bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Poikilocytosis under dogs’ spontaneous babesiosis
Authors: Dubova O. A. , Feshchenko D. V. , Zghozinska O. A. , Pinsky O. V. , Budnik T. C. , Chala I. V.
Published: May 2020

The article presents the results of studies of changes in the shape of red blood cells during spontaneous babesiosis in dogs. It was found that in 2019, seasonal outbreaks are caused and characterized by the presence of two waves – spring-summer with a peak in June and autumn with a peak in October. The intensity of parasitemia increases synchronously with the extensity of infestation in the first half of the year(a narrow direct correlation), in the future it falls and does not correlate with outbreaks of animal disease. Clinically, the spring-summer wave of the disease is characterized by an acute-subacute typical course with pronounced classic clinical signs. The autumn wave had a predominantly subacute-atypical course, with the development of severe complications with signs of hepatopathy and acute renal insufficiency, cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, lesions of the nervous system, the development of shock with a significant tendency to decompensation. Changes in the shape of red blood cells are bright and indicative markers of the state of animals on babesiosis. Poikilocytosis was detected in 92.3 % of sick dogs. The most common changes are acanthocytosis and vacuolization of erythrocytes (irreversible forms), which qualitatively assess the degree of damage to vital organs. Echinocytes are reversible forms that appear in the early stages and determine the development of renal and hepatic pathologies. Stomatocytes accompany the development of inflammatory and dystrophic pathologies, qualitatively characterize the degree of hemolytic anemia. Their intensity is synchronous with the extent of the invasion. The appearance of schizocytes is a formidable symptom that is pathognomonic for disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome. This marker requires immediate use of intensive care. The assessment of qualitative changes in the form of red blood cells, the calculation of the intensity of erythrocyte lesions allows you to determine the severity of the condition of the body of sick dogs, the degree of metabolic disorders, hemolytic anemia, hepatopathy, the severity of intoxication, uremic syndrome, spleen hyperplasia, as well as identify the development of DIC syndrome, kidney failure and “shock kidney”. Such an assessment is necessary for making timely and adequate decisions regarding therapeutic measures for spontaneous babesiosis of dogs.
Toxic Ghost Acres, o la dinámica de la eliminación de desechos de producción de petróleo en la Amazonía ecuatoriana, de los años setenta a noventa
Authors: Feichtner Maximilian Fritz
Published: May 2020

La selva amazónica en Ecuador y sus habitantes han estado expuestos a una contaminación a gran escala desde el inicio de la industria petrolera de la región en la década de 1960. Este documento investiga las prácticas de gestión de residuos de Texaco Petroleum Company que dominó la exploración y extracción de petróleo hasta la década de 1990. La extracción de recursos industriales y la contaminación crónica resultante por las prácticas de eliminación de residuos indican la creación sistemática de patrones de externalización. Este documento propone estudiar las prácticas de externalización tales como toxic ghost acres (superficies fantasmas tóxicas), examinando las piscinas de desechos como su materialización más tangible en la Amazonía. Esta contribución a las prácticas de gestión de residuos de Texaco extrapola toxic ghost acres como un mecanismo de externalización transregional de los costos económicos y socioecológicos que funcionan exponiendo un lugar a un peligro transfiriéndolo allí o evitando la gestión adecuada de los riesgos producidos in situ. Texaco se vio involucrado en el establecimiento de un sistema de gestión de residuos basado en toxic ghost acres en toda la región.
Challenging the Environmental History of the Cerrado Science, Biodiversity and Politics on the Brazilian Agricultural Frontier
Authors: Dutra e Silva Sandro
Published: May 2020

This article presents an overview of the environmental history of the Brazilian Cerrado, its environmental characteristics and the processes related to the historical change in the landscapes of this endangered ecosystem. It highlights competing classifications of the Cerrado, the role of politics in establishing them, and the environmental consequences of such classifications. More than just describing an environment, classifying an ecosystem is a political process that involves complex socio-environmental interactions. The sources used points out the different attempts to get to know and "conquered" the Cerrado, bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives from a variety of actors and institutions. Historiographic challenges go beyond environmental descriptions in that the socio-environmental interactions that made up this unique ecosystem are equally complex. This paper’s conclusions reinforce the interdisciplinary role of environmental history in the study of ecosystems and the complex relationship between culture and nature.
CD28.OX40 co-stimulatory combination is associated with long in vivo persistence and high activity of CAR.CD30 T-cells
Authors: Marika Guercio  , Domenico Orlando  , Stefano Di Cecca  , Matilde Sinibaldi  , Iolanda Boffa  , Simona Caruso  , Zeinab Abbaszadeh  , Antonio Camera  , Biancamaria Cembrola  , Katia Bovetti  , Simona Manni  , Ignazio Caruana  , Roselia Ciccone  , Francesca Del Bufalo  , Pietro Merli  , Luciana Vinti  , Katia Girardi  , Annalisa Ruggeri  , Cristiano De Stefanis  , Marco Pezzullo  , Ezio Giorda  , Marco Scarsella  , Rita De Vito  , Sabina Barresi  , Andrea Ciolfi  , Marco Tartaglia  , Lorenzo Moretta  , Franco Locatelli  , Concetta Quintarelli  , Biagio De Angelis
Published: May 2020

