bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mission und Migration
Authors: Dehn Ulrich
Published: December 2019

Este artigo destaca que a situação em Hamburgo e na Alemanha em geral é caracterizada por uma pluralidade de culturas, religiões e formas híbridas. Além da religião majoritária, o cristianismo, com suas grandes denominações, há muçulmanos, budistas, hindus e outras tradições religiosas. O aumento da migração para a Europa, a partir de 2015, provocou uma mudança nas proporções das comunidades religiosas na Europa Ocidental, particularmente na Alemanha. Neste contexto, o artigo destaca que Missão e migração devem ser vistas como um evento comum no qual as pessoas celebram e se respeita em nome de Jesus, não um processo onde alguém apresenta uma mensagem e outro a recebe. Deve ser um processo comum em prol da “vida em abundância”, que ouve as vozes das pessoas, não de conquista de cristãos batizados, mas um movimento conjunto em nome de Jesus, uma peregrinação comum por uma paz justa.
A saída de si ao encontro do outro: o discurso religioso do papa Francisco pautado pelo viés etnográfico
Authors: Vieira Vinicius da Silva
Published: December 2019

O presente artigo tem por objetivo descrever e analisar o discurso do papa Francisco, identificando aspectos do pensamento e da abordagem etnográfica no apelo que o líder religioso faz aos fiéis cristãos(ãs) em prol de uma Igreja em saída. O material de análise é composto de excertos extraídos das exortações apostólicas Evangelii gaudium e Gaudete et exsultate,  que descreveremos à luz dos campos dos estudos discursivos de linha francesa, da análise do discurso religioso e da etnografia, sendo esta tomada por nós não só como um método de pesquisa, mas como categoria de pensamento, isto é, como um postulado que rege o lidar de seres humanos com outros seres humanos. Constatamos, no discurso do papa Francisco, significativa presença de traços de um modelo etnográfico reflexivo-performativo (pensamento-prática), que apontam para a experiência de uma Igreja renovada e em permanente saída.
Evidence of Ozone-induced Visible Foliar Injury in Hong Kong using Phaseolus Vulgaris as an Ozone Bioindicator
Authors: Leung Felix , Pang Jacky Y. S. , Tai Amos P.K. , Lam Timothy , Tao Donald K.C. , Sharps Katrina
Published: December 2019

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with millions of people exposed to severe air pollution. (1) Background: Surface ozone, mostly produced photochemically from anthropogenic precursor gases is harmful to both human and vegetation. The phytotoxicity of ozone has been shown to damage plant photosynthesis, induce early leaf death and retard growth. (2) Methods: We use genotypes of bush bean Phaseolus vulgaris with various degrees of sensitivity to ozone to investigate the impacts of ambient ozone on the morphology and development of the bean. We use ozone-induced foliar injury index and measure the flowerings and fruit production to quantify the ozone stress on the plants. (3) Results: We expected that the ozone-sensitive genotype would suffer from a reduction of yield. Results however show that the ozone-sensitive genotype suffers higher ozone-induced foliar damage as expected but produces more pods and beans and heavier beans than the ozone-resistant genotype. (4) Conclusions: It is postulated that the high ozone sensitivity of the sensitive genotype causes stress-induced flowering and therefore results in higher bean yield. A higher-than-ambient concentration of ozone is needed to negatively impact the yield production of the ozone-sensitive genotype. This study demonstrate the usefulness of bioindicators to monitor the phytotoxic effects of ozone pollution in a subtropical city such as Hong Kong.
Semi-CNN Architecture for Effective Spatio-Temporal Learning in Action Recognition
Authors: Leong Mei Chee , Prasad Dilip K. , Lee Yong Tsui , Lin Feng
Published: December 2019

This paper introduces a fusion convolutional architecture for efficient learning of spatio-temporal features in video action recognition. Unlike 2D CNNs, 3D CNNs can be applied directly on consecutive frames to extract spatio-temporal features. The aim of this work is to fuse the convolution layers from 2D and 3D CNNs to allow temporal encoding with fewer parameters than 3D CNNs. We adopt transfer learning from pre-trained 2D CNNs for spatial extraction, followed by temporal encoding, before connecting to 3D convolution layers at the top of the architecture. We construct our fusion architecture, semi-CNN, based on three popular models: VGG-16, ResNets and DenseNets, and compare the performance with their corresponding 3D models. Our empirical results evaluated on the action recognition dataset UCF-101 demonstrate that our fusion of 1D, 2D and 3D convolutions outperforms its 3D model of the same depth, with fewer parameters and reduces overfitting. Our semi-CNN architecture achieved an average of 16 – 30% boost in the top-1 accuracy when evaluated on an input video of 16 frames.
Modelling and Mitigation Strategy of IoT Botnet Propagation
Authors: Ibrahim Mohammed , Abdullah Mohd Taufik , Abdullah Azizol , Perumal Thinagaran
Published: December 2019

Nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSN) are characterized particularly by their limited power and memory capabilities. Limited memory is an important parameter as it defines the size of the operating system and the processing code. As established previously, energy and memory efficiency is the most important evaluation factors of WSNs as they are directly related to data loss and network lifetime. However, based on our simulation results, memory efficiency determines the selection or abandon of nodes by the botmaster for the propagation of bots in an IoT infrastructure. Consequently, the node’s memory efficiency determined the spread of bots in the network and provides defense actors with an insight of the botmaster behavior for mitigation of the attack. Conventional botnet propagation and mitigation models did not consider the impact of node’s memory efficiency in the IoT platform. To address this gap, we build IoT-SIEF, a novel propagation model with forensic capability that will analyze command and control propagation behavior based on the perspective of the node’s memory efficiency. IoT-SIEF model used to explore the dynamics of propagation using numerical simulation with more than 50% outperform other models in mitigating the number of secondary bots. Consequently, it can serve as a basis for assisting the planning, design, and defense of such networks from the investigator's point of view.
Coarsening Kinetics of Complex Macromolecular Architectures in Bad Solvent
Authors: Paciolla Mariarita , Arismendi-Arrieta Daniel J. , Moreno Angel J.
Published: December 2019

This study reports a general scenario for the out-of-equilibrium features of collapsing polymeric architectures. We use molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the coarsening kinetics, in bad solvent, for several macromolecular systems with an increasing degree of structural complexity. In particular, we focus on: flexible and semiflexible polymer chains, star polymers with 3 and 12 arms, and microgels with both ordered and disordered networks. Starting from a powerful analogy with critical phenomena, we construct a density field representation that removes fast fluctuations and provides a consistent characterization of the domain growth. Our results indicate that the coarsening kinetics presents a scaling behaviour that is independent of the solvent quality parameter, in analogy to time-temperature superposition principle. Interestingly, the domain growth in time follows a power-law behaviour that is approximately independent of the architecture for all the flexible systems; while it is steeper for the semiflexible chains. Nevertheless, the fractal nature of the dense regions emerging during the collapse exhibits the same scaling behaviour for all the macromolecules. This, suggests that the faster growing length scale in the semiflexible chains originates just from a faster mass diffusion along the chain contour, induced by the local stiffness. The decay of the dynamic correlations displays scaling behavior with the growing length scale of the system, which is a characteristic signature in coarsening phenomena.
Saccharomyces Arboricola and Its Hybrids’ Propensity for Sake Production: Interspecific Hybrids Reveal Increased Fermentation Abilities and a Mosaic Metabolic Profile
Authors: Winans Matthew J. , Yamamoto Yuki , Fujimaru Yuki , Kusaba Yuki , Gallagher Jennifer E.G. , Kitagaki Hiroshi
Published: December 2019

The use of interspecific hybrids during the industrial fermentation process has been well established, positioning the frontier of advancement in brewing to capitalize on the potential of Saccharomyces hybridization. Interspecific yeast hybrids used in modern monoculture inoculations benefit from a wide range of volatile metabolites that broaden the organoleptic complexity. This is the first report of sake brewing by Saccharomyces arboricola and its hybrids. S. arboricola x S. cerevisiae direct-mating generated cryotolerant interspecific hybrids which increased yields of ethanol and ethyl hexanoate compared to parental strains, important flavor attributes of fine Japanese ginjo sake rice wine. We used hierarchical clustering heatmapping with principal component analysis for metabolic profiling and found that the low levels of endogenous amino/organic acids clustered S. arboricola apart from the S. cerevisiae industrial strains. In sake fermentations, hybrid strains showed a mosaic profile of parental strains, while metabolic analysis suggested S. arboricola had a lower amino acid net uptake than S. cerevisiae. Additionally, we found an increase in ethanolic fermentation from pyruvate and increased sulfur metabolism. Together, our results suggest S. arboricola is poised for in-depth metabolomic exploration in sake fermentation.
Accident Vulnerability and Vision for Action
Authors: Lambert Anthony , Sharma Tanvi , Ryckman Nathan
Published: December 2019

Many accidents, such as those involving collisions or trips, appear to involve failures of vision; but the association between accident risk and vision as conventionally assessed, is weak or absent. We addressed this conundrum by embracing the distinction inspired by neuroscientific research, between vision for perception and vision for action. A dual-process perspective predicts that accident vulnerability will be associated more strongly with vision for action than vision for perception. Older and younger adults, with relatively high and relatively low self-reported accident vulnerability (Accident Proneness Questionnaire), completed three behavioural assessments targeting: vision for perception (Freiburg Visual Acuity Test); vision for action (Vision for Action Test - VAT); and the ability to perform physical actions involving balance, walking and standing (Short Physical Performance Battery). Accident vulnerability was not associated with visual acuity or with performance of physical actions; but was associated with VAT performance. VAT assesses the ability to link visual input with a specific action –launching a saccadic eye movement as rapidly as possible, in response to shapes presented in peripheral vision. The predictive relationship between VAT performance and accident vulnerability was independent of age, visual acuity and physical performance scores. Applied implications of these findings are considered.
KEPRIBADIAN TOKOH UTAMA NOVEL 9 SUMMERS 10 AUTUMNS KARYA IWAN SETYAWAN
Authors: Arohmah Hajar , Wardani Nugraheni Eko , Suryanto Edy
Published: December 2019

