bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atuação dos profissionais da informação no Ciclo de Vida dos Dados – DATAONE: um estudo comparado
Authors: Anjos Renata Lemos dos , Dias Guilherme Ataíde
Published: April 2019

Introdução: com a consolidação das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação na vasta maioria dos processos humanos no início do século XXI, diariamente, produzimos uma infinidade de dados. Essa avalanche de dados é denominada como o fenômeno Big Data. Na seara acadêmica, novas possibilidades relacionadas ao uso de dados de pesquisas, estão emergindo. Pesquisadores das mais variadas áreas estão dando especial atenção ao Plano de Gestão de Dados, o qual envolve a curadoria dos dados de pesquisa, durante todo o seu ciclo de vida, desde o seu planejamento até o seu (re)uso. Objetivo: busca investigar como os profissionais da informação podem atuar nas etapas componentes do Ciclo de Vida dos dados proposto pelo DataONE. Metodologia: configura-se como uma pesquisa exploratória-descritiva, e bibliográfica, assumindo o método comparado o qual associou as competências dos profissionais da informação que podem ser aplicadas e/ou adaptadas na realização das etapas componentes do Ciclo de Vida dos Dados - DataONE. Resultados: verificou-se que a maioria das competências dos profissionais da informação alinham-se às componentes do ciclo de vida dos dados. Conclusões: concluímos que as competências dos profissionais da informação podem ser efetivamente aplicadas e adequadas à realidade dos dados de pesquisa, mais precisamente no processo do ciclo de vida dos dados.
Apoio à decisão aplicado à seleção dos requisitos para certificação de incubadoras de base tecnológica no Cerne 2
Authors: Segalla Renan Roehring , Zattar Izabel Cristina , De Lima André Irazoqui , Seleme Robson
Published: April 2019

O Cerne é um modelo de gestão para incubadoras que adota práticas dentro de processos-chave associados a níveis de maturidade (Cerne 1 ao 4) direcionados a melhoria contínua. Neste contexto, este artigo objetiva apresentar a aplicação da Metodologia Multicritério de Apoio à Decisão Construtivista – MCDA-C no estabelecimento e ranqueamento de ações prioritárias para a implementação de práticas do Cerne 2 na Incubadora Tecnológica (INTEC). Para tal, foram aplicados dois questionários para gestores da incubadora. No primeiro são respondidos, por meio de escala Likert, níveis de concordância quanto ao atendimento de requisitos para definir prioridades entre práticas-chave. O segundo compara pares de requisitos ranqueando-os com auxílio do software MacBeth. Em seguida, procedeu-se à análise numérica dos dados obtidos nos questionários, estabelecendo a ordem de prioridade no tratamento de requisitos do Cerne 2. Por fim, observa-se necessidade de maior atenção para requisitos de registro de atividades e menor para utilização de indicadores.
Governança e gestão da qualidade em uma rede de suprimentos no estado de Mato Grosso
Authors: Santos Carlos Eduardo , Machado Marcio Cardoso
Published: April 2019

Na perspectiva do agronegócio, as redes de suprimentos envolvem ligações tanto a montante quanto a jusante, na cadeia de suprimentos. As redes de suprimentos incluem intercâmbios mútuos, usando uma expectativa estratégica que considera aspectos estruturais, contratuais, sociais e compartilhamento de informações, bem como a gestão da qualidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar como os instrumentos de governança influenciam a gestão da qualidade na rede de suprimentos da soja. Também pretendeu-secontribuir para o desenvolvimento do conhecimento acadêmico sobre o tema abordado e para a melhoria das práticas gerenciais, que refletem a melhoria do setor do agronegócio. Foi desenvolvida uma análise e síntese de entrevistas com produtores brasileiros de soja. Esta pesquisa foi caracterizada como um estudo de casomúltiplo, investigando a governança na Rede de Abastecimento de Soja de Mato Grosso.
Communication Skills and Its Related Factors Among Medical Staff
Authors: Moeini Babak , Abasi Hamid , Otogara Marzieh , Akbarzadeh Mahdi
Published: April 2019

Background: Communication skills are the main features in health care. Objectives: The current study aimed at determining communication skills and its related factors among medical staff. Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted on 302 medical staff of hospitals (physicians, nurses, midwives, and paramedics) in 2014, Hamadan city, Iran. The subjects were randomly selected from each hospital proportional to population size. Demographic information and the Burton communication skills (verbal, listening, and feedback) were completed using questionnaires. For all of the communication skills, scores 6 to 14 were low, 15 to 22 moderate, and 23 to 30 were considered high. Collected data were analyzed with SPSS version 22 using descriptive tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, t-test, and regression analysis. Results: Subjects gained 19.22, 17.50, and 19.20 average of communication skills including verbal, listening and feedback, respectively. Medical staff communication skills were at moderate level. There was a significant difference between the scores of feedback skills (P = 0.001) and verbal skills in different educational levels (P = 0.018). Also, the verbal and feedback skills in the group of midwives were more than those of the others (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The levels of communication skills among medical staff were not high. Communication skills training should be done at the time of recruitment and for vocational retraining
АНГАЖОВАНОСТ УЧЕНИКА У НАСТАВИ
Authors: Сузић Анкица
Published: April 2019

