bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pathways to service access for pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in rural Bangladesh: Exploring women’s care-seeking
Authors: Dempsey Amy , Sripad Pooja , Sultana Kanij , Kirk Karen , Hossain Sharif Mohammed Ismail , Warren Charlotte
Published: February 2021

Background

While women in low- and middle-income countries face a range of barriers to accessing care for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, there is little understanding of the pathways taken to overcome these constraints and reach the services they need. This study explores the perspectives of women and communities on the influences that impact care-seeking decisions and pathways to health services.

Methods

To understand individual perspectives, we conducted 22 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia survivors (PE/E) in a tertiary hospital, where they received care after initiating PE/E services in different parts of the country. In four districts, we conducted one male and one female focus group discussion (FGD) to unearth care-seeking pathways and explore normative perspectives and the range of internal and external influences. Careful thematic analysis using Atlas-ti was applied.

Results

Prevailing views of women and communities across settings in Bangladesh indicate varied pathways to care throughout their pregnancy, during childbirth, and in the postnatal period influenced by internal and external factors at the individual, familial, social, and health systems levels. Internal influences draw on women’s own awareness of hypertension complications and options, and their ability to decide to seek care. External factors include social influences like family and community norms, culturally-accepted alternatives, and community perceptions of the health system’s capacity to provide quality care. The interaction of these factors often delay care seeking and can lead to complex pathways to care.

Conclusion

Women’s individual pathways to care were diverse, despite the homogenous community perceptions of the influences on women’s care-seeking behaviors. This finding supports the need for improving quality of care in primary healthcare facilities and strengthening gender equity and community-based promotion activities through targeted policy and programming.
Reliability and reproducibility of cardiac MRI quantification of peak exercise function with long-axis views
Authors: Kirkham Amy A. , Goonasekera Michelle V. , Mattiello Brenna C. , Grenier Justin G. , Haykowsky Mark J. , Thompson Richard B.
Published: February 2021

The conventional approach to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) involving breath holds, electrocardiography-gating, and acquisition of a short-axis (SAX) image stack, introduces technical and logistical challenges for assessing exercise left ventricular (LV) function. Real-time, free-breathing CMR acquisition of long-axis (LAX) images overcomes these issues and also enables assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS). We evaluated the reliability of a free-breathing LAX approach compared to the standard SAX approach and the reproducibility of free-breathing LAX. LV SAX (contiguous stack) and LAX (two-chamber and four-chamber) 3T CMR cine images were acquired four times within one scan in 32 women with cardiovascular risk factors (56±10 years, 28±4 kg/m2) as follows: 1) resting, gated-segmented, end-expiration breath-hold; 2) resting, real-time, free-breathing; 3) test-retest set of resting, real-time, free-breathing; 4) peak exercise (incremental-to-maximum, in-magnet, stepper test), real-time, free-breathing. A second scan was performed within one week in a subset (n = 5) to determine reproducibility of peak exercise measures. Reliability and agreement of the free-breathing LAX approach with the conventional SAX approach were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots, respectively. Normal control GLS reserve was also acquired in a separate set of 12 young, healthy control women (25±4 years, 22±2 kg/m2) for comparison. Comparisons of LV volumes and function among all techniques at rest had good-to-excellent reliability (ICC = 0.80–0.96), and excellent reliability between peak exercise free-breathing LAX and SAX evaluations (ICC = 0.92–0.96). Higher resting heart rates with free-breathing acquisitions compared to breath-hold (mean difference, limits of agreement: 5, 1–12 beats per minute) reduced reliability for cardiac output (ICC = 0.67–0.79). Reproducibility of the free-breathing LAX approach was good-to-excellent at rest and peak exercise (ICC = 0.74–0.99). GLS exercise reserve was impaired in older women at cardiovascular risk compared to young healthy women (-4.7±2.3% vs -7.4±2.1%, p = 0.001). Real-time, free-breathing CMR with LAX evaluation provides a reliable and reproducible method to assess rest and peak exercise cardiac function, including GLS.
Gene expression profiles of liver cancer cell lines reveal two hepatocyte-like and fibroblast-like clusters
Authors: Fukuyama Keita , Asagiri Masataka , Sugimoto Masahiro , Tsushima Hiraki , Seo Satoru , Taura Kojiro , Uemoto Shinji , Iwaisako Keiko
Published: February 2021

