bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors:   College of Charleston, Sandifer Paul , Ferguson Alesia , Finucane Melissa , Partyka Melissa , Solo-Gabriele Helena , Hayward Walker Ann , Wowk Kateryna , Caffey Rex , Yoskowitz David
Published: June 2021

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill is the only declared Spill of National Significance in US history, and it significantly impacted the health of people and communities in the Gulf of Mexico region. These impacts amplified adverse effects of prior disasters and may compound those of future traumas. Studies, both to date and ongoing, show some negative mental and physical health outcomes associated with DWH in some spill workers, as well as some coastal residents in all Gulf States. The spill was also associated with negative effects in the living resources, tourism, and recreation sectors, at least in the short term. Compared with others, people dependent on these sectors reported more health and financial concerns. Consumer concerns about the safety and marketability of seafood persisted well after data demonstrated very low risk. Parents were concerned about possible exposures of children as they played on beaches, but this risk was found to be minor. Spill-related stress was an overarching factor associated with adverse health outcomes, and some residents reported greater stress from navigating the legal and claims processes following the spill than from the spill itself. Research revealed a serious lack of baseline health, environmental, and socioeconomic data against which to compare spill effects. This finding highlighted the need for ongoing observing systems to monitor health and socioeconomic parameters and establish continuous baselines of such information.
Preparedness, Planning, and Advances in Operational Response
Authors:   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Westerholm David , Ainsworth Cameron , Barker Christopher , Brewer Peter , Farrington John , Justić Dubravko , Kourafalou Vassiliki , Murawski Steven , Shepherd John , Solo-Gabriele Helena
Published: June 2021

During the last 50 years, the numbers and sizes of oil spills have been significantly reduced through prevention. But spills still occur, and it is critical to prepare for these events through planning and exercises. Operational decisions are designed to expedite cleanup and minimize overall impacts, yet they often involve complex trade-offs between a multitude of competing interests. It is imperative to apply the best technology and science when events occur. However, while planning and response tactics have evolved over time, determining what may be most at risk is often confounded by sparse background data, modeling limitations, scalability, or research gaps. Since 2010, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) and other oil spill research helped address many issues and propelled advances in spill modeling. As a result, there is an increased understanding of environmental impacts, how to assess damages, and the unintended consequences of spill countermeasures. The unprecedented amount of information resulting from this research has strengthened the bridge between the academic community and operational responders and brought improvements in preparedness, planning, and operations. This paper focuses primarily on GoMRI research and advances that relate to operational activities, as well as limitations and opportunities for gap-filling future research.
Summary of Findings and Research Recommendations from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
Authors:   Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, Wilson Charles , Feldman Michael , Carron Michael , Dannreuther Nilde , Halanych Kenneth , Petitt Jennifer , Rullkötter Jürgen , Sandifer Paul , Shaw Kevin , Shepherd John , Westerholm David , Yanoff Callan , Zimmermann Leigh
Published: June 2021

Following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was established to improve society’s ability to understand, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of petroleum pollution and related stressors of the marine and coastal ecosystems. This article provides a high-level overview of the major outcomes of the scientific work undertaken by GoMRI. This initiative contributed to significant knowledge advances across the physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanographic research fields, as well as in related technology, socioeconomics, human health, and oil spill response measures. For each of these fields, this paper outlines key advances and discoveries made by GoMRI scientists (along with a few surprises), synthesizing their efforts in order to highlight lessons learned, future research needs, remaining gaps, and suggestions for the next generation of scientists.
Abstraction Through the Lens of Neuroscience
Authors: Bazhanov Valentin A. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: June 2021

The interpretation of the abstraction process and the use of various abstractions are consistent with the trends associated with the naturalistic turn in modern cognitive and neural studies. Logic of dealing with abstractions presupposes not only acts of digress from the insignificant details of the object, but also the replenishment of the image due to idealization, endowing the object with properties that are absent from it. Thus, abstraction expresses not only the activity of the subject but the fact of “locking” this activity on a certain kind of ontology as well. The latter, in the spirit of I. Kant’s apriorism, is a function of epistemological attitudes and the nature of the subject's activity. Therefore, in the context of modern neuroscience, we can mean the transcendentalism of activity type. An effective tool for comprehension of abstractions making and development is a metaphor, which, on the one hand, allows submerge the object of analysis into a more or less familiar context, and on the other hand, it may produce new abstractions. Naturalistic tendencies manifested in the fact that empirically established abstractions activate certain neural brain networks, and abstract and concrete concepts are "processed" by various parts of the brain. If we keep in mind the presence of different levels abstractions then not only neural networks but even individual neurons (called “conceptual”) can be excited. The excitation of neural networks is associated with understanding the meaning of some concepts, but at the same time, the activity of these networks presupposes the "dissection" of reality due to a certain angle, determined in the general case by goals, attitudes and concrete practices of the subject.
Cultural-Historical Epistemology and Individual Methodological Attitudes of a Scientist
Authors: Shchedrina Irina O. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: June 2021

