bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coupling between Geomagnetic Field and Earth’s Climate System
Authors: Kilifarska Natalya , Bakhmutov Volodymyr , Melnyk Galyna
Published: May 2022

The idea about synchronized variations of geomagnetic field and climate appears in the middle of the twentieth century. Among others, one of the main reasons for its unpopularity is the missing mechanism of coupling between magnetic and non-magnetic media. This chapter offers such a mechanism, consisting of a chain of relations transmitting the geomagnetic spatial-temporal variations down to the planetary surface. The first element of this chain is energetic particles propagating in Earth’s atmosphere, whose density and depth of penetration are modulated by geomagnetic field. Thus, the non-dipolar geomagnetic irregularities are projected on the ionization layer in the lower atmosphere (known as Regener-Pfotzer maximum). This unevenly distributed ionization, in certain conditions (i.e. dry atmosphere), acts as a secondary source of ozone near the tropopause. Ozone at this level is of special importance due to its influence on the tropopause temperature and humidity, and consequently on the planetary radiation balance. Hence, the geomagnetic spatial and temporal variations are imprinted down to the surface, impacting the climate system and its regional structures. The chapter provides synthesized information about geomagnetic field variability, particles’ propagation in Earth’s atmosphere, ion-molecular reactions initiating ozone formation in the lower stratosphere, as well as evidence for its covariance with some atmospheric variables.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Culturally Relevant Treatment for Racial or Ethnic Minorities
Authors: Williams Tiffany , Lynch Esther , Jones Paigean , Bass Jeffery , Harrison Rhea
Published: May 2022

Racial or ethnic minorities (REM) are at a particularly high risk of experiencing mental health conditions. Unlike their White counterparts, social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, racialized violence, or discrimination) exacerbate REM quality of life. REM are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to seek and receive mental health treatment. Additionally, REM are more likely to experience systemic barriers (e.g., cultural mistrust, stigma, lack of access, and financial barriers), which further complicates their willingness and capacity to seek treatment. While Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) are identified as empirically supportive treatments for a range of mental health conditions, there is skepticism about their cultural appropriateness and relevance for REM populations. Clinicians must be culturally competent and use clinical tools (e.g., Multidimensional Model for Developing Cultural Competence) to assist in promoting cultural competence. Likewise, practitioners must be conscientious and knowledgeable about the pitfalls of EBTs when working with REM. Mindfulness-based techniques, such as MBSR, are culturally sensitive and inclusive of historical, social, and cultural ideologies that align with the needs of REM. MBSR has the potential to offer holistic coping given its effectiveness in promoting neurological, physical, and psychological healing.
Religion and the Environmental Crisis
Authors: York Michael
Published: May 2022

The years 2020 and 2021 have confirmed that planet Earth is facing an environmental crisis due to global warming but augmented through industrial decimation of natural and wildlife areas, the consequences of pollution and even the ongoing population explosion. This chapter will examine religion and spirituality through four ideal types, namely the abrahamic, the dharmic, the secular and the pagan. How do individual religiosities conform to a relevant type, how do they contrast with one another and what similarities do they exhibit with each other? Further, what are the causes of the environmental crisis that our host planet is facing, what roles have the world’s religions played in causing or furthering the terrestrial catastrophe and most importantly, what might be the various contributions that could emerge from the spiritual frameworks possibly to alleviate ecological problems and even restore the planet’s natural balance? Specifically, what are the detriments and advantages to be noted in the world’s major religions?
Prenatal Diagnosis of Diaphragmatic Hernia
Authors: Sica Marina , Plessi Carlotta , Molinaro Francesco
Published: May 2022

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a condition characterized by a defect in the diaphragm leading to protrusion of abdominal contents into the thoracic cavity interfering with normal development of the lungs. The pathophysiology of CDH is a combination of lung hypoplasia and immaturity associated with persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn (PPHN) and cardiac dysfunction. Prenatal assessment of lung to head ratio (LHR) and position of the liver by ultrasound are used to diagnose and predict outcomes. However, fetal therapy is indicated in cases where negative prognostic factors are detected in screening investigations (liver herniation, LHR <1.0). Immediate management at birth includes bowel decompression, avoidance of mask ventilation and endotracheal tube placement if required. The main focus of management includes gentle ventilation, hemodynamic monitoring and treatment of pulmonary hypertension followed by surgery. Although inhaled nitric oxide is not approved by FDA for the treatment of PPHN induced by CDH. Surgical treatment of CDH should be planned in election, after the achievement of hemodynamic stability. The only case in which it is acceptable to perform an emergency operation is when there are signs of ischemia of the herniated intestinal loops. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is typically considered after failure of conventional medical management for infants ≥ 34 weeks’ gestation or with weight > 2 kg with CDH and no associated major lethal anomalies. Prematurity, associated abnormalities, severity of PPHN, type of repair and need for ECMO can affect the survival of an infant with CDH. With advances in the management of CDH, the overall survival has improved.
The Role of Biochar Systems in the Circular Economy: Biomass Waste Valorization and Soil Remediation
Authors: Papageorgiou Asterios , Sinha Rajib , Sebastian Azzi Elias , Sundberg Cecilia , Enell Anja
Published: May 2022

