bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of a full-scale anaerobic side-stream reactor on sludge decay and biomass activity
Authors: Velho V. F. , Andreottola G. , Foladori P. , Costa R. H. R. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
A full-scale anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR) for sludge reduction was monitored in terms of sludge production and compared with the previous conventional activated sludge configuration (CAS). A detailed solid mass balance was calculated on the whole full-scale plant to estimate the sludge reduction associated with the ASSR. The activity of the biomass, which undergoes alternation of aerobic and anaerobic conditions, was investigated by the respirometric test. The ASSR promoted a reduction of heterotrophic biomass activity and the substrate consumption rate in the activated sludge implemented with ASSR (AS + ASSR) was 36% smaller than in the CAS period. The solid mass balance indicated a sludge reduction of 28%. During the 270-day operation, the observed sludge yield passed from 0.438 kgTSS/kgCOD in the CAS to 0.315 in the AS + ASSR configuration. The solubilization of chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+-N and orthophosphate were verified under anaerobic conditions. The results suggest that the possible mechanisms of sludge reduction were the increase of the system sludge retention time (SRT) by ASSR addition, and the reduction in heterotrophic biomass activity added to the organic compounds' hydrolysis.
Assessment of the level of metropolitan cities transport system development
Authors: Karasev Oleg I. , Krivtsova Anna O. 
Published: March 2019

Purpose of the study.The study focuses on issues of the level assessment of transport system development of large cities. Despite the wide variety of studies on this issue, there is currently no universal approach to assessing the level of development of the transport system at megalopolises. The present study aims to create a tool for a comprehensive assessment of various aspects of urban transport development that are important for all categories of transport users, and to provide a comparative analysis of the world’s leading megacities in terms of transport development based on the proposed methodology.Materials and methods.In the study, the authors apply an approach related to the construction of integral indexes and ratings of cities based on the values of these indexes. In the calculations of the index, the authors use statistical data from authoritative open sources and information systems of national and municipal government.Results.Based on the results of the world practice analysis, the authors propose the Urban Transport Development Index developed in order to compare the level of transport system development in various cities. The Index provides an opportunity to identify the weaknesses and strengths of cities, to find reserves for the further improvement and development of recommendations in the field of transport policy on this basis. The Index consists of four sub-indexes: the availability of transport services for the urban population, the quality of transport services, road traffic security and the ecological impact of transport, and freight logistics performance. The Index reflects the main aspects of urban transport development and shows the views of different categories of population on the level of transport services. The paper examines the level of transport system development for 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2017 of a group of comparable cities, which includes Hong Kong, London, Mexico, Moscow, New York, St. Petersburg, Singapore, Istanbul, Tokyo and Shanghai. The results showed that Tokyo and London have occupied the leading positions during the period under review. For the seven years Moscow, St. Petersburg and Shanghai have showed the best dynamics of the Index.Conclusion.The proposed method allows both to evaluate the effectiveness of individual regulatory measures known in the practice of other cities, and to simulate their impact on the transport system of the city. The paper concludes with recommendations for further development of cities’ transport systems.
Potential investment to professional sport subjects
Authors: Litvishko Oleg V. , Veynberg Roman R. 
Published: March 2019

