Continuous Sampling Research Articles

Anthroponyms and Ethnonyms as Markers of the City Identity

Purpose. The article studies peculiarities of anthroponyms and ethnonyms in the city landscape. The purpose of the work is to analyze these components from the point of view of integral approach. The empirical material includes official and unofficial names of Moscow and Chelyabinsk received by continuous sampling from the city Internet sites, literary work illustrations, dictionaries.Results. Attributive phrases with anthroponyms and ethnonyms dominate in the analyzed minor place names. Anthroponyms and ethnonyms concretize the place, the attitude to city objects. Negative or ironical connotations are typical of unofficial minor place names with anthroponyms, while ethnonyms in unofficial minor place names are of-ten neutral. The names of famous politicians, mayors, governors often become the source of transonymization which reflects critical attitude of the city residents to their activity. Abbreviation and wrong usage of the names of admin-istration representatives help create negative connotations of the minor place name.Conclusion. The authors argue that transonymization of anthroponyms in the city linguistic landscape results in the lack of understanding of such minor place names by non-residents, but such rethought nominations of the city objects and phenomena are clear for the residents even when the inefficient representative of the city or region administration leaves the office. On the other hand, mainly the old and middle generations of the city residents recognize and use minor place names with ethnonyms.

Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Ruffed Lemurs? It's Not so Black and White.

Whole food diets in zoos have the potential to reduce microbial contamination and keeper preparation time, whilst also reducing food nutrient breakdown. Given these benefits, it is important to determine whether there is any value in chopping up food. Lemurs (Family Lemuridae) are common in zoos, with over 7500 individuals housed globally. Given their regular occurrence in collections, plus the high incidence of frugivory, lemurs are an excellent taxon to investigate food presentation effects on behavior. A study was undertaken at Beale Wildlife Park on a group of four black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) to investigate food presentation and preference. Animal behavior was recorded using instantaneous focal sampling at 60 s intervals to record state behaviors and continuous focal sampling to record event behaviors in 1-h sessions. Food preference was done by recording the first three food items consumed by individual lemurs. Overall, food manipulation was significantly increased during whole food presentation allowing the lemurs to display species-specific behaviors. Feeding and foraging were highest during very chopped food condition and inactivity was lowest in very chopped food presentation. When looking at aggressive interactions, there was an increase in stealing and locomotion with food during whole food presentation, whereas biting and startle were lower. Proving high-value food items chopped and low-value food items whole could reduce aggression while reduce aggression seen over high-value food items. For food preference, sweet potato was consistently in the top three food items for all lemurs, with beetroot being the second most-picked food item. This suggests that these individuals have a strong preference for food items high in carbohydrates. Keeper preparation time was significantly reduced during whole food preparation. Further research assessing a wider range of zoo-housed species would be beneficial to assess the effects of food presentation on behavior.

Postprandial Effects of Four Test Meals Containing Wholegrain Rye or Refined Wheat Foods on Circulating Incretins, Ghrelin, Glucose, and Inflammatory Markers

BackgroundHigh intake of whole grains has consistently been associated with reduced risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Dietary interventions have shown beneficial metabolic effects of whole grain, but the metabolic response varies with different types of cereals. ObjectivesWe evaluate the metabolic effects of substituting refined wheat with wholegrain rye foods within a complex diet, examining day-long postprandial response of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, (GIP), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), ghrelin, glucose, and inflammatory biomarkers in overweight and obese individuals. MethodsTwenty-nine healthy adults, BMI 32 ± 9 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to three intervention days, separated by one-week washout. Participants adhered to a hypocaloric diet rich in wholegrain rye for one intervention and refined wheat for the second intervention and were randomized to either diet for the third intervention with continuous blood sampling. ResultsNo differences in GIP, GLP-1 or ghrelin levels were found between the diets when measured throughout the whole intervention day. GIP tAUC following the rye-based lunch was 31% (p < 0.05) lower compared with the wheat-based lunch and ghrelin concentrations were 29% (p < 0.05) lower after the rye-based dinner. Baseline HOMA-IR adjusted model, showed 61% (p = 0.015) lower whole-day GLP-1 and 40% (p = 0.03) lower GIP following the rye-based diet. Day-long glucose iAUC was 30% (p <0.001) lower following the rye-based diet and glycemic variability measured as SD reduced (−0.13 mmol/L p = 0.04). The rye-based diet vs refined wheat induced higher glycoprotein N-acetylation A by z-scores (0.36, p = 0.014). ConclusionsOverall, no day-long differences in gut hormone levels were observed, but the wholegrain rye-based vs refined wheat-based dinner showed lower postprandial ghrelin concentrations. The rye-based diet improved day-long glycemic control in individuals with overweight and obesity. Observations of diet-induced inflammation following whole-grain rye intake warrant further investigation. This study was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05004584)https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05004584?locStr=Gothenburg,%20Sweden&country=Sweden&state=V%C3%A4stra%20G%C3%B6taland%20County&city=Gothenburg&distance=50&term=appetite&aggFilters=status:com&rank=1

