High Degree Of Specialization Research Articles

Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls.

Dietary supplements (DS) may be beneficial for athletes in certain situations, whereas incorrect or excessive use may impair performance, pose a risk to the athlete's health and cause positive doping tests by containing prohibited substances. To provide athletes with relevant and tailored information on safe supplement use, a better knowledge about DS trends over time and between sport disciplines are needed. This study examines the use of DS among athletes who have participated in doping controls by extracting information derived from 10,418 doping control forms (DCF) collected by Anti-Doping Norway from 2015 to 2019. Overall, 51% of the DCFs contained information about at least one DS. National level athletes (NLA) more often reported using DS than recreational athletes (RA) (53 vs. 47%, p < 0.001). Athletes in strength and power (71%), VO2max endurance (56%) and muscular endurance sports (55%) had the highest proportion of DCFs with information about DS. Medical supplements were the most used supplement category for both genders and across all sports. Dietary supplements with a high risk of containing doping substances were most common among male, RA in strength and power sports. There were small and non-significant year-to-year variations in the prevalence of athletes using DS, while the number of products used concomitantly peaked in 2017 before declining in 2019 (2.30 vs. 2.08, p < 0.01). The use of medical supplements and ergogenic substances increased slightly for both NLA and RA from 2015 to 2019, while the use of all other supplement categories declined. Half of the 10,418 DCFs contained information about DS, with variations within the athlete population. DS with high risk of containing prohibited substances were mostly seen in sport disciplines requiring a high degree of specialization in strength/power, including powerlifting and weightlifting, as well as in some team sports, such as cheerleading and american football.

From global to regional? New realities of international migration to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Commentary on “Buenos Aires. From successful city/nation-building to fragmented amalgamation” by Marcelo Cavarozzi

ABSTRACT In “Buenos Aires. From successful city/nation-building to fragmented amalgamation”, Marcelo Cavarozzi details the connection between immigration and the construction of Buenos Aires as a global city. Cavarozzi analyzes the evolution of economic segregation in Buenos Aires by describing how the spatial order that separated the city centre from its surrounding areas developed. This commentary takes over where Cavarozzi’s paper ends and describes the changing composition of the immigrant population of Buenos Aires since the 1970s in comparison to U.S. cities. The growth of the Latin American population and the decline in immigration from other areas have resulted in a high degree of specialization of international migration to Buenos Aires, transforming the city from a global to a regional immigrant destination. Buenos Aires has also experienced changes in the national origin of immigrant flows with important differences between the Capital Federal and Gran Buenos Aires.

Scenarios of change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates.

Mountains are among the natural systems most affected by climate change, and mountain mammals are considered particularly imperiled, given their high degree of specialization to narrow tolerance bands of environmental conditions. Climate change mitigation policies, such as the Paris Agreement, are essential to stem climate change impacts on natural systems. But how significant is the Paris Agreement to the survival of mountain mammals? We investigated how alternative emission scenarios may determine change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates in 2050. We based our predictions of future change in species niches based on how species have responded to past environmental changes, focusing on the probabilities of niche shrink and niche stability. We found that achieving the Paris Agreement's commitments would substantially reduce climate instability for mountain species. Specifically, limiting global warming to below 1.5°C would reduce the probability of niche shrinkage by 4% compared with a high-emission scenario. Globally, carnivores showed greater niche shrinkage than ungulates, whereas ungulates were more likely to shift their niches (i.e., face a level of climate change that allows adaptation). Twenty-three species threatened by climate change according to the IUCN Red List had greater niche contraction than other species we analyzed (3% higher on average). We therefore argue that climate mitigation policies must be coupled with rapid species-specific conservation intervention and sustainable land-use policies to avoid high risk of loss of already vulnerable species.

Multiscale imaging reveals the presence of autophagic vacuoles in developing maize endosperm.

