bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-pathogenic potential of a classical ayurvedic Triphala formulation
Authors: Patel Hinal , Patel Foram , Jani Vinit , Jha Neha , Ansari Afsa , Paliwal Bhumika , Rathod Bharatsingh , Patel Dhruvi , Patel Pooja , Kothari Vijay
Published: October 2020

A classical ayurvedic polyherbal formulation namely Triphala was assessed for its anti-pathogenic potential against five different pathogenic bacteria. Virulence of four of them towards the model host Caenorhabditis elegans was attenuated (by 18-45%) owing to pre-treatment with Triphala Formulation (TF) (≤20 µg/ml). TF could also exert significant therapeutic effect on worms already infected with Chromobacterium violaceum (MTCC 2656), Serratia marcescens (MTCC 97) or Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 737). Prophylactic use of TF allowed worms to score 14-41% better survival in face of subsequent pathogen challenge. Repeated exposure to this formulation induced resistance in S. marcescens, but not in P. aeruginosa. It also exerted a post-extract effect (PEE) on three of the test pathogens. TF was able to modulate production of quorum sensing (QS)-regulated pigments in three of the multidrug-resistant gram-negative test bacteria. Haemolytic activity of S. aureus was heavily inhibited under the influence of this formulation. P. aeruginosa's lysozyme-susceptibility was found to increase by ~25-43% upon TF-pretreatment. These results validate therapeutic potential of one of the most widely used polyherbal ayurvedic formulations called Triphala.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase-derived nitric oxide in the regulation of metabolism
Authors: Tenopoulou Margarita , Doulias Paschalis-Thomas
Published: October 2020

Nitric oxide is an endogenously formed gas that acts as a signaling molecule in the human body. The signaling functions of nitric oxide are accomplished through two primer mechanisms: cGMP-mediated phosphorylation and the formation of S-nitrosocysteine on proteins. This review presents and discusses previous and more recent findings documenting that nitric oxide signaling regulates metabolic activity. These discussions primarily focus on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) as the source of nitric oxide.
Recent advances in treating oesophageal cancer
Authors: Harada Kazuto , Rogers Jane E. , Iwatsuki Masaaki , Yamashita Kohei , Baba Hideo , Ajani Jaffer A.
Published: October 2020

Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive malignancy with an increasing incidence and a poor prognosis. EC is histologically divided into two major categories: adenocarcinoma (EAC) and squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). EAC and ESCC are molecularly different and therefore treatments should reflect the respective histological subtype. Combined modality therapy is needed for localized EC. When EC is advanced (stage 4), systemic therapy is the mainstay treatment for palliation. For localized EC, several strategies are considered standard, and more trials are necessary to determine a unified and more effective approach. The management for advanced EC is slowly evolving as immunotherapy is showing some promise for ESCC, but more data from ongoing studies are anticipated. Treatment advances will be based on high-definition genomic investigation of individual tumors. Herein, we review the contemporary trends in diagnosing and treating EAC and ESCC.
Umpire 2.0: Simulating realistic, mixed-type, clinical data for machine learning
Authors: Coombes Caitlin E. , Abrams Zachary B. , Nakayiza Samantha , Brock Guy , Coombes Kevin R.
Published: October 2020

The Umpire 2.0 R-package offers a streamlined, user-friendly workflow to simulate complex, heterogeneous, mixed-type data with known subgroup identities, dichotomous outcomes, and time-to-event data, while providing ample opportunities for fine-tuning and flexibility. Mixed-type data is characterized by a combination of continuous (e.g., height, blood pressure, creatinine levels), binary (e.g., gender, pain presence), and categorical (e.g., ethnicity, mental status, pain level) data. Here, we describe how we have expanded the core Umpire 1.0 R-package, developed to simulate gene expression data, to generate clinically realistic, mixed-type data for use in evaluating unsupervised and supervised machine learning (ML) methods. As the availability of large-scale clinical data for ML has increased, clinical data has posed unique challenges, including widely variable size, individual biological heterogeneity, data collection and measurement noise, and mixed data types. Developing and validating ML methods for clinical data requires data sets with known ground truth, generated from simulation. Umpire 2.0 addresses challenges to simulating realistic clinical data by providing the user a series of modules to generate survival parameters and subgroups, apply meaningful additive noise, and discretize to single or mixed data types. Umpire 2.0 provides broad functionality across sample sizes, feature spaces, and data types, allowing the user to simulate correlated, heterogeneous, binary, continuous, categorical, or mixed type data from the scale of a small clinical trial to data on thousands of patients drawn from electronic health records. The user may generate elaborate simulations by varying parameters in order to compare algorithms or interrogate operating characteristics of an algorithm in both supervised and unsupervised ML.
Journal- or article-based citation measure? A study of academic promotion at a Swiss university
Authors: Steck Nicole , Stalder Lukas , Egger Matthias
Published: October 2020

