bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single center experience of war-related thoracic injury in Syria
Authors: Ulusan Ahmet , Tunca Ibrahim Emre , Sanli Maruf , Isik Ahmet Feridun
Published: May 2020

Background: The Syrian civil war caused serious deaths and injuries. Thoracic surgery has shown its effectiveness in this war as it is a war surgery. In this study, we analyzed war related chest trauma patients to describe the profile of chest trauma, determine the predictors’ morbidity and mortality. Methods: From 2012 to 2017, 47 consecutive patients underwent surgical treatment for chest trauma at the Gaziantep University Sahinbey Research and Practice Hospital, in Turkey. The demographic and relevant clinical information were retrospectively collected from the hospital records. Data included mechanism of injury, gender, and age, findings, treatment modality complications, and length of hospital stay, morbidity and mortality. Injuries were classified as penetrating (gunshot or shrapnel wounds) and blunt injuries. Results: The average age of patients was 25.4 years (range, 4 to 43 years) and 40 patients were males (85%). Sadly, 6 patients were under 18 years old. There were 41 patients (%87,2) penetrating and 6 patients (%12,8) blunt injuries. The most penetrating injuries of the chest were caused by shrapnel (61,7%). Eleven patients had already had emergency thoracotomy in another hospital before admission. As multiple diagnoses, there were 50 (45,45%) pneumothorax, hemothorax, or both in patients. However, there were 26 (23,64%) lung contusions in patients. No surgery-related deaths or major morbidity occurred. One patient died 35 days after admission; the causes of death in this patient included bronchobiliary fistula, hypovolemic shock, and sepsis. So, all cases mortality rate was 2,13%. Conclusion : Intervention in thoracic trauma patients is life-saving and satisfying compared to other system injuries. War surgery is a multidisciplinary approach, which is vital.
Diagnostic Comparison of Changes in Air Quality over China before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Suresh Arjun , Chauhan Diksha , Othmani Amina , Bhadauria Neha , S Aswin , Jose Jais , Mejjad Nezha
Published: May 2020

The rapid spread of Covid-19 has affected the political, social, and economic sectors, which inevitably will also affect the environmental component. This contagious virus led the worldwide countries to make securities measures such as lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect human health. In contrast to the negative impacts of this virus on the economy, it has influenced the environment positively. As reported by station and program for monitoring the Earth, the air quality has improved after the lockdown. The present study compares the air level pollution one year before and during the spread of Coronavirus in China. Accordingly, we investigate the change of the concentrations of three air pollutants, namely, O3, NO2, and black carbon. The study of the measured parameter between December 2019 and March 2020 exhibit an apparent decrease in their concentrations because of the imposing lockdown of cities and restriction on chemical industries and factories.
A walk through the park – Do people know the animals living in urban parks?
Authors: Guilhon Bruno Ferreira , Rodrigues João Fabrício Mota , Borges-Nojosa Diva Maria
Published: May 2020

Background: It is important that people know the fauna occurring around the city and within it, because people could present a more positive relationship toward animals and valorize the fauna. This knowledge may vary due to cultural features of the region, as well as social characteristics of the person, such as: educational level and frequency of visits to green areas. This study aimed to evaluate if the knowledge about the faunistic diversity of an urban park varied in relation to the profile of the visitors.Methods: Parque Estadual do Cocó is a conservation unit, located in the Fortaleza municipality in Ceará state, which has a very diverse fauna. We collected the data between September and October 2018 using a structured questionnaire applied with 126 park visitors.Results: We observed that visitors only know 31.57% of the fauna of the Parque Estadual do Cocó and usually find 1.05 ± 1.29 animals during the activities realized in the place. “Common marmoset” ( Callithrix jacchus ) and “Great egret” ( Ardea alba ) were the most cited species, with respectively 102 and 63 citations, while “Crab-eating raccoon” ( Procyon cancrivorus ) and “American purple gallinule” ( Porphyrio martinicus ) were the less cited, with 22 and 16 citations. We did not notice a relationship between the knowledge about the Park fauna with frequency of visitation, but we noticed a positive relation between the number of animals sighted and frequency. The most cited source of information about the Park native species was information boards, but there was no relation between the presence of boards with an animal species of the Park and the knowledge of visitor about them.Conclusions: Visitors do not know the species richness of the Park, even with a high frequency of visitation and the presence of information boards about the Park fauna. However, a high frequency of visitation allowed people to see more animals throughout these visitations. Possibly, more direct alternatives to inform visitors about the native fauna of the Park can bring more positive results than just the sightings and simply the presence of information boards.
A Novel Anti-inflammatory D-peptide Halts Disease Phenotype Progression in an Als Mouse Model
Authors: Post Julia , Kogel Vanessa , Schaffrath Anja , Lohmann Philipp , Shah Nadim Joni , Langen Karl-Josef , Willbold Dieter , Willuweit Antje , Kutzsche Janine
Published: May 2020

