bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVİD-19 Symptoms at First Admission to Hospital
Authors: ŞAHİN Erkan Melih , OCAK Özgül , DEMİRAL Cansu , DÖNMEZ Büşra
Published: May 2021

Objective: The aim of this study is to profile the complaints in the disease application using a symptom survey in patients presenting with the suspicion of Covid-19 disease and to determine the disease-specific and descriptive characteristics of the initial symptoms in those who were diagnosed with the disease.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, symptoms at first admission were questioned in adult patients who applied to the Covid Outpatient Clinic between 21 December 2020 - 22 January 2021. A total of 43 complaints were analyzed in PCR test positive and negative patients.

Result: 273 (62.0%) first application and 167 (38.0%) control applications were included in the study. The PCR test was positive in 16.5% of the first admissions. The most common complaints in the first admissions with positive PCR test were fatigue (73.0%), headache (64.9%), pain (32.2%), cough (56.8%), sore throat (51.4%), loss of appetite (45.9%) while 15.9% of them were asymptomatic. Odd's rates of significant complaints for PCR positivity were calculated as 2.607 for fever, 2.724 for anorexia, 2.051 for cough, 2.594 for loss of smell, and 2.243 for loss of strength.

Conclusion: Covid-19 is a disease that affects many organs and systems. Comparing the admission symptoms with the PCR test results will contribute to the recognition of the disease at the initial stage. Fever, anorexia, cough, loss of smell and loss of strength were found to be the distinguishing complaints of PCR positivity in our study.
Search of an ideal language in Friedrich Schlegel’s novel “Lucinde”
Authors: Shikhanova Ekaterina A. , Belobratov Alexander V.
Published: May 2021

The study investigates the speech organization of Carl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel’s novel “Lucinde” (1799), which was written at the time of “universal poetry” theory creation and became its true embodiment. One of the key problems of the text is thinking and self-knowledge of the speaking subject. It is also connected with the role of language and dialogic speech in these processes. In this respect the important things are interaction of the speaker with “nameless”, definition and denomination of phenomena (all of them are necessary stages of knowledge), narrative itself, and plot deploying the speech canvas. In the course of these processes the expressive and cognitive abilities of the language are “tested”, its imperfections are revealed, and attempts are made to overcome them. Thus, “Lucinde” appears as a work typical for Early Romanticism with its search for a genuine language, pronounced self-reflexivity and the “socratic” dialogism of the novel form.
TO THE ISSUE OF THE FAUSTIAN TOPICS IN ANNA AKHMATOVA’S “MIDNIGHT POEMS”
Authors: Mikhailova Galina P.
Published: May 2021

This essay examines Anna Akhmatova’s lyric cycle “Midnight Poems” (“Polnochnye stikhi”, 1963–1965) as a textual space where Faustian motifs and allusions intersect with Shakespearean and other intertexts associated with erotic, oneiric, and thanatological motifs. It explores the polygenic nature of the “Midnight Poems” cycle, in which Goethe’s “Faust” (as well as texts by Valery, Eliot, Annensky, Pasternak and others) became for Akhmatova one of those “filters” of world literature, through which themes and images of Shakespeare got into her poetry. The context of the interpretation is also broadened by introduction of selected writings from Akhmatova’s notebooks and lyrics, where Goethe’s characters appear (for example, Goethe’s Margaret as one of the “mirrors” of Akhmatova’s lyrical heroine; the selected Christian topics of “Faust”, etc.). In this way, the direction of a comparative analysis of Akhmatova’s cycle in the context of Russian-German literary ties is outlined.
Integrated reporting
Authors: Závodný Libor
Published: May 2021

Companies struggle to communicate value through traditional reporting. Integrated reporting can prove to be an effective tool for businesses looking to shift their reporting focus from annual financial performance to long-term shareholder value creation. Such a shift should cover the demand from investors for a structured reporting framework that goes beyond the traditional financial reporting. The International Integrated Reporting Framework will encourage the preparation of a report that shows business performance against strategy, explains the various capital used and affected, and gives a longer term view of the organization. The framework will be attractive to companies who wish to develop their narrative reporting around the business model to explain how the business has been developed. Integrated reporting attained various degrees of popularity depending on the geographical regions. While it is mandatory for all companies listed in South Africa’s stock exchange, in other regions it is used by businesses on voluntary basis. Re-search shows that in the USA the adoption of integrated reporting is slower than in most of the other developed regions.
External costs—accounting perspective
Authors: Kuberska Ewelina
Published: May 2021