In this article, the author proceeds from the conceptual reversal of cultural-historical epistemology to the personal, historical, and social experience of a representative of an intellectual culture (scientist, philosopher) and his understanding and rethinking of his methodological attitudes. The idea of the article is that cultural-historical epistemology makes it possible to present natural-scientific and philosophical individual reflection as a specific component of the development of special tools, which are capable of recording and assessing the methodological effectiveness of research activities taking into account individual cognitive experience. For this purpose, the author turns to the issue of an autobiographical narrative – a narrative containing the personal experience of working scientists rethinking their own methodological attitudes. The specific character of ego-documents, and moreover, ego-texts of a natural scientific kind in this case is corroborated by the ideas of cultural-histori - cal epistemology. A scientist is turned to Other, whether in himself or in the narrative. Here scientific methodology and autobiographical narrative are conceptually mixed. As the main material reveals the meaning of the above idea, ego-texts by A.A. Ukhtomsky (his notes in notebooks, correspondence, and memoirs) were selected. While comprehending the fate of domestic and foreign science and also perfectly imagining the further development of multiple “systems of knowledge”, Ukhtomsky still saw a living person – the Interlocutor – behind this process. The need to preserve this image in front of oneself, to preserve the Dominant on the face of Other, this internal orientation, are brought by Ukhtomsky to a conceptually higher level. In this case, the narrative is viewed as a type of reflection that allows one to explicate and give a personal assessment of the effectiveness of the methodological guidelines, based on which the scientist chooses certain areas of research.
Difficult Points of Chess Metaphor in the Theoretical Questions of Language and Mind
Authors: Baryshnikov Pavel N. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: June 2021

This review article reveals the structural components of the chess metaphor, which represent in an unusual perspective the properties of a linguistic sign and its connection with mental processes. Strict rule-following and the conventionality of the material plane of expression turn chess into a convenient illustration of a universal linguistic structure. Particular attention is paid to the computer profile of the chess metaphor, since it reflects a whole complex of philosophical problems of computer science about mind, thinking and intelligence. In the proposed paper, the presentation of most of the material is based on the works of F. de Saussure, L. Hjelmslev, L. Wittgenstein and their interpreters, in whose texts an obvious important place is occupied by chess analogies and theoretical conclusions initiated by them. First we investigate chess metaphor in the context of language and speech structures. Next, we analyze the "chess track" in the problem of individual language and the rule-following problem. The final part is devoted to the technical elements of computer chess and the influence of this area of computer science on some of the points of cognitive theories of language and mind. The author of the article emphasizes a nontrivial transformation of the conceptual content of the chess metaphor, which indicates the evolution of computational tendencies in modern theories about language and mind. The article substantiates the thesis that the traditional chess metaphor used in the XX century in the philosophical investigation of language and mind, today it takes on a realization in the framework of computer models of the chess game. Machine deep learning can significantly expand the horizon of computability. Game interaction makes it possible to ascribe the elements of intentional content to machine functions. Nevertheless, all the argumentation in the work is aimed at proving that the rules governing language and mind are rules different from the rules of computer intelligence.
Social Position of an Expert as a New Element of Science
Authors: Maslanov Evgeny V. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: June 2021

The article focuses on analyzing the changes that have occurred in the procedures for assessing scientific knowledge during the period of their massive introduction into the economy, politics and everyday life, as well as the formation of a new social position of the expert. Up to this point, the assessment of scientific knowledge often took place within the scientific community. In that case, a special role was played by “authority” able to evaluate projects basing on criteria intrinsic to the scientific ethos. The active introduction of scientific knowledge into the social life encouraged the emergence of a new expert’s social position differing from an intrascientific “authority”. In their work, they have to evaluate projects that involve large financial resources and contribute to changes in social and economic life, and therefore, in addition to scientific criteria, such experts consider any possible economic, political and social consequences of the project implementation. Along with it, the formation of the new expert’s social position and its active use by scientists leads to several problems. First, the expertise and expert practices are beginning to be used by scientists to legitimize their own position in science and fight rival groups. Second, these processes can provoke a decrease in diversity both within science itself and in the number of cognitive practices; also they can limit the emergence of new approaches to the analysis of technological, economic, political and social innovations.
Metaphysics and Realism
Authors: Kosykhin Vitaly G. , Malkina Svetlana M. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: June 2021

The article deals with the problem of the return of metaphysics within the framework of the ontological turn of philosophy and the situation of post-metaphysical thinking. The conditions for the possibility of modern metaphysical discourse in the projects of empirical metaphysics and historical ontology are revealed. Historical ontology as a meta-reflexion of philosophy over its own historical foundations is able to bridge the gap between the epistemological static nature of transcendental subjectivity and the ontological dynamism of the growth of scientific knowledge about reality by comprehending the conditions of interaction between science and metaphysics in conditions of post-metaphysical thinking and realistic reversal of ontology. Philosophical knowledge in the context of the ontological turn and the associated return of metaphysics becomes focused not so much on the sharp demarcation of science and metaphysics and postulating the incommensurability of their ontologies, but on identifying mutually enriching areas of research that could give a new impetus to their development.
After Many Gods
Authors: Araujo Anderson ,   Marquette University Press
Published: June 2021

