bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boerhaave syndrome: A rare cause of retrosternal pain
Authors: Kafedžić Adna , Katica Nedim
Published: March 2021

Acute chest pain is one of the biggest challenges in diagnostic and therapeutic terms due to a number of differential diagnostic options. Boerhaave syndrome is a rare condition, but at the same time one of the most lethal diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For this reason, a high level of suspicion is required in patients with presenting retrosternal pain. Classic symptoms such as vomiting, chest pain, and subcutaneous emphysema may not always be present. The approach to the patient with Boerhaave syndrome is multidisciplinary. The patient needs urgent rehydration, antibiotic treatment and consultation with a surgery specialist. Treatment is based on the clinical picture of the patient, the location and size of the perforation, but the most important prognostic factor is the time of diagnosis. There are still no official guidelines for the treatment of this condition, and knowledge of treatment options is based on individual case reports from the literature.
Should we expect an increase in corporate espionage in the pharmaceutical industry of tomorrow?
Authors: Stamenović Milorad
Published: March 2021

Corporate espionage is a process of obtaining classified information from business competitors for economic reasons and gaining an advantage over the competition. This paper is presenting an analysis of industry growth, investments in R&D and the total value of the investment estimating the possible existence of trends and activities of corporate espionage in the drug development industry. Some authors analyze the cost-effectiveness of corporate espionage compared to investing in R&D, which if shows efficient - might be determining factor in broadening prohibited activities. The results of the analysis show that growing of corporate espionage might be expected in the future due to the growing impact of these industries on society.
Trends in healthcare costs in Serbia
Authors: Madžar Lidija
Published: March 2021

Healthcare system has an important role in the contemporary countries' economic development. Health expenditures are affected by many economic, as well as noneconomic factors. The importance of health and health system financing is particularly evident in the circumstances of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which caused a significant increase in unforeseen heath expenditures, as well as the emergence of fiscal deficit in many countries around the world. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the trend of the most important health spending indicators in Serbia in the period from 2012 to 2017. The paper concludes that in addition to the reform of the national health financing system, the Serbian Government should implement austerity measures to make health expenditures more sustainable.
Management of employees in the internal audit unit by public fund users
Authors: Vukolić Zoran
Published: March 2021

When establishing internal audit with users of public funds, it is necessary to ensure that the internal audit unit has a sufficient number of professional and capable internal auditors, and then financial support for their further training and professional development. The head of internal audit should monitor and evaluate the work of internal auditors in the internal audit unit and ensure their advancement and career development. Given the expressed requirements and expectations of those interested in the services provided by internal audit without adequate management of employees in the internal audit unit, it cannot be expected that the internal audit activities of users of public funds can be successfully performed.
Characteristics of a headache on patients with mild traumatic brain injury: Implications for improving nurse practice
Authors: Dondo Ivana , Božičić Jovana , Domazet Milica , Simin Dragana
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Headache is one of the most frequent reported symptom after mild traumatic brain injury and it affects normal functioning and life as a whole. The goal: The goal is the evaluation of access, the quality and characteristics of the headache which occurs after the mild traumatic brain injury. Material and methods: The research has been done as a study section in the clinical center of Vojvodina, in the neurosurgery section. A survey questionnaire constructed for the purposes of this research was used as a research instrument. The survey questionnaire included twenty-one questions.. The norm for including respondents in the research was for them to be hospitalized patients with mild traumatic brain injury and the norm for determining how bad the injury was Glazgow's coma score was used. For determining the intensity of the headache the numeric pain rate scale from zero to ten was used. Results: The posttraumatic headache was present in all patients. Most of the respondents described the headache as dull pain of high intensity, 50% of them said that the headache is disturbing them while doing everyday activities and that the intensity of the pain is worst in the morning than at night. Also, some reported that bright light, thinking and talking increase the pain level. Conclusion: The data from this study indicate that headaches in patients after mild TBI can be a major problem in terms of their functional abilities. Thus, the primary focus of nurses should be on early detection and relief of these symptoms. We can also view this study as an initial step, which can affect nurses' practice, and thus the well-being of patients and society as a whole.
Rights of individuals and obligations of the state in protecting air quality
Authors: Drenovak-Ivanović Mirjana
Published: March 2021

The paper analyses the status of international agreements in the field of air protection, aiming to interpret the discord between the adopted legal standards and their application. Having in mind the harmonisation process of Serbian law with the EU law, the author further analyzes the obligations of Member States arising from Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe, the developed practice of the CJEU which embodies elements determining the rights of individuals to initiate a procedure for protecting the right to a healthy environment if states do not adopt an air quality action plan, as well as the measures that domestic courts may prescribe to ensure the implementation of decisions establishing the obligation to implement measures for reduction of emissions above the limit values. The concluding sections analyse the degree of harmonisation of our positive law with the adopted standards and the environmental acquis. Having in mind a substantial number of cases related to air protection in the practice of the Serbian Protector of Citizens (Ombudsman), the analysis of the application of recommendations arising from these cases may suggest the degree of harmonisation of commitments and their application, and serve as an instrument for amending positive law.
Emotionalization of criminal law in the process of adopting and amending criminal legislation
Authors: Marković Ivana , Zdravković Miloš
Published: March 2021

