bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elasticity of Labor Productivity by Production Factors in the Regions of Russia
Authors: Basovskaya Elena , Basovskiy Leonid
Published: December 2020

On the basis of models of production functions with an explanation level of 80-90%, built using cross-sectional data for the regions of the country, partial values of the coefficients of elasticity of labor productivity by production factors were obtained. Partial (regional) values of the coefficients of elasticity of labor productivity are calculated using the particular regression equations of models of production functions. The factors included the capital-labor ratio, wages, the price index of industrial goods, the coefficient of funds (an indicator of income inequality), the share of exports in the gross regional product. The regions are identified in which these factors have the maximum and minimum impact on labor productivity.
Specificity of the Development of Technological Entrepreneurship: Analysis of Foreign Practices
Authors: Yakushev N.
Published: December 2020

In economic science, the importance of researching technological entrepreneurship, its contribution to the economic development of the territory, is increasing. According to the statistics of the international indexed databases Scopus and WOS, the publication activity of researchers studying the issues of technology entrepreneurship in the economic direction increased by 111.5% and 122%, respectively. Thus, the issue of studying the specifics of the development of technological entrepreneurship is relevant. At the same time, the study of the experience of foreign countries, where significant attention is paid to the development of technological entrepreneurship, both at the state level and in the commercial sector, is of particular importance for domestic practice.

The purpose of the study is to prove, based on the study of foreign experience, the prospects for the development of technological entrepreneurship as a tool for accelerated economic growth and a way to attract investment for the development of a territory.

The article examines foreign experience in the development of technological entrepreneurship. The analysis of foreign cases of technological entrepreneurship development is presented. On the basis of the analysis, the directions of technological entrepreneurship in foreign countries are systematized. Successful cases of technological entrepreneurship have been researched and systematized. The main characteristics of technology entrepreneurship abroad are identified based on the consideration of specific practical cases, which is especially important from the point of view of evidence of the effectiveness of this tool in managing the development of technological entrepreneurship.

The research materials will be useful for scientists and specialists to study the experience of foreign and cases on technological entrepreneurship, and can also be used by government and administrative bodies at the federal and regional levels in the development of target-oriented documents in the field of SME development and management of socio-economic development in general.
The Role and Place of Intra-Cooperative Relations not Regulated by Legislation at the Present Stage of the Formation of Agricultural Consumer Cooperatives
Authors: Burlakov V.
Published: December 2020

The article is devoted to the substantiation of the development of intra-cooperative relations not regulated by legislation as one of the means of increasing the viability of agricultural consumer cooperatives in the context of modern Russian realities. Considered relationships are manifested in the practice of cooperatives in the form of following certain rules, attitudes, behavioral patterns, agreements, etc. It has been established that the underdevelopment of these relations, coupled with gaps in the cooperative legislation, is one of the reasons for the unsatisfactory rates of development of this type of cooperation in the country. Relations in the areas of management and receiving cooperative services are highlighted as the most important. Based on the study of the practice of cooperative organizations in the developed countries of the European Union and the experience of successful domestic cooperatives, the need to develop internal regulations in each cooperative containing a detailed specification of the mechanisms for implementing internal relations is substantiated. Examples of the formation of effective elements of intra-cooperative relations are given. It is concluded that the development of intra-cooperative relations corresponding to the values and principles of cooperation contributes to the filling of existing institutional voids and is a real factor in the successful development of agricultural consumer cooperation.
Analysis of Factors of Family Economic Culture Development in RF Based on Experience of Developed Countries
Authors: Bykova M. , Savina Irina , Shishkin Andrey
Published: December 2020

The article deals with issues related to the possibility of using foreign experience in the system of forming the economic culture of the family. The analysis of factors that can serve as a catalyst for the formation of a policy in the field of such culture is carried out. The system of family economic culture formation in developed countries is analyzed. The article describes the concept of economic culture of the family. The possibilities of separating this concept into a separate category that differs from the concepts of "human economic culture" and "economic culture of society» are considered. The possibilities of creating a multi-level system for forming the economic culture of the family, with the inclusion of secondary and higher levels of education in this process, are considered. The author also analyzes the main prerequisites for creating a new direction in the social policy of the state in the field of popularization of economic knowledge.
Formation of Industrial Parks Based on Chemical Enterprises in Russia
Authors: Lomovcev D. , Vinichenko A.
Published: December 2020

There current trends of Russian chemical industry development are considered in the article. Foundation background of sectorial industrial parks is revealed, especially based on manufacturing area, released in consequence of original equipment retrofit. The authors analyze actual government assistance of industrial parks.
Corrigendum to “A Bucket Indexed Formulation for Nonpreemptive Single Machine Scheduling Problems,” INFORMS Journal on Computing 28(1):14–30, 2016
Authors: Boland Natashia , Clement Riley , Waterer Hamish
Published: December 2020

Abstract. This note corrects an error in our paper “N. Boland, R. Clement, and H. Waterer. A bucket indexed formulation for nonpreemptive single machine scheduling problems. INFORMS Journal on Computing 28(1):14–30, 2016.”
PERCEPÇÕES, SENTIDOS E SENSAÇÕES DE PROFESSORAS DA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: ALGUNS ATRAVESSAMENTOS
Authors: Chisté Bianca Santos , Souza Catiane Monteiro Pacheco
Published: December 2020