Nowadays, shareholders would like to receive more information about companies’ activities. They would like to know how the company treats their local community, how their activities influ-ence the environment or even if the company’s activities are harmful for society. This information is needed and has to do with costs for society. Tracking these costs, called external costs, more precisely seems to be becoming more important in accounting and is starting to become a new research area. The need for treating external costs like a part of research in accounting is indicated by a trend of the accounting of social responsibility, the theory of legitimacy in accounting, the concept of full cost accounting and the directive on disclosure of non-financial information. The use of the envi-ronment isn’t free of charge for companies. According to national laws, companies are obligated to pay environmental fees or taxes when using the environment. Existing fees and taxes for using the environment don’t resolve the problems of measuring and evaluating the external costs in companies. What is important to note is that external costs are connected with using goods such as air, soil, water, silence or the aesthetics of the surroundings. They all are non-marketable goods; they don’t have prices on the market. Therefore, one of the non-market valuation methods could be used to evaluate them. One of the biggest problems for accounting in the future will be measuring the volume of using these goods or measuring the size of reduction in the quality of public goods suffered and assigning the decrease to particular companies.
Paradiplomacia en tiempos de desastre en el Caribe: Un análisis de las islas no-soberanas
Authors: Vélez Serrano Mayra
Published: May 2021

En el Caribe coexisten múltiples configuraciones políticas de territorios no-soberanos ligados a las metrópolis de Francia, Estados Unidos, Países Bajos y el Reino Unido. En el 2017, varios de estos territorios fueron devastados por los huracanes María e Irma. Estos eventos pusieron a prueba sus relaciones con las metrópolis y mostraron que la paradiplomacia tiene un rol fundamental en responder a desastres naturales. Mediante el empleo de la técnica del incidente crítico, esta investigación analiza documentos primarios publicados meses posteriores a los huracanes para analizar la variación en el empleo de la paradiplomacia. Muestra que mientras los territorios americanos no utilizaron redes paradiplomáticas, los territorios británicos, como las Islas Vírgenes, agenciaron una mayor participación internacional. Esto les permitióasegurar fondos y ayuda técnica de distintas organizaciones regionales e internacionales. Estas diferencias entre las experiencias paradiplomáticas, requieren una mayor teorización, en la cual se analice el impacto de las estructuras versus la agencia de los líderes de cada territorio como posible explicación. Este trabajo descubre entonces la necesidad de un análisis histórico-institucional de la evolución de la paradiplomacia caribeña y la paradiplomacia en general.
Una comparativa de los esquemas de ciberseguridad de China y Estados Unidos
Authors: Patino Orozco German Alejandro
Published: May 2021

Este artículo aporta algunas consideraciones sobre el debate acerca de la relevancia de la ciberseguridad como herramienta en la competencia internacional. El argumento central sostiene que las acciones en el campo de ciberseguridad representan una pieza clave en el marco de las relaciones competitivas de carácter gubernamental. A través del ejercicio de comparar el modelo de ciberseguridad chino y estadounidense se sostiene que este terreno se ha convertido en un imperativo de seguridad nacional para ambos países. Asimismo, propone la adopción de una forma comparativa integral para esquemas de ciberseguridad gubernamental. El artículo concluye con algunos tópicos para profundizar en el análisis de ciberseguridad bajo una perspectiva internacional.
Vietnam, el ultimo tigre asiático en tiempos de Covid-19: Resiliencia y crecimiento
Authors: González Saez Ruvislei
Published: May 2021

En los últimos años un grupo de naciones asiáticas ha impactado en el escenario global con ciertos grados de influencia. Se ha hecho referencia a naciones como China, India, Corea del Sur, incluso algunas del sudeste asiático, pero pocas veces se menciona a Vietnam. El país indochino ha venido mostrando un crecimiento vertiginoso y se ha considerado como una de las 15 economías más dinámicas de los últimos años. El avance de la economía, su estabilidad política y resistencia ante los shocks externos le sitúan en la posición de uno de los últimos Tigres Asiáticos. Es uno de los Estados pequeños que no asume la posición de potencia media, pero que marca pautas por su creciente activismo. En el 2020, su perspectiva como presidente pro-témpore de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (Asean) en momentos de Covid-19, su resiliencia, respuesta positiva a la pandemia y su política de cooperación hacia el exterior, incluyendo a naciones desarrolladas, le situaron como un actor relevante. Por si fuera poco, ha sido una de las pocas economías con crecimiento económico en el año concluido. El propósito del artículo es exponer los fundamentos político económicos que determinaron la relevancia de Vietnam en el actual contexto, pese a la compleja situación global que vive el mundo. En ese sentido, desde el enfoque de su política exterior cómo ha contribuido a lograr la profundización de la integración del sudeste asiático desde su posición de presidente de la Asean 2020.
O estudo do comportamento no contexto analítico-comportamental: uma historicidade crítica e reflexões ético-políticas
Authors: Barreto Wanderson , Toassa Gisele
Published: May 2021

