bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How the Larger Corporations Engage with Stakeholders through Twitter
Authors: Mamic Lilia Ivana , Almaraz Isidoro Arroyo
Published: February 2014

The digital era has revolutionised the traditional communication assumptions that we learned during past decades. Social media constitute the new communication challenge. Twitter has recently passed 517 million users. This study examines how some of the largest companies are making use of this popular microblogging site to engage with their stakeholders. Using content analysis, we coded 5,352 tweets. We analysed the tweet frequency, the followers and followings, friending behaviour, the retweets and public messages, and the use that companies are making of different communication tools provided by Twitter to augment the information shared on their tweets. The study found that corporations are not effectively employing the full interactivity potential this site offers to build mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders. These findings call attention to some key interactivity features that organisations are failing to utilise.
Fast-Track Cardiac Anaesthesia at a Tertiary Care Cardiac Centre in Nepal
Authors: Pokharel Jeju Nath , Sharma Apurba , Upreti Murari Raj , Koirala Raamesh , Sharma Jyotindra , Pradhan Siddartha
Published: February 2014

Background: With the evolution of anesthesia and surgical procedures, fast track cardiac anaesthesia has gained an increased interest, mainly based on the possibility of reducing health costs without compromising patient care and has been implemented at a tertiary care cardiac centre in Nepal. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the status of fast track cardiac anaesthesia after open heart procedures and suitability of existing anaesthetic technique for fast-track extubation. Methods: After standard anaesthesia and surgical technique, we retrospectively reviewed the duration of mechanical ventilation, length of Intensive Care Unit stay, reintubation, and incidence of inhospital mortality in consecutive adult patients undergoing open heart surgery during six months period. Results: The median time of the extubation was six hours, median days of the ICU stay was three days. Five cases were reintubated because of the respiratory failure which is about 1.8% out of 277 cases. Seven patients (2.5%) died of sepsis and low cardiac output syndrome. Conclusions: Fast track anaesthesia is suitable with applied anesthetic technique in our centre. However there exists relatively small risk of re-intubation (1.8%). Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 6-11 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9739
Contrast induced nephropathy - cardiologist perspective
Authors: Sharma Sanjib Kumar , Dubey Laxman , Guruprasad Sogunuru , Subramanyam Gangapatnam
Published: February 2014

Use of contrast media for cardiovascular intervention is associated with risk of contrast induced nephropathy. Contrast induced nephropathy is associated with increased morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, potential need for dialysis and increased mortality rate. Although the consequences of contrast induced nephropathy are well known, the prospective identification of patient at risk for nephropathy has been inconsistent. The mechanism of contrast induced nephropathy is complex and not fully understood. Direct tubular toxicity and disturbances of renal hemodynamic with altered glomerular filtration and renal medullary ischemia are the most important path-physiological mechanism. Prevention of contrast induced nephropathy is address in numerous studies. The most attractive agents include hydration, N-acetylcysteine, and infusion of sodium bicarbonate. This review focuses on the definition, pathophysiology and prevention of contrast induced nephropathy. Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 30-37 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9745
β-blocker in Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: A review
Authors: Adhikari Chandra Mani
Published: February 2014

Heart failure, a major public health problem is associated with high mortality, poor quality of life, and frequent hospitalization. It is a complex syndrome characterized by neurohumoral activation. Activation of sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in its pathogenesis. Randomized trials have show that β-blockers reduce mortality, hospitalization and improves quality of life. One of the three β-blockers (i.e., bisoprolol, carvedilol, and sustained-release metoprolol succinate) is recommended for all patients with current or prior symptoms of Heart Failure, unless contraindicated, to reduce morbidity and mortality. β-blockers are underused in patients with heart failure. If a patient is considered suitable for β-blocker therapy, a careful initiation and gradual increases of β-blocker dose are crucial to avoid clinical deterioration. Initiating the Angiotensin Conventing Enzyme inhibitor first is traditional but studies have proven similar safety with a β-blocker-first strategy. Emerging evidence suggests that the order of initial ACEI or β-blocker therapy may not matter. Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 38-45 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9746
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; the other half of the heart failure, how it stands in 2013
Authors: Shaha Kunal Bikram , Tamrakar Rikesh , KC Man Bahadur , Sharma Deewakar , Bhatt Yadav Deo , Rajbhandari Sujeeb , Sharma Rajit , Simkhada Rabindra
Published: February 2014

