bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ovarian activation delays in peripubertal ewe lambs infected with Haemonchus contortus can be avoided by supplementing protein in their diets
Authors: Suarez-Henriques Paula , de Miranda e Silva Chaves Camila , Cardoso-Leite Ricardo , Gomes-Caldas Danielle G. , Morita-Katiki Luciana , Tsai Siu Mui , Louvandini Helder
Published: November 2021

Background

The ewe lamb nutritional and physiological state interfere with the ovarian environment and fertility. The lack or excess of circulating nutrients reaching the ovary can change its gene expression. A protein deficiency in the blood caused by an Haemonchus contortus abomasal infection is detrimental to the organism’s development during puberty. The peripubertal period is a time of intensive growth that requires a high level of nutrients. An essential feature controlling pubertal arousal and female reproductive potential is ovarian follicle growth activation. Protein supplementation improves the sheep’s immune response to helminthic infections. We aimed to determine if supplementing protein in infected ewe lambs’ diet would impact the ovarian environment leading to earlier ovarian follicle activation than in infected not supplemented animals.

Methods

We fed 18 Santa Ines ewe lambs (Ovis aries) - bred by the same ram - with either 12% protein (Control groups) or 19% protein (Supplemented groups) in their diets. After 35 days of the diet, they were each artificially infected or not with 10,000 Haemonchus contortus L3 larvae. Following 77 days of the diet and 42 days of infection, we surgically collected their left ovaries and examined their genes expression through RNA sequencing.

Results

We found that protein supplementation in infected animals led to an up-regulation of genes (FDR p-values < 0.05) and biological processes (p-value cut-off = 0.01) linked to meiotic activation in pre-ovulatory follicles and primordial follicle activation, among others. The supplemented not infected animals also up-regulated genes and processes linked to meiosis and others, such as circadian behaviour. The not supplemented animals had these same processes down-regulated while up-regulated processes related to tissue morphogenesis, inflammation and immune response.

Conclusion

Diet’s protein supplementation of peripubertal infected animals allowed them to express genes related to a more mature ovarian follicle stage than their half-sisters that were not supplemented. These results could be modelling potential effects of the interaction between environmental factors, nutrition and infection on reproductive health. When ovarian activation is achieved in a timely fashion, the ewe may generate more lambs during its reproductive life, increasing sheep breeders’ productivity.
Beclin1 controls caspase-4 inflammsome activation and pyroptosis in mouse myocardial reperfusion-induced microvascular injury
Authors: Sun Wenjing , Lu Hongquan , Dong Shujuan , Li Rui , Chu Yingjie , Wang Nan , Zhao Yu , Zhang Yabin , Wang Limeiting , Sun Lin , Lu Di
Published: November 2021

Background

Myocardial reperfusion injury is often accompanied by cell death and inflammatory reactions. Recently, pyroptosis is gradually recognized as pivotal role in cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the regulatory role of beclin1 in the control of caspase-4 activation and pyroptosis. The present study confirmed whether beclin1 regulates caspase-4 mediated pyroptosis and thereby protects Human Cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs) against injury.

Methods

TTC and Evan's blue dye, western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry staining were performed in wild mice and transgenic mice with overexpression of beclin 1(BECN1-Tg). CMECs were transfected with a beclin1 lentivirus. The cell cytotoxicity was analyzed by LDH-Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. The protein levels of autophagy protein (Beclin1, p62 and LC3II/LC3I) and caspase-4/GSDMD pathway were determined by western blot. Autophagic vacuoles in cells were monitored with RFP-GFP-LC3 using fluorescence microscope.

Results

I/R caused caspase-4 activity and gasdermin D expression increase in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of beclin1 in heart tissue and CMECs suppressed the caspase-4 activity and decreased the levels of gasdermin D; meanwhile beclin1 overexpression also reduced IL-1β levels, promoted autophagy (p62 expression was inhibited while LC3II expression was increased) in the heart and CMECs. Interestingly, beclin1 overexpression increased animal survival and attenuated myocardial infarct size (45 ± 6.13 vs 22 ± 4.37), no-reflow area (39 ± 5.22 vs 16 ± 2.54) post-myocardial ischemia reperfusion.

Conclusions

Induction of beclin-1 signaling can be a potential therapeutic target in myocardial reperfusion-induced microvascular injury.
Patients’ priorities and expectations on an EU registry for rare bone and mineral conditions
Authors: Javaid Muhammad Kassim , Mordenti Marina , Boarini Manila , Sangiorgi Luca ,   ERN BOND Working Group, Westerheim Ingunn , Alves Inês , Skarberg Rebecca Tvedt , Appelman-Dijkstra Natasha M. , Grasemann Corinna
Published: November 2021

Background

Understanding the natural history of rare bone and mineral conditions is essential for improving clinical practice and the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Recruitment and long-term participation in registries are key challenges for researchers.

