bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Los mártires pusieron la vida de la gente por encima de su propia vida
Authors: Oliva Andreu
Published: March 2021

No abstract available.
ECA Estudios Centroamericanos, Vol. 64, No. 722, 2009: 481-485.
Resultados obstétricos de las pacientes sometidas a procedimientos de escisión electroquirúrgica por asa
Authors: Hidalgo Josué Mora , Mateos Manrique Leal
Published: March 2021

El tratamiento de las lesiones intraepiteliales podría representar un factor de riesgo para parto pretérmino, o ruptura prematura de membranas. El propósito del presente estudio fue comparar los resultados obstétricos de las pacientes con antecedente de LEEP y la población de embarazadas sin este antecedente, en el servicio de Obstetricia y Ginecología del Hospital “Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia”.
Resistencia a desinfectantes y su relación con la resistencia a los antibióticos
Authors: Chacón Jiménez Luz , Rojas Jiménez Keilor
Published: March 2021

Objetivo: sistematizar los principales mecanismos de acción de los desinfectantes y describir mecanismos de resistencia comunes entre biocidas y antibióticos.

Métodos: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de artículos científicos entre 2000 y julio de 2019, sobre la relación entre la resistencia a biocidas y a los antibióticos, utilizando como palabras clave “antibiotic”, “biocide”, “resistance” y “bacteria”, en las bases de datos PubMed y Google Scholar.

Conclusiones: existe numerosa evidencia científica que indica la relación entre bacterias resistentes a los desinfectantes y la adquisición de resistencia a los antibióticos, lo que implica un replanteamiento del uso de esas sustancias en diferentes contextos clínicos, con el fin de minimizar el impacto que puedan tener en la selección de microorganismos multirresistentes a los antibióticos.

Descriptores: bacterias, desinfectantes, resistencia, antibióticos.
Beyond Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Navigating Risk and Consent Online for Kinky Gay and Bisexual Men
Authors: Wignall Liam
Published: March 2021

Kink practitioners have adopted phrases, like “safe, sane and consensual” (SSC), to describe a non-pathological approach in considering risk and harm in kink practices. However, little is known about how risk and consent are negotiated online, particularly when the kink activities occur in private rather than the public or semi-public spaces of kink community venues or events. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with self-identified kinky gay and bisexual men, this article examines how risk and consent are discussed when organizing kink sessions through online platforms. Most participants were unaware of SSC or alternatives. Instead, participants employed diverse methods of negotiating consent and risk which predominantly involved indepth communication online. Interestingly, participants were more concerned with the risks associated with meeting others online, such as catfishing, than the risks involved with kink. Finally, some participants described a laissez-faire approach to their kink sessions through not planning or discussing risk and consent beforehand.
Interventions to Influence the Use of Antibiotics for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Authors: Thompson Wade , McCormack Suzanne
Published: March 2021

Thirteen systematic reviews (SRs) were identified. Two of these SRs addressed delayed antibiotic prescribing and 12 of these SRs investigated family medicine interventions. Delayed antibiotic prescribing reduced antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) compared to immediate prescribing and did not appear to impact patient satisfaction or re-consultation rates; however, there was less evidence on clinical outcomes, health care utilization, or antibiotic resistance. One systematic review concluded that there was no difference between delayed and immediate antibiotics for many clinical outcomes, but that immediate antibiotics may modestly improve symptoms for acute otitis media (AOM) and sore throat compared with delayed antibiotics.

Various family medicine interventions were evaluated; however, there were generally few relevant primary studies in each of these reviews for most of the interventions. Rapid or point-of-care tests to guide the treatment of URTIs appeared to reduce antibiotic prescribing compared to control or usual care; however, there was relatively little evidence on clinical outcomes for these tests. One systematic review on procalcitonin-guided treatment suggested that this intervention led to no difference in the number of days with restricted activities or rates of treatment failure compared to control, while another systematic review found that C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care tests to guide antibiotic prescribing resulted in no difference in recovery or time to resolution of the symptoms; however, this was based on only 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Evidence was mixed on different patient- or provider-directed interventions, such as education, training, and tools. In some of the primary studies from the eligible SRs, these interventions reduced antibiotic prescribing; while in others, they had no effect on antibiotic prescribing.
Hybrid Recommendation System for Better Mining Rules Generation of User and Consumer Data
Authors: Gupta Gaurav , Dattatrya Newase Atul
Published: March 2021

In today's world, data and information play an essential role in each field, including online and software data. However, it is a challenging task to abstract & sorted consumer data for use. To solve this data overloading and sorting of useful data, a Hybrid Recommendation System (HRS) comes into existence. HRS's focus is to suggest the best applicable and useful items to the related customers or users. The recommendations can be applied to decision-making processes, like which types of things to get, which new videos to watch, which online latest games and software to search, or the best product. The benefits of the Hybrid Recommendation System persist on the quality efficiency of the system. The efficient things can be calculated in easy to use, reliable, accurate, and expandable. This proposed HRS's primary goal is to better mining rules based on user and consumer data to improve the Hybrid Recommendation System's accuracy.
Multi-decadal offshore wind power variability can be mitigated through optimized European allocation
Authors: Neubacher Charlotte , Witthaut Dirk , Wohland Jan
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Wind power is a vital ingredient for energy system transformation in line with the Paris Agreement. Limited land availability for onshore wind parks and higher wind speeds over sea make offshore wind energy increasingly attractive. While wind variability on different timescales poses challenges for planning and system integration, little focus has been given to multi-decadal variability. Our research therefore focuses on the characteristics of wind power on timescales exceeding ten years. Based on detrended wind data from the coupled centennial reanalysis CERA-20C, we calculate European long-term offshore wind power potential and analyze its variability focusing on three locations with distinct climatic conditions: the German North Sea, the Greek Mediterranean and the Portuguese Atlantic coast. We find strong indications for two significant multi-decadal modes that are identified consistently using two independent spectral analysis methods and in the 20-year running mean time series. In winter, the long-term evolution of wind power and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are directly linked in Germany and Portugal. While German North Sea wind power is positively correlated with the NAO (r=0.82), Portuguese Atlantic coast generation is anti-correlated with the NAO (r=-0.91). We evaluate the corresponding potential for spatial balancing in Europe and report substantial benefits from European cooperation. In particular, optimized allocations off the Portuguese Atlantic coast and in the German North Sea allow to reduce multi-decadal generation variance by a factor of 3–10 compared with country-level approaches.
Winter atmospheric nutrient and pollutant deposition on Western Sayan Mountain lakes (Siberia)
Authors: Diaz-de-Quijano Daniel , Vladimirovich Ageev Aleksander , Ivanova Elena Anatolevna , Anishchenko Olesia Valerevna
Published: March 2021

Abstract. The world map of anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen deposition and
its effects on natural ecosystems is not described with equal precision
everywhere. In this paper, we report atmospheric nutrient, sulfate and
spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) deposition rates, based on snowpack
analyses of a formerly unexplored Siberian mountain region. Then, we
discuss their potential effects on lake phytoplankton biomass limitation. We estimate that the nutrient depositions observed in the late-season
snowpack (40 ± 16 mg NO3-N m−2 and 0.58 ± 0.13 mg TP-P m−2; TP for total phosphorous) would correspond to yearly depositions
lower than 119 ± 71 mg NO3-N m−2 yr−1 and higher than 1.71 ± 0.91 mg TP-P m−2 yr−1. These yearly deposition estimates would
approximately fit the predictions of global deposition models and correspond
to the very low nutrient deposition range, although they are still higher
than world background values. In spite of the fact that such a low atmospheric nitrogen deposition rate
would be enough to induce nitrogen limitation in unproductive mountain
lakes, phosphorus deposition was also extremely low, and the resulting lake water N : P
ratio was unaffected by atmospheric nutrient deposition. In the
end, the studied lakes' phytoplankton appeared to be split
between phosphorus and nitrogen limitation. We conclude that these pristine
lakes are fragile sensitive systems exposed to the predicted climate
warming, increased winter precipitation, enhanced forest fires and shifts in
anthropogenic nitrogen emissions that could finally couple their water
chemistry to that of atmospheric nutrient deposition and unlock
temperature-inhibited responses of phytoplankton to nutrient shifts.
Historical Chinese Microdata. 40 Years of Dataset Construction by the Lee-Campbell Research Group
Authors: Campbell Cameron , Lee James
Published: March 2021

The Lee-Campbell Group has spent forty years constructing and analysing individual-level datasets based largely on Chinese archival materials to produce a scholarship of discovery. Initially, we constructed datasets for the study of Chinese demographic behaviour, households, kin networks, and socioeconomic attainment. More recently, we have turned to the construction and analysis of datasets on civil and military officials and other educational and professional elites, especially their social origins and their careers. As of July 2020, the datasets include nominative information on the behaviour and life outcomes of approximately two million individuals. This article is a retrospective on the construction of these datasets and a summary of their findings. This is the first time we have presented all our projects together and discussed them and the results of our analysis as a single integrated whole. We begin by summarizing the contents, organization, and notable features of each dataset and provide an integrated history of our data construction, starting in 1979 up to the present. We then summarize the most important results from our research on demographic behaviour, family, and household organization, and more recently inequality and stratification. We conclude with a reflection on the importance of data discovery, flexibility, interaction and collaboration to the success of our efforts.
A Database for the Future
Authors: Edvinsson Sören
Published: March 2021

The Demographic Data Base (DDB) at the Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR) at Umeå University has since the 1970s been building longitudinal population databases and disseminating data for research. The databases were built to serve as national research infrastructures, useful for addressing an indefinite number of research questions within a broad range of scientific fields, and open to all academic researchers who wanted to use the data. A countless number of customised datasets have been prepared and distributed to researchers in Sweden and abroad and to date, the research has resulted in more than a thousand published scientific reports, books, and articles within a broad range of academic fields. While there has long been a clear predominance of research within the humanities and social sciences, it has always been used for research in other fields as well, for example medicine. In this article, we first give a brief presentation of the DDB and its history, characteristics, and development from the 1970s to the present. It includes an overview of the research based on the DDB databases, with a focus on the databases POPUM and POPLINK with individual-level data. A number of major traits of the research from 1973 to now have been outlined, showing the breadth of the research and highlighting some major contributions, with a focus on work that would have been very difficult to perform without data from the DDB.
Early Results From the ‘Diggers to Veterans’ Longitudinal Study of Australian Men who Served in the First World War. Short- and Long-Term Mortality of Early Enlisters
Authors: McCalman Janet , Kippen Rebecca , McMeeken Joan , Hopper John , Reade Michael
Published: March 2021

As the world marks the centenaries of the First World War, we still know remarkably little about the life course effects of military service. This paper reports on the first iteration of a cradle-to-grave dataset of men who enlisted and served overseas in the First World War from the state of Victoria, Australia. It examines mortality during military service and in civilian life and finds that mortality in both cases was strongly correlated with individual characteristics. Tall men and young single men were more likely to die in the war. In civilian life, mortality followed closely the pattern for Australian men, and was again highly correlated with individual characteristics and social class.
Deficits in the Star Excursion Balance Test and Golf Performance in Elite Golfers with Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Peng Yi-Chien , Hsu Chung-Yuan , Tang Wen-Tzu
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether low-handicap elite golfers with chronic low back pain (CLBP) exhibit deficits in dynamic postural control and whether CLBP affects golfers in terms of their golf swing parameters. A total of fifteen Division 1 college golfers were recruited as participants. Of these, six of whom experienced CLBP, while the remaining participants were healthy. In this study, CLBP was defined as experiencing chronic pain symptoms for more than six months. The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) was administered to examine dynamic posture control in both groups. The TrackMan Golf Launch Monitor Simulator was used to collect data on the performance parameters of the swing of the participants. The results for both feet in the medial, lateral, posterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions indicated that the CLBP group scored lower than the control group. However, the CLBP group scored higher for the right foot in the anterolateral direction. The parameters for the club speed and ball carry of the CLBP group were lower than those of the control group. Further, the CLBP group exhibited a more upright swing plane relative to the control group. Taken together, our findings suggest that SEBT may be feasible and highly accessible to assess golf swing performance of elite players with CLBP.
Czy istnieje coś, co zwiemy moralnym charakterem i cnotą?
Authors: Szutta Natasza
Published: March 2021

Głównym celem mojej monografii pt. Czy istnieje coś, co zwiemy moralnym charakterem i cnotą? Dyskusja z sytuacjonistyczną krytyką etyki cnót (Wydawnictwo Academicon 2017, 495) jest sprawdzenie, czy i w jakim stopniu sytuacjonistyczna krytyka etyki cnót podważa sensowność jednego z najważniejszych obecnie nurtów etycznych. Sytuacjoniści – etycy zainspirowani wynikami badań w obrębie psychologii społecznej i kognitywnej – uważają, że etyka cnót jest ufundowana na empirycznie niepotwierdzonej koncepcji psychologii moralności, przez co sama jest empirycznie nieadekwatna. Celami pomocniczymi, realizowanymi w kolejnych częściach monografii, są: 1) przedstawienie i argumentacja na rzecz głównych tez współczesnej etyki cnót; 2) prezentacja tez, argumentów i postulatów sytuacjonistów – krytyków współczesnej etyki cnót; 3) odpowiedź na sytuacjonistyczną krytykę z perspektywy etyki cnót. W pierwszej części wychodzę od nakreślenia początków współczesnej etyki cnót, następnie wyjaśniam, czym jest eudajmonia rozumiana jako cel ludzkiego życia, prezentuję cnoty etyczne jako konieczne środki osiągania spełnionego życia oraz odpowiadam na pytanie, dlaczego edukacja moralna jest ważną częścią etyki. W drugiej części przywołuję dane empiryczne oraz sformułowane z ich wykorzystaniem argumenty przeciwników etyki cnót. W trzeciej części w dwojaki sposób odpowiadam na zarzuty sytuacjonistów: negatywnie - wskazując na różne błędy metodologiczne w wyciąganiu zbyt radykalnych i pochopnych wniosków; pozytywnie - prezentując różne empirycznie ugruntowane teorie psychologiczne, mogące służyć jako empiryczny fundament współczesnej etyki cnót. Cała moja argumentacja zmierza do wykazania, że najnowsze dane empiryczne, uzyskana w obrębie psychologii moralności, nie kwestionują założeń współczesnej etyki cnót. Przeciwnie, pozwalają twierdzić, że jest ona, spośród obecnie wpływowych teorii etycznych, najbardziej empirycznie adekwatna.
Structural rehabilitation using high damping rubber bearing (HDRB)
Authors: Vatanshenas Ali , Mori Takahiro , Murota Nobuo
Published: March 2021

High damping rubber bearings show highly nonlinear stress-strain behaviour. Deformation-history integral (DHI) model which can estimate small strain stiffness degradation and nonlinear plasticity via a relatively simple innovative formulation is implemented in this study to model HDRB as the rehabilitation method for a seismically vulnerable building. Considered structure in this study is a three-dimensional, four-story steel frame residential building with a concentrically braced system. Nonlinear direct integration time history analysis and plastic hinges approach were implemented to evaluate structural behaviour of considered structure. It was observed that structural responses enhanced significantly after rehabilitation. Absolute maximum base shear values decreased 61.8% and 92.2% in the worst and best cases, respectively. Most of structural elements remained elastic after rehabilitation and required performance level was satisfied.
Empirical Likelihood Ratio Test for Seemingly Unrelated Regression Models
Authors: Wei Chuanhua , Ma Xiaoxiao
Published: March 2021

This paper considers the problem of testing independence of equations in a seemingly unrelated regression model. A

novel empirical likelihood test approach is proposed, and under the null hypothesis it is shown to follow asymptotically a

chi-square distribution. Finally, simulation studies and a real data example are conducted to illustrate the performance of

the proposed method.
Drugs for the Treatment of Muscle Atrophy
Authors: Chen Linlin , Zhang Hong , Chi Mengyi , Yang Quanjun , Guo Cheng
Published: March 2021

Muscle mass is maintained through an interplay between anabolic and catabolic pathways. The ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an important role in the proteolysis progress during skeletal muscle atrophy which can be blocked by some proteasome inhibitors. But few studies have demonstrated the ability of these inhibitors to preserve muscle mass and architecture under catabolic condition in vivo. The insulin-like growth factor-1/phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway was associated with anabolic pathways. The activation of IGF-1 causes muscle hypertrophy; however, it cannot be used as a drug target. Myostatin pathway maintains activation that can induce skeletal muscle atrophy involved with various transcriptional and genetic factors. Skeletal muscle atrophy is a debilitating consequence of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that involve starvation. It reduces treatment options and positive clinical outcomes as well as compromising quality of life and increasing morbidity and mortality. Though considerable research has been undertaken to find the drug target and the molecular mechanisms that improve skeletal muscle atrophy, no drug was approved to treat skeletal muscle atrophy. However, these years, the signaling pathways involved in muscle atrophy were clarified and some effective treatments were currently available to prevent, attenuate, or reverse muscle atrophy for experiment research.
Creativity in Public Relations: The Case from Croatia – How to Make the History of the Insurance Company “Cool”
Authors: Skoko Bozo , Gluvacevic Dejan
Published: March 2021

The chapter deals with the role of creativity in public relations. Creativity is usually associated with marketing and design, while public relations is associated with information and communication management, respectively, as the information and educational component, but often as persuasion. However, in modern conditions in which there is a kind of inflation of content transmitted by public relations experts to the media and the public, it is very difficult to fight for media attention and public attention. Therefore, the public relations professional is forced to bring creativity to the way of communicating, presenting key messages, and achieving communication goals. For that reason, creativity is becoming an essential strategic and tactical tool for public relations professionals to shift the task to a higher level. The authors present a case study of the leading Croatian insurance company—Croatia osiguranje, which had the challenging task of using the anniversary to communicate its own identity and values, strengthen its image, and attract new clients. The project “Croatia je Hrvatska” has received a number of national and international awards and can serve as an excellent example of synergy between communication management and creativity in achieving communication and business goals.
Common Regional Development Strategies on Iberian Territories - A Framework for Comprehensive Border Corridors Governance: Establishing Integrated Territorial Development
Authors: Vulevic Ana , Alexandre Castanho Rui , Manuel Naranjo Gómez José , Cabezas José , Fernández-Pozo Luis , Garrido Velarde Jacinto , Martín Gallardo José , Lousada Sérgio , Loures Luís
Published: March 2021

Although the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) has made a considerable contribution to increasing transport infrastructure and improving transport services, it still often seems that border regions have reduced accessibility compared to central regions. The Iberian border regions of Alto-Alentejo (Portugal) and Badajoz (Spain) were analyzed. Studies conducted in the Iberian territories confirm some of these regions’ unsustainability and the non-impact on the inhabitants’ quality of life. Also, a few questions arise: Can we verify the change in methods and measures used by development strategies? Is it necessary to acquire a more comprehensive view of corridor flows and interactions through common regional development strategies for managing development corridors? Will we influence the change of the methodological approach to be strategic and that it does not imply a corridor only in terms of the flow and mobility of people and goods, but also the search for the causes of movements in growth corridors? So, infrastructure and connectivity planning, regional economic development, and land use planning are critical contexts in developing territorial policies in the planning of development of corridors and their integration into development processes. This study proposes a framework for strategic corridor governance to increase accessibility and regional equity.
Remote Support through Technologies: A Research-Training on Teachers’ ‘Sophisticated Knowledge’
Authors: Sara Agrati Laura
Published: March 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the process of transforming teaching practices, such as remotely supporting students through innovative technological means. After a reflection on the impact of COVID-19 emergency on teachers’ skills, on the basis of a series of professional resources made available to teachers in order to support remote participation and learning of students, the work presents methodologies and results of an intervention-research, which involved 108 teachers in service, aimed at develop the teachers’ ability to integrate remote teaching technologies resources, with a view to personalizing interventions and effectiveness of learning content. The survey highlighted that relationship with students has been the teaching practice aspect most influenced by technologies/digital resources in the period of the pandemic. Such results offer support for didactic research to integrate the well-known explanatory model of TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) with further aspects relating to ‘sophisticated’ knowledge, more linked to adaptation and re-shaping of knowledge to be taught with reference to the students needs.
Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Compounds (Review)
Authors: Hamid Nour Abdurahman , Ruth Oluwaseun Alara , Hamid Nour Azhari , Suliman Omer Manal , Ahmed Noormazlinah
Published: March 2021

In recent times, bioactive compounds from plant samples are extracted using a microwave extractor. This is because traditional methods of extraction are need of higher volume of solvents, degrade thermal-sensitive bioactive compounds, and consume much time of extraction. Hence, this chapter unveils the importance of the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique in the recovery of bioactive compounds from plants. The involving extraction steps need to recover higher yields, faster, consumption of lesser extracting solvents, and ensure stable heat-sensitive bioactive compounds. The factors affecting MAE in the recovery of bioactive compounds from plant materials are as well discussed. Additionally, some of the previously reported bioactive compounds from plant samples using MAE are highlighted.
An Integrated Approach to the Role of Neurosonology in the Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis
Authors: Cătălin Jianu Dragoș , Nina Jianu Silviana , Munteanu Georgiana , Flavius Dan Traian , Elena Gogu Anca , Petrica Ligia
Published: March 2021

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a primary vasculitis that affects especially extracranial medium-sized arteries, such as superficial temporal arteries (TAs). Three findings are important for the ultrasound (US) diagnosis of TA: „dark halo” sign, which represents vessel wall edema, stenosis, and acute occlusions. US has a high sensitivity to detect vessel wall thickening in the case of large vessels GCA. The eye involvement in GCA is frequent and consists in arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathies or central retinal arterial occlusion, with abrupt, painless, and severe loss of vision of the involved eye. Because findings of TAs US do not correlate with eye complications in GCA, color Doppler imaging of the orbital vessels is of critical importance (it reveals low end diastolic velocities, and high resistance index), in order to quickly differentiate the mechanism of eye involvement (arteritic, versus non-arteritic). The former should be treated promptly with systemic corticosteroids to prevent further visual loss of the fellow eye.
Cognitive Load Measurement Based on EEG Signals
Authors: Tamanna Tasmi , Zavid Parvez Mohammad
Published: March 2021

Measurement of cognitive load should be advantageous in designing an intelligent navigation system for the visually impaired people (VIPs) when navigating unfamiliar indoor environments. Electroencephalogram (EEG) can offer neurophysiological indicators of perceptive process indicated by changes in brain rhythmic activity. To support the cognitive load measurement by means of EEG signals, the complexity of the tasks of the VIPs during navigating unfamiliar indoor environments is quantified considering diverse factors of well-established signal processing and machine learning methods. This chapter describes the measurement of cognitive load based on EEG signals analysis with its existing literatures, background, scopes, features, and machine learning techniques.
Non-Typhoidal Salmonellosis: A Major Concern for Poultry Industry
Authors: Pandey Mamta , Sharath Kumar Goud Emmagouni
Published: March 2021

Salmonella is the most important gastrointestinal pathogen distributed ubiquitously. The major serovars involved in Non-typhoidal salmonellosis are S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. In the viewpoint of ban in the export and import of the Salmonella contaminated poultry food and poultry products, the need for rapid detection and mitigation of Salmonella has increased mani-folds. The major problem associated with its control is the growing incidence of antimicrobial resistance, which has been reported worldwide in the recent years. From causing self limiting gastroenteritis they have found to be responsible for several fatal diseases like endocarditis, meningitis, lung infestations, appendicitis, pneumonia, and cerebral abscess in human beings. Targeting several proteins such as adhesive proteins, lipoproteins, outer membrane proteins (Omps) etc. as vaccine candidates may pave a way in its control. So, continuous monitoring using one health approach and development of effective treatment and control strategies are critical.
Surging virtual reference services: COVID-19 a game changer
Authors: Radford Marie L. , Costello Laura , Montague Kaitlin
Published: March 2021

In March 2020, academic libraries across the United States closed and sent everyone home, some destined to not reopen for months. University offices closed. Classes were moved online. Suddenly, librarians and staff pivoted to working from home and to all remote services, without time for planning logistics or training. To study the impact of this extraordinary and sweeping transition on virtual reference services (VRS), we conducted a major study of academic library responses to the pandemic that focused on librarian perceptions of how services and relationships with users morphed during this COVID-19 year.Academic librarians rallied to our call, and we collected a total of 300 responses to two longitudinal surveys launched at key points during the pandemic. Data collection focused on two phases in 2020: 1) shutdown and immediate aftermath (mid-March to July), and 2) fall ramp up and into the semester (August to December). Via Zoom, we also interviewed 28 academic librarian leaders (e.g., heads of reference and/or VRS, associate directors for User Services) from September to November. Surveys and interviews centered on adaptations and innovations to reference services, especially VRS and perceptions of changes in user interactions.
Análisis de las competencias didácticas virtuales en la impartición de clases universitarias en línea, durante contingencia del COVID-19
Authors: Amaya Arturo , Cantú Cervantes Daniel , Marreros Vázquez José Guillermo
Published: March 2021

Se llevó a cabo un estudio cuantitativo con diseño transeccional descriptivo con el objetivo de analizar las competencias didácticas virtuales del modelo T-PACK (Shulman, 1986; Koehler y Mishra, 2009), que mayormente fueron desarrolladas por los docentes (N=87, Edad: M=33.91, DE=7.699, Max=51, Min=20) de la Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas que cursaron el Diplomado en Ambientes Virtuales de Aprendizaje del 2014 al 2019 e impartieron clases en línea durante contingencia del COVID-19 en el periodo comprendido de marzo a abril del año 2020. Los resultados muestran que los docentes presentaron competencias sobresalientes en su cátedra a distancia durante la contingencia, y además, no se encontraron diferencias significativas (p>0.05) entre el logro de los docentes varones (N=51, Edad: M=35.84, DE=7.298, Max=50, Min=20) y mujeres (N=36, Edad: M=29.33, DE=4.980, Max=49, Min=20) en ninguna de las dimensiones del modelo T-PACK.
La transformación hacia experiencias expandidas en educación superior: curso #UAMskills de identidad digital
Authors: González-Patiño Javier , Esteban-Guitart Moisés
Published: March 2021

En este artículo se analiza la transformación de un curso de educación superior de la UAM, que durante años se desarrolló de manera presencial, en experiencia de aprendizaje remoto expandido, es decir, mediado por el espacio y cultura digital. La aproximación pedagógica de la personalización educativa—diversificación de recursos, estrategias y actuaciones para facilitar que los aprendices otorguen sentido y valor personal a los aprendizajes—ha sido fundamental para orientar el proyecto de investigación acción que aquí se presenta. Se han incorporado actividades de carácter abierto, usando herramientas y plataformas de la web social, que han habilitado a los participantes, constituidos como comunidad de práctica, a crear conocimiento antes, durante y después de las sesiones síncronas, así como, difundirlo en redes, conversar con otros interesados externos y recuperarlo con posterioridad. En las conclusiones se pone de manifiesto como articular la diversidad cultural y de trayectorias de participación en el actual escenario social de complejidad e incertidumbre, legitima la relevancia de la personalización educativa para facilitar aprendizajes situados y con sentido, desarrollando experiencias expandidas, flexibles y distribuidas en torno a una narrativa transmedia que naturalice la cultura digital en lo que a oportunidades y procesos de aprendizaje se refiere.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the transformation of a higher education course at the Autonomous University of Madrid from physical teaching to an expanded remote learning experience, mediated by digital culture and space. The pedagogical approach of personalized education—based on providing resources, strategies and actions to facilitate learners to make sense and personal value to learning—has been central in orienting the action research project presented here. Open and connected activities have been incorporated, promoting the use of tools and platforms of the social web which have enabled participants, constituted as a community of practice, to create knowledge before, during and after synchronous sessions, as well as spread it in networks, converse with other external stakeholders and recover it later. The conclusions display how articulating cultural diversity and participatory pathways in the current social scene of complexity and uncertainty, legitimizes the relevance of personalized education to facilitate situated and meaningful learning, developing expanded, flexible and distributed experiences around a transmedia narrative that naturalizes digital culture in terms of learning opportunities and processes.
Digital literacies in higher education
Authors: Monteiro Angélica , Leite Carlinda
Published: March 2021

La digitalización de las instituciones de educación superior (IES), debido a la imposibilidad de clases presenciales y tutoría, causada por COVID-19, puso de manifiesto la necesidad de repensar las oportunidades y los obstáculos para el desarrollo de habilidades de los estudiantes. Basado en el marco de alfabetización digital de Martin y Grudziecki (2006), se desarrolló un estudio con el objetivo de identificar las percepciones de los estudiantes con respecto a las habilidades digitales que poseen, los usos y efectos de esto en el desarrollo personal y habilidades sociales. La recopilación de datos, utilizando un cuestionario en línea, tuvo lugar al comienzo del cierre de IES en Portugal. Los resultados apuntan a un dominio de las habilidades de búsqueda y edición de datos y a una menor capacidad para crear y desarrollar nuevas soluciones digitales. La mayoría de los estudiantes informaron que las tecnologías digitales se usaron principalmente para la comunicación institucional y entre pares, pero no para el desarrollo de redes y habilidades de aprendizaje permanente. La falta de participación de muchos docentes en el apoyo pedagógico disponible es un obstáculo para una transformación digital adecuada en la educación superior, tanto en tiempos de crisis como en el futuro.

The digitalisation of higher education institutions (HEI), due to the impossibility of face-to-face classes and tutoring, caused by COVID-19, evidenced the need to rethink opportunities and obstacles for the development of digital skills among students. Based on the digital literacy framework by Martin and Grudziecki (2006), a study was developed with the aim of identifying the perceptions of university students regarding the digital skills they possess, as well as the uses and effects of digital literacy in the development of personal and social skills. Data collection, using an online questionnaire, took place during the initial closing period of HEI in Portugal. The results point to an almost widespread mastery of search and data editing skills and to a lesser ability to create and develop new digital solutions. Most students reported that digital technologies were used [before the crisis] mainly for institutional communication and between peers, but not for the development of networking and lifelong learning skills. The lack of involvement of many teachers in the available pedagogical support is an obstacle to an adequate digital transformation in higher education, both in times of crisis and in the future.
Análisis del proceso metodológico en programas de educación superior en modalidad virtual
Authors: Díaz Guillen Paula Andrea , Andrade Arango Yamilhet , Hincapié Zuleta Ana María , Uribe Uran Adriana Patricia
Published: March 2021

El propósito de este artículo consiste en identificar las características metodológicas de los programas virtuales de educación superior en instituciones colombianas. Este objetivo se deriva de la carencia de lineamientos acerca de cómo implementar procesos de educación virtual a nivel de pregrado y posgrado en un país en vía de desarrollo como Colombia. Para lograr este objetivo, se llevó a cabo una investigación de enfoque cualitativo en una muestra a propósito de 10 instituciones de educación superior en Colombia, las cuales tienen una oferta importante de programas de pregrado y posgrado para la modalidad virtualidad. Como resultados se reflejan modelos educativos que se transforman en torno a la realidad educativa y a las formas de concebir, planear, implementar y evaluar desde estrategias y alternativas metodológicas que conllevan al acceso, la permanencia y la democratización de la educación en miras a la calidad y la inclusión digital.

The purpose of this article is to identify the methodological characteristics of virtual higher education programs in Colombian institutions. This objective is derived from the lack of guidelines on how to implement virtual education processes at the undergraduate and graduate levels in a developing country like Colombia. To achieve this objective, a qualitative approach research was carried out in a sample of 10 higher education institutions in Colombia, which have an important offer of undergraduate and graduate programs for the virtual modality. The results reflect educational models that are transformed around the educational reality and the ways of conceiving, planning, implementing and evaluating from strategies and methodological alternatives that lead to access, permanence and democratization of education in view of quality and digital inclusion.
Oleanolic Acid, Ursolic Acid and Apigenin from Ocimum basilicum as Potential Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: A Molecular Docking Study
Authors: Matondo Aristote , Kilembe Jason T. , Ngoyi Etienne M. , Kabengele Carlos N. , Kasiama Giresse N. , Lengbiye Emmanuel M. , Mbadiko Clement M. , Inkoto Clement L. , Bongo Gedeon N. , Gbolo Benjamin Z. , Falanga Clarisse M. , Mwanangombo Domaine T. , Opota Daniel O. , Tshibangu Damien S. T. , Tshilanda Dorothée D. , Ngbolua Koto-te-Nyiwa , Mpiana Pius T.
Published: March 2021

Aim: The present study aims at identifying potential inhibitors from a set of ten compounds from Ocimum basilicum against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, the chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro).

Materials and Methods: Computational studies by molecular docking (Autodock tool) were used to obtain the scoring function of ten phytochemicals in interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. The pharmacokinetic behavior of the high-docking score compounds was addressed by using SwissADME and pkCSM webservers.

Results: Three high-docking score ligands were identified as hit compounds mainly the oleanolic acid (-8.55 kcal/mol), the ursolic acid (-8.21 kcal/mol) and apigenin (-7.52 kcal/mol). Their pharmacokinetic profile revealed that they have good therapeutic profile of druggability and safe. The biological activities of the three compounds especially their anti-inflammatory properties in relation with the excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines in the most severe form of the COVID-19 were also highlighted. 

Conclusion: COVID-19 outbreak is a serious public health threat that requires immediate action. In order to combat this pandemic, several strategies are used and the identification of potential inhibitors of the main protease of the virus is one of the widely used strategies. Here, three potential inhibitors from Ocimum basilicum plant (leaves) were pinpointed. Further in-vitro and in-vivo studies are needed that will clarify the role of Ocimum basilicum for the management of COVID-19 disease.
Dengue Virus: Infection, Immunological Response, and Vaccine Development
Authors: Sindi Nariman
Published: March 2021

In the tropics and subtropics climates worldwide, the dengue virus (DENV) is the most common of arboviruses and a significant public health threat. The severe disease usually occurs during the primary infection, but more serious cases begin after the second instance of infection with a different serotype. Humans' innate immune system is composed of monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells, and they are capable of mounting rapid inflammatory responses. These cells are also called primary antigen-presenting cells, and they are essential for the formation of the immune system's long-term memory mechanisms. Through scientific advances, valuable knowledge into the pathogenesis of more serious diseases, and new methods to the production of dengue vaccines and antiviral drugs have been provided. We summarized details in the current literature review, including references, abstracts, and full text of journal articles. So that, we tried to review all available studies that projected existing awareness about the immune response to the dengue virus and the current status of the vaccine. Such information was selected and extracted from the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for published data from 2000 to 2020 using relevant keywords containing a combination of terms, including dengue fever, epidemiology, clinical manifestation, immune response, and vaccine.
Synthesis, Characterization and Preliminary Biological Evaluation of New 3 and 4-nitro Isoindoline-1, 3-dione/phthalimide Analogues
Authors: Sankhe Sharad , Chindarkar Nitesh
Published: March 2021

Aims: To synthesize new nitroisoindoline-1,3-diones analogues and evaluate their preliminary biological activities

Methodology: New isoindoline-1,3-diones analogues were synthesized by coupling phthalic anhydride derivatives with appropriate aromatic amines. Newly synthesized heterocyclic compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacterial strains and gram-negative bacterial strains. They were also tested for their in vitro antifungal activity against fungi strains. Determination of the preliminary antibacterial and antifungal activity were investigated using agar-dilution method. The structures of newly synthesized analogues were elucidated by 1H and 13C-NMR techniques.

Results: Bioassay indicated that some of the newly synthesized isoindoline-1,3-dione analogues shows moderate biological activities.

Conclusion: Newly synthesized analogues can be used as antibacterial or antifungal agents on modifications.
COVID-19 and Food Supply in Bangladesh: A Review
Authors: Zabir Abdullah Al , Mahmud Asif , Islam Md. Ariful , Antor Sabyasachi Chanda , Yasmin Farhana , Dasgupta Aditya
Published: March 2021

The pandemic COVID-19 has slowed down human activities globally and throwing countries into a slump and possibly economic depression. Bangladesh, a growing economic country, is also experiencing severe economic shockwaves. Besides the economic shock, it is also facing an imbalance in the food supply in all of its channels. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general understanding of the possible impacts of COVID-19 on food supply in Bangladesh. The paper presents a brief summary of the global COVID-19 situation and the current food supply status concerning COVID-19. In Bangladesh, the trend of COVID-19 cases is increasing and due to the lockdown situation, the food supply is hampering badly. Since most farmers are not adapted to mechanized agriculture and facing labour shortages, their production has fallen at risk in terms of harvesting. Due to buyer shortage and unavailability of supply channels, products are being forced to sell at a low price and it will take years to overcome this shock as the prognosis of COVID-19 is still unknown to all. Though the government has taken some policy measures to maintain a sufficient food supply, protect the agriculture sector, and mitigate the possible losses.
Semiconducting Polymers Based on Isoindigo and Its Derivatives: Synthetic Tactics, Structural Modifications, and Applications
Authors: Wei Xuyang , Zhang Weifeng , Yu Gui
Published: March 2021

The past few decades have witnessed the tremendous development of semiconducting polymers in electronic applications, which is inextricably related to the diversity of polymer structure. The change of polymer structure significantly influences the polymer packing, thin film morphology, and other optoelectronic properties, thus meeting the need for different device applications. With the development of synthetic chemistry and theoretical computation, many high‐performance building blocks and polymers have emerged. Among them, isoindigo‐ and isoindigo derivatives‐based polymers are widely studied in various fields of organic electronics, and many of them showed excellent properties. This review summarizes the synthetic tactics of isoindigo‐derived monomers and polymers. Moreover, the structural modification strategies of polymers are discussed in detail, including the modification of isoindigo derivatives and the regulation of polymer type. Using isoindigo‐derived polymers, various applications, such as organic field‐effect transistors, chemical sensors, organic electrochemical transistors, organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaics, organic thermoelectrics, organic spin valves, and biophotonic applications, are introduced to illustrate the important effects of structural modification.
Screening Supported Amine Sorbents in the Context of Post‐combustion Carbon Capture by Vacuum Swing Adsorption
Authors: Krishnamurthy Shreenath , Boon Jurriaan , Grande Carlos , Lind Anna , Blom Richard , de Boer Robert , Willemsen Hans , de Scheemaker Gabriel
Published: March 2021

The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of three different supported amine sorbents in a 6‐step vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) cycle through process simulation and optimization for a representative post‐combustion CO2 capture system. Detailed process optimization revealed that all the adsorbents were able to achieve the desired purity‐recovery targets. The best performing adsorbent in terms of productivity was Lewatit with a productivity of 0.48 mol m−3 ads s−1. All the adsorbents exhibited similar minimum specific energy value of around 1 MJ kg−1 on an electric basis.