bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DECOLONIZING HEALTH RESEARCH: COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND POSTCOLONIAL FEMINIST THEORY
Authors: Darroch Francine , Giles Audrey
Published: June 2022

Within Canada, community-based participatory research (CBPR) has become the dominant methodology for scholars who conduct health research with Aboriginal communities. While CBPR has become understood as a methodology that can lead to more equitable relations of power between Aboriginal community members and researchers, it is not a panacea. In this article, we examine CBPR’s decolonizing potential and challenges to meeting this potential. Specifically, we argue that those who use CBPR need to recognize and expose the ways in which power inequities are perpetrated if decolonization is to result from CBPR. Further, we argue that one of the ways to meet CBPR’s decolonizing potential is to utilize a postcolonial feminist approach.
MOVING FROM A TRANSMISSION TO A SOCIAL REFORM TEACHING PERSPECTIVE: USING TEACHERS’ ACTION RESEARCH AS CRITICAL PEDAGOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Authors: Wong Arch Chee Keen
Published: June 2022

This article gives an account of an action research project that I used to examine and improve my own teaching practices. In this project, I used insights from critical pedagogy to inform my transition from a transmission to a social reform teaching perspective. When I used the critical pedagogical concept of constructed consciousness and the problem-posing teaching strategy to interact with my students as co-inquirers and to disrupt their prior knowledge, I noticed that many themes emerged, most notably that (a) students do not often question their assumptions, (b) students feel helpless to change the future, and (c) there is dissonance between students’ beliefs and their practices. The final section of the article explains what I learned about teaching and learning as I engaged in action research pedagogy.
Coghlan, D., & Brydon-Miller, M. (2014). The Sage encyclopedia of action research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Authors: Aberdeen Trudie
Published: June 2022

The Sage encyclopedia of action research is a two-volume series of entries about action research which has been compiled by a team of editors and specialists in different areas of action research. The specializations of the editors include general action research (Greenwood), organization development (Coughlan, Dick), community-based action research (Brydon-Miller, Flicker, Hall), organizational behaviour (Friedman), action-research as meta-methodology (Sankaran), agency and activism (Gaya), participatory action research (Guhathakurta, Jaitli, Tandon), and educational action research (Zhao). They sought entries from 200 researchers in the field. The topics covered are also extensive and include the following: biographies of well-respected action researchers, concepts, epistemologies, ethics, goals, methods, methodologies, organizations and movements, philosophical underpinnings, settings, skills, spirituality, theories, and tools.
“My Nihon” Multimedia Interaktif Pengenalan budaya Jepang
Authors: Widayati Qoriani , Padllyanto Agin
Published: June 2022

Budaya Jepang adalah salah satu budaya asing yang sangat disukai masyarakat indonesia saat ini. salah satu media pembelajaran yang banyak dipilih oleh masyarakat indonesia adalah melaui hobi seperti menonton film dan bermain game jepang, hal ini dipilih karena media pembelajaran tersebut lebih interaktif jika dibandingkan belajar melalui artikel di internet dan buku. Permasalahan tersebut dapat diatasi dengan dibuatnya aplikasi pengenalan budaya jepang berbasis multimedia interaktif menggunakan Adobe Flash CS6. Metode yang digunakan untuk merancang aplikasi pengenalan budaya jepang ini yaitu menggunakan MDLC (Multimedia Development Life Cycle). Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah sebuah aplikasi multimedia interaktif yang berupa animasi motion graphic yang dapat mempermudah dalam proses belajar, dimana pengguna bisa berinteraksi dengan fitur pembelajaran dan tidak hanya mendapatkan materi saja.
DEVOPS FOR CLOUD COMPUTING: AN OVERVIEW
Authors:   Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Srikanth Karthik
Published: June 2022

In the IT industry, we are living in the Cloud Computing Technology era. Cloud computing, which is based on the Internet, is the most popular computation architecture. It is made up of a networked and integrated collection of hardware, software, and internet infrastructure (1). It includes a lot of characteristics in addition to grid computing and other forms of computing. Cloud computing is the supply of computer resources as a service, with the cloud provider owning and controlling the resources rather than the end-user. These resources might range from web-based software to mobile apps (2). On the other hand, A DevOps method is one of several strategies used by IT professionals to carry out IT projects that fulfill business requirements. DevOps is the standard practice for the large majority of cloud development projects and enterprises. The benefits of utilizing DevOps with cloud initiatives are getting progressively outstanding (3). This paper provides an in-depth evaluation of cloud computing for DevOps. Firstly, the role of DevOps in the cloud, the different types of cloud computing, and the phases of DevOps are detailed. Secondly, the advantages of using the different types of cloud computing services for DevOps, and the features of using IaaS tools for and key market trends are briefed. Furthermore, a few of the open issues and research gaps for future investigations are discussed.
EFFICIENT MODEL FOR AUTOMATED SCHOOL BUS SAFETY AND SECURITY USING IOT AND CLOUD
Authors:   Department of Computer Application Jain Knowledge Campus, Bangalore Jain University, Bangalore,India, Ubale N Ayush ,   Department of Computer Application Jain Knowledge Campus, Bangalore Jain University, Bangalore,India, Tajammul Dr Mohd
Published: June 2022

