bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Underweight Patients Are the Greatest Risk Body Mass Index Group for 30-Day Perioperative Adverse Events After Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Authors: Ottesen Taylor D. , Hsiang Walter R. , Malpani Rohil , Nicholson Allen D. , Varthi Arya G. , Rubin Lee E. , Grauer Jonathan N.
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

Existing literature investigating the correlation of body mass index (BMI) with surgical complications has focused on those with elevated BMI. These investigations have reported mixed conclusions, possible because of insufficient power, poor controlling of confounding variables, and inconsistent definitions of BMI categories (eg, underweight, overweight, and varying classifications of obese). Few studies have considered complications of patients with low BMI. The aim of the current study was to analyze the spectrum of categories for BMI with 30-day perioperative adverse events after primary total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) to better assess where along the BMI spectrum patients are at risk for complications.

Methods:

Patients undergoing elective TSA were abstracted from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) databases from 2005 to 2016. Patients were then aggregated into BMI categories, and 30-day adverse events were normalized to average risk of normal-weight subjects (BMI 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2). Risk-adjusted multivariate regressions were performed, controlling for demographic variables and overall health.

Results:

In total, 15,717 patients met the inclusion criteria. Underweight TSA patients (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) had the greatest odds for multiple perioperative adverse events compared with any other BMI category. By multivariate analysis, underweight patients were more likely to experience any adverse event (odds ratio [OR] = 2.22, P = 0.034), serious adverse events (OR = 3.18, P = 0.004), or have postoperative infections (OR = 2.77, P = 0.012) within 30 days when compared with normal-weight patients. No significant difference was observed in these complications for elevated BMI categories when compared with normal-weight patients.

Conclusions:

Only underweight TSA patients were found to have higher rates of 30-day perioperative adverse events than normal BMI patients, unlike any overweight/obese category including the super morbidly obese. Underweight TSA patients were thus identified as an at-risk subpopulation of TSA patients who had not previously been described. Physicians and healthcare systems should give additional consideration to this fragile cohort because they often already do for those at the other end of the BMI spectrum.

Level of Evidence:

III
Does a Career in Orthopaedic Surgery Affect a Woman's Fertility?
Authors: Poon Selina , Luong Marilan , Hargett Damayea , Lorimer Shannon , Nguyen Cynthia , Payares Monica , Friedman Samara
Published: June 2020

Background:

Orthopaedic surgery lags behind other specialties in the recruitment of women. Concerns about fertility, pregnancy, and childbearing may be a deterrent to women when considering orthopaedic surgery as a specialty.

Methods:

An anonymous 168-item survey was distributed to the members of Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society and the Women in Orthopaedics, an online group exclusive to female orthopaedic surgeons. Respondents were queried regarding family planning, contraceptive length of use, fertility, perinatal work habits, age and stage at each pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and miscarriages.

Results:

Eight hundred one surveys were collected. Seven hundred fifty (94%) expressed interest in having children of their own, with 60% having at least one child at the time of the survey. The average maternal age at birth of the first child was 33.6 ± 3.6 years. Voluntary childlessness was reported by 6% (49/801) of survey respondents. Eighteen percent of this group stated that their choice as an orthopaedic surgeon served as a barrier to having children. Among those with children, childbearing was intentionally delayed by 53% because of their career choice (425/801). Fifty-two percent did not conceive their first child until the end of their training. Complications during pregnancy were reported among 24%. A total of 853 children were conceived by this cohort with assisted reproductive technology being used 106 times. Miscarriages were reported by 38% (304/801). Of those who miscarried, only 28% informed their employer and 8% took time off during or immediately after their miscarriage.

Conclusion:

Most respondents desire to have children but two-thirds delay doing so because of their career choice and its demands. Having a family is an important part of life for many orthopaedic surgeons, and our study provides an updated description of the fertility and pregnancy characteristics of female orthopaedic surgeons to help guide present and future surgeons in their family planning.
Carbon Cycle Learning of Chemistry Students: Modeling Method
Authors: Sivrikaya Serpil Ozkurt
Published: June 2020

Science education tries to develop students thinking, linking, analyzing by embodying an abstract concept. The modeling method is used as one of the methods used in science education. This research in 2018-2019 academic year at Kocaeli Vocational School, was applied to students who are taking the course. In this survey, the qualitative method is preferred. The sample which consists of 22 people research and control groups involves 44 students. In the research, the pre-interview-final interview method was used for experimental and control groups. In the study; all the students were asked about the subject before the topic was told. Then the subject was explained to the experimental group by modeling method. The control group was told only verbally. Qualitative research was performed and data and significance analysis were used. As a result of this research, the carbon cycle, which plays an important role in the survival of the world, should be taught to students using materials that significantly affect learning.
Het spanningsveld tussen regels en ruimte: een onderzoek naar taakgerelateerd ongeoorloofd handelen binnen de Nederlandse politie
Authors: van Halderen Robin Christiaan , van Gelderen Benjamin Rafaël
Published: June 2020

The tension between rules and autonomy: a study of task-related rule-breaking behavior within the Dutch police

