bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O MEIO AMBIENTE E A RESPONSABILIDADE CIVIL OBJETIVA POR DANOS AMBIENTAIS
Authors: RODRIGUES Clareana Isaac , NOVAES Elizabete Cristiane de Oliveira Futami de
Published: May 2020

O presente artigo visa investigar e confirmar a atuação predominante da responsabilidade civil objetiva nos julgados brasileiros referentes aos danos ambientais, bem como estudar o histórico do Direito Ambiental e identificar os regimentos legais ambientais vigentes no Brasil. Ademais, classificar os danos puníveis, as teorias utilizadas para estipular o nexo causal entre o dano e a atividade poluente, e pontuar a teoria mais eficaz. Conta, também, com o estudo comparativo, onde procura identificar as tendências mundiais sobre a responsabilização dos danos ambientais. A metodologia utilizada abrange levantamentos bibliográficos, documentais e comparativos de todos os materiais encontrados, capazes de analisar as diretrizes indagadas na pesquisa. Em suma, a problemática abordada dispõe sobre as soluções utilizadas no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro mais benéficas ao Meio Ambiente, intencionando sempre a sua reparação in natura, para que este volte ao estado anterior ao da degradação, ou seja, retornar o meio ao seu status quo.
Fitossociologia de plantas daninhas em área de patoreio no Município de Caturité, Região do Cariri Paraibano, Brasil
Authors: Lira Emannuella Hayanna Alves de , Souza Bartolomeu Israel de , Oliveira Suenildo Jósemo Costa
Published: May 2020

As infestações de plantas daninhas em áreas de pastoreio representam fator limitante a sustentabilidade da atividade pecuária com consequente aumento dos custos de produção e menor rentabilidade do produto. Diante deste fato, este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a composição florística e as relações fitossociológicas de plantas daninhas em área de pastoreio no Município de Caturité-PB, visando à manutenção da pecuária como atividade economicamente viável e a conservação da vegetação local. Para isto foi utilizado o Método do Quadrado Ocupado, lançando aleatoriamente por 20 vezes na área de interesse um quadrado vazado nas dimensões 1 x 1 = 1 m². As plantas daninhas presentes foram quantificadas e identificadas e para efeito dos cálculos fitossociológicos foram analisando os seguintes parâmetros, Quadrado Ocupado, Número de Indivíduos, Frequência, Frequência Relativa, Densidade, Densidade Relativa, Abundância, Abundância Relativa e Índice de Importância Relativa. No total foram quantificados 3.670 indivíduos, distribuídos em 10 famílias e 17 espécies. As famílias botânicas de plantas daninhas mais representativas na área foram Poaceae, Asteraceae e Amaranthaceae. Entre as espécies daninhas identificadas na pastagem foi constatada uma distribuição irregular, indicando a presença de grande concorrência entre as populações daninhas e evidenciando uma degradação da área. As espécies Cyperus rotundus L., Xanthium strumarium L. e Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, destacaram-se como aquelas que merecem maior atenção no controle.
Ações de sustentabilidade: práticas predominantes em um grupo de comércio varejista
Authors: Cunha Lucelma Maria dos Santos , Ribeiro Maisa de Souza , Rezende Amaury José , Fregonesi Mariana Simões Ferraz do Amaral
Published: May 2020

A governança do meio ambiente tem se tornado um tópico central na discussão sobre os impactos das atividades produtoras e da gestão socioambiental. Em um contexto de verificação de práticas ambientais proativas e reativas, os relatórios anuais de um grupo empresarial varejista foram analisados com o objetivo de identificar as práticas de sustentabilidade predominantes do grupo, ocorridas de 2010 a 2017. Os dados foram analisados longitudinalmente e de forma qualitativa, por meio de análise interpretativa de ações relacionadas ao consumo de energia e água, ao descarte de água, à emissão de gases do efeito estufa (GEE) e à gestão de resíduos. Observou-se a predominância de práticas proativas operacionais, a exemplo de projetos de eficiência energética, medidas para a redução no consumo de água, substituição do uso de GEE e gestão de resíduos, internos e externos, além do desenvolvimento de ações que buscam conformidade legal. De forma geral, este estudo contribui para a identificação das ações ambientais internas e externas à instituição, passíveis de serem implementadas pelo setor varejista para reduzir os custos de impactos ambientais causados por suas operações e aperfeiçoar a gestão ambiental.
Formação continuada de professores: a utilização de trilhas interpretativas como instrumento pedagógico
Authors: Pedrosa Kamila Marques , Santos Suellen da Silva , Andrade Edardna Suzana , Rodrigues Ewerton Freire , Silva Jackson dos Santos , Santana Diogo Anderson Fonseca , Félix Wilson José Xavier
Published: May 2020

