bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disponibilidad y eficiencia en el uso de recursos naturales, biodiversidad y servicios ecosistémicos
Authors: García-García Jeimy Andrea , Díaz-Timoté Julián
Published: November 2022

Colombia se encuentra dentro de los catorce países con mayores índices de diversidad biológica (Andrade-C., 2011), con el hábitat del 10 % de las especies conocidas y aproximadamente 58 312 especies de flora y fauna registradas (SiB Colombia, 2019), en apenas 0.7 % de la superficie continental del planeta. Esta riqueza natural se expresa no solo en cantidad de especies, sino también en comunidades vegetales o tipos de vegetación (más de 1000 tipos), y en niveles de unidades ecológicas o ecosistemas (Rangel-Ch., 2005 ).

La biodiversidad del territorio colombiano es el resultado de su posición geográfica y las diferentes combinaciones entre condiciones climáticas, hidrológicas y geomorfológicas. Estas diferencias le permiten contar con distintos “complejos dinámicos de comunidades vegetales, animales y de microorganismos” (Ideam, 2014), distribuidos en 81 tipos de ecosistemas potenciales, correspondientes a unidades ecológicas forestales, arbustivas, de sabana y páramo, de pantanos con vegetación herbácea y de aguas abiertas. Lo anterior produce altos niveles de endemismos (Etter et al., 2017), y especies con distribución geográfica restringida en el mundo, lo que las hace más susceptibles a la extinción por las transformaciones de las áreas naturales y la huella humana (Etter et al., 2017; Hernández-Camacho & Sánchez, 1992).
Investigation of Physicochemical Changes of Soft Clay around Deep Geopolymer Columns
Authors: Bagherinia Majid , Işik Neşe
Published: November 2022

Geopolymers show good promise for soft clay stabilization. This paper aimed to improve soft clay with geopolymer and evaluate the effects of geopolymer-stabilized columns on the mechanical and chemical behavior of the surrounding clay. Ranges of tests were conducted on both stabilized and unstabilized specimens to determine the impacts of geopolymer on the clay structure. The results showed that increasing the binder content and curing time significantly increased the unconfined compressive strength of stabilized samples. Microstructure and mineralogy analyses revealed that hardened materials were formed within the geopolymer matrix from the amorphous clay phases. In addition, the formation of the effective area around the geopolymer-stabilized columns resulted in the water content of soft clay decreasing while the undrained shear strength, pH, and electric conductivity values increased. Furthermore, the bearing capacity of soft clay dramatically increased (30-fold) due to an increase in column area.
Quantitative evaluation of pulmonary hypertension using 4D flow MRI: a retrospective study
Authors: Koike Hirofumi , Sueyoshi Eijun , Nishimura Takamasa , Morikawa Minoru , Uetani Masataka
Published: November 2022

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe vascular disorder that may affect 50% of patients with heart failure. Currently, right-sided heart catheterization is required to definitively diagnose PH. However, this method is invasive and thus may not be appropriate for repeated, long-term monitoring of PH patients. This retrospective study’s aim was to evaluate whether 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to quantitively measure flow parameters to identify patients with PH. The study cohort included 97 patients recruited from a single institution and divided into three groups based on echocardiographic estimate of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP): normal group with PASP<36mmHg, borderline PH group with PASP of 37–50mmHg, and PH group with PASP>50mmHg. 4D flow MRI was used to quantitively assess blood flow and velocity, regurgitation, wall shear stress (WSS) and kinetic energy in the pulmonary artery trunk, right main pulmonary artery, and left pulmonary artery. Two experienced radiologists independently analyzed the MR images, blinded to clinical details. We found a significant difference in WSS in the pulmonary artery trunk, right main pulmonary artery and left main pulmonary artery among the three patient groups. We also found significant differences in the kinetic energy and average through velocity in the pulmonary artery trunk and right main pulmonary artery, and significant differences in the flow rate in the right main pulmonary artery. These data suggest that 4D flow MRI can quantitate pulmonary artery flow parameters and distinguish between patients with and without PH.
Evaluation of health services to The residents of UNHR in Sarvestan refugee camp based on the responsive evaluation model in the Covid epidemic 19
Authors: Bazrafkan Leila , mohseni roghayeh , hamidi Forough , mohseni zeinab
Published: November 2022

