bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 among chronic disease patients at Aksum Hospital, Northern Ethiopia, 2020: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Iyasu Assefa , Kidanu Berihu Hailu , Zereabruk Kidane
Published: June 2021

Background

The Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak is the first reported case in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and suddenly became a major global health concern. Currently, there is no vaccine and treatment have been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of COVID-19 among chronic disease patients.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 chronic disease patients from July 01 to August 30, 2020 at Aksum Hospital, Northern Ethiopia. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses with 95% confidence intervals were fitted to identify factors associated with poor knowledge and practice towards COVID-19. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to determine the prevalence of the association between the dependent and independent variables. A P-value < 0.05 was identified as statistically significant.

Results

A total of 422 participants participated in this study, with a 100% response rate. The prevalence of poor knowledge, poor practice and unfavorable attitude was 35.1, 48.8, and 40.5%, respectively. Age (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI: (1.411, 2.432)), educational status of “can’t read and write” (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: (1.332, 9.612)), and rural residence (AOR = 3.12, 95% CI: (2.568, 11.532)) were significantly associated with poor knowledge. Educational status of “can’t read and write” (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI (1.03–7.29)), and rural residence (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI (1.09–6.70)) were significantly associated with poor practice.

Conclusions

The prevalence of poor knowledge and poor practice among chronic disease patients were high. Rural residence and educational status with “can not read and write” were significantly associated with poor knowledge and poor practice. Older age was significantly associated with poor knowledge.
Is Europe facing an opioid crisis like the United States? An analysis of opioid use and related adverse effects in 19 European countries between 2010 and 2018
Authors: Pierce Mimi , van Amsterdam Jan , Kalkman Gerard A. , Schellekens Arnt , van den Brink Wim
Published: June 2021

Background

Given the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States (US), we investigated the opioid situation in Europe. The aims of the study are to provide an overview of trends in prescription opioid (PO) use and opioid-related adversities between 2010 and 2018 for different opioids in 19 European countries and to present a comparison with similar data from the US.

Methods

A multisource database study with national data from 19 European countries evaluating trends between 2010 and 2018 in (a) PO consumption, (b) high-risk (HR) opioid users, (c) opioid-related hospital admissions, (d) opioid-related overdose deaths, (e) opioid use disorder treatment entries, and (f) patients in opioid substitution therapy (OST). Within and between-country comparisons and comparisons with data from the US were made.

Results

There was considerable variation between European countries. Most countries showed increased PO consumption with the largest increase and the highest consumption in the United Kingdom (UK) compared to the rest of Europe and the US in 2018 (UK: 58,088 defined daily doses for statistical purposes/1000 population/day). In 2018, Scotland had the highest rates (per 100,000 population) of HR opioid users (16·2), opioid-related hospital admissions (118), opioid-related deaths (22·7), opioid use disorder treatment admissions (190), and OST patients (555) of all included European countries. These rates were similar or even higher than those in the US in 2018. Other countries with high rates of opioid-related adversities were Northern Ireland (synthetic and “other” opioids), Ireland (heroin and methadone), and England (all opioids). All other countries had no or little increase in opioid-related adversities.

Conclusions

Apart from the British Isles and especially Scotland, there is no indication of an opioid crisis comparable to that in the US in the 19 European countries that were part of this study. More research is needed to identify drivers and develop interventions to stop the emerging opioid crisis in the UK and Ireland.
Association Between Body Weight and Telomere Length Is Predominantly Mediated Through C-Reactive Protein
Authors: Gao Xiao , Li Shengxu , Dong Shiqiu , Li Jiaqi , Yan Yinkun , Zhang Tao , Chen Wei
Published: June 2021

Context

Both obesity and inflammation are related to accelerated aging. It is not yet known whether inflammation mediates the effects of obesity on aging.

Objective

This work aims to dissect the direct effect of body mass index (BMI) and its indirect effect through C-reactive protein (CRP) on leukocyte telomere length (LTL) to determine the mediation effect of CRP on the BMI-LTL association.

Methods

The study cohort included 5451 adults (1404 Mexican American, 3114 White, and 933 Black individuals; 53.5% male; mean age = 49.2 years) from the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. General mediation models were used to examine the mediation effect of CRP on the BMI-LTL association.

