bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vilinska ljut na Širokom Brigu: An In-depth Study of the Toponymy of an Area in Western Herzegovina. Review of the book: Šimić, M., & Dugandžić, I. (2022). Mistopisi na jugozapadu Širokoga Briga. Toponimi katastarske općine Rasno iz 1891. godine (Sela Rasna, Dužica, Privalja i Čerigaja) [Place Names in the South-West of Široki Brijeg: Toponyms of Rasno Cadastral District in 1891 (Villages of Rasno, Dužice, Privalj, and Čerigaj)]. Široki Brijeg: Hrvatsko društvo čuvara baštine. 263 p.
Authors:   Gamzat Tsadasa Institute of Language, Literature and Art of Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Makhachkala, Russia, Gadzhieva Sofia G.
Published: May 2024

The reviewed book Place Names in the South-West of Široki Brig: Toponyms of the Rasno Cadastral District in 1891 (Villages of Rasno, Dužice, Privalj and Čerigaj), authored by Marinka Šimić and Ivan Dugandžić, presents a comprehensive analysis of the toponymy within a specific area of Western Herzegovina. The authors meticulously examined over 18 thousand names of land plots documented in cadastral records, identifying more than 2 thousand distinct names, which are introduced here for the first time into scholarly discussion. Alongside etymological insights and analyses of toponymic motivations and microtoponyms, the study provides detailed descriptions of referents. Primary sources used for this investigation include census records of the Turkish conquerors, various cartographic sources such as maps from the Venetian Republic and Austro-Hungarian maps, as well as land registers from 1891 and 1961, cadastral maps, and information gathered from informants during fieldwork in the villages of Rasno, Dužice, Privalj, and Čerigaj. Additionally, the authors incorporate their own knowledge, personal experiences, and memories. The review highlights the pioneering work of M. Šimić and I. Dugandžić in documenting the toponymy of the southwestern region of Široki Brijeg, laying the groundwork for further in-depth studies of the entire area’s toponymy. This book is a valuable resource for linguists, historians, folklorists, ethnographers, anthropologists, and scholars in related disciplines.
Non-deterministic Planning for Hyperproperty Verification
Authors: Beutner Raven , Finkbeiner Bernd
Published: May 2024

Non-deterministic planning aims to find a policy that achieves a given objective in an environment where actions have uncertain effects, and the agent - potentially - only observes parts of the current state.
Hyperproperties are properties that relate multiple paths of a system and can, e.g., capture security and information-flow policies.
Popular logics for expressing temporal hyperproperties - such as HyperLTL - extend LTL by offering selective quantification over executions of a system.
In this paper, we show that planning offers a powerful intermediate language for the automated verification of hyperproperties.
Concretely, we present an algorithm that, given a HyperLTL verification problem, constructs a non-deterministic multi-agent planning instance (in the form of a QDec-POMDP) that, when admitting a plan, implies the satisfaction of the verification problem.
We show that for large fragments of HyperLTL, the resulting planning instance corresponds to a classical, FOND, or POND planning problem.
We implement our encoding in a prototype verification tool and report on encouraging experimental results.
On Policy Reuse: An Expressive Language for Representing and Executing General Policies that Call Other Policies
Authors: Bonet Blai , Drexler Dominik , Geffner Héctor
Published: May 2024

Recently, a simple but powerful language for expressing and learning general policies and problem decompositions (sketches) has been introduced in terms of rules defined over a set of Boolean and numerical features. In this work, we consider three extensions of this language aimed at making policies and sketches more flexible and reusable: internal memory states, as in finite state controllers; indexical features, whose values are a function of the state and a number of internal registers that can be loaded with objects; and modules that wrap up policies and sketches and allow them to call each other by passing parameters. In addition, unlike general policies that select state transitions rather than ground actions, the new language allows for the selection of such actions. The expressive power of the resulting language for policies and sketches is illustrated through a number of examples.
Taming Discretised PDDL+ through Multiple Discretisations
Authors: Cardellini Matteo , Maratea Marco , Percassi Francesco , Scala Enrico , Vallati Mauro
Published: May 2024

The PDDL+ formalism allows the use of planning techniques in applications that require the ability to perform hybrid discrete-continuous reasoning. PDDL+ problems are notoriously challenging to tackle, and to reason upon them a well-established approach is discretisation. Existing systems rely on a single discretisation delta or, at most, two: a simulation delta to model the dynamics of the environment, and a planning delta, that is used to specify when decisions can be taken. However, there exist cases where this rigid schema is not ideal, for instance when agents with very different speeds need to cooperate or interact in a shared environment, and a more flexible approach that can accommodate more deltas is necessary. To address the needs of this class of hybrid planning problems, in this paper we introduce a reformulation approach that allows the encapsulation of different levels of discretisation in PDDL+ models, hence allowing any domain-independent planning engine to reap the benefits. Further, we provide the community with a new set of benchmarks that highlights the limits of fixed discretisation.
Combined Task and Motion Planning via Sketch Decompositions
Authors: Dalmau Moreno Magí , García Néstor , Gómez Vicenç , Geffner Héctor
Published: May 2024

