bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Diagnostic Value of Spectral Domain-optical Coherence Tomography for Optic Nerve Injury in Sellar-occupied Patients
Authors: Zhang Li , Yang Xiaowei , Zhang Wei , Han Muyuan , Zhao Wenshuai , Li Xiaohao
Published: August 2020

Background: To investigate the value of spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in the early diagnosis of optic nerve injury in patients with occupying lesion in sellar region. Methods: A case-control study was conducted for patients who were diagnosed as the occupying lesion in sellar region in the Department of Ophthalmology. The general routine examination and visual field examination were performed in the ophthalmology department. A total of 22 patients(44 eyes) with no abnormalities were selected, and 22 healthy controls (44 eyes) were enrolled. SD-OCT was used to detect the average thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and the thickness of four quadrants and the thickness of each layer of macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC). The results were compared to evaluate the damage of the optic nerve. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was evaluated by SD-OCT to detect the diagnostic efficacy of pRNFL and mGCC for sellar-occupying optic nerve damage. Results: The average thickness of pRNFL was significantly different from that of healthy controls (P<0.01). The mean thickness of mGCC, macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) and GCL+ were significantly different from those of healthy controls (P<0.05). The AUC values ​​of pRNFL, mRNFL, ganglion cell layer (GCL) + and mGCC were 0.757, 0.643, 0.702 and 0.688, respectively. The diagnostic value was pRNFL> GCL+ > mGCC > mRNFL. Conclusion: The thickness of pRNFL and mGCC detected by SD-OCT has clinical value in the diagnosis of optic nerve injury in early patients with occupying lesion in sellar region. The change of pRNFL thickness is more effective than mGCC thickness in the early sellar-occupying optic nerve injury.
Weyl-triplons in SrCu2(BO3)2
Authors: Sengupta Pinaki , BHOWMICK DHIMAN
Published: August 2020

Presence of Weyl node, nodal line or nodal surface in the band structure is a signature of topological gapless phase in a three-dimensional(3D) material. Here, we propose that Weyl triplons are expected to appear in the low energy magnetic excitations in the canonical Shastry-Sutherland compound, \ce{SrCu2(BO3)2}, a quasi-2D quantum magnet. Our results show that whena minimal, realistic inter-layer coupling is added to the well-established microscopicmodel describing the excitation spectrum of the individual layers,the Dirac points that appears in the zero-field triplon spectrum of the 2D modelsplits into two pairs of Weyl points along the Kz direction. Varying the strength of the inter-layer Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya(DM) interaction and applying asmall longitudinal magnetic field results in a range of band topologytransitions accompanied by changing numbers of Weyl points. We propose inelastic neutron scattering along with thermal Hall effect as the experimental techniques to detect the presence of Weyl-node in the triplon spectrum of this material.
The Landscape of Gene Co-Expression Modules Correlating with Prognostic Genetic Abnormalities in AML
Authors: Guo Chao , Gao Ya-yue , Ju Qian-qian , Zhang Chun-xia , Gong Ming , Li Zhen-ling
Published: August 2020

Background: The heterogenous cytogenetic and molecular variations were harbored by AML patients, some of which are related with AML pathogenesis and clinical outcomes. We aimed to uncover the intrinsic expression profiles correlating with prognostic genetic abnormalities by WGCNA.Methods: We downloaded the clinical and expression dataset from BeatAML, TCGA and GEO database. Using R (version 4.0.2) and ‘WGCNA’ package, the co-expression modules correlating with the ELN2017 prognostic markers were identified (R2 ≥ 0.4, p < 0.01). ORA detected the enriched pathways for the key co-expression modules. The patients in TCGA cohort were randomly assigned into the training set (50%) and testing set (50%). The LASSO penalized regression analysis was employed to build the prediction model, fitting OS to the expression level of hub genes by ‘glmnet’ package. Then the testing and 2 independent validation sets (GSE12417 and GSE37642) were used to validate the diagnostic utility and accuracy of the model. Results: A total of 37 gene co-expression modules and 973 hub genes were identified for the BeatAML cohort. We found that 3 modules were significantly correlated with genetic markers (the ‘lightyellow’ module for NPM1 mutation, the ‘saddlebrown’ module for RUNX1 mutation, the ‘lightgreen’ module for TP53 mutation). ORA revealed that the ‘lightyellow’ module was mainly enriched in DNA-binding transcription factor activity and activation of HOX genes. The ‘saddlebrown’ module was enriched in immune response process. And the ‘lightgreen’ module was predominantly enriched in mitosis cell cycle process. The LASSO- regression analysis identified 6 genes (NFKB2, NEK9, HOXA7, APRC5L, FAM30A and LOC105371592) with non-zero coefficients. The risk score generated from the 6-gene model, was associated with ELN2017 risk stratification, relapsed disease, and prior MDS history. The 5-year AUC for the model was 0.822 and 0.824 in the training and testing sets, respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic utility of the model was robust when it was employed in 2 validation sets (5-year AUC 0.743-0.79).Conclusions: We established the co-expression network signature correlated with the ELN2017 recommended prognostic genetic abnormalities in AML. The 6-gene prediction model for AML survival was developed and validated by multiple datasets.
Machine learning prediction on number of patient due to conjunctivitis based on air pollutants: A preliminary study
Authors: Chen Juan , Cheng Yong-ran , Feng Zhan-hui , Zhou Meng-Yun , Wang Nan , Ye Lan , Wang Mingwei , Yao Jin
Published: August 2020