The authors of this paper examine the phenomenon of emotionalization of criminal law, which emanates in three stages: in the legislative process, within the content of respective legal provisions, and in criminal procedure. The third stage is well-identified as such and, here, procedural principles aim to guarantee impartiality of the judge. Regarding the content, discussions about negative feelings were part of the dogmatical upgrading of hate as an obligatory aggravating circumstance envisaged in prior amendments to the Serbian Criminal Code. On the other hand, the emotionalization of legislative procedure, perceived as the process of adopting and amending criminal legislation in an emotionalized context, has largely remained in the background. After elaborating on the relevance and topicality of this issue, the authors connect it with the basic goals of law and legitimacy of state power, provide various definitions and explain the notion of emotions by referring to examples from comparative law. Thereupon, the concept of emotionalization of law is analyzed with reference to the legal provisions from the latest amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia (2019).
Responsible employment policy: Comparative analysis of Croatian, Swedish and Danish active labour market policies
Authors: Špadina Helga
Published: March 2021

In the past decades, the reduction of unemployment has been one of the crucial areas of social policies of the EU Member States because it is a key to economic growth and development. Taking into consideration the fast-changing labour market needs and the rapid transformation of labour relations, European public employment services are continuously creating new measures of active employment, with the aim to assist as many unemployed beneficiaries as possible and to swiftly re-integrate them into the labour markets. The main goal of active labour market programs is to make the matching process more efficient and to increase the number of successful matches of job vacancies and job seekers. Referring to examples of selected active employment measures in Croatia, Sweden and Denmark, this paper provides a comparative analysis of active labour market measures. The paper is divided into four sections. Section 1 provides an overview of measures to reduce unemployment; section 2 outlines the purpose of active labour market measures; section 3 provides a comparative analysis of five active labour market programs in Croatia, Denmark and Sweden, and a brief description of new activation strategies during Covid-19 in Croatia. The conclusion is that the creation of impactful social policies for employment substantially rests on conducting comprehensive analysis of the impact of active labour market measures from the perspective of new employment opportunities and the acquisition of new skills, as well as the analysis of the level of social inclusion of jobseekers.
The consequences of termination of employment relationship due to discrimination
Authors: Tasić Anđelija , Obradović Goran
Published: March 2021

This article focuses on the procedural norms concerning antidiscrimination and labour rights protection. By analyzing concrete legal norms, the authors attempt to address the key question: what is the appropriate way of ensuring legal protection for victims of unlawful termination due to discrimination? The fact is that two different legal procedures contain different rules about time limit for initiating civil proceedings, filing a claim or motions, as well as didderent rules on the burden of proof. These complex issues have been insufficiently addressed in theory and practice. For the purpose of overcoming this problem, the authors provide an insight into the comparative law solutions which may be used as guidelines in prospective legislative efforts and adjusted to the specific features of the legal system in the Republic of Serbia.
Are Yam Farmers Aware and Willing to Adopt the Aeroponics Farming System in Oyo State, Nigeria?
Authors: Adepoju Abimbola Oluyemisi , Olaseni Oluwadamilola Christiana
Published: March 2021

Despite the immense returns of new agricultural technologies to increase agricultural productivity and meet rising food demand, there is a lag in the adoption of these technologies by farmers. The aeroponics system is one of such innovative technologies implemented for seed yam propagation. This study assessed the awareness and the determinants of the willingness of yam farmers to adopt the aeroponics farming system, employing the likert scale and the logit regression model. Results showed that more than three-fifths of the farmers had never heard of the aeroponics farming system but were willing to adopt it for yam and seed yam propagation, although high cost of capital required for adoption was a major constraint. Key determinants of farmers' awareness of the aeroponics system include gender, age, education, membership of cooperative society, monthly income and access to extension agent, while the main factors influencing its adoption were marital status, age, access to credit, membership of cooperative society, farm size and income. Efforts at dissemination of aeroponics farming system for increased productivity should be intensified for its effective adoption by the farmers.
Similarity and Competition of Polish Agri-food Export with the Largest Agricultural Producers in the EU. Analysis of EU, US and China Market
Authors: Bajan Bartłomiej , Łukasiewicz Joanna , Smutka Luboš
Published: March 2021