The challenge in combined task and motion planning (TAMP) is the effective integration of a search over a combinatorial space, usually carried out by a task planner, and a search over a continuous configuration space, carried out by a motion planner. Using motion planners for testing the feasibility of task plans and filling out the details is not effective because it makes the geometrical constraints play a passive role. This work introduces a new interleaved approach for integrating the two dimensions of TAMP that makes use of sketches, a recent simple but powerful language for expressing the decomposition of problems into subproblems. A sketch has width 1 if it decomposes the problem into subproblems that can be solved greedily in linear time. In the paper, a general sketch is introduced for several classes of TAMP problems which has width 1 under suitable assumptions. While sketch decompositions have been developed for classical planning, they offer two important benefits in the context of TAMP. First, when a task plan is found to be unfeasible due to the geometric constraints, the combinatorial search resumes in a specific subproblem. Second, the sampling of object configurations is not done once, globally, at the start of the search, but locally, at the start of each subproblem. Optimizations of this basic setting are also considered and experimental results over existing and new pick-and-place benchmarks are reported.
Learning Quadruped Locomotion Policies Using Logical Rules
Authors: DeFazio David , Hayamizu Yohei , Zhang Shiqi
Published: May 2024

Quadruped animals are capable of exhibiting a diverse range of locomotion gaits. While progress has been made in demonstrating such gaits on robots, current methods rely on motion priors, dynamics models, or other forms of extensive manual efforts. People can use natural language to describe dance moves. Could one use a formal language to specify quadruped gaits? To this end, we aim to enable easy gait specification and efficient policy learning. Leveraging Reward Machines (RMs) for high-level gait specification over foot contacts, our approach is called RM-based Locomotion Learning (RMLL), and supports adjusting gait frequency at execution time. Gait specification is enabled through the use of a few logical rules per gait (e.g., alternate between moving front feet and back feet) and does not require labor-intensive motion priors. Experimental results in simulation highlight the diversity of learned gaits (including two novel gaits), their energy consumption and stability across different terrains, and the superior sample-efficiency when compared to baselines. We also demonstrate these learned policies with a real quadruped robot. Video and supplementary materials:
https://sites.google.com/view/rm-locomotion-learning/home
Versatile Cost Partitioning with Exact Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Höft Paul , Speck David , Pommerening Florian , Seipp Jendrik
Published: May 2024

Saturated post-hoc optimization is a powerful method for computing admissible heuristics for optimal classical planning. The approach solves a linear program (LP) for each state encountered during the search, which is computationally demanding. In this paper, we theoretically and empirically analyze to which extent we can reuse an LP solution of one state for another. We introduce a novel sensitivity analysis that can exactly characterize the set of states for which a unique LP solution is optimal. Furthermore, we identify two properties of the underlying LPs that affect reusability. Finally, we introduce an algorithm that optimizes LP solutions to generalize well to other states. Our new algorithms significantly reduce the number of necessary LP computations.
Large Language Models as Planning Domain Generators
Authors: Oswald James , Srinivas Kavitha , Kokel Harsha , Lee Junkyu , Katz Michael , Sohrabi Shirin
Published: May 2024

Developing domain models is one of the few remaining places that require manual human labor in AI planning. Thus, in order to make planning more accessible, it is desirable to automate the process of domain model generation. To this end, we investigate if large language models (LLMs) can be used to generate planning domain models from simple textual descriptions. Specifically, we introduce a framework for automated evaluation of LLM-generated domains by comparing the sets of plans for domain instances. Finally, we perform an empirical analysis of 7 large language models, including coding and chat models across 9 different planning domains, and under three classes of natural language domain descriptions. Our results indicate that LLMs, particularly those with high parameter counts, exhibit a moderate level of proficiency in generating correct planning domains from natural language descriptions.
Our code is available at https://github.com/IBM/NL2PDDL.
Computing Planning Centroids and Minimum Covering States Using Symbolic Bidirectional Search
Authors: Pozanco Alberto , Torralba Álvaro , Borrajo Daniel
Published: May 2024

In some scenarios, planning agents might be interested in reaching states that keep certain relationships with respect to a set of goals. Recently, two of these types of states were proposed: centroids, which minimize the average distance to the goals; and minimum covering states, which minimize the maximum distance to the goals. Previous approaches compute these states by searching forward either in the original or a reformulated task. In this paper, we propose several algorithms that use symbolic bidirectional search to efficiently compute centroids and minimum covering states. Experimental results in existing and novel benchmarks show that our algorithms scale much better than previous approaches, establishing a new state-of-the-art technique for this problem.
The Story So Far on Narrative Planning
Authors: Rivera Rogelio E. Cardona , Jhala Arnav , Porteous Julie , Young R. Michael
Published: May 2024

Narrative planning is the use of automated planning to construct, communicate, and understand stories, a form of information to which human cognition and enaction is pre-disposed. We review the narrative planning problem in a manner suitable as an introduction to the area, survey different plan-based methodologies and affordances for reasoning about narrative, and discuss open challenges relevant to the broader AI community.
Efficiently Computing Transitions in Cartesian Abstractions
Authors: Seipp Jendrik
Published: May 2024

Counterexample-guided Cartesian abstraction refinement yields strong heuristics for optimal classical planning. The approach iteratively finds a new abstract solution, checks where it fails for the original task and refines the abstraction to avoid the same failure in subsequent iterations. The main bottleneck of this refinement loop is the memory needed for storing all abstract transitions. To address this issue, we introduce an algorithm that efficiently computes abstract transitions on demand. This drastically reduces the memory consumption and allows us to solve tasks during the refinement loop and during the search that were previously out of reach.
Merging or Computing Saturated Cost Partitionings? A Merge Strategy for the Merge-and-Shrink Framework
Authors: Sievers Silvan , Keller Thomas , Röger Gabriele
Published: May 2024

