bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flagging Profitability and the Oil Frontier
Authors: McCormack Geoffrey , Gordon Todd
Published: December 2020

Canadian capitalism has entered a period of intensified volatility. Rooted in persistent profitability problems, it is facing several challenges, including economic stagnation, a household-debt driven real-estate and construction boom, and an increasingly fragile financial system. Drawing on a classical Marxist framework of capitalist crisis, this article explores the dynamics of instability in Canada and the response of the capitalist state, which centres on increased efforts to export oil and gas to China, thereby deepening conflict with Indigenous land defenders, and a redoubling of the assault on workers to increase the rate of exploitation.
“Page after Page I Thought, That’s the Way It Is”
Authors: de Koning Martijn , Sunier Thijl
Published: December 2020

In this ‘Current Debate’ article, we discuss the entanglement of academic discourse and public debates on Islam and Muslims in the Netherlands. Academic output is a crucial but complex constituent of that debate. Many academics write policy reports, or take part in the debate through the media, and, whether they like it or not, their regular work is often co-opted by one of the discursive communities that take part in the debate. Research on Islam and Muslims is thus entangled with predominating knowledge regimes and policy priorities. We discuss several Dutch publications of the last three decades, and three recent books in particular, in order to show this entanglement.
Putting the Pearls of Wisdom in Order: The Unique Necklace by Ibn ʿAbdrabbih
Authors: Toral Isabel
Published: December 2020

This study discusses the form and function of the chapter list that we find in the preface of the adab compilation al-ʿIqd al-farīd by Ibn ʿAbdrabbih (246-328/860-940), and that sometimes appears in manuscripts with the layout of a table of contents. It suggests that this evidence shows that the list represents a transitional stage in the history of the table of contents in the Arabic book — the transition being that from a tool for exposition of the content towards a tool for navigation of that content — and that it reflects a change in reading practices.
Order in the House: Epilogue
Authors: van Berkel Maaike
Published: December 2020

The contributions to this Special Issue of the Journal of Abbasid Studies show that the later third/ninth to the early fifth/eleventh century witnessed the output of a variety of voluminous books, not only in the Arabic-Islamic tradition, but in chronologically parallel cultures as well. For an overall understanding of the writerly culture of the era, further exploration of the organisation of information and the development of tools to locate data is called for. My epilogue offers a step in this direction against the backdrop of fourth/tenth-century caliphal administration and the organisation of archives on the one hand, and a comparison with the later and much more studied Mamluk writerly culture on the other.
Designing Frameworks for Authentic Equity in Science Teaching and Learning: Informal Learning Environments and Teacher Education for STEM
Authors: Adams Jennifer D.
Published: December 2020

In order to advance authentic equity in science education, it is salient to have frameworks that allow educators and researchers to design learning environments, activities, and research agendas that centers students’ strengths in order for them to achieve full participation in science. As such it is important to consider the social identities of science education stakeholders—teachers and students—in teacher education. However, as identity is complex, it requires research approaches that elucidate not only the nuances of teacher identity but also the complexities of science teaching and learning environments. This article describes a collaborative research project that aimed to unpack the relationship between teacher identity and learning to teach. It outlines the collaborative process of theory building that includes teacher participants and the research team and how the framework for teacher education emerged that considers the various aspects of designing equitable and liberatory science learning.
Stretching and Bending the Field
Authors: Misiaszek Lauren Ila
Published: December 2020

In reflecting on the range of my own and others’ work (and how it is mis/understood), the state of the field, and this special issue, I argue that if one remains vigilant and does not assume or take for granted that the inherent risks of saturation and issues such as aesthetic failure, around, for example, ontologies, epistemologies, and geographic locations are resolved (they aren’t), CIE is a field that can be widely expansive. Yet, in the spirit of my previous work around the interconnected dynamic of moving “from discoursal vigilance to concrete possibilities for inclusion” (Misiaszek, 2019), the field’s expansiveness is only important if it results in new, concrete contributions to education as a project of social justice in this unprecedented historical moment.
Decolonising ‘Context’ in Comparative Education: The Potential of Oceanian Theories of Relationality
Authors: Spratt Rebecca , Coxon Eve
Published: December 2020

This article addresses long standing and inter-connected tensions within Comparative and International Education (cie) as a field of research: those of an inadequate theorising of ‘context’ and of a continued and deeply ‘entangled’ colonial legacy. While supporting many of the arguments outlined in recent theorisations of context as ‘assemblage’ we propose a more explicitly relational cie approach, drawing on both Southern Theory’s inter-epistemic project and our learnings from Indigenous scholars of Oceania.
Herpetological higher taxa nomina 4. Batrachia Brongniart, 1800