Тема овог рада је испитивање ефи-касности наставних часова наконреализовања експерименталног про-грама, који је подразумијевао примје-ну иновативних модела учења (ин-теракција, самостално учење, играи истраживање). Истраживањемсу обухваћене двије групе испитани-ка (експериментална и контролна), априказани су резултати од иницијал-ног до финалног мјерења. У раду супостављене три хипотезе. Прва,претпостављено је да ће примјенанаведених модела утицати на ефи-касност наставних часова, те да ћебити остварена статистички зна-чајна разлика од иницијалног до фи-налног мјерења у корист експеримен-тале групе, у погледу ангажованостиученика. Другом хипотезом испитаноје да ли постоји разлика у ангажо-ваности ученика с обзиром на школ-ски успјех. Трећа хипотеза се односина идентификовање најефикаснијихмодела ангажовања ученика. Налазидобијени овим истраживањем указујуна оправданост примјене ових инова-тивних модела, захваљујући којима суученици остварили већу ангажова-ност у наставном процесу.
Do the regular annual extreme water level changes affect the seasonal appearance of Anabaena in Poyang Lake?
Authors: Qian Kuimei , Dokulil Martin , Chen Yuwei
Published: April 2019

Background

Poyang Lake is an ecosystem experiencing annual variations in water level of up to 14 m. Water level changes were 8.03 and 11.22 m, respectively, in the years 2013 and 2014. The biomass and heterocyst frequency of Anabaena increased in the summers of recent years.

Methods

A weekly to bi-weekly monitoring from June to November 2013 and 2014 was set up to explain the variations of Anabaena appearance in different phases of the water level.

Results

Anabaena was present in the lake throughout the year. The average relative biomass of Anabaena in the present study was over 40%, being most abundant in summer. The average heterocyst frequency was 0.23% in 2013 and 0.76% in 2014. Correlation analysis indicated a positive trend of Anabaena biomass with water temperature and water level and a negative one with total nitrogen (TN), which is the reason for the increase of heterocyst frequency in 2013 and 2014. Heterocyst frequency of Anabaena was positively correlated with water temperature, water level and PO4-P, and negatively with dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN/DIP), NO3-N and TN. Moreover, water temperature and DIN/DIP were significantly correlated with water level, indicating that water level changes have a direct effect on Anabaena and heterocyst formation in Poyang Lake.

Conclusions

The results of this study support the hypothesis that increasing biomass and heterocyst formation of Anabaena can be primarily caused by seasonal changes of the water level in Poyang Lake.
ADMINISTRAÇÃO DO TEMPO: UM ESTUDO SOBRE A GESTÃO EFICAZ DO TEMPO COMO FERRAMENTA PARA O AUMENTO DA PRODUTIVIDADE E WORK LIFE BALANCE
Authors: Lima Maria do Carmo Ferreira , Jesus Simone Batista
Published: April 2019

A Administração do Tempo vem sendo um tema de alta relevância, e muito discutido, principalmente no mundo corporativo. Desde os primeiros estudos da Administração Clássica, como o “Estudo dos Tempos e Movimentos”, realizado por Taylor, na época da Revolução Industrial, passando pela Revolução Tecnológica no início dos anos 90 até os dias atuais, sempre existiu o questionamento sobre como seria possível administrar melhor o tempo. O desafio não é gerenciar o tempo, mas a pessoa e gerar ou preservar relacionamentos. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi compreender como a adoção de técnicas para Administração do Tempo pode servir de ferramenta para o aumento da produtividade e equilíbrio da equação vida profissional versus vida pessoal. A revisão da literatura foi sustentada por uma pesquisa em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa foi aplicada uma pesquisa descritiva, com a intenção de identificar quais eram os chamados “ladrões de tempo” mais comuns dentro da amostra pesquisada e diagnosticar o perfil de gerenciamento do tempo do conjunto de participantes. Na etapa posterior, foi realizado um estudo de caso, onde pelo período de 30 dias a participante voluntária foi instruída a utilizar algumas das ferramentas, como softwares e formulários disponíveis no mercado para organização e administração eficaz do tempo. Os resultados comprovaram ser considerável o número pessoas que assumem não saber administrar bem o seu tempo e que sofrem com os efeitos negativos da sobrecarga de trabalho e a desmotivação que constantemente está atrelada a esse cenário. O resultado do estudo de caso apurou que as ferramentas de organização e gestão de tempo disponíveis são capazes de promover boa melhora na forma como se administra o tempo, porém é necessário comprometimento e disciplina daquele que se propõe a utilizar os mecanismos, pois a mudança na forma como se gerencia o próprio tempo é acima de tudo uma mudança comportamental.
CURRÍCULOS DE SECRETARIADO EXECUTIVO: ALGUMAS REFLEXÕES
Authors: Gerardin Ubirajara Junior , Monteiro Aneridis Aparecida , Gianini Viviana Cristina
Published: April 2019