The merge-and-shrink framework is a powerful tool for computing abstraction heuristics for optimal classical planning. Merging is one of its name-giving transformations. It entails computing the product of two factors of a factored transition system. To decide which two factors to merge, the framework uses a merge strategy. While there exist many merge strategies, it is generally unclear what constitutes a strong merge strategy, and a previous analysis shows that there is still lots of room for improvement with existing merge strategies. In this paper, we devise a new scoring function for score-based merge strategies based on answering the question whether merging two factors has any benefits over computing saturated cost partitioning heuristics over the factors instead. Our experimental evaluation shows that our new merge strategy achieves state-of-the-art performance on IPC benchmarks.
Addressing Myopic Constrained POMDP Planning with Recursive Dual Ascent
Authors: Stocco Paula , Chundi Suhas , Jamgochian Arec , Kochenderfer Mykel J.
Published: May 2024

Lagrangian-guided Monte Carlo tree search with global dual ascent has been applied to solve large constrained partially observable Markov decision processes (CPOMDPs) online. In this work, we demonstrate that these global dual parameters can lead to myopic action selection during exploration, ultimately leading to suboptimal decision making. To address this, we introduce history-dependent dual variables that guide local action selection and are optimized with recursive dual ascent. We empirically compare the performance of our approach on a motivating toy example and two large CPOMDPs, demonstrating improved exploration, and ultimately, safer outcomes.
A Counter-Example Based Approach to Probabilistic Conformant Planning
Authors: Zhang Xiaodi , Grastien Alban , Gretton Charles
Published: May 2024

This paper introduces a counter-example based approach for solving probabilistic conformant planning (PCP) problems. Our algorithm incrementally generates candidate plans and identifies counter-examples until it finds a plan for which the probability of success is above the specified threshold. We prove that the algorithm is sound and complete. We further propose a variation of our algorithm that uses hitting sets to accelerate the generation of candidate plans. Experimental results show that our planner is particularly suited for problems with a high probability threshold.
Effect of Using Oxygen Concentrators on Oxygen Saturation after COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Yavuz Dağlı Zuhal , Yengil Taci Duygu , Fidancı İzzet
Published: May 2024

Aim: Chronic hypoxemic respiratory failure may develop due to lung damage in patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Therefore, chronic respiratory failure that requires continuous oxygen support may develop. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of using oxygen concentrators on oxygen saturation after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Material and Method: The study included 42 patients who used oxygen concentrators and 66 patients who did not use concentrators and applied to Ankara Training and Research Hospital Pulmonology Outpatient Clinic between January 1, and April 8, 2021 after COVID-19 infection. Patients received a sociodemographic data questionnaire and a COVID-19 infection severity questionnaire, which were completed through face-to-face interviews. Patients’ oxygen saturation levels were also measured and recorded at the time of interview.
Results: Those using oxygen concentrators were older and had less education (p=0.001; p=0.03, respectively). Patients who complained of shortness of breath during infection were mostly in the oxygen concentrator group, while those who had headaches and diarrhoea were mostly in the group that did not require concentrators. The group using oxygen concentrators had longer hospital stays due to COVID-19 infection (p=0.001). Patients using oxygen concentrators had higher rates of pulmonary involvement and lower oxygen saturation levels (p=0.001).
Conclusion: Patients who complained of dyspnea at the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis were more likely to require a concentrator at a later stage. Other factors influencing the need for concentrators include advanced age and education level. Patients using an oxygen concentrator had lower oxygen saturation levels, but the mean value was higher.
Estimación de la distribución espacial de los bosques perturbados en Chiapas, México, usando datos satelitales e información auxiliar
Authors: Castillo-Santiago Miguel ángel , Mondragon-Vazquez Edith , Espinosa-Jiménez Flor Rocío , Escobar-Flores Rosa Elena , García-González Rafael , Domínguez-Vera Roberto , Chanona-Pérez Sandra Patricia , Mas Jean Francois , Hernández-Stefanoni José Luis
Published: May 2024

Background: Maps of disturbed forests help to identify impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Methods using only spectral data to detect disturbance at the regional level have limitations, but expert knowledge and fragmentation analysis can improve estimation.
Questions: What is the distribution of disturbed forests in a region of high biodiversity, and which vegetation types and regions are most affected?
Data description: SPOT 2015, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 2019. Vegetation data were collected at 653 sites. In addition, herbarium, agricultural census, and National Forest Inventory data were used.
Study site and dates: Chiapas State, during 2018-2022.
Methods: We elaborated a hybrid map of vegetation types, emphasizing identifying secondary forests. Also, we carried out a fragmentation analysis and calculated the woody biomass per forest type.
Results: 40 % of the State still maintains tree cover, but only 12 % is undisturbed; most undisturbed forests are in three regions: Selva Lacandona, Sierra Madre, and Gulf Plain. Overall, the biomass of disturbed forests is significantly lower than that of their mature counterparts. 
Conclusions: In Chiapas, the distribution of forests with good conservation status is restricted; almost half of them are outside NPAs, so it is imperative to promote additional strategies for their conservation and management.
Tejiendo fibras en la ciudad
Authors:   Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (Ecuador), Simbaña Pillajo Freddy
Published: May 2024