Poland is one of the largest agricultural producers within European Union (EU). Since joining EU in 2004, Poland has significantly increased its agri-food trade turnover and strengthened its net exporter standing in this regard. With the understanding that countries exporting similar goods to a specific market can be considered competitors, the examination covered similarities in Poland’s export of agri-food products compared to the two largest agricultural producers in EU, namely Germany and France, in three markets: EU-28, China and United States. The agri-food export was analyzed in terms of structure, value and quality, using ComExt data. The growth of the Polish agri-food trade following the accession to the European Union, allowed the country to become a competitor to the common market’s biggest agricultural producers. Poland’s competitiveness in the US market in relation to Germany is also rising. On the other hand, looking at the Chinese market, the value of the exported agri-food products is too low to consider Poland a major competitor to Germany or France. Poland’s competitiveness in the trade of agri-food products is relatively well covered in the literature, but the studies usually focus on the issue of volume and structure or comparative advantages. The export similarity is omitted, in particular with regard to Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) and to quality similarities issues. The study also suggests a way to identify countries similar in terms of export structure that is based on entire population results. This study fills in a certain research gap that emerged in the context of CEEC, consisting in the analysis of Poland's export in the background of EU’s largest agricultural producers.
Sentiment Analysis in Agriculture
Authors: Novák Jiří , Benda Petr , Šilerová Edita , Vaněk Jiří , Kánská Eva
Published: March 2021

Sentiment analysis is currently the most actively researched topic in the field of natural language processing, however, despite it being such a powerful tool, it is not very widely used in the agrarian sector. This research focuses on the discovery and analysis of scientific literature related to Sentiment analysis in agriculture, to provide an overview of how and where Sentiment analysis is used in the agrarian sector and which methods are most commonly used. This article also discusses which applications of Sentiment analysis yield the most benefits and suggests a direction for future research.
Impact of dispersed settlement on the structure and diversity of rural landscape (Case study of village Hrušov, Slovak Republic)
Authors: Hanušin Ján
Published: March 2021

The impact of a dispersed settlement on the changes of the land cover (LC) and landscape diversity (LDI) in the years 1950, 1986 and 2016 was analyzed on four spatially different levels: on the level of the whole cadastral area, 60 circular areas – hinterlands of hamlets, 15 circular areas in agricultural land outside hamlets and areas outside circular areas. The primary hypothesis that the landscape with a dispersed settlement is internally differentiated in terms of LC and LDI changes and that a dispersed settlement itself is an important driving force of these changes has been confirmed.
The impact of traditional land use management on soil quality in Northeastern Himalayas (India)
Authors: Mishra Gaurav , Rodrigo-Comino Jesús
Published: March 2021

n the Northeast Himalayas (NEH) region, four major conventional land-use types are forest, Jhum lands, fallow Jhum lands and plantations, but little is known about their sustainability and responses to changes. We collected soil samples at two uniform depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) from the Zunheboto district of Nagaland (India). The dataset was statistically analyzed by conducting an ANOVA-one way, principal component analysis (PCA) and calculating an additive soil quality index (SQIa). Our results confirmed that sand content, bulk density (BD), porosity, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable calcium and potassium showed significant statistical differences among soil depths depending on the land use management. PCA results showed that soil texture, BD, porosity, SOC and exchangeable cations could be consideredthe major indicators to define soil quality. After estimating the SQIa, Jhum soils showed the highest values at the surface, while at 15-30 cm soil depth, fallow Jhum soils phase showed the highest ones. The conversion from natural forest to plantation does not hamper the SQ, but their conversion into Jhum may even increase it, for a shorter duration. However, after 1-2 year of cultivation and conversion from Jhum into fallow Jhum land, soil quality could be reduced.
Se rattacher au monde. Considérations propédeutiques à l’analyse de l’engagement cosmopolite des jeunes adultes
Authors: Cicchelli Vincenzo
Published: March 2021

Cet article entend avancer quelques considérations propédeutiques à l’analyse d’un type d’engagement pour le monde, que j’appelle engagement cosmopolite, s’inscrivant dans un sentiment de rattachement à une commune humanité. Dans cet article, je pars de l’hypothèse que même dans un cadre qui dépasse les liens sociaux de proximité, et qui finit par embrasser le cercle ultime de l’humanité tout entière, l’individu peut éprouver un sentiment tel que la responsabilité en vienne à être considérée comme une réponse irrécusable, incessible et non résiliable à l’égard d’autrui. Je m’interroge sur la façon dont s’exprime ce sentiment lorsque des peuples, pouvant être éloignés sur le plan géographique, voire culturel, sont frappés par des événements tels des catastrophes nucléaires et environnementales, des attentats terroristes, des génocides. En exploitant une partie des entretiens menés en 2011 auprès d’une trentaine de jeunes adultes français, j’insiste sur cette forme de souci d’autrui qui peut être intelligible par la notion d’engagement cosmopolite. J’inscris l’analyse de cet engagement à l’intérieur d’un cadre général de socialisation cosmopolite de type éthique. Émerge l’idéal de l’individu cosmopolite : compétent sur le plan géopolitique, faisant preuve d’une certaine sollicitude, manifestant une forme de souci d’un autrui éloigné culturellement et géographiquement. Le repoussoir serait un individu cynique n’affichant aucune forme de sensibilité pour le sort des êtres humains.
Normes sociales, sexuelles et genrées des jeunes détenus en France au moment de leur passage à l’âge adulte
Authors: Amsellem-Mainguy Yaëlle , Coquard Benoît , Vuattoux Arthur
Published: March 2021

