bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mobility and Post-Socialism: Cross-Border Shaming and Un-Belonging in a White Europe
Authors: Tulbure Corina
Published: June 2022

In today’s Europe, mechanisms of controlling and disciplining bodies presumably transcend the logic and costs of the painful infliction of violence. State-sanctioned practices and bureaucratic categorization offer EU citizens the chance to live as “Europeans” wherever they choose to live in the territory of a member state. However, within the framework of the neo-colonial structuring of power, Eastern European states inhabit not only a geographic border zone, but recreate the periphery of modernity on the continent. In this article I aim to problematize the violence applied to people from Eastern Europe, who are border-crossers, and to reveal the meaning of intra-European bordering practices. I bring to the fore (personal) memories of border-crossing and data from my fieldwork, exposing collective similar experiences. Today, as in the last few decades, EU citizens whose mobility is controlled or forced across Europe, are submitted to forms of displacement, eviction, and deportation, producing the un-belonging of the border-crossers. These experiences are accompanied and accounted for by numerous emotions that reveal ways in which state institutions act upon the bodies and minds of non-citizens, a way in which the state is felt, becoming present in people’s lives. One of the emotions induced through state institutions and their practices is shame, an essential tool of control and a producer of un-belonging. Thus, within the nation-state, following a racist-patriarchal logic, the unaccounted dehumanization and dignity violation of “some” citizens is accommodated, rationalized, and encouraged.
The Disadvantages of Sovereign Currency as the World Currency
Authors: Sun Yexia
Published: June 2022

From the perspective of Marx’s theory of the functioning of the international monetary system, there are inherent disadvantages in a sovereign currency acting as the world currency. First, the existing model of the single world currency is unfair, with the country whose sovereign currency functions as the world currency able to obtain huge international seigniorage and international inflation tax. Second, this single world currency model is unstable. The premise behind the functioning of an international monetary means of payment is the strong credit of currency-issuing countries, but the Triffin problem means that the sovereign currency issuers face a dilemma. Third, the duality of the monetary measure of value determines that there can be only one currency performing the function of a world currency in the international market, and a multipolar world currency pattern will lead to frictions among currency-issuing countries. Recognizing the disadvantages of using a sovereign currency as the world currency has important reference value and educative significance for achieving a correct view of digital currency, eSDRs, and RMB internationalization.
Multiple quasi-perfect vector vortex beams with arbitrary 3D position on focus
Authors: Vergara Martin , Iemmi Claudio
Published: June 2022

We show a method for creating multiple independent quasi-perfect vector vortex beams with real-time programmable radii, topological charges, polarization orders, and position in three dimensions using a device based on a phase-only liquid-crystal-on-silicon display. We achieved the simultaneous generation of up to seven independent beams, with topological charges from

−

3

to 3, and found great agreement between the simulated and the measured phases and polarization structures. Additionally, we used the same scheme for enhancing the depth of focus of a single beam, resulting in a “tube” beam that preserves its properties during propagation.
Reconfigurable intelligent surface-assisted free-space optical communication system under the influence of signal blockage for smart-city applications
Authors: Naik Ramavath Prasad , Krishnan Prabu , Simha G. D. Goutham
Published: June 2022

Atmospheric turbulence and pointing errors represent substantial hurdles to free-space optical communications (FSOs), impeding their practical design. The reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is an emerging technology that enables reflective radio transmission conditions for next-generation 5G/6G wireless frameworks by intelligently adjusting the beam in the desired direction using low-cost inactive reflecting elements. In this paper, we proposed an RIS-assisted FSO system for mitigating the effects of atmospheric turbulence, pointing errors, and communication system signal blockage. The probability density function and cumulative distribution functions of an FSO system composed of

N

-RIS elements are evaluated in a free-space environment that contains obstructions. We derived closed-form expressions for the proposed system’s bit error rate (BER), outage probability, and channel capacity. The proposed system’s performance is analyzed in terms of BER, outage probability, and channel capacity under various weather conditions, pointing errors, and signal blockage. The results are plotted as a function of number of RIS elements and average signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed system will be beneficial in smart-city applications since it will provide reliable connectivity in urban environments with a high population density and high-rise buildings.
Polarization-sensitive tunable extraordinary terahertz transmission based on a hybrid metal–vanadium dioxide metasurface
Authors: Badri S. Hadi , SaeidNahaei Sanam , Kim Jong Su
Published: June 2022

Thermally tunable extraordinary terahertz transmission in a hybrid metal–vanadium dioxide (

V
O

2

) metasurface is numerically demonstrated. The metasurface consists of a metal sheet perforated by square loops, while the loops are connected with strips of

V
O

2

. The frequency and amplitude of the transmission resonance are modulated by controlling the conductivity of

V
O

2

. For a

y

-polarized incident field, the resonance transmission peak redshifts from 0.88 to 0.81 THz upon insulator-to-metallic phase transition of

V
O

2

. For an

x

-polarized incident field, the transmission resonance at 0.81 THz is observed in the insulator phase. However, in the metallic phase of