O estudo teve como objetivo intervir na construção de uma ação de formação continuada de professores para utilização de trilhas interpretativas como processo pedagógico, e analisar reflexivamente sobre os diferentes aspectos dessa intervenção. A formação foi realizada com professores e professoras da rede estadual de ensino do Município de Areia, Estado da Paraíba. As atividades desenvolvidas com os professores foram parte do projeto PROLICEN (Programa de Licenciaturas) e foram realizadas em dois momentos distintos. Para coleta dos dados foi utilizado questionário, observação e grupo focal. O primeiro momento teve a presença de nove professores e ocorreu por meio da formação teórica em sala de aula mediado por discussões sobre temas educação ambiental, formação docente, unidade de conservação, metodologias ativas, trilhas interpretativas, Mata do Pau Ferro e exposição dos recursos pedagógicos. O segundo momento de formação ocorreu na Mata do Pau Ferro com a presença de quatro professores que participaram das trilhas interpretativas demarcada com pontos estratégicos e com temas pré-estabelecidos pelos monitores, a fim de estabelecer discussões sobre diversos temas. A partir dessa formação continuada foi possível elucidar que formações continuadas que envolvam os professores e os façam refletir sobre suas metodologias em sala de aula, visto que, atualmente o percurso das formações tem enfadado os docentes, mas é notório que os mesmos compreendem a necessidade de espaços formativos, principalmente, com temas relevantes para sociedade moderna e que tratam de contextos transdisciplinares.
Anomalies, a mod 2 index, and dynamics of 2d adjoint QCD
Authors: Cherman Aleksey , Jacobson Theo , Tanizaki Yuya , Ünsal Mithat
Published: May 2020

We show that 22d
adjoint QCD, an SU(N)SU(N)
gauge theory with one massless adjoint Majorana fermion, has a variety
of mixed ’t Hooft anomalies. The anomalies are derived using a recent
mod 22
index theorem and its generalization that incorporates ’t Hooft flux.
Anomaly matching and dynamical considerations are used to determine the
ground-state structure of the theory. The anomalies, which are present
for most values of NN,
are matched by spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking. We find that
massless 22d
adjoint QCD confines for N >2N>2,
except for test charges of NN-ality
N/2N/2,
which are deconfined. In other words, \mathbb Z_NℤN
center symmetry is unbroken for odd NN
and spontaneously broken to \mathbb Z_{N/2}ℤN/2
for even NN.
All of these results are confirmed by explicit calculations on small
\mathbb{R}\times S^1ℝ×S1.
We also show that this non-supersymmetric theory exhibits exact
Bose-Fermi degeneracies for all states, including the vacua, when
NN
is even. Furthermore, for most values of NN,
22d
massive adjoint QCD describes a non-trivial symmetry-protected
topological (SPT) phase of matter, including certain cases where the
number of interacting Majorana fermions is a multiple of
88.
As a result, it fits into the classification of
(1+1)(1+1)d
SPT phases of interacting Majorana fermions in an interesting way.
SITUAÇÃO DE ESTUDO E ABORDAGEM TEMÁTICA: RELAÇÕES, DISCUSSÕES E SINALIZAÇÕES
Authors: Magoga Thiago Flores , Da Silva Josiane Marques , Muenchen Cristiane
Published: May 2020

O presente trabalho, de cunho qualitativo, buscou por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica em atas dos Encontros Nacionais de Pesquisa em Educação em Ciências investigar as aproximações e distanciamentos, entre as perspectivas da Abordagem Temática e da Situação de Estudo e, com isso, discutir suas relações com o currículo escolar. O recorte temporal da revisão deu-se no período de 1997 à 2015. A análise dos dados foi baseada na Análise Textual Discursiva e, como principais resultados da pesquisa, destaca-se que a Abordagem Temática está fundamentada na Educação Libertadora Freireana e a Situação de Estudo no referencial de Vygotsky, mas ambas perspectivas são identificadas como propostas de reorganização curricular balizadas por temas na intenção de contemplar um ensino interdisciplinar e contextualizado.
REGIME DE PROGRESSÃO CONTINUADA E AVALIAÇÃO EM UMA ESCOLA ESTADUAL NO MUNICÍPIO DE HUMAITÁ/AM
Authors: Reis Daiana Dos Santos , Andrade Aldair Oliveira de
Published: May 2020

A Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação nº 9.394/96 prevê no artigo 32 §2° que as instituições escolares utilizem o Regime de Progressão Continuada, o qual está diretamente ligado a avaliação. A pesquisa objetiva demonstrar estatística e descritivamente a realidade da avaliação no Regime, destacando questões como tempo de aprendizagem, práticas avaliativas e acompanhamento individual a partir da perspectiva dos alunos com a qual foi realizada uma pesquisa no 9° ano do Ensino Fundamental II, em uma Escola Estadual do Município de Humaitá/AM. Estudos sobre a temática possibilitaram identificar direitos previstos em lei que serviram de base para a nossa análise, demonstrando que todas as formas avaliativas são utilizadas em sala de aula, porém, ainda há resquícios do ensino tradicional nas medidas utilizadas, com alunos que tendem a esperar por instruções e que o termo “reprovação” ainda se faz presente no contexto escolar, mesmo que vedada a sua utilização.
ESTRATÉGIAS DE RESISTÊNCIA POSSIBILITANDO O DEBATE DE GÊNERO E SEXUALIDADE NA ESCOLA
Authors: Torrada Lara , Costa Ribeiro Paula Regina , Rizza Juliana Lapa
Published: May 2020