Last two decade, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was deprived from being considered as a part of spectrum of heart failure. May be heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was common but not recognized by cardiology fraternity. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction each make up about half of the overall heart failure burden. But the paradox is: morbidity and mortality in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction despite being similar to patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, today’s cardiology community has not much to offer in terms of mortality reducing treatment. The term diastolic heart failure has been well replaced by heart failure with preserved ejection fraction because multiple non-diastolic abnormalities in cardiovascular function also contribute to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and diastolic dysfunction always accompanied heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is an uphill task since it relies upon careful clinical evaluation, doppler (pulse wave and tissue) echocardiography, and invasive hemodynamic assessment after exclusion of potential noncardiac causes of symptoms suggestive of heart failure. Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction are usually older women with a history of hypertension. Obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and atrial fibrillation are also highly prevalent in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Cornerstone of treatment of this entity revolves around treatment of underlying cause and symptom guided therapy. Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 46-56 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9747
Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer of Aorta: A Giant Lurking in the Dark
Authors: Timala Rabindra B , Sharma Jyotindra , Pradhan Siddhartha , Gautam Navin Chandra
Published: February 2014

Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer is one of the acute aortic conditions, associated with high morbidity and mortality. Management option is often debated between conservative vs. surgical, with different data supporting each of the option. Here we present two case reports, managed conservatively. Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 57-60 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9748
Y(NO3)3·4H2O-assisted Three-component Synthesis of Polysubstituted Tetrahydropyridines
Authors: Mousavi Mir Rasul , Aboonajmi Jasem , Maghsoodlou Malek Taher , Hazeri Nourallah
Published: February 2014

A mild and efficient method for the synthesis of polysubstituted tetrahydropyridines has been developed which involves a three-component reaction of an arylamine (2 equiv.), an araldehyde (2 equiv.) and ethyl (or methyl) acetoacetate (1 equiv.) in MeCN under ambient conditions, in the presence of yttrium nitrate, Y(NO3)3·4H2O. This appears to be the first time yttrium nitrate has been used as a catalyst for this type of synthesis of tetrahydropyridines.
Influence of Preparation Conditions on the Structure of MCM-41 and Catalytic Performance of Ru/MCM-41 in Benzene Hydrogenation
Authors: Liao Hongguang , Ouyang Donghong , Zhang Jing , Xiao Yanjuan , Liu Pingle , Hao Fang , You Kuiyi , Luo He'an
Published: February 2014

The influence of the preparation conditions on the structures of mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 were studied. The prepared MCM-41 samples were characterised by nitrogen physical adsorption–desorption, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and water/benzene static adsorption technologies. Ru/MCM-41 catalysts were then prepared by double solvent impregnation method and tested for benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexene. The structure characteristics of MCM-41 have a great effect on cyclohexene selectivity in benzene hydrogenation process. Ruthenium supported on MCM-41 with moderate surface area, larger pore size and pore volume, better long-range-order of hexagonal mesoporous shows better catalytic performance for benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexene.
Stereoselective Synthesis of (Z)-β-arylvinyl Bromides from Anti-2,3-dibromo-3-arylpropanoic Acids
Authors: Xv Wenjing , Zhang Wensheng , Zhang Fei , Kuang Chunxiang
Published: February 2014

A novel method for the stereoselective synthesis of ( Z)- β-arylvinyl bromides in excellent yields by debrominative decarboxylation of anti-2,3-dibromo-3-arylpropanoic acids using NaN3 was developed. This facile transformation was achieved under room temperature for 1–2 h.
Convenient Two-step One-pot Synthesis of Benzimidazoles Using 2-nitroanilines and Thiourea Dioxide
Authors: Pu Shuai , Liang Qiuxiang , Luo Xi , Luo Juan
Published: February 2014

A new convenient method for the conversion of 2-nitroanilines into benzimidazoles by two-step one-pot procedure is reported. The procedure involves the reduction of nitro group followed by the intramolecular cyclisation of the corresponding o-phenylenediamines utilising thiourea dioxide and sodium hydroxide at 70 °C in mixed solvents of H2O and EtOH (v/v, 3/1). The yields are good to excellent and the workup is simple.
Palladium-catalysed Hiyama Cross-coupling Reaction of Alkynyl Halides with Aryltrialkoxysilanes under Aerobic Conditions
Authors: Tang Jiansheng , Guo Cancheng
Published: February 2014

A palladium-catalysed Hiyama cross-coupling reaction of alkynyl halides with aryltrialkoxysilanes has been developed. Catalysed by bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium and in the presence of silver fluoride and potassium bicarbonate, a variety of alkynyl halides (I, Br and Cl), whether electron-deficient or electron-rich, underwent the cross-coupling reaction with aryltrialkoxysilanes at room temperature to afford the corresponding alkynes in moderate to good yields.
Abundance of macrozoobenthos in relation to bottom soil textural types and water depth In aquaculture ponds
Authors: Nupur N , Shahjahan M , Rahman MS , Fatema MK
Published: February 2014

