bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevated Adsorption of Lead and Arsenic over Silver Nanoparticles Deposited on Poly(amidoamine) Grafted Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Neelgund Gururaj M. , Aguilar Sanjuana F. , Kurkuri Mahaveer D. , Rodrigues Debora F. , Ray Ram L.
Published: November 2022

An efficient adsorbent, CNTs–PAMAM–Ag, was prepared by grafting fourth-generation aromatic poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and successive deposition of Ag nanoparticles. The FT–IR, XRD, TEM and XPS results confirmed the successful grafting of PAMAM onto CNTs and deposition of Ag nanoparticles. The absorption efficiency of CNTs–PAMAM–Ag was evaluated by estimating the adsorption of two toxic contaminants in water, viz., Pb(II) and As(III). Using CNTs–PAMAM–Ag, about 99 and 76% of Pb(II) and As(III) adsorption, respectively, were attained within 15 min. The controlling mechanisms for Pb(II) and As(III) adsorption dynamics were revealed by applying pseudo-first and second-order kinetic models. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model followed the adsorption of Pb(II) and As(III). Therefore, the incidence of chemisorption through sharing or exchanging electrons between Pb(II) or As(III) ions and CNTs–PAMAM–Ag could be the rate-controlling step in the adsorption process. Further, the Weber–Morris intraparticle pore diffusion model was employed to find the reaction pathways and the rate-controlling step in the adsorption. It revealed that intraparticle diffusion was not a rate-controlling step in the adsorption of Pb(II) and As(III); instead, it was controlled by both intraparticle diffusion and the boundary layer effect. The adsorption equilibrium was evaluated using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models. The kinetic data of Pb(II) and As(III) adsorption was adequately fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model compared to the Freundlich and Temkin models.
The Association of Dietary Magnesium and Prediabetes in Childbearing Chinese Women: Results from China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015–2017)
Authors: Yang Jingxin , Zhang Huidi , Cao Yang , Shan Xiaoyun , Feng Jie , Lu Jiaxi , Cai Shuya , Zhao Liyun , Yang Lichen
Published: November 2022

Although several studies have shown the relationship between magnesium and diabetes, there are few studies regarding the association between magnesium status and prediabetes. This study aimed to examine the association between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of prediabetes in childbearing Chinese women (18–44 years). A total of 1981 participants without diabetes were randomly selected from China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (CNHS) in 2015 by considering the regional types and monitoring points, including 1420 normal fasting glucose (NFG) people and 561 prediabetes cases. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measured dietary and plasma magnesium. The results of this study showed that dietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with fasting plasma glucose. For every 100 mg of magnesium intake, there was a 0.052 mmol/L (95% CI 0.019, 0.085) reduction in fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.002). Compared with the lowest intake quartile (<350.10 mg/day), the third and fourth quartiles (≥405.41 mg/day) reduced the odds risk of prediabetes (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.46, 0.88, p = 0.020) by approximately 37%. The dose-response curves for the association between magnesium intake and prediabetes followed an L shape. The odds ratio of prediabetes decreased significantly with increasing dietary Mg intake at less than 410 mg/day, and then the curve leveled off or slightly increased. This study found a negative association between dietary magnesium intake and prediabetes in childbearing Chinese women. The risk of prediabetes was reduced with increasing dietary magnesium intake, and the threshold value was 410 mg/day. This suggests that childbearing women also need to pay attention to their magnesium status.
Dietary Isorhamnetin Intake Is Associated with Lower Blood Pressure in Coronary Artery Disease Patients
Authors: Popiolek-Kalisz Joanna , Blaszczak Piotr , Fornal Emilia
Published: November 2022

Background: Recent studies suggest the positive role of flavonols on blood pressure (BP) values, although there are not many conducted on humans. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between flavonol intake and their main sources of consumption, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP values in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Methods and results: forty CAD patients completed a food-frequency questionnaire dedicated to flavonol-intake assessment. The analysis revealed significant correlation between isorhamnetin intake and SBP values—absolute (R: −0.36; 95% CI: −0.602 to −0.052; p = 0.02), and related to body mass (R: −0.38; 95% CI: −0.617 to −0.076; p = 0.02. This effect was observed in male participants (R: −0.65; 95% CI: −0.844 to −0.302; p = 0.001 and R: −0.63; 95% CI: −0.837 to −0.280; p = 0.002 respectively), but not in female patients. The main contributors were onions, tomatoes, blueberries, apples, tea, coffee and wine. White onion (R: −0.39; 95% CI: −0.624 to −0.088; p = 0.01) consumption was inversely correlated with SBP, and tomato consumption (R: −0.33; 95% CI: −0.581 to −0.020; p = 0.04) with DBP. The comparison between patients with BP < 140 mmHg and ≥140 mmHg revealed significant differences in white onion (p = 0.01) and blueberry (p = 0.04) intake. Conclusions: This study revealed the relationship between long-term dietary isorhamnetin intake and SBP values. The analysis of specific food intake showed that onion, tomato and blueberry consumption could impact BP values. This may suggest that a dietary approach which includes a higher intake of isorhamnetin-rich products could possibly result in BP lowering in CAD patients.
Effect of Epidermal Growth Factor in Human Milk and Maternal Diet on Late-Onset Breast Milk Jaundice: A Case-Control Study in Beijing
Authors: Guo Qianying , Cui Mingxuan , Liu Xinran , Zhao Shilong , Liu Peng , Wang Linlin
Published: November 2022

