bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MODELLING OF NATURAL FIRE OCCURRENCES: A CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Moyo T. , Musakwa W. , Nyathi N. A. , Mpofu E. , Gumbo T.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In contemporary literature there have been growing concerns regarding preservations of natural ecosystems. Given the global growth in awareness of global warming, the need for natural fire prediction models has grown rapidly. Using South Africa as a case study, we evaluate the potential of integrating several natural fire prediction models and geographical information system (GIS) platforms. Initially, natural fire prone regions in South Africa were spatially demarcated basing on municipal historical data records. Thereafter, the natural fire prediction models were applied/tested in parallel to identify the best prediction models that give optimum results in predicting natural fires. The models were assessed for accuracy using historical data. Preliminary results reveal locations in the North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo province had the highest recorded potential for natural fires. In conclusion, the work demonstrates huge potential of prediction models in informing the likelihood of natural fire outbreaks. Lastly, the work recommends the adoption of natural fire prediction models and the subsequent formulation and use of relevant future natural fire mitigation policies and techniques to avert disasters in time.
UAV IMAGES AND DEEP-LEARNING ALGORITHMS FOR DETECTING FLAVESCENCE DOREE DISEASE IN GRAPEVINE ORCHARDS
Authors: Musci M. A. , Persello C. , Lingua A. M.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. One of the major challenges in precision viticulture in Europe is the detection and mapping of flavescence dorée (FD) grapevine disease to monitor and contain its spread. The lack of effective cures and the need for sustainable preventive measures are nowadays crucial issues. Insecticides and the plants uprooting are commonly employed to withhold disease infection, even if these solutions imply serious economic consequences and a strong environmental impact. The development of a rapid strategy to identify the disease is required to cover large portions of the crop and thus to limit damages in a time-effective way. This paper investigates the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), a cost-effective approach to early detection of diseased areas. We address this task with an object detection deep network, Faster R-CNN, instead of a traditional pixel-wise classifier. This work tests Faster R-CNN performance on this specific application through a comparative analysis with a pixel-wise classification algorithm (Random Forest). To take advantage of the full image resolution, the experimental analysis is performed using the original UAV imagery acquired in real conditions (instead of the derived orthomosaic). The first result of this paper is the definition of a new dataset for FD disease identification by UAV original imagery at the canopy scale. Moreover, we demonstrate the feasibility of applying Faster-R-CNN as a quasi-real-time alternative solution to semantic segmentation. The trained Faster-R-CNN achieved an average precision of 82% on the test set.
EARTH OBSERVATIONS AS A TOOL FOR DETECTING AND MONITORING POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
Authors: Patias P. , Mallinis G. , Tsioukas V. , Georgiadis C. , Kaimaris D. , Tassopoulou M. , Verde N. , Dohr M. , Riffler M.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In recent years advances in Earth Observation (EO) have increased our ability to inventory, monitor, and understand Earth’s natural and artificial ecosystems. In particular, recent technological developments in the instrument characteristics of the remote sensing systems enabled large-scale usage of EO in environmental governance and protection. Remote sensing can be a potent tool employed in the field of environmental compliance. However, to extract and distribute relevant information to potential stakeholders, simple, yet efficient and robust approaches are needed. The focus of our research is the development of EO algorithms and the corresponding EO processing chains that could be used operationally for providing cost-efficient information to end-users to address environmental compliance and tackle environmental violations over specific thematic domains using freely available Copernicus data. The EO algorithms and the relevant EO processing chains have been developed as part of the EU-H2020 funded project: “EnviroLENS-Copernicus for environmental law enforcement support” where the demonstration area of our approach is in the Montenegro – Albania border. The case considers several sites along the border to Albania, from the coastal area of Velika Plaža to the North Lake Skadar National Park. All sites have been designated in the past as protected areas, due to their rich biodiversity and threatened habitats. The focus of this contribution is on the deforestation detection processing chain. The developed EO processing chains rely on the use and analysis of multi-temporal Sentinel-2 images, while it adopts an object-based perspective for detecting, quantifying, and mapping potential environmental violations.
EXPLOITATION OF SENTINEL-2 IMAGES FOR LONG-TERM VEGETATION MONITORING AT A FORMER ORE PROCESSING SITE
Authors: Fabre S. , Elger A. , Riviere T.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Excess metals in the soil or in plant tissues tend to have negative effects on plant health, growth, and biomass accumulation. The search for stressed or unusual growth patterns in cover vegetation has been enhanced by the use of vegetation index in the context of excessive exposure to heavy metals in the soil. This study aims to improve the monitoring of phyto-stabilized and natural vegetation of an ore processing site for several years after its closure by using multiple Sentinel-2 images. The time series is made up of 13 images, one image per season for four years. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), the most widely known and used vegetation index in the scientific literature, is used in combination with other spectral indexes identifying built-up areas and bare soils in order to enhance vegetation. A change detection technique based on absolute difference of vegetation maps is applied to detect abrupt changes related to meteorological conditions and significant environmental changes.
ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL LAND IDENTIFICATION USING OBJECT-BASED APPROACH AND SENTINEL DATA IN THE DANUBIAN LOWLAND, SLOVAKIA
Authors: Goga T. , Szatmári D. , Feranec J. , Papčo J.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Farmland abandonment is a widespread phenomenon in different parts of the Earth especially in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe where large areas of agricultural land were left uncultivated, state-support and markets for agriculture disappeared and land reforms resulted in massive land ownership transfers following the collapse of socialism. Remote sensing and geographic information system provide powerful tools for identification and analysis of abandoned agricultural land (AAL) at various spatial and temporal scales. Here we present an approach to AAL extraction from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images, provided in the frame of the European Copernicus program. This study aims to investigate and map the spatial distribution of AAL on the foothill of Little Carpathians and in the Danubian Lowland, Slovakia. The presented case study showed the possibility of the use of Sentinel images and the object-based image analysis in the process of AAL identification that may improve the transfer of scientific knowledge to the local agri-environmental monitoring and management.
CELLULAR AUTOMATA (CA) CONTIGUITY FILTERS IMPACTS ON CA MARKOV MODELING OF LAND USE LAND COVER CHANGE PREDICTIONS RESULTS
Authors: Mondal M. S. , Sharma N. , Kappas M. , Garg P. K.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In this study, attempts has been made to find out cellular automata (CA) contiguity filters impacts on Land use land cover change predictions results. Cellular Automata (CA) Markov chain model used to monitor and predict the future land use land cover pattern scenario in a part of Brahmaputra River Basin, India, using land use land cover map derived from multi-temporal satellite images. Land use land cover maps derived from satellite images of Landsat MSS image of 1987 and Landsat TM image of 1997 were used to predict future land use land cover of 2007 using Cellular Automata Markov model. The validity of the Cellular Automata Markov process for projecting future land use and cover changes calculates using various Kappa Indices of Agreement (Kstandard) predicted (results) maps with the reference map (land use land cover map derived from IRS-P6 LISS III image of 2007). The validation shows Kstandard is 0.7928. 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7 CA contiguity filters are evaluated to predict LULC in 2007 using 1987 and 1997 LULC maps. Regression analysis have been carried out for both predicted quantity as well as prediction location to established the cellular automata (CA) contiguity filters impacts on predictions results. Correlation established that predicted LULC of 2007 and LULC derived from LISS III Image of 2007 are strongly correlated and they are slightly different to each-other but the quantitative prediction results are same for when 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7 CA contiguity filters are evaluated to predict land use land cover. When we look at the quantity of predicted land use land cover of 2007 area statistics are derived by using 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7 CA contiguity filters, the predicted area statistics are the same. Other hands, the spatial difference between predicted LULC of 2007 and LULC derived from LISS III images of 2007 is evaluated and they are found to be slightly different. Correlation coefficient (r) between predicted LULC classes and LULC derived from LISS III image of 2007 using 3x3, 5x5, 7x7 are 0.7906, 0.7929, 0.7927, respectively. Therefore, the correlation coefficient (r) for 5x5 contiguity filters is highest among 3x3, 5x5, and 7x7 filters and established/produced most geographically / spatially distributed effective results, although the differences between them are very small.
FATE OF AGRICULTURAL AREAS OF KAILALI DISTRICT OF NEPAL: A TEMPORAL LAND USE LAND COVER CHANGE (LUCC) ANALYSIS
