bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
LMS-enabled blended learning utilization in distance tertiary education: establishing the relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour
Authors: Bervell Brandford , Arkorful Valentina 
Published: March 2020

AbstractDistance education has evolved partly through technologies that defined them in the various generations of distance education delivery. However, in the twenty-first century, the use of Learning Management System (LMS) has changed the face of distance education delivery. Even the traditional face-to-face based distance education mode is now adopting the LMS as a mediating technology between instructors and students. However, in the usage of LMS-enabled blended learning, several factors have been cited in the literature as enablers towards actual usage of LMS technology. Factors such as facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and actual use behaviour have been important in contemporary literature. Despite their importance, the chasm in the literature is the nuances existing in terms of relationships between these three factors. This study fills the gap by defining a model based on the three factors to provide an in depth empirical study on their relationships and how they influence LMS-enabled blended learning uptake of distance education by tutors. The study thus employs a cross country survey to collect data from 267 tutors and offer analysis by way of a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The study revealed important relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour of LMS-enabled blended learning such that facilitating conditions predicted voluntariness of use and actual use behaviour; voluntariness of use determined actual LMS use behaviour for blended learning in distance education. The study finally provided recommendations based on the findings for policy and practice of LMS-enabled blended learning in distance education.
Connectivity knowledge and the degree of structural formalization: a contribution to a contingency theory of organizational capability
Authors: Victer Rogerio S. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe objective of this study is to develop a contingency theory of organizational capability based on the identification of decision variables relevant to the design of firms. The paper supports a model in which superior performance is the result of the proper fit between applied knowledge and organizational structure. More specifically, the study shows that the degree of structural formalization adopted by an organization reflects how knowledge controls the flow of action. The study identifies a functionally distinctive type of knowledge used to regulate the temporal order of tasks calledconnectivity knowledge. The influence of connectivity knowledge on the degree of organizational formalization is empirically tested on data collected in the healthcare sector. Applying a longitudinal logistic regression model on a dataset of 105 hospitals located in New York and New Jersey, this paper measures and compares the odds of key therapeutic tasks being provided by formalized hospital arrangements in which physicians work as employees instead of as autonomous professionals. Empirical results provide preliminary support to the core hypothesis correlating the volume of connectivity knowledge applied in therapeutic services to the degree of structural formalization adopted by a hospital.
Virulence of four Steinernema species as a biological control agent in controlling the termite, Coptotermes heimi (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Authors: Khanum Tabassum Ara , Javed Salma 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSubterranean termites are an ancient group of social insects, broadly spread, known primarily as economically important pests for the destruction of wooden structures and also as agricultural pests. Many of the banned chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides used to be recommended for the control of termites. Hence, it has become necessary to find alternative measures for termite control in the natural diverse habitats as well as in the cultivated soil to diminish use of these chemicals. Therefore, in the present study, 4 strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) belong to the genusSteinernemawere assessed againstCoptotermes heimi(Wasmann). These EPN includedSteinernema pakistanenseNNRC-AS.04,S. siamkayaiNNRC-As.12,S. bifurcatumNNRC-As.65, andS. maqbooliNNRC-As.88. Virulence of all strains was determined at 3 different EPN inocula in plastic containers layered with sand. A significant nematode inoculum effect was detected for all the tested EPN species. NNRC-AS.04 and NNRC-As.65 showed the highest virulence effects of 95 and 100%, respectively at 150 IJs/ml.
Assessment of the entomopathogenic nematode bacteria against the termite, Microtermes mycophagus D. (Isoptera: Termitidae)
Authors: Iqbal Erum Yawar , Memon Umair Ali , Abidi Syeda Faryal Zehra , Raza Saboohi , Fayyaz Shahina 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe capability of symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes against the termite, Microtermes mycophagus D. (Isoptera: Termitidae), was assessed. Different fractions of Pakistani isolates of entomopathogenic bacteria viz., Xenorhabdus indica strain (Pak.S.B.50), X. indica strain (Pak.S.B.56), X. stockiae strain (Pak.S.B. 65), and X. steinernematis strain (C.B.10) were assessed against M. mycophagus by direct contact method (spraying method) and sand assay in laboratory conditions. Mortality response of cell-free filtrates after 24 h at 20 °C for X. indica (Pak.S.B.50), T2 = X. indica (Pak.S.B.56), T3 = X. stockiae (Pak.S.B. 65), and T4 = X. steinernematis (C.B.10) ranged (88.3–100%) as 33 ± 9.34, 98.33 ± 6.22, 88.33 ± 7.22, and 100.00% ± 0.00, respectively. In the case of sand assay, the most effective treatment was T4, where (100%) mortality rate was recorded 24 h post application of B.S. (bacterial suspension) (4 × 104 CFU/ml) and CFF (cell-free filtrate) (100 μl/10 ml) at 20 and 25 °C.
Fungal and parasitic contamination of indoor public swimming pools in Arak, Iran
Authors: Sarmadian Hossein , Hazbavi Yasamin , Didehdar Mojtaba , Ghannadzadeh Mohammad Javad , Hajihossein Reza , Khosravi Mahmood , Ghasemikhah Reza 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Swimming is a popular exercise for different types of people at different ages. Public swimming pools are places where fungal infections can be easily transferred. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of mycological, parasitological, and physicochemical parameters of swimming pools of Arak city.