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by selective neuronal death in brain stem and spinal cord. The cause is unknown, but an increasing evidence has firmly certified that neuroinflammation plays a key role in ALS pathogenesis. Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders and has been implicated as driver of disease progression. Here, we describe two treatment studies demonstrating the therapeutic potential of a tandem version of the well-known all-d-peptide RD2 (RD2RD2) in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (APP/PS1) and in a transgenic mouse model of ALS (SOD1*G93A).Methods:APP/PS1 and SOD1*G93A mice were treated intraperitoneally for four weeks mice with RD2RD2 vs placebo. APP/PS1 brain and plasma samples were histologically and biochemically analysed for inflammatory markers, gliosis and amyloid pathology. SOD1*G93A mice were tested longitudinally during treatment in various behavioural and motor coordination tests. Brain and spinal cord samples were investigated immunohistochemically for gliosis and neurodegeneration.Results: Treatment in APP/PS1 mice revealed significant reduction in glial cell activation in the brain and significantly lower levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma. RD2RD2 treatment in SOD1*G93A mice resulted not only in a reduction of activated astrocytes and microglia in both brain stem and lumbar spinal cord but also in a rescue of neurons in the motor cortex. Moreover, behavioural tests revealed that the disease phenotype of SOD1*G93A mice is halted during treatment.Conclusion: Based on the presented results, we conclude that RD2RD2 is a potential therapeutic candidate against ALS.
The iatrogenic elevation of neutrophils possibly aggravates lung injury after COVID-19 infection: A case report
Authors: Tang Jian , Sun Bao , Cao Jinsong , Xie Xia , Zu Xuyu , Huang Bin , Fu Hui , Zhou Jiecan , Wang Qiaosheng , Tang Xiaoqing
Published: May 2020

Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is a rapidly escalating epidemic in most of countries. Symptom of COVID-19 usually present as the normal or decrease of leucocytes and the decrease of lymphocytes, which may be the body’s response for SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it is unknown that whether rising leukocytes, especially neutrophils, will aggravate lung injury in COVID-19. Here we report a case of aggravated lung injury induced by rising neutrophils with the usage of recombinant human granulocyte stimulating factor (GSF) for the first time.Case presentation: A patient aged 46 years old was infected with SARS-CoV-2 without hypoxemia on admission, but his leucocytes decreased gradually after admission. After following injected with recombinant human granulocyte stimulating factor(GSF) 150 μg , the absolute value of leucocytes reached to 32.81×109 /L, and neutrophils were 31.57×109/L. Then, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly and he appeared a series of symptoms, such as short breath, hemoptysis, hypoxemia, increased range of lung lesions and secondary acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, those symptoms were alleviated and leucocytes recover to normal level gradually after stopping recombinant human GSF treatment. Eventually, Re-examination of CT showed that lung lesions were absorbed significantly and he was cured and discharged from hospital.Conclusion: This case report showed that iatrogenic increase of leucocytes (especially neutrophils) may worsen lung injury and leucocyte increasing agents were used with caution in the early stage of COVID-19 patients. At the same time, the phenomenon remains to be further confirmed in the future study.
Genetic diversity and structural characterization of spike glycoprotein of newly emerged SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Das Abhishek , Bhattacharya M. , Roy R. , P.Ghosh  , N.Mondal  , Das T. , B.K.Behera  , Patra B.C. , Acharya S.
Published: May 2020

A new beta Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection was first identified in the Wuhan City, China in December 2019 and after that it had spread rapidly throughout the globe and subsequently WHO have announced it as a pandemic. So, SARS-CoV-2 has now become a global threat to human civilization. Recent studies showed that the proteomic data of SARS-CoV-2 is closely related with other beta Coronavirus. The phylogenetic tree revealed the closeness of recently reported SAR-CoV2 with SARS-CoV by using MEGA 7 along with the suitable protocol of Neighbor joining algorithm. The spike glycoprotein plays the most important role during the onset of infection. Several mutations have been reported across the globe in the S Proteins. In this research, molecular docking between the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and ACE2 protein was carried out in PatchDock web servers. WEBnm@ calculated the molecular simulation using Normal Mode Analysis (NMA) along with lowest deformation energy value which signifies the domain motions. Also during multiple sequence analysis, variations were observed within the Spike protein reported globally. 3- Dimensional structure of protein molecules were designed using homology modeling and the structure were validated through Q mean score and Ramachandran plot. All of the designed sequences were having around 91% of the amino acid in the favored region of Ramachandran plot. In order to check the binding affinity difference between the mutated and non-mutated strains, the generated models were docked with human ACE2 molecules. The non mutated strains have given the similar ACE value. However, there were variations in ACE value of the mutated strains. This observation provides evidence of Phylogenetic diversity and evolution.
Pharmacognostical Studies on Acer campestre L. subsp. campestre
Authors: ŞEN UTSUKARÇİ Burcu , BAL Yavuz , GURDAL Bahar , BARDAKÇI ALTAN Hilal , YILMAZ Fatıma Nur , DÖŞLER Sibel
Published: May 2020