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar algumas estratégias de resistência produzidas em um projeto-experiência que visa à promoção das discussões de gênero e sexualidade no espaço escolar. O trabalho articula problematizações acerca dos mecanismos de poder e estratégias de resistência de professoras e de um professor que participaram de tal projeto. As perspectivas que organizaram as análises tomam como inspiração os estudos foucaultianos, de gênero e sexualidade. Os dados da pesquisa foram produzidos a partir de entrevistas e de grupo de discussão. Nas análises, foi possível perceber estratégias promovidas pelas/pelo professoras/professor, como: trabalhar com a temática, utilizando termos ou assuntos de “maior aceitação” pela sociedade; incorporar a temática aos conteúdos das disciplinas; manter um diálogo com as famílias e comunidade sobre o desenvolvimento do projeto; lutar pela inclusão da temática nos documentos que fornecem diretrizes educacionais, entre outras estratégias de resistências, buscando manter a problematização e as discussões referentes às temáticas de gênero e sexualidade em suas salas de aula. Por fim, para possibilitar um espaço escolar menos discriminatório e sexista, é fundamental que existam propostas que promovam resistências e que possibilitem a problematização e o debate das questões de gênero e sexualidade na escola.
HIBRIDIZAÇÃO CULTURAL E PAISAGENS SONORAS: INFLUÊNCIAS NA FORMAÇÃO DE JOVENS MÚSICOS
Authors: Bezerra Silvio Gleisson , Tauk Santos Maria Salett
Published: May 2020

O objetivo desta investigação foi analisar o trabalho de formação de jovens músicos, desenvolvido pela Sociedade Musical 15 de Agosto na cidade de Aliança, Zona da Mata de Pernambuco, à luz da teoria da hibridização cultural de Canclini (2015) e dos estudos das paisagens sonoras de Schafer (2011). Desse modo, buscou-se compreender como as hibridizações se fazem presentes no processo de educação não formal de jovens, colaborando à construção de uma produção musical que faz parte de uma paisagem sonora local contemporânea sob as influências da cultura massiva. A investigação de caráter qualitativo, fundamentou-se na combinação de técnicas como a pesquisa bibliográfica, a análise documental, a observação direta com a utilização de diário de campo e a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os sujeitos da pesquisa. Através da interpretação dos dados à luz das teorias escolhidas como indicadores, foram observados indícios de uma produção musical hibridizada, tendo os  jovens como protagonistas do processo de formação musical. Além disso, os participantes da entidade identificaram através dos depoimentos, a presença de uma paisagem sonora híbrida, como parte de uma diversidade das culturas populares que comportam elementos da região e da cultura de massa transnacional.
Factors Affecting Engineering Students’ Achievement in Computer Programming
Authors: Gurer Melih Derya , Tokumaci Seyfullah
Published: May 2020

Literature indicated that attitude toward programming, programming self-efficacy, gender, and students’ department has been related to achievement in computer programming. However, there is a need for further studies investigating to what extent these factors explain programming achievement in a model. This study aimed to investigate the effects of programming self-efficacy, attitude towards programming, gender, and students’ department on their perceived learning. A correlational study design was adopted for this study. The sample of the study was 742 students of an engineering faculty at a state university inTurkey. To collect data, Programming Self-Efficacy Scale, Computer Programming Attitude Scale, and Perceived Learning Scale were used. To analyze data, descriptive statistics e.g. mean and standard deviation, and Pearson Correlation tests were administered. In addition, to determine the factors affecting perceived learning, multiple regression analysis was employed. The results indicated that the engineering faculty students’ attitudes towards programming, programming self-efficacy and perceived learning were at high level. In addition, significant correlations between perceived learning and predictive variables were found. Finally, it was concluded that gender, attitude towards programming and programming self-efficacy significantly predicted perceived learning. The results of the study provide a deeper understanding of how students’ learning was affected in programming courses.
Exploring and comparing computational thinking skills in students who take GCSE Computer Science and those who do not
Authors: Gillott Lauren , Joyce-Gibbons Andrew , Hidson Elizabeth
Published: May 2020

This study compares computational thinking skills evidenced by two groups of students in two different secondary schools: one group per school was studying a qualification in Computer Science. The aim was to establish which elements of computational thinking were more prevalent in students studying Computer Science to a higher level. This in turn would evidence those elements likely to be present from their earlier computing education or through their complementary studies in Science or Mathematics, which all students also studied. Understanding this difference was important to identify any increased competence in computational thinking that was present in the Computer Science groups. Artefact-based interviews were carried out using questions and practical computing problems designed to elicit and demonstrate the students’ computational thinking skills based on the Brennan and Resnick (2016) model of computational concepts, practices and perspectives. Analysis of students’ responses showed surprisingly little difference between the computational thinking practices of the two groups in relation to abstraction, decomposition, evaluation, generalisation/reusing, logical reasoning and debugging/testing. The study concludes that general computational thinking skills can be developed either at a lower level of study or in cognate curriculum areas, leaving computer science as the rightful locus of computational thinking for automation.
A nonparametric statistical framework using a kernel density estimator to approximate flood marginal distributions – a case study for the Kelantan River Basin in Malaysia
Authors: Latif Shahid , Mustafa Firuza
Published: May 2020

Floods are becoming the most challenging hydrologic issue in the Kelantan River basin in Malaysia. All three flood characteristics, i.e. peak flow, flood volume and flood duration, are important when formulating actions and measures to manage flood risk. Therefore, estimating the multivariate designs and their associated return periods is an essential element of making informed risk-based decisions in this river basin. In this paper, the efficacy of a kernel density estimator is tested by assessing the adequacy of kernel functions for capturing flood marginal density of 50 years (from 1961 to 2016) of daily streamflow data collected at Gulliemard Bridge gauge station in the Kelantan River basin. Tests for stationarity or the existence of serial correlation within the flood series is often a pre-requisite before introducing the random samples into a univariate or a multivariate framework. It was found that homogeneity existed within the flood vector series. It was concluded therefore that time series of the flood vectors do not exhibit any significant trend. Based on analytically based fitness measures, it was concluded that it is likely that Triweight kernel function is the best-fitted distribution for defining the marginal distribution of peak flows, flood volumes and flood durations in the Kelantan River basin.
The effect of diffusion on the acoustic properties of a bubble fluid
Authors: Agisheva U.O. , Vdovenko I.I. , Galimzyanov M.N.
Published: May 2020

