bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The BPS preconditioner on Beowulf cluster
Authors: Salas-Huertas Oscar , Marazzina Daniele , Rovida Sergio , Sacchi Giovanni , Scacchi Simone
Published: August 2014

This work presents the implementation on a Linux Cluster of a parallel preconditioner for the solution of the linear system resulting from the finite element discretization of a 2D second order elliptic boundary value problem. The numerical method, proposed by Bramble, Pasciak and Schatz, is developed using Domain Decomposition techniques, which are based on the splitting of the computational domain into subregionsof smaller size, enforcing suitable compatibility conditions. The Fortran code is implemented using PETSc: a suite of data structures and routines devoted to the scientific parallel computing and based on the MPI standard for all message-passing communications. The main interest of the paper is to present an efficient and portable code for the solution of large-scale linear systems and to investigate how the architecturalaspects of the cluster influence the performance of the considered algorithm. We provide an analysis of the execution times as well as of the scalability, using as test case the classical Poisson equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions.
Un procedimiento de fuerte reducción de las dimensiones del RCPS/π
Authors: Álvarez-Valdés Olaguíbel Ramón , Crespo Enric , Tamarit Goerlich José Manuel , Villa Juliá M. Fulgencia
Published: August 2014

En el campo de la secuenciación de proyectos se ha introducido recientemente el concepto de recursos parcialmente renovables. Desde el punto de vista teórico, pueden considerarse como una generalización de los renovables y los no renovables. Desde el práctico, permiten ampliar la modelización a situaciones que no eran posibles anteriormente, especialmente en los campos de los horarios y las situaciones laborales. Además, este problema, como tantos que modelizan procesos reales, adquiere rápidamente unas dimensiones que son difíciles de tratar directamente. Por ello, aquí nos centramos en la exposición de un potente preproceso que reduce notablemente la dimensión de los problema y mejora la eficiencia de los métodos de solución posteriormente empleados que, por razones de espacio, se describen en otro trabajo. Se muestran los resultados del preproceso utilizado con diferentes instancias existentes en la literatura donde se consiguen excelentes resultados.
Personnel selection based on fuzzy methods
Authors: Canós Lourdes , Casasús Trinidad , Crespo Enric , Lara Tomás , Pérez Juan C.
Published: August 2014

The decisions of managers regarding the selection of staff strongly determine the success of the company. A correct choice of employees is a source of competitive advantage. We propose a fuzzy method for staff selection, based on competence management and the comparison with the valuation that the company considers the best in each competence (ideal candidate). Our method is based on the Hamming distance and a Matching Level Index. The algorithms, implemented in the software StaffDesigner, allow us to rank the candidates, even when the competences of the ideal candidate have been evaluated only in part. Our approach is applied in a numerical example.
Sensor fusion using entropic measures of dependence
Authors: Deignan Paul B.
Published: August 2014

As opposed to standard methods of association which rely on measures of central dispersion, entropic measures quantify multivalued relations. This distinction is especially important when high fidelity models of the sensed phenomena do not exist. The properties of entropic measures are shown to fit within the Bayesian framework of hierarchical sensor fusion. A method of estimating probabilistic structure for categorical and continuous valued measurements that is unbiased for finite data collections is presented. Additionally, a branch and bound method for optimal sensor suite selection suitable for either target refinement or anomaly detection is described. Finally, the methodology is applied against a known data set used in a standard data mining competition that features both sparse categorical and  ontinuous valued descriptors of a target. Excellent quantitative and computational results against this data set support the conclusion that the proposed methodology is promising for general purpose low level data fusion.
Objetos K-finitos decidibles y cardinales finitos en un topos arbitrario
Authors: Acuña Ortega Osvaldo
Published: August 2014

Probamos en un topo arbitrario que la clase de los objetos K-finitos decidibles es igual a la clase de los cardinales finitos de E si y solo si todo X K-finito decidible tal que X → 1 un epimorfismo si y solo si X → 1 es tal que tiene una sección 1→ X .
Funciones periódicas, cuasiperiódicas y clasificación de funciones
Authors: Castro Fernández Edwin
Published: August 2014

En este trabajo presentamos conjuntos significativos de funciones. Siguiendo las ideas de [2] introducimos las funciones cuasiperiódicas y sus propiedades elementales. Basados en [12] damos una clasificación de los conjuntos.
El concepto de sensibilidad para el caso discreto del problema de reparto de costos de producción
Authors: Hernández Lamoneda Luis , Macías Ponce Julio Cesar , Sánchez Sánchez Francisco
Published: August 2014

Supongamos que se produce un vector en forma conjunta. El problema de reparto de costos es el como dividir el costo de producción de este vector entre sus componentes. En este artículo se caracteriza axiomáticamente una solución para este tipo de problemas basados en dos axiomas: s-sensibilidad y separabilidad. El axioma de s-sensibilidad establece como debe cambiar la solución cuando ocurren pequeños cambios en la función de costos y el axioma de separabilidad tiene la conotación tradiconal. Se estudia el caso discreto y se obtiene una solución de manera axiomática.
An optimization algorithm inspired by musical composition in constrained optimization problems
Authors: Mora-Gutiérrez Roman Anselmo , Rincón-García Eric Alfredo , Ramírez-Rodríguez Javier , Ponsich Antonin , Herrera-Alcántara Oscar , Lara-Velázquez Pedro
Published: August 2014

