bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tobacco use and associated factors among Rwandan youth aged 15-34 years: Findings from a nationwide survey, 2013
Authors: Habiyaremye François , Rwunganira Samuel , Musanabaganwa Clarisse , Muhimpundu Marie Aimée 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIntroductionTobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the world. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of current tobacco use and identify associated factors among Rwandans aged 15-34 years.MethodsThis cross-sectional analytical study analysed secondary data collected during the nationally representative Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Surveillance survey conducted in 2013 to explore the prevalence of tobacco use in Rwanda and identify factors associated with tobacco use. This study analysed data collected from 3,900 youth participants (15-34 years old), selected using multistage cluster sampling technique. The overall proportion of current smokers, as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the sample were determined and multivariable logistic regression employed to identify factors independently associated with current tobacco use.ResultsThe prevalence (weighted) of current tobacco use (all forms) was 8% (95%CI: 7.08-9.01). Prevalence statistically significant was found in the following group: higher prevalence was found among males, young adults aged 24-34, youth with primary school education or less, those from Southern province, people with income (work in public, private organizations and self-employed) and young married adults.There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence of tobacco use between participants from urban or rural areas (7.8% vs. 8.0%). Factors that were found to be associated with current tobacco use through the multivariate analysis included being a male, aged 25 years and above, having an income, and residing in Eastern, Kigali City and Southern Province compared to Western province.ConclusionThe association between smoking and sociodemographic characteristics among Rwandan youth identified in this study provides an opportunity for policy makers to tailor future policies, and implement coordinated, high-impact interventions to prevent initiation of tobacco use among the youth.
Estimating the rate and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practices among rural mothers in Southern Ghana
Authors: Manyeh Alfred Kwesi , Amu Alberta , Ekey Rosemond Akpene , Akpakli David Etsey , Williams John E. , Gyapong Margaret 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding practices in both short and long term go beyond the breastfed infant. The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding practices accrue to mothers, families and the society at large. Despite the evidence of these benefits and adoption of various WHO strategies on promotion of exclusive breastfeeding by Ghana, the increase in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding has been very slow in the country. This study aimed to estimate the rate and investigate socioeconomic and demographic determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in two rural districts in Southern Ghana.MethodsPregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, demographic and socioeconomic information of 1,870 women prospectively registered by the Dodowa Health and Demographic Surveillance System and gave birth between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013 was extracted. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants was estimated and the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables were explored using logistics regression model at 95% confidence level. All data analyses were done in STATA version 14.2.ResultsThe overall exclusive breastfeeding rate in the study is 70.96 %. Mothers aged 25-29 and 30+ years are 93 and 91 % respectively more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those aged <20 years (OR:1.93, 95%CI: 1.25-2.99, OR: 1.91, 95%CI: 1.91-3.08). The odds of artisans practicing exclusive breast feeding is 64% less likely compared to those unemployed (OR: 0.64, 95%CI:0.43-0.96). There is a high chance that 45% of mothers with a household size of more than five members to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those with household size of less than six (OR:1.45, 95%CI:1.16-1.81). There is reduced odds of 15% for women in fishing districts compared to those from farming districts (OR:0.15, 95%CI: 0.12 −0.20).ConclusionThere is high rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the study area. Maternal age, type of occupation, household size and district of residence are determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants.
The cloud forest in the Dominican Republic: diversity and conservation status
Authors: Ortiz Ana Cano , Musarella Carmelo M. , Canas Ricardo Quinto , Fuentes José C. Piñar , Gomes Carlos J. Pinto , Cano Eusebio 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe study of the forest in rainy environments of the Dominican Republic reveals the presence of four types of vegetation formations, clearly differentiated from each other in terms of their floristic and biogeographical composition, and also significantly different from the rainforests of Cuba. This leads us to propose two new alliances and four plant associations located in northern mountain areas exposed to moisture-laden winds from the Atlantic: All. Rondeletio ochraceae-Clusion roseae (Ass. Cyatheo furfuracei-Prestoetum motanae; Ass. Ormosio krugii-Prestoetum montanae); and All. Rondeletio ochraceae-Didymopanion tremuli (Ass. Hyeronimo montanae-Magnolietum pallescentis; Hyeronimo dominguensis-Magnolietum hamorii). Due to human activity, some areas are very poorly conserved, as evidenced by the diversity index and the presence of endemic tree and plant elements. The worst conserved in terms of the relationship between characteristic plants vegetation (cloud forest) in areas with high rainfall in the Dominican Republic, along with its floristic diversity and state of conservation. Thanks to this study it has been possible to significantly increase the botanical knowledge of this important habitat.
Spatial eco-evolutionary feedbacks mediate coexistence in prey-predator systems
Authors: Colombo Eduardo H. , Martínez-García Ricardo , López Cristóbal , Hernández-García Emilio 
Published: February 2019