Purpose of the study.The introduction of financial discipline rules by the Union of European Football Associations started a new stage in the development of the football industry. According to the UEFA statistical report in 2017, football clubs for the first time reported a total profit of more than 600 million Euros, while a few years earlier the total losses of clubs representing the highest European football divisions were 1.7 billion Euros. This fact indicates a possible change in the investment attractiveness of sports clubs. The purpose of this study is to assess the presence of the investment potential of the football industry as a possible object of capital investment.Materials and methods.The study analyzed the data obtained from the official statistical sources, including a comparative UEFA report for 2017 on the licensing of clubs “Landscape of European Club Football”, normative legal acts regulating public relations in the field of professional sports, publishing in periodicals and the Internet, illustrating the practice and problems of professional sports development, as well as statistical data from the portals www.stoxx. com and www.investing.com. The study applies such methods of scientific cognition as a method of statistical and economic analysis, comparison, analogies, synthesis, as well as the method of measuring and aggregating data, the graphical and tabular method.Results of the research.When considering the shares of professional sports clubs as objects of capital investment, it is advisable for investors to pay attention to the functional type of assets that such organizations possess and the degree of diversification of their activities. The structure of non-current assets and the share attributable to tangible assets - sports infrastructure and other objects, is an important factor affecting the specific risks inherent in the activities of sports subjects, which allows to compensate losses incurred as a result of not achieving the goal set for the team for the season due to revenues from other activities that affect the investment attractiveness of the club.Conclusion. Based on the results, we can draw the following conclusions. The football industry has significant revenue growth potential. The increase in the financial profitability of professional sports subjects is accompanied by a rise in the stock index quotes, which accumulates the shares of European public football clubs. The comparative analysis carried out in the research indicates the attractiveness of these financial instruments as an investment object. However, such investments are characterized by a high degree of risk due to the specificity inherent in the professional sports industry. From the total number of factors affecting the exchange rate fluctuations of football clubs' shares, one can single out the most significant indicators such as the outcome and significance of the match, the nature of the tournament, and the sports (physical) form of the team.
Vancomycin Therapeutic Regime Adjustment in Newborns and Infants with Bacterial Infection: Case Series
Authors: Bidu Nadielle S. , Fernandes Bruno J.D. , Dias Eduardo J.C. , Filho Jucelino N.C. , Bastos Regina E.A. , Godoy Ana L.P.C. , Azeredo Francine J. , Pedreira Joice N.R. , Couto Ricardo D. 
Published: March 2019

Background:
Vancomycin is used mostly to overcome infections caused by methicillinresistant
microorganisms. There are no well-established administration protocols for neonates and infants,
so the leak of a specific administration regime in that population may lead to serum concentrations
beyond the specified range.

Objective:
This case series evaluated the pharmacokinetics adjustment from a vancomycin therapeutic
regimen prescribed to neonates and infants with bacterial infection at a neonatal public hospital intensive-
care-unit, with the primary purpose to verify cases of nephrotoxicity.

Methods:
Three neonates and four infants taking vancomycin therapy, hospitalized in a public hospital
from November 2014 to March 2015, were included in the study. Vancomycin serum concentrations
were determined by particle-enhanced-turbidimetric inhibition-immunoassay. The vancomycin concentrations
were used for dose adjustment by USC*Pack-PC-Collection®, a non-parametric maximization
program. The trough serum concentration range of 10 to 20mg.L-1 was considered therapeutic.

Results:
Three patients had serum concentration outside the reference-range, one with subtherapeutic,
and two with supratherapeutic concentrations. All patients had concomitant use of drugs which interfered
with vancomycin distribution and excretion pharmacokinetics parameters, including drugs that
may enhance nephrotoxicity. One patient showed signs of acute renal damage, by low vancomycin and
creatinine estimated clearances.

Conclusion:
The pharmacokinetic adjustment has been proven to be a useful and necessary tool to
increase therapeutic efficacy and treatment benefits. The standard dose of vancomycin can be used to
initiate therapy in neonates and infants admitted to the ICU, but after reaching the drug steady state,
the dosing regimen should be individualized and guided by pharmacokinetic parameters.
Evaluation of Luciferase Thermal Stability by Arginine Saturation in the Flexible Loops
Authors: Kargar Farzane , Mortazavi Mojtaba , Torkzadeh-Mahani Masoud , Lotfi Safa , Shakeri Shahryar 
Published: March 2019

Background:
The firefly luciferase enzyme is widely used in protein engineering and diverse
areas of biotechnology, but the main problem with this enzyme is low-temperature stability. Previous
reports indicated that surface areas of thermostable proteins are rich in arginine, which increased
their thermal stability. In this study, this aspect of thermophilic proteins evaluated by mutations of surface
residues to Arg. Here, we report the construction, purification, and studying of these mutated luciferases.