The research aims to describe (1) structure of novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns by Iwan Setyawan; (2) characteristic of main character personality on novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns by Iwan Setyawan; (3) the value of character education on novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns by Iwan Setyawan; and (4) the relevance of novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns by Iwan Setyawan as literature learning materials in SMA. This research is a qualitative studying using descriptive qualitative and document analysis. The data sources are document and informant. The technique sampling of this research using purposive sampling. Data validity test uses irangulation theory. Data analysis text use interactive method. The result shows (1) structure of novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns by Iwan Setyawan have a correlation; (2) Iwan as main character fill of mature personality criterias by Gordon Allport; (3) novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns have fiveteen types representation the value of character education; and (4) novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns fill criteria as a good literature learnings material.
ANALISIS STILISTIKA DAN NILAI PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER DALAM LIRIK-LIRIK LAGU FOURTWNTY ALBUM LELAKU SERTA RELEVANSINYA SEBAGAI BAHAN AJAR BAHASA INDONESIA TINGKAT SMA
Authors: Maretta Arina Dicka , Wardani Nugraheni Eko , Anindyarini Atikah
Published: December 2019

This is descriptive qualitative research using stylistic analysis to describe the existence of language style, diction, image, educational values of the character, and the relevance of the lyrics of Fourtwnty album Lelaku as a teaching material for Indonesian language learning at high school. Data collection techniques use content analysis and interviews. Validity test of data using medhod triangulation techniques and theory. The results of this study indicate
the language style dominated by sinpoke, repetition epizeuksis, and symbolic able to create aesthetic effects, typical, and affirmation; (2) diction is dominated by connotative and typical greetings and names that can create beauty and uniqueness; (3) the image  is  dominated by  vision capable of generating the image  of  the  reader; (4) the  values  of  character  education  are dominated by religious values, communicative, hard work, and  peaceful  love  that  is expected to shape the character of the reader; and (5) The lyrics of Fourtwnty's album Lelaku can be used and developed as learning materials of class X Indonesian language especially poetry appreciation material on basic competence 3.8 and 4.8.
ANALISIS KONFLIK BATIN TOKOH UTAMA DAN NILAI PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER NOVELET KETIKA MAS GAGAH PERGI KARYA HELVY TIANA ROSA SERTA RELEVANSINYA SEBAGAI BAHAN AJAR SASTRA DI SMA
Authors: Widowati Rahmadhani Briliannisa , Wardani Nugraheni Eko , Mulyono Slamet
Published: December 2019

This form of research is descriptive qualitative research. The data sources of this research are novel and informants. Technique of taking research subject is purposive sampling. Data collection techniques used is technique read dan write dan interviews. Test the validity of data using triangulation of data sources and theory. Data analysis technique used is flow analysis technique. The result show that: (1) the theme raised in the novelet is the deity, the protagonist, the plot is a forward flow, the story set in Jakarta in 1994, the point of view of the first person the main character, his message is to be a good agent of Goodness; (2) Gagah and Yudi characters have elements id, ego, and superego, Gita character has high id and ego and experiencing the most powerful inner conflicts; (3) the value of character education contained in the novelet includes religious, honest, tolerant, disciplined, creative, independent, democratic, curiosity, friendly/communicative, peace loving, reading, caring, caring, responsible; and (4) the novelet Ketika Mas Gagah Pergi is relevant to be used as a teaching material when viewed from its relation with instructional objectives to be achieved, also from the aspect of content, presentation, language, and graph.
Pengembangan ‘Cyeber’ Berbasis Website Pembelajaran Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Sekolah Dasar
Authors: Sasmito Tangsi
Published: December 2019

The aims of this research are: (1) to develope instructional multimedia for Science instruction for the grade six students of elementary schools; (2) to investigate aspects the quality of the developed instructional basic website ‘cyeber’ for Science instruction.The respondents of the try-out in this research consisted of one media expert, one subject matter expert, three students for One-To-One try-out, 12 students for the Small-Group Try-Out, and 30 students for the Field Try-Out. The data collected in this research included the evaluation data from the subject matter
expert, the evaluation data from the media expert, and data from the students on the aspects of content, instruction, and media. The data were collected using an evaluation sheet, questionnaire, Pretest and Postest to reveal the effectiveness of the product implementation. The data were analyzed using the statistic descriptive technique. The findings suggest that: (1) the product of the development of the instructional basic website ‘Cyeber’ for Science instruction in the grade six of elementary schools is interactif; (2) the model was developed through steps consisting of analysis, design, production, and evaluation stages; (3) viewed from
the content, instruction, and media aspects the quality of the developed instructional basic website ‘Cyeber’ was very good with average score of 4.40 for the content, 4.39 for the instruction aspect, and 4.48 for the media aspect. The effeciveness of the developed instruction multimedia was indicated by difference in the students’ average scores in the pretest (M=45.30) and the postest (M=73.19). The percentage of students who master the learning material after using the developed instructional multimedia was 85.11%
TECHNOLOGY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN AND GIRLS IN 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Authors: Rozak Norizan Abdul , Anua Jah Nurain Jantan
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the paper is to present the initiatives of providing access of internet to rural women and girls while highlighting the status quo of the digital literacy between Malaysian women and men, and the impacts of the initiatives done on digital literacy from 2015 until now. The research relies heavily on information from official documents, research publications, reports from relevant agencies, and secondary data from existing government statistics. From the information and data culled, several initiatives in providing access of internet to rural women and girls are taken by the government but the percentage of digital literacy between Malaysian women and men remains constant. Malaysian women have made significant progress and the search for greater gender equality has been relatively successful. Rural women and girls developments are essential as it will help in shaping the future of our country towards positive directions.
Conflict in Qur'anic Interpretation Study: The Role of Indonesian Women for Conflict Resolution
Authors: Atabik Ahmad
Published: December 2019