V
O

2

, the electromagnetic field is effectively reflected in the 0.5–1.1 THz range with a transmission level lower than 0.14. The proposed metasurface can be utilized as a terahertz modulator, reconfigurable filter, or switch.
Optical design optimization for improved lamp-reflector units in high-flux solar simulators
Authors: Martínez-Manuel Leopoldo , Peña-Cruz Manuel I. , Mutuberría Amaia , González Marcelino Sánchez
Published: June 2022

High flux solar simulators are artificial solar facilities developed to imitate the on-sun operations of concentrating solar power technologies but under a well-controlled lab-scale environment. We report the optical enhancement of different high flux solar simulators for solar thermal and thermochemical applications. The solar simulator enhancement is numerically conducted by optimizing the geometry of ellipsoidal reflectors at focal lengths of 1600, 1800, and 2000 mm. The Monte Carlo ray-tracing technique is employed to evaluate the optical performance of different reflector designs. The typical seven-lamp solar simulator arrangement in hexagonal configuration is modeled to analyze the optical performance at different focal lengths. In addition, different xenon arc lamps are modeled with rated powers of 3000, 4000, 4500, and 5000 W for assessing the radiative flux characteristics of the proposed solar simulators. After the optimization, theoretical results show that peak fluxes and radiative powers of

7.2
−
14

.

3

M
W

/

m

2

and 5.06–10.4 kW, respectively, can be achieved with the proposed designs of solar simulators for the different rated powers. Compared with a commercial reflector, theoretical peak flux and power can be improved up to 36% and 17.9%, respectively, with the proper combination of lamp-reflector units. We provide design alternatives to select a more suitable light source at low-rated powers (

≤

5000

W

) and different focal lengths of the reflector, which simplifies the complexity of the design and improves the performance of solar simulators.
Old genes in new places: A taxon-rich analysis of interdomain lateral gene transfer events
Authors: Cote-L’Heureux Auden , Maurer-Alcalá Xyrus X. , Katz Laura A.
Published: June 2022

Vertical inheritance is foundational to Darwinian evolution, but fails to explain major innovations such as the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria and the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes. While lateral gene transfer (LGT) is recognized as an evolutionary force in prokaryotes, the role of LGT in eukaryotic evolution is less clear. With the exception of the transfer of genes from organelles to the nucleus, a process termed endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT), the extent of interdomain transfer from prokaryotes to eukaryotes is highly debated. A common critique of studies of interdomain LGT is the reliance on the topology of single-gene trees that attempt to estimate more than one billion years of evolution. We take a more conservative approach by identifying cases in which a single clade of eukaryotes is found in an otherwise prokaryotic gene tree (i.e. exclusive presence). Starting with a taxon-rich dataset of over 13,600 gene families and passing data through several rounds of curation, we identify and categorize the function of 306 interdomain LGT events into diverse eukaryotes, including 189 putative EGTs, 52 LGTs into Opisthokonta (i.e. animals, fungi and their microbial relatives), and 42 LGTs nearly exclusive to anaerobic eukaryotes. To assess differential gene loss as an explanation for exclusive presence, we compare branch lengths within each LGT tree to a set of vertically-inherited genes subsampled to mimic gene loss (i.e. with the same taxonomic sampling) and consistently find shorter relative distance between eukaryotes and prokaryotes in LGT trees, a pattern inconsistent with gene loss. Our methods provide a framework for future studies of interdomain LGT and move the field closer to an understanding of how best to model the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.
Stigma and discrimination tendencies towards COVID-19 survivors: Evidence from a nationwide population-based survey in Ghana
Authors: Osei Eric , Amu Hubert , Appiah Prince Kubi , Amponsah Solomon Boamah , Danso Evans , Oppong Samuel , Lotse Comfort Worna , Owusu Bright Emmanuel , Agongo Simon Azure , Yakubu Eliasu , Kye-Duodu Gideon
Published: June 2022

Historically, infectious diseases have generated fears among populations. Unhealthy handling of these fears result in the stigma and discrimination of infected patients. Globally, measures taken so far by governments to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, although helpful, have created fears in people. Consequently, there are reported Ghanaian media cases of stigmatisation against persons who were infected and recovered from COVID-19. However, these reports remain unsubstantiated. This study, therefore, sought to examine stigma and discriminatory tendencies towards COVID-19 survivors among the adult population in Ghana. This was a population-based cross-sectional study among 3,259 adults. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics comprising frequency, percentage, chi-square, and multivariable logistic regression were employed in analysing the data. Knowledge on COVID-19 was poor among 33.6% of the participants. Forty-three per cent had a good attitude towards COVID-19. Nearly half (45.9%) exhibited stigma and discriminatory tendencies towards COVID-19 survivors. Participants who had poor COVID-19 related knowledge (aOR = 1.91, 95%CI = 1.59–2.29, p<0.001) and poor attitude towards COVID-19 (aOR = 5.83, 95% CI = 4.85–6.98,p<0.001) were more likely to exhibit stigma and discriminatory tendencies towards COVID-19 survivors. Our study found relatively high proportions of poor knowledge and negative attitudes towards COVID-19. Stigma and discriminatory tendencies were consequently high. Our findings call for increased public education on COVID-19 by the Ghana Health Service and the Information Services Department, to increase the level of knowledge on the pandemic while reducing stigma and discrimination associated with it.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care waste management among Zambian health care workers
Authors: Leonard Colleen M. , Chunga Chipwaila Choolwe , Nkaama Justine M. , Banda Kutha , Mibenge Chilekwa , Chalwe Victor , Biemba Godfrey , Chilengi-Sakala Sandra , Mwale Florence Kabinga
Published: June 2022