Cereal endosperm is solely devoted to the storage of proteins and starch that will be used by the embryo upon germination. The high degree of specialization of this tissue is reflected in its endomembrane system, in which ER derived protein bodies and protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) are of particular interest. In maize seeds, the main storage proteins are zeins, that form transport incompetent aggregates within the ER lumen and finally build protein bodies that bud from the ER. In contrast to the zeins, the maize globulins are not very abundant and the vacuolar storage compartment of maize endosperm is not fully described. Whereas in other cereals, including wheat and barley, the PSV serves as the main protein storage compartment, only small, globulin-containing PSVs have been identified in maize so far. We present here a multi-scale set of data, ranging from live-cell imaging to more sophisticated 3D electron microscopy techniques (SBF-SEM), that has allowed us to investigate in detail the vacuoles in maize endosperm cells, including a novel, autophagic vacuole that is present in early developmental stages.

Bat-parasite interaction networks in urban green areas in northeastern Brazil.

Interaction networks can provide detailed information regarding ecological systems, helping us understand how communities are organized and species are connected. The goals of this study were to identify the pattern of interaction between bats and ectoparasites in urban green areas of Grande Aracaju, Sergipe, and calculate connectance, specialization, nesting, modularity and centrality metrics. Bats were captured using 10 mist nets inside and on the edges of the fragments, and the collected ectoparasites were stored in 70% alcohol. All analyses were performed using R software. The interaction network consisted of 10 species of bats and 13 ectoparasites. Connectivity was considered low (0.12). The specialization indices for ectoparasites ranged from 0.50 to 1.00, and the value obtained for the network was 0.96, which is high. The observed nesting metric was low (wNODF = 1.47), whereas the modularity was high (wQ = 0.74), indicating that the studied network had a modular topology. All centrality metrics had low values. The observed modularity may have been caused by the evolutionary history of the bats and ectoparasites involved and the high specificity index of the interactions. The low centrality values may be associated with low connectivity and a high degree of specialization. This study provides relevant information on bat–parasite interactions in an urban environment, highlighting the need for further studies to improve our understanding of host–parasite interaction networks.

Connectomic analysis of thalamus-driven disinhibition in cortical layer 4.

Sensory signals are transmitted via the thalamus primarily to layer 4 (L4) of the primary sensory cortices. While information about average neuronal connectivity in L4 is available, its detailed higher-order circuit structure is not known. Here, we used three-dimensional electron microscopy for a connectomic analysis of the thalamus-driven inhibitory network in L4. We find that thalamic input drives a subset of interneurons with high specificity, which in turn target excitatory neurons with subtype specificity. These interneurons create a directed disinhibitory network directly driven by the thalamic input. Neuronal activity recordings show that strong synchronous sensory activation yields about 1.5-fold stronger activation of star pyramidal cells than spiny stellates, in line with differential windows of opportunity for activation of excitatory neurons in the thalamus-driven disinhibitory circuit model. With this, we have identified a high degree of specialization of the microcircuitry in L4 of the primary sensory cortex.

Opportunities of the Technological Trends Linked to Industry 4.0 for Achieve Sustainable Manufacturing Objectives

In this work, we integrate the concepts of Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, and sustainable manufacturing in a model that provides a conceptual framework for the study of long-term solutions with a high degree of specialization, according to the specific context of each investigation. This study offers a holistic analysis and evaluation of the main challenges facing the Industry 4.0 concept. We also diagnose the current methodological proposals aimed at solving the challenges of Industry 4.0 and sustainability using a systemic review of the literature from the past 5 years. Firstly, we identify 14 technological trends linked to Industry 4.0. Subsequently, the trends are integrated into the proposed model to identify opportunities, evaluating their relationship with three performance areas. This allows the identification of trends that present the greatest number of opportunities in the context of sustainability. The second stage complements the literature review with a descriptive analysis of the studies and discusses the findings. The study concludes that the identified technological trends positively impact Industry 4.0 challenges, helping to achieve sustainable manufacturing objectives.

