bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of concurrent training on growth hormone and certain body compositions and special physical abilities and skill performance level for gymnastics juniors
Authors: Abuwarda Khaled , Gomaa Islam
Published: January 2022

Introduction. Gymnastics is an activity having its own requirements, which distinguish it from other sports activities. The availability of these requirements placed on its practitioners, allows them a greater opportunity to absorb and elaborate kinetic skills, which are one of the pillars that must be available to reach high levels. The gymnastics is performed on six different apparatuses. Each apparatus has its own performance nature that distinguishes it from the rest of apparatuses. The design of kinetic routines on these apparatuses requires the coach to update training methods and develop them in order to reach a kinetic performance level of the gymnast appropriate to the level of supreme kinetic performance. Aim. Is to identify the impact of concurrent training on Growth Hormone, some body compositions, specific physical abilities and the skill performance level of gymnastics juniors under 8 years. Material and Methods. The authors used the experimental method, using experimental design with two groups; one is experimental and the other is control with pre and post-tests due to its suitability for the application of research and its procedures. The sample has been selected by the intentional way of Gymnastics juniors of Suez Canal Authority Club under 8 years. The sample included 12 players. Result. The proposed training program has proven effectiveness in improving the level of growth hormone after effort, BMI, skeletal muscle mass, and fat mass and free fat mass, as well as the skill performance of the gymnastics juniors.
The impact of a training programme to develop explosive power endurance on selected biochemical variables and skill performance level for pommel horse gymnasts
Authors: Abuwarda Khaled , Gomaa Islam
Published: January 2022

Introduction. A gymnast executes various skill performances continuously on a pommel horse requiring explosive power. The gymnast is in urgent need to endure this quality, which aims to maintain the explosive power (EP) performance level. Aim. The research aims to identify the impact of a training programme to develop explosive power endurance (EPE) on selected biochemical variables and skill performance level, namely catecholamine (CA), free radicals, malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and pommel horse skill performance level among 2nd-class gymnasts Material & Methods. The researchers used the experimental method implementing 1 experimental group design (pre- and post-tests). The basic research sample was intentionally selected from 2nd-class gymnasts. The basic experiment sample consisted of 4 athletes. The training programme was applied for 12 weeks. Result. The proposed training programme has positive impact on the biochemical variables and skill performance level among the pommel horse gymnasts. Conclusion. Skill performance on the pommel horse has improved because of improved biochemical capabilities by applying training of EPE development fitting the requirements of gymnastics skill composition during competition.
Introduction
Authors: Harmer Tanya , Álvarez Alberto Martín
Published: January 2022

An introduction to Latin America’s Revolutionary Left, global history, and questions for future research on Latin America’s revolutionary history in a global perspective. Why is it that Latin America has not featured more prominently in global history to date? What are some of the big gaps in our knowledge? What do global perspectives offer?
Revolutionary Diplomacy and the Third World
Authors: León Blanca Mar
Published: January 2022

This chapter tells the story of the preparations for and development of the Tricontinental Conference (OSPAAAL), held in Havana in January 1966, from the documents and files recently declassified by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These documents reveal how a complex transnational network was built and mobilized, a network that involved many people (not only Cubans) and significant resources. At the same time, it shows how Cuba’s diplomats and foreign relations officials anticipated, with a considerable degree of foresight and detail, important differences and ideological conflicts on sensitive international political issues that challenged the unity of the international revolutionary movement at the height of the Cold War. The chapter also provides insight into how the Cubans conceived the “Third World” and how they related to it.
Detecção de Malwares Android: datasets e reprodutibilidade
Authors: Soares Taina , Siqueira Guilherme , Barcellos Lucas , Sayyed Renato , Vargas Luciano , Rodrigues Gustavo , Assolin Joner , Pontes Jonas , Feitosa Eduardo , Kreutz Diego
Published: January 2022

Neste trabalho nós avaliamos uma amostra inicial de 38 trabalhos de pesquisa que utilizam aprendizado de máquina para detecção de malwares Android. Analisamos, em particular, o detalhamento e a disponibilidade dos datasets, que são cruciais para a validação e a reprodutibilidade do trabalho. Nossos resultados sugerem que 100% das pesquisas não são reprodutíveis por falta de informações e/ou acesso aos dados originais da pesquisa.
Detecção de Malwares Android: reprodução da seleção de características do SigPID
Authors: Assolin Joner , Rocha Vanderson , Silveira Guilherme , Rodrigues Gustavo , Feitosa Eduardo , Casola Karina , Kreutz Diego
Published: January 2022

Para atacar o desafio de escalabilidade na detecção de malwares em Android, há trabalhos que propõem a utilização de um número reduzido de permissões, como é o caso do SigPID. Neste trabalho, apresentamos a reprodução dos 3 níveis de seleção de permissões e avaliação dos principais métodos de aprendizagem do SigPID, utilizando um conjunto de dados publicamente disponível. Nosso estudo inicial indica que o número de permissões impacta o tempo de treinamento e execução, bem como a acurácia dos modelos. Entretanto, o tempo de execução pode não ser significativo a ponto de justificar um número menor de permissões para detecção de malwares.
Ferramenta de visualização georreferenciada para implantação da infraestrutura de rede móvel 5G no Brasil
Authors: Imperio Marcos , Pavani Gustavo Sousa
Published: January 2022