Many real-world problems can be expressed as an instance of the constrained nonlinear optimization problem (CNOP). This problem has a set of constraints specifies the feasible solution space. In the last years several algorithms have been proposed and developed for tackling CNOP. In this paper, we present a cultural algorithm for constrained optimization, which is an adaptation of “Musical Composition Method” or MCM, which was proposed in [33] by Mora et al. We evaluated and analyzed the performance of MCM on five test cases benchmark of the CNOP. Numerical results were compared to evolutionary algorithm based on homomorphous mapping [23], Artificial Immune System [9] and anti-culture population algorithm [39]. The experimental results demonstrate that MCM significantly improves the global performances of the other tested metaheuristics on same of benchmark functions.
Objetos K-finitos y decidibilidad
Authors: Acuña Ortega Osvaldo
Published: August 2014

Se estudian los conceptos de objetos k-finitos y el concepto de objeto decidible en un topos elemental. Se prueban algunos resultados sobre objetos k-finitos y objetos decidibles.
Puntos fijos hiperbólicos de un difeomorfismo local del plano
Authors: Alvarado Jiménez William
Published: August 2014

Se demuestra una generalización del λ-lemma de J. Palis para un caso de intersección no transversal de las variedades estable e inestable de un punto fijo hiperbólico de un difeomorfismo local de clase C∈ del plano en sí mismo.
Algoritmos de punto fijo usando subdivisiones simpliciales
Authors: Azofeifa Carlos E.
Published: August 2014

Se estudiará un algoritmo para aproximar puntos fijos usando subdivisiones simpliciales de un simplex S, el cual será comparado con un algoritmo del mismo tipo pero basado en conjuntos primitivos.
Análisis de las estructuras de opinión pública
Authors: Poltronieri Jorge
Published: August 2014

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de los análisis hechos a través de nueve años de investigación de las estructuras de la opinión pública en Costa Rica. La interpretación y los comentarios se hacen desde una doble perspectiva:- una perspectiva microscópica el sico-sociólogo, que se basa en los mecanismos que permiten el ajuste entre el individuo y su medio ambiente, de cómo se contruyen las representaciones y de cómo se pasa de las representaciones individuales y recíprocamente. Aquí se procede principalmente por diferencias insistiendo en la diversidad de opiniones en los diferentes grupos sociales.- una perspectiva macroscópica del politólogo, donde la atención gira en torno al actor y sobre las relaciones que tiene con las opiniones. Aquí el porcentaje toma toda su importancia. Producto por agregación de las opiniones individuales, es una fuente de legitimidad que puede jugar un papel de importancia en la correlación de fuerzas.El Análisis en Componentes Principales toma toda su importancia como metodología para enfocar el problema.
Proposición de índices difusos en la clasificación jerárquica ascendente
Authors: Murillo Fernández Alex , Trejos Zelaya Javier
Published: August 2014

En el artículo se proponen índices para selecciónar las particiones de una clasificación automática jerárquica ascendente, para dirigir la interpretación de jerarquías a las particiones más relevantes en un cierto sentido. El cálculo de dichos índices se basa en una extenxión original de la teoría de conjuntos difusos llamada conjuntos difusos generados.
Convergence in nonlinear systems with a forcing term
Authors: Nápoles J. E. , Ruiz A. I.
Published: August 2014

The problem of convergence, as t → +∞, of solutions of the system (1) is considered. It is assumed that the functions α, f and g are of class C1 for all values of their arguments, furthermore g′(x) > 0, f ′(x) ≥ r > 0, 0 < n ≤ α′(y) ≤ N < +∞ and the functions a(t) and p(t) are continuous on [0, +∞) with 0 < a ≤ a(t) ≤ A < +∞  and p(t) ≥ 0.
Análisis de tablas múltiples con individuos cambiantes y variables fijas
Authors: Castillo Elizondo William , González Varela Jorge
Published: August 2014

En este artículo se presenta el método Statis cuando se observan las mismas variables en todos los instantes considerados, con individuos posiblemente cambiantes. Se demuestran varias propiedades de la infraestructura y del compromiso que justifican eventuales interpretaciones bidimensionales de los datos. Dichas propiedades son también útiles para hacer una implementación computacional.
Modelos aditivos y multiplicativos en el análisis de matrices multitrazos - multimétodos de cuestionarios de intereses profesionales
Authors: Juhel Jacques , Marivain Thierry
Published: August 2014

El psicólogo necesita de evaluar la validez conceptual (convergente y discriminante) de construcciones psicológicas, evocadas para describir y explicar la organización de las observaciones. En este trabajo, describimos dos enfoques basados en variables latentes, pudiendo ser utilizados para llevar acabo esta evaluación, el primero es el análisis factorial corfirmatorio o restrictivo de primer orden; el segundo es el modelo producto directo, en el cual los trazos y los métodos tienen efecto. Los resultados de estos análisis fueron comprobados y discutidos sobre una matriz de datos multitrazos –multimétodos obtenida en un muestreo de 189 (ciento ochenta y nueve) alumnos de un instituto de enseñanza francés, que respondieron a dos cuestionarios de intereses profesionales.
Una versión profesor-grupo-aula del problema de horarios
Authors: Cáceres Espinoza Ramiro José
Published: August 2014