In academia, decisions on promotions are influenced by the citation impact of the works published by the candidates. The Medical Faculty of the University of Bern used a measure based on the journal impact factor (JIF) for this purpose: the JIF of the papers submitted for promotion should rank in the upper third of journals in the relevant discipline (JIF rank >0.66). The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) aims to eliminate the use of journal-based metrics in academic promotion. We examined whether the JIF rank could be replaced with the relative citation ratio (RCR), an article-level measure of citation impact developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). An RCR percentile >0.66 corresponds to the upper third of citation impact of articles from NIH-sponsored research. We examined 1525 publications submitted by 64 candidates for academic promotion at University of Bern. There was only a moderate correlation between the JIF rank and RCR percentile (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.34, 95% CI 0.29-0.38). Among the 1,199 articles (78.6%) published in journals ranking >0.66 for the JIF, less than half (509, 42.5%) were in the upper third of the RCR percentile. Conversely, among the 326 articles published in journals ranking <0.66 regarding the JIF, 72 (22.1%) ranked in the upper third of the RCR percentile. Our study demonstrates that the rank of the JIF is a bad proxy measure for the actual citation impact of individual articles. The Medical Faculty of University of Bern has signed DORA and replaced the JIF rank with the RCR percentile to assess the citation impact of papers submitted for academic promotion.
Enabling change in public health services: Insights from the implementation of nurse mentoring interventions to improve quality of obstetric and newborn care in two North Indian states
Authors: Kane Sumit , Dayal Prarthna , Mahapatra Tanmay , Kumar Sanjiv , Bhasin Shikha , Gore Aboli , Das Aritra , Reddy Sandeep , Mahal Ajay , Krishnan Suneeta , Kermode Michelle
Published: October 2020

Background: Few studies have explicitly examined the implementation of change interventions in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) public health services. We contribute to implementation science by analyzing the implementation of an organizational change intervention in a large, hierarchical and bureaucratic public service in a LMIC health system.

Methods: Using qualitative methods, we critically interrogate the implementation of an intervention to improve quality of obstetric and newborn services across 692 facilities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states of India to reveal how to go about making change happen in LMIC public health services.

Results: We found that focusing the interventions on a discreet part of the health service (labour rooms) ensured minimal disruption of the status quo and created room for initiating change. Establishing and maintaining respectful, trusting relationships is critical, and it takes time and much effort to cultivate such relationships. Investing in doing so allows one to create a safe space for change; it helps thaw entrenched practices, behaviours and attitudes, thereby creating opportunities for change. Those at the frontline of change processes need to be enabled and supported to: lead by example, model and embody desirable behaviours, be empathetic and humble, and make the change process a positive and meaningful experience for all involved. They need discretionary space to tailor activities to local contexts and need support from higher levels of the organisation to exercise discretion.

Conclusions: We conclude that making change happen in LMIC public health services, is possible, and is best approached as a flexible, incremental, localised, learning process. Smaller change interventions targeting discreet parts of the public health services, if appropriately contextualised, can set the stage for incremental system wide changes and improvements to be initiated. To succeed, change initiatives need to cultivate and foster support across all levels of the organisation.
Has COVID-19 affected the number and severity of visits to a traumatology emergency department?
Authors: Esteban Pedro L. , Querolt Coll Jordi , Xicola Martínez Marina , Camí Biayna Joan , Delgado-Flores Luis
Published: October 2020

Aims

To assess the impact of the declaration of the state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of visits to a traumatology emergency department (ED), and on their severity.

Methods

Retrospective observational study. All visits to a traumatology ED were recorded, except for consultations for genitourinary, ocular and abdominal trauma and other ailments that did not have a musculoskeletal aetiology. Visit data were collected from March 14 to April 13 2020, and were subsequently compared with the visits recorded during the same periods in the previous two years.

Results

The number of visits dropped from a mean of 3,212 in 2018 to 2019 to 445 in 2020. Triage 1 to 3 level visits rose from 21.6% in 2018 to 2019% to 40.4% in 2020, meaning a reduction in minor injury visits and an increase in major ones. There was a relative reduction of 13.2% in femoral fractures in the elderly. The rate of justified visits rose from 22.3% to 48.1%.

Conclusion

A marked drop in the total number of visits to our traumatology ED was observed, as well as a relative increase in major injury visits and a relative fall in the minor ones. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-10:617–620.
The theoretical impact on corrective upper limb elective services following analysis of distal radius fractures managed nonoperatively during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Baawa-Ameyaw Joanna , Kabariti Rakan , Chandra Arjun , Rhee Jae
Published: October 2020

Aims

To assess the proportion of patients with distal radius fractures (DRFs) who were managed nonoperatively during the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the British Orthopaedic Association BOAST COVID-19 guidelines, who would have otherwise been considered for an operative intervention.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the radiographs and clinical notes of all patients with DRFs managed nonoperatively, following the publication of the BOAST COVID-19 guidelines on the management of urgent trauma between 26 March and 18 May 2020. Radiological parameters including radial height, radial inclination, intra-articular step-off, and volar tilt from post-reduction or post-application of cast radiographs were measured. The assumption was that if one radiological parameter exceeds the acceptable criteria, the patient would have been considered for an operative intervention in pre-COVID times.

Results

Overall, 92 patients formed the cohort of this study with a mean age of 66 years (21 to 96); 84% (n = 77) were female and 16% (n = 15) were male. In total, 54% (n = 50) of patients met at least one radiological indication for operative intervention with a mean age of 68 years (21 to 96). Of these, 42% (n = 21) were aged < 65 years and 58% (29) were aged ≥ 65 years.

