bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pengaruh Pengurusan Pensijilan Halal, Modal Insan Dan Amalan Piawaian Halal Terhadap Prestasi Organisasi Dalam Industri Makanan Halal Di Malaysia
Authors: Othman Baharudin , Md. Shaarani Sharifudin , Bahron Arsiah , Md. Nawi Nurul Hudani
Published: April 2019

This study aims to determine the influence of halal certification management, human capital factors, and halal standard practice on organizational performance among halal food producers in Malaysia. A total of 241 organizations were involved as respondents through Internal Halal Committee Malaysia in the cross-sectional survey method. It uses questionnaires on halal certification management, human capital factors, halal standard practice, and organizational performance. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics version 21.0. The results have shown that; i) halal certification management affects halal standard practice; ii) human capital factors influence the halal standard practice; iii) halal standard practice affects organisational performance. The study also found out that the organisation's performance is influenced by a correlating chain which starts from the input, then translated in terms of process and ultimately results in the achievement of which is supported by the organization's internal controls. The results of this study provide added values through the initial internal assessment by the organization prior to the assessment made by the halal certification authority in Malaysia.
The Late Spanish Translation of The Federalist Papers and the concept of Federalism in Argentina at the time
Authors: Viguera-Ruiz Rebeca
Published: April 2019

Throughout the second half of the 19th century a process took place in Latin America in order to recover the original concept of federalism for the first time mentioned in the United States at the end of 18th century. This paper seeks to better understand how the Spanish translation of The Federalist-Argentina, 1868-would have been an attempt to look back at the North American model and to restore the original meaning of the concept, not only from the semantic perspective but also through its practical implementation as a political system in the specific case of Argentina.
Analysing Crisis Communication Strategies of Airline Companies in United States: A Case Study of Southwest Airline 2016 Power Outage Crisis
Authors: Boamah Mavis
Published: April 2019

Companies are vulnerable to crisis. Crisis are a threat to organisational reputation and can harm stakeholders physically, emotionally and financially. One key technique to ensuring the happenings of crisis are minimised is communication. Communication plays the role of ensuring the reputation and credibility of a company is safeguarded. The modern way of communication and information sharing has been a vital part for businesses to survive. Emergency situations in airlines are inevitable and as such the company’s ability to communicate through its online sites is critical to averting and combating future crisis. As one of the famous airline companies in America, Southwest airline is present on all social media platforms to connect with its stakeholders. This was evident in its crisis management strategy during the 15-hour power outage in July 2016 which led to the cancellation of over 2.000 flights and delayed 250.000 travellers. The innovative communication strategies and tactics employed by southwest communications team reduced the level of damage the crisis could have caused. This paper analyses the airline’s communication strategies and tactics in the crisis and its impact on victims of the crisis.
Experiencias de trabajo desde un análisis tridimensional
Authors: Garabito Ballesteros Gustavo
Published: April 2019

En el presente escrito se discute cómo el trabajo, en interacción con otros ámbitos de la vida cotidiana –como la familia y la escuela–, es central en la construcción de la experiencia que orienta el sentido de la acción y prácticas sociales dentro y fuera del trabajo. Ello a través de un análisis tridimensional del trabajo que considera el ámbito laboral como una estructura que organiza la vida cotidiana, como una acción de los sujetos no solo en su actividad productiva, sino también hacia los otros y hacia sí mismo y como un proceso intersubjetivo de significación y dotación de sentido. Estudiar de esta manera el trabajo permite ver más allá de las fronteras del espacio productivo y comprender cómo se articula con otras esferas de la vida cotidiana.
Diálogo entre marxismo y psicoanálisis: Vigencia del legado de V. N. Voloshinov
Authors: Montalbán Peregrín Francisco Manuel
Published: April 2019

El psicoanálisis hace su entrada tempranamente en Rusia, incluso antes que en muchos países occidentales. El desarrollo de una teoría científica de la psique fue entendido como una prioridad por los científicos sociales marxistas, y las hipótesis freudianas fueron acogidas con interés para esta tarea antes de que en la década de 1920 la represión política disolviera el movimiento psicoanalítico. En nuestro caso vamos a centrarnos en las aportaciones de Valentin N. Voloshinov, representante del fructífero circulo bajtiniano en el Leningrado post-revolucionario, que a partir de su redescubrimiento para las ciencias sociales en Occidente cobran un verdadero carácter anticipador en la comprensión de la dialéctica entre lo personal y lo social. Comentaremos igualmente cómo la influencia de Voloshinov se deja sentir de manera especial en algunos intentos recientes por reconceptualizar el inconsciente desde una perspectiva psicosocial
Emotions, Ideology and Collective Political Action
Authors: Sabucedo Jose-Manuel , Durán Mar , Alzate Mónica , Barreto Idaly
Published: April 2019

Having overcome the prejudice that equated emotion with irrationality, collective action theories are beginning to incorporate emotional variables. Nonetheless, these are restricted to negative ones, fundamentally anger. This is due to the fact that collective action is associated exclusively with protest, when this does not necessarily have to be the case. The aims of the present work are twofold: a) to analyse the structure of emotions with regard to the Spanish Government's decision to negotiate with ETA; and b) to verify the impact of these emotions and of ideology on the intention to participate in demonstrations supporting or protesting against said decision. The results show that emotions can be organised into three factors: anger, enthusiasm and anxiety. Anger and enthusiasm account for a high percentage of variance in the attention to demonstrate. Ideology, although to a lesser extent, also has a significant influence
Evaluación psicométrica de un instrumento para la medición de variables asociadas al consumo electrónico en el contexto venezolano
Authors: Peinado Sofia , Salas Alejandra , Campos Maria Lorena
Published: April 2019

