bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Substrate metabolism during exercise: Sexual dimorphism and women's specificities
Authors: Boisseau Nathalie , Isacco Laurie
Published: June 2021

The aim of this review is to discuss sexual dimorphism of energy metabolism, and to describe the impact of women's hormonal status on substrate oxidation during exercise. Many evidences indicate that sex steroids play a pivotal role in the sex‐related differences of body composition and energy substrate storage. Compared with men, women rely more on fat and less on carbohydrates at the same relative exercise intensity. Scientific data suggest that 17‐β oestradiol is a key hormone for the regulation of body composition and substrate metabolism. However, in women, measurements with stable isotopic tracers did not highlight any difference in whole‐body substrate oxidation rates between the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle during endurance exercise. The remaining discrepancies about the effect of menstrual cycle‐related hormone fluctuations on substrate oxidation could be partly explained by the exercise intensity, which is an important regulator of substrate oxidation. Due to their specific nature and concentration, the synthetic ovarian hormones contained in oral contraceptives also influence substrate metabolism during endurance exercise. However, more studies are needed to confirm that oral contraceptives increase lipolytic activity during endurance exercise without any substantial (or detectable) effect on substrate utilization. Pregnancy and menopause also modify body composition and substrate utilization during exercise through specific hormonal fluctuations. This review highlights that the hormonal status is likely to affect substrate oxidation during exercise in women emphasizing the need to take it into consideration to optimize their health and performance.
WDR62 localizes katanin at spindle poles to ensure synchronous chromosome segregation
Authors: Guerreiro Amanda , De Sousa Filipe , Liaudet Nicolas , Ivanova Daria , Eskat Anja , Meraldi Patrick
Published: June 2021

Mutations in the WDR62 gene cause primary microcephaly, a pathological condition often associated with defective cell division that results in severe brain developmental defects. The precise function and localization of WDR62 within the mitotic spindle is, however, still under debate, as it has been proposed to act either at centrosomes or on the mitotic spindle. Here we explored the cellular functions of WDR62 in human epithelial cell lines using both short-term siRNA protein depletions and long-term CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockouts. We demonstrate that WDR62 localizes at spindle poles, promoting the recruitment of the microtubule-severing enzyme katanin. Depletion or loss of WDR62 stabilizes spindle microtubules due to insufficient microtubule minus-end depolymerization but does not affect plus-end microtubule dynamics. During chromosome segregation, WDR62 and katanin promote efficient poleward microtubule flux and favor the synchronicity of poleward movements in anaphase to prevent lagging chromosomes. We speculate that these lagging chromosomes might be linked to developmental defects in primary microcephaly.
Human STAT3 variants underlie autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome by negative dominance
Authors: Asano Takaki , Khourieh Joëlle , Zhang Peng , Rapaport Franck , Spaan András N. , Li Juan , Lei Wei-Te , Pelham Simon J. , Hum David , Chrabieh Maya , Han Ji Eun , Guérin Antoine , Mackie Joseph , Gupta Sudhir , Saikia Biman , Baghdadi Jamila E.I. , Fadil Ilham , Bousfiha Aziz , Habib Tanwir , Marr Nico , Ganeshanandan Luckshman , Peake Jane , Droney Luke , Williams Andrew , Celmeli Fatih , Hatipoglu Nevin , Ozcelik Tayfun , Picard Capucine , Abel Laurent , Tangye Stuart G. , Boisson-Dupuis Stéphanie , Zhang Qian , Puel Anne , Béziat Vivien , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Boisson Bertrand
Published: June 2021

Most patients with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome (AD-HIES) carry rare heterozygous STAT3 variants. Only six of the 135 in-frame variants reported have been experimentally shown to be dominant negative (DN), and it has been recently suggested that eight out-of-frame variants operate by haploinsufficiency. We experimentally tested these 143 variants, 7 novel out-of-frame variants found in HIES patients, and other STAT3 variants from the general population. Strikingly, all 15 out-of-frame variants were DN via their encoded (1) truncated proteins, (2) neoproteins generated from a translation reinitiation codon, and (3) isoforms from alternative transcripts or a combination thereof. Moreover, 128 of the 135 in-frame variants (95%) were also DN. The patients carrying the seven non-DN STAT3 in-frame variants have not been studied for other genetic etiologies. Finally, none of the variants from the general population tested, including an out-of-frame variant, were DN. Overall, our findings show that heterozygous STAT3 variants, whether in or out of frame, underlie AD-HIES through negative dominance rather than haploinsufficiency.
How can GeoGebra support physics education in upper-secondary school—a review
Authors: Solvang Lorena , Haglund Jesper
Published: June 2021

