bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are Regulators Effective at Unraveling Accounting Manipulation? Evidence from Public Utility Commissions
Authors: Chakravarthy Jivas , McDermott Katie E. , White Roger M.
Published: October 2020

Prior research proposes that a monopolist with private information inflates its reported costs under rate regulation to extract an informational rent. Using a sample of U.S. electric utilities from 1990–2011, we first confirm an unexpected increase in operating expense during rate review periods, then decompose operating expense into its cash and accrual components, and find the cash component accounts for 89% of this increase. The observed pattern is consistent with some combination of real activities management and utility managers misrepresenting transitory expense shocks as permanent. We then focus on identifying regulators’ effectiveness at unraveling this manipulation and minimizing the rent. We estimate that, on average, regulators allow 17¢ out of every dollar of abnormal cash expense to be recovered in future annual revenue, a statistically significant amount. Next, we study the effects of regulators’ ability (proxied by experience) and motivation (proxied by whether they were elected) to unravel accounting manipulation. We find that whereas inexperienced and politically appointed regulators allow a significant portion of abnormal cash expense to be recovered (41¢ and 24¢ out of every dollar, respectively), experienced and elected regulators do not (although the difference between appointed and elected regulators is not statistically significant). Our findings suggest that regulators differ in their ability to identify manipulation—with experience enhancing this ability—and that, on average, state regulators effectively unravel most of the effect of accounting manipulation.

This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.
Contract Unobservability and Downstream Competition
Authors: Li Xi , Liu Qian
Published: October 2020

Problem definition: In this paper, we consider a supply chain with a manufacturer and two retailers who are contracted through wholesale prices or two-part tariffs. We depart from the existing literature by assuming that contract terms between the manufacturer and a retailer are not observed by the rival retailer. Academic/practical relevance: Although the existing literature typically assumes that they are common knowledge in the market, contract terms may not be observed by rival retailers under certain circumstances. This paper contributes to the literature by studying the effect of contract unobservability on supply chain performance. Methodology: We use game-theoretical methods to find the equilibrium. When there are multiple equilibria, we adopt passive beliefs as an equilibrium-refinement criterion. Results: We find that certain established results regarding observable supply chain contracts do not always apply when those contracts become unobservable to competing retailers. In particular, compared with when using two-part tariff contracts, the manufacturer may benefit from using wholesale-price contracts when contract terms are unobservable. Moreover, the total industry profit may increase under wholesale-price contracts. Managerial implications: Our results offer an alternative explanation for the popularity of wholesale-price contracts and suggest that members of the supply chain must take unobservability into account when selecting the right contracts. We also offer new insights into buyback contracts and downstream mergers under unobservable contracts.
The Value of Limited Flexibility in Service Network Designs
Authors: Baubaid Ahmad , Boland Natashia , Savelsbergh Martin
Published: October 2020

Less-than-truckload carriers rely on the consolidation of freight from multiple shippers to achieve economies of scale. Collected freight is routed through a number of transfer terminals at each of which shipments are grouped together for the next leg of their journeys. We study the service network design problem confronted by these carriers. This problem includes determining (1) the number of services (trailers) to operate between each pair of terminals and (2) a load plan, which specifies the sequence of transfer terminals that freight with a given origin and destination will visit. Traditionally, for every terminal and every ultimate destination, a load plan specifies a unique next terminal. We introduce the [Formula: see text]-alt model, which generalizes traditional load plans by allowing decision makers to specify a desired number of next-terminal options for terminal–destination pairs using a vector [Formula: see text]. We compare a number of exact and heuristic approaches for solving a two-stage stochastic variant of the [Formula: see text]-alt model. Using this model, we show that, by explicitly considering demand uncertainty and by merely allowing up to two next-terminal options for terminal–destination pairs in the load plans, carriers can generate substantial cost savings that are comparable to the ones yielded by adopting load plans that allow for any next terminal to be a routing option for terminal–destination pairs. Moreover, by using these more flexible load plans, carriers can generate savings on the order of 10% over traditional load plan designs obtained by deterministic models.
Evaluation of Tractor Ride Vibrations by Cab Suspension System
Authors: Oh Jooseon , Chung Woo-Jin , Han Hyun-Woo , Kim Ji-Tae , Son Gwan-Hee , Park Young-Jun
Published: October 2020

Highlights

Tractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to type of cab suspension.

Ride vibrations were measured on flat and bumpy roads using four tractors with different cab suspension types.

Tractors with hydro-pneumatic suspension exhibited smaller ride vibrations than tractors with rubber mounts.

Semi-active hydro-pneumatic control resulted in smaller ride vibrations than those resulting from passive control.

