bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asian Migrants of the Middle in Local and Global Context
Authors: Robertson Shanthi
Published: September 2021

This chapter establishes the empirical context of migration from Asia to Australia in the 21st century and makes a set of arguments around the empirical value of studying these middling forms of migration. It explores the wider contexts of 21st-century, middle-class Asian migration, as well as establishes the use of the term 'middling mobility' to describe the experiences of the research participants. It argues that an analysis of more 'middling' forms of mobility can be useful in drawing out some of the paradoxes and tensions of mobile lives in which friction and fluidity, hypermobility and immobility, and precarity and security, often coexist and intertwine at different stages and in different ways. It seeks to show that researching migrant lives 'in the middle' can usefully highlight often hidden nuances around the interrelationships of temporality and mobility, and of spatial mobility and social mobility, by opening up analysis of the uneven experiences that exist between the liminality of the migrant precariat and the fluidity of the mobile elite.
Times of Work: Transified Workers and Contingent Careers
Authors: Robertson Shanthi
Published: September 2021

This chapter addresses how, for 'middling migrants' from Asia in Australia, hegemonic flexibility and the transification of migration create new forms of mobile labour and new career pathways; transform lived experiences of work time; and shape understandings of the self in relation to time and work. It argues primarily here that young and middling migrants become 'transified workers' whose careers are made up of contingent rather than teleological processes. Perceptions about young middling migrants' asynchronous temporalities and mobilities characterize them as undesirable transified workers, creating specific worker subjectivities and specific experiences of finding and retaining work. This characterization shapes their opportunities in the short and long term as well as their immediate and ongoing relationships to employers when they do find work. There is a fundamental tension between imaginaries of careers as teleological progressions and the realities of careers as temporally contingent under the conditions of hegemonic flexibility and the transification of migration. Contingency consists of unexpected detours, new dependencies and circumstances, and reimagined aspirations and desires, all framed within a sense of mobility as always unfinished and the future as ever uncertain. Transified work and contingent careers may intensify embodied time, daily schedules and the sense of the passage of time, creating dissonant, uncomfortable velocities that interlocutors felt they had little control over. Despite the significance of work to middling migrants' aspirations, it is important to understand their lives beyond their engagements with the labour market, as lifestyle, love and attachments to place, coloured their decisions and experiences just as much as their careers.
Democracy
Authors: Devellennes Charles
Published: September 2021

This chapter deals with democracy and Rousseau's participative polity. The demands of positive freedom are also those of the political body, constituted of citizens, to organize itself. The chapter explores this ever-important notion. No freedom can be complete without a fully democratized state — and this includes the subjection of the economy to public rule. The national dimension of the movement is clearly established. Although it is largely working class, it has involved many other segments of society and can best be described as a movement of the small-middle stratum of citizens — either lower-middle class or upper-working class — what is described as 'the small-mean class'. It has been foreshadowed by police tactics against the banlieues; it has involved the most modest parts of French society directly, who have largely contributed to the movement, the middle classes, who have been commenting on it and trying to portray it as a jacquerie, or peasant revolt, and the upper classes, who have seen their iconic boulevards closed off and vandalized.
Economic Justice
Authors: Devellennes Charles
Published: September 2021

This chapter deals with economic justice and Rawls' difference principle. Macronism is not a uniquely French phenomenon. Like Thatcherism and Reaganism, it reflects a consensus between the winners of globalization and the economic order of a post-Cold-War world. The small-mean class, comprised of the working classes as well as the lower-middle class that largely form the movement of the gilets jaunes, has been sacrificed at the altar of austerity, privatization and the retreat of the state from social services. The particular brand of liberal-libertarianism being promoted by Macron is reminiscent of the worst aspects of Rawls and Nozick — with small amounts of wealth redistribution justifying large inequalities, and a laissez-faire economic model for those at the very top. A new social contract is desperately needed, one that gives economic concerns their proper weight and addresses the need for justice and solidarity discussed in this chapter.
Organization(s) of the World
Authors: Koch Martin
Published: September 2021

