Activity Sebelum dan Sesudah Ramadhan Effect
Authors: Kudusia Nina Atrina , Yusuf Nilawaty , Mahmud Muliyani
Published: August 2020

This Research aims to find out the difference between the average of abnormal return and trading volume activity of the transportation companies’ stocks listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange, a period 2014-2018 before and after Ramadhan. The research method is a quantitative method. Th kind of data used is secondary data. The sample is 11 transportation companies listed ini Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2014-2018, while the sampling technique applies purposive sampling. The findings show that there is no difference on the average of abnormal return before and after Ramdahan, and there is no difference on the average of trading volume activity in 2015 and 2018, whereas in 2014, 2016, and 2017 there is a difference on the average of trading volume activity. Meanwhile, the abnormal return and trading volume activity simultaneously influence toward Ramadhan effect with the result of the coefficient determination of 50%, it means that 50% of Ramadhan effect variable is explained by return and trading volume activity.
An in vivo study on Drosophila melanogaster, Artemia salina, and Daphnia magna: Is activated carbon used as a food additive reliable?
Authors: FİDAN Mehmet , AYAR Arif
Published: August 2020

Activated carbon, one of the most important adsorbents used in the industry, is a general definition used to describe carbon adsorbents, which have a large crystal and amorphous structure and wide internal pores. Activated carbon, which has started to be used in many fields in recent years, is observed to be preferred as an important additive in the food industry. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of the use of activated carbon as a food additive in different model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, Artemia salina, and Daphnia magna. To this end, the organisms were kept alive in nutrient media containing activated carbon at different concentrations (0.1 mgmL-1, 0.5 mgmL-1, 1 mgmL-1, 2.5 mgmL-1, and 5 mgmL-1), and changes that occurred in their percentage of survival were determined for 48 h. According to the data obtained, for all three organisms, it was found that in comparison with the control group, there was no decrease in survival percentages in any of the experimental groups in which activated carbon was used. On the contrary, there were increases depending on concentration. Especially in A.salina, the percentage of survival, which was 78 % in the control group, increased up to 87 % (P <0.05). As a result of the study, it was concluded that activated carbon at the specified doses might be used reliably as a food additive. It was evaluated that these results should be supported by in vivo and in vitro studies to be conducted in different organisms.
Does Herding Behavior Exist in the IDX Sectoral Indices
Authors: S Ananda Anggara , Mustafa Matrodji H.
Published: August 2020

This study aims to detect herding behavior based on cross-sectional dispersion in certain market conditions using CSAD method as proposed by Chiang, Li, & Tan (2010). CSAD method allows researchers to evaluate if there is a herding behavior in the capital market. This research uses 9 (nine) sectoral indices listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in the 2013-2019 period. This study examines the hypothesis that herding behavior occurs in the sectoral indices of the Indonesia stock market in upward market conditions and downward market conditions. The results showed that herding behavior occurred in all of the sectoral indices in downward market condition, but herding behavior was not indicated at all in upward market condition.
Determination of Shoe Quality by Comparison of Two Methods for Improve Selection
Authors: Saputra Muhardi , Prakoso Tubagus , singh jaswir , Novelan Muhammad Syahputra , Meizar Abdul , Aisyah Siti
Published: August 2020

Using two methods in decision support according to some circles is very inefficient and redundant (excessive), because in terms of results will be the same. However, according to the author, it is not entirely true, sometimes comparing the two methods is necessary in increasing the confidence of the election (decision). Likewise, if we want to get something, we have to compare from several sources. So basically it will convince the choice (decision). The comparison of the two methods in this study is Simple Additive Weighted (SAW) and Weighting Product (WP) because it uses weight values as the basis of reference. The case told is choosing the quality of shoes based on the brand on the type of sport shoes (sports shoes). The purpose of this research is to determine the best shoe brand, but the main thing is to add value to the confidence of the choice because it has been tested by two methods.
Development of Waste Separation Practice Index among the Community of Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia
Authors: Ong Yi Sean , Mustaffa Nurakmal Binti Ahmad
Published: August 2020

