bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The value of SPECT/CT imaging of lacrimal glands as a means of assessing the activity of Graves’ orbitopathy
Authors: Zhao Ru-Xuan , Shi Ting-Ting , Luo Sha , Liu Yun-Fu , Xin Zhong , Yang Jin-Kui
Published: January 2022

Background

Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disease with mechanical impairment of orbital muscles and lacrimal gland dysfunction. The frequently used methods of assessing GO activity include Clinical Activity Score (CAS), CT, and MRI. These approaches are mainly associated with orbital muscles; however, there are not many studies that focus on the lacrimal gland inflammation of GO patients.

Objective

The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of 99mTc-DTPA single-photon emission (SPE) CT/CT in evaluating the lacrimal gland inflammation in GO, as compared with other methods.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 48 patients with active GO compared with 33 controls was conducted. All subjects underwent clinical–endocrinological analyses, CAS evaluation, CT scans, and SPECT/CT examination. Lacrimal gland dimensions were determined and analyzed.

Results

The lacrimal glands in patients with GO were significantly larger in all measured dimensions (P  < 0.001) on CT scans relative to those in controls. Increased lacrimal gland diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) uptake ratios (P  < 0.001) were displayed in active GO patients compared to controls and were also correlated with thyrotropin receptor antibody levels. The cut-off value for discriminating active and inactive disease was calculated to be 1.735, with specificity of 82.6% and sensitivity of 74.2%. SPECT/CT uptake ratios and CAS values were positively correlated in all GO patients. SPECT/CT uptake ratios were also positively correlated with CT measurements including lacrimal gland volume and coronal width in GO patients.

Conclusions

These data indicated that lacrimal gland SPECT/CT images can serve as a good tool for assessing the inflammation and disease activity of GO.
Indices of the DNA repair system in the brain of fish as a biomarker of inorganic mercury burden
Authors: Nedzvetsky V. S. , Gasso V. Ya. , Novitskyi R. O. , Hasso I. A.
Published: January 2022

Mercury is a widespread heavy metal that causes a stable and prolonged environmental pollution. Low concentrations of inorganic and organic mercury compounds are found in almost all water bodies. The high level of mercury bioaccumulation is a cause of tissue-specific toxicity, including neurotoxicity. Absorbed in nervous tissue mercury can cause brain disorders both in neural and glial cells. The brain of fish is considered one of the most susceptible targets for cytotoxicity of mercury in aquatic ecosystems. Taking into account that different forms of mercury have widespread distribution and exhibit a strong neurotoxic effect, the assessment of mercury cytotoxicity in the brain of fish is relevant and extremely important. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was exposed to mercury chloride in the dose range of 5-20 μg/L for 60 days to study the chronic exposure of low doses. In this paper, we studied the influence of inorganic mercury on oxidative stress, DNA repair proteins – ERCC1 and PARP1 in the trout’s brain. The results obtained have shown that the chronic effect of inorganic mercury causes dose-dependent oxidative stress in the fish brain. In addition, low concentrations of mercury (10 and 20 μg/L) caused a decrease in the content of ERCC1 in the brain of fish. On the contrary, the same doses have caused an increase in PARP1 expression. That is the chronic influence of low concentrations of inorganic mercury has a negative effect in the fish brain. Observed results showed that inorganic mercury has a potential for suppressing DNA repair and, therefore, increases the instability of genome. Thus, ERCC1 and PARP1 can be considered as the sensitive biomarkers of mercury cytotoxicity in the fish brain. A further study of mercury neurotoxicity is needed to find out the hazard of mercury environmental pollution as well as a validation of biomarkers of their impact.
Evaluation of the influence of heavy metals on the degree of damage Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimič, 1986 leaf surface of Aesculus hippocastanum Linnaeus, 1753
Authors: Seliutina O. V. , Holoborodko K. K.
Published: January 2022