El documento socializa el proceso de priostazgo designado a la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana para la celebración del Inti Raymi de las universidades 2019, en Quito. El estudio de caso aplicó una metodología de carácter etnográfico, que apeló a la memoria colectiva para determinar el proceso y entramado de las energías vitales para la celebración festiva desde el Inti Raymi en lo urbano.
Prototipo electrónico para incubación de aves criollas en San Jacinto del Búa, Ecuador
Authors:   Instituto Superior Tecnológico Tsachila, Narváez Vega Víctor Hugo , Pisco Zambrano Genner Iván ,   Instituto Superior Tecnológico Tsachila
Published: May 2024

Hoy en día, la tecnología permite cambiar la genética en la producción agropecuaria, basada en principios propios de la revolución verde, que nacen en la década de los cuarenta con la meta de producir más, mediante el uso de alta tecnología (Ceccón, 2008). Para los años noventa la nueva revolución verde hace uso de la biotecnología y tiene como objetivo principal la creación de organismos modificados genéticamente (OGM) conocidos como transgénicos. Es así que el uso de variedades vegetales que, aunque se obtengan resultados satisfactorios en cuanto a productividad, requieren insumos externos como fertilizantes y agroquímicos; la cría de razas mejoradas que basan su alimentación en granos y la utilización de grandes cantidades de hormonas. Dichas actividades conllevan a un incremento en los costos de inversión del productor, a pesar de que, para muchas industrias esto es beneficioso porque pueden generar dinero con mayor rapidez y mantener un proceso exacto en peso y precio del producto, por los suplementos alimenticios que se usan para la crianza de aves de corral. No obstante, esta situación afecta a pequeños productores a nivel interno y externo (Ceccon, 2008).
Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Development
Authors: ONYANGO Jacktone , BWIRE Daniel
Published: May 2024

Proverbs are used in the Abanyala community to transmit indigenous knowledge from one generation to another. According to Finnegan (1970), proverbs convey messages through carefully selected words that have hidden meanings. Proverbs represent the wisdom of the Abanyala and their knowledge of the world around them. Knowledge of these proverbs helps to control peoples’ behavior and make them responsible citizens hence improving their quality of life. This paper argues that research and documentation of Abanyala proverbs is one way of promoting local languages and enabling people to access indigenous knowledge which can improve their living conditions and contribute to sustainable development. The paper is based on a survey of Abanyala proverbs which are analysed in their cultural context in order to explain their underlying meanings. The paper discusses the role of these proverbs in the achievement of socio-cultural and economic sustainable development not only at the community level but also at the national level.
Les Grecs de la République Démocratique du Congo et les Congolais de la Grèce
Authors: PAPADOPOULOS Themistoklis
Published: May 2024

Durant la seconde guerre mondiale, de nombreux réfugiés Grecs se sont installés dans les grands centres urbains du Congo - Belge ayant comme résultat la fondation de la communauté grecque de l'actuelle République Démocratique du Congo. La Grèce à son tour est devenue ces dernières années un pays d'accueil des populations immigrées d'origine africaine, y compris des Congolais. Dans la présente étude il est question de la situation éducative linguistique et démographique des Grecs du Congo et des Congolais de la Grèce et aussi de la politique linguistique et culturelle, grecque et européenne, concernant les communautés immigrées. Il sera également question des problèmes que rencontrent les communautés oubliées par leurs pays d'origine et si un développement durable et une valorisation des cultures peut exister.
Vers la grammatisation de l’arabe marocain
Authors: ZAÏD Zahra
Published: May 2024

L’intervention sur une langue dépend de plusieurs facteurs complexes et complémentaires, notamment des facteurs politique et sociolinguistique, entre autres. Ils convergent tous vers le même but, celui de favoriser l’émergence d’une langue commune. Toutefois, le facteur le plus important qui contribue à la valorisation d’une langue est la volonté politique qui, par des mesures institutionnelles, modifie son statut sur le marché linguistique. Cette opération permet l’ouverture de plusieurs chantiers de travail pour assurer sa graphisation.
Dans cette contribution, nous porterons la réflexion sur l’initiative entreprise par le centre de Promotion de la Darija Marocaine qui, dans un cadre informel, a élaboré le premier dictionnaire monolingue de la darija marocaine (DDM), plus particulièrement, nous verrons les différents choix effectués par les auteurs dudit dictionnaire pour constituer sa microstructure et sa macrostructure, essentiellement le choix de la variété et de l’orthographe.
Les rues de New York comme espace performatif
Authors: BOUCHER Jules-Valentin
Published: May 2024

À propos du compositeur, musicien et poète aveugle Moondog (né Louis Hardin, 1916-1999), qui vécu et fit entendre sa musique et ses poèmes dans les rues de New York entre 1943 et 1974. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à la relation idiosyncratique entre sa musique et Manhattan en nous interrogeant sur le caractère performatif de son œuvre. Après une brève biographie, nous décrirons le contexte urbain dans lequel Moondog, « Viking de la 6e Avenue », choisit de s'installer : le trottoir, sa scène. Nous expliquerons ensuite comment le compositeur devint rapidement un point de repère, un monument emblématique de la ville, et dans le même temps, comment le paysage sonore de la ville fit partie intégrante de sa musique. Enfin, l'accent sera mis sur la limite ténue entre son art et sa vie, et sur sa capacité à déterminer sa vie selon des principes artistiques – vie dont New York fut l'espace performatif.
Remy Charlip
Authors: ELLAYAH Pamela
Published: May 2024

