bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perspective Chapter: Repurposing Natural Products to Target COVID-19 – Molecular Targets and New Avenues for Drug Discovery
Authors: A. Badria Farid
Published: May 2022

World Health Organization (WHO) declared on March 11, 2020, coronavirus disease, which erupted in December 19th, 2019 in Wuhan, China (COVID-19) as worldwide pandemic disease. Researchers worldwide were successful to provide a prophylactic approach via developing several vaccines, which were swiftly approved by WHO under Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status. So far, lopinavir, chloroquine, azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, umifenovir, ribavirin, remdesivir, and darunavir have been tested clinically. Hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, and chloroquine exhibited a high ratio of distribution for the lung and were reported to minimize viral tonnage in respiratory system of many COVID-19 cases. However, none of the tested drugs showed a conclusive, safe, and efficient activity against COVID-19. This prompted many experts in drug discovery to fetch in the treasure of many available old drugs of natural origin to repurpose based upon their well-studied pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, virtual screening, and artificial intelligence studies. In this review chapter, we will address the repurposing of natural products and their derivatives to be used in treatment of COVID-19 via targeting host cells machinery and viral proteins either in early stages by blocking virus entry to cells or lately through inhibition of viral replication.
Core Reload Analysis Techniques in the Advanced Test Reactor
Authors: E. Bays Samuel , W. Nielsen Joseph
Published: May 2022

Since becoming a national user facility in 2007, the type of irradiation campaigns the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) supports has become much more diverse and complex. In prior years, test complexity was limited by the computational ability to analyze the tests’ influence on the fuel. Large volume tests are irradiated in flux traps which are designed to receive excess neutrons from the surrounding fuel elements. Typically, fuel elements drive the test conditions, not vice versa. The computational tool, PDQ, was used for core physics analysis for decades. The PDQ code was adequate so long as the diffusion approximation between test and fuel element remained valid. This paradigm changed with the introduction of the Ki-Jang Research Reactor—Fuel Assembly Irradiation (KJRR-FAI) in 2015. The KJRR-FAI was a prototypic fuel element for the KJRR research reactor project in the Republic of Korea. The KJRR-FAI irradiation presented multiple modeling and simulation challenges for which PDQ was ill suited. To demonstrate that the KJRR-FAI could be irradiated and meet safety requirements, the modern neutron transport codes, HELIOS and MCNP, were extensively verified and validated to replace PDQ. The hybrid 3D/2D methodology devised with these codes made analysis of the ATR with KJRR-FAI possible. The KJRR-FAI was irradiated in 2015-2016.
Exploring the Association between Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) and Orthodontics
Authors: Mehta Siddharth
Published: May 2022

Temporomandibular joint is an important bilateral synovial joint of body. This chapter focuses on the basic anatomy of TMJ and its disorders. Any pain or symptom of TMJ falls under the category of temporomandibular joint disorder. There is a decade old debate of cause-effect relationship of malocclusion and temporomandibular joint disorder. How orthodontic treatment can positively contribute to this problem is highlighted in this chapter.
Recent Techniques and Developments on Cherry Growing in Turkey
Authors: Küden Ali , B. Küden Ayzin , Comlekcioglu Songul , Imrak Burhanettin , Bag Muhsin
Published: May 2022

The wild cherries are mostly seen in the North Anatolian and the Taurus mountains of Turkey. Cherry cultivation is concentrated on the slopes of 1000–1500 m where wild cherries are grown, also at the river valleys or in Izmir and Manisa provinces at the western parts of the country over 100 m elevation with very high quality. Turkey is the leading country in the world on cherry production. Cherry production in Turkey has been performed mostly with ‘0900 Ziraat’ cherry cultivar, which was known as Turkish cherry in Europe. As a result of the studies carried out for fruit cracking and self fertility, Regina, Kordia, Sweet Heart and Lapins cherry cultivars were selected as alternative cherry cultivars to ‘0900 Ziraat’. In 1997, “Turkish National Cherry Working Group” was founded and organized 20 working group meetings until today to solve all the problems of cherries. In these meetings, all the research results were shared and discussed among cherry scientists. Recently, studies on prolonging the cherry season with early and late cherry cultivars to increase the amount of cherry exportation was achieved. For this aim, Sweet Heart at high elevations, Royal Lynn® and Royal Tioga® at subtropical climatic conditions were found to be suitable.
Perspective Chapter: Living the Brand
Authors: Wolfswinkel Michelle , Enslin Carla
Published: May 2022

