bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shrub avoidance by an open-adapted ground squirrel in a shrub-encroached environment
Authors: Burnett Alexandra D. , Koprowski John L.
Published: February 2024

Habitat loss and degradation are leading drivers of the widespread decline in wildlife populations, and understanding how wildlife perceive and navigate their environment is useful for predicting responses to future landscape changes. Small mammals play an important role in their environments, however, many species are threatened by rapid environmental change. The Harris’ antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii) is endemic to the Sonoran Desert but faces multiple landscape changes due to anthropogenic activity. We fitted A. harrisii with radio collars to quantify resource selection and better understand how further environmental change may affect squirrels. Squirrels exhibited differential selection depending on behavior and scale. When selecting for microsites suitable for burrows and alarm calling (i.e., fourth-order selection), squirrels selected for both cacti and shrub portions of the habitat. Overall habitat selection within home ranges (i.e., third-order selection) showed selection against shrub patches, however, suggesting that further shrub encroachment may have consequences for A. harrisii behavior and distribution.
Multimodality radiomics for tumor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Khongwirotphan Sararas , Oonsiri Sornjarod , Kitpanit Sarin , Prayongrat Anussara , Kannarunimit Danita , Chakkabat Chakkapong , Lertbutsayanukul Chawalit , Sriswasdi Sira , Rakvongthai Yothin
Published: February 2024

Background

The prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is challenging due to late-stage identification and frequently undetectable Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA. Incorporating radiomic features, which quantify tumor characteristics from imaging, may enhance prognosis assessment.

Purpose

To investigate the predictive power of radiomic features on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in NPC.

Materials and methods

A retrospective analysis of 183 NPC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy from 2010 to 2019 was conducted. All patients were followed for at least three years. The pretreatment CT images with contrast medium, MR images (T1W and T2W), as well as gross tumor volume (GTV) contours, were used to extract radiomic features using PyRadiomics v.2.0. Robust and efficient radiomic features were chosen using the intraclass correlation test and univariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. They were then combined with clinical data including age, gender, tumor stage, and EBV DNA level for prognostic evaluation using Cox proportional hazard regression models with recursive feature elimination (RFE) and were optimized using 20 repetitions of a five-fold cross-validation scheme.

Results

Integrating radiomics with clinical data significantly enhanced the predictive power, yielding a C-index of 0.788 ± 0.066 to 0.848 ± 0.079 for the combined model versus 0.745 ± 0.082 to 0.766 ± 0.083 for clinical data alone (p<0.05). Multimodality radiomics combined with clinical data offered the highest performance. Despite the absence of EBV DNA, radiomics integration significantly improved survival predictions (C-index ranging from 0.770 ± 0.070 to 0.831 ± 0.083 in combined model versus 0.727 ± 0.084 to 0.734 ± 0.088 in clinical model, p<0.05).

Conclusions

The combination of multimodality radiomic features from CT and MR images could offer superior predictive performance for OS, PFS, and DMFS compared to relying on conventional clinical data alone.
Kinetics and mechanical work done to move the body centre of mass along a curve
Authors: Mesquita Raphael M. , Willems Patrick A. , Dewolf Arthur H. , Catavitello Giovanna
Published: February 2024

When running on a curve, the lower limbs interact with the ground to redirect the trajectory of the centre of mass of the body (CoM). The goal of this paper is to understand how the trajectory of the CoM and the work done to maintain its movements relative to the surroundings (Wcom) are modified as a function of running speed and radius of curvature. Eleven participants ran at different speeds on a straight line and on circular curves with a 6 m and 18 m curvature. The trajectory of the CoM and Wcom were calculated using force-platforms measuring the ground reaction forces and infrared cameras recording the movements of the pelvis. To follow a circular path, runners overcompensate the rotation of their trajectory during contact phases. The deviation from the circular path increases when the radius of curvature decreases and speed increases. Interestingly, an asymmetry between the inner and outer lower limbs emerges as speed increases. The method to evaluate Wcom on a straight-line was adapted using a referential that rotates at heel strike and remains fixed during the whole step cycle. In an 18 m radius curve and at low speeds on a 6 m radius, Wcom changes little compared to a straight-line run. Whereas at 6 m s-1 on a 6 m radius, Wcom increases by ~25%, due to an augmentation in the work to move the CoM laterally. Understanding these adaptations provides valuable insight for sports sciences, aiding in optimizing training and performance in sports with multidirectional movements.
Comparative Efficacy of P-CAB vs Proton Pump Inhibitors for Grade C/D Esophagitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis
Authors: Zhuang Qianjun , Chen Songfeng , Zhou Xuyu , Jia Xingyu , Zhang Mengyu , Tan Niandi , Chen Fangfei , Zhang Zhanye , Hu Junnan , Xiao Yinglian
Published: February 2024

INTRODUCTION:

Los Angeles grade C/D esophagitis is a severe manifestation of gastroesophageal reflux disease that require active treatment and close follow-up. Potassium competitive acid blockers (P-CAB) are promising alternatives to proton pump inhibitors (PPI). We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of P-CAB and PPI in healing grade C/D esophagitis to aid clinical decision-making.

