bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of indigestible markers to estimate the apparent dry matter digestibility of diets containing a cocoa by-product
Authors: Figueiredo Mércia Regina Pereira de , Saliba Eloisa de Oliveira Simões , Barbosa Geraldo Sérgio Senra Carneiro , Silva Filipe Aguiar e , Nunes Andressa Nathalie , Silva Cecília Ribeiro da Mota e , Moreira Guilherme Rocha
Published: September 2019

Fecal production and apparent dry matter digestibility (ADMD) were evaluated using external markers (chromium oxide; titanium dioxide; isolated, purified, and enriched lignin (LIPE®); and isolated, purified, and enriched lignin nanoparticles (NANOLIPE®) and internal markers (indigestible DM (IDM), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (INDF), and indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF) in diets based on Tifton 85 bermuda grass (Cynodon sp.) hay containing different concentrations of a cocoa by-product. Sixteen crossbred (Holstein × Zebu) dairy heifers with a mean live weight of 363.00 ± 27.70 kg were evaluated and distributed in a completely randomized block design with a split-plot arrangement. The plots corresponded to the diets, which differed in the substitution of bermuda grass hay with different concentrations (0, 8, 16, and 24% of DM) of the cocoa by-product, whereas the splitplots represented the indigestible markers. Chromic oxide, LIPE®, NANOLIPE®, and INDF accurately estimated ADMD and fecal production whereas titanium dioxide, IDM, and IADF did not accurately estimate these parameters.
Influências de séries televisivas na afirmação de Destinos Turísticos – o caso da série Borgen
Authors: Carvalho Ana Paula , Gosling Marlusa Sevilha , Almeida António Sérgio Araújo
Published: September 2019

A compreensão da relação entre a produção cinematográfica e a afirmação dos locais de filmagem como Destinos Turísticos Alternativos foi o principal objetivo do presente trabalho. Por meio do estudo de caso da série televisiva BORGEN, pretende-se compreender as relações que se estabelecem nos locais de filmagem e que critérios estão na base da escolha dos mesmos pelos produtores audiovisuais, constatando-se que as séries televisivas influenciam a escolha de destinos turísticos.
Fostering EFL Students’ Paragraph Writing Using Edmodo
Authors: Alsmari Nuha Abdullah
Published: September 2019

The present study sought to investigate the effect of using Edmodo, a Web 2.0 tool, as a supportive blended learning tool in developing EFL Saudi students’ paragraph writing skills at Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz University, KSA. Eighty students majoring in English at the college level one participated in the study. The participants were randomly selected for an experimental group (taught by using Edmodo) and a control group (taught without using Edmodo). Two main tools were devised to collect data: Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and Test of Paragraph Writing Skills (TPWS). The data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially by running a t-test, using SPSS 16.0, to calculate the differences between the mean scores of the two groups pre- and post-intervention. The results showed statistically significant differences in the post-test in favor of the experimental group. Integrating Edmodo into the writing class was found to be highly beneficial in developing EFL students’ writing abilities, up to paragraph level. The use of Edmodo also enriched students’ knowledge and increased their motivation to learn.
Hogere waardering voor gemengde wijk
Authors: Ouwehand André
Published: September 2019

Higher appreciation for mixed neighbourhood Residents of Rotterdam Zuidwijk about the inflow of new residents in their changing neighbourhood

This paper investigates the effects of neighbourhood change caused by the inflow of new residents in the still existing social rental stock in a post-World War II district next to the effects of the changing population as the result of urban restructuring. All residents, native Dutch and residents that belong to an ethnic minority, are critical about the occurring concentration of the latter in the existing rental housing stock. Loss of respectability and of shared norms and values of how to live in the neighbourhood play an important role in the critical stance of mostly older Dutch native residents. Residents with a migrant background criticize the concentration as a negative influence for their integration in Dutch society. Most residents support the idea of a mixed neighbourhood based on income and ethnicity. Restructuring by demolition of old social rental dwellings and new housing development for owner-occupiers is supported by most residents, based on the positive impact on the liveability. Urban restructuring has however not decreased the share of non-Dutch-native residents but it did bring more middle-class households. In the view of the residents these are ‘decent people’ as they have to work in daytime and do not linger at night in the streets.
Sociaal werk in stadswijken waar problemen zich opstapelen
Authors: Welschen Saskia , Veldboer Lex
Published: September 2019

Social work in urban areas where social disadvantage accumulates

The impact of residualisation on social work has so far hardly been explored. Based on existing literature and recently started empirical research in Amsterdam we analyze several consequences. Residualisation refers to the process whereby urban social housing is strictly allocated to the lowest income groups. What does this concentration of disadvantaged households mean for the role of social workers? Firstly, for community workers residualisation mostly implies a renewed role as instigators of residents’ participation in urban renewal trajectories for social mix. Furthermore community activities are increasingly used to offer safe havens for new and old groups of residents and also to prevent expensive treatments for several residential groups. For social workers focusing on individual support or casework residualisation results in an increasingly complex caseload. Residualisation does not imply extra formation for social work, but rather extra attention for the effortful coproduction of welfare between formal and informal actors. Within this playing field, we distinguish link work as vital for both formal and informal social work. Link work is about establishing vertical and horizontal connections between different worlds, across sectoral, professional or trust gaps. We expect that in areas of residualisation successful urban social work is dependent on strong linking skills.
Sociale cohesie in gentrificerende arbeiderswijken van Amsterdam-Noord
Authors: van de Kamp Linda , Welschen Saskia
Published: September 2019

