bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for progression of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in asymptomatic subjects
Authors: Doi Toru , Sakamoto Ryuji , Horii Chiaki , Okamoto Naoki , Nakajima Koji , Hirai Shima , Oguchi Fumihiko , Kato So , Taniguchi Yuki , Matsubayashi Yoshitaka , Hayashi Naoto , Tanaka Sakae , Oshima Yasushi
Published: May 2020

OBJECTIVE

The incidence and risk factors for the progression of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have been previously reported in surgically and nonsurgically treated symptomatic patients. However, the correlates of OPLL progression in asymptomatic subjects with OPLL are not well characterized. This study aimed to clarify the incidence and risk factors for OPLL progression in asymptomatic subjects based on whole-body CT.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed 2585 healthy subjects who underwent whole-body CT at a single health center from September 2007 to December 2011. This study included asymptomatic subjects with OPLL who underwent CT scans twice with an interval of at least 5 years. Progression of OPLL was assessed based on initial and final CT scan. Subjects were divided into two groups: nonprogression (OPLL-NP) and progression (OPLL-P) groups. Clinical characteristics, bone mineral density status, OPLL types, and OPLL involvement of multiple vertebral levels between the two groups were compared. Risk factors for progression of OPLL were identified by logistic regression analysis after propensity score adjustment.

RESULTS

Of the 109 subjects with OPLL (91 men and 18 women), 20 (18.3%) exhibited OPLL progression (OPLL-P group). Subjects in the OPLL-P group were significantly younger (p = 0.031), had higher prevalence of multilevel OPLL involvement (p = 0.041) and continuous type of OPLL (p = 0.015), and had higher uric acid (UA) levels (p = 0.004) at the time of initial CT examination compared to the OPLL-NP group. Younger age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.95, 95% CI 0.90–0.99), OPLL involvement of multiple vertebral levels (aOR 2.88, 95% CI 1.06–7.83), continuous type of OPLL (aOR 4.21, 95% CI 1.35–13.10), and higher UA levels (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.24–3.53) were significant risk factors for OPLL progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Younger age, OPLL involvement of multiple vertebral levels, continuous type of OPLL, and higher UA levels are significant risk factors for OPLL progression in asymptomatic subjects.
DAYA HAMBAT LARUTAN BAKING SODA KONSENTRASI 70% TERHADAP BAKTERI STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS (IN VITRO)
Authors: Hidayati Sri , Jaja Jaja , Chairanna Ida
Published: May 2020

Baking soda memiliki sifat alkali yang dapat menetralkan pH rongga mulut sehingga dapat menghambat proses metabolisme bakteri yang menghasilkan asam. Selain itu memiliki kemampuan mempengaruhi tekanan osmotik. Sifat hipertonik dari baking soda menyebabkan  hipotonik sel bakteri kehilangan air, sehingga sel akan dehidrasi dan akhirnya dapat membunuh sel bakteri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui daya hambat larutan baking soda konsentrasi  70%  terhadap bakteri Streptococcus mutans (In vitro, merupakan penelitian eksperimental murni kelompok perlakuan dan control group design. Pembuatan larutan baking soda 70%  dan bakteri Streptococcus mutans diperoleh di Research Center Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi Universitas Airlangga. Paper disk yang berisi baking soda 70% dimasukkan oven sampai kering, control(+) Chlorhexedine 0,2% dan control(-) Aquades diinkubasi 37˚C selama 24 jam, zona yang terbentuk disekeliling paper disk diukur diameternya dalam mm. Data dikumpulkan dilakukan uji normalitas dan di cari rata-rata  serta SD, dianalisa menggunakan uji T independen. Hasil penelitian terlihat rata-rata diameter zona bening menunjukkan daya hambatnya masih belum melebihi kelompok kontrol positif dimana rata-rata kelompok perlakuan 14,21mm sedang kelompok kontrol angka rata-rata 19,42mm. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini disimpulkan ada perbedaan daya hambat yang terbentuk pada lempeng agar perbenihan streptococcus mutans.  Diharapkan bisa dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan antibakteri untuk mencegah karies gigi dengan pemakaian baking soda yang murah,mudah didapatkan oleh masyarakat, baik berupa kumur-kumur dan diolesan ke permukaan gigi, maupun sebagai bahan tambahan dalam pasta gigi. 