The problems of wave propagation in bubble media have been of great interest to researchers for almost half a century in connection with the wide distribution of these systems in nature and their intensive use in modern technologies. It is known from the literature that the intensity of attenuation of sound disturbances in the gas-liquid media under consideration is mainly determined by the thermophysical characteristics of the gas in the bubbles. It turns out that these effects are significantly enhanced with increasing vapor concentration due to an increase in the temperature of the system. There are a large number of publications in the literature in which various statements of the wave action on bubble media have been considered. In the present work, the propagation of small perturbations in a liquid with bubbles filled with vapor and a gas insoluble in the liquid phase is considered in the plane one-dimensional and single-velocity approximations. The rate of liquid evaporation (condensation) inside the bubble was determined from the condition of heat balance. To take into account interphase heat and mass transfer, the heat conduction and diffusion equations inside the bubble and the heat conduction equation in the fluid around the bubble are used. From the condition for the existence of a solution in the form of a decaying traveling wave, taking into account the effects of acoustic unloading of bubbles, the dispersion equation is written. From the condition for the existence of a solution in the form of a decaying traveling wave, taking into account the effects of acoustic unloading of bubbles, the dispersion equation is written. Based on the obtained dispersion equation, relations are written for the equilibrium speed of sound depending on the thermophysical parameters of the medium and numerical calculations are performed for water with vapor-gas bubbles. The features of the reflection of harmonic waves from the interface between the “pure” liquid and liquid with vapor-gas bubbles are studied. The influence of the perturbation frequency and the temperature of the medium on the attenuation coefficient of the acoustic wave is studied. The influence of diffusion on the evolution of harmonic waves is analyzed.
Variación espacio-temporal de la avifauna en el embalse de Prado (Tolima)
Authors: Villabon Chabeli , Losada-Prado Sergio
Published: May 2020

El departamento de Tolima presenta ecosistemas lénticos de gran importancia entre ellos el embalse de Prado, del cual no se posee información clara de su avifauna. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estimar la abundancia y riqueza de la comunidad de aves presentes en el embalse de Prado y su variación espacio-temporal. Los muestreos se realizaron en los meses de agosto a noviembre de 2017 en las localidades: Tomogó, Corinto, Aco-Caimán, Isla del Sol y Yucupi. Se emplearon avistamientos lineales aleatorios sobre el espejo de agua y transectos en la vegetación de orilla, teniendo en cuenta la temporada climática. Se alcanzó un esfuerzo de muestreo del 87,5 % según el estimador de cobertura basada en abundancias (ACE), registrándose un total de 81 especies, donde la familia Tyrannidae presentó la mayor riqueza. A nivel temporal, el mayor número de especies en noviembre (59 especies), la mayor diversidad en octubre (28 especies) y la dominancia de especies fue similar entre las temporadas (1,05 a 1,27, según la localidad). El mayor número efectivo de especies se presentó en Aco-Caiman (53 especies), la mayor diversidad se presentó en Corinto (29 especies) y la dominancia fue similar entre las localidades, con valores entre 1,23 y 1,05. Según la cobertura vegetal, el mayor número de especies se dio en el Bosque ripario (43 especies), la mayor diversidad en arbustos y matorrales (25 especies) y la dominancia fue similar en todas las coberturas, con valores entre 1,06 y 1,26. De acuerdo al análisis ANOSIM, no hubo diferencias significativas en la comunidad de aves, ni entre localidades (P= 0,71) ni entre cobertura vegetal (p=0,16). Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio sugieren que la temporalidad y espacialidad no afectan el número de especies y el número de individuos dentro del embalse, posiblemente por la homogeneidad de este sistema lacustre.
Sinergia de los actores de la ciencia para desarrollar una acuicultura sostenible y competitiva: Asociación Académica Colombiana de Acuicultura-ACCUA
Authors: Gaitán Saeko , Botero Aguirre Mónica , Landines Miguel Ángel
Published: May 2020

La creación de ACCUA se fundamentó en las consideraciones del informe titulado Aquaculture in Colombia (Pardo-Carrasco et al., 2018), presentado en LAQUA18, el cual pondera la producción acuícola de especies exóticas y nativas mediante tecnologías amigables con el medio ambiente en diferentes regiones del país. En Colombia el aporte de la acuicultura a la producción pesquera nacional supera el 27 % de la producción total, siendo estos los productos de la acuicultura más importantes, en su orden: la Tilapia (95 % Tilapia roja: Oreochromis sp.), las Cachamas (Piaractus brachipomus y Colossoma macropomun), los camarones de cultivo (Litopenaeus vannamei y L. stylirostris) y la Trucha (Oncorhynchus mykiss).
Fijación de invertebrados en tres tipos de substratos artificiales en el estero de Sabancuy, Campeche, Golfo de México
Authors: Torruco Daniel , González-Solís Alicia , Torruco-González Ángel D.
Published: May 2020

Para los invertebrados sésiles, el comportamiento del asentamiento larval y la selección del substrato final para su fijación es crítico para el posterior desarrollo del organismo adulto. En el presente trabajo se realizó un análisis comparativo de dos temporadas en 2018, y de tres tipos de substratos artificiales: dos de plástico y uno biogénico para la fijación de larvas de organismos en la boca del Estero de Sabancuy de la Laguna de Términos, Campeche. Se realizaron comparaciones entre la longitud y amplitud de la concha de Crassostrea virginica como expresión de crecimiento para esas temporadas y para esos tipos de substrato dada su importancia comercial. El substrato más eficiente en el contexto establecido fue el tipo biogénico (46,78 % del total de las fijaciones), así como la estación dos en ambas épocas (>1000 fijaciones), obteniendo mejores resultados en la segunda época (agosto).  El grupo más oportunista fue el de los crustáceos Cirripedios en ambas temporadas.  El grupo que presentó mayores fluctuaciones en su frecuencia relativa fueron las esponjas. En ambas temporadas se observó un patrón de tallas semejante para Crassostrea, solo que con un intervalo amplio de variación; por consiguiente, es probable que se favorezca la fijación progresiva de post  larvas y permita el establecimiento de tallas pequeñas y el sucesivo crecimiento de las ya existentes
Algunas visiones del mundo en altamar : sistemas bióticos rituales en el golfo de México y el mar Caribe
Authors: Reynoso Arán Roberto
Published: May 2020

Cada día cobra mayor interés la investigación etnoecológica en México y el mundo. Tal hecho encuentra su explicación en muy diferentes motivaciones: la constatación de que el conocimiento, manejo y utilización tradicionales de nuestros recursos bióticos están sustentados en una sabiduría local; la convicción de que los conocimientos locales pueden ser estudiados, desarrollados y aplicados, tanto en sus regiones de origen como en otras. Los conceptos populares sobre el entorno se clasifican en taxonomías estructurales que muestran los elementos del entorno que son particularmente relevantes para un cierto grupo de gente. Estas, son algunas de las razones aducidas para fomentar la producción en este campo de estudio situado entre los que formalmente comprenden, por una parte, las Ciencias Biológicas y por otra las Ciencias Sociales.
Novel Therapeutic Approaches and Targets for the Treatment of Neutrophilic Dermatoses, Management of Patients with Neutrophilic Dermatoses and Future Directions in the Era of Biologic Treatment
Authors: Molinelli Elisa , Brisigotti Valerio , Paolinelli Matteo , Offidani Annamaria
Published: May 2020

:

Neutrophilic dermatoses are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory skin disorders characterized
by the presence of a sterile, predominantly neutrophilic infiltrate on histopathology. Universally
accepted and validated guidelines for the management of neutrophilic dermatoses do not exist, also
given the paucity of randomized controlled study and high-quality data. However, the literature on the
effective use of biologic therapies is rapidly expanding. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical
characteristics, histopathologic features, and management of pyoderma gangrenosum as well as
Sweet’s syndrome, sub-corneal pustular dermatoses and bowel-associated dermatosis arthritis syndrome.
The use of biologic agents, including tumor necrosis factor α-inhibitors, anti-IL1, anti-IL-17,
and IL-23 are discussed in detail.
Is It the Twilight of BACE1 Inhibitors?
Authors: Hrabinova Martina , Pejchal Jaroslav , Kucera Tomas , Jun Daniel , Schmidt Monika , Soukup Ondrej
Published: May 2020

:

β-secretase (BACE1) has been regarded as a prime target for the development of amyloid
beta (Aβ) lowering drugs in the therapy of Alzheimer´s disease (AD). Although the enzyme was
discovered in 1991 and helped to formulate the Aβ hypothesis as one of the very important features
of AD etiopathogenesis, progress in AD treatment utilizing BACE1 inhibitors has remained limited.
Moreover, in the last years, major pharmaceutical companies have discontinued clinical trials of
five BACE1 inhibitors that had been strongly perceived as prospective. In our review, the Aβ hypothesis,
the enzyme, its functions, and selected substrates are described. BACE1 inhibitors are
classified into four generations. Those that underwent clinical trials displayed adverse effects, including
weight loss, skin rashes, worsening of neuropsychiatric symptoms, etc. Some inhibitors
could not establish a statistically significant risk-benefit ratio, or even scored worse than placebo.
We still believe that drugs targeting BACE1 may still hide some potential, but a different approach
to BACE1 inhibition or a shift of focus to modulation of its trafficking and/or post-translational
modification should now be followed.
The Effect of Melatonin Modulation of Non-coding RNAs on Central Nervous System Disorders: An Updated Review
Authors: Lu Jianan , Luo Yujie , Mei Shuhao , Fang Yuanjian , Zhang Jianmin , Chen Sheng
Published: May 2020

:

Melatonin is a hormone produced in and secreted by the pineal gland. Besides its role in
regulating circadian rhythms, melatonin has a wide range of protective functions in the central
nervous system (CNS) disorders. The mechanisms underlying this protective function are associated
with the regulatory effects of melatonin on related genes and proteins. In addition to messenger
ribonucleic acid (RNA) that can be translated into protein, an increasing number of non-coding
RNAs in the human body are proven to participate in many diseases. This review discusses the
current progress of research on the effects of melatonin modulation of non-coding RNAs
(ncRNAs), including microRNA, long ncRNA, and circular RNA. The role of melatonin in regulating
common pathological mechanisms through these ncRNAs is also summarized. Furthermore, the
ncRNAs, currently shown to be involved in melatonin signaling in CNS diseases, are discussed.
The information compiled in this review will open new avenues for future research into melatonin
mechanisms and provide a further understanding of ncRNAs in the CNS.
MRMD2.0: A Python Tool for Machine Learning with Feature Ranking and Reduction
Authors: He Shida , Guo Fei , Zou Quan , HuiDing
Published: May 2020

Aims:

The study aims to find a way to reduce the dimensionality of the dataset.