Nanoplastic incorporation into an organismal skeleton

Studies on the effects of global marine plastic pollution have largely focused on physiological responses of few organism groups (e.g., corals, fishes). Here, we report the first observation of polymer nanoparticles being incorporated into the calcite skeleton of a large benthic foraminifera (LBF), a significant contributor to global carbonate production. While previous work on LBF has documented selectivity in feeding behaviour and a high degree of specialization regarding skeletal formation, in this study, abundant cases of nanoplastic encrustation into the calcite tests were observed. Nanoplastic incorporation was associated with formation of new chambers, in conjunction with rapid nanoplastic ingestion and subsequent incomplete egestion. Microalgae presence in nanoplastic treatments significantly increased the initial feeding response after 1 day, but regardless of microalgae presence, nanoplastic ingestion was similar after 6 weeks of chronic exposure. While ~ 40% of ingesting LBF expelled all nanoplastics from their cytoplasm, nanoplastics were still attached to the test surface and subsequently encrusted by calcite. These findings highlight the need for further investigation regarding plastic pollution impacts on calcifying organisms, e.g., the function of LBF as potential plastic sinks and alterations in structural integrity of LBF tests that will likely have larger ecosystem-level impacts on sediment production.

An archaeometric study of the Konya basin metallic ware through FTIR and XRD analysis with chemometrics: Central Anatolian Early Bronze Age ceramics

AbstractFourier‐transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction and chemometrics were used to characterize the mineralogical composition and firing conditions of 59 Early Bronze Age ceramic sherds from the Konya Plain (Turkey). These include the Konya Basin Metallic Ware (KBMW) and a control group of contemporary local products. The analysis indicates significant differences in mineral inclusions and firing temperatures, with KBMW generally being fired above 800°C and characterized by standardized fabric recipes. Assessed together with other published evidence, these results indicate a high degree of specialization in the production of KBMW ceramic assemblages in central Anatolia during the third millennium BCE.

Evaluation of advances in cortical development using model systems.

Compared with that of even the closest primates, the human cortex displays a high degree of specialization and expansion that largely emerges developmentally. Although decades of research in the mouse and other model systems has revealed core tenets of cortical development that are well preserved across mammalian species, small deviations in transcription factor expression, novel cell types in primates and/or humans, and unique cortical architecture distinguish the human cortex. Importantly, many of the genes and signaling pathways thought to drive human-specific cortical expansion also leave the brain vulnerable to disease, as the misregulation of these factors is highly correlated with neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, creating a comprehensive understanding of human-specific cognition and disease remains challenging. Here, we review key stages of cortical development and highlight known or possible differences between model systems and the developing human brain. By identifying the developmental trajectories that may facilitate uniquely human traits, we highlight open questions in need of approaches to examine these processes in a human context and reveal translatable insights into human developmental disorders.

Paradigmatic foundations of health resorts’ municipal economics (case of Russia’s urban districts)

The scientific paradigm of exploring health resort towns’ municipal economies is just emerging and becomes a relevant research issue, because the problems of maintaining, promoting and restoring population health have been gaining particular significance recently. The paper aims to generalise about and systematise the scientific heritage concerning the factors behind and conditions of appearance, as well as peculiarities of economic structure and dynamics of urban settlements, the principal function of which is providing health resort services. The methodological basis of the research rests on an interdisciplinary approach that combines the achievements of economic and social geography (principles underlying the typology of settlements), economic sociology (theory of the consumer society), and municipal science (municipal economics as its main part). The research benefits from methods of systematisation and formalisation, bibliometric analysis and content analysis. As a result, the study explicates the scientific paradigm of the research of health resorts’ municipal economies and exemplifies it by the case of Russia’s urban districts; identifies essential characteristics of the concept “urban district of a health resort type”; and justifies the peculiarities of functioning and transformation of municipal economies of health resort towns. The said peculiarities include special infrastructure, high degree of specialisation, distinct seasonality of municipal economy, dependence of business activities on the characteristics of the arriving population. The theoretical and methodological findings allow organising scientific achievements in the field of functioning and transformation of the municipal economies of health resort towns and outlining the directions for further exploration to complete the paradigmatic foundations and determine the key predictors of the future dynamics and economic growth.

