bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
GFF Utilities: GffRead and GffCompare
Authors: Pertea Geo , Pertea Mihaela 
Published: September 2020

Summary: GTF (Gene Transfer Format) and GFF (General Feature Format) are popular file formats used by bioinformatics programs to represent and exchange information about various genomic features, such as gene and transcript locations and structure. GffRead and GffCompare are open source programs that provide extensive and efficient solutions to manipulate files in a GTF or GFF format. While GffRead can convert, sort, filter, transform, or cluster genomic features, GffCompare can be used to compare and merge different gene annotations. Availability and implementation: GFF utilities are implemented in C++ for Linux and OS X and released as open source under an MIT license (https://github.com/gpertea/gffread, https://github.com/gpertea/gffcompare).
Iron overload parameters and early detection of cardiac disease among Egyptian children and young adults with β-thalassaemia major and sickle cell disease: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Salama Khaled , Abdelsalam Amina , Eldin Hadeel Seif , Youness Eman , Selim Yasmeen , Salama Christine , Hassanein Gehad , Samir Mohamed , Zekri Hanan 
Published: September 2020

Background: Cardiac, hepatic and pancreatic T2* measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proven to be an accurate and non-invasive method for measuring iron overload in iron overload conditions. There is accumulating evidence that pancreatic iron can predict cardiac iron in young children because the pancreas loads earlier than the heart. The aim of our study was to investigate cardiac function and cardiac iron and their relation to pancreatic iron among patients with β-thalassaemia major (βTM) and sickle cell disease (SCD). Methods: 40 βTM and 20 transfusion-dependant SCD patients were included along with 60 healthy age-matched controls. Echocardiography and Tissue Doppler Imaging were performed for all subjects as well as the control group. Hepatic, cardiac and pancreatic iron overload in cases were assessed by MRI T2*. Results: The study group consisted of 40 βTM and 20 transfusion dependant SCD patients with mean age 13.7 years and mean frequency of transfusion/year 12. Mean cardiac T2* was 32.9 ms and mean myocardial iron concentration was 0.7 mg/g; One patient had cardiac iron overload of moderate severity. Mean pancreatic T2* was 22.3 ms with 20 patients having mild pancreatic iron overload. Pancreatic T2* correlated positively with main pulmonary artery diameter (p=0.046), peak late diastolic velocity at septal mitral annulus (p=0.038), peak early diastolic velocity at tricuspid annulus (p=0.001) and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (p=0.01); and negatively with end systolic pulmonary artery pressure (p=0.007). We couldn’t test the predictability of pancreatic T2* in relation to cardiac T2* as only one patient had cardiac T2*<20 ms. Conclusion: Assessment of pancreatic T2* in multi-transfused patients with βTM and SCD can predict myocardial dysfunction. No direct relation between pancreatic iron and cardiac siderosis was detected.
Adaptive platform trials using multi-arm, multi-stage protocols: getting fast answers in pandemic settings
Authors: Noor Nurulamin M. , Pett Sarah L. , Esmail Hanif , Crook Angela M. , Vale Claire L. , Sydes Matthew R. , Parmar Mahesh K.B. 
Published: September 2020

Global health pandemics, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), require efficient and well-conducted trials to determine effective interventions, such as treatments and vaccinations. Early work focused on rapid sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), subsequent in-vitro and in-silico work, along with greater understanding of the different clinical phases of the infection, have helped identify a catalogue of potential therapeutic agents requiring assessment. In a pandemic, there is a need to quickly identify efficacious treatments, and reject those that are non-beneficial or even harmful, using randomised clinical trials. Whilst each potential treatment could be investigated across multiple, separate, competing two-arm trials, this is a very inefficient process. Despite the very large numbers of interventional trials for COVID-19, the vast majority have not used efficient trial designs. Well conducted, adaptive platform trials utilising a multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) approach provide a solution to overcome limitations of traditional designs. The multi-arm element allows multiple different treatments to be investigated simultaneously against a shared, standard-of-care control arm. The multi-stage element uses interim analyses to assess accumulating data from the trial and ensure that only treatments showing promise continue to recruitment during the next stage of the trial. The ability to test many treatments at once and drop insufficiently active interventions significantly speeds up the rate at which answers can be achieved. This article provides an overview of the benefits of MAMS designs and successes of trials, which have used this approach to COVID-19. We also discuss international collaboration between trial teams, including prospective agreement to synthesise trial results, and identify the most effective interventions. We believe that international collaboration will help provide faster answers for patients, clinicians, and health care systems around the world, including for future waves of COVID-19, and enable preparedness for future global health pandemics.
Impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Nigeria: protocol for a country-level mixed-methods study
Authors: Akaba Godwin , Dirisu Osasuyi , Okunade Kehinde , Adams Eseoghene , Ohioghame Jane , Obikeze Obioma , Izuka Emmanuel , Sulieman Maryam , Edeh Michael 
Published: September 2020