Breast milk is crucial in the development of late-onset breast milk jaundice (BMJ), possibly due to the composition of breast milk and the lactating mother’s diet. To explore the possible nutritional pathogenesis of late-onset BMJ, we investigated the lactation diet and collected breast milk by following the 42-day postpartum mother–infants pairs in Beijing and a total of 94 pairs were enrolled. The macronutrient content of breast milk was measured, and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) content in breast milk was determined by ELISA. Data on in-hospital and out-of-hospital breastfeeding, infant growth, jaundice-related vaccination, and puerperium diet were collected. The BMJ group received the second dose of hepatitis B vaccine later than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The EGF concentration in breast milk was lower in the BMJ group than in the control group (p = 0.03). When EGF increased by 1 ng/mL, the transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) value decreased by 0.33 ng/mL and 0.27 ng/mL before and after the adjustment, respectively. A 1 g increase in oil intake led to a 0.38 ng/mL increase in EGF concentration before the adjustment. With a 1 g increase in oil intake, the TcB value decreased by 0.27 ng/mL before the adjustment, and with a 1 g increase in soybean and soybean product intake, the TcB value decreased by 0.34 ng/mL after the adjustment. Collectively, EGF in breast milk may inhibit the occurrence of late-onset BMJ, and the dietary intake of oil in lactating mothers may affect the level of EGF in breast milk, thus affecting the occurrence of late-onset BMJ. Finally, dietary oil intake may be a protective factor for the occurrence of late-onset BMJ by increasing EGF levels in breast milk.
Acute Kidney Injury in Non-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Hospitalizations for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Authors: Fabrizi Fabrizio , Alfieri Carlo M. , Molinari Paolo , Tamborini Francesco , Tangredi Marianna , Sikharulidze Anna , Blasi Francesco , Fracanzani Anna , Monzani Walter , Peyvandi Flora , Castellano Giuseppe
Published: November 2022

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication among SARS-CoV-2-positive patients who undergo hospitalization. Abundant evidence exists concerning the epidemiology of AKI in patients hospitalized in the ICU for COVID-19 but limited data are available about the occurrence of AKI in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients being hospitalized in a non-ICU setting. Aim and Methods: We have carried out a retrospective study to evaluate frequency and risk factors for AKI among patients consecutively admitted at a third-level university hospital starting from February 2020 (the beginning of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic); all patients were hospitalized outside the ICU. Results: A total of 387 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were included in the current study; 372 (96.1%) had SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia. In-hospital AKI onset was recorded in 119 (30.7%) patients, mainly with AKI stage 1 (n = 74, 62.2%); eighteen (4.6%) patients reported AKI stage 3 and six (1.5%) patients had HD-dependent AKI. There were 235 (60.7%) patients with severe COVID-19, and this was more common in patients developing AKI, 94.5% (86/119) vs. 86.1% (149/268), p = 0.02. Multivariate regression model (n = 144 patients) reported an independent and significant relationship between AKI occurrence and greater levels of ferritin (p = 0.036), IL-6 (p = 0.032), and azotemia at admission (p = 0.0001). A total of 69 (17.8%) SARS-CoV-2-positive patients died and strong predictors of in-hospital death resulted from age (p < 0.0001), serum ferritin (p < 0.0001) and white blood cells (p < 0.001). According to multivariable analysis (n = 163 patients), there was a consistent link between in-hospital death and AKI stage (1) (p = 0.021) and -stage (2) (p = 0.009). Our results support the notion that AKI occurs frequently among hospitalized COVID-19 patients even in a non-ICU setting and plays a pivotal role in the mortality of this population. Further studies are ongoing in order to clearly establish the frequency of AKI in patients with COVID-19; the mechanisms underlying kidney injury in this population are an area of active investigation. These data provide solid evidence to support close monitoring of COVID-19 patients for the development of AKI and measures taken to prevent this.
Tsetse Flies Infected with Trypanosomes in Three Active Human African Trypanosomiasis Foci of the Republic of Congo
Authors: Bemba Irina , Lenga Arsene , Awono-Ambene Herman Parfait , Antonio-Nkondjio Christophe
Published: November 2022

