bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute Effects of Pimobendan on Cardiac Function in Dogs With Tachycardia Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study
Authors: Abbott-Johnson Kaitlin , Pierce Kursten V. , Roof Steve , Rio Carlos L. del , Hamlin Robert
Published: July 2021

Background: Pimobendan provides a significant survival benefit in dogs with cardiac disease, including degenerative mitral valve disease and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Its positive inotropic effect is well-known, however, it has complex effects and the mechanisms behind the survival benefit are not fully characterized. Secondary hemodynamic effects may decrease mitral regurgitation (MR) in DCM, and the benefits of pimobendan may extend to improved cardiac relaxation and improved atrial function.

Hypothesis/Objectives: Our objective was to investigate the acute cardiac effects of pimobendan in dogs with a DCM phenotype. We hypothesized that pimobendan would increase left atrial (LA) contractility, reduce mitral regurgitation, improve diastolic function, and lower circulating NT-ProBNP levels.

Animals: Seven purpose-bred Beagles were studied from a research colony with tachycardia induced DCM phenotype.

Methods: The effects of pimobendan were studied under a placebo-controlled single-blinded cross-over design. In short, dogs underwent baseline and 3 h post-dose examinations 7 days apart with echocardiography and a blood draw. Dogs were randomized to receive oral placebo or 0.25 mg/kg pimobendan after their baseline exam. Investigators were blinded to treatments until all measurements were compiled.

Results: When treated with pimobendan, the dogs had significant increases in systolic function and decreases in MR, compared to when treated with placebo.

There were no detectable differences in left atrial measures, including LA size, LA emptying fraction, LA functional index or mitral A wave velocity. Heart rate decreased significantly with pimobendan compared to placebo. There was also a decrease in isovolumetric relaxation time normalized to heart rate. NT-proBNP levels had a high degree of variability.

Conclusions: Improved mitral regurgitation severity and improved lusitropic function may contribute to the reported survival benefit for dogs with cardiac disease administered pimobendan. Pimobendan did not overtly improve LA function as assessed by echocardiography, and NT-proBNP was not significantly changed with a single dose of this medication. Further studies are needed to better characterize LA effects with other imaging modalities, to better quantify the total improvement of MR severity, and to assess chronic use of pimobendan on diastolic function in DCM.
Psicodiagnóstico y Psicoterapia: Reflexiones sobre la Práctica, Formación e Investigación desde la Terapia Constructivista Integradora
Authors: Botella García del Cid Luis
Published: July 2021

Este trabajo aborda una lectura desde una posición constructivista integradora de las implicaciones de un Modelo Médico y sus alternativas en la evaluación del malestar que trae a los clientes a psicoterapia. A su vez, elabora las principales implicaciones de dicha alternativa para la práctica, investigación y formación en psicoterapia.
Editorial: 40 años de una revista
Authors: Casado Esquius Lluís
Published: July 2021

Editorial del número 119 de la Revista de Psicoterapia: "40 años de una revista"
Investigation of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Transport Aircraft
Authors: Wang Yuanjing , Liu Dawei , Xu Xin , Li Guoshuai
Published: July 2021

The scale difference between the real flight vehicle and the experimental model results in the Reynolds number effect, which makes it unreliable to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of flight vehicles by wind tunnel testing. To understand the mechanism of Reynolds number effects on the aerodynamic characteristics of the supercritical wing that is commonly used in transport aircraft in more detail, surface pressure wind tunnel tests of a transport aircraft reference model with a wing-body configuration were conducted in the European Transonic Windtunnel (ETW) at different Reynolds numbers. There are 495 pressure taps in total equipped on the surface of the test model with the Mach numbers ranging from 0.6 to 0.86 and Reynolds number varying from 3.3 × 106 to 35 × 106. In addition, an in-house developed CFD tool that has been validated by extensive experimental data was used to correct the wing deformation effect of the test model and achieve detailed flow structures. The results show that the Reynolds number has a significant impact on the boundary layer displacement thickness, surface pressure distribution, shock wave position, and overall aerodynamic force coefficients of the transport aircraft in the presence of shock wave and the induced boundary layer separation. The wind tunnel data combined with flow fields achieved from CFD show that the essence of the Reynolds number effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of transport aircraft is the difference of boundary layer development, shock wave/boundary layer interaction, and induced flow separation at different Reynolds numbers.
Exploring Substrate Water Capture in Common Greenhouse Substrates through Preconditioning and Irrigation Pulsing Techniques
Authors: Schulker Brian A. , Jackson Brian E. , Fonteno William C. , Heitman Joshua L. , Albano Joseph P.
Published: July 2021

