bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening and analysis of xanthine oxidase inhibitors in jute leaves and their protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in cells
Authors: Zhang Lang , Liu Liangliang , Xiao Aiping , Huang Siqi , Li Defang
Published: December 2020

Jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) is an annual herb of the bast fiber plant and has great potentials in food and medicinal usages because of its various bioactivities. In this study, ultrafiltration coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was established for screening xanthine oxidase inhibitors from the jute leaves extract. Under the optimum screening conditions, three inhibitors were successfully screened and identified as chlorogenic acid, echinacoside, and isorhamnetin-rutinoside with UV and MS data. The fluorescent quenching analysis showed that three inhibitors quenched the fluorescence intensities of enzyme with different binding capacities. For further exploring the bioactivity of three inhibitors, the protective effects on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress was investigated using human normal liver cell (LO2), human gastric mucosal epithelial cell (GES-1), and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC). As a result, they exhibited protective effects on three injured cells in dose-dependent manners without cytotoxicity. To evaluate the difference among different jute species obtained in our laboratories, the amounts of three compounds in ten samples were assessed and analyzed. The results showed that it could be divided into three groups. The jute leaves showed nutrient and medical potentials and deserved further research on pharmaceutical and biochemical utilization in future.
Rhetoric beyond Arguments: Thinking about the Role of Fictional Audiences in Plato’sGorgias
Authors: Suarez Dora
Published: December 2020

In this piece, I propose a reading of Plato’sGorgiasthat pays special attention to the role that the fictional audience plays in the unfolding of the dialogue. To this end, I use some of the insights that Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts–Tyteca conveyed in their seminal work,The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentationin order to argue that thinking about the way in which Socrates’ arguments are shaped by the different audiences that Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles aim to address and represent provides us with a new hermeneutical understanding of what is at stake in each of the different interactions Socrates engages in throughout the dialogue. In unpacking the way in which Socrates appropriates Gorgias’particular audience, transforms Polus’universal audience, and challenges Callicles’elite audience,I provide an outline of the difficulties that Plato’s Socrates has to overcome in order to achieve the ‘community of minds’ that Perelman and Olbrechts–Tyteca identify as the bedrock of fruitful argumentation. Having done this, in the last section I turn to Plato’sPhaedrus, for the purpose of making evident that thinking about Plato’s deployment of rhetorical audiences is a crucial step in the effort to expose the implicit continuity that links the discussion of rhetoric delivered by theGorgiasto that of thePhaedrus.
The features of Ni2MnIn polycrystalline Heusler alloy thin films formation by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Aleksei Grunin , Ksenia Maksimova , Aleksander Goikhman
Published: December 2020

The Ni-Mn-In-based Heusler alloys belong to the most studied intermetallic compounds due to a variety of physical effects inherent to them, including the shape memory and magnetocaloric effect, field-induced structural phase transition, and others. All of these properties are strongly depend on element concentrations, uniformity, and purity of the structure. Therefore, rather strict requirements are imposed on the synthesis technology of such samples.

We report the dependencies of Ni-Mn-In polycrystalline thin film composition on growth parameters. It was shown that the composition mismatch between sample and target caused by the resputtering of the sample material with high-energy particles of the ablation plume, and the different ablation yields of elements from the target. The main deposition parameters demonstrated (Ar growth pressure, laser energies, substrate temperature and annealing, target-to-sample distance) for the co-deposition process to obtain the Ni-Mn-In Heusler alloy polycrystalline thin films with the martensitic transition.
How do different histologic components of mixed endometrial carcinomas affect prognosis? Does it really matter?
Authors: Thomakos Nikolaos , Dimopoulou Stefania , Sotiropoulou Maria , Machairiotis Nikolaos , Pandraklakis Anastasios , Haidopoulos Dimitrios , Liontos Michalis , Bamias Aristotelis , Rodolakis Alexandros
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare outcomes of patients with mixed and pure endometrial carcinomas (MEC). We reviewed data of patients with MEC, endometroid (EC), serous (SC), and clear cell (CC) carcinomas between 2002 and 2015. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free (DF) survival rates were evaluated, according to the percentage of histologic components. Clinicopathological variables and treatment strategies were assessed. Furthermore, χ
2 tests were used to compare proportions and Kaplan–Meier curves to compare recurrence and survival. Sample consisted of 302 cases with mean age 66.3 years. Early-stage disease was recorded in EC compared with CC and SC. Adnexal involvement was more frequent in MEC compared with EC (p=0.043). Extra uterine metastasis was more frequent in the SC compared to the EC group, while lymphovascular space involvement was more frequent in the MEC and CC compared to the SC (p=0.001). EC had less omentum involvement compared to CC (p=0.035) and SC (p<0.001). Furthermore, cervical involvement was more frequent in CC compared to EC (p=0.011). Recurrence (p=0.265) and OS (p=0.533) were found to be similar in MEC compared with CC, SC, and EC. Moreover, recurrence and OS were similar between EC-CC and EC-SC. There were no differences in recurrence and survival in MEC with a type II component larger than 10% or 20% (p>0.05).
Climate change and declining fertility rate in Malaysia: the possible connexions
Authors: Jegasothy Ravindran , Sengupta Pallav , Dutta Sulagna , Jeganathan Ravichandran
Published: December 2020

