bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Social Disadvantage on Autonomic Physiology of Latinx Adolescents: The Role of Environmental Risks
Authors: Ugarte Elisa , Johnson Lisa Emily , Robins Richard , Guyer Amanda , Hastings Paul
Published: April 2022

The experience of poverty embodies complex, multidimensional stressors that may adversely affect physiological and psychological domains of functioning. Compounded by racial/ethnic discrimination, the financial aspect of family poverty typically coincides with additional social and physical environmental risks such as pollution exposure, housing burden, elevated neighborhood unemployment, and lower neighborhood education levels. In this study, we investigated the associations of multidimensional social disadvantage throughout adolescence with autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning at 17 years. 229 low-income Mexican-American adolescents (48.6% female) and their parents were assessed annually between the ages of 10 and 16. Participants’ census tracts were matched with corresponding annual administrative data of neighborhood housing burden, education, unemployment, drinking water quality, and fine particulate matter. We combined measures of adolescents’ electrodermal response and respiratory sinuses arrhythmia at rest and during a social exclusion challenge (Cyberball) to use as ANS indices of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, respectively. Controlling for family income-to-needs, youth exposed to greater cumulative water and air pollution from ages 10–16 displayed altered patterns of autonomic functioning at rest and during the social challenge. Conversely, youth living in areas with higher housing burden displayed healthy patterns of autonomic functioning. Altogether, results suggest that toxin exposure in youths’ physical environments disrupts the ANS, representing a plausible mechanism by which pollutants and social disadvantage influence later physical and mental health
Generic Identifiability of the DINA Model and Blessing of Latent Dependence
Authors: Gu Yuqi
Published: April 2022

Cognitive Diagnostic Models are a powerful family of fine-grained discrete latent variable models in psychometrics. Within this family, the DINA model is a fundamental and parsimonious one that has received significant attention. Similar to other complex latent variable models, identifiability is an important issue for CDMs, including the DINA model. Gu and Xu (Psychometrika, 84(2):468-483, 2019) established the necessary and sufficient conditions for strict identifiability of the DINA model. Despite being the strongest possible notion of identifiability, strict identifiability may impose overly stringent requirements on designing the cognitive diagnostic tests. This work studies a slightly weaker yet very useful notion, generic identifiability, which means parameters are identifiable almost everywhere in the parameter space, excluding only a negligible subset of measure zero. We propose transparent generic identifiability conditions for the DINA model, relaxing existing conditions in nontrivial ways. Under generic identifiability, we also explicitly characterize the forms of the measure-zero sets where identifiability breaks down. In addition, we reveal an interesting blessing-of-latent-dependence phenomenon under DINA -- that is, dependence between the latent attributes can restore identifiability under some otherwise unidentifiable Q-matrix designs. The blessing of latent dependence provides useful practical implications and reassurance for real-world designs of cognitive diagnostic assessments.
Spatial and Temporal Trends in Travel for COVID-19 Vaccinations
Authors: Cochran Abigail L. , Wang Jueyu , Wolfe Mary , Iacobucci Evan , Vinella-Brusher Emma , McDonald Noreen
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Understanding spatial and temporal trends in travel for COVID-19 vaccinations by key demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race, age) is important for ensuring equitable access to and increasing distribution efficiency of vaccines and other health services. The aim of this study is to examine trends in travel distance for COVID-19 vaccinations over the course of the vaccination rollout in North Carolina.Methods: Data were collected using electronic medical records of individuals who had first- or single-dose COVID-19 vaccination appointments through UNC Health between December 15, 2020, and August 31, 2021 (N = 204,718). Travel distances to appointments were calculated using the Euclidean distance from individuals’ home ZIP code centroids to clinic addresses. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression models with individuals’ home ZIP codes incorporated as fixed effects were used to examine differences in travel distances by gender, race, and age. Results: Males and White individuals traveled significantly farther for vaccination appointments throughout the vaccination rollout. On average, females traveled 3.5% shorter distances than males; Black individuals traveled 10.0% shorter distances than White individuals; and people aged 65 and older traveled 2.6% longer distances than younger people living in the same ZIP code.Conclusions: Controlling for neighborhood socioeconomic status and spatial proximity to vaccination clinics, males and White individuals traveled longer distances for vaccination appointments, demonstrating more ability to travel for vaccinations. Results indicate a need to consider differential ability to travel to vaccinations by key demographic characteristics in COVID-19 vaccination programs and future mass health service delivery efforts.
The impact of lesbian bar ownership on lesbian bar geographies: All gender/straight-integrated LGBTQ+ places by design
Authors: Mattson Greggor
Published: April 2022

One longstanding explanation for the scarcity of lesbian bars in the United States is the lack of women’s ownership of durable spaces. This study interviewed 15 women owners of lesbian and LGBTQ bars to understand how they conceptualize the queer social spaces they control. Whether they owned a lesbian bar in a big city with a gayborhood or an “everybody” gay bar serving a rural region, no owners prioritized women’s-only places, and all actively refused them. Many nevertheless reported practices to prioritize women in their spaces. Women’s ownership of LGBTQ spaces thus does not produce women’s-only spaces, even in self-described lesbian bars. These findings have three implications for our understandings of the spatial organization of lesbian and LGBTQ socializing. They shed light on the contested decline of women-only spaces, including the congruence between all-gender straight-integrated business philosophies and places that have survived the ‘great lesbian bar die-off.’ They underscore the dramatic shift towards all-gender mixed LGBTQ spaces and the decline of gender-segregated socializing. Findings also raise the possible necessity for ‘time-space strategies’ of ephemeral placemaking practices even in erstwhile lesbian spaces due to the erasure faced by lesbians in straight-integrated spaces. Together, these findings underscore the necessary tension in lesbian geographies between a focus on durable places and ephemeral placemaking due to economic and spatial marginalization, time-space strategies that may increasingly be needed by all LGBTQ people in increasingly straight-integrated spaces.
profesi dan kode etik guru
Authors: Priazhanto Rhadimas
Published: April 2022