Abstract. In this study, tractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to the type of cab suspension, and the effects of different cab support methods on these ride vibrations were determined. Ride vibrations on flat and bumpy roads were measured using four tractors equipped with different cab suspension types and were analyzed based on ISO Standard 2631-1 for human exposure to whole-body vibration. The ride vibration values were evaluated using the weighted root mean square acceleration and fourth-power vibration dose value. The results confirmed that the tractor equipped with semi-active hydro-pneumatic cab suspension at the two rear positions yielded smaller ride vibrations than the tractors with rubber mounts at all four positions. Vibration reduction effects of up to 53.8% and 67.1% were yielded in the flat road test and bumpy road test, respectively. In addition, among the two tractors with hydro-pneumatic cab suspension systems, ride vibrations were reduced by approximately 7.1% in the tractor that used semi-active control as compared to the tractor that used passive control. Keywords: Hydro-pneumatic cab suspension, Ride vibration, Rubber mount, Whole-body vibration.
Experimental Research on the Bending Characteristics of Glycyrrhiza glabra Stems
Authors: Wen Bao-Qin , Li Yang , Kan Za , Li Jing-Bin , Li Liqiao , Ge Jianbing , Ding Longpeng , Wang Kaifei , Zou Shijie , Li Wentao
Published: October 2020

Highlights

A quadratic orthogonal rotation combination design was used to test the influences of four factors.

The significant influence of each factor was obtained using the analysis of variance method.

Interactions of the factors were analyzed using the response surface method.

Abstract. To provide a theoretical basis for the design of harvesting and processing machinery for Glycyrrhiza glabra stems and for energy conservation during processing, the bending characteristics of G. glabra stems were studied. The comprehensive influences of four factors (loading position diameter, loading speed, span, and moisture content) on the bending characteristics of G. glabra stems were tested using a quadratic orthogonal rotation combination design. The results indicated that the single factors loading position diameter and span had a significant influence on the bending characteristics of G. glabra stems. In addition, as the loading position diameter increased, the maximum bending force and bending energy of G. glabra stems tended to increase, while the bending stress tended to decrease. As the span increased, the maximum bending force and bending energy of G. glabra stems tended to decrease, while the bending stress tended to increase. As the moisture content increased, the maximum bending force and bending stress of G. glabra stems tended to decrease, while the influence on bending energy was not significant. The loading speed had no influence on the bending characteristics of G. glabra stems. The interaction between loading position diameter and span had a significant influence on the maximum bending force and bending energy, and the interactions between loading position diameter and moisture content and between loading speed and span had a significant influence on the maximum bending stress. This study on the bending characteristics of G. glabra stems can provide a theoretical basis for the design of harvesting and processing equipment and for the pretreatment of G. glabra stems. Keywords: Bending characteristics, Licorice, Loading position, Loading speed, Moisture content, Span.
Positioning Control of a Human-Machine Cooperative Grafting Manipulator for Unstructured Environments
Authors: Li Na , Hao Ziyan , Jiang Haiyong , Yu Bo
Published: October 2020

Highlights

Positioning of a human-machine cooperative grafting manipulator for high-crown grafting of fruit trees is analyzed.

PID control based on feedforward compensation of a dynamic model can realize high-precision position control of the braking process in unstructured agricultural environments.

A manipulator based on the proposed control method can realize accurate position control and time-varying operating forces and can provide energy savings to meet the requirements of field operations.

Abstract. Crown grafting of fruit trees has the disadvantages of high labor intensity and reduced graft survival. Therefore, a human-machine cooperative manipulator that relies on passive joint braking was designed to realize position control. The manipulator can replace manual operations to solve the problem of different positions in the grafting process and provide positioning and force support for canopy grafting. This study determined that the working space of the manipulator can cover the canopy area of fruit trees. Dynamic equations were established for motion simulation and feedforward compensation control of the manipulator. According to the dynamic model, the joint braking process was simulated. The simulation results showed that the joint braking torque needs to be dynamically controlled to ensure positioning accuracy of the manipulator. A process of passive joint braking was designed based on the proposed ideal braking curve. By comparing the position control accuracy of independent proportional integral derivative (PID) control, dynamic model feedforward compensation control, and PID control based on feedforward compensation of the dynamic model in simulations, it was determined that PID control based on feedforward compensation of the dynamic model was suitable for application in the braking torque control system. Finally, prototype tests showed that PID control based on feedforward compensation of the dynamic model can realize high-precision joint braking and position control of the manipulator. The positioning error was less than 5%, and the maximum vibration acceleration amplitude was reduced by 26.7% to 68.5%. The control system of the manipulator, using PID control based on feedforward compensation of the dynamic model, can provide adaptability for unstructured environments and reduce power consumption for application in field operations. Keywords: Controls, Dynamics, Grafting, Positioning, Simulation models, Unstructured agricultural environment.
Innovative Extension Methods in the U.S. to Promote Irrigation Water Management
Authors: Rudnick Daran R. , Stockton Matt , Taghvaeian Saleh , Warren Jason , Dukes Michael D. , Kremen Amy , Henry Christopher G. , Aguilar Jonathan , Ortiz Brenda , Andales Allan , Burr Chuck A. , Qiao Xin , Liang Weizhen , Walthour Steven , Amosson Stephen H.
Published: October 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

University extension has been playing a larger role, serving a larger number of irrigated farms.

Extension programs in irrigation water management (IWM) have been transitioning away from lectures and field tours as the primary means of knowledge transfer.

New IWM programs focus on experiential learning, development of practitioner networks, and industry participation.