Social cohesion in gentrifying working class neighborhoods in Amsterdam North

We analyze how ‘original’ residents in different gentrifying working class areas in Amsterdam North experience and evaluate the changes in their neighborhood in terms of social cohesion – in other words, whether they feel at home in their changing neighborhood and whether they feel connected to other residents. Policy interventions often focus on establishing connections between residents with different socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds, in order to stimulate mutual understanding. An underlying policy aim is to uplift vulnerable original residents through contact with higher income groups. Based on our empirical data, we critically assess the concept of ‘bridging capital’ (Putnam, 2000) that underpins several of the social activities that are organized in areas such as the ones in our study. Subsequently, we discuss the importance of ‘bonding capital’ or the sense of interconnectedness and strong ties amongst original residents. Our empirical data – based on both interviews and participatory observation – suggest that activities within the ‘own’ community contribute importantly to feelings of belonging in the neighborhood. In the final section of the article, we discuss how different types of local meeting places offer opportunities for ‘lighter’ forms of interactions without aiming directly at strong connections between differently positioned neighborhood residents.
Dakloosheid oplossen? Niet zonder een integraal woonbeleid!
Authors: de Vries Jan , Beers Rina
Published: September 2019

Solving homelessness? Not without an integral housing policy!

The most relevant part of a discussion is not what is discussed but what cannot be spoken of. The real taboos are those for which it is taboo to call them taboos. The status quo defines itself as non-ideological while denouncing any challenge to itself as radical. Therefore the column De Blinde Vlek frames the framers, politicizes the status quo and articulates what is not heard of.
Wij zijn sociologen
Authors: Trommel Willem
Published: September 2019

We are sociologists

In this feature authors review recently published books on subjects of interest to readers of Beleid en Maatschappij.
EVALUATION OF SUBSIDIZED CROP INSURANCE IN POLAND
Authors: Wicka Aleksandra , Parlińska Agnieszka
Published: September 2019

The aim of the paper was the evaluation of subsidized crop insurance during the years 2010-2019. Crop production is highly exposed to the effects of unfavourable weather conditions leading to significant fluctuations in yield. Farmers are not able to fully cope with these phenomena. They may use the available risk reduction techniques, e.g. diversifying production, but these actions might not be sufficient. In addition, there is a need to transfer risk outside the farm for a reasonable price. Such an effect can be achieved by offering crop insurance in Poland with state subsidies. In the description, data from the Central Statistical Office were used. For change evaluation, structure indicators of insured crop surface and dynamics indicators were used to determine the relative change in the importance of particular types of crop covered by the insurance. Also, the sum insured per 1 ha of insured crops and its trend were calculated. The authors still emphasize that there is an unsatisfactory level of universality of crop insurance among farmers. Despite the modification of legal regulations concerning them, it is estimated that only approximately 20% of cultivated area is protected. In the analysed years, the insured area of cereal crops constituted over 50% of the share in total insured area. The highest percentage of insurance area was observed for oilseed rape with the highest production risk.
UNCOVERING PRODUCTION FLOWS FROM SMALL FARMS: RESULTS FROM POLAND AND PORTUGAL CASE STUDIES
Authors: Czekaj Marta , Hernández Paola , Fonseca Ana , Rivera Maria , Żmija Katarzyna , Żmija Dariusz
Published: September 2019

This study is an attempt to assess the impact of small farms (SF) on the regional food product circulation of specific key products in selected, fragmented, agrarian regions in Poland and Portugal. The empirical study is based on the analysis of food product maps which were developed based on data from a survey conducted among owners of small farms and small food businesses at focus group meetings and workshops organized in 2017 and 2018 in the Nowotarski and Nowosądecki subregions in Poland and in the Alentejo Central and Oeste subregions in Portugal. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using uniform methodology. In each of the subregions, focus groups helped to confront the assumptions resulting from surveys and corroborate the flows and fluxes described in the developed food product maps. Data collected during focus groups were enriched by data gathered during regional workshops that focused on food system governance. It was concluded that food product maps indicate interesting relationship flows of small farmers’ products along the food system, highlighting the role of fluxes connecting small farmers with other actors regarding specific key products. Several similarities and disparities between regional KP production flows in the Portuguese and Polish subregions, based on the type of key product, the various distribution channels and farming capacities present in each subregion were observed.
The degree of cost accounting development in the context of hospital information system
Authors: Kludacz-Alessandri Magdalena , Baran Wioletta , Cygańska Małgorzata , Macuda Małgorzata , Raulinajtys- Grzybek Monika
Published: September 2019