Authors:   Niraj K.C., Thapa L. , Shukla D. P.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Changes of agricultural land into non-agricultural land is the main issue of increasing population and urbanization. The objective of this paper is to identify the various land resources and its changes into other Land Use Land Cover (LULC) type. LANDSAT satellite data for 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018 years of Kailali district Nepal was acquired for supervised LULC mapping and change analysis using ENVI 5.4 software. Sentinel-2 and Google earth satellite data were used for the accuracy assessment of the LULC map. The time-series data analysis from 1990–2000–2010–2018 shows major changes in vegetation and agriculture. The changes in LULC show that settlement and bare land is continuously increasing throughout these years. The change in land use and land cover during the period of 1990–2018 shows that the settlement area is increased by 204%; and agriculture is decreased by 57%. The fluctuating behavior of vegetation, agriculture and water bodies in which the areas decrease and increase over the selected periods is due to natural calamities and migration of the local population. This shows that human influence on the land resources is accelerating and leading to a deterioration of agricultural land. Thus effective agricultural management practices and policies should be carried out at the government level for minimizing land resources degradation by the human-induced impact.
IDENTIFYING LAND USE AND LAND COVER (LULC) CHANGE FROM 2000 TO 2025 DRIVEN BY TOURISM GROWTH: A STUDY CASE IN BALI
Authors: Rimba A. B. , Atmaja T. , Mohan G. , Chapagain S. K. , Arumansawang A. , Payus C. , Fukushi K.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Bali has been open to tourism since the beginning of the 20th century and is known as the first tourist destination in Indonesia. The Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, and Tabanan (Sarbagita) areas experience the most rapid growth of tourism activity in Bali. This rapid tourism growth has caused land use and land cover (LULC) to change drastically. This study mapped the land-use change in Bali from 2000 to 2025. The land change modeller (LCM) tool in ArcGIS was employed to conduct this analysis. The images were classified into agricultural land, open area, mangrove, vegetation/forest, and built-up area. Some Landsat images in 2000 and 2015 were exploited in predicting the land use and land cover (LULC) change in 2019 and 2025. To measure the accuracy of prediction, Landsat 8 OLI images for 2019 were classified and tested to verify the LULC model for 2019. The Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network was trained with two influencing factors: elevation and road network. The result showed that the built-up growth direction expanded from the Denpasar area to the neighbouring areas, and land was converted from agriculture, open area and vegetation/forest to built-up for all observation years. The built-up was predicted growing up to 43 % from 2015 to 2025. This model could support decision-makers in issuing a policy for monitoring LULC since the Kappa coefficients were more than 80% for all models.
QUARTERLY MONITORING OF SUSPECTED ILLEGAL HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES OF CHINA WITH SENTINEL-2 AND HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES ON THE CLOUD PLATFORM
Authors: Wang H. , Ning X. , Dong Q. , Liu Y. , Hao M. , Zhang H. , Wang H. , Chang W. , Cao Y. , Liu C.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Nature reserves play an important role in protecting biodiversity, preserving natural heritage, and maintaining national ecological security. Satellite remote sensing technology has become an essential way to capture the impact of human activities on nature reserves by monitoring the land cover change. However, current monitoring frequency and scale were inadequate to detect the land change related to illegal human activities rapidly and accurately. To solve the above problems, this study proposed an operational suspected illegal change detection method which combined the temporal advantage of Sentinel-2 double satellites with the spatial advantage of high-resolution images from SiweiEarth and Google Earth cloud platforms, together with high-precision high-resolution images from cloud platforms, historical land cover data from Geoinformation Survey Data of China, and the thematic information of study area. Eight typical national nature reserves were selected as study areas. January 1st, 2019 was taken as the time point of the base period. May 31st, August 31st, and November 30th were taken as the time point of the first period, the second period, and the third period respectively. Results showed that four national nature reserves had nine suspected illegal land change parcels, with a good ecological protection situation of the other four nature reserves. Deforestation and illegal construction were the two main suspected illegal types. In the next step, the study results will be provided to the Law Enforcement Administration of China to evaluate the applicability and generalization of this method, and a more rapid and intelligent method needs to be improved.
NEAR-REALTIME FLOOD DETECTION FROM MULTI-TEMPORAL SENTINEL RADAR IMAGES USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Authors: de la Cruz R. M. , Olfindo Jr. N. T. , Felicen M. M. , Borlongan N. J. B. , Difuntorum J. K. L. , Marciano Jr. J. J. S.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Flood extent delineation from RADAR images usually entails manual thresholding per scene, which is not feasible when tackling large-scale floods that often covers multiple RADAR scenes. It is also computationally intensive when processed through traditional remote sensing techniques that limit its use during emergency situations. To hasten the production of flood maps from RADAR images during flooding incidents, a deep learning model using Fully connected Convolutional Neural Network (FCNN) has been developed to delineate flooded areas with minimal human intervention. The model was formulated from the data gathered during a flooding event captured by both Sentinel-1A SAR satellite and Planet’s Dove optical satellites. Two pre-flood and one post-flood SAR scenes were used to detect the occurrence of water by analysing drops in backscatter values. The potential flood extents were verified using optical images which were then used to train the AI model. The model is currently being used operationally to map flood extent across the Philippines with no human intervention from data download to detection of flooded areas. The technique can detect floods across five Sentinel 1 scenes in less than four hours upon download of new satellite data.
SENSOR FUSION, GIS AND AI TECHNOLOGIES FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Authors: Kemper H. , Kemper G.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Modern Disaster Management Systems are based on several columns that combine theory and practice, software, and hardware being under technological advance. In all parts, spatial data is key in order to analyze existing structure, assist in risk assessment and update the information after a disaster incident. This paper focus on technological advances in several fields of spatial analysis putting together the advantages, limitations and technological aspects from well-known or even innovative methods, highlighting the huge potential of nowadays technologies for the field of Disaster Risk Management (DRM).A focus then is lying on GIS and Remote Sensing technologies that are showing the potential of high-quality sensors and image products that are getting easier to access and captured with recent technology. Secondly, several relevant sensors being thermal or laser-based are introduced pointing out the application possibilities, their limits, and potential fusion of them. Emphasis is further driven to Machine Learning techniques adopted from Artificial Intelligence that improve algorithms for auto-detection and represent an important step forwards to an integrated system of spatial data use in the Disaster Management Cycle. The combination of Multi-Sensor Systems, new Platform technologies, and Machine Learning indeed creates a very important benefit for the future.
SENTINEL-1 BASED FLOOD MAPPING USING INTERFEROMETRIC COHERENCE AND INTENSITY CHANGE DETECTION APPROACH
Authors: Papila I. , Alganci U. , Sertel E.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. This study presents a semi-automatic algorithm for mapping floods. Both Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data are used to observe the flood that hit the Cukurova region of Adana (Turkey) in 2019. The performance of the interferometric coherence in complementing intensity component of SAR data is investigated for mapping the floods occurred in agricultural and urban environments. There was no ground truth data available from the flooded area, thus classification result of optical satellite image is used as a seed for the region growing algorithm that defines the classes according to a threshold value. The advantage of using both intensity and coherence change detection is verified with the results. The results have been evaluated through very high-resolution SPOT-6 optical image which acquired simultaneously with Sentinel-1B SAR image. The comparison with the SPOT-6 data results shows that the proposed approach can map flooded areas with acceptable accuracy using the SAR data from Sentinel-1 satellite mission. Highly affected agricultural areas along with the river line could be mapped both by optical and SAR analysis. Comparison of results from VV and VH polarization provided that cross-polarization VH has a very little effect on flood mapping. The proposed algorithm successfully distinguishes the classes among the affected region, especially in urban areas.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TEXTURE INDEX OF DAMAGED BUILDINGS USING TIME-SERIES HIGH-RESOLUTION OPTICAL SATELLITE IMAGES
Authors: Sonobe M.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. A large-scale disaster has occurred due to the earthquake. In particular, 20% of the world's earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or more occur near Japan. Damage analysis of buildings by image analysis have been effectively carried out using optical high-resolution satellite images and aerial photograph with spatial resolution of about 2 m or less. In this study, the damaged buildings caused by large-scale and continuous earthquakes in Kumamoto, Japan that occurred in April 2016 was selected as a typical example of damaged buildings. For these earthquake event, the applicability of damage distribution of buildings and recovery/restoration status by texture analysis was examined. The applicability of the representative in the dissimilarity texture analysis methods Gray- Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) method by image interpretation in the case of a large number of collapsed and wrecked buildings in a wide area was assessed. These results suggest that dissimilarity was applicable to the extraction of damaged and removed buildings in the event of such an earthquake. In addition, the analysis results were appropriately evaluated by comparing the field survey results with the image interpretation results of the pan-sharpened image. From these results, we confirmed the effectiveness of texture analysis using time-series high-resolution satellite images in grasping the damaged buildings before and immediately after the disaster and in the restoration situation 1 year after the disaster.
Erasmus+ and Vocational Secondary Education: Analyzing Participating Students’ Views. A Case Study of Students’ Mobility in the Prefecture of Preveza, Greece
Authors: Kavasakalis Aggelos , Tzima Maria
Published: August 2020