Lately, Malaysia is confronted with a low quality environment and the government needs to provide more efforts in alter strategies to minimize wastes. Universities bear a great responsibility in encouraging waste separation because a higher education institute campus has most of the similar characteristics as a city. This study aims to develop an index of waste separation practice among the UUM community in order to cultivate a green campus culture. With the method of systematic literature review, a conceptual model is developed and five factors that influence waste separation practice involved are identified in this study; attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, moral obligation and situational factor. Data were collected from the 1002 UUM community by using questionnaires and analysis was done by index development. The development of waste separation practice index presented in this study requires three main steps; the first involves identification of factor influence waste separation practice, the second requires weighting factor, which involves application of correlation and Hellwig method, and the final involves building of waste separation practice index using linear combination method. The result of index development displays that students are more dedicated to waste separation practice compared to academic lecturers and administrative staffs.
Anti-Fungal Properties of Ficus exasperata, Jathropha curcas and Mangifera indica on Fusarium oxysporium Causing Seed Rot and Seedling Blight in Soybean
Authors: A.B Wikiri, J., Nwauzoma, , F.W Nmom,
Published: August 2020

Soybean is affected by a wide range of diseases, many of which are seed-borne. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted on the control of Fusarium oxysporium the causal pathogen of soybean seed rot using three plant leaf extracts. Laboratory experiments were conducted with aqueous extracts of air dried leaves of Ficus exasperata, Jatropha curcas, and Mangifera indica and a synthetic fungicide Mancozeb. Using the poisoned food technique, various concentrations (20, 40, and 60%) of the leaf extracts and Mancozeb (0.002%) utilized inhibited the mycelial growth of the pathogens in vitro. Effects of Mancozeb comparative to the plant extracts were determined. Even though all the extracts showed varying degrees of antifungal efficacy, 60% concentration of F. exasperata had the highest level of inhibition (64.52%) on the mycelial growth of the pathogen and was significantly different (P≤0.05) from Mancozeb (83.86%) after 3 days. Extracts of J. curcas and M. indica showed a lower inhibition level ranging from 54.80% to 18.56% and 54% to 22.59% respectively, which were significantly lower in comparison to Mancozeb (P≤0.05). Inhibition of fungal growth increased with a corresponding increase in extract concentration and days. The plant leaf extracts effectively inhibited mycelial growth of the pathogen in vitro after 3 days. The efficacy of seed treatments against seedborne F. oxysporium were evaluated under greenhouse conditions at 40 and 60% concentrations. The result indicated that seeds of various soybean varieties (TGX1448, TGX1987- 10F, TGX 1988-5F) treated with 60% concentration of F. exasperata performed better than the others and improved seed germination: 33.33% in TGX1448 and TGX1987-10F and 26.67% in TGX 1988-5F. The number of leaves was 4.33, 5.0 and 3.67 in TGX1448, TGX1987-10F, TGX 1988-5F respectively; while stem length was 18.33cm, 18.67cm, 15.00cm respectively, in the above order. However, the results were lower and statistically different (P≤0.05) from Mancozeb and the uninoculated control. The results obtained in this study confirmed that Jathropha curcas, Ficus exasperata, and Mangifera indica possess potential inhibitory effect on Fusarium oxysporium, one of the causal agents of Soybean seed rot and seedling blight.
Research and Development of Virtual Reality Somatosensory Game based on Unity3D and Exercise Bike
Authors: Ma Xufeng , Kim Junghyen , Paik Joonki
Published: August 2020