Poor management of health care waste poses a serious threat to the health of health care workers, patients and communities. In developing countries, adequate health care waste management (HCWM) is often a challenge. To address this, the Zambian Health Services Improvement Project with HCWM as a component, was implemented in five Zambian provinces (Luapula, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western and Western Provinces), under which this cross-sectional study was conducted to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care workers on HCWM. Fifty government hospitals and health posts from five provinces in Zambia were included in the study. Data was collected using a mixed-methods approach, which included surveys with health care workers (n = 394), in-depth interviews (n = 47) with health officials at the provincial, district, and facility levels, and observational checklists (n = 86). Overall, knowledge of proper waste segregation was average (mean knowledge score 4.7/ 7). HCWM knowledge varied significantly by job position (p = 0.02) and not by facility level, years of service, nor prior training. Only 37.3% of respondents recalled having received any sort of HCWM training. Poor waste segregation practice was found as only 56.9% of the facilities used an infectious waste bag (yellow, red or orange bin liner) and a black bag for general waste. This study revealed that only 43% of facilities had a functional incinerator on site for infectious waste treatment. Needle sticks were alarmingly high with 31.3% of all respondents reporting a prior needle stick. The system of HCWM remains below national and international standards in health facilities in Zambia. It is imperative that all health care workers undergo comprehensive HCWM training and sufficient health care waste commodities are supplied to all health facility levels in Zambia.
Zaire ebolavirus surveillance near the Bikoro region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 2018 outbreak reveals presence of seropositive bats
Authors: Seifert Stephanie N. , Fischer Robert J. , Kuisma Eeva , Badzi Nkoua Cynthia , Bounga Gerard , Akongo Marc-Joël , Schulz Jonathan E. , Escudero-Pérez Beatriz , Akoundzie Beal-Junior , Ampiri Vishnou Reize Bani , Dieudonne Ankara , Indolo Ghislain Dzeret , Kaba Serge D. , Louzolo Igor , Macosso Lucette Nathalie , Mavoungou Yanne , Miegakanda Valchy Bel-bebi , Nina Rock Aimé , Samabide Kevin Tolovou , Ondzie Alain I. , Ntoumi Francine , Muñoz-Fontela César , Mombouli Jean-Vivien , Olson Sarah H. , Walzer Chris , Niama Fabien Roch , Munster Vincent J.
Published: June 2022

On the 8th of May, 2018, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) was declared, originating in the Bikoro region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) near the border with neighboring Republic of the Congo (ROC). Frequent trade and migration occur between DRC and ROC-based communities residing along the Congo River. In June 2018, a field team was deployed to determine whether Zaire ebolavirus (Ebola virus (EBOV)) was contemporaneously circulating in local bats at the human-animal interface in ROC near the Bikoro EVD outbreak. Samples were collected from bats in the Cuvette and Likouala departments, ROC, bordering the Équateur Province in DRC where the Bikoro EVD outbreak was first detected. EBOV genomic material was not detected in bat-derived samples by targeted quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or by family-level consensus polymerase chain reaction; however, serological data suggests recent exposure to EBOV in bats in the region. We collected serum from 144 bats in the Cuvette department with 6.9% seropositivity against the EBOV glycoprotein and 14.3% seropositivity for serum collected from 27 fruit bats and one Molossinae in the Likouala department. We conclude that proactive investment in longitudinal sampling for filoviruses at the human-animal interface, coupled with ecological investigations are needed to identify EBOV wildlife reservoirs.
Design and synthesis of Nrf2-derived hydrocarbon stapled peptides for the disruption of protein-DNA-interactions
Authors: Wiedemann Bianca , Kamps Dominic , Depta Laura , Weisner Jörn , Cvetreznik Jana , Tomassi Stefano , Gentz Sascha , Hoffmann Jan-Erik , Müller Matthias P. , Koch Oliver , Dehmelt Leif , Rauh Daniel
Published: June 2022

Misregulation and mutations of the transcription factor Nrf2 are involved in the development of a variety of human diseases. In this study, we employed the technology of stapled peptides to address a protein-DNA-complex and designed a set of Nrf2-based derivatives. Varying the length and position of the hydrocarbon staple, we chose the best peptide for further evaluation in both fixed and living cells. Peptide 4 revealed significant enrichment within the nucleus compared to its linear counterpart 5, indicating potent binding to DNA. Our studies suggest that these molecules offer an interesting strategy to target activated Nrf2 in cancer cells.
Particle retracking algorithm capable of quantifying large, local matrix deformation for traction force microscopy
Authors: Haarman Samuel E. , Kim Sue Y. , Isogai Tadamoto , Dean Kevin M. , Han Sangyoon J.
Published: June 2022

