bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antropólogo e humanista Franz Boas (1858-1942)
Authors: Neves Zanoni
Published: February 2021

Comemorou-se em 2018 uma data significativa para os antropólogos: cento e sessenta anos do nascimento de Franz Uri Boas. Coincidentemente, a Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, promulgada em 1948, completa setenta anos - data a ser lembrada em todos os quadrantes do planeta. Este artigo pretende homenagear o antropólogo Franz Boas cujos ensaios e artigos revolucionaram a Antropologia Cultural (e as Ciências Humanas), sobretudo, por seu conteúdo humanista.
Asian Currency Unit: Searching for Optimal Currency Basket Structure
Authors: Arapova E.
Published: February 2021

The article examines the prospects of monetary integration in East Asia and the speciﬁc issue of the Asian Currency Unit (ACU) that could potentially become a core element of Asian monetary integration in the long run. The research explores main initiatives underlying financial cooperation and key obstacles hampering monetary integration in the region. The concept of Asian currency unit was introduced by the East Asian countries as one of the mechanisms aimed to ensure regional financial stability. Being a weighted average of regional currencies ACU is highly negatively affected by the volatility of Asian currencies’ exchange rates. That’s why the main aim of the article is to find the “optimal ACU currency basket structure” with minimal variance able to deliver stability in intra-regional exchange rates. The paper offers the author’s attempt to answer three main questions. First, what kind of criteria/macroeconomic indicators must underlie the ACU basket computation. Second, what national currencies should be included in this basket. Third, what weights are to be attributed to the national currencies for achieving an optimal basket structure. The research considers five alternative configurations of the ACU basket. The best one should be neither too rigid nor too volatile; it must be a compromise solution meeting interests of the main regional actors. Initial estimates of the ACU currency weights are based on the RIETI concept that is based on consideration of three main economic indicators, namely, the member countries shares in the aggregate GDP, foreign trade and outward investment. The author complemented the basic methodology by an extra criterion – countries’ shares in aggregate international reserves. The final conclusions on the optimal ACU basket composition are made through the analysis of the aggregated variation coefficient for each alternative set of the national currencies. The coefficient is calculated according to the original method developed by the author. The calculations are based on the national currencies’ monthly exchange rates data generated for the period January 2009 – February 2014. The analysis results in proposition of an optimal ACU basket structure with the calculated optimal countries’ weights. The author gives the recommendations for higher efficiency and regional financial stability.
Regional Disarmament Issues from the Perspective of the UN Security Council
Authors: Kalyadin A.
Published: February 2021

The article deals with the role of the UN Security Council in addressing critical issues of regional disarmament: the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons program; the ensuring of the exclusively peaceful character of Iran's nuclear activities; denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It is argued that the enforcement action, coupled with political and diplomatic facilities, could bring about positive results, including the resolution of intricate arms control problems, and help to develop innovative disarmament schemes, if the UN member states were able to combine their efforts and interact firmly and purposefully within the framework of the UN Security Council. Threats to the survival of mankind, such as the spread of mass destruction weapons, terrorism and virulent diseases around the world, as well as various other strategic challenges make it all the more urgent to secure the appropriate collective action of the whole world community under the auspices of the UNO. Taking full advantage of the unique legal authority of the UN Security Council, its mechanisms and instruments to cope with crises of global security squarely meets this task. Suggestions on the strengthening of the UNSC's central coordinating role in managing international security and regulation of armaments in order to make this principal UN body a reliable guarantor of the world community's stability and humanity’s progress along the path of arms reduction are substantiated in the paper.
Import and Export of Capital: Effects for Russia
Authors: Kvashnina I. , Obolenskiy V.
Published: February 2021

In recent years Russian Federation has become one of the leading exporters and importers of capital in the world. The article reviews Russia’s place in the cross-border capital movement, the dynamics and structure of incoming and outgoing foreign direct investment (FDI), and of other types of investment, such as portfolio investment, bank and other loans, international reserves. The main effects of Russia’s capital exchange with the world on domestic economy are estimated. It is stressed that FDI somewhat contributed to the economic growth, diversification of production and productivity. At the same time, the advantages of FDI for modernization of industry were substantially underutilized. The private capital outflow reflects the intention of Russian leading companies to become global international corporations and to participate in the global value chains. However, this slows capital accumulation inside the country, therefore, preventing technological modernization of production and, as a consequence, an increase of enterprises’ competitiveness. Significant portion of capital export is illegal or “grey”. The authors conclude that the optimal model of capital exports and imports can be achieved only by crucial improvement of investment climate in this country. Special attention is paid to institutional changes carried out in recent years to improve business and investment climate in Russia. At the same time, it is shown that even if there is no radical change in business environment, the government and the companies are able to make extra investment inside the country. The article outlines the main directions and barriers for further development of capital movement components.
Immigrants Integration as an Administrative Problem: the Case of the European Union
Authors: Malakhov V.
Published: February 2021