Climate change is an incessant global phenomenon and has turned contentious in the present century. Malaysia, a developing Asian country, has also undergone significant vicissitudes in climate, which has been projected with significant deviations in forthcoming decades. As per the available studies, climate changes may impact on the fertility, either via direct effects on the gonadal functions and neuroendocrine regulations or via several indirect effects on health, socioeconomic status, demeaning the quality of food and water. Malaysia is already observing a declining trend in the Total fertility rate (TFR) over the past few decades and is currently recorded below the replacement level of 2.1 which is insufficient to replace the present population. Moreover, climate changes reportedly play a role in the emergence and cessation of various infectious diseases. Besides its immediate effects, the long-term effects on health and fertility await to be unveiled. Despite the huge magnitude of the repercussion of climate changes in Malaysia, research that can explain the exact cause of the present reduction in fertility parameters in Malaysia or any measures to preserve the national population is surprisingly very scarce. Thus, the present review aims to elucidate the possible missing links by which climate changes are impairing fertility status in Malaysia.
Can we use copeptin as a biomarker for masked hypertension or metabolic syndrome in obese children and adolescents?
Authors: Deligözoğlu Duygu , Kasap-Demir Belde , Alparslan Caner , Erbak Huriye , Çatlı Gönül , Mutlubaş Fatma , Alaygut Demet , Soyaltın Eren , Arslansoyu-Çamlar Seçil , Yavaşcan Önder
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Copeptin, the C-terminal part of arginine-vasopressin, is increased in hypertensive adolescents and closely associated with metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to investigate whether serum copeptin can be used to differentiate masked hypertension (MHT) and MS, and the role of sodium intake, natriuretic peptide response and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in MHT and MS in obese youth.

Methods

Obese children aged 10–18 years with normal office blood pressure measurements were included. Patients with MHT and normotension and those with MS and non-MS were evaluated separately. Biochemical parameters, copeptin, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), aldosterone, renin, urine sodium, and protein were evaluated. Echocardiography, fundoscopic examination, and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were performed.

Results

There were 80 (M/F=39/41) obese patients with a mean age of 13.78 ± 1.93 years. The cases with MHT, MS, and concomitant MHT and MS were 53,24, and 13%, respectively. Copeptin levels were similar among patients with and without MHT or MS (p>0.05). However, multivariate analysis revealed that copeptin significantly increased the probability of MHT (OR 1.01, 95% CI=1.001–1.018, p=0.033). Copeptin was positively correlated with daytime systolic and diastolic load, aldosterone, BNP, and urine microalbumin/creatinine levels (p<0.05). Linear regression analyses revealed that copeptin was significantly correlated with BNP regardless of having MHT or MS in obese youth. In the MHT group, 24-h sodium excretion was not significantly correlated with BNP.

Conclusion

Copeptin may be a beneficial biomarker to discriminate MHT, but not MS in obese children and adolescents. An insufficient BNP response to sodium intake might be one of the underlying causes of MHT in obese cases.
Theoretical examination of efficiency of anthocyanidins as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Abdulsalami Ibrahim Olasegun , Semire Banjo , Bello Isa Adewale
Published: December 2020

The structural effects and electronic contributions of four anthocyanidins, cyanidin (Cy), delphinidin (Dp), malvidin (Mv) and pelargonidin (Pg), have been investigated to improve the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), using density functional theory (DFT) calculate parameters such as frontier molecular orbitals (MOs), band gap energies, reactivity descriptors. MOs surfaces showed that titanium dioxide (TiO2) orbital was susceptible to nucleophilic attack. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of terminal hydroxyl groups in dye was susceptible to nucleophilic attacks at different degrees. MOs of dye-semiconductor showed intramolecular charge transfer from dye to TiO2 upon photoexcitation of dye. Electronic properties of dyes showed maximum absorption transitions in this order Mv < Dp < Pg < Cy. Reactivity descriptors revealed relationship between light-harvesting-efficiency (LHE) and chemical hardness (η) for dye molecules in the order Cy < Pg < Dp < Mv. Cy-sensitized solar cell has the highest efficiency among anthocyanidins and this is in agreement with reported empirical report. Thorough understanding of the electronic factors that contribute to light absorption is necessary to select chromophores whose structural characteristics maximize the overall performance of the DSSCs.
Cytotoxic withanolides from Datura innoxia
Authors: Maldonado Emma , Ramírez-Apan Teresa , Martínez Mahinda
Published: December 2020

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts (except fruits) of the medicinal, hallucinogen and toxic plant Datura innoxia Mill. [Solanaceae] led to the isolation of the new withanolide, dinnoxolide A (1), along with the known compounds 21,27-dihydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,5,24-trienolide (2), daturamalakin B (3) and withametelin (4). Their structures were established by analysis of their spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR experiments and MS. Compounds 2 and 3 were isolated as natural products for the first time and the name dinnoxolide B was given to compound 2. The four withanolides showed in vitro cytotoxic activity against U251 (glioblastoma) and SK-LU-1 (lung adenocarcinoma) human cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 1.2 to 19.6 µM, and also against the noncancerous monkey kidney cell line (COS-7), with IC50 values ranging from 5.0 to 19.7 µM. Compound 4 was two times more active than the reference compound, etoposide, against lung adenocarcinoma cells.
De «madamas» y «madamitas»: un tratamiento galicado en la historia del español moderno
Authors: García-Godoy María-Teresa
Published: December 2020