Results

After adjusting for age, race, sex, physical activity, alcohol use, and serum cotinine, the total effect of BMI on LTL was significant (standardized regression coefficient, β = –.054, P < .001) without CRP included in the model. With inclusion of CRP in the model, the indirect effect of BMI on LTL through CRP was estimated at β equal to –.023 (P < .001), and the direct effect of BMI on LTL in its absolute value decreased to β equal to –.031 (P = .025). The mediation effect of CRP was estimated at 42.6%. The mediation model parameters did not differ significantly between race and sex groups.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the inverse BMI-LTL association is partly mediated by obesity-induced inflammation. The significant direct effect of BMI on LTL with removal of the mediation effect through CRP indicates that obesity is associated with LTL attrition also through other noninflammatory mechanisms.
Hyperandrogenemia in Early Adulthood Is an Independent Risk Factor for Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Middle Age
Authors: Tuorila Katri , Ollila Meri-Maija , Järvelin Marjo-Riitta , Tapanainen Juha S , Franks Stephen , Puukka Katri , Piltonen Terhi T , Morin-Papunen Laure
Published: June 2021

Context

The role of androgen excess as a contributing factor to abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM) and insulin resistance in women remains controversial.

Objective

To investigate whether hyperandrogenemia (HA) estimated by serum testosterone (T) level and free androgen index (FAI) at ages 31 and 46 years is associated with insulin resistance, insulin secretion and AGM by age 46.

Design

Prospective study including 5889 females followed at ages 31 and 46 years.

Setting

General community.

Participants

Women with HA were compared with normoandrogenic women at ages 31 and 46 years.

Intervention

None.

Main outcome measurements

AGM, including prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus, homeostatic model assessments of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and of pancreatic β-cell function (HOMA-B).

Results

At age 31 years, HA women displayed increased HOMA-IR (P = 0.002), HOMA-B (P = 0.007), and higher fasting insulin (P = 0.03) than normoandrogenic women after adjusting for body mass index (BMI). At age 46 years, there was a nonsignificant trend toward higher fasting glucose (P = 0.07) and glycated hemoglobin A1 (P = 0.07) levels in HA women. Women in the highest T quartile (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80; 95%CI, 1.15-2.82) at age 31 years and in the 2 highest FAI quartiles at ages 31 (Q4: OR = 3.76; 95% CI, 2.24-6.32) and 46 (Q4: OR = 2.79; 95% CI, 1.74-4.46) years had increased risk for AGM, independently of BMI, when compared with women in Q1. SHBG was inversely associated with AGM (at age 31 years: Q4: OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.23-0.60, at age 46 years: Q4: OR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.17-0.44).

Conclusion

Hyperandrogenemia and low SHBG in early and middle age associates with AGM independently of BMI.
Emergency Airway Management Outside the Operating Room: Current Evidence and Management Strategies
Authors: Karamchandani Kunal , Wheelwright Jonathan , Yang Ae Lim , Westphal Nathaniel D. , Khanna Ashish K. , Myatra Sheila N.
Published: June 2021

Emergency airway management outside the operating room (OR) is often associated with an increased risk of airway related, as well as cardiopulmonary, complications which can impact morbidity and mortality. These emergent airways may take place in the intensive care unit (ICU), where patients are critically ill with minimal physiological reserve, or other areas of the hospital where advanced equipment and personnel are often unavailable. As such, emergency airway management outside the OR requires expertise at manipulation of not only the anatomically difficult airway but also the physiologically and situationally difficult airway. Adequate preparation and appropriate use of airway management techniques are important to prevent complications. Judicious utilization of pre- and apneic oxygenation is important as is the choice of medications to facilitate intubation in this at-risk population. Recent study in critically ill patients has shown that postintubation hemodynamic and respiratory compromise is common, independently associated with poor outcomes and can be impacted by the choice of drugs and techniques used. In addition to adequately preparing for a physiologically difficult airway, enhancing the ability to predict an anatomically difficult airway is essential in reducing complication rates. The use of artificial intelligence in the identification of difficult airways has shown promising results and could be of significant advantage in uncooperative patients as well as those with a questionable airway examination. Incorporating this technology and understanding the physiological, anatomical, and logistical challenges may help providers better prepare for managing such precarious airways and lead to successful outcomes. This review discusses the various challenges associated with airway management outside the OR, provides guidance on appropriate preparation, airway management skills, medication use, and highlights the role of a coordinated multidisciplinary approach to out-of-OR airway management.
Control of dynamic cell behaviors during angiogenesis and anastomosis by Rasip1
Authors: Lee Minkyoung , Betz Charles , Yin Jianmin , Paatero Ilkka , Schellinx Niels , Carte Adam N. , Wilson Christopher W. , Ye Weilan , Affolter Markus , Belting Heinz-Georg
Published: June 2021