Esta investigación se propuso analizar la validez y confiabilidad de un instrumento para medir variables asociadas al consumo electrónico: Percepción de Utilidad (PU), Autoeficacia Computacional (AC), Intención de Consumo (IC) y Consumo Electrónico (CE), a partir de la adaptación de las escalas utilizadas por Cruz García (2007a, 2007b) y sugerir adaptaciones del mismo para el entorno venezolano. 214 estudiantes de posgrado constituyeron la muestra. Esta investigación condujo a un nuevo instrumento: Inventario de Variables Asociadas al Consumo Electrónico (IVACE), cuyo análisis psicométrico demostró que las cuatro escalas tienen altos niveles de confiabilidad (∝≥ .80). El análisis factorial evidenció que las escalas de IC y CE tienen una dimensión, y las escalas de PU y AC revelaron dos dimensiones.
La Psicología y su enseñanza en Argentina. Entrevista con Hugo Klappenbach
Authors: Calabresi Corina , Polanco Fernando
Published: April 2019

Dialogamos con el reconocido investigador de la historia y enseñanza de la Psicología, Hugo Klappenbach, quien presenta una mirada crítica sobre la enseñanza de esta ciencia en Argentina, donde tiene como particularidad la impronta casi exclusiva del Psicoanálisis y la práctica clínica. Además, realiza una comparación con la formación profesional en otros países latinoamericanos, en norteamericanos y en europeos. Por último, señala las posibles proyecciones en la enseñanza y la investigación, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional.
Estructura, correlatos y predictores del estrés por Aculturación. El caso de personas refugiadas colombianas en Costa Rica
Authors: Ugalde-Watson Karla , Smith-Castro Vanessa , Moreno-Salas Marjorie , Rodríguez-García Jose Miguel
Published: April 2019

Cien personas refugiadas colombianas completaron un cuestionario que medía el estrés experimentado durante el proceso de adaptación a la sociedad costarricense, las redes de apoyo construidas en Costa Rica, la frecuencia con que se han visto discriminadas y su nivel de salud mental. Los datos muestran que el estrés por aculturación se estructura en cuatro dimensiones: el estrés experimentado por los preparativos para la salida, el estrés derivado de su condición de refugiados, el estrés experimentado ante las necesidades económicas y el estrés vivido ante los retos de la adaptación cultural a la sociedad costarricense. Los preparativos para la salida del país son los eventos de mayor estrés reportado. La discriminación percibida y los años de residencia en Costa Rica aparecieron como los principales predictores de los tipos de estrés post-inmigración, una vez controlados los efectos de la salud y las redes de apoyo.
Impacto de la reconstrucción mamaria sobre la autoestima y la imagen corporal en pacientes con cáncer de mama
Authors: Rincón Fernández Maria Esther , Pérez San Gregorio Maria Ángeles , Borda Más Mercedes , Rodríguez Agustín Martín
Published: April 2019

El tratamiento quirúrgico del cáncer de mama puede alterar el aspecto físico de las pacientes y producirles importantes secuelas psicológicas. Así, para comprobar si el nivel de satisfacción con el resultado estético, así como la autoestima o la imagen corporal de estas pacientes difería según el tipo de cirugía realizada (mastectomía unilateral o reconstrucción mamaria), se estudiaron un total de 72 pacientes. Para ello se empleó una Encuesta Psicosocial, la Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (EAR), el Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida de la EORTC (QLQ-BR23), y el Test de Medición del Grado de Satisfacción Corporal. En general, las pacientes reconstruidas mostraron una mayor satisfacción estética, así como una mayor autoestima y un menor deterioro de su imagen corporal.
Inferencias sobre un texto narrativo en contextos de interacción en la educación inicial
Authors: Duque Aristizábal Claudia Patricia , Correa Restrepo Miralba
Published: April 2019

La investigación que da lugar al presente artículo se enmarca en la Psicología Educativa de corte cultural. Explora las relaciones entre las características de las interacciones establecidas para propiciar la interpretación de un texto narrativo y las inferencias que los niños hacen sobre él. Un total de 44 niños repartidos en cuatro grupos de preescolar participó en el estudio. El diseño es de tipo descriptivo- exploratorio, con dos clases de análisis: cualitativo –análisis del discurso– y cuantitativo –análisis de redes sociales–, para procesar los datos. Se encontró que los niños cuyas maestras propician más interacciones cognitivas de alta demanda, proponiendo el análisis de los aspectos implícitos en el texto, logran mayor elaboración inferencial, mientras que los niños cuyas docentes proponen menos interacciones con discusiones principalmente sobre información explícita en el texto, hacen pocas inferencias y con nivel de menor elaboración.
Alianza terapéutica y su relación con las variables de apego del terapeuta y del consultante
Authors: Navia Arroyo Carmen Elvira , Arias Patiño Erika Margarita
Published: April 2019