The way employees embody brand purpose and values build or erode the brand’s equity. It is people who bring the brand to life as they interact with brand stakeholders across brand contact points over time. Traditionally, brand management is concerned with the corporate and customer-facing brands. Inside organizations, the functional ownership of the employer and internal brand often resides with human resources management, with brand management having varying levels of involvement. Yet it is the employer and internal brand that defines the brand’s culture organization wide, straddling the theoretical domains of business, brand, marketing, corporate communication, human resources, talent management and more. In this chapter, we’ll explore the nature and purpose of the employer and internal brand, discuss approaches to the alignment thereof, and propose ways in which a strategically aligned leadership team can ensure brand alignment, co-creation, loyalty and advocacy through people living the brand.
Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Kumar Jain Nitesh , Jain Shikha , Ahmed Mushtaq Hisham , Khedr Anwar , Koritala Thoyaja , Tekin Aysun , Adhikari Ramesh , Sule Anupam , Gautam Samir , Pattan Vishwanath , Bansal Vikas , Rabaan Ali , Trivedi Kovid , Lal Amos , Bartlett Brian , Jama Abbas , Reddy Korsapati Aishwarya , Hassan Mohamed , Zec Simon , Mohsen Adham , Munshi Sharma Amit , Rauf Ibtisam , Mir Mikael , Nandi Lia , Chand Mool , Reddy Korsapati Hariprasad , Kashyap Rahul , Surani Salim , Anjum Khan Syed
Published: May 2022

Episodes of Acute exacerbation (AE) of Idiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are important events in the disease trajectory of IPF, associated with punctuated decline in lung function with significant mortality and morbidity associated with it. These episodes are idiosyncratic, and often unpredictable and may have triggers. Our diagnostic criteria for these events, etiology, pathogenesis, risk factors and management continue to evolve over the years, with limited availability of qualitative research data to help guide management. Outcome in general is poor with no well-defined therapy but prevention may be possible with use of Nintedanib. Our chapter aims to explore the contemporary knowledge of the key aspects of this disease entity.
Benefits and Risks of Pesticide Usage in Pets
Authors: Ganiyat Akande Motunrayo , Usman Abraham Solomon , Caleb Ogunnubi Johnson
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this chapter was to highlight the advantages of applying pesticides for the optimum care of pet animals, while also outlining the adverse effects that may be associated with their use. Pesticides can be defined as substances that can be applied for the prevention, control or eradication of unwanted organisms in living systems or in the environment. Companion animals, fondly called “pets” include dogs, cats, ferrets, pet birds and some laboratory animals like albino rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. Pesticides are usually applied on pets to control ectoparasites like ticks, fleas, mites, among others. However, pets may be poisoned by pesticides if their dosages and appropriate routes of administration are not strictly adhered to. Pesticides should be administered to pets by Veterinarians and other suitably qualified personnel. Subsequently, the pets should be monitored for signs of toxicity and be treated promptly if such develop.
Spatial Modeling in Epidemiology
Authors: Guzmán Martínez María , Pérez-Castro Eduardo , Reyes-Carreto Ramón , Acosta-Pech Rocio
Published: May 2022

The objective of this chapter is to present the methodology of some of the models used in the area of epidemiology, which are used to study, understand, model and predict diseases (infectious and non-infectious) occurring in a given region. These models, which belong to the area of geostatistics, are usually composed of a fixed part and a random part. The fixed part includes the explanatory variables of the model and the random part includes, in addition to the error term, a random term that generally has a multivariate Gaussian distribution. Based on the random effect, the spatial correlation (or covariance) structure of the data will be explained. In this way, the spatial variability of the data in the region of interest is accounted for, thus avoiding that this information is added to the model error term. The chapter begins by introducing Gaussian processes, and then looks at their inclusion in generalized spatial linear models, spatial survival analysis and finally in the generalized extreme value distribution for spatial data. The review also mentions some of the main packages that exist in the R statistical software and that help with the implementation of the mentioned spatial models.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Authors: Bell-Cheddar Yolandee , Devine William , Castro-Medina Mario , Morales Raymond , Xu XinXiu , W. Lo Cecilia , Ivy Lin Jiuann-Huey
Published: May 2022

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a complex congenital heart disease (CHD) involving hypoplasia of the left ventricle (LV), aorta (Ao), and mitral valve. HLHS was uniformly fatal in the past, now survivable with 3-stage surgical palliation. However, there is high morbidity and mortality, with 25% of HLHS patients either dying or having a heart transplant within 1 year of age. The causes for such high morbidity and mortality are not well understood, but the majority of deaths are directly or indirectly related to cardiovascular/hemodynamics causes. Studies in a mouse model of HLHS uncover important contributing factors for single-ventricle patients such as the patient’s intrinsic factors related to mitochondrial dysfunction, and derangements in the early stages of embryonic development. The HLHS mutant mice were noted to have metabolic dysfunction accompanied by cell cycle arrest and cardiomyocyte differentiation defects. Intrinsic cell defects may contribute to cardiac failure in the HLHS population. Moreover, strong evidence of the genetic etiology of HLHS has come from the observation that HLHS has a high recurrence risk and is associated with various chromosomal abnormalities. In this chapter, we will review the basic pathophysiology, pertinent pre-and post-operative managements of HLHS and recent advances derived from the HLHS mouse model.
The Multiple Consequences of Obesity
Authors: Saxena Indu , Preet Kaur Amar , Suman Suwarna , Abhilasha  , Mitra Prasenjit , Sharma Praveen , Kumar Manoj
Published: May 2022