Authors: DUBOIS ALAIN , FRÉTEY THIERRY
Published: December 2020

The nomen Batrachia has been very extensively used in the scientific literature since 1800, but for two different taxa of recent amphibians. The first one, originally introduced by Brongniart (1800), corresponds to a taxon encompassing all recent taxa of frogs and salamanders but excluding the caecilians. The second one, used first by Oppel (1811), corresponds to a taxon including all recent amphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians). Both these nomina are shown here to be sozodiaphonyms, and therefore, under DONS, the latter must be definitively rejected as invalid, in favour of the nomen Lissamphibia Gadow, 1898. As for Batrachia Brongniart, 1800, we also consider it for the time being as invalid, as the trichotomy involving the three main groups of recent amphibians is not yet resolved. But if the sister-taxa relationship between Anura and Urodela is later confirmed, the nomen Batrachia, which is currently a hypnokyronym, will be available for it.
Approximate Models for Lateral Growth on Ice Crystal Surfaces during Vapor Depositional Growth
Authors: Harrington Jerry Y. , Pokrifka Gwenore F.
Published: December 2020

Measurements show that after facets form on frozen water droplets, those facets grow laterally across the crystal surface leading to an increase in volume and surface area with only a small increase in maximum dimension. This lateral growth of the facets is distinctly different from that predicted by the capacitance model and by the theory of faceted growth. In this paper we develop two approximate theories of lateral growth, one that is empirical and one that uses explicit growth mechanisms. We show that both theories can reproduce the overall features of lateral growth on a frozen, supercooled water droplet. Both theories predict that the area-average deposition coefficient should decrease in time as the particle grows, and this result may help explain the divergence of some prior measurements of the deposition coefficient. The theories may also explain the approximately constant mass growth rates that have recently been found in some measurements. We also show that the empirical theory can reproduce the lateral growth that occurs when a previously sublimated crystal is regrown, as may happen during the recycling of crystals in cold clouds.
Convection and Heat Transfer in Island (Warm) Wakes
Authors: Azevedo Cátia C. , Camargo Carolina M. L. , Alves José , Caldeira Rui M. A.
Published: December 2020

The interaction between the incoming winds and high mountainous islands produces a wind-sheltered area on the leeward side, known as the atmospheric wake. In addition to weaker winds, the wake is also characterized by a clearing of clouds, resulting in intense solar radiation reaching the sea surface. As a consequence, a warm oceanic wake forms on the leeward side. This phenomenon, detectable from space, can extend 100 km offshore of Madeira, where the sea surface temperature can be 4°C higher than the surrounding oceanic waters. This study considers in situ, remote sensing, and ocean circulation model data to investigate the effects of the warm wake in the vertical structure of the upper ocean. To characterize the convective layer (25–70 m) developing within the oceanic wake, 200 vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, and turbulence were considered, together with the computation of the density ratio and Turner angle. In comparison with the open-ocean water column, wake waters are strongly stratified with respect to temperature, although highly unstable. The vertical profiles of salinity show distinct water parcels that sink and/or rise as a response to the intense heat fluxes. During the night, the ocean surface cools, leading to the stretching of the mixed layer, which was replicated by the ocean circulation model. In exposed, nonwake regions, however, particularly on the southeast and north coasts of the island, the stretching of the mixed layer is not detectable.
To Share or Hide? A Social Network Approach to Understanding Knowledge Sharing and Hiding in Organizational Work Teams
Authors: Su Chunke
Published: December 2020

Although knowledge sharing is almost ubiquitously promoted in today’s organizations, knowledge hiding is still prevalent. Extending transactive memory systems (TMS) theory and the dialectical tension model, this study employs a social network approach to empirically examine how knowledge sharing is related to knowledge hiding, and how work and social relationships are related to knowledge sharing and hiding in organizational work teams. Whole-network survey data were collected from 200 employees in 31 organizational work teams across the U.S. and China. Exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) analyses of these network data show that knowledge sharing is not significantly related to knowledge hiding. Moreover, while work relationships such as work-related communication and task interdependence are positively related to knowledge sharing, social relationships such as interpersonal justice, social communication, and trust are negatively related to knowledge hiding. These findings validate the dialectical tension model by revealing a co-existent relationship between knowledge sharing and hiding, and endorse the critical role of work-related and social communication in TMS development.
Investigation of the cavitation performance in an engine cooling water pump at different temperature
Authors: Li We , Wu Pu , Yang Yongfei , Shi Weidong , Li Weiqiang
Published: December 2020

Cavitation damage in engine cooling water pump is the main factor that shortens the lifespan of the cooling system and gives rise to undesirable phenomena such as vibration and noise. In order to reveal the influence of key factors such as temperature and speed on the cavitation performance of engine cooling water pump, the cavitation performance of the engine cooling water pump under different rotating speeds and temperatures is obtained through the experimental study, and the cavitation flow pattern in the engine cooling water pump under different temperatures is captured using high-speed photography. The result shows that, as the temperature of the working medium changes from 25 °C to 70 °C, the head of the pump increases by 5.9% under the part-loading condition, the efficiency has an increase by 7.1% near the design condition and the shaft power keeps decrease by about 5.6%. Cavitation performance under different rotating speeds is found not to agree with the similar law. With the increase of temperature, the inlet pressure of cavitation initial increases and the cavitation performance deteriorates, the cavitation distribution region inside the impeller gradually expands and presents asymmetric distribution, indicating that thermodynamic effect has a positive effect on the occurrence of cavitation in the engine cooling water pump.
A Cross-Sectional Study of Psychological Flexibility as a Mediator for the Relationship Between Acculturative Stress and Cardiovascular Health Behaviors Among Second-Generation Arab Americans
Authors: Merizian Randa , Mallinson R. Kevin , Kitsantas Panagiota , Gallo Sina
Published: December 2020

Introduction:

Second-generation Arab Americans may be at risk for poor cardiovascular health behaviors, but these behaviors are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acculturative stress and psychological flexibility on cardiovascular health behaviors among second-generation Arab Americans.