Organ morphogenesis is driven by a wealth of tightly orchestrated cellular behaviors, which ensure proper organ assembly and function. Many of these cell activities involve cell-cell interactions and remodeling of the F-actin cytoskeleton. Here, we analyze the requirement for Rasip1 (Ras-interacting protein 1), an endothelial-specific regulator of junctional dynamics, during blood vessel formation. Phenotype analysis of rasip1 mutants in zebrafish embryos reveals distinct functions of Rasip1 during sprouting angiogenesis, anastomosis and lumen formation. During angiogenic sprouting, loss of Rasip1 causes cell pairing defects due to a destabilization of tricellular junctions, indicating that stable tricellular junctions are essential to maintain multicellular organization within the sprout. During anastomosis, Rasip1 is required to establish a stable apical membrane compartment; rasip1 mutants display ectopic, reticulated junctions and the apical compartment is frequently collapsed. Loss of Ccm1 and Heg1 function mimics the junctional defects of rasip1 mutants. Furthermore, downregulation of ccm1 and heg1 leads to a delocalization of Rasip1 at cell junctions, indicating that junctional tethering of Rasip1 is required for its function in junction formation and stabilization during sprouting angiogenesis.
Metabolic trade-offs in tropical and subtropical marine mammals: unique maintenance and locomotion costs in West Indian manatees and Hawaiian monk seals
Authors: John Jason S. , Thometz Nicole M. , Boerner Katharine , Denum Laura , Kendall Traci L. , Richter Beau P. , Gaspard Joseph C. , Williams Terrie M.
Published: June 2021

Unlike the majority of marine mammal species, Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus schauinslandi) and West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) reside exclusively in tropical or subtropical waters. Although potentially providing an energetic benefit through reduced maintenance and thermal costs, little is known about the cascading effects that may alter energy expenditure during activity, dive responses and overall energy budgets for these warm-water species. To examine this, we used open-flow respirometry to measure the energy expended during resting and swimming in both species. We found that the average resting metabolic rates (RMRs) for both the adult monk seal (753.8±26.1 kJ h−1, mean±s.e.m.) and manatees (887.7±19.5 kJ h−1) were lower than predicted for cold-water marine mammal species of similar body mass. Despite these relatively low RMRs, both total cost per stroke and total cost of transport (COTTOT) during submerged swimming were similar to predictions for comparably sized marine mammals (adult monk seal: cost per stroke=5.0±0.2 J kg−1 stroke−1, COTTOT=1.7±0.1 J kg−1 m−1; manatees: cost per stroke=2.0±0.4 J kg−1 stroke−1, COTTOT=0.87±0.17 J kg−1 m−1). These lower maintenance costs result in less variability in adjustable metabolic costs that occur during submergence for warm-water species. However, these reduced maintenance costs do not appear to confer an advantage in overall energetic costs during activity, potentially limiting the capacity of warm-water species to respond to anthropogenic or environmental threats that require increased energy expenditure.
Regulation of closely juxtaposed proto-oncogene c-fms and HMGXB3 gene expression by mRNA 3′ end polymorphism in breast cancer cells
Authors: Woo Ho-Hyung , Chambers Setsuko K.
Published: June 2021