This study on Acer campestre L. subsp. campestre, used traditionally in treatments of various inflammation disorders, especially hemorrhoids and rheumatism, aimed to determine the total phenolic contents, the antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials, and the chemical composition profile of the extracts and subextracts from maple syrup and Acer campestre L. subsp. campestre leaves and twigs. The antioxidant activities of maple syrup extracts and subextracts were examined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), and the total phenolic contents of all samples were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCR) method. Also, they were tested for their antimicrobial activities by microbroth dilution technique. Catechic tannin, saponins and flavonoids are determined in its leaves and twigs by preliminary qualitative phytochemical analysis. The alcoholic extracts obtained by 48-hour maceration (91.2%), ethyl acetate subextract of alcohol extracts obtained by 24-hour maceration (91.1%) and alcohol extracts obtained by 24-hour maceration (88.8%) exhibited higher radical scavenging activity than other samples, while the decoction and infusion had moderate activities. Beside of this, it was found that the syrup and its subextracts have more total phenolic contents than other extracts. The alcohol extracts obtained by 24-hour maceration and by 48-hour maceration exhibited higher activity against Candida albicans (78 μg/mL and 156 μg/mL, respectively). Only the alcohol extract obtained by 48-hour maceration and ethyl acetate subextract of syrup showed an activity against Escherichia coli, while all samples except butanol subextract of syrup have an antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Violencia y trabajadores del petróleo
Authors: Vega Cantor Renan
Published: May 2020

El presente artículo presenta resultados de investigación que pretende evidenciar la dramática situación de una región de Colombia que se ha convertido en uno de los escenarios de guerra, por parte de los grupos paramilitares, contra dirigentes, activistas sociales, militantes o disidentes políticos. Durante los últimos 25 años se han registrado alrededor de una centena de asesinatos de trabajadores petroleros vinculados a la Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) y para entender este fenómeno es necesario precisar el contexto histórico y señalar cómo surgió y se expandió el paramilitarismo por el Magdalena Medio desde comienzos de la década de 1980, financiados y auspiciados por distintos sectores de la sociedad colombiana. Es necesario recalcar que el ataque contra los sindicalistas es un crimen de “lesa humanidad”, tanto en Colombia como en el resto del mundo.
CONSIDERAÇÕES ACERCA DA INTERPRETAÇÃO E PRIMEIRAS IDEIAS SOBRE UMA TEORIA DA DECISÃO
Authors: Alves Fernando de Brito , Scherch Vinicius
Published: May 2020

Este artigo tem como objeto a interpretação constitucional. Aborda a questão do direito e a interpretação das regras no contexto da discricionariedade judicial. Leva em conta a criação de um método racional e coerente para a formatação de decisões, especialmente em casos difíceis. Como resultado, é possível, a partir dos textos de Hesse, Dworkin, Moreso e Bulygin, compreender como a discricionariedade devem estar no sentido fraco, abaixo da Constituição, considerando as propriedades mais importantes e possibilitando a criação do direito a partir de noções preexistentes. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada foi bibliográfica e deu-se pelo método hipotético-dedutivo. A conclusão é que a teoria da decisão é necessária compreendendo a discricionariedade enquanto uma atividade criativa, porém, com a atribuição de racionalidade, coerência com critérios legais e respeito aos aspectos históricos e sociais.
O COMPLIANCE NO BRASIL E A RESPONSABILIDADE EMPRESARIAL NO COMBATE À CORRUPÇÃO
Authors: Durães Cintya Nishimura , Ribeiro Maria De Fátima
Published: May 2020

O presente artigo aborda a questão da aplicação dos programas de compliance no Brasil e a relação com a responsabilidade empresarial no combate à corrupção. O objeto de estudo se concentra na compreensão do mecanismo como instrumento de combate à corrupção no âmbito das empresas presentes no país. Objetiva-se analisar as principais alterações que o compliance pode produzir sobre a responsabilidade das empresas e a importância da implantação da ferramenta como impulsionadora do desenvolvimento econômico do país. Questiona-se acerca da adoção do compliance no Brasil, qual é a extensão, os limites, os fundamentos e as implicações da aplicação do mecanismo nas empresas, se ocorrerá alteração na responsabilidade das pessoas jurídicas que implantarem o programa e se a corrupção será combatida eficazmente por meio desse instrumento. O estudo procurará através do método indutivo respostas para os questionamentos apontados. A pesquisa será bibliográfica, com análise qualitativa dos dados coletados na doutrina que permitam a compreensão da temática proposta. Justifica-se a escolha do tema em razão da atualidade que este apresenta diante da dinâmica das relações entre sociedade e empresa.
1923-2018 YILLARI ARASINDA ÜRETİLEN “SUÇ VE ÇOCUK” TEMALI AKADEMİK ÇALIŞMALARIN BİBLİYOMETRİK ANALİZİ
Authors: ACAR Burak , YAMAN Ömer Miraç
Published: May 2020