El presente estudio se diseñó con el propósito de determinar las variaciones de la alianza terapéutica (AT) a lo largo de la terapia y determinar la relación con el apego del consultante y del terapeuta. El apego se evaluó mediante la Adult Attachment Scale y la AT a través del Inventario de Alianza Terapéutica aplicado en la 1.ª, la 3.ª y la 10.ª o última sesión. Participaron 25 terapeutas, 19 estudiantes y 6 profesionales con 1 a 4 años de experiencia clínica. Se inició con 50 consultantes mayores de edad; para la 3.ª sesión quedaron 30 casos y en la última, 15. Los resultados indicaron que la seguridad del apego favorece el desarrollo de la AT evaluada por el terapeuta, en especial en la 1.ª sesión. Posteriormente, la apertura a la intimidad con el consultante y la confianza en el procedimiento terapéutico benefician la AT.
Características psicométricas de la adaptación colombiana del Cuestionario de Agresividad de Buss y Perry en una muestra de preadolescentes y adolescentes de Bucaramanga
Authors: Chahín-Pinzón Nicolás , Lorenzo-Seva Urbano , Vigil-Colet Andreu
Published: April 2019

Este estudio presenta la adaptación colombiana del Cuestionario de Agresividad de Buss y Perry para preadolescentes y adolescentes, desarrollado a partir de la versión española abreviada de 20 ítems. Dicha adaptación se administró a una muestra de 535 niños (269 niños y 266 niñas) con un rango de edades de 8-16 años, pertenecientes a tres colegios del área metropolitana de Bucaramanga. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio indican un buen ajuste al modelo de cuatro factores que ha sido descrita para otros idiomas y adaptaciones. El test presentó una fiabilidad satisfactoria para la escala total (α = 0.82) y para la escala de agresividad física (α = 0.75), mientras que para las demás escalas varía en función de la edad, no siendo recomendable su aplicación en edades inferiores a los 12 años. Al analizar los efectos del sexo sobre la agresividad, se verificó que dicho efecto se debía exclusivamente a las diferencias en agresividad física. Finalmente, se pone de manifiesto la importancia de considerar los aspectos culturales y lingüísticos en la adaptación de un instrumento, incluso, como en este caso, cuando se trata del mismo idioma.
Scientific Production in Psychology
Authors: García Martínez Ana Teresa , Guerrero-Bote Vicente P. , De Moya-Anegón Felix
Published: April 2019

This study examines world scientific production in Psychology based on bibliometric indicators (scientific production, production’s percentage variation, average citations per document, normalized citation, impact, etc.), for the period 2003–2008. The analysis is made by country, by research institutions, and scientific journals, using the Scopus (Elsevier), database of scientific literature. The results show that total world production has increased over the period studied. Four groups are acknowledge for each country, institutions, and journals, taking into account their values of scientific production, normalized citation, and subject specialization.
Validez predictiva del instrumento de evaluación de riesgos y recursos para la intervención FER-R, en adolescentes chilenos infractores de ley
Authors: Alarcón Paula , Wenger Lorena , Chesta Sergio , Salvo Sonia
Published: April 2019

Se estudió la validez predictiva del instrumento Ficha de Evaluación de Riesgos y Recursos (FER-R) para adolescentes infractores de ley, en un lapso de dos años (2009-2011). La FER-R consta de 60 ítems y permite el registro de 10 dominios, riesgos criminogénicos, recursos y el registro de un índice de escalada delictiva. La muestra estuvo conformada por 101 adolescentes varones, entre 14 y 19 años de edad, judicializados y derivados a programas de intervención en medio libre. Los principales resultados muestran que el índice general de riesgo medido por la FER-R, presenta un 68.3 % de aciertos, con un área bajo la curva ROC = 0.73, indicando una magnitud predictiva fuerte de la escala total para predecir reincidencia en los adolescentes infractores chilenos.
La escucha de la tortura desde el Estado: la experiencia de los profesionales de la Comisión Nacional sobre Prisión Política y Tortura en Chile
Authors: Cornejo Marcela , Morales Germán , Kovalskys Juana , Sharim Dariela
Published: April 2019

Se presenta una investigación cualitativa cuyo objetivo fue comprender el impacto que tuvo para los profesionales que trabajaron en la Comisión Nacional sobre Prisión Política y Tortura realizada en Chile entre 2003 y 2004, escuchar el testimonio de víctimas de tortura. Se realizaron relatos de vida con 22 profesionales que trabajaron en esta Comisión, a partir de 3 encuentros con cada uno de ellos. Los resultados muestran que el impacto de esta experiencia articula procesos elaborativos desde diferentes dimensiones (emocional, biográfica-narrativa e institucional) entendidas como coordenadas por donde circulan estos procesos, los que se revelan como profundamente influidos por las significaciones y sentidos que los profesionales construyen acerca de sus historias personales y familiares y de su historia social.
Cuando la contigüidad no es suficiente: bloqueo en relaciones de equivalencia
Authors: Delgado Delgado Diana Marcela , Medina Arboleda Iván Felipe
Published: April 2019

