bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NLRC5 expression profile in the oviduct of laying hens and its changes following estradiol treatment in induced molting hens
Authors: Abdel Mageed A M , Ariyadi B , Isobe N , Yoshimura Y
Published: April 2024

The innate immune defense system is initiated by recognizing components of microorganisms by different families of receptors such as TLRs and the intracellular NLR family. Among the NLR family, NLRC5 recognizes pathogenic components of microorganisms. The current study aimed to determine the expression profile of NLRC5 in the mucosal tissue of the oviduct of laying hens and to examine the effects of oviduct regression and estradiol benzoate (EB) on its expression. In this study, we used two groups of laying and molting hens. The molting group was treated by receiving a single dose of sesame oil or estradiol benzoate through intramuscular injection. To examine the histological differences in the oviduct between laying, molting, and estradiol-injected groups, Tissue samples from all segments of the oviduct of all groups were fixed in formalin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. To observe the profile of NLRC5 gene and the effects of estradiol treatment, RNA was obtained from the surface epithelium and lamina propria of the whole segments of the oviduct of normal laying hens, and mucosal tissue of magnum, isthmus, uterus, and the vagina of molting groups. Both mucosal surface epithelium and lamina propria expressed NLRC5. The expression of NLRC5 was higher in the molting than in the laying group, and it was lower in the EB group. These results suggested that NLRC5 may have a role in recognizing pathogens invading the oviduct of laying and molting hens, and its expression is changed in association with oviduct growth.
Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(3): 345-359, 2023
Bengali Nationalism and Identity Construction in Fagun Haway (In Spring Breeze, 2019)
Authors: Ferdous Reffat , Kareem Saiyeed Shahjada Al
Published: April 2024

The years 1948-1952 were pivotal for the history of Bangladesh. The question of what would be the state language was raised by the people of this country. Muslim leaders in Pakistan, at the time, believed that Urdu should be the state language because it had become recognized as the cultural symbol of sub-continental Muslims. However, most of Pakistan’s population, the Bengalis of eastern Pakistan, to whom Urdu was a foreign language, considered it a ploy by the West Pakistanis to colonize East Pakistan. Protests erupted across East Pakistan after the then Prime Minister of Pakistan replaced Bangla as the state language with Urdu. On February 21, 1952, a student protest resulted in the deaths of some students by police. The language movement drew Bengalis’ attention to their collective aspirations to create a new nation and nationalist identity, leading them to fight for an imagined sovereign state, Bangladesh. Against the backdrop of our language movement, Fagun Haway (In Spring Breeze, 2019), a film by Tauquir Ahmed, captures the anecdotes of Pakistani repression towards Bengalis by portraying the nationalist consciousness and identity approaches of this nation. Employing the concept of nationalism and the historical development of our identity approaches, this paper shows that Ahmed displays the coexistence of Bengali and Muslim identity approaches as well as the contentious relationship between these two approaches inside our nationalism at that time. Besides, Bengaliness is viewed as the dominating approach when the debate over the state language turns into a divisive political one and a fight for our very existence.
Social Science Review, Vol. 40(2), December 2023 Page: 39-58
Comparing Speech Production Errors of 3 to 5 Year Old Bengali Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate in Two Contexts: Word Naming And Sentence Repetition
Authors: Nila Tasmia Azim , Nisha Sonia Islam , Mim Mst Meherunnessa
Published: April 2024

Research suggests various standardized assessment tools to collect and analyze the speech of the individual with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). Despite the importance of developing an assessment framework for the growing CLP population, documentation on Bengali cleft speech is limited. This study aims to investigate the phonetic differences that happen in the speech sound production of 3 to 5-year-old Bengali-speaking CLP children in two different contexts: single word and sentence repetition. It also aims to evaluate the effects of these two speech assessment tools in those children’s phonological evaluation to identify the proper evaluation for CLP individuals. In total, 12 Bengali-speaking CLP children from 3 to 5 years old participated in each test. Thus, data has been collected from a sample of 24 with 79-word stimuli. Two types of speech materials were used: single-word naming and sentence repetition tasks. The samples were analyzed using narrow phonetic transcription for targeted speech items. The percentage of consonants correct (PCC), percentage of correct places (PCP), percentage of correct manners (PCM), as well as phonological simplification processes (PSP) were assessed from the samples. Results showed a range of word structures and place-manner features produced by CLP children in both tasks. Also, the PCC, PCP, PCM, and PSP results were considerably less accurate in the sentence repetition task, suggesting that the task may provide a more accurate assessment of the CLP population.
Social Science Review, Vol. 40(2), December 2023 Page: 205-224
RANCANG BANGUN SISTEM INFORMASI PEMESANAN PAKET TOUR AND TRAVEL BERBASIS WEB (STUDI KASUS GANGSAR WISATA TOUR AND TRAVEL)
Authors: Samsul Hadi Amanda Aditya Khoirullina
Published: April 2024