El español postclásico experimenta profundos cambios en el sistema de tratamientos, en los que participan formas nominales y pronominales. En dichos cambios, se involucran apelativos galicistas introducidos en el siglo XVIII, tanto en el ámbito familiar (papá, mamá) como en el social (madama). Así, en el vínculo paternofilial, se ha demostrado que los tratamientos nominales papá/ mamá favorecen el uso innovador de tú, en detrimento del conservador usted. Actualmente se desconoce si, en el ámbito social, los apelativos galicistas también favorecieron esquemas de trato innovadores. El propósito de este trabajo es investigar, con una nueva base empírica, la desconocida historia de los tratamientos madama y madamita en la sociedad española de los siglos XVIII y XIX, desde la perspectiva de la lingüística de corpus. Con este estudio se demostrará que la vida moderna de madama es muy diferente de otra medieval y que el tratamiento galicado, por poligénesis temporal, habría nacido dos veces en la lengua española con distinto
Espacios funerarios tardoantiguos/altomedievales al sur del Sistema Central
Authors: Hernández Sousa José Miguel
Published: December 2020

El presente trabajo presenta una aproximación a los espacios funerarios situados en la zona del centro peninsular, en la vertiente sur del Sistema Central, caracterizados por la existencia de diferentes tipologías de inhumaciones entre las que destaca la presencia de tumbas labradas en la roca. Se trata de un estudio que no se limita a investigar las características de este tipo de inhumaciones, sino que trata un aspecto esencial como es su integración en el paisaje, del que formarían parte como uno de los elementos indicadores del poblamiento rural tardoantiguo (ss. VI-VIII) y altomedieval (ss. IX-XII). Los ritos y las prácticas funerarias constituyen uno de los componentes fundamentales de cualquier grupo humano y gracias al registro arqueológico podemos hacer una aproximación a los espacios funerarios en esta época de transformaciones. La prospección arqueológica se muestra como una herramienta fundamental para caracterizar la organización del territorio. A través del análisis de las relaciones establecidas entre estos espacios funerarios, los lugares de hábitat conocidos y los edificios de culto tratamos de comprender la dinámica de poblamiento de las comunidades campesinas que generaron y explotaron estos paisajes.
The Creeping Conformity—and Potential Risks—of Contemporary Urbanism
Authors: Grant Jill L.
Published: December 2020

As new urbanism has come to dominate planning, it has contributed to new kinds of design conformity. The recent emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the potential risks generated by some of new urbanism’s key principles, such as higher densities and transit orientation intended to enhance efficiency and sustainability.
Medical report of the obstetric department of the clinic prof. K.F.Slaviansky for 1893
Authors: Surovtsev Z. G.
Published: December 2020

To narrow basins, following the example of previous reports from our clinic, we include those basins, Conj. ext. which are less than 18 centimeters and from cans with conj. ext. 18 centimeters those where narrowing of other sizes, or anamnesis, or deviations from the usual mechanism of childbirth made it possible to suspect an irregularity in the device of the pelvis.
The Construction of College English Translation Teaching Model in the Environment of Information Technology
Authors: Jiang Yixuan
Published: December 2020

As one of the more important teaching contents in college English teaching, English translation is also the method that best reflects students' comprehension. Traditional college English teaching cannot improve students' English translation ability due to the single and outdated teaching model. Starting from the information technology environment, this paper analyzes the problems existing in College English translation teaching in China, and puts forward some innovative English teaching modes in order to create an efficient English class and further promote the reform of this teaching.
Cinco versões de imaginário
Authors: Da Silva Juremir Machado
Published: December 2020

Este artigo examina cinco possibilidades de definição ou de aproximação do termo imaginário: ambiente; ficção compartilhada socialmente; fantástico do cotidiano; excedente de significado e memória afetiva.
Sociology as a Theoretical Science (Based on Nikolay Kareyev’s Manuscript “General Methodology of the Humanities”)
Authors: Malinov Alexey , Dolgova Evgeniya
Published: December 2020

This article sets the task of actualizing a fragment of the unpublished work “General methodology of the Humanities” by Nikolay Kareyev (1850–1931). Kareyev’s role in the history of Russian sociology is unique in that he was not only working to popularize the new science of society, but he was also its first historian. The history of Russian sociology for Kareyev, in fact, coincided with some facts from his own biography: Kareyev knew the first Russian sociologists and was one of the founders of a new scientific discipline. In the work “General methodology of the Humanities”, written at the time of reading his educational course at Petrograd University, Nikolay Kareyev summed up his methodological thoughts, paying particular attention to sociology. He considered it a discipline that synthesizes the achievements of the social sciences. By his reasoning, these social sciences were political economics, law and politics (state studies). The view of sociology as an integrating or synthesizing discipline granted it a methodological function. According to Kareyev, the sociological method is in fact a “higher synthesis” or eclectic method. Due to censorship restrictions, the manuscript of the “General methodology of the Humanities” was not published in the 1920’s. Its typescript is stored in the manuscript research department of the Russian state library. As of today the text of the manuscript has only partially been published. The research article is accompanied by the publication of an excerpt from the chapter six “Theoretical Humanities”, dedicated to the synthesizing methodology of sociology.
Сравнение воспроизведения пространственно-временных структур транспортных потоков при использовании различных способов осреднения данных
Authors: Чечина Антонина Александровна , Chechina Antonina Aleksandrovna , Чурбанова Наталья Геннадьевна , Churbanova Natal'ya Gennad'evna , Трапезникова Марина Александровна , Trapeznikova Marina Aleksandrovna
Published: December 2020