The aim of the present research was to gain insight into the topic of ‘task-related rule-breaking behavior’ (TRB) among Dutch police officers. TRB is a more refined alternative for the concept of noble cause corruption and has been defined as: police officers breaking rules or formal agreements for the purpose of acting in a manner that contributes to the lawful police task. Qualitative research has been conducted within one of the ten regional police forces in the Netherlands. Results show that TRB appears to be a relatively common phenomenon during policework. Behaviors are categorized in sixteen categories and five overarching outlines. In addition, attention is given to several important factors that could be related to TRB being distinguishable between police officers’ individual responsibility and organizational factors. To handle TRB, it is recommended to pay attention to the police officers’ approach of judging and rationalizing their own behavior, their level of knowledge, and social skills. Furthermore, organizational structure (i.e., spam of control) and police leadership may, among other factors, play an important role in encouraging TRB. Especially the way supervisors deal with police officers’ professional autonomy needs specific attention in order to reduce TRB. Autonomy needs guidance in the form of clear orders followed by feedback and coaching. Also, an active form of ethical leadership is needed. An action framework is presented that could be helpful to supervisors to judge and thereby reduce forms of TRB.
Study of classification of breast lesions using texture GLCM features obtained from the raw ultrasound signal
Authors: Nieniewski Mariusz , Chmielewski Leszek J.
Published: June 2020

Most of the methods of classification of breast lesions in ultrasound (US) images have been tested on B-mode images from the commercial equipment.  The new possibility of further analysis of this  problem showed up with the availability of a public database containing original raw  radio frequency (RF) signals. In particular, it appeared  that the original texture might contain  diagnostic information which could be modified in the typical image processing and which is more difficult  to perceive than the  details of  lesion shape/contour. In this paper a  detailed analysis of the lesion texture is conducted by means of the decision trees and  logistic regression. The decision trees turned out  useful mainly for selecting texture features to be used in the stepwise logistic regression. The RF signals database of 200 breast lesions  was used for testing the performance of the benign vs malignant lesion classifier. The Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix (GLCM)  was calculated with the vertical/horizontal offset of up to five pixels. For each of these matrices six features were calculated resulting in a total of 210 features. Using these features a sufficient number of decision trees were generated to calculate pseudo-Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROCs). The outcome of this  process is a collection of generated trees for which the employed features are known. These features were then used for generating  generalized linear model by means of stepwise logistic regression. The analyzed regression  models included the coefficients of up-to-the second degree terms. The texture features were further completed by a single shape feature,  that is tumor circularity (TC). The automatic procedure for finding the exact mask of a lesion is also provided for the conditions when the acoustic shadowing makes it impossible to obtain the entire contour reliably and a half-contour has to be used. The selected logistic regression models gave  ROCs with the Area Under Curve (AUC) of up to 0.83 and the 95 \% confidence region (0.63 0.96). Analyzing classification results one comes to the conclusion that the tumor circularity, which is the most informative  among shape/contour features, is not essential against the background of textural features. The reported study shows that a relatively straightforward procedure can be employed  to obtain  benign vs malignant  classifier comparable with that originally used for the database of the raw RF signals and based on the more complicated segmentation of the parameter maps of homodyned K distribution.
Estudo sobre gênero e raça: mobilidade no Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo
Authors: Lima Renata Miranda , Lulia Luciana de Toledo Temer
Published: June 2020

Esta pesquisa busca compreender como se materializa o Direito à Igualdade, tendo como fundamento raça e gênero no campo de estudo TJ-SP entre o período de 1997 a 2017. Para tanto, a metodologia empregada, utiliza pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, estudo de caso no TJSP e análise estatística por meio de dados do Conselho Nacional de Justiça - CNJ e –TJ-SP. Tem-se com resultado do estudo que, a mulher, em especial a mulher negra, experienciam barreiras históricas refletidas na Constituição que se caracterizam como resquício mantenedor de desigualdades na concretização da mobilidade a cargos de poder. Nesta toada, o estudo permite considerar que é necessário um olhar atento ao Direito à Igualdade para que este não seja visto meramente a partir das lentes da igualdade formal, mas sim material. Portanto, é imprescindível a criação de políticas públicas desenhadas e implementadas tendo como protagonistas o segmento social a qual se dirige estas políticas.
Dronificação do poder, violência e dados pessoais: regulação dos drones na era da "normalização do impensável"
Authors: Fornasier Mateus De Oliveira , Knebel Norberto Milton Paiva , Da Silva Fernanda Viero
Published: June 2020