Ao longo dos últimos anos o curso de graduação em bacharelado em Secretariado Executivo é alvo de concepções errôneas, bem como de comparações equivocadas a outros cursos de áreas afins e/ou nomenclaturas semelhantes. Emerge nesse sentido a necessidade de estudos que tragam de forma esclarecedora, a discussão de como é elaborada a estrutura curricular desse curso de graduação. Dessa forma, este artigo tem como objetivo principal comparar a estrutura curricular de três instituições de ensino superior do Brasil, tendo como objeto de estudo duas universidades públicas e uma privada em três regimes distintos, federal, estadual e privado. Para tanto, parte-se de um levantamento bibliográfico com autores que têm discutido as concepções de currículo, de um modo geral, servindo como base no estudo, bem como à abordagem da Diretriz Curricular Nacional (DCN) do curso no intuito de verificar os aspectos igualitários e diferenciais em relação a estas três instituições de ensino superior, onde serão valorizadas esferas de ordem social, institucional e regimentar. As conclusões apontam para a abrangência e relevância do curso de Secretariado Executivo, bem como que as IES analisadas estão adequadas às exigências do Ministério da Educação no tocante à formação acadêmica desses profissionais.
Uma análise da consultoria secretarial como novo nicho de mercado e como disciplina nos cursos de secretariado executivo
Authors: Schmitz Caroline Jane , Battisti Patrícia Stafusa Sala , Dos Santos Sandra Regina Führ
Published: April 2019

Este estudo objetiva provocar uma reflexão sobre a consultoria secretarial, mostrando a transformação da profissão de secretariado ao longo dos anos, assim como as novas competências deste profissional que desponta no setor de consultoria. A hipótese que nutriu a problemática do estudo é que, embora as diretrizes curriculares prevejam um profissional secretário executivo consultor, este ainda representa um ramo pouco explorado pelas empresas e pelas instituições de ensino superior (IES). Nesse sentido, com o propósito de conhecer as mudanças no perfil do secretário executivo e de estabelecer uma relação com o perfil exigido do consultor empresarial, procedeu-se a uma pesquisa documental nas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do curso de Secretariado Executivo, bem como a uma pesquisa bibliográfica, tanto em autores que traçam o perfil do secretário executivo quanto em autores que apresentam o perfil de consultores em geral. Em seguida, após identificar, por meio de pesquisa documental no site do Inep, as IES do Brasil que ofertam curso em Secretariado Executivo, buscou-se pesquisar sua grade no que concerne à importância dada à consultoria em cada curso. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritivo-exploratória, com abordagem qualitativa, utilizando concomitantemente o levantamento de dados quantitativos para mapear instituições e a abordagem qualitativa para analisar o tratamento conferido à disciplina Consultoria nos cursos. Pode-se concluir que apesar de a consultoria ser um ramo de atuação promissor e das Diretrizes Curriculares direcionarem para tal conteúdo, são poucas as IES que a possuem em seu currículo, o que provoca uma reflexão acerca do profissional que se quer formar para o mercado atual.
O profissional de secretariado e a responsabilidade socioambiental: a importância da assessoria executiva
Authors: Monteiro Caroline , Cecatto Quelli Cristina , Gardin Daniela Do Amaral Oliveira
Published: April 2019

Nas últimas décadas a responsabilidade socioambiental vem conquistando um espaço, cada vez mais evidente, na sociedade e; por isso, faz-se necessária a atuação de um profissional que esteja interligado com toda a organização. Este artigo teve como objetivo geral verificar como o profissional de Secretariado Executivo, com seu conhecimento interdisciplinar, pode contribuir nas atividades relacionadas à responsabilidade socioambiental empresarial. Quanto à metodologia, este estudo utilizou a pesquisa descritiva e a abordagem qualitativa com suporte quantitativo devido à aplicação de questionários. O público-alvo desta pesquisa é composto pelos egressos do curso de Secretariado Executivo da Universidade Estadual do Centro Oeste - Unicentro. Os resultados apontam que existe um comprometimento dos profissionais de secretariado na realização das atividades socioambientais organizacionais. Diante disso, pode-se afirmar que o secretário executivo possui um papel fundamental, neste cenário, por estar sempre envolvido ou próximo às decisões da empresa enfatizando, assim, a importância da assessoria executiva.
Interação trabalho e família: o enriquecimento como implicação da acumulação de papéis
Authors: Maia Kadma , Alloufa Jomaria Matta , Araújo Richard Medeiros de
Published: April 2019

Este artigo visa compreender como a interação trabalho-família pode promover o enriquecimento nos papéis desenvolvidos por Secretários Executivos de uma Universidade Pública. A abordagem de análise utilizada foi a pesquisa qualitativa e a técnica de coleta de dados empregada a entrevista semiestruturada, aplicada a vinte secretários executivos, servidores da Instituição em estudo. Para a compreensão e interpretação dos dados, utilizou-se a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados das análises identificaram a existência de enriquecimento nessa interação. A oportunidade de agregar conhecimentos foi a mais citada como elemento enriquecedor do trabalho, e os valores da família como elemento enriquecedor da família. O apoio e a experiência emergiram como fenômenos de enriquecimento comuns aos dois domínios. No que se referem às implicações do enriquecimento resultante da interação trabalho-família, as mais percebidas pelos entrevistados foram: aumento de conhecimentos e habilidades, benefícios materiais e psicológicos, melhoria da qualidade de vida e realização pessoal e profissional. Conclui-se que não se deve enfatizar o lado negativo da interação trabalho-família se há recursos favoráveis ao enriquecimento dessa relação. Valorizar o lado positivo, buscando o equilíbrio entre as demandas do trabalho e da família, é relevante, visto que a participação dos Secretários nos papéis familiar e profissional revelou-se uma dinâmica real, necessária e desafiadora, que pode levá-los ao enriquecimento.
Chemical and Nutritional Evaluation of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) Seed Proteins
Authors: Innocent-Ukachi Adanma C.
Published: April 2019