The prognosis of many patients with chemotherapy-refractory or multiply relapsed CD30+ non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) or Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) still remains poor, and novel therapeutic approaches are warranted to address this unmet clinical need. In light of this consideration, we designed and pre-clinically validated a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) construct characterized by a novel anti-CD30 single-chain variable-fragment cassette, linked to CD3ζ by the signaling domains of two costimulatory molecules, namely either CD28.4-1BB or CD28.OX40. We found that CAR.CD30 T-cells exhibit remarkable cytolytic activity in vitro against HL and NHL cell lines, with sustained proliferation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, even after multiple and sequential lymphoma cell challenges. CAR.CD30 T-cells also demonstrated anti-lymphoma activity in two in vivo xenograft immune-deficient mouse models of metastatic HL and NHL. We observed that administration of CAR.CD30 T-cells, incorporating the CD28.OX40 costimulatory domains and manufactured in the presence of IL7 and IL15, were associated with the best overall survival in the treated mice, along with the establishment of a long-term immunological memory, able to protect mice from further tumor re-challenge. Our data indicate that, in the context of in vivo systemic metastatic xenograft mouse models, the costimulatory machinery of CD28.OX40 is crucial for improving persistence, in vivo expansion and proliferation of CAR.CD30 T-cells upon tumor encounter. CD28.OX40 costimulatory combination is ultimately responsible for the antitumor efficacy of the approach, paving the way to translate this therapeutic strategy in patients with CD30+ HL and NHL.
The ASXL1-G643W variant accelerates the development of CEBPA mutant acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Teresa D'Altri  , Anna S. Wilhelmson  , Mikkel B. Schuster  , Anne Wenzel  , Adrija Kalvisa  , Sachin Pundhir  , Anne Meldgaard Hansen  , Bo T. Porse
Published: May 2020

ASXL1 is one of the most commonly mutated genes in myeloid malignancies, including Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). In order to further our understanding of the role of ASXL1 lesions in malignant hematopoiesis, we generated a novel knock-in mouse model carrying the most frequent ASXL1 mutation identified in MDS patients, p.G643WfsX12. Mutant mice did not display any major hematopoietic defects nor developed any apparent hematological disease. In AML patients, ASXL1 mutations co-occur with mutations in CEBPA and we therefore generated compound Cebpa and Asxl1 mutated mice. Using a transplantation model, we found that the mutated Asxl1 allele significantly accelerated disease development in a CEBPA mutant context. Importantly, we demonstrated that, similar to the human setting, Asxl1 mutated mice responded poorly to chemotherapy. This model therefore constitutes an excellent experimental system for further studies into the clinically important question of chemotherapy resistance mediated by mutant ASXL1.
Dasatinib response in acute myeloid leukemia is correlated with FLT3/ITD, PTPN11 mutations and a unique gene expression signature
Authors: Sigal Tavor  , Tali Shalit  , Noa Chapal Ilani  , Yoni Moskovitz  , Nir Livnat  , Yoram Groner  , Haim Barr  , Mark D. Minden  , Alexander Plotnikov  , Michael W. Deininger  , Nathali Kaushansky  , Liran I. Shlush
Published: May 2020

Novel targeted therapies demonstrate improved survival in specific subgroups (defined by genetic variants) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, validating the paradigm of molecularly targeted therapy. However, identifying correlations between AML molecular attributes and effective therapies is challenging. Recent advances in high-throughput in vitro drug sensitivity screening applied to primary AML blasts were used to uncover such correlations; however, these methods cannot predict the response of leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Our study aimed to predict in vitro response to targeted therapies, based on molecular markers, with subsequent validation in LSCs. We performed ex vivo sensitivity screening to 46 drugs on 29 primary AML samples at diagnosis or relapse. Using unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis we identified group with sensitivity to several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including the multi-TKI, dasatinib, and searched for correlations between dasatinib response, exome sequencing and gene expression from our dataset and from the Beat AML dataset. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of gene expression resulted in clustering of dasatinib responders and non-responders. In vitro response to dasatinib could be predicted based on gene expression (AUC=0.78). Furthermore, mutations in FLT3/ITD and PTPN11 were enriched in the dasatinib sensitive samples as opposed to mutations in TP53 which were enriched in resistant samples. Based on these results, we selected FLT3/ITD AML samples and injected them to NSG-SGM3 mice. Our results demonstrate that in a subgroup of FLT3/ITD AML (4 out of 9) dasatinib significantly inhibits LSC engraftment. In summary we show that dasatinib has an anti-leukemic effect both on bulk blasts and, more importantly, LSCs from a subset of AML patients that can be identified based on mutational and expression profiles. Our data provide a rational basis for clinical trials of dasatinib in a molecularly selected subset of AML patients.
Impact of COVID-19’s Pandemic on the Economy of Indonesia
Authors: Susilawati Susilawati , Falefi Reinpal , Purwoko Agus
Published: May 2020