Methods

To understand the user needs, the European Reference Network on Rare Bone Diseases (ERN BOND) and European Patient Advocacy Groups developed and implemented a multinational survey about the patient’s preferred database content and functionality through an iterative consensus process. The survey was disseminated by national and international patient groups and healthcare professionals. The findings were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression.

Results

There were 493 eligible responses from 378 adults, 15 children and 100 parents, guardians or carers (PGC) across 22 rare bone and mineral conditions. Osteogenesis imperfecta constituted 53.4% of responses. Contents related to improving treatment and medical services scored the highest and contents about anxiety and socializing scored less highly. Additional content was recommended by 205 respondents. Respondents preferred data entry by their Healthcare Provider (HCP). However, less than 50% of adults received followup from their specialist HCP at least annually and 29% were followed up as needed.

Conclusions

This survey of individuals, their family, guardians and carers has prioritised the key components for an EU-based rare bone and mineral condition research database. The survey highlights issues around collecting psychosocial impacts as well as measures of HCP trust. The survey demonstrated that using only specialist centre visits for data collection, while preferred by patients, will miss a substantial number of individuals, limiting generalisability. Combined HCP and patient platforms will be required to collect representative and complete natural history data for this patient group.
Early immunohistochemical detection of pulmonary micrometastases in dogs with osteosarcoma
Authors: Kerboeuf Mikael , Koppang Erling Olaf , Haaland Anita Haug , Lingaas Frode , Bruland Øyvind Sverre , Teige Jon , Moe Lars
Published: November 2021

Background

Despite decades of research, the early phases of metastatic development are still not fully understood. Canine osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly aggressive cancer, with a high metastatic rate (> 90%), despite a low overt metastatic prevalence at initial diagnosis (< 15%). Canine OS is generally regarded as a good clinically relevant model for human OS. The aim of this hypothesis-generating study was to evaluate a method to detect pulmonary micrometastases and study their prevalence in dogs with OS without macroscopic metastases. We prospectively enrolled dogs with OS that received no cancer-specific treatment (n = 12) and control dogs without cancer (n = 2). Dogs were necropsied and sampled immediately after euthanasia. The OS dogs were classified as having macroscopic metastases (n = 2) or not (n = 10). We immunohistochemically stained one tissue sample from each of the seven lung lobes from each dog with a monoclonal antibody (TP-3) to identify micrometastases (defined as clusters of 5–50 tumour cells), microscopic metastases (> 50 tumour cells) and TP-3 positive single cells (< 5 tumour cells).

Results

We showed that pulmonary micrometastases easily overseen on routine histology could be detected with TP-3. Pulmonary micrometastases and microscopic metastases were present in two dogs with OS without macroscopic metastases (20%). Micrometastases were visualised in three (43%) and four (57%) of seven samples from these two dogs, with a mean of 0.6 and 1.7 micrometastases per sample. Microscopic metastases were present in one (14%) and four (57%) of seven samples from the same two dogs, with a mean of 0.14 and 1.0 microscopic metastases per sample. There were four (57%) and two (29%) samples with neither microscopic metastases nor micrometastases for each of these two dogs. The prevalence of pulmonary micrometastases (20%) was significantly lower than expected (> 90%) based on commonly expected metastatic rates after amputation (P < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of TP-3 positive single cells in between groups (P = 0.85).

Conclusions

Pulmonary micrometastases could be detected with TP-3 immunohistochemistry in a subset of dogs with OS before macroscopic metastases had developed. We propose that dogs with spontaneous OS represent clinically relevant models to study early micrometastatic disease.
Transcription factor KLF15 inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells via regulating the TFAP2A-AS1/NISCH axis
Authors: Zhao Xin , Chen Linlin , Wu Jingxun , You Jun , Hong Qingqi , Ye Feng
Published: November 2021

Background

Recently, overwhelming evidence supports that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in the occurrence and progression of tumors. However, the role and mechanism of lncRNA TFAP2A-AS1 in human gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. Thus, the biological role and regulatory mechanisms of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC were explored.

Methods

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was applied to detect gene expression. Western blot was used to measure protein expression. Cell proliferation and migration were determined by functional assays. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays were performed to determine the subcellular distribution of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC. Mechanism investigations were conducted to explore the downstream genes of TFAP2A-AS1 and the upstream transcription factor of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC cells.

Results

TFAP2A-AS1 inhibits the proliferation and migration of GC cells. In the downstream regulation mechanism, miR-3657 was verified as the downstream gene of TFAP2A-AS1 and NISCH as the target of miR-3657. NISCH also suppresses cell proliferation and migration in GC. In the upstream regulation mechanism, transcription factor KLF15 positively mediates TFAP2A-AS1 to suppress GC cell proliferation and migration.

Conclusion

KLF15-mediated TFAP2A-AS1 hampers cell proliferation and migration in GC via miR-3657/NISCH axis.
Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the prostate: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Ren Mengwei , Liu Yanli
Published: November 2021

Background

Primary lymphoma of the prostate is an exceedingly rare disease, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma being the most common known subtype in a small number of reported cases. Due to its low prevalence, there has been a chronic lack of targeted diagnostic guidelines and treatment procedures.