Bu
çalışma, cumhuriyet tarihi boyunca “suç ve çocuk” ilişkisini ele alan akademik literatürün bir araya
getirilerek eser türleri, dönemler, yazarlar ve temalar üzerinden nesnel bir
değerlendirme yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bibliyografik bir özellik taşıyan bu
çalışma nitel araştırma tasarımına uygun olarak hazırlanmıştır. Veri toplama
sürecinde literatür taraması yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bu kapsamda yayınlara
ulaşabilmek adına öncelikle birbirleri ile ilişkili kavram haritaları
oluşturulmuş ve çok sayıda indeks, veri tabanı, kütüphane ve e-kütüphaneler taranmıştır.
Elde edilen bulgular sayı, yüzde
ve grafik şeklinde sunulmuş ve yorumlanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda 780’i makale,
363’ü tez, 161’i kitap türünde olmak üzere toplam 1304 esere ulaşılmıştır. 2000
yılı sonrası üretilen eserler cumhuriyet dönemi boyunca üretilen eserlerin %64’üne
karşılık gelmektedir. Tematik açıdan incelendiğinde en çok eser Aile/Akran/Okul
(197), Suçlu Çocuk (190) ve Çocuk Adalet Sistemi/Çocuk Hakları (181), en az
eser ise Madde Kullanımı (17), Medya/Basın (25) ve Göç/Kentleşme/Çevre (69)
bağlamında üretilmiştir. Suç ve Çocuk ilişkisini ele alan çalışmalar çok
disiplinli bir özellik göstermekteyse de tematik çeşitlilik bağlamında oldukça
sınırlı kalmıştır. Betimsel düzeyde üretilen akademik eserlerin fazlalığına
karşılık araştırma düzeyinde üretilen çalışmalar beklenilen düzeyde
gerçekleşmemiştir.
REFAKATSİZ SIĞINMACI ÇOCUKLARIN AVRUPA’YA YÖNELİK GÖÇ DENEYİMLERİ: ELEŞTİREL BİR LİTERATÜR DEĞERLENDİRMESİ
Authors: KAÇAR TUNÇ Gamze
Published: May 2020

Kavramsal olarak tek tipleştirilen mülteciler ve sığınmacıların aslında kendi içlerinde oldukça farklılaştığı çoğunlukla görmezden gelinmektedir. Zorunlu göç deneyimine maruz kalan ve sığınma arayanlara biraz yakından bakılınca, onlardan önemli bir kısmının yalnız başına yollara düşmüş refakatsiz çocuklar olduğu görülebilir. Refakatsiz çocukların sığınma arayışı, son dönemde gündeme gelen mülteci krizi ile birlikte artış göstermiştir. Özellikle Ortadoğu ve Afrika ülkelerinden Avrupa‟ya yönelmiş göç rotaları, 2015 yılında 95,000‟den fazla refakatsiz çocuk tarafından takip edilmiştir. Refakatsiz çocuklar konusu, genel mülteci tartışmaları içerisinde eksikliği hissedilen bir konudur. Bu nedenle bu makalenin amacı hem konuyu gündeme taşımak hem de var olan literatürü tarayarak konu hakkında genel bir durum değerlendirmesi yapmak ve daha fazla neler yapılabileceğine dikkat çekmektir. Sonuç olarak yapılan çalışmaların oldukça sınırlı olduğu görülmüştür. Daha detaylı olarak ise çocukları göç etmeden önceki hayatlarına da odaklanan, refakatsiz kız çocuklarını da içerisine alan, çocukların özellikle 18 yaşından sonraki durumlarını da değerlendiren, barınma merkezlerinin koşullarını analiz eden ve eğitim, dil öğrenimi gibi faktörleri de içerisine alan sosyal uyum problemlerine odaklan araştırmalara ihtiyaç olduğu gözlemlenmiştir.
A Review of Voltammetric Methods for Determination of Dopamine Agonists
Authors: Ağın Fatma
Published: May 2020

Background:

Dopamine agonists are useful drugs for the management of patients with
Parkinson's disease in the early and later stages of the disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive
neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. They
bind to dopamine receptors in nerve cells that regulate body movement and motor function. Electroanalytical
methods are used in medicinal, clinical and pharmaceutical research. Voltammetry is one
of the most commonly used electroanalytical methods. This review aims to gather and discuss studies
of voltammetric methods used in determination of dopamine agonists.

Methods:

This review includes the use of various voltammetric methods for determination studies of
dopamine agonists from pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples. These studies were
examined in terms of used voltammetric method or methods, working electrode, buffer, pH and validation
parameters.

Results:

Cabergoline, pramipexole, and ropinirole have more studies, while bromocriptine and apomorphine
have fewer studies in the literature. Differential pulse voltammetry and square wave voltammetry
methods were the most applied methods for the determination of dopamine agonist drugs
from pharmaceuticals and biological samples. But, stripping, cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry
methods are less applied methods. In these studies, a lot of modified electrodes were developed and
used to analyse dopamine agonists.

Conclusion:

The voltammetric methods provide the determination of therapeutic agents and/or their
metabolites in clinical samples at extremely low concentrations without the necessity for the sample
pre-treatment or time consuming extraction steps. Also, the modified electrodes and validated voltammetric
methods provide good stability, repeatability, reproducibility and high recovery for the
analysis of the analyte.
Environmental Sustainability of Livestock Production
Authors: Rotz Alan
Published: May 2020