Particles in a substrate create a network of pore pathways for water to move through, with size and shape determining the efficacy of these channels. Reduced particle size diversity can lead to increased leachate, poor substrate hydration, and an inefficient irrigation practice. This research examined the hydration characteristics of three greenhouse substrate components at three preconditioned initial moisture contents using subirrigation under five different irrigation durations and three water depths (2 mm, 20 mm, and 35 mm). Sphagnum peatmoss, coconut coir, and aged pine bark were tested at 67%, 50%, and 33% initial moisture (by weight). The objectives were to determine the impact of varying irrigation event durations (5, 10, 20, 30, 60 min) over a 60-min period, and the further influence of water depth and initial moisture, on the water capture abilities of peat, coir, and pine bark. The number of irrigation events depended on the irrigation event time of that experimental unit divided by the total time of 60 min, varying from 12, 6, 3, 2, and 1 event. Hydration efficiency was influenced by initial moisture content (IMC), water depth, pulsing duration, and inherent substrate characteristics (hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity). Initial MC had the largest impact on peat, regardless of water level or irrigation duration. Lower IMCs increased the hydrophobic response of peat, further reducing the amount of water the substrate was able to absorb. Pine bark had a 5–10% decrease in initial hydration between 67%, 50%, and 33% IMC, while coir’s hydrophilic nature reduced any IMC affects. At 50% IMC or less, coir had the highest volumetric water content (VWC) across all substrates, pulsing durations, and water depths. Water depth was found to increase initial hydration and final hydration 6–8% across all substrates. These three materials had altered and varied water capture responses depending on the combination of treatments employed. This work demonstrated the effects of intensity and exposure on substrates and the need for more integrated research for improving water use efficiency on container crops.
Trend Analysis of Taiwan’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Energy Sector and Its Mitigation Strategies and Promotion Actions
Authors: Tsai Wen-Tien
Published: July 2021

The mitigation strategies and actions for mitigating the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) from the energy sector become more important and urgent. The main aim of this paper was to present a trend analysis of the emissions of GHG from the Taiwan’s energy sector, which was issued by the central competent authority through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. The data also complied with the procedures of measurement, reporting and verification. Based on the official database, the statistics on energy supply, energy consumption and GHG emissions will be connected to analyze the trends of environmental and energy sustainability indicators over the past decades. It showed that the trends of the relevant sustainability indicators based on GHG emissions from the energy sector indicated two development stages: the growth period (annually 5.6%) of 1990–2005, and the decoupling period (annually 0.5%) of 2005–2018. This result could be ascribed to the Taiwan government by promulgating some regulatory measures on energy saving improvement and renewable energy supply during this period. It was worthy to note that the installed capacities of photovoltaic (PV) power increased from 888 megawatt (MW) in 2015 to 5817 MW in 2020. These technological, behavioral, managerial and policy advancements are in accordance with global mitigation strategies. Under the authorization of the energy-related regulations, some promotional actions or programs for efficient energy use and renewable electricity supply were also announced to reach the targets of GHG emissions reduction in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
No Effect of Chronotype on Sleepiness, Alertness, and Sustained Attention during a Single Night Shift
Authors: Reiter Andrew M. , Sargent Charli , Roach Gregory D.
Published: July 2021

The study’s aim was to examine the effect of chronotype on cognitive performance during a single night shift. Data were collected from 72 (36f) young, healthy adults in a laboratory study. Participants had a 9 h sleep period (03:00–12:00) followed by an 8 h night shift (23:00–07:00). During the night shift, participants completed five test sessions, which included measures of subjective sleepiness, subjective alertness, and sustained attention (i.e., psychomotor vigilance task; PVT). Dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) was derived from saliva samples taken during the evening preceding the night shift. A tertile split of DLMO was used to determine three chronotype categories: earlier (DLMO = 20:22 ± 0:42), intermediate (DLMO = 21:31 ± 0:13), and later (DLMO = 22:54 ± 0:54). There were (a) significant main effects of test session (all p < 0.001); (b) no main effects of chronotype; and (c) no interaction effects between chronotype and test session on sleepiness, alertness, PVT response time, and PVT lapses. The results indicate that under controlled sleeping conditions, chronotype based on dim light melatonin onset did not affect nighttime performance. Differences in performance during night shift between chronotypes reported by field studies may be related to differences in the amount and/or timing of sleep before or between night shifts, rather than circadian timing.
Persistence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Six Months after Infection in an Outbreak with Five Hundred COVID-19 Cases in Borriana (Spain): A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Domènech-Montoliu Salvador , Puig-Barberà Joan , Pac-Sa Maria Rosario , Vidal-Utrillas Paula , Latorre-Poveda Marta , Del Rio-González Alba , Ferrando-Rubert Sara , Ferrer-Abad Gema , Sánchez-Urbano Manuel , Aparisi-Esteve Laura , Badenes-Marques Gema , Cervera-Ferrer Belén , Clerig-Arnau Ursula , Dols-Bernad Claudia , Fontal-Carcel Maria , Gomez-Lanas Lorna , Jovani-Sales David , León-Domingo Maria Carmen , Llopico-Vilanova Maria Dolores , Moros-Blasco Mercedes , Notari-Rodríguez Cristina , Ruíz-Puig Raquel , Valls-López Sonia , Arnedo-Pena Alberto
Published: July 2021