Advanced detection of foreign objects in fresh-cut vegetables using YOLOv5

The presence of foreign objects in fresh-cut vegetables has become a significant concern for the industry in recent years. Ensuring the safety of consumers and suppliers necessitates comprehensive precautionary measures. This study introduces a novel approach for detecting foreign objects in fresh-cut vegetables using YOLOv5. The results indicate that YOLOv5s excels in identifying foreign objects with a high detection accuracy of 98.30%, a rapid inference time of 2.6 ms, and a compact model size of 13.3 MB. The model effectively identified foreign objects such as transparent and colored plastic, paper, wood, stone, insects, glass, and metal. Moreover, YOLOv5s accurately detected foreign objects with color similarities to green onions, which is particularly challenging due to their wide color variation. Hence, the foreign objects dataset was tested and generated 98.63% and 98.67% for cabbage and green onion, respectively. Additionally, YOLOv5s successfully detected small foreign objects (2–3 mm) in two types of fresh-cut vegetables. Despite its excellent performance, the YOLOv5s model struggles to identify foreign objects that overlap with vegetable samples. To address this issue, installing an automatic conveyor unit could facilitate continuous sample movement, while a feeder unit could reduce the possibility of overlap. This research demonstrates the feasibility of implementing the YOLOv5s, as a non-destructive technique for detecting foreign objects in fresh-cut vegetables. The findings contribute to the development of an accurate, fast, and efficient real-time inspection system, with potential applications in the fresh-cut vegetable industry to enhance product quality and safety.

Ancient Yi Script Handwriting Sample Repository

The ancient Yi script has been used for over 8000 years, which can be ranked with Oracle,Sumerian,Egyptian,Mayan and Harappan,and is one of the six ancient scripts in the world. In this article, we collected 2922 handwritten single word samples of commonly used ancient Yi characters. Each character was written by 310 people respectively, with a total of 427,939 valid characters. We completed continuous handwritten text sampling, written by 250 people, with 5 texts per person, covering topics such as Yi astronomy, geography, rituals, and agriculture. In the process of data collection, we proposed an automatic sampling method for ancient Yi script, and completed the automatic cutting and labeling of handwritten samples. Furthermore, we tested the recognition performance of the sorted data set under different deep learning network models. The results show that ancient Yi script has diverse shape structures and rich writing styles, which can be used as a benchmark data set in related fields such as handwritten text recognition and handwritten text generation.

АНАЛИЗ ОБЪЕМА ПОТРЕБЛЕНИЯ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННЫХ ПРЕПАРАТОВ ПРИ ЛЕЧЕНИИ ЭПИЛЕПСИИ В СТАЦИОНАРЕ

The article presents the results of the study of the volume of consumption of medicinal drugs for the treatment of patients diagnosed with epilepsy. As a result of retrospective processing of case histories (continuous sampling for 2021-2023) obtained in the inpatient department of the Clinic of Nervous Diseases named after A.Y. Kozhevnikov of Sechenov University, we identified medicines with the highest NDDD value (number of defined daily doses) for each of the 8 allocated clinical and statistical groups. Among all clinical and statistical groups, the G40.0 group had the highest consumption. In clinical and statistical groups G40.0, G40.8 and G40.9, valproic acid and levetiracetam were found to have the highest NDDD value. In addition, the consumption volume analysis showed that in clinical and statistical group G40.8, the neuroleptics quetiapine and teraligene are used relatively more frequently than in other diagnoses. In clinical and statistical groups G40.1, G40.2, and G40.4, the medicines valproic acid, levetiracetam, and lamotrigine were used, respectively. B vitamins accounted for the highest consumption among all clinical and statistical groups, except for G40.2. The results obtained may become the basis for the development of recommendations to optimize the use of medicines and improve the quality of drug care for patients with epilepsy at the inpatient stage.