Работа посвящена апробации созданной авторами двумерной микроскопической
модели движения автотранспорта на основе теории клеточных автоматов (СА) на
тестовых задачах, приведенных в литературе. Проведено сравнение полученных
пространственно-временных структур распределения скоростей транспортного потока с экспериментальными данными.
Теоретически обоснован и проверен при помощи численного эксперимента выбор
оптимального способа осреднения для более адекватного отражения результатов.
Представленные результаты подтверждают, что предложенная СА-модель адекватно
воспроизводит паттерны, наблюдаемые на диаграммах скоростей реальных транспортных потоков, а также обеспечивает большее сходство с экспериментальными
данными по сравнению с другими приведенными моделями.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Follow-up Study.
Authors: Belayneh Tadesse , Gebeyehu Abebaw , Adefris Mulat , Rortveit Guri , Gjerde Janne Lillelid , Awoke Tadesse
Published: December 2020

Background Symptomatic prolapse impairs quality of life. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered an important outcome of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery. However, it is rarely reported, and measures are inadequately used. Thus, studies reporting patient-reported surgical outcomes in low-income contexts are needed. This study aims to evaluate the effect of prolapse surgery on patient HRQoL and determine the predictive factors for change in HRQoL. Methods A total of 215 patients who had prolapse stage III or IV were enrolled. Patients underwent vaginal native tissue repair, and their HRQoL was evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Effect of surgery on subjective outcomes were measured using validated Prolapse Quality of Life (P-QoL-20), Prolapse Symptom Score (POP-SS), Body Image in Prolapse (BIPOP), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Patient Global Index of Improvement (PGI-I) tools. A linear mixed-effect model was used to compare pre- and postoperative P-QoL scores and investigate potential predictors of the changes in P-QoL scores. Results In total, 193 (89.7%) patients were eligible for analysis at 3 months, and 185 (86.0%) at 6 months. Participant’s mean age was 49.3±9.4 years. The majority of patients had prolapse stage III (81.9%) and underwent vaginal hysterectomy (55.3%). All domains of P-QoL improved significantly after surgery. Altogether more than 72% of patients reported clinically meaningful improvement in condition-specific quality of life measured with P-QoL-20 at 6 months. An improvement in POP-SS, BIPOP, and the PHQ-9 scores were also observed during both follow-up assessments. At 6 months after surgery, only 2.7% of patients reported the presence of bulge symptoms. A total of 97.8% of patients had reported improvement in comparison to the preoperative state, according to PGI-I. The change in P-QoL score after surgery was associated with the change in POP-SS, PHQ, BIPOP scores and marital status (p < 0.001). However, age, type of surgery, and prolapse stage were not associated with the improvement of P-QoL scores. Conclusions Surgical repair for prolapse effectively improves patient’s HRQoL, and patient satisfaction is high. The result could be useful for patient counselling on the expected HRQoL outcomes of surgical treatment. Surgical service should be accessible for patients suffering from POP to improve HRQoL.
Dynamic changes in the immune response correlate with disease severity and outcomes during infection with SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Zheng Fang , Chen Ruochan , Yao Run , Huang Yaxiong , Li Ning , Liu Jiyang , Xie Yuanlin
Published: December 2020

Background:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout China and all over the world. Little is known about the dynamic changes in the patient immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, and how different responses are correlated with disease severity and outcomes.Method:74 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in this prospective research. The demographic information, medical history, symptoms, signs and laboratory results were analyzed and compared between severe and non-severe patients. The leukocytes, lymphocyte subsets and inflammatory cytokines were longitudinally collected.Results:Of the 74 patients included, 17 suffered from severe disease. The severe patients tended be older (65.29 ± 12.33 years vs. 45.37 ± 18.66 years), and had a greater degree of underlying disease (41.18% vs. 24.56%) , lower baseline lymphocytes counts (0.69 ± 0.36 × 10⁹ vs. 1.46 ± 0.75 × 10⁹) , higher neutrophil-lymphocyte-ratios (NLRs; 3.76 (3.15–5.51) vs. 2.07 (1.48–2.93)) and lower baseline eosinophil counts (0.01 ± 0.01 × 10⁹ vs. 0.05 ± 0.07 × 10⁹), than that in non-severe patients. The baseline helper T (Th) cells (335.47 vs. 666.46/mL), suppressor T(Ts) cells (158 vs. 334/mL), B cells (95 vs. 210/mL), and natural killer (NK) cells (52 vs. 122/mL) were significantly decreased in severe cases compared to that in non-severe cases. In addition, the baseline neutrophils and B cells were positively correlated with the severity of COVID-19 and the baseline lymphocytes and Th cells were negatively correlated with the severity of COVID-19. The dynamic change of T cells, Th cells and IFN-γ in the severe cases were parallel to the amelioration of the disease.Conclusions:Collectively, our study provides novel information on the kinetics of the immune responses in a cohort of COVID-19 patients with different disease severities. Furthermore, our study indicates that both innate and adaptive immune responses correlate with better clinical outcomes.
Fetal sex and maternal postpartum depressive symptoms: findings from two prospective pregnancy cohorts
Authors: Cowell Whitney , Colicino Elena , Askowitz Talia , Nentin Farida , Wright Rosalind
Published: December 2020