Conclusion

More than half of all DRFs managed nonoperatively during the COVID-19 pandemic had at least one radiological indication to be considered for operative management pre-COVID. We anticipate a proportion of these cases will require corrective surgery in the future, which increases the load on corrective upper limb elective services. This should be accounted for when planning an exit strategy and the restart of elective surgery services. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-10:612–616.
Standard operating procedures for re-establishing dental services in an acute NHS trust following COVID-19
Authors: Rasaratnam Lakshmi , Elder Andrew , Parker Donna
Published: October 2020

As consultants in restorative dentistry working within an acute NHS trust, our role primarily involves working as part of a multidisciplinary head and neck service alongside our orthodontics and maxillofacial colleagues to provide treatment for patients with head and neck cancer, cleft lip and palate, hypodontia, and dentoalveolar and facial trauma. In March 2020, the provision of these essential services was brought to an abrupt halt; with the exception of urgent head and neck cancer care, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus not only impacted how we lived our lives but how we provided key services in hospital dentistry. This article provides clear guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE), infection prevention and control guidance; the role of amber cleans and the integration of laboratory services into safe working environments. We understand that the standard operating procedures in this article are accurate at the time of publication but may be subject to change due to updated government guidelines.

Managing risks and alleviating concern: new protocols for patient and staff safety.
Radiotherapy quadrant doses in oropharyngeal cancer treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy
Authors: Patel Vinod , Humbert-Vidan Laia , Thomas Christopher , Sassoon Isabel , McGurk Mark , Fenlon Michael , Guerrero Urbano Teresa
Published: October 2020

Dental assessment prior to head and neck radiotherapy (RT) is a mandatory requirement. Treatment recommendations are based on perceived doses to the jaw; however, these are poorly understood. In the pre-RT dental assessment phase, oropharyngeal cancer patients present with more teeth than other head and neck cancer patients. Hence, prior knowledge of likely RT doses specific to the dentition would allow the dental oncologist to provide a patient centred dental treatment plan.

Identifying dental regions at risk of osteoradionecrosis from post-radiotherapy events provides invaluable information.
Redeployment of dental trainees: challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Martin Katy , Archer Natalie , Johnston Laura
Published: October 2020

Dental trainees require a degree of adaptability to navigate a training pathway. We outline the transferrable skills that can be adapted and utilised during the process of redeployment in response to COVID-19. Despite the challenging circumstances, opportunities can arise for trainees redeployed to different areas of healthcare, and contribute towards the formation of a holistic and rounded professional.

Transferable skills acquired from different areas of healthcare contribute towards the formation of a holistic dental professional.
Nesting Ecology of Polistes Species (hymenoptera, Vespidae) in Urban Areas of South-western Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Pérez-Bote José Luis , Mora-Rubio Carlos
Published: October 2020

Urbanization is increasing across the globe and it is recognized as a major factor affectingspecies, populations and assemblages. Although urbanization is recognized as a major threat to biodiversity, there is increasing evidence that urban habitats may play a role in conservation. The objective of this work was to verify the occurrence of Polistes species (Vespidae) and the substrates used for nesting in urban areas in south-western Iberian Peninsula. The study was carried out from March to August of 2018 in three small towns in the Llanos de Olivenza region (SW Spain). Active searching was conducted for colonies of social wasps along and for each colony that was found we identified the species, type of substrate used for nesting, height of the colony in relation to the ground level and orientation. 753 colonies of social wasps were found belonging to two species: Polistes dominula and P. gallicus.  The most used nesting substrate was clay roof tile followed by metals. The height of the nests was related to the height of the buildings on which they were built. In all the tree towns nests exposure were oriented to the SE with mean angle values oscillating between 127.42° and 140.68°. In addition, our results confirm the prediction that wasps are more abundant in less or non-urbanized areas even if they are small urban areas such as those studied in our case.
Bringing Innovations to Set Up a Better Scientific Journal for Publication of Your Research
Authors: Silva Evandro Do Nascimento , DeSouza Og , Del-Claro Kleber , Santos Gilberto Marcos M.
Published: October 2020

The journal Sociobiology announces the adoption of a series of editorial innovations that aim to speed up review and publication time, to select high quality articles for publication, to adopt transparent and ethical editorial standards and to reinforce the culture of open acess scientific publishing.
Effects of the injection compression process parameters on residual stress of plastic lenses
Authors: Chen Simeng , Li Baohua , Zhang Yajun , Jin Zhiming
Published: October 2020

Residual stress affects significantly the quality of plastic lenses. In this paper, the influence of process parameters on the residual stress of injection compression molded plastic lenses was investigated by orthogonal simulation. The results show that the effect of compression delay time on residual stress was the most significant, followed by compression distance and compression speed, which are both related to the compression process. Then, the relationship between the residual stress obtained by simulations and the optical path difference measured by the experiment was compared by single factor experiments of four key injection compression molding process parameters. The change trends were similar, which proves that the numerical simulation has the potential to predict the residual stress of plastic lenses and optimize the process parameters, so as to improve their optical quality.
From CORD to SDN Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA) [Invited Tutorial]
Authors: Das Saurav
Published: October 2020