Introduction:Due to the spread of social, economic and political problems, the number of asylum seekers is increasing every year. Lack of attention to asylum seekers' access to quality health services not only poses a serious threat to the health of asylum seekers, but also to the general health of the destination community. Due to the importance of this issue, the present study was conducted to evaluate the health care services to the citizens of Commissariat Camp Sarvestan (UHNR) based on the responsive evaluation model.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in 2020. The statistical population of this study was Afghans over 15 years old living in UHNR camp (Shahid Beheshti Hospitalm Sarvestan, Fars province). Due to the limited statistical population, sampling was done by census method and the total number of samples in the present study was 270 people. The main tool of the present study was a questionnaire based on the responsive evaluation model. In this study, components of health services, including health services, physician-patient relationship, therapeutic collaboration and access to services were evaluated. SPSS software version 21 was used for statistical analysis of data.
Results:Among the components of health services, the highest score for physician-patient communication (17.88±6.91) and the lowest score for treatment coordination (14.58±5.8). The results of this study showed that 75-90% of the participants in all 4 dimensions had a relatively good to moderate theoretical dimension that reflected the relative satisfaction of the services and only 10 to 25% of the subjects presented poor and relatively poor grades. Furthermore, the results of the statistical test of the quantitative analysis section showed a statistically significant difference between the total score of health care services and age and gender (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion:In all components more than 75% of the participants had high satisfaction, which indicates the efforts, cooperation and planning of relevant officials in the field of health services in this camp..
Community Based Conservation Approaches: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation and Socio-economic development of Local community in Bale Mountains National Park, South East Ethiopia.
Authors: Gena Hussein , Jemal Mustefa
Published: November 2022

Community based conservation approaches are the holistic way to ensure appropriate biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement in many protected areas across the world. However involvement of local community in conservation activities and benefit sharing in many protected areas are not well implemented. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of community based conservation approaches for biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. To address the stated objectives, required data were gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The result of the study revealed that parks provide various benefits for the local communities which are found in and adjacent to the park. Regarding perceived benefits from park, there was significant difference among community based association and non-community based association at (X2 = 92.071, df = 1, P < 0.05) while no significant difference was observed across kebeles. In spite of variation in perception among local community on park conservation, it was revealed that the communities contribute towards conservation of the park by controlling outbreak of fire and informing wildlife attack. Regarding strengths and weakness of community based conservation approaches as the finding indicated that internal factors out weight the external factors which imply that implementing the approaches is crucial for successful conservation of the park.
Hydrothermal carbonization of microalgal biomass: an eco-sustainable process to improve properties and effectiveness of microalgae in different applications
Authors: Mantovani Marco , Collina Elena , Lasagni Marina , Mezzanotte Valeria
Published: November 2022

Microalgae have historically been a subject of great interest in scientific research. However, despite algae can be exploited in many different fields, management and process costs have often slowed down the development of large-scale industrial applications. This review aims to provide an overview of possible improvements in properties and characteristics of microalgal biomass from various points of view. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), which is the main object of this literature research, is a thermochemical treatment of an organic substrate forming a porous carbon-based solid material (hydrochar). The review focuses on the HTC process at a laboratory scale to produce hydrochar from microalgae. The studies show the advantages of using hydrochar as a soil amendment for crop farming, for fuel generation, or as an adsorbent material to remove contaminants from water, using it as such or in combination with iron nanoparticles.
Analyzing Urban Locational Competitiveness: A PCA-Based Competitive Approach
Authors: Afsahhosseini Fatemehalsadat
Published: November 2022

In spite of the complexity of the concept of competitiveness, its goal is, to some extent clear to be able to outperform other competitors. The four components of urban competitiveness are economic, socio-cultural, environmental and locational. Review of major City competitiveness models used for analysis of subjects of subnational level revealed that most of the models emphasize economic factors affecting city competitiveness pay no or very limited attention to other types of factors, especially those that are outside of direct city control. But, Since most of the information needed to manage a city has a spatial dimension, take attention to the locational side of competitiveness is very important.
The general objective of this research is to identify the factors influencing the promotion of urban locational competitiveness. From the UN perspective, there are three different ways of identifying the real factors of urban competitiveness. With regard to the research paradigm, which is positivist, a quantitative/statistical method was chosen among the three methods proposed. Urban competitiveness locational indices are Hypsography, Location Conditions, Accessibility, and Spatial Data Infrastructure. The principal component analysis is the data analysis method using SPSS and Minitab software and XLSTAT. The first five principal components explain 0.87 variances.
Evaluation of grape pomace biogas yield in co-digestion with a simulated wastewater
Authors: Oliveira Rui , Gonçalves Isolina Maria Silva Cabral , Mendonça António , Pinheiro Helena , Ferra Maria Isabel
Published: November 2022

