bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transfusion strategies in patients with acute coronary syndrome and anemia: a meta-analysis
Authors: Nasir Usama , Waheed Tayyab Ali , Ahuja Keerat Rai , Sandhu Charnjeet Singh , Ameen Muhammad , Hope Earl J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Anemia is a known risk factor for ischemic heart disease and serves as an independent predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This meta-analysis pools data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to better define hemoglobin (Hb) thresholds for transfusion in this setting.

Results

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched using the terms “Acute Coronary Syndrome” AND “Blood Transfusion” including their synonyms. A total of three randomized controlled trials were included. Restrictive transfusion strategy (RTS) was defined as transfusing for Hb ≤ 8 g/dl with a post-transfusion goal of 8 to 10 g/dl. Liberal transfusion strategy (LTS) was defined as Hb ≤ 10 g/dl and post-transfusion goal of at least 11 g/dl. The primary end point was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included recurrent ACS events, new or worsening CHF within 30 days, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The primary analytic method used was random effects model. Out of 821 patients, 400 were randomized to LTS, and 421 to RTS. Mean age was 70.3 years in RTS versus 76.4 in LTS. There was no statistically significant difference for 30-day mortality in LTS compared to RTS [odds ratio (OR) 1.69; 95% CI 0.35 to 8.05]. Similarly, there was no difference in MACE (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.21 to 2.63), CHF (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.18 to 3.76), or the incidence of recurrent ACS (OR 1.21; 95% CI 0.49 to 2.95).

Conclusions

In the setting of ACS, there is no difference between LTS and RTS for the outcomes of mortality, MACE, recurrent ACS, or CHF at 30 days. Further evidence in the form of high-quality RCTs are needed to compare RTS and LTS.
Postoperative Analgesic Efficacy and Safety of Ropivacaine Plus Diprospan for Preemptive Scalp Infiltration in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Han Xueye , Ren Tong , Wang Yang , Ji Nan , Luo Fang
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND:

Preemptive injection of local anesthetics can prevent postoperative pain at the incision site, but the analgesic effect is insufficient and is maintained only for a relatively short period of time. Diprospan is a combination of quick-acting betamethasone sodium phosphate and long-acting betamethasone dipropionate. Whether Diprospan as an adjuvant to local anesthetic can achieve postcraniotomy pain relief has not been studied yet.

METHODS:

This is a prospective, single-center, blinded, randomized, controlled clinical study, which included patients ages 18 and 64 years, with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical statuses of I to III, scheduled for elective supratentorial craniotomy. We screened patients for enrollment from September 3, 2019, to August 15, 2020. The final follow-up was completed on February 15, 2021. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to either the Diprospan group, who received incision-site infiltration of 0.5% ropivacaine plus Diprospan (n = 48), or the control group, who received 0.5% ropivacaine alone (n = 48), with a distribution ratio of 1:1. Primary outcome was the cumulative sufentanil (μg) consumption through patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) within 48 hours after surgery. Primary analysis was performed based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle.

RESULTS:

Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P > .05). In the Diprospan group, the cumulative sufentanil consumption through PCA was 5 (0–16) µg within 48 hours postoperatively, which was significantly lower than that in the control group (38 [30.5–46] µg; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Infiltration of ropivacaine and Diprospan can achieve satisfactory postoperative pain relief after craniotomy; it is a simple, easy, and safe technique, worth clinical promotion.
Queers against Corrective Development
Authors: Rodriguez S.M.
Published: March 2022

Corrections in the United States most often describes the institution that holds custody of criminalized people, purportedly to reform or reorient them from nonnormative behaviors through isolation, constraint, and force. This article puts forward a more expansive understanding of corrections, so that its applicability extends outside the prison or the jail and into the society imprisoned by similar logics: ones that “correct” deviance through coercive and violent practices. The author joins a queer critique of corrections with one of gentrification, the practice of displacing low-income and racialized people through deregulation of housing policy and unimpeded capitalist “development” of neighborhoods. Through the prism of corrective development, we can witness disposability politics as the convergence of hyper-carceralism, police killings, and social exclusion of those imagined as undesirable. Simultaneously, the state makes an invitation to the gentrifying bodies—the idealized body and being for development—which are white, abled, corporate, and hetero- or homonormative. The analysis centers the work of Safe OUTside the System (SOS), a lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, and gender-nonconforming people of color collective in Central Brooklyn using abolitionist, anti-violence community organizing to combat the oppressive matrix utilized by gentrifying bodies.
“I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies”
Authors: Dillon Stephen
Published: March 2022