Increase in body weight due to excess accumulation of fat can lead to obesity, a chronic, progressive, relapsing, multifactorial, neurobehavioral disease caused by adipose tissue dysfunction. Obesity often results in adverse biomechanical, metabolic, psychosocial, and economic consequences. In humans, effects of obesity are diverse and interrelated and can be classified on the basis of organ/organ system affected. Physical problems associated with weight gain are musculoskeletal problems, respiratory problems, lower limb venous diseases, skin-related problems, and stress incontinence in females. Metabolic conditions caused by obesity include gout, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, certain cancers, CVD, fatty liver, gall bladder disease, etc. Obesity is known to affect the reproductive health. Hypogonadism and pseudo-gynecomastia are more common in males with obesity. Decreased fertility is reported in both the sexes. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), anovulation, endometrial hyperplasia, and increased risk of complications in pregnancy have been reported in females. Persons with obesity have increased healthcare expense, pay more insurance premium, take more illness-related leaves, thus suffering economic loss due to their condition. Persons with obesity are often considered legitimate targets for teasing and bullying, which may cause social isolation, depression, eating disorders, etc. Obesity affects the morbidity and mortality. This chapter deals with the different consequences of obesity.
Influenza Viruses: Targetting Conserved Viral Ha-Stem, Matrix and Nucleo-Proteins to Disarm a Resilient and Recurring Pandemic
Authors: Olawale Oladejo Babayemi , Femi Adeboboye Covenant
Published: May 2022

Much to the current worldwide pandemic caused by the SARs-Cov-2 virus, common flu caused by Influenza virus remain a long-standing mayhem to global health. Influenza viruses are important human pathogens responsible for substantial seasonal and pandemic morbidity and mortality. Despite the efficiency of widely available antiviral neuraminidase (NA) inhibitor drugs, and multiple formulations of the influenza vaccines, including inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV); a recombinant inactivated vaccine (RIV); and a live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), Influenza virus infection still remains an ongoing health and economic burden causing epidemics with pandemic potential keeping scientist on their toes in researching to combat the complexity often associated with the pathogenesis of these viral infection and perhaps its associated genetics. Most recent strides and advances within the global research landscape has seen efforts channeled towards the discovery and production of universal vaccines in a bid to address the unique challenge associated with the multiple viral strain explosion often encountered with influenza viruses. An important strategy for accomplishing this is to provoke an immune response to the virus’s “Achille’s heel”, i.e., conserved viral proteins, through targeting the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein or protein domains shared by seasonal and pre-pandemic strains.
Your Vital Signs as Your Password?
Authors: Alrubaish Hind , Saqib Nazar
Published: May 2022

Cognitive biometrics (vital signs) indicate the individual’s authentication using his/her mental and emotional status specifically, electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG). The motivation behind cognitive biometrics is their uniqueness, their absolute universality in each living individual, and their resistance toward spoofing and replaying attacks in addition to their indication of life. This chapter investigates the ability to use the vital sign as unimodal authentication in its status by surveying the recent techniques, their requirements and limitation, and whether it is ready to be used in the real market or not. Our observations state—that the vital signs can be considered as a PASSWORD due to their uniqueness, but it needs more improvements to be deployed to the market.
Function and Therapeutic Intervention of Regulatory T Cells in Immune Regulation
Authors: Liu Yang , Hou Tiezheng , Hao Huiqin
Published: May 2022

Although the detailed mechanisms of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in regulating immune responses have not been completely clarified yet, Tregs therapy on autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation is making robust progress, along with the gradually enhancing knowledge of the Tregs function. In this chapter, on the basis of summarizing the immunomodulatory functions of Tregs, we reviewed the latest scientific progress and status of our understanding, as well as the prospect of stimulation and expansion of Tregs in vivo and in vitro followed by adoptive transfer or autologous cell therapy in animal models and clinical trials, respectively. Moreover, we also assessed the current technological limitation and potential side effects of polyclonal and antigen-specific Tregs-based approaches and techniques, to promote the development of rescue, revive, or rejuvenate Tregs in the therapeutic intervention to treat autoimmune diseases and transplantation.
Phosphorous Paradox and the Unsuspected Intrinsic Property of Human Beings to Dissociate the Water Molecule
Authors: Solís Herrera Arturo , del Carmen Arias Esparza María , Patricia Solís Arias Martha
Published: May 2022

Phosphorous paradox means that this element is abundant on Earth, it is present inside of every cell of living things. However, is so scarce in the Universe. Phosphate, the most exploited form of phosphorous, is a vital constituent of fertilizer. Phosphate rock has emerged as a globally traded commodity linked to a diverse set of politically charged debates, ranging from environmental degradation and threats to human health to food security and agricultural sovereignty. Supposedly, life can multiply until all the phosphorus is gone, and then there is an inexorable halt, which nothing can prevent (Asimov, Isaac). Phosphorus seems like a Life’s Bottleneck. It is so believed that Phosphorous (P) has been placed as a critical resource for the bioeconomy and for food security at the global scale. The biogeochemical P flow has been described as a “planetary boundary,” which, in parts of the world, has already been exceeded. However, our discovery about the unexpected intrinsic capacity of living beings to dissociate the water molecule breaks the ground. Thereby, the formation of Phosphorous requires the presence of Life.
Italian Girlhoods and Other Brilliant Friends
Authors: Campofreda Olga , Ceravolo Marco
Published: May 2022

