bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
OPTIMALISASI UMKM DALAM PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI DIGITAL DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19 DI LINGKUNGAN KECAMATAN CIBITUNG, KABUPATEN BEKASI
Authors: Fadhilah Nur Ahmad , Putra Purnama , Rahmawati Rafika , Basri Hasan
Published: September 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic that occurred in Indonesia required MSME entrepreneurs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to find ideas to market their products. So with this problem, it can be concluded that digital technology during the pandemic is very much needed to encourage the promotion of MSME products. The implementation method used is in the form of counseling and training on technology to promote MSME products. The results of this activity show an increase in knowledge of their awareness of using digital technology, a total of 5 entrepreneurs who have been socialized all already understand the use of digital technology and even all of them have practiced it themselves. By making product posts, making posts related to merchandise, making income reports or expenditure. As well as buying through E-commerce that has been taught.
Fungal Diversity in Droppings of Spot- Billed Pelican, Pelecanus philippensis
Authors: N Kavitha , Amtuz Zehra
Published: September 2021

Birds are potential vectors of some diseases as their droppings pose public health risk and cause illness.
Dust containing dry faeces after inhaling can infects humans. The prevalence of fungi from the faeces of birds in
wetlands has not been previously determined. Hence, the present study was carried out to isolate and identify
different fungal species present in the droppings of spot-billed pelican, Pelecanus philippensis. Among the fungal
species identified Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus were found to be dominating.
Cytogenetic Studies on Three Species of Genus Burmagomphus of Family Gomphidae (Odonata: Anisoptera) from India
Authors: Kaur Walia Gurinder , Singh Chahal Sarabjit , Navdeep Singh
Published: September 2021

Male germ cell chromosomes of Burmagomphus divaricatus, Burmagomphus pyramidalis and
Burmagomphus sivalikensis of family Gomphidae have been investigated by using conventional staining, C-banding,
silver nitrate staining and sequence specific staining. The species were collected from Punjab and Himachal
Pradesh, India. All the species possess the chromosome number 2n = 23 which is the type number of the family.
Terminal C bands and NOR’s are present at the autosomal bivalents and X chromosome is C positive and NOR rich in
all the three species, while m bivalents show variation in distribution of C- heterochromatin and NOR’s. In the
sequence specific staining, whole complement shows bright DAPI signals in B. divaricatus, bright CMA3 signals in B.
pyramidalis and both DAPI and CMA3 signals in B. sivalikensis.
Genomic Insights into the Biology of Digenetic Fluke, Explanatum explanatum Infecting Domestic Water Buffalo, Bubalus bubalis from India: New Targets for Drug Designing
Authors: Anju Tyagi , Bhumika Chauhan , Bindu Sharma , Akshat Sharma
Published: September 2021

Explanatum explanatum is a digenetic trematode mostly found parasitizing bile duct and the gall bladder
of domestic buffaloes in India .The parasite fabricates productivity loss and occasionally turns out as severe clinical
disease leading to granulomatous nodules in the bile duct mucosa, glandular hyperplasia and thickening of the
blood vessels. Ribosomes are macromolecular machinery for cell protein synthesis in all organisms. The present
study deals with the identification of different DNA motif in 5.8S rDNA to block the activity of ribosome
translocation, thereby hindering the process of protein synthesis within the parasite and thus serving as a novel tool
for controlling its growth. Moreover, this segment of gene remains evolutionary conserved thus, enhancing the rate
of success in designing potent drug molecules for these identified motifs in the genome of E. explanatum. This is first
report of the identification of position of DNA motifs in 5.8S rDNA of E. explanatum from India and an attempt to
provide new insights for further designing of new potent drugs for its efficient treatment as the parasite has
developed tolerance power for already available drugs and the significant loss caused by it to the livestock and
economy. Our study will form the foundation for future in-depth analysis of the parasite biology and development,
immune evasion strategies, virulence and long-term survival within the definitive host. Our findings aim to provide
a better understanding of the parasite genome, the search for new drug design research and thus, can prove as a
vital tool for improving animal health that would ultimately succor to meet the ever increasing demand for food.
Histopatología, inmunohistoquímica y metástasis en pacientes con carcinoma basocelular
Authors: Posso Ruiz Diana Verónica , Bautista Ponce Mayra Alejandra
Published: September 2021

El carcinoma basocelular CBC es una de las neoplasias más comunes de la piel. En nuestro país, por su localización, representa una entidad patológica de gran importancia, por la radiación ultravioleta elevada, que es inversamente proporcional a la latitud geográfica en la que nos encontramos en Ecuador. El objetivo del presente trabajo es revisar las características claves que distinguen al Carcinoma Basocelular, y actualizar los conocimientos, incluyendo la evidencia disponible en hallazgos histopatológicos, marcadores de inmunohistoquímica y metástasis en esta patología.
Hallazgos moleculares y citogenéticos en pacientes pediátricos, diagnosticados de leucemia linfoide aguda
Authors: González Cabrera Andrés , Alvarado Soto Diana , Cisneros López Migleth , Ramírez Pico Juan , Poveda Ayora María , Espín Custodio Luis
Published: September 2021

Introducción: La leucemia linfoblástica aguda (LLA) es la neoplasia maligna de mayor frecuencia en la infancia; advertir sus alteraciones moleculares y citogenéticas permite establecer el riesgo, el pronóstico asociado y además plantear esquemas terapéuticos apropiados; el objetivo de este estudio es conocer la prevalencia de estas alteraciones en nuestra población.