After the advent of the knowledge society there has been a lot of debate, among countries and supranational organizations, on the promotion of lifelong learning policies and cooperation policies on education and training issues. In this context, training policies and mobility programmes at all levels of education and/or training are high on the international political agenda.At the same time, it is well known that vocational education and training is inextricably linked to the labour market and undoubtedly to employability (Stamelos, Vasilopoulos, Kavasakalis, 2015). Within this broader framework, many policies and programmes have been developed and implemented at European level to defend this objective, with the most contemporary of them, Erasmus+. This article presents a case study of a students’ mobility programme.In detail, the purpose of this article is to investigate and analyse the participating students’ views in individual mobility actions under the Erasmus+ programme in secondary vocational education in theprefectureofPreveza, regarding the effectiveness in achieving the objectives set by the programme itself.The text is divided into two subsections. The first section analyses the most important parameters of the issue at European and national level, as well as the basic structures and actions implemented within the framework of the European Erasmus+ Programme, while the second presents the research methodology and the primary results extracted from the descriptive and statistical analysis of the research tool, i.e. the questionnaire answered by Erasmus+ participants after the mobility.
The Influence of Representational Formats and Learner Modality Preferences on Instructional Efficiency Using Interactive Video Tutorials
Authors: Chen Chun-Ying
Published: August 2020