COVID-19 is a global health problem including in Indonesia. The increased case of COVID-19 proved to have quite a significant impact on the economy globally which may have affected stability in Indonesia. This method of collecting data is a method of study literature with secondary data types. Data is taken from the Internet with respect to the validity of information such as government official information, official online sites and processed results of valid data. After obtaining the existing reference, a sorting of information that is appropriate to the topic of discussion. Data analysis is presented in graphical form and comes with a descriptive narrative. Based on the research, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic affects the economy in Indonesia. The affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic are transportation, tourism, trade, health and other sectors, but the economic sector most affected by COVID-19 is the household sector. Optimizing the potential in the country, the decline of BI-7 Day Reverse Repo Rate (BI7DRR), the interest rate of Deposit facility, and Lending facility interest rate, monitoring of global and domestic economic development conducted by Indonesia was assessed precisely so that inflation and stability remain in control.
Neuvostoliiton ”hyviä ystäviä” tuottamassa
Authors: Muhonen Riikkamari
Published: May 2020

Vastaitsenäistyneistä Aasian, Afrikan ja Latinalaisen Amerikan maista kotoisin olevien opiskelijoiden kouluttamista varten vuonna 1960 perustettu moskovalainen Kansojen ystävyyden yliopisto nimesi toimintansa tavoitteeksi sen, että opiskelijat valmistumisensa jälkeen palaavat kotimaihinsa Neuvostoliiton “hyvinä ystävinä” . Keskeinen osa opiskelijoihin kohdistunutta ideologista kasvatustyötä, joka tuki tätä tavoitetta, oli neuvostoyhteiskunnan saavutusten monipuolinen esittely niin osana opetusohjelmaa kuin opiskelijoiden vapaa-aikaakin. Artikkeli analysoi tämän Neuvostoliiton poliittisia ja ideologisia tavoitteita tukeneen ”neuvostotodellisuuden” eri osa-alueiden merkitystä sosialistisesta yhteiskuntajärjestelmästä luodulle kokonaiskuvalle. Artikkeli pureutuu tätä ideaalikuvaa osaltaan kyseenalaistaneisiin arjen kokemuksiin niin Moskovassa kuin sen ulkopuolellakin. Analyysi pohjaa venäläisiin arkistolähteisiin, joiden pohjalta on pyritty nostamaan esiin koulutusyhteistyön toimintamuotoja, arkitodellisuutta ja siihen liittyneitä ongelmia.

 

Producing ”good friends” of the Soviet Union

Founded in 1960 specifically to receive students from the newly independent countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Moscow-based Peoples’ Friendship University stated the goal of its activities was for their graduates to return home as “good friends” of the Soviet Union. The most important feature of the ideological work conducted among the students to reach this goal was presenting the achievements of Soviet society both as part of the curriculum and during the extra-curricular activities organized for the students. This article analyzes the role that different features of this representation of “Soviet reality” had for creating an overall image of the state socialist system. At the same time, those everyday experiences both in Moscow and outside it that question this ideal image are discussed. The analysis is based on Russian archival sources and their descriptions of forms of work and the everyday realities of the cooperation, as well as the problems encountered.
Análisis y propuesta de mejora de procesos aplicando 5s en una empresa de mantenimiento. Caso Ecuaclima
Authors: Jaen-Procel Felix , Villanueva-Cevallos Víctor , Novillo-Maldonado Ernesto
Published: May 2020

La presente investigación tiene por objetivo analizar la importancia de las 5s en el área de mantenimiento y reparación de una empresa de importación, venta y asesoría de aires acondicionados. El estudio se desarrolla con una metodología de corte trasversal, el método seleccionado está orientado en una investigación de tipo cualitativa, con la técnica de la observación de tipo participativa, además se apoyaron los datos con la realización de una entrevista a profundidad, se procedió a elaborar una ficha de verificación con los elementos correspondientes a las técnicas 5s. Para tal efecto, se aplica al interior de la organización a recabar los datos mediante la evaluación de los indicadores. Los resultados señalan que a pesar de que la empresa no posea un programa de 5s, su nivel de puesta en marcha corresponde a una efectividad del 25%, se propicia necesario efectuar un plan de mejora para aumentar la eficiencia en el puesto de trabajo, es así, que se procede a elaborar propuestas por cada una de las etapas de selección, orden, limpieza, estandarización y disciplina.
Do Therapeutic Exercises Improve Kinesophobia and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adult Hemophilia Patients? A randomized controlled trial.
Authors: Deniz Volkan , Atalay Güzel Nevin
Published: May 2020

Objectives: Pain, risk of injury and physical limitations
lead to the development of kinesophobia and decrease in health-related quality
of life in hemophilia patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects
of therapeutic exercises on kinesophobia and health-related quality of life in
adult hemophilia patients. Material and
Methods: A total of 24 patients aged 18 to 42 years were included in the study.
Patients were randomly allocated to the control and exercise groups.Tampa Scale
of Kinesiophobia (TSK) was used for evaluation of kinesiophobia, Short Form-36
(SF-36) and Haemophilia Adult Quality of Life (Hem-A-Qol) were
used to assess health related quality of life. These evaluation scales were applied on the
participants of both groups before and at the end of the study. Therapeutic
exercises were administered to the exercise group three days a week for two months. Results: At  baseline
in
physical, sociodemographic-clinical data, SF-36 and Hem-A-Qol scores there was
not a significant difference between groups (p>0.05). However in
kinesophobia level, there was a significant difference in favor of the control
group (p<0.05). After the exercise
program, there was a significant
decrease in kinesophobia and increase in total SF-36 score in the exercise group
compared to the control group (p<0.05).
However there
was a decrease clinically in favor of the exercise group in total Hem-A-Qol
value, whereas this difference was not statistically meaningful (p>0.05). Conclusions:
Therapeutic
exercises are simple and safe treatment modalities that can be used to improve kinesophobia
and health-related quality of life in adult hemophilia patients. This improvement
can be attributed to physical wellness caused by exercises.
Fight Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): More Active People for a Healthier World: Physical Activity Recommendations
Authors: Demirci Nevzat
Published: May 2020