Metodología: Estudio de tipo retrospectivo y transversal, basado en los registros de las alteraciones moleculares y citogenéticas de los pacientes pediátricos diagnosticados con leucemia linfoblástica aguda durante el periodo comprendido entre enero 2014 a diciembre de 2018, en el Hospital del Instituto Oncológico Nacional “Dr. Juan Tanca Marengo”.

Resultados: Se incluyeron 338 pacientes, de los cuales el principal grupo etario lo constituyo el de 0 a 4 años; el inmunofenotipo más observado fue el B-común. En el 24.56% de los casos se detectó altercaciones estructurales, principalmente por estudios de biología molecular;  siendo la más común la translocación t(12;21). Se obtuvieron resultados por citogenética en 167 pacientes, en cuales la principal alteración numérica correspondió a la hiperdiploidía de entre 47 a 51 cromosomas.

Conclusión: Los avances en la caracterización molecular y citogenética de la LLA, permiten mejorar la estratificación de su riesgo; y establecer estrategias terapéuticas que permitan una mejoría en la sobrevida.
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE SALTED FISH QUALITY USING ROTARY DRYING SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY IN GAMPONG KUALA LEUGE, PEUREULAK ACEH TIMUR
Authors: Najira Najira , Veronika Maha Ica , Lestia Sriwahyuni Titi , Nurfadillah Nurfadillah , Kholiza Priani Nurul , Nurul Fitri Hayatul , Mustika Ningrum Ririn , Br. Sembiring Marina , Mardudi Mardudi , Maulina Maulina , Piccaso Habinsaran Indah , Abian latif Danu
Published: September 2021

Gampong Kuala Leuge, Peureulak District is one of the National Priority Rural Areas (KPPN) which has been designated as a Capture and Cultivation Minapolitan area by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries because most of its people are fishermen. The conditions faced by the community regarding climate and weather, when the weather is hot, it is very easy to dry the fish, while in the rainy season generally, the salted fish will decrease. Thus, household scale competition also faces increasing competition in the digital age because people still use traditional tools and are very dependent on the climate. Therefore, in an effort to balance the competition it is necessary to increase the quality, productivity, and efficiency of the business by taking into account the aspects of food safety through the activities of the Village Development and Empowerment Holistic Program by creating a Rotary Drying System technology as a substitute for stocking to ensure the quality of fish and avoid contamination of microorganisms. From the problems obtained in the form of the dependence of the drying process on weather conditions so that salted fish products are not optimal, conventional marketing techniques have changed to modern ones by providing online shops, and financial management that has not been recorded properly has changed using digital transaction software.
PELATIHAN MERANCANG UJIAN ONLINE MENGGUNAKAN GOOGLE FORM UNTUK GURU-GURU DI WILAYAH KECAMATAN PAMPANGAN KABUPATEN OGAN KOMERING ILIR
Authors: Yunani Alhadi Novi Rustiana Dewi , Susanti Eka , Cahyawati Dian , Suprihatin Bambang , Hanum Herlina
Published: September 2021

During the pandemic, teaching and learning activities in Indonesia were carried out online. Apart from online learning activities, the learning evaluation process is also carried out online. Computer applications can be used as a tool to carry out learning evaluation activities. In this service, training is given to make online exams using google form. The training participants were 32 teachers with undergraduate educational backgrounds consist of elementary, junior high school, senior high school public and private school teachers in Pampangan Subdistrict, Ogan Komering district, South Sumatra. The training activities are carried out for one day. The activity stages consist of the preparation, implementation and evaluation stages. Based on the results at the implementation and evaluation stages, it can be concluded that participants in online exam preparation training activities can make online exams using google form.

Selama masa pandemi kegiatan belajar mengajar di Indonesia dilakukan secara online atau dalam jaringan. Selain kegiatan pembelajaran online, proses evaluasi pembelajaran juga dilakukan secara online. Aplikasi komputer dapat digunakan sebagai alat bantu untuk melaksanakan kegiatan evaluasi pembelajaran. Dalam kegiatan pengabdian ini diberikan pelatihan membuat ujian online dengan menggunakan google form. Peserta pelatihan sebanyak 32 orang guru dengan latar belakang pendidikan sarjana yang terdiri dari guru sekolah dasar, sekolah menengah pertama dan sekolah menengah atas negeri dan swasta di Kecamatan Pampangan, Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir, Sumatera Selatan. Kegiatan pelatihan dilaksanakan selama satu hari. Tahapan kegiatan terdiri dari tahap persiapan, pelaksanaan dan evaluasi. Berdasarkan hasil pada tahap pelaksanaan dan evaluasi dapat disimpulkan bahwa peserta kegiatan pelatihan penyusunan ujian online dapat membuat ujian online menggunakan google form.
Evaluasi Pelaksanaan Pos Pembinaan Terpadu (Posbindu) PTM di Kabupaten Pesisir Barat
Authors: Susilawati Nova , Adyas Atikah , Djamil Achmad
Published: September 2021