This study investigated how to create effective interactive video tutorials for learning computer-based tasks. The role of learner modality preferences was also considered. A 4 × 4 between-subjects factorial design was employed to examine the influence of instruction representational formats (noninteractive static, interactive static, interactive visual-only video with onscreen text, interactive video with audio narration) and learner modality preferences (visual, aural, read/write, multimodal) on instructional efficiency. Instructional efficiency was a combined effect of test performance and perceived cognitive load during learning. The results suggested that implementing interactivity into the video tutorials tended to increase transfer performance, and the role of modality preferences was related to learners’ perceived cognitive load. The significant interaction effect on transfer efficiency indicated: (a) the auditory preference tended to exhibit better transfer efficiency with the narrated video, and (b) the read/write preference tended to exhibit better transfer efficiency with both the noninteractive static format and the captioned video. This study highlighted the importance of considering individual differences in modality preferences, particularly that of auditory and read/write learners.
eutagogoy Extended: A Conceptual Framework to Support Informal, Self-Determined Lifelong Learning for Older Adults
Authors: Morrison Dirk
Published: August 2020

This paper reviews and then extends the concept of heutagogy, making a case for why and how it provides a theoretical and practical framework for understanding and facilitating informal, self-determined older adults’ online lifelong learning activities and processes. This discussion is situated within a unique research context, namely, older adults’ (retirees) use of online personal learning networks (oPLNs) to support their informal lifelong learning goals. From our analysis, there is evidence to substantiate the claim that heutogogical principles were manifest within an “ecology” of informal online learning.
Concepto de daño moral
Authors: Orozco German Antonio
Published: August 2020