Gangsar Wisata Tour and Travel adalah usaha jasa pariwisata dan perjalanan. Kantor pusat berada di daerah Madiun, Jawa Timur. Namun sampai saat ini proses pemesanan tiket masih dilakukan secara manual dan belum menerapkan informasi secara komputerisasi. Dalam pengoperasiannya sering menemui berbagai kendala. Selain itu, dalam penyimpanan data dan perekaman masih konvensional menggunakan data rekaman. Lebih lanjut, hal ini menyebabkan pengoperasiannya menjadi lambat dan kurang optimal. Kasing harus dikembangkan dan efisiensinya. Untuk perubahan dan memaksimalkan potensi yang ada maka dibuatlah sistem informasi pemesanan paket travel secara online sebagai tujuan dari penelitian ini. Sistem informasi ini berbasis web dengan menggunakan metode Waterfall. Dalam pengujian, Blackbox Testing digunakan. Mendapat hasil yang sesuai dan dinyatakan layak untuk digunakan. Sistem informasi ini diharapkan dapat membantu pemilik dalam operasional bisnis jasa. Pelanggan akan dengan cepat mendapatkan informasi layanan dan bertemu secara efisien dalam transaksi pemesanan.
RANCANG BANGUN APLIKASI SELEKSI PERANGKAT DESA MENGGUNAKAN METODE COMPUTER ASSISTED TEST (CAT) BERBASIS WEB (Studi Kasus Desa Ketawang)
Authors: Kurniasari Dita Septy Kurniasari
Published: April 2024

Recruitment of village officials is an essential part of village development. Quality village governance positively impacts public services and overall village development. Absolutely, village officials must be people who has the high quality. However, there are often problems in recruiting village officials, such as limitations in processing information from prospective village officials. The election of village officials in Ketawang village is still done manually, using paper-based written tests. Based on these problems, a Web-Based Village Officials' Selection Information System has been successfully built, especialy for Ketawang Village. The system was built using the waterfall software development method and CodeIgniter framework. This system was built using the CAT (Computer Assisted Test) system model. This system was created to assist the committee in the village Official's selection activities more effectively and efficiently. Based on the test results, Black Box Testing produces an accuracy of up to 100%.
Psikoedukasi Fathering untuk Meningkatkan Keterlibatan dan Kompetensi Ayah dalam Pengasuhan Anak
Authors: Sa'id Mochammad , Noorrizki Rakhmaditya Dewi , Avezahra Mutia Husna
Published: April 2024

Orang tua adalah salah satu faktor utama yang mempengaruhi perkembangan psikologis anak di masa depan. Namun demikian, banyak di antara Masyarakat yang menitikberatkan peran ibu dan mengabaikan pentingnya peran ayah dalam pengasuhan. Oleh karena itu, kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini dilakukan dengan tujuan meningkatkan pemahaman dan kesadaran pengasuhan para ayah. Kegiatan ini diselenggarakan dalam bentuk psikoedukasi fathering bagi para ayah di lingkungan RT 05 Perum Graha Gilang Purnama, Kedungrejo, Pakis, Kabupaten Malang. Ada tiga materi utama yang diberikan dalam kegiatan ini: Konsep Parenting dan Jenis-jenisnya, Peran Ayah dalam Parenting, dan Simulasi Praktek Fathering. Berdasarkan refleksi dan evaluasi kegiatan yang dilakukan, dapat disimpulkan bahwa psikoedukasi fathering telah berhasil meningkatkan pemahaman dan kesadaran ayah dalam hal fathering. Para peserta menyadari bahwa peran mereka sebagai orangtua sangat penting, dan mereka semakin memahami bagaimana melakukan fathering kepada anak-anak mereka.
VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY UNDERGRADUATE INDONESIAN EFL STUDENTS
Authors: Sari Fitria Wulan
Published: April 2024

Vocabulary is crucial in all language acquisitions, whether the first language, second language or foreign language. Due to the importance of vocabulary, a comprehensive language learning strategy is needed. The present study investigates the various vocabulary learning strategies used by undergraduate Indonesian students majoring English Language Education Study Programin learning new words. Descriptive qualitative was applied as a research method to find out the objective of the research. The techniques of data collection used in this research were observation and questionnaire. The data analysis used in this research was the interactive model analysis from Miles and Huberman that consists of data reduction, data display, and conclusion. The results showed that there were seventeen strategies used by the students in learning vocabulary.Â
THE USE OF TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE IN TEACHING IMPERATIVE SENTENCES AT SMP N 6 KOTA TERNATE
Authors: Kardi Irmawati , Supriyadi Agus , Sari Fitria Wulan
Published: April 2024

The objective of this research is to discuss the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in teaching imperative sentences for grade 7 students of SMP Negeri 6 Kota Ternate. This research was experimental research. The design of this research used a pre-experiment and the population in this research were students of class 7A SMP N 6 Kota Ternate with a total population of 186 students. Therefore, the researcher used convenience sampling where the authors 30 students as a sample in this research. The instruments used to collect data were pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire. The results of the average pre-test score of 17.66 and the average post-test score of 82.66.  In addition, the results of the t-test received are greater than the t-table, where the t-test is 33. 163 and the t-table are significantly 0.05 = 1. 699 with df = 29 so there is a significant development of students’ vocabulary (imperative sentence) and the ability to use the Total Physical Response method because it can improve grammar and vocabulary skills, especially imperative sentence.
TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVE ON TEACHING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF MERDEKA BELAJAR KAMPUS MERDEKA AT SMKN 1 TIDORE
Authors: Badrun Fitriana , Ismail Anwar , Ismail Ade
Published: April 2024