The going Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China has become the world’s leading health headline and is causing major panic and public concerns. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern. Regular physical activity can help reduce your feelings of stress and anxiety (which many of us may be feeling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic). More active people for a healthier world: The Physical activity guidelines for recommends 150- 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and 2 sessions per week of muscle strength training. Fit in 2, 5, 10 or 20 minutes, however and wherever you can. Physical activity and exercise at home using various safe, simple, and easily implementable movement is maintain fitness levels. Such forms of movement may include, but are not limited to, strengthening movement, activities for balance and control, stretching movement, or a combination of these. Every active minute counts!. Physical activity is important across all ages, and should be integrated into multiple daily settings. Whether working or not, older adults, in particular, can benefit from regular physical activity to maintain physical, social and mental health (including prevention or delay of dementia), prevent falls and realize healthy ageing.
Spatial-temporal dynamics of N-cycle functional genes in a temperate Atlantic estuary (Douro, Portugal)
Authors: Salgado P , Machado A , Bordalo AA
Published: May 2020

Understanding the spatial and seasonal dynamics of nitrogen (N)-cycle microbial communities is pivotal for the knowledge of N biogeochemistry. The present study addressed the spatial-temporal variability of nitrification (bacterial and archaeal amoA) and denitrification (nirS, nirK, and nosZI) key genes, as well as of non-denitrifying nitrous oxide (N2O) reducers (nosZII), coupled with key environmental variables, in an estuarine ecosystem (Douro, NW Portugal). Samples were collected on a monthly basis over 1 yr, key physical-chemical parameters were measured, and specific functional gene abundances were assayed. The results revealed a clear seasonality for nirS, nosZII, and bacterial and archaeal amoA abundance, with an increase during the winter/spring seasons. This period was especially characterized by high levels of dissolved oxygen, low temperature, low salinity, and increased turbidity. Indeed, turbidity emerged as the key factor controlling the distribution of nirS, nosZII bacterial, and archaeal amoA abundance. In contrast, the abundance of nosZI increased during the summer, while nirK abundance was enhanced from the fall to late spring. Additionally, the availability of dissolved inorganic nitrogen nutrients had no commensurable effect on N-cycle functional genes. This study of the annual variation of N-cycle functional genes in a temperate Atlantic estuary provides a major contribution to the understanding of how environmental factors potentially influence the distribution and abundance of N-cycle microbial communities.
Four decades of research on distribution and abundance of the Bolivian river dolphin Inia geoffrensis boliviensis
Authors: Aliaga-Rossel E , Guizada Doran LA
Published: May 2020

The Bolivian river dolphin, known locally as the bufeo, is one of 4 species of river dolphin in South America. Endemic to the upper basin of the Madeira in the Bolivian Amazon region, the species is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This article provides information related to the geographic distribution of the species, and a review of the studies of its abundance that have been conducted in Bolivia since the 1970s. We discuss the surveys, the analysis methods used in the different studies, and the ways in which these methods might influence the population estimates. We found 63 population abundance estimates for the Bolivian river dolphin across 17 reviewed publications. These studies report relative abundance data for rivers that range from 0.2 to 2.81 bufeos km-1, and density ranges from 0 to 7.59 bufeos km-2. The information presented here reflects the knowledge of the population size of the species in Bolivia obtained over 4 decades, and will be useful for developing conservation strategies and as a tool for decision makers.
Chronic stress impairs male spermatogenesis function and nectin-3 protein expression in the testis
Authors: Li T. , Yao J. , Zhang Q. , Li Q. , Li J. , Wang X. , Li W. , Chen A. , Yan J.
Published: May 2020