El fenómeno de bloqueo describe una circunstancia en la cual se impide o se dificulta el la transferencia de funciones entre eventos que se han presentado en una relación de contigüidad espacio-temporal. Desde una perspectiva teórica y empírica, el efecto bloqueo no debería predecirse en la adquisición de clases de estímulos aun cuando algunos de los estímulos de la misma clase se presenten simultáneamente. El presente estudio examina si la historia adicional de entrenamiento A-EI bien sea previa o posterior al entrenamiento con un estímulo muestra compuesto AX, es la variable crítica en la presentación del efecto bloqueo. Los desempeños obtenidos en las pruebas de bloqueo por los participantes de un grupo expuesto al procedimiento de bloqueo, un grupo expuesto al procedimiento de bloqueo invertido, y un grupo control, sugieren que el entrenamiento adicional con un solo elemento del compuesto no impide la inclusión de todos los estímulos dentro de la clase. Los casos en los que se observó el efecto bloqueo se interpretan en términos de tipos de percepciones elementales y configurales.
On incentives, political and economical externalities, and research output assessment procedures
Authors: López-López Wilson
Published: April 2019

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Presentation Special Issue: Cognitive science a special issue in cognitive science and the implementation of a comprehensive reviewing system
Authors: Marmolejo-Ramos Fernando
Published: April 2019

This special issue brings together the work that researchers around the world are currently carrying out on diverse topics in cognitive science and presents it to the research community in Latin America. The purpose behind this special issue is to motivate researchers on the continent to continue the studies presented herein and, ideally through networking with international researchers to initiate a rigorous research agenda in specific topics in cognitive science. This special issue offers a qualitatively comprehensive reviewing system to qualitatively, and a quantitatively assess of the manuscripts submitted. The following sections consider these two aspects.
Neuronal mechanisms of learning in teleost fish
Authors: Hurtado-Parrado Camilo
Published: April 2019

The paper is a review of the literature specialized in identifying brain areas and neurochemical functions that underlie different learning phenomena in teleost fish. The neuroethological approach, a description of the fish brain anatomy, ontogeny and phylogeny, the evolutionary discussion of the relationships between fish and mammals, and the cumulative evidence that suggests homologies in neurobehavioral functions between fish and mammals are introduced. Two predominant approaches for studying the neurobiology of learning in fish were identified, namely brain lesions and chemical stimulation. Regarding the effect of specific brain lesions,telencephalic ablationsonly affectedhabituationlearning (sensitization and classic conditioning were not impaired). Conversely, cerebellum lesions caused impairments in classical conditioning of eye-retraction and spatial learning (similar effects in mammals suggest that the functions of the cerebellum may have evolved early in vertebrate history). Regarding emotional learning, it is argued that research on avoidance and escape learning has been narrowly oriented and that new possibilities may derive from Hineline’s (1977) parametric analysis. Medium Pallium (MP) areas were identified as critical for emotional learning in fish. Furthermore, neurobehavioral functions of MP seem to be similar to the functions of the amygdala in mammals. Concerning neurochemical processes, antagonists of the NMDA receptors affected in a dose-dependent manner the acquisition of avoidance and fear conditioning. Alternatively, Nitric Oxide (NO) and cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP) seem to be involved in the consolidation processof emotional learning.
New CH4-N2 dry etch chemistry for poly(methyl methacrylate) removal without consuming polystyrene for lamellar copolymers application
Authors: Sarrazin Aurelien , Posseme Nicolas , Pimenta-Barros Patricia , Barnola Sebastien , Tiron Raluca , Cardinaud Christophe
Published: April 2019

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers is one of the most promising solutions to reach sub-20 nm patterns. A critical challenge of this technique is the PMMA removal selectively to polystyrene (PS). A very high PMMA:PS selectivity (>10:1) is required to conserve a sufficient PS pattern thickness allowing pattern transfer to sublayers. In this paper, the authors propose a CH4-N2 chemistry allowing a full PMMA removal without PS consumption. This chemistry is based on controlling the polymerization rate by tuning the ratio between methane and di-nitrogen. Finally, the benefits of this etch chemistry have been validated on PS-b-PMMA with a lamellar configuration.
Low-Level Parasite Persistence Drives Vasculitis and Myositis in Skeletal Muscle of Mice Chronically Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Weaver Joseph D. , Hoffman Victoria J. , Roffe Ester , Murphy Philip M.
Published: April 2019

In chronic
Trypanosoma cruzi
infection, the cause of Chagas disease, life-threatening inflammatory diseases develop over time in the heart, esophagus, and colon of some patients. C57BL/6 mice infected with the myotropic Colombiana strain of
T. cruzi
model many of the immunological and parasitological features of human infection but succumb to chronic paralyzing myositis and skeletal muscle vasculitis, not cardiomyopathy or gastrointestinal disease.
Bacteriophage Resistance Alters Antibiotic-Mediated Intestinal Expansion of Enterococci
Authors: Chatterjee Anushila , Johnson Cydney N. , Luong Phat , Hullahalli Karthik , McBride Sara W. , Schubert Alyxandria M. , Palmer Kelli L. , Carlson Paul E. , Duerkop Breck A.
Published: April 2019

Enterococcus faecalis
is a human intestinal pathobiont with intrinsic and acquired resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Nature provides a diverse and virtually untapped repertoire of bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages (phages), that could be harnessed to combat multidrug-resistant enterococcal infections.
Pigment Visibility on Rectal Swabs Used To Detect Enteropathogens: a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Xie Jianling , Tarr Gillian A. M. , Ali Samina , Chui Linda , Pang Xiao-Li , Lee Bonita E. , Vanderkooi Otto G. , Tarr Phillip I. , Zhuo Ran , Parsons Brendon , Berenger Byron M. , Kim Kelly , Freedman Stephen B.
Published: April 2019

