bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ductus arteriosus and failed medical therapy
Authors: den Harink Tamara , Clur Sally-Ann B. , van der Lee Robin , van Deutekom Arend W.
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND:

Management of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) after pharmacological therapy failure in preterm neonates is controversial and shows marked practice variation. To evaluate which factors motivate the decision to ligate a PDA in clinical practice we examined several clinical and echocardiographic variables.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective single center cohort study. We included infants born at less than 37 weeks of gestation, admitted to our neonatal intensive care between 01.01.2008 and 31.12.2015 with a PDA detected on echocardiography after two or three courses of medical therapy. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict surgical ligation for twelve clinical and nine echocardiographic variables separately. We used the multiple imputation technique for missing values.

RESULTS:

A total of 89 neonates were included of which forty (45%), underwent surgical ligation of their PDA. In our final multivariate regression model, invasive respiratory support (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.29–10.03), left atrial/aortic root ratio (OR 5.48, 95% CI 1.66–18.11) and presence of ductal steal (OR 3.82, 95% CI 1.47–9.91) were significant predictors for surgical ligation. The prediction model using clinical and echocardiographic variables explained 9% and 24% of the variability to ligate respectively, indicating significant residual variation due to unmeasured factors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results indicate that invasive respiratory support, increased left atrial/aortic root ratio and the presence of ductal steal were important predictors for surgical ligation in our center. However, this explained only a small proportion of the variability, which emphasizes the need for evidence-based guidelines in the management of preterm neonates after failed pharmacological therapy for a PDA.
Material composition and characteristics of bentonite clays used as a binder in the production of iron ore pellets
Authors: Zhuravlev F. M. , Chuprinov E. V. , Lyalyuk V. P. , Kassim D. A. , Lyakhova I. A.
Published: February 2020

In the production of iron ore pellets, binding additives are used, in particular, bentonite clays. At present, instead of alkaline bentonite clays used before, the alkaline-earth bentonite clays modified by soda ash are used, supplied from abroad. There is a whole number of bentonite clays deposits in Russia and Ukraine having reserves of the raw material accounting hundreds of million tons, which are not used in the industry because of absence of planned and proper studies of their applicability for pellets production. The analysis of chemical composition carried out and requirements to rheological characteristics of bentonite clays used in the iron ore pellets production at steel-works of Russia and Ukraine determined. Indicators of swelling and water absorption of mono-ionic forms of bentonite of some deposits in water of various hardness presented. Quality of pellets with bentonites, having different exchange complex when using technical water of various hardness considered. Analysis of mineralogical and chemical compositions, as well as value and content of exchange complex of alkaline-earth bentonite clays of Cherkassk deposition, Ukraine, accomplished. The deposition has the largest reserves of such clays in CIS. It was shown, that clays suitable for pellets production, are located near the earth surface. Comparative analysis of strength indicators of pellets, produced with bentonite application with alkaline and alkaline-earth complexes, carried out. It was shown, that despite the low swelling of alkaline-earth bentonites, the quality of pellets, produced with those bentonites is sometimes a little lower, but under definite conditions does not yield to the quality of pellets with alkaline bentonites at the same their consumption.
Investigation of the influence of temperature-speed mode on the parameters of secondary cooling of continuously casted billet from free-cutting steel
Authors: Stolyarov A. M. , Potapova M. V. , Kunakbaeva A. T.
Published: February 2020

Practically the whole steel, including the free-cutting one, is casting by continuous casting machines (CCM). The technological parameters of the free-cutting steel continuous casting have their features, since the high content of Sulphur and phosphor in the free-cutting steel, necessary for its high machinability, increases the probability of fractures and emergency breach of metal. The purpose of the work was study of influence of temperature-speed mode of A12 free-cutting steel casting on cooling agent consumption in the secondary cooling zone of radial type billet CCM. The CCM mold was 900 long with supporting system on the mold frame of two rows of rollers. The secondary cooling (SC) zone comprised four zones of 340, 2360, 3460 and 3610 mm length. The cooling in the first zone is accomplished by water, in the others – by water-air mist. The study was carried out by application of mathematical simulation method to the process of billet secondary cooling, elaborated by V.N. Selivanov. The temperature of the free-cutting steel billet surface was calculated by zones of secondary cooling at various steel temperature in the tundish. The flow density and water consumption in various SC zones determined, necessary to reach the required variation of billet surface temperature. The dependence of total and specific water consumption for the billet cooling on the metal temperature in the CCM tundish determined.
IMPLEMENTASI PENDEKATAN EKSPOSITORI DALAM MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR PKn
Authors: . Salfitri
Published: February 2020

This research was carried out aimed at improving student learning outcomes in Civics in the Central Government living system through the use of an Expository Approach in class IV-A of SD Negeri 1 Peureulaksemen II in the 2017-2018 Academic Year. The benefits of this research are to add new references and theories in the field of education, especially in the implementation of Classroom Action Research by applying various models or learning methods so as to improve student learning outcomes. To achieve this, the step that needs to be implemented is to use the Expository Approach. Data analysis method used in this study uses descriptive analysis whose data is sourced from formative tests and classroom observations. Sampling amounted to 30 people in class IV-A. Retrieval of learning outcomes data using learning outcomes test instruments and observation sheets. From the results of the first cycle test, showed that students who scored 80 were 2 students (6.66%), while those who scored 75 were 11 students or (36.67%), who scored 70 as many as 6 students or (20% ), those who get 65 are 8 students or (26.67%), those who get 60 are 2 students or (6.67%) while the lowest score of 50 is 1 student (3.33%). Based on the completeness of student learning from a total of 30 students there are 19 students or (63.33%). Whereas in Silkus II who got a very good score that is 90 as many as 3 students or (10%), who got a score of 85 as many as 6 students or (20%) who scored 80 as many as 7 students or (23.33%) who scored 75 as many as 5 students or (16.66%) who scored 70 as many as 6 students or (20%) while those who scored 65 were 2 students or (6.66%) and those who got the lowest scores were 60 students or 1 , 33%). The average value of the class is 77.50 with 90% completeness. Based on this research it can be concluded that the application of the Expository Approach can improve the learning outcomes of Civics subjects, especially the material "Central Government System" for fourth-grade students of semester II of SD Negeri 1 Peureulak in the 2017-2018 Academic Year.
Measuring the strength of market selection in Russia: When the (firm) size matters
Authors: Savin Ivan V. , Mariev Oleg S. , Pushkarev Andrey A.
Published: February 2020

In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of market selection based on data of Russian manufacturing firms from 2006 to 2017 and compare our results with those for foreign countries. To do this, we decompose the labor productivity at the industry level to determine the contribution from the redistribution of market shares from less to more productive companies. We also conduct a direct econometric assessment of the relationship between firm productivity and revenue growth. The results obtained indicate a moderate role of market selection in Russia. If we measure the firm productivity by estimating the value added per employee (labour productivity), then estimates for Russia are lower than for other OECD countries, while estimates based on total factor productivity are generally comparable. We also find that the role of market selection is higher for small and medium-sized enterprizes, which indicates the need to stimulate competition especially among large firms.
Academics in manufacturing companies: Empirical analysis of publication activity and export quality
Authors: Fedyunina Anna A. , Gerina Yana Y. , Averyanova Yuliya V.
Published: February 2020

This paper shows, for the first time in empirical literature, that the presence of employees from academia in the firm, regardless of their participation in the firm’s research activities, reflects the skills of the firm to learn and acquire new knowledge or, put differently, its absorptive capacity. It is assumed that the higher absorptive capacity act as a mechanism that determines the impact of scientists on the productivity of the firm. The hypothesis that there is an inter-firm diffusion of knowledge in the commodity space is also being tested: firms with similar commodity structures are more likely to hire scientists. Hypotheses are tested on the example of a sample of small and medium-sized Russian firms-exporters, for which absorptive capacity is particularly important.
Economic policy uncertainty and investment of Russian companies
Authors: Naidenova Iuliia N. , Leonteva Veronika V.
Published: February 2020

This paper is devoted to determining the impact of economic policy uncertainty on corporate investment of Russian manufacturing companies. By applying fixed effects models on panel data, it was found that under increasing level of economic policy uncertainty, the companies reduce their investment activity. The effect is most pronounced for large companies. It is important to note that public companies are not affected by the uncertainty of Russian economic policy, however, the European and global economic policy uncertainty has a negative impact on their investments. Testing the robustness by applying the methods of instrumental variables confirms the results. The study suggests that maintaining transparency and stability of economic policy can increase the level of corporate investment.
Agreement Test of Documentation of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid â€œDoVIAâ€ and Colposcopy findings as a Screening Tool for Cervical Cancer
Authors: Nuranna Laila , Wardany Renny Surya , Purwoto Gatot , Utami Tofan W. , Peters Lex
Published: February 2020

Abstract

Objective:

To find out the suitability of Documentation of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (DoVIA) result compare to colposcopy result as a method of cervical cancer screening.

 

 

Method:

This is a descriptive study using cross sectional design that took place from April 2017 until March 2019. One hundred eighty two sampels of documentation photographs taken by the researcher were included. The photographs were reviewed by the 3 selected reviewers: oncology and gynecology consultant, obstetry and gynecology resident, and general practitioner that were trained about DoVIA and colposcopy. The review was based on kappa test which assessed the sharpness, squamo-columnar junction and white epitel visualization on the cervix.

Results:

Kappa score on DoVIA versus colposcopy was 0,717 (good). Inter-rater test was performed to assess consistency and the result was 0,764 (good) between consultant and resident, 0,703 (good) between consultant and general practitioner.

Conclusion:

Kappa test of IVA documentation â€DoVIAâ€ gives a good kappa value, so that it is expected to be an alternative screening for precancerous lesions.

Keyword: cervical cancer screening, VIA, DoVIA, colposcopy, mini colposcopy

 

Abstrak

Tujuan:

Untuk menemukan kesesuaian antara dokumentasi hasil inspeksi visual dengan asam asetat (DoVIA) dibanding dengan hasil kolposkopi sebagai metode skrining kanker serviks.