SDN Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA) is a large open-source development and integration project hosted by the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). Built using white-box hardware, merchant silicon, and SDN principles, SEBA brings the benefits of virtualization and cloudification to passive optical network (PON)-based broadband access networks for FTTH/FTTB deployments. Already in field trials with several Tier-1 operators, SEBA is rapidly moving toward production readiness with contributions from a rich open-source community of operators, vendors, and system integrators.
Degenerate quasi-normal mode theory for near-field radiation between plasmonic structures
Authors: Li Jiayu , Li Zhuo , Shen Sheng
Published: October 2020

Near-field radiation can exceed the blackbody radiation limit due to the contributions from evanescent waves. One promising approach to further enhance near-field radiation beyond existing bulk materials is to utilize metamaterials or metasurfaces made from subwavelength plasmonic structures. In this work, we investigate the near-field thermal radiation between complex plasmonic structures with higher-order symmetry and degeneracy, which is crucial for understanding the radiative heat exchange between metamaterials or metasurfaces at extremely small gaps. We demonstrate that the introduction of degeneracy can drastically boost near-field thermal radiation between plasmonic structures. The enhancement of near-field thermal radiation originates from the emergence of degenerate resonance modes and the secondary emission of thermal photons due to the nonzero coupling between the degenerate modes. Our study provides new pathways for designing high-intensity near-field thermal emitters and absorbers for thermophotovoltaics, thermal management, and infrared spectroscopy.
Time-frequency optical filtering: efficiency vs. temporal-mode discrimination in incoherent and coherent implementations
Authors: Raymer Michael G. , Banaszek Konrad
Published: October 2020

Time-frequency (TF) filtering of analog signals has played a crucial role in the development of radio-frequency communications and is currently being recognized as an essential capability for communications, both classical and quantum, in the optical frequency domain. How best to design optical time-frequency (TF) filters to pass a targeted temporal mode (TM), and to reject background (noise) photons in the TF detection window? The solution for ‘coherent’ TF filtering is known—the quantum pulse gate—whereas the conventional, more common method is implemented by a sequence of incoherent spectral filtering and temporal gating operations. To compare these two methods, we derive a general formalism for two-stage incoherent time-frequency filtering, finding expressions for signal pulse transmission efficiency, and for the ability to discriminate TMs, which allows the blocking of unwanted background light. We derive the tradeoff between efficiency and TM discrimination ability, and find a remarkably concise relation between these two quantities and the time-bandwidth product of the combined filters. We apply the formalism to two examples—rectangular filters or Gaussian filters—both of which have known orthogonal-function decompositions. The formalism can be applied to any state of light occupying the input temporal mode, e.g., ‘classical’ coherent-state signals or pulsed single-photon states of light. In contrast to the radio-frequency domain, where coherent detection is standard and one can use coherent matched filtering to reject noise, in the optical domain direct detection is optimal in a number of scenarios where the signal flux is extremely small. Our analysis shows how the insertion loss and SNR change when one uses incoherent optical filters to reject background noise, followed by direct detection, e.g. photon counting. We point out implications in classical and quantum optical communications. As an example, we study quantum key distribution, wherein strong rejection of background noise is necessary to maintain a high quality of entanglement, while high signal transmission is needed to ensure a useful key generation rate.
Control of hot-carrier relaxation time in Au-Ag thin films through alloying
Authors: Memarzadeh Sarvenaz , Palm Kevin J. , Murphy Thomas E. , Leite Marina S. , Munday Jeremy N.
Published: October 2020

The plasmon resonance of a structure is primarily dictated by its optical properties and geometry, which can be modified to enable hot-carrier photodetectors with superior performance. Recently, metal alloys have played a prominent role in tuning the resonance of plasmonic structures through chemical composition engineering. However, it has been unclear how alloying modifies the time dynamics of the generated hot-carriers. In this work, we elucidate the role of chemical composition on the relaxation time of hot-carriers for the archetypal AuxAg1−x thin film system. Through time-resolved optical spectroscopy measurements in the visible wavelength range, we measure composition-dependent relaxation times that vary up to 8× for constant pump fluency. Surprisingly, we find that the addition of 2% of Ag into Au films can increase the hot-carrier lifetime by approximately 35% under fixed fluence, as a result of a decrease in optical loss. Further, the relaxation time is found to be inversely proportional to the imaginary part of the permittivity. Our results indicate that alloying is a promising approach to effectively control hot-carrier relaxation time in metals.
Structural and optical properties of monocrystalline and polycrystalline gold plasmonic nanorods
Authors: Kejík Lukáš , Horák Michal , Šikola Tomáš , Křápek Vlastimil
Published: October 2020

The quality of lithographically prepared structures is intimately related to the properties of the metal film from which they are fabricated. Here we compare two kinds of thin gold films on a silicon nitride membrane: a conventional polycrystalline thin film deposited by magnetron sputtering and monocrystalline gold microplates that were chemically synthesised directly on the membrane’s surface for the first time. Both pristine metals were used to fabricate plasmonic nanorods using focused ion beam lithography. The structural and optical properties of the nanorods were characterized by analytical transmission electron microscopy including electron energy loss spectroscopy. The dimensions of the nanorods in both substrates reproduced well the designed size of

240
×
80
 

n

m
2

with the deviations up to 20 nm in both length and width. The shape reproducibility was considerably improved among monocrystalline nanorods fabricated from the same microplate. Interestingly, monocrystalline nanorods featured inclined boundaries while the boundaries of the polycrystalline nanorods were upright. Q factors and peak loss probabilities of the modes in both structures are within the experimental uncertainty identical. We demonstrate that the optical response of the plasmonic nanorods is not deteriorated when the polycrystalline metal is used instead of the monocrystalline metal.
Hyperspectral multiphoton microscopy for in vivo visualization of multiple, spectrally overlapped fluorescent labels
Authors: Bares Amanda J. , Mejooli Menansili A. , Pender Mitchell A. , Leddon Scott A. , Tilley Steven , Lin Karen , Dong Jingyuan , Kim Minsoo , Fowell Deborah J. , Nishimura Nozomi , Schaffer Chris B.
Published: October 2020

The insensitivity of multiphoton microscopy to optical scattering
enables high-resolution, high-contrast imaging deep into tissue,
including in live animals. Scattering does, however, severely limit
the use of spectral dispersion techniques to improve spectral
resolution. In practice, this limited spectral resolution together
with the need for multiple excitation wavelengths to excite different
fluorophores limits multiphoton microscopy to imaging a few,
spectrally distinct fluorescent labels at a time, restricting the
complexity of biological processes that can be studied. Here, we
demonstrate a hyperspectral multiphoton microscope that utilizes three
different wavelength excitation sources together with multiplexed
fluorescence emission detection using angle-tuned bandpass filters.
This microscope maintains scattering insensitivity, while providing
high enough spectral resolution on the emitted fluorescence and
capitalizing on the wavelength-dependent nonlinear excitation of
fluorescent dyes to enable clean separation of multiple, spectrally
overlapping labels, in vivo. We
demonstrated the utility of this instrument for spectral separation of
closely overlapped fluorophores in samples containing 10 different
colors of fluorescent beads, live cells expressing up to seven
different fluorescent protein fusion constructs, and in multiple
in vivo preparations in mouse cortex and
inflamed skin, with up to eight different cell types or tissue
structures distinguished.
KI schlägt Mensch?!
Authors: Theobald Elke , Malthaner Maren , Föhl Ulrich
Published: October 2020

Die wachsende Bedeutung des eCommerce macht automatisierte Anwendungen im Shop-Management immer relevanter. Sehr hohes Potenzial wird der automatisierten Texterstellung in Online-Shops zugeschrieben. Der Beitrag stellt wichtige Merkmale der Produktbeschreibungen zusammen und vergleicht in einer empirischen Analyse automatisch und menschlich erstellte Produkttexte. Das Untersuchungsdesign berücksichtigt ein breites Spektrum an Erfolgskriterien für Produktbeschreibungen.
Problembereiche verteilter agiler Teams: Literaturanalyse und Praxisimplikationen
Authors: Haslinger Lukas , Sikora Hermann , Riedl René
Published: October 2020

Seit Bestehen des Agilen Manifests 2001 bildeten sich vermehrt agile Softwareentwicklungs-Teams, die sich in Aufbau und Funktionsweise voneinander unterscheiden. Viele dieser Teams verteilen sich auf mehrere Standorte. Der Grad der Verteilung kann dabei von „in unterschiedlichen Gebäuden auf einem Firmengelände“ bis hin zu „anderer Kontinent“ reichen. Da das Agile Manifest auf stetige informelle Kommunikation (kurze, unbürokratische Wege) und vergleichsweise wenig Dokumentation setzt, sind bei verteilten Teams Schwierigkeiten und Probleme zu erwarten, wenn die Werte des Manifests konsequent verfolgt werden. Ein verteiltes Softwareentwicklungs-Projekt birgt an sich bereits Risiken (z. B. im Wissenstransfer zwischen den Entwicklern), wobei bei einem verteilten agilen Projekt zusätzliche Probleme auftreten können. Die Fachliteratur befasst sich seit rund 15 Jahren mit dieser Problematik. Befunde empirischer Studien beschreiben verschiedene Problembereiche; zudem werden Lösungswege erläutert. Im gegenständlichen Beitrag wird der aktuelle Stand der Literatur analysiert, um die wichtigsten Problembereiche herauszuarbeiten. Die Beschreibung dieser Problembereiche hilft insbesondere Handlungs- und Entscheidungsträgern in der Praxis, potenzielle Schwierigkeiten verteilter agiler Teams zu erkennen. Dies ist eine wesentliche Grundlage für proaktives Management, um die möglichen negativen Wirkungen zu vermeiden.
Cost-effective horse breeding in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
Authors: Askarov Almir , Kuznetsova Alfiya , Gusmanov Rasul , Askarova Aigul , Kovshov Vitaliy
Published: October 2020

Background and Aim: There is a lack of reliable data in agribusiness regarding the economic efficiency of horse breeding, and this limits its further development. The purpose of this study was to create rational parameters for the development of productive horse breeding as an effective agricultural business, in particular, in relation to farms.