The environmental impact of livestock production has become an important and controversial global issue, pri- marily due to reported impacts on global warming. This concern applies to all meat animals, but especially beef cattle due to their emission of enteric methane. Livestock production contributes to global warming, but the importance of its contri- bution may be overstated. Its effect on climate is primarily through methane production, which does not have a long-term effect on the atmosphere. Global livestock numbers and emissions from their manure are increasing, so there is a short-term effect through increased rate of emission. Other effects of meat production may be of more concern for long-term sustain- ability. Through a full life cycle of meat, the dominant impact is loss and waste, which adversely effects all measures of sustainability. An important environmental concern is reactive nitrogen losses, among which ammonia emission from manure is of most concern. Global estimates suggest that 63% of all ammonia emissions come from agriculture, with 44% of the total from livestock manure. Ammonia emissions have adverse effects related to acidification of ecosystems, eutrophication of surface waters, and human toxicity through formation of small particulate matter in the air we breathe. Water consumption is another important concern. Global estimates suggest that agriculture uses about 70% of freshwater withdrawals, with 20% used for livestock feed production. Although livestock production is not a large energy consumer, fossil fuels are a limited resource, and conservation is important. Many technologies and strategies exist for mitigating environmental impacts of livestock production, but finding economical solutions is challenging. Mitigation must start with the reduction of consumer waste. Other livestock impacts are best reduced using intensive practices to produce animals in less time and with fewer resources. Diets that accurately meet animal nutrient needs are an important mitigation option for efficient and sustainable meat production.
Plan formador de competencias empresariales, estrategia pedagógica, administración de empresas
Authors: Vergel-Quintero Damarys , Mosquera-Carrascal Adriana , Vergel-Pérez José de la Rosa
Published: May 2020

En Colombia la ley 1014 del 2006 para el fomento a la cultura empresarial, fue creada con el propósito de promover la cultura de emprendimiento desde las instituciones educativas que permita la formación de individuos con competencias empresariales, ya sea para desempeñarse como empresarios o intraempresarios que contribuyan al desarrollo socioeconómico de las regiones y el país. Basados en este propósito, la Universidad  Francisco de Paula Santander Ocaña realiza diversas acciones a través de sus programas académicos, para el fortalecimiento de una cultura de emprendimiento, que permita la formación de individuos con una mentalidad crítica e innovadora, capaces de responder a las necesidades de su entorno. En consecuencia a lo anterior, el programa de Administración de Empresas y atendiendo a esta preocupación, realiza una investigación con docentes y estudiantes, en búsqueda de información relevante, que posibilitara una mirada integral sobre el emprendimiento, con el propósito de sintetizarla finalmente en una estrategia pedagógica en beneficio del programa, y fortalecer las competencias empresariales actuales en los educandos, en roles de empresario o intraempresario.
Formación de economía solidaria en las instituciones educativas públicas de la ciudad de Ocaña, Colombia: bajo la mirada del SIG
Authors: Duarte Duarte Jorge Andrés , Pacheco Carrascal Marilce
Published: May 2020

El presente artículo de investigación descriptiva responde a la preocupación acerca de la existencia del “cúmulo de información de economía solidaria que se encuentra dispersa, sin ser identificada, recopilada, ni sistematizada, lo cual impide determinar cuáles son los temas tratados, el aporte realizado, los vacíos existentes, que ameriten ser tratados y ampliados”. Entendiendo a la educación solidaria como aquella alternativa viable para acometer los retos que afronta la escuela colombiana.

Es por ello que se tiene como finalidad, determinar la formación de economía solidaria que imparten las instituciones educativas públicas de la ciudad de Ocaña. Para este fin se requirió identificar la formación en economía solidaria por medio de una matriz analítica, caracterizar la formación académica y práctica de economía solidaria mediante el estudio de nueve criterios, además de generar un sistema de información geográfico de educación solidaria de los colegios, con el fin de ofrecer información sistematizada para el desarrollo de futuros proyectos de formación solidaria en los colegios públicos.
Corrosion protection of AZ91D magnesium alloy by a duplex coating
Authors: Forero López , Loperena Ana , Lehr Ivana , Brugnoni Lorena , Saidman Silvana
Published: May 2020

A duplex coating was formed under potentiostatic conditions on magnesium alloy AZ91D in order to improve its corrosion resistance in a simulated physiological environment. The first layer was formed by anodization at low potentials in molybdate solution. The outer layer was a PPy film electrosynthesized in sodium salicylate solution. The conditions of the formation were determined to obtain a layer with globular morphology. The bilayer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The corrosion protection properties of the coatings were examined in Ringer solution by monitoring the open circuit potential (OCP), polarization techniques, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The obtained results showed that the bilayer improves the corrosion resistance of the substrate. Moreover, the duplex coating presented better anticorrosive properties than a single PPy film. Afterwards, the bilayer was modified by cementation of silver ions from a solution containing AgNO3. The modified electrode exhibited good antibacterial properties.
Uso del plasma rico en factores de crecimiento autólogo en cirugía oral y maxilofacial: patología tumoral
Authors: Barona Terán Jorge Eduardo , Moreira Zevallos Pamela Nicole
Published: May 2020

Objetivo: establecer la eficacia del uso del Plasma Rico en Factores de Crecimiento para ayudar a la consolidación ósea en pacientes que presenten patología tumoral. Los defectos o pérdidas de substancia ósea en el área bucal y maxilofacial son bastante comunes, se deben a diferentes factores como: traumatismos, patología quística o tumoral, atrofias alveolares por pérdidas dentales, periodontopatías, osteorradionecrosis, etc. Para su tratamiento hoy en día, disponemos de varias alternativas como son la distracción ósea, transporte óseo, colgajos osteo-microvascularizados y el plasma enriquecido en factores de crecimiento. En el presente artículo se describen las características histológicas y principios biológicos del plasma rico en factores de crecimiento y su aplicación en 3 casos de cirugía oral y maxilofacial; específicamente patología tumoral. las pérdidas de hueso en el área bucal y maxilofacial representan un verdadero reto de reconstrucción y se debe básicamente a dos situaciones claramente identificadas: 1) la gran cantidad de microorganismos presentes en la cavidad bucal, mismos que en ocasiones contaminan el material injertado con la consecuente pérdida del mismo. 2) las grandes cargas y presiones que deben soportar los injertos durante las fases de masticación. Los estudios realizados en reconstrucción mandibular y maxilofacial por Marx y colaboradores,1 han aportado nuevas pautas en los tratamientos de estos padecimientos, son relevantes sus trabajos con oxígeno hiperbárico, y técnicas quirúrgicas para reconstrucción mandibular con plasma rico en factores de crecimiento.
Эффективность препаратов бактериофагов против патогенов группы ESKAPE
Authors: Купцов Н. С. , Корниенко М. А. , Городничев Р. Б. , Данилов Д. И. , Малахова М. В. , Парфенова Т. В. , Макаренко Г. И. , Шитиков Е. А. , Ильина Е. Н.
Published: May 2020

