bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 in-hospital mortality and mode of death in a dynamic and non-restricted tertiary care model in Germany
Authors: Rieg Siegbert , von Cube Maja , Kalbhenn Johannes , Utzolino Stefan , Pernice Katharina , Bechet Lena , Baur Johanna , Lang Corinna N. , Wagner Dirk , Wolkewitz Martin , Kern Winfried V. , Biever Paul ,   on behalf of the COVID UKF Study Group
Published: November 2020

Background

Reported mortality of hospitalised Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients varies substantially, particularly in critically ill patients. So far COVID-19 in-hospital mortality and modes of death under state of the art care have not been systematically studied.

Methods

This retrospective observational monocenter cohort study was performed after implementation of a non-restricted, dynamic tertiary care model at the University Medical Center Freiburg, an experienced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and extracorporeal membrane-oxygenation (ECMO) referral center. All hospitalised patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality, secondary endpoints included major complications and modes of death. A multistate analysis and a Cox regression analysis for competing risk models were performed. Modes of death were determined by two independent reviewers.

Results

Between February 25, and May 8, 213 patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 65 years, 129 patients (61%) were male. 70 patients (33%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), of which 57 patients (81%) received mechanical ventilation and 23 patients (33%) ECMO support. Using multistate methodology, the estimated probability to die within 90 days after COVID-19 onset was 24% in the whole cohort. If the levels of care at time of study entry were accounted for, the probabilities to die were 16% if the patient was initially on a regular ward, 47% if in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 57% if mechanical ventilation was required at study entry. Age ≥65 years and male sex were predictors for in-hospital death. Predominant complications–as judged by two independent reviewers–determining modes of death were multi-organ failure, septic shock and thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications.

Conclusion

In a dynamic care model COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality remained very high. In the absence of potent antiviral agents, strategies to alleviate or prevent the identified complications should be investigated. In this context, multistate analyses enable comparison of models-of-care and treatment strategies and allow estimation and allocation of health care resources.
Clustering of health risk behaviors among adolescents in Kilifi, Kenya, a rural Sub-Saharan African setting
Authors: Ssewanyana Derrick , Abubakar Amina , Newton Charles R. J. C. , Otiende Mark , Mochamah George , Nyundo Christopher , Walumbe David , Nyutu Gideon , Amadi David , Doyle Aoife M. , Ross David A. , Nyaguara Amek , Williams Thomas N. , Bauni Evasius
Published: November 2020

Background

Adolescents tend to experience heightened vulnerability to risky and reckless behavior. Adolescents living in rural settings may often experience poverty and a host of risk factors which can increase their vulnerability to various forms of health risk behavior (HRB). Understanding HRB clustering and its underlying factors among adolescents is important for intervention planning and health promotion. This study examines the co-occurrence of injury and violence, substance use, hygiene, physical activity, and diet-related risk behaviors among adolescents in a rural setting on the Kenyan coast. Specifically, the study objectives were to identify clusters of HRB; based on five categories of health risk behavior, and to identify the factors associated with HRB clustering.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted of a random sample of 1060 adolescents aged 13–19 years living within the area covered by the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Participants completed a questionnaire on health behaviors which was administered via an Audio Computer-Assisted Self–Interview. Latent class analysis on 13 behavioral factors (injury and violence, hygiene, alcohol tobacco and drug use, physical activity, and dietary related behavior) was used to identify clustering and stepwise ordinal logistic regression with nonparametric bootstrapping identified the factors associated with clustering. The variables of age, sex, education level, school attendance, mental health, form of residence and level of parental monitoring were included in the initial stepwise regression model.

Results

We identified 3 behavioral clusters (Cluster 1:Low-risk takers (22.9%);Cluster 2:Moderate risk-takers (67.8%);Cluster 3:High risk-takers (9.3%)). Relative to the cluster 1, membership of higher risk clusters (i.e. moderate or high risk-takers) was strongly associated with older age (p<0.001), being male (p<0.001), depressive symptoms (p = 0.005), school non-attendance (p = 0.001) and a low level of parental monitoring (p<0.001).

Conclusion

There is clustering of health risk behaviors that underlies communicable and non-communicable diseases among adolescents in rural coastal Kenya. This suggests the urgent need for targeted multi-component health behavior interventions that simultaneously address all aspects of adolescent health and well-being, including the mental health needs of adolescents.
Ikaros antagonizes DNA binding by STAT5 in pre-B cells
Authors: Heizmann Beate , Le Gras Stéphanie , Simand Célestine , Marchal Patricia , Chan Susan , Kastner Philippe
Published: November 2020