Materials and Methods: The methods of investigation used were induction and deduction, as well as analytical, statistical, and economic-mathematical analysis. We also used the dynamics of time series, CVP analysis, direct costing, and microeconomic analysis. Data were taken from the Russian Federation's official statistics on animal husbandry as well as closed (commercial) data of agricultural enterprises from our study region.

Results: Horse ownership in the Republic of Bashkortostan is higher than in the rest of Russia with about 9% of the total number of horses in Russia. We found that landowners need one hectare of arable land to ensure profit and that the highest economic income occurs on farms specializing in kumis production. The production of kumis under intensive farming is less profitable than with free-range horses kept in pastures. Family farms need a large amount of arable land with natural foliage to balance space and profit.

Conclusion: Successful implementation of these parameters will make it possible to turn agriculture into successful horse breeding businesses. The expected volume of agricultural production may be approximately 9-11 thousand US dollars per employee.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RUMEN ANAEROBIC FUNGI ON FIBER DEGRADATION IN RUMINANTS: REVIEW
Authors: Agustina Sinta , Wiryawan I Komang Gede , Suharti Sri
Published: October 2020

Forage is a feed source for ruminant livestock, but one of the limiting factors of forage is high content of fiber in old forage plants. The fiber content in forage can only be degraded by rumen microbes. One of the rumen microbes that has fiber degrading activity is rumen anaerobic fungi because it can produce very active enzymes to degrade lignocellulose. The rumen anaerobic fungi are divided into several genera which are grouped base on the number of flagella in zoospores, thallus morphology and rhizoid type. The presence of fungi in the rumen is very important because fungi can form rhizoid which will penetrate the feed particles and degrade plant cell walls physically and chemically. In addition, fungi can produce fiber degrading enzymes such as cellulase, hemicellulase, pectinase, and lignocellulase which can increase feed digestibility. However, in Indonesia there is not much study of the potential for rumen anaerobic fungi, so the aims of this review paper is to discuss the potential of anaerobic fungi rumen in improving fiber digestibility in livestock.
Taper models for black locust in west Poland
Authors: Bronisz Karol , Zasada Michał
Published: October 2020

The diameter at any point on a stem and tree volume are some of the most important types of information used in forest management planning. One of the methods to predict the diameter at any point on a stem is to develop taper models. Black locust ( L.) occurs in almost all forests in Poland, with the largest concentration in the western part of the country. Using empirical data obtained from 13 black locust stands (48 felled trees), seven taper models with different numbers of estimated parameters were analysed for section diameters both over and under bark using fixed and mixed-effects modelling approaches. Assuming a lack of additional measurements, the best fitted taper models were used for the prediction of over bark volume using both methods. The predicted volume was compared with the results from different volume equations available for black locust. The variable-form taper model with eight estimated parameters fitted the data the best. The lowest root mean square error for volume prediction was achieved for the elaborated fixed-effects taper model (0.0476), followed by the mixed-effects taper model (0.0489). At the same time, the difference between the volume relative errors achieved based on the taper models does not differ significantly from the results obtained using the volume equations already available for black locust (two of the three analysed).Robinia pseudoacacia
Determinação da lactose ante às metodologias contemporâneas
Authors: Silva Karina Coelho Moreira da , Gama Netto Gabriel , Souza Louise Bergamin Athayde de , Stephani Rodrigo , Carvalho Antônio Fernandes de , Perrone Ítalo Tuler
Published: October 2020

A lactose é o açúcar mais abundante em leite e produtos derivados, e com o avanço dos estudos sabe-se que este dissacarídeo não é bem digerido por uma parcela da população, a qual tem como opção consumir produtos reduzidos ou isentos de lactose, sem renunciar a alimentos tão completos. O mercado de produtos isentos de lactose desenvolveu-se muito no Brasil nos últimos anos e a necessidade de métodos confiáveis para determinação do teor final de lactose nos produtos aumentou, por ter se tornado uma determinação obrigatória nas indústrias. Do ponto de vista de segurança ao consumidor e de corresponder ao que a legislação determina, é necessária a adoção de técnicas eficazes de detecção da lactose. Há um universo de possibilidades sendo trabalhadas na pesquisa, ou que já são utilizadas comercialmente. Este trabalho reúne algumas abordagens, como métodos enzimáticos, titulometria, cromatografia, biossensores, glicosímetro e espectroscopia Raman, considerando suas particularidades. Métodos enzimáticos e cromatográficos destacam-se pelos menores limites de detecção e alta repetibilidade.
Purifikasi Alami Sungai Bedadung Hilir Menggunakan Pemodelan Streeter-Phelps
Authors: Wahyuningsih Sri , Dharmawan Agus , Novita Elida
Published: October 2020