Este artigo analisa a regulação dos drones da perspectiva da dronificação do poder. Contextualiza a dronificação do poder, buscando associar o desenvolvimento tecnológico militar e a ideologia que carrega com a tecnologia urbana de uso doméstico; e confronta a literatura da dronificação do poder com a realidade da regulação, buscando (des)continuidades frente a um novo paradigma regulatório. Como resultados, apresenta-se, inicialmente, que a regulação atual do uso de drones no Brasil está defasada frente à ubiquidade do tratamento de dados digitais, coletados massivamente pelos drones, que operam autonomamente e analisam dados oriundos de outros objetos em tempo real. Também tem-se que uma regulação adequada deve disciplinar as empresas que que desenvolvem essas tecnologias, de modo não meramente proibitivo — sendo a auditabilidade social uma alternativa para a adesão, por parte de tais empresas, a práticas em conformidade com a proteção à privacidade. O artigo foi escrito com o uso do método de procedimento dialético, com abordagem qualitativa e técnica de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental.
Editorial: edição 01/2020 - Apresentação
Authors: Campos da Silva Guilherme Amorim
Published: June 2020

A edição n. 1 de 2020 da Revista Prisma Jurídico é resultado da produção científica realizada em diversos programas de pós-graduação stricto sensu em direito das universidades brasileiras e de sua relação com universidades estrangeiras.A Revista Prisma Jurídico promove o debate acadêmico, enquanto fonte de consulta e discussão da pesquisa brasileira em Direito.O excelente nível dos trabalhos publicados permitirá a contribuição desta edição para todas as áreas do conhecimento jurídico, que envolvem questões ambientais, tecnológicas, econômicas e sociais de relevância na atualidade.Cumpre a principal missão de difundir conhecimento e incentivar a pesquisa crítica, repercutindo no avanço da qualidade do ensino jurídico. Muito obrigado aos autores e revisores e ótima leitura a todos. Prof. Dr. Guilherme Amorim Campos da SilvaDiretor do Programa de Mestrado em Direito da UNINOVEEditor
Use of autonomous vehicles for drivers with various movement disputions
Authors: Stasiak-Cieślak Beata , Malawko Piotr , Skarbek-Żabkin Anna , Szczepański Tomasz
Published: June 2020

To the continuous development of technology, more and more opportunities are opened in issues related to the mobility of people with disabilities. One of the problems among these drivers is the relatively fast fatigue caused by driving. The basic solution is of course the optimization of adaptive devices in terms of ergonomics. At the same time, a new technological trend is emerging in the form of autonomous cars. There is therefore the possibility of partially relieving drivers with physical disabilities. People susceptible to fast fatigue at the wheel, they will be able to rest periodically, thanks to the support of driving the car by autonomous driving. This article focuses on combining the types of motor dysfunctions with the available autonomous driving capabilities. Applications are based on tests carried out at the Motor Transport Institute in cooperation with Tesla Warszawa. The autonomous functions will be described on the basis of the possibilities offered on Tesla cars, with the autopilot of the 2nd generation, with software version 9.0. It seems that at the current level one can talk about significant help in driving a car that improves the mobility conditions of people with motor dysfunctions. In the light of this observation, also the estimation regarding the usefulness of future solutions seems to be unequivocally decided to support the legitimacy of the development of autonomous driving technology.
A Matter of Principle
Authors: Rieck Katja
Published: June 2020

In ‘On Governmentality’, Michel Foucault linked the emergence of the science of political economy to a new kind of power unique to the modern order. Departing from this observation, but integrating the wider imperial context of this historical shift by examining developments in the British Empire, the first part of this study analyses how the science of political economy was linked to the emergence of new identities, social practices as well as forms of political intervention and resistance in not only metropolises and colonies, but also the wider context of the Pax Britannica. The second part of the study analyses how these global entanglements shaped the conditions which made the emergence of anti- and postcolonial counter discourses and practices in India possible. By tracing how Indian imaginings of postcolonial modernity and concomitant practices of resistance emerged from engagements with globally circulating discourses on political economy, it shows the mutual entanglement between Western modernity and its postcolonial alternatives.
Brachflächenrecycling
Authors: Kühn Katharina
Published: June 2020

As part of the German Sustainability Strategy, the Federal Government has set a nationwide goal for the reduction of land use. The effects on the natural functions of the soil, the economic structure of a municipality and the impact on the society are often underestimated. The revitalization of now unused urban areas in particular has a great potential. This publication provides a basis for a more in-depth discussion and supports impulses for a resource-conserving use of land and the practical implementation based on the project of the former Hassel coking plant, so that the needs of future generations can be satisfied.
Terrorismusstrafrecht in Indien
Authors: Mattathil-Reuther Viola
Published: June 2020

Wie geht Indien als größte Demokratie der Welt mit Terrorismus um? Welche strafrechtlichen Reaktionen auf Terrorismus haben sich in Indien entwickelt? Althergebrachte und neue Konflikte prägen die Terrorismusgesetzgebung in Indien. Für ein umfassendes Bild werden die Hintergründe, Leitlinien und Rechtsprechung nachgezeichnet. Dabei erfolgt zugleich eine kurze Einführung in das reguläre Strafrecht in Indien. Sondergerichtsbarkeit, erleichtere Beweisführung und verlängerte Untersuchungshaft prägen das indische Terrorismusstrafrecht und hinterlassen Spuren im regulären Recht. Die Arbeit leistet einen Beitrag in den Bereichen Rechtsvergleichung und Südasienkunde und beleuchtet interessante Aspekte der indischen Rechtsgeschichte.
Watson’s Human Caring Theory-Based Palliative Care: A Discussion Paper
Authors: Aghaei Mir Hossein , Vanaki Zohreh , Mohammadi Eesa
Published: June 2020