The IKZF1 gene, which encodes the Ikaros transcription factor, is frequently deleted or mutated in patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias that express oncogenes, like BCR-ABL, which activate the JAK-STAT5 pathway. Ikaros functionally antagonizes the transcriptional programs downstream of IL-7/STAT5 during B cell development, as well as STAT5 activity in leukemic cells. However, the mechanisms by which Ikaros interferes with STAT5 function is unknown. We studied the genomic distribution of Ikaros and STAT5 on chromatin in a murine pre-B cell line, and found that both proteins colocalize on >60% of STAT5 target regions. Strikingly, Ikaros activity leads to widespread loss of STAT5 binding at most of its genomic targets within two hours of Ikaros induction, suggesting a direct mechanism. Ikaros did not alter the level of total or phosphorylated STAT5 proteins, nor did it associate with STAT5. Using sequences from the Cish, Socs2 and Bcl6 genes that Ikaros and STAT5 target, we show that both proteins bind overlapping sequences at GGAA motifs. Our results demonstrate that Ikaros antagonizes STAT5 DNA binding, in part by competing for common target sequences. Our study has implications for understanding the functions of Ikaros and STAT5 in B cell development and transformation.
Analyzing inter-reader variability affecting deep ensemble learning for COVID-19 detection in chest radiographs
Authors: Rajaraman Sivaramakrishnan , Sornapudi Sudhir , Alderson Philip O. , Folio Les R. , Antani Sameer K.
Published: November 2020

Data-driven deep learning (DL) methods using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) demonstrate promising performance in natural image computer vision tasks. However, their use in medical computer vision tasks faces several limitations, viz., (i) adapting to visual characteristics that are unlike natural images; (ii) modeling random noise during training due to stochastic optimization and backpropagation-based learning strategy; (iii) challenges in explaining DL black-box behavior to support clinical decision-making; and (iv) inter-reader variability in the ground truth (GT) annotations affecting learning and evaluation. This study proposes a systematic approach to address these limitations through application to the pandemic-caused need for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) detection using chest X-rays (CXRs). Specifically, our contribution highlights significant benefits obtained through (i) pretraining specific to CXRs in transferring and fine-tuning the learned knowledge toward improving COVID-19 detection performance; (ii) using ensembles of the fine-tuned models to further improve performance over individual constituent models; (iii) performing statistical analyses at various learning stages for validating results; (iv) interpreting learned individual and ensemble model behavior through class-selective relevance mapping (CRM)-based region of interest (ROI) localization; and, (v) analyzing inter-reader variability and ensemble localization performance using Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) methods. We find that ensemble approaches markedly improved classification and localization performance, and that inter-reader variability and performance level assessment helps guide algorithm design and parameter optimization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to construct ensembles, perform ensemble-based disease ROI localization, and analyze inter-reader variability and algorithm performance for COVID-19 detection in CXRs.
Associations of serum C-peptide and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins-3 with breast cancer deaths
Authors: Cui PinYu , Chen Yuan , Waili Nuremaguli , Li YaXing , Ma CuiLing , Li Ying
Published: November 2020

C-peptide is usually considered as a marker of insulin secretion and has no physiological function. This study aimed to assess the association between serum C-peptide level as independent risk factor and breast cancer and explored the possible underlying mechanisms. This was a population-based cohort study. All the data was collected according to a standard protocol. The C-peptide and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins-3(IGFBP-3) concentrations were measured in blood. The breast cancer deaths were confirmed by National Death Index records. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted to determine the hazard ratio of serum C-peptide level for breast cancer deaths. Analysis of covariance was used to assess the association between serum C-peptide and IGFBP-3 level, and the linear trend was tested by using a linear model. A total of 8,373 women 17 years of age or older were included in the study, and 57 breast cancer deaths were observed over the study period. The result of survival analysis showed that breast cancer deaths increased with increasing levels of serum C-peptide. The hazard ratio was 1.69 (95% confidence interval, 1.17–2.45). The levels of circulating IGFBP-3 were positively associated with changes in serum C-peptide levels and showed a strong linear trend in the covariance analysis. Serum C-peptide level was associated with increased risk of breast cancer death. Our results suggest that the increased risk of breast cancer death can be via a pathway that serum C-peptide level positive associated with the change in serum IGFBP-3 level.
Total small vessel disease burden and functional outcome in patients with ischemic stroke
Authors: Ryu Wi-Sun , Jeong Sang-Wuk , Kim Dong-Eog
Published: November 2020

Background

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is comprised of lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and enlarged perivascular space (EPVS). We investigated the cumulative effect of SVD on 3-month functional outcome following ischemic stroke using the total SVD score.

Methods

The total SVD score of 477 acute ischemic stroke patients with adequate brain MRI was analyzed. We used multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis to investigate the independent impact of total SVD score on ordinal modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3-month after ischemic stroke.