Background:

Dimensionality reduction is the key issue of the machine learning process. It does
not only improve the prediction performance but also could recommend the intrinsic features and
help to explore the biological expression of the machine learning “black box”.

Objective:

A variety of feature selection algorithms are used to select data features to achieve
dimensionality reduction.

Methods:

First, MRMD2.0 integrated 7 different popular feature ranking algorithms with
PageRank strategy. Second, optimized dimensionality was detected with forward adding strategy.

Result:

We have achieved good results in our experiments.

Conclusion:

Several works have been tested with MRMD2.0. It showed well performance.
Otherwise, it also can draw the performance curves according to the feature dimensionality. If
users want to sacrifice accuracy for fewer features, they can select the dimensionality from the
performance curves.

Other:

We developed friendly python tools together with the web server. The users could upload
their csv, arff or libsvm format files. Then the webserver would help to rank features and find the
optimized dimensionality.
Detecting TYMS Tandem Repeat Polymorphism by the PSSD Method Based on Next-generation Sequencing
Authors: He Binsheng , Yang Jialiang , Tian Geng , Bing Pingping , Lang Jidong
Published: May 2020

Background:

Thymidylate Synthase (TS) is an important target for folic acid inhibitors
such as pemetrexed, which has considerable effects on the first-line treatment, second-line
treatment and maintenance therapy for patients with late-stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
(NSCLC). Therefore, detecting mutations in the TYMS gene encoding TS is critical in clinical
applications. With the development of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology, the
accuracy of TYMS mutation detection is getting higher and higher. However, traditional methods
suffer from false positives and false-negatives caused by factors like limited sequencing read
length and sequencing errors.

Objective:

A method was needed to overcome the short sequencing read length and sequencing
errors of NGS to make the detection of TYMS more accurate.

Methods:

In this study, we developed a novel method based on "Paired Seed Sequence Distance”
(PSSD) to detect the Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) mutation for TYMS.

Results:

With the 121 samples validated by sanger, the consistency rate of PSSD method was
85.95% (104/121), higher than the strict matching method (78.51% (95/121)). The consistency rate
of the two methods was 89.26% (108/121). We also found that the PSSD method was significantly
better than the strict matching method, especially in the 4R typing.

Conclusion:

Our method not only improves the detection rate and accuracy of TYMS VNTR
mutations but also avoids problems caused by sequencing errors and limited sequencing length.
This method provides a new solution for similar polymorphism analyses and other sequencing
analyses.
Immunomodulatory Properties of Chitosan: Impact on Wound Healing and Tissue Repair
Authors: Saini Sapna , Dhiman Anju , Nanda Sanju
Published: May 2020

Objective:

Chitosan, a natural polymer from shelled crustaceans, has been employed in an
array of biomedical applications as it possesses a combination of fascinating attributes such as biocompatibility,
biodegradability, non-toxicity and ease of chemical alteration into different active derivatives.
The ability of chitosan to be tailored into different shapes has made it a very popular polymer
for designing novel drug delivery systems for topical, transdermal and gene delivery. Recently, the
multifunctional and immunomodulatory properties of chitosan have attracted a lot of attention. Since
there are many patents and publications on medicated scaffolds, films and other topical dressings containing
chitosan, an effort has been made to collate and synchronize the immunomodulatory properties
of chitosan with its wound healing potential.

Methods:

Literature and patent search was done using major search engines and websites. Based on
the studies conducted by various research groups, the information was classified into important subheadings.

Results:

Most of the studies suggested that due to remarkable immuno-stimulatory activities, chitosan
stimulates the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and hence promotes
and supports every phase of wound healing, including hemostasis, inflammation, cell migration, proliferation,
tissue repair and cell regeneration.

Conclusion:

An understanding of the immunomodulatory activities of chitosan can help the researchers
and formulation scientists to use this natural polymer and its derivatives to design controlled release,
medicated, self–decomposable, environment-friendly scaffolds for better patient compliance and
promising wound-healing effects.
Impact of Interleukin 28B and ICAM-1 Genetic Polymorphisms on Response to Direct Antiviral Treatment Among HCV Infected Patients
Authors: Elsheredy Amel G. , Almaeen Abdulrahman H. , Ghazy Amany A. , Helaly Ghada F. , Amer Ibrahim , Ghazy Haneen A. , Haydara Tamer
Published: May 2020

Background:

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-28B and/or ICAM-1 could
have a role in expecting a response from HCV infected patients to direct antiviral agents (DAAs).

Objective:

The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of IL-28B rs12979860 and
rs8099917, and, ICAM-1 rs281437 SNPs on response to treatment with sofosbuvir + Daclatsvir ± Ribavirin,
among HCV-infected Egyptian patients.

Methods:

Whole blood genomic DNA was extracted from 120 participants (80 HCV-infected patients
and 40 healthy volunteers). HCV-infected patients were subdivided into responders and nonresponders
to DAAs. Liver function testing, anti-HCV antibodies, HCV-RNA viral load and HCV
genotyping were performed. IL-28B and ICAM-1 SNPs were evaluated by real-time PCR.