Introduction: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical disease still endemic in the Republic of Congo. Despite the continuous detection of HAT cases in the country, there is still not enough data on trypanosome infections in tsetse flies, trypanosome species and tsetse flies’ species distribution in endemic foci. The present study was intended to fill this gap and improve understanding of trypanosome circulation in three active foci in the centre and south of Congo. Methods: Pyramid traps were set in various places in villages to collect tsetse flies both during the rainy and dry seasons. Once collected, tsetse flies were identified using morphological keys. DNA extracted from flies was processed by PCR for species identification and for detection of trypanosome presence. A second PCR was run for different trypanosome species identification. Results: A total of 1291 tsetse flies were collected. The average apparent density of flies per day was 0.043 in Mpouya, 0.73 in Ngabé and 2.79 in Loudima. Glossina fuscipes quazensis was the predominant tsetse fly collected in Ngabé and Mpouya, while Glossina palpalis palpalis was the only tsetse fly found in Loudima. A total of 224 (17.7%) flies were detected infected by trypanosomes; 100 (7.91%) by Trypanosoma congolense savannah, 22 (1.74%) by Trypanosoma congolense forest, 15 (1.19%) by Trypanosoma vivax, 83 (6.56%) by Trypanosoma brucei (s.l.) and 2 (0.16%) undetermined species. No T Trypanosoma brucei gambiense was found. A total of 57 co-infections between T. brucei (s.l.) and T. congolense savannah or T. brucei (s.l.) and T. congolense forest were found only in G. p. palpalis. Loudima recorded the highest number of infected tsetse flies. Conclusion: The study provided updated information on the distribution of tsetse fly populations as well as on Trypanosoma species circulating in tsetse flies in the different active HAT foci in Congo. These data suggested a high risk of potential transmission of animal trypanosomes in these foci, thus stressing the need for active surveillance in this endemic area.
In Vitro, Molecular Docking and In Silico ADME/Tox Studies of Emodin and Chrysophanol against Human Colorectal and Cervical Carcinoma
Authors: Ahmad Wasim , Ansari Mohammad Azam , Alsayari Abdulrhman , Almaghaslah Dalia , Wahab Shadma , Alomary Mohammad N. , Jamal Qazi Mohammad Sajid , Khan Firdos Alam , Ali Abuzer , Alam Prawez , Elderdery Abozer Y.
Published: November 2022

Anthraquinones (AQs) are present in foods, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, and traditional treatments and have a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. In the search for anti-cancer drugs, AQ derivatives are an important class. In this study, anthraquinone aglycons chrysophanol (Chr), emodin (EM) and FDA-approved anticancer drug fluorouracil were analyzed by molecular docking studies against receptor molecules caspase-3, apoptosis regulator Bcl-2, TRAF2 and NCK-interacting protein kinase (TNIK) and cyclin-dependent protein kinase 2 (CDK2) as novel candidates for future anticancer therapeutic development. The ADMET SAR database was used to predict the toxicity profile and pharmacokinetics of the Chr and EM. Furthermore, in silico results were validated by the in vitro anticancer activity against HCT-116 and HeLa cell lines to determine the anticancer effect. According to the docking studies simulated by the docking program AutoDock Vina 4.0, Chr and EM had good binding energies against the target proteins. It has been observed that Chr and EM show stronger molecular interaction than that of the FDA-approved anticancer drug fluorouracil. In the in vitro results, Chr and EM demonstrated promising anticancer activity in HCT-116 and HeLa cells. These findings lay the groundwork for the potential use of Chr and EM in the treatment of human colorectal and cervical carcinomas.
Formulation and Evaluation of Novel Additive-Free Spray-Dried Triamcinolone Acetonide Microspheres for Pulmonary Delivery: A Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Amran Mohammed , Khafagy El-Sayed , Mokhtar Hatem I. , Zaitone Sawsan A. , Moustafa Yasser M. , Gad Shadeed
Published: November 2022

This work aimed to establish a simple method to produce additive-free triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) microspheres suitable for pulmonary delivery, and therefore more simple manufacturing steps will be warranted. The spray-drying process involved the optimization of the TAA feed ratio in a concentration range of 1–3% w/v from different ethanol/water compositions with/without adding ammonium bicarbonate as a blowing agent. Characterization of the formulas was performed via scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and powder X-ray diffraction. Our results indicated that the size and morphology of spray-dried TAA particles were dependent on the feed and solvent concentrations in the spray-dried formulations. Furthermore, adding the blowing agent, ammonium bicarbonate, did not produce a significant enhancement in particle characteristics. We prepared additive-free TAA microspheres and found that TAA formulation #1 had optimal physical properties in terms of diameter (2.24 ± 0.27 µm), bulk density (0.95 ± 0.05), tapped density (1.18 ± 0.07), and flowability for deposition during the pulmonary tract, from a centric airway to the alveoli as indicated by Carr’s index = 19 ± 0.01. Hence, formulation #1 was selected to be tested for pharmacokinetic characters. Rats received pulmonary doses of TAA formula #1 and then the TTA concentration in plasma, fluid broncho-alveolar lavage, and lung tissues was determined by HPLC. The TAA concentration at 15 min was 0.55 ± 0.02 µg/mL in plasma, 16.74 ± 2 µg/mL in bronchoalveolar lavage, and 8.96 ± 0.65 µg/mL in lung homogenates, while at the 24 h time point, the TAA concentration was 0.03 ± 0.02 µg/mL in plasma, 1.48 ± 0.27 µg/mL in bronchoalveolar lavage, and 3.79 ± 0.33 µg/mL in lung homogenates. We found that TAA remained in curative concentrations in the rat lung tissues for at least 24 h after pulmonary administration. Therefore, we can conclude that additive-free spray-dried TAA microspheres were promising for treating lung diseases. The current novel preparation technology has applications in the design of preparations for TAA or other therapeutic agents designed for pulmonary delivery.
Tomato Leaf Disease Recognition on Leaf Images Based on Fine-Tuned Residual Neural Networks
Authors: Kanda Paul Shekonya , Xia Kewen , Kyslytysna Anastasiia , Owoola Eunice Oluwabunmi
Published: November 2022

