bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
QUALITY CONTROL OF PNEUMATIC SPRAYING IN TOMATO
Authors: Teixeira Cleonice Campos , Teixeira Mauri Martins , Fernandes Haroldo Carlos , Vitória Edney Leandro da , Cecon Paulo Roberto , Silva Derly José Henriques da
Published: November 2020

Tomato is a vegetable of great importance on the national scene. One of the problems of this culture is the great susceptibility to attack by pests and diseases. Thus, one of the most used practices is chemical control with phytosanitary products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the technical parameters of pneumatic spraying in tomato culture, through the study of the volumetric index and the population of spray droplets, aiming to reduce the spray volume, obtain the best efficiency and the social and environmental safety of the applications. The study of the droplet population was performed using water-sensitive paper labels. These labels were placed in the canopies of the tomato plants at three different heights and two positions. The sprays were made using a pneumatic backpack sprayer. After applying the syrup (dye + water), the water-sensitive paper labels were collected and subjected to the coverage and droplet density analyses by the computer program “CIR” version 1.5. The pneumatic sprayer proved to be efficient for the application of phytosanitary products in the tomato. The percentage of the target covered area ranged from 2.1 to 8.3% for volumetric indices as a function of thirds and positions, whereas the density of droplets ranged from 145.4 to 690.1 drops cm-2 for thirds and positions of the tomato plants evaluated. Finally, the volumetric index of 5 mL m-3, with a consequent spray volume of 50 L ha-1, met the parameters of a quality spray.
Digital volume correlation using a spherical shell template and cubic element for large rotation measurement
Authors: Zhang Xiaochuan , Yang Ge , Ye Jingchen , Li Rui , Yang Peng
Published: November 2020

The displacement hypothesis of eight-node cubic elements is selected as the shape function of digital volume correlation (DVC), and the Newton–Raphson iterative method is selected to solve the partial differential equation to measure the displacement field. In order to ensure that the DVC algorithm is usable under the large rotation condition, the spherical shell template matching technique is presented to perform the integer-voxel displacement searching for nodes, which can provide the optimal initial values for the Newton–Raphson iterative method due to the rotation and translation invariance of the spherical shell template. Simulated volume images are used to verify the reliability of the proposed method, and the results show that the proposed DVC method can be used to measure the deformation with an arbitrary rigid body rotation angle. This work is expected to be useful to measure deformation with large rotation of the internal structure of materials.
Multimodal fringe detection for a self-mixing interferometry-based vibration sensor
Authors: Usman Muhammad , Zabit Usman , Asad Alam Syed
Published: November 2020

Robust detection of interferometric fringes is critical for accurate sensing by self-mixing interferometric (SMI) displacement sensors. Mode-hopping of a laser diode (LD) can potentially diversify SMI fringes, transforming them from mono-modal to multimodal. Thus, fringe detection of a multimodal SMI signal becomes a bigger challenge as the relative strength of each mode may be different, leading to further diversity in the fringes belonging to each regime. Also the SMI signals from each mode are incoherently added, so the composite multimodal SMI signal is of complex nature. In this paper, a robust method is proposed for the detection of multimodal fringes, which is also able to detect traditionally encountered mono-modal fringes. Since fringes are actually peaks of SMI signals, the proposed method detects all of these peaks and separates the genuine peaks that correspond to true fringes from the falsely detected peaks, corresponding to false fringes. An experimental dataset of 60 SMI signals was acquired by using two different LDs to validate our proposed method. The proposed method has correctly detected the SMI fringes with an accuracy of 99.6%. However, at the same time, 0.7% false fringes were also detected while 0.3% true fringes were undetected by the proposed method.
Distorted pinhole camera modeling and calibration
Authors: Juarez-Salazar Rigoberto , Zheng Juan , Diaz-Ramirez Victor H.
Published: November 2020

Camera modeling and calibration are essential tasks in modern optics.
Conventionally, the pinhole model is adopted with a further extension
for lens distortion. However, pinhole and distortion models are
mutually dependent; thus, the standard approach induces systematic
camera calibration errors. This research presents a unifying distorted
pinhole camera model that includes a telecentric, distortion-free
pinhole, and radial lens distortion as particular cases. An iterative
calibration method based on the derived distorted pinhole model is
proposed, and experimental evaluation by calibrating a camera with
high radial distortion is performed. The calibration results are
compared with the standard and fisheye models using a well-known
commercial camera calibrator software. The proposed method outperforms
the standard model and achieves accuracy comparable to the fisheye
model, and the proposed approach is a versatile and accurate tool for
diverse optical metrology applications.
Chiral excitation and effective bandwidth enhancement in tilted waveguide lattices
Authors: Longhi Stefano
Published: November 2020