This research aims to explore and analyse teachers’ perspectives on the teaching assistance program of Merdeka Belajar - Kampus Merdeka at SMK Negeri 1 Tidore Kepulauan. The research used qualitative method with questionnaire as the primer data and interview as the secondary data. The researcher selected three English teachers at SMKN 1 Tidore Kepulauan to involve in this research as a respondent. As a result, Teaching assistants in the MBKM program, supports school teachers with their English lessons. In addition, teaching assistants can adapt to the school and class environment and student behaviour within the class. When a manager gives him an opinion, he supports it. Second, teaching assistants also use learning media that appeal to the classroom, such as electronic media that are highly relevant today. In addition, we use several teaching strategies that can increase students' interest in learning and solve classroom teaching problems. They usually use games to boost the mood of their students while learning English. Finally, in order to grasp the student's learning progress, the teaching assistant will administer the test as an evaluation form and the test result will be evaluated by the teaching assistant. Therefore, the deficiencies in their teaching to students can be identified.
DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ MACRO LANGUAGE SKILLS INTEGRATEDLY BY INTERCONNECTING THE TARGET CULTURE AND LOCAL WISDOM IN TEFLIN/TEGL/TEIL
Authors: Sukarno Sukarno , Latif Saiful
Published: April 2024

The goal of teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia (TEFLIN), or in a wider context–teaching English as a global language (TEGL) or teaching English as an international language (TEIL), is that the students are able to “authentically” communicate with others using the target language in real life situations: attending lectures or seminars, having a chat via Internet, discussing TV programmes, bargaining items in markets, etc. When the communication takes place, the four macro language skills are integratedly employed to convey and receive messages as the contents of communications. This vividly seems that language in use must have contents because language itself merely consists of symbols, grammatical rules in the forms of patterns, and skills. In TEFLIN or TEGL/TEIL, therefore, the teachers/lecturers of English should cater the students with meaningful contents appropriate for them to develop their four macro language skills in meaningful learning atmosphere. The contents encompass the target culture and students’ local wisdom related to their real-life situations. The target culture is employed as meaningful input texts for receptive skills: listening and reading. The input texts are then employed to explore and elaborate on local wisdom related to the target culture for productive skills: writing and speaking. The steps proposed are as follows: 1) warming the students up with relevant situation to the topic, 2) presenting input texts about the target culture to discuss (listening or reading), 3) analysing the ways of expressing ideas used in the target language –English, 4) analysing and discussing the language elements, and 5) employing the learned ways of expressing ideas in productive skills (writing and speaking) about local wisdom related to students’ real life situations in the target language.
THE USE OF TASK BASED LEARNING METHOD TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION AT SMP N 5 KOTA TERNATE
Authors: Nasrun Fahria , Bahara Susana R. , Yetty Yetty
Published: April 2024

The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of task-based learning method in enhance students' reading comprehension. This research used a quantitative method. The sample consisted of 24 students of class VIII-2 SMP Negeri 5 Kota Ternate. The data collected through pretest and posttest. In collecting the data, multiple choice tests were used in the form of an instrument. The result of this research shown that the result of posttest scores higher than pretest. The average score of students’ pretests was 51.875 while the average score of posttests was 75.25. The t-statistical value was 7.81 which was higher than t-critical value 1.714 at significance level (0,05) and the degree of freedom of 23 used one tailed test. Based on the data, it was found that using task-based learning can enhance students’ reading comprehension. The students have a positive response to task-based learning as a method to improve students' ability in reading comprehension. It can be seen that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results.
El Centro de los Héroes como Patrimonio Moderno Dominicano; su valor histórico y urbano afrontando los cambios contemporaneidad
Authors: Checo Roa Michael
Published: April 2024

El Centro de los Héroes o Feria de la Paz, es un complejo de alto valor histórico y urbanístico; diseñado por importantes arquitectos dominicanos en la época de 1950; como conmemoración de los 25 años del gobierno del dictador Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. Se diseñan y construyen una serie de edificaciones que resumen en su estética y distribución los preceptos del Movimiento Moderno; arquitectura racionalista de los periodos de entreguerras, que hoy son utilizadas por diversas instituciones del Estado Dominicano. Donde por hoy algunas de estas han sufrido modificaciones significativas, falta de mantenimiento, abandono y han desvirtuado la imagen como conjunto urbano que se planteó desde sus orígenes. Se trata de identificar como la falta de políticas públicas y de conciencia civil ha afectado el deterioro de los inmuebles y la apropiación del espacio público de este conjunto urbano, para clasificar y evaluar los problemas de la actualidad. A través de una investigación explicativa y de campo; consultando diversas publicaciones históricas y específicas y datos del contexto con los diversos problemas del contexto. Se concluye con algunas propuestas arquitectónicas, como respuesta a los problemas observados y el estudio de las diversas fuentes históricas consultadas.
Evaluación energética de la vivienda de interés social en Santiago, chile revisión histórica, normativa y tecnológica.
Authors: Soto Saez Santiago
Published: April 2024