Chronic stress is a crucial public issue that occurs when a person is repetitively stimulated by various stressors. Previous researches have reported that chronic stress induces spermatogenesis dysfunction in the reproductive system, but its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The nectin protein family, including nectin-1 to nectin-4, is Ca(2+)-independent immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules, that are widely expressed in the hippocampus, testicular tissue, epithelial cells and other sites. Nectin-3 contributes to the sperm development at the late stage, and the abnormal expression of nectin-3 impairs spermatogenesis. Some recent studies have demonstrated that stress induces a decrease in nectin-3 expression in the hippocampus via corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) to corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) pathway. Here, we tested whether chronic stress also caused a reduction in nectin-3 expression in the testis. We established a chronic social defeat stress paradigm, which provides naturalistic and complex chronic stress in male C57BL/6 mice. After 25 days of chronic social defeat stress, the mice showed weight loss, thymic atrophy and some other typical symptoms of chronic stress (e.g. anxiety-like behavior and social avoidance behavior). We found gonad atrophy, testicular histological structure changes and semen quality reductions in the stressed mice. The stressed male mice significantly spent more time to impregnate the female mice than the control male mice. Moreover, nectin-3 protein levels in stressed mice were significantly decreased in the testes compared with those in control mice. In addition, we found that the CRHR1 expression level was increased in the testes of stressed mice. Therefore, we demonstrated a decreased level of nectin-3 expression and an increase in CRHR1 expression in the testis after exposure to chronic stress, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for the spermatogenesis dysfunction induced by chronic stress.
The effect of intermittent hypoxic exposure on erythropoietic response and hematological variables in elite athletes
Authors: Kasperska A. , Zembron-Lacny A.
Published: May 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the erythropoietin level and hematological variables in wrestlers after intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE). Twelve wrestlers were assigned into two groups: hypoxia (sports training combined with IHE, n=6) and control (sports training, n=6). An IHE was performed for 10 days, with one day off after 6 days, once a day for about an hour. The concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), nitric oxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and erythropoietin (EPO), as well as total creatine kinase activity (CK) were measured. Also, the hematological markers (Hb -hemoglobin, Ht - hematocrit, RBC - red blood cell, WBC - white blood cell, Ret - reticulocytes) were analyzed. The 6-day IHE caused an increase in the levels of H(2)O(2), NO and VEGF. Similarly, the EPO level and WBC count reached the highest value after 6 days of IHE. The total Ret number increase constantly during 10 days of IHE. The hypoxia group showed a higher CK activity compared to the control. In conclusion, 10-day IHE in combination with wrestling training elevates levels of H(2)O(2), NO and VEGF, and improves the oxygen transport capacity by the release of EPO and Ret in circulation.
Factored Statistical Machine Translation for German-English
Authors: Sulistyan Darryl Yunus
Published: May 2020

Machine Translation is a machine that is going to automatically translate given sentences in a language to other particular language. This paper aims to test the effectiveness of a new model of machine translation which is factored machine translation. We compare the performance of the unfactored system as our baseline compared to the factored model in terms of BLEU score. We test the model in German-English language pair using Europarl corpus. The tools we are using is called MOSES. It is freely downloadable and use. We found, however, that the unfactored model scored over 24 in BLEU and outperforms the factored model which scored below 24 in BLEU for all cases. In terms of words being translated, however, all of factored models outperforms the unfactored model.
PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN BAHAN LOKAL PESISIR PANTAI PARANGTRITIS YOGYAKARTA TERHADAP KUAT TEKAN BETON
Authors: Setioningsih Retnowati
Published: May 2020

Research on the use of local coastal materials in Parangtritis Yogyakarta in the manufacture of concrete, is based on its availability in a very large amount of nature. The local materials used are beach sand and "fresh water" obtained from the coast of Parangtritis in Yogyakarta.This study aims to determine the compressive strength of concrete using local materials on the coast of Parangtritis without special treatment.The specimens used were cylindrical with a diameter of 150 mm and height of 300 mm as many as 66 pieces, the study was also controlled using normal concrete using Merapi sand in Yogyakarta. The planned compressive strength is 30 MPa and testing is done at 28 days.From the research, the maximum compressive strength of normal concrete (PM100 PP0 Alab) averaged 31, 066 MPa and specimens using "fresh water" around the coast of Parangtritis (PM100 PP0 Apantai) obtained the average compressive strength of the test object was 30,703 MPa. Keywords: coastal sand, coastal fresh water, concrete compressive strength
Does the embedded atom model have predictive power?
Authors: Belashchenko D K
Published: May 2020

Potassium, rubidium, aluminum, iron, nickel, and tin embedded atom models (EAMs) have been used as examples to ascertain how well the properties of a metal are described by EAM potentials calculated from the shape of shock adiabats and/or static compression data (from a function of cold pressure). Verification of the EAM potential implies an evaluation of its predictive power and an analysis of the agreement with experiment both at 0 or 298 K and under shock compression. To obtain consistent results, all contributions of collectivized electrons to energy and pressure need to be taken into consideration, especially in transition metals. Taking account of or ignoring electron contributions has little effect on the calculated melting lines of the models, self-diffusion coefficients, and viscosity. The shape of the melting line is sensitive to the behavior of the repulsive branch of the pair contribution to the EAM potential at small distances.
STANDARDIZATION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANNING AND DESIGNING OF CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Authors: Mohyla Ihor , Bezuhlyy Artem
Published: May 2020