Cet article vise à explorer comment le danseur et chorégraphe Remy Charlip a utilisé son expérience de la performance comme source d’inspiration pour illustrer ses albums pour enfants. Ayant collaboré avec John Cage et Merce Cunningham, il s’est investi dans multiples domaines artistiques que ce soit la dance, l’écriture et l’illustration de livres ainsi que la création de costumes. La danse et son écriture chorégraphique ont eu une telle influence sur ses albums que certains sont comparables à des “partitions visuelles”. La danse et les albums ont constitué des tentatives pour traduire l’énergie enfantine tout comme ils ont révélé des explorations graphiques dans le monde de cet artiste total.
Poesía performativa y teatro de la poesía en la Argentina
Authors: DUBATTI Jorge
Published: May 2024

En los últimos treinta años de postdictadura argentina, de la mano de la Filosofía del Teatro, se ha producido un cambio epistemológico respecto de los conceptos de texto(s) dramático(s), dramaturgia(s) y escritura/reescritura(s) dramáticas. Se observa una doble ampliación: de las literaturas dramáticas y de las no-dramáticas pero vinculadas al acontecimiento teatral. En este marco se proponen los conceptos de “poesía performativa” y “teatro de la poesía”, así como una tipología de las “literaturas del acontecimiento teatral” por su relación con la escena y la reescritura. Se ejemplifica con textos poéticos del actor-performer Alejandro Urdapilleta, especialmente de su libro Vagones transportan humo (2000).
UTJECAJ PRIMALJSKE AUTONOMIJE NA ISHODE PORODA
Authors: Švaljug Deana
Published: May 2024

Tijekom mnogih stoljeća primaljstvo je bilo prepušteno radu na temelju pokušaja i pogreške. Kako bi se rodilja što prije porodila, od primaljskih intervencija primjenjivalo se tiskanje trbuha, upiranje u leđa i puhanje u staklenu flašu, zbog čega je često pomoć u porođaju više štetila nego pomagala. Ili su žene rađale same bez ičije pomoći, često se obavljao u štalama i štagljevima. Siromaštvo i bijeda, neprosvijećenost, nekultura i praznovjerje, uz nestručnu pomoć i rađanje u nehigijenskim uvjetima, ostavili su za sobom tisuće mladih žena umrlih od komplikacija u porođaju i njihove novorođenčadi. Još je početkom XX. stoljeća umiralo 3-9 žena/1000 poroda, dok je perinatalni mortalitet iznosio preko 60 ‰. Problem visoke smrtnosti rodilja i dojenčadi nastojao se riješiti zdravstvenim prosvjećivanjem i obrazovanjem primalja kao temeljnih nositeljica skrbi za majke i novorođenčad. U to vrijeme, primaljska se skrb sastojala u kontroli trudnice neposredno uoči poroda, te u vođenju poroda, u pravilu kod kuće žene, a liječnik je bio pozvan samo kad bi porod zastao. Sve do 60-ih godina XX. stoljeća kada primalje u RH gube profesionalnu autonomiju, a porodničari preuzimaju cjelokupan nadzor nad rodiljama. Istovremeno porod postaje aktivno vođen. Tijekom godina smrtnost majki svela se na pojedinačne slučajeve, a perinatalni mortalitet pada, od 2004. godine ispod je EU prosjeka, a od 2011. niži od 4 ‰. Perinatalni mortalitet koji je u zemljama EU s autonomijom primalja bio prisutan i godinama prije. Za primjer, u 2000. godini kada je u RH on iznosio 9,37 ‰, u Finskoj je iznosio 3,65 ‰ ili Austriji 3,87 ‰, potvrđuje da su dobro obrazovane primalje sposobne provoditi primaljsku skrb u skladu s principima sigurnog majčinstva dokle god je porođaj u fiziološkim okvirima.
KREIRANJE SPECIFICNIH PRAJMERSKIH PAROVA IZ PODATAKA DOBIJENIH SEKVENCIRANJEM KLINIČKOG EGZOMA U CILJU CILJANE DIJAGNOSTIKE RIJETKIH BOLESTI
Authors: Konjhodžić Rijad
Published: May 2024

Background: Rare diseases affect 5,9 percent of the population, and pose an unique challenges for patients, families, and healthcare providers due to their conflicting etiology. Diagnosis of the rare disease can be challenging, as the symptoms may be similar to more common illnesses, and there could be a lack of awareness among medical professionals. As a result, patients may experience delayed or incorrect diagnoses, leading to delayed treatment and more adverse consequences. Furthermore, it is imperative to be able to isolate and follow up the designated mutation in family tree.
Materials and Methods: DNA extraction was performed on blood and amniotic fluid samples, followed by DNA quantification, and library preparation using TruSight One sequencing panel from Illumina. Sequencing was performed on the MiSeq Illumina platform and comprehensive bioinformatic data analysis using Varsome clinical software. Based on the detected variants, in-house primers for Sanger sequencing were designed for confirmation and availability of familial testing.
Results: Since it is a comprehensive approach to rare disease diagnostics, the findings will be presented in the form of patient case reports, categorizing variants as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, and variants of uncertain significance, which are associated with rare genetic disorders.
Conclusion: Overall, the ability to perform molecular diagnostics of rare diseases is essential for improving patient care, and addressing public health challenges associated with rare diseases. Clinical exome testing on amniotic fluid is a powerful tool for early diagnostics of rare genetic diseases in a developing fetus, providing parents with valuable information to prepare for potential medical or developmental needs. Capability of the laboratory to design specific primers and follow up detected mutations relatively quickly and inexpensively broadens the influence of Clinical Exome sequencing.
EVALUACIJA INTEGRIRANOG DIJAGNOSTIČKOG PRISTUPA U DIJAGNOSTICI AKUTNE MIJELOIČNE LEUKEMIJE
Authors: Papić Emsel , Bilalović Nurija
Published: May 2024