Research and development of virtual reality somatosensory game based on Unity3D and exercise bike is conducted in this manuscript. The novelty of the paper is focused on: (1) The game design method is used to realize a game design method based on the exercise bike platform, which is versatile and can be applied to other simulation interactive systems. And try to solve the rigid exercise of sports games, make the exercises vivid and interesting, give full play to the entertainment characteristics of electronic games, and let participants get a virtual and real experience. (2) In program development, using game engine as development tool improves the reuse of code, reduces the difficulty of development and shortens the development cycle. The key technologies of network communication, collision detection and artificial intelligence are studied and applied in fitness bicycle somatosensory game. The performance of the proposed model is validated through the experimental analysis. In the future, the applications will be tested.
VETERİNER HEKİMLİĞİ YÖNÜYLE KORONAVİRUSLAR
Authors: ONMAZ Ali Cesur , EKİNCİ Gencay
Published: August 2020

Koronavirüsler (CoV), hayvanlarda ve insanlarda hastalıklara neden olabilecek bir RNA (ribonükleik asit) virüs ailesidir. Bazı CoV suşları zoonotik karakterdedir, ancak birçok suş zoonotik değildir. Hayvanlarda ve insanlarda CoV, üst ve alt solunum yolu hastalıklarına, gastroenterit, peritonit, üreme hastalıkları, nefrit, hepatit ve merkezi sinir sistemi enfeksiyonlarına neden olur. Enfeksiyonların bulaşması çoğu hayvan türünde fekal-oral yolla gerçekleşir. Viral RNA'nın revers transkripsiyon polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (RT-PCR) ile saptanması son yıllarda yaygın olarak kullanılan bir yöntemdir ve CoV enfeksiyonlarının serolojik teşhisi için, ELISA, Komplement Fikzasyon (KF), İmmünfloresan veya Virüs Nötralizasyon testleri kullanılmaktadır. Hayvan CoV enfeksiyonlarını tedavisinde, gerektiğinde destekleyici bakım dışında etkili antiviral ilaçlar mevcut değildir. Etkinlikleri sınırlı olmasına rağmen, belirli hayvan türlerini korumak için üretilmiş aşılar mevcuttur.
Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of Social Media among Pre-service Teachers in Ghana
Authors: Korsah Daniel Paa , Abdulai Issah Bala , Gbormittah Daniel
Published: August 2020

The study examined the level of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) of social media within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in order to ascertain the usefulness of social media among Pre-service Teachers in Ghana. Stratified random sampling was used to select 391 Pre-service Teachers for the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analysed based on descriptive statistics and an Independent sample t-test. This study found that majority of the Pre-service Teachers use two social media platforms; WhatsApp and Facebook. The study further established a significant difference between Pre-service Teachers whose usage of social media sites specifically affect their perceived usefulness and those that specifically affect their perceived ease of use. The study encouraged teachers to integrate e-learning applications like Blackboard, Google Classroom and Edmodo in their courses (using the blended learning approach) as they have social media-like features that students have already embraced. This study contributed to research on the possibility of integrating social media into teaching and learning in Colleges of Education in Ghana.
SPISEA: A Python-based Simple Stellar Population Synthesis Code for Star Clusters
Authors: Hosek Jr. Matthew W. , Lu Jessica R. , Lam Casey Y. , Gautam Abhimat K. , Lockhart Kelly E. , Kim Dongwon , Jia Siyao
Published: August 2020

We present Stellar Population Interface for Stellar Evolution and Atmospheres (SPISEA), an open-source Python package that simulates simple stellar populations. The strength of SPISEA is its modular interface which offers the user control of 13 input properties including (but not limited to) the initial mass function, stellar multiplicity, extinction law, and the metallicity-dependent stellar evolution and atmosphere model grids used. The user also has control over the initial–final mass relation in order to produce compact stellar remnants (black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs). We demonstrate several outputs produced by the code, including color–magnitude diagrams, HR-diagrams, luminosity functions, and mass functions. SPISEA is object-oriented and extensible, and we welcome contributions from the community. The code and documentation are available on GitHub (https://github.com/astropy/SPISEA) and ReadtheDocs (https://spisea.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), respectively.
The Relation of the Alpha Persei Star Cluster with the Nearby Stellar Stream
Authors: Nikiforova Victoria V. , Kulesh Maxim V. , Seleznev Anton F. , Carraro Giovanni
Published: August 2020