The circular economy is considered as an alternative model to the unsustainable linear “take–make–waste” approach that characterizes contemporary economic systems. It aims to achieve sustainable development by promoting the responsible and cyclical use of resources to maintain their value in the economy and minimize pressures on the environment. Biochar systems offer opportunities for operationalizing the CE model. They are multifunctional systems that can be used for bioenergy and biochar production using an extensive range of biomass feedstocks, including biowaste. They can contribute to climate change mitigation, as producing biochar and mixing it with soil is a means for sequestering atmospheric CO2. Moreover, the produced biochar has a wide range of applications, including its use for agricultural soil amendment, wastewater treatment, manufacturing of cement, and remediation of contaminated soils. This versatility of biochar systems creates great opportunities for developing circular models of waste management that can valorize different waste streams. This chapter provides an overview of the CE concept and describes biochar systems, focusing on systems for the synergistic valorization of wood waste and contaminated soils. It also discusses the role of these systems in the CE indicating that they can contribute to the transition toward the CE.
Triple-Hop Hybrid FSO/mmW Based Backhaul Communication System for Wireless Networks Applications of 5G and beyond
Authors: Vinod Kumar Mogadala , Laxmi Lavanya Yenneti , Bidikar Bharati , Sasibhushana Rao Gottapu
Published: May 2022

Wireless networks applications of 5G and beyond require high throughput and high capacity. To achieve this, a macro cell is split into several small cells. When using Free Space Optics (FSO) some of the small cell base stations (BSs) which are located at the edges of a macro cell may not directly communicate with the base station of that macro cell, resulting in high outage probability (OP) and average bit error rate (ABER). Therefore, there is a need to develop a new system model to improve the OP and ABER performance. For such scenarios, triple-hop (TH) hybrid free space optics/millimeter wave (FSO/mmW) system has been proposed by considering neighboring small cell BSs as intermediate relays to forward the backhaul data. The OP and ABER of the proposed TH hybrid FSO/mmW system are derived for various channel conditions and are further verified by performing Monte-Carlo simulations. In this work, FSO link is modeled by Gamma-Gamma distribution over weak and strong turbulence channel conditions. Further the mmW link is modeled by using Nakagami-m distribution which perfectly models various fading scenarios.
Induction of Labour
Authors: Joseph Nggada Benjamin
Published: May 2022

Induction of labour is one of the common obstetric interventions in the world with varied incidence rates between developed and developing countries. It is generally employed by obstetricians and physicians managing pregnant women when the risk of continuing such pregnancy is far greater than delivery at that said point. A detailed evaluation and indications for induction of labour should be done for every single woman. Methods of induction of labour could be pharmacological, mechanical or both; taking care to reduce or eliminate complications associated with this intervention. Decision for induction of labour should involve the most senior member of the team with a woman centered approach to care. Induction of labour carries multiple risks and complications compared with spontaneous onset of uterine contractions with increase tendency of operative vaginal delivery and caesarean section.
Reducing the Effects of Drought and Degradation of Agricultural Soils, in the Context of Climate Change, through the Application of Regenerative Ecological Technologies
Authors: Popescu Eugen , Nenciu Florin , Nicolae Vladut Valentin
Published: May 2022

The agricultural sector has a limited capacity for expansion, consequently, deficient technologies based on the widespread use of synthetic chemicals have been implemented in the last decades, having a major negative impact on natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental services. Desertification, land degradation, and drought, combined with human activity and environmental changes, cause important soil losses and a reduction in natural defenses against droughts and floods. The combined impact of climate change, land mismanagement and unsustainable freshwater use has long been affecting agricultural productivity, the most common cause being unsustainable land management practices. This chapter aims to briefly assess the most effective strategies for reducing the impact of climate change on agricultural crops, as well as to prevent or reverse the process of desertification and systematic loss in food quality and quantity. Regenerative management practices such as minimum tillage technologies, cover crops and mulching, inoculation with microorganisms, nutrients cycling, the balance of the organic fertilizers or foliar application help farmers in managing healthy soils, capable of growing rich and ecological crops without the use of chemical hazardous substances.
Applications of Biotechnological Approaches in the Product and Breeding of Phalaenopsis Orchids
Authors: Enoki Shinichi , Takahara Yoshinori
Published: May 2022