Kata kunci       : Bakingsoda 70%, streptococcus mutans
ARE THE HYBRID NUCLEAR REACTORS THE ANSWER FOR THE FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS?
Authors: Blagoev Alexander
Published: May 2020

Now the chances to get the energy released by the transformation of nuclei (fusion and fission) are significantly larger than they were 10 or 20 years ago due to the development of the hybrid nuclear reactors. They can provide energy with abundant resource, safe, and clean at reasonable cost. The research in nuclear fusion shows that several of the present day plasma devises (both stationary and pulse) have the potential to become the background of a hybrid (fusion-fission) industrial facility for energy production. They will burn the high-level radioactive waste, thus closing the nuclear cycle and will hinder the spread of hazardous materials. A breakthrough in nuclear power is expected in the near future, whichever of the three technologies - fast neutron reactors, accelerators driven systems or fusion-fission hybrid reactors will prove to be the most technologically or economically viable base for hybrid reactors.
Performance Analysis and Comparison of Batteries Using Off-grid PV System
Authors: Tharani Kusum Lata , Anand Ankita , Gandhar Abhishek
Published: May 2020

Even though, at present, most of the Indian villages have been known to reach the ‘100% household electrification’ mark, many remote villages in the desert and hilly areas receive electricity supply only for few hours in a day. After an immense awareness programme on usage of freely available solar energy, run by the government throughout the country, villagers have started using solar panels on their rooftops and other open spaces. However, to install a reliable and cost effective off-grid PV system, it is imperative to choose an efficient battery storage system. In this paper, we analyze three different battery types, viz. Advanced Lead Acid, Lithium Ion and Zinc Bromine Flow battery on the basis of their technical and economic performances, when used with an off-grid PV system. From the techno-economic analysis for a domestic load of 250 kWh/day and an agricultural load of 17.91 kWh/day, it was found that the LI batteries are the most favorable option for use with the designed off-grid PV system.
Condensation of Moist Air on Mesh-like Surfaces
Authors: Singh Punj Lata , Sikarwar Basant Singh
Published: May 2020

Water scarcity is one of the crucial problems especially in hot, humid, arid and drought prone regions of the world. In these vulnerable regions, Earth’s atmosphere water is the main source for getting potable water. In this work, a water harvesting device from moist air is designed and fabricated. The condensing substrate is mesh-like on which condensation of moist air is achieved by flowing cold water through the capillary tubes from solar based cooling unit. However, an outer surface of capillary tubes of mesh-like surface is coated with hydrophobic coating. From this device, water from atmospheric air is collected approximately 800 ml/m2 in four hours at atmospheric temperature, relative humidity and degree of sub-cooling 32 °C, 80% and 5 °C respectively. This type of substrate is suitable to solve the water crisis for improving mass transfer rates and higher water yield during moist air condensation in the coastal, hot and humid area worldwide.
Leaching Potential of Fly Ash
Authors: Verma Chanchal , Madan Sangeeta , Hussain Athar
Published: May 2020

The present study has been carried out to assess the leaching potential of fly ash by open column experiment. Fly ash was collected from Parichha thermal power plant, Jhansi. The leachability of fly ash in aqueous environment for the major and trace elements was determined. The concentration of leachable ions was found in the descending order as Ca > Mg > K > Ni > Fe > Al > Mn > Cu > Si > Pb > Co > Zn > Cr > Ba. During the entire leaching period, the concentration of calcium and potassium did not change significantly into leachate with respect to pH variation and was found to be pH independent. However, the leached out concentration of Mg, Mn, Ni and Co was found to be maximum under slightly acidic condition. The concentration of leached out elements like Zn, Al, Cu, Ba, Pb, Fe and Si was found to be maximum under both acidic and alkaline conditions while chromium was found to be maximum under alkaline condition.
Preoperative Risk Factors Predicting Postoperative Complications in Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer
Authors: Niu Sida , Graw Stefan , Jensen Derek , Glazyrine Vassili , Wyre Hadley , Holzbeierlein Jeffrey M. , Koestler Devin C. , Lee Eugene K.
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

While radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold-standard treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, it is associated with a significant rate of complications. We aim to develop a prediction model to assess the risk of complications in the postoperative period using routinely collected data in the course of preoperative evaluation in patients undergoing RC for bladder cancer.

METHODS:

We retrospectively reviewed 508 patients who underwent RC for bladder cancer from January 2008 to October 2016. Potential preoperative risk predictors were collected. Postoperative complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo scale. Prediction models were developed using variables with the highest predictive value for postoperative complications. The accuracy of themodels was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and cross-validation.

RESULTS:

Variables achieved the highest prediction accuracy for major postoperative complications in the 31 to 90-day postoperative period. In this period, 14 variables were predictive of major postoperative complications. The three most predictive individual variables were BMI, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and creatinine with AUROC/odds ratios of 0.643/1.09, 0.609/2.43, and 0.597/1.22, respectively. This postoperative period also had the best performing prediction model for major complications, which utilized four variables to achieve an AUROC of 0.727.

CONCLUSION:

Routinely collected preoperative variables may be useful for determining patient risk for short-term postoperative complications after RC. Prediction models can help identify patients who may benefit from patient education, counseling and development of risk reduction strategies. Interactions between individual variables should be evaluated to further improve accuracy of the prediction models.
Profiles of Cognitive Change in Preclinical and Prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease Using Change-Point Analysis
Authors: Williams Owen A. , An Yang , Armstrong Nicole M. , Kitner-Triolo Melissa , Ferrucci Luigi , Resnick Susan M.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is now understood to have a long preclinical phase in which pathology starts to accumulate in the absence of clinical symptoms. Identifying the temporal stages of accelerated cognitive decline in this phase may help in developing more sensitive neuropsychological tools for early screening of preclinical cognitive decline. Change-point analyses are increasingly used to characterize the temporal stages of accelerated cognitive decline in the preclinical stages of AD. However, statistical comparisons of change-points between specific cognitive measures have not been reported.

