bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of Petroglyphs in the Lower Reaches of the Chuya River in the Altai
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Kubarev G.V.
Published: January 2022

This article describes the results of author’s work on searching, copying, and interpreting new petroglyphs and inscriptions in the lower reaches of the Chuya River (Ongudaysky District of the Altai Republic) as well as documenting engraved images at the well-known petroglyphic site of Kalbak-Tash I. Despite over a century of studying the petroglyphs at Kalbak-Tash and its monographic publications by V.D. Kubarev, the surfaces with engraved drawings have remained unprocessed or quality of their copying was not high enough. The author briefly examines the history of research into the Kalbak-Tash I petroglyphs, including the works of various scholars on copying the engravings at that site in the recent years. The article discusses technical difficulties in copying fine engravings on rocks, especially if they are a part of large compositions of different periods. History of elaborating techniques for copying engravings and use of both transparent materials and digital photography for this purpose is provided. The author concludes that the best technique for large compositions is to use them as a whole. Preliminary results of coping large engraved compositions on the surfaces of rock I at Kalbak-Tash are presented. Most likely, two chronological layers of overlapping engravings can be distinguished: the Hunnic period and Early Middle Ages. On one of the surfaces, the author discovered and copied a new rune-like inscription. The survey which was conducted on the right bank of the Chuya River in the area from the cliffy bank of Kalbak-Tash to the village of Iodro resulted in discovering new compact petroglyphic sites and two inscriptions (a rune-like line and inscription made in the Uighur script in black paint). The main cluster of petroglyphs from the Iodro site, including the central multi-row tiered composition, belongs to the Bronze Age - Early Iron Age. However, Early Medieval images of deer were also found there.
Stone Figurines of Two-Headed Fish from Sergushkin Island (Northern Angara Region)
Authors:   Federal Research Center of Coal and Coal Chemistry SB RAS, Leontiev S.N. , German P.V. ,   Federal Research Center of Coal and Coal Chemistry SB RAS
Published: January 2022

Ancient stone figurines of “Janus-like” fish have been mentioned in the literature since the 19th century. They occur along the Angara, Upper Lena, and Middle Yenisei Rivers, and in the Cis-Baikal region. Most of these objects were found occasionally or in nonstratified archaeological layers at the sites and settlements of different periods. This does not make it possible to suggest a definitive cultural and chronological identification of this category of ancient artifacts. Nowadays, most scholars attribute these objects of applied arts to the Serovo culture of the Final Neolithic. Six similar objects have been found in different years during archaeological research at two sites - Sergushkin 1 and Vzvoz - on Sergushkin Island (Northern Angara region). So far this is the largest collection of two-headed ichthyomorphic figurines discovered in the same area. The figurines have different stages of completion, which makes it possible to identify the phases of their manufacturing. According to their archaeological context in the cultural layers, these artifacts belonged to the Serovo culture. Functional purpose of double-headed stone fish is still uncertain. Some scholars suggested that they were cultic objects; others argued that the figurines had only a utilitarian function, since they represented the fish of specific type (freshwater whitefish) and were used as a lure in fishing. In our opinion, the context of these ancient objects and their obvious fantastic nature prove that the figurines of the Janus-like fish had a cultic function or combined cultic and utilitarian functions.
Residential Complex of the 17th Century in Tara in the 2021 Research
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Tataurov S.Ph. , Tataurov Ph.S. ,   Department of Cultural Heritage BKI “Museum-Reserve “Antiquity Siberian”
Published: January 2022

Archaeological research of the historical centre of Tara in 2021 was carried out at several sites. At one of them, we could fully explore the residential complex (hut). We suppose that it was a servant’s hut dated to the first half of the 17th century. This conclusion was based on the analysis of the construction of the object and the material complex found inside. Currently, this is the second dwelling of that time that has been fully explored during the excavations of the town. Both items were located on the edge of the coastline. The items found inside the dwelling studied this year are a closed complex. This is due to the fact that the hut site was not built up in subsequent periods. This allows for further study of the town’s cultural layers of the 17th century based on the already received collection. We have noted the items related to firearms, their care and supplies— parts of a silicon lock, a file, chopped lead and unrolled bullets. The weapon includes a fragment of a saber blade and a set ofarrowheads. A number of finds indicate that the owner of the house was a literate person and carried out special assignments from the town’s administration, such as a penknife, a bone case for transporting letters and tongs for removing carbon from candles. Numerous imported items were found: beads, fragments of glassware, jewelry. The research of this complex allowed us to significantly expand our knowledge about the life of the serving population in Tara, about their living conditions and service in the first half of the 17th century.
Investigation of Ornamented Bone Items from the Olskaya Site Using Three-Dimensional Modelling
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Fedorchenko A.Yu. , Seletskiy M.V. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Lebedintsev A.I. ,   North-East Interdisciplinary Scientifi c Research Institute FEB RAS
Published: January 2022