Abstract. Promotion and adoption of irrigation water management (IWM) technology, tools, and best management practices are important as water availability concerns are addressed. Traditional extension programs have relied on lecture presentations, field tours, fact sheets, and on-station demonstrations to promote IWM practices and tools. However, these platforms tend not to provide the experience and opportunity for growers to identify and become comfortable with innovative solutions, such as new technology. To address these challenges and to appeal to an ever-changing client base, innovative and locally relevant extension and outreach programs have been devised to engage and educate growers. This article describes some of these programs that extend beyond previous traditional programs to connect growers with IWM. Keywords: Demonstrations, Experiential learning, Grower competition, Outreach, Practitioner networks.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer using methylene blue: a new anatomical landmark involving intercostobrachial and medial pectoral nodes
Authors: Wibisana I Gusti Ngurah Gunawan , Muliyadi
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) using blue dye is becoming popular in Indonesia given that knowledge on new anatomical landmarks involving intercostobrachial and medial pectoral nodes have replaced the need for radioisotope tracers. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the proposed landmark involving intercostobrachial and medial pectoral nodes to determine axillary lymph node status during SLNB.
METHODS A prospective study was conducted involving 55 patients with early-stage breast cancer who had clinically negative lymph nodes (T1T2, cN0) between 2018 and 2019 at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. During SLNB, methylene blue 1% was injected at the subareolar area to identify intercostobrachial and medial pectoral nodes followed by axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Histopathological results of sentinel nodes (SNs) were then compared to those of other axillary nodes.
RESULTS SNs were identified in 54 patients (98%), 33 (61%) of whom had both intercostobrachial and medial pectoral SNs. Among patients with SNs, there were 1 patient without intercostobrachial SNs, 10 patients without medial pectoral SNs, and 1 patient with medial pectoral SNs but no intercostobrachial SNs. Accordingly, SNs had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 96.77% for axillary metastasis (95% confidence interval = 81.5499.51), with a false negative rate of 4.7%. No serious adverse events was observed.
CONCLUSIONS The high identification rate and NPV, as well as the low false negative rate of the new anatomical landmark involving intercostobrachial and medial pectoral nodes during SLNB, suggest its reliability in determining axillary lymph node status.
Short-term follow-up after percutaneous patent ductus arteriosus occlusion between low and high weight pediatric patients: a single center experience
Authors: Suwitri Ni Putu Eka , Yantie Ni Putu Veny Kartika , Gunawijaya Eka
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND Device occlusion is a preferred treatment for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in adult and children patients; however, the exact limit of body weight requirement has not been established. This study aimed to describe the outcome and safety of transcatheter PDA occlusion in low and high weight pediatric patients.

METHODS This was a retrospective study in Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in patients aged <12 years who had undergone transcatheter PDA occlusions from 2010 to 2017. Data were obtained from the registry including baseline characteristics (age, sex, body weight, and height), procedural-specific data (PDA characteristics, pulmonary and systemic pressures, and flow ratio intra-procedure), and procedural complications. Success rate and adverse events at 24 hours, 1 month, and 3 months after the procedure were assessed.

RESULTS A total of 175 subjects were grouped into two categories: low weight, ?6 kg (n = 50) and high weight, >6 kg (n = 125). The success rates (complete closure) in the ?6 and >6 kg groups were, 90.0% and 75.9% at 24 hours follow-up, 92.9% and 85.5% at 1 month, and 95.8% and 91.1% at 3 months, respectively. Major complications related to the procedure in patients ?6 kg included transient dysrhythmia (n = 6) and massive bleeding (n = 2), and complications in patients >6 kg were transient dysrhythmia (n = 14), massive bleeding (n = 1), embolization (n = 1), and death (n = 1).

CONCLUSIONS Transcatheter PDA occlusion had similar success rate and safety in both low and high weight pediatric patients.
Dressing versus non-dressing technique for long-term exit-site care in children on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: a single-center retrospective cohort study
Authors: Ambarsari Cahyani Gita , Hidayati Eka Laksmi , Mushahar Lily , Kadaristiana Agustina
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND There is no consensus on the optimal long-term exit-site care strategy in children on long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) worldwide. Thus, this study aimed to compared the dressing versus non-dressing technique for long-term exit-site care to prevent PD-related infection.

METHODS This retrospective cohort study involved patients aged <18 years with end-stage kidney disease who were on continuous ambulatory PD at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital between March 2014 and March 2019. Long-term exit-site care was initiated within 3 months after the insertion of Tenckhoff catheter. The patients and caregivers can choose to either maintain the dressing method or change to the non-dressing method for the subsequent long-term exit-site care. The follow-up was performed until the following 6 months.