Case presentation

In this article, we report a case of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the prostate in a 70-year-old Asian man who presented with symptoms of urinary tract obstruction. Histological and immunocytochemical studies of transurethral biopsy of the prostate showed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient was managed by a combination of eight courses of chemotherapy with a regimen including rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone and radiotherapy. Post-chemotherapy computed tomography scans showed complete remission. He remained disease free, until now, 15 months after the end of therapy. We also reviewed and analyzed relevant literature to illustrate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this disease.

Conclusion

Diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma originating in the prostate is a rare and highly aggressive disease that lacks specificity in its clinical presentation and is easily misdiagnosed. This disease should be considered clinically in patients with significant prostate enlargement and insignificant prostate-specific antigen elevation. The diagnosis can be clarified with a prostate puncture biopsy. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for patients and may be supplemented with surgical treatment and radiotherapy.
Hospitalization budget impact during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
Authors: Carrera-Hueso F. J. , Álvarez-Arroyo L. , Poquet-Jornet J. E. , Vázquez-Ferreiro P. , Martínez-Gonzalbez R. , El-Qutob D. , Ramón-Barrios M. A. , Martínez-Martínez F. , Poveda-Andrés J. L. , Crespo-Palomo C.
Published: November 2021

Objectives

The aim was to determine the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Spain’s health budget.

Methods

Budget impact analyses based on retrospective data from patients with suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) admitted to a Spanish hospital between February 26 and May 21, 2020. Direct medical costs from the perspective of the hospital were calculated. We analyzed diagnostic tests, drugs, medical and nursing care, and isolation ward and ICU stays for three cohorts: patients seen in the emergency room only, hospitalized patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and patients who tested negative.

Results

The impact on the hospital’s budget for the 3 months was calculated at €15,633,180, 97.4% of which was related to health care and hospitalization. ICU stays accounted for 5.3% of the total costs. The mean cost per patient was €10,744. The main costs were staffing costs (10,131 to 11,357 €/patient for physicians and 10,274 to 11,215 €/patient for nurses). Scenario analysis showed that the range of hospital expenditure was between €14,693,256 and €16,524,924. The median impact of the pandemic on the Spanish health budget in the sensitivity analysis using bootstrapped individual data was €9357 million (interquartile range [IQR], 9071 to 9689) for the conservative scenario (113,588 hospital admissions and 11,664 ICU admissions) and €10,385 million (IQR, 110,030 to 10,758) for the worst-case scenario (including suspected cases).

Conclusion

The impact of COVID-19 on the Spanish public health budget (12.3% of total public health expenditure) is greater than multiple sclerosis, cancer and diabetes cost.
An 11-year prospective study of personality X parenting interactions as predictors of self-efficacy in young adults: diathesis-stress or differential susceptibility?
Authors: Deutz Marike H. F. , van Eldik Willemijn M. , Over de Vest Vera T. , Ringoot Ank , de Haan Amaranta D. , Prinzie Peter
Published: November 2021

Background

Self-efficacy, individuals’ beliefs regarding their capacities to perform actions or control (potentially stressful or novel) events, is thought to be important for various life domains. Little however is known about its early precursors. This study examined the predictive effects of childhood personality and parental behaviors (i.e., overreactive discipline and warmth) for general self-efficacy in young adulthood. Furthermore, it was examined whether personality and parenting behaviors interacted and whether these interactions supported the diathesis-stress or differential susceptibility model. These aims were examined in an 11-year prospective study of 336 participants (Mageat T1 = 10.83 years,range = 9–12 years, 53.9% girls). Personality and parental behaviors were reported at T1 by both mothers and fathers, whereas self-efficacy was self-reported at T2 11 years later. Hypotheses were tested in Mplususing multilevel structural equation modeling.

Results

Results revealed that (only) emotional stability, and not parenting, predicted higher self-efficacy 11 years later. Benevolence functioned as a susceptibility marker in the association between overreactivity and self-efficacy.

Conclusions

The results show that childhood emotional stability is an important long-term predictor of self-efficacy, even into emerging adulthood. Moreover, the integration of individual differences in models of parenting effects may further improve our understanding of early adults’ adjustment.
Effects of low carbohydrate diet compared to low fat diet on reversing the metabolic syndrome, using NCEP ATP III criteria: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Ismael Sherzad Ali
Published: November 2021

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to compare the change in the metabolic syndrome prevalence and risk factors between participants who followed a low carbohydrate diet and those who followed a low fat diet for six months in Erbil city/ Iraqi Kurdistan.

Methods

Out of 289 apparently healthy obese adults who were chosen by a stratified multistage probability sampling method, 94 of them agreed to participate in the study. They were assigned to low carbohydrate and low fat diet groups. Both groups were followed up for 6 months and the data were taken at baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months of intervention. Ninety-four obese adults completed the intervention. One-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare differences of metabolic dependent variables between the two independent variables, the low carbohydrate and low fat diet, at baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months of intervention.