Resumen: El presente estudio pretende hacer una revisión histórica y tecnológica del estado del arte de la vivienda de connotación social en la zona central de Chile, desde el año1965 al año 2012, específicamente en la ciudad de Santiago. Desde hace más de un siglo en Chile se desarrollan con cierto éxito políticas habitacionales resultantes de las necesidades habitacionales de la población, como consecuencia de los procesos de migración e industrialización de las urbes chilenas. En este ámbito, Santiago al igual que otras ciudades latinoamericanas han cambiado sus morfologías, extendiendo sus límites urbanos, multiplicando sus usos territoriales, albergando mayor cantidad de población, destinando un mayor uso energía y aumentando las emisiones de CO2. En este sentido la construcción de viviendas de connotación social ha tenido un exponencial crecimiento en cantidad, disminuyendo el déficit en esta materia, pero dejando en deuda sus implicancias físico-ambientales
La Vivienda, una inversión rentable y de bajo riesgo: caso Hermosillo, Sonora
Authors: Ramirez-Uribe Gerardo , Ojeda de la Cruz Arturo , Quintana Pacheco Jesus , Ramos Corella Marco Antonio , Suarez  Pradilla Monica Marcela , Cubillas Tellez Marco Esteban
Published: April 2024

El presente estudio propone un enfoque detallado para evaluar la viabilidad económica de adquirir un bien inmueble a través de un financiamiento bancario, así como para identificar los productos bancarios más beneficiosos en el contexto de una inversión. Este análisis está diseñado específicamente para individuos que estén considerando la posibilidad de invertir en bienes raíces mediante un crédito hipotecario, así como para desarrolladoras de vivienda en serie que buscan maximizar sus oportunidades de negocio.

La opción de adquirir un crédito hipotecario para la renta o inversión inmobiliaria se analizó mediante simulaciones para determinar las tasas de interés económicamente viables. Dado que la mayoría de los créditos hipotecarios tienen mensualidades fijas o un aumento máximo del 2% anual, se calculó la duración necesaria para que los ingresos por renta alcancen o igualen la mensualidad del crédito. Además, se evaluaron la utilidad y la plusvalía en porcentaje de los inmuebles como indicadores clave de rendimiento.

Es fundamental resaltar que la plusvalía del inmueble puede contribuir a amortizar los intereses generados por el crédito, proporcionando un porcentaje que efectivamente "paga" estos intereses. La intensa competencia entre instituciones crediticias y el constante aumento en el precio de los materiales de construcción benefician a aquellos que adquieren sus viviendas mediante financiamiento. La agilidad en la adaptación y cambio de estrategias por parte de estas instituciones crediticias refuerza la conveniencia de invertir en bienes raíces a través de un crédito.

Este enfoque integral proporciona una herramienta valiosa para aquellos que buscan tomar decisiones informadas sobre la adquisición de bienes inmuebles mediante financiamiento bancario, destacando las oportunidades y consideraciones esenciales en el proceso de inversión.
Retos de las SbN en prácticas de forestería y arbolado urbano en ciudades latinoamericas medianas y pequeñas.
Authors: Bustamante Zapata Angélica María
Published: April 2024

Las Soluciones basadas en la naturaleza – SbN, representan un enfoque integral para el abordaje de los desafíos sociales y el incremento de la resiliencia climática. Este análisis crítico tomó como referencia casos reportados de contexto urbano afines con el enfoque de SbN que emplearon estrategias de forestería y arbolado urbano y se valoró su integralidad, con el propósito de establecer los principales retos que las ciudades medianas y pequeñas pueden enfrentar en su implementación. Para lograrlo, se tuvieron en cuenta los criterios de diseño y verificación de prácticas que fueron establecidos por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación Natural en el año 2020. La primera fase identificó los desafíos sociales relacionados a cada práctica documentada, la segunda tomó como referente de evaluación los indicadores establecidos por el primer criterio asociados a la participación transparente e inclusiva, se destacaron los elementos de participación, se clasificaron las acciones estratégicas empleadas que aportaron a cada desafío social y se realizó una aproximación a los otros siete criterios definidos por la UICN a partir de los resultados tangibles reportados. El análisis reflejó diversidad de enfoques, prioridades y gestión en cada práctica de intervención. Se evidenció que los principales retos de ciudades medianas y pequeñas para lograr resultados tangibles tienen que ver con su abordaje adaptado a la dimensión a partir de las interacciones campo-ciudad, y la gestión adaptativa de las SbN que permita medir y posteriormente comunicar los avances realizados, facilitando su viabilidad económica y sostenibilidad.
Arquitectura para un futuro agrícola sostenible
Authors: Zambrano Prado Perla , Prado García Ulises
Published: April 2024