In this essay, the author examines June Jordan's poetic invocations of violence in order to consider their implications for future abolitionist thought. Jordan uses violence in her poetry to envision ways of feeling and being that make the present impossible and unimaginable and thus make possible new ways of knowing. If antiblack, heteropatriarchial violence makes certain forms of thought impossible, then Jordan smashes “a hammer to his head” to open up other ways of knowing the present, past, and future. As she struggles to name the unspeakable violence of patriarchy, white supremacy, imperialism, war, antiblackness, apartheid, and racial capitalism—to reckon with their crushing and pervasive presence throughout the banality of her life and all life—she also imagines a new, unknowable world made possible by black feminist vengeance. The author argues that this turn to violence in Jordan's thinking indexes a black feminist methodology for breaking open alternative forms of thought that exceed the present in all its repetitious, circuitous, and novel forms of capture.
(Trans)gendering Abolition
Authors: Janak Jaden
Published: March 2022

Black trans people are made visible within dominant media coverage as spectacularized subjects, often coming into view only on being violated by the state and its actors. Yet and still, Black trans counter-hegemonic conceptions of PIC abolition continue to be created amidst this background of terror. Through a close reading of texts, including Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, Cheryl Dunye's Stranger Inside, Jac Gares's Free CeCe!, and songs by Jay-Marie Hill, this article asserts that these works constitute an intellectual archive of Black trans geographies. These geographies challenge the notion of carcerality by offering abolitionist visions of communal care and connectivity. By understanding the role of art in the proliferation of abolitionist struggle, we can appreciate abolition as a gender struggle and encounter more nuanced depictions of Black trans life.
Angiographic, Cerebral Hemodynamic, and Cognitive Outcomes of Indirect Revascularization Surgery Alone for Adult Patients With Misery Perfusion due to Ischemic Moyamoya Disease
Authors: Kimura Kazuto , Kubo Yoshitaka , Dobashi Kazumasa , Katakura Yasukazu , Chida Kohei , Kobayashi Masakazu , Yoshida Kenji , Fujiwara Shunrou , Terasaki Kazunori , Kawamura Tsuyoshi , Ogasawara Kuniaki
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND:

Revascularization surgery for adult patients with ischemic moyamoya disease (MMD) may improve both cognitive function and cerebral perfusion.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine angiographic, cerebral hemodynamic, and cognitive outcomes of indirect revascularization surgery alone for adult patients with misery perfusion due to ischemic MMD (IDR group) and to test the superiority of indirect revascularization surgery for cognitive improvement by conducting comparisons with historical control patients who had undergone direct revascularization surgery (DR group) through prospective cohort study with historical controls.

METHODS:

Twenty adult patients with cerebral misery perfusion underwent encephalo-duro-myo-arterio-pericranial-synangiosis alone. Cerebral angiography through arterial catheterization, brain perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography, and neuropsychological testing were performed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively.

RESULTS:

In 17 patients of the IDR group, collateral flows that were newly formed after surgery on angiograms fed more than one-third of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) cortical territory. In the IDR group, perfusion in the MCA territory was significantly increased after surgery (P < .0001), and the difference in MCA perfusion between before and after surgery was significantly greater (P = .0493) compared with the DR group. Improved cognition was significantly more frequent in the IDR group (65%) than in the DR group (31%, P = .0233).

CONCLUSION:

Indirect revascularization surgery alone forms sufficient collateral circulation, improves cerebral hemodynamics, and recovers cognitive function in adult patients with misery perfusion due to ischemic MMD. The latter 2 beneficial effects may be higher when compared with patients undergoing direct revascularization surgery.
Gender Equality in Neurosurgery and Strategic Goals Toward a More Balanced Workforce
Authors: Plonsker Jillian H. , Benzil Deborah , Air Ellen L. , Woodrow Sarah , Stippler Martina , Ben-Haim Sharona
Published: March 2022

The Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons published a white paper in 2008 setting an ambitious goal for women to comprise 20% of neurosurgery residents by 2012 and 20% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2020. Although there has been steady progress, we have fallen short of these benchmarks. We take this opportunity to look back at the accomplishments made over the past decade and provide an update on our present status. We evaluate current barriers toward progress and propose new goals, highlighting the systemic changes necessary to accomplish them. We propose the following updated recommendations to recruit and retain diverse talent into the neurosurgical workforce. (1) Neurosurgical departments and societies should provide diverse, early formal mentorship opportunities for medical students, residents, and junior faculty members. (2) Parental leave policies must be delineated, promoted, and enforced for all neurosurgeons, with greater awareness of internal discrimination and normalization of the discussion surrounding this topic. (3) We need to strive for compensation equity, with transparency in compensation mechanisms and regular assessment of compensation metrics. (4) Departments and institutions must have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and discrimination and establish a safe reporting structure. Finally, we propose attainable benchmarks toward achieving gender balance in the neurosurgical workforce, with a goal for women to comprise 30% of the entering residency class by 2030 and to comprise 30% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2038. We hope that this will guide further progress toward our future of building a balanced workforce.
Wt1 transcription factor impairs cardiomyocyte specification and drives a phenotypic switch from myocardium to epicardium
Authors: Marques Ines J. , Ernst Alexander , Arora Prateek , Vianin Andrej , Hetke Tanja , Sanz-Morejón Andrés , Naumann Uta , Odriozola Adolfo , Langa Xavier , Andrés-Delgado Laura , Zuber Benoît , Torroja Carlos , Osterwalder Marco , Simões Filipa C. , Englert Christoph , Mercader Nadia
Published: March 2022