Agricultural spray drone deposition, Part 2: Operational height and nozzle influence pattern uniformity, drift, and weed control

Abstract Agricultural spray drone (ASD) use in managed turfgrass has been given limited attention in the scientific literature. Further, deposition patterns of ASD spray have been obscured in previous research by ambient wind, crop canopy interference, and limited sampling resolution. Using a continuous sampling method involving blue colorant and water sprayed over white Kraft paper that was assessed via digital image analysis of stain objects and referenced spectrophotometric analysis of extractant, deposition metrics were estimated across a 29.3-m transect perpendicular to an ASD or ground sprayer spray swath. The ASD applies very fine droplets that are highly concentrated with herbicide, similar to ultra-low volume treatments, that improved smooth crabgrass [Digitaria ischemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl.] control compared to a ground sprayer when the ASD was operated at 2 m above the turf. Unfortunately, these very fine droplets also drift, leading to four times greater droplet density at distance of almost 12 m away from the targeted spray swath following an operational height of 10 m compared to that at 2 m. As ASD operational height increases, drift and effective swath width at 30% coefficient of variation uniformity increases while effective application rate, total deposition, and D. ischemum control by quinclorac herbicide decreased. Total deposition decreased 6% for each m increase in ASD operational height, likely due to evaporation. The potential losses due to evaporation is a serious consideration for ASD use that has received little attention in the scientific literature. Our data suggest that ASD operational height should be as low as possible, but modification of spray systems may be needed to improve homogeneity of spray pattern.

Academic journal website from the user’s perspective

Professional community recommendations on the content of academic journal websites mostly include criteria for indexing in databases, however these recommendations do not consider the authors’ and reviewers’ perspective on the website contents and design. To address this, we analyzed these recommendations through a survey of 198 Russian academic journal authors and reviewers, using a continuous sampling technique. The survey took place in April and May 2024. The questionnaire was based on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing by COPE, DOAJ etc. The survey also focused on the journal website content, design, mobile version, and publication strategy of academic journal website users. We analyzed the survey results for two partially overlapping sets of authors who published in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and Russian Citation Science Index Core, or in journals listed by the Higher Attestation Commission of Russian Federation. The study revealed that both COPE’s recommendations and users of academic websites value information regarding aims and scope of the journal, copyright fees, review policies, timelines for the editorial and publication process, and licensing. However, Russian authors and reviewers put less emphasis on website sections that address ethical principles and authorship criteria. They prioritize having an online editorial office, security certification, scientific journal indexing and abstracting information, additional educational materials, and the ability to customize the website for devices with different screen sizes. We also discuss the importance of HTML meta tags for promoting the journal’s website. The findings of the research may contribute to promotion of Russian academic journals in international databases, improve the efficiency of communication between authors, reviewers and editors, and develop a set of recommendations that complement international publishing conventions.

The Impact of Puzzle Feeders, Ice-Pops and Artificial Seaweed on Captive Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) Behaviour

Environmental enrichment is used in zoos and aquaria to improve animal welfare through the stimulation of naturalistic behaviours and reduction of stereotypic behaviours. This study investigated the impact of new enrichment items on the behaviour of a group of captive adult harbour seals. Data were collected in summer-autumn 2023 using continuous scan sampling and all behaviours one-zero recording method for 1-minute intervals (4 hours/day, 8 days). Under standard enrichment conditions, more than 90% of the seals’ behavioural budget was represented by naturalistic behaviours, with low levels of pattern group swimming, which occurred mainly before the two daily shows. Group swimming decreased and random swimming increased before the seal shows on days with new enrichment, but these differences were not statistically significant. The presence of new enrichment items led to a significant increase in exploration and a significant decrease in group swimming only during the morning periods when the new items were actually present in the enclosure (p&lt;0.05, Kruskal Wallis test). During these periods the seals interacted most frequently with the submersed fish-filled puzzle feeders and least frequently with the floating artificial seaweed. This study concluded that new environmental enrichment may be beneficial even for seals displaying low levels of stereotypic behaviours as it provides more behavioural choices and helps promote active naturalistic exploratory behaviours which may alleviate captivity induced stress and improve welfare.