School bus services now play an important role in transporting students from their homes to schools in every country region. Many parents rely heavily on school bus services, despite their concerns about their children's safety. As a result of this difficulty, this paper proposed an SMS-based solution to help most parents track their children's school bus movements (in/out). Parents will receive an SMS once their children have boarded the bus and arrived at their destination. Using RFID and GSM technology, the system strives to create a school bus security system. RFID is used to authenticate the student's identity to the parent's phone number and to count the number of students in the bus, whereas GSM is deployed as a platform to send SMS notifications to parents about their children's whereabouts. The microcontroller is coupled to RFID and GSM technologies, with the visual studio application deployed in AWS cloud controlling both the microcontroller and the operations. According to the system, the developed project is capable of allows both parents and school administration control and monitor a variety of aspects such as the number of children on bus, each student's details, pick-up and drop-off times, location, and attendance system. A web application allows parents to keep track of the school bus's whereabouts as well as the student's pick-up and drop-off times. In short, this prototype system could provide peace of mind to most parents who entrust their children to the school bus transportation system.
ANALYSIS OF ACCIDENTS IN THE SUDANESE CIVIL AVIATION DURING THE LAST 20 YEAR
Authors:   Nile Valley University, Faculty of Post Graduate, Sudan, Elnaiem Abd Ellatif Elhadi Musa , Shukri M.I. ,   Alsalama College of Science & Technology Sudan
Published: June 2022

WW1 and WW2 played the main role on having aircrafts fly in the Sudan skies. During the history of aviation in the Sudan, 91 accidents occurred leaving 606 fatalities. The first accident was on 25/2/1920, and the worst time for aviation in the Sudan was from 26/2/1996 to 07/10/2012 when 442 persons lost their lives in a series of accidents. The number of accidents in the last 20 years was 41 accidents killing 284 persons. 39 accidents occurred in the first 13 years and only 2 accidents occurred in the last 7 years leaving no fatalities. The main reason of accidents is found to be human error, the mode of flight of most accidents is landing and the next is take-off. Russian aircrafts made 80% of the accidents. The year 2003 was the worst year for aviation in the Sudan of 129 fatalities due to 2 accidents. The efforts done by the Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan) between 2008 and 2012 has shown tangible results by reducing the number of accidents in the last 7 years to only 2 accidents
AN EFFICIENT ELECTRICITY THEFT DETECTION USING XG BOOST
Authors:   Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering for Women, Pune-411043, Mhaske Disha , Satam Riya ,   Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering for Women, Pune-411043, Londhe Snehal ,   Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering for Women, Pune-411043, Kohad Tanushree ,   Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering for Women, Pune-411043, Kadam Sonali ,   Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering for Women, Pune-411043
Published: June 2022

Electricity theft is a significant occurrence that is happening about all nations from one side of the planet to the other. This adversely affects the nation's economy. Theft identification in the power sector is a difficult task for power distribution organizations overall, since this power theft prompts to monetary losses just as loss of electric energy. There are numerous ways by which power is stolen like controlling energy meters or tapping cables at the consumer's end, and so on. Since this robbery is going on in enormous amount, manual examination of such burglary is a hectic task. So, automatic detection of power theft is a vital need of the hour. This paper presents an electricity theft detection model using smart grid meter data dependent on Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and OCR. Feature Selection is made used of in the model in order to pick the most relevant features from the dataset to that of our electricity theft detection model. XGBoost is remarkable as it utilizes a more regularized model formalization to have command over-fitting which results in better execution significantly quicker. OCR is employed in order to know what object led to electricity theft detection.
STOCHASTIC BIOLOGICAL MODEL OF NEURON
Authors:   Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering College of Engineering Pune, Mhatre Prajakta , Bhole Dr. Kalyani ,   Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering College of Engineering Pune
Published: June 2022

Brain is the vital organ for action, learning, memory, thought formation and other cognitive activities. The neuron is the fundamental functional unit of the brain. It is a specialized cell created to transmit information and receive information from other nerve cells, muscle cells or gland cells. This paper describes the stochastic behavior of biological model of Neuron and its implementation in MATLAB Simulink to study the behavior of a neuron in a real-time environment. The Hodgkin–Huxley mathematical model describes how initiated and propagated action potentials in neurons takes place are for external stimulus. The stochastic behavior of a Hodgkin-Huxley neuron is studied for various external stimulus and helped to find various action potentials.
In search of lost time: Integrated information theory needs constraints from temporal phenomenology
Authors: Singhal Ishan , Mudumba Ramya , Srinivasan Narayanan
Published: June 2022

Integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness proposes an identity between its causal structure and phenomenology. Through this assertion, IIT aims to explain consciousness by prioritizing first-person experience. However, despite its phenomenology-first stance, developments in IIT have overlooked temporality. As such, we argue that at present IIT’s phenomenological analysis is incomplete. In this critique, we show how IIT takes a non-identical illusionist stance towards the experiences of continuity, flow, and extent of our experiences. Moreover, in isolating temporal grains of experience to a single timescale, IIT misses out on capturing the multi-scale nested nature of temporal phenomena. Hence, we contend that IIT needs an axiom for time, through which its causal structure can be refined to account for temporal experiences. Here, we propose an axiom to address these concerns. We conclude by discussing how IIT may need to be revised if our concerns hold true.
Analysis of Student Perceptions Before and After Interprofessional International Medical Mission APPEs to Honduras
Authors: Kimble Craig , Clay Tyler , Stanton Robert , Payne Amber , Attarabeen Omar
Published: June 2022

Objectives: This study evaluated student perceptions before and after completing a five-week Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) in International Healthcare focused on Medical Missions. Our objective was to understand how a medical mission APPE course meets student expectations, expanded interprofessional skills, and the impact the medical mission APPEs had on student’s cultural sensitivity and empathetic approach to patient care.

Methods: Two anonymous surveys were used to assess APPE student’s perceptions. These were conducted over 2 years with the first survey administered prior to trip departure. The second survey was administered after the in-country experience but prior to the end of the course. Survey results were compared to identify changes in perspectives related to providing patient care and to ensure students met course objectives. Additionally, in the surveys, students were asked to reflect on learning experiences including interprofessional clinics, medication distribution, empathy, and the Honduran healthcare system.

Results: Student’s primary motivation for taking this APPE elective was their desire to help others. Students reflected on the difficulties in communication with patients who spoke another language where access to technology was limited and they had to rely on interpreters. Prior to trip, a large percentage of the students on the survey did not demonstrate an understanding of the depth of poverty experienced in Honduras. Post–trip perceptions confirmed the change in perception versus reality when experiencing life in a developing country. Survey results suggested this APPE experience was a life changing one for them (67%) and changed their perception of patients as a healthcare provider (83%).

Conclusions: Results of this study demonstrate the value of exposing students to healthcare in a developing country as a component of the APPE curriculum. Even more important is recognizing the need for schools of pharmacy, experiential consortiums, and professional organizations to partner to ensure the continuation of these experiences post-pandemic. Students indicated this was a life-changing experience, recommended this as a course for other students to take, and stated this course would markedly affect them in their approach to providing empathetic patient care.
Patient Preferences for Early Diagnosis of Endometriosis and Associated Determinants in the United States: A Discrete Choice Experiment
Authors: Lyttle-Nguessan Carmen , Diaby Vakaramoko
Published: June 2022

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic and incurable gynecological disease that mainly affects women of reproductive age worldwide. It imposes clinical and economic burdens on patients, families, and society. A better understanding of the determinants of preferences towards early diagnosis of endometriosis may help develop programs and interventions to reduce the risk of more severe illness. We quantified patient preferences for early endometriosis diagnosis and explored whether preferences vary on the patient characteristics and pre-established social determinants of health.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was designed to elicit women's preferences and willingness to pay for early diagnosis of endometriosis. Women ages 18 and older were eligible to participate in the study. The attributes (and levels) considered to describe hypothetical scenarios included diagnosis (immediate/postponed), the chance of advanced endometriosis and more severe illness (low/ high), time away from living, and professional activities (8 days, 15 days, 22 days and 30 days), and possible out-of pocket costs ($0, $15, $60 and $210). The effects of participants' characteristics and social determinants of health on the preference for early diagnosis were modeled using a Tobit model.

Results: A total of 66 women with (2) or at-risk (64) of endometriosis completed the experiment. The respondents' age and insurance statuses significantly influenced their preference or choice for early diagnosis. On average, respondents were willing to give up $61.55 out-of-pocket cost to have a low risk of advanced endometriosis and more severe disease. The Tobit model indicates only age and insurance variables significantly affected early diagnosis preference. The results suggest that older ages and not having insurance increase the likelihood of respondents choosing early diagnosis than the younger age group and having insurance.

