bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional Registration of Whole Slide Image Stacks Containing Major Histological Artifacts
Authors: Paknezhad Mahsa , Loh Sheng Yang Michael , Choudhury Yukti , Koh Valerie Koh Cui , Yong Timothy Tay Kwang , Tan Hui Shan , Kanesvaran Ravindran , Tan Puay Hoon , Peng John Yuen Shyi , Yu Weimiao , Tan Yongcheng Benjamin , Loy Yong Zhen , Tan Min Han , Lee Hwee Kuan
Published: December 2020

Background: High resolution 2D whole slide imaging provides rich information about the tissue structure. This information can be a lot richer if these 2D images can be stacked into a 3D tissue volume. A 3D analysis, however, requires accurate reconstruction of the tissue volume from the 2D image stack. This task is not trivial due to the distortions such as tissue tearing, folding and missing at each slide. Performing registration for the whole tissue slices may be adversely affected by distorted tissue regions. Consequently, regional registration is found to be more effective. In this paper, we propose a new approach to an accurate and robust registration of regions of interest for whole slide images. We introduce the idea of multi-scale attention for registration. Results: Using mean similarity index as the metric, the proposed algorithm (mean +- std: 0.84 +- 0.11) followed by a fine registration algorithm (0.86 +- 0.08) outperformed the state-of-the-art linear whole tissue registration algorithm (0.74 +- 0.19) and the regional version of this algorithm (0.81 +- 0.15). The proposed algorithm also outperforms the state-of-the-art nonlinear registration algorithm (original: 0.82 +- 0.12, regional: 0.77 +- 0.22) for whole slide images and a recently proposed patch-based registration algorithm (patch size 256: 0.79 +- 0.16 , patch size 512: 0.77 +- 0.16) for medical images. Conclusion: Using multi-scale attention mechanism leads to a more robust and accurate solution to the problem of regional registration of whole slide images corrupted in some parts by major histological artifacts in the imaged tissue.
Dignity of informal caregivers of migrant patients in the last phase of life. A qualitative study.
Authors: de Voogd Xanthe , Willems Dick , Torensma Marieke , Onwuteaka-Philipsen Bregje , Suurmond Jeanine
Published: December 2020

Background: A key aim of palliative care is to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. To help ensure quality of life for the families of patients with migrant backgrounds, this study sought insights into the dignity of informal caregivers in migrant communities. This could improve understanding of family-centered care for migrant patients.Methods: Twenty semi-structured interviews with informal caregivers of Turkish, Moroccan, or Surinamese background living in the Netherlands were analyzed thematically.Results: The dignity of the patient and that of their informal caregivers were found to be strongly interrelated. Most important for the dignity of caregivers was ensuring good care for their patients and preserving the patients’ dignity. Ensuring good care involved advocating for good and dignified care and for satisfaction of a patient’s wishes. For many informal caregivers, it also included delivering care to the patient by themselves or together with other family members, despite having to give up part of their own lives. Providing care themselves was part of maintaining a good relationship with the patient; the care was to cater to the patient’s preferences and help preserve the patient’s dignity, and it could be accompanied by valuable aspects such as times for good conversations. Positive interaction between an informal caregiver and a patient positively influenced the informal caregiver’s dignity. Informal caregiver and patient dignity were often compromised simultaneously; when informal caregivers felt healthcare professionals were undermining a patient’s dignity, their own dignity suffered. According to informal caregivers, healthcare professionals can help them preserve dignity by taking seriously their advice about the patient, keeping them informed about the prognosis of the disease and of the patient, and dealing respectfully with differences in values at the end of life. Conclusion: The dignity of migrant patients’ informal caregivers in the last phase of a patient’s life is closely entwined with ensuring good care and dignity for the patient. Healthcare professionals can strengthen the dignity of informal caregivers by supporting their caregiving role.
A Qualitative study of Ghanaian pediatric oncology nurses’ care practice challenges.
Authors: Nukpezah Ruth Nimota , Fomani Fatemeh Khoshnavay , Hasanpour Marzieh , Nasrabadi Alireza Nikbakht
Published: December 2020