As redes móveis de quinta geração (5G) já começaram a ser implantadas ao redor do mundo. A implantação de tal infraestrutura no Brasil, cuja leilão das frequências está previsto para este ano, é um grande desafio quando se considera suas dimensões continentais. Por motivos de redução de investimentos, pressupõe-se que tal infraestrutura partirá do parque instalado 4G atual. Nesse sentido, a ferramenta de visualização proposta permite ver a localização das Estações Rádio Base (ERB) 4G sobre o mapa do Brasil. Também possibilita visualizar a futura infraestrutura óptica, necessária para atender os requisitos de conectividade 5G, que é usada para interconexão das cidades que já possuem cobertura 4G.
Achieving efficient routing in constrained networks with unidirectional links through Software Defined Networking
Authors: Alves Renan C. A. , Margi Cíntia B.
Published: January 2022

Routing protocols targeting low power wireless networks commonly assume they operate over bidirectional links, ignoring the possibility of routing over unidirectional links. However, experiments show this is not always the case since device heterogeneity and environmental factors can lead to asymmetric links. Our main contribution consists on the design of algorithms that are capable of using unidirectional links to route packets. We took on a Software Defined Networking approach, as its centralized feature allows for a generic and efficient solution to the challenge of routing over unidirectional links. We conducted experiments to investigate the trade-offs between fully using all available links in the network and the additional overhead required in maintaining unidirectional routes. The gist of our findings is that unidirectional links must be considered during protocol design, while actually leveraging such links for routing tends to improve network metrics, especially if the links are long-reaching.
Admission Control and Resource Allocation in 5G Network Slicing
Authors: Jácome William F. Villota , Rendon Oscar M. Caicedo , Fonseca Nelson L. S. da
Published: January 2022

This paper summarizes the research in the master thesis entitled "Admission Control and Resource Allocation in 5G Network Slicing". We propose two solutions, SARA and DSARA, based on Reinforcement Learning algorithms to learn the admission policy that optimizes the profit of providers. Resource allocation considers the QoS requirements. Results show the outstanding performance of our solutions to 5G Network Slicing in relation to profit and resource utilization.
Consistent Composition of Data Plane Programs
Authors: Parizotto Ricardo , Schaeffer-Filho Alberto
Published: January 2022

Programmable Data Planes (PDP) enable more ﬂexibility in the operation of networks. To fully reap the benefits of programmability, it should be feasible to compose and operate multiple PDP functions into a single target switch as needed. However, existing techniques are not suitable because they lack abstractions for steering packets through the control ﬂows. As such, they do not support the modular composition of PDP programs. This work summarizes the thesis called "Consistent Code Composition and Modular Data Plane Programming" that proposes PRIME, a composition mechanism of in-network functions that also addresses the fundamental needs of packet steering between PDP program modules. We present a design of PRIME, along with use cases. The results show that it is possible to achieve module-wide compositions at little additional cost in throughput.
Protocolos Eficientes para Comunicação V2V em Redes Veiculares de Dados Nomeados
Authors: Rondon Lucas B. , Rocha-Filho Geraldo P. , Villas Leandro A.
Published: January 2022

Este resumo estendido apresenta uma visão geral das principais contribuições da pesquisa de mestrado. O trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver protocolos eficientes para comunicação V2V em VNDN, com o intuito de garantir alta taxa de entrega de conteúdo e reduzir o broadcast storm durante o processo de descoberta de cache. Os protocolos propostos foram avaliados e comparados com protocolos existentes na literatura por meio de simulações computacionais. Os resultados das simulações mostram que os protocolos propostos possuem um bom desempenho em três pontos chaves:(i) taxa de cache hit; (ii) taxa de entrega de conteúdo e (iii) transmissão de pacotes de interesse.
URLYZER: sistema de identificação de URLs maliciosas utilizando IA como suporte à tomada de decisão
Authors: Gonçalves Diego Luiz Nunes , Leite Filho Dionsio Machado
Published: January 2022

Neste trabalho é apresentado o URLYZER, um sistema para identificação de URLs maliciosas. Como a maioria dos recursos na Web é acessado via URL, a mesma pode ser modificada ou fraudada para uso indevido. Com isso, o URLYZER visa analisar a URL, a partir da extração das características léxicas, e utilizando um classificador Random Forest determinar se uma determinada URL é benigna ou maligna. O classificador obteve resultados satisfatórios com uma acurácia de 86%, 79% de precisão, 98% de revocação e 88% em seu F1-score.
Reproductive Toxicology: An Update
Authors: Toragall Makhadumsab , C. Ghagane Shridhar , B. Nerli Rajendra , B. Hiremath Murigendra
Published: January 2022