This chapter investigates the emergence of the idea of international organization in the nineteenth century and argues that the perception of organization for the world accompanied the foundation of states from the very beginning. It clarifies how the emergence of states is not a precondition for international organization, as states and international organization are co-constitutive. It also describes the period between the Congress of Vienna and World War I as the founding period of world organization, the phase when the idea of organizing and organizations emerged in several fields of society. The chapter shows that the idea of organizing is deeply rooted in debates among legal scholars in the nineteenth century, and that the idea of world organization contained a more comprehensive and encompassing understanding of the world. It demonstrates how organizing the world took place in different forms that are still relevant today or have been reinvigorated in recent years.
The Politics of Building Civic Tech
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter evaluates the technical and political trials involved in building a suite of open data tools by charting the development of the Dublin Dashboard. Building a city dashboard is a good way to gain an in-depth knowledge of how civic tech can be created using open data, and the politics and praxes involved. Like the process for creating the original city dashboard, the redevelopment of the Dublin Dashboard and production of the Cork Dashboard involved a significant amount of planning, negotiation, and trial and error. Just as these processes and institutional landscape have an effect on how a dashboard is created, the collective manufacture of dashboards reshapes institutions and their practices. How we design dashboards, and what data are included and how they are displayed, influences what knowledge is learned and how it is applied. Importantly, given that dashboards are a key means by which operators monitor urban infrastructure within control rooms, this mutability directly shapes the nature of data driven urbanism and how our cities are managed and run.
Recommended Life
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter addresses how profiling and social sorting shape consumption and entertainment through recommendations and nudges. It looks at a conversation between a man and his grandchild while they were deciding what to watch. The grandchild mentioned a movie which Netflix says is a 96-per cent match to his tastes. He explains that Netflix tracks what he watches and whether he likes something, then suggests other programmes it thinks he might like. The man then talks about the importance of pushing one's boundaries and getting exposed to new stories, ideas, and genres to learn stuff and cultivate new tastes. When the conversation turned to the news, the grandchild mentions Facebook, which he claims is another thing that only shows him what it wants him to see. He also talks about targeted ads and algorithms.
The One-Dimensionality of Data
Authors: Timcke Scott
Published: September 2021

This chapter turns to questions about the social life of data. It uses the case study of econometrics to look at how datafication disproportionately shapes the comprehension of reality. The goal in this chapter is to demonstrate how econometrics as a mode of knowledge production understands, organizes and controls social life the world over. There are several steps involved in this argument. First, it reviews how Acemoglu and Robinson, as emblematic of orthodox Anglo-American political economy, conceptualize their symbolic reasoning, and how this quantification comes to mediate social phenomena, thereby determining them as objects. It builds upon these observations through undertaking a selective historical analysis on the role of statistical inquiry during European state formation as it relates to accomplishing economic growth. The remaining sections employ Western Marxism's critique of quantification to highlight what is at stake in the symbolic reordering of social life as well as what kinds of mystifications are courted by econometrics.
Normative Power? China Solutions for the World
Authors: Breslin Shaun
Published: September 2021

The chapter traces the changing way that China has been thought of as offering a normative alternative to dominant western/liberal preferences over the years. Its main focus is on how, under Xi Jinping, there has been a new confidence in challenging some of the norms and principles that underpin the existing world order. It traces the origins of alternative Chinese thinking, and returns to the processes of occidentalism, whereby an idealised and essentialised China is established as the exact opposite of the equally essentialised (and negative) West. It outlines why Chinese wisdom is said to create a ‘China Solution’ for global governance deficits in a number of issue areas. It is also explained as providing solutions for national development dilemmas for others; perhaps not yet the active promotion of a clear Chinese model that others should follow, but solutions which are said to have ‘transcended’ previous dominant developmental thinking.
What, Then, for 21st-Century Places?
Authors: Reades Jonathan , Crookston Martin
Published: September 2021

We draw together from Chapters 2–6 many of the factors that will push and pull activities and people to and from our cities over the next few decades. For the great World Cities, the future looks like continued employment growth overall, but reduced dependence on large floorplates and serried ranks of desks. Digitisation will bite ever deeper, and give greater flexibility to support home- and remote-workers, but the wider benefits of agglomeration and clustering will still work in favour of these cities. For other places, the challenges are even greater: ranging down from the other major conurbations to freestanding market towns, medium-sized former industrial towns, places in the hinterlands of the World Cities, and University Towns as a particular form of advanced service centre. All will need careful understanding of scale, location and interrelationships in creating effective public policy for cities and regions - with implications for developers, investors and policymakers alike.
Optoelectronic manipulation of bio-droplets containing cells or macromolecules by active ferroelectric platforms
Authors: Puerto Andrés , Bella José L. , López-Fernández Carmen , García-Cabañes Angel , Carrascosa Mercedes
Published: September 2021