Ежегодный рост числа случаев выявления бактерий с множественной лекарственной устойчивостью делает актуальной задачу поиска альтернативы применяемым антибиотикам. Такой альтернативой могут быть препараты на основе вирулентных бактериофагов. Целью работы было оценить эффективность коммерческих фаговых препаратов и моноизолятов бактериофагов, выделенных из природных источников, против клинических штаммов Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae и Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Была собрана коллекция из 147 штаммов, типированных методом МЛСТ. Оценку эффективности бактериофагов проводили методом спот-тестирования. Наиболее эффективными оказались препараты против S. aureus («Бактериофаг стафилококковый», 86%), K. pneumoniae («Пиобактериофаг поливалентный очищенный», 87,8%) и P. aeruginosa («Бактериофаг псевдомонас аеругиноза», 87,5%; «Пиобактериофаг комплексный», 79,5–90%; «Пиобактериофаг поливалентный очищенный», 90–92,5%). Для E. faecium эффективность препарата «Интести-бактериофаг» составила лишь 4,2%. При этом эффективность терапевтических препаратов, активных против S. aureus и K. pneumoniae, была выше эффективности отдельных моноизолятов бактериофагов (фаг S. aureus vB_SauP-436-3w — 60%, фаг K. pneumoniae vB_Kp_M_Seu621 — 5,9%). Таким образом, исследуемые препараты обладают высокой активностью против штаммов P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae и S. aureus. В свою очередь препаратов, действующих против остальных членов группы ESKAPE-патогенов (Acinetobacter baumannii и Enterobacter cloacae), а также эффективных против E. faecium, не представлено на рынке, что подчеркивает необходимость поиска новых бактериофагов.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Sources, Effects And Treatments
Authors: Ashraf Muhammad Aqeel , Wilson Mesmire
Published: May 2020

Hormonal changes in humans and animals can be attributed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Studies have found that excessive exposure to natural and artificial environmental chemicals and toxins can have adverse effects on the endocrine system and reproductive health. The endocrine system creates and releases hormones that regulate the development of organs and how they function. Any disruption to hormones affects the development and functioning of the reproductive system, the brain and the neurological system. Research and reports on the subject have been published by international experts and organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Labour Organization (ILO) and Endocrine Society. To fully comprehend the effect of EDCs on humans and wildlife, it is essential to understand epigenetics and its transgenerational effects on hormone development. Here, we extensively explore and review the research on the sources of EDCs, their effects and why exposure to EDCs is of concern, and treatments for EDC exposure.
Antimicrobial Resistance as a Problem for the Quality of Boar Semen
Authors: Stojanov Igor , Milovanović Aleksandar , Barna Tomislav , Prodanov Radulović Jasna , Apić Jelena , Stojanović Dragica , Maksimović Nevena
Published: May 2020

The aim of the study was to determine whether the bacteria from the environment and from the mucous membrane of the boar prepuce have antimicrobial resistance and whether the result obtained is similar/same to the bacteria that can be found in native boar semen. The study addresses the problem of the presence of primarily resistant bacterial strains in the boar sperm, which, due to their reduced sensitivity, cannot be suppressed by antibiotics used in the semen dilution agent, as well as to emphasize the importance of microbiological monitoring of the boar mucous membranes and ambient surfaces before and during their exploitation. Such an examination could contribute to the interchangeable design of the dilution agent for the boar semen relative to the antibiotic content.Resistant strains of bacteria from prepuce swabs and swabs taken from the facility, as well as from native boar semen were isolated. The presence of these bacteria affected the quality of the semen. In conclusion, it should be pointed out that bacterial monitoring of the prepuce and surface of the facility can indicate possible problems related to the quality of semen, and that the design of the dilution agent for boar semen should be adjusted to the established resistance of isolated bacteria.
Effect of dietary resveratrol on cell-mediated immunity and hepatocyte morphometry in the model organism medaka (Oryzias latipes Temminck & Schlegel)
Authors: Kowalska Agata , Małaczewska Joanna
Published: May 2020

