bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Nutrition in Spinocerebellar Ataxia
Authors: Alicia Wright Donnette , Peta-Gay Hewitt-Thompson Kadiann
Published: April 2021

This chapter explores the link between the health outcomes of spinocerebellar ataxia and diet and nutrition as well as overall quality of life and well-being that is achieved as a result of nutritional support and nutritional profile. Spinocerebellar ataxia is a hereditary condition characterized by degenerative changes to parts of the brain, extending to the spinal cord, that affects mobility and voluntary actions. Due to the deteriorating impact of this neurological disorder, the management of health and wellness of the individual is imperative in stemming physiological decline and morbidity. The connections between dietary intake, quality of life and well-being are important components of the health response in providing optimum health outcomes for clients diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia. Consequently, an examination of factors that impede, promote and generally affect dietary intake, nutritional status and profile is essential towards improving disease related quality of life and morbidity and mortality risk. The cyclical impact of the neurological condition on nutritional status and its corresponding impact on disease progression is an important exploratory point. Finally, recommendations and standardized guidance are crucial to expanding the health care approach and the overall wellness of individuals with spinocerebellar ataxia.
Regulation of MAPK ERK1/2 Signaling by Phosphorylation: Implications in Physiological and Pathological Contexts
Authors: Vargas-Ibarra Dadnover , Velez-Vasquez Mariana , Bermudez-Munoz Maria
Published: April 2021

Protein phosphorylation represents a rapid and reversible post-translational regulation that enables a fast control of protein activation that play key roles in cell signaling. For instance, Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways are activated upon sequential phosphorylations, resulting in phosphorylation of cytosol and nuclear targets. We focus here on MAPK ERK1/2 signaling that accounts for diverse cellular responses such as cell cycle progression, proliferation, differentiation, senescence, migration, formation of GAP junctions, cell adhesion, cell motility, survival and apoptosis. We review the role of protein phosphorylation in MAPK ERK1/2 activation, in its regulation in time and space and how its dysregulation can lead to tumorigenesis.
Multiscale Modeling of Non-Isothermal Fluid Transport Involved in Drying Process of Porous Media
Authors: Hiep Le Kieu
Published: April 2021

To preserve the product quality as well as to reduce the logistics and storage cost, drying process is widely applied in the processing of porous material. In consideration of transport phenomena that involve a porous medium during drying, the complex morphology of the medium, and its influences on the distribution, flow, displacement of multiphase fluids are encountered. In this chapter, the recent advanced mass and energy transport models of drying processes are summarized. These models which were developed based on both pore- and continuum-scales, may provide a better fundamental understanding of non-isothermal liquid–vapor transport at both the continuum scale and the pore scale, and to pave the way for designing, operating, and optimizing drying and relevant industrial processes.
Evaluation of the PTEN and circRNA-CDR1as Gene Expression Changes in Gastric Cancer and Normal Cell Lines Following the Exposure to Weak and Moderate 50 Hz Electromagnetic Fields
Authors: Mansoury Fereshteh , Babaei Nahid , Abdi Soheila , Entezari Maliheh , Doosti Abbas
Published: April 2021

Background: Attention to the electromagnetic exposure as a targeted tumor therapy has been recently increasing. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of continuous and discontinuous electromagnetic fields on cell viability as well as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and circular (circ)-RNA CDR1as genes expression in the normal and gastric cancer (GC) cell lines. Methods: After preparing gastric cancer cell lines (AGS) and normal cells (HU02 line), they were exposed to magnetic flux densities of 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mT continuously and discontinuously (1h on/1h off) for 18 hours. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazoyl-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to evaluate cell viability. In addition, after designing the primers, the expression of the PTEN and circ-CDR1as genes was studied using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time-PCR) technique. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Results: The exposed normal and tumor cells to discontinuous electromagnetic fields resulted in increasing of cell survival rate in both normal and tumor cells. In contrast, the exposure of continuous electromagnetic field showed no effect on the viability of the normal and tumor cells at intensities of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mT. The electromagnetic field showed a significant effect on the expression of the circ-CDR1as gene and this effect depended on the intensity of the electromagnetic field used and the cell type. We have found that the activity of PTEN gene in the normal and tumor cells increased and decreased with increasing intensity of discontinuous electromagnetic field, respectively. Conclusions: In general, the effect of electromagnetic field on gastric cancer seems to depend on the kind of exposure as well as an extent of intensity and can be used for cancer therapeutic purposes. However, more research is needed on this subject.
There Is No Fool Like an Old Fool: The Experiences of Elderlies Regarding Remarriage in Iran
Authors: Asgari Parvaneh , Navab Elham , Esmaeili Maryam , Shali Mahboobeh , Bit-Lian Yee , Bahramnezhad Fatemeh
Published: April 2021

