bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation on Challenges in Cloud Security to Provide Effective Cloud Computing Paradigm
Authors:   Department of Computer Science,Ganadipathy Tulsis Jain Engineering College,Vellore, Tamilnadu, India, Mr C.Suresh
Published: July 2019

Cloud computing provides the capability to use computing and storage resources on a metered basis and reduce the investments in an organizations computing infrastructure. The spawning and deletion of virtual machines running on physical hardware and being controlled by hypervisors is a cost-efficient and flexible computing paradigm. In addition, the integration and widespread availability of large amounts of sanitized information such as health care records can be of tremendous benefit to researchers and practitioners. However, as with any technology, the full potential of the cloud cannot be achieved without understanding its capabilities, vulnerabilities, advantages, and trade-offs. We propose a new method of achieving the maximum benefit from cloud computation with minimal risk. Issues such as data ownership, privacy protections, data mobility, quality of service and service levels, bandwidth costs, data protection, and support have to be tackled in order to achieve the maximum benefit from cloud computation with minimal risk.
Reviewing HIV-1 Gag Mutations in Protease Inhibitors Resistance: Insights for Possible Novel Gag Inhibitor Designs
Authors: Su Chinh Tran-To , Koh Darius Wen-Shuo , Gan Samuel Ken-En
Published: July 2019

HIV treatment strategies against viral enzymes are continuously hampered by viral drug resistance. Recent findings show that viral substrate Gag contributes to HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor (PI) resistance, leading to demands for new strategies in HIV treatment where Gag is recognized as a drug target. To successfully target Gag, there is a need of in-depth understanding of the Gag polyprotein and the effects of Gag mutations. Here, we propose new strategies in designing novel Gag inhibitors against existing and novel emerging Gag mutations via a structural understanding of the Gag-Protease relationship in PI resistance. In this review, we discuss the role of both novel and previously reported mutations, revealing insights to how they aid in PI resistance, and how new Gag inhibitors can be designed.
A Method Framework for Automatic Airspace Reconfiguration-Monte Carlo Method for Eliminating Irregular Sector Shapes Generated by Region Growth Method
Authors: Ye ZhiJian , Kong FanHe , Zhang BaoCheng , Gao Wei , Mao JianFeng
Published: July 2019

With the growth of air traffic demand in busy airspace, there is an urgent need for airspace sectorization to increase air traffic throughput and ease the pressure on controllers. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method framework that can perform airspace sectorization automatically, reasonably, which can be used as an advisory tool for controllers as an automatic system, especially for eliminating irregular sector shapes generated by simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) based on region growth method. Two graph cutting method, dynamic Monte Carlo method by changing location of flexible vertices (MC-CLFV) and Monte Carlo method by radius changing (MC-RC) were developed to eliminating irregular sector shapes generated by SAA in post-processing. The experimental results show that the proposed method framework of AS can automatically and reasonably generate sector design schemes that meet the design criteria. Our methodology framework and software can provide assistant design and analysis tools for airspace planners to design airspace, improve the reliability and efficiency of airspace design, and reduce the burden of airspace planners. In addition, this lays the foundation for reconstructing airspace with more intelligent method.
Microfluidic Irreversible Electroporation – A Versatile Tool to Extract Intracellular Contents of Bacteria and Yeast
Authors: Rockenbach Alexander , Sudarsan Suresh , Berens Judith , Kosubek Michael , Lazar Jaroslav , Demling Philipp , Hanke René , Mennicken Philip , Ebert Birgitta E. , Blank Lars M. , Schnakenberg Uwe
Published: July 2019

Exploring the dynamic behavior of cellular metabolism requires a standard laboratory method that guarantees rapid sampling and extraction of the cellular content. We propose a versatile sampling technique applicable to cells with different cell wall and cell membrane properties. The technique is based on irreversible electroporation with simultaneous quenching and extraction by using a microfluidic device. By application of electric pulses in the millisecond range, permanent lethal pores are formed in the cell membrane of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, facilitating the release of the cellular contents; here demonstrated by the measurement of glucose-6-phosphate and the activity of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The successful application of this device was demonstrated by pulsed electric field treatment in a flow-through configuration of the microfluidic chip in combination with sampling, inactivation, and extraction of the intracellular content in a few seconds. Minimum electric field strengths of 10 kV/cm for E. coli and 7.5 kV/cm for yeast S. cerevisiae were required for successful cell lysis. The results are discussed in the context of applications in industrial biotechnology, where metabolomics analyses are important.
Atmospheric Nitrate as a Potential Nutrient for Life on Mars
Authors: Shen Jianxun , Zerkle Aubrey , Claire Mark , Stueeken Eva
Published: July 2019