A map of 100° on a side extracted from Gaia DR2 and centered on Alpha Persei reveals two distinct structures—the Alpha Persei star cluster and a conspicuous stellar stream, as widely documented in recent literature. In this work we employ DBSCAN to assess individual stars’ membership and attempt at separating stars belonging to the cluster and to the stream from the general field. In turn, we characterize the stream and investigate its relation with the cluster. The stream population turned out to be significantly older (5 ± 1 Gyr) than the cluster, and to be positioned ∼90 pc away from the cluster, in its background. The stream exhibits a sizeable thickness of ∼180 pc in the direction of the line of view. Finally, the stream harbors a prominent population of white dwarf stars. We estimated an upper limit of the stream mass of ∼6000M
⊙. The stream would therefore be the leftover of a relatively massive old cluster. The surface density map of Alpha Persei indicates the presence of tidal tails. While it is tempting to ascribe their presence to the interaction with the disrupting old star cluster, we prefer to believe, conservatively, they are of Galactic origin.
The Improved Orbit Solution and Component Masses of bet LMi
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Xia Fang , Fu Yanning
Published: August 2020

bet LMi is a double-lined visual binary with an orbital period of ∼39 yr. Via a simultaneous fitting to both astrometric and radial velocity measurements, we give a complete and improved orbit solution with high precision. Then, the component masses are precisely determined as 2.98 ± 0.10 M
⊙ and 1.92 ± 0.04 M
⊙ with a relative precision of ∼3%, respectively. The orbital parallax is determined to be 19.6 ± 0.2 mas, which is two times more precise than Hipparcos parallax. With the known apparent magnitudes and magnitude difference of the components, we derive the luminosity of the components as 50.7 ± 1.8 L
⊙ and 9.1 ± 4.1 L
⊙. The estimated radii of the components are 9.4 ± 0.3 R
⊙ and 3.7 ± 1.5 R
⊙.
Detecting and Characterizing Young Quasars. I. Systemic Redshifts and Proximity Zone Measurements
Authors: Eilers Anna-Christina , Hennawi Joseph F. , Decarli Roberto , Davies Frederick B. , Venemans Bram , Walter Fabian , Bañados Eduardo , Fan Xiaohui , Farina Emanuele P. , Mazzucchelli Chiara , Novak Mladen , Schindler Jan-Torge , Simcoe Robert A. , Wang Feige , Yang Jinyi
Published: August 2020

In a multiwavelength survey of 13 quasars at 5.8 ≲ z ≲ 6.5, which were preselected to be potentially young, we find five objects with extremely small proximity zone sizes that may imply UV-luminous quasar lifetimes of ≲100,000 yr. Proximity zones are regions of enhanced transmitted flux in the vicinity of quasars that are sensitive to the quasars’ lifetimes because the intergalactic gas has a finite response time to their radiation. We combine submillimeter observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array, as well as deep optical and near-infrared spectra from the medium-resolution spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope and on the Keck telescopes, in order to identify and characterize these new young quasars, which provide valuable clues about the accretion behavior of supermassive black holes in the early universe and pose challenges on current black hole formation models to explain the rapid formation of billion-solar-mass black holes. We measure the quasars’ systemic redshifts, black hole masses, Eddington ratios, emission-line luminosities, and star formation rates of their host galaxies. Combined with previous results, we estimate the fraction of young objects within the high-redshift quasar population at large to be 5% ≲ f
young ≲ 10%. One of the young objects, PSO J158–14, shows a very bright dust continuum flux (F
cont = 3.46 ± 0.02 mJy), indicating a highly starbursting host galaxy with a star formation rate of approximately 1420 M
⊙ yr−1.
Confirmed Width–Eiso and Width–Liso Relations in Gamma-Ray Bursts: Comparison with the Amati and Yonetoku Relations
Authors: Peng Z. Y. , Yin Y. , Li T. , Wu H. , Wang D. Z.
Published: August 2020