Chemical and nutritional properties of pumpkin (Curcubita pepo) seed proteins were studied. The seed was processed into defatted flour (CPF) which was further processed into Curcubita protein concentrate (CPC) and Curcubita protein isolate (CPI) by alkaline water/isoelectric precipitation. Chemical properties of the protein products were determined using standard methods of analysis. The amino acid profile was determined by an automated Technicon® liquid chromatography system. Protein digestibility was assessed in-vitro (IVPD) using trypsin-pepsin enzyme method while biological values were determined on the basis of their amino acid profile. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) was estimated according to a standard proposed regression equation. The seed proteins demonstrated high levels of crude protein (CPC=69.98% and CPI=74.15%), vitamin C (CPC=43.46 and CPI=52.36 mg/ml) and vitamin A (CPC=100.56 and CPI= 63.43 I.U/g) with low levels of thiamin and riboflavin. Both proteins showed low and similar (p>0.05) levels of sodium (0.14-0.18%), calcium (0.86-1.02%), magnesium (0.53-0.58%) and phosphorus (0.09-0.11%). Percentage ratios of essential to total amino acids obtained for CPC and CPI (44.24% and 45.50%, respectively) were greater than 36% which is considered adequate for an ideal protein. Protein biological values obtained for CPC and CPI respectively were: 95% and 53% (chemical score), 2.80 and 1.56 (PER} and 70.10% and 51.28% (essential amino acid index). CPC showed a better digestibility than CPI with IVPD value of 56.88%. Threonine and lysine were the most limiting amino acids in both protein products. All anti-nutrients evaluated were low and below allowable limits. In conclusion pumpkin seed proteins showed good biological values and could be used to improve the quality of other plant proteins or as a possible replacement for animal proteins in conventional foods.
Solving Nurse Scheduling Problem Using Constraint Programming (CP) Technique
Authors: M. Alade Oluwaseun , Amusat Akeem O. , Adedeji Oluyinka T.
Published: April 2019

Staff scheduling is a universal problem that can be encountered in many organizations, such as call centers, educational institution, industry, hospital, and any other public services. It is one of the most important aspects of workforce management strategy. Mostly, it is prone to errors or issues as there are many entities that should be addressed, such as the staff turnover, employee availability, time between rotations, unusual periods of activity, and even the last-minute shift changes. In this paper, constraint programming (CP) algorithm was developed to solve the nurse scheduling problem. The developed constraint programming algorithm was then implemented using python programming language. The developed CP algorithm was experimented with varying number of nurses. Experimental result confirmed that CP algorithm was able to solve nurse scheduling problem with promising results.
The Effect of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense Aqueous Extracts on the in Vivo Expression Profile of Lipid and Sex Hormones
Authors: Franca Okoye Ngozi , Rume Uvbiekpahor
Published: April 2019

Aim: The study investigated the effect of aqueous extract of Piper guineense and Nigella sativa on Testosterone, Estrogen and Follicle stimulating hormone levels in male and female rats induced by diets supplemented with high dose of sucrose and margarine for four (4) week.

Materials and Methods: Thirty male and female Wistar rats of average weight (100 g) were used for the study. The rats were arranged into five groups with six rats in each of the groups. The rats had access to their normal feed but sucrose and margarine were used to induce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia respectively on the rats with the exception of the rats in the positive control group.  The rats in the negative control were induced using the sucrose and margarine but were not treated using the aqueous extracts. The rats in the Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of Piper guineense aqueous leaf extract, while the rats in the Nigella sativa group were treated with 2 ml of Nigella sativa aqueous extract. The rats in the Nigella sativa and Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of the combined aqueous extract.

Results: The results showed that the extracts had an increasing effect which was time dependent on the hormones. The highest increase was obtained on the third week of feeding when compared to the control. The testosterone levels (mlU/ml) showed for the, positive control (2.28 ± 0.08), uziza leaf (6.45 ± 0.01), black seed (2.85 ± 0.01), black seed &uziza (8.47 ± 0.08)(p<0.05).  The increase for estrogen levels (mlU/ml) showed for the positive control (99 ± 0.82), uziza leaf (98 ± 1.63), black seed (100 ± 1.63), black seed & uziza (113 ± 0.82). Furthermore, the extracts also had an increasing effect on the follicle stimulating hormone levels with the highest increase obtained on the third week (p>0.05).  The FSH levels (mlU/ml)) showed for the positive control (0.23 ± 0.01), uziza leaf 0.25 ± 0.01), black seed (0.54 ± 0.02), black seed & uziza (0.58 ± 0.01)(p<0.05).

Histopathological findings also suggest that treatment with the aqueous extracts of P.guineense and N .sativa after inducement salvaged the testes and ovaries when compared to the induced group after the second week of administration. Although the combined mixture N.sativa and P.guineense extract was more effective.

Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that the aqueous extract of a combined mixture of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense might be an effective plant in indigenous medicine, which may be used to combat infertility caused by hormonal imbalance.
Health Care Seeking Behavior among Caregivers of Sick Children Who Had Severe Malarial Anaemia
Authors: Gondi Stacey M. O. , Ouma Collins , Atieli Harrysone , Otieno Walter
Published: April 2019

Aims: The western region in Kenya is holoendemic to malaria and experience stable P. falciparum malaria transmission. The use of health care options has a direct influence on the outcome of severe malaria. As such, the current study will assess the health care seeking behavior among caregivers of sick children who had severe malarial anaemia (SMA) in western Kenya.