Method:

In a cross-sectional study, survey data were collected in 2018 at local mosques, churches, and a university campus. Cardiovascular health behaviors were measured with a questionnaire based on the American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7. Acculturative stress and psychological flexibility were assessed using reliable and valid measures.

Results:

Participants ( n = 325) with higher acculturative stress were significantly more likely to report intermediate overall cardiovascular health behaviors ( p = .01) and poor to intermediate diet ( p = .00). Psychological flexibility partially mediated poor/intermediate smoking ( p = .02) and intermediate diet ( p = .00) scores.

Discussion:

Nurses may consider the role of acculturation when designing culturally sensitive interventions to promote cardiovascular health in second-generation populations.
A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Association Between Working Alliance and Outcomes of Individual Career Counseling
Authors: Milot-Lapointe Francis , Le Corff Yann , Arifoulline Nicole
Published: December 2020

This article reports on the results of the first meta-analysis of the association between working alliance and outcomes of individual career counseling. This random-effects meta-analysis included 18 published and unpublished studies that produced a weighted mean effect size of r = .42. This effect size was heterogeneous across studies. Separate meta-analyses were conducted for several types of outcomes: Career outcomes, mental health outcomes, and client-perceived quality of the intervention. Average effect sizes for the association between working alliance and types of outcomes were .28, .18 and .62, respectively. Moderator analyses indicated that the overall mean effect size ( r =.42) varied in a large proportion as a function of the type of outcomes and the time of assessment of working alliance (first session, mid or at termination of the counseling service). Our results confirm that working alliance is associated to career counseling effectiveness and suggest that career counselors should emphasize on the working alliance during the career counseling process. In conclusion, this article provides suggestions for practice in individual career counseling and avenues of research on working alliance in this context.
‘You wouldn’t get that from watching TV!’: Exploring audience responses to virtual reality non-fiction in the home
Authors: Green David Philip , Rose Mandy , Bevan Chris , Farmer Harry , Cater Kirsten , Fraser Danaë Stanton
Published: December 2020

Consumer virtual reality (VR) headsets (e.g. Oculus Go) have brought VR non-fiction (VRNF) within reach of at-home audiences. However, despite increase in VR hardware sales and enthusiasm for the platform among niche audiences at festivals, mainstream audience interest in VRNF is not yet proven. This is despite a growing body of critically acclaimed VRNF, some of which is freely available. In seeking to understand a lack of engagement with VRNF by mainstream audiences, we need to be aware of challenges relating to the discovery of content and bear in mind the cost, inaccessibility and known limitations of consumer VR technology. However, we also need to set these issues within the context of the wider relationships between technology, society and the media, which have influenced the uptake of new media technologies in the past. To address this work, this article provides accounts by members of the public of their responses to VRNF as experienced within their households. We present an empirical study – one of the first of its kind – exploring these questions through qualitative research facilitating diverse households to experience VRNF at home, over several months. We find considerable enthusiasm for VR as a platform for non-fiction, but we also find this enthusiasm tempered by ethical concerns relating to both the platform and the content, and a pervasive tension between the platform and the home setting. Reflecting on our findings, we suggest that VRNF currently fails to meet any ‘supervening social necessity’ (Winston, 1996, Technologies of Seeing: Photography, Cinematography and Television. British: BFI.) that would pave the way for widespread domestic uptake, and we reflect on future directions for VR in the home.
Reading identities across language contexts: The role of language of text and talk for multilingual learners
Authors: Wagner Christopher J
Published: December 2020

Reading identities are the ways that a child constructs the self as a reader across contexts and time. This study examines the impact of language contexts on the reading identities of multilingual children. Participants were ten prekindergarten children participating in a Chinese-English family literacy programme with a parent or grandparent. Participants read Chinese and English language books across English, Chinese and multilingual contexts. Children’s reading identities were examined across language contexts to explore the interplay between language contexts and reading identities. Findings describe convergences and differences in reading identities across contexts for Chinese, English and multilingual language use and Chinese and English texts, and provide insights into the ways that different language contexts for reading affect multilingual children’s early reading identities. Multilingual contexts appear to provide key spaces for the development of reading identities, and English and Chinese contexts contribute to unique aspects of children’s reading identities.
Carotid-Esophageal Fistula Treated By Endovascular Approach
Authors: Fachin Camila Girardi , Demartini Zeferino , Pinto Amanda Satuti Alcure , Klüppel Elis Novochadlo , Teixeira Bernardo Corrêa de Almeida , Bischoff Cristiano , Bonin Eduardo Aimore , Dias Andre Ivan Bradley dos Santos
Published: December 2020