Light escape from an optical waveguide side-coupled to a waveguide lattice provides a photonic analogue of the spontaneous emission process of an excited two-level atom in a one-dimensional array of cavities. According to the Fermi golden rule, the decay process is prevented when the atomic resonance frequency falls in a stop band of the lattice, while time-reversal symmetry ensures that the spontaneously emitted photon has equal probability to propagate in opposite directions of the array. This scenario is drastically modified when the quantum emitter drifts along the lattice. In the waveguide optics analogue, the atomic drift is emulated by the introduction of a slight geometric tilt of the waveguide axis from the lattice axis. In this setting, light excitation in the array is chiral, i.e., light propagates in a preferred direction of the lattice, and coupling is allowed even though the waveguide is far detuned from the tight-binding lattice band.
Cortical morphology at birth reflects spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression in the fetal human brain
Authors: Ball Gareth , Seidlitz Jakob , O’Muircheartaigh Jonathan , Dimitrova Ralica , Fenchel Daphna , Makropoulos Antonios , Christiaens Daan , Schuh Andreas , Passerat-Palmbach Jonathan , Hutter Jana , Cordero-Grande Lucilio , Hughes Emer , Price Anthony , Hajnal Jo V. , Rueckert Daniel , Robinson Emma C. , Edwards A David
Published: November 2020

Interruption to gestation through preterm birth can significantly impact cortical development and have long-lasting adverse effects on neurodevelopmental outcome. We compared cortical morphology captured by high-resolution, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in n = 292 healthy newborn infants (mean age at birth = 39.9 weeks) with regional patterns of gene expression in the fetal cortex across gestation (n = 156 samples from 16 brains, aged 12 to 37 postconceptional weeks [pcw]). We tested the hypothesis that noninvasive measures of cortical structure at birth mirror areal differences in cortical gene expression across gestation, and in a cohort of n = 64 preterm infants (mean age at birth = 32.0 weeks), we tested whether cortical alterations observed after preterm birth were associated with altered gene expression in specific developmental cell populations. Neonatal cortical structure was aligned to differential patterns of cell-specific gene expression in the fetal cortex. Principal component analysis (PCA) of 6 measures of cortical morphology and microstructure showed that cortical regions were ordered along a principal axis, with primary cortex clearly separated from heteromodal cortex. This axis was correlated with estimated tissue maturity, indexed by differential expression of genes expressed by progenitor cells and neurons, and engaged in stem cell differentiation, neuron migration, and forebrain development. Preterm birth was associated with altered regional MRI metrics and patterns of differential gene expression in glial cell populations. The spatial patterning of gene expression in the developing cortex was thus mirrored by regional variation in cortical morphology and microstructure at term, and this was disrupted by preterm birth. This work provides a framework to link molecular mechanisms to noninvasive measures of cortical development in early life and highlights novel pathways to injury in neonatal populations at increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorder.
A dual-feedback loop model of the mammalian circadian clock for multi-input control of circadian phase
Authors: Brown Lindsey S. , Doyle Francis J.
Published: November 2020

The molecular circadian clock is driven by interlocked transcriptional-translational feedback loops, producing oscillations in the expressions of genes and proteins to coordinate the timing of biological processes throughout the body. Modeling this system gives insight into the underlying processes driving oscillations in an activator-repressor architecture and allows us to make predictions about how to manipulate these oscillations. The knockdown or upregulation of different cellular components using small molecules can disrupt these rhythms, causing a phase shift, and we aim to determine the dosing of such molecules with a model-based control strategy. Mathematical models allow us to predict the phase response of the circadian clock to these interventions and time them appropriately but only if the model has enough physiological detail to describe these responses while maintaining enough simplicity for online optimization. We build a control-relevant, physiologically-based model of the two main feedback loops of the mammalian molecular clock, which provides sufficient detail to consider multi-input control. Our model captures experimentally observed peak to trough ratios, relative abundances, and phase differences in the model species, and we independently validate this model by showing that thein silicomodel reproduces much of the behavior that is observedin vitrounder genetic knockout conditions. Because our model produces valid phase responses, it can be used in a model predictive control algorithm to determine inputs to shift phase. Our model allows us to consider multi-input control through small molecules that act on both feedback loops, and we find that changes to the parameters of the negative feedback loop are much stronger inputs for shifting phase. The strongest inputs predicted by this model provide targets for new experimental small molecules and suggest that the function of the positive feedback loop is to stabilize the oscillations while linking the circadian system to other clock-controlled processes.
A phenome-wide association study of 26 mendelian genes reveals phenotypic expressivity of common and rare variants within the general population
Authors: Tcheandjieu Catherine , Aguirre Matthew , Gustafsson Stefan , Saha Priyanka , Potiny Praneetha , Haendel Melissa , Ingelsson Erik , Rivas Manuel A. , Priest James R.
Published: November 2020

The clinical evaluation of a genetic syndrome relies upon recognition of a characteristic pattern of signs or symptoms to guide targeted genetic testing for confirmation of the diagnosis. However, individuals displaying a single phenotype of a complex syndrome may not meet criteria for clinical diagnosis or genetic testing. Here, we present a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) approach to systematically explore the phenotypic expressivity of common and rare alleles in genes associated with four well-described syndromic diseases (Alagille (AS), Marfan (MS), DiGeorge (DS), and Noonan (NS) syndromes) in the general population.