Human reproduction and development is a succession of symbiotic events. Nearly, at every point of this phenomenon found to be the principle target of one or more reproductive toxicants. Chemical agents, physical factors, as well as biological intruders can pose antagonistic effects on reproductive potential of an organism. The pathways are different viz., either damaging embryo and sometimes fetus or inducing mutation in a parent’s germ cell. The outcomes are declined fertility to impulsive abortion, functional discrepancies, developmental retardation, structural anomalies, etc. It is a now essential to establishing proper databases for reproductive and developmental toxicity chemicals, physical and biological factors including appropriate awareness among the society. Although many in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies are in pipeline which are independent studies but combination with other hazardous studies could give us an accurate numbers.
Exotic Vs. Autochthonous Grapevine Varieties – A Case Study on Global Warming in Northeastern Portugal
Authors: T. Oliveira Manuel , A. Oliveira Ana
Published: January 2022

Grapevines, an economic mainstay of the Douro Demarcated Region, are under increasing stressful conditions and they can suffer further losses due to climate change. Observations on weather patterns and behavior of two autochthonous grapevines and two exotic ones were made over several years. There are indications of an increase of 2°C from 2003 to 2019 responsible for the advancement of 10 to 15 days of phenological events on all grape varieties, a clear biological sign of climate change. Against the forecasted trends, rainfall showed a trend for increasing total amount but a lower proportion during the growing season that resulted in stronger seasonality. The yields of native varieties were about 2600 kg ha−1 higher than exotic varieties, a difference supported by a larger leaf area, on average 1.7 m2 higher, and better stomatal conductance in average 2.6 mm s−1 and 2.1 mm s−1 for native and exotic varieties, respectively. These differences suggest that natives are better suited to withstand aggravated environmental conditions than the exotic. The composition of the must show significantly higher total soluble content in autochthonous grapevines but they have a lower concentration of organic acids, tannins, and polyphenols, meaning poorer organoleptic profiles.
Role of LncRNA in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Kocak Ayse
Published: January 2022

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules that do not have protein coding. They are ubiquitous in the process of transcription and gene regulation. lncRNAs regulation is correlated with many diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder and this disease can affect especially joints. Nevertheless, in some patients, RA and inflammation can damage body parts such as the eyes, lungs, skin, heart, and blood vessels. Lots of lncRNAs were confirmed to be correlated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis. Particularly GAPLINC, ZFAS1, PTGS2, and HOTAIR lncRNAs play a role in RA. This chapter will be explained and summarized the relationship between IncRNAs and RA.
Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: De Castro Magalhães Beatriz , Vieira Nobre Adriana , Cardoso De Almeida Rachel , Barreto De Brito Gonçalves Laís , Marjorie Batista De Freitas Leite Liz , Do Socorro Vieira Lopes Maria , Gonçalves Júnior Jucier , Rodrigues Maia Evanira , Alencar Albuquerque Grayce
Published: January 2022

The developing and delivering of distance education (DE) courses in the stricto sensu reality in nursing arises in order to strengthen training processes in this area to sensitize critical and reflective professional performance. Thus, this book chapter seeks to report the experience of master’s students of the Academic Master’s Course in Nursing at the Regional University of Cariri, Ceará, Brazil, in the construction and tutoring of a course in the DE modality. Descriptive study, of the experience-report type, resulting from the elaboration and development of a short course on COVID-19, offered in the modality of distance learning, by stricto sensu postgraduate students, destined to graduate nursing students. The experience of developing the short course was positive in the sense of teaching practices, and occurred collectively, through discussions and exchange of knowledge between professors and students, in a planned and organized way. Even before operational limitations, the total process of planning, designing, developing and delivering the short course was considered a successful experience. The recognition of the potentialities and difficulties of the process helped formulating and applying the short course, always based on objectives centered on the perspectives of the students and tutors.
Cognitive Load Framework: An Alternative to The Involvement Load Hypothesis
Authors: Zarifi Abdolvahed , Mukundan Jayakaran , O’Dowd Elizabeth
Published: January 2022

Achieving an acceptable degree of proficiency in any language is no doubt threatened by the daunting task of mastering a bulk of new vocabulary items. Although incidental reading is often considered an invaluable source of vocabulary learning, it seems to be such a slow and error-prone process that it needs to be supplemented with explicit instruction. In order to design and assess practical activities for vocabulary learning and retention, researchers have presented several techniques and models, from which the Involvement Load Hypothesis appears to be the most popular and of widespread use by ELT practitioners. The current paper presents a detailed criticism of the Hypothesis, arguing that it is unclear in identifying the model components, making the determination and measurement of the involvement load of learning tasks rather tricky. Therefore, the current paper suggests an alternative model, namely the Cognitive Load Framework, which is claimed to be more clearly operationalized, more conveniently practicable, and more easily measurable.
Tormenta Perfecta: Examen de alto riesgo y tutorías privadas en Egipto
Authors: Moreno Olmedilla Juan Manuel
Published: January 2022