This paper discusses the practical application of three-dimensional modelling technologies in studying bone artefacts with engraved images of the paleometal era. To achieve the study goal, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the antler crest obtained from excavations at the Olskaya site, one of the key archaeological sites of the Tokarev culture in the Northern Priokhotye. The artefact under discussion has a complex geometric pattern, which made it possible to use it to test various tools of 3D modelling technology. As a result of our research, we reconstructed the operational sequence of the item production, which involved splitting a reindeer antler to obtain a blank, planing, double-sided cutting of teeth, surface preparation by grinding, ornamentation, and perforation. The linear ornamentation on the crest makes up a composition of horizontal motifs as stripes of small rectangles and zigzags made in double lines. 3D scanning technologies made it possible to obtain accurate data on the morphometric parameters of decorative elements, the sequence of their application and the tools used. As a result of our measurements, we found out that the metric characteristics ofwhole rectangles in the ornamented composition differ significantly. The study results showed a minimum difference in the cut lines ’depth, both in rectangles of all rows and diagonal stripes. The revealed features made it possible to assume that one master who used the same tool cut the ornament. The nature of the processing traces shows that the design of the teeth and decoration were made with different tools. The obtained data indicate the presence of specialization in the toolkit of bone carving production and a generally high level of bone processing technologies among the Tokarev culture people.
Images Depicting Archers on Cholpon-Ata Petroglyphs in Kyrgyzstan
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Khudiakov Yu.S. ,   Novosibirsk State University, Borisenko A.Yu. ,   Novosibirsk State University
Published: January 2022

The article is intended to study several images depicting archers embossed on stone boulders, located near the present settlement Cholpon-Ata, which is situated at the northern coast of Issyk-Kul Lake in the Kyrgyz Republic. These anthropomorphous characters are made on the surface of large boulders as a part of hunting scenes, or in a single fashion. The archers are displayed ready for shooting at disproportionally large figures of wild ungulate animals, mountain goats, and argali. They are performed in the animal style traditional for the Saki period Tian Shan petroglyphs supplemented with ornament elements, put on croup or on the largest part of the torso of these wild ungulate animals. Figures of hunters are depicted bearing bows in their hands. The images show compound bows and arrows with tips of different shapes. A single figure of a horseman is displayed riding a horse and holding bow with taken off bowstring, placed in the bow quiver. Weapons, bows, arrows of the ancient archers are shown in a position ready for shooting at various targets or in a stowed position. Bows are shown with concave shoulders in the firing direction and placed bowstrings. Separate bows are shown with shoulders tops oriented towards the firing direction. The tops of several arrows are highlighted. One of such tops is issued in a semicircular ending. Based on these images of bows and arrows, ancient nomads of the Scythian and Saki times in Tian Shan regarded bows and arrows as the main type of hunting weapon, and possibly used them for hunting widely.
Millet-Growing Rituals of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan Island
Authors:   Siberian Institute of Management—Branch of RANEPA, Shulga D.P. , Girchenko E.А. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS
Published: January 2022

Millet is one of the first agricultural crops appeared on the Taiwan island in the Neolithic. However, its share in the diet of the ancient population of the island compared to another culture, i.e. rice, remains rather unclear. Today’s indigenous peoples have legends that emphasize a special attitude to millet as the first crop that appeared in their land. This paper considers the results of scientific investigations held in the south of the Taiwan island, Taitung County, in summer 2019. The investigation is focused on the ritualism of the Jilou sub-ethnos (???), which is a part of the Rukai (???), the Taiwanese highlanders (???). Many aspects of sacred life of the island peoples are related to the millet culture, and traditional calendar is based on its production cycle. During sowing and harvesting, a number of ritual rules and restrictions are strictly applied. Thus, everything related to the millet production falls into the sphere of religion. Millet cakes and wine to thank the deities and ancestral spirits always accompany the most important event of the year, the Harvest Festival. Archaism of the Taiwan aboriginal traditional culture makes the investigation of their agricultural practices very important not only for the island, but also for the entire Southeast Asia in general. This investigation, which covers both ethnography and archaeology, seems to be extremely important for studying the relic signs of traditional food preferences of indigenous peoples, rooted in the Neolithic.
Localization of the Tradition of Installing Commemorative Steles among the Kazakh Population of the Omsk Region
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Akhmetova Sh.K. , Tolpeko I.V. ,   Dostoevsky Omsk State University
Published: January 2022