Using human phenotype ontology (HPO) terms, we systematically mapped 60 phenotypes related to AS, MS, DS and NS in 337,198 unrelated white British from the UK Biobank (UKBB) based on their hospital admission records, self-administrated questionnaires, and physiological measurements. We performed logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and the first 5 genetic principal components, for each phenotype and each variant in the target genes (JAG1, NOTCH2 FBN1, PTPN1 and RAS-opathy genes, and genes in the 22q11.2 locus) and performed a gene burden test.

Overall, we observed multiple phenotype-genotype correlations, such as the association between variation in JAG1, FBN1, PTPN11 and SOS2 with diastolic and systolic blood pressure; and pleiotropy among multiple variants in syndromic genes. For example, rs11066309 in PTPN11 was significantly associated with a lower body mass index, an increased risk of hypothyroidism and a smaller size for gestational age, all in concordance with NS-related phenotypes. Similarly, rs589668 in FBN1 was associated with an increase in body height and blood pressure, and a reduced body fat percentage as observed in Marfan syndrome.

Our findings suggest that the spectrum of associations of common and rare variants in genes involved in syndromic diseases can be extended to individual phenotypes within the general population.
Innate immune signaling in Drosophila shifts anabolic lipid metabolism from triglyceride storage to phospholipid synthesis to support immune function
Authors: Martínez Brittany A. , Hoyle Rosalie G. , Yeudall Scott , Granade Mitchell E. , Harris Thurl E. , Castle J. David , Leitinger Norbert , Bland Michelle L.
Published: November 2020

During infection, cellular resources are allocated toward the metabolically-demanding processes of synthesizing and secreting effector proteins that neutralize and kill invading pathogens. InDrosophila, these effectors are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are produced in the fat body, an organ that also serves as a major lipid storage depot. Here we asked how activation of Toll signaling in the larval fat body perturbs lipid homeostasis to understand how cells meet the metabolic demands of the immune response. We find that genetic or physiological activation of fat body Toll signaling leads to a tissue-autonomous reduction in triglyceride storage that is paralleled by decreased transcript levels of the DGAT homologmidway, which carries out the final step of triglyceride synthesis. In contrast, Kennedy pathway enzymes that synthesize membrane phospholipids are induced. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed elevated levels of major phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine species in fat bodies with active Toll signaling. The ER stress mediator Xbp1 contributed to the Toll-dependent induction of Kennedy pathway enzymes, which was blunted by deleting AMP genes, thereby reducing secretory demand elicited by Toll activation. Consistent with ER stress induction, ER volume is expanded in fat body cells with active Toll signaling, as determined by transmission electron microscopy. A major functional consequence of reduced Kennedy pathway induction is an impaired immune response to bacterial infection. Our results establish that Toll signaling induces a shift in anabolic lipid metabolism to favor phospholipid synthesis and ER expansion that may serve the immediate demand for AMP synthesis and secretion but with the long-term consequence of insufficient nutrient storage.
Linking mosquito surveillance to dengue fever through Bayesian mechanistic modeling
Authors: Leach Clinton B. , Hoeting Jennifer A. , Pepin Kim M. , Eiras Alvaro E. , Hooten Mevin B. , Webb Colleen T.
Published: November 2020

Our ability to effectively prevent the transmission of the dengue virus through targeted control of its vector, Aedes aegypti, depends critically on our understanding of the link between mosquito abundance and human disease risk. Mosquito and clinical surveillance data are widely collected, but linking them requires a modeling framework that accounts for the complex non-linear mechanisms involved in transmission. Most critical are the bottleneck in transmission imposed by mosquito lifespan relative to the virus’ extrinsic incubation period, and the dynamics of human immunity. We developed a differential equation model of dengue transmission and embedded it in a Bayesian hierarchical framework that allowed us to estimate latent time series of mosquito demographic rates from mosquito trap counts and dengue case reports from the city of Vitória, Brazil. We used the fitted model to explore how the timing of a pulse of adult mosquito control influences its effect on the human disease burden in the following year. We found that control was generally more effective when implemented in periods of relatively low mosquito mortality (when mosquito abundance was also generally low). In particular, control implemented in early September (week 34 of the year) produced the largest reduction in predicted human case reports over the following year. This highlights the potential long-term utility of broad, off-peak-season mosquito control in addition to existing, locally targeted within-season efforts. Further, uncertainty in the effectiveness of control interventions was driven largely by posterior variation in the average mosquito mortality rate (closely tied to total mosquito abundance) with lower mosquito mortality generating systems more vulnerable to control. Broadly, these correlations suggest that mosquito control is most effective in situations in which transmission is already limited by mosquito abundance.
Becoming more of an insider: A grounded theory study on patients’ experience of a person-centred e-health intervention
Authors: Barenfeld Emmelie , Ali Lilas , Wallström Sara , Fors Andreas , Ekman Inger
Published: November 2020

Objective

The aim was to explore the experiences of a person-centred e-health intervention, in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic heart failure (CHF).

Design

Grounded theory was applied to gather and analyse data.

Setting

The study is part of a research project evaluating the effects of person-centred care (PCC) using a digital platform and structured telephone support for people with COPD or CHF recruited from nine primary care units in Sweden.

