bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of stroke and stroke related risk factors: a population based cross sectional survey in southwestern China
Authors: Yi Xingyang , Luo Hua , Zhou Ju , Yu Ming , Chen Xiaorong , Tan Lili , Wei Wei , Li Jie
Published: January 2020

Background

Stroke and its risk factors epidemiological survey can help identify individuals at higher risk and therefore promote stroke prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to estimate the current prevalence of stroke and high risk stroke population, and evaluate stroke associated risk factors in southwestern China.

Methods

This was a multi-center, cross sectional survey in southwestern China from May 2015 to September 2015. The eight communities were selected at random, and 17,413 residents aged ≥40 years volunteered to participate in this survey. Data were collected through face-to-face survey using a structured questionnaire. Five hundred twenty-one participants with incomplete questionnaires on stroke history or risk factors records were excluded.

Results

A total of 16,892 people included in analysis. The overall prevalence of stroke was 3.1% (95% CI 2.6–3.9%), 17.1% of participants were the high risk stroke population. After full adjustments, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, overweight, lack of exercise and family history of stroke were significantly associated with overall stroke and ischemic stroke. The largest contributor was hypertension (population-attributable risk 23.6%), followed by dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, family history of stroke, diabetes, and overweight. However, only hypertension (OR = 3.66, 95% CI 1.82–8.23) was significantly associated with hemorrhagic stroke.

Conclusions

The prevalence of stroke and high risk stroke population was high among adults aged ≥40 years in southwestern China. Hypertension, dyslipidemia and lack of exercise were stronger contributors for stroke, these findings suggest that individual-level and population-level interventions for these leading risk factors are necessary to prevent stroke.
Study Protocol effectiveness of a nutritional intervention based on encouraging the consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods and the practice of physical activities for appropriate weight gain in overweight, adult, pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sartorelli Daniela Saes , Crivellenti Lívia Castro , Manochio-Pina Marina Garcia , Baroni Naiara Franco , Carvalho Mariana Rinaldi , Diez-Garcia Rosa Wanda , Franco Laércio Joel
Published: January 2020

Background

Evidence from observational studies suggests that a greater intake of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy is associated with a higher chance of obesity, increased gestational weight gain, and neonatal adiposity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutritional intervention based on encouraging the consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods and the practice of physical activities for appropriate weight gain in overweight, adult, pregnant women. Additionally, the effect of the intervention on pregnancy outcomes, neonatal adiposity, and the child’s weight and height will be investigated.

Methods

This is a two-armed parallel randomized controlled trial that will be conducted at primary health units in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Adult pregnant women who are overweight and receiving prenatal care in the public health system will be included. The women will be randomly allocated into control (standard care) or intervention groups. Those enrolled in the intervention group will participate in three individualized nutritional counselling sessions based on encouraging the consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods and the practice of physical activities. The recruitment of the participants will be carried out at seven health facilities over 12 months, with a sample of 300 women expected. Maternal anthropometric, sociodemographic, blood pressure, biochemical, and lifestyle data will be obtained at baseline (up to the 16th week of gestation), and during a second assessment (34th to 36th gestational week). The neonate body composition will be estimated after birth, and data on pregnancy outcomes, weight and height of children at 6, 12 and 24 months of age will be further obtained from medical records.

Discussion

This will be the first randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a nutritional intervention based on encouraging the consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods and the practice of physical activities for appropriate weight gain in adult, overweight, pregnant women. Furthermore, the effect of the intervention on pregnancy outcomes, neonatal adiposity and the child’s weight and height will be evaluated.

Trial registration

Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos (Rebec) RBR-2w9bhc July 30th 2018 (http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/?q=RBR-2w9bhc+), and RBR-7yx36h June 4th 2019 (http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/?q=RBR-7yx36h+0.
The mediating role of social capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and adolescent wellbeing: evidence from Ghana
Authors: Addae Evelyn Aboagye
Published: January 2020

Background

Social capital is generally portrayed to be protective of adolescents’ health and wellbeing against the effects of socioeconomic inequalities. However, few empirical evidence exist on this protective role of social capital regarding adolescents’ wellbeing in the low-and middle-income country (LMIC) context. This study examines the potential for social capital to be a protective health resource by investigating whether social capital can mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and wellbeing of Ghanaian adolescents. It also examines how SES and social capital relate to different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing in different social contexts.

Methods

The study employed a cross-sectional survey involving a randomly selected 2068 adolescents (13-18 years) from 15 schools (8 Senior and 7 Junior High Schools) in Ghana. Relationships were assessed using multivariate regression models.

Results

Three measures of familial social capital (family sense of belonging, family autonomy support, and family control) were found to be important protective factors of both adolescents’ life satisfaction and happiness against the effects of socioeconomic status. One measure of school social capital (school sense of belonging) was found to augment adolescents’ wellbeing but played no mediating role in the SES-wellbeing relationship. A proportion of about 69 and 42% of the total effect of SES on happiness and life satisfaction were mediated by social capital respectively. Moreover, there were variations in how SES and social capital related to the different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing.