The article describes the results of research on the model of hospital cost accounting maturity obtained in
the second stage of own research. The aim of the conducted research was to identify the premises of cost
accounting maturity in the context of the hospital information system. In order to achieve thus defined goal, a research hypothesis was formulated that the level of the maturity of hospital cost accounting depends on the degree of achievement of goals resulting from external and internal information needs of data recip-ients. It has been accepted that external needs determining the maturity of cost accounting arise from formal regulations. In the case of hospitals functioning as independent public health care centers, they have been recommended for use for 27 years. As regards the internal needs, the so called substantive integration of cost and medical data has been defined, among other things. The research shows that both formal regula-tions and managerial needs determine the level of cost accounting maturity. It also indicates that the sub-stantive integration of the collected data serving the needs of the management is more important than the technical integration of hospital information system.
Ownership structure of a company and accounting earnings management
Authors: Piosik Andrzej
Published: September 2019

The objective of our study is to investigate whether the ownership structure of a company, including
ownership concentration, managerial ownership and the presence of institutional investors, affects accrual
earnings management practices. We first modelled discretionary accruals using the modified approach of
Jones (1991), and then we built the model describing the relationship between discretionary accruals and
elements of ownership structure of companies and control variables, determining regression using the
least square method. We provided evidence of negative dependence between the magnitude of accrual
earnings management and shareholder concentration. We do not corroborate the relationship between
accrual earnings management and managerial ownership. The presence of institutional investors reduces
the magnitude of accrual earnings management. We do not provide evidence that the presence of State
Treasury affects accrual earnings management. We do not confirm that accrual earnings management is
used for meeting or beating earnings benchmarks.
Corporate social responsibility in the light of the content of non-financial
reports of construction-assembly production macro-sector companies
Authors: Skoczylas Wanda
Published: September 2019

In the situation of dynamic changes in society and in the natural environment, the social dimension of
activity, Guided by responsibility and commitment, matters more than ever before. Responsibility understood
in this way is something other than greed, philanthropy or marketing. (Rojek-Nowosielska,
2017) . The consequence of this is building partner relationships based on communication between the organization and relevant stakeholders, and inclusion of social and environmental initiatives into the com-pany's strategy and their implementation. Transparent communication is promoted by the provisions of the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2014/95 / EU and their transposition through amendment of the Accounting Act, introducing the obligation of non-financial reporting for a defined group of entities. The aim of the article is to identify and evaluate the corporate social responsibility strategies implemented on the basis of profile and detailed indicators presented in non-financial reports of companies of macro-sector 400: industrial and construction-assembly production, prepared according to the GRI 4 standard for 2017. The study included analysis of selected statements in reports on operations or separate reports of 14 companies that met the requirement of comparability. The research methods used include literature analysis, deduction, comparative analysis of structure indicators reported by the examined com-panies and GRI 4 structure indicators as well as indicators of intensity. The results of the conducted analysis confirmed the cognitive value of non-financial reports in assessing the implementation of the sustainable development strategy by all stakeholders. However, they showed the need to improve the content of these reports, including the wider publication of detailed, quantitative and leading indicators, and their interrela-tionship.
AGRITOURISM AS A WAY OF SPENDING FREE TIME OF URBAN FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
Authors: Zawadka Jan
Published: September 2019

The aim of the study is to present agritourism as a way of spending free time with families with children living in cities. The article presents, among others, preferences, behaviour and expectations regarding stay and rest in agritourism farms of this group of visitors. The research was carried out by means of literature analysis and a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was disseminated on social media. The number of respondents was 195. Respondents chose several shorter stays rather than one long one. The most popular were farms located on a lake or river, in mountainous or coastal areas. They were popular mainly in summer. The village was visited mainly due to the possibility of rest in peace and quiet and its pro-health qualities. When selecting a particular object, respondents mainly considered the price. During their stay in the village, respondents were willing to undertake physical activity - bike and walking tours prevailed. Respondents were satisfied with their stay at an agritourism farm. Almost everyone declared that they would like to use this form of tourism again and would be ready to recommend it to their family or friends with children.
THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE NATIONAL ECONOMY OF CHINA AND INDIA – A LONGTERM ANALYSIS
Authors: Smolińska Kinga
Published: September 2019

The purpose of the article is to determine the position of agriculture in the economy of India and China and verify the extent to which the downward trend in agriculture is noticeable in these countries over 25 years (1990-2015). Developing countries represent a significant group among all countries in the world. India and China are especially important in this context for they are the biggest world developing economies which have made huge progress in the field of social and economic transition since the beginning of the 90s. Based on collected material, models of regression were developed, showing dependencies between the dependent variable (GDP per capita) and significant independent variables, including the contribution of agriculture to GDP. It results, from the conducted analyses, that the greatest positive effect on GDP per capita is exerted by an influx and outflow of foreign direct investment and share of services in GDP. With progressing economic growth, a marked downward trend is also evident for the share of agriculture in the generation of GDP. Nevertheless, the rate and scale of this phenomenon varies greatly in the investigated countries. In the case of China, stable per capita GDP growth can be observed with around a 10% share of agriculture in GDP, while, in the case of India, a 20% share. This may mean that such a share of agriculture is already weakening GDP growth to a small extent, which is more dependent on this level than on other factors.
THE SHOEMAKER’S CHILDREN GO BAREFOOT. THE PROBLEM OF FOOD INSECURITY
IN SMALL-SCALE FARMS IN POLAND
Authors: Poczta-Wajda Agnieszka
Published: September 2019