The article discusses the results of the study of the tradition of installing commemorative steles by the Kazakhs in the Omsk Region. The aim of the work was to study the localization features of these monuments. To date, we have identified, localized, and investigated 71 similar objects in the region. It was found out that this tradition originated in the Tavrichesky District of the Omsk Region at the beginning of the 21st century. In the future, it went beyond its borders and began to spread to the territory of the region in the places of traditional residence of the Kazakh population. Two levels of localization of monuments are considered: administrative-territorial and object-oriented. From the point of view of the administrative-territorial, the number of monuments by districts of the region is analyzed. It was found out that today in the Sherbakulsky, Tavrichesky, Azov Districts, monuments are available in nearly all locations where villages were previously located. Seven to eight monuments were identified in Odessa, Moskalensky and Isilkul Districts. The focus of the emergence and the direction of the spread of the tradition is well fixed —from the territory of the Tavrichesky District to the northwest. The southernmost districts of the Omsk Region were almost not covered by this trend. Isolated objects have been identified in Pavlogradsky and Novovarshavsky Districts. The expedition works conducted in 2021 allowed to identify the first monument in the Russian-Polyansky District — the stele was installed at the site of the disappeared village of Samurza. To date, we are not aware of the presence of such objects in the Cherlak and Poltava Districts, where the Kazakh population has been living for a long time and has been rather numerous. The analysis of monuments at the object-oriented level was carried out. It was found out that more than a half of them were installed in the locations of the disappeared Kazakh villages. The third part is located near cemeteries. A small number are located in active settlements and almost all of them are dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the participants of the Great Patriotic War.
Sheep in the Traditional Khakas Ritual of the Children’s Cycle (Late 19th to Mid-20th Century)
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Burnakov V.A. , Burnakov A.A. ,   Khakass Research Institute of Language, Literature and History
Published: January 2022

Domestic animals, including rams/sheep, always formed the basis of the economy and traditional rituals of the Khakas. This reality is reflected in the folklore and ritual practice of these people. Along with this, note that, in the Khakas ethnography, the ram/sheep and its image was never as a special subject of scientific research. This testifies to the novelty of the provided work. The purpose of this article is to determine the function of the ram in the Khakas rituals associated with the children’s cycle. The chronological framework of the study is limited to the framework of the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. The research is based on ethnographic and folklore sources. The folklore materials used in the work include excerpts from heroic legends (alypty nymakhtar) in the author’s translation into Russian, and archival ethnographic information is also introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The study made it possible to identify and analyze the place and role of the ram in the ritual practice of the Khakas people associated with childhood. It was determined that the animal in question had a great economic value and was in extreme demand in many areas of human life. It was widely used as food and material for making clothes, beds, etc. It was revealed that the sacral function of the animal was expressed in endowing it with protective properties. The image of a ram and individual parts of its body were used as a popular amulet and a symbol of fertility. All this contributed to endowing the ram with a high semiotic status. In this connection, it was widely involved in the rituals associated with the children’s cycle: birth, naming, etc. It is shown that it was a widespread subject of gift exchange processes, both within the human community and in relationships with the world of spirits.
Actualization of the Image of Кikimora in Beliefs and Masquerades of the Russians in Western Siberia
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Golubkova O.V.
Published: January 2022

The mythological character “kikimora” is considered on ethnographic materials ofvarious ethnolocal groups of Russians in Western Siberia. Kikimora was considered a character in the home space, mostly malicious, harmful, sinister. Kikimora was spinning. Therefore, she was associated with the symbolic embodiment of destiny: a deity that spins and breaks the thread of life. Kikimora embodied the trickster archetype. The concept of kikimora correlates with the symbols of time. “Border” periods are especially significant: the change of day, the transition from the old year to the new year. Therefore, the masquerade image of the kikimora entered the calendar rituals of the winter-spring period. In Western Siberia, until the middle of the twentieth century, the tradition of dressing up in “kikimora” on Christmastide and Maslenitsa (“farewell to winter”) was preserved. Women dressed up in old shabby clothes, smeared their faces with soot: they created the image of a slob. Masquerade “kikimors” carried items of women’s handicraft: wool, flax, a spindle, a comb. Entering the house, they pretended to be spinning threads. The concepts of forest and swamp kikimora, widespread in the 20th and early 21st centuries, are probably associated with the erosion of this image in popular beliefs. Consciousness transferred the kikimora to a space far from the human cultural environment. Kikimora as a domestic demon, the spinning goddess disappears from popular beliefs, but is actualized in the forest and swamp spirits. The word “kikimora” is firmly entrenched in the Russian vocabulary to become a household name, a curse, while the characteristic features of the character have been preserved. The masquerade tradition in the twentieth century actualized the rudimentary idea of kikimora as a spirit spinning the thread of fate. However, the fundamental features of this character were lost: from the deity of destiny, kikimora turned into a playable character in genre scenes of Christmastide andMaslenitsa masquerades.
Symbolic Expression of the Heavenly Eden Image in the Traditional Culture of the Uimon Old-Believers
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Shitova N.I.
Published: January 2022