Sense-antisense mRNA pairs generated by convergent transcription is a way of gene regulation. c-fms gene is closely juxtaposed to the HMGXB3 gene in the opposite orientation, in chromosome 5. The intergenic region (IR) between c-fms and HMGXB3 genes is 162 bp. We found that a small portion (∼4.18%) of HMGXB3 mRNA is transcribed further downstream, including the end of the c-fms gene generating antisense mRNA against c-fms mRNA. Similarly, a small portion (∼1.1%) of c-fms mRNA is transcribed further downstream, including the end of the HMGXB3 gene generating antisense mRNA against the HMGXB3 mRNA. Insertion of the strong poly(A) signal sequence in the IR results in decreased c-fms and HMGXB3 antisense mRNAs, resulting in up-regulation of both c-fms and HMGXB3 mRNA expression. miR-324-5p targets HMGXB3 mRNA 3′ UTR, and as a result, regulates c-fms mRNA expression. HuR stabilizes c-fms mRNA, and as a result, down-regulates HMGXB3 mRNA expression. UALCAN analysis indicates that the expression pattern between c-fms and HMGXB3 proteins are opposite in vivo in breast cancer tissues. Together, our results indicate that the mRNA encoded by the HMGXB3 gene can influence the expression of adjacent c-fms mRNA, or vice versa.
Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede’s Thoughts on Ethics: Synthesizing Peripatetic Philosophy and Sufi Thought in Ishrāqī Wisdom
Authors: Kömbe İlker
Published: June 2021

This article analyzes the chapter on ethics from Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede’s (d.1702) commentary Sharḥ al-Akhlāq al-‘Aḍuḍ, a practical philosophy of ethics, household management, and politics. Müneccimbaşı lived from the mid-17th to the beginning of the 18 th century in the Ottoman period. Firstly, considering the period in which Müneccimbaşı’s commentary was written, it can be seen as a renewal and adjustment of the old tradition in terms of moral/practical philosophy. However, in the context of philosophical ethics, the commentary aimed to renew and update the ancient philosophy not as a separation of methods but within the framework of expanding the area of integrated methods. The second aim expressed the problematic of combining peripatetic philosophy’s virtue theory with the method of purification and abstraction from physical, bodily pleasure and other things through mujāhada [spiritual struggle] and riyāḍa [asceticism] in Sufi thought in order to see and know the essence of the absolute lights, which is the purpose of Ishrāqī wisdom. Accordingly, virtue theory involves having the temperaments and behaviors arising from the powers of desire and anger from the human soul become mediocre and moderate in terms of quantity and quality through wisdom.
Foi culpa da saia curta? O papel do RH para intervir e prevenir o assédio sexual no trabalho
Authors: Da Costa Leonardo Borges , Lezan Pâmella Wagner
Published: June 2021

Beatriz consegue o emprego dos sonhos, profissional competente e focada na empresa. De repente, tudo vai por água abaixo. Sofrendo forte assédio do seu superior direto, Beatriz entra em um dilema de como deve agir, começa a construir cenários de como uma possível denúncia para a gerente RH pode prejudica-la no seu futuro na empresa. E a gerente de RH, Priscila, pode ajudar Beatriz preservando a boa convivência da empresa, ou será que ela deve tomar atitudes para preservar a vítima sem pensar nas consequências?
SOCIAL INNOVATION IN THE CULTURAL SECTOR: THE CASE OF PJE/PRODIGIUM
Authors: Saldanha Fabio Prado , Delgado Natalia Aguilar , Pozzebon Marlei
Published: June 2021

This case examines the major challenges faced by Productions Jeun’Est (PJE) and Prodigium, a social enterprise working in the cultural sector. The profits generated by Prodigium’s activities in the entertainment field are invested in the PJE training program that aims to increase the social inclusion of vulnerable youth by training them to be technicians in the cultural market. By studying this case, students are expected to understand the elements of a social business model, to analyze the role of the different elements forming a social innovation and to evaluate the challenges of planning its transfer to another context.
Situational approach to the training of competent management personnel on the basis of the training situation center
Authors: Khodyakova Nataliya , Mitin Aleksandr
Published: June 2021

The paper presents a project for organizing training in a training situation center, developed on the basis of a situational approach. A dynamic model of such training is defined, consisting of two stages: the definition of the situation and the resolution of the situation. The strategies and tactics of training management personnel that best correspond to these stages are proposed. It is proved that the implementation of the first strategy, which is connected with the analysis of the developing situation of the interaction "managed system-environment" by students, requires sufficiency, ergonom-ics, variability of the conditions of the information and technological environment of the educational situation center, the use of problem – based learning methods and organiza-tional and activity games. The implementation of the second strategy, which consists in making a management decision, requires dialogic conditions for organizing students ' communication and presenting group decisions in the environment of the training situa-tion center, using the case method, discussion methods, brainstorming, and the project method.
The Use of Explicitation to Retain the Foreignness of Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights
Authors: Pietryga Marcelina
Published: June 2021