Este ensaio discute criticamente os aspectos históricos do estudo do comportamento humano na Psicologia, bem como as implicações ético-políticas relacionadas a este tema. É realizado um delineamento histórico da construção da categoria “comportamento” para a Psicologia ao longo do século XX, problematizando os possíveis impactos ético-políticos das práticas da ciência do comportamento. Trata-se de um trabalho estruturado em três seções: 1) Comportamento: Uma categoria sob o domínio científico norte-americano, em que se discute como o estudo do comportamento foi construído a partir da predominância das ciências tradicionais e do ideal da objetividade científica; 2) A reconstrução do “comportamento” na Psicologia a partir do pensamento skinneriano, em que é apontado o fortalecimento da ideia do comportamento como tema da Psicologia a partir da perspectiva Behaviorista Radical; e 3) É possível uma Ciência do Comportamento com responsabilidades ético-políticas?, em que se busca problematizar a associação entre “comportamento” e “controle” em uma ciência do comportamento e implicações ético-políticas decorrentes disso. Conclui-se que: 1) O “comportamento” como objeto de investigação contribuiu para que a Psicologia pudesse se aproximar das ciências naturais; 2) O Behaviorismo Radical de Skinner tem fortalecido a ideia de que o estudo do comportamento pode contribuir para o alcance e solução de problemas sociais; e 3) É possível que cientistas do comportamento façam empreendimentos responsáveis a partir de estudos críticos sobre os usos da ciência para instrumentalizar e fortalecer grupos dominantes e sobre as possibilidades
Clinical governance and continuous Quality Improvement in the veterinary profession: A mixed-method study
Authors: Ling Tom , Doorly Ashley , Gush Chris , Hocking Lucy
Published: May 2021

96% of the veterinary profession agrees that Quality Improvement improves veterinary care. While clinical governance is an RCVS professional requirement, over the last year only 60% spent up to 3 days on the quality improvement activities which allow clinical governance to take place. 11% spent no time on it at all. A lack of time, know-how and organisational support were among the barriers preventing its adoption in practice.

Rather than being an individual reaction to a problem, Quality Improvement is a formal approach to embedding a set of recognised practices, including clinical audit, significant event audit, guidelines and protocols, benchmarking and checklists. This framework should be applied within a just culture where errors are redefined as learning opportunities, and precedence is given to communication, team-work and team-morale, patient safety, and distributed leadership.

Addressing this gap will require evolution – rather than a revolution. Persistent packages, given enough time and addressing the whole flow of the patient journey, trump one-off ‘heroic’ and narrowly-focused interventions. Creating a rhythm of learning alongside stability of practice allows lessons to be absorbed and improvements routinised. Doing good things well is better than doing perfect things sporadically and helps address the widespread concern that there is insufficient time for QI by making the time commitment more predictable and manageable.

The research provides a robust, evidence-based, roadmap for the entire sector including professional organisations, educators, those in management positions and care providers.
Prevalencia de cisticercosis en porcinos de la provincia de Tambopata, Perú
Authors: Rojas Rivera Robinson
Published: May 2021

La cisticercosis es una de las principales enfermedades zoonóticas parasitarias que es causada por el establecimiento de la forma larvaria de Taenia solium. Esta enfermedad se desarrolla principalmente en cerdos que son criados en granjas sin tecnificación, donde el uso de la tecnología y las condiciones sanitarias son mínimas. Este tipo de crianza es muy usual, por lo que representa un riesgo de la salud pública. En ese sentido, se determinó la prevalencia de cisticercosis en porcinos de la provincia de Tambopata, donde fue evaluado un total de 98 porcinos. Se tomaron aproximadamente 5 ml de sangre de la vena cava en animales mayores de 6 meses y hembras que no estuviesen preñadas; posteriormente, se obtuvo el plasma para ser procesado mediante la prueba de enzyme-linked inmunoelectrotransfer bloot assay (EITB) o Western Blot. Se determinó que el 17 % de los cerdos evaluados dio positivo para cisticercosis; con respecto al sexo, se obtuvo una seroprevalencia de 5,21 % ± 0,82 % para machos y 11,45 % ± 1,93 % para hembras. Finalmente, se determinó una seroprevalencia de 10,41 % ± 1,75 % para animales jóvenes de 6 a 11 meses y 6,25 % ± 1,01 % para animales adultos de 12 meses a más. Estos resultados reflejan la importancia de la vigilancia y control de las enfermedades parasitarias en los animales de producción ya que pudo corroborarse que la cisticercosis porcina constituye un serio problema de salud pública
Financial Incentives to Reduce Female Infanticide, Child Marriage and Promote Girl’s Education: Impact
Authors: Haider Huma
Published: May 2021