Background: Accurate prediction of the number of patients with conjunctivitis plays an important role in providing adequate treatment at the hospital, but such accurate predictive model currently does not exist. The current study sought to use machine learning (ML) prediction based on past patient for conjunctivitis and several air pollutants. The optimal machine learning prediction model was selected to predict conjunctivitis-related number patients.Methods: The average daily air pollutants concentrations (CO, O3, NO2, SO2, PM10, PM2.5) and weather data (highest and lowest temperature) were collected. Data were randomly divided into training dataset and test dataset, and normalized mean square error (NMSE) was calculated by 10 fold cross validation, comparing between the ability of seven ML methods to predict the number of patient due to conjunctivitis (Lasso penalized liner model, Decision tree, Boosting regression, Bagging regression, Random forest, Support vector, and Neural network). According to the accuracy of impact prediction, the important air and weather factors that affect conjunctivitis were identified.Results: A total of 84977 cases to treat conjunctivitis were obtained from the ophthalmology center of the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University. For all patients together, the NMSE of the different methods were as follows: Lasso penalized liner regression: 0.755, Decision tree: 0.710, Boosting regression: 0.616, Bagging regression: 0.615, Random forest: 0.392, Support vectors: 0.688, and Neural network: 0.476. Further analyses, stratified by gender and age at diagnosis, supported Random forest as being superior to others ML methods. The main factors affecting conjunctivitis were: O3, NO2, SO2 and air temperature.Conclusion: Machine learning algorithm can predict number of patients due to conjunctivitis, among which, the Random forest algorithm had the highest accuracy. Machine learning algorithm could provide accurate information for hospitals dealing with conjunctivitis caused by air factors.
Molecular characteristics of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolated from clinical infection and fecal survey samples in Southern China
Authors: Duan Xiaonv , Qin Yingcheng , Peng Yuan , Rui YongYu
Published: August 2020

Background: The identified rate of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) have been increasingly in the clinical infections. Here, a study of analysing the relationship of clinical infectious CRE and fecal carried CRE was performed.Methods: Clinical CRE and fecal CRE were collected from hosiptal in China. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based amplification and sequencing were performed to analyse the carriage of drug-resistant genes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC) technology and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were used to analysis the characteristic of genetic structure of CRE isolates.Results: 99 clinical CRE and 30 fecal CRE were collected, respectively. The top three strains present in the highest proportions were K. pneumoniae (86; 66.67%), E. cloacae (22; 17.05%), and E. coli (11; 8.53%). Most of the isolates were susceptible to colistin (98.45%) and tigecycline (98.45%). blaKPC−2 (96.03%) was the dominant carbapenemase gene in clinical CRE and fecal CRE, followed by blaNDM (52.7%); co-existence of the blaKPC−2 and blaNDM genes was detected in 63 (50.00%) strains. One K. pneumoniae isolate co-producing NDM-5 and mcr-1, and one E. coli isolate co-producing KPC-2, IMP-4, and mcr-1 were detected. Two novel gene cassettes of intI2 were dectected. ERIC genotyping and genomic analysis revealed that K. pneumoniae isolated from clinical infections and fecal survey samples were same clone.Conclusions: This is the first report of comparing the molecular characteristics of CRE isolated from clinical infection and fecal survey samples. we found that fecal carried CRE were closely related to CRE which caused infections.
Associations of co-exposure to metals with serum uric acid and hyperuricemia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Jiang Shunli , Zhou Shuang , Liu Huimin , Peng Cheng , Zhang Xu , Zhou Hao , Wang Zhihong , Lu Qing
Published: August 2020

While lead exposure is associated with hyperuricemia, there is scarce evidence about whether other metals are associated with serum uric acid (SUA) levels and hyperuricemia, and whether joint effects among metals existed. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 1950 eligible participants with 20 metals measured in urine. We used multivariable linear and logistic regression models to investigate the associations of metals exposure with SUA levels and hyperuricemia risk. We found that urinary vanadium and arsenic concentrations were associated with increased SUA levels in both sexes while urinary selenium concentrations were inversely associated with SUA levels in males. Each doubling of vanadium, arsenic, and selenium concentrations was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.17 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.33), 1.22 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.50), and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.88) for hyperuricemia in males, respectively. In addition, under the exposure of vanadium and arsenic, only if high selenium content existed, no significantly increased SUA levels and hyperuricemia risk in both sexes can be found. Vanadium and arsenic exposure were suggested to be associated with elevated SUA levels and hyperuricemia risk with sex difference while high selenium status might counteract their detrimental effects.
Predictors of Modern Contraceptive Use Among Married Women in Angola: A Population Based Study
Authors: Zegeye Betregiorgis Hailu , Garedew Gashaw Woldeamanuel , Negash Wassie , Asegidew Balkew Tegegn
Published: August 2020