The purpose of the present work is the evaluation of the biogas yield from red grape pomace (GP) in anaerobic mesophilic regime. Several factors may influence the biogas yield, namely the heterogeneous nature of the available substrates, the presence of poorly degradable matter, the average size of solid substrates and the mass load. The increase of the specific surface area of the particles makes easy the hydrolysis rate, so the bioavailability of substrates, enhancing the degradation efficiency. Also, an increase of the GP mass load by a factor of two may lead to an increase of the biogas production up to three to four-fold. However, high mass loads may also trigger inhibition lowering the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, negative effect that is expected to be attenuated by the supplementation of soluble carbon sources. The COD and phenol removal corroborate the high degradation efficiency of the solubilized substrates in the raw GP. A significant percentage of grape pomace is not completely broken down within the experimental period, remaining as a fraction of the residual sludge, which could be used as biofertilizer. For instance, a biogas yielding up to 144 L biogas / kg volatile solids (VS) added was achieved, value much lower than that considering the entire degraded substrate (which ranged from 521 to 719 L biogas/kg VS removed) and the theoretically estimated value (approximately 800 L biogas/kg VS removed). This preliminary evaluation may provide useful information to carry on planning new experiments to improve the methane yield. The efficiency of anaerobic degradation and the energy consumption associated to the milling process should be considered in the definition of a more reliable situation.
Multilingual markers of depression in remotely collected speech samples
Authors: Cummins Nicholas , Dineley Judith , Conde Pauline , Matcham Faith , Siddi Sara , Lamers Femke , Carr Ewan , Lavelle Grace , Leightley Daniel , White Katie , Oetzmann Carolin , Campbell Edward , Simblett Sara , Bruce Stuart , Haro Josep , Penninx Brenda , Ranjan Yatharth , Rashid Zulqarnain , Stewart Callum , Folarin Amos , Bailón Raquel , Schuller Björn , Wykes Til , Vairavan Srinivasan , Dobson Richard , Narayan Vaibhav , Hotopf Matthew
Published: November 2022

Background Speech contains neuromuscular, physiological, and cognitive components and so is a potential biomarker of mental disorders. Previous studies have indicated that speaking rate and pausing are associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, results are inclusive as many studies are small and underpowered and do not focus on clinical samples. These studies have also been unilingual and use speech collected in highly controlled settings. If speech markers are to help understand the onset and progress of MDD, we need to uncover markers that are robust to language and establish the strength of associations in real-world data. Methods We collected speech data in 585 participants with a history of MDD in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Netherlands as part of the RADAR-MDD study. Participants recorded their speech via smartphones every two weeks for 18 months. Linear mixed models were used to identify key cross-language markers of depression from a set of 28 speech features. Findings: Increased depressive symptoms were associated with speech rate, articulation rate and intensity of speech elicited from a scripted speech task. These three features had consistently stronger effect sizes than pauses. Interpretation: Participants with more severe depressive symptoms spoke more slowly and quietly, regardless of the language used. As decreases in speech rate and articulation rate had stronger effects than any of the pausing measures tested, we speculate the observed slowing of speech is most likely due to psychomotor impairments affecting articulation rates.
Business As Usual Versus Climate-responsive, Optimised Crop Plans - A Predictive Model for Irrigated Agriculture in Australia in 2060
Authors: Lewis Andrew , Montgomery James , Lewis Max , Randall Marcus , Schiller Karin
Published: November 2022

Climate change is impacting people's lives, with management of water resources and food security being major concerns for the future of many countries. In this paper, future water availability, crop water needs, yields, market costs and returns of current crops in a case study area in Australia is evaluated under future climatic conditions. The predictive methods on which the work is based have the advantage of being robust---they able to simultaneously consider many climate change models---giving greater confidence in determining what the future will hold in this regard. The results indicate business as usual, in terms of the quantity and types of crops that can be grown presently, will not be sustainable in the medium and long term future. Instead, modelling indicates that changes in production and land use to maximise revenue per megalitre of water will be needed to adapt to future conditions and deliver climate-smart agriculture.
The Parctice of the Micro-Course Combined with Flipped Classroom in Emergency Medicine Education
Authors: Yang Cui , Han Sheng-Jin , MM Long Jin , MM Lu Jiang , Zhou Zheng-Wu
Published: November 2022

BACKGROUND:With the reform of medical education methods, a novel educational resource “micro-course” and a new educational model “flipped classroom” have attracted the attention of educators. There are few indicates about whether and how they can be applied in emergency medicine teaching in the past period.
OBJECTIVE: This paper investigates the practice of the micro-course combined with the flipped classroom in emergency medicine course in West Anhui Health Vocational College.
SUBJECTS and METHODS: The students from Class 2003 and Class 2004 of the Clinical Department of West Anhui Health Vocational College, Grade 2000, were assigned to the reforming group and the traditional group respectively. The education style of the micro-course combined with the flipped classroom was applied to the reforming group, and the didactic teaching style was used in the traditional group. At the end of the course, theoretical tests and questionnaires were used to test the teaching results.
RESULTS: The results of theory tests in reforming group were significantly better than those in traditional group (t=3.122, P <0.01). Furthermore, the outcomes of the questionnaire investigation indicated that the students' general satisfaction to participate in micro-course combined with flipped classroom was exceed traditional group. In the refroming group, the students thought that their passion to learning, efficiency of learning, and ability of learning on their own and solving the problem were greatly enhanced comparing with traditional teaching method.
CONCLUSION: Micro-course combined with flipped classroom successfully increased the outcome of emergency medicine teaching. It should provide reference for the reform of emergency medicine teaching in medical colleges and universities.
Evaluating the Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutations by Causal Inference
Authors: Wang Xin , Hu Mingda , Liu Bo , Xu Huifang , Jin Yuan , Wang Boqian , Zhao Yunxiang , Wu Jun , Yue Junjie , Ren Hongguang
Published: November 2022