: Palliative care is one of the most basic care approaches for providing care to patients with life-threatening illnesses. Applying theories in palliative care provision results in such cares’ development and organization and guides health care providers in this direction. One of the caring theories that can be focused on palliative care is Watson’s human caring theory, which despite its applicability in palliative care, has not been studied much. Thus, this study aimed at assessing how to use this theory in palliative care that can be applied to health care providers in all clinical specialties and societies with different cultures.
Leukocytosis in Negative Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test Febrile Illness Among Children Under Five Years in a District Hospital
Authors: Mensah Kofi Tawiah
Published: June 2020

Background: Definitive tests are not routinely available in Ghanaian district hospitals for diagnosing febrile illnesses among children under five years after excluding malaria with the rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Most of such febrile presentations are likely microbial. If an infection-induced WBC elevation is demonstrated consistently enough in such malaria-RDT negative febrile illnesses, it could become a diagnostic aid. Methods: Retrospective data from the clinical records were obtained for 432 children from 6 months to 5 years of age, who had presented with fever (temperature ≥ 37.5°C). Their respective WBC counts were also documented and statistical analysis of the data carried out. Results: A significant relationship was demonstrated between the malaria-RDT negative status and the patient’s elevated WBC count (P < 0.001). Leukocytosis was absent in 58.6% of RDT-negative febrile children. Patients who tested RDT-negative were twice as likely to have elevated WBC counts (OR = 2.19) than RDT-positive patients. Conclusions: An elevated WBC count has demonstrated a potentially weak relationship with a negative malaria-RDT status among febrile children U-5 in DPH. Standing alone, however, the WBC may not be decisive for the evaluation of U-5 febrile presentations after excluding malaria.
A new freshwater crab of the family Hymenosomatidae MacLeay, 1838 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) and an updated review of the hymenosomatid fauna of New Caledonia
Authors: Guinot Danièle , Mazancourt Valentin De
Published: June 2020

A new genus and species, Richerius marqueti gen. et sp. nov., of a crab of the family Hymenosomatidae MacLeay, 1838 are described from the inland waters of New Caledonia based on several specimens collected in two streams at altitudes of 180 m and 500 m, respectively. Richerius marqueti gen. et sp. nov. was compared to the other freshwater species known in New Caledonia, Odiomaris pilosus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1873), and to species of Amarinus Lucas, 1980, a genus comprising many freshwater species in New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, but never recorded in New Caledonia. The barcode fragment of the COI mitochondrial gene was sequenced for seven specimens of R. marqueti gen. et sp. nov., and all sequences were deposited in GenBank. A brief and updated review of the New Caledonian marine and freshwater hymenosmatid fauna is provided.
JÁ NÃO TE AMO: O QUE FAZEMOS AO CÃO?
Authors: Lança Hugo Cunha
Published: June 2020

Os animais têm uma nova centralidade na vida social, não sendo a Lei imune ao devir da sociedade. Num tempo em que o amor pelos animais parece incondicional, mas o casamento é a prazo, importa aquilatar sobre o destino do animal de companhia em caso de divórcio. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada assenta na combinação de três eixos teórico-metodológicos, consubstanciando-se na (i) pesquisa dogmática, no que concerne ao recurso da doutrina, jurisprudência e legislação coeva, (ii) na pesquisa sócio-jurídica, procurando identificar e analisar as incoerências do sistema jurídico relacionando-o com outras ciências como a sociologia e a psicologia, inter alia, e na pesquisa epistemológica, alicerçada no estudo do sistema jurídico no seu todo e das normas jurídicas e dos conceitos jusfilosóficos que o compõem. Com este texto, pretende-se ensaiar soluções para o problema, oferecendo directrizes para o aplicador da lei, tendo por paradigma a realidade e a legislação portuguesa.
StaTips Part VIII: Confidence interval for the sample mean
Authors: Perinetti Giuseppe
Published: June 2020

When conducting research on a given type of patients, it is impossible to examine all the existing subjects of that type (population)to derive the true mean of the parameter of interest. More realistically, by the investigation of a small group of subjects (sample) fromthe whole population, researchers can estimate an interval into which the true mean of the population lies. In statistics, such interval isreferred to as confidence interval (CI). The calculation of the CI from a sample mean is simple and gives important information, not onlyregarding the true mean of the population, but also on the statistical significance of the difference between groups being compared. Forthese reasons, the reporting of the CIs is preferred over the p value alone.
Drogues illicites au Liban : analyse des politiques et des pratiques
Authors: Matta Houwayda , Hazaz May
Published: June 2020

Au Liban, plusieurs recherches se sont intéressées au fil du temps au phénomène d’usage et d’abus des produits licites et illicites. Bien que différentes de par leur objet, ces études convergent pour souligner la nécessité d’élaborer une politique sociale globale et intégrée destinée à ce sujet dans le contexte libanais.