Conclusion

Social capital is a significant mechanism through which SES impacts the wellbeing of adolescents. Social capital is a potential protective health resource that can be utilised by public health policy to promote adolescents’ wellbeing irrespective of socioeconomic inequalities. Moreover, the role of the family (home) in promoting adolescents’ wellbeing is superior to that of school which prompts targeted policy interventions. For a holistic assessment of adolescents’ subjective wellbeing, both life evaluations (life satisfaction) and positive emotions (happiness) should be assessed concomitantly.
Pioglitazone and PPAR-γ modulating treatment in hypertensive and type 2 diabetic patients after ischemic stroke: a national cohort study
Authors: Liu Chi-Hung , Lee Tsong-Hai , Lin Yu-Sheng , Sung Pi-Shan , Wei Yi-Chia , Li Yan-Rong
Published: January 2020

Background and aim

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) modulating treatment may have cardiovascular benefits in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients after ischemic stroke (IS). However, whether there are additional benefits from intensive PPAR-γ modulating treatments in Asian patients with T2DM and hypertension (HTN) after IS remains unknown.

Methods

Between 2001 and 2013, patients admitted due to IS were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Patients with T2DM and HTN using angiotensin receptor blockers were further included. Eligible patients were divided into two groups: (1) pioglitazone and (2) non-pioglitazone oral anti-diabetic agent groups. Propensity score matching (1:2) was used to balance the distribution of baseline characteristics, stroke severity and medications. The primary outcome was recurrent IS. Subgroup analysis for recurrent IS in pioglitazone and/or telmisartan users, the trend of IS risks across different PPAR-γ intensity treatments, and dose-dependent outcomes across different pioglitazone possession ratios were further studied. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 and p < 0.1 for clinical outcomes and interaction of subgroup analyses, respectively.

Results

There were 3190 and 32,645 patients in the pioglitazone and non-pioglitazone groups. Patients of the pioglitazone group had a lower risk of recurrent IS (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval 0.84–0.99). Pioglitazone was also associated with reduced recurrent IS in patients who also used telmisartan (p for interaction = 0.071). A graded correlation was found a borderline significant trend between the intensity of PPAR-γ therapy and following IS (p = 0.076). The dose-dependent outcome also showed that a borderline significant trend that higher pioglitazone possession ratio was associated with a lower risk of recurrent IS (p = 0.068).

Conclusions

The current study suggests that the use of pioglitazone in type 2 diabetic and hypertensive IS patients is associated with fewer recurrent IS events in an Asian population. Concurrent telmisartan use or a higher pioglitazone possession ratio may have a trend of increased pleiotropic effects, which could possibly be related to higher PPAR-γ effects. Future studies are warranted to confirm or refute the clinical effects and the possible mechanism of more intensive PPAR-γ-modulating treatments.
Mineralization of the herbicide swep by a two-strain consortium and characterization of a new amidase for hydrolyzing swep
Authors: Zhang Long , Hang Ping , Zhou Xiyi , Dai Chen , He Ziyi , Jiang Jiandong
Published: January 2020

Background

Swep is an excellent carbamate herbicide that kills weeds by interfering with metabolic processes and inhibiting cell division at the growth point. Due to the large amount of use, swep residues in soil and water not only cause environmental pollution but also accumulate through the food chain, ultimately pose a threat to human health. This herbicide is degraded in soil mainly by microbial activity, but no studies on the biotransformation of swep have been reported.

Results

In this study, a consortium consisting of two bacterial strains, Comamonas sp. SWP-3 and Alicycliphilus sp. PH-34, was enriched from a contaminated soil sample and shown to be capable of mineralizing swep. Swep was first transformed by Comamonas sp. SWP-3 to the intermediate 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA), after which 3,4-DCA was mineralized by Alicycliphilus sp. PH-34. An amidase gene, designated as ppa, responsible for the transformation of swep into 3,4-DCA was cloned from strain SWP-3. The expressed Ppa protein efficiently hydrolyzed swep and a number of other structural analogues, such as propanil, chlorpropham and propham. Ppa shared less than 50% identity with previously reported arylamidases and displayed maximal activity at 30 °C and pH 8.6. Gly449 and Val266 were confirmed by sequential error prone PCR to be the key catalytic sites for Ppa in the conversion of swep.