Metode

Penelitian deskripsi ini menggunakan desain cross sectional yang telah dilakukan sejak April 2017 hingga Maret 2019. Seratus delapan puluh dua sampel dokumentasi telah diambil oleh peneliti telah dimasukkan menjadi sampel. Hasil dokumentasi telah dinilai oleh 3 penilai yang terdiri dari konsultan onkologi dan ginekologi, residen obstetri dan ginekologi, dan dokter umum yang telah dilatih untuk DoVIA dan kolposkopi. Hasil penilaian dilakukan berdasarkan kappa untuk menilai ketajaman, sambungan skuamos kolumner dan visualisasi lesi putih di serviks

Hasil

Skor kappa pada DoVIA dibanding kolposkopi adalah 0,717 (baik). Hasil prbandingan penilaian antar penilai yang ditunjukkan untuk menilai konsistensi dan hasil adalah 0,764 (baik) antara konsultan dan residen, 0,703 (baik) antara konsultan dan dokter umum.

Kesimpulan

Tes kappa pada dokumentasi IVA (DoVIA) memberikan hasil kappa baik, sehingga DoVIA diharapkan dapat menjadi alternatif skrining untuk lesi prakanker.

 

Kata kunci : skrining kanker serviks, IVA, DoVIA, kolposkopi, minikolposkopi
An overview of precision oncology basket and umbrella trials for clinicians
Authors: Park Jay J. H. , Hsu Grace , Siden Ellie G. , Thorlund Kristian , Mills Edward J.
Published: February 2020

With advancements in biomarkers and momentum in precision medicine, biomarker‐guided trials such as basket trials and umbrella trials have been developed under the master protocol framework. A master protocol refers to a single, overarching design developed to evaluate multiple hypotheses with the general goal of improving the efficiency of trial evaluation. One type of master protocol is the basket trial, in which a targeted therapy is evaluated for multiple diseases that share common molecular alterations or risk factors that may help predict whether the patients will respond to the given therapy. Another variant of a master protocol is the umbrella trial, in which multiple targeted therapies are evaluated for a single disease that is stratified into multiple subgroups based on different molecular or other predictive risk factors. Both designs follow the core principle of precision medicine—to tailor intervention strategies based on the patient's risk factor(s) that can help predict whether they will respond to a specific treatment. There have been increasing numbers of basket and umbrella trials, but they are still poorly understood. This article reviews common characteristics of basket and umbrella trials, key trials and recent US Food and Drug Administration approvals for precision oncology, and important considerations for clinical readers when critically evaluating future publications on basket trials and umbrella trials and for researchers when designing these clinical trials.
The Role of Gampong Officials in the Implementation of Financial Aid Program of Peumakmu Gampong (A Study in Gampong Pasi Rawa, Sigli City Sub-district, Pidie Regency)
Authors: Ismail
Published: February 2020

Gampong development is an integral part of national development, because gampong is the basis of every national development as a whole, based on the principle of development that was born from the community, planned by the community, implemented and supervised by the community with the aim for the benefit of the community, then the development is more felt of benefits and its meanings. In the implementation of a gampong-based development program, it is very necessary to have a role for gampong officials in implementing it. The development implement with the role of the gampong officials through the Implementation of Financial Aid Program of Peumakmu Gampong in Pasi Rawa, Sigli City Sub-district, Pidie Regency was run well, because from the beginning the gampong officials had adopted community ideas and accommodated them as outlined in the development program. The implementation is also in accordance with applicable procedures as stipulated by the Aceh Provincial Government as the party providing financial aid. The purpose of this research is of course to describe the implementation process of financial aid program of peumakmu gampong, and to analyze the role of gampong officials in the implementation of that program in Pasi Rawa, Sigli City Sub-district, Pidie District. For this reason, the method used in this study is a qualitative method, because it is believed to be able to get representative results. While the data collection techniques that researchers do through observation, interviews and documentation. The results showed that the Implementation Process of financial aid program of peumakmu gampong in Pasi Rawa Gampong, Sigli City Sub-district has been running well and in accordance with the hopes and desires of community members, even though the implementation did not involve women, and was in line with the objectives and implementation instructions. Then with the role of the gampong officials both in the form of mind and in the form of energy provided without expecting financial rewards, it turns out that it can support the programs that are on target, on time, and also on quality, so as to provide convenience in its implementation. These results have positive implications both for the process and for the results of implementing the financial aid program of peumakmu gampong.
Year-round passive acoustic data reveal spatio-temporal patterns in marine mammal community composition in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Van Opzeeland I , Hillebrand H
Published: February 2020