Deformation measurement is a key process in traction force microscopy (TFM). Conventionally, particle image velocimetry (PIV) or correlation-based particle tracking velocimetry (cPTV) have been used for such a purpose. Using simulated bead images, we show that those methods fail to capture large displacement vectors and that it is due to a poor cross-correlation. Here, to redeem the potential large vectors, we propose a two-step deformation tracking algorithm that combines cPTV, which performs better for small displacements than PIV methods, and newly-designed retracking algorithm that exploits statistically confident vectors from the initial cPTV to guide the selection of correlation peak which are not necessarily the global maximum. As a result, the new method, named ‘cPTV-Retracking’, or cPTVR, was able to track more than 92% of large vectors whereas conventional methods could track 43–77% of those. Correspondingly, traction force reconstructed from cPTVR showed better recovery of large traction than the old methods. cPTVR applied on the experimental bead images has shown a better resolving power of the traction with different-sized cell-matrix adhesions than conventional methods. Altogether, cPTVR method enhances the accuracy of TFM in the case of large deformations present in soft substrates. We share this advance via our TFMPackage software.
Alleviation of cadmium toxicity in Zea mays L. through up-regulation of growth, antioxidant defense system and organic osmolytes under calcium supplementation
Authors: Kaleem Muhammad , Shabir Farah , Hussain Iqbal , Hameed Mansoor , Ahmad Muhammad Sajid Aqeel , Mehmood Anam , Ashfaq Waseem , Riaz Saima , Afzaal Zarbakht , Maqsood Muhammad Faisal , Iqbal Ummar , Shah Syed Mohsan Raza , Irshad Muhammad
Published: June 2022

Calcium (Ca) is a macronutrient and works as a modulator to mitigate oxidative stress induced by heavy metals. In this study, we investigated the role of Ca to ameliorate the Cd toxicity in Zea mays L. by modulating the growth, physio-biochemical traits, and cellular antioxidant defense system. Maize genotype Sahiwal-2002 was grown under a controlled glasshouse environment with a day/night temperature of 24 ± 4°C/14 ± 2°C in a complete randomized design with three replications and two Cd levels as (0 and 150 μM) and six regimes of Ca (0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 mM). Maize seedlings exposed to Cd at 150 μM concentration showed a notable decrease in growth, biomass, anthocyanins, chlorophylls, and antioxidant enzymes activities. A higher level of Cd (150 μM) also caused an upsurge in oxidative damage observed as higher electrolyte leakage (increased membrane permeability), H2O2 production, and MDA accumulation. Supplementation of Ca notably improved growth traits, photosynthetic pigments, cellular antioxidants (APX, POD, and ascorbic acid), anthocyanins, and levels of osmolytes. The significant improvement in the osmolytes (proteins and amino acids), and enzymatic antioxidative defense system enhanced the membrane stability and mitigated the damaging effects of Cd. The present results concluded that exogenously applied Ca potentially improve growth by regulating antioxidants and enabling maize plants to withstand the Cd toxicity.
Social predictors of the transition from anomie to deviance in adolescence
Authors: Sârbu Emanuel Adrian , Nadolu Bogdan , Runcan Remus , Tomiță Mihaela , Lazăr Florin
Published: June 2022

Adolescence is a complicated, full of challenges and explorations period in life on the way to adulthood. The behaviour of adolescents is considerably re-configuring under the pressure of biological, psychological, and social transformations, and the internalization of community rules and values, as well as the adoption of desirable behaviours, is not always easy or successful. During adolescence, anomie can easily become an attractivestatus quo, but it can also evolve, however, relatively easy, to delinquency. This exploratory study, part of the Planet Youth project, is based on an analysis of 17 items from a questionnaire applied to a sample of 2,694 young people in Bucharest, Romania, in 2018, high schoolers in grades 9–11. The main objective of this approach was to assess the impact of some socio-cultural factors regarding school, family, peer group, and neighbourhood on the adoption of deviant and delinquent behaviours among Bucharest teenagers. For data analysis, two dependent variables were built by aggregating items in the questionnaire: the level of anomie (composed of 8 items) and deviant behaviour (composed of 17 items). As independent variables, 17 predictors composed from 67 questions from the questionnaire were used. The main results reflect a high level of anomie among the adolescents of Bucharest and a low level of deviance, and a weak link between these two variables. On the other hand, adolescent anomie and deviance are favoured by anger management, perceived peer attitudes to substance use and digital leisure, together with low parental surveillance.
Teachers’ perceptions of teaching physical education using online learning during the COVID-19: A quantitative study in Turkey
Authors: Konukman Ferman , Filiz Bijen , Ünlü Hüseyin
Published: June 2022

Introduction

This quantitative study aimed to determine physical education teachers’ (PETs) perceptions of online physical education (OLPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

Methods

An OLPE teaching survey during the COVID-19 was used, comprising PETs’ opinions on OLPE teaching as well as the advantages, disadvantages, difficulties, and suggestions for OLPE teaching.