Driven by various mutations on the viral Spike protein, diverse variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged and prevailed repeatedly, which necessitates the identification of key Spike mutations for fitness enhancement. To address the need, this manuscript formulates a principled framework of causal inference for evaluating Spike mutations. In the context of large-scale genomes of SARS-CoV-2, it estimates the contribution of mutations to viral fitness across lineages and validates mutational effects on the Spike stability, receptor-binding affinity, and potential for immune escape. Key fitness-enhancing mutations and protein regions are recognized and studied. The transmission capacity of any new variant possessing these mutations can be predicted based on our model, solely based on the viral sequence. This research produces an innovative and systematic insight into SARS-CoV-2 and promotes functional studies of its key mutations.
Analysis of the microalgae community found in acid lake of uranium mine: bioprospecting for evaluation of biotechnological potential
Authors: Flor Janaina Magalhães , Schenberg Ana Clara Guerrini , Nascimento Heliana de Azevedo Franco do , Oliveira Maria José Dellamano
Published: November 2022

The first uranium mine that had its deposit explored in Brazil is located in the region of the Poços de Caldas Plateau (Minas Gerais) and currently, mining activities no longer take place there. Still, a serious environmental problem occurs at the site: acid mine drainage. An alternative to monitor such environments is through the analysis of the microalgae community, as this can provide information about species with biotechnological potential for remediation actions. In the present study, an analysis of the composition of the microalgae community found in the UDC/INB uranium mine pit (point CM) and in the Antas Reservoir (point 14) was carried out, and a comparison was made between these points in order to identify the present species that play important roles in the biotechnology area. The expected result was to find a much lower microalgae diversity in CM than in P14. However, the results were very similar: in both sampling sites, a taxonomically diverse microalgae flora was found, dominated by the Bacillariophyceae and Chlorophyceae classes. In addition, at both sites, microalgae were recorded which are widely used in biotechnological processes of environmental remediation, removal of contaminants from wastewater, production of biofuels, pigments, medicines, among others, showing that the use of microalgae for various purposes is a very promising and environmentally sustainable path.
Wall shear stress measurements in water by molecular tagging velocimetry at high spatio-temporal resolution
Authors: Fort Charles , Bardet Philippe Matthieu
Published: November 2022

Wall shear stress is one of the most important (if not the most important) quantities to resolve for many applied fields of fluid mechanics, including naval hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. In high-Reynolds number flows, it cannot be simulated directly and one is forced to use models. The latter typically rely on experimental dataset for their development and subsequent validation. However, measuring wall shear stress at high Reynolds numbers is very challenging, especially in water. Historically, molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) has been demonstrated to measure instantaneous wall shear stress, but it suffers from limited temporal and spatial resolutions. By generating fine and prompt patterns (thanks to Talbot-effect structured illumination and photobleaching rhodamine 6G, respectively), we demonstrate MTV with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. Here, the measurement of instantaneous wall shear stress is reported in a transitional boundary layer and in a turbulent channel flow at ReΤ ≈ 800 and 1,200.
Discovery of nematic Bogoliubov Fermi surface in an iron-chalcogenide superconductor
Authors: Nagashima Tsubaki , Hashimoto Takahiro , Najafzadeh Sahand , Ouchi Shin-ichiro , Suzuki Takeshi , Fukushima Akiko , Kasahara Shigeru , Matsuura Kohei , Qiu Mingwei , Mizukami Yuta , Hashimoto Kenichiro , Matsuda Yuji , Shibauchi Takasada , Shin Shik , Okazaki Kozo
Published: November 2022

Bogoliubov Fermi surface (BFS) is an unprecedented superconducting gap structure in which the nodal (zero-gap) region forms a two-dimensional surface rather than a line or point. Tetragonal Fe(Se,S) having a large residual density of states is a candidate for hosting BFSs. However, direct evidence has not yet been obtained. Here we report the unique momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in the hole band of FeSe0.78S0.22 by using high-energy-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find highly unusual gap anisotropy with a maximum gap of ~1 meV and widespread zero-gap regions with an accuracy of 200 μeV. Surprisingly, the gap structure breaks the four-fold rotational symmetry of the tetragonal crystal structure. These results reveal the formation of anomalous two-fold symmetric nodal planes, providing evidence for emergent nematic BFSs.
Spatial Pattern and Equity Evaluation of Urban Park: A Case Study of Shinan District, Qingdao
Authors: Wang Xing Yu , Yao Wenfei , Meng Tian
Published: November 2022