This review examines evidence on the key design features and impact of programmes that use Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) or baby bonds to reduce female infanticide, child marriage and promote girl’s education. Conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes have been adopted to promote the survival and well-being of girls. They provide parents with financial incentives to raise daughters; to delay marrying them until age 18, and to reduce the gender imbalance in school. Given that many CCT programmes aimed at addressing girl children are relatively new, it has in many cases been too early to evaluate their effectiveness. There is thus limited evidence of the impact of their implementation and outcomes. This helpdesk report focuses on recent studies, published in the past five years, on select programmes implemented in South Asia, particularly in India, for which there is the most available information. Evidence suggests that CCT programmes aimed at supporting the girl child have succeeded in promoting school enrolment and delaying marriage in South Asia. It is less clear, however, the extent to which these transfers have affected gender-biased sex selection.
The Impact of Business Environment Reforms on Poverty, Gender and Inclusion
Authors: Macdonald Keir
Published: May 2021

This rapid review synthesises the literature from academic, policy, and knowledge institution sources on how business environment reforms in middle-income countries impacts on poverty, gender and inclusion. Although, there is limited evidence on the direct impact of business environment reforms on poverty, gender, and inclusion, this review illustrates that there is evidence of indirect effects of such reforms. Business environment reform (BER) targets inadequate business regulations and institutions, in order to remove constraints to business investment and expansion, enabling growth and job creation, as well as new opportunities for international business to contribute to and benefit from this growth. However, there is a lack of detailed knowledge of the impact of BER on gender and inclusion (G&I) outcomes, in terms of the potential to remove institutional barriers which exclude formerly marginalised groups from business opportunities, in ways that promote equal access to resources, opportunities, benefits, and services. The literature shows how the business environment affects women in business, and how women’s experiences of a given business environment can be different from those of men. This is the result of disparities in how they are treated under the law, but also based on structural and sociocultural factors which influence how men and women behave in a given business environment and the barriers they face.
The Link Between Demography and Labour Markets in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Quak Evert-jan
Published: May 2021

This rapid review synthesises the literature from academic, policy, and knowledge institution sources on how demography affects labour markets (e.g. entrants, including youth and women) and labour market outcomes (e.g. capital-per-worker, life-cycle labour supply, human capital investments) in the context of sub-Saharan Africa. One of the key findings is that the fast-growing population in sub-Saharan Africa is likely to affect the ability to get productive jobs and in turn economic growth. This normally happens when workers move from traditional (low productivity agriculture and household businesses) sectors into higher productivity sectors in manufacturing and services. In theory the literature shows that lower dependency ratios (share of the non-working age population) should increase output per capita if labour force participation rates among the working age population remain unchanged. If output per worker stays constant, then a decline in dependency ratio would lead to a rise in income per capita. Macro simulation models for sub-Saharan Africa estimate that capital per worker will remain low due to consistently low savings for at least the next decades, even in the low fertility scenario. Sub-Saharan African countries seem too poor for a quick rise in savings. As such, it is unlikely that a lower dependency ratio will initiate a dramatic increase in labour productivity. The literature notes the gender implications on labour markets. Most women combine unpaid care for children with informal and low productive work in agriculture or family enterprises. Large family sizes reduce their productive labour years significantly, estimated at a reduction of 1.9 years of productive participation per woman for each child, that complicates their move into more productive work (if available). If the transition from high fertility to low fertility is permanent and can be established in a relatively short-term period, there are long-run effects on female labour participation, and the gains in income per capita will be permanent. As such from the literature it is clear that the effect of higher female wages on female labour participation works to a large extent through reductions in fertility.
WASH in Schools for Student Return During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Bolton Laura
Published: May 2021

The literature on WASH and school re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic is dominated by guidelines with little in the way of recent evidence or lessons learned. Analysis of data from school re-openings at the end of 2020 suggests that with mitigation measures in place community infection rates should not be affected by children returning to school. Although children carry a lower risk of infection, they do have large numbers of contact in the school environment, so hygiene and distancing measures are important. The key guidelines for WASH in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic include: children and all school staff must be educated with regards to hand hygiene; hand hygiene stations must be provided at entrances and exits; hand washing must be frequent and requires sufficient water and soap; school buses should have hand hygiene measures in place; and the school environment must be disinfected daily. Environmental, or nudge-based, cues are recommended to support behaviour change in children based on pre-COVID-19 evidence. Examples include colourful footprints leading to a handwashing facility, images of eyes above handwashing facilities, embedding toys in soap, and putting pictures of germs on surfaces.
COVID-19 Health Evidence Summary No.114
Authors: Millington Kerry
Published: May 2021

This weekly COVID-19 health evidence summary (HES) is based on 3.5 hours of desk-based research. The summary is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of available evidence on COVID-19 but aims to make original documents easily accessible to decision makers which, if relevant to them, they should go to before making decisions. This summary covers publications on Clinical characteristics and management; Epidemiology and modelling; Infection Prevention and Control; Therapeutics; Vaccines; Indirect impact of COVID-19; Social Science; Comments, Editorials, Opinions, Blogs, News; Dashboards & Trackers; C19 Resource Hubs; and Online learning & events.
Defining and Measuring Diplomatic Influence
Authors: Hicks Jacqueline
Published: May 2021