The problem of food insecurity of small-scale farms is often addressed in the literature, but there is a research gap with regard to food insecurity of small-scale farms in developed countries. This issue is important especially in countries with a fragmented agrarian structure, including Poland. Hence, this article aims to identify the level of food insecurity of small-scale farms in Poland and its determinants. It is based on a survey (710 questionnaires) distributed among small-scale farmers in Poland. The survey was conducted in 2018 and included the modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). According to the HFIAS algorithm, 56.5% of small-scale farms in Poland declared to be food secure, 23.5% of farms were classified as mild food insecure, 11.3% as moderate food insecure and 8.6% as severe food insecure. In order to find determinants of the level of food insecurity of small-scale farms, a zero-inflated Poisson regression model was used. Results revealed that farm households with an older manager, with children, with a higher disposable income per capita and using own products in the daily diet experienced a lower level of food insecurity. Farm households producing dairy cows and having five or more household members experienced higher food insecurity.
COMPETITIVENESS OF PRODUCERS IN THE AGRICULTURE OF UKRAINE
Authors: Cherevko Heorhiy
Published: September 2019

The purpose of the study was to identify trends in the development of modern Ukraine’s agriculture and outline ways of increasing competitiveness of all producer types under conditions of agricultural dualization and marginal groups of enterprise polarization. Ukraine’s agriculture has fast obtained a significant sum of money, thus contributing to the intensification of investment and a transfer of capital to this industry, to a large extent, because the general trends in agriculture development are characterized by a deepening of its dualization and polarization in two major producer sectors - large enterprises (with a marginal group in the form of agricultural holdings, engaged in the production of export-oriented products), and small producers (with the marginal group in the form of households, specialized in the production of products mainly for their own needs and the internal market, including niche products). Therefore, competition between producers is mostly carried out within each of these polar production groups. The level of competitiveness of producers in both sectors is quite high, but in each case - due to different factors. In order to increase development efficiency of all agricultural producers and their competitiveness level, appropriate socio-economic modernization of the existing model of agriculture is needed in order to equalize the conditions of access to necessary resources and of functioning conditions in general for all types of producers.
KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT IN AGRIBUSINESS
Authors: Wiatrak Andrzej Piotr
Published: September 2019

The article is aimed at presenting the essence and determinants of knowledge and innovation management in agribusiness. The results of analysis indicate a need for a systemic approach to research into and actors involved in knowledge and innovation management and transfer as well as for cooperation of these actors. A specific role is played here by agricultural and science policies implemented by the state and various institutions operating in the agribusiness environment. The involvement of the state results from the unquestionable role of knowledge and innovation for the development of the economy and society but also from the specifics of agribusiness. In Poland, research on agribusiness is conducted by institutes and universities, most of which are public, hence their activities are financed from the state budget. Therefore, it is necessary to make the best use of research potential to achieve the set objectives of socio-economic and science policies and to finance new research and innovation consistent with these policies. Possible tools for knowledge and innovation creation in agribusiness include central, regional and local government programmes and projects focused on the implementation of specific goals and tasks (e.g. an agricultural innovation network), financial instruments as incentives to explore a particular research topic or undertake a particular innovation, and institutional instruments. For the efficient functioning of the entire system of generation, implementation and dissemination of research results, it is important, on the one hand, that information is acquired about the current needs of practice and, on the other hand, that the results of hitherto research are transmitted.
Integrating a behavioral aspect when developing the structure of a controlling system oriented towards increasing a company’s value
Authors: Tamulevičiené Daiva , Subačiené Rasa
Published: September 2019

Integrating a behavioral aspect when developing the structure of a controlling system oriented towards increasing a company’s value
Short Plane Supports for Spatial Hypergraphs
Authors: Castermans Thom , Van Garderen Mereke , Meulemans Wouter , Nöllenburg Martin , Yuan Xiaoru
Published: September 2019