Recently, GeoGebra, a mathematics education software, has entered the scene of physics education; however, research on how the software can be used to support teaching and learning physics is limited and scattered. The aim of this article is to present a review of the current literature on how GeoGebra can be used to support physics education in upper-secondary schools. The general conclusion that comes from these studies is that GeoGebra is a user-friendly software that can be operated intuitively by teachers and students. It provides an environment in which the underlying mathematical structures are always at hand, enabling users to see connections between physical phenomena and their formal representations. In addition, teachers with or without programming skills can use the software to design custom-made computer simulations and augment real experiments with virtual objects. Our intention is to help teachers who would like to start using GeoGebra or to broaden the use of the software in physics education.
An analogical simulation for teaching electric circuits: a rationale for use in lower secondary school
Authors: Burde Jan-Philipp , Weatherby Thomas Sean , Kronenberger Arthur
Published: June 2021

Understanding simple electric DC circuits often represents a great challenge to many students in lower secondary schools. As a result, students’ knowledge of this subject is often dominated by alternative conceptions, even after instruction. One of the reasons for these learning difficulties is the intangibility of key physical quantities and concepts of electric circuits such as the electric potential or the electric current. A potentially effective way of making circuits more accessible to students in introductory electricity lessons represents the use of analogies or models. However, as a brief review shows, there is no single analogy or model that is ideally suited to foster an understanding of all key aspects of simple DC circuits. In order to address this issue and help learners develop a mental model of circuits, a new analogical simulation of simple electric circuits was developed. The simulation is suited for use in combination with the bike chain and the air pressure analogy and aims to support students’ development of a qualitative understanding of potential difference and current in circuits as well as a treatment of circuits as a connected system. Teachers and students can access the 3D simulation free of charge using a modern browser via www.marblemodel.com.
Twin vortex computer in fluid flow
Authors: Goto Ken , Nakajima Kohei , Notsu Hirofumi
Published: June 2021

Fluids exist universally in nature and technology. Among the many types of fluid flows is the well-known vortex shedding, which takes place when a fluid flows past a bluff body. Diverse types of vortices can be found in this flow as the Reynolds number increases. In this study, we reveal that these vortices can be employed for conducting certain types of computation. The results from computational fluid dynamics simulations showed that optimal computational performance is achieved near the critical Reynolds number, where the flow exhibits a twin vortex before the onset of the Kármán vortex shedding associated with the Hopf bifurcation. It is revealed that as the Reynolds number increases toward the bifurcation point, the input sensitivity of the twin vortex motion also increases, suggesting the modality of information processing within the system. Our finding paves a novel path to understand the relationship between fluid dynamics and its computational capability.
Enhanced detection techniques of orbital angular momentum states in the classical and quantum regimes
Authors: Suprano Alessia , Zia Danilo , Polino Emanuele , Giordani Taira , Innocenti Luca , Paternostro Mauro , Ferraro Alessandro , Spagnolo Nicolò , Sciarrino Fabio
Published: June 2021

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light has been at the center of several classical and quantum applications for imaging, information processing and communication. However, the complex structure inherent in OAM states makes their detection and classification nontrivial in many circumstances. Most of the current detection schemes are based on models of the OAM states built upon the use of Laguerre–Gauss (LG) modes. However, this may not in general be sufficient to capture full information on the generated states. In this paper, we go beyond the LG assumption, and employ hypergeometric-Gaussian (HyGG) modes as the basis states of a refined model that can be used—in certain scenarios—to better tailor OAM detection techniques. We show that enhanced performances in OAM detection are obtained for holographic projection via spatial light modulators in combination with single-mode fibers (SMFs), and for classification techniques based on a machine learning approach. Furthermore, a three-fold enhancement in the SMF coupling efficiency is obtained for the holographic technique, when using the HyGG model with respect to the LG one. This improvement provides a significant boost in the overall efficiency of OAM-encoded single-photon detection systems. Given that most of the experimental works using OAM states are effectively based on the generation of HyGG modes, our findings thus represent a relevant addition to experimental toolboxes for OAM-based protocols in quantum communication, cryptography and simulation.
Ground improvement by vertical band drains and controlled modulus columns
Authors: Varaksin Serge
Published: June 2021

The company FM Logistic plans to build a warehouse about 40 km at east of Moscow. Total area of the future project is 149 615 m². Compressive soil layers have been identified by the soil investigations. The main purpose of this article is to illustrate soil improvement solution in order to ensure the bearing capacity and to limit the absolute and differential settlement to allowable values.
The role of chemico-osmosis in the performance assessment of bentonite-based contaminant barriers
Authors: Dominijanni A , Guarena N , Manassero M
Published: June 2021

