bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Results of community-based TB and HIV screening among transgender women and male sex workers in Pakistan
Authors: Ali Shah Sharaf , Qayyum Shahina , Baig Saifullah , Iftikhar Nikhat , Bukhari Rubab Lubna , Ali Wajid , Smelyanskaya Marina , Creswell Jacob
Published: January 2023

In Pakistan and globally, a large proportion of people with TB who are not receiving treatment are key populations with poor access to diagnosis and care. Transgender women and male sex workers (MSW) are heavily stigmatized and marginalized groups. While HIV rates are well documented among these key populations, little such data exists for TB. We engaged local organizations working with transgender women and MSW communities in Karachi and five urban cities in Sindh Province. People from the communities served as screening facilitators and treatment supporters. Verbal screening was followed by testing with Xpert MTB/RIF and HIV testing was offered. People with TB were supported through treatment. We screened 18,272 transgender women and 24,253 MSW. 8,921 (21.0%) individuals had presumptive TB and 7,472 (83.8%) provided sputum samples. We detected 438 (5.9%) people with positive results including 140 transgender women and 298 MSW. Including people diagnosed clinically, 625 people with TB were identified and 98.1% initiated treatment. Overall, 1.5% of people screened had TB, 1.7% among MSW and 1.1% among transgender women. Of 1,508 people tested for HIV, 243 had HIV infection (HIV+). The rates of TB among HIV+ transgender women (8.8%) were slightly lower than among MSW (10.3%). Previously, few attempts have been made to address TB in transgender women and MSW. Our work shows that these groups carry a significant burden of both TB and HIV in Pakistan and do not regularly access services. Effective interventions should include the engagement of community leaders and peers.
Orb-web spider Argiope (Araneidae) as indigenous arrow poison of G/ui and G//ana San hunters in the Kalahari
Authors: Bird Tharina L. , Moeti Smith , Hitchcock Robert K. , Kelly Melinda C. , Chobolo Lefang L. , Gotcha Nonofo , Moatlhodi Kgosi K. , Mukoka Leungo D. , Sekopo Emmanuel K. , Chaboo Caroline S.
Published: January 2023

Hunting has been crucial in early human evolution. Some San (Bushmen) of southern Africa still practice their indigenous hunting. The use of poisons is one remarkable aspect of their bow-and-arrow hunting but the sources, taxonomic identifications of species used, and recipes, are not well documented. This study reports on fieldwork to investigate recent indigenous hunting practices of G/ui and G//ana San communities in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Botswana. Here we discuss their use of spider poison. The hunters use the contents of the opisthosoma (‘abdomen’) of a spider as sole ingredient of the arrow poison and discard the prosoma that contains the venom-glands. Using taxonomic keys, we identified the spider as the garden orb-web spider Argiope australis (Walckenaer 1805) (Araneidae). The hunters’ choice of this species is remarkable given the scientific perception that A. australis is of little medical importance. The species choice raises questions about how the spider fluids could kill game, particularly when the prosoma, which contains the venom glands, is not used. Possibilities include trauma, as a source of pathogens, or abdomen-containing toxins. Based on characteristics of Argiope Audouin 1826, we hypothesize that the choice of this species for arrow poisons might have evolved from the recognition of aposematic signalling or spiritual symbolism. Indigenous knowledge (IK) is an important source for advances in biotechnology but is in decline worldwide. The study contributes to the documentation of the San people, and their ancient IK, which is threatened by marginalization, political pressures, and climate change.
Can the low-carbon city pilot policy promote firms’ low-carbon innovation: Evidence from China
Authors: Yang Ge
Published: January 2023

The low-carbon city pilot policy is an environmental regulation aimed at reducing carbon emissions at the municipal level. Previous research mostly focused on evaluating its environmental performance and discovered it could enhance pilot cities’ low-carbon innovation. However, the effects of the low-carbon city pilot policy on firm-level low-carbon innovation and their economic impact have yet to be investigated. This research uses a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms and the difference-in-difference method to examine the effect of the low-carbon city pilot policy on firms’ low-carbon innovation. The baseline regression showed that the low-carbon city pilot policy could greatly encourage low-carbon innovation among firms in pilot cities. The mechanism analysis demonstrated that this improvement effect is attained by easing these firms’ financing constraints. According to the heterogeneity analysis, we discovered that state-owned firms and firms situated in pilot zones with municipal secretaries who have larger promotion incentives are more susceptible to this policy. Additionally, the research on this policy’s economic impact revealed that, following its adoption, the market value and comparative advantages of the firms in the pilot areas also increased. The findings of this study have implications for the enhancement and national expansion of low-carbon policies adopted at the city level.
Basic emotion recognition of children on the autism spectrum is enhanced in music and typical for faces and voices
Authors: Sivathasan Shalini , Dahary Hadas , Burack Jacob A. , Quintin Eve-Marie
Published: January 2023