While encompassing many differences and angles, all the collected articles endeavour to explore the ways in which female youth has been represented in modern and contemporary Italian cultural production. The idea that female coming-of-age stories have been subjected to several stages in their representation based on the social context, is another – significant – assumption that links these contributions together. Very much aware of the mutual influence between cultural change and the history of (literary) genres, we are convinced that this issue offers new insights on the voices of girls and young women in Italian culture across the decades, shedding a light on those representations in which they are positioned as subjects of their own narratives.
Dichotomous conceptualisations of female friendship in 20th and 21st century Italian literature – a comparison of Alba de Céspedes, Anna Banti, Elena Ferrante, and Donatella Di Pietrantonio
Authors: Pala Martina
Published: May 2022

Female friendship played a minor role in 20th century Italian narrative and this theme seems to have emerged only recently in Italian and European literature. Nevertheless, it offers an interesting lens through which to reflect on female narrative across time. This paper will first analyse the conceptualisation of female friendship by two authors who were the cornerstones of 20th century Italian (female) narrative – Anna Banti and Alba de Céspedes. It will then compare it to the representation of female friendship in contemporary authors, like Elena Ferrante and Donatella Di Pietrantonio. I will argue that Banti and de Céspedes’ representations of female friendships are dichotomous. The young protagonist of Banti’s Itinerario di Paolina (1937) avoids female bonds as a consequence of her attempts to escape from patriarchal restrictions, while Alessandra in de Céspedes’ Dalla parte di lei (1949) conceptualises female bonds as constitutive of her own and free identity from a very tender age. Building on this analysis, this paper shall then assess the extent to which 21st century authors like Ferrante and Di Pietrantonio have echoed or changed the representation of female bonds and in turn reproduce the dichotomous conceptualisation of female friendship in their narratives. It will argue that while reproducing a dichotomous representation of female friendships similar to that of de Céspedes and Banti, this is actually underpinned by the same ideological standpoint in both authors, because they both see female friendship as the ground to forge women’s identities and fight the patriarchal struggles of their times.
«Non eravamo mica in un romanzo»: Women’s Stories as Inspiration and Education
Authors: Maher Brigid
Published: May 2022

This article looks at the role(s) of girls and women as depicted in some early twentieth-century popular texts and in one more recent text set during those years: Bianca Pitzorno’s Il sogno della macchina da cucire (2018). Pitzorno’s coming-of-age novel explores the power of education, literature and work for an orphan girl, a sartina whose sewing skills allow her a degree of independence, and whose determination to learn, particularly through reading and conversations with other women, allows her to protect herself in a society in which women of her class and background are highly vulnerable. The novel’s engagement with turn-of-the-century popular culture both celebrates and critiques its importance in the lives of women, as the dramatic and melodramatic stories recounted in genre fiction, novels and opera offer the protagonist an escape but also an education. Through the tales – often tragic and cautionary – of Madama Butterfly, Jane Eyre and, above all, Carolina Invernizio’s Giselda (Storia di una sartina, 1892), Pitzorno helps a contemporary audience comprehend the strictures faced by women in earlier times, while also furnishing her young sartina with much greater agency than those antecedents. In reading about this girl’s reading, and about the lives of her friends and employers, we gain new insights into women’s work and leisure in early twentieth-century Italy, and see social expectations and class dynamics brought to life. We also encounter sobering parallels with ongoing issues in today’s society.
Passive and Active Control of the Radiated Sound Power from a Submarine Excited by Propeller Forces
Authors: Merz Sascha , Kessissoglou Nicole , Kinns Roger , Marburg Steffen
Published: May 2022

To improve the stealth of a submarine, the sound power radiated from the hull can be reduced using active noise and vibration control. In this article, active control is applied to minimize hull excitation by propeller forces transmitted through the shaft. The dominant propeller axial force fluctuations are directly related to blade passage and the phase of the force is determined by the absolute angle of the propeller shaft. Because the propeller forces are deterministic, the application of feedforward control is appropriate. Numerical finite element/boundary element (FE/BE) models of a submarine have been developed to find the transfer functions. Different control strategies are investigated in which active control is applied to the propeller/shafting system and/or to the submarine hull. Active vibration control and discrete structural acoustic sensing based on the far field radiated sound power were considered for development of the cost function. In addition, the performance of a system in which active control is combined with passive control using a resonance changer is investigated. It is shown that the combination of tuned control actuators and a resonance changer results in a significant reduction of radiated sound power.
Læreruddannelsen kan ikke give lærerstuderende de rette undervisningskompetencer til at undervise flersprogede elever i folkeskolen
Authors: Jagenreuter Christine Grønbæk
Published: May 2022