Cette recherche contribue à cette nécessité en analysant les éléments existants de la politique sociale libanaise en matière d’usage et d’abus des drogues illicites, et ce, en lien avec l’expérience de différents acteurs concernés. La finalité visée est celle de tirer des leçons susceptibles d’éclairer l’élaboration ainsi que l’implantation de la politique escomptée.

Cette analyse est menée suivant une méthode qualitative et a impliqué deux principaux types de répondants : des acteurs ou intervenants appartenant à plusieurs secteurs ainsi qu’un groupe de personnes toxicomanes en cours de traitement et des proches de personnes engagées dans un traitement.

Le présent article porte sur les résultats qui se rapportent à deux principaux objectifs, à savoir brosser l’état des lieux des politiques et des pratiques existantes selon trois registres : législatif, stratégique et institutionnel et analyser les forces, les faiblesses ainsi que les enjeux y sous-jacents.
Repenser la réduction des méfaits à l’ère du numérique pour les jeunes consommateurs
Authors: Guichard Anne , St-Jacques Marianne , Lefrançois Catherine , Gagnon Marie-Pierre , Roy Élise
Published: June 2020

Introduction : La démultiplication des substances psychoactives, la transformation des pratiques de consommation, l’inadéquation des services pour les jeunes et le virage technologique pris par les consommateurs, tant pour acheter que s’informer sur les substances, incitent à repenser l’intervention en réduction des méfaits.Objectifs : L’étude vise à explorer l’intérêt et la faisabilité d’utiliser les technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) pour prévenir des consommations plus intensives et réduire les dommages chez les jeunes adultes consommateurs en situation de grande vulnérabilité sociale.Méthodes : Elle utilise une approche de recherche communautaire basée sur des groupes de discussion menés auprès de jeunes consommateurs de 18 à 29 ans et d’intervenants oeuvrant auprès des jeunes en difficultés dans la région de Québec.Résultats : Les TIC constituent un outil privilégié d’approvisionnement et d’échange d’informations sur les substances parmi les jeunes. Elles s’insèrent dans un contexte de lacunes dans les ressources existantes. En réponse, les participants suggèrent le développement d’une plateforme interactive spécialisée et actualisée d’échange d’informations sur les substances en circulation et la façon de gérer leurs consommations et les situations d’urgence. Pour les intervenants, les TIC sont peu exploitées pour des échanges en lien avec les substances illicites et jugées délicates à manipuler sur ces questions sensibles. Elles sont néanmoins perçues comme pouvant pallier un déficit de connaissances et de compétences pour aborder ces sujets complexes avec les jeunes. Des enjeux émergents liés aux inégalités d’accès au numérique, de littératie avec les TIC, éthiques et juridiques.Conclusion : Les TIC sont bien implantées dans le travail des intervenants et la vie des jeunes consommateurs. Elles sont des outils complémentaires, probablement incontournables à l’ère du numérique et de la complexification des marchés et des modes de consommation.
“Every Shrub Seemed Pregnant with Her Charms”: A Woman, Her Wonder, and the Ohio Country in Gilbert Imlay’s The Emigrants
Authors: Miller Eric
Published: June 2020

Gilbert Imlay’s 1793 epistolary novel The Emigrants, which dramatizes several characters’ journey across the Alleghenies to occupy and develop a tract in the Ohio country, features the use of allusions and commonplaces that illuminate this fiction’s provocative campaign to conciliate physiocracy, proto-feminism, and the new philosophy with the expulsion of indigenous people in the region. Imlay uses Pope, Sterne and Thomson to justify and eroticize U.S. expansiveness. The heroine Caroline T—n embodies, especially, the wondering, wonderful vindication of a world-historical land-grab. Comparisons with contemporary stories by Chateaubriand, Blake, Radcliffe, and the Seneca leader known as the Cornplanter highlight ways in which Imlay—partaking of a rhetorical repertoire demonstrably familiar to his peers—mutes history, religion, appropriation, and aggression in favour of erotic appeal, a series of emblematic, excusatory metonymies, and the picturesque language of an early phase of the North American real estate pitch.
Nicolas Dickner et le charme discret des ruines
Authors: Voyer Marie-Hélène
Published: June 2020

Cet article analyse la manière dont se déploie une poétique de la ruine dans l’oeuvre de Nicolas Dickner. Cet écrivain mène depuis près de deux décennies une entreprise littéraire d’une grande cohérence, jalonnée de livres qui ont tous en commun de remettre en question – sur un mode à la fois ludique et érudit – les notions de généalogie, de filiation ou encore de frontières spatiales et temporelles. Nous examinons, tant dans ses chroniques (Le romancier portatif) que ses nouvelles (L’encyclopédie du petit cercle), romans (Nikolski, Tarmac, Six degrés de liberté) et autres ovnis littéraires (Révolutions, coécrit avec Dominique Fortier), les ressorts narratifs et descriptifs de cette poétique où se déploient toutes sortes de jeux de condensations ironiques, de renversements ludiques, de télescopages étonnants et d’anticipations joyeuses qui célèbrent tout à la fois les vertus de l’humilité et de l’oubli ainsi que le potentiel hautement narratif des vestiges, débris, restes et scories.
Histoire postglaciaire de la végétation de la forêt boréale du Québec et du Labrador
Authors: Richard Pierre J. H. , Fréchette Bianca , Grondin Pierre , Lavoie Martin
Published: June 2020