During development, the heart grows by addition of progenitor cells to the poles of the primordial heart tube. In the zebrafish, Wilms tumor 1 transcription factor a (wt1a) and b (wt1b) genes are expressed in the pericardium, at the venous pole of the heart. From this pericardial layer, the proepicardium emerges. Proepicardial cells are subsequently transferred to the myocardial surface and form the epicardium, covering the myocardium. We found that while wt1a and wt1b expression is maintained in proepicardial cells, it is downregulated in pericardial cells that contribute cardiomyocytes to the developing heart. Sustained wt1b expression in cardiomyocytes reduced chromatin accessibility of specific genomic loci. Strikingly, a subset of wt1a- and wt1b-expressing cardiomyocytes changed their cell-adhesion properties, delaminated from the myocardium and upregulated epicardial gene expression. Thus, wt1a and wt1b act as a break for cardiomyocyte differentiation, and ectopic wt1a and wt1b expression in cardiomyocytes can lead to their transdifferentiation into epicardial-like cells.
Modeling the catarrhal stage of Bordetella pertussis upper respiratory tract infections in mice
Authors: Soumana Illiassou H. , Dewan Kalyan K. , Linz Bodo , Rivera Israel , Ma Longhuan , Howard Laura K. , Caulfield Amanda D. , Sedney Colleen J. , Blas-Machado Uriel , Sebo Peter , Harvill Eric T.
Published: March 2022

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly transmissible human respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, a human-restricted pathogen. Animal models generally involve pneumonic infections induced by depositing large numbers of bacteria in the lungs of mice. These models have informed us about the molecular pathogenesis of pertussis and guided development of vaccines that successfully protect against severe disease. However, they bypass the catarrhal stage of the disease, when bacteria first colonize and initially grow in the upper respiratory tract. This is a critical and highly transmissible stage of the infection that current vaccines do not prevent. Here, we demonstrate a model system in which B. pertussis robustly and persistently infects the nasopharynx of TLR4-deficient mice, inducing localized inflammation, neutrophil recruitment and mucus production as well as persistent shedding and occasional transmission to cage mates. This novel experimental system will allow the study of the contributions of bacterial factors to colonization of and shedding from the nasopharynx, as occurs during the catarrhal stage of pertussis, and interventions that might better control the ongoing circulation of pertussis.
Preoperative prediction of KRAS mutation status in colorectal cancer using a CT-based radiomics nomogram
Authors: Xue Ting , Peng Hui , Chen Qiaoling , Li Manman , Duan Shaofeng , Feng Feng
Published: March 2022

Objective:

This study aimed to develop a model to predict KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer according to radiomic signatures based on CT and clinical risk factors.

Methods:

This retrospective study included 172 patients with colorectal cancer. All patients were randomized at a 7:3 ratio into a training cohort (n = 121, 38.8% positive for KRAS mutation) and a validation cohort (n = 51, 39.2% positive for KRAS mutation). Radiomics features were extracted from single-slice and full-volume regions of interest on the portal-venous CT images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was adopted to construct a radiomics signature, and logistic regression was applied to select the significant variables to develop the clinical-radiomics model. The predictive performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, calibration curve analysis, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results:

1018 radiomics features were extracted from single-slice and full-volume ROIs. Eight features were retained to construct 2D (two-dimensional, 2D) radiomics model. Similarly, eight features were retained to construct 3D (three-dimensional, 3D) radiomics model. The area under the curve (AUC) values of the test cohort were 0.75 and 0.84, respectively. Delong test showed that the integrated nomogram (AUC = 0.92 in the test cohort) had better clinical predictive efficiency than 2D radiomics (p-value < 0.05) model and 3D radiomics model (p-value < 0.05).

Conclusion:

The 2D and 3D radiomics models can both predict KRAS mutations. And, the integrated nomogram can be better applied to predict KRAS mutation status in colorectal cancer.

Advances in knowledge:

CT-based radiomics showed satisfactory diagnostic significance for the KRAS status in colorectal cancer, the clinical-combined model may be applied in the individual pre-operative prediction of KRAS mutation.
Accounting for the expansion of the universe using an energy/momentum model to construct the space-time metric
Authors: James Hugh
Published: March 2022

Background: The success of the theories of special and general relativity in describing localised phenomena, such as objects undergoing high speed motion or located in gravitational fields, needs no further elaboration. However, when applied to the evolution of the universe several problems arise which can require an additional model, e.g., inflation during the early expansion, and adjustments to parameters to account for phenomena such as the late-time acceleration of the universe.