Cet article se base sur une enquête de terrain menée dans cinq prisons pour mineurs françaises, interrogeant à la fois le moment de la détention, le parcours antérieur et les aspirations des jeunes pour l’avenir. Le regard des jeunes sur leur vie amoureuse et sexuelle présente, mais également sur leur quotidien carcéral et sur leurs aspirations, révèle une grande conformité de leurs attentes à des modes de vie de classe populaire, principalement marqués par la valorisation du travail et de la conjugalité stable hétérosexuelle. De ce point de vue, leur discours dessine un continuum entre les normes sociales, de genre et de sexualité entretenues dans la prison, dans leur quartier et dans ce qu’ils imaginent de leur avenir. Cet article permet également de comprendre le rapport qu’entretiennent ces jeunes à « la jeunesse » dans son ensemble, dont ils font partie tout en s'en sentant exclus, et la manière dont leur situation présente, dévalorisée et dévalorisante à leurs yeux, est le terreau d’une aspiration à la conformité, notamment en matière de position sociale, de genre et de sexualité.
L’enseignement supérieur et les systèmes d’innovation en région au Québec
Authors: Proulx Marc-Urbain , Bouchard Pierre-Luc
Published: March 2021

Universellement, les institutions d’enseignement supérieur sont sollicitées actuellement pour s’engager davantage dans leurs zones respectives de rayonnement. Il s’agit pour elles d’une troisième mission à exercer en plus des traditionnelles fonctions d’enseignement et de recherche, afin de mieux soutenir des initiatives innovatrices de diverses natures. Les données livrées dans ce texte illustrent que depuis cinq décennies, cet engagement progressif au Québec atteint déjà sa vitesse de croisière pour les cinq UQ (Universités du Québec) et les treize collèges situés en région. De nouveaux outils sont déjà expérimentés concernant le transfert de savoir et l’incubation d’entreprises. En outre, les programmes d’enseignement se sont multipliés, diversifiés, segmentés et ont été rendus accessibles notamment par des formations courtes, continues et bien ciblées. Ce sont aussi des cibles territoriales spécifiques qui font émerger de très nombreux projets de recherche appliquée impliquant les collèges et les universités.
Les festivités de la mi-carême : un divertissement populaire renouvelé
Authors: Roberge Martine
Published: March 2021

D’origine française et médiévale, la Mi-Carême a été célébrée dans toutes les régions du Québec de même qu’en Acadie. Ayant atteint leur apogée dans la première moitié du 20e siècle, ces réjouissances collectives, qui consistent à « casser le carême », ont subi ensuite un déclin allant de pair avec l’assouplissement des privations qui marquaient traditionnellement cette période du calendrier liturgique. De nos jours, certaines formes de Mi-Carême actualisées ont survécu dans trois localités du Québec : Fatima aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Natashquan sur la Côte-Nord et l’Isle-aux-Grues sur la Côte-du-Sud en face de Montmagny. La situation géographique de ces villages, les voies d’accès limitées, et leur isolement pendant la période hivernale ont-ils favorisé le maintien et la transmission de ces festivités? Sont-elles en continuité avec la tradition ou en rupture avec celle-ci? Un examen minutieux à partir de sources ethnographiques révèle que la pratique n’est pas une survivance mais plutôt une fête renouvelée.
What we do in the Shadows... Rapports de force/rapports de France dans quelques romans de Jean-Christophe Grangé
Authors: Casta Isabelle-Rachel
Published: March 2021

Auteur middlebrow, Jean-Christophe Grangé est peu étudié en tant que tel, mais ses romans (massivement lus) dessinent pourtant une étrange carte de France : la police, siège et incarnation visible du pouvoir officiel, y est régulièrement débordée par un ensemble mouvant et disparate de sectes, de camarillas, d'organisations plus ou moins occultes ou de groupuscules paramilitaires tout-puissants, dans la droite ligne de la pensée apocalyptique des illuministes du XVIIIe siècle. La France des rapports de force est fantasmatiquement présente, sillonnée à toute vitesse par des déplacements précisément décrits et minutés, mais totalement improbables par leur aisance même. Il y a donc réalisme – la Bretagne de Lontano, la rue Goujon de Miserere, la cathédrale Notre-Dame du Serment des Limbes... et en même temps plongée dans une « liquidité » des actions et des trajets qui appartient proprement au songe. Spectrographie d'un irréel surexposé, l'univers romanesque de Grangé pourrait être résumé par le leitmotiv qui parcourt, comme une isotopie, la plupart des rencontres et des échanges : “je serai là dans moins d'une heure”. Ce “pouvoir” curialisé des sectes du bizarre, des retours infernaux du passé, des fantômes de la (dé)colonisation mal liquidés s'incarne en plusieurs figures du Mal, tueurs en série ou apprenti sorciers (La forêt des mânes) qui ne cesse de miner les instruments officiels de la démocratie... La juxtaposition du licite et du paranormal, du réaliste et du loufoque, crée l'ambiance particulière de cet univers où le “dessous” grouillant et mortifère mine et corrompt toujours plus le “dessus” ordonné et brillant des normes sociales, et où la sauvagerie serpente infiniment dans les signes de la modernité.
Clinical and laboratory profiles of genital ulcers (sexually transmitted diseases) in a tertiary care center in northeastern India
Authors: Bachaspatimayum Romita , Guite Zamzachin , Devi Thangjam Bijayanti
Published: March 2021

