bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced xylitol production using non-detoxified xylose rich pre-hydrolysate from sugarcane bagasse by newly isolated Pichia fermentans
Authors: Prabhu Ashish A. , Bosakornranut Ekkarin , Amraoui Yassin , Agrawal Deepti , Coulon Frederic , Vivekanand Vivekanand , Thakur Vijay Kumar , Kumar Vinod
Published: December 2020

Background

Integrated management of hemicellulosic fraction and its economical transformation to value-added products is the key driver towards sustainable lignocellulosic biorefineries. In this aspect, microbial cell factories are harnessed for the sustainable production of commercially viable biochemicals by valorising C5 and C6 sugars generated from agro-industrial waste. However, in the terrestrial ecosystem, microbial systems can efficiently consume glucose. On the contrary, pentose sugars are less preferred carbon source as most of the microbes lack metabolic pathway for their utilization. The effective utilization of both pentose and hexose sugars is key for economical biorefinery.

Results

Bioprospecting the food waste and selective enrichment on xylose-rich medium led to screening and isolation of yeast which was phylogenetically identified as Pichia fermentans. The newly isolated xylose assimilating yeast was explored for xylitol production. The wild type strain robustly grew on xylose and produced xylitol with > 40% conversion yield. Chemical mutagenesis of isolated yeast with ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) yielded seven mutants. The mutant obtained after 15 min EMS exposure, exhibited best xylose bioconversion efficiency. This mutant under shake flask conditions produced maximum xylitol titer and yield of 34.0 g/L and 0.68 g/g, respectively. However, under the same conditions, the control wild type strain accumulated 27.0 g/L xylitol with a conversion yield of 0.45 g/g. Improved performance of the mutant was attributed to 34.6% activity enhancement in xylose reductase with simultaneous reduction of xylitol dehydrogenase activity by 22.9%. Later, the culture medium was optimized using statistical design and validated at shake flask and bioreactor level. Bioreactor studies affirmed the competence of the mutant for xylitol accumulation. The xylitol titer and yield obtained with pure xylose were 98.9 g/L and 0.67 g/g, respectively. In comparison, xylitol produced using non-detoxified xylose rich pre-hydrolysate from sugarcane bagasse was 79.0 g/L with an overall yield of 0.54 g/g.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the potential of newly isolated P. fermentans in successfully valorising the hemicellulosic fraction for the sustainable xylitol production.
Reflections on the past and future of urban conservation in Iran
Authors: Yadollahi Solmaz
Published: December 2020

The material authenticity of cultural heritage has been questioned by societies in which the modern paradigm of conservation has not developed from within the native culture. This paper examines the philosophical and practical traditions in Iran regarding the materiality and authenticity of past structures. By reviewing the emergence of the Western conservation paradigm in Iran, this paper highlights two key factors: the rapidness of this paradigm shift and the remarkable contradiction between the new and old paradigms. By borrowing the Deleuzo-Guattarian concept of a ‘body without organs’ (BwO), this paper problematises the rapidness and radicality of the paradigm shift in Iran. It suggests exploring the under-investigated possibilities between the pre-modern and modern paradigms to address the gap between native circumstances and Western standards.
Effects of decision aids for depression treatment in adults: systematic review
Authors: Alarcon-Ruiz Christoper A. , Zafra-Tanaka Jessica Hanae , Diaz-Barrera Mario E. , Becerra-Chauca Naysha , Toro-Huamanchumo Carlos J. , Pacheco-Mendoza Josmel , Taype-Rondan Alvaro , De La Cruz-Vargas Jhony A.
Published: December 2020

Aim and Method

To determine the effect on decisional-related and clinical outcomes of decision aids for depression treatment in adults in randomised clinical trials. In January 2019, a systematic search was conducted in five databases. Study selection and data extraction were performed in duplicate. Meta-analyses were performed, and standardised and weighted mean differences were calculated, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated with GRADE methodology.

Results

Six randomised clinical trials were included. The pooled estimates showed that decision aids for depression treatment had a beneficial effect on patients’ decisional conflict, patient knowledge and information exchange between patient and health professional. However, no statistically significant effect was found for doctor facilitation, treatment adherence or depressive symptoms. The certainty of the evidence was very low for all outcomes.

Clinical implications

Using decision aids to choose treatment in patients with depression may have a a beneficial effect on decisional-related outcomes, but it may not translate into an improvement in clinical outcomes.
Introduction
Authors: Beverley Eric Lewis
Published: December 2020

Scholarship on modern South Asia, even in accounting for the fragility and capriciousness of colonial authority and exploring tensions between popular sovereignty and politics on the ground, tends to regard colonial or national states and institutions as the sole repositories of formal sovereignty. A nuanced understanding of the historical and contemporary political, social, and cultural terrain of South Asia requires a broader conceptual framework that accounts for the multiple idioms and practices of sovereignty in the region and their legacies up until the present. This introduction seeks to hack through the rigid and monolithic concepts of stateness that shape colonial and postcolonial thought about political sovereignty. The special section as a whole provides empirical examples and conceptual reflections that broaden scholarly understandings of genealogies and modalities of modern sovereignty in South Asia, and in a comparative framework stretching across world regions, scholarly disciplines, and periods.
On Empire and Exception
Authors: Can Lâle , Genell Aimee M.
Published: December 2020