Participants

Twelve patients from the intervention group were purposefully selected in accordance with the initial sampling criteria.

Intervention

The intervention was delivered through a digital platform and telephone support system for 6 months. The intervention relied on person-centred ethics operationalised through three core PCC components: patient narratives, partnership and shared documentation.

Results

A core category was formulated:Being welcomed through the side door when lacking the front door keys. The core category reflects how a PCC intervention delivered remotely provides access to mutual and informal meetings at times when professional contacts were desired to support patient self-management goals. According to patients’ wishes, family and friends were seldom invited as care partners in the e-health context.

Conclusions

A PCC intervention delivered remotely as a complement to standard care in a primary care setting for patients diagnosed with COPD or CHF is a viable approach to increase patients’ access and involvement in preventive care. The e-health intervention seemed to facilitate PCC, strengthen patients’ position in the health service system and support their self-management.
Screening of key genes responsible for Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ leaf color using transcriptome sequencing
Authors: Zhu Ting , Wang Xia , Xu Zhimin , Xu Jie , Li Rui , Liu Ning , Ding Guochang , Sui Shunzhao
Published: November 2020

Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ is an ornamental grass plant that produces purple leaves in high-light environments and light purple or green leaves in low-light environments, the latter of which greatly reduces its aesthetic appeal. Therefore, we aimed to identify the key genes associated with leaf coloration and elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the color changes in P. setaceum ‘Rubrum’ leaves. We performed transcriptome sequencing of P. setaceum ‘Rubrum’ leaves before and after shading. A total of 19,043 differentially expressed genes were identified, and the numbers of upregulated and downregulated genes at T1 stage, when compared with their expression at the T0 stage, were 10,761 and 8,642, respectively. The possible pathways that determine P. setaceum ‘Rubrum’ leaf color included flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and carotenoid biosynthesis. There were 31 differentially expressed genes related to chlorophyll metabolism, of which 21 were related to chlorophyll biosynthesis and 10 to chlorophyll degradation, as well as three transcription factors that may be involved in the regulation of chlorophyll degradation. There were 31 key enzyme genes involved in anthocyanin synthesis and accumulation in P. setaceum ‘Rubrum’ leaves, with four transcription factors that may be involved in the regulation of anthocyanin metabolism. The transcriptome data were verified and confirmed reliable by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis. These findings provide a genetic basis for improving leaf color in P. setaceum ‘Rubrum.’
Assessing roost disturbance of straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) through tri-axial acceleration
Authors: Costa Tânia Domingues , Santos Carlos D. , Rainho Ana , Abedi-Lartey Michael , Fahr Jakob , Wikelski Martin , Dechmann Dina K. N.
Published: November 2020

The disturbance of wildlife by humans is a worldwide phenomenon that contributes to the loss of biodiversity. It can impact animals’ behaviour and physiology, and this can lead to changes in species distribution and richness. Wildlife disturbance has mostly been assessed through direct observation. However, advances in bio-logging provide a new range of sensors that may allow measuring disturbance of animals with high precision and remotely, and reducing the effects of human observers. We used tri-axial accelerometers to identify daytime flights of roosting straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum), which were used as a proxy for roost disturbance. This bat species roosts on trees in large numbers (often reaching hundreds of thousands of animals), making them highly vulnerable to disturbance. We captured and tagged 46 straw-coloured fruit bats with dataloggers, containing a global positioning system (GPS) and an accelerometer, in five roosts in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Zambia. Daytime roost flights were identified from accelerometer signatures and modelled against our activity in the roosts during the days of trapping, as a predictor of roost disturbance, and natural stressors (solar irradiance, precipitation and wind speed). We found that daytime roost flight probability increased during days of trapping and with increasing solar irradiance (which may reflect the search for shade to prevent overheating). Our results validate the use of accelerometers to measure roost disturbance of straw-coloured fruit bats and suggest that these devices may be very useful in conservation monitoring programs for large fruit bat species.
Yeast facilitates the multiplication of Drosophila bacterial symbionts but has no effect on the form or parameters of Taylor’s law
Authors: Guilhot Robin , Fellous Simon , Cohen Joel E.
Published: November 2020

Interactions between microbial symbionts influence their demography and that of their hosts. Taylor’s power law (TL)–a well-established relationship between population size mean and variance across space and time–may help to unveil the factors and processes that determine symbiont multiplications. Recent studies suggest pervasive interactions between symbionts inDrosophila melanogaster. We used this system to investigate theoretical predictions regarding the effects of interspecific interactions on TL parameters. We assayed twenty natural strains of bacteria in the presence and absence of a strain of yeast using an ecologically realistic set-up withD.melanogasterlarvae reared in natural fruit. Yeast presence led to a small increase in bacterial cell numbers; bacterial strain identity largely affected yeast multiplication. The spatial version of TL held among bacterial and yeast populations with slopes of 2. However, contrary to theoretical prediction, the facilitation of bacterial symbionts by yeast had no detectable effect on TL’s parameters. These results shed new light on the nature ofD.melanogaster’s symbiosis with yeast and bacteria. They further reveal the complexity of investigating TL with microorganisms.
An integrated view on society readiness and initial reaction to COVID–19: A study across European countries
Authors: Petrović Dalibor , Petrović Marijana , Bojković Nataša , Čokić Vladan P.
Published: November 2020