Photovoltaic optoelectronic tweezers are a useful platform with many applications in optical manipulation and nanotechnology. They are based on electrical forces associated with the bulk photovoltaic effect presented by certain ferroelectric crystals, such as Fe doped lithium niobate. This manipulation technique has experienced huge developments in recent years, although its use in biology and biomedicine is still scarce. Recently, a novel strategy has been reported that extends the platform capabilities to the manipulation of polar droplets, such as water and aqueous bio-droplets, promising great potential for biological applications. In this work, we are taking this challenge, addressing the manipulation of cells and macromolecules contained inside the droplets by optoelectronic ferroelectric platforms. On the one hand, experiments of photoelectric induced migration of DNA and sperm droplets have been successfully developed and the corresponding droplet dynamics have been analyzed in depth. From this analysis, parameters of the biomaterial such as its concentration and its electrical charge have been evaluated, showing the sensing capabilities of the platform. In fact, the charge of sperm cells has been demonstrated to be negative, and the relative sperm concentration of the samples determined. On the other hand, experiments on the light-induced merging of two droplets have been carried out. Specifically, sperm droplets are mixed with droplets containing acridine orange, a convenient dye for visualization purposes. The spermatozoa become clearly visible in the final droplet through fluorescence imaging. The results point out the multiple possibilities of application of the optoelectronic ferroelectric platform in biology and biomedicine including the development of “lab on a chip” devices. Hence, these capabilities introduce these platforms as an efficient tool in biotechnology.
114 nm broadband all-fiber nonlinear polarization rotation mode locked-laser and time-stretch optical coherence tomography
Authors: Chen Hongjie , Li Yujia , Huang Dongmei , Li Feng , Lu Chao , Wai P. K. A.
Published: September 2021

We propose and demonstrate an all-fiber Er-doped mode-locked laser with a 3-dB spectrum of 114 nm by using nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR), which to the best of our knowledge is the first realization to date of such a broad spectrum without any spatial optical devices. The repetition rate and pulse width of the laser are 183.6 MHz and 3.7 ps, respectively. Such an all-fiber NPR mode-locked laser is then applied in time-stretch optical coherence tomography. The axial resolution is 12.1 µm. The all-fiber high speed broadband swept laser based on the time stretching technique has compact structure and high stability, which is a promising source for frequency metrology and high resolution optical coherence tomography.
Confidence map tool for gradient-based X-ray phase contrast imaging
Authors: Stolidi Adrien , Giakoumakis Georges , Primot Jérôme , Jarnac Amélie , Tisseur David
Published: September 2021

We present a graphical tool that we call a "confidence map". It allows to evaluate locally the quality of a phase image retrieved from the measurement of its gradients. The tool is primarily used to alert the observer to the presence of artifacts that could affect his interpretation of the image. It can also be used to optimize a phase imager since it associates a cause with the creation of each artifact: dislocation, under-sampling and noise. An illustration of the use of the confidence map tool is presented, based on a microfocus X-ray tube using multilateral shearing interferometry, a gradient based phase contrast technique employing a single 2D-grating.
Praseodymium mid-infrared emission in AlF3-based glass sensitized by ytterbium
Authors: Zhang Jiquan , Liu Mo , Yu Jin , Wang Ruicong , Jia Shijie , Liu Zijun , Farrell Gerald , Wang Shunbin , Wang Pengfei
Published: September 2021

Broadband emission was obtained over 2.6 to 4.1 μm (Pr3+: 1G4→3F4, 3F3) in AlF3-based glass samples doped with different concentrations of praseodymium and 1 mol% ytterbium using a 976 nm laser pump. An efficient energy transfer process from Yb3+: 2F5/2 to Pr3+: 1G4 was analyzed through emission spectra and fluorescence lifetime values. The absorption and emission cross-sections were calculated by Füchtbauer-Ladenburg and McCumber theories and a positive gain can be obtained when P>0.3. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work represents the first report of broadband mid-infrared emission of Pr3+ in an AlF3-based glass. The results show that praseodymium doped AlF3-based glass sensitized by ytterbium could be a promising candidate for fiber lasers operating in mid-infrared region.
End-to-end sensor and neural network design using differential ray tracing
Authors: Halé A. , Trouvé-Peloux P. , Volatier J.-B.
Published: September 2021

In this paper we propose a new method to jointly design a sensor and its neural-network based processing. Using a differential ray tracing (DRT) model, we simulate the sensor point-spread function (PSF) and its partial derivative with respect to any of the sensor lens parameters. The proposed ray tracing model makes no thin lens nor paraxial approximation, and is valid for any field of view and point source position. Using the gradient backpropagation framework for neural network optimization, any of the lens parameter can then be jointly optimized along with the neural network parameters. We validate our method for image restoration applications using three proves of concept of focus setting optimization of a given sensor. We provide here interpretations of the joint optical and processing optimization results obtained with the proposed method in these simple cases. Our method paves the way to end-to-end design of a neural network and lens using the complete set of optical parameters within the full sensor field of view.
Tunable optical filter using phase change materials for smart IR night vision applications
Authors: Heenkenda Remona , Hirakawa Keigo , Sarangan Andrew
Published: September 2021

In this paper we present a tunable filter using Ge2Sb2Se4Te1 (GSST) phase change material. The design principle of the filter is based on a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) cavity operating in the reflection mode. This is intended for night vision applications that utilize 850nm as the illumination source. The filter allows us to selectively reject the 850nm band in one state. This is illustrated through several daytime and nighttime imaging applications.
A model of naturalistic decision making in preference tests
Authors: Ksander John , Katz Donald B. , Miller Paul
Published: September 2021