Objective:

To characterize and compare the temporal stages of accelerated decline in performance on multiple cognitive tests in a sample of participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) who later developed AD.

Methods:

165 older adults (baseline age range: 61.1–91.2) from the BLSA developed AD during follow-up. Linear and non-linear mixed models were fit for 11 cognitive measures to determine change-points in rates of decline before AD diagnosis. Bootstrapping was used to compare the timing of change-points across cognitive measures.

Results:

Change-points followed by accelerated decline ranged from 15.5 years (Standard Error (S.E.) = 1.72) for Card Rotations to 1.9 years (S.E. = 0.68) for the Trail-Making Test Part A before AD diagnosis. Accelerated decline in Card Rotations occurred significantly earlier than all other measures, including learning and memory measures.

Conclusion:

Results suggest that visuospatial ability, as assessed by Card Rotations, may have the greatest utility as an early predictive tool in identifying preclinical AD.
N-Acetyl Cysteine and Catechin-Derived Polyphenols: A Path Toward Multi-Target Compounds Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Andrade Víctor , Cortés Nicole , Pastor Gabriela , Gonzalez Andrea , Ramos-Escobar Nicolás , Pastene Edgar , Rojo Leonel E. , Maccioni Ricardo B.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease, that involves neuroinflammatory processes in which microglial cells respond to “damage signals”. The latter includes oligomeric tau, iron, oxidative free radicals, and other molecules that promotes neuroinflammation in the brain, promoting neuronal death and cognitive impairment. Since AD is the first cause of dementia in the elderly, and its pharmacotherapy has limited efficacy, novel treatments are critical to improve the quality of life of AD patients. Multitarget therapy based on nutraceuticals has been proposed as a promising intervention based on evidence from clinical trials. Several studies have shown that epicatechin-derived polyphenols from tea improve cognitive performance; also, the polyphenol molecule N-acetylcysteine (NAC) promotes neuroprotection.

Objective:

To develop an approach for a rational design of leading compounds against AD, based on specific semisynthetic epicatechin and catechin derivatives.

Methods:

We evaluated tau aggregation in vitro and neuritogenesis by confocal microscopy in mouse neuroblastoma cells (N2a), after exposing cells to either epicatechin-pyrogallol (EPIC-PYR), catechin-pyrogallol (CAT-PYR), catechin-phloroglucinol (CAT-PhG), and NAC.

Results:

We found that EPIC-PYR, CAT-PYR, and CAT-PhG inhibit human tau aggregation and significantly increase neuritogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, modification with a phloroglucinol group yielded the most potent molecule of those evaluated, suggesting that the phloroglucinol group may enhance neuroprotective activity of the catechin-derived compounds. Also, as observed with cathechins, NAC promotes neuritogenesis and inhibits tau self-aggregation, possibly through a different pathway.

Conclusion:

EPIC-PYR, CAT-PYR, CAT-PhG, and NAC increased the number of neurites in Na2 cell line and inhibits tau-self aggregation in vitro.
Gamma Entrainment in a Large Retrospective Cohort: Implications for Photic Stimulation Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Zibrandtsen Ivan C. , Agger Mikkel , Kjaer Troels W.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Studies on mice models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have suggested potential therapeutic benefits of intermittent photic stimulation at 40 Hz.

Objective:

We examined the physiological response of 40 Hz intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) on routine EEG in a large retrospective cohort to investigate the effects of age on induced gamma oscillations by intermittent photic stimulation. Since most AD patients are elderly, it is important for future research to know if age affects photic stimulation.

Methods:

Retrospective data from 1,464 subjects aged 0– 91. We performed frequency analysis and automatic peak detection and used regression analysis to investigate the effects of age and sex on peak frequencies and amplitude changes. To investigate the spread of the induced gamma oscillations, we assessed averaged topographies of 40 Hz band power.

Results:

There was a statistically significant but very minor effect of age on amplitude change (– 0.002 normalized power per year, p < 0.0001) but not for sex ( p = 0.728). Detection probability of induced peaks was significantly predicted by both age (OR = 0.988, CI 95 % [0.984, 0.993], p < 0.00001) and sex (OR = 0.625, CI 95 % [0.496, 0.787>], p < 0.0001). The induced 40 Hz gamma entrainment is spatially confined to the occipital area.

Conclusion:

There is a significant effect of age on induced gamma activity, but advanced age does not fundamentally change the behavior of the response in either magnitude or spatial distribution. This fact is important regarding future research into the possible therapeutic effects of photic stimulation in patients with AD.
Pre-Diabetes, but not Type 2 Diabetes, Is Related to Brain Amyloid in Late Middle-Age
Authors: Luchsinger José A. , Palta Priya , Rippon Brady , Sherwood Greysi , Soto Luisa , Ceballos Fernando , Laing Krystal , Igwe Kay , He Hengda , Razlighi Qolamreza , Teresi Jeanne , Moreno Herman , Brickman Adam M.
Published: May 2020

Background:

Type 2 diabetes is a dementia risk factor, but its relation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is unclear.