Cancer cell lines are widely used in basic research to study cancer development, growth, invasion, or metastasis. They are also used for the development and screening of anticancer drugs. However, there are no clear criteria for choosing the most suitable cell lines among the wide variety of cancer cell lines commercially available for research, and the choice is often based on previously published reports. Here, we investigated the characteristics of liver cancer cell lines by analyzing the gene expression data available in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia. Unsupervised clustering analysis of 28 liver cancer cell lines yielded two main clusters. One cluster showed a gene expression pattern similar to that of hepatocytes, and the other showed a pattern similar to that of fibroblasts. Analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma gene expression profiles available in The Cancer Genome Atlas showed that the gene expression patterns in most hepatoma tissues were similar to those in the hepatocyte-like cluster. With respect to liver cancer research, our findings may be useful for selecting an appropriate cell line for a specific study objective. Furthermore, our approach of utilizing a public database for comparing the properties of cell lines could be an attractive cell line selection strategy that can be applied to other fields of research.
Diphtheria outbreak in Jakarta and Tangerang, Indonesia: Epidemiological and clinical predictor factors for death
Authors: Arguni Eggi , Karyanti Mulya Rahma , Satari Hindra Irawan , Hadinegoro Sri Rezeki
Published: February 2021

Background

In 2017, a diphtheria outbreak occurred in several provinces in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of mortality outcome of pediatric patients with clinical diphtheria.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using patient medical records at five referral hospitals in the Province of Jakarta and one in Tangerang District, Banten Province during January 2017 to 31 August 2018. All children in the age group of 1–18 years old discharged with diagnosis of clinical diphtheria formed the study group. All anonymized patient data were evaluated for demographic issues, clinical features, immunization status, complication, laboratory profiles and outcome.

Results

A total of 283 patients with clinical diphtheria were included in the study group with case fatality rate of 3.5%. All mortal patients had the complication of myocarditis. Regression analyses revealed factors for predicting mortality. Incomplete primary diphtheria toxoid immunization, stridor, bull neck, leukocytosis ≥15 x109 cells/L and thrombocytopenia ≤150 x109 cells/L in each combination for 2 predictors modeling were correlated with death.

Conclusions

We report key predictors of mortality in pediatric patients with clinical diphtheria. The presence of these features when admitted to the hospital must be taken into account, because they can lead to fatal outcome.
Predicting mortality of patients with acute kidney injury in the ICU using XGBoost model
Authors: Liu Jialin , Wu Jinfa , Liu Siru , Li Mengdie , Hu Kunchang , Li Ke
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The goal of this study is to construct a mortality prediction model using the XGBoot (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) decision tree model for AKI (acute kidney injury) patients in the ICU (intensive care unit), and to compare its performance with that of three other machine learning models.

Methods

We used the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) for model development and performance comparison. The prediction performance of the XGBoot model was compared with the other three machine learning models. These models included LR (logistic regression), SVM (support vector machines), and RF (random forest). In the model comparison, the AUROC (area under receiver operating curve), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score were used to evaluate the predictive performance of each model.

Results

A total of 7548 AKI patients were analyzed in this study. The overall in-hospital mortality of AKI patients was 16.35%. The best performing algorithm in this study was XGBoost with the highest AUROC (0.796, p < 0.01), F1(0.922, p < 0.01) and accuracy (0.860). The precision (0.860) and recall (0.994) of the XGBoost model rank second among the four models.

Conclusion

XGBoot model had obvious advantages of performance compared to the other machine learning models. This will be helpful for risk identification and early intervention for AKI patients at risk of death.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of seasonal influenza vaccination in healthcare workers, Honduras
Authors: Madewell Zachary J. , Chacón-Fuentes Rafael , Jara Jorge , Mejía-Santos Homer , Molina Ida-Berenice , Alvis-Estrada Juan Pablo , Ortiz Maria-Renee , Coello-Licona Rosa , Montejo Belinda
Published: February 2021

Background

Seasonal influenza is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease that may cause high morbidity and mortality in susceptible populations. Healthcare workers are a priority group for seasonal influenza vaccination to protect them from contracting influenza and prevent nosocomial transmission to patients. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of seasonal influenza vaccination among healthcare workers in Honduras.

Method

From August 24 to October 21, 2018, we conducted a cross-sectional KAP survey regarding seasonal influenza vaccination to a random sample of healthcare workers who attended patients in hospitals of the Ministry of Health of Honduras (SESAL) and Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS). We reported frequency distributions of demographics, vaccination KAP, sources of information, and reasons for non-vaccination. We used principal components factor analysis to create knowledge and attitude scores. We used linear regression to analyze associations between demographics and sources of information about the influenza vaccine, and knowledge and attitude scores. We used logistic regression to analyze associations between demographics, sources of information, knowledge scores, and attitude scores, and influenza vaccination.

Result

We surveyed 947 healthcare workers who attended patients in 13 SESAL hospitals and two IHSS hospitals. Only 4.6% of participants knew the seasonal influenza vaccine was composed of inactivated viruses, 94.7% believed vaccination causes flu-like symptoms, and 52.0% were vaccinated for influenza in 2018. Knowledge scores were lower for nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals compared to doctors, and higher for healthcare workers who attended a healthcare facility training (P-values≤0.030). Attitude scores were higher for healthcare workers who attended ≥11 patients per day having ≤10 patients per day as reference, self-reported influenza vaccination in previous year, and cited trainings and informal information at the healthcare facility as sources of information for influenza vaccination (P-values≤0.030). Factors associated with self-reported vaccination were self-reported influenza vaccination in previous year (aOR: 7.61; 95% CI: 5.24–11.04), attitude score (aOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07–1.21), and worked in a SESAL hospital (aOR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.12–2.68) having IHSS as reference.