Background: Aging is considered as a natural process and part of the stages of human life. In this regard, well-being can be achieved through learning certain skills and provision of appropriate care. Death of a spouse in this period is rather inevitable. Hence, old people consider this period as a loneliness period. Despite many advantages that elderly remarriage brings and consequently influences their life quality, marriage in this period is a taboo among people of the society, especially in Iran. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the experiences of the elderly regarding remarriage. Methods: This conventional content analysis study was conducted in Iran during 2018. Semi-structured interviews with 20 elderlies living in Tehran were conducted to collect data. For data analysis, Graneheim and Lundman’s approach was adopted. The interviews were continued until reaching data saturation. Results: After data analysis, four main categories and 14 subcategories appeared. The main categories included “there is no fool like an old fool”, “spring in autumn”, “gift of old age”, and “realistic choice.” Conclusions: Remarriage prevents many future problems for elderlies, such as the feeling of rejection, loneliness, isolation, depression, and low self-esteem. Therefore, serious efforts and planning are required to promote the knowledge level of the society regarding this issue.
An Optimized Protocol of M2M Authentication for Internet of Things (IoT)
Authors:   Military Technical College/Electrical Engineering Department, Cairo,11571, Egypt, Samy Mohamed M. , Anis. Wagdy R. , Abdel-Hafez Ahmed A. , Eldemerdash Haitham D.
Published: April 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of sensors, networks, and services to connect and control production systems. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication technology is considered as a key underlying technology for building Industrial IoT environments where devices are enabled to exchange information with each other in an autonomous way without human intervention. Resource-Constrained Devices (RCD) have found an expanding demand in the Internet of Things (IoT) applications as these gadgets are essentially working with delicate information. Thus, information security has ended up vital for both makers and clients. However, the creation of defenseless gadgets still challenging regarding the restriction of involved assets especially with the attackers ‘continuous trials to misuse these restrictions chasing important information. Hence, connecting an open key crypto-system becomes a must to extend gadget proficiency and relieve the chance of touchy data loss. Deployments of Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) are fundamentally an open key crypto-system with the basic distinction of speedier advancing capacity whereas yielding an assortment of distinctive approaches to the arrangement of the cryptographic calculation. We will submit a proposed protocol to overcome the demands of information security and the speed of data circulation. The proposed protocol is characterized by low computational cost, communication and storage overhead, while achieving mutual authentication, session key agreement, device’s identity confidentiality, and resistance against various attacks.
A Novel Secure Data Hiding Technique into Video Sequences Using RVIHS
Authors:   Research Scholar, Malnad College of Engineering, Hassan – 573202, India, D R Vinay , J Ananda Babu
Published: April 2021

Most of the present hiding techniques on video are considered over plaintext domain and plain video sequences are used to embed information bits. The work presented here reveals the novelty for information embedding in a video sequence over the ciphered domain. The carrier video signal is encrypted using chaos technique which uses multiple chaotic maps for encryption. The proposed reversible video information hiding scheme (RVIHS) exhibits an innovative property that, at the decoding side we can perfectly extract the information along with carrier video without any distortion. The public key modulation is a mechanism used to achieve data embedding, where as in secret key encryption is not required. The proposed approach is used to differentiate encoded and non-encoded picture patches at decoder end by implementing 2 class Support Vector Machine grouping. This helps for us to retrieve the original visual sequence with embedded message and to scale up embedding capacity. The experiment is conducted using real time videos for embedding the information. The outcome of proposed work bring about best embedding capacity, compared to existing techniques.
Collaborative E-Learning Process Discovery in Multi-tenant Cloud
Authors:   ISITCOM Hammam Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia, Azouzi Sameh. , Hajlaoui Jalel eddine. , Brahmi Zaki. , Ghannouchi Sonia. Ayachi
Published: April 2021

With the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice of e-learning in the cloud makes it possible to: avoid the problem of overloading the institutions infrastructure resources, manage a large number of learners and improve collaboration and synchronous learning. In this paper, we propose a new e-leaning process management approach in cloud named CLP-in-Cloud (for Collaborative Learning Process in Cloud). CLP-in-Cloud is composed of two steps: i) design general, configurable and multi-tenant e-Learning Process as a Service (LPaaS) that meets different needs of institutions. ii) to fulfill the user needs, developpe a functional and non-functional awareness LPaaS discovery module. For functional needs, we adopt the algorithm A* and for non-functional needs we adopt a linear programming algorithm. Our developed system allows learners to discover and search their preferred configurable learning process in a multi-tenancy Cloud architecture. In order to help to discover interesting process, we come up with a recommendation module. Experimentations proved that our system is effective in reducing the execution time and in finding appropriate results for the user request.
Implementation of Transfer Learning Using VGG16 on Fruit Ripeness Detection
Authors:   Department of Informatics Engineering, Institut Teknologi Nasional Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia, Pardede Jasman , Sitohang Benhard , Akbar Saiful , Khodra Masayu Leylia
Published: April 2021