Background: Pediatric cancer is a global problem, and some studies have highlighted that nurses caring for these children experience work-related challenges, which makes many children with cancer to be left with terminal diagnoses, unnecessary suffering; and also, job dissatisfaction among the nurses. But no study has explored this phenomenon among pediatric oncology nurses in Ghana. This study aims to explore and understand the challenges that the pediatric oncology nurses experience when caring for children with cancer in Ghana.Methods: An exploratory qualitative research design study was conducted from August 2019 - April 2020. The study was conducted at the Pediatric oncology unit which is located at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Ghana. The study was conducted among 14 Ghanaian pediatric oncology nurses who were purposively sampled. The data collection instrument was a face-to-face in-depth semi-structured interview. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed inductively using Elo and Kyngas content analysis approach. The criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln were used to ensure the validity of the study.Results: The results showed that the challenges that the pediatric oncology nurses experience includes: Time-consuming care, Low Job motivations, Inadequate logistics, Work stress, Reduced labor force, Low knowledge level, Absence of teamwork and the Perception of contracting cancer. Conclusions: The results point to several organizational and personal constraints experienced by the nurses who work at the pediatric oncology ward. There is the need for the administrative managers of hospitals, government and other stakeholders to invest in human, material and financial resources for delivering childhood cancer care services. It is hoped that by addressing these challenges, it would lead to further improvement in the care that is provided to children with cancer.
Antimicrobial therapy and assessing therapeutic response in culture-negative pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis: a retrospective comparative study with culture-positive pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis
Authors: Yu Dongwoo , Kim Sang Woo , Jeon Ikchan
Published: December 2020

Background: There are still controversies regarding the treatment and outcomes in culture-negative pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO). The purpose of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial therapy, assessment of therapeutic response, and outcome of culture-negative PVO compared to culture-positive PVO.Methods: A retrospective study was performed with non-surgical lumbar PVO patients. The patients were divided into two groups based on the causative bacterial identification (CN group with culture-negative PVO and CP group with culture-positive PVO). The clinical features, use of antibiotics, laboratory data, and outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results: Seventy-three patients with 41 (56.2%) of the CN group and 32 (43.8%) of the CP group were enrolled. The CN group showed a shorter duration of parenteral antibiotics (45.88 ± 16.14 vs. 57.31 ± 24.39, p = 0.019) but a tendency of prolonged duration of total (parenteral + oral) antibiotics (101.17 ± 52.84 vs. 84.19 ± 50.29 days, p = 0.168). When parenteral antibiotics were discontinued or switched to oral antibiotics, the mean erythrocyte segmentation rate (ESR, normal range: < 25 mm/h), C-reactive protein (CRP, normal range: < 0.5 mg/dL) level, and visual analog scale (VAS) score of back pain were 42.86 ± 24.05 mm/h, 0.91 ± 1.18 mg/dL, and 4.05 ± 1.07, respectively, with no significant differences between the two groups. The recurrence rates of CN and CP groups were 7.3% (3/41) and 6.3% (2/32), respectively (p=1.000). The presence of epidural abscess was the most significant factor for the identification of causative bacteria (p = 0.002), and there was no significant relationship between the use of empirical antibiotics before tissue culture and the causative bacterial identification (p = 0.194).Conclusions: The CN group required a shorter duration of parenteral antibiotics than the CP group. Discontinuation of parenteral antibiotics or changing the administration route can be considered based on the values of ESR, CRP, and VAS score of back pain. The presence of epidural abscess was the most significant factor for the identification of causative bacteria.
Application of the PET ligand [11C]ORM-13070 to examine receptor occupancy by the α2C-adrenoceptor antagonist ORM-12741: translational validation of target engagement in rat and human brain
Authors: Shahid Mohammed , Rinne Juha O. , Scheinin Mika , Virta Jere , Marjamäki Päivi , Solin Olof , Arponen Eveliina , Sallinen Jukka , Kuokkanen Katja , Rouru Juha
Published: December 2020

Background: Availability of the α2C -adrenoceptor (α2C-AR) positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, [11C]ORM-13070, and the α2C-AR antagonist ORM-12741 allows probing of the roles of this G-protein coupled receptor subtype in brain function, both in healthy humans and in patients with various brain disorders. This translational study employed [11C]ORM-13070 autoradiography and PET to determine α2C-AR occupancy by ORM-12741 in rat and human brain, respectively. Results: ORM-12741 has high affinity (Ki: 0.08 nM) and potent antagonist activity (Kb: 0.04 nM) as well as selectivity (Ki estimates for the human α2A-AR and α2B-AR were 8.3 nM and 0.8 nM, respectively) for the human α2C-AR subtype. [11C]ORM-13070 had highest uptake in the basal ganglia of rat and human brain. Pretreatment with ORM-12741 inhibited [11C]ORM-13070 binding in rat striatum in a time- and dose-dependent manner at 10 and 50 µg/kg (s.c.) with an EC50 estimate of 1.42 ng/mL in rat plasma, corresponding to protein-free drug concentration of 0.23 nM. In the living human brain, time- and dose-related α2C-AR occupancy was detected with EC50 estimates of 24 ng/mL and 31 ng/mL for the caudate nucleus and putamen, respectively, corresponding to protein-free concentrations in plasma of 0.07 nM and 0.1 nM. Modelling-based maximum α2C-AR occupancy estimates were 63 % and 52 % in the caudate nucleus and the putamen, respectively. Conclusions: ORM-12741 is a selective α2C-AR antagonist which penetrates the rat and human brain to occupy α2C-ARs in a manner consistent with its receptor pharmacology. Trial registration number and date of registration: ClinicalTrial.cov NCT00829907. Registered 11 December 2008. https://clinicaltrials.gov/.
Predictive value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio for disease deterioration and serious adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Zeng Zhi-Yong , Feng Shao-Dan , Chen Gong-Ping , Wu Jiang-Nan
Published: December 2020