Background: Maternal mortality is unacceptability high in Sub-Saharan-African countries including Angola. Despite family planning is one of the vital intervention to reduce maternal death, the coverage of modern contraceptive use in Angola is extremely low and there is a paucity of evidence regarding current factors associated with contraceptive use in Angola. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating predictors of contraceptive use among married women in Angola using nationally representative data.Methods: The data were extracted from 2015/16 Angola Multiple Indicator and Health Survey for this study and approximately 8,033 married women aged 15 - 49 years were participated. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed using STATA version 14 software to identify the predictors, and p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: The coverage of modern contraceptive use among married women was 8.9%. Maternal age, women’s educational level, maternal occupation, place of residence, media exposure, number of living children, desire for more children and subnational region were main predictors for modern contraceptive use.Conclusion: Modern contraceptive use among married women in Angola was very low. Married women who were educated, wealthiest, exposed for media, who had living children, interested to have child after 2 years and those who were not interested to have at all were more likely to use contraceptive. Therefore, the government of Angola and other concerned bodies need to emphasize in empowering women through education and economy as well as dissemination of contraceptive related information through media especially for women’s living in rural settings.
CRKL but not CRKII Inhibits Erythropoiesis and Megakaryopoiesis of CML via Inactivating Raf/MEK/ERK/Elk-1 Pathway
Authors: Guo Chunmei , Zhang Qiuling , Yan Jinsong , Lv Xinxin , Greenaway Frederick T , Zheng Shanliang , Sun Ming-Zhong , Liu Shuqing
Published: August 2020

Background: As members of the CT10 regulation of kinase (CRK) adaptor protein family, CRK-like (CRKL) and CRKII are involved in cell proliferation, survival, adhesion, migration and differentiation. However, the exact role and underlying mechanism of CRKL and CRKII in leukemic cell differentiation are still unknown. Methods: Quantitative real-time qPCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of CRKL and CRKII in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and complete remission (CR) patients; Western blotting (WB) was used to measure the expression levels of CRKL and CRKII during hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells; Benzidine staining, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomic analysis, cDNA microarray assay, qRT-PCR and WB were used to examine the effects of CRKL and CRKII deregulation on erythroid and megakaryocyte differentiation of K562 cells; PD98059 was used to investigate the underlying mechanism of CRKL in erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis. Results: CRKL was found to be overexpressed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients compared with normal samples, while its expression level was lower in CR patients than in corresponding CML patients. The CRKL expression level was significantly decreased during the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells following hemin treatment. Moreover, CRKL downregulation promoted erythroid and megakaryocyte differentiation of K562 cells accompanied by increased expression level of the erythroid differentiation markers γ-globin, glycophorin (GPA) and the megakaryocyte differentiation markers CD41, CD61. Furthermore, gene microarray and iTRAQ quantitative proteomic analysis showed that CRKL downregulation increased hemoglobin (HB) molecules HBD, HBA1, HBA2, HBZ, HBE1, HBG1 and globin transcription factor 1 (GATA1), high-mobility group protein (HMGB2) expression levels. Mechanistically, CRKL inhibited erythroid and megakaryocyte differentiation of K562 cell via inactivating Raf/MEK/ERK/Elk-1 pathway. Conversely, CRKII was only slightly overexpressed in CML patients and had no effect on erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that CRKL but not CRKII contributes to development, progression, erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis of CML, providing novel insights into effective diagnosis and therapy for CML patients.
Managing Sacral Giant Cell Tumor with Surgery and Various Adjuvant Therapies
Authors: Zhang Yushen , Fu Jun , Xue Yingsen , Guo Zheng , Wang Zhen , Sun Liguo , Liu Xincheng , Fan Hongbin
Published: August 2020

Background and purpose: There is no consensus regarding the appropriate treatment of sacral giant cell tumor (SGCT). This study is to compare oncological and neurological outcomes of SGCT managed by surgery and various adjunctive therapies.Methods: A total of 31 patients with SGCT were retrospectively studied. They were divided into two Groups. A: 13 patients underwent surgery plus SAE and radiotherapy; Group B: 18 patients underwent surgery plus one arterial embolization and denosumab. The postoperative functional outcomes, recurrence, mortality, and complications were compared.Results: The mean operation time (231±49min) and blood loss (3167±856mL) of group B were significantly less than those of group A (283±41min, 5054±689mL) (p<0.05). The average follow-up was 68.5 months. The neurologic function scores showed no significant difference. The recurrence rate of group B (11.2%) was much lower than that of group A (30.7%, p=0.17). The cumulative survival rate of group B was higher than that of group A (p=0.133).Conclusions: In comparison to other adjuvant therapies, one arterial embolization plus denosumab can reduce the intra-operative blood loss, shorten the operation time, and decrease the recurrence rate in patients with SGCT.
Accuracy of Combining End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide and Pulse Pressure Variability Measurements in Predicting Fluid Responsiveness During Passive Leg Raising Test in Septic Shock Patient
Authors: Zhou Xiao-Fen , Yu Rong-Guo , Lin Feng-Hui , Huang Ting-Feng , Gong Shu-Rong , Zhang Ying-Rui , Chen Qian , Chen Han
Published: August 2020

Background

It is essential to assess the patients’ volume responsiveness before fluid infusion in patients with circulatory failure. The hypothesis is that the combining of end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) and pulse pressure variability (PPV) measurements can non-invasively predict fluid responsiveness during passive leg raising (PLR) test.
Methods

Pulse indicates continuous cardiac output, right radial artery blood pressure, and EtCO2 were monitored in 71 septic shock patients with mechanical ventilation. A standard PLR test was performed; cardiac index (CI), arterial pressure, stroke volume variability (SVV), PPV, and EtCO2 were measured before and after the PLR test. Patients with an increase in CI greater than 15% after the PLR test were defined as fluid responders. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to assess the predictive performance of the measured parameters.
Results