Conclusions

These results provide additional microbial resources for the potential remediation of swep-contaminated sites and add new insights into the catalytic mechanism of amidase in the hydrolysis of swep.
Role of HDACs in normal and malignant hematopoiesis
Authors: Wang Pan , Wang Zi , Liu Jing
Published: January 2020

Normal hematopoiesis requires the accurate orchestration of lineage-specific patterns of gene expression at each stage of development, and epigenetic regulators play a vital role. Disordered epigenetic regulation has emerged as a key mechanism contributing to hematological malignancies. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a series of key transcriptional cofactors that regulate gene expression by deacetylation of lysine residues on histone and nonhistone proteins. In normal hematopoiesis, HDACs are widely involved in the development of various lineages. Their functions involve stemness maintenance, lineage commitment determination, cell differentiation and proliferation, etc. Deregulation of HDACs by abnormal expression or activity and oncogenic HDAC-containing transcriptional complexes are involved in hematological malignancies. Currently, HDAC family members are attractive targets for drug design, and a variety of HDAC-based combination strategies have been developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Drug resistance and limited therapeutic efficacy are key issues that hinder the clinical applications of HDAC inhibitors (HDACis). In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of how HDACs and HDAC-containing complexes function in normal hematopoiesis and highlight the etiology of HDACs in hematological malignancies. Moreover, the implication and drug resistance of HDACis are also discussed. This review presents an overview of the physiology and pathology of HDACs in the blood system.
Patient’s early satisfaction with care: a predictor of health-related quality of life change among outpatients with substance dependence
Authors: Müller Ophélie , Baumann Cédric , Di Patrizio Paolo , Viennet Sarah , Vlamynck Guillaume , Collet Laura , Clerc-Urmès Isabelle , Schwan Raymund , Bourion-Bédès Stéphanie
Published: January 2020

Background

Although research on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has increased in the addiction field, few studies have focused on the determinants of HRQoL changes. This study aimed to describe dependent patients’ HRQoL changes at a 3-month follow-up and to assess whether satisfaction with care can predict those changes among outpatients starting care for alcohol or opioid dependence.

Methods

HRQoL was measured with the SF-12 at baseline and 3 months later in a prospective cohort of dependent outpatients. Satisfaction was assessed with the EQS-C early after inclusion. Data on sociodemographics, clinical characteristics and patients’ levels of anxiety and depression were also collected. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify factors associated with HRQoL changes in both the physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS, respectively).

Results

Of the 172 patients included at baseline, a total of 136 patients assessed their satisfaction with care. The mean PCS and MCS scores were initially low, and HRQoL improvement was significant after 3 months for both the PCS and MCS. Never having been married (β = 5.5; p = 0.001) and a lower baseline PCS score (β = − 0.6; p < 0.0001) were associated with significant PCS improvement, whereas being legally compelled to undergo drug treatment (β = − 5.9; p = 0.02) was associated with less PCS change. Higher early satisfaction with care (β = 0.1; p = 0.02) and a lower baseline MCS score (β = − 0.7; p < 0.0001) were associated with significant MCS improvement.

Conclusion

The study supported the hypothesis that greater satisfaction with care may predict HRQoL improvement among dependent outpatients. Further studies are needed to understand the factors that affect patients’ early satisfaction to identify areas of improvement and thus improve HRQoL.
Correction to: The balance of Bmp6 and Wnt10b regulates the telogen-anagen transition of hair follicles
Authors: Wu Pan , Zhang Yiming , Xing Yizhan , Xu Wei , Guo Haiying , Deng Fang , Ma Xiaogen , Li Yuhong
Published: January 2020

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that they would like to correct the second last sentence of “Authors’ information” section as PW is an undergraduate, but was incorrectly described as a Ph.D. in the sentence. The sentence should read “PW is an undergraduate. YZ, YX, WX, HG, FD and YL are Ph.D.”. The authors sincerely apologize for having this unintentional error in the article, and apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Effect of a bacteriophage T5virus on growth of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella strains in individual and mixed cultures
Authors: Niu Yan D. , Liu Hui , Johnson Roger P. , McAllister Tim A. , Stanford Kim
Published: January 2020

A previously isolated a bacteriophage, vB_EcoS_AKFV33 of T5virus, demonstrated great potential in biocontrol of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) O157. This study further evaluated its potential as a biocontrol agent in broth culture against other important non-O157 serogroups of STEC and Salmonella. AKFV33 was capable of lysing isolates of STEC serogroups O26 (n = 1), O145 (n = 1) and Salmonella enterica serovars (n = 6). In a broth culture microplate system, efficacy of AKFV33 for killing STEC O26:H11, O145:NM and Salmonella was improved (P < 0.05) at a lower multiplicity of infection and sampling time (6–10 h), when STEC O157:H7 was also included in the culture. This phage was able to simultaneously reduce numbers of STEC and Salmonella in mixtures with enhanced activity (P < 0.05) against O157:H7 and O26:H11, offering great promise for control of multiple zoonotic pathogens at both pre and post-harvest.
The forces driving clonal expansion of the HIV-1 latent reservoir
Authors: Liu Runxia , Simonetti Francesco R. , Ho Ya-Chi
Published: January 2020