Background: Early identification of patients who are at high risk of poor clinical outcomes is of great importance in saving the lives of patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the context of limited medical resources.Objective: To evaluate the value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), calculated at hospital admission and in isolation, for the prediction of the subsequent presence of disease progression and serious clinical outcomes (e.g., shock, death).Methods: We designed a prospective cohort study of 352 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 between January 9 and February 26, 2020, in Yichang City, Hubei Province. Patients with an NLR equal to or higher than the cutoff value derived from the receiver operating characteristic curve method were classified as the exposed group. The primary outcome was disease deterioration, defined as an increase of the clinical disease severity classification during hospitalization (e.g., moderate to severe/critical; severe to critical). The secondary outcomes were shock and death during the treatment.Results: During the follow-up period, 51 (14.5%) patients’ conditions deteriorated, 15 patients (4.3%) had complicated septic shock, and 15 patients (4.3%) died. The NLR was higher in patients with deterioration than in those without deterioration (median: 5.33 vs. 2.14, P <0.001), and higher in patients with serious clinical outcomes than in those without serious clinical outcomes (shock vs. no shock: 6.19 vs. 2.25, P <0.001; death vs. survival: 7.19 vs. 2.25, P <0.001). The NLR measured at hospital admission had high value in predicting subsequent disease deterioration, shock and death (all the areas under the curve > 0.80). The sensitivity of an NLR ≥ 2.6937 for predicting subsequent disease deterioration, shock and death was 82.0% (95% confidence interval, 69.0 to 91.0), 93.3% (68.0 to 100), and 92.9% (66.0 to 100), and the corresponding negative predictive values were 95.7% (93.0 to 99.2), 99.5% (98.6 to 100) and 99.5% (98.6 to 100), respectively.Conclusions: The NLR measured at admission and in isolation can be used to effectively predict the subsequent presence of disease deterioration and serious clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Clinical features of anti-synthetase syndrome associated interstitial lung disease: a retrospective cohort in China
Authors: Zhan Xi , Wei YAN , Ying WANG , Qing LI , Xuhua SHI , Yanli GAO , Qiao YE
Published: December 2020

Background: Anti-synthetase syndrome (ASSD) is a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by antibodies directed against an aminoacycl transfer RNA synthetase (ARS) along with a group of clinical features including the classical clinical triad: inflammatory myopathy, arthritis, and interstitial lung disease (ILD). ASSD is highly heterogenous due to different organ involvement, and ILD is the main cause of mortality and function loss, which presents as different patterns when diagnosed. We designed this retrospective cohort to describe the clinical features and disease behaviour of ASSD associated ILD. Methods: Data of ASSD associated ILD were retrospectively collected in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from 2017.12 to 2019.3. Data were obtained from the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. Patients were divided into 5 groups according to distinct aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (ARS) antibodies. Results: 108 consecutive patients were recruited. 33 were JO-1 positive,30 were PL-7 positive,23 were EJ positive, 13 were PL12 positive and 9 were OJ positive. The JO-1 group had a significant higher rate of mechanic's hand (57.6%) than other 4 groups. Polymyositis/ dermatomyositis (PM/DM) was diagnosed in 25 (23.1%) patients and no difference was observed among the 5 groups. The PL7 group had a higher frequency of UIP pattern (13.3%) than the other 4 groups but the difference was not significant, and the EJ group had the most frequent OP pattern(78.2%), which was significantly higher than PL7 (P<0.001) and PL12 groups (P=0.025). The median follow-up time was 10.7 months. All received prednisone treatment, with or without immunosuppressants. At 6-month-follow up, 96.3% (104/108) had a positive response to therapy, the JO1 and EJ groups had a significantly higher improvement of forced vital capacity (FVC) than the other 3 groups (P<0.05), and PL-7 group had the lowest FVC improvement (P<0.05). The JO1 and EJ groups had significantly higher anti-RO52-positive occurrence than the other 3 groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Anti PL-7 antibody had the same frequency as anti-JO1 in ASSD-ILD, while the ILD pattern was different with distinct anti-ARS antibodies. Most ASSD-ILD had a positive response to steroids, with or without immunosuppressants. The PL-7 group had the highest occurrence of UIP pattern, and a significantly lower response to therapy.
Rehabilitation pathways in women with breast cancer in the first 12 months of the disease: a retrospective study
Authors: Falcicchio Chiara , Lallo Domenico Di , Fabi Alessandra , Bonucci Alessandro , Perrone Maria , Pace Andrea , Corti Ambra , Giacomelli Luca , Pugliese Patrizia
Published: December 2020