Although conservative estimates of the containment performance of bentonite-based barriers can be obtained from the classical advective-diffusive transport theory, the semipermeable properties of the bentonite component can determine a significant reduction in the migration rate of contaminants at low salt concentrations (< 100 mM). After introducing the transport equations for a semipermeable porous medium, the paper presents the laboratory testing apparatuses and procedures that allow the chemico-osmotic efficiency coefficient, ω, and the osmotic effective diffusion coefficient, D
*
ω, of bentonites to be experimentally assessed. Finally, the advantages that derive from the ability to model the semipermeable behaviour of bentonites in the design of geoenvironmental barriers are discussed with the aid of a calculation example, which considers the use of geosynthetic clay liners for the bottom lining of waste disposal facilities.
Regulation of additional settlements of dense urban infrastructure objects during execution of deep excavations and raft-pile foundation of high-rise buildings
Authors: Marinichev M B , Tkachev I G
Published: June 2021

The paper describes the calculation and design steps of deep excavations and foundations of a high-rise building on a territory with a high groundwater level and existing buildings with a physical wear of their bearing structures and foundations located in the zone of mutual influence. The aim is to find a rational solution for the diaphragm wall, pile-raft foundation of the high-rise building in order to protect adjacent objects and consider various factors that determine the nonlinear behavior of subsoil layers and the elements of geotechnical protection. As an example, a project of a high-rise building with a multi-level underground parking located in the central part of Krasnodar is shown. It is designed and calculated considering the staged construction of the pile-raft foundation, non-linear behavior of the subsoil layers, the influence of a variable groundwater level, the risk of technological settlements and liquefaction of the underlying sandy soil layers. Due to the performed researches and by following the construction methods, it became possible to keep the existing buildings and structures safe during the construction period and further operations. The observed methods of construction of the pile-raft foundations and deep excavations in difficult subsoil conditions using the example of the central part of Krasnodar make it possible to recommend the obtained results as a rational solution applicable for similar cases in conditions of a dense urban infrastructure.
Application of a base reinforced with a horizontal geosynthetic layer for the foundation of a steel tank
Authors: Kleveko V I
Published: June 2021

Erection of structures on soft soils is a difficult task. The cost of the foundation in such cases can be up to 30-35% of the cost of the entire structure. Therefore, an urgent task is the use of effective foundation structures. The use of reinforcing geosynthetic materials is one such method. The article describes the experience of using geosynthetic reinforcing materials in the construction of the foundation for steel cylindrical vertical tanks with a volume of 630 m3. The results of calculations of the settlement of tank foundations by the analytical method and the finite element method are presented. The obtained values of vertical displacements were compared with the results of geodesic measurements of the constructed reservoirs. The analysis of the results obtained showed good convergence of the calculation results by the analytical method with the actual measurements of the vertical displacements of the foundations. Also, the economic efficiency of using a foundation on a reinforced base was determined.
Calculation of widened pile settlement with regard to nonlinearity
Authors: Glukhov V S , Glukhova M V
Published: June 2021

The authors propose a new approach to the settlement calculation of a single widened pile in a punched hole beyond the linear dependence between stresses and deformations in soil.
Determination of additional load on the bridge foundation pile under karst deformation
Authors: Gotman N Z , Evdokimov A G
Published: June 2021

It is necessary to assess the additional loads transferred to the piles during the growth of a karst cavity in karst soils for designing bridge support pile foundations in karst areas. Additional loads arise due to the displacement of the soil mass above the cavity and the emergence of “negative friction” forces on the pile lateral surface. The paper proposes a method for determining the additional load on the pile depending on the distance from the pile bottom to the karst soil roof and the predicted diameter of the cavity in karst soils. A method for numerical variation calculations based on the analysis of the change of shear stresses on the pile lateral surface at different stages of loading with the growth of a cavity and the stable arch over the cavity is proposed. The correct design model and criteria for stability evaluation of the arch over the cavity are selected. A series of numerical calculations are made. An analytical solution to determine the additional load on the pile depending on the distance from the pile bottom to the karst soil roof and the predicted diameter of the cavity in karst soils is obtained.
Experimental evaluation of reclaimed asphalt with foamed bitumen strength
Authors: Dolinsky Y A , Matveev S A
Published: June 2021

The results of laboratory studies of strength and water resistance indicators of asphalt treated with different amounts of added foamed bitumen by using cylindrical specimens for indirect tensile strength test are presented. It has been experimentally established that the fulfillment of the minimum requirements for material of class 1 is observed with the addition of foamed bitumen of at least 2.2%.
Effect of the fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties of clay soils, including properties under conditions of seasonal freezing and thawing
Authors: Obsharova A V , Grishina A S
Published: June 2021