The paper is focused on the immigrant integration policies within the European Union in terms of their aims and priorities, institutional design, and financing. Among the issues raised by the article are the criteria allowing evaluation the effectiveness of these policies. Special attention is given to good practices promoting social inclusion of the newcomers. This is, first of all, measures which help to build confidence between the locals and the migrants. In addition, the author addresses the question concerning the specific features of the Russian case. Up until the mid-2000s, the Russian political class assumed that immigration to our country is a temporary phenomenon, however in the last decade the high rank officials have repeatedly indicated that immigration is a condition for development. This implies that both politicians and civil society in Russia have to abandon looking at migrants as "guest workers." Many of them are here for good. They are permanent residents and potential citizens of Russia, so the future of the country depends on how successful they will be integrated. Along with the illusion of temporality there are other features of the Russian specificity. The author argues that this specificity is made by the over emphasis of the cultural dimension of the integration process and integration policies, at the expense of structural ones. A further feature of the Russian specificity is the absence of empowerment of local authorities. It is rather at the local than at the central level that the most salient integration problems arise and could be solved. So the author suggests moving from a super-centralized bureaucratic system to a more democratic one.
O POLIAFETISMOE SUAS CONSEQUÊNCIAS JURÍDICAS: PLURALIDADE DE AFETOS, NEGAÇÃO DE DIREITOS?
Authors: Gonçalves da Costa Edgard
Published: February 2021

As relações poliamorosas são uma realidade nas sociedades, inclusive na brasileira. Numa posição crítica à monogamia, o poliamor quebra tabus e preconceitos, clamando por reconhecimento social e jurídico. O patriarcalismo perde força no direito brasileiro, assim, o conceito de família é alargado, passando essa a ser constituída em formatos diversos. O poder patriarcal cede espaço para o poder familiar. O presente estudo é descritivo e explicativo, com abordagem qualitativa.  Estabeleceu-se a seguinte pergunta: quais os amparos jurídicos são previstos pelo Direito Civil brasileiro para garantia de direitos aos praticantes do poliamor? Como objetivo geral buscou-se identificar os amparos normativos que são garantidos aos praticantes do poliamorismo. Os objetivos específicos são: a) analisar como as relações poliamorosas são desenvolvidas e que as diferenciam das outras práticas não monogâmicas; b) identificar, à luz do Direito Civil, quais garantias legais existem para que os praticantes do poliamor tenham seus direitos respeitados. Destacam-se no referencial teórico Pilão (2013; 2015) e Klesse (2006). A metodologia constitui-se na exploração teórica e jurisprudencial do tema do tema. A palavra poliamor e seus sinônimos referem-se a relações amorosas e afetivas estabelecidas consensualmente entre os envolvidos. Embora o Conselho Nacional de Justiça tenha proibido os cartórios de registram relações poliafetivas, no Brasil, seus praticantes buscam amparo na Constituição e no Direito Civil para garantia de seus direitos.

Palavras-chave: Direito Civil. Poliamor. Relação Poliamorosa.
OS LIMITES DA PONDERAÇÃO OTIMIZANTE E A FUNÇÃO DOS DIREITOS FUNDAMENTAIS NA SOCIEDADE MODERNA
Authors: Silva Junior Jorge Adriano da
Published: February 2021

Este trabalho tem como objetivo compreender os limites da regra da ponderação com pretensão otimizante proposto por Alexy, em face da função dos direitos fundamentais de manutenção da diferenciação funcional dos sistemas sociais na modernidade. Alexy cria uma teoria dos princípios que busca racionalizar a aplicação dos direitos fundamentais e a solução dos conflitos inerentes à solução de casos à luz das normas princípio com base em uma ponderação com pretensão otimizante. Em uma sociedade complexa em que o dissenso valorativo é estrutural, há um risco de desdiferenciação funcional em face da expansão de determinado sistema funcional sobre os demais, o que demanda a aplicação dos direitos fundamentais para manter a sustentabilidade dos sistemas sociais. Ocorre que, através de nossa pesquisa bibliográfica, diagnosticamos alguns problemas na teoria da ponderação de Alexy, principalmente a partir das críticas de Marcelo Neves, e identificamos outros problemas de aplicação da técnica da ponderação no Brasil que vêm reduzindo o cumprimento da função sustentável dos direitos fundamentais.
Application of network theory to study spatio-temporal evolution in the weekend effect in urban areas
Authors: Hernández-Paniagua Iván Y. , López Farías Rodrigo , Pichardo Corpus Juan A.
Published: February 2021