Cycle movement and cycle infrastructure as inherent part of modern city are growing intensively in Ukraine. There are adopted National Transport Strategy on the state level to promote and develop cycle movement. On local level for the same reason more than 15 Ukrainian cities have their own programs or strategies. But based on research results, there is considerable latent demand on cycle movement, which cannot be expressed because of lack of cycling infrastructure, its fragmentation or low design quality.
In this article basic requirements and principles of planning and design of cycle infrastructure, particularly for cities with progressing cycle movement, are analyzed. There is also shown that requirements of valid state documents and updated building norms provide presence of cycling infrastructure, but these requirements are not enough for high level of its quality.
All outlined is a reason for developing and implementation of new state standard DSTU xxxx:20xx “Planning and designing of cycling infrastructure”, project of which has been developed based on better practices of countries with well-grown cycle movement. It has requirements for planning of cycle network, designing of cycle infrastructure on urban streets and roads (included different street types, narrowed sites, public transport stops, yield, signalized and roundabout intersections), highways and rural roads, requirements for fencing poles, restraining bicycle fences, bicycle racks and parking and constructive requirement for pavement. Project of standard contains also more than 40 schemes to help designers and other stakeholders to work with this standard by visualization of its requirements.
Usage of DSTU xxxx:20xx “Planning and designing of cycling infrastructure” during designing of urban streets, highways, rural roadsand spatial development in general will promote development of cycle movement, rising of road safety level, decreasing of traffic volume and negative influence of motorized transport (especially in cities) on environment.
Keywords: cycling movement, cycling infrastructure, state building guidelines.
Patient Perspectives on the Therapeutic Profile of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A in Spasticity
Authors: Jacinto Jorge , Varriale Pasquale , Pain Emilie , Lysandropoulos Andreas , Esquenazi Alberto
Published: May 2020

Background: Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) injections are first-line treatment for adult spasticity. Prior patient surveys have reported that BoNT-A treatment improves quality of life but that symptoms usually recur before the next injection. We aimed to explore, in-depth, patient perceptions of the impact of spasticity and the waning of BoNT-A therapeutic effects.

Methods: An internet-based survey was conducted through Carenity, an online patient community, from May to September 2019 in France, Germany, Italy, UK and USA. Eligible respondents were adult patients with spasticity due to stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI) who had ≥2 previous BoNT-A injections.

Results: Two hundred and ten respondents (mean 47.2 years) met screening criteria and had their responses analyzed. Overall, 43% of respondents had spasticity due to stroke, 30% due to TBI and 27% due to SCI. The mean [95% CI] injection frequency for spasticity management was 3.6 [3.4–3.7] injections/year. Respondents described the time profile of their response to BoNT-A. The mean reported onset of therapeutic effect was 12.9 [12.1–13.7] days and the mean time to peak effect was 5.0 [4.7–5.4] weeks. Symptom re-emergence between injections was common (83%); the time from injection to symptom re-emergence was 89.4 [86.3–92.4] days. Muscle spasms usually re-emerge first (64%), followed by muscle stiffness or rigidity (40%), and limb pain (20%). Over half (52%) of respondents said they had lost their self-confidence, 46% experienced depression and 41% experienced a lack of sleep due to their spasticity symptoms in the past 12 months. Following a report of symptom re-emergence, the most common management approaches were to add adjunctive treatments (36%), increase the BoNT-A dose (28%), and wait for the next injection (27%). Seventy two percentage of respondents said they would like a longer lasting BoNT-A treatment.

Conclusions: Patients with spasticity can expect a characteristic profile of BoNT-A effects, namely time lag to onset and peak effect followed by a gradual decline in the symptomatic benefits. Symptom re-emergence is common and has significant impact on quality of life. Greater patient/clinician awareness of this therapeutic profile should lead to better level of overall satisfaction with treatment, informed therapeutic discussions and treatment schedule planning.
Cloning and Expression of Cockroach α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit
Authors: Cartereau Alison , Taillebois Emiliane , Selvam Balaji , Martin Carine , Graton Jérôme , Le Questel Jean-Yves , Thany Steeve H.
Published: May 2020

Understanding insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes is of major interest because they are the main target of several insecticides. In this study, we have cloned a cockroach Pameα7 subunit that encodes a 518 amino acid protein with futures typical of nAChR subunit, and sequence homology to α7 subunit. Pameα7 is differently expressed in the cockroach nervous system, in particular in the antennal lobes, optical lobes and the mushroom bodies where specific expression was found in the non-compact Kenyon cells. In addition, we found that cockroach Pameα7 subunits expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes can assemble to form homomeric receptors. Electrophysiological recordings using the two-electrode voltage clamp method demonstrated that nicotine induced an Imax current of −92 ± 27 nA at 1 mM. Despite that currents are low with the endogenous ligand, ACh, this study provides information on the first expression of cockroach α7 homomeric receptor.
The Expected Utility Insurance Premium Principle with Fourth-Order Statistics: Does It Make a Difference?
Authors: Mazzoccoli Alessandro , Naldi Maurizio
Published: May 2020

The expected utility principle is often used to compute the insurance premium through a second-order approximation of the expected value of the utility of losses. We investigate the impact of using a more accurate approximation based on the fourth-order statistics of the expected loss and derive the premium under this expectedly more accurate approximation. The comparison between the two approximation levels shows that the second-order-based premium is always lower (i.e., an underestimate of the correct one) for the commonest loss distributions encountered in insurance. The comparison is also carried out for real cases, considering the loss parameters values estimated in the literature. The increased risk of the insurer is assessed through the Value-at-Risk.
Effect of Salinity and Nitrogen Sources on the Leaf Quality, Biomass, and Metabolic Responses of Two Ecotypes of Portulaca oleracea
Authors: Camalle Maria , Standing Dominic , Jitan Mohammed , Muhaisen Rana , Bader Nidal , Bsoul Majed , Ventura Yvonne , Soltabayeva Aigerim , Sagi Moshe
Published: May 2020