Methods:
For mutagenesis, the QuikChange site-directed mutagenesis was used and the I108R,
T156R, and N177R mutant luciferases were created. In the following, the expression and purification
of wild-type and mutant luciferases were conducted and their kinetic and structural properties were analyzed.
To analyze the role of these Arg in these loops, the 3D models of these mutants’ enzymes were
constructed in the I-TASSER server and the exact situation of these mutants was studied by the
SPDBV and PyMOL software.

Results:
Overall, the optimum temperature of these mutated enzymes was not changed. However, after
30 min incubation of these mutated enzymes at 30°C, the I108R, T156R, N177R, and wild-type kept the
80%, 50%, 20%, and 20% of their original activity, respectively. It should be noted that substitution of
these residues by Arg preserved the specific activity of firefly luciferase.

Conclusion:
Based on these results, it can be concluded that T156R and N177R mutants by compacting
local protein structure, increased the thermostability of luciferase. However, insertion of positively
charged residues in these positions create the new hydrogen bonds that associated with a series of
structural changes and confirmed by intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and homology
modeling studies.
Computational Protein-Protein Docking Reveals the Therapeutic Potential of Kunitz-type Venom against hKv1.2 Binding Sites
Authors: Khalid Rida , Noureen Nighat , Kamal Mohammad Amjad , Batool Sidra 
Published: March 2019

Background & Objective:
Kunitz-type venoms are bioactive proteins isolated from a wide
variety of venomous animals. These venoms are involved in protease inhibitory activity or potassium
channel blocking activity. Therefore, they are reported as an important source for lead drug candidates
towards protease or channel associated diseases like neurological, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.

Methods:
This study aimed to check the inhibitory action of Kunitz-type venoms against potassium
channels using computational tools.

Results:
Among potassium channels, Human Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel 1.2 (hKv1.2) was
used as a receptor whereas Kunitz-type peptides from the venoms of various species were selected as
ligand dataset.

Conclusion:
This study helped in finding the binding interface between the receptor and ligand dataset
for their potential therapeutic use in treating potassium channelopathies.
Molecular Docking of Azadirachtin in Nuclear Ecdysone Receptor
Authors: de Oliveira Daniel Augusto Barra , da Silva Alcedino Venancio , dos Santos Niculau Edenilson 
Published: March 2019

Background:
The azadirachtin is a triterpenoid associated with growth inhibition
in several kinds of insects which cause epidemic diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya
and Malaria. Azadirachtin acts by inhibiting the Ecdysone Receptor (EcR), which is responsible
from larvae phase in insects. However, the interaction between the azadirachtin
molecule and the Ecdysone Receptor is unknown. In this work, we used the program Dock
Thor to generate several azadirachtin conformations inside the EcR binding site. The ten
most stable conformations were optimized with the ONIOM approach present in the
Gaussian 09 program. The interaction energy was calculated between the azadirachtin
molecule and EcR receptor. Theoretical calculation shows that the azadirachtin molecule
interacts with the same amino acids present in the ecdysone EcR interaction. These results
will be useful to design new EcR inhibitors, which can be used in the control of some diseases
based on insect proliferations.

Objective:
To understand the interaction between the natural insecticide azadirachtin and
the Ecdysone Receptor.

Methods:
A combination of Dock Thor program with QM-MM calculation was used in order
to obtain the most favorable molecular structures.

Results:
The hydrogens bond obtained by Dock Thor Program combined with QM-MM
calculation suggest the azadirachtin interact with EcR in the same way that ecdysone molecule.

Conclusion:
The interaction mode that the molecule azadirachtin inhibits EcR in order to
avoid insect proliferation was described.
Локализация носителей в квантовых точках с одноосной анизотропией формы и состава
Authors: Семина М.А. , Головатенко А.А. , Шубина Т.В. , Родина А.В. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe electronic and hole states in quantum dots (QD) of cubic II–VI semiconductors with a spheroidal shape and uniaxial anisotropy have been studied theoretically. The smooth potential energy profiles simulated by the Gauss function in all three spatial directions are considered. The energy level lowering and the energy splitting of the hole state from the valence band top Γ_8 by momentum 3/2 into the states with projections ±3/2, ±1/2 on the anisotropy axis are analyzed. The QD anisotropies of three types are considered: the QD size anisotropy, the QD potential barrier anisotropy, and the combined anisotropy. In the first case, flattened quantum dots, in which the characteristic size in the structure plane is larger than the size along the anisotropy axis, are considered. In the second case, QDs, in which the potential barrier height in the plane is lower than that along the anisotropy axis, are considered. In the third case, flattened quantum dots with the anisotropy of the size and the potential barrier are considered. The conditions of the charge carrier localization inside QD have been found, and the influence of the form and composition anisotropies on the energies of exciton transitions in the structures with Cd_ x Zn_1 – _ x Se quantum dots are discussed.
TETANUS IMMUNIZATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN: COVERAGE RATE AND RATE OF PROTECTION AT TIME OF DELIVERY
Authors: Aljedry Zamzam Ali Hezam Saleh , Shaib Alia A. , Al-Shamahy Hassan A H. , Al-Jaufy Ahmed Y. 
Published: March 2019

Even though attempts have been effectively applied to eradicate the neonatal tetanus through widespread childhood vaccination and improved conditions at delivery, it remains major cause of infant mortality and continues a problem of public health in developing countries including Yemen. The aims of this study were to determine the tetanus immunization status, the association between the risk factors and failure of protection in pregnant women at time of delivery. This cross-sectional study included 476 women seeking care for delivery at Al Thawra Modern General Hospital and Al Sabain Hospital, women age ranged from 16-49 years old. Immunization information and factors affecting it were obtained through a standard questionnaire. Serum samples were collected and level of IgG antibody against Clostridium tetani was measured by ELISA technique. Protected women were defined as those with serum antibody levels > or = 0.6 IU/ml. The total vaccine covering rate of tetanus was 87%, and maternal vaccine rate was 33.6%, the protective rate at time of delivery was 68.5%. There were significant association between unvaccinated (OR=18.6), older ages (OR=1.7), rural residency (OR=34) and malaria infection during pregnancy (OR=2.9); with protection failure in pregnant women at time of delivery. It can be concluded that the total vaccine coverage rate and antenatal tetanus vaccine rate were insufficient. In addition, the protective rate at time of delivery was low and large numbers of neonate are susceptible to neonatal tetanus and death. Vaccinating every pregnant woman with at least one dose of TT would be an affordable and effective way to protect against neonatal tetanus, and would be a step toward eliminating the deaths that continue to occur due to this preventable disease in Yemen.
Data Resource: the National Pupil Database (NPD)
Authors: Jay Matthew Alexander , Mc Grath-Lone Louise , Gilbert Ruth 
Published: March 2019

IntroductionThe National Pupil Database (NPD) is a record-level administrative data resource curated by the UK government’s Department for Education that is used for funding purposes, school performance tables, policy making, and research.
ProcessesData are sourced from schools, exam awarding bodies, and local authorities who collect data on an on-going basis and submit to the Department for Education either termly or yearly.
Data contentsNPD contains child-level and school-level data on all pupils in state schools in England (6.6 million in the 2016/17 academic year). The primary module is the census, which has information on characteristics and school enrolment. Other modules include alternative provision, exam attainment, absence and exclusions. Data from children’s social care are also available on children referred for support and those who become looked after. Children’s records are linkable across different modules and across time using a nationally unique, anonymised child-level identifier. Linkage to external datasets has also been accomplished using child-level identifiers.
ConclusionsThe NPD is an especially valuable data resource for researchers interested in the educational experience and outcomes of children and young people in England. Although limited by the fact that children in private schools or who are home schooled are not included, it provides a near-complete picture of school trajectories and outcomes for the majority of children. Linkage to other datasets can enhance analyses and provide answers to questions that would otherwise be costly, time consuming and difficult to find.
Vuorovaikutuksen näkökulmia imperatiivisten vuorojen rakenteeseen ja käyttöön
Authors: Lilja Niina 
Published: March 2019