Deconvolution of the hematopoietic stem cell microenvironment reveals a high degree of specialization and conservation

SummaryUnderstanding the regulation of normal and malignant human hematopoiesis requires comprehensive cell atlas of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) regulatory microenvironment. Here, we develop a tailored bioinformatic pipeline to integrate public and proprietary single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets. As a result, we robustly identify for the first time 14 intermediate cell states and 11 stages of differentiation in the endothelial and mesenchymal BM compartments, respectively. Our data provide the most comprehensive description to date of the murine HSC-regulatory microenvironment and suggest a higher level of specialization of the cellular circuits than previously anticipated. Furthermore, this deep characterization allows inferring conserved features in human, suggesting that the layers of microenvironmental regulation of hematopoiesis may also be shared between species. Our resource and methodology is a stepping-stone toward a comprehensive cell atlas of the BM microenvironment.

BARRASIM4P – A Digital Platform for the Structural Design of Cold‐Formed Steel Elements from the Company Barraferros

AbstractThe use of cold‐formed steel sections as secondary structural elements (purlins) and primary elements of light steel framing (LSF) solutions has had a strong increase in recent years, presenting a high degree of specialization, with specific and optimized geometries for different applications, implying an increased effort for the design of steel structures. This article presents BarraSim4P – a digital platform to support structural design based on Eurocode and developed in partnership between Barraferros and Politécnico de Leiria. The platform aims to support the user in choosing sections considering specified design conditions and code actions in the structure. The platform was also validated with several tests on Barraferros sections with known results.

Müller Cell Molecular Heterogeneity: Facts and Predictions.

The retina was historically considered as an “approachable part of the brain”; advantageous, for its simplicity, to use as a model organ for deciphering cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying physiology and pathology of the nervous system. However, the most relevant discoveries arise precisely from unveiling the complexity of the retina. A complexity that partially relies on the layered organization of an extended variety of specialized neuronal and glial cellular types and subtypes. Based on functional, morphological or transcriptome data, over 40 subtypes of retinal ganglion cells or 60 subtypes of retinal amacrine cells have been described. A high degree of specialization, that may lead to segregation into functionally diverse subtypes, is also conceivable for Müller cells, a pleiotropic glial component of all vertebrate retinas. The essential role of Müller glia in retinal homeostasis maintenance involves participation in structural, metabolic and intercellular communication processes. Additionally, they are the only retinal cells that possess regenerative potential in response to injury or disease, and thus may be considered as therapeutic tools. In the assumption that functional heterogeneity might be driven by molecular heterogeneity this review aims to compile emerging evidence that could broaden our understanding of Müller cell biology and retinal physiology.Summary statementMüller glial cells exert multiple essential functions in retinal physiology and retinopathies reflecting perhaps the existence of distinct Müller cellular subpopulations. Harnessing Müller cell heterogeneity may serve to enhance new therapeutic approaches for retinal disease.

Эффекты государственной поддержки сельскохозяйственных предприятий на Дальнем Востоке России: влияние отраслевой специализации