Uvod: Heterogena priroda akutne mijeloične leukemije (AML) iziskuje primjenu specifičnih i pouzdanih laboratorijskih testova pri postavljanju dijagnoze. Istraživanja ukazuju na određene nedostatke konvencionalnih morfoloških i imunofenotipskih metoda, ali i potrebu za imple-mentacijom kompleksnog dijagnostičkog algoritma koji uz navedene metode inkorporira citogenetičke i molekularno-genetičke analize u integrirani dijagnostički pristup.
Cilj: Predstaviti prednosti i nedostatke integriranog dijagnostičkog pristupa u dijagnostici akutne mijeloične leukemije.
Metode: Za potrebe neeksperimentalnog kvalitativnog istraživanja, pretražene su relevantne baze podataka (PubMed, Scopus i Web of Science). Pretraga baza u širem opsegu provedena je uz pomoć ključnih riječi acute myeloid leukemia, cytomorphology, flow cytometry, cytogenetic abnormalities i molecular diagnostics. Za konačnu analizu, odabrani su naučni radovi koji zadovoljavaju kriterije relevantnosti i povezanosti s postavljenim ciljem i temom istraživanja.
Rezultati: Integracija dijagnostičkih modaliteta u AML predstavlja veliki izazov zbog kontinuriane složenosti i opterećenja za zdravstvene profesionalce. Kao značajne prednosti izdvajaju se mogućnost umrežavanja rezultata različitih dijagnostičkih modaliteta, te detekcija nespecifičnih i izazovnih slučajeva AML. Prijavljeni nedostaci se odnose na potrebu za jedinstvenim protokolima, nepredvidiv turnaround time, validaciju i potrebu za visoko specija-liziranim osobljem. Danas se sve više pažnje pridaje AI (engl. artifical intelligence) i njenoj sposobnosti da obradi podatke s ciljem pružanja brzih i preciznih dijagnostičkih i prognostičkih informacija što predstavlja obećavajući koncept u AML-u. Usvajanje ove paradigme znatno bi olakšalo trenutne pristupe i unaprijedilo koncept zdravstvene zaštite.
Zaključak: Integrirani dijagnostički pristup ima za cilj poboljšati kvalitet pojedinačnih metoda primjenom dosadašnjih saznanja i paralelnim testiranjem novih mogućnosti. S razvojem precizne medicine, ovaj dijagnostički model će u budućnosti dobiti dodatni značaj. Neovisno od utvrđenih prednosti i nedostatka, dostupna istraživanja ukazuju na nužnost dodatnih napora i primjenu AI za uspostavljanje standardiziranog integriranog pristupa na globalnom nivou.
Optimal Planning of Type-1DGs in EV Incorporated Radial Distribution Network
Authors: Srinivas Dandu
Published: May 2024

A vital task for effective operation of distribution system is reducing power losses and to save energy. One of the most effective methods to reduce losses is distributed generation (DG). The proper planning of EVCSs is a significant problem for distribution system operators as the installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCSs) for Electrical Vehicles (EVs) increases on a larger scale. Power losses and generation-demand mismatch rise with EV load adoption in the electrical grid. As a result, there will be impact on voltage levels and the voltage stability margin deteriorates. It is critical to integrate EVCSs at appropriate locations to reduce the negative effects of increasing EV load penetration on Radial Distribution Systems (RDS). The integration of EVs into distribution systems undergoes charging and discharging modes of operation for power exchange with the grid, resulting in energy management. Inadequate EVCS planning has a negative influence on the distribution system, causing voltage variation and an increase in power losses. DG units are integrated with EVCSs to reduce this. The DGs help to keep the voltage profile within limits which reduces power flows and losses and thus results in improved power quality and reliability. Therefore, the DGs and EVCS should be properly allocated and sized to avoid issues such as protection, voltage rise, and reverse power flow. This research demonstrates an approach for minimizing losses in an EV-integrated radial distribution system by optimizing the location and sizing of DGs. This study proposes the sizing and location of renewable (wind, solar) DG units (type-1 DG) incorporated in radial distribution network. This methodology decreases power losses while simultaneously improving network voltages. The accuracy of the proposed method is elaborated in four scenarios. The proposed methodology is implemented in IEEE 33 bus and 69 bus systems using the Particle Swarm Optimization technique (PSO). The results show that the suggested optimization technique increases system efficiency and performance by optimizing the planning and operation of both DGs and EVs.
Information as an Object of Civil Rights
Authors: Kress V. V.
Published: May 2024