In contrast with findings of reduced facial and vocal emotional recognition (ER) accuracy, children on the autism spectrum (AS) demonstrate comparable ER skills to those of typically-developing (TD) children using music. To understand the specificity of purported ER differences, the goal of this study was to examine ER from music compared with faces and voices among children on the AS and TD children. Twenty-five children on the AS and 23 TD children (6–13 years) completed an ER task, using categorical (happy, sad, fear) and dimensional (valence, arousal) ratings, of emotions presented via music, faces, or voices. Compared to the TD group, the AS group showed a relative ER strength from music, and comparable performance from faces and voices. Although both groups demonstrated greater vocal ER accuracy, the children on the AS performed equally well with music and faces, whereas the TD children performed better with faces than with music. Both groups performed comparably with dimensional ratings, except for greater variability by the children on the AS in valence ratings for happy emotions. These findings highlight a need to re-examine ER of children on the AS, and to consider how facilitating strengths-based approaches can re-shape our thinking about and support for persons on the AS.
Say their names: Resurgence in the collective attention toward Black victims of fatal police violence following the death of George Floyd
Authors: Wu Henry H. , Gallagher Ryan J. , Alshaabi Thayer , Adams Jane L. , Minot Joshua R. , Arnold Michael V. , Welles Brooke Foucault , Harp Randall , Dodds Peter Sheridan , Danforth Christopher M.
Published: January 2023

The murder of George Floyd by police in May 2020 sparked international protests and brought unparalleled levels of attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. As we show, his death set record levels of activity and amplification on Twitter, prompted the saddest day in the platform’s history, and caused his name to appear among the ten most frequently used phrases in a day, where he is the only individual to have ever received that level of attention who was not known to the public earlier that same week. Importantly, we find that the Black Lives Matter movement’s rhetorical strategy to connect and repeat the names of past Black victims of police violence—foregrounding racial injustice as an ongoing pattern rather than a singular event—was exceptionally effective following George Floyd’s death: attention given to him extended to over 185 prior Black victims, more than other past moments in the movement’s history. We contextualize this rising tide of attention among 12 years of racial justice activism on Twitter, demonstrating how activists and allies have used attention and amplification as a recurring tactic to lift and memorialize the names of Black victims of police violence. Our results show how the Black Lives Matter movement uses social media to center past instances of police violence at an unprecedented scale and speed, while still advancing the racial justice movement’s longstanding goal to “say their names.”
A validity study to consult on a protocol of a home hazard management program for falls prevention among community dwelling stroke survivors
Authors: Ahmad Ainuddin Husna , Romli Muhammad Hibatullah , S. F. Salim Mazatulfazura , Hamid Tengku Aizan , Mackenzie Lynette
Published: January 2023

Objective

A fall after a stroke is common but the consequences can be devastating not only for the stroke survivors, but also for caregivers, healthcare, and the society. However, research on falls prevention among the stroke population are limited, particularly on home hazards assessment and home modifications, demanding for a study to be conducted. The aim of the study is to validate the protocol and content of a home hazard management program guided by the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model for falls prevention among community dwelling stroke survivors.

Method

Researchers developed their own questionnaire for content validation which consist of 23 items that covers two domains, namely justification for telehealth home hazard management practice and the protocol’s overall methodology. Occupational therapists with at least one year of experience in conducting a home hazard assessment were consulted for the content validation of a two-group clinical controlled trial protocol utilizing a home hazard assessment, home modifications and education over the usual care. Written consent was obtained prior to the study. The occupational therapists were given a Google Form link to review the protocol and intervention based on the questionnaire and rated each item using a four-point Likert scale for relevance and feasibility. Open-ended feedback was also recorded on the google form. Content Validity Index (CVI), Modified Kappa Index and Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated for the content validity and reliability analysis.

Results

A total of sixteen occupational therapists participated in the study. 43.7% of participants had a master’s degree, 93.7% worked in the government sector and 56.2% had six years and more experience on conducting home hazard assessments. Content validity of the protocol is satisfactory for relevancy and feasibility (CVI = 0.84, ranging from 0.5 to 1.00), and for the reliability (α = 0.94 (relevance) and α = 0.97 (feasibility), respectively. The Modified Kappa ranged from 0.38 to 1.00 for all items. Feedback was also received regarding the design and procedure of the study protocol which included participant’s selection criteria, sample size, equipment provided, cost, location, and care for the participants during the intervention.

Conclusions

Introducing a home hazard management program to prevent falls among the stroke population is viewed relevant and feasible. Practical suggestions from the consultation panel were adopted, and minor adjustments were required to strengthen the protocol’s overall methodology. This study established a rigorous and robust experimental protocol for future undertaking.
Molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance related genes in E. coli, Salmonella and Klebsiella isolates from broilers in the West Region of Cameroon
Authors: Leinyuy Jude Fonbah , Ali Innocent Mbulli , Ousenu Karimo , Tume Christopher B.
Published: January 2023

Background

Antibiotic resistance has become an enduring threat to human health. This has prompted extensive research to identify the determinants responsible in a bid to fight the spread of resistance and also develop new antibiotics. However, routine procedures focus on identifying genetic determinants of resistance only on phenotypically resistant isolates. We aimed to characterise plasmid mediated resistance determinants in key Enterobacteriaceae isolates with differential phenotypic susceptibility profiles and evaluated the contribution of resistance genes on phenotypic expression of susceptibility.