With the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question of society’s capability to deal with an acute health crisis is, once again, brought to the forefront. In the core is the need to broaden the perspective on the determinants of a country’s ability to cope with the spread of the virus. This paper is about bringing together diverse aspects of readiness and initial reaction to a COVID-19 outbreak. We proposed an integrated evaluation framework which encapsulates six dimensions of readiness and initial reaction. Using a specific multi-level outranking method, we analysed how these dimensions affect the relative positioning of European countries in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. The results revealed that the order of countries based on our six-dimensional assessment framework is significantly reminiscent of the actual positioning of countries in terms of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in the initial phase of the pandemic. Our findings confirm that only when a country’s readiness is complemented by an appropriate societal reaction we can expect a less severe outcome. Moreover, our study revealed different patterns of performance between former communist Eastern European and Western European countries.
Media architecture: Fellini’s Rimini, a town of the imagination
Authors: Bertozzi Marco
Published: November 2020

With this article, I would like to reflect on the role Fellini played in transforming the urban imagery of his hometown, Rimini, into something new. The idea that Fellini represents an ideal, the incarnation of a national character capable of representing twentieth-century Italy is already well known, even if not sufficiently studied. He is a director who becomes an icon of a way of being, of seeing, of imagining, which are internationally associated with a presumed national identity. The geocultural poles of this identity are Rimini, Rome and Cinecittà, and they express some antinomies rich with personal choices, of multiple belonging and full of psychological implications. The artist expresses a titanic mediation between the persistence of an ancient country and metropolitan evasions, in a negotiating process of anthropological and aesthetic tensions. In this article, I intend to analyse different moments of media expansion directly created by Fellini or born around Fellini. I will therefore try to redefine the reputation and the new public image of the native ‘borgo’ of the Italian Maestro.
Gelsomina transgressed: A subversion of Fellini’s world in the clownish neo-burlesque
Authors: Staśkiewicz Joanna
Published: November 2020

Inspired by the character of Gelsomina fromLa Strada, this article deals with the figure of the female clown in the contemporary neo-burlesque. Beloved figures in Fellini’s world, clowns are a cultural symbol of failing, stumbling, being silly and being imperfect, as well as a metaphor for overstepping of social norms and rules. The article aims to bring a feminist focus to Fellini’s circus figures and discusses with the increasingly popularity of female clowns within the contemporary neo-burlesque scene. The central question posed by this article is whether these burlesque clowns can transform Fellini’s most famous clown Gelsomina – fragile, tragic and asexual – into a powerful and sexy female clown. In their role as clownish burlesque performers, these women overstep norms of behaviour through the act of clowning itself through their role as clowning women and as women celebrating sexual pleasure in erotic burlesque performance.
The sanctifying effect of Federico Fellini
Authors: Ahrens Stephan
Published: November 2020

This article explores the public image of Federico Fellini in post-war Germany. While Italy was a recurring topic in German cinema, Italian movies were almost absent. This situation changed with the introduction of Fellini’s films in West Germany. Fellini was an important mediator between German and Italian culture as he and Giulietta Masina were promoted as an ingenious couple. The article considers the special situation of West German film culture in the 1950s, which was distinguished by a high degree of commercialisation. Film theoretical concepts such asauteurtheory were hardly discussed. The analysis in this article is based on the examination of contemporary film reviews and marketing material. I will place Fellini’s films in the context of the reception of Italian cinema in Germany. This also includes a comparison with other countries on which studies have already been presented. Fellini’s rise to an auteur in Germany coincides with a fundamental change in film culture. I will focus in the last part on this previously unexamined correlation.
Fellini the founder? The Fellini brand in film production
Authors: Corsi Barbara , Nicoli Marina , Venturini Alfonso
Published: November 2020

Linking the word ‘entrepreneur’ to Fellini’s name may seem a contradiction. Yet, according to the literature, Fellini was founder, member or manager of no less than three film production companies. Research based on archival material, however, reveals that Fellini never played the role of producer, nor founded a film production company. Thus, the albeit frail aura of Fellini as entrepreneur falls apart. His name seems to have been used by producers as a brand to foster commercial operations. This process starts with La Dolce Vita (1960), which granted Fellini the status of ‘archetypical art film director’ and freed him from producer-imposed obligations. Delving into a mass of various, new archival sources and cross-referencing data, this article analyses how the Fellini brand – as auteur versus the film producer’s traditional capitalist logic – was constructed and later exploited by Fellini and his producers.
Fellini’s Films and Commercials: From Postwar to Postmodern, Frank Burke (2020)
Authors: Lisena Giovanna Caterina
Published: November 2020

Review of: Fellini’s Films and Commercials: From Postwar to Postmodern, Frank Burke (2020)