Background: Genital ulcers are defined as breaches in the continuity of the genital mucosa and/or skin. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that cause genital ulcer disease (GUD) are syphilis, chancroid, donovanosis, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), and herpes genitalis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory profiles of STI-related genital ulcers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional two-year study was conducted on patients attending the Outpatient Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy in a tertiary care center in northeastern India. Selected were 95 patients who presented themselves with STI-related genital ulcers. Detailed history taking and examination were conducted with basic tests to assist the diagnosis. Results: The male-to-female ratio was 3.32:1, and the most common site was the glans and prepuce in males (28.77%) and the labia majora and minora in females (36.36%). 96.84% of patients had superficial ulcers. The KOH mount was positive in 26 patients. The Tzanck smear was positive in 31 patients. RPR was positive in four. HIV was positive in eleven. Herpes genitalis (96.84%) was the most common GUD. Mixed STIs were attested in 41.05% of patients. Conclusion: GUD can take various forms of presentation. The available laboratory tests should be utilized. The possibility of mixed infections should always be kept in mind.
NECoM (Numerically Enhanced COnceptual Modelling) of two small Maltese Aquifers: Mizieb and Pwales
Authors: Lotti Francesca , Borsi Iacopo , Guastaldi Enrico , Barbagli Alessio , Basile Paolo , Favaro Lorenzo , Mallia Adrian , Xuereb Rachel , Schembri Michael , Mamo Julian Alexander , Demichele Francesco , Sapiano Manuel
Published: March 2021

Two small Maltese aquifers, Mizieb and Pwales, were numerically analyzed to test the existing hydrogeological conceptual model and suggest optimized groundwater monitoring strategies in support of the forthcoming monitoring network coordinated by the Government of Malta through the Energy and Water Agency. The model will undergo further revision of the concepts on which it is based as soon as new data is available, considering the conceptual and numerical model development as parallel activities, rather than as sequential. The model structure and parameter estimation made use of qualitative information and data acquired by archive research; during model calibration information/assumptions were introduced as “prior information” while the available measurements were introduced as classical “observations” with proper associated weight. The information content of both qualitative and quantitative data could be assimilated along the calibration process, highlighting the uncertainties and open questions that remain because of data insufficiency.
Dal Web alle Ande, le attività di un giovane idrogeologo
Authors: De Filippis Giovanna , Lazzaroni Marta , Stevenazzi Stefania , Viaroli Stefano
Published: March 2021

Fin dalla sua costituzione, il gruppo ECHN-Italy mira ad incoraggiare il coinvolgimento nell’Associazione IAH dei giovani idrogeologi italiani, promuovendo il dibattito e la condivisione di conoscenze ed esperienze sulle principali problematiche idrogeologiche del nostro Paese e facilitando l’interazione con i membri del Comitato IAH-Italy [...].
CHANGING PARADIGMS IN ART AND DESIGN AS A CONSUMPTION OBJECT
Authors: KUZU Ekin Su , KAPTAN Ata Yakup
Published: March 2021

In this research, the paradigms changing with globalization on the consumer society, capitalism and information systems; it aims to examined through art and design as a consumption object / commodity. In the research, as a tool of the consumer society, new theories and searches that emerged with the globalization process will be presented in terms of their reflections on art and design. Art and design as a consumption object, consumer behavior, cultural formation, populism, branding etc. observed that it evolves continuously with such concepts. The concept of value that creates this motion, it is shaped around the society in the tendency to commodify. From this perspective; the main problem of the research, is the understanding of Art/ Design as a consumption object, it is shaping by changing paradigms in the social process. As a result, the determination of cultural and social norms in the formation of the consumer society seems to be very important in terms of access to the masses. In this context, to be shape or object of the time period we live in, so how to commodify, it varies according to the formation of paradigms in the process. The research, presented to the subject from this perspective, theoretically it is predicted to contribute to the literature to a great extent.
APPROPRIATION IN THE POSTMODERNISM PROCESS: REVIEW OF LLUIS BARBA'S ARTWORKS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERSEMIOTIC
Authors: ÇAKIROĞLU Elif
Published: March 2021