The work was carried out in order to identify patterns for the preservation and updating of some images and symbols expressed in the embroidery ornament. The research is based on materials of the Uimon Old-Believers culture, which is represented in the Uimon Valley of the Altai Mountains. We carried out a comprehensive analysis of the author’s field ethnographic materials of different years, unpublished archival folklore records and museum samples. It has been established that using images of Eden-related birds and plants (grapes, roses, and other flowers), folk ideas about Heavenly Eden are expressed in spiritual verses. These ideas correspond to the symbolic meaning of some ornamental patterns in women’s needlework. A composition on a wall towel consisting of grape and flower vine and paradise birds was interpreted as a folk image of Heavenly Eden. The author performs a comparative analysis of images of Heavenly Eden in the culture of the Uimon Old-Believers and materials of the ornament of women’s needlework in Altai Mountains. Based on the materials of women’s needlework in Altai Mountains, the floristic ornament significantly prevailing among all others more often contains motifs with a vine and a rosevine, as well as a flower vine with the images of other flowers. When combining these varieties of ornament into a semantically unified ornamental group “plant vines”, the fact of a significant predominance of this group among other fixed ornamental groups of motifs is obvious. The ideas of the plants as attributes of Heavenly Eden, the semantic correlation of Heavenly Eden and the garden of the earth probably played a special role in the prevalence of images of grapes, roses, and other flowers as well as their stable presence in ornamentation in women’s needlework. Culture bearers could use the motif of the plant vine as an expression of spiritual aspirations, which are also manifested in perception and aesthetic value of the ornament.
Сultural Palimpsest in the Kurgan No. 5 of the Uytag-3 Burial Ground (Republic of Khakassia)
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Bogdanov E.S. , Timoshchenko A.A. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS
Published: January 2022

In 2021, as a part of rescue archaeological work in the Askiz district of the Republic of Khakassia a unique burial complex was studied. Kurgan No. 5 at the Uytag-3 burial ground was a cultural-chronological palimpsest. A mound of the Afanasyevo culture with two graves was located at the base of the site. Its territory was used by the Tagar people for the construction of their mound. A powerful fence with corner and paving stones, an earthen platform made of blocks of loam with sod, 4 burial vaults covered with larch logs, and passages were erected. During the Tesinsky stage, another burial vault with a dromos was built at the central part of the embankment. All the tombs functioned for a long time for the burial of new deceased. Despite the disturbance (and partial robbery) of the complexes in antiquity, many details of the funeral rituals characteristic of several chronological stages of the Tagar culture, from the Saragashenskiy (IV—III centuries BC) to the Tesinsky stage (II-I centuries BC), remained intact. Field research yielded abundant assemblage of burial goods including bronze daggers, battle hammer-axes, awls, mirrors; bronze and iron knives and belt plates with pendants; costume decorations in the form of hemispherical bronze plaques, beads, perforated clothing decorations and deer plaques. A variety of ceramics was found in each grave: from large jars to small vessels-incense burners. An interesting ceramic complex was also excavated from the Afanasyevo burials. The unique clay-plaster funerary masks portraying the deceased were cleaned up and secured at the Tesinsky vault. Almost all of the masks displayed Caucasian features. Samples of wood from burial structures were taken for analysis, and the anthropological collection was replenished. It is worth noting the Okunevo stele with a face carved on its side edge used in the fence of the Tagar mound.
Archeological Materials of the Tashtyk Culture at the Kazanovka-14 Site in the Askizsk District of the Khakassia Republic
Authors:   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Vybornov A.V. , Kogai S.A. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Kravtsova A.S. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Timoshchenko A.A. ,   Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS
Published: January 2022

General information on archaeological excavations at the Kazanovka-14 site in 2021 is presented. The site is located on the right bank of the Askiz river on a small elevation above the floodplain at the foothills of the Abakansky mountain range. In 2020, mounds of the Late Bronze Age and Tagar culture of the Kazanovka-12 burial ground in the immediate vicinity of the camp were investigated. The site consists of a cultural layer deposited on a dealluvialplume at a relatively shallow depth from the present day surface. The cultural layer includes both scattered artifacts and bone material as well as the remains of a burnt construction with a series of pottery vessels. The archaeological material is unevenly deposited, with isolated concentration spots of animal bones, including processed bones. The archeological assemblage includes various ceramics (vessels of the different sizes, (mainly of the opened form, with a recessed and rounded rim, ornamentation of the top part in the form of dangling triangles, semicircular and triangular indentations), weaponry (arrowheads made of bone, as a rule, elongated-rhombic, and metal, tiered; fragment of an armor plate), fragments of clothing (belt cover plates). Among the finds, sandstone tiles with carved images stand out. On the basis of the finds complex, the site dates to the later stages of the Tashtyk epoch (middle of the 1st millenium A.D.). The surviving outskirts of the settlement, with preserved evidence of active bone carving and possibly ceramic production were excavated and examined. Given the small number of investigated settlement sites in the Khakass-Minusinsk Basin, Kazanovka-14 represents unique opportunities to characterize the economic life of the Tashtyk population and correlate the household and funerary object complexes known from the crypts.
Communication Officers? Why? …Because They Can Help
Authors: Lamontagne Maurice
Published: January 2022