The occurrence of higher ground-level O3 concentrations on weekends rather than on weekdays, despite reduced anthropogenic activity in urban areas, is known as the O3 weekend effect (OWE). Here, we present an approach to analyse OWE spatio-temporal variations in urban areas, integrated by the trend, prediction and network representation. We used data from ten monitoring sites geographically distributed within the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) recorded during 1994-2018. The OWE occurrence within the MCMA ranged typically between 40 and 60 % of the total weeks per year. The annual differences between weekday and weekend O3 peaks (magnitudes) showed were most significant on Sundays. Naive, Linear and Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average models were tested for predicting the OWE annual occurrences and magnitudes. There was no single model that outperformed significantly for predicting OWE at all sites. The proposed concept of generalised OWE (GOWE) implies that at least half of the sites under study exhibited simultaneous OWE occurrence. GOWE is represented as a network and its integration with prediction models is useful to determinate the OWE spread over the MCMA in the following years. The GOWE occurrence showed an increasing trend interpreted as the spread of VOC-limited conditions over most of the MCMA. Predicted data suggest that, with the current emission control policies, the GOWE will continue occurring. The integrated methodology presented permits the acquisition of valuable insights into the design of potential air quality control strategies.
Induced Polyploidy: A Tool for Forage Species Improvement
Authors: Rauf Saeed , Ortiz Rodomiro , Malinowski Dariusz , Clarindo Wellington , Kainat Wardah , Shehzad Muhammad , Waheed Ummara , Hassan Syed Wasim
Published: February 2021

Polyploidy means having more than two basic sets of chromosomes. Polyploid plants may be artificially obtained through chemical, physical and biological (2n gametes) methods. This approach allows an increased gene scope and expression, thus resulting in phenotypic changes such as yield and product quality. Nonetheless, breeding new cultivars through induced polyploidy should overcome deleterious effects that are partly contributed by genome and epigenome instability after polyploidization. Furthermore, shortening the time required from early chromosome set doubling to the final selection of high yielding superior polyploids is a must. Despite these hurdles, plant breeders have successfully obtained polyploid bred-germplasm in broad range of forages after optimizing methods, concentration and time, particularly when using colchicine. These experimental polyploids are a valuable tool for understanding gene expression, which seems to be driven by dosage dependent gene expression, altered gene regulation and epigenetic changes. Isozymes and DNA-based markers facilitated the identification of rare alleles for particular loci when compared with diploids, and also explained their heterozygosity, phenotypic plasticity and adaptability to diverse environments. Experimentally induced polyploid germplasm could enhance fresh herbage yield and quality, e.g. leaf protein content, leaf total soluble solids, water soluble carbohydrates and sucrose content. Offspring of experimentally obtained hybrids should undergo selection for several generations to improve their performance and stability.
Enablers and Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services for Aboriginal People in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Nolan-Isles Davida , Macniven Rona , Hunter Kate , Gwynn Josephine , Lincoln Michelle , Moir Rachael , Dimitropoulos Yvonne , Taylor Donna , Agius Tim , Finlayson Heather , Martin Robyn , Ward Katrina , Tobin Susannah , Gwynne Kylie
Published: February 2021

Background: Australia’s healthcare system is complex and fragmented which can create challenges in healthcare, particularly in rural and remote areas. Aboriginal people experience inequalities in healthcare treatment and outcomes. This study aimed to investigate barriers and enablers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people living in rural and remote Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare delivery staff and stakeholders recruited through snowball sampling. The communities were selected for their high proportion of Aboriginal people and geographical representation (coastal, rural, and border). Thematic analysis identified barriers and enablers. Results: Thirty-one interviews were conducted (n =5 coastal, n=13 remote, and n=13 border) and six themes identified: 1) Improved coordination of healthcare services; 2) Better communication between services and patients; 3) Trust in services and cultural safety; 4) Importance of prioritizing health services by Aboriginal people; 5) Importance of reliable, affordable and sustainable services; 6) Distance and transport availability. These themes were often present as both barriers and enablers to healthcare access for Aboriginal people. They were also present across the healthcare system and within all three communities. Conclusions: This study describes a pathway to better healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal Australians by providing insights into ways to improve access.
Modeling Seizures: From Single Neurons to Networks
Authors: Depannemaecker Damien , Destexhe Alain , Jirsa Viktor , Bernard Christophe
Published: February 2021

Dynamical systems tools offer a complementary approach to detailed biophysical seizure modeling, with high potential for clinical applications. This review describes the theoretical framework, allowing theorizing certain properties of seizures and their classifications according to their dynamics properties at onset and offset. We describe various modeling approaches spanning different scales, from single neurons to large-scale networks. We try to offer a large accessible overview through non-exhaustive examples of recent important works.
Knowledge on Sanitary Practices and Waste Management Among Sherubtse College Girls
Authors: Nepal Tej Kumar , Wangmo Sangay , Gurung Milan , Yangchen Karma , Dema Ugyen , Wangmo Dechen Khacho
Published: February 2021