Conclusions: This study indicates the importance of considering the patient characteristics and social determinants of health when designing and implementing health programs and interventions for endometriosis.
Theory of Creative Winds
Authors: Crespo Javier
Published: June 2022

The individualism of being is a legend. Humans rarely think for ourselves. What made Homo sapiens an advantage over other living beings and made us masters of the planet was not our individual rationality, but our ability to think collectively in large groups. This is how we were able to defeat Homo Near dental, innovate, create families, etc. Well, the Theory of Creative Winds explains the origin of Creativity, through the creative energy that human beings produce when we decide to think together. Many people are familiar with creative energy in a spiritual way. The Theory of Creative Winds transforms that spirituality into a real visual process that helps us put order to our creative process, both individually and collectively, so that all projects can become a reality. In this theory we will discover how our creative capacity is totally linked to our values as people and our environment. We will delve into a way of seeing the creative process different from how we saw it until now, putting order to countless concepts of our day to day that we did not know were key to generating creative energy. The Theory of Creative Winds tries to show that the concept of Creativity is more than a concept, it is a way of living life in which we all want to or are not immersed in it. As with nature, we are key significant airborne particles that feed the winds that form causing life to exist.
Transmissibility in Interactive Nanocomposite Diffusion: The Nonlinear Double-Diffusion Model
Authors: Chattopadhyay Amit K. , Kundu Bidisha , Nath Sujit Kumar , Aifantis Elias C.
Published: June 2022

Model analogies and exchange of ideas between physics or chemistry with biology or epidemiology have often involved inter-sectoral mapping of techniques. Material mechanics has benefitted hugely from such interpolations from mathematical physics where dislocation patterning of platstically deformed metals and mass transport in nanocomposite materials with high diffusivity paths such as dislocation and grain boundaries, have been traditionally analyzed using the paradigmatic Walgraef-Aifantis (W-A) double-diffusivity (D-D) model. A long standing challenge in these studies has been the inherent nonlinear correlation between the diffusivity paths, making it extremely difficult to analyze their interdependence. Here, we present a novel method of approximating a closed form solution of the ensemble averaged density profiles and correlation statistics of coupled dynamical systems, drawing from a technique used in mathematical biology to calculate a quantity called the basic reproduction numberR0, which is the average number of secondary infections generated from every infected. We show that the R0 formulation can be used to calculate the correlation between diffusivity paths, agreeing closely with the exact numerical solution of the D-D model. The method can be generically implemented to analyze other reaction-diffusion models.
QTc Dynamics Following Cardioversion for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Younis Arwa , Nehoray Nofrat , Glikson Michael , Bodurian Christopher , Nof Eyal , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Berger Michael , Zareba Wojciech , Goldenberg Ilan , Beinart Roy
Published: June 2022

Background

Cardioversion (CV) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is common. We aimed to assess changes in QTc over time following electrical CV (ECV) for persistent AF, and to compare the benefit of using continuous Holter monitoring vs. conventional follow-up by ECG.

Methods

Prospective observational cohort study. We comprised 90 patients admitted to our center for elective ECV due to persistent AF who were prospectively enrolled from July 2017 to August 2018. All patients underwent 7-days Holter started prior to ECV. Baseline QTc was defined as median QTc during 1 h post ECV. The primary endpoint was QTc prolongation defined as QTc ≥500 ms, or ≥10% increase (if baseline QTc was >480 ms). Conventional monitoring was defined as 2-h ECG post ECV.

Results

Mean age was 67 ± 11 years and 61% were male. Median baseline QTc was 452 ms (IQ range: 431–479 ms) as compared with a maximal median QTc of 474 ms (IQ range: 433–527 ms; p <0.001 for the change in QTc from baseline). Peak median QTc occurred 44 h post ECV. The primary endpoint was met in 3 patients (3%) using conventional monitoring, compared with 39 new patients (43%) using Holter (p <0.001 for comparison). The Holter monitoring was superior to conventional monitoring in detecting clinically significant QTc prolongation (OR = 13; p <0.001).

Conclusions

ECV of patients with persistent AF was associated with increased transient risk of QTc prolongation in nearly half of the patients. Peak median QTc occurs during end of second day following ECV and prolonged ECG monitoring provides superior detection of significant QTc prolongation compared with conventional monitoring.
Digital Solutions for Community and Primary Health Workers: Lessons From Implementations in Africa
Authors: Owoyemi Ayomide , Osuchukwu Joanne I. , Azubuike Clark , Ikpe Ronald Kelechi , Nwachukwu Blessing C. , Akinde Cassandra B. , Biokoro Grace W. , Ajose Abisoye B. , Nwokoma Ezechukwu Ikenna , Mfon Nehemiah E. , Benson Temitope O. , Ehimare Anthony , Irowa-Omoregie Daniel , Olaniran Seun
Published: June 2022

The agenda for Universal Health Coverage has driven the exploration of various innovative approaches to expanding health services to the general population. As more African countries have adopted digital health tools as part of the strategic approach to expanding health services, there is a need for defining a standard framework for implementation across board. Therefore, there is a need to review and employ an evidence-based approach to inform managing challenges, adopting best approaches, and implement informed recommendations. We reviewed a variety of digital health tools applied to different health conditions in primary care settings and highlighted the challenges faced, approaches that worked and relevant recommendations. These include limited coverage and network connectivity, lack of technological competence, lack of power supply, limited mobile phone usage and application design challenges. Despite these challenges, this review suggests that mHealth solutions could attain effective usage when healthcare workers receive adequate onsite training, deploying applications designed in an intuitive and easy to understand approach in a manner that fits into the users existing workflows, and involvement of the stakeholders at all levels in the design, planning, and implementation stages of the interventions.
Characteristics of Chemical Solutes and Mineral Dust in Ice of the Ablation Area of a Glacier in Tien Shan Mountains, Central Asia
Authors: Chen Yunjie , Takeuchi Nozomu , Wang Feiteng , Li Zhongqin
Published: June 2022