Los sistemas agrarios ejercen presión en el medio ambiente y los recursos naturales, que además son indispensables para la actividad agrícola. El caso se centra en la región Valles de Jalisco, relevante por su actividad agrícola y la mención del paisaje agavero como patrimonio de la humanidad. El objetivo general es proyectar un centro de investigación y difusión agrícola con prácticas sustentables, para lo cual se identificaron actividades, espacios requeridos, cualidades del espacio, debilidades y atributos de espacios existentes. Este trabajo muestra los primeros resultados referentes a la identificación de actividades y espacios. En cuanto a los métodos, se utilizó una aproximación exploratoria con un muestreo mixto, no probabilístico. Se realizaron siete entrevistas semiestructuradas a investigadores del sector de la agricultura sustentable. Los datos se recolectaron en 2021 y fueron tratados a través del software Atlas-ti. Los resultados indican que principalmente, son cinco las actividades realizadas por los investigadores trabajo en laboratorio, cultivos en invernadero y/o a cielo abierto, análisis de datos, actividades académicas y asesorías a empresas. Con relación a los espacios imprescindibles para el desarrollo de las actividades son: invernaderos, laboratorios, oficinas, aulas y bodegas. Adicionalmente, es deseable contar con espacios deportivos, de recreación, ocio y áreas verdes, además de espacios individuales para tutorías y/o reuniones. Las actividades y espacios identificados aportan a la creación de equipamientos enfocados a la investigación y difusión de prácticas agrícolas sustentables que dan soporte a los diversos retos, metas y planes de la región considerando atienden las necesidades reales de los usuarios.
Development and psychometric evaluation of a 360-degree evaluation instrument to assess medical students’ performance in clinical settings at the emergency medicine department in Iran: a methodological study
Authors: Azami Golnaz , Aazami Sanaz , Ebrahimy Boshra , Emami Payam
Published: April 2024

Background: In the Iranian context, no 360-degree evaluation tool has been developed to assess the performance of prehospital medical emergency students in clinical settings. This article describes the development of a 360-degree evaluation tool and presents its first psychometric evaluation.Methods: There were 2 steps in this study: step 1 involved developing the instrument (i.e., generating the items) and step 2 constituted the psychometric evaluation of the instrument. We performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and also evaluated the instrument’s face, content, and convergent validity and reliability.Results: The instrument contains 55 items across 6 domains, including leadership, management, and teamwork (19 items), consciousness and responsiveness (14 items), clinical and interpersonal communication skills (8 items), integrity (7 items), knowledge and accountability (4 items), and loyalty and transparency (3 items). The instrument was confirmed to be a valid measure, as the 6 domains had eigenvalues over Kaiser’s criterion of 1 and in combination explained 60.1% of the variance (Bartlett’s test of sphericity [1,485]=19,867.99, P<0.01). Furthermore, this study provided evidence for the instrument’s convergent validity and internal consistency (α=0.98), suggesting its suitability for assessing student performance.Conclusion: We found good evidence for the validity and reliability of the instrument. Our instrument can be used to make future evaluations of student performance in the clinical setting more structured, transparent, informative, and comparable.
Implementation of INLISLITE 3.1 in Processing Printed Book Materials at SMAN 1 Kalanganyar Library
Authors: Katrin Setio Devi  , Yanti Rohmayanti
Published: April 2024

This research aims to provide an overview of the implementation of the INLISLite in processing printed book materials at the library of SMAN 1 Kalanganyar. The INLISLite 3.1 is a library automation system application designed and officially developed by the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia, used to assist in the process of managing library materials. The method used in this research is a descriptive qualitative research method. Utilizing data collection techniques through observations and interviews with two informants consisting of the head librarian and library staff of SMAN 1 Kalanganyar. The implementation of the INLISLite serves as a solution for the SMAN 1 Kalanganyar library in transitioning from conventional to automated processing of printed book materials. Equipped with comprehensive program features, it aids the staff in their library activities. However, the use of the INLISLite 3.1 at SMAN 1 Kalanganyar has not been fully optimized and is still hindered by human resources, resulting in suboptimal data input due to a lack of cataloging expertise.
Anemia is Associated with Mortality and Higher Hospitalization Rates in Elderly Patients Receiving Home Care: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Simsek Yurt Nur , Yavuz Erdinc
Published: April 2024

Aim: Our study aims to evaluate the relationship of anemia with all-cause hospitalization and mortality in elderly patients receiving home care.

Methods: Our study was designed as a prospective cohort and was carried out with patients aged 65 and above who received home care services. Demographic data of the participants, chronic diseases, drug utilization, activities of daily living, and laboratory tests were recorded. Our research was completed by recording the number of hospitalizations due to all causes and mortality data in the year following the recording of the patient data.

Results: In total, 341 patients were included in our study. The mean age was 80.62±8.74. Anemia prevalence was specified to be 65.4% (n=223). During the one-year follow-up period, 157 (46.0%) patients were hospitalized at least once. Mortality developed at a rate of 20.2% (n=69). After adjusting for confounding factors, it was determined that anemia was associated with hospitalization and mortality. A weak negative and significant correlation was determined between the hemoglobin concentration in the blood and the one-year hospitalization frequency. In patients who developed mortality, blood hemoglobin concentration was found to be significantly lower.