PPV, △EtCO2 and △EtCO2 variation ratio (△EtCO2%) in fluid-responders were significantly greater than those in the non-responders. The AUC of △EtCO2% was 0.884 (95% CI, 0.785 to 0.948) with a cut-off value of > 5.88%; yielded a sensitivity of 91.89% (95% CI, 78.1–98.3%) and aspecificity of 76.47% (95% CI, 58.8–89.3%). The AUC of PPV was 0.852 (95% CI, 0.748 to 0.925) with a cut-off value of > 10%; yielded a sensitivity of 81.1% (95% CI, 64.8–92%) and specificity of 79.41% (95% CI, 62.1–91.3%). The AUC of PPV-△EtCO2% combination was 0.942 (95% CI, 0.86 to 0.984) with a cut-off value of > 0.666; yielded a sensitivity of 83.8% (95% CI, 68–93.8%) and aspecificity of 94.1% (95% CI, 80.3–99.3%). The AUC of PPV-△EtCO2% combination was significantly greater than either △EtCO2% or PPV.
Conclusion

The combination of PPV and △EtCO2 can better predict fluid responsiveness during PLR.
Immune interaction map of human SARS-CoV-2 target proteins: implications for therapeutic avenues
Authors: Subbarayan Karthikeyan , Ulagappan Kamatchi , Wickenhauser Claudia , Seliger Barbara
Published: August 2020

Background There exists increasing evidence that people with preceding medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, cancers and heart disease, have a higher risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and are more vulnerable to severe disease.Methods To get insights into the role of the immune system upon COVID-19 infection, 2811 genes of the gene ontology term “immune system process GO: 0002376” were selected for analyses. The immune system genes potentially co-expressed with the human targets of SARS-CoV-2 (HT-SARS-CoV-2) ACE2, TMPRSS2 and FURIN were determined in tissue samples from patients with cancer and diabetes mellitus. The network between HT-SARS-CoV-2 and immune system process genes was analyzed based on functional protein associations using STRING. In addition, STITCH was employed to determine druggable targets.Results DPP4 was the only immune system process gene, which was coexpressed with the three HT-SARS-CoV-2 genes, while eight other immune genes were at least co-expressed with two HT-SARS-CoV-2 genes. STRING analysis between immune and HT-SARS-CoV-2 genes plotted 19 associations of 8 commonly networking genes in mixed healthy (323) and cancer (11003) tissues in addition to normal (87), cancer (90) and diabetic (128) pancreatic tissues. Using this approach, three druggable connections between HT-SARS-CoV-2 and immune system process genes were identified. They include positive associations of ACE2 - DPP4 and TMPRSS2 – SRC as well as a negative association of FURIN with ADAM17. Furthermore, the 16 drugs were extracted from STITCH (score <0.8) with 32 target genes.Conclusions This bioinformatics pipeline identified for the first time an immunological network associated with COVID-19 infection thereby postulating novel therapeutic opportunities.
Analysis of foot skeletal structure by 3D foot scanner on smartphone
Authors: Yamashita Tomoko , Yamashita Kazuhiko , Sato Mitsuru , Ryotokuji Takeshi , Kawasumi Masashi , Takase Yoshimasa , Hara Shinsuke
Published: August 2020

Background: The influence of foot skeletal structure on hallux valgus (HV) is poorly understood, so its detailed understanding at an early stage is required for prevention. In this study, a system using a 3D foot scanner on smartphone was developed for the purpose of clarifying relationships between skeletal features and the degree of HV risk. Methods: This system analyzes the foot skeletal structure by sending 2D video images recorded on smartphone to a computer or cloud server, where the 3D foot skeleton model is constructed by the 2D images. This system was developed to identify 10 skeletal features that are expected to be associated with hallux valgus. The participants comprised 419 individuals (40–89 years), and they maintained a standing pose with their toes 12 cm apart and heels 8 cm apart during the video recording. The height and weight were additionally measured to calculate BMI.Results: The study results showed that age-based variations in the foot skeletal features were observed slightly for men whereas distinctively for women. It was observed for women that the great toe-first metatarsal head-heel (GFH) angle increases with age, so it suggests that the increase of the GFH angle characterizes the development of HV. The multiple regression analysis reveals that the features determining the GFH angle are the second toe-heel-navicular angle and the axis of the bone distance among the skeletal features related to the midfoot, and the transverse arch length and height among those related to the forefoot. Their adjusted coefficients of determination were 0.52 and 0.48 for men and women, respectively. Conclusion: Using a 3D foot scanner on smartphone, we developed a simple method to access the skeletal structure of the foot related to HV risk. Trial registration: University hospital Medical Information Network- Clinical Trials (UMIN-CTR) with the number: UMIN 000037694. Registration date: 20/08/2019.
Vine Removal Prior to Harvest, and Curing Duration and Temperature Affect the Incidence and Severity of Internal Necrosis in ‘Covington’ Sweetpotato
Authors: de Espinosa Baselga Fernando Montero , Schultheis Jonathan R. , Boyette Michael D. , Quesada-Ocampo Lina M. , Starke Keith D. , Monks David W.
Published: August 2020