Appropriation can generally be explained as the reinterpretation and production of artworks by quoting them. Appropriation is associated with the postmodern period, although it was also seen in previous periods. In the postmodern period, in which the pluralist approach gained prominence, collage and montage became widespread; artists perform reproductions containing different expressions and effects, using quotes, pastiche, parody, emulation, and similar usage within the scope of intersemiotic. Artists can use the works they quote through these reproduction forms in different contexts as meaning and content, as well as in similar tendencies. In this study, it is aimed to examine the concept of appropriation in line with the artistic qualities of the postmodern period and the Spanish artist Lluis Barba's reproduction on famous artworks named American Gothic, Athens School and The Gleaners in the context of intersemiotic. Within the scope of the study, the reproductions analyzed with intersemiotic,which examines interformal quotations between homogeneous or different types of art products, were interpreted in consideration of the artist's explanations. Analyzing and interpreting the reproductions in relation to the artworks is considered important in terms of developing interpretation knowledge and critical perspective.
Disparate bone anabolic cues activate bone formation by regulating the rapid lysosomal degradation of sclerostin protein
Authors: Gould Nicole R , Williams Katrina M , Joca Humberto C , Torre Olivia M , Lyons James S , Leser Jenna M , Srikanth Manasa P , Hughes Marcus , Khairallah Ramzi J , Feldman Ricardo A , Ward Christopher W , Stains Joseph P
Published: March 2021

The downregulation of sclerostin in osteocytes mediates bone formation in response to mechanical cues and parathyroid hormone (PTH). To date, the regulation of sclerostin has been attributed exclusively to the transcriptional downregulation of the Sost gene hours after stimulation. Using mouse models and rodent cell lines, we describe the rapid, minute-scale post-translational degradation of sclerostin protein by the lysosome following mechanical load and PTH. We present a model, integrating both new and established mechanically and hormonally activated effectors into the regulated degradation of sclerostin by lysosomes. Using a mouse forelimb mechanical loading model, we find transient inhibition of lysosomal degradation or the upstream mechano-signaling pathway controlling sclerostin abundance impairs subsequent load-induced bone formation by preventing sclerostin degradation. We also link dysfunctional lysosomes to aberrant sclerostin regulation using human Gaucher disease iPSCs. These results reveal how bone anabolic cues post-translationally regulate sclerostin abundance in osteocytes to regulate bone formation.
Global epistasis emerges from a generic model of a complex trait
Authors: Reddy Gautam , Desai Michael M
Published: March 2021

Epistasis between mutations can make adaptation contingent on evolutionary history. Yet despite widespread ‘microscopic’ epistasis between the mutations involved, microbial evolution experiments show consistent patterns of fitness increase between replicate lines. Recent work shows that this consistency is driven in part by global patterns of diminishing-returns and increasing-costs epistasis, which make mutations systematically less beneficial (or more deleterious) on fitter genetic backgrounds. However, the origin of this ‘global’ epistasis remains unknown. Here, we show that diminishing-returns and increasing-costs epistasis emerge generically as a consequence of pervasive microscopic epistasis. Our model predicts a specific quantitative relationship between the magnitude of global epistasis and the stochastic effects of microscopic epistasis, which we confirm by reanalyzing existing data. We further show that the distribution of fitness effects takes on a universal form when epistasis is widespread and introduce a novel fitness landscape model to show how phenotypic evolution can be repeatable despite sequence-level stochasticity.
The olfactory critical period is determined by activity-dependent Sema7A/PlxnC1 signaling within glomeruli
Authors: Inoue Nobuko , Nishizumi Hirofumi , Ooyama Rumi , Mogi Kazutaka , Nishimori Katsuhiko , Kikusui Takefumi , Sakano Hitoshi
Published: March 2021

In mice, early exposure to environmental odors affects social behaviors later in life. A signaling molecule, Semaphorin 7A (Sema7A), is induced in the odor-responding olfactory sensory neurons. Plexin C1 (PlxnC1), a receptor for Sema7A, is expressed in mitral/tufted cells, whose dendrite-localization is restricted to the first week after birth. Sema7A/PlxnC1 signaling promotes post-synaptic events and dendrite selection in mitral/tufted cells, resulting in glomerular enlargement that causes an increase in sensitivity to the experienced odor. Neonatal odor experience also induces positive responses to the imprinted odor. Knockout and rescue experiments indicate that oxytocin in neonates is responsible for imposing positive quality on imprinted memory. In the oxytocin knockout mice, the sensitivity to the imprinted odor increases, but positive responses cannot be promoted, indicating that Sema7A/PlxnC1 signaling and oxytocin separately function. These results give new insights into our understanding of olfactory imprinting during the neonatal critical period.
Predictions of bitcoin prices through machine learning based frameworks
Authors: Cocco Luisanna , Tonelli Roberto , Marchesi Michele
Published: March 2021