The work presents the results of research on effect of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) on degree of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum Linnaeus, 1753) leaf surface damage by chestnut miner (Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimič, 1986) caterpillars. Analysis of leaf blade damage of the forage plant species by C. ohridella was conducted for four years (2017–2021). The research covered all the main park urban ecosystems in Dnipro city where horse chestnut trees were planted. Monitoring was carried out during the three summer months, which corresponds to the main feeding period of the three most active C. ohridella generations (I, II, and III). About 96 samples were used and prepared for atomic absorption analysis to study the content of heavy metals in A. hippocastanum leaf blades. On the territory of the park ecosystems in Dnipro city, eight groups of model horse chestnut trees of 20–30 years of age were identified which have similar morphological and taxonomic features but different degrees of leaf damage by C. ohridella miner. Since the plantations of horse chestnut are mainly located in an urban environment, we conducted research to test the hypothesis about the influence of heavy metals on C. ohridella vital activity. Presumably, the content of heavy metals also affects the degree of leaf blade damage. In this regard, we conducted research on the content of heavy metals in A. hippocastanum leaf tissues. It was found that accumulation in the horse chestnut leaf tissues of four basic heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) contained in all urban environments depends on the orographic features of the area where A. hippocastanum trees grow. It also was found that the higher in relief were located the horse chestnut plantings, the greater the percentage of their invasion by the miner, and this trend was observed during the three summer months. For example, in the Manuylivsky Park where horse chestnut trees are located at 56 m above sea level, the average leaf invasion by the miner in August is 14%; in the same month in Oles Honchar Dnipro National University Botanical Garden (149 m), the level of invasion was 78%. Research on the effects of heavy metals on C. ohridella populations also showed significant differences by the types of urban ecosystems. It was found that the higher content of heavy metals in the leaf tissues in a forage plant, the greater percentage of their surface damage by mines.
ОСОБЛИВОСТІ МІКРОСТАЦІАЛЬНОЇ ДИФЕРЕНЦІАЦІЇ СПЕКТРІВ ЕКОМОРФ УГРУПОВАНЬ АМФІБІОТИЧНИХ КОМАХ ГІДРОЕКОСИСТЕМ УКРАЇНСЬКИХ КАРПАТ
Authors: Hushtan K. V.
Published: January 2022

Стаття присвячена спектрам екоморф угруповань амфібіотичних комах гідроекосистем Українських Карпат. Спектри екоморф досліджених угруповань амфібіотичних комах проявляють виразну реакцію на антропогенні зміни гідрологічного стану водних екосистем. Це позначається на зміні кількісного співвідношення або зникненні характерних наборів екоморф на рівні класів та підкласів. Відмічено трансформації у напрямі формування екоморфно-монотипових угруповань, з домінуванням лише одного підкласу.Внаслідок природної гетерогенності алювіального складу субстрату, видове багатство угруповань амфібіотичних комах характеризується високою екоморфологічною різноманітністю. В антропогенно зміненому річищі випадають набори екоморф, які є характерними для певного типу гранулометричного складу протічних водойм.
Historical creations aspects and functioning features of field protective forest plantations in the steppe zone of Ukraine
Authors: Yakuba M. S. , Gorban V. A.
Published: January 2022

Field protective forest plantings of the steppe zone of Ukraine are one of the most important links in the system of protective forest plantations on arable lands. The presence of well-functioning field protective forest belts is a fundamental condition for efficient agricultural production in the steppe regions of Ukraine. The paper presents the facts about the expediency of creating protective forest belts as an important measure to support the agricultural potential of the steppe zone of Ukraine. The current state of forest belts is analyzed and historical literature information on the creation and prospects of development of protective afforestation in the steppe of Ukraine is presented. The legal aspect of the mode of operation of field protective plantations is highlighted. Given the low forest cover of a large area of Ukraine, the difficult and ambiguous situation of afforestation of forest-deficient areas of the country, the creation of new and preservation of existing protective forest belts in the steppe zone of Ukraine is an extremely important task today. The problem of ensuring the effective functioning of field protective plantations in the conditions of ecological inconsistency of forest vegetation conditions for the existence of woody vegetation in Dnipropetrovsk region, in the zone of weeds-fescue-feathergrass steppes is acute. Against the background of a number of well-known indisputable facts about the positive impact of forest belts on the soil and climatic properties of steppe landscapes, the condition of most existing protective plantations today is unsatisfactory, and some of them – critical. Almost everywhere in Ukraine, in conditions of high plowed lands and the absence of forest strips or their neglected condition, there is a rapid destruction of the upper fertile layer of soil. This leads to soil degradation, reduced yields and causes great economic damage to the country. Mass uncontrolled logging, destruction of protective forest belts, their irrational use and lack of proper care are a critical problem of national scale and may soon turn into an environmental disaster. An acute modern problem in the existence and functioning of forest belts is the solution of the legal regime of field protective tree strips and the introduction of appropriate legislative state regulation. An equally painful problem for field protection strips today is the lack of reliable information about their real condition. Therefore, obtaining a general idea of the current state and dynamics of field protection strips is possible only if they conduct a detailed comprehensive study and conduct a thorough inventory. For successful planning and implementation of measures to increase the forest cover of forest-deficient regions with difficult forest vegetation conditions and create an effective system of protective forest belts should take into account the history and many years of experience in creating forest plantations in the steppe of Ukraine.
Amphibian diversity of the Dnipro river within the limits of the Dnipro city agglomeration
Authors: Gasso V. Y. , Yermolenko S. V.
Published: January 2022