Linguistic and stylistic and linguacultural features of the oral and written discourse “scientific conference” (based on the international conference on scientific communication)

INTRODUCTION. The analysis of the role of the language expressive function in oral-written scientific and popular scientific sub-styles is carried out; the objectives of the work are defined; the relevance of the study is substantiated, emphasizing the fact that the oral-written text of the scientific style remains insufficiently studied to date; stylistic characteristics of the studied genre are given and, based on this, a working hypothesis for the expected results is put forward.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study of linguostylistic expressive means is conducted on the materials of English and Russian speakers’ presentations of the annual scientific and practical conference of the Foreign Languages Department of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. In the course of the study, a comparative analysis of the approaches to report writing of two Englishspeaking and three Russian-speaking speakers was carried out using the method of continuous sampling of all stylistic devices in the speeches of the speakers at the conference.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Similarities and differences in approaches to speechwriting for a scientific conference between native and non-native English speakers are revealed. Almost all speakers actively use expressive language means regardless of whether they are native or not. The dominant stylistic devices are repetition, metaphor, and phraseological unit.CONCLUSION. The results contradict the general idea of the normativity and strictness of this style. The approach to presentation texts writing is rather determined by the individual preferences of the speaker, the topic of the speech specifics and personal experience of participating in such events than by attachment to the status of a native or non-native speaker. Prospects for further research may include in the spectrum of analysis a larger number of samples of conference speeches and/or representatives of nonEuropean regions for a better understanding of the relationship between the cultural code and scientific discourse.

Cost of epilepsy in the Russian Federation

Background. Epilepsy underdiagnosis in Russia, population aging, innovative drugs and expensive treatment regimens, the introduction of additional and alternative methods such as neurosurgery, annually increase the cost for treatment of epilepsy patients. In this regard, an issue of maximizing benefits for the largest number of the population becomes relevant. Pharmacoeconomical research within the assessment of healthcare technologies helps to choose the most economically and medically effective treatment strategy among numerous alternatives.Objective: analysis of epilepsy-associated costs in the Russian Federation, aimed at supporting decision-making processes in the field of health policy and financing.Material and methods. The empirical study was based on collecting the data on a continuous sampling of 384 epilepsy outpatient records from subjects aged 19 to 79 years for the period 2019–2022. The issues related to all costs of epilepsy were discussed. While planning, conducting and analyzing these studies, the principles of strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) were taken into account.Results. The total annual per-patient expenditure on epilepsy treatment comprised a fifth of gross domestic product per capita. Indirect costs exceed direct cost savings. It was found out that the economic damage caused to society, family, and individual related to epilepsy is three times higher than the direct costs.Conclusion. The results obtained are consistent with other publications in which unemployment among epilepsy patients is one of the major cost-determining factors and illustrates a critical need to maintain employment for such patients or to find suitable alternative work through professional retraining.

Tracking the impact of typhoons on maize growth and recovery using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data: A case study of Northeast China

The increasing frequency of typhoon events, attributed to global climate change, has significantly affected agricultural production, predominantly resulting in substantial negative consequences. Accurate and timely assessment of crop damage is crucial for understanding economic implications, devising effective agricultural strategies, and enhancing resilience amid mounting climate uncertainties. This study investigates the utility of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) data in tracking maize damage severity following typhoon events. By employing continuous field sampling techniques and conducting visual interpretation of high-resolution remote sensing imagery, sample sets representing a spectrum of maize damage severity were systematically established. The application of time series analysis on Sentinel data enables a comprehensive exploration of spectral and polarization responses, providing insights into the correlation with maize damage severity. Segmentation of the maize damage timeline into pre-disaster, disaster, and recovery periods, coupled with optimization of relevant feature parameters, was undertaken to bolster monitoring precision. Leveraging the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform, a Random Forest algorithm was used to develop a model for monitoring maize damage severity across different post-typhoon periods, yielding maps delineating the distribution and magnitude of maize damage in Northeast China. Results indicate that integrating spectral indices from the pre-disaster phase with backscatter variations of polarization bands during various post-typhoon periods enhances maize damage assessment. Maize damage severity is notably elevated during the disaster period, achieving an overall accuracy of 87.22 %. While mitigated during the recovery phase, localized exacerbation occurs in severely affected regions, yielding an overall accuracy of 88.54 %. Analysis incorporating terrain and meteorological data reveals that post-typhoon maize disasters predominantly occur in low-lying and flat areas, with meteorological factors, particularly maximum wind speed and daily cumulative precipitation, exerting significant influence on damage severity. This study underscores the critical role of SAR and optical data fusion in elucidating typhoon-induced crop damage dynamics, thereby providing essential insights for proactive mitigation strategies against future agricultural losses.