Methods: Focusing on the difference between the ways in which space and time are measured, this paper shows that there are two paths which allow the equations of special relativity to be produced from the same basic postulates.

Results: While the standard theory assumes a fundamental existence of a coordinate framework which incorporates both space and time, an alternate path is possible which uses an energy/momentum, or dynamic model to derive a new metric equivalent to the standard space-time framework. When utilising the dynamic metric, the relativistic equations are unchanged for local phenomena such as the Lorentz coordinate transformation and the energy/momentum equation for high-velocity objects.

Conclusions: However, the derived metric alters the perceived overall structure of the universe in a manner that, for the simplest model under this system, allows the reproduction of observed cosmological features, such as the intrinsic flatness of the universe and the apparent late-time acceleration of its expansion, without the need of additional models or changes in parameter values.
Prevalence and patterns of tobacco and/or nicotine product use in Japan (2017) after the launch of a heated tobacco product (IQOS®): a cross-sectional study
Authors: Afolalu Esther F. , Langer Peter , Fischer Karina , Roulet Steve , Magnani Pierpaolo
Published: March 2022

Background: Several smoke-free tobacco and/or nicotine-containing products (TNP) have emerged in recent years to support tobacco harm reduction strategies and reduce individual health risks and population harm relative to continued cigarette smoking. This paper describes the nationwide prevalence and patterns of TNP use in Japan following the commercialization of one such smoke-free TNP, the heated tobacco product IQOS® (Philip Morris International).  

Methods: We analyzed the first annual data (2016–2017) of two repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted in a representative sample of the Japanese general adult (≥20 years of age) population (N = 4,878) and a sample of adult IQOS users (N = 2,000). We assessed the prevalence of current TNP use according to type of product (cigarettes, IQOS, e-cigarettes, and other TNPs) in the general population and patterns of TNP use in the IQOS user sample.

Results: The prevalence of current use across all TNP in the sampled general population was 18.5% (95% confidence interval 17.2–19.5%), with 17.5% (16.4–18.6%) for cigarette smoking and 1.8% (1.4–2.2%) for IQOS use. Regarding the distribution of patterns of use in the IQOS user survey, the majority (63.4% [61.2–65.6%]) were exclusive users of IQOS, followed by 20.6% (18.7–22.5%) of individuals who reported dual use of IQOS and cigarettes.

Conclusions: In Japan, cigarette smoking remains the most prevalent way of consuming TNP; however, IQOS is being adopted by a growing number of adult Japanese smokers. These findings serve as baseline data for monitoring trends over time in the use and adoption of potential smoke-free TNP in Japan.
Sulfiredoxin-1 blood mRNA expression levels negatively correlate with hippocampal atrophy and cognitive decline
Authors: Cucos Catalina Anca , Cracana Ioana , Dobre Maria , Popescu Bogdan Ovidiu , Tudose Catalina , Spiru Luiza , Manda Gina , Niculescu Gabriela , Milanesi Elena
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Cognitive decline, correlating with hippocampal atrophy, characterizes several neurodegenerative disorders having a background of low-level chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examined how cognitive decline and hippocampal subfields volume are associated with the expression of redox and inflammatory genes in peripheral blood. We analyzed 34 individuals with different cognitive scores according to Mini-Mental State Examination, corrected by age and education (adjMMSE). We identified a group presenting cognitive decline (CD) with adjMMSE<27 (n=14) and a normal cognition (NC) group with adjMMSE≥27 (n=20). A multiparametric approach, comprising structural magnetic resonance imaging measurement of different hippocampal segments and blood mRNA expression of redox and inflammatory genes was applied.

Results: Our findings indicate that hippocampal segment volumes correlate positively with adjMMSE and negatively with the blood transcript levels of 19 genes, mostly redox genes correlating especially with the left subiculum and presubiculum. A strong negative correlation between hippocampal subfields atrophy and Sulfiredoxin-1 (SRXN1) redox gene was emphasized.

Conclusions: Concluding, these results suggest that SRXN1 might be a valuable candidate blood biomarker for non-invasively monitoring the evolution of hippocampal atrophy in CD patients.
Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury with respect to oxidative stress and inflammatory response: a narrative review
Authors: Choi Eun Kyung , Lim Dong Gun
Published: March 2022

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major complication of liver transplantation, trauma, and shock. This pathological condition can lead to graft dysfunction and rejection in the field of liver transplantation and clinical hepatic dysfunction with increased mortality. Although the pathological mechanisms of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury are very complex, and several intermediators and cells are involved in this phenomenon, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are the key processes that aggravate hepatic injury. This review summarizes the current understanding of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses and, in that respect, addresses the therapeutic approaches to attenuate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury.
MARKETING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT FOR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
Authors: Shichiyakh Rustem A. , Sycheva Irina N. , Chernykh Inna N. , Lebedeva Ekaterina S.
Published: March 2022

Purpose. In the article, it is a marketing strategy for the sustainable development of agricultural enterprises at the regional level that has been developed based on the strategic analysis of animal husbandry.