Background: Breast cancer (BC) presents important physical and psychological challenges that should be appropriately addressed through continuous, integrated and individualized rehabilitation programs after treatment. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from two archives of the Lazio Regional Health System Database to assess rehabilitation patterns in women diagnosed with BC in the Lazio region (Italy) in 2008.Results: Most patients (81.7%) received outpatient rehabilitative care, consisting mainly of pathology-related interventions and, more rarely, disability-related interventions (mainly motor rehabilitation and rarely cognitive or psychological therapy). Few patients followed an inpatient (1.3%) or an intensive outpatient rehabilitation program (1.0%).Conclusion: Women with BC need more adequate rehabilitation programs, which should focus more on psychosocial and cognitive interventions.
HPV Vaccination Uptake and Administration from 2006 to 2016 in a Commercially Insured Population of the United States
Authors: Prabhu Vimalanand Shrikant , Bansal Neha , Liu Zhiwen , Finalle Rodney , Sénécal Martin , Kothari Smita , Towers Kemar , Myers Evan
Published: December 2020

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection can cause various HPV-related cancers and can be prevented through HPV vaccination. While vaccination coverage (proportion ever vaccinated) estimates are available, vaccination uptake (proportion getting their first vaccine dose in a specific year) in the United States (US) is not well-known. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of MarketScan® claims database to assess the HPV vaccination uptake in the US among the 9- to 26-years-olds from 2006 to 2016. The annual uptake was the ratio between the number of enrollees for whom a first record of an HPV vaccine was found during the year and the total number of unique enrollees of similar age and gender identified that year.ResultsUptake was below 1% among children turning 9 and 10 years old during the year. Since 2009 among female and since 2013 among males, annual uptake has been the highest in those turning 13 years old (19.7% among females and 17.6% among males in 2016). Catch-up vaccination among older adolescents and young adults increased after Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, but eventually slowed down as more younger persons were vaccinated. Most young adolescents were vaccinated by pediatricians, whereas young adult women were predominantly vaccinated by obstetricians/gynecologists and young adult males by family physicians. While only about half of the adolescents had well-check visits, majority of those who initiated HPV vaccination had at least one well-check visit the same year.ConclusionUnderstanding HPV vaccination uptake can guide the development of appropriate interventions to help improve public health.
Pulmonary cavitation – an under-recognized late complication of severe COVID-19 lung disease
Authors: Zoumot Zaid , Bonilla Maria-Fernanda , Wahla Ali S. , Shafiq Irfan , Uzbeck Mateen , El-Lababidi Rania M. , Hamed Fadi , Abuzakouk Mohamed , ElKaissi Mahmoud
Published: December 2020

Background: Pulmonary radiological findings of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been well documented and range from scattered ground-glass infiltrates in milder cases to confluent ground-glass change, dense consolidation, and crazy paving in the critically ill. However, lung cavitation has not been commonly described in these patients. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of pulmonary cavitation in patients with COVID-19 and describe its characteristics and evolution. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients admitted to our institution with COVID-19 and reviewed electronic medical records and imaging to identify patients who developed pulmonary cavitation. Results: Twelve out of 689 (1.7%) patients admitted to our institution with COVID-19 developed pulmonary cavitation, comprising 3.3% (n=12/359) of patients who developed COVID-19 pneumonia, and 11% (n=12/110) of those admitted to the intensive care unit. We describe the imaging characteristics of the cavitation and present the clinical, pharmacological, laboratory, and microbiological parameters for these patients. In this cohort six patients have died, and six discharged home. Conclusion: Cavitary lung disease in patients with severe COVID-19 disease is not uncommon, and is associated with a high level of morbidity and mortality.
Insufficient physical activity level among Sahrawi adults living in a protracted refugee setting
Authors: Andersen Eivind , Kjellså Ida , Hjellset Victoria Telle , Henjum Sigrun
Published: December 2020