Amphibians play an important role in the formation of biodiversity and functioning in most terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Urbanization threatens to survive many species due to the destruction of natural ecosystems whose remains become fragmented, isolated, and modified by urbanization processes. The floodplain and coastal ecosystems along both banks of the Dnipro River within the limits of the Dnipro city agglomeration are investigated. The current diversity of amphibians in this territory is represented by six species, which is 55% of the total amount of amphibian fauna of the Dnipropetrovsk region. They are Lissotriton vulgaris, Pelophylаx ridibundus, Pelobates vespertinus, Bombina bombina, Hyla orientalis, and Bufotes viridis. The largest diversity of amphibians was found on the site near the Samara Gulf, where small urbanization and anthropogenic influence are observed. The smallest diversity of amphibians was found for the site of residential community "Pobeda", where only two species of amphibians were revealed. The assessment of the similarity of amphibian communities shows that their diversity is the most similar for ecosystems of the right bank of the Dnipro River near the residential communities "Chervony Kamin", "Pokrovsky", and "Parus" and the ecosystems on the left bank near the Samara Gulf. The most numerous and widespread species is the marsh frog P. ridibundus, which lives along the coastline of the Dnieper River. Its populations are relatively stable according to their high number and distribution. The populations of L. vulgaris, B. bombina, and H. orientalis are under the threat of declining, as evidenced by their low number and dependence on small water bodies. Therefore, the reconstruction of the coastline and any earthwork and building activity should be accompanied by the measures on the preservation of small reservoirs along the Dnieper River. The obtained results develop our knowledge about the actual state of biodiversity and species wealth abundance of the Dnieper River within the northern steppe subzone of Ukraine and may be used for planning of the environmental protection measures.
Critical analysis of the main discourses of the Spanish press about the rescue of the ship «Aquarius»
Authors: Martínez-Lirola María
Published: January 2022

This article presents an analysis of the main discourses that appear in a sample of Spanish newspapers before and after the arrival of the Aquarius at the port of Valencia in June 2018, in order to observe if there is a solidarity discourse or one that rejects the arrival of the rescued immigrants in Spain. The corpus consists of all the news published from June 10 to July 10, 2018 in the electronic version of the Spanish newspapers ABC, El Mundo, El País and La Vanguardia. The methodology is mainly qualitative-descriptive. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) was chosen to observe the main linguistic characteristics of the collected news items and the topics that appear in the articles. The analysis shows that the testimonies of politicians and members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) predominate, but there are few testimonies of immigrants. The solidarity and acceptance of Spain are strengthened, as well as the defense of human rights. This contrasts with the discourses that the press presents after the arrival of the ship in Valencia. A discourse related to the health of immigrants and their need for help and resources predominates, a fact that contributes to the alarm of the majority group.
The ideology of media. Measuring the political leaning of Spanish news media through Twitter users’ interactions
Authors: Guerrero-Solé Frederic
Published: January 2022

The news media have a strong influence on people’s perception of reality. But despite claims to objectivity, media organizations are, in general, politically biased (Patterson & Donsbach, 1996; Gaebler, 2017). The link between news media outlets and political organizations has been a critical question in political science and communication studies. To assess the closeness between the news media and particular political organizations, scholars have used different methods such as content analysis, undertaking surveys or adopting a political economy view. With the advent of social networks, new sources of data are now available to measure the relationship between media organizations and parties. Assuming that users coherently retweet political and news information (Wong, Tan, Sen & Chiang, 2016), and drawing on the retweet overlap network (RON) method (Guerrero-Solé, 2017), this research uses people’s perceived ideology of Spanish political parties (CIS, 2020) to propose a measure of the ideology of news media in Spain. Results show that scores align with the result of previous research on the ideology of the news media (Ceia, 2020). We also find that media outlets are, in general, politically polarized with two groups or clusters of news media being close to the left-wing parties UP and PSOE, and the other to the right-wing and far-right parties Cs, PP, and Vox. This research also underlines the media’s ideological stability over time.
On the metaphorization of space: a closer look at the English far from X-construction and its Polish equivalents
Authors:   Jagiellonian University, Poland, Herda Damian
Published: January 2022

Although a fair share of scholarly attention has been paid to the metaphorically driven grammaticalization of the originally spatial English far from X-construction into a minimizer, whereby it emphatically points to the subject’s non-attainment of a given property or failure to enter a specific eventuality, little has been written about whether, and how, this change finds reflection in the translation of English texts into foreign languages, including Polish. Thus, on the basis of a random sample composed of sentences containing the English far from X-construction along with their respective Polish translations extracted from the parallel English-Polish Paralela Corpus, this paper sets out to examine how the grammaticalized English expression is typically rendered into Polish. Considering the variation observed in the data, five main translation categories have been identified, namely those involving (i) spatial markers, (ii) standard minimizers, (iii) simple negation, (iv) omission, and (v) other locutions. The results of the empirical analysis indicate that in slightly more than half of the cases, the metaphorical English construction is translated into Polish with the use of non-spatial expressions, in particular canonical minimizers, a finding which can be accounted for in terms of the fact that the Polish spatial counterparts of far from X have generally undergone a lower degree of grammaticalization.
Constraining natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the delivery of coastal ecosystem services
Authors:   , Luk Sheron Y.
Published: January 2022