In previous studies, researchers have determined the classification of fruit ripeness using the feature descriptor using color features (RGB, GSL, HSV, and L * a * b *). However, the performance from the experimental results obtained still yields results that are less than the maximum, viz the maximal accuracy is only 76%. Today, transfer learning techniques have been applied successfully in many real-world applications. For this reason, researchers propose transfer learning techniques using the VGG16 model. The proposed architecture uses VGG16 without the top layer. The top layer of the VGG16 replaced by adding a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) block. The MLP block contains Flatten layer, a Dense layer, and Regularizes. The output of the MLP block uses the softmax activation function. There are three Regularizes that considered in the MLP block namely Dropout, Batch Normalization, and Regularizes kernels. The Regularizes selected are intended to reduce overfitting. The proposed architecture conducted on a fruit ripeness dataset that was created by researchers. Based on the experimental results found that the performance of the proposed architecture has better performance. Determination of the type of Regularizes is very influential on system performance. The best performance obtained on the MLP block that has Dropout 0.5 with increased accuracy reaching 18.42%. The Batch Normalization and the Regularizes kernels performance increased the accuracy amount of 10.52% and 2.63%, respectively. This study shows that the performance of deep learning using transfer learning always gets better performance than using machine learning with traditional feature extraction to determines fruit ripeness detection. This study gives also declaring that Dropout is the best technique to reduce overfitting in transfer learning.
Landscape Fragmentation Around Us – Integrating the Issue into Educational Processes at Primary and Secondary Schools
Authors: Dostál Ivo , Anděl Petr , Havlíček Marek , Petrovič František
Published: April 2021

The steadily increasing landscape fragmentation and the reduction of permeability for wildlife are among the most negative impacts of human activity on the environment. In terms of education, theseproblems appear to be rather demanding, withthe difficulty corresponding tosecondary school standards. Considering the multiple interdisciplinary connections, the entire process cannot be sufficiently understood without a relevant amount of preliminary knowledge. Such a corpus of information is acquired especially through biology/ecology, geographyand history classes, but links to other subjects can be found too. The paper presents didactic methods facilitating the actual presentation of the theme to pupils/students; in this context, the authors discuss the possibilities of integrating the given problems into applicable schoolsubjects andoutline the risks arising from the proposed modification and/ or expansion of the teaching procedures. Also the links to data and supporting methodological materials are included that will allow the teacher to obtain enough information on the topicsto comprehend all the aspects and complexities of the innovated classes. In the corresponding sections, the papercharacterizes individual topics to be combined with selected teaching methods, especially as regards worksheets, project-oriented education, anda case study relating to afield trip targeting one of the areas of high importance for wildlife migration in the Czech Republic.
Regional Geography of Aid: Subnational Approach to Foreign Aid Allocations in Research and Education
Authors: Opršal Zdeněk
Published: April 2021

Foreign aid allocations have been of interest to researchers in developing economy, development studies, and development geography. Most of the available studies address development issues at countries level rather than at subnational levels within these countries. Researchers model and test the distribution of aid across recipient countries, considering recipient countries as homogenous units. This methodological approach masks an important regional heterogeneity within developing countries; therefore sub-national analyses may significantly contribute to more nuanced understanding of foreign aid. The gap in research arises from the related fact, that there has been a chronic lack of usable project-level data from developing countries. The situation has been changing only slowly over the last few years. This contribution attempts to emphasize the importance of the regional perspective in research of foreign aid allocations and to demonstrate the challenges associated with the geocoding of the Czech Republic's foreign aid projects on the example of students' seminar assignment on Czech foreign aid in Ethiopia.
Retail and shopping behavior in small towns in Slovakia (example study of Zlaté Moravce town)
Authors: Trembošová Miroslava , Dubcová Alena , Horná Natália
Published: April 2021

In the past 15 years we have been involved in the rapid development of retail in Slovakia. Its globalization trends, materialized in shopping malls, often built on a 'green field' along major communication lines, have had a significant impact on commercial suburbanization. The “pulling” of large-scale retail centers on the outskirts of the city significantly affects the state and further development in the central part of the city, with frequent consequences (deadening) of traditional retail zones, many times leading to their disappearance. The new shopping zones change the mode of the time fund and the adopted daily cycles of shopping life for both urban and rural populations and promote consumerism. A number of elements adapt to this phenomenon, e.g. transport networks and parking facilities, opening hours of shops, monitoring the convenience of purchases through prices in leaflets between the traditional and new zone, synergy of non-commercial services, spending leisure time. Nowadays we are witnessing the penetration of foreign retail companies into the medium-sized to small towns of Slovakia and its changes in concentration, integration and internationalization. The aim of the paper is a brief description of the retail network in the typically small Slovak town of Zlaté Moravce. The next section presents the results of a survey of consumer buying behavior and evaluation of its conclusions.
Comparison of Static Perspective Views and 2D Maps – the Role of Age, Spatial Abilities, and Task Nature
Authors: Hermann Lukáš , Faltejsková Martina , Stachoň Zdeněk
Published: April 2021