Decisions as to whether to continue with an ongoing activity or to switch to an alternative are a constant in an animal’s natural world, and in particular underlie foraging behavior and performance in food preference tests. Stimuli experienced by the animal both impact the choice and are themselves impacted by the choice, in a dynamic back and forth. Here, we present model neural circuits, based on spiking neurons, in which the choice to switch away from ongoing behavior instantiates this back and forth, arising as a state transition in neural activity. We analyze two classes of circuit, which differ in whether state transitions result from a loss of hedonic input from the stimulus (an “entice to stay” model) or from aversive stimulus-input (a “repel to leave” model). In both classes of model, we find that the mean time spent sampling a stimulus decreases with increasing value of the alternative stimulus, a fact that we linked to the inclusion of depressing synapses in our model. The competitive interaction is much greater in “entice to stay” model networks, which has qualitative features of the marginal value theorem, and thereby provides a framework for optimal foraging behavior. We offer suggestions as to how our models could be discriminatively tested through the analysis of electrophysiological and behavioral data.
Phenotypic-dependent variability and the emergence of tolerance in bacterial populations
Authors: Camacho Mateu José , Sireci Matteo , Muñoz Miguel A.
Published: September 2021

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics have been historically regarded as unfolding at broadly separated timescales. However, these two types of processes are nowadays well-documented to intersperse much more tightly than traditionally assumed, especially in communities of microorganisms. Advancing the development of mathematical and computational approaches to shed novel light onto eco-evolutionary problems is a challenge of utmost relevance. With this motivation in mind, here we scrutinize recent experimental results showing evidence of rapid evolution of tolerance by lag in bacterial populations that are periodically exposed to antibiotic stress in laboratory conditions. In particular, the distribution of single-cell lag times—i.e., the times that individual bacteria from the community remain in a dormant state to cope with stress—evolves its average value to approximately fit the antibiotic-exposure time. Moreover, the distribution develops right-skewed heavy tails, revealing the presence of individuals with anomalously large lag times. Here, we develop a parsimonious individual-based model mimicking the actual demographic processes of the experimental setup. Individuals are characterized by a single phenotypic trait: their intrinsic lag time, which is transmitted with variation to the progeny. The model—in a version in which the amplitude of phenotypic variations grows with the parent’s lag time—is able to reproduce quite well the key empirical observations. Furthermore, we develop a general mathematical framework allowing us to describe with good accuracy the properties of the stochastic model by means of a macroscopic equation, which generalizes the Crow-Kimura equation in population genetics. Even if the model does not account for all the biological mechanisms (e.g., genetic changes) in a detailed way—i.e., it is a phenomenological one—it sheds light onto the eco-evolutionary dynamics of the problem and can be helpful to design strategies to hinder the emergence of tolerance in bacterial communities. From a broader perspective, this work represents a benchmark for the mathematical framework designed to tackle much more general eco-evolutionary problems, thus paving the road to further research avenues.
Increasingly expanded future risk of dengue fever in the Pearl River Delta, China
Authors: Wu Wei , Ren Hongyan , Lu Liang
Published: September 2021

Background

In recent years, frequent outbreaks of dengue fever (DF) have become an increasingly serious public health issue in China, especially in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) with fast socioeconomic developments. Previous studies mainly focused on the historic DF epidemics, their influencing factors, and the prediction of DF risks. However, the future risks of this disease under both different socioeconomic development and representative concentration pathways (RCPs) scenarios remain little understood.

Methodology and principal findings

In this study, a spatial dataset of gross domestic product (GDP), population density, and land use and land coverage (LULC) in 2050 and 2070 was obtained by simulation based on the different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), and the future climatic data derived from the RCP scenarios were integrated into the Maxent models for predicting the future DF risk in the PRD region. Among all the variables included in this study, socioeconomics factors made the dominant contribution (83% or so) during simulating the current spatial distribution of the DF epidemics in the PRD region. Moreover, the spatial distribution of future DF risk identified by the climatic and socioeconomic (C&S) variables models was more detailed than that of the climatic variables models. Along with global warming and socioeconomic development, the zones with DF high and moderate risk will continue to increase, and the population at high and moderate risk will reach a maximum of 48.47 million (i.e., 63.78% of the whole PRD) under the RCP 4.5/SSP2 in 2070.