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bottom soil textural classes and different water depths on abundance of macrozoobenthos in aquaculture ponds. Three treatments, i.e., ponds bottom with sandy loam (T1), with loam (TS2) and with clay loam (T3) were considered in this experiment. Samples were collected from three different depths (60.96 cm, 106.68 cm and 152.40 cm) with three replications. The ranges of water quality parameters were suitable for the growth of macrozoobenthos during the experimental period. Similarly, chemical properties of soil were also within suitable ranges and every parameter showed comparatively higher ranges in T2. Eight genera were recorded belonging to major groups of Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, Mollusca and Ceratoponogonidae. The highest population densities of Oligochaeta (1200±4.25 per m2), Chironomidae (1422±4.88 per m2), Ceratopogonidae (399±1.56 per m2) and Mollusca (977±2.24 per m2) were found in T2. The population densities of macrozoobenthos showed fortnightly variations in all the treatments. Among the three depths, significantly highest densities of macrozoobenthos were recorded in 106.68 cm in every treatment. The mean abundance of macrozoobenthos was significantly highest in T2. The present study indicates that loamy soil pond bottom along with water depth 106.68 cm is suitable for the growth and production of macrozoobenthos in aquaculture ponds. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17811 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 1-6, December, 2013
Impact of crop varieties on household food security in Haor areas of Bangladesh
Authors: Kashem MA , Farouque MG , Roy PC
Published: February 2014

The purpose of the study was to identify the crop varieties in the Haor area of Netrokona district to minimize the food vulnerability situation during food crisis. The study was conducted in four selected villages of Madan and Khaliajuri Upazilas under the Netrokona district. Data were collected from randomly selected 400 farmers from the study area in the year 2011. The findings of the study revealed that farmers usually cultivate only three HYV boro rice varieties (BR 19, BRRI dhan 28 and BRRI dhan 29) in the Haor area under study. In aman season farmers mostly cultivate local varieties and they get minimum yield. Only few vegetables found to cultivate by the farmers in Haor area. The vegetables are: onion, garlic, chilli, bottle gourd, sweet gourd, ladys finger and tomato. Among these onion, garlic and chilli are mostly cultivated. Many farmers reported that during the flood they had to face serious problems in respect of communication, diseases, increased price of different commodities, and lack of adequate government safety net programs/relief. Farmers lack of flood preparedness has been observed while some farmers remained uncared about the occurrence of flood and consequently they did not take any preparedness for flood. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17812 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 7-11, December, 2013
Mycobial contamination and mycotoxinogenesis of Tinospora cordifolia: an important medicinal plant of India
Authors: Sharma S , Sumbali G , Sharma V
Published: February 2014

An investigation of mycoflora and associated mycotoxins was carried out from dried market samples of stem portions of Tinospora cordifolia, an important medicinal plant of India. These samples were collected from various wholesale and retail shops of eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir state viz., Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Srinagar and Leh. A total of 39 fungal species representing 18 genera were recovered by using surface washing technique. Assessment of mycobial load of T. cordifolia showed the presence of many such fungal species that are widely acknowledged as the most important mycotoxin producers. Analyses of samples for mycotoxin contamination was done by multimycotoxin detection method. The dried samples of Tinospora cordifolia were detected to be contaminated with aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, ochratoxin A, patulin and citrinin. Among the various mycotoxins detected, aflatoxins were present in maximum number of samples, which is probably because Aspergillus flavus was recovered from all the investigated samples. However, fusarial species and their toxins were not detected from the investigated samples. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17839 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 16-21, December, 2013
Value-chain analysis of freshwater apple snail (Pila globosa) used for on-farm feeds in the freshwater prawn farming sector in Bangladesh
Authors: Nahid SAA , Henriksson PJG , Wahab MA
Published: February 2014

Growth of the freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) sector in Bangladesh since 1970s has been supported by natural availability of freshwater apple snail (Pila globosa), used for on-farm prawn feeds. The present study identified the current configuration of the value-chain benefits and constraints of freshwater apple snail in south-western Bangladesh in August 2011, based upon Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA) approach. The site of snail collection was Chanda Beel in Gopalganj district, while trading, processing and final consumption was represented by Rayer Mahal Bazar in Khulna district. There were seven different nodes recognized throughout the value chain. Snail marketing was identified as a seasonal business and took place during June to November each year. Between 1995 and 2011 the price of whole snail, meat and shell has increased by 800%, 325% and 315%, respectively. The abundance of snail had been reduced and its demand has increased due to the expansion of the prawn farming industry. Prawn farmers preferred snail meat due to its low cost (US$ 0.21 kg-1) as a source of protein compared to commercial prawn feed (US$ 0.41 kg-1). Snail harvesting and processing were considered as additional livelihood options for the poor, where 60% of the labour involved in snail harvesting were women, and 95% the de-shelling workforce. Induced breeding in captivity and sustainable management in nature as well as development of commercial production of apple snails might reduce the pressure on ecosystems and positively contributed to the continued expansion of freshwater prawn farming in Bangladesh. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17840 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 22-30, December, 2013
Genetic analysis of some agronomic traits in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Authors: Alam MK , Nath UK , Azad MAK , Alam MA , Khan AA
Published: February 2014