In January 1928, The Dial published T. S. Eliot’s review of Personae: The Collected Poems of Ezra Pound (1926). Even as he acknowledges his indebtedness to his fellow American poet-critic, Eliot seems bewildered by Pound’s belief system, which in his estimation is a heady mix of mysticism, occultism, pseudoscience, and Confucianism. With a touch of exasperation, he ends the review by asking provocatively, “what does Mr. Pound believe?” Although he would never give an answer that Eliot would find satisfying, Pound would revisit the question time and again in his prose and poetry. In the process, he reveals more about his eccentric set of creeds than even Eliot might have bargained for. Striving to synthesize a range of philosophical and polytheistic traditions, Pound would cast off the Presbyterianism of his early youth. From the 1930s onward, his deepening affiliation with Italian Fascism and near-cultic devotion to Mussolini would add yet another layer to his spectrum of beliefs. With Eliot’s query in The Dial functioning as a recurring point of reference, this essay examines Pound’s religious beliefs as a shifting panoply of mythico-theological, aesthetic, and political ideas. The picture that emerges is as complex as it is difficult to pin down, blurring the boundaries of what constitutes “faith” itself.
The Question as to Why We Have to Live Out the Agony of Our Epoch and its Fundamental Un-Answerability
Authors: Sampath Rajesh ,   Romanian Academy - Iasi Branch
Published: June 2021

This paper excavates certain impulses that are buried in Pierre Klossowski’s 1968 edition of his original 1947 work, Sade My Neighbor. We argue that the self-suffocating nature of our historical present reveals the problem of an epochal threshold: in which twenty-first century democracy itself is threatened with death and violence in delusional neofascist attempts at national self-preservation. This speaks to a deeper enigma of time, epochal shifts, and the mystery of historical time; but it does so in a manner that escapes classical problems in the philosophy of history. Rather, by returning to Klossowski’s late 1940s and late 1960s contexts while reoccupying the New Testament question of Jesus’s foresakeness on the Cross, we unravel a series of paradoxes and aporias that attempt to deepen metaphysical problems of time, death, and the sovereign autonomy of human freedom and existence. Ultimately the paper concludes by offering certain speculative philosophical constructions on why today’s self-cannibalization of democracy has its roots in unresolved tensions that span these two poles: a.) the primordial secret of early Christian proclamation of Jesus’s death and b.) the post-Christian Sadean experiment of a philosophical revolution that was doomed to implode when the valorization of pain, suffering, and death fails to fill the vacuum left behind by atheism.
GAISE II: Bringing Data into Classrooms
Authors: Bargagliotti Anna , Arnold Pip , Franklin Christine
Published: June 2021

The authors introduce the Pre-K–12 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education II (GAISE II): A Framework for Statistics and Data Science Education report.
Caractériser un champ institutionnel en phase de structuration : monographie d’une approche de la prévention des risques psychosociaux
Authors: Vuattoux Jean-Christophe , Dejean Frédérique
Published: June 2021

Dans un champ institutionnel naissant, l’absence de discours ou de pratiques institutionnalisés rend difficile son étude. Cet article apporte une réponse originale en étudiant des organisations sociales temporaires dans un champ institutionnel en structuration : les événements configurateurs de champ. En s’appuyant sur le cas français de la prévention des risques psychosociaux dans les organisations, ce travail montre qu’il est possible de saisir les enjeux d’un nouveau champ, d’en identifier les acteurs, les frontières, et de permettre aux organisations concernées de mieux se situer dans la construction de leurs réponses institutionnelles et leur recherche de légitimité.
The Institutionalization of Political Risk Assessment by Chinese Multinational Firms
Authors: Alon Ilan , Jiménez Alfredo , Liu Hui , Wang Hua
Published: June 2021

Some researchers have claimed that Chinese firms are impervious to political risk, calling into question the institutionalization of political risk by Chinese firms. Building on resource dependence theory and the literature on non-market strategies, this study finds significant impact by ownership structure, firm scale, and the degree of internationalization on the institutionalization of political risk assessments (IPRA) by Chinese firms. As such, state-owned firms and larger firms cultivate a higher level of IPRA. We find a positive impact of a firm’s scale and scope of internationalization, but insignificant impact of depth of internationalization.
Les écarts de représentation du Business Model de l’entreprise transmise : recherche exploratoire auprès de trois binômes de cédants-repreneurs
Authors: Meiar Alain , Verstraete Thierry
Published: June 2021

Cette recherche prend comme objet le décalage qu’il peut y avoir entre la représentation que le repreneur externe possède de l’entreprise qu’il acquiert et celle qu’en a le cédant. Dans le champ de la reprise d’entreprise, la double originalité de notre travail exploratoire consiste à relever, puis à qualifier, ces écarts et à mobiliser le concept de Business Model pour scruter ces représentations. Trois cas de transmission de PME servent de terrain et font apparaître cinq formes d’écarts de représentation. Cette contribution est un préalable à la conception d’une méthode, à l’usage des conseillers, visant à réduire les écarts de représentation pour favoriser la réussite de l’opération de transmission.
What’s in a Place Name: Reputation Components and Drivers? A Comparison of Five European Metropolises’ Perceptions1
Authors: Alaux Christophe , Carmouze Laura , Serval Sarah
Published: June 2021

