bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opportunities and Challenges to Understand Host-Pathogen Interactions and Management of Verticillium dahliae on Tomato
Authors: Acharya Bhupendra , Ingram Thomas , Oh YeonYee , Adhikari Tika , Dean Ralph , Louws Frank
Published: October 2020

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a valuable horticultural crop grown and consumed worldwide. Optimum production is hindered by several factors of which Verticillium dahliae, the cause of Verticillium wilt, is one of the major biological constraints in temperate production regions. V. dahliae is difficult to manage because it is a vascular pathogen, has a broad host range and worldwide distribution, and can persist in soil for years. Understanding the pathogen virulence and genetic diversity, host resistance, and plant-pathogen interactions can ultimately inform the development of integrated strategies to manage the disease. In recent years, considerable research has focused on providing new insight into these processes as well as the development and integration of environment-friendly management approaches. In this review, we discuss and summarize the recent findings on the race and population structure of V. dahliae; pathogenicity factors; host genes, proteins, and enzymes involved in defense; the emergent management strategies, and recent approaches to managing Verticillium wilt in tomatoes.
Azure-Kinect and Augmented Reality for learning Basic Mathematics - A Case Study
Authors: Lozada-Yánez Raúl , Palomino Nora La-Serna , Veloz-Cherrez Diego , Molina-Granja Fernando , Santillán-Lima Juan Carlos
Published: October 2020

The way in which the human being learns certain complex contents has always been a focus of interest and a challenge for researchers. Given the fact that children's cognitive abilities do not fully develop until a certain age, this topic is particularly important in the young children's learning scope as they do not correctly and easily learn some content of abstract nature, such as contents in math class. This work presents the results of the use of an application called "Mathematics Learning System with Augmented Reality based on Kinect" (SAM-RAK by its acronym in Spanish), which was designed to cover basic topics of mathematics in the Basic General Education level (EGB by its acronym in Span-ish) in Ecuador. The research was carried out under an experimental quantitative approach with 30 children (18 girls and 12 boys), who study in third grade of EGB level, from 2 different educational in-stitutions in Riobamba city. In order to obtain the results that evaluate the developed application, a pre-test and a post-test were applied, which were contrasted with the student’s t-test for paired samples. The statistical evidence suggests that the proposed computer system had a positive effect on children's performance, when it was used as a support tool in the classroom. The system was more effective in low performance children compared to those of high performance. It was also proved that children were motivated and showed positive attitudes when using the proposed System.
Ride-hailing Impacts on Transit Ridership: Chicago Case Study
Authors: Breuer Helena , Du Jianhe , Rakha Hesham
Published: October 2020

Existing literature on the relationship between ride-hailing (RH) and transit services is limited to empirical studies that lack real-time spatial contexts. To fill this gap, we took a novel real-time geospatial analysis approach. With source data on ride-hailing trips in Chicago, Illinois, we computed real-time transit-equivalent trips for all 7,949,902 ride-hailing trips in June 2019; the sheer size of our sample is incomparable to the samples studied in existing literature. An existing Multinomial Nested Logit Model was used to determine the probability of a ride-hailer selecting a transit alternative to serve the specific O-D pair, P(Transit|CTA)[1]. We find that 31% of ride-hailing trips are replaceable, whereas 61% of trips are not replaceable. The remaining 8% lie within a buffer zone. We measured the robustness of this probability using a parametric sensitivity analysis and performed a two-tailed t-test. Our results indicate that of the four sensitivity parameters, the probability was most sensitive to the total travel time of a transit trip. The main contribution of our research is our thorough approach and fine-tuned series of real-time spatiotemporal analyses that investigate the replaceability of ride-hailing trips for public transit. The results and discussion intend to provide perspective derived from real trips and we anticipate that this paper will demonstrate the research benefits associated with the recording and release of ride-hailing data. [1] This value defines the replaceability of the trip, where a value ranging from 0 to 0.45 is considered not-replaceable (NR), and a value ranging from 0.55 to 1.0 is considered replaceable (R).
Human Body Dimensions for Biomechanical Modelling: A Review
Authors: Cicchella Antonio
Published: October 2020

The knowledge of human body proportion and segmental properties of limbs, head and trunk are of fundamental importance in biomechanical research. As many methods are employed, it is important to know which they are currently available, which data on human body masses, lengths, center of mass (COM) location, weights and moment of inertia are available and which methods are most suitable for a specific research purposes. The present review examines the literature concerning human body segments properties for biomechanical purposes. It emerges that data obtained in studies on cadaveric specimens are still the most accurate, whilst technological tools currently available are manifolds, each one with proper advantages and disadvantages. Classical studies were focused mainly on white men, while in recent year the available data of body segments has been extended to children, woman, and other races. Also, data on special population (obese, pregnant women) are starting to appear in the scientific literature.
Development of a New Ecological Material Based on Moroccan Industrial Wastes for Road Construction
Authors: Harrou Achraf , Gharibi El Khadir , Taha Yassine , Fagel Nathalie , El Ouahabi Meriam
Published: October 2020