The article presents the test results of clay reinforced with discrete polypropylene fibers. The authors prove the effectiveness of fiber reinforcement to improve the soil’s strength characteristics and the lack of fibers’ effectiveness to increase the deformation characteristics. The article presents previous studies on the effect of fiber reinforcement on the degree of swelling and shrinkage of the soil. The testing program and results of heaving tests are considered. The article presents an analysis of the influence of fiber reinforcement on the soil’s heaving properties on the thawing coefficient and compressibility of clay soils during thawing. The test results are presented in tables and graphs, conclusions and recommendations are drawn up.
Experimental studies of the structural strength effect on the swelling of clay soils
Authors: Gabibov F G
Published: June 2021

The paper notes that the influence on the increase in the clay soil swelling disturbs both intra-aggregate and inter-aggregate bonds. A new technique and device for studying the “sensitivity” of swollen clay soils have been developed, which make it possible to study more accurately the swelling of clay soils in the natural state and also in the structurally disturbed one on the same sample. Studies of the swollen clay soils “sensitivity” selected from various regions of Azerbaijan have shown that with an increase in the depth of clay soils, their coefficient of structural strength influence on swelling, i.e., “sensitivity” increases significantly.
Highly porous, hierarchically structured nickel nanomaterials consolidated by powder metallurgy methods
Authors: Gnedovets A G , Zelensky V A , Ankudinov A B , Shustov V S , Alymov M I
Published: June 2021

Highly porous permeable nickel materials with a hierarchical structure were consolidated by powder metallurgy methods in sintering-dissolution and sintering-evaporation processes from nickel nanopowder and micropowders of two different types of space holders – water-soluble sodium chloride NaCl and thermally unstable ammonium bicarbonate NH4HCO3, respectively. Nanopowder nickel materials with three levels of hierarchical porosity were obtained using bidisperse micropowders of soluble NaCl space holder.
Study of synthesis dynamics of ceramic materials nanopowders at different processing modes by ultrafast laser pulses
Authors: Chernikov A S , Kochuev D A , Voznesenskaya A A , Egorova A V
Published: June 2021

The paper presents a developed experimental setup for the synthesis of spherical nanoparticles using different processing modes by exposure of femtosecond laser pulses in an argon atmosphere. Using the combined processing approach leads to both an increase in ablation process efficiency and an increase in the dispersion of particle size of the resulting fraction as a result of coagulation of ablation products due to prolonged stay in the discharge plasma. When processing is carried out in an electrostatic field, there is a close to linear growth in ablation process efficiency in the investigated range of laser pulse energy. In this case, compared to the treatment with only a laser beam without an electrostatic field the dispersion of particle size of the resulting fraction is reduced. The difference in efficiency between these modes is about 70% at pulse energy of 145 μJ.
Reinforcing effects in elastomeric composites, filled with particles of mineral fillers, based on silicon dioxide and carbon
Authors: Kornev Yu V , Semenov N A , Vlasov A N , Valiev Kh Kh
Published: June 2021

When creating elastomeric composites, structures and products made from such materials, considerable attention is paid to environmental issues, as well as to improving economic efficiency and energy efficiency in its production. In this regard, the development of new types of strengthening highly dispersed fillers for elastomeric and polymer composite materials, including those of natural origin, providing an optimal balance of mechanical properties of composites and having advantages over existing solutions, is an actual task. In the course of the work, a technology was developed for producing highly dispersed fillers by ultrafine grinding of raw materials. The obtained experimental data shows a significant reinforcement effect (up to five times) with a decrease in the average particle size of the filler. It is established, that he most effective filler, in terms of reinforcement, are particles based on amorphous silicon dioxide, obtained from rice husk processing products and shungite rock. The significant influence of the surface functionality and the carbon/silicon dioxide ratio of submicron filler particles on the mechanical properties of elastomeric composites is shown. It is established that new classes of reinforcing fillers can be recommended for practical use in the future.
On the possibility of autoclave desiliconization of ilmenite-leucoxene concentrates using lime milk
Authors: Zablotskaya Y V , Sadykhov G B , Tuzhilin A S , Anisonyan K G
Published: June 2021

This article presents the results of studies on the autoclave desilicization of silicon-titanium concentrates of the Pizhemskoye field. Leaching was carried out using burnt lime as a reagent in the presence of the initiator NaOH. The work was carried out on two types of concentrate-pseudorutyl (siliceous-ilmenite) and leucoxene concentrate, which differ in the content of SiO2 (14,03 and 36,8%, respectively) and Fe2O3 (21,6 and 1,1%, respectively). The process was based on the selective binding of silica to calcium hydrometasilicate, which, upon subsequent calcination at 1050 °C, crystallizes into β-wollastonite.
Influence of ultrasonic treatment on kinetic of asphaltene aggregation in toluene/heptane mixture
Authors: Kuryakov V N
Published: June 2021