Background: Fetal sex is known to modify the course and complications of pregnancy, with recent evidence of sex-differential fetal influences on the maternal immune and endocrine systems. In turn, heightened inflammation and surges in reproductive hormone levels associated with pregnancy and parturition have been linked with the development of perinatal depression. Here, we examined whether there is an association between fetal sex and maternal depression assessed during the prenatal and postnatal periods.Methods: The study included two multi-ethnic, prospective pregnancy cohorts that enrolled women from prenatal clinics in the Northeastern United States between 2001 and 2018. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured during the prenatal and postnatal periods using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and newborn sex was reported by the mother following delivery. We used logistic regression to examine associations between fetal sex and maternal depressive symptoms (EPDS>10) during the prenatal period only, postnatal period only, or both periods versus no depressive symptoms during either period. We considered both unadjusted models and models adjusted for a core set of sociodemographic and lifestyle variables.Results: In adjusted models using PRISM data (N=528), women pregnant with a male versus female fetus had significantly greater odds of depressive symptoms during the postnatal period compared to women without depressive symptoms during either period (odds ratio [OR] = 5.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.93, 14.21). The direction of results was consistent in the ACCESS cohort, although the findings did not reach statistical significance (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 0.86, 4.93). Significant associations were not observed in either cohort among women with prenatal symptoms only or women with prenatal and postnatal symptoms.Conclusions: Male fetal sex was associated with the onset of depressive symptoms during the postnatal period.
Coculture with hemicellulose-fermenting microbes reverses inhibition of corn fiber solubilization by Clostridium thermocellum at elevated solids loadings
Authors: Beri Dhananjay , Herring Christopher D , Blahova Sofie , Poudel Suresh , Giannone Richard , Hettich Robert , Lynd Lee R
Published: December 2020

BackgroundThe cellulolytic thermophile Clostridium thermocellum is an important biocatalyst due to its ability to solubilize lignocellulosic feedstocks without the need for pretreatment or exogenous enzyme addition. At low concentrations of substrate, C. thermocellum can solubilize corn fiber >95% in 5 days, but solubilization declines markedly at substrate concentrations higher than 20 g/L. This differs for model cellulose like Avicel, on which the maximum solubilization rate increases in proportion to substrate concentration. The goal of this study was to examine fermentation at increasing corn fiber concentrations and investigate possible reasons for declining performance.ResultsThe rate of growth of C. thermocellum on corn fiber, inferred from CipA scaffoldin levels measured by LC-MS/MS, showed very little increase with increasing solids loading. To test for inhibition, we evaluated the effects of spent broth on growth and cellulase activity. The liquids remaining after corn fiber fermentation were found to be strongly inhibitory to growth on cellobiose, a substrate that does not require cellulose hydrolysis. Additionally, the hydrolytic activity of C. thermocellum cellulase was also reduced to less than half by adding spent broth. Noting that >15 g/L hemicellulose oligosaccharides accumulated in the spent broth of a 40 g/L corn fiber fermentation, we tested the effect of various model carbohydrates on growth on cellobiose and Avicel. Some compounds like xylooligosaccharides caused a decline in cellulolytic activity and a reduction in the maximum solubilization rate on Avicel. However, there were no relevant model compounds that could replicate the strong inhibition by spent broth on C. thermocellum growth on cellobiose. Cocultures of C. thermocellum with hemicellulose consuming partners - Herbinix spp. strain LL1355 and Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum –exhibited lower levels of unfermented hemicellulose hydrolysis products, a doubling of the maximum solubilization rate, and final solubilization increased from 67% to 93%. ConclusionsThis study documents inhibition of C. thermocellum with increasing corn fiber concentration and demonstrates inhibition of cellulase activity by xylooligosaccharides, but further work is needed to understand why growth on cellobiose was inhibited by corn fiber fermentation broth. Our results support the importance of hemicellulose-utilizing coculture partners to augment C. thermocellum in the fermentation of lignocellulosic feedstocks at high solids loading.
Sharia corporate governance and financial reporting timeliness: Evidence of the implementation of banking regulations in Indonesia
Authors: Zulfikar Zulfikar , Dwi Bayu Bawono Andy , Mujiyati Mujiyati , Wahyuni Sri
Published: December 2020