Urban parks play a distinctive and important role in satisfying residents’ demands on leisure and recreation, and thus have become the focus of research in the field of urban planning and sustainable development. The measurement of the equity of the spatial pattern of urban park plays an important role in optimizing the construction of urban parks. In this paper, the administrative streets of Shinan District of Qingdao City were taken as the spatial unit. Three aspects of urban park (supply quantity, landscape quality, and accessibility measures) were analyzed by the principal component analysis, two-step moving search method, and coupled coordination analysis. Results show that (1) Administrative streets have the most significant differences in accessibility measures and the least differences in landscape quality. Badaguan Street has the highest indexes in the number of urban parks supply and accessibility measures, and Zhuhai Road Street has the highest indexes in landscape quality. (2) On the whole, the coupling coordination of the spatial pattern of urban parks in Shinan District is poor, among which the coordination level of Badaguan Street is the highest and has moderately coordinated. Our results provide a valuable reference for sustainable urban design and planning.
The red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis genome and integrative -omics analysis
Authors: Zhao M , Campbell AH , ZP Patwary , Wang T , Lang T , Webb J , GC Zuccarello , Wegner A , Heyne D , McKinnie L , Pascelli C , Satoh N , Shoguchi E , NA Paul , SF Cummins
Published: November 2022

Seaweeds (marine macroalgae) are crucial to the functioning of healthy coastal ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles, and sometimes provide novel solutions to help mitigate climate change. The red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis (Bonnemaisoniaceae, Rhodophyta) produces bioactive natural products that, when fed to cattle and sheep, can eradicate methane emissions from these livestock. However, in order to cultivate enough A. taxiformis to have a meaningful impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, we need to improve our understanding of the biology of this new crop. In this study, we used a domesticated diploid sporophyte (> 1.5 years in culture, with relatively low microbial diversity) to establish a high-quality draft nuclear genome for A. taxiformis from Queensland, Australia. The A. taxiformis lineage was confirmed as Lineage 6 (L6) based upon phylogenetic analysis (Cox2-3 spacer). The genome of A. taxiformis (L6) was 142 Mb in size with approximately 11,000 protein-coding genes, including those associated with secondary metabolism, photosynthesis and defence, and the assembly contained 70.67% repeat regions. Based on protein domain analysis, the most prominent lineage-specific duplications belonged to those containing WD repeat proteins, as well as bestrophin and N6_N4_Mtase domain proteins. Cultured (domesticated) A. taxiformis (L6) sporophytes contained 4-times more bromoform (the key anti-methanogenic natural product) compared to wild sporophytes. To obtain information regarding associated molecular differences, the genome was used as a reference to explore differential gene expression related to environment. Cultured sporophytes demonstrated an enrichment of regulatory factors (kinases, transcription factors), whereas wild sporophytes were enriched with defence and stress-related genes, including those involved in protein folding (heat shock proteins) and halogenated metabolite production. Wild sporophytes also expressed a relatively high level of novel secreted proteins, with similarity to collagen-alpha proteins (termed rhodophyte collagen-alpha-like proteins, RCAPs). Proteomic investigation of the genome of cultured sporophytes, resulting in the identification of over 400 proteins, including RCAPs, as well as numerous enzymes and phycobiliproteins, which will facilitate future functional characterisation. In summary, as the most comprehensive genomic resource for any Asparagopsis species, this resource provides a gateway for seaweed researchers to fast-track the development and production of Asparagopsis to meet demand by agriculture and do so with economic and environmental agility.
A Novel Prognostic Risk Model for Necroptosis-associated Genes in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Liu Yueyao , Gou Lin , Ma Zhi-gui
Published: November 2022

Background
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a hematological malignancy with high heterogeneity that develops in both children and adults. Necroptosis is a newly recognized form of cell death. Nevertheless, the prognostic significance and functions of necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in ALL have not received sufficient attention. This study aimed to evaluate the association between NRGs levels and ALL prognosis using publicly available datasets.
Methods
RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data and clinical information for ALL patients were obtained from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database. Univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses were applied to select prognosis-related genes for the construction of a prognostic risk-scoring model. Internal and external validation proved the model efficient. Furthermore, we explored the correlation of the prognostic risk model with immune infiltration and drug resistance.
Results
A total of 7 necroptosis-related genes (NRGs), namely BIRC2, PKP3, MERTK, KL, ESR2, TLE6, and TET2, were used to construct a survival prognostic model. The model exhibited excellent performance in the TARGET cohort and validation group and had good prediction accuracy in screening out high-risk ALL patients. Functional analysis showed that tumor immune microenvironment and drug resistance differed between high- and low-risk groups.
Conclusion
Our NRGs risk score model is a promising strategy for the prediction of ALL patients’ prognosis.
Planting density is a key driver of sorghum yield gaps and variability in smallholder farms of northern Nigeria: Results of an integrated panel survey and crop cutting experiment
Authors: Adam Adam Muhammad , Jibrin Jibrin Mohammed , Shehu Bello Muhammad , Samndi Ayuba Musa , Mustapha Aishat Ayobami , Ajeigbe Hakeem Ayinde , Akinseye Folorunso M.
Published: November 2022

