bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Use of Dry Matter Intake and Energy Balance Prepartum as Predictors of Digestive Disorders Postpartum
Authors: Pérez-Báez Johanny , Risco Carlos A. , Chebel Ricardo C. , Gomes Gabriel C. , Greco Leandro F. , Tao Sha , Toledo Izabella M. , do Amaral Bruno C. , Zenobi Marcos G. , Martinez Natalia , Dahl Geoffrey E. , Hernández Jorge A. , Prim Jessica G. , Santos José Eduardo P. , Galvão Klibs N.
Published: September 2021

One objective was to evaluate the association of dry matter intake as a percentage of body weight (DMI%BW) and energy balance (EB) prepartum and postpartum, and energy-corrected milk (ECM) postpatum with digestive disorders postpartum. For this, ANOVA was used, and DMI%BW, EB, and ECM were the outcome variables, and left displaced abomasum (LDA), indigestion, and other digestive disorders (ODDZ) were the explanatory variables. The main objective was to evaluate prepartum DMI%BW and EB as predictors of digestive disorders. For this, logistic regression was used, and LDA, indigestion, and ODDZ were the outcome variables and DMI%BW and EB were the explanatory variables. Data from 689 cows from 11 experiments were compiled. Left displaced abomasum was not associated with prepartum DMI%BW or EB. Postpartum data were normalized to the day of the event (day 0). Cows that developed LDA had lesser postpartum DMI%BW on days −24, −23, −12, −7 to 0 and from days 1 to 8, 10 to 12, and 14 and 16, lesser postpartum EB from days −7 to −5, −3 to 0, and 12, and lesser postpartum energy-corrected milk on days −19, −2, −1, 0, 7, 9, 10, 15, and 17 relative to diagnosis than cows without LDA. Cows that developed indigestion had lesser prepartum DMI%BW and EB than cows without indigestion, and lesser postpartum DMI%BW on days −24, −1, 0, 1, and 2, and greater DMI%BW on day 26, lesser ECM on days −24, −2, −1, 0, 1, and 2 relative to diagnosis. Postpartum EB was not associated with indigestion postpartum. Cows that developed ODDZ had lesser prepartum DMI%BW on day −8 and from days −5 to −2, lesser prepartum EB on day −8 and from days −5 to −2, and lesser postpartum DMI%BW than cows without ODDZ. Each 0.1 percentage point decrease in the average DMI%BW and each Mcal decrease in the average EB in the last 3 days prepartum increased the odds of having indigestion by 9% each. Cutoffs for DMI%BW and EB during the last 3 days prepartum to predict indigestion were established and were ≤1.3%/day and ≤0.68 Mcal/day, respectively. In summary, measures of prepartum DMI%BW and EB were associated with indigestion and ODDZ postpartum and were predictors of indigestion postpartum, although the effect sizes were small.
Cellular and Cytokine Responses in Lymph Node Granulomas of Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG)-Vaccinated and Non-vaccinated Cross-Breed Calves Naturally Infected With Mycobacterium bovis
Authors: Sirak Asegedech , Tulu Begna , Bayissa Berecha , Gumi Balako , Berg Stefan , Salguero Francisco J. , Ameni Gobena ,   The ETHICOBOTS Consortium
Published: September 2021

Local immunological responses at the site of infections, such as at the lymph nodes and lungs, do play a role in containing infection caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). This bovine tuberculosis (bTB) study was conducted to evaluate cellular and cytokine responses in the lymph nodes and lungs of BCG-vaccinated and non-vaccinated calves that were naturally infected with M. bovis. Immunohistochemical assays were used for examination of the responses of macrophages, T cells, cytokines and chemical mediators of 40 (22 vaccinated and 18 non-vaccinated) Holstein-Friesian-zebu crossbred calves that were naturally exposed for 1 year to a known bTB positive cattle herd. The incidence rates of bTB visible lesion were 68.2% (15/22) and 89% (16/18) in vaccinated and non-vaccinated calves, respectively. The local responses of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and those of IFN-γ and TNF-α within the lesions, were stronger (P < 0.05) in BCG-vaccinated calves than in non-vaccinated calves. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05) in the response of CD68+ cells. Thus, the findings of this study indicated stronger responses of a set of immunological cells and markers at the local granulomas of BCG-vaccinated calves than in non-vaccinated calves. Furthermore, BCG vaccination may also play a role in reducing the severity of the gross pathology at the primary site of infection.
Indigenous Freshwater Ichthyofauna in the Dhanu River and Surrounding Wetlands of Bangladesh: Species Diversity, Availability, and Conservation Perspectives
Authors: Pandit Debasish , Saha Shuva , Kunda Mrityunjoy , Harun-Al-Rashid Ahmed
Published: September 2021

