bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An initial evaluation of the safety of a disposable oscillating positive expiratory pressure device in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a short-term pilot study
Authors: O’Sullivan Kevin J. , Power Valerie , Linnane Barry , McGrath Deirdre , Fogarty Hilda , Ryan Martina , White Rebecca , Noonan Conor , Mulloy Eithne , O’Sullivan Leonard W. , Dunne Colum P.
Published: October 2021

Background

Handheld oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices have been a mainstay of treatment for patients with hypersecretory conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) since the 1970s. Current devices are reusable and require regular cleaning and disinfection to prevent harbouring potentially pathogenic organisms. Adherence to cleaning regimens for respiratory devices is often poor and in response to this, a prototype disposable OPEP device—the ‘UL-OPEP’ (University of Limerick—Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure device)—was developed to mitigate the risk of contamination by pathogens. The device was previously evaluated successfully in a group of paediatric CF patients. The aim of the current study was to initially evaluate the safety of the prototype in patients with COPD over a period of 1 month to ensure no adverse events, negative impacts on lung function, exercise tolerance, or quality of life. Data on user experience of the device were also collected during post-study follow-up.

Methods

A sample of 50 volunteer participants were recruited from pulmonary rehabilitation clinics within the local hospital network. The patients were clinically stable, productive, and not current or previous users of OPEP devices. Participants were invited to use a prototype disposable OPEP device daily for a period of 1 month. Pre- and post-study lung function was assessed with standard spirometry, and exercise tolerance with the 6-min-walk-test (6MWT). Quality of life was assessed using the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and user experience of the prototype device evaluated using a post-study questionnaire.

Results

24 Participants completed the study: 9 were female. Overall median age was 67.5 years, range 53–85 years. Lung function, 6-min walk test, and SGRQ scores showed no significant change post-study. User feedback was positive overall.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the UL-OPEP is safe to use in patients with COPD. No adverse events were recorded during the study or in the follow-up period of 2 weeks. The device did not negatively impact patients’ lung function, exercise tolerance, or quality of life during short term use (1 month), and usability feedback received was generally positive. Larger, longer duration studies will be required to evaluate efficacy.

Registration The study was approved as a Clinical Investigation by the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (CRN-2209025-CI0085).
The impact of multimorbidity level and functional limitations on the accuracy of using self-reported survey data compared to administrative data to measure general practitioner and specialist visits in community-living adults
Authors: Griffith Lauren E. , Gruneir Andrea , Fisher Kathryn A. , Aljied Rumaisa , Perez Richard , Nguyen Francis , Patterson Christopher , Markle-Reid Maureen , Ploeg Jenny , Upshur Ross
Published: October 2021

Background

Researchers often use survey data to study the effect of health and social variables on physician use, but how self-reported physician use compares to administrative data, the gold standard, in particular within the context of multimorbidity and functional limitations remains unclear. We examine whether multimorbidity and functional limitations are related to agreement between self-reported and administrative data for physician use.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from 52,854 Ontario participants of the Canadian Community Health Survey linked to administrative data were used to assess agreement on physician use. The number of general practitioner (GP) and specialist visits in the previous year was assessed using both data sources; multimorbidity and functional limitation were from self-report.

Results

Fewer participants self-reported GP visits (84.8%) compared to administrative data (89.1%), but more self-reported specialist visits (69.2% vs. 64.9%). Sensitivity was higher for GP visits (≥90% for all multimorbidity levels) compared to specialist visits (approximately 75% for 0 to 90% for 4+ chronic conditions). Specificity started higher for GP than specialist visits but decreased more swiftly with multimorbidity level; in both cases, specificity levels fell below 50%. Functional limitations, age and sex did not impact the patterns of sensitivity and specificity seen across level of multimorbidity.

Conclusions

Countries around the world collect health surveys to inform health policy and planning, but the extent to which these are linked with administrative, or similar, data are limited. Our study illustrates the potential for misclassification of physician use in self-report data and the need for sensitivity analyses or other corrections.
Social participation in the unified health system of Brazil: an exploratory study on the adequacy of health councils to resolution 453/2012
Authors: de Cássia Costa da Silva Rita , de Novais Maykon Anderson Pires , Zucchi Paola
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Social participation is one of the guidelines of the Brazilian health system. Health councils are collegiate instances of participation established by Law 8.142/90. The most recent legal regulation for council organization and functioning was established through Resolution 453/2021. The institution of health councils has a permanent and deliberative nature to act in the formulation, deliberation and control of health policy implementation, including in economic and financial aspects.

Objective

To evaluate the compliance of health councils with the directives for the establishment, restructuring and operation of the councils from Brazil, based on Resolution 453/2012.

Methods

An exploratory, descriptive study that used the Health Council Monitoring System as a data source. Qualitative variables were selected to identify the characteristics related to the councils’ establishment (legal instruments for establishment), the strategies adopted for restructuring (budget allocation, existence of an executive secretariat, provision of a dedicated office) and the characteristics of the health councils’ operation (frequency of regular meetings, existence of a board of directors, the election of the board of directors).

Results

The study analyzed three groups of characteristics related to the constitution, strategies adopted for restructuring and the functioning of the councils. Regarding the constitution of the councils, the findings revealed that the vast majority was constituted in accordance with the legislation and, therefore, is in compliance with Resolution 453/2021. In the second group of characteristics that describe the restructuring of councils, the study found that less than half of registered councils are in compliance with the standard. And, finally, in the third group of characteristics, it was found that the boards have adopted different frequencies for regular meetings and approximately 50% of the boards studied have a board of directors.