Results

A significant difference by gender was identified in the individual approach to student learning, greater student independence, and ongoing monitoring of student results for teachers, parents, and students. In addition, a significant difference was found by gender in the difficulty in implementing the core curriculum content as well as by school type in the lack of proper home equipment, absence of or limited Internet access, and problems with connecting the computer, tablet, or smartphone to the Internet. Moreover, PETs stated that OLPE teaching is not only the best way to transfer basic information, but it also gives them an opportunity to learn digital technology by devoting time for research for self-improvement. However, they stated that students do not perceive OLPE as a lesson, as student participation is lacking. Moreover, there are deficiencies in students’ social-emotional development. They also stated that the content of the lessons was insufficient, and they were unable to make the lesson interesting.

Conclusion

PETs’ suggested recommendations included enriching the course content, increasing the lesson time, developing a new curriculum, and creating a platform to access course resources.
Understanding the contribution of soybean crop residues inoculated with Bradyrhizobium spp. and not harvested on nitrogen supply in off-season corn cultivars
Authors: Zuffo Alan Mario , Ratke Rafael Felippe , Okla Mohammad K. , Al-Hashimi Abdulrahman , González Aguilera Jorge , Trento Amanda Camila Silva , Pereira da Silva Natielly , de Souza Edicarlos Damacena , Nogueira Bruna Karolayne Andrade , Coutinho Jéssica Heloiza , Steiner Fábio , de Alcântara Neto Francisco , da Silva Júnior Gabriel Barbosa , dos Santos Silva Francisco Charles , Sobrinho Renato Lustosa , AbdElgawad Hamada
Published: June 2022

Excessive rainfall in the soybean preharvest period can make mechanized crop harvesting technically and economically unfeasible, causing 100% losses in soybean grain yield. An alternative to reduce the economic losses of farmers would be using unharvested soybean crop residues as a source of nitrogen (N) for the subsequent corn crop. However, a question that still needs to be understood is whether the amount of N released from unharvested soybean residues (straw and grains) is sufficient to meet all the nutritional demand for this nutrient in the off-season corn. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of unharvested soybean crop residue persistence on the yield response of off-season corn crop (Zea mays L.) to the application of N fertilizer rates when grown in tropical Cerrado soils of medium and high fertility. Four simple corn hybrids (SYN7G17 TL, 30F53VYHR, B2433PWU, and AG 8700 PRO3) were grown in soils of medium fertility and medium acidity level (UFMS 1) and high fertility and low acidity level (UFMS 2) and fertilized with five of N fertilizer rates (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg ha–1 of N) applied at 30 days after emergence (DAE). Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was used to investigate the interrelationships between the groups of independent (agricultural production areas, corn cultivars, and N application rates) and dependent (corn agronomic traits) variables. Crop residues remaining on the soil surface from soybeans not harvested and inoculated with Bradyrhizobium spp. can supply most of the nitrogen requirement of off-season corn grown in succession, especially in tropical soils of medium fertility. However, in high-fertility tropical soils, the maximum grain yield potential of off-season corn cultivars can be obtained with the application of mineral N fertilizer in supplement the amount of nitrogen released from unharvested soybean residues. Therefore, the N requirement depends on the corn cultivar and the agricultural production area. However, our results show that when off-season corn is grown on unharvested soybean residues, nitrogen fertilization in topdressing can be dispensed. The agricultural area with high fertility soil (UFMS 2) enhances the grain yield of the off-season corn crop. The corn cultivar AG 8700 PRO3 has a higher thousand-grain mass and high grain yield potential under Brazilian Cerrado conditions.
Preconception risk factors and health care needs of pregnancy-planning women and men with a lifetime history or current mental illness: A nationwide survey
Authors: Dennis Cindy-Lee , Brown Hilary K. , Brennenstuhl Sarah , Vigod Simone , Miller Ainsley , Castro Rita Amiel , Marini Flavia Casasanta , Birken Catherine
Published: June 2022

Objectives

While depression and anxiety are common in women and men of reproductive age, preconception interventions to optimize the health of individuals with mental illness before pregnancy is limited and focuses primarily on psychotropic medication management. Comparing individuals with depression, anxiety, and comorbidity to those with neither condition, we identified areas of preconception care optimization related to psychosocial risk factors, general physical health, medication use, and uptake of high-risk health behaviours. We also investigated differences in preconception health care use, attitudes, and knowledge.

Method

We conducted a nationwide survey of 621 women (n = 529) and men (n = 92) across Canada who were planning a pregnancy within five years, including those with lifetime or current depression (n = 38), anxiety (n = 55), and comorbidity (n = 104) and those without mental illness (n = 413). Individuals with depression, anxiety, and comorbidity were compared to individuals without mental illness using logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and education level.

Results

Individuals with a lifetime or current mental illness were significantly more likely to have several risk factors for suboptimal reproductive and perinatal outcomes, including increased rates of obesity, stress, fatigue, loneliness, number of chronic health conditions, and medication use. Further, they were more likely to have high-risk health behaviours including increased substance use, internet addiction, poorer eating habits, and decreased physical activity. By assessing depression, anxiety, or both separately, we also determined there was variation in risk factors by mental illness type.