Conclusion: Anemia was detected to be independently associated with hospitalization and mortality in elderly patients receiving home care. As the hemoglobin concentration in the blood decreases in the elderly group, the rate of hospitalization increases. Patients who develop mortality have significantly lower hemoglobin levels than those who survive.

Keywords: anemia, home care services, aged, mortality, hospitalization
The Perception of Chronic Disease Management of Family Physicians and Family Medicine Residents
Authors: Baykan Tuzuner Sanem , Koc Esra Meltem , Sozmen Melih Kaan , Aksoy Hilal
Published: April 2024

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of family physicians and family medicine residents working in primary care regarding the management of chronic diseases and the use of diagnosis and treatment guidelines.

Methods: In the cross-sectional study, data were collected from the participants online, with the help of a questionnaire in the first part consisting of the sociodemographic characteristics of the physicians and their views, behaviors and attitudes about chronic care, and in the second part, a data form prepared by the researchers using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care Scale.

Results: Of the participants, 57.3% use the diagnosis and treatment guidelines prepared for chronic diseases, 37.7% (n=148) do not use guidelines. The remaining 5.1% (n=20) are not aware of such guidelines. Among the physicians who do not use guides, 58.8% stated that they don’t use guides because they don’t have sufficient motivation to use the diagnosis and treatment guides in their daily practice, 49.3% don’t have enough time to use the guides, 29.1% don’t have foreign language proficiency to follow international guides.

Conclusion: Family physicians will be able to take a more active role in the management of chronic diseases after the development of diagnostic treatment guides for primary care and the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for integrated information systems that can be accessed electronically.

Keywords: chronic disease, family practice, physicians, disease management
Conformational Defects in the Limbs of Menorca Purebred Horses and Their Relationship to Functionality
Authors: Ripollés-Lobo Maria , Perdomo-González Davinia , Valera Mercedes , Gómez María
Published: April 2024

Limb-conformation defects significantly influence equine performance and welfare, necessitating thorough investigation for effective management. This study examines the prevalence and genetic parameters of 14 limb-conformation defects in Menorca Purebred horses using data from 1120 records (509 animals with an average age of 101.87 ± 1.74 months) collected between 2015 and 2023. Defects were evaluated using a three-class scale by three appraisers, and a Bayesian approach via Gibbs sampling was employed to estimate genetic parameters including gender, birth period, stud selection criteria, evaluation age and appraiser as fixed effects. Splay-footed forelimb and closed hocks were the most prevalent defects (67.20% and 62.53%, respectively). Horses with any of the defects analyzed have been observed to obtain significantly lower scores for both walk and trot. Heritability estimates range from 0.12 (s.d.: 0.025) for closed hock to 0.30 (s.d.: 0.054) for base narrow, confirming the genetic influences on the expression of limb conformation defects. The divergent defect in hind limbs showed the highest genetic correlations with forelimb defects (camped under, −0.69; s.d: 0.32 and camped out, 0.70; s.d: 0.27). The significant genetic correlations between defects highlight the complexity of the relationships, which requires careful consideration.
Case Series: Efficacy of Polyclonal Intravenous Immunoglobulin for Refractory Clostridioides difficile Infection
Authors: Ragan Sophie A. , Doyle Caitlin , Datta Neha , Abdic Heather , Wilcox Mark H. , Montgomery Ros , Crusz Shanika A. , Mahida Yashwant R. , Monaghan Tanya M.
Published: April 2024

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) no longer features in treatment guidelines. However, IVIg is still used by some clinicians for severe or recurrent CDI (rCDI) cases. The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of IVIg and to identify possible predictors of disease resolution post IVIg administration for patients with CDI. Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study of patients ≥2 years old hospitalised with severe, relapsing, or rCDI treated with IVIg therapy was performed in a large UK tertiary hospital between April 2018 and March 2023. Scanned electronic notes from patient admissions and clinical reporting systems were used to collect relevant data. Results: In total, 20/978 patients diagnosed with CDI over the 5-year study were treated with IVIg. Twelve (60%) had hospital-onset CDI. Eleven of the twenty patients (55%) responded to treatment, with a mean of 8.6 (SD 10.7) days to disease resolution. Sixteen (80%) patients were treated for severe CDI and four (20%) for rCDI (n = 3) and relapsing CDI (n = 1). There were no statistically significant differences in possible independent predictors of disease resolution post IVIg administration between groups. There was an average of 6.2 (4.9) days to IVIg administration after diagnosis with no difference between responders and non-responders (p = 0.88) and no further significant difference in additional indicators. Four (36%) of the responders were immunosuppressed compared to just one (11%) of the non-responders (p = 0.15). Six of the responders (two with recurrent and four with severe CDI) improved rapidly within 2 days, and three of these were immunosuppressed. Conclusion: We observed disease resolution post IVIg therapy in over 50% of patients with refractory CDI. Our data also support a potential enhanced effect of IVIg in immunosuppressed individuals. Thus, the role of IVIg for CDI treatment, particularly in the immunosuppressed, warrants future case–control studies coupled to mechanistic investigations to improve care for this ongoing significant healthcare-associated infection.
Sensorimotor Control Using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference for Human-Like Arm Movement
Authors: Gungor Gokhan , Afshari Mehdi
Published: April 2024