Se presenta un problema de horarios que incluye además de la asignación de espacios de tiempo (turnos) a actividades docentes, la asignación a estas de aulas con capacidades que pueden ser distintas y que suponemos disponibles en todos los turnos.Probando que una sencilla condición garantiza que las actividades en cada turno son acomodables en las aulas disponibles, se concluye que la asignación de las actividades usando la cantidad mínima de turnos puede hacerse en tiempos polinomial.
Un algoritmo paralelo para el problema del conjunto independiente
Authors: López Bracho Rafael , Ortuño Sánchez María Paula
Published: August 2014

Un conjunto S de vértices de una gráfica G es independiente si no existen dos vértices de S que sean adyacentes, esto es, la subgráfica de G inducida por S no tiene aristas. En este trabajo presentaremos un algoritmo paralelo que permite la obtención de todos los conjuntos independientes maximales de una gráfica. Presentaremos los fundamentos del algoritmo y algunas propiedades derivadas de éstos.
Experiencias con un nuevo índice de falta de ajuste en Tablas de Contingencia
Authors: González Debén Adalberto , Méndez Ramírez Ignacio
Published: August 2014

Rudas, Clogg y Lindsay, en 1994, propusieron un nuevo índice para medir la falta de ajuste de un modelo en tablas de contingencia. Dados una tabla de contingencia P, con N celdas, y un modelo H, el nuevo índice se define como el valor de π para el que se cumple la ecuación Ph = (1 − π) Π1h + πΠ2h, h = 1, . . . , Ndonde 0 ≤ π ≤ 1, y Π1 y Π2 son tablas de probabilidades para cada clase latente. El modelo H se cumple para la primera clase latente y no se hace ninguna suposición para la segunda. El índice de falta de ajuste se interpreta como la proporción de individuos de la población que está intrínsicamente fuera del modelo H. En este trabajo se utiliza el análisis de la segunda clase latente para estudiar las causas de la falta de ajuste de un modelo y detectar posibles celdas atípicas Asimismo, se propone utilizar el nuevo índice de falta de ajuste como un concepto de no independencia en el análisis de las frecuencias de las configuraciones de dos muestras.
Estabilización del modelo poblacional de May a través de controles direccionales
Authors: Delgado Andrade Víctor
Published: August 2014

El modelo poblacional de May considera un parámetro de saciedad en la especie predadora y tiene un estado de equilibrio inestable en torno al cual rota un ciclo límite. En este trabajo se establece una estrategia de control sobre el modelo, de modo que se perturbe el sistema original produciendo una nueva dinámica que, localmente, se acerca asintóticamente al estado de equilibrio. Tal efecto se logra a través de un proceso de linealización y la aplicación de un control direccional sobre el sistema lineal que se origina.
Teoría de nudos geométricos e isotopía poligonal
Authors: Calvo Soto Jorge Alberto
Published: August 2014

El espacio de los polígonos de n lados, inmersos en el espacio euclídeo de tres dimensiones, consiste de una variedad suave en la cual los puntos corresponden a nudos lineales a trozos o “geométricos”, mientras que los arcos corresponden a isotopías que preservan la estructura geométrica de esos nudos. Se describe la topología de estos espacios para los casos n = 6 y n = 7. En ambos casos, cada espacio consta de cinco componentes, aunque contiene sólo tres (cuando n = 6) o cuatro (cuando n = 7) tipos topológicos de nudos. Por lo tanto la “equivalencia geométrica de nudos” es estrictamente más fuerte que la equivalencia topológica. Este hecho se demuestra con el nudo trébol hexagonal y el nudo doble heptagonal, los cuales, a diferencia de sus contrapartes topológicas, no son reversibles. Se discutirán también las extensiones de estos resultados a los casos n ≥ 8.
A Tabu search Approach for the Weighted Tardiness with Sequence-Dependent Setups in one-machine Problem
Authors: Beausoleil Ricardo P.
Published: August 2014

In this paper, a Tabu Search Approach for the weighted tardiness single machine problem with sequence-dependent setups is proposed. The main contribution is the balance obtained between intensification and diversification strategies. The strategy of combine large step optimization, frequency-based memory, intensification by decomposition supplementing this with an additional intensification using path relinking produce good solutions with a low computational cost. Our Tabu Search approach is compared with a re-start method that employs the all-pairs neighborhood. Results of computational experiments are reported for a set of randomly generated test problems.
Sobre los números de Hal y Lah
Authors: Piza Volio Eduardo
Published: August 2014

En este trabajo se estudian algunas propiedades relativas a los números de Hal (Hkn ) y de Lah (Lkn), que son aquellos números que surgen en combinatoria asociados con los polinomios factoriales hacia arriba y hacia abajo.