Halophytic plants are, by definition, well adapted to saline soils. However, even halophytes can face nutritional imbalance and the accumulation of high levels of compounds such as oxalic acid (OA), and nitrate (NO3−). These compounds compromise the potential nutritional health benefits associated with salt-tolerant plants such as Portulaca oleracea or Purslane. Purslane has long been known to be a highly nutritious leafy vegetable particularly with respect to high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Thus, preventing the accumulation of non-nutritional compounds will allow plants to be grown in saline conditions as crops. Two ecotypes (ET and RN) of Portulaca oleracea plants were grown under growth room conditions with two levels of salinity (0, 50 mM NaCl) and three ratios of nitrate: ammonium (0:100%; 33:66%; 25:75% NO3−:NH4+). The results show that both ecotypes, when exposed to elevated NO3−, showed severe leaf chlorosis, high levels of OA, citric acid, and malic acid. Compared to ecotype RN, ecotype ET, exposed to elevated NH4+ concentrations (33% and 75%) and 50 mM NaCl, displayed a marked reduction in OA content, increased total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, crude protein content, total fatty acid (TFA) and α-Linolenic acid (ALA), enhancing leaf quality. This opens the potential to grow high biomass, low OA P. oleracae crops. Lastly, our experiments suggest that ecotype ET copes with saline conditions and elevated NH4+ through shifts in leaf metabolites.
Arginine Supply Impacts the Expression of Candidate microRNA Controlling Milk Casein Yield in Bovine Mammary Tissue
Authors: Zhang Xin , Wang Yifan , Wang Mengzhi , Zhou Gang , Chen Lianmin , Ding Luoyang , Bu Dengpan , Loor Juan
Published: May 2020

Arginine, a semi-essential functional amino acid, has been found to promote the synthesis of casein in mammary epithelial cells to some extent. Data from mouse indicated that microRNA (miRNA) are important in regulating the development of mammary gland and milk protein synthesis. Whether there are potential links among arginine, miRNA and casein synthesis in bovine mammary gland is uncertain. The objective of the present work was to detect the effects of arginine supplementation on the expression of miRNA associated with casein synthesis in mammary tissue and mammary epithelial cells (BMEC). The first study with bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) focused on screening for miRNA candidates associated with the regulation of casein production by arginine. The BMEC were cultured with three different media, containing 0, 1.6 and 3.2 mM arginine, for 24 h. The expression of candidate miRNA was evaluated. Subsequently, in an in vivo study, 6 Chinese Holstein dairy cows with similar BW (mean ± SE) (512.0 ± 19.6 kg), parity (3), BCS (4.0) and DIM (190 ± 10.3 d) were randomly assigned to three experimental groups. The experimental cows received an infusion of casein, arginine (casein plus double the concentration of arginine in casein), and alanine (casein plus alanine, i.e., iso-nitrogenous to the arginine group) in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 22 d for each period (7 d for infusion and 15 d for washout). Mammary gland biopsies were obtained from each cow at the end of each infusion period. Results of the in vitro study showed differences between experimental groups and the control group for the expression of nine miRNA: miR-743a, miR-543, miR-101a, miR-760-3p, miR-1954, miR-712, miR-574-5p, miR-468 and miR-875-3p. The in vivo study showed that arginine infusion promoted milk protein content, casein yield and the expression of CSN1S1 and CSN1S2. Furthermore, the expression of miR-743a, miR-543, miR-101a, miR-760-3p, miR-1954, and miR-712 was also greater in response to arginine injection compared with the control or alanine group. Overall, results both in vivo and in vitro revealed that arginine might partly influence casein yield by altering the expression of 6 miRNAs (miR-743a, miR-543, miR-101a, miR-760-3p, miR-1954, and miR-712).
Environmental and Management Factors Affecting the Time Budgets of Free-Ranging Iberian Pigs Reared in Spain
Authors: Martínez-Macipe Míriam , Mainau Eva , Manteca Xavier , Dalmau Antoni
Published: May 2020

Understanding the natural behaviour of pigs in free-range conditions facilitates interpretation of their behaviour in intensive conditions. Studying six different farms over two years at different seasons, with climatic and management variations, allowed for a general description of Iberian pig behaviour and which factors have an influence on it. The main activity found was resting (56.5% of the time observed), followed by exploratory behaviour. However, this exploratory behaviour was higher when animals were fed only with natural resources than when fed with concentrates (50% versus 17.8%, respectively). In addition, pigs used bathing areas in summer that were not visited in winter. Negative social behaviour was seen more frequently than positive social behaviour, accounting, in total, for 1% of the total activity of animals. Pigs situated at the centre of the groups tended to remain more relaxed, while the peripheral animals remained more alert and vigilant. Our results indicate that foraging behaviour accounts for a significant proportion of pigs’ active time, but this proportion is much more reduced when pigs are fed concentrates. Therefore, behavioural needs in pigs reared in intensive conditions should consider that exploratory behaviour is reduced when pigs are fed with concentrates.
Is Humane Slaughter Possible?
Authors: Browning Heather , Veit Walter
Published: May 2020