In this study, a sensorimotor controller is designed to characterize the required muscle force to enable a robotics system to perform a human-like circular movement. When the appropriate muscle internal forces are chosen, the arm end-point tracks the desired path via joint-space feedback. An objective function of the least-change rate of muscle forces is determined to find suitable feedback gains. The parameter defining the muscle force is then treated as a learning parameter through an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system, incorporating the rate of change of muscle forces. In experimental section, the arm motion of healthy subjects is captured using the inertial measurement unit sensors, and then the image of the drawn path is processed. The inertial measurement unit sensors detect each segment motion’s orientation using quaternions, and the image is employed to identify the exact end-point position. Experimental data on arm movement are then utilized in the control parameter computation. The proposed brain–motor control mechanism enhances motion performance, resulting in a more human-like movement.
Quantum Mechanical Comparison between Lithiated and Sodiated Silicon Nanowires
Authors: Boone Donald C.
Published: April 2024

This computational research study will compare the specific charge capacity (SCC) between lithium ions inserted into crystallized silicon (c-Si) nanowires with that of sodium ions inserted into amorphous silicon (a-Si) nanowires. It will be demonstrated that the potential energy V(r) within a lithium–silicon nanowire supports a coherent energy state model with discrete electron particles, while the potential energy of a sodium–silicon nanowire will be discovered to be essentially zero, and, thus, the electron current that travels through a sodiated silicon nanowire will be modeled as a free electron with wave-like characteristics. This is due to the vast differences in the electric fields of lithiated and sodiated silicon nanowires, where the electric fields are of the order of 1010 V/m and 10−15 V/m, respectively. The main reason for the great disparity in electric fields is the presence of optical amplification within lithium ions and the absence of this process within sodium ions. It will be shown that optical amplification develops coherent optical interactions, which is the primary reason for the surge of specific charge capacity in the lithiated silicon nanowire. Conversely, the lack of optical amplification is the reason for the incoherent optical interactions within sodium ions, which is the reason for the low presence of SCC in sodiated silicon nanowires.
Dynamic Analysis of a Delayed Differential Equation for Ips subelongatus Motschulsky-Larix spp.
Authors: Li Zhenwei , Ding Yuting
Published: April 2024

The protection of forests and the mitigation of pest damage to trees play a crucial role in mitigating the greenhouse effect. In this paper, we first establish a delayed differential equation model for Ips subelongatus Motschulsky-Larix spp., where the delay parameter represents the time required for trees to undergo curing. Second, we analyze the stability of the equilibrium of the model and derive the normal form of Hopf bifurcation using a multiple-time-scales method. Then, we analyze the stability and direction of Hopf bifurcating periodic solutions. Finally, we conduct simulations to analyze the changing trends in pest and tree populations. Additionally, we investigate the impact of altering the rate of artificial planting on the system and provide corresponding biological explanations.
Automating Feature Extraction from Entity-Relation Models: Experimental Evaluation of Machine Learning Methods for Relational Learning
Authors: Stanoev Boris , Mitrov Goran , Kulakov Andrea , Mirceva Georgina , Lameski Petre , Zdravevski Eftim
Published: April 2024

With the exponential growth of data, extracting actionable insights becomes resource-intensive. In many organizations, normalized relational databases store a significant portion of this data, where tables are interconnected through some relations. This paper explores relational learning, which involves joining and merging database tables, often normalized in the third normal form. The subsequent processing includes extracting features and utilizing them in machine learning (ML) models. In this paper, we experiment with the propositionalization algorithm (i.e., Wordification) for feature engineering. Next, we compare the algorithms PropDRM and PropStar, which are designed explicitly for multi-relational data mining, to traditional machine learning algorithms. Based on the performed experiments, we concluded that Gradient Boost, compared to PropDRM, achieves similar performance (F1 score, accuracy, and AUC) on multiple datasets. PropStar consistently underperformed on some datasets while being comparable to the other algorithms on others. In summary, the propositionalization algorithm for feature extraction makes it feasible to apply traditional ML algorithms for relational learning directly. In contrast, approaches tailored specifically for relational learning still face challenges in scalability, interpretability, and efficiency. These findings have a practical impact that can help speed up the adoption of machine learning in business contexts where data is stored in relational format without requiring domain-specific feature extraction.
Differential Regulation of Male-Hormones-Related Enhancers Revealed by Chromatin Accessibility and Transcriptional Profiles in Pig Liver
Authors: Chan Shuheng , Wang Yubei , Luo Yabiao , Zheng Meili , Xie Fuyin , Xue Mingming , Yang Xiaoyang , Xue Pengxiang , Zha Chengwan , Fang Meiying
Published: April 2024

