bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental Variables of the Seti Gandaki River Basin Pokhara, Nepal
Authors: Pokharel Kishor Kumar , Basnet Khadga Bahadur , Majupuria Trilok Chandra , Baniya Chitra Bahadur 
Published: April 2018

Present paper focuses on the spatio-temporal variations and correlations among the environmental variables of the Seti Gandaki River basin, Pokhara, Nepal. A total of five sites, three along the river and two in tributaries were selected for this study. Water sampling was done fortnightly for environmental variables following standard methods during July 2011 to June 2012. Mean and standard deviation of the environmental variables revealed that the depth (0.9 ± 0.3), pH (8 ± 0.4), total phosphates (PO4) (0.10 ± 0.03) and nitrates (NO3) (0.13 ± 0.04) were normally variable among the sites. But the discharge (40.00 ± 37.00), width (32.30 ± 13.00), turbidity (81.40 ± 51.00), transparency (29.10 ± 15.00), conductivity (166.00 ± 80.00), water temperature (18.00 ±4.00), dissolved oxygen (DO) (8.00 ± 2.00), free carbon dioxide (CO2) (7.00 ± 2.00) and total alkalinity (98.00 ± 22.00) varied among sites equally. Correlation coefficient between the sites and environmental variables revealed that sites were found significantly correlated with water conductivity (r2 = 0.6), DO (r2 = -0.52), and free CO2 (r2 = 0.6); depth of water with width (r2 = 0.94), discharge (r2 = 0.96), turbidity (r2 = 0.71), transparency (r2 = -0.62), water temperature (r2 = 0.60), pH (r2 = -0.52) and DO (r2 = -0.48); water temperature with pH (r2 = -0.54), DO (r2 = -0.79), free CO2 (r2 = 0.69), total alkalinity (r2 = -0.58), total PO4 (r2 = 0.54) and NO3 (r2 = 0.62), etc. The enhancement of turbidity, conductivity, free CO2, phosphates and nitrates, while, suppression of transparency, pH and DO at the urban site indicated the urban influence. Journal of Institute of Science and TechnologyVolume 22, Issue 2, January 2018, page: 129-139
Second Line Drugs Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients
Authors: Tuladhar Pranita , Khadka Dhruba Kumar , Banjara Megha Raj , Tuladhar Reshma 
Published: April 2018

With an increase in Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), there is a need of second line drug susceptibility test that helps in early diagnosis and minimize the risk of other powerful drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to determine second line drugs (ofloxacin, kanamycin, capreomycin) resistance pattern in MDR-TB isolates and to determine the prevalence of pre-Extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR-TB) and XDR-TB in MDR-TB patients. The study was conducted from February to September 2015 at National Tuberculosis Centre, Thimi, Bhaktapur. MDR-TB (resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin) patients’ sputum samples were processed by Modified Petroff’s method. Out of 92 samples, 57 were found culture positive. Following the species identification of culture positive MDR-TB isolates, second line drug susceptibility test was performed by conventional proportion method. Of 57 MDR-TB isolates, 22 (38.59%) showed resistance to ofloxacin (Ofx), 9 (15.79%) to capreomycin (Cm) and 9 (15.79%) to kanamycin (Km). One XDR-TB (1.8%) resistant to all drugs was detected. Of the remaining, 21(36.8%) were resistant to ofloxacin only and 8(15.4%) were resistant to two drugs i.e.29 (50.9%) were pre-XDR-TB. The prevalence of pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB was found to be 50.88% and 1.75% respectively. The resistance pattern of second line anti-tuberculosis drugs showed higher ofloxacin resistance in MDR-TB patients. In a nutshell, MDR-TB cases need urgent and timely susceptibility report for second line anti-tuberculosis drugs to help the clinicians start proper drug combinations to treat MDR-TB patients. Journal of Institute of Science and Technology Volume 22, Issue 2, January 2018, page: 168-174
Status And Effects Of Food Provisioning on Ecology of Assamese Monkey (Macaca Assamensis) In Ramdi Area of Palpa, Nepal
Authors: Adhikari Krishna , Khanal Laxman , Chalise Mukesh Kumar 
Published: April 2018