In March 2020, several mass gathering events were related to the Falles festival in Borriana (Spain), resulting in a 536 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases outbreak among participants. This article estimates anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies persistence six months after and factors associated with antibody response. A prospective population-based cohort study was carried out by the Public Health Centre of Castellon and the Emergency and Clinical Analysis and Microbiology Services of Hospital de la Plana in Vila-real. In October 2020, a seroepidemiologic study was used to estimate the persistence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against nucleocapsid protein (N) by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) was implemented. We enrolled 484 (90.2%) of the 536 members of the initial outbreak cohort and detected persistent antibodies in 479 (99%) without reinfection episodes. Five participants had a negative antibody test. Factors associated with a negative result were a lower body mass index (BMI), and less contact with other COVID-19 cases. Among the 469 participants with two ECLIA tests, 96 (20.5%) had an increase of antibodies and 373 (79.5%) a decline. Increased antibodies were associated with older age, higher BMI, more severe illness, and low current smokers. Our results show that after a COVID-19 infection, a high proportion of cases maintain detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Back-Support Exoskeleton Control Strategy for Pulling Activities: Design and Preliminary Evaluation
Authors: Lazzaroni Maria , Poliero Tommaso , Sposito Matteo , Toxiri Stefano , Caldwell Darwin , Di Natali Christian , Ortiz Jesús
Published: July 2021

The execution of manual material handling activities in the workplace exposes workers to large lumbar loads that increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain. In particular, the redesign of the workplace is making the execution of pulling activities more common, as an alternative to lifting and carrying tasks. The biomechanical analysis of the task revealed a substantial activation of the spinal muscles. This suggests that the user may benefit from the assistance of a back-support exoskeleton that reduces the spinal muscle activity and their contribution to lumbar compression. This work addresses this challenge by exploiting the versatility of an active back-support exoskeleton. A control strategy was specifically designed for assisting pulling that modulates the assistive torques using the forearm muscle activity. These torques are expected to adapt to the user’s assistance needs and the pulled object mass, as forearm muscle activity is considered an indicator of grip strength. We devised laboratory experiments to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategy. We found that, for the majority of the subjects, back muscle activity reductions were associated with the exoskeleton use. Furthermore, subjective measurements reveal advantages in terms of perceived support, comfort, ease of use, and intuitiveness.
The Spatial Morphology of Community in Chipping Barnet c.1800–2015: An Historical Dialogue of Tangible and Intangible Heritages
Authors: Vaughan Laura , Griffiths Sam
Published: July 2021

This article presents a case study of the London suburb of Chipping Barnet to show how a spatial-morphological approach to tangible heritage challenges its archetypal image as an affluent commuter suburb by highlighting its resilience as a generative patterning of social space that has weathered successive phases of social change. We argue that the enduring spatial-morphological definition of Barnet as a local centre explains how it has been possible to preserve something less tangible—namely its identity as a suburban community. We show how Barnet’s street network constitutes community heritage through a combination of local- and wider-scale affiliations that have sustained diverse localised socio-economic activity over an extended period of time. Noting how local histories often go further than sociological studies in emphasising the importance of the built environment for indexing the effects of social change on everyday life, we draw on a range of archive sources including the analysis of historical maps using space syntax techniques, to reveal Barnet’s street network as a dialogue of both tangible and intangible heritages that are formative of a suburban community.
Media Forensics Considerations on DeepFake Detection with Hand-Crafted Features
Authors: Siegel Dennis , Kraetzer Christian , Seidlitz Stefan , Dittmann Jana
Published: July 2021

DeepFake detection is a novel task for media forensics and is currently receiving a lot of research attention due to the threat these targeted video manipulations propose to the trust placed in video footage. The current trend in DeepFake detection is the application of neural networks to learn feature spaces that allow them to be distinguished from unmanipulated videos. In this paper, we discuss, with features hand-crafted by domain experts, an alternative to this trend. The main advantage that hand-crafted features have over learned features is their interpretability and the consequences this might have for plausibility validation for decisions made. Here, we discuss three sets of hand-crafted features and three different fusion strategies to implement DeepFake detection. Our tests on three pre-existing reference databases show detection performances that are under comparable test conditions (peak AUC > 0.95) to those of state-of-the-art methods using learned features. Furthermore, our approach shows a similar, if not better, generalization behavior than neural network-based methods in tests performed with different training and test sets. In addition to these pattern recognition considerations, first steps of a projection onto a data-centric examination approach for forensics process modeling are taken to increase the maturity of the present investigation.
Higher Number of EBI3 Cells in Mucosal Chronic Hyperplastic Candidiasis May Serve to Regulate IL-17-Producing Cells
Authors: Williams Ailish , Rogers Helen , Williams David , Wei Xiao-Qing , Farnell Damian , Wozniak Sue , Jones Adam
Published: July 2021

Previous research into the inflammatory cell infiltrate of chronic hyperplastic candidosis (CHC) determined that the immune response is primarily composed of T cells, the majority of which are T helper (CD4+) cells. This present investigation used immunohistochemistry to further delineate the inflammatory cell infiltrate in CHC. Cells profiled were those expressing IL-17A cytokine, EBI3 and IL-12A subunits of the IL-35 cytokine, and FoxP3+ cells. Squamous cell papilloma (with Candida infection) and oral lichen planus tissues served as comparative controls to understand the local immune responses to Candida infection. The results demonstrated that Candida-induced inflammation and immune regulation co-exist in the oral mucosa of CHC and that high prevalence of cells expressing the EBI3 cytokine subunit may play an important role in this regulation. This balance between inflammation and immune tolerance toward invading Candida in the oral mucosa may be critical in determining progress of infection.
Immunocytochemical Localization of XRCC1 and γH2AX Foci Induced by Tightly Focused Femtosecond Laser Radiation in Cultured Human Cells
Authors: Zalessky Alexandr , Fedotov Yuriy , Yashkina Elizaveta , Nadtochenko Viktor , Osipov Andreyan N.
Published: July 2021