This article examines the Qur’an conflict perspective and the role of Indonesian women in conflict resolution efforts on a rural, regional and international scale. The results of this study indicate that conflicts in the Qur'an are presented in the form of stories with conflicts. Conflict stories in Qur’an are such as the conflict between Abel and Qabil, conflict between the Prophet Joseph and his brothers and conflict between the Prophet Moses and a Qibthi. The Qur’an is also about conflict resolution in various scattered verses. In the current conflicts, women have a significant role and efforts to resolve them. Indonesian women activists play a big role in conflict resolution that leads to the peace process. On a rural scale, the example is like conflict resolution by women activists in Gadingan village, Sliyeg Subdistrict, Indramayu Regency. On a regional scale such as the conflict resolution of women activists in Maluku and the international scale of conflict resolution conducted by Yenny Wahid on conflicts in Rohingya Myanmar.
H19/miR-194/E2F3 regulating loop promotes gastric cancer growth and metastasis
Authors: Qin Wanxiang , Shi Ying , Zhu Dan , Chen Yaohua , Li Yuping , Cui Jian
Published: December 2019

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent malignant digestive tumors and second fatal cancer. This study was to investigate whether lncRNA-H19 can regulate E2F3 expression through competitive binding to microRNA-194 (miR-194), thus regulating GC growth and metastasis. Methods H19, miR-194, and E2F3 expression levels in GC tissues and cell lines were investigated using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR). Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of H19 and E2F3 in gastric cancer tissues were also analyzed through the GEPIA web tool. The binding condition of miR-194 with H19 and E2F3 was investigated using a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. The regulatory effects of H19 on proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of AGS cells and SGC-7901 cells were detected by transwell assay and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Genes involved in proliferation, migration, and invasion (PCNA, Vimentin, and N-cadherin) were determined using QRT-PCR. The regulatory interaction between H19 and miR-194, miR-194, and E2F3 were investigated using rescue experiments. Results The results revealed that H19 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines than those of controls. Downregulated H19 decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion of AGS cells and SGC-7901 cells. H19 was demonstrated that being the molecular sponge of miR-194 in regulating the growth of the GC cells. The level of E2F3 expression was also found significantly higher in GC tissues and cell lines than those of controls. And then, the mimics of miR-194 inhibited the expression of E2F3 in the GC cells. CCK-8 assay showed decreased proliferative ability induced by miR-194 mimics were reversed by E2F3 overexpression. Transwell assays showed decreased migratory and invasive ability induced by miR-194 mimics were reversed by E2F3 overexpression. Conclusions This study demonstrates that H19 promotes GC growth and metastasis by regulating E2F3 via competitive binding to miRNA-194.
Clinicodemographical assessment of colorectal cancer with emphasis on B3GALNT2, MUC1, P53 and Ki67-related risk of metastasis
Authors: Ranjbary Ali Ghorbani , Mehrzad Jalil , Abdollahi Abbas , Hosseinkhani Saman , Tabatabaee Abbas , Dehghani Hesam
Published: December 2019

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is rising, worldwide, and is attributed to genetics and epigenetic factors. We aimed to evaluate the key clinicodemographical/epidemiological-and molecular impacts on metastatic CRC in CRC patients from a highly populated area in northeastern Iran. Retrospective clinical materials-based cohort design and patients were analyzed with respect to age, sex, colorectum anatomy, metastasis, mortality as well as to expression of molecular markers B3GALNT2, mucin I ( MUC1), P53 and Ki67.
Methods: Patients, 6260 registered CRC with 3829 underwent surgery, from three medical university hospitals in the study area, during 2006-2016, were analyzed for the clinicodemographic aspects of age, sex, stage of CRC, history of smoking, familial/occupational status and post-surgery survival period as well as mRNA/protein expression of B3GALNT2, MUC1, P53 and Ki67. Factors were set to estimate mortality and risk of metastatic CRC.
Results: ~61%, ~33% and ~6% of adenocarcinomatous CRC were located in colon, rectum and rectosigmoid, respectively, of which younger-and older than 50 was mainly in transvers colon-and colorectum, respectively. Post-surgery survival period of metastatic CRC patients was remarkably longer in patients aged > 50 than those < 50 years old, and worse in females than males. B3GALNT2 high , MUC1 high , P53 low and Ki67 high mRNA/protein expression in metastatic stage III CRC were highly associated with increased metastasis and mortality. B3GALNT2 high , MUC1 high , P53 low and Ki67 high mRNA/protein expression correlated with increased risk of a progressed CRC state and mortality. The risk to develop metastatic CRC was higher in males, younger, urban residing-and employed individuals, indicative of a plausible non-genetics/epigenetics contribution to CRC.
Conclusions: The role of possible diagnostic biomarkers, B3GALNT2, MUC1 and Ki67, but not P53, in the etiology/early detection of metastatic CRC is promising. Epigenetic contribution to metastatic CRC risk is predominant.
Moderation Effect of Neighborhood Walkability during a Physical Activity Intervention in Overweight and Obese Elderly Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.
Authors: Fernández Antoni Colom , Mavoa Suzanne , Ruiz Maurici , Wärnberg Julia , Muncunill Josep , Konieczna Jadwiga , Barón-López Francisco Javier , Fitó Montserrat , Salas-Salvadó Jordi , Romaguera Dora
Published: December 2019