Sherubtse College under Royal University of Bhutan has a total of 1582 students, where 787 0f them are female. They suffer from menstrual and menstrual cramps every month and they use napkins to stay clean and healthy. As all the college girls are educated on the norms and use of sanitary napkins, the proper management of the waste generated is lacking. The disposal of used sanitary napkins and management is a challenge to the college management. This small research aims to investigate on how girls in college campus manage the menstural waste and the amount of sanitary napkins used. The lack of proper dumping areas leads to the improper sanitary waste management and sometimes the waste generated from the sanitary napkins are toxic and unhealthy. It is very important to initate some ways to dump the pads and its related problem should be seriously addressed by the college management. It is also important to come up with different soultion and management of these wastes for sustainable environment. Therefore, this research will be mainly mentioning about the suggestions and how the sanitary waste is being managed in Sherubtse College campus and the amount of sanitary pads used in a month or an year.
Relationship Between D-Dimer / Creatinine Ratio and Coronary Artery Disease Severity in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Zhao Yipin , Wang Huawei , Lin Zebin , Ji Yingying , Chen Qingwei
Published: February 2021

Backgroundː Previous studies have shown that both serum creatinine and D-dimer levels were associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to determine whether DCR is associated with coronary Gensini score in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methodsː 337 STEMI patients with complete D-dimer and creatinine and other necessary information were included in the analysis. According to the values of the DCR, patients were divided into the lower DCR group (DCR ≤ 1.42, n = 173) and the higher DCR group (DFR > 1.42, n = 174), and the differences between the two groups were compared. Multivariate linear and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of Gensini score. Resultsː High DCR group had higher Gensini score compared with low DCR group (P < 0.05). DCR was positively correlated with Gensini score (r=0.493, P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Previous MI (r=11.312, P=0.035) and DCR (r=5.129, P<0.001) were independent risk factors associated with Gensini score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to the group 1, DCR is independent risk factor for Group 2, Group 3, Group 4 (P <0.001). DCR is positively correlated with coronary Gensini score in STEMI patients and can be used as an independent predictor of higher Gensini score. Conclusionsː As a new and useful clinical marker, DCR is positively correlated with coronary Gensini score in STEMI patients and can be used as an independent predictor of higher Gensini score.
Development of Tools for Coastal Management in Google Earth Engine: Uncertainty Bathtub Model and Bruun Rule
Authors: Terres de Lima Lucas , Fernández-Fernández Sandra , Gonçalves João Francisco , Magalhães Filho Luiz , Bernardes Cristina
Published: February 2021

Sea-level rise is a problem increasingly affecting coastal areas worldwide. The existence of Free and Open-Source Models to estimate the sea-level impact can contribute to better coastal man-agement. This study aims to develop and to validate two different models to predict the sea-level rise impact supported by Google Earth Engine (GEE) – a cloud-based platform for planetary-scale environmental data analysis. The first model is a Bathtub Model based on the uncertainty of projections of the Sea-level Rise Impact Module of TerrSet - Geospatial Monitoring and Modeling System software. The validation process performed in the Rio Grande do Sul coastal plain (S Brazil) resulted in correlations from 0.75 to 1.00. The second model uses Bruun Rule formula implemented in GEE and is capable to determine the coastline retreat of a profile through the creation of a simple vector line from topo-bathymetric data. The model shows a very high cor-relation (0.97) with a classical Bruun Rule study performed in Aveiro coast (NW Portugal). The GEE platform seems to be an important tool for coastal management. The models developed have been openly shared, enabling the continuous improvement of the code by the scientific commu-nity.
AlphaLogD Determination: A New Generation Reversed-Phase HPLC Method to Measure Lipophilicity on Neutral and Basic Small and Beyond-Rule-of-Five Compounds
Authors: Katz Daniel , Fike Kate , Longenberger Justin , Placko Steve , Philippe-Venec Laurence , Chervenak Andrew
Published: February 2021

Lipophilicity can be measured with different methods, such as Shake-Flask or liquid chromatography. HPLC presents the advantage of overcoming solubility issues and therefore extending the range of lipophilicity to high values. A specific HPLC method, called ELogD, had been developed 20 years ago on a C16-amide stationary phase, enhancing hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions to mimic octanol-water partition. The emergence of novel stationary phases added to the need for a less complex mobile phase has led to the development of a new HPLC assay called alphaLogD, applicable to neutral and basic compounds at pH 7.4, that combines superficially porous particles, a high number of equilibriums between solutes and stationary phase, and results in a lower number of isocratic methods to determine the logk’w at a higher throughput. Statistical studies have been run to successfully evaluate the alphaLogD method compared to the Shake-Flask method and to allow this lipophilicity measurement into the so-called Beyond-Rule-of-5-molecules space.
Detecting the Attack of the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) in Cotton Plants with Machine Learning and Spectral Measurements
Authors: Gomes Felipe David Georges , Faita Pinheiro Mayara Maezano , Furuya Danielle Ellis Garcia , Gonçalves Wesley Nunes , Marcato Júnior José , Michereff Mirian Fernandes Furtado , Blassioli-Moraes Maria Carolina , Borges Miguel , Alberto Alaumann Raúl , Liesenberg Veraldo , Jorge Lúcio André de Castro , Marques Ramos Ana Paula , Osco Lucas Prado
Published: February 2021