RESULTS Out of 34 patients, 18 were treated without dressing and 16 with dressing technique. The peritonitis rates were 0.17 and 0.06 episodes per year at risk in the non-dressing and dressing groups; the adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0.4 (95% confidence interval = 0.043.25; p = 0.4). Allergic contact dermatitis occurred in 15/18 (83%) patients in the non-dressing group and 11/16 (69%) in the dressing group before long-term exit-site care was applied. Ultimately, no patient in the non-dressing group developed allergic contact dermatitis, whereas 11 (69%) had allergic contact dermatitis in the dressing group at the end of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS Non-dressing technique may increase the risk of peritonitis in children on long-term PD; however, it is beneficial for children vulnerable to allergic contact dermatitis.
Bacterial susceptibility patterns to cotrimoxazole in urinary tract infections of outpatients and inpatients in Jakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Rosana Yeva , Ocviyanti Dwiana , Akbar Wafridha
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND Cotrimoxazole, which has been one of the drugs of choice for urinary tract infections (UTIs) since 1960, must be evaluated to determine whether it is still a relevant drug for this use. This study aimed to assess the susceptibility patterns to cotrimoxazole of the bacteria that cause UTIs from urine samples of female outpatients (community-acquired [CA]-UTI) and inpatients (hospital-acquired [HA]-UTI) in Jakarta.

METHODS This study was conducted from December 2014 to December 2015. Susceptibility testing of bacteria causing UTIs was conducted on 27 of 311 female outpatient urine samples collected from six clinics in Jakarta, and secondary data susceptibility testing was performed on 27 of 107 urine samples of inpatients from hospitals in Jakarta. These samples were examined in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

RESULTS Susceptibility to cotrimoxazole was reported in 83% of the bacteria causing UTIs in CA-UTI and 44% of the bacteria in HA-UTI patients. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common cause of CA-UTI, with all isolates susceptible to cotrimoxazole (100%). Conversely, Escherichia coli was the most common cause of HA-UTI but was only susceptible in some isolates (44%). Bacteria from CA-UTI patients were almost twice as susceptible to cotrimoxazole compared with HA-UTI patients (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS Based on the susceptibility patterns identified, cotrimoxazole can be used as a treatment for CA-UTI but not for HA-UTI patients in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ghost imaging based on asymmetric learning
Authors: Bian Tong , Dai Yumeng , Hu Jiale , Zheng Zhiyuan , Gao Lu
Published: October 2020

Ghost imaging (GI) is an unconventional optical imaging method making use of the correlation measurement between a test beam and a reference beam. GI using deep learning (GIDL) has earned increasing attention, as it can reconstruct images of high quality more effectively than traditional GI methods. It has been demonstrated that GIDL can be trained completely with simulation data, which makes it even more practical. However, most GIDLs proposed so far appear to have limited performance for random noise distributed patterns. This is because traditional GIDLs are sensitive to the under-estimation error but robust to the over-estimation error. An asymmetric learning framework is proposed here to tackle the unbalanced sensitivity to estimation errors of GIDL. The experimental results show that it can achieve much better reconstructed images than GIDL with a symmetric loss function, and the structural similarity index of GI is quadrupled for randomly selected objects.
Reconstruction of kHz-rate 3-D flame image sequences from a low-rate 2-D recording via a data-driven approach
Authors: Cai Weiwei , Liu Hecong , Huang Jianqing , Zhang Jiaqi
Published: October 2020

Diagnostics tools are the underpinnings for the experimental study of combustion phenomena. The inherent dynamic and three-dimensional (3-D) nature of turbulent flames has imposed strict requirements to the measurement techniques, which should provide both temporally and spatially resolved information of the target flames. Time-resolved volumetric tomography is one of such methods that meet the stringent demands of combustion diagnostics. However, this technique usually suffers from both high computational and experimental costs. This work aims to mitigate its limitations by developing a hybrid deep neural network that integrates the classical convolutional neural network with a state-of-the-art video interpolation model. Such a network can produce high frame rate 3-D flame voxels from low frame rate two dimensional (2-D) images, reducing the computational costs and at the same time relaxing the hardware requirement. Our study has shown that the temporal resolution can be enhanced by 15-fold. Thus, kilohertz (kHz)-rate flame tomography can potentially be realized with cost-effective industrial cameras. This also facilitates the study of ultra-rapid combustion phenomena, which cannot be resolved (greater than megahertz required) even with the most expensive commercial high-speed cameras. This technique has also been found to have a strong noise immunity, and acceptable results can still be obtained even when the noise level reaches 30%.
Vectorial dispersive shock waves on an incoherent landscape
Authors: Nuño J. , Finot C. , Fatome J.
Published: October 2020

We study numerically and experimentally the impact of temporal randomness on the formation of analog optical blast waves in nonlinear fiber optics. The principle of operation is based on a two-components nonlinear interaction occurring between a partially coherent probe wave co-propagating in a normally dispersive optical fiber together with an orthogonally polarized intense short pulse. The cross-polarized interaction induces a dual phase singularity in the probe profile which leads to the formation of two sharp fronts of opposite velocities. An optical blast wave is then generated and leads to an expanding rarefaction area surrounded by two dispersive shock waves which regularize the shock onto the probe landscape. Here, we focus our study on the impact of randomness in the shock formation. In particular, we show that the lack of coherence in the probe wave acts as a strong diffusive term, which is able to hamper or inhibit the shock formation. Our experimental observations are confirmed by numerical predictions based on a system of two incoherently coupled nonlinear Schrödinger Manakov equations.
Study of asymmetric or decentered multi-view designs for uncooled infrared imaging applications
Authors: Mas Adrien , Druart Guillaume , De La Barrière Florence
Published: October 2020