Se establecen las fórmulas por recurrencia, las funciones generadoras y las fórmulas cerradas para esta familia de n´úmeros , entre otras propiedades.
Generación de métricas en análisis de datos
Authors: Bolaños Fabricio , Trejos Javier
Published: August 2014

En el presente trabajo se presentan los generadores primarios de métricas, que consisten en combinaciones lineales de métricas conocidas. Se establecen algunas propiedades teóricas de estos generadores, referentes al cálculo de componentes principales, correlaciones principales e inercia. Se aplican los generadores primarios al Análisis en Componentes Principales usando diversas combinaciones de métricas clásicas.
Influence of malignant tumors occurring in the reproductive age on spermiogenesis: Studies on patients with testicular tumor and lymphoma
Authors: Molnár Zsuzsanna , Benyó Mátyás , Bazsáné Kassai Zsuzsa , Lévai Írisz , Varga Attila , Jakab Attila
Published: August 2014

Introduction: The application of chemo- and radiotherapy results in good survival prognosis for young men with malignant tumors, but long-term gonadoxic effect has to be considered. In addition, malignant disease itself has a negative impact on spermiogenesis. Aim: The aim of the authors was to examine the spermiogenetic effect of the most common tumors occurring in the reproductive age in men: testicular cancer, Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin disease. Method: Spermiogram of men with testicular cancer (N = 68), Hodgkin disease (N = 37) and non-Hodgkin disease (N = 14) who were referred for sperm cryopreservation were analysed in the Reproductive Andrology Laboratory of the authors. Results: Azoospermia was found in 11.8% of all patients (N = 119), while 58.8% of the patients had oligozoospermia even before the treatment. Sperm concentration of men with testicular cancer was significantly lower than those with lymphomas (32.8 M/mL vs. 24.9 M/mL, p = 0.03). There was no difference in sperm concentration between the Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma groups. Conclusions: Spermiogenetic defect is more pronounced in men with testicular cancer than those with lymphomas. Cryopreservation before treatment for fertility preservation should be offered for all reproductive aged men with malignant disease, especially for those with testicular cancer. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(33), 1306–1311.
Small for gestational age foetus
Authors: Pásztor Norbert , Kozinszky Zoltán , Pál Attila
Published: August 2014

A small for gestational age foetus is defined by the foetal weight below the 10th centile for the corresponding gestational age. However, the vast majority of these cases has no apparent underlying abnormality, while in other cases a serious causative pathological condition can be identified. The detection, follow-up and treatment of an intrauterine growth retarded, compromised foetus has great obstetric and neonatologic relevance. In this review, the causes, clinical aspects and screening methods of intrauterine growth retardation are summarized based on the most recent international guidelines. Furthermore, recommendations regarding the monitoring and the optimal timing of the labour induction of pregnancies complicated with intrauterine growth retardation are discussed. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(33), 1301–1305.
Looking for an ideal coma scale: It is time to replace GCS
Authors: Faruq Mohammad Omar
Published: August 2014

No Abstract AvailableDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bccj.v2i1.19948 Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 1-3
Antibiotic sensitivity pattern of urinary tract infection at a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Biswas Rama , Rabbani Raihan , Ahmed Hasan Shahrear , Sarker Mohammed Abdus Satter , Zafrin Nahida , Rahman Md Motlabur
Published: August 2014

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain the common infections in outpatients as well as hospitalized patients. Current knowledge on antimicrobial sensitivity pattern is essential for appropriate therapy. The aim of the study is to determine the changing pattern of antibiotic sensitivity among uropathogens causing UTI. Methods: Urinary isolates from symptomatic UTI cases attending in Square hospital were processed in the Microbiology lab. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby Bauers disc diffusion method. Extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) production was determined by double disk synergy test method. Results: Of the 200 tested sample 110 samples showed growth of pathogens among which the most prevalent were E.coli (58.18%) followed by Enterococci (13.6%). The majority (68.18%) of the isolates were from female. ESBL production was observed in 46.87% o E.coli strains and 25% of Klebsiella strains. More than 98% of the isolates are sensitive to Imipenem, Meropenem , while 86.36% are sensitive to Amikacin, 73.63% to Nitrofurantoin and 74.54% to Gentamicin. Very high rate of resistance is seen against amoxicillin (88.19%), cefixime (65.46%), cotrimoxazole (68.19%) and ceftriaxone (63.63%). E. coli showed high sensitivity to meropenem, imipenem and amikacin (100%) followed by Gentamicin (94.1%). Conclusion: The study revealed that E.coli was the predominant bacterial pathogens of UTIs. An increasing trend in the production ESBLs among UTI pathogens in the community was noted. Nitrofurantoin should be used as empirical therapy for primary, uncomplicated UTIs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bccj.v2i1.19952 Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 21-24
"Airway Pressure Release Ventilation" a step up care in ARDS
Authors: Islam M Motiul , Rabbani Raihan , Polash M Mofizul Islam , Anam Ahmad Mursel
Published: August 2014