In this study, we focus on the usability of pseudo-3D thematic maps (static perspective views) compared with their conventional 2D equivalents. A total of 105 study participants were divided into two groups (12–19 years old and 20–27 years old). A Perspective Taking Test measured their spatial abilities and each participant solved 15 tasks using four thematic maps. We compared map variants to determine which is more suitable for individual tasks. We then examined the differences between the two age groups and tried to find any relationship between the user’s spatial abilities and the number of correct answers. We observed a significant difference regarding the map’s visualization dimension only in one particular task and significant differences between the age groups when they worked with 2D maps. We found a positive correlation between the participant’s level of spatial ability and the number of correct answers.
Anthropogenic relief transformations – their knowledge and evaluation with regard to the uniqueness and cultural identity of regions
Authors: Kirchner Karel , Kubalíková Lucie , Kuda Franišek , Havlíček Marek
Published: April 2021

Within the development of new regional geography, the role of human geographic research in the study of regions is emphasized. Regional uniqueness, a consciousness of belonging to a particular region and regional identity also play an important role in the definition of regions. However, physical geography disciplines, e.g. geomorphology, can also contribute to the knowledge of these aspects with regard to the definition of regions. Currently, within the framework of geomorphology, attention is paid to the diversity of anthropogenic landforms. The knowledge and evaluation of these anthropogenic landforms, which are an important part of the historical elements of the landscape and are also referred to as cultural artefacts of the landscape, enables to supplement the cultural-historical values of the region and to specify the cultural identity of the region. On the example of sites – Staré Hradisko and Hostýn – we will present the specifics of secondary geodiversity with respect to the cultural identity of the sites.
Pre-industrial landscape of the Jeseníky region as a natural and cultural heritage
Authors: Kolejka Jaromír , Nováková Eva
Published: April 2021

Small parcels of agricultural land are rare in the present landscape of Czech Republic and become the subject of interests of the state protection of the nature, the landscape and the environment. At the same time, such areas represent interesting subjects for the local administration as attractive tourist object. In the historical territory of Moravia (the eastern 1/3 of the Czech Republic), a regional inventory of areas with preserved ancient land use structure was carried out on all individual cadastral territories (focused not only on small parcels, but also on large aristocratic estates on agricultural and forest land originated before the main wave of industrial revolution Moravia, before 1850. The sites are still subjects to topic economic pressure on land consolidation. Their existence in the future is under threat and is decreasing every year both in number and size. The inventory results are presented on example of the Jeseníky region.
Secutio Dei beatitatis appetitio est (mor. 1, 11, 18). La santidad en los primeros escritos de san Agustín
Authors: Eguiarte Enrique A. ,   Order of Augustinian Recollects
Published: April 2021

The article discusses St. Augustine’s idea about holiness, and how this idea develops itself through the years. The article focuses on St. Augutine’s Works written before the Confessions, namely mor., an. quant., Gen. adu. Man., uera rel., s. dom. m., c. Adim., exp.prop. Rom., doctr. chr. The article discusses that there is no discontinuity between the Works written before the Confessions and the Works written after.
The GRADE approach, Part 1: how to assess the certainty of the evidence
Authors: Kirmayr Matías , Quilodrán Carlos , Valente Bárbara , Loezar Cristóbal , Garegnani Luis , Franco Juan Víctor Ariel
Published: April 2021

The certainty of the evidence for interventions is the certainty or confidence that the true effect is within a particular range or relative to a threshold. In the new pyramid of evidence, systematic reviews represent the magnifying glass through which this certainty is evaluated. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach arises in response to the existence of multiple evidence classification systems, and it offers a transparent and structured process to develop and present summaries of evidence considering its certainty and, in a second step, the strength of the recommendations that they inform. The GRADE process begins with an explicit question that includes all important and critical outcomes explicitly. The main domains used to assess the certainty of the evidence are risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness of evidence, imprecision, and publication bias. The factors that can increase the certainty of the evidence are dose-response gradient, large magnitude of an effect, and effect of plausible residual confounding. Finally, the Summary of Findings tables summarize the process in a simplified way and with controlled language. This narrative review’s purpose is to address the GRADE approach’s theoretical and practical underlying concepts in a simplified way and with practical examples.
Analysis of production, impact, and collaboration networks in scientific research in Scopus for Peru from 2000 to 2019
Authors: Mendoza-Chuctaya Giuston , Chachaima-Mar Jorge E , Mejia Christian R , Mirano-Ortiz-de-Orue Mayu Gabriel , Rodrigo Ramos Kevin , Calla-Torres Milagros , De-los-Ríos-Pinto Abraham , Ccorahua-Rios Maycol Suker , Santander-Cahuantico Ana Claudia , Centeno-Araujo Alessandra , Miranda-Solis Franklin , Huaraca Paricahua Ranceth
Published: April 2021