A checklist of the native fishes of the Dhanu River and adjacent waters at Mithamain Upazila under the Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh is prepared with details on their availability, conservation status, habitat preferences, population trends, and threats. Data were collected monthly by field survey, focus group discussions, and personal interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire and a pictorial check list of fish species. A total of 91 indigenous fish species of 59 genera belonging to 29 families under 11 orders were documented where 17.6%, 27.5%, 31.9%, and 23.1% species were abundantly available, commonly available, moderately available, and rarely available, respectively. Among those, 24 fish species (26.4%) were under the threatened category (3 critically endangered, 11 endangered, and 10 vulnerable) according to the IUCN Bangladesh. Notably, the globally threatened Cirrhinus cirrhosus, Channa orientalis, and Wallago attu were available in the study area. Fish population trends of 24.2% and 59.3% of the entire fish species were found in decreasing trends at the global and national level, respectively. The leading threats to the fish diversity were indiscriminate overfishing followed by fishing by dewatering of wetlands, the katha fishing method, the use of deprecated fishing gears, etc. Minimizing anthropogenic impacts, enacting fishing laws, installing and managing fish sanctuaries, and raising public awareness can be effective for the conservation of existing fisheries resources.
Deep Learning Methods for 3D Human Pose Estimation under Different Supervision Paradigms: A Survey
Authors: Zhang Dejun , Wu Yiqi , Guo Mingyue , Chen Yilin
Published: September 2021

The rise of deep learning technology has broadly promoted the practical application of artificial intelligence in production and daily life. In computer vision, many human-centered applications, such as video surveillance, human-computer interaction, digital entertainment, etc., rely heavily on accurate and efficient human pose estimation techniques. Inspired by the remarkable achievements in learning-based 2D human pose estimation, numerous research studies are devoted to the topic of 3D human pose estimation via deep learning methods. Against this backdrop, this paper provides an extensive literature survey of recent literature about deep learning methods for 3D human pose estimation to display the development process of these research studies, track the latest research trends, and analyze the characteristics of devised types of methods. The literature is reviewed, along with the general pipeline of 3D human pose estimation, which consists of human body modeling, learning-based pose estimation, and regularization for refinement. Different from existing reviews of the same topic, this paper focus on deep learning-based methods. The learning-based pose estimation is discussed from two categories: single-person and multi-person. Each one is further categorized by data type to the image-based methods and the video-based methods. Moreover, due to the significance of data for learning-based methods, this paper surveys the 3D human pose estimation methods according to the taxonomy of supervision form. At last, this paper also enlists the current and widely used datasets and compares performances of reviewed methods. Based on this literature survey, it can be concluded that each branch of 3D human pose estimation starts with fully-supervised methods, and there is still much room for multi-person pose estimation based on other supervision methods from both image and video. Besides the significant development of 3D human pose estimation via deep learning, the inherent ambiguity and occlusion problems remain challenging issues that need to be better addressed.
Improvement of the Classification Performance of an Intrusion Detection Model for Rare and Unknown Attack Traffic
Authors: Han Sangsoo , Kim Youngwon , Lee Soojin
Published: September 2021

How to deal with rare and unknown data in traffic classification has a decisive influence on classification performance. Rare data make it difficult to generate validation datasets to prevent overfitting, and unknown data interferes with learning and degrades the performance of the model. This paper presents a model generation method that accurately classifies rare data and new types of attacks, and does not result in overfitting. First, we use oversampling methods to solve the data imbalance caused by rare data. We separate the test dataset into a training dataset and a validation dataset. A model is created using separate training and validation datasets. Furthermore, the test dataset is used only for evaluating the performance capabilities of classification models, in order to make the test dataset independent of learning. We also use a softmax function that numerically indicates the probability that the model’s predictive results are accurate in detecting new, unknown attacks. Consequently, when applying the proposed method to the NSL_KDD dataset, the accuracy is 91.66%—an improvement of 6–16% compared to existing methods.
Restoration of Dimensions for Ancient Drawing Recognition
Authors: Rim Kwang-cheol , Kim Pan-koo , Ko Hoon , Bae Kitae , Kwon Tae-gyun
Published: September 2021

This study aims to investigate and determine the actual size of the “cheok” scale—The traditional weights and measures of Korea—To aid in data construction on the recognition of ancient drawings in the field of artificial intelligence. The cheok scale can be divided into Yeongjocheok, Jucheok, Pobaekcheok, and Joryegicheok. This study calculated the actual dimensions used in the drawings of Tonga and Eonjo contained in Jaseungcha Dohae by Gyunam Ha BaeckWon, which helped us analyze the scale used in the southern region of Korea in the 1800s. The scales of 1/15 cheok and 1/10 cheok were used in the Tonga and Eonjo sections in Jaseungcha Dohae, and the actual dimensions in the drawing were converted to the scale used at the time. Owing to the conversion, the dimensions in the drawings of Tonga were converted to 30.658 cm per cheok, and ~31.84 cm per cheok for Eonjo. In this manner, the actual dimensions used in the southern region of Korea around the year 1800 were restored. Through this study, the reference values for drawing recognition of machinery drawings in Korea around 1800 were derived.
Comparing Prophet and Deep Learning to ARIMA in Forecasting Wholesale Food Prices
Authors: Menculini Lorenzo , Marini Andrea , Proietti Massimiliano , Garinei Alberto , Bozza Alessio , Moretti Cecilia , Marconi Marcello
Published: September 2021