CFD-DEM simulation and experimental investigations on continuous hydraulic sampling of deep-sea polymetallic nodules

The physical sampling to grasp the distribution of deep-sea polymetallic nodules is essential for efficient mining. A hydraulic sampling scheme is proposed that balances low environmental disturbance, high sampling precision, broad coverage, and statistical data viability to address the limitations of existing methods. This paper utilizes a coupled approach of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) to explore innovative solutions for precise and continuous hydraulic sampling of deep-sea polymetallic nodules. Focusing on the optimization of the double-row nozzle sampling mechanism design, simulations are conducted to analyze the dynamic characteristics of solid-liquid two-phase flow during the hydraulic sampling process under various nozzle configurations and operational water pressures of the pump. Laboratory experiments with the hydraulic sampling mechanism validate the accuracy of the simulation and the effectiveness of the optimization suggestions. The configuration is finalized with a front nozzle diameter of 10 × φ9 mm, a rear nozzle diameter of 10 × φ7 mm, and an initial working water pressure for the pump of 80 kPa. Subsequently, integrated driving-sampling experiments are conducted using a self-propelled tracked vehicle, validating the feasibility of the proposed configuration.

Efficiently Improving Laboratory Workflow with Continuous Sample Loading by Validating the COBAS 5800 for HIV and HCV Viral Loads

Abstract Introduction/Objective A regional veteran affairs medical center (VAMC) was using the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS Taqman (Roche, Basel Switzerland) with a throughput of 72 tests/8 hours without continuous loading capability. However, a newer cobas 5800 System (Roche, Basel Switzerland) was validated to allow for continuous loading with better parameters for workflow including 144 tests/per 8 hours with a capacity for continuous loading of samples without batching. As validation experiences between the two instruments is sparse in the literature, the validation is described. Methods/Case Report The validation process included a linearity study using 24 samples with levels (100, 600, 6,000, 60,000, 600,000, 2,000,000, and 6,000,000 copies/mL for HIV and 100, 300, 3,000, 30,000, 300,000, 3,000,000, and 30,000,000 copies/mL for HCV) across the analytical range, a precision study at a low (1,000 copies/mL) and high (100,000 copies/mL for HIV, 1,000,000 copies/ML for HCV) values of a triplicate run over 5 days, an accuracy study based on the precision study, a limit of detection study using 20 control samples at the limit of detection, control monitoring (high and low positive controls) over 9 runs, and a method correlation between the Cobas 5800 and the Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS Taqman. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) The validation study resulted as expected. For the method correlation, the results were plotted and evaluated with an R2 of 0.937 (HIV from 91 samples) and 0.9646 (HCV from 74 samples). Linearity across the analytical range had an R2 of 0.9967 (HIV) and 0.9950 (HCV). All samples were detected at the limit of detection study. Both the accuracy and precision yielded expected results. The values from running the controls (high and low positive) over 9 runs remained within the expected range and within two standard deviations for all runs. Conclusion The COBAS 5800, which has improved capabilities compared to the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS Taqman, was validated for clinical use successfully.