Introducción Perú es un país en vías de desarrollo, con una producción científica en aumento. Sin embargo, es necesario entender las tendencias, el impacto y la colaboración de sus investigaciones para promover una mejora continua de las mismas. Objetivo Buscamos analizar la producción, el impacto y las redes de colaboración en la producción científica peruana entre los años 2000 y 2019. Métodos Realizamos un estudio analítico observacional haciendo una búsqueda en Scopus de todas las publicaciones que hayan tenido al menos un autor peruano en su filiación. Sobre eso, realizamos un análisis descriptivo de las diferentes características, tendencias y tipo de colaboración científica. Graficamos las redes de colaboración mediante VOSviewer. Resultados Entre los años 2000 y 2019, Perú tuvo un total de 24 482 publicaciones en revistas científicas, con un crecimiento anual promedio de 13,6%. Del total de artículos científicos, 70% de todas las publicaciones pertenecieron a las áreas de medicina clínica y ciencias biomédicas. Solo la mitad de los artículos contaban con filiación peruana. Los países con mayor colaboración fueron Estados Unidos y Brasil, y los artículos con colaboración internacional tuvieron mayor cantidad de citas por publicación. Conclusiones En años recientes, ha habido un incremento de la producción científica en Perú, con un gran porcentaje de publicaciones basadas en la colaboración internacional y lideradas por autores con filiación no peruana. Es necesario fortalecer lazos de colaboración entre instituciones peruanas y extranjeras. Además, es fundamental el incitar un mayor liderazgo en investigaciones que solucionen problemas del país.
Study of sandwich panel application on side hull of crude oil tanker
Authors: Ismail Abdi , Zubaydi Achmad , Piscesa Bambang , Tuswan Tuswan , Chandra Ariesta
Published: April 2021

A lightweight sandwich plate system (SPS) consisted of steel faceplate and polyurethane elastomer composite cores have excellent potential to be applied on the ship structure. Steel faceplate and polyurethane elastomer (PU) cores are frequently applied, but PU has a relatively high material cost. More economical material can be achieved by combining PU with fiberglass as a fiberglass reinforced polyurethane elastomer (FRPU) composite. In this study, the sandwich consisting of steel faceplate and FRPU composite core material is applied in the tanker side hull by investigating the structural performance and weight saving analysis using finite element analysis (FEA). Four sandwich side hull models using different stiffener configurations are compared with the conventional stiffened plate model. The results show the promising SPS application on structural strength and weight reduction. The remarkable stress reduction, deformation, and structural weight reduction due to SPS application are discussed. Therefore, its weight reduction can increase the ship payload so that ship operations will be cost-effective.
La saisonnalité dans les hôtels du Québec
Authors: Stafford Jean , Sarrasin Bruno
Published: April 2021

Cette chronique porte sur la conjoncture touristique. Elle propose un portrait simplifié de la situation du tourisme à partir des données disponibles. Nous proposons pour l’année 1999 une série de trois articles sur le thème de la saisonnalité dans l’industrie hôtelière. Le premier présente une méthode efficace d’évaluation de la saisonnalité pour l’ensemble du Québec. La deuxième chronique abordera la saisonnalité en comparant les régions touristiques du Québec et la dernière de la série s’intéressera à deux ou trois hôtels en particulier.
Exploring Self-management Needs of Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study for Mobile Application Development
Authors: Damanabi Shahla , Salimzadeh Zeinab , Kalankesh Leila R. , Shaafi Sheida , Ferdousi Reza
Published: April 2021

Background:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of neurologic disability in young adults. Individuals with MS deal with the day-to-day effects of the disease on their lives. Self-management can help with these challenges. This study aimed to explore MS self-management needs according to experiences of persons with MS and was conducted as part of a research project to develop an MS self-management mobile application.

Methods:

We used a qualitative method to elicit self-management needs among 12 individuals with MS and conducted semistructured interviews with them. The participants were chosen based on snowball sampling. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Finally, qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis method (inductive way) to identify the underlying themes and subthemes.

Results:

The analysis resulted in the emergence of 7 themes: the source of information, basic needs, understanding MS, physical exercises in MS, useful nutrition in MS, MS monitoring, and communication. Within these 7 themes we identified 23 subthemes.

Conclusions:

The themes that emerged in this study show what needs are essential to help persons with MS improve their self-management capacity. These findings can help in the development of self-management mobile applications for supporting individuals in managing MS.
Discordance of the Evaluation of the Plantar Footprint in Kidney Transplant
Authors: González-Martín Cristina , Balboa-Barreiro Vanesa , Veiga-Seijo Raquel , Seoane-Pillado Teresa , Lema-Verdía Laura , Couceiro-Sanchez Estefanía
Published: April 2021

Background

The measures used for the diagnosis of biomechanical pathologic disorders are variable. The aim of this study was to determine the concordance between the Clarke angle and the Chippaux-Smirak and Staheli indices in evaluation of the footprints of kidney transplant patients.