Background: Battling with COVID-19 and providing essential services along the continuum of care could be challenging. This study will evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in Nigeria and explore the barriers being experienced by women and their families in getting access to MNCH services, as well as other contextual factors that may have shaped the utilization of MNCH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and analysis: The study will adopt an observational mixed-methods study design involving 18 health care facilities delivering MNCH services in six selected states across six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. We will retrieve longitudinal data on MNCH services from all selected hospitals three months before and after the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Qualitative data will be collected using in-depth interviews conducted via mobile phones or ZOOM meeting platforms among stakeholder participants (users of MNCH services, health workers and policymakers) to ascertain their perceptions on how COVID-19 has shaped the utilization of MNCH services. We will triangulate quantitative and qualitative data to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the utilization of MNCH services in Nigeria. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approvals have been obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the tertiary hospitals involved in the study. Our findings will provide the first evidence from an African setting on the impact of COVID-19 on the utilization of MNCH services using a mixed-methods study design for policy formulation towards sustained MNCH service delivery.
“No intenso agora” e o presente na História
Authors: Madalen Rafael Garcia , Lemos Anna Paula Soares , De Oliveira Joaquim Humberto Coelho 
Published: September 2020

Neste artigo, o documentário No intenso agora (2017), de João Moreira Salles, se corresponde com o conceito de presença, de Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht. A motivação para o encontro entre o documentarista e o crítico literário deve-se ao modo como em No intenso agora a abordagem da concepção de tempo se faz num momento de transição.
Correlation between self-efficacy and self-esteem in patients with an intestinal stoma
Authors: Nasiriziba Fariba , Saati Maryam , Haghani Hamid 
Published: September 2020

Background: Patients with an intestinal stoma experience psychological difficulties, including disturbances in self-efficacy and self-esteem. There is evidence that they are interdependent. Aim: This study aimed to determine the correlation between self-efficacy and self-esteem in patients with an intestinal stoma. Methods: A descriptive-correlational study was conducted with 155 patients with an intestinal stoma. Participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using demographic questions, the stoma self-efficacy scale and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Findings: Seventy-nine men and 76 women took part; the 50–70 years age group had the highest proportion of participants. Regarding diagnosis, 52.26% had cancer and 45.81% had inflammatory bowel disease or related conditions. Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated a positive, significant correlation between total self-efficacy and its dimensions with self-esteem (P<0.001; r=0.54). Conclusion: Self-efficacy is positively correlated with self-esteem in patients with an intestinal stoma. It is recommended that educational interventions are planned and implemented to boost self-esteem and self-efficacy in these patients.
Evaluation of a Decision Support System for Variable-Rate Irrigation in a Humid Region
Authors: Sui Ruixiu , O’Shaughnessy Susan A. , Evett Steven R. , Andrade-Rodriguez Alejandro , Baggard Jonnie 
Published: September 2020