Understanding the drivers of crop yields and variability is fundamental to closing yield gaps and ensuring global food security, especially in smallholder farming systems. This study identified the major socio-economic, soil and crop management factors contributing to sorghum yield variability and yield gaps in the sorghum belt of northern Nigeria. Data on socio-economic indicators, agronomic practices, soil fertility characteristics and yields were collected through integrated agronomic panel and crop cut surveys. These surveys were conducted in two agroecological zones (i.e., Sudan and Sahel savanna zones), the sorghum production belt in Nigeria, among 144 sorghum-producing households using a multistage balanced acceptance sampling procedure. Our results showed that sorghum productivity was relatively higher (43% more) in Sudan compared to the Sahel agroecological zone. Additionally, planting density was the main factor in reducing sorghum productivity across the two zones, with a 68% and 40% yield reduction for the Sudan and Sahel Savanna agroecological zones, respectively. This suggests innovative technologies that promote optimal planting density should be encouraged in farmer extension services to close the persistent sorghum yield gaps under smallholder farming conditions in the two agroecological zones.
Relations between state discrimination and state exclusion
Authors: Chen Jun , Qiao XIao-Yan
Published: November 2022

Consider a quantum system prepared in a state chosen from a known set, the aim of quantum state discrimination is to perform a measurement on the system which can determine that a subset of the possible preparation procedures have been prepared. However, the aim of quantum state exclusion is to perform a measurement on the system which can conclusively rule that a subset of the possible preparation procedures have not taken place. For classical states, probabilities of error in discrimination and exclusion are always equal. For quantum states, we point out that probabilities of error in discrimination and exclusion are still equal in two-state ensembles, however they are no longer equal in multiple-state ensembles. More specifically, the error-probability of discrimination is not less than the error-probability of exclusion. We also show that the error-probability of exclusion is continuous which is similar with the error-probability of discrimination.
A novel home-use culture mechanism for identifying microbial load in urine samples
Authors: Pattnaik Siddharth , Singh Monika , Sahai Riya
Published: November 2022

Diagnosing a urinary tract infection (UTI) is typically a clinical procedure involving multiple steps. The need to perform a test depends on the presence of relevant symptoms. Given the current pandemic situation, visiting a clinic may not be a preferable choice for many users. Many vulnerable groups of patients, namely, males with certain predispositions and pregnant women, may not present with symptoms of UTI, which could give rise to a more complicated situation. Microbial culture provides a definitive diagnosis for the presence of an infection. A home-use culture kit can serve this purpose; however, to our knowledge, no such kit exists. Here, we present a feasibility study of an affordable and easy-to-use home-based setup for quantifying bacterial load in a urine. Teaser A home-use system for monitoring progression and management of UTIs.
Categorizing Molecular Features Of Venom Toxins Using Bioinformatics Tools.
Authors: Shinde Pratiksha
Published: November 2022

Poisonous organisms are represented in many taxa, including kingdom Animalia. During evolution, animals have
developed special organs for production and injection of venoms. Animal venoms are complex mixtures,
compositions of which depend on species producing venom. The most known and studied poisonous terrestrial
animals are snakes, scorpions and snails. Venomous animals produce a myriad of important pharmacological
components. The individual components, or venoms (toxins), are used in ion channel and receptor studies, drug
discovery, and formulation of insecticides. Knowing the key clinical applications of venom, the present investigation
was carried out to understand the molecular basis of venom toxins of animals like snake (L-amino acid oxidases),
cone snail (Contulakin-G) and scorpion (Chlorotoxin) by retrieving the protein sequence information, deducing
various physicochemical properties, predicting secondary structural elements, homology modelling and depicting
the potent antigenic regions using various bioinformatics tools and soft-wares. Because of their remarkable
molecular diversity, venoms are key, albeit challenging, resource for pharmacological discovery that contribute to
the development of drugs that act as anti-tumor agents, heart stimulants and therapies for neurological diseases.
Venom-informatics is a systematic bioinformatics approach in which classified, consolidated and cleaned venom
data are stored into repositories and integrated with advanced bioinformatics tools for the analysis of structure and
function of toxins. Venom-informatics complements experimental studies and helps reduce the number of essential
experiments.
Inhibition of the membrane repair protein annexin-A2 prevents tumour invasion and metastasis
Authors: Gounou Céline , Bouvet Flora , d'Agata Léna , Derieppe Marie-Alix , Rouyer Lucile , Bouton Léa , Mélane Mailys , Chapeau Dorian , Harté Etienne , Martineau Julie , Prouzet-Mauleon Valerie , Tan Sisareuth , Souleyreau Wilfried , Saltel Frederic , Argoul Francoise , Siegfried Geraldine , Khatib Abdel-Majid , Brisson Alain , Iggo Richard , Bouter Anthony
Published: November 2022