Phalaenopsis orchids native to the tropics are called “Moth Orchids”. It is one of the most commercially popular orchids because of its beautiful, colorful, and long-lasting variety of flowers. Biotechnology used in the production and breeding of Phalaenopsis was reviewed in this chapter. In the commercial production of Phalaenopsis, biotechnologies, such as methods of aseptic sowing and tissue culture, have been used for a long time. Recently, molecular phylogenetic analysis of original species and molecular breeding by the transformation of Phalaenopsis has been actively studied. The role of biotechnology in the Phalaenopsis orchid industry is significant, and the development of the technology in this field will bring further benefits to researchers, producers, and fancier of Phalaenopsis orchids.
Can a Metaphysically Perfect God Have Moral Virtues and Duties? Re-reading Aquinas
Authors: Echavarría Agustín ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: May 2022

Contemporary philosophers of religion usually depict God as a responsible moral agent with virtues and obligations. This picture seems to be incompatible with the metaphysically perfect being of classical theism. In this paper I will defend the claim, based on a reading of Thomas Aquinas’s thought, that there is no such incompatibility. I will present Aquinas’s arguments that show that we can attribute to God not only moral goodness in general, but also some moral virtues in a strict sense, such as justice and mercy. I will show why for Aquinas we can say that God has moral duties toward Himself and toward creatures. I will explain how for Aquinas God’s moral duties are not absolute, but conditionally necessitated. Finally, I will show how on Aquinas’s view there is no contradiction in saying that every act of God is, simultaneously, an act of justice and a supererogatory act of mercy.
Translating gender and sexuality in children’s literature: Turkey as a case study
Authors: Demirhan Handegül
Published: May 2022

Drawing on the translations of sexuality in five Turkish translations of children’s literature, this paper starts with introducing the origins, developments, and trends of gender as well as the dilemma between gender pedagogy and taboo issues closely related to the sexuality and body politics in children’s literature and its translation in different contexts. Particularly focusing on the context of Turkey where sexuality and body politics have always been controversial issues, the paper intends to shed some light on the matter. Thus, the examination of Turkish translations of children’s literature can yield eye-opening outcomes in terms of the understanding of sexuality and the travel of sexual and body-political content from one context to another.
Lectura en voz alta y lenguajes inventados: traducir Du iz tak?, de Carson Ellis
Authors: Morillas Esther
Published: May 2022

El presente artículo estudia la traducción de la obra Du Iz Tak?, de Carson Ellis, en España y Francia. Du Iz Tak?, que ganó el premio E. B. White al libro que mejor se prestaba a ser leído en voz alta, se caracteriza por estar escrito en una lengua inventada, la lengua de los insectos. El propósito en las páginas que siguen es estudiar los mecanismos que llevan a la traducción de esta obra de Ellis y analizar cómo Koi ke bzzz? y ¿Mau iz io? suponen dos modos de abordar la traducción de los lenguajes inventados y de considerar la lecturabilidad.
An Effective Tensor Regression with Latent Sparse Regularization
Authors: Chen Ko-shin , Xu Tingyang , Liang Guannan , Tong Qianqian , Song Minghu , Bi Jinbo
Published: May 2022

As data acquisition technologies advance, longitudinal analysis is facing challenges of exploring complex feature patterns from high-dimensional data and modeling potential temporally lagged effects of features on a response. We propose a tensor-based model to analyze multidimensional data. It simultaneously discovers patterns in features and reveals whether features observed at past time points have impact on current outcomes. The model coefficient, a k-mode tensor, is decomposed into a summation of k tensors of the same dimension. We introduce a so-called latent F-1 norm that can be applied to the coefficient tensor to performed structured selection of features. Specifically, features will be selected along each mode of the tensor. The proposed model takes into account within-subject correlations by employing a tensor-based quadratic inference function. An asymptotic analysis shows that our model can identify true support when the sample size approaches to infinity. To solve the corresponding optimization problem, we develop a linearized block coordinate descent algorithm and prove its convergence for a fixed sample size. Computational results on synthetic datasets and real-life fMRI and EEG datasets demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed approach over existing techniques.
Between Orthopraxy and Orthodoxy: International Yezidi Theological Academy in Tbilisi
Authors:   Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw, Żurawia 4, 00-503 Warsaw, Poland, Rodziewicz Artur
Published: May 2022

The International Yezidi Theological Academy established in Tbilisi is a breakthrough initiative in the history of Yezidism. The objective of my study is to describe the environment in which it was founded, its goals, leading figures and courses taught. The main part of the article is preceded by a brief description of Yezidism and its religious principles, which, due to the ban on writing, have been spread for centuries orally and have not been codified in writing. The following section outlines the changes that have taken place among Yezidis living in Transcaucasia, especially since the 20th century, when the ban on writing was widely violated, as well as the initiatives taken to preserve their cultural and religious identity. The latest of these initiatives is the Yezidi Theological Academy that provides Yezidis with traditional religious knowledge in an academic style.
Systematics, distribution and paleoecology of the genera Genocidaris Agassiz, 1869 and Arbacina Pomel, 1869 (Trigonocidaridae, Echinoidea)
Authors: Borghi Enrico , Bajo Ildefonso
Published: May 2022