Diverse microbial communities live on glacial surfaces, with abundances and diversities dictated by the chemical and physical conditions of the supraglacial environment. Chemical solutes and mineral dust on glacial surfaces are generally derived from the atmosphere as aerosols, but they can also be supplied from glacial ice. In this study, a 56-m ice core from the ablation area of a mountain glacier in the Tien Shan Mountains of Central Asia was analyzed to characterize the chemical solutes and mineral dust in glacial ice. Soluble chemical ion and mineral dust analysis in the ice core showed that their concentrations varied with depth. The most dominant ion was Ca2+ (mean: 79.8 μEq L−1), followed by Cl−, SO42-, NH4+, and NO3−. The mean dust concentration in the glacial ice was 2.5 ×105 number ml−1. Chemical solute and mineral dust concentrations in the samples indicate that melting glacial ice could potentially affect supraglacial conditions. The annual fluxes of the major ions outcropping from glacial ice were estimated based on their concentrations and the observed melt rate of the ice surface. Consequently, they were comparable to or higher than those from the atmosphere. The mean mass flux of mineral dust from glacial ice was greater than that from the atmosphere. Our results showed that glacial ice supplies chemical solutes and mineral dust to the supraglacial environment and that changing melting rates of glacial ice would affect the chemical conditions on the glacier surface and the growth of photoautotrophs on the ablating ice surface.
Multi-Tiered Culturally Responsive Behavior Support: A Qualitative Study of Trauma-Informed Education in an Australian Primary School
Authors: Schimke Dayna , Krishnamoorthy Govind , Ayre Kay , Berger Emily , Rees Bronwyn
Published: June 2022

There is growing awareness of the impact of intergenerational trauma and community disadvantage on the educational achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) children in Australia. Scholars have identified the need for culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches to complement existing disciplinary and behavior support practices utilized in schools. This pilot research project explored the experiences of primary school teachers who were supported to implement trauma-informed practices in a regional primary school with a large number of First Nations students. Qualitative interviews with eight teachers were conducted after a 3-year (2017–2020) implementation of the Trauma-Informed Behavior Support (TIBS) program. Using a thematic analysis approach, the study identified the following themes: changes in teacher knowledge about the impact of intergenerational trauma, acknowledgment of the multi-systemic influences on student behavior difficulties, increased self-efficacy in providing culturally safe learning environments and strategies for building relationships with First Nations students. The findings offer insights into factors that support the successful and sustainable implementation of culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices in primary school settings.
Effects of Opportunities to Learn on Peruvian Students’ Science Achievement in Program for International Student Assessment 2015
Authors: Bazán-Ramírez Aldo , Hernández-Padilla Eduardo , Bazán-Ramírez Wilfredo , Tresierra-Ayala Miguel
Published: June 2022

Opportunities to learn (OTL) are considered important variables to enable equitable educational standards in teaching. The main objective of this work was to test a five-level hierarchical model to explain the general achievement and science competencies of Peruvian students in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, controlling for the student’s age and gender, and the economic, social, and cultural status, both for the student (ESCS) and the school (MESCS). The Peru database was taken from PISA 2015 and was based on the results of 6,971 Peruvian students from 281 schools. The 10 plausible values of performance in science reported by PISA 2015 were used, and each of the four sub-competencies was evaluated. The values weighted likelihood estimate (WLE) of the following composite variables were standardized: (1) In teaching-learning activities, the disciplinary environment in science classes, teaching support in science classes at the students’ choice, and inquiry-based science teaching-learning practices; teacher-directed science instruction were considered. (2) For the formative evaluation factor, feedback, student perception about the evaluation, and adaptation of the instruction to the formative evaluation were considered. (3) The control variables were as follows: the age and gender of the students, the index of social, economic, and cultural status (ESCS) at the student level, and the average of the index of the social, economic, and cultural status of each school (MESCS), as well as the interaction of OTL variables with ESCS. The results of the linear hierarchical analysis showed that the achievement of Peruvian students in science in PISA 2015 (general competence) is mainly due to feedback perceived, adaptive instruction, teacher-directed science instruction, and inquiry-based science teaching-learning practices. The feedback perceived and the inquiry-based science teaching predicted negatively and significantly to science performances. The effect of inquiry-based science teaching-learning on science achievement decreased as hierarchical analysis models became more complex and decreased substantially when simultaneously interacting with perceived feedback, the student gender, and ESCS. The results also showed that the gender, the ESCS of the students, and the MESCS of the school were significant and positive predictors of academic performance. When considering each of the scientific competencies evaluated, the models are like the general score. Mainly, the MESCS of the school controls or diminishes the effect that the instructional variables have on science performance, except for the negative effect of feedback on academic performance, even when the ESCS is controlled by the school level.
Impact of Educational Neuroscience Teacher Professional Development: Perceptions of School Personnel
Authors: Hachem Maryam , Daignault Katarina , Wilcox Gabrielle
Published: June 2022