APRV is a mode of mechanical ventilator which uses the principal of open lung approach. It is thought to be an effective & safe alternative for difficult to oxygenate patients like ARDS. It is inverse ratio, pressure controlled, intermittent mandatory ventilation with unrestricted spontaneous breathing. APRV has many purported advantages over conventional ventilation including alveolar recruitment, improved oxygenation, preservation of spontaneous breathing, improved hemodynamics and potential lung-protective effects. It has many claimed disadvantages related to risks of volumtrauma and increased energy expenditure related to spontaneous breathing. Though it was first described more than 20 years ago still it has not gained popularity till date as it is yet to prove its mortality benefits over other conventional modes. Currently there is a lot of ongoing trial globally on it. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bccj.v2i1.19955 Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 35-37
Acute Shock in an Ambiguous Child
Authors: Sahana Pranab Kumar , Sengupta Nilanjan , Roy Mukut , Deshmukh Ashish , Dasgupta Ranehn
Published: August 2014

Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) usually presents with varied manifestations. In female, it can manifest as ambiguous genitalia, salt wasting crisis or androgen excess in puberty depending on the severity of enzyme deficiency. Here, we report a four and half year old girl who developed salt wasting crisis in the neonatal period. Prompt diagnosis and immediate glucocorticoid and fludrocortisone replacement saved her life. High index of suspicion is needed to diagnose CAH and continued replacement of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid is needed to suppress virilization of the female child and prevent further crises.Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 38-39
Star Fruit Intoxication in Chronic Kidney Disease: Our Experience
Authors: Shumy Farzana , Ahmed Mohiuddin , Anam Ahmad Mursel , Polash M Mufizul Islam , Islam M Motiul , Nessa Shahazadi Sayeeda Tun
Published: August 2014

We report a case, where a patient of chronic kidney disease developed hiccups and alteration of consciousness after consuming star fruit. Prompt recognition of his features lead to commencement of hemodialysis, and that saved his life. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bccj.v2i1.19968 Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 40-41
Pseudo Sub-Arachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Anam Ahmad Mursel , Polash M Mufizul Islam , Shumy Farzana , Hasan Mahmudul , Rabbani Raihan
Published: August 2014

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bccj.v2i1.19974 Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2014; 2 (1): 50
Leaf spot disease of coconut seedling and its eco-friendly management
Authors: Khan MAH , Hossain I
Published: August 2014

The effect of weather on prevalence of seedling diseases of coconut during 2010-11 and 2011-12 in different areas of Bangladesh was studied to develop an environment friendly disease management practice. Pestalotia palmarum was isolated and identified from leaf having spot. Incidence and severity of grey leaf spot at seedling stage were determined and significant variations were observed depending on weather factors as well as locations. Occurrence of seedling disease was significantly influenced by temperature, rainfall and relative humidity. Comparative effectiveness of BAU-Biofungicide either alone or in combination with two fungicides viz. Bavistin or Dithane M-45 was evaluated on coconut seedling in the nursery. Among the treatments applied, Trichoderma harzianum based BAU-Biofungicide either alone or in combination with Bavistin (0.2%) as an excellent biocontrol means in controlling leaf spot disease of coconut. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19894 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 199-208, 2013
Water quality and Sanitation status: A study on Char land of Bhuapur upazila under Tangail district
Authors: Islam MS , Sarker BC , Mahmud NA , Saifullah ASM
Published: August 2014

The study was aimed to review the damage of sanitation facilities; since Char lands dwellers faces manifold challenges concerning sanitation, hygiene and water during flood. It also explored the possibilities of overcoming the negative impacts of floods on sources of safe drinking water and sanitation. The study result shows that, about 54% of the overall latrines were included ring slab with water seal, pit latrine, bush or hanging toilet of the flood affected people during the flood. Around 19% of the respondents use to do toilet in the open area during flood. Different NGOs e.g. Jamuna Char Development Project (JCDP), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), CARE and Red Crescent Society of Bangladesh works for rehabilitation of the flood affected people and give early warning on the flood. Depending on location and sanitation conditions, drinking water sources may be contaminated by flood water during flood and many waterborne diseases can spread out like Cholera, Dysentery, Diarrhoea, diseases of the skin, Typhoid etc. meantime. The conducted survey also reports that, drinking water and sanitation condition is not dependable (on the commentary of 64.8% of the responders). Therefore, the flood affected people of Bhuapur are usually underprivileged from appropriate sanitation facility on flood. They somehow conform themselves while a chain of problems strikes hardly during flood. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19895 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 209-214, 2013
Molecular characterization and morphological clustering of exotic early maturing rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines
Authors: Sarker MM , Hassan L , Rashid MM , Seraj S
Published: August 2014

Characterization and variability analysis is important for the improvement of crop plant. This study aimed to evaluate the morphological and molecular variation of exotic early maturing rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines. A total of 32 exotic rice lines collected from different locations were genotyped and clustered using selected SSR markers. Based on morphological dendrogram, the lines were grouped into three clusters viz.I, II and III. Cluster I, cluster II and cluster III had 12, 11, 9 lines respectively. The results showed that the varieties were closely related belonging to the same cluster. DNA Markers namely Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) is a useful tool for assessing genetic variations and resolving cultivar identities. Positive correlations were found between gene diversity, number of allele, the allele size range and the maximum number of repeats. Among the primers used RM147 identified more number of alleles and average PIC was 0.88. The UPGMA dendrogram based on Neis (1972) genetic distance grouped the 32 rice lines into three major clusters. This result indicates that the line which formed grouped together, they are less diverse. A significant level of polymorphism based on morphological and molecular levels was observed. Being grouped into three clusters C1-4-11-7P-2P-1P and IR 79201-49-1-1-1 could be utilized as potential parents for the improvement of yield in early maturing rice lines. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19900 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 233-240, 2013
The apotheosis of conservation agriculture- A review
Authors: Hossain MM
Published: August 2014