The carotid-esophageal fistula is a rare and serious complication of the metallic esophageal prosthesis. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis and treatment, decreasing the morbidity and mortality rate of this severe complication. We report a case of a 4-year-old boy presenting severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to a carotid-esophageal fistula, secondary to deployment of an esophageal metallic prosthesis for treatment of a recurrent stenosis. The carotid pseudo-aneurism was successfully treated with stents and coils. Although endovascular treatment is a safe and effective option, arterial stenting in children needs further studies with long-term follow-up.
Correction to: The low-copy nuclear gene Agt1 as a novel DNA barcoding marker for Bromeliaceae
Authors: Bratzel Fabian , Heller Sascha , Cyrannek Nadine , Paule Juraj , Leme Elton M. C. , Loreth Anna , Nowotny Annika , Kiefer Markus , Till Walter , Barfuss Michael H. J. , Lexer Christian , Koch Marcus A. , Zizka Georg
Published: December 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
GEF-independent Ran activation shifts a fraction of the protein to the cytoplasm and promotes cell proliferation
Authors: Zhou Jinhan , Tan Yuping , Zhang Yuqing , Tong Aiping , Shen Xiaofei , Sun Xiaodong , Jia Da , Sun Qingxiang
Published: December 2020

Ran (Ras-related nuclear protein) plays several important roles in nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, mitotic spindle formation, nuclear envelope/nuclear pore complex assembly, and other functions in the cytoplasm, as well as in cellular transformation when switched on. Unlike other members of the GTPase superfamily, Ran binds more tightly to GDP than to GTP due to the presence of an auto-inhibitory C-terminal tail. Multiple missense mutations in the C-terminus of Ran occur in cancers, but their biological significance remains unclear. Here, the quantitative GDP/GTP binding preference of four engineered mutations with unstable C-termini was analyzed using a devised mant-GDP dissociation assay. The results showed that the impact of different C-terminal mutations depends on multiple factors. Although these mutants were more GTP-loaded in human cells, they were shown to be more cytoplasmic, and to support nuclear transport with minimally or partially reduced efficiency. Further, several Ran cancer mutants were compromised in autoinhibition, slightly more GTP-bound, more cytoplasmic, and enhanced the proliferation of A549 and HeLa cells in vitro. Thus, our work reveals a new route of Ran activation independent of guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), which may account for the hyper-proliferation induced by Ran cancer mutations.
President's Page: SEG is moving forward … and moving to Houston
Authors: Nessim Maurice
Published: December 2020

There is all kinds of energy in Houston, and SEG is seizing an opportunity to become re-energized by establishing its base there.
Interactions and Coordination between Monetary and Macroprudential Policies
Authors: Van der Ghote Alejandro
Published: December 2020

I study monetary and macroprudential policy intervention in a general equilibrium economy with recurrent boom-bust cycles. forward-looking variables to also react to policy intervention during phases in which the intervention is inactive. Macroprudential policies that contain systemic risk in financial markets during booms, therefore, relax market-based funding constraints during busts, which helps mitigate the severity and shorten the duration of economic meltdowns. Contractionary monetary interventions during booms also have (latent) beneficial effects during busts. Coordination between the two policy instruments improves social welfare over standard, Recurrence causes noncoordinated policy interventions, but improvement is moderate. (JEL E32, E44, E52, E61)
Avaliação da capacidade redutora de lipidograma do extrato aquoso de Abelmoschus esculentus: estudo in vivo
Authors: Magri Ana Luiza Fontinele , De Morais Ellane de Jesus Nascimento , Vitorino Giovana Costa , Oliveira João Victor Alves
Published: December 2020

Objetivo: Avaliar a relação do extrato aquoso de A. esculentus como agente redutor das taxas de lipídeos no sangue periférico de Rattus novergicus. Métodos: Foram usados Rattus novergicus (n=21), divididos em três grupos de sete, com alimentação ad libitum, sendo um grupo controle negativo, um controle positivo e um teste, onde os três foram submetidos a uma dieta hipercalórica, sendo que no segundo houve administração de Sinvastatina® e no terceiro, extrato aquoso de A. esculentus. Foi realizada a dosagem sérica de colesterol total, triglicerídeos e HDL, além das medidas de peso e tamanho. Resultados:O grupo T apresentou resultado significativo para o colesterol HDL, quando comparado ao controle negativo, mostrando-se com valor de 40,33 ± 1,25 mg/dl e 35,5 ± 0,92 mg/dl, respectivamente, p < 0,05. Porém, em relação aos demais parâmetros, o extrato aquoso não apresentou significância estatística, quando comparado aos controles positivo e negativo. Conclusão: O extrato aquoso de A. esculentus mostrou-se eficaz na elevação do HDL plasmático.
Depressive symptoms in adolescence and quality of life 17 years later – follow-up study
Authors: Modrzejewska Renata , Bomba Jacek , Cofór Paulina , Pac Agnieszka
Published: December 2020

Cel pracy

Celem badania jest próba znalezienia odpowiedzi na pytanie w jakim stopniu objawy depresyjne pojawiające się w okresie środkowej i późnej adolescencji wpływają na jakość życia w dorosłości.