Conclusions

The councils still do not meet the minimum conditions necessary to fulfil their role in the Unified Health System (SUS), as stipulated in Resolution 453/2021. This situation requires monitoring by public oversight agencies. Despite the increase in popular participation with the creation of the health councils, this study demonstrated that most councils still do not meet the minimum conditions for monitoring public health policy. The improvement of the Health Councils Monitoring System (SIACS) to become an instrument for monitoring the councils, with the definition of goals and results, may contribute to the organization of the councils and, therefore, to the realization of social participation in Brazil.
Effects of the number of removed lymph nodes on survival outcome in patients with sentinel node-negative breast cancer
Authors: Cipolla Calogero , Galvano Antonio , Vieni Salvatore , Saputo Federica , Lupo Simona , Latteri Mario , Graceffa Giuseppa , Valerio Maria Rosaria
Published: October 2021

Background

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the gold standard surgical technique for axillary staging in patients with clinically node-negative. However, it is still uncertain what is the optimal number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) to be removed to reduce the false-negative rate. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with a single negative SLN have a worse prognosis than those with two or more negative SLNs.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted on a large series of SLN-negative breast cancer patients. Survival outcomes and regional recurrence rate were evaluated according to the number of removed SLNs. Secondly, the contribution of different adjuvant therapies on disease-free survival was explored. Statistical analysis included the chi-square, Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.

Results

A total of 1080 patients were included in the study. A first group consisted of 328 patients in whom a single SLN was retrieved, and a second group consisted of 752 patients in whom two or more SLNs were retrieved. There was no relevant difference in median DFS (64.9 vs 41.4) for SLN = 1 vs SLN > 1 groups (HR 0.76, CI 95% 0.39–1.46; p = 0.38). A statistically significant difference in mDFS was showed only for HT-treated patients who were SLN = 1 if compared to SLN > 1 (100.6 months versus 35.3 months).

Conclusions

There is likely a relationship between the number of resected SNL and mDFS. Our results, however, showed no relevant difference in median DFS for SLN = 1 vs SLN > 1 group, except for a subset of the patients treated with hormone therapy.
Sustained peripheral immune hyper-reactivity (SPIHR): an enduring biomarker of altered inflammatory responses in adult rats after perinatal brain injury
Authors: Kitase Yuma , Chin Eric M. , Ramachandra Sindhu , Burkhardt Christopher , Madurai Nethra K. , Lenz Colleen , Hoon Alexander H. , Robinson Shenandoah , Jantzie Lauren L.
Published: October 2021

Background

Chorioamnionitis (CHORIO) is a principal risk factor for preterm birth and is the most common pathological abnormality found in the placentae of preterm infants. CHORIO has a multitude of effects on the maternal–placental–fetal axis including profound inflammation. Cumulatively, these changes trigger injury in the developing immune and central nervous systems, thereby increasing susceptibility to chronic sequelae later in life. Despite this and reports of neural–immune changes in children with cerebral palsy, the extent and chronicity of the peripheral immune and neuroinflammatory changes secondary to CHORIO has not been fully characterized.

Methods

We examined the persistence and time course of peripheral immune hyper-reactivity in an established and translational model of perinatal brain injury (PBI) secondary to CHORIO. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats underwent laparotomy on embryonic day 18 (E18, preterm equivalent). Uterine arteries were occluded for 60 min, followed by intra-amniotic injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at young adult (postnatal day P60) and middle-aged equivalents (P120). Serum and PBMCs secretome chemokines and cytokines were assayed using multiplex electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. Multiparameter flow cytometry was performed to interrogate immune cell populations.

Results

Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-5, IL-6, C–X–C Motif Chemokine Ligand 1 (CXCL1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C–C motif chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2/MCP-1) were significantly higher in CHORIO animals compared to sham controls at P60. Notably, CHORIO PBMCs were primed. Specifically, they were hyper-reactive and secreted more inflammatory mediators both at baseline and when stimulated in vitro. While serum levels of cytokines normalized by P120, PBMCs remained primed, and hyper-reactive with a robust pro-inflammatory secretome concomitant with a persistent change in multiple T cell populations in CHORIO animals.

Conclusions

The data indicate that an in utero inflammatory insult leads to neural–immune changes that persist through adulthood, thereby conferring vulnerability to brain and immune system injury throughout the lifespan. This unique molecular and cellular immune signature including sustained peripheral immune hyper-reactivity (SPIHR) and immune cell priming may be a viable biomarker of altered inflammatory responses following in utero insults and advances our understanding of the neuroinflammatory cascade that leads to perinatal brain injury and later neurodevelopmental disorders, including cerebral palsy.
Correction to: Long non-coding RNA SLC2A1-AS1 induced by GLI3 promotes aerobic glycolysis and progression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by sponging miR-378a-3p to enhance Glut1 expression
Authors: Liu Hongtao , Zhang Qing , Song Yinsen , Hao Yibin , Cui Yunxia , Zhang Xin , Zhang Xueying , Qin Yue , Zhu Guangzhao , Wang Feng , Dang Jinghan , Ma Shanshan , Zhang Yanting , Guo Wenna , Li Shenglei , Guan Fangxia , Fan Tianli
Published: October 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
CircGSK3B promotes RORA expression and suppresses gastric cancer progression through the prevention of EZH2 trans-inhibition
Authors: Ma Xianxiong , Chen Hengyu , Li Lei , Yang Feng , Wu Chuanqing , Tao Kaixiong
Published: October 2021

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA that play critical roles in the development and pathogenesis of various cancers. The circRNA circGSK3B (hsa_circ_0003763) has been shown to enhance cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the specific functions and underlying mechanistic involvement of circGSK3B in gastric cancer (GC) have not yet been explored. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of circGSK3B on the progression of GC and to identify any potential mechanisms underlying this process.