Background: An infrequently studied question is how the objective measurement of neighborhood walkability modulates physical activity changes during a physical activity intervention program in older adults. We assessed the influence of objectively assessed neighborhood walkability inside the city limits of Palma de Mallorca on the change in physical activity during the intervention program used in the ongoing PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Plus trial, a multicenter randomized trial primarily designed to evaluate the long-term impact of an intensive lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular events. Method: The present study involved 228 PREDIMED-Plus senior participants aged between 55 to 75, recruited in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Overweight/obese adults with the metabolic syndrome were randomized to an intensive weight-loss lifestyle intervention or a control group. A walkability index was calculated within 1 km buffers around each participant’ baseline home address. Physical activity was assessed using the validated REGICOR Short Physical Activity Questionnaire and accelerometer, at baseline and at 2 follow-up visits (six-months and one-year later). Generalised Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) were fitted to estimate the association between the neighborhood walkability index and changes in physical activity during follow-up in both the intervention and control group. Results: After one-year of intervention, higher neighborhood walkability (1 z-score increment) was positively and significantly associated with moderate-to-vigorous accelerometer assessed physical activity duration, (ß = 3,44; 95% CI = 0.52;6.36 minutes per day). When analyses were stratified by intervention arm, the association was only significant in the intervention group (ß = 6.357; 95% CI = 2.07;10.64 minutes per day) (p for interaction = 0.055). There were no statistically significant associations between neighborhood walkability and self-reported leisure-time physical activity nor brisk walking duration. Conclusions: The results indicate that the walkability of the neighborhood could support a physical activity intervention, helping to maintain or increase older adults’ physical activity.
Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is a useful predictor in evaluating the prognosis in pediatric acute liver failure
Authors: Fu Haiyan , Zhao Ruiqin , Bai Gelan , Zhou Hui
Published: December 2019

Background and objective: Pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) progresses rapidly and has a poor prognosis. Therefore, simple, sensitive and specific clinical indicators are needed. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) plays a role in predicting the prognosis in infantile cholestatic liver diseases. However, its role in predicting the prognosis in PALF remains unclear. Methods: In present study, children with PALF were divided into a normal GGT group and a high GGT group using the GGT level of 50 U/L as the demarcation line. Age, sex, serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, albumin, total bile acid, international normalized ratio (INR) and pediatric end-stage liver disease (PELD) score were compared between the 2 groups. In addition, GGT level was subjected to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the area under the curve and the optimal diagnostic cutoff value were calculated. Results: A total of 41 children with PALF were enrolled in the study. INR, PELD score and mortality rate were significantly higher in the normal GGT group in comparison to the high GGT group. GGT level had area under the ROC curve of 0.8194 (95% CI : 0.680-0.959); the optimal diagnostic cutoff values were 60 U/L. At the cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity of GGT level in predicting the prognosis in PALF were 86.36% and 73.68% respectively. Conclusion: GGT exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in predicting the prognosis in PALF. It can be used as one useful prognostic indicator of PALF.
Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of acute lung injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Huang Caijie , Zheng Jianming , Huang Wenzhao , Yan Meihao , Hong Liyue , Hong Yuancheng , Jin Runnv , Huang Xincheng , Fan Hongtao , Chen Huizhen , Yang Heping , Su Weiping , Huang Xiaoping
Published: December 2019

Background Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have compared the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI) with or without omega-3 fatty acids, yet the results remained inconsistent. Therefore, we attempted this meta-analysis to analyze the role of T Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of ALI patients.Methods We searched PubMed et al databases from inception date to Oct 31, 2019 for RCTs that compared the treatment of ALI with or without omega-3 fatty acids. Two authors independently screened the studies and extracted data from the published articles. Summary mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each outcome by means of fixed- or random-effects model.Results Six RCTs with a total of 277 patients were identified, with 142 with omega-3 fatty acids treatment and 135 without omega-3 fatty acids treatment. Omega-3 fatty acids treatments significantly improve the PaO2 (MD =13.82, 95%CI 8.55– 19.09), PaO2/FiO2 (MD =33.47, 95% CI 24.22– 42.72), total protein (MD =2.02, 95% CI 0.43– 3.62) in ALI patients; furthermore, Omega-3 fatty acids treatments reduced the duration of mechanical ventilation (MD =-1.72, 95% CI -2.84– -0.60) and intensive care unit stay (MD =-1.29, 95% CI -2.14– -0.43) in ALI patients.Conclusions Omega-3 fatty acids can effectively improve the respiratory function and promote the recovery of ALI patients. More studies focused on the long-term efficacy and safety of omega-3 fatty acids use for ALI are needed.
Clinical Features and Management of Endobronchial Hamartoma
Authors: Bian Shuang , Tang Xiaomiao , Wang Jiajia , Zhang Xiaohui , Chen Yanbin , Yang Xinjing , Lei Wei
Published: December 2019