Coastal ecosystems provide key services that benefit human wellbeing yet are undergoing rapid degradation due to natural and anthropogenic pressures. This thesis seeks to understand how disturbances impact salt marsh and estuarine ecosystem functioning in order to refine their role in coastal ecosystem service delivery and predict future resilience. Salt marsh survival relative to sealevel rise increasingly relies on the accumulation and preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Firstly, I characterized SOC development and turnover in a New England salt marsh and found that salt marsh soils typically store marsh grass-derived compounds that are reworked over centuries-to-millennia. Next, I assessed how two common marsh disturbances – natural ponding and anthropogenic mosquito ditching – affect salt marsh carbon cycling and storage. Salt marsh ponds deepen through soil erosion and decomposition of long-buried marsh peat. Further, the SOC lost during pond development is not fully recouped once drained ponds are revegetated and virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding marsh. Mosquito ditches, which were installed in ~ 90% of New England salt marshes during the Great Depression, did not significantly alter marsh carbon storage. In Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a US National Estuary, we tested relationships among measures of estuarine water quality, recreational activity, and local socioeconomic conditions to understand how the benefits of cultural ecosystem services are affected by shifts in water quality associated with global change and anthropogenic activity. Over a 24-year period, water quality degradation coinciding with increases in Chlorophyll a is associated with declines in fishery abundance and cultural ecosystem service values ($0.08 – 0.67 million USD). In combination, incorporation of both anthropogenic and natural disturbances to coastal ecosystem functioning and service delivery can produce improved estimates of ecosystem service valuation for effective resource decision-making under future climate scenarios.
Greenroof Study: Final Report An Assessment of Greenroof Design and Maintenance in Portland, Oregon: 2011 – 2013
Authors:   ,   Portland State University, Beck Windy
Published: January 2022

In 1999 the City of Portland (City) began to require that stormwater management facilities (SMF) be built when private property is newly developed or redeveloped (City Code Chapter 17.38). Proper maintenance and upkeep of SMFs is essential to ensuring they function appropriately. The City’s Maintenance Inspection Program (MIP) is tasked with inspecting stormwater management facilities on private properties in order to ensure that they are being properly operated and maintained and to meet provisions of the City’s NPDES Municipal Separated Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. Greenroofs are one type of SMF that are installed to satisfy this requirement. Understanding the long-term maintenance needs of a greenroof is essential to reaching MIP goals established by City Code and the MS4 permit. Data collection occurred between November 2011 and May 2013 at private properties in Portland, Oregon during routine maintenance inspections of stormwater management facilities for the City’s Maintenance Inspection Program (MIP).
Human‐centered recommender systems: Origins, advances, challenges, and opportunities
Authors: Konstan Joseph A. , Terveen Loren G.
Published: January 2022

From the earliest days of the field, Recommender Systems research and practice has struggled to balance and integrate approaches that focus on recommendation as a machine learning or missing‐value problem with ones that focus on machine learning as a discovery tool and perhaps persuasion platform. In this article, we review 25 years of recommender systems research from a human‐centered perspective, looking at the interface and algorithm studies that advanced our understanding of how system designs can be tailored to users objectives and needs. At the same time, we show how external factors, including commercialization and technology developments, have shaped research on human‐centered recommender systems. We show how several unifying frameworks have helped developers and researchers alike incorporate thinking about user experience and human decision‐making into their designs. We then review the challenges, and the opportunities, in today's recommenders, looking at how deep learning and optimization techniques can integrate with both interface designs and human performance statistics to improve recommender effectiveness and usefulness
Using Machine Learning to Identify Metabolomic Signatures of Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease Etiology
Authors: Lee Arthur M. , Hu Jian , Xu Yunwen , Abraham Alison G. , Xiao Rui , Coresh Josef , Rebholz Casey , Chen Jingsha , Rhee Eugene P. , Feldman Harold I. , Ramachandran Vasan S. , Kimmel Paul L. , Warady Bradley A. , Furth Susan L. , Denburg Michelle R. ,   for the CKD Biomarkers Consortium
Published: January 2022

Significance Statement

Machine learning used with biostatistics identified metabolomic signatures in the plasma of pediatric patients with CKD, providing clues to cause. Dysmetabolism in the sphingomyelin-ceramide axis is associated with both FSGS and the aplasia/dysplasia/hypoplasia spectrum. Pediatric FSGS is associated with elevated plasmalogen levels, in contrast to reports of associations with plasmalogen deficiencies. Our strategy also revealed associations of obstructive uropathy with gut-derived histidines and of reflux nephropathy with indole-tryptophans.