El estudio del concepto de daño moral lejos de representar una discusión bizantina, tiene importantes efectos prácticos, más allá de la cuestión metodológica, que aconseja iniciar por definir claramente cualquier tópico que se pretenda abordar, pues incide en aspectos fundamentales como la determinación de las personas agraviadas, la categorización de bienes afectados y sobre todo el fundamento de la indemnización de esta clase de daños por medio de la función compensatoria satisfactoria que desempeña el dinero que se le otorga a la víctima. Además, el estudio de los distintos conceptos de daños morales nos permite comprender su evolución doctrinal, la vicisitudes y dificultades que han afrontados las víctimas, para compensar el detrimento que padecen en los bienes más importantes del ser humano como la vida, la salud, la integridad física, el honor, la imagen, la intimidad, y los sentimientos de las personas (tristeza, dolor, angustia, etc) que merecen ser protegidos por el ordenamiento jurídico.
Justicia Penal Internacional: “algunas ponderaciones sobre la materia”
Authors: Reca Joaquin Pablo
Published: August 2020

Las reflexiones que cimientan cada párrafo de este trabajo, intentan responder a distintas preguntas que indagan las muchas y variadas tensiones jurisdiccionales involucradas al tema en análisis. Efectivamente, complejas situaciones (gravísimos episodios que tipifican estos crímenes) son las que afectan la operatividad de las normas internacionales de derechos humanos, cuya sanción está sujeta a las circunstancias que presenta la aplicación del sistema punitivo.
The Impact of Ambidextrous Leadership on Organizational Excellence: An Applied Study in Small and Medium Enterprises in Qatar
Authors: Al-Eida Saeed Nasser S. M.
Published: August 2020

The study aimed to reveal the level of ambidextrous leadership and organizational excellence in small and medium enterprises in Qatar, and also to investigate the impact of ambidextrous leadership on organizational excellence in these companies. The study used analytical descriptive approach by designing a questionnaire that was composed of (42) items through six dimensions.  The study sample included (456) employees working in SMEs in Qatar from low and medium managerial levels. Multiple and simple regression analyses were used for data analysis. The study results found that SMEs in Qatar have a high level of ambidextrous leadership and organizational excellence, and ambidextrous leadership competency has a significant impact on organizational excellence. Also, opening leader competency, closing leader competency, and flexible leader competency have a significant impact on organizational excellence. Based on these results, a set of recommendations were provided.
Determination of in situ degradation parameters and feeding level of pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) cannery by-product to Hanwoo steers
Authors: Choi Yongjun , Park Keunkyu , Lee Sangrak , Na Youngjun
Published: August 2020

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the in situ degradation parameters and appropriate feeding level of pineapple cannery by-products (PCB) based on the growth performance and blood parameters of growing Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) steers fed various levels of PCB.Methods: Two ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were used for in situ disappearance rate measurements. Nylon bags (5×10 cm, 45 μm pore size) filled with 5 g of PCB in triplicate were inserted into the ventral sac of the two cannulated Holsteins cows and incubated for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h. A total of 16 castrated growing Hanwoo steers (12.5±0.5 months old, 302.9±25.7 kg of initial body weight [BW]) were used for the experiment. Animals were stratified by initial BW and then randomly assigned to one of four experimental diets (0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, or 6.0% of PCB, on the dry matter [DM] basis) fed for 91-d, including 30-d of adaptation.Results: Soluble fraction a of DM and crude protein (CP) was 61.9% and 86.0%, fraction b of DM and CP was 32.7% and 11.2%, and indigestible fraction c of DM and CP was 5.4% and 2.8%. The 6.0% PCB feeding group showed lower productivity compared to animals in the other treatments. Increasing the dietary level of PCB did not alter DM intake, but it was numerically lowest in the 6.0% feeding group. The gain to feed ratio was linearly decreased by increasing of PCB. The quadratic broken-line test estimated that 2.5% (DM basis) was the maximum feeding level of PCB in growing Hanwoo steers (y = 0.103 – 0.001×[1.245–x]2, R2 = 0.18).Conclusion: Diets containing up to 2.5% PCB can be fed to growing Hanwoo steers without adverse effects on growth performance.
Zearalenone exposure affects the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and related genes of porcine endometrial epithelial cells in vitro
Authors: Song Tingting , Yang Weiren , Huang Libo , Yang Zaibin , Jiang Shuzhen
Published: August 2020