Nitrate is rich in Mars sediments owing to long-term atmospheric photolysis, oxidation, and deposition coupled with a lack of leaching via rainfall. The Atacama Desert in Chile, which is similarly dry and rich in nitrate deposits, is used as a Mars analog in this study to explore the potential effects of high nitrate levels on microbial growth. Seven study sites sampled across an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert were categorized into 3 clusters – hyperarid, intermediate, and arid sites, as defined by major elements in the regolith, associated biomass, and precipitation. Intriguingly, the distribution of nitrate concentrations in the shallow subsurface suggests that the buildup of nitrate is not solely controlled by precipitation. Correlations of nitrate with SiO2/Al2O3 and grain sizes suggest that sedimentation rates are also important in controlling nitrate distribution. At arid sites receiving more than 10 mm/yr precipitation, rainfall shows a stronger impact on biomass than nitrate does. However, high nitrate to organic carbon ratios are generally beneficial to N assimilation as evidenced both by soil geochemistry and enriched culturing experiments. This study suggests that even in the absence of precipitation on contemporary Mars, the nitrate levels are sufficiently high to benefit potentially extant Martian microorganisms.
Increased Serum Immunoglobulin Responses to Gut Commensal Gram-Negative Bacteria in Unipolar Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder Type 1, Especially When Melancholia is Present
Authors: Simeonova Denitsa , Stoyanov Drozdstoy , Leunis Jean–Claude , Carvalho Andre F. , Kubera Marta , Murdjeva Marianna , Maes Michael
Published: July 2019

Major depression (MDD) is accompanied by higher serum IgM/IgA responses to LPS of Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting increased bacterial translocation and gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis may occur in bipolar disorder (BD) and there are differences between MDD and BD type 1 (BP1) and -2 (BP2) in nitro-oxidative stress biomarkers associated with leaky gut. This study examines serum IgM/IgA responses directed to LPS of 6 Gram-negative bacteria in 29 BP1, 37 BP2, 44 MDD and 30 healthy individuals. MDD plus BD was best discriminated from controls by increased IgM/IgA responses to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BP1 patients showed higher IgM responses to Morganella morganii as compared with MDD and BP2 patients. Patients with melancholia showed higher IgA responses to Citrobacter koseri as compared to controls and non-melancholic depression. The total score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was significantly associated with IgA responses, especially C. koseri. IgG responses to oxidized low-density lipoprotein were significantly associated with signs of increased bacterial translocation. In conclusion, not only MDD but also BP1 and BP2 are accompanied by an immune response due to the increased load of plasma LPS of gut commensal bacteria while these aberrations in the gut-brain axis are most pronounced in BP1 and patients with melancholic features. Activated oxidative stress pathways and autoimmune responses to oxidative specific epitopes in mood disorders may be driven by a breakdown in gut paracellular, transcellular and/or vascular pathways. If replicated, drugs that protect the integrity of the gut barrier may offer novel therapeutic opportunities for BP1 and MDD.
Optical Energy Variability Induced by Speckle: The Cases of MERLIN and CHARM-F IPDA Lidar
Authors: Casse Vincent , Gibert Fabien , Edouart Dimitri , Chomette Olivier , Crevoisier Cyril
Published: July 2019

In the context of the French-German space lidar mission MERLIN dedicated to the determination of the atmospheric methane content, an end-to-end mission simulator is being developed. In order to check whether the instrument design meets the performance requirements, simulations have to count all the sources of noise on the measurements like the optical energy variability induced by speckle. Speckle is due to interference as the lidar beam are quasi monochromatic. Speckle contribution to the error budget has to be estimated but also simulated. In this paper, the speckle theory is revisited and applied to MERLIN double pulsed IPDA lidar and also to the DLR demonstrator CHARM-F. Results show: on the signal path, speckle noise depends mainly on the size of the illuminating area on ground; on the solar flux, speckle is fully negligible both because the pixel size and the optical filter spectral width; on energy monitoring path a decorrelation mechanism is needed to reduce speckle noise on averaged data. Speckle noises for MERLIN and CHARM-F can be simulated by Gaussian noises with only one random draw by shot separately for energy monitoring and signal paths.
Securing IoT Based RFID Systems: A Robust Authentication Protocol Using Symmetric Cryptography
Authors: Mansoor Khwaja , Ghani Anwar , Chaudhry Shehzad Ashraf , Shamshirband Shahaboddin , Ghayyur Shahbaz Ahmed Khan , Salwana Ely
Published: July 2019

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices use radio waves to relay identifying information to an electronic reader using low-cost RFID Tag. RFID is expected to replace the conventional bar-code identification system due to its advantage like real-time recognition of a considerable number of objects. However, in RFID systems an attacker can get the tag that may lead to various security threats, and the limited computation power of RFID tags can cause delay. Lightweight authentication protocols proposed using cryptographic algorithms (one-way hash function, symmetric key encryption/decryption, and exclusive-OR) in order to cope with these problems. One such lightweight cryptographic protocol has been presented by Gope and Hwang using RFID systems. However, it analyzed in this article that their protocol is infeasible and vulnerable to Collision Attack, Denial-of-service (DoS), and Stolen verifier Attacks. A realistic, lightweight authentication protocol has been presented in this article to ensure protection against the mentioned attacks for IoT based RFID system. The proposed protocol has been formally analyzed using BAN logic and ProVerif as well as also analyzed informally using security requirement. The results show that the proposed protocol outperforms the existing protocols not only in security enhancements but also in terms of computation and communication complexity. Furthermore, the proposed protocol has also been analyzed for storage complexity.
PENGARUH STABILISASI PKL SHELTER MANAHAN TERHADAP KINERJA JALAN MENTERI SUPENO SURAKARTA
Authors: Permana Faisal Indra , Yudana Galing , Rahayu Paramita
Published: July 2019