HighlightsAn Irrigation Scheduling Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (ISSCADA) system was tested against a soil electrical conductivity (EC) based method for variable-rate irrigation (VRI).Soil EC was used to create irrigation prescription in EC-based VRI.ISSCADA generated VRI prescriptions using canopy temperature, soil water content, and weather data.ISSCADA-based VRI reduced irrigation water use and increased irrigation water productivity.Abstract. Use of variable-rate irrigation (VRI) technology has the potential to improve irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). VRI hardware is commercially available and can be implemented in any center pivot or lateral move irrigation system. However, practical methods and algorithms for creating VRI prescriptions have become the bottleneck in accelerating the adoption of VRI. An Irrigation Scheduling Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (ISSCADA) system for VRI was evaluated for two years in a humid region in the Mississippi Delta. The ISSCADA system was used to manage irrigation of soybeans for two seasons. In field practice, the ISSCADA system scanned the field for canopy temperature and collected soil water data from time domain reflectometers and weather data from a nearby weather station. The ISSCADA system automatically generated VRI prescription maps. The maps were modified to include plots managed using soil electrical conductivity (EC) based VRI prescriptions. Test results indicated that there was no difference in crop yield between EC-based VRI and ISSCADA-based VRI management. However, ISSCADA-based VRI management reduced irrigation water use and increased irrigation water productivity in comparison with EC-based VRI. There is great potential for the use of ISSCADA for VRI in humid regions. Keywords: Canopy temperature, Soil electrical conductivity, Soil moisture sensor, Soil water sensor, Soybean, Variable rate irrigation.
High-order DBR semiconductor lasers: effect of grating parameters on grating performance
Authors: E Siyu , Zhou Yinli , Zhang Xing , Zhang Jianwei , Huang Youwen , Zeng Yugang , Cui Jinjiang , Liu Yun , Ning Yongqiang , Wang Lijun 
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a high-order distributed Bragg reflector (DBR)
semiconductor laser operating at 1064 nm is demonstrated based on
simulation analysis. To get optimal Bragg grating characteristics,
four parameters of the Bragg grating were analyzed in detail.
Forty-nine-order Bragg gratings were designed with a reflectivity of
6% and a FWHM of 3 nm, which can realize mode selection while lasing.
The Bragg gratings were designed to maximize the use of light.
Transmission of the rear laser facet is theoretically 0. This
simulation result provides a simple and efficient DBR semiconductor
laser scheme without cavity surface coating.
Upconversion-luminescent hydrogel optical probe for in situ dopamine monitoring
Authors: Zhou Bingqian , Guo Jingjing , Yang Changxi , Kong Lingjie 
Published: September 2020

Dopamine (DA), as a neurotransmitter in human brain, plays a crucial role in reward motivation and motor control. An improper level of DA can be associated with neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. To quantify DA, optical DA sensors have emerged as an attractive platform due to their capability of high-precision and label-free measurement, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, the lack of selectivity, limited biocompatibility, and complex fabrication processes are challenges that hinder their clinical applications. Here, we report a soft and biocompatible luminescent hydrogel optical sensor capable of recognizing and quantifying DA with a simple and compact interrogation setup. The sensor is made of a hydrogel optical fiber (HOF) incorporated with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). DA molecules are detected through the luminescence energy transfer (LET) between the UCNPs and the oxidation products of DA, while the light-guiding HOF enables both excitation and emission collection of the UCNPs. The hydrogel sensor provides an optical readout that shows a linear response up to 200 μmol/L with a detection limit as low as 83.6 nmol/L. Our results show that the UCNP-based hydrogel sensor holds great promise of serving as a soft and biocompatible probe for monitoring DA in situ.
Do real ao desejável: formação e práticas de docentes de língua portuguesa
Authors: Santos Leandra Ines Seganfredo 
Published: September 2020

Diante das transformações sociais mais amplas, a educação e os profissionais docentes de Língua Portuguesa são afetados, com isso surgem necessidades de reformas do ensino que traduzam mudanças no currículo, nas práticas docentes e também na formação de novos perfis de leitores e escritores, sobretudo diante dos insatisfatórios resultados que os estudantes têm apresentado nas avaliações externas. O objetivo desta pesquisa consiste em descrever e discutir como docentes de Língua Portuguesa compreendem seus percursos de formação inicial e contínuo e como tais percursos se efetivam em suas práticas mobilizadas cotidianamente em sala de aula, em uma perspectiva inter-transdisciplinar, crítica e multicultural. O estudo filia-se, pois, aos pressupostos teórico-metodológicos da pesquisa qualitativo-interpretativista. O corpus de análise constituiu-se de excertos de informações geradas por respostas a um questionário online composto por perguntas objetivas e subjetivas. Os resultados apontam que se faz imprescindível a reinvenção dos currículos de Letras, a fim de fomentar, no processo de formação de professores, eventos e novas práticas de letramentos como possibilidade de potencializar uma formação para o reconhecimento da diversidade linguístico-discursiva e o desenvolvimento de práticas inovadoras que problematizem a complexidade do mundo, da escola e da sala de aula, sobretudo por meio de políticas públicas significativas.
Control y administración de datos en una mina subterránea de oro y plata
Authors: Narváez David Alfredo , Pérez Beatriz Lilian , Giubergia Andrea Alejandra , Gil Costa Graciela Verónica 
Published: September 2020

Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar cómo el uso de un sistema de control de producción que registra y gestiona las operaciones mineras, enfocado en el seguimiento y control de los equipos, procesos y activos, mejora la eficiencia del sistema de información de una empresa, de modo que tenga un soporte adecuado.
Metodología: En este trabajo se utiliza el software Pitram versión 1.0, desarrollado por la empresa Micromine, que permite detectar las falencias en el sistema de información del área de producción en una pequeña mina subterránea de oro y plata, ubicada en Argentina. La metodología consistió en cinco pasos fundamentales: a) capacitación, b) recolección de datos, c) ingreso de datos al sistema, c) validación del modelo y d) análisis y resultados.
Resultados: Se obtuvo una mayor cantidad y variedad de datos con respecto a la información que registraba la empresa al momento de realizar el presente trabajo, que fueron propicios para tomar decisiones sobre el control de insumos, seguimiento de equipos primarios, seguimiento de operarios de equipos primarios, cálculo de KPI y control de objetivos. Además, se optimizó la administración de los datos, lo que significó la disponibilidad de estos en todo momento, menor cantidad horas hombres en el manejo de datos, menor consumo de recursos de almacenamiento, mayor seguridad, etc.
Conclusiones: El software implementado satisfizo la necesidad de información de la empresa, al minimizar la incertidumbre y reducir la posibilidad de cometer errores que podrían causar pérdidas económicas. Además, permitió mejorar la eficiencia operativa y optimizar la distribución de recursos, y así, una mejor rentabilidad.
Tecnologías no convencionales para la remoción de plomo presente en aguas residuales: una revisión bibliográfica 2010-2019
Authors: Gómez Aguilar Dora Luz , Esteban Muñoz Javier Andres , Baracaldo Guzmán Deisy 
Published: September 2020

Objetivo: El presente artículo de revisión tuvo como objetivo realizar una indagación bibliográfica de artículos científicos en revistas locales, nacionales e internacionales en el periodo de 2010 a 2019, con relación a las tecnologías no convencionales (biopolímeros, biorremediación y residuos agroindustriales) que se han empleado en la remoción de plomo (Pb), presente en aguas residuales sintéticas o industriales.
Metodología: La investigación adoptó un modelo investigativo de corte cualitativo, de tipo exploratorio. Los aspectos metodológicos correspondieron a la indagación y elección de artículos científicos (para cada una de las tecnologías no convencionales seleccionadas) del periodo 2010-2019, teniendo como criterio palabras clave; posteriormente, se realizó un análisis de esos contenidos y se diligenciaron dos matrices realizadas en Excel.
Resultados: La revisión bibliográfica permitió observar que: en primer lugar, con relación a las tecnologías no convencionales con mayor tendencia en investigación, empleadas en la remoción de plomo, se encuentran los residuos agroindustriales, seguidos por la biorremediación y por último los biopolímeros, para lo cual se hallaron y seleccionaron 19 para el primero, 13 para el segundo y 9 para el último. De igual forma, los países que han reportado resultados investigativos alrededor de las tecnologías no convencionales seleccionadas, corresponden a: China, Colombia, Corea, Egipto, España, Francia, India, Indonesia, Irán, Nigeria, Malasia, México, Perú, Romania, Serbia, Singapur y Zimbabue; en contraste, las publicaciones seleccionadas se encuentran en su gran mayoría ubicadas a nivel internacional. Por último, los porcentajes de remoción más alto del orden del 100 % se presentaron con los residuos agroindustriales (para lo cual se han investigado 24); seguido del 98 %, con la biorremediación (donde se han investigado algas rojas y seis cepas de bacterias), y finalmente, los biopolímeros, con 95,32 % (donde el quitosano, el almidón, la queratina, las conchas de caracol y las plumas, se han investigado).
Conclusiones: Las tecnologías no convencionales con mayor tendencia en investigación y aplicación en matrices de aguas residuales industriales, de acuerdo con periodo 2010-2019, corresponden a los residuos agroindustriales; de igual forma, la mayoría de aguas residuales en las que han sido aplicados estos métodos corresponde a las sintéticas, lo que conlleva a exponer que estas deben comenzar a ser implementadas a nivel industrial o un pilotaje, para observar su eficiencia en la remoción de metales pesados, y de forma particular el plomo.
Financiamiento: La investigación llevada a cabo no recibió financiación.
Tocador y biombo en los interiores domésticos en el Burgos del Setecientos: mobiliario para la vanidad
Authors: Sanz De La Higuera Francisco J. 
Published: September 2020