Methods

The study was carried out on 200 Enterobacteriaceae isolates belonging to the genera E. coli, Salmonella, and Klebsiella; 100 resistant and 100 susceptible to quinolones, aminoglycosides, and ESBL-producing as determined by disk diffusion. Reduced susceptibility in susceptible isolates was determined as an increased MIC by broth microdilution. Plasmid-borne resistance genes were sought in all isolates by endpoint PCR. We performed correlations tests to determine the relationship between the occurrence of resistance genes and increased MIC in susceptible isolates. We then used the notion of penetrance to show adequacy between resistance gene carriage and phenotypic resistance as well as diagnostic odds ratio to evaluate how predictable phenotypic susceptibility profile could determine the presence of resistant genes in the isolates.

Results

Reduced susceptibility was detected in 30% (9/30) ESBL negative, 50% (20/40) quinolone-susceptible and 53.33% (16/30) aminoglycoside-susceptible isolates. Plasmid-borne resistance genes were detected in 50% (15/30) of ESBL negative, 65% (26/40) quinolone susceptible and 66.67% (20/30) aminoglycoside susceptible isolates. Reduced susceptibility increased the risk of susceptible isolates carrying resistance genes (ORs 4.125, 8.36, and 8.89 respectively for ESBL, quinolone, and aminoglycoside resistance genes). Resistance gene carriage correlated significantly to reduced susceptibility for quinolone and aminoglycoside resistance genes (0.002 and 0.015 at CI95). Gene carriage correlated with phenotypic resistance at an estimated 64.28% for ESBL, 56.90% for quinolone, and 58.33% for aminoglycoside resistance genes.

Conclusions

A high carriage of plasmid-mediated genes for ESBL, quinolone, and aminoglycoside resistance was found among the Enterobacteriaceae tested. However, gene carriage was not always correlated with phenotypic expression. This allows us to suggest that assessing genetic determinants of resistance should not be based on AST profile only. Further studies, including assessing the role of chromosomal determinants will shed light on other factors that undermine antimicrobial susceptibility locally.
Advance care planning (ACP) to promote receipt of value-concordant care: Results vary according to patient priorities
Authors: Prigerson Holly G. , Viola Martin , Maciejewski Paul K. , Falzarano Francesca
Published: January 2023

Background

Benefits of advance care planning (ACP) have recently been questioned by experts, but ACP is comprised of discrete activities. Little is known about which, if any, ACP activities are associated with patients’ greater likelihood of receiving value-concordant end-of-life (EoL) care.

Objectives

To determine which ACP activities [Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order completion, designation of a healthcare proxy (HCP), and/or EoL discussions with physicians], individually and in combination, are associated with the greatest likelihood of receiving value-concordant care, and how results may vary based on patient-reported EoL care priorities.

Methods

Data from 2 federally-funded, multisite, prospective cohort studies of EoL cancer care from 2002–2019 were analyzed. Cancer patients (N = 278) with metastatic disease refractory to chemotherapy were interviewed for a baseline assessment and followed prospectively until death. Interviews regarding patient priorities occurred a median of 111 days prior to death; data regarding EoL medical care were collected post-mortem from caregiver interviews and medical record abstraction. Patients who 1) prioritized life-extending care, and then received life-extending care (or avoided hospice care), or 2) prioritized comfort-focused care, and then avoided life-extending care (or received hospice care) in the last week of life, were coded as receiving value-concordant care.

Results

After inverse propensity score weighting, the ACP combination associated with the largest proportion of patients receiving value-concordant care was DNR, HCP, and EoL discussions (87% vs. 64% for no ACP activities; OR = 3.91, p = 0.006). In weighted analyses examining each ACP activity individually, DNR orders were associated with decreased likelihood of life-extending care (89% vs. 75%; p = 0.005) and EoL discussions were associated with increased likelihood of hospice care (77% vs. 55%; p = 0.002) among patients prioritizing comfort. ACP activities were not significantly associated with increased likelihood of receiving value-concordant care among patients prioritizing life-extension.

Conclusions and relevance

For patients who prioritize comfort, EoL discussions with physicians and completion of DNR orders may improve odds of receiving value-concordant EoL care. For patients who prioritize life-extension, ACP does not appear to improve odds of receiving value-concordant EoL care.
MABAC method for multiple attribute group decision making under single-valued neutrosophic sets and applications to performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending
Authors: Ran Hui
Published: January 2023

As an important supplement to my country’s financial institutions, micro-loan companies serve "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", small and micro enterprises, and individuals, to a certain extent, alleviating the financing difficulties of such groups and regulating private finance. However, micro-loan companies only lend but do not deposit. In the process of lending, due to inadequate risk management, the risk problem has become increasingly prominent. With the continuous growth of the loan amount of rural credit and the continuous increase of microfinance groups lending customers, it faces certain problems in its risk management, which increases the risks of the company in all aspects. The performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending is a classical MAGDM issues. In such paper, the Hamming distances of single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs) and maximizing deviation method (MDM) is used to obtain the attribute weights and the single-valued neutrosophic numbers MABAC(SVNN-MABAC) method is structured for MAGDM under SVNSs. Finally, an example about performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending and some comparative decision analysis are given to proof the SVNN-MABAC.
Main pancreatic duct dilatation and pancreatic cysts in relatives and spouses of patients with pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ikezawa Kenji , Tanaka Sachiko , Fukuda Junko , Nakao Miho , Nakano Yoko , Chagi Mayumi , Yamanaka Hiromi , Ohkawa Kazuyoshi
Published: January 2023

Although main pancreatic duct dilatation and pancreatic cysts are risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer, limited data exist regarding these findings in relatives and spouses of pancreatic cancer patients. The frequency of these findings was examined using long-term follow-up data and transabdominal ultrasonography focusing on the pancreas. We prospectively enrolled 184 relatives and spouses of pancreatic cancer patients and performed special pancreatic ultrasonography to detect main pancreatic duct dilatation and pancreatic cysts. First-degree relatives (148 participants) of patients with pancreatic cancer were significantly younger than the spouses (36 participants; 41 vs. 65 years old). The frequency of ultrasonographic findings was significantly different between the relative (8.8%) and spouse (33.3%) groups. Main pancreatic duct dilatation and pancreatic cysts were observed in seven (4.7%) and seven (4.7%) participants in the relative group, and in nine (25.0%) and five (13.9%) participants in the spouse group, respectively. On multivariate analysis, age was an independent risk factor for the ultrasonographic findings. The frequency of ultrasonographic findings was significantly higher in spouses than in first-degree relatives of patients with pancreatic cancer and was strongly influenced by the age gap between the groups. Main pancreatic duct dilatation was frequently observed, especially in the spouse group.
New insight into Epstein-Barr virus infection using models of stratified epithelium
Authors: Hayman Ian R. , Temple Rachel M. , Burgess Cole K. , Ferguson Mary , Liao Jason , Meyers Craig , Sample Clare E.
Published: January 2023

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human pathogen that is transmitted in saliva. EBV transits through the oral epithelium to infect B cells, where it establishes a life-long latent infection. Reinfection of the epithelium is believed to be mediated by virus shed from B cells, but whether a latent reservoir can exist in the epithelia is unknown. We previously developed an in vitro organotypic model of stratified epithelium where EBV can readily replicate within the suprabasal layers of the epithelium following apical infection mediated by virus-producing B cells. Given that infected epithelial cells and cell-free virus are observed in saliva, we examined the ability of both of these to mediate infection in organotypic cultures. Epithelial-derived cell-free virus was able to infect organotypic cultures from the apical surface, but showed enhanced infection of B cells. Conversely, B cell-derived virus exhibited enhanced infection of epithelial cells. While EBV has been detected in basal cells in oral hairy leukoplakia, it is unknown whether EBV can be seen in undifferentiated primary keratinocytes in the basal layer. Undifferentiated epithelial cells expressed proposed EBV receptors in monolayer and were susceptible to viral binding and entry. Integrins, and occasionally ephrin A2, were expressed in the basal layer of gingiva and tonsil derived organotypic cultures, but the known B-cell receptors HLAII and CD21 were not detected. Following infection with cell-free virus or virus-producing B cells at either the apical or basolateral surface of preformed organotypic cultures, abundant infection was detected in differentiated suprabasal cells while more limited but readily detectable infection was observed in the undifferentiated basal cells. Together, our data has provided new insight into EBV infection in stratified epithelium.
Elementos intensificadores de las palabras interrogativas
Authors: Herrero Ruiz de Loizaga Francisco Javier
Published: January 2023

El objetivo de este trabajo es el estudio de las construcciones del tipo quién diablos te lo dijo, qué cojones estás haciendo, etc. en las que aparece una palabra que formalmente pertenece a la categoría gramatical de los sustantivos unida a una palabra interrogativa en preguntas directas o indirectas en las que se muestra sorpresa, asombro, perplejidad, indignación o rechazo. El sustantivo que formalmente hallamos en estas construcciones no funciona gramaticalmente como tal, no desempeña una función sintáctica en la oración, sino que aporta el valor pragmático de indicar la actitud del emisor de la oración. Junto a estas construcciones, existen otras semejantes en las que en lugar de una palabra interrogativa encontramos un pronombre relativo acompañando a la palabra intensificadora, del tipo haz lo que diablos te apetezca, en las que la construcción adquiere el valor de un relativo indefinido del tipo lo que quiera que, también con el matiz de sorpresa, asombro o indignación. Estudiamos el origen de estas construcciones y su desarrollo histórico, los sustantivos que se han integrado en ellas en la diacronía del español y los ámbitos léxicos de los que proceden, desde el más antiguo documentado, diablo(s), compartido con otras lenguas, a otros de aparición reciente y que en ocasiones muestran preferencias dialectales y señalamos también un desarrollo moderno, que no es común a todas las áreas hispanohablantes, que consiste en la utilización como palabras enfatizadoras no ya de un sustantivo, sino de participios o en menor medida adjetivos, en construcciones del tipo qué fregados quieres, quién putos lo hizo, característicos de México y Centroamérica. Los resultados del trabajo permiten presentar una visión panorámica del origen y desarrollo de esta construcción, hasta ahora poco atendida, los elementos utilizados en ella, su función y su variación diatópica en español.
Maternal Experiences of Providing Skin-to-Skin Contact to Pre-term Infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Jordan
Authors:   Jordan University of Science and Technology, Shattnawi Khulood , Al-Shdayfat Noha , Joseph Rachel
Published: January 2023

Background: Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) has been known to improve the mother-infant attachment process with a variety of positive outcomes. Objectives: This qualitative study aimed at exploring the Jordanian mothers’ experiences in proving direct SSC to their preterm infants in one Jordanian neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after the introduction of this care approach for the first time. Design and Methods: A descriptive phenomenological research was conducted using semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 Jordanian mothers who provided SSC to their pre-term infants in an NICU. Results: Three themes emerged from the data analysis. The first theme described how SSC has the power of physical closeness, in which SSC created a change from an anxiety state to a serenity state, as well as a positive ‘back to the womb’ feeling for mothers and their infants. The second theme described how SSC enhanced motherhood by promoting the mothers’ feelings as mothers, facilitating bonding and promoting breastfeeding. The third theme identified was the barriers to providing SSC in Jordanian NICUs. Nursing Implications: SSC was found to have positive outcomes for both mothers and their neonates. SSC can enhance positive psychological (serenity and relaxation) and physiological (enhancing the respiration of neonates and promoting breastfeeding) outcomes. Ongoing support and counseling from health-care providers are essential to maximizing the benefits of SSC practice. Keywords: Skin-to-skin contact, Experiences, Mothers, Neonates, Neonatal intensive care unit.
The Advanced Practice Nursing Role: A Luxury or a Reality for Countries
Authors:   Al-Ahliyya Amman University Amman-Jordan, Gharaibeh Muntaha
Published: January 2023

N.A
DIGITALIZATION, LABOR MARKET AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Lyaskovskaya Elena
Published: January 2023

Digital technologies and digital competencies of employees have widened the gap both between those employed in different industries and between specialists within the same company, as well as in the level of development between individual countries. While creating social elevators, opportunities for advanced training, remote work, regardless of geographic and gender-and-age characteristics, they have called into question the possibility of “stable work”, dictating the need for constant retraining and acquiring new skills related to the use of digital technologies. This paper’s authors examine the impact of digitalization and automation on the labor market and economic development, systematize the trends in changing of the employment structure and the share of labor in value added, consider the problems of labor force release and ways to solve them, and the changing of the decent work concept in the digital economy.
GROWTH POLES OF NEO-INDUSTRIAL EXPORTS OF RUSSIAN REGIONS
Authors: Krasnykh Sergey
Published: January 2023

The development of high-tech (neo-industrial) exports is one of the most important tasks that the Russian economy is facing. The solution of these tasks is enshrined in presidential decrees, national projects, which confirms the high priority in the implementation of these decrees. The unprecedented sanctions imposed by the EU and the US significantly restrict the import of high-tech products into our country, as well as the export of raw materials. In these restrictive realities, and for the development of our country's economy, a transition to an import substitution policy is necessary, and it is important to look for growth poles for the formation of neo-industrial exports of the regions of the Russian Federation. In this connection, the purpose of this study is to determine the growth poles of high-tech exports of Russian regions. To solve this problem, spatial modeling methods were used, namely, the analysis of local and global Moran's indices. The study identified growth poles, clusters of high and low values, as well as potential territories that in the future may become new growth poles for high-tech exports of the Russian regions.
Preparation of Biosorbent from Kapok Fruit Peel (Ceiba pentandra) for Adsorption of Lead Waste
Authors: Heraldy Eddy , Purnamawati Novia , Hidayat Yuniawan , Noegrahaningtyas Khoirina Dwi , Nurcahyo Idul Fitri
Published: January 2023

The preparation of biosorbent from kapok fruit peel (KBK) for lead (Pb(II)) removal was conducted mechanically by expanding the surface of the biosorbent and activating KBK with the addition of 1 M HCl for 20 minutes. The effect of activation on increasing the number of active groups and the number of pores in the biosorbent was proven by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The FTIR data showed a shift and an increase in wavenumber intensities of active adsorbent groups such as -OH and -C=O. The SEM data revealed that the morphology of the adsorbent increased in the number of pores that appeared rough and irregular. The Pb(II) adsorption treatment used a batch method at pH 2–5, contact time of 0–120 minutes, and adsorbate concentration of 10–50 ppm. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions reached optimum conditions at pH 4 and a contact time of 60 minutes, with an adsorption capacity of 6.9522 mg/g and an adsorption rate of 98.71%. Adsorption data showed that Pb(II) ions uptake to KBK biosorbent followed the Langmuir isotherm model equation and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption capacity of activated KBK is greater than that of non-activated KBK.
A comparative study of knowledge regarding emergency care during disaster between community health volunteers working in tsunami-affected and non-affected areas in Aceh Province, Indonesia
Authors: Kamal Anda , Songwathana Praneed , SaeSia Wipa
Published: January 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to describe and compare the level of knowledge regarding emergency care during disaster between community health volunteers (CHVs) working in the tsunami affected and non-affected areas in Aceh Province, Indonesia.Method: 144 CHVs from six districts in Aceh were studied during November 2011 to January 2012 to evaluate their level knowledge regarding emergency care during disaster between CHVs working in tsunami-affected 6-areas and non-tsunami-affected areas. The knowledge was assessed using the Community Health Volunteers’ Knowledge Regarding Emergency Care Questionnaire (CHVK-ECQ) with 30 true/false statements. The composite scores of each area and the total score were calculated and transformed to percentage for ease of presentation.Results: Overall, the CHVs’ knowledge in emergency care during disaster in Aceh was at a high level in both groups. However, subjects in non-affected areas had significantly higher mean rank of the overall knowledge than those in the affected areas (p = .02). In the tsunami area, the highest mean score of knowledge was in the disaster triage dimension (M= 80.62%), and the lowest mean score was in the first aid (60.48 %). In contrast, CHVs’ knowledge in the non-tsunami areas had the highest mean score in the first aid (84.52 %) and had the lowest mean score in the disaster triage (64. 38 %).Conclusion: Although both groups had high levels of overall knowledge, an education program for improved knowledge in the areas of first aid, team organization, and disaster triage should be emphasized to refresh the CHVs’ knowledge and skills for disaster management.
The Effect of Blood Lipids, Type 2 Diabetes, and Body Mass Index on Parkinson’s Disease: A Korean Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Park Kye Won , Hwang Yun Su , Lee Seung Hyun , Jo Sungyang , Chung Sun Ju
Published: January 2023

Objective Associations between various metabolic conditions and Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been previously identified in epidemiological studies. We aimed to investigate the causal effect of lipid levels, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and body mass index (BMI) on PD in a Korean population via Mendelian randomization (MR).Methods Two-sample MR analyses were performed with inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger regression approaches. We identified genetic variants associated with lipid concentrations, T2DM, and BMI in publicly available summary statistics, which were either collected from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) or from meta-analyses of GWAS that targeted only Korean individuals or East Asian individuals, including Korean individuals. The outcome dataset was a GWAS on PD performed in a Korean population.Results From previous GWASs and meta-analyses, we selected single nucleotide polymorphisms as the instrumental variables. Variants associated with serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as with T2DM and BMI, were selected (n = 11, 19, 17, 89, and 9, respectively). There were no statistically significant causal associations observed between the five exposures and PD using either the IVW, weighted median, or MR-Egger methods (p-values of the IVW method: 0.332, 0.610, 0.634, 0.275, and 0.860, respectively).Conclusion This study does not support a clinically relevant causal effect of lipid levels, T2DM, and BMI on PD risk in a Korean population.
The exterior Dirichlet problem for the homogeneous complex k-Hessian equation
Authors: Gao Zhenghuan , Ma Xinan , Zhang Dekai
Published: January 2023

In this article, we consider the homogeneous complex

k

k

-Hessian equation in an exterior domain

C

n

⧹
Ω

{{\mathbb{C}}}^{n}\setminus \Omega

. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the

C

1
,
1

{C}^{1,1}

solution by constructing approximating solutions. The key point for us is to establish the uniform gradient estimate and the second-order estimate.
A curvature flow to the L

p
Minkowski-type problem of q-capacity
Authors: Liu Xinying , Sheng Weimin
Published: January 2023

This article concerns the

L

p

{L}_{p}

Minkowski problem for q-capacity. We consider the case

p
≥
1

p\ge 1

and

1
<
q
<
n

1\lt q\lt n

in the smooth category by a kind of curvature flow, which converges smoothly to the solution of a Monge-Ampére type equation. We show the existence of smooth solution to the problem for

p
≥
n

p\ge n

. We also provide a proof for the weak solution to the problem when

p
≥
1

p\ge 1

, which has been obtained by Zou and Xiong.
Digital transformation towards the clinical laboratory of the future. Perspectives for the next decade
Authors: Jovičić Snežana Ž. , Vitkus Dalius
Published: January 2023

The transformation of clinical laboratories towards digitalization requires processes that improve digital maturity. This requires establishing connectivity, end-to-end workflow, and advanced analytical technologies and techniques. Digital technologies have the key role here, directing laboratory personnel and scientists to move their focus from routine to more complex and meaningful work. This requires their empowerment in working with new instruments and software. Strategies leading clinical laboratories through this transformation are not without challenges, but different models are being developed to overcome them. The essential is the role of interoperability.
A novel NMDA receptor test model based on hiPSC-derived neural cells
Authors: Disse Paul , Aymanns Isabel , Ritter Nadine , Peischard Stefan , Korn Lisanne , Wiendl Heinz , Pawlowski Matthias , Kovac Stjepana , Meuth Sven G. , Budde Thomas , Strutz-Seebohm Nathalie , Wünsch Bernhard , Seebohm Guiscard
Published: January 2023

N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are central for learning and information processing in the brain. Dysfunction of NMDARs can play a key role in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and drug addiction. The development of selective NMDAR modulators represents a promising strategy to target these diseases. Among such modulating compounds are ifenprodil and its 3-benzazepine derivatives. Classically, the effects of these NMDAR modulators have been tested by techniques like two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC), patch clamp, or fluorescence-based assays. However, testing their functional effects in complex human systems requires more advanced approaches. Here, we established a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (hiPSC-derived) neural cell system and proved its eligibility as a test system for investigating NMDAR modulators and pharmaceutical effects on human neurons.
Complex dielectric, electric modulus, impedance, and optical conductivity of Sr3−x
Pb
x
Fe2TeO9 (x = 1.50, 1.88 and 2.17)
Authors: El Hachmi Abdelhadi , Manoun Bouchaib
Published: January 2023

Sr3−x
Pb
x
Fe2TeO9 (x = 1.50, 1.88 and 2.17) were synthesized in polycrystalline form via the solid-state reaction route in air, and were studied at room temperature using powder X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy techniques. The crystal structures were resolved by the Rietveld refinement method; x = 1.50 and 1.88 adopt a tetragonal phase (space group I4/mmm) while x = 2.17 adopts a hexagonal phase (space group R

3

̄

$\bar{3}$

m). The direct bandgap energy (E
g) of ∼1.89 eV for (x = 1.50), ∼1.87 eV for (x = 1.88) and ∼1.74 eV for (x = 2.17) was estimated from the Tauc plots of (αhʋ)2 versus photon energy. The Urbach energy (E
U) was determined from the plots of logarithmic absorption coefficient versus hυ. Plots of the incident photon energy dependence of optical parameters such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, dielectric loss, real and imaginary parts of the complex optical conductivity, linear and nonlinear optical susceptibilities, real and imaginary parts of the electric modulus, real and imaginary parts of the impedance were obtained by means of ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer experiments. Additionally, the estimated values of the single oscillator energy, dispersion energy, static refractive index and high-frequency dielectric constant were obtained from the linear portion of the (n
2 − 1)−1 versus (hυ)2 plots using the Wemple–DiDomenico model.
Linguistic ethnography and immigrant youth’s social lives in the liminal interludes of schooling
Authors: García-Sánchez Inmaculada M.
Published: January 2023

In this paper, I examine how liminal spatio-temporal contexts both afford and constrain how immigrant children navigate their social lives in educational settings. Liminal schooling contexts have largely been unexamined in micro-ethnographic approaches to schooling, despite the potential of these contexts for illuminating the educational lives of youth. Shifting the ethnographic lens to the interactions occurring in seemingly liminal schooling contexts (in between ratified activities, in between ratified places, etc.) reveal heightened forms of behavior at the extremes of a continuum ranging from empathy/inclusion to violence/exclusion. On the one hand, liminality can render immigrant youth more vulnerable to racialized bullying, including verbal and physical aggression, since many of the institutional protections that apply in ratified schooling contexts are in abeyance. On the other hand, liminal contexts also allow for displays of support and empathy that can lead to the development of cross-ethnic peer friendships, which can happen when social-ethnic boundaries and hierarchies that are reproduced in more central contexts are relaxed. This paper builds on a linguistic ethnography documenting the social lives of Moroccan immigrant children in a Southwestern Spanish town. Using videoanalysis and ethnographic methods in discourse analysis, I focus on videotaped interactions between immigrant students and their Spanish counterparts taking place in the interstices of school life – when students are walking between buildings, in the fringes/corners of the schoolyard, in between classes … etc. The long-term ethnography allows me to examine the interactions occurring in these liminal contexts in relation to institutional culture and to the relational history between children. This paper calls for examining youth’s schooling experiences more holistically. What happens in liminal contexts is crucial to achieving educational equity in the 21st century: it can, for example, undermine progressive curricular efforts and can have positive/negative implications for immigrant youth’s enduring feelings of belonging and educational enfranchisement.
Angolan children’s experiences in residential centers: displacement, liminality, and belonging
Authors: Nazimova Kristina João
Published: January 2023

This article examines how language, liminality, and social marginalization converge in the institutional lives of two displaced children in Angola. A displaced child is very likely to be placed into institutionalized care, which in Angola exists in the form ofcentros de acolhimento, residential centers that house minors affected by orphanhood, poverty, displacement, or abandonment. Drawing on one year of ethnographic research in two residential centers, the article argues that despite being sites of care and protection, some children come to desire living on the street as a byproduct of persistent marginalization and forms of liminality in the institutions. Utilizing audiovisual recordings of everyday interactions among children and the center’s staff as data, the focus of the article is a set of communicative practices that routinely positioned certain children as liminal subjects who possessed the negative attributes with which liminality is most often associated: danger, pollution, and being an ambiguous nonentity. As a result, those children occupied marginalized positions within the centers and their attempts at claiming their belonging were repeatedly undermined. The lived experience, talk, and perspectives of two children, a boy and a girl, are closely analyzed to illuminate the micro-processes involved in the discursive production of their liminality and social marginality. More broadly, the article elucidates the everyday forms of liminality that take place in the mundane, rather than in ritualized rites of passage, and questions the traditional notion of liminality as a temporary state.
Soil–water characteristic curve of unsaturated collapsible soils
Authors: Al-Obaidi Qasim A. , Schanz Tom
Published: January 2023

Collapsible soils are almost found in unsaturated states and involved significant engineering problems. Geotechnical challenges of such soils are represented by the hydro-mechanical behaviour during wetting–drying cycles due to the humidity and climate conditions. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) of unsaturated collapsible soils. In this study, three types of collapsible soils were investigated such as natural soils of sandy gypseous, silty loess, and artificial soil of gypsum–sand mixture. Determination of soil–water characteristic curve represented by wetting and drying paths has been done using a combination of the axis-translation technique (i.e. pressure plate device) and vapour equilibrium technique (i.e. salts solution desiccators) to cover a wide range of applied suction. The test results show that the air-entry value for all soils occurs at a very low suction range. At the boundary effect zone, the coarse grain size of the soil mass cannot hold the water molecules in the pore space, even with a low value of imposed suction. Moreover, the amount of hysteresis varied based on the geological formation and homogeneity of the soil fabric. Furthermore, SWCC has been interpreted by insignificant volume change and a slight reduction in void ratio, especially at high applied suction.
Enabling health potential: exploring nonlinear and complex results of osteopathic manual medicine through complex systems theory
Authors: Ching Leslie M. , Benjamin Bruce A. , Stiles Edward G. , Shaw Harriet H.
Published: January 2023

Osteopathic medicine is a holistic, patient-specific approach. Explaining the impact of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) has been problematic because many of its effects are nonlinear. Complex systems theory (CST) is explored as a mechanism of understanding the interplay of the body’s anatomy and physiology, an illness process, and the effects of OMM. Tensegrity is discussed as an example of an emergent property of the body’s systems that affects not only biomechanics but also pathophysiology. Previous explanations of osteopathic philosophy are reviewed. The Host + Disease=Illness paradigm is a way to think through the impact of host and disease factors on an illness state, and how targeted interventions may affect the illness. The Osteopathic 5 Models are another way to view the body’s complexity. The area of greatest restriction (AGR) screen can be understood to direct OMM in a way that respects complexity and enables asymmetric and nonlocal results to realize health potential. The impact of this framework is in coherently explaining the impact of osteopathic philosophy and OMM and exploring new approaches to research.
Study on pathogen spectrum of 1,046 hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections during COVID-19
Authors: Han Xin-Yuan , Wang Xue-Ling , Zhang Jin , Gong Xue-Lei , Kan Li-Juan , Wei Jie-Hong , Zhang Xiu-Ming
Published: January 2023

Objectives

This study aimed to describe the pathogen spectrum of bacteria and viruses of RTIs in hospitalized children during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Shenzhen.

Methods

From October 2020 to October 2021, the results of pathogenic tests causing RTIs were retrospectively analyzed in hospitalized children in Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group.

Results

829 sputum samples for bacterial isolation and 1,037 nasopharyngeal swabs for virus detection in total. The positive detection rate (PDR) of bacteria was 42.1%. Staphylococcus aureus (18.8%) was the predominant bacteria detected in positive cases, with Moraxella catarrhalis (10.9%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (9.5%) following. The PDR of the virus was 65.6%. The viruses ranking first to third were Human Rhinovirus (HRV), Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Human Parainfluenza (HPIV), with rates of 28.0, 18.1, and 13.5%, respectively. Children under 3 years were the most susceptible population to RTIs. The pathogens of S. aureus, M. catarrhalis, S. pneumoniae, HRV, and HPIV were more prevalent in autumn. Meanwhile, RSV had a high rate of infection in summer and autumn. S. aureus and HRV had higher co-infection rates.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate the pathogen spectrum of 1,046 hospitalized children with RTIs in Shenzhen, China, during the COVID-19 outbreak.