Communications officers (COs) can greatly help the communications efforts of scientists. Among many other aspects, they can help scientists define a clear message, schedule interviews, and detect and correct misinformation. Developing collaboration with COs takes a bit of time and effort, but when a largely felt earthquake occurs, they make the communication tasks of seismologists far easier to handle. Collaboration between seismologists and COs can be mutually beneficial for routine requests for information as well as after an earthquake occurrence that raised public’s interest.
Unification of working with domain-specific languages and open software architecture in an adaptive Modeling system
Authors: Ivanova G.S. , Fetisov M.V. , Malkina T.A. , Raldugina A.V.
Published: January 2022

The problem of building complex models, which often combine several domains, is considered. To solve this problem, it is proposed to use domain-specific languages, each of which describes a particular subject area and should be intuitively understood by specialists in this area. Framework, thus solving the problem of modeling is called adaptive modeling system. However, this solution introduces a new complexity: multiple domain-specific languages are difficult to maintain. A method for unification of support for domainspecific languages is proposed, and the need to use an open software architecture, which is a mandatory addition to the proposed means of unification of working with languages, is explained. A brief classification of the components of an open software architecture is given. The aim of the work is to describe ideas and methods for unifying support for domain-specific languages, as well as to explain the need to implement an open software architecture for an adaptive simulation system. The proposed method of unification to support domain-specific languages, as well as open software architecture will build adaptive modeling system that can be expanded not only the language of the different subject areas, but also the architectural components and modules necessary for the solution of problems of complex modeling. The proposed method for unifying support for domain-specific languages, as well as an open software architecture, will make it possible to build an adaptive modeling system that allows you to effectively describe and calculate complex models.
Modeling firefighting ladder stabilization system
Authors: Trudonoshin V.A. , Ovchinnikov V.A. , Domnikoff A.S.
Published: January 2022

The paper deals with technique development to calculate and tune a stabilization system as applied to the firefighting ladders in the phase of design. The objective is to develop a modeling technique of the system operation to control a firefighting ladder using a PRADIS simulator complex. The PRADIS simulator complex has been used for modeling the firefighting ladder control system. The performed modeling allowed us to select the stabilization system parameters using a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controller. Providing the EMERCOM of Russia with highly efficient and reliable domestic equipment is a challenge, the Russian engineering industry currently faces. Detailed modeling of the firefighting ladder operation under operating conditions provides significantly reduced material and time costs for design of such devices.
Representation and modeling of adaptive algorithms for control of transport systems in the form of finite hierarchical automata
Authors: Stroganov V.Yu. , Zelentsova E.V.
Published: January 2022

Formulation of the problem. The article discusses the problem of planning transportation within the framework of one motor transport enterprise (ATP) on the basis of available vehicles (TS). The complexity of the task lies in the presence of restrictions on the ability to fulfill hotel orders with their own vehicles. The problem is also represented by the choice of a mechanism for distributing orders among the existing vehicles when setting various criteria for assessing the efficiency of the ATP for the planning period. The aim of the work is to build a formal model of algorithms for adaptive traffic management within the ATP's own vehicle fleet for modeling the process of transporting goods and assessing the effectiveness of the chosen strategy for various traffic flow schemes and flows of transportation orders. Results. There are many different adaptive algorithms for traffic management for a different vehicle fleet. Moreover, each algorithm has its own representation in the form of some formal scheme. The paper proposes a universal mechanism for describing the entire set of adaptive algorithms in the form of a finite state machine. In addition, when considering a multilevel scheme for representing the control structure of ATP, the article proposes a hierarchical automaton scheme for representing adaptive algorithms. Practical significance. The results obtained make it possible, when choosing a specific control algorithm, to construct a finite hierarchical automaton, which makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected control strategy.
Redefining the upper age limit of decompressive craniectomy surgery for malignant middle cerebral artery infarct
Authors: Mathew Shaju , Balakrishnan P. K. , Prakash Parth V. , John Ajax , Pareed Haris Thottathil , Jose Tom
Published: January 2022