Results

Mean age was 66±14 years, and 61% were men. The distribution of the total SVD score from 0 to 4 was 27%, 24%, 26%, 16%, and 7%, respectively. The proportion of mRS scores 2 or greater was 16% and 47% in total SVD score 0 and 4, respectively. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis results showed that compared with the total SVD score of 0, total SVD scores of 2, 3, and 4 were independently associated with higher mRS scores with adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.68 (1.02–2.76), 2.24 (1.25–4.00), and 2.00 (1.02–4.29). Lacunes, CMBs, WMHs but not EPVS were associated with mRS scores at 3 months. However, the impact of each SVD marker on stroke outcome was smaller than that of the total SVD score.

Conclusion

We found an independent association between total SVD scores and functional outcome at 3 months following ischemic stroke. The total SVD score may be useful for stratification of patients who are at a high-risk of unfavorable outcomes.
Losing seasonal patterns in a hibernating omnivore? Diet quality proxies and faecal cortisol metabolites in brown bears in areas with and without artificial feeding
Authors: Sergiel Agnieszka , Barja Isabel , Navarro-Castilla Álvaro , Zwijacz-Kozica Tomasz , Selva Nuria
Published: November 2020

Bears are omnivores particularly well-adapted to variations in the nutritional composition, quality and availability of food resources. Artificial feeding practices have been shown to strongly influence diet composition and seasonality, as well as to cause alterations in wintering and movement in brown bears (Ursus arctos). In this study, we investigated seasonal differences (hypophagia vs hyperphagia) in food quality of two brown bear subpopulations in the Polish Carpathians using faecal nitrogen (FN) and carbon (FC) estimates. The subpopulations inhabit areas that differ in artificial feeding practices: no artificial feeding occurs in the western subpopulation (Tatra Mountains), while artificial food targeted to ungulates is provided and used year-round in the eastern subpopulation (Bieszczady Mountains). We also compared these results with faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) to explore how FN and FC correlate with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and if the seasonal patterns are apparent. We found that in Tatra Mts bears fed on significantly higher quality diet, as shown by FN and FC values, and had significantly higher FC levels in hyperphagia, when they accumulate fat reserves for wintering. The pattern in FCM levels for Tatra subpopulation followed the changes in energy intake during the seasons of hypo- and hyperphagia, while in Bieszczady Mts, the area with intensive feeding, no seasonal patterns could be observed. Artificial feeding practices may disrupt nutrient phenology and seasonality, relative to subpopulations with natural diets. We showed that the availability of human-provided foods may alter not only the overall dietary quality, but also hormonal patterns linked to seasonal nutritional requirements. Combining FN, FC and FCM proved to be a useful tool for reconstructing diet quality and related physiological patterns.
Topoisomerase activity is linked to altered nucleosome positioning and transcriptional regulation in the fission yeast fbp1 gene
Authors: Asada Ryuta , Senmatsu Satoshi , Montpetit Ben , Hirota Kouji
Published: November 2020

Chromatin structure, including nucleosome positioning, has a fundamental role in transcriptional regulation through influencing protein-DNA interactions. DNA topology is known to influence chromatin structure, and in doing so, can also alter transcription. However, detailed mechanism(s) linking transcriptional regulation events to chromatin structure that is regulated by changes in DNA topology remain to be well defined. Here we demonstrate that nucleosome positioning and transcriptional output from the fission yeastfbp1andprp3genes are altered by excess topoisomerase activity. Given that lncRNAs (longnoncoding RNAs) are transcribed from thefbp1upstream region and are important forfbp1gene expression, we hypothesized that local changes in DNA topological state caused by topoisomerase activity could alter lncRNA andfbp1transcription. In support of this, we found that topoisomerase overexpression caused destabilization of positioned nucleosomes within thefbp1promoter region, which was accompanied by aberrantfbp1transcription. Similarly, the direct recruitment of topoisomerase, but not a catalytically inactive form, to the promoter region offbp1caused local changes in nucleosome positioning that was also accompanied by alteredfbp1transcription. These data indicate that changes in DNA topological state induced by topoisomerase activity could lead to alteredfbp1transcription through modulating nucleosome positioning.
Neologismos fraseológicos en el español hablado en Argentina: los procedimientos de creación
Authors: Cuadrado Rey Analía Rosa
Published: November 2020

Sabemos que los componentes de las Unidades Fraseológicas (UF) tienen diversos grados de fijación e idiomaticidad. Junto a estos cambios codificados y previstos en el sistema surgen otras UF de forma libre que expresan un significado nuevo o con un sentido discursivo propio. La neología da testimonio de la dinámica de la lengua en general y también en el plano fraseológico. El objetivo del presente trabajo se centra en identificar los mecanismos de innovación utilizados para la creación de los neologismos fraseológicos del español hablado en Argentina. Para la detección de candidatos a neologismos recurrimos a la recopilación de UF del campo semántico carácter-forma de ser recopiladas mediante encuestas. Aplicamos, además, el criterio de neologicidad de exclusión lexicográfica y comprobamos su uso en la variante argentina del corpus periodístico esAmTenTen11 (español de América) aplicando la herramienta Sketch Engine.
Fraseología y marcas diatópicas del español en la lexicografía bilingüe italoespañola
Authors: Valero Gisbert María Joaquina
Published: November 2020