Results:

ALT and AST levels were significantly higher among non-responder HCV infected patients
(P = 0.001*). 90% of the patients had HCV genotype 4a and the remaining 10% had 4l genotype. Allelic
discrimination revealed that IL-28B rs12979860 T, IL-28B rs809917 T and ICAM-1 rs281437 C
alleles were more frequent among HCV-infected patients (responders or non-responders) than controls.
However, IL-28B rs8099917 G allele was more frequent among healthy controls. Regarding the response
to DAAs treatment, HCV-infected patients with IL-28B rs8099917 GG genotype showed a
significantly earlier viral response compared to those carrying TT alleles. ICAM-1 rs281437 CT alleles
were non significantly more frequent among responders. However, IL-28B rs12979860 alleles did not
show any difference.

Conclusion:

Genotyping of IL-28B rs8099917 is a useful independent tool for expecting a response of
Egyptian HCV-infected patients to DAAs.
IFN-γ and TNF-α Gene Polymorphisms in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Northwest Iran
Authors: Asgharzadeh Mohammad , Najafi-Ghalehlou Nima , Poor Behroz M. , Asgharzadeh Vahid , Pourostadi Mahya , Vegari Ali , Kafil Hossein S. , Fadaee Manouchehr , Farhoudi Mehdi , Rashedi Jalil
Published: May 2020

Background:

Cytokines are polypeptides that play critical roles in immune responses. Gene
polymorphisms occurring in the inflammatory cytokines are taking a role in autoimmune diseases,
including multiple sclerosis (MS), which may induce inappropriate immune responses.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the allelic and genotypic frequencies of interferon
gamma gene (IFN-γ) at +874A/T locus and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) at+308A/G locus in MS
patients of Azeri population.

Methods:

At first, a questionnaire was prepared for each of 240 healthy, non-relative, and 152 Azeri
MS patients before obtaining the blood sample from all subjects. After DNA extraction, the frequency
of alleles and genotypes of the IFN-γ and TNF-α genes at +874A/T and -308G/A loci, respectively,
were determined by allele-specific PCR method. Finally, the frequencies were compared between control
and MS patients by chi-square test (x2-test) and p<0.05 was considered significant.

Results:

In the IFN-γ +874A/T gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the most allelic and genotypic
frequencies in MS patients were the A allele, 55.26% (p=0.04) and the AT genotype, 52.63%
(p=0.048). In healthy individuals, it was 65.42% for the A allele and 45.42% for the AA genotype. For
the TNF-α 308 G/A SNP, the highest allelic and genotypic frequencies in MS patients were the G allele
with 55.92% (p<0.001) and AG genotype with 61.84%, and in healthy subjects, the allelic and
genotypic frequencies were 84.2% and 70.8% for the G allele and GG genotype, respectively.

Conclusion:

Head trauma, the infection with the herpes virus and Mycoplasma pneumonia, frequent
colds and high consumption of canned foods provide grounds for MS. The T allele in the IFN-γ gene
(+874) and the genotypes of AA and AG at the TNF-α gene (-308) at the position-308 were considered
as potential risk factors for MS. Therefore, the polymorphisms in cytokine genes and following
changes in their expression levels can be effective in susceptibility to MS.
Detección de anticuerpos anti-Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis en bovinos de hatos lecheros de trópico bajo en Colombia
Authors: Nathalia María del Pilar Correa-Valencia  , Ferney Arango-Lezcano  , Jorge Arturo Fernández-Silva
Published: May 2020

Objetivo. Reportar la frecuencia de la seropositividad a Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) y explorar los factores asociados al resultado positivo, tanto a nivel de hato como de animal. Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal en 204 vacas lecheras resultado del cruce de diferentes razas, en cinco hatos de zonas de trópico bajo ubicadas en tres municipios de los departamentos de Sucre y Córdoba (Colombia) en 2018. Los animales fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente y se colectaron muestras de sangre de cada uno. Se utilizó un kit comercial de ELISA para analizar los sueros y se exploró la asociación entre dichas variables y el resultado a ELISA (p<0.05). Resultados. El 17.2% (35/204; IC 95%: 12.0-22.3%) de las vacas resultaron positivas a MAP mediante la prueba de ELISA, y los cinco hatos tuvieron animales seropositivos. La variable a nivel de hato presencia de otros rumiantes en copastoreo con el ganado bovino en los últimos 2 años y las variables a nivel de animal edad y paridad se encontraron asociados con los resultados positivos de ELISA. Conclusiones. En el presente estudio se encontró que el 17.2% de las vacas y el 100% de los hatos fueron positivos a MAP mediante la prueba de ELISA. Adicionalmente se identificaron variables asociadas que pueden ser de interés tanto para los productores como para los veterinarios y orientar su enfoque para el manejo de la enfermedad.
Delivering Benefits at Speed Through Real-World Repurposing of Off-Patent Drugs: The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Case in Point
Authors: Rogosnitzky Moshe , Berkowitz Esther , Jadad Alejandro R
Published: May 2020

Real-world drug repurposing—the immediate “off-label” prescribing of drugs to address urgent clinical needs—is a widely overlooked opportunity. Off-label prescribing (ie, for a nonapproved indication) is legal in most countries and tends to shift the burden of liability and cost to physicians and patients, respectively. Nevertheless, health crises may mean that real-world repurposing is the only realistic source for solutions. Optimal real-world repurposing requires a track record of safety, affordability, and access for drug candidates. Although thousands of such drugs are already available, there is no central repository of off-label uses to facilitate immediate identification and selection of potentially useful interventions during public health crises. Using the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as an example, we provide a glimpse of the extensive literature that supports the rationale behind six generic drugs, in four classes, all of which are affordable, supported by decades of safety data, and targeted toward the underlying pathophysiology that makes COVID-19 so deadly. This paper briefly summarizes why cimetidine or famotidine, dipyridamole, fenofibrate or bezafibrate, and sildenafil citrate are worth considering for patients with COVID-19. Clinical trials to assess efficacy are already underway for famotidine, dipyridamole, and sildenafil, and further trials of all these agents will be important in due course. These examples also reveal the unlimited opportunity to future-proof our health care systems by proactively mining, synthesizing, cataloging, and evaluating the off-label treatment opportunities of thousands of safe, well-established, and affordable generic drugs.
Association between professional identity, positive mental character and humanistic caring ability in Chinese clinical nursing students (Preprint)
Authors: Lai Lin , Ding Siqing , Zhong Zhuqing , Mao Ping , Sun Na , Zheng Feng
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Humanistic caring ability is one of the core abilities that nurses need to possess. There are few studies on the influential factors that impact humanistic caring ability in clinical nursing students, and on the association between professional identity, positive mental character and humanistic caring ability.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine the association between professional identity, positive mental character and humanistic caring ability in Chinese clinical nursing students.

METHODS

The study was a cross-sectional survey. Of 981 clinical nursing students were recruited from hospitals in Changsha, Hunan, China. Self-administered questionnaires were completed, including Humanistic Caring Ability of Nursing Undergraduates Assessment Scale(HCANU), Professional Identity Scale for Nurse Students(PIQNS) and Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students(PMCS-CCS). In this study, the level of nursing students’ humanistic caring ability was identified. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out to identify the association between professional identity, positive mental characters and humanistic caring ability for nursing students. Liner regression analysis was performed with humanistic caring ability as the outcome variable in order to confirm factors associated with humanistic caring ability.

RESULTS

A total of 981 clinical nursing students was recruited. The mean scores of nursing students’ humanistic caring ability, professional identity and positive mental character were 125.94±21.19, 62.32±11.23, 233.18±38.59, respectively. The Pearson correlation results showed that professional identity (r = 0.578, P < 0.001) and positive mental character (r = 0.655, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with humanistic caring ability. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that education (β = -0.161, P=0.009), three dimensions of professional self-image (β = 0.271, P=0.028), career choice independence (β = 0.228, P<0.001), and social comparison and self-reflection (β = -0.102, P=0.018) in their professional identity as well as three dimensions of courage (β = 0.269, P=0.024), humanity (β = 0.303, P=0.001 ), justice (β = 0.0.253, P=0.004 ) and transcendence (β= 0.004, P=0.036) in positive mental character were found to be independent predictors of humanistic caring ability.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates a significant association between professional identity, positive mental character and humanistic caring ability in clinical nursing students. These results suggest that professional identity and positive mental character are important considerations in the development, implementation and evaluation of humanistic caring ability interventions.
Integration of the FIFA 11 tool in knee physiotherapy in soccer: Bibliographic review. (Preprint)
Authors: Vega-Bayon Sr Julio
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. FIFA 11 improves muscular strength most significantly, as well as the kinesthetic awareness of the body, and neuromuscular control during static and dynamic movements.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose was to analyse the efficacy and physiotherapy benefits of FIFA 11 for the prevention and treatment of knee injuries in soccer players.

METHODS

A search was carried out in different databases, and clinical trials of a more relevant nature were extracted.

RESULTS

The results of this study highlight that the application of FIFA 11 not only reduces the incidence of injuries but also produces a series of physiological changes in professional and/or amateur footballers, thanks to the various exercises in FIFA 11.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, it can be concluded that a footballer should apply FIFA 11 to reduce the occurrence of possible knee injuries they may suffer.
Leonardo da Vinci
Authors: Espejo Díaz Beatriz
Published: May 2020

Leonardo da Vinci es uno de los miembros más notables de nuestra civilización. Erudito sin par, fue un excepcional pintor, arquitecto, inventor y científco en una época donde la humanidad despertaba del largo letargo de la Edad Media y estaba ávida de conocimientos y desarrollo. En este trabajo, que sirve de introducción a los restantes de este número, se hace una apretada síntesis de los aspectos más destacados de su vida y su obra.
La geometría de las sombras en la visión de Leonardo
Authors: Guevara Bravo César
Published: May 2020

Leonardo fue un gran observador de los fenómenos naturales, las emociones, los mecanismos, así como de la belleza de las formas. Vivió para capturar sus emociones y experiencias en las pinturas y en los miles de folios que forman los códices. Tuvo entre sus retos primordiales comprender el fenó- meno inseparable de la luz y las sombras, pues si entendía cómo se gobernaban en la naturaleza, entonces podría llegar a conseguir el mayor realismo en la pintura. En este artículo se exponen y fundamentan algunas de sus aportaciones en el trabajo de las sombras; se mostrarán resultados fundamentales de su propuesta del libro de luz y sombras contenido en el Tratado de pintura, y se expondrán, principalmente, aquéllos en los que mostró más interés, como fueron los de cuerpos iluminados a través de ventanas. Con frecuencia se señalará cómo se percibe el paso en Leonardo de una geometría de lo discreto a otra de lo continuo y, aunque no lo enuncia así, en este trabajo se muestra porque es relevante en su tratamiento de la geometría de lassombras.