Background: Endobronchial hamartoma(EH) is a benign endobronchial tumor with low incidence. The objective of this study was to explore the clinical features and management of patients with endobronchial hamartoma, improve the diagnosis and treatment.Methods: Retrospective study on the clinical data of 13 cases of endobronchial hamartoma confirmed by pathology in The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from July 2000 to October 2019.Results: The 13 patients, 11 males and 2 females, aged 48-74 years, mean(63±9)years, were diagnosed with EH. Three of the 13 patients with EH are asymptomatic, others had atypical symptoms. CT showed obstructive pneumonia in 10 of the 13 patients. Among the 13 patients, visible endobronchial tumor were present in 7 patients on CT, and only 3 cases were diagnosed with endobronchial tumor by radiologists. All cases received bronchoscopy. Seven patients were treated via flexible bronchoscopy, using electrocautery, argon plasma coagulation(APC) and cryotherapy. Six patients received pulmonary lobectomy via thoracotomy. Follow-up CT scan was performed in 7 of 13 patients(mean 47 months, range 17-69 months), which revealed no recurrence in all 7 patients.Conclusions: In clinical work, EH sometimes may be neglected in CT images. Bronchoscopy plays an important role in diagnosis. Pathological study is required to confirm the diagnosis. The management of endobronchial hamartoma should be individualized, bronchoscopic treatment is the first choice for EH. But in some instances, surgery should be considered.
Cobalamin C deficiency presenting with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and pulmonary microangiopathy: a case series of four patients
Authors: Liu Jinrong , Tang Xiaolei , Zhou Chunju , Xu Hui , Yang Haiming , Li Huimin , Zhao Shunying
Published: December 2019

Background: The clinical manifestations of combined methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and homocysteinemia (cobalamin deficiency) vary, but typically include neurologic, developmental and hematologic abnormalities. Only a few patients had diffuse lung disease (DLD). We analyse the clinical features of cobalamin C deficiency (CblC deficiency) who developed late-onset DLD mainly diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) to strengthen an understanding of it.Results: This study describes 4 patients aged 4-years-2-months to 7-years-6-months with CblC deficiency who developed late-onset DLD. Of these, the first 3 patients presented predominantly with DAH, and the last patient with pulmonary microangiopathy confirmed by lung biopsy. All patients accompanied by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and 2 accompanied by moderate megaloblastic anemia. Diffuse ground-glass opacification and poorly defined ground-glass centrilobular nodules were seen on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in 1 patient and 3 patients respectively. All patients were suspected of having idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) or interstitial lung disease (ILD) at other hospitals. The last 2 patients received treatment with high dose corticosteroid before admission, but the symptoms didn’t improve. Moreover, all patients carried compound heterozygous mutations (c.80A>G, c.609G>A) and improved significantly after being treated for CblC deficiency and PAH.Conclusions: CblC deficiency should be considered in the differential diagnosis of DAH especially with PAH, and pulmonary microangiopathy be the main reason of DLD in these patients.
The Association between Platelet count and Liver volume after eradication of Hepatitis C virus by Direct-acting Antivirals: a retrospective study
Authors: Seko Yuya , Moriguchi Michihisa , Takahashi Aya , Okishio Shinya , Kataoka Seita , Okuda Keiichiroh , Mizuno Naoki , Takemura Masashi , Taketani Hiroyoshi , Umemura Atsushi , Nishikawa Taichiro , Yamaguchi Kanji , Itoh Yoshito
Published: December 2019

Background: Although most patients who obtain sustained virological response (SVR) show improved liver function, some patients show decreased platelet counts after eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this retrospective study was to clarify the association of liver and spleen volumes with platelet count after SVR achieved by direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment.Methods: This study enrolled 36 consecutive patients treated by DAAs who obtained SVR between September 2014 and December 2018. Liver and spleen volumes were derived from computed tomography scans obtained at pretreatment, SVR, and 48 weeks after SVR. No patient developed hepatocellular carcinoma during this study. Results: Compared with pretreatment, the median AST, ALT, albumin serum levels, and platelet counts improved significantly at SVR and 48 weeks after SVR. The liver/spleen volumes per body weight were decreased significantly from 22.5/4.2 mL/kg to 21.1/3.6 mL/kg at 48 weeks after SVR. The change in liver volume was associated with change in platelet count, and the change in spleen volume was negatively associated with change in serum albumin level. Multivariate analysis identified change in liver volume (≥95%, odds ratio 76.9, P = 0.005) as the factor associated with improvement in the platelet count at 48 weeks after SVR. The patients with increased liver volume at 48 weeks after SVR showed increased platelet count. Conclusions: Both liver and spleen volume once decreased significantly by eradication of HCV. The patients with re-increased liver volume showed rapid increase of platelet count.
Prevalence Of Fatty Liver Disease And Associated Factors Among Outpatients At Muhas Academic Medical Centre,tanzania
Authors: Simelane Nontobeko Nokulunga , Pallangyo Pédrö P. , Komba Ewaldo V. , Mugusi Ferdinand
Published: December 2019