To date, the majority of studies investigating marine mammal distribution and behavior take a single-species perspective, which is often driven by the logistic difficulties of collecting appropriate data at sea. Passive acoustic monitoring, provided recording tools exhibit sufficient bandwidth, has the potential to provide insights into community structure as devices operate autonomously simultaneously collecting data on baleen, pinniped and toothed whale acoustic presence. Data can provide information on local species diversity, residency times and co-occurrence. Here, we used multi-year passive acoustic data from 6 sites in the Weddell Sea, Southern Ocean, to explore how local marine mammal community compositions develop over time and in relation to sea-ice. Diversity peaked in austral late spring and early summer, shortly before seasonal sea-ice break-up. The effective number of species exhibited little variation over time, reflecting that species remain in Antarctic waters throughout austral winter. Community composition showed almost complete seasonal overturn, indicating that species replace each other throughout the year. For all 6 sites, community dissimilarity increased with increasing temporal distance, reflecting temporal trends in community composition beyond seasonality. Several species exhibited significant positive or negative co-occurrence patterns over time. These seasonal associations were consistent across all 5 oceanic sites, but partly inversed at the Western Antarctic Peninsula recording site. This study shows that the application of biodiversity metrics to passive acoustic monitoring data can foster insights into the timing of behaviors and community composition, which can boost the interpretation of responses in the light of ongoing environmental changes.
Fecal Calprotectin Levels Correlate With Main Domains of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) in a Sample of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders From Slovakia
Authors: BABINSKÁ K. , TOMOVA A. , CELUŠÁKOVÁ H. , BABKOVÁ J. , REPISKÁ G. , KUBRANSKÁ A. , FILČÍKOVÁ D. , SIKLENKOVÁ L. , OSTATNÍKOVÁ D.
Published: February 2020

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behavior and restricted interests. There is convincing evidence that the intestinal inflammation is involved in etiology of ASD. Increased levels of inflammatory markers were shown to be associated with more aberrant behaviors and communication of subjects with ASD. Calprotectin in the feces is produced by activated neutrophils and epithelial cells of the gut mucosa, and its levels reflect local inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Concentration of fecal calprotectin was determined by ELISA method in 87 individuals with ASD and 51 controls, of that 29 siblings of children with ASD and 22 non-related controls. In non-relatives significantly lower values of fecal calprotectin were observed than in both subjects with ASD and their siblings. In the group with ASD significant correlations of fecal calprotectin with all domains of the ADI-R diagnostic tool were found: qualitative abnormalities in reciprocal social interaction and communication, restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Results suggest that low grade intestinal inflammation may be one of factors implicated in the pathophysiology of ASD.
Do Multiple Body Modifications Alter Pain Threshold?
Authors: YAMAMOTOVÁ A. , HRABÁK P. , HŘÍBEK P. , ROKYTA R.
Published: February 2020

In recent years, epidemiological data has shown an increasing number of young people who deliberately self-injure. There have also been parallel increases in the number of people with tattoos and those who voluntarily undergo painful procedures associated with piercing, scarification, and tattooing. People with self-injury behaviors often say that they do not feel the pain. However, there is no information regarding pain perception in those that visit tattoo parlors and piercing studios compared to those who don’t. The aim of this study was to compare nociceptive sensitivity in four groups of subjects (n=105, mean age 26 years, 48 women and 57 men) with different motivations to experience pain (i.e., with and without multiple body modifications) in two different situations; (1) in controlled, emotionally neutral conditions, and (2) at a "Hell Party" (HP), an event organized by a piercing and tattoo parlor, with a main event featuring a public demonstration of painful techniques (burn scars, hanging on hooks, etc.). Pain thresholds of the fingers of the hand were measured using a thermal stimulator and mechanical algometer. In HP participants, information about alcohol intake, self-harming behavior, and psychiatric history were used in the analysis as intervening variables. Individuals with body modifications as well as without body modifications had higher thermal pain thresholds at Hell Party, compared to thresholds measured at control neutral conditions. No such differences were found relative to mechanical pain thresholds. Increased pain threshold in all HP participants, irrespectively of body modification, cannot be simply explained by a decrease in the sensory component of pain; instead, we found that the environment significantly influenced the cognitive and affective component of pain.
Refleksija Štamparove javno-zdravstvene djelatnosti na području Slavonskoga Broda
Authors: Čeović Stjepan , Balen Ivica
Published: February 2020

Aktivnost javnozdravstvene službe u Slavonskom Brodu započinje već u vrijeme Vojne granice, kada je organiziran sanitarni kordon i karantena da bi se spriječilo prenošenje opasnih zaraznih bolesti preko Save. Ipak, razvijenija preventivna djelatnost slijedila je u vrijeme djelovanja Andrije Štampara, jer se osniva Školska poliklinika, održavaju javnozdravstvena predavanja, započinje rad Antituberkuloznoga dispanzera, Ambulante protiv veneričnih bolesti te Stanice protiv bjesnoće. Velik je napredak učinjen 1946. godine osnivanjem Sanitarno-epidemiološke stanice kao zasebne institucije. Pokazala se vrlo uspješnom u suzbijanju poslijeratne epidemije trbušnoga tifusa, eradikaciji malarije i uvođenju masovnoga cijepljenja protiv dječjih zaraznih bolesti. Kroz četrdesetgodišnje razdoblje, u okviru Medicinskoga centra slijedila je izvjesna stagnacija, napose u usporedbi s velikim progresom kliničkih i dijagnostičkih grana medicine. Osnivanjem Županijskog zavoda za javno zdravstvo 1994. godine preventivna djelatnost doživljava znatni razvitak. To se posebno odnosi na praćenje i suzbijanje kroničnih degenerativnih bolesti, malignih tumora, zaštitu školske djece i mladeži, kao i na osvješćivanje sve češće prisutne bolesti ovisnosti u mladoj populaciji.
Unlikely Rivals? Integrating Study Abroad into the Political Science Curriculum
Authors: Wallace Jennifer
Published: February 2020