Were Ottoman autonomous provinces nation-states in the making or signs of a semicolonial and irredeemably weak empire? Or, were they evidence of alternative arrangements of imperial sovereignty? By taking a long view of Ottoman history and examining “exceptional” provinces such as the Khedivate of Egypt, the Sharifate of Mecca, and the mutasarrifiya of Mt. Lebanon, this reflection seeks to recast new and reorganized configurations of administrative power in the nineteenth century as part of a broad repertoire of Ottoman autonomy. In lieu of characterizing these territories as flawed or imperfect sovereignties, we question the utility of these terms and argue that arrangements often referred to as exceptions were normative and central to the empire's survival. Drawing on our work on international law, autonomy, pilgrimage, and migration, we consider how Egypt and the Hijaz—two provinces that are often treated as exceptionally exceptional—serve as productive sites to examine how Ottomans engaged with the international legal order and posed alternative visions of authority that informed not only the end of the empire but also its afterlife.
Rethinking Sovereignty and Stateness in Southeast Asia
Authors: Sidel John T.
Published: December 2020

This article reflects on the treatment of sovereignty and stateness in South Asia provided by other authors in this special section of the issue in terms of their implications for the study of Southeast Asian history. The article identifies a number of commonalities between the treatment of sovereignty and stateness in South Asia provided in the special section and that found in revisionist scholarship on Southeast Asia over the past few decades.
Primary Materials
Authors: Rehman Nida
Published: December 2020

This article explores plants, seeds, soils, and other nonhuman actors as archival and architectural agents within the history of Lahore's urban landscape, as seen from the ground. It traces the halting efforts of the Agri-Horticultural Society of Punjab to enact regional improvement through the development of agricultural and botanical expertise at the advent of British colonial rule in the province, focusing on the materialization of this work in the society's gardens in Lahore. Foregrounding the contingencies of everyday garden making and maintenance, the article posits nonhuman ecologies as a materially diverse and ephemeral architecture and archive of landscape. It argues that, in helping assemble and modulate the society's efforts to model improvement, conduct plant testing, and develop an ornamental garden, plants, seeds, and soils become unlikely and sometimes unruly aesthetic and historical actors, furthering but also unsettling improvement discourse while relocating its historical effects from the region to the city, and providing new readings of the colonial urban landscape.
What Time Was It?
Authors: Vitalis Robert
Published: December 2020

In Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination, University of Chicago political theorist Adom Getachew has written a revisionist account of decolonization as “worldmaking” to inspire those who follow trailblazers like Kwame Nkrumah in pursuit of what she calls an “anti-imperial future.” As with other such projects of “imagining,” as Ernest Renan once observed about nationalism, a certain forgetfulness and even historical error would appear essential.
Of numbers and movement – understanding transcription factor pathogenesis by advanced microscopy
Authors: Auer Julia M. T. , Stoddart Jack J. , Christodoulou Ioannis , Lima Ana , Skouloudaki Kassiani , Hall Hildegard N. , Vukojević Vladana , Papadopoulos Dimitrios K.
Published: December 2020

Transcription factors (TFs) are life-sustaining and, therefore, the subject of intensive research. By regulating gene expression, TFs control a plethora of developmental and physiological processes, and their abnormal function commonly leads to various developmental defects and diseases in humans. Normal TF function often depends on gene dosage, which can be altered by copy-number variation or loss-of-function mutations. This explains why TF haploinsufficiency (HI) can lead to disease. Since aberrant TF numbers frequently result in pathogenic abnormalities of gene expression, quantitative analyses of TFs are a priority in the field. In vitro single-molecule methodologies have significantly aided the identification of links between TF gene dosage and transcriptional outcomes. Additionally, advances in quantitative microscopy have contributed mechanistic insights into normal and aberrant TF function. However, to understand TF biology, TF-chromatin interactions must be characterised in vivo, in a tissue-specific manner and in the context of both normal and altered TF numbers. Here, we summarise the advanced microscopy methodologies most frequently used to link TF abundance to function and dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying TF HIs. Increased application of advanced single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy modalities will improve our understanding of how TF HIs drive disease.
The Black-White Gap in Noncognitive Skills among Elementary School Children
Authors: Elder Todd , Zhou Yuqing
Published: December 2020

Using two nationally representative datasets, we find large differences between Black and White children in teacher-reported measures of noncognitive skills. We show that teacher reports understate true Black-White skill gaps because of reference bias: teachers appear to rate children relative to others in the same school, and Black students have lower-skilled classmates on average than do White students. We pursue three approaches to addressing these reference biases. Each approach nearly doubles the estimated Black-White gaps in noncognitive skills, to roughly 0.9 standard deviations in third grade. (JEL I21, I26, J13, J15, J24)
Going Beneath the Surface: Petroleum Pollution, Regulation, and Health
Authors: Marcus Michelle
Published: December 2020