Results

The Participants in low carbohydrate diet group had greater decrease in the prevalence of MetS. At the baseline, according to the ATP III criteria, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 44.4% (24/54) in low carbohydrate diet group and 60% (24/40) in low fat diet group. The prevalence of MetS was decreased significantly to 16.7% (9/54) after 3 months and to 3.7% (2/54) after 6 months in low carbohydrate diet (p < 0.001). Moreover, the prevalence of MetS was decreased significantly to 32.5 (13/40) after 3 months and to 22.5% (9/40) after 6 months in low fat diet (p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was found between low carbohydrate diet & low fat diet at the baseline (p-value = 0.136) and after 3 months and after 6 months of intervention.

Conclusions

Both low carbohydrate diet and low fat diet have significant effects on reducing the prevalence of MetS in obese adults when followed up for 6 months. Compared to low fat diet, low carbohydrate diet had greater effect in reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Both diet programs were found to be effective in improving the metabolic state of obese adults.

Trial registration

The trial is registered retrospectively at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov). The registration in the US National Institutes of Health was done in 23/12/2020 with the registration number: NCT04681924.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) versus local corticosteroid injection in treatment of lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in athletes: clinical and ultrasonographic evaluation
Authors: Ibrahim Noha Hosni , El Tanawy Refaat Mostafa , Mostafa Amal Fathy Soliman , Mahmoud Mayada Fawzy
Published: November 2021

Background

Lateral epicondylitis is one of the commonly noticed disorders of the arm described by agony focused over lateral epicondyle which is the site of wrist extensors origin. The purpose of this work was to compare the efficiency of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and local corticoid injection in management of lateral epicondylitis both clinically and ultrasonographically as well as to assess the role of ultrasound in diagnosis and follow-up of lateral epicondylitis. This study was performed on 30 athletes diagnosed as lateral epicondylitis.

Results

Both corticosteroid injection and shock wave treatment showed a highly significant effectiveness on pain by visual analog scale (VAS). A highly significant difference between before treatment and after 2 as well as 4 weeks of treatment regarding the functional disability parameters as patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) and quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) was found. Likewise, a statistically significant improvement in favor of shock wave therapy group after 2 weeks was found, inversely insignificant difference after 8 and 12 weeks regarding to VAS occurred. Both PRTEE and Quick DASH test showed a statistically significant difference among groups through all follow-up period.

There was a statistically insignificant difference among the studied groups according to ultrasound (US) changes in the form of focal areas of hypo-echogenicity through follow-up periods. A significant improvement in favor of ESWT group is detected among the studied groups regarding tendon thickening in ultrasonography before treatment and after 2 and 4 weeks. However, the difference was insignificant after 8 and 12 weeks.

Conclusions

Both corticosteroid local injection and shock wave therapy are helpful and effective for lateral epicondylitis treatment. However, a shock wave therapy revealed better improvement on long-term clinical and ultrasonogrphic follow-up than corticosteroid injection. Musculoskeletal ultrasound represents a helpful diagnostic and follow-up tool for lateral epicondylitis.
Magnetic order and electronic structure of [110]-oriented LaTiO3 films: A theoretical study
Authors: Weng Yakui , Long Fei , Li Xing'ao
Published: November 2021

The epitaxial strain effects on the magnetic ground state and electronic structure of [110]-oriented LaTiO3 films have been calculated using the density functional theory. First, the lattice constants of the a-axis and c-axis are fixed to study. For the compressive strain, a magnetic phase transition from the original G-type antiferromagnet to A-type antiferromagnet is predicted when using the SrTiO3, LaGaO3, and LaAlO3 substrates, similar to the [001] case. Interestingly, a new magnetic phase, i.e., the ferromagnetic order, will appear when the larger compressive LaSrAlO4 is used. For the tensile strain, although the G-type antiferromagnetic order is robust as the ground state, the exchange couplings are significantly increased, which will enhance the Néel temperature. Furthermore, the contributions of d

yz
, d

xz
and d

xy
orbitals to the bands near the Fermi level show an obvious difference due to the Jahn-Teller distortions. For comparison, the case with fixed b-axis and c-axis is also tested, which shows that the compressive strained LaTiO3 remains the G-type antiferromagnetic order while the tensile strained LaTiO3 exhibits the A-type antiferromagnetic order. The underlying physical mechanisms are the lattice distortions, including the Ti-O-Ti bond angles and Ti-O bond lengths.
Glacial Deaths, Geologic Extinction
Authors: Schmidt Jeremy J.
Published: November 2021