This paper focuses on conservation agriculture (CA), defined as minimal soil disturbance (no-till) and crop residue retention (mulch) combined with crop rotations. The paper then describes the principles based on which CA runs with briefing suggested improvement on conservation tillage, where no-till, mulch and rotations significantly improve soil properties and other biotic factors. This paper also describes some cons of CA with its future strategies. A Case study from the rice-wheat areas of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia used to describe how CA practices have been used to raise production sustainably and profitably. Benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on global warming are also discussed. The paper concludes that agriculture in the next decade will have to sustainably produce more food from less land through more efficient use of natural resources and with minimal impact on the environment in order to meet growing population demands. Promoting and adopting CA management systems can help meet this goal. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19901 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 241-248, 2013
Performance of transplant Aman rice as influenced by tiller seedlings and nitrogen management
Authors: Kirttania B , Sarkar MAR , Paul SK
Published: August 2014

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from July to December 2012 to observe the effect of variety, age of tiller seedling used for transplanting and nitrogen management on the yield performance of transplant Aman rice. The experiment consisted of two varieties viz. BRRI dhan49 and BRRI dhan51, two ages tiller seedling viz. 25- and 35-day old, five nitrogen management viz. control (no urea), application of prilled urea @ 215 kg ha-1 (1/2 at 15 DAT+1/2 at 30 DAT), prilled urea @ 215 kg ha-1 (1/3 at 15DAT+1/3 at 30DAT+1/3 at 45DAT ), urea super granules (USG) 1.8 g and USG 2.7 g four-hill-1 in every alternate row. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that higher plant characters, straw yield and harvest index were obtained from BRRI dhan49 compared to BRRI dhan51. Older seedlings (35-day old) produced higher grain yield to younger seedlings. The highest yield contributing characters and grain yield were obtained when 1.8g USG was applied. The grain yield was highest in 35-day old tiller seedlings of BRRI dhan51 while fertilized with 1.8g USG. This value was lowest when 25-day old tiller seedlings of BRRI dhan51 were fertilized with prilled urea in two split applications. It may be concluded that 35-day tiller seedlings of BRRI dhan51 fertilized with USG 1.8 g four-hill-1 could be used for achieving higher yield of transplant Aman rice. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19903 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 249-256, 2013
Effect of sweet potato flour of two local varieties on quality of breads
Authors: Kamal MS , Islam MN , Aziz MG
Published: August 2014

The study was carried out in order to find out the effect of substitution of wheat flour with sweet potato flour of two local varieties (Local Sada and Local Lal) on the quality of bread. This study was also concerned with the analysis of proximate compositions of sweet potato and results showed that, fresh local sada and local lal sweet potato varieties contained moisture 70.10 and 66.78%; ash 4.46 and 4.21%; fat 0.71 and 0.74%; protein 1.75 and 1.63%; carbohydrate 22.98 and 26.64%; vitamin-C 8.86 and 9.49 mg/100g respectively. The compositions of sweet potato flour were also analyzed and showed that local sada and local lal sweet potato flour contained moisture 5.25 and 5.32%; ash 4.12 and 4.17%; fat 0.75 and 0.81%; protein 9.80 and 9.21%; carbohydrate 80.08 and 80.49%; vitamin-C 2.45 and 2.31 mg/100g respectively. This analysis showed that the sweet potato flour is quite rich in protein content. The breads containing of sweet potato flour were prepared using standard formulation with 5, 10 or 15% substitution of wheat flour by sweet potato flour and evaluated their acceptability by a number of panelists. The result obtained showed that the color, taste, texture, flavor and overall acceptability of the breads containing sweet potato flour were equally acceptable with control bread. Statistical analysis showed that the overall acceptability of bread with sweet potato flour was equally acceptable as the control bread and bread with 10% substitution level (local lal) was moderately acceptable and other products (including 15% substitution) were ranked as like slightly. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19929 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 301-306, 2013
Estimation of size selectivity of fish species caught by different gears in the old Brahmaputra River
Authors: Saberin IS , Reza MS , Ayon NJ , Kamal M
Published: August 2014

Over the last couple of decades, the old Brahmaputra River, one of the ancient river systems of Bangladesh, has fallen in verge of biodiversity changes affecting its range of fauna and flora. Study was, therefore, conducted to investigate the selectivity of fish species caught by different fishing gears used in the old Brahmaputra River system over a period of 1 year. L50% of different gears was determined mainly for dominant species where 41 fish species were recorded. Highest L50% was recorded in gill net (fash jal) followed by basket trap (vair) whereas lowest value was recorded for seine net. Seine net, cast net, sidi bair and hand line (borshi) were considered non selective gears where fash jal and sidi bair were regarded as gear specific for large fish species and koi jal, ber jal, dharma jal, howra bair and koach were considered specific for small species. Among all the gears, seine net, cast net, koi jal and howra bair were found to be harmful for small species of fishes. Monofilamentous gill net (current jal) although marked as banned gear, was found to be operated in the river and causing considerable damage to the fish stock. Fash jal was considered as harmful gear for catfish as it was found to be used to catch fishes below legal size. It is suggested that fash jal should be restricted for several months, which may allow the newly stock fingerlings to grow to market size. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19940 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 359-364, 2013
Fecundity and gonado-somatic index of wild freshwater spiny eel Mastacembelus armatus (Lacepede) from Kishoreganj region of Bangladesh
Authors: Ali MR , Mollah MFA , Sarder MRI
Published: August 2014