Background: Decompressive craniectomy is an effective treatment for malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory infarct. But the age limit for surgery is not well defined. The time window of the surgery is considered less than 96 hours.Methods: This retrospective study of 60 patients of MCA territory infarct who underwent decompressive craniectomy surgery is selected in this study and using modified Rankin score.Results: In this study 36 patients were less than 60 years and were above 60 years. 38 patients were right sided and 22 were left sided MCA infarct. Out of 60 patients, 22 patients were operated within 48 hours of onset of symptoms and 38 were operated between 48 to 96 hours.  49% patients operated within 48 hours had modified Rankin score (mRS) 0–3 at 3 months follow up while only 37% patients operated after 48 hours had mRS 0–3 at 3 months follow up.Conclusions: Decompressive craniectomy in malignant MCA infarction can reduce the case fatality rate but the favorable outcome is questionable. Hence the surgical decision should depend on social and patient factors.
Incidence, prevalence, pathogenesis, and manifestations of toxic megacolon
Authors: Almottowa Hisham Abdullah , Alobaidi Ahmed Eisa , Assiri Mohammed Hadi , Almulhim Abdullah Abdulmohsen , Aljafri Elaf Mohammed Hameed , Alharbi Talal Mohammed , Alrowaidan Faisal Fahad , Alkhamis Haya Abdulaziz , Alshammari Mariam Hadi , Hasan Yusra Fadhel , Qutub Khulud Yousef , Alzahrani Fayez Ali
Published: January 2022

Toxic megacolon is an inflammatory condition that affects the colon, leading to nonobstructive dilatation and serious morbidity. It can be found as total and segmental. In the present literature review, we have discussed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and manifestations of toxic megacolon based on relevant data from studies in the literature. Unfortunately, reports regarding the prevalence and incidence of toxic megacolon are scarce. Therefore, it is difficult to draw a suitable conclusion in this context, and further studies are encouraged. Nevertheless, infection with Clostridium difficile might be the commonest etiology, and estimates indicate that this is a significant risk factor for developing the condition. In addition, colonic motility is usually inhibited by the significant presence of certain inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, the clinical manifestations of toxic megacolon are not very specific, and the diagnosis can be made through adequate history taking, together with clinical and radiological manifestations. Finally, prompt management of the condition is essential to intervene against the development of serious complications.
A retrospective chart review study on the prevalence of extended spectrum β-lactamases producing bacteria among ICU patients in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Yaseen Taha , Alburayh Abdullah , Abdulsalim Suhaj , Al-Rasheedi Aisha , Rubah Norah Al , Alharbi Huda
Published: January 2022

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a big concern that face the world. Every class of antibiotics agent has a unique resistant mechanism. The dominant mechanism for resistance to the β-lactam antibiotics in gram-negative bacteria is the production of β-lactamase. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) production is an important mechanism which is responsible for the resistance to the third generation cephalosporins.Methods: This is a retrospective study which was carried out in the intensive care unit department of King Fahad Specialist Hospital (KFSH), Buraydah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing bacteria (ESBL) among Intensive care unit (ICU) patients.Results: Our study showed that K. pneumoniae (50%) and E. coli (24.7%) were the most commonly isolated organisms as well as some high resistance rate to Meropenem and colistin. This rapid increase of resistance and decrease in sensitivity puts health care works at a serious problem and they must take urgent actions to face it.Conclusions: Focusing more on the right use and good practice of antibiotics, such as prescribing and dispensing antibiotics only when they are needed according to the most recent guidelines, is also need of hour.
Women’s knowledge and practices of modern contraceptives in rural Jammu
Authors: Sharma Suksham , Dogra Anju , Bavoria Shalli
Published: January 2022

Background: India was the first country in the world to adapt a national population control program in 1952. So, it is important for couples and society as a whole to understand and adopt the methods of family planning. Use of contraceptives can prevent at least 25% of all maternal deaths by preventing unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions and also protect against sexually transmitted infections.Methods:  A cross-sectional study was conducted in the women of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) in gynae OPD of community health centre of block Bishnah in district Jammu.Results: The study was conducted in 408 women of the reproductive age group. Almost all the women had knowledge of various spacing methods, maximum being for being for oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) (96%), followed by intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCD) (93.8%) and 90.9% for condoms. However, they had less knowledge about injectable contraceptives (13.9%).Conclusions: Family planning related knowledge was found to be very encouraging with two-third having a positive attitude as well. Main identified reasons for contraceptive defaults were unsustain availability, side-effects, need of a child and family opposition. It is hence, important to improve education of women to overcome barriers to modern contraceptive methods.
Shading Effect on Flow Rate of Solar DC Water Pump
Authors: Hamoodi Ali N. , Abdullah Fawaz S. , Hameed Farah I. , Salih Bashar M.
Published: January 2022