Conclusions

The increasing DF risk may be an inevitable public health threat in the PRD region with rapid socioeconomic developments and global warming in the future. Our results suggest that curbs in emissions and more sustainable socioeconomic growth targets offer hope for limiting the future impact of dengue, and effective prevention and control need to continue to be strengthened at the junction of Guangzhou-Foshan, north-central Zhongshan city, and central-western Dongguan city. Our study provides useful clues for relevant hygienic authorities making targeted adapting strategies for this disease.
Distribution, dynamics, and physiological races of wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici) on irrigated wheat in the Awash River Basin of Ethiopia
Authors: Yesuf Nurhussein Seid , Getahun Sileshi , Hassen Shiferaw , Alemayehu Yoseph , Danu Kitessa Gutu , Alemu Zemedkun , Tesfaye Tsegaab , Hei Netsanet Bacha , Blasch Gerald
Published: September 2021

Wheat is one of the high-value major crops in the world. However, wheat stem rust is considered one of the determinant threats to wheat production in Ethiopia and the world. So this study was conducted to assess the disease intensity, seasonal distribution dynamics pattern, the genetic variability of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, and to determine the virulence spectrum in the irrigated ecology of the Awash River Basin. Totally 137 wheat farms were evaluated, from 2014/15–2019/20 in six districts representing the Upper, Middle, and Lower Awash River Basin. Farm plots were assessed, in every 5–10 km intervals, with ’X’ fashion, and data on disease incidence, severity, healthy plants were counted and recorded. Diseased samples were collected from the diseased wheat stem by Puccinia graminis physiological and genetic race analysis. The seasonal trend of stem rust disease progress showed its importance to infer the future progresses of the disease for the country’s potential production plan of irrigated wheat. The result revealed that the disease prevalence, disease incidence, and severity were significantly varied; among the different districts and seasons in the two regions. The survey results also indicated that about 71.7% of the wheat fields were affected by stem rust during the 2018/19 growing period. The disease’s overall incidence and mean severity during the same season were 49.02% and 29.27%, respectively. In 2019/20, about 63.7% of the wheat fields were affected by stem rust, disease incidence 30.97%, and severity 17.22% were lower than the previous season. In 2019/20, even though seasonal disease distribution decreased, the spatial distribution was expanding in Afambo and Dubti districts. Four, stem rust dominant races were identified (TTTTF, TKTTF TKKTF, and TTKTF) by physiological and genetic race analysis during 2018/19 and one additional race (TKPTF) in 2019/20, production year. The result indicated that the races are highly virulent and affect most Sr genes except Sr31 and Sr24. From the race analysis result, TTTTF, and TKKTF have the broadest virulence spectrum race, which affects 90% of the Sr genes. Generally, we can conclude that the spatial and seasonal distribution of the disease is expanding. Most of the races in the irrigated areas in the Basin were similar to that of rain-fed wheat production belts in Ethiopia, so care must be given, to effective management of the diseases, in both production ecologies towards controlling the spore pressure than race variability. Therefore, these findings provide inputs for wheat producers to reduce the spread and disease’ damage in the irrigated ecologies of Ethiopia. Also, it gives an insight for breeders to think about the breeding program in their crossing lines.
Genome-wide identification of ZF-HD gene family in Triticum aestivum: Molecular evolution mechanism and function analysis
Authors: Niu Hongli , Xia Pengliang , Hu Yifeng , Zhan Chuang , Li Yiting , Gong Shuangjun , Li Yan , Ma Dongfang
Published: September 2021

ZF-HD family genes play important roles in plant growth and development. Studies about the whole genome analysis of ZF-HD gene family have been reported in some plant species. In this study, the whole genome identification and expression profile of the ZF-HD gene family were analyzed for the first time in wheat. A total of 37 TaZF-HD genes were identified and divided into TaMIF and TaZHD subfamilies according to the conserved domain. The phylogeny tree of the TaZF-HD proteins was further divided into six groups based on the phylogenetic relationship. The 37 TaZF-HDs were distributed on 18 of 21 chromosomes, and almost all the genes had no introns. Gene duplication and Ka/Ks analysis showed that the gene family may have experienced powerful purification selection pressure during wheat evolution. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that TaZF-HD genes had significant expression patterns in different biotic stress and abiotic stress. Through subcellular localization experiments, we found that TaZHD6-3B was located in the nucleus, while TaMIF4-5D was located in the cell membrane and nucleus. Our research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the TaZF-HD family, provides a new perspective for further research on the biological functions of TaZF-HD genes in wheat.
Evaluation of reporting quality of randomized controlled trials in patients with COVID-19 using the CONSORT statement
Authors: Yin Yuhuan , Shi Fugui , Zhang Yiyin , Zhang Xiaoli , Ye Jianying , Zhang Juxia
Published: September 2021

Objective

To evaluate the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding patients with COVID-19 and analyse the influence factors.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to collect RCTs regarding patients with COVID-19. The retrieval time was from the inception to December 1, 2020. The CONSORT 2010 statement was used to evaluate the overall reporting quality of these RCTs.

Results

53 RCTs were included. The study showed that the average reporting rate for 37 items in CONSORT checklist was 53.85% with mean overall adherence score of 13.02±3.546 (ranged: 7 to 22). The multivariate linear regression analysis showed the overall adherence score to the CONSORT guideline was associated with journal impact factor (P = 0.006), and endorsement of CONSORT statement (P = 0.014).