AbstractEco-evolutionary frameworks can explain certain features of communities in which ecological and evolutionary processes occur over comparable timescales. In the particular case of prey-predator systems, a combination of empirical and theoretical studies have explored this possibility, showing that the evolution of prey traits, predator traits or the coevolution of both can contribute to the stability of the community, as well as to the emergence of various types of population cycles. However, these studies overlook that interactions are spatially constrained, a crucial ingredient known to foster species coexistence per se. Here, we investigate whether evolutionary dynamics interacts with the spatial structure of a prey-predator community in which both species show limited mobility and predators perceptual ranges are subject to natural selection. In these conditions, our results unveil an eco-evolutionary feedback between species spatial mixing and predators perceptual range: different levels of species mixing select for different perceptual ranges, which in turn reshape the spatial distribution of preys and their interaction with predators. This emergent pattern of interspecific interactions feeds back to the efficiency of the various perceptual ranges, thus selecting for new ones. Finally, since prey-predator mixing is the key factor that regulates the intensity of predation, we explore the community-level implications of such feedback and show that it controls both coexistence times and species extinction probabilities.Author summaryEvolutionary processes occurring on temporal scales that are comparable to those of ecological change can result in reciprocal interactions between ecology and evolution termed eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Such interplay is clear in prey-predator systems, in which predation alters the distribution of resources (preys). In turn, changes in the abundance and spatial distribution of preys may lead to the evolution of new predation strategies, which may change again the properties of the prey population. Here, we investigate the interplay between limited mobility, species mixing, and finite perception in a prey-predator system. We focus on the case in which predator perceptual ranges are subject to natural selection and examine, via coexistence times and species extinction probabilities, whether the resulting eco-evolutionary dynamics mediates the stability of the community. Our results confirm the existence of such eco-evolutionary feedback and reveal its potential impact on community-level processes.
Loss of function of the RNA export factor,Nxt1, inDrosophilacauses muscle degeneration and reduced expression of genes with long introns
Authors: van der Graaf Kevin , White-Cooper Helen 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe RNA export pathway is essential for export-competent mRNAs to pass from the nucleus into the cytoplasm, and thus is essential for protein production and normal function of cells.Drosophilawith partial loss of function ofNxt1, a core factor in the pathway, show reduced viability and male and female sterility. The male sterility has previously been shown to be caused by defects in testis-specific gene expression, particularly of genes without introns. Here we describe a specific defect in growth and maintenance of the larval muscles, leading to muscle degeneration inNxt1mutants. RNAseq revealed reduced expression of mRNAs of many genes inNxt1mutant muscles. Despite this, the degeneration was rescued by increased expression of a single gene, the costamere componenttn (abba),in muscles. Genes under-expressed in the mutant typically have long introns, and most normally encode circular RNAs in addition to mRNAs. This is the first report of a specific role for the RNA export pathway geneNxt1in muscle integrity. Our data onNxt1links the mRNA export pathway to a global role in mRNA expression of genes that also produce circular RNAs,in vivo.Author summaryIn eukaryotic cells the DNA encoding instructions for protein synthesis is located in the nucleus, it is transcribed to generate pre-mRNA, which is processed at both ends and spliced to remove internal spacer regions (introns) to generate mRNA. This mRNA is then transported by the mRNA export pathway via nuclear pores to the cytoplasm for protein synthesis. We have previously shown that reduction in activity of a specific protein in the mRNA export pathway, Nxt1, has an additional role in testis-specific transcription. Here we describe a further role for this protein specifically in gene expression, particularly of genes with long introns, and in muscle maintenance.Drosophilalarvae with reduced Nxt1 activity have normal muscle pattern when they are small, but show muscular atrophy and degeneration as they grow, resulting in significant defects in their movement speed. We discovered that expression of many genes is reduced in the mutant larvae, but that restoring the expression of just one of these,abba, theDrosophilahomologue ofTrim32(a human gene involved in muscular dystrophy) is capable of preventing the muscle degeneration.
Frequent expansion of Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein in Ethiopia and its epidemiological significance
Authors: Lo Eugenia , Hostetler Jessica B. , Yewhalaw Delenasaw , Pearson Richard D. , Hamid Muzamil M. A. , Gunalan Karthigayan , Kepple Daniel , Ford Anthony , Janies Daniel A. , Rayner Julian C. , Miller Louis H. , Yan Guiyun 
Published: February 2019