A 10×10 half diallel experiment was conducted on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to ascertain the gene action and genetic parameters of ten traits including 50% flowering, no. of pods per plant, plant height, harvest index, pod index, 100 pod weight, 100 kernel weight, pod size, diseases infection and yield per plot. The experiments were carried out in the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during the cropping season of 2010-2011. The estimates of gene effects indicated that significance of both additive and non-additive variance for pod size, 100 pod weight and diseases infection among the traits and presence of over dominance satisfying assumptions of diallel except dormancy. However, both the additive and non-additive gene affects together importance to control of most quantitative traits in the groundnut. The average degree of dominance (H1/D) 1/2 (H1 = dominance variance, D = additive variance) was higher than one, indicating over dominance for all the traits. The narrow-sense heritability was high for 50% flowering (38%), harvest index (35%), pod size (52%), 100 pod weight (35%) and yield per plot (41%) indicating that great genetic gain could be achieved for them. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17841 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 31-35, December, 2013
In-vitro studies of some selected botanicals and baubiofungicide on mycelial growth and conidial germination of Cercospora arachidicola and Cercosporidium personatum
Authors: Hossain MH , Hossain I
Published: February 2014

Efforts have been made to assess some plant extracts namely, Lycopersicon esculentum, Tagetus patula, Achras sapota, Azadirachta indica, Datura metel, Cymbopogon citrates, Polyalthia longifolia, Allium sativum and Allium cepa in vitro for the management of leaf spot (tikka) disease of groundnut cultivar Dhaka-1 caused by Cercospora arachidicola and Cercosporidium personatum. Results indicated that all the tested plant extracts and BAUBiofungicide suppressed the growth of mycelium and inhibition of conidial germination of C. arachidicola and C. personatum. Among the treatments, the leaf extracts of L. esculentum showed the most effective followed by leaf extract of D. metel, A. indica and BAU-Biofungicide in case of mycelial growth and conidial germination. Other plant extracts also had inhibitory effects. In case of conidial germination and germination inhibition, the least effective plant extract was C. citrates. Leaf extract of A. sapota was the least effective in case of mycelial growth. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17842 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 36-40, December, 2013
Suitability of Chlorella ellipsoidea as food for production of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus
Authors: Akter S , Shahjahan M , Rahman MS , Das PS
Published: February 2014

Rotifers are valuable live food for larval fish and crustacean in aquaculture. In the present study, we conducted an experiment to evaluate the suitability of Chlorella ellipsoidea as food for production of the rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus. The experiment was carried out in three treatments using dried powder Chlorella ellipsoidea (T1), fresh live Chlorella ellipsoidea (T2) and Bakers yeast (T3) as food with three replications. For supplying food to rotifers, C. ellipsoidea was cultured sufficiently in different inexpensive culture media before rotifer culture and it was continued up to the end of the rotifer culture experiment. The ranges of environmental factors analyzed were suitable for both C. ellipsoidea and rotifers culture during the experimental period. Maximum cell densities of C. ellipsoidea were recorded in inexpensive pulse bran extract medium during the culture period. The mean population densities (means ± SEM) of B. calyciflorus were significantly (p<0.01) highest in T2 (28.6 ± 4.64 (x103) individuals L-1) compared to T1 (11.6 ± 1.24 (x103) individuals L-1) and T3 (11.4 ± 1.82 (x103) individuals L-1). The findings of present study revealed that fresh cultured C. ellipsoidea was the best food for production of the rotifer, B. calyciflorus. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17843 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 41-48, December, 2013
Study on existing nutritional condition of peri-urban dairies at Chittagong, Bangladesh
Authors: Hasanuzzaman M , Ahaduzzaman M , Begum MR
Published: February 2014

The study was aimed to observe the nutritive value of concentrate used in different dairy farms at peri-urban areas of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Ten (10) different concentrate feeds were randomly selected from ten different farms which analyzed for moisture, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen free extracts (NFE), ether extracts (EE), total ash (TA) and acid insoluble ash (AIA) and requirements of concentrate for unit production of milk was calculated. It was found that the nutritive value of individual feed concentrate of each farm varied significantly. The observed proportion of using feed ingredients was also significantly different among the farms. Finally, it may be summarized that the concentrate mixture used by the different farmers of peri-urban areas of Chittagong was different in regards to chemical composition, ingredients and amount required for milk production. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17844 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 49-53, December, 2013
Feasibility study of cassava meal in broiler diets by partial replacing energy source (corn) in regard to gross response and carcass traits
Authors: Hossain MA , Amin JR , Hossain ME
Published: February 2014