Este artículo presenta la evidencia más reciente sobre la llamada educación en la sombra en Egipto y desde ahí analiza cómo la reforma educativa iniciada en 2018 ha tratado de cambiar la cultura tanto de la educación pública como de las tutorías privadas a través de la eliminación del examen externo al final de la Secundaria. La fuerte polémica política que esta reforma ha encontrado se aborda junto con los errores de comunicación y los vacíos de evidencia disponible, y se presentan como conclusión las opciones para avanzar. En la mayor parte de los países, existe una relación de simbiosis entre las tutorías privadas y los sistemas públicos de escolarización. En buena medida, ambos crecen gracias al otro. La existencia de exámenes externos “con consecuencias” (o de “alto riesgo”) alimenta dicha simbiosis, aunque, en casos como el de Egipto, la industria de las tutorías privadas se ha hecho tan poderosa que ha comenzado a parasitar la escolarización pública y, en cierta medida, a suplantarla. Las aulas vacías en los dos últimos años de Secundaria, y un volumen de inversión privada de las familias en tutorías privadas que rivaliza con la que hace el Estado en la escuela pública, además de un profesorado cuyos incentivos salariales dependen precisamente del Examen, señalan que la línea entre simbiosis y parasitismo se cruzó hace ya tiempo.
¿Desigualdad territorial en Selectividad? Analizando la asignatura de matemáticas en Ciencias Sociales
Authors: Faura-Martínez Úrsula , Lafuente-Lechuga Matilde , Cifuentes-Faura Javier
Published: January 2022

In view of the debate on possible territorial inequality in the Admissions Test of the University, known as Selectivity, this paper aims to shed some light on this growing concern.

It analyses the structure and results of the 17 regional tests in the field of Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences II, examining the degree of difficulty of the exercises with the opinion of a panel of experts.

Differences are detected in the structure of the entrance exam that could have influenced the results obtained by the students. Through the panel of experts, the different degree of difficulty of the exercises and their possible correlation with the average mark obtained in each region is noted.

The results demonstrate the need to review the current form of access tests in order to eliminate any inequality that may exist. It may be necessary to consider only one test at the national level to ensure equality of content and evaluation criteria.

Ante el debate sobre la posible desigualdad territorial en la Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad, conocida como Selectividad, este trabajo pretende arrojar un poco de luz a cerca de esta creciente preocupación.
Se analiza la estructura y resultados de las 17 pruebas autonómicas en la materia de Matemáticas Aplicadas a las Ciencias Sociales II, examinando el grado de dificultad de los ejercicios con la opinión de un panel de expertos.
Se detectan diferencias en la estructura del examen de acceso que han podido influir en los resultados obtenidos por el alumnado. A través del panel de expertos se constata el diferente grado de dificultad de los ejercicios y su posible correlación con la calificación media obtenida en cada región.
Los resultados evidencian la necesidad de llevar a cabo una revisión de la forma actual de las pruebas de acceso que elimine las desigualdades que puedan existir. Quizás habría que plantearse la realización de una única prueba a nivel nacional que garantice la igualdad en los contenidos y en los criterios de evaluación.
Ultra-thin ultra-wideband tunable radar absorber based on hybrid incorporation of active devices
Authors: Feng Kui-Sheng , Li Na , Li Tong ,   College of Artificial Intelligence, Yango University, Fuzhou 350015, China,   Information and Navigation College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710077, China
Published: January 2022

Structural radar absorber has important application in stealth field for its ability to effectively absorb incoming radar wave and to bear the load at the same time. Metasurface absorbers can achieve nearly-perfect absorption of radar wave, and have characteristics of light weight and thin structure, but their bandwidth are usually narrow. To solve this problem, a new method of broadening the bandwidth of metasurface absorber is proposed in this work. With varactor and PIN diode integrated in a hybrid manner, the continuous tunning and discrete switching are combined together to broaden the effective absorption bandwidth of the absorber. Using this method, an ultra-wideband tunable metasurface absorber is designed and the absorbing mechanism is analyzed in depth. By changing the bias voltages of PIN diodes and varactors, the absorbing frequency can be continuously tuned within a wide band from 4.57 GHz to 8.51 GHz. Measured results verify the low radar cross section characteristics of the absorber and the effectiveness of the design method. The proposed method is simple and feasible, and can be extended to other broadband structure design.
Real-time monitoring of high intensity focused ultrasound focal damage based on transducer driving signal
Authors: Qian Jun , Xie Wei , Zhou Xiao-Wei , Tan Jian-Wen , Wang Zhi-Biao , Du Yong-Hong , Li Yan-Hao ,   State Key Laboratory of Ultrasonic Medical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing 400016, China,   National Engineering Research Center of Ultrasonic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401121, China
Published: January 2022

