bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trust No One
Authors: McLean Robert , Densley James A.
Published: September 2022

This chapter demonstrates that there is no honour among thieves with examples of intra-gang robberies, getting set up, and criminals putting friends and enemies out of business. It cites organized crime literature which often said that what keeps criminals organized and together in the absence of courts and contracts is bonds of trust. However, the literature also shows that people who tend towards criminality are rarely reliable, trustworthy or cooperative and life in crime is fraught with uncertainty, distrust, suspicion verging on paranoia, and misunderstanding. The chapter highlights the progression from spontaneous robberies into planned robberies with a case study of participant Gee, who had transitioned from robbing members of the general public to robbing drug users and drug dealers. Gee explains how robbery was a viable way for him to move up the drug-distribution ladder.
Life After Robbery
Authors: McLean Robert , Densley James A.
Published: September 2022

This chapter examines life after robbery and the process of desistance from robbery careers, emphasizing religion as both a method and motive for criminal desistance. It mentions Ricky, who says that finding God was what turned his life around. Ricky is certainly not the first ex-gang member to sing the praises of religion for helping to turn his life around. The chapter talks about life events known as ‘turning points’, which are key to understanding the larger life course because they redirect people in significant ways. Family or parenthood and legal work are key turning points in the lives of offenders, but religion was a consistent theme in the desistance narratives of the interviewees.
Lessons Learned From Research Collaboration Among People With and Without Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Kim Julianna H. , Hughes Oscar E. , Demissie Sarah A. , Kunzier Timothy J. , Cheung W. Catherine , Monarrez Edwin C. , Burke Meghan M. , Rossetti Zach
Published: September 2022

Research related to the developmental disability (DD) community should include collaboration with individuals with DD. Unfortunately, people with DD are infrequently involved in research projects in meaningful ways, and there is little guidance about how to collaborate equitably with researchers with DD. The purpose of this article is to share lessons learned from a collaborative research study among researchers with and without DD using both qualitative and quantitative methods to develop and examine the effectiveness of a civic engagement intervention for transition-aged youth with disabilities. It includes how our research team compensated researchers with DD, clarified team member roles, leveraged the expertise of researchers with DD in using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and integrated technology throughout the research process.
Vector beam bending via a polarization gradient
Authors: Nichols J. M. , Nickel D. V. , Bucholtz F.
Published: September 2022

We propose, analyze and demonstrate experimentally an entirely new optical effect in which the centroid of a coherent optical beam can be designed to propagate along a curved trajectory in free space by tailoring the spatial distribution of linear polarization across the transverse beam profile. Specifically, a non-zero spatial gradient of second order or higher in the linear state of polarization is shown to cause the beam centroid to “accelerate” in the direction transverse to the direction of propagation. The effect is confirmed experimentally using spatial light modulation to create the distribution in linear polarization and then measuring the transverse location of the beam profile at varying propagation distances. The observed displacement of the beam centroid is shown to closely match the theory out to 34m propagation distance.
Light field quality assessment based on aggregation learning of multiple visual features
Authors: Liu Chang , Zou Zhuocheng , Miao Yuan , Qiu Jun
Published: September 2022

Light field imaging is a way to represent human vision from a computational perspective. It contains more visual information than traditional imaging systems. As a basic problem of light field imaging, light field quality assessment has received extensive attention in recent years. In this study, we explore the characteristics of light field data for different visual domains (spatial, angular, coupled, projection, and depth), study the multiple visual features of a light field, and propose a non-reference light field quality assessment method based on aggregation learning of multiple visual features. The proposed method has four key modules: multi-visual representation of a light field, feature extraction, feature aggregation, and quality assessment. It first extracts the natural scene statistics (NSS) features from the central view image in the spatial domain. It extracts gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features both in the angular domain and in the spatial-angular coupled domain. Then, it extracts the rotation-invariant uniform local binary pattern (LBP) features of depth map in the depth domain, and the statistical characteristics of the local entropy (SDLE) features of refocused images in the projection domain. Finally, the multiple visual features are aggregated to form a visual feature vector for the light field. A prediction model is trained by support vector machines (SVM) to establish a light field quality assessment method based on aggregation learning of multiple visual features.
22.5-W narrow-linewidth diamond Brillouin laser at 1064 nm
Authors: Jin Duo , Bai Zhenxu , Lu Zhiwei , Fan Rong , Zhao ZhongAn , Yang Xuezong , Wang Yulei , Mildren Richard P.
Published: September 2022

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), with its advantages of low quantum defect and narrow gain bandwidth, has recently enabled an exciting path toward narrow-linewidth and low-noise lasers. Whereas almost all work to date has been in guided-wave configurations, adaptation to unguided Brillouin lasers (BLs) offers a greater capacity for power scaling, cascaded Stokes control, and greater flexibility for expanding wavelength range. Here, we report a diamond Brillouin laser (DBL) employing doubly resonant technology at 1064 nm. Brillouin output power of 22.5 W with a linewidth of 46.9 kHz is achieved. The background noise from the pump amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is suppressed by 35 dB. The work represents a significant step toward realizing Brillouin oscillators that simultaneously have high power (tens-of-watts+) and kHz-linewidths.
Fabry–Perot resonance-suppressed double-layer metal mesh window for electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Li Haonan , Yin Zhiqin , Zhang Chi , Zhang Yaqiang , Deng Ruixiang , Dong Hongxing , Wang Shaowei , Zhang Long
Published: September 2022