This article illustrates the results of a study of ultrasonic dispersion’s influence on kinetic of asphaltene aggregation in a toluene/heptane mixture. The study was carried out by the method of dynamic light scattering. This optical method allows to measure the size of nano- and submicron particles in liquid medium. This method allows to measure the dependence of the average size of asphaltene aggregates during primary and secondary asphaltene aggregation. The primary aggregation was studied in a solution of asphaltenes in toluene and was initiated by the addition of heptane. Secondary aggregation of asphaltenes was initiated by ultrasonic dispersion of a mixture of toluene/heptane/asphaltene, in which primary aggregation finished and which contained asphaltene floccules. The effect of stabilization of asphaltene aggregates was experimentally detected after multiple ultrasonic dispersions.
Production of Hydrogen and Carbon Nanofibers by the Catalytic Decomposition of Methane over Ni-Containing Catalysts
Authors: Popov M V , Kurmashov P B , Bannov A G
Published: June 2021

This paper is devoted to technology for producing pure hydrogen by catalytic decomposition of light hydrocarbons. A set of nickel-containing catalysts was prepared using the corresponding salts. The content of active metal (Ni) varied from 10 to 90 wt %. The activity of the catalyst in the process of methane decomposition was studied. It has been found that the most promising method for the synthesis of catalysts is the melting of salts of metal. The maximum yield of hydrogen was 416 L/gcat at a Ni content of 90 wt % at a temperature of 675 °C and a pressure of 5 atm.
Mathematical modeling of the stress state in the coating during the electromechanical treatment
Authors: Ivannikov A Yu
Published: June 2021

The principal aim of this study is to determine the stress state in the thermal sprayed coating during the electromechanical treatment. The solution is performed using the finite difference method. Lode-Nadai coefficient and Bagmutov parameter are used to describe the stress state in the cross-section of the half-space with coating.
Electrochemical processing of heavy tungsten alloy wastes for obtaining a microdispersed iron-nickel base powder by using alternating current
Authors: Kuznetsova O G , Levin A M , Sevostyanov M A , Tsybin O I , Bolshikh A O
Published: June 2021

Electrochemical processing of heavy tungsten alloy wastes (wt.%: W 78,8, Ni 15,2, Fe 6,0) under the cyclic using of direct and alternating current in ammonia-alkaline solutions has been investigated. High dissolution rate of alloy wastes, as well as degree of tungsten extraction, has been provided. The electrochemical process has been accompanied by production of microdispersed iron-nickel powder, that contains up to 2 wt.% tungsten.
The relevance of lubricating properties indicator into the Russian standard for civil aviation jet fuels introduction
Authors: Gryadunov K I , Kozlov A N , Melnikova I S , Timoschenko A N , Balishin K E
Published: June 2021

The fuel for civil aviation jet engines is aviation kerosene. In the fuel systems of aircraft and aircraft engines, they perform a number of functions, one of the main ones being the lubricating function. The lubricity of fuels depends on many factors, including the technologies for their production, which are constantly changing. The lubricity of Russian fuels for civil aviation is not standardized and not controlled. A comparative assessment of the lubricity of fuel brands used in civil aviation on a four-ball friction machine is shown in the article. The introducing an indicator characterizing the lubricity of fuels into the Russian standard for jet fuels relevance is justified.
X-ray contrast study of a medical nickel-free shape memory alloy TiNbTaZr
Authors: Nasakina E O , Kaplan M A , Sudarchikova M A , Konushkin S V , Novikova D A , Dormidontov N A , Ivannikov A Yu , Shatova L A , Sevostyanov M A
Published: June 2021

The study of the X-ray contrast of a nickel-free shape memory alloy TiNbTaZr for medical purposes of various compositions was carried out by theoretical calculation of the linear attenuation coefficient and the evaluation of the linear attenuation coefficient by the flaw detection method due to obtaining a contrast image. From the data obtained, it can be argued that all the obtained Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr materials have a radiopacity, the more the higher the content of niobium and tantalum.
Toxicity Pesticides used in Greenhouses and Promising for Predatory Mite Neoseiulus Barkeri (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae)
Authors: Glinushkin A P , Yakovleva I N , Meshkov Y I
Published: June 2021

A type of a phytoseiid mite Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, acclimatized in industrial greenhouses on the cucumber culture (of Matveevsky, Moscow region) has been identified in protected soil on the territory of the Russian Federation. The key factor of successful survival of this population in protected cultivation perhaps should be considered the formation of mite resistance to some pesticides used in greenhouses. In particular, to avermectin pesticides, which have been occupying a leading position for more than 20 years in the protected soil of Russia. According to the classification of pesticides side effects on organisms used in biological protection, such pesticides as Confidor Extra, Nocturne are considered to be low-risk. They cause the mortality of predatory mite N. barkeri females, not exceeding 25%. The most promising from our point of view is the safest acaricide Scelta (mortality of females at the recommended rate of 4,4%). Therefore, these pesticides may be recommended for use in combination with the predatory mite N. barkeri when introducing environmentalized/green programs of integrated control of the number of dangerous species of harmful arthropods under conditions of protected soil.
Development of methods for preparing lignified cuttings of tall blueberry for rooting
Authors: Matskevich M P , Akimova S V , Samoshenkov E G , Voskoboinikov Yu V , Matskevich P P , Bulanov A E
Published: June 2021

