bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urocitograma y parto (futuro en la obstetricia)
Authors: López Escobar G. , Mendoza César
Published: August 2020

La determinación de la fecha probable del parto se ha basado desde hace largo tiempo en la medida de la altura uterina por uno u otro método, la estimación del peso fetal, la correlación de la fecha de la última menstruación y de los primeros movimientos percibidos por la paciente, la madurez del cuello y en ocasiones en estudios radiológicos. Pero como de todos es bien sabido esta apreciación sometida a grandes causas de error es tan solo muy aproximada. Así mismo aunque es corriente hablar de senilidad placentaria a los nueve meses, puesto que se piensa que la placenta es un órgano que sufre un proceso de envejecimiento acelerado, las investigaciones hormonales no han servido para fijar la fecha del parto ya que no hay acuerdo entre los investigadores, pues a tiempo que unos señalan fibrosis, endarteritis e infartos (Grosser, Young, Bartholomew, Eden, Frases, Williams) (11) y disminución progresiva del consumo de oxígeno (Wang, Heilman) (11), otros anotan que la cantidad de estrógeno y progesterona producida por la placenta alcanza sus mayores niveles a término (Smith y Smith, Cohe, Probstner) (11) y que la tasa de transferencia del sodio radioactivo aumenta seis veces de la 12ª o la 40ª semana (Gellhorn y Flexner) (11) lo que indicaría una mayor actividad placentaria a término.
La triple biopsia para carcinoma del seno
Authors: Quijano M. Hugo
Published: August 2020

La gran incidencia de carcinoma del seno en nuestro medio, segundo lugar después del carcinoma del cervix y tercero después del carcinoma cutáneo y del cuello uterino en las neoplasias en general, nos ha guiado a hacer un breve comentario sobre los tratamientos actuales para el carcinoma del seno, y a exponer una línea de conducta para obtener los mejores resultados en el tratamiento curativo del carcinoma del seno.En un estudio realizado en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, se reportan 516 casos durante los años 1946 a 1952, lo cual da un promedio de 73.7 casos por año.El presente estudio se refiere a 43 casos, relativamente seleccionados, de mayo de 1955 a septiembre de 1957.
Varices en las embarazadas
Authors: Oviedo G. J. M.
Published: August 2020

Cuando llega al médico una señora en embarazo, a consultar para las molestias que se le presentan en sus piernas varicosas, el médico se halla ante un caso que parece de una trivialidad desconcertante. Cree que no tiene más que limitarse a aconsejar medias elásticas, vendajes, reposo y determinada posición para las piernas, dejando en ella la impresión de que no hay nada que hacer en esa época, debe aguardar a que pase su puerperio para darle solución. Porque el público conoce cómo deja de ser problema una vez concluido el embarazo; si sus venas continúan varicosas no presentan la sintomatología actúa! y se hacen más hevaderas, por lo menos, hasta que no se presente otro embarazo. Pero hay casos, en general numerosos, donde las várices constituyen una verdadera enfermedad, por variada cantidad de síntomas y trastornos, que pueden conducir hasta la incapacidad, que no se pueden pasar por alto, dejando para otra época su solución; sino iniciar el tratamiento buscando un resultado definitivo o para dar un alivio mientras se pueda acometer uno radical. Para estos casos, muy numerosos, de corriente observación, es donde el obstetra se encuentra en una posición que estimó está por resolver. Estas líneas sou un aporte mínimo a esa solución, que sin pretender dar una pauta definitiva sí pueden ser el comienzo de poder trazar una conducta recta en la interpretación y tratamiento de dolencias tan frecuentes. Este trabajo resume las experiencias de varios autores cuyas prácticas he seguido modificándoles para obtener unidad y es, además, la corrección de mis fracasos y errores iniciales, se fundamenta sobre un número reducido de casos, pero suficientes como para sacar conclusiones.
Coworking Spaces as a Driver of the Post-Fordist City: a Tool for Building a Creative Ecosystem
Authors: Bednář Pavel , Danko Lukáš
Published: August 2020

Collaborative places nurture creativity and efficiency of cultural and creative industries. Research in collaborative places revealed they are essential for networking and cooperation in the creative ecosystem. The results of studies focusing on competitiveness of coworking spaces and their effect on boosting entrepreneurship are rather vague. Furthermore, an awareness of how coworking spaces stimulate coworkers to engage in urban regeneration through local community initiatives is limited. Hence, this study seeks to provide an insight into coworking spaces from the organizational perspective devoted to entrepreneurship and competitiveness. Simultaneously, the paper aims to reveal synergies between creative communities and local development. The method of data gathering consists of semi-structured in-depth interviews with managers and entrepreneurs from selected countries of the EU applying the grounded theory for their analysis. The results suggest that coworking spaces indicate a boosting of the entrepreneurship of the creative class through collective projects. These activities tend to stimulate knowledge creation and open innovation in the creative ecosystem that benefit local development. Coworking spaces also represent a driving force to initiate and maintain a dialogue between the creative ecosystem and local authorities for culture-led urban development.
The Mortality Structure of Populations the Demographic and Socio-Economic Situation in European Union Countries: Development and Differentiation in the Period 2011–2014
Authors: Hübelová Dana , Kozumplíková Alice , Walicová Veronika
Published: August 2020