To assess the prospects for using intense femtosecond laser radiation in biomedicine, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of its action on biological macromolecules, especially on the informational macromolecule—DNA. The aim of this work was to study the immunocytochemical localization of DNA repair protein foci (XRCC1 and γH2AX) induced by tightly focused femtosecond laser radiation in human cancer A549 cells. The results showed that no XRCC1 or γH2AX foci tracks were observed 30 min after cell irradiation with femtosecond pulses of 1011 W∙cm−2 peak power density. An increase in the pulse power density to 2 × 1011 W∙cm−2 led to the formation of linear tracks consisting both of XRCC1 and γH2AX protein foci localized in the places where the laser beam passed through the cell nuclei. A further increase in the pulse power density to 4 × 1011 W∙cm−2 led to the appearance of nuclei with total immunocytochemical staining for XRCC1 and γH2AX on the path of the laser beam. Thus, femtosecond laser radiation can be considered as a tool for local ionization of biological material, and this ionization will lead to similar effects obtained using ionizing radiation.
Synthesis, Characterization, DNA/HSA Interactions, and Anticancer Activity of Two Novel Copper(II) Complexes with 4-Chloro-3-Nitrobenzoic Acid Ligand
Authors: Zeng Zhen-Fang , Huang Qiu-Ping , Cai Jie-Hui , Zheng Guang-Jin , Huang Qiu-Chan , Liu Zi-Lu , Chen Zi-Lu , Wei You-Huan
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to identify new metal-based anticancer drugs; to this end, we synthesized two new copper(II) complexes, namely [Cu(ncba)4(phen)] (1) and [Cu(ncba)4(bpy)] (2), comprised 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzoic acid as the main ligand. The single-crystal XRD approach was employed to determine the copper(II) complex structures. Binding between these complexes and calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and human serum albumin (HSA) was explored by electronic absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, and viscometry. Both complexes intercalatively bound CT-DNA and statically and spontaneously quenched DNA/HSA fluorescence. A CCK-8 assay revealed that complex 1 and complex 2 had substantial antiproliferative influences against human cancer cell lines. Moreover, complex 1 had greater antitumor efficacy than the positive control cisplatin. Flow cytometry assessment of the cell cycle demonstrated that these complexes arrested the HepG2 cell cycle and caused the accumulation of G0/G1-phase cells. The mechanism of cell death was elucidated by flow cytometry-based apoptosis assays. Western blotting revealed that both copper(II) complexes induced apoptosis by regulating the expression of the Bcl-2(Bcl-2, B cell lymphoma 2) protein family.
Biotechnological Insights on the Expression and Production of Antimicrobial Peptides in Plants
Authors: Shanmugaraj Balamurugan , Bulaon Christine Joy I. , Malla Ashwini , Phoolcharoen Waranyoo
Published: July 2021

The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens poses a serious critical threat to global public health and requires immediate action. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of short peptides ubiquitously found in all living forms, including plants, insects, mammals, microorganisms and play a significant role in host innate immune system. These peptides are considered as promising candidates to treat microbial infections due to its distinct advantages over conventional antibiotics. Given their potent broad spectrum of antimicrobial action, several AMPs are currently being evaluated in preclinical/clinical trials. However, large quantities of highly purified AMPs are vital for basic research and clinical settings which is still a major bottleneck hindering its application. This can be overcome by genetic engineering approaches to produce sufficient amount of diverse peptides in heterologous host systems. Recently plants are considered as potential alternatives to conventional protein production systems such as microbial and mammalian platforms due to their unique advantages such as rapidity, scalability and safety. In addition, AMPs can also be utilized for development of novel approaches for plant protection thereby increasing the crop yield. Hence, in order to provide a spotlight for the expression of AMP in plants for both clinical or agricultural use, the present review presents the importance of AMPs and efforts aimed at producing recombinant AMPs in plants for molecular farming and plant protection so far.
The Effect of the Molecular Weight of Polyvinylpyrrolidone and the Model Drug on Laser-Induced In Situ Amorphization
Authors: Hempel Nele-Johanna , Merkl Padryk , Knopp Matthias Manne , Berthelsen Ragna , Teleki Alexandra , Hansen Anders Kragh , Sotiriou Georgios A. , Löbmann Korbinian
Published: July 2021