Conclusion

Our nationwide study is one of the first and largest to examine the preconception care needs of women and men with a lifetime or current mental illness who are pregnancy-planning. We found this population has many important reproductive and perinatal risk factors that are modifiable via preconception interventions which could have a significant positive impact on their health trajectories and those of their future children.
The impact of pediatric early warning score and rapid response algorithm training and implementation on interprofessional collaboration in a resource-limited setting
Authors: Rosman Samantha L. , Daneau Briscoe Christine , Rutare Samuel , McCall Natalie , Monuteaux Michael C. , Unyuzumutima Juliette , Uwamaliya Agnes , Hitayezu Janvier
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Improved teamwork and communication have been associated with improved quality of care. Early Warning Scores (EWS) and rapid response algorithms are a way of identifying deteriorating patients and providing a common framework for communication and response between physicians and nurses. The impact of EWS implementation on interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has been minimally studied, especially in resource-limited settings.

Methods

The study took place in the Pediatric Department of the main academic referral hospital in Rwanda between April 2019 and January 2020. Pediatric nurses and residents were trained on the use of the Pediatric Warning Score for Resource-Limited Settings (PEWS-RL) and a rapid response algorithm. Training included vital sign collection, PEWS-RL calculation, IPC and rapid response algorithm implementation. Prior to training, participants completed surveys on IPC with Likert scale responses (from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”). Follow-up surveys were then administered nine months later and also included an open-response question on the impact of the PEWS-RL implementation on IPC.

Results

Sixty-five (96%) nurses were trained and completed the pre-survey and thirty-seven (54%) of the trained nurses completed the post-survey. Twenty-two (59%) pediatric residents were trained in the workshop and completed the pre-survey and twenty-four physicians (4 pediatricians (40%) and 20 pediatric residents (53%)) completed the post-implementation survey. There was a statistically significant increase in the percent of nurses indicating strong agreement across all domains of communication and collaboration from the pre- to the post-survey. Although the percent of physicians indicating strong agreement increased in the post-survey for all items, only the “share information” item was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Training and implementation of a PEWS-RL and a rapid response algorithm at a tertiary hospital in Rwanda resulted in significant improvement of nurse and physician ratings of IPC nine months later.
Encapsulation of the septal cell wall protects Streptococcus pneumoniae from its major peptidoglycan hydrolase and host defenses
Authors: Figueiredo Joana , Henriques Mafalda Xavier , Catalão Maria João , Pinheiro Sara , Narciso Ana Rita , Mesquita Francisco , Saraiva Bruno Manuel , Carido Madalena , Cabanes Didier , Pinho Mariana Gomes , Filipe Sérgio Raposo
Published: June 2022

Synthesis of the capsular polysaccharide, a major virulence factor for many pathogenic bacteria, is required for bacterial survival within the infected host. In Streptococcus pneumoniae, Wze, an autophosphorylating tyrosine kinase, and Wzd, a membrane protein required for Wze autophosphorylation, co-localize at the division septum and guarantee the presence of capsule at this subcellular location. To determine how bacteria regulate capsule synthesis, we studied pneumococcal proteins that interact with Wzd and Wze using bacterial two hybrid assays and fluorescence microscopy. We found that Wzd interacts with Wzg, the putative ligase that attaches capsule to the bacterial cell wall, and recruits it to the septal area. This interaction required residue V56 of Wzd and both the transmembrane regions and DNA-PPF domain of Wzg. When compared to the wild type, Wzd null pneumococci lack capsule at midcell, bind the peptidoglycan hydrolase LytA better and are more susceptible to LytA-induced lysis, and are less virulent in a zebrafish embryo infection model. In this manuscript, we propose that the Wzd/Wze pair guarantees full encapsulation of pneumococcal bacteria by recruiting Wzg to the division septum, ensuring that capsule attachment is coordinated with peptidoglycan synthesis. Impairing the encapsulation process, at localized subcellular sites, may facilitate elimination of bacteria by strategies that target the pneumococcal peptidoglycan.
Get Up and Tie Your Fingers Eyemouth: Listening for dialogic resonance within a co-produced community performance
Authors: Pavey Liz , MacPherson Fiona
Published: June 2022

This article addresses concepts and theories of listening and the impact these can have on community theatre-making. The article draws on Jean-Luc Nancy’s analysis of listening as resonance (écouter) rather than listening to hear meaning (entendre), and considers his concept of renvoi (a return, send back, repeat). Get Up and Tie Your Fingers Eyemouth was a participatory performance work that the authors of this article – theatre director Fiona MacPherson and dance artist Liz Pavey – together with musician Eleanor Logan, realized with multigenerational cast in Eyemouth, Scotland. We analyse how listening techniques became the primary model of rehearsal activity and approach to performing which Fiona developed with the narrators in this production. An emphasis on listening supported the development of new methods of ensemble storytelling fostering a collective creative agency in how participants worked with the script and explored the musicality of the dialogue. These innovative methodologies question conventional and hierarchical delineation of artistic roles in performance making and storytelling challenging traditional notions of ownership in theatre practice. Our analysis considers listening as an embodied and emplacement activity particularly within the context of a coastal location. We argue that an attention to listening can foster aesthetic and somatic sensibility and awareness of interrelationship of self and environment. The article concludes with initial analysis of how we have been furthering our exploration of the application of listening practices to performance making within our subsequent collaboration with the Eyemouth community, Eyemouth: People and The Sea.
Integración de la sostenibilidad ambiental en la planificación de la Universidad Simón Bolívar
Authors: Gutiérrez Mijares María Eugenia , Pellegrini Blanco Nila Coromoto
Published: June 2022