Objective: Zearalenone (ZEA) has estrogen-like effects. Our previous study has shown that ZEA (0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg) could induce abnormal uterine proliferation through transforming growth factor signaling pathway. To further study the other regulatory networks of uterine hypertrophy caused by ZEA, the potential mechanism of ZEA on porcine endometrial epithelial cells (PECs) was explored by the Illumina Hiseq 2000 sequencing system.Methods: The PECs were treated with ZEA at 0 (ZEA0), 5 (ZEA5), 20 (ZEA20), and 80 (ZEA80) μmol/L for 24 h. The collected cells were subjected to cell cycle, RNA-seq, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and western blot analysis.Results: The proportion of cells in the S and G2 phases decreased (p<0.05), but the proportion of cells in the G1 phase increased (p<0.05) in the ZEA80 treatment. Data analysis revealed that the expression of Wnt pathway-related genes, estrogen-related genes, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway-related genes increased (p<0.05), but the expression of genetic stability genes decreased (p<0.05) with increasing ZEA concentrations. The relative mRNA and protein expression of WNT1, β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) were increased (p<0.05) with ZEA increasing, while the relative mRNA and protein expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1) was decreased (p<0.05). Moreover, our immunofluorescence results indicate that β-catenin accumulated around the nucleus from the cell membrane and cytoplasm with increasing ZEA concentrations.Conclusion: In summary, ZEA can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by up-regulating WNT1 and β-catenin expression, to promote the proliferation and development of PECs. At the same time, the up-regulation of GSK-3β and down-regulation of CCND1, as well as the mRNA expression of other pathway related genes indicated that other potential effects of ZEA on the uterine development need further study.
Prevalence of Syphilitic Hepatitis Among HIV-Infected Patients in Istanbul, Turkey, a Region with an Increasing Incidence of Syphilis and HIV Infection
Authors: Altuntas Aydin Ozlem , Yesilbag Zuhal , Kumbasar Karaosmanoglu Hayat , Senoglu Sevtap , Korkusuz Ramazan , Canbolat unlu Esra , Kart Yasar Kadriye
Published: August 2020

Background: Syphilis is a global health issue, which continues to occur at high rates worldwide, particularly in HIV-infected men, who have sex with men (MSM). Hepatitis can present as an uncommon manifestation of syphilis, and the diagnosis may be overlooked in favor of more common causes of liver injury in this group. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of syphilitic hepatitis among HIV-infected individuals diagnosed with acute syphilis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on HIV-infected individuals who regularly attended a tertiary clinic in Istanbul. The data were collected and analyzed between 2016 and 2019. Cases of syphilitic hepatitis were included according to the following criteria: (I) VDRL-confirmed Treponema pallidum infection after or simultaneously diagnosed with HIV infection; (II) elevated liver enzymes, including ALT, AST, and ALP, that resolved after penicillin treatment; and (III) exclusion of other causes of hepatitis. Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, clinical and laboratory findings were evaluated using medical records. Results: Among 1,057 HIV-infected patients, 141 (13.3%) were diagnosed to have an early stage of syphilis, 138 of them were male. Nine (6.4 %) out of 141 patients had syphilitic hepatitis, and all of them were self-identified MSM. Moreover, 5 out of these 9 patients were simultaneously diagnosed with syphilis and HIV infection. Up to 10-fold increase in ALT/AST was noted in all of them, and a 3.5-fold increase in bilirubin was observed in two cases. The most prominent laboratory abnormalities in syphilitic hepatitis patients were the detection of a considerable increase in ALP and HIV RNA levels. Conclusions: Syphilitic hepatitis is not encountered rarely in HIV-infected individuals, predominantly MSM populations. Since HIV/syphilis coinfected patients are more infective as a result of higher HIV RNA levels, early diagnosis, and treatment are crucial.
Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in a Patient with Enteritis, Myositis, and Pericardial Effusion: A Case Report
Authors: Huang Jin-Xian , Huang Xiao-Yan , Zhang Li-Jun , Wang Ya-Qin
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a rare, life-threatening disease entity involving multiple organs and systems. The disease could be presented in a single organ with atypical symptoms, be misdiagnosed at the early phase, and resolved without aggressive treatment. Previous studies reported favorable outcomes with early diagnosis and treatment, while in other cases, disease progression and presenting in other organs could result in a very poor outcome. Clinicians from any department should be aware of the CAEBV entity when an unresolved systemic inflammation presents. Case Presentation: A 61-year-old female presented to the cardiology department due to edema and fatigue with the progression of symptoms, including fever, muscle weakness, and shortness of breath. MR images showed muscular edema, and ultrasound analysis revealed massive pericardial effusion. Results of laboratory tests indicated hematological involvement, liver damage, and positivity for EBV DNA, and EBER in muscle and intestine by staining. She was first misdiagnosed with ulcerative colitis, but the disease evolved to the muscles and cardiovascular system later on. Altogether, the CAEBV infection with enteritis, myositis, and pericardial effusion was confirmed in the case. Although diagnosed, the treatment of the elderly population remains rather challenging in severe cases. The patient died after disease onset for less than three years. Conclusions: Elderly patients with CAEBV infection tend to have a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis would facilitate early treatment and the utilization of available options, which might reduce the disease mortality rate eventually. Individualized therapy and promising approaches should be further developed for CAEBV infection.
The Prediction of Quality of Life Based on Self-esteem, Mental Health and Sleep Quality Variables in Obese and Overweight Girl Students
Authors: Ghartappeh Ameneh , Arefi Mozhgan , Faramarzi Salar , Pasdar Yahya
Published: August 2020