In cotton cultivars, an insect that causes irreversible damage is the Spodoptera frugiperda, known as the fall armyworm. Since the visual detection of plants is a burdensome task for human inspection, the spectral information related to plant damage, registered on a spectral scale, can be useful. These measurements, associated with machine learning techniques, produce useful information for a rapid and non-invasive inspection method development. To contribute to this gap fulfillment, this paper proposes a machine learning framework to model the spectral response of cotton plants under the attack of the fall armyworm. Additionally, a theoretical model is presented, built from the results of the machine learning analysis, to infer this damage with up-to-date orbital sensors. The data was composed of the reflectance measurements collected at a cotton field with control plants and plants submitted to Spodoptera frugiperda damage. Their spectral response was recorded with a hand-held spectroradiometer ranging from 350 to 2,500 nm, for eight consecutive days. Different machine learning models were evaluated and the overall best model was defined by accuracies comparisons on a testing-set. A ranking approach was adopted based on the model accuracy, returning the most contributive wavelengths for the classification. Sequentially, an unsupervised neural network (Self-Organizing Map - SOM) was implemented to reduce data-dimensionality and assist in the definition of important spectral regions. The regions were associated with the spectral bands of the two sensors (OLI and MSI) and a theoretical model using a band simulation process with the overall best machine learning model was proposed. The results indicated that the Random Forest (RF) algorithm is the most suitable to predict cotton-plants damaged by insects and that the last day of analysis (8th day) was better to separate it, with F-measure equals 0.912. The ranking approach combined with the SOM method indicated the spectral regions at the red to near-infrared (650 to 1,350 nm) and shortwave infrared (1,570 to 1,640 nm) as the most important regions to the analysis. The proposed theoretical model simulated with the OLI and MSI sensor-bands returned an F-Measure of 0.865 and 0.886, respectively. In conclusion, this framework can be used to map cotton-plants under insect-attack. The theoretical model presents high accuracy to infer the insect-damaged on cotton plants based on multispectral bands from other sensors, being a useful tool for future research that intends to evaluate it in other areas and at different field scales.
Next City: Learning from Cities During COVID-19 to Tackle Climate Change
Authors: Kakderi Christina , Komninos Nicos , Panori Anastasia , Oikonomaki Eleni
Published: February 2021

Fundamental principles of modern cities and urban planning are challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the advantages of large city size, high density, mass transport, free use of public space, unrestricted individual mobility in cities. These principles shaped the development of cities and metropolitan areas for more than a century, but currently, there are signs that they have turned from advantage to liability. Cities Public authorities and private organisations responded to the COVID-19 crisis with a variety of policies and business practices. These countermeasures codify a valuable experience and can offer lessons about how cities can tackle another grand challenge, this of climate change. Do the measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis represent a temporal adjustment to the current health crisis? Or do they open new ways towards a new type of urban development more effective in times of environmental and health crises? We address these questions through literature review and three case studies that review policies and practices for the transformation of city ecosystems mostly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) the central business district, (b) the transport ecosystem, and (c) the tourism-hospitality ecosystem. We assess whether the measures implemented in these ecosystems shape new policy and planning models for higher readiness of cities towards grand challenges. And how, based on this experience, cities should be organized to tackle the grand challenge of environmental sustainability and climate change.
Structure and Dynamics of Meprin β in Complex with a Hydroxamate-Based Inhibitor
Authors: Linnert Miriam , Fritz Claudia , Jäger Christian , Schlenzig Dagmar , Ramsbeck Daniel , Kleinschmidt Martin , Wermann Michael , Demuth Hans-Ulrich , Schilling Stephan
Published: February 2021

The astacin protease Meprin β represents an emerging target for drug development due to its potential involvement in disorders such as acute and chronic kidney injury and fibrosis. Here, we elaborate on the structural basis of inhibition by a specific Meprin β inhibitor. Our analysis of the crystal structure suggests different binding modes of the inhibitor to the active site. This flexibility is caused, at least in part, by movement of the C-terminal region of the protease domain (CTD). The CTD movement narrows the active site cleft upon inhibitor binding. Compared with other astacin proteases, among those the highly homologous isoenzyme Meprin α, differences in the subsites account for the unique selectivity of the inhibitor. Although the inhibitor shows substantial flexibility in the orientation within the active site, the structural data as well as binding analyses including molecular dynamics simulations support a contribution of electrostatic interactions, presumably by arginine residues, to binding and specificity. Collectively, the results presented here and previously support an induced fit and substantial movement of the CTD upon ligand binding and, possibly, during catalysis. To the best of our knowledge, we here present the first structure of a Meprin β holoenzyme containing a zinc ion and a specific inhibitor bound to the active site. The structural data will guide rational drug design and the discovery of highly potent Meprin inhibitors.
Evaluating the Accuracy of Gridded Population Estimates in Slums: A Case Study in Nigeria and Kenya
Authors: Thomson Dana R. , Gaughan Andrea E. , Stevens Forrest R. , Yetman Gregory , Elias Peter , Chen Robert
Published: February 2021