Stabilisasi merupakan salah satu program penataan PKL pemerintah kota Surakarta yang berfungsi untuk memberi legalitas pada PKL di suatu kawasan dengan memfasilitasi tempat dagang permanen dan sejumlah fasilitas penunjang salah satunya seperti parkir on street. Adanya program stabilisasi berpotensi menimbukan permasalahan baru seperti dampak berupa beban transportasi di jalan sekitarnya. Salah satu PKL stabilisasi di kota Surakarta tersebut adalah PKL shelter Manahan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana pengaruh stabilisasi PKL shelter Manahan terhadap kinerja jalan Menteri Supeno. Tahap pertama penelitian yaitu mengidentifikasi aktivitas PKL shelter yang memicu pergerakan yang mempengaruhi besar volume kendaraan jalan Menteri Supeno. Tahap kedua yaitu menganalisis volume kendaraan jalan Menteri Supeno. Tahap ketiga mengidentifikasi kondisi parkir on street yang mempengaruhi kapasitas jalan Menteri Supeno. Tahap selanjutnya, menganalisis kapasitas jalan Menteri Supeno. Kemudian menganalisis kinerja jalan Menteri Supeno yang dilanjut dengan mengidentifikasi pengaruh PKL stabilisasi Manahan terhadap kinerja jalan Menteri Supeno. Hasil akhir penelitian ini adalah teridentifikasinya pengaruh yang dimulai dari aktivitas PKL shelter membangkitkan pergerakan menyebabkan peningkatan volume kendaraan, disisi lain keberadaan parkir on street PKL shelter mengalami kekurangan daya tampung yang secara signifikan menurunkan kapasitas jalan menyebabkan kemampuan jalan Menteri Supeno dalam menampung beban lalulintas berkurang, semua hal tersebut berkolaborasi dalam menurunkan nilai kinerja jalan sehingga jalan Menteri Supeno mengalami penurunan kualitas. Pada akhirnya diperoleh hasil bahwa keberadaan stabilisasi PKL shelter Manahan mempengaruhi kinerja jalan Menteri Supeno.
Education for Sustainability: Lessons from Living Systems Governance
Authors: Bricage Pierre
Published: July 2019

To survive that is to eat and not to be eaten. Whatever its spatial and temporal level of organisation, every living system owns 7 invariant capacities (the gauge invariance paradigm). Emerging by embedments and juxtapositions of previous systems, every living system-of-systems is both dependent and independent from its new global level of organisation and past and present local situations of emergence. Mass growth governs growth phase duration. Local actors, modules of past, present and new modules of modules become mutually integrated (percolation process) into a new Whole through their merging into an ARMSADA (Association for the Reciprocal and Mutual Sharing of Advantages and DisAdvantages). Reversely (systemic constructal law) the global Whole is integrating the local parceners. Whatever the organisation level, the living systems obey the same principle of evolution and emergence, the volume and time of generation of the adult system obey a correlation: The mass controlled duration of acquisition of the reproductive capacity and the volume at its acquisition are linked by a 3/2 exponent power law. This dynamic fractal law is invariant, between and within le- vels of organisation. Brownian motion is the basic phenomenon of growth control: Matter and energy are exchanged at a constant flow rate. A Pareto-like relationship governs limits and limitations: Mutual survival depends on reciprocal limitations, through interactive feedbacks, for the best and for the worst. To survive that is to transform disadvantages into advantages and to avoid advantages turn to disadvantages.
Interval-Valued Dual Hesitant Fuzzy Hamacher Aggregation Operators for Multiple Attribute Decision Making
Authors: Jiang Chao , Jiang Shenqing , Chen Jianlan
Published: July 2019

As an generalization of hesitant fuzzy set, interval-valued hesitant fuzzy set and dual hesitant fuzzy set, interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy set has been proposed and applied in multiple attribute decision making. Hamacher t-norm and t-conorm is an generalization of algebraic and Einstein t-norms and t-conorms. In order to combine interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy aggregation operators with Hamacher t-norm and t-conorm. We first introduced some new Hamacher operation rules for interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy elements. Then, several interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy Hamacher aggregation operators are presented, some desirable properties and their special cases are studied. Further, a new multiple attribute decision making method with these operators is given, and an numerical example is provided to demonstrate that the developed approach is both valid and practical.
A Global Seamless Hybrid Constellation Design Approach with Restricted Ground Supporting for Space Information Network
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wu Tao , Ma Hong , Li Guixin
Published: July 2019

In space information networks, satellites are generally in high speed orbit motion. In order to obtain better spacial and temporal coverage performance, satellites should cooperate with each other as a constellation. Previous works on constellations mainly focus on global seamless coverage using fewer satellites. However, like most countries, it is hard for China to build ground stations in overseas, and the geostationary Earth orbit position resource is scarce. In this paper, we investigate the constellation design problem with restricted ground supporting. We first proposes a “backbone network + enhanced network” hybrid constellation design approach. Then a hybrid “4GEO+5IGSO” constellation is designed using the proposed approach, and the coverage performance of this constellation is analyzed in detail. Simulation results show the proposed approach can realize global seamless coverage only using a small number of satellites. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid constellation meets the coverage demand only relies on ground stations inside China.
Origin and Evolution of Stacked Cut-and-fill Structures On the Southwestern Margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea (Japan Sea)
Authors: Park Yongjoon , Yoo Donggeun , Kang Nyeonkeon , Yi Boyeon
Published: July 2019