Objective:

Our primary objective was to examine the association of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes with brain amyloid-β (Aβ), the putative main culprit of AD. Our secondary objective was to examine the association of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes with neurodegeneration, cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and memory performance.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 350 late middle-aged Hispanics without dementia in New York City. We classified diabetes status as normal glucose tolerance (NGT), pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes following American Diabetes Association criteria. Brain Aβ was ascertained as global Aβ standardized value uptake ratio using PET with 18F-Florbetaben. Neurodegeneration was operationalized as cortical thickness in regions affected by AD using MRI. CVD was operationalized as white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH) on MRI, and memory as performance with the selective reminding test (SRT).

Results:

Mean age was 64.15±3.34 years, 72.00% were women, and 35.43% were APOE ɛ4 carriers. Pre-diabetes, but not type 2 diabetes, was associated with higher Aβ compared with NGT. Type 2 diabetes treatment was related to lower Aβ. Type 2 diabetes was related to lower cortical thickness, higher WMH, and lower SRT score.

Conclusion:

Pre-diabetes, but not type 2 diabetes, is associated with higher brain Aβ in late middle age, and this observation could be explained by the relation of diabetes treatment with lower brain Aβ. Whether type 2 diabetes treatment lowers brain Aβ requires further study.
Effects of external electric field and internuclear length on effective electric field for measurement of electron electric dipole moment
Authors: Senami Masato , Kuroda Naoya , Takahashi Toshiki
Published: May 2020

This paper studies factors which may affect the effective electric field of observation experiments of the electron electric dipole moment. Particularly, the external electric field used in experiments and the internuclear length between two atoms in polar molecules are paid attention to. YbF and ThO are chosen for polar molecules used in observational experiments of the electron electric dipole moment. For the study of the effect of the external electric field, we confirm that this external electric field is negligible in computations of the effective electric field, since this external electric field is much smaller than the internal electric field in the molecules. The effect of the internuclear length is investigated in a viewpoint of the relation with the molecular electric dipole moment.
Emotion recognition from speech using deep learning on spectrograms
Authors: Li Xingguang , Song Wenjun , Liang Zonglin
Published: May 2020

In speech emotion recognition, most emotional corpora generally have problems such as inconsistent sample length and imbalance of sample categories. Considering these problems, in this paper, a variable length input CRNN deep learning model based on Focal Loss is proposed for speech emotion recognition of anger, happiness, neutrality and sadness in IEMOCAP emotional corpus. In this model, Firstly, a variable-length strategy is introduced to input the speech spectra of the filled speech samples into CNN. Then the effective part of the input sequence is preserved and output by masking matrix and convolution layer. Thirdly, the effective output of input sequence is input into BiGRU network for learning. Finally, the focal loss is used for network training to control and adjust the contribution of various samples to the total loss. Compared with the traditional speech emotion recognition model, simulations show that our method can effectively improve the accuracy and performance of emotion recognition.
"Limites à la compétitivité. Pour un niveau contrat mondial" (Recensión)
Authors: Camacho Laraña Ildefonso
Published: May 2020

Recensión de la obra de: GROUPE DE LISBONNE (1995), Limites à la compétitivité. Pour un niveau contrat mondial. Sous la direction de RICCARDO PETRELLA, Ed. Labor, Bruxelles, 230 págs.
La vida antes que la deuda
Authors: Redacción Consejo de
Published: May 2020

El documento que reproducimos parcialmente a continuación es responsabilidad de dos importantes redes internacionales: Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo y la Solidaridad (CIDSE), que agrupa a 16 organizaciones católicas de Europa, América del Norte y Nueva Zelanda que se ocupan del desarrollo, y Caritas Internationalis, que agrupa a 146 organizaciones nacionales que prestan servicios de ayuda, desarrollo y asistencia social en 194 estados y territorios de todo el mundo. El documento ofrece una presentación completa de este complejo tema. Lo hace desde la perspectiva cristiana que en estos últimos años tan sensibilizada se ha mostrado ante las dimensiones que el problema de la deuda está alcanzando
Flexibilidad laboral y mejora continua:
Authors: Fernández Rodríguez Vicente
Published: May 2020

Recientemente, el premio Nobel de economía James A. Mirrlees, presentaba la siguiente conclusión: la eliminación del salario mínimo interprofesional hace disminuir el desempleo. Como una humilde aportación podríamos añadir: también las guerras, las epidemias, ..., hacen disminuir el desempleo, y de paso, permiten el desarrollo de determinadas industrias. Esta provocación inicial solamente pretende abrir paso a una idea: el trabajo que desarrollamos cada uno de nosotros, desde el punto de vista «técnico», puede resultar más o menos valioso, pero lo que realmente lo llena de sentido es la reflexión que hagamos sobre su impacto. La falta de esa reflexión, además puede llegar a ser incluso peligrosa. El presente artículo pretende ser un pequeño ejercicio de esa tarea.
"El déficit social neoliberal. Del Estado del bienestar a la sociedad de la exclusión" (Recensión)
Authors: Camacho Laraña Ildefonso
Published: May 2020