Laser radiation has been shown to be a promising approach for in situ amorphization, i.e., drug amorphization inside the final dosage form. Upon exposure to laser radiation, elevated temperatures in the compacts are obtained. At temperatures above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer, the drug dissolves into the mobile polymer. Hence, the dissolution kinetics are dependent on the viscosity of the polymer, indirectly determined by the molecular weight (Mw) of the polymer, the solubility of the drug in the polymer, the particle size of the drug and the molecular size of the drug. Using compacts containing 30 wt% of the drug celecoxib (CCX), 69.25 wt% of three different Mw of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP: PVP12, PVP17 or PVP25), 0.25 wt% plasmonic nanoaggregates (PNs) and 0.5 wt% lubricant, the effect of the polymer Mw on the dissolution kinetics upon exposure to laser radiation was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the model drug on the dissolution kinetics was investigated using compacts containing 30 wt% of three different drugs (CCX, indomethacin (IND) and naproxen (NAP)), 69.25 wt% PVP12, 0.25 wt% PN and 0.5 wt% lubricant. In perfect correlation to the Noyes–Whitney equation, this study showed that the use of PVP with the lowest viscosity, i.e., the lowest Mw (here PVP12), led to the fastest rate of amorphization compared to PVP17 and PVP25. Furthermore, NAP showed the fastest rate of amorphization, followed by IND and CCX in PVP12 due to its high solubility and small molecular size.
Preparation and Application of Quaternized Chitosan- and AgNPs-Base Synergistic Antibacterial Hydrogel for Burn Wound Healing
Authors: Chen Xushan , Zhang Huimin , Yang Xin , Zhang Wuhong , Jiang Ming , Wen Ting , Wang Jie , Guo Rui , Liu Hanjiao
Published: July 2021

Infection is the major reason that people die from burns; however, traditional medical dressings such as gauze cannot restrain bacterial growth and enhance the healing process. Herein, an organic- and inorganic-base hydrogel with antibacterial activities was designed and prepared to treat burn wounds. Oxidized dextran (ODex) and adipic dihydrazide grafted hyaluronic acid (HA-ADH) were prepared, mixed with quaternized chitosan (HACC) and silver nanoparticles to fabricate Ag@ODex/HA-ADH/HACC hydrogel. The hydrogel, composed of nature biomaterials, has a good cytocompatibility and biodegradability. Moreover, the hydrogel has an excellent antibacterial ability and presents fast healing for burn wounds compared with commercial Ag dressings. The Ag@ODex/HA-ADH/HACC hydrogel will be a promising wound dressing to repair burn wounds and will significantly decrease the possibility of bacterial infection.
The Coping Strategies Used by Young Tunisian Athletes in Individual and Collective Sports
Authors: Hajji Jamel , Bettayeb Anouer , Fekih Sofien , Guerchi Maher , Bragazzi Nicola , Azaiez Fairouz , Elloumi Ali
Published: July 2021

The objective of this study was to discover the repertoire of coping strategies used by young Tunisian male and female athletes in individual and team sports when competing in their sport, and to examine the effect of gender and type of sport on these strategies. A total of 917 young Tunisian athletes including 349 female athletes and 568 male athletes, aged 14 to 19, with an average age of 15.63 ± 1.5 years, participated in our study. Participants were invited to respond to the Arabic version of the Competitive Sport Adaptation Strategy Inventory to assess their coping repertoire. The results revealed that factors, such as gender, and type of sport, influenced the coping repertoire among young athletes. In the inter-personal and intra-personal context, young athletes used a wide variety of coping strategies, all of which were task-oriented and disengagement-oriented.
Image Caption Generation Using Multi-Level Semantic Context Information
Authors: Tian Peng , Mo Hongwei , Jiang Laihao
Published: July 2021

Object detection, visual relationship detection, and image captioning, which are the three main visual tasks in scene understanding, are highly correlated and correspond to different semantic levels of scene image. However, the existing captioning methods convert the extracted image features into description text, and the obtained results are not satisfactory. In this work, we propose a Multi-level Semantic Context Information (MSCI) network with an overall symmetrical structure to leverage the mutual connections across the three different semantic layers and extract the context information between them, to solve jointly the three vision tasks for achieving the accurate and comprehensive description of the scene image. The model uses a feature refining structure to mutual connections and iteratively updates the different semantic features of the image. Then a context information extraction network is used to extract the context information between the three different semantic layers, and an attention mechanism is introduced to improve the accuracy of image captioning while using the context information between the different semantic layers to improve the accuracy of object detection and relationship detection. Experiments on the VRD and COCO datasets demonstrate that our proposed model can leverage the context information between semantic layers to improve the accuracy of those visual tasks generation.
Reinforcement Learning-Enabled UAV Itinerary Planning for Remote Sensing Applications in Smart Farming
Authors: Pourroostaei Ardakani Saeid , Cheshmehzangi Ali
Published: July 2021

UAV path planning for remote sensing aims to find the best-fitted routes to complete a data collection mission. UAVs plan the routes and move through them to remotely collect environmental data from particular target zones by using sensory devices such as cameras. Route planning may utilize machine learning techniques to autonomously find/select cost-effective and/or best-fitted routes and achieve optimized results including: minimized data collection delay, reduced UAV power consumption, decreased flight traversed distance and maximized number of collected data samples. This paper utilizes a reinforcement learning technique (location and energy-aware Q-learning) to plan UAV routes for remote sensing in smart farms. Through this, the UAV avoids heuristically or blindly moving throughout a farm, but this takes the benefits of environment exploration–exploitation to explore the farm and find the shortest and most cost-effective paths into target locations with interesting data samples to collect. According to the simulation results, utilizing the Q-learning technique increases data collection robustness and reduces UAV resource consumption (e.g., power), traversed paths, and remote sensing latency as compared to two well-known benchmarks, IEMF and TBID, especially if the target locations are dense and crowded in a farm.
Electrospun Polysaccharidic Textiles for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Poshina Daria , Otsuka Issei
Published: July 2021