This paper quantifies the health impacts of petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks, the effectiveness of tank regulation, and the role of information as a policy tool in the same setting. Exposure to a leaking underground storage tank during gestation increases both the probability of low birthweight and preterm birth by 7–8 percent. Compliance with regulations requiring the adoption of preventative technologies mitigated the entire effect of leak exposure on low birthweight, and information increased avoidance and moving among highly educated mothers. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest the health benefits of preventative regulations exceed the upgrade cost to facilities. (JEL I12, K32, L71, L78, Q35, Q51, Q53)
A Triple-Band Antenna Loaded with Reflector Surface for WLAN and 5G Applications
Authors:   Department of Computer Science and Communication Engineering of Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan, Hu Tengfei , Pan Zhenni , Saitou Megumi , Liu Jiang , Shimamoto Shigeru
Published: December 2020

In this paper, a novel triple-band antenna with reflector surface which has the property of both artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface and perfect electric conductor (PEC) for WLAN and Sub-6G 5G applications is proposed. The presented antenna is composed of two parts: the AMC surface and the microstrip-fed printed dipole. Baluns are used to excite the dipoles. This antenna design combines the advantages of AMC and PEC. In lower band and middle band, the inserted board works as AMC surface. This AMC surface can help the antenna to achieve unidirectional radiation pattern and low-profile characteristics. While at upper band the antenna works as PEC surface. PEC surface increases the gain of the antenna in upper band. As a result, the proposed antenna can offer an impedance band from 2.39 GHz to 2.63 GHz and from 3.61 GHz to 3.72 GHz and from 5.61 GHz to 5.84 GHz when the S11 is less than - 10dB. Stable radiation patterns with peak gain of 5.6 dBi, 6.5 dBi and 9.6 dBi are obtained in lower band, middle band and upper band, respectively. The proposed antenna can be used for multiband base stations for WLAN and 5G applications.
Speech Separation in the Frequency Domain with Autoencoder
Authors:   University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Do Hao D. , Tran Son T. , Chau Duc T.
Published: December 2020

Speech separation plays an important role in a speech-related system because it can denoise, extract and enhance speech signal, and after all improve the accuracy and performance of the system. In recent years, many approaches only separate the speech out of commonly high-frequency noise or a particular background sound. We propose a more powerful approach, combining an autoencoder and a bandpass filter to separate speech signals. This combination can extract the speech in the mixture with not only high-frequency noise but also many kinds of different background sounds. Our approach can be flexibly applied for the new background sounds. Experimental results show that our model can extract fastly and effectively the speech signal with 9.01 dB in SIR and 11.26 in SDR. On the other hand, we can adjust the passband to identify the range of frequency at the output signal to apply for particular applications.
An Adaptive Vector Median Filtering Approach to Enhance the Prediction Efficiency of Signal Power Loss
Authors:   Department of Electronic Engineering, Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban-4041, South Africa, Ebhota Virginia C. , Srivastava Viranjay M.
Published: December 2020

This research work designed and implemented an adaptive Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model using Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF) models built on a Vector Median Filter (VMF) for pre-processing of the dataset. Normalized dataset is denoised using VMF and trained with both MLP- and RBF-ANN models. The proposed model has been developed from measurement data collected from two transmitter locations of non-line-of-sight and line-of-sight operating at the 1900MHz frequency band from LTE cellular network over distances of 1800m 1400m respectively. For non-line-of-sight site-1, VMF-MLP gives a correlation coefficient of 0.9600 compared to 0.9490 for VMF-RBF with a Bayesian regularization training algorithm. The VMF-MLP has 2.1380, 1.5000, and 1.4510 for root mean squared error, mean absolute error, and standard deviation compared to 2.3550, 1.5370, and 1.5610 for VMF-RBF network, respectively. The same trend was seen for line-of-sight in site-2 where correlation coefficient for VMF-MLP is 0.9900 and for VMF-RBF is 0.9840. The VMF-MLP has root mean squared error, mean absolute error, and standard deviation as 2.0670, 1.4900, and 1.3180, respectively, compared to VMF-RBF as 2.3470, 1.9010, and 1.3760, respectively. The predictions of these measurement data have been analyzed in this research work.
Enhancing Hierocrypt-3 Performance by Modifying Its S-Box and Modes of Operations
Authors:   Benha Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Egypt, Sobky Wageda I. El , Mahmoud Ahmed R. , Mohra Ashraf S. , El-Garf T.
Published: December 2020

Human relationships rely on trust, which is the reason that the authentication and related digital signatures are the most complex and confusing areas of cryptography. The Massage Authentication Codes (MACs) could be built from cryptographic hash functions or block cipher modes of operations. Substitution-Box (S-Box) is the unique nonlinear operation in block ciphers, and it determines the cipher performance. The stronger S-Box, the stronger and more secure the algorithm. This paper focuses on the security considerations for MACs using block cipher modes of operations with the Hierocrypt-3 block cipher. the Hierocrypt-3 could be considered as a week cipher. It could be enhanced by changing its S-Box with a new one that has better performance against algebraic attack with using different modes of operations. The mathematical model for the new S-Boxes with its properties is provided. The result of this change appeared in the mirror of Average Strict Avalanche Criterion (SAC) and some other properties. SAC could be improved from 0.80469 to 0.16406. The Hierocrypt-3 could be enhanced for more security.
Improvement of OLSR Protocol Using the Hello Message Scheme Based on Neighbors Mobility
Authors:   SSL LAB, ENSIAS, University of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco, Berradi Halim , Habbani Ahmed , Mouchfiq Nada , Souidi Mohammed
Published: December 2020

The main idea behind the routing protocols based on multi-hop is to find the required path from the source node to the destination. Since those protocols do not consider the node mobility in their mechanism, we propose to enhance the routing protocols benefiting from localization node and predict the time needed for neighbors to go out of range for a node to increase the robustness of the protocols with the mobility. Firstly, we propose an efficient scheme to predict the time needed for the node to quite the neighbor range. Secondly, we conduct a set of simulations to compare the performance of our proposal against OLSR standard.
Investigation of Coded WOFDM System over Multimode Optical Channels
Authors:   Electrical Engineering Department, Khatam Al-anbia (pbuh) University, Tehran, Iran, Almaloo Farhad Sadeghi , Zarie Majid , Abadi Mahdi Akbari Allah , Aghdash Ghader Mohammadi
Published: December 2020

In this paper, the performance of Asymmetrically Clipped Optical Wavelet based Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (ACO WOFDM) system is compared to the performance of Asymmetrically Clipped Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (ACO OFDM) system. Then a Coded ACO WOFDM (CACO WOFDM) communication system over a multimode optical channel is investigated. The used wavelet transform is the Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is used as the modulation format. The simulation results show a considerable performance improvement of ACO WOFDM system in terms of BER and slight performance improvement of ACO WOFDM system in terms of OSNR Compared to the ACO OFDM system. Also, from the simulation results, we find that the CACO WOFDM considerably improves the BER and OSNR performance of the communication system.
Recycling 4.0 - Digitalization as a Key for the Advanced Circular Economy
Authors:   Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, 38302 Wolfenbüttel, Germany, Kintscher Lars , Lawrenz Sebastian , Poschmann Hendrik , Sharma Priyanka
Published: December 2020

Recycling will become more and more important in the future. To fulfill the requirements of a more efficient recycling process and thus enable an eco-friendly handling of resources, modern technologies can be used. One of these modern technology streams is called Industry 4.0. This paper presents an approach to how Industry 4.0 can be integrated into recycling processes, resulting in Recycling 4.0. Electric vehicles and their traction batteries are used as an example. To enable a more efficient disassembly and recycling of these traction batteries, information about the battery is exchanged along the supply chain. A key issue is the development of a marketplace to exchange the information. Another topic is the connection of a robot to the information marketplace. On the one hand, the robot can get information from the marketplace for decision-making in the disassembly of traction batteries. On the other hand, the robotic system is capable of analyzing the condition of the battery, so it is also possible to transmit information from the robot to the information marketplace.
Design of Massive Multiuser MIMO System to Mitigate Inter Antenna Interference and Multiuser Interference in 5G Wireless Networks
Authors:   Department of Communication Engineering , School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, Tamil Nadu, India, Challa Naga Raju , Bagadi Kalapraveen
Published: December 2020

Massive Multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU‒MIMO) system is aimed to improve throughput and spectral efficiency in 5G communication networks. Inter-antenna Interference (IAI) and Multi-user Interference (MUI) are two major factors that influence the performance of MU–MIMO system. IAI arises due to closely spaced multiple antennas at each User Terminal (UT), whereas MUI is generated when one UT comes in the vicinity of another UT of the same cellular network. IAI can be mitigated by the use of a pre-coding scheme such as Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and MUI can be cancelled through efficient Multi-user Detection (MUD) schemes. The highly complex and optimal Maximum Likelihood (ML) detector involves a large number of computations, especially when in massive structures. Therefore, the local search-based algorithm such as Likelihood Ascent Search (LAS) has been found to be a better alternative for mitigation of MUI, as it results in near optimal performance using lesser number of matrix computations. Most of the literature have been aimed at mitigating either IAI or MUI, whereas the proposed work presents SVD pre-coding and LAS MUD to mitigate both IAI and MUI. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme can attain near-optimal bit error rate (BER) performance with fewer computations.
Database "Climate parameters of seed provenances of pine in northern eurasia"
Authors: Parfenova Elena
Published: December 2020

Database is created for pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seeds weight from different habitats of northern Eurasia. Each database record consists of the following fields: latitude, longitude, July temperature, January temperature, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, precipitation of vegetation period, growing degree days of vegetation period, degree days of winter period. Database is of 200 records long distributed along the whole area of pine in northern Eurasia.
¿Podemos confiar en la tecnología? Una reflexión sobre la crítica social en el mundo tecnológico.
Authors: López Cerezo José A.
Published: December 2020

En este trabajo ensayaremos una reflexión exploratoria sobre el significado de la confianza en la tecnología y el valor del escepticismo crítico en el actual mundo tecnológico. Tras examinar el significado de las nociones de confianza y dependencia, y sobre la base de las aportaciones de diversos autores entre los que destacan U. Beck y P. Sztompka, argumentaremos que la creciente artificialización y despersonalización de nuestro entorno está induciendo un tránsito desde la confianza a la dependencia en los cimientos del tejido social. Se defenderá finalmente el valor del escepticismo personal y la crítica social como respuesta frente a la creciente alienación tecnológica en el mundo actual.
Frugalidad, deseo y sostenibilidad.
Authors: Cano Soler Marcel , Sebastián Mediavilla Fidel , Vives Rego José
Published: December 2020

El concepto de frugalidad empieza a aparecer en algunos ámbitos críticos con nuestra forma de vida actual. Este concepto contiene una significación que comporta un choque con la inercia económica, social y cultural en la que hemos vivido desde los albores del capitalismo. En el presente artículo analizaremos con detalle tal concepto. Partiendo de la filología y pasando por la filosofía llegaremos a la conclusión que, frente al denostado concepto de austeridad, la frugalidad representa algo más que una actitud personal, representa el germen de una transformación cultural, necesaria para encaminar los retos de sostenibilidad que la humanidad tiene ante sí hoy en día.
Esencia y contingencia con respecto a la identidad.
Authors: Gomboso Marco
Published: December 2020

El artículo se centra en la pregunta: ¿qué determina en forma última lo identitario? Para buscar su respuesta, se realiza primeramente un análisis sobre lo que nos es dado a conocer sobre la realidad en relación a la idea del sujeto moderno y su percepción histórica. Luego se critican dos concepciones fundamentales relativas a la condición identitaria: en primer lugar, aquella que hace del sujeto (persona o colectivo) un hecho de características esenciales; las cuales a veces negadas, otras veces reconocidas y aceptadas, poseen una impronta intrínseca a su “ser” (obviando las posibles mutaciones que pudieran sufrir). En contrapartida, se cuestiona aquella otra concepción, la cual indica que sin poseer características innatas el sujeto es una construcción puramente arbitraria, históricamente determinada por los discursos que la conforman y por ende mutable según el éxito en la imposición general de dichos discursos. El artículo concluye afirmando que toda identidad escapa en última instancia a todo deseo proyectual.
Ontosociología del pecado y la muerte.
Authors: Choza Jacinto , Gutiérrez Aguilar Ananí
Published: December 2020

: Los relatos sobre el origen del mal y la muerte provienen del neolítico y se reelaboran en occidente en el calcolítico. En occidente se vincula el origen del mal a una acción humana posterior a la creación, el pecado original. En oriente se vincula a la emanación de la divinidad hacia el exterior, y es anterior o simultaneo al despliegue del cosmos en la pluralidad espaciotemporal. La visión oriental explica mejor el alcance trascendental del mal originario y la aparición de la muerte como fenómeno universal. Se sugiere una síntesis de ambas visiones mediante una articulación del sentido literal y moral de los relatos sagrados con su sentido alegórico y místico.
En torno a la idea de Dios: Rilke encuentra a Spinoza
Authors: Martín Arnedo Santiago
Published: December 2020

Rilke se topó con Spinoza supuestamente a través de Goethe. El poeta se sorprende de los puntos de coincidencia que comparte con el filósofo. Buscar las razones de esta fascinación implica el riesgo de asimilar dos autores muy diferentes: Spinoza buscando la transparencia de la geometría para diseccionar los afectos humanos, Rilke amando la oscuridad como única fuente de novedad. Sin embargo, en su idea de Dios, no parecen estar tan alejados, tal y como intenta mostrar este artículo.
Campaign for vegan-inclusion
Authors: Jenkins Ruth
Published: December 2020

eye, MA Education Ltd, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 0PB or email: karen.faux@markallengroup.com
What works for you
Authors: Caswell Jo
Published: December 2020

Jo Caswell provides a practical guide to how the whole staff team, including trainees, can benefit from a strong understanding of the Early Years Inspection Handbook and use it to identify their own development areas. Storing records in an efficient and accessible way is a good place to start.
Moving towards a ‘paperless’ future
Authors: Goddard Charlotte
Published: December 2020

Find out about the current benefits and challenges of harnessing new technology to track children's progress and communicate with parents – discussed as part of a lively webinar hosted by EYE's sister magazine Nursery World in partnership with management software company, Nursery Story.
In a virtual world
Authors: Mckeown Sal
Published: December 2020

The pandemic has encouraged early years settings to fully embrace technology and this is now evolving with new, exciting possibilities for both business and for practice. Sal McKeown provides a guide to what the latest software can offer and what is important to bear in mind when sourcing the right platform for your setting.
To the lighthouse
Authors: Harries Judith
Published: December 2020

Mr Grinling is probably one of the most famous lighthouse keepers in the world, brought to life by Ronda Armitage in her series of classic children's books. There are lots of ways to use them to explore peoples' occupations and life-styles.
Our daily bread
Authors: Davies Sarah
Published: December 2020

Real Bread Week (22-28 February), is designed to encourage people to bake their own bread or support local bakeries. It provides a great opportunity to immerse children in all things bread-related, with story books and growing activities.
Análisis del conocimiento y la percepción del profesorado sobre los procesos de evaluación y acreditación de titulaciones universitarias en educación
Authors: Ibáñez-López Francisco Javier , Hernández-Pina Fuensanta , Monroy-Hernández Fuensanta
Published: December 2020