What do individuals know or believe about a city place? What should city managers do in order to develop city branding or change the perceptions of individuals? These questions refer to the place reputation, a managerial concept that city managers can use to foster place attractiveness. This article provides new insights on place reputation investigating the perceptions of French people about five European metropolises: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London, Paris. Findings shed light on four key components of place reputation (i.e. cultural heritage, economic vitality, quality of life, place personality) influenced by three key drivers (i.e. experience, formal and informal communication).
Educación musical, epistemocracia y postcovid-19
Authors: Rodríguez-Quiles José A.
Published: June 2021

Como área académica, la Educación Musical está obligada a mantener un singular equilibrio en el seno de la universidad española; situación que ha corrido paralela a la suerte de la música como materia curricular desplazada a los márgenes, tanto en Educación Primaria como Secundaria. Este estatus de precariedad permanente se ha llegado a naturalizar como consecuencia de la imposición de unas reglas de juego por parte de las áreas hegemónicas, a lo que hay ahora que unir las consecuencias sobrevenidas con motivo de la pandemia por la covid-19 y que sólo contribuirá a acentuar más la brecha entre áreas académicas. En el marco de una pedagogía crítica y con la ayuda de la teoría del performativo desde un posicionamiento educativo, en este ensayo se reflexiona sobre las causas de esta situación con el objetivo de poner de manifiesto las tensiones a las que se ve sometida la Educación Musical española, impidiéndosele su avance en el contexto del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Para ello, resulta urgente reconocer y aceptar las diferencias e imaginar otras formas de pensar y hacer universidad desde la diversidad de las áreas de conocimiento y no desde la imposición del pensamiento hegemónico actual. Es intención del presente trabajo incitar al debate científico desde un área que se pretende desterrar al extrarradio del conocimiento como consecuencia de unas políticas educativas segregadoras.
Música, Youtuber! La incidencia de Jaime Altozano en las aulas de educación musical
Authors: Montoya Rubio Juan Carlos
Published: June 2021

Los vídeos de divulgación musical de YouTube forman ya parte de los recursos implementados por los docentes de educación musical, independientemente de la etapa en la que trabajen. Debido al alto número de visitas recibidas, este artículo se plantea el grado de utilización del canal del youtuber Jaime Altozano, analizando, a través de un cuestionario ad hoc, el nivel de conocimiento y uso de 409 docentes de música de primaria y secundaria. Los resultados muestran que los profesores avalan en un alto porcentaje la inclusión de estos recursos en sus sesiones, percibiéndose, además, un interés notorio por desarrollar determinadas dimensiones de la didáctica de la música (teoría musical, bandas sonoras, etc.) a través de esta plataforma. En este sentido, se acaba planteando la necesidad de generar modelos pedagógicos que faciliten la integración de estos vídeos en futuras secuencias didácticas.
La competencia digital en el profesorado de música durante la pandemia derivada de la COVID-19.
Authors: Domínguez-Lloria Sara , Pino-Juste Margarita
Published: June 2021

La actual pandemia de la COVID-19 ha obligado de forma abrupta a modificar los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en todos los escenarios educativos. Esto ha hecho que el profesorado de música tenga que evaluar y poner a prueba su competencia digital en el uso y manejo de las nuevas tecnologías. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido medir la competencia digital del profesorado de música de la comunidad autónoma gallega. Para ello, se ha realizado una investigación interpretativa, con método cuantitativo. Para la recolección de la información se utilizó el cuestionario para medir la competencia digital docente (CDD). Los resultados reflejan que el profesorado de música presenta baja competencia digital tanto en el conocimiento como en el uso de herramientas digitales. Se concluye que es necesaria la elaboración de planes de formación específicos que aborden la perspectiva pedagógica del uso de las nuevas tecnologías para las características y necesidades que presenta el profesorado de música.
Monográfico: Tecnología y Educación Musical
Authors: Riaño María Elena , Murillo Ribes Adolf
Published: June 2021

La tecnología avanza a un ritmo irrefrenable y hace tiempo que forma parte de los procesos de aprendizaje en las aulas. La educación musical no es ajena a este hecho y las herramientas digitales al alcance de docentes y discentes han supuesto nuevas formas de abordar la enseñanza. Hoy podemos dar buena cuenta de investigaciones llevadas a cabo en este ámbito que relacionan tecnología y música. Estos y otros estudios evidencian un creciente interés en el campo de la tecnología educativa y cada vez hay más profesorado comprometido con una educación musical del siglo XXI. Los dos artículos que conforman este monográfico ofrecen investigaciones relacionadas con esta temática.
Hacia la recuperación: Enfoques terapéuticos para potenciar el tratamiento del trastorno por uso del alcohol
Authors: Jurado-Barba Rosa , Sion Ana , Esteban-Rodríguez Laura , Martínez-Maldonado Andrés , Rubio-Valladolid Gabriel
Published: June 2021