Data are lacking regarding the impact of visible pigment on rectal swab diagnostic accuracy. We describe the test characteristics of rectal swabs with and without pigment in children with gastroenteritis.
Culture of Rectal Swab Specimens for Enteric Bacterial Pathogens Decreases Time to Test Result While Preserving Assay Sensitivity Compared to Bulk Fecal Specimens
Authors: Jean Sophonie , Yarbrough Melanie L. , Anderson Neil W. , Burnham Carey-Ann D.
Published: April 2019

Diarrheal illness is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world, yet the etiologic agent of many cases of gastrointestinal illness remains unspecified, often due to the lack of convenient, timely, and sensitive diagnostic testing. Although bulk fecal specimens remain the recommended specimen type for enteric culture, rectal swabs may be an option preferred by clinicians and patients due to the convenience and timing of collection.
Caulobacter crescentus Adapts to Phosphate Starvation by Synthesizing Anionic Glycoglycerolipids and a Novel Glycosphingolipid
Authors: Stankeviciute Gabriele , Guan Ziqiang , Goldfine Howard , Klein Eric A.
Published: April 2019

Bacteria adapt to environmental changes in a variety of ways, including altering their cell shape.
Caulobacter crescentus
adapts to phosphate starvation by elongating its cell body and a polar stalk structure containing both inner and outer membranes. While we generally think of cellular membranes being composed largely of phospholipids, cellular elongation occurs when environmental phosphate, and therefore phospholipid synthesis, is limited. In order to adapt to these environmental constraints,
C. crescentus
synthesizes several glycolipid species, including a novel glycosphingolipid. This finding is significant because glycosphingolipids, while ubiquitous in eukaryotes, are extremely rare in bacteria. In this paper, we identify three proteins required for GSL-2 synthesis and demonstrate that they contribute to phage resistance. These findings suggest that bacteria may synthesize a wider variety of lipids in response to stresses than previously observed.
Respiratory Heterogeneity Shapes Biofilm Formation and Host Colonization in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Beebout Connor J. , Eberly Allison R. , Werby Sabrina H. , Reasoner Seth A. , Brannon John R. , De Shuvro , Fitzgerald Madison J. , Huggins Marissa M. , Clayton Douglass B. , Cegelski Lynette , Hadjifrangiskou Maria
Published: April 2019

Biofilms are multicellular bacterial communities encased in a self-secreted extracellular matrix comprised of polysaccharides, proteinaceous fibers, and DNA. Organization of these components lends spatial organization in the biofilm community. Here we demonstrate that oxygen gradients in uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(UPEC) biofilms lead to spatially distinct expression programs for quinol oxidases—components of the terminal electron transport chain. Our studies reveal that the cytochrome
bd
-expressing subpopulation is critical for biofilm development and matrix production. In addition, we show that quinol oxidases are heterogeneously expressed in planktonic populations and that this respiratory heterogeneity provides a fitness advantage during infection. These studies define the contributions of quinol oxidases to biofilm physiology and suggest the presence of respiratory bet-hedging behavior in UPEC.
Curated BLAST for Genomes
Authors: Price Morgan N. , Arkin Adam P.
Published: April 2019

Given a microbe’s genome sequence, we often want to predict what capabilities the organism has, such as which nutrients it requires or which energy sources it can use. Or, we know the organism has a capability and we want to find the genes involved. Scientists often use automated gene annotations to find relevant genes, but automated annotations are often vague or incorrect. Curated BLAST finds candidate genes for a capability without relying on automated annotations. First, Curated BLAST finds proteins (usually from other organisms) whose functions have been studied experimentally and whose curated descriptions match a query. Then, it searches the genome of interest for similar proteins and returns a list of candidates. Curated BLAST is fast and often finds relevant genes that are missed by automated annotation.
Runaway pacemaker
Authors: Gul Ambreen , Sheikh Muhammad Asad , Rao Atif
Published: April 2019

Runaway pacemaker is phenomenon in which pacemaker induces ventricular tachycardia as a result of some malfunction in the device. This entity is not very common in clinical practice. Normally, the pacemaker perceives the inherent cardiac impulse and hence averting the delivery of pacemaker stimulus in susceptible period of cardiac cycle. This is a case of a pacemaker-induced tachycardia (named as runaway pacemaker) in a patient with a history of Single Chamber Ventricular (VVI) pacemaker. A 75-year-old man was admitted with 3 days history of fluttering in the chest, shortness of breath, central chest and epigastric pain which radiated to the back. His medical history includes pacemaker implantation in 1996 with lead complication following which he was managed with VVI pacemaker, and the last procedure was generator change 4 years ago with no complication. Examination revealed ventricular tachycardia with ECG showing paced rhythm with ventricular pacing at the rate of 200–150/min. His pacemaker-induced ventricular tachycardia was immediately aborted after putting magnet on the device which restored his baseline rhythm with heart rate of 60/min. Pacemaker was explanted urgently with replacement of new pulse generator. The patient was discharged home with VVI pacemaker showing excellent parameters.
Effect of self-reported home smoking restriction on smoking initiation among adolescents in Taiwan: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Luh Dih-Ling , Chen Hsiu-Hsi , Yen Amy Ming-Fang , Wang Ting-Ting , Chiu Sherry Yueh-Hsia , Fann Ching-Yuan , Chen Sam Li-Sheng
Published: April 2019

Objective

The aims of this study were to investigate the influence of home smoking restriction (HSR) and the modified effect of parental smoking on smoking initiation among adolescents.