L’histoire postglaciaire des domaines bioclimatiques actuels des pessières et des sapinières du Québec boréal et du sud du Labrador (Canada) fut reconstituée à partir de 61 diagrammes polliniques de sédiments lacustres. L’ époque, la géographie de la déglaciation et le climat associé ont déterminé la présence ou non d’une végétation initiale de toundra selon les endroits. La migration des arbres et le développement ultérieur du couvert forestier se firent surtout en fonction des conditions climatiques changeantes et de l’incidence inégale des incendies naturels au fil du temps. L’afforestation fut très diversifiée, comportant de nombreux paysages végétaux sans analogue moderne. Leur durée fut variable, avec des cas extrêmes de coincement ou d’effusion temporelle ou spatiale de certaines espèces. Des forêts semblables aux couverts modernes se sont établies progressivement. Avec l’amélioration climatique, la progression a culminé entre 8 000 et 4 000 ans avant nos jours par l’abondance accrue d’essences relativement thermophiles. Une régression de la végétation liée à une détérioration climatique s’ensuivit, ce qui mena aux domaines bioclimatiques actuels.
On the causes of occurrence of Islamic Takfiri groups: the example of ISIS
Authors: Mohammadi Shoayb
Published: June 2020

Over the recent years, multiple Muslim countries are involved in geopolitical crises and disputes. The strengthening of Islamic Salafist fundamentalism and extremism, which is a threat to the world, manifests as one of the most discussed and studied problems. Special relevance this question gained after the events known as the “Arab Spring”. Extremist groups that attempted to implement their own administrative model were able to seize the power in a number of countries of Near East and North Africa due to the weakness of political regimes. One of such groups is the prohibited in Russia terrorist organization “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIS), which emergence was influences by both, internal and external factors. The scientific novelty consists in a comprehensive analysis of various external and internal aspects that contributed to creation of ISIS. The author meticulously examines the extremist ideas based on the Salafist way of thinking, as well as acknowledges the widespread in Saudi Arabia irrationality, economic issues and impact of countries outside the region as the key factors contributing to establishment of “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant”. The paper also analyzes the role of financial and logistical support of the United States, presence of regional allies, primarily Saudi Arabia, which are viewed as the external stimuli of the emergence of ISIS.
Methodological and applied aspects of classification and typology of international geopolitical conflicts
Authors: Tikhov Aleksandr Aleksandrovich
Published: June 2020

This article is dedicated to the development of methods and applied aspects of the typology of international geopolitical conflicts in modern world. Relevance of this topic is substantiated by intensification of intergovernmental conflicts on the regional and transregional levels, as well as escalation of sociopolitical tension. The author offers a method of classification of geopolitical conflicts that considers spatial and time specificity of such forms of cooperation and is based on the comprehensive analysis of all components of the process. As one of the key factors, the author highlights the causes and prerequisites for formation of a conflict. An integral approach towards typology of the forms of conflict interaction between the countries is being developed on the basis of three-way classification matrix. The matrix is based on the three diagnostic features that characterize the key factors of formation and development of a conflict, and substantiate a subsequent model of intensification of a conflict. This allows achieving the necessary level of objectivity for conducting further complex diagnostics of geopolitical conflict and precision of the result of typology using the instruments and methodology of different scientific approaches towards studying such type of processes. The proposed method may be used in studying certain types of geopolitical conflicts of the past and present, forecasting the development and qualitative changes of a certain conflict in future, as well as comprehensive assessment of conflict potential of a particular territory of region as a whole. In the course of this work, the author established and confirmed interpretation and interdependence between the political decisions of one or another country and the corresponding geographical environment. Determination of causal lings allow viewing the method as a foundation for future examination of conflicts and forecast their development.
Local frustration determines loop opening during the catalytic cycle of an oxidoreductase
Authors: Stelzl Lukas S , Mavridou Despoina AI , Saridakis Emmanuel , Gonzalez Diego , Baldwin Andrew J , Ferguson Stuart J , Sansom Mark SP , Redfield Christina
Published: June 2020

Local structural frustration, the existence of mutually exclusive competing interactions, may explain why some proteins are dynamic while others are rigid. Frustration is thought to underpin biomolecular recognition and the flexibility of protein-binding sites. Here, we show how a small chemical modification, the oxidation of two cysteine thiols to a disulfide bond, during the catalytic cycle of the N-terminal domain of the key bacterial oxidoreductase DsbD (nDsbD), introduces frustration ultimately influencing protein function. In oxidized nDsbD, local frustration disrupts the packing of the protective cap-loop region against the active site allowing loop opening. By contrast, in reduced nDsbD the cap loop is rigid, always protecting the active-site thiols from the oxidizing environment of the periplasm. Our results point toward an intricate coupling between the dynamics of the active-site cysteines and of the cap loop which modulates the association reactions of nDsbD with its partners resulting in optimized protein function.
The Wg and Dpp morphogens regulate gene expression by modulating the frequency of transcriptional bursts
Authors: Bakker Rachael , Mani Madhav , Carthew Richard W
Published: June 2020