Actualmente, los tratamientos con mayor grado de evidencia para la dependencia del alcohol son aquellos que, sobre una base cognitivo-conductual, conforman programas multidisciplinares, que incluyen dimensiones psicológicas, sociológicas y médicas. Sin embargo, no siempre se alcanza la recuperación. El porcentaje de abandonos y recaídas es elevado a lo largo del proceso y no siempre se consigue un estado de bienestar adecuado. Este artículo destaca algunos complementos o técnicas que podrían añadirse a los tratamientos más habituales para potenciar el cambio comportamental, teniendo en cuenta los resultados a largo plazo. Así, refleja la importancia de considerar la recuperación como la culminación del proceso de cambio en una mejora de la salud, del bienestar y en la autodirección de los propósitos vitales, más allá de la abstinencia.
Amorfa kalcija fosfāta biomateriāli ar lielu īpatnējo virsmas laukumu
Authors:   , Vecstaudža Jana
Published: June 2021

Promocijas darbā aplūkota amorfa kalcija fosfāta materiālu sintēze un to fizikālķīmiskās īpašības, liekot uzsvaru uz izstrādāto materiālu īpatnējo virsmas laukumu. Eksperimentāli aplūkotas literatūrā pieejamas sintēzes metodes optimizācijas iespējas un jaunas sintēzes metodes izstrāde amorfa kalcija fosfāta iegūšanai ar bioloģiskajam kalcija fosfātam tuvu īpatnējā virsmas laukuma vērtību (>100 m2/g). Ar jaunizstrādāto metodi iegūtajam amorfajam kalcija fosfātam pētīta struktūra, stabilitāte, termiskās īpašības, kā arī pēc aukstās saķepināšanas procesa principiem iegūta un raksturota blīva amorfā kalcija fosfāta biokeramika. Izstrādātie biomateriāli paredzēti kaulaudu aizvietošanai un reģenerācijai. Promocijas darbs sagatavots kā tematiski vienota zinātnisko publikāciju kopa. Tajā ir kopsavilkums un četras publikācijas.
Activity as a dominant of conceptual legal realism
Authors: Gruzdev Vladimir Sergeevich
Published: June 2021

The subject of this research is the concept of activity – one of the semantic characteristics of conceptual legal realism. The latter is viewed as a certain paradigm or gnoseological strategy, which serves as the basis for the development of cognitive attitudes. Legal realism is often erroneously reduced to the regional and local schools and trends of the legal thought. However, the study of legal realism as a conceptual technique, which has different interpretation of one of the central and meaning-making themes in the history of legal thought, allows introducing significant clarifications into the understanding of realism in jurisprudence from the perspective of the history of its formation, as well as heuristic capabilities in modern legal science. Activity is viewed as one of the key characteristics of the realistic approach towards law, taking into account various interpretations of realism. The novelty of this research consists in examination of the problem of realism in jurisprudence and its fundamental semantic characteristics through the prism of conceptual approach. The problem of psychology of activity, which was actively developed by the Soviet philosophical-psychological school, is closely related to the development of realistic interpretations of law in the contemporary history of legal thought. The author substantiates the position that application of the construct on the differentiation of the objective meaning from subjective-personal sense in the area of cognition of law allows to critically reconsider such trends on the modern legal thought that position themselves as the varieties of legal realism, clarify possible directions in the development of realism in jurisprudence.
Positive parenting, career aspirations, and exploration: A study of third-year urban undergraduate students
Authors: Sawitri Dian Ratna , Kaloeti Dian Veronika Sakti , Kustanti Erin Ratna , Qonitatin Novi , Nurhayati Niken Fatimah , Hidayati Frieda N. R.
Published: June 2021

Career exploration reflects activities conducted to collect information about oneself and potential occupations to become self-aware and understand the job market. Career exploration guides the realization of career aspirations and is thus crucial for young adults. It helps the youth make appropriate career-relevant decisions. However, it is unknown whether career aspirations mediate the links between positive parenting and career exploration activities undertaken by urban third-year undergraduate students. This study aimed to bridge this gap in the literature, and to this end, a survey was administered to 125 third-year undergraduate students attending a state university in Semarang, Central Java. The Career Exploration Scale, Career Aspirations Scale, Positive Parenting Subscale, and questions on demographic characteristics were employed for data collection. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that career aspirations fully mediated the path between positive parenting and career exploration. The findings of this study underline the importance of career aspirations in translating the effects of positive parenting into specific career exploration activities undertaken by college students. Finally, suggestions based on the study results are offered for third-year undergraduate students, parents, and practitioners.
Multi skin lesions classification using fine-tuning and data-augmentation applying NASNet
Authors: Cano Elia , Mendoza-Avilés José , Areiza Mariana , Guerra Noemi , Mendoza-Valdés José Longino , Rovetto Carlos A.
Published: June 2021