When propagating tall blueberries by lignified cuttings, the optimal type of substrate and the method of preparing cuttings for rooting have been established. It has been experimentally proven that lignified cuttings before planting for rooting are effectively furrowed (wounding in the lower part of the cuttings along the shoot axis), treated with Ukorzeniacz Baqua growth powder (0.2%) and rooted in a substrate consisting of high peat. At the same time, the rooting rate of the Bluecrop variety was 69% versus 47% in the control rooted on high-moor peat and against 37% in the control rooted on a mixture of high-moor peat with perlite. And in the Northland variety-79% versus 59% in the control rooted on high-moor peat and against 52% in the control rooted on a mixture of high-moor peat with perlite (1:1).
On the need to apply a comprehensive assessment to determine the state of the ecosystem of soil and vegetation cover of urban areas
Authors: Cheremisin A V , Valiullin L R , Moroz A V
Published: June 2021

The article substantiates the need for a comprehensive assessment of the state of the ecosystem. To do this, it is necessary to carry out studies of the state of soil, water and vegetation cover with various instruments. Testing in a stationary laboratory using a trial area. For additional control of the vegetation cover, use the results of video filming and research using a thermal imager and a radar station. The latter method is extremely effective if the soil or plants contain large quantities of radioactive substances or heavy metals. For research, use previously compiled maps of contamination of territories using GIS technologies. Comparison of these data will help establish causal factors of pollution. In addition, it is possible to reveal the migration of pollution under the influence of various climatic phenomena, etc. The use of high-resolution instruments (for example, an X-ray spectrometer or a power optical microscope) allows one to determine the entire spectrum of contamination in soil, in water and on plant samples. This allows in the future to assess the behavior of chemical elements in the “soil-plant” system to determine the possibility of cleaning the area using plants. Of particular interest is the burning of fallen leaves with burying waste in the ground.
Smart parking for an ecological type of transport-electric scooter
Authors: Nikolaev D I , Chubur N V , Krasnoschekov V V , Diuldin M V
Published: June 2021

The advantages and disadvantages of using one of the environmentally friendly modes of transport- an electric scooter- are considered. It was noted that one of the constraining factors for the development of this type of transport is the poorly developed infrastructure (convenient and reliable parking lots, places for charging batteries- the range of the electric scooter is no more than 40 km, etc.). One of the options for solving this problem is presented. A universal small-sized parking for electric scooters for 4 places with a battery charging system has been developed. To identify the parking user, a new version of the logical system of interaction between the user and the parking module is presented. This allows the user of the electric scooter to save time searching for a parking space, not waste extra battery power and increase the mobility of employees and students moving between university buildings (the campus consists of 54 buildings). Reduces the load on the air by reducing exhaust emissions.
Global cognitive performance at 4-year follow-up in individuals with atrial fibrillation—findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
Authors: McNicholas Triona , Tobin Katy , O’Callaghan Susan , Kenny Rose Anne
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been proposed as a risk factor for cognitive impairment, even in the absence of a history of stroke. This study investigates whether AF is associated with increased risk of cognitive decline in a community-dwelling population of adults over the age of 50.

Methods

Data from the 1st and 3rd waves of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were used (4-year follow-up period). TILDA is a large prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults over the age of 50 in Ireland. AF was assessed via electrocardiogram. Global cognitive function was assessed at baseline and follow-up using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Analysis of global cognition was repeated stratifying by age. Mixed-effects Poisson regression was used to assess for change in rate of errors on MOCA and MOCA subdomains.

Results

A total of 3,417 participants were included in the study. Results found that participants with AF had a greater increase in rate of errors on MOCA over 4-year follow-up (incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02, 1.37; P-value 0.023). However, this was no longer significant on controlling for age, sex and level of education (IRR 1.08; 95% CI 0.93, 1.25; P-value 0.332). There was no difference when stratifying by age group, or when separating MOCA into subdomains.

Conclusion

Individuals with AF were more likely to show an increase in rate of errors between waves 1 and 3 (4-year follow-up period) in the TILDA population; however, results were not significant when controlling for age, sex and level of education.
Twenty-Four-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement Using a Novel Noninvasive, Cuffless, Wireless Device
Authors: Nachman Dean , Gilan Adi , Goldstein Nir , Constantini Keren , Littman Romi , Eisenkraft Arik , Grossman Ehud , Gepner Yftach
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) using cuff-based devices is used for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Technical limitations, low compliance, and complex procedures limit their use. The aim of the present study was to test the accuracy of a new photoplethysmography-based, wearable device (Wrist-monitor) as compared with the standard cuff-based ABPM device.