AbstractPlasmodium vivax invasion of human erythrocytes depends on the Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP) which interacts with the Duffy antigen. PvDBP copy number varies between P. vivax isolates, but the prevalence of PvDBP multiplications in Sub-Saharan Africa and its impact are unknown. We determined the prevalence and type of PvDBP duplications, as well as PvDBP copy number variation among 178 Ethiopian P. vivax isolates using a PCR-based diagnostic method, a novel quantitative real-time PCR assay and whole genome sequencing. For the 145 symptomatic samples, PvDBP duplications were detected in 95 isolates, of which 81 had the Cambodian and 14 Malagasy-type PvDBP duplications. PvDBP varied from 1 to >4 copies. Isolates with multiple PvDBP copies were found to be higher in symptomatic than asymptomatic infections. For the 33 asymptomatic samples, PvDBP was detected with two copies in two of the isolates, and both were the Cambodian-type PvDBP duplication. PvDBP copy number in Duffy-negative heterozygotes was not significantly different from that in Duffy-positives, providing no support for the hypothesis that increased copy number is a specific association with Duffy-negativity, although the number of Duffy-negatives was small and further sampling is required to test this association thoroughly.Author summaryPlasmodium vivax invasion of human erythrocytes relies on interaction between the Duffy antigen and P. vivax Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP). Whole genome sequences from P. vivax field isolates in Madagascar identified a duplication of the PvDBP gene and PvDBP duplication has also been detected in non-African P. vivax-endemic countries.Two types of PvDBP duplications have been reported, termed Cambodian and Malagasy-type duplications. Our study used a combination of PCR-based diagnostic method, a novel quantitative real-time PCR assay, and whole genome sequencing to determine the prevalence and type of PvDBP duplications, as well as PvDBP copy number on a broad number of P. vivax samples in Ethiopia. We found that over 65% of P. vivax isolated from the symptomatic infections were detected with PvDBP duplications and PvDBP varied from 1 to >4 copies. The majority of PvDBP duplications belongs to the Cambodian-type while the Malagasy-type duplications was also detected. For the asymptomatic infections, despite a small sample size, the majority of P. vivax were detected with a single-copy based on both PCR and qPCR assays. There was no significant difference in PvDBP copy number between Duffy-null heterozygote and Duffy-positive homozygote/heterozygote. Further investigation is needed with expanded Duffy-null homozygotes to examine the functional significance of PvDBP expansion.
Lean business models change process in digital entrepreneurship
Authors: Balocco Raffaello , Cavallo Angelo , Ghezzi Antonio , Berbegal-Mirabent Jasmina 
Published: February 2019

PurposeBusiness model change (BMC) is a process new ventures are frequently involved in, especially in dynamic environments like the digital industry: copying with it is a key issue for entrepreneurs attempting to shorten the transition between current and new business models (BMs) and avoid losses in terms of revenue, image and customer retention, while acquiring experience and validated learning in the process. The purpose of this paper is to propose a lean framework to support digital new ventures in the BMC process.Design/methodology/approachThe study builds its contribution on two pillars: a review on BM and the lean thinking theories, and a multiple case study on three digital new ventures which underwent BMC.FindingsThe study shows how BMC in a digital context can beneficially follow lean principles, and how these principles can be integrated in an original lean framework to experiment on, validate and subsequently change a BM.Originality/valueThe authors provide the “single minute exchange of die” for BMC framework that extends and complements lean startup approaches to further relate lean thinking and BMC, thus operationalizing the process of BM experimenting and validation that enables change.
Does cultural intelligence increase work engagement? The role of idiocentrism-allocentrism and organizational culture in MNCs
Authors: Gabel-Shemueli Rachel , Westman Mina , Chen Shoshi , Bahamonde Danae 
Published: February 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of cultural intelligence (CQ), idiocentrism-allocentrism and organizational culture on work engagement in a multinational organization from the perspective of conservation of resources theory.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 219 employees of a multinational company (MNC). Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to test the research model.FindingsThe results suggest that CQ is positively related to work engagement and that this relationship is moderated by employees’ idiocentrism-allocentrism, as well as by the adaptability dimension of organizational culture.Research limitations/implicationsGreater generalizability of the findings could be achieved with a more geographically dispersed sample. Other cultural dimensions, as well as personal and organizational characteristics, should be considered in order to more clearly ascertain the relationships between these variables.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that CQ is a powerful tool for developing employee engagement within MNCs. Furthermore, a highly adaptive organizational culture and consideration of employees’ cultural values are important in order to enhance the effect of CQ on engagement.Originality/valueThis study identifies relevant resources that can aid in managing a diverse workforce and increasing employee engagement in companies that operate across national borders.
Parallelization and analysis of selected numerical algorithms using OpenMP and Pluto on symmetric multiprocessing machine
Authors: Sardar Tanvir Habib , Faizabadi Ahmed Rimaz 
Published: February 2019