Skin lesions are one of the typical symptoms of many diseases in humans and indicative of many types of cancer worldwide. Increased risks caused by the effects of climate change and a high cost of treatment, highlight the importance of skin cancer prevention efforts like this. The methods used to detect these diseases vary from a visual inspection performed by dermatologists to computational methods, and the latter has widely used automatic image classification applying Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in medical image analysis in the last few years. This article presents an approach that uses CNNs with a NASNet architecture to recognize in a more accurate way, without segmentation, eight skin diseases. The model was trained end-to-end on Keras with augmented skin diseases images from the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC). The CNN architectures were initialized with weight from ImageNet, fine-tuned in order to discriminate well among the different types of skin lesions, and then 10-fold cross-validation was applied. Finally, some evaluation metrics are calculated as accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and compare with other CNN trained architectures. This comparison shows that the proposed system offers higher accuracy results, with a significant reduction on the training paraments. To the best of our knowledge and based in the state-of-art recompiling in this work, the application of the NASNet architecture training with skin image lesion from ISIC archive for multi-class classification and evaluated by cross-validation, represents a novel skin disease classification system.
Exploring the technological acceptance of a mobile learning tool used in the teaching of an indigenous language
Authors: Criollo-C Santiago , Lema Mayron , Gonzalez Mario Salvador , Jaramillo-Alcázar Angel , Guerrero-Arias Andrea , Luján-Mora Sergio
Published: June 2021

Language is the primordial element for cultural transfer in indigenous communities; if it is not practiced, there is a risk of losing it and with it, a large part of the history of a community. Ecuador is a multicultural and multiethnic country with 18 indigenous peoples. Currently, in this country, some native languages are at risk of disappearing due to factors such as racial discrimination, underestimation of the language, and, above all, the lack of interest and motivation of the new generations to learn this language. Information technologies have made it possible to create mobile applications such as games, dictionaries, and translators that promote the learning of the Kichwa language. However, the acceptance of technology has not been evaluated, nor the intention to involve mobile devices in the process of teaching this language. Subsequently the objective of this work is to explore the acceptance of technology and the use of mobile devices to motivate the learning of the Kichwa language. For this purpose, the mobile application “Otavalo Rimay” was used with several students of a Kichwa language learning center. The methodology used to verify the hypothesis of this work was Design Sciences Research (DSR) together with the theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The instrument used for this evaluation was a survey carried out after the use of the mobile application. The statistical analysis of the results obtained indicates characteristics such as the utility and perceived ease of use, positively influence students to motivate the use of mobile devices in learning a language. The results also show the great technological acceptance by students for learning and confirm that currently, mobile learning is accepted for use in education.
Multiscale patterns of isolation by ecology and fine-scale population structure in Texas bobcats
Authors: Cancellare Imogene A. , Kierepka Elizabeth M. , Janecka Jan , Weckworth Byron , Kazmaier Richard T. , Ward Rocky
Published: June 2021

Patterns of spatial genetic variation can be generated by a variety of ecological processes, including individual preferences based on habitat. These ecological processes act at multiple spatial and temporal scales, generating scale-dependent effects on gene flow. In this study, we focused on bobcats (Lynx rufus), a highly mobile, generalist felid that exhibits ecological and behavioral plasticity, high abundance, and broad connectivity across much of their range. However, bobcats also show genetic differentiation along habitat breaks, a pattern typically observed in cases of isolation-by-ecology (IBE). The IBE observed in bobcats is hypothesized to occur due to habitat-biased dispersal, but it is unknown if this occurs at other habitat breaks across their range or at what spatial scale IBE becomes most apparent. Thus, we used a multiscale approach to examine isolation by ecology (IBE) patterns in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both fine and broad spatial scales in western Texas. We genotyped 102 individuals at nine microsatellite loci and used partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) to test if a suite of landscape variables influenced genetic variation in bobcats. Bobcats exhibited a latitudinal cline in population structure with a spatial signature of male-biased dispersal, and no clear barriers to gene flow. Our pRDA tests revealed high genetic similarity in similar habitats, and results differed by spatial scale. At the fine spatial scale, herbaceous rangeland was an important influence on gene flow whereas mixed rangeland and agriculture were significant at the broad spatial scale. Taken together, our results suggests that complex interactions between spatial-use behavior and landscape heterogeneity can create non-random gene flow in highly mobile species like bobcats. Furthermore, our results add to the growing body of data highlighting the importance of multiscale study designs when assessing spatial genetic structure.
Effects of maternal taurine supplementation on maternal dietary intake, plasma metabolites and fetal growth and development in cafeteria diet fed rats
Authors: Kabasakal Çetin Arzu , Alkan Tuğ Tuǧba , Güleç Atila , Akyol Aslı
Published: June 2021

Background

Maternal obesity may disrupt the developmental process of the fetus during gestation in rats. Recent evidence suggests that taurine can exert protective role against detrimental influence of obesogenic diets. This study aimed to examine the effect of maternal cafeteria diet and/or taurine supplementation on maternal dietary intake, plasma metabolites, fetal growth and development.