METHODS

Twenty-four-hour (24H) ABPM was performed in parallel for both devices on volunteers aged 18–65 years, while documenting their daily activities. Level of comfort and activity disturbance of both devices were recorded. Linear regression and Bland–Altman were used to evaluate the agreement between devices. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to classify hypertension based on the average Wrist-monitor measurements as compared with a cuff-based ABPM device.

RESULTS

The study included 28 subjects (18 men) mean age 41.5 ± 16.2 years. Bland–Altman analysis resulted in 24H bias of −1.1 mm Hg for both diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Mean daytime bias was −1.9 mm Hg for DBP and SBP, while nighttime bias was smaller (0.7 and 0.4 mm Hg for DBP and SBP, respectively). ROC curve analysis yielded a mean area under the curve (AUC) of 1 for SBP and 24H blood pressure measurements. AUCs of 0.994 and 0.955 were found for the daytime DBP and night DBP, respectively. 24H ABPM with the Wrist-monitor caused significantly less inconvenience compared with the cuff-based device (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The cuffless device provides comparable measurements to those obtained with the currently used cuff-based ABPM device, with significantly less inconvenience to the subject.

Clinical trials registration

Trial Number NCT03810586.
Psychosocial Protective Factors in Cognitive Aging: A Targeted Review
Authors: Zahodne Laura B
Published: June 2021

Objective

The lack of disease-modifying pharmacological agents for dementia highlights the critical importance of prevention, but known modifiable factors (e.g., education, physical health and health behaviors, depression, and social isolation) do not fully represent potential intervention targets. Positive psychosocial factors predict cognitive aging outcomes above and beyond known risk factors and may also correspond to upstream determinants that open up new avenues for prevention and intervention, as well as for reducing racial/ethnic inequalities in dementia. In this brief report, I summarize contemporary evidence for three positive psychosocial factors that appear to be particularly relevant to cognitive aging: perceived control, religious involvement, and social relations.

Methods

Targeted review and synthesis of published studies.

Results

Each of the multidimensional constructs appears to contain “active ingredients” that could help to optimize cognitive aging through disparate mechanisms. Although historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups face disproportionate barriers to accessing certain psychosocial protective factors (e.g., perceived control), these same groups also exhibit naturally occurring sources of psychosocial resilience (e.g., religious involvement) that allow them to achieve better late-life cognitive health than would be otherwise expected. With regard to social relations, converging evidence from disparate studies shows that fostering late-life friendships in particular may have high potential for building cognitive reserve and promoting healthy cognitive aging.

Conclusions

Positive psychosocial factors represent culturally relevant resources that, through careful research, could ultimately be harnessed to promote better cognitive aging for a growing and increasingly diverse population of older adults.
Virtue Ethics and Particularism
Authors: Sandis Constantine
Published: June 2021

Moral particularism is often conceived as the view that there are no moral principles. However, its most fêted accounts focus almost exclusively on rules regarding actions and their features. Such action-centred particularism is, I argue, compatible with generalism at the level of character traits. The resulting view is a form of particularist virtue ethics. This endorses directives of the form ‘Be X’ but rejects any implication that the relevant X-ness must therefore always count in favour of an action.
From the river to the ocean: mitochondrial DNA analyses provide evidence of spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus Linnaeus 1758) mainland–insular dispersal
Authors: Balaguera-Reina Sergio A , Konvalina John D , Mohammed Ryan S , Gross Brandon , Vazquez Ryan , Moncada Juan Felipe , Ali Saiyaad , Hoffman Eric A , Densmore Llewellyn D
Published: June 2021

There are few studies that have investigated the evolutionary history of large vertebrates on islands off the Caribbean coast of South America. Here we use the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) to investigate among- and within-population patterns of genetic diversity to understand connectivity between island and mainland populations. The spectacled caiman is naturally distributed across Central and South America including the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, which are considered to have the only natural insular populations of the species. Because of this apparent isolation, we sought to determine whether caimans on Trinidad and Tobago comprise a unique lineage and have reduced genetic diversity compared to mainland caimans. We test these hypotheses by using mitochondrial DNA variation to assess the phylogenetic and phylogeographical relationships of the C. crocodilus populations inhabiting these islands within the evolutionary context of the entire spectacled caiman complex. Phylogenetic analyses placed the Trinidad and Tobago samples together with samples from Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil into one well-supported clade, which corresponds to the defined Orinoco/upper Negro lineage. Interestingly, the majority of sequences from Trinidad and Tobago are similar or identical to haplotypes reported from Venezuela and Colombia, supporting the idea of a dispersal process from the Orinoco River to these islands. We discuss the implications of our findings for systematics and the conservation of the species and how these dispersal movements could shape the current phylogeographical structure depicted for C. crocodilus.
The Hidden Harms of Prison Life for People with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Gormley Caitlin
Published: June 2021