A graph $G=(V,E)$ is a support of a hypergraph $H=(V,S)$ if every hyperedge induces a connected subgraph in $G$. Supports are used for certain types of hypergraph drawings, also known as set visualizations.
In this paper we consider visualizing spatial hypergraphs, where each vertex has a fixed location in the plane.
This scenario appears when, e.g., modeling set systems of geospatial locations as hypergraphs.
Following established aesthetic quality criteria, we are interested in finding supports that yield plane straight-line drawings with minimum total edge length on the input point set $V$.
From a theoretical point of view, we first show that the problem is NP-hard already under rather mild conditions, and additionally provide a negative approximability result.
Therefore, the main focus of the paper lies on practical heuristic algorithms as well as an exact, ILP-based approach for computing short plane supports.
We report results from computational experiments that investigate the effect of requiring planarity and acyclicity on the resulting support length.
Furthermore, we evaluate the performance and trade-offs between solution quality and speed of heuristics relative to each other and compared to optimal solutions.
Pole Dancing: 3D Morphs for Tree Drawings
Authors: Arseneva Elena , Bose Prosenjit , Cano Pilar , D'Angelo Anthony , Dujmović Vida , Frati Fabrizio , Langerman Stefan , Tappini Alessandra
Published: September 2019

We study the question whether a crossing-free 3D morph between two straight-line drawings of an $n$-vertex tree $T$ can be constructed consisting of a small number of linear morphing steps. We look both at the case in which the two given drawings are two-dimensional and at the one in which they are three-dimensional. In the former setting we prove that a crossing-free 3D morph always exists with $O({rpw}(T))\subseteq O(\log n)$ steps, where ${rpw}(T)$ is the rooted pathwidth or Strahler number of $T$, while for the latter setting $\Theta(n)$ steps are always sufficient and sometimes necessary.
Notch signaling restricts FGF pathway activation in parapineal cells to promote their collective migration
Authors: Wei Lu , Al Oustah Amir , Blader Patrick , Roussigné Myriam
Published: September 2019

Coordinated migration of cell collectives is important during embryonic development and relies on cells integrating multiple mechanical and chemical cues. Recently, we described that focal activation of the FGF pathway promotes the migration of the parapineal in the zebrafish epithalamus. How FGF activity is restricted to leading cells in this system is, however, unclear. Here, we address the role of Notch signaling in modulating FGF activity within the parapineal. While Notch loss-of-function results in an increased number of parapineal cells activating the FGF pathway, global activation of Notch signaling decreases it; both contexts result in defects in parapineal migration and specification. Decreasing or increasing FGF signaling in a Notch loss-of-function context respectively rescues or aggravates parapineal migration defects without affecting parapineal cells specification. We propose that Notch signaling controls the migration of the parapineal through its capacity to restrict FGF pathway activation to a few leading cells.
Long-term adult human brain slice cultures as a model system to study human CNS circuitry and disease
Authors: Schwarz Niklas , Uysal Betül , Welzer Marc , Bahr Jacqueline C , Layer Nikolas , Löffler Heidi , Stanaitis Kornelijus , PA Harshad , Weber Yvonne G , Hedrich Ulrike BS , Honegger Jürgen B , Skodras Angelos , Becker Albert J , Wuttke Thomas V , Koch Henner
Published: September 2019

Most of our knowledge on human CNS circuitry and related disorders originates from model organisms. How well such data translate to the human CNS remains largely to be determined. Human brain slice cultures derived from neurosurgical resections may offer novel avenues to approach this translational gap. We now demonstrate robust preservation of the complex neuronal cytoarchitecture and electrophysiological properties of human pyramidal neurons in long-term brain slice cultures. Further experiments delineate the optimal conditions for efficient viral transduction of cultures, enabling ‘high throughput’ fluorescence-mediated 3D reconstruction of genetically targeted neurons at comparable quality to state-of-the-art biocytin fillings, and demonstrate feasibility of long term live cell imaging of human cells in vitro. This model system has implications toward a broad spectrum of translational studies, regarding the validation of data obtained in non-human model systems, for therapeutic screening and genetic dissection of human CNS circuitry.
Kinesin and dynein use distinct mechanisms to bypass obstacles
Authors: Ferro Luke S , Can Sinan , Turner Meghan A , ElShenawy Mohamed M , Yildiz Ahmet
Published: September 2019

Kinesin-1 and cytoplasmic dynein are microtubule (MT) motors that transport intracellular cargoes. It remains unclear how these motors move along MTs densely coated with obstacles of various sizes in the cytoplasm. Here, we tested the ability of single and multiple motors to bypass synthetic obstacles on MTs in vitro. Contrary to previous reports, we found that single mammalian dynein is highly capable of bypassing obstacles. Single human kinesin-1 motors fail to avoid obstacles, consistent with their inability to take sideways steps on to neighboring MT protofilaments. Kinesins overcome this limitation when working in teams, bypassing obstacles as effectively as multiple dyneins. Cargos driven by multiple kinesins or dyneins are also capable of rotating around the MT to bypass large obstacles. These results suggest that multiplicity of motors is required not only for transporting cargos over long distances and generating higher forces, but also for maneuvering cargos on obstacle-coated MT surfaces.
Evidence that a positive feedback loop drives centrosome maturation in fly embryos
Authors: Alvarez-Rodrigo Ines , Steinacker Thomas L , Saurya Saroj , Conduit Paul T , Baumbach Janina , Novak Zsofia A , Aydogan Mustafa G , Wainman Alan , Raff Jordan W
Published: September 2019