Surgical castration can effectively avoid boar taint and improve pork quality by removing the synthesis of androstenone in the testis, thereby reducing its deposition in adipose tissue. The expression of genes involved in testis-derived hormone metabolism was altered following surgical castration, but the upstream regulatory factors and underlying mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we systematically profiled chromatin accessibility and transcriptional dynamics in liver tissue of castrated and intact full-sibling Yorkshire pigs. First, we identified 897 differentially expressed genes and 6864 differential accessible regions (DARs) using RNA- and ATAC-seq. By integrating the RNA- and ATAC-seq results, 227 genes were identified, and a significant positive correlation was revealed between differential gene expression and the ATAC-seq signal. We constructed a transcription factor regulatory network after motif analysis of DARs and identified a candidate transcription factor (TF) SP1 that targeted the HSD3B1 gene, which was responsible for the metabolism of androstenone. Subsequently, we annotated DARs by incorporating H3K27ac ChIP-seq data, marking 2234 typical enhancers and 245 super enhancers involved in the regulation of all testis-derived hormones. Among these, four typical enhancers associated with HSD3B1 were identified. Furthermore, an in-depth investigation was conducted on the androstenone-related enhancers, and an androstenone-related mutation was identified in a newfound candidatetypical enhancer (andEN) with dual-luciferase assays. These findings provide further insights into how enhancers function as links between phenotypic and non-coding area variations. The discovery of upstream TF and enhancers of HSD3B1 contributes to understanding the regulatory networks of androstenone metabolism and provides an important foundation for improving pork quality.
Innovative Point Cloud Segmentation of 3D Light Steel Framing System through Synthetic BIM and Mixed Reality Data: Advancing Construction Monitoring
Authors: Lee Yee Sye , Rashidi Ali , Talei Amin , Kong Daniel
Published: April 2024

In recent years, mixed reality (MR) technology has gained popularity in construction management due to its real-time visualisation capability to facilitate on-site decision-making tasks. The semantic segmentation of building components provides an attractive solution towards digital construction monitoring, reducing workloads through automation techniques. Nevertheless, data shortages remain an issue in maximizing the performance potential of deep learning segmentation methods. The primary aim of this study is to address this issue through synthetic data generation using Building Information Modelling (BIM) models. This study presents a point-cloud-based deep learning segmentation approach to a 3D light steel framing (LSF) system through synthetic BIM models and as-built data captured using MR headsets. A standardisation workflow between BIM and MR models was introduced to enable seamless data exchange across both domains. A total of five different experiments were set up to identify the benefits of synthetic BIM data in supplementing actual as-built data for model training. The results showed that the average testing accuracy using solely as-built data stood at 82.88%. Meanwhile, the introduction of synthetic BIM data into the training dataset led to an improved testing accuracy of 86.15%. A hybrid dataset also enabled the model to segment both the BIM and as-built data captured using an MR headset at an average accuracy of 79.55%. These findings indicate that synthetic BIM data have the potential to supplement actual data, reducing the costs associated with data acquisition. In addition, this study demonstrates that deep learning has the potential to automate construction monitoring tasks, aiding in the digitization of the construction industry.
ViT-Based Image Regression Model for Shear-Strength Prediction of Transparent Soil
Authors: Wang Ziyi , Jia Jinqing , Zhang Lihua , Li Ziqi
Published: April 2024

The direct-shear test is the primary method used to test the shear strength of transparent soil, but this experiment is complex and easily influenced by experimental conditions. In order to simplify the process of obtaining the shear strength of transparent soil, an image regression model based on a vision transformer (ViT) is proposed in this paper; this is used to recognize the shear strength of the soil based on images of transparent-soil patches. This model uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to decompose the transparent-soil images into multiple image patches containing high-order features, utilizes a ViT for feature extraction, and designs a regression network to facilitate the transfer of information between the abstract image features and shear strength. This model solves the problem of boundary blurring and difficult-to-identify features in speckle images. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, different parameters related to transparent soil were obtained by controlling the particle size of fused quartz sand and the content of aerosol; in addition, the friction angle and cohesive force of the transparent soil under different proportions were measured using direct-shear tests, serving as two datasets. The results show that the proposed method achieves correlations of 0.93 and 0.94 in the two prediction tasks, thus outperforming existing deep learning models.
FE Model Updating of Continuous Beam Bridge Based on Response Surface Method
Authors: Dong Fang , Shi Zhongqi , Zhong Rumian , Jin Nan
Published: April 2024

In this paper, A high-order response surface method is proposed for finite element model updating of continuous beam bridges. Firstly, based on visual inspection and environmental vibration testing, the peak picking (PP) method and random subspace identification (SSI) method are used to identify the dynamic characteristic parameters of the structure. Then, the finite element model of the continuous beam bridge is updated based on the third-order response surface method. It can be concluded that the results of the updated finite element model are in good agreement with the test results, and the maximum error between the calculated and measured frequency is less than 3%, with MAC values greater than 85%. Moreover, the updated finite element model can reflect the current situation of real bridges and serve as the basis for bridge health monitoring, damage detection, and safety assessment.