In 2019 several funerals were held for glaciers. If enough glaciers die, could they go extinct? Is there geologic extinction? Yes. This article develops three arguments to support this claim. The first revisits Georges Cuvier’s original argument for extinction and its reliance on geology, especially glaciers. Retracing connections to glaciers and the narrowing of extinction to biological species in the nineteenth century, the author argues that anthropogenic forcing on how the Earth system functions—the Anthropocene—warrants rethinking extinction geologically. The second argument examines the specificity of ice loss and multiple practices responding to this loss: from art exhibits at United Nations climate change meetings to anticolonial claims for the right to be cold. The third argument consolidates a theme built across the article regarding how Isabelle Stengers’s notion of ecologies of practices provides an approach to geologic extinction that recognizes both relational and nonrelational loss.
The Apocalyptic Herbarium
Authors: Batsaki Yota
Published: November 2021

Anselm Kiefer’s monumental Secret of the Ferns (2007) redirects the artist’s apocalyptic sensibility, honed in response to the Holocaust, to the slow violence of extinction. The installation adopts a foundational practice of early modern natural history: the herbarium’s preservation and presentation of dried, pressed plant specimens. It also mobilizes the symbolic associations of ferns, which Kiefer calls “the first plants” but which are reimagined in the gallery space as the last plants in a postapocalyptic future. The framed specimens hang in a massive hall, with two abandoned concrete bunkers spewing out coal in the center—an allusion to ferns as the source of fossil fuels. Coal appears again in the enigmatic charcoal inscriptions on the frames that allude to ferns’ rich associations with rituals of magic and transformation. The overall mood is of a temporality at the end of time, a proleptic elegy that anticipates the extinction of even the most common and resilient plants, and the human cultures associated with them. Transmuted from mnemonic device to vehicle of commemoration, Kiefer’s apocalyptic herbarium elicits grief and mourning—but also, perhaps, what Judith Butler has called “the transformative effect of loss.”
Making the Environmental Humanities Consequential in “The Age of Consequences”
Authors: Castree Noel
Published: November 2021

This article suggests that global environmental assessments (GEAs) may be a potent means for making the environmental humanities more consequential outside universities. So far most GEAs have been led by geoscientists, with mainstream social science in support. However, there is no reason why the concept of assessment cannot be elasticated to include the concerns of interpretive social science and the humanities. Building on the forty-year history and authority of GEAs as a means to bridging the gap between the research world and the wider world, this article identifies the potential that reformatted assessments hold for more impactful work by environmental humanists. It suggests some next steps for rethinking the means and ends of assessment toward a new paradigm that bridges geoscience, mainstream social science, and humanistic thinking about the nonhuman world. This paradigm would explore the human dimensions of environmental change fully. The timing is propitious: independently GEAs are undergoing change at the very moment that the “What next?” question is being asked by many environmental humanists. This article is intended to inspire debate and, ultimately, action. It both makes the case for more humanistic GEAs and offers examples of potential work packages.
The Inclusive Philosophy of Michel Serres for Our Time of Crisis
Authors: Johnson Peter
Published: November 2021

Michel Serres’s philosophy is scantly known outside France. In this review essay the author takes up three books that Serres published late on in his life and that engage in different ways with the environmental emergency. These short eminently readable books appeal to a wide audience and at the same time draw together major concerns and approaches from his life’s work. In each of the three books, Serres explores the preconditions for, and the emerging sense of, a contract between humans and the rest of the natural world.
Intrauterine ovarian dermoid cyst complicated by torsion: an uncommon presentation of abdominal mass in a neonate
Authors: Kanwal Darakhshan , Khalil Safaa , Attia Khaled
Published: November 2021

Fetal ovarian cysts are the most common abdominal masses in the female fetuses and believed to be caused by in utero exposure of fetus to maternal and placental hormones. Majority of them are diagnosed in third trimester and should be distinguished from other causes of abdominal masses of genitourinary and gastrointestinal origin. Once diagnosed serial ultrasound monitoring is recommended to document changes in size or appearance. Complications like torsion or rupture merit careful assessment and surgical intervention to preserve ovarian function and fertility.

We report a case of intrauterine ovarian dermoid cyst complicated by torsion, which was diagnosed prenatally on ultrasound as complex cystic lesion within the abdomen.
General and Russian Axiology
Authors: Milovanova M.
Published: November 2021

A collective monograph “General and Russian Axiology” is being prepared for publication. The goal of the scientists was to identify the priority directions of thought of a modern native speaker of the Russian language and changing or stable value orientations in a changing world. The monograph was the result of a scientific search by the participants of the project “Modern Russian Axiosphere: semantic and pragmatic transformation of the Russian cultural code”.
Los movimientos vecinales en Parque Alcosa (Sevilla). Claves para avanzar de una cultura de resistencia hacia la construcción de alternativas para la mejora del hábitat.
Authors: Donadei Marta
Published: November 2021

Parque Alcosa, in Seville, is a neighbourhood that is well known mainly for the marked identity of its inhabitants and for the important tradition of mobilizations aimed at overcoming the difficulties created by its peripheral position and its deprivations, which have been present since the origin of the neighbourhood. Through the application of some methodological tools developed in the framework of the Social Production and Management of Habitat (PSGH) from a qualitative approach, this article aims to deepen, from a complex perspective, in the transformation phenomena that have affected the neighborhood of Parque Alcosa in order to demonstrate the transformative potential of CIVITAS in the processes of transformation of the Habitat.
Cooperativismo autogestionario de hábitat y asociativismo vecinal. El caso del Programa de Autogestión de la Vivienda de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Authors: Cecilia Zapata María
Published: November 2021