Traditional electromagnetic interference shielding windows that can simultaneously reflect microwaves and transmit visible light are usually fabricated by depositing one metal mesh layer on the surface of the window. However, such a structure always suffers from strong Fabry–Perot resonance (FPR), which leads to the decline of shielding effectiveness (SE). Here, we analyze the mechanism of FPR from a perspective of the equivalent circuit model and further report a facile approach to minimize the FPR by depositing another high-resistance mesh layer on the back side of the shielding window, which can greatly reduce reflected waves, ensuring that interference cannot be formed. Simulation results prove that FPR can be effectively eliminated by the proposed method, and experiments further show that for a shielding window made with Schott B270 glass plate, the SE can be enhanced by 6.3 dB (76.6% energy attenuation) at declining points, while transmittance is only reduced by 1.6%.
A Deep Survival EWAS approach estimating risk profile based on pre-diagnostic DNA methylation: An application to breast cancer time to diagnosis
Authors: Massi Michela Carlotta , Dominoni Lorenzo , Ieva Francesca , Fiorito Giovanni
Published: September 2022

Previous studies for cancer biomarker discovery based on pre-diagnostic blood DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles, either ignore the explicit modeling of the Time To Diagnosis (TTD), or provide inconsistent results. This lack of consistency is likely due to the limitations of standard EWAS approaches, that model the effect of DNAm at CpG sites on TTD independently. In this work, we aim to identify blood DNAm profiles associated with TTD, with the aim to improve the reliability of the results, as well as their biological meaningfulness. We argue that a global approach to estimate CpG sites effect profile should capture the complex (potentially non-linear) relationships interplaying between sites. To prove our concept, we develop a new Deep Learning-based approach assessing the relevance of individual CpG Islands (i.e., assigning a weight to each site) in determining TTD while modeling their combined effect in a survival analysis scenario. The algorithm combines a tailored sampling procedure with DNAm sites agglomeration, deep non-linear survival modeling and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values estimation to aid robustness of the derived effects profile. The proposed approach deals with the common complexities arising from epidemiological studies, such as small sample size, noise, and low signal-to-noise ratio of blood-derived DNAm. We apply our approach to a prospective case-control study on breast cancer nested in the EPIC Italy cohort and we perform weighted gene-set enrichment analyses to demonstrate the biological meaningfulness of the obtained results. We compared the results of Deep Survival EWAS with those of a traditional EWAS approach, demonstrating that our method performs better than the standard approach in identifying biologically relevant pathways.
Using Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching data to uncover filament dynamics
Authors: Dallon J. C. , Leduc Cécile , Grant Christopher P. , Evans Emily J. , Etienne-Manneville Sandrine , Portet Stéphanie
Published: September 2022

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) has been extensively used to understand molecular dynamics in cells. This technique when applied to soluble, globular molecules driven by diffusion is easily interpreted and well understood. However, the classical methods of analysis cannot be applied to anisotropic structures subjected to directed transport, such as cytoskeletal filaments or elongated organelles transported along microtubule tracks. A new mathematical approach is needed to analyze FRAP data in this context and determine what information can be obtain from such experiments. To address these questions, we analyze fluorescence intensity profile curves after photobleaching of fluorescently labelled intermediate filaments anterogradely transported along microtubules. We apply the analysis to intermediate filament data to determine information about the filament motion. Our analysis consists of deriving equations for fluorescence intensity profiles and developing a mathematical model for the motion of filaments and simulating the model. Two closed forms for profile curves were derived, one for filaments of constant length and one for filaments with constant velocity, and three types of simulation were carried out. In the first type of simulation, the filaments have random velocities which are constant for the duration of the simulation. In the second type, filaments have random velocities which instantaneously change at random times. In the third type, filaments have random velocities and exhibit pausing between velocity changes. Our analysis shows: the most important distribution governing the shape of the intensity profile curves obtained from filaments is the distribution of the filament velocity. Furthermore, filament length which is constant during the experiment, had little impact on intensity profile curves. Finally, gamma distributions for the filament velocity with pauses give the best fit to asymmetric fluorescence intensity profiles of intermediate filaments observed in FRAP experiments performed in polarized migrating astrocytes. Our analysis also shows that the majority of filaments are stationary. Overall, our data give new insight into the regulation of intermediate filament dynamics during cell migration.
The burden of vaccine hesitancy for routine immunization in Yaounde-Cameroon: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Yakum Martin Ndinakie , Funwie Atanga D. , Ajong Atem Bethel , Tsafack Marcellin , Ze Linda Evans Eba , Shah Zahir
Published: September 2022