METHODS:

A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion if efficacy of P-CAB and PPI in healing grade C/D esophagitis was reported. Pooled risk ratios and risk difference with 95% credible intervals were used to summarize estimated effect of each comparison. The benefit of treatments was ranked using the surface under the cumulative probability ranking score.

RESULTS:

Of 5,876 articles identified in the database, 24 studies were eligible. Studies included incorporated 3 P-CAB (vonoprazan, tegoprazan, and keverprazan) and 6 PPI (lansoprazole, esomeprazole, omeprazole, rabeprazole extended-release (ER), pantoprazole, and dexlansoprazole). Based on the failure to achieve mucosal healing, 20 mg of vonoprazan q.d. ranked the first among PPI in initial and maintained healing of grade C/D esophagitis (surface under the cumulative probability ranking score = 0.89 and 0.87, respectively). Vonoprazan had similar risk of incurring adverse events, severe adverse events, and withdrawal to drug when compared with PPI. For those who attempted lower maintenance treatment dose, 10 mg of vonoprazan q.d. was a reasonable choice, considering its moderate efficacy and safety.

DISCUSSION:

Vonoprazan has considerable efficacy in initial and maintained healing of grade C/D esophagitis compared with PPI, with moderate short-term and long-term safety.
Cannula Placement for Cerebral Protection Without Circulatory Arrest in Patients Undergoing Hemiarch Aortic Aneurysm Repair
Authors: Sweeney Joseph C. , Trivedi Jaimin R. , Endo Toyokazu , Ankem Akhila , Pahwa Siddharth V. , Slaughter Mark S. , Ganzel Brian L.
Published: February 2024

Background

Aortic aneurysms involving the proximal aortic arch, which require hemiarch-type repair, typically require circulatory arrest with antegrade cerebral perfusion. Left carotid antegrade cerebral perfusion (LCP) via distal arch cannulation without circulatory arrest was used in this study’s patient population. The goal was to assess the operative efficiency and clinical outcomes of using a distal arch cannulation technique that would not require any hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) time compared with more traditional brachiocephalic artery cannulation with right-sided unilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion (RCP) and HCA.

Methods

A single-center retrospective review of patients with replacement of the distal ascending aorta involving the proximal arch was performed. Patients with an intramural hematoma or dissection were excluded. Between January 2015 and December 2019, 68 adult patients had undergone a hemiarch repair because of aneurysmal disease. Analysis of baseline demographics, operative data, and clinical outcomes was performed.

Results

Comparing the 68 patients: 21 patients were treated with RCP (via brachiocephalic artery graft with HCA), and 47 patients were treated with LCP (via distal aortic arch cannulation with cross-clamp between the brachiocephalic and left common carotid arteries without HCA). Baseline characteristics and outcomes were evaluated for both groups. The LCP group was younger (LCP median [IQR] age, 60 [53-65] years vs RCP median [IQR] age, 67 [59-71] years]. Sex, race, body mass index, comorbidities, and ejection fraction were similar between the groups. Cardiopulmonary bypass time (LCP, 123 minutes vs RCP, 149 minutes) and unilateral cerebral perfusion time (LCP, 17 minutes vs RCP, 22 minutes) were longer in the RCP group. Bleeding, prolonged ventilatory support, kidney failure, and length of stay were similar. In-hospital mortality was 2% in the LCP group vs 0% in the RCP group. Stroke occurred in 2 patients (4.2%) in the LCP group and in 0% of the RCP group. Mortality at 6 months in the LCP and RCP groups was 3% and 10%, respectively.

Conclusion

Distal arch cannulation with LCP without HCA is a reasonable and safe alternative strategy for patients requiring hemiarch replacement for aneurysmal disease. This technique may provide additional benefits by avoiding circulatory arrest in these complex cases.
Introducción. Hacia un respaldo histórico y epistemológico de los campos aplicados de la psicología
Authors: Ocampo Villegas Héctor Balmes
Published: February 2024

l concepto de competencia se plantea entonces como una herramienta que busca dar respuesta a los requerimientos epistemológicos tanto desde las perspectivas más objetivistas y empíricas como desde aquellas que se enfrentan a realidades menos reductibles operativamente y se acercan a la necesidad intelectual de la interpretación en el marco de una rigurosidad científica. Se convierten además en una excelente herramienta por medio de la cual los campos aplicados de la psicología, escenario de acción de los psicólogos en el mundo, permiten interpretar su quehacer, escenificar su realidad. Son entonces el punto de convergencia entre los campos educativos y el medio productivo de la sociedad.
Formación posgradual en Psicología Educativa
Authors: González González Fernando Germán
Published: February 2024