Despite antiretroviral therapy (ART) which halts HIV-1 replication and reduces plasma viral load to clinically undetectable levels, viral rebound inevitably occurs once ART is interrupted. HIV-1-infected cells can undergo clonal expansion, and these clonally expanded cells increase over time. Over 50% of latent reservoirs are maintained through clonal expansion. The clonally expanding HIV-1-infected cells, both in the blood and in the lymphoid tissues, contribute to viral rebound. The major drivers of clonal expansion of HIV-1-infected cells include antigen-driven proliferation, homeostatic proliferation and HIV-1 integration site-dependent proliferation. Here, we reviewed how viral, immunologic and genomic factors contribute to clonal expansion of HIV-1-infected cells, and how clonal expansion shapes the HIV-1 latent reservoir. Antigen-specific CD4+ T cells specific for different pathogens have different clonal expansion dynamics, depending on antigen exposure, cytokine profiles and exhaustion phenotypes. Homeostatic proliferation replenishes the HIV-1 latent reservoir without inducing viral expression and immune clearance. Integration site-dependent proliferation, a mechanism also deployed by other retroviruses, leads to slow but steady increase of HIV-1-infected cells harboring HIV-1 proviruses integrated in the same orientation at specific sites of certain cancer-related genes. Targeting clonally expanding HIV-1 latent reservoir without disrupting CD4+ T cell function is a top priority for HIV-1 eradication.
Comparison of quality of life in patients who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement: star GK vs SJM
Authors: Huang Jiang-Shan , Xu Ning , Sun Kai-Peng , Hong Zhi-Nuan , Chen Liang-Wan , Kuo Yur-Ren , Chen Qiang
Published: January 2020

Background

We want to compare the impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between the Star GK and the SJM valve in the Chinese population.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled a total of 172 patients who had undergone mechanical mitral valve replacement (MVR) (SJM valve in 87 patients and Star GK valve in 85 patients) at our institution from January 2013 to December 2015. We measured the sound pressure level, and used 2 self-administered questionnaires and the Chinese version of SF-36 to measure the HRQoL and valve-specific questions to evaluate patient anxiety.

Results

The Star GK group and the SJM group were similar in age, gender, body surface area, diameter of the implanted valve, underlying disease and current median NYHA class. Regarding the valve sound pressure perceived 1 year after operation, the SJM valve was slightly quieter than the Star GK valve, but the sound pressures of the two valves showed no significant differences. No significant differences in any of the eight subscales of the SF-36 were found between the two groups.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that the Star GK valve is similar to the SJM valve in its impact on HRQoL and audibility of mechanical sound in the Chinese population.
Anillin regulates breast cancer cell migration, growth, and metastasis by non-canonical mechanisms involving control of cell stemness and differentiation
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Naydenov Nayden G. , Dozmorov Mikhail G. , Koblinski Jennifer E. , Ivanov Andrei I.
Published: January 2020

Background

Breast cancer metastasis is driven by a profound remodeling of the cytoskeleton that enables efficient cell migration and invasion. Anillin is a unique scaffolding protein regulating major cytoskeletal structures, such as actin filaments, microtubules, and septin polymers. It is markedly overexpressed in breast cancer, and high anillin expression is associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of anillin in breast cancer cell migration, growth, and metastasis.

Methods

CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to deplete anillin in highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 and BT549 cells and to overexpress it in poorly invasive MCF10AneoT cells. The effects of anillin depletion and overexpression on breast cancer cell motility in vitro were examined by wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays. Assembly of the actin cytoskeleton and matrix adhesion were evaluated by immunofluorescence labeling and confocal microscopy. In vitro tumor development was monitored by soft agar growth assays, whereas cancer stem cells were examined using a mammosphere formation assay and flow cytometry. The effects of anillin knockout on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo were determined by injecting control and anillin-depleted breast cancer cells into NSG mice.

Results

Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies demonstrated that anillin is necessary and sufficient to accelerate migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth of breast cancer cells in vitro. Furthermore, loss of anillin markedly attenuated primary tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer in vivo. In breast cancer cells, anillin was localized in the nucleus; however, knockout of this protein affected the cytoplasmic/cortical events, e.g., the organization of actin cytoskeleton and cell-matrix adhesions. Furthermore, we observed a global transcriptional reprogramming of anillin-depleted breast cancer cells that resulted in suppression of their stemness and induction of the mesenchymal to epithelial trans-differentiation. Such trans-differentiation was manifested by the upregulation of basal keratins along with the increased expression of E-cadherin and P-cadherin. Knockdown of E-cadherin restored the impaired migration and invasion of anillin-deficient breast cancer cells.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that anillin plays essential roles in promoting breast cancer growth and metastatic dissemination in vitro and in vivo and unravels novel functions of anillin in regulating breast cancer stemness and differentiation.
Efficacy and safety of two Ayurvedic dosage forms for allergic rhinitis: Study protocol for an open-label randomized controlled trial
Authors: Dahanayake Jeevani Maheshika , Perera Pathirage Kamal , Galappaththy Priyadarshani , Samaranayake Dulani
Published: January 2020

Background

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an immune response of the nasal mucosa to airborne allergens and involves nasal congestion, watery nasal discharge, itching of the nose, and sneezing. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis may significantly affect a patient’s quality of life and can be associated with conditions such as fatigue, headache, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbances. Various complementary and alternative medicine treatments have been used for this condition in clinical practice. The Ayurveda system of medicine is the most common complementary medicine system practiced in Sri Lanka. The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy and safety of a decoction used in traditional Ayurveda for allergic rhinitis and its ready- to-use freeze dried formulation in comparison to an antihistamine over a period of 4 weeks on relief of symptoms in allergic rhinitis.