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo develar los aspectos relacionados con la integración de la sostenibilidad ambiental en la función medular a partir de la planificación universitaria. Para realizar el estudio e identificar la integración o no de sostenibilidad ambiental se seleccionaron: el Plan Estratégico 2001-2014 y Plan de Gestión 2009-2013 de la Universidad Simón Bolívar. Las fuentes bibliográficas internacionales seleccionadas que servirán como base para la relación y cruce de información son: el Documento del Decenio de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Sostenible 2005-2015 y su Plan de Implementación. Se diseñó una ficha registro caracterizando los aspectos básicos de cada plan universitario y se definieron los criterios que se van a contrastar entre los documentos seleccionados. El estudio de enfoque etnográfico, interpretativo, utiliza criterios de agrupación y caracterización con técnicas cualitativa para el análisis de contenido y cuantitativa para las estadísticas. Se demostró disparidad y deficiencia en la representación de la sostenibilidad ambiental entre lo planificado en la universidad y lo propuesto en los lineamientos del Decenio.
Para uma educação ambiental crítica:
Authors: Maciel Louise Claudino , Nunes de Farias Filho Everaldo , Romerito da Silva Arcoverde Márcio , Milene Gomes de Araújo Marta
Published: June 2022

Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir o lugar da Universidade na consolidação de uma Educação Ambiental (EA) crítica através do conceito de campo de Pierre Bourdieu e apresentar duas experiências práticas de fomento a uma EA de cunho crítico e emancipatório no âmbito do Colégio Agrícola Dom Agostinho Ikas da UFRPE (CODAI), pertencente à Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco. Os dados foram coletados a partir de observações e questionários fechados aplicados aos participantes. Os resultados apontaram que as Universidades devem fomentar uma EA que forme nos sujeitos a consciência crítica dos problemas socioambientais do nosso tempo, dos múltiplos atores envolvidos e das relações de poder e de força atuantes dentro e no entorno do campo ambiental. Além disso, os resultados das duas experiências exitosas mostraram que o CODAI da UFRPE desenvolveu ações formativas em EA tanto inicial quanto continuada numa perspectiva crítica, transversal e interdisciplinar, legitimando o papel da Universidade na formação holística e emancipatória do cidadão.
El rol de la Red Nacional de Formación e Investigación Ambiental de Guatemala en la integración de la educación ambiental
Authors: Solano Garrido Ana Lucía , Guerra Noriega Alex , Juárez Padilla Francisco Fabián
Published: June 2022

Este trabajo presenta el caso de la Red Nacional de Educación e Investigación Ambiental de Guatemala (REDFIA), que en 2021 cumplió 25 años de trayectoria. La Red surgió como un mecanismo de coordinación entre universidades, centros de investigación y el Ministerio de Ambiente. Sus principales aportes han sido el desarrollo de políticas ambientales en las universidades; numerosos eventos de sensibilización ambiental; la creación del Sistema Guatemalteco de Ciencias del Cambio Climático y promoción de redes ambientales regionales. La Educación Ambiental ha sido un tema transversal llegando a las poblaciones estudiantiles de sus miembros y diferentes sectores de la sociedad. La revisión de documentos institucionales y entrevistas a informantes clave de la Red describen los factores que han contribuido a su trabajo, así como sus desafíos actuales y futuros.
inserção da Educação Ambiental em currículos universitários e suas contribuições para formação profissional no contexto contemporâneo
Authors: De Lima Siqueira dos Santos Bruna Carolina , Do Amaral Ferreira Ediene , Gesser Verônica
Published: June 2022

O presente estudo apresenta recortes que provém de uma tese desenvolvida junto ao Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação da UNIVALI. Tendo como objeto central de estudo a inserção da EA nos currículos universitários, o estudo objetiva sobretudo: Apontar contribuições da inserção da EA nos currículos universitários para formação profissional no contexto contemporâneo. Em uma abordagem qualitativa, como metodologia para coleta de dados faz uso da Netnografia (KOZINETS, 2014), os dados são analisados por meio da Análise Textual Discursiva – ATD (MORAES; GALIAZZI, 2011). Como principais achados, destacamos a compreensão do investimento neoliberal na individualização dos sujeitos para torná-los despolitizados, buscando distanciá-los por exemplo, de debates públicos que inferem diretamente na sociedade, portanto, a inserção da EA na formação profissional apresenta-se como resistência a lógica, por contribuir para formação de sujeitos críticos e ativos na busca e reivindicação de espaços e respeito as multiplicidades.
Computed tomographic findings of peritoneal lymphomatosis in a cat: a case report
Authors: Sung Ah Won , Kim Juyeong , Lee Youngwon , Choi Hojung
Published: June 2022