Real-time monitoring of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) focal region is a key problem in clinical treatment of focused ultrasound. At present, the change of strong echo in B-ultrasound image is often used in clinical practice to monitor tissue damage in the focal area. However, the strong echo in B-ultrasound image is mostly related to cavitation and boiling bubbles in the focal area, which cannot monitor the treatment status accurately or in real time. In the HIFU treatment, the focal area tissue will be accompanied by changes in temperature, cavitation, boiling, and tissue characteristics. The acoustic load on the surface of the transducer is also constantly changing. To solve this problem, a real-time detection platform of transducer voltage and current is built in this work, which can sense the change of focal area tissue state by measuring the electrical parameters of the transducer. The experimental results show that the stability of the phase difference of the transducer driving signal will be different (the fluctuation amplitude will be different) when different media are placed on the surface of the transducer to change the acoustic load on the surface of the transducer. The fluctuation amplitude of the phase difference of the driving signal will be larger than that in the water when the iron plate is placed in the focal plane. However, the phase fluctuation amplitude will be much smaller than that in the water where the beef liver is placed. This shows that different acoustic loads can cause the electrical parameters of the transducer to change. The isolated bovine liver tissue is used as the HIFU irradiation object, and the results of the phase difference change are compared with the results of the isolated bovine liver tissue damage. The experimental results show that the phase of the transducer voltage and current will change from relatively stable to large fluctuations during the HIFU irradiation. At this time, obvious damage can be seen in the focal region when the irradiation is stopped, and the grayscale of B-ultrasound image has no significant change. In addition, when the cavitation occurs in the focal region, the fluctuation amplitude and range will turn larger. The damage area of the lower focal area under the monitoring method is smaller than that under B-ultrasonic monitoring, and the over input of radiation dose can be avoided. This method can provide a new research scheme and means for HIFU focal area tissue damage monitoring.
Rif2 protects Rap1-depleted telomeres from MRX-mediated degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Rosas Bringas Fernando Rodrigo , Stinus Sonia , de Zoeten Pien , Cohn Marita , Chang Michael
Published: January 2022

Rap1 is the main protein that binds double-stranded telomeric DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Examination of the telomere functions of Rap1 is complicated by the fact that it also acts as a transcriptional regulator of hundreds of genes and is encoded by an essential gene. In this study, we disrupt Rap1 telomere association by expressing a mutant telomerase RNA subunit (tlc1-tm) that introduces mutant telomeric repeats. tlc1-tm cells grow similar to wild-type cells, although depletion of Rap1 at telomeres causes defects in telomere length regulation and telomere capping. Rif2 is a protein normally recruited to telomeres by Rap1, but we show that Rif2 can still associate with Rap1-depleted tlc1-tm telomeres, and that this association is required to inhibit telomere degradation by the MRX complex. Rif2 and the Ku complex work in parallel to prevent tlc1-tm telomere degradation; tlc1-tm cells lacking Rif2 and the Ku complex are inviable. The partially redundant mechanisms may explain the rapid evolution of telomere components in budding yeast species.
Comprehensive interrogation of the ADAR2 deaminase domain for engineering enhanced RNA editing activity and specificity
Authors: Katrekar Dhruva , Xiang Yichen , Palmer Nathan , Saha Anushka , Meluzzi Dario , Mali Prashant
Published: January 2022

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) can be repurposed to enable programmable RNA editing, however their exogenous delivery leads to transcriptome-wide off-targeting, and additionally, enzymatic activity on certain RNA motifs, especially those flanked by a 5’ guanosine is very low thus limiting their utility as a transcriptome engineering toolset. Towards addressing these issues, we first performed a novel deep mutational scan of the ADAR2 deaminase domain, directly measuring the impact of every amino acid substitution across 261 residues, on RNA editing. This enabled us to create a domain-wide mutagenesis map while also revealing a novel hyperactive variant with improved enzymatic activity at 5’-GAN-3’ motifs. As overexpression of ADAR enzymes, especially hyperactive variants, can lead to significant transcriptome-wide off-targeting, we next engineered a split-ADAR2 deaminase which resulted in >100-fold more specific RNA editing as compared to full-length deaminase overexpression. Taken together, we anticipate this systematic engineering of the ADAR2 deaminase domain will enable broader utility of the ADAR toolset for RNA biotechnology applications.
Effect of fire on the palatability of plants in an African woodland savanna: varying impacts depending on plant functional groups
Authors: Stolter Caroline , Joubert David F. , Uunona Nekulilo , Nghalipo Elise , Amputu Vistorina , Felton Annika M.
Published: January 2022

Fire and herbivores are two important drivers of changes in vegetation composition, quality and dynamics and both are highly related to each other. Herbivores are known to respond to fire both in terms of foraging decisions and distribution. However, little is known about the actual changes in plant chemistry following a fire event and how long these changes will last. We investigated the effect of fire on two different plant functional groups (grasses and woody species) in a woodland savanna of southern Africa. We studied chemical compounds known to be important for palatability of five perennial grass and seven woody species (trees and shrubs) common in the woodland savanna and known to be utilized by herbivores. We wanted to know if plant chemistry differs between a recently burned site (burned 2 years ago) and a control site, burned 16 years ago, and if grasses and woody species show similar relative differences between sites (i.e., the plants’ response to fire). We found a clear difference in chemical composition patterns between the plant functional groups, with an almost homogenous response to fire among woody species, but higher variability in response among grass species. Furthermore, we found that woody species maintained a higher nutritional value even 2 years after burning, whereas grasses did not show clear differences among the two investigated sites. Hence, few years after burning, woody plants might still serve as an attraction for herbivores, especially browsers, in contrast to grasses. The knowledge about these differences between the two functional groups in response to fire is beneficial for the development of management strategies for large herbivores whether domestic or wild.
DnoisE: distance denoising by entropy. An open-source parallelizable alternative for denoising sequence datasets
Authors: Antich Adrià , Palacín Creu , Turon Xavier , Wangensteen Owen S.
Published: January 2022