Day-old unsexed broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were used to investigate the growth responses and meat yield traits by nourishing them under four dietary treatment group in inclusion of cassava meal with partial substitution of valuable energy source (maize or corn). A total of 260 birds were assigned randomly into four dietary treatments [T1 (0%); T2 (10%); T3 (20%), and T4 (30%)]; each replicated 5 times, 13 birds/replicate in a completely randomized design. Birds were reared with ad libitum feeding, similar housing, and environmental management condition from d1-35 days. Growth responses of broilers in terms of feed intake, body weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR), livability and meat yield traits were assessed in this study. Except for first week, the feed intake of birds on cassava treated diets up to 21 and 35 days was significantly (p<0.001) higher than the non-cassava or control diet (T1). Feed intake of broilers on cassava treated diet (T4 ) had the highest (2795.8 g/b) while the birds of control (T1) diet group consumed the lowest feed (2771.9 g/b) at 35 day. Live weight decreased (p<0.001) with the inclusion of cassava meal diets up to 21 day only; and live weights up to 7 and 35 days were identical between treatment. FCR up to 21 day was improved (p<0.001) on control diet (T1) and deteriorated on cassava treated diets. FCR values up to 7 and 35 days were unaffected by all the treatment groups. Neither the livability nor the meat yield traits (thigh, breast, drumstick, shank, neck, giblet, wing and dressing yield) of broiler chickens was influenced by the dietary treatments regardless of feeding broiler chickens with cassava or non-cassava diets in this study. It may be deduced based on the present findings that, cassava tuber meal might be a potential ingredient to replace the costly maize up to 300 g kg-1 without affecting growth performance of the broiler chickens. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17846 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 59-65, December, 2013
Effect of integrated approach of plant nutrients on yield and yield attributes of different crops in wheat-sesame-T. Aman cropping pattern
Authors: Islam MA , Begum Mst A , Jahangir MM
Published: February 2014

The experiment was carried out at FSRD site, Pushpopara, Pabna, during November, 2010 to December, 2011 to observe the comparative performance of integrated plant nutrients management (IPNS) system through the use of organic (cowdung, cowdung slurry) manure and inorganic fertilizer on wheat, sesame and T. Aman crops under wheat-sesame-T. Aman cropping pattern. The experiment was consisted with four treatments viz. T1: Soil test based inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal, T2: Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + IPNS basis inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal, T3: Cowdung slurry @ 5 t ha-1 + IPNS basis inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal and T4: Fertilizer dose usually practiced by the farmers. In case of wheat, the highest grain yield (3.80 t ha-1) was obtained from bio-slurry treated plot that means T3 treatment followed by T2 and the lowest (3.31 t ha-1) from T4. Higher seed yield (1.31 t ha-1) of sesame was obtained from T3 that was statistically identical to T2 and T1 and the lower (1.01 t ha-1) from T4. For T. Aman rice, the highest grain yield (4.89 t ha-1) was obtained from T3 which was statistically indistinguishable from T1 where as the lowest grain yield (4.1 t ha-1) was recorded from T4. Considering the whole pattern, it is observed that the highest gross return (271100 Tk ha-1) was obtained from T3 followed by T2 and the lowest (225650 Tk ha-1) from T1 treatment. Total variable cost was recorded as the highest (100368 Tk ha-1) in T2 followed by T3 and the lowest (86775 Tk ha-1) in T4 treatment. The highest marginal value of product (45450 Tk ha-1) was recorded in T3 followed by T2 where as the minimum (28710 Tk ha-1) was found in T1 over the T4 treatment. Marginal variable cost was observed as the highest (13593 Tk ha-1) in T2 treatment followed by T3 and the minimum (8899 Tk ha-1) was recorded in T1 treatment. The highest MBCR (4.15) was recorded from T3 followed by T2 and the minimum (2.31) from T2 treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17847 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 66-71, December, 2013
Participatory rural appraisal approaches: an overview and an exemplary application of focus group discussion in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies
Authors: Uddin MN , Anjuman N
Published: February 2014

Different tools and techniques of participatory approaches are the basic way of conducting qualitative research especially in the field of applied social science. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is one of the main Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) technique often used in combination with others to achieve desired goals. Considering this concept, this paper attempts to review the PRA approach and then application of FGD, in combination with matrix scoring and ranking to identify problems and causes of climate change along with possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. A group of 20 students at post graduate level under the faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture at Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany those from different corner of the world was considered as target people of the study. The results concluded that unpredictable weather events was ranked as the present outstanding visible climate change problem caused by human activities. However, it was noted that if alternative renewable energy sources are exploited, this could contribute to solving the present climate change problem. This finding might have the good reference for the policy makers in the same line not only for developing countries but also for developed countries. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17848 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 72-78, December, 2013
Improving Bioscience Research Reporting: The ARRIVE Guidelines for Reporting Animal Research
Authors: Kilkenny Carol , Browne William , Cuthill Innes , Emerson Michael , Altman Douglas
Published: February 2014