Background: The Sahrawi people fled their homes in 1975 as the conflict in Western Sahara escalated and settled down near Tindouf, Algeria, where they still live. High prevalence of overweight and obesity and type 2 diabetes had been found in this protracted refugee setting. Scaling up national policy efforts to promote physical activity (PA) is critical to reducing the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the near future. One possible barrier to the inclusion of PA in NCD prevention strategies is the lack of research on PA level, which may reduce political support and policy development for PA. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the PA level among adults living in Sahrawi refugee camps and socioeconomic factors associated with PA.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2014 in five refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria. A total of 180 women and 175 men were included. PA was measured using the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF).Results: There was a large amount of variance in reported PA for both genders, ranging from 10 min of total PA per week to above 40 hours. Forty-three percent of the participants had a low PA level (defined as not meeting the PA recommendations of 150 min of moderate to vigorous PA per day). The chi-square test of independence showed that males, those aged ≥ 60 years and people with higher education were more likely to be in the low PA level category. No significant relationship was found between PA level and BMI status. Most of the participants thought that engaging in PA would be wise, valuable, right and good but thought to a lesser degree that PA would be easy, comfortable and interesting.Conclusions: Almost half of the participants were categorised as insufficiently physically active, however, most of the Sahrawi refugees express a positive attitude towards PA. PA is a low-cost approach to reducing deaths and NCDs, government initiatives to increase PA levels in refugee camps are advised.
The role of humanities in the medical curriculum: medical students’ perspectives
Authors: Petrou Loukia , Mittelman Emma , Osibona Oluwapelumi , Panahi Mona , Harvey Joanna M , Patrick Yusuf A A , Leedham-Green Kathleen E
Published: December 2020

Background The humanities have long been shown to play an important role in the medical school curriculum. However, few studies have looked into the opinions of medical students on the usefulness and necessity of the humanities as well as their extracurricular involvement with them. The aim of this study was to: a) understand medical students’ attitude towards the humanities in medical education and b) assess their understanding of the necessary qualities of doctors and how interaction with the humanities affects the development of such attributes. Methods A mixed methods survey was designed to elicit demographics, engagement, interest and perspective on curricular positioning, and to explore how students ranked the qualities of a doctor. It was distributed to medical students of all year groups in the 6-year bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) course at Imperial College London. Results 109 fully completed questionnaires were received. No significant difference was found in engagement or interest in the humanities between genders. Students felt strongly that humanities subjects shouldn’t be assessed (71:18) though some felt it was necessary for engagement, while no consensus was reached on whether these subjects should be elective or not (38:31). The majority of students wanted more medical humanities to be incorporated into the traditional medical course with a preference of incorporation into the first 3 years. Junior medical students were more likely to rank empathy as a highly desirable attribute than senior students. Students provided qualitative insights into curricular positioning, assessment and value.Conclusions This study provides the perspective of medical students on how and whether the humanities should be positioned in medical education. It may be helpful to medical schools that are committed to student involvement in curriculum design.
Does respiratory co-infection facilitate dispersal of SARS-CoV-2? Investigation of a super-spreading event in an open-space office
Authors: Weissberg Dana , Böni Jürg , Rampini Silvana , Kufner Verena , Zaheri Maryam , Schreiber Peter W. , Abela Irene A. , Huber Michael , Sax Hugo , Wolfensberger Aline
Published: December 2020

Background: Super-spreaders are individuals infecting disproportionately large numbers of contacts. They probably play a crucial role in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We describe a super-spreading event within a team working in an open-space office and investigate factors potentially having facilitated SARS-CoV-2 transmission.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, semi-structured telephone interviews with all team members were carried out to identify symptoms, contacts, and adherence to basic hygiene measures. During site visits, we gathered information about workplace and seating arrangements. The secondary attack rate in office and households was calculated. Potential respiratory viral co-infections were assessed by multiplex PCR. SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing was performed using a tiled-amplicon sequencing approach.Results: Of 13 team members, 11 fell ill with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Due to the sequence of events and full genome sequence data, one person was considered the index case for this outbreak, directly infecting 67% to 83% of the teammates. All team members reported repetitive close contacts among themselves during joint computer work, team meetings and a “Happy Birthday” serenade. Two individuals shared nuts and dates. The arrangement of the office and meeting rooms precluded sufficient adherence to physical distancing. The index case and a further individual were diagnosed with an adenovirus serotype 4 co-infection. Conclusion: We identified several environmental and behavioral factors that probably have facilitated the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The relevance of the adenovirus co-infection remains unclear and merits further investigation.
ROLE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL FOOD MARKET
Authors:   East Siberia State University of Technology and Management, Dugina Е. , Saktoev V. ,   East Siberia State University of Technology and Management, Dorzhieva Е. ,   East Siberia State University of Technology and Management
Published: December 2020