Tujuan penelitian yaitu mengetahui efektivititas posbindu dalam pengendalian dan pencegahan penyakit tidak menular di Kabupaten Pesisir Barat. Penelitian kualitatif pendekatan fenomenologi dan didukung data kuantitatif kasus PTM unutuk menilai effect Posbindu dalam pengendalian dan pencegahan PTM. Informan dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 19 informan terdiri dari Petugas Posbindu Puskesmas sebanyak 5 informan, kader posbindu berjumlah 4 informan dan peserta posbindu berjumlah 5 orang dan 5 informan Pembina Posbindu Puskemas dipilih menjadi triagulasi dalam penelitian ini. Hasil penelitian terhadap efektivitas posbindu di kabupaten pesisir barat masih ditemukannya masalah pada input meliputi; sumberdaya, sarana prasarana, pendanaan, proses dan output sehingga pelaksanaan Posbindu di Kabupaten Pesisir Barat belum efektif dan  berdampak pada tidak terkendalinya kasus hipertensi dibuktikan dengan capaian pemeriksaan penderita hipertensi sebesar 7,76% dan hasil pemeriksaan tekanan darah menunjukkan 429 penderita hipertensi berada pada rentang kategori buruk. Pelaksanaan Posbindu belum Efektiv dalam pengendalian dan pencegahan penyakit tidak menular di Kabupaten Pesisir Barat
Sequential Recommendation through Graph Neural Networks and Transformer Encoder with Degree Encoding
Authors: Wang Shuli , Li Xuewen , Kou Xiaomeng , Zhang Jin , Zheng Shaojie , Wang Jinlong , Gong Jibing
Published: September 2021

Predicting users’ next behavior through learning users’ preferences according to the users’ historical behaviors is known as sequential recommendation. In this task, learning sequence representation by modeling the pairwise relationship between items in the sequence to capture their long-range dependencies is crucial. In this paper, we propose a novel deep neural network named graph convolutional network transformer recommender (GCNTRec). GCNTRec is capable of learning effective item representation in a user’s historical behaviors sequence, which involves extracting the correlation between the target node and multi-layer neighbor nodes on the graphs constructed under the heterogeneous information networks in an end-to-end fashion through a graph convolutional network (GCN) with degree encoding, while the capturing long-range dependencies of items in a sequence through the transformer encoder model. Using this multi-dimensional vector representation, items related to a user historical behavior sequence can be easily predicted. We empirically evaluated GCNTRec on multiple public datasets. The experimental results show that our approach can effectively predict subsequent relevant items and outperforms previous techniques.
A Multi-Semantic Driver Behavior Recognition Model of Autonomous Vehicles Using Confidence Fusion Mechanism
Authors: Ren Hongze , Guo Yage , Bai Zhonghao , Cheng Xiangyu
Published: September 2021

With the rise of autonomous vehicles, drivers are gradually being liberated from the traditional roles behind steering wheels. Driver behavior cognition is significant for improving safety, comfort, and human–vehicle interaction. Existing research mostly analyzes driver behaviors relying on the movements of upper-body parts, which may lead to false positives and missed detections due to the subtle changes among similar behaviors. In this paper, an end-to-end model is proposed to tackle the problem of the accurate classification of similar driver actions in real-time, known as MSRNet. The proposed architecture is made up of two major branches: the action detection network and the object detection network, which can extract spatiotemporal and key-object features, respectively. Then, the confidence fusion mechanism is introduced to aggregate the predictions from both branches based on the semantic relationships between actions and key objects. Experiments implemented on the modified version of the public dataset Drive&Act demonstrate that the MSRNet can recognize 11 different behaviors with 64.18% accuracy and a 20 fps inference time on an 8-frame input clip. Compared to the state-of-the-art action recognition model, our approach obtains higher accuracy, especially for behaviors with similar movements.
Context Specificity and Time Dependency in Classifying Sub-Saharan Africa Dairy Cattle Farmers for Targeted Extension Farm Advice: The Case of Uganda
Authors: Ahikiriza Elizabeth , Wesana Joshua , Gellynck Xavier , Van Huylenbroeck Guido , Lauwers Ludwig
Published: September 2021

Despite the huge potential for milk production, interventions to improve productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are barely based on specified farm classifications. This study aimed to develop robust and context-specific farm typologies to guide content of extension farm advice/services in Uganda. From a sample of 482 dairy farmers, we collected data on farmer socio-demographics, farm management practices, ownership of farm tools and facilities, willingness to pay for extension services, milk production, and marketing. Farm typologies were obtained based on principal component and cluster analyses. Thereby, of the three dairy production systems that emerged, small-scale, largely subsistence yet extensive and low productive farms were more prominent (82.6%). Farms that were classified as large-scale, less commercialized yet extensive with modest productive systems were more than the medium-scale commercial farms with intensive and highly productive systems. However, the later were considered to potentially transform dairy farming in Uganda. It was also predicted that the validity of our farm classification may persist until half of the farms have moved between clusters. The study gives new insights on dairy production systems in Uganda, which can be used to organize more targeted research on farmers’ extension needs for facilitating delivery of relevant and effective extension services and designing appropriate extension policies.
Input Use Efficiency Management for Paddy Production Systems in India: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Bhoi Priya Brata , Wali Veeresh S. , Swain Deepak Kumar , Sharma Kalpana , Bhoi Akash Kumar , Bacco Manlio , Barsocchi Paolo
Published: September 2021