Are the effects of subsidies on farm productivity heterogeneous? Does the direction and magnitude of subsidies impact depend on farm specialization? To address this question, I use farm-level data from Amur region in the Russian Far East for 2010–2014. The data set includes farms inputs and output as well as state subsidies and degree of farm specialization. The latter is defined as the share of crop production in total farm revenue. The sample of farms is not random but includes almost the entire set of corporate farms in the Amur Region. Using the data, I estimate the production function that allows me to study the relationships between total factor productivity (TFP), farms specialization and state subsidies. To test whether farm specialization moderates the impact of subsidies on TFP, an interaction term between specialization and subsidies was included in the model. So, I study how the marginal effects of subsidies change conditional on degree of specialization. My findings support the heterogeneous effect of subsidies on TFP depending on the degree of farm specialization. High degree of specialization on livestock production is associated with negative effects of subsidies on TFP, while I don’t fine a statistically significant connection between subsides and TFP for farms specializing on crop production. The research contributes to the discussion about the effects of state supports and subsidies on agricultural development and productivity in Russia and particularly in the Russian Far East

ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ МЕРЫ ПО СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЮ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНО-ОТРАСЛЕВОГО РАЗДЕЛЕНИЯ ТРУДА В АГРОПРОМЫШЛЕННОМ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕ

Given the complexity of the current socio-economic situation in geostrategic territories, especially with the attraction of investments in agriculture, it is advisable to use measures that are quite feasible in practice, relatively low-cost and quickly recouped. First of all, they should include the improvement of the territorial-sectoral division of labor in agro-industrial production, which is the core of its development. In this complex and dynamic process, the state should play a key role, for which it is necessary to develop and implement in practice a strategy and scheme for the development and placement of agro-industrial production, on the basis of which it is advisable to form large-scale specialized zones for the production of certain types of agricultural products. It is necessary to develop a system of organizational and economic measures to improve the territorial and sectoral division of labor in agro-industrial production, linking it with the subprograms, directions and main activities of the State Program for the Development of Agriculture and regulation of agricultural products, raw materials and food markets. Its mandatory regulation is necessary, which should be carried out both by the state and directly by the participants of a particular product segment of the agro-food market. The main purpose of such regulation should be to facilitate the concentration of production of certain types of agricultural products primarily in the most favorable natural conditions and areas based on the use of the advantages of the territorial-sectoral division of labor in agro-industrial production. In modern conditions, almost no Russian region is able to independently meet the needs of its population with a full range of food, even according to the norms of rational nutrition, although many regions have a fairly high degree of specialization of production for certain types of agricultural products. The interregional exchange that has developed in recent years in the country is characterized by a huge branching and scale both in the import and export of grain and its processed products, meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, eggs, which reflects the close interconnectedness and interdependence of all Russian regions on the functioning of the national agri-food market and its product segments, which is evident from the example of interregional grain supplies, taking into account its import and export. Therefore, the more deeply developed the territorial-sectoral division of labor in agro-industrial production, the more important the role of cooperation and cooperation of disconnected economic entities and regions in the process of interregional commodity exchange, the establishment of long-term food ties.

RadLib: A radiative property model library for CFD

RadLib is a C++ library of radiation property models that can be applied to variety of systems involving radiative heat transfer, including CFD simulations. RadLib includes three major radiation property models—Planck Mean (PM) absorption coefficients, the weighted sum of gray gases (WSGG) model, and the rank-correlation spectral line weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (RCSLW) model. RadLib includes C++, Python, and Fortran interfaces and can be expanded to include additional models. Several example cases illustrate use of the models with an included ray-tracing solver, compare their accuracy relative to line-by-line (LBL) solutions, and examine their computational costs. Additionally, an integrated CFD example of an ethylene burner configuration using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) is provided. RadLib provides researchers with convenient access to validated radiation property models and a framework for further development. Program summaryProgram Title: RadLibCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/rs5kvnr86r.1Developer's repository link:https://github.com/BYUignite/radlibCode Ocean capsule:https://codeocean.com/capsule/0997975/treeLicensing provisions: MITProgramming language: C++, Fortran, PythonNature of problem: Radiative heat transfer in combustion CFD problems is typically neglected or oversimplified, resulting in significant error and inaccuracy in combustion simulations. Radiation modeling, however, often requires a high degree of specialization due to its complexity and the challenges associated with implementation in existing CFD codes, which presents a substantial obstacle to researchers who wish to address the inaccuracies introduced by insufficient radiative heat transfer modeling in combustion simulations.Solution method: We present RadLib, an open-source C++ library of validated radiation property models that can be applied alongside various RTE solution methods to ease some of the obstacles associated with radiation modeling for combustion CFD. The package includes C++, Fortran, and Python interfaces, several illustrative examples with a provided ray-tracing solver and an integrated example using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). RadLib can also be expanded to include additional radiation property models and interfaces.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: The library is intended to be used in Linux-like terminal applications.