Background

Untargeted plasma metabolomic profiling combined with machine learning (ML) may lead to discovery of metabolic profiles that inform our understanding of pediatric CKD causes. We sought to identify metabolomic signatures in pediatric CKD based on diagnosis: FSGS, obstructive uropathy (OU), aplasia/dysplasia/hypoplasia (A/D/H), and reflux nephropathy (RN).

Methods

Untargeted metabolomic quantification (GC-MS/LC-MS, Metabolon) was performed on plasma from 702 Chronic Kidney Disease in Children study participants (n: FSGS=63, OU=122, A/D/H=109, and RN=86). Lasso regression was used for feature selection, adjusting for clinical covariates. Four methods were then applied to stratify significance: logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting. ML training was performed on 80% total cohort subsets and validated on 20% holdout subsets. Important features were selected based on being significant in at least two of the four modeling approaches. We additionally performed pathway enrichment analysis to identify metabolic subpathways associated with CKD cause.

Results

ML models were evaluated on holdout subsets with receiver-operator and precision-recall area-under-the-curve, F1 score, and Matthews correlation coefficient. ML models outperformed no-skill prediction. Metabolomic profiles were identified based on cause. FSGS was associated with the sphingomyelin-ceramide axis. FSGS was also associated with individual plasmalogen metabolites and the subpathway. OU was associated with gut microbiome–derived histidine metabolites.

Conclusion

ML models identified metabolomic signatures based on CKD cause. Using ML techniques in conjunction with traditional biostatistics, we demonstrated that sphingomyelin-ceramide and plasmalogen dysmetabolism are associated with FSGS and that gut microbiome–derived histidine metabolites are associated with OU.
Measuring sign complexity: Comparing a model-driven and an error-driven approach
Authors: Mertz Justine , Annucci Chiara , Aristodemo Valentina , Giustolisi Beatrice , Gras Doriane , Turco Giuseppina , Geraci Carlo , Donati Caterina
Published: January 2022

The study of articulatory complexity has proven to yield useful insights into the phonological mechanisms of spoken languages. In sign languages, this type of knowledge is scarcely documented. The current study compares an error-driven measure and a model-driven measure of complexity for signs in French Sign Language (LSF). The former measure is based on error rates of handshape, location, orientation, movement, and sign fluidity in a repetition task administered to non-signers; the latter measure is derived by applying a feature-geometry model of sign description to the same set of signs. A significant correlation is found between the two measures for the overall complexity. When looking at the effects of individual phonological classes on complexity, a significant correlation is found for handshape and location but not for movement. We discuss how these results indicate that a fine-grained theoretical model of sign phonology/phonetics reflects the degree of complexity as from the perceptual and articulatory properties of signs.
Spencer Bell, Nobody Knows My Name
Authors: Greene Liz
Published: January 2022

Spencer Bell, Nobody Knows My Name The audiovisual essay showcases Bell’s performance, by only selecting and using sequences that he is in. I decided to not only reverse the order of the sequences but also to reverse the footage within the clips themselves. Through reversing the footage from the film, we see Bell’s representation unfold, reanimating his performance. By focussing solely on Bell, the audiovisual essay draws attention to him as an actor and celebrates his talent whilst also illustrating the constraints in which he was working. It does so to ask questions about representation in cinema and more critically to unpick the racist imagery evident onscreen. The audiovisual essay argues that it is important to watch such depictions in order to challenge them, and to confront racist imagery. In focussing in on Bell, it is hoped it will prompt audiences to seek out his work and watch his performances in full and, in turn, understand the institutional racism he was working under. 
The Role of the Foreign Trade in the Development of Contemporary Supernational Structures in the Age of Globalization 4.0
Authors: Balashova Maria , Tsvigun Irina
Published: January 2022

In the age of globalization 4.0, the problem of insufficient preparation of supranational structures for leveling the negative consequences of the integration of information technologies into all spheres of human activity is becoming more acute, which puts on the agenda the question of the real effectiveness of their activities. There is no alternative to establishing and deepening the information type of society in both the medium and long term. International organizations and companies, as well as integration associations, should take into account the relevant changes taking place in the world economy in the organization of their activities. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of foreign trade in the development of modern supranational structures and to identify among them those which can really cope with the challenges of globalization 4.0. The research methodology was based on the basic principles of synthesis and analysis of data on 35 countries of the world from different continents and with different levels of economic development, which either have maintained stable positions in the level and quality of life of the population over the past decades, or those that have managed to make the transition from a country with a developing economy to a developed one. The authors tried to identify the influence of the foreign trade activities of the member states of supranational structures on the success of their development. The result of the study was the identification of stronger positions of international companies and integration associations that have achieved complex forms of cooperation over international organizations. It is shown that the main way to achieve the appropriate leadership is the activity of their member countries in foreign trade processes in general, and most importantly — in the export of information technologies, in particular. The latter gives the relevant supranational structures unique unlimited benefits, and their participants the opportunity to preserve their so­vereignty and guarantee national security.
Problems of Information Support of Non-Profit Organizations Working with Volunteers: General Trends and a Case-Analysis
Authors: Bakhmatova Tatyana , Khromenkova Anna
Published: January 2022