Methods

Female Wistar rats were fed a control diet (CON), CON supplemented with 1.5% taurine in drinking water (CONT), cafeteria diet (CAF) or CAF supplemented with taurine (CAFT) from weaning. After 8 weeks all animals were mated and maintained on the same diets during pregnancy and lactation.

Results

Dietary intakes were significantly different between the groups. Both CAF and CAFT fed dams consumed less water in comparison to CON and CONT dams. Taurine supplementation only increased plasma taurine concentrations in CONT group. Maternal plasma adiponectin concentrations increased in CAF and CAFT fed dams compared to CON and CONT fed dams and there was no effect of taurine. Hyperleptinemia was observed in CAF fed dams but not in CAFT fed dams. Malondialdehyde was significantly increased only in CAF fed dams. Litter size, sex ratio and birth weight were similar between the groups. There was an increase in neonatal mortality in CONT group.

Discussion

This study showed that maternal taurine supplementation exerted modest protective effects on cafeteria diet induced maternal obesity. The increased neonatal mortality in CONT neonates indicates possible detrimental effects of taurine supplementation in the setting of normal pregnancy. Therefore, future studies should investigate the optimal dose of taurine supplementation and long term potential effects on the offspring.
hnRNPA1 enhances FOXP3 stability to promote the differentiation and functions of regulatory T cells
Authors: Liu Xu , Tian Na , Huang Qianru , Xu Zhan , Cheng Hao , Liu Xinnan , Li Dan , Liang Rui , Li Bin , Dai Xueyu
Published: June 2021

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are indispensable for the maintenance of immunological self‐tolerance and homeostasis. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) is required for optimal Treg induction. Here, we reveal that human‐induced Tregs (iTregs) lacking hnRNPA1 show reduced expression of the transcription factor FOXP3, increased ubiquitination level of FOXP3, and impaired suppressive abilities. Human naïve CD4 T cells with hnRNPA1 knockdown show a decreased Treg differentiation ratio. hnRNPA1 could interact with FOXP3 as well as with the E3 ligase Stub1. The phosphorylation at hnRNPA1 S199 could increase both interactions. The overexpression of FOXP3 in Tregs containing shhnRNPA1 could not recover the phenotype caused by hnRNPA1 knockdown. Therefore, there might be multiple essential pathways regulated by hnRNPA1 in Tregs. In conclusion, we present a new role of hnRNPA1 in promoting Treg function, indicating it as a promising target for tumor therapies.
The pleiotropic roles of circular and long noncoding RNAs in cutaneous melanoma
Authors: Montico Barbara , Giurato Giorgio , Pecoraro Giovanni , Salvati Annamaria , Covre Alessia , Colizzi Francesca , Steffan Agostino , Weisz Alessandro , Maio Michele , Sigalotti Luca , Fratta Elisabetta
Published: June 2021

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a very aggressive disease, often characterized by unresponsiveness to conventional therapies and high mortality rates worldwide. The identification of the activating BRAFV600 mutations in approximately 50% of CM patients has recently fueled the development of novel small‐molecule inhibitors that specifically target BRAFV600‐mutant CM. In addition, a major progress in CM treatment has been made by monoclonal antibodies that regulate the immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, although target‐based therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies have yielded promising results, CM treatment remains a major challenge. In the last decade, accumulating evidence points to the aberrant expression of different types of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in CM. While studies on microRNAs have grown exponentially leading to significant insights on CM biology, the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in this tumor is less understood, and much remains to be discovered. Here, we summarize and critically review the available evidence on the molecular functions of circRNAs and lncRNAs in BRAFV600‐mutant CM and CM immunogenicity, providing recent updates on their functional role in targeted therapy and immunotherapy resistance. In addition, we also include an evaluation of several algorithms and databases for prediction and validation of circRNA and lncRNA functional interactions.
Networked model predictive control using a wavelet neural network
Authors: Khodabandehlou Hamid , Fadali Mohammed Sami
Published: June 2021

This study proposes using a wavelet neural network (WNN) with a feedforward component and a model predictive controller (MPC) for online nonlinear system identification and control over a communication network. The WNN performs the online identification of the nonlinear system. The MPC uses the model to predict the future outputs of the system over an extended prediction horizon and calculates the optimal future inputs by minimizing a controller cost function. A computationally efficient formulation for the controller is presented to reduce the computational complexity of the MPC for online implementation and Lyapunov theory is used to prove the stability of the MPC. The methodology is applied to the online identification and control of an unmanned autonomous vehicle. Simulation results show that the MPC with an extended prediction horizon can effectively control the system in the presence of fixed or random network delay.
Regulating Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Activity of a Metal Coordination Polymer via d–π Conjugation
Authors: Ni Youxuan , Lin Liu , Shang Yuxin , Luo Lin , Wang Liubin , Lu Yong , Li Yixin , Yan Zhenhua , Zhang Kai , Cheng Fangyi , Chen Jun
Published: June 2021