Multi-view architectures using lens arrays can bring interesting features like 3D or multispectral imagery over single aperture cameras. Combined with super-resolution algorithms, multi-view designs are a way to miniaturize cameras while maintaining their resolution. These optical designs can be adapted for thermal infrared imagery and can thus answer the size, weight and power (SWAP) challenge with advanced imagery functions. However, in this spectral range, the choice of an uncooled microbolometer detector imposes a high numerical aperture for the system which increases the size of the optics and makes difficult a multi-channel arrangement combined with a single focal plane array (FPA). In this paper, we theoretically investigate several asymmetric or decentered multi-view designs that allow both a high aperture for the optical channels and the use of a single FPA for the sub-images. Ray-traced designs will illustrate this study and their image quality will be checked with modulation transfer functions (MTF) for different field points.
Beam shaping for ultra-compact waveguide crossings on monolithic silicon photonics platform
Authors: Chandran Sujith , Dahlem Marcus , Bian Yusheng , Moreira Paulo , Jacob Ajey P. , Rakowski Michal , Stricker Andy , Nummy Karen , Meagher Colleen , Peng Bo , Thomas Abu , Hu Shuren , Petykiewicz Jan , Sowinski Zoey , Lee Won Suk , Augur Rod , Riggs Dave , Letavic Ted , Yu Anthony , Giewont Ken , Pellerin John , Viegas Jaime
Published: October 2020

A beam shaping approach has been implemented to realize high-performance waveguide crossings based on cosine tapers. Devices with a compact footprint of

4.7

µ

m

×

4.7

µ

m

were fabricated on the GLOBALFOUNDRIES 45 nm monolithic silicon photonics platform (45 CLO technology). Fabricated devices are found to be nearly wavelength independent (

±
0.035

d
B

for

1260

n
m

≤
λ

≤
1360

n
m

) with low insertion loss (

∼
0.2

d
B

) and crosstalk (

−
35

d
B

). The measured response of the devices is consistent with the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulation results. The design stability is validated by measuring the device insertion loss on eight chips, which is found to be

0.197
±
0.017

d
B

at the designed center wavelength of 1310 nm.
Thermo-optic coefficient of PECVD silicon-rich silicon nitride
Authors: Pruiti Natale G. , Klitis Charalambos , Gough Christopher , May Stuart , Sorel Marc
Published: October 2020

The thermo-optic coefficient (TOC) of photonic integrated waveguides fabricated on silicon-rich silicon nitride grown by plasma-enanched chemical vapor deposition is characterized for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The TOC is found to increase linearly with the fractional composition of silicon over a range from that of silicon nitride to a-Si. This finding is significant for improving the power efficiency of thermally tuned photonic integrated circuits.
Highly efficient generation of coherent light at 2128  nm via degenerate optical-parametric oscillation
Authors: Darsow-Fromm Christian , Schröder Maik , Gurs Julian , Schnabel Roman , Steinlechner Sebastian
Published: October 2020

Cryogenic operation, in conjunction with new test–mass materials, promises to reduce the sensitivity limitations from thermal noise in gravitational-wave detectors. Currently, the most advanced materials under discussion are crystalline silicon as a substrate with amorphous silicon-based coatings. However, they require operational wavelengths around 2 µm to avoid laser absorption. Here we present a light source at 2128 nm based on a degenerate optical parametric oscillator to convert light from a 1064 nm nonplanar ring–oscillator. We achieve an external conversion efficiency of

(

87.1

±

0.4

)
%

at a pump power of 52 mW in periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (internal efficiency was 93%). With our approach, light from the established and existing laser sources can be efficiently converted to the 2 µm regime while retaining the excellent stability properties.
Cloning and expression of Toxoplasma gondii GRA-4 recombinant protein as a toxoplasmosis diagnostic kit candidate
Authors: Hanafiah Muhammad , Helmi Teuku Zahrial , Sutriana Amalia , Priyowidodo Dwi , Fihiruddin Fihiruddin
Published: October 2020

Aim: The objective of this study was to produce recombinant protein GRA-4 (rGRA-4) of a local Toxoplasma gondii isolate as a candidate for a toxoplasmosis diagnosis kit in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) competent cells using pET SUMO plasmid.

Materials and Methods: Samples used were stock T. gondii tachyzoites DNA from the Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. Amplified GRA-4 polymerase chain reaction product of T. gondii tachyzoite DNA was cloned in the pET-SUMO TAR cloning vector. The GRA-4 gene from T. gondii local isolate was sequenced, followed by plasmid transformation, recombinant plasmid DNA isolation, and recombinant protein expression in DE3 competent cells.

Results: The amplification product of GRA-4 T. gondii gene was 1036 bp, with 48 kDa molecular weight after expression in DE3 competent cells. An alignment of the amino acid sequence of GRA-4 from the local isolate which was cloned with GRA-4 was obtained from NCBI database and showed 99.61% homology to the predicted GRA-4 from the T. gondii Izatnagar isolate. Amino acid sequence of the predicted GRA-4 protein from local isolate was different at positions 19 and 304.