The paper is devoted to the search for the place of information in the system of objects of civil rights. It is noted that the issue of the independence of information as an object of civil rights and the possibility of including it in civil circulation is debatable. To date, several approaches exist to the essence of the indicated issue that are given special attention in the paper. According to the first approach, information is considered as an object of civil rights and contractual relations. Moreover, information has such a strong connection with a commodity — a thing — that it is proposed to extend all the rules applied to the objects of property law to information. Under the second approach information is classified as intellectual property. According to the third approach, information is recognized as an object of civil rights only if it is reflected (fixed) on a tangible medium. Under the forth approach, information is classified as intellectual property. According to the results of the study, the author concludes that information is an indirect object of civil rights, since by its nature information is a part (content) of the objects of civil rights directly listed in Article 128 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (intangible benefit or result of intellectual activity), which creates the construction of an object within an object. In this regard, it is proposed to conditionally refer to the object of civil rights specified in the law (intangible benefit or result of intellectual activity) as an object of the first order (level), and its constituent part (content) information (information) is recommended to be treated as the object of civil rights of the second order (level). Thus, the legal regime of information as an object of civil rights of the second order (level) will be determined by the object of civil rights of the first order (level), of which it is a part (content).
International Legal Principles for Establishing the Jurisdiction of States in Cyberspace
Authors: Tebenkova V. N.
Published: May 2024

The paper analyzes the principles of state jurisdiction in international law and the features of their application in cyberspace. The formation of cyberspace, the uniqueness of which is expressed in its global, transborder nature, allowing users to interact across state borders, in the interconnection of information systems, in the presence of intangible components and the variability of jurisdictions, has given rise to the question of international legal regulation of relations arising when using cyberspace. The most common approach is that the rules of international law are applied in order to regulate relations related to the use of cyberspace. In this regard, the jurisdiction of states in relation to cyberspace is based on the principles of jurisdiction identified in international law: the territorial principle, including the principle of active and passive territoriality, the doctrine of consequences; national principle, including the principle of active and passive nationality; protective principle, universal principle. As a result of the analysis of doctrine and international acts, namely the reports of the Group of Governmental Experts on Advances in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security in 2013, 2015, 2021, resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the Computer Crime Convention of 2001, negotiations documents for the draft international convention on combating the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes being developed within the UN, it was concluded that the principle of territoriality remains the main principle on the basis of which states establish jurisdiction in cyberspace. At the same time, the specific content of the principle of territoriality and other principles for establishing the jurisdiction of states in cyberspace is still being formed.
Robot-assisted Heller myotomy in the treatment of achalasia in children
Authors: Kozlov Yury A. , Poloyan Simon S. , Sapukhin Eduard V. , Strashinsky Alexey S. , Makarochkina Marina V. , Марчук Андрей Алексеевич , Rozhanski Alexander P. , Byrgazov Anton A. , Muravev Sergey A. , Narkevich Artem N.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND: Esophageal achalasia in children is a rare disease. Heller myotomy combined with Dor fundoplication remains the treatment of choice for this disease. Surgical interventions include open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches. This article describes the first experience of Heller robot-assisted myotome in a child. It also presents a literature review on this topic.
CLINICAL CASE DESCRIPTION: The authors present retrospective data of a 10-year-old adolescent boy who was operated on for esophageal achalasia with the robot-assisted approach. The patient was admitted to the surgical department of Irkutsk State Regional Children's Clinical Hospital in satisfactory condition with complaints of dysphagia, frequent regurgitation after meals, and delayed weight gain. The diagnosis of cardia achalasia was put after contrast examination of the esophagus and after endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract and after esophageal manometry. Heller robot-assisted myotomy was performed with surgical robot Versius (manufactured by CMR, UK). Patient's weight was 30 kg. His age was 10 years. This disease lasted for 3 years. Robot-assisted Heller myotomy was done in a minimally invasive manner without conversion to an open surgery. Total myotomy length was 7 cm; duration of surgical intervention — 125 minutes; duration of patient's stay in the hospital — 4 days; duration of follow-up — 4 months. In the late follow-up, no significant complications, like symptom recurrence or reflux, were seen.
CONCLUSION: Robotic-assisted Heller myotomy for esophageal achalasia in children is safe and effective technique. It is also good alternative to open and laparoscopic surgeries.
Serum osteocalcin concentration in children with craniosynostosis
Authors: Shcherbakov Alexander V. , Stashko Yulia F. , Kim Sergey A. , Danilin Vasily E. , Letyagin German V. , Amelina Evgenia V.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND: The present study is an actual one because up to now there are no standards for craniosynostosis diagnostics and no simple and safe techniques for it. Osteocalcin concentration in the blood serum is an important marker of bone metabolism, that is why this parameter was chosen as a potential laboratory marker of craniosynostosis.
AIM: To determine osteocalcin concentrations in the blood serum of children with various forms of craniosynostosis.
METHODS: 94 children with craniosynostosis who were treated in the pediatric neurosurgical department of the Federal Center for Neurosurgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Novosibirsk, Russia) from November 2018 to March 2022 were included in the trail. Inclusion criteria were: age up to 6 complete years, children with syndromic and non-syndromic forms of craniosynostosis. The obtained findings were analyzed in two age groups: up to 6 months and over 6 months because of different reference values.
RESULTS: 8 children out of 60, aged 6 months-6 years, had the increased osteocalcin concentration in the serum (13.3%).
CONCLUSION: No correlation has been revealed between craniosynostosis and increased serum osteocalcin concentrations in children under 6 years of age.
The effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic sanitation of the pleural cavity in combination with local proteolytic therapy in children with acute pleural empyema
Authors: Barova Natusya K. , Egiev Ivan Kh. , Grigorova Alina N. , Ubilava Irma A. , Stryukovsky Andrey E. , Nadgeriev Valery M. , Starchenko Valery M.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND: A positive experience of the local applicationof proteolytic enzymes for treating purulent-inflammatory processes of various localizations has motivated the researchers to study this challenging topic and to assess the effectiveness of proteolytic enzymes in combination with video thoracoscopic sanitation and ultrasonic cavitation of the lungs and pleural cavity in children with acute pleural empyema.
AIM: To assess the effectiveness of complex treatment of acute pleural empyema in children.
METHODS: In 2020–2022, 26 children, aged 1–17 (15 boys, 57.7% and 11 girls, 42.3%), were under observation. All children were operated on for video thoracoscopic sanitation of the pleural cavity and ultrasonic cavitation of the lungs and pleural cavity. Patients were divided into two groups: main group — 12 (46.2%) children who were injected proteolytic enzymes into their pleural cavity intraoperatively and at the postoperative period; control group — 14 (53.8%) children who had no any proteolytic enzyme injections. The developed technique (Method for the treatment of acute pleural empyema in children, Patent RU2770663) was used at the surgical intervention.
RESULTS: The results obtained by the identified criteria have shown that proteolytic enzymes applied perioperatively is an effective technique what was confirmed by X-ray findings: fibrinothorax regression in the main group occurred earlier than in the control group by (2±0.4) days.
CONCLUSION: Thus, we consider that proteolytic enzymes used intraoperatively and at the early postoperative period in combination with video thoracoscopic sanitation and ultrasound cavitation of the lungs and pleural cavity is a promising and effective method for treating acute pleural empyema and can be recommended for implementation into clinical practice.
Tratamiento con metformina previene la adiposidad de la médula ósea femoral inducida por un síndrome metabólico experimental en ratas
Authors: Lasalvia Siro , Sedlinsky Claudia , Schurman León , McCarthy Antonio Desmond , Wanionok Nahuel Ezequiel
Published: May 2024

Objetivo. Determinar el efecto de un tratamiento con metformina (MET) sobre la predisposición adipogénica de células progenitoras de médula ósea (CPMO),  adiposidad de la médula ósea y propiedades biomecánicas óseas. Materiales y métodos: 20 ratas Wistar machos adultos jóvenes fueron separados en cuatro grupos, recibiendo en agua de bebida: 100% agua (C); 20% de fructosa (F); metformina 100 mg/kg peso/día (M); o fructosa más metformina (FM). Tras cinco semanas se sacrificaron los animales, se diseccionaron ambos húmeros para obtener CPMO, y ambos fémures para evaluar adiposidad medular (histomorfometría) y propiedades biomecánicas (flexión a 3 puntos). Las CPMO se cultivaron in vitro en medio adipogénico para evaluar expresión de RUNX2, PPAR-γ y RAGE por RT-PCR, actividad de lipasa y acumulación de triglicéridos. Resultados. La dieta rica en fructosa (grupo F) produjo un aumento tanto de triglicéridos in vitro, como de la adiposidad medular in vivo; siendo parcial o totalmente prevenido por un co-tratamiento con metformina (grupo FM). No se observaron diferencias en las pruebas biomecánicas femorales in vivo, ni en actividad de lipasa y relación RUNX2/PPAR-γ in vitro. La DRF aumentó la expresión de RAGE en CPMO, siendo prevenido por co-tratamiento con MET. Conclusiones. El síndrome metabólico inducido por una dieta rica en fructosa aumenta la adiposidad medular femoral y, en parte, la predisposición adipogénica de las CPMO. A su vez, esto puede ser prevenido total o parcialmente por un co-tratamiento oral con MET.
Pengaruh Penambahan Onggok Singkong Terhadap Sifat Fisik, Kimia, Sensori dan Kesukaan Bakso Kacang Merah
Authors: Widiyatun Umi Nur , Ardiyani Elfitri Sarah , Abduh Setya Budi Muhammad , Al-Baarri Ahmad Ni'matullah
Published: May 2024

The texture of structured protein such as meat analogue is distinct due to non-fibrous protein plant protein. Onggok contains dietary fiber which can improve the fibrous texture of meat analogue. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of onggok on the physical, chemical, sensorial properties and consumer preference of restructured red bean protein. The product was made by mixing red bean flour, tapioca, spices followed by boiling for 8 min. In addition, onggok as much as 0, 2, 4, and 6% (w/w) was used as the treatment. Meatball from beef was used as a control. Subsequently, the yield, cooking loss, WHC, water content, total solids, protein, fat, texture, fiber, sensory and preferences of the product were tested and analyzed using ANOVA and PCA.  The results showed that the addition of onggok up to 6% had no effect (p0.05) on the water content, WHC, cooking loss, total solids, protein, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, and preferences, while increased (p0.05) the yield, fat, fiber, and hardness. The restructured red bean protein is lower in water content, WHC, fat, protein, sensory and preference than meatballs.  PCA analysis showed different clusters between both the meatballs, which was in line with the ANOVA results