Methods

An observational prevalence study was performed in kidney transplant patients in the University Hospital Complex A Coruña from 1981 through 2014. After obtaining patient informed consent and ethics committee approval, sociodemographic (age and sex) and anthropometric (body mass index) variables and comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index score) were assessed for each patient, and a podiatric medical examination was performed of the footprint through a pedigree (Chippaux-Smirak index, Staheli index, and Clarke angle). A descriptive analysis of all of the variables was performed; for agreement, the kappa index and the Bland-Altman method were used.

Results

We found a predominance of male sex (65.6%) and a high level of overweight (43.3%) in the sample. The highest concordance between the indices studied is presented by the Chippaux-Smirak index, with a kappa index of 0.86 for the left foot and 0.76 for the right foot.

Conclusions

High agreement was attained among observers in measurements of the footprints of kidney transplant patients.
Fixation of Posterior Malleolar Fractures with Posterior Plating Through a Posterolateral Approach
Authors: Fidan Fırat , Polat Abdulkadir , Çetin Mehmet Ümit , Kazdal Cengiz , Yavuz Umut , Lapcin Osman , Ozkaya Ufuk
Published: April 2021

Background

We aimed to evaluate radiologic and clinical outcomes of ankle fractures involving posterior fragments that were fixed with a posterior plate by the posterolateral approach.

Methods

Sixty-five patients who were followed for at least 12 months and were older than 18 years were included. The posterior malleolus fractures were classified according to the Haraguchi classification system with computed tomography (CT). The posterior malleolus fragments were fixed with a plate through a posterolateral approach. Intra-articular step-off, reduction of the posterior malleolar fragment, and fibular position in the incisura were evaluated by early postoperative CT. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and visual analog scale pain score were used for clinical assessment.

Results

The posterior malleolus fractures were classified as Haraguchi type 1 in 45 patients (69.2%), Haraguchi type 2 in 12 patients (18.5%), and Haraguchi type 3 in eight patients (12.3%). No patients showed signs of instability or loss of reduction on direct radiographs during follow-up. Postoperative CT showed no loss of reduction in the posterior malleolus and tibiofibular alignment. On evaluation, there was no intra-articular step-off (<1) in any of the patients. The mean AOFAS score was calculated to be 91.6. The mean visual analog scale score was 1.2.

Conclusions

We conclude that direct posterior fixation with the posterolateral approach can be a good option for ankle fractures involving posterior malleolar fragments.
The biphasic and age-dependent impact of klotho on hallmarks of aging and skeletal muscle function
Authors: Clemens Zachary , Sivakumar Sruthi , Pius Abish , Sahu Amrita , Shinde Sunita , Mamiya Hikaru , Luketich Nathaniel , Cui Jian , Dixit Purushottam , Hoeck Joerg D , Kreuz Sebastian , Franti Michael , Barchowsky Aaron , Ambrosio Fabrisia
Published: April 2021

Aging is accompanied by disrupted information flow, resulting from accumulation of molecular mistakes. These mistakes ultimately give rise to debilitating disorders including skeletal muscle wasting, or sarcopenia. To derive a global metric of growing ‘disorderliness’ of aging muscle, we employed a statistical physics approach to estimate the state parameter, entropy, as a function of genes associated with hallmarks of aging. Escalating network entropy reached an inflection point at old age, while structural and functional alterations progressed into oldest-old age. To probe the potential for restoration of molecular ‘order’ and reversal of the sarcopenic phenotype, we systemically overexpressed the longevity protein, Klotho, via AAV. Klotho overexpression modulated genes representing all hallmarks of aging in old and oldest-old mice, but pathway enrichment revealed directions of changes were, for many genes, age-dependent. Functional improvements were also age-dependent. Klotho improved strength in old mice, but failed to induce benefits beyond the entropic tipping point.
Characterization and functional analysis of cathelicidin-MH, a novel frog-derived peptide with anti-septicemic properties
Authors: Chai Jinwei , Chen Xin , Ye Tiaofei , Zeng Baishuang , Zeng Qingye , Wu Jiena , Kascakova Barbora , Martins Larissa Almeida , Prudnikova Tatyana , Smatanova Ivana Kuta , Kotsyfakis Michail , Xu Xueqing
Published: April 2021