Study design

This is a three-arm, open-label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled clinical trial enrolling patients with AR. Tamalakyadi decoction containing 12 ingredients (TMD12), used in traditional Ayurveda and its freeze-dried formulation are the test products. The efficacy and safety of the two Ayurvedic dosage forms will be tested against the antihistamine loratadine. Patients with symptoms of AR will be allocated randomly into the three arms after a 1-week run-in period and the medications will be given orally for 28 days. Total Nasal symptom Score (TNSS) of the patients will be used as the primary efficacy endpoint. TNSS will be recorded and compared between the three arms prior to visit 1, at the end of 28 days, and end of the first and second months of follow-up. Symptom scores of daytime nasal symptoms, night time nasal symptoms, non-nasal symptoms and health-related quality of life questionnaire are used as secondary end points.

Discussion

This clinical trial will be able to provide evidence-based scientific data on Ayurvedic dosage form, TMD12, and the freeze-dried formulation in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. This trial is expected to develop capacity to scientifically evaluate various Ayurvedic treatments that are claimed to have efficacy in treatment of various disease conditions.

Trial registration

ISRCTN18149439 (6 May 2019).
Letter on: “An analysis of deficiencies in the data of interventional drug trials registered with Clinical Trials Registry – India”
Authors: Maulik Mohua , Gupta Jyotsna , Juneja Atul , Adhikari Tulsi , Sharma Saurabh , Panchal Yashmin , Yadav Neha , Rao Mendu Vishnu Vardhana
Published: January 2020

An article published in this journal analyses the deficiencies in the data of interventional drug trials registered with Clinical Trials Registry - India. We wish to rebut some of the inferences and highlight the pitfalls of a purely automated analysis of registry data as posited by the authors.
Global exponential stability and existence of periodic solutions of fuzzy wave equations
Authors: Liu Wei , Lou Yimin
Published: January 2020

In this paper, the global exponential stability and the existence of periodic solutions of fuzzy wave equations are investigated. By variable substitution the system of partial differential equations (PDEs) is transformed from second order to first order. Some sufficient conditions that ensure the global exponential stability and the existence of periodic solution of the system are obtained by an analysis that uses a suitable Lyapunov functional. In addition, a concrete example is given to show the effectiveness of the results.
Consumer stated preferences for dairy products with carbon footprint labels in Italy
Authors: Canavari Maurizio , Coderoni Silvia
Published: January 2020

Carbon footprint (CF) labels on agri-food products represent one of the most important tools to convey information to consumers about the greenhouse gases emissions associated with their purchase behaviour.

Together with the growing interest of consumers in CF labels, the subject has gained attention also in the scientific literature, and formal evaluations of consumer response to carbon labelling have been published. Studies in this area aim at analysing consumers’ preferences for buying products with a lower CF label or their willingness to pay (WTP) for these products.

The objective of this paper is twofold. First, the study proposes a review of the literature that so far has analysed consumer WTP for CF label, focusing on Italian consumers. Second, it uses the results of two surveys of consumers’ attitudes towards dairy products with a lower CF label to analyse the factors determining a positive stated WTP. Results point out that a positive WTP for lower CF products is more likely to be declared by respondents who believe that buying products with less environmental impact can combat climate change. Conversely, highly price-sensitive consumers are less likely to be willing to pay more for CF-labelled products.
Mapping the pigment distribution of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
Authors: Delaney John K. , Dooley Kathryn A. , van Loon Annelies , Vandivere Abbie
Published: January 2020

As part of the 2018 Girl in the Spotlight project, reflectance and molecular fluorescence imaging spectroscopy (RIS, FIS), and macroscale X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) were performed on Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665, Mauritshuis) with the goal of obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the distribution of pigments. Prior analysis of cross-sections in the 1990s, and their recent (re)-examination identified many of the pigments present in the painting. The results from all three imaging methods, along with site-specific fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy, confirmed Vermeer’s limited palette and determined how and where each pigment was used. RIS and MA-XRF found the blue region of the headscarf was painted with natural ultramarine and varying amounts of lead white. The yellow part of the headscarf was painted with yellow ochre and lead white, and the border of the headscarf additionally contained ultramarine and lead–tin yellow. The lit side of the jacket was painted with yellow ochre, lead white, and ultramarine, whereas the darker, ruddy blue-green areas that are in relative shadow contained yellow ochre with ultramarine. FIS also mapped a red lake in portions of the shadowed areas at the back of the jacket. The Girl’s skin was painted using earths (ochres), lead white, vermilion, and some red lake. Fluorescence emission from red lake was strongest in the lips, where vermilion was also found. The pearl earring was depicted using a scumble and highlight of lead white. In the dark background, the RIS data cube allowed the determination of the visible spectral shape even though the overall reflectance intensity was low (1 to 3%). A reflectance inflection point at ~ 700 nm indicated the presence of indigo, whereas lack of a reflectance peak at green wavelengths in most areas indicated degradation of the yellow pigment previously identified as weld. Some small green areas in the background (i.e. reflectance maximum at 525 nm) were found; these coincided with areas previously protected by old retouchings, and are thus better preserved. The combination of all three spectral imaging modalities provided a more complete understanding of how the colouration of the painting was achieved.
Conteúdo Local nos contratos de exploração e produção de petróleo e gás natural
Authors: Aragão Alexandre Santos de
Published: January 2020