Conclusion: This research cloned rGRA-4 in pET SUMO plasmid.
Type-specific seroprevalence of bluetongue in India during 2018 and 2019
Authors: Naresh G. , Putty Kalyani , Reddy Y. Narasimha , Jyothi Y. Krishna
Published: October 2020

Background and Aim: Bluetongue (BT) is a major disease of sheep and goats and is endemic to India. It is known to cause significant economic losses to the sheep industry. The current study aimed to determine the type-specific seroprevalence of BT in sheep population of India during 2018-2019.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples (n=405) were collected from 6 months to 1 year old sheep from six districts (Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Warangal, and Ranga Reddy) of Telangana state, India. Group- and type-specific seroprevalence (against BT virus [BTV] serotypes BTV-1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 16, 21, 23, and 24) was studied by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and serum neutralization test, respectively.

Results: Results showed an overall seroprevalence of 14.81% (n=60) with the highest seroprevalence of 50% in Khammam district. Seroprevalence of BTV-1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 16, 21, 23, and 24 was noted as 16.66%, 11.66%, 31.66%, 11.66%, 05%, 6.66%, 16.66%, 8.33%, 13.33%, 6.66%, and 16.66%, respectively. The majority of the sera neutralized more than 1 serotype, indicating superinfection or circulation of multiple serotypes in the sampled flocks. This mixed seroprevalence was observed in 43.33% of the sera with number of BTV serotype-specific antibodies ranging from two to eight in individual animals.

Conclusion: Regular monitoring of circulating serotypes, especially in young herds, elucidates pattern of dominating serotypes in a particular area during a season. This knowledge can be applied to design appropriate vaccination strategies by including particular serotypes of virus as part of a multivalent vaccine for a particular period, in a particular area.
Sugar apple seedling production as a function of substrates and slow-release fertilizer
Authors: Amorim Scheila Antunes , Lima Augusto Miguel N. , Cavalcante Ítalo Herbert Lucena , Melo Júnior Júlio César Ferreira de , Dias Dayanne do Nascimento , Silva Talison Sousa da , Silva Kátia Araújo da
Published: October 2020

There is still a lack of studies on the effect of slow-release fertilizers and substrates on the production of high-quality sugar apple seedlings. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the quality and biomass of sugar apple seedlings grown in organic substrates at doses of slow-release fertilizer. The experimental design was randomized blocks in split-plot scheme, with four replicates and eleven plants per plot. Substrates were evaluated in the plots (fresh sugarcane bagasse; enriched sugarcane bagasse; coconut powder; commercial organic substrate Tropstrato®), whereas the doses of the slow-release fertilizer Osmocote® were evaluated in the subplots (0; 3; 6; 9; 12 and 15 kg m-3 of substrate). Substrates and slow-release fertilizer doses had effect on the formation of sugar apple seedlings. The effect of slow-release fertilizer is influenced by the substrate used in the formation of sugar apple seedlings. The substrate coconut powder showed the best performance for E%, NL and LAI in sugar apple plants, which reinforces its recommendation to be used in seedling production. For the studied conditions, based on the DQI, we recommend coconut powder associated with the slow-release fertilizer dose of 9 kg m-3 to produce sugar apple seedlings.
Refrigerated storage of pitombas subjected to different packaging
Authors: De Almeida Renato Rosa , Ascari Morgado Cristiane Maria , Rosa de Almeida Verediana Fiorentin , Nascimento Lucas Marquezan , Gomes Nayane Rosa , Campos André José de
Published: October 2020

This study aimed to verify the effect of the association between refrigeration and packaging on the preservation of postharvest quality of pitombas during storage. The fruits were harvested, transported to the laboratory, where they were selected, washed with neutral detergent and drinking water, and left to dry. Subsequently, the fruits packed in polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) + expanded polystyrene (EPS), and no packaging (Control). After this process, they were stored at temperatures of 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14±1 °C at 75±5% relative humidity (RH). The fruits were evaluated during 12 days for postharvest preservation, firmness, soluble solids content, pH, hue angle and chroma of the peel, with three replications of 10 fruits each, using a completely randomized design in a 5 × 5 × 7 factorial scheme (5 temperatures × 5 packages × 7 days of analysis). The results were subjected to analysis of variance (P≤0.05) and, when significant, the means were compared using the Scott-Knott test and regression at a 5% significance level. The use of LDPE packaging associated with refrigeration at 6 °C can be used to store pitombas for 12 days, as these conditions preserved the evaluated parameters, guaranteeing fruit quality.
Alternative substrates and controlled-release fertilizer in the production of yellow passion fruit seedlings
Authors: Braña Muniz Paulo Sérgio , Andrade Neto Romeu de Carvalho , Pereira Lunz Aureny Maria , De Almeida Ueliton Oliveira , De Araújo James Maciel
Published: October 2020