Recensión de la obra de: CAMARERO SANTAMARÍA, J. (1998), El déficit social neoliberal. Del Estado del bienestar a la sociedad de la exclusión, Sal Terrae, Santander, 294 págs.
"Dialéctica empleo–desempleo y Derecho social" (Recensión)
Authors: Romero Rodríguez José Juan
Published: May 2020

Recensión de la obra de: MARZAL, A. (Ed.) (1999), Dialéctica empleo–desempleo y Derecho social, Bosch y ESADE–Facultad de Derecho, Barcelona, 333 págs.
El Estado autonómico y al reforma de la Constitución
Authors: Porras Nadales Antonio J.
Published: May 2020

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Aceh’s Halal Tourism as the Instrument to Increase Indonesia’s Economy by Attracting Foreign Tourism
Authors: Fadhilah Farah Ghina , Widyastuti Isnashella Pertiwi , Rizqullah M Fawwaz Syafiq
Published: May 2020

The aim of the research in this paper was to examine the prospect of halal tourism in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province as the instrument of Indonesia’s soft diplomacy in increasing international cooperation that affects Indonesia’s economy. The reason behind this research conduct was due to the myriad of Indonesia halal tourism as destination which had earned several achievements in the context of the ‘World's Most Popular Halal Tourism Destinations’ by the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI). Aceh became one of the provinces in Indonesia that is made as the focus of halal tourism development and has won two prestigious awards at the World Halal Tourism Award. By using the theory of soft diplomacy by Joseph S. Nye, Jr., and Qualitative data approach from journal, book, and other credible resources, this article found that Aceh can be a unique and appealing halal tourism area that can become a medium for Indonesia’s soft diplomacy in conducting international cooperation, especially with others Islamic countries in the world. Therefore, it can increase Indonesia's domestic economy significantly, especially to Aceh province, which will eventually give a significant impact to Indonesia’s national economy.
The influence of partial substitutes of protein feed of bees on the production of drone larvae homogenate
Authors: Nedashkivskyi V. M.
Published: May 2020

The biological value of the bee drone brood homogenate is showed. In recent times, the bee drone brood homogenate has become widely used among the population. In particular, the nutritional value the drone brood homogenate is determined by a high content of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, organic acids, vitamins, mineral compounds and other important chemical agent for the body. In the fresh state, the drone brood homogenate is cream-like, a slightly viscous substance of light yellow color with a pleasant smell of baked bread and a specific sweet taste. It has a high content of fat, protein and high biological value of elements compounds. Production the drone brood homogenate includes: preparation of bee colonies, rearing of drone brood, selection of drone brood and their processing. The drone brood homogenate contains about 73 % of water, 13 % of protein (21 free amino acids), 1 % of fat (29 higher fatty acids), water- and fat-soluble vitamins, 131 mg/kg of carotene and also has an active acidity (pH) at level of 6.5 ± 0.29. Chemical analysis of different age drone brood shows that the vast majority of identified substances are contained in the homogenate of seven-day drone brood which are the most suitable for homogenization in order to obtain the highest quality product. It is known that drone brood has the same properties as royal jelly. Both of these products contain almost the same amount of protein and reducing sugars per unit of dry weight. It was studied the effectiveness of using substitutes protein feeds (defatted soya flour with soy peptides and pollen) in bee feeding during the harvesting honey. It was found that feeding bee colonies with soy peptides are increased the production of drone brood homogenate by 79.6 % in compared with using defatted soy flour.
Changes in goslings’ blood pattern under the influence of different doses additives of selenium in forages
Authors: Sobolieva S. V. , Gutyj B. V. , Sobolev O. I.
Published: May 2020