Design

Prospective Cohort Study.

Setting

Junior high school in Keelung City, Taiwan.

Participants

This study collected and evaluated primary data from the Adolescent Smoking and Other Health-Related Behaviour Survey conducted in Keelung City, which aimed to investigate smoking and health-related behaviours in junior high school students (2008–2009). Data on students free of smoking in 2008 and following them until 2009 (n=901) to ascertain whether they had started smoking were analysed with logistic regression mode to examine the proposed postulates.

Main outcome measure

The outcome variable was smoking initiation, which was defined as smoking status (yes/no) in the 2009 follow-up questionnaire. The main independent variable was HSR obtained from an adolescent self-reported questionnaire. Information on parental smoking was measured by adolescents self-reporting the smoking behaviour of their father and mother.

Results

The rate of HSR was 29.79% among 7th grade adolescents. The effect of HSR on smoking initiation in adolescents was statistically significantly modified by paternal smoking (p=0.04) but not by maternal smoking (p=0.54). The effect of HSR on smoking initiation was small for fathers with the habit of smoking (OR=0.89, 95% CI (0.42 to 1.88)), but the corresponding effect size was 3.2-fold (OR=2.84, 95% CI 1.19 to 6.81) for fathers without the habit of smoking.

Conclusions

Paternal smoking behaviour may play an interactive role with HSR in preventing smoking initiation among Taiwanese adolescents.
Oxidative stress and metabolic parameters are differently affected by fructose when rats were kept sedentary or underwent swimming exercise
Authors: Prado Vinicius Costa , Quines Caroline Brandão , Rosa Suzan Gonçalves , Cechella José Luiz , Nogueira Cristina Wayne
Published: April 2019

The current study evaluated whether fructose supplementation affects oxidative stress and metabolic parameters in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle of rats subjected to swimming exercise. Male adult Wistar rats received a fructose solution (10%) or water during 1 h before exercise and during the rest interval by the intragastric route. The swimming protocol consisted of 6 days: each day, rats underwent 3 sessions of 17 min each, with a load of 5% of body mass, and rest intervals of 3 min. Fructose supplementation changed metabolic and oxidative parameters in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle of sedentary rats. Swimming exercise counteracted the increase of triglyceride levels in plasma and liver induced by fructose supplementation. It also reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive species levels in the liver, and catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in the gastrocnemius muscle of supplemented rats. However, fructose supplementation worsened metabolic (hepatic triglyceride levels) and oxidative parameters (thiobarbituric acid reactive species levels) in the liver and gastrocnemius of exercised rats. This study demonstrates that oxidative stress and metabolic parameters were differently affected by fructose supplementation when rats were kept sedentary or underwent swimming exercise. The present results indicate the need of a new insight of the role of fructose supplementation during physical exercise.
MUSCULOSKELETAL SIMULATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOT POSITION AND STRESS OF THE L4–L5 JOINT IN SUPPORTING STANDING-UP MOTION TO PREVENT LOW BACK PAIN AMONG CAREGIVERS
Authors: KITAGAWA KODAI , NISHISAKO YOSHIKI , NAGASAKI TAKAYUKI , NAKANO SOTA , WADA CHIKAMUNE
Published: April 2019

Most caregivers have low back pain which results from frequent care activities such as assistance motion that supports transfer and standing-up. Various parameters are associated with the caregiver’s lumbar load. In this study, we focus on the foot position of the caregiver as one of the subjective adjustable parameters. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between foot position and stresses of the L4–L5 joint as lumbar load during supporting standing-up via musculoskeletal simulation. The musculoskeletal model was tasked with simulating supported standing-up motions based on a specific pelvic position and angular variation of each joint. The anterior foot (left foot) was fixed, and the posterior foot (right foot) was moved to three backward positions and three rightward positions, thus obtaining nine posterior foot positions. Compressive, anteroposterior shear, and lateral shear stresses of the L4–L5 joint were compared for nine foot positions. The results showed that as the anteroposterior distance and lateral widths between both feet increased, the average value of compressive/shear stress of the L4–L5 joint during motions decreased. From our findings, we hypothesized that the foot position may reduce the lumbar load and prevent low back pain.
STUDY ON COMPUTATIONAL EXPERIMENTS OF C2C TAX COMPLIANCE BASED ON INFORMATION OF CYBERMEDIARIES
Authors: XIONG FENG , XIANG SHAOJIE , JIN PENG
Published: April 2019

The impact of cybermediaries’ information on Consumer to Consumer (C2C) tax compliance is investigated by using a computational experiment approach and three conclusions are drawn. First, cybermediaries’ information assists tax authorities in selecting audit objects and discovering unregistered taxpayers, and the second signaling role is the main reason for the improvement of the C2C tax compliance rate in the case of low audit probability. Second, the signaling role of cybermediaries’ information is quite limited if the audit probability is low; the increase of the audit probability can directly improve the C2C tax compliance rate as well as indirectly by enhancing the signaling role of cybermediaries’ information; in addition, if the proportion of honest taxpayers is lower than a certain threshold, the lower the proportion is, the lower the signaling role is, ceteris paribus. Finally, the signaling role of cybermediaries’ information on the selection of audit objects rises with the increase of the correlation degree between cybermediaries’ information and taxable income of taxpayers, and a critical value of the correlation degree exists, below which the signaling role of cybermediaries’ information is negative. We also discuss how to enhance the signaling role of cybermediaries’ information to improve the C2C tax compliance rate.
Elementary school classroom physical activity breaks: student, teacher, and facilitator perspectives
Authors: Mullins Nicole M. , Michaliszyn Sara F. , Kelly-Miller Natalie , Groll Leanne
Published: April 2019