Metoda

Grupę badaną stanowiło 308 dorosłych osób spośród 3445, które w 2000 roku uczestniczyły w badaniu rozpowszechnienia objawów depresyjnych wśród uczniów. Po 17 latach, do wszystkich osób przesłano listy z informacją o celu badania oraz ankietą autorską, do której dołączono skale jakości życia w oparciu o skalę COURAGE-SNI (The Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe Social Network Index) oraz jakości sieci społecznej WHOQOL-AGE.

Wyniki

Obecność objawów depresyjnych w nieleczonej populacji adolescentów wiąże się, w przypadku kobiet, z uzyskaniem gorszego wykształcenia i mniejszą możliwością wykonywania pracy zawodowej w dorosłym życiu w porównaniu do ich niedepresyjnych rówieśniczek. Natomiast mężczyźni niedepresyjni w okresie dojrzewania podejmują prace, w których częściej uzyskują wysokie dochody.
Analiza jakości życia wykazała istotne statystycznie różnice między mężczyznami i kobietami. W grupie niedepresyjnych mężczyzn zaobserwowano większe zadowolenia z posiadanych środków finansowych. W przypadku dorosłych kobiet, osoby depresyjne w okresie dorastania, deklarowały poczucie niższej jakości życia ogółem oraz zadowolenia z spędzania wolnego czasu, realizacji celów życiowych i posiadanych środków finansowych. Niedepresyjne kobiety, po siedemnastu latach, prezentowały wyższą jakość sieci społecznych

Wnioski

Wieloletnia obserwacja w przedstawionym badaniu prospektywnym wspiera hipotezę o rozwojowym charakterze depresji młodzieńczej
Assessment of Dietary, Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviours of Singapore Schooling Youths
Authors: Loong Claudine , Tay Mia Eng , Loke Wai Mun
Published: December 2020

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may set youths on the path to developing non-communicable diseases. Singapore schooling youths (n = 235, 67.2% female, age 17.5 (mean) ± 1.0 (SD) years) were recruited to examine the dietary, alcohol use, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors of the Singapore schooling youths. Demographic, anthropometric, and sedentary hours information were collected using structured questionnaires. Physical activity levels and dietary intakes, including alcohol use, were assessed using the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire - long-form and localized food frequency questionnaire, respectively. The surveyed youths consumed significantly larger daily amounts of energy, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium than the levels recommended by the Singapore Health Promotion Board. They did not achieve the daily amounts of dietary fiber, fruits, and vegetables, and derived unhealthy proportions of daily energy from sugar and saturated fat. They did not exceed the recommended maximum daily alcohol allowance. Close to all the youths (91.2%) failed to adhere to more than five of the nine recommended healthy eating habits. Majority of these youths (73.4%) partook less than 600 MET-minute/ week. A significant number of the youths (38.1%) spent more than eight sedentary hours daily. Physical activity correlated significantly with sedentary behavior levels, but not the dietary scores. Most surveyed youths engaged in low physical activity and high sedentary behavior, and did not comply with most of the healthy eating guidelines proposed by the Singapore Health Promotion Board, specifically on daily energy, sugar, dietary fibers, saturated fat, sodium, and fruit and vegetable intakes.
Nutritional Value and Heavy Metals Content of Sea Cucumber Holothuria Scabra Commercially Harvested in Indonesia
Authors: Ardiansyah Ardi , Rasyid Abdullah , Siahaan Evi Amelia , Pangestuti Ratih , Murniasih Tutik
Published: December 2020

Holothuria scabra is one of the commercial sea cucumber species harvested in Indonesia. The objective of this study is to analyze nutritional value and heavy metals content of H. scabra collected from 4 different locations, Bungin Island (West Nusa Tenggara), Belitung Island, Lampung, and Makassar. Proximate composition, mineral, and heavy metal were analyzed by the AOAC standard method. Amino acid profiles were analyzed by UPLC, fatty acid contents were determined by GC, and vitamin were detected by HPLC. The results show that all H. scabra from different locations have high protein and low fat content. Protein content in H. scabra from Bungin Island showed the highest percentage with 6.95%. Vitamins (A, B1, and B12) and heavy metals examined in this study were not detected, while vitamin B2 from Belitung, Makassar and Lampung were 0.06 mg/100 g, 0.06 mg/100 g, and 0.04 mg/100 g respectively and vitamin E from Bungin and Belitung were 0.18 mg/100g and 0.35 mg/100g. The calcium content was higher than other minerals followed by sodium. Total 18 amino acids were identified where glycine was the major constituent (5798.80–16789.18) mg/kg). In the case of fatty acids, omega-6 from Bungin Island and Makassar were the major constituent with 0.1834 % and 0.1377 %. Meanwhile, omega-9 from Belitung Island and Lampung were the major constituent with 0.2466 % and 0.1773 %. Therefore, it could be inferred that the sea cucumber H. scabra from all sampling locations is safely to consume and could be utilized as a source of functional food in the future.
Nutritional Enzymes Inhibitory Activities of Fruit Juice and Fruit Pulp Extract of Muntingia Calabura L.
Authors: Niwele Florensia , Sintaria Sitepu Putri , Simamora Adelina , Herawan Timotius Kris , Widodo Santoso Adit
Published: December 2020