Setting sale prices correctly is of great importance for firms, and the study and forecast of prices time series is therefore a relevant topic not only from a data science perspective but also from an economic and applicative one. In this paper, we examine different techniques to forecast sale prices applied by an Italian food wholesaler, as a step towards the automation of pricing tasks usually taken care by human workforce. We consider ARIMA models and compare them to Prophet, a scalable forecasting tool by Facebook based on a generalized additive model, and to deep learning models exploiting Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). ARIMA models are frequently used in econometric analyses, providing a good benchmark for the problem under study. Our results indicate that ARIMA models and LSTM neural networks perform similarly for the forecasting task under consideration, while the combination of CNNs and LSTMs attains the best overall accuracy, but requires more time to be tuned. On the contrary, Prophet is quick and easy to use, but considerably less accurate.
A Comparison of Linking Methods for Two Groups for the Two-Parameter Logistic Item Response Model in the Presence and Absence of Random Differential Item Functioning
Authors: Robitzsch Alexander
Published: September 2021

This article investigates the comparison of two groups based on the two-parameter logistic item response model. It is assumed that there is random differential item functioning in item difficulties and item discriminations. The group difference is estimated using separate calibration with subsequent linking, as well as concurrent calibration. The following linking methods are compared: mean-mean linking, log-mean-mean linking, invariance alignment, Haberman linking, asymmetric and symmetric Haebara linking, different recalibration linking methods, anchored item parameters, and concurrent calibration. It is analytically shown that log-mean-mean linking and mean-mean linking provide consistent estimates if random DIF effects have zero means. The performance of the linking methods was evaluated through a simulation study. It turned out that (log-)mean-mean and Haberman linking performed best, followed by symmetric Haebara linking and a newly proposed recalibration linking method. Interestingly, linking methods frequently found in applications (i.e., asymmetric Haebara linking, recalibration linking used in a variant in current large-scale assessment studies, anchored item parameters, concurrent calibration) perform worse in the presence of random differential item functioning. In line with the previous literature, differences between linking methods turned out be negligible in the absence of random differential item functioning. The different linking methods were also applied in an empirical example that performed a linking of PISA 2006 to PISA 2009 for Austrian students. This application showed that estimated trends in the means and standard deviations depended on the chosen linking method and the employed item response model.
Challenges in Documenting Non-Fatal Drowning Disability in Bangladesh: A Community-Based Survey
Authors: Jagnoor Jagnoor , Gupta Medhavi , Christou Aliki , Ivers Rebecca Q. , Bhaumik Soumyadeep , Baset Kamran Ul , Rogers Kris , Rahman Aminur
Published: September 2021

Limited access to health care and the lack of robust data systems means non-fatal drownings are largely missed in low-and middle-income countries. We report morbidity among individuals who experienced non-fatal drowning in the Barishal Division, Bangladesh. A representative household survey was conducted in the Barishal Division in southern Bangladesh between September 2016 and February 2017, covering a population of 386,016. The burden of non-fatal drowning was assessed using the WHODAS 2.0 disability assessment tool, a generic assessment instrument for health and disability. A total of 5164 non-fatal drowning events occurred in the one year preceding the survey. Among these 18% were multiple events. From these, 4235 people were administered the WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire. Non-fatal drowning incidence rates were highest in children aged 1–4 years at 5810 per 100,000 population, and among males. Non-fatal drowning was associated with lower socio-economic status and larger family sizes. Few respondents (6.5%; 95% CI: 4.5–8.4%) reported some level of disability (WHODAS-12 score > 8). Incidence of non-fatal drowning is high in the population, however limited impact on morbidity was found. There is a need to develop tools and methodologies for reliable and comparable data for non-fatal drowning, especially to capture post-event disability in children.
Perennial Crop Dynamics May Affect Long-Run Groundwater Levels
Authors: Franklin Bradley , Schwabe Kurt , Levers Lucia
Published: September 2021

During California’s severe drought from 2011 to 2017, a significant shift in irrigated area from annual to perennial crops occurred. Due to the time requirements associated with bringing perennial crops to maturity, more perennial acreage likely increases the opportunity costs of fallowing, a common drought mitigation strategy. Increases in the costs of fallowing may put additional pressure on another common “go-to” drought mitigation strategy—groundwater pumping. Yet, overdrafted groundwater systems worldwide are increasingly becoming the norm. In response to depleting aquifers, as evidenced in California, sustainable groundwater management policies are being implemented. There has been little modeling of the potential effect of increased perennial crop production on groundwater use and the implications for public policy. A dynamic, integrated deterministic model of agricultural production in Kern County, CA, is developed here with both groundwater and perennial area by vintage treated as stock variables. Model scenarios investigate the impacts of surface water reductions and perennial prices on land and groundwater use. The results generally indicate that perennial production may lead to slower aquifer draw-down compared with deterministic models lacking perennial crop dynamics, highlighting the importance of accounting for the dynamic nature of perennial crops in understanding the co-evolution of agricultural and groundwater systems under climate change.
An Evolutionary Justification of the Emergence of Leadership Using Mathematical Models
Authors: Solow Daniel , Szmerekovsky Joseph , Krishnakumar Sukumarakurup
Published: September 2021

The value and importance of leadership is evident by its prevalence throughout human societies and organizations. Based on an evolutionary argument, models are presented here that provide a mathematical justification as to how and why leadership arose in the first place and then persisted. In this setting, by a leader is meant a person whose overall actions are ultimately responsible for the well-being and survival of the group. The proposed models contain parameters whose values reflect group size, harshness of the environment, diversity of actions taken by individuals, and the amount of group cohesion. Mathematical analysis and computer simulations are used to identify conditions on these parameters under which leadership results in an increased survival probability for the community.
In Vitro Inhibition of Zika Virus Replication with Amantadine and Rimantadine Hydrochlorides
Authors: Arias-Arias Jorge L. , Vega-Aguilar Francisco , Picado-Soto Dihalá , Corrales-Aguilar Eugenia , Loría Gilbert D.
Published: September 2021

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus in which human infection became relevant during recent outbreaks in Latin America due to its unrecognized association with fetal neurological disorders. Currently, there are no approved effective antivirals or vaccines for the treatment or prevention of ZIKV infections. Amantadine and rimantadine are approved antivirals used against susceptible influenza A virus infections that have been shown to have antiviral activity against other viruses, such as dengue virus (DENV). Here, we report the in vitro effectiveness of both amantadine and rimantadine hydrochlorides against ZIKV replication, resulting in a dose-dependent reduction in viral titers of a ZIKV clinical isolate and two different ZIKV reference strains. Additionally, we demonstrate similar in vitro antiviral activity of these drugs against DENV-1 and yellow fever virus (YFV), although at higher drug concentrations for the latter. ZIKV replication was inhibited at drug concentrations well below cytotoxic levels of both compounds, as denoted by the high selectivity indexes obtained with the tested strains. Further work is absolutely needed to determine the potential clinical use of these antivirals against ZIKV infections, but our results suggest the existence of a highly conserved mechanism across flavivirus, susceptible to be blocked by modified more specific adamantane compounds.
Effects and Mechanisms of Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics, and Postbiotics on Metabolic Diseases Targeting Gut Microbiota: A Narrative Review
Authors: Li Hang-Yu , Zhou Dan-Dan , Gan Ren-You , Huang Si-Yu , Zhao Cai-Ning , Shang Ao , Xu Xiao-Yu , Li Hua-Bin
Published: September 2021

Metabolic diseases are serious threats to public health and related to gut microbiota. Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics (PPSP) are powerful regulators of gut microbiota, thus possessing prospects for preventing metabolic diseases. Therefore, the effects and mechanisms of PPSP on metabolic diseases targeting gut microbiota are worth discussing and clarifying. Generally, PPSP benefit metabolic diseases management, especially obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The underlying gut microbial-related mechanisms are mainly the modulation of gut microbiota composition, regulation of gut microbial metabolites, and improvement of intestinal barrier function. Moreover, clinical trials showed the benefits of PPSP on patients with metabolic diseases, while the clinical strategies for gestational diabetes mellitus, optimal formula of synbiotics and health benefits of postbiotics need further study. This review fully summarizes the relationship between probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and metabolic diseases, presents promising results and the one in dispute, and especially attention is paid to illustrates potential mechanisms and clinical effects, which could contribute to the next research and development of PPSP.
Complete Genome Sequencing of Leptospira interrogans Isolates from Malaysia Reveals Massive Genome Rearrangement but High Conservation of Virulence-Associated Genes
Authors: Ramli Siti Roszilawati , Bunk Boyke , Spröer Cathrin , Geffers Robert , Jarek Michael , Bhuju Sabin , Goris Marga , Mustakim Sahlawati , Pessler Frank
Published: September 2021