Artiklen omhandler hvordan reformændringen af læreruddannelsen i 2013 har medvirket til, at flersprogede elevers undervisningsvilkår er blevet forringet. Artiklen argumenterer for, at reformændringen udgør endnu et eksempel på uddannelsessystemets nedprioritering af andetsprogsområdet de seneste tre årtier. Artiklen undersøger undervisere og lærerstuderendes forståelser af det obligatoriske modul ”Undervisning af tosprogede elever”, som trådte i kraft med reformen, på landets største læreruddannelser. Artiklen bygger på et kvalitativt undersøgelsesdesign bestående af dokumentanalyse, spørgeskema (n=44) og interviews (n=9) og behandles ud fra Pierre Bourdieus teoretiske perspektiver. Med udgangspunkt i Bourdieus sociologiske feltanalyse er der konstrueret et Fokuselevfelt. I dette felt er alle enige om, at flersprogede elevers sproglige udvikling og deltagelsesmuligheder skal understøttes i folkeskolen, dog på forskellig vis. Dette tydeliggøres gennem positionerne Sprogforskerne og Policy-aktørerne, som imidlertid modsætter sig hinandens rationaler om andetsprogs tilegnelse. Læreruddannelsen skal forholde sig til begge positioner, hvilket får utilsigtet konsekvenser for de valg, der træffes.
Hvad er problemet?
Authors: Madsen Miriam
Published: May 2022

Policy-analyse som politologisk disciplin har over de seneste årtier udviklet sig fra at fokusere på optimale policy-interventioner til at fokusere på, hvilke rationaler der ligger bag konstruktionen af specifikke policy-interventioner. Carol Bacchis metodologi ”What’s the problem represented to be?” (WPR-tilgangen) repræsenterer et populært og væsentligt bidrag i denne udvikling, også i studerendes øjne. Mens WPR-tilgangen for mange studerende umiddelbart forekommer let at anvende i kraft af dens konkrete metodologiske instruktioner, analyserer jeg i denne artikel et gennemgående problem med studerendes brug af tilgangen, som ofte er metodologidreven og formidlet som spørgsmål-og-svar, via en affirmativdiffraktiv læsning af nutidens uddannelseskontekst gennem nøglebegreber fra Agential Realisme. Artiklen læser også WPR-tilgangen selv diffraktivt gennem disse begreber med henblik på at vise, hvordan mange af tilgangens aspekter kan videreudvikles og diskuteres. Artiklen forsøger altså at engagere studerende (og andre) i arbejdet med at gennemtænke, hvordan tilgangen kan anvendes og de muligheder der ligger i den.
Hjemmeplejens digitale virkelighedskløft
Authors: Buhl Sandra Inigo
Published: May 2022

Artiklen undersøger og udfordrer digitaliseringen af hjemmeplejen, der med den digitale borgerjournal Cura sigter mod mere effektivitet og mindre kompleksitet i arbejdet med de ældre. Gennem Jean Baudrillards simulationsteorier diskuterer artiklen, hvordan medarbejderne i hjemmeplejen balancerer mellem en dybereliggende virkelighed og simulationen Curas hyperreale virkelighed. Samspillet mellem de to virkeligheder skaber en interessant diskrepans, hvor opfattelsen af borgerne, tid, køreplaner samt medarbejdernes indbyrdes kommunikation er på spil. Artiklen peger på, at der opstår en digital virkelighedskløft mellem den dybereliggende og den hyperreale virkelighed, hvor medarbejderne forventes selv at kunne tænke, handle og ikke mindst lykkes, når de to til tider modstridende virkeligheder kræver medarbejdernes stillingtagen. Resultaterne giver anledning til en diskussion af den manglende teknologiforståelse, der hersker på arbejdspladsen.
Cyfryzacja ochrony zdrowia a konieczność wprowadzania nowych rozwiązań prawnych
Authors: Kwiatkowska Ewa M.
Published: May 2022

The necessity of providing healthcare to citizens is one of the basic principles of every state, regulated by provisions of national, EU or international law and comple-mented by soft law. Civilisational changes and technological advancement make it possible to develop new healthcare tools and services (i.a. telemonitoring, telecon-sulting, telerehabilitation and electronic medical documentation). The COVID-19 pandemic greatly emphasised the need to provide such services. The wide use of e-health, however, which may be a remedy for numerous problems that the health-care sector is wrestling with, requires securing the rights of those who are not digitally included, especially the elderly. The prevalence of various degrees of digital exclusion, not only among the elderly, makes these issues socially significant and they should be solved by law. The purpose of the article is an initial analysis of the validity of developing e-health services in the ageing society in Poland and a presentation of proposals for adjusting legal solutions as regards the use of digital tools in healthcare to the changing reality.
The phenomenon of the chess game in the art of the XX century
Authors: Balbekova Irina Mikhailovna
Published: May 2022