The relationship among members of the echinoid genera Genocidaris and Arbacina (family Trigonocidaridae) is studied. Distinctive morphological characters of these two genera are discussed, based on recent specimens from the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and on fossils collected from 34 Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene European localities. Geographic and biostratigraphic distributions of the two genera and their paleoecological requirements are reported. Based on this analysis, Arbacina is considered a junior synonym of the genus Genocidaris.
Multi-tract multi-symptom relationships in pediatric concussion
Authors: Guberman Guido I , Stojanovski Sonja , Nishat Eman , Ptito Alain , Bzdok Danilo , Wheeler Anne L , Descoteaux Maxime
Published: May 2022

Background:

The heterogeneity of white matter damage and symptoms in concussion has been identified as a major obstacle to therapeutic innovation. In contrast, most diffusion MRI (dMRI) studies on concussion have traditionally relied on group-comparison approaches that average out heterogeneity. To leverage, rather than average out, concussion heterogeneity, we combined dMRI and multivariate statistics to characterize multi-tract multi-symptom relationships.

Methods:

Using cross-sectional data from 306 previously concussed children aged 9–10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we built connectomes weighted by classical and emerging diffusion measures. These measures were combined into two informative indices, the first representing microstructural complexity, the second representing axonal density. We deployed pattern-learning algorithms to jointly decompose these connectivity features and 19 symptom measures.

Results:

Early multi-tract multi-symptom pairs explained the most covariance and represented broad symptom categories, such as a general problems pair, or a pair representing all cognitive symptoms, and implicated more distributed networks of white matter tracts. Further pairs represented more specific symptom combinations, such as a pair representing attention problems exclusively, and were associated with more localized white matter abnormalities. Symptom representation was not systematically related to tract representation across pairs. Sleep problems were implicated across most pairs, but were related to different connections across these pairs. Expression of multi-tract features was not driven by sociodemographic and injury-related variables, as well as by clinical subgroups defined by the presence of ADHD. Analyses performed on a replication dataset showed consistent results.

Conclusions:

Using a double-multivariate approach, we identified clinically-informative, cross-demographic multi-tract multi-symptom relationships. These results suggest that rather than clear one-to-one symptom-connectivity disturbances, concussions may be characterized by subtypes of symptom/connectivity relationships. The symptom/connectivity relationships identified in multi-tract multi-symptom pairs were not apparent in single-tract/single-symptom analyses. Future studies aiming to better understand connectivity/symptom relationships should take into account multi-tract multi-symptom heterogeneity.

Funding:

Financial support for this work came from a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (G.I.G.), an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (S.S.), a Restracomp Research Fellowship provided by the Hospital for Sick Children (S.S.), an Institutional Research Chair in Neuroinformatics (M.D.), as well as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council CREATE grant (M.D.).
Structural, mechanistic, and physiological insights into phospholipase A-mediated membrane phospholipid degradation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Bleffert Florian , Granzin Joachim , Caliskan Muttalip , Schott-Verdugo Stephan N , Siebers Meike , Thiele Björn , Rahme Laurence , Felgner Sebastian , Dörmann Peter , Gohlke Holger , Batra-Safferling Renu , Jaeger Karl-Erich , Kovacic Filip
Published: May 2022

Cells steadily adapt their membrane glycerophospholipid (GPL) composition to changing environmental and developmental conditions. While the regulation of membrane homeostasis via GPL synthesis in bacteria has been studied in detail, the mechanisms underlying the controlled degradation of endogenous GPLs remain unknown. Thus far, the function of intracellular phospholipases A (PLAs) in GPL remodeling (Lands cycle) in bacteria is not clearly established. Here, we identified the first cytoplasmic membrane-bound phospholipase A1 (PlaF) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which might be involved in the Lands cycle. PlaF is an important virulence factor, as the P. aeruginosa ΔplaF mutant showed strongly attenuated virulence in Galleria mellonella and macrophages. We present a 2.0-Å-resolution crystal structure of PlaF, the first structure that reveals homodimerization of a single-pass transmembrane (TM) full-length protein. PlaF dimerization, mediated solely through the intermolecular interactions of TM and juxtamembrane regions, inhibits its activity. The dimerization site and the catalytic sites are linked by an intricate ligand-mediated interaction network, which might explain the product (fatty acid) feedback inhibition observed with the purified PlaF protein. We used molecular dynamics simulations and configurational free energy computations to suggest a model of PlaF activation through a coupled monomerization and tilting of the monomer in the membrane, which constrains the active site cavity into contact with the GPL substrates. Thus, these data show the importance of the PlaF-mediated GPL remodeling pathway for virulence and could pave the way for the development of novel therapeutics targeting PlaF.
SDR enzymes oxidize specific lipidic alkynylcarbinols into cytotoxic protein-reactive species
Authors: Demange Pascal , Joly Etienne , Marcoux Julien , Zanon Patrick RA , Listunov Dymytrii , Rullière Pauline , Barthes Cécile , Noirot Céline , Izquierdo Jean-Baptiste , Rozié Alexandrine , Pradines Karen , Hee Romain , de Brito Maria Vieira , Marcellin Marlène , Serre Remy-Felix , Bouchez Olivier , Burlet-Schiltz Odile , Oliveira Maria Conceição Ferreira , Ballereau Stéphanie , Bernardes-Génisson Vania , Maraval Valérie , Calsou Patrick , Hacker Stephan M , Génisson Yves , Chauvin Remi , Britton Sébastien
Published: May 2022