Non‐noble transition metal complexes have attracted growing interest as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) while their activities still lack rational and effective regulation. Herein, we propose a d–π conjugation strategy for rough and fine tuning of ORR activity of TM‐BTA (TM=Mn/Fe/Co/Ni/Cu, BTA=1,2,4,5‐benzenetetramine) coordination polymers. By first‐principle calculations, we elucidate that the strong d–π conjugation elevates the dxz/dyz orbitals of TM centers to enhance intermediate adsorption and strengthens the electronic modulation effect from substitute groups on ligands. Based on this strategy, Co‐TABQ (tetramino benzoquinone) is found to approach the top of ORR activity volcano. The synthesized Co‐TABQ with atomically distributed Co on carbon nanotubes exhibits a half‐wave potential of 0.85 V and a specific current of 127 mA mgmetal−1 at 0.8 V, outperforming the benchmark Pt/C. The high activity, low peroxide yield, and considerable durability of Co‐BTA and Co‐TABQ promise their application in oxygen electrocatalysis. This study provides mechanistic insight into the rational design of transition metal complex catalysts.
Applying different spectroscopic techniques for the selective determination of daclatasvir using merbromin as a probe: Applications on pharmaceutical analysis
Authors: Almahri Albandary , Abdel‐Lateef Mohamed A.
Published: June 2021

In this study, rapid resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS), spectrophotometric, and spectrofluorimetric methods were performed for facile quantitation of daclatasvir dihydrochloride without interference from sofosbuvir (a co‐formulated anti‐hepatitis C virus drug). The proposed approaches were based on forming a binary complex between daclatasvir dihydrochloride and merbromin reagent at pH 4.1. The binary complex was measured spectrophotometrically at λmax = 544 nm. The spectrofluorimetric approach relied on the quenching effect of daclatasvir dihydrochloride on the fluorescence strength of merbromin at λEmission = 545 nm. The RRS approach depended on augmentation in the merbromin RRS spectrum at 363 nm upon addition of daclatasvir dihydrochloride. The presented methodologies were linear over the concentration ranges 2.5−15.0, 0.2−1.6 and 0.15−3.0 μg ml−1 with detection limits of 0.45, 0.046, and 0.036 μg ml−1 for the spectrophotometric approach, the spectrofluorometric approach, and RRS approach, respectively. Current approaches were validated in compliance with International Council for Harmonisation guidelines and utilized practically to estimate daclatasvir dihydrochloride either in binary mixtures with sofosbuvir or in its commercial tablet dosage form with good results. Moreover, the test for content uniformity was applied successfully on commercial tablets using the current spectroscopic approaches.
Exploring the potential of engineering polygalacturonase‐inhibiting protein as an ecological, friendly, and nontoxic pest control agent
Authors: Chiu Tiffany , Behari Anita , Chartron Justin W. , Putman Alexander , Li Yanran
Published: June 2021

In plants, polygalacturonase‐inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) play critical roles for resistance to fungal disease by inhibiting the pectin‐depolymerizing activity of endopolygalacturonases (PGs), one type of enzyme secreted by pathogens that compromises plant cell walls and leaves the plant susceptible to disease. Here, the interactions between PGIPs from Phaseolus vulgaris (PvPGIP1 and PvPGIP2) and PGs from Aspergillus niger (AnPG2), Botrytis cinerea (BcPG1 and BcPG2), and Fusarium moniliforme (FmPG3) were reconstituted through a yeast two hybrid (Y2H) system to investigate the inhibition efficiency of various PvPGIP1 and 2 truncations and mutants. We found that tPvPGIP2_5‐8, which contains LRR5 to LRR8 and is only one‐third the size of the full length peptide, exhibits the same level of interactions with AnPG and BcPGs as the full length PvPGIP2 via Y2H. The inhibitory activities of tPvPGIP2_5‐8 on the growth of A. niger and B. cinerea were then examined and confirmed on pectin agar. On pectin assays, application of both full length PvPGIP2 and tPvPGIP2_5‐8 clearly slows down the growth of A. niger and B. cinerea. Investigation on the sequence‐function relationships of PGIP utilizing a combination of site directed mutagenesis and a variety of peptide truncations suggests that LRR5 could have the most essential structural feature for the inhibitory activities, and may be a possible target for the future engineering of PGIP with enhanced activity. This study highlights the potential of plant‐derived PGIPs as a candidate for future in planta evaluation as a pest control agent.
New Natural Products from Asphodelus albus MILL. Essential Oil
Authors: Dekić Milan S. , Selimović Enisa S.
Published: June 2021

A detailed chemical analysis of the essential oil of Asphodelus albus roots performed in this work, in combination with a chemical synthesis approach – the synthesis of selected compounds and their detailed spectral analysis – has led to the identification of a series of new natural products, the esters of furan‐3‐ylmethanol: furan‐3‐ylmethyl 2‐methylpropanoate, furan‐3‐ylmethyl butanoate, furan‐3‐ylmethyl 2‐methylbutanoate, furan‐3‐ylmethyl 3‐methylbutanoate, furan‐3‐ylmethyl pentanoate, furan‐3‐ylmethyl 4‐methylpentanoate, and furan‐3‐ylmethyl hexanoate.