Guru mempunyai peranan yang sangat strategis dan urgen dalam keseluruhan upaya pendidikan. Hampir semua usaha pembaharuan dibidang kurikulum dan penerapan metode mengajar guru, pada akhirnya tergantung pada guru itu sendiri. Guru sering dijadikan tokoh teladan dan bahkan menjadi tokoh identifikasi diri (Susanto, 2020: 12). Dalam upaya untuk menguasai kemampuan pembelajaran, guru perlu membina diri secara baik karena fungsi guru itu sendiri adalah membina dan mengembangkan kemampuan siswa dan dirinya sebagai guru yang professional sehingga siswa mendapatkan pengalaman belajar secara efektif dan efisien (Barnawi dan Arifin, 2014: 3). Perkembangan dunia pendidikan yang sejalan dengan kemajuan teknologi dan globalisasi yang begitu cepat perlu diimbangi oleh kemampuan pelaku utama pendidikan, dalam hal ini guru. Implikasi perubahan dalam dunia pendidikan, bukan perkara mudah, karena mengandung konsekuensi teknis dan praksis, serta psikologis bagi guru. Guru akan berperan dengan baik sesuai kode etik profesi guru jika didukung dengan sumberdaya pembelajaran yang memadai. Guru dapat berperan sebagai pendidik bagi peserta didik jika didukung dengan kesadaran orang tua dan masyarakat untuk ikut menjalankan sistem pendidikan sesuai peran masing-masing sehingga tercipta iklim pembelajaran yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan perkembangan belajar siswa.
СУЧАСНІ ПІДХОДИ ДІАГНОСТИКИ НА ЕТАПІ ЛІКУВАННЯ КОЛОРЕКТАЛЬНОГО РАКУ
Authors: Дузенко О.О.
Published: April 2022

У статті представлені результати аналітичного огляду поширеності колоректального раку у світі та Україні, зростання захворюваності на яке відзначається повсюдно. Проаналізовані дані розглядають основні фактори ризику розвитку цього небезпечного захворювання та його ускладнень. Показано сучасні підходи до профілактики венозних тромбоемболічних та геморагічних ускладнень при хірургічному лікуванні хворих на колоректальний рак. Акцентовано увагу на важливості індивідуалізованого підходу у запобіганні розвитку несприятливих результатів хірургічного лікування хворих на КРР.
Assessing Equity in the Provision of Community Based Health Services: A Post-Mortem Analysis
Authors: Sijinardo Francesco , Williams Rishika , Badsha Mohamed , Krieger Michelle
Published: April 2022

Abstract: This practice note addresses challenges encountered in assessing client equity in the provision of health services by a large, urban community health services organization. A client equity data-collection tool was designed and health services staff were trained in its use. Anticipated and unanticipated challenges arose in developing training materials, delivering staff training, fostering staff buy-in, administering the data-collection tool, assuring data quality, and interpreting results. Strategies for mitigating the challenges are presented.
Redesigning a University-Based Evaluator Education Program for Scholarship and Practice
Authors: LaVelle John , Johnson David
Published: April 2022

Abstract: This paper describes the process that the faculty at the University of Minnesota used to redesign its graduate programs in evaluation. We build from the premise that evaluator education programs undergo periodic review to remain consistent with program goals and maintain alignment with competency taxonomies. With the retirement of a senior faculty member and the addition of a new junior faculty member, we decided the time had come to examine closely the existing MA and PhD curriculum. We describe our process for conceptualizing the program’s ultimate goals, examining course content, cross-referencing the courses with the AEA Competencies, and aligning all courses and processes with our revised programmatic goals. The result is a redesigned and streamlined curriculum to support evaluation practice for master’s students and both scholarship and practice for doctoral students.
The Spook Who Sat by the Door: Creating Black Studies in the Canadian Academy
Authors: Cooper Afua
Published: April 2022

This article addresses the issue of Black studies creation and epistemologies specifically within three Canadian universities, but also in the university system as a whole. Is the Canadian academy committed to making Black studies central to its curricula, or will it continue to marginalize and tokenize this branch of knowledge?
Actual problems of sexual knowledge among students of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya
Authors: Kucherenko O. , Chaika H. , Dan N. , Masik O.
Published: April 2022

Annotation. Sexuality is closely related to a person's personality, determines his behavior, affects self-esteem and psycho-emotional state. The criteria of sexual norm are based on the concept of mental health, based on the tendency to development and self-realization, the ability to manage their actions and deeds in accordance with personal values, the ability to adequately perceive themselves and others, as well as learning based on personal experience. The aim of the research is to study the sexual education and the main problems associated with it among 4th year students of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya (NPMMU, V). We conducted an anonymous survey of 308 medical students of the fourth year of NPMMU, V with the help of a questionnaire created by the authors and included 20 questions about various aspects of the respondents' sexual life. The analysis of the obtained results of the study was carried out on the basis of the computer program Statistica 6.1 using nonparametric methods for assessing the results obtained. It was found that among medical students there is a rather low level of education in terms of sexual topics, the age of sexual debut in the overwhelming number is 18-20 years; but the percentage of virgins is also quite high (22.2%).
Using of Callisia fragrans L. in folk and official medicine
Authors: Danyliv S. I. , Buchko O. V.
Published: April 2022