The Black Steel slag (Ss) and phosphogypsum (PG) are industrial wastes produced in Morocco. In order to reduce these two wastes and to evaluate their pozzolanic reactivity in the presence of water, they were incorporated into bentonite (B) mixed with lime (L). The studied mixtures (BLW, BL-PG-W and BL-PG-Ss-W) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and SEM/EDX analysis. Compressive strength tests were performed on hardened specimens. The results obtained show that the hydration kinetics of the B-L-W and B-L-PG-W mixtures are slow. The addition of PG to a bentonite-lime mixture induces the formation of new microstructures such as hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H) and ettringite, which increases the compressive strength of the cementitious specimens. The addition of the Ss to a mixture composed by 8%PG and 8%L-B accelerates the kinetics of hydration and activates the pozzolanic reaction. The presence of C2S in the slag helps to increase the mechanical strength of the mixture B-L-PG-Ss. The compressive strength of the mixtures BL-W, BL-PG-W and BL-PG-Ss-W increases from 15 to 28 days of setting. After 28 days of setting, 8% of Sc added to the mixture 8% PG-8%L-B is responsible for an increase of the compressive strength to 0.6 MPa.
Eco-friendly Water-based Nanolubricants for Industrial-scale Hot Steel Rolling
Authors: Wu Hui , Kamali Hamidreza , Huo Mingshuai , Lin Fei , Huang Shuiquan , Huang Han , Jiao Sihai , Xing Zhao , Jiang Zhengyi
Published: October 2020

Eco-friendly and low-cost water-based nanolubricants containing rutile TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were developed for accelerating their applications in industrial-scale hot steel rolling. The lubrication performance of developed nanolubricants was evaluated in a 2-high Hille 100 experimental rolling mill at a rolling temperature of 850 ℃ in comparison to that of pure water. The results indicate that the use of nanolubricant enables to decrease the rolling force, reduce the surface roughness and the oxide scale thickness, and enhance the surface hardness. In particular, the nanolubricant consisting of 4 wt% TiO2, 10 wt% glycerol, 0.2 wt% sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and 1 wt% Snailcool exhibits the best lubrication performance by lowering the rolling force, surface roughness and oxide scale thickness up to 8.1%, 53.7% and 50%, respectively. The surface hardness is increased by 4.4%. The corresponding lubrication mechanisms are attributed to its superior wettability and thermal conductivity associated with the synergistic effect of rolling, mending and laminae forming that are contributed by TiO2 NPs.
Retrieval of Prefabricated Zirconia Crowns with Er,Cr:YSGG Laser from Primary and Permanent Molars
Authors: Deeb Janina Golob , McCall Connor , Dahlke William , Carrico Caroline , Grzech-Leśniak Kinga
Published: October 2020

(1) Background: Prefabricated zirconia crowns are used to restore teeth in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the removal of these crowns with the erbium, chromium: yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser; (2) Methods: Twelve primary and 13 permanent teeth were prepared and prefabricated zirconia crowns were passively fitted and cemented with two resin modified glass-ionomer cements. Surface areas of prepared teeth and crowns were calculated. Crowns were removed using two laser settings: 4.5 Watts, 15 Hertz, 20 water/ 20 air, and 5 Watts, 15 Hertz, 50 water/50 air. The retrieval time and temperature changes were tested recorded. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with Tuckey’s adjusted post hoc pairwise comparison t-test; (3) Results: The average time for crown removal was: 3 minutes, 47.7 seconds for permanent; and 2 minutes 5 seconds for primary teeth. The mean temperature changes were 2.48℃ (SD=1.43) for permanent; and 3.14℃ (SD=1.88) for primary teeth. The time to debond was significantly positively correlated with tooth inner surface area and volume, outer crown volume, and the cement volume; (4) Conclusions: Use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser is an effective, safe and non-invasive method to remove prefabricated zirconia crowns cemented with RMGI cements from permanent and primary teeth.
Preserved Contextual Cueing in Realistic Scenes in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Pollmann Stefan , Rosenblum Lisa , Linnhoff Stefanie , Porracin Eleonora , Geringswald Franziska , Herbik Anne , Renner Katja , Hoffmann Michael
Published: October 2020

Foveal vision loss has been shown to reduce efficient visual search guidance due to contextual cueing by incidentally learned contexts. However, previous studies used artificial (T among L-shape) search paradigms that prevent the memorization of a target in a semantically meaningful scene. Here, we investigated contextual cueing in real-life scenes that allow explicit memory of target locations in semantically rich scenes. In contrast to the contextual cueing deficits in artificial scenes, contextual cueing in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) did not differ from age-matched normal-sighted controls. We discuss this in the context of visuospatial working memory demands for which both eye-movement control in the presence of central vision loss and for memory-guided search may compete. Memory-guided search in semantically rich scenes may depend less on visuospatial working memory than search in abstract displays, potentially explaining intact contextual cueing in the former but not the latter. In a practical sense, our findings may indicate that Patients with AMD are less deficient than expected after previous lab experiments. This shows the usefulness of realistic stimuli in experimental clinical research.
Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide/Silicon Dioxide from Beach Sand as Photocatalyst for Cr and Pb Remediation
Authors: Eddy Diana Rakhmawaty , Ishmah Soraya Nur , Permana Muhamad Diki , Firdaus Muhammad  Lutfi
Published: October 2020

Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and have a high toxicity effect to living things which makes their presence in the environment extremely dangerous. The method of handling heavy metals waste by photocatalysis techniques using TiO2/SiO2 composite showed a good performance in reducing harmful pollutants. In this study, SiO2 from Bengkulu beach sand was used as a support material for TiO2 photocatalyst to reduce Cr(VI) and Pb(II) concentrations. SiO2 was obtained through leaching techniques using NaOH as a solvent. The TiO2/SiO2 composite photocatalyst were synthesized using a solvothermal method at 130 °C and then characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM and PSA. Based on the XRD diffractogram, the synthesized TiO2 showed the anatase structure while the SiO2 showed the amorphous structure. Ti-O-Si bond is defined in the IR spectra, which indicates that the relationship between TiO2 and SiO2 is a chemical interaction. The results of SEM and PSA characterizations show agglomerated spherical (round) particles with a mean particle size of 616.9 nm. The TiO2/SiO2 composite of 7:1 ratio showed the highest photocatalytic activity after 180 minutes of UV irradiation, with a concentration-decrease percentage of 93.77% and 93.55% for for Cr(VI) and Pb(II), respectively.
Identifikasi dan Deskripsi Tanaman Umbi-Umbian Pengganti Karbohidrat di Kabupaten Trenggalek
Authors: Latifah Evy , Prahardini PER
Published: October 2020

The programs to increased food diversification through policies to accelerate diversification of food consumption based on local resources as a substitute for rice. The tubers that have been widely used by the community are cassava, sweet potato and potato. However, there are still many other yam plants that have not been maximally utilized and developed.  Thus it is necessary to carry out research aimed at knowing the identification and description of tuber crops, especially in several sub-districts in Trenggalek Regency. The determination of the research area was carried out by using purposive sampling method by coordinating with the Trenggalek Regency Agriculture Office, then to obtain data on the potential area of tubers was carried out by sampling using the snowball sampling method. From the results of the study, it is known that Munjungan sub-district is one of the districts that has the most land area (154.80 km2) compared to other sub-districts in Trenggalek Regency so that it is able to produce the production of several tuber commodities including uwi, gembili, gadung, suweg and bentoel so it needs development for this tubers in the region.
Induksi Mutasi Kara Benguk (Mucuna pruriens L.) Menggunakan Iradiasi Sinar Gamma
Authors: Saragih Siti Hartati Yusida , Rizal Khairul , Sitanggang Kamsia Dorliana
Published: October 2020

Breeding kara benguk with mutation induction techniques using gamma ray radiation is expected to produce genetic diversity. The purpose of the study is to determine the value of Lethal Dose 50 (LD50) and obtain the genetic diversity of the kara benguk plant. The research was conducted at PAIR BATAN and Agrotechnology experiment, Universitas Labuhanbatu from May-July 2020. The planting material used was kara benguk seeds. The method used was Randomized Complete Group Design (RCGD) with one factor which was dose of irradiation with six levels (0, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 Gy) and three replications. Each replication consisted of 20 plants, so there are a total of 360 experimental plants. The results showed that the value of LD50 kara benguk in 3 weeks after planting was 281,472 Gy. Gamma ray irradiation increases the high genetic diversity of plants and the number of leaves at a dose of 350 Gy.
KAJIAN KARBONASI PADA BETON MUTU TINGGI MEMADAT MANDIRI DENGAN VARIASI KOMPOSISI METAKAOLIN
Authors: Wibowo Wibowo , Safitri Endah , Deni Delista Putri
Published: September 2020

The construction industry is an important thing to support the development of a country. In concrete construction, quality, strength, and durability of concrete are the main requirements of all. In urban tropical countries, carbonation is one of the essential factors that affect the durability of concrete, and it may cause corrosion of reinforced steel in concrete. Therefore, high strength self-compacting concrete may be expected as the solution, improved by pozzolanic additions, metakaolin with substitution dosage at 10%; 12,5%; 15%; 17,5%; and 20%. This study purposed to determine the effect of metakaolin and its optimum dosage to improve high strength self-compacting concrete quality on its carbonation rates. This study was done by using experimental methods. It needs a plain cylindrical concrete with 75 mm diameter and 150 mm height, and testing by SNI 03-6468-2000, EFNARC 2002, and SEM-PUPR 25-2015. The carbonation test is done using accelerated laboratory carbonation in Structures and Materials Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret by soaking the specimens in a 4% carbonate solution for 15 days, 37 days, and 51 days, proceeded by splitting using CTM, and spray it using a 1% phenolphthalein indicator to determine its carbonation depth. Based on the results, metakaolin might improve concrete quality by reducing its carbonation rates by 15% substitution dosage of cement content, with a nominal atmospheric carbonation coefficient 3,71 mm/year½, reduced 44,41% from HSSCC without metakaolin substitution. Metakaolin addition might reduce fresh concrete's workability and fulfill self-compacting concrete requirements specified by EFNARC 2002.
Development of a Snow Load Alert System, “YukioroSignal” for Aiding Roof Snow Removal Decisions in Snowy Areas in Japan
Authors: Hirashima Hiroyuki , Iyobe Tsutomu , Kawashima Katsuhisa , Sano Hiroaki ,   Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) Suyoshi, Nagaoka-shi, Niigata 940-0821, Japan,   Research & Development Center, East Japan Railway Company, Saitama, Japan,   Research Institute for Natural Hazards & Disaster Recovery, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan,   National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED), Ibaraki, Japan
Published: September 2020