Este artigo apresenta discussões provocadas durante uma pesquisa desenvolvida junto ao PIBIC em 2017/2018, que teve como objetivo geral investigar quais percepções, sentidos e sensações atravessam professoras na educação infantil. Metodologicamente a pesquisa foi realizada com professoras que atuam em creches e pré-escolas de duas instituições de educação infantil, em Rolim de Moura, RO. Optamos pela conversa como metodologia de pesquisa. Esta se apresentou enquanto potência, na pesquisa com professoras, pois abriu espaço para aproximações, cumplicidade, afinidades, enfim, intimidade. Para nortear as discussões nos amparamos nos estudos de Freire (1989), Rotondo (2006), Gallo (2010), Fernandes e Hermelino (2012) entre outros. Os olhares e narrativas das professoras indicam que a educação infantil é o lugar de experimentação, de sensações e de percepções.
TENDÊNCIAS NOS ESTUDOS DE DIVULGAÇÃO CIENTIFICA E ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS: UM LEVANTAMENTO EM PERIÓDICOS BRASILEIROS
Authors: Miceli Bruna Sarpa , Rocha Marcelo Borges , Monerat Carlos Alberto Andrade , Carvalho Igor Leandro Alves de , Melo Alberto Henrique Oliveira dos Santos , Silva Ingrid Bento da
Published: December 2020

A Divulgação Científica (DC) possui importante função de democratizar os saberes relacionados à Ciência, pois se caracteriza como um recurso com potencial de oferecer ao público acesso ao conhecimento científico.  Ela está atrelada a uma série de estratégias com relação ao Ensino de Ciências, justificando então, a relevância dos estudos que investigam que aspectos da DC têm sido abordados em pesquisas na área de Ensino de Ciências. O presente estudo teve como objetivo realizar um mapeamento de trabalhos que articulam a DC e o Ensino de Ciências em periódicos nacionais dos estratos A1 e A2 de acordo com a classificação no Qualis-Períodicos da CAPES numa tentativa de sistematizar tais produções. Foram selecionadas e analisadas 17 revistas de acordo com a presença de artigos relacionados à DC no período de 2017 a 2019. Notou-se que as publicações nos periódicos relacionadas à temática de DC e Ensino de Ciências têm aumentado nos últimos anos, apresentando diversidade de autores da área, concentração da quantidade de produção nas regiões Sudeste e Sul do país, variedade de indexações na utilização de palavras-chave, predominância de abordagens qualitativas, forte presença de produções voltadas para espaços formais de educação e enfoque na relação da DC com professores e estudantes. Concluiu-se que, diante da escassez de produções voltadas para este tipo de mapeamento, o presente estudo contribuiu para a área de DC e Ensino de Ciências por apresentar dados recentes comparados com outras pesquisas já realizadas demonstrando a continuação em alguns aspectos, e possíveis novas tendências em outros.
ARQUITETURA ESCOLAR: UM OLHAR PARA OS LABORATÓRIOS DE CIÊNCIAS
Authors: Deitos Greyze Maria Palaoro , Malacarne Vilmar
Published: December 2020

A arquitetura escolar possui um histórico que não demonstra transformações significativas no que diz respeito às condições físicas e se perpetua ao demonstrar um caráter marcantemente formal e estabelecer rigidez, com pouco dinamismo para a utilização de seus espaços. Em meio a esta questão, este artigo busca responder à pergunta sobre quais as condições arquitetônicas os laboratórios de Ciências, nos anos iniciais das escolas públicas do município de Cascavel, PR se encontram. A escolha pelo laboratório escolar justifica-se pela relevância das experimentações no Ensino de Ciências. Este estudo percorreu os caminhos da pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo a fim de trazer contribuições significativas a respeito do tema levantado. A partir dos dados da pesquisa, constatou-se que das 51 escolas públicas de Ensino Fundamental I, apenas 8 delas possuem laboratório de Ciências, dentre as quais 5 foram visitadas. A pesquisa indica que a arquitetura escolar precisa se abrir aos programas pedagógicos escolares a fim de proporcionar ambientes condizentes com tais propostas, tornando o espaço escolar um ambiente possibilitador de descobertas e construção do saber.
O COMPORTAMENTO ORGANIZACIONAL DA PRÓ-REITORIA DE EXTENSÃO DO IFNMG E SEU IMPACTO NA PRODUÇÃO EXTENSIONISTA
Authors: Neiva Ricardo Jardim , Amaral Magda Matos Tanure do , Silva Sheldon William , Santos Eliane Macedo Sobrinho
Published: December 2020