The fruit of Kersen or cherry (Muntingia calabura), a popular shade tree, is not yet promoted as a marketable fruit or a healthy herbal drink. This study aimed to investigate potential health benefits of fruit juice and crude extract of the fruit pulp of M. calabura including their antioxidant potential and inhibitory activities on several enzymes related to metabolic disorders. Fresh juice (FJ) of M.calabura fruit was obtained by juice extractor, whereas the fruit pulp (FP) was dried and macerated with ethanol to obtain the crude extract. Both were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, xanthine oxidase, lipase, and protease. Antioxidant activity was evaluated based on their scavenging activity on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. Both FJ and FP showed good antidiabetic activity by inhibiting α-glucosidase (IC50 162.00 and 84.70 µg/mL, respectively) and α-amylase (IC50 422.34 and 80.46 µg/mL, respectively). In comparison, IC50 of acarbose on α-glucosidase and α-amylase were 130.66 and 152.46 µg/mL, respectively. The FJ and FP extract showed anti-hyperuricemia activity by inhibiting xanthine oxidase (0.02 and 2.78 mg allopurinol equivalent/mL for FJ and FP, respectively). However, weak inhibition activities on protease and lipase were observed for the FJ and FP extract compared to the references used. Similarly, FJ and FP exhibited weak scavenging activity on DPPH, when compared with BHT and ascorbic acid. The study recommends the fruit of M.calabura as a potential source of antidiabetic and anti-hyperuricemia agents. The fruit can be further explored for nutraceutical applications.
Characteristics Co-Encapsulation of Lactobacillus Acidophilus with Dictyophora Indusiata
Authors: Srisuk Narakorn , Jirasatid Sani
Published: December 2020

Dictyophora indusiate (bamboo mushroom) contains bioactive compounds, particularly fiber (13.30-15.17%). Therefore, Lactobacillus acidophilus was encapsulated in alginate beads and alginate-bamboo mushroom beads, with the objective to improve the survival of probiotic after exposure to gastrointestinal fluids. Either egg or fruit body of bamboo mushroom powder at concentrations of 0, 0.8, 1 and 3% (w/v) were added to encapsulate L. acidophilus by extrusion technique. The addition of bamboo mushroom did not influence the size (3.0 mm) and shape of the moist beads as well as encapsulation yield (94-97%), but they resulted in less interconnected network, causing larger pores when compared to alginate bead without bamboo mushroom. However, the beads in combination with bamboo mushroom (survival rate of 63-68%) and without bamboo mushroom (survival rate of 67%) provided greater protection of cells, enhancing their survival in gastrointestinal condition as compared to cells without encapsulation (survival rate of 34%). This study indicated that bamboo mushroom has the capability to be used as a matrix for co-encapsulation of probiotic cells against simulated gastrointestinal condition.
Kinetic Study of Water and Total Soluble Solid Changes of Black Cherry Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum cv. OG) Sauce using Rotary Vacuum Evaporation
Authors: Ha Ho Thi Ngan , Minh Thuy Nguyen
Published: December 2020

Kinetics of water removal and total soluble solid (TSS) content change of black cherry tomato (cv. OG) sauce by rotary vacuum evaporation (RVE) were investigated. The effect of different vacuum conditions (vacuum levels and boiling temperatures of 500 mmHg - 80oC, 550 mmHg - 75oC, 600 mmHg - 70oC and 650 mmHg - 65oC) during evaporation /concentration was examined. Tomatoes puree with an initial TSS of 13.47±0.18oBrix was concentrated to 39.83±0.30oBrix. There was a linear relationship between water removal and time during the concentration of black cherry tomato sauce by RVE. The TSS change of tomato sauce during the concentration was applied to three exponential mathematical models (two-parameter, three-parameter, and four-parameter). In studying the consistency of all models, some statistical indicators, namely the coefficient of determination (R2), the chi-square (χ2) as well as the root mean square error (RMSE) were considered. Among the models, the three-parameter exponential model was proven to best describe the concentration behavior of the tomato sauce using rotary vacuum evaporation with the highest R2, the lowest χ2, and the lowest RMSE. The validation with the experimental data at other vacuum levels had also confirmed the consistency of the selected model. This knowledge is very important for process optimization and product quality improvement.
The Hydrolysis of Fish Protein from Giant Mudskipper (Periophthalmodon Schlosseri) using Alcalase Enzyme
Authors: Edison Edison , Dewita Dewita , Karnila Rahman , Yoswaty Dessy
Published: December 2020

Giant mudskippers (Periophthalmodon schlosseri) are amphibious fish and considered as endemic fish, so it can not be found in any other place and they live in a typical habitat in a tidal area with the mud of mangroves. Mudskipper These fish is relatively untapped as food source. This research aims to obtain the optimum conditions of enzyme concentration, pH, temperature, and hydrolysis incubation time on the degress of hydrolysis of alcalase enzyme in giant mudskipper (P. schlosseri). The production of fish protein hydrolysate was conducted by varying one parameter at a time to determine its effect without considering interactions with other parameters. The results obtained optimum hydrolysis at 1.5% alcalase concentration of protein weight, pH 7.5, temperature 50°C, and the duration of hydrolysis 2 hours. The degree of hydrolysis produced at the optimum condition was 67.44%.
The impact of medical device regulation on hospital doctors who prescribe and manufacture custom-made devices
Authors: Green James IJ
Published: December 2020