The globalization of information processes leads to the development of a large number of channels that are used to provide information for non-profit organizations. Today, there is a clear deficiency of scientific research devoted to the systemic assessment of the effectiveness of information and communication channels in organizing volunteer activities. The purpose of this study is to identify the most common problems of information support for the activities of non-profit organizations working with volunteers. The object of study is the Obereg charity fund. The study, carried out on the basis of the case-study strategy, allowed to make a detailed assessment of the information environment of the non-profit organization, to analyze the problems of using communication channels in the activities of non-profit organizations working with volunteers. With the help of the social network analysis service Socstat, groups of organizations in the social network VKontakte were analyzed, the engagement rate was calculated, and the results of empirical studies based on the content analysis of the websites of 10 organizations in Russia and groups in social networks were presented. The study showed that the most common problems of communication channel functioning of non-profit organizations are irregular and unsystematic use of channels, incompleteness of information provided, the lack of an information manager. The following ways of solving the identified problems were proposed: involvement of relevant specialists; preparation of a comprehensive strategy for working with communication channels; implementation of an omnichannel strategy.
German Experience of Terminating Criminal Prosecution with the Imposition of Duties and Regulations on the Accused in the Context of the Russian Draft Law on Criminal Offence
Authors: Tarbagaev Aleksey , Maiorova Ludmila , Ploshkina Yana
Published: January 2022

The second attempt of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to introduce the concept of a criminal offence into Russian criminal and criminal procedure legislation widens the non-rehabilitating grounds for the termination of a criminal case or prosecution with the imposition of other criminal law measures: it is suggested that, in addition to a court fine, community work and partially paid work should also be introduced. This leads to certain problems, including problems with the presumption of innocence and the observance of the principle of justice. The authors turn to the German experience for a better understanding of the situation. Germany faced similar problems much earlier, when § 153а was introduced in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Federal Republic of Germany (CPC of the FRG); it provided for an opportunity to terminate criminal prosecution for criminal offences on the grounds of expediency with the imposition of duties and regulations on the accused, which are akin to criminal law measures under draft law № 1112019-7. Taking into consideration the theoretical approaches developed in Germany, the practice of the Constitutional Court of the FRG and the Supreme Court of the FRG, the authors examine the goals of introducing § 153а in the CPC of the FRG, the practice of its implementation, as well as the problem of terminating criminal prosecution on the grounds of expediency with the imposition of duties and regulations on the accused connected with the observance of the Constitution of the FRG, the presumption of innocence, the principles of justice, certainty, equality before law; they analyze the controversial legal nature of duties and regulations under § 153а in the CPC of the FRG. According to German criminal procedure law, the termination of criminal prosecution on the grounds of expediency with the imposition of duties and regulations on the accused is a right, and not a duty of the corresponding officers and agencies as it is, in fact, an alternative to criminal prosecution which makes it possible to terminate it at a certain stage when there are all the necessary legal grounds for criminal prosecution.
El contrapunto en el álbum ilustrado infantil. Un análisis multimodal para su implementación en la asignatura Ilustración Infantil del Máster de Dibujo (Universidad de Granada)
Authors: Hidalgo Rodríguez Mª Carmen
Published: January 2022

El álbum ilustrado infantil es una de las publicaciones para niños con mayor grado de experimentación literaria-plástica. La clave de estos libros radica en la relación entre la imagen y el texto, donde ambos medios colaboran entre sí para contar una historia común. Esta investigación se centra en los álbumes donde la relación multimodal es fundamentalmente de contrapunto, es decir, la imagen y el texto cuentan historias distintas, que incluso pueden llegar a contradecirse.

El objetivo de esta aportación es doble: en primer lugar, se profundiza en los recursos de interacción verbal-icónica que dan lugar al contrapunto en el álbum ilustrado; y, a posteriori, se diseña una actividad didáctica enfocada en la descodificación textual y visual de los álbumes analizados, con el objeto de implementarla como parte de la programación docente del Máster de Dibujo. El método empleado se basa en un estudio cualitativo de cinco álbumes contemporáneos publicados en español, tomando como punto de partida las categorías de contrapunto de Nikolajeva y Scott, y las clasificaciones de recursos metaficcionales descritos por Lewis y Zabala. Los resultados del análisis sirven de base para el diseño de la actividad, donde los estudiantes trabajarán los conceptos explicados previamente en el aula.