This research illustrates the technical efficiency of the pan-India paddy cultivation status obtained through a stochastic frontier approach. The results suggest that the mean technical efficiency varies from 0.64 in Gujarat to 0.95 in Odisha. Inputs like human labor, mechanical labor, fertilizer, irrigation and insecticide were found to determine the yield in paddy cultivation across India (except for Chhattisgarh). Inefficiency in the paddy production in Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat and Odisha in 2016–2017 was caused by technical inefficiency due to poor input management, as suggested by the significant σ2U and σ2v values of the stochastic frontier model. In addition, most of the farm groups in the study operated in the high-efficiency group (80–90% technical efficiency). No specific pattern of input use can be visualized through descriptive measures to give any specific policy implication. Thus, machine learning algorithms based on the input parameters were tested on the data in order to predict the farmers’ efficiency class for individual states. The highest mean accuracy of 0.80 for the models of all of the states was achieved in random forest models. Among the various states of India, the best random forest prediction model based on accuracy was fitted to the input data of Bihar (0.91), followed by Uttar Pradesh (0.89), Andhra Pradesh (0.88), Assam (0.88) and West Bengal (0.86). Thus, the study provides a technique for the classification and prediction of a farmer’s efficiency group from the levels of input use in paddy cultivation for each state in the study. The study uses the DES input dataset to classify and predict the efficiency group of the farmer, as other machine learning models in agriculture have used mostly satellite, spectral imaging and soil property data to detect disease, weeds and crops.
Soil Test Based Fertilizer Application Improves Productivity, Profitability and Nutrient Use Efficiency of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) under Direct Seeded Condition
Authors: Singh Vijay Kant , Gautam Poonam , Nanda Gangadhar , Dhaliwal Salwinder Singh , Pramanick Biswajit , Meena Shiv Singh , Alsanie Walaa F. , Gaber Ahmed , Sayed Samy , Hossain Akbar
Published: September 2021

A field investigation on direct seeded rice (DSR) was carried out in the two consecutive rice growing seasons of 2017 and 2018 at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India for the development and validation of soil test crop response (STCR) to fertilizer and for assessing the performance of STCR-treatments as compared to the general recommended dose (GRD) in terms of yield, nutrient uptake and use efficiency, and the economics of DSR. For producing 1 Mg of rice-grain, the required nutrients (N, P, and K) were 2.01 kg, 0.44 kg, and 3.06 kg; the contribution from the soil was 22.05%, 37.34%, and 41.48%; from applied farmyard manure 23.25%, 28.34%, and 16.80%, from fertilizer 38.08%, 49.93%, and 252.98%; and from fertilizer with FYM 44.83%, 60.57%, and 278.70%; for N, P, and K, respectively. The STCR approach, with or without FYM, at both the target yields (4.5 Mg ha−1 and 5.0 Mg ha−1) markedly enhanced the grain yield (20.2% to 32.3%) and production efficiency over the GRD. It also exhibited a higher NPK uptake and use efficiency, along with better profitability, than the GRD. Therefore, the STCR-targeted yield approach could improve the yield, economics, and efficiency of nutrient use for direct seeded rice.
Baseline Sensitivity and Control Efficacy of Various Group of Fungicides against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Oilseed Rape Cultivation
Authors: Zamani-Noor Nazanin
Published: September 2021

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a devastating disease of oilseed rape that may cause significant yield losses if not controlled by cultural management strategies and fungicide applications. Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different group of fungicides as well as a biopesticide, including azoxystrobin, boscalid, fludioxonil, prothioconazole, tebuconazole, azoxystrobin/tebuconazole, boscalid/pyraclostrobin, prothioconazole/fluopyram and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, on baseline sensitivity of S. sclerotiorum isolates under in-vitro conditions as well as control of SSR in the field. Artificial inoculation and mist irrigation prompt to reproducible SSR infection in oilseed rape cultivation. All compounds significantly reduced 36.7% to 86.9% SSR severity and increased 55.2% to 98.7% yield, 1.5% to 7.0% thousand grain-weight, 1.5% to 5.9% oil and 0.1% to 1.3% protein content. Fludioxonil, boscalid/pyraclostrobin and fluopyram/prothioconazole achieved strongest fungicidal activity against SSR. The biopesticide provided 36% of disease control. Under in vitro conditions, B. amyloliquefaciens not only strongly inhibited mycelial growth but also the formation of sclerotia in all concentrations. Boscalid and fludioxonil exhibited the highest level of fungicidal activity against S. sclerotiorum, with mean EC50 values of 1.23 and 1.60 μg a.s. mL−1. The highest variability of EC50 values between isolates was observed towards prothioconazole and azoxystrobin.
Utilization Efficiency of Growth Regulators in Wheat under Drought Stress and Sandy Soil Conditions
Authors: El-Saadony Fathy M. A. , Mazrou Yasser S. A. , Khalaf Ahmed E. A. , El-Sherif Ahmed M. A. , Osman Hany S. , Hafez Emad M. , Eid Mohamed A. M.
Published: September 2021