Internal necrosis (IN) is a physiological disorder that affects Covington, the most commonly grown sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivar in North Carolina. Because IN affects the quality of sweetpotato storage roots, studies have been conducted since the first report of IN in 2006. Field studies (three in 2016 and two in 2017) were conducted to evaluate preharvest and postharvest treatments on the occurrence of IN in ‘Covington’ storage roots. Four preharvest treatments consisted of combinations of high chlorine or minimal chlorine potash fertilizer and mowing vs. not mowing before harvest. For postharvest treatments, 30 storage roots were obtained at harvest from each preharvest treatment plot and immediately cured in 75 and 85 °F rooms for a duration of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks in 2016, and 0.5, 1, and 2 weeks in 2017. Shorter curing durations (0.5 and 1 week) coincided with industry recommendations while longer durations mimicked the challenges that some commercial facilities face when cooling down temperatures of rooms after curing is supposed to be concluded. Once curing temperature and curing duration treatments were completed, roots were placed in a 58 °F storage room at 85% relative humidity until cut. A control comparison was included in which harvested roots were placed in a 58 °F storage room (no curing) immediately after harvest. The storage roots from all temperature treatments were then cut 49 to 80 days after harvest, and incidence and severity of IN visually rated. Preharvest potash fertilizer treatments had minimal or no effect on occurrence of IN. However, mowing vines before harvest in several studies reduced IN incidence when roots were cured for more than 0.5 week at temperatures of at least 75 °F. Lower temperature (75 vs. 85 °F) and shorter curing duration (0.5 vs. 1, 2, 3, or 5 weeks) resulted in reduced IN occurrence in ‘Covington’ sweetpotato.
O PENSAMENTO DE RONALD DWORKIN SOBRE AS AÇÕES AFIRMATIVAS
Authors: Lopes Rosaly Bacha , Brito Filho José Claudio Monteiro de
Published: August 2020

O objetivo é analisar o pensamento de Ronald Dworkin sobre as ações afirmativas. Para tanto, propôs-se desenvolver questões relacionadas à decisão da Suprema Corte Americana, principalmente no que se refere à leitura feita a partir dos casos Bakke, Weber, Sweatt, DeFunis e Hopwood. A metodologia empregada se baseou no levantamento de dados secundários colhidos a partir da técnica de documentação indireta, sobre os quais se aplicou o método hermenêutico, considerando que se visa analisar o pensamento de Ronald Dworkin sobre as ações afirmativas. Concluiu-se que Dworkin é favorável à discriminação inversa, baseada em problemas históricos, além de favorecer grupos sub-representados que receberam no passado um tratamento injusto.
Using pH as a single indicator for evaluating/controlling nitritation systems under influence of major operational parameters
Authors: Chen Chongjun , Wen Jingyu , Zhang Min , Adams Mabruk , Ma Ji , Zhu Guoying
Published: August 2020

This study focused on using pH as a single indicator to evaluate/control the performance of the nitritation system under the influence of three major operational parameters, and a total of fifteen batch tests were conducted. Results indicated that there were important interactions among different operational parameters and pH in the nitritation system; it was possible to propose the optimal nitritation operation scheme to compensate for negative changes in operational parameters. The optimal carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio was kept at 2.0 to ensure efficient removal of ammonium. The reaction time was the lowest (150 min) with the temperature = 20 °C, C/N = 0, and sludge/water ratio = 1:1. However, the C/N ratio could be adjusted to close to zero by reducing the temperature to about 10 °C, weakening the heterotrophic bacteria, and supplying sufficient biomass. The C/N ratio and sludge/water ratio could also be set at 4.0 and 1:3 respectively to deal with the impact of low temperature and organic matter. Results of this study might be useful to explain the optimal conditions and process control schemes with pH as a single indicator.
A Web-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention With Email Reminders to Enhance Subjective Well-Being and Encourage Engagement With Lifestyle Behavior Change in Health Care Staff: Randomized Cluster Feasibility Stud (Preprint)
Authors: Brown Menna , Hooper Nic , James Phillip , Scott Darren , Bodger Owen , John Ann
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Poor mental health and emotional well-being can negatively impact ability to engage in healthy lifestyle behavior change. Health care staff have higher rates of sickness and absence than other public sector staff, which has implications at both individual and societal levels. Individual efforts to self-manage health and well-being which add to the UK mental health prevention agenda need to be supported.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the inclusion of a self-guided, automated, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention in an existing health promotion program, to improve subjective well-being and encourage engagement with lifestyle behavior change.

METHODS

For this 12-week, 4-armed, randomized controlled cluster feasibility study, we recruited participants offline and randomly allocated them to 1 of 3 intervention arms or control (no well-being intervention) using an automated web-based allocation procedure. Eligibility criteria were current health care staff in 1 Welsh health board, age≥18 years, ability to read English, and ability to provide consent. The primary researcher was blinded to cluster allocation. Feasibility outcomes were randomization procedure, acceptance of intervention, and adherence to and engagement with the wider program. We evaluated health and well-being data via self-assessment at 2 time points, registration and postintervention, using the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 7-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised.

RESULTS

Of 124 participants who provided consent and were randomly allocated, 103 completed full registration and engaged with the program. Most participants (76/103) enrolled in at least one health behavior change module, and 43% (41/96) of those randomly allocated to an intervention arm enrolled in the well-being module. Adherence and engagement was low (7/103, 6.8%), but qualitative feedback was positive.

CONCLUSIONS

The procedure and randomization process proved feasible, and the addition of the well-being module proved acceptable to health care staff. However, participant engagement was limited, and no one completed the full 12-week program. User feedback should be used to develop the intervention to address poor engagement. Effectiveness should then be evaluated in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, which would be feasible with additional recruitment.