This paper aims to study Islamic banking (IB) regulations related to the influence of the Sharia corporate governance (SCG) mechanism on financial reporting timeliness (FRTL) in Indonesia. The unbalanced panel data obtained empirically during a period that ranges from 2016 to 2019 includes observations from 54 Islamic commercial banks (ICb), 82 Sharia business unit (SBu) banks and 82 conventional banks (CB). Panel regression model is used in this study to adjust the unbalanced panel data obtained. The findings indicate that the variation of FRTL for IBs (represented by ICb) is determined by Sharia corporate governance (SCG) mechanisms. Further findings relate to a comparative study of variations in FRTL between ICb, SBu, and CBs. Although there are different determinants between ICb (SCG) and CBs (CG), there is no difference in FRTL variation between the two. Meanwhile, between ICb and SBu, whose regulations have the same determinant, there are differences between the two FRTL variations. The novelty of this paper is that, firstly, SCG is constructed on the basis of the IBs regulation to determine FRTL, and secondly, the variationі in FRTL between the IBs and CBs groups are compared.
Patents on Violacein: A Compound with Great Diversity of Biological Activities and Industrial Potential
Authors: Durán Nelson , Fávaro Wagner J. , Brocchi Marcelo , Justo Giselle Z. , Castro Guillermo R. , Durán Marcela , Nakazato Gerson
Published: December 2020

Background:

This review outlines the current impact of violacein-derivative
materials in several technological areas through patents.

Methods:

A comprehensive examination of patent databases on violacein demonstrated
the relevance of this pigment, as well as the pertinent topics related to its technological
development in order to obtain adaptable new pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and new quality
fiber materials, together with other applications of violacein in different areas.

Results:

At present, there is no efficient and economical technique for violacein preparation
at the industrial scale. Many attempts have been made, but none have overcome the
challenge of being an effective and inexpensive process. However, some potential applications
of violacein in fields such as biomedicine make the pigment worthy of continuous
investigation. In particular, violacein patents covering biosynthesis for different applications
have been reported recently.

Conclusion:

Violacein has been used as a unique pigment in distinct specialty areas,
such as in medical and industrial fields. This review of patents provides an update on violacein
innovations that are useful for researchers working in the expanding and interesting
field of biotechnology with natural pigments.
¿La política públicade Santa Cruz de Loricay Cereté, Córdoba(2016-2019) incluyóla atención integrala la familia?
Authors: Héctor A. Héctor A.
Published: December 2020

Al confrontar el cumplimiento de la política pública en el marco de la Ley 1361 de 2009 y 1857 de 2017que regula la protección integral a la familia en lo plasmado en los planes de desarrollo de los municipios de Santa Cruz de Lorica y Cereté, Córdoba(2016-2019), el objetivo de este artículo, abordado desde un enfoque sociojurídico, es analizar cómo asumieron el concepto de familia con el fin de salvaguardarla integridad del núcleo esencial de la sociedad. Por tanto, la atención integral a la familia como está concebida en la Constitución, la ley y la jurisprudencia está lejos de ser cumplida en la política pública de los entes territoriales mencionados, como se evidenciará en el presente trabajo. En consecuencia, tras el análisis de los planes de desarrollo a la luz del concepto amplio de familia y la atención integral que demandan las leyes referidas, es necesario que la política pública territorial se descentralice e inicie la atención desde la periferia hacia el centro, teniendo en cuenta cultura, usos y costumbres, y rasgos políticos, económicos y sociales de la familia.
A study of criticality and thermal loading in a conceptual micronuclear heat pipe reactor for space applications
Authors: Aziz Umair , Koreshi Zafar , Sheikh Shakil , Khan Hamda
Published: December 2020

Neutronic analysis of a conceptual heat pipe-cooled micronuclear reactor with
70 % enriched uranium nitride fuel is carried out by modeling the core and
peripheral control drum movement to estimate the power distribution. The core
configuration results in non-uniformities and hotspots. For the heat removal,
empirical formulae have been used in the case of sodium, lithium, and
potassium working fluids. The neutronic simulation was carried out by the
OpenMC code. It has been found that the radial flux peaking as high as ~20 %
can occur at various stages of the drum movement. The novelty of this
research is the investigation of the effect of variable enrichment on the
overall system multiplication, which can form the basis for optimal fuel
distribution. It has been found that non-uniform fuel distribution can
mitigate peaking factors, and thus reduce the hotspots. This analysis is
useful for the design optimization of compact micro nuclear reactors for
underwater, portable and space propulsion systems.
The effectiveness of social cognitive career theory on career decision making
Authors: Kusumawati Eny , Wahyuningsih Diana Dewi
Published: December 2020

Students with high academic anxiety can cause a decrease in motivation to learn. This kind of situation will harm the learning achievement achieved by students. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social cognitive career theory on improving student career decision making. This study used a randomized experimental pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 16 students of VHS Boyolali were the subjects in this study. Selection of subjects using purposive sampling technique which is based on the criteria of low career decision-making ability, obtained from the score of career decision making scale. The data analysis technique used was the Wilcoxon test. The results of statistical tests show that there is an effect of social cognitive career theory on increasing student career decision making. The findings of this study prove that the social cognitive career theory is effective in improving student career decision making at VHS Boyolali.
Fire Blight Management: Physiological Assessment of Cultural Control By Pruning in Pear Orchards
Authors: Mendes Rafael J. , Mariz-Ponte Nuno , Correia Cristiana V. , Dias Maria Celeste , De Sousa Miguel Leão , Tavares Fernando , Santos Conceição
Published: December 2020