Conclusion

Although many RCTs of COVID-19 have been published in different journals, the overall reporting quality of these articles was suboptimal, it can not provide valid evidence for clinical decision-making and systematic reviews. Therefore, more journals should endorse the CONSORT statement, authors should strictly follow the relevant provisions of the CONSORT guideline when reporting articles. Future RCTs should particularly focus on improvement of detailed reporting in allocation concealment, blinding and estimation of sample size.
Analysis of technical efficiency of smallholder tomato producers in Asaita district, Afar National Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Asfaw Dagmawe Menelek
Published: September 2021

The tomato had nutritional, economic and health benefits to the societies, however, its production and productivity were low in developing countries and particularly in Ethiopia. This might be due to technical inefficiency caused by institutional, governmental, and farmers related factors. Therefore this study tried to investigate the factors that affecting technical efficiency and estimating the mean level of technical efficiency of tomato producers in Asaita district, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data sources were used; the primary data was collected from 267 tomato producers from the study area cross-sectional by using a multistage sampling technique. The single-stage stochastic frontier model and Cobb Douglas production function were applied and statistical significance was declared at 0.05. The maximum likelihood estimates of the stochastic frontier model showed that land, labor, tomato seed, and oxen have a significant effect on tomato output; and education, extension contact, training, and access to credit have a positive and significant effect on technical efficiency, whereas household size, off-farm income, livestock ownership, distance to market, and pesticides have a worthy and significant effect on technical efficiency; and also estimated mean technical efficiency of tomato producer in a study area was 80.9%. In a line with this, the responsible body should prioritize rural infrastructure development in areas such as education, marketplace, and farmer training centers; demonstrate access to credit and extension services; use the recommended amount of pesticides per hectare, and give more intension to mixed farming rather than animal husbandry exclusively.
Detection and classification of neurons and glial cells in the MADM mouse brain using RetinaNet
Authors: Cai Yuheng , Zhang Xuying , Kovalsky Shahar Z. , Ghashghaei H. Troy , Greenbaum Alon
Published: September 2021

The ability to automatically detect and classify populations of cells in tissue sections is paramount in a wide variety of applications ranging from developmental biology to pathology. Although deep learning algorithms are widely applied to microscopy data, they typically focus on segmentation which requires extensive training and labor-intensive annotation. Here, we utilized object detection networks (neural networks) to detect and classify targets in complex microscopy images, while simplifying data annotation. To this end, we used a RetinaNet model to classify genetically labeled neurons and glia in the brains of Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers (MADM) mice. Our initial RetinaNet-based model achieved an average precision of 0.90 across six classes of cells differentiated by MADM reporter expression and their phenotype (neuron or glia). However, we found that a single RetinaNet model often failed when encountering dense and saturated glial clusters, which show high variability in their shape and fluorophore densities compared to neurons. To overcome this, we introduced a second RetinaNet model dedicated to the detection of glia clusters. Merging the predictions of the two computational models significantly improved the automated cell counting of glial clusters. The proposed cell detection workflow will be instrumental in quantitative analysis of the spatial organization of cellular populations, which is applicable not only to preparations in neuroscience studies, but also to any tissue preparation containing labeled populations of cells.
Assessed and perceived oral health of older people who visit the dental practice, an exploratory cross-sectional study
Authors: Bots-VantSpijker Pieternella C. , van der Maarel-Wierink Claar D. , Schols Jos M. G. A. , Bruers Josef J. M.
Published: September 2021

Objectives

To assess the oral health of older people who visit the community dental practice from both the dentists’ and the patients’ perspective.

Materials and methods

In this exploratory cross-sectional study the oral health of Dutch community dwelling older people was assessed. A representative sample of general dental practitioners was asked to randomly and prospectively select one older patient and describe this patient using a specially-developed registration form; in addition the patient was requested to complete a questionnaire. The oral health of older people was described from the perspective of the dentists and the perspective of the older people themselves based on the definition of oral health from the World Dental Federation (FDI].

Relations between oral health of older people and dentist and older patient characteristics were analysed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho) and an ordinal regression model.

Results

In total, 923 dentists were asked to participate in the study; data was available for 39.4% dentist-patient pairs. Dentists assessed the oral health of older patients as good or acceptable in 51.4% of the cases while this was the case in 76.2% of older patients themselves. The assessment of the dentist gets more negative with high treatment intensity and with older patients having certain diseases and more medication, while the assessment is more positive for older patients who visit the dentist on a regular basis.

Older people’s assessment of their oral health gets more negative by being female and with high treatment intensity, having certain diseases and higher use of medication.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

Chronically illness as expressed by the number of diseases and the use of medication, seems to be a risk factor for poor oral health.