Hundreds of cytotoxic natural or synthetic lipidic compounds contain chiral alkynylcarbinol motifs, but the mechanism of action of those potential therapeutic agents remains unknown. Using a genetic screen in haploid human cells, we discovered that the enantiospecific cytotoxicity of numerous terminal alkynylcarbinols, including the highly cytotoxic dialkynylcarbinols, involves a bioactivation by HSD17B11, a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) known to oxidize the C-17 carbinol center of androstan-3-alpha,17-beta-diol to the corresponding ketone. A similar oxidation of dialkynylcarbinols generates dialkynylketones, that we characterize as highly protein-reactive electrophiles. We established that, once bioactivated in cells, the dialkynylcarbinols covalently modify several proteins involved in protein-quality control mechanisms, resulting in their lipoxidation on cysteines and lysines through Michael addition. For some proteins, this triggers their association to cellular membranes and results in endoplasmic reticulum stress, unfolded protein response activation, ubiquitin-proteasome system inhibition and cell death by apoptosis. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, we show that generic lipidic alkynylcarbinols can be devised to be bioactivated by other SDRs, including human RDH11 and HPGD/15-PGDH. Given that the SDR superfamily is one of the largest and most ubiquitous, this unique cytotoxic mechanism-of-action could be widely exploited to treat diseases, in particular cancer, through the design of tailored prodrugs.
One-shot generalization in humans revealed through a drawing task
Authors: Tiedemann Henning , Morgenstern Yaniv , Schmidt Filipp , Fleming Roland W
Published: May 2022

Humans have the amazing ability to learn new visual concepts from just a single exemplar. How we achieve this remains mysterious. State-of-the-art theories suggest observers rely on internal ‘generative models’, which not only describe observed objects, but can also synthesize novel variations. However, compelling evidence for generative models in human one-shot learning remains sparse. In most studies, participants merely compare candidate objects created by the experimenters, rather than generating their own ideas. Here, we overcame this key limitation by presenting participants with 2D ‘Exemplar’ shapes and asking them to draw their own ‘Variations’ belonging to the same class. The drawings reveal that participants inferred—and synthesized—genuine novel categories that were far more varied than mere copies. Yet, there was striking agreement between participants about which shape features were most distinctive, and these tended to be preserved in the drawn Variations. Indeed, swapping distinctive parts caused objects to swap apparent category. Our findings suggest that internal generative models are key to how humans generalize from single exemplars. When observers see a novel object for the first time, they identify its most distinctive features and infer a generative model of its shape, allowing them to mentally synthesize plausible variants.
Synthesis of fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles: a reproducible and scalable method
Authors: Bartoš Dávid , Wang Lu , Anker Andy S. , Rewers Morten , Aalling-Frederiksen Olivia , Jensen Kirsten M. Ø. , Sørensen Thomas Just
Published: May 2022

Methods

Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) were fabricated from an emulsion of PS/toluene in water using several surfactants, and purified via dialysis in a simple procedure. The synthesis process was carried out at room temperature, without hazardous chemicals, and with a workload of 5 h. All relevant parameters–surfactant type, component concentration, solvent volume, polymer chain length, sonication time–were varied and the effect on the size of the resulting PS NPs were determined. A robust PS NP synthesis procedure was developed, repeated, and tested by three independent researches. The procedure was up-scaled to prove the applicability of the method and the NPs were prepared with four different hydrophobic dyes.

Results

All products were found to be comparable, and we conclude that the method can provide PS NPs with or without dye dopants with an average diameter of 25 nm in a reproducible size distribution.
Research on Application Status of 3S Technology in Wetland
Authors: He Ping , Mao Zifei , Zou Yue , Chen Xueya , Cai Yuanxing
Published: May 2022

This paper analyzes the research status of 3S technology in China's wetlands. The research of 3S technology in wetland landscape pattern and driving force analysis is increasing day by day. Most of the research uses 3S technology to calculate the landscape index, and reveals the change rule of wetland landscape pattern characteristics with natural and human factors from the type scale and landscape scale. The use of 3S technology for wetland information extraction and dynamic monitoring research is gradually increasing. In most studies, wetland information was extracted according to different classification criteria, and spatio-temporal characteristics of wetland were analyzed based on area change, spatial distribution and shape change. With the development, planning and protection of wetland resources, the advantages of 3S technology will become more prominent.
Managing the Grey-headed Flying-fox as a threatened species in New South Wales two decades on: contentious issues for horticulturalists and communities
Authors: Mo Matthew , Coutts-McClelland Kylie , Wilson Vanessa , Haering Ron , Oliver Lorraine , Bell Linda , Lunney Daniel
Published: May 2022