This article examines the history of the creation of game theory as a phenomenon of culture and art. Contribution of theorists and artists of the twentieth century in the formation of game theory, its place in modern art criticism and philosophy. The significance and influence of the personality of Marcel Duchamp, surrealist artists in creating a modern understanding of the game in art and in life. The subject of the research in this article is such concepts as the game and its place in art criticism in general, and the role and significance of the chess game in particular, using the example of the creativity and activity of Marcel Duchamp. The author's view on understanding the problem of the mutual influence of the chess game and artistic creativity is proposed. An attempt is made to explain the motivation for choosing a game as an artistic principle and method. How important is the use of the game in creating an artistic image, the creative image of the artist is also significant. The methodology of the study is based on the basic principles of the game theory of Roger Caillois and Johan Huising in relation to the chess strategy of Marcel Duchamp. The novelty of this work lies in drawing attention to the role and significance of the chess game on creativity, the influence on the aesthetic, artistic and philosophical views of the artist.
Single-cell transcriptome reveals insights into the development and function of the zebrafish ovary
Authors: Liu Yulong , Kossack Michelle E , McFaul Matthew E , Christensen Lana N , Siebert Stefan , Wyatt Sydney R , Kamei Caramai N , Horst Samuel , Arroyo Nayeli , Drummond Iain A , Juliano Celina E , Draper Bruce W
Published: May 2022

Zebrafish are an established research organism that has made many contributions to our understanding of vertebrate tissue and organ development, yet there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the genes that regulate gonad development, sex, and reproduction. Unlike the development of many organs, such as the brain and heart that form during the first few days of development, zebrafish gonads do not begin to form until the larval stage (≥5 days post-fertilization). Thus, forward genetic screens have identified very few genes required for gonad development. In addition, bulk RNA-sequencing studies that identify genes expressed in the gonads do not have the resolution necessary to define minor cell populations that may play significant roles in the development and function of these organs. To overcome these limitations, we have used single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the transcriptomes of cells isolated from juvenile zebrafish ovaries. This resulted in the profiles of 10,658 germ cells and 14,431 somatic cells. Our germ cell data represents all developmental stages from germline stem cells to early meiotic oocytes. Our somatic cell data represents all known somatic cell types, including follicle cells, theca cells, and ovarian stromal cells. Further analysis revealed an unexpected number of cell subpopulations within these broadly defined cell types. To further define their functional significance, we determined the location of these cell subpopulations within the ovary. Finally, we used gene knockout experiments to determine the roles of foxl2l and wnt9b for oocyte development and sex determination and/or differentiation, respectively. Our results reveal novel insights into zebrafish ovarian development and function, and the transcriptome profiles will provide a valuable resource for future studies.
Mucoprotectants
Authors: Kim Sung Eun
Published: May 2022

The gastric mucosa is constantly exposed to gastric acid and pepsin. Moreover, various factors, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Helicobacter pylori infection, ethanol, stress, and aging, can damage the gastrointestinal mucosa. Nevertheless, even under these harsh conditions, the gastric mucosa is structurally maintained by various processes, referred to as “defense mechanisms.” Mucosal defense mechanisms are complicated; however, the most important elements are known to be the gastric epithelium and mucus layer, which are stimulated by prostaglandins and nitric oxide. Peptic ulcers result from an imbalance between these aggressive and defensive factors. Methods to prevent or treat peptic ulcers can be classified into two classes: 1) inhibition of gastric acid secretion and 2) promotion of mucosal defense factors. Drugs that reduce gastric acid secretion include proton pump inhibitors, histamine H2 antagonists, and potassium-competitive acid blockers. Mucoprotectants prevent peptic ulcers by promoting peptic ulcer healing. Mucoprotectants can work by two main mechanisms of action; one is independent of prostaglandins, and the other is related to prostaglandin activity. Bismuth, sucralfate, and misoprostol have been traditionally used to protect the gastric mucosa from gastric acid and pepsin. Currently, several mucoprotectants, such as rebamipide, ecabet sodium, polaprezinc, teprenone, and DA-9601, are prescribed in clinical practice. This review aims to provide information to clinicians by examining the characteristics of each drug, including their mechanism of action, research results, effective dose, and side effects.
Detection of hierarchical crowd activity structures in geographic point data
Authors: Salazar J. Miguel , López-Ramírez Pablo , S. Siordia Oscar
Published: May 2022

The pervasive adoption of GPS-enabled sensors has lead to an explosion on the amount of geolocated data that captures a wide range of social interactions. Part of this data can be conceptualized as event data, characterized by a single point signal at a given location and time. Event data has been used for several purposes such as anomaly detection and land use extraction, among others. To unlock the potential offered by the granularity of this new sources of data it is necessary to develop new analytical tools stemming from the intersection of computational science and geographical analysis. Our approach is to link the geographical concept of hierarchical scale structures with density based clustering in databases with noise to establish a common framework for the detection of crowd activity hierarchical structures in geographic point data. Our contribution is threefold: first, we develop a tool to generate synthetic data according to a distribution commonly found on geographic event data sets; second, we propose an improvement of the available methods for automatic parameter selection in density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm that allows its iterative application to uncover hierarchical scale structures on event databases and, lastly, we propose a framework for the evaluation of different algorithms to extract hierarchical scale structures. Our results show that our approach is successful both as a general framework for the comparison of crowd activity detection algorithms and, in the case of our automatic DBSCAN parameter selection algorithm, as a novel approach to uncover hierarchical structures in geographic point data sets.
Real-Time Traffic Monitoring
Authors: S Pooja , Sushma C A , Omkar N Naga , Shankar B Shiva , P Rithvik
Published: May 2022