O artigo constrói, através de análise de indicadores de produtividade e descrição de Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional (PDI) no Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais (IFNMG), uma leitura dos desafios e agentes dificultadores do trabalho da Extensão pelo Norte de Minas. Apresenta uma conjuntura de dados estatísticos sobre estrutura disponível e de trabalhadores no setor, além de observar o fluxo de cumprimento das metas firmadas pelo PDI no ano de 2017. Como expectativa de resultados, procura-se avaliar o período de mudanças institucionais por que passa o setor, desde as mudanças na Pró-reitoria, ocorridas no fim de 2016 na perspectiva comparativa de disponibilidade de recursos humanos e produtividade.
A ALFABETIZAÇÃO NO 3º ANO DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL EM ESCOLAS DO MUNICÍPIO DE SANTOS E AS DIFICULDADES DE LEITURA E ESCRITA ENCONTRADAS NESSE PROCESSO.
Authors: Castro Sumaya Pimenta de , Malavasi Abigail , Santos Gerson Tenório dos
Published: December 2020

O objetivo principal desta pesquisa é levantar as dificuldades dos alunos dos 3ºs anos do Ensino Fundamental I, encontradas durante o processo de alfabetização no que se refere especificamente à aprendizagem da leitura e escrita. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o estado da questão e uma pesquisa qualitativa organizada na forma de um grupo focal, para levantar diretamente, com seis professores que atuam no 3º ano de três escolas da Prefeitura Municipal de Santos, as dificuldades relatadas sobre os alunos que afetam negativamente a sua aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita. Durante os grupos focais com os professores, foi possível constatar quatro categorias que nortearam o trabalho no que compete ao levantamento das dificuldades encontradas por professores e alunos durante o processo de alfabetização, sendo elas a formação docente, a relação escola x família, o fracasso escolar e a aprendizagem dentro da alfabetização, além do letramento. Tais categorias foram analisadas à luz da análise de conteúdo e relacionadas com a minha prática docente.
DECOLONIALIDADE E DIFERENÇA EM QUARTO DO DESPEJO: A DESCRIÇÃO DO COTIDIANO COMO FORMA DE RESISTÊNCIA
Authors: Bastos Natacha Pereira Alves , Lima Rogerio Mendes de
Published: December 2020

Uma das características da perspectiva decolonial consiste em dar voz aos oprimidos e suas diferentes formas de resistência à dominação. Nesse contexto, a obra “Quarto de despejo: Diário de uma favelada”, de Carolina Maria de Jesus, pode ser um importante instrumento de reflexão sobre o papel da narrativa crítica produzida pelos grupos oprimidos na construção de discursos e práticas contra-hegemônicas na América Latina. Partindo das anotações do referido livro e relacionando as vivências cotidianas da autora à realidade atual de parte das populações negras urbanas, este artigo pretende promover um diálogo sobre o tema da diferença a partir de uma perspectiva decolonial, sem perder de vista os campos dos estudos culturais e literários.
A FIGURA DE ALEXANDRE MAGNO SOB A ÓTICA DE PSEUDO-CALÍSTENES
Authors: Carvalho Elisa Costa Brandão de
Published: December 2020

O presente trabalho pretende oferecer uma visão geral da vida e das façanhas de Alexandre Magno, do ponto de vista de Pseudo-Calístenes, em sua obra Romance de Alexandre Magno, que serve como ponto de partida para a análise de algumas tradições em relação à figura brilhante de Alexandre e sua apresentação como um rei muito culto e sábio.  A imagem de Alexandre Magno nesta obra penetra fundo na imaginação popular. Imagem esta que não é correta historicamente, mas é aquela que o público preferiu.
O CLÁSSICO EM VIEIRA
Authors: Oliveira Heitor Victor Narciso de
Published: December 2020

Os estudos sobre a literatura do século XVII, e especificamente sobre Antônio Vieira, são sempre muito férteis quando se deseja abordar a retórica ou mesmo a oratória. É inevitável, contudo, que tais estudos esbarrem nos clássicos que em muitos momentos fazem parte do arsenal argumentativo que será usado. Aqui pretendo, portanto, fazer breve apresentação do sermão de Vieira com base na leitura de Hansen e analisar o uso de autores do mundo clássico como parte do seu repertório argumentativo.
MITOLOGIA DO MUNDO VEGETAL GRECO-ROMANO: ALGUNS EXEMPLOS PARTICULARES
Authors: Godoi Marco Antônio Abrantes de Barros
Published: December 2020

Desde os tempos primitivos, o animismo vem sendo uma característica universal da visão que o ser humano tem sobre a sua experiência com seu ambiente, sendo uma perspectiva holística do universo, este ser humano encara-o como um universo vivo, seja uma pedra, seja um rio, ou a vegetação ao redor, todos possuem um espírito que se manifesta e se  conecta com todos ao redor. A partir desta visão de mundo primevo, as sociedades posteriores construíram uma visão do mundo vegetal complexa que leva a representações de cada elemento da natureza. Aqui pretendemos observar, na primeira parte um aspecto geral desta perspectiva sobre uma visão do mito e da forma como o homem veio construindo esta percepção do mundo vegetal e seu elo com sua vida. Na segunda parte estudaremos algumas particularidades do mito do carvalho, do narciso, da oliveira e da videira.
NAS ASAS DO AMOR
Authors: Silva Márcia Regina de Faria da
Published: December 2020