Conclusion

Although influenza vaccination is required by law in Honduras and available for free in public health centers, coverage of healthcare workers in 2018 was half that reported in 2017. Lower coverage may be attributed to misconceptions of vaccination side effects.
Continuous home monitoring of Parkinson’s disease using inertial sensors: A systematic review
Authors: Sica Marco , Tedesco Salvatore , Crowe Colum , Kenny Lorna , Moore Kevin , Timmons Suzanne , Barton John , O’Flynn Brendan , Komaris Dimitrios-Sokratis
Published: February 2021

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder of the central nervous system that deteriorates motor functions, while it is also accompanied by a large diversity of non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment and mood changes, hallucinations, and sleep disturbance. Parkinsonism is evaluated during clinical examinations and appropriate medical treatments are directed towards alleviating symptoms. Tri-axial accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers could be adopted to support clinicians in the decision-making process by objectively quantifying the patient’s condition. In this context, at-home data collections aim to capture motor function during daily living and unobstructedly assess the patients’ status and the disease’s symptoms for prolonged time periods. This review aims to collate existing literature on PD monitoring using inertial sensors while it focuses on papers with at least one free-living data capture unsupervised either directly or via videotapes. Twenty-four papers were selected at the end of the process: fourteen investigated gait impairments, eight of which focused on walking, three on turning, two on falls, and one on physical activity; ten articles on the other hand examined symptoms, including bradykinesia, tremor, dyskinesia, and motor state fluctuations in the on/off phenomenon. In summary, inertial sensors are capable of gathering data over a long period of time and have the potential to facilitate the monitoring of people with Parkinson’s, providing relevant information about their motor status. Concerning gait impairments, kinematic parameters (such as duration of gait cycle, step length, and velocity) were typically used to discern PD from healthy subjects, whereas for symptoms’ assessment, researchers were capable of achieving accuracies of over 90% in a free-living environment. Further investigations should be focused on the development of ad-hoc hardware and software capable of providing real-time feedback to clinicians and patients. In addition, features such as the wearability of the system and user comfort, set-up process, and instructions for use, need to be strongly considered in the development of wearable sensors for PD monitoring.
Evaluation of the ocular surface mycobiota in clinically normal horses
Authors: Walsh Mary L. , Meason-Smith Courtney , Arnold Carolyn , Suchodolski Jan S. , Scott Erin M.
Published: February 2021

The eye is host to myriad bacterial, fungal, and viral organisms that likely influence ocular surface physiology in normal and diseased states. The ocular surface mycobiota of horses has not yet been described using NGS techniques. This study aimed to characterize the ocular surface fungal microbiota (mycobiota) in healthy horses in 2 environmental conditions (stalled versus pasture). Conjunctival swabs of both eyes were obtained from 7 adult stallions stabled in an open-air pavilion and 5 adult mares living on pasture. Genomic DNA was extracted from ocular surface swabs and sequenced using primers that target the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) region of the fungal genome on an Illumina platform. Sequences were processed using Quantitative Insights Into Molecular Ecology (QIIME 2.0) and taxonomy assigned with the Findley et al. 2013 ITS1 database. The most abundant genera identified wereLeptosphaerulina(22.7%),unclassified Pleosporaceae(17.3%),Cladosporium(16.2%),Alternaria(9.8%),unclassified Pleosporales(4.4%),unclassified Montagnulaceae(2.9%),Fusarium(2.5%), andPestalotiopsis(1.4%). Fungal community composition (Jaccard, R = 0.460, p = 0.001) and structure (Bray-Curtis, R = 0.811, p = 0.001) were significantly different between pastured mares and stabled stallions. The ocular surface of pastured mares had significantly increased fungal species richness and diversity compared to stabled stallions (Shannon p = 0.0224, Chao1 p = 0.0118, Observed OTUs p = 0.0241). Relative abundances ofAspergillus(p = 0.005) andAlternariaspp. (p = 0.002) were significantly increased in the mycobiota of pastured mares. This is the first report to describe the mycobiota of the equine ocular surface. Environmental factors such as housing influence the composition, structure, and richness of the equine ocular surface mycobiota.
Aerosol generation and control in the dental operatory: An in vitro spectrometric study of typical clinical setups
Authors: Kun-Szabó Fruzsina , Gheorghita Dorottya , Ajtai Tibor , Hodovány Szabolcs , Bozóki Zoltán , Braunitzer Gábor , Antal Márk Ádám
Published: February 2021

Dental turbines and scalers, used every day in dental operatories, feature built-in water spray that generates considerable amounts of water aerosol. The problem is that it is not exactly known how much. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, several aerosol safety recommendations have been issued—based on little empirical evidence, as almost no data are available on the exact aerosol concentrations generated during dental treatment. Similarly, little is known about the differences in the efficacy of different commercially available aerosol control systems to reduce in-treatment aerosol load. In thisin vitrostudy, we used spectrometry to explore these questions. The time-dependent effect of conventional airing on aerosol concentrations was also studied. Everyday patient treatment situations were modeled. The test setups were defined by the applied instrument and its spray direction (high-speed turbine with direct/indirect airspray or ultrasonic scaler with indirect airspray) and the applied aerosol control system (the conventional high-volume evacuator or a lately introduced aerosol exhaustor). Two parameters were analyzed: total number concentration in the entire measurement range of the spectrometer and total number concentration within the 60 to 384 nm range. The results suggest that instrument type and spray direction significantly influence the resulting aerosol concentrations. Aerosol generation by the ultrasonic scaler is easily controlled. As for the high-speed turbine, the efficiency of control might depend on how exactly the instrument is used during a treatment. The results suggest that scenarios where the airspray is frequently directed toward the air of the operatory are the most difficult to control. The tested control systems did not differ in their efficiency, but the study could not provide conclusive results in this respect. With conventional airing through windows with a standard fan, a safety airing period of at least 15 minutes between treatments is recommended.
The feeding microstructure of male and female mice
Authors: Rathod Yakshkumar Dilipbhai , Di Fulvio Mauricio
Published: February 2021

The feeding pattern and control of energy intake in mice housed in groups are poorly understood. Here, we determined and quantified the normal feeding microstructure of social male and female mice of the C57BL/6J genetic background fed a chow diet. Mice at 10w, 20w and 30w of age showed the expected increase in lean and fat mass, being the latter more pronounced and variable in males than in females. Under ad libitum conditions, 20w and 30w old females housed in groups showed significantly increased daily energy intake when adjusted to body weight relative to age-matched males. This was the combined result of small increases in energy intake during the nocturnal and diurnal photoperiods of the day without major changes in the circadian pattern of energy intake or spontaneous ambulatory activity. The analysis of the feeding microstructure suggests sex- and age-related contributions of meal size, meal frequency and intermeal interval to the control of energy intake under stable energy balance, but not under negative energy balance imposed by prolonged fasting. During the night, 10-20w old females ate less frequently bigger meals and spent more time eating them resulting in reduced net energy intake relative to age-matched males. In addition, male and female mice at all ages tested significantly shortened the intermeal interval during the first hours of re-feeding in response to fasting without affecting meal size. Further, 20-30w old males lengthened their intermeal interval as re-feeding time increased to reach fed-levels faster than age-matched females. Collectively, our results suggest that the physiological mechanisms controlling meal size (satiation) and the non-eating time spent between meals (satiety) during stable or negative energy balance are regulated in a sex- and age-dependent manner in social mice.
Challenges and benefits of using unstructured citizen science data to estimate seasonal timing of bird migration across large scales
Authors: Weisshaupt Nadja , Lehikoinen Aleksi , Mäkinen Terhi , Koistinen Jarmo
Published: February 2021

Millions of bird observations have been entered on online portals in the past 20 years either as checklists or arbitrary individual entries. While several hundred publications have been written on a variety of topics based on bird checklists worldwide, unstructured non-checklist observations have received little attention and praise by academia. In the present study we tested the suitability of non-checklist data to estimate key figures of large-scale migration phenology in four zones covering the whole of Finland. For that purpose, we analysed 10 years of ornithological non-checklist data including over 400 million. individuals of 115 bird species. We discuss bird- and human-induced effects to be considered in handling non-checklist data in this context and describe applied methodologies to address these effects. We calculated 5%, 50% and 95% percentile dates of spring and autumn migration period for all species in all four zones. For validation purposes we compared the temporal distributions of 43 bird species with migration phenology from standardized long-term ringing data in autumn of which 24 species (56%) showed similar medians. In a model approach, non-checklist data successfully revealed latitudinal migration progression in spring and autumn. Overall, non-checklist data proved to be well suited to determine descriptors of migration phenology in Northern Europe which are challenging to attain by any other currently available means. The effort-to-yield ratio of data processing was commensurate to the outcomes. The unprecedented spatiotemporal coverage makes non-checklist data a valuable complement to current migration databases from bird observatories. The basic concept of the present methodology is applicable to data from other bird portals, if combined with local field ornithological knowledge and literature. Species-specific descriptors of migration phenology can be potentially used in climate change studies and to support echo interpretation in radar ornithology.
Recombinase polymerase amplification assay combined with a dipstick-readout for rapid detection of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infections
Authors: Gupta Sandeep K. , Deng Qing , Gupta Tanushree B. , Maclean Paul , Jores Joerg , Heiser Axel , Wedlock D. Neil
Published: February 2021

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infects both sheep and goats causing pneumonia resulting in considerable economic losses worldwide. Current diagnosis methods such as bacteriological culture, serology, and PCR are time consuming and require sophisticated laboratory setups. Here we report the development of two rapid, specific and sensitive assays; an isothermal DNA amplification using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and a real-time PCR for the detection of M. ovipneumoniae. The target for both assays is a specific region of gene WP_069098309.1, which encodes a hypothetical protein and is conserved in the genome sequences of ten publicly available M. ovipneumoniae strains. The RPA assay performed well at 39°C for 20 min and was combined with a lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) for easy visualization of the amplicons. The detection limit of the RPA-LFD assay was nine genome copies of M. ovipneumoniae per reaction and was comparable to sensitivity of the real-time PCR assay. Both assays showed no cross-reaction with 38 other ovine and caprine pathogenic microorganisms and two parasites of ruminants, demonstrating a high degree of specificity. The assays were validated using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and nasal swab samples collected from sheep. The positive rate of RPA-LFD (97.4%) was higher than the real-time PCR (95.8%) with DNA as a template purified from the clinical samples. The RPA assay was significantly better at detecting M. ovipneumoniae in clinical samples compared to the real-time PCR when DNA extraction was omitted (50% and 34.4% positive rate for RPA-LFD and real-time PCR respectively). The RPA-LFD developed here allows easy and rapid detection of M. ovipneumoniae infection without DNA extraction, suggesting its potential as a point-of-care test for field settings.
Comparative performance of SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR diagnostic assays on samples from Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Onwuamah Chika Kingsley , Okwuraiwe Azuka Patrick , Salu Olumuyiwa B. , Shaibu Joseph O. , Ndodo Nnaemeka , Amoo Samuel O. , Okoli Leona C. , Ige Fehintola A. , Ahmed Rahaman A. , Bankole Munir Akinwale , Sokei Judith O. , Mutiu Bamidele Paul , Ayorinde James , Saka Babatunde Akeem , Obiekea Celestina , Mba Nwando , Adegbola Richard A. , Omilabu Sunday , Ihekweazu Chikwe , Salako Babatunde Lawal , Audu Rosemary
Published: February 2021

A key element in containing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection is quality diagnostics which is affected by several factors. We now report the comparative performance of five real-time diagnostic assays. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were obtained from persons seeking a diagnosis for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Lagos, Nigeria. The comparison was performed on the same negative, low, and high-positive sample set, with viral RNA extracted using the Qiagen Viral RNA Kit. All five assays are one-step reverse transcriptase real-time PCR assays. Testing was done according to each assay’s manufacturer instructions for use using real-time PCR platforms. 63 samples were tested using the five qPCR assays, comprising of 15 negative samples, 15 positive samples (Ct = 16–30; one Ct = 35), and 33 samples with Tib MolBiol E-gene Ct value ranging from 36–41. All assays detected all high positive samples correctly. Three assays correctly identified all negative samples while two assays each failed to correctly identify one different negative sample. The consistent detection of positive samples at different Ct/Cq values gives an indication of when to repeat testing and/or establish more stringent in-house cut-off value. The varied performance of different diagnostic assays, mostly with emergency use approvals, for a novel virus is expected. Comparative assays’ performance reported may guide laboratories to determine both their repeat testing Ct/Cq range and/or cut-off value.
EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS ON THE DIFFERENT MODELS AND APPROACHES FOR SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS
Authors: Singh Mansi , Deb Chandni , Prasad Ashna , Renji Naveen
Published: February 2021

The following paper consists of an overall comparative study of Social Network Analysis. The comparative study provides detailed information and is carried out based on the different models approached for Social Network Analysis. Social network analysis is a method capable of monitoring the interactions in an online environment.SNA can be used to reveal important information about the sentiments of different actors, such as the general activity and the active groups.
SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF SOVEREIGNTY IN THE CONTEXT OF PRESERVING THE CONSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY OF RUSSIA
Authors:   , Associate Professor, PhD in Law, Head of Department constitutional and municipal law Faculty of Law, Rostov State University of E c o n o m i c s ( R S U E ), Barinov E. Е.
Published: February 2021

The article discusses ways to protect constitutional identity in the face of serious pressure on the traditional sociocultural values of the peoples of Russia. The author proves the need for a comprehensive theoretical justification of optimal legal methods to counter modern geopolitical threats, including by protecting constitutional sovereignty and ensuring constitutional security. According to the author, the constitutional-legal model of the organization of life of society and the state should be based on solidarity of public notions and traditional sociocultural values. The partial synchronization of legal systems, necessary for the normal coexistence of various states, does not imply their complete unification. However, the development of clear criteria for classifying these or those norms as defining national constitutional identity requires a serious ideological and scientific-theoretical justification. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Russia is a multinational and multiconfessional state, which greatly complicates the identified problem. The author believes that the protection of constitutional sovereignty should not harm world cooperation in the field of protecting human rights and create the prerequisites for using constitutional identity as an instrument of «selective» action. Having positively assessed the constitutional legal consolidation and justification of the mechanism for overcoming constitutional and conventional conflicts, the author advocates the need to continue the «dialogue» between the bodies of constitutional and conventional justice.
LEGAL SUPPORT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES WITH STATE PARTICIPATION
Authors:   Doctor of Political Science, professor of State University of Management, professor of Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Yakovlev A. Y.
Published: February 2021

In this work the author explores the system of legal acts regulating corporate governance issues in joint-stock companies with the participation of the Russian Federation and subjects of the federation. The author builds the structure of external (codes, federal laws, decrees and orders of the President of Russia, decrees and orders of the Government of the Russian Federation, orders of state executive bodies, etc.) and internal acts (organization charter, regulations, etc.). Differences in legal support of corporate governance in state jointstock companies in comparison with private ones are highlighted in the paper
TEENAGE CRIME: CRIMINOLOGICAL AND PENITENTIARY ASPECTS
Authors:   , Doctor of Law, Professor, Leading Researcher, PKU Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Kunts E. V.
Published: February 2021

The complexity of socio-psychological processes, general instability, and the moral crisis of society — all this negatively affects society as a whole, including adolescents. Family woes, parents’ asocial behavior, and lack of control over children lead to crimes committed by adolescents. There has been an increase in school crime among both female and male minors. The above circumstances indicate the existence of the problem of prevention of juvenile delinquency, including in prisons
SUBJECT OF JUDICIAL EXPERTISE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF OFFICIAL CRIMES
Authors:   Candidate of Law, Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology of the Middle Volga Institute (branch) of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “All-Russian State University of Justic, Matyushkina A. V. , Ayzyatova L. F. ,   Candidate of philosophy, Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology of the Middle Volga Institute (branch) of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “All-Russian State University of Justice
Published: February 2021

The article raises the problem of the correct determination of the subject of forensic research in the investigation of official crimes and its differentiation between related branches of expert knowledge, the authors note a significant number of forensic errors that arise in preparation for the production of forensic examinations: the formulation of incorrect questions to a forensic expert. The solution of the problem associated with incorrect posing of questions to a forensic expert is given. A pattern is revealed between the method of committing a crime and the determination of the subject of forensic investigations in the investigation of official crimes
ACCESS CONTROL METHODS FOR INTERNET OF MEDICAL THINGS NETWORKS BASEDON ATTRIBUTE MODELS
Authors:   Senior   Lecturer   of   Information   Security   Department,   Institute   of   Mathematics  &  Computer  Science,  Tyumen  State  University., Ponomarev K.Y. , Zaharov A.A. ,   D.  Sc.  (Tech.),  Professor,  Head  of  the  Smart  City’s  Secure  Information  Technologies Department, Institute of Mathematics & Computer Science, Tyumen State University.
Published: February 2021

The term «Internet of Medical Things» (IoMT ) refers to a set of devices and technologies for remote monitoring of patients’ health using wearable devices. One primary problem with pa-tient’s data is ensuring privacy and resource intensive protection when it is transmitted over open communication channels and stored in cloud systems. However, when it comes to millions of IoT devices, technologies that have already become classic for Internet resources are not suit-able in many aspects at once: low computing power, out of memory, limited battery capacity and etc. The work considered Attribute-based encryption for ensuring security of personified data in IoMT networks. Also, the research studied the issues of patient’s data confidentiality in cloud systems, management of cryptographic keys and data sharing control. The algorithms for effective and secure solution were proposed. We have proposed a framework for processing patient data from portable diagnostic devices using ABE methods. The results of load testing of the prototype are presented too
DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW REGRESSION TESTING APPROACH WITH SEMI-AUTOMATIC TEST SELECTION FOR AUDITING AN IMS DATABASE
Authors:   PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Computer Security and Applied Algebra, Chelyabinsk State University. 4, Ruchay A.N.
Published: February 2021

This work is devoted to the development of a new regression testing approach with semi-automatic test selection. Unlike previous works, the proposed approach is based on semi-auto-matic selection of tests taking into account various important factors, such as execution time, the required number of test executions, manual priority of tests, the result of previous tests, and test functionality. This allows you to fine-tune the sequence of regression tests in semi-automat-ic mode.DOI: 10.14529/secur200405
The Effect of Glutathione on Serum Malondialdehyde (MDA) Level in Retinopathy of Prematurity Rat Models
Authors: Dewi Puspita Kusuma , Cahyono Maharani , Prihatningtias Riski , Ekowati Liana , Wildan Arief
Published: February 2021

Introduction Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness in newborn babies worldwide. The benefit of anti-oxidant was investigated for ROP cases by assessing its effect on the oxidative stress of the tissues. Glutathione is a primary endogenous in human body and its supplementation has been discovered for its benefits towards some ocular diseases. This study aims to understand the effect of glutathione on oxidative stress marker, serum Malondialdehyde (MDA), in ROP rat models.Materials and methods This was an experimental study with post test only controlled group design. Sixteen Wistar rats that met our study criterias were divided into two groups, study group and control group. The study group were exposed to 95% oxygen for 4 hours / day followed by normoxic laboratory condition for 20 hours. Glutathione 1.5 mg / day were injected intramuscularly to rats in study group. The control group was exposed to 95% oxygen followed by normoxic laboratory condition with the same manner, and did not received glutathione. This cycle was repeated for 14 days. Both groups were settled in a room temperature settings on days 15-22. Serum sampel was collected from retroorbital vein. The malondialdehyde level was analyzed using MDA analyser kit.Results MDA level was found significantly higher in study group compared to control group (546.99 ng/ml vs 201.51 ng/ml, respectively, p 0,001).Conclusion Our study demonstrated a higher MDA levels in ROP rat models given glutathione injection compared to the control group.
City resilience – aspekty planistyczne
Authors: Mierzejewska Lidia , Sikorska-Podyma Kamila , Wdowicka Magdalena , Lechowska Ewa , Modrzewski Bogusz
Published: February 2021

Miasta na ścieżce rozwoju napotykają wiele różnego pochodzenia zagrożeń, ryzyk i katastrof, nazywanych ogólnie stresorami. Obecnie, w warunkach globalizacji, oprócz tradycyjnych zagrożeń pojawiają się wciąż nowe (globalne kryzysy gospodarcze, zmiany klimatyczne, zagrożenia terrorystyczne, pandemie, jak w ostatnim czasie Covid-19 itp.), których skutki często są trudne do przewidzenia. Sytuacja taka skłania do podejmowania działań, mających na celu unikanie lub łagodzenie efektów oddziaływania stresorów, a przez to zapewnienie trwałości rozwoju miast. Chodzi więc o budowanie city resilience. W niniejszym artykule miasto traktowane jest jako złożony, dynamiczny system, którego trwanie i rozwój zależy od odpowiedniego planowania działań na rzecz budowania odporności miast. Resilience rozumiane jest przy tym nie w kategoriach statycznych, ale raczej jako umiejętność elastycznego dopasowywania się czy adaptowania do zmieniających się uwarunkowań. Wskazywana jest sekwencja działań, które w procesach planistycznych powinny zostać zachowane, aby odpowiednio przygotować system miasta na potencjalne ryzyka i zagrożenia. Chodzi o identyfikację stresorów, badanie wrażliwości systemu miasta na ich oddziaływanie, analizę możliwych skutków działania stresora oraz przyjęcie konkretnej strategii działania. Podkreślane jest przy tym znaczenie redundancji, społeczeństwa obywatelskiego, analizy rozmieszczenia zagrożeń i ryzyk w przestrzeni miasta oraz ich zmian w czasie.
Krytyczne wizje geografii i planowania – sposoby myślenia, praktyka badawcza, niezgoda i naukowy aktywizm
Authors: Rzeszewski Michał , Kotus Jacek , Sowada Tomasz , Ewertowski Wojciech
Published: February 2021

W artykule prezentujemy, w skróconej formie, przyczyny powstania Pracowni Geografii Krytycznej na Wydziale Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM. Powody te odnosimy głównie do kontekstu polskiej geografii. Poza tym w dalszej części tekstu prezentujemy założenia badawcze naszych aktywności naukowych, wybrane pytania badawcze kierujące dociekaniami empirycznymi oraz intelektualne podstawy stosowanego podejścia krytycznego. W tekście zawarliśmy krótkie opisy projektów zarówno aktualnych, jak i niedawno zakończonych oraz cały czas aktualną ofertę współpracy, skierowaną do wszystkich chcących w podobny sposób podążać ścieżkami nauki.
Effect of food processing on the antioxidant activity of flavones from Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce
Authors: Xia Guanghui , Li Xinhua , Zhang Zhen , Jiang Yuhang
Published: February 2021

Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (POD) is a natural plant widely used for food and medicine, thanks to its rich content of a strong antioxidant agent called homoisoflavones. However, food processing methods could affect the stability of POD flavones, resulting in changes to their antioxidant activity. This study attempts to evaluate the antioxidant activity of POD flavones subject to different processing methods and determines which method could preserve the antioxidant activity of POD flavones. Therefore, flavones were extracted from POD samples, which had been treated separately with one of the four processing methods: extrusion, baking, high-pressure treatment, and yeast fermentation. After that, the antioxidant activity of the flavones was subject to in vivo tests in zebrafish embryos. The results show that yeast fermentation had the least disruption to the antioxidant activity of POD flavones, making it the most suitable food processing method for POD. By contrast, extrusion and high-pressure treatment both slightly weakened the antioxidant activity of the flavones and should be avoided in food processing. The research results provide a reference for the development and utilization of POD and the protection of its biological activity.
Characterization of GMPP from Dendrobium huoshanense yielding GDP-D-mannose
Authors: Yi Yuqi , Liu Lulu , Zhou Wenyan , Peng Daiyin , Han Rongchun , Yu Nianjun
Published: February 2021

Dendrobium huoshanense has been used for centuries in China and its polysaccharides are the main active components in treating loss of body fluids resulting from fever and asthenic symptoms. However, the biosynthetic pathway of polysaccharides in D. huoshanense remains to be elucidated. In this study, we obtained a guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-mannose pyrophosphorylase (DhGMPP) from D. huoshanense and characterized its function to catalyze the conversion of α-D-mannose-phosphate to GDP-D-mannose involved in the production of polysaccharides. DhGMPP, with the open reading frame of 1,245 bp, was isolated from RNA-Seq data of D. huoshanense. Phylogenetic analysis as well as sequence characterization suggested its involvement in the biosynthesis of GDP-D-mannose. In vitro enzyme assay demonstrated that GMPP encoded a pyrophosphorylase that converted α-D-mannose-phosphate and GTP into GDP-D-mannose. Identification of DhGMPP could provide more insights into the mechanism concerning polysaccharide biosynthesis in D. huoshanense and be utilized for enhancing polysaccharide accumulation through metabolic engineering.
Plurilingualism, learner autonomy and constructive alignment: A vision for university language centres in the 21st century
Authors: Little David
Published: February 2021

This article is my answer to the question: What is your vision of university language centres in the 21st century? I argue that language centres can best establish themselves as beacons of good practice by embracing, exploring and further developing the concept of plurilingualism, promoting the autonomy of their students, and constructively aligning curriculum, teaching/learning and assessment. Each of these activities requires research, so the realization of my vision entails that language centres should have the same obligation to engage in research as other academic departments. At present this is rarely the case, which suggests an important advocacy role for CercleS as it enters its fourth decade.
Recent developments concerning the use of English for teaching and research purposes
Authors: Gotti Maurizio
Published: February 2021

The recent developments concerning the use of foreign languages in the academic world have strongly favoured English, which has become the preferred medium for international communication in many contexts. This spread of English as a lingua franca has had relevant implications for teaching and research purposes, due to the need for a common language for the development of specialised communication at a global level. This paper investigates the present globalising phenomenon in the academia, highlighting not only its recent trends but also the main problems that these recent developments have created. The first part of the paper explores the globalising effects of the use of English as a lingua franca in the world of research and the complex nature of its linguistic realisations, highlighting both homogenising and localising trends. The second part of the paper is devoted to the analysis of another phenomenon which is quite topical in the academic context at a global level, i.e. the use of English as a medium of instruction in higher education in many non-English-speaking countries. The implementation of these ‘international’ courses has opened up new opportunities for learning the English discourses relating to the specialised disciplines taught, but has also aroused dilemmas connected with language proficiency and the level of content competence acquired.
Learner autonomy, self-regulation skills and self-efficacy beliefs – How can students’ academic writing skills be supported?
Authors: Mickwitz Åsa , Suojala Marja
Published: February 2021

High self-efficacy beliefs and effective self-regulatory strategies are increasingly important in academic settings, and especially in developing academic writing skills. This article deals with how students develop academic writing skills in two different pedagogical settings (as autonomous learners and in a traditional learning environment), and how this is associated with the students’ self-regulatory strategies and self-efficacy beliefs. In the study, self-regulatory skills referred to the ability to take charge of, manage and organize the learning process, while self-efficacy beliefs were defined as the strength of students’ confidence to accomplish an extensive task and sense of succeeding. The method was quantitative, including some qualitative elements, and data was elicited through a survey answered by 150 students, after they had attended courses in academic writing. The survey consisted of 1 open-ended question and 16 multiple-choice questions (a five-point Likert scale). The data was analyzed using SPSS. The results show that self-regulatory skills and self-efficacy beliefs have a greater impact on learning academic writing skills in traditional learning settings than in learning settings where the students are supposed to work more independently, and where teacher support is not available to the same extent.
Enhancing assessment in the recognition of prior learning with digitalisation
Authors: Heinonen Annemari , Tuomainen Satu
Published: February 2021

The processes to assess students’ learning acquired in various non-formal and informal learning environments have become increasingly common in Finnish university language centres in recent years. This paper describes new developments at the University of Eastern Finland to assess students’ non-formal and informal learning of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) with an electronic examination system. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) had previously been organised as on-campus examinations, although demand for digitalisation and electronic examination systems had been voiced to provide students and staff more flexibility and convenience. The digitalisation of the RPL process aimed to develop the system in the most popular language for validation, English, and to provide students and RPL assessors an increasingly effective method for assessing prior learning. Finnish higher education institutions have invested heavily in digital learning environments and this described transformation to a digitalised RPL process can be seen as a logical response. We introduce the new RPL system and its change from previous face-to-face assessment to the digital version, the rationale for and practical implementation of the digitalisation. We also present RPL assessors’ perceptions of the change, preview student data on the new system and offer suggestions on the systematic and evidence-based development of the recognition and validation of EAP in university language centres.