As the population increases day by day vehicular travel is also increasing which leads to congestion problem. Traffic congestion causes many critical problems and challenges in the most populated cities. The increased traffic leads to more waiting time and fuel wastages. People miss opportunities, loose time and get frustrated. Traffic load is highly dependent on unpredictable situations such as accidents or constructional activities. These problems can be solved by a traffic control system by continuously sensing and adjusting traffic lights timing according to the actual traffic load which is called an Intelligent Traffic control System. The Intelligent Traffic Control Systems reduces congestion, operational costs, provides alternate routes to travelers and increases capacity of infrastructure.
A Study on Seroprevalence of Hepatotropic Viruses in Neonatal Cholestasis Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Central India
Authors: Perumal Nagaraj , Chaurasia Deepti , Jain Rajeev Kumar , Srivastava Jyostna
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Neonatal Cholestasis (NC) is defined as conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in infancy, Diverse aetiologies and several disorders are responsible for this hepatobiliary dysfunction. Hepatotropic viral infection may have an important role in the pathogenesis of NC and related clinical outcomes. Aim: This study was aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of the hepatotropic viruses and their possible role in neonates presenting with cholestatic jaundice. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 51 infants who presented with cholestatic jaundice. Serum samples were collected and screened for the hepatotropic viruses. The presence of serological markers to Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis E (HEV), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and Rubella were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) serostatus was determined by using rapid card tests. Results: Of the 51 cases, 4 (7.6%) patients presented with biliary atresia. Seroprevalence of CMV (23.5%) was found to be more predominant followed by EBV (13.7%), HCV (5.8%), HEV (5.8%), HSV (1.9%) and Rubella (1.9%). Co-infections were found in 7 (13.7%) cases and CMV-EBV co-infection being the most common. Conclusion: The presence of specific serological markers to hepatotropic viruses in the NC cases strongly suggests their aetiological role in this disorder. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first report documenting the seroprevalence of hepatotropic viruses in NC patients from Central India.
Role of Hypothermia Detecting Device during Transitional Adaptation of Healthy Full Term Infant: A Pilot Study
Authors: Bhandankar Manisha , Patel Bhadresh
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Maintenance of warm chain and prevention of hypothermia to ensure smooth transitional adaptation of a newborn during early postnatal period is an important component of essential newborn care. Early detection of hypothermia in term normal weight newborns, kept in busy postnatal wards is essential, but is a challenge for healthcare personnels. Empowering the mothers with a simple tool to recognise hypothermia can decrease the burden on the healthcare personnels and also increase awareness among the mother and family members. Aim: The present study aimed at detecting hypothermia in healthy term newborns in the postnatal ward using a hypothermia alert (BEMPU TempWatch) device while simultaneously recording the abdominal skin temperature. Materials and Methods: The pilot study conducted from June 2018 to September 2018, recruited 51 full-term healthy infants in the postnatal ward and monitored them for hypothermia using BEMPU TempWatch on the wrist for 6 hours. Simultaneously, abdominal skin temperature was also recorded for these babies using a portable monitor. The number of hypothermia episodes detected using Bempu TempWatch and simultaneous abdominal skin temperature were recorded and analysed using R i386.3.5.1 and Microsoft Excel ver. 2010. Results: The device beeped when the temperature was <36.5°C; 68 episodes of hypothermia using TempWatch were recorded in 51 infants within 6 hours of transfer to the postnatal ward. The hypothermic incidence was significantly more (p-value 0.006) during the day shift (70%) than during the night shift (30%). Conclusion: The hypothermia alert BEMPU TempWatch was useful to detect hypothermia in healthy term neonates.
Role of C-Reactive Protein and Immature to Total Neutrophil Ratio in Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis
Authors: Kaur Sukhdeep , Singh Kunwar Pal
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Neonatal septicaemia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. It often presents a diagnostic challenge in the resource poor setting of most developing countries. Aim: To determine the efficacy of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Immature Neutrophil Count (INC) to Total Neutrophil Count (TNC) ratio (I/T ratio) in the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study included all term and preterm babies inborn and out born referred cases. The babies less than seven days of age with clinical symptoms and signs of suspected neonatal sepsis were included. Significant values for screening tests were taken as Total Leucocyte Count (TLC) of >25,000/<5000, I/T ratio >0.2 and CRP positive (>0.6 mg/dL). Sepsis screen was considered positive for two or more positive tests. Blood culture was used as gold standard. The statistical analysis was done by Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and ANOVA tests using SPSS 20.0 version. Results: A total number of 60 subjects were included in the study with 45 (75%) as outborn neonates. Most of the neonates presented with tachypnea 27 (45%), 11 (18.3%) with difficulty in feeding and 10 (16.7 %) with lethargy. Significant p-values were observed using CRP and ITR as independent sepsis screening markers. The combination of CRP with I/T ratio showed positive correlation with blood culture (p-value 0.016). Conclusion: Sepsis screen in neonates is required for detection of infection as blood culture may be negative and even positive result takes few hours. C-reactive protein showed high sensitivity while I/T ratio was found to be highly specific.