Partial shading (PS) has a negative impact not only on the shaded Photo Voltaic PV modules/arrays but also on the power generated by the partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) system. It decreases the output power of the (PV) system and adds to hot fleck issues, which may result in the thermal breakdown of shaded PV modules. Solar water pumping is based on a (PV) system that converts solar energy into electrical energy to power a DC motor. This paper includes a practical investigation on the DC pump performance, as well as the influence of (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and completely) shading on the performance of the DC pump motor. The current study shows that by Using maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control, the motor voltage will be stabilized and not affected by the increase in the shading area.
The use of ex officio to fulfill women's post-divorce rights at the Samarinda Religious Court
Authors: Andar Yuni Lilik
Published: January 2022

Problems in fulfilling women's rights after divorce in Religious Courts still exist due to the weakness of supporting elements for the court decisions and their procedures, and obstacles from the ex-couples. Therefore, religious judges are expected to have sensitivity and support for women in making decisions with the value of justice, legal certainty, and benefit. This normative juridical study used statutory and conceptual approaches to explain the use of ex officio in fulfilling iddah and mut'ah living in the Samarinda Religious Court and its suitability to legal purposes. A literary study was done in collecting data by compiling secondary data related to the theme. Then, the data were analyzed using the qualitative descriptive method. Ex officio discourses and legal objectives theory were used to analyze the raised issues. Fulfilling iddah and mut'ah living through ex officio at the Samarinda Religious Court in talaq divorces refers to Supreme Court Regulation (PERMA) No. 3 of 2017, and Circular Letter of Supreme Court (SEMA) No. 1 of 2017. Meanwhile, the application of ex officio in lawsuit divorces refers to PERMA No. 3 of 2017 and SEMA No. 2 of 2019. The fulfillment of women's rights after divorce at the Religious Courts through ex officio aligns with legal objectives: legal certainty, justice, and benefit.
Tratamientos avanzados para la potabilización de aguas residuales
Authors: Ortega Ramírez Angie Tatiana , Sánchez Rodríguez Natalia
Published: January 2022

El objetivo principal de este artículo es identificar los avances más importantes en referencia a la potabilización de aguas residuales. Para ello, se realiza la explicación detallada sobre la importancia del agua y su estado actual teniendo en cuenta los contaminantes nocivos para el ecosistema acuático. El estudio toma como referentes artículos científicos, revistas, tesis y libros de información desde el año 1936 hasta el 2019 de diferentes bases de datos como Google Académico, Virtual Pro, Ambientalex.info y Science Direct. A partir de la investigación, se describen las ventajas y desventajas que brindan cada uno los tratamientos de agua existentes. Específicamente, se da cuenta de los tratamientos avanzados, en los cuales se determinan las técnicas innovadoras, los beneficios, las aplicaciones y el funcionamiento a escala industrial. Los resultados de este estudio señalan que al implementar tratamientos avanzados de aguas residuales se genera un desarrollo tecnológico con enfoque en la gestión hídrica, que da lugar a un mayor grado de remoción de contaminantes en el agua. Además, se evidencia que las técnicas de intercambio y tecnologías de membrana son funcionales para realizar procesos de remoción efectivos y eficientes. A pesar de que el método de oxidación avanzada realiza la degradación de contaminantes, se concluye que no es funcional por su alto costo operativo.
Quantifying the Effect of LiDAR Data Density on DEM Quality
Authors: Garzón Barrero Julián , Cubides Burbano Carlos Eduardo , Jiménez-Cleves Gonzalo
Published: January 2022

LiDAR sensors capture three-dimensional point clouds with high accuracy and density; since they are regularly obtained, interpolation methods are required to generate a regular grid. Given the large size of its files, processing becomes a challenge for researchers with not very powerful computer stations. This work aims to balance the sampling density and the volume of data, preserving the sensitivity of representation of complex topographic shapes as a function of three surface descriptors: slope, curvature, and roughness. This study explores the effect of the density of LiDAR data on the accuracy of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), using a ground point cloud of 32 million measurements obtained from a LiDAR flight over a complex topographic area of 156 ha. Digital elevation models with different relative densities to the total point dataset were produced (100, 75, 50, 25, 10, and 1 % and at different grid sizes 23, 27, 33, 46, 73, and 230cm). Accuracy was evaluated using the Inverse Distance Weighted and Kriging interpolation algorithms, obtaining 72 surfaces from which their error statistics were calculated: root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean square error, and prediction effectiveness index; these were used to evaluate the quality of the results in contrast with validation data corresponding to 10 % of the original sample. The results indicated that Kriging was the most efficient algorithm, reducing data to 1 % without statistically significant differences with the original dataset, and curvature was the morphometric parameter with the most significant negative impact on interpolation accuracy.
Luchas de género en internet, una mirada desde la etnografía virtual
Authors: Meneses Cabrera Tania , Martínez García Carlos Andrés , Duarte José Alfonso
Published: January 2022