Bristol and Chicago: Intellect and University of Chicago, 384 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-78938-208-2, p/bk, $26.50
Fellini’s Eternal Rome: Paganism and Christianity in the Films of Federico Fellini, Alessandro Carrera (2019)
Authors: Bauman Rebecca
Published: November 2020

Review of: Fellini’s Eternal Rome: Paganism and Christianity in the Films of Federico Fellini, Alessandro Carrera (2019)

London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 186 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47429-761-5, h/bk, £72.00

Glossario felliniano: 50 voci per raccontare Federico Fellini il genio italiano del cinema, Gianfranco Angelucci (2019)

Rome: Avagliano, 296 pp.,

ISBN 978-8-88309-416-3, p/bk, €20.00
Conducting Product Innovation by Using Social Media among Japanese Firms
Authors: Idota Hiroki , Taher Sheikh Abu , Bunno Teruyuki , Tsuji Masatsugu
Published: November 2020

Social media have been spreading throughout the world, and a large number of firms recognize social media as new communication tools for obtaining information on new product development. In spite of the increasing use of social media in reality, academic research on whether or how the use of social media contributes to the promotion of product innovation is as yet insufficient. This study attempts to conduct an empirical analysis of how social media use promotes product innovation in Japanese firms by collaboration with consumers based on survey data from Japanese firms using probit analysis. This study finds that collaboration with consumers by using social media is important for innovation, particularly in developing concepts and devising methods of use. Innovative firms evaluate social media as importance for the relationship of trust with consumers and recognize word-of-mouth via social media to discover new ideas, and elaborate organizational management through the person in charge of development. Social media thus play an important role in product innovation in such a way that social media support firms by aiding to grasp consumer needs and collaborate with consumers for product innovation.

  

Keywords: social media, product innovation, probit analysis, collaboration with consumers, business activities.
Versenyképesség és export – vállalati szintű kvalitatív és kvantitatív kutatási eredmények összevetése
Authors: Czakó Erzsébet , Juhász Péter , Reszegi László
Published: November 2020

Az exportálást és az exportáló vállalatokat a nemzetközi gazdaságtan és a versenyképesség szakterületei egyaránt kutatási témájuknak tekintik. A nemzetközi üzleti gazdaságtan a vállalati teljesítményekre összpontosít, s elsősorban kvalitatív eszköztárat használ. A versenyképesség inkább a nemzetgazdasági szintű kérdésekre fókuszál és a kapcsolódó kutatásokban a kvantitatív módszerek dominálnak. E cikk egyik újdonsága, hogy e kétféle kutatási módszer eredményeit összeveti ugyanazon vállalati mintára támaszkodva. A szerzők megvizsgálják, hogy az exportorientált hazai KKV-k teljesítménye hogyan értékelhető a vállalati pénzügyi teljesítmények mintázatai alapján, és milyen következtetések adódnak az eredményekből a vállalati és a nemzetgazdasági versenyképességre. Eredményeik szerint az exportintenzív KKV-k a kimagasló teljesítményű magáncégek közé tartoznak, és ebben a kiváló menedzsment, valamint a folyamatos tanulás és az innováció is közrehat. Ugyanakkor jó teljesítményt más módon és a hazai piacokon is el lehetett érni, s a kivitel önmagában nem volt garancia a kiválóságra.
The Dielectric Properties of Rat Kidney upon Exposing To Low Static Magnetic Field Intensities
Authors: Ibrahim Moustafa
Published: November 2020

the aim of the present work is intended to evaluate the effect of static magnetic field (SMF) on rat's kidney. The rats were exposed to SMF of intensities of 10, 14, 18 and 22 milliTisla (mT) for a whole week for one hour daily. The dielectric properties, permittivity (έ), electrical bioconductivity (σ), loss tangent (tanδ), and relaxation time (τ), were measured to the rat’s kidneys over frequency range of 1 kHz to 1 MHz, before, immediately after exposure, and after one week of exposure. The results showed that there are significant differences in the dielectric properties of samples under investigation compared to the control (no SMF irradiation). The relaxation time showed significant variants of rat's kidney upon irradiation to SMF intensities, especially the 10 mT dose.
The Performance of CUSUM Control Chart for Monitoring Process Mean for Autoregressive Moving Average with Exogenous Variable Model
Authors: Peerajit Wilasinee , Areepong Yupaporn
Published: November 2020

The objective of this study was to derive explicit formulas for the average run length (ARL) of an autoregressive moving average with an exogenous variable (ARMAX(p,q,r)) process with exponential white noise on a cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart. To check the accuracy of the ARL derivations, the efficiency of the proposed explicit formulas was compared with a numerical integral equation (NIE) method in terms of the absolute percentage error. There was excellent agreement between the two methods, but when comparing their computational times, the explicit formulas only required 1 second whereas the NIE method required 599.499–835.891 s. In addition, real-world application of the derived explicit formulas was illustrated using Hong Kong dollar exchange rates data with an exogenous variable (the US dollar) to evaluate the ARL of an ARMAX (p,q,r) process on a CUSUM control chart.
Effectiveness, efficiency, engagement: Mapping the impact of pre-lecture quizzes on educational exchange
Authors: Evans Tanya , Kensington-Miller Barbara , Novak Julia
Published: November 2020