El análisis revela un claro predominio de los recursos denominados “estilo”, “punto de vista” y “género” para crear el contrapunto fundamental en el álbum. La actividad didáctica muestra las dificultades de identificación del contrapunto en los álbumes no contradictorios. De esta manera, para mejorar la eficacia de la actividad, se proponen algunos ajustes, como son la ampliación del número de álbumes para reducir los grupos de trabajo, y la incorporación de álbumes de complemento para facilitar la comprensión de los conceptos por comparación.
Herramientas de acción-investigación artística durante el confinamiento por Covid-19 a partir de la obra Viaje alrededor de mi habitación de Xavier de Maistre
Authors: Pérez-Valero Manuel , Bru Serrano Manuel
Published: January 2022

Este artículo presenta una investigación y propuesta educativa sobre arte y literatura a través del libro de Xavier de Maistre, Viaje alrededor de mi habitación (1794). Se enmarca en el periodo de confinamiento social llevado a cabo entre marzo y mayo de 2020 en España, y ha sido diseñada e implementada en la asignatura Aprendizaje y Enseñanza del Dibujo Artístico del Máster en Profesorado de ESO, Bachillerato y Formación Profesional de la Universidad de Almería.

Se muestra una metodología que parte con el objetivo de desarrollar experiencias que estimulen al alumnado desde su individualidad y aislamiento, propiciando un aprendizaje reflexivo y práctico en época de pandemia mundial. Mediante la lectura escogida, se plantean tres actividades en torno al dibujo y al objeto que propician un proceso creativo donde el discente estimula su percepción espacial y sensorial, así como su capacidad creadora e imaginativa fuera del aula.

Paralelamente, este trabajo aborda a nivel teórico la cotidianidad de la habitación, tanto en la novela como en la realidad del estudiantado, suscitando un diálogo entre el aula y el taller que permite cuestionar el espacio educativo, el papel del docente y la conciencia de grupo. La variedad de perfiles que ofrece este Máster (artistas, diseñadores, arquitectos, etc.) ha permitido aportar nuevos enfoques sobre dibujo, escultura y procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en arte.
The Ideographic Image of Tai Chi Chuan Movement score as a training resource for the actor
Authors: Collazos Vidal Armando , Montoya-Herrera Jesús , Peralbo Cano Rafael
Published: January 2022

The conception of the actor as a living being who keeps his body engaged in a fictional time to create a scenic truth, is related to the real, present and above all trained body. This body, generator of signals meant to be understood by the observer, involves an inner understanding of signs and images that originate beyond its boundaries. The objective of this reflexive article is to propose a “form”2 type of Tai Chi Chuan as a limited and instinctive process, using its ideographic imagery as a guide for the creation of a “movement score”3 , a resource for the actor to scrutinize the action that this imagery engenders and the relationship it establishes with his or her body language. The methodology is premised on an initial consideration that fans out into different possible analyses, until finally culminating in a “meta-reflection”4 , based on prior knowledge and experience in both theater and Tai Chi Chuan. The above includes theoretical and practical aspects that allow dealing with the analysis of Tai Chi Chuan ideograms as images for their representation, to create a movement score from them. The didactics discovers those elements which might potentially help capture Tai Chi Chuan through its calligraphy and vice versa, adapting and reinterpreting understood aspects to the actor’s physical training, which will be evaluated and implemented in the future in the stage environment.
Collaborating with Culturally Competent Prenatal Education among Hispanic Communities
Authors: Aguila Gonzalez Amanda , Henao Martha , Ahlers-Schmidt Cari
Published: January 2022

Introduction. Hispanics represent the largest minority group in the United States. In Kansas, the population of Hispanics has been increasing; unfortunately, their infant mortality rate has increased as well. Baby Talk is a prenatal education program promoting maternal and infant health through risk-reduction strategies and healthy decision-making. The aim of this pilot project was to develop and evaluate a Spanish curriculum for Baby Talk.
Methods. A collaborative partnership between community members and bilingual health professionals from different origins, nationalities, and Spanish dialects was formed to create a culturally and linguistically appropriate Spanish Baby Talk curriculum. This interventional pilot study employed survey and interviews to evaluate participant knowledge, intentions, satisfaction and perceptions of the newly developed curriculum.
Results. Fifteen pregnant women participated in Spanish Baby Talk. Of those, 12 participated in either phone interviews (n=6) or a focus group (n=6). All respondents described their experience with the Spanish Baby Talk program as “excellent”. Significant increases in knowledge were seen related to topics such as benefits of full-term pregnancy and benefits of breastfeeding. Four themes were identified from the focus group and interviews: 1) lack of accessible community resources; 2) sense of community; 3) Spanish Baby Talk strengths; and 4) areas for improvements.
Conclusions. Findings suggested that the Spanish Baby Talk curriculum was linguistically appropriate and resulted in increases in knowledge and intentions related to health and safety behaviors. Areas for improvement were related to marketing the program and referring to resources that provide material supports (i.e., diapers) to continue the move towards a culturally competent program.
Thromboelastography after Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Does it Save Blood Products?
Authors: Hasan Omar , Tung Robert , Freeman Hadley , Taylor Whitney , Helmer Stephen , Reyes Jared , Grizzell Brett E.
Published: January 2022