One of the biggest ethical issues in animal agriculture is that of the welfare of animals at the end of their lives, during the process of slaughter. Much work in animal welfare science is focussed on finding humane ways to transport and slaughter animals, to minimise the harm done during this process. In this paper, we take a philosophical look at what it means to perform slaughter humanely, beyond simply reducing pain and suffering during the slaughter process. In particular, we will examine the issue of the harms of deprivation inflicted in ending life prematurely, as well as shape of life concerns and the ethical implications of inflicting these harms at the end of life, without the potential for future offsetting through positive experiences. We will argue that though these considerations may mean that no slaughter is in a deep sense truly ‘humane’, this should not undermine the importance of further research and development to ensure that while the practice continues, animal welfare harms are minimised as far as possible.
Effect of Dry-Period Diet on the Performance and Metabolism of Dairy Cows in Early Lactation
Authors: Soulat Julien , Knapp Emilie , Moula Nassim , Hornick Jean-Luc , Purnelle Céline , Dufrasne Isabelle
Published: May 2020

The objective of this work was to observe the effect of three different dry-period diets on blood metabolites (p = 9) and the production and fatty acid (FA) profile of milk (p = 19) in the peripartum period. In this study, 32 Holstein dairy cows, during their dry period, were divided in 3 different diet groups, as follows: the CONC diet (n = 11) was based on concentrate meal and straw, the CORN diet (n = 11) was based on corn silage, and the MIXED diet (n = 10) was based on corn and grass silages. According to our results, the variations of C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), NEFA/cholesterol ratio, and albumin were significantly (p < 0.05) different, according to the dry diet. The dry-period diet also had a significant effect on the concentrations of urea and vitamin B12 in the blood. In early lactation, this work showed that blood metabolites were more sensitive to changes in the dry diet than the production and FA profile of milk.
Developmental Plasticity in Response to Embryo Cryopreservation: The Importance of the Vitrification Device in Rabbits
Authors: Garcia-Dominguez Ximo , Vicente José Salvador , Marco-Jiménez Francisco
Published: May 2020

In this study, we evaluated the effect of embryo vitrification using two different devices on adulthood phenotype in rabbits. In vitro development, prenatal embryo survival, body weight, growth performance, haematological and biochemical peripheral blood analysis, reproductive performance, and lactation performance traits were compared between the experimental groups. They derived from naturally-conceived embryos (NC), fresh-transferred embryos (FT), vitrified-transferred embryos using mini-straw (VTs), or vitrified-transferred embryos using Cryotop (VTc). Straw-vitrified embryos exhibited lower in vitro developmental rates and in vivo survival rates following embryo transfer compared to its Cryotop-vitrified counterparts. Moreover, the VTs group exhibited higher foetal losses than VTc, FT, and NC groups. Independently of the vitrification device, vitrified-transferred (VT) offspring showed a skewed sex ratio in favour of males, and an increased birth bodyweight. In contrast, postnatal daily growth was diminished in all ART (i.e., FT and VT) animals. In adulthood, significant differences in body weight between all groups was founded—all ART progenies weighed less than NC animals and, within ART, VT animals weighed less than FT. For VT groups, weight at adulthood was higher for the VTs group compared with the VTc group. Peripheral blood parameters ranged between common values. Moreover, no differences were found in the fertility rates between experimental groups. Furthermore, similar pregnancy rates, litter sizes, and the number of liveborns were observed, regardless of the experimental group. However, decreased milk yield occurred for VTc and FT animals compared to VTs and NC animals. A similar trend was observed for the milk composition of dry matter and fat. Concordantly, reduced body weight was found for suckling kits in the VTc and FT groups compared to VTs and NC animals. Our findings reveal that developmental changes after the embryo vitrification procedure could be associated with an exhibition of the embryonic developmental plasticity. Moreover, to our best knowledge, this study reports the first evidence demonstrating that the vitrification device used is not a trivial decision, providing valuable information about how the cooling–warming rates during vitrification can be partly responsible of the postnatal phenotypic variations.
The Effects of Fungal Feed Additives in Animals: A Review
Authors: Chuang Wen Yang , Hsieh Yun Chen , Lee Tzu-Tai
Published: May 2020

As probiotics, fungi enhance animal health and are suitable animal feed additives. In addition to brewing fungi, there are also edible and medicinal fungi. Common fungi utilized in feeding programs include Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus oryzae, Pleurotus spp., Antrodia cinnamomea, and Cordyceps militaris. These fungi are rich in glucans, polysaccharides, polyphenols, triterpenes, ergosterol, adenosine, and laccases. These functional components play important roles in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and immune system regulation. As such, fungal feed additives could be of potential use when breeding livestock. In previous studies, fungal feed additives enhanced body weight and egg production in poultry and improved the feed conversion rate. Several mycotoxins can be produced by hazardous fungi but fortunately, the cell walls constituents and enzymes of fungal probiotics can also act to decrease the toxicity of mycotoxins. Overall, fungal feed additives are of value, but their safety and usage must be studied further, including cost-benefit economic analyses.