Low- and middle-income country cities face unprecedented urbanization and growth in slums. Gridded population data in small grid squares (e.g., 100x100m) derived from demographic and spatial data are a promising source of current population estimates, but face limitations in slums due to the dynamic nature of this population as well as modelling assumptions. The efficacy of using gridded population data in slum areas remains a question mark especially in the context of UN SDG indicator development. In this study, we use field-referenced boundaries and population counts from Slum Dwellers International (SDI) in Lagos (Nigeria), Port Harcourt (Nigeria), and Nairobi (Kenya) to assess the accuracy of nine gridded population datasets in slums. We also use a modelled map of all slums in Lagos to assess use of gridded population dataset for SDG11.1.1 (percent of population living in deprived areas). We found that all gridded population estimates vastly under-estimated population counts in populous slums, and the calculation of SDG11.1.1 in Lagos was impossibly low; gridded population datasets estimated that just 1-3% of the Lagos population lived in slums, compared to 56% using the UN-Habitat approach. We outline specific steps that might be taken to improve each gridded population dataset in deprived urban areas. While gridded population estimates are not yet sufficiently accurate to estimate SDG11.1.1, we are optimistic that some datasets could be following updates to their modelling approaches.
The problem of the synthesis of pedagogical strategy and moral practice in modern medical education (aspects of integrating international experience)
Authors: Pesotskaya Elena N. , Inchina Vera I. , Aksyonova Svetlana V. , Zorkina Angelina V. , Сhegodaeva Lyudmila V.
Published: February 2021

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of "medical humanities" as an independent interdisciplinary area of research, formed on the basis of the international experience integration as a reality. Тhe phenomenon is comprehended simultaneously in the field of Russian patristic tradition and medicine, since it focuses pedagogical strategy and moral practice. In the Russian spiritual tradition, it fits into the processes of educating humanity, which receives a modern consideration both in moral and religious categories, and in the categories of natural science, which are significant for medicine. Spirituality is the category of thinking that changes the idea of a person in the existing reductionist approach to his integrity in medicine. The action of the worldview of the individual is considered as a mandatory constant, which acts as a constructive mechanism for the transformation of the value foundations of thinking and ethical reflection. The fundamentals of spiritual and moral education and patristic experience make complex conditions for the restoration of humanitarian culture in medicine. The purpose of the process is to qualitatively change its anthropological, ethical and psychological components. Systemic humanitarian knowledge is main for medical education. The author reveals the significance of the positive convergence of the humanities for medicine.
Intelligent Surveillance Systems: A Review
Authors: Mejia Muñoz Jose Manuel , Mariscal Torres Adrián , Ortega Máynez Leticia
Published: February 2021

Security refers to the perceptions about an environment protection, it means without worry of suffer harm. This research offers a literature review about security subject, focused on autonomous surveillance, gathering in a single document the technical novelties about surveillance systems, their applications, and central components. During this research , we observe that deep learning its being applied for surveillance purpose, opening new research horizons, in an area which does not have been significant changes during about ten years, and we also found that new vast datasets are being produced to solve issues regarding security. We have also seen that, in terms of security, deep learning is highly viable to solve problems that have been implicit in security systems for a long time, this being able to turn deep learning into a new breakthrough with respect to systems programmed only by traditional vision algorithms, opening the possibility of becoming a mandatory accessory for security of systems. This research has been limited only on civil area surveillance systems, also we only use scientific articles for this, avoiding commercial technologies.
Diseño de una solución SaaS para el seguimiento de mercancía usando una metodología ágil
Authors: Ramírez Márquez Karla Selene
Published: February 2021

El objetivo de esta nota técnica es proveer una solución de software como servicio que permita la gestión de los envíos mediante una herramienta de monitoreo SaaS para un óptimo control de los vehículos en ruta de las empresas distribuidoras. Para lograrlo, se escogió una metodología ágil con el fin de acelerar el proceso de desarrollo del software y, con base en ello, se seleccionaron artefactos de modelado conceptual para realizarlos en la etapa de análisis y diseño de la solución. La modelación conceptual del dominio es un proceso elemental para la ingeniería de software que permite reconocer el impacto de los múltiples elementos que interfieren. Por tanto, el presente texto se centró en el orden y descripción de los artefactos que se crearon con el fin de recopilar información, realizar un modelo y obtener requerimientos de los usuarios.
The Ideals of Culture and the Civilizational Code of Russia
Authors:   Saratov National Research University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, Mozzhilin Sergey I. , Ustyantsev Vladimir B. ,   Saratov National Research University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky
Published: February 2021