Centrosomes are formed when mother centrioles recruit pericentriolar material (PCM) around themselves. The PCM expands dramatically as cells prepare to enter mitosis (a process termed centrosome maturation), but it is unclear how this expansion is achieved. In flies, Spd-2 and Cnn are thought to form a scaffold around the mother centriole that recruits other components of the mitotic PCM, and the Polo-dependent phosphorylation of Cnn at the centrosome is crucial for scaffold assembly. Here, we show that, like Cnn, Spd-2 is specifically phosphorylated at centrosomes. This phosphorylation appears to create multiple phosphorylated S-S/T(p) motifs that allow Spd-2 to recruit Polo to the expanding scaffold. If the ability of Spd-2 to recruit Polo is impaired, the scaffold is initially assembled around the mother centriole, but it cannot expand outwards, and centrosome maturation fails. Our findings suggest that interactions between Spd-2, Polo and Cnn form a positive feedback loop that drives the dramatic expansion of the mitotic PCM in fly embryos.
Vigilancia por el laboratorio de la tuberculosis resistente en menores de 15 años, Colombia, 2010 a 2015
Authors: Zabaleta Angie Paola , Llerena Claudia , Valbuena Angélica
Published: September 2019

Introducción. La tuberculosis en los niños es un reflejo de transmisión reciente en la comunidad. Se estima que en el mundo cada año un millón de niños enferma por esta causa; en Colombia se notificaron 291 casos en el 2015.Objetivo. Actualizar la información obtenida de las actividades de vigilancia por el laboratorio de la farmacorresistencia del bacilo Mycobacterium tuberculosis en menores de 15 años en Colombia entre el 2010 y el 2015.Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio retrospectivo de corte transversal. Se estudiaron las variables de procedencia, sexo, edad, tipo de tuberculosis y estado de HIV en los casos sensibles y resistentes. Estos se clasificaron como caso nuevo sin tratamiento o caso previamente tratado para analizar el perfil de resistencia a fármacos de primera y segunda línea.Resultados. De los 3.440 casos notificados, en el 16,4 % se practicó la prueba de sensibilidad. El 50,6 % eran mujeres, la forma pulmonar se presentó en el 70,6 % y el 1,4 % presentó coinfección de tuberculosis y HIV. Se estudiaron 565 casos, de los cuales 503 (89,0 %) eran nuevos: el 3,9 % con tuberculosis multirresistente y el 9,5 % con resistencia global.Los previamente tratados fueron 62 (10,9 %), 4,8 % con multirresistencia y 19,3 % con resistencia global. No se evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los años estudiados. La proporción de tuberculosis extremadamente resistente en los casos nuevos evaluados fue de 9,0 %.Conclusiones. Es necesario que el Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social y el Instituto Nacional de Salud promuevan el uso de pruebas diagnósticas rápidas y muy sensibles, como las moleculares recomendadas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud.
Mucosal leishmaniasis: A forgotten disease, description and identification of species in 50 Colombian cases
Authors: Muvdi-Arenas Sandra , Ovalle-Bracho Clemencia
Published: September 2019

Introduction: Mucosal leishmaniasis has a progressive course and can cause deformity and even mutilation in the affected areas. It is endemic in the American continent and it is mainly caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.Objective: To describe a series of mucosal leishmaniasis cases and the infectious Leishmania species.Materials and methods: We included 50 patients with a clinical diagnosis of mucosal leishmaniasis and parasitological confirmation, and we described their clinical and laboratory results. We performed species typing by PCR-RFLP using the miniexon sequence and hsp70 genes; confirmation was done by sequencing.Results: The median time of disease evolution was 2.9 years (range: 1 month to 16 years). The relevant clinical findings included mucosal infiltration (94%), cutaneous leishmaniasis scar (74%), total loss of the nasal septum (24%), nasal deformity (22%), and mucosal ulceration (38%). The symptoms reported included nasal obstruction (90%), epistaxis (72%), rhinorrhea (72%), dysphonia (28%), dysphagia (18%), and nasal pruritus (34%). The histopathological study revealed a pattern compatible with leishmaniasis in 86% of the biopsies, and amastigotes were identified in 14% of them. The Montenegro skin test was positive in 86% of patients, immunofluorescence in 84%, and culture in 8%. Leishmania (V.) braziliensis was identified in 88% of the samples, L. (V) panamensis in 8%, and L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (L.) amazonensis in 2% respectively.Conclusion: In this study, we found a severe nasal disease with destruction and deformity of the nasal septum in 25% of the cases, probably associated with late diagnosis. Leishmania (V.) braziliensis was the predominant species. We described a case of mucosal leishmaniasis in Colombia caused by L. (L.) amazonensis for the first time.
Las células dendríticas plasmacitoides evocan la respuesta efectora de los linfocitos T citotóxicos específicos para Salmonella.
Authors: Murúa-López Carolina del Carmen , González-Orozco María , López-Moreno Héctor Samuel
Published: September 2019