The effect of dietary resveratrol (40 µg g−1 BW day−1) on cell-mediated immunity (the activity of spleen phagocytes and the proliferative response of lymphocytes) and liver histology (hepatocyte morphometry, lipid vacuoles, and glycogen granules) in adult medaka (Oryzias latipes) (aged two years, body weight BW = 0.49 g) were tested after ten days of feeding with experimental diets. The fish were fed either a commercial diet (control group C) or this same diet supplemented with resveratrol (group R) three times daily at 3% of body weight (BW). Fish fed feed with resveratrol had significantly higher intracellular phagocyte killing activity than did those in the control group (P < 0.05). No differences in the sizes of hepatocytes or their nuclei were observed in the fish from groups C and R. The nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio ranged from 0.39 (± 0.03; group R) to 0.42 (± 0.03, group C) in adult medaka exposed to the two dietary treatments (P > 0.05). The results indicated that the diet supplemented with resveratrol at a dose of 40 µg g−1 BW day−1 had no impact on the liver tissues. Typical hepatocytes with lipids and glycogen were observed to the same extent in the vacuoles. Moreover, no mortality or pathological changes were noted in the fish studied. The diet containing resveratrol helped to maintain disease resistance without affecting the liver tissue after ten days of feeding.
Analysis of foot structure in young recreational female ballet dancers
Authors: Dadura Emilia , Truszczyńska-Baszak Aleksandra , Drzał-Grabiec Justyna , Krawczyk Katarzyna , Rachwał Maciej , Walicka-Cupryś Katarzyna
Published: May 2020

Study aim: The human foot is an essential element of the locomotor system. It plays a key role in both the dynamics and the statics of the whole lower limb. The normal structure of the foot determines its mechanical function. During growth and formation of the foot structure, sport activity plays an important role.

The aim of this study was to analyse the structure of the foot in ballet dancers aged 6 to 14 years compared with a clinical reference peer group that did not do ballet.

Material and methods: The study involved 120 girls aged 6 to 14 years (mean age 9.6, sd. 2.4). Sixty of them formed the study group of ballet dancers, and the other 60 formed the reference group. To conduct the measurements, the computer podoscope CQ-ST produced by the CQ Elektronik System, connected to a portable computer, was used.

Results: A few differences were found between the foot structure in young female ballet dancers and their peers. A statistically significant difference was found in the hallux valgus α angle. The left foot of the examined ballet dancers was found to have a larger hallux valgus. A statistically significant correlation was found between the length of time of ballet training and the increase in the α angle values of the left foot and the right foot in the ballet group.

Conclusions: Ballet dancing in childhood may increase the risk of developing hallux valgus, with the tendency of worsening with training time.
Question Analysis towards a Vietnamese Question Answering System in the Education Domain
Authors: Bach Ngo Xuan , Thanh Phan Duc , Oanh Tran Thi
Published: May 2020

Building a computer system, which can automatically answer questions in the human language, speech or text, is a long-standing goal of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field. Question analysis, the task of extracting important information from the input question, is the first and crucial step towards a question answering system. In this paper, we focus on the task of Vietnamese question analysis in the education domain. Our goal is to extract important information expressed by named entities in an input question, such as university names, campus names, major names, and teacher names. We present several extraction models that utilize the advantages of both traditional statistical methods with handcrafted features and more recent advanced deep neural networks with automatically learned features. Our best model achieves 88.11% in the F1 score on a corpus consisting of 3,600 Vietnamese questions collected from the fan page of the International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Numerical Analysis of Structural and Material Solutions for Selected Retaining Walls
Authors: Zakrzewska Aleksandra , Korentz Jacek
Published: May 2020

Designing retaining structures depends on many factors, primarily the function of the retaining structure and soil conditions. It is not easy to choose the right retaining structure due to the great variety of their structural and material solutions. Preliminary numerical analyses in this case can be very useful. This article presents the results of numerical analyses of the behaviour of retaining structures and soil for various structural and material solutions as well as defined soil and water conditions. Six variants of retaining structures were analysed, in which the type of retaining walls, the materials used and the height of the walls were varied. The assessment was done basing on maps of stress and displacement of the retaining structure and soil. An additional factor in the selection of retaining structures are costs, durability and lead time. The finite element method allows the analysis of the behaviour of the structure - soil system. It enables comparison of various construction variants at the design stage and selection of the best solution in given soil and water conditions for the set selection criteria.
Experimental Investigation of Cementitious Materials Using the Prism Technique
Authors: Messaoudi Rahma , Bouzerira Cherif , Grimes Morad , Oucief Hocine
Published: May 2020

Numerous studies have shown that the non-destructive testing has proved the exceptional role in supervising the quality of concrete. Today, they represent an alternative that contributes to the resolution of materials diagnostic problems without altering them. This work presents an experimental study using a pulse-echo method that has the advantage of generating two types of wave (compressional and shear) by a mode conversion using just one transducer. The samples were made in a prismatic form. The results recovered from backscattered echoes are extracted using an estimation algorithm. These data were exploited to determine velocities of the tested material then the reflection coefficients for related them with the compressive strength. The tests were conducted with six samples with varied water/cement ratio. The results obtained showed that the prism technique has the potential to evaluate characteristics cementitious material using this proposed process.
Flexible Pathways for Modernisation of Undergraduate Engineering Programmes by Country-Adapted Implementation of the Practice- Integrated Dual Study Model in Bulgaria and Romania
Authors: Mahler Evgenia , Ilieva Galina , Breaz Radu , Georgiev Petar
Published: May 2020