Immunization is the most cost-effective health intervention in the world yet, vaccination uptake is still low with less than 50% of children aged 12–23 months fully vaccinated in Cameroon by 2018. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of vaccine hesitancy associated with routine vaccines in Yaounde-Cameroon. A two-stage cross-sectional cluster survey was conducted in Yaoundé in November 2021, targeting parents/guardians of children 0–59 months. Clusters were selected with probability proportionate to size (PPS) and household’s selection done using a restricted sampling method. Data collection was done using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, “Core Closed Questions” and “Likert Scale Questions” proposed by the WHO Vaccine Hesitancy Technical Working Group in 2014. Vaccine hesitancy was analyzed as proportions of parent’s/guardian’s self-reported vaccine refusal or delay in vaccination with 95% confidence interval. This was stratified by household wealth level and tested using Chi-Square test to appreciate the effect of household wealth on vaccine hesitancy. A total of 529 participants were enrolled out of 708 visited, giving a non-response rate of 25%. In total, vaccine hesitancy was reported in 137(25.90[22.35–29.80] %), and oral polio vaccine(OPV) was the most affected vaccine with hesitancy of 10%. Vaccine hesitancy prevalence did not vary significantly across different households’ wealth levels (p-value = 0.3786). However, in wealthy households’ refusal of vaccines (14%) was less than in poorer households (20%). Lack of trust was reported as the leading cause of vaccine refusal (43%). Vaccine hesitancy prevalence in Yaounde is high and oral polio vaccine(OPV) was the most affected vaccine. The level of weath does not affect vaccine hesitancy and lack of trust was the leading cause of vaccine hesitancy related to routine immunization in Yaounde-Cameroon. We, recommend that the burden of vaccine hesitancy should be assessed at national scale and root causes investigated.
Development and validation of audio-based guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation tools for functional bloating
Authors: Tee Vincent , Kuan Garry , Kueh Yee Cheng , Abdullah Nurzulaikha , Sabran Kamal , Tagiling Nashrulhaq , Sahran Nur-Fazimah , Alang Tengku Ahmad Iskandar Tengku , Lee Yeong Yeh
Published: September 2022

Mind-body techniques, including Guided Imagery (GI) or Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), may effectively manage bloating. The current study aimed to develop and validate (psychometric and psychological responses) audio-based GI and PMR techniques for bloating. Audio scripts were first developed from literature reviews and in-depth interviews of participants with bloating diagnosed based on the Rome IV criteria. Scripts were validated using psychometric (content & face validity index) and physiological approaches (brain event-related potentials & heart rate variability). 45/63 participants completed the in-depth interview, and ‘balloon’ emerged as the synonymous imagery description for bloating, of which inflation correlated with a painful sensation. The final tools consisted of narrated audio scripts in the background of a validated choice of music. Overall, the content and face validity index for PMR and GI ranged from 0.92 to 1.00. For ERP and HRV, 17/20 participants were analyzed. For ERP, there was a significant difference between GI and PMR for alpha waves (p = 0.029), delta waves (p = 0.029), and between PMR and control for delta waves (p = 0.014). For HRV, GI and PMR exhibited similar autonomic responses over controls (overall p<0.05). The newly developed GI and PMR audio-based tools have been validated using psychometric and physiological approaches.
Elite athletes’ lifestyles: Consumerism to professionalism
Authors: Mohamadi Turkmani Ehsan , Safari Jafarloo Hamid Reza , Dehghan Ghahfarokhi Amin
Published: September 2022

Today, elite athletes form an important social group, and the non-sport facets of their lives matter as much as their sports performances. However, there has been little empirical research on the lifestyles of elite athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to develop knowledge about the Iranian elite athletes’ lifestyle. The study was conducted with a qualitative approach in two phases. Glaserian grounded theory was used in the first phase, and thematic analysis was used in the second phase. Participants of the first phase included 19 sports experts, such as sports sociologists, sports psychologists, and sports coaches, who were selected by purposive and snowball sampling methods for holding unstructured in-depth interviews. The data were simultaneously analyzed using a set of open, theoretical, selective coding and memos. The codes were grouped into three different categories with different natures. The emerged theory advanced our understanding of the lifestyle shaping structures of elite athletes, lifestyle indicators, and even professionalization of their lifestyles. According to the results, the Iranian elite athletes’ lifestyles include indicators, such as professional mindset, competencies, life vision, financial literacy, responsibility, consumption, leisure, personal issues, and religious behavior. Subjects of the second phase were 44 Iranian athletes in the national levels who participated voluntarily in the study. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis method, and lifestyles typologies were identified. Based on results, five dominant lifestyles among the Iranian elite athletes were identified: consumerist, easy going, socially useful, profit-oriented, and professional. Finally, the features of each lifestyle were discussed.
Self-care practice and its associated factors among diabetic patients attending public hospitals in Gurage zone southwest, Ethiopia
Authors: Emire Mamo Solomon , Zewudie Bitew Tefera , Tarekegn Tadesse Tsehay , GebreEyesus Fisha Alebel , Amlak Baye Tsegaye , Mengist Shegaw Tesfa , Terefe Tamene Fetene , Mewahegn Agerie Aynalem
Published: September 2022