As increasing globalization and political fragmentation highlight the need for students to expand their perspective as “global citizens,” one might expect political science students to be at the forefront of study abroad opportunities. Yet students within the social sciences made up only 17.2 percent of U.S. study abroad students in 2016/17, outnumbered by students in business and management (20.7%) as well as STEM (25.8%), according to the Institute of International Education’s 2018 Open Doors Report on International Exchange. While the participation of social science majors in study abroad programs is still high relative to the total student population in the major, growth in study abroad participation has not kept pace with other majors and is worthy of further exploration.
Optimizing the Phosphorus Concentration and Duration of Seedling Dipping in Soil Slurry for Accelerating the Initial Growth of Transplanted Rice
Authors: Oo Aung Zaw , TSUJIMOTO Yasuhiro , RAKOTOARISOA Njato Mickaël
Published: February 2020

Given the finite nature of P fertilizer resources, it is imperative to investigate effective P management practices in order to achieve sustainable rice production. This study was conducted (1) to assess the effect of dipping rice seedlings in P-enriched slurry before transplanting (P-dipping, hereafter) on initial plant growth and (2) to determine the optimum P concentration and dipping duration. In the P-dipping treatments, four P2O5 concentrations in the slurry (4.3%, 5.0%, 6.0%, and 7.5%) and four dipping durations (0.5 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h) were investigated. After the treatments, the seedlings were transplanted into 1/5000 Wagner pots and grown under flooded conditions for 42 days and they were compared with plants under conventional P incorporation at the rate of 300 mg P2O5 pot−1 and with plants under no P application. The amount of P2O5 attached to P-dipped seedlings, or locally applied in the rhizosphere at transplanting, increased with higher P concentrations in the slurry, ranging from 87.5 to 112.2 mg pot−1. Shoot biomass at 42 days after transplanting (DAT) was greatly increased in plants under the P-dipping treatments, compared to that in plants with no P application and was comparable to or greater than that in plants under conventional P incorporation, even when P levels were 2.5 to 3 times lower. Among the P-dipping treatments, we observed some significant effects of P concentrations and dipping durations on seedling P uptake and shoot biomass, without any interaction between these variables. Seedling P uptake and biomass tended to be higher with higher P concentrations in slurry and longer dipping durations. Conversely, the shoot biomass at 42 DAT was significantly lower in plants under the highest P concentration treatment (7.5% P2O5) compared to that in other plants and tended to be lower with longer dipping durations (4 h and 8 h). These negative effects can be attributed to the slow recovery from transplanting shock because of the chemical damage of seedlings exposed to higher salt concentrations for longer durations. The present study highlights that (1) P-dipping could be an effective approach to increase transplanted rice production with minimal P inputs, and (2) this effect could be higher with a low P-concentration in the slurry (4.3% P2O5) and a short dipping duration (0.5 h). Based on the obtained results, further on-farm trials are expected to assess farmers’ appreciation and the potential constraints of adopting this technique.
Dibasic Derivatives of Phenylcarbamic Acid as Prospective Antibacterial Agents Interacting with Cytoplasmic Membrane
Authors: Pospíšilová Šárka , Malík Ivan , Bezouskova Kristyna , Kauerova Tereza , Kollar Peter , Csöllei Jozef , Oravec Michal , Cizek Alois , Jampilek Josef
Published: February 2020

1-[2-[({[2-/3-(Alkoxy)phenyl]amino}carbonyl)oxy]-3-(dipropylammonio)propyl]pyrrolidinium/azepan- ium oxalates or dichlorides (alkoxy = butoxy to heptyloxy) were recently described as very promising antimycobacterial agents. These compounds were tested in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (reference and control strains), three methicillin-resistant isolates of S. aureus, and three isolates of vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis. 1-[3-(Dipropylammonio)-2-({[3-(pentyloxy-/hexyloxy-/heptyloxy)phenyl]carbamoyl}oxy)propyl]pyrrolidinium dichlorides showed high activity against staphylococci and enterococci comparable with or higher than that of used controls (clinically used antibiotics and antiseptics). The screening of the cytotoxicity of the compounds as well as the used controls was performed using human monocytic leukemia cells. IC50 values of the most effective compounds ranged from ca. 3.5 to 6.3 µM, thus, it can be stated that the antimicrobial effect is closely connected with their cytotoxicity. The antibacterial activity is based on the surface activity of the compounds that are influenced by the length of their alkoxy side chain, the size of the azacyclic system, and hydro-lipophilic properties, as proven by in vitro experiments and chemometric principal component analyses. Synergistic studies showed the increased activity of oxacillin, gentamicin, and vancomycin, which could be explained by the direct activity of the compounds against the bacterial cell wall. All these compounds demonstrate excellent antibiofilm activity, when they inhibit and disrupt the biofilm of S. aureus in concentrations close to minimum inhibitory concentrations against planktonic cells. Expected interactions of the compounds with the cytoplasmic membrane are proven by in vitro crystal violet uptake assays.
Trematocine, a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from the Antarctic Fish Trematomus bernacchii: Identification and Biological Activity
Authors: Della Pelle Giulia , Perà Giulia , Belardinelli Maria Cristina , Gerdol Marco , Felli Martina , Crognale Silvia , Scapigliati Giuseppe , Ceccacci Francesca , Buonocore Francesco , Porcelli Fernando
Published: February 2020