CLINICALTRIAL

International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 50074817; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN50074817
Telehealth for Noncritical Patients With Chronic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)
Authors: Liu Na , Huang Robin , Baldacchino Tanya , Sud Archana , Sud Kamal , Khadra Mohamed , Kim Jinman
Published: August 2020

UNSTRUCTURED

During the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth has received greater attention due to its role in reducing hospital visits from patients with COVID-19 or other conditions, while supporting home isolation in patients with mild symptoms. The needs of patients with chronic diseases tend to be overlooked during the pandemic. With reduced opportunities for routine clinic visits, these patients are adopting various telehealth services such as video consultation and remote monitoring. We advocate for more innovative designs to be considered to enhance patients’ feelings of “copresence”—a sense of connection with another interactant via digital technology—with their health care providers during this time. The copresence-enhanced design has been shown to reduce patients’ anxiety and increase their confidence in managing their chronic disease condition. It has the potential to reduce the patient’s need to reach out to their health care provider during a time when health care resources are being stretched.
SAlBi educa: A promising tailored nutrition app to promote healthy eating habits (Preprint)
Authors: Gonzalez-Ramirez Marina , Cejudo-Lopez Angela , Lozano-Navarrete Mauricio , Salamero Sánchez-Gabriel Elena , Torres-Bengoa Alfonso , Segura-Balbuena Manuel , Sanchez-Cordero Maria J. , Barroso-Vazquez Mercedes , Perez-Barba Francisco J. , Troncoso Ana M. , Garcia-Parrilla M. Carmen , Cerezo Ana B.
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Mobile applications are one of the fastest growing technology fields in recent years. The rise of smartphones and the special concern about food in the population, as well as the increase in overweight and obesity and their association with non-communicable diseases, makes it necessary to combine both technology and nutrition disciplines to promote healthy eating patterns.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to design and develop a tailored nutrition application to promote healthy eating habits as a tool to support the primary care Dietetic Counselling Program. Additionally, usability study was also performed.

METHODS

Three focus groups were conducted with 15 primary health care professionals (Family Doctors, Nurses and Public Health and Health Promotion Technicians), Professors and Lectures of Nutrition and Food, expert users (students of the Pharmacy Degree) and Telecommunications Engineers to decide the app design and content. Additionally, for the general and feedback message design a reference model was developed bases in the scientific literature. To evaluate the relevance potential usability, acceptability, credibility, and comprehensibility of the information and interface of the app a pilot testing in a real-life environment with potential users and Health Care Professionals was carried out in four focus groups organized in four different primary health care centers. Participants included forty-two Health Professionals and users.

RESULTS

The SAlBi educa app developed includes an online dietary record, a self-monitoring tool to evaluate dietary patterns, general and feedback messages and traditional Mediterranean recipe examples. The reference message model included the following characteristics: length of approximately 160 characters, frequency of 1-4 messages/week, simple tone y language, personalized with the user's name and empathic to allow user empowering. More than 60 general and 65 feedback messages were designed following this model. Usability study showed that 91.7% of the participants find SAlBi educa stimulating and easy to use (87.1% of volunteers). It is worth noting that 92.3% of volunteers stated that both general and tailored nutrition messages are clear, useful (100%), relevant (97.4%) and the 86.1% agree that they have the potential to persuade people to improve their diet and physical activity. A total of 95.0% of participants would use SAlBi educa in the future and recommend.

CONCLUSIONS

SAlBi educa is an innovative nutritional education tool developed based on scientific evidence that has the potential to become an effective solution for supporting Nutrition Counseling in primary health care.
Examining the Relationship Between Social Media and Cross-Cultural World Mindedness Among American College Students (Preprint)
Authors: Buster Renee , Wachira Elizabeth , Yeatts Paul
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

This study aims to explore the relationship between social media and cross-cultural world-mindedness. The authors wanted to investigate the degree to which cultural perception was impacted by social media use by addressing social cognitive theory and media systems dependency theory.

OBJECTIVE

Specifically, the investigators wanted to assess if the type and amount of social media, or media dependence, influenced cultural world-mindedness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis examined social media use and dependence, perception of environmental protection, tolerance of diversity, world citizenship, and resource sharing.

RESULTS

Results indicated there was a weak, negative relationship between environmental protection and social media use and dependence; a weak, positive relationship between world citizenship and social media use and dependence; and a weak, positive relationship between resource sharing and social media factors. To examine political affiliation differences in world-mindedness, a one-way ANOVA was conducted. Results indicated that overall, group differences were present, F(4, 1183) = 98.40, p < .001, η2 = .25. Based on the effect size (η2), it was apparent that a large effect was present. Post hoc testing using Bonferroni comparisons indicated that republicans were significantly lower in world-mindedness than all other groups, p < .001.