Background

Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires lifelong medical treatment and lifestyle modifications. Even though patients often neglect their own needs, self-care is an important factor in preventing and delaying complications related to diabetes. There are limited studies about self-care practice, and most of the studies conducted in Ethiopia focused on some parts of the recommended self-care practice. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the self-care practice and associated factors among diabetic patients in Gurage zone, south Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 6 to March 29, 2021. A systematic sampling method was employed to select 420 study participants. The data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. All variables with P < 0.25 in the bi-variable logistic regression analysis were entered into multivariable logistic regression analysis. The statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

Results

A total of 384 diabetes patients participated with a response rate of 91.4%. This study showed that more than half (60.4%) of the study participants had poor self-care practices. Being female (AOR: 2.40; 95% CI:1.31–4.40), rural residence (AOR:7.16;95% CI: 3.31–15.46), duration of diabetes treatment 5–10 years (AOR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.1–0.11), duration of diabetes treatment ≥ 10 years (AOR:0.8; 95% CI: 0.03–0.21), haven’t social support (AOR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.05–0.23), haven’t got health education (AOR: 0.17,95%CI 0.09–0.32) were factors significantly associated with self-care practice.

Conclusions

Despite, the importance of diabetes self-care practice for the management of diabetes and preventing its complications, a high number of diabetes patients had poor self-care practices. Female, rural residence, duration of diabetes mellitus, lack of social support, and not get of health education were significantly associated with poor self-care practice. Therefore, health care providers should give attention to diabetic patients with the aforementioned factors that affect diabetic patients’ self-care practices.
Trends and outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
Authors: Azzalini Lorenzo , Seth Milan , Sukul Devraj , Valle Javier A. , Daher Edouard , Wanamaker Brett , Tucciarone Michael T. , Zaitoun Anwar , Madder Ryan D. , Gurm Hitinder S.
Published: September 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted healthcare delivery and patient outcomes globally.

Aims

We aimed to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the temporal trends and outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Michigan.

Methods

We compared all patients undergoing PCI in the BMC2 Registry between March and December 2020 (“pandemic cohort”) with those undergoing PCI between March and December 2019 (“pre-pandemic cohort”). A risk-adjusted analysis of in-hospital outcomes was performed between the pre-pandemic and pandemic cohort. A subgroup analysis was performed comparing COVID-19 positive vs. negative patients during the pandemic.

Results

There was a 15.2% reduction in overall PCI volume from the pre-pandemic (n = 25,737) to the pandemic cohort (n = 21,822), which was more pronounced for stable angina and non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS) presentations, and between February and May 2020. Patients in the two cohorts had similar clinical and procedural characteristics. Monthly mortality rates for primary PCI were generally higher in the pandemic period. There were no significant system delays in care between the cohorts. Risk-adjusted mortality was higher in the pandemic cohort (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.07–1.47, p = 0.005), a finding that was only partially explained by worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients and was more pronounced in subjects with ACS. During the pandemic, COVID-19 positive patients suffered higher risk-adjusted mortality (aOR 5.69, 95% CI 2.54–12.74, p<0.001) compared with COVID negative patients.

Conclusions

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed a reduction in PCI volumes and higher risk-adjusted mortality. COVID-19 positive patients experienced significantly worse outcomes.
Peer support and social networking interventions in diabetes self-management in Kenya and Uganda: A scoping review
Authors: Otanga Habil , Semujju Brian , Mwaniki Lynn , Aungo Justus
Published: September 2022

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a growing worldwide health challenge especially in sub-Saharan Africa. While the use and effectiveness of diabetes self-management interventions is well documented in high-income countries, little information exists in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study attempted to synthesize information in the literature on the use and efficacy of peer support and social networking in diabetes self-management in Kenya and Uganda.

Objective

The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize research on the extent of use and efficacy of peer support and social networking interventions in diabetes self-management in Kenya and Uganda.

Design

We searched PubMed, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library databases for articles reporting peer support and social networking interventions in Kenya and Uganda published in English between 2000 and September 2021. Key words encapsulated three major themes: peer support, social networking and self-management. Hand searches were also conducted to select eligible papers. Data was extracted using a form prepared and piloted in line with PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Results

Thirteen peer reviewed articles were selected for analysis. Eleven studies reported peer support interventions while two focused on social networks in diabetes self-management. Peer support and social networking interventions incorporated microfinance and group medical visits, diabetes self-management education, telephone support and Medication Adherence Clubs. Most interventions were delivered by multidisciplinary teams comprising nurses and other professionals, peer educators, peer leaders and community health workers. Most interventions were effective and led to improvements in HbA1c and blood pressure, eating behaviors and physical activity and social support.