Managing the Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus as a species vulnerable to extinction in New South Wales (NSW) is complicated by contentious issues arising from flying-foxes feeding on commercial fruit and roosting in populated areas. Two decades on from their threatened species listing in 2001, there have been major developments in managing these issues. The NSW Flying-fox Consultative Committee was formed in 2001 with representation of a range of stakeholder groups. A transition towards non-lethal means of protecting horticultural crops from flying-fox damage was supported by government programs that encouraged the uptake of exclusion netting in orchards. Cull limits and restrictions on licences to shoot flying-foxes on horticultural land were steps to the phasing out of legal shooting of flying-foxes. The need to address community concerns about flying-fox camps in populated areas led to the development of the Flying-fox Camp Management Policy and funds to support land managers to implement policy actions. Dispersing camps has been largely ineffective in the long-term, placing the emphasis on managing camps in-situ. This has involved physical buffers between flying-foxes and human settlements and subsidising equipment and services for residents to self-mitigate impacts from flying-foxes. However, community sentiments continue to be influenced by the difficulties experienced by affected communities, perceived disease risks from flying-foxes, frustrations with there being no immediately effective solutions and the portrayal of flying-foxes and associated issues in the media. To address these issues, there has been considerable effort to engage communities to promote the ecological importance of flying-foxes, reduce misconceptions about disease transmission risks, and promote precautionary measures for reducing these risks; as well as research on mitigation measures for flying-fox impacts. To conserve the Grey-headed Flying-fox while addressing ongoing contentious issues impacting horticulturalists and communities, there needs to be investment into long-term solutions, such as public education, social research and conserving and restoring habitat in less populated areas. There is a need for cross-jurisdictional collaboration on managing the Grey-headed Flying-fox since this threatened species is mobile and not constrained to jurisdictional borders.
Adapting Strategies for Water Supply Management to Climate Change in Nzoia River Basin, Kenya
Authors: Odwori Ernest Othieno
Published: May 2022

Climate change is influencing the hydrological cycle on a global scale, and enhancing communities' ability to adapt to these changes is critical for long-term growth and survival. Climate change is expected to have a negative influence on water resources and supply. Other water stresses, such as population expansion, land-use change, growing per capita water demand, and regulatory changes, frequently exacerbate the consequences of climate change. Mitigation will not be enough to minimise the significant repercussions on the water industry, especially in poor nations. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. Three counties were randomly selected from Nzoia River Basin for study with Busia representing the lower catchment, Kakamega middle catchment and Trans Nzoia upper catchment. The study was carried out from May, 2017 to September, 2017.A carefully selected team of water and climate change experts consisting of decision makers, practitioners, managers, scientists, technology adopters and other stakeholders were used to identify the five main climate change challenges affecting water supply management in Nzoia River Basin (water scarcity and drought, flooding, water quality effects, unknown climate change risks and disaster preparedness) and the accompanying strategies and technologies for adapting water supply management to climate change through questionnaires, in-depth expert-interviews, brainstorming sessions, field observations and literature review. The adaptation strategies and technologies identification exercise drew from multiple sources of information including the national context where national development plans were used; adaptation technologies proposed in previous documents; technologies currently in use and supported by national water policy; initiatives in the pipeline under the larger water sector; appropriateness of technologies in the local context and the social acceptability among other sources. Stakeholder engagement helps to foster local ownership and buy-in, which is often necessary for long-term project viability. The study has also assessed the level of implementation for the adaptation strategies and the agencies involved. The adaptation strategies were identified and ranked using the total weighted scores as follows: Water storage, Water efficiency and demand management, Water augmentation, Alternative water sources, Water allocation, Urban storm water management, Riverine flood protection, Hazard and risk assessment, Vulnerability assessment, Disaster response, and Early warning. The Total weighted scores under ranking are very close to each other, implying that all the strategies/technologies listed for adapting water supply management to climate change are good. The results of this study provide valuable information that can be used by national and county governments in adapting water supplies to climate change.
Entomopathogenic Nematodes: Impacts on Non-target Invertebrates
Authors: Devi Gitanjali
Published: May 2022