The article examines the development and prospects of modern technologies in the agri-food sector. The study of the state and development trends of regional food market showed a high concentration and low self-sufficiency with the products of local agricultural producers. Small agribusiness predominates in the structure of regional agricultural production, but it has problems with the lack of permanent distribution channels. Creation of open digital platforms in processing, trade and consulting will allow farms to enter the market without intermediaries, find loyal consumers, enter the system of interregional agri-food relationships and get a synergistic effect from interaction with organizations of related industries. However, the outdated material and technical base hinders the introduction of innovative technologies (usually requiring significant capital investments), the low level of infrastructure development in rural areas, the lack of wide access to information services and skills in working with modern technologies and digital tools among the elderly population, distrust agrarians to innovative farming methods using digital solutions hinder the digitalization of the agri-food sector and the diversification of the rural economy. The digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex is impossible without bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas; therefore it is necessary to provide the basic conditions for the implementation of digital transformations, the availability of infrastructure and connectivity. Now the level of informatization in urban areas is ahead of those in rural areas; in the social sphere, information technologies are used more often and more actively than in the business sector. At the initial stage of digitalization, special attention should be paid to the formation and improvement of the skills of using modern equipment and technologies by the population. Subsequently, the digitalization of the agri-food sector should lead to the integration of small and medium agribusiness into digital agri-food systems, which reduce transaction costs and increase the efficiency of the regional food market
FEATURES OF FORMING AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Authors:   Perm Institute (branch) of the Russian Economic University named after G. V. Plekhanov, Oborin M.
Published: December 2020

The article discusses the trends in the development of Russian education, the formation and development of the educational services’ market that affect the effectiveness of the educational system. The analysis of scientific papers on the problem of the research allowed us to identify areas for improving the quality of educational services. The relevance of the topic is due to the peculiarity of adapting the Russian education system to the European tradition, the real needs of society, business and the state. The object of research is educational services, the subject of research is features of an effective educational services’ system formation. Taking into account strategic trends in the development of society and economy is the main element for making management strategic decisions regarding the further development of the educational environment. The quality of training specialists is of great importance in implementing the strategic goals of state development and improving the quality of human capital. The relevance of this topic is related to the complexity of this system, the high rate of educational services’ market development, the emergence of educational services’ new types and forms. The purpose of the article is to analyze trends in an effective system of educational services’ system formation. Research methods are semantic analysis of the functioning of educational systems, statistical analysis. The directions of improving the development of the education system related to social and economic aspects of functioning are defined. The growth in the number of private educational institutions indicates that the quality of services does not meet the needs of the economy, and the link with the production environment is low. A specialist with a higher education is forced to retrain in the conditions of an employer, which significantly increases the time of adaptation. Measures to overcome existing restrictions are described. The adaptation of the education system to the socio-economic conditions of Russia should be carried out in conjunction with the country’s development strategy, taking into account the features and role of training qualified personnel in the conditions of scientific and technological progress, changing the requirements for the competence of future specialists
NATURAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE HEALTH RESORT COMPLEX OF THE PERM REGION
Authors:   Perm Institute (branch) of the Russian Economic University named after G. V. Plekhanov, Oborin M.
Published: December 2020

The article considers the economic and natural-climatic conditions for ensuring competitive advantages of resort medicine enterprises in the region. The dynamics of changes in indicators that reflect the socio-economic state of resort activity, as well as the market situation in the Perm region relative to other regions, is studied. The role of resort organizations in solving the main socio-economic problems of the region has been analyzed. The dynamics and relationship between the number of resort organizations and the health status of consumers of services is presented. The problems of development of the Spa complex are revealed. Potential socio-economic changes associated with the development of resort activities are listed. The article reveals the features of the impact of natural resource potential and socio-economic conditions on the development of health tourism in the region. The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the influence of the natural resource potential on the development of health tourism in the region. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the natural medicinal resources used for research on the development of sanatorium-resort activities in the Perm Territory has been carried out. The territory of the Perm region is known to have a high potential for the development of recreational activities thanks to the local natural healing resource. The resources of the Perm Territory represent unique medicinal properties necessary for the organization of treatment and prophylactic measures in the health resorts of the resort. The favorable climate and landscape have a positive effect on the health of the population and holidaymakers. The main area of work is to ensure access to citizens, pensioners and disabled people in the region’s sanatoriums. The formation of needs in the development of resort areas depends on the development of medical and recreational services, their impact on the psychophysiological state of a person. An expert assessment of the competitiveness of the sanatorium-resort organizations of the Perm Territory made it possible to determine the directions for increasing the efficiency of activities, taking into account the natural healing resources that affect the human body
INTENSIFICATION OF DISPERSED AND FINE-GRAINED SILVER EXTRACTION IN CYANIDE HEAP LEACHING OF GOLD
Authors:   Transbaikal State University, Rubtsov Yu. , Trubachev А. ,   Transbaikal State University, Voronov E. ,   Transbaikal State University, Lavrov A. ,   Transbaikal State University, Lavrik A. ,   IGD DVO RAS
Published: December 2020