In the last decade the number of bioscience journals has increased enormously, with many filling specialised niches reflecting new disciplines and technologies. The emergence of open-access journals has revolutionised the publication process, maximising the availability of research data. Nevertheless, a wealth of evidence shows that across many areas, the reporting of biomedical research is often inadequate, leading to the view that even if the science is sound, in many cases the publications themselves are not “fit for purpose”, meaning that incomplete reporting of relevant information effectively renders many publications of limited value as instruments to inform policy or clinical and scientific practice [1–21]. A recent review of clinical research showed that there is considerable cumulative waste of financial resources at all stages of the research process, including as a result of publications that are unusable due to poor reporting [22]. It is unlikely that this issue is confined to clinical research [2–14,16–20].
Polar Microbiology: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives
Authors: Rampelotto Pabulo
Published: February 2014

Polar microbiology is a thriving branch of science with the potential to provide new insights into a wide range of basic and applied issues in biology. In this context, it is timely to review and highlight the progress so far and discuss exciting future perspectives. In this special issue, some of the leaders in the field have described their work, ideas and findings in a collection of reviews and original research articles with studies ranging from one of the oldest permafrost areas on Earth, located in Siberia, to the accretion ice of Lake Vostok, located in Antarctica. Altogether, these articles provide a comprehensive and reliable source of information on the current advances and future perspectives in this exciting field of research. In this Editorial, I present a brief overview on the theme [...]
Cloud Computing Security: A Survey
Authors: Khalil Issa , Khreishah Abdallah , Azeem Muhammad
Published: February 2014

Cloud computing is an emerging technology paradigm that migrates current technological and computing concepts into utility-like solutions similar to electricity and water systems. Clouds bring out a wide range of benefits including configurable computing resources, economic savings, and service flexibility. However, security and privacy concerns are shown to be the primary obstacles to a wide adoption of clouds. The new concepts that clouds introduce, such as multi-tenancy, resource sharing and outsourcing, create new challenges to the security community. Addressing these challenges requires, in addition to the ability to cultivate and tune the security measures developed for traditional computing systems, proposing new security policies, models, and protocols to address the unique cloud security challenges. In this work, we provide a comprehensive study of cloud computing security and privacy concerns. We identify cloud vulnerabilities, classify known security threats and attacks, and present the state-of-the-art practices to control the vulnerabilities, neutralize the threats, and calibrate the attacks. Additionally, we investigate and identify the limitations of the current solutions and provide insights of the future security perspectives. Finally, we provide a cloud security framework in which we present the various lines of defense and identify the dependency levels among them. We identify 28 cloud security threats which we classify into five categories. We also present nine general cloud attacks along with various attack incidents, and provide effectiveness analysis of the proposed countermeasures.
Agronomical Parameters, Sugar Profile and Antioxidant Compounds of “Catherine” Peach Cultivar Influenced by Different Plum Rootstocks
Authors: Font i Forcada Carolina , Gogorcena Yolanda , Moreno María
Published: February 2014

The influence of seven plum rootstocks (Adesoto, Monpol, Montizo, Puebla de Soto 67 AD, PM 105 AD, St. Julien GF 655/2 and Constantí 1) on individual and total sugars, as well as on antioxidant content in fruit flesh of “Catherine” peaches, was evaluated for three years. Agronomical and basic fruit quality parameters were also determined. At twelve years after budding, significant differences were found between rootstocks for the different agronomic and fruit quality traits evaluated. The Pollizo plum rootstocks Adesoto and PM 105 AD seem to induce higher sweetness to peach fruits, based on soluble solids content, individual (sucrose, fructose and sorbitol) and total sugars. A clear tendency was also observed with the rootstock Adesoto, inducing the highest content of phenolics, flavonoids, vitamin C and relative antioxidant capacity (RAC). Thus, the results of this study demonstrate the significant effect of rootstock on the sugar profile and phytochemical characteristics of peach fruits. In addition, this work shows the importance of the sugar profile, because specific sugars play an important role in peach flavour quality, as well as the studied phytochemical compounds when looking for high quality peaches with enhanced health properties.
Easy Access to a Cyclic Key Intermediate for the Synthesis of Trisporic Acids and Related Compounds
Authors: González-Delgado José , Escobar Gustavo , Arteaga Jesús , Barrero Alejandro
Published: February 2014

The synthesis of a cyclohexane skeleton possessing different oxygenated functional groups at C–3, C–8 and C–9, and a D1,6-double bond has been accomplished in 10 steps with an overall 17% yield. This compound is a key intermediate for access to a wide range of compounds of the bioactive trisporoid family. The synthetic sequence consists of the preparation of a properly functionalized epoxygeraniol derivative, and its subsequent stereoselective cyclization mediated by Ti(III). This last step implies a domino process that starts with a homolytic epoxide opening followed by a radical cyclization and regioselective elimination. This concerted process gives access to the cyclohexane moiety with stereochemical control of five of its six carbon atoms.
A High-Fat Diet Differentially Affects the Gut Metabolism and Blood Lipids of Rats Depending on the Type of Dietary Fat and Carbohydrate
Authors: Jurgoński Adam , Juśkiewicz Jerzy , Zduńczyk Zenon
Published: February 2014