Background: Obesity of children and adolescents has many different detrimental effects on body image, self-esteem (SE), depression and social isolation that are effective on their mental and social health. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to predict the quality of life (QOL) of obese and overweight girl students in Kermanshah city based on self-esteem, mental health and sleep quality variables. Methods: The research is a descriptive-analytical study that 419 obese and overweight girl students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling and simple random sampling. For collection of needed data, several questionnaires including demographic, Rosenberg self-esteem, Goldberg general health, Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaires and quality of life questionnaire related to word health organization were used. The BMI estimation method of the centers for disease control was used to determine overweight and obesity. Obtained data were analyzed using regression analysis in SPSS (Ver. 19) software environment. Results: The result of simple linear regression analysis showed that self-esteem, sleep quality and mental health variables, predict 0.11, 0.20, and 0.25 of the variance of total score for QOL, respectively. Multiple regression results indicated that mental health and sleep of quality variables had a significant effect on all dimensions and overall QOL scores (P < 0.01) simultaneously. The increasing effect of self-esteem on the dimensions of social relationships (P < 0.005), environmental health (P < 0.01) and overall QOL score (P < 0.01) was significant. According to obtained results, QOL has a direct and significant correlation with self-esteem (P < 0.01) mental health (P < 0.001) and, sleep quality (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that mental health is the most important and influential factor on the quality of life of obese adolescent girls. The results of this study indicated that a planning is need to promote girls’ mental health.
Healthcare for Women and Girls Who Have Been Subjected to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
Authors: Akhavan Sharareh
Published: August 2020

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) may increase the risk of health consequences in girls and women. Public health policies and guidelines on providing care for this target group should be implemented in the healthcare services. Objectives: The aim of this brief report was to introduce innovations in Swedish healthcare for women and girls who have been subjected to FGM/C in order to advance our knowledge and understanding the adoption, implementation, and potential scale-up of healthcare services for this target group in Iran. Methods: Data were collected from a register study, an inventory of regional guidelines in Sweden, and a literature review. Results: The results show that care offers can be categorized as obstetric and gynecological care, psychosexual consulting, and plastic surgery. The results can be adapted and implemented in an Iranian context by preparing guidelines for providing care for this target group at the region, province, and country level. Conclusions: Another suggestion for improvement of care for women and girls exposed to FGM/C in Iran is the use of diagnosis codes recommended by WHO to register, map, and follow up these patients. Obstetric and gynecological, plastic surgery, psychosexual consulting may be recommended to provide person-centered care.
Comparative Study of Urinary Minerals and Their Effect on Stone Formation in Two Groups of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and Healthy Children
Authors: Niknahad Alireza , Shahkar Lobat , Kompani Farshid , Montazeri Maryam , Ahani Azar Ali
Published: August 2020

Background: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a systemic autosomal disorder and the most important chronic lung disease in children. Oxalate is the end product of vitamin C metabolism, which increases the risk of kidney stones, urinary bladder stones, and calcium deposits in CF patients. Objectives: Considering the increased mineral excretion and the rate of stone formation in the urinary tract, examining the excretion of minerals will greatly help resolve clinical problems. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on CF and healthy children in Gorgan in 2018 - 19. In this study, 40 CF children and 40 healthy children were randomly selected. After obtaining informed consent from the parents of the children, a random urine sample was collected to evaluate urine minerals. Children with abnormal urinary mineral excretion underwent ultrasonography. The data were analyzed by SPSS 18 using descriptive indices (mean ± SD, frequency, and percentage) and statistical tests (independent t-test, chi-square test, and nonparametric tests). Results: Out of 80 CF and healthy children, 34 were girls, and the rest was boys. The mean age of the patients was 4.34 ± 3.38. The age difference was not significant between the groups (P > 0.05). The mean urinary levels of phosphorus, uric acid, magnesium, and citrate were 0.87 ± 1.01, 1.16 ± 0.68, 0.23 ± 0.18, 2.37 ± 3.13 mg/mg of creatinine. In the pediatric patient group, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean urinary calcium level in CF patients was 0.28 ± 0.39, which was lower than that in the healthy group. The mean urinary oxalate level was 0.13 ± 0.20 in CF patients, which was higher than that in the healthy group (P > 0.05). Hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria, hypomagnesiuria, and hypocitraturia occurred in 35, 30, 62, and 7.5% of the CF patients, respectively. Among the urinary minerals studied, hyperoxaluria was found to be a major determinant of stone formation risk in CF. No correlation was observed between the formation of stones and the rate of excretion of minerals (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In summary, CF patients are at an increased risk of developing citrate and calcium stones compared to the healthy group, which is associated with hyperuricosuria, hypocitraturia, and hyperoxaluria.
Variables Associated with Glomerular Hyperfiltration in Fabry Disease Patients
Authors: Perretta Fernando , Antongiovanni Norberto , Jaurretche Sebastian
Published: August 2020