Conclusions

The limited studies available show that peer support and social networking interventions have mixed results on health and other outcomes. Importantly, most studies reported significant improvements in clinical outcomes. Further research is needed on the nature and mechanisms through which peer support and social network characteristics affect health outcomes.
The role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after radioimmunotherapy using 131I-rituximab as consolidation therapy
Authors: Choi Joon Ho , Lim Ilhan , Byun Byung Hyun , Kim Byung Il , Choi Chang Woon , Kang Hye Jin , Shin Dong-Yeop , Lim Sang Moo
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT after consolidation therapy of 131I-rituximab in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who had acquired complete remission after receiving chemotherapy.

Methods

Patients who were diagnosed with DLBCL via histologic confirmation were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had achieved complete remission after 6 to 8 cycles of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and prednisolone) chemotherapy after which they underwent consolidation treatment with 131I-rituximab. 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed before R-CHOP for initial staging. The largest diameter of tumor, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were obtained from pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT scans. Receiver-operating characteristic curves analysis was introduced for assessing the optimal criteria. Kaplan-Meier curve survival analysis was performed to evaluate both relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

A total of 15 patients (12 males and 3 females) with a mean age of 56 (range, 30–73) years were enrolled. The median follow-up period of these patients was 73 months (range, 11–108 months). Four (27%) patients relapsed. Of them, three died during follow-up. Median values of the largest tumor size, highest SUVmax, MTV, and TLG were 5.3 cm (range, 2.0–16.4 cm), 20.2 (range, 11.1–67.4), 231.51 (range, 15–38.34), and 1277.95 (range, 238.37–10341.04), respectively. Patients with SUVmax less than or equal to 16.9 showed significantly worse RFS than patients with SUVmax greater than 16.9 (5-year RFS rate: 60% vs. 100%, p = 0.008). Patients with SUVmax less than or equal to 16.9 showed significantly worse OS than patients with SUVmax greater than 16.9 (5-year OS rate: 80% vs. 100% p = 0.042).

Conclusion

Higher SUVmax at pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT was associated with better relapse free survival and overall survival in DLBCL patients after consolidation therapy with 131I-rituximab. However, because this study has a small number of patients, a phase 3 study with a larger number of patients is needed for clinical application in the future.
Insecticidal characteristics and structural identification of the potential active compounds from Streptomyces sp. KR0006: Strain improvement through mutagenesis
Authors: Kim Young Sook , Umurzokov Mirjalol , Cho Kwang Min , Choi Jung Sup , Park Kee Woong
Published: September 2022

Pest control by biological means is an effective, eco-friendly, and promising method that typically involves compounds naturally derived from actinomycetes. Thus, the present study aimed to screen, characterize, and identify the structure of insecticidal compounds fromStreptomycessp. KR0006 and increase the activity through mutagenesis. In the examination of the insecticidal activity level of the isolates,Streptomycessp. KR0006 metabolite showed significant activity against larvae and moths ofPlutella xylostella. Taxonomic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolated KR0006 strain tended to be 99% consistent withStreptomyces cinereoruberstrain NBRC 12756. Three active compounds isolated from the culture filtrate of KR0006 were purified by solvent partition, mid-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC), Sephadex LH20 column chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). By performing1H-NMR,13C-NMR, and 2D-NMR experiments, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, the 316-HP2, 316-HP3, and 316-HP5 compounds were inferred as antimycin A3a (MW, 519.; C26H36N2O9), antimycin A8a (MW, 534; C27H38N2O9), and antimycin A1a (MW, 548; C28H40N2O9) respectively. Mutant U67 obtained from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (254 nm, height 17 cm) for 70 seconds resulted in a 70% more larval mortality than that of the initial wild culture. The second mutation of the culture broth enhanced insecticidal activity by 80 and 100% compared with the first mutation and initial medium, respectively. Our study found thatStreptomycessp. KR0006 strain produces insecticidal active compounds and could be used for practical pest management.
Safety and effectiveness of RBD-specific polyclonal equine F(ab´)2 fragments for the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19 disease: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Farizano Salazar Diego H. , Achinelli Fernando , Colonna Mariana , Pérez Lucía , Giménez Analía A. , Ojeda Maria Alejandra , Miranda Puente Susana N. , Sánchez Negrette Lía , Cañete Florencia , Martelotte Ibarra Ornela I. , Sanguineti Santiago , Spatz Linus , Goldbaum Fernando A. , Massa Carolina , Rivas Marta , Pichel Mariana , Hiriart Yanina , Zylberman Vanesa , Gallego Sandra , Konigheim Brenda , Fernández Francisco , Deprati Matías , Roubicek Ian , Giunta Diego H. , Nannini Esteban , Lopardo Gustavo , Belloso Waldo H. ,   on behalf of EPIC Study Group
Published: September 2022

Background

Passive immunotherapy has been evaluated as a therapeutic alternative for patients with COVID-19 disease. Equine polyclonal immunotherapy for COVID-19 (EPIC) showed adequate safety and potential efficacy in a clinical trial setting and obtained emergency use authorization in Argentina. We studied its utility in a real world setting with a larger population.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study at “Hospital de Campaña Escuela-Hogar" (HCEH) in Corrientes, Argentina, to assess safety and effectiveness of EPIC in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Primary endpoints were 28-days all-cause mortality and safety. Mortality and improvement in modified WHO clinical scale at 14 and 21 days were secondary endpoints. Potential confounder adjustment was made by logistic regression weighted by the inverse of the probability of receiving the treatment (IPTW) and doubly robust approach.