Purpose
In recent years, there is a gradual shift from sequential computing to parallel computing. Nowadays, nearly all computers are of multicore processors. To exploit the available cores, parallel computing becomes necessary. It increases speed by processing huge amount of data in real time. The purpose of this paper is to parallelize a set of well-known programs using different techniques to determine best way to parallelize a program experimented.

Design/methodology/approach
A set of numeric algorithms are parallelized using hand parallelization using OpenMP and auto parallelization using Pluto tool.

Findings
The work discovers that few of the algorithms are well suited in auto parallelization using Pluto tool but many of the algorithms execute more efficiently using OpenMP hand parallelization.

Originality/value
The work provides an original work on parallelization using OpenMP programming paradigm and Pluto tool.
Quantification of free convection within a hemispherical annulus through a porous medium saturated by water-copper nanofluid
Authors: Baïri Abderrahmane , Suresh Nagaraj , Gayathri Palanisamy , Nithyadevi Nagarajan , Abimanyu Purusothaman 
Published: February 2019

Purpose
A porous medium saturated with a nanofluid based on pure water and copper nanoparticles is used for cooling a hemispherical electronic device contained in an annulus space. The disc of the cavity could be inclined at an angle ranging from 0 ° (horizontal disc with dome facing upwards) to 180° (horizontal disc with dome facing downwards). The important surface heat flux generated by the dome leads to high Rayleigh number values reaching 7.29 × 10^10. The purpose of this work is to examine the influence of the nanofluid saturated porous medium on the free convective heat transfer.

Design/methodology/approach
Heat transfer occurring between this active component and the isothermal passive cupola is quantified by means of a three-dimensional numerical study using the control volume method associated to the SIMPLE algorithm.

Findings
The work shows that heat transfer in the annulus space is improved by interposing a porous medium saturated with the water-copper nanofluid.

Originality/value
New correlation is proposed to calculate the Nusselt number for any combination of the inclination angle, the fraction volume, the Rayleigh number and the ratio between the thermal conductivities of the porous medium and the fluid. The wide ranges corresponding to these parameters allow the thermal design of this electronic equipment for various configurations.
A review of security assessment methodologies in industrial control systems
Authors: Qassim Qais Saif , Jamil Norziana , Daud Maslina , Patel Ahmed , Ja’affar Norhamadi 
Published: February 2019

PurposeThe common implementation practices of modern industrial control systems (ICS) has left a window wide open to various security vulnerabilities. As the cyber-threat landscape continues to evolve, the ICS and their underlying architecture must be protected to withstand cyber-attacks. This study aims to review several ICS security assessment methodologies to identify an appropriate vulnerability assessment method for the ICS systems that examine both critical physical and cyber systems so as to protect the national critical infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews several ICS security assessment methodologies and explores whether the existing methodologies are indeed sufficient to meet the cyber security assessment exercise required to validate the security of electrical power control systems.FindingsThe study showed that most of the examined methodologies seem to concentrate on vulnerability identification and prioritisation techniques, whilst other security techniques received noticeably less attention. The study also showed that the least attention is devoted to patch management process due to the critical nature of the SCADA system. Additionally, this review portrayed that only two security assessment methodologies exhibited absolute fulfilment of all NERC-CIP security requirements, whilst the others only partially fulfilled the essential requirements.Originality/valueThis paper presents a review and a comparative analysis of several standard SCADA security assessment methodologies and guidelines published by internationally recognised bodies. In addition, it explores the adequacy of the existing methodologies in meeting cyber security assessment practices required for electrical power networks.