Study Design: Cross section study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Jaramogi Odinga Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) between September 2014 to July 2015.

Methodology: It was open to all children ≤10 years (n=271) admitted and diagnosed with SMA (hemoglobin <5.0 g/dl and any density of P. falciparum. Caregivers were interviewed on the health care options before seeking care at a heath facility, when the child started to get sick, if they took child to another health centre/dispensary/private hospital before coming to JOOTRH 

Results: Majority of the caregivers interviewed, 80.07% (217) had attained Primary education.  Majority of the caregivers were in the age category of 19-24 75(27.67%) years and 25-29 years 75 (27.67%). 74.90% (203) of their children were below five years and 25.09% (68) were above 5 years.  61.62% (167. Majority of the caregivers gave some remainder drugs before presenting to a heath facility 32.5% (88). A good number bought drugs at drug stores/pharmacies 27.7% (75). None visited a traditional healer. A minority used herbs 10% (27). There were no statistically significant differences between most of the pre-hospitalization measures taken s with regard to patient’s gender and age, and caretaker’s level of education. Caregivers who chose to give herbs to their sick children took longer in deciding to take their children to hospital. This was however statistically significant between those who used herbs and those who bought drugs only (median 4 days vs. 3 days, respectively, p = 0.0063). There was no significant difference in the delay of child admission at JOOTRH between caregivers who had had primary education only and those with a minimum of secondary education (p = 0.9842).

Conclusion: Self-medication is a common practice before seeking care at a heath facility. There is need for community awareness for correct and comprehensive information about drawbacks associated with self-medication practices. Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place to ensure that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality.
Examining Employees’ Attitudes towards Performance Appraisal and Its Impact on Performance and Motivation in a UK Information Technology (IT) Firm
Authors: Idowu Ayomikun Oluwafemi
Published: April 2019

Employee performance has traditionally been accorded prime focus by human resource managers. As a result, a number of performance appraisal techniques have over time been devised to help establish employee’s performance. In the contemporary times, the use of performance appraisals has been extended beyond rating of the employee’s performance to aspects such as motivation.

The study’s main objectives pertained to establishing the moderating role of employees’ attitude towards performance appraisal as a motivation and performance tool.

The study was based on Shine Communications London, as the case study organization. Primary data was collected from the organisation’s employees and HR manager. Notably, a survey questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from the employees while an interview was conducted with the HR manager. Data from the sample of 45 randomly selected employees was statistically analysed using the help of SPSS 2.0. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative responses from the HR manager.

The study finds that a Performance Appraisal System can fail to achieve its motivational effect when it is used to threaten job security, is marked by inaccuracy and conducted by improperly trained reviewers. Among the study’s main recommendations include designing of a Performance Appraisal System that enhances perceptions of fairness and use of a personal approach in linking Performance Appraisal results to rewards.
Morphometric Analysis of River Donga Watershed in Taraba State Using Remeote Sensing and Gis Techniques
Authors: Gabriel Adelalu, Temitope , Bakoji Yusuf, Mohammed , Abdullahi Ibrahim , Iko-Ojo Idakwo Victor
Published: April 2019

As climate change infiltrate and influence every sphere of the globe, the continuous study of the drainage features and assessment of the drainage basin as a fundamental geomorphic unit in water resources development and management cannot be relegated. This work has considered the analytical description of the physical division of RDCA. The three domains of the morphometric parameters (linear, areal, and relief aspects of the basin) were considered for the analysis.  Remote sensing and GIS techniques were adopted in the analysis of the data using hydrological and surface tool in ArcGIS 10.2. The acquired SRTM DEM was used to delineate the catchment area and major morphometric parameters were estimated. The results show that the basin is elongated with low leminiscate ratio. RDCA is a 7th order drainage basin, with an area of 11,355 km2, having a length of about 164 km2. Value of drainage density indicates moderate runoff potentials. Stream frequency, bifurcation ratio and constant channel maintenance indicate medium permeability and that the basin produces a flatter peak of direct runoff for a longer duration. Channel encroachment, land use and land cover change seems the cause of perennial flooding in the region than change in drainage features. This study provides scientific database for further comprehensive hydrological investigation of RDCA around which Kashimbilla dam is located.
In Vitro Contribution of Herbal Products on the Activity of Antifungal Drugs against Clinical Candida Isolates
Authors: Oz Yasemin , Gundogdu Nuray , Aslan Muge
Published: April 2019

Aims: The contribution of natural compounds may provide significant progress in the discovery of new antifungal drugs. We aimed to investigate the contribution of carvacrol, farnesol, epigallocatechin gallate, ginger, naringenin and curcumin on the activity of antifungals, voriconazole, caspofungin and amphotericin B against clinical Candida isolates.

Methodology: Eight clinical Candida isolates were included in this study. The MIC values of each herbal compound and each antifungal were determined using the reference broth microdilution method. The interactions of herbal compounds and antifungal drugs were assessed by checkerboard microdilution method. 