The aim of this work was to evaluate the photosynthetic performance of Pear trees (cv. ‘Rocha’) infected with Erwinia amylovora, three months after suffering a pruning of infected branches (P-trees) compared with asymptomatic trees (C-trees) of the same orchard. Three months after pruning, P-trees looked healthy and were negative for the presence of E. amylovora. In September of 2018, fully expanded leaves of both P- and C- trees were sampled and analysed for photosynthetic parameters related to chlorophyll a fluorescence and gas exchange, alongside with pigments, total soluble sugars, starch, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) contents. No significant differences were found in chlorophyll and carotenoids levels, but anthocyanins significantly decreased in P-trees. Also, despite the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) significantly decreased in P-trees, the effective quantum yield of the PSII was maintained, paralleled with no changes in gas exchange parameters (PN, gs, Ci, E, iWUE, PN/gs), nor in RuBisCO relative content. Finally, the maintenance of the levels of total soluble sugars and starch also supports that the photosynthetic performance of P-trees, three months after pruning, reached values similar to those of the C-trees, contributing to the normal development and ripening of the fruit. Data support that pruning represents a reliable control measure against this quarantine pathogen. This work is the first evaluation of pruning in fire blight management regarding carbon metabolism in P. communis trees.
Effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of Aloe vera
Authors: Laib Imen , Kehal Farida , Haddad Nour Elyakine , Boudjemia Taous , Barkat Malika
Published: December 2020

The aim of this work is to study the effect of digestion on the total polyphenol content, flavonoids and the antioxidant activity of Aloe vera. Total polyphenol contents and flavonoid spectrophotometric methods: The evaluation of the antioxidant activity was carried out by three methods, DPPH, ABTS and CUPRAC. To confirm the results obtained we carried out an analysis by ATR-FTIR. The total phenol content found in the Aloe vera extract studied was 1.3638 mg EAG/100 g, while the content of flavonoids found in the Aloe vera extract studied was 0.690 mg EQ/100 g. The values of total polyphenols and flavonoids decreased under the effect of gastrointestinal digestion. The spectra obtained during the ATR-FTIR analysis show that Aloe vera is rich in phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Intense bands corresponding to O–H bonds, C=C bond, C–H, CO, CH3 and CH2 confirm the presence of these bioactive compounds. For both the DPPH and CUPRAC methods, Aloe vera extract reveals a strong antioxidant activity, which gradually decreases during the oral and gastric phase and then increases after the intestinal digestion. For the ABTS method, the antioxidant activity decreases during the oral phase, increases during the gastric phase and then decreases again during the intestinal phase.
Simply Finding Answers, or the Entirety of Inquiry While Standing on One Foot
Authors: Smith Nicholas
Published: December 2020

I argue that inquiry can be defined without reference to the attitudes inquirers have during inquiry. Inquiry can instead be defined by its aim: it is the activity that has the aim of answering a question. I call this approach to defining inquiry a “naive” account. I present the naive account of inquiry in contrast to a prominent contemporary account of inquiry most notably defended by Jane Friedman. According to this view of inquiry, which I call an attitude-centric view, inquiry is appropriately defined not by the aim of the activity but by the attitudes that inquirers have during inquiry. After developing the naive view, I defend it against the objection that it collapses into the attitude-centric view.
Geospatial assessment of land use and land cover dynamics in the mid-zone of Ghana
Authors: Koranteng Addo , Adu-Poku Isaac , Donkor Emmanuel , Zawiła-Niedźwiecki Tomasz
Published: December 2020

Land use and land cover (LULC) terrain in Ghana has undergone profound changes over the past years emanating mainly from anthropogenic activities, which have impacted countrywide and sub-regional environment. This study is a comprehensive analysis via integrated approach of geospatial procedures such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) of past, present and future LULC from satellite imagery covering Ghana’s Ashanti regional capital (Kumasi) and surrounding districts. Multi-temporal satellite imagery data sets of four different years, 1990 (Landsat TM), 2000 (Landsat ETM+), 2010 (Alos and Disaster Monitoring Constellation-DMC) and 2020 (SENTINEL), spanning over a 30-year period were mapped. Five major LULC categories – Closed Forest, Open Forest, Agriculture, Built-up and Water – were delineated premised on the prevailing geographical settings, field study and remote sensing data. Markov Cellular Automata modelling was applied to predict the probable LULC change consequence for the next 20 years (2040). The study revealed that both Open Forest and Agriculture class categories decreased 51.98 to 38.82 and 27.48 to 20.11, respectively. Meanwhile, Built-up class increased from 4.8% to 24.8% (over 500% increment from 1990 to 2020). Rapid urbanization caused the depletion of forest cover and conversion of farmlands into human settlements. The 2040 forecast map showed an upward increment in the Built-up area up to 35.2% at the expense of other LULC class categories. This trend from the past to the forecasted future would demand that judicious LULC resolutions have to be made to keep Ghana’s forest cover, provide arable land for farming activities and alleviate the effects of climate change.
Comparing the Ability of Regression Modeling and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees to Predict Costs in a Responsive Survey Design Context
Authors: Wagner James , West Brady T. , Elliott Michael R. , Coffey Stephanie
Published: December 2020