Drought stress and nutrient status are highly important for plant growth and productivity. Two field experiments were conducted during two consecutive seasons (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) at El-Molak, Abo-Hammad, Sharkia, Egypt. This work was conducted under sandy soil conditions to evaluate the effects of foliar application with growth regulators (PGRs) such as cycocel (CCC), applied at 0, 500, or 1000 mg L−1, and/or salicylic acid (SA), applied at 0, 0.05, or 0.1 mM on the productivity as well as improving drought tolerance of three wheat cultivars, i.e., Gemmeiza 11, Misr 1, and Giza 171 under three irrigation intervals, i.e., 10, 15, and 20 days. Foliar spray was given at 35 and 50 days after planting (DAP). The obtained results showed that mean squares as a result of the main effect and first- and second-order interactions were significant (p ≤ 0.01) for all studied traits. The application of SA increased total chlorophyll content and flag leaf area (cm2) while the number of days to 50% heading was decreased; however, the number of spikes m−2, protein and proline contents were increased with the application of CCC. The cultivar Misr 1 outperformed the other cultivars in the most studied traits. Estimates of heritability in the broad sense (h2b) were, on average, higher in five physiological traits than other agronomic traits, and the highest estimate of h2b (95.1%) was shown by the number of days to 50% heading followed by protein content (91.90%). Among the interactions between irrigation and growth regulators, the I(10) × SA(0.1) recorded the highest flag leaf area (cm2), SPAD value, number of grains spike−1, 1000-grain weight (g), and grain yield (t ha−1). Among the interactions between irrigation and cultivars, the I(10) × Misr 1 recorded the highest flag leaf area (cm2), SPAD value, number of grains spike−1, and grain yield (t ha−1). Among the interactions among irrigation, growth regulators and cultivars, the I(10) × SA(0.1) × Misr 1 recorded the highest flag leaf area (cm2), number of grains spike−1, 1000-grain weight (g), and grain yield (t ha−1). Correlation coefficient between grain yield (t ha−1) and each of the number of days to 50% heading, flag leaf area, total chlorophyll content, number of spikes m−2, number of grains spike−1, and 1000-grain weight was positive and significant. Three main factors for the studied variables were created from the application of the factor analysis technique. Grain yield ha−1 (Y) can be predicted by the method of forwarding stepwise through applying the automatic linear regression analysis. Besides, the best prediction equation of grain yield ha−1 (Y) was formulated as: Ỷ = −14.36 + 0.11 number of grains spike−1 (NGS) + 0.09 1000-grain weight (THW) + 0.04 number of spike m−2 (NSm) + 0.03 days to 50% heading (DF) + 0.02 total chlorophyll content (TC) with adjusted-R2 (87.33%).
Marker-Assisted Pyramiding of Multiple Disease Resistance Genes in Coffee Genotypes (Coffea arabica)
Authors: de Almeida Dênia Pires , Caixeta Eveline Teixeira , Moreira Karoliny Ferreira , de Oliveira Antonio Carlos Baião , de Freitas Kátia Nogueira Pestana , Pereira Antônio Alves , Rosado Renato Domiciano Silva , Zambolim Laércio , Cruz Cosme Damião
Published: September 2021

The use of resistant cultivars is the most effective strategy for controlling coffee leaf rust caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix. To assist the development of such cultivars, amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) markers linked to two loci of coffee resistance to races I and II as well as pathotype 001 of H. vastatrix were converted to sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) and cleaved amplified polymorphic site (CAPS) markers. In total, 2 SCAR markers and 1 CAPS marker were validated in resistant and susceptible parents as well as in 247 individuals from the F2 population. The efficiency of these markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) was evaluated in F2:3 and backcross (BCrs2) populations genotyped with the developed markers and phenotyped with race II of H. vastatrix. The markers showed 90% efficiency in MAS. Therefore, the developed markers, together with molecular markers associated with other rust resistance genes, were used for F3:4 and BCrs3 coffee selection. The selected plants were analyzed using two markers associated with coffee berry disease (CBD) resistance, aiming for preventive breeding. MAS of F3:4 and BCrs3 individuals with all resistance loci was feasible. Our phenotypic and genotypic approaches are useful for the development of coffee genotypes with multiple genes conferring resistance to coffee leaf rust and CBD.
Chronic Cough as the Presenting Symptom of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Authors: Shum Victoria , Hopp Russell , Niebur Hana , Deschamp Ashley
Published: September 2021

A 14-year-old male initially presented to the Emergency Department (ED) for a chronic, persistent cough and chest pain with concurrent history of asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). He had been trialed on several medications before this visit for cough, without resolution of symptoms. Despite seeing several specialists after this ED visit and being evaluated for infectious causes and other pulmonary issues, he was eventually found to have eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). It is not often that EoE is suspected based on cough alone, but with other GERD-like symptoms EoE should be considered.
Is a Block of the Femoral and Sciatic Nerves an Alternative to Epidural Analgesia in Sheep Undergoing Orthopaedic Hind Limb Surgery? A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blinded Experimental Trial
Authors: Stenger Valentina , Zeiter Stephan , Buchholz Tim , Arens Daniel , Spadavecchia Claudia , Schüpbach-Regula Gertraud , Rohrbach Helene
Published: September 2021