RESUMO: A elegia é considerada, em Roma, como uma poesia cuja principal faceta é a amorosa. Os poetas cantam seus infortúnios no amor e enaltecem a beleza da amada, a sua puella. Catulo introduz, na poesia latina, esta temática tão cara aos chamados poetas elegíacos do período augustano, que compõem livros inteiros dedicados a uma amada. Com isso, a elegia ganha uma unidade temática e transforma-se em um gênero literário autônomo e com características próprias. Um dos destacados poetas do período é Propércio. Analisaremos e metrificaremos o poema 12 do segundo livro, no qual o elegíaco nos traz em uma gradação do concreto ao abstrato sua visão sobre o Amor.
ABSENTEEISM IN SLOVENIAN COMPANIES
Authors: Kovačič Andrej , Raspor Andrej , Kolar Janez , Žezlina Janez
Published: December 2020

The main research question is: How do Slovenian employers assess the level of absenteeism in their companies and what measures do they take to control it? We collected the data for research in 155 Slovenian companies in 2019 by the use of a questionnaire (close- and open-ended questions) that was answered by the people responsible for staffing (human resource managers) or managers in small companies. In addition to questions for demographic data (region, activity, organisation’s size, ownership), we also included variables with the following descriptive answers: The range of absenteeism in a company; The reasons for absenteeism in a company; Absenteeism management in a company; Actions for absenteeism management in a company. Absenteeism is not perceived as critical, but it is more often present among production workers. Various diseases are still the most common reason for absenteeism. The employees are mainly committed to work and do not take advantage of sick leave. The employers should establish systems for managing absenteeism within the companies. In this respect, the system should also consider how committed to work the worker is, how efficient is in using the elements of work and how qualitative is his output. On the basis of these findings, it would be advisable to prepare a research instrument with which we could identify what is happening in the field of absenteeism and which actions should be taken at the national, regional level or at the companies’ level, especially in the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
THE TAXONOMY OF THE QUESTIONS IN THE ITALIAN NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF MATHEMATICS
Authors: Doz Daniel
Published: December 2020

In Italy, all grade 10 students are required to take the national assessment of knowledge of mathematics, which is prepared by the INVALSI Institute. No official data about any taxonomic level of the questions in these assessments has been published on the Institute’s website. In the present work, we analyzed seven INVALSI examinations for school with Slovene as language of instruction and we focused on the Gagne’s taxonomic level of each individual question in the assessments. The most frequent category in national assessments is “Routine procedural knowledge”, followed by “Basic and conceptual knowledge”. We found that, even though the interest in problem-solving activities has increased in the past years, the taxonomic level “Problem-solving knowledge” is the less frequent. Moreover, we wanted to analyze the distribution of the different taxonomic levels among the question typologies (open- and closed-type questions) and we found that questions from lower taxonomic levels are more likely to be closed-type, while “Problem-solving questions” are more likely to be open-type. Furthermore, we were interested in analyzing the distribution of taxonomic levels among the four topic dimensions “Geometry”, “Data and prevision”, “Numbers and quantities” and “Relations and functions”. We found that the taxonomic level “Problem-solving knowledge” are more present in the categories “Number and quantities” and “Relations and functions”.
ADVERSITIES AND COPPING MECHANISMS OF SLUM AREA RESIDENTS IN GONDAR CITY; NORTH WEST ETHIOPIA
Authors: Mulat Liyew Alemayehu
Published: December 2020

The expansion of slum areas have been one of the critical challenges manifested with the rapid urbanization of the global south countries. As one of the metropolitan cities in Ethiopia, Gondar city experienced this problem for long time. This study aimed at investigating the adversities related to physical environment, means of survival, health situation and social network of residents in Gojjo sefer slum area in Gondar city. Qualitative phenomenological research design was employed to understand the real life experience of slum dweller in the study area. A total of 35 participants were purposively recruited in the study area. Accordingly, data was collected by in-depth interview, key informant interview and field observation. The findings show that, congested and poorly constructed housing, inadequate infrastructure and poor social service provision characterize the area. Most of the dwellers are immigrants from rural area. They have being suffered from varieties of problems such as low income, lack of health care services and are exposed to frequent disease such as diarrhea, fever and chronic illnesses. As copping strategy, dwellers in this area are mainly engaged in petty economic activities-small and informal business, daily labor, street vending and paid domestic works. Thus, the local government and nongovernmental organization should intervene to the area with appropriate urban planning and sustainable livelihood strategies.
Axially resolved volumetric two-photon microscopy with an extended field of view using depth localization under mirrored Airy beams
Authors: Chan Ryan K. Y. , He Hongsen , Ren Yu-Xuan , Lai Cora S. W. , Lam Edmund Y. , Wong Kenneth K. Y.
Published: December 2020

It is a great challenge in two-photon microscopy (2PM) to have a high volumetric imaging speed without sacrificing the spatial and temporal resolution in three dimensions (3D). The structure in 2PM images could be reconstructed with better spatial and temporal resolution by the proper choice of the data processing algorithm. Here, we propose a method to reconstruct 3D volume from 2D projections imaged by mirrored Airy beams. We verified that our approach can achieve high accuracy in 3D localization over a large axial range and is applicable to continuous and dense sample. The effective field of view after reconstruction is expanded. It is a promising technique for rapid volumetric 2PM with axial localization at high resolution.
Frequency sampling strategy for numerical diffraction calculations
Authors: Zhang Wenhui , Zhang Hao , Jin Guofan
Published: December 2020