En un reducido volumen de hogares de la ciudad de Burgos, sus titulares disponían de un mobiliario caracterizado por su notable exclusividad. Se trata de la presencia, en sus interiores domésticos, de tocadores, cómodas y biombos. Descubrimos el tocador en el 7.7 % de los inventarios recopilados. El biombo en, únicamente, el 4.5 %. Si tenemos en cuenta que el canapé había sido aclimatado en sus estancias en el 9 % de las viviendas y que un refinamiento tan curioso como «Una mesa para comer y cenar en la cama» solo aparece en el 5.6 %, nos proponemos efectuar una reconstrucción histórica sobre enseres marcados por la diferencialidad, materializada en hogares dados a la búsqueda de notoriedad, comodidad y confort y, quizá, martirizados por la tiranía de la moda.
Lugares de memoria en Colombia: desafíos de la memoria ejemplar
Authors: López Álvarez Solanyer , Quintero Mejía Marieta 
Published: September 2020

Este artículo tiene como propósito evidenciar los lugares de la memoria que se han construido en Colombia, resaltando sus lugares oficiales a partir de tres de las comisiones que hemos tenido: La Comisión Nacional Investigadora de las Causas y Situaciones Presentes de la Violencia en el Territorio Nacional de1958, la Comisión de estudios sobre la Violencia de 1987 y la Comisión Nacional de Reparación y Reconciliación (CNRR) creada por la Ley 975 de 2005 Ley de Justicia y Paz. Se analizan, además, las experiencias de algunas memorias locales que colocan en pugna y disputa al discurso oficial, permitiendo el desocultamiento de voces y relatos sobre los hechos vividos en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Concluyendo, con los desafíos de la memoria ejemplar que transita por la utilización del pasado para el presente y para el futuro que se pretende diferente, como una apuesta ética y política que contribuye en la construcción de paz en Colombia, por medio del tratamiento del pasado que demanda verdad, justicia, reparación y el nunca más de los hechos atroces.
Evidence for the Accumulation of Nonsynonymous Mutations and Favorable Pleiotropic Alleles During Wheat Breeding
Authors: Raherison Elie , Majidi Mohammad Mahdi , Goessen Roos , Hughes Nia , Cuthbert Richard , Knox Ron , Lukens Lewis 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPlant breeding leads to the genetic improvement of target traits by selecting a small number of genotypes from among typically large numbers of candidate genotypes after careful evaluation. In this study, we first investigated how mutations at conserved nucleotide sites normally viewed as deleterious, such as nonsynonymous sites, accumulated in a wheat, Triticum aestivum, breeding lineage. By comparing a 150 year old ancestral and modern cultivar, we found recent nucleotide polymorphisms altered amino acids and occurred within conserved genes at frequencies expected in the absence of purifying selection. Mutations that are deleterious in other contexts likely had very small or no effects on target traits within the breeding lineage. Second, we investigated if breeders selected alleles with favorable effects on some traits and unfavorable effects on others and used different alleles to compensate for the latter. An analysis of a segregating population derived from the ancestral and modern parents provided one example of this phenomenon. The recent cultivar contains the Rht-B1b green revolution semi-dwarfing allele and compensatory alleles that reduce its negative effects. However, improvements in traits other than plant height were due to pleiotropic loci with favorable effects on traits and to favorable loci with no detectable pleiotropic effects. Wheat breeding appears to tolerate mutations at conserved nucleotide sites and to only select for alleles with both favorable and unfavorable effects on traits in exceptional situations.