The well-known Amati and Yonetoku relations in gamma-ray bursts show strong correlations between the rest-frame νf

ν
spectrum peak energy, E

p,i
, and the isotropic energy, E
iso, as well as isotropic peak luminosity, L
iso. Recently, Peng et al. showed that the cosmological rest-frame spectral widths are also correlated with E
iso and with L
iso. In this paper, we select a sample including 141 BEST time-integrated F spectra and 145 BEST peak flux P spectra observed by Konus–Wind with known redshift to recheck the connection between the spectral width and E
iso as well as L
iso. We define six types of absolute spectral widths as the differences between the upper (E
2) and lower energy bounds (E
1) of the full width at 50%, 75%, 85%, 90%, 95%, and 99% of maximum of the EF

E
versus E spectra. It is found that all of the rest-frame absolute spectral widths are strongly positively correlated with E
iso as well as L
iso for the long burst for both the F and P spectra. All of the short bursts are outliers for the width–E
iso relation, and most of the short bursts are consistent with the long bursts for the width–L
iso relation for both F and P spectra. Moreover, all of the location energies, E
2 and E
1, corresponding to various spectral widths, are also positively correlated with E
iso as well as L
iso. We compare all of the relations with the Amati and Yonetoku relations and find that the width–E
iso and width–L
iso relations, when the widths are at about 90% maximum of the EF

E
spectra, almost overlap with the Amati relation and the Yonetoku relation, respectively. The correlations of E
2 − E
iso, E
1 − E
iso and E
2 − L
iso, E
1 − L
iso when the location energies are at 99% of maximum of the EF

E
spectra are very close to the Amati and Yonetoku relations, respectively. Therefore, we confirm the existence of tight width–E
iso and width–L
iso relations for long bursts. We further show that the spectral shape is indeed related to E
iso and L
iso. The Amati and Yonetoku relations are not necessarily the best relationships for relating the energy to the E
iso and L
iso. They may be special cases of the width–E
iso and width–L
iso relations or the energy–E
iso and energy–L
iso relations.
Luminosity Models and Density Profiles for Nuclear Star Clusters for a Nearby Volume-limited Sample of 29 Galaxies
Authors: Pechetti Renuka , Seth Anil , Neumayer Nadine , Georgiev Iskren , Kacharov Nikolay , den Brok Mark
Published: August 2020

Nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are dense stellar clusters that are found at the centers of a majority of galaxies. In this paper, we study the density profiles for 29 galaxies in a volume-limited survey within 10 Mpc to characterize their NSCs. These galaxies span a 3 × 108–8 × 1010
M
⊙ and a wide range of Hubble types. We use high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope archival data to create luminosity models for the galaxies using Sérsic profiles to parameterize the NSCs. We also provide estimates for photometric masses of NSCs and their host galaxies using color–M/L relationships and examine their correlation. We use the multi-Gaussian expansion to derive the NSC densities and their 3D mass-density profiles. The 3D density profiles characterize the NSC densities on scales as small as ∼1 pc, approaching the likely spheres of influence for BHs in these objects. We find that these densities correlate with galaxy mass, with NSC density profiles becoming both denser and flatter at higher galaxy masses. Most galaxy NSCs are denser than typical globular clusters. We parameterize the 3D NSC density profiles and their scatter and slope as a function of galaxy stellar mass to enable the construction of realistic nuclear mass profiles. Our fitted profiles and the derived relations are useful in predicting the rate of tidal disruption events in galaxies. We will verify the results of this paper in a follow-up paper that presents the dynamical modeling of the same sample of NSCs.