Features of the language of Platon Oyunsky's poetic works

The study of the linguistic and stylistic features of works, both in scholarly and practical terms, is relevant for stimulating the further development and improvement of the stylistic capabilities of the writer's language. The study of the linguistic richness of the poetic works by Platon Alekseevich Sleptsov-Oyunsky (1893-1939), one of the founders of Yakut Soviet literature, poet, prose writer, playwright and philologist, and his stylistic and artistic-visual means makes it possible not only to deeply and comprehensively evaluate the poet's works, but also helps to study the Yakut literary language, as well as the state of the art of the word of the first half of the twentieth century. In the Oyunsky’s poetry, the rich pictorial possibilities and artistic forms of the Yakut vocabulary are revealed. The language of Oyunsky's poetic works forms a peculiar style of the writer, which determines the ideas, thoughts of the poet, his mood. The material for studying the language of Oyunsky's poetry was the texts of the poet's poetic works from the book "Selected Works" (volume 1, 1992). The study used the method of continuous sampling and the descriptive method. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the special, heroic, revolutionary style of the poet was created through his use of neologisms, paired, doubled words, synonyms, antonyms. Sensitivity to language, characteristic of the poet, is clearly manifested in the diverse implementation of linguistic means. In the Oyunsky’s poetry, semantic, lexical and stylistic innovations of general artistic means of expression are widely used.

SUBDIALECTAL DISCOURSE AND PECULIARITIES OF ITS MENTAL CONTINUUM IN THE LENS OF THE MODERN LINGUISTIC PARADIGM

The article is devoted to the study of specific features of subdialectal discourse and its mental continuum, viewed through the prism of modern linguistic theories. The purpose of the research is to study and describe the functioning and structure features, as well as the specifics of the linguarium of subdialectal discourse. The object of the study is the subdialectal discourse, which covers speech practices recorded in the village of Pishchanyi Brid, Novoukrainskyi district, Kirovohrad region. The subject of the study is the mental continuum of the subdialect speakers, which includes knowledge, perceptions and assessments related to various aspects of their lives. The source of the study was the speech recordings of the native speakers, i.e. the textual corpus of the subdialect. The methods used in the study were modelling, hypothetical method, deductive and inductive methods, descriptive method, observation method, taxonomic method, and continuous sampling method. The peculiarity of the study of subdialectal speech in discourse studies lies in the analysis of the composition of usages, the specifics of the composition of the linguarium and its influence on the structure of discourse, expression of thoughts, interaction of speakers and the formation of the ethnographic identity of peasants who speak the subdialect. The discourse approach allows us to better understand the speech process in a specific socio-cultural and geographical setting, as well as the interaction of speakers within the dialect environment. It involves analysing the discourse of the language group in question, identifying specific lexical, grammatical and phonetic features that are characteristic of certain socio-cultural groups. The metalinguistic interpretation of discourse types in the linguistic paradigm presents dialectal discourse as a reflection of real language use, a set of idiolects and an indicator of changes in the language. The household, ceremonial, religious and existential knowledge contained in the dialect discourse is critical to the well-being and cultural integrity of rural communities. In particular, household knowledge encompasses practical skills in housekeeping, agriculture and crafts. Ceremonial and religious knowledge includes traditions, rituals and beliefs that support the spiritual life and cultural identity of the community, and existential knowledge is related to the understanding of life, death and moral values, helping community members navigate difficult life situations. Prospects for the study include a meta-analysis of dialectal discourse, which can be expressed in different ways in individual subdialects, the development of new methods for studying dialectal language in the digital environment, and the integration of interdisciplinary approaches for a deeper understanding of speech practices and cultural characteristics of speakers.

Матрица когнитивных фильтров – инструмент анализа лингвокреатем в современном онлайн-дискурсе на английском языке

The article introduces the matrix of cognitive filters as a research method that makes it possible to model the process of inferring the meaning of lingua-createmes in multimodal online discourse. Multimodal linguistic systems are based on a complex interaction of multimodal components. These components combine with basic cognitive mechanisms in decoding various complex phenomena in digital Internet discourse. The research revealed a classification of key cognitive mechanisms that generate the meaning of creative multimodal elements: banner blindness, evaluative categorization, conceptualization, (de)compression of information, profiling, conceptual metaphor, conceptual metaphthonymy, and conceptual integration. The research material involved 18,000 monomodal verbal and multimodal lingua-createmes selected by continuous sampling from English-language Internet resources, as well as visual and verbal corpora. The method proved effective in modelling the general cognitive resonance of lingua-createmes and predicting cognitive resonance / dissonance (positive or negative) in communication. The practical lingua-cognitive experiment involved 335 English-speaking respondents from eleven countries. They were asked to use the matrix of cognitive filters to perform a step-by-step decoding of several creative multimodal elements. The method proved highly effective for detecting cognitive resonance or mental tension, i.e., positive or negative cognitive dissonance. The method demonstrated good prospects for obtaining additional data on reactions to lingua-creative discursive elements.