The population status of Assamese monkey (Macaca assamensis) (McClelland 1840) and its interaction with the local people is poorly documented in Nepal. In 2014, we studied the population status, diurnal time budget and human-monkey conflict in Ramdi, Nepal by direct count, scan sampling and questionnaire survey methods, respectively. Two troops of Assamese monkey having total population of 48 with the mean troop size of 24 individuals were recorded in the study area. The group density was 0.33 groups / km² with a population density of 6 individuals/ km². The male to female adult sex ratio was 1:1.75 and the infant to female ratio was 0.85. The provisioned troop of Assamese monkey in Ramdi spent less time in feeding and movement while higher time was invested in resting and grooming than the nonspecific populations in the wild habitats. The human-monkey conflict is high in Ramdi, primarily due to the crop-raiding from fields and even the storage; the major crops raided are maize, vegetables, pulses and fruits. The higher reproductive success in terms of infant to adult female ratio, increased human-monkey conflicts and lesser investment of the diurnal time in foraging and feeding by Assamese monkey troop of Ramdi might be associated with the food provisioning. Journal of Institute of Science and TechnologyVolume 22, Issue 2, January 2018, Page: 183-190
Industrie 4.0 in der Produktionslogistik
Authors: Blöchl Stefan J. , Schmitt Markus , Schneider Markus , Binder Andrea 
Published: April 2018

Kurzfassung
Produzierende Unternehmen sind mit steigenden Anforderungen hinsichtlich Flexibilität, Wandlungsfähigkeit und Produktivität konfrontiert. Industrie 4.0-Technologien werden in Wissenschaft und Indus-trie als möglicher Lösungsweg diskutiert. Dieser Beitrag stellt eine qualitative Analyse vor, die Erfolgsmerkmale für radikale Prozess-innovationen in Verbindung mit Industrie 4.0-Technologien innerhalb der Produktionslogistik aufzeigt.
Betreibermodelle für den Einsatz von 3D-Druckern
Authors: Müller Maren , Maurer Timo , Hund Eric , Stonis Malte 
Published: April 2018

Kurzfassung
Die 3D-Druck-Technik bietet als additives Fertigungsverfahren vielfältige Vorteile gegenüber konventionellen Verfahren. Bauteile können individualisiert und mit hoher geometrischer Komplexität gefertigt werden. Die Anschaffung von 3D-Druckern in der Produktion ist jedoch mit hohen Investitionskosten verbunden, welches als Haupthinderungsgrund für den Einsatz bei KMU gesehen wird. Mittels Betreibermodellen können produzierende Unternehmen diese Hürde umgehen und 3D-Drucker für ihre Produktion nutzen. Ein Vorgehen für die wirtschaftliche Bewertung des Einsatzes von Betreibermodellen sowie die Hindernisse auf Anbieter- und Nachfragerseite werden im folgenden Beitrag erläutert.
Vernetzung in Cyber-Physischen Produktionssystemen
Authors: Rojas Rafael , Rauch Erwin , Matt Dominik T. 
Published: April 2018

Kurzfassung
In der „Smart Factory“ müssen Cyber-Physische Systeme (CPS) untereinander und mit der Außenwelt synchronisiert werden, um Informationen auszutauschen und Aktionen auszulösen. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Modell für die Gestaltung eines Industrial Internet Systems (IIS) vorgestellt und dessen Umsetzung im Laborumfeld beschrieben. Ziel des industriellen Internet ist dabei eine Homogenisierung und Integration der Kommunikationssysteme von eingesetzten Elementen, wie Maschinen oder Robotern. Hinzu kommt die Schaffung eines zentralen Backbone-Netzwerks, in dem alle wertvollen Informationen für die weitere Analyse großer Datenmengen gesammelt wird.
Frei verkettete Montagesysteme
Authors: Göppert Amon , Hüttemann Guido , Jung Sven , Grunert Dennis , Schmitt Robert 
Published: April 2018