Background: Fatty liver disease has become an important cause of chronic liver disease and an alarming public health problem. Several studies around the globe have revealed the prevalence of fatty liver disease to range between 10% and 63.5%. In recent times, fatty liver disease has gained global prominence because of its associated increased risk of end-stage liver disease, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. In general, patients with fatty liver disease have increased all-cause mortality and liver-related mortality compared to the general population thus its prevention, diagnosis, and management is crucial in any given population. There is limited information regarding fatty liver disease in a Tanzanian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted from June 2018 to November 2018 at MUHAS Academic Medical Centre – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Consenting patients attending internal medicine clinics were interviewed, examined and investigated. Socio-demographic information, clinical, laboratory, and assessment of awareness about fatty liver disease parameters were gathered during the interviews. Fatty liver disease was identified with ultrasound imaging. Continuous variables were compared with the use of student’s t-test and categorical data with the use of chi-squared test. To assess for associated factors, we performed logistic regression analyses, p<0.05 was used to denote significance. Results: A total of 432 outpatients were enrolled. The prevalence of fatty liver disease was 13.9%. Independent associated factors of fatty liver disease were the male gender, having diabetes mellitus, waist circumference >99M/80F, high total cholesterol >220mg/dl, high triglycerides >170mg/dl, and low HDL < 40mg/dl. Conclusion: Fatty liver disease is not uncommon among outpatients in Tanzania. Factors that were associated with fatty liver disease in this current setting were similar to the ones reported in several other settings around the globe. Strategies to improve health education are vital. Early diagnosis and timely management of fatty liver disease will certainly improve the quality of life and its expectancy at large. Key words: Fatty liver disease, NAFLD, Tanzania
Effects of feruloyl esterase-producing lactic acid bacteria or cellulase on anaerobic fermentation profiles, lignocellulosic degradation, enzymatic hydrolysis and methane production potential of co-ensiled corn stalk and potato pulp
Authors: Xu Dongmei , Ding Zitong , Ke Wencan , Bai Jie , Zhang Yixin , Li Fuhou , Guo Xusheng
Published: December 2019

Background: Anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial residues that with rich lignocellulosics biomass is regarded as one of the cost-efficient and environmentally beneficial technologies for biofuels production. While, pretreatment is necessary to degrade cellulose and hemicellulose for enhancing the potential bio-digestibility process for biogas producing. Thus, the effects of co-ensiling of corn straw and potato pulp inoculated with ferulic acid esterase-producing Lactobacillus plantarum A1 or cellulases on lignocellulosic degradation, enzymatic hydrolysis and theoretical biochemical methane potential were investigated with two mixture ratios. Four treatments were applied: without additive (C), L. plantarum A1 (P), cellulases (E) and combination of L. plantarum A1 and cellulases (P+E). Two mixture ratios were used: weight ratio of wet corn straw (rehydrated to 460 g/kg fresh weight) and potato pulp of 4:1 (CP) and weight ratio of dry corn straw and potato pulp of 1:2 (PC).Results: The results revealed that silages treated with E and P+E performed better regarding lignocelluloses degradation by lowering the contents of lignocelluloses with prolonged fermentation time and preserved more available carbohydrates. The P and C resulted in greater enzymatic hydrolysis as indicated by higher glucose yield, cellulose convertibility and relative improvement ratio especially at 60 and 90 d of co-ensiling. For biofuels producing, the CP ratio of mixture had higher theoretical methane yield than PC ratio. Therefore, Co-ensiling CP ratio with additives E and P+E for 90 d might be considerable pretreatment of mixed corn stalk and potato pulp for biogas production. Conclusions: This work will helpful in investigating pretreatment of biomass that with rich lignocellulosics. In addition, the visualization results of the process of lignocellulosic degradation could be used for guidance to explore the lignocellulosic biomass using for large-scale biofuels production. Keywords: Co-ensiling, Theoretical methane yield, Silage additives, Solanum tuberosum , Zea mays
Comparative transcriptomics and cellular analysis reveal the tolerance mechanisms of Candida tropicalis towards phenol as the representative phenolic inhibitors from lignocellulosic hydrolysis
Authors: Wang Hanyu , Li Qian , Peng Yuanyuan , Zhang Zhengyue , Kuang Xiaolin , Hu Xiangdong , Ayepa Ellen , Han Xuebing , Abrha Getachew Tafere , Xiang Quanju , Yu Xiumei , Zhao Ke , Zou Likou , Gu Yunfu , Li Xi , Li Xiaoying , Chen Qiang , Zhang Xiaoping , Liu Beidong , Ma Menggen
Published: December 2019