There has been an increased focus on the importance of educational cognitive neuroscience for teachers, yet the research on the outcomes of teacher training in this area are minimal. We created and implemented an Educational Neuroscience professional development (PD) delivered throughout the 2020–2021 school year. This study was co-designed between researchers and school district partners. Participants were school personnel from a high school in Western Canada consisting of approximately 1,400 students and 75 teachers. All participants in the PD, including teachers and school staff, were invited to participate in interviews about their experiences during the PD. Seven in-depth structured interviews were performed to understand participants’ experiences, their perceptions of the value of educational neuroscience, and how the PD impacted their teaching practice. Through inductive coding and thematic analysis, we found that the PD had a positive impact on participants and their students. The sessions primarily increased participants’ knowledge of neuroscience concepts and provided them with practical and useful applications that they were able to employ in their classrooms in areas related to lesson planning, assessment, and student engagement. Participants described the remarkable impact that increased neuroscience knowledge had on their relationships with students and on students’ own understandings of neuroscience concepts. Overall, these findings provide further evidence on the significance of infusing educational neuroscience in teacher PD and highlight the importance of collaborative programs between researchers and educators to bridge the research to practice gap.
Association of Obesity With COVID-19 Severity and Mortality: An Updated Systemic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression
Authors: Singh Romil , Rathore Sawai Singh , Khan Hira , Karale Smruti , Chawla Yogesh , Iqbal Kinza , Bhurwal Abhishek , Tekin Aysun , Jain Nirpeksh , Mehra Ishita , Anand Sohini , Reddy Sanjana , Sharma Nikhil , Sidhu Guneet Singh , Panagopoulos Anastasios , Pattan Vishwanath , Kashyap Rahul , Bansal Vikas
Published: June 2022

Background

Obesity affects the course of critical illnesses. We aimed to estimate the association of obesity with the severity and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Data Sources

A systematic search was conducted from the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic through to 13 October 2021, on databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Science Web, and Cochrane Central Controlled Trials Registry. Preprint servers such as BioRxiv, MedRxiv, ChemRxiv, and SSRN were also scanned.

Study Selection and Data Extraction

Full-length articles focusing on the association of obesity and outcome in COVID-19 patients were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were used for study selection and data extraction. Our Population of interest were COVID-19 positive patients, obesity is our Intervention/Exposure point, Comparators are Non-obese vs obese patients The chief outcome of the study was the severity of the confirmed COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients in terms of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or the requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation/intubation with obesity. All-cause mortality in COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients with obesity was the secondary outcome of the study.

Results

In total, 3,140,413 patients from 167 studies were included in the study. Obesity was associated with an increased risk of severe disease (RR=1.52, 95% CI 1.41-1.63, p<0.001, I2 = 97%). Similarly, high mortality was observed in obese patients (RR=1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, p=0.006, I2 = 97%). In multivariate meta-regression on severity, the covariate of the female gender, pulmonary disease, diabetes, older age, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension was found to be significant and explained R2 = 40% of the between-study heterogeneity for severity. The aforementioned covariates were found to be significant for mortality as well, and these covariates collectively explained R2 = 50% of the between-study variability for mortality.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that obesity is significantly associated with increased severity and higher mortality among COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the inclusion of obesity or its surrogate body mass index in prognostic scores and improvement of guidelines for patient care management is recommended.
Case Report: Neurodevelopmental Outcome in a Small-for-Gestational-Age Infant With Symptomatic Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia, Gaze Preference, and Infantile Spasms
Authors: Chandran Suresh , Teoh Kok Wooi , Janardhan Krishnappa , Yap Fabian
Published: June 2022