Humans depend heavily on agriculture, which is the main source of prosperity. The various plant diseases that farmers must contend with have constituted a lot of challenges in crop production. The main issues that should be taken into account for maximizing productivity are the recognition and prevention of plant diseases. Early diagnosis of plant disease is essential for maximizing the level of agricultural yield as well as saving costs and reducing crop loss. In addition, the computerization of the whole process makes it simple for implementation. In this paper, an intelligent method based on deep learning is presented to recognize nine common tomato diseases. To this end, a residual neural network algorithm is presented to recognize tomato diseases. This research is carried out on four levels of diversity including depth size, discriminative learning rates, training and validation data split ratios, and batch sizes. For the experimental analysis, five network depths are used to measure the accuracy of the network. Based on the experimental results, the proposed method achieved the highest F1 score of 99.5%, which outperformed most previous competing methods in tomato leaf disease recognition. Further testing of our method on the Flavia leaf image dataset resulted in a 99.23% F1 score. However, the method had a drawback that some of the false predictions were of tomato early light and tomato late blight, which are two classes of fine-grained distinction.
The Effects of Pin Profile on HDPE Thermomechanical Phenomena during FSW
Authors: Khalaf Hassanein I. , Al-Sabur Raheem , Demiral Murat , Tomków Jacek , Łabanowski Jerzy , Abdullah Mahmoud E. , Aghajani Derazkola Hamed
Published: November 2022

Friction stir welding (FSW) of polymeric materials has recently attracted significant attention. Herein, we present the effect of the tool pin profile on the FSW of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) joints through joint experimental analysis and thermomechanical simulations. For analysis of pin profile effects on the thermomechanical properties of HDPE joints, frustum (FPT), cubic (CPT), and triangular (TPT) pin shapes were selected in this study. This research investigated the heat generation of the parts of the different tools as well as heat flux (internal and surface). The results revealed that the heat generation in pins with more edges (cubic (96 °C) and triangular (94 °C)) was greater than in pins with a smooth shape (frustum (91 °C)). The higher heat generation caused the heat flux on the surface of the HDPE from the cubic pin profile to be greater than for other joints. Due to the properties of HDPE, higher heat generation caused higher material velocity in the stirring zone, where the velocity of the materials in TPT, CPT, and FPT pins were 0.41 m/s, 0.42 m/s, and 0.4 m/s, respectively. The simulation results show sharp-edged pins, such as triangular and cubic, lead to over-stirring action and internal voids formed along the joint line. Furthermore, the simulation results indicated that the size of the stirred zones (SZs) of the FPT, TPT, and CPT samples were 17 mm2, 19 mm2, and 21 mm2, respectively, which is around three times the corresponding values in the HAZ.
Static Mixers Producible by Additive Manufacturing: Novel Rapid Automatic Optimisation and Practical Evaluation
Authors: Sasse Jana , Schön Malte , Hopmann Christian
Published: November 2022

In the extrusion of plastics, the thermal and material homogeneity of the plastic melt at the die entry are of high importance for the extrudate quality. While static mixers are widely used to improve the melt homogeneity, previous attempts at optimisation for reduced pressure loss and improved mixing had to be performed by hand and human experience, limiting the degrees of freedom and efficiency. A new automatic optimisation method based on the open source software OpenFOAM was developed. Using immersed boundary methods, new target functions in the pre-existing routine adjointShapeOptimizationFoam and an additional algorithm checking the suitability for additive manufacturing and fixing the geometry during run-time is presented. The new algorithm is used to optimise an existing static mixer based on an X-type geometry with integrated oil channels, maximising the heat exchange between oil and melt. Based on the results of these simulative optimisations, the best candidates were manufactured using selective laser melting and experimental trials were run. Experimental validation shows that with our optimisation algorithm, a pressure loss reduction of 10% could be achieved. The core melt temperature was reduced by 6 ∘C, improving the thermal homogenisation as well. While the main advantage of this method is the rapid optimisation taking the operating point into account, the trials also showed positive results in off-design operating points. This allows the low-cost design and manufacture of individualised static mixers.
Collecting as Ordering or Scattering; Scattering as Destruction
Authors: Kaimal Padma
Published: November 2022

Collecting and scattering may seem like opposites, but they are in fact complementary, interdependent actions. To collect religious art and other objects is also to scatter them. Though collecting can sometimes be virtuous, it is always disruptive to some previous order. Reversing that kind of disruption, which occurred on a grand scale during European explorations and colonization of much of the world, is not always possible, but telling the stories of those disruptions is an important first step for museums to take. A next step is to engage in meaningful conversations with places from which objects have been collected.
GMR-Net: Road-Extraction Network Based on Fusion of Local and Global Information
Authors: Zhang Zixuan , Sun Xuan , Liu Yuxi
Published: November 2022

Road extraction from high-resolution remote-sensing images has high application values in various fields. However, such work is susceptible to the influence of the surrounding environment due to the diverse slenderness and complex connectivity of roads, leading to false judgment and omission during extraction. To solve this problem, a road-extraction network, the global attention multi-path dilated convolution gated refinement Network (GMR-Net), is proposed. The GMR-Net is facilitated by both local and global information. A residual module with an attention mechanism is first designed to obtain global and other aggregate information for each location’s features. Then, a multi-path dilated convolution (MDC) approach is used to extract road features at different scales, i.e., to achieve multi-scale road feature extraction. Finally, gated refinement units (GR) are proposed to filter out ambiguous features for the gradual refinement of details. Multiple road-extraction methods are compared in this study using the Deep-Globe and Massachusetts datasets. Experiments on these two datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves F1-scores of 87.38 and 85.70%, respectively, outperforming other approaches on segmentation accuracy and generalization ability.
Multisource Fusion UAV Cluster Cooperative Positioning Using Information Geometry
Authors: Tang Chengkai , Wang Yuyang , Zhang Lingling , Zhang Yi , Song Houbing
Published: November 2022

Due to the functional limitations of a single UAV, UAV clusters have become an important part of smart cities, and the relative positioning between UAVs is the core difficulty in UAV cluster applications. Existing UAVs can be equipped with satellite navigation, radio navigation, and other positioning equipment, but in complex environments, such as urban canyons, various navigation sources cannot achieve full positioning information due to occlusion, interference, and other factors, and existing positioning fusion methods cannot meet the requirements of these environments. Therefore, demand exists for the real-time positioning of UAV clusters. Aiming to solve the above problems, this paper proposes multisource fusion UAV cluster cooperative positioning using information geometry (UCP-IG), which converts various types of navigation source information into information geometric probability models and reduces the impact of accidental errors, and proposes the Kullback–Leibler divergence minimization (KLM) fusion method to achieve rapid fusion on geometric manifolds and creatively solve the problem of difficult fusion caused by different positioning information formats and parameters. The method proposed in this paper is compared with the main synergistic methods, such as LS and neural networks, in an ideal scenario, a mutation error scenario, and a random motion scenario. The simulation results show that by using UAV cluster movement, the method proposed in this paper can effectively suppress mutation errors and achieve fast positioning.
Age and Growth of Three Dominant Lutjanus Species of the Great Barrier Reef Inter-Reef Fishery
Authors: McPHERSON G.R. , SQUIRE L.
Published: November 2022

Whole otoliths were used to age Lutjanus sebae, L. malabaricus and L. erythropterus from Great Barrier Reef waters. Validation of age estimates was incomplete. Significant differences existed between the sexes for some of the von Bertalanffy growth parameters and lengths at age of older fish. In general, males grew faster than females in older size classes, apparently after the attainment of maturity.
Effects of Different Artemia Diets on the Growth and Digestive Enzyme Activities of Early Postlarval Penaeus monodon
Authors: CHEN HOUNG-YUNG , LIN HSIAN-FU
Published: November 2022

The growth performance and digestive enzymic responses of early postlarval Penaeus monodon to four dietary groups including live, acid-treated and frozen Artemia salina nauplii and a compounded di.et with a chemical composition similar to that of Artemia were studied. The growth of postlarvae fed live or acidified Artemia which had the highest protease activities was significantly greater than with the other two diet groups. Levels of dietary amylase activities did not cause differential growth results. The growth of shrimp could not be related directly to the digestive enzyme activities of the shrimp.
Growth Characteristics and Critical Age of Coilia ectenes taihuensis
Authors: YU TANG
Published: November 2022

Coilia ectenes taihuensis (Yuan et al. 1986) is the dominant fish species in Taihu Lake, China. The length-weight relationship was expressed as: W = 6.430·10-6-L2· 8603 (r=0.9980) The von Bertalanffy growth formulae of the fish were determined to be: Lt= 349.3384 (1-exp(-0.354 [t-0.0319))] Wt= 121.0399 [1-exp(-0.354 [t-0.0319))]3 The growth rate in body length decreased gradually with increasing age. The acceleration of growth rate was positive from age 1 to 3.1 years, but thereafter was negative. Studies of the critical age of the population show that the population biomass of Coilia ectenes taihuensis (Yuan et al. 1986) is largest at age 3.2. This paper indicates that the growth turning point age of the body and the critical age of the population are important parameters in the study of fishery resources assessment.
Age and Growth of Labeo gonius (Cyprinidae) in Kali River, Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: CHATTERJI ANIL
Published: November 2022

Studies on the age and growth of Labeo gonius (Cyprinidae) collected from the River Kali, Uttar Pradesh, India, were made by analysis of the annuli found on the scales and through analysis of length-frequency data. A straight line relationship was observed between the scales and body length as expressed by the following equation: Y = -1.2127 + 1.0850 X. The fish attained mean lengths of 14.2, 20.6, 23.9, 26.4, 28.5 and 30.0 cm at the ages of I, II, III, IV, V and VI years, respectively. The growth of the species in cm could be expressed by the von Bertalanffy growth equation as: Lt = 45{1-exp-(-0.21 (t-t0))). Some observations on seasonality of growth are presented.
Some Aspects of the Biology of Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus (Rivas, 1966) from the Red Sea
Authors: AL-OGAILY SOLIMAN M.
Published: November 2022

Distribution and biology of red snapper Lutjanus campechanus {Rivas, 1966) were investigated in the Red Sea along the coast off Jizan between 15•45-17•47 E and 419 48-42"38 N. The juvenile and immature fish were distributed at a depth range of 6- 27 m (winter 15-21, summer 6-27 m) and mature fish from 27 to 59 m (winter 29-35, summer 27-59 m). Of the 153 specimens, the male to female sex ratio was 1:0.9. Females dominated in the months of January, April and July. Size at first maturity was 440 mm total body length or TL (female) and 500 mm TL (male). Spawning period was July-August. Mean fecundity of seven fish, 3-6 years old, was 169,000 eggs. Annual rings appeared on scales mostly in July. Length was back-calculated by TL= 67.3 + 4.42 scale diameter (R=0.99). The commercial catch was dominated by age group III+ fish. Weight-length and girth-length relations were determined. Mean values of condi­tion "K" and relative condition factor "Kn" of fish in combined sexes are 1.45° 0.13 and 0.98°0.03, respectively. Planktonic crustaceans, fish eggs and fish larvae were preferred by juvenile and immature fish, while larger crustaceans, molluscs and fish were pre­ferred by mature fish as their diet.
Studies on the Neurosecretory Cycle in the Eyestalk of the Shrimp Metapenaeus brevicornis During Ovary Maturation and Spawning
Authors: KUMAR J. MARTIN SANTHA
Published: November 2022

Histological studies of the neurosecretory cells (NSC) in the eyestalk of Metapenaeus brevicornis have revealed a secretory cycle regulating the reproductive state such as vitellogenesis, spawning and recovering. High secretory activity of the NSC was observed during spent-recovery and recrudescence. Different modes of release of neurosecretory materials from NSC were observed.
Acompanhamento de egressos e os desafios do ensino médio em uma Escola de Educação Profissional do Ceará
Authors:   , Pinto Maria Iris
Published: November 2022

A presente dissertação é desenvolvida no âmbito do Programa de Pósgraduação Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF). Criada em 2012 como parte do processo de expansão da rede estadual de escolas profissionais do estado, a EEEP JRD, situada no interior do Ceará, é palco da presente pesquisa que trata do acompanhamento de egressos. O estudo tem como questão norteadora: Como o acompanhamento de egressos poderia subsidiar a gestão da oferta dos cursos técnicos na escola? Seu objetivo é verificar se é feito esse acompanhamento, como é feito e possibilidades de aperfeiçoamento para contribuir com o planejamento da oferta de cursos. Trata do ensino médio e profissional e seus desafios históricos, da política do Ceará nesse âmbito, com foco na criação das escolas profissionais numa abordagem a partir das bases legais e em consultas a documentos oficiais do Governo do Estado. Informações foram coletados em fontes documentais da escola, produzindo-se os dados secundários. Ainda como referência do capítulo descritivo tem-se a legislação brasileira (BRASIL, 1988; 1996; 2007; 2017) e os estudos de Frigotto, Ciavatta e Ramos (2005), Krawczyk (2011), Ferreti (2018), dentre outros. Referenciando o capítulo analítico tem-se Machado (2001), Lousada e Martins (2005), Cerqueira et al. (2009), Michelan et al. (2009), Santos e Sousa (2015), Simon e Pacheco (2017), Pereira e Oliveira (2019), dentre outros autores que tratam da importância do acompanhamento de egressos pelas instituições de ensino. O tema aqui estudado é relevante pela vivência da autora como gestora da escola que lhe permite contextualizá-la, descrevê-la e tratar dos critérios para escolha de cursos identificando através da pesquisa de campo os desafios que ainda precisam ser superados referentes a este tema. Partindo dos dados coletados na pesquisa documental e com base na análise das entrevistas estruturadas realizadas com os agentes escolares, ficou evidente que a escola não possui um sistema de acompanhamento aos seus egressos que possa subsidiar seu planejamento. Sendo assim, foi elaborado um Plano de Ação Educacional com propostas de ações para implementação de um sistema de acompanhamento aos egressos da escola através de pesquisas aos egressos e a criação de uma rede de comunicação.
Avaliação de modelos de aprendizado de máquina para classificação de gestantes e predição de gravidez de risco usando o histórico de consultas médicas
Authors:   , Silva Mayara Amanda da
Published: November 2022

Atualmente, a tecnologia disponível permite a criação e o armazenamento de quantidades cada vez maiores de dados. Além disso, a ampla disponibilidade de métodos de aprendizado de máquina auxilia na análise e interpretação do grande volume de dados disponíveis, o que traz claros benefícios para a sociedade. Sistemas de saúde notoriamente geram muitos dados. Há eventos importantes, sensíveis e que a análise de informações do volume de dados armazenados, podem contribuir para diagnósticos precoces. Por exemplo, gestantes tendem a ser acompanhadas por um longo período, o que gera informações importantes para tomadas de decisões. Portanto, a identificação de uma gestação de alto risco ou mesmo a detecção precoce de possíveis complicações pode garantir à gestante uma gestação com mais cuidado e conforto. Assim, neste trabalho temos como objetivo a avaliação de modelos de aprendizado de máquina para classificação de gestantes de risco. Inicialmente caracterizamos os atendimentos da gestante, onde são analisadas as trajetórias de atendimento de pacientes na rede de atenção básica de saúde. Avaliar como é a trajetória dos pacientes do SUS, seja entre os atendimentos, seja entre as unidades de atendimento, é uma atividade importante para o entendimento e aprimoramento do sistema. Com isso, aplicamos modelos de classificação para identificar gestantes em risco. Além disso, a partir dos dados existentes, criamos técnicas para agrupar automaticamente as gestantes baseado nas consultas realizadas. Tanto o modelo de classificação quanto a aplicação desse modelo em dados temporais foram testados em um grupo de gestante cadastradas no sistema público de saúde do município de São Paulo-Brasil. Os resultados demonstram que o modelo de classificação tem alto desempenho, e consegue classificar uma gravidez de risco, com acurácia de quase 74%, com apenas 4 semanas de dados de uma gestação. Os agrupamentos que o modelo automático gerou foram validadas por especialistas da área médica e as informações desses grupos são coerentes com os procedimentos realizados pelas gestantes. Por fim, acreditamos que os modelos criados e as discussões dessa dissertação poderão ser utilizadas como meio para auxiliar na tomada de decisão, tanto de médicos quanto de gestores de saúde.
O artista empreendedor: um estudo de caso de Damien Hirst
Authors:   , Restivo Giovanna Marques Guisard
Published: November 2022

As circunstâncias atuais, de financeirização da cultura e difusão do corporativismo nas artes, provocaram o esmaecimento ainda mais acentuado das fronteiras entre arte e economia. Sob essas condições, os papeis artísticos e empresariais se interpenetram e se institui a figura do “artista empreendedor”, que aproxima suas estratégias de reconhecimento e o discurso de suas obras de arte de técnicas empresariais. A partir do estudo de caso de Damien Hirst como figura paradigmática, a presente pesquisa pretende investigar o advento do artista empreendedor e suas estratégias artísticas e de mercado por meio da análise de dois megaeventos decisivos em sua trajetória: Beautiful Inside My Head Forever (2008) e Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable (2017). Assim, pretende-se responder: o que caracteriza o artista empreendedor? Como surge esse novo paradigma? Como este ator pode produzir seu reconhecimento e sustentar sua reputação? Em contrapartida, será abordada a figura do colecionador como árbitro do gosto e mecenas, com base na análise das atuações de Charles Saatchi e François Pinault no mundo da arte, os quais assumem tal capital simbólico que são capazes disputar o monopólio discursivo do campo e criar eventos históricos em suas instituições.
Limites e possibilidades na atuação da Superintendência Escolar no Circuito de Gestão do Programa Jovem de Futuro: estudo de caso de uma regional do estado do Ceará
Authors:   , Araújo Fabrício Ferraz de
Published: November 2022

A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do Mestrado Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação Pública (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação (CAEd) da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF). Este estudo foi norteado pela seguinte questão de pesquisa: quais são os limites e as possibilidades da Superintendência Escolar na atuação de Apoio ao Circuito de Gestão (ACG) do Programa Jovem de Futuro? Nesse sentido, o objetivo geral definido para este estudo de caso foi: analisar os limites e as possibilidades da Superintendência Escolar na implementação do Circuito de Gestão na 20ª Coordenadoria Regional de Desenvolvimento da Educação (CREDE 20). A metodologia utilizada se constitui como uma pesquisa qualitativa, em que se utilizou como método o estudo de caso. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados, foram usados análise documental, pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo, com aplicação de questionários e entrevistas. Os questionários foram aplicados aos gestores das 20 escolas da CREDE 20 que atuaram durante o processo de implementação do Circuito de Gestão. Além dos questionários, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro superintendentes que atuaram como ACG no período de implementação do método na regional. As análises empreendidas evidenciaram que as equipes gestoras reconhecem a importância da atuação da Superintendência Escolar, principalmente no que diz respeito à consultoria prestada aos gestores na construção de diagnósticos sobre a realidade escolar e na elaboração do plano de ação da escola. Todavia, foram percebidas algumas fragilidades na atuação da Superintendência enquanto profissional de ACG – apontando para a necessidade de melhorar o processo formativo e proporcionar uma contribuição mais efetiva na fase de execução do plano, bem como a importância de promover uma maior aproximação do superintendente ao cotidiano da escola – que requerem o desenvolvimento de estratégias com fins de potencializar as ações deste profissional e aumentar os impactos positivos que ele pode assegurar no âmbito da gestão escolar. Com base nesses resultados de pesquisa, foi elaborado um Plano de Ação Educacional (PAE) contendo três ações. As duas primeiras relacionam-se ao aspecto formativo da Superintendência Escolar, com a elaboração de um curso autoinstrucional e o desenvolvimento de um grupo de estudos no formato de uma Comunidade de Prática (CdP). A terceira ação é uma proposta de imersão dos superintendentes no cotidiano da gestão de uma escola. O plano tem o intuito de auxiliar a Superintendência Escolar na atuação dos gestores escolares.
Gestão do conhecimento aplicada à gestão de projetos: SisPro - o sistema de gerenciamento de projetos do CAEd
Authors:   , Bressan Yan
Published: November 2022

O presente trabalho, desenvolvido no âmbito do Mestrado Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF), discute as necessidades apresentadas pelos usuários do SisPro, sistema próprio para planejamento, documentação e monitoramento da execução dos projetos do CAEd/UFJF, para que se estabeleçam propostas de ações capazes de alcançar o objetivo de melhorar o índice de programação das atividades necessárias para que esse sistema se torne instrumento de referência no auxílio do gerenciamento de projetos dessa organização. Para sustentar e embasar tais ações, o referencial teórico traz os principais conceitos necessários para a compreensão dos temas que compõem a base pela qual se sustenta o SisPro: gerenciamento de projetos, gestão do conhecimento e usabilidade de sistemas, sendo esses três pilares os principais parâmetros para construção dos eixos da pesquisa com abordagem qualitativa aplicada para obtenção dos dados que, após analisados, nos direcionam na construção das propostas que atendam ao objetivo deste estudo.
Desenvolvimento de aparato térmico alternativo de baixo custo para medição da condutividade térmica de materiais de construção isolantes
Authors:   , Garcia Danielle Rios
Published: November 2022

A construção civil é um dos setores das atividades humanas mais poluidores em quase todo o planeta. É também um setor responsável por alto consumo de energia - um dos que mais cresce é aquele destinado ao conforto dos ambientes. O envelope das edificações é concebido, entre outras funções, para controlar a transferência de calor entre os ambientes externo e interno e, portanto, regular as características térmicas internas. A aplicação de materiais isolantes como constituintes das camadas do envelope tem papel fundamental no desempenho térmico das edificações, permitindo reduzir o uso de energia com equipamentos condicionadores de ar. A condutividade térmica (λ) é uma das principais propriedades envolvidas nos estudos realizados em busca do conforto térmico. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver um aparato térmico alternativo (ATA) de baixo custo para determinação de λ em laboratório. O ATA seguiu os princípios dos métodos estacionários, os quais devem atingir um regime permanente de transferência de calor para a medição da propriedade térmica. O equipamento foi confeccionado a partir do sistema placa quente/amostra/placa fria e foi construído com cerca de R$ 900,00. O trabalho mostra que bons resultados foram alcançados para λ ≤ 0,80 W/(m.K). O aparelho proposto oferece vantagens significativas, principalmente tempo de ensaio reduzido, baixo custo, facilidade de montagem e leitura dos resultados, em comparação com sistemas semelhantes baseados em métodos estacionários
Desenvolvimento de um modelo para a estimação da carga de radiação solar com base em variáveis climáticas
Authors:   , Silva Lucas Pereira Verneck da
Published: November 2022

Dados relacionados à incidência de radiação solar (RS) em uma determinada região desempenham um papel crucial no projeto, modelagem e na operação de sistemas de conversão de energia solar. Além disso, este tipo de informação ajuda nas futuras políticas governamentais de investimento em energia. Contribui para inúmeras outras áreas de estudo e diversas aplicações, como na criação de chaminés térmicas, análise de conforto térmico em edifícios, modelos de crescimento de safras, entre outros. Porém, esses dados não são medidos para todas as regiões devido à falta de equipamentos adequados para a medição da RS nas estações meteorológicas e também aos custos envolvidos na atividade. Embora diferentes métodos alternativos para obtenção da RS tenham sido propostos e utilizados na literatura, ultimamente, a maioria das pesquisas tem focado seus esforços na exploração e utilização de algoritmos de aprendizado de máquina para resolver o problema. Seguindo essa linha, o presente trabalho avalia a aplicação de uma regressão linear com fator de regularização do tipo L2 combinado com uma estratégia de expansão dos dados de entrada para estimar a intensidade da radiação solar diária incidente. O ajuste e avaliação dos modelos são realizados em oito conjuntos de dados diferentes contendo variáveis climáticas facilmente acessíveis pelas estações meteorológicas. Cada conjunto refere-se à uma região diferente, distribuídas ao longo do território da Burkina Faso, país localizado na África subsariana. Para a seleção dos parâmetros do método, o algoritmo de busca exaustiva foi aplicado para encontrar o conjunto de hiperparâmetros que reforçam as capacidades preditivas dos modelos. A avaliação e comparação entre os modelos são realizadas de acordo com a raiz quadrada do erro-médio, erro médio absoluto, coeficiente de determinação e a variação contabilizada. Os resultados obtidos validam a estratégia adotada pelo trabalho, evidenciando o impacto positivo no modelo gerado pela inclusão do termo de regularização. Os experimentos sugerem um melhor desempenho em relação aos valores encontrados na literatura produzidos por modelos de maior complexidade, apresentando redução nos valores de erro em até 50% para algumas estações.
Estratégias para ampliação das práticas do ensino: a importância pedagógica do laboratório de produção audiovisual na formação profissional de jornalistas
Authors:   , Ferreira Sandro José Lourenço
Published: November 2022

A presente dissertação tem como objeto de estudo o uso do laboratório em atividades práticas das disciplinas Telejornalismo e Laboratório de Telejornalismo na Faculdade de Comunicação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (FACOM/UFJF) e a contribuição da atuação de equipe técnica – Técnicos Administrativos em Educação (TAEs) e funcionários terceirizados – para o processo de ensino-aprendizagem, focado na formação profissional. A pesquisa apresentou a seguinte questão norteadora: como aprimorar a atuação técnica no processo de ensino-aprendizagem no curso de Jornalismo da UFJF? O trabalho descreveu o que o currículo do curso propõe em relação à formação profissional, as atribuições dos técnicos envolvidos na realização de atividades práticas laboratoriais de ensino e os respectivos desafios ao desempenho do papel técnico no processo de ensinoaprendizagem, analisando as causas das principais dificuldades enfrentadas pela equipe técnica em atender satisfatoriamente às atividades no laboratório. A fundamentação teórica trouxe conceitos e discussões quanto a: currículo (teoria e prática), ensino, formação e profissão de Jornalismo; gestão e prática pedagógicas e o processo de ensino-aprendizagem; laboratório de telejornalismo e formação profissional; e atuação técnica e o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. A pesquisa de campo, de metodologia qualitativa, foi realizada a partir da aplicação de questionário a professores e alunos, além de entrevistas semiestruturadas com técnicos (TAEs e funcionário terceirizado). No Plano de Ação Educacional (PAE), foram sugeridas ações para se otimizarem a utilização e o funcionamento do espaço laboratorial e a respectiva atuação técnica, de modo a contribuir mais significativamente para a formação profissional dos graduandos, dentro das propostas curriculares do curso.