Latar Belakang: Sungai Bedadung hilir berada di Kabupaten Jember dan merupakan bagian sungai utama di DAS Bedadung. Sungai ini berperan penting bagi kehidupan masyarakat Jember. Kegiatan pengunaan lahan mengubah fungsi sungai menjadi saluran pembuang limbah. Limbah organik masuk ke badan air Sungai Bedadung dan menurunkan oksigen terlarut di perairan.Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif. Data primer diperoleh dengan melakukan pengukuran debit dan kualitas air (Temperatur, DO dan BOD) sungai di lima titik pantau. Data tersebut kemudian diolah dan digunakan sebagai input variabel persamaan Streeter-Phelps.Hasil: Berdasarkan penelitian yang dilakukan laju deoksigenasi dan reoksigenasi Sungai Bedadung hilir tertinggi berada pada BDG02 masing-masing 7.997 mg/L.hari dan 19.168 mg/L/hari. Purifikasi alami yang dimodelkan dengan persamaan Streeter-Phelps, pada BDG02 tidak menunjukkan tren penurunan oksigen terlarut, sedangkan empat titik yang lain cenderung turun, mencapai kondisi kritis dan saturai di waktu yang berbeda. Hasil pembuktian model menunjukkan terjadi perbedaan nilai DO model terhadap kondisi lapangan (DO aktual).Simpulan: Aplikasi pemodelan Streeter-Phelps untuk menganalisis purifikasi alami Sungai Bedadung tidak dapat menunjukkan kesesuaian dengan kondisi lapang, karena proses deoksigenasi dan reoksigenasi di sepanjang sungai selalu berbeda dengan model bergantung pada tambahan pencemar dan hidraulik sungai. ABSTRACTTitle :Background: Bedadung Downstream, at Jember Region, is the primary river of Bedadung basin. The river has its meaningful advantages to public activities. Change of land uses the stream functions to a big drainage channel. Organic pollutants entrance to the water body and decrease the concentration of dissolved oxygen.Methods: This research was descriptive. The primary data was obtained by measuring stream flows and water quality (Temperature, DO, and BOD) at five observed stations. The data were processed and used as variable inputs to the Streeter-Phelps equation.Results: Based on the research conducted, BDG02 had the highest values of deoxygenation and reoxygenation rates, which were 7.997 mg/L.day and 19.168 mg/L.day respectively. DOmod at BDG02 tends to line up, whereas DOmod at four stations had a tendency to declined to critical conditions and rise to the saturation condition at different times. DO sag model was different from actual DO, which measured directly in the water body.Conclusions: The use of the Streeter-Phelps equation to analyze the self-purification of Bedadung downstream wasn’t appropriate with the field conditions. Deoxygenation and reoxygenation process in the river body was typically difference with the model applied, which were affected by organic pollutants and stream hydraulics.
Oral Manifestations of Nutritional Deficiencies: Single Centre Analysis
Authors: Radochová Vladimíra , Slezák Radovan , Radocha Jakub
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Oral manifestations of deficiency of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid are thought to be common. Prevalence of these deficiencies among patients with compatible symptoms is not well known. The goal of this study was to summarize evidence from a dental practice of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency in patients presenting with compatible oral manifestations. Methods: 250 patients who presented with burning mouth syndrome, angular cheilitis, recurrent aphthous stomatitis, papillar atrophy of the tongue dorsum or mucosal erythema were identified. Patients underwent clinical examination, and the blood samples were taken. Results: 250 patients (208 females; 42 males, mean age 44.1 years) with at least one corresponding symptom or sign were identified. The nutritional deficiency of one or more nutrients was found in 119 patients (47.6%). Seven times more females than males were noted to have one type of deficiency (104 females, 15 males). Iron deficiency as defined was diagnosed in 62 patients (24.8%), vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency in 44 patients (17.6%) and both deficiencies (iron + vitamin B12/folic acid) in 13 patients (5.2%). The only predictive factor was gender and only for iron deficiency. The presence of more than one deficiency was noted in 10 patients (4.9%). Conclusion: The most commonly observed deficiency in dental practice over the course of 11 years was an iron deficiency in the female population. Age, diet and reported co-morbidities did not show statistically significant predictable value in recognizing these deficiencies.
Association of XPC Polymorphisms with Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Risk: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis
Authors: Asadian Fatemeh , Niktabar Seyed Mohammadreza , Ghelmani Yaser , Kargar Shadi , Akbarian Elahe , Emarati Seyed Alireza , Sadeghizadeh-Yazdi Jalal , Neamatzadeh Hossein
Published: October 2020