Methods
This cross-sectional study was done for 12 months from April 2013 to March 2014 in six indoor active swimming pools of Arak city (A, B, C, D, E, and F). Samples were collected in four seasons, two times/season; each time, two samples were obtained from six specified locations (shallow level pool, deep level pool, dressing rooms, showers, margin of pool walls, and foot-washing sink) from each pool with a total of 576 samples. Physicochemical parameters including water temperature, pH, turbidity, and the residual chlorine were measured on-site. In order to isolate and detect the fungal agents, special filters and culture Sabouraud’s dextrose agar, chloramphenicol, and mycosel agar media were applied. Furthermore, non-nutrient agar medium enriched with Escherichia coli was used to detect and to separate the eggs of the worms, cysts, and parasitic protozoa from centrifuges of samples. In order to investigate their sediment, optical microscope and culture media were used.

Results
We found that 456 (79.1%) samples were positive regarding the fungal elements, and 516 fungal species were isolated. The most common isolates were saprophytic species (8.74%), yeast species (25%), and dermatophyte species (2.5%). The most contaminated surfaces were foot-washing sinks and showers. In this study, Acanthamoeba parasites were isolated from one pool only.
All the investigated physicochemical parameters of pool water except for the temperature were found to be in the standard range.

Conclusions
Existence of saprophytic fungi and yeast in pools’ water is plausible to be considered as an indicator of water resistance to the detergent agents. This high degree of contamination is due to the huge number of visitors, the complexity of construction, the choice of materials, and the long opening hours. Isolation of dermatophytes and Acanthamoeba parasite from the pools’ area and foot-washing sink reveals the important role of the public swimming pools in disease transmission.
What do we know about long-term treatment outcomes for severe depressive disorders?
Authors: Strawbridge Rebecca , Jaeckle Tanja , Cleare Anthony J. 
Published: March 2020

Summary
In a recent issue of BJPsych Open, McPherson & Hengartner (see https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2019.65) reviewed 11 trials examining psychological and pharmacological treatment outcomes for chronic or treatment-resistant depression. They concluded that when assessed in the long term, antidepressants become less effective whereas psychological therapies become more effective. We argue that the evidence does not support this; indeed, most of the studies reviewed do not directly compare antidepressant with psychological therapy treatments and there is little consistency between them in terms of populations and interventions examined. The issue of long-term outcomes is key for optimising clinical guidelines and deserves more intensive research and scrutiny to improve patient response in routine practice.
Precursors to rare events in stochastic resonance
Authors: Giorgini L. T. , Lim S. H. , Moon W. , Wettlaufer J. S. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
In stochastic resonance, a periodically forced Brownian particle in a double-well potential jumps between minima at rare increments, the prediction of which poses a major theoretical challenge. Here, we use a path-integral method to find a precursor to these transitions by determining the most probable (or “optimal”) space-time path of a particle. We characterize the optimal path using a direct comparison principle between the Langevin and Hamiltonian dynamical descriptions, allowing us to express the jump condition in terms of the accumulation of noise around the stable periodic path. In consequence, as a system approaches a rare event these fluctuations approach one of the deterministic minimizers, thereby providing a precursor for predicting a stochastic transition. We demonstrate the method numerically, which allows us to determine whether a state is following a stable periodic path or will experience an incipient jump with a high probability. The vast range of systems that exhibit stochastic resonance behavior insures broad relevance of our framework, which allows one to extract precursor fluctuations from data.
Histone H1 eviction by the histone chaperone SET reduces cell survival following DNA damage
Authors: Mandemaker Imke K. , Zhou Di , Bruens Serena T. , Dekkers Dick H. , Verschure Pernette J. , Edupuganti Raghu R. , Meshorer Eran , Demmers Jeroen A. A. , Marteijn Jurgen A. 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT
Many chromatin remodeling and modifying proteins are involved in the DNA damage response, where they stimulate repair or induce DNA damage signaling. Interestingly, we identified that downregulation of the histone H1 (H1)-interacting protein SET results in increased resistance to a wide variety of DNA damaging agents. We found that this increased resistance does not result from alleviation of an inhibitory effect of SET on DNA repair but, rather, is the consequence of a suppressed apoptotic response to DNA damage. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the histone chaperone SET is responsible for the eviction of H1 from chromatin. Knockdown of H1 in SET-depleted cells resulted in re-sensitization of cells to DNA damage, suggesting that the increased DNA damage resistance in SET-depleted cells is the result of enhanced retention of H1 on chromatin. Finally, clonogenic survival assays showed that SET and p53 act epistatically in the attenuation of DNA damage-induced cell death. Taken together, our data indicate a role for SET in the DNA damage response as a regulator of cell survival following genotoxic stress.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Ensemble machine learning modeling for the prediction of artemisinin resistance in malaria
Authors: Ford Colby T. , Janies Daniel 
Published: March 2020

Resistance in malaria is a growing concern affecting many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Since the emergence of artemisinin resistance in the late 2000s in Cambodia, research into the underlying mechanisms has been underway. The 2019 Malaria Challenge posited the task of developing computational models that address important problems in advancing the fight against malaria. The first goal was to accurately predict artemisinin drug resistance levels of Plasmodium falciparum isolates, as quantified by the IC50. The second goal was to predict the parasite clearance rate of malaria parasite isolates based on in vitro transcriptional profiles. In this work, we develop machine learning models using novel methods for transforming isolate data and handling the tens of thousands of variables that result from these data transformation exercises. This is demonstrated by using massively parallel processing of the data vectorization for use in scalable machine learning. In addition, we show the utility of ensemble machine learning modeling for highly effective predictions of both goals of this challenge. This is demonstrated by the use of multiple machine learning algorithms combined with various scaling and normalization preprocessing steps. Then, using a voting ensemble, multiple models are combined to generate a final model prediction.
Configuration design for the variable pupil shaping unit of a photolithography machine
Authors: Zhang Youbao , Ma Xiaozhe , Zhang Fang , Huang Huijie 
Published: March 2020

This work provides an integrated design and simulation method for a pupil shaping unit, which combines optical design and simulation software using the Python programming language. The novel approach presented here allows for systematic optimization and solves the inverse problem to obtain the configuration of a pupil shaping unit with given partial coherence factors (sigmas). The relationships among sigma, focal length, zoom lens separation, axicon separation, and ring width are investigated for conventional and annular illumination modes. Results of the pupil shaping unit for a NA 0.75 193 nm photolithography machine are presented, and a new interpolation table design method that simplifies the original method is proposed. The maximum residual experimental error for sigma is 0.01106.
Broadband and low crosstalk silicon on-chip mode converter and demultiplexer for mode division multiplexing
Authors: Chack Devendra , Hassan Shamsul , Qasim Mohd 
Published: March 2020

In this paper, a compact and broadband mode converter and demultiplexer based on multimode interference (MMI) is designed and experimentally demonstrated on silicon-on-insulator. We have designed a mode converter using cascaded MMI to convert the fundamental mode into a higher-order (first-order mode) and vice versa. Subsequently, we have demonstrated an on-chip two-mode demultiplexer with a compact footprint and low loss. The proposed mode demultiplexer shows low insertion loss (0.22 dB for

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and 0.36 dB for

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mode) and crosstalk (

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for

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and

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for

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mode) at wavelength 1550 nm using the eigenmode expansion method. Moreover, the device supports a broad bandwidth having crosstalk

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over a wavelength range of 1520–1580 nm. The proposed device can be used in mode division multiplexing for photonic network-on-chip.
Sozio-ethische Betrachtungen in Technikentwicklungsprojekten – Zeitverschwendung oder Erfolgsfaktor für Nutzerakzeptanz?
Authors: Schmitt-Rüth Stephanie , Simon Martina 
Published: March 2020

ZusammenfassungAkzeptieren Menschen neue technologiebasierte Produkte oder Dienstleistungen nicht, so können diese aus technischer Perspektive noch so perfekt und nützlich sein – sie würden nicht in Anwendung und Nutzung kommen. Um mögliche Akzeptanzrisiken und Konfliktpotenziale in einem frühen Entwicklungsstadium zu identifizieren, ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, sich einer sozio-ethischen Bewertung der Technik oder IT zu stellen. Auf diese Weise können Bedürfnisse, Interessen und Meinungen, insbesondere der von der Technik betroffenen Interessensgruppen, frühzeitig in den Entwicklungsprozess einbezogen werden. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags wird ein generisches akzeptanzbasiertes Vorgehensmodell (HEART – Human-centered Evaluation of Acceptance and Risk Criteria for Technology) abgeleitet, um Fragestellungen der Mensch-Technik-Interaktion ergänzend zu Scrum oder Design Thinking-Methoden systematisch und effektiv erheben und bewerten zu können. Für die praktische Umsetzung von HEART wurde ein zweistufiges Verfahren gewählt, bestehend aus sogenannten Akzeptanz-Risiko-Workshops mit nachgelagertem Bewertungsfragebogen. Der Einbezug aller relevanten Stakeholder in Technikentwicklungsprojekte steht dabei im Mittelpunkt. Zwei Fallstudien in zwei Technikentwicklungsprojekten mit insgesamt 41 teilnehmenden Personen dokumentieren eine erste Anwendung von HEART in der Praxis und zeigen, dass sich das Konzept als geeignet erweist, um gemeinsam mit unterschiedlichen Zielgruppen deren Sichtweisen auf Technologie und ihre sozio-ethischen Risikofaktoren zu erheben und so integrative Forschung in Technikentwicklungsprojekten umzusetzen.
Assessment of clinical reasoning: three evolutions of thought
Authors: Schuwirth Lambert W.T. , Durning Steven J. , King Svetlana M. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Although assessing clinical reasoning is almost universally considered central to medical education it is not a straightforward issue. In the past decades, our insights into clinical reasoning as a phenomenon, and consequently the best ways to assess it, have undergone significant changes. In this article, we describe how the interplay between fundamental research, practical applications, and evaluative research has pushed the evolution of our thinking and our practices in assessing clinical reasoning.
Limitations of the effectiveness of Weigh in Motion systems
Authors: Ryguła Artur , Brzozowski Krzysztof , Maczyński Andrzej 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Overloaded vehicles pose a real threat to road safety and significantly contribute to the degradation of the road surface. High-Speed Weigh in Motion (HS-WIM) stations are the commonly used method of eliminating them from traffic. In Poland, HS-WIM stations operate in pre-selection mode, sending information to services about the potential exceedance of acceptable standards by a specific vehicle. The article presents the results of the data analysis from selected HS-WIM stations operating on the national road network in Poland indicating significant limitations of the effectiveness of the whole system. The main reason for this may be that carriers use the knowledge about the HS-WIM stations location and working time to avoid inspections. The results presented in the paper indicate, among other things, that in some locations the share of vehicles overloaded with traffic increases significantly outside the working hours of the controlling services. For Light Commercial Vehicle, the share of overloaded vehicles in this group is also significant. Also, the paper indicates that the effectiveness of the procedure for determining vehicle overload has been limited due to errors in classification.
Design and development of ultra-light front and rear axle of experimental vehicle
Authors: Kral Jan , Palko Miroslav , Palko Maroš , Pavlikova Ludmila 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Shell Eco-marathon is an international competition to develop a vehicle with the lowest fuel consumption. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical University in Košice has been involved in this competition for 25 years, during which it developed 8 vehicles. For vehicles are important not only low fuel consumption but also high safety. In addition to the low aerodynamic drag of the vehicle, the low weight of the vehicle is important to achieve low fuel consumption. This is achieved by using ultra-light and solid materials in all parts of the vehicle. The latest generation vehicle uses a self-supporting body, which has increased requirements for front and rear stiffness, as discussed in this article.
On the Heat Flow Through a Porous Tube Filled with Incompressible Viscous Fluid
Authors: Pažanin Igor , Radulović Marko 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
We studied the non-isothermal flow of an incompressible viscous fluid through a porous tube. Motivated by filtration problems, Darcy’s law was incorporated on the walls of the tube and the flow was pressure driven. The main goal was to investigate the thermodynamic part of the system, assuming that the hydrodynamic part is known. In view of the applications we wanted to model, the fluid inside the tube was supposed to be cooled (or heated) by the surrounding medium. Using asymptotic analysis with respect to the small parameter (being the ratio between the tube’s thickness and its length), we constructed the explicit second-order approximation for the temperature distribution of the fluid. Numerical examples are provided to compare the obtained solution with the one derived for a rigid tube and also to show the corrections due to higher-order terms.
Differential Scaling of Synaptic Molecules within Functional Zones of an Excitatory Synapse during Homeostatic Plasticity
Authors: Venkatesan Sridevi , Subramaniam Sandhya , Rajeev Premchand , Chopra Yukti , Jose Mini , Nair Deepak 
Published: March 2020

AbstractHomeostatic scaling is a form of synaptic plasticity where individual synapses scale their strengths to compensate for global suppression or elevation of neuronal activity. This process can be studied by measuring miniature EPSP (mEPSP) amplitudes and frequencies following the regulation of activity in neuronal cultures. Here, we demonstrate a quantitative approach to characterize multiplicative synaptic scaling using immunolabelling of hippocampal neuronal cultures treated with tetrodotoxin (TTX) or bicuculline to extract scaling factors for various synaptic proteins. This approach allowed us to directly examine the scaling of presynaptic and postsynaptic scaffolding molecules along with neurotransmitter receptors in primary cultures from mouse and rat hippocampal neurons. We show robust multiplicative scaling of synaptic scaffolding molecules namely, Shank2, PSD95, Bassoon, and AMPA receptor subunits and quantify their scaling factors. We use super-resolution microscopy to calculate scaling factors of surface expressed GluA2 within functional zones of the synapse and show that there is differential and correlated scaling of GluA2 levels within the spine, the postsynaptic density (PSD), and the perisynaptic regions. Our method opens a novel paradigm to quantify relative molecular changes of synaptic proteins within distinct subsynaptic compartments from a large number of synapses in response to alteration of neuronal activity, providing anatomic insights into the intricacies of variability in strength of individual synapses.