Unveiling the dynamics of intraoperative contamination in total hip arthroplasty: the discrepancy between particulate and microbial contamination in surgical site infection risk

BackgroundSurgical site infection (SSI) is a major problem following total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study investigated the impact of a standard intraoperative routine where the surgical team wears full-body exhaust suits (space suits) within a laminar airflow (LAF)-ventilated operating room (OR) on environmental contamination. Our primary objective was to identify potential modifiable intraoperative factors that could be better controlled to minimize SSI risk.MethodsWe implemented an approach involving simultaneous and continuous air sampling throughout actual primary cementless THA procedures. This method concurrently monitored both airborne particle and microbial contamination levels from the time the patient entered the OR for surgery until extubation.ResultsAirborne particulate and microbial contamination significantly increased during the first and second patient repositionings (postural changes) when the surgical team was not wearing space suits. However, their concentration exhibited inconsistent changes during the core surgical procedures, between incision and suturing, when the surgeons wore space suits. The microbial biosensor detected zero median microbes from draping to suturing. In contrast, the particle counter indicated a significant level of airborne particles during head resection and cup press-fitting, suggesting these procedures might generate more non-viable particles.ConclusionsThis study identified a significant portion of airborne particles during the core surgical procedures as non-viable, suggesting that monitoring solely for particle counts might not suffice to estimate SSI risk. Our findings strongly support the use of space suits for surgeons to minimize intraoperative microbial contamination within LAF-ventilated ORs. Therefore, minimizing unnecessary traffic and movement of unsterile personnel is crucial. Additionally, since our data suggest increased contamination during patient repositioning, effectively controlling contamination during the first postural change plays a key role in maintaining low microbial contamination levels throughout the surgery. The use of sterile gowns during this initial maneuver might further reduce SSIs. Further research is warranted to investigate the impact of sterile attire on SSIs.

Enhancing Sensitivity in Detecting Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus: Development of a Reverse Transcription-Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a highly fatal disease. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) presents unparalleled sensitivity and enables absolute quantification of viral load. In this prospective study, we enrolled 111 patients with SFTS and collected 259 continuous samples. Our findings unveil a robust reverse transcription (RT)-ddPCR method for SFTS with a limit of detection of 2.46 copies/µL (95% CI, 1.50-11.05), surpassing the sensitivity of RT-quantitative polymerase chain reaction at 103.29 copies/µL (95% CI, 79.69-216.35). Longitudinal cohort analysis revealed significantly higher RT-ddPCR detection rates at days 10 to 11, 13 to 14, and ≥15 of the disease course as compared with RT-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (P < .05). Positive RT-ddPCR results were associated with declined platelet and elevated aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase on the same day vs negative RT-ddPCR samples. RT-ddPCR exhibits commendable diagnostic efficacy in SFTS, and it remains detectable in blood samples from patients with an extended disease course. Furthermore, RT-ddPCR correlates with clinical laboratory tests, furnishing valuable reference data for clinical diagnosis.

Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Evidence From Trinidad and Tobago

Using a quantitative research approach, this study aims at investigating the wage returns and the gender wage gap of Trinidad and Tobago’s minority groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. To do this, data from the Continuous Sample Survey of Population (CSSP), for the period 1991–2015, is used to estimate a Mincerian earnings function via the quantile regression method, after which the standard Oaxaca–Blinder Decomposition method is employed to decompose the wage differentials. This analysis revealed that regardless of ethnic class (i.e. minority group [persons who are of mixed, white, Syrian/Lebanese, Chinese, and other heritage] or majority group [persons of an Indian and African heritage]), there are more men trained in STEM than women. While the average earnings of female minority workers in STEM are higher than that of male minority workers, the earnings of male majority workers are higher than that of female majority workers. The gender wage gap between minority workers in STEM appears to be much more prominent (9.8%) than that of majority workers (8.5%). This implies that the issue of gender inequality in STEM is more pronounced amongst minority workers in Trinidad and Tobago.