There are many residues that can be used for agriculture, especially as a substrate. However, it is often necessary to fertilize the growing media so that the seedlings can be produced with quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of alternative and commercial substrates associated with different controlled-release fertilizer levels in producing yellow passion fruit seedlings. The experiment was conducted at the Embrapa Acre seedling nursery, with 50% luminosity. We used a randomized block experimental design in a 5 x 3 factorial scheme with 15 treatments, 4 replicates, and 10 plants per plot. The treatments consisted of five controlled-release fertilizer levels (0 kg m-3, 3 kg m-3, 6 kg m-3, 9 kg m-3, and 12 kg m-3) combined with lumps of acerola fruits (LAF), Brazil nut peel (BNP), and commercial (CS) substrates. The evaluated variables were seed height, stem diameter, number of leaves, shoot dry mass (SDM), root dry mass (RDM), total dry mass (TDM), and seedling quality index (SQI). Use of the alternative lumps of acerola fruit (LAF) substrate associated with the 10 kg m-³ level of controlled-release fertilizer promoted the best results. BNP has potential for use as a substrate for passion fruit seedlings, however adjustments are necessary to achieve an adequate composition.
Response of citrus hybrids to Alternaria alternata inoculation
Authors: Da Costa Gabriela , Curtolo Maiara , Magni Thaís Cavichioli , Cristofani-Yaly Mariângela
Published: October 2020

Citrus orchards have some limitations, such as the occurrence of phytosanitary problems. Alternaria brown spot (ABS) is caused by fungus Alternaria alternata, which affects several parts of the plant by producing a host-specific toxin, known as ACT. ABS is a limiting factor in orchards due to the susceptibility of most planted cultivars: ‘Murcott’ tangor and ‘Ponkan’ tangerine. The selection of varieties resistant/tolerant to the disease has economic importance. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to evaluate the response to A. alternata inoculation in a population of ‘Murcott’ tangor vs ‘Pera’ sweet orange hybrids. Leaves of 2-3 centimeters in length of ‘Murcott’ tangor, ‘Pera’ sweet orange, ‘Ponkan’, ‘Dancy’, ‘Fremont’ tangerine and 198 hybrids were collected. For in vitro inoculation, monosporic A. alternata culture at concentration of 105 conidia mL-1 was used. Inoculated leaves were stored in humid chamber. After 24, 48 and 72 hours of inoculation, leaf lesions were evaluated following a diagrammatic scale. The results obtained showed that most hybrids from the crossing of ‘Murcott’ tangor vs ‘Pera’ sweet orange are susceptible to ABS. However, 44 are resistant and ten are tolerant. Among ABS-tolerant hybrids, some have phenotype similar to that of cultivated and commercialized hybrids.
Agronomic characterization of citrandarin fruits and seeds
Authors: Schinor Evandro Henrique , Arakaki Marcelo , Cristofani-Yaly Mariângela
Published: October 2020

In citrus cultivation, rootstocks are of fundamental importance and affect several characteristics of the variety used as canopy. Despite the great diversity within Citrus and related genera, the production of rootstocks in Brazil is restricted to a small number of varieties, making the citrus culture vulnerable to the appearance of phytosanitary problems. The aim of this study was to agronomically characterize fruits and seeds of seven citrandarins [Citrus sunki (Hayata) hort. ex Tanaka x Poncirus trifoliata cv. Rubidoux (L.) Raf.], obtained by controlled crossing. The orchard was installed in randomized blocks, with three replicates, in the municipality of Cordeirópolis, SP, where 20 fruits were collected in each replicate, obtained from free pollination of seven citrandarins, Swingle citrumelo and Rangpur lime. The following variables were evaluated: fruit mass, height, diameter, total number of seeds and percentage of viable seeds per fruit; number of embryos per seed, mass of one thousand seeds, number of seeds in 1.0 kg, final emergence rate, number of seedlings per seed, polyembryony rate, emergence speed index and seedling height at 60 days after sowing. For fruit size, the highest values were obtained for Swingle citrumelo. For number of embryos per seed, seedlings obtained through seed and polyembryony, citrandarin TSxPT 245 showed the highest values. Although citrandarin fruits had smaller size than fruits from commercial Rangpur lime and Swingle citrumelo rootstocks, characteristics related to seeds such as viability, polyembryony and emergence rate, were similar or superior, and can be considered potential new rootstocks for the production of citrus plants.
Redes sociais de gestantes de risco habitual na Atenção Primária à Saúde
Authors: Cabral da Silva Ramos Tatiana , Maria Scherlowski Leal David Helena , Da Silva Tarciso Feijó , Do Nascimento Leite Caroline
Published: October 2020

O cuidado pré-natal inclui a prevenção de doenças, a promoção da saúde e o tratamento de problemas que possam ocorrer durante a gestação.  As relações sociais da mulher neste período podem contribuir para uma melhor assistência pré-natal, ao ampliar os recursos disponíveis para o cuidado em saúde. O objetivo do artigo é apresentar a configuração das redes sociais de gestantes acompanhadas durante o pré-natal em um município de médio porte do Rio de Janeiro em duas unidades de Atenção Primária à Saúde. Utilizou-se a abordagem qualitativa com enfoque na Análise de Redes Sociais.  Os dados foram coletados através de entrevista semiestruturada mediante um roteiro com perguntas que nortearam os relatos das mulheres sobre profissionais e/ou pessoas que acionavam numa perspectiva do cuidado em saúde. O Software UCINET foi utilizado para construção e apresentação das redes sociais e permitiram elucidar as relações das gestantes na busca pelo cuidado em saúde na Atenção Primária à Saúde.  Através do estudo foi possível observar a relevância das relações estabelecidas durante o pré-natal pelas gestantes, com destaque para as figuras do gênero feminino citadas pelas gestantes.  Essas foram vistas como referências para informações e apoio afetivo. Os médicos e enfermeiros, no que tange aos profissionais de saúde, emergiram como aqueles com os quais as relações de vínculo e confiança são mais sólidas.
The Bairn’s Blain- Fibromatosis Colli
Authors: Bajaj Anubha
Published: October 2020