Our study addresses a systemic issue facing higher education – a lack of rigorous educational research alongside new technology-assisted ways of teaching and learning. The issue highlights the disciplinary disconnect as many academics do not research outside their discipline, yet are tasked with educational modernisation through trying out new educational technology. Addressing this issue, we present our conceptual framework, the course transaction space (CT-space), and use it to analyse the impact of an intervention we designed that involved the use of regular online pre-lecture quizzes in a university mathematics course. The aim of the intervention was to optimise the effect of distributed (spaced) practice on long-term retention. Our findings suggest that a relatively small change in course instruction can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of educational exchange. Our analyses of data from multiple sources provide evidence that our intervention resulted in a sustained increase in the frequency of students’ engagement with the content, increased attendance of lectures, and improved grades. Additionally, we discuss the impact of our intervention on the quality of student engagement with reference to competence related beliefs and self-efficacy. Finally, we discuss how our intervention can be used in other contexts for supporting an evidence-based approach to teaching and learning.

Implications for practice or policy 

For teachers designing an intervention with the aim of improving students’ learning engagement during a course of tertiary study, we advise incorporating a series of frequent low stakes online quizzes with low level of difficulty.

For students, these will act as an incentive, enabling improvement in the frequency of their learning engagement and its quality.

The course transaction space (CT-space) model can be used to explore and analyse the impact of a variety of interventions introduced in tertiary courses through the lens of engagement.
Myosin Va Brain-Specific Mutation Alters Mouse Behavior and Disrupts Hippocampal Synapses
Authors: Pandian Swarna , Zhao Jian-Ping , Murata Yasunobu , Bustos Fernando J. , Tunca Cansu , Almeida Ramiro D. , Constantine-Paton Martha
Published: November 2020

Myosin Va (MyoVa) is a plus-end filamentous-actin motor protein that is highly and broadly expressed in the vertebrate body, including in the nervous system. In excitatory neurons, MyoVa transports cargo toward the tip of the dendritic spine, where the postsynaptic density (PSD) is formed and maintained. MyoVa mutations in humans cause neurologic dysfunction, intellectual disability, hypomelanation, and death in infancy or childhood. Here, we characterize the Flailer (Flr) mutant mouse, which is homozygous for amyo5amutation that drives high levels of mutant MyoVa (Flr protein) specifically in the CNS. Flr protein functions as a dominant-negative MyoVa, sequestering cargo and blocking its transport to the PSD. Flr mice have early seizures and mild ataxia but mature and breed normally. Flr mice display several abnormal behaviors known to be associated with brain regions that show high expression of Flr protein. Flr mice are defective in the transport of synaptic components to the PSD and in mGluR-dependent long-term depression (LTD) and have a reduced number of mature dendritic spines. The synaptic and behavioral abnormalities of Flr mice result in anxiety and memory deficits similar to that of other mouse mutants with obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because of the dominant-negative nature of the Flr protein, the Flr mouse offers a powerful system for the analysis of how the disruption of synaptic transport and lack of LTD can alter synaptic function, development and wiring of the brain and result in symptoms that characterize many neuropsychiatric disorders.
PIDDosome‐induced p53‐dependent ploidy restriction facilitates hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Sladky Valentina C , Knapp Katja , Szabo Tamas G , Braun Vincent Z , Bongiovanni Laura , van den Bos Hilda , Spierings Diana CJ , Westendorp Bart , Curinha Ana , Stojakovic Tatjana , Scharnagl Hubert , Timelthaler Gerald , Tsuchia Kaoru , Pinter Matthias , Semmler Georg , Foijer Floris , de Bruin Alain , Reiberger Thomas , Rohr‐Udilova Nataliya , Villunger Andreas
Published: November 2020

Polyploidization frequently precedes tumorigenesis but also occurs during normal development in several tissues. Hepatocyte ploidy is controlled by the PIDDosome during development and regeneration. This multi‐protein complex is activated by supernumerary centrosomes to induce p53 and restrict proliferation of polyploid cells, otherwise prone for chromosomal instability. PIDDosome deficiency in the liver results in drastically increased polyploidy. To investigate PIDDosome‐induced p53‐activation in the pathogenesis of liver cancer, we chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in mice. Strikingly, PIDDosome deficiency reduced tumor number and burden, despite the inability to activate p53 in polyploid cells. Liver tumors arise primarily from cells with low ploidy, indicating an intrinsic pro‐tumorigenic effect of PIDDosome‐mediated ploidy restriction. These data suggest that hyperpolyploidization caused by PIDDosome deficiency protects from HCC. Moreover, high tumor cell density, as a surrogate marker of low ploidy, predicts poor survival of HCC patients receiving liver transplantation. Together, we show that the PIDDosome is a potential therapeutic target to manipulate hepatocyte polyploidization for HCC prevention and that tumor cell density may serve as a novel prognostic marker for recurrence‐free survival in HCC patients.
Gestión de la investigación: miradas teóricas para entender realidades organizacionales. VIII Congreso Iberoamericano de Investigación sobre Gobernanza Universitaria
Authors: Wendolin Suárez Amaya , Miguel Rodríguez Altamirano
Published: November 2020