The article attempts to assess the research potential of a civilization code's con­cept, which claims to identify the determining algorithm of social life and, re­spectively, the direction of development of societies and states. The analysis of the concept under consideration is based on a constructivist approach. From the standpoint of this approach, it is demonstrated that the supposed conditioning of the civilization code by the dominant ideals of culture is largely determined by personal historicity and responsibility for the past. The ideals of culture also cover the sensory world of subjects – they are fixed in moral norms and regulate the value orientations of participants of historical events. This aspect of the cul­tural conditionality of the social behavior of people, according to the authors, is actually fixed in the concept of the civilization code. At the same time, the work notes that the originality of the manifestations of shame and conscience among the adepts of culture determines both the relationship between them and their at­titude towards other cultures' representatives. Civilization is understood as a form of cultural manifestation with specific features that make it possible to talk about the general mentality of a given society, a given civilization. Meanwhile, there are risks of losing the potential of constructive ideals in a consumer society that presents ideals that focus, first of all, on the satisfaction of personal, egoistic in­terests. The authors believe that the main thing for Russia today is not to lose the potential of personal ideals that focus on the priority of common human, hu­manistic values that demonstrate the rise above egoism and respect for represen­tatives of other cultures.
Returning to the Search for Truth: Once Again on the Status of Contemporary Social Philosophy
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Momdzhyan Karen Kh.
Published: February 2021

The author examines the state of modern social philosophy, which has undergone an unprecedented attack of militant anti-scientism on nomotic thinking in social studies and the very search for objective scientific truth. This attack was under­taken by supporters of postmodernism, who sought to reduce the world as an onto­logical reality to the world of meanings, to turn philosophy into an “interpretation of interpretations”, not going beyond language and textual activity. The author is convinced that the transformation of philosophy into a metaphorical essay, indiffer­ent to or hostile to the truth, is completely intolerable in the current situation, when mankind is once again entering an era of unsecured outcomes, requiring adaptively meaningful philosophical reflection. The author states that there is a “fragmenta­tion crisis” in contemporary reflective social philosophy, whose task is to cognize the world rather than its value consciousness. In such a philosophy, there should be gnoseological coercion to the truth, which excludes the equality of alternative in­terpretations of social reality. Nevertheless, in modern reflective philosophy there are the most serious disagreements on the key problems of the study of man, soci­ety and history. The article analyzes the main contradictions arising at social-philo­sophical, general sociological and philosophical-historical levels of abstraction, considers the possibility of the formation of integral social theory, which carries out the conceptual synthesis of mutually compatible ideas and approaches
Metabolic turnover and dynamics of RNA modifications by 13C labelling
Authors: Gameiro Paulo A , Foskolou Iosifina , Encheva Vesela , Santos Mariana Silva dos , MacRae James , Johnson Randall , Ule Jernej
Published: February 2021

RNA methylation is essential for appropriate assembly of ribonucleoprotein complexes.
Dynamics of RNA methylation is thus important, but we lack quantitative methods to comprehensively
assess it. We developed 13C-dynamods, an isotopic labelling approach using 13C-methyl-methionine, to
quantify the turnover of base modifications in newly synthesized RNA, which is effective in
distinguishing modifications in mRNAs from those in ncRNAs. This approach detected the presence of
N6,N6-dimethyladenosine (m62A) in mRNA and tRNA in mammalian cells, and uncovered distinct
kinetics of N-6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N-7-methylguanosine (m7G) in mRNA. Moreover, by
assessing RNA metabolism during T-cell activation, we showed how methylation dynamics is
coordinated with ribonucleotide biosynthesis. Finally, by quantification of methylation turnover and
ribonucleoside abundance, we uncover the post-transcriptional lability of m6A in response to metabolic
stress. Thus, 13C-dynamods enables studies of the origin, maintenance and biological regulation of RNA
modifications under steady-state and non-stationary conditions.
p16-3MR: a novel model to study cellular senescence in cigarette smoke-induced lung injuries during aging
Authors: Rahman Irfan , Kaur Gagandeep , Sundar Isaac
Published: February 2021