Since the 2000s, the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina) has implemented the Housing Self-Management Program (PAV), which promotes self-managed habitat production through the granting of collective loans to grassroots social organizations. The existing housing cooperative bank allows us to reflect on the self-managed forms used by the organizations and their impact on the neighborhood relationships built in the stage of living in the dwellings. From the deployment of a qualitative methodology, various primary sources of information produced in different research stages were recovered and analyzed from an approach that seeks to contribute to the current debates of the self-managed production of popular habitat. Among the results obtained, it was possible to verify that the forms assumed by the self-management process in the housing production stage have impacts on the base conditions for the construction of neighborhood associations typical of living.
El proyecto urbano como experiencia colectiva, colaborativa, situada, perfomática y transdisciplinar.
Authors: Lima Luciana , Pastuszuk Verónica Susana
Published: November 2021

The city we inhabit, the territory we share, it is nowadays under revision, and urbanism is central to these reflections. The experiences of “Territorio Tolosa” (Tolosa Territory), a collective project of urban contemplation and neighborhood transformation, comprised by architects, artists and the local community, which I have coordinated for the past five years. We have run walks around Tolosa, organized workshops, performances and different types of collective practices to re-signify the spaces we inhabit. Our research questions those architectures that support hegemonic ways of producing controlled and a priori spaces, proposing instead open processes to participatory practices, which include walks and collective mapping as ways of thinking about urbanism. In one hand, we want to explore procedures to deconstruct the traditional ways of producing architecture, based on individual skill, in order to promote them as collective processes, collaborative and transdisciplinary. On the other hand, we want to explore deeper into the architectures of delay, proximity and care, to enhance the pre-existing urban landscape and the sensitive encounter between people. Tolosa is neighborhood in La Plata city, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tolosa will be taken as the research focus, to rethink the neighborhood in the xxi century from feminist perspective.
Soluciones basadas en la Naturaleza: estrategias urbanas para la adaptación al cambio climático.
Authors: Rey Mellado Raquel , Franchini Alonso María Teresa , del Pozo Sánchez Cristina
Published: November 2021

Cities will suffer the impacts of climate change in the next decades. These impacts will be different according to their geographical features, the distribution and number of green spaces, the characteristics of the exterior surfaces of their floors and the density of population, among other aspects. Given this situation, many cities have begun to adopt adaptation strategies to reduce their vulnerability to the adverse effects of the climate; among which Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) stand out, which respond to ecosystem services and climate challenges, and are classified from the main ecosystems in which they affect: water, vegetation and soil. Within this context, the interest of the SBN in the international field is analyzed and the adaptation measures included in urban strategies developed to respond to this task are reviewed. The review of interventions in cities of the Mediterranean area makes it possible to value the usefulness of the NBS for urban planning and design.
D Minus Months: Strategic Planning for Weather-Sensitive Decisions
Authors: Regnier Eva D. , Feldmeier Joel W.
Published: November 2021

General Eisenhower’s decisions to postpone and, one day later, to launch the “D-Day” invasion of Normandy are a gripping illustration of sequential decisions under uncertainty, suitable for any introductory decision analysis class. They’re also the archetypal example of weather-sensitive decision making using a forecast. This paper develops a framework for analyzing weather-sensitive decisions with a focus on the less-familiar strategic decisions that determine how forecasts are produced and what operational alternatives are available so that decision makers can extract value from forecasts. We tell the story of the decisions made in the months before D-Day regarding how to set up the forecasting process and the myriad decisions implicating nation-level resources that prepared Allied forces not just to invade, but to hold open that decision until the last possible hour so that Eisenhower and his staff could use the critical forecasts. Finally, we overview the current state of the weather-forecasting enterprise, the current challenges of interest to decision analysts, and what this means for decision analysts seeking opportunities to help the weather enterprise improve forecasts and to help operational decision makers extract more value from modern weather forecasts.
The prevalence of occupational stress among Iranian midwives: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gheshlagh Reza Ghanei , Rezaei Hayedeh , Parizad Naser
Published: November 2021

Background

Occupational stress is one of the undesirable risk factors found in the midwifery profession. It can lead to job burnout, job loss and negatively affect the quality of patient care. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of occupational stress among Iranian midwives.

Methods

Through searching national and international databases, a total of 11 observational studies with full texts were extracted. Observational studies in Persian or English that reported the prevalence or frequency of job stress among Iranian midwives were included in the analysis. Irrelevant studies, those conducted on midwifery students and gray literature were excluded. The meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model.