Peripheral nerve blocks are commonly used in human and veterinary medicine. The aim of the study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of a combined block of the femoral and sciatic nerves with an epidural injection of ropivacaine in experimental sheep undergoing orthopaedic hind limb surgery. Twenty-five sheep were assigned to two groups (peripheral nerve block; sciatic and femoral nerves (P); epidural analgesia (E)). In group P 10 mL ropivacaine 0.5% was injected around the sciatic and the femoral nerves under sonographic guidance and 10 mL NaCl 0.9% into the epidural space while in group E 10 mL ropivacaine 0.5% was injected into the epidural space and 10 mL NaCl 0.9% to the sciatic and the femoral nerves. During surgery, heart rate, respiratory rate and mean blood pressure were used as indicators of nociception. In the postoperative phase, nociception was evaluated every hour by use of a purposefully adapted pain score until the animal showed painful sensation at the surgical site. The mean duration of analgesia at the surgical wound was 6 h in group P and 8 h in group E. Mean time to standing was 4 h in group P and 7 h in group E. In conclusion time to standing was significantly shorter in group P while the duration of nociception was comparable in both groups. The peripheral nerve block can be used as an alternative to epidural analgesia in experimental sheep.
Attempted Control of Paratuberculosis in Dairy Calves by Only Changing the Quality of Milk Fed to Calves
Authors: Steuer Pamela , Tejeda Carlos , Moroni Manuel , Verdugo Cristobal , Collins Michael Thomas , Salgado Miguel
Published: September 2021

One of the important routes of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) transmission in dairy calves is milk. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of milk treatments to prevent MAP infection transmission to calves. A one-year longitudinal study was carried out. Newborn calves were assigned to one of four experimental groups: 5 calves received naturally MAP-contaminated milk, 5 calves received copper treated milk, 4 calves were fed calf milk replacer, and 3 were fed UHT pasteurized milk. MAP load in milk was estimated. Infection progression was monitored monthly. After one year, calves were euthanized, and tissue samples were cultured and visually examined. MAP was undetectable in milk replacer and UHT milk. Copper ion treatment significantly reduced the number of viable MAP in naturally contaminated milk. Fecal shedding of MAP was observed in all study groups but began earlier in calves fed naturally contaminated milk. Paratuberculosis control programs must place multiple hurdles between the infection source, MAP-infected adult cows, and the most susceptible animals on the farm, young calves. As our study shows, strict dependence on a single intervention to block infection transmission, no matter how important, fails to control this insidious infection on dairy farms.
Methadone or Butorphanol as Pre-Anaesthetic Agents Combined with Romifidine in Horses Undergoing Elective Surgery: Qualitative Assessment of Sedation and Induction
Authors: Nannarone Sara , Giannettoni Giacomo , Laurenza Chiara , Giontella Andrea , Moretti Giulia
Published: September 2021

While butorphanol is the most commonly used opioid in horses, methadone is not licensed in most countries. Our aim was to compare the effects of both drugs, combined with romifidine, regarding the quality of sedation and induction in horses undergoing elective surgery. Results indicate the suitability of both methadone and butorphanol in this patient population. Animals were scored 10 min after intravenous injection of sedatives. Despite lower overall sedation (OS) score in horses receiving methadone (p = 0.002), the quality and time of induction and intubation remained unchanged. None of the horses had the lowest OS score (no sedation), nor the highest score for ataxia (horse falling). Methadone induced a tendency for minor noise reaction yet minor head lowering scores, the latter being probably the most influencing parameter when scoring OS. Measured physiological parameters decreased in both groups, with greater bradycardia recorded after methadone (p = 0.017), including a higher incidence of atrioventricular blocks that resolved during general anaesthesia. The quality of induction was good–excellent in most of the animals. While comparisons between the degree of antinociception were beyond the scope of this study, analgesic potency might influence the choice when considering opioids as pre-anaesthetic drugs in combination with romifidine before surgery in equines.
Antibiotic Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Hospital with an Ongoing Antibiotic Stewardship Program
Authors: Henig Oryan , Kehat Orli , Meijer Suzy E. , Chikly Amanda , Weiss-Meilik Ahuva , Egoz Eyal , Ben-Ami Ronen , Paran Yael
Published: September 2021

During the recent pandemic, the fact that the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 may be indistinguishable from bacterial infection, as well as concerns of bacterial co-infection, have been associated with an increased use of antibiotics. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of targeted antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) on the use of antibiotics in designated COVID-19 departments and to compare it to the antibiotic use in the equivalent departments in the same periods of 2018 and 2019. Antibiotic consumption was assessed as days of treatment (DOT) per 1000 patient days (PDs). The COVID-19 pandemic was divided into three periods (waves) according to the pandemic dynamics. The proportion of patients who received at least one antibiotic was significantly lower in COVID-19 departments compared to equivalent departments in 2018 and 2019 (Wave 2: 30.2% vs. 45.6% and 44.9%, respectively; Wave 3: 30.5% vs. 47.8% and 50.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). The DOT/1000PDs in every COVID-19 wave was lower than during similar periods in 2018 and 2019 (179-282 DOT/1000PDs vs. 452-470 DOT/1000PDs vs. 426-479 DOT/1000PDs, respectively). Moreover, antibiotic consumption decreased over time during the pandemic. In conclusion, a strong ASP is effective in restricting antibiotic consumption, particularly for COVID-19 which is a viral disease that may mimic bacterial sepsis but has a low rate of concurrent bacterial infection.
The cAMP Inducers Modify N-Acetylaspartate Metabolism in Wistar Rat Brain
Authors: Kowalski Robert , Pikul Piotr , Lewandowski Krzysztof , Sakowicz-Burkiewicz Monika , Pawełczyk Tadeusz , Zyśk Marlena
Published: September 2021