Introducción. La función inmunológica de las células dendríticas plasmacitoides durante las infecciones bacterianas, como la de Salmonella spp., es poco conocida. En ese contexto, se analizó su función efectora para presentar antígenos de Salmonella Typhimurium ante linfocitos T citotóxicos.Objetivo. Analizar la respuesta de los linfocitos T citotóxicos específicos para Salmonella evocada por las células dendríticas plasmacitoides.Materiales y métodos. Se usaron células dendríticas plasmacitoides marcadas con éster de succinimidil-carboxifluoresceína, pulsadas con el epítopo de Salmonella OmpC73 Kb restringido o infectadas con S. Typhimurium como blanco en ensayos de citotoxicidad.Resultados. La lisis específica tuvo significación estadística usando células dendríticas plasmacitoides positivas pulsadas con OmpC73 en todas las relaciones de células efectoras y blanco (E:B) (p≤0,05); en cuanto a las células dendríticas plasmacitoides positivas para S. Typhimurium, solo se observó significación estadística en la relación de 1:100 (p≤0,05) usando las células efectoras OmpC73.Conclusión. Las células dendríticas plasmacitoides pueden evocar la respuesta de los linfocitos T citotóxicos durante la infección con S. Typhimurium.
Tendencia de la mortalidad por suicidio en las áreas urbanas y rurales de Colombia, 1979-2014
Authors: Chaparro-Narváez Pablo , Díaz-Jiménez Diana , Castañeda-Orjuela Carlos
Published: September 2019

Introducción. El suicidio es un grave problema social y de salud pública que afecta a la población de la mayoría de los países del mundo. Se han descrito diferencias en las tasas de suicidio entre las áreas rurales y las urbanas.Objetivo. Estudiar la tendencia de las tasas de mortalidad por suicidio en Colombia en las áreas de defunción rural y urbana y según sexo, grupo de edad y método de suicidio para el periodo 1979-2014.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio ecológico de tendencia temporal a partir de la información de mortalidad del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística. Se calcularon las tasas de mortalidad específica y ajustada por edad y sexo. Las tendencias de las tasas por área para el periodo de estudio, y tanto por sexo y grupo de edad como por método de suicidio, se estudiaron mediante modelos negativos de regresión binomial y regresión de puntos de inflexión.Resultados. Un total de 56.448 suicidios se registró en Colombia entre 1979 y 2014. El riesgo de suicidio fue más alto en el área urbana en hombres, en los grupos etarios de 25 a 44 años y de 65 y más años, y en quienes emplearon el ahorcamiento. El riesgo de suicidio fue mayor en el área rural para los hombres entre los 45 y los 64 años, y para aquellos que recurrieron al disparo de armas de fuego, armas cortantes, ahorcamiento y otros. La tendencia de las tasas en el área urbana mostró su máximo pico en 1999 y, en la rural, en el 2000; posteriormente, en ambas áreas se produjo un descenso paulatino. El ahorcamiento presentó una tendencia al ascenso en hombres en las dos áreas.Conclusión. El suicidio ha mostrado una tendencia hacia la reducción después del año 2000, con diferencias entre las áreas urbanas y las rurales.
La microbiota según la topografía gástrica en pacientes con bajo y con alto riesgo de cáncer gástrico en Nariño, Colombia
Authors: Caguazango Juan Camilo , Pazos Álvaro Jairo
Published: September 2019

Introducción. La inflamación del antro gástrico por Helicobacter pylori aumenta el riesgo de úlcera duodenal, y la del cuerpo gástrico puede producir gastritis atrófica e incrementar la probabilidad de cáncer gástrico. Estas reacciones inflamatorias diferenciadas según su localización, podrían explicarse por la composición de la microbiota gástrica asociada con H. pylori.Objetivo. Identificar y comparar la microbiota del antro y del cuerpo del estómago en individuos de dos poblaciones: una con alto riesgo y otra con bajo riesgo de cáncer gástrico en Nariño, Colombia.Materiales y métodos. Se incluyeron biopsias del cuerpo y el antro gástrico de pacientes con gastritis no atrófica o con gastritis atrófica y metaplasia. La microbiota se definió por secuenciación de la región V3-V4 del gen 16S del ARNr de H. pylori (illumina-MiSeq™). Las unidades taxonómicas operativas se clasificaron utilizando las bases de datos BLASTn y RDPII. Las diferencias entre las poblaciones microbianas del antro y del cuerpo gástrico se evaluaron mediante el análisis de varianza multivariado con base en permutaciones (Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance, PERMANOVA) y análisis multivariados. Resultados. La clase Epsilonproteobacteria representada por H. pylori fue más abundante en las biopsias del antro y del cuerpo de los individuos con gastritis no atrófica (>50 %), en tanto que, en los individuos con gastritis no atrófica, esta clase correspondió al 20 % con una mayor diversidad metagenómica. La infección por H. pylori disminuyó significativamente la diversidad metagenómica del antro (p=0,005), en comparación con la del cuerpo gástrico.Conclusiones. Los grupos bacterianos involucrados en la disbacteriosis pueden colonizar ambas regiones topográficas del estómago, independientemente de las reacciones sectorizadas de inflamación. La infección por H. pylori asociada con la microbiota gástrica está relacionada con su localización en el estómago, el tipo de lesión y el mayor o menor riesgo de cáncer gástrico, lo que sugiere su importancia en la disbacteriosis y la de esta en la enfermedad gástrica.
Abundance of arthropods as food for meadow bird chicks in response to short- and long-term soil wetting in Dutch dairy grasslands
Authors: De Felici Livia , Piersma Theunis , Howison Ruth A.
Published: September 2019