This study developed a snow load alert system, known as the “YukioroSignal”; this system aims to provide a widespread area for assessing snow load distribution and the information necessary for aiding house roof snow removal decisions in snowy areas of Japan. The system was released in January 2018 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and later, it was expanded to Yamagata and Toyama prefectures in January 2019. The YukioroSignal contains two elements: the “Quasi-Real-Time Snow Depth Monitoring System,” which collects snow depth data, and the numerical model known as SNOWPACK, which can calculate the snow water equivalent (SWE). The snow load per unit area is estimated to be equivalent to SWE. Based on the house damage risk level, snow load distribution was indicated by colors following the ISO 22324. The system can also calculate post-snow removal snow loads. The calculated snow load was validated by using the data collected through snow pillows. The simulated snow load had a root mean square error (RMSE) of 21.3%, which was relative to the observed snow load. With regard to residential areas during the snow accumulation period, the RMSE was 13.2%. YukioroSignal received more than 56,000 pageviews in the snowheavy 2018 period and 26,000 pageviews in the less snow-heavy 2019 period.
The Effect of Organizational Culture, Leadership Style, and Trust to Organizational Commitments of LP3I Polytechnic Jakarta Lectures
Authors: Hamonangan Ismail Dingot , Asmawi Moch. , Widodo Suparno Eko
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this study is to obtain valid and reliable empirical data, facts and information about the influence of organizational culture, leadership style, and trust to the organizational commitment of the LP3I Polytechnic Lecturers in Jakarta. This study makes the use of associative quantitative approach and path analysis technique. The population in this study were all permanent lecturers at the LP3I Polytechnic Jakarta with 215 people in total. The sampling method was using simple random sampling upon all permanent lecturers at the LP3I Polytechnic Jakarta who were actively working in 2017. The sample was taken using the Slovin formula and the sample size therefore was 145 lecturers. The research data was filtered through questionnaires. The results of the study concluded that there was a positive direct  effect  of  Organizational  Culture  to the Organizational Commitment, there was a positive direct effect of Leadership Style to Organizational Commitment, there was a positive direct influence Trust to Organizational Commitment, there was a positive direct influence Organizational Culture to Trust, there was a positive direct influence Leadership Style to Trust , there was a positive influence of Organizational Culture, Leadership Style and trust simultaneously to Organizational Commitment and there was a positive influence of Organizational Culture and Leadership Style simultaneously to the trustworthiness of the LP3I Polytechnic Lecturers in Jakarta. This finding implied that, should you want to increase the Commitment of LP3I Polytechnic Jakarta Lecturers to the organization, it can be done through the increase of Organizational Culture, Leadership and Trust Style in a systematic and planned manner.
Employees Perception on Performance Appraisal Effectiveness in The Cyprus Public Sector (EAC)
Authors: Petasis Andreas , Christodoulou Stylianos , Louca Alexia
Published: October 2020

Performance appraisals are important for effective evaluation and management of personnel. This research investigates the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ employees’ perceptions of performance appraisal. Data were collected from 161 employees of the Organization, using an online semi-structured questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS; the qualitative data were analyzed manually. The results of the study highlighted respondents’ perceptions with regard to the Organization’s performance management practices, which have a created a culture of mistrust towards the performance management system in use. The Organization’s present performance appraisal system seems to posit more shortcomings than strengths and it doesn’t seem to be integrated or linked with the organizational goals and missions of the Authority’s. The research has delivered some information on what needs to be changed in order to improve the current system. The findings have serious managerial implications for redesigning the performance appraisal system so as to be more effective, more credible and more transparent. These implications include actions towards introducing new methods, training the appraisers, increasing motivation and provision of resources for effective performance appraisal.
Cement-In-Cement All-Polyethylene Tibial Revision
Authors: Gausden Elizabeth B. , Sierra Rafael J.
Published: October 2020

Case:

Debonding of the tibial component of total knee arthroplasty is a known complication that is typically treated with revision surgery, most commonly revision to a metal-backed tibial component with or without stems. Here, we present 3 cases of tibial component debonding revised to all-polyethylene tibial components with a cement-in-cement technique.

Conclusion:

In instances of tibial component debonding, if specific criteria are met, revising to an all-polyethylene tibia with retention of the primary cement mantle is an alternative to revision surgery with cement extraction and implantation of a modular metal-backed tibia.
The Veiled Women Self-Adjusment
Authors: Kusumawati Sofia Panca , Hazim Hazim
Published: October 2020

This research  aims to find out forms of self-adjustment and factors which underlie the using of veil (cadar). This research uses qualitative method. The research informants in this study are three adult women who are domiciled in Sidoarjo. Determination  of the research  informants  is done by using random  sampling. Then, structured  interview method is used to collect the data in this research.  The result of this research  shows that three of informants can perform self-adjustment positively. The positive forms of self-adjustment are be able to face problems directly, be able to solve the problems, be able to do substance (looking for a replacement), be able to understand  self-potential, be able to apply learning experience, and be able to act realistic attitude. All of these are supported by the changes of personality and attitude from three informants who grow up more mature and wiser in facing their problems.
Концентрирование ртути во взвешенном веществе пены и воды Чёрного моря
Authors: Стецюк А. П.
Published: October 2020

Способность взвешенного вещества концентрировать ртуть может быть превалирующим фактором в очищении водной толщи Чёрного моря. В результате седиментации взвешенные частицы выносят загрязнения из поверхностного слоя воды и в итоге могут депонировать их в донных осадках, участвуя таким образом в процессах самоочищения морской акватории. Взвешенное вещество как дисперсная фаза водной среды, рассматриваемой в качестве гетерогенной дисперсной системы, может быть более насыщено ртутью, чем сама вода как дисперсионная среда. В данной работе определён вклад растворённой и взвешенной форм ртути в её общее содержание и оценена концентрирующая способность взвешенного вещества в отношении ртути, обуславливающая биогеохимическое самоочищение вод от ртути. Все пробы воды разделяли на фильтрат и взвесь путём их фильтрации через нуклеопоровые фильтры с диаметром пор 0,45 мкм. Измерения содержания ртути проводили на анализаторе «Хиранума-1» методом атомно-абсорбционной спектрофотометрии. Концентрацию растворённой ртути в воде определяли в пересчёте на литр, а во взвешенном веществе — на литр и на грамм сухой массы. Выявлено превалирование растворённой формы ртути независимо от сезона года с варьированием её процентного содержания в диапазоне 66,3–85,8 % от общей (суммарной) концентрации ртути. Средняя концентрация взвешенной формы составила 14,2–33,7 % от её общего содержания. При этом значения концентрации взвешенного вещества (mвзв) варьировали от 0,1 до 15,0 мг·л−1 за весь исследованный период, а коэффициент накопления ртути взвешенным веществом (Кнвзв) изменялся в диапазоне от n·10³ до n·107. Определён значительный вклад взвешенной формы ртути в её общее содержание в морской пене, образованной в штормовую погоду. Так, при концентрации взвешенного вещества в морской воде 9,6 мг·л−1 концентрация растворённой формы ртути имела значение 55 нг·л−1, а взвешенной — 20 нг·л−1. В морской пене концентрация взвешенного осадочного вещества составила 895,2 мг·л−1, а концентрация ртути достигла 200 нг·л−1 в растворённой форме и 260 нг·л−1 — во взвешенной. Содержание общей (суммарной) ртути в морской пене при этом превышало предельно допустимую концентрацию (100 нг·л−1) для морской воды. В данном случае Кнвзв для морской воды был равен 3,8·104, а для пены — 1,5·103. Такое распределение ртути в морской взвеси, пене и воде, а также полученные значения коэффициента накопления свидетельствуют о большой важности взвешенного вещества в самоочищении морской акватории. При низком содержании ртути в воде концентрирующая способность взвешенного вещества, характеризуемая относительно высокими значениями его коэффициента накопления ртути, становится весьма значимым фактором в седиментационном самоочищении вод от ртути, однако при повышении загрязнения вод ртутью влияние этого фактора снижается.
Применение концептуальной модели зональности хронического действия мощностей доз ионизирующих излучений на объекты биосферы Г. Г. Поликарпова в прикладной гидробиологии
Authors: Терещенко Н. Н.
Published: October 2020

В работе кратко рассмотрена эволюция подхода к оценке воздействия ионизирующей радиации на живые организмы. На примере черноморских гидробионтов показана возможность применения концептуальной радиохемоэкологической модели зональности действия хронического облучения ионизирующих излучений в природе Г. Г. Поликарпова для оценки уровня экологического воздействия ионизирующего излучения от техногенных радиоизотопов на водную биоту. Эта модель может служить в прикладной гидробиологии основой комплексного подхода к оценке экологического состояния водной биоты и его прогноза для широкого диапазона концентраций активности 239,240Pu в морской воде. Подчёркивается необходимость совместного применения биогеохимического и эквидозиметрического показателей поведения радиоизотопов в водоёме. В частности, для прогнозных дозиметрических оценок важно учитывать количественные характеристики концентрирующей способности черноморских гидробионтов и тип биогеохимического поведения радиоэлемента, отражающие особенности биогеохимической миграции плутония в морской экосистеме.
Pi-starvation induced transcriptional changes in barley revealed by a comprehensive RNA-Seq and degradome analyses
Authors: Sega Pawel , Kruszka Katarzyna , Bielewicz Dawid , Karlowski Wojciech , Nuc Przemyslaw , Szweykowska-Kulinska Zofia , Pacak Andrzej
Published: September 2020