The ability of Leptospirae to persist in environments and animal hosts but to cause clinically highly variable disease in humans has made leptospirosis the most common zoonotic disease. Considering the paucity of data on variation in complete genomes of human pathogenic Leptospirae, we have used a combination of Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) and Illumina sequencing to obtain complete genome sequences of six human clinical L. interrogans isolates from Malaysia. All six contained the larger (4.28–4.56 Mb) and smaller (0.34–0.395 Mb) chromosome typical of human pathogenic Leptospirae and 0–7 plasmids. Only 24% of the plasmid sequences could be matched to databases. We identified a chromosomal core genome of 3318 coding sequences and strain-specific accessory genomes of 49–179 coding sequences. These sequences enabled detailed genomic strain typing (Genome BLAST Distance Phylogeny, DNA–DNA hybridization, and multi locus sequence typing) and phylogenetic classification (whole-genome SNP genotyping). Even though there was some shared synteny and collinearity across the six genomes, there was evidence of major genome rearrangement, likely driven by horizontal gene transfer and homologous recombination. Mobile genetic elements were identified in all strains in highly varying numbers, including in the rfb locus, which defines serogroups and contributes to immune escape and pathogenesis. On the other hand, there was high conservation of virulence-associated genes including those relating to sialic acid, alginate, and lipid A biosynthesis. These findings suggest (i) that the antigenic variation, adaption to various host environments, and broad spectrum of virulence of L. interrogans are in part due to a high degree of genomic plasticity and (ii) that human pathogenic strains maintain a core set of genes required for virulence.
A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Predicting Diazepam Pharmacokinetics after Intravenous, Oral, Intranasal, and Rectal Applications
Authors: Khalid Sundus , Rasool Muhammad Fawad , Imran Imran , Majeed Abdul , Saeed Hamid , Rehman Anees ur , Ashraf Waseem , Ahmad Tanveer , Bin Jardan Yousef A. , Alqahtani Faleh
Published: September 2021

Diazepam is one of the most prescribed anxiolytic and anticonvulsant that is administered through intravenous (IV), oral, intramuscular, intranasal, and rectal routes. To facilitate the clinical use of diazepam, there is a need to develop formulations that are convenient to administer in ambulatory settings. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for diazepam that is capable of predicting its pharmacokinetics (PK) after IV, oral, intranasal, and rectal applications using a whole-body population-based PBPK simulator, Simcyp®. The model evaluation was carried out using visual predictive checks, observed/predicted ratios (Robs/pred), and the average fold error (AFE) of PK parameters. The Diazepam PBPK model successfully predicted diazepam PK in an adult population after doses were administered through IV, oral, intranasal, and rectal routes, as the Robs/pred of all PK parameters were within a two-fold error range. The developed model can be used for the development and optimization of novel diazepam dosage forms, and it can be extended to simulate drug response in situations where no clinical data are available (healthy and disease).
Controllable Release of Povidone-Iodine from Networked Pectin@Carboxymethyl Pullulan Hydrogel
Authors: Emam Hossam E. , Mohamed Amina L.
Published: September 2021

Povidone-iodine (PI) is a common antiseptic reagent which is used for skin infections and wound healing. The control release of PI is quite important to heal the deep and intense wounds. Herein, the preparation of biodegradable pectin@carboxymethyl pullulan (Pe@CMP) hydrogel was carried out and applied for controllable release of PI. CMP was synthesized by interaction of monochloroacetic acid with pullulan at different ratios. The Pe@CMP hydrogel was then prepared by crosslinking of pectin with CMP in presence of glutaraldehyde as cross linker. After carboxymethylation, COOH contents were enlarged to be 24.2–51.2 mmol/kg and degree of substitution was 0.44–0.93. The rheological properties of Pe@CMP hydrogel were enlarged by increment of pectin ratio. Swelling ratio in water (16.0–18.0%) was higher than that of artificial sweat (11.7–13.2%). Pe@CMP hydrogel containing 20% pectin, exhibited the lowest release and 57.7% from PI was released within 360 min. The biological activity of the released PI was monitored to be highly efficient. The kinetic of release was fitted well to the first ordered reaction and Higuchi models. The mechanism of release was explained by the swelling of hydrogel. The networked structure of hydrogel was opened by swelling and PI was released from the outer pores followed by inner pores, achieving the controllable release.
The Effect of Inclination on Natural Convective Heat Transfer from a Slender Cuboid
Authors: Kalendar Abdulrahim , Alhendal Yousuf , Hussain Shafqat , Oosthuizen Patrick
Published: September 2021

A numerical study was undertaken of the naturally occurring laminar convective heat transfer from a slender cuboid with a relatively narrow cross-section (square) and an exposed top surface. The cuboid was perpendicularly placed on an adiabatic flat base plate and two types of surface boundary conditions were considered. The slender cuboid was inclined relative to the vertical axis at angles ranging from 0 to 180 degrees. The flow was considered symmetrical along the vertical axis of the slender cuboid. The equations governing the system were numerically solved in terms of dimensionless variables using FLUENT software. From the results obtained, mean Nusselt numbers over the slender cuboid were calculated using parameters such as: the Rayleigh number for heat flux, Ra*; the Rayleigh number, Ra; the slender cuboid dimensionless width, i.e., the ratio of the width to the height of the heated slender cuboid, W = w/h; and the position of the slender cuboid relative to the vertical, φ. Simulation results were produced for the boundary conditions of constant temperature, constant heat flux, and for Pr = 0.7. The effects of these parameters on the mean Nusselt number for the combined and for the individual surfaces of the slender cuboid are presented and the mean Nusselt numbers are correlated.
A Multiplatform BIM-Integrated Construction Waste Quantification Model during Design Phase. The Case of the Structural System in a Spanish Building
Authors: Quiñones Rocío , Llatas Carmen , Montes Maria Victoria , Cortés Isidro
Published: September 2021

Construction waste (CW) is a prime contributor to the stream of total waste worldwide. One of the biggest challenges of the construction industry is to minimise CW and to develop practices of a more sustainable nature for its management and recycling in order to promote its transition towards a more effective circular economy. The implementation of these practices contributes towards mitigating the scarcity of natural resources and the environmental impact of CW. Thus, a preceding and essential step is the estimation of CW during building design, which will allow the adoption of measures for its early reduction and optimisation. For this purpose, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become a useful methodology to predict waste during the early stages of design. There remains, however, a lack of instrumental development. Therefore, this study proposes a BIM-based method to estimate CW during building design by integrating a consolidated construction waste quantification model in three different BIM platforms. For its validation, the method is applied to the structural system of a Spanish residential building. The results provide evidence that the proposed method is vendor-neutral and enables the automatic identification and quantification of the waste generated by each building element during the design stage in multiple BIM platforms.
The Importance of International Collaboration to Enhance Education for Environmental Citizenship
Authors: Finger David Christian , Draghici Camelia , Perniu Dana , Smederevac-Lalic Marija , Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir Rares , Sehic Azra , Kapović Solomun Marijana
Published: September 2021

Environmental Education is essential to promote awareness and facilitate the development of environmental citizens. To contribute to the enhancement of environmental awareness, Iceland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania have collaborated in joint educational projects which aim at building capacities on sustainable development, delivering environmental teaching lectures, and developing open educational resources. This article presents past and ongoing collaborations between the mentioned countries, assesses the status of environmental education, and highlights the benefits of international collaboration. For this purpose, information on environmental courses in representative universities from each country was collected, SWOT analyses were performed in each country, and a survey among potential students was carried out. The presented analysis reveals that international collaboration raises environmental awareness and increases the likelihood of becoming environmental citizens.
Evolution and Forecasting of the Renewable Energy Consumption in the Frame of Sustainable Development: EU vs. Romania
Authors: Mehedintu Anca , Soava Georgeta , Sterpu Mihaela , Grecu Eugenia
Published: September 2021

This article is part of the concerns generated by the need to increase the consumption of renewable energy, so that in the European Union (EU) countries, its share in the final energy consumption, to reach 32% by 2030, increases. In the context in which, in the specialized literature, the analysis of renewable energy consumption by activity sectors is approached very little, such an analysis has high utility. The variables of interest are the share of renewable energy in the final energy consumption, and the share of renewable energy sources in the final energy consumption in transport, electricity, and heating and cooling. The study performs a comparative analysis of the evolution of these indicators for the period 2004–2019 for Romania and the EU, an empirical estimate of the evolution of indicators using time regression and autoregressive models, a forecast of the share of renewable energy consumption in the final energy consumption and by the main sectors (transport, electricity, and heating and cooling) for the 2030 horizon, providing appropriate scenarios for achieving the EU established goals, as well as an analysis of the interdependence between the indicators. Through the results obtained, the paper can contribute to improving the framework for the sustainable development of energy consumption.
Double Integral of Logarithmic and Quotient Rational Functions Expressed in Terms of the Lerch Function
Authors: Reynolds Robert , Stauffer Allan
Published: September 2021

In this manuscript, the authors derive a double integral whose kernel involves the logarithmic function a polynomial raised to a power and a quotient function expressed it in terms of the Lerch function. All the results in this work are new.
Analyzing Mission Impact of Military Installations Microgrid for Resilience
Authors: Peterson Christopher J. , Van Bossuyt Douglas L. , Giachetti Ronald E. , Oriti Giovanna
Published: September 2021

This article develops a method to model, analyze, and design military microgrids with the objective to improve their resilience in the face of disconnections from the larger electrical grid. Military microgrids provide power to installation and base facilities to enable base mission objective accomplishments that are related to national security. Previous research, tools, and methods for microgrid design and assessment do not adequately address resilience in terms of accomplishing mission objectives and instead primarily focus on economic outcomes. This article proposes a novel metric to quantify microgrid resilience in terms of its ability to minimize the impact of power disruption on missions supported by the microgrid. The metric is used in a novel design method to ensure an islanded military microgrid can continue operations while disconnected for a two-week duration. Our model examines the ability to continue mission operations subject to various microgrid disruptions as well as equipment reliability.
Relationships between Density and per Capita Municipal Spending in the United States
Authors: Mattson Jeremy
Published: September 2021

The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between land use, particularly density, and per capita spending levels in cities across the United States. A model was developed using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances to estimate the impacts of population-weighted density and other factors on per capita municipal spending. This study focused on municipal spending for eight categories that theoretically could be influenced by land use development: fire protection, streets and highways, libraries, parks and recreation, police, sewer, solid waste management, and water. Density was found to be negatively associated with per capita municipal expenditures for the following cost categories: operational costs for fire protection, streets and highways, parks and recreation, sewer, solid waste management, and water; construction costs for streets and highways, parks and recreation, sewer, and water; and land and existing facility costs for police, sewer, and water. Results were insignificant for other cost categories, and a positive relationship was found for police operations costs. In general, results support the conclusion that increased density is associated with reduced per capita municipal spending for several cost categories.
Design of Web-Based Promotion
Authors: Ratna Komala Adeh , Pakaya H O , Ilhamdani I , Fauziyya N R
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this study is to determine customer satisfaction by looking at the variables of interaction quality, system quality, and usability. This is done so that Chocolatier Dessert, as one of the desserts and snacks retailers, can compete and grow, so a website is designed to promote the goods produced. The method used the waterfall method, which works on the essence of a system that is done sequentially or linearly. The data was collected by distributing a list of questions to 50 respondents. The data collected was then processed using the SPSS application to test its validation and reliability. It is done to measure customer satisfaction and the variables that influence it. The results show that promoting the chocolatier through the website was very effective where the interaction quality and information system variables affected customer satisfaction, while usability did not. From the results of this study, it can be seen to maintain customer satisfaction. It is necessary to pay attention to the interaction system and information systems in promoting the Chocolatier Dessert.
Technopreneurship in Small Businesses
Authors: Maulana Hanhan , Soegoto E S , Syahputra R
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this study is to show reports that revealed small businesses in Indonesia have many concerns about survival, competitiveness, and efficiency due to related issues such as finance, lack of information and knowledge, capabilities and capacity. This research is based on problems related to IT implementation in Indonesia. It determines the problems associated with implementation and identifies factors for successful IT implementation in Indonesia. The descriptive qualitative method with literature review was carried out to obtain data that has been changed in the form of book notes, newspapers, agendas, inscriptions, minutes of meetings, and magazines. This study intends to be a reference in the development of small businesses in Indonesia who are very concerned about the development of technology that can improve small businesses to utilize social media as promotion.
Interações e afetividade entre professor e aluno no EAD
Authors: Moraes Ana Shirley de França
Published: September 2021

O estudo é parte da pesquisa “Laços, pertencimento e interações entre pessoas – ações para minimizar a não permanência na educação a distância”, desenvolvida em uma Universidade de grande porte nacional, em pesquisa e produtividade, cujo objetivo foi estudar como os relacionamentos mais afetivos, a partir de interações, por meio de ferramentas tecnológicas da Educação a Distância – EAD, constroem relações mais duráveis, com vistas à permanência nos estudos acadêmicos ou corporativos. Assim, neste estudo, quanto à coleta de dados, a pesquisa é bibliográfica e documental e, quanto aos objetivos, é exploratória.
Stroke in Hemodialysis Patients Randomized to Different Intravenous Iron Strategies: A Prespecified Analysis from the PIVOTAL Trial
Authors: Mark Patrick B. , Jhund Pardeep S. , Walters Matthew R. , Petrie Mark C. , Power Albert , White Claire , Robertson Michele , Connolly Eugene , Anker Stefan D. , Bhandari Sunil , Farrington Kenneth , Kalra Philip A. , Tomson Charles R.V. , Wheeler David C. , Winearls Christopher G. , McMurray John J.V. , Macdougall Iain C. , Ford Ian
Published: September 2021

Key Points

In analysis of the PIVOTAL trial, proactive intravenous iron dosing was not associated with increased stroke risk in patients on hemodialysis.

Risk factors for stroke included diabetes, prior stroke, higher BP, lower serum albumin, inflammation, and women.

Mortality of stroke was high; 58% of patients with a stroke event died during follow-up compared with 23% without a stroke.

Background

People with kidney failure treated with hemodialysis (HD) are at increased risk of stroke compared with similarly aged people with normal kidney function. One concern is that treatment of renal anemia might increase stroke risk. We studied risk factors for stroke in a prespecified secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled trial of intravenous iron treatment strategies in HD.

Methods

We analyzed data from the Proactive IV Iron Therapy in Haemodialysis Patients (PIVOTAL) trial, focusing on variables associated with risk of stroke. The trial randomized 2141 adults who had started HD <12 months earlier and who were receiving an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) to high-dose IV iron administered proactively or low-dose IV iron administered reactively in a 1:1 ratio. Possible stroke events were independently adjudicated. We performed analyses to identify variables associated with stroke during follow-up and assessed survival following stroke.

Results

During a median 2.1 years of follow-up, 69 (3.2%) patients experienced a first postrandomization stroke. Fifty-seven (82.6%) were ischemic strokes, and 12 (17.4%) were hemorrhagic strokes. There were 34 postrandomization strokes in the proactive arm and 35 postrandomization strokes in the reactive arm (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 1.44; P=0.66). In multivariable models, women, diabetes, history of prior stroke at baseline, higher baseline systolic BP, lower serum albumin, and higher C-reactive protein were independently associated with stroke events during follow-up. Hemoglobin, total iron, and ESA dose were not associated with risk of stroke. Fifty-eight percent of patients with a stroke event died during follow-up compared with 23% without a stroke.

Conclusions

In patients on HD, stroke risk is broadly associated with risk factors previously described to increase cardiovascular risk in this population. Proactive intravenous iron does not increase stroke risk.

Clinical Trial registry name and registration number: Proactive IV Iron Therapy in Haemodialysis Patients (PIVOTAL), 2013-002267-25
Parental Awareness of Rural Adolescents’ Dating Behaviors: Implications for Parent Education
Authors: Taylor Sarah , Xia Yan , Brar Pooja
Published: September 2021

Most parent education programming focuses on educating parents with young children. Programming has focused less on supporting parents during their adolescent children’s dating and sexual development. This study extends literature by exploring the extent to which rural parents are aware of their adolescent child’s dating behaviors, as perceived by adolescents. Findings reveal three main themes: parents are fully aware of their child’s dating behaviors, parents are aware they date but not aware of specific dating behaviors, and parents are not aware at all. Discussion includes practical implications for Extension and other parent education efforts in rural areas based on findings to support the development of healthy relationships during adolescence and into adulthood.
UTILIZAÇÃO DE UM NOVO INDICADOR PARA OPERAÇÕES EM MERCADO DE BOLSA DE VALORES
Authors: Polo Caio Cesar Pereira , Javarez Junior Laercio
Published: September 2021

Este artigo tem como tema central o estudo e prática de negociações no mercado de capitais utilizando o indicador Wolfpack. Desenvolvido em linguagem C++, o algoritmo identifica tendências de mercado, plota retrações de Fibonacci estática e dinâmica para gerenciar as negociações, bem como identifica oportunidades de compra e venda baseada no cálculo da média móvel linear ponderada. Dos testes realizados, o indicador obteve cerca de 61% de assertividade no mercado de capitais.
Comparison of the Sustainability of the Vegetable, Wet-White and Chromium Tanning Processes through the Life Cycle Analysis
Authors: Bacardit Anna , Combalia Felip , Font Joaquim , Baquero Grau
Published: September 2021

Public concerns about the quality of life of human beings as well as the quality of natural environments and ecosystems have led to the increasing importance of sustainability for governments and for all industries, including the leather industry. In this context, more "ecological" leather goods are being demanded. It should be noted that this concept is often used without a scientific study to support it. 

This concept of sustainable or ecological product in the field of leather goods, are mainly associated with chrome-free tanneries (that is vegetable and wet-white), but this association should be backed up or dismissed by scientific evidence. A complete scientific study is required, which takes into account the different stages of leather production, including also the treatment of water and by-products, analyzing in a scientific and systematic way the environmental impact of each of these tanning processes. 

This study focuses on the life cycle analysis of the three basic tanning processes: chrome, vegetable and wet-white leather production. It will focus on European manufacturing to have reliable data and reduce uncertainty. 

In the tanning stage, the process with the greatest impact is the vegetable one, to highlight its high impact on global warming at 100 years (GWP100). This result is due to the energy necessary for the production of mimosa and quebracho in addition to the energy for the processing of the leather in the drums. 

Wet white tanning with glutaraldehyde has lowest environmental results than vegetable tanning. 

The chrome tanning process (wet blue) also stands out for its reduced environmental impact. 

Subsequently, to have a global view of the entire production, the LCA of the post-tanning stages must be performed to evaluate the impact of each of the systems studied.
Analyzing the Mechanism and Effect of Acid Protease in Wet blue Bating Process for Leather Production
Authors: Li Hao , Zhu Deyi , Li Yanchun , Cao Shan , Xiao Jing
Published: September 2021

In recent years, in order to reduce the pollution produced in beam-house and tanning sections, more and more tanneries purchase wet blue from other factories in other regions directly used as raw materials for finished leather production thereby those polluted preliminary steps can be eliminated. Therefore, the wet blue bating process is an essential step to minimize the differences of wet blue which are purchased from different regions. In this study, the properties of different acid protease are analyzed for selecting suitable protease used for wet blue bating. The analysis of chromium tolerance of different acid proteases reveals that, L1 and L4 produced from Aspergillus have higher chromium resistance than that of produced from Bacillus. The effect of L1 and L4 on wet blue and collagen shows that the L1 has more excellent performance, in which the molecular weight of functional protein is 48 KD. By SEM and MCT analysis, L1 can successfully disperse the collagen fibers of wet blue. Furthermore, the biodegradation rates of collagen and elastin were 0.006‰ and 0.5‰, respectively. It indicates that the acid protease mainly degraded elastin but not collagen in bating process thereby ensuring production safety. This paper provides the importance references for the application and the basis for the development of mechanism of acid protease in bating process.