This review found no sources of straightforward indicators for use in measuring diplomatic influence. The literature and evaluations found to recommend the use of tailor-made evaluations to account for “differences in diplomatic settings, diplomatic activities and policy fields”. They hinge on developing a theory of change alongside questions and evaluation criteria that are context-specific. They rely on assessing intermediate goals as a ‘proxy’ for the immeasurable long-term influence, and causal contributions (contributed to a result) rather than causal attributions (caused a result). It was also frequently mentioned that programme designers tend to design programmes to support diplomatic influence without specific and measurable objectives because influencing processes are by nature non-linear. In these cases, evaluations will be correspondingly unable to provide specific and measurable indicators of achievement.
Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief
Authors: Idris Iffat
Published: May 2021

Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a fundamental human right. However, the general global trend in recent years is towards increased FoRB violations by both government and non-government actors. Notable exceptions are Sudan and Uzbekistan, which have shown significant improvement in promoting FoRB, while smaller-scale positive developments have been seen in a number of other countries. The international community is increasingly focusing on FoRB. External actors can help promote FoRB through monitoring and reporting, applying external pressure on governments (and to a lesser extent non-government entities), and through constructive engagement with both government and non-government actors. The literature gives recommendations for how each of these approaches can be effectively applied. This review is largely based on grey (and some academic) literature as well as recent media reports. The evidence base was limited by the fact that so few countries have shown FoRB improvements, but there was wider literature on the role that external actors can play. The available literature was often gender blind (typically only referring to women and girls in relation to FoRB violations) and made negligible reference to persons with disabilities.
A Resource-aware Container Management Scheme in a Heterogeneous Cluster
Authors: Chen Yiwen
Published: May 2021

Cloud computing nowadays is not an emerging topic, and virtualization is an indispensable technology to expedite cloud computing to become the next sign of the coming Internet revolution. In real life, scientists never stop at exploring the possibilities from such technology by investigating millions of experiments and applications to enhance the quality of virtual services. However, isolated construction for the virtual machine doesn’t save the technology from unwanted data volumes or insensitive processing time. Containers are created to address such problems, by distributing applications without initiating the entire virtual machine. Docker, as an important player in this game, is an open-source application of the container family. The management tool from Docker containers, Swamskit, does not take heterogeneities in either virtualized containers or physical nodes. There are different nodes in the cluster, and each node is different in configurations, resource availability, or concerning resource, etc. Furthermore, the requirements initiated by different services change all the time. The demand might be CPU-intensive (e.g. Clustering services) and also memory-intensive (e.g. Web services), or completely at the opposite. In this paper, we focus on exploring the Docker container cluster and designing, DRAPS, a resource-aware placement scheme, to improve the system performance in a heterogeneous cluster.
Influence of Biotope and Biotic Factors on Cyanobacteria Abundance, Genotype and Toxin Production
Authors: Moza Maria Iasmina , Postolache Carmen
Published: May 2021

Environmental genetics-related modern methods are shown as important indicators of various cyanotoxins syntheses, and their knowledge and use are critically analyzed. Microcystins and other cyanotoxins loads and syntheses are related to different drivers, like various chemical elements and compounds (especially nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and their ratio), then to the light, conductivity, temperature, and other climatical and hydrological factors, to which spatial and geographical features (such as the surface of the water bodies) have to be added. The biotic relationships include different specific and supraspecific, uni- and bilateral links between the cyanobacteria, and subsequently their synthesized toxins, and protozoans (or protoctists), chromists, macrophytes, different systematical and ecological groups of zooplankton, and others. The importance of, but also the gaps in, the knowledge and the scarcity of studies involving ectocrines mediated interactions between different groups of algae and plants are highlighted. The paper ends with an interesting classification of lakes' trophicity, illustrated with conceptual diagrams, based on possible scenarios of cyanobacteria behavior.
AI-enabled Efficient and Safe Food Supply Chain
Authors: Kollia Ilianna , Stevenson Jack , Kollias Stefanos
Published: May 2021

This paper provides a review of an emerging field in the food processing sector, referring to efficient and safe food supply chains, ’from farm to fork’, as enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Recent advances in machine and deep learning are used for effective food production, energy management and food labeling. Appropriate deep neural architectures are adopted and used for this purpose, including Fully Convolutional Networks, Long Short-Term Memories and Recurrent Neural Networks, Auto-Encoders and Attention mechanisms, Latent Variable extraction and clustering, as well as Domain Adaptation. Three experimental studies are presented, illustrating the ability of these AI methodologies to produce state-of-the-art performance in the whole food supply chain. In particular, these concern: (i) predicting plant growth and tomato yield in greenhouses, thus matching food production to market needs and reducing food waste or food unavailability; (ii) optimizing energy consumption across large networks of food retail refrigeration systems, through optimal selection of systems that can get shut-down and through prediction of the respective food de-freezing times, during peaks of power demand load; (iii) optical recognition and verification of food consumption expiry date in automatic inspection of retail packaged food, thus ensuring safety of food and people’s health.
Late Cenozoic Coal Fires in the Liuhuanggou Area (Xinjiang, Northwestern China): Ages, Controlling Factors and Evolution
Authors: Chen B. , Franceschi M. , Wang Y. , Duan X. , Jin X. , Shi Z.
Published: May 2021

—Coal fires are a phenomenon that can be observed worldwide in areas where rocks containing coal seams are exposed and can pose major environmental threats. A coal fire can begin through spontaneous combustion when coals are exposed to dry and oxygen-rich near-surface conditions. Burning, depending on the temperature of heating, causes baking or even melting of the surrounding rocks and the formation of different types of combustion metamorphic rocks. In Northwestern China, coal fire occurrences are concentrated at the edges of the sedimentary basins or at the margins of orogenic belts, where coalrich units were exposed owing to the Indo-Eurasian collision. On the northern margin of the Tianshan range, evidence of coal fires is widespread in the Jurassic sedimentary units containing coal seams which outcrop along the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. In some cases, coal fires are active and can be linked to ongoing mining activity, but outcrops of combustion metamorphic rocks not associated with fires are also found and are indicative of past burning events. We examine combustion metamorphic rocks outcropping in the Toutunhe River valley (Liuhuangou area, Xinjiang, Northwestern China). Combustion metamorphic rocks in the study area were mapped and classified according to their morphological and mineralogical characteristics. Outcrops are exposed at various heights on the valley flanks, which are characterized by the presence of multiple levels of fluvial terraces. These terraces are indicative of the phases of erosion and deposition of the Toutunhe River and testify to tectonic uplift. The investigation of the stratigraphic and crosscutting relationship of combustion metamorphic rocks with terrace deposits and apatite fissiontrack dating made it possible to determine that at least four phases of coal fire activity occurred from late Miocene to Quaternary. The first and oldest burning phase dates back to 10 ± 1.3 Ma and terminated prior to 2–3 Ma; the second was active before ~550 ka; the third had terminated by ~140 ka; the fourth began later than ~5.7 ka. The relationships between combustion metamorphic rocks and fluvial terraces further suggest that coal fire ignition/extinction in the area since the Miocene have been linked to the interplay between the uplift of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and the phases of fluvial erosion and deposition in interglacial periods.
Characterizing Anisotropic Fracture Toughness of Shale Using Nanoindentation
Authors: Esatyana Erica , Alipour Mehdi , Sakhaee-Pour Ahmad
Published: May 2021

Shale, which has pores as small as 10 nm, is economically viable for hydrocarbon recovery when it is fractured. Although the fracture toughness dictates the required energy for the improvement, the existing techniques are not suitable for characterization at scales smaller than 1 cm. Developing practical methods for characterization is crucial because fractures can contribute to an accessible pore volume at different scales. This study proposes a conceptual model to characterize the anisotropic fracture toughness of shale using nanoindentations on a sub-1-cm scale. The conceptual model reveals the complexities of characterizing shales and explains why induced fractures differ from those observed in more-homogeneous media, such as fused silica. Samples from the Wolfcamp Formation were tested using Berkovich and cube-corner tips, and the interpreted fracture toughness values are promising. The conceptual model is the first application of the effective-medium theory for fracture toughness characterization using nanoindentation. In addition, it can quantify fracture toughness variations when using small samples, such as drill cuttings.
Plasma P-tau181 levels reflects white matter microstructural changes across Alzheimer’s disease progression
Authors: Nabizadeh Fardin , Jameie Seyed Behnamedin , Khani Saghar , Rezaei Aida , Ranjbaran Fatemeh , Deravi Niloofar , Pourhamzeh Mahsa
Published: May 2021

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairments and memory difficulties that hinder daily activities and lead to personal and behavioral problems. Plasma hyperphosphorylated tau protein at threonine 181 (p-tau181), a blood-based biomarker, has recently emerged as a new tool with sufficient sensitivity for distinguishing AD patients from healthy people. We herein investigated the association of plasma P-tau181 and white matter (WM) microstructural changes in AD. We examined data from a large prospective cohort of elderly individuals participating in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) which covers a wide clinical spectrum from normal cognition to AD dementia with measurements of plasma P-tau181 and imaging findings at baseline. A subset of 41 patients with AD, 119 patients with mild cognitive impairments (MCI), and 43 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study, all of whom had baseline blood P-tau181 levels and had also undergone Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). The analysis revealed that the plasma level of P-tau181 have positive correlation with changes in Mean Diffusivity (MD), Radial Diffusivity (RD), and Axial Diffusivity (AxD), but a negative with Fractional Anisotropy (FA) parameters in WM regions of all participants. There is also a significant association between WM microstructural changes in different regions and P-tau181 plasma measurements within each MCI, HC and AD group. In conclusion, our findings clarified that plasma P-tau181 levels are associated with changes in WM integrity in AD. P-tau181 could improve the accuracy of diagnostic procedures and support the application of blood-based biomarkers to diagnose WM neurodegeneration. Longitudinal clinical studies are also needed to demonstrate the efficacy of the P-tau181 biomarker and predict its role in structural changes.
Intergrated metagenomics and metabolomics analysis discovers nematicidal microbes, enzymes and metabolites from the plant rhizosphere microbiota
Authors: Zhao Xiuyun , Lin Changchun , Yuan Wenfang , Ruan Song , Qi Gaofu
Published: May 2021

Background: Root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects root systems of many crops resulting in huge decrease of crop production. Nematicidal microorganisms provides a safe and effective strategy to control M. incognita infection. In order to find microorganisms with high activity and new nematicidal metabolites, we collected the M. incognita infected tobacco rhizosphere soils (RNI) and non-infected tobacco rhizosphere soils (NS), and investigated their microbial community and network via metagenomics and metabolomics analysis. Results: Microbial networks of RNI soils were very different from the NS soils. Many nematicidal microorganisms were enriched in the NS soils, including isolates of Aspergillus , Achromobacter , Acinetobacter , Bacillus , Burkholderia , Comamonas , Enterobacter , Lysobacter , Microbacterium , Paenibacillus , Pantoea , Pseudomonas , Streptomyces and Variovorax. Enzymes analysis showed these nematicidal microorganisms can produce proteases, chitinase and lipases. The functions genes belonging to pathways of secondary metabolites biosynthesis and carbohydrate transport and metabolism were overrepresented in the rhizophere microbiota of NS soils comparing with the RNI soils. 102 metabolites contents were significantly different between the RNI and NS rhizosphere microbiota. 35 metabolites were overrepresented in the NS soils comparing the RNI samples, including acetophenone. Acetophenone showed high nematicidal (LC 50 = 0.66 μg/ml) and avoidance activity against M. incognita . Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W1 could produce acetophenone. Liquid culture of W1 could kill 98.8% of M . incognita J2 juveniles after treatment for 24 h.Conclusions: In general, the rhizophere microbiota of NS soils could produce volatile materials, multiple enzymes and secondary metabolites against nematode. Collectively, the microbiota of NS and RNI rhizophere differed significantly in microbial network structure, community composition, function genes and metabolites. Collectively, combination of multi-omics analysis and culture-dependent technology is powerful for finding nematicidal microorganisms and metabolites from soil.
Torsion-shear behaviour at the interfaces of rigid interlocking blocks in masonry assemblages. Experimental investigation and analytical approaches
Authors: Casapulla Claudia , Mousavian Elham , Argiento Luca , Ceraldi Carla , Bagi Katalin
Published: May 2021

Increasing interest has recently been devoted to interlocking blocks/interfaces capable to enhance the sliding resistance of masonry joints to external forces. In this framework, this paper deals with the assessment of the torsion-shear capacity of the contact interface between the lock and the main body of an interlocking block, assumed to have a cohesive behaviour. The interlocking block is a rigid unit which, on its faces, have locks keeping the adjacent/overlapped blocks together and preventing blocks from sliding. Two numerical approaches and a novel ad hoc experimental investigation are proposed to simulate the torsion-shear behaviour by applying eccentrical shear forces to the lock. First, concave, convex and corrected concave formulations provided by the literature for assemblages of rigid blocks with conventional planar joints are extended to model the interlocking block behaviour. Then, according to a second approach based on the discrete element method, the concave-shaped interlocking block is modelled by convex polyhedrons representing the lock and the main body of the block, considered as individual rigid units stacked over each other with a cohesive contact in between. A novel experimental investigation on the limiting pure shear and torsion-shear combinations at the lock interface made of cohesive material is also presented. Two different mortars were chosen to make the specimens, which were casted using 3D printed moulds, and different test configurations were set up to simulate shear and torsion-shear failures. The analytical and numerical results are compared with each other and against the experimental ones, with interesting remarks on the application of the different approaches.
The Element Composition Strategies in Chenopodiaceae Halophytes Reveal Complex Plant-Soil Interactions in Saline-Alkali Grassland
Authors: Song Xiaoqian , Zhang Zhonghua , Su Yuhang , Zheng Jingwen , Liang Zhengwei , Tang Zhonghua
Published: May 2021

With the continuous increase of saline-alkali land, sustainable development of the global environment and ecology has been seriously affected. Chenopodiaceae is a pioneer plant family living in saline-alkali land, which plays a crucial role in sustaining the stability, composition and function of saline-alkali arid ecosystems. In this study, 11 elements were analyzed in different plant organs and rhizosphere soil of eight Chenopodiaceae species. Descriptive statistics of the leaf, stem and root element concentrations in eight halophyte species of contrasting salt tolerance types (salt-dilution halophytes and recretohalophytes) were calculated. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used to compare the correlations of elements among the leaf, stem, root and soil property, as well as between the plant and soil. General linear model was employed to explore how the variance of element concentrations in leaves, stems and roots depends on salt tolerance type, soil salinity property and soil mineral elements. The results showed that salt tolerance type and soil mineral element concentrations explained most of the variation observed in element concentrations in Chenopodiaceae plants; the soil salinity property played only a minor role. It was concluded that the genetic factors are the prerequisite in the composition pattern of leaf elements in Chenopodiaceae, and soil factors are the key to determine element accumulation. These conclusions provide an effective reference for evaluating plant breeding and its response to environmental change in saline-alkali arid areas in Hulunbuir grassland and other parts of the world.
The concept of creating thrust based on angular momentum change
Authors: Kupreev Sergei
Published: May 2021

The change in the kinetic moment of a material body is considered regarding to classical and quantum mechanics. The possibility of creating the propulsion system in terms of energy efficiency exceeding the photon engine has been theoretically proved. The proposed new principle of motion is based on the law of conservation of angular momentum and is fully consistent with the basic fundamental laws of physics. It is proposed to use the emission/absorption of streams of low-energy particles with spin in the direction perpendicular to the movement of the material body. The practical implementation of this idea is confirmed by the presence of promising approaches to solving the problem of quantizing gravity (string theory, loop quantum gravity, etc.) recognized by the world scientific community and by the successful results of experiments conducted by the authors with the motion of bodies in a vacuum chamber. The proposed idea, the examples and experiments has given grounds for the formation of new physical concepts of the speed, mass and inertia of bodies. The obtained results can be used in experiments to search for elementary particles with low energy, to explain a number of physics phenomena and to develop transport of objects based on new physical principles.
Population connectivity across a transboundary conservation network: potential for restoration?
Authors: Dures Simon , Carbone Chris , Loveridge Andrew J , Maude Glyn , Midland Neil , Gottelli Dada
Published: May 2021

Context: There has been limited research identifying large-scale functional connectivity of wildlife populations across sub-Saharan Africa, despite the increased focus on transboundary conservation networks. Objectives: This study set out to assess the functional connectivity of a highly mobile predator of conservation concern across the Kavango-Zambezi transboundary conservation area (KAZA) and the northern Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), covering almost 300,000km2 of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Methods: We analysed the nuclear diversity of 204 individual lions from across the metapopulation using Bayesian and multivariate statistics to assess population structure and recent migration. A maximum-likelihood method was used to determine average male dispersal distances to determine the potential for functional connectivity across the region.Results: The results are consistent with work identifying the existence of ecotypic differences between wetland and dryland lions, but also indicate hierarchical population structure further dividing the population into four geographic clusters; the Okavango Delta, the Central Kalahari, Kafue National Park, and the Hwange-Chobe complex. Analysis of dispersal distances of males suggests that reconnecting the clusters through conservation intervention should be successful in improving gene flow and connectivity across the region. Conclusions: While trans-boundary conservation areas may currently have limited gene flow and connectivity, there is potential for the restoration of functional connectivity via the natural dispersal of highly mobile species. However, the matrix of habitat through which such dispersing animals must traverse must be conducive to their movement and survival, highlighting the importance of land outside protected areas for the preservation of highly mobile animals such as lions.
Metaldehyde-Mediated Genotoxicity in Allium Cepa (L.) Root Meristem Cells
Authors: MACAR Oksal , Macar Tuğçe Kalefetoğlu
Published: May 2021

The excessive use of metaldehyde (MA) in agriculture to combat molluscs endangers both the environment and non-target organisms. Allium cepa is a popular model organism for determining toxicity of commonly used chemicals such as pesticides. The aim of this study was to investigate the metaldehyde-mediated genotoxicity in A. cepa roots. To achieve this goal, five groups were formed and the first group considered as control was treated with tap water throughout the experiment. 20 ppm metaldehyde, 40 ppm metaldehyde, 100 ppm metaldehyde and 200 ppm metaldehyde solutions were applied to the other groups, respectively. Germination percentage, relative injury rate, root length and weight gain were analyzed to assess the effect of the pesticide on growth. Genotoxicity arisen from different doses of metaldehyde was investigated in terms of mitotic index (MI), micronucleus frequency (MN) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs). In addition, oxidative stress caused by metaldehyde was investigated by analyzing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. The results of the growth parameters showed that metaldehyde had a growth-limiting effect in A. cepa, depending on the application dose. According to root elongation levels, EC50 (effective concentration) value for metaldehyde was 50 ppm in A.cepa. As the applied dose of metaldehyde increased, the incidence of MN and CAs gradually increased while MI decreased. Incrising doses of metaldehyde application also increased MDA levels, SOD and CAT activities. Data of the present study undoubtedly showed that metaldehyde had a suppressive effect in usual cell division, growth and chromosomal integrity while caused oxidative stress associated with genotoxicity.