Multichannel seismic reflection profiles and well data were analyzed to unravel the origin and depositional history of stacked cut-and-fill structures (CF) in the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. The CFs in a syn-compressional megasequence are characterized by discontinuous, low-amplitude, chaotic, and transparent seismic reflections. They display both U-shaped and V-shaped morphologies along their lengths. The CFs are thickest and widest at the shelf edge and taper both landward and basinward. Based on the stratigraphic position, the CFs are found in three depositional sequences (DS8–DS10). Thirty CFs have been identified that range from 0.5 to 8.8 km in width and 58 to 453 m in thickness (assuming a 2000 m/s seismic velocity of the sediments). The larger and numerous CFs occurred in the middle depositional sequence. Seismic characteristics, spatial distribution, hundred-meter-scale incisions, and high gamma-ray responses indicate that the CFs were caused by submarine canyons. During the period of DS8, small CFs were formed locally on the shelf margin, and were little influenced by the deformation of the thrust-fold (Dolgorae Thrust Belt). Extensive and numerous CFs in DS9 developed in the oversteepened shelf margin, where uplift of both the thrust-fold and anticline (Gorae V structure) occurred simultaneously, and where a large volume of sediment was supplied. During the period of DS10, a general decreasing pattern in the occurrence and dimensions of the CFs resulted from waning tectonic activity of the thrust-fold that reduced sediment supply. Consequently, this study suggests that variation in contractional tectonic activity and sediment supply, associated with the back-arc closure of the East Sea, mainly controlled the evolution of the CFs rather than eustasy.
DNA methylation and expression analyses reveal epialleles for the foliar disease resistance genes in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Authors: Bhat Ramesh S. , Rockey J. , Shirasawa Kenta , Tilak I. S. , Patil M. P. Brijesh , Lachagari V. B. Reddy
Published: July 2019

Objective
Low DNA sequence polymorphism despite enormous phenotypic variations in peanut indicates the possible role of epigenetic variations. An attempt was made to analyze genome-wide DNA methylation pattern and its influence on gene expression across 11 diverse genotypes of peanut.
Results
The genotypes were subjected to bisulfite sequencing after 21 days of sowing (DAS). CHG regions showed the highest (3,05,37,376) of DNA methylation followed by CpG (3,03,56,066) and CHH (1,59,93,361) across 11 genotypes. The B sub-genome exhibited higher DNA methylation sites (4,62,94,063) than the A sub-genome (3,04,15,166). Overall, the DNA methylation was more frequent in inter-genic regions than in the genic regions. A few genes showed altered methylation and expression between the parent and its EMS-derived mutant. Foliar disease resistant genotypes showed significant differential DNA methylation at 766 sites corresponding to 25 genes. Of them, two genes (Arahy.1XYC2X on chromosome 01 and Arahy.00Z2SH on chromosome 17) coding for senescence-associated protein showed differential expression with resistant genotypes recording higher fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads (FPKM). Overall, the study indicated the variation in the DNA methylation pattern among the diverse genotypes of peanut and its influence of gene expression, indicating the application of these epialleles in peanut breeding.
Magnitude of Enteropathogens and Associated Factors Among Apparently Health Food Handlers at Wolkite University Student’s Cafeteria, Wolkite, South Ethiopia
Authors: Bafa Temesgen Abera , Muktar Ebrahim , Haile Adimasu
Published: July 2019

Abstract
Objectives: The study aimed to assess enteropathogens carriage rate, and risk factors among apparently healthy food handlers at Wolkite University cafeteria, South Ethiopia.
Results: Cross-sectional study was conducted among 170 food handlers to collect socio-demographic and related data by using structured questionnaires. Stool samples were collected and subjected to microscopic examination and cultured to determine intestinal parasites. Among the total study participants, 66% of them were found to be carriers of enteropathogens: bacteria (Salmonella typhi, Shigella species), and intestinal parasites (Ascaris lumbricoides,Taenia species, Giardia lamblia, Entameoba histolytica/dispar, Enterobius vermicularis, Hook worm and Trichuris trichiura. All Salmonella and Shigella isolates were sensitive to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin. Age, job description, non medical checkup and hand washing practice before food preparation have a significant association with eneropathogens. Significant proportion of food handlers was found to be carriers of pathogens which require a periodic screening and antibiotic consumption monitoring.
Keywords: Food handlers, Intestinal parasites, Salmonella, Shigella
An automated high throughput solution for DNA extraction and bisulfite-conversion from high volume liquid biopsy specimens – sample preparation for epigenetic analysis
Authors: Rausch Sebastian , Hasinger Oliver , König Thomas , Schlegel Anne , Weiss Gunter
Published: July 2019

Objective:
DNA methylation analysis via real-time PCR or other analytical techniques requires purified bisulfite converted DNA. We report on an automated high throughput solution for DNA extraction, bisulfite-conversion, and purification of 96 samples with an input volume of up to 3.5mL of plasma or urine, using reagents from the commercially available Epi BisKit.
Results:
Magnetic bead-based DNA extraction, bisulfite conversion at high temperature, and efficient DNA purification was conducted on a customized commercially available liquid-handling platform. A highly interlaced 4x24 sample protocol was implemented for DNA extraction, elution in a 96-well plate, efficient bisulfite-conversion and extensive purification. The resulting bisulfite-converted DNA was stored in a 96-well format, ready for PCR set-up or other down-stream applications. The automated method is a walk-away solution for processing 96 samples in 7h30min.
Performance of the method was validated by comparison with the standard manual method of the Epi BiSKit using technical and biological samples. Overall DNA yield was assessed with a standardized ß-actin assay.
The automated workflow demonstrated equivalent performance to the manual method for technical, plasma and urine samples. It may provide a new standard for effective high-throughput preparation of bisulfite-converted DNA from a variety of high volume liquid biopsy specimens.
A novel thermo- ethanol tolerant Acetobacter okinawensis KBMNS-IAUF-1 isolated from Iranian nectarine as a potential for nectarine vinegar production in food biotechnology
Authors: Beheshti-Maal Keivan , Shafiee Noushin
Published: July 2019

Background

Recently production of several types of vinegar using new strains of acetic acid bacteria is challenging.

Results

In this research we isolated a new strain of A. okinawensis from Iranian nectarine we obtained from nectarine garden at Isfahan, Iran. According to 16s-rDNA molecular analysis we named that Acetobacter okinawensis strain KBMNS-IAUF-1 and its partial 16s-rDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank, NCBI under the accession number of MG544095.1. The tolerance of A. okinawensis KBMNS-IAUF-1 against ethanol concentrations of 2%-10% and high temperatures of 34-38°C was investigated. This strain had good growth and acid production in 2%-5% ethanol at high temperature of 38°C and as a thermo-tolerant AAB had good growth in 5% ethanol at 38°C. Also produced 6% acetic acid in an economical industrial culture medium at high temperature of 38°C using a fermentor apparatus we designed for vinegar production.

Conclusions

This is the first report of isolation and identification of Acetobacter okinawensis KBMNS-IAUF-1 from Iranian nectarine as a high thermo- ethanol- tolerant AAB capable of high acetic acid production in a short period of time and is a very good candidate for production of a new type of vinegar, nectarine vinegar, in high temperatures and ethanol concentrations. The thermo- ethanol-tolerant AAB as potential for production of new types of vinegar with suitable flavor could be an asset in food microbiology as well as industrial biotechnology.
Phytoremediation effect of Medicago sativa colonized by Piriformospora indica in the phenanthrene and cadmium co-contaminated soil
Authors: Li Liang , Zhu Pengyue , Wang Xiaoyang , Zhang Zhenhua
Published: July 2019

Background:Coexistence of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals deleteriously threatens the quality of environmental health. Few reports uncover the mechanism of inoculation plants with Piriformospora indica for remediating PAH-metal co-contaminated soil by analyzing the chemical speciations of contaminants. This study investigated the influence of inoculation Medicago sativa with Piriformospora indica to remediate phenanthrene (kind of PAHs), and cadmium (one of heavy metals) co-contaminated soil by analyzing the plant growth, physiological parameters and chemical speciation in rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil.
Results:The presence of P. indica significantly increased plants tolerance, Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry and electron transport rate values in phenanthrene and/or cadmium contaminated soil. P. indica inoculation in M. sativa root increased fluorescein diacetate activities in phenanthrene, cadmium and both of that co-contaminated soil, especially in non-rhezospheric soil. The presence of phenanthrene hindered the inoculated plant from accumulating cadmium to some extent; Whereas the presence of cadmium did not hinder the degradation of phenanthrene in both rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil after P. indica colonization. Although the poor bioavailability of cadmium in rhizospheric soil restricted the transportation into stem, P. indica colonization in plant efficiently increased cadmium accumulation in root in cadmium and phenanthrene co-contaminated soil.
Conclusions: In conclusion, the work provides the theoretical basis that Piriformospora indica combined with Medicago sativa contributed to the remediation of PAH-Metal co-contaminated soil.
Assessment of Respiratory Symptoms Among cleaners in Governmental Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Comparative Cross-sectional study
Authors: Getahun Biruk , Haile Diresibachew W. , Demeke Dessalegn , Birhan Mekuriaw Mesfine , Tadele Tigist , Ayalew Abebe
Published: July 2019

Objective

Respiratory disorders are the most common occupational diseases. Occupational exposures to dust, fumes, chemicals and gases are associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Although cleaning represents a significant part of the working population worldwide, it is a relatively understudied occupation and respiratory health of professional cleaners in hospitals have not been significantly addressed in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the respiratory symptoms of cleaners working in hospital setting. A comparative cross sectional study design was employed on 140 study participants. The study was composed of 70 cleaners and 70 control subjects. Respiratory symptoms were assessed using standardized questionnaire. The data was coded, entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results

Prevalence of dry cough, productive cough, wheezing, breathlessness and chest pain for cleaners was higher than the control group. Cleaners had odds of wheezing 2.05 times (OR 2.05, 95% CI: 0.77-5.50) than the controls. The odds of dry cough among cleaners was 4.7 times than among non-cleaners which was the most prevalent respiratory symptom. Based on the study the risk of developing respiratory symptoms were higher among cleaners than controls (p<0.05 to dry cough and breathlessness).
Development of microsatellite markers for the Japanese endemic conifer Thuja standishii and transfer to other East Asian species
Authors: Worth James Raymond Peter , Chang K. S. , Ha Y.-H. , Qin Aili
Published: July 2019

Objective

Design polymorphic microsatellite loci that will be useful for studies of the genetic diversity, structure and reproduction in the Japanese endemic conifer Thuja standishii and test the transferability of these loci to the two other East Asian species, T. sutchuenensis and T. koraiensis.

Results

Fifteen loci were developed which displayed 3 to 21 alleles per locus (average = 9.2) among 97 samples from three populations of T. standishii . Observed heterozygosity for all samples varied between 0.33-0.75 (average 0.54) while expected heterozygosity values were higher with an average over the 15 loci of 0.62 (0.37-0.91). Low multi-locus probability of identity values (< 0.00001) indicate that these markers will be effective for identifying individuals derived from clonal reproduction. All 15 loci amplified in T. sutchuenensis, the sister species of T. standishii, with 1 to 11 alleles per locus (average = 4.33) while 13 loci amplified in the more distantly related T. koraiensis with 1 to 5 alleles per locus (average = 2.15).
Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation of sorghum leaves for accelerating functional genomics and genome editing studies.
Authors: Sharma Rita , Liang Yan , Lee Mi Yeon , Pidatala Venkataramana , Mortimer Jennifer Charlotte , Scheller Henrik Vibe
Published: July 2019

Objectives
Sorghum is one of the most recalcitrant species for transformation. Considering the time and effort required for stable transformation in sorghum, establishing a transient system to screen the efficiency and full functionality of vector constructs is highly desirable.
Results
Here, we report an Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation assay with intact sorghum leaves using green fluorescent protein as marker. It also provides a good monocot alternative to tobacco and protoplast assays with a direct, native and more reliable system for testing single guide RNA (sgRNA) expression construct efficiency. Given the simplicity and ease of transformation, high reproducibility, and ability to test large constructs, this method can be widely adopted to speed up functional genomic and genome editing studies.
Clinical significance of cough intensity and frequency in patients with interstitial lung disease: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sato Ryuhei , Handa Tomohiro , Matsumoto Hisako , Kubo Takeshi , Hirai Toyohiro
Published: July 2019

Background

The intensity and frequency of cough remain unclear in interstitial lung disease (ILD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity and frequency of cough in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs), connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD), and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonia (CHP), and examine their associations with clinical indices.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, the intensity and frequency of cough were evaluated using a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Scores on the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, chronic dyspnoea scale, and a frequency scale for symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (FSSG) were collected. The correlations of cough intensity and frequency with potential predictor variables were tested using bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

The study included 70 patients with IIPs, 49 with CTD-ILD, and 10 with CHP. Patients with IIPs had the most severe cough intensity among the three patient groups. In patients with IIPs, both the intensity and frequency of cough were negatively associated with diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and positively with the Composite Physiologic Index (CPI). In CTD-ILD, both the intensity and frequency of cough correlated with a higher FSSG score. In multivariate analysis of patients with ILD, IIPs and the FSSG score was independently associated with both components of cough, and CPI tended to be independently associated with cough frequency alone. Finally, we examined the features of differences between cough intensity and frequency in all patients with ILD. Patients in whom cough frequency was predominant had greater impairment of health status relative to other patients.

Conclusions

The intensity of cough was greater in IIPs than in other ILDs. Different clinical indices were associated with cough intensity and frequency according to the subtype of ILD. The frequency of cough was more strongly associated with health status than was the intensity of cough. These findings suggest that medical staff could manage patients with ILD by considering cough-related factors when assessing the intensity and frequency of cough.
Clinical governance as professional self-reflection: A cross-sectional study assessing the quality of COPD care in German general practice
Authors: Heinmüller Stefan , Frank Luca , Höfle Anina , Langer Michael , Saggau Korbinian , Schedlbauer Angela , Kühlein Thomas
Published: July 2019

BACKGROUND
In the United Kingdom, a system of clinical governance (CG) which was introduced “top-down” by politics tries to ensure high quality health services. In general practice, the meeting of quality targets was linked to financial incentives causing several negative effects. In Germany CG is not established. We advocate a “bottom-up” CG for German general practice to avoid these negative effects.

AIMS
To test “bottom-up” CG within a network of general practices (GPN) using chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as example disease. As a first step, we wanted to assess the current care quality of the GPN for COPD. Furthermore, feasibility of a care quality assessment through routine data from electronic health records (EHR) should be evaluated.

METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted. Quality indicators (QI) were developed according to COPD guidelines. COPD patients of the GPN ≥40 years were identified. For the determination of QI, data were retrieved from EHR.

RESULTS
In total, 2568 COPD patients were identified. Their mean age was 67 (SD±12) years, 49% were male. Thirty-five percent had a parallel diagnosis of asthma. There was no documentation of any spirometry for 54% of patients, 29% had a spirometry within the previous year. An influenza vaccination was administered to 37% within the preceding twelve months, 12% received a pneumococcal vaccination in the last six years. Smoking status was documented for 44% within the last year. Several QI were not assessable.