Results: The MIC values ranged from 60 to 160 μg/mL for carvacrol, from 16 to 64 μg/mL for epigallocatechin gallate, from 80 to 320 μg/mL for ginger and 800 μg/mL for curcumin. Any MIC value was not detected for farnesol and naringenin in concentrations tested. Although the most common interaction type was indifference, farnesol, carvacrol and ginger reduced the MICs of all three antifungals against most isolates. Voriconazole and amphotericin B MICs decreased in combinations with epigallocatechin gallate, whereas naringenin and curcumin did not show any conspicuous effect on antifungal drug activities.

Conclusion: We showed that carvacrol, epigallocatechin gallate, curcumin and ginger enhanced the activity of voriconazole, caspofungin and amphotericin B against Candida isolates in vitro. These compounds may represent novel agents to be used in combination with available antifungal drugs to lower the doses of antifungals, thus toxic side effects and treatment costs may decrease.
In Situ Self‐Assembly of Ultrastable Crosslinked Luminescent Gold Nanoparticle and Organic Dye Nanohybrids toward Ultrasensitive and Reversible Ratiometric Thermal Imaging
Authors: Ma Huali , Zhou Tingyao , Dai Zhiyi , Hu Jianqiang , Liu Jinbin
Published: April 2019

Exploring hybrid nanomaterials with sensitive and reversible ratiometric temperature sensing is highly desirable but still challenging. Herein, using thermosensitive Pluronic F127 as a template, a facile and straightforward approach is presented for one‐pot synthesis of dual‐emitting nanohybrids of crosslinked gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and organic dye with unique core–shell structure and excellent stability, which can be utilized as an ultrasensitive and reversible ratiometric temperature sensor. The dual‐emitting nanohybrids are achieved through in situ self‐assembly of red‐emitting AuNPs in the hydrophobic core, along with doping blue‐emitting and polarity‐responsive hydrophobic dye 4,4′‐bis(2‐benzoxazolyl) stilbene (BBS). The AuNP and BBS nanohybrids (AuNP–BBS nanohybrids) consist of about ten crosslinked ultrasmall AuNPs in the hydrophobic core. The crosslinking interaction between multidentate thiol ligand and ultrasmall AuNPs offers remarkable stability without dye leakage, while the thermosensitive Pluronic F127 endows the nanohybrids with two reverse signal responses toward temperature. By virtue of the excellent features, the dual‐emitting AuNP–BBS nanohybrids can be capable of ratiometric sensing of temperature with remarkable reversibility and high sensitivity (0.3396 °C−1), and enable visual temperature measurements by the naked eye and pseudocolor imaging. These findings provide a useful guidance for preparing uniform hybrid nanomaterials with remarkable stability and desired functions.
The Centrality of the ‘Family Dispute Resolution’ Process to the Separating Family, the Community and the Administration of Justice
Authors: Harman Judge J.
Published: April 2019

The International Convention on the Rights of the Child sees family as the fundamental unit of society and aims to ensure that children grow up in ‘an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.’ Incorporated as an object of the Family Law Act 1975, the Convention guides the outcomes and informs the way that the Family Law Act should be interpreted and applied. Wherever possible, adherence to the Convention requires not litigation, adversarial contest, and determinative processes, but facilitative dispute management and dispute resolution processes. This is because ‘happiness, love and understanding’ can only be provided by parents and by families themselves – not by a court. In this address I examine the extent to which the family law system supports facilitative processes in general and family dispute resolution (FDR) in particular. I consider the tensions between legal processes and self‐determination and outline a series of benefits that derive from the default use of FDR processes.
Application of heat pump in combined heat and power central heating system and exergy analysis
Authors: Jiang Zhouming , Li Yajun
Published: April 2019

Aiming to relieve the heating supply gap in winter, this paper focuses on how to enhance the heating capacity of the existing central heating system and increase the heating efficiency. Therefore, two revamping schemes of adding new heat source and using heat pump are designed based on the existing central heating system of combined heat and power. Besides, the schemes are evaluated in terms of the coefficient of performance, exergy efficiency, dynamic payback period, and electricity consumption to transfer heat quantity. In an actual case, the results reveal that the coefficient of performance of using heat pump scheme is 1.31, 32% higher than that of the existing central heating system, and the energy efficiency is 60.96%, increased by 33% while the scheme also shows good adaptability of economy and heating range. This research can provide a significant theoretical basis and engineering guidance to choose the revamping scheme of central heating system.
Preparation and polymerization of isopimaric acid derivatives
Authors: Lu Yanju , Zhao Zhendong , Bi Liangwu , Chen Yuxiang , Gu Yan , Wang Jing
Published: April 2019

Isopimaric acid is a typical rosin compound and can account for 30% of the total mass of slash pine rosin. The molecular structure of isopimaric acid derivatives features an unsaturated double bond at the C13 position, opening up the possibility of their industrial polymerization. In this study, isopimaric acid (95.4%), methyl isopimarate (99.5%), and allyl isopimarate (95.1%) were prepared as highly pure monomers. New experimental results are presented and mechanisms based on the investigation of free‐radical polymerization under UV irradiation are proposed. New rosin monomers for potential value‐added utilization of woody biomass are also identified. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47817.
Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics of Metformin Following Coadministration With Doravirine in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Sanchez Rosa I. , Yee Ka Lai , Fan Li , Cislak Dawn , Martell Maureen , Jordan Heather R. , Iwamoto Marian , Khalilieh Sauzanne
Published: April 2019