People with learning disabilities’ experiences of punishment and prison life remain invisible within prison policy and research. With participants’ voices central, this paper makes visible the hidden harms experienced by a hidden population, exposing the multi-faceted and nested forms of harm that people with learning disabilities encounter while in prison as a result of direct and indirect discrimination. It highlights the ways in which they navigate prison life and respond to structural and inaccessible barriers that adversely impact their understanding of their sentence, access to services, and ontological security. By drawing together conceptual and methodological insights from disability studies and prison sociology, I offer new insights into the distinct yet challenging aspects of prison life for people with learning disabilities.
‘The Usual Suspects’: Knife Crime Prevention Orders and the ‘Difficult’ Regulatory Subject
Authors: Hendry Jennifer
Published: June 2021

Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) were introduced by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 with the stated aim of providing additional tools for police to use in combatting increasing rates of knife crime in England and Wales. This article situates KCPOs within a continuous policy trend of procedural hybridization, and highlights the worrying manner in which such criminalization, underpinned by a preventive logic and facilitated by this hybrid procedure, enables new forms of ‘othering’. Drawing a threefold distinction within the concept of the regulatory subject—the responsible, the rational/virtuous and the difficult/other—it argues that preventive hybrids generate a self-fulfilling category of ‘difficult’ subjects, while simultaneously denying them the procedural protections normally afforded to the responsible subject of classical criminal law.
Secrecy as best policy? Stigma management and employment outcomes after release from prison
Authors: Ramakers Anke
Published: June 2021

Little is known about how individuals with a criminal record manage their stigma, if they adjust their strategy over time and whether chosen strategies are related to reintegration success. This study aims to answer these questions using longitudinal data of the Prison Project—a nationwide cohort study among male prisoners in the Netherlands. On average, these men do not hide their criminal past, but a substantial group endorses the secrecy strategy, even two years after release. Individuals' current stigma management strategies seem to neither improve nor worsen employment outcomes. More insight into how offenders manage their stigma is warranted and may contribute to their reintegration.
‘Social Care Told me I Had to’: Empowerment And Responsibilization in The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme
Authors: Hadjimatheou Katerina
Published: June 2021

Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes (DVDS), recently introduced in many jurisdictions, aim to empower victim-survivors of domestic abuse by giving them access to information about their partner’s criminal history. This paper presents findings from the largest study of the police implementation of the first such scheme, introduced in the United Kingdom in 2014. It finds that the disclosure process is increasingly being shaped by a child protection agenda that makes victim-survivors responsible for protecting their children from the harms of domestic abuse. It examines tensions and dilemmas this raises for police seeking to safeguarding and empower victim-survivors, and draws on feminist ethical theory to develop a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics between the professional spheres of domestic abuse and child protection.
Mortality From Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children Under 2 Years of Age: A Prospective Community Cohort Study in Rural Maharashtra, India
Authors: Simões Eric A F , Dani Vibhawari , Potdar Varsha , Crow Rowena , Satav Shilpa , Chadha Mandeep S , Hessong Danielle , Carosone-Link Phyllis , Palaskar Sameer , Satav Ashish
Published: June 2021

Background

Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important viral cause of lower respiratory tract infection deaths in infants, there are few data on infant community deaths caused by RSV.

Methods

This was an active surveillance of children younger than 2 years of age in 93 villages, 5 primary health centers, and 3 hospitals serving these villages. Village health workers and counselors at the health facilities monitored all lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in consented subjects. Children with severe, or very severe LRTIs and all who died, had nasopharyngeal swabs collected for detection of RSV by molecular methods.

Results

In the 12 134 subjects, there were 2064 episodes of severe LRTIs and 1732 of very severe LRTIs, of which 271 and 195, respectively, had RSV. Fifteen of 16 (94%) children with RSV died of LRTIs, 14 in the community and 1 in the hospital. The case fatality ratios for severe RSV LRTIs in the first 6 months of life were 3/52 (7.1%) and 1/36 (2.8%) in the community and hospital, respectively. Of those with very severe LRTIs in the community, 17.6% died. There were no very severe RSV LRTI hospital deaths. The adjusted RSV LRTI mortality rates ranged from 1.0 to 3.0/1000 child-years (CY) overall, and 2.0 to 6.1/1000 CY, accounting for 20% of the LRTI deaths and 10% of the postneonatal infant mortality.

Conclusions

Community deaths from RSV account for the majority of RSV LRTI deaths, and efforts at prevention should be preferentially directed at populations where access to care is limited.