The high volatility of an asset in financial markets is commonly seen as a negative factor. However short-term trades may entail high profits if traders open and close the correct positions. The high volatility of cryptocurrencies, and in particular of Bitcoin, is what made cryptocurrency trading so profitable in these last years. The main goal of this work is to compare several frameworks each other to predict the daily closing Bitcoin price, investigating those that provide the best performance, after a rigorous model selection by the so-called k-fold cross validation method. We evaluated the performance of one stage frameworks, based only on one machine learning technique, such as the Bayesian Neural Network, the Feed Forward and the Long Short Term Memory Neural Networks, and that of two stages frameworks formed by the neural networks just mentioned in cascade to Support Vector Regression. Results highlight higher performance of the two stages frameworks with respect to the correspondent one stage frameworks, but for the Bayesian Neural Network. The one stage framework based on Bayesian Neural Network has the highest performance and the order of magnitude of the mean absolute percentage error computed on the predicted price by this framework is in agreement with those reported in recent literature works.
Plasma BDNF concentrations and the antidepressant effects of six ketamine infusions in unipolar and bipolar depression
Authors: Zheng Wei , Zhou Yan-Ling , Wang Cheng-Yu , Lan Xiao-Feng , Zhang Bin , Zhou Su-Miao , Yan Su , Ning Yu-Ping
Published: March 2021

Objectives

Accumulating evidence has implicated that brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression, but its correlation with ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy focusing on Chinese individuals with depression is not known. This study was aim to determine the correlation of plasma BDNF (pBDNF) concentrations and ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy.

Methods

Ninety-four individuals with depression received six intravenous infusions ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). Remission and response were defined as Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores less than 10 and a reduction of 50% or more in MADRS scores, respectively. Plasma was collected at baseline and at 24 h and 2 weeks after completing six ketamine infusions (baseline, 13 d and 26 d).

Results

A significant improvement in MADRS scores and pBDNF concentrations was found after completing six ketamine infusions compared to baseline (all ps < 0.05). Higher baseline pBDNF concentrations were found in ketamine responders/remitters (11.0 ± 6.2/10.1 ± 5.8 ng/ml) than nonresponders/nonremitters (8.0 ± 5.5/9.2 ± 6.4 ng/ml) (all ps < 0.05). Baseline pBDNF concentrations were correlated with MADRS scores at 13 d (t =  − 2.011, p = 0.047) or 26 d (t =  − 2.398, p = 0.019) in depressed patients (all ps < 0.05). Subgroup analyses found similar results in individuals suffering from treatment refractory depression.

Conclusion

This preliminary study suggests that baseline pBDNF concentrations appeared to be correlated with ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy in Chinese patients with depression.
Incorporation of feeding functional group information informs explanatory patterns of long-term population changes in fish assemblages
Authors: Doll Jason C. , Jacquemin Stephen J.
Published: March 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate long term trends of fish taxa in southern Lake Michigan while incorporating their functional roles to improve our understanding of ecosystem level changes that have occurred in the system over time. The approach used here highlighted the ease of incorporating ecological mechanisms into population models so researchers can take full advantage of available long-term ecosystem information. Long term studies of fish assemblages can be used to inform changes in community structure resulting from perturbations to aquatic systems and understanding these changes in fish assemblages can be better contextualized by grouping species according to functional groups that are grounded in niche theory. We hypothesized that describing the biological process based on partial pooling of information across functional groups would identify shifts in fish assemblages that coincide with major changes in the ecosystem (e.g., for this study, shifts in zooplankton abundance over time). Herein, we analyzed a long-term Lake Michigan fisheries dataset using a multi-species state space modeling approach within a Bayesian framework. Our results suggested the population growth rates of planktivores and benthic invertivores have been more variable than general invertivores over time and that trends in planktivores can be partially explained by ecosystem changes in zooplankton abundance. Additional work incorporating more ecosystem parameters (e.g., primary production, etc.) should be incorporated into future iterations of this novel modeling concept.
The Effect of Internet Use during COVID-19 Pandemic on the Learning Outcomes of Cadets in Merchant Marine Polytechnic of West Sumatera
Authors: Saransi Faisal , Roselia Fauziah , Erlinda Nelfi
Published: March 2021

This research is based on the policy given by central and local governments to stop the face-to-face learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is due to prevent the coronavirus contagion spread and in exchange, remote learning is conducted by utilizing internet as one of supports. The research objective is to discover the significant effects of internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic toward the learning outcomes of the cadets in Merchant Marine Polytechnic of West Sumatera. Based on the data analysis that the researchers have done, it is found that the value of tcount = 3.166 is greater than t table = 1.988 at the 5% significance level, it can be concluded that there is a significant influence on the internet utilization variable during the pandemic on the learning outcomes of Taruna / I Shipping Polytechnic of West Sumatra.
Some New Results of Residual and Past Entropy Measures
Authors: Basit Abdul , Iqbal Zafar , Lin En-Bing
Published: March 2021

In this paper, two new generalized entropies have been introduced with their respective properties. The results of these entropies have been verified for the exponential and weighted exponential distributions. These two entropies produce the results in the form of simple entropy, generalized entropy, residual entropy, cumulative entropy and mixtures of all these entropies. Some characteristics of residual & past entropy have been derived and special cases have also been obtained. These cases indicate that new generalized entropies are more comprehensive and useful. The main advantage of this study is to derive different types of generalization of entropies using the different parameter values of α and β.
Forgiveness among Public Sector Workers: A Predictive Study of Employee Resilience, Emotional Intelligence and Loneliness at Work
Authors: Matthew Oguegbe, Tochukwu , Ebuka Iloke, Stephen , Emmanuel Udensi, Chidiebere
Published: March 2021