The 1990s saw the implementation of three European directives that aimed to standardise medical device legislation. EU regulations replace and repeal these directives, to improve the safety, effectiveness and traceability of medical devices. This article discusses the implications of the Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (Medical Device Regulation) for hospital doctors who prescribe and manufacture custom-made medical devices.
Single-stage medial plateau elevation and metaphyseal osteotomies in advanced-stage Blount's disease: A new technique
Authors: Baraka Mostafa M. , Hefny Hany M. , Mahran Mahmoud A. , Fayyad Tamer A. , Abdelazim Haytham , Nabil Amr
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Surgical treatment in advanced-stage infantile Blount's disease with medial plateau (MP) depression is challenging. Several osteotomies and fixation methods have been described with no established benchmark. We conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new single-stage technique for acute medial condyle elevation and metaphyseal osteotomies with internal fixation.

Methods

A prospective case series of 19 consecutive patients (21 knees) with severe infantile Blount's disease underwent a single-stage MP elevation and metaphyseal osteotomies, with internal fixation. The mean age was 10.3 years (8.2 to 13.6) and the mean follow-up was 5.1 years (3.2 to 8.3). The outcome measures included clinical and radiological parameters and patient-reported pediatric outcomes data collection instrument (PODCI) score.

Results

The mean PODCI score improved significantly from 50% to 88%. The mean internal tibial torsion improved from -27° to 11°. All cases maintained full knee extension, no limitation in flexion range of movement and no signs of instability or lateral thrust gait. All the radiographic parameters improved significantly; the mean tibiofemoral angle improved from -29° to 7°, the metaphyseal-diaphyseal angle improved from 33.4° to 4.7° and the angle of depressed MP improved from 38.3° to 2.4° (p < 0.001). At the latest follow-up, no cases of deformity recurrence were identified, the final limb-length discrepancy was < 1 cm in all patients.

Conclusion

Single-stage MP elevation and metaphyseal osteotomies with internal fixation significantly improved the clinical and radiographic parameters and PODCI score in advanced infantile Blount's disease and precluded the use of external immobilization, with no evidence of deformity recurrence.

Level of evidence

IV
Real-time observation of the thermo-optical and heat dissipation processes in microsphere resonators
Authors: Zhou Haidong , Xiao Bowen , Yang Ningning , Yuan Shixing , Zhu Song , Duan Yuhua , Shi Lei , Zhang Chi , Zhang Xinliang
Published: December 2020

This work reports the real-time observation of the thermo-optical dynamics in silica microsphere resonators based on the dispersive time stretch technique. In general, the thermo-optical dynamics of silica microsphere resonators, including the thermal refraction and thermal expansion, can be characterized by the resonance wavelength shift, whose duration is at the millisecond timescale. However, this fast wavelength shift process cannot be directly captured by conventional spectroscopy, and only its transmission feature can be characterized by a fast-scanning laser and an intensity detector. With the advance of the time-stretch spectroscopy, whose temporal resolution is up to tens of nanoseconds, the thermo-optical dynamics can be observed in a more straight-forward way, by utilizing the pump-probe technology and mapping the resonance wavelength to the time domain. Here, the thermo-optical dynamics are explored as a function of the power and the scanning rate of the pump laser. Theoretical simulations reproduce the experimental results, revealing that the thermo-optical dynamics of silica microsphere resonators is dominated by the fast thermo-optical effect and the slow heat dissipation process to the surroundings, which leads to gradual regression of the resonance wavelength. This work provides an alternative solution for studying the thermo-optical dynamics in whispering gallery mode microresonators, which would be crucial for future applications of microresonator photonic systems.
PremPS: Predicting the impact of missense mutations on protein stability
Authors: Chen Yuting , Lu Haoyu , Zhang Ning , Zhu Zefeng , Wang Shuqin , Li Minghui
Published: December 2020

Computational methods that predict protein stability changes induced by missense mutations have made a lot of progress over the past decades. Most of the available methods however have very limited accuracy in predicting stabilizing mutations because existing experimental sets are dominated by mutations reducing protein stability. Moreover, few approaches could consistently perform well across different test cases. To address these issues, we developed a new computational method PremPS to more accurately evaluate the effects of missense mutations on protein stability. The PremPS method is composed of only ten evolutionary- and structure-based features and parameterized on a balanced dataset with an equal number of stabilizing and destabilizing mutations. A comprehensive comparison of the predictive performance of PremPS with other available methods on nine benchmark datasets confirms that our approach consistently outperforms other methods and shows considerable improvement in estimating the impacts of stabilizing mutations. A protein could have multiple structures available, and if another structure of the same protein is used, the predicted change in stability for structure-based methods might be different. Thus, we further estimated the impact of using different structures on prediction accuracy, and demonstrate that our method performs well across different types of structures except for low-resolution structures and models built based on templates with low sequence identity. PremPS can be used for finding functionally important variants, revealing the molecular mechanisms of functional influences and protein design. PremPS is freely available athttps://lilab.jysw.suda.edu.cn/research/PremPS/, which allows to do large-scale mutational scanning and takes about four minutes to perform calculations for a single mutation per protein with ~ 300 residues and requires ~ 0.4 seconds for each additional mutation.
Classification and characterisation of livestock production systems in northern Tanzania
Authors: de Glanville William A. , Davis Alicia , Allan Kathryn J. , Buza Joram , Claxton John R. , Crump John A. , Halliday Jo E. B. , Johnson Paul C. D. , Kibona Tito J. , Mmbaga Blandina T. , Swai Emmanuel S. , Uzzell Christopher B. , Yoder Jonathan , Sharp Jo , Cleaveland Sarah
Published: December 2020