Cancer cells are exposed to major compressive and shearing forces during invasion and metastasis, leading to extensive plasma membrane damage. To survive this mechanical stress, they need to repair membrane injury efficiently. Targeting the membrane repair machinery is thus potentially a new way to prevent invasion and metastasis. We show here that annexin-A2 (ANXA2) is required for membrane repair in MDA-MB-231 cells, a highly invasive triple-negative breast cancer cell line. Mechanistically, we show by fluorescence and electron microscopy that cells fail to reseal membrane damaged by shear stress when ANXA2 is silenced or the protein is inhibited with neutralizing antibody. Silencing of ANXA2 has no effect on proliferation in vitro, and even accelerates migration in wound healing assays, but reduces tumor cell dissemination in both mice and zebrafish. We show that high expression of ANXA2 predicts poor prognosis in high-grade lung, ovarian, gastric and breast cancers. We expect that inhibiting membrane repair will be particularly effective in these aggressive, poor prognosis tumors because they rely on the membrane repair machinery to survive membrane damage during tumor invasion and metastasis. This could be achieved either with monoclonal anti-ANXA2 antibodies, which have been shown to inhibit metastasis of MDA-MB-231 cells, or with small molecule drugs.
BUDGET EXPENDITURES OF UKRAINE: INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT OF STRUCTURAL IMBALANCES
Authors: Orlov V.
Published: November 2022

The public finance sector plays a special role in the functioning of the financial system. A significant part of the funds is accumulated and redistributed through state and local budgets. At the same time, the formation of budget expenditures of all levels, their structure, determine the state and opportunities for the state to perform its functions, which is manifested through the structure of budget expenditures according to functional classification, as well as the distribution of funds to ensure current needs and capital expenditures, and its social orientation - through the structure of expenditures for economic classification. At the same time, the state of formation of budget expenditures at different levels is characterized by structural imbalance, so the article evaluates the formation of state, local, and consolidated budget expenditures according to economic and functional classification. The method of structural-dynamic analysis was used during the research and integral coefficients were calculated - linear and quadratic coefficients of structural shifts, integral coefficients of Gatev and Salai, which made it possible to substantiate the state of unbalanced budget expenditures of all levels. For the study, the period from 2015 to 2021 was taken on a quarterly basis, separately according to the expenses of the economic classification and according to the expenses of the functional classification of the state, local and consolidated budgets of Ukraine. In contrast to existing approaches, this study takes into account the peculiarities of the formation of expenses, which are associated with their quarterly fluctuations.
It is substantiated that the structure of expenditures according to the economic classification of state and local budgets is unstable. The calculation of integral coefficients made it possible to draw a conclusion about the significant intensity of structural shifts, which indicates the absence of a consistent budget policy, since it, in turn, is based on the consistency of the economic policy implemented in Ukraine.
The imbalance of expenditures by functional purpose, compared to the structural imbalance of expenditures by economic classification, is much smaller. The obtained indicators proved the process of redistribution of cash flows between budget levels as a result of reforms in Ukraine, related to decentralization and redistribution of powers between the national and local levels.
TRANSFORMATIONAL BUSINESS MODEL FOR THE FORMATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BANK STRATEGY
Authors: Vasilyeva T. , Goncharenko T. , Chorna S.
Published: November 2022

Modern transformations of banks' business models are taking place under the influence of innovative technologies. That is why the most important tasks of the formation of business strategies of banks should be considered not only the achievement of internal benchmarks for the efficiency of business processes and compliance with regulatory requirements regarding the stability of operations but also for ensuring the bank's information security, its technological readiness for the challenges of the external environment, which collectively forms a business the bank's strategy. The article aims to research and summarize the theoretical and methodological foundations of the formation and implementation of the bank's strategy and the development a cyclical transformational business model for banks.
The work determined that in conditions of high turbulence and uncertainty of the environment for the implementation of strategic management influences, the bank's business model should be flexible and adaptive, which may require the application of its transformation regime (implementation of the bank's transformational business model). Under the condition of effective strategic management of the bank, such a business model transformation is possible, which will ensure its viability and stability at each phase of the bank's life cycle, despite the adverse influence of exogenous and endogenous factors.
The results of the study show that the application of the empirical model of the bank's life cycle, systemic, synergistic approaches and postulates of chaos theory allows for substantiation of the model of the cyclical transformative business model of the bank, which summarizes and formalizes the stages of its life cycle with the allocation of phases of development, intensive and extensive implementation, bifurcation, degradation and collapse of the bank's business model; takes into account the multivariate, alternative development of the bank at the bifurcation points when the processes become chaotic, and there is a transition to a new attractor. The application of the model of cyclical transformation of the business model of banks developed in work allows to form intra-bank measures for the introduction of a transformational business model and to adapt the bank's business strategy to the environment of implementation of strategic management influences on this basis.
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum L.) Leaf: A Potential Source of Antibacterial Compounds to Control Phytopathogenic Bacteria in Horticulture Crops
Authors: Delisle-Houde Maxime , Dubé Pascal , Barro Awa , Tremblay Valérie , Tweddell Russell J.
Published: November 2022