La presencia de la diatopía en los diccionarios es una cuestión espinosa y con numerosos problemas de delimitación. Por tradición, las marcas diatópicas más abundantes se han circunscrito al área peninsular, mientras que las referidas al continente americano han sido más bien escasas. En este trabajo nos proponemos estudiar si dichas etiquetas se han aplicado al fenómeno fraseológico. Nos centraremos en cuatro repertorios bilingües italoespañoles de los siglos XX y XXI. En primer lugar se han seleccionado las dos obras que mayor difusión alcanzaron en la segunda mitad del s. XX: el diccionario de Lucio Ambruzzi (1948) y el de Carbonell (1950) y, por otro, los dos del siglo XXI considerados más modernos: el diccionario Garzanti (2009) y el Zanichelli (2012).
Variación léxica en las Antillas: diatopía y estandarización gráfica en las lenguas criollas franco-caribeñas
Authors: Carrión González Paola
Published: November 2020

El proceso de institucionalización de una lengua pasa por su cristalización gráfica y consecuente normalización, elemento indispensable para su inclusión en la educación y legitimización como vehículo de expresión lingüística y cultural. En zonas geográficas enmarcadas dentro de unos rasgos históricos específicos, tales como los territorios que han pasado por un periodo de colonización, la formación de sistemas lingüísticos como las lenguas criollas se ha visto influenciada por factores tan relevantes como el contacto de masas poblacionales provenientes de distintos territorios y la emergencia comunicativa. Así, estas lenguas se nos presentan como sistemas en proceso de estandarización, donde la variación gráfica derivada de esa diligencia evolutiva juega un importante papel en el tratamiento de dicha variación, consecuencia de las diferencias diatópicas derivadas de los cambios de pronunciación, y por ende, en la creación de recursos lexicográficos. En este breve estudio, se pretende localizar y dar cuenta de los diversos tipos de variación gráfica en las lenguas criollas de base léxica francesa de la zona americano-caribeña.
Variación léxica de las locuciones verbales de Colombia y España
Authors: Nieto Martín Gloria Viviana
Published: November 2020

Este artículo presenta un análisis contrastivo de la variación léxica de las locuciones verbales compartidas por Colombia y España. Se trata de un estudio de variación diatópica, basado en un corpus de 2000 locuciones verbales usadas en Colombia, recopiladas en una base de datos con más de 37000 construcciones verbales fijas del español, creada por el proyecto FRASYTRAM de la Universidad de Alicante. A lo largo del análisis se destacarán, por una parte, la consistencia de los patrones de variación léxica del español general en series de locuciones verbales diatópicas y, por otra, las características de las locuciones verbales de Colombia, como reflejo de la realidad lingüística (español de América y lenguas indígenas) y cultural del continente. Además de desarrollar estudios descriptivos sobre la variación fraseológica diatópica, el proyecto FRASYTRAM busca tener aplicación práctica en los ámbitos de la traducción y la enseñanza de lenguas.
Earth mortars stabilization: A review
Authors: Carreira Inês , Cardoso Isabel Pombo , Faria Paulina
Published: November 2020

Earth as a building material has been gaining a renewed interest due to current environmental and eco-efficiency concerns. Indeed, earth is an ecological and economically efficient material that can also contribute to increase indoor comfort.

However, earth mortars have a limitation: their susceptibility to water. In order to implement a more comprehensive use in indoor and outdoor environments, where there may be contact with water, the inclusion of stabilizing agents has been studied. This article presents a critical literature review of the effect of the most common stabilizers used in earth mortars, specifically: vegetable fibres; binders such as calcium sulfates, air limes and limes with hydraulic properties, cement; and oils. It appears that some of these stabilizers seem to improve the earth mortars resistance to liquid water. However, in most cases, this improvement occurs at the expense of other important properties, which are also discussed.
BIBLICKÁ BABYLONSKÁ VEŽA A ANTICKÍ ĽUDIA. HĽADANIE VLASTNÝCH PREDKOV V STREDOVEKU
Authors: GRZESIK RYSZARD
Published: November 2020

The article is a presentation of ethnogenesis of Slavs in the view of medieval chronicles. Hungarian medieval historiography served as a starting point of the reflection. The author describes how national “Prehistory” was presented in Hungarian chronicles and compares them with the general tendencies in medieval historiography to show the way in which native origins were created. It was a search for a common ascendant of the European people based on the Bible figure of Japhet and the way in which this tradition is related to facts known from ancient history (like the Trojan War) as well as geographical description based on ancient erudition. It was the common explanation of native origins in the entire Western and Eastern Christianity.As a result, the culture of medieval and Pre-Modern Europe united despite the political divisions.
I cento fascicoli delle „Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken“, 1898–2020
Authors: Rando Daniela
Published: November 2020