Current physical activity (PA) guidelines recommend that children accumulate at least 60 min of PA each day, and that adults should collaborate across sectors to increase opportunities for PA. Implementing brief classroom PA breaks (CPABs) is one way to help increase daily PA. The primary purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of a 14-wk CPAB program among elementary school children, in the first through fourth grades ( n = 254), at a suburban elementary school, and their teachers ( n = 18). The CPAB program was implemented by university exercise science students, and student and teacher perceptions were assessed through surveys. The children reported that the CPABs were very fun (86%), provided them with a nice break during the school day (88%), were very good for their health (94%), helped them feel more ready to learn (71%), and learn better (50%). The teachers reported that the students really enjoyed the CPABs (100%), that encouraging students to be physically active was either very important (83%) or important (17%), and that they were either very confident (72%) or confident (28%) that they themselves could lead the CPABs. No teacher reported that the CPABs hindered classroom learning. CPABs appear to be enjoyable to both students and teachers, easy to administer, and supportive of learning. Recommendations for improvements within the present collaboration were minimal and could be easily addressed with firmer entrenchment of the program. This collaboration was beneficial and fun for the vast majority involved, and others are urged to implement similar programs.
Valorization of Cocoa Husks: Pectin Recovery
Authors: Mollea Chiara , Chiampo Fulvia
Published: April 2019

Food processing by-products are usually cheap and abundant and can be source of valuable molecules of great interest to various industries like the pharmaceutical or the food ones. In this frame, the husks of roasted cocoa beans, that are a by-product of the cocoa processing industry, can constitute a source of pectin. The recovery process has been already defined at laboratory scale with boiling acid extraction (pH 2.5). This process is suitable to recover a quantity of pectin, expressed as anhydro-galacturonic acid (AGA), around 8 g AGA/100 g dry husks; this pectin is characterized by low degree of methylation (%DM around 31) and acetylation degree lower than 2%. In this paper the effects of some operative conditions on pectin quantity and quality were studied, in order to optimize the parameters that can make the process economically competitive: the in-excess quantities of solvents and operation time were reduced, without altering yield and pectin characteristics. In particular, the extract was concentrated by 13.3%, the ethanol for pectin precipitation was reduced (ratio extract to ethanol equal to 1:4), and it was also demonstrated that a single washing with 40% ethanol is sufficient to obtain a purified product.
The Forecasting of Corrosion Damage of Structural Materials during Dry Long-Term Storage of RD BN-350 SNF with CC-19 SFA
Authors: Koyanbayev Ye. T. , Skakov M. K. , Batyrbekov E. G. , Deryavko I. I. , Sapatayev Ye. Ye. , Kozhahmetov Ye. A.
Published: April 2019

There are results of long-term thermal aging of samples of irradiated and nonirradiated FA jacket and nonirradiated fuel element cladding at a temperature range from 300 to 550°C in argon, to 600°C in air. Materials have been studied before and after thermal tests. The forecast estimation of expected corrosion damage of barrier material at the radionuclide release from spent fuel assemblies of BN-350 reactor into environment during dry storage for 50 years was carried out.
TFIIIB Subunit Bdp1 Participates in RNA Polymerase III Transcription in the Protozoan Parasite Leishmania major
Authors: Román-Carraro Fiordaliso C. , Florencio-Martínez Luis E. , Romero-Meza Gabriela , Nepomuceno-Mejía Tomás , Carrero Julio C. , Arroyo Rossana , Ortega-López Jaime , Manning-Cela Rebeca G. , Martínez-Calvillo Santiago
Published: April 2019

Leishmania major, a protozoan parasite that diverged early from the main eukaryotic lineage, exhibits unusual mechanisms of gene expression. Little is known in this organism about the transcription factors involved in the synthesis of tRNA, 5S rRNA, and snRNAs, transcribed by RNA Polymerase III (Pol III). Here we identify and characterize the TFIIIB subunit Bdp1 in L. major (LmBdp1). Bdp1 plays key roles in Pol III transcription initiation in other organisms, as it participates in Pol III recruitment and promoter opening. In silico analysis showed that LmBdp1 contains the typical extended SANT domain as well as other Bdp1 conserved regions. Nevertheless, LmBdp1 also displays distinctive features, including the presence of only one aromatic residue in the N-linker region. We were not able to produce null mutants of LmBdp1 by homologous recombination, as the obtained double replacement cell line contained an extra copy of LmBdp1, indicating that LmBdp1 is essential for the viability of L. major promastigotes. Notably, the mutant cell line showed reduced levels of the LmBdp1 protein, and its growth was significantly decreased in relation to wild-type cells. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that Pol III transcription was affected in the mutant cell line, and ChIP experiments showed that LmBdp1 binds to 5S rRNA, tRNA, and snRNA genes. Thus, our results indicate that LmBdp1 is an essential protein required for Pol III transcription in L. major.
Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes and Associated Factors among TB Patients Attending Public Hospitals in Harar Town, Eastern Ethiopia: A Five-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Tola Assefa , Minshore Kirubel Minsamo , Ayele Yohanes , Mekuria Abraham Nigussie
Published: April 2019