In this study, a crude ethanolic extract made of silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) leaves (SML) was evaluated for antibacterial activity against the phytopathogenic bacteria Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, and Xanthomonas fragariae. The extract was shown to cause important inhibition zones against the three bacteria in the disc diffusion assays, revealing its antibacterial activity. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extract was determined thereafter for each bacterium. The extract showed the same MIC value (1.56 mg·mL−1) for the three bacteria. Using a semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography system, crude ethanolic SML extract was divided in 15 fractions and each fraction was tested for antibacterial activity against X. fragariae with the disc diffusion assay. Among the six fractions causing an inhibition zone, fraction 10 caused the largest inhibition. Fraction 10 was further analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. According to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the main peak of fraction 10 was identified as a galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose (C41H28O26, 936.6454 g·mol−1) isomer, an ellagitannin known for antibacterial activity and for stimulating plant natural defenses. The study opens new avenues of research on the valorization of SML and on the control of plant diseases caused by bacteria in organic and conventional production of horticultural crops.
TOLERANCE WITHOUT LIBERALISM
Authors: Amal M Khusna , Saat Norshahrir
Published: November 2022

There has been a rising Islamic fundamentalism, and intolerance cases in contemporary Indonesia. The fundamentalism problem in Indonesia particularly points to the Wahhābi for its puritanical ideology as the root of the intolerance cases. This article aims to analyse Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and its responses towards the Wahhābi group. Being the forefront for the struggle against fundamentalist Muslim groups in post-New Order Indonesia, this article argues that NU adopts an intolerant approach in dealing with Wahhābi groups and their Islamic dakwah (preaching) activism. Taking a close look at a local branch of NU in Jember, East Java, the organisation’s approach is indeed ambiguous. On the one hand, NU calls for religious moderation, pluralism, and anti-violence approaches, but on the other hand, it also violates the principle of pluralism and democracy and is prone to authoritarianism for banning the Wahabi group’s rights to establish their educational institution in Jember. Based on a series of field research, this article contributes to the complexities of NU’s responses towards religious pluralism and the limits of the NU’s tolerance in contemporary Indonesia.
The Incidence of Osteoarticular Tuberculosis in the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts in 2018-2020
Authors: Rakhmatillaev Sh. N. , Tursunova N. V. , Stavitskaya N. V.
Published: November 2022

The incidence of osteoarticular tuberculosis in 15 regions of the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts from 2018 to 2020 was assessed. The incidence of osteoarticular tuberculosis and co-infection of osteoarticular tuberculosis with HIV and osteoarticular tuberculosis with hepatitis B/C was analyzed. Variants of osteoarticular tuberculosis with respiratory tuberculosis, variants of tuberculosis sites in the bone articular system and the most typical neurological disorders in those patients were presented.
Strategy for Procalcitonin-Controlled Antimicrobial Therapy in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Zaytsev A. A. , Dronov I. A. , Kondratieva T. V.
Published: November 2022

The objective of this review is to optimize the use of antibiotic therapy for COVID-19 based on the published and our own data. The decision to prescribe antibiotic therapy in case of secondary bacterial pneumonia associated with SARS-CoV-2 should be based on a comprehensive assessment of the results of clinical, laboratory and instrumental examination including the elevated level of procalcitonin (more than 0,5 ng/ml).

To achieve this objective, 48 publications were analyzed.
Egyéves kori mérések. Jelentés a Dél-dunántúli Vizsgálatról. Kohorsz ’18 Magyar Születési Kohorszvizsgálat
Authors: Kopcsó Krisztina (szerk.)
Published: November 2022

A kiadványt, kérjük, a következőképpen hivatkozza:
Kopcsó Krisztina (szerk.) (2022). Egyéves kori mérések. Jelentés a Dél-dunántúli Vizsgálatról. Kohorsz ’18 Magyar Születési Kohorszvizsgálat. Kutatási Jelentések 107. KSH Népességtudományi Kutatóintézet, Budapest. DOI: 10.21543/Kut.2022.107
Bioleached laterite nano iron catalyst (BLaNFeCs)-based Fenton's degradation of selective dyes in water
Authors: Shivaswamy Bhaskar , Manu Basavaraj , Sreenivasa M. Y.
Published: November 2022

Iron nanocatalyst for its potential application as Fenton's catalyst for the degradation of methylene blue dye was synthesized with the fruit extract of Citrus maxima using bioleached laterite iron as a precursor. Synthesized iron particles were characterized suitably and their catalytic role in the degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B by Fenton's oxidation was evaluated. The synthesized nanocatalyst exhibits heterogeneous catalytic properties in the degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B with a degradation efficiency of 93.6 and 91.3%, respectively. Observed rate constants are consistent with the increase in catalyst dosage as it speeds up the reaction. The degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B follows a pseudo-first-order reaction with a linear fit. Reusability studies confirm the reduction in the catalytic efficiency of the synthesized iron nanoparticles after five consecutive cycles.