According to many scientists, the list of trace elements that are currently used in compound feeds for various types of poultry is clearly insufficient. In recent years, applied research has been conducted to determine the physiological needs of poultry for certain mineral elements that perform important biochemical functions in the body. This also applies to such biotic ultramicroelement as selenium. Scientific research of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of physiology, biochemistry, medicine and veterinary medicine has proved that selenium is a trace element with a fairly wide range of physiological and biochemical effects. When developing and theoretically justifying optimal norms for introducing selenium into poultry feed, it is necessary to evaluate not only its productive qualities, but also the blood picture. The question of the influence of selenium on changes in blood parameters in the poultry body is a great theoretical and practical significance because it allows us to expand our knowledge of its biological role and explain the data obtained in experiments. In scientific and economic experience has been studied the influence of additives of different doses of selenium in compound feed on the morphological and biochemical parameters of the goslings' blood raised for meat. During the experiment, feeding of goslings of all groups were carried out with dry feed mixes in accordance with existing norms. The goslings of the first control group did not receive selenium supplementation. The poultry of the second experimental group were additionally fed selenium at the rate of 0.2 mg/kg, the third of 0.3 and the fourth of 0.4 mg/kg. It is established that the additive in the feed of different doses of selenium stimulate hemocytopoiesis are added to different compound feeds, this is achieved by a homogeneous tendency per day, within physiological values in the goslings' peripheral blood number of red blood cells (by 1.7–3.9 %), white blood cells (by 2.1–3.2 %) and hemoglobin (by 2.4–8.6 %). Immune defense mechanisms are activated, which is manifested in an increase in the level of total protein (by 1.4–3.8 %) and the concentration of immunoglobulins in the blood serum (by 3.2–9.7 %). It is found changes in the content of total glutathione and its reduced form in the blood indicate a positive effect of selenium on the non-enzymatic element of the antioxidant defense system of the poultry's body. The addition of selenium to compound feed at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg had a significant effect on the morphological and biochemical parameters of the goslings' blood raised for meat.
Contrast media volume is significantly related to patient lung volume during CT pulmonary angiography when employing a patient-specific contrast protocol
Authors: Saade Charbel , Ghosn Youssef , Alfout Ghina , Mahmoud Mustafa Zuhair , Rawashdeh Mohammad Ahmmad , Karout Lina , Ghieh Diamond , El-Merhi Fadi
Published: May 2020

Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between contrast media volume and patient lung volume when employing a patient-specific contrast media formula during pulmonary computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Materials and methods: IRB approved this retrospective study. CTA of the pulmonary arteries was performed on 200 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). The contrast media volume (CMV) was calculted by employing a patient-specific contrast formula. Lung volume was quantified employing semi-automated lung software that calculated lung volumes (intellispace -Philips). The mean cross-sectional opacification profile of central and peripheral pulmonary arteries and veins were measured for each patient and arteriovenous contrast ratio (AVCR) calculated for each lung segment.  Mean body mass index (BMI) and lung volume were quantified. Receiver operating (ROC) and visual grading characteristics (VGC) measured reader confidence in emboli detection and image quality respectively. Inter and intra-observer variations were investigated employing Cohen’s kappa methodology.

Results: Results showed that the mean pulmonary arterial opacification of the main pulmonary circulation (343.88±73HU), right lung; upper (316.51±23HU), middle (312.5±39HU) and lower (315.23±65HU) lobes and left; upper (318.76±83HU), and lower (321.91±12HU) lobes. The mean venous opacification of all pulmonary veins was below 182±72HU. AVCR was observed at all anatomic locations (p<0.0002) where this ratio was calculated. Moreover, larger volumes of contrast significantly correlated with larger lung volumes (r=0.89, p<0.03) and radiation dose (p<0.03). VGC and ROC analysis demonstrated increased area under the curve: 0.831 and 0.99 respectively (p<0.02). Inter-observer variation was observed as excellent (κ = 0.71).

Conclusion: We conclude that increased CMV is significantly correlated to increased patient lung volume and radiation dose when employing a patient-specific contrast formula. The effects patient habitus is highlighted.
Cognitive test score and 25-Year mortality risk; Does race matter?
Authors: Assari Shervin
Published: May 2020

Objectives: Despite our knowledge on the effect of cognitive test score on subsequent risk of mortality, few studies have compared Blacks and Whites for this association. The current study was conducted on Black-White differences in the magnitude of the association between baseline cognitive test score and all-cause mortality in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States over 25 years.

Methods: We used data of the Americans’ Changing Lives Study (ACL), 1986 – 2011, a national prospective cohort in U.S. The study followed 3,361 adults (2,205 White and 1,156 Blacks), age 25 and older, for up to 25 years. The independent variable was cognitive test score measured at baseline (1986) using the 4-item version of the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, treated in two different ways (as a dichotomous and as a continuous variable). The dependent variable was time to death (due to all causes) during the follow up period. Covariates included baseline age, gender, education, income, number of chronic diseases, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. Race (Black versus White) was the focal effect modifier. We used a series of Cox proportional hazards models in the total sample, and by race, in the absence and presence of health variables.

Results: Overall, cognitive test score predicted mortality risk. A significant interaction was found between race and baseline cognitive test score suggesting that baseline cognitive test score has a weaker protective effect against all-cause mortality for Blacks in comparison to Whites. In race-stratified models, cognitive test score at baseline predicted risk of all-cause mortality for Whites but not Blacks, in the absence and presence of baseline socio-economic and health variables. The results were similar regardless of how we treated baseline cognitive test score.