Annotation. The aim of the work – to analyze the scientific literature about the chemical composition and biological action of Callisia fragrans L. The morphological structure of the introduced plant Callisia fragrans L. is considered in the article. Literary data of foreign scientists on the chemical composition of the plant, biological action of its raw materials are analyzed. The main pharmacological properties of medicinal raw materials Callisia fragrans L. are also described. Information on the use of this medicinal plant in folk medicine of different countries of the world and Ukraine is collected. It has been found that in some countries Callisia fragrans L. is used in official medicine. In some countries, this medicinal plant is being actively studied and the project of pharmacopoeial article for the State Pharmacopoeia has been developed. Thus, Callisia fragrans L. is a promising plant for a thorough study of its effects on the body and future use in formal medicine.
Juglans regia L. Bitkisinin Türkiye’deki Yöresel İsimleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Authors: YENER Ş. Doğanay
Published: April 2022

Ülkemizde Doğu ve Kuzeydoğu Anadolu’da doğal yayılışa sahip Juglans regia L. bitkisi gıda, medikal, boya, parfümeri, mobilyacılık vb. çok farklı kullanımlarının yanı sıra peyzaj mimarlığı çalışmalarında da yoğun bir şekilde değerlendirilen, kıymetli bir ağaçtır. Ülke genelinde “ceviz, koz, goz, güz, giz” vb. değişik yerel isimlerle anılmakta olup, en yaygın olarak “ceviz” yerel ismi kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Türkiye’de doğal olarak yetişen ve de halk tarafından oldukça iyi tanınıp, çok çeşitli amaçlarla kullanılan Juglans regia bitkisine ait yöresel isimler değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmanın sonucunda ülkenin 7 farklı bölgesinde bu bitkiye ait toplamda 30 farklı yöresel isim tespit edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda ülke genelinde 20 farklı yöresel isim ile Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nin ön plana çıktığı görülmüştür.
Nilai Moral dalam Buku “Petuah Tanah Leluhur: Kumpulan Cerita Rakyat Kalimantan Barat”
Authors: Alimin A A , Hartati Mesterianti
Published: April 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan analisis nilai moral yang terkandung dalam buku “Petuah Tanah Leluhur: Kumpulan Cerita Rakyat Kalimantan Barat”. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif dengan pendekatan sosiologi sastra. Sumber data penelitian berupa buku “Petuah Tanah Leluhur: Kumpulan Cerita Rakyat Kalimantan Barat” terbitan Pijar Publishing tahun 2016 yang memuat 8 judul cerita. Teknik analisis data menggunakan teknik analisis mengalir, meliputi tiga alur kegiatan meliputi reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan simpulan. Hasil analisis terhadap delapan cerita dapat disimpulkan secara garis besar terdapat dua bentuk nilai moral diantaranya nilai moral yang berhubungan dengan diri sendiri mencakup nilai moral kerja keras dan nilai moral menghargai seperti yang terdapat dalam cerita cerita asal-usul Kota Sintang Petong Keempat dan Aji Melayu, Asal usul Sungai Kawat, asal-usul Bukit Kelam, asal usul Gunung Senujuh, asal usul Sanggau, asal mula nama Kampung Meraban. Untuk nilai-nilai moral yang berhubungan sesama manusia mencakup nilai moral kasih sayang, nilai moral kerukunan, dan nilai moral kerja sama yang terdapat dalam cerita asal-usul Kota Sintang Petong Keempat dan Aji Melayu, bukit Tampun Juah, asal usul Bukit Piantus, asal usul Gunung Senujuh, dan asal  mula Kampung Meraban.
A methodology for estimating accurate velocity field of NigNET based on new ITRF realization
Authors: BAWA Swafiyudeen , OJIGI Lazarus Mustapha , DODO Joseph Danasabe , LAWAL Kola Muideen
Published: April 2022

This contribution presents a new velocity field describing the crustal motion of Nigeria from more than 5years continuous GNSS data at 8 of 14 permanent stations distributed across the country. GAMIT/GLOBK GNSS processing software was used for processing. The horizontal velocity field of NigNET stations which showed a North-East trend and the selected IGS stations were obtained from cleaned position time series of daily GNSS solutions. The velocity describe the horizontal and vertical motion the selected 8 GNSS stations assuming Flicker +White noise model, which optimally describes the geophysical error source of the adopted GNSS stations. Bland and Altman statistical method shows that residual velocity solutions of our study and others (in ITRF2008) and also MORVEL plate motion model are in agreement.
EFEKTIVITAS PELAKSANAAN PROGRAM BANTUAN SUBSIDI METERAN LISTRIK PASANG BARU DI DESA SEMEMBANG KECAMATAN DURAI
Authors: Septian Doni , Yozi Rahmadeni
Published: April 2022

Program bantuan subsidi meteran listrik pasang baru per rumah tangga dengan daya 4 a (900va) Di Desa Semembang Kecamatan Durai untuk membantu meringankan beban masyarakat khususnya lansia dan tidak mampu. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk melihat dan menganalisa secara mendalam terkait efektivitas pelaksanaan program bantuan subsidi meteran listrik pasang baru per rumah tangga dengan daya 4A (900va) yang dilaksanakan oleh Dinas ESDM di Provinsi Kepulauan Riau. Konsep teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan konsep efektivitas oleh Zakiah dkk dengan menggunakan 3 indikator: (pencapaian tujuan, integrasi komunikasi dan adaptasi). Untuk dapat menjawab persoalan tersebut, peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa efektivitas pelaksanaan program bantuan subsidi meteran listrik pasang baru per rumah tangga dengan daya 4 a (900va) Di Desa Semembang Kecamatan Durai diukur dari 3 indikator tersebut, belum terlaksana dengan efektif sebagaimana mesti yang diharapkan
Overview of the microanatomy of the human brainstem in relation to the safe entry zones
Authors: Guberinic Alis , van den Elshout Rik , Kozicz Tamas , Laan Mark ter , Henssen Dylan
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this anatomical study was to apply innovative imaging techniques to increase understanding of the microanatomical structures of the brainstem related to safe entry zones. The authors hypothesized that such a high-detail overview would enhance neurosurgeons’ abilities to approach and define anatomical safe entry zones for use with microsurgical resection techniques for intrinsic brainstem lesions.

METHODS

The brainstems of 13 cadavers were studied with polarized light imaging (PLI) and 11.7-T MRI. The brainstem was divided into 3 compartments—mesencephalon, pons, and medulla—for evaluation with MRI. Tissue was further sectioned to 100 μm with a microtome. MATLAB was used for further data processing. Segmentation of the internal structures of the brainstem was performed with the BigBrain database.

RESULTS

Thirteen entry zones were reported and assessed for their safety, including the anterior mesencephalic zone, lateral mesencephalic sulcus, interpeduncular zone, intercollicular region, supratrigeminal zone, peritrigeminal zone, lateral pontine zone, median sulcus, infracollicular zone, supracollicular zone, olivary zone, lateral medullary zone, and anterolateral sulcus. The microanatomy, safety, and approaches are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

PLI and 11.7-T MRI data show that a neurosurgeon possibly does not need to consider the microanatomical structures that would not be visible on conventional MRI and tractography when entering the mentioned safe entry zones. However, the detailed anatomical images may help neurosurgeons increase their understanding of the internal architecture of the human brainstem, which in turn could lead to safer neurosurgical intervention.
Wewenang Badan Pengawas Pemilu Terhadap Pelanggaran Pemilu oleh Aparatur Sipil Negara Dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah
Authors: Hasanah Siti , Rejeki Sri
Published: April 2022

AbstrakProblem pelanggaran pemilu oleh Aparatur Sipil Negara dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah sulit terbendung. Kontrol regulasi melalui Undang-Undang Pemilu Kepala Daerah, Undang-Undang Penyelenggara Pemilu, Undang-Undang Aparatur Sipil Negara, Peraturan Pemerintah tentang Disiplin Pegawai Negeri Sipil belum berhasil menuntaskan kasus pelanggaran pemilu oleh aparatur sipil negara dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah. Alasan mendasar yang melatarbelakangi hal tersebut karena keterbatasan intervensi yuridis Bawaslu dalam menindaklanjuti surat rekomendasi pelanggaran pemilu oleh aparatur sipil negara. Melalui penguatan intervensi yuridis Bawaslu dalam menindaklanjuti surat rekomendasi pelanggaran pemilu oleh aparatur sipil negara merupakan solusi efektif penyelesaian permasalahan. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian hukum normatif (doktriner) yang menggunakan pendekatan konseptual (conceptual approach), pendekatan sejarah (historical approach), pendekatan perundang-undangan (statuta approach). AbstractThe problem of election violations by the State Civil Apparatus in regional head elections is difficult to contain. Regulatory control through the Regional Head Election Law, the Election Organizing Law, the State Civil Apparatus Act, the Government Regulation on Civil Servant Discipline has not succeeded in resolving cases of election violations by the state civil apparatus in regional head elections. The fundamental reason behind this is due to the limitations of Bawaslu's juridical intervention in following up on the letter of recommendation of election violations by the state civil apparatus. Through strengthening the juridical intervention of Bawaslu in following up on the letter of recommendation of election violations by the state civil apparatus is an effective solution to the problem. This research is a normative (doctrinaire) legal research that uses a conceptual approach (conceptual approach), historical approach (historical approach), legislative approach (statute approach).
Порівняльна оцінка впливу антропогенних чинників на біогеоценози Кривбасу
Authors: Ющук Євген Давидович
Published: April 2022

Розглянуто основні аналітичні показники ґрунту під лісовим насадженням у порівнянні з результатами, що проводились 26 років тому назад.
Особливості вивчення теми "Відмінювання і правопис числівників" у гімназіях гуманітарного профілю
Authors: Караман О. В. , Караман С. О.
Published: April 2022

Розглянуто особливості теоретичного й практичного вивчення теми ‘’Відмінювання і правопис числівників" у гімназіях гуманітарного профілю. Для підвищення рівня ефективності уроків запропоновано найрізноманітніші набори дидактичних матеріалів.
До питання про обсяг фразеологізму
Authors: Колоїз Ж. В.
Published: April 2022

Розглянуто проблему обсягу фразеологізмів. Доведено, що при визначенні меж фразеологізму слід керуватися семантико-синтаксичними особливостями: сполучення слів, шо виконують єдину синтаксичну функцію, становлять семантичну єдність, є компонентами фразеологізму.
Семантико-граматична природа простих речень і фразеологічних одиниць, функціонально співвідносних із простим реченням
Authors: Колоїз Ж. В.
Published: April 2022

Досліджено диференційні ознаки простого речення та відповідних усталених конструкцій, що простежуються на семантико-граматичному та комунікативному рівнях й мають бути об'єктом вивчення фразеології. Проаналізовано семантико-граматичну природу простих речень і фразеологічних одиниць, функціонально співвідносних із простим реченням.
Literature as a diagnosis and as a prognosis (creativity of the people of Maghreb in the XX-XXI centuries)
Authors: Prozhogina Svetlana V.
Published: April 2022

From the very beginning, still in the depths of the colonial era, and being a national response to French colonial literature, the poetry and fiction of Maghreb writers became a form of expression of the real life of their countries and a testimony of the social and political transformations that finally led to the social and political contradictions of the post-independence age. The evolution of literary genres has constantly induced writers not only to diagnose the protest forms of the national self-consciousness of the peoples of the Maghreb, but also to predict the social cataclysms and events to which the radicalization of Islam and the tread of political Islamism actually lead,
The Maghreb literature of the XX-XXI centuries constantly testified to various processes of the surrounding reality. Sometimes these forms of expression of the state of public consciousness turned into the nostalgic conceptualization of the past, a past perceived as a kind of an Oasis of acquired Knowledge about the World. These oases also refracted mirages of a dialogue between the Maghreb peoples and the French, which actually did never take place because of the wars of liberation. However, in the Maghreb literature, these illusions sometimes were transformed into dystopias, which especially since the decade of the 1990s turned into premonitions of real threats of radical Islamism.
In the global literary process, the work of the Maghreb writers - regardless of the countries of their residence in the West or in the East - reflects the searching for ideals of justice, remains an evidence of the era of transition from colonialism to post-colonialism, and a source of plausible forecasts for the future.
A pilot study to troubleshoot quality control metrics when assessing circulating miRNA expression data reproducibility across study sites
Authors: Permuth Jennifer B. , Mesa Tania , Williams Sion L. , Cardentey Yoslayma , Zhang Dongyu , Pawlak Erica A. , Li Jiannong , Cameron Miles E. , Ali Karla N. , Jeong Daniel , Yoder Sean J. , Chen Dung-Tsa , Trevino Jose G. , Merchant Nipun , Malafa Mokenge
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND:

Given the growing interest in using microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers of early disease, establishment of robust protocols and platforms for miRNA quantification in biological fluids is critical.

OBJECTIVE:

The goal of this multi-center pilot study was to evaluate the reproducibility of NanoString nCounter™ technology when analyzing the abundance of miRNAs in plasma and cystic fluid from patients with pancreatic lesions.

METHODS:

Using sample triplicates analyzed across three study sites, we assessed potential sources of variability (RNA isolation, sample processing/ligation, hybridization, and lot-to-lot variability) that may contribute to suboptimal reproducibility of miRNA abundance when using nCounter™, and evaluated expression of positive and negative controls, housekeeping genes, spike-in genes, and miRNAs.

RESULTS:

Positive controls showed a high correlation across samples from each site (median correlation coefficient, [Formula: see text] 0.9). Most negative control probes had expression levels below background. Housekeeping and spike-in genes each showed a similar distribution of expression and comparable pairwise correlation coefficients of replicate samples across sites. A total of 804 miRNAs showed a similar distribution of pairwise correlation coefficients between replicate samples ([Formula: see text] 0.93). After normalization and selecting miRNAs with expression levels above zero in 80% of samples, 55 miRNAs were identified; heatmap and principal component analysis revealed similar expression patterns and clustering in replicate samples.

CONCLUSIONS:

Findings from this pilot investigation suggest the nCounter platform can yield reproducible results across study sites. This study underscores the importance of implementing quality control procedures when designing multi-center evaluations of miRNA abundance.
Analysis and performance optimization of LoRa network using the CE & SC hybrid approach
Authors: Amzil Abdellah , Bellouch Abdessamad , Boujnoui Ahmed , Hanini Mohamed , Zaaloul Abdellah
Published: April 2022

In this research, we assess the impact of collisions produced by simultaneous transmission using the same Spreading Factor (SF) and over the same channel in LoRa networks, demonstrating that such collisions significantly impair LoRa network performance. We quantify the network performance advantages by combining the primary characteristics of the Capture Effect (CE) and Signature Code (SC) approaches. The system is analyzed using a Markov chain model, which allows us to construct the mathematical formulation for the performance measures. Our numerical findings reveal that the proposed approach surpasses the standard LoRa in terms of network throughput and transmitted packet latency.
HELD: Hierarchical entity-label disambiguation in named entity recognition task using deep learning
Authors: Neves Oliveira Bárbara Stéphanie , Fernandes de Oliveira Andreza , Monteiro de Lira Vinicius , Linhares Coelho da Silva Ticiana , Fernandes de Macêdo José Antônio
Published: April 2022

Named Entity Recognition (NER) is a challenging learning task of identifying and classifying entity mentions in texts into predefined categories. In recent years, deep learning (DL) methods empowered by distributed representations, such as word- and character-level embeddings, have been employed in NER systems. However, for information extraction in Police narrative reports, the performance of a DL-based NER approach is limited due to the presence of fine-grained ambiguous entities. For example, given the narrative report “Anna stole Ada’s car”, imagine that we intend to identify the VICTIM and the ROBBER, two sub-labels of PERSON. Traditional NER systems have limited performance in categorizing entity labels arranged in a hierarchical structure. Furthermore, it is unfeasible to obtain information from knowledge bases to give a disambiguated meaning between the entity mentions and the actual labels. This information must be extracted directly from the context dependencies. In this paper, we deal with the Hierarchical Entity-Label Disambiguation problem in Police reports without the use of knowledge bases. To tackle such a problem, we present HELD, an ensemble model that combines two components for NER: a BLSTM-CRF architecture and a NER tool. Experiments conducted on a real Police reports dataset show that HELD significantly outperforms baseline approaches.
Multi-instance positive and unlabeled learning with bi-level embedding
Authors: Tang Xijia , Xu Chao , Luo Tingjin , Hou Chenping
Published: April 2022

Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) is a widely studied learning paradigm which arises from real applications. Existing MIL methods have achieved prominent performances under the premise of plenty annotation data. Nevertheless, sufficient labeled data is often unattainable due to the high labeling cost. For example, the task in web image identification is to find similar samples among a large size of unlabeled dataset through a small number of provided target pictures. This leads to a particular scenario of Multiple Instance Learning with insufficient Positive and superabundant Unlabeled data (PU-MIL), which is a hot research topic in MIL recently. In this paper, we propose a novel method called Multiple Instance Learning with Bi-level Embedding (MILBLE) to tackle PU-MIL problem. Unlike other PU-MIL method using only simple single-level mapping, the bi-level embedding strategy are designed to customize specific mapping for positive and unlabeled data. It ensures the characteristics of key instance are not erased. Moreover, the weighting measure adopted in positive data can extracts the uncontaminated information of true positive instances without interference from negative ones. Finally, we minimize the classification error loss of mapped examples based on class-prior probability to train the optimal classifier. Experimental results show that our method has better performance than other state-of-the-art methods.
Citizens’ attitudes towards automated decision-making
Authors: Denk Thomas , Hedström Karin , Karlsson Fredrik
Published: April 2022

Public organisations are starting to show an interest in automated decision-making (ADM). So far, existing research focuses on the governmental perspective on this phenomenon. Less attention is paid to citizens’ views on ADM. The aim of this study is to provide empirical insights into citizen awareness of and beliefs about ADM in public-sector services. To this end, we participated in an annual national survey in Sweden carried out by the SOM Institute at Gothenburg University concluding that a minority of the citizens know about the use of ADM in public-sector services. Furthermore, when computers instead of civil servants make decisions in the public-sector, citizens expect decisions by computers to become less legally secure but more impartial. They also expect ADM to take personal circumstances into account to a lesser degree and become less transparent. Finally, we found that citizens with that awareness expect decisions by computers to become more reliable and impartial. Based on our empirical findings in relation to previous research, we suggest four hypotheses on citizen’s awareness and beliefs about public-sector ADM.
Blood Phosphorylated Tau 181 as a Biomarker for Amyloid Burden on Brain PET in Cognitively Healthy Adults
Authors: McGrath Emer R. , Beiser Alexa S. , O’Donnell Adrienne , Yang Qiong , Ghosh Saptaparni , Gonzales Mitzi M. , Himali Jayandra J. , Satizabal Claudia L. , Johnson Keith A. , Tracy Russell P. , Seshadri Sudha
Published: April 2022

Background: Plasma phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181) is a promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may offer utility for predicting preclinical disease. Objective: To evaluate the prospective association between plasma p-tau181 and amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau-PET deposition in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Methods: Plasma p-tau181 levels were measured at baseline in 52 [48% women, mean 64.4 (SD 5.5) years] cognitively unimpaired Framingham Offspring cohort participants using samples stored between 2011–2014 who subsequently underwent 11C-Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB)-PET and/or 18F-Flortaucipir (FTP)-PET scans (n = 18 with tau-PET) a mean of 6.8 (SD 0.6) years later. Our primary outcomes included Aβ-precuneus, Aβ-FLR (frontal, lateral, and retrosplenial cortices) and tau-global composite region PET deposition. Secondary outcomes included individual regional Aβ and tau PET-deposition. P-tau181 was compared with plasma neurofilament light chain (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in predicting PET outcomes. Results: P-tau181 was associated with increased Aβ deposition in the FLR (β±SE, 1.25±0.30, p < 0.0001), precuneus (1.35±0.29, p < 0.001), and other cortical regions. Plasma NFL (1.30±0.49, p = 0.01) and GFAP (1.46±0.39, p < 0.001) were also associated with FLR Aβ deposition. In models including all three biomarkers adjusted for age, sex, APOE E4 allele, AD polygenic risk score and cortical atrophy score, p-tau181 (0.93±0.31, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.18) and GFAP (0.93±0.41, p = 0.03, R2 = 0.11), but not NFL (0.25±0.51, p = 0.62, R2 = 0.01), were associated with FLR-Aβ deposition. Plasma p-tau181 was not associated with tau-PET burden. Conclusion: In cognitively unimpaired adults, elevated plasma p-tau181 is associated with future increased Aβ deposition across multiple brain regions. Our results highlight the potential utility of p-tau181 as a blood-biomarker to screen for brain-amyloid deposition in cognitively healthy individuals in a community-setting.
Analysis of power-sizing equations for rotor-permanent-magnet flux-switching machines
Authors: Su Peng , Wang Yiwei , Zhao Guishu , Shen Yi , Li Yongjian , Zhou Lingkang
Published: April 2022

In this paper, power-sizing equations of rotor-permanent-magnet flux-switching (RPM-FS) machines are proposed and implemented, where the main decisive factors of the electromagnetic torque, namely electric loading and magnetic loading, are deduced, respectively. Although the topologies of RPM-FS machines are evolved from traditional stator-PM flux-switching machines, there are still seriously flux leakages between poles, and it is hard to derive the peak value of the air-gap flux density directly. Hence, a local simplified magnetic equivalent circuit is utilized to calculate the magnetic loading, which is crucial for the power-sizing equation. The influences of the pole-to-pole flux-leakages and harmonics in back-EMF are considered to improve the calculated accuracy of the power-sizing equation. Consequently, the electromagnetic torque can be predicted with acceptable accuracy. The feasibility of the power-sizing equation is verified by the finite element analysis and experimental results.
DAF-16 and SKN-1 mediate Anti-aging and Neuroprotective efficacies of “thai ginseng” Kaempferia parviflora Rhizome extract in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Prasanth Mani Iyer , Malar Dicson Sheeja , Brimson James Michael , Verma Kanika , Tonsomboon Aunchalee , Plaingam Waluga , Tencomnao Tewin
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND:

The rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora (KP), have been traditionally used for treating various ailments with 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF) as a prominent compound.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the anti-aging and neuroprotective properties of KP and DMF in Caenorhabditis elegans.

METHODS:

C. elegans (wild-type (N2), transgenic and mutant strains) were treated with KP and DMF and were monitored for lifespan and neuroprotection through physiological assays, fluorescence microscopy and qPCR analysis. Molecular docking studies were employed to identify the interaction mode of DMF with DAF-16 and SKN-1.

RESULTS:

KP and DMF significantly increased the lifespan of N2 along with modulating pharyngeal pumping and lipofuscin accumulation. They also exhibited neuroprotection in Aβ transgenic strains by improving lifespan and delaying paralysis. Further, they reduced ROS accumulation significantly in worms exposed to UV-A, thereby exhibiting anti-photoaging potential. KP and DMF could activate SKN-1, DAF-16 which was evident from molecular docking and qPCR analysis. The DAF-2 and DAF-16 mutants did not exhibit any variations in lifespan upon treatment with KP and DMF suggesting the involvement of the DAF-16 mediated pathway in regulating the anti-aging and neuroprotective effects.

CONCLUSION:

Our findings suggest that KP with DMF as an active ingredient is a potential nutraceutical for aging and associated disorders.
Orientalism as a Cultural Root of Western Islamophobia
Authors: Benlahcene Badrane
Published: April 2022

This paper focuses on Islamophobia as a phenomenon in the western context in order to understand its cultural roots that produce such a stereotype about Islam and the Muslims. It aims to discover these roots relying on the analysis of a sample of intellectual texts expressing the western biases and the concept of western supremacy over Islam, the Muslims and the Islamic civilization, which are contradictory to historical evidence. Therefore, it focuses on the expansion of the western civilization all over the world and its use of orientalism as a justifying tool which consequently formed the underlying foundation of Islamophobia. The paper seeks to pave the way for the intellectual revision of the western standpoint towards Islam, to open the door for a new understanding of Islam and the Muslims that goes beyond the complexities of the Crusades, the oriental discourse, and the colonial period. The findings of this study imply that the western scholars and opinion makers should develop their view of Islam and the Muslims on the basis of an in depth understanding of Islam based on the knowledge extracted from the genuine sources of Islam in a scientific manner.
Religious Tolerance and Coexistence: Pluralist Dimensions in Ibn-e-Safi’s Life and Writings
Authors: Zohaib Ahmad
Published: April 2022

Ibn-e-Safi is one of the prominent literary figures of South Asia and has a special place among the writers of mystery fiction in modern Urdu prose. His Jāsūsī Duniyā and Imrān Series are responsible for developing lasting characters such as Colonel Faridi, Ali Imran, Juliana, Captain Hameed, and Joseph. Although his life and contributions to Urdu literature have successfully held the attention of scholars but due consideration has not been accorded to the religious aspect of his works. This paper employs the biographical approach to highlight the pluralistic dimensions of his life and writings. It identifies the religious discourses found in the intra-character dialogues of his Imrān Series novels in order to explore his religious views. Further, it argues in favor of his strong support for interreligious harmony and peace and for the promotion of peaceful coexistence among the adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. However, it is noted that he opposed Zionism as he maintained that its philosophy does not promote peace and harmony. In this world of perpetual change where religious, racial, and communal violence is so common, where religious dissent has already caused enormous human and material loss, and where rigid human behavior creates hatred and dissent, the study of his Imrān Series teaches tolerance and helps to identify elements disturbing the peace of the society.
Resurrection of the Self: A Comparative Thematic Study of Rumi’s Selected Poems and Hesse’s Siddhartha
Authors: Shazia Parveen  , Anwar Nadia
Published: April 2022

This research aims to trace a journey towards spiritual development by underscoring different stages which are essential for a mystic to cover a long distance of spiritual development and reach his/her goal, i.e. self-fulfillment, a higher state of a man’s existence in which the Phenomenal Self immerses into the Divine Self. In order to chart out the stages of such a journey, this research does a thematic analysis of Hesse’s masterpiece, Siddhartha, and Rumi’s selected poems and draw parallels in the themes projected by both the writers. The objective of the study is to make inter-generic reading of the mystical texts and derive common features from them. The motive behind the selection of these texts is to highlight the phenomenon of resurrected self from two different perspectives i.e. Eastern Sufism and Western Mysticism and to merge them to propose a comprehensive perspective to understand the Divine. Taking inspiration from Fowler, we have categorized the spiritual journey into three stages which are labeled as The Childhood stage, The Adulthood stage and The Young stage.[1] At the first stage, a person remains focused on his/her selfish desires such as the desire to achieve reputation, honor and wealth which eventually leads him/her towards different recalcitrant feelings like jealousy, anger and hatred. At the second stage when a person becomes a little mature, s/he starts swimming against the current of naive attempts to attain happiness and struggles to find the eternal source of happiness and peace. At the third and the last stage, s/he achieves the ultimate source or truth of happiness and is considered as a divine source for others.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Outbreak Lockdown: The Effects on Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual and Financial States of the Islam Believers
Authors: Mohd Arof Khairul Zahreen , AWANG Mohd Daud , Rashid Mohd Hambali , Ismail Syuhaida Ismail
Published: April 2022

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global health emergency and global pandemic on March 11, 2020. In controlling the quick spreading of COVID-19, the enforcement of lockdown has been employed in many counties. Unfortunately, the lockdown affects all industries as well as the whole nation in terms of spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, and intellectual states. Therefore, this paper attempts to examine the effects of lockdown on spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and financial states of the Islam believers from Malaysia, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. Through systematic literature review, this paper designed a questionnaire survey and collected information from 208 respondents. Prior to the primary data collection, a pilot study was conducted to test the reliability of the designed questionnaire survey. This paper found that the COVID-19 lockdown has positive effects on the spiritual, intellectual, and physical states of the believers of Islam. On the other hand, the COVID-19 lockdown also leads to unstable emotion of the believers of Islam as well as the financial issues. The findings may help in future study, religious departments, and the authority bodies of the countries to strategize the plan of actions in minimising the impact of lockdown on the nations.
The experience and attitude of TMU faculty and researchers toward predatory journals and research productivity
Authors: Huang Li-Chuan , Hsiao Ya-Fang , Siao Shu-Yuan , Yu Hsiao-Fen , Chiu Chi-Ju , Lee Yu-Ying , Chiu Tzu-Heng
Published: April 2022

A questionnaire related to journal submission was sent to researchers for a 2-week period to investigate the submission status as well as the problems faced by Taipei Medical University faculties and researchers. This study has two major findings including the Experience of predatory journal and Calculations of academic performance point and discuss about users’ cognition and their needs from the library and the university, as well as the library policy and services related to predatory journals. It is authors’ hope that the research results can serve as reference for other medical libraries planning to provide relevant services.
La mentira en la investigación narrativa. Por un posible decálogo
Authors: Amar Rodríguez Víctor Manuel
Published: April 2022

Estamos ante un artículo de reflexión teórica sobre la importancia de la verdad en la investigación de corte narrativa. Lejos de establecer el enunciado en negativo, la mirada se ciñe sobre la necesidad de ser consciente del modelo de investigación que hemos elegido. En este sentido, este artículo se construye sobre tres perspectivas: a) la analítica (centrando el discurso sobre foco de la mentira), b) la interpretativa (con la intención explicativa) y la c) la crítica (enjuiciando el valor). El lector está ante un estudio, con el propósito de presentar un trabajo expositivo donde se analice la presencia o del posible rechazo de la investigación narrativa a tenor de la aparente ausencia de la verdad. Ahora bien, lo que destacaríamos es el valor de cómo se cuenta, reviviendo la experiencia narrada, por parte del informante
PENGARUH JALAN KAKI TERHADAP PENURUNAN KADAR GULA DARAH PADA PASIEN DIABETES MELLITUS
Authors: Rehmaitamalem Rehmaitamalem , Rahmisyah Rahmisyah
Published: April 2022

Tujuan: Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh penurunan kadar gula darah sebelum dan sesudah dilakukan jalan kaki pada pasien diabetes mellitus. Metode: Jenis penelitian kuantitatif, metode quasi experiment, dengan pretest dan post test one group design. Populasi seluruh penderita diabetes mellitus sebanyak 49 orang. Variabel independen senam diabetes dan jalan kaki. Variabel dependen kadar gula darah. Alat pengumpulan data glukometer bernama Auto Check Blood Glocose Monitor. Analisa mengunakan uji paired t-test dengan nilai signifikan α= 0,05. Hasil: Menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh yang signifikan dari kegiatan jalan kaki terhadap nilai kadar gula darah (p value = 0,000) yang artinya H0 ditolak atau ada pengaruh jalan kaki terjadap penurunan kadar gula darah pada pasien diabetes mellitus. Simpulan: Ada pengaruh jalan kaki terjadap penurunan kadar gula darah pada pasien diabetes millitus di Puskesmas Nibong Aceh Utara.