Doravirine is a novel nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type‐1 (HIV‐1) infection. In vitro and clinical data suggest that doravirine is unlikely to cause significant drug–drug interactions via major drug‐metabolizing enzymes or transporters. As a common HIV‐1 infection comorbidity, type 2 diabetes mellitus is often treated with metformin. Perturbations of metformin absorption or elimination may affect its safety and efficacy profile; therefore, understanding potential drug–drug interactions between doravirine and metformin is important. An open‐label, fixed‐sequence, 2‐period trial in healthy adults was conducted. Single‐dose metformin 1000 mg was administered in period 1; in period 2, doravirine 100 mg was administered once daily on days 1 to 7, and single‐dose metformin 1000 mg was administered on day 5. Plasma pharmacokinetics for metformin alone and coadministered with doravirine were assessed. Fourteen participants enrolled and completed the trial. Least‐squares geometric mean ratios and 90% confidence intervals of metformin AUC0‐∞, and Cmax following coadministration of metformin and doravirine compared with metformin alone were 0.94 (0.88‐1.00) and 0.94 (0.86‐1.03), respectively; metformin Tmax and half‐life were also minimally impacted. These data indicate that doravirine did not have a clinically relevant effect on the pharmacokinetics of metformin. Metformin alone and coadministered with doravirine was generally well tolerated. These data support coadministration of doravirine 100 mg and metformin 1000 mg without dose adjustment.
Analysis of serum interleukin(IL)‐1α, IL‐1β and IL‐18 in patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Lin Emily , Vincent Fabien B , Sahhar Joanne , Ngian Gene‐Siew , Kandane‐Rathnayake Rangi , Mende Rachel , Morand Eric F , Lang Tali , Harris James
Published: April 2019

Objectives

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterised by fibrosis, vascular dysfunction and immune dysregulation. The pathogenesis of SSc remains poorly understood, although studies have indicated a role for the innate immune response.

Methods

Here, we measured serum interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐1β and IL‐18 levels in 105 SSc patients and 47 healthy controls (HC) and analysed them with respect to multiple clinical parameters.

Results

Serum IL‐18 concentrations were significantly higher in SSc patients than in HC, while no significant differences in concentrations of IL‐1α and IL‐1β were observed between SSc and HC. In both SSc and HC serum, IL‐1α and IL‐1β were positively correlated, while in SSc, both cytokines negatively correlated with IL‐18. Serum IL‐18 was significantly negatively correlated with both carbon monoxide transfer coefficient (KCO) and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Serum IL‐1β was positively correlated with the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), particularly in patients with limited subtype. DLCO, KCO and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) velocity were significantly higher in patients with high serum IL‐1β. Serum IL‐1α was significantly lower in SSc patients with low KCO and positively correlated with KCO. SSc patients with high serum IL‐1α concentrations were more likely to have digital ulcers.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that these IL‐1 family cytokines may have different roles in the pathogenesis of SSc fibrotic complications.
Gyratory seizures as a presentation of temporal encephalocele
Authors: Jagtap Sujit A. , Kurwale Nilesh , Patil Sandeep , Joshi Aniruddha , Nilegaonkar Sujit
Published: April 2019

Gyratory seizures (GS) are rare and have been reported in focal (frontal and temporal) as well as generalized epilepsies. The exact neuroanatomical substrate of gyration during a seizure is not clearly understood, but is thought to be due to the involvement of the basal ganglia. The direction of gyration occurring without head version is thought to have ipsilateral cerebral origins, while gyrational seizures preceded by forced head version are suggestive of seizure onset contralateral to the direction of gyration or the presence or absence of forced head version is thought to have important implications for lateralization of seizure origins from the direction of gyration. This case describes gyratory seizures in a young boy with a temporal encephalocele. Report ofMRIbrain initially indicated no abnormalities, but careful review revealed a left temporal encephalocele.PETscan showed left temporal hypometabolism. The patient underwent a left anterior temporal resection with amygdalohippocampectomy (ATL + AH) and is seizure‐free for 18 months. Temporal encephalocele is the most commonly iatrogenic but may also be spontaneous, post‐traumatic, or in relation to chronic otitis media. This case suggests that gyratory seizures may be a unique presentation of temporal encephalocele and this possibility warrants investigation in patients with medically refractory epilepsy.
Efficient impulse noise removal using hybrid neuro‐fuzzy filter with optimized intelligent water drop technique
Authors: Sindhana Devi M. , Soranamageswari M.
Published: April 2019

Impulse noise (IN) affects the digital image, during transmission, digital storage, and image acquisition. IN removal from an image is necessary as it retains the quality of the image. This work concentrates on the IN. A neuro‐fuzzy (NF) system based on a fuzzy technique which is trained by a learning algorithm derived from neural network theory was implemented for the removal of noise. A NF network for noise filtering in grayscale images that combines two NF filters with a postprocessor to produce the output was presented. However, Sugeno‐type is not intuitive technique and it also less accurate. To overcome these problems, a hybrid NF filter with optimized intelligent water drop (IWD) technique is introduced, where hybridized Sugeno–Mamdani‐based fuzzy interference system is implemented in both the NF filters to obtain more efficient noise removal system. To improve the accuracy of the assignment of membership values to each input pixels, the optimized IWD technique is utilized, as the choice of membership function decides the efficiency of the noise removal in the images. Here, Fuzzy rules have been used to obtain the filtered output. The Hybrid method maintains the accuracy of the Sugeno model and also the interpretable capability of the Mamdani model. This method is robust against the IN and it is flexible, efficient, and accurate than existing filtering method in both noise attenuation and detail preservation and it has a great scope for better real‐time applications.
Correlation between of small dense low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol with acute cerebral infarction and carotid atherosclerotic plaque stability
Authors: QiaoZhen Xue , AiGuo Meng , Tong Wang , JingJing Li , HaiYing Liu
Published: April 2019

Background

Acute cerebral infarction (ACI) is seriously harmful to human health worldwide. However, at present, the risk of disease onset is still not accurately predicted for some people.