Findings

Subsequent clinical records of 446 non-exposed (Controls) and 395 exposed (EPIC) patients admitted between November 2020 and April 2021 were analyzed. Median age was 58 years and 56.8% were males. Mortality at 28 days was 15.7% (EPIC) vs. 21.5% (Control). After IPTW adjustment the OR was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.46–0.96) P = 0.03. The effect was more evident in the subgroup who received two EPIC doses (complete treatment, n = 379), OR 0.58 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.85) P = 0.005. Overall and serious adverse events were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusions

In this retrospective cohort study, EPIC showed adequate safety and effectiveness in the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 disease.
Hypoglycemic events and glycemic control effects between NPH and premixed insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A real-world experience at a comprehensive specialized hospital in Ethiopia
Authors: Sendekie Ashenafi Kibret , Netere Adeladlew Kassie , Belachew Eyayaw Ashete
Published: September 2022

Background

Though initiation of insulin results in a significant change in glycemic levels, treating patients without significant hypoglycemic events remains difficult in diabetes patients initiated with different insulin-based regimens. This study assessed the association of hypoglycemic incidence and glycemic control between NPH and premixed insulin regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

This was a retrospective observational study in patients with T2DM who were treated with insulin-based therapy from 2015 to 2020 at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized hospital. Average fasting blood glucose (FBG) between NPH and premixed insulin regimens was compared using an independent t-test. The Association of NPH and premixed insulin regimens with hypoglycemic incidences and glycemic control was examined by a logistic regression model. P < 0.05 was statistically significant.

Results

From 405 participants, more than half (55.3%) were males with a mean age of 59.2(±9.1) years. Baseline mean HbA1C and FBG levels were 12.73(±1.1) % and 347.7(±48.5) mg/dl, respectively. Within a one-year follow-up period of insulin initiation, the rate of hypoglycemia was 13.1%. The incidence of hypoglycemia was significantly higher in patients initiated with premixed insulin compared with NPH insulin regimens (P < 0.001). After one year of insulin initiation, HbA1C decreased from 12.7 to 7.6 and from 12.8 to 7.3% and FBG levels decreased from 347.5 to 160.7 and from 348.2 to 147.3 mg/dl following initiation of NPH and premixed insulin, respectively. Patients treated with premixed-based insulin were found more likely to achieve target FBG compared with patients treated with NPH insulin regimens after one year of initiation (P = 0.02).

Conclusion

Premixed insulin-based regimen has found to have a higher hypoglycemic incidence, but a better level of glycemic control compared to NPH insulin-based therapy. Therefore, patients initiated with premixed insulin need to be highly vigilant and motivated to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
Developing a socio-ecological model for community engagement in a health programme in an underserved urban area
Authors: Caperon Lizzie , Saville Fiona , Ahern Sara
Published: September 2022

Despite a recent increase in community engagement in health initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, health inequalities and health inequities remain a serious problem for society, often affecting those in underserved communities the most. Often individualised incentives such as payment for vaccinations have been used to increase involvement in health initiatives but evidence suggests that these do not always work and can be ineffective. This paper addresses the real world problem of a lack of involvement of communities in health programmes and subsequent health inequalities. Using data from nine workshops with community members evaluating a large community health programme, we develop a socio-ecological model [SEM] of influences on community engagement in health programmes to identify holistic and systemic barriers and enablers to such engagement. To date SEM has not been used to develop solutions to improve community engagement in health programmes. Such an approach holds the potential to look beyond individualised conceptualisations of behaviour and instead consider a multitude of social and cultural influences. This knowledge can then be used to develop multi-faceted and multi-layered solutions to tackle the barriers to community engagement in health programmes. Our SEM highlights the overarching importance of the socio-cultural environment in influencing community engagement. Within the socio-cultural environment were factors such as trust, social support and community mindedness. We also found that other factors affecting community engagement fall within individual, economic, technological, political and physical environments. Such factors include engagement in community organisation governance and processes, access to and ability to use technology and access to safe outdoor spaces. We propose further testing our socioecological model in other communities.
Hozzá tud-e járulni az iskola a magyar többségi és roma kisebbségi
csoportok közötti társadalmi távolság csökkentéséhez?
Authors: Jakab Judit
Published: September 2022