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptides active against a wide range of pathogens and, therefore, they are considered a useful alternative to conventional antibiotics. We have identified a new AMP in a transcriptome derived from the Antarctic fish Trematomus bernacchii. This peptide, named Trematocine, has been investigated for its expression both at the basal level and after in vivo immunization with an endemic Antarctic bacterium (Psychrobacter sp. TAD1). Results agree with the expected behavior of a fish innate immune component, therefore we decided to synthesize the putative mature sequence of Trematocine to determine the structure, the interaction with biological membranes, and the biological activity. We showed that Trematocine folds into a α-helical structure in the presence of both zwitterionic and anionic charged vesicles. We demonstrated that Trematocine has a highly specific interaction with anionic charged vesicles and that it can kill Gram-negative bacteria, possibly via a carpet like mechanism. Moreover, Trematocine showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria similar to other AMPs isolated from Antarctic fishes. The peptide is a possible candidate for a new drug as it does not show any haemolytic or cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells at the concentration needed to kill the tested bacteria.
Comparative In Vitro Resistance of Human Periodontal Bacterial Pathogens to Tinidazole and Four Other Antibiotics
Authors: Rams Thomas E. , Sautter Jacqueline D. , van Winkelhoff Arie J.
Published: February 2020

The in vitro resistance of selected red/orange complex periodontal pathogens to tinidazole was compared with four other antibiotics. Subgingival biofilm samples from 88 adults with severe periodontitis were anaerobically incubated on enriched Brucella blood agar with and without supplementation with tinidazole (16 mg/L), metronidazole (16 mg/L), amoxicillin (8 mg/L), doxycycline (4 mg/L), or clindamycin (4 mg/L). Growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens, Parvimonas micra, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus constellatus, or Campylobacter rectus on antibiotic-supplemented plates indicated their in vitro antibiotic resistance. Tinidazole inhibited all test species, except P. intermedia/nigrescens, P. micra, and S. constellatus in 3.8%, 10.2%, and 88.9% of species-positive patients, respectively. Significantly fewer patients yielded tinidazole-resistant test species, and had significantly lower subgingival proportions of tinidazole-resistant organisms, than patients with amoxicillin, doxycycline, or clindamycin-resistant species, but not those with metronidazole-resistant strains. Joint in vitro species resistance to tinidazole and amoxicillin, or metronidazole and amoxicillin, was rare. Tinidazole performed in vitro similar to metronidazole, and markedly better than amoxicillin, doxycycline, or clindamycin, against fresh clinical isolates of red/orange complex periodontal pathogens. As a result of its similar antimicrobial spectrum, and more convenient once-a-day oral dosing, tinidazole should be considered in place of metronidazole for systemic periodontitis drug therapy.
Reactive Sulfur Species Interact with Other Signal Molecules in Root Nodule Symbiosis in Lotus japonicus
Authors: Fukudome Mitsutaka , Shimada Hazuki , Uchi Nahoko , Osuki Ken-ichi , Ishizaki Haruka , Murakami Ei-ichi , Kawaguchi Masayoshi , Uchiumi Toshiki
Published: February 2020

Reactive sulfur species (RSS) function as strong antioxidants and are involved in various biological responses in animals and bacteria. Few studies; however, have examined RSS in plants. In the present study, we clarified that RSS are involved in root nodule symbiosis in the model legume Lotus japonicus. Polysulfides, a type of RSS, were detected in the roots by using a sulfane sulfur-specific fluorescent probe, SSP4. Supplying the sulfane sulfur donor Na2S3 to the roots increased the amounts of both polysulfides and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the roots and simultaneously decreased the amounts of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). RSS were also detected in infection threads in the root hairs and in infected cells of nodules. Supplying the sulfane sulfur donor significantly increased the numbers of infection threads and nodules. When nodules were immersed in the sulfane sulfur donor, their nitrogenase activity was significantly reduced, without significant changes in the amounts of NO, ROS, and H2S. These results suggest that polysulfides interact with signal molecules such as NO, ROS, and H2S in root nodule symbiosis in L. japonicus. SSP4 and Na2S3 are useful tools for study of RSS in plants.
Scenario-Based Analysis of IT Enterprises Servitization as a Part of Digital Transformation of Modern Economy
Authors: Kryvinska Natalia , Bickel Lukas
Published: February 2020