Methods

CircRNA datasets associated with GC were obtained from the PubMed, GEO, and ArrayExpress databases, and circRNAs were validated via RT-qPCR and Sanger sequencing. Biotin-labeled RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, RNA immunoprecipitation, and in vitro binding assays were employed to determine proteins demonstrating interactions with circGSK3B. Gene expression regulation was assessed through RT-qPCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and western blot assays. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were used to analyze any effects of circGSK3B and its partner regulatory molecule (EZH2) on the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

CircGSK3B was mainly identified in the nucleus. This circRNA was present at a reduced concentration in GC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circGSK3B was shown to inhibit the growth, invasion, and metastasis of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circGSK3B directly interacted with EZH2, acting to suppress the binding of EZH2 and H3K27me3 to the RORA promoter, and leading to an elevation in RORA expression and ultimately the suppression of GC progression.

Conclusions

CircGSK3B acts as a tumor suppressor, reducing EZH2 trans-inhibition and GC progression. This demonstrates the potential use of this RNA as a therapeutic target for GC.
Interaction between PSMD10 and GRP78 accelerates endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated hepatic apoptosis induced by homocysteine
Authors: Xiao Kun , Ma Shengchao , Xu Long , Ding Ning , Zhang Hui , Xie Lin , Xu Lingbo , Jiao Yun , Zhang Huiping , Jiang Yideng
Published: October 2021

Background

The liver plays an important role in production and metabolism of homocysteine (Hcy), which has been reported to be involved in liver injury. In our previous work, we confirm that Hcy can induce liver injury by activating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Results

In present study, we established the Hcy-induced liver injury model by feeding cbs+/− mice with high methionine diet, and found that a considerable mass of disordered arrangement of hepatocytes and enlarged space between hepatocytes were frequently occurred in the liver of cbs+/− mice, accompanied with elevated expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins. In addition, Hcy could activate ER stress both in cbs+/− mice and hepatocytes. Mechanistically, Hcy promoted the expression levels of proteasome 26S subunit non-ATPase 10 (PSMD10) in hepatocytes; and the expression of ER stress indicators and apoptosis-associated proteins were significantly suppressed when PSMD10 was silenced in hepatocytes under Hcy treatment. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PSMD10 was a target gene of miR-212-5p. Consistently, miR-212-5p overexpression could inhibit ER stress-mediated apoptosis of hepatocytes under Hcy treatment. With the help of co-immunoprecipitation assay, we identified that the interaction between PSMD10 and GRP78 accelerated ER stress-mediated hepatic apoptosis induced by Hcy.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that miR-212-5p directly targets PSMD10 and subsequently activates ER stress to promote Hcy-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes. We propose that endogenous PSMD10 physically interacts with GRP78 to regulate ER stress. Our study may provide the therapeutic target for the liver injury induced by Hcy.
On a geometric study of a class of normalized functions defined by Bernoulli’s formula
Authors: Ibrahim Rabha W. , Aldawish Ibtisam , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: October 2021

The central purpose of this effort is to investigate analytic and geometric properties of a class of normalized analytic functions in the open unit disk involving Bernoulli’s formula. As a consequence, some solutions are indicated by the well-known hypergeometric function. The class of starlike functions is investigated containing the suggested class.
The global hepatitis delta virus (HDV) epidemic: what gaps to address in order to mount a public health response?
Authors: Hayashi Tomoyuki , Takeshita Yumie , Hutin Yvan J.-F. , Harmanci Hande , Easterbrook Philippa , Hess Sarah , van Holten Judith , Oru Ena Oghenekaro , Kaneko Shuichi , Yurdaydin Cihan , Bulterys Marc
Published: October 2021

Background

Co-infection between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) causes the severest chronic hepatitis and is associated with a high risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis called for the elimination of hepatitis (− 65% mortality and − 90% incidence) by 2030. Our aims were to summarize key points of knowledge and to identify the gaps that need to be addressed to mount a public health response to HDV.

Methods

We performed a current literature review in terms of epidemiology by WHO regions, genotypes distribution and their pathogenicity, factors associated with HDV infection, mortality due to HDV infection, testing strategies and treatment.

Results

Prevalence of infection and genotypes are heterogeneous distributed, with highest prevalence in foci around the Mediterranean, in the Middle East, and in Central, Northern Asia and Eastern Asia. Persons who inject drugs (PWID) and migrants from highly endemic areas are highly affected. While antibody detection tests are available, HDV RNA tests of current infection are not standardized nor widely available. The few therapeutic options, including lofartinib, are not widely available; however several new and promising agents have entered clinical trials.

Conclusion

HDV infection is an poorly known cause of chronic liver disease. To mount a public health response, we need a better description of the HDV epidemic, standardized testing strategies and better treatment options.
Microbial growth and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from carpet and drywall under elevated relative humidity conditions
Authors: Haines Sarah R. , Hall Emma C. , Marciniak Katarzyna , Misztal Pawel K. , Goldstein Allen H. , Adams Rachel I. , Dannemiller Karen C.
Published: October 2021

Background

Microbes can grow in indoor environments if moisture is available, and we need an improved understanding of how this growth contributes to emissions of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs). The goal of this study was to measure how moisture levels, building material type, collection site, and microbial species composition impact microbial growth and emissions of mVOCs. We subjected two common building materials, drywall, and carpet, to treatments with varying moisture availability and measured microbial communities and mVOC emissions.