Recurrent and profound hypoglycemia is a leading cause of neonatal brain injury. Small-for-gestational-age infants are at risk of hypoglycemia due to substrate deficiency and hyperinsulinism. Inappropriate insulin secretion by the β-cells of the pancreas results in hypoglycemia, neuronal energy deprivation, and parieto-occipital brain injury. Hypoglycemic neuronal injury is increasingly being identified as a trigger for infantile spasms, even though the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. A term, small-for-gestational-age male infant developed severe symptomatic hypoglycemia on day 3 of life. He required a high glucose infusion rate (14 mg/kg/min) to maintain normoglycemia. Critical blood samples showed inappropriate insulin levels while hypoglycemic and hypoketonemic, consistent with a diagnosis of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Blood glucose levels normalized with a diazoxide dose of 5 mg/kg/day. Gradually, glucose infusion was weaned with increasing oral feeds while maintaining prefeed capillary blood glucose levels. While at home, his glucose profile remained stable on the self-weaning dose of diazoxide. He passed a resolution fasting study at 4 months of age after weaning off diazoxide. He developed left gaze preference at 2.5 months of age while on treatment for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia but developed infantile spasms at 5 months that was confirmed with an electroencephalogram (EEG). Gaze preference may be epileptic, even in the absence of seizures. Spasms were well controlled with high-dose prednisolone therapy. At the age of 6 years, he has a mild fine motor delay and learning disabilities. Early diagnosis and treatment of infantile spasms have a better prognosis. Identifying gaze preference as a predating sign of occipital lobe epilepsy, EEG monitoring, and, if required, treatment could have possibly averted the genesis of infantile spasms.
Genome-Wide Placental Gene Methylations in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Fetal Growth and Metabolic Health Biomarkers in Cord Blood
Authors: Wang Wen-Juan , Huang Rong , Zheng Tao , Du Qinwen , Yang Meng-Nan , Xu Ya-Jie , Liu Xin , Tao Min-Yi , He Hua , Fang Fang , Li Fei , Fan Jian-Gao , Zhang Jun , Briollais Laurent , Ouyang Fengxiu , Luo Zhong-Cheng
Published: June 2022

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) “program” an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome in the offspring. Epigenetic alterations are a suspected mechanism. GDM has been associated with placental DNA methylation changes in some epigenome-wide association studies. It remains unclear which genes or pathways are affected, and whether any placental differential gene methylations are correlated to fetal growth or circulating metabolic health biomarkers. In an epigenome-wide association study using the Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip, we sought to identify genome-wide placental differentially methylated genes and enriched pathways in GDM, and to assess the correlations with fetal growth and metabolic health biomarkers in cord blood. The study samples were 30 pairs of term placentas in GDM vs. euglycemic pregnancies (controls) matched by infant sex and gestational age at delivery in the Shanghai Birth Cohort. Cord blood metabolic health biomarkers included insulin, C-peptide, proinsulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, leptin and adiponectin. Adjusting for maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, mode of delivery and placental cell type heterogeneity, 256 differentially methylated positions (DMPs,130 hypermethylated and 126 hypomethylated) were detected between GDM and control groups accounting for multiple tests with false discovery rate <0.05 and beta-value difference >0.05. WSCD2 was identified as a differentially methylated gene in both site- and region-level analyses. We validated 7 hypermethylated (CYP1A2, GFRA1, HDAC4, LIMS2, NAV3, PAX6, UPK1B) and 10 hypomethylated (DPP10, CPLX1, CSMD2, GPR133, NRXN1, PCSK9, PENK, PRDM16, PTPRN2, TNXB) genes reported in previous epigenome-wide association studies. We did not find any enriched pathway accounting for multiple tests. DMPs in 11 genes (CYP2D7P1, PCDHB15, ERG, SIRPB1, DKK2, RAPGEF5, CACNA2D4, PCSK9, TSNARE1, CADM2, KCNAB2) were correlated with birth weight (z score) accounting for multiple tests. There were no significant correlations between placental gene methylations and cord blood biomarkers. In conclusions, GDM was associated with DNA methylation changes in a number of placental genes, but these placental gene methylations were uncorrelated to the observed metabolic health biomarkers (fetal growth factors, leptin and adiponectin) in cord blood. We validated 17 differentially methylated placental genes in GDM, and identified 11 differentially methylated genes relevant to fetal growth.
Human Ovarian Follicles Xenografted in Immunoisolating Capsules Survive Long Term Implantation in Mice
Authors: Brunette Margaret A. , Kinnear Hadrian M. , Hashim Prianka H. , Flanagan Colleen L. , Day James R. , Cascalho Marilia , Padmanabhan Vasantha , Shikanov Ariella
Published: June 2022

Female pediatric cancer survivors often develop Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) owing to gonadotoxic effects of anticancer treatments. Here we investigate the use of a cell-based therapy consisting of human ovarian cortex encapsulated in a poly-ethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogel that replicates the physiological cyclic and pulsatile hormonal patterns of healthy reproductive-aged women. Human ovarian tissue from four donors was analyzed for follicle density, with averages ranging between 360 and 4414 follicles/mm3. Follicles in the encapsulated and implanted cryopreserved human ovarian tissues survived up to three months, with average follicle densities ranging between 2 and 89 follicles/mm3 at retrieval. We conclude that encapsulation of human ovarian cortex in PEG-based hydrogels did not decrease follicle survival after implantation in mice and was similar to non-encapsulated grafts. Furthermore, this approach offers the means to replace the endocrine function of the ovary tissue in patients with POI.
Alterations of Gut Microbiome and Metabolite Profiles Associated With Anabatic Lipid Dysmetabolism in Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Lu Ganghua , Yu Xiaqing , Jiang Wen , Luo Qiong , Tong Junyu , Fan Suyun , Chai Li , Gao Dingwei , Qiao Tingting , Wang Ru , Deng Chengwen , Lv Zhongwei , Li Dan
Published: June 2022

Background

Currently, the high morbidity of individuals with thyroid cancer (TC) is an increasing health care burden worldwide. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship among the gut microbiota community, metabolites, and the development of differentiated thyroid cancer.