Background: Fabry disease is a genetic disorder caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal α-galactosidase A enzyme. This failure generates the storage of globotriaosylceramide in different cells with a progressive multi-organ involvement. Objectives: To report the prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration in Fabry disease patients and the association with clinical variables. Methods: Adult patients (≥ 18 years) at the moment of FD diagnosis were evaluated. The variables studied were: central and peripheral nervous system compromise, presence of arterial hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, left ventricular hypertrophy, albuminuria/proteinuria, cornea verticillata, gastrointestinal involvement, treatment with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, deafness, and presence of angiokeratomas. Results: Forty-eight adults with Fabry disease (35.9 ± 11.7 years), 28 women (58.3%), and 20 men (41.7%) were analyzed. Nine (18.8%) patients with glomerular hyperfiltration, including six females and three males (mean age: 28.8 years), were detected. A significant association between and central nervous system (P = 0.021) and peripheral nervous system (P = 0.001) compromise, cardiac arrhythmia (P = 0.001), cornea verticillata (P = 0.009), and gastrointestinal involvement (P = 0.009) was observed. However, no association was found between glomerular hyperfiltration and proteinuria or treatment with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Conclusions: This research showed a higher prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration in the younger group and a significant association between glomerular hyperfiltration and some typical manifestations of classic Fabry patients. Although more studies are needed, it is concluded that other mechanisms than glomerular hyperfiltration, like injury by glycosphingolipids deposit into the filtration barrier, might influence the protein loss in Fabry nephropathy.
Fever and Dehydration as the First COVID-19 Presentation in a 2-Months Old Boy in Northeast of Iran
Authors: Besharat Mahsa , Bahari Khorram Pooya
Published: August 2020

Introduction: After the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19), pediatric involvement has been seen as case reports with various initial symptoms. Case Presentation: Here, we report a 2-months old boy with severe dehydration, fever, and electrolyte imbalance with lung involvement compatible with COVID-19 in the Northeast of Iran (North Khorasan). Conclusions: Pediatric case reports in COVID-19 are limited, and it seems that the disease has a milder course compared to the adult patients, but the range of the clinical features is wide.
The Moroccan Ichtyoplankton - A General Overview
Authors: Lamia Diouri , Abdelaziz Soukri , Hinde Abdelouahab , Mohamed Malki , Tarik Baibai
Published: August 2020

Morocco is one of the most important seafood producing countries. In consideration of its advantageous geographical location in addition to the biodiversity and richness that characterise these halieutic resources, the small pelagic fishes represent 75% of the halieutic harvest, with a domination of S. pilchardus. Regarding the sustainability and protection of the marine species, the study of ichthyoplankton is an essential and crucial step, through the use of classical identification techniques under binocular lenses combined with molecular biology tools based on genetic markers as well as an integrated image analysis system, the ZooScan. The present work is the subject of an overview of the study of ichthyoplankton on the two Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Morocco.
Studies on Testing the Efficacy of Liquid Organic Inputs (Panchagavya and Jeevamruth) on Maize (Zea mays l.) Germination
Authors: Akila S. , Sugumaran M. P. , Suganya K. , Somasundaram E.
Published: August 2020

Organic farming is based on the system-oriented approach and the use of an organic liquid product like Panchagavya resulted in higher growth, yield and quality of crops and hence there had been an increasing interest in the use of liquid formulations. The present study was carried out to validate the shelf life of panchagavya and jeevamruth by screening scientifically under in vivo condition using maize (Zea mays). The liquid organic formulations like jeevamruth, panchagavya and the panchagavya formulations with groundnut oil cake and sesame oil as a substitute to ghee were freshly prepared and used for further studies. In all the panchagavya formulations, the root length and shoot length of the maize plants increased as compared to other treatments. The maximum shoot length 20.67 cm and root length of 9.14 cm were recorded in panchagavya treatment and minimum shoot length 18.39 cm and root length of 6.15 cm was recorded in jeevamruth treated seeds. The panchagavya treated seeds registered the maximum vigour index of 2980.