The transition towards Servitization in the IT Business is extremely challenging because IT Enterprises must transform partly or entirely from hardware manufacturers into service providers. Moreover, Servitization does not occur all at once; it is a long and continuous process. Thus, in order to succeed, a company must determine which phase of this process it is in within a short time period, due to the dynamic competition in the modern IT Business. An examination of such a transition is crucial for accurate enterprise resource planning and for business success in general. Accordingly, to gain a better understanding of this process/transition in the IT industry, five major players were analyzed. We provide a foundation of the definitions and concepts regarding Servitization. Based on this foundation, every major player is analyzed by business segment. Then, those business segments are broken down into the offerings delivered to the customers. Depending on the offering, an analysis of the revenue is performed. In addition, we discuss the challenges and their effects on every company, and then we examine the similarities and differences in the process. We conclude with a brief statement of our primary achievements, and possible future investigation directions/topics are suggested.
Prediction of Driver’s Attention Points Based on Attention Model
Authors: Zhao Shuanfeng , Han Guodong , Zhao Qingqing , Wei Pei
Published: February 2020

The current intelligent driving system does not consider the selective attention mechanism of drivers, and it cannot completely replace the drivers to extract effective road information. A Driver Visual Attention Network (DVAN), which is based on deep learning attention model, is proposed in our paper, in order to solve this problem. The DVAN is aimed at extracting the key information affecting the driver’s operation by predicting the driver’s attention points. It completes the fast localization and extraction of road information that is most interesting to drivers by merging local apparent features and contextual visual information. Meanwhile, a Cross Convolutional Neural Network (C-CNN) is proposed in order to ensure the integrity of the extracted information. Here, we verify the network on the KITTI dataset, which is the largest computer vision algorithm evaluation data set in the world’s largest autonomous driving scenario. Our results show that the DVAN can quickly locate and identify the target that the driver is most interested in a picture, and the average accuracy of prediction is 96.3%. This will provide useful theoretical basis and technical methods that are related to visual perception for intelligent driving vehicles, driving training and assisted driving systems in the future.
Survey of Mission Planning and Management Architectures for Underwater Cooperative Robotics Operations
Authors: Lucas Martínez Néstor , Martínez-Ortega José-Fernán , Castillejo Pedro , Beltrán Martínez Victoria
Published: February 2020

Almost every research project that focuses on the cooperation of autonomous robots for underwater operations designs their own architectures. As a result, most of these architectures are tightly coupled with the available robots/vehicles for their respective developments, and therefore the mission plan and management is done using an ad-hoc solution. Typically, this solution is tightly coupled to just one underwater autonomous vehicle (AUV), or a restricted set of them selected for the specific project. However, as the use of AUVs for underwater operations increases, there is the need to identify some commonalities and weaknesses of these architectures, specifically in relation to mission planning and management. In this paper, we review a selected number of architectures and frameworks that in one way or another make use of different approaches to mission planning and management. Most of the selected works were developed for underwater operations. Still, we have included some other architectures and frameworks from other domains that can be of interest for the survey. The explored works have been assessed using selected features related to mission planning and management, considering that underwater operations are performed in an uncertain and unreliable environment, and where unexpected events are not strange. Furthermore, we have identified and highlighted some potential challenges for the design and implementation of mission managers. This provides a reference point for the development of a mission manager component to be integrated in architectures for cooperative robotics in underwater operations, and it can serve for the same purposes in other domains of application.
Whole-Body Dynamic Analysis of Challenging Slackline Jumping
Authors: Stein Kevin , Mombaur Katja
Published: February 2020

Maintaining balance on a slackline is a challenging task in itself. Walking on a high line, jumping and performing twists or somersaults seems nearly impossible. Contact forces are essential to understanding how humans maintain balance in such challenging situations, but they cannot always be measured directly. Therefore, we propose a contact model for slackline balancing that includes the interaction forces and torques as well as the position of the Center of Pressure. We apply this model within an optimization framework to perform a fully dynamic motion reconstruction of a jump with a rotation of approximately 180 ° . Newton’s equations of motions are implemented as constraints to the optimization, hence the optimized motion is physically feasible. We show that a conventional kinematic analysis results in dynamic inconsistencies. The advantage of our method becomes apparent during the flight phase of the motion and when comparing the center of mass and angular momentum dynamics. With our motion reconstruction method all momentum is conserved, whereas the conventional analysis shows momentum changes of up to 30%. Furthermore, we get additional and reliable information on the interaction forces and the joint torque that allow us to further analyze slackline balancing strategies.
Uncertainty Analysis of 3D Line Reconstruction in a New Minimal Spatial Line Representation
Authors: Zhou Hang , Peng Keju , Zhou Dongxiang , Fan Weihong , Liu Yunhui
Published: February 2020