Livestock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa face a range of pressures, including climate change, land loss, restrictive policies, and population increase. Widespread adaptation in response can lead to the emergence of new, non-traditional typologies of livestock production. We sought to characterise livestock production systems in two administrative regions in northern Tanzania, an area undergoing rapid social, economic, and environmental change. Questionnaire and spatial data were collected from 404 livestock-keeping households in 21 villages in Arusha and Manyara Regions in 2016. Multiple factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to classify households into livestock production systems based on household-level characteristics. Adversity-based indicators of vulnerability, including reports of hunger, illness, and livestock, land and crop losses were compared between production systems. Three distinct clusters emerged through this process. The ethnic, environmental and livestock management characteristics of households in each cluster broadly mapped onto traditional definitions of ‘pastoral’, ‘agro-pastoral’ and ‘smallholder’ livestock production in the study area, suggesting that this quantitative classification system is complementary to more qualitative classification methods. Our approach allowed us to demonstrate a diversity in typologies of livestock production at small spatial scales, with almost half of study villages comprising more than one production system. We also found indicators of change within livestock production systems, most notably the adoption of crop agriculture in the majority of pastoral households. System-level heterogeneities in vulnerability were evident, with agro-pastoral households most likely to report hunger and pastoral households most likely to report illness in people and livestock, and livestock losses. We demonstrate that livestock production systems can provide context for assessing household vulnerability in northern Tanzania. Policy initiatives to improve household and community well-being should recognise the continuing diversity of traditional livestock production systems in northern Tanzania, including the diversity that can exist at small spatial scales.
Translocating Mycobacterium ulcerans: An experimental model
Authors: Hammoudi Nassim , Fellag Mustapha , Militello Muriel , Bouam Amar , Drancourt Michel
Published: December 2020

Mycobacterium ulcerans is a non-tuberculous environmental mycobacterium responsible for extensive cutaneous and subcutaneous ulcers in mammals, known as Buruli ulcer in humans. M. ulcerans has seldom been detected in the faeces of mammals and has not been detected in human faeces. Nevertheless, the detection and isolation of M. ulcerans in animal faeces does not fit with the current epidemiological schemes for the disease. Here, using an experimental model in which rats were fed with 109 colony-forming units of M. ulcerans, we detected M. ulcerans DNA in the faeces of challenged rats for two weeks and along their digestive tract for 10 days. M. ulcerans DNA was further detected in the lymphatic system including in the cervical and axillary lymph nodes and the spleen, but not in any other tissue including healthy and broken skin, 10 days post-challenge. These observations indicate that in some herbivorous mammals, M. ulcerans contamination by the digestive route may precede translocation and limited contamination of the lymphatic tissues without systemic infection. These herbivorous mammals may be sources of M. ulcerans for exposed populations but are unlikely to be reservoirs for the pathogen.
Climatic drivers of Verticillium dahliae occurrence in Mediterranean olive-growing areas of southern Spain
Authors: Requena-Mullor Juan M. , García-Garrido Jose Manuel , García Pedro Antonio , Rodríguez Estefanía
Published: December 2020

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungusVerticillium dahliae, is one of the most harmful diseases in Mediterranean olive-growing areas. Although, the effects of both soil temperature and moisture onV.dahliaeare well known, there is scant knowledge about what climatic drivers affect the occurrence of the pathogen on a large scale. Here, we investigate what climatic drivers determineV.dahliaeoccurrence in olive-growing areas in southern Spain. In order to bridge this gap in knowledge, a large-scale field survey was carried out to collect data on the occurrence ofV.dahliaein 779 olive groves in Granada province. Forty models based on competing combinations of climatic variables were fitted and evaluated using information-theoretic methods. A model that included a multiplicative combination of seasonal and extreme climatic variables was found to be the most viable one. Isothermality and the seasonal distribution of precipitation were the most important variables influencing the occurrence of the pathogen. The isothermal effect was in turn modulated by the seasonality of rainfall, and this became less negative as seasonality increases. Thus,V.dahliaeoccurs more frequently in olive-growing areas where the day-night temperature oscillation is lower than the summer-winter one. We also found that irrigation reduced the influence of isothermality on occurrence. Our results demonstrate that long-term compound climatic factors rather than “primary” variables, such as annual trends, can better explain the spatial patterns ofV.dahliaeoccurrence in Mediterranean, southern Spain. One important implication of our study is that appropriate irrigation management, when temperature oscillation approaches optimal conditions forV.dahliaeto thrive, may reduce the appearance of symptoms in olive trees.