Older patients themselves assess their oral health differently, mostly more positive, than their dentist.
Census tract socioeconomic indicators and COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates—COVID-NET surveillance areas in 14 states, March 1–April 30, 2020
Authors: Wortham Jonathan M. , Meador Seth A. , Hadler James L. , Yousey-Hindes Kimberly , See Isaac , Whitaker Michael , O’Halloran Alissa , Milucky Jennifer , Chai Shua J. , Reingold Arthur , Alden Nisha B. , Kawasaki Breanna , Anderson Evan J. , Openo Kyle P. , Weigel Andrew , Monroe Maya L. , Ryan Patricia A. , Kim Sue , Reeg Libby , Lynfield Ruth , McMahon Melissa , Sosin Daniel M. , Eisenberg Nancy , Rowe Adam , Barney Grant , Bennett Nancy M. , Bushey Sophrena , Billing Laurie M. , Shiltz Jess , Sutton Melissa , West Nicole , Talbot H. Keipp , Schaffner William , McCaffrey Keegan , Spencer Melanie , Kambhampati Anita K. , Anglin Onika , Piasecki Alexandra M. , Holstein Rachel , Hall Aron J. , Fry Alicia M. , Garg Shikha , Kim Lindsay
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Some studies suggested more COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among racial and ethnic minorities. To inform public health practice, the COVID-19-associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) quantified associations between race/ethnicity, census tract socioeconomic indicators, and COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates.

Methods

Using data from COVID-NET population-based surveillance reported during March 1–April 30, 2020 along with socioeconomic and denominator data from the US Census Bureau, we calculated COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates by racial/ethnic and census tract-level socioeconomic strata.

Results

Among 16,000 COVID-19-associated hospitalizations, 34.8% occurred among non-Hispanic White (White) persons, 36.3% among non-Hispanic Black (Black) persons, and 18.2% among Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons. Age-adjusted COVID-19-associated hospitalization rate were 151.6 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 147.1–156.1) in census tracts with >15.2%–83.2% of persons living below the federal poverty level (high-poverty census tracts) and 75.5 (95% CI: 72.9–78.1) in census tracts with 0%–4.9% of persons living below the federal poverty level (low-poverty census tracts). Among White, Black, and Hispanic persons living in high-poverty census tracts, age-adjusted hospitalization rates were 120.3 (95% CI: 112.3–128.2), 252.2 (95% CI: 241.4–263.0), and 341.1 (95% CI: 317.3–365.0), respectively, compared with 58.2 (95% CI: 55.4–61.1), 304.0 (95%: 282.4–325.6), and 540.3 (95% CI: 477.0–603.6), respectively, in low-poverty census tracts.

Conclusions

Overall, COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates were highest in high-poverty census tracts, but rates among Black and Hispanic persons were high regardless of poverty level. Public health practitioners must ensure mitigation measures and vaccination campaigns address needs of racial/ethnic minority groups and people living in high-poverty census tracts.
The MoveStrong program for promoting balance and functional strength training and adequate protein intake in pre-frail older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Rodrigues Isabel B. , Wang Ellen , Keller Heather , Thabane Lehana , Ashe Maureen C. , Brien Sheila , Cheung Angela M. , Funnell Larry , Jain Ravi , Loong Desmond , Isaranuwatchai Wanrudee , Milligan Jamie , Mourtzakis Marina , Papaioannou Alexandra , Straus Sharon , Weston Zachary J. , Giangregorio Lora M.
Published: September 2021

Background

Balance and functional strength training can improve muscle strength and physical functioning outcomes and decrease the risk of falls in older adults. To maximize the benefits of strength training, adequate protein intake is also important. However, the number of older individuals that consume enough protein or routinely engage in strength training remains low at less than 5% and even lower for activities that challenge balance. Our primary aim was to assess the feasibility of implementing a model (MoveStrong) of service delivery to teach older adults about balance and functional strength training and methods to increase protein intake.

Methods

This study was a closed cohort stepped wedge randomized controlled trial. We recruited individuals ≥60 years considered pre-frail or frail with at least one chronic condition who were not currently engaging in regular strength training from Northern (rural) and Southern (urban) Ontario sites in Canada. The primary outcome was feasibility of implementation, defined by recruitment, retention, and adherence, and safety (defined by monitoring adverse events). We also reported participants’ and providers’ experience with MoveStrong, adaptations to the model based on participant’s and provider’s experience, and program fidelity.

Results

We recruited 44 participants to the study and the average adherence rate was 72% with a retention of 71%. The program had a high-fidelity score. One person experienced a fall-related injury during exercise, while two other participants reported pain during certain activities. Five individuals experienced injuries or health problems that were not related to the program. Suggestions for future trials include modifying some exercises, exploring volunteer assistance, increasing the diversity of participants enrolled, and considering a different study design.