Local Content in oil and natural gas exploration and production contracts O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a exigência de contratação em percentuais mínimos de fornecedores brasileiros advinda das cláusulas de Conteúdo Local nos contratos de exploração e produção de petróleo e gás natural. Para tanto, examina-se em que consistem as obrigações de Conteúdo Local, bem como sua natureza jurídica. Em seguida, o artigo investiga os casos em que as cláusulas de Conteúdo Local se mostram ineficazes e o cumprimento dos percentuais ofertados quando da apresentação das respectivas propostas se afigura inexigível, destacando sempre que a existência da obrigação imposta pelas cláusulas de Conteúdo Local é condicionada à verificação concreta do seu suporte fático. Finalmente, o trabalho se debruça sobre a possibilidade de aplicação de sanções ao particular contratante nos casos em que a incidência das cláusulas de Conteúdo Local resta afastada. This article aims to analyze the requirement of contracting minimum percentages from Brazilian suppliers arising from the Local Content clauses in oil and natural gas exploration and production contracts. To this end, the paper examines what constitutes the Local Content obligations, as well as their legal nature. The article then goes on to investigate cases in which Local Content clauses are ineffective and when compliance with the percentages offered when proposals were submitted looks unenforceable, emphasizing that the existence of the obligation imposed by the Local Content clauses is conditional on effective verification. Finally, the work focuses on the possibility of applying sanctions to the private contractor in cases of non-compliance.
Power-of-d-Choices with Memory: Fluid Limit and Optimality
Authors: Anselmi Jonatha , Dufour Francois
Published: January 2020

In multiserver distributed queueing systems, the access of stochastically arriving jobs to resources is often regulated by a dispatcher, also known as a load balancer. A fundamental problem consists in designing a load-balancing algorithm that minimizes the delays experienced by jobs. During the last two decades, the power-of-d-choice algorithm, based on the idea of dispatching each job to the least loaded server out of d servers randomly sampled at the arrival of the job itself, has emerged as a breakthrough in the foundations of this area because of its versatility and appealing asymptotic properties. In this paper, we consider the power-of-d-choice algorithm with the addition of a local memory that keeps track of the latest observations collected over time on the sampled servers. Then, each job is sent to a server with the lowest observation. We show that this algorithm is asymptotically optimal in the sense that the load balancer can always assign each job to an idle server in the large-system limit. This holds true if and only if the system load λ is less than [Formula: see text]. If this condition is not satisfied, we show that queue lengths are bounded by [Formula: see text]. This is in contrast with the classic version of the power-of-d-choice algorithm, in which, at the fluid scale, a strictly positive proportion of servers containing [Formula: see text] jobs exists for all [Formula: see text] in equilibrium. Our results quantify and highlight the importance of using memory as a means to enhance performance in randomized load balancing.
Approximation Algorithms for Product Framing and Pricing
Authors: Gallego Guillermo , Li Anran , Truong Van-Anh , Wang Xinshang
Published: January 2020

In “Approximation Algorithms for Product Framing and Pricing,” G. Gallego, A. Li, V.A. Truong, and X. Wang propose one of the first models of “product framing” and pricing. Product framing refers to the way consumer choice is influenced by how the products are framed or displayed. They present a model in which a set of products are displayed or framed into a set of virtual web pages. They assume that consumers consider only products in the top pages with different consumers willing to see different numbers of pages. Consumers select a product, if any, from these pages following a general choice model. They show that the product-framing problem is NP-hard. They derive algorithms with guaranteed performance relative to an optimal algorithm under reasonable assumptions. The algorithms are fast and easy to implement. They also present structural results and design algorithms for pricing under framing effects for the multinomial logit model. They show that, for profit-maximization problems, at optimality, products are displayed in descending order of their value gap and in ascending order of their markups.
Molecular identification 16S rRNA gene of active proteolytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kelengkeng (Dimocarpus longan) fruit
Authors: Hidayat Habibi , HARYADI WINARTO , MATSJEH SABIRIN , RAHARJO TRI JOKO
Published: January 2020