INTRODUCCIÓN. Todas las universidades españolas han de someter sus titulaciones a procesos de evaluación y acreditación, si bien se tiene aún escasa información sobre la opinión de los profesores sobre el desarrollo de dichos procesos. Esta investigación tuvo por objetivo conocer la percepción del profesorado de una facultad de Educación de una universidad estatal sobre los procesos de evaluación y acreditación de las titulaciones en educación, y el conocimiento que tienen sobre tales procesos. El centro consiguió en 2018 la acreditación de la Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación (ANECA) de los dos últimos másteres en su oferta de estudios, por lo que en ese momento todas sus titulaciones habían superado la primera evaluación y acreditación de este organismo. MÉTODO. El estudio fue descriptivo y se abordó con un enfoque de investigación mixto mediante la recogida de información cuantitativa y cualitativa, mediante una encuesta tipo escala Likert y entrevistas semiestructuradas. RESULTADOS. A pesar de que los procesos de evaluación y acreditación se entienden como necesarios, los resultados mostraron que también se perciben como burocratizados. El profesorado no se siente formado y participar en ellos supone una carga de trabajo no reconocida. DISCUSIÓN. Las conclusiones apuntan a la necesidad de simplificar y modificar los procesos de evaluación y acreditación, de contar con más medios materiales y humanos para un correcto desarrollo, y de buscar la intervención y participación activa de todos los grupos de interés implicados con el fin de mejorar la calidad de las titulaciones y del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.
Diversity patterns of plants and arthropods in soybean agro-ecosystems in the Grassland Biome of South Africa
Authors: Janse van Rensburg Paul Duvel , Siebert Stefan John , Masehela Tlou , Ellis Suria , Van den Berg Johnnie
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Janse van Rensburg PD, Siebert SJ, Masehela T, Ellis S, Van den Berg J. 2020. Diversity patterns of plants and arthropods in soybean agroecosystems in the grassland biome of South Africa. Biodiversitas 21: 5559-5570. Soybean is widely cultivated in the grassland biome of South Africa (ca.  800 000 ha per annum). Yet the possible effects that large-scale cultivation of soybean has on biodiversity in adjacent habitat are not fully understood. This study aimed to describe the plant and arthropod species assemblages and diversity patterns within these soybean agroecosystems. Surveys were conducted inside soybean fields, field boundaries (transition zones between soybean fields and adjacent habitat), and adjacent pasture. An adapted D-vac was used to sample arthropods in the different zones, while plant surveys were conducted by means of fixed width (2 m) line transect. A total of 320 plant species (4910 specimens) and 373 arthropod morpho-species (9216 specimens) were recorded. Soybean fields had significantly lower plant and arthropod diversity than the adjacent habitats. Plant species diversity was similar in the field boundary and adjacent pasture. Significantly higher species richness and abundance of arthropods were found in the boundary than the pasture. These results show that the cultivation of soybean and the associated agricultural practices had no adverse effects on biodiversity patterns in the adjacent habitats. However, the boundary dominated by alien plant species did contain a significantly different plant species composition from the pasture. This difference was also mirrored by unique assemblages of arthropods. This suggests that disturbance resulting from soybean cultivation contributed to species losses and gains that maintained diversity in the field boundary but changed its plant and arthropod species composition. No effect was found in the pasture beyond the boundary (> 50 m). High diversity, but unique species assemblages of plants and arthropods in the boundary and pasture suggest that these habitats may have important conservation value in soybean agroecosystems by supporting ecosystem functions and services.
Multivariate analysis unravels genetic diversity and relationship between agronomic traits, protein, and dietary fiber in yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis Verdc.)
Authors: Widyawan Muhammad Habib , Hasanah Aulia , Taryono  , Alam Taufan , Sri Sayekti Rahmi , Pramana Abrory Agus Cahya , Agustina Wulandari Rani
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Widyawan MB, Hasanah A, Taryono, Alam T, Sayekti RS, Pramana AAC, Wulandari RA. 2020. Multivariate analysis unravels genetic diversity and relationship between agronomic traits, protein, and dietary fiber in yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis Verdc.). Biodiversitas 21: 5662-5671. Yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis Verdc.) is a vegetable legume that possesses the highest amount of protein and total dietary fiber (TDF) content among other vegetables. However, protein and TDF content diversity are found among yardlong bean genotypes. Genetic improvement to produce cultivars with high yield and improved nutritional content is required. This study aimed to analyze genetic diversity and identify the relationship between important agronomic traits from 21 yardlong bean genotypes assessed by multivariate statistical analysis. The experiment was arranged in alpha design with three replicates, each consist of six blocks. Six pod-related important agronomic traits, protein, and TDF content were observed in this study. Total pod weight, pod weight, and pod length were found to be negatively correlated with protein and TDF content based on correlation and principal component analysis (PCA). Although negatively correlated, several variables possess a large and positive direct effect on protein and TDF content, such as the number of pod, pod weight, and days to flower. D2 analysis and Tocher’s method classify genotypes used in this study into five clusters with diverse traits value. Information from this study laid a foundation for the improvement of important agronomic traits as well as nutritional content in yardlong bean.
Identification of antagonistic Streptomyces strains isolated from Algerian Saharan soils and their plant growth promoting properties
Authors: AOUAR Lamia , BOUKELLOUL INAS , BENADJILA ABDERRAHMANE
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Aouar L, Boukelloul I, Benadjila A. 2020. Identification of antagonistic Streptomyces strains isolated from Algerian Saharan soils and their plant growth promoting properties. Biodiversitas 21: 5672-5683. To produce new bioactive substances of agricultural interest, extreme ecosystems can be a source of unexplored microorganisms. Accordingly, in this study, twenty-two actinobacteria strains were obtained from rhizospheric arid soils of palm groves collected from Biskra and El Oued in the Algerian Sahara. All isolates were examined for the in vitro antifungal potential towards phytopathogenic fungi: Aspergillus flavus, Verticillium dahlia, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum as well as for their antibacterial property toward phytopathogenic bacteria: Streptomyces scabiei, Pectobacterium carotovorum and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The three isolates (13%) that inhibited at least five pathogens were then selected, identified and assessed for their attributes to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, to solubilize phosphate, and to antagonize Streptomyces scabiei in vivo. According to phylogenetic analysis performed with 16S rDNA sequence, chemotaxonomy and phenotypic characteristics, the strain SO1, which inhibited all tested pathogens, was assigned to Streptomyces flaveus. While, strains SO2 and SB1 were affiliated to Streptomyces enissocaesilis and Streptomyces albidoflavus, respectively. All strains produced IAA but only SO1 and SB1 were able to elaborate siderophores catecholate-type. Two strains SO1 and SO2 exhibited a capacity to solubilize phosphate and SO1 was able to suppress the pathogenic effect of Streptomyces scabiei on radish seedlings. The findings indicate that SO1 strain may reveal the potential for use as a biocontrol agent and plant growth promoter.
Short Communication: Two newly recorded species of Agaricales (Basidiomycota) from Banggai Kepulauan, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: ATIK RETNOWATI  , ANNE KUSUMAWATY  , ISMAIL APANDI  , AGUS HARYADI
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Retnowati A, Kusumawaty A, Apandi I, Haryadi A. 2020. Short Communication: Two newly recorded species of Agaricales (Basidiomycota) from Banggai Kepulauan, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5615-5621. Two species of Agaricales are reported here as new records for Indonesia, Mycena picta (Fr.) Harmaja (Mycenaceae) and Inocybe stellata E. Horak, Matheny & Desjardin (Inocybaceae). These new records will contribute to the information on mushroom diversity in Indonesia. Mycena picta is characterized by having cylindrical and olive pileus; adnate to slightly decurrent and distant lamellae; filiform, greyish-yellow to dull yellow stipe. Inocybe. stellata is distinguished by having brown conical pileus with squamules surface; adnexed or sinuate and close lamellae with 2 series of lamellulae; terete, glabrous with finely pruinose, base slightly bulbous, light brown stipe; echinulate, globose or subglobose basidiospores; metuloid hymenial cystidia and caulocystidia present. Photographs, descriptions, and line drawings of both macroscopic and microscopic features of the new records are provided herein and give a brief discussion on their taxonomy.
Tinjauan Terkini Hemofilia A yang Didapat : Aspek Diagnosis dan Manajemen
Authors: Purwanto Ibnu
Published: December 2020