Este texto presenta los resultados de la investigación Cibercultura y Resistencia: luchas de género en internet, que tuvo por objeto de estudio las prácticas digitales como acciones contemporáneas de los movimientos sociales, en particular las prácticas de quienes trabajan por los derechos sexuales y reproductivos en América Latina y su vínculo con la Bioética social como dimensión comprensiva de las tensiones culturales. La fundamentación teórica presenta el ciberespacio como escenario sociopolítico, cultural y económico. El diseño metodológico propuso la etnografía virtual para caracterizar la emergencia de formas de ciudadanía digital a través del ciberactivismo de género. Se analizaron las prácticas de veinticinco organizaciones sociales en total, con tres perfiles específicos: feminista, nuevas masculinidades y diversidad sexual, en cinco países de Latinoamérica. Se observaron las redes sociales Facebook, Twitter y páginas web, a través de un kit de etnografía virtual diseñado por el proyecto que incluyó fichas de registro, un banco de imágenes y diverso material multimedia. Los resultados presentan el análisis de narrativas textuales y visuales de estas prácticas, tanto en su dimensión Bioética como política. Se demostró cómo el activismo digital ha facilitado la ocupación del espacio público en la sociedad de la información y genera procesos de participación política con actores y acciones emergentes por fuera de las prácticas convencionales.
Metodologías en reintegraciones volumétricas de prefabricados con carácter decorativo
Authors: Bermejo-Soler Juan , González-González Iñigo , Conde-Chiralt Amaia , Prieto-Taboada Nagore , Baceta-Gobantes Fernando , Rodríguez-Laso Ma Dolores , Madariaga-Mota Juan Manuel
Published: January 2022

Los elementos decorativos prefabricados en Patrimonio Construido tienen una gran importancia estética, sobre todo en las edificaciones de finales del s. XIX y principios del s. XX. Actualmente, muchos de estos edificios requieren de una intervención de rehabilitación integral, así como también sus elementos decorativos. Es el caso del proyecto de recuperación y puesta en valor de las galerías Punta Begoña (Getxo, España), fruto de la colaboración de Ayuntamiento de Getxo y la Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, se están desarrollando nuevas metodologías, a partir de los sistemas de moldeo existentes, para mejorar las intervenciones de restauración que se realizan en este campo, así facilitar el citado trabajo y con ello permitir el respeto al máximo de los elementos originales conservados. Actualmente se están efectuando trabajos con tres variaciones sobre los moldes elásticos laminados, lo que permite realizarlos sin contacto directo con la obra e intentando reintegrar fragmentos originales en su interior.
Vegetable production, consumption and its contribution to diets along the urban – rural continuum in northern Ghana
Authors:   University of Freiburg Werthmannstr, Germany, Chagomoka T , Drescher A , Glaser R , Schlesinger J , Marschner B ,   Institute of Geography, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44803, Bochum, GERMANY, Nyandoro G ,   University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Published: January 2022

Malnutrition continues to be a problem, with sub-Saharan Africa affected the worst. Women and children are at the pinnacle of this problem. The perpetual scourge of malnutrition in urban and periurban settings, coupled with levels of vegetable consumption below the recommended amounts, are a major problem in most African countries including West African cities. A household survey was conducted between November and December 2013 (dry season) in and around Tamale, Ghana as part of an urban food system analysis, to understand vegetable production and consumption and its contribution to household diets and income along the urban – rural continuum. Data collection was guided by a transect approach. A total of 240 households participated in the survey, with 62% males and 38% females. Additionally, 186 women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years) staying in the sampled households contributed to the computing of household dietary diversity through Women’s Dietary Diversity Scores (WDDS). Most vegetables produced were for subsistence use, considering that most households sold less than 50% of the crops and consumed the rest. Vegetable production varied significantly along the urban - rural continuum, with more households in rural areas producing all the requirements of their vegetables compared to urban and periurban areas. Nevertheless, the households in the rural areas (16%) had the lowest dietary diversity (≤ 3 WDDS) compared to urban areas (13%) and periurban areas (5%). The study showed low consumption of vegetables (especially the dark green vegetables) mostly in the rural area and limited diversity of vegetables, especially vitamin A rich vegetables and tubers, with only three vegetables (carrots, red pepper and sweet potato) consumed. There was evidence of more inclination toward staple crops compared to vegetables along the urban– rural continuum for both production and consumption, clearly shown in crops grown and food groups mostly consumed (cereals and tubers rather than dark green vegetables). There was overall low consumption of dark green leafy vegetables, such as amaranth, with only 26% reported to have consumed them during the reported period compared to food groups like cereals (98%). This study confirms the dual purpose of vegetables in complementing dishes (balanced diets) with much needed micronutrients and helping households along the urban – rural continuum to generate income.