Results

11 articles reviewed occupational stress in 1196 midwives (an average of 108 midwives per study). Analysis of the articles showed that the pooled prevalence of occupational stress was 70.82% in Iranian midwives. Meta-regression analysis showed that the prevalence of occupational stress was not related to mean age, work experience, articles' publication year or sample size.

Conclusions

The prevalence of occupational stress is high among Iranian midwives and it can have harmful consequences for them and their patients. Therefore, the training of stress coping strategies seems to be appropriate for this group.
Reference Measurement of Roundwood by Fringe Projection
Authors: Keck Christian , Schödel René
Published: November 2021

The metrological verification of log scanners requires logs with accurately known dimensions as test objects. The measurement of the lengths and diameters must be traceable back to the SI (International System of Units) unit of length. The results have to be reported with the corresponding measurement uncertainties. The uncertainties are required to be 5 to 10 times lower than the corresponding maximum permissible errors allowed for the log scanner under test. This article presents a procedure for the reference measurement of logs using an off-the-shelf fringe projection system along with uncertainty budgets for the measured dimensions. The length and diameters are determined from the highly resolved mesh obtained by fringe projection using techniques from computational geometry and coordinate metrology. Corrections are applied to the length and diameter values to remove the systematic effect caused by scattering of projected light below the partially transparent log surface. The influence of the fringe projection system on the measured dimensions is determined by measurements of calibrated artifacts, which also provide the traceability back to the SI unit of length. The measurement is illustrated by the example of a log with a length of 2 m and a diameter of 280 mm. The corresponding uncertainty budgets, confirmed by repeat measurements, result in expanded uncertainties (confidence interval 95%) of 6 mm and 0.13 mm for length and diameter, respectively. These low values qualify the fringe projection measurement along with accompanying evaluation procedure to provide logs as reference objects for the verification of log scanners.
Technological Revolution: Urgency and Feasibility of Qualitative
Changes in Socioeconomic Development: Discussions on Noonomy by
S. D. Bodrunov
Authors: Buzgalin Alexander
Published: November 2021

The beginning of the 21st century is also the beginning of a new industrial
revolution. Smart factories, the Internet of Things, bio-, nano-, and
information, and communication technologies of the sixth technological mode are
becoming a new material basis of production. The author of the book
Noonomy, Sergey Bodrunov, focuses on the current changes
taking place in the economy, entailing the birth of a qualitatively new system
of relations that is noonomy (Bodrunov 2018). This theoretical research, which
is purely scientific in its content, also contains an analysis of a wide range
of practices. It makes the book accessible not only to a highly professional
reader since it is written in plain language. This book is for everyone who
wants to not only understand but also contribute to the better future of our
economy.
258. Contexto general de la Agricultura Urbana en México durante la pandemia: uso de aplicaciones de Google para el análisis social
Authors: Miranda Gómez Omar , Aguilar-Gómez Carlos Rubén
Published: November 2021

La agricultura urbana (AU) se ha posicionado como una práctica a nivel internacional. La crisis sanitaria originada por la COVID-19, generó cambios derivados de la estrategia de confinamiento y distanciamiento social. Uno de ellos, la forma de realizar investigación, mediante nuevas estrategias de recogida de información, como la utilización de herramientas tecnológicas a través de Internet. El presente artículo tiene el objetivo de proponer una ruta metodológica para el análisis de datos mediante el uso de aplicaciones de Google, considerando la práctica de la AU en contexto de la COVID-19. El análisis consistió en recolectar información de grupos de Facebook dedicados a esta actividad en diversos estados de México. Los hallazgos sobre la Agricultura Urbana (AU) en México exponen sus beneficios en distintos aspectos sociales, mientras que el uso de estas herramientas para la investigación social implica ventajas y desventajas.
Palabras clave: Agricultura Urbana, COVID-19, Google forms, Colaboratory, Python.
Glitch: notaciones para tejer con lo que desaparece
Authors: Bella María
Published: November 2021

Como investigadora y comisaria he tratado de acentuar ciertos entrecruzamientos que acontecen entre las esferas del trabajo, la tecnología y el arte y desde ellos problematizar cómo el capitalismo transforma la vida en plus-valor. En este texto volveré a recorrer composiciones relacionadas con estas esferas intentando desprenderme de lo que el trabajo produce bajo los imperativos del capital. Escribiré como mujer que incorpora notaciones en las aperturas y ocultamientos de la trama de un tapiz común. Enhebraré hilos que, sin formar pieza con la máquina productiva, generen patchworks simbólicos y biopolíticos con los que, como los glitches, interrumpir los flujos lineales de la vidas enajenadas por el capital.
Análisis de aplicaciones de Realidad Aumentada para la práctica de futuros docentes con alumnado que presenta Trastorno del Espectro Autista
Authors: Gilabert-Cerdá Alba , Lorenzo-Lledó Alejandro
Published: November 2021