Line segments are common in urban scenes and contain rich structural information. However, different from point-based reconstruction, reconstructed 3D lines may have large displacement from the ground truth in spite of a very small sum of reprojection error. In this work, we present a method to analyze the uncertainty of line reconstruction and provide a quantitative evaluation of accuracy. A new minimal four-vector line representation based on Plücker line is introduced, which is tailed for uncertainty analysis of line reconstruction. Each component of the compact representation has a certain physical meaning about the 3D line’s orientation or position. The reliability of the reconstructed lines can be measured by the confidence interval of each component in the proposed representation. Based on the uncertainty analysis of two-view line triangulation, the uncertainty of multi-view line reconstruction is also derived. Combining the proposed uncertainty analysis with reprojection error, a more reliable 3D line map can be obtained. Experiments on simulation data, synthetic and real-world image sequences validate the feasibility of the proposed method.
Performance Analysis of D2D Communication with Retransmission Mechanism in Cellular Networks
Authors: Xin Jianfang , Zhu Qi , Liang Guangjun , Zhang Tianjiao
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we focus on the performance analysis of device-to-device (D2D) underlay communication in cellular networks. First, we develop a spatiotemporal traffic model to model a retransmission mechanism for D2D underlay communication. The D2D users in backlogged statuses are modeled as a thinned Poisson point process (PPP). To capture the characteristics of sporadic wireless data generation and limited buffer, we adopt queuing theory to analyze the performance of dynamic traffic. Furthermore, a feedback queuing model is adopted to analyze the performance with retransmission strategy. With the consideration of interference and channel fading, the service probability of the queue departure process is determined by the received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Then, the embedded Markov chain is employed to depict the queuing status in the D2D user buffer. We compute its steady-state distribution and derive the closed-form expressions of performance metrics, namely the average queue length, average throughput, average delay, and dropping probability. Simulation results show the validity and rationality of the theoretical analysis with different channel parameters and D2D densities. In addition, the simulation explores the dropping probability of a D2D user with and without the retransmission strategy for different D2D links in the system. When the arrival rate is comparatively high, the optimal throughput is reached after fewer retransmission attempts as a result of the limited buffer.
Aminogam® Gel Allows Faster Wound Healing after Oral Surgery by Formation of Mature Connective Tissue with Low Vascular Density and Reducing Inflammatory Infiltration. A Retrospective Study on 580 Cases with Histological and Confocal Laser Investigation
Authors: Capodiferro Saverio , Tempesta Angela , Bucci Sabina , Maiorano Eugenio , Favia Gianfranco , Limongelli Luisa
Published: February 2020

Reduction of the wound healing time after surgical procedures along with good hemostasis, and the reduction of post-surgical edema, pain and infective complications are generally desirable to both clinicians and patients. Recently, a gel compound containing sodium hyaluronate and four synthetic aminoacids (glycine, leucine, proline, lysine) and marketed as Aminogam® (Errekappa Euroterapici, Italy), has been proposed as a medical device promoting faster wound healing after oral surgery procedures. To assess its achievable clinical benefits, we studied retrospectively 580 cases (290 study cases and 290 control cases) undergoing oral surgery and receiving Aminogam ® gel application. More precisely, cases were divided into 7 groups on the bases of the kind of surgery (teeth extraction, oral surgery in patients taking bisphosphonates, surgical treatment of jaw osteonecrosis related to bisphosphonates therapy, placement of endosseous implants, diode laser surgery of oral mucosa lesions with second intention healing without stitches, diode laser photocoagulation of slow flow vascular malformations and bone surgery). In all instances, Aminogam® gel was applied at least five times a day until the wound healed completely. We compared the elapsed time between surgery and complete healing with Aminogam® application compared to control cases receiving no other drug treatment. Our results confirmed that the overall time of healing is certainly reduced in cases receiving Aminogam® gel regardless of the kind of oral surgery.
Influence of Vacuum Level on Heat Transfer Characteristics of Maglev Levitation Electromagnet Module
Authors: Mao Yiqian , Yang Mingzhi , Wang Tiantian , Wu Fan , Qian Bosen
Published: February 2020

The vacuum tube transportation (VTT) system has been a promising direction of future transportation. Within this system, a high-speed maglev travels in a low-vacuum environment to reduce aerodynamic drag. However, the heat dissipation of on-board heating devices will be compromised under low-vacuum conditions, and the device performance may thus be lowered. This study investigates the low-vacuum conjugate heat transfer characteristic of a levitation electromagnet module of a maglev using an experimentally verified numerical method. During the heating process, the surface temperature distribution of the levitation electromagnet, and the temperature and velocity characteristics of the flow field are examined. It is found that, as the vacuum level increases from 1.0 atm to 0.1 atm, the total heat dissipating from the levitation electromagnet module is decreased by 49% at 60 min, the contribution of convection heat flux over the total heat flux is decreased from 49% to 17%, and the convection heat transfer coefficient of the levitation electromagnet is decreased by 89%. This study can provide an efficient numerical model for low-vacuum heat transfer study on a VTT system as well as help the evaluation and optimization of low-vacuum maglev thermal management systems.