Entomopathogenic nematodes are one the important biological control agent against many pestiferous insects. However, during field application of entomopathogenic nematodes the population of other beneficial insects may have some impact. Though under laboratory condition with high doses of infective juvenile of entomopathogenic nematodes shows wide range of susceptibility to non target invertebrates, but under field conditions the impact on non-target invertebrates has either been small and or undetectable .This review gives an idea about the susceptibility and their impact of entomopathogenic nematodes on non-target invertebrates and precautions to be taken during application.
Optimization of Biogas Production from Cassava Peels Mixed with Urea by Central Composite Design Methodology
Authors: Nkodi M.T. , Kayembe S. J. , Ekoko G. , Kizungu R. , Mabela M. , Mulaji K. C. , Taba K. M.
Published: May 2022

The amount of cassava wastes is increasing day by day especially in the developing countries like  Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo because of the high demand of cassava as food or as raw matter in starch factories.  In the both process, 1/3 of wastes is generated from 1 Kg of cassava tubers which could be used as substrate to produce biogas which is the renewable energy to decrease oil dependence and therefore atmospheric pollution depletion. The present study aims to know the optimal conditions for biogas production from biomethanization of cassava peels mixed with urea in mesophilic conditions during 14 days in sixteen reactors of 1 Litre capacity, using response surface methodology (RSM). Two parameters were studied, organic loading rate (OLR) and urea concentration (UC). The variations used for OLR was 5% and 15% TS and for UC, it was 0.01 % and 0.05 %. The variations obtained inside were determined by Central Composite Design (CCD) made from rsm package of R software 4.1.1. Based on experimental results analysis, it was found that urea concentration affect biogas production (P<0.05), the optimum value of Organic Loading Rate and urea concentration were 6.688%TS and 0.0067% respectively, with a optimal biogas yield of 3260.694 mL. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination value (R2=0.8146) at 95% confidence level and a p-value of 0.002. The results show that urea concentration has a major impact on biogas production (P<0.05).
Retracted: Vertical Mountain Ranges in the Americas, Mexico, African Highlands, North Central Asia, and Japan, Philippines and Australia and Horizontal Mountain or Slanted Mountain Ranges Elsewhere
Authors: Struck James Timothy
Published: May 2022

This paper has been retracted
Assessment of the Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease in Prediabetic and Diabetic Wistar Rats with Insulinaemia, in a Selected Model
Authors: Aleme B. M. , Amadi B. A.
Published: May 2022

Introduction: This examination assessed the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in pre-diabetic and diabetes with insulinaemia in Wistar rats using the HOMA-IR model. The assessment solidified the role of Wistar rats in the evaluation model and took the blood analytes to screen for diabetes.

Methodology: 84 male Wistar rats measuring 175g were isolated into fourteen groups of six animals each and dealt with high fat eating standard and acknowledged with dexamethasone which achieved diabetes. Group 1 animals were given feed and water. Group 2 animals got no treatment. Groups 3-5 were coordinated Glimepiride and Metformin, and Cinnamon independently while Groups 6-14 were administered 100mg/kg, 300mg/kg, and 500mg/kg of Ginger, Aloe Vera, and mix of Ginger and Aloe Vera exclusively. The concentrates were administered orally. Every illustration of blood serum and plasma was explored using Randox and Accubind packs and an autoanalyser to test for various biochemical and hematological limits.

Results: The overall results revealed a colossal differentiation (p≤0.05) in the limits except for that of Na+. The 500mg/kg body weight part of the concentrate was ideal while there was much basic development in the HOMA-IR with potential gains of 0.94±0.04, 2.28±0.17 and 3.25±0.44 for the three sets. HOMA-IR is enticing over other models, as reported by other investigators. This assessment revealed that HOMA-IR works best in the management of diabetes in connection with various models.

Contributions to Knowledge: HOMA-IR works best at predicting and managing DM.

Administration of varying doses of the extracts to the Wistar rats helped in the control by ameliorating the effect of diabetes as seen in the return of some diabetic markers assayed.

This research used Wistar rats in the evaluation of the HOMA-IR model.

This research compared the blood analytes of non-diabetics, pre-diabetics, and diabetics in order to monitor the onset of diabetes and proffer possible solutions to enhance early detection and manage diabetes.
Bi-objective Optimization for Rebar Cutting Plan Using Symbiotic Organisms Search
Authors: Sugianto Aucky , Tung Yang I
Published: May 2022