A 12-year-old castrated male Persian cat presented with abdominal distension, anorexia, and no defecation. The radiography revealed ascites, pleural effusion, and a cranioventral mediastinal mass. Ultrasonography showed a well-defined mass lesion within a thickened ileal segment with a transmural loss of layering and multiple hyperechoic nodules arising from the peritoneum. Computed tomography showed peritoneal thickening with contrast enhancement, a bulky heterogeneous ileal mass, and mesenteric involvement with diffuse nodules. An alimentary lymphoma was confirmed by fine needle aspiration of the small intestinal mass. Peritoneal lymphomatosis is rarely reported as a metastatic manifestation in veterinary medicine. This report describes the imaging features of lymphoma with peritoneal lymphomatosis in a cat.
Query driven-graph neural networks for community search
Authors: Jiang Yuli , Rong Yu , Cheng Hong , Huang Xin , Zhao Kangfei , Huang Junzhou
Published: June 2022

Given one or more query vertices, Community Search (CS) aims to find densely intra-connected and loosely inter-connected structures containing query vertices. Attributed Community Search (ACS), a related problem, is more challenging since it finds communities with both cohesive structures and homogeneous vertex attributes. However, most methods for the CS task rely on inflexible pre-defined structures and studies for ACS treat each attribute independently. Moreover, the most popular ACS strategies decompose ACS into two separate sub-problems, i.e., the CS task and subsequent attribute filtering task. However, in real-world graphs, the community structure and the vertex attributes are closely correlated to each other. This correlation is vital for the ACS problem. In this vein, we argue that the separation strategy cannot fully capture the correlation between structure and attributes simultaneously and it would compromise the final performance.

In this paper, we propose Graph Neural Network (GNN) models for both CS and ACS problems, i.e., Query Driven-GNN (QD-GNN) and Attributed Query Driven-GNN (AQD-GNN). In QD-GNN, we combine the local query-dependent structure and global graph embedding. In order to extend QD-GNN to handle attributes, we model vertex attributes as a bipartite graph and capture the relation between attributes by constructing GNNs on this bipartite graph. With a Feature Fusion operator, AQD-GNN processes the structure and attribute simultaneously and predicts communities according to each attributed query. Experiments on real-world graphs with ground-truth communities demonstrate that the proposed models outperform existing CS and ACS algorithms in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness. More recently, an interactive setting for CS is proposed that allows users to adjust the predicted communities. We further verify our approaches under the interactive setting and extend to the attributed context. Our method achieves 2.37% and 6.29% improvements in F1-score than the state-of-the-art model without attributes and with attributes respectively.
Entity resolution on-demand
Authors: Simonini Giovanni , Zecchini Luca , Bergamaschi Sonia , Naumann Felix
Published: June 2022

Entity Resolution (ER) aims to identify and merge records that refer to the same real-world entity. ER is typically employed as an expensive cleaning step on the entire data before consuming it. Yet, determining which entities are useful once cleaned depends solely on the user's application, which may need only a fraction of them. For instance, when dealing with Web data, we would like to be able to filter the entities of interest gathered from multiple sources without cleaning the entire, continuously-growing data. Similarly, when querying data lakes, we want to transform data on-demand and return the results in a timely manner---a fundamental requirement of ELT (
Extract-Load-Transform
) pipelines.

We propose
BrewER
, a framework to evaluate SQL SP queries on dirty data while progressively returning results as if they were issued on cleaned data.
BrewER
tries to focus the cleaning effort on one entity at a time, following an ORDER BY predicate. Thus, it inherently supports
top-k
and stop-and-resume execution. For a wide range of applications, a significant amount of resources can be saved. We exhaustively evaluate and show the efficacy of
BrewER
on four real-world datasets.
Analyzing how BERT performs entity matching
Authors: Paganelli Matteo , Buono Francesco Del , Baraldi Andrea , Guerra Francesco
Published: June 2022

State-of-the-art Entity Matching (EM) approaches rely on transformer architectures, such as
BERT
, for generating highly contex-tualized embeddings of terms. The embeddings are then used to predict whether pairs of entity descriptions refer to the same real-world entity. BERT-based EM models demonstrated to be effective, but act as black-boxes for the users, who have limited insight into the motivations behind their decisions.

In this paper, we perform a multi-facet analysis of the components of pre-trained and fine-tuned BERT architectures applied to an EM task. The main findings resulting from our extensive experimental evaluation are (1) the fine-tuning process applied to the EM task mainly modifies the last layers of the BERT components, but in a different way on tokens belonging to descriptions of matching / non-matching entities; (2) the special structure of the EM datasets, where records are pairs of entity descriptions is recognized by BERT; (3) the pair-wise semantic similarity of tokens is not a key knowledge exploited by BERT-based EM models.
Illuminating insights into subjectivity: Q as a methodology in applied linguistics research
Authors: Thumvichit Athip
Published: June 2022

Applied linguistics (AL) is a broad field of study that often concerns subjective domains such as beliefs, opinions, perspectives, values and emotions. Q methodology (Q), a mixed methods approach to phenomenological and typological inquiry, is specifically designed to help researchers better understand individuals’ subjective viewpoints. Although Q has existed for eight decades, it rarely intersects with language-related research. This article offers AL researchers an overview of Q and examples of its application. The overview covers its brief history and underlying theoretical concepts. The application is illustrated using a case exemplar that investigates language learners’ perspectives regarding enjoyment in online learning. The advantages and limitations of Q are also discussed. There is plenty of room for AL researchers to advance Q, both as a standalone methodology and as an accompaniment to other methods.