Diffraction calculations play an essential role in Fourier optics and computational imaging. Conventional methods only consider the calculation from the perspective of discrete computation which would either cause error or sacrifice efficiency. In this work, we provide a unified frequency response analysis from the joint physics-mathematics perspective and propose corresponding adaptive frequency sampling strategies for five popular diffraction calculation methods. With the proposed strategies, the calculation correctness is guaranteed and the calculation efficiency is improved. Such an idea of unified frequency response study would help researchers make a do-it-yourself analysis for various diffraction calculation tasks and choose or develop a method for accurate and efficient computations of the diffraction fields.
Tunable narrowband plasmonic light emission from metallic crossed surface relief gratings
Authors: Diak Ethan , Mazloumi Mahyar , Sabat Ribal Georges
Published: December 2020

Plasmonic crossed surface relief gratings were fabricated using interference lithography. Their topographies were studied by AFM as a function of laser exposure time and their surface plasmon resonance at a gold-air interface was measured between crossed polarizers in transmission and in reflection modes. Both modes resulted in emitted plasmonic light at specific wavelengths related to the grating pitch, with the reflectance SPR having a much higher intensity than the transmittance SPR. The use of these gratings as plasmonic sensors was examined and their sensitivities were measured in the reflectance and transmittance modes to be 601 nm/RIU and 589 nm/RIU, respectively.
Hybrid metasurfaces for simultaneous focusing and filtering
Authors: Sultan Mansoor A. , Balli Fatih , Lau Daniel L. , Hastings J. Todd
Published: December 2020

This work presents the design and fabrication of polymeric, structural optical filters that simultaneously focus light. These filters represent a novel, to the best of our knowledge, design at the boundary between diffractive optics and metasurfaces that may provide significant advantages for both digital and hyperspectral imaging. Filters for visible and near-infrared wavelengths were designed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. Prototype filters were fabricated using two-photon lithography, a form of nanoscale 3D printing, and have geometries suitable to replication by molding. The experimentally measured spectral transmission and focused spot size of each filter show excellent agreement with simulation.
Reoccurring neural stem cell divisions in the adult zebrafish telencephalon are sufficient for the emergence of aggregated spatiotemporal patterns
Authors: Lupperger Valerio , Marr Carsten , Chapouton Prisca
Published: December 2020

Regulation of quiescence and cell cycle entry is pivotal for the maintenance of stem cell populations. Regulatory mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. In particular, it is unclear how the activity of single stem cells is coordinated within the population or if cells divide in a purely random fashion. We addressed this issue by analyzing division events in an adult neural stem cell (NSC) population of the zebrafish telencephalon. Spatial statistics and mathematical modeling of over 80,000 NSCs in 36 brain hemispheres revealed weakly aggregated, nonrandom division patterns in space and time. Analyzing divisions at 2 time points allowed us to infer cell cycle and S-phase lengths computationally. Interestingly, we observed rapid cell cycle reentries in roughly 15% of newly born NSCs. In agent-based simulations of NSC populations, this redividing activity sufficed to induce aggregated spatiotemporal division patterns that matched the ones observed experimentally. In contrast, omitting redivisions leads to a random spatiotemporal distribution of dividing cells. Spatiotemporal aggregation of dividing stem cells can thus emerge solely from the cells’ history.
Snakebite associated thrombotic microangiopathy: a systematic review of clinical features, outcomes, and evidence for interventions including plasmapheresis
Authors: Noutsos Tina , Currie Bart J. , Lek Rachel A. , Isbister Geoffrey K.
Published: December 2020

Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is an important but poorly understood complication of snakebite associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Numerous treatments have been attempted based on limited evidence. We conducted a systematic review of TMA following snakebite using a pre-determined case definition of blood film red cell schistocytes or histologically diagnosed TMA. The search strategy included major electronic databases and grey literature. We present a descriptive synthesis for the outcomes of AKI, dialysis free survival (DFS), other end-organ damage, overall survival, and interventions with antivenom and therapeutic plasmapheresis (TPE). This study was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019121436). Seventy-two studies reporting 351 cases were included, predominantly small observational studies. Heterogeneity for study selection, design, reporting and outcomes were observed. The commonest envenoming species were hump-nosed vipers (Hypnale spp.), Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) and Australian brown snakes (Pseudechis spp.). The prevalence of TMA was at least 5.4% in proven and probable Hypnale bites, and 10–15% of Australian elapid envenomings, AKI occurred in 94% (293/312) of TMA cases, excluding case reports. The majority of cases with AKI required dialysis. Included prospective and retrospective cohort studies reporting interventions and renal outcomes showed no evidence for benefit from antivenom or TPE with respect to DFS in dialysis dependant AKI. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) assessment for quality of accumulated evidence for interventions was low. The major complication of TMA following snakebite is AKI. AKI improves in most cases. We found no evidence to support benefit from antivenom in snakebite associated TMA, but antivenom remains the standard of care for snake envenoming. There was no evidence for benefit of TPE in snakebite associated TMA, so TPE cannot be recommended. The quality of accumulated evidence was low, highlighting a need for high quality larger studies.
Extent of aging across education and income subgroups in Thailand: Application of a characteristic-based age approach
Authors: Pothisiri Wiraporn , Prasitsiriphon Orawan , Aekplakorn Wichai
Published: December 2020

Aim

This study aimed to identify differences in physical performance across various socioeconomic groups within an older population and to convert those differences into a common metric to facilitate comparisons of aging speed across socioeconomic subgroups.