Fecundity and gonado-somatic index (GSI) of wild freshwater spiny eel Mastacembelus armatus were estimated from haor region of Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh. Estimated fecundity ranged from 2,235 to 19,493 for the fish measuring from 25 to 54 cm and weighing from 79 to 345 g. The minimum, median and maximum ova diameter was 0.20, 1.90 and 2.20 mm, respectively. The average numbers of ova present per g body weight were 45.41±8.85, 46.93±15.00 and 47.52±8.32 while the average numbers of ova present per g ovary were 369.64±40.66, 351.29±30.90 and 328.36±33.00 in the months of April, May and June, respectively. Maximum GSI for female spiny eel was 14.40±1.48 in the month of June and the minimum GSI for the same sex was 0.44±0.06 in September. The regression of fecundity on total length, body weight and gonad weight of female spiny eels were Log F = -0.875 + 2.957 × Log TL (r = 0.874), Log F = 0.630 + 1.461 × Log BW (r = 0.917) and Log F = 2.425 + 1.087 × Log GW (r = 0.977), respectively. Fecundity-gonad weight gave a better relationship when compared to fecundity-body weight and fecundity-total length relationship. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19941 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 365-372, 2013
Investigation on culture and health status of Mrigal Cirrhinus cirrhosus from the farming system of Mymensingh region
Authors: Ahmed GU , Konica K , Ali MF , Khatun T
Published: August 2014

Indian major carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosus was considered to monitor culture and health status in farm condition from Bhaluka and Muktagacha of Mymensingh region of Bangladesh for a period of seven months starting from September, 2010 to March, 2011. Monthly sampling was carried out for growth and health condition. Samples of skin and muscle, gill, liver and kidney were observed by clinical and histological techniques. Water temperature was at unfavorable levels but, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, ammonia and nitrite of water were within the favorable range for fish culture during the months of December and January. Clinically weak body, rough skin, scale loss, thick gill filaments, ulcer and gray brownish color were observed. Among the affected fish organs like skin, muscle and gill were found to be more affected than those of the internal organs, liver and kidney. Major pathologies in the skin and muscle were loss of epidermis and dermis, presence of fungal granuloma, fungal hyphae, necrosis, hemorrhages, vacuums and melanocytes. Protozoan cysts, clubbing, hemorrhages, necrosis and hypertrophy were found in the gill. Necrosis, hemorrhage, pyknosis and vacuums were observed in liver. Common pathological signs like necrosis, hemorrhage, pyknosis, vacuums and degenerated kidney tubules were noticed in kidney. Overall, in the clinical and histopathological studies fishes were found to be more affected during the colder months i.e., December and January. Whereas, in the month of February the pathological condition of fish gradually started to heal up. In histopathological observation, fishes of Bhaluka farms were more affected than that of Muktagacha fish farms. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) and protozoan diseases were noticed in Bhaluka fish farms. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19947 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 391-397, 2013
Seminal Quality Prediction Using Clustering-Based Decision Forests
Authors: Wang Hong , Xu Qingsong , Zhou Lifeng
Published: August 2014

Prediction of seminal quality with statistical learning tools is an emerging methodology in decision support systems in biomedical engineering and is very useful in early diagnosis of seminal patients and selection of semen donors candidates. However, as is common in medical diagnosis, seminal quality prediction faces the class imbalance problem. In this paper, we propose a novel supervised ensemble learning approach, namely Clustering-Based Decision Forests, to tackle unbalanced class learning problem in seminal quality prediction. Experiment results on real fertility diagnosis dataset have shown that Clustering-Based Decision Forests outperforms decision tree, Support Vector Machines, random forests, multilayer perceptron neural networks and logistic regression by a noticeable margin. Clustering-Based Decision Forests can also be used to evaluate variables’ importance and the top five important factors that may affect semen concentration obtained in this study are age, serious trauma, sitting time, the season when the semen sample is produced, and high fevers in the last year. The findings could be helpful in explaining seminal concentration problems in infertile males or pre-screening semen donor candidates.
Complexity and the Emergence of Physical Properties
Authors: Fuentes Miguel
Published: August 2014

Using the effective complexity measure, proposed by M. Gell-Mann and S. Lloyd, we give a quantitative definition of an emergent property. We use several previous results and properties of this particular information measure closely related to the random features of the entity and its regularities.
Robust Non-Wetting PTFE Surfaces by Femtosecond Laser Machining
Authors: Liang Fang , Lehr Jorge , Danielczak Lisa , Leask Richard , Kietzig Anne-Marie
Published: August 2014