La psicología educativa (PE) tiene sus raíces en la antigua filosofía, en cuanto a la preocupación por el amor al conocimiento, los fines de la educación, el rol del docente, su relación con el estudiante, cómo enseñar mejor y a la vez cómo favorecer el aprendizaje de acuerdo con las diferencias individuales. Se puede afirmar que la preocupación por el aprendizaje dio lugar a la psicología moderna. La enseñanza y el aprendizaje han sido temas fundamentales de la psicología desde finales del siglo XIX y gran parte del XX. En los más de cien años de la psicología educativa ciertamente se ha complementado el espectro de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje con los contenidos, o currículo, y el contexto en los que se dan estos ámbitos de la educación (Beltrán & Pérez, 2011)
Formación en Psicología Comunitaria
Authors: Bejarano Gustavo Adolfo
Published: February 2024

En este capítulo se presenta una descripción del campo aplicado en psicología social comunitaria con sus componentes históricos, conceptuales, epistémicos y de denominación. Enlaza estos aspectos con las competencias que en diversos contextos —estadounidense, europeo y nacional— el campo se propone mediante la formación posgradual en los niveles de especialización y maestría, de los que se ofrece una selección en el ámbito colombiano para ilustrar los cambios, permanencias y énfasis temáticos y sus respectivas articulaciones con las competencias enunciadas en los espacios regionales.
Coming to terms with the North. Scandinavia in Polish culture at the turn of the 21st century
Authors: Czapliński Przemysław
Published: February 2024

The article deals with representations of Scandinavia in Polish literature from the 1980s to the second decade of the 21st century. The basic claim of the article is that a shift in the Polish imagination from the West to the North has occurred through literature and growing public interest. This shift began with efforts to transform the initial stereotype of Scandinavia as a land of prosperity. In subsequent stages, the imaginary was expanded by literature to include the themes of equality, social trust and self-correcting modernity. Complicating the image of Scandinavia made it into a viable alternative to Western modernity.
A stereotype that deconstructs itself. Representations of Danes and Denmark in Joanna Chmielewska’s crime novels
Authors: Drozdowska Karolina
Published: February 2024

The research question this article tries to answer is: how was Scandinavia “invented” in Polish prose written when the Iron Curtain still physically divided Europe? The text discusses three novels written by Joanna Chmielewska (1932–2013) and published in 1969 (Krokodyl z Kraju Karoliny [The Crocodile from Caroline’s Country]), 1973 (Lesio) and 1974 (Wszystko czerwone [All in Red]). Chmielewska, a vastly popular Polish crime novelist, especially known for the creation of the so-called “ironic crime” sub-genre, often introduced depictions of Denmark and the country’s inhabitants in her novels and used them to demonstrate amusing contrasts between them and her Polish protagonists and their reality in Poland. My goal is to show that while Westerners constructed and exoticized the East, Easterners did the very same thing to the West, only using different values and criteria in order to distinguish between “us” and “them”. We should therefore perhaps start talking about “inventing Europe” or “inventing Europes” – where the West invents the East and the East invents the West, and xenostereotypes introduce and reinforce autostereotypes. Those stereotypes can sometimes become so extreme that they are no longer sustainable and “collapse” under their own weight.
“If Sweden is a province, what are we?” Map-making and man-making in Marius Ivaškevičius’s essay series My Scandinavia
Authors: Körber Lill-Ann , Steponavičiūtė-Aleksiejūnienė Ieva
Published: February 2024

This co-written article approaches the influential Lithuanian writer and playwright Marius Ivaškevičius’s essay series My Scandinavia (2004) from two different vantage points reflecting either side of the former ‘Iron Curtain’. Published in the year when Lithuania joined the European Union, the essay series describes the narrator’s travels and symbolic and ironic conquest of Northern Europe in the wake of the border openings following the collapse of the Soviet Union. First, employing the notions of “temporal” and “spatial nodes” (Ringgard & DuBois 2017), the article addresses how the crossings of the Baltic Sea and journeys through Northern Europe depicted in Ivaškevičius’s essays represent an awareness of significant shifts in the unfolding of European history and Europe’s spatial configuration. Second, the article reads My Scandinavia as an example of creative map-making in line with theories of critical cartography. Finally, the article puts the travelling subject in My Scandinavia centre stage, looking at the dialectic ways in which subject and place create each other. Just as Scandinavia has been actively moulding the narrating and, by implication, also the writing subject’s biography, so has he given Scandinavia shape through his discourse, while also idiosyncratically framing Europe’s shifting political and mental geography.
“Didn’t that sound like the north was calling us?” Imagined geographies and Cold War legacies in Sofi Oksanen’s Dog Park (Koirapuisto)
Authors: Jelsbak Torben
Published: February 2024