This article discusses the topic of explicitation applied as a measure of retaining foreignness in the English translation of Flights. It has been observed that the main types of explicitation used in the analysed novel are either explanations of the context which may be lost in the English translation or presentation of both, the problematic Polish words and their English explanation. The analysis has confirmed that explicitation gives the possibly to preserve almost exact level of foreignness as in the case of the source text. The second shift analysed in this study is implicitation, applied in a situation when retaining foreignness was not possible. This phenomenon has been implemented as a response to information explicitly stated in the source text. However, this measure does not negatively influence the TT, but on the contrary, it helps to provide a consistent and understandable text.
The Frequencies of Allele Distribution of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 Gene Polymorphisms in Healthy Papuan Population, Indonesia
Authors: Tuba Syahrul , Ikawati Zullies , - Mustofa
Published: June 2021

This study's objective was to determine the distribution of allele frequencies of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms among the Papuan population, known as the second-largest ethnic group in Indonesia. According to recent research, there is a decrease in CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 produced by humans globally, including in Indonesia. These gene polymorphisms aid in the transmission of various endogenous and exogenous drugs in the human body. Material and Methods: A sum of 99 subjects, comprising 73 male and 26 female subjects aged 20-30 years, were used for this research. PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis using AvaII, NsiI, and SfaNI enzymes tested for the genotypes CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 administered. The distribution of genotypes was calculated in the population (P<0.05) using the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Faculty of Medicine Gadjah Mada University's Medical and Health Research Ethics Committee (MHREC) accepted this research with written consent. The results revealed that in Papua subjects, CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853) and CYP2C19*17 (rs12248560) alleles were absent while in 17 percent of the population CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910) allele frequency was. In conclusion, CYP2C9*3 has the highest polymorphism rate in Indonesia, with the absence of CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C19*17. Therefore, genetic drift can occur within this ethnic group.

Keywords: Genotyping; Papuan ethnic; Pharmacogenetics; Polymorphisms
"Undisciplined": Early Modern Women's Writing and the Urgency of Scholarly Activism
Authors: Coles Kimberly Anne
Published: June 2021

Abstract: This essay argues that in the negotiation of their own power and privilege, early modern English women were crucial to the development of the English strategies of racialization that licensed chattel slavery and English empire. This is to challenge how we frequently understand racial constructions—not, as is so often thought, as instruments for the powerful to maintain their prominence but more often as tools for the powerless to gain distinction. This reorientation of our perspective on the early modern period already has a long and visible history in England and the Anglo-Americas. In considering the construction of race and racism in early modern England, this essay also tries to make sense of the critical strategies that ignore the complicity of early modern Englishwomen in this construction and that instead render this history invisible once more.
What Were Women Writers?
Authors: Sanchez Melissa E.
Published: June 2021

Abstract: Asking what were women writers—to themselves, to those they denigrated or dominated, and to "us"—is another way of asking who "we" were and are as feminist critics. White feminist critics—writing in a moment when violence against Black, brown, immigrant, queer, and trans women has become more visible than ever—have a responsibility to our nonwhite, non-Christian, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming students and colleagues who may find it impossible to identify with early modern women implicated in discourses that we now recognize as anti-Black, anti-Semitic, or homo- and transphobic. Accordingly, this essay argues that we must historicize early modern English women writers' own self-identification as such in the context of the racial, colonial, and imperial projects from which many materially benefitted and whose hierarchies many instrumentalized. This history complicates assumptions that women's writing is necessarily politically radical—or even necessarily feminist in the fullest sense of that term. English women writers in all their guilt and complexity must be studied more closely than ever if early modern scholars are to better understand the past that has helped produce our current discriminatory norms and systemic injustices, both within and beyond feminist criticism.
Terahertz surface plasmon polariton resonances and microparticle sensing in bulk Dirac semimetal with spatially perturbed geometries
Authors: Blessan Tony Mathew , Yogesh N.
Published: June 2021

Bulk Dirac semimetals (BDSs) are a three-dimensional counterpart of graphene and exhibit rich plasmonic response at terahertz (THz) frequencies. In this work, we investigate THz surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonances in BDS systems with spatially perturbed geometries using Kretschmann–Raether and Otto configurations. A THz SPP conversion efficiency of around 91% is witnessed in a straight BDS slab with the Otto configuration. The sustainment of THz SPP resonances for microbending and macrobending BDS geometries reveals the confinement capabilities of the BDS system as a potential sensing element. For example, microparticle sensing is demonstrated numerically based on THz SPP resonance in a parabolically perturbed BDS system. A reflection amplitude change of more than 75% is observed for microplastic-like spherical particles stuck on the surface of a parabolic BDS in comparison with an empty parabolic BDS configuration. We anticipate that the demonstrated THz SPP resonances and sensing in BDS systems may enable plasmonic devices for environmental monitoring and biological sensing.
Sea-surface reflectance factor: replicability of computed values
Authors: D’Alimonte Davide , Kajiyama Tamito , Zibordi Giuseppe , Bulgarelli Barbara
Published: June 2021

The sea-surface reflectance factor ρ required for the determination of the water- leaving radiance from above-water radiometric measurements is derived from radiative transfer simulations relying on models of the sky-radiance distribution and sea-surface statistics. This work primarily investigates the impact on ρ of various sky-radiance and sea-surface models. A specific replicability analysis, restricted to the 550 nm wavelength, has been performed with the Monte Carlo code for Ocean Color Simulations (so-called MOX) accounting for the measurement geometry recommended in protocols for the validation of satellite ocean color data and commonly applied for operational measurements. Results indicate that the variability of ρ increases with wind speed and reaches the largest values for sun elevations close to the zenith or approaching the horizon. In particular, a variability up to about 2% is observed for wind speeds below 4 ms−1 and sun zenith angles larger than 20°. Finally, the benchmark of the ρ values from this study with those formally determined with the Hydrolight code and widely utilized by the ocean color community, exhibits systematic differences. The source of these differences is discussed and the implications for field measurements are addressed.
Dynamic strain measurement based on ultrafast Brillouin collision in the correlation domain
Authors: Li Zonglei , Zhou Yin , Jiang Biqiang , Gan Xuetao , Yan Lianshan , Zhao Jianlin
Published: June 2021

The Brillouin collision rate in a Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis fiber sensor is ultimately limited by the sensing fiber length, which restricts the single point sampling rate in dynamic strain measurement. Here, a time-gated long-phase-sequence-coded pump method is proposed to overcome this limitation. The Brillouin collision rate is limited only by the phonon lifetime, since it governs the building and decaying time of the acoustic wave. For a sensing fiber length of

∼

1

k
m

, a Brillouin collision rate as high as 1 MHz is experimentally realized. This further results in a single-point sampling rate of 1 kHz for dynamic strain sensing with a spatial resolution of

∼

2

c
m

and a measurement uncertainty of

<

33.5

µ
ε

.
Extremely enhanced N2+ lasing in a filamentary plasma grating in ambient air
Authors: Fu Yao , Cao Jincheng , Wang Siqi , Chen Shanming , Zang Hongwei , Li Helong , Lötstedt Erik , Ando Toshiaki , Iwasaki Atsushi , Yamanouchi Kaoru , Xu Huailiang
Published: June 2021

Cavity-free air lasing offers a promising route towards the realization of atmospheric lasers for various applications such as remote sensing and standoff spectroscopy; however, achieving efficient generation and control of air lasing in ambient air is still a challenge. Here we show the experimental realization of a giant lasing enhancement by three to four orders of magnitude in ambient air for the self-seeded

N

2
+

lasing at 428 nm, assigned to the

B

2

Σ
u

+

(

ν

′

=

0

)

and

X

2

Σ
g
+

(

ν

′
′

=

1

)

emission, by modulating the spatiotemporal overlap of ultrashort near-infrared control-pump pulses in a filamentary plasma grating; meanwhile, the spontaneous emission from the same transition is only enhanced by three to four times. We find that this enhancement is sensitive to the relative polarization and interference time of the two pulses, and reveal that the formation of the plasma grating induces different population variations in the

B

2

Σ
u

+

(

ν

′

=

0

)

and

X

2

Σ
g
+

(

ν

′
′

=

1

)

levels, resulting in an enormous population inversion between the two levels, thereby a higher gain for the giant enhancement of