CONCLUSION
Care quality assessment by means of EHR data was challenging due to non-standardized documentation. Assessable QI indicated suboptimal COPD care. Our results confirm the need for CG in German general practice and better EHR softwares supporting CG through structured documentation and feedback for GPs. We are planning to proceed with “bottom-up” CG by introducing quality improvement measures within the GPN in answer to this study.
Safety of the Anterior Approach Versus the Lateral Approach for Chest Tube Insertion by Residents Treating Spontaneous Pneumothorax: A Propensity Score Weighted Analysis
Authors: Shiroshita Akihiro , Matsui Hiroki , Yoshida Kazuki , Shiraishi Atsushi , Tanaka Yu , Nakashima Kei , Aoshima Masahiro
Published: July 2019

Background

Chest tube malposition (i.e., failure in inserting a chest tube to the functional sites) is the most common complication during chest tube insertion. Chest tube insertion into the thoracic cavity generally involves two approaches: the anterior approach and the lateral approach. To our knowledge, no report has compared the safety of the anterior approach with that of the lateral approach. In the present study, we compared the risk of chest tube malposition with the anterior or lateral approach for thoracostomy performed for patients with spontaneous pneumothorax by junior and senior residents.

Methods

We retrospectively included patients aged ≥20 years who exhibited primary or secondary spontaneous pneumothorax without pleural adhesion and underwent chest tube drainage performed by junior or senior residents at tertiary care hospital. We collected data on the patients’ age, sex, and body mass index (BMI); setting of chest tube insertion; department where the chest tube was inserted; and other relevant background information. The study exposure involved insertion of the chest tube in the midclavicular line (anterior approach) or the anterior or midaxillary line (lateral approach). The primary outcome was the number of chest tube malpositions. Multiple imputation was used for missing data. The propensity score within each imputed dataset was calculated by using the collected variables. The inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method was used to adjust for baseline confounders.

Results

We identified 34 and 219 patients who underwent thoracostomy using the midclavicular and lateral approaches, respectively. IPTW analysis revealed that the estimated odds ratio for chest tube malposition in the anterior approach group versus the lateral approach group was 0.61 (95% confidence interval, 0.17–2.11).

Conclusions

In patients being treated for primary or secondary pneumothorax by junior or senior residents, the risk of chest tube malposition in thoracostomies performed using the midclavicular approach may not be lower than that in thoracostomies performed using the lateral approach.
Measuring retention in care for HIV-positive pregnant women in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) option B+ programmes: the Mozambique experience
Authors: Ahoua Laurence , Tiendrebeogo Thierry , Arikawa Shino , Laheurta Maria , Aly Dario , Becquest Renaud , Dabis Francois
Published: July 2019

Background

Failure of retention of HIV-positive pregnant women on ART leads to increased mortality for the mother and her child. This study evaluated different retention measures intended to measure women’s engagement along the continuum of care for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) option B+ services in Mozambique.

Methods

We compared ‘point’ retention (patient’s presence in care at 12-months post-antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation or any time thereafter) to the following definitions: alive and in care at 12 months post-ART initiation (Ministry of Health); attendance at a health facility up to 15 months post-ART initiation (World Health Organisation); alive and in treatment at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-ART initiation (Inter-Agency Task Team); and alive and in care at 12 months post-ART initiation with ≥75% appointment or on-time adherence during follow-up (‘appointment adherence’ and ‘on-time adherence’ retentions). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were produced to assess variability in retention rates. We used ‘on-time adherence’ retention as a gold standard to estimate sensitivity, specificity, and proportion of misclassified patients.

Results

Considering the ‘point’ retention definition, 16,840 HIV-positive pregnant women enrolled in option B+ PMTCT services were identified as ‘retained in care’ 12 months post-ART initiation. Of these, 60.3% (95% CI 59.6–61.1), 84.8% (95% CI 84.2–85.3), and 16.4% (95% CI 15.8–17.0) were classified as ‘retained in care’ using MOH, WHO, and IATT definitions, respectively, and 1.2% (95% CI 1.0–1.4) were classified as ‘retained in care’ using the ‘ ≥75% on-time adherence’ definition. All definitions provided specificity rates of ≥98%. The sensitivity rates were 3.0% with 78% of patients misclassified according to the WHO definition and 4.3% with 54% of patients misclassified according to the MOH definition. The ‘point’ retention definition misclassified 97.6% of patients. Using IATT and ‘appointment adherence’ retention definitions, sensitivity rates (9.0% and 11.7%, respectively) were also low; however, the proportion of misclassified patients was smaller (15.9% and 18.3%, respectively).

Conclusion

More stringent definitions indicated lower retention rates for PMTCT programmes. Policy makers and programme managers should include attendance at follow-up visits when measuring retention in care to better guide planning, scaling up, and monitoring of interventions.
ANALISIS ALGORITMA MTF, MTF-1 DAN MTF-2 PADA BURROWS WHEELER COMPRESSION ALGORITHM
Authors: Sunaryo Sagara Mahardika , Chrisantyo Lukas , Lukito Yuan
Published: July 2019

Kebutuhan kompresi data teks di era komputasi awan saat ini masih cukup tinggi. Data teks perlu dikompresi sekecil mungkin agar mudah dikirimkan. Burrows Wheeler Compression Algorithm (BWCA) adalah salah satu algoritma kompresi teks jenis block sorting yang bersifat non-proprietary dan cukup populer digunakan. Dalam prosesnya, BWCA menggunakan metode pemrosesan awal yang disebut Global Structure Transformation (GST) untuk menyusun karakter agar lebih baik hasil kompresinya. Penelitian ini membandingkan tiga metode pemrosesan awal Move-to-Front, yaitu MTF, MTF-1 dan MTF-2. Bahan uji kompresi berupa data Alkitab Bahasa Inggris, Indonesia dan Jawa, dan beberapa data yang berasal dari Calgary Corpus. Oleh karena kompresi teks adalah kompresi yang bersifat lossless dan reversibel, maka selain melakukan pengujian untuk pengompresian data, juga dilakukan pengujian untuk pendekompresian data dengan Inverse Burrows Wheeler Transform. Pengujian kompresi dan dekompresi pada data Alkitab maupun Calgary Corpus berhasil dilakukan dan menunjukkan MTF-1 mampu memberikan rasio kompresi yang lebih baik dikarenakan jumlah total tiap bit pada proses Huffman lebih sedikit dibandingkan dua metode lainnya.
ABORDAGEM ACERCA DA INCLUSÃƒO DE UM ALUNO AUTISTA NO ENSINO REGULAR
Authors: Borges Lidiane Hott de FÃºcio , Oliveira Hellen Cristine Prata de , Oliveira Elida Tamara Prata de , Coeli Regina
Published: July 2019