Methods

We employed data from the 2009 National Health Examination Survey of Thailand. Physical performance was assessed using three health characteristics: grip strength, as a measure of upper body strength; walking speed, as a measure of lower body strength; and a combined measure of grip strength and walking speed, to capture the strength of the whole body. Education level and income were used to distinguish socioeconomic subpopulations. We followed a characteristic-based age approach to transform these population characteristics, which were measured in different units, into a common and comparable aging metric, referred to asα−age.

Results

Physical aging trajectories varied by sex and socioeconomic status. Some education, particularly secondary or higher education levels, was significantly associated with greater physical strength in older age for both men and women, whereas higher income was significantly associated with physical strength only for men. Across the three health characteristics, having a primary education slowed age-related declines by up to 6.3 years among men and 2.8 years among women, whereas being in a higher income group slowed age-related declines by 8.2 years among men and up to 4.9 years among women.

Conclusions

This study adds new evidence from a developing Asian country regarding the difference in aging speeds across subpopulations associated with different levels of education and income.
Dual-task walking reduces lower limb range of motion in individuals with Parkinson’s disease and freezing of gait: But does it happen during what events through the gait cycle?
Authors: Pinto Camila , Salazar Ana Paula , Hennig Ewald Max , Kerr Graham , Pagnussat Aline Souza
Published: December 2020

Background

It is unclear how dual-task gait influences the lower limb range of motion (RoM) in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and freezing of gait (FOG). The lower limb kinematics during dual-task gait might differ from regular gait, but during what events in the gait cycle?

Methods

This is an observational within-subjects study. Thirty-two individuals with PD and FOG underwent a gait analysis. Single and dual-task gait was assessed by a 3D motion analysis system and the RoM data of the lower limb were extracted from hips, knees and ankles in the sagittal plane. Dual-task assignment was performed using word-color interference test. To compare both gait conditions, we used two different analyses: (1) common discrete analysis to provide lower limb RoM and (2) Statistical Parametric Mapping analysis (SPM) to provide lower limb joint kinematics. A correlation between lower limb RoM and spatiotemporal gait parameters was also performed for each gait condition.

Results

Common discrete analysis evidenced reductions in RoM of hips, knees and ankles during the dual task gait when compared to single gait. SPM analysis showed reductions in flexion-extension of hip, knees and ankles joints when dual task was compared to single task gait. These reductions were observed in specific gait events as toe off (for knees and ankles) and heel strike (for all joints). The reduction in lower limb RoM was positively correlated with the reduction in step length and gait speed.

Conclusions

Lower limb joints kinematics were reduced during toe off and heel strike in dual task gait when compared to single gait. These findings might help physiotherapists to understand the influence of dual and single walking in lower limb RoM throughout the gait cycle in people with PD and FOG.
Cell segmentation and tracking using CNN-based distance predictions and a graph-based matching strategy
Authors: Scherr Tim , Löffler Katharina , Böhland Moritz , Mikut Ralf
Published: December 2020

The accurate segmentation and tracking of cells in microscopy image sequences is an important task in biomedical research, e.g., for studying the development of tissues, organs or entire organisms. However, the segmentation of touching cells in images with a low signal-to-noise-ratio is still a challenging problem. In this paper, we present a method for the segmentation of touching cells in microscopy images. By using a novel representation of cell borders, inspired by distance maps, our method is capable to utilize not only touching cells but also close cells in the training process. Furthermore, this representation is notably robust to annotation errors and shows promising results for the segmentation of microscopy images containing in the training data underrepresented or not included cell types. For the prediction of the proposed neighbor distances, an adapted U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN) with two decoder paths is used. In addition, we adapt a graph-based cell tracking algorithm to evaluate our proposed method on the task of cell tracking. The adapted tracking algorithm includes a movement estimation in the cost function to re-link tracks with missing segmentation masks over a short sequence of frames. Our combined tracking by detection method has proven its potential in the IEEE ISBI 2020 Cell Tracking Challenge (http://celltrackingchallenge.net/) where we achieved as team KIT-Sch-GE multiple top three rankings including two top performances using a single segmentation model for the diverse data sets.
A morphing approach for continuous generalization of linear map features
Authors: Gao Aji , Li Jingzhong , Chen Kai
Published: December 2020