The aim of this model study was to investigate how selected gut functions and serum lipid profile in rats on high-fat diets differed according to the type of fat (saturated vs. unsaturated) and carbohydrate (simple vs. complex). The experiment was conducted using 32 male Wistar rats distributed into 4 groups of 8 animals each. For 4 weeks, the animals were fed group-specific diets that were either rich in lard or soybean oil (16% of the diet) as the source of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, respectively; further, each lard- and soybean oil-rich diet contained either fructose or corn starch (45.3% of the diet) as the source of simple or complex carbohydrates, respectively. Both dietary factors contributed to changes in the caecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations, especially to the butyrate concentration, which was higher in rats fed lard- and corn starch-rich diets compared to soybean oil- and fructose-rich diets, respectively. The lowest butyrate concentration was observed in rats fed the soybean oil- and fructose-rich diet. On the other hand, the lard- and fructose-rich diet vs. the other dietary combinations significantly increased serum total cholesterol concentration, to more than two times serum triglyceride concentration and to more than five times the atherogenic index. In conclusion, a high-fat diet rich in fructose can unfavorably affect gut metabolism when unsaturated fats are predominant in the diet or the blood lipids when a diet is rich in saturated fats.
A Unified Theoretical Model for the Monotonic and Cyclic Response of FRP Strips Glued to Concrete
Authors: Martinelli Enzo , Caggiano Antonio
Published: February 2014

The mechanical behavior of the adhesive interface between the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strip and the concrete substrate often controls the response of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) members. Plenty of studies devoted to understanding the mechanical behavior of FRP strips glued to concrete are currently available in the scientific literature. However, they are mainly focused on the response under monotonic actions, which is certainly relevant in a wide class of practical applications. Conversely, few contributions are currently available to better understand the response of FRP-to-concrete interfaces under cyclic actions, such as those deriving from either seismic excitations or traffic loads. This paper presents a unified numerical approach to simulate both monotonic and cyclic behavior of FRP plates glued on quasi-brittle substrates like those made of concrete. Particularly, a damage-based approach is proposed to simulate the fracture behavior of FRP-to-concrete joints under loading/unloading cycling tests. The model is formulated within the general framework of Fracture Mechanics and is based on assuming that fracture at the FRP-to-concrete interface develops in (pure shear) mode II, as widely accepted in similar problems. Two alternative expressions of the bond-slip behavior are herein considered and their preliminary validation is finally proposed. The proposed results highlight the difference between the monotonic and the cyclic response; particularly, they show that the latter is characterized by a significantly lower force and displacement capacity.
Electron Transfer-Based Single Molecule Fluorescence as a Probe for Nano-Environment Dynamics
Authors: Chen Ruiyun , Wu Ruixiang , Zhang Guofeng , Gao Yan , Xiao Liantuan , Jia Suotang
Published: February 2014

Electron transfer (ET) is one of the most important elementary processes that takes place in fundamental aspects of biology, chemistry, and physics. In this review, we discuss recent research on single molecule probes based on ET. We review some applications, including the dynamics of glass-forming systems, surface binding events, interfacial ET on semiconductors, and the external field-induced dynamics of polymers. All these examples show that the ET-induced changes of fluorescence trajectory and lifetime of single molecules can be used to sensitively probe the surrounding nano-environments.
Plant DNA detection from grasshopper guts: A step‐by‐step protocol, from tissue preparation to obtaining plant DNA sequences
Authors: Avanesyan Alina
Published: February 2014

• Premise of the study: A PCR‐based method of identifying ingested plant DNA in gut contents of Melanoplus grasshoppers was developed. Although previous investigations have focused on a variety of insects, there are no protocols available for plant DNA detection developed for grasshoppers, agricultural pests that significantly influence plant community composition.

• Methods and Results: The developed protocol successfully used the noncoding region of the chloroplast trnL (UAA) gene and was tested in several feeding experiments. Plant DNA was obtained at seven time points post‐ingestion from whole guts and separate gut sections, and was detectable up to 12 h post‐ingestion in nymphs and 22 h post‐ingestion in adult grasshoppers.