Hemofilia A yang didapat adalah penyakit yang jarang terdiagnosis dan seringkali salah terdiagnosis namun berpotensi menyebabkan perdarahan yang mengancam nyawa. Penyakit autoimun akibat pembentukan autoantibodi (inhibitor) terhadap FVIII ini hampir setengahnya memiliki gangguan lain yang mendasari. Pemanjangan activated partial thromboplastin time, mixing test yang tidak terkoreksi, rendahnya aktivitas FVIII, dan bukti inhibitor FVIII mendukung penegakan diagnosis Hemofilia A yang didapat. Rintangan dalam manajemen pasien dimulai dari penegakan diagnosis hingga penentuan terapi, baik terapi hemostatik, imunosupresi, serta pengobatan penyakit penyerta. Pemilihan terapi serta pengendalian terhadap efek samping dari pengobatan memerlukan perhatian khusus agar tercapai hemostasis dan remisi yang bertahan lama.

Acquired Hemophilia A can potentially cause life-threatening conditions due to profuse bleeding, but this autoimmune disease is mostly underdiagnosed. Hemophilia A occurs due to the development of an antibody against FVIII, moreover up to half of these cases have underlying conditions. Prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, uncorrected mixing test, low FVIII activity, and detection of FVIII inhibitors support the diagnosis of acquired Hemophilia A. However, several challenges lay within patients’ management strategy, such as diagnosis workup and therapeutical choices. Treatment for acquired hemophilia A encompasses hemostatic therapy, immunosuppression, and treatment of underlying disease. Moreover, therapeutical choice and side effects control require special consideration to achieve hemostasis and durable remission.
Flight Activity of the Stingless Bee Plebeia aff. flavocincta in Tropical Conditions as Indicator of the General Health of the Colony
Authors: Barbosa Artur Bruno da Silva , Meneses Hiara Marques , Rosa Felipe Lima , Freitas Breno Magalhães
Published: December 2020