Since the cost of gold has increased by an order of magnitude over the past 20 years, gold mining began to be carried out from ores that are not previously acceptable for heap leaching (HL) technology – these are refractory ores with thin and ultrafine inclusions of precious metals, ore with an increased silver content. In the Russian Federation, classical representations in the field of gold and silver HL prevail in design solutions. At the same time, the problem of silver leaching is considered in terms of the associated extraction of the main component. This approach is determined by a limited set of technological measures that have become an integral part of the classic technological regulation: ore crushing to the class –200–40 mm, sodium cyanide consumption at the level of 0,5 kg/t; pH value – 10,5; cycle duration 65 days or more; gold concentration in production solutions – fractions, mg/l; using activated carbon for sorption of noble metals. Processing ores with silver contents of 30 g/t and a more classical approach to gold HL does not allow to increase the degree of extraction. There is a need to modernize the circuit or change the parameters of the technological regulations. The object of the study was a sample of poor quartz ore provided by the customer developing one of the gold and silver deposits of the Far Eastern Federal District, the object was to increase the degree of leaching of silver from poor gold-bearing ores without changing the technological scheme and without attracting additional mining equipment. Critical analysis of literary data was carried out and the main directions of gold production from poor gold-bearing ores were identified. Chemical and mineralogical compositions of silver-containing minerals and ore rocks were investigated. Forms of association of silver with ore minerals and rocks have been established. The option of physical and chemical activation of increase of reactivity of cyanide solutions during heap leaching of silver from poor gold-bearing ores is chosen. In laboratory conditions, it was found that an increase in the concentration of sodium cyanide by 6 times or more contributes to a satisfactory extraction of gold both in agitation and percolation leaching of silver. However, in the latter case, the positive result was obtained only with the use of solutions with increased reactivity
ACTIVITY PROBLEMS OF REGIONAL BRANCHES OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN RUSSIA IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE TRANSBAIKAL REGION
Authors:   Transbaikal State University, Zimina N
Published: December 2020

Modern political parties are becoming an integral part of the political system of society. They have their own organizational and legal basis, register as a non-profit organization, have their own status, program, leaders, and own goals and objectives. One of the tasks of any political party is to participate in the life of society and in solving its problematic issues. One of the party’s tasks is to represent the interests of the population of the regions during elections at various levels in Russia and in municipalities. Political parties, being a political institution, are an ideological, conceptual, personnel and electoral resource of any government. Regional branches of political parties in the current political situation fully represent the needs of the regions and represent them in elections. They reflect regional interests, as well as the degree of democracy of regional authorities and local self-government bodies
Genetic Diversity of Cowpea Genotypes Grown in the Brazilian Cerrado
Authors: Alvarez Rita de Cássia Félix , Taveira Aline Cordeiro , Lima Sebastião Ferreira de , Teodoro Larissa Pereira Ribeiro , Oliveira Job Teixeira de , Santos Adriano dos , Rodrigues Erina Vitório , Ceccon Gessi , Teodoro Paulo Eduardo
Published: December 2020

This study aimed to identify promising crosses to generate cowpea breeding populations for the Brazilian Cerrado region. The experiment was carried out during the two crop seasons. The experimental design used was a randomized block with four replications and 20 genotypes prostrate. The effect of genotypes was significant for all traits evaluated. The Mahalanobis distance and the Tocher’s cluster were used to estimate the genetic diversity. Singh’s criterion was used to quantify the contribution of each trait to genetic diversity. Mass of hundred grains and grain yield were the traits that most contributed to detect diversity among cowpea genotypes. The crosses between the G14 genotype with G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G11, G16, and G20 are promising for the development of populations with variability and high genetic potential.
Det villrådiga samhället: Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens politiska och ekonomiska ideologi, 1739–1792
Authors: Persson Mathias
Published: December 2020