Results

Fungal growth occurred in samples at >75% equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) for carpet with dust and >85% ERH for inoculated painted drywall. In addition to incubated relative humidity level, dust sample collection site (adonis p=0.001) and material type (drywall, carpet, adonis p=0.001) drove fungal and bacterial species composition. Increased relative humidity was associated with decreased microbial species diversity in samples of carpet with dust (adonis p= 0.005). Abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that accounted for >1% emissions were likely released from building materials and the dust itself. However, certain mVOCs were associated with microbial growth from carpet with dust such as C10H16H+ (monoterpenes) and C2H6SH+ (dimethyl sulfide and ethanethiol). CO2 production from samples of carpet with dust at 95% ERH averaged 5.92 mg hr-1 kg-1, while the average for carpet without dust at 95% ERH was 2.55 mg hr-1 kg-1.

Conclusion

Microbial growth and mVOC emissions occur at lower relative humidity in carpet and floor dust compared to drywall, which has important implications for human exposure. Even under elevated relative humidity conditions, the VOC emissions profile is dominated by non-microbial VOCs, although potential mVOCs may dominate odor production.
Stabilization and visual analysis of video-recorded sailing sessions
Authors: Reichert Gijs M. W. , Pieras Marcos , Marroquim Ricardo , Vilanova Anna
Published: October 2021

One common way to aid coaching and seek to improve athletes’ performance is by recording training sessions for posterior analysis. In the case of sailing, coaches record videos from another boat, but usually rely on handheld devices, which may lead to issues with the footage and missing important moments. On the other hand, by autonomously recording the entire session with a fixed camera, the analysis becomes challenging owing to the length of the video and possible stabilization issues. In this work, we aim to facilitate the analysis of such full-session videos by automatically extracting maneuvers and providing a visualization framework to readily locate interesting moments. Moreover, we address issues related to image stability. Finally, an evaluation of the framework points to the benefits of video stabilization in this scenario and an appropriate accuracy of the maneuver detection method.
Spontaneous regression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: an unknown occurrence: a rare case report
Authors: Agarwal Navneet , Gupta Diksha
Published: October 2021

Background

Spontaneous regression of squamous cell carcinoma is extremely rare and a very challenging phenomenon. Here, we are presenting such a rare case of biopsy-proven laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent tracheostomy and later the growth regressed without any treatment.

Case presentation

A histologically proven laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma where the tumour initially leads to the tracheostomy as it compromised the airway and later on the patient presented with the accidental decannulation and the laryngoscopy showed regression of the tumour to the extent that the patient did not require retracheostomy before undergoing radiotherapy. Here, vascular insufficiency of large tumour could have necrosed the tumour along with other factors.

Conclusion

This case shows the existence of endogenous control in the host against the tumour. A greater understanding of these controlling factors may help us in the future.
Evidence of cognitive specialization in an insect: proficiency is maintained across elemental and higher-order visual learning but not between sensory modalities in honey bees
Authors: Finke Valerie , Baracchi David , Giurfa Martin , Scheiner Ricarda , Avarguès-Weber Aurore
Published: October 2021

Individuals differing in their cognitive abilities and foraging strategies may confer a valuable benefit to their social groups as variability may help them to respond flexibly in scenarios with different resource availability. Individual learning proficiency may either be absolute or vary with the complexity or the nature of the problem considered. Determining whether learning ability correlates between tasks of different complexity or between sensory modalities is of high interest for research on brain modularity and task-dependent specialization of neural circuits. The honeybee Apis mellifera constitutes an attractive model to address this question because of its capacity to successfully learn a large range of tasks in various sensory domains. Here, we studied whether the performance of individual bees in a simple visual discrimination task (a discrimination between two visual shapes) is stable over time and correlates with their capacity to solve either a higher-order visual task (a conceptual discrimination based on spatial relationships between objects) or an elemental olfactory task (a discrimination between two odorants). We found that individual learning proficiency within a given task was maintained over time and that some individuals performed consistently better than others within the visual modality, thus showing consistent aptitude across visual tasks of different complexity. By contrast, performance in the elemental visual-learning task did not predict performance in the equivalent elemental olfactory task. Overall, our results suggest the existence of cognitive specialization within the hive, which may contribute to ecological social success.
Valuing convenience yield as a call option
Authors: Φώτεινα Ευαγγελία
Published: October 2021

Επανεξετάζουμε τη συμπεριφορά της καθαρής απόδοσης ευκολίας των εμπορευμάτων με κύκλο καλλιέργειας, μέσα στο νέο πλαίσιο που δημιουργήθηκε μετά την ανάδειξη των εμπορευμάτων ως ισότιμων επενδυτικών προϊόντων με τις μετοχές και τα ομόλογα (financialization of commodity markets). Στοχεύουμε στον εντοπισμό των μακροοικονομικών και άλλων μεταβλητών που επηρεάζουν άμεσα την απόδοση ευκολίας, βασιζόμενοι σε δεδομένα των ΗΠΑ από το 1995 έως το 2020. Επικεντρώνουμε την εμπειρική μας έρευνα κυρίως στη σόγια, διότι είναι το πιο εμπορεύσιμο αγροτικό προϊόν παγκοσμίως και η τιμή των ΣΜΕ σόγιας χρησιμοποιείται ως εργαλείο για τη λήψη αποφάσεων, αφού τα τελευταία χρόνια αποτελεί βαρόμετρο των παγκόσμιων οικονομικών μεγεθών. Η συνεισφορά μας στην υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία συνοψίζεται στα ακόλουθα. Σύμφωνα με την εμπειρική μας έρευνα, οι χρηματοοικονομικές αγορές επηρεάζουν μέσω του δείκτη μεταβλητότητας (VIX) την απόδοση ευκολίας. Η επίδραση αυτή είναι αρνητική και στατιστικά σημαντική. Η αύξηση της τιμής μετρητοίς των εμπορευμάτων υπολείπεται της αύξησης της τιμής των ΣΜΕ, που προέρχεται από την αυξημένη ζήτηση των επενδυτών που επιδιώκουν να μειώσουν τον αυξημένο κίνδυνο στις χρηματοοικονομικές αγορές. Επιπρόσθετα, τόσο το μακροοικονομικό περιβάλλον που εκφράζεται από το Πραγματικό Κατά Κεφαλήν Ακαθάριστο Εγχώριο Προϊόν, και το Δείκτη Σταθμισμένου Δολαρίου ΗΠΑ, όσο και το παγκόσμιο οικονομικό περιβάλλον που καταγράφεται από τον Πληθωρισμό και τις Τιμές Αργού Πετρελαίου: WTI, δεν έχουν άμεση επίδραση στην απόδοση ευκολίας. Τέλος, αποδεικνύουμε εμπειρικά ότι η αυξανόμενη αβεβαιότητα, όπως μετριέται από το Δείκτη Αβεβαιότητας Οικονομικής Πολιτικής των ΗΠΑ, μειώνει σημαντικά την απόδοση ευκολίας της σόγιας, ακόμη περισσότερο σε περιόδους υψηλότερης από τη μέση αβεβαιότητα, όπως η πανδημία του covid_19. Σε περιόδους υψηλής και αυξανόμενης αβεβαιότητας, η διατήρηση των αποθεμάτων υπερτερεί έναντι της ρευστοποίησής τους και έτσι η απόδοση ευκολίας μειώνεται. Επιπρόσθετα, η επίδραση της αβεβαιότητας στην απόδοση ευκολίας την περίοδο της πανδημίας είναι αμελητέα, επειδή η πανδημία συνυπάρχει με άλλους παράγοντες που διαμορφώνουν την απόδοση ευκολίας, όπως τα σχεδόν μηδενικά επιτόκια, εμπορικές συμφωνίες κ.α.
Διαστημική ασφάλεια και διεθνής πολιτική
Authors: Τζιουράς Ιωάννης
Published: October 2021

Η χρήση και η εξερεύνηση του διαστήματος συνδέεται ιστορικά με τη διεθνή και εθνική ασφάλεια. Αν και οι έννοιες του διαστήματος και της ασφάλειας είναι έννοιες αλληλένδετες από την αρχή της πρώτης διαστημικής εποχής, σήμερα, με την αυξανόμενη παρουσία νέων διαστημικών δρώντων, ιδιαίτερα μη κυβερνητικών οντοτήτων, η πραγματικότητα στο διάστημα αλλάζει γρήγορα, δημιουργώντας νέες προκλήσεις για την ασφάλεια στο διαστημικό χώρο. Παρά το γεγονός ότι το διάστημα πρέπει να χρησιμοποιείται μόνο για ειρηνικούς σκοπούς και σύμφωνα με τις θεμελιώδεις αρχές της Συνθήκης του Διαστήματος του 1967, τα περισσότερα τεχνολογικά προηγμένα κράτη εμφανίζουν μεγάλη στρατιωτική εξάρτηση από το διάστημα. Με άλλα λόγια, το διάστημα χαρακτηρίζεται πλέον ως ζωτικής σημασίας όσον αφορά την παγκόσμια οικονομία, την στρατηγική σκέψη, την γεωπολιτική, τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα, τις εμπορικές επιχειρήσεις, την τεχνολογική καινοτομία και, προσεχώς, για το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας. Ως αποτέλεσμα, το διάστημα γίνεται ολοένα και πιο αμφιλεγόμενο και αμφισβητούμενο περιβάλλον. Υπό αυτή την έννοια, η κρατούσα ερμηνεία έχει αλλάξει. Η αναγνώριση του διαστήματος ως στρατηγικού τομέα ώθησε τα κράτη να προβούν σε διεθνείς ρυθμίσεις και πολιτικές σχετικά με την άσκηση των διαστημικών δραστηριοτήτων για να μειώσουν την πιθανότητα μιας σύγκρουσης. Η διαστημική ασφάλεια, επομένως, παραμένει θεμελιώδης έννοια του διεθνούς διαστημικού δικαίου. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η διάχυση των διαστημικών τεχνολογιών στην κοινωνία σημαίνει ότι τα ζητήματα ασφάλειας που σχετίζονται με το διάστημα αγγίζουν μια σειρά ρυθμιστικών κανόνων. Συγκεκριμένα, το νομικό καθεστώς της ασφάλειας στο διάστημα περιλαμβάνει στοιχεία της διεθνούς ειρήνης και ασφάλειας, της εθνικής ασφάλειας, της ασφάλειας των κρίσιμων υποδομών και της ασφάλειας του ίδιου του διαστημικού περιβάλλοντος. Αυτή η διατριβή αξιολογεί την πορεία της ασφάλειας στο διάστημα στο πέρασμα των χρόνων, εντοπίζοντας νέες τάσεις που συνηγορούν υπέρ της ανάπτυξης ενός ξεχωριστού κλάδου του διεθνούς δικαίου του διαστήματος, το δίκαιο διαστημικής ασφάλειας. Στο κείμενο της διατριβής επιδιώκεται η ανάλυση όλου του φάσματος των κανόνων που μπορεί να ισχύουν για το σύνολο των δραστηριοτήτων στο διάστημα που έχουν σχέση με τα ζητήματα ασφάλειας. Η βασική προσέγγιση δεν γίνεται δια μέσω των συμφερόντων συγκεκριμένων κρατών ή μη κρατικών οντοτήτων, αλλά μέσω της έννοιας της ασφάλειας και της βιωσιμότητας του διαστήματος ως ένα περιβάλλον που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί με ασφάλεια και υπευθυνότητα από όλους.
Στοιχειώδη βήματα της οικονομικής εκπαίδευσης στο νεοελληνικό κράτος
Authors: Κόλλα Ελένη
Published: October 2021

Η διατριβή αφορά στα βήματα που έγιναν από το ελληνικό κράτος από τις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα σε σχέση με την «οικονομική εκπαίδευση», το τμήμα δηλαδή της εκπαίδευσης που δεν αφορά μόνο στην θεωρητική κατάρτιση των μαθητών αλλά και την απόκτηση των απαραίτητων γνώσεων και εφοδίων για τον επαγγελματικό στίβο. Έμφαση δίνεται στη στροφή του περιεχόμενου της διδασκαλίας σε πρακτικότερες κατευθύνσεις και στην προσαρμογή της εκπαίδευσης στις απαιτήσεις της οικονομικής ανάπτυξης με την καθιέρωση συστήματος δημόσιας εμπορικής και «πρακτικής» εκπαίδευσης. Όλα αυτά εκτός από την θεωρητική τους πλαισίωση είναι ιδωμένα μέσα από την λειτουργία της Α΄ Δημόσιας Εμπορικής Σχολής Αρρένων Αθηνών. Η Α΄ Δημόσια Εμπορική Σχολή Αθηνών αποτελεί αντικείμενο της ιστορικής ερευνάς και μελέτης, όχι μόνο ως αποτύπωση της φοίτησης των Αρρένων οι οποίοι επιθυμούσαν να λάβουν εμπορική εκπαίδευση, αλλά και ως πεδίο αλληλεπίδρασης ανάμεσα στην εκπαιδευτική δράση και την κοινωνικοοικονομική και πολιτική κατάσταση της χώρας. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο είναι δυνατό να κατανοηθεί ο ρόλος της Α΄ Δημόσιας Εμπορικής Σχολής Αθηνών σε σχέση με την ιστορία της ελληνικής εκπαίδευσης, με άλλες ιδίου αντικειμένου Σχολές ιδιωτικής πρωτοβουλίας καθώς και με την εξέλιξη και τον πολλαπλασιασμό τους και σε άλλες περιοχές της χώρας. Έχοντας τα προαναφερθέντα ως αφόρμηση, αναζητήθηκε η αναγκαιότητα ίδρυσης Εμπορικών Σχολών ως αρωγός για την οικονομική ανάπτυξη της χώρας, οι επιδιώξεις της Εμπορικής Εκπαίδευσης, η τοπική και κοινωνική ταυτότητα των φοιτώντων μαθητών και των οικογενειών τους καθώς και η σχέση της ταυτότητας αυτής με την επίδοσή τους και την ολοκλήρωση ή μη των σπουδών τους στην Εμπορική Εκπαίδευση.
Preface
Authors: Rannikmäe Miia , Mikser Rain , Uibu Krista
Published: October 2021

Et aidata õpilastel ja õpetajatel ühiskonnas toimuvate kiirete muutustega toime tulla, vajab õpikäsitus seni teadaolevate ja uute lähenemiste mõtestatud ning oskuslikku lõimimist. Üks kiiresti arenevaid valdkondi haridusalastes uurimustes, mis seda ülesannet täita püüab, on kirjaoskus ja selle liigid. Siinses erinumbris tutvustatatakse üheksa erineva kirjaoskuse määratlust ning olulisust ülekantavate oskuse kujundamisele suunatud õppeprotsessis. Mitmes artiklis käsitletakse hariduspoliitilistele dokumentidele tuginedes pädevuse ja kirjaoskuse suhestatust ning argumenteeritakse nende võimalikku kasutamist sünonüümidena. Ajakirja juhtartikli autor professor Jari Lavonen käsitleb ülekantavate oskuste – näiteks kriitilise ja loova mõtlemise oskuse – kujundamist ning selgitab, kuidas need on seotud loodusteadusliku kirjaoskusega. Artikkel aitab kaasa strateegia "Haridus 2030" mõistmisele ja selles tutvustatud kaheksa võtmepädevuse laiemale mõistmisele ja olulisusele kirjaoskuste maailmas (OECD, 2018). Erinumbri lõpus tutvustavad Larissa Jõgi ja Rain Mikser selle aasta alguses ilmunud raamatut "Andragoogika. Raamat täiskasvanu õppimisest ja õpetamisest". Raamat esitab seni eesti keeles ilmunuist kõige terviklikuma ja süsteemsema käsituse andragoogika mõtteloost ja põhiteemadest.
How the Finnish compulsory school science curriculum emphasises scientific literacy
Authors: Lavonen Jari
Published: October 2021

Science subjects are introduced as separate subjects in the Finnish national lower-secondary level science curriculum. The curriculum concentrates on attitudes, which support the use of scientific knowledge in different science inquiry situations and contexts. The competence aims, introduced in the curriculum, emphasise the use of scientific knowledge, such as describing, explaining and predicting scientific phenomena, evaluating and identifying scientific issues, and interpreting data and evidence scientifically. The curriculum emphasises the learning of transversal competencies, such as learning critical and creative thinking skills and learning versatile ways of working. The curriculum also focuses on the use of knowledge in inquiry, life and living and society related situations. Overall, the description of the core subject matter knowledge aims to integrate Vision I (a conceptual approach) and Vision II (a contextual approach) related to the development of science literacy, introduced by Roberts.
Improving financial literacy via social media: the case of Kogumispäevik
Authors: Voomets Kati , Riitsalu Leonore , Siibak Andra
Published: October 2021

Artikli keskmes on finantskirjaoskuse ehk rahatarkuse arendamine sotsiaalmeedia kaudu. Täpsemalt uuriti Facebooki rahatarkuse teemalist gruppi Kogumispäevik ja seda, milliseid finantsnõuandeid ja -nippe on grupi liikmed sealt saanud ning kas ja kuidas neid igapäevases käitumises rakendanud. Andmeid koguti fookusgrupiintervjuudega gruppi kuuluvate inimestega. Horisontaalanalüüsi tulemusel selgus, et grupp suurendas liikmete teadmisi ning mõjus nende finantskäitumisele positiivselt. Soovitud käitumist toetasid eelkõige grupis jagatud praktilist laadi nõuanded, vastastikune motiveerimine ning grupis välja kujunenud sotsiaalsed normid ja kapital, mis omakorda soodustasid säästlikku elu- ja mõtteviisi. Seega toimis sotsiaalmeedia grupp finantshariduse kanalina. Finantshariduse pakkujad ja poliitikakujundajad saavad tulemuste toel tõhusamalt kavandada sotsiaalmeedia kaudu finantskirjaoskuse arendamist. Lisauurimist vajab sotsiaalmeedia grupi mõju pikaajalisele finantskäitumisele.

 Summary
Dimensions of digital competence and its assessment in basic school
Authors: Pedaste Margus , Kalmus Veronika , Vainonen Katariina
Published: October 2021

Uuring keskendus digipädevuse empiiriliselt eristatavate dimensioonide kirjeldamisele ja nende hindamiseks sobivate küsimuste leidmisele, tuginedes EU Kids Online’i küsitluse ja Eesti katselise digipädevuse tasemetöö andmetele. Kahe andmestiku põhjal eristati üheksa digipädevuse dimensiooni: digivahenditega operatsioonide tegemine, digimaailmas suhtlemine, digimaterjalide loomine, digisisu programmeerimine, hinnang digikeskkondades toimetulekule, võrdlev hinnang digipädevusele, digimaailmas seaduslik toimetamine, digimaailmas enese ja teiste kaitsmine ning digihoiakud. Dimensioonide eristamiseks loodud faktormudeleid iseloomustavad head sobitusastme näitajad ja mõõdukad korrelatsioonid faktorite vahel. Iga dimensiooni kirjeldamiseks leiti vähemalt kolm küsimust, mis sobivad ka uute küsimuste koostamise aluseks. Edasistes uuringutes on vaja hinnata 1) dimensioone tasakaalustatud arvu küsimustega ning 2) iga küsimuse keerukust ja õpilaste eristamise võimet.

 Summary
Business processes in accounting: transformation and significance in the transition to the Federal Accounting Standard
Authors: Vakhorina Marina
Published: October 2021

The article is devoted to the optimization of accounting business processes as a tool for evaluating business performance in the transition to the Federal Accounting Standards. The research is based on the analysis of Russian and foreign publications, as well as on the integration of specialists ' experience, which reveals the practical significance of methods for transforming accounting business processes in commercial activities. The purpose of the study is to develop business processes based on the study of the theoretical positions of scientists-economists and the practical experience of professional accountants-practitioners. The tasks and stages of developing the transformation of accounting business processes during the transition to the FSB for the purpose of effective work of accounting are defined.

The author's experience in the development of business process transformation is proposed, which is used to standardize all areas of accounting work on the example of a transport company. The results obtained have a certain scientific novelty: the developed or adapted methods of transformation of business projects affect the elimination of duplication of many business operations, identify areas of irresponsibility, and are also aimed at optimal organization of document flow and reduction of time labor costs. The author substantiates a more complete definition of "accounting business process" as a set of complex works aimed at collecting and summarizing information about the facts of the economic life of an economic entity, intended for external and internal users in order to assess the effectiveness of the business. Methodological techniques for the development of business processes related to accounting work can be used in the practical activities of accounting as a division of commercial small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as for outsourcing organizations that maintain accounting records and form accounting (financial) statements.
Prospects of Post-Crisis Development of the Passenger Air Transportation Market of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Authors: Rublev V. , Larin O.
Published: October 2021

The purpose of the study is to present a model of the prospective development of the passenger air transportation market of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the conditions of overcoming the crisis caused by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the analysis of the activities of the national airlines «AZAL» and «Buta Airways», taking into account the statistical data of the passenger traffic growth of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport (Baku), as well as data on the development of the national tourism industry, a model of promising development of directions in the structure of the route network of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport is presented. The result of the research is the construction of a model for the prospective development of new directions in the structure of the route network of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The main principles of the post-crisis model of the development of the national market, according to the author, is the need to develop the segment of low-cost air transportation. The presented model of the route network development includes the development of the directions of the national budget airline «Buta Airways», as well as the expansion of cooperation with foreign budget airlines «Fly Arystan» (Republic of Kazakhstan), «Wizz Air» (Hungary), and in addition, the development of cooperation with Russian regional airlines, and first of all with the airline «Azimut» as one of the dynamically developing regional airlines of the Russian Federation.
Dry mouth
Authors: Nayee Shalini , Herbert Cameron , Shirlaw Pepe , Cook Richard
Published: October 2021

Dry mouth has numerous causes, including medications, radiotherapy and rheumatological conditions, such as Sjögren's syndrome. This article presents the common causes of dry mouth, and details the assessment, investigations and management required for patients with dry mouth within primary dental care, in addition to outlining secondary care investigations and management.

CPD/Clinical Relevance: Dry mouth is common in the general population, with widespread implications for dental health and patients' quality of life. Dental professionals have a key role in both its identification and long-term management.
A Novel Negative Sampling Based on Frequency of Relational Association Entities for Knowledge Graph Embedding
Authors: Cao Wanhua , Zhang Yi , Liu Juntao , Rao Ziyun
Published: October 2021

Knowledge graph embedding improves the performance of relation extraction and knowledge reasoning by encoding entities and relationships in low-dimensional semantic space. During training, negative samples are usually constructed by replacing the head/tail entity. And the different replacing relationships lead to different accuracy of the prediction results. This paper develops a negative triplets construction framework according to the frequency of relational association entities. The proposed construction framework can fully consider the quantitative of relations and entities in the dataset to assign the proportion of relation and entity replacement and the frequency of the entities associated with each relationship to set reasonable proportions for different relations. To verify the validity of the proposed construction framework, it is integrated into the state-of-the-art knowledge graph embedding models, such as TransE, TransH, DistMult, ComplEx, and Analogy. And both the evaluation criteria of relation prediction and entity prediction are used to evaluate the performance of link prediction more comprehensively. The experimental results on two commonly used datasets, WN18 and FB15K, show that the proposed method improves entity link and triplet classification accuracy, especially the accuracy of relational link prediction.
Enabling high-power, broadband THz generation with 800-nm pump wavelength
Authors: Zaccardi Zachary B. , Tangen Isaac C. , Valdivia-Berroeta Gabriel A. , Bahr Charles B. , Kenney Karissa C. , Rader Claire , Lutz Matthew J. , Hunter Brittan P. , Michaelis David J. , Johnson Jeremy A.
Published: October 2021

The organic terahertz (THz) generation crystal BNA has recently gained traction as a source for producing broadband THz pulses. When pumped with 100 fs pulses, the thin BNA crystals can produce relatively high electric fields with frequency components out to 5 THz. However, the THz output with 800-nm pump wavelength is limited by the damage threshold of the material, particularly when using a 1 kHz or higher repetition rate laser. Here, we report that the damage threshold of BNA THz generation crystals can be significantly improved by bonding BNA to a high-thermal conductivity sapphire window. When pumped with 800-nm light from an amplified Ti:sapphire laser system, this higher damage threshold enables generation of 2.5× higher electric field strengths compared to bare BNA crystals. We characterize the average damage threshold for bare BNA and BNA-sapphire, measure peak-to-peak electric field strengths and THz waveforms, and determine the nonlinear transmission in BNA. Pumping BNA bonded to sapphire with 3 mJ 800-nm pulses results in peak-to-peak electric fields exceeding 1 MV/cm, with broadband frequency components >3 THz. This high-field, broadband THz source is a promising alternative to tilted pulse front LiNbO3 THz sources, enabling many research groups without optical parametric amplifiers to perform high-field, broadband THz spectroscopy.
Time-of-flight camera characterization with functional modeling for synthetic scene generation
Authors: Ortiz Sergio , Mallaiyan Sathiaseelan Mukhil Azhagan , Cha Augustine
Published: October 2021

In this manuscript, we design, describe, and present a functional model of Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras. The model can be used to generate randomized scenes that incorporate depth scenarios with various objects at various depths with varied orientations and illumination intensity. In addition to the potential to generate any random depth scenario, the camera, pixels, and binning are modelled incorporating radial distortion based on camera intrinsic and extrinsic. The model also includes ToF artifacts such as Signal Noise, Crosstalk and Multipath. We measured experimentally the Noise in Time-of-Flight. We experimentally fitted, and simulated with state-of-the art Simulator the Crosstalk effect, and characterized multipath according with the existing literature. Our work can be used to generate as many images as needed for neural network (NN) training and testing. The proposed approach can also be used to benchmark and evaluate both End-to-End ToF algorithms as well as specialized algorithms for denoising, unwrapping, crosstalk, and multipath correction.
Optical module for single-shot quantitative phase imaging based on the transport of intensity equation with field of view multiplexing
Authors: Picazo-Bueno Jose Angel , Micó Vicente
Published: October 2021

We present a cost-effective, simple, and robust method that enables single-shot quantitative phase imaging (QPI) based on the transport of intensity equation (TIE) using an add-on optical module that can be assembled into the exit port of any regular microscope. The module integrates a beamsplitter (BS) cube (placed in a non-conventional way) for duplicating the output image onto the digital sensor (field of view – FOV – multiplexing), a Stokes lens (SL) for astigmatism compensation (introduced by the BS cube), and an optical quality glass plate over one of the FOV halves for defocusing generation (needed for single-shot TIE algorithm). Altogether, the system provides two laterally separated intensity images that are simultaneously recorded and slightly defocused one to each other, thus enabling accurate QPI by conventional TIE-based algorithms in a single snapshot. The proposed optical module is first calibrated for defining the configuration providing best QPI performance and, second, experimentally validated by using different phase samples (static and dynamic ones). The proposed configuration might be integrated in a compact three-dimensional (3D) printed module and coupled to any conventional microscope for QPI of dynamic transparent samples.