Jelen tanulmányban roma többségű vagy teljesen roma osztályokban
tanító pedagógusok narratíváit elemzem. Az elemzés során a fókusz a
pedagógusok roma tanulókkal, szülőkkel való munkájuk során szerzett
személyes tapasztalataira és ezeknek az interpretációjára, a pedagógusok
kulturális viszonyulásának (etnocentrikus vagy kölcsönösségen alapuló) és a
különböző percepciókhoz kapcsolódó tartalmak feltárására irányult. A
kutatás alapmódszere a félig strukturált interjú, részt vevő megfigyeléssel
kiegészítve. A kutatás terepe a Csíki-medence (Hargita megye, Románia)
néhány olyan iskolája, ahol a roma tanulók aránya meghaladja a 25
százalékot. A pedagógusokkal készült beszélgetések egyértelműen
alátámasztják a térségben készült, a roma–magyar együttélés vizsgálatára
irányuló kutatási eredmények megállapításait: a két közösség, roma és nem
roma, két egymástól elkülönülő, párhuzamos világban él, amelyben nagyon
kevés az átjárás. Az iskola az egyik olyan kapcsolódási pont lehetne, amely
lehetővé teszi (tenné) e két világ találkozását, egymás közelebbi
megismerését, a két csoport közötti társadalmi távolság csökkentését. A
mindennapi iskolai gyakorlat azonban azt mutatja, hogy az adott körülmények
között az iskola nem vagy nagyon kis mértékben tudja betölteni ezt a
szerepét.
Az undor és a részvét Samuel Beckett kései darabjaiban
Authors: Nyusztay Iván
Published: September 2022

Az undor és a részvét Samuel Beckett két kései, minimalista
drámájának, a „Nem én"-nek és a „Katasztrófá”-nak az alapélményei. Az
előbbi darabban az undor a szavak feltartóztathatatlan áradása által
kiváltott alapérzés, amellyel egy én nélküli beszélő küzd. A Václav
Havelnek dedikált „Katasztrófá”-ban ugyanakkor az undor mellett megjelenik
a részvét is, egy diktátor által megalázott polgár iránt. A „Nem én”-nel
szemben, amelyben az én darabjaira hullik, ezúttal egy újraépítő,
konstruktív mozzanatnak lehetünk szemtanúi, az együttérzésnek, amelynek
köszönhetően az én önazonossága feltárul.
"Semmi – gondolta – nem volt még ilyen érdekes”
Authors: Dr Kérchy Anna
Published: September 2022

A korporeális és kognitív narratológia eszköztárára támaszkodó,
szövegközeli olvasat Neil Gaiman Coraline című regényében a gyerek főhős
belső monológjaira koncentrál, melyek a ‘kísértetiessel’ való fizikális
konfrontációi során fogalmazódnak meg elméjében, mint a bizonytalanság
elmondhatatlan testi élményének önreflexív manifesztációi. A freudi
pszichoanalízis értelmében a furcsamód ismerős, visszataszítón vonzó,
elfojtott ösztönkésztetéseket idéző, s így az értelmezhetőséget és
megfogalmazhatóságot meghaladó kísérteties élményének megfogalmazása lesz a
tét. Coraline pszichonarrációja (Cohn, Nikolajeva) megkísérli a zavaros,
zavaró érzékszervi impressziók keltette kognitív disszonancia közvetítését,
igyekszik megfelelő nyelvi formát lelni a tudatelőttes, homályos,
elbeszéletlen érzések, észlelések kifejezésére, melyek valójában sosem
hangoznak el, hiszen mindvégig csak a fokalizátor elméjében lesznek
megtestesülve. A gyerekgótika narratív sajátosságai nyomán a kísérteties
uncanny végül szórakoztató funcanny élménybe torkollik.
Perspectives of Entrepreneurship Education in the Danube Region : Foreword to the 2022 Special Issue of Review of Economic Theory and Policy
Authors: Huszák Loretta , Jáki Erika
Published: September 2022

Education has a transformative effect. Without entrepreneurial education, there are no entrepreneurs. Even born entrepreneurs need new information and knowledge (all the time). Entrepreneurship is not an intuitive thing, even though intuition is an important issue during business activities, especially in the decision-making process. Many of today’s successful entrepreneurs attribute their success to their intuition. Bill Gates says for example, "you cannot ignore your intuition." At the same time, theory is an essential component of the learning process. Without accumulated, abstract general knowledge, learning would be slow, difficult, and ineffective. This is especially true for university-level education, where a correctly chosen theory is the building block of teaching. Among other things, entrepreneurial theories help us better understand entrepreneurial behaviours. Entrepreneurial theories also help us understand why some people have greater entrepreneurial inclination than others. Macroeconomic research makes it clear that there is a need for entrepreneurship and activity, as this is how companies are created that provide work and a living for employees. But even sole proprietorships are valuable participants in value creation.
Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues
Authors: Lespinasse Patricia G.
Published: September 2022

This chapter explores the literary evolution of the African American wild woman from a sexual object to an improvising subject beginning in 1852 with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin to the 1992 publication of Toni Morrison’s Jazz. The chapter investigates the reconfiguration of the “wild woman” archetype as she appears in American Literature and discusses how Morrison and Petry endeavor to deconstruct the image of the wild woman by exploring prior layers of meaning and signification attributed to her. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the wild woman as an agent of improvisation in Petry’s The Street and explores how the jazz moment of improvisation serves to disrupt notions of African American female identity, within the context of intimate violence and male-female power relations.
Cities and Communities
Authors: Abbott Carl
Published: September 2022