Nature shows many examples of surfaces with extraordinary wettability, which can often be associated with particular air-trapping surface patterns. Here, robust non-wetting surfaces have been created by femtosecond laser ablation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The laser-created surface structure resembles a forest of entangled fibers, which support structural superhydrophobicity even when the surface chemistry is changed by gold coating. SEM analysis showed that the degree of entanglement of hairs and the depth of the forest pattern correlates positively with accumulated laser fluence and can thus be influenced by altering various laser process parameters. The resulting fibrous surfaces exhibit a tremendous decrease in wettability compared to smooth PTFE surfaces; droplets impacting the virgin or gold coated PTFE forest do not wet the surface but bounce off. Exploratory bioadhesion experiments showed that the surfaces are truly air-trapping and do not support cell adhesion. Therewith, the created surfaces successfully mimic biological surfaces such as insect wings with robust anti-wetting behavior and potential for antiadhesive applications. In addition, the fabrication can be carried out in one process step, and our results clearly show the insensitivity of the resulting non-wetting behavior to variations in the process parameters, both of which make it a strong candidate for industrial applications.
Antibacterial Surface Treatment for Orthopaedic Implants
Authors: Gallo Jiri , Holinka Martin , Moucha Calin
Published: August 2014

It is expected that the projected increased usage of implantable devices in medicine will result in a natural rise in the number of infections related to these cases. Some patients are unable to autonomously prevent formation of biofilm on implant surfaces. Suppression of the local peri-implant immune response is an important contributory factor. Substantial avascular scar tissue encountered during revision joint replacement surgery places these cases at an especially high risk of periprosthetic joint infection. A critical pathogenic event in the process of biofilm formation is bacterial adhesion. Prevention of biomaterial-associated infections should be concurrently focused on at least two targets: inhibition of biofilm formation and minimizing local immune response suppression. Current knowledge of antimicrobial surface treatments suitable for prevention of prosthetic joint infection is reviewed. Several surface treatment modalities have been proposed. Minimizing bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation inhibition, and bactericidal approaches are discussed. The ultimate anti-infective surface should be “smart” and responsive to even the lowest bacterial load. While research in this field is promising, there appears to be a great discrepancy between proposed and clinically implemented strategies, and there is urgent need for translational science focusing on this topic.
Effect of β-Glucan Supplementation on Acute Postprandial Changes in Fatty Acid Profile of Lymph and Serum in Pigs
Authors: Lærke Helle , Mikkelsen Lasse , Jørgensen Henry , Jensen Søren
Published: August 2014

Triglycerides are absorbed by the lymphatic system and have various functions in the body. It has been shown that some types of β-glucans have a positive effect on the systemic concentrations of cholesterol and lipid, presumably through interference with the absorption of lipid and/or reabsorption of bile acids. In the current study we investigated the acute effects of ingesting 2 g of β-glucan concentrates derived from barley β-(1→3)(1→4)-d-glucan or yeast β-(1→3)(1→6)-d-glucan on fatty acid content and composition in lymph and serum of 10 female pigs (initial weight 34.7 ± 1.1 kg) fitted with a permanent catheter in the jejunal lymphatic trunk in a cross-over design. Lymph was collected continuously for 8 h followed by a spot sample taken 24 h after. A significant effect of time after feeding was observed for all fatty acids in serum and for 18:0, 18:2ω6 and 18:3ω3 in lymph, but a significant effect of β-glucan was only observed for 14:0 (p = 0.049) and 22:6ω3 (p = 0.048) in lymph and 18:0 (p = 0.019) in serum. While the concentration of dietary fatty acids increased postprandially in lymph, the concentration of arachidonic and docahexanoic acid tended to decrease. Furthermore, there was a drop in concentration of all fatty acid in serum 1 h after the meal.
Epigenetic Determinants of CYP1A1 Induction by the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist 3,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126)
Authors: Vorrink Sabine , Hudachek Danielle , Domann Frederick
Published: August 2014

Many enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism, including cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, are regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). 3,3',4,4',5-Penta chlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) is a potent ligand for AhR and can thus induce the expression of CYP1A1. Interestingly, we observed that human carcinoma cell lines derived from different types of epithelial cells displayed divergent degrees of CYP1A1 induction after exposure to PCB 126. Since epigenetic mechanisms are known to be involved in cell type-specific gene expression, we sought to assess the epigenetic determinants of CYP1A1 induction in these carcinoma cell lines. In contrast to HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells, HeLa cervical carcinoma cells showed significantly lower levels of CYP1A1 mRNA expression following PCB 126 exposure. Our results show that the two cell lines maintained differences in the chromatin architecture along the CYP1A1 promoter region. Furthermore, treatment with the epigenetic modifiers, trichostatin A (TSA) and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC), significantly increased the expression of CYP1A1 after PCB 126 treatment in HeLa cells. However, we did not observe apparent differences in methylation levels or specific location of CpG DNA methylation between the two cell lines in the analyzed CYP1A1 promoter region. Taken together, our findings suggest that the differences in CYP1A1 expression between HepG2 and HeLa cells are due to differences in the chromatin architecture of the CYP1A1 promoter and thus establish a role of epigenetic regulation in cell-specific CYP1A1 expression.