Background

Throughout the world, intensive dairy farming has resulted in grasslands almost devoid of arthropods and birds. Meadow birds appear to be especially vulnerable during the chick-rearing period. So far, studies have focused mainly on describing population declines, but solutions to effectively stop these trends on the short-term are lacking. In this study at a single farm, we experimentally manipulated soil moisture through occasional irrigation, to mitigate against early season drainage and create favorable conditions for the emergence of above-ground arthropods during the meadow bird chick rearing phase.

Methods

To guarantee the presence of at least a sizeable arthropod community for the measurement of effects of wetting, we selected a farm with low intensity management. The land use and intensity of the study site and surroundings were categorized according to the national land use database and quantified using remote sensing imagery. From May 1 to June 18, 2017, we compared a control situation, with no water added, to two wetting treatments, a “short-term” (3 weeks) treatment based on wetting on warm days with a sprinkler system and a “long-term” treatment next to a water pond with a consistently raised water table from 2010. We measured soil temperature, soil moisture and resistance as well as the biomass of arthropods at 3-day intervals. Flying arthropods were sampled by sticky traps and crawling arthropods by pitfall traps. Individual arthropods were identified to Order and their length recorded, to assess their relevance to meadow bird chicks.

Results

The land use analysis confirmed that the selected dairy farm had very low intensity management. This was different from most of the surrounding area (20 km radius), characterized by (very) high intensity land use. The experiments showed that irrigation contributed to cooler soils during midday, and that his happened already in the early part of the season; the differences with the control increased with time. In the short- and long-term treatments, soil moisture increased and soil resistance decreased from the mid-measurement period onward. Compared with the control, cumulative arthropod biomass was higher in the long-term treatment, but showed no change in the irrigation treatment. We conclude that small-scale interventions, such as occasional irrigation, favorably affected local soil properties. However, the effects on above-ground arthropod abundance currently appear limited or overridden by negative landscape-scale processes on arthropods.
Rate and success of study replication in ecology and evolution
Authors: Kelly Clint D.
Published: September 2019

The recent replication crisis has caused several scientific disciplines to self-reflect on the frequency with which they replicate previously published studies and to assess their success in such endeavours. The rate of replication, however, has yet to be assessed for ecology and evolution. Here, I survey the open-access ecology and evolution literature to determine how often ecologists and evolutionary biologists replicate, or at least claim to replicate, previously published studies. I found that approximately 0.023% of ecology and evolution studies are described by their authors as replications. Two of the 11 original-replication study pairs provided sufficient statistical detail for three effects so as to permit a formal analysis of replication success. Replicating authors correctly concluded that they replicated an original effect in two cases; in the third case, my analysis suggests that the finding by the replicating authors was consistent with the original finding, contrary the conclusion of “replication failure” by the authors.
Diets with and without edible cricket support a similar level of diversity in the gut microbiome of dogs
Authors: Jarett Jessica K. , Carlson Anne , Rossoni Serao Mariana , Strickland Jessica , Serfilippi Laurie , Ganz Holly H.
Published: September 2019

The gut microbiome plays an important role in the health of dogs. Both beneficial microbes and overall diversity can be modulated by diet. Fermentable sources of fiber in particular often increase the abundance of beneficial microbes. Banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) contain the fermentable polysaccharides chitin and chitosan. In addition, crickets are an environmentally sustainable protein source. Considering crickets as a potential source of both novel protein and novel fiber for dogs, four diets ranging from 0% to 24% cricket content were fed to determine their effects on healthy dogs’ (n = 32) gut microbiomes. Fecal samples were collected serially at 0, 14, and 29 days, and processed using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene PCR amplicons. Microbiomes were generally very similar across all diets at both the phylum and genus level, and alpha and beta diversities did not differ between the various diets at 29 days. A total of 12 ASVs (amplicon sequence variants) from nine genera significantly changed in abundance following the addition of cricket, often in a dose-response fashion with increasing amounts of cricket. A net increase was observed in Catenibacterium, Lachnospiraceae [Ruminococcus], and Faecalitalea, whereas Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Lachnospiracaeae NK4A136 group and others decreased in abundance. Similar changes in Catenibacterium and Bacteroides have been associated with gut health benefits in other studies. However, the total magnitude of all changes was small and only a few specific taxa changed in abundance. Overall, we found that diets containing cricket supported the same level of gut microbiome diversity as a standard healthy balanced diet. These results support crickets as a potential healthy, novel food ingredient for dogs.