The Royal Academy of Sciences was an important organization in eighteenth-century Sweden. It brought together scientists and scholars contributing to a wide spectrum of areas, encompassing nature as well as society. But it also maintained close ties to the elite and the political establishment. The academy formed part of the institutional landscape of power and functioned as a consultive body and an arena for the upper echelons of the Swedish realm. The monograph sheds light on the political and economic outlook of the Royal Academy of Sciences during the period 1739–1792 against the background of its intimate connections to the ruling stratum. Not least the Hat Party, which dominated the Swedish political scene during the Age of Liberty, and the autocratic King Gustav III. The study shows that the members of the academy overall gravitated towards traditional viewpoints and that their conceptualizations of society were substantially affected by their interactions with the power holders. While some fellows offered new ideas in line with an increasing contemporary emphasis on spontaneous societal development and the capability of individuals to act responsibly on their own accord, such notions were by no means prevalent. Moreover, the book demonstrates that neither the academy nor its members constituted a passive tool for the elite and the powers that be. Rather, they engaged in self-promotion by attributing themselves a crucial role in the project of general improvement they envisioned and added to.
Humans, Animals and Habitats: Liminality and Environmental Concerns in George Saunders’ Fox 8
Authors:   Doctoral Research Scholar, Department of English, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, Mathew Raisun , Pandya Digvijay ,   Associate Professor and Research Supervisor, Department of English, Lovely Professional University, Punjab (India)
Published: December 2020

With the equal treatment of binary oppositions related to environmental concerns, the hypocrisy of human beings continues to dominate on earth having no counterpart to compete except the ones within the same race. Intruding into the unexplored habitats has helped the race to expand their jurisdictions, often with the exercise of power and unrivalled exhibition of uniqueness. This qualitative research paper aims to interpret the environmental concerns discussed in George Saunders’ Fox 8 in the light of the characteristics of coercive liminality exercised by the invasive domination of humans over the inhabitants. The intrusion of human beings transforms natural habitats to man-made environments, thus making it exclusively accessible only for their purposes. Human invasions lead to domination and it entails exploitation that results in the displacement of inhabitants and resources from their natural habitats. Introduction of the concepts such as coercive liminality from the textual interpretation and the argument of resultant counter-liminality develop the core of the paper. The research contributes to the perspective of liminality on studies related to environmental transitions and alterations due to human intervention.
“Sense of Place and Sense of Planet”: Local-Planetary Experiences of Climate Change in Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior
Authors:   Ph.D. Research Scholar, Bankura University, Jalan Sonam
Published: December 2020

Climate change has become a harsh reality of our present times. It is happening here, there, and everywhere unbound by the spatial and temporal dimensions. The vacillating impact of such a global crisis equally demands multiple and concurrent scales in order to accurately comprehend the complexity of the problem. Borrowing the title of my paper from Ursula K. Heise’s book, Sense of Place and Sense of Planet: The Environmental Imagination of the Global, where she proposes the concept of ‘eco-cosmopolitanism’, this article aims at reflecting upon the globalization of the present ecocatastrophes, musing upon the local (the experiences of the working class people) and the global scale (Unnatural Migration and thereby extinction of the Monarch Butterflies) impact of the climate crisis. Ursula K. Heise believes that the ‘deterritorialization’ of the local knowledge is not always detrimental rather can open up new avenues into ecological consciousness. Giving consideration to a deterritorialised environmental vision my paper will fall back on Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior– a novel dealing with the eco-apocalypse, climate change and global warming. In providing a deeply humane account of the working people’s response to the local effects of the global crisis along with a poignant account of the impact on a planetary scale- the Migration of the Monarch Butterflies and their extinction, Kingsolver in this novel contextualizes the micro-geographically bounded human experience and memory within the larger context of the global Anthropocene thereby calling for a ‘sense of planet’ along with a ‘sense of place’- which get along with each other.
Art in the Digital during and after Covid: Aura and Apparatus of Online Exhibitions
Authors:   Universidade Católica Portuguesa, School of Arts, CCD/CITAR, Amorim João Pedro , Teixeira Luís ,   Universidade Católica Portuguesa, School of Arts, CCD/CITAR
Published: December 2020

The public health measures that were put in place to contain COVID-19 impacted the lives of people and institutions alike. For its global impact and transformation, the pandemic has the potential to be classified as a mega-event. Such radical events have become great opportunities to the testing of new technologies and forms of organisation, (Masi, 2016) that might in the future become prevalent. The impact of the pandemic was particularly felt in the contemporary art world, as the entire cultural activity was suspended. During this period, art institutions and collectives around the world reacted by adapting and providing alternative materials online. This paper aims at reflecting upon the challenges facing the exhibition of contemporary art online. Following Boris Groys’ (2016) actualisation of Walter Benjamin, we problematise how the digital reproduction of art affects the aura of an artwork. Proposing a critique of the apparatus of digital platforms, we analyse how the digital reproduces and enhances ideological structures that overpass the whole of society. For that purpose we analyse how four different organisations (an artist-run space, an art gallery, a museum and an art biennale) have migrated their activity to online platforms. The case-studies will allow a broad understanding of the different approaches available – with some radically taking advantage of the digital environment, and others merely digitising the role taken henceforth by printed catalogues.