Neuronal N-acetylaspartate production appears in the presence of aspartate N-acetyltransferase (NAT8L) and binds acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA with aspartic acid. Further N-acetylaspartate pathways are still being elucidated, although they seem to involve neuron-glia crosstalk. Together with N-acetylaspartate, NAT8L takes part in oligoglia and astroglia cell maturation, myelin production, and dopamine-dependent brain signaling. Therefore, understanding N-acetylaspartate metabolism is an emergent task in neurobiology. This project used in in vitro and in vivo approaches in order to establish the impact of maturation factors and glial cells on N-acetylaspartate metabolism. Embryonic rat neural stem cells and primary neurons were maturated with either nerve growth factor, trans-retinoic acid or activators of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (dibutyryl-cAMP, forskolin, theophylline). For in vivo, adult male Wistar rats were injected with theophylline (20 mg/kg b.w.) daily for two or eight weeks. Our studies showed that the N-acetylaspartate metabolism differs between primary neurons and neural stem cell cultures. The presence of glia cells protected N-acetylaspartate metabolism from dramatic changes within the maturation processes, which was impossible in the case of pure primary neuron cultures. In the case of differentiation processes, our data points to dibutyryl-cAMP as the most prominent regulator of N-acetylaspartate metabolism.
Adsorption Method for the Remediation of Brilliant Green Dye Using Halloysite Nanotube: Isotherm, Kinetic and Modeling Studies
Authors: Ukkund Shareefraza J. , Puthiyillam Prasad , Alshehri Hashim M. , Goodarzi Marjan , Taqui Syed Noeman , Anqi Ali E. , Safaei Mohammad Reza , Ali Masood Ashraf , Syed Usman Taqui , Mir Rayees Afzal , Elfasakhany Ashraf , Eed Emad M. , Siddiqui Md Irfanul Haque , Mokashi Imran , Soudagar Manzoore Elahi M.
Published: September 2021

The first-ever use of halloysite nanotube (HNT), a relatively low-cost nanomaterial abundantly available with minor toxicity for removing brilliant green dye from aqueous media, is reported. The factors affecting adsorption were studied by assessing the adsorption capacity, kinetics, and equilibrium thermodynamic properties. All the experiments were designed at a pH level of around 7. The Redlich-Peterson isotherm model fits best amongst the nine isotherm models studied. The kinetic studies data confirmed a pseudo model of the second order. Robotic investigations propose a rate-controlling advance being overwhelmed by intraparticle dispersion. The adsorbent features were interpreted using infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Process optimization was carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) through a dual section Fractional Factorial Experimental Design to contemplate the impact of boundaries on the course of adsorption. The examination of fluctuation (ANOVA) was utilized to consider the joined impact of the boundaries. The possibilities of the use of dye adsorbing HNT (“sludge”) for the fabrication of the composites using plastic waste are suggested.
QoS-Based Pattern Recognition Approach for Web Service Discovery: Ar_WSDS
Authors: Adarme Marco , Jimeno Miguel
Published: September 2021

Web service composition requires high levels of integration and reliability of the services involved in its operation, which must meet specific quality criteria to ensure their proper execution and deployment. The discovery and selection of web services currently face optimization problems. Many services might satisfy a requirement with similar quality criteria. Because of this, software developers have to choose the most appropriate services for a given composition, complicated by the rapid increase in providers and services available in the cloud. Service composition also implies coupling according to a composition flow and non-functional requirement criteria. Such requirements make selection and composition a complex task not previously solved in the literature. This paper presents Ar_WSDS, a computational approach for web services discovery and selection in cloud environments, which bases its implementation on the brain’s pattern recognition systematic functioning. This process allows classifying web services through recognition modules created dynamically based on their quality parameters, resulting in a set of web services suitable for a web service composition. This approach allows a solution to the selection problem using less complex tasks. This paper introduces an architectural and procedural definition that provides the web service description with a pattern to recognize and select services using different recognition levels. We simulated our approach and evaluated it using a dataset from the QWS project that offers a set of quality criteria collected from different providers. The web services are recognized and classified using different quality criteria for the composition and each of their services. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the discovery and selection process compared to other approaches. Furthermore, Ar_WSDS allows us to recognize and filter out web services with ambiguity and similarity in their provider information, a process that minimizes the discovery space for services.
Automatic Surgical Instrument Recognition—A Case of Comparison Study between the Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, and Single-Shot Multi-Box Detectors
Authors: Lee Jiann-Der , Chien Jong-Chih , Hsu Yu-Tsung , Wu Chieh-Tsai
Published: September 2021