Background: Phenolics derived from lignocellulose severely influence cell growth and fermentation ability in yeast. Due to its high tolerance for various stresses, Candida tropicalis has recently emerged as a promising strain for the degradation of industrial sewage. Great efforts have been made on studying the degradation machineries of phenol by C. tropicalis, but the global mechanisms underlying its tolerance of high concentrations of phenolics remain ambiguous. Since the substructure and toxicity of phenol are similar to those of other phenolic compounds derived from lignin hydrolysis, we treated C. tropicalis cells with phenol as a representative substance for the phenolic compounds.
Results: We found that after treatment with 0.5 g/l, 1.0 g/l, and 2.0 g/l phenol, the growth of C. tropicalis SHC-03 was inhibited, but recovered completely after a lag phase. Although we found that C. tropicalis could degrade phenol when phenol was used as the sole carbon source, it could not degrade phenol in YPD medium, implying that increased tolerance for phenol contributed to the recovery of cell growth. Morphological observation demonstrated that phenol could induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial membrane damage, and damage to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but did not affect the structural stability of chromatin. On the basis of transcriptome data and cell wall susceptibility analysis, a number of genes related to DNA repair, DNA replication, heat shock protein (HSP)-mediated proteasomal degradation, autophagy, accumulation of fatty acids, cell wall remodeling, and MDR/MXR transporters were found. These genes may play key roles in the increased tolerance of C. tropicalis to phenol stress.
Conclusion: C. tropicalis appears to prevent phenol-induced cell damage through maintenance of high-fidelity DNA replication, intracellular protein homeostasis, organelle integrity, and keep the intracellular phenol concentration at a low level through cell-wall remodeling and removal of excess phenol via MDR/MXR transporters. The knowledge obtained from this research provided us with a global understanding of phenolic tolerance mechanisms in C. tropicalis and will promote the genetic modification of yeast strains to develop biological products using lignocellulosic hydrolysates as a carbon resource.
An outbreak of nosocomial infectious bacteria on the surfaces of medical instruments and the wounds of patients shortly after admission to the newly built burn intensive care unit
Authors: Huang Jia , Zhu Jie , Tang Lan , Cheng Huali , Lv Guozhong , Pan Haiyan , Wakim Chris , Yuan Qinfang , Lin Pingping , Chen Rongfang , Yang Minlie , Yuan Fenglai , Jiang Donglin , Miao Zongning , Wang Bei , Diao Ling , Liu Minfeng , Zhao Peng , Zhang Feng
Published: December 2019

Background & Aims: Nosocomial infection (NI) is a significant problem in burn intensive care units (BICUs). Although a number of strict infection control practices had been carried out for preventing NI bacterium infection, the spreads or even outbreaks of these pathogens were often reported. Here we monitored the infection in a newly built BICU and tried to discover the origin and transmission route of NI. Methods: Five burn patients were gradually transferred or admitted into a newly built BICU. The surfaces of medical instruments were cleaned with detergent and later with chlorine disinfectant . NI bacteria colonies on surfaces of medical instruments, gloves, and burn wounds were sampled using Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) plates. Gram-positive coccus and Gram-negative bacilli were identified, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility tests for Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. The shift of these two bacteria was depicted with a heat-map. The phylogenetic grouping was analysed based on the Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) fingerprint. Results: Colonies of S.aureus and A. baumannii were gradually discovered on several instruments during the first 5 days when the detergent was used. Conversely, since the sterilization, almost no S.aureus or A. baumannii colonies could be found. Furthermore, colonies were found on the nursing assistant’s gloves at day 0, which was attributed to her repeated gloves use after her touch of the body of the first admitted patient. Simultaneously, the wounds of the other four admitted patients were colonized with same strains of A. baumannii starting at day 1 or day 2. Conclusions: The NI bacteria rapidly colonized the surfaces of the medical instruments, which was facilitated by using detergent but was eliminated shortly after by using a disinfectant. The colonization of NI bacteria on the wounds of burn patients might have come from the nursing assistant’s gloves.
Comparison of Acetic Acid to Glyphosate for Weed Suppression in the Garden
Authors: Domenghini Jacob C.
Published: December 2019

Interest in organic vegetable gardening has increased in recent years. Organic growers are searching for alternatives to glyphosate for weed suppression. This study was conducted twice. Each data collection period lasted 132 days during the growing seasons of 2016 and 2017 in Richmond, KY. Treatments included application of glyphosate, vinegar [5% acetic acid (AA)], 20% horticulture grade vinegar (20% AA), 30% horticulture grade vinegar (30% AA), and a negative control. Treatments were applied in a factorial arrangement with two application periods (fall and spring or spring only). The percentage of weed cover within plots was evaluated visually with a 0–10 rating scale (0 = 0% weeds or 100% of the plot is dead; 5 = 50% weed growth; 10 = 100% of the plot is alive with weeds). All plots began the study with a rating of 10. After the initial treatment applications, visual ratings of the 5%, 20%, and 30% AA declined to a rating of 0 within 48 hours, whereas the glyphosate required 7 days (P = 0.05). Treatments were reapplied to part of the plots (subplots) in the spring when ≈50% of the plot had regrown with weeds. Glyphosate required 71 to 80.8 days to reach 50% regrowth and required only one retreatment. The 20% and 30% AA applications required three (2016) and four (2017) retreatments. Glyphosate has proven to be more effective at weed control in vegetable gardens when compared with vinegar, although 20% AA and 30% AA are viable alternatives.