DNA metabarcoding is broadly used in biodiversity studies encompassing a wide range of organisms. Erroneous amplicons, generated during amplification and sequencing procedures, constitute one of the major sources of concern for the interpretation of metabarcoding results. Several denoising programs have been implemented to detect and eliminate these errors. However, almost all denoising software currently available has been designed to process non-coding ribosomal sequences, most notably prokaryotic 16S rDNA. The growing number of metabarcoding studies using coding markers such as COI or RuBisCO demands a re-assessment and calibration of denoising algorithms. Here we present DnoisE, the first denoising program designed to detect erroneous reads and merge them with the correct ones using information from the natural variability (entropy) associated to each codon position in coding barcodes. We have developed an open-source software using a modified version of the UNOISE algorithm. DnoisE implements different merging procedures as options, and can incorporate codon entropy information either retrieved from the data or supplied by the user. In addition, the algorithm of DnoisE is parallelizable, greatly reducing runtimes on computer clusters. Our program also allows different input file formats, so it can be readily incorporated into existing metabarcoding pipelines.
The value of diffusion weighted imaging-alberta stroke program early CT score in predicting stroke-associated pneumonia in patients with acute cerebral infarction: a retrospective study
Authors: Zhao Dong , Zhu Jing , Cai Qiang , Zeng Feifei , Fu Xiujuan , Hu Ke
Published: January 2022

Background

In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging-Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (DWI-ASPECTS) in predicting stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

A total of 291 patients who suffered acute cerebral infarction for the first time were included in this retrospective study. DWI-ASPECTS was assessed and clinical data were collected in order to find the risk factors of SAP, and a logistic regression model was used to investigate the effect of predicting SAP. Furthermore, correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between DWI-ASPECTS and the immume status of the body.

Results

Among the 291 patients, 74 (25.4%) subjects were diagnosed with SAP. Compared with non-SAP, the patients with SAP were older and had a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (AF), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The SAP group also had a significantly lower DWI-ASPECTS than did the non-SAP group (P < 0.01). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the DWI-ASPECTS (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.438; 95% CI [1.158–1.787]; P < 0.01) remained significant after adjusting for confounders. What’s more, the predictive ability of DWI-ASPECTS (AUC = 0.743 >0.7, 95% CI [0.678–0.800]) had acceptable discriminatory abilities. By the correlation analysis, DWI-ASPECTS was found to be negatively correlated with the count of white blood cell, neutrophils, monocytes, neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and positively correlated with the count of lymphocytes.

Conclusions

DWI-ASPECTS grades could predict stroke-associated pneumonia for patients with acute ischemic stroke, and combining grade with age, AF, or NIHSS could predict SAP events more accurately.
A survey of Cryptosporidium prevalence among birds in two zoos in China
Authors: Lu Yaxian , Pu Tianchun , Ma Baohua , Wang Lixin , Zhou Mengchao , Chen Yu , Li Xiuyun , Zheng Changming , Liu Hetong , Liu Jinpeng , Guan Chunyu , Yu Hongyan , Dai Chunkuo , Huang Yuan , Yang Yuling , Peng Zhiwei , Han Lei , Chai Hongliang , Hou Zhijun
Published: January 2022

Background

Cryptosporidiosis is an important zoonotic protozoan disease worldwide, but few studies on this disease have been performed in wild birds; thus, our knowledge of this disease is insufficient, even in zoo birds. Animals in zoos are possible zoonotic disease reservoirs, potentially resulting in zoonotic agent spillover to humans; accordingly, our understanding of such phenomena should be improved.

Methods

A total of 263 fresh fecal samples from 43 avian species were randomly collected from the Beijing Zoo and Harbin North Forest Zoo and screened for the prevalence of Cryptosporidium by 18S rRNA gene sequencing. Cryptosporidium species were distinguished based on the combined results of phylogenetic tree and genetic distance analyses conducted with the inclusion of seven avian Cryptosporidium species and 13 avian Cryptosporidium genotypes. The genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium parvum among different hosts, including humans, cattle, dogs, and birds, and the genetic diversity of avian C. parvum among avian hosts in China, Iraq and Brazil were determined based on C. parvum 18S rRNA haplotypes.