Introduction. Tuberculosis remains a major public health threat throughout the world particularly in developing countries. Evaluating the treatment outcome of tuberculosis and identifying the associated factors should be an integral part of tuberculosis treatment. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the treatment outcome of tuberculosis and its associated factors among TB patients in the TB clinics of Harar public hospitals, Eastern Ethiopia, 2017. Methods. A retrospective document review was conducted in two public hospitals of Harar town, located 516 km east of Addis Ababa. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the document of TB patients who were registered in the hospitals from 1st of January, 2011, to 30th of December, 2015. The data were collected using a pretested structured data extraction format. SPSS Version 21 for window was used for data processing. Bivariate and multivariate analysis with 95% confidence interval was employed in order to infer the associations between TB treatment outcome and potential predictor variables. Results. One thousand two hundred thirty-six registered TB patients’ documents were reviewed. Of these, 59.8% were male, 94.2% were urban dwellers, 97% were new cases, 61.2% were presented with pulmonary TB, and 22.8% were HIV positive. Regarding the treatment outcome, 30.4% were cured, 62.1% completed their treatment, 3.9% died, 2.4% were defaulted, and the remaining 1.2% had failed treatment. The overall rate of the treatment success among the patients was 92.5%. In the present study, being female (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.14 - 3.14), having pretreatment weight of 20 – 29 kg (AOR = 11.03, 95% CI: 1.66 - 73.35), being HIV negative (AOR = 6.50, 95% CI: 3.95 - 10.71), and being new TB patient (AOR = 3.22 95% CI: 1.10 - 9.47) were factors independently associated with successful treatment outcome. On the other hand, being in the age group 54 – 64 years (AOR =10.41, 95% CI: 1.86 - 58.30) and age greater than 65 years (AOR =24.41, 95% CI: 4.19 - 142.33) was associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcome. Conclusion. In the current study, the rate of successful TB treatment outcome was acceptable. This rate should be maintained and further improved by designing appropriate monitoring strategies.
Predictive Values of Preoperative Tests for Difficult Laryngoscopy and Intubation in Adult Patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital
Authors: Tamire Tadese , Demelash Habtamu , Admasu Wosenyeleh
Published: April 2019

Introduction. The significance of difficult or failed tracheal intubation following induction is a well-recognized cause of morbidity and mortality in anesthetic practice. Nevertheless, the need to predict potentially difficult tracheal intubation has received a little attention. During routine anesthesia, the incidence of difficult tracheal intubation has been estimated at 1.5%–8% of general anesthetics. Difficulties in intubation have been associated with serious complications, such as brain damage or death, particularly when failed intubation has occurred. Occasionally, in a patient with a difficult airway, the anesthetist is faced with the situation where mask ventilation proves difficult or impossible. This is one of the most critical emergencies that may be faced in the practice of anesthesia. If the anesthetist can predict which patients are likely to prove difficult to intubate, he/she may reduce the risks of anesthesia considerably. In Ethiopia, there are no data on the magnitude of difficult laryngoscopic tracheal intubation and no standard guidelines for preoperative tests. The main concern of this study was to provide information on the magnitude of difficult laryngoscopic intubation and to determine valuable preoperative tests to predict difficult laryngoscopy and intubation in patients with apparently normal airways which can help anesthetists to improve preoperative airway assessment and contribute to decrease anesthesia-related morbidity and mortality. Objective. The main objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and predictive values of preoperative tests for difficult laryngoscopy and intubation, among surgical patients who underwent elective surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation in Tikur Anbessa Hospital from February 1 to March 30, 2016. Study Design. A facility-based cross-sectional study design was used. Result. In this study, we found the magnitude of difficult laryngoscopy and intubation as 13.6% and 5%, respectively. 33.3% of patients with difficult laryngoscopy were found to be difficult for intubation. Mallampati test, interincisor distance, and thyromental distance were identified to be good preoperative tests to predict difficult laryngoscopic intubation when used in combination. Recommendation. We recommend anesthesia professionals to use combination of MMC/TMD/IID for their routine preoperative airway assessment.
An Integrated Problem of p-Hub Location and Revenue Management with Multiple Capacity Levels under Disruptions
Authors: Hou Yan-Ting , Huo Jia-Zhen , Chu Feng
Published: April 2019

This paper considers an integrated hub location and revenue management problem in which a set of capacities is available from which one can be chosen for each hub and the disruption is considered in a star-star shaped airline network. We propose a two-stage stochastic programming model to maximize the profit of the network in which the cost of installing the hubs at different levels of capacities, the transportation cost, and the revenue obtained by selling airline tickets are considered. To provide flexible solutions, a hybrid two-stage stochastic programming-robust optimization model is developed by putting relative emphasis on a weighted sum of profit maximization. Furthermore, a sample average approximation approach is used for solving the stochastic programming formulation and a genetic algorithm approach is applied for both formulations. Numerical experiments are conducted to verify the mathematical formulations and compare the performance of the used approaches.