Materials and methods. The analytical part covers the development of animal husbandry in Russia and abroad as well as the assessment of the state support of the industry at the regional level. Segmentation of the market of the maral breeding complex products was carried out. It should be noted that this paper is the first to have covered the segmentation of the maral breeding complex market of the Altai Republic. Also, a regional marketing strategy for the development of the industry has been designed.

Results. The essence of strategic marketing as a new form of regional economy management has been studied. The necessity of using strategic marketing tools for adapting agro-industrial enterprises to the current market requirements has been substantiated. The role of agromarketing in the development of agriculture is shown. Marketing communications have been determined as one of the tools for the development of animal husbandry.

Conclusion. The article considers regional factors that determine the animal husbandry development in the region. A marketing strategy has been formulated for the sustainable development of the maral breeding complex of the Altai Republic, being applicable to other regions where velvet antler maral breeding plays a significant role in the regional economy.
PRIMARY DISABILITY OF THE ADULT POPULATION DUE TO DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Authors: Puzin Sergey N. , Yakovlev Alexey A. , Lyalina Inna V. , Shurgaya Marina A. , Sharikadze Denis T.
Published: March 2022

Background. Diseases of the circulatory system continue to hold a leading position as a cause of morbidity in the population. Emerging сomplications of diseases of the circulatory system are associated with persistent impairment of health and of Work capacity which is the basis for determining disability.

Purpose. An in-depth analysis of primary disability indicators in the adult population of Moscow due to diseases of the circulatory system.

Materials and methods. The object of the study was “Information on the medical and social examination of persons aged 18 and over” (form 7-social security 2013-2019). Research methods: documentary, copy of the data, statistical and graphic. Statistical data processing was performed using the Statistica 10 and SAS JMP 11 software package.

Results. In the nosological structure of primary disability of the adult population of Moscow due to diseases of the CVD, the first ranking place was taken by peaple who were newly recognized as disabled (PNRD) due to cerebrovascular diseases (CVD), the second – PNRD due to coronary heart disease, the third – PNRD due to “Other diseases of the circulatory system“. Men PNRD and elderly PNRD prevailed in the age-sex structure of primary disability. The greatest differences between nosological contingents were revealed in terms of the proportion of various types of activity limitations of the third degree, which predominantly took place among PNRD due to CVD. The prevailing group of disability was III group.

Conclusion. The revealed features of the dynamics and structure of disability due to diseases of the circulatory system are advisable to use when planning measures to improve the effectiveness of medical and social rehabilitation of disabled people due to this socially significant pathology.
Development of Forms of Public Control over Joint Stock Companies
Authors: Galanov Vladimir , Galanova A.
Published: March 2022

An increase in the number of shareholders which is typical for public joint-stock companies leads to the fact that the direct management of the assets of a joint-stock company is concentrated in the company's top management (top managers) who, not being the owner of its capital, manages it as its own capital. Such inconsistency of the management system in a joint-stock company gives rise to the need to develop external control over it on the part of all other participants in the modern market represented by participants in the stock market, the state, and the public (citizens). The main forms of control on the part of the stock market are the groups of relations regarding the purchase and sale of shares leading both to a change in the composition of shareholders and to a change in the company's management. The most significant part of the relations of the stock market leading to the change of the top management of the company at the will of the market participants relates to the market of corporate control. State control in the sphere of the functioning of joint-stock companies covers not only the regulation and control of their activities but also includes the direct presence of the state as a shareholder of a number of companies important for the country's economy. However, the controlling participation of the state is strongly opposed by those who defend the relationship of private ownership of capital. Civil control over the activities of joint-stock companies is based on the broad development of the media and on the growth of public consciousness in the direction of protecting the environment from the negative impact of capital relations on it. The deep reason for the development of various forms of public control over the activities of joint-stock companies is the transformation of modern society into a society of shareholders, i.e. into a society in which the majority of citizens are not just direct or indirect shareholders who receive their income from share capital but also persons interested in making this capital socially useful.
The Role of Quality Management in the Transition of Organizations to Sustainable Development Model
Authors: Garnova V. , Umnova M.
Published: March 2022

Quality management is a well-studied scientific paradigm widely used in all areas of production, management and scientific activities. A promising area for the use of quality management is its integration with the provisions of the concept of sustainable development, which is not surprising, because both areas are aimed at reducing consumed resources, minimizing waste, long-term perspective and building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. However, in practice, an attempt to transition to sustainability at the same time as maintaining a quality management system is not always feasible due to limited resources, as well as some contradictions between quality and sustainability. This article discusses the impact of quality management on the transformation of organizations on the path to sustainable development based on the examples of specific proposals, methods and approaches.
On Solving a Class of Continuous Traffic Equilibrium Problems and Planning Facility Location Under Congestion
Authors: Wang Zhaodong , Ouyang Yanfeng , She Ruifeng
Published: March 2022