Bees are prolific pollinators and are responsible for the pollination of most wild and cultivated plants. This study aimed to learn about the flight activity of the stingless bee Plebeia aff. flavocincta in tropical conditions as a parameter to evaluate the general state of the colonies, and to investigate the role of food resources and environmental factors in their flight activities. We recorded the worker flight activity (exit, when they leave the hive; trash, when they discard litter; entry with pollen; and entry without pollen) of four colonies throughout the year and monitored biotic and abiotic conditions that could affect the bee´s external activities, such as blooming and meteorological conditions.  Results showed that the colonies remained active throughout the year and presented  two major periods of external activity; one corresponding to the greater food supply in the field, and the other to time of the year when there were few food resources available. Also, the four flight activities were all strongly correlated with each other. We concluded that in tropical conditions, external activities of P. aff. flavocincta are regulated mainly due to the food resources available rather than the prevailing weather conditions and they are an important indicator of the general health of the colony.
Age Polyethism in Atta sexdens (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Lacerda Fabrícia Gonçalves , Sousa-Souto Leandro , Della Lucia Terezinha Maria Castro , De Souza Danival José
Published: December 2020

This study aimed to verify age polyethism occurrence in medium-sized (cephalic capsule = 2.3 ± 0.21 mm) and small-sized (cc = 1.4 ± 0.10 mm) workers from Atta sexdens (Linnaeus) colonies. Four laboratory colonies were used, and they were maintained at 25 ± 2 °C, with 75 ± 3% relative humidity and a 12-hour photoperiod. Workers from these colonies were marked after their emergence and observed throughout their lifetime to determine which tasks they performed. The number of ants performing each activity was analyzed using linear mixed-effect models (LME), considering the temporal effect and the block design (colonies). We found that fungal garden maintenance tasks were frequent for both sizes, but their occurrence decreased significantly from the ninth week. The foraging activity occurred gradually in both sizes, with stabilization in the number of workers from the fourth week onwards and declined in the last three weeks of lifespan. Waste management tasks occurred throughout life but were more frequent during the first two weeks of life, in both medium and small workers. Therefore, age polyethism may be related to all activities; however, foraging tasks presented a distinct pattern compared to tasks in the fungus garden and refuse dump, where younger ants were more frequently observed.
Nesting Biology, Sexual Dimorphism, and Populational Morphometric Variation in Podium denticulatum F. Smith, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)
Authors: Shibata Luci , Santoni Mariana Marchi , Silva Vinicius de Oliveira , Del Lama Marco Antonio
Published: December 2020

Podium denticulatum occurs from Mexico to southern Brazil, including northeastern Argentina. Females use pre-existing cavities to build nests, consisting of cells separated by walls of mud and resin and massively provisioned with paralyzed cockroaches. Trap nests were disposed in three localities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil (Araras, São Carlos, Rifaina), resulting in the collection of 201 nests from December/2003 to June/2007. The founding nests were brought to the laboratory, opened and the pupae transferred to identified vials until the emergence of the adults, when they were then weighed, sexed and stored at -20ºC. The nesting activity was seasonal, with a higher number of nests in the warm and rainy season of the year. The number of constructed cells ranged from one to nine per nest. The emergence rate of adults in the 716 brood cells was 74%, with homogeneous distribution of mortality by egg, larva and pupa stages. This mortality was partly due to parasitism observed in 39% of nests, predominantly by Melittobia sp. and rarely by Diptera (Tachinidae). A 1:1 sex ratio was observed among the newly emerged adults of each locality analyzed. Strong sexual dimorphism was characterized by linear measurements of wings and body mass, with females and males showing a mass between 27-116 mg and 14-70 mg, respectively. The geometric morphometry confirmed this dimorphism and revealed significant variation of wing size and shape among individuals of the analyzed populations, a result that deserves subsequent studies to point out the factors that account for this differentiation.
Food niche of solitary and social bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in a Neotropical Savanna
Authors: Santos Claudia Oliveira dos , Aguiar Cândida Maria Lima , Martins Celso Feitosa , Santana Edson Braz , França Flávio , Melo Efigênia , Santos Gilberto Marcos M.
Published: December 2020

In this study we investigated the group of floral resources that support bee populations from a bee assemblage in a savanna, and the way in which bee species use these food resources, with an emphasis on the breadth and overlap of trophic niches. The interactions between 75 species of bees and 62 species of plants visited to obtain floral resources were recorded on a Brazilian savanna site. The bee species explored a diverse set of plant species, but concentrated the collection of resources in a few plant species. The distribution of the samples over a long period favored a robust characterization of the food niche of the bee populations. Byrsonima sericea, Serjania faveolata, and Stigmaphyllon paralias were the plant species with the highest number of links with bees. In general, the trophic niche overlap was low, with 75% of pairs of bee species having a niche overlap (NO) less than 0.33. Only four pairs showed high overlap (NO>0.70) and all cases were related to the exploitation of floral resources provided by B. sericea, a key resource for the maintenance of the local bee fauna, an oil and pollen provider.