The purpose of the study is to compare the differentiation of the demographic and socio-economic indicators and the structure of mortality of the population in EU countries in the period 2011–2014. The composite indicator of mortality structure revealed the most favourable situation in Finland (134.4%), while the worst situation was found in Hungary (63.8%). The best demographic and socio-economic situation was found in Luxembourg (165.4%) and the worst in Hungary (64.9%), Greece (65.9%) or Lithuania (67.3%). The regression model equation shows that the mortality structure is strongly affected by the variables of life expectancy at birth and education. It is evident that there was a differentiation in the demographic and socio-economic indicators in EU countries in the period 2011–2014, while there was no unambiguous trend of the convergence of the mortality structure among EU countries.
Urban Strategic Planning from the Perspective of Well-Being: Evaluation of the Hungarian Practice
Authors: Bajmócy Zoltán , Gébert Judit , Málovics György , Berki Boglárka Méreiné , Juhász Judit
Published: August 2020

The present paper evaluates Hungarian strategic urban planning from the perspective of well-being. It conceptualises well-being in line with Amartya Sen’s capability approach (CA). We argue that the CA provides a meaningful concept of common good or public interest for evaluation. The open-ended nature of CA allows one to embrace the complexity of strategic planning, but it is definite enough to provide a clear normative framework for evaluation. We base our conclusions on 49 interviews with various local actors in three second-tier cities. We conclude that the CA-based evaluation can supplement the dominantly used conformance or performance-based evaluation approaches. We also found that instead of depicting an unachievable ideal state, the CA is able to provide guidance for feasible steps to further well-being.
Transit in Regional Economic Development: The Case of the Kaliningrad Exclave
Authors: Voloshenko Ksenia Yu. , Gumenyuk Ivan S. , Arne Roos Nils Göran
Published: August 2020

The study analyses the role of the transit function in the development of a regional transport system drawing on the example of the Kaliningrad exclave region (Russia). The article studies the role and extent of the impact of changes in the volume and structure of transit operations on the value-added creation in the regional economy. The assessment of the transit function was conducted using analytical software for strategizing and situational forecasting of the socio-economic development of the Kaliningrad region, the analogue of which is the CGE-model. The article describes the results of the regional value-added modelling based on the integrated index of gross regional product (GRP) and the changing volume and structure of transit cargo. The article explores the transit specialisation options for the Kaliningrad region based on different scenarios of its social and economic development and the changes in external factors. The results can be applied to similar studies on assessing the transit potential of a particular territory and developing measures to support the transportation system development in other regions.
Classification of brain tumours using radiomic features on MRI
Authors: Cinarer Gokalp , Emiroglu Bulent Gursel
Published: August 2020

Glioma is one of the most common brain tumours among the diagnoses of existing brain tumours. Glioma grades are important factors that should be known in the treatment of brain tumours. In this study, the radiomic features of gliomas were analysed and glioma grades were classified by Gaussian Naive Bayes algorithm. Glioma tumours of 121 patients of Grade II and Grade III were examined. The glioma tumours were segmented with the Grow Cut Algorithm and the 3D feature of tumour magnetic resonance imaging images were obtained with the 3D Slicer programme. The obtained quantitative values were statistically analysed with Spearman and Mann–Whitney U tests and 21 features with statistically significant properties were selected from 107 features. The results showed that the best performing among the algorithms was Gaussian Naive Bayes algorithm with 80% accuracy. Machine learning and feature selection techniques can be used in the analysis of gliomas as well as pathological evaluations in glioma grading processes.

 

Keywords: Radiomics, glioma, naive bayes.
Environmental Governance as a Model of Environmental Management
Authors: Kristianto Budi
Published: August 2020

The concept of environmental governance does not promise practical solutions and provides short guidance in solving intertwined environmental problems in Indonesia. But at least environmental concept is useful when we try to realize environmental management in Indonesia currently. The worst is that the mistake has become routine manifesting in pragmatism in environmental management. Before it all too late, it is better that we keep in mind a German proverb in the beginning of this writing, which more or less, means “ we do not know what the future brings, but we know that we should act.”
Design of Infiltration Well in Wetlands Area that Suitable for Giving Maximum Groundwater Recharge
Authors: Prasetia Irfan
Published: August 2020

Growth in residential, industrial, and office  area,are significantly occurred in all city in Indonesia. Unfortunately, this is also caused more land that being covered by pavement and concrete in the cities. Realized or not it will disturb the availability of the groundwater and also lead to flooding in the rainy season. One of the effective solutions to solve this problem is by making sufficient numbers of infiltration well in the city, especially in the residential area. This research was conducted to analyze the ideal design of the infiltration well in the residential area. The design was made according to the equation by Sunjoto, which also refers to Indonesia standard (SNI) No: 03- 2453-2002. The results show that the ideal dimension for the infiltration well is to use the radius of the well (R) of 1.25 m. With the R of 1.25 will give a significant recharge to the groundwater as much as ≈ 2.400 liter. It is expected that this research encourage a development in the urban drainage systems which will consider the environment and the groundwater reservation for the balance of our ecosystem.
Intuitive Representation of Computable Knowledge
Authors: Vercruysse Steven , Kuiper Martin
Published: August 2020

Scientific progress is increasingly dependent on knowledge in computation-ready forms. In the life sciences, among others, many scientists therefore extract and structure knowledge from the literature. In a process called manual curation, they enter knowledge into spreadsheets, or into databases where it serves their and many others' research. Valuable as these curation efforts are, the range and detail of what can practically be captured and shared remains limited, because of the constraints of current curation tools. Many important contextual aspects of observations described in literature simply do not fit in the form defined by these tools, and thus cannot be captured. Here we present the design of an easy-to-use, general-purpose method and interface, that enables the precise semantic capture of virtually unlimited types of information and details, using only a minimal set of building blocks. Scientists from any discipline can use this to convert any complex knowledge into a form that is easily readable and meaningful for both humans and computers. The method VSM forms a universal and high-level language for encoding ideas, and for interacting with digital knowledge.
Supervised Classification of Normal and Tumorous Brain MR Images Using Machine Learning Schemes
Authors: Lim Jia Qi , Alias Norma , Johar Farhana
Published: August 2020

Manual interpretation of these huge amounts of image volumes are susceptible to inter-reader variability and human error. Thus, accurate automated CAD scheme is highly desirable in clinical pathological diagnosis. In this research, plethora of machine learning paradigms (e.g. feature extraction, dimensionality reduction and supervised classification methods) were explored, evaluated, compared and analyzed to identify the optimal pathway for brain MR images (normal vs neoplastic) binary classification task. External validation dataset was used to test the generalizability of the optimal predictive models implemented. Relevant and informative features were selected to construct cross-validated decision tree and eventually simple rule set was built based on the decision tree. The experimental results show that almost all pattern recognition paradigms achieve high accuracy with careful selection of number of attributes. LDA+ELM with 55 features are the optimal pipelines which achieve perfect classification when training and test data are of same source; and achieving (accuracy=97.5%, AUC=0.989, sensitivity=95% and specificity=100%) under balanced test dataset; (accuracy=99.5%, AUC=0.988, sensitivity=95% and specificity=100%). Cross-validated decision tree model also shows comparable performance: accuracy=98.8%, AUC=99.1%, sensitivity=99.6% and specificity=98.2%. Three highly relevant and robust attributes are visualized and selected for construction of decision tree models and finally a rule sets are read directly off the decision tree. This rule sets can potentially serve as fast and accurate classification algorithm.
A Novel Integrated Machine & Business Intelligence Framework for Sensor Data Analysis
Authors: akiri Kalyani , b Venkat Rao
Published: August 2020

Increased smart devices in various industries is creating numerous sensors in each of the equipment prompting the need for methods and models for sensor data. Current research proposes a systematic approach to analyze the data generated from sensors attached to industrial equipment. The methodology involves data cleaning, preprocessing, basics statistics, outlier, and anomaly detection. Present study presents the prediction of RUL by using various Machine Learning models like Regression, Polynomial Regression, Random Forest, Decision Tree, XG Boost. Hyper Parameter Optimization is performed to find the optimal parameters for each variable. In each of the model for RUL prediction RMSE, MAE are compared. Outcome of the RUL prediction should be useful for decision maker to drive the business decision; hence Binary classification is performed, and business case analysis is performed. Business case analysis includes the cost of maintenance and cost of non-maintaining a particular asset. Current research is aimed at integrating the machine intelligence and business intelligence so that the industrial operations optimized both in resource and profit.
Opportunities and Challenges to Implementation of LIFI
Authors: Abdullah Mohammad , Hussan Sameed ul , Safdar Salman
Published: August 2020

LIFI was first introduce by Professor Harald Haas on July 2011. Light fidelity (LI-FI) may be a technology which uses light as a medium to travel from one place to a different. It uses Light like Light Emitting Diode (LED) visible radiation Communication (VLC) for data Transferring and Internet connection. LIFI may be a technique which uses light as a medium because it uses light to travel it's 20 times faster than any WIFI within the world. during this paper we speak about things like what's LIFI and the way it's better then WIFI why we want LIFI and What changes did bring LIFI in our Future LIFI. How it'll make IOT devices far better than before The Technique to implement LIFI and also the problem we face of implementation of LIFI
Do The Textbooks Reflect the Curriculum? A Comparative Analysis of Social Studies Textbooks Taught in Public and Private Sector in Pakistan
Authors: Khan Mashaal Raza , Nadeem Hamid Ali , . Namood-e-Sahar
Published: August 2020

Text book ought to be viewed as one of the numerous sources educators can attract after making a powerful exercise and may offer a system of direction and introduction. The analysis of textbook forms a necessary part in academics so as to devise the most appropriate content. The present study made a comparative account of textbooks for Grade 5 Social studies taught in public (i.e., Punjab textbook) and private sector (Oxford textbook) of Pakistan. The comparison was made on key features and on themes suggested by National Curriculum Council (2017) as a standard for textbook publishers. The findings demonstrated that both books contain activities and are clearly written, however, PTB is cheaper, possess low paper quality than OTB and was revised in 2018 whereas OTB has not revised since 2010. It is also suggested that both textbooks do not contain enough information as per NCC’s standard. It is suggested that government should take notice about it and publishers should be bound to deliver only that material in education sector that is according to the devised set of standards.
Multi-Drug-Resistance in Drug-Naive and Drug-Exposed Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines Responds Differently to Cell Culture Dimensionality
Authors: Koshkin Vasilij , Oliveira Mariana Bleker de , Peng Chun , Aiiles Laurie , Liu Geoffrey , Covens Allan , Krylov Sergey N.
Published: August 2020

Does cell clustering influence intrinsic and acquired multi-drug resistance (MDR) differently? To address this question, we studied cultured monolayers (representing individual cells) and cultured spheroids (representing clusters) formed by drug-naïve (intrinsic MDR) and drug-exposed (acquired MDR) lines of ovarian cancer A2780 cells by cytometry of reaction rate constant (CRRC). MDR efflux was characterized by accurate and robust “cell number vs. MDR efflux rate constant (kMDR)” histograms. Both drug-naïve and drug-exposed monolayer cells presented unimodal histograms; the histogram of drug-exposed cells was shifted towards higher kMDR value suggesting greater MDR activity. Spheroids of drug-naïve cells presented a bimodal histogram indicating the presence of two subpopulations with different MDR activity. In contrast, spheroids of drug-exposed cells presented a unimodal histogram qualitatively similar to that of the monolayers of drug-exposed cells but with a moderate shift towards greater MDR activity. The observed greater effect of cell clustering on intrinsic than on acquired MDR can help guide the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting clusters of circulating tumor cells.
Exploring the Regulatory Potential of Long Non-Coding RNA in Feed Efficiency of Indicine Cattle
Authors: Alexandre Pamela A. , Reverter Antonio , Porto-Neto Laercio R. , Berezin Roberta B. , Ribeiro Gabriela , Santana Miguel Henrique Almeida , Ferraz José Bento Sterman , Fukumasu Heidge
Published: August 2020

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) can regulate several aspects of gene expression, being associated with complex phenotypes in humans and livestock species. In taurine beef cattle, recent evidence points to the involvement of lncRNA in feed efficiency (FE), a proxy for increased productivity and sustainability. Here, we hypothesized specific regulatory roles of lncRNA in FE of indicine cattle. Using RNA-Seq data from liver, muscle, hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal gland from Nellore bulls with divergent FE, we submitted new transcripts to a series of filters to confidently predict lncRNA. Then, we identified lncRNA that were differentially expressed (DE) and/or key regulators of FE. Finally, we explored lncRNA genomic location and interactions with miRNA and mRNA to infer potential function. We were able to identify 126 relevant lncRNA for FE in Bos indicus, some with high homology to previously identified lncRNA in Bos taurus and some possible specific regulators of FE in indicine cattle. Moreover, lncRNA identified here were linked to previously described mechanisms related to FE in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and are expected to help elucidate this complex phenotype. This study contributes to expanding the catalogue of lncRNA, particularly in indicine cattle, and identifies candidates for further studies in animal selection and management.
OVOL1/2: Drivers of Epithelial Differentiation in Development, Disease and Reprogramming
Authors: Saxena Kritika , Srikrishnan Syamanthak , Celia-Terrassa Toni , Jolly Mohit Kumar
Published: August 2020

OVOL proteins (OVOL1 and OVOL2), vertebrate homologs of Drosophila OVO, are critical regulators of epithelial lineage determination and differentiation during embryonic development in tissues such as kidney, skin, mammary epithelia, testis. OVOL inhibits EMT and can promote MET; moreover, they can regulate the stemness of cancer cells, thus playing an important role during cancer cell metastasis. Due to their central role in differentiation and maintenance of epithelial lineage, OVOL overexpression has been shown to be capable of reprogramming fibroblasts to epithelial cells. Here, we review the roles of OVOL mediated epithelial differentiation across multiple contexts – embryonic development, cancer progression, and cellular reprogramming.
Osteoclasts and Microgravity
Authors: Smith John
Published: August 2020

Astronauts are at risk of losing 1.0 to 1.5% of their bone mass for every month they spend in space despite their adherence to high impact exercise training programs and dietary regimens designed to preserve their musculoskeletal system. This loss is the result of microgravity-related impairment of osteocyte and osteoblast function and the consequent upregulation of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. This review describes the ontogeny of osteoclast hematopoietic stem cells, the contributions of macrophage colony stimulating factor, activator of NFkB and the calcineurin pathways make in osteoclast differentiation, and provides details of bone formation, the osteoclast cytoskeleton, the immune regulation of osteoclasts, and osteoclast mechanotransduction on Earth, in the microgravity of space, and in conditions of simulated microgravity. The article discusses the need to better understand how osteoclasts are able to function in zero gravity and reviews current and prospective therapies that may be used to treat osteoclast-mediated bone disease.
Long-term Existence of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 Patients: Host Immunity, Viral Virulence, and Transmissibility
Authors: Jin Meilin , Wang Xingyu , Jiang Haini , Hua Lijuan , Yu Weiwei , ding dan , wang ke , Li Xiaopan , Huang Kun , zou Zhong , Xu Shuyun
Published: August 2020

COVID-19 patients can recover with a median SARS-CoV-2 clearance of 20 days post initial symptoms (PIS). However, we observed some COVID-19 patients with existing SARS-CoV-2 for more than 50 days PIS. This study aimed to investigate the cause of viral clearance delay and the infectivity in these patients. Demographic data and clinical characteristics of 22 long-term COVID-19 patients were collected. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid, peripheral lymphocyte count, and functionality were assessed. SARS-CoV-2-specific and neutralization antibodies were detected, followed by virus isolation and genome sequencing. The median age of the studied cohort was 59.83±12.94 years. All patients were clinically cured after long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection ranging from 53 to 112 days PIS. Peripheral lymphocytes counts were normal. Interferon gamma (IFN-ƴ)-generated CD4+ and CD8+ cells were normal as 24.68±9.60% and 66.41±14.87%. However, the number of IFN-ƴ-generated NK cells diminished (58.03±11.78%). All patients presented detectable IgG, which positively correlated with mild neutralizing activity (ID50=157.2, P=0.05). SARS-CoV-2 was not isolated, and a cytopathic effect was lacking. Only three synonymous variants were identified in spike protein coding regions. In conclusion, decreased IFN-γ production by NK cells and low neutralizing antibodies might favor SARS-CoV-2 long-term existence. Further, low viral load and weak viral pathogenicity was observed in COVID-19 patients with long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Induced Resistance to Striga hermonthica in Sorghum by Gamma Irradiation
Authors: Nikiema Minimassom P. , Yonli Djibril , Rabefiraisana Harimialimalala J. , Ali Adel , Ouédraogo Nofou , Traoré Hamidou , Yanogo Hamidou Y. A. , Dao Karim , Sawadogo Mahamadou , Jankuloski Ljupcho , Ivan Ingelbrecht , Abdelbagi Mukhtar Ali Ghanim
Published: August 2020

Striga species affect the potential productivity of cereals in sub-saharian Africa due to the lack of durable Striga-resistance in host crops. This study aimed at inducing new source of resistance in sorghum using gamma irradiation. Dry seeds of three Sorghum varieties; Grinkan, ICV1049 and Sariaso14 were gamma-irradiated with 200 Gy, 300 Gy, 400 Gy and 500 Gy. Screening strategies involved a 2-year field and greenhouse experiments, where mutant Sorghum families, their parents and resistant control were artificially infected with Striga hermonthica seeds. Field screenings revealedinduced genetic variability among them, forty families significantly reduced the number of emerged Striga plants or showed good Sorghum grain yield performance despite the infection by S. hermonthica ecotype from Burkina Faso. The induced putative resistant mutants were identified across the the four applied irradiation doses. Greenhouse experiment confirmed Striga resistance in seven mutant Sorghum families leading to no emergence of Burkina’s S. hermonthica ecotype along with high resistance index (RI) and low Striga damage score. Among them, two mutants SA38M5 and IC47M5 withstood S. hermonthica ecotype from Sudan and S. asiatica ecotype from Madagascar. The induced mutants will be evaluated for release to farmers for commercial production. Further studies are ongoing on confirmed mutants to highlight their Striga resistance mechanisms and explore the potential of pyramiding different mechanism to produce durable resistance to S. hermonthica in sorghum.
A Scientometric Analysis of Catalysis Research
Authors: Ciriminna Rosaria , Simakova Irina L. , Pagliaro Mario , Murzin Dmitry Yu.
Published: August 2020

The outcomes of the present scientometric analysis of research in catalysis provide chemistry and catalysis scholars with a closer bibliometric knowledge of an old and central field of chemical research which is being reshaped by fundamental and technological advances spanning from single-atom heterogeneous catalysis to flow chemistry. Improving and widening research and education in catalysis is a strategic need for national economies. Four research policy guidelines aimed at fostering progress in catalysis research and education conclude the study.
Varying Newton Constant and Black Hole to White Hole Quantum Tunneling
Authors: Volovik Grigory
Published: August 2020

The thermodynamics of black holes is discussed for the case, when the Newton constant G is not a constant, but is the thermodynamic variable. This gives for the first law of the Schwarzschild black hole thermodynamics: d S BH = − A d K + d M T BH , where the gravitational coupling K = 1 / 4 G , M is the black hole mass, A is the area of horizon, and T BH is Hawking temperature. From this first law it follows that the dimensionless quantity M 2 / K is the adiabatic invariant, which in principle can be quantized if to follow the Bekenstein conjecture. From the Euclidean action for the black hole it follows that K and A serve as dynamically conjugate variables. This allows us to calculate the quantum tunneling from the black hole to the white hole, and determine the temperature and entropy of the white hole.
Happy Hens or Healthy Eggs: A Content Analysis of Supermarket Egg Box Graphics.
Authors: Hill Kristine
Published: August 2020

How a species is represented by marketers of animal-based products both reflects and shapes how consumers think about that animal. By examining the explicit statements, and implicit messages encoded in the imagery on supermarket egg boxes, this paper explores how hens are represented by whole egg retailers. Content analysis reveals two prominent messages purveyed through eggbox graphics, namely those pertaining to hen welfare and human health. The later disenfranchises hens from their products by focusing on the nutritional value of eggs, whereas the former reflects a public concern for the welfare of egg-laying hens. Although claims of improvements in welfare practices are undoubtedly exploited as marketing tools, they serve to raise awareness and drive competitors to adopt similar practices. Welfare claims are a direct response to public concerns about the plight of hens, and may positively influence industry welfare standards. However, idyllic depictions displayed on eggboxes also lull consumers into the belief that those eggs are an ethically sound food choice, regardless of the actual standard of living experienced by the hens.
Title: Lung-molGPA in EGFR-mutated Adenocarcinoma: Prognostic Implications of Molecular Subtypes and Targeted Therapies
Authors: Kuan Feng-Che , Shi Chung-Sheng , Yang Wei-Hsun , Lin Meng-Hung , Lai Hung-Yi , Huang Chun-Chieh , Yang Cheng-Ta
Published: August 2020

EGFR mutations are heterogenous but all carry the same weighting in the Lung-molGPA. The aim of this study was to elucidate the different prognostic implications of molecular subtypes and frontline TKIs in EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma with synchronous brain metastases (BM) using the Lung-molGPA. Medical records were searched in hospital databases from 2011 to 2015. Patients with EGFR-mutated adenocarcinoma and brain metastases who received TKIs were included. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 256 patients were included with a median overall survival (OS) of 17.2 months. In multivariate analysis of OS, only age (70 versus <70 years, HR:1.71, 95% CI:1.25-2.35, p<0.001), KPS (<70 versus 70, HR:1.71, 95% CI:1.26-2.31, p<0.001), and rare mutations (other versus exon 19 deletions, HR:1.78, 95% CI:1.04-3.05, p=0.037) remained statistically significant. In patients with a Lung-molGPA score 2.5, EGFR molecular subtypes had different median OS (exon 19 deletions versus Leu858Arg versus other, 18.8 vs 12.4 vs 12.1 months, p=0.021). In conclusion, different molecular subtypes treated with frontline TKIs have different prognostic implications in the Lung-molGPA. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings.
Assessment of the KID Procedure on a Mo–oxo Complex, an Open–Shell System
Authors: Martínez-Araya Jorge , Glossman-Mitnik Daniel
Published: August 2020

The KID (Koopmans in DFT) procedure usually applies in organic molecules of the closed–shell type. We used the KID procedure in an open–shell system for the first time to choose the most suitable density functional to compute global and local reactivity descriptors coming from the Conceptual Density–Functional Theory. From a set of 18 density functionals spread from the second until the fourth rung of the Jacob’s ladder: BP86, B97-D, BLYP, CAM-B3LYP, M06-L, M11-L, MN12-L, B3LYP, PBE0, N12-SX, M06-2X, M11, MN12-SX, CAM-B3LYP, LC-ωHPBE, ωB97X-D, APFD, MN15 and MN15-L, we concluded that CAM-B3LYP provides the best outcome.
An Efficient Radio Frequency Interference Recognition Using End-to-end Transfer Learning
Authors: Ujan Sahar , Navidi Neda , Jr Landry Rene
Published: August 2020

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) detection and characterization play a critical role to in ensuring the security of all wireless communication networks. Advances in Machine Learning (ML) have led to the deployment of many robust techniques dealing with various types of RFI. To sidestep an unavoidable complicated feature extraction step in ML, this paper proposes an efficient end-to-end method using the latest advances in deep learning to extract the appropriate features of the RFI signal. Moreover, this study utilizes the benefits of transfer learning to determine both the type of received RFI signals and their modulation types. To this end, the scalogram of the received signals is used as the input of the pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNN), followed by a fully-connected classifier. This study considers a digital video stream as the signal of interest (SoI), transmitted in a real-time satellite-to-ground communication using DVB-S2 standards. To create the RFI dataset, the SoI is combined with three well-known jammers namely, continuous-wave interference (CWI), multi- continuous-wave interference (MCWI), and chirp interference (CI). This study investigated four well-known pre-trained CNN architectures, namely, AlexNet, VGG-16, GoogleNet, and ResNet-18, for the feature extraction to recognize the visual RFI patterns directly from pixel images with minimal preprocessing. Moreover, the robustness of the proposed classifiers is evaluated by the data generated at different signal to noise ratios (SNR).
Comparative Pathology of Domestic Pigs and Wild Boar Infected with the Moderately Virulent African Swine Fever Virus Strain “Estonia 2014”
Authors: Sehl Julia , Pikalo Jutta , Schäfer Alexander , Franzke Kati , Pannhorst Katrin , Elnagar Ahmed , Blohm Ulrike , Blome Sandra , Breithaupt Angele
Published: August 2020

Endemically infected European wild boar are considered a major reservoir of African swine fever virus in Europe. While high lethality was observed in the majority of field cases, strains of moderate virulence occurred in the Baltic States. One of these, “Estonia 2014”, led to a higher number of clinically healthy, antibody-positive animals in the hunting bag of North-Eastern Estonia. Experimental characterization showed high virulence in wild boar but moderate virulence in domestic pigs. Putative pathogenic differences between wild boar and domestic pigs are unresolved and comparative pathological studies are limited. We here report on a kinetic experiment in both subspecies. Three animals each were euthanized at 4, 7 and 10 days post infection (dpi). Clinical data confirmed higher virulence in wild boar although macroscopy and viral genome load in blood and tissues were comparable in both subspecies. The percentage of viral antigen positive myeloid cells tested by flow cytometry did not differ significantly in most tissues. Only immunohistochemistry revealed consistently higher viral antigen loads in wild boar tissues in particular 7 dpi, whereas domestic pigs already eliminated the virus. The moderate virulence in domestic pigs could be explained by a more effective viral clearance.
Drought Modulated Boreal Forest Fire Occurrence and Linkage with La Nina Events in Altai Mountains, Northwest China
Authors: Shi Chunming , Liang Ying , Gao Cong , Zhao Fengjun , Wang Qiuhua , Shu Lifu
Published: August 2020

Warming-induced drought stress and El Nino associated summer precipitation failure are responsible for increased forest fire intensities of tropical and temperate forests in Asia and Australia. However, both effects are unclear for boreal forests, the largest biome and carbon stock over land. Here we combined fire frequency, burned area and climate data in the Altai boreal forests, the southmost extension of Siberia boreal forest into China, and explored their link with ENSO (El Nino and South Oscillation). Surprisingly, both summer drought severity and fire occurrence have shown significant (P<0.05) teleconnections with La Nina events of the previous year, and therefore provide an important reference for forest fire prediction and prevention in Altai. Despite a significant warming trend, the increased moisture over Altai has largely offset the effect of warming-induced drought stress, and lead to an insignificant fire frequency trend in the last decades, and largely reduced burned area since the 1980s. The reduced burned area could also benefit from the fire suppression efforts and greatly increased investment in fire prevention since 1987.
Root System Architecture, Copper Uptake and Tissue Distribution in Soybean (Glycine max cv. Kowsar) Grown in Copper Oxide Nanoparticles (CuONPs) Amended Soil and Implications to Human Nutrition
Authors: Yusefi-Tanha Elham , Fallah Sina , Rostamnejadi Ali , Pokhrel Lok
Published: August 2020

Understanding potential uptake and biodistribution of engineered nanoparticles in soil-grown plants is imperative for toxicity and risk assessment considering the oral exposure of edibles by humans. Herein, we assessed potential influence of particle size (25, 50, and 250 nm) and concentration (0, 50, 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg-soil) of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) on: (1) the root system architecture, and the physicochemical attributes of soil at the soil-root interface, (2) leading to Cu transport and accumulation in root, stem, leaf and seed in soybean (Glycine max cv Kowsar) grown for entire lifecycle of 120 days, and compared with soluble Cu2+ ions and water-only controls, and (3) performed a comparative assessment of total seed Cu levels in soybean with other valuable food sources for Cu intake and discussed its human health implications. Our findings showed particle size- and concentration-dependent influence of CuONPs on Cu uptake and tissue distribution in root, stem, leaf and seed in soybean. Alterations in root architecture (root dry weight, root length, root volume, and root area) were dependent on the Cu compound type, Cu concentrations, and their interactions (p<0.05), except for root density. Concentration-response relationships for all three sized CuONPs, and Cu2+ ions, were linear. CuONPs and Cu2+ ions had inhibitory effects on root growth and development. Overall, soybean responses to smallest size CuONPs-25 nm were higher for all parameters investigated compared to two larger sized CuONPs (50 nm, 250 nm) or Cu2+ ions. Cu uptake/bioaccumulation differed among soybean tissues in the order: root > leaf > stem > seed. Despite reduced root architecture and seed yield, our smallest size CuONPs-25 nm led to increased total seed Cu uptake compared to the larger sized CuONPs and Cu2+ ions tested. Our findings also suggest that soil amendment by CuONPs, more so by the smallest size CuONPs-25 nm, could significantly improve nutritional Cu value in soybean seed as reflected by % Daily Values (DV), and are rated “Good” to “Very Good” according to the “World’s Healthiest Foods” rating. However, until the potential toxicity and risk from consumption of soybean seed is characterized in humans, caution should be exercised when the Cu fortified seeds are used for daily human consumption when addressing Cu deficiency and associated illnesses, globally.
COVID-19 Pandemic Severity, Lockdown Regimes, and People’s Mobility: Evidence from 88 Countries
Authors: Rahman Md Mokhlesur , Thill Jean-Claude , Paul Kamal Chandra
Published: August 2020

This study empirically investigates the complex interplay between the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, mobility changes in retail and recreation, transit stations, workplaces, and residential areas, and lockdown measures in 88 countries of the word. To conduct the study, data on mobility patterns, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of people, lockdown measures, and coronavirus pandemic were collected from multiple sources (e.g., Google, UNDP, UN, BBC, Oxford University, Worldometer). A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique is used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of independent variables on dependent variables considering the intervening effects of mediators. Results show that lockdown measures have significant effects to encourage people to maintain social distancing. However, pandemic severity and socioeconomic and institutional factors have limited effects to sustain social distancing practice. The results also explain that socioeconomic and institutional factors of urbanity and modernity have significant effects on pandemic severity. Countries with a higher number of elderly people, employment in the service sector, and higher globalization trend are the worst victims of the coronavirus pandemic (e.g., USA, UK, Italy, and Spain). Social distancing measures are reasonably effective at tempering the severity of the pandemic.
Biased Opioid Antagonists as Modulators of Opioid Dependence: Opportunities to Improve Pain Therapy and Opioid Use Management
Authors: Sadee Wolfgang , Oberdick John , Wang Zaijie
Published: August 2020

Opioid analgesics are effective pain therapeutics but cause various adverse effects and addiction. For safer pain therapy, biased opioid agonists selectively target distinct m opioid receptor (MOR) conformations, while the potential of biased opioid antagonists has been neglected. Agonists convert a dormant receptor form (MOR-m) to a ligand-free active form (MOR-m*), which mediates MOR signaling. Moreover, MOR-m converts spontaneously to MOR-m* (basal signaling). Persistent upregulation of MOR-m* has been invoked as a hallmark of opioid dependence. Contrasting interactions with both MOR-m and MOR-m* can account for distinct pharmacological characteristics of inverse agonists (naltrexone), neutral antagonists (6b-naltrexol), and mixed opioid agonist-antagonists (buprenorphine). Upon binding to MOR-m*, naltrexone but not 6b-naltrexol suppresses MOR-m*signaling. Naltrexone blocks opioid analgesia non-competitively at MOR-m*with high potency, whereas 6BN must compete with agonists at MOR-m, accounting for ~100-fold lower in vivo potency. Buprenorphine’s bell-shaped dose-response curve may also result from opposing effects on MOR-m and MOR-m*. In contrast, we find that 6b-naltrexol potently prevents dependence, below doses affecting analgesia or causing withdrawal, possibly binding to MOR conformations relevant to opioid dependence. We propose that 6b-naltrexol is a biased opioid antagonist modulating opioid dependence at low doses, opening novel avenues for opioid pain therapy and use management.
90 Days of COVID-19 Social Distancing and Its Impacts on Air Quality and Health in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Debone Daniela , da Costa Mariana , Miraglia Simone
Published: August 2020

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by spreading rapidly a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has imposed a unique situation for the humanity. Sao Paulo has reported 124,105 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,623 deaths up to June 14th, being considered the epicenter of the pandemic in Brazil and in South America. Due to the measures for social distancing, there was a drop in the air pollution concentration in Sao Paulo. Starting on March 16th, 2020, we broke 90 days of social distancing into 13 weeks and compared to an equivalent period in 2019. We investigated the air quality improvement during the quarantine period and compared the associated avoided deaths to COVID-19 burden deaths. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was the best indicator of air quality in the analyzed weeks, since its reduction reached 58 %. Our study showed that the 5,623 deaths occurred during the analyzed weeks of quarantine represents an economic health loss of US$ 10.5 billion. In opposite, we observed a significant air quality improvement due to pollutants concentrations’ reductions during the analyzed weeks. Considering PM10, PM2.5 and NO2, the decrease of concentration levels respectively avoided 78, 337 and 387 premature deaths and prevented up to US$ 1.5 billion on health costs. These results highlight the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations and measures to protect human health both during and after COVID-19 pandemic.
Measuring and Modelling the Epithelial Mesenchymal Hybrid State in Cancer: Clinical Implications
Authors: Jolly Mohit Kumar , Murphy Ryan J. , Bhatia Sugandha , Whitfield Holly J. , Davis Melissa J. , Thompson Erik W.
Published: August 2020

The epithelial-mesenchymal (E/M) hybrid state has emerged as an important mediator of the elements of cancer progression facilitated by epithelial mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). We review here the evidence for the presence and prognostic potential of E/M hybrid state in carcinoma, modelling predictions and validations studies to demonstrate stabilised E/M hybrid intermediates along the spectrum of EMP, and computational approaches for characterising and quantifying EMP phenotypes, with particular attention to the emerging realm of single-cell approaches through RNA sequencing and protein-based approaches.