Abstract. Hidayat H, Haryadi W, Matsjeh S, Raharjo TJ. 2019. Molecular identification 16S rRNA gene of active proteolytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kelengkeng (Dimocarpus longan) fruit. Biodiversitas 20: 2222-2228. Various fermentation food involves microorganisms, especially Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) which has beneficial properties for fermented food. The present study aims to do identification and characterization of active proteolytic LAB from kelengkeng (Dimocarpus longan), a commonly found fruit in South East Asia. From ten LAB isolates, isolates K7 and K8 appeared as basil shape based on Gram staining and were chosen for further examination. The molecular identification of these selected isolates were investigated from the 16S rRNA analysis using universal primer 27F and 1525R. The K7 and K8 isolates showed resistance ability towards acidic environment (pH 2.0) and were examined for protease enzyme screening resulting 7.5 and 6 to clear zone, which was 17 and 12 mm. The result of the molecular characterization from the two isolates indicated that isolate K7 was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp suionicum strain LT-38 while isolate K8 was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain C305.16.
The contribution of forest remnants within industrial area to threatened mammal conservation: A case study in liquefied natural gas industry in Bontang, Indonesia
Authors: SUDRAJAT  , PUTRO MINTORO DWI
Published: January 2020

Abstract. Sudrajat, Putro MD. 2019. The contribution of forest remnants within industrial area to endemic and threatened mammal conservation: A case study in liquefied natural gas industry in Bontang, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 2257-2265. Tropical forests harbor high biodiversity, while natural protected area is one of the approaches for biodiversity conservation. However, the conversion of natural forests for various purposes has caused forest fragmentation. A novel strategy of conservation is proposed in the form of protected area within industrial estate as the contribution of industrial company in biodiversity conservation. The purpose of this study is to document the endemic and threatened species of mammals existing at two forest fragments with extent of 15 ha and 7.4 ha in a natural gas refinery industry area in Bontang, East Kalimantan and their potential as biodiversity conservation areas. Mammals were monitored at the two forest fragments through direct surveys, trace identification, mist nets, and camera traps. The results of the study show that according to IUCN Red List there were 23 mammal species (belonging to 18 genera, 15 families and six orders) of conservation concern found within the forest fragments including one species is under Critically Endangered, two are Endangered, four are Vulnerable, ten are Least Concern, one is Near Threatened and three are Not Evaluated. Four of those species are considered as endemic, namely Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus morio, Müller’s gibbon, Hylobates muelleri, Proboscis monkey, Nasalis larvatus and East Bornean slow loris, Nycticebus menagensis. These findings suggest that forest fragments located in the environment of industrial estate can be considered as important conservation strategy if they are well preserved and maintained.
The Physiological responses of four soybean varieties and their effect to the yield in several saturated soil culture modification
Authors: Toyip  , GHULAMAHDI MUNIF , SOPANDIE DIDY , AZIZ SANDRA A , SUTANDI ATANG , PURWANTO M. YANUAR J.
Published: January 2020

Abstract. Toyip, Ghulamahdi M, Sopandie D, Aziz SA, Sutandi A, Purwanto MYJ. 2019. Physiological responses of four soybean varieties and their effect to the yield in several saturated soil culture modification. Biodiversitas 20: 2266-2272. This study aimed to evaluate the production and physiological response of four soybean varieties in saturated soil culture (SSC), compared to conventional dry culture on tidal swamp soil growing media. Four popular varieties in Indonesia, namely Anjasmoro, Grobogan, Tanggamus and Malika, were planted on undisturbed intact tidal swamp soil from Jambi from November 2016 to March 2017 at Bogor. Randomized completely block design with two factors applied in this work, i.e. 4 varieties namely Anjasmoro, Grobogan, Tanggamus and Malika; and 9 culture methods such as dry culture as control of no SSC (i), 1 months SSC (ii), 1.5 months SSC (iii), 2 months SSC (iv), continuous SSC (v), 1 months SSC with water improvement (vi), 1.5 months SSC with water improvement (vii), 2 months SSC with water improvement (viii), and continuous SSC with water improvement (ix). The results showed that (i) pod production per plant was significantly affected by the interaction of both factors; (ii) different varieties lead to significant different of physiological response, i.e. photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and water use efficiency; (iii) the variation of culture methods only showed a significant effect on photosynthetic rate, i.e. saturated soil culture with water improvement (SSC WI) showed 48% and 18% higher photosynthetic rate than dry culture and regular SSC methods, respectively. Pod production was positively correlated to photosynthetic rates and water use efficiency; and negatively correlated to transpiration and stomatal conductance. The highest number of pod production per plant was achieved by Malika variety that planted in 2 months SSC WI.
Somatic embryos response against iron stress in in-vitro culture condition of East Kalimantan (Indonesia) rice
Authors: NURHASANAH NURHASANAH , RAMITA  , SUPRIYANTO BAMBANG , SUNARYO WIDI
Published: January 2020

Abstract. Nurhasanah, Ramita, Supriyanto B, Sunaryo W. 2019. Somatic embryos response against iron stress in in-vitro culture condition of East Kalimantan (Indonesia) rice. Biodiversitas 20: 2288-2294. Iron toxicity is major abiotic stress that limits rice production in most tropical regions. A high iron concentration will lead to the abnormal growth and development, decreased yield, and even death of the plant. Compared to other recommended treatments to overcome iron toxicity problems, the use of tolerant cultivars is considered the most effective and efficient approach. In this study, the tolerant character against iron stress was developed using East Kalimantan local rice cultivars through somaclonal variation and in vitro selection. The somatic embryos from four indica rice cultivars, Mayas Pancing, Gedagai, Siam, and Serai, were selected in iron-containing media. Five levels of iron concentrations were applied in the selection media 0; 27.8; 55.6; 83.4, and 111.2 mg.L-1 of FeSO4.7H2O. The media acidity was adjusted to pH 4.00 for iron-containing media and 5.8 for the zero iron concentration (without iron). The results showed that the survival ability of embryonic calli (EC) was significantly influenced by the level of iron concentration. The absence of an iron source in the selection media led to lower EC survival. The percentage of EC survival ability was even lower than that of the presence of two folds of normal iron concentration (55.6 mgL-1 of FeSO4.7H2O). Three and four folds of the normal iron concentration (83.6 mg.L-1 and 111.2 mg.L-1 FeSO4.7H2O) mostly produced the lowest percentage of EC survival for the four local rice cultivars. Mayas Pancing had better tolerance to iron stress and the highest EC survival number compared to other genotypes. The role of genotype was clearly observed in the regeneration ability of EC. Plantlets were only produced on the EC from the Serai Gunung and Siam cultivars.
Splenic trauma, the way forward in reducing splenectomy: our 15-year experience
Authors: Jesani H , Jesani L , Rangaraj A , Rasheed A
Published: January 2020

Introduction

The aim of this study was to study radiological assessment, management and outcome of traumatic splenic injury over 15 years in a UK district general hospital.

Method

A retrospective database was established including all splenic injury cases from June 2002 to June 2017 by searching the clinical electronic database. We searched the radiological database for computed tomography reported phrases ‘spleen injury’, ‘laceration’, ‘haematoma’, ‘trauma’. We interrogated theatre records for operations coded as splenectomy and cross-referenced this with pathology. Records were reviewed for demographics, vital observations, documentation of American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading of splenic injury, subsequent management and outcomes.

Results

There were 126 patients identified with traumatic splenic injury, with male to female ratio three to one. Operative management was undertaken in 54/126 (43%) patients and selective non-operative management in the remaining. Splenic artery embolisation was undertaken in 5/126 (4%) and 2/126 underwent splenorrhaphy. Computed tomography was undertaken in 109/126 (87%) patients and AAST grading was reported in 18 (17%) patients. AAST grade reporting did not improve significantly when comparing the first 7.5 years with the latter (2/30, 7%; 16/79, 20%), respectively; p = 0.09). Selective non-operative management increased significantly over the studied period (14/34, 42%; 58/93, 62%; p = 0.04). The overall hospital mortality was 10.3%.

Discussion and conclusion

AAST grade reporting of splenic injury has remained sub-optimal over 15 years. Despite progression towards selective non-operative management, operative intervention remained unacceptably high, with splenectomy being the main therapeutic modality. Standardisation through an integrated multidisciplinary diagnostic and management pathway offers the optimal strategy to reduce trauma-induced splenectomy.
Characterization of passivity in Mueller matrices
Authors: San José Ignacio , Gil José J.
Published: January 2020

Except for very particular and artificial experimental configurations, linear transformations of the state of polarization of an electromagnetic wave result in a reduction of the intensity of the exiting wave with respect to the incoming one. This natural passive behavior imposes certain mathematical restrictions on the Mueller matrices associated with the said transformations. Although the general conditions for passivity in Mueller matrices were presented in a previous paper [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 17, 328 (2000)JOAOD60740-323210.1364/JOSAA.17.000328], the demonstration was incomplete. In this paper, the set of two necessary and sufficient conditions for a Mueller matrix to represent a passive medium are determined and demonstrated on the basis of its arbitrary decomposition as a convex combination of nondepolarizing and passive pure Mueller matrices. The procedure followed to solve the problem also provides an appropriate framework to identify the Mueller matrix that, among the family of proportional passive Mueller matrices, exhibits the maximal physically achievable intensity transmittance. Beyond the theoretical interest on the rigorous characterization of passivity, the results obtained, when applied to absolute Mueller polarimetry, also provide a criterion to discard those experimentally measured Mueller matrices that do not satisfy the passivity criterion.
Broadband graphene/hexagonal boron nitride modulators based on a Si3N4 waveguide
Authors: Su Jiale , He Xiaoying , Li Chong
Published: January 2020

For exploring a strong electro-optic effect from a graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) structure, here a comprehensive study for investigating the integrated broadband graphene/hBN modulators has been presented. Two representative configurations with a

S
i

3

N

4

waveguide were compared, focusing on optimizing the hBN thickness, waveguide width and height, and graphene size to balance their performances. It was found that 200 µm long devices with 65 nm hBN thickness allow for

∼

80

G
H
z

modulation bandwidth, 35.4 dB extinction ratio, and over 700 nm operation spectral range. Compared to the ridge

S
i

3

N

4

waveguide, the buried

S
i

3

N

4

waveguide was more suitable as an optical waveguide for the graphene/hBN modulator to obtain a large modulation depth of

∼
0.17

d
B

µ

m

and a large operation spectral range from 750 to

∼

1640

n
m

.