Conclusions: In the United States, baseline cognitive test score has a weaker protective effect against all-cause mortality over a long period of time for Blacks than Whites. The finding is in line with the Minorities Diminished Returns theory and is probably due to structural and interpersonal racism.
Free radical scavenging activity of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) varieties with varying flesh color
Authors: Vasquez Erlinda , Contero Precila , Ferraren Dilberto
Published: May 2020

Corms of five taro varieties namelyztwo NSIC-registered varieties, VG-1 (Kalpao) and VG-2 (Iniito), and three farmer’s variety, PRG 322 (Chowking), PRG 381 (Pandaga), and PRG 380 (Salot), were evaluated for antioxidant activity using 1, 1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay before and after cooking. The purple-fleshed varieties PRG 322, PRG 380 and VG-2 showed higher antioxidant activity than theyellow- and cream-fleshed varieties, The monomeric anthocyanin contents of PRG 380 and VG-1 PRG 322 and VG-2, which showed the highest free radical scavenging activity were measured using the pH differential method. The free» radical scavenging activity ofthe five taro varieties ranged from 134 to 154TEμm g-1 when raw and 127 to 147TEμm g-1 when cooked with the highest activity in raw PRG 322 followed by raw PRG 380 and VG-2. Cooked PRG 381 and VG-1 showed the lowest activity, Cooking reduced the activity by 4.5-10.2% with PRG 380 showing the highest reduction rate while the other four varieties did not vary significantly from 4.5-5.9%. Decreased in antioxidant activity can be due to the degradation and leaching out of antioxidant compounds during steamed cooking.
Characterization and prediction of household use of solar home system in Leyte Islands, Philippines
Authors: Guarte Jacqueline , Maurillo Joyce , Niverba Jenefrey
Published: May 2020

Under the Household Electrification Program ofthe Philippines‘ Department of Energy, 530 solar home systems (SHSs) with 30Wp capacity were installed in individual households in four island barangays (villages) in Leyte and Southern Leyte from 2013 to 2015. Aside from lighting with four LED bulbs,the SHS can also be used to listen to the radio or MP3 player, and charge a mobile phone. This paper examines household use of the SHS thru data collected from 299 beneficiaries interviewed in the period 2017-2018. Results indicated that while all households use the SHS for lighting, its other applications are not utilized as much. A sizable percentage of households are now using only the SHS for lighting in each island barangay. The use of the generator set (for a limited time at night) in partnership with the SHS remains dominant to be able to use the SHS lights longer. Kerosene lamp is now rarely used for lighting except in the absence of a barangay-owned generator set.
With a substantial percentage of households using the SHS for lighting only amidst its other applications, classification trees by island barangay were generated to identify the variables which will explain SHS use with both quantitative and qualitative household characteristics making up the predictor space. Although the classification trees grown are unique to each island barangay, age of the household head and annual household income are the consistent significant predictors (up to the third most important) followed by median age of the household members.
Empowering Indonesian Dance Performer In Contributing To Creative Economy Program
Authors: Irawati Kusumorasri  , Nanik Sri Prihartini
Published: May 2020

The city of Solo is very well known as the city of culture with various numbers of arts performed and developed in this city. Regarding this, the government attempts to contribute to the creative economy program to increase the standard of living of its citizens and facilitate them to generate their income from their creative skills in art. Therefore, this paper presents the results of the study of empowering dance performers in contributing to creative economy programs and some factors affecting the empowerment process. The descriptive qualitative with grounded research was employed as a research design of this study by utilizing three research instruments, namely observation, interviews with the manager and dance performers, and document analysis to support the results of the interview and observation. The participants of this study are a manager and a group of dance performers from one dance studio in Solo, Indonesia. The data were analysed by referring to the principles of the creative economy and the theory of empowerment art performers. The results of the study reveal that the manager and the dance performers work separately in conducting the dance performance. The manager does not provide sufficient information about the events, goals of the performance, and the number of the salary that they will receive from their performance. The dance performers only dance based on the instruction of the manager and they fulfil their interest in dance art performance and following the entertainment purposes, without considering the economic aspects that they will gain to support their daily lives. Several factors influence the empowerment of dancers, such as the awareness of managers and dancers in generating income from their talents. The dance performers should change their mindset from dancing for entertainment purposes to dancing for commercial purposes. By doing so, the dance performers will be able to support their daily needs and increase the quality of their life.
Transmedia Storytelling: Fan Arts and Social Media in Gundala
Authors: Ina Listyani Riyanto
Published: May 2020

Transmedia storytelling is a new way to tell stories. One of its crucial elements is active audiences or fans in order to gain maximum information and enjoyment. This preliminary study wanted to examine the utilization of a website and social media by Gundala’s fans in fulfilling their needs to exhibit their artworks and to engage in social interaction. This qualitative study collects data by interviewing transmedia professionals and examining the website and social media related to Gundala. The result indicates that Gundala’s fans were very active and dynamic in social media. In this virtual space, they exhibited the creative fan arts and expressed themselves in social interaction enthusiastically. Since this is a preliminary study, conducting further studies on Gundala’s fan arts and social media with a broader range of data is necessary.
Transformation of Ornaments in Aceh Traditional House
Authors: Dedy Afriadi  , Dharsono  , Guntur
Published: May 2020