O processo de inclusÃ£o do aluno autista na escola nos tempos atuais tem-se mostrado deficiente, pois os professores da educaÃ§Ã£o bÃ¡sica nÃ£o estÃ£o preparados para lidar com alunos especiais em suas turmas, seja em classes regulares seja em classes especiais. Este estudo foi motivado, principalmente, pelas enormes dificuldades em se admitir a questÃ£o da inclusÃ£o na educaÃ§Ã£o regular brasileira. E vem analisar a inclusÃ£o de um aluno autista matriculado em uma escola regular da rede municipal de Juiz de Fora (MG). A pesquisa de campo foi realizada baseada no estudo de caso. atravÃ©s de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com a mÃ£e do aluno autista e trÃªs profissionais da AssociaÃ§Ã£o de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais (APAE). No espaÃ§o escolar, o estudo foi realizado atravÃ©s de dois questionÃ¡rios, um deles aplicado aos colegas do autista e outro aplicado a alguns professores. AtravÃ©s dos resultados, notou-se que na inclusÃ£o Ã© necessÃ¡rio o desenvolvimento do aluno especial, como os demais alunos, salvo suas limitaÃ§Ãµes. Sendo de total relevÃ¢ncia a capacitaÃ§Ã£o dos professores ao lidar com a inclusÃ£o.
ANÃLISE DAS ESTRATÃ‰GIAS DE MARKETING DE RELACIONAMENTO EM EMPRESAS VAREJISTAS DE MANHUAÃ‡U
Authors: Barbosa Bruna Silva , Cerqueira Mayra Gomes
Published: July 2019

Atualmente as empresas buscam manter com seus clientes relaÃ§Ãµes lucrativas e de longo prazo. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar o grau de eficÃ¡cia que as estratÃ©gias de marketing de relacionamento alcanÃ§am nas empresas. As discussÃµes propostas tÃªm como objetivo verificar como empresas do mesmo ramo utilizam do marketing derelacionamento como diferencial competitivo e avaliar o efeito das estratÃ©gias na retenÃ§Ã£o de clientes. Para o desenvolvimento deste estudo foram pesquisadas quatro empresas varejistas do setor de mÃ³veis e eletrodomÃ©sticos, da cidade de ManhuaÃ§u, Minas Gerais. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos de coleta de dados: a entrevista semiestruturada, com osgestores das empresas e questionÃ¡rios com os clientes que compraram nas empresas no perÃ­odo de anÃ¡lise de dados.
EXECUÃ‡ÃƒO DE AÃ‡Ã•ES COLETIVAS NA JUSTIÃ‡A DO TRABALHO
Authors: Franklin Giselle Leite
Published: July 2019

O presente trabalho visa abordar a execuÃ§Ã£o das principais aÃ§Ãµes coletivas de competÃªncia da JustiÃ§a do Trabalho, trabalhando as origens do instituto nas ondas renovatÃ³rias do direito processual que deram ensejo Ã  utilizaÃ§Ã£o das aÃ§Ãµes coletivas para a tutela de direitos trabalhistas. Aborda, ainda, os procedimentos prÃ³prios para a execuÃ§Ã£o das aÃ§Ãµes coletivas na seara trabalhista.
Efficacy of hybrid neural networks in statistical downscaling of precipitation of the Bagmati River basin
Authors: Kumar Keshav , Singh Vivekanand , Roshni Thendiyath
Published: July 2019

This study investigates and analyses the present and future senarios of precipitation using statistical downscaling techniques at selected sites of the Bagmati River basin. Statistical downscaling is achieved by feed forward neural network (FFNN) and wavelet neural network (WNN) models. Potential predictors for the model development are selected based on the performances of Pearson product moment correlation and factor analysis. Different training algorithms are compared and the traincgb training algorithm is selected for development of FFNN and WNN models. The visual comparison and the statistical performance indices were calculated between observed and predicted precipitation. From the analysis of results, it is evident that WNN models were well capable of (training: RMSE 1.61–1.67 mm, R 0.94–0.952; testing: RMSE 1.68–1.78 mm, R 0.93–0.95) predicting precipitation followed by FFNN model for all the selected sites. Hence, the projected precipitation (2014–2036) is found by WNN model only with inputs as different GCMs data. The projected precipitation results are analysed for the period 2014–2036 and find that there is a decrease in precipitation with respect to base period data (1981–2013) by 66.62 to 84.21% at Benibad, 4.53 to 21.74% at Dhenge and 6.40 to 22.27% at Kamtaul, respectively.