With the development of web maps, people are no longer satisfied with fixed and limited scale map services but want to obtain personalized and arbitrary scale map data. Continuous map generalization technology can be used to generate arbitrary scale map data. This paper proposes a morphing method for continuously generalizing linear map features using shape context matching and hierarchical interpolation (SCM-HI). More specifically, shape characteristics are quantitatively described by shape context on which shape similarity is measured based on a chi-square method; then, two levels of interpolation, skeleton and detail interpolations, are employed to generate the geometry of intermediate curves. The main contributions of our approach include (1) exploiting both the geometry and spatial structure of a vector curve in shape matching by using shape context, and (2) preserving both the main shape structure as-rigid-as-possible and local geometric details as gradual and smooth as possible for intermediate curves by hierarchical interpolation. Experiments show that our method generates plausible morphing effects and can thus serve as a robust approach for continuous generalization of linear map features.
Differential of Antioxidant Ability, CD4+T Cells Count and Viral Load in HIV Infected Patients on cART in Yaounde, Cameroon
Authors: Teto Georges , Kenmegne Jules S. , Fokam Joseph , Nguemaim Flore N. , Dambaya Beatrice , Takou Desire , Dombu Reine C. , Goumkwa Nadege M. , Pieme Anatole C. , Ndjolo Alexis
Published: December 2020

Background
Decreased antioxidant ability is one of the worsening conditions in AIDS.We aimed to evaluate total antioxidant ability among others, and their variation in HIV infected patients following their CD4+T cells count and viral load, in a context of new ART scarcity in most LMICs.

Material and Methods
We conducted a cross sectional study on 167 individuals (76 controls, 33 treatments naïve and 58 HIV-1 infected patients on ART). We assessed their plasma total antioxidant ability (FRAP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiol (SH) groups using standard spectrophotometric methods, then we calculated lipid peroxidation index (LPI). Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 6. Data were analyzed by two-tailed unpaired t-test for two groups’ comparison and ANOVA for more than two groups. Pearson correlation between CD4+T cells count, viral load and the above markers was determined; P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results
The following controls/naïve/treated subjects’ values for FRAP(mM) (1.907±0.074/1.77±0.05/1.695±0.03); MDA(μΜ) (0.781±0.081/1.115±0.118/ 1.342±0.109); SH (μΜ) (2.747±0.130/1.582±0.197/1.498 ±0.140)and LPI (0.43±0.61/ 0.61±0.7/2.59±0.83) were all obtained with P ≤ 0.05. The FRAP increased only with 3TC+TDF+EFV and 3TC+ABC+NVP cART while MDA decrease significantly with the later(p=0.027). MDA and LPI significantly increased in heavily treated patients with p<0.0014 and p=0.0001 respectively. overall, the patients showed an increase of viral loads following a decrease of CD4+T cells (r= -0.803, p=0.016) but 3TC+TDF+EFV seem to better manage the both. The only significant correlation was established between SH groups and CD4+Tcells count (r=0.447; p=0.0006);

Conclusion
Our study showed that thiol groups may be protective againstCD4+Tcells count depletion and that the cART 3TC+TDF+EFV, 3TC+ABC+NVP may be helpful in fighting against free radical generation and particularly 3TC+TDF+EFV as controlling CD4+Tcells count and viral load in long term treated patients. The study particularly showed the implication of cART in increasing lipid peroxidation index following the treatment duration in heavily treated patients, which aggravated their conditions in an area where drug options are limited, calling for new drugs availability and personalized medicine.
Syphilis Hepatitis Presenting as a Mimic of Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Authors: Kern Cody , Elmoursi Ahmed , Blake Caroline , Hoellein Andrew
Published: December 2020

Syphilis hepatitis is a rare cause of acute liver injury. Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a progressive autoimmune disease characterized by the typical presentation of a cholestatic liver injury and the presence of antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs). We present a case of syphilis hepatitis that presented as a mimic to PBC with positive AMA. The eradication of syphilis led to the resolution of the liver injury and down trending of the antibody level. We recommend excluding syphilis in patients with high-risk behaviors presenting with a cholestatic liver injury and positive AMA before the diagnosis of PBC.
Effect of Incubation Time During Sperm Sexing Process on Sperm Quality of Pasundan Bull
Authors: Rasad Siti Darodjah , Solihati Nurcholidah , Winangun Kikin , Yusrina Annisa , Avicenna Fahmy
Published: December 2020

The research was conducted to evaluate the effect of incubation time on viability, plasma membrane integrity, abnormality, and DNA integrity of sexed Pasundan’s bulls sperm. The sperm sexing used 5% and 10% concentrations of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA).  A completely randomized design with three treatments and six replications was used in this study. The data were analyzed using variance analysis followed by Duncan’s multiple distance test.  Parameter evaluated were sperm longevity, plasma membrane integrity (PMI), abnormality, and DNA integrity of sexed Pasundan bulls sperm. Results showed that incubation time gave significant effect (P<0.05) on the longevity of sperm, but not on the PMI of Pasundan bulls sexed sperm.  The incubation time of 45 minutes gave the highest value of longevity sperm on the upper layer (4.33 days) and the lower layer (4.17 days). Furthermore, the abnormality of sperm X in the upper layer was 4.00%-4.20% and the lower layer was 4.10%- 4.40%.  Meanwhile, the DNA integrity of an upper layer was 98.16%-98.66%, and the lower layer was 97.83%-98.58%.  It is concluded that 45 minutes of incubation time significantly affected the longevity of sperm, but not plasma membrane integrity, abnormality, and DNA integrity of Pasundan bulls sexed sperm.
Genetic Variants of Milk Protein Genes and Their Association with Milk Components in Holstein Friesian Cattle
Authors: Asmarasari Santiananda Arta , Sumantri Cece , Gunawan A , Taufik E , Anggraeni Anneke
Published: December 2020