Morphogen signaling contributes to the patterned spatiotemporal expression of genes during development. One mode of regulation of signaling-responsive genes is at the level of transcription. Single-cell quantitative studies of transcription have revealed that transcription occurs intermittently, in bursts. Although the effects of many gene regulatory mechanisms on transcriptional bursting have been studied, it remains unclear how morphogen gradients affect this dynamic property of downstream genes. Here we have adapted single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) for use in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc in order to measure nascent and mature mRNA of genes downstream of the Wg and Dpp morphogen gradients. We compared our experimental results with predictions from stochastic models of transcription, which indicated that the transcription levels of these genes appear to share a common method of control via burst frequency modulation. Our data help further elucidate the link between developmental gene regulatory mechanisms and transcriptional bursting.
A divergent cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complex controls the atypical replication of a malaria parasite during gametogony and transmission
Authors: Balestra Aurélia C , Zeeshan Mohammad , Rea Edward , Pasquarello Carla , Brusini Lorenzo , Mourier Tobias , Subudhi Amit Kumar , Klages Natacha , Arboit Patrizia , Pandey Rajan , Brady Declan , Vaughan Sue , Holder Anthony A , Pain Arnab , Ferguson David JP , Hainard Alexandre , Tewari Rita , Brochet Mathieu
Published: June 2020

Cell cycle transitions are generally triggered by variation in the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) bound to cyclins. Malaria-causing parasites have a life cycle with unique cell-division cycles, and a repertoire of divergent CDKs and cyclins of poorly understood function and interdependency. We show that Plasmodium berghei CDK-related kinase 5 (CRK5), is a critical regulator of atypical mitosis in the gametogony and is required for mosquito transmission. It phosphorylates canonical CDK motifs of components in the pre-replicative complex and is essential for DNA replication. During a replicative cycle, CRK5 stably interacts with a single Plasmodium-specific cyclin (SOC2), although we obtained no evidence of SOC2 cycling by transcription, translation or degradation. Our results provide evidence that during Plasmodium male gametogony, this divergent cyclin/CDK pair fills the functional space of other eukaryotic cell-cycle kinases controlling DNA replication.
The caudate nucleus contributes causally to decisions that balance reward and uncertain visual information
Authors: Doi Takahiro , Fan Yunshu , Gold Joshua I , Ding Long
Published: June 2020

Our decisions often balance what we observe and what we desire. A prime candidate for implementing this complex balancing act is the basal ganglia pathway, but its roles have not yet been examined experimentally in detail. Here, we show that a major input station of the basal ganglia, the caudate nucleus, plays a causal role in integrating uncertain visual evidence and reward context to guide adaptive decision-making. In monkeys making saccadic decisions based on motion cues and asymmetric reward-choice associations, single caudate neurons encoded both sources of information. Electrical microstimulation at caudate sites during motion viewing affected the monkeys’ decisions. These microstimulation effects included coordinated changes in multiple computational components of the decision process that mimicked the monkeys’ similarly coordinated voluntary strategies for balancing visual and reward information. These results imply that the caudate nucleus plays causal roles in coordinating decision processes that balance external evidence and internal preferences.
Evidence for transmission of COVID-19 prior to symptom onset
Authors: Tindale Lauren C , Stockdale Jessica E , Coombe Michelle , Garlock Emma S , Lau Wing Yin Venus , Saraswat Manu , Zhang Louxin , Chen Dongxuan , Wallinga Jacco , Colijn Caroline
Published: June 2020

We collated contact tracing data from COVID-19 clusters in Singapore and Tianjin, China and estimated the extent of pre-symptomatic transmission by estimating incubation periods and serial intervals. The mean incubation periods accounting for intermediate cases were 4.91 days (95%CI 4.35, 5.69) and 7.54 (95%CI 6.76, 8.56) days for Singapore and Tianjin, respectively. The mean serial interval was 4.17 (95%CI 2.44, 5.89) and 4.31 (95%CI 2.91, 5.72) days (Singapore, Tianjin). The serial intervals are shorter than incubation periods, suggesting that pre-symptomatic transmission may occur in a large proportion of transmission events (0.4–0.5 in Singapore and 0.6–0.8 in Tianjin, in our analysis with intermediate cases, and more without intermediates). Given the evidence for pre-symptomatic transmission, it is vital that even individuals who appear healthy abide by public health measures to control COVID-19.
Services and Interventions for People who are Homeless with Companion Animals (Pets)
Authors: McCosker Laura , Downes Martin J. , Maujean Annick , Hill Natalie
Published: June 2020

Background

Many people who are homeless own a companion animal (a ‘pet’). Pet ownership has positive impacts on health and wellbeing. However, for people who are homeless, pet ownership also creates multiple challenges and may be a barrier to exiting homelessness. This systematic review will identify the types, and outcomes, of services and interventions to support people who are homeless with pets.