Cellular senescence and lung aging are associated with the pathogenesis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD progresses with aging, and chronic smoking is the key susceptibility factor in lung pathological changes concurrent with biological aging. However, these processes involving cigarette smoke (CS)-mediated lung cellular senescence are difficult to distinguish. One of the impediments to study cellular senescence in relation to age-related lung pathologies is the lack of a suitable in vivo model. In view of this, we provide evidence that supports the suitability of p16-3MR mice to study cellular senescence in CS-mediated and age-related lung pathologies. p16-3MR mice has a trimodal reporter fused to the promoter of p16INK4a gene that enables detection, isolation and selective elimination of senescent cells, thus making it a suitable model to study cellular senescence. To determine its suitability in CS-mediated lung pathologies, we exposed young (12-14 months) and old (17-20 months) p16-3MR mice to 30-day CS exposure and studied the expression of senescent genes (p16, p21 and p53) and SASP-associated markers (MMP9, MMP12, PAI-1, and FN-1) in air- and CS-exposed mouse lungs. Our results showed that this model could detect cellular senescence using luminescence and isolate cells undergoing senescence with the help of tissue fluorescence in CS-challenged young and old mice. Our results from the expression of senescence markers and SASP-associated genes in CS-challenged young and old p16-3MR mice were comparable with increased lung cellular senescence and SASP in COPD. We further showed age-dependent alteration in the (i) tissue luminescence and fluorescence, (ii) mRNA and protein expressions of senescent markers and SASP genes, and (iii) SA-β-gal activity in CS-challenged young and old p16-3MR mice as compared to their air controls. Overall, we showed that p16-3MR is a competent model to study cellular senescence in age-related pathologies and could help understand the pathobiology of cellular senescence in lung conditions like COPD and fibrosis.
Dysfunction of EAAT3 enhances LPS-induced Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction
Authors: Wang Xiaoyan , Ma Yulong , Hou Aisheng , Song Yuxiang , Sui Xin , Liu Wengang , Liu Min , Wang Yongan , Cao JiangBei , Mi Weidong
Published: February 2021

Background

Studies have shown that excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) function inhibition is related to several neurodegenerative diseases. Our previous studies also found that the EAAT3 function is intimately linked to learning and memory. In this study, we examined the role of EAAT3 in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and explored the potential benefit of riluzole against POCD.
Methods

We measured EAAT3 protein expression in hippocampus of male mice at different ages. Next, we established a recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV)-mediated shRNA to knockdown EAAT3 expression in the hippocampus of adult male mice. And then the mice received 2µg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intracerebroventricular microinjection to construct the POCD model. In addition, we intraperitoneally injected 4mg/kg of riluzole 2 days before LPS microinjection for consecutive 3 days in elderly male mice. Cognitive function was assessed using a Morris water maze 24h after LPS microinjection. Animal behavioral tests, as well as pathological and biochemical assays, were performed to clarify the role of EAAT3 function in POCD and evaluate the effect of activation of EAAT3 function by riluzole.
Results

We found that the expression of EAAT3 was significantly decreased in old mice and EAAT3 knockdown in hippocampus aggravated LPS-induced learning and memory deficits in adult male mice. LPS significantly inhibited hippocampal EAAT3 membrane protein expression and GluA1 protein phosphorylation level in adult male mice. Moreover, riluzole pretreatment significantly increased hippocampal EAAT3 membrane protein expression and ameliorated LPS-induced cognitive impairment in old male mice.
Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that the dysfunction of EAAT3 is an important risk factor for POCD susceptibility and riluzole may be a promising strategy for prevention and treating of POCD in the elderly people.
Modified gastric biopsy forceps as a flexible stylet-assisted nasogastrictube insertion in anesthetized and intubated patients: a prospective randomized controlled study
Authors: Ruananukun Narut , Vijitpavan Amorn , Simasatikul Chutima
Published: February 2021

Background

Insertion of a nasogastric tube in an anesthetized intubated patient may be difficult. A nasogastric tube is prone to coil and kink during insertion. We hypothesize that gastric biopsy forceps can be used as a flexible stylet-assisted nasogastric tube insertion. It can improve the first-attempt success rate over the conventional blind technique during nasogastric tube insertion in the anesthetized intubated patient.
Methods

Eighty adult patients who required intraoperative nasogastric tube insertions were randomized to the gastric biopsy forceps assisted technique (stylet group) or the conventional blind technique (control group) for insertion of a nasogastric tube. The success rates, the duration of insertion, the incidences of coiling and kinking of a nasogastric tube, and the occurrences of complications were recorded.
Results

The first-attempt success rate was 92.5% in the stylet group compared with 65% in the control group (P = 0.013). The overall success rate was higher in the stylet group (100% vs 85%; P = 0.026). The mean time required to insert the nasogastric tube was shorter in the stylet group (24.85 ± 9.62 vs 62.4 ± 59.38 seconds; P = 0.002). The incidences of coiling and kinking were lower in the stylet group (7.5% vs 32.5%; P = 0.005). The incidence of minor bleeding was lower in the stylet group, but not statistically significant (2.5% vs 17.5%; P = 0.057). No other complications were observed in either of the groups.
Conclusion

The gastric biopsy forceps-assisted nasogastric tube insertion resulted in a higher success rate, less time for insertion, and lower incidence of coiling and kinking of a nasogastric tube than the conventional blind technique in anesthetized intubated patients without serious complications.
Trial registration:
Thai Clinical Trials Registry (www.clinicaltrials.in.th), TCTR20141018001 (19/09/2014).