Uno de los métodos que mejor está respondiendo a las demandas actuales de la educación es la introducción de las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC). En esta línea, los futuros docentes de los Grados de Maestro de Educación Infantil y de Maestro de Educación Primaria deben conocer qué es la Realidad Aumentada, una de las tendencias más novedosas debido a la diversidad de aplicaciones que desarrollan distintas áreas de contenidos. La característica principal de esta herramienta es que permite el acceso a la información de la realidad del mundo y pone a disposición de la sociedad datos digitales en tiempo real. Por otra parte, debido al aumento de estudiantes que presentan Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) y teniendo en cuenta su alta prevalencia en las aulas de los colegios y su heterogeneidad, existe una notoria dificultad para acertar en las intervenciones educativas. En este sentido, este estudio tiene por objetivo realizar una revisión de aplicaciones de Realidad Aumentada que son favorables para el desarrollo competencial en la intervención con el alumnado que presenta TEA, que posteriormente, y según el contexto en el que se vaya a trabajar, servirán para seleccionar la aplicación más adecuada. Este trabajo se enmarca en la línea de investigación del grupo de investigación de la Universidad de Alicante IncluTic (VIRGROB-321).
Amplitude compensation using homodyne detection for inverse synthetic aperture LADAR
Authors: Xu Chen , Jin Kai , Jiang Changchun , Li Jian , Song Anpeng , Wei Kai , Zhang Yudong
Published: November 2021

Inverse synthetic aperture LADAR (ISAL), based on an electro-optic in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) modulator, and homodyne detection, has high pulse repetition frequency, simple structure, and minimum intra-pulse phase errors. Homodyne detection can implement the de-chirp operation in the optical domain, while the output amplitude is susceptible to light intensity. However, the modulated optical signal amplitude fading, induced by radio frequency devices and the I/Q modulator, is quite tricky to measure and be compensated for. In this work, the effect of amplitude distortion on the ISAL system is analyzed. A simple and effective compensation method (based on homodyne detection) is proposed, followed by some experiments. The improvement of homodyne signal power to the compensated signal compared with non-compensated signal was about 1 dB (26%), and the image quality of our ISAL system along range direction was also improved by using the proposed method. Moreover, the image of an extended target was acquired via our ISAL system with 500 mW transmitting power at a distance of 1.1 km.
Gray consistency optical flow algorithm based on mask-R-CNN and a spatial filter for velocity calculation
Authors: Zhao Donghua , Wu Yicheng , Wang Chenguang , Shen Chong , Tang Jun , Liu Jun , Yu Hua , Lu Zhumao
Published: November 2021

The optical flow method has been widely used to measure the vehicle velocity by observing the stationary ground with a camera looking-down. However, when there are moving objects on the stationary ground, the interfering optical flow field will be generated, which decreases the velocity measurement accuracy of a vehicle relative to the ground. In order to reduce the effects caused by moving objects, this paper integrates pyramid Lucas–Kanade (LK) algorithm with the gray consistency method to use the information of color images thoroughly. First, a mask region with convolutional neural network (Mask-R-CNN) is used to recognize the objects that have motions relative to the ground, and it covers them with masks to enhance the similarity between pixels and to reduce the impacts of the noisy moving pixels. Then images are decomposed into three channels, red, green, and blue (i.e., 

R

,

G

, and

B

), and processed by median filter. Based on the gray consistency method, the optical flow can be obtained by the pyramid LK algorithm. Finally, the velocity is calculated by the optical flow value. The prominent advantages of the proposed algorithm are: (i) increase the velocity measurement accuracy of a vehicle relative to the ground; (ii) use the information of color images acquired with cameras thoroughly and obtain velocity calculation outputs with less fluctuation; (iii) reduce wrong values caused by noises that are from the origin image and introduced by similar color masks. Four experiments are conducted to test the proposed algorithm and results with superior precision and reliability show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method for the velocity measurement accuracy of a vehicle relative to the ground.
Multi-depth photon-counting imaging based on polarisation modulation
Authors: Liu Rui , Tian Xin , He Fang , Ma Jiayi
Published: November 2021

We present a method for multi-depth imaging that uses polarisation modulation to reconstruct multiple depths from photon-counting observations. The echo photon signals of the scene with multiple targets are modelled under the low-flux condition based on a confocal scanning system. We establish a computational method by constructing the relationship between the received photon rate after polarisation modulation and several variables described for multi-echo signals: the detected average number of photons before polarisation modulation and the flight time corresponding to phase shift based on polarisation modulation. The photon rate is directly calculated from the photon-counting value received by a photon-counting detector based on the Poisson negative log-likelihood function. We suggest solving the abovementioned relationship by changing the waveform of the operating voltage applied to the modulator to derive analytic forms of the detected average number of photons and the flight time. We experimentally demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately reconstruct the reflectivity and depth images of two targets in a 3D scene with a significant improvement beyond what the polarisation modulation imaging method for single-depth can achieve. Moreover, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by varying the reflection properties of the targets, the number of echo photons (e.g. less than one photon in a pulse) and the background noise. We exhibit a fast imaging capability with the imaging frequency of one pixel at 8 kHz and the root mean-square error of depth smaller than 6 cm.