Three-dimensional kinematics of euchelicerate limbs uncover functional specialization in eurypterid appendages

AbstractSea scorpions (Euchelicerata: Eurypterida) explored extreme limits of the aquatic euchelicerate body plan, such that the group contains the largest known marine euarthropods. Inferences on eurypterid life modes, in particular walking and eating, are commonly made by comparing the group with horseshoe crabs (Euchelicerata: Xiphosura). However, no models have been presented to test these hypotheses. Here, we reconstruct prosomal appendages of two exceptionally well-preserved eurypterids, Eurypterus tetragonophthalmus and Pentecopterus decorahensis, and model the flexure and extension of these appendages kinematically in three dimensions (3D). We compare these models with 3D kinematic models of Limulus polyphemus prosomal appendages. This comparison highlights that the examined eurypterid prosomal appendages could not have moved prey items effectively to the gnathal edges and would therefore not have emulated the motion of an L. polyphemus walking leg. It seems that these eurypterid appendages were used primarily to walk or grab prey, and other appendages would have moved prey for mastication. Such 3D kinematic modelling highlights how eurypterid appendage morphologies placed substantial limits on their function, suggesting a high degree of specialization, especially when compared with horseshoe crabs. Such three-dimensional kinematic modelling of these extinct groups therefore presents an innovative approach to understanding the position of these animals within their respective palaeoecosystems.

Modeling supply-chain networks with firm-to-firm wire transfers

We study a novel economic network (supply chain) comprised of wire transfers (electronic payment transactions) among the universe of firms in Brazil (6.2 million firms). We construct a directed and weighted network in which vertices represent cities and edges connote pairwise economic dependence between cities. Cities (vertices) represent the collection of all firms in that location, and links denote intercity wire transfers. We find a high degree of economic integration among cities in the trade network, consistent with the high degree of specialization across Brazilian cities. We identify cities with a dominant role as customers and suppliers to the entire supply chain using centrality network measures. The supply-chain network has a disassortative mixing pattern, which is explained by the heterogeneity in the size of Brazilian municipalities. We find that the supply-chain network becomes more disassortative during adverse times, such as the Brazilian recession in 2014 and the global financial crisis. We use entrepreneurship data and show that one potential driver of this change is the death of small firms, leading to a greater concentration of economic flows in larger centers. Our results suggest that adverse events significantly impact the supply-chain network with meaningful and heterogeneous economic consequences across municipalities. We run econometric exercises and find that courts’ efficiency plays a dual role. From the customer perspective, it may reduce contractual frictions and increase economic transactions between cities. From the supplier perspective, cities that are central suppliers to the supply chain may use courts’ inefficiency as a lawsuit barrier from their customers.

Technological implementation in General Surgery services in Spain. National survey and results

Technology is one of the pillars of surgery in the 21st century and is a key factor in achieving better surgical results. The current surgical process involves not only surgical techniques, but also a very high degree of specialisation and the knowledge and use of techniques and devices from other fields. In Spain, there are no studies published at a national level in this regard.From the Minimally Invasive Surgery and Technological Innovation section of the Spanish Association of Surgeons we have designed a study whose main objective is to evaluate the degree of technological implantation in the specialty of General Surgery in Spain, as well as to analyze the devices available in the different centres of the country. We propose to make a detailed description of the applications of these devices and techniques by areas of interest, pointing out the pathologies and procedures in which this technology is used.