The paper addresses the need for more flexible routes for acquiring current industry-related skills necessary to boost and sustain innovation in the sectors identified by the national strategies of Smart Specialisation and regional innovation in Bulgaria and Romania. For this purpose, regular practical phases in enterprises were integrated in the ongoing engineering curricula to accelerate the update of knowledge traditionally provided by higher education institutions. The paper presents a summary of the feasibility study conducted to identify the transferability of a county-adapted model of dual higher education in Bulgaria and Romania. Consequently, the approaches of curriculum adaptation followed by the implementing universities in both countries are briefly described. Finally, the paper discusses the outcomes and provides an outlook for future development of the dual study model in Bulgaria and Romania.
The Emerging Role of New Technologies in Vocational Education
Authors: Maričić Sven , Haber Iva Mrša , Radolović Donald , Veljović Ivan
Published: May 2020

The paper presents some essential tools in the field of 3D modelling for vocational education. The purpose of vocational training is to adequately prepare students for the needs of the industry. Over the last decade, the appearance of low-cost virtual reality (VR) technology has enabled it to be deployed across a broad range of educational institutions. VR as a system allows intuitive human-computer interaction and offers great benefits in many application areas important for educational process. In this paper, two VR studies in educational field were compared.
Improving the Effectiveness in Research and Developments Department from Automotive Industry
Authors: Gal Marius , Kifor Claudiu V.
Published: May 2020

The scope of this paper is to propose a solution for decreasing the rework that has to be made inside a team, in a new offshore Research and Development department, mainly because of assumptions and lack of experience. This is based on learning and applying the lessons learned. First, it will be presented an order assignment in an offshore branch in the field of automotive software companies. From the concept, further on, the usual process that takes place is presented and the potential flaws are analyzed. The major problems identified are random allocation of the orders and assumptions that are made in the branch offices. After inspecting the steps of the process, a model of process is proposed in order to avoid the problems identified at the usual process. This proposal has the principles from Advanced Product Quality Planning and the Scrum framework. The goal is to reduce the rework using the learning process presented. If no assumptions are made, if everything is clear from the beginning, if all the necessary documentation is done, if the proper mentoring is made and if the process is continuously improved, the probability of the identified problems to occur again is highly decreased.

The most important points in the proposed process for improvement are the following: weekly meeting for status update, assigning the orders according with the needs, assign a mentor for new entries, eliminating the assumptions, discuss the problems as fast as possible and obtain feedback fast from the client to check the direction of the work.
Training Concept for Raising Awareness and Building Skills for the low Carbon Economy
Authors: Dragomir Mihai , Dragomir Diana , Popescu Sorin , Tanasiev Vladimir
Published: May 2020

Decarbonization and achieving a low carbon economy and lifestyle are important goals for the next generations of young people. The concept proposed in this paper aims to introduce the Romanian students, on a voluntary bases, to the field of climate change mitigation through decarbonization, by organizing a series of workshops and trainings. We will address topics like renewable energy, circular economy, zero waste systems, cleaner production, new resources, innovation management and smart solutions. The participants to the events of the project are intended to become “message bearers” and to act as change agents in their future work places. A community will be formed in the virtual environment (Facebook page, email group, Twitter account, YouTube channel) with all the persons involved in the activities of the project, that will permit the continuation of information and good practices exchange.
The Use of Financial Products in Liquidity Risk Management by SMEs
Authors: Mioducka Mirosława , Małecka Joanna
Published: May 2020

Risk, which is inherent to any business activity, is an issue that should be considered as early as at its conceptual stage and the very idea of its creation. The awareness of its existence and effective risk management is one of the factors which decide whether an organization will prosper or not. Control over possible risks can be exercised in several ways, one of which is outsourcing of risk to other market participants, such as financial institutions. This option is not a widespread solution in the Polish market, which may be due to low awareness among managers in the field of both risk identification and diversification. In the era of entrepreneurial economy, SMEs, which account for 99.8% of the European population and generate about 50% of GDP, having a significant impact on international trade, should become the primary addressees of training and education initiatives to inform them about risks and possibilities of their mitigation. The purpose of the article is to indicate financial services, mainly factoring, offered by money market institutions as an opportunity to improve current financial liquidity of enterprises, and to demonstrate the importance of education in adequate understanding and promotion of those solutions.
An Innovative Game-Based Approach for Teaching Urban Sustainability
Authors: Armenia Stefano , Ciobanu Natalia , Kulakowska Michalina , Myrovali Glykeria , Papathanasiou Jason , Pompei Alessandro , Tsaples Georgios , Tsironis Loukas
Published: May 2020

This paper is based on SUSTAIN, an ERASMUS+ project with an innovative perspective on urban transportation, and its target is to promote the importance of sustainability on the everyday problem of urban transportation among the students of higher education (and not only), who are the policy makers of tomorrow. In order to achieve its goals, the research team is currently developing a course that will be based on an interactive serious board game with an analytical style of education. SUSTAIN’s purpose is to create a game that will allow students to learn about transportation sustainability and societal metabolism through playing. The project partners develop small and illustrative simulation models, which will make the definitions more concrete and allow students to experiment largely in a consequence-free environment. The simulation models can be used to identify scenario exemplars on how we can achieve sustainable urban transportation and consequently a balanced societal metabolism, while on the same time taking into account formal decision making processes. In this paper, we are going to explain a Stocks ---amp--- Flows Diagram for the above mentioned model, with a system dynamics approach.