The construction industry is one of the biggest industries in the world. One of the most important materials in this industry is the reinforced steel bar. In construction site usually fabricated the reinforced steel bars into the form of one-dimensional stocks and designed according to the structural specification and installed in various structural components such as columns, beam, slab, and foundation. The purpose of cutting stock problems for reinforced steel bars (rebar cutting plan, RCP) is to satisfy the project requirements and also to minimize the cutting losses, which is the major contributor to the construction waste As there are two objective functions, we call the problem bi-objective rebar cutting plan (B-RCP). In the previous research, efforts developed the metaheuristics method to minimize the cutting losses in preliminary engineering designs but it few to consider about simplicity in order to achieve efficient work. Thus, this research applies the bi-optimization with epsilon constraint in order to find the trade-off solution between the material waste and number of cutting pattern for decision making. This study proposed the metaheuristic method Symbiotic Organisms Search (SOS) to solve B-RCP in one framework, to find the feasible cutting patterns along with the minimum total waste of the reinforced steel bar. To test the performance of the proposed SOS framework, the previous study case is set to be a benchmark, and then create a comparison with PSO. For real project instances of RCP are used to evaluate and validate the performance of SOS. The validation results from both cases of RCP show that SOS has better performance than PSO in both minimize the material waste along reducing the number of cutting patterns. Thus, it is validated that SOS is a competitive algorithm for solving the RCP.
PENERAPAN MULTI-OBJECTIVE PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION UNTUK OPTIMASI FINANCE-BASED SCHEDULING PADA PROYEK SOHO X DI SURABAYA
Authors: Reynaldo Ambrosius Matthew Junius , Prayogo Doddy
Published: May 2022

Penjadwalan proyek dan kondisi keuangan perusahaan kontraktor untuk pendanaan selama aktivitas proyek merupakan dua aspek penting penentu keberhasilan proyek konstruksi.  Konsep finance-based scheduling mengintegrasikan penjadwalan proyek dan pendanaan untuk menghindari pembengkakan biaya dan keterlambatan. Metode metaheuritsik digunakan untuk membantu menyelesaikan permasalahan optimasi finance-based scheduling. Proses optimasi dengan Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) dilakukan untuk meminimalkan ketiga aspek dalam finance-based scheduling yaitu durasi proyek, besarnya pinjaman dana yang dibutuhkan, dan besarnya bunga dari pinjaman yang dilakukan oleh kontraktor berdasarkan studi kasus proyek SOHO X di Surabaya. Hasil dari proses optimasi adalah solusi-solusi berupa skenario penjadwalan yang dapat dipilih oleh kontraktor berdasarkan what-if analysis sesuai dengan tingkat kepentingan kontraktor.
Synthesis Metal-Organic Framework (MOFs) Cr-PTC-HIna Modulated Isonicotinic Acid for Methylene Blue Photocatalytic Degradation
Authors: Adawiah Adawiah , Oktavia Wulandari , Saridewi Nanda , Azhar Farhan Maulana , Fitria Risma Nur , Gunawan Muhammad Shofyan , Komala Sri , Zulys Agustino
Published: May 2022

A novel responsive visible light Cr-based MOF, Cr-PTC-HIna, was synthesized using the solvothermal method. Cr-PTC-HIna peaks were observed at 2θ = 9.04°, 12.71°, 14.88°, 25,48°, 27.72°, 28.97°, and 43.60° with a crystal size of 21 nm. Band gap energy achieved from the Cr-PTC HIna was 2.05 eV. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis obtained a 3D structural morphology of MOFs Cr-PTC-HIna with a cylindrical tube shape and a particle size of 251.45 nm. Cr-PTC-HIna gave the optimum methylene blue degradation at pH of 7 under 250 watts mercury lamp irradiation for 180 minutes with degradation capacity of 95.40 mg/g. Electron holes and hydroxyl radicals were found as the dominant species contributing to methylene blue degradation. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
A detailed process map for clinical workflow of a new biology‐guided radiotherapy (BgRT) machine
Authors: Hwang Min‐Sig , Lalonde Ron , Huq M. Saiful
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Biology‐guided radiotherapy (BgRT) is a new external beam radiation therapy modality combining PET‐CT with a linear accelerator that has the potential to track and treat one or more tumors in real‐time. The use of PET and radiopharmaceutical tracers introduces new processes that are different from the existing treatment processes. In this study, we have developed a process map for the clinical implementation of a prototype BgRT machine.

Methods

A team of 13 members from various radiation therapy disciplines at our institution participated in developing a prospective process map for a prototype BgRT machine. The methodology provided by the AAPM TG 100 report was followed. In particular, the steps unique to the BgRT workflow, using hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy with fluorodeoxyglucose radiolabeled with fluorine‐18 (FDG) to guide beam delivery, were analyzed.

Results

The multi‐disciplinary team in the department of radiation oncology at our institution developed a prospective process map for the clinical BgRT workflow. By focusing on the appropriate level of detail, 15 major subprocesses, 133 steps, and 248 substeps were identified and the process map was agreed upon as being useful, implementable, and manageable. Seventy‐four steps from nine subprocesses, 55.6% of the whole process, were analyzed to be the BgRT unique steps. They originate mainly from: (1) acquiring multiple PET images at the BgRT machine with separate patient visits, (2) creating a unique biological treatment volume for BgRT plan (PTVBgRT), and (3) BgRT plan optimization and treatment delivery using PET images.

Conclusion

Using BgRT to irradiate multiple metastases in the same session will impact clinical workflow, thus a graphical process map depicting the new clinical workflow with an appropriate level of detail is critical for efficient, safe, and high‐quality care. The prospective process map will guide the successful setup and use of the new BgRT system.