Introduction.  This study aimed to determine if thromboelastography (TEG) is associated with reduced blood product use and surgical re-intervention following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) compared to traditional coagulation tests.
Methods.  A retrospective review was conducted of 698 patients who underwent CPB  at a tertiary-care, community-based, university-affiliated hospital from February 16, 2014 – February 16, 2015 (Period I) and May 16, 2015 - May 16, 2016 (Period II).  Traditional coagulation tests guided transfusion during Period I and TEG guided transfusion during Period II.  Intraoperative and postoperative administration blood products (red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate), reoperation for hemorrhage or graft occlusion, duration of mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay and mortality were recorded. 
Results.  Use of a TEG-directed algorithm was associated with a 13.5% absolute reduction in percentage of patients requiring blood products intraoperatively (48.2% vs. 34.7%, p <0.001).  TEG resulted in a 64.3% and 43.1% reduction in proportion of patients receiving FFP and platelets, respectively, with a 50% reduction in volume of FFP administered (0.3 vs. 0.6 units, p < 0.001).  Use of TEG was not observed to significantly decrease postoperative blood product usage or mortality.  The median length of hospital stay was reduced by 1 day after TEG guided transfusion was implemented (nine days vs. eight days, p = 0.01).
Conclusions.  Use of TEG-directed transfusion of blood products following CPB appears to decrease the need for intraoperative transfusions, but the effect on clinical outcomes has yet to be clearly determined.
Understanding Medication Adherence in Patients with Limited English Proficiency
Authors: Kahler Luke , LeMaster Joseph
Published: January 2022

Introduction. Approximately 41.6% of the US population who speak a language other than English (20% over all) and have limited English proficiency (LEP) status.1 Health outcomes for patients with LEP status or who are language discordant (speak a different language than their clinicians) have been studied in several settings, including the hospital and outpatient, with results widely demonstrating that these patients have worse outcomes when a professional interpreter is not used consistently. 2,3 The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of preferred language and language discordance on medication adherence.
Methods. Data were collected via review of pharmacy-acquired medication profiles for three primary language cohorts: Nepali, Spanish, and English. Total Days of Adherence, Adherence Ratio, and Maximum Days Non-adherent were calculated and compared between language groups. We examined these statistics for regular and long-acting insulin, metformin and ACE inhibitors, testing for differences between language groups and those who experienced greater vs less than the median value for language concordant clinical encounters.
Results. The most adherent group over all (highest adherence-ratio) were the Nepali-speaking, but the results showed high variability across outcomes and medications.
Conclusions. After adjustment and stratification for greater vs lesser language concordant patient visit experience, we found that language-spoken plays an important role in the clinical encounter, and that LEP patients could have improved outcomes in their adherence to medications by having providers who speak their language or use an interpreter.
Epistemic Culture of Japan: General Outlines in the Mirror of the Historical and Philosophical Approach
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Karelova Liubov
Published: January 2022

Ability of knowledge and thinking operations, such as abstraction, comparison syllogisms and so on, are of course common to all peoples. Nevertheless, when referring to this or that specifi c cultural material, the problem of the existence of separate epistemic cultures arises. Contemporary research on epistemological diversity relies primarily on methods of analytic epistemology and focuses on identifying examples of ‘cross-linguistic divergence’ at the semantic level. The concepts of ‘know’ and ‘knowledge’ often become the object of research. However, there are suffi cient grounds for identifying and studying epistemic cultures also in terms of other parameters. This article is focused upon highlighting these parameters by referring to examples of the history of the Japanese spiritual tradition associated with Buddhist and Confucian teachings. In particular, the author examines the Buddhist doctrines of two truths and the identity of absolute being and the phenomenal world, as well as the neo-Confucian principle of the unity of knowledge and action from the point of view of their infl uence on the epistemological attitudes of Japanese culture. The undertaken analytic excursion allows, using the example of Japan, to show that each culture has its own set of assumptions underlying the cognitive strategy, certain preferences, more or less trust in relation to one or another form of acquiring knowledge, e.g., sensoryempirical, rational, intuitive forms, as well as ideas about the goals of cognition, differently perceived in diverse cultural and historical contexts.