Impact of Educational Interventional Programme Regarding Breast Feeding on the Level of Knowledge, Perception and Attitude of Post Natal Mothers
Authors: Rajan Nishanth , Anantharaaman Kalaivani , Jose Priya , Mani Manikandan , Kommu Peter Prasanth Kumar , Krishnan Lalitha
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Nonpractice of breast feeding and noncompliance with immunisation are the two most important contributing factors of infant mortality which could be because of ignorance, illiteracy, social and cultural belief. Aim: To assess the level of knowledge, perception, and awareness among pregnant mothers after an educational intervention programme. Materials and Methods: A semi structured questionnaire was used for the pre and post-test experimental study among 145 mothers who delivered at a tertiary care center, Puducherry; during the study period of two months (November- December 2019). Those who were not willing to participate, who had postpartum complications were excluded from the study (15 mothers). Health education was imparted by one of the authors, in three stages. Stage I: Video demonstration of breast feeding for 10 minutes. Stage II: Focused group discussion for 10 minutes. Stage III: Mannequin demonstration for 10 minutes. Post-test was done on day three of life. Total of 37 questions in the form of yes/no, fill in the blanks and multiple-choice questions were used. Each question carried one mark. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to describe the effectiveness of teaching by comparing pre-test - post-test score. The p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The median age of mothers was 26-30 years, around 62.7% were multiparous and about 50% had completed a basic undergraduate course. The post-test score of knowledge, attitude and perception were significantly higher than the pre- test scores (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: There is a significant improvement in the level of knowledge, perception and attitude regarding breast feeding after the educational intervention.
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Potency of Tinospora cordifolia on Subgingival Microbiota: An In-vitro Study
Authors: Roja Yandapalli , Greeshma C , MLV Prabhuji , Selvam K Arul , Spandana C
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Tinospora cordifolia (Tc), a well-known ayurvedic herb commonly known as giloy, has demonstrated multifaceted benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, in animal, as well as, in-vitro studies. All these are properties which can be collectively applied in the management of periodontal conditions which demonstrate infective as well as inflammatory facets. But prior to its applications as such, it is necessary to definitively determine the optimal concentration and mode of application of the medication. Aim: To evaluate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Tc on general subgingival microbiota. Materials and Methods: The in-vitro, analytical study was conducted in Krishnadevaraya Dental College and Hospital for duration of two and half months starting from November 2021 to January 2022. Ethanolic extracts of Tc were prepared in serial dilutions. Subgingival plaque samples of 12 chronic periodontitis patients were collected, cultured on Brain heart infusion agar and subject to serial dilutions of Tc. In-vitro antibacterial activity of the ethanolic extracts was assessed using agar well diffusion method with Chlorhexidine (CHX) as positive control and Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as negative control, MIC and MBC were determined based on the zones of inhibition after 48 hours of anaerobic incubation. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for windows version 22.0 was used to perform statistical analyses. Results: MIC of Tc was noted to be 100mg/ml where the maximum zone of inhibition was 11.42 mm. MBC was noted at a concentration of 25 mg/mL. The zones of inhibition at these concentrations was comparable to the CHX. The difference in the diameter of the zones produced by Tc, DMSO/Saline and CHX were statistically significant. Conclusion: Although CHX remains the gold standard, Tc extract has significant antimicrobial activities and can be considered for further clinical trials.
Correlation of Upper Limb Explosive Power with Smash Velocity and Performance in Badminton Players: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Indora Nitin Kumar , Anand Pooja , Chettri Sudesh , Kumar Vipin
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Badminton is a popular Olympic game played in different age groups with different levels of skills. Various techniques of strokes are used by the players. Smashing is one of the offending and powerful stroke techniques used in badminton to defeat the opponent player. Various components of fitness like speed, agility, flexibility, endurance, and power plays an important role in an athlete’s performance and Upper limb explosive power is one such component that is utilized for a better stroke performance. Aim: To find the correlation of upper limb explosive power with smash velocity and performance in badminton players. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study including a total of 100 participants by convenient sampling was conducted in Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad, Haryana, India, from September 2017 to March 2019. Out of 100 players, only 85 participants (60 male and 25 female) completed the study. The participants were assessed for Upper Limb Explosive Power (ULEP), Smash Velocity and accuracy. Data analysis was performed using the Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficient (p-value≤0.05). Results: Significant positive correlation was obtained for ULEP with smash velocity and of accuracy with smash velocity with a value of r-value=0.0414 and r-value=0.468 respectively. Conclusion: The smash velocity of badminton players is related to upper limb explosive power and accuracy.