Kurzfassung
Zunehmend kurzfristige Produktintegrationen oder die Skalierung von Absatzmengen stellen kontinuierlich auftretende Herausforderungen für die industrielle Montage dar. Die resultierenden Rekonfigurationen bedingen, durch die komplexe starre Verkettung der Montagesysteme, hohe Zeitaufwände und Kosten. Als Lösungsansatz wird die Organisationsform der freien Verkettung vorgestellt, um anschließend die notwendigen Randbedingungen und erste Ansätze für eine Umsetzung aufzuzeigen.
Modern Methods for the Microscopic Characterization of ZnO Varistor Grain Boundaries
Authors: Raidl N. , Sartory B. , Supancic P. , Danzer R. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
This study examines ceramic varistors made from zinc oxide whose electrical resistance drops by many orders of magnitude within a few nanoseconds when a critical voltage threshold is exceeded. These unusual properties are caused by charges which are build into grain boundaries or accumulate near the grain boundaries. Zinc oxide crystals are polar and piezoelectric. Therefore, the charges in the grain boundary area and thus the electrical properties of the varistor depend on the orientation of the crystals towards the grain boundaries and on the mechanical tensions in the individual crystals. In this study, the microstructures of ZnO varistors, particularly the size and distribution of the grains and their orientation towards the grain boundaries will be examined. Among other things, lock-in thermography with a target preparation of strongly active grain boundaries and EBSD analyses in combination with SEM examinations, ion-etching and wet-chemical etching for the determination of crystal orientations are used. For selected grain boundaries, the electrical resistance in dependence of the applied voltage is determined via Micro-4 pole measurements.
Unusual Crack Formation on an Autoclave during Thermal Cracking Experiments on Anthropogenic Resources
Authors: Schmid A. , Mori G. , Strobl S. , Haubner R. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Thermal cracking experiments were performed on anthropogenic resources (post consumer plastics with PVC impurities) in an autoclave under N2 atmosphere and at 500 °C. After about 48 h, a crack near the flange resulted in pressure loss. Deposits of FeCl2 · 2H2O, NiCl2 · 2H2O and Ni2O2OH could be evidenced on the cracks using XRF and XRD. In the crack itself, mainly Cr2O3 could be found at the crack initiation site, while chlorides of Fe, Cr, and Ni could be observed at the tip of the crack using EDS. Metallographic examinations using V2A and Beraha etchants revealed that the crack propagated transgranularly. The basic structure exhibits not only dendritic segregations (cast structure) but also segregation bands (deformed microstructure). In addition to that, Ti(C,N) precipitations could be found. TiN (yellow) mainly occurred in the core, while TiC (white) was primarily found at the edge of the sample.
Abdominal symptoms and cancer in the abdomen: prospective cohort study in European primary care
Authors: Holtedahl Knut , Hjertholm Peter , Borgquist Lars , Donker Gé A , Buntinx Frank , Weller David , Braaten Tonje , Månsson Jörgen , Strandberg Eva Lena , Campbell Christine , Korevaar Joke C , Parajuli Ranjan 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundDifferent abdominal symptoms may signal cancer, but their role is unclear.AimTo examine associations between abdominal symptoms and subsequent cancer diagnosed in the abdominal region.Design and settingProspective cohort study comprising 493 GPs from surgeries in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.MethodOver a 10-day period, the GPs recorded consecutive consultations and noted: patients who presented with abdominal symptoms pre-specified on the registration form; additional data on non-specific symptoms; and features of the consultation. Eight months later, data on all cancer diagnoses among all study patients in the participating general practices were requested from the GPs.ResultsConsultations with 61 802 patients were recorded and abdominal symptoms were documented in 6264 (10.1%) patients. Malignancy, both abdominal and non-abdominal, was subsequently diagnosed in 511 patients (0.8%). Among patients with a new cancer in the abdomen (n = 251), 175 (69.7%) were diagnosed within 180 days after consultation. In a multivariate model, the highest sex- and age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was for the single symptom of rectal bleeding (HR 19.1, 95% confidence interval = 8.7 to 41.7). Positive predictive values of >3% were found for macroscopic haematuria, rectal bleeding, and involuntary weight loss, with variations according to age and sex. The three symptoms relating to irregular bleeding had particularly high specificity in terms of colorectal, uterine, and bladder cancer.ConclusionsA patient with undiagnosed cancer may present with symptoms or no symptoms. Irregular bleeding must always be explained. Abdominal pain occurs with all types of abdominal cancer and several symptoms may signal colorectal cancer. The findings are important as they influence how GPs think and act, and how they can contribute to an earlier diagnosis of cancer.
Development of a prediction tool for patients presenting with acute cough in primary care: a prognostic study spanning six European countries
Authors: Bruyndonckx Robin , Hens Niel , Verheij Theo JM , Aerts Marc , Ieven Margareta , Butler Christopher C , Little Paul , Goossens Herman , Coenen Samuel ,   The GRACE project group
Published: April 2018