Transformasi rumah tradisional dapat dilihat pada  bangunan-bangunan modern yang terdapat pada beberapa perkantoran pemerintah atau swasta di Provinsi Aceh. Transformasi rumah tradisional Aceh ke dalam bangunan modern di Provinsi Aceh dengan sendirinya akan memberi nilai tambah khususnya apresiasi terhadap kesenian tradisional khususnya seni kriya yang menunjukkan khasanah kearifan lokal yang dapat memberi spirit kepada masyarakat. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perubahan bentuk yang terdapat pada arsitektur rumah tradisional Aceh.Metode penelitan yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif, dimana data diperoleh dari hasi observasi dan wawancara, kemudian dianalisis dengan pendekatan Transformasi Budaya yang merupakan perpindahan atau pergeseran suatu hal ke arah yang lain atau baru tanpa mengubah struktur yang terkandung didalamnya, meskipun dalam bentuknya yang baru telah mengalami perubahan. Ornamen pada arsitektur rumah tradisional Aceh merupakan bagian dari karya seni yang berkonsep pada nilai-nilai Islam dan tidak pernah lepas dari keindahan yang merujuk pada kebesaran Allah sebagai sang maha pencipta.
International Remittances and Private Healthcare in Kerala, India
Authors: Khan Mohd Imran , C. Valatheeswaran
Published: May 2020

The inflow of international remittances to Kerala has been increasing over the last three decades. It has increased the income of recipient households and enabled them to spend more on human capital investment. Using data from the Kerala Migration Survey-2010, this study analyses the impact of remittance receipts on the households’ healthcare expenditure and access to private healthcare in Kerala. This study employs an instrumental variable approach to account for the endogeneity of remittances receipts. The empirical results show that remittance income has a positive and significant impact on households’ healthcare expenditure and access to private healthcare services. After disaggregating the sample into different heterogeneous groups, this study found that remittances have a greater effect on lower-income households and Other Backward Class (OBC) households but not Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households, which remain excluded from reaping the benefit of international migration and remittances.
Editorial: Modeling Migration, Insecurity and COVID-19
Authors: Cohen Jeffrey H.
Published: May 2020

In this editorial, I adapt a culture of migration approach to the study of migration and COVID-19.  I argue that the coronavirus and COVID-19 undermine security and the efforts of movers to make informed decisions concerning their sojourns.  The role of insecurity in decision-making, at points of origin and destination, and the ways that movers respond, are developed throughout the articles in this issue of Migration Letters, revealing a growing interest in understanding the complex forces surrounding human mobility.
Influence of Remittances on Socio-Economic Development in Rural Nepal
Authors: Chaudhary Deepak
Published: May 2020

This article analyses socioeconomic changes with reference to income, consumption, expenditure, health, and education of migrant households in relation to remittances flows. This study is based on a case study of Musaharniya village in Rajbiraj Municipality of Saptari District, Province 2, Nepal. It is found that remittances play a vital role in improving the socioeconomic condition, reducing poverty and bringing social and political awareness in the village. Those households whose family members are not abroad are poorer than those with migrant members abroad. Due to increasing incomes, their expenditure capacity has considerably risen over time. All migrant households have owned land whereas one-third of households were landless in the past. Access to modern technologies has significantly increased among remittance recipient households compared to non-remittances households. Remittances were also causing migration from rural to urban centres to some extent.
From Passport to Pennies: Theorizing the Effects of Dual Citizenship on Migrant Remittances
Authors: Naujoks Daniel
Published: May 2020

Migrant remittances are critical elements of the economic development agenda in many parts of the world. Extending dual citizenship to emigrants has been suggested as government policy to encourage and stabilize migrants’ financial transfers. This essay theorizes the causal relationship between passports and pennies, or between citizenship policies and transnational economic activities, such as remittances. It reads the conceptualizations from a grounded theory study on the effects of status passages related to citizenship, as well as findings from economic sociology into the micro-economic literature on the determinants of remittances. Based on a study of India’s diasporic membership status, the Overseas Citizenship of India, the essay shows that four principal effects—the rights, identity, naturalization and good-will effect—affect various populations differently. The conceptualizations serve to generate empirically grounded hypotheses about the relationship between economic transfers and citizenship status, as well as to understand the underlying (and sometimes competing) mechanisms.
COVID-19, Australia: Epidemiology Report 14 (Reporting week to 23:59 AEST 3 May 2020)
Authors:   COVID-19 National Incident Room Surveillance Team
Published: May 2020

Confirmed cases in Australia notified up to 03 May 2020: notifications = 6,784; deaths = 89. The reduction in international travel and domestic movement, social distancing measures and public health action have likely slowed the spread of COVID-19 in Australia. Currently new notifications in Australia are mostly considered to be locally-acquired with some cases still reported among people with recent overseas travel. Most locally-acquired cases can be linked back to a confirmed case or known cluster, with a small portion unable to be epidemiologically linked to another case. The ratio of overseas-acquired cases to locally-acquired cases varies by jurisdiction. The crude case fatality rate (CFR) in Australia remains low (1.3%) compared to the World Health Organization’s globally-reported rate (7.1%) and to other comparable high-income countries such as the United States of America (5.7%) and the United Kingdom (15.4%). The lower CFR in Australia is likely reflective of high case ascertainment including detection of mild cases. Internationally, cases continue to increase. The rates of increase have started to slow in several regions, although it is too soon to tell whether this trend will be sustained.