On the occasion of the 100th issue of the „Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken“, the article offers a retrospective look at the journal, with a focus on the medieval section. It highlights the presentation or edition of Vatican sources, both as a reflection of the Institute’s research and as a constant distinctive feature in the context of international journals. At the same time, the author stresses the journal’s openness to new topics following trends in medieval studies, alongside well-established issues, and the increasingly intense internationalisation resulting from collaboration with other researchers and institutes based in Rome, Italy and abroad. Finally, it expresses the hope that the journal may continue to be a means of fostering research on primary sources, especially in the context of the Repertorium Germanicum.
La Storia dell’Età Moderna nelle „Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Biblioteken“: lo specchio di un secolo di ricerche
Authors: Fosi Irene
Published: November 2020

The article examines the topics relating to the early modern period covered by the journal „Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken“ in the hundred volumes since its first publication. Thanks to the index (1898–1995), published in 1997 and the availability online on the website perpectivia.net (since 1958), it is possible to identify constants and changes in historiographical interests. Initially, the focus was on the publication of sources in the Vatican Secret Archive (now the Vatican Apostolic Archive) relating to the history of Germany. The topics covered later gradually broadened to include the history of the Papacy, the social composition of the Curia and the Papal court and Papal diplomacy with a specific focus on nunciatures, among others. Within a lively historiographical context, connected to historical events in Germany in the 20th century, attention to themes and sources relating to the Middle Ages continues to predominate with respect to topics connected to the early modern period.
Grauzone Privatarchiv
Authors: Erkens Richard
Published: November 2020

As Frédéric Döhl recently noted in his article „Potential und Risiken des Archival Turns in den Digital Humanities für die Musikwissenschaft“ (in: „Archiv für Musikwissenschaft“ 75,4 [2018], pp. 301–320), the hierarchy of accessibility among sources shifts perceptibly during digitalization, and musicology and archives ultimately become something like a dual form of music historiography. This paper tries to argue that the limited accessibility of private archives can be regarded as a parallel phenomenon to the digital multiplication of already known sources, while non-digitized sources increasingly disappear from focus. To avoid unintended consequences that hinder research attempting to open up new sources, it is necessary to find feasible paths to a fruitful handling of such archives at the intersection of the public and private interest. The limitations of temporary research projects in particular complicate the options for exploitation, as the grey area of private archives offers the services of public archives only to a very limited extent. Here, the researcher is often not a user but a supplicant. Considering some of the main problems regarding persisting inaccessibility, reduced opening hours and dealing with archive catalogues (when they exist), this article attempts to determine the potential for a restricted, though fruitful, use of undiscovered sources during ongoing research in which the exploitation of a private archive with an abundance of material is just part of a research project and not its main focus. The discussion is enriched with personal experiences, with two examples from Venice and Florence. These empirical insights were obtained during research on the production mechanisms of Italian opera in the first half of the 18th Century, but could be extended to other interdisciplinary projects that tackle an extensive corpus of heterogeneous sources.
Resilienz und Konstruktion von Sicherheit
Authors: Caruso Amerigo , Hammann Linda
Published: November 2020

Prospero Balbo, the head of a leading Piedmontese noble family, followed a career path similar to that of the versatile French statesman Talleyrand. In the aftermath of 1789, Balbo served under four different regimes: the Old Regime monarchy, the Russian provisional administration of Piedmont in 1799, the Napoleonic empire, and the restored Savoy monarchy. After the short-lived revolutionary movement of 1821 in Sardinia-Piedmont, Prospero lost his job as interior minister and his son, Cesare, was forced into exile. The revolutionary waves of 1820–1821 were the most recent of numerous disruptive events and regime changes that jeopardized Europe and the Atlantic world between the late 1770 s and the early 1820 s. These five decades of revolutionary upheavals, wars, and persistent insecurity forced the traditional elites to mobilize their material, cultural, and social resources to preserve their prestige and power. Based on extensive archival research, this article examines the resilience-strengthening resources and strategies implemented by members of the Balbo family during periods of political turmoil. In doing so, the article aims to develop an analytical and conceptual framework to describe historical processes in terms of resilience and vulnerability. This new approach enables us to look afresh at elite transformations and at the dynamics of political change and continuity in early nineteenth-century Europe.
Cartografía de la probabilidad de ocurrencia a incendios forestales para el estado de Guanajuato: Una aproximación antrópica de sus fuentes de ignición
Authors: Farfán Gutiérrez Michelle
Published: November 2020