Recent developments in electrospinning technology have enabled the commercial-scale production of nonwoven fabrics from synthetic and natural polymers. Since the early 2000s, polysaccharides and their derivatives have been recognized as promising raw materials for electrospinning, and their electrospun textiles have attracted increasing attention for their diverse potential applications. In particular, their biomedical applications have been spotlighted thanks to their “green” aspects, e.g., abundance in nature, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. This review focuses on three main research topics in the biomedical applications of electrospun polysaccharidic textiles: (i) delivery of therapeutic molecules, (ii) tissue engineering, and (iii) wound healing, and discusses recent progress and prospects.
Microbial Characteristics of the Combined Ozone and Tea Polyphenols or Sodium Hypochlorite Disinfection in the Pipe Network
Authors: Feng Cuimin , Zhu Na , Li Ying , Xu Zhen , Guo Ziyu
Published: July 2021

Microbiological safety of water in the pipe network is an important guarantee for safe drinking water. Simulation tests of stainless steel pipe network were carried out using te4a polyphenols and sodium hypochlorite as auxiliary disinfectants for ozone disinfection to analyze the persistent disinfection effects of different combined disinfection methods by measuring the changes in total bacterial colonies in the water. High-throughput sequencing of microorganisms in the pipe network was performed to analyze the differences in the community structure of microorganisms in the water and pipe wall under different disinfection methods. The results showed that the application of auxiliary disinfectants had a relatively long-lasting inhibitory effect on the bacterial colonies in the water, and the diversity of microorganisms in the pipe network varied significantly. As an auxiliary disinfectant for ozone disinfection, tea polyphenols are more powerful than sodium hypochlorite in killing pathogens and chlorine-resistant bacteria, so they are more beneficial to ensure the microbiological safety of water in stainless steel pipe networks.
Analysis of abdominal typhoid incidence in the south region of the Kyrgyz Republic
Authors: Zakirova Zhypara Sataralievna
Published: July 2021

The article presents the results of a retrospective epidemiological analysis of the incidence of typhoid fever in the Kyrgyz Republic and the results of a survey aimed at studying the immune status of the population. It was found that despite the emerging trend of reducing the incidence of typhoid fever, this problem in Kyrgyzstan remains extremely relevant due to high rates that significantly exceed those of developed countries. The leading route of transmission of typhoid fever in the Kyrgyz Republic is water, and the territories at risk are the southern regions of the Republic. A permanent epidemic focus of typhoid fever has been identified in the Jalal-Abad region, where radiation remains an additional factor of negative impact on the population of Mailuu-Suu over the past thirty years against the background of low availability of high-quality drinking water. The effect of the radiation factor is associated with the development of immunological insufficiency, which creates the basis for the formation of risk groups for infectious diseases, including typhoid fever.
Study of stress and stress resistance of preschool staff organizations: hygiene aspects
Authors: Mavrina Liana Nikolaevna , Timeryanova Liliya Nikolaevna
Published: July 2021

The article deals with the problem of professional stress in the labor activity of employees of preschool educational organizations. Aim. The level of stress and stress resistance of preschool teachers was assessed. In accordance with the purpose of the study, the following methods were used: T.A. Nemchina, A.O. Prokhorov, Vaisman's questionnaire, McLean. The study involved 50 teachers of kindergartens of general developmental type. The materials of modern psychological and pedagogical research devoted to stress and stress resistance are analyzed and summarized. Experimental data on the state of stress resistance of preschool teachers have been obtained. In a preschool organization, employees need to reduce the level of neuropsychiatric stress, professional and organizational stress, since most of the subjects are characterized by high indicators for these parameters.
Video surveillance and analytics technologies in the safety management system in construction projects realization
Authors: Kurochkin Pavel
Published: July 2021

Pavel Kurochkin, manager of labor protection, industrial safety and ecology at NIPIGAS company, talks about the realization of the NIPIGAS project for the construction of the Amur gas processing plant for LLC Gazprom pererabotka Blagoveshchensk and about the design and implementation of preparatory works for the construction of the Amur gas-chemical plant for LLC SIBUR. New approaches to labor protection and safety, which are used at NIPIGAZ construction sites, make it possible to control the safety of work at heights and in inaccessible places and to monitor construction and installation works using video surveillance technologies and video analytics.
How to ensure fire safety for a company
Authors: Voronova Nina Vladimirovna
Published: July 2021

The number of casualties and losses in fres puts our country among the "leaders", and these statistics must be changed for the better as soon as possible. Legislative forces are directed to ensure fre safety in Russia, which pass laws designed to correct the situation. About how to ensure fre safety for an enterprise, about new legislative solutions and what is in the frst place in the system of ensuring fre safety of people, interviews with an expert in the feld of fre safety, General Director of the consulting bureau "Voronova and Partners" Voronova Nina Vladimirovna.
Requirements for explosion and fire safety of industrial enterprises
Authors: Moshnenko A. S. , Krivoshey E. S. , Smirnova I. N.
Published: July 2021

The modern requirements for explosion and fire safety of industrial enterprises are considered. Equipping the production with high-quality explosion-proof electrical equipment ensures the safety of resources and people's lives. Basic concepts are given, principles and classifications are described, international and Russian standards are indicated, which should be followed by manufacturers of such devices.
First aid to the injured
Authors: Manerov Stanislav Leonidovich
Published: July 2021

Who can provide first aid, how to act when a victim is found, what actions should be taken first of all before providing medical care - these issues were considered at a practical conference as part of the work improvement program. The speaker of the conference was an expert in the field of labor protection, director of the National Council for First Aid Manerov Stanislav Leonidovich.
An evaluation of the efficiency of beekeeping enterprises in Turkey: The case of Mersin City
Authors: UYSAL Osman
Published: July 2021

Beekeeping contributes significantly to both beekeeping enterprises and the country's economy, as it provides jobs, income, and nutrition for the rural population of developing countries. Mersin City is an essential region for beekeeping, both in terms of honey production and migratory beekeeping in Turkey. In this study, the efficiency of beekeeping enterprises was revealed, and the factors causing inefficiency were examined. The efficiency measure of enterprises was determined using data envelopment analysis (DEA). According to the findings obtained, beekeeping enterprises' technical efficiency, allocation efficiency, and economic efficiency were calculated as 0.89, 0.84, and 0.81, respectively. The economic efficiency score showed that inefficient enterprises could effectively reduce their production costs by 19%. When the factors causing inefficiency are examined, it is revealed that income per hive, subsidy rate, and credit use have adverse effects on efficiency, education level, experience, number of honey frames used per hive, and migratory beekeeping effects. According to the results, it is thought that increasing education and extension activities, improving marketing opportunities, legal regulations in using agricultural credits, and extending consultancy services can also help to increase economic efficiency in the research field.
Imaginarios en torno a los roles de género en la escuela
Authors: Ramírez Aristizábal Fidel Mauricio , Pinilla-Cortés Natalia
Published: July 2021

Dado o lugar da infância e da juventude na escola como instituição, este artigo levanta alguns elementos com os quais os autores, professores em exercício, procuraram responder à questão sobre qual é o lugar da escola na construção do gênero, como produção cultural, como imaginário social? Para isso, aprofundam-se na teoria dos Imaginários Sociais em relação à construção cultural e coletiva de gênero; entendendo que os imaginários são a realidade da experiência e do discurso social, e que essa relação estreita dá origem a uma dinâmica de geração permanente de significados, que são práticas, representações, sentimentos e imagens.
Action de l'éther-oxy-ricinoléique de polyéthylène glycol (600) sur les membranes cellulaires
Authors: Bocquet Roger
Published: July 2021

The ether-oxy-ricinoleique de polyethylene glycol (6000) (EOR-PEG) has already been subject to a communication on the 7th of June 1979, in which the selective eradication of B lymphocytes, has been proved.

It had been infered from it, that it would be interesting, to study the effect of this product on the cells membranes.

It’s the subject of this communication. The EOR-PEG has been challenged by acting both on cells cultures, either cancerous (HeLa cells) or not cancerous (Vero cells).

The various results observed, confirm the fact that the EOR-PEG 6000 acts in different way following, the previous differences in the membranes constitution, lymphocytes B and cancerous cells showing a very particular sensibility and vulnerability.
Les femmes gladiateurs : examen du dossier
Authors: Briquel Dominique
Published: July 2021

Gladiatorische Tàtigkeit von Frauen.

Die üterarischen Zeugnisse über die gladiatorische Tàtigkeit von Frauen werden hier be-handelt. Sie gehören meistens zu Satiren oder Romanen, aber Inschriften bestätigen, dass eine solche Praxis wirklich existiert hat. Sie erschien ganz annehmbar, wenn sie von Frauen des niedrigen Standes geübt wurde, und Tyrannen wie Nero wurden nur darum getadelt, weil sie auch umehme Frauen im Amphitheater — oder in gleicher Weise im Theater — erscheinen liessen.
Les rivières fantômes du désert oriental
Authors: Gawlikowski Michel
Published: July 2021

The ghost rivers of the oriental desert.

This paper argues for identity between Saocoras, a tributary of the Euphrates in Ptolemy, and the canal of Nahr Dawwarîn which had linked the lower Khabur and the Euphrates at the rock of ‘Irsî. Ptolemy located the source of the Saocoras near Nisibis, i.e. at the headwaters of the Jaghjagh, while the source of his Chaboras is identical with that of the western branch of the Khabur. The confluent of the Khabur is however misplaced. Usually, the Dawwarîn canal is seen as corresponding to the river Mascas in the Anabasis. It is maintained here that Mascas is Khabur, while Xenophon’s Araxes is identical with the Balikh.
Notes sur le calendrier hippocratique (Du régime, III, 68)
Authors: Svenbro J.
Published: July 2021

Pour préciser la date du coucher des Pléiades dans Les Travaux et les Jours d’Hésiode, on s’est d’abord appuyé sur le traité hippocratique Du régime, qui situe ce moment important par rapport à deux dates en apparence objectives, à savoir le solstice d’hiver et l’équinoxe d’automne. Entrant dans la logique du calendrier hippocratique, on a pourtant été obligé de constater que celui-ci obéit à une «idéologie de l’équilibre», qui, de façon cohérente, déplace les repères de l’année astronomique afin de pouvoir construire une année où le printemps est aussi long que l’automne et l’été aussi long que l’hiver.
Iconographie et statut du cadavre
Authors: Halm-Tisserant Monique
Published: July 2021

A côté du mort, objet de rites funéraires, le cadavre — du guerrier, en particulier — a été fréquemment figuré dans la peinture de vases archaïque. Sa représentation a nécessité le recours à des conventions graphiques pour le distinguer des êtres vivants (blessés, dormeurs). Relégation à l’arrière-plan dans les compositions, signes pathologiques, attitudes anti-anatomiques, facialité et expressions du trépas donnent une image négative du cadavre, qu’on répugna à représenter de la manière réaliste que la spécificité de son statut imposait. Désarticulée, la dépouille, référence obligée aux thèmes de l’épopée, s’avéra, dès le VIe s., un schéma plastique gênant, que les peintres de la figure rouge évacueront, placeront dans des situations rituelles ou transcenderont en «beau mort».
Le tombeau des Tite Vesi à Pérouse. Microcosme familial et culture hellénistique
Authors: Massa-Pairault Françoise-Hélène
Published: July 2021

L’examen des monuments funéraires trouvés au XVIe siècle dans le tombeau des Tite Vesi à Pérouse conduit à une enquête approfondie sur l’une des familles les plus importantes de la cité étrusque à l’époque hellénistique (IIe -Ier siècles av. n. è.).

L’analyse du style et de la typologie des monuments funéraires, ainsi que l’étude des inscriptions conservées, permettent en effet de restituer partiellement la chronologie relative des monuments, l’arbre généalogique de la famille et le cercle de ses alliances matrimoniales, démontrant son poids social et politique. Elles permettent en outre d’éclairer les rapports de la famille avec certains ateliers de sculpteurs d’urnes funéraires ainsi que les raisons du choix de certains thèmes mythologiques. Une analyse est consacrée tout spécialement à la scène dite «Monstre sortant du puteal » interprétée comme une illustration de la légende d’Ulysse au pays des Thesprotes et des Molosses.

L’étude de ce microcosme familial révèle ainsi la situation des élites de Pérouse à l’époque hellénistique, partagées entre la contemplation nostalgique de personnages évoquant les origines étrusques (Ulysse l’Errant) et le désir d’agrégation au monde politique de Rome et de ses colonies (notamment Pisaurum) sur l’Adriatique.
Débuts oratoires et causa popularis à Rome au IIe s. avant J.-C. : l’exemple de L. Licinius Crassus
Authors: Roman Danièle
Published: July 2021

Encore adulescens, L. Licinius Crassus traîna devant les tribunaux C. Papirius Carbo, et joua également un rôle, non négligeable, dans la fondation de la colonie de Narbonne. Cette action étant qualifiée de causa popularis par Cicéron a fait considérer L. Licinius Crassus comme un orateur du parti populaire dans sa jeunesse. L’homme est pourtant connu, durant le reste de sa vie, comme un orateur du parti des optimates. On peut refuser l’idée de ce revirement politique et donner à l’expression cicéronienne le sens qui est parfois le sien de cause qui rend populaire, ce qui est bien différent. Admise, cette idée n’est pas sans conséquence sur notre vision de la création de la colonie de Narbonne.
Notas acerca del urbanismo romano de Castulo (Jaén, España)
Authors: García-Gelabert María Paz , Bláquez J. M.
Published: July 2021

Se estudia el urbanismo de la ciudad de Castulo, importante centro minero de la región del Alto Guadalquivir, desde finales del s. IX a. C. hasta la crisi de la Anarquía Militar, en que entró en decadencia, posiblemente por dejar de ser rentables las minas de plata de la región. Se analisa la condición jurídica de la ciudad, las cuatro vías que la atraversaban, las diferentes necrópolis, la muralla, los diferentes edificios, anfiteatro, teatro, termas, templos e insulae. Se utiliza los datos obtenidos de la epigrafía referentes al urbanismo de la ciudad y los bienhechores que la hermosaron.
L’arme et la lyre : remarques sur le sens du bouclier d’Achille dans l’Iliade
Authors: Dubel Sandrine
Published: July 2021

The shield of Achilles is elaborated in the Iliad in two different ways : if we consider the lenght of the ecphrasis, during the hero’s aristy, it becomes a mere weapon, only secondary to the feats of arms, while at Iliad XVIII what Hephaistos works so elaborately on is a thauma, i.e. a work of art. This paradox leads one to consider the symbolic meaning of the shield, emblem of the heroic choice made by Achilles at this turning point in the poem.
Hellenismen
Authors: Schuller Wolfgang
Published: July 2021

L’article présuppose que les acteurs de l’époque hellénistique ne savaient pas qu’il y avait une époque hellénistique, c’est-à-dire que l’histoire était, en chaque moment de son déroulement, ouverte. Par conséquent, il essaie d’esquisser les situations différentes des acteurs. Les indigènes dans l’empire ptolémaique, les insurgés de l’insurrection des Maccabées, les rois de la Bactriane, les conquérants romains, par exemple, avaient des perspectives, des buts et des moyens complètement différents et représentaient donc des phénomènes différents de l’époque hellénistique.