Methods

Five hundred and nineteen patients with ACI and 300 healthy controls were included in this study. We divided the patients into three groups according to the results of cervical artery contrast‐enhanced ultrasound. Ninety‐five patients were in the CAS without plaque group, 108 patients were in the stable plaque group, and 316 patients were in the unstable plaque group. TC, TG, HDL‐C, LDL‐C, and sdLDL‐C were measured in all subjects.

Results

The level of small dense low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL‐C) in the ACI group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that sdLDL‐C was an independent risk factor for ACI (OR = 1.067, 95% CI: 1.041‐1.093, P < 0.001); serum sdLDL‐C was significantly higher in the unstable plaque group than in the stable plaque group and plaque‐free group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001); serum sdLDL‐C was also higher in the stable plaque group than the plaque‐free group (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that sdLDL‐C was an independent risk factor for unstable carotid plaques (OR = 1.053, 95% CI: 1.038‐1.068, P < 0.001); Spearman correlation analysis showed that sdLDL‐C test results were positively correlated with carotid plaque stability (r = 0.363, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Small dense low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol is an independent risk factor for the onset of ACI and may be an early serum marker for this disease.
Zooplankton Selectivity by Black Buffalo in Fertilized Ponds
Authors: Guy Emmet L , Mischke Charles C , Colvin Michael E , Allen Peter J
Published: April 2019

Populations of the Black Buffalo Ictiobus niger, a catostomid species, are in decline. Recovery plans for catostomids frequently include artificial propagation and rearing in ponds until fish grow beyond sizes that are considered vulnerable to predation. Managing ponds for specific zooplankton taxa should increase survival and growth of larval fish; however, zooplankton selectivity experiments conducted for catostomids in aquaculture are rare. We conducted two experiments to evaluate zooplankton selectivity by larval and juvenile Black Buffalo in aquaculture ponds. Fry were stocked into tanks or ponds and were allowed to forage on natural zooplankton populations. Fish and zooplankton were sampled after 3 h in tanks and weekly for 4 weeks in ponds. Proportions of zooplankton taxa consumed were compared to the proportions of taxa available in tanks or ponds. Results indicate that Black Buffalo fry do not readily consume zooplankton at first feeding. However, Black Buffalo at 11 d posthatch (1 week poststocking) selected for cladocerans, and they continued selecting for cladocerans through the first 32 d posthatch (4 weeks poststocking). Therefore, rearing ponds for larval and juvenile Black Buffalo should be managed to promote cladoceran populations where possible.
Speckle‐type POZ protein suppresses lipid accumulation and prostate cancer growth by stabilizing fatty acid synthase
Authors: Gang Xiaokun , Xuan Lili , Zhao Xue , Lv You , Li Fei , Wang Yao , Wang Guixia
Published: April 2019

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is vital for maintaining lipid homeostasis in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, which have an increased rate of de novo fatty acid (FA) synthesis. Mutations in the gene encoding the tumor suppressor speckle‐type POZ protein (SPOP), which is a E3 ubiquitin ligase, are a critical feature of PCa. Here, we provide evidence that FASN is a substrate of SPOP and that interaction of these proteins induces FASN ubiquitination and proteasome‐dependent degradation. We showed that SPOP mutants commonly found in PCa cannot bind to FASN. Moreover, a decrease in SPOP levels upregulated FASN expression and triggered lipid accumulation in PCa cells. These results demonstrate that FASN is a crucial mediator of SPOP‐induced inhibition of PCa cell growth. Our data provide evidence that SPOP regulates lipid metabolism by decreasing FASN expression and FA synthesis, resulting in tumor suppression. Taken together, our study indicates that this pathway may be a new therapeutic target for treating PCa.
Holomorphic classical limit for spin effects in gravitational and electromagnetic scattering
Authors: Guevara Alfredo
Published: April 2019

Abstract

We provide universal expressions for the classical piece of the amplitude given by the graviton/photon exchange between massive particles of arbitrary spin, at both tree and one loop level. In the gravitational case this leads to higher order terms in the post-Newtonian expansion, which have been previously used in the binary inspiral problem. The expressions are obtained in terms of a contour integral that computes the Leading Singularity, which was recently shown to encode the relevant information up to one loop. The classical limit is performed along a holomorphic trajectory in the space of kinematics, such that the leading order is enough to extract arbitrarily high multipole corrections. These multipole interactions are given in terms of a recently proposed representation for massive particles of any spin by Arkani-Hamed et al. This explicitly shows universality of the multipole interactions in the effective potential with respect to the spin of the scattered particles. We perform the explicit match to standard EFT operators for S =

$$ \frac{1}{2} $$

1
2

and S = 1. As a natural byproduct we obtain the classical pieces up to one loop for the bending of light.