Preface Fibromatosis colli is an exceptional, benign neoplasm of infancy constituted by spindle-shaped cells of sternocleidomastoid muscle. Fibromatosis colli emerges within specific sites such as distal or inferior segment of sternocleidomastoid muscle and is accompanied by diffuse enlargement of the muscle. Although nomenclated as “sternocleidomastoid tumour” or “sternocleidomastoid pseudo-tumour of infancy”, the designation is a misnomer, as the condition is non neoplastic although it may be denominated as a congenital fibrotic disorder.
“The People Shall Continue”: Native American Museums as Archives of Futurity
Authors: Däwes Birgit
Published: October 2020

In the Western cultural archive from James Fenimore Cooper’s ‘noble savages’ to Gore Verbinsky’s 2013 reincarnation of The Lone Ranger, Indigenous American cultures have, for the longest time, been relegated to the past and framed in representations that either displace them into nostalgic folklore or declare them conveniently vanished. While non-Native cultural products such as literary texts, photographs, and paintings, as well as museum exhibitions have coded Indigenous identities as static opposites to modernity, and thus deprived them of a future in Western culture, contemporary Indigenous writers, artists, and curators use these same cultural channels to contest the semiotics of absence, to assert cultural sovereignty, and to empower alternative modes of knowledge. This article considers tribal museums as interventional archives of knowing – in Derrida’s sense of both “assigning residence or of entrusting so as to put into reserve” and of “consigning through gathering together signs” (1995/1996: 3; original emphasis). With examples from a Pueblo cultural context, including an exhibition at Disneyworld, Florida; the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum in Acoma, New Mexico; as well as the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I trace the ways in which Native American museums strategically undermine what Mark Rifkin has termed “settler time” (2017: 9) and claim instead presence, sovereignty, inclusion, modernity, and futurity. In their specific outlines, these exhibits serve simultaneously as archives of Pueblo cultural heritage and as construction sites of temporality itself.1
Deforming a Convex Hypersurface by Anisotropic Curvature Flows
Authors: Ju HongJie , Li BoYa , Liu YanNan
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we consider a fully nonlinear curvature flow of a convex hypersurface in the Euclidean 𝑛-space. This flow involves 𝑘-th elementary symmetric function for principal curvature radii and a function of support function. Under some appropriate assumptions, we prove the long-time existence and convergence of this flow. As an application, we give the existence of smooth solutions to the Orlicz–Christoffel–Minkowski problem.
Model Selection by Balanced Identification: the Interplay of Optimization and Distributed Computing
Authors: Sokolov Alexander V. , Voloshinov Vladimir V.
Published: October 2020

The technology of formal quantitative estimation of the conformity of mathematical models to the available dataset is presented. The main purpose of the technology is to make the model selection decision-making process easier for the researcher. The method is a combination of approaches from the areas of data analysis, optimization and distributed computing including: cross-validation and regularization methods, algebraic modeling in optimization and methods of optimization, automatic discretization of differential and integral equations, and optimization REST-services. The technology is illustrated by a demo case study. A general mathematical formulation of the method is presented. It is followed by a description of the main aspects of algorithmic and software implementation. The list of success stories of the presented approach is substantial. Nevertheless, the domain of applicability and important unresolved issues are discussed.
The de Finetti structure behind some norm-symmetric multivariate densities with exponential decay
Authors: Mai Jan-Frederik
Published: October 2020

We derive a sufficient condition on the symmetric norm ||·|| such that the probability distribution associated with the density function f (x) ∝exp(−λ ||x||) is conditionally independent and identically distributed in the sense of de Finetti’s seminal theorem. The criterion is mild enough to comprise the ℓp
-norms as special cases, in which f is shown to correspond to a polynomially tilted stable mixture of products of transformed Gamma densities. In another special case of interest f equals the density of a time-homogeneous load sharing model, popular in reliability theory, whose motivation is a priori unrelated to the concept of conditional independence. The de Finetti structure reveals a surprising link between time-homogeneous load sharing models and the concept of Lévy subordinators.
Laws of the iterated logarithm on covering graphs with groups of polynomial volume growth
Authors: Namba Ryuya
Published: October 2020

Moderate deviation principles (MDPs) for random walks on covering graphs with groups of polynomial volume growth are discussed in a geometric point of view.
They deal with any intermediate spatial scalings between those of laws of large numbers and those of central limit theorems.
The corresponding rate functions are given by quadratic forms determined by the Albanese metric associated with the given random walks.
We apply MDPs to establish laws of the iterated logarithm on the covering graphs by characterizing the set of all limit points of the normalized random walks.