Responsive survey designs rely upon incoming data from the field data collection to optimize cost and quality tradeoffs. In order to make these decisions in real-time, survey managers rely upon monitoring tools that generate proxy indicators for cost and quality. There is a developing literature on proxy indicators for the risk of nonresponse bias. However, there is very little research on proxy indicators for costs and almost none aimed at predicting costs under alternative design strategies. Predictions of survey costs and proxy error indicators can be used to optimize survey designs in real time. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, we evaluate alternative modeling strategies aimed at predicting survey costs (specifically, interviewer hours). The models include multilevel regression (with random interviewer effects) and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART).
The Relationship between Politics and Administration at the Flemish Local Level: Intermunicipal Differences Explained
Authors: Hennau Sofie
Published: December 2020

When it comes to political-administrative relations, New Public Management has aimed for a stronger differentiation between political and administrative matters and for an empowerment of the administration towards the political level.

This article investigates the perceived degree of administrative discretion at the municipal level in the Flemish region of Belgium. We use data from a survey with Flemish municipal CEOs from 2019.

The results suggest that the degree of administrative discretion in Flemish municipalities is relatively high during policy preparation. Nevertheless, during other phases of the policy cycle most municipal CEOs perceive a certain political impact on the functioning of their administration, which reaches further than steering on the main policy lines. Second, a majority identifies a lack of mutual trust between the executive board and the administrators.

Furthermore, administrative discretion increases with the size of the municipality and the assessed capacity of the administration. Also in municipalities where the key actors of political-administrative relationships remained unchanged for a longer period, the administration has more leeway to act. Lastly, the results nuance the impact of the municipal financial situation and the composition of the majority on the degree of administrative discretion.
Controlled Functional Encryption Revisited: Multi-Authority Extensions and Efficient Schemes for Quadratic Functions
Authors: Ambrona Miguel , Fiore Dario , Soriente Claudio
Published: December 2020

In a Functional Encryption scheme (FE), a trusted authority enables designated parties to compute specific functions over encrypted data. As such, FE promises to break the tension between industrial interest in the potential of data mining and user concerns around the use of private data. FE allows the authority to decide who can compute and what can be computed, but it does not allow the authority to control which ciphertexts can be mined. This issue was recently addressed by Naveed et al., that introduced so-called Controlled Functional encryption (or C-FE), a cryptographic framework that extends FE and allows the authority to exert fine-grained control on the ciphertexts being mined. In this work we extend C-FE in several directions. First, we distribute the role of (and the trust in) the authority across several parties by defining multi-authority C-FE (or mCFE). Next, we provide an efficient instantiation that enables computation of quadratic functions on inputs provided by multiple data-owners, whereas previous work only provides an instantiation for linear functions over data supplied by a single data-owner and resorts to garbled circuits for more complex functions. Our scheme leverages CCA2 encryption and linearly-homomorphic encryption. We also implement a prototype and use it to showcase the potential of our instantiation.
Characterization of Refuse Derived Fuel Production from Municipal Solid Waste: The Case Studies in Latvia and Lithuania
Authors: Âriņa Dace , Bendere Rūta , Denafas Gintaras , Kalnačs Jānis , Kriipsalu Mait
Published: December 2020

The authors determined the morphological composition of refuse derived fuel (RDF) produced in Latvia and Lithuania by manually sorting. The parameters of RDF (moisture, net calorific value, ash content, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulphur, chlorine, metals) was determined using the EN standards. Comparing obtained results with data from literature, authors have found that the content of plastic is higher but paper and cardboard is lower than typical values. Results also show that the mean parameters for RDF can be classified with the class codes: Net heating value (3); chlorine (3); mercury (1), and responds to limits stated for 3rd class of solid recovered fuel. It is recommended to separate biological waste at source to lower moisture and ash content and increase heating value for potential fuel production from waste.
Inwestycje w przestrzeni publicznej z inicjatywy mieszkańców
Authors: Pistelok Paweł , Salata-Kochanowski Piotr
Published: December 2020

Abstrakt

Współkształtowanie przestrzeni publicznych przez mieszkańców rozumiane jest często poprzez partycypację w rozmaitych formach konsultacji społecznych. Artykuł niniejszy wychodzi od refleksji nad pojęciem przestrzeni publicznej i zmierza do omówienia, jak mieszkańcy i przedsiębiorcy mogą się włączyć w kształtowanie miejskich przestrzeni. Konieczne jest też omówienie, jak samorządy ustosunkowują się do pomysłu współtworzenia przestrzeni i czy są przygotowane na tego rodzaju inicjatywy. Żeby odpowiedzieć na te kwestie, przedstawiono studia przypadków tego typu działań – a każde dotyka innej skali i sposobu zaangażowania aktorów: parklet, Business Improvement District i ambient marketing. Artykuł prezentuje następnie wyniki badania własnego i kończy się kilkoma sugestiami dotyczącymi tego, jak można poprawić responsywność władz miasta.