This paper presents methods to obtain analytical solutions to a class of continuous traffic equilibrium problems, where continuously distributed customers from a bounded two-dimensional service region seek service from one of several discretely located facilities via the least congested travel path. We show that under certain conditions, the traffic flux at equilibrium, which is governed by a set of partial differential equations, can be decomposed with respect to each facility and solved analytically. This finding paves the foundation for an efficient solution scheme. Closed-form solution to the equilibrium problem can be obtained readily when the service region has a certain regular shape, or through an additional conformal mapping if the service region has an arbitrary simply connected shape. These results shed light on some interesting properties of traffic equilibrium in a continuous space. This paper also discusses how service facility locations can be easily optimized by incorporating analytical formulas for the total generalized cost of spatially distributed customers under congestion. Examples of application contexts include gates or booths for pedestrian traffic, as well as launching sites for air vehicles. Numerical examples are used to show the superiority of the proposed optimization framework, in terms of both solution quality and computation time, as compared with traditional approaches based on discrete mathematical programming and partial differential equation solution methods. An example with the metro station entrances at the Beijing Railway Station is also presented to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed traffic equilibrium and location design models.
Dynamic Inventory Control with Fixed Setup Costs and Unknown Discrete Demand Distribution
Authors: Davoodi Mehdi , Katehakis Michael N. , Yang Jian
Published: March 2022

When a new product has just been introduced or the economy has just entered a new phase, a firm is often at a loss as to what the underlying demand pattern has become let alone how best to respond to it. In “Dynamic Inventory Control with Fixed Setup Costs and Unknown Discrete Demand Distribution,” Davoodi, Katehakis, and Yang faced off this challenging problem by tailoring ordering decisions to empirical distributions formed out of past demand observations. In the presence of fixed setup costs, however, an (s,S) policy optimal in the conventional known-distribution setting would take many periods for its long-term benefit to be realized. Therefore, a good online policy has to balance between letting ordering decisions settle for long periods and adjusting them frequently to take advantage of newly available information. When properly balanced, such policies could indeed achieve tight bounds for the performance measure of regret.
Air-gapped networks: the myth and the reality
Authors: Aslaner Milad
Published: March 2022

On the face of it, air-gapped computer systems seem to offer airtight protection from a cyber security standpoint. After all, being physically isolated from unsecured networks like the public Internet and local area networks should mean that a computer network is wholly inaccessible to remote threat actors. But are they as secure as most people think?
La política lingüística educativa en torno al catalán desde los titulares de prensa: Un análisis léxico-semántico y discursivo
Authors: El-Founti Zizaoui Amina
Published: March 2022

El objetivo de este artículo es realizar un análisis léxico-semántico y discursivo de un corpus de trescientos titulares procedentes de prensa digital en los que se caracterizan a través de metáforas bélicas las discrepancias surgidas en Cataluña, la Comunidad Valenciana y las Islas Baleares por la aplicación de políticas lingüísticas educativas que, supuestamente, privilegian al catalán en detrimento del español. En esta investigación se pretendía comprobar, asimismo, si los resultados del análisis del corpus se pueden interrelacionar con cuestiones ideológicas como la jerarquización de lenguas en España y el nacionalismo lingüístico. La conclusión a la que se ha llegado es que se produce una confluencia de intereses políticos, a los que la prensa contribuye, con el objetivo de caracterizar de forma conflictiva las políticas lingüísticas en las comunidades autónomas en las que el catalán es lengua cooficial.
Regulating Biobanks: An ethical analysis of the Spanish law and the new challenges of the big data-driven biomedical research
Authors: Iacomussi Sofia
Published: March 2022

In the European landscape, Spain represents a positive reference point when it comes to biobank regulation. Indeed, at the beginning of XXI century, the Spanish legislation has promptly responded to challenges posed by new biotechnologies and advances in genomics in the field of biomedical research by enacting in 2007 the Ley de Investigación Biomédica in order to keep up with the paradigm shift. Over the past 10 years, this Spanish framework along with the Real Decreto 1716/2011 has hold the merit to tackle the most controversial ethical issues related to use of human samples and personal data in biomedical research and biobanking (e.g. broad consent, secondary uses, governance, etc.). However, today the regulation of biomedical research and biobanks has to deal with big data, artificial intelligence and data-intensive research which have brought a number of challenges and controversies. The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, I will analyse from an ethical point of view the merits of Spanish regulation on biobanking in order to draw some lessons for the still unregulated situation in other Member States. Secondly, I will discuss the big data paradigm shift in biomedical research and question if the ethical and legal framework introduced the Spanish law at the beginning of the century is still able to hold the ground with the new contextual and societal challenges. In this respect, I will identify some opportunities for implementation and suggest strategies to achieve them in the specific context of biobanks.
terapia génica en México y España, una aproximación bioética desde la investigación científica
Authors: Olivo Yepez Alvaro , Linares Márquez Pascual , Delgado Encisio Ivan , Morales Romero Zoylo
Published: March 2022