Antimicrobial peptides form part of the innate immune response and play a vital role in host defense against pathogens. Here we report a new antimicrobial peptide belonging to the cathelicidin family, cathelicidin-MH (cath-MH), from the skin of Microhyla heymonsivogt frog. Cath-MH has a single α-helical structure in membrane-mimetic environments and is antimicrobial against fungi and bacteria, especially Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast to other cathelicidins, cath-MH suppresses coagulation by affecting the enzymatic activities of tissue plasminogen activator, plasmin, β-tryptase, elastase, thrombin, and chymase. Cath-MH protects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis, effectively ameliorating multiorgan pathology and inflammatory cytokine through its antimicrobial, LPS-neutralizing, coagulation suppressing effects as well as suppression of MAPK signaling. Taken together, these data suggest that cath-MH is an attractive candidate therapeutic agent for the treatment of septic shock.
Sensitivity of ID NOW and RT–PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an ambulatory population
Authors: Tu Yuan-Po , Iqbal Jameel , O'Leary Timothy
Published: April 2021

Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) requires confirmation by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR). Abbott ID NOW provides fast results but has been criticized for low sensitivity. Here we determine the sensitivity of ID NOW in an ambulatory population presented for testing. The study enrolled 785 symptomatic patients, of whom 21 were positive by both ID NOW and RT–PCR, and 2 only by RT–PCR. All 189 asymptomatic patients tested negative. The positive percent agreement between the ID NOW assay and the RT–PCR assay was 91.3%, and negative percent agreement was 100%. The results from the current study were included into a larger systematic review of literature where at least 20 subjects were simultaneously tested using ID NOW and RT–PCR. The overall sensitivity for ID NOW assay was calculated at 84% (95% confidence interval 55–96%) and had the highest correlation to RT–PCR at viral loads most likely to be associated with transmissible infections.
Bacterial–fungal interactions in the neonatal gut influence asthma outcomes later in life
Authors: Boutin Rozlyn CT , Petersen Charisse , Woodward Sarah E , Serapio-Palacios Antonio , Bozorgmehr Tahereh , Loo Rachelle , Chalanuchpong Alina , Cirstea Mihai , Lo Bernard , Huus Kelsey E , Barcik Weronika , Azad Meghan B , Becker Allan B , Mandhane Piush J , Moraes Theo J , Sears Malcolm R , Subbarao Padmaja , McNagny Kelly M , Turvey Stuart E , Finlay B Brett
Published: April 2021

Bacterial members of the infant gut microbiota and bacterial-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have been shown to be protective against childhood asthma, but a role for the fungal microbiota in asthma etiology remains poorly defined. We recently reported an association between overgrowth of the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii in the gut microbiota of Ecuadorian infants and increased asthma risk. In the present study, we replicated these findings in Canadian infants and investigated a causal association between early life gut fungal dysbiosis and later allergic airway disease (AAD). In a mouse model, we demonstrate that overgrowth of P. kudriavzevii within the neonatal gut exacerbates features of type-2 and -17 inflammation during AAD later in life. We further show that P. kudriavzevii growth and adherence to gut epithelial cells are altered by SCFAs. Collectively, our results underscore the potential for leveraging inter-kingdom interactions when designing putative microbiota-based asthma therapeutics.
Epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on California dairies: descriptive and cluster analyses of AMR phenotype of fecal commensal bacteria isolated from adult cows
Authors: Abdelfattah Essam M. , Ekong Pius S. , Okello Emmanuel , Chamchoy Tapakorn , Karle Betsy M. , Black Randi A. , Sheedy David , ElAshmawy Wagdy R. , Williams Deniece R. , Califano Daniela , Tovar Luis Fernando Durán , Ongom Jonathan , Lehenbauer Terry W. , Byrne Barbara A. , Aly Sharif S.
Published: April 2021

Background

This study describes the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal Escherichia coli and Enterococcus/Streptococcus spp. (ES) isolated from fecal samples of dairy cows and assesses the variation of AMR profiles across regions and seasons following the implementation of the Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Sections 14400–14408 (formerly known as Senate Bill, SB 27) in California (CA).

Methods

The study was conducted on ten dairies distributed across CA’s three milk sheds: Northern California (NCA), Northern San Joaquin Valley (NSJV), and the Greater Southern California (GSCA). On each study dairy, individual fecal samples were collected from two cohorts of lactating dairy cows during the fall/winter 2018 and spring/summer 2019 seasons. Each cohort comprised of 12 cows per dairy. The fecal samples were collected at enrollment before calving (close-up stage) and then monthly thereafter for four consecutive time points up to 120 days in milk. A total of 2,171 E. coli and 2,158 ES isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using the broth microdilution method against a select panel of antimicrobials.

Results

The E. coli isolates showed high resistance to florfenicol (83.31% ± 0.80) and sulphadimethoxine (32.45%), while resistance to ampicillin (1.10% ± 0.21), ceftiofur (1.93% ± 0.29), danofloxacin (4.01% ± 0.42), enrofloxacin (3.31% ± 0.38), gentamicin (0.32% ± 0.12) and neomycin (1.61% ± 0.27) had low resistance proportions. The ES isolates were highly resistant to tildipirosin (50.18% ± 1.10), tilmicosin (48% ± 1.10), tiamulin (42%) and florfenicol (46% ± 1.10), but were minimally resistant to ampicillin (0.23%) and penicillin (0.20%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) (resistance to at least 1 drug in ≥3 antimicrobial classes) was observed in 14.14% of E. coli isolates and 39% of ES isolates. Escherichia coli isolates recovered during winter showed higher MDR prevalence compared to summer isolates (20.33% vs. 8.04%). A higher prevalence of MDR was observed in NSJV (17.29%) and GSCA (15.34%) compared with NCA (10.10%).