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar una revisión teórica acerca de las principales concepciones que sirven de marco de referencia para entender la problemática de la gestión de la investigación. La metodología es revisión de texto especializados y artículos científicos referidos a la temática. Como resultado de la revisión se identificaron tres perspectivas teóricas: 1) organizacional que incluye gestión del conocimiento y gestión estratégica mirando a la organización como un todo; 2) sociológica dirigida a los habitus de los grupos de investigación como principal foco; y 3) la perspectiva tecnológica aduciendo el seguimiento y evaluación de las inputs y outputs a partir del uso intensivo de las tecnologías de información y comunicación. Se concluye que cada una de estas perspectivas son complementarias entre sí y permiten ofrecer una mirada que orienta al tomador de decisiones en instituciones universitarias.
Las familias y la pandemia del COVID-19
Authors: Conejo Luis Diego , Chaverri-Chaves Pablo , León-González Sara
Published: November 2020

This editorial aims at closing the gap in our understanding in regards to the following question: how are families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? First, it addresses how the pandemic has forced families into confinement; then it hypothesizes about how this confinement creates stress and conflict in families, and finally it addresses some lines of research and action regarding the new reality.
La enseñanza remota no viene sin retos
Authors: Almodóvar-López Mayra , Atiles Julia Teresa , Chavarría-Vargas Aleida , Dias Maria José , Zúñiga-León Irma
Published: November 2020

Analysis of challenges faced by early childhood education teachers of 3 to 6 years old as a result of the suspension of face-to-face educational services due to COVID-19, and the implications in teacher education and professional development.
Currículo y pandemia: Tiempo de crisis y oportunidad de disrupción
Authors: Díaz-Barriga-Arceo Frida , Barrón-Tirado María Concepción
Published: November 2020

The virtual homeschooling strategy is discussed in terms of prevailing inequality and the transmissive approach adopted. Likewise, it talks about some paths of disruptive innovation in the field of the school curriculum.
Ruta de la gestión educativa del CIDE ante el contexto COVID-19
Authors: Montes-Rodríguez Ana Lidieth , Chen-Quesada Evelyn , Hernández-Sánchez Alba , Villalobos-Benavides Víctor
Published: November 2020

An innovative educational management proposal is presented to address the effects of COVID-19 and to guide actions towards a human organizational culture at CIDE.
Armonía en tiempos de ruido
Authors: Herrera-Villalobos Graciela , Salazar-Arias Laura , Obando-Arias Milagro , Vargas-Oviedo Cristofer
Published: November 2020

Following, we systemize our experience as tutors of the Final Graduation Projects in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as an opportunity to transform and create new pathways in investigative processes.
Structural transformation of lignin from eucalyptus during chlorine dioxide bleaching
Authors: Qin Chengrong , Huang Lingzhi , Lv Quanfeng , Nie Shuangxi , Yao Shuangquan
Published: November 2020

Enzymatic/mild acidolysis lignin was extracted from both unbleached and bleached eucalyptus pulp, and the difference in lignin structures was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The unbleached pulp lignin was chlorinated with chlorine dioxide, and the mechanism of adsorbable organic halide (AOX) formation was investigated. Chlorinated reaction products were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. There is a possibility of producing three different chlorobenzene or chlorophenol products from S/S lignin dimers that are connected with β-O-4 bonds. Based on quantum chemistry theory, three reaction pathways were investigated using molecular simulation techniques. The results showed that pathway 1 possessed the lowest reaction activation energy, which made it the most favored thermodynamically. The β-O-4 bond of the lignin dimer was cleaved. Following that scission, 2-chloro-3,5-dimethoxy-methyl benzene was the most likely product to be generated from the chlorination reaction of the syringyl unit. These results provide theoretical guidance for further reduction of AOX in chlorine dioxide bleaching.
The novelty of the individual constitutional complaint in Lithuania – theorethical and practical aspects
Authors: Urbanavičius Rokas , Vaicekauskas Vytautas
Published: November 2020

In several stages a new legal instrument (the constitutional complaint) was established in the legal system of Lithuania starting by the amendment of the Constitution on March 21, 2019 and continuing in July by introducing the requirements for appealing to the Constitutional Court. The essence of this novelty lies in the model established in the Polish Constitution, i. e. the additional possibility for a person who has exhausted all usual means of defence of constitutional rights and freedoms to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court questioning the constitutionality of such a legislative and executive act, which was the basis for the adoption of a final non-appealable judgment against that person in a court. The introduction of such novelty in the legal system of Lithuania implies the further development of the protection of human rights and freedoms and the realization of the principle of the Rule of Law which is necessary for the latter. Therefore, while investigating the novelty of the constitutional complaint in Lithuania, models of constitutional complaint, specific details of the establishment of this institute in Lithuania are unravelled, and practical aspects are investigated by analysing first constitutional complaints submitted to and accepted by the Constitutional Court.