Protein content in milk is an important indicator of milk. Accordingly, genetic improvement to produce Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cattle is important. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variant of milk protein genes and its effect on milk component traits of Holstein Friesian (HF). A total of 100 HF were used in this study. The HF cattle used have physiological status in the lactation period 1 up to 3 and lactation change of 1 up to 12 months. Genotype variants of milk protein genes were identified using Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction method.  Analysis of milk component was carried out covering the component of protein, fat, lactose, and solid non-fat (SNF) by using a milk quality measuring device (Lactoscan). Genotyping of cattle blood samples consisted of DNA extraction, genes amplification using the RT-PCR method. The result showed that protein milk was significantly affected (p<0.05) by the genetic variants of CSN1S1-192 and CSN2-67 genes. Fat milk was significantly affected (p<0.05) by the genetic variants of CSN1S1-192 and CSN3 genes.  Meanwhile, solid non-fat milk was significantly affected (p<0.05) by the genetic variants of CSN-BMC9215, CSN-BMC6334, CSN1S1-14618, CSN2_67, and CSN3 genes. Lactose milk was significantly affected (p<0.05) by the genetic variants of CSN-BMC9215 and CSN2-67 genes. It was concluded that genetic variants of the milk protein genes have an association with the component of cow's milk (protein, fat, solid non-fat, and lactose).
Implementation of Relationships between Stake holders in Small Scale Broiler Business Partnerships in Indonesia
Authors: Ilham Nyak
Published: December 2020

The problem of small-scale broiler business is the low efficiency and low application of biosecurity.  In the chicken industry, however, efficiency is an essential consideration for product competitiveness in terms of both price and quality. Vertical integration involving small scale businesses in partnership models is expected to maintain the existence of small scale businesses. This paper aims to analyze the performance of the implementation of various models of broiler business partnerships with the legal basis for the establishment of partnership. In this paper there are four models to be discussed, namely: Partnership of National Price Contract (KKHN), Partnership of Regional Price Contracts (KKHR), Partnership of Local Broiler Maklun (KMLB), and Partnership of Local Revenue Sharing (KBHL). The implementation of legislation for the broiler partnership is weak. This can be seen from the tendency of the core companies to narrow down to the KKHN model, while other models are being pushed and bankrupt, and there is the occurrence of unilateral business relationship termination by the nucleus company to plasma as its business partner. The policy recommendations offered are: (i) There is a need to strengthen regulation and guidance by relevant agencies in charge of animal husbandry and animal health functions at the central and regional levels supported by Business Competition Supervision Commission (KPPU); (ii) The company is advised not to break the partnership relationship with small-scale farmers who have worked together for a long time; (iii) The company should reserve funds from the farmer's chicken harvest to reinvest the chicken cage.
Markers of endothelial dysfunction in adolescent and young patients with hypothalamic syndrome
Authors: Tsertsvadze Lana K. , Avdeeva Marina V. , Scheglova Larisa V. , Vasilenko Vladimir S.
Published: December 2020

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is the first but reversible stage of atherosclerosis. A change in the functional state of the vascular endothelium, especially of a growing organism, can be the basis for the development of many diseases in adulthood. The study of the structural and functional state of peripheral vessels of adolescents with hypothalamic syndrome is extremely important for understanding of the mechanisms of formation of cardiometabolic risks.

Aims: to compare the structural and functional state of the vascular wall of young men with hypothalamic syndrome and constitutionally exogenous obesity.

Methods: During the study 360 males were examined (average age 21.27±2.44 years) and divided into 3 groups: group 1 -with hypothalamic syndrome (n=242); group 2 - with constitutionally exogenous obesity (n=98); control group - practically healthy individuals (n=20). Hypothalamic syndrome was verified in the presence of a symptom complex, including obesity and pink striae. Cross-group comparative analysis of results of clinical, laboratory and instrumental examination was carried out.

Results: In the group of patients with hypothalamic syndrome, endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (9.44±1.26 versus 10.37±1.21%; p=0.001) and endothelium-independent vasodilatation (10.29±1.28 versus 11.29±1.14%; p=0.001) is worse than in the group of patients with constitutionally exogenous obesity, and the rate of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation is lower than the generally accepted norm. In addition, among patients with hypothalamic syndrome, the stiffness of the vascular wall is higher than among patients with constitutionally exogenous obesity (15.47±2.58 versus 13.24±3.84%; p=0.001). Statistically significant correlations were revealed between the structural and functional state of peripheral arteries and hemodynamic, hormonal, metabolic changes, and the level of C-reactive protein (p<0.05).

Conclusions: The obtained data indicate a deterioration of endothelial function and an increase in vascular wall stiffness in obese patients, regardless of its etiology. The patients with hypothalamic syndrome have more pronounced structural and functional changes in the vascular wall are observed than patients with constitutionally exogenous obesity.