La generación de cartografía de probabilidad a incendios es fundamental para lograr el objetivo 15 de la Agenda 2030 de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU). Se desarrolló un modelo espacial explícito para generar dicha cartografía para el estado de Guanajuato. Se integró información espacial de las variables antrópicas distancia a caminos, distancia a zonas urbanas, distancia a usos de suelo agropecuarios y distancia al borde del bosque como potenciales fuentes de ignición en el programa Dinamica EGO. El intervalo de tiempo de calibración fue 2004-2009. Se empleó el método de los pesos de evidencia para establecer la influencia de estas variables en la probabilidad de ocurrencia. Finalmente, se compararon las probabilidades obtenidas con los incendios ocurridos en el año 2017 mediante la prueba estadística curva característica operativa del receptor (ROC). Se obtuvo un valor de área bajo curva (AUC) de 0.7, que considera que el mapa es aceptable para predecir los incendios. La cartografía de susceptibilidad a incendios contribuye a la gestión para conservar los bosques y su biodiversidad.
Influenza A viruses limit NLRP3‐NEK7‐complex formation and pyroptosis in human macrophages
Authors: Boal‐Carvalho Inês , Mazel‐Sanchez Béryl , Silva Filo , Garnier Laure , Yildiz Soner , Bonifacio Joao PPL , Niu Chengyue , Williams Nathalia , Francois Patrice , Schwerk Nicolaus , Schöning Jennifer , Carlens Julia , Viemann Dorothee , Hugues Stephanie , Schmolke Mirco
Published: November 2020

Pyroptosis is a fulminant form of macrophage cell death, contributing to release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. In humans, it depends on caspase 1/4‐activation of gasdermin D and is characterized by the release of cytoplasmic content. Pathogens apply strategies to avoid or antagonize this host response. We demonstrate here that a small accessory protein (PB1‐F2) of contemporary H5N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses (IAV) curtails fulminant cell death of infected human macrophages. Infection of macrophages with a PB1‐F2‐deficient mutant of a contemporary IAV resulted in higher levels of caspase‐1 activation, cleavage of gasdermin D, and release of LDH and IL‐1β. Mechanistically, PB1‐F2 limits transition of NLRP3 from its auto‐repressed and closed confirmation into its active state. Consequently, interaction of a recently identified licensing kinase NEK7 with NLRP3 is diminished, which is required to initiate inflammasome assembly.
Effects of corn straw biochar application on soybean growth and alkaline soil properties
Authors: Liu Defu , Feng Zhenyue , Zhu Hongde , Yu Lihe , Yang Kejun , Yu Song , Zhang Yifei , Guo Wei
Published: November 2020

Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of biochar loading level on soybean growth and physico-chemical properties of alkaline soil. Biochar derived from corn straw was mixed with alkaline soil at 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 10% loading levels and exposed to the natural elements. Soybean was used as the test crop. The results indicated that a single application of biochar positively and significantly improved soybean productivity and quality attributes of the tested alkaline soil. Soybean yield peaked at 5% loading level, but it declined at 10% loading. Applications of biochar at 5% and 10% loading significantly increased total soil porosity by 4.14% and 5.09%, and decreased the soil pH value by 0.07 and 0.24 units, respectively. Biochar addition significantly increased water holding capacity, total organic carbon content, total nitrogen, Olsen-P, available potassium, and cation exchange capacity. The results indicated that applications of corn straw biochar to alkaline soil improved soybean growth and promoted the physico-chemical properties of alkaline soil. However, the negative effects of increased C:N ratios and soil exchange sodium percentages at higher biochar loading levels should be taken into account when applying biochar as amendments to alkaline soils.
Types and terminology of remote project teams
Authors: Krasnokutska Natalia , Podoprykhina Tetiana
Published: November 2020

Purpose – to develop project management terminology.

Findings. This study indicates thе significant changes that occurred in working conditions in the last centuries that led to the new models' formation of employee interaction at enterprises, especially remotely, such as distributed, virtual, and dispersed project teams. Clarification of the terminology of project management indicates the meaning of the term "distributed team". This paper separated the term from several related concepts and demonstrated the benefits of integrating distributed project teams within an enterprise.

Originality/Value. Paper analyzes the term, features and differences of the distributed project team from other types of remote teams. Practical implications. The terminology of remote project team can beused by project managers from a theoretical point of view.

Research limitations/Future research. Future research can focus on the way to manage a distributed project team effectively.

Paper type – theoretical.
GEOTECHNICAL ACCIDENTS OF ROAD STRUTURES AND THEIR LICVIDATION
Authors: Shapiro D. M , Tyutin A. P
Published: November 2020