La terapia génica es una línea de investigación que, por medio de la transferencia genética, busca nuevos tratamientos a enfermedades que son difíciles de tratar mediante métodos tradicionales. Esta línea de investigación tiene características específicas para realizarse, como los métodos de transferencia genética y las enfermedades a tratar. No obstante, las características de la terapia génica pueden estar influenciadas por el entorno social, económico y/o político del país donde se realiza, para que la investigación tenga un objetivo y/o aplicación específica. México y España son países que tienen proyectos de terapia génica en sus instituciones educativas y de salud. Sin embargo, se desconocen las características que dicha línea tiene en los países mencionados y la influencia que el contexto de cada país ejerce en la terapia génica.
En el presente estudio se realizó un esfuerzo por identificar las características que la investigación de terapia génica tiene en México y España, por medio de la aplicación de cuestionarios dirigidos a investigadores de ambos países. Se utilizaron tablas de frecuencias para identificar las características generales de la terapia génica de ambos países, así como un análisis correlacional para identificar, entre todas las respuestas obtenidas, las características distintivas de cada país. Los resultados sugieren que la influencia del contexto español presenta las características necesarias para llevar a la terapia génica a una etapa clínica, mientras que el contexto mexicano se limita la promoción de la investigación básica de esta línea de investigación.
COVID-19 y Justicia Social. Un enfoque sindémico de la resistencia a la vacunación
Authors: Orrantia Cavazos José Ramón
Published: March 2022

Las afectaciones por la pandemia de COVID-19 dependen de determinantes socio-culturales que blindan a algunos individuos o grupos de los efectos más severos o vuelven a otros más susceptibles de sufrir daños a su salud, posición social o estabilidad económica. El caso de la vacunación es sintomático de cómo grupos específicos sufren mayor vulnerabilidad por inequidades socioeconómicas y determinantes culturales. Consecuentemente, la resistencia a la vacunación entre estos grupos puede profundizar la vulnerabilidad, por lo que es necesario diseñar estrategias que, al confrontar la resistencia a la vacunación, no dejen de lado aquellas inequidades estructurales que, de no atenderse, seguirán alimentando la suspicacia y renuencia a vacunarse. En este trabajo sostenemos que las políticas de salud pública enfocadas a promover la vacunación pueden beneficiarse de un enfoque sindémico que considere las sinergias entre enfermedades y determinantes socioeconómicas y culturales. Esto implica introducir problemas de justicia social en la planificación de estrategias de salud pública. Haciendo un análisis crítico del trabajo del bioeticista Norman Daniels —quien aborda la importancia moral de la salud pública desde una interpretación de la teoría de la justicia de John Rawls— retomamos las críticas a la justicia como imparcialidad de las posturas comunitarista y de las políticas de la diferencia (específicamente I. M. Young), para mostrar que un enfoque sindémico de la salud pública es indispensable para lograr una vacunación completa: el diseño de estrategias tendrá que considerar los contextos específicos de grupos renuentes a vacunarse para lograr eficiencia a corto, mediano y largo plazo.
Risk management regulation and corporate demand for reinsurance in the Spanish Autarky (1940-1952)
Authors: Gutiérrez González Pablo , Pons Pons Jerònia
Published: March 2022

This paper examines the changes to reinsurance regulation implemented during the Spanish autarky to analyze how the restriction of imports of financial services affects the performance of the insurance and risk management industry. We build a novel dataset on domestic insurers and reinsurers to identify the effects of the barriers to purchasing foreign reinsurance on corporate strategies and ultimately, on the determinants of reinsurance demand. We find that, in spite of a chronic dependence on foreign risk exchange networks, Spanish insurers faced this period of isolation by means of an intensive use of captive reinsurance. This strategy helped to alleviate financial distress and resulted in the substitution of foreign reinsurers by domestic companies, as far as the restrictive regulation was in force.
Una comunidad epistémica para la investigación sobre el español: COMUN-ES
Authors: Fernández Juncal Carmen , Ghezzi Maddalena , Hernández Muñoz Natividad
Published: March 2022

Presentamos en esta aportación el recurso COMUN-ES (http://comun-es.com), plataforma que alberga una comunidad creciente de investigadores en el ámbito de la lengua, la literatura y la cultura hispánicas. Nos detenemos, en primer lugar, en sus fundamentos teóricos, en torno al concepto de comunidad epistémica. En segundo lugar, realizamos un breve recorrido del desarrollo del proyecto para pasar a detallar su estructura y sus funcionalidades. Finalmente analizamos las posibilidades de futuro del recurso, que incluyen también un desplazamiento inverso de las redes virtuales a las presenciales.
Deep learning-based real-time analysis of lightpath optical constellations [Invited]
Authors: Ruiz M. , Sequeira D. , Velasco L.
Published: March 2022