BackgroundAccurate prediction of the course of an acute cough episode could curb antibiotic overprescribing, but is still a major challenge in primary care.AimThe authors set out to develop a new prediction rule for poor outcome (re-consultation with new or worsened symptoms, or hospital admission) in adults presenting to primary care with acute cough.Design and settingData were collected from 2604 adults presenting to primary care with acute cough or symptoms suggestive of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) within the Genomics to combat Resistance against Antibiotics in Community-acquired LRTI in Europe (GRACE; www.grace-lrti.org) Network of Excellence.MethodImportant signs and symptoms for the new prediction rule were found by combining random forest and logistic regression modelling. Performance to predict poor outcome in acute cough patients was compared with that of existing prediction rules, using the models’ area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), and any improvement obtained by including additional test results (C-reactive protein [CRP], blood urea nitrogen [BUN], chest radiography, or aetiology) was evaluated using the same methodology.ResultsThe new prediction rule, included the baseline Risk of poor outcome, Interference with daily activities, number of years stopped Smoking (> or <45 years), severity of Sputum, presence of Crackles, and diastolic blood pressure (> or <85 mmHg) (RISSC85). Though performance of RISSC85 was moderate (sensitivity 62%, specificity 59%, positive predictive value 27%, negative predictive value 86%, AUC 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61 to 0.67), it outperformed all existing prediction rules used today (highest AUC 0.53, 95% CI = 0.51 to 0.56), and could not be significantly improved by including additional test results (highest AUC 0.64, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.68).ConclusionThe new prediction rule outperforms all existing alternatives in predicting poor outcome in adult patients presenting to primary care with acute cough and could not be improved by including additional test results.
Antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from leaves of native Moroccan plants against clinical bacterial isolates
Authors: El Malki Fatima , Eddaraji Kamal , Alloudane Rajae , Greche Hassane , Essalmani Haiat , Barrijal Said 
Published: April 2018