In his contribution to Fantastic Cities, Carl Abbott explores Kim Stanley Robinson’s examination of the values of future urban life in his early southern California novels The Gold Coast and Pacific Edge, in the Science in the Capital novels (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, and Sixty Days and Counting) set in Washington, D.C., and in New York 2140. These books, Abbott suggests, define community as a process of participation. In Robinson’s writing, community is not an accident of birth or location that can be passively consumed; rather, it is a set of social interactions that have to be cultivated and nurtured, most effectively in the urban environment where options and choices are available. Accordingly, Robinson imagines cities that work as livable communities—that combine some of the benefits of concentrated activity with humane environments.
The Banality of the Apocalypse
Authors: Babb Jacob
Published: September 2022

By focusing on Colson Whitehead’s Zone One (2011), Jacob Babb’s chapter demonstrates how familiar cities are made fantastic in the aftermath of catastrophic events. Babb explores the contrast between the New York City of memory and the ruined city, the city as an active participant in the narrative, temporal fluidity, and the figure of the straggler (a form of being between the skels, who mindlessly try to consume, and human survivors). In so doing, Babb suggests that the setting of New York City, in fact, highlights how little some things would change in a post-apocalyptic world. In the end, Whitehead’s zombie apocalypse exposes the banality of human existence and its attendant racialized stratification.
Confronting Race and Racism in the Post-Apocalyptic American City
Authors: Yeates Robert
Published: September 2022

As a site privileged in the national imagination, the American city frequently appears as the setting for post-apocalyptic narratives. While contemporary urban anxieties manifest viscerally in the ruined cities of these texts, any overt treatment of race or racism is often strikingly absent. In his contribution to this volume, Robert Yeats explores three texts which explore the racial dynamics of American urban spaces, W. E. B. Du Bois’s short story “The Comet,” the film The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and the film Z for Zachariah. Separated by nearly one hundred years of history, these texts tell remarkably similar stories, which highlights how uncomfortably similar the problems faced by African Americans today are to those perceived by Du Bois in the early twentieth century.
The Water Apocalypse
Authors: Pérez Ramos María Isabel
Published: September 2022

In this chapter, María Isabel Pérez Ramos discusses three dystopian novels about the United States Southwest: Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead, Rudolfo Anaya’s Alburquerque, and Paolo Bacigalupis’s The Water Knife. These three novels address questions of water (mis)management and its repercussions on urban ecologies. These speculative futures imagine and explore eccentric and innovative urban plans to deal with water scarcity. Pérez Ramos draws on decolonial theory to suggest that solving the crisis of misdistribution and mismanagement of water is as much a human socio-ethical problem as a scientific and technological endeavor. Indeed, decolonizing water management in the United States Southwest in an attempt to introduce a fair and sustainable future would imply a revision of not only current water management logic, but also current social structures and power relations.
Performing Racial Uplift
Authors: Karpf Juanita
Published: September 2022

The multi-talented E. Azalia Hackley (1867-1922) became nationally famous as a concert artist, music teacher and race leader. Her name was respected in virtually every African-American household in the early twentieth century. Growing up in black Detroit, she began touring as a pianist and soprano soloist while only in her teens. By the late-1910s, she had toured coast-to-coast, earning glowing reviews. Her concert repertoire consisted of an innovative blend of spirituals, popular ballads, virtuosic showstoppers and classical pieces. She also taught music while on tour and visited several hundred black schools, churches and communities during her career. In addition, she traveled overseas and, in London and Paris, she studied singing with William Shakespeare and Jean de Reszke—two of the classical music world’s most renowned pedagogues. Her acceptance into these famous teachers’ studios confirmed her extraordinary musicianship, and was also a “first” for an African-American singer. Hackley’s activist philosophy was absolutely unique. Unlike most activists of her era, she did not align herself, unequivocally, with either Booker T. Washington or W.E.B. Du Bois in the struggle to eradicate racism. Instead, she created her own mediatory philosophical approach. To carry out her agenda, she harnessed strategies not usually associated with racial uplift initiatives, such as giving music lessons to large audiences, and delivering lectures on the ecumenical religious movement known as New Thought. This book reclaims her legacy, and details the talent, energy, determination and unprecedented worldview she brought to the cause of racial uplift.
The Bad Goddess in Film and Television
Authors: Magoulick Mary J.
Published: September 2022

Films and television shows featuring goddess characters consistently portray these powerful women as forces of chaos and destruction. Specifically, from films we examine Hela from Thor: Ragnarok (2017), minor characters/moments in Hellboy II (2008) and The 13th Warrior (1999), and two versions of Wicker Man (1973 & 2006). From television, we examine characters Glory, Jasmine, and Illyria (from Whedon’s series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel 1997-2004), Lilith from HBO’s True Blood (2008-2014), and a few characters (Julia, Persephone, and The Sister) from SyFy’s The Magicians (2015-2020). Since we have utterly imagined or appropriated these so-called goddesses (all inventions of modern times), it is not surprising that we feel free to use and present them in ways that reflect our cultural values. It is not surprising that negative portrayals of powerful women prevail an industry dominated by men.