Geotechnical accidents often occur during road operation. To eliminate their consequences, various measures are required, taking into account the geological features of the site. Three cases of geotechnical accidents of road structures are considered: landslide damage to the bridge cone and the slope of the road embankment; the formation of a local landslide, plastic deformation and loss of stability of the roadbed, settlement of the culvert links; suffusion from the side of the railway cut under the cone of the bridge structure due to damage to the anti-filtration clay screen. In the first case, the reasons for the intensification of the landslide were periodic rises in the level of groundwater, the presence of areas not protected by vegetation, and areas of loose soil. The accident was eliminated by installing an anti-landslide structure made of bored piles, embedded with their lower ends into rocky ground. In the second case, the reasons were waterlogging due to heavy summer rains and melting snow next spring. To eliminate the accident, drainage was arranged in the adjacent territory; the soil was partially replaced, reinforcement with geotextiles was carried out, slopes with a berm were laid, the base of the subgrade was strengthened. In the third case, the removal of soil particles (suffusion) from the side of the railway excavation under the cone of the bridge structure occurred due to damage to the anti-filtration clay screen during the creation of the construction site. After the restoration of the screen and the drainage device, the suffusion was eliminated. The above examples show the importance of engineering and geological substantiation in the design of transport construction facilities.
Modeling the deformation process of a plate with a stress concentrator taking into account the postcritical stage of material deformation
Authors: Wildemann V. E , Tretyakov M. P , Mugaratov A. I
Published: November 2020

Postcritical deformation of a material is a process which is characterized by a decrease of stress during growing deformations as a result of accumulation of structural damage. The design becomes unable to withstand the external load only when zones with weakened connections are developed enough. Evolution of postcritical deformation zones can occur with an increase of the external load applied to the construction. It means that taking into account the softening of the material allows determining the strength and deformation reserves of constructions more accurately. The mathematical formulation of the boundary value problem of supercritical deformation mechanics is given in the paper. The features of the experimental study of the postcritical stage of material deformation are listed. Strain curves of various steels with a long section of softening are obtained. Numerical solutions for the problems of deforming a thin plate with stress concentrators of different geometries under kinematic loading are obtained. Piecewise linear approximations and real strain curves of steel 20 and steel 40Cr4 obtained experimentally are considered. The evolution of zones of postcritical deformation in the material is considered. The correspondence between the value of the decline modulus and the nature of the evolution of the softening zones is determined. A stress plot is constructed that reflects how the complete material deformation diagram is realized near the concentrator. The calculated loading diagrams are constructed. It is noted that even after the appearance of softening zones, an increase in external load is possible. The strength and deformation resources of structures are determined, and the influence of the geometry of the stress concentrator on their values is considered. It is noted that the consideration of softening in modeling the behavior of structures with stress concentrators is appropriate.
Models of hydrogen influence on the mechanical properties of metals and alloys
Authors: Yakovlev Yu. A , Polyanskiy V. A , Sedova Yu. S , Belyaev A. K
Published: November 2020

The article yields a survey of the key models of mechanics that are used to describe the effects of hydrogen embrittlement, hydrogen cracking, and hydrogen-induced destruction. The main attention is paid to models which are used to calculate the stress-strain state of metal samples, parts and machine components and have the potential for specific engineering applications. From a mechanical perspective, the effect of hydrogen on the material properties is a classic problem of the influence of a small parameter, since the hydrogen concentrations critical for the strength and ductility of metals are usually small. In the vast majority of models this effect is reduced to the hydrogen redistribution within the material volume and localization of concentrations in the critical fracture zones. The authors identified four main approaches that allow one to take into account the influence of a small parameter: (i) hydrogen-enhanced decohesion (HEDE), (ii) hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity (HELP), (iii) account for additional internal pressure due to the hydrogen dissolved in metals, and (iv) bi-continuum approach that takes into account the internal hydrogen pressure and weakening of material in the framework of a special model of a solid. The links between the main approaches are established. Systematization of publications was carried out, similarities and differences in the description of the internal transport and accumulation of hydrogen in metals are highlighted. It is indicated that the predominant number of publications is devoted to the HEDE model, but so far there is no published data on the application of this model to real problems of engineering practice; only modeling the results of mechanical tests of cylindrical and prismatic samples were considered. In fact, other less popular approaches have more practical applications. The main unresolved issue in the verification of all models is the local concentration of hydrogen, which is a source of premature destruction of metals under load. All the methods for measuring local concentrations are indirect. Even in the case of applying sophisticated physical methods, mechanical surface preparation is required, which destroys the initial natural concentration of hydrogen. The lack of reliable data on the distribution of hydrogen concentration excludes the possibility of unambiguously determination of all the model parameters. On the one hand, it allows fitting to any experimental data, and on the other hand, it reduces the predictive engineering value of all models, since a qualitative fitting is not sufficient for engineering strength analysis.
A Disruptive Innovation for Upgrading Methane to C3 Commodity Chemicals
Authors: Fonseca Alvaro Amieiro , Heyn Richard H. , Frøseth Morten , Thybaut Joris W. , Poissonnier Jeroen , Meiswinkel Andreas , Zander Hans-Jörg , Canivet Jérôme
Published: November 2020