Methods

16S rRNA gene sequencing and an integrated LC–MS-based metabolomics approach were performed to obtain the components and characteristics of fecal microbiota and metabolites from 50 patients with TC and 58 healthy controls (HCs).

Results

The diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in the TC patients were markedly decreased. The composition of the gut microbiota was significantly altered, and the Bacteroides enterotype was the dominant enterotype in TC patients. Additionally, the diagnostic validity of the combined model (three genera and eight metabolites) and the metabolite model (six metabolites) were markedly higher than that of the microbial model (seven genera) for distinguishing TC patients from HCs. LEfSe analysis demonstrated that genera (g_Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, g_Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group) and metabolites [27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), cholesterol] closely related to lipid metabolism were greatly reduced in the TC group. In addition, a clinical serum indicator (total cholesterol) and metabolites (27HC and cholesterol) had the strongest influence on the sample distribution. Furthermore, functional pathways related to steroid biosynthesis and lipid digestion were inhibited in the TC group. In the microbiota-metabolite network, 27HC was significantly related to metabolism-related microorganisms (g_Christensenellaceae_R-7_group).

Conclusions

Our research explored the characteristics of the gut microecology of patients with TC. The findings of this study will help to discover risk factors that affect the occurrence and development of TC in the intestinal microecology.
Protocol for Screening Water Oxidation or Reduction Electrocatalyst Activity in a Three-Electrode Cell for Alkaline Exchange Membrane Electrolysis
Authors: Creel Erin Brahm , Lyu Xiang , McCool Geoff , Ouimet Ryan J. , Serov Alexey
Published: June 2022

Accurate and reproducible screening of the electrocatalytic activity of novel materials for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) requires establishing an easily adoptable harmonized testing protocol. Herein, we describe a robust, instrumentation-independent testing technique utilizing a three-electrode cell with a fully immersed working electrode. Compared to rotating disk electrode (RDE) techniques, this protocol produces current densities close to those obtained in real electrolyzers and eliminates the usage of the expensive RDE apparatus.
LSTM-RNN-FNN Model for Load Forecasting Based on Deleuze’s Assemblage Perspective
Authors: Xin Jie , Wei Zhenyu , Dong Yujie , Ni Wan
Published: June 2022

Reliable load forecasting is essential for electricity generation and even for people’s lives. However, the existing load forecasting theories cannot match the requirements of complex systems (e.g., smart grids). Deleuze’s metaphysical complexity theory is seen as the theoretical foundation for comprehending complex systems, and thus, a new perspective based on Deleuze’s assemblage concept is given. According to the assemblage perspective, the electrical load is a quantitative representation of the mutual becoming of people and electricity, and load forecasting is an attempt to control this continuous process of deterritorialization and reterritorialization. We built an LSTM-RNN-FNN model for load forecasting based on the assemblage perspective, and the assessment results demonstrated that the model has high prediction performance. Furthermore, the performance of adding the temperature parameter into the network is also tested, while the correlation between the temperature and load is not strong enough and may not be suitable for load prediction. The assemblage perspective has significant implications for future load forecasting and potentially smart grid research.
Importance Assessment of Communication Equipment in Cyber-Physical Coupled Distribution Networks Based on Dynamic Node Failure Mechanism
Authors: Li Yifan , Wang Bo , Wang Hongxia , Ma Fuqi , Zhang Jiaxin , Ma Hengrui , Zhang Yingchen , Mohamed Mohamed A.
Published: June 2022

Electrical power communication networks undertake complicated power services. They interact with physical power grids all the time, which will result in a high risk to power grids when their electric power communication network is attacked. Therefore, to improve the reliability of power systems, it is of great significance to identify the key links of communication networks. Existing research studies focus more on the risk of power communication services undertaken by communication links, which ignores the frequent interaction between power grids and communications networks. In this paper, from a multi-layer network perspective, an assessment method of communication equipment is proposed in view of the operation characteristics of nodes in different systems as well as the dynamic fault propagation between homogeneous communication nodes. Firstly, we build a model of cyber-physical power interdependent network. Then, for communication nodes, a dynamic model is adopted for cascading failure among the nodes based on the load-capacity model. Afterward, we define an index to evaluate the node importance considering characteristics of the operation of both communication networks and power grids. Finally, a local power grid is taken as an example for verification by comparing the effects of different indexes. The simulation results demonstrate the validity of the evaluation method proposed.