Background: Small RNAs (sRNAs) are 20–30 nt regulatory elements which are responsible for plant development regulation and participate in many plant stress responses. Insufficient inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentration triggers plant responses to balance the internal Pi level. Results: In this study, we describe Pi-starvation-responsive small RNAs and transcriptome changes in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) RNA-Seq data derived from three different types of NGS libraries: (i) small RNAs, (ii) degraded RNAs, and (iii) functional mRNAs. We find that differentially and significantly expressed miRNAs (DEMs, p-value < 0.05) are represented by 162 (44.88 % of total differentially expressed small RNAs) molecules in shoot and 138 (7.14 %) in root; mainly various miR399 and miR827 isomiRs. The remaining small RNAs (i.e., those without perfect match to reference sequences deposited in miRBase) are considered as differentially expressed other sRNAs (DESs, p-value Bonferroni correction < 0.05). In roots, a more abundant and diverse set of other sRNAs (DESs, 1796 unique sequences, 0.13 % from total unique reads obtained under low-Pi) contributes more to the compensation of low-Pi stress than that in shoots (DESs, 199 unique sequences, 0.01 %). More than 80 % of differentially expressed other sRNAs are up-regulated in both organs. Additionally, in barley shoots, up-regulation of small RNAs is accompanied by strong induction of two nucleases (S1/P1 endonuclease and 3’-5’ exonuclease). This suggests that most small RNAs may be generated upon endonucleolytic cleavage to increase the internal Pi pool. Transcriptomic profiling of Pi-starved barley shoots identifies 98 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A majority of the DEGs possess characteristic Pi-responsive cis-regulatory elements (P1BS and/or PHO element), located mostly in the proximal promoter regions. GO analysis shows that the discovered DEGs primarily alter plant defense, plant stress response, nutrient mobilization, or pathways involved in the gathering and recycling of phosphorus from organic pools.Conclusions: Our results provide comprehensive data to demonstrate complex responses at the RNA level in barley to maintain Pi homeostasis and indicate that barley adapts to Pi-starvation through elicitation of RNA degradation. Novel P-responsive genes were selected as putative candidates to overcome low-Pi stress in barley plants.
Deficiencies in the formation and regulation of anther cuticle and tryphine contribute to male sterility in cotton PGMS line
Authors: Zhang Meng , Liu Ji , Ma Qiang , Qin Yuan , Wang Hantao , Chen Pengyun , Ma Liang , Fu Xiaokang , Zhu Longfu , Wei Hengling , Yu Shuxun
Published: September 2020

Background: Male sterility is a simple and efficient pollination control system that is widely exploited in hybrid breeding. In upland cotton, CCRI9106, a photosensitive genetic male sterile (PGMS) mutant isolated from CCRI040029, was reported of great advantages to cotton heterosis. However, little information concerning the male sterility of CCRI9106 is known. Here, comparative transcriptome analysis of CCRI9106 (the mutant, MT) and CCRI040029 (the wild type, WT) anthers in Anyang (long-day, male sterile condition to CCRI9106) was performed to reveal the potential male sterile mechanism of CCRI9106.Results: Light and electron microscopy revealed that the male sterility phenotype of MT was mainly attributed to irregularly exine, lacking tryphine and immature anther cuticle. Based on the cytological characteristics of MT anthers, anther RNA libraries (18 in total) of tetrad (TTP), late uninucleate (LUNP) and binucleate (BNP) stages in MT and WT were constructed for transcriptomic analysis, therefore revealing a total of 870,4 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). By performing gene expression pattern analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks construction, we found down-regulation of DEGs, which enriched by the lipid biosynthetic process and the synthesis pathways of several types of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, flavonoids and steroids, may crucial to the male sterility phenotype of MT, and resulting in the defects of anther cuticle and tryphine, even the irregularly exine. Furthermore, several lipid-related genes together with ABA-related genes and MYB transcription factors were identified as hub genes via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Additionally, the ABA content of MT anthers was reduced across all stages when compared with WT anthers. At last, genes related to the formation of anther cuticle and tryphine could activated in MT under short-day condition.Conclusions: We propose that the down-regulation of genes related to the assembly of anther cuticle and tryphine may lead to the male sterile phenotype of MT, and MYB transcription factors together with ABA played key regulatory roles in these processes. The conversion of fertility in different photoperiods may closely relate to the functional expression of these genes. These findings contribute to elucidate the mechanism of male sterility in upland cotton.
­The effects of clinical decision support system for prescribing medication on patient outcomes and physician practice performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Moghadam Sharare Taheri , Sadoughi Farahnaz , Velayati Farnia , Ehsanzadeh Seyedjafar , Poursharif Shayan
Published: September 2020

Background: The clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) for prescribing is one of the technologies aimed at improving physician practice performance and patient outcomes by reducing medication prescription errors. This study, thus, was conducted to investigate the effect of various CDSSs on physician practice performance and patient outcomes.Methods: This systematic review was conducted by searching in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library from 2005 to 2019. Two researchers independently evaluated the studies. Any discrepancies over the eligibility of the studies between the two researchers were then resolved by consulting a third researcher. Finally, we extracted data from the articles. Then, we conducted a meta-analysis based on medication subgroups, CDSS type subgroups, and outcome categories. Also, we presented a narrative form of the findings. In the meantime, we applied random-effects model to estimate the effects of CDSS on patient outcomes and physician practice performance with 95% confidence interval. Q statistics and I2 were then used to measure heterogeneity.Results: Based on the inclusion criteria, 45 studies were considered eligible for the analysis in this review. The CDSS for prescribing medications/COPE were used for various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, AIDS, appendicitis, kidney disease, malaria, high blood potassium, and mental diseases. Meanwhile, other cases such as the concurrent prescription of multiple drugs for patients and its effects on the above-mentioned outcomes were evaluated. The analysis shows that in some cases the application of CDSS provides positive effects on patient outcomes and physician practice performance (std diff in means = 0.114, 95% CI: 0.090 to 0.138). Also, it was statistically significant for outcome groups such as those showing improved outcomes on physician practice performance and patient outcome or both. However, no significant difference was observed between some other cases and conventional methods. We think that this could be due to the disease type, the quantity, and the type of CDSS requirements that influenced the comparison. Overall, all types of CDSSs have positive effects on outcomes including combinational types and other types that only cause messages when appropriate and necessary.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that positive effects of the CDSS can be attributed to factors such as user-friendliness, compliance with clinical guidelines, patient and physician cooperation, integration of electronic health records, CDSS and pharmaceutical systems, consideration of the views of physicians in assessing the importance of CDSS alerts, and the real-time alerts in the prescription.
The use of pre-operative Virtual Reality to reduce anxiety in women undergoing gynecological surgeries: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Chan Jason Ju In , Yeam Cheng Teng , Kee Hwei Min , Tan Chin Wen , Sultana Rehena , Sia Alex Tiong Heng , SNG Ban Leong
Published: September 2020

Background: Pre-operative anxiety is common and is associated with negative surgical outcomes. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising new technology that offers opportunities to modulate patient experience and cognition and has been shown to be associated with lower levels of anxiety. In this study, we investigated changes in pre-operative anxiety levels before and after using VR in patients undergoing minor gynecological surgery. Methods: Patients who underwent elective minor gynecological surgeries in KK Women’s and Children’s hospital, Singapore were recruited. The VR intervention consisted of 10-minute exposure via a headset loaded with sceneries, background meditation music and breathing exercises. For the primary outcome of pre-operative anxiety, patients were assessed at pre- and post-intervention using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Secondary outcomes of self-reported satisfaction scores and EurQol 5-dimension 3-level (EQ-5D-3L) were also collected. Results: Data analysis from 108 patients revealed that HADS anxiety scores were significantly reduced from 7.2 ± 3.3 pre-intervention to 4.6 ± 3.0 post-intervention (p<0.0001). Furthermore, HADS depression scores were significantly reduced from 4.7 ± 3.3 pre-intervention to 2.9 ± 2.5 post-intervention (p<0.0001). Eighty-two percent of the patients self-reported VR intervention as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. EQ-5D-3L showed significant changes in dimensions of ‘usual activities’ (p=0.025), ‘pain/discomfort’ (p=0.008) and ‘anxiety/ depression’ (p<0.0001). Conclusions: For patients undergoing minor gynecological procedures, the VR intervention brought about a significant reduction in pre-operative anxiety. This finding may be clinically important to benefit patients with high pre-operative anxiety without the use of anxiolytics. Trial registration: This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov registry (NCT03685422) on 26 Sep 2018.
The emerging COVID-19 research: dynamic and regularly updated science maps and analyses
Authors: Andersen Njål , Bramness Jørgen Gustav , Lund Ingunn Olea
Published: September 2020

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency and experts emphasize the need for rapid and a high degree of communication and interaction between all parties, in order for critical research to be implemented. We introduce a resource (website) that provides bibliometric analysis showing the current content and structure of the published literature. As new research is published daily, the analysis is regularly updated to show the status as the research field develops and matures. Methods: Two bibliometric methods were employed, the first is a key-word co-occurrence analysis, based on published work available from PubMed. The second is a bibliometric coupling analysis, based on articles available through Scopus. The results are presented as clustered network graphs; available as interactive network graphs through the webpage. Results: For research as of March 23rd, keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that research was organized in 4 topic clusters: “Health and pandemic management”, “The disease and its pathophysiology”, “Clinical epidemiology of the disease” and “Treatment of the disease”. Coupling analyses resulted in 4 clusters on literature that relates to “Overview of the new virus”, “Clinical medicine”, “On the virus” and “Reproduction rate and spread”. Conclusions: We introduced a dynamic resource that will give a wide readership an overview of how the structure of the COVID-19 literature is developing. To illustrate what this can look like, we showed the structure as it stands three months after the virus was identified; the structure is likely to change as we progress to later stages of this pandemic.
Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of CanPatrolTM technology for detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Li Jingyao , Liao Yi , Ran Yaling , Wang Guiyu , Wu Wei , Qiu Yang , Liu Jie , Wen Ningyu , Jing Tao , Wang Haidong , Zhang Shixin
Published: September 2020