Results

The results of PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene revealed that 1.9% (5/263) of the samples were Cryptosporidium-positive. Four of the five Cryptosporidium-positive samples originated from white cranes (Grus leucogeranus), and one originated from a flamingo (Phoenicopteridae). Avian C. parvum isolates, including the isolates examined in the present study, showed gene flow with other isolates from different types of hosts, including humans, cattle and dogs, indicating that zoo birds potentially pose zoonotic and pathogenic risks to humans and animals. Additionally, gene flow between avian C. parvum isolates from China and Brazil was detected.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, our results demonstrate C. parvum infection in a flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) and white cranes (Grus leucogeranus) for the first time. The results of our study provide an important reference for understanding the host range, biological characteristics, and molecular epidemiology of C. parvum.
Hospitalidade e Gestão para Stakeholders
Authors: Silva Cicera Carla Bezerra , Guimarães Antunes Ana Claudia , Wada Elizabeth Kyoko , Gonçalves de Oliveira Paulo Sergio
Published: January 2022

As empresas têm a oportunidade de fortalecer os laços com seus consumidores ao prover experiên-cias que demonstrem relações existentes entre os diferentes stakeholders que participam do pro-cesso. No contexto dos eventos corporativos, algumas experiências podem ser mensuradas por meio da prestação de serviços que envolve a mobilidade corporativa. Dentro dessa abordagem o objetivo geral é com-preender qual a relevância da hospitalidade paraas empresas de eventos corporati-vos. Busca-se ainda como objetivos específicos: 1) elencar quais são os principais serviços da mobili-dade corporativa na percepção das empresas de eventos corpora-tivos; 2) enumerar os principais stakeholders dos eventos corporativos. Fundamenta-da nos objetivos estabelecidos, este estudo é qualitativo de caráter exploratório, realizado por meio de um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturadas com análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin (1977) usando a ferramenta Atlas TI. A aplicação do roteiro de entrevista se deu em seis especialistas do segmento de eventos corporati-vos, cujos re-sultados apontaram para o conhecimento do termo Hospitalidade por todos e a associa com o bem-estar, pensar nos detalhes e gerir a experiência. Os resultados deram suporte para afirmar as pre-posições adotadas para este momento da pesquisa (P1 -A hospitalidade influencia a relação anfi-trião-hóspede sendo rele-vante para as empresas de eventos corporativos e P2 –A hospitalidade influencia positivamente a gestão para os stakeholders na mobilidade corporativa)
A tesztüzemi Információs Rendszer eredményei 2015
Authors: Keszthelyi Szilárd
Published: January 2022

A kiadvány 1586 egyéni gazdaság és 379 társas vállalkozás feldolgozott adatait tartalmazza. A mintavételre kijelölt gazdaságok üzemtípus, méret és gazdálkodási forma szerint reprezentálják a magyarországi árutermelő mezőgazdasági vállalkozásokat (közel 110 ezer gazdaságot). Országos szinten tekintve az árutermelő egyéni gazdaságok az összes nettó hozzáadott érték 56,1 százalékát, a társas vállalkozások pedig a 43,9 százalékát állították elő. Az előző év is hasonló arányú megoszlást mutatott. Az egy hektárra jutó árbevétel és üzemi költségek hasonló arányban (3 és 4 százalékkal) növekedtek, ugyanakkor az európai uniós csatlakozás óta először és jelentős mértékben (8 százalékkal) csökkent a közvetlen támogatások mértéke. Így a mezőgazdaság jövedelmezősége 7 százalékkal lett alacsonyabb, a 2013-as szinttel megegyezően alakult. Szektor szerint vizsgálva a jövedelemváltozás ugyanakkor ellentétes: az egyéni gazdaságok adózás előtti eredménye stagnált (140,1 ezer forint/hektár), a társas gazdaságoké ezzel szemben 28 százalékkal csökkent. Az ellenkező irányú változás a támogatáspolitika alakulásával van összefüggésben, az 1200 hektár feletti gazdaságoknál megszűnt az alaptámogatás. 2015-ben a szőlőtermesztők (120 százalék), a zöldséghajtató gazdaságok (31 százalék), a gyümölcstermesztők (10 százalék) és a szabadföldi zöldségtermesztő gazdaságok (8 százalék) jövedelme nőtt. A baromfitartók jövedelme nem változott. A legnagyobb mértékben – 47 százalékkal – a sertéstartó gazdaságok jövedelme csökkent. Jelentős mértékben, 28 százalékkal csökkent a tejelő tehenészetek, illetve 17-18 százalékkal a vegyes gazdaságok és a húsmarha- és juhtartó gazdaságok jövedelme. A szántóföldi növénytermesztők jövedelme kisebb mértékben, csak 2 százalékkal esett vissza.
A Study on Buying Behavior of Nutri Cereals among the Consumers in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Nivetha T. , Uma K.
Published: January 2022

Aim: Nutri cereals are the earliest foods known to humans, but urbanisation and industrialisation have diminished their cultivation and consumption due to large-scale rice and wheat cultivation. Hencee, the present study aims to know the buying behavior of Nutri cereals among the people inthe Coimbatore District.

Study Design: Totally 100 consumers were selected by proportionate random sampling. Primary data was collected from the respondents by using well-structured interviews scheduled between October 2021 and November 2021

Methodology: Percentage age analysis and Garrett’s ranking techniques were used to analyze the data.

Results: Results revealed that nutrient content and better quality are the major factor influencing the purchase of Nutri cereals. Therefore, the development of customized products in Nutri cereal products category and proper promotion measures should help the policymakers to increase consumption among the people.
The association between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare workers: Moderating role of fear of movement
Authors: Keyaerts Stijn , Godderis Lode , Delvaux Ellen , Daenen Liesbeth
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Knowledge is lacking on the interaction between fear of movement (FOM) and work-related physical and psychosocial factors in the development and persistence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 305 healthcare workers from several Belgian hospitals filled out a questionnaire including sociodemographic factors, work-related factors (social support, autonomy at work, workload, and physical job demands), FOM, and MSDs for different body regions during the past year. Path analysis was performed to investigate (1) the association between the work-related factors, FOM and MSDs, and (2) the moderating role of FOM on the association between the work-related factors and MSDs among healthcare workers.

Results

Complaints were most frequently located at the neck–shoulder region (79.5%) and lower back (72.4%). Physical job demands (odds ratio [OR] 2.38 and 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52–3.74), autonomy at work (OR 1.64 CI [1.07–2.49]) and FOM (OR 1.07 CI [1.01–1.14] and OR 1.12 CI [1.06–1.19]) were positively associated with MSDs. Healthcare workers who experienced high social support at work (OR 0.61 CI [0.39–0.94]) were less likely to have MSDs. Fear of movement interacted negatively with workload (OR 0.92 CI [0.87–0.97]) and autonomy at work (OR 0.94 CI [0.88–1.00]) on MSDs.

Conclusions

Work-related physical and psychosocial factors as well as FOM are related to MSDs in healthcare workers. FOM is an important moderator of this relationship and should be assessed in healthcare workers in addition to work-related physical and psychosocial factors to prevent or address MSDs.
Earthworm abundance and availability does not influence the reproductive decisions of black‐tailed godwits in an agricultural grassland
Authors: Verhoeven Mo A. , McBride Alice D. , Hooijmeijer Jos C.E.W. , Piersma Theunis , Senner Nathan R.
Published: January 2022

Maintaining the biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems has become a global imperative. Across Europe, species that occupy agricultural grasslands, such as black‐tailed godwits (Limosa limosa limosa), have undergone steep population declines. In this context, there is a significant need to both determine the root causes of these declines and identify actions that will promote biodiversity while supporting the livelihoods of farmers.

Food availability, and specifically earthworm abundance (Lumbricidae), during the pre‐breeding period has often been suggested as a potential driver of godwit population declines. Previous studies have recommended increasing the application of nitrogen to agricultural grasslands to enhance earthworm populations and aid agricultural production. Here we test whether food availability during the pre‐breeding period affects when and where godwits breed.

Using large‐scale surveys of food availability, a long‐term mark‐recapture study, focal observations of foraging female godwits, and tracking devices that monitored godwit movements, we found little evidence of a relationship between earthworm abundance and the timing of godwit reproductive efforts or the density of breeding godwits. Furthermore, we found that the soils of intensively managed agricultural grasslands may frequently be too dry for godwits to forage for those earthworms that are present.

The increased application of nitrogen to agricultural grasslands will therefore likely have no positive effect on godwit populations. Instead, management efforts should focus on increasing the botanical diversity of agricultural grasslands, facilitating conditions that prevent hardening soils, and reducing the populations of generalist predators.
Neural Information Processing
Authors: Gabbiani Fabrizio , Midtgaard Jens
Published: January 2022

The central nervous system (CNS) is specialised in processing information originating from a variety of internal and external sources. Its basic information processing units are nerve cells or neurons. Within the CNS, these elementary building blocks are densely interconnected in hierarchical and parallel pathways. Information originating from sensory neurons in contact with the body periphery is gradually transformed along these pathways to generate specific actions through signals relayed by motor neurons to peripheral organs. Information processing in the CNS exhibits an astonishing degree of diversity when considering the morphology of its neurons, their connectivity patterns, their electrical and their biochemical signalling properties. Thus, the information processing capabilities of animal brains are quite distinct from those of existing man‐made machines, being characterised by their resilience to noise, their capacity to rapidly adapt, learn and generalise, as well as their ability to participate in complex social behaviours.

Key Concepts

Understanding neural information processing will require a detailed characterisation of how nerve cells represent sensory stimuli and motor commands, a topic often referred to as neural coding.

Neural coding is in part based on spikes, which are discrete events in time and space allowing nerve cells to communicate with one another.

Diversity in spike patterns, neuronal connections and morphologies suggests that neural coding may vary across brain areas and neuron types.

Prototypical neural codes include spike rate codes and relative spike timing codes.

Brief spike trains called bursts may convey information about salient sensory features in specific neurons.

In many brain areas, spikes are sparse across nerve cells and time.