N

2
+

lasing in ambient air.
Multiple radio frequency measurements with an improved frequency resolution based on stimulated Brillouin scattering with a reduced gain bandwidth
Authors: Shi Taixia , Chen Yang
Published: June 2021

A photonic-assisted multiple radio frequency (RF) measurement approach based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and frequency-to-time mapping with high accuracy and high frequency resolution is reported. A two-tone signal is a single-sideband (SSB) modulated on an optical carrier via a dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator to construct one SBS gain and two SBS losses for SBS gain bandwidth reduction. The unknown RF signal is also SSB modulated on a carrier that has been modulated by a sweep signal, thus the unknown RF signal is converted to a sweep optical signal along with the sweep optical carrier. The bandwidth-reduced SBS gain spectrum is detected by the sweep optical signals at different specific time, mapping the RF frequencies to the time domain. An experiment is performed. RF frequencies from 0.3 GHz to 7.6 GHz are simultaneously measured with a root mean square error of less than 1 MHz. In addition, the frequency resolution of the measurement can be much lower than 10 MHz, which is now the best result in the RF frequency measurement methods employing the SBS effect.
Imaging spectrometer with single component of freeform concave grating
Authors: Zhang Benqi , Tan Yilin , Jin Guofan , Zhu Jun
Published: June 2021

In this Letter, an imaging spectrometer in which a freeform concave grating is the only optical component in the system is introduced. The degrees of freedom of optical freeform surfaces and a variable line-spacing (VLS) grating are used to realize imaging spectrometers. A point-by-point system design method is proposed that can generate a good initial solution rapidly. By exploring the limitations of the system specifications, it is demonstrated that the spectral dispersion, spectral resolving power, and system length can be improved significantly by using the freeform VLS concave grating. It is also found that freeform surfaces with higher degrees of freedom than a toroid can further improve system performance when using a VLS grating.
Vibrio cholerae’s mysterious Seventh Pandemic island (VSP-II) encodes novel Zur-regulated zinc starvation genes involved in chemotaxis and cell congregation
Authors: Murphy Shannon G. , Johnson Brianna A. , Ledoux Camille M. , Dörr Tobias
Published: June 2021

Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a notorious diarrheal disease that is typically transmitted via contaminated drinking water. The current pandemic agent, the El Tor biotype, has undergone several genetic changes that include horizontal acquisition of two genomic islands (VSP-I and VSP-II). VSP presence strongly correlates with pandemicity; however, the contribution of these islands to V. cholerae’s life cycle, particularly the 26-kb VSP-II, remains poorly understood. VSP-II-encoded genes are not expressed under standard laboratory conditions, suggesting that their induction requires an unknown signal from the host or environment. One signal that bacteria encounter under both host and environmental conditions is metal limitation. While studying V. cholerae’s zinc-starvation response in vitro, we noticed that a mutant constitutively expressing zinc starvation genes (Δzur) congregates at the bottom of a culture tube when grown in a nutrient-poor medium. Using transposon mutagenesis, we found that flagellar motility, chemotaxis, and VSP-II encoded genes were required for congregation. The VSP-II genes encode an AraC-like transcriptional activator (VerA) and a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (AerB). Using RNA-seq and lacZ transcriptional reporters, we show that VerA is a novel Zur target and an activator of the nearby AerB chemoreceptor. AerB interfaces with the chemotaxis system to drive oxygen-dependent congregation and energy taxis. Importantly, this work suggests a functional link between VSP-II, zinc-starved environments, and energy taxis, yielding insights into the role of VSP-II in a metal-limited host or aquatic reservoir.
What containment strategy leads us through the pandemic crisis? An empirical analysis of the measures against the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kaimann Daniel , Tanneberg Ilka
Published: June 2021

Since January 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has been progressing at a rapid pace. To keep the pandemic at bay, countries have implemented various measures to interrupt the transmission of the virus from person to person and prevent an overload of their health systems. We analyze the impact of these measures implemented against the COVID-19 pandemic by using a sample of 68 countries, Puerto Rico and the 50 federal states of the United States of America, four federal states of Australia, and eight federal states of Canada, involving 6,941 daily observations. We show that measures are essential for containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. After controlling for daily COVID-19 tests, we find evidence to suggest that school closures, shut-downs of non-essential business, mass gathering bans, travel restrictions in and out of risk areas, national border closures and/or complete entry bans, and nationwide curfews