Background: The early diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer is of great significance to the prognosis of patients. However, traditional histopathology and imaging screening have certain limitations. Therefore, new diagnostical methods are urgently needed for the current clinical diagnosis. In this study we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of CanPatrolTM technology for the detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: CTCs in the peripheral blood of 98 patients with NSCLC and 38 patients with benign pulmonary diseases were collected by the latest typing of CanPatrolTM detection technology. A 3-year follow-up was performed to observe their recurrence and metastasis. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare multiple groups of data, Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare data between the two groups, and ROC curve analysis was used to obtain the critical value. The COX risk regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were performed in the 63 NSCLC patients who were effectively followed up. Results: The epithelial, epithelial-mesenchymal, and total CTCs were significantly higher in NSCLC patients than that in patients with benign lung disease (P < 0.001). The mesenchymal CTCs of NSCLC patients was slightly higher than that of benign lung diseases (P = 0.013). The AUC of the ROC curve of the total CTCs was 0.837 (95% CI: 0.76-0.914), and the cut-off value corresponding to the most approximate index was 0.5 CTCs/5 ml, at which point the sensitivity was 81.6% and the specificity was 86.8%. COX regression analysis revealed that the clinical stage was correlated with patient survival (P = 0.006), while gender, age, and smoking were not (P > 0.05). After excluding the confounders of staging, surgery, and chemotherapy, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients in stage IIIA with CTCs ≥ 0.5 had significantly lower DFS than those with CTCs < 0.5 (P = 0.022). Conclusions: CTC positive can well predict the recurrence of NSCLC patients. CanPatrolTM technology has good sensitivity and specificity in detecting CTCs in peripheral blood of NSCLC patients and has a certain value for clinical prognosis evaluation.
Clinical characteristics and manifestations in older patients with COVID-19
Authors: Wei Chenchen , Liu Ya , Liu Yapeng , Zhang Kai , Su Dezhen , Zhong Ming , Meng Xiao
Published: September 2020

Background: To investigate the clinical characteristics and manifestations of older patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: In this retrospective study, 566 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, complications and outcome data were collected and analyzed.Results: Among the 566 patients (median age, 61.5 years) with COVID-19, 267 (47.2%) patients were male and 307 (54.2%) were elderly. Compared with younger patients, older patients had more underlying comorbidities and laboratory abnormalities. A higher rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute cardiac injury and heart failure was observed in the older group as compared with younger and middle-aged groups, particularly those oldest-old patients (>75 years) had more multi-organ damage. Older patients with COVID-19 were more likely to suffer from acute cardiac injury in cases with preexistenting cardiovascular diseases, while there was no difference among the three groups when patients had no history of cardiovascular diseases. Older patients present more severe with the mortality of 18.6%, which was higher than that in younger and middle-aged patients (P<0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that age, lymphopenia, ARDS, acute cardiac injury, heart failure and skeletal muscle injury were associated with death in older patients, while glucocorticoids may be harmful.Conclusions: Older patients, especially the oldest-old patients were more likely to exhibit significant systemic inflammation, pulmonary and extrapulmonary organ damage and a higher mortality. Advanced age, lymphopenia, ARDS, acute cardiac injury, heart failure and skeletal muscle injury were independent predictors of death in older patients with COVID-19 and glucocorticoids should be carefully administered in older patients.
Feasibility of remote digital monitoring using wireless Bluetooth monitors, the Smart AngelTM app and an original web platform for patients following outpatient surgery: A prospective observational pilot study.
Authors: Chevallier Thierry , Buzancais Gautier , Occean Bob-valery , Rataboul Pierre , Boisson Christophe , simon natacha , Lannelongue Ariane , Chaniaud Noemie , Gricourt Yann , Lefrant Jean-Yves , cuvillon philippe
Published: September 2020

Background: Remote monitoring of mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) or oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) remains a challenge in outpatient surgery. This study evaluates a new digital technology (Smart Angel TM ) for remotely monitoring hemodynamic data in real time: data transmitted from the patient's home to a central server, using a dedicated web-based software package. Methods: Adults scheduled for elective outpatient surgery were prospectively enrolled. In the first 5 postoperative days, patients completed a self-report questionnaire (pain, comfort, nausea, vomiting) and recorded SpO 2 , HR and MAP via two wireless Bluetooth monitors connected to a 4G tablet to transmit the data to a website, in real time, using Smart Angel TM software. Before transmission to the website, these data were also self-reported by the patient on a paper form. The primary outcome was the proportion of variables (self-monitored physiological data + questionnaire scores) correctly transmitted to the hospital via the system compared with the paper version. On Day 5, a system usability scale survey (SUS score 1-100) was also attributed.Results: From May 2018 to September 2018, data were available for 29 out of 30 patients enrolled (1 patient was not discharged from hospital after surgery). The remote monitoring technology recorded 2038 data items (62%) compared with 2656 (82%) items recorded on the paper form (p=0.001). The most common errors with the remote technology were software malfunctioning when starting the MAP monitor and malfunctioning between the tablet and the Bluetooth monitor. No serious adverse events were noted. The SUS score for the system was 85 (68-93) for 26 patients. Conclusion: This work evaluates the ability of a pilot system for monitoring remote physiological data using digital technology after ambulatory surgery and highlights the digital limitations of this technology. Technological improvements are required to reduce malfunctioning (4G access, transmission between apps).