Background: A number of studies have reported that the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) polymorphisms are associated with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) susceptibility. But the results of those studies were inconsistent. Here, we performed a study to obtain a more conclusive result on the association of XPC polymorphisms with risk of CMM. Methods: The XPC Lys939Gln and Ala499Val polymorphisms were genotyped in 150 CMM cases and 150 controls by PCR-RFLP assay. Subsequently, all published relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI databases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the strength of correlation. Results: There was no significant association between XPC Lys939Gln and Ala499Val polymorphisms and CMM risk in our population. A total of 15 case-control studies including ten studies with 5,990 cases and 7,697 controls on XPC Lys939Gln and five studies with 3,139 cases and 3,721 controls on XPC Ala499Val polymorphism were selected. Pooled data revealed that XPC Lys939Gln (C vs. A: OR = 1.108, 95% CI 1.008– 1.217; P = 0.033) and Ala499Val (C vs. A: OR = 0.918, 95% CI 0.850–0.992; p = 0.031; CC+CA vs. AA: OR = 0.904, 95% CI 0.819–0.997; p = 0.043) polymorphisms were significantly associated with an increased risk of CMM. Moreover, stratified analyses by ethnicity revealed that the XPC Ala499Val and Lys939Gln polymorphisms were significantly associated with risk of CMM in Caucasians and mixed populations, respectively. Conclusions: This meta-analysis result suggested that XPC Lys939Gln and Ala499Val polymorphisms were significantly associated with risk of CMM.
Metachronous Isolated Contralateral Lung Metastasis from Pulmonary Adenosquamous Carcinoma with EGFR Mutation
Authors: Kawai Hitomi , Iguchi Kesato , Takayashiki Norio , Okauchi Shinichiro , Satoh Hiroaki
Published: October 2020

Lung metastasis and metachronous double primary lung cancer are both common and often present diagnostic challenges. We present a case of metachronous isolated contralateral lung metastasis from pulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma with EGFR mutation. A 75-yearold woman presented with left lung nodule on a routine follow-up chest radiograph. She had had surgery for pulmonary adenocarcinoma with EGFR Ex21 L858R mutation 6 years ago. She underwent surgical resection, and histologic findings revealed adenosquamous carcinoma with the same EGFR mutation. Re-assessment of the resected specimen of the primary tumor resected 6 years ago revealed the morphologically similarity to the left lung tumor. Based on morphological and genetic identity, final diagnosis was adenosquamous cell carcinoma and metachronous isolated contralateral lung metastasis. The diagnosis of metachronous isolated metastasis is difficult but important for appropriate management and prediction of prognosis. A careful pathological examination and evaluation of genetic abnormality are needed to make the correct diagnosis.
The underexploited biotechnology of overexploited Origanum species: Status, knowledge gaps, prospects and potential
Authors: Kumar Mithilesh , Bhardwaj Divya
Published: October 2020

The genus Origanum is a group of phytochemically diverse, aromatic species. Distributed mainly in Eurasia and Mediterranean, they are used in traditional medicine, cosmetics and for culinary purposes. They possess antiproliferative, antioxidant, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive properties. The major constituents of Origanum spp. are carvacrol and/or thymol together with ?-terpinene, p-cymene, linalool, terpinene-4-ol and sabinene hydrate. Several flavonoids and glycosides are also found. Although the Origanum spp. can either be cultivated or sourced from nature, high demand has necessitated increased production. Overexploitation from natural habitat has threatened these species. Also, due to its poor viability and small-sized seeds, cross-pollination abilities, less productive vegetative propagation, climate-dependent conventional propagation, its genetic improvement has been limited and thus scientific management of available germplasms through biotechnological approach is necessary. For in-vitro propagation, the literature review showed significant differences in culture protocols, genotypes and their success rates. Studies reported cell culture-based production of secondary metabolites or isolation of active compounds in different species of Origanum, which show antiproliferative activity in cancerous cell lines. However, significant knowledge gaps exist. The urgent need is to use advance technologies in enhancing either plant propagation thus the production of source material for active constituents or for genetic improvement of Origanum germplasms for contents, as well as to validate the therapeutic potential of Origanum constituents. This review critically appraises the status of mostly underexploited biotechnological know-how and research on highly valued medicinal herbs, Origanum and throws light on prospects and potential.
Complete plant regeneration of Valeriana wallichii DC. on auxin enriched medium and phytochemical analysis
Authors: Sharma Nishesh , Rawat Richa , Lalremruati Felicia , Singh Ajay
Published: October 2020

Valeriana wallichii DC. (Valerianaceae) is a well-known medicinal herb distributed in Northwest Himalayas. The herb is utilized in the treatment of numerous ailments and diseases such as diarrhoea, diabeties, gastrospans, ulcer and wound healing, etc. Overexploitation, especially collection of rhizomes on a large scale for the medicinal purpose has significantly declined the availability of the herb in natural stands. Hence, there is a requirement of development of cultivation practices and protocol for mass propagation to achieve sustained utilization along with conservation of the species. In the present study, in-vitro culture of nodal segments on MS+2iP+IAA+2,4-D and MS+2iP+IAA+NAA resulted in multiple shoot induction along with regeneration of in-vitro roots on the same medium making the protocol cost-effective, efficient and comparatively less time-consuming. Moreover, the regeneration of adventitious roots from regenerated shoots enhanced the total number of plants obtained per explant as shoots with adventitious roots were individually excised and were transferred to natural conditions through the process of acclimatization. GC-MS analysis of a methanolic extract of leaves of the mother plant and micropropagated plant revealed the presence of 37 and 36 phytocompounds respectively. Phytocompounds including eucalyptol, neophytidiene, hexadecenoic acid, dimethyl palmitamine were identified to be present in the leaves of both mother and micropropagated plants whereas other compounds such as eicosyne, lilial, behenic alcohol were confined to be present in extract prepared from leaves of mother plant. Similary some phytocompounds (phytol, vinicizer, retinol) were detected in methanolic extract prepared from leaves of micropropagated plants.