Introduction: Medicinal plants are plentiful of bioactive molecules effective against multi-resistance bacteria. The aims of this study were to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activities of essential oils extracted from three Moroccan aromatic plants.
Methodology: Analysis of essential oils of Origanum compactum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Pelargonium asperum, collected from different localities in Morocco, were performed using a GC-MS spectrophotometry. Antibacterial activity was evaluated in vitro for five clinical multi-resistant isolates.
Results: Origanum showed strong antibacterial activity against tested strains except Pseudomonas aeruginosa while Rosmarinum showed a bactericidal effect against Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Pelargonium presented only slight growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus on solid medium, but provided bactericidal effect against Acinetobacter baumanii and Staphylococcus aureus. Interestingly, fractions F7 and F8 of Pelargonium which represented only 0.3% and 0.1% of the total mass were found bactericidal respectively against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Conclusions: Ours results showed that the antimicrobial activities were variables depending on the chemical composition of essential oils, the fraction used and the microorganism tested.Essential oils fractionation allows detection of bioactive substances, especially those owning antimicrobial activity, present in small quantities.
A Potential Cyclotron Resonant Scattering Feature in the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Pulsar NGC 300 ULX1 Seen by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton
Authors: Walton D. J. , Bachetti M. , Fürst F. , Barret D. , Brightman M. , Fabian A. C. , Grefenstette B. W. , Harrison F. A. , Heida M. , Kennea J. , Kosec P. , Lau R. M. , Madsen K. K. , Middleton M. J. , Pinto C. , Steiner J. F. , Webb N. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Based on phase-resolved broadband spectroscopy using XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, we report on a potential cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) at E ∼ 13 keV in the pulsed spectrum of the recently discovered ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) pulsar NGC 300 ULX1. If this interpretation is correct, the implied magnetic field of the central neutron star is B ∼ 1012 G (assuming scattering by electrons), similar to that estimated from the observed spin-up of the star, and also similar to known Galactic X-ray pulsars. We discuss the implications of this result for the connection between NGC 300 ULX1 and the other known ULX pulsars, particularly in light of the recent discovery of a likely proton cyclotron line in another ULX, M51 ULX-8.
Constitutively Bound EGFR–Mediated Tyrosine Phosphorylation of TLR9 Is Required for Its Ability To Signal
Authors: Veleeparambil Manoj , Poddar Darshana , Abdulkhalek Samar , Kessler Patricia M. , Yamashita Michifumi , Chattopadhyay Saurabh , Sen Ganes C. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Mammalian TLRs recognize microbial infection or cell death–associated danger signals and trigger the appropriate cellular response. These responses determine the strength and the outcome of the host–microbe interaction. TLRs are transmembrane proteins located on the plasma or the endosomal membrane. Their ectodomains recognize specific microbial or endogenous ligands, and the cytoplasmic domains interact with specific proteins to activate intracellular signaling pathways. TLR9, an endosomal TLR, is activated by endocytosed DNA. Activated TLR9 recruits the cytoplasmic adapter MyD88 and other signaling proteins to induce the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines and IFN. Uncontrolled activation of TLR9 leads to the undesired overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and consequent pathogenesis. Therefore, appropriate activation and the regulation of TLR9 signaling are critical. Tyrosine (Tyr) phosphorylation of TLR9 is essential for its activation; however, the role of specific Tyr kinases is not clear. In this article, we report that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a membrane-bound protein Tyr kinase, is essential for TLR9 signaling. Genetic ablation of EGFR or pharmacological inhibition of its kinase activity attenuates TLR9-mediated induction of genes in myeloid and nonmyeloid cell types. EGFR is constitutively bound to TLR9; upon ligand stimulation, it mediates TLR9 Tyr phosphorylation, which leads to the recruitment of MyD88, activation of the signaling kinases and transcription factors, and gene induction. In mice, TLR9-mediated liver injury and death are blocked by an EGFR inhibitor or deletion of the EGFR gene from myeloid cells, which are the major producers of inflammatory cytokines.
TCF-1 Inhibits IL-17 Gene Expression To Restrain Th17 Immunity in a Stage-Specific Manner
Authors: Zhang Jing , He Zhiheng , Sen Subha , Wang Fei , Zhang Qiang , Sun Zuoming 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
T cell factor 1 (TCF-1) is expressed in both developing and mature T cells and has been shown to restrain mature T cell–mediated Th17 responses by inhibiting IL-17 expression. However, it is not clear when TCF-1 is required in vivo to restrain the magnitude of peripheral Th17 responses and what the molecular mechanisms responsible for TCF-1–regulated IL-17 gene expression are. In this study, we showed that conditional deletion of TCF-1 at the early but not later CD4+CD8+ double-positive stage in mice enhanced Th17 differentiation and aggravated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which correlates with abnormally high IL-17 expression. Expression of TCF-1 in TCF-1–deficient thymocytes but not TCF-1–deficient Th17 cells inhibited IL-17 expression. TCF-1 binds to IL-17 promoter regions, and deletion of two TCF-1 binding sites relieves TCF-1–mediated inhibition of IL-17 promoter activity. Lastly, wild-type TCF-1, but not a TCF-1 mutant that has no intrinsic histone deacetylase activity, was able to inhibit IL-17 expression in TCF-1 deficient mouse thymocytes. Thus, our study demonstrates the requirement of TCF-1 in vivo at stages earlier than double-positive cells to restrain peripheral Th17 immunity by directly binding and inhibiting IL-17 promoter in its intrinsic histone deacetylase–dependent manner.
Quantitative efficiency assessment based on the dynamic slack-based network data envelopment analysis for commercial banks in Ghana
Authors: Zhou Zhixiang , Amowine Nelson , Huang Dechun 
Published: April 2018

Background: Gains in bank efficiency improvement have widely been regarded as one of the most effective and efficient means of ensuring sustainability of a financial system. Aim: This article proposes a relative dynamic two-stage network data envelopment analysis model for measurement of bank efficiency based on the slack-based measure. Setting: Twenty-seven banks in Ghana during the period of 2009–2014. Methods: By considering simultaneous processes within the framework of two-stage data envelopment analysis, the slack-based measure approach identifies the sources of inefficiency in the banks. Results: In the empirical analysis, non-performing loans are an undesirable output in one production process, which should also be treated as a carry-over factor; that is to say, some non-performing loans from the preceding year can be collected in the current year. The carry-over factors should be used to indicate the presence of performance gaps that exist in the banks. The proposed model was used to measure the efficiency of the 27 banks in Ghana during the period of 2009–2014. We also present useful suggestions for improvement in bank efficiency based on the empirical results. Conclusion: The 27 main commercial banks in Ghana are far from efficient. For all banks, the efficiency score in the second stage is much higher than that of the first stage. That means more attention should be paid to the first stage of production in order to increase the banks’ efficiency.