Methods

This review will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches will be undertaken on five databases. Combinations of search terms and subject headings or index terms will be used. Citation chaining and citation tracking will also be undertaken.

Literature will be screened for relevance in a two-step process. Each study will be quality assessed using an evidence-based tool relevant to its methods. Relevant data will be extracted and synthesised using a meta-analytic, or narrative, approach.

Discussion

This review will address an identified gap in the knowledge about the types, and outcomes, of services/interventions for people who are homeless with pets. The results may increase recognition about the importance of protecting and promoting the relationship between people who are homeless and their pets, and inform future work.
Maternal high-fat diet regulates glucose metabolism and pancreatic β cell phenotype in mouse offspring at weaning
Authors: Zheng Jia , Zhang Ling , Wang Ziwei , Zhang Junqing
Published: June 2020

Background

Maternal malnutrition is a critical factor in determining the risk of obesity and glucose intolerance in offspring. However, little is known about the effects of a maternal high-fat diet (HFD) on the β cell phenotype in offspring, which is a major factor in glucose homeostasis, especially during the early life of offspring.

Methods

Dams were randomly fed a HFD (60% kcal from fat) or a chow diet before pregnancy and during gestation and lactation. Glucose metabolism and the β cell phenotype were assessed in male offspring at weaning.

Results

Dams fed a HFD showed impaired glucose tolerance. A HFD predisposed the offspring to increased impairment of metabolic health, including obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, compared with offspring from chow diet-fed dams. Furthermore, increased islet sizes and islet densities were observed in male offspring from HFD-fed dams at weaning. There were increases in the insulin-positive area, β cell mass and β cell proliferation in male offspring from HFD-fed dams at weaning age. Next, we further determined whether a maternal HFD could affect β cell apoptosis in mouse offspring and found that there was no significant change in β cell apoptosis between the HFD and control groups.

Conclusion

Our study is novel in showing that a maternal HFD predisposes offspring to impaired glucose metabolism and has a profound effect on β cell mass and proliferation in offspring mice, which is observed in mice as early as at weaning age. However, further study to clarify the underlying mechanisms is warranted.
Elastic Biomaterial Scaffold with Spatially Varying Adhesive Design
Authors: Bannerman A. Dawn , Davenport Huyer Locke , Montgomery Miles , Zhao Nicholas , Velikonja Claire , Bender Timothy P. , Radisic Milica
Published: June 2020

In order to secure biomaterials to tissue surfaces, sutures or glues are commonly used. Of interest is the development of a biomaterial patch for applications in tissue engineering and regeneration that incorporates an adhesive component to simplify patch application and ensure sufficient adhesion. A separate region dedicated to fulfilling the specific requirements of an application such as mechanical support or tissue delivery is also desirable. Here, the design and fabrication of a unique patch are presented with distinct regions for adhesion and function, resulting in a biomaterial patch resembling the Band‐Aid. The adhesive region contains a novel polymer, synthesized to incorporate a molecule capable of adhesion to tissue, dopamine. The desired polymer composition for patch development is selected based on chemical assessment and evaluation of key physical properties such as swelling and elastic modulus, which are tailored for use in soft tissue applications. The selected polymer formulation, referred to as the adhesive patch (AP) polymer, demonstrates negligible cytotoxicity and improves adhesive capability to rat cardiac tissue compared to currently used patch materials. Finally, the AP polymer is used in the patch, designed to possess distinct adhesive and nonadhesive domains, presenting a novel design for the next generation of biomaterials.
Direct Growth of Vertically Orientated Nanocavity Arrays for Plasmonic Color Generation
Authors: Hu Haibo , Gao Wenjie , Zang Rui , Gao Junhua , Tang Shiwei , Li Xiaoyun , Liang Lingyan , Zhang Hongliang , Cao Hongtao
Published: June 2020

Plasmonic structural colors, arising from resonance interactions between photons and metallic nanostructures, have been developed rapidly for high‐end applications. However, common structural color materials and fabrication methods usually have open plasmonic nanostructures and limited scalability, respectively. Here, a new scheme based on Ag nanowire arrays/SiO2 composite metamaterial films with subwavelength enclosed nanostructures involved that combine a dielectric gap layer and a metal mirror is presented. The whole stacked structure can be simply prepared only via magnetron sputtering without any other procedures. Specifically, by changing deposition parameters, the geometry size and sub‐10 nm periodic parameters of the structure unit cell array can be finely tuned in a controllable and reproducible way. By experiments and simulations, it is demonstrated how interwire coupled plasmonic transverse modes in vertically orientated nanocavity arrays control multiple nanocavity standing‐wave resonances at visible wavelengths, generating three primary colors‐included bright and saturated colors across a wide gamut. Large‐area and uniform structural colors, whether on rigid or flexible substrates, show angle‐insensitive and air‐stable features. In a wider perspective, this work suggests that the material scheme and fabrication advances represent a robust platform for plasmonic color designing, theory exploring, and large‐scale manufacturing.