The gains of organizational wellbeing and productivity have been challenged by workers disposition especially the heart of forgiving one another within the workplace. The present study investigated forgiveness among public sector workers: a predictive study of employee resilience, emotional intelligence and loneliness at work. Participants in the study were made up of non-academic staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. They comprise of 78 males (43.09%) and 103 females (56.91%) with a mean age of 39.77 years and a standard deviation of 7.9 years and age ranges from 28 -65 years. Four different instruments were used to measure the four variables; Resilience, Loneliness, Emotional Intelligence and Forgiveness. The Rye’s Forgiveness Scale was used to measure forgiveness among the participants; Wagnild and Young’ Resilience scale (WYRS) was used to measure resilience; UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS) was used to measure loneliness while Wong’s Emotional Intelligence scale (WEIS) measured the participants’ emotional intelligence. The design adopted for this study is the correlational design and the statistical method used is the multiple regression technique. The results of the hypotheses tested showed that that there is insignificant relationship between resilience and forgiveness (β=.052 p>.05), the regression results shown in Table 2 show that there is insignificant relationship between loneliness and forgiveness (β=.030, p>.05), there was also a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and forgiveness (β= .500, p<.05) and the overall significance of the effect as shown in Table 3 showed that there was an overall significance between forgiveness and the selected predictors F (3,177)= 3.126, p<.05. It was however recommended that Personnel Managers should inculcate improvement in psychological factors like emotional intelligence in their personnel training agenda so as to improve the individuals’ tendency to forgive coworkers in the workplace.
Ameliorative Effects of Enriched Environment and Chronic Administration of Aqueous-methanol Extract of Garlic (Allium sativum) on Mice Models of Depression
Authors: Mshelia P. P. , Saleh M. I. A. , Omodara O. O. , Madaki A. A.
Published: March 2021

Depression is a state of mood or energy level that includes lack of motivation, a sense of hopelessness and a loss of physical energy. The World Health Organization revealed that depression is one of the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide. More than 300 million people are living with depression. Many of the currently available antidepressant drugs have proven to be effective but they are burdened with some disadvantages such as various adverse effects, problematic interactions and relatively low response. Therefore the need to utilize a natural agent in the management of depression is paramount. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic administration of extract of Allium sativum and Enriched environment in depression. 42 albino mice were used and divided into seven groups of five mice each. Group 1 was given distilled water; groups 2 and 3 received 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of aqueous extract of Allium sativum respectively; while groups 4 and 5 were in addition to receiving 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of the extract, housed in an enriched cage. Group 6 was only housed in an enriched cage and group 7 receives 10 mg/kg of imipramine. The experiment lasted for six weeks after which Force Swimming Test, Tail Suspension Test and Sucrose Preference test were conducted. The mice were sacrificed and their brain isolated, homogenized and centrifuged. The supernatant was used for biochemical assays (MDA, SOD, GPx, BDNF & TNF-α). The results showed that Allium sativum and Enriched Environment helped in mitigating depressive disorders. Therefore, conducive environment and garlic extract could be used in the management of depression.
The Role of Biofilm Formation in Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria Isolated from Saliva of Patients with Dental Caries
Authors: Alwan Merriam Ghadhanfar , Rubaye Hadeel Adil Al , Abood Noor Adil , Ibrahem Hind Tahseen , Hamidon Hamiza Bt , Ahmad Asmat
Published: March 2021

Objectives: This study aim to determine the bacterial diversity, biofilm forming ability and the antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from saliva of patients with dental caries conditions with the using of 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique for identification of the most virulent isolates.

Methods: Isolation and identification of microorganisms were done employing standard bacteriologic techniques, followed by biofilm detection using tissue culture plate method. The strong biofilm forming isolates were selected for antibiotic susceptibility test against selected antibiotics using disk diffusion technique. In order to identify the selected isolates. The genomic DNA obtained following the extraction process were used for the amplification of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.

Results: A total of 137 bacterial isolates were obtained and identified as belonging to 21 genera. Tissue culture plate (TCP) method were employed for screening the isolates according to its biofilm forming ability, its showed that 55 (40.1%) of the total isolates were strong, 57 (41.6%) were moderate and 25 (18.3%) were weak biofilm producers. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed the multi antibiotics resistance of the strong biofilm former isolates to the conventional antibiotics. Enterococcus faecalis isolates showed the highest biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. The 16S rRNA gene for two of these isolates have been amplified using PCR and the product sequenced, analyzed and registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) as UKMS1 and UKMS2 and the accession numbers KX960104.1 and KX960105.1 respectively.

Conclusion: The study has revealed that antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolates from saliva of patients with dental caries conditions is associated with biofilm formation. Other uncommon pathogenic bacteria were also isolated in this study as a result of the use of non-selective enrichment medium for culturing. Enterococcus faecalis isolates indicated the highest biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance.