bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advantages of iodopolymer drugs to improve metabolism in cows
Authors: Yevglevsky Alexey , Vanina Natalia , Shuklin Sergey , Chvykov Artem
Published: October 2021

Nowadays the usage of iodine medications for the correction of biochemical processes in industrial farming becomes more and more popular. The problem is that total iodine deficiency leads to the failure of normal production of thyroid hormones, which control all types of metabolism: protein, fat, carbohydrate, macro- and microelement, energy. In this regard, thyroid gland transgression comes with the development of severe pathologic biochemical processes, the clinical manifestation of pathophysiological conditions. Highly productive dairy cows are most vulnerable to iodine deficiency during lactation. This is connected with the fact that iodine is intensively released with milk. It is no coincidence that this fact is actively used for naturally iodized milk production. This can be achieved by feeding lactating cows with iodized salt separately or as part of feed additives. It is time to take into account that iodine deficiency of cows is most often manifested by joint pathology with the development of arthritis and arthrosis, pregnancy pathology and impaired reproductive function. Besides, cows’ iodine deficiency reduces the productivity, fat content of milk, weight and fatness. We aim to highlight the problem of cows’ iodine deficiency for managers and specialists of livestock farms. That is why we present the results of clinical studies on the injectable use of an iodized energy-metabolic composition based on an iodine polymer complex, known in pharmacology as iodinol and succinic acid. In our studies, it was found that the injectable use of the original iodine metabolic composition of cows during intensive lipolysis and protein overfeed provided an effective correction of the energy-metabolic process.
Chemical composition and nutritional quality of tilapia muscle tissue using the feed additive Enzimsporin
Authors: Maslova Tatiana , Kulakova Tatiana
Published: October 2021

The production of ecologically clean fish products is in demand in the food market. As a result of the research, the nutritional quality and chemical composition of the muscle tissue of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) were evaluated using the pro-biotic additive Enzimsporin. A valuable quality of Nile tilapia meat is its high protein content. In the muscle tissue, the maximum amount of protein was 80.4%, in the yearlings of the 1st experimental group, which is 7.51% (P ≥ 0.99) higher than in the control group. Yearlings of the 2nd experimental group outperformed their peers from the control group by 4.8% (P ≥ 0.95). Its amount in fry of Nile tilapia varied from 72.27–72.73% in the experimental groups to 74.71% in the control group. The fat content in fry varied from 9.55% in the control to 12.19% in the fish of the 2nd experimental group. The amount of lipids was the highest in the control variant of Nile tilapia yearlings (11.48%), which is 6.48% more than in the 1st experimental group and by 4.48% more than that in the 2nd experimental group. The lipid-protein coefficient (0.06-0.09) of the experimental groups characterizes the meat as less tender, but high in protein, possessing lipotropic properties that protect the liver from fatty infiltration. The study of nutritional value and functional and technological properties shows that tilapia meat can be attributed to highly saturated food raw materials and used to obtain dietary products.
The effect of compound feed on the productivity of broiler chickens
Authors: Korsheva Inna , Chaunina Elena
Published: October 2021

The article analyses the issues of balanced feeding of broiler chickens and their balanced diet. The results of studies aimed to determine the effect of mixed feeds on the productivity of Arbor Acres cross broiler chickens and the economic efficiency of poultry meat production companies are presented. It was found that broilers from the experimental group, who were fed with improved compound feed with additional sources of proteins and carbohydrates and feed additives exceeded broilers from the control group by their live weight at all ages. At the slaughter age, the average weight was more than 39.2%. The experimental group consumed 10-15% less feed whose conversion was 2.4 and 1.9 kg in favour of the group feeding with the new compound feed. The new compound feed had a positive effect on the viability of broilers: there were no deaths during the period under study. According to the control slaughter results, it was found that the pre-slaughter live weight was higher by 35% in the experimental group. The weight of edible parts increased by 6%. The improved compound feed can be used both in industrial conditions and by poultry farms.
Issues of increasing the effectiveness of beet and rawsugar subcomplexes in terms of environmental protection
Authors: Saltyk Ivan , Malysheva Lyudmila , Tsukanova Olga , Karpova Galina
Published: October 2021

The article discusses the issues of increasing the effectiveness of the functioning of beet and raw sugar subcomplexes in terms of environmental protection. The main areas of scientific and technical progress aimed at increasing the profitability of the production of sugar beets, sugar cane and sugar as a final product at these subcomplexes as well as reducing harmful effects of their growing andproduction processeson the atmosphere, soil, and water bodies have been identified. The authors consider the development of new product lines and machines in accordance with the system of machines for sugar factories, modernization of existing and development of new trailed beet and cane harvesting machines; resource saving: intensification of the use and processing of beet and cane raw materials, ensuring a minimum amount of waste and its comprehensive processing; problems of greening associated with the work of sugar factories.
Changes in Mineral Blood Exchange in Orthopedically Sick Cows When Using Complex Treatment
Authors: Marin Eugene , Ermolaev Valery , Marina Oksana , Nenashev Igor
Published: October 2021

This article presents the results of a study of mineral components of the blood of cows suffering from purulent-necrotic ulcers in the area of the sheep during their complex treatment. In orthopedically ill animals, an imbalance in the mineral metabolism system was detected, namely, a tendency to decrease the content of calcium, phosphorus, sodium and magnesium, as well as a tendency to increase the content of potassium. As a result of the undertaken therapy of purulent pododermatitis, the dynamics of the studied indicators in the experimental groups was more pronounced and positive, which may indicate the effectiveness of the measures taken.
Feasibility Demonstration of the Effective Design of the Opener Group of the Seeder for Winter Wheat in Arid Conditions
Authors: Milyutkin Vladimir , Zhiltsov Sergey , Guzhin Igor , Sazonov Dmitry , Artamonov Evgeny
Published: October 2021

The article is devoted to improving the winter wheat seeding technology. Choosing the rational design of the opener group enables the placement of crop seeds in a deeper moisty soil layer for their rapid germination with the formation of a surface relief from furrows. Seeds are placed into furrows at the optimal depth 4-5 cm and furrow slices are formed by the soil thrown out of the furrow by chisel-shaped openers and compacted by individual rollers for each opener. That solves the problem of insufficient soil moisture in arid regions.
Productive and biological features of breeding Irish pigs of various genotypes in Western Siberia
Authors: Burtseva Svetlana , Khripunova Lyubov , Yashkin Alexander , Pautova Lyudmila , Chebakov Sergey
Published: October 2021

The present work studies the productive and biological characteristics of breeding Irish pigs of different genotypes in the conditions of Western Siberia. Pure-bred selection of Large White pigs (WP) was used in the first control group and intra-breed selection of Landrace pigs (LP) was used in the second control group. The following patterns of interbreeding were used in the experimental groups: ♀WP × ♂LP (third group), ♀LP × ♂WP (fourth group). In terms of reproductive qualities, the best combination should be considered the selection of ♀WP × ♂LP, in which 8.1% (p <0.05) more piglets were obtained at 30 days, with a 10.0% (p <0.05) higher weight of the nest at 30 days and 3.6% (p <0.05) greater safety than in the first control group. The combination of breeds according to the ♀LP × ♂WP scheme contributed to an increase in the average daily 13.7% (p <0.05) gain in live weight of the resulting offspring. At the age of 4 months, piglets of the LP × WP genotype had a 10.9% (p <0.05) higher content of total protein in the blood serum than in animals of the Large White breed. The muscle tissue of Large White pigs was characterized by a 5.2% (p <0.05) higher moisture binding capacity in relation to Landrace pigs. The melting point of fatty tissue was lower in Large White pigs by 14.3% (p <0.05). The fatty tissue of LP × WP hybrids has a 10.0% higher melting point (p <0.05) in contrast to Large White pigs.
Rationale for vacuum-pulse pump devices applied on cattle farms
Authors: Nafikov Insaf , Khusainov Rail , Lukmanov Ruslan , Galiev Ilgiz , Gayfullin Ilnur
Published: October 2021

One of the main elements to foster technological processes in animal husbandry are vacuumpulse pump devices designed to support dosing, mixing, transporting, lines for forage preparation and feeding, milking cows, milk processing, as well as a large number of technological processes in agriculture. The paper discusses a vacuum-pulse pumping device widely used in all industries and agriculture, a feature of which is to improve technical characteristics of the pump avoiding direct mechanical energy consumption and boasting a fairly simple design. In vacuum-pulse pumping devices, transient events are caused deliberately to increase ejection coefficient, productivity, etc. Oscillating flows of materials being transported are very diverse, due to an increased number of similarity criteria that determine flow patterns. Whereas superficial velocity and the Reynolds number are commonly used for a steady flow, for an oscillating flow, the relative frequency and the relative amplitude of oscillations are added. The objects of experimental research were ejectors with oscillating flows. The wider objective of the experiments was to determine the most effective performance indicators of the ejectors, including the degree of pressure increase, the ejection coefficient and the geometric parameter. Resulting from the experiments, a direct relationship was established between changes in the performance of a pulse-vacuum pumping device and valve material and magnitude of its oscillations. A pulse ejector is recommended to have metal-seated ball valves with a pulsation frequency of 90–100 min−1. Once applied, the proposed pulse ejector will eventually increase the transportation productivity by 14.5 %.
Concept and principles of development of a new generation symbiotic preparation
Authors: Popov Viktor , Svazlyan Gayane
Published: October 2021

The article presents the results of the research on the cultivation of B. bifidum and B. subtillis in a high-carbohydrate nutrient medium composed of beet molasses, obtaining metabolites and scientific and practical substantiation of the resulting culture liquid as a biologically active additive. The material of the laboratory studies was sugar beet molasses of 5%-10%-15%-20%-25% concentrations. The studies used the probiotic microorganism B. bifidum, strain No. 1 and B. subtilis, strain DSM-3242. To obtain bacterial concentrate, a daily culture of microorganisms was used, which was standardized to 1×106 CFU / cm3. The testing process was carried out according to the indicators of the mass fraction of fermented sugars, determined by the calculation method, branch standard OCT 18-395-82. The number of CFU was calculated in the Goryaev chamber using the method of GPhA (General Pharmacopeic Article) 1.7.2.0008.15. The content of amino acids, vitamins, and organic acids in the culture fluid was determined by capillary electrophoresis in the device “Drops”. During the cultivation of B. bifidum and B. subtillis, a certain metabolic activity of their vitality was found, which is expressed in a decrease in the mass fraction of the amount of fermented sugars in the range of 53.7% to 23.7%. The hydrogen index is from 6.70 to 3.77 in experimental samples of molasses. The number of B. bifidum and B. subtillis CFUs cultivated on 5% molasses on the second day reached 7x106 CFU/cm3 and 8.2 × 106 cm3. In other concentrations, a maximum indicator of the number of microorganisms occurred on the third day and did not exceed 6.6 and 7 × 106 CFU/cm3. A significant synthesis of metabolites in the form of indispensable and conditionally dispensable amino acids and organic acids was determined. The dynamics of amino acid synthesis is consistent with the amylolytic and enzymatic activity of microorganisms in the molasses culture medium. In this case the level of enzymes is directly dependent on the number of CFU.
The impact of progressive cultivation technology on the productivity of coriander on chernozems of the Lower Volga region
Authors: Nikolaichenko Nataliia , Strizhkov Nikolai , Azizov Zakiulla , Muraveva Marina , Suminova Nataliia
Published: October 2021

The data of long-term research on increasing the yield and quality of coriander seeds by selecting the most productive varieties and improving the basic techniques of its cultivation technology are presented. It has been established that the most productive is the Akkord cultivar, which we have bred and released. Biochemical, biological and agrotechnical features of coriander have been studied. High laboratory germination of coriander seeds was revealed (90.1%), and field germination varied from 88.5 - 93.5% depending on the cultivation technology and weather conditions. Low growth rates of coriander were revealed at the beginning of germination and before the branching phase. By the budding and flowering phase, the formation of the leaf surface (46.2 thousand m2/ha) and the accumulation of aboveground green (26.2 t/ha) and dry (3.1 t/ha) biomass reach their peak levels. The maximum yield of coriander seeds was achieved by deep plowing to a depth of 25-27 cm for the Akkord variety - 1.41 t/ha versus 1.20 and 1.14 for the Alekseevskii 413 and Svetlyi cultivars. The greatest amount of essential oil was contained in all studied varieties in the browning phase of the central umbels and the smallest one in the period of filling and ripening of seeds. On average, over the years of research (2015-2018), the highest yield of coriander seeds (1.41 t/ha) was obtained with a skip-row (30 cm) planting and a seeding rate of 2.0 million viable seeds per hectare. With such a seeding rate and planting method, the maximum content of essential oil (1.20%) and fat (20.1%) is provided, which is 15.5-24.7% higher compared to both with a lower seeding rate (0,5 million germinating seeds per 1 ha) and higher one (2.5 million germinating seeds per 1 ha). The same pattern is observed for other sowing methods – line and wide-row planting.
Training of Specialists for the Rational Use and Protection of Aquatic Biological Resources
Authors: Pafnutova Elena , Shirokorad Irina , Fadeeva Olesya , Oleksenko Olga , Zhelonkina Elena
Published: October 2021

The environmental safety of surface waters is the main condition for preserving biodiversity, the health of the population, and sustainable developed areas. Aquatic biological resources belong to the closed system of the planet’s water space. Therefore, clean water problems and the protection of aquatic ecosystems are becoming more and more acute as civilization develops and the technological impact on the environment intensifies. Effective, rational use and management of water, land, biological resources are impossible without the training of qualified specialized specialists. Today, in modern Russia, the sectoral nature of the management of educational institutions of higher education (universities) is preserved. About a third of students in state universities study at universities of industry departments. The largest number of specialists in demand in agriculture, forestry, and water management, including nature management, technosphere safety, environmental engineering, are trained in agricultural universities. It is the agrarian branch education that effectively builds the implementation of training directions in order to provide professional assistance to business entities specializing in the use of aquatic biological resources, monitoring and environmental protection measures of water bodies, the purity of the water area (water structure, pollution, distribution of aquaculture) in various hydro-climatic conditions. The fundamental factor in the interaction of production, water use, land use, and education is the existence of an established mechanism that supports the functioning of universities as communication platforms for improving socioeconomic relations, including as a “thought factory.” The development of a strategy, forecast, assessments of the development of aquatic biological and other resources in all territories of the country is due to the demand from business entities for the training of personnel of particular professions and qualifications and research and development in the relevant field.
The Influence of Bisolbifit as a Fertilizer Modifier on the Oat Productivity
Authors: Saidyasheva Galina
Published: October 2021

The purpose of the research was to study the effect of mineral fertilizers and biological product Bisolbi-fit as a modifier on the oat productivity. The studies were carried out on the experimental field of Ulyanovsk Research Institute of Agriculture, branch of Sam SC RAS. The soil was leached, heavy-clayey chernozem. The experiment was carried out in a 3-fold repetition by the method of split plots with a systematic arrangement of options. The total area of one plot was 145 m2 (5.8×25), the accounting area was 100 m2 (4×25). The experiment scheme was as follows: 1. Control; 2. Presowing seed treatment with BisolbiFit in a dose of 400–600 g/t; 3. N15P15K15 in a dose of 15 kg ai/ha; 4. N15P15K15m in a dose of 15 kg ai/ha; 5.½ N15P15K15m in a dose of 7.5 kg a.i./ha. The effectiveness of the fertilizers was assessed during the cultivation of crops for three backgrounds: 1) zero – without fertilization; 2) NH4NO3m – treated with BisolbiFit in the dose of 40 kg a.i./ha; 3) NH4NO3 – in a dose of 40 kg ai/ha. It was established that the use of the microbiological preparation based on the Bacillus subtilis strain Ch-13, intended both for inoculation of seeds and use as a biomodifier of mineral fertilizers, had a positive effect on the crop structure, yield and grain quality. The most effective option was the one with Azofoska applied in a dose of 15 kg and modified with BisolbiFit at the rate of 4 kg per one ton of fertilizers on all the backgrounds. The use of BisolbiFit both for the pre-sowing seed treatment and treatment of mineral granules, increased the NPK payback by the yield gain.
The Productivity of Spring Wheat when Using Biological Drugs and Organic Fertilizers
Authors: Saidyasheva Galina , Nikitin Sergey
Published: October 2021

The studies were carried out with the aim of developing recommendations for the environmentally safe and effective use of organic fertilizers and increasing the productivity of grain-fallow crop rotation in the landscape agriculture in the Volga region. The effectiveness of organic fertilizers and biological products was studied on the experimental field of Ulyanovsk Research Institute of Agriculture. The crop rotation involved the 7-field grain-fallow with the following alternation of crops: pure fallow – winter wheat – spring wheat – peas – winter wheat – spring wheat – barley. The repetition was fourfold, the plot area was 100 m2. Meteorological conditions were favorable, the hydrothermal coefficient was 1.1–1.2. The experiment scheme included the following options: 1 – without fertilizers (control); 2 – N140P95K175(equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure); 3 – manure, 25 t/ha; 4 – manure, 50 t/ha; 5 – sewage sludge in a dose equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure (OSV-1); 6 – sewage sludge in a dose equivalent to 50 t/ha of manure (OSV-2); 7 – green manure (equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure); 8 – straw, 5 t/ha + N115(equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure); 9 – pre-sowing treatment of seeds with Rhizoagrin (background); 10 – background + N140P95K175(equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure); 11 – background + manure, 25 t/ha; 12 – background + manure, 50 t/ha; 13 – background + OSV-1; 14 – background + OSV-2; 15 – background + siderat; 16 – background + straw, 5 t/ha + N115(equivalent to 25 t/ha of manure). Studies have established that organic fertilizers and pre-sowing treatment of seeds with Rhizoagrin increase the accumulation of stubble-root residues, straw, nitrogen content and yield of spring wheat. The greatest input of nutrients into the soil with POC and high productivity of spring wheat were facilitated by the aftereffect of sewage sludge and manure in increased doses in combination with pre-sowing seed treatment with Rhizoagrin.
Trends in the development of digital agriculture: a review of international practices
Authors: Sinitsa Yulia , Borodina Olga , Gvozdeva Olga , Kolbneva Elena
Published: October 2021

In the modern world, information and communication technologies play an important role in the development of agricultural production, influencing the social, economic and political life of society and the state as a whole. The introduction of such technologies makes it possible to improve the quality of products and services, and to increase the export of agricultural and food products. Existing agricultural technologies make it possible to analyze and process large amounts of information, combine various information resources on one platform, control and reduce production risks, meet the information needs of a wide range of stakeholders, from the state to the end consumer, and guarantee security in cyberspace. An important role in the digitalization of agriculture is played by the resource potential of people employed in agriculture. Particular attention is paid to the development of scientific centers, training courses, where modern highprecision agricultural technologies are studied in-depth. The authors of the article examined the trends in the development of digital agriculture in the countries of Europe and Central Asia, where agricultural production is the fundamental basis of state policy.
Analysis of Trends in the Development of Agricultural Enterprises and the Formation of Operating Profit
Authors: Vinnichek Lyubov , Badmaeva Dina
Published: October 2021

In agricultural business, some specific factors, such as high natural and climatic risks, seasonality of production, reliance on biological assets, slow cycle of capital turnover, timeliness and completeness of budgetary assistance, have a significant impact on financial results. The role of budgetary funds in modern conditions is clearly manifested at the stage of formation and presentation of operating profit in the reports of an agricultural enterprise. The analysis of profit and assessment of its basis of efficiency of business processes of the enterprise are the most important direction of financial analysis of market entities' activity. Information about the amount of operating profit is an economic criterion for the development of an agricultural enterprise and can be a signal reference point for potential investors in the agricultural market when considering business cooperation and partnership.
Characterizing Multitasking and Workflow Fragmentation in Electronic Health Records among Emergency Department Clinicians: Using Time-Motion Data to Understand Documentation Burden
Authors: Moy Amanda J. , Aaron Lucy , Cato Kenrick D. , Schwartz Jessica M. , Elias Jonathan , Trepp Richard , Rossetti Sarah Collins
Published: October 2021

Background The impact of electronic health records (EHRs) in the emergency department (ED) remains mixed. Dynamic and unpredictable, the ED is highly vulnerable to workflow interruptions.

Objectives The aim of the study is to understand multitasking and task fragmentation in the clinical workflow among ED clinicians using clinical information systems (CIS) through time-motion study (TMS) data, and inform their applications to more robust and generalizable measures of CIS-related documentation burden.

Methods Using TMS data collected among 15 clinicians in the ED, we investigated the role of documentation burden, multitasking (i.e., performing physical and communication tasks concurrently), and workflow fragmentation in the ED. We focused on CIS-related tasks, including EHRs.

Results We captured 5,061 tasks and 877 communications in 741 locations within the ED. Of the 58.7 total hours observed, 44.7% were spent on CIS-related tasks; nearly all CIS-related tasks focused on data-viewing and data-entering. Over one-fifth of CIS-related task time was spent on multitasking. The mean average duration among multitasked CIS-related tasks was shorter than non-multitasked CIS-related tasks (20.7 s vs. 30.1 s). Clinicians experienced 1.4 ± 0.9 task switches/min, which increased by one-third when multitasking. Although multitasking was associated with a significant increase in the average duration among data-entering tasks, there was no significant effect on data-viewing tasks. When engaged in CIS-related task switches, clinicians were more likely to return to the same CIS-related task at higher proportions while multitasking versus not multitasking.

Conclusion Multitasking and workflow fragmentation may play a significant role in EHR documentation among ED clinicians, particularly among data-entering tasks. Understanding where and when multitasking and workflow fragmentation occurs is a crucial step to assessing potentially burdensome clinician tasks and mitigating risks to patient safety. These findings may guide future research on developing more scalable and generalizable measures of CIS-related documentation burden that do not necessitate direct observation techniques (e.g., EHR log files).
Magnetkrankenhaus: Attraktiv für Personal und Patienten
Authors: Thoma Jorun , Schiffer Helmut
Published: October 2021

Personalbindung und -gewinnung sowie gleichzeitig eine exzellente Patientenversorgung? In Magnet-krankenhäusern geht das. Das Universitätsklinikum Freiburg macht sich auf den Weg, selbst eins zu werden. Vorbilder dafür gibt es schon.
Variability in wildland fuel patches following high-severity fire and post-fire treatments in the northern Sierra Nevada
Authors: Moore Ian B. , Collins Brandon M. , Foster Daniel E. , Tompkins Ryan E. , Stevens Jens T. , Stephens Scott L.
Published: October 2021

Surface fuel loads are highly variable in many wildland settings, which can have many important ecological effects, especially during a wildland fire. This variability is not well described by a single metric (e.g. mean load), so quantifying traits such as variability, continuity and spatial arrangement will help more precisely describe surface fuels. This study measured surface fuel variability in the northern Sierra Nevada of California following a high-severity fire that converted a mixed-conifer forest to shrub-dominant vegetation, both before and after a subsequent shrub removal treatment conducted as site preparation for reforestation. Data were collected on vegetation composition, spatial arrangement and biomass load of the common surface fuel components (1–1000-h woody fuel, litter, duff and shrubs). Mean shrub patch length decreased significantly from 9.25 to 1.0 m and mean dead and down surface fuel load decreased significantly from 131.4 to 73.4 Mg ha−1. Additionally, probability of encountering a continuous high fuel load segment decreased after treatment. This work demonstrates a method of quantifying important spatial characteristics of surface fuel that could be used in the next generation of fire behaviour models and provides metrics that land managers may consider when designing post-fire reforestation treatments.
On the isochronous center of planar piecewise polynomial potential systems
Authors: Liu Changjian , Wang Shaoqing
Published: October 2021

This paper is devoted to the isochronicity of two kinds of planar piecewise polynomial potential systems separated by

x
x

-axis and

y
y

-axis, respectively. By means of the expansion of the period function near the infinity, we obtain in this paper that for these two cases, the piecewise potential system has an isochronous center at the origin if and only if the subsystems are linear. It is however not true in the analytic scenario; one can find in the paper by F. Mañosas and P. J. Torres [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 133 (2005), pp. 3027–3035] that the isochronicity of the center of the piecewise analytic potential system cannot imply the linearity of the two subsystems.
Roots and rootlessness
Authors: Ratner-Rosenhagen Jennifer
Published: October 2021

‘Roots and rootlessness’ examines the period from the end of World War I to the end of World War II, which was marked by intellectual daring and profound antimodernism. The Roaring Twenties yielded new insights into human nature and experiments in modernist poetry, art, and literature. The decade also witnessed fears about loose sexual mores, racial mongrelization, and deicide. In the aftermath of victory in World War I, American thinkers from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints participated in a common project of finding new terms and modes of expression for understanding America. They examined America’s unfinished revolution for freedom and equality and provided new inspiration for finding unity in its diversity.
Epilogue
Authors: Ratner-Rosenhagen Jennifer
Published: October 2021

‘Epilogue’ traces the turn-of-the-twenty-first century interest in globalization and its implication for addressing intellectual problems in the United States. The perils and possibilities of globalization for American life vexed thinkers on how globalization intensified nationalism around the world. Globalization was a new framework and scale for long-standing and familiar ways of thinking about the boundaries of moral communities. It also refashioned identities in the face of a diverse world and uncertain future.
2. Dubliners
Authors: MacCabe Colin
Published: October 2021

‘Dubliners’ discusses James Joyce’s Dubliners (1914). The majority of these stories are not susceptible to a straightforward narrative summary and the most learned of critics understand the stories in the most contradictory fashion. Indeed, multiple narratives which defy any resolution are one of the key strategies of Dubliners. In addition, place in Dubliners is tightly tied to time. Joyce characterized his stories as a ‘chapter in the moral history of my country’. The themes of the stories include hospitality, the figure of the mother, and Dublin’s inability to live.
4. Ulysses
Authors: MacCabe Colin
Published: October 2021

‘Ulysses’ focuses on James Joyce’s great novel Ulysses (1922). Ulysses can be thought of as a child of the cinema; both its form and content owe much to the new medium. Joyce’s cinematic technique slows down a single day, 16 June 1904, so that it expands to include ten years’ worth of adventures. These adventures all occur within the familiar setting of Dublin and abandon traditional notions of the heroic epic to find a new kind of heroism in the ordinary everyday life of the modern city. They also propose a radical redefinition of masculinity which repudiates simple binary oppositions between the sexes.
Jewish and Christian readings of the Binding of Isaac
Authors: Riches John
Published: October 2021

‘Jewish and Christian readings of the Binding of Isaac’ assesses some of the readings of the Bible by believers, both Jews and Christians. It focuses on the Akedah, the story of Abraham’s binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. The Akedah is a story of strange violence and tenderness, of a father ordered by his God to sacrifice ‘his only son’. For Jews, this is a story read in the light of the history of Jewish persecution. Remarkable retellings of the story are to be found from Rabbis in the Rhineland during the Crusades. For Christians, the themes of the Akedah are largely subsumed in their reading of the Passion. Nevertheless, the story has continued to exert its spell, remaining a story which raises profound questions about the nature of faith and suffering. Its use by philosophers (Kierkegaard) and poets (Wilfred Owen) is examined.
An appraisal of healthcare accreditation agencies and programs: similarities, differences, challenges and opportunities
Authors: Greenfield David , Iqbal Usman , O’connor Elaine , Conlan Nicola , Wilson Heather
Published: October 2021

Background

The study, following similar reviews in 2000 and 2010, presents an update of knowledge about external evaluation agencies and accreditation programs.

Objective

The study aim was to investigate the current profile of external evaluation agencies identifying their program features, and significant changes and challenges.
Increasing the Reach of the Submental Artery Island Flap Using the Y-V Pedicle Lengthening Technique: Video and Technical Considerations
Authors: Honeyman Calum , Čebron Urška , Bradley Daniel , Patel Vinod , Almas Fernando , Eschete Mekonen , McGurk Mark , Bertrand Baptiste , Martin Dominique
Published: October 2021

This article and instructional video detail a step-by-step approach to performing the Y-V venous pedicle lengthening technique, which can be used to increase the reach of the submental artery island flap by up to 5 cm, permitting reconstruction of soft-tissue defects of the middle and upper thirds of the face. This technique can also be used to maximize advancement of many common flaps around the body, including the medial plantar and lateral arm flaps.
Update on Thumb Basal Joint Arthritis Surgery
Authors: Trost Jeffrey G. , Gimenez Alejandro , Staines Kimberly Goldie , Netscher David T.
Published: October 2021

Learning Objectives:

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Comprehend anatomy and biomechanics of the normal and arthritic trapeziometacarpal joint. 2. Evaluate best evidence for diagnosis and for operative and nonoperative treatment of thumb osteoarthritis. 3. Understand treatment pitfalls of basilar joint arthritis and complication avoidance.

Articular and ligamentous anatomy of the trapeziometacarpal joint enables complex motions. Disability from arthritis, common at the trapeziometacarpal joint, is debilitating. Furthering the understanding of how trapeziometacarpal arthritis develops can improve treatment. The authors provide current best evidence for diagnosis and treatment of basilar joint arthritis. Pitfalls in treatment are discussed.
Health workers Motivators to uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine at Iganga Hospital Eastern Uganda, and Mengo Hospital Kampala Uganda; A qualitative study
Authors: Muhamadi Lubega , Edith Namulema , James Waako , Tumwesigye Nazarius Mbona , Museene Safinah Kisu , Peterson Stefan Swartling , Ekström Anna Mia
Published: October 2021

Uganda continues extensive mobilization and administration of the Covid 19 vaccine to its people albeit some vaccine hesitancy with in the population. Amongst the health workers however, approximately 70% had received their first dose while 40% had received their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by September 2021 respectively. These figures represent a recognizable acceptance rate among health workers. Exploring motivators to vaccine uptake among health workers is vital for the government’s general population vaccine rollout plan.

We conducted 12 focus group discussions and 20 in-depth interviews with health workers (vaccinated and unvaccinated) to understand motivators to vaccine acceptance in their own perspective in central and eastern Uganda. Reported motivators to vaccine acceptance included; risk susceptibility/protection, fear of death and/or cost of treatment and experiences of Covid related grief. Other were trust in the vaccine, call to government policy and vaccine success stories elsewhere, real or perceived benefits of vaccination and peer influence.

We recommend intensified dissemination of health worker tailor made tools/guides for information, education and communication about the Covid 19 vaccine. The tools need to emphasize the elicited themes/motivators. We also recommend use of peers who have taken up the vaccine and survived Covid-19 or got a mild form of the disease to elicit positive peer influence about the vaccine amongst health workers. The information dissemination and peer narratives could be done through the health worker’s social media platforms, union or association websites, personal statements, editorials or other media.
LILRB1 and LILRB2 expression in peripheral blood immune cells at 18 and 24 months of age in infants born from mothers with placental malaria
Authors: Dechavanne Celia , Nouatin Odilon , Adamou Rafiou , Edslev Sofie , Hansen Anita , Meurisse Florian , Sadissou Ibrahim , Gbaguidi Erasme , Milet Jacqueline , Cottrell Gilles , Gineau Laure , Sabbagh Audrey , Massougbodji Achille , Moutairou Kabirou , Donadi Eduardo A. , Carosella Edgardo , Moreau Philippe , Remarque Ed , Theisen Michael , Rouas-Freiss Nathalie , Garcia André , Favier Benoit , Courtin David
Published: October 2021

Background

Placental malaria (PM) is associated with a higher susceptibility of infants to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria. A hypothesis of immune tolerance has been suggested but no clear explanation has been provided so far. Our goal was to investigate the involvement of inhibitory receptors LILRB1 and LILRB2, known to drive immune evasion upon ligation with pathogen and/or host ligands, in PM-induced immune tolerance.

Methods

Infants of mothers with or without PM were enrolled in Allada, southern Benin, and followed-up for 24 months. Antibodies with specificity for five blood stage parasite antigens were quantified by ELISA, and the frequency of immune cell subsets was quantified by flow cytometry. LILRB1 or LILRB2 expression was assessed on cells collected at 18 and 24 months of age.

Results

Infants born to PM-mothers had a higher risk of developing clinical malaria than those born to mothers without PM (IRR=1.53, p=0.040), and such infants displayed a lower frequency of non-classical monocytes (OR=0.74, p=0.01) that overexpressed LILRB2 (OR=1.36, p=0.002). Moreover, infants born to PM-mothers had lower levels of cytophilic IgG and higher levels of IL-10 during active infection.

Conclusion

Modulation of IgG and IL-10 levels could impair monocyte functions (opsonisation/phagocytosis) in infants born to PM-mothers, possibly contributing to their higher susceptibility to malaria. The long-lasting effect of PM on infants’ monocytes was notable, raising questions about the capacity of ligands such as Rifins or HLA-I molecules to bind to LILRB1 and LILRB2 and to modulate immune responses, and about the reprogramming of neonatal monocytes/macrophages.

KEY POINTS

Infants of mothers with placental malaria were more susceptible to clinical malaria than those born to mothers without placental malaria and they displayed a lower frequency of non-classical monocytes that overexpressed LILRB2.
Robot obstacle avoidance system using deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Zhu Xiaojun , Liang Yinghao , Sun Hanxu , Wang Xueqian , Ren Bin
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Most manufacturing plants choose the easy way of completely separating human operators from robots to prevent accidents, but as a result, it dramatically affects the overall quality and speed that is expected from human–robot collaboration. It is not an easy task to ensure human safety when he/she has entered a robot’s workspace, and the unstructured nature of those working environments makes it even harder. The purpose of this paper is to propose a real-time robot collision avoidance method to alleviate this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a model is trained to learn the direct control commands from the raw depth images through self-supervised reinforcement learning algorithm. To reduce the effect of sample inefficiency and safety during initial training, a virtual reality platform is used to simulate a natural working environment and generate obstacle avoidance data for training. To ensure a smooth transfer to a real robot, the automatic domain randomization technique is used to generate randomly distributed environmental parameters through the obstacle avoidance simulation of virtual robots in the virtual environment, contributing to better performance in the natural environment.

Findings

The method has been tested in both simulations with a real UR3 robot for several practical applications. The results of this paper indicate that the proposed approach can effectively make the robot safety-aware and learn how to divert its trajectory to avoid accidents with humans within the workspace.

Research limitations/implications

The method has been tested in both simulations with a real UR3 robot in several practical applications. The results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively make the robot be aware of safety and learn how to change its trajectory to avoid accidents with persons within the workspace.

Originality/value

This paper provides a novel collision avoidance framework that allows robots to work alongside human operators in unstructured and complex environments. The method uses end-to-end policy training to directly extract the optimal path from the visual inputs for the scene.
Competition brings out the best in people, and this year’s KidneyX Summit did not disappoint
Authors: Shah Aakash M. , Han Jason J.
Published: October 2021

Six teams receive large‐sum awards in the first round of the Artificial Kidney competition to further develop concepts that significantly improve upon existing dialysis methods.
Cyclic deformation behavior of Mg–SiC nanocomposites on the macroscale and nanoscale
Authors: Hübler Daniela , Winkler Kai , Riedel Ralf , Kamrani Sepideh , Fleck Claudia
Published: October 2021

Metal‐ceramic nanocomposites are promising candidates for applications necessitating light weight and excellent fatigue resistance. We produced Mg–SiC nanocomposites from mechanically milled powders, yielding a homogeneous nanocrystalline structure and excellent quasistatic strength values. Little is known, however, about the fatigue behavior of such composites. Here, we used load increase tests on the macroscale to yield estimation values of the fatigue endurance limit. Fatigue strength increased significantly for the materials processed by the powder metallurgical route. We further investigated the cyclic deformation behavior under stress‐controlled conditions on the macroscale and nanoscale. Cyclic nanoindentation showed that indentation depth and cyclic plastic deformation decreased with increasing reinforcement content, hinting to a higher cyclic strength and corroborating the results from the macroscopic load increase tests. Our results therefore show that cyclic nanoindentation reliably determines the plastic deformation behavior of Mg nanocomposites offering the possibility of fast material analysis.
Luteal expression of factors involved in the metabolism and sensitivity to oestrogens in the dog during pregnancy and in non‐pregnant cycle
Authors: Tavares Pereira Miguel , Papa Paula , Reichler Iris Margaret , Aslan Selim , Kowalewski Mariusz Pawel
Published: October 2021

The canine corpus luteum (CL) is the main source of reproductive steroids during dioestrus in the dog and remains active even in the absence of pregnancy (non‐pregnant dioestrus, physiological pseudopregnancy). Whereas the biological effects of 17β‐oestradiol (E2) in the canine CL remain unclear, the transcriptional availability of oestrogen receptors, ESR1 and ESR2, as well as other modulators of local availability of E2, for example, HSD17B7 (converts oestrone into oestradiol), SULT1E1 (inactivates E2 binding capacity to its own receptors through sulphonation) and STS (reverts E2 sulphonation), were previously detected in the CL of non‐pregnant bitches. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the mRNA amounts of these factors involved in luteal sensitivity and metabolism of E2 in the canine CL during the course of non‐pregnant dioestrus (days 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 post‐ovulation, n = 5/group) and at different stages of pregnancy (n = 4‐6/group): pre‐implantation (days 8–12), post‐implantation (days 18–25), mid‐gestation (days 35–40) and prepartum luteolysis. During pregnancy, the availability of ESR1, HSD17B7, SULT1E1 and STS decreased from mid‐pregnancy to prepartum luteolysis. The main findings during non‐pregnant dioestrus were as follows: increased ESR2:ESR1 ratio on days 40 and 50 after ovulation, decreasing during luteal regression (day 60); increased STS at day 30 when SULT1E1 levels decreased; increased availability of SULT1E1 transcripts during luteal regression; and decreased amounts of HSD17B7 mRNA in early dioestrus, increasing towards later stages. These results suggest that E2 signalling and biologically active local concentrations could diverge in response to time and pregnancy status of the bitch.
On the Generation of Tuned Test Problems for Stress Concentrations
Authors: Sinclair G. B. , Kardak A. A.
Published: October 2021

When stress concentration factors are not available in handbooks, finite element analysis has become the predominant method for determining their values. For such determinations, there is a need to know if they have sufficient accuracy. Tuned Test Problems can provide a way of assessing the accuracy of stress concentration factors found with finite elements. Here we offer a means of constructing such test problems for stress concentrations within boundaries that have local constant radii of curvature. These problems are tuned to their originating applications by sharing the same global geometries and having slightly higher peak stresses and stress gradients. Consequently, they are incrementally more challenging to solve with finite elements than their originating applications. They also have exact solutions. Thus, a precise determination can be made of the errors incurred in their finite element analysis.
Emergence of Tigecycline Nonsusceptible and IMP-4 Carbapenemase-Producing K2-ST65 Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in China
Authors: Zhang Yawei , Wang Xiaojuan , Wang Qi , Chen Hongbin , Li Henan , Wang Shuyi , Wang Ruobing , Wang Hui
Published: October 2021

To date, research on IMP-producing CR-hvKP is extremely scarce. Only one case of urinary tract infection caused by an IMP-6–producing K1-ST23 hypervirulent
K. pneumoniae
isolate in Japan was recorded, with a limited description of clinical information and genomic features.
Reactions of New N-(2,2-Dichloro-1-cyanoethenyl)amides with Aliphatic Amines
Authors: Shablykin O. V. , Chumachenko S. A. , Brovarets V. S.
Published: October 2021

The reaction of the newly synthesized N-(2,2-dichloro-1-cyanoethenyl)prop-2-enamide and 4-chloro-N-(2,2-dichloro-1-cyanoethenyl)butanamide with methylamine or dimethylamine gave rise to previously unknown 5-amino-1,3-oxazole-4-carbonitriles. In the case of the reaction of N-(2,2-dichloro-1-cyanoethenyl)amides with ethylenediamine diacetate, new (Z)-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-7-oxo-1H-imidazo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepine-9-carbonitrile and 4-chloro-N-(cyano(imidazolidin-2-ylidene)methyl)butanamide were obtained.