The article presents a discussion of Finnish-Estonian author Sofi Oksanen’s 2019 novel Dog Park (Koirapuisto), a social and psychological thriller about two Ukrainian women working in the Ukrainian fertility industry, offering surrogacy services to Western clients. The novel explores some of the new modes of exchange and cultural encounter that were established between Ukraine and the West after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It presents a reflection of the social and human consequences of the transition from communism to capitalism but is also a story of how the legacy of Cold War geopolitics continues to shape European mental geographies and experiences at the intersection of East and West. Drawing on concepts from human geography and postcolonial studies, the article offers a reading of Oksanen’s novel focusing especially on how the novel negotiates these geopolitical shifts as well as the position of the Nordic countries on the changing European map.
A transnational regioscape in the making. The Baltic Sea in Christian Petzold’s Barbara and Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen’s My Favorite War
Authors: Mrozewicz Anna Estera
Published: February 2024

The Baltic Sea has effectively separated the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries, especially in the period when this body of water constituted a part of the Iron Curtain and functioned for Scandinavians as an imaginary protective moat. From the East-Central European perspective, the Baltic Sea offered a hope of escape to freedom, encapsulated in the cinematic trope of the sea as a ‘blue boundary’, or a ‘horizon of hope’. But the Baltic Sea was also feared as a life-threatening border, as expressed in the trope of ‘Baltic noir’, a variation of the ‘Eastern noir’ trope (Mrozewicz 2018) – imagining the sea in nocturnal scenery as wild and under state control. The article discusses screen representations of the Baltic Sea understood as performative regioscaping practices (Chow 2021), offering insights into the memories and histories of human mobilities across the Baltic Sea beyond official narratives, as well as into the human relationship with the sea as both a cultural boundary and material body of water. As demonstrated by the analyzed film examples, Christian Petzold’s Barbara (2012, Germany) and Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen’s My Favorite War (2020, Norway, Latvia), the Baltic Sea continues to be an important spatiotemporal node in the transnational re-telling of the region’s history and identity.
Exploitation of mangliculous marine fungi, Amarenographium solium, for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their activity against multiple drug-resistant bacteria
Authors: Hodhod Mohamed S. , Gaafar Abdel-Rhman Z. , AlMunqedhi Bandar M. , Elzein Abdalla , Abdelmalik Abdelmalik M.
Published: February 2024

The green synthesis pathway for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) used in bacterial treatment is regarded as crucial because of its cost-effectiveness, nontoxicity, and eco-friendliness. During the present work, the mangliculous marine fungi Amarenographium solium isolated from the Arabian Gulf Coast of Saudi Arabia were utilized for the synthesis of AgNP, through the bio-reduction of aqueous silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution. The success in AgNP synthesis was visually identified by the development of dark brown color in the cell-free filtrate and was further confirmed by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, which showed a peak at 425 nm. The AgNPs produced were further characterized using X-ray diffraction data analysis that proved the bioreduction of silver to 20 nm, and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of well-dispersed spherical nanoparticles with an average mean size of 12 nm. The optimization reaction parameters of temperature, pH, and metal salt concentration were carried out and resulted in a combination of 30°C, 7 and 1.5 mM, respectively, for rapid and maximum yield production. The antibacterial activity of the produced nanoparticles was evaluated using the two-fold microdilution method and showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 9.375 μg/mL of AgNP against multiple drug-resistant bacterial strains.
Bridging Brand Parity with Insights Regarding Consumer Behavior
Authors: Turunç Ömer , Karayalçın Cem
Published: February 2024

Previous research has investigated some of the relationships among brand parity (BP), brand image (BI), brand satisfaction (BS), and brand loyalty (BL). However, there is not a model investigating all of them in a single conceptual model. Based on information processing theory, the first aim of the article is to investigate the important, direct effect relationships among these variables. Moreover, scant information is available regarding the moderating role of BP. Consequently, the second purpose of the study is to test the moderating effect of BP regarding the effect of BI on BL and BS on BL. The data were collected from customers of chain stores in Antalya. The results supported the positive, direct effect of BI on BS and BL, plus BS on BL. There were no direct and moderating effects of BP. Based on the microeconomic behavior of consumers and because of the bounded rationality of consumers, as BP rises, consumers’ decisions are not affected regarding the effect of BI on BL and BS on BL. This is an important insight that brands should consider in terms of points of parity associations that affect consumers’ decision-making process and create a brand-loyal customer base.
Plasmonic-nanowire near-field beam analyzer
Authors: Peng Jian , Zhu Runlin , Gu Zhaoqi , Zhang Hongyu , Dou Lin , Ma Yanna , Gu Fuxing
Published: February 2024

Experimental near-field analysis of the output beams from the end faces of micro/nano-waveguide is very necessary, because important information such as spatial intensity distributions, mode orders, and divergence angles can be obtained, and are very important for investigating and designing nanophotonic devices. However, as far as we know, it has not been demonstrated yet. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a plasmonic-nanowire near-field beam analyzer, utilizing a single Au nanowire (AuNW) as the probe to scan the spatial near-field distributions of emitted beams from micro/nano-waveguide end-faces. Our analyzer can resolve the trade-off between high measurement resolution and light collection efficiency in conventional beam analyzers by a reverse nanofocusing process, achieving a probe resolution of 190 nm (<λ/8) and a simulated collection efficiency of ∼47.4 % at λ = 1596 nm. These attractive advantages allow us to obtain three‐dimensional (3D) scanning in a large range from the plasmonic hotspot region to the far-field region, characterizing the 3D spatial distribution evolution from a metal nanowire output beam for the first time, with an M
2 factor lower than that of the ideal Gaussian beam (M
2 = 1). In addition, the analyzer also demonstrates simultaneous characterization of multimodes in irregular and large-sized nanoribbons, further verifying its ability to selectively explore complex multimodes that are difficult to be predicted by numerical simulations. Our results suggest that this plasmonic-nanowire beam analyzer may hold promise for diverse near-field applications for micro/nano-waveguides such as nanolasers and biosensing, and offer a new method for understanding nanophotonic structures.
Unveiling Local Power Through Microhistory: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of Early Modern Husbandry Practices in Casaio and Lardeira (Ourense, Spain)
Authors: Tejerizo-García Carlos
Published: February 2024

Following the proposal for the special issue, the aim of this study is to reflect on the potentialities and setbacks of a micro-historical approach to the archaeological record. This will be done by analysing the local organization of Early Modern husbandry in a territory in northwestern Iberia, where investigations have been carried out since 2017. I will apply the theoretical background of microhistory to four specific archaeological sites to delve into the social structuring and power relationships among the different agents involved in stockbreeding in the territory. In this regard, I will argue that one of the most compelling contributions of microhistory is to delve into the deep connection between the systemic and the quotidian, between structure and agency. However, this connection is not always straightforward and visible in the sources, and thus a deep theoretical and methodological background becomes necessary to understand questions such as how power was conceived and articulated at the local level and in daily life.
An LSC approach for tritium determination in gaseous mixtures optimized with respect to handling, reaction parameters and miniaturization towards microfluidic analysis
Authors: Becker Alexandra , Lippold Holger , Bäcker Jantje Pauline , Belder Detlev , Fischer Cornelius
Published: February 2024

The handling and analysis of gaseous tritium is of interest for hydrogen isotope separation experiments. In this work, we present an easy-to-handle setup for catalytic oxidation to HTO, recovering all of the initially dosed gaseous tritium as determined by LSC, using CuO as a catalyst at a reaction temperature of 900 °C. Aiming to reduce cocktail waste, the LSC determination was downscaled to a microfluidic setup. The performance was evaluated based on the counting efficiency, which was shown to decrease significantly, as the sample volume was reduced to µl amounts, while no changes were observed over a wide range of sample-to-cocktail ratios.
Rice husk composite with polyaniline, sodium alginate and polypyrrole: naphthalene adsorption kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamic studies
Authors: Arooj Tayyba , Bhatti Haq Nawaz , AlMasoud Najla , Khan Amina , Alomar Taghrid S. , Iqbal Munawar
Published: February 2024

In this investigation, composites consisting of polypyrrole (PPy), polyaniline (PAN), and sodium alginate combined with rice husk (RH) biomass were fabricated, utilizing them as adsorbents for naphthalene. The optimization of key process variables, including pH, pesticide concentration, composite dosage, contact time, and temperature were systematically undertaken to enhance the removal efficiency of naphthalene. Notably, the composites exhibited promising efficacy in adsorbing naphthalene, with native rice husk and PPy/RH (at pH 4), PAN/RH (at pH 5), and Na-alginate/RH (at pH 6) displaying the highest removal rates. Optimized conditions for composite dosage, temperature, and contact time were determined as 0.05 g, 30 °C, and 90 min, respectively, ensuring efficient removal of naphthalene. The adsorption capacities for naphthalene were found to be 22.04, 23.15, 23.89 and 21.67 (mg/g) for RH, PAN/RH, PPY/RH and Na-alginate/RH, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-first-order kinetics models aptly described the adsorption process onto the composite material. The surface morphology and functional groups involved in the biocomposite formation were examined through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. These analyses confirmed that PPy, PAN, and Na-alginate composites with RH biomass exhibit high effectiveness in naphthalene removal, showcasing their potential application in the remediation of naphthalene from effluents.
Different Effects of Peer Sex on Operant Responding for Social Interaction and Striatal Dopamine Activity
Authors: Chow Jonathan J. , Pitts Kayla M. , Schoenbaum Ansel , Costa Kauê M. , Schoenbaum Geoffrey , Shaham Yavin
Published: February 2024

When rats are given discrete choices between social interactions with a peer and opioid or psychostimulant drugs, they choose social interaction, even after extensive drug self-administration experience. Studies show that like drug and nondrug food reinforcers, social interaction is an operant reinforcer and induces dopamine release. However, these studies were conducted with same-sex peers. We examined if peer sex influences operant social interaction and the role of estrous cycle and striatal dopamine in same- versus opposite-sex social interaction. We trained male and female rats (n = 13 responders/12 peers) to lever-press (fixed-ratio 1 [FR1] schedule) for 15 s access to a same- or opposite-sex peer for 16 d (8 d/sex) while tracking females’ estrous cycle. Next, we transfected GRAB-DA2m and implanted optic fibers into nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and dorsomedial striatum (DMS). We then retrained the rats for 15 s social interaction (FR1 schedule) for 16 d (8 d/sex) and recorded striatal dopamine during operant responding for a peer for 8 d (4 d/sex). Finally, we assessed economic demand by manipulating FR requirements for a peer (10 d/sex). In male, but not female rats, operant responding was higher for the opposite-sex peer. Female's estrous cycle fluctuations had no effect on operant social interaction. Striatal dopamine signals for operant social interaction were dependent on the peer's sex and striatal region (NAc core vs DMS). Results indicate that estrous cycle fluctuations did not influence operant social interaction and that NAc core and DMS dopamine activity reflect sex-dependent features of volitional social interaction.
Providing Alternative Understandings of School Equivalency Trough Literacy and Storytelling
Authors: Abdulloh Syahid , Sakhiyya Zulfa , Pratama Hendi
Published: February 2024

Omah Dongeng Marwah, a library community and school equivalency organizer, distinguishes itself from typical school equivalency institutions, which are often seen as mere diploma publishers. Through storytelling, book discussions, and nurturing students' talents, ODM offers an innovative outlook on literacy practices. This research explores the profound impact of ODM's immersive storytelling along with diverse literacy practices to give alternative understandings of school equivalency.

Using qualitative research, I investigated why and how Omah Dongeng Marwah Kudus challenges the stigma associated with school equivalency through storytelling and literacy practices. Critical Discourse Analysis was employed to understand the social dimensions influencing ODM's implementation of these practices, challenging the dominant discourse in similar institutions.

The findings of this research demonstrate that the utilization of storytelling and literacy practices at Omah Dongeng Marwah stems from the social and educational conditions in Indonesia, where the behind-the-scenes aspects of theoretical discoveries are often neglected. The effects observed include increased expressiveness among students, enhanced motivation for learning, and the exploration of their talents and interests. Furthermore, through their literacy practices, Omah Dongeng Marwah presents an alternative understanding of school equivalency, asserting that with the flexibility of curriculum development, educational institutions should prioritize meeting the individual needs of students.
Evaluation of Students' Mastery of Semantic Entailment as Reflected in Their Descriptive Text Writing
Authors: Setyawati Rika , Mujiyanto Januarius , Sakhiyya Zulfa
Published: February 2024

Some challenges in teaching writing are making students interpret, analyze, and build reasoning for a coherent text. To address this issue, such research is included in a branch of linguistics, namely semantics. This research evaluates the students’ mastery of semantic entailment as reflected in their descriptive text writing. The research method applied was a descriptive qualitative design. The data was taken from the 30 explanatory texts written by the eighth-graders of MTs Ar Ridlo Pekuncen 2022/2023. The technique of collecting data was document text. The method of data analysis was triangulation. The results revealed that the evaluation of students’ mastery of one-way entailment is 90%; there were 27 of 30 students. Almost all of the students (generally) are very masterful. Next, the evaluation of students’ mastery of two-way entailment is 36.67% (N=11). Furthermore, only 30.00% of the students (N=9) can master negative entailment. The least (a fraction) mastered was metaphorical entailment, 13.33% (N=4). The easiest for students to master was the one-way entailment. In contrast, the metaphorical entailment was the most difficult. Thus, it can be safely said that the students have difficulty imagining the object in their sentences. For that reason, future research may investigate the factors that cause problems in metaphorical entailment among students.
Comparison of Positive Politeness Strategies by Ellen to Interact with Her Guests of Age Groups
Authors: Maula Yuliana , Mujiyanto Januarius , Joko Yulianto Henrikus
Published: February 2024

Politeness cannot be achieved directly when people are born because of genetic factors or special characteristics given by God. It needs to be learned, and they should consider whom they speak to establish a good relationship between the speaker (S) and hearer (H) in the social interaction. This study aims to explain the similarities and differences between the use of positive politeness strategies by Ellen in her interaction with adult and young guests. The transcript of Ellen’s talk show becomes the primary source of this study where the data were analyzed by using Brown and Levinson’s theory. This study was descriptive qualitative research with a pragmatic approach. Based on the data analysis, Ellen applied noticing, exaggerating, and intensifying interest to H, using in-group identity markers, seeking agreement, asserting common ground, being optimistic, including S and H in the activity, and giving gifts in her communication with adult and young guests. The strategy of using in-group identity markers is frequently used in Ellen’s interaction with a percentage of 27,8%. In addition, in Ellen’s interaction with the young guests, the noticing strategy is the most dominant strategy with a percentage of 25%. The strategies of avoiding disagreement, joking, promising, and giving reasons were only applied in her interaction with the adult guests. Therefore, Ellen’s decision to use these positive politeness strategies can save the hearers’ positive face and maintain the relationship among them. As a result, this study contributes to English language teaching in class interaction, especially in fulfilling the students’ positive face.
Assessing the Students’ Use of Cohesive Devices in Writing Hortatory Exposition Text
Authors: Wijayanti Hermin , Suwandi Suwandi , Fitriati Sri Wuli
Published: February 2024

This research began in the challenging of writing Hortatory Exposition Text, faced by students, especially second language learners in academic settings. Despite writing's crucial role in analysis and communication, limited structured practice leads to incoherent expression. Qualitative descriptive was applied to analyze the use of cohesive devices proposed by Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) theory. The object of this research were fifteen students of SMA Kesatrian 2 Semarang. The students’ texts were analyzed by using Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) theory. The findings show 336 grammatical and 138 lexical cohesions in the reading passages. The grammatical consisted of 170 (35.9%) references, 3 (0.6%) substitutions, 28 (5.9%) ellipses, and 135 (28.5%) conjunctions and the lexical cohesion consisted of 82 reiterations (17.3%) and 56 (11.8%) collocations. Hopefully, this research offers insights, particularly to English teachers, enhancing their ESL teaching approaches and addressing students' challenges more effectively.
The Use of Mindful Experiental Learning to Improve Students’ Listening Skilll
Authors: Syamsia Syamsia , Adhelien Ode Thelsya
Published: February 2024

Listening is a complex and active mental process that involves perception, attention, cognition, and memory.The objective of this research are to find out whether the implementation of mindful experiential learning to improves the student’s listening comprehension and to find out the student’s experience toward the implementation of mindful experiential learning in teaching intensive listening. This research was quantitative research namely experimental design, through quasi-experimental. The researchers used worksheet and interview to collect data. The data obtained from the students' worksheets were analyzed to measure the students' listening comprehension level; the researchers used Google Form to carry out interviews. The data showed that the students' listening effectiveness before and after the treatment is significantly different. It was found in post-test students was higher than the pre-test, it proved that the use of Mindful Experiential Learning in teaching extensive listening can improve the students’ listening comprehension. While the results of the test shown that the significance is 0.096 this value is higher than the level of significance for one tailed-test (0.048). The significance of Using Mindful Experiential Learning for the teacher will apply it as an alternative method especially in teaching English and for the students can be more motivated to practice listening or their motivational function to improve their listening comprehension
What Makes a Scientist?
Authors:   Professor Emeritus of the Royal Institution, Bragg Sir Lawrence
Published: February 2024

The qualities that characterise a great scientist are very elusive. Before I try to deal with them, I would like to clear the air by touching on two points. The first is the very real difference between fundamental and applied science, the first being knowledge oriented and the second project oriented. I want to emphasise right away how strongly I dissent from the view that the one is any way finer or more inspiring than the other.
The Impact of Modern Technology on Paper Testing
Authors:   AB. Lorentzen & Wettre, Stockholm, Gavelin G.
Published: February 2024

Should paper be tested in-line or off-line? No one will argue that in-line continuous measuring of paper quality is the ultimate solution . Much progress has also been made in this direction, but we are still not there. When we do get there, we shall have to design systems for sampling, treatment and use of the in-line information before we can discard routine, off-line paper testing. In the meantime, paper testing goes on in the routine control laboratories much as it always has. This, of course, is not necessary. When we look at routine paper testing, we ought to distinguish between the limitations inherent in the process and those that are there because of our neglect. If we do, we shall find that there is a lot more to off-line paper testing than is generally believed. If we feel a need to justify economically such a reappraisal of established methods, we can examine the cost of present paper testing. A survey in Sweden a couple of years ago showed that the operating cost of the control departments (wages, social security, testing implements) amounted to 5-6 dollars per 1 000 dollars of product. Considering that this activity has felt little impact of modern technology, it would not be unreasonable to assume substantial economic gains from a more up-to-date technique.
The Forest to the Pulpmill and How the System is Controlled
Authors:   Department of Fisheries and Forestry, Ottawa, Silversides C. R.
Published: February 2024

Operations involved in the delivery of pulpwood from the standing tree to the consuming pulpmill are considered as a subsystem of the whole papermaking system . Pulpwood may be produced by any one of four different systems, namely, shortwood, tree length, full tree and remote chipping. Control in woodlands operations is management control and is primarily a function of administration. The principle is identical to that in process control. Control is not accounting in the conventional sense, but is involved with improved planning and the conservation of resources. Coordination between the production of pulpwood and the requirements of the consuming mill is essential to ensure continuity of mill operation, at the same time ensuring minimum pulpwood inventories. The pulp and paper industry, for the most part, carries its inventory in raw material rather than in the finished product. Optimum co-ordination of pulpwood deliveries is rendered difficult owing to seasonal variation in mill consumption along with seasonal constraints on pulpwood deliveries attributable principally to climatic conditions. Proper control at this point in operations can result in great savings in pulpwood inventories . With pulpwood constituting 40-50 percent of the cost of the final product and with the absolute cost of pulpwood at an all-time high value, control of pulpwood production and delivery is critical at this time.
The Development of Control in the Process Industry
Authors:   Management Services Department, Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., Ward A. J.
Published: February 2024

This paper traces the evolution of the theoretical basis of automatic control. The subject is considered from the viewpoint of applications in the process industries, particularly those occurring in papermaking. The emphasis is put on the essential concepts, placing them in the general background of engineering systems analysis. An attempt is made to indicate the mainstream of theoretical developments and to review current practice and the future potential of control technology in the paper industry.
The Structure, Evaluation and Application of Dynamic Models for Control
Authors:   Automation Systems Division, Ferrand Ltd, Donkin G.
Published: February 2024

The paper is intended as a tutorial introduction to some of the principles used in model building techniques, which place emphasis on modelling of the process behaviour as shown to the outside world by records of inputs to and outputs from the process, rather than by attempting to model details of the physics or chemistry internal to the process.
Romantic breakup distress: a narrative review
Authors: Field Tiffany
Published: February 2024

This narrative review includes all 30 papers that were published on romantic breakup distress over the past five years. Although the prevalence of romantic breakups is still as high as 82% of adolescents and young adults, there is relatively little literature. Earlier research focused primarily on the negative effects of romantic dissolutions, while the more recent research involves risks and predictors of the breakups. This review includes different types of romantic breakups, negative effects like depression as well as positive effects like posttraumatic growth. The predictors include finding words on social media that are predictive of romantic breakups as early as three months in advance of the breakups, as well as negative behaviors, lack of self-esteem and grit, narcissism and demographic risk factors including female gender. Interventions have included “storying” about the breakup, Internet Group Therapy and Emotion Based Therapy. Methodological limitations of the literature continue to include the samples which are typically limited to the initiators of the breakup, self-report data taken cross-sectionally, and the limited number of studies that could be systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed
‘I am enough!’ study of social self-efficacy in female AYA college students
Authors: Bhave Swati Y , Adsul Srushti , Nanda Sarita , Satija Tanu , Mota Jill , Sovani Anuradha
Published: February 2024

The Association of Adolescents and Child Care in India (AACCI; www.aacci.in) conducts multicentric studies on youth behavior in India using openly accessible psychometric tools. This study is part of a multi-centric youth project “Building Resilience in Youth;” we used Connolly’s (1989) Social Self-Efficacy Scale (SSES) to explore the relationship between social self-efficacy (SSE), an important soft skill for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), and several sociodemographic variables, including age, sibling status, academic course, engagement in extracurricular activities, perceived Internet/social media usage and dependence, substance use, and perception of control over one’s life. The study design was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2018 with 354 female AYAs aged 17 to 21 years from an all-women, multi-stream college in Delhi. The results showed that participants in the 17-19 age group had higher total SSES scores along with the Friendship/Intimacy, group, and Giving/Receiving Help subscales. Participants engaging in extracurricular competitions had a higher total SSES score including Assertiveness, Group, Public Performance, and Giving/Receiving Help subscales. Participants who had no siblings scored higher on the Friendship/Intimacy subscale. Participants competing in sports competitions score higher on the public performance subscale. All other demographic variables did not have a statistically significant relationship with the total and subscale SSES scores. The results allowed the management to conduct parent and student workshops. In addition, more studies are needed to qualitatively understand the role of age, extracurricular competitions, and sibling status on SSE with a more diverse sample
Comparison of Stereopsis, Contrast Sensitivity and Near Points of Accommodation In Patients With Degree of Myopia
Authors:   Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chitkara University, Punjab, India, Singh Sachitanand , Thakur Renu ,   Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chitkara University, Punjab, India, Kumari Diksha ,   Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chitkara University, Punjab, India, Yadav Prachi ,   Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Gautam Bipina ,   Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Published: February 2024

Background: Stereopsis is the ability to perceive depth in objects through binocular vision, where the brain interprets 2-dimensional retinal images as 3-dimensional shadows. It plays a crucial role in assessing and understanding the objects we see. Factors like sensory and motor fusion greatly influence the quality of stereoscopic vision. Myopia, a condition characterized by near- sightedness, can negatively impact stereopsis. Contrast sensitivity refers to the ability to discern sharp outlines and detect subtle differences in shading and patterns. It helps identify objects with unclear boundaries against their background. Purpose: This study aimed to compare Stereopsis, Contrast Sensitivity, and Near Point of Accommodation among individuals with different grades of Myopia and Emmetropia. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at Nandadeep Eye Hospital, Maharastra, involving staff and patients aged 15 to 30 years. Participants with strabismus, anisometropia, previous ocular surgery, ocular diseases, or systemic conditions were excluded. The assessments included objective and subjective refraction eye examinations, as well as measurements of stereopsis, contrast sensitivity, and near point of accommodation. Results: The results, based on 109 subjects, indicated no significant change in contrast sensitivity between emmetropes and myopes. However, there were significant differences in stereoacuity and NPA among different grades of myopes compared to emmetropes. Conclusions: the study suggests that optometrists and eye healthcare professionals should assess stereopsis and near point of accommodation in severely myopic patients even after optical correction, and consider vision therapy if necessary, as it is an effective treatment for accommodative and binocular vision anomalies.