C123 is a €6.4 million European Horizon 2020 (H2020) integrated project running from 2019 to 2023, bringing together 11 partners from seven different European countries. There are large reserves of stranded natural gas waiting for a viable solution and smaller scale biogas opportunities offering methane feedstocks rich in carbon dioxide, for which utilisation can become an innovation advantage. C123 will evaluate how to best valorise these unexploited methane resources by an efficient and selective transformation into easy-to-transport liquids such as propanol and propanal that can be transformed further into propylene and fed into the US$6 billion polypropylene market. In C123 the selective transformation of methane to C3 hydrocarbons will be realised via a combination of oxidative conversion of methane (OCoM) and hydroformylation, including thorough smart process design and integration under industrially relevant conditions. All C123 technologies exist at TRL3 (TRL = technology readiness level), and the objectives of C123 will result in the further development of this technology to TRL5 with a great focus on the efficient overall integration of not only the reaction steps but also the required purification and separation steps, incorporating the relevant state-of-the-art engineering expertise.
Using Machine Learning for Decreasing State Uncertainty in Planning
Authors: Krivic Senka , Cashmore Michael , Magazzeni Daniele , Szedmak Sandor , Piater Justus
Published: November 2020

We present a novel approach for decreasing state uncertainty in planning prior to solving the planning problem. This is done by making predictions about the state based on currently known information, using machine learning techniques. For domains where uncertainty is high, we define an active learning process for identifying which information, once sensed, will best improve the accuracy of predictions.

We demonstrate that an agent is able to solve problems with uncertainties in the state with less planning effort compared to standard planning techniques. Moreover, agents can solve problems for which they could not find valid plans without using predictions. Experimental results also demonstrate that using our active learning process for identifying information to be sensed leads to gathering information that improves the prediction process.
Biodiversity assessment in the area of Olimpiada Mining and Processing Plant, Polyus Krasnoyarsk
Authors:   Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Ponomareva T. V. , Kovaleva N. M. ,   Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Shishikin A. S. ,   Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Ponomarev E. I. ,   Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Published: November 2020

This article addresses some problems connected with the assessment of biodiversity in the area of Olimpiada Mining and Processing Plant, Polyus Krasnoyarsk. The outcome of two years-long (2018–2019) integrated monitoring of natural and manmade eco-systems is presented. The main landscape types are identified using satellite images and route observation data. The structure of habitat on the natural landscape and in the disturbed areas is estimated, with identification of: the sites with pronounced environmental impact of mining (overburden and waste rock dumps and slopes, manmade water reservoirs and banks); abandoned or reclaimed manmade objects; urban territory of the miners settlement; control (baseline) sites (pyrogenic-nature and primary forest, valley and flood-plain planting). It is emphasized that the soil cover and the thermal background in the test territory has been essentially transformed, which can greatly affect local biodiversity. Inspection of the natural and manmade eco-systems in the area of Olimpiada MPP has revealed 177 species of plants, including 153 species of higher vascular plants, 14 species of mosses and 10 species of lichens. The flora of vascular plants represents 46 families and 112 kinds. The species resistant to anthropogenic transformation are identified. The fauna biodiversity is represented by 34 species of mammals (Mammalia) from 5 orders (insect-eating, rodents, carnivores, cloven-footed and wing-handed animals) as well as by 110 species of birds Aves). The marker species are specified for monitoring of small mammals and birds in the test region. The research findings point at the required monitoring of biodiversity both in the territory of the mining and processing plant and in the adjacent undisturbed baseline area.
Engineering diagnostics of shaft lining in Gubkin Mine
Authors:   GeoStroiMonitoring BelGU, Belgorod, Russia, Sergeev S. V. , Vorobiev E. D. ,   GeoStroiMonitoring BelGU, Belgorod, Russia, Ignatenko I. M. ,   Belgorod State University, Belgorod, Russia, Zinchenko A. V. ,   VIOGEM, Belgorod, Russia
Published: November 2020

Shafts in Gubkin Mine, KMAruda have been in operation since the late 1940s. The shafts are sunk in difficult hydrogeological conditions. At the present time, due to transition to deeper levels, deeper mine dumps are required. It is necessary to reinforce shaft lining in watered rocks. During long-term service of shaft 1, due to corrosion, thickness of liner plates and horizontal ribs has decreased by 1.5–2 and 3–5 mm, respectively (two-side corrosion). As a result, the load-bearing capacity of the tubbing has lowered by 5–7%. At the same time, the actual stresses are not higher than 22 MPa, which is 10 times less than the design compression resistance of gray cast iron as per Construction Code SP 16.13330.2017. Field studies have been performed in Gubkin Mine toward improvement of operating safety of shafts during mineral mining at deeper levels. Stress state diagnostics of lining in shaft 1 shows that the lining preserves its load-bearing capacity in all types of rocks. Thus, safe operation can be continued without extra expenses connected with the lining reinforcement. The field studies in the cage shaft show that pressure on the lining in frozen rocks is 1.5–2 times higher than the design values. It is recommended to continue the studies to estimate effects of possible rock displacements on the lining during further mining.