bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dementia palliative care education and training for healthcare professionals: A scoping review protocol
Authors: Hutch William , O' Sullivan Trish , Foley Tony
Published: February 2022

Background: Global mortality rates from dementia continue to rise.  Evidence suggests that there is limited provision of palliative care for people with dementia and this is a cause of grave concern. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further exposed the inequalities of care for this vulnerable population. Proactive palliative care, delivered by multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (HCPs), can offer significant benefits to people with dementia.  However, little is known about the components of effective education and training for HCPs who care for people with advancing dementia at end of life.

Objective: The aim of this scoping review is to identify effective education and training interventions for HCPs, who care for people with advanced dementia approaching end of life.

Inclusion criteria: Studies that used a palliative care educational intervention for HCPs working with patients with dementia will be included. Studies that explore undergraduate or postgraduate education and training in dementia palliative care for HCPs will be included.  Study designs such as quantitative, qualitative, mixed method studies, and case studies will be included.

Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews will be used for this review. The following databases will be searched: CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, SocIndex, PsycINFO. In addition, grey literature searches will be limited to the first 100 searches using Google Scholar and Open-Grey. Study selection will involve the reviewer screening titles and abstracts. Then, two independent reviewers will further assess the studies in full for those that meet the inclusion criteria. In line with the JBI framework, data will be extracted using a draft data extraction tool. This will facilitate a chronological narrative synthesis of results in line with the study’s overall aim to identify effective education and training interventions for HCPs, who care for patients with dementia, nearing end of life.
The genome sequence of the rock gunnel, Pholis gunnellus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors:   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme, Potter Sophie ,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Pholis gunnellus (the rock gunnel; Chordata; Actinopteri; Perciformes; Pholidae). The genome sequence is 589 megabases in span. The majority (99.96%) of the assembly is scaffolded into 24 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled, and is 16.5 kb in length.
The genome sequence of the German wasp, Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793)
Authors: Crowley Liam M. ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Vespula germanica (the German wasp; Arthropoda; Insecta; Hymenoptera; Vespidae). The genome sequence is 206 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (98.55%) is scaffolded into 25 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 18.0 kilobases in length. Annotation of the genome assembly on Ensembl has identified 12,361 protein-coding genes.
The genome sequence of the furry-claspered furrow bee, Lasioglossum lativentre (Schenck, 1853)
Authors: Falk Steven , Monks Joseph ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Lasioglossum lativentre (the furry-claspered furrow bee; Arthropoda; Insecta; Hymenoptera; Halictidae). The genome sequence is 479 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (75.22%) is scaffolded into 14 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled, and is 15.3 kilobases in length.
Quantile Connectedness: Modeling Tail Behavior in the Topology of Financial Networks
Authors: Ando Tomohiro , Greenwood-Nimmo Matthew , Shin Yongcheol
Published: February 2022

We develop a new technique to estimate vector autoregressions with a common factor error structure by quantile regression. We apply our technique to study credit risk spillovers among a group of 17 sovereigns and their respective financial sectors between January 2006 and December 2017. We show that idiosyncratic credit risk shocks propagate much more strongly in both tails than at the conditional mean or median. Furthermore, we develop a measure of the relative spillover intensity in the right and left tails of the conditional distribution that provides a timely aggregate measure of systemic financial fragility and that can be used for risk management and monitoring purposes.

This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.
Data-Driven Dynamic Pricing and Ordering with Perishable Inventory in a Changing Environment
Authors: Keskin N. Bora , Li Yuexing , Song Jing-Sheng
Published: February 2022

We consider a retailer that sells a perishable product, making joint pricing and inventory ordering decisions over a finite time horizon of T periods with lost sales. Exploring a real-life data set from a leading supermarket chain, we identify several distinctive challenges faced by such a retailer that have not been jointly studied in the literature: the retailer does not have perfect information on (1) the demand-price relationship, (2) the demand noise distribution, (3) the inventory perishability rate, and (4) how the demand-price relationship changes over time. Furthermore, the demand noise distribution is nonparametric for some products but parametric for others. To tackle these challenges, we design two types of data-driven pricing and ordering (DDPO) policies for the cases of nonparametric and parametric noise distributions. Measuring performance by regret, that is, the profit loss caused by not knowing (1)–(4), we prove that the T-period regret of our DDPO policies are in the order of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the cases of nonparametric and parametric noise distributions, respectively. These are the best achievable growth rates of regret in these settings (up to logarithmic terms). Implementing our policies in the context of the aforementioned real-life data set, we show that our approach significantly outperforms the historical decisions made by the supermarket chain. Moreover, we characterize parameter regimes that quantify the relative significance of the changing environment and product perishability. Finally, we extend our model to allow for age-dependent perishability and demand censoring and modify our policies to address these issues.

This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, Management Science Special Section on Data-Driven Prescriptive Analytics.
Perks and perils of adult learners in Communication English learning at English language centers in Vietnam
Authors: Truong Hoa Minh
Published: February 2022

The teaching and learning of Communication English for adult learners is unlike that for children. Understanding of the differences between adult learners’ and young learners’ traits is considered a must for all English teachers so as to provide appropriate teaching methods and materials for adult learners in Communication English learning. Thus, this mixed-methods survey was conducted to investigate adult learners’ perks and perils in Communication English learning and suggested solutions for their better communicative performance. The sample of this study consisted of 148 adult learners from the five selected language centers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Data were collected from questionnaire copies. The findings revealed that the adult learners had some perks including strong motivation, clear learning goal, good learner autonomy and able technology use for learning, or positive attitudes towards the existing teachers’ quality. Besides, some perils among these adult learners were sought, including low self-confidence, short time investment, and limited speaking practice environment. At last, they expected their teachers to make the lessons more interesting and realistic, and hoped their language centers to invite native language teachers.
Latest clinical research
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: February 2022

Mark Greener summarises the new studies relevant to primary care nurses
Managing polycystic ovary syndrome in primary care
Authors: Perry Margaret
Published: February 2022

Margaret Perry explains how nurses can manage this chronic condition
6G Technologies – How Can It Help Future Green Business Model Innovation
Authors: Lindgren Peter
Published: February 2022

In the last few years businesses have been motivated and pushed by governments and global society on innovating and developing Green Business Models. However, Reconfiguring, designing and developing green business models to become efficient and valuing Green Business Models have shown to be much more complex than expected. It includes balancing monetary and non monetary value formulas of business models in symbiosis. Not just for the single business – but for businesses in their entire value network.
This includes security challenges related to securing that green business models really are green – and not based on greenwashing. As green business models demand in long term perspective a very open business model innovation approach, it calls for stronger and new security technologies. Protection of IPR’s of Business Models and businesses competences, so they are not one to one copied with out giving value back to “the Business Model designer” and the rightful original owner of the business models is a major security challenge related to green business models.
Green Business Models and Green business Model Innovation calls therefore for new and more advanced security approach, technologies and understanding. Previous business model innovation security practice and systems cannot fully offer these solutions – but 6G of wide-area wireless security technologies – as an umbrella – gives hope and can potentially play major role with new security technologies supported by AI, AR and blockchain technologies. This evolvement is highly and urgent needed to support the success of our society’s green transformation.
The paper document through Nordic green business model cases some of the above mention security challenges that green business models and green business model innovation stand in front of and need to innovate solutions for. The paper discuss and propose how 6G and related technologies could help.
Laser-driven neutron source and nuclear resonance absorption imaging at
ILE, Osaka University: review
Authors: Mima Kunioki , Yogo Akifumi , Mirfayzi Seyed R. , Lan Zechen , Arikawa Yasunobu , Abe Yuki , Nishimura Hiroaki
Published: February 2022

Here, we present an overview on the recent progress in the development
of the laser-driven neutron source (LDNS) and nuclear resonance
absorption (NRA) imaging at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE),
Osaka University. The LDNS is unique because the number of neutrons
per micro pulse is very large, and the source size and the pulse width
are small. Consequently, extensive research and development of LDNSs
is going on around the world. In this paper, a typical neutron
generation process by the laser-driven ion beam, called the
pitcher–catcher scheme, is described. The characteristics of the LDNS
are compared with those of the accelerator-driven neutron source
(ADNS), and unique application of the LDNS, such as NRA imaging, is
presented. In the LDNS, NRA imaging is possible with a relatively
short beam line in comparison with that of the ADNS since the neutron
pulse width and the source size of the LDNS are small. Future
prospects in research and development of NRA imaging with the LDNS at
ILE Osaka University are also described.
Toward an integrated platform for characterizing laser-driven, isochorically heated plasmas with 1  µm spatial resolution
Authors: Allen C. H. , Oliver M. , Divol L. , Landen O. L. , Ping Y. , Schölmerich M. , Wallace R. , Earley R. , Theobald W. , White T. G. , Döppner T.
Published: February 2022

Warm dense matter is a region of phase space that is of high interest to multiple scientific communities ranging from astrophysics to inertial confinement fusion. Further understanding of the conditions and properties of this complex state of matter necessitates experimental benchmarking of the current theoretical models. We discuss the development of an x-ray radiography platform designed to measure warm dense matter transport properties at large laser facilities such as the OMEGA Laser Facility. Our platform, Fresnel diffractive radiography, allows for high spatial resolution imaging of isochorically heated targets, resulting in notable diffractive effects at sharp density gradients that are influenced by transport properties such as thermal conductivity. We discuss initial results, highlighting the capabilities of the platform in measuring diffractive features with micrometer-level spatial resolution.
Modeling of a high-power continuous wave Yb:YAG planar waveguide amplifier under thermal steady-state
Authors: Qu Bo , Wang Sibo , Zhu Zhanda , Hui Yongling , Lei Hong , Li Qiang
Published: February 2022

The performance of a novel, to the best of our knowledge, high-power Yb:YAG planar waveguide amplifier under thermal steady-state is studied numerically. We present a 3D thermal steady-state amplification model, which considers the effects of temperature on the Boltzmann occupation factors, pump absorption, and laser emission cross sections, in addition to reabsorption and pump saturation of Yb:YAG. The performance of a multipass-pumped planar waveguide amplifier under thermal steady-state was simulated considering the loss in the claddings, and a comparison with the simulated results under the ideal state was carried out. Our analysis results show that the core’s temperature rise and the claddings’ pump absorption lead to decreased pump absorption and optical-optical efficiencies. However, a high pump absorption efficiency (96%) and optical-optical efficiency (61.2%) are achieved when the pump power is 10 kW. Meanwhile, a lower fracture and minor thermal distortion can be expected in reality.
High-repetition-rate krypton tagging velocimetry in Mach-6 hypersonic flows
Authors: Jiang Naibo , Grib Stephen W. , Hsu Paul S. , Borg Matthew , Schumaker S. Alexander , Roy Sukesh
Published: February 2022

A 100 kHz krypton (Kr) tagging velocimetry (KTV) technique was demonstrated in a Mach-6 Ludwieg tube using a burst-mode laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator system. The single-beam KTV scheme at 212 nm produced an insufficient signal in this large hypersonic wind tunnel because of its low Kr seeding (

≤

5

%

), low static pressure (

∼

2.5

t
o
r
r

), and long working distance (

∼

1

m

). To overcome these issues, a new scheme using two excitation beams was developed to enhance KTV performance. A 355 nm laser beam was combined with the 212 nm beam to promote efficient two-photon Kr excitation at 212 nm, and increase the probability of 2 

+

 1 resonant-enhanced multiphoton ionization by adding a 355 nm beam. A signal enhancement of approximately six times was obtained. Using this two-excitation beam approach, strong long-lasting KTV was successfully demonstrated at a 100 kHz repetition rate in a Mach-6 flow.
Field-dependent performance parameters of a plasmonic structure: an analysis of penetration depth and propagation length
Authors: Jaiswal S. K. , Maurya J. B. , Prajapati Y. K.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, the prism-based Kretschmann configuration is used to examine the plasmonic structure in terms of angle of incidence. For

p

- and

s

-polarized monochromatic incident light, the field-dependent performance parameters, such as field enhancement, penetration depth (PD), and propagation length (PL) of the considered structure, are investigated. We discovered that field enhancement is highest at resonance angle, but PD and PL are not maximum/minimum at this angle. At the critical angle, PD is at its highest, while PL is at its lowest. At resonance angle, the fields at the metal–sample interface are at their peak. By increasing the angle of incidence beyond the critical angle, PD in the sample decreases, while PL at the metal–sample interface increases. The PD and PL are same for any type of field

ℜ
(

H
z

)

,

ℜ
(

E
x

)

,

ℜ
(

E
y

)

,

n
o
r
m

H
=

|

H
z

|

,

|

E
x

|

,

|

E
y

|

, and

n
o
r
m

E
=

|

E
x

|

2

+

|

E
y

|

2

. At resonance angles, the PD and PL are

∼

0.190

µ

m

and

∼

3.183

µ

m

, respectively. From the perspective of field distribution, this thorough analysis is expected to give a new paradigm for analyzing plasmonic structure with respect to angle of incidence.
Automatic design method of starting points of freeform off-axis reflective imaging systems of small volume
Authors: Liu Xinyu , Zhu Jun
Published: February 2022

For off-axis reflective systems, there is no effective method that can obtain a small-volume starting point automatically. Reducing system volume using the optimization method is usually a difficult and cumbersome process, which usually takes the designer a long time. This paper proposes a method of designing small-volume starting points of freeform off-axis reflective imaging systems, which does not require human involvement after inputting a planar system, specifications and constraints. In the design example presented in this paper, it took only about ten minutes to obtain a small-volume starting point. The starting point obtained by this method makes the optimization process easier, takes less time of designers and more likely to succeed. In the design example, it is also demonstrated that the method has the ability of establishing small-volume starting points with different specifications, which can be used to quickly estimate the minimum volumes that systems with different specifications can achieve and provide guidance for determination of specifications and optimization.
Robust and accurate measurement of optical freeform surfaces with wavefront deformation correction
Authors: Lyu Haoyu , Kong Lingbao , Wang Shixiang , Xu Min
Published: February 2022

The non-null test to detect the modulated wavefront is a widely used method in optical freeform surface measurement. In this study, the wavefront deformation in the non-null test of an optical freeform surface measurement was corrected based on the wavefront propagation model to improve measurement accuracy. A freeform surface wavefront correction (FSWC) measurement system was established to validate the proposed method. Simulation and experimental studies indicated that the proposed method can reduce the influence of freeform surface wavefront deformation in space propagation. Moreover, the freeform surface form accuracy measured by FSWC can reach a root-mean-squared value of 10 nm.
InGaN quantum well with gradually varying indium content for high-efficiency GaN-based green light-emitting diodes
Authors: Zhou Shengjun , Wan Zehong , Lei Yu , Tang Bin , Tao Guoyi , Du Peng , Zhao Xiaoyu
Published: February 2022

High-efficiency GaN-based green LEDs are of paramount importance to the development of the monolithic integration of multicolor emitters and full-color high-resolution displays. Here, the InGaN quantum well with gradually varying indium (In) content was proposed for improving the performance of GaN-based green LEDs. The InGaN quantum well with gradually varying In content not only alleviates the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE), but also yields a low Auger recombination rate. Consequently, the gradual In content green LEDs exhibited increased light output power (LOP) and reduced efficiency droop as compared to constant In content green LEDs. At 60 A/cm2, the LOPs of the constant In content green LEDs and the gradual In content green LEDs were 33.9 mW and 55.2 mW, respectively. At 150 A/cm2, the efficiency droops for the constant In content green LEDs and the gradual In content green LEDs were 61% and 37.6%, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential for the gradual In content InGaN to replace constant In content InGaN as quantum wells in LED devices in a technologically and commercially effective manner.
Bound states in the continuum supported by silicon oligomer metasurfaces
Authors: Meng Bing , Wang Jianfu , Zhou Chaobiao , Huang Lujun
Published: February 2022

Oligomer metasurfaces have attracted a lot of attention in recent years because of their ability to drive strong resonance effects. In this work, by perturbing the symmetry of the structure, we find that there are a large number of resonance modes in the oligomer metasurfaces associated with the optical bound states in the continuum (BICs) near the communication wavelength. When the positions of two nanodisks of the hexamer oligomers are moved along the x- or y-directions at the same time, the mirror symmetry is broken, and an electric quadrupole BIC and three magnetic dipole BICs are excited. The results of near-field distribution of three-dimensional nanodisks and far-field scattering of multiple dipoles in each quasi-BIC reveal that the four BICs present different optical characteristics. It is noted that the method of symmetry breaking by moving the position of nanodisks can accurately control the asymmetric parameter of symmetry-protected BICs, which provides a route for the realization of ultrahigh quality (Q)-factor oligomer metasurfaces in experiment.
The global gap in treatment coverage for major depressive disorder in 84 countries from 2000–2019: A systematic review and Bayesian meta-regression analysis
Authors: Moitra Modhurima , Santomauro Damian , Collins Pamela Y. , Vos Theo , Whiteford Harvey , Saxena Shekhar , Ferrari Alize J.
Published: February 2022

Background

The treatment coverage for major depressive disorder (MDD) is low in many parts of the world despite MDD being a major contributor to disability globally. Most existing reviews of MDD treatment coverage do not account for potential sources of study-level heterogeneity that contribute to variation in reported treatment rates. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the evidence and analytically quantify sources of heterogeneity to report updated estimates of MDD treatment coverage and gaps by location and treatment type between 2000 and 2019.

Methods and findings

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant studies that provided data on treatment rates for MDD between January 1, 2000, and November 26, 2021, from 2 online scholarly databases PubMed and Embase. Cohort and cross-sectional studies were included if treatment rates pertaining to the last 12 months or less were reported directly or if sufficient information was available to calculate this along with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Studies were included if they made use of population-based surveys that were representative of communities, countries, or regions under study. Studies were included if they used established diagnostic criteria to diagnose cases of MDD. Sample and methodological characteristics were extracted from selected studies. Treatment rates were modeled using a Bayesian meta-regression approach and adjusted for select covariates that quantified heterogeneity in the data. These covariates included age, sex, treatment type, location, and choice of MDD assessment tool. A total of 149 studies were included for quantitative analysis. Treatment coverage for health service use ranged from 51% [95% UI 20%, 82%] in high-income locations to 20% [95% UI 1%, 53%] in low- and lower middle-income locations. Treatment coverage for mental health service use ranged from 33% [95% UI 8%, 66%] in high-income locations to 8% [95% UI <1%, 36%] in low- and lower middle-income countries. Minimally adequate treatment (MAT) rates ranged from 23% [95% UI 2%, 55%] in high-income countries to 3% [95% UI <1%, 25%]) in low- and lower middle-income countries. A primary methodological limitation was the lack of sufficient data from low- and lower middle-income countries, which precluded our ability to provide more detailed treatment rate estimates.

Conclusions

In this study, we observed that the treatment coverage for MDD continues to be low in many parts of the world and in particular in low- and lower middle-income countries. There is a continued need for routine data collection that will help obtain more accurate estimates of treatment coverage globally.
Host tissue proteomics reveal insights into the molecular basis of Schistosoma haematobium-induced bladder pathology
Authors: Osakunor Derick N. M. , Ishida Kenji , Lamanna Olivia K. , Rossi Mario , Dwomoh Louis , Hsieh Michael H.
Published: February 2022

Urogenital schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern worldwide. In response to egg deposition, the host bladder undergoes gross and molecular morphological changes relevant for disease manifestation. However, limited mechanistic studies to date imply that the molecular mechanisms underlying pathology are not well-defined. We leveraged a mouse model of urogenital schistosomiasis to perform for the first time, proteome profiling of the early molecular events that occur in the bladder after exposure toS.haematobiumeggs, and to elucidate the protein pathways involved in urogenital schistosomiasis-induced pathology. PurifiedS.haematobiumeggs or control vehicle were microinjected into the bladder walls of mice. Mice were sacrificed seven days post-injection and bladder proteins isolated and processed for proteome profiling using mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that biological processes including carcinogenesis, immune and inflammatory responses, increased protein translation or turnover, oxidative stress responses, reduced cell adhesion and epithelial barrier integrity, and increased glucose metabolism were significantly enriched inS.haematobiuminfection.S.haematobiumegg deposition in the bladder results in significant changes in proteins and pathways that play a role in pathology. Our findings highlight the potential bladder protein indicators for host-parasite interplay and provide new insights into the complex dynamics of pathology and characteristic bladder tissue changes in urogenital schistosomiasis. The findings will be relevant for development of improved interventions for disease control.
Augmenting existing deterioration indices with chest radiographs to predict clinical deterioration
Authors: Mu Emily , Jabbour Sarah , Dalca Adrian V. , Guttag John , Wiens Jenna , Sjoding Michael W.
Published: February 2022

Importance

When hospitals are at capacity, accurate deterioration indices could help identify low-risk patients as potential candidates for home care programs and alleviate hospital strain. To date, many existing deterioration indices are based entirely on structured data from the electronic health record (EHR) and ignore potentially useful information from other sources.

Objective

To improve the accuracy of existing deterioration indices by incorporating unstructured imaging data from chest radiographs.

Design, setting, and participants

Machine learning models were trained to predict deterioration of patients hospitalized with acute dyspnea using existing deterioration index scores and chest radiographs. Models were trained on hospitalized patients without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and then subsequently tested on patients with COVID-19 between January 2020 and December 2020 at a single tertiary care center who had at least one radiograph taken within 48 hours of hospital admission.

Main outcomes and measures

Patient deterioration was defined as the need for invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation, heated high flow nasal cannula, IV vasopressor administration or in-hospital mortality at any time following admission. The EPIC deterioration index was augmented with unstructured data from chest radiographs to predict risk of deterioration. We compared discriminative performance of the models with and without incorporating chest radiographs using area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC), focusing on comparing the fraction and total patients identified as low risk at different negative predictive values (NPV).

Results

Data from 6278 hospitalizations were analyzed, including 5562 hospitalizations without COVID-19 (training cohort) and 716 with COVID-19 (216 in validation, 500 in held-out test cohort). At a NPV of 0.95, the best-performing image-augmented deterioration index identified 49 more (9.8%) individuals as low-risk compared to the deterioration index based on clinical data alone in the first 48 hours of admission. At a NPV of 0.9, the EPIC image-augmented deterioration index identified 26 more individuals (5.2%) as low-risk compared to the deterioration index based on clinical data alone in the first 48 hours of admission.

Conclusion and relevance

Augmenting existing deterioration indices with chest radiographs results in better identification of low-risk patients. The model augmentation strategy could be used in the future to incorporate other forms of unstructured data into existing disease models.
Suicide gene therapy by canine mesenchymal stem cell transduced with thymidine kinase in a u-87 glioblastoma murine model: Secretory profile and antitumor activity
Authors: Villatoro Antonio J. , Alcoholado Cristina , Martín-Astorga María del Carmen , Rubio Nuria , Blanco Jerónimo , Garrido Cristina Pilar , Becerra José
Published: February 2022

The role played by certain domestic species such as dogs as a translational model in comparative oncology shows great interest to develop new therapeutic strategies in brain tumors. Gliomas are a therapeutic challenge that represents the most common form of malignant primary brain tumors in humans and the second most common form in dogs. Gene-directed enzyme/prodrug therapy using adipose mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) expressing the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) has proven to be a promising alternative in glioblastoma therapy, through its capacity to migrate and home to the tumor and delivering local cytotoxicity avoiding other systemic administration. In this study, we demonstrate the possibility for canine Ad-MSCs (cAd-MSCs) to be genetically engineered efficiently with a lentiviral vector to express TK (TK-cAd-MSCs) and in combination with ganciclovir (GCV) prodrug demonstrated its potential antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo in a mice model with the human glioblastoma cell line U87. TK-cAd-MSCs maintained cell proliferation, karyotype stability, and MSCs phenotype. Genetic modification significantly affects its secretory profile, both the analyzed soluble factors and exosomes. TK-cAd-MSCs showed a high secretory profile of some active antitumor immune response cytokines and a threefold increase in the amount of secreted exosomes, with changes in their protein cargo. We also found that the prodrug protein is not released directly into the culture medium by TK-cAd-MSCs. We believe that our work provides new perspectives for glioblastoma gene therapy in dogs and a better understanding of this therapy in view of its possible implantation in humans.
Effects of urea supplementation on ruminal fermentation characteristics, nutrient intake, digestibility, and performance in sheep: A meta-analysis
Authors: Wahyono Teguh , Sholikin Mohammad Miftakhus , Konca Yusuf , Obitsu Taketo , Sadarman Sadarman , Jayanegara Anuraga
Published: February 2022

Background and Aim: As a non-protein nitrogen source, urea is a popular, low cost, and easily obtained protein supplement. The objective of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of the effects of urea supplementation on rumen fermentation and sheep performance. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 experiments from 21 articles were compiled into a dataset. The levels of dietary urea varied from 0 to 31 g/kg of dry matter (DM). Parameters observed were rumen fermentation product, nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility, and sheep performance. This dataset was analyzed using a mixed model methodology, with urea supplementation levels as fixed effects and the different experiments as random effects. Results: Increasing levels of urea were associated with increases (p=0.008) in rumen pH, butyrate (C4) production, and ammonia (NH3–N) concentration. Urea supplementation had minor effects on total volatile fatty acids (p=0.242), total protozoa (p=0.429), and the microbial N supply (p=0.619), but tended to increase methane production (CH4; p<0.001). Supplementation of urea increased the intake of dry matter (DM; p=0.004) and crude protein (CP; p=0.001). Digestibility parameters, such as DM digestibility (DMD) and CP digestibility (CPD), also increased (p<0.01) as a result of urea supplementation. Retained N (p=0.042) and N intake (p<0.001) were higher with increasing levels of urea supplementation. In terms of animal performance, supplementation of urea increased average daily gain (ADG; p=0.024), but decreased the hot carcass weight percentage (p=0.017). Conclusion: This meta-analysis reports the positive effects of urea supplementation on rumen fermentation products (i.e., pH, C4, and NH3–N), intake (DM, CP, and N), digestibility (DMD and CPD), and ADG in sheep.
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE WORKFORCE IN COMMERCIAL RESTAURANTS: an analysis of the bars and restaurants around the Reta da Base Aérea de Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro/RJ
Authors: Fonseca Rafaela Terra da , D’Onofre Dan Gabriel
Published: February 2022

Located in the West Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro city, Santa Cruz is the fourth most populous neighborhood in Brazil and has an important history from the colonial and imperial periods. However, there are a number of aspects that have not yet been addressed by academics, such as the way restaurant businesses are organized in the neighborhood. This paper aims to provide a socioeconomic profile characterization of those who work in the bars, restaurants, and similar businesses around the Reta da Base Aérea de Santa Cruz. To this end, it uses exploratory techniques, such as bibliographic research and fieldwork with participant observation and filling out of forms, to gather information to comprise a socioeconomic profile of the workforce, including work relationships, characterization of the businesses, and the types of foods offered. Finally, the importance of this research is highlighted for use in tourism planning of the region.
Tracing a Vanishing Heritage: The Hungarian Rustbelt
Authors: Bartha Eszter
Published: February 2022

Review of "A Factory Town that Belongs to the Past… Social Changes in Ózd and its Surroundings from the System Change until Today", by Péter Alabán (Kronosz Publishing House, 2020).
Evolution of the Interpretation of Poverty in Hungary between 2007 and 2019
Authors: Siposné Dr Nándori Eszter
Published: February 2022

The paper analyzes subjective poverty in Hungary. The results of the data collection in 2019 are compared to the results of former data collections carried out in 2007 and 2011. The methods of systematic data collection are used to collect data about the belief of the population. The paper concludes that poverty is mainly related to material values and it did not change in the examined period. Items expressing labor market problems are closely related to poverty even in 2019 in spite of the fact that over demand in the labor market has lately decreased unemployment. Items about families and child rearing have become less closely related to poverty. The paper concludes that relative poverty threshold coincides with the subjective one. It implies that increasing the absolute income level of individuals may not be enough to improve their subjective wellbeing as they are also concerned with their relative income position.
Informal Family Carers’ Need for State-Guaranteed Support. What are the Implications for Social Policy?
Authors: Žalimienė Laimutė , Junevičienė Jolita
Published: February 2022

The article uses an interpretive and qualitative framework to analyze elderly care policy with a focus on the instrumental effectiveness of this policy. The framework of the research offers an understanding of informal carers needs for formal support at the level of social policy measures. The micro-level inquiry, i.e., interviews with informal elderly carers, both revealing caregiver burden and evaluating their need for formal (social policy) support, is demonstrating how qualitative inquiry can inform about shortages of this policy. The findings of the research suggest that formal support for informal caregivers in Lithuania is not adequate to their multifaceted care burden and should be therefore developed to encompass both direct and indirect support measures for informal carers.
A fenntarthatósági átmenet kihasználatlan erőforrásai Egy marketingiparági backcasting folyamat tanulságai
Authors: Köves Alexandra , Király Gábor
Published: February 2022

Napjainkban egyre nagyobb hangsúlyt kap a társadalmi és ökológiai transzformáció szükségessége, amelyben fontos szerep hárul a különböző iparágak szereplőire. 2018-ban egy részvételi backcasting projekt során a legnagyobb magyarországi marketingkommunikációs ügynökségben dolgozók arra kaptak felhatalmazást, hogy képzeljék el a szakmájuk jövőjét. A backcasting egy olyan szcenárióépítési folyamat, amely egy elképzelt pozitív jövőképből indul ki. Keretezés nélkül a munkatársak arra koncentráltak, hogy milyen szerepet tölthetne be a marketing egy olyan fenntarthatósági átmenetben, ahol mind a környezeti, mind a társadalmi igazságosság középpontba kerül. A projekt példát szolgáltat arra, hogy hogyan érdemes megfelelő tereket biztosítani ahhoz, hogy a „szennyező” iparágakban dolgozó munkatársak pozitív társadalmi hatásukkal kapcsolatos aspirációit, és a lehetséges negatív hatásokkal szemben érzett belső feszültségeit csatornázni lehessen. Ezáltal hozzájárulhatnak szakmai területeiken a fenntarthatósághoz vezető átmenetekhez, és a személyes meghasonlás csökkentésével megelőzhető, hogy az iparág elveszítse a társadalmi felelősséget érző munkavállalóit. A projekt tapasztalatai hozzájárulhatnak az üzleti és társadalmi modellek fenntarthatóbbá válásával kapcsolatos diskurzushoz.
Játék és játékosság a szervezetben
Authors: Tóth Rita
Published: February 2022

Hagyományos logika szerint a játékot többnyire a szórakozással kapcsoljuk össze és nem keverjük a munkával. Ha mégis, akkor erőforrásként, a szervezeti célok szolgálatába állítható eszközként tekintünk rá. A játék azonban más perspektívából nyílt végű transzformációs folyamat, amely közel sem kontrollálható a végkifejlet és sokszor a kiindulási pont tekintetében sem. Éppen ezért fontos, hogy megismerjük, hogy a fogalomkörbe milyen rejtett, vagy kevéssé reflektált értelmezések tartoznak, hiszen ezek formálják a szervezetek mindennapjait. Jelen kutatás célja, a vállalati játék összetett jelenségének feltárása a nemzetközi szakirodalomban fellelhető releváns elméletek összegzése és újra-rendezése által. A tanulmány taglalja a fogalom definíciós kérdéseit, részletesen kifejti az egyes elméleti iskolákat, végül bemutatja a szervezeti kontextusú játék integrált modelljét.
Dinamikus képességek
Authors: Farkas Tamás
Published: February 2022

A dinamikus képességek irodalma a több mint húsz éves történelme alatt nagy fejlődésen esett át, a menedzsmenttudományok egyik leginkább kutatott területévé vált, ám még mindig nem tekinthető egy egységes koncepciónak. A dinamikus képességekkel kapcsolatos fogalommeghatározásban, a vizsgálat tárgyában, a szerzők feltevéseiben és a kapott eredményekben is számos eltérést azonosíthatunk. A tanulmányban a dinamikus képességekkel kapcsolatos legfőbb megállapításokat, valamint a megfigyelhető ellentmondásokat egy metamodell segítségével mutatja be a szerző. A metamodell tartalmazza a dinamikus képességek elméleti alapjait, előzményeit, komponenseit, kontextusát, teljesítménydimenzióra és mediátorokra való hatását is.
‘Superbugs’: raising public awareness of antimicrobial resistance through a pop-up science shop
Authors: Tyrrell Jonathan M. , Conlon Christie S. , Aboklaish Ali F. , Hatch Sarah , Smith Carl , Mathias Jordan , Thomson Kathryn , Eberl Matthias
Published: February 2022

‘Superbugs: A Pop-up Science Shop’ was a public engagement event in the school summer holidays of 2019, organised by members of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine. We transformed an empty retail unit in the centre of Wales’s largest shopping centre into an interactive and immersive microbiology experience. We facilitated two-way dialogue to impart positive impact on the awareness of antibiotic resistance, while concurrently evaluating the efficacy of an engagement strategy focused on the utilisation of public spaces to attract public demographics diverse to those who would normally engage with conventional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach. Over the course of 14 days, we welcomed 6,566 visitors, with 67 per cent attending as part of the natural footfall of the shopping centre. We created 1,626 young Antibiotic Resistance Champions, located in over two hundred schools, across many of the most deprived areas in Wales. We imparted a positive impact to our stakeholders, with a significant increase in the knowledge and understanding of the subject of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); 91.7 per cent indicated that they had a better understanding after the event. In this article, we discuss the evolution of ‘Superbugs’ from concept, planning and design, to the logistics of delivering an engagement event of this scale. We focus in particular on the learning outcomes of the project, and on how this will shape the future of our ‘Superbugs’ project, and engagement events beyond.
Increasing the Efficiency of Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) Aril Oil Extraction by Commercial Pectinase Pretreatment and Microwave Dehydration
Authors: Akkarachaneeyakorn Suthida , Artwichai Amornrat , Maingam Sudaporn , Kinmonta Kittiyaporn
Published: February 2022

The objectives of this research were to determine the optimal conditions for using commercial pectinase (Pectinex® Ultra SP-L) and microwave dehydration to increase the efficiency of gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) aril oil extraction by using a screw press, to find mathematical models to predict the yields, extraction efficiencies, and β-carotene and lycopene contents in gac aril oil that varied with the enzyme concentrations, enzyme incubation temperatures, and microwave drying powers, and to validate the mathematical models. A Box-Behnken experimental design for three factors, including enzyme concentrations (0.01, 0.11, and 0.21% w/w), enzyme incubation temperatures (30, 45, and 60 °C), and microwave drying powers and times (450 W for 28 min, 600 W for 20 min, and 800 W for 14 min), was applied to determine the optimal conditions for increasing the efficiency of gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) aril oil extraction using commercial pectinase and microwave dehydration pretreatments before pressing with a screw press. It was found that the optimal conditions for extracting oil from gac aril based on the highest values of yield (12.14%), extraction efficiency (72.92%), and β-carotene and lycopene contents (104.64, and 27.90 mg/100 g oil, respectively) and the lowest of microwave energy consumption (720 kJ) were an enzyme concentration of 0.13% (w/w), enzyme incubation temperature of 45 °C and microwave drying power of 600 W for 20 min. To validate the mathematical models, the predicted yields, extraction efficiencies, and β-carotene and lycopene contents were compared to the experimental data and the deviants were less than 10%, which indicated that the model predictions were reliable.
IPTEK bagi Kelompok Pengolah dan Pemasar Perikanan dalam Peningkatan Pemasaran Perikanan di Kabupaten Bantul
Authors: Supriyanto Supriyanto , Anggraini Oktiva
Published: February 2022

Kegiatan pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kewirausahaan dan pemahaman e-commerce anggota kelompok pemasar dan pengolah ikan di kabupaten Bantul. Pre survey menunjukkan bahwa mayoritas masyarakat pesisir belum secara kreatif memanfaatkan potensi ikan menjadi diversifikasi makanan yang memiliki daya jual tinggi. Pemasaran hasil olahan perikanan masih terbatas di tingkat lokal, sebagian kecil dipasarkan keluar kabupaten Bantul. Kegiatan ini sebagai salah satu solusi yang ditawarkan tim pengabdi untuk mengatasi kesenjangan pemahaman teknologi informasi di kalangan kelompok pemasar dan pengolah ikan serta rendahnya ketrampilan pemasaran dan kewirausahaan mereka.  Metode pelaksanaannya meliputi ceramah, diskusi, praktik dan evaluasi. Model pendekatan yang dilakukan pada program aksi meliputi: 1) Model Partisipatory Rural Appraisal (PRA); 2) Model Entrepreneurship Capacity Building (ECB); dan 3) Model Teknologi Transfer (TT). Selain itu, juga dilakukan program advokasi pendampingan dan pertemuan berkala. Hasil pelaksanaan :1) Program Pengabdian memberi manfaat ekonomis integrated marketing komoditas olahan ikan 2) Metode pendampingan cukup efektif oleh peserta terutama dalam mengenalkan e-commerce. Peserta menyadari bahwa e-commerce bukan semata untuk menunjang pemasaran namun juga untuk pencarian bahan baku, memetakan pasar, mengendalikan stabilitas harga dan memperluas jaringan bisnis.