In various studies, problems with surgical instruments in the operating room are usually one of the major causes of delays and errors. It would be of great help, in surgery, to quickly and automatically identify and keep count of the surgical instruments in the operating room using only video information. In this study, the recognition rate of fourteen surgical instruments is studied using the Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, and Single Shot Multi-Box Detectors, which are three deep learning networks in recent studies that exhibited near real-time object detection and identification performance. In our experimental studies using screen captures of real surgery video clips for training and testing, this study found that that acceptable accuracy and speed tradeoffs can be achieved by the Mask R-CNN classifier, which exhibited an overall average precision of 98.94% for all the instruments.
Causes of the Collapse of the Polcevera Viaduct in Genoa, Italy
Authors: Rymsza Janusz
Published: September 2021

The article investigates the causes of the Morandi viaduct collapse in Genoa. This three-span viaduct was a part of the A10 motorway leading to Savona. The structure design of the viaduct supports and diagonal stay cables was unique. The viaduct included three cable-stayed system, each supported a three-span continuous beam by two sets of prestressed concrete cables on the two sides of the pylon across the width. The pair of V shapes piers supported upside-down V pylons that supported the top ends of two pairs of diagonal stay cables. The stays were constructed from steel cables with prestressed concrete shells poured on. This article provides information on the technical condition of the viaduct and the way of strengthening the cables in the early 1990s. At that time, the author of the article visited the structure. In August 2018, the viaduct collapse occurred, and one of the structure supports collapsed. In June 2019, during the demolition process, the other two supports were destroyed. Since in Venezuela and Libya there are still two more bridges with a structure similar to that in Italy, the concept of strengthening the structure, as proposed by the author of the article 25 years ago, may still be useful.
Rheological Study of an Extruded Fish Diet with the Addition of Hydrolyzed Protein Flour
Authors: Hoyos-Concha José Luis , Villada-Castillo Héctor Samuel , Fernández-Quintero Alejandro , Ortega-Toro Rodrigo
Published: September 2021

The extrusion of food for human and animal consumption is a unit operation that includes mixing, shearing, and force to the materials related to the rheological properties of the materials in the extruder. The present work aims to study the rheological behavior of an extruded fish diet incorporating hydrolyzed protein flour (HPF) processed by extrusion. The measurement was carried out online with a slit die rheometer, defining the rheological models and parameters that fit the process. During the extrusion process, the raw materials used were hydrolyzed protein flour, fish meal, and cassava starch. For the results, the evaluated treatments were adjusted to the Power Law, where an increase in the shear rate decreases the viscosity of the material, corresponding to a pseudoplastic behavior. The incorporation of hydrolyzed protein flour presented a significant effect on the value of n and Klp, increasing the viscosity with the increase in the percentage of inclusion of HPF. The models obtained for the prediction of the viscosity are adjusted to the system’s changes in shear rate, temperature, and humidity. The importance of the study lies in the fact that the diet developed can be applied to feed fish, and production is currently being scaled up to pilot plants for direct use by some producer communities.
Evaluating the Capacity Coordination in the Urban Multimodal Transport Network
Authors: Yue Yifan , Wang Wei , Chen Jun , Du Zexingjian
Published: September 2021

The urban multimodal transport network is composed of multiple layers of networks; thus, coordinating the capacity equilibrium among different sub-transport networks plays a crucial role to keep the entire network running efficiently. To quantify and evaluate the passenger flow distribution in an urban multimodal transport network, this research proposes a method to evaluate the capacity coordination in an urban multimodal transport network on the basis of assignment results calculated by the Stochastic User Equilibrium (SUE) model considering the link and path impedance of different sub-transport networks. It suggests evaluation functions for the indicator level of service (LOS) of the multimodal transport network, Gini coefficient of transport network, and mode share of transport modes, and it shows how the functions were estimated. Then, it reports on results with the evaluation scheme collected in a multimodal example application for roadway network, transit networks (bus transit network and urban rail transit network), and connection network. The evaluation results under different assumed origin–destination (OD) demand show the coordination degree and can be used to recognize shortcomings of the network. Moreover, the OD demand interval of real network with good coordination can be deduced, which can also help transport planners to find the optimal strategy.
Direct Evaluation of the Stress Intensity Factors for the Single and Multiple Crack Problems Using the P-Version Finite Element Method and Contour Integral Method
Authors: Zhang Jianming , Yang Wensheng , Chen Jun , Xu Rui
Published: September 2021

Stress intensity factor (SIF) is one of three important parameters in classical linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). The evaluation of SIFs is of great significance in the field of engineering structural and material damage assessment, such as aerospace engineering and automobile industry, etc. In this paper, the SIFs of a central straight crack plate, a slanted single-edge cracked plate under end shearing, the offset double-edge cracks rectangular plate, a branched crack in an infinite plate and a crucifix crack in a square plate under bi-axial tension are extracted by using the p-version finite element method (P-FEM) and contour integral method (CIM). The above single- and multiple-crack problems were investigated, numerical results were compared and analyzed with results using other numerical methods in the literature such as the numerical manifold method (NMM), improved approach using the finite element method, particular weight function method and exponential matrix method (EMM). The effectiveness and accuracy of the present method are verified.