CONCLUSIONS

As social networking becomes more prominent, how culture is portrayed in the media can have a direct impact on building positive cross-cultural relationships.
From Social Reform to Knowledge Dissemination
Authors: Tan Hua
Published: August 2020

The translation of non-literary texts, especially science texts, compared to that of literary texts, tends to receive less attention not only from general readers in public, but also from scholars. One phenomenon of such tendency is that non-literary texts are far less retranslated. Different from literary texts, which could have as many as dozens of retranslations, such as the English novel Jane Eyre, which has more than thirty Chinese retranslations, non-literary texts in general have much fewer retranslations, with many of them never retranslated. The reasons for retranslation of non-literary texts differ from those for literary texts. Literary texts are retranslated, as investigated by many researchers, often because of particular consideration of new target reader groups, language, style, aesthetics, commercial interest, and the like; while non-literary texts tend not to be retranslated for that many different purposes, it is commonly agreed that knowledge dissemination is the major motive behind their retranslations.
Analisis Forensik Digital Storage pada Owncloud Drive
Authors: Jayanti Dewi Estri
Published: August 2020

Penyimpanan data saat ini dapat menggunakan model Cloud. Cloud dapat di akses oleh beberapa user yang telah dibuatkan akun oleh admin. Semua aktivitas user terekam di history cloud. Tindak kejahatan dapat dilakukan dengan menghapus semua data penting yang ada pada Owncloud Drive yakni Nextcloud menggunakan salah satu admin dan menghapus histori pada cloud. Penelitian ini melakukan analis investigasi untuk mengethui siapa pelaku dan mengembalikan data yang sudah terhapus. Proses forensik digital storage pada owncloud drive (Nextcloud) dapat menggunakan metode dari National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) yang merupakan metode digital forensik yang digunakan secara umum oleh para peneliti di dunia. NIST dikembangkan untuk menyelesaikan simulasi kasus penyalahgunaan owncloud drive menggunakan skenario 5 akun yang terdiri dari satu admin dan user, pelaku melakukan kejahatan mengambil lalu menghapus data pada akun admin. Tahapan digital forensik NIST yakni pengumpulan data, pemeriksaan, analisis dan pelaporan. Berdasarkan proses investigasi yang dilakukan didapatkan laporan terkait pelaku kejahatan yang telah menghapus semua data penting yakni laporan keuangan, foto dokumentasi rahasia, dan beberapa data lainnya. Sebesar 75% data yang terhapus didapatkan kembali. Hasil penelitian ini juga didapatkan keterangan jejak pelaku kejahatan yang dibutuhkan sebagai barang bukti.
RANCANG BANGUN ALAT PENDETEKSI JARAK AMAN, INTENSITAS CAHAYA, DAN WAKTU IDEAL PENGGUNA LAPTOP
Authors: Musthafa Aziz , Utama Shoffin Nahwa , Syahrin Moch Alfi
Published: August 2020

Laptop merupakan suatu perangkat yang banyak digunakan oleh semua kalangan baik muda maupun orang tua. Penggunaan internet yang semakin popular dapat menyebabkan para pengguna menghabiskan waktu di depan laptop dengan berjam-jam. Berada di depan laptop yang terlalu lama dapat memberikan dampak pada indra penglihatan yaitu mata. Selain itu layar monitor memancarkan sinar-x yang dapat mengganggu kesehatan mata. Untuk mengurangi dampak penggunaan laptop, harus memperhatikan jarak aman, intensitas cahaya dan waktu ideal saat menggunakan laptop. Tujuan dari penelitian adalah untuk merancang alat pendeteksi jarak aman, intentias cahaya dan waktu ideal ketika sedang beraktivitas menggunakan laptop. Rancangan alat ini mampu memberikan peringatan bila jarak dan cahaya telah melewati nilai ambang batas standar yang telah ditentukan. Rancangan alat ini dilengkapi Mikrokontroler Arduino Uno sebagai kendali utama, Sensor Ultrasonik sebagai pendeteksi jarak kurang dari 50 cm, Sensor Intensitas Cahaya sebagai pendeteksi cahaya sekitar minimal 100 lux dan maksimal 300 lux, Lcd Oled sebagai informasi untuk menampilkan waktu ideal yang telah ditentukan selama 4 jam serta memberikan peringatan berupa tulisan, jika masing-masing sensor mendeteksi nilai ambang batas yang telah ditentukan. Indikator peringatan pada rancangan dilengkapi dengan dua buah peringatan yaitu Lampu LED dan Buzzer. Buzzer berbunyi apabila pengguna terlalu dekat dengan layar laptop. Sedangkan bunyi buzzer dan LED menyala, apabila intensitas cahaya yang diterima gelap dan terlalu terang. Jika waktu berakhir maka buzzer dan lampu LED akan menyala sampai tombol off dimatikan. Pengujian rancangan ini menggunakan uji coba eksperimen. Hasil uji coba menunjukkan bahwa rancangan dapat mendeteksi jarak pengguna dengan laptop dan juga dapat mendeteksi cahaya yang disesuaikan Light Meter dengan Sensor Intensitas Cahaya dengan baik.
The Regulation and Protection of Genetically Modified Food
Authors: Yuwono Prianto  , Viony Kresna Sumantri  , Yudhasasmita Swara
Published: August 2020

Genetically Modified foods are now being widely consumed. In 2011, more than 90% of corns and soybeans in the US are genetically modified. Research shows in America the people suffering from allergies are increasing. Some people connected the allergies with the widely consumed genetically modified foods. But other researchers show that genetically modified food bring no harms to human. In fact, genetically modified foods are cheaper and will be a great tool to fight against poverty and hunger. But in countries like Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands, they have fully banned genetically modified organisms, making them the GMO’s free Country. In the survey conducted, most consumers are not educated enough about GMO. They also concern about the impact of genetically modified food on human health, environmental and animal health.
Pengembangan Buku Ajar Pada Matakuliah Rangkaian Listrik Program Studi Teknik Elektro Industri
Authors: Latif Muhammad Rais , Muskhir Mukhlidi
Published: August 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengembangkan buku ajar rangkaian listrik berdasarkan konsep Self Direct Learning, dalam rangka membantu mahasiswa mengatasi kesulitan mempelajari matakuliah rangkaian listrik. Hal ini didasarkan pada data observasi pada prodi teknik elektro industri D-IV, FT-UNP, dimana terdapat 25 mahasiswa dari 43 mahasiswa mengalami kesulitan mempelajari rangkaian listrik. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan ialah Research and Development, dengan lima tahap pengembangan yakni: pontensi dan masalah, pengumpulan data, desain produk, validasi produk dan revisi produk. Produk yang dihasilkan berupa buku ajar terdiri dari dua bab, yakni bab I mengenai hukum-hukum dasar rangkaian listrik dan bab II mengenai metoda analisis rangkaian listrik. Hasil validasi ahli media terhadap bab I dan bab II buku diperoleh presentase 98% pada kategori sangat valid dan hasil validasi ahli materi untuk bab I dan II buku diperoleh persentase 91.5% pada kategori sangat valid. Dengan demikian buku ajar yang dikembangkan layak digunakan sebagai sumber pembelajaran.
Rancang Bangun AC to AC Converter Tiga Fasa dengan Visual Basic
Authors: Luthfiani Samira Laila , Krismadinata Krismadinata
Published: August 2020

Pada penelitian ini membahas pemanfaatan teknik pengontrolan interfacing dari sebuah konverter AC-AC tiga fasa (AC Chopper). Pengontrolan fasa tersebut memberikan kemudahan dalam sistem pengendalian tegangan AC. Tegangan keluaran AC didapatkan melalui konversi daya AC dengan mengubah nilai rms tegangan AC yang dicatukan pada beban dengan menggunakan thyristor jenis SCR sebagai sakelar. Dari kegunaan sinyal AC mengubah tegangan keluaran dengan frekuensi fundamental yang tetap, tegangan keluaran konverter AC ini dipicu oleh sudut dua buah SCR yang terhubung antiparalel dengan zero crossing detector sebagai persilangan titik nol pada tiap fasa. Pada penelitian ini akan dirancang sebuah rangkaian konverter AC tiga fasa bertegangan rendah 12VAC dengan interfacing Visual Studio 2012. Pengaturan tegangan diatur oleh potensiometer yang diprogram pada Arduino Uno dan ditampilkan pada PC(Personal Computer). Konverter AC tiga fasa ini menggunakan tiga buah beban resistif terhubung bintang dan masing-masing hasil tegangan keluaran dideteksi oleh sensor zmpt101b.
Peran WTO dalam Menjembatani Benturan Kepentingan Antara Uni Eropa dan Indonesia dalam Perdagangan Biodiesel
Authors: Mariatulkubtia Anggi
Published: August 2020

Indonesia's success at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in demanding the European Union (EU) to drop its biodiesel anti-dumping policy in 2018, as well as EU’s compliance with the decision, is a unique case when faced with the perception that international institutions tend to be inclined towards developed countries and disadvantaging developing countries. Utilizing Robert O. Keohane's liberal institutional functionalism theory, this paper describes how the WTO acted as a facilitator in resolving biodiesel disputes between the two parties. This paper argues that the WTO not only provides a dispute settlement mechanism and helps balance information biases, but also raises the cost of reputation and credibility that EU must pay if it chooses to defect the ruling. This research is not intended to show that the WTO, or international institutions and regimes in general, is an antidote for any disputes between developed and developing countries, or that it can always successfully mediate disputes between countries in general. Instead, this paper shows that international institutions can provide a platform for developing countries when facing developed countries, as long as the said actor acts rationally and makes careful calculations about its bargaining position and possible steps to be taken by its opponent.Keywords: WTO, European Union, Indonesia, anti dumping, liberal institutions, international regime, biodiesel. Kemenangan Indonesia di World Trade Organization (WTO) terhadap tuntutan penghapusan bea masuk anti dumping biodiesel Uni Eropa pada tahun 2018, serta kepatuhan Uni Eropa pada keputusan WTO tersebut, dapat dikatakan sebagai sebuah anomali ketika dihadapkan pada persepsi bahwa institusi internasional cenderung condong kepada negara maju dan merugikan negara berkembang. Tulisan ini menjabarkan bagaimana WTO berperan sebagai fasilitator dalam upaya penyelesaian sengketa biodiesel di antara kedua pihak, dengan menggunakan teori fungsionalisme institusi liberal Robert O. Keohane. WTO tidak hanya memberikan platform dan menyeimbangkan bias informasi lewat mekanisme penyelesaian sengketanya, namun juga menaikkan biaya reputasi dan kredibilitas yang harus dibayarkan Uni Eropa jika ia mengabaikan putusan institusi perdagangan internasional tersebut. Penelitian ini tidaklah ditujukan untuk menunjukkan bahwa WTO, atau institusi dan rezim internasional secara umum, dapat menjadi penawar bagi tiap-tiap pertikaian antara negara maju dan negara berkembang, atau menengahi pertikaian antar negara secara umum. Tulisan ini menunjukkan bahwa institusi internasional dapat memberikan wadah bagi negara berkembang ketika dihadapkan dengan negara maju, selama aktor bertindak rasional dan membuat perhitungan yang matang mengenai posisi tawarnya serta langkah-langkah yang akan ditempuh oleh lawannya.Keyword: WTO, Uni Eropa, Indonesia, anti dumping, institusi liberal, rezim internasional, biodiesel.