• Conclusions: The proposed protocol is an effective, relatively quick, and low‐cost method of detecting plant DNA from the grasshopper gut and its different sections. This has important applications, from exploring plant “movement” during food consumption, to detecting plant–insect interactions.
Note on some antlions from Mozambique (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)
Authors: Letardi Agostino
Published: February 2014

Faunal data concerning 4 poorly known species from Southern Mozambique are reported. Myrmeleon lanceolatus Rambur, 1842 is reported for the first time from Mozambique.
DETERMINANTS OF INTENTION TO INHABIT ECO-FRIENDLY HOMES IN MALAYSIA
Authors: Hong Tan Teck
Published: February 2014

Malaysian housing developers are weighing the costs and benefits of building environmentally-sensitive homes out of concern that the market may not be receptive to such homes. This study aims to examine the determinants of inhabiting intentions of potential homebuyers toward eco-friendly homes. Using a case study of Nusajaya Iskandar Malaysia, a series of quantitative analysis was used to examine homebuyers' intentions to inhabit eco-friendly homes. The results for the survey revealed that a favorable attitude toward eco-friendly homes, high control in the ability to purchase eco-friendly homes, and the self-identification of green consumerism were statistically significant determinants of intention to inhabit such homes. Social referents' opinion relating to eco-friendly homes, however, was not significantly related to inhabiting intentions. Additionally, households of gated-guarded and detached dwellings, higher income and educational attainment, and housing costs were significantly related to the intention of acquiring eco-friendly homes.
Rationale for Use of Cloud Computing
Authors: Zeid Amir , Shawish Ahmed , Salama Maria
Published: February 2014

Cloud Computing is the most promising computing paradigm that provides flexible resource allocation on demand with the promise of realizing elastic, Internet-accessible, computing on a pay-as-you-go basis. With the growth and expansion of the Cloud services and participation of various services providers, the description of quality parameters and measurement units start to diversify and sometime contradict. Such ambiguity does not only result in the rise of various Quality of Service (QoS) interoperability problems but also in the distraction of the services consumers who find themselves unable to match quality requirements with the providers’ offerings. Yet, employing the available QoS models that cover certain quality aspects while neglecting others drive consumers to perform their service selection based only on cost-benefit analysis and performance evaluation, without being able to perform subjective selection based on a comprehensive set of well-defined quality aspects. This chapter presents a novel QoS ontology that combines and defines all of the existing quality aspects in a unified way to efficiently overcome all existing diversities. Using such an ontology, a comprehensive broad QoS model combining all quality-related parameters of both service providers and consumers for different Cloud platforms is presented. The chapter also provides a mathematical model that formulates the Cloud Computing service provider selection optimization problem based on QoS guarantees. The validation of the provided model is addressed in the chapter through extensive simulation studies conducted on benchmark data of Content Delivery Network providers. The studies report the efficient matching of the model with the market-oriented different platform characteristics.
Different Perspectives of Cloud Security
Authors: Sundaresan M. , Boopathy D.
Published: February 2014

Cloud storage systems can be considered to be a network of distributed datacenters that typically use cloud computing technology like virtualization and offer some kind of interface for storing data. To increase the availability of the data, it may be redundantly stored at different locations. Basic cloud storage is generally not designed to be accessed directly by users but rather incorporated into custom software using API. Cloud computing involves other processes besides storage. In this chapter, the authors discuss different viewpoints for cloud computing from the user, legal, security, and service provider perspectives. From the user viewpoint, the stored data creates a mirror of currently available local data. The backup feature allows users to recover any version of a previously stored data. Synchronization is the process of establishing consistency among the stored data. From the legal viewpoint, provisions regulating the user processing and storage of the data must have to be constant from when the data is stored in the cloud. The security viewpoint requires interaction with the Web application, data storage, and transmission. The service provider viewpoint requires the maximum level of cloud storage service at the minimum cost.
Green Cloud Computing
Authors: Wang Haibo , Huo Da
Published: February 2014

This chapter considers the data center site selection problem in cloud computing with extensive reviews on site selection decision models. The factors considered in the site selection include economic, environmental, and social issues. After discussing the environmental impact of data centers and its social implications, the authors present a nonlinear multiple criteria decision-making model with green computing criteria and solve the problem by using a variable neighborhood search heuristic. The proposed model and solution methodology can be applied to other site selection problems to address the environmental awareness, and the results illustrate both the robustness and attractiveness of this solution approach.
Leveraging Cloud Technology for Rural Healthcare in India
Authors: Suryanarayana Girish , Joseph Roshan , Bhaskaran Sabishaw , Basu Amarnath
Published: February 2014

Cloud technology is used for a variety of purposes in order to handle large volumes of data. This chapter explores a rural healthcare project in India in which cloud technology was introduced in order to store and share large volumes of data. This project benefits from cloud technology because of the ability to store patients’ full health history on the cloud and access them wherever services are provided. The impetus for this project originated with the fact that many hospitals maintained their proprietary information systems, and thus, patient history was unavailable to physicians outside of that system. The search engine used in this project is called Indexer, which can search a vast collection of records stored in the cloud and help with the diagnosis. The solution developed supports multi-tenancy of data and uses the Azure platform. The project has taken adequate precautions to protect the data. This project is not focused on privacy protection per se but on saving lives.