Optical network automation requires accurate physical layer models, not only for provisioning but also for real-time analysis. In particular, in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) constellation analysis enables deep understanding of the characteristics of optical connections (lightpaths), e.g., their length. In this paper, we present methods for modeling lightpaths based on deep learning. Specifically, we propose using autoencoders (AEs) and deep neural networks. Models are trained and composed in a sandbox domain with the information received from the network controller and sent to the node agent that uses them to compare the features extracted from the received signal and the expected features returned by the models. We investigate two different use cases for lightpath analysis focused on lightpath length and optical signal power. The results show a remarkable accuracy for the lightpath modeling and length prediction and a noticeable performance of the AEs for unsupervised IQ constellation feature extraction and relevance analysis.
Simultaneous modal phase and group velocity matching in microstructured optical fibers for second harmonic generation with ultrashort pulses
Authors: Tishchenko Artemii , Geernaert Thomas , Vermeulen Nathalie , Berghmans Francis , Baghdasaryan Tigran
Published: March 2022

Optical fibers provide a favorable medium for nonlinear optical processes owing to the small mode field size and concurrently high optical intensity combined with the extended interaction lengths. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is one of those processes that has been demonstrated in silica glass optical fibers. Since silica is centrosymmetric, generating SHG in an optical fiber requires poling of the glass. In addition and when one wants to use ultrashort pulses for SHG, achieving both phase and group velocity matching is crucial. Although fibers that feature either modal phase velocity or group velocity matching for SHG have been reported, the possibility of simultaneous modal phase and group velocity matching was never reported before. In this paper we address this challenge, and for the first time to our knowledge, we show that it is feasible to do so with silica microstructured optical fibers featuring at least one ring of air holes in the cladding and a heavily Germanium doped core (above 25 mol.%) by exploiting the LP01(ω) and LP02(2ω) modes at 1.06 µm pump and 0.53 µm second harmonic wavelengths. This finding can greatly impact applications requiring waveguide based SHG generation with ultrashort pulses, including microscopy, material characterization and nonlinear imaging.
Acousto-optic interaction in LGS and CTGS crystals
Authors: Buryy O. , Demyanyshyn N. M. , Mytsyk B. G. , Andrushchak A. S. , Sugak D.
Published: March 2022

Based on the matrices of elastic and elasto-optic coefficients, the extreme surfaces of the spatial distribution of the acousto-optic (AO) figure-of-merit М2 for langasite and calcium-tantalum gallosilicate crystals are constructed and analyzed. The determined maximal achievable values of М2 for these crystals are commensurate and twice the maximal value of М2 for quartz. The most effective AO interaction geometries and geometry of cuts for optimized AO cells are given. The investigated crystals, due to the temperature stability, excellent optical quality, resistance to environmental aggression and high optical damage threshold can be used for AO modulators of the ultraviolet spectral range.
Association between knowledge of Human Immunodeficiency Virus transmission and consistent condom use among sexually active men in Nigeria: An analysis of 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey
Authors: Bolarinwa Obasanjo Afolabi , Ajayi Kobi V. , Sah Rajeeb Kumar
Published: March 2022

An estimated 1.7 million people were living with HIV in Nigeria in 2020, with over 86,000 people newly infected. Although the global rates of HIV have remained consistent over time, Nigeria has the second-highest number of people living with HIV and contributes to 9% of the global burden of HIV/AIDS. This is due to several structural and individual-level factors that limit knowledge of HIV and condom utilization. In this context, this study examines the association between knowledge about HIV transmission and consistent condom use among sexually active men in Nigeria. The data utilised in this study was sourced from the latest Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2018. The sample included a total of 9,346 men between the ages of 15–59 years who were sexually active at the time of data collection. Frequency distribution, univariate and multivariable analyses were performed at 95% confidence interval and p-value less than 0.05 to determine the association between the key independent variables and covariates. The results showed that 85.03% of sexually active men who had no knowledge of HIV engaged in inconsistent condom use. The key independent variable showed that sexually active men who had knowledge of HIV had higher odds [AOR = 1.37; 95%(CI = 1.10–1.72)] of consistent condom use compared to those without knowledge of HIV. However, sexually active men who were previously married [AOR = 0.38; 95%(CI = 0.24–0.61)], and those residing in the South Eastern region of Nigeria [AOR = 0.62; 95%(CI = 0.44–0.96)] had lower odds of consistent condom use. This study established the association between HIV knowledge and consistent condom use among sexually active males in Nigeria even after controlling for confounders. Educational level, wealth index, and ethnicity are also associated with condom use. This calls for the consideration of social determinants of health, localised and cultural health promotion and targeted public health strategies at all governmental levels to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria.