bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Five-channel fiber-based laser Doppler vibrometer for underwater acoustic field measurement
Authors: Shang Jianhua , Liu Yang , Sun Jiatong , Kim Dae Wook , Chen Weibiao , He Yan
Published: December 2019

In this paper, a 1550 nm five-channel all-fiber homodyne laser Doppler vibrometer with high sensitivity and good signal probing probability is presented. Under the anechoic tank, standing on an airborne platform above the water surface 3 m away, the calibration experiments of the designed system are conducted. The minimum detectable sound pressure level is up to 101.73 dB re 1 µPa at 10 kHz under the hydrostatic water surface condition, and the time distribution of the final outputs are consistent with that of the underwater sound transducer. For the hydrodynamic detection capability, with the help of a 1064 nm high-pulse-energy laser whose pulse energy is 6J, pulse duration is about 8 ns, and repetition rate is 1 Hz, the system performance is tested in Qiandao Lake. And the signal probing probability of the whole sensing system is up to 59.77%.
Design and analysis of a grating assisted hybrid mode and polarization division (de)multiplexer
Authors: Minz Manoranjan , Sonkar Ramesh Kumar
Published: December 2019

In this paper, a hybrid mode and polarization division (MDM-PDM) (de)multiplexer based on a buried strip waveguide, operating at 1550 nm, is proposed on the silicon-on-insulator platform. The proposed device can (de)multiplex three quasi-transverse electric and two quasi-transverse magnetic modes of a multimode waveguide concurrently. The multiplexing and demultiplexing operations are achieved by coupling the multimode waveguide modes with the fundamental modes of the single-mode waveguides. The couplings between the modes are realized by employing grating structures in between the multimode and single-mode waveguides. A 2.5D finite-difference time-domain simulation technique is used to examine the performance of the device. An insertion loss of

>

−

0.76

d
B

, return loss of

<

−

11.23

d
B

, and crosstalk of

<

−

12.42

d
B

are obtained for the proposed hybrid MDM-PDM (de)multiplexer. Moreover, the fabrication tolerance of the proposed device structure is studied by keeping the center-to-center distance between the waveguides constant and by varying the waveguide width.
Multichannel tunable narrowband mid-infrared optical filter based on phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 defect layers
Authors: Zhou Kun , Cheng Qiang , Lu Lu , Li Bowen , Song Jinlin , Si Mengting , Luo Zixue
Published: December 2019

The defect mode, which exists at the defect layer of a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPhC) heterostructure, provides the possibility of realizing narrowband transmission owing to its strong electromagnetic field localized effects. In this study, we numerically investigate the single- and multichannel narrowband filters in the mid-infrared region based on the defect mode by adding the monolayer and multilayer phase-change material

G
e

2

S
b

2

T
e

5

(GST) defect layer in 1DPhC. It can provide a promising avenue to tune the transmission spectra by changing the crystallization fraction

X

of the GST defect layer. The remarkable narrowband transmission enhancement can be acquired for both TM and TE polarizations in spite of the large oblique incident angle. Such a defect-mode-based 1DPhC heterostructure enables tunable operating wavelength by adjusting geometrical parameters to realize the spectral selectivity of the filter in the mid-infrared region. The significant improvement and tunability of the designed single- or multichannel filters can be applied to biochemical sensing and material characterization.
Giant dispersive and absorptive optical nonlinearities in TiO2 thin films
Authors: Chouhan Romita , Gupta Mukul , Sen P. K. , Sen Pratima
Published: December 2019

We report the experimental observation of giant dispersive and absorptive optical nonlinearities in direct current magnetron sputtered as-grown and annealed

T
i
O

2

thin films. The

T
i
O

2

film was deposited in a mixture of argon and oxygen. The as-grown film and the film annealed below 250°C demonstrated amorphous behavior having particle size variation in the range of 15–20 nm, while the films annealed above temperature

≥

300
∘

C

exhibited crystalline structure with larger particle size (50–80 nm). The enhancement in optical nonlinearity in amorphous films can be attributed to small particle sizes, while in crystalline thin films, the enhancement in optical nonlinearity is attributed to phonon-assisted resonant transitions. The films are characterized by the x-ray diffraction technique, atomic force microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy for their structural properties, morphology, bandgap, and presence of phonon modes, respectively. The intensity-dependent nonlinear optical properties of the films are analyzed by using the Z-scan technique.
Ethanedithiol treatment on zinc oxide films for highly efficient quantum dot light-emitting diodes by reducing exciton quenching
Authors: Lee Cheyoon , Moon Hyungsuk , Kim Jungwoo , Kim Hyeongeun , Chae Heeyeop
Published: December 2019

Surface modification of ZnO nanoparticles with ethanedithiol (EDT) has been studied to minimize exciton loss at the ZnO/quantum dots (QDs) interface and to improve the efficiency of QD light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). The EDT treatment has been demonstrated to fill oxygen vacancies and reduce carboxylate and hydroxyl ligands on the surface of the ZnO nanoparticles from the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The reduction of oxygen vacancies makes the ZnO films more hydrophobic and maintains the optical bandgap under ambient conditions. EDT treatment shifts the energy level up by 0.47 eV by modifying the surface of ZnO. Non-radiative recombination processes at the ZnO/QDs interface such as interfacial charge transfer and energy transfer are reduced through the upshifted energy level and reduced surface defects. The brightness of the QLED with EDT treatment on ZnO was improved by more than 330% having a maximum luminance of

59

,

500

c
d

/

m

2

compared to the QLED with pristine ZnO. The maximum current efficiency of the QLEDs has been improved from 54.3 cd/A to 73.4 cd/A, which is 35% higher than ZnO-based QLEDs.
Efficient, watt-level, tunable 1.7  µm fiber Raman laser in H2-filled hollow-core fibers
Authors: Huang Wei , Li Zhixian , Cui Yulong , Zhou Zhiyue , Wang Zefeng
Published: December 2019

We report here an efficient watt-level tunable 1.7 µm fiber gas Raman laser. Pumped by a homemade pulsed fiber amplifier around 1.5 µm wavelength, a tunable laser ranging from 1687 to 1723 nm is demonstrated in a hydrogen-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). A maximum average power of

∼

0.8

W

(pulse energy of

∼

1.6

µ

J

) is achieved on a 20-m-long HC-PCF filled with 16 bar of hydrogen gas, corresponding to a maximum Raman power conversion efficiency of 60%. A steady-state model of the rotational stimulated Raman scattering in hydrogen-filled HC-PCF, considering the pump pulse shape, is also established. The predicted output power and pulse shapes of the pump and Stokes waves are in good agreement with the experimental results. Our system offers an elegant solution for realizing efficient, tunable, and high-power fiber lasers operating at 1.7 µm wavelength range.
Optimal feedback-interferometric fiber laser microphones
Authors: Liao Shaolin , Wong Thomas , Ou Lu
Published: December 2019

Design and experimental verification are presented in this Letter for a feedback-interferometric fiber laser microphone (FLM) based on the distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser (DBR-FLM) and the distributed feedback reflector fiber laser (DFB-FLM), optimized for power efficiency, response sensitivity, and linearity. First-principle self-consistent simulation has been performed to design the optimal DBR-FLM and DFB-FLM. The self-consistent simulation takes care of the laser power coupled Er/Yb rate equations and makes full use of the encompassing coupled mode theory for fast computation. The experimental results agreed well with the simulation results. A comparison between the DBR-FLM and the DFB-FLM is made and explained in terms of lasing power and noise performance.
Irradiation effect on the magneto-optical properties of Bi-doped silica optical fiber based on valence state change
Authors: Wen Jianxiang , Che Qianqian , Dong Yanhua , Guo Qi , Pang Fufei , Chen Zhenyi , Wang Tingyun
Published: December 2019

Magneto-optical properties of Bi-doped silica optical fibers (BDF) and single mode fiber (SMF) before and after irradiation (0-3.0 kGy) are investigated. BDF is prepared by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique combined with the conventional modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process. Before irradiation, the Verdet constant of BDF (1.64 rad/(Tm)) is 27.13% larger than that of SMF (1.29 rad/(Tm)) at 980 nm. Because the Verdet constants of both of them are positive values, this implies diamagnetic behaviors of fiber sample materials. After irradiation, the Verdet constant of SMF keeps increasing with the increase of radiation doses (0-3kGy). However, in the same radiation dose range, the Verdet constant of BDF is decreased first and then increased. It is decreased with the increase of gamma irradiation in the low-dose range (<0.3 kGy). Especially, the Verdet constant of BDF in 0.3 kGy is of a negative value and the Faraday rotation of it is anti-clockwise, which means the fiber sample exhibits paramagnetic material properties. When the radiation dose is from 0.3 to 3 kGy, the Verdet constants of the BDF is increased. Furthermore, in a 3 kGy treatment, the Verdet constant of BDF (1.87 rad/(Tm)) is 23.84% larger than that of SMF (1.51 rad/Tm), and is 44.96% larger than that of SMF without irradiation treatment. The novel change of magneto-optical characteristics of the BDF sample may mainly result from irradiation-induced valence state change of bismuth ions.
Robustness of entanglement as an indicator of topological phases in quantum walks
Authors: Wang Qin-Qin , Xu Xiao-Ye , Pan Wei-Wei , Tao Si-Jing , Chen Zhe , Zhan Yong-Tao , Sun Kai , Xu Jin-Shi , Chen Geng , Han Yong-Jian , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: December 2019

How to reveal topological phases and their boundaries is an intriguing issue in various systems. Entanglement, which plays a fundamental role in quantum information, has been found profoundly related to topological phases. However, experimentally exploring this relation is precluded by the limited ability to obtain entanglement in many-body systems. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate that the robustness of entanglement, quantified by the von Neumann entropy, can be used to reveal the topological phase with winding number

W

=
1

and topological phase with

W

=
0

in quantum walks. With the different robustness of entanglement against perturbations of a parameter, the phase boundaries between the distinct topological phases can be further determined. As a result, our work not only offers a new perspective for quantum walks but also exhibits the deep connection between entanglement and topological physics.
Global perspectives on the #MeToo movement: From ‘big noise’ to ‘discrete oblivion’?
Authors: Arriaza Ibarra Karen
Published: December 2019

In October 2017 and early 2018, the #MeToo and #Time’sUp movements generated some remarkable ‘big noise’ inside and outside social networks, as a way to stand up against the abuses by men in several domains for the millions of women who suffered them in their everyday lives, all over the world. It started like a spark, with Hollywood celebrities applauding in an unforgettable night, the 2018 Golden Globes Award ceremony, and it soon spread like a flame that became a worldwide torch.
During the IAMCR 2018 and 2019 conferences in Eugene, Oregon, and Madrid, Spain (respectively), I was able to put together respective panels that focused on the effect that the #MeToo and #Time’s Up movements have had in different areas the world. Thanks to the research and valuable contribution of the participants in each of those panels, I am now able to present this special journal issue with articles from fellow academics and experts that will provide a clear panorama of the #MeToo and #Time’s Up movements in regions of the world as different as Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Brazil, France, Russia, Japan and the United States. This is the result of that collaboration, which we hope you will enjoy.
Sweden and the #MeToo movement
Authors: Pollack Ester
Published: December 2019

The international #MeToo initiatives organized in October 2017 received a quick and widespread response in Sweden. Women from a wide range of occupational groups and work environments – after sharing their stories in closed forums on social media – made their testimonies public under several related hashtags. The testimonies about allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse were described as men’s misuse of power in relation to women in weaker positions, often women who were younger and dependent. The published testimonies quickly led to a stream of news reports and commentaries in the legacy media, in some cases resulting in individualized scandals and media hunts. One of these scandals related to the Swedish Academy, the institution responsible for the Nobel Prize in Literature. While the initial Swedish #MeToo movement was dominated by broad collective mobilization in different societal areas pointing to sexual harassment as a structural problem, the individualized scandal coverage in leading media outlets in some cases represented unverified ‘naming and shaming’ that later led to ethical critique and new public debates. A political result of the #MeToo movement in Sweden was a new law prohibiting non-consensual sex that came into force in July 2018.
‘The consequences will be with us for decades’: The politicization and polarization of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in the United States
Authors: Earle Elizabeth R.
Published: December 2019

This study examines the recent developments in the #MeToo and Time’s Up Movements in the United States and how these developments have been portrayed in the US media. Through examining examples of US media, this article shows the media’s portrayal of the movement as politicized and polarized changed and developed after the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. The article argues that after Kavanaugh’s appointment, the media began to downplay the tensions of race and class in the #MeToo movement. Instead of focusing on tensions of race and class, the media shifted to focus on the polarization of #MeToo along political party lines.
A new transnational arena? An analysis of cross-border web traffic towards professional online news sites in the Arab world
Authors: Haeuptli Andrea
Published: December 2019

In recent years, Arab news industries have been confronted with an unparalleled increase in demand for journalistic offers. In parallel, Internet penetration throughout the Arab world has increased significantly, leading to a shift of consumption away from traditional channels towards the digital realm. This article addresses the impact of those recent developments on a shared transnational communicative arena throughout the Arab world. It includes geographically disaggregated traffic data of 630 inductively collected professional online news sources. Using a network analysis approach, it has been assessed that indeed, cross-border consumption of professional online news is a common and general feature in the region. Traffic flows between the countries are highly diversified without patterns of sub-segmentation. At the same time, the strength of traffic flows reflects the traditional leading role of the media industries in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Yet, weaker traffic flows between the other Arab countries are common and diverse, leading to a high overall integration of the Arab transnational communicative arena within the digital realm.
Immutability and impermanence in Qiu Zhijie's work: From Buddhism to New Confucianism to Mainland New Confucianism
Authors: Kayser Christine Vial
Published: December 2019

'The need to go back to the past' is central to Qiu Zhijie (b. 1969)'s understanding of human agency, and in consequence is central to his artistic endeavour. By 'the past' Qiu means Chinese (immutable) history and identity, based on a sense of impermanence. Chinese philosophy has informed his work from its beginning in the 1990s, as he imagined calligraphic performances, infused his installations and photographs with explicit references to Buddhist sutras and Koan. Since 2000 he has peppered his discourse and curating practices with implicit references to Confucianism (such as the celebration of the master/student relationship, the search for social harmony). Initial works used a mix of western contemporary and Chinese traditional art forms, and were concerned to the cultivation of the self. The latter have become associated with social aims such as diffusing art to the masses, promoting ancient arts and crafts in curated projects that link the artist's individual development with that of the collective. Qiu designates this holistic aim as 'Total art'. Critics explain Qiu's concept of Total art using the Wagnerian concept ofGesamtkunstwerkor of post-structural criticality of history. Others compare Qiu's endeavour to Republican New Confucianism. Still others consider it as part of Chinese literati tradition, in an ahistorical perspective. We want to emphasize rather its relation to Mainland New Confucianist philosophy that emerged since the millennium, which is characterized by a will to use ontological Chinese values to defend a political vision of Confucianism that is both social and authoritarian, essentially Chinese and opened to the world. This explains how Qiu reconciles his view of 'going to the past', with his participation in the Government's sponsored international programmes. We shall question its consequence on Qiu's position as global 'avant-garde'.
Media life in the Anthropocene
Authors: Bergillos Ignacio
Published: December 2019

This short article focuses on the interrelation of two seemingly invisible phenomena that have a growing influence on our daily lives: on the one hand, our intimate relationship with devices and practices mediated by technology, which make up our media life, and on the other, the great impact that our way of life has on the planet that we inhabit, which invites us to think about our role in the Anthropocene, a new geological era in which human activity is the main agent of change in the Earth’s ecosystems. Regarding these key trends as closely connected gives us the opportunity to find accessible solutions to our daily concerns on environmental issues. In other words, considering our media life in the Anthropocene means to be aware of the challenges that we face while asking ourselves how to claim a responsible use of technology that – in line with our humanity – will help us to confront them.
Green living and the social media connection: The relationship between different media use types and green lifestyle politics among young adults
Authors: Leissner Laura
Published: December 2019

Today, environmental issues are not only communicated by traditional mass media, but they are also posted, shared and discussed in social media. This raises the question of the extent to which social media use also influences real environmental engagement. Using original survey data collected among young adults in Germany, this study demonstrates that social media use is clearly associated with stronger engagement in green lifestyle politics. Further, regarding different motives and forms of social media use, the findings of the study show that active use of social media for informational purposes predicts green lifestyle politics.
Imaging global communications: An ecocritique
Authors: Cubitt Sean
Published: December 2019

Through an overview of historical medals, logos, poems, paintings and engravings, imagery that picks at the gap between the persistence of the local and the deracination of the global enterprise, the article focuses on the visual imaginaries employed to mythologize and to make sense of the reach and power of global media, noting in particular the reduction of land and sea to blank canvases on which communication media superimpose their networks. The article serves as a genealogy of Internet cartography and infographics, attending to the problematic relations between text, numbers, diagrams and pictures and their displacement of environments and localities.
Una revisión sistemática sobre gamificación, motivación y aprendizaje en universitarios
Authors: Prieto Andreu Joel Manuel
Published: December 2019

Los materiales educativos gamificados ponen el acento en la experiencia interactiva del sujeto, en su implicación y toma de decisiones autónoma con relación al objeto de conocimiento, información que no recibe de forma homogénea y pasiva, sino que lo construye a través de la acción personalizada del juego en un entorno digitalizado. La gamificación en educación superior puede aportar a los estudiantes mejores oportunidades para desarrollar habilidades de compromiso, aumentando su motivación y haciéndoles más interesados por lo que están aprendiendo. El propósito de esta revisión es recoger información, sintetizar e integrar los trabajos publicados sobre la influencia de la gamificación con la motivación y el aprendizaje del alumnado. Con ello, se pretende establecer el estado actual de conocimiento sobre gamificación en educación superior, lo que permitirá un mejor planteamiento de futuras líneas de investigación. Se identificaron estudios representativos a través de una búsqueda sistemática en 4 bases de datos: EBSCO SPORTDISCUS, SCOPUS, ISI y SCHOLAR GOOGLE, extrayéndose datos sobre el diseño del estudio, participantes, variables, instrumentos y resultados. Se incluyeron 22 estudios, 19 originales y 3 revisiones de la literatura. La evidencia inicial indica que la gamificación en educación superior motiva al alumnado y mejora su aprendizaje, aportando a los estudiantes universitarios mejores oportunidades para desarrollar habilidades de compromiso. El uso de PBL (Points, Badges y Leaderboards mejora la motivación y se considera como una adecuada combinación de mecánicas en la implementación de cualquier proceso de gamificación en enseñanza superior Se señalan pautas para mantener la motivación y favorecer el aprendizaje en el alumnado.
El cambio educativo ante la innovación tecnológica, la pedagogía de las competencias y el discurso de la educación emocional. Una mirada crítica
Authors: Solé Blanch Jordi
Published: December 2019

El objetivo de este artículo radica en analizar las presiones que recibe el sistema educativo para adaptarlo a las necesidades del mundo económico. Para ello se examinan las direcciones que está tomando en tres planos diferentes. En primer lugar, se aborda el papel de la innovación educativa vinculada al desarrollo de aplicaciones tecnológicas, que no solo está configurando nuevos modelos de enseñanza y aprendizaje, sino también oportunidades de negocio inspiradas en la industria del entretenimiento, amenazando así la continuidad del sistema educativo tal y como lo conocemos hoy en día. En segundo lugar, se examina el enfoque pedagógico de las competencias que, más allá de promover cambios en la cultura escolar, favorece el desarrollo de una visión pragmática y económica de la educación. Finalmente, y partiendo del discurso en torno a la educación competencial y la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples, se analiza el papel que está tomando el fomento de las competencias emocionales en educación a partir de la influencia de la psicología positiva y la industria de la felicidad. Las conexiones entre estos tres planos nos permiten mostrar hasta qué punto contribuyen a configurar subjetividades funcionales a la racionalidad neoliberal que nos gobierna. Ante estas tendencias, cabe reivindicar la renovación del compromiso pedagógico con las nuevas generaciones, que no puede quedar reducido a una formación a la carta dirigida al desarrollo profesional ni a una cultura educativa interesada tan solo en las competencias emocionales y el fomento del espíritu emprendedor. En oposición a las tendencias pedagógicas actuales que defienden un modelo de ciudadanía individualista y psicológico, la perspectiva que sostenemos en este artículo -siguiendo a Hannah Arendt- entiende ese compromiso pedagógico como el esfuerzo permanente por poner en contacto al sujeto con la cultura, el deseo de saber y la apertura a un mundo común.
Experiencia, memoria y responsabilidad: la escuela como lugar de encuentro y donación
Authors: Jaramillo Ocampo Diego Armando , Cortes Morales Erika Jhulyana , Jaramillo Echeverri Luis Guillermo
Published: December 2019

La presente reflexión asume la escuela como lugar de encuentro y experiencias que dejan huella en el cuerpo y nos permite mirar hacia atrás. Retrospectiva donde el maestro reafirma su rol de enseñante, pero a la vez, de enseñado: sensible a la indefensión y exposición del otro. El maestro transmite el mundo y la experiencia de otro tiempo, comunica tanto lo vivido como lo conocido en su propio trayecto formativo; junto a ello, él invita a la trans-formación de cada vida con que se topa, que lo recibe y que, a su vez, también se proyecta de otro modo. Nacimiento de otra experiencia que da apertura a lo nuevo, toda una creación y recreación formativa desplegada en nombre propio y de manera singular que nos agrieta en nuestras propias existencias. De esta manera, experiencia y memoria se trenzan en un gesto de responsabilidad que co-nacen como lugar desinteresado para la enseñanza matizada por el ofrecimiento y la donación de un ser que es para el otro en la medida que da sin medida. El maestro acoge y recibe ante la solicitud del Otro su rostro y su nombre propio en un gesto que se proyecta hacia otro porvenir, un responder que configura distintos modos de relación pedagógica, gracias a una memoria que pasa a ser el sedimento donde se alojan estas experiencias. En este sentido, todo maestro trasciende el adoctrinamiento cuando va hacia el encuentro con el Otro en un cuidado donde la enseñanza pasa a ser donación o entrega, para hacerse responsable de este.
Antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hepatoprotective effect of aqueous and ethyl acetate extract of carob honey in streptozotocin -induced diabetic rats
Authors: El-Haskoury Redouan , Al-Waili Noori , El-Hilaly Jaouad , Al-Waili Waili , Lyoussi Badiaa
Published: December 2019

Aim: The aim of the study included the effect of aqueous extract (AE) and ethyl acetate extract (EAE) on blood sugar in diabetic rats and their effects on liver enzymes and lipid panel in control and diabetic rats. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the EAE was studied in vitro and compared with AE. Materials and Methods: Sugar and antioxidant content of AE and EAE were determined. In vitro antioxidant activity of AE and EAE was estimated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ABTS*+ radical scavenging assay, ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay, and total antioxidant assay. To study the effect of the extracts on blood glucose level (BGL), lipid profile, and liver function in non-diabetic and diabetic rats, five groups of six rats each were treated with distilled water, AE, EAE, glibenclamide (GLB), and sucrose for 8 days. Plasma glucose level (PGL), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), transaminases (alanine transaminase [ALT] and aspartate transaminase [AST]), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined. The effect of the interventions on BGL after acute administration also was investigated. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin injection. Results: EAE contains significantly lower content of fructose and glucose than AE (p<0.05), and it has no sucrose. AE and EAE exhibited a significant antioxidant activity and high antioxidant content; the antioxidant content was higher in AE than EAE (p<0.05). In diabetic rats, acute treatment by AE increased PGL, while EAE significantly lowered BGL as compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Both interventions significantly decreased BGL as compared to the sucrose treated group in diabetic rats (p<0.05). EAE was more potent than GLB. Sucrose caused 13% increment in BGL after 8 days of induction of diabetes, while AE caused only 1.3% increment. Daily treatment by EAE decreased significantly AST, ALT, ALP, and TC. EAE decreased significantly TC and TG level in diabetic rats in comparison to the untreated diabetic group. Conclusion: The study showed for the 1st time that EAE has more hypoglycemic effect than AE, and both extracts prevent the increment in BGL on day 8 after induction of diabetes observed in the control and sucrose treated group. EAE significantly ameliorated the lipid and liver function disorders induced by diabetes.
Association Between Metformin Use and Risk of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Qiao-Li , Santoni Giola , Ness-Jensen Eivind , Lagergren Jesper , Xie Shao-Hua
Published: December 2019

OBJECTIVES:

Esophageal cancer is a highly fatal malignant neoplasm, with 2 etiologically different histological types. A large prospective study is expected to elucidate the specific risk of the 90% subtype of esophageal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), with metformin therapy. This study aims to determine the association between metformin use and incident ESCC risk.

METHODS:

This was a nationwide population-based prospective cohort study conducted in Sweden in 2005–2015. Among 8.4 million participants identified in the cohort, 411,603 (5%) were metformin users. The users were compared with 10 times as many frequency-matched nonusers of metformin (n = 4,116,030) by age and sex. Metformin use was treated as a time-varying variate, and multivariable cause-specific proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ESCC, adjusted for age, sex, calendar year, residence area, tobacco smoking, alcohol overconsumption, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or statins.

RESULTS:

The incidence rates of ESCC were 3.5 per 100,000 person-years among the metformin users and 5.3 per 100,000 person-years in the nonusers. Metformin users overall were at a decreased risk of ESCC compared with nonusers (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.54–0.85). The decrease in risk was more pronounced in new metformin users (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28–0.64) and participants aged 60–69 years (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.31–0.66).

DISCUSSION:

Metformin use decreases the risk of developing ESCC.
Fulminant Liver Failure due to Hepatitis B Reactivation During Treatment With Tocilizumab
Authors: Sonneveld Milan J. , Murad S. Darwish , van der Eijk A.A. , de Man R.A.
Published: December 2019

Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the interleukin-6 receptor that is frequently used for the treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis. Since patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were excluded from pivotal trials, the risk of HBV reactivation with this novel drug class remains uncertain. We present the first case of tocilizumab-associated HBV reactivation resulting in fulminant hepatic failure and a need for liver transplant. Our findings underscore the need for prophylactic antiviral therapy in patients being treated with novel immunosuppressive agents.
Designing an Aesthetic Learner Experience: UX, Instructional Design, and Design Pedagogy
Authors: Gray Colin M. , Parsons Paul , Toombs Austin L. , Rasche Nancy , Vorvoreanu Mihaela
Published: December 2019

In this design case, we describe a multi-year process during which a team of faculty designed a four-year undergraduate major in user experience (UX) design at a large research-intensive institution. We document the program- and course-level design experiences of five faculty members. This multi-year process has culminated in a dual-strand, integrated studio learning environment. Two types of studios—“learning” and “experience” studios—form the core of the program, with learning studios allowing cohort-specific skills development and practice, and experience studios providing cross-cohort opportunities to work on industry projects. We detail our process of developing this course sequence and the program-level connecting points among the courses, identifying institutional supports and barriers, the unique and varied skillsets of the involved faculty, and the growing agency and competence of our students in the program.
Performance measurement in product development process (PDP): literature review and gaps for further research
Authors: Cazeri Gustavo Tietz , Ordoñez Robert Eduardo Cooper , Anholon Rosley , Pereira Caroline Morito , Rodrigues Edilson Alves
Published: December 2019

Goal: this paper performs a literature review to identify and analyze the main themes related to PDP performance measurement and presents the gaps for further exploration.

Design / Methodology / Approach: this paper searches the main bases of academic data in order to find scientific papers related to PDP performance measurement and classify them on five main themes: design performance; human resources; knowledge resources; financial performance, and literature review.

Results: the results show that more than fifty percent of the papers are associated with knowledge resource issues and the principal gaps to be explored are associated with design performance, human resources, financial performance and literature review.

Limitations of the investigation: the main limitation is related to the bases of academic data. Additional papers available on different bases can lead to different results.   

Practical implications: this paper intends to make a contribution to academia and practitioners as it shows gaps on PDP performance measurement research that can be better explored.

Originality / Value: to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study that evaluates a literature review for PDP performance measurement. This work contributes to the literature by presenting the directions for further PDP performance measurement research.
Knowledge extraction on international markets from patent bases: a study on green patents
Authors: Bretas Wagner Viana , Morais Alline Sardinha Cordeiro , Hora Henrique Rego Monteiro da , Azevedo Filho Edson Terra
Published: December 2019

Goal: This article aims to propose a model for stratifying technological information from meta-data contained in international patent bases, capable of supporting the strategic decision making that potentiates actions directed to foreign trade.

Design / Methodology / Approach: This applied research was based on the KDD - Knowledge Discovery in Databases methodology and carried out a study focused on green patents. Patent bibliographic data published in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) from 2003 to 2012, focusing on alternative energies, more precisely on biofuels, were obtained from the Derwent database, with the search string based on the Green Patents IPC Inventory, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). After treatment and sanitization, more than 36,000 resulting records were performed under C4.5 algorithm, denominated J-48 from the software Weka, resulting in Brazil as the destination country.

Results: A decision tree was established, in which Mexico was highlighted as the main discretionary country. It was also verified the adhesion of the other emerging countries, which, along with Brazil, compose the BRICS.

Limitations of the investigation: The proposed model is limited to areas that show intensive use of technology in products and processes.

Practical implications: It could be inferred that the proposed method can help companies to identify international markets more sensitive to a certain technology, from a free database, reliable and capable of being used by micro and small companies.

Originality / Value:  In scientific communication, it is not easy to find Data mining applied to Patent database, and in this study, BRICS cluster were identified in Green patents WIPO deposit.
Digital music, online outlets and their business models
Authors: Nakano Davi
Published: December 2019

Goal: to describe the current configuration of digital music distribution, and to give an overview of the business practices adopted by digital music outlets.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Longitudinal study using descriptive statistics and cluster analysis on two datasets collected in 2011 and 2018.

Results: Three clusters were identified in 2011: paid download, music streaming, and video streaming. Data shows that, in 2018, although streaming was the predominant technical mode, many outlets still applied the paid download business model (BM), and that cluster presented the highest survival rate. Large outlets used streaming, but the specialized ones still adhered to download, and catalog specialization and consumer behavior are the explaining factors.

Limitations of the investigation: Data was gathered from 70 digital outlets operating in two major digital markets, USA and UK, but some large ones, such as Korea and Japan, were not analyzed.

Practical implications: While a dominant technology prevails on mass markets, old technologies can still be adopted in niche markets, due to market limitations and consumer behavior. Thus, even in concentrated markets, small competitors can benefit from exploring segments with special needs that are not addressed by large players.

Originality/Value: There are few quantitative studies and longitudinal analyses on digital music business models.
Social Changes and Adaptation Strategy among Bugis Community in Karimunjawa
Authors: Suliyati Titiek , Rochwulaningsih Yety
Published: December 2019

This study proofing on the existence of Bugis community who lived in Karimunjawa for a long time. As ethnic migrants, Bugis ethnic community have a strong spiritual value, which is accumulated in their wandering philosophy. The philosophy ofpalettui alemu riolo tejjokamu is believed to bethe driver of their high work ethic and adaptation to the environment. In Karimunjawa, Bugis lives in several places such as in Parang village and the biggest settlement of Bugis ethnic community in Kemujan village. Bugis culture and tradition also color their lives such as tradition related to birth, the rite of transition from childhood to adolescence, marriage, death, and other tradition associated with the commemoration of religious holidays. After a long time interacting with the local community and communities of various ethnicities, they experience social changes related to changes in livelihoods, structures, and forms of the settlement, ideology, education, and so on. In line with the development of the tourism sector in Karimunjawa, Bugis people began to exploit their culture and tradition for the tourism sector such as Bugis houses built on shores for tourist lodging. The problem is that will the influx of tourists affect and erode Bugis culture in Karimunjawa? This article is intended to provide a better understanding of social change and the strategy of preserving Bugis ethnic culture in Karimunjawa. Data collection was performed by observation and field study as well as in-depth interviews. Informant selection was performed randomly to obtain homogeneous and purposive samples in order to find the appropriate informant according to the topic of research and snowball sampling to find an informant who knows the research problems based on the recommendation of other parties.
The Berber in the Texts of the Algerian Constitutions. Analysis of Discursive Practices. Discursive and Jurilinguistic Approaches
Authors: Boukherrouf Ramdane
Published: December 2019

Our contribution consists in analyzing the discursive practices of the three Algerian constitutional texts (1996, 2002, and 2016) dedicated to the constitutionalisation of the Amazigh language. It is about showing and putting in evidence, through a textual and pragmatic analysis of these texts, the status and the definition that has been scattered over the national territory. To carry out our analysis, we will mainly appeal to the field of jurilinguistics. Moreover, the Amazigh language is defined in the constitution as a set of certified varieties throughout the national territory.
LEX.CH.IT: A Corpus for Micro-Diachronic Linguistic Investigations of Swiss Normative Acts in Italian
Authors: Canavese Paolo
Published: December 2019

The aim of this paper is to present LEX.CH.IT, a corpus for micro-diachronic linguistic investigations of Swiss normative acts in Italian. Italian has a peculiar position as an official minority translation language within the Swiss institutional system. Until now, few studies have focused on Swiss legal Italian, but the academic interest has been growing over the last two decades. In order to further expand on research in this field, resources such as corpora are fundamental. This is why LEX.CH.IT has been compiled. This corpus was originally created in the context of a doctoral research project, which will be briefly outlined in this paper. The main goals of the project are to determine whether clarity is a feature of Swiss legislation in Italian, whether there have been relevant evolutions over the last five decades and to assess the role of translation for a clear legislation. In the future, LEX.CH.IT could also be useful for a number of other projects aiming to shed light on the features of this language variety.
Estimates by gap potentials of free homotopy decompositions of critical Sobolev maps
Authors: Schaftingen Jean Van
Published: December 2019

A free homotopy decomposition of any continuous map from a compact Riemannian manifold 𝓜 to a compact Riemannian manifold 𝓝 into a finite number maps belonging to a finite set is constructed, in such a way that the number of maps in this free homotopy decomposition and the number of elements of the set to which they belong can be estimated a priori by the critical Sobolev energy of the map inWs,p(𝓜, 𝓝), withsp=m= dim 𝓜. In particular, when the fundamental groupπ1(𝓝) acts trivially on the homotopy groupπm(𝓝), the number of homotopy classes to which a map can belong can be estimated by its Sobolev energy. The estimates are particular cases of estimates under a boundedness assumption on gap potentials of the form

$$\begin{array}{} \displaystyle \iint\limits_{\substack{(x, y) \in \mathcal{M} \times \mathcal{M} \\ d_\mathcal{N} (f (x), f (y)) \ge \varepsilon}} \frac{1}{d_\mathcal{M} (y, x)^{2 m}} \, \mathrm{d} y \, \mathrm{d}x. \end{array}$$

Whenm≥ 2, the estimates scale optimally asε→ 0. Whenm= 1, the total variation of the maps appearing in the decomposition can be controlled by the gap potential. Linear estimates on the Hurewicz homomorphism and the induced cohomology homomorphism are also obtained.
The anti-corrosion behaviour of Satureja montana L. extract on iron in NaCl solution
Authors: Pilić Zora , Dragičević Ivan , Martinović Ivana
Published: December 2019

The effect ofSatureja montana L. extract (SM) and phenolic fraction ofSatureja montanaL. (PF) on the corrosion behaviour of iron in 0.1 mol L-1sodium chloride solution was studied by electrochemical techniques, UV/Vis spectrophotometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. The results of all techniques showed that SM and PF contributed to iron corrosion inhibition. The calculated inhibition efficiency values were about 45% for SM and 55% for PF. Results indicate that the inhibitive action occurs via a precipitation of the Fe-complex onto the iron surface which resulting in a decrease of the passive current density. The atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method was applied to the quantitative determination of iron in solution. The obtained results demonstrated good agreement with results obtained by electrochemical techniques.
Writer Identity Construction Revisited: Stance, Voice, Self, and Identity in Academic Written Discourse
Authors: Li Ying , Deng Liming
Published: December 2019

Recent research on academic discourse has revealed the intersection of writing and writer identity construction. However, some terms that are being used in writer identity study are sometimes not only interchangeably used without making an explicit connection between them but also used in a way that may cause misunderstanding. The paper is intended to tease out four key terms, namely, stance, voice, self, and identity so that the respective role that each plays in academic written discourse can be differentiated on the one hand, and their interrelationship can be clarified on the other. It is hoped that such a panoramic picture can offer some pedagogical implications for academic writing teaching and research and provide some insights into the research on writer identity construction in academic written discourse as well.
Personal and Social Voices in Written Discourse Revisited1
Authors: Bagheri Fatemeh , Deng Liming
Published: December 2019

For years, personal and social voices have been the issue of discussion on voice construction in written discourse (e.g., Elbow, 1999; Flowerdew, 2011; Hyland, 2002, 2010a, 2012b; Mauranen, 2013; Ramanathan & Atkinson, 1999; Tardy, 2005). However, there is a lack of an integrated examination of the dimensions which determine voice construction in writing from personal and social perspectives. This article re-examines the issue of voice construction through a critical review of previous literature on identity in written discourse. It is argued that there are five major dimensions for the construction of voice in written discourse. How writers appropriate their voice according to such five dimensions as genre, transition, culture, discipline and audience will be discussed. This paper lends further support to the view that voice in written discourse is both personal and social. As it is known, good writing expresses both personal and social voices. However, based on the dominant dimension(s), voice construction should be adjusted. Sometimes personal voice is boldly expressed; sometimes social voice is; and some other times the boundary between the two is unnoticeable. The study provides an integrated framework as well as pedagogical implications for the teaching of academic writing within L1 and L2 contexts.
A Corpus-Based Comparative Study of Generality in Chinese EFL Students’ and International Scholars’ Stance in Academic Writing
Authors: Liu Yingliang , Liu Jiaying
Published: December 2019

Authorial stance has attracted increasing attention in the study of second language writing. Many studies have focused on certainty in students’ academic writing, but little attention has been paid to generality in students’ academic stance. Employing a corpus-based approach, this study investigates features of generality in Chinese EFL students’ stance in academic writing through comparison with the writing of international scholars. Results show that the Chinese EFL students employed significantly more generalization markers than international scholars in their academic writing, while the international scholars used more qualified generalizations. Moreover, clear differences in the focus of generalization markers and in the distribution of qualified generalizations were found, though the two groups exhibit similar tendencies in the functions of these generalization features. The findings suggest that Chinese EFL students tend to generalize their claims to a larger scope in order to make their academic writing more persuasive, leaving an impression of exaggeration and overstatement, whereas international scholars are more likely to restrict the use of generality markers in their academic writing, making more circumscribed claims. The results have practical and pedagogical implications for second language academic writing instruction.