Arvioitu teos:
Marja-Leena Sorjonen, Liisa Raevaara & Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen (toim.): Imperative turns at talk. The design of directives in action. Studies in Language and Social Interaction 30. Amsterdam: John Benjamins 2017. 435 s. isbn 978-90-272-2640-2.
Lukutaito emansipaation välineenä ja yhteisön voimavarana
Authors: Hiidenmaa Pirjo 
Published: March 2019

Arvioitu teos:
Tuija Laine: Aapisen ja katekismuksen tavaamisesta itsenäiseen lukemiseen. Rahvaan lukukulttuurin kehitys varhaismodernina aikana. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura 2017. 210 s. isbn 978-952-222-862-8.
The Economics of ALN: Some Issues
Authors: Arvan Lanny 
Published: March 2019

This paper examines the social cost of ALN. This social cost is considered from several vantage points. First, student time is identified as the primary input in instruction. This time investment is not forthcoming automatically - several incentive problems must be resolved to elicit it. The resolution of these incentive problems entails additional cost. Second, the relationship between ALN and economies of scale in instruction is discussed. One channel for increasing returns is the better matching of instructor attributes with the demands of the course. This happens because the matching occurs in a global "market" rather than a market internal to the educational institution. Third, since distance ALN requires no brick and mortar investment, the paper considers how institutional commitment to quality instruction can be had without the brick and mortar. If there are institutional-specific investments associated with learning how to run a distance-ALN program, then institutional reputation is the likely mechanism. Otherwise, the labor market will require external verification, such as having students in ALN degree programs pass a series of standardized exams, to value such an ALN degree.
Costs for the Development of a Virtual University
Authors: Turoff Murray 
Published: March 2019

This paper is an update of one that the author published in 1982. It deals with the costs and effort required to set up a first class academic program for 2000 students that is made up of students and faculty scattered around the world. The establishment of such a University would cost less than the addition of a single classroom building on a physical college campus (approximately $15 million US).
Understanding the 'Electronic' Student: Analysis of Functional Requirements for Distributed Education
Authors: Carswell Linda , Thomas Pete , Petre Marian , Price Blaine , Richards Mike 
Published: March 2019

This paper describes how the Open University, as a large distance education institution, has used the Internet to transform the learning environment for distance students. We review the process involved in understanding the requirements of distance education students and how they can be supported via the Internet. We describe the tools developed in our Internet-based implementation and how they address the needs of geographically remote learners: electronic student registration, electronic assignment handling, electronic tutorial sessions, and electronic examinations. The paper reflects on the impact of this implementation and the gains in using the Internet for global distance learners, realised in flexible study practices and efficient communiqués.
Implementing Computer Mediated Communication in an Undergraduate Course - A Practical Experience
Authors: Graham Mary , Scarborough Helen , Goodwin Christine 
Published: March 2019

Computer mediated communication (CMC) is used to foster a collaborative learning environment in a number of courses within the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University. This paper examines how this technology has been implemented at the undergraduate level in the School of Economics and some key issues arising from this experience are identified and discussed. Although the practical experience described has been gained from a particular discipline based initiative, the issues raised pertain to all disciplines. The potential provided by integrating technology into the curriculum is exciting, however this paper highlights some of the areas that need consideration when implementing an asynchronous learning network (ALN). No definitive guidelines have been provided, rather the way to maximise educational outcomes will only be found as experience and practical use is extended and shared within the academic community.