Conclusions

Our findings showed high rates of AMR to several drugs that are not labeled for use in lactating dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. Conversely, very low resistance was observed for drugs labeled for use in adult dairy cows, such as cephalosporins and penicillin. Overall, our findings identified important differences in AMR by antimicrobial class, region and season.
Assessment of Extension Delivery Methods to Farmers in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
Authors: Kughur P. G. , Aveuya A. A. , Kuza Y.
Published: April 2021

Information plays a very important role in agriculture in particular and life in general. Agriculture has become information-intensive; information is required for livestock and crop production. It empowers farmers to respond to market incentives, risks, and competition. Farmers access information from a variety of sources. These sources can be divided into formal and informal information networks. The study assessed extension delivery methods to farmers in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Stratified, purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting 125 respondents through survey. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that males were 74.2%, the respondents 49% were between 26 and 35 years, 61.7% were married, 52% had farm size of 6 hectares and above. About 34% earned an estimated annual income of between ₦100,000.0 and ₦500,000.0, 83.3% acquired land through inheritance and 47.5% obtained information from extension services using radio. About 50% of identified characteristics of the effectiveness of extension delivery methods used were helped solve problems and 86% of constraints to the effectiveness of extension delivery methods used were poor infrastructure. It is recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should provide infrastructure, organize adult education for farmers and organize training to update knowledge of extension workers.
Impact Assessment of Cluster Front Line Demonstration on Popularization of Toria in Udalguri District of Assam
Authors: Deka P. , Rabha H. , Ojha I. , Borah P. , Borah D.
Published: April 2021

The programme Cluster Front Line Demonstration (CFLD) was initiated by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s welfare, Government of India New Delhi implement CFLD on Oilseeds under National Mission on Oilseed and Oil Palm (NMOOP). During 2015-2020, KVK Udalguri had conducted CFLD on Toria on 270 ha covering 667 nos. of beneficiaries across 12 villages in the district selected purposively. The study was mainly based on primary data. The study is designed to analyse impact of Cluster Front Line Demonstration conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Udalguri on socio economic condition, adoption and technology gap, adoption pattern of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the district. The study reveals that by conducting cluster front line demonstrations of proven technologies, yield potential and net income from oilseed cultivation can be enhanced to a great extent with increase in the income level of the participating farmers. The Cluster front line demonstrations recorded higher average gross returns (Rs. 25404 /ha) and net return (Rs. 7374/ ha) with cost: benefit ratio (1.43) compared to farmers practice as net return Rs. 2421/ ha which indicates the economic feasibility of the technology. After conducting Cluster Front Line Demonstration, the highest adoption was found in selection of varieties and time of harvesting.
Estimating Stress-Strength Model for Weighted Lomax Distribution
Authors: El-Monsef M. M. E. Abd , Marei Ghareeb A. , Kilany N. M.
Published: April 2021

This paper aims to estimate the stress-strength reliability parameter  when  and  are follow the weighted Lomax (WL) distribution. The behavior of stress-strength parameters and reliability have been studied by using maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimators through the Monte Carlo simulation study which carried out showing satisfactory performance of the estimators obtained. Finally, two real data sets representing waiting times before service of the customers of two banks A and B are fitted using the WL distribution and used to estimate the stress-strength parameters and reliability function.
Performance Assessment of Drip System of Irrigation used for Cultivating Tomato in Premises of the Centre of Excellence Protected Cultivation, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Authors: Sahu Vijay , Raj Jeet , Kolambe Sanket , Aman .
Published: April 2021

A technical report was conducted for checking performance assessment of drip irrigation system which was used for cultivating tomato in premises of the Centre of Excellence Protected Cultivation, Raipur (Chhattisgarh). A uniformity coefficient was found for drip irrigation system which ranges from 73.2 % to 83.6%. The coefficient of variance varies between 0.0055 to 0.0068 for the measured discharges of four laterals laid in the field. It shows that there is the least variation between the obtained flow rates of different laterals under study. The application efficiency of four different lateral lines operating at a pressure of 1.25 kg/cm2 was calculated and it found to be more than 90.00 %, excluding lateral line (L2). Almost same amount of flow variation (8-9%) is found in lateral lines L1, L3 and L4, although Lateral line (L2) discharges 11.00 % more water among others. The maximum flow variation was found for the lateral line (L3) and the least flow variation was for the lateral line (L1). The distribution efficiency of all the laterals was found more than 97.45 %.