Conclusions

Our pilot trial demonstrates the feasibility of recruitment and adherence for a larger multisite RCT of balance and functional strength training with attention to protein intake in pre-frail and frail older adults.
Etiologies and 12-month mortality in patients with isolated involuntary weight loss at a rapid diagnostic unit
Authors: Aligué Jordi , Vicente Mireia , Arnau Anna , Trapé Jaume , Martínez Eva , Bonet Mariona , Abril Andrés , El Boutrouki Omar , Ordeig Roser , Ruiz Domingo , Ordeig Josep , San José Antonio
Published: September 2021

Background

Numerous studies on involuntary weight loss (IWL) have been published since the 1980s, although most of them have included small samples of patients with specific symptoms. The aim of the present study was to determine the causes, demographic and clinical characteristics and mortality at 12 months in patients attended at a rapid diagnostic unit (RDU) for isolated IWL.

Methods

A single-center retrospective observational study including all patients presenting to the RDU for isolated IWL between 2005 and 2013. The following data were recorded: demographic and clinical variables, results of complementary tests (blood tests, x-rays, computed tomography scan and digestive endoscopy), main diagnosis and vital status at 12 months.

Results

Seven hundred and ninety-one patients met the criteria for IWL. Mean age was 67.9 years (SD 4.7), 50.4% were male and mean weight loss was 8.3 kg (SD 4.7). The cause for IWL was malignant disease in 23.6% of patients, non-malignant organic disease in 44.5%, psychiatric disorder in 29.0% and unknown in 3.2%. Overall mortality at 12 months was 18.6% (95%CI: 16.1–21.6). The mortality rate was highest in the group with malignancy (61.1%; 95%CI: 54.2–68.2).

Conclusions

Almost a quarter of all patients attended at the RDU for IWL were diagnosed with cancer. Mortality at 12 months was higher in this group than in the other three. Malignancy should therefore be ruled out during the first visit for patients attended for IWL.
Revelations of service-learning project: Multiple perspectives of college students’ reflection
Authors: Lin Ting-Hua
Published: September 2021

This study explored the reflections of college students at different stages of their service provided to preschoolers and proposed recommendations on service-learning curricula according to the research findings. Thirty-six college juniors enrolled in an academic service-learning course were asked to complete a service-learning project, to undertake service activities in the form of eight storytelling sessions at preschools. This storytelling plan was 1.5-hour-long each, twice per month, for 16-weeks. Qualitative case study approach was employed in this study. Data consisted of documentation of the participants’ reflections, focus group interviews, and research logs. The thematic analysis was employed to analyze data and data were analyzed using the constant comparative technique. The study revealed that the contents of participants’ reflections took on a qualitative change as their service experience accumulated. Before their service experience, their reflections focused on personal expectations. This shifted professional learning and personal growth during the service experience. After their service experiences, their reflections were extended to include social concern. Also, the participants were inspired to actively acquire professional knowledge from their service experiences. Various reflection activities triggered different levels and functions of reflection by the participants. Writing activities caused the participants to focus on personal reflection, providing the opportunity for them to examine and adjust their ideas; group discussion activities allowed the participants to focus on group dialogue, with which they achieved learning and gained identity. Finally, students experienced emotional highs and lows during their experience of service, describing tension and fear initially, then joy or disquietude subsequently. Recommendations based on the research results were provided to facilitate planning of the service-learning curriculum by college educators.
Effects of combined tannic acid/fluoride on sulfur transformations and methanogenic pathways in swine manure
Authors: Dalby Frederik Rask , Nikolausz Marcell , Hansen Michael Jørgen , Feilberg Anders
Published: September 2021

Livestock manure emits reduced sulfur compounds and methane, which affect nature and the climate. These gases are efficiently mitigated by addition of a tannic acid-sodium fluoride combination inhibitor (TA-NaF), and to some extent by acidification. In this paper, TA-NaF treatment was performed on swine manure to study the treatment influence on methanogenic pathways and sulfur transformation pathways in various laboratory experiments. Stable carbon isotope labeling revealed that both untreated and TA-NaF treated swine manures were dominated by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. However, in supplementary experiments in wastewater sludge, TA-NaF clearly inhibited acetoclastic methanogenesis, whereas acidification inhibited hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. In swine manure, TA-NaF inhibited s-amino acid catabolism to a larger extent than sulfate reduction. Conversely, acidification reduced sulfate reduction activity more than s-amino acid degradation. TA-NaF treatment had no significant effect on methanogenic community structure, which was surprising considering clear effects on isotope ratios of methane and carbon dioxide. Halophile sulfate reducers adapted well to TA-NaF treatment, but the community change also depended on temperature. The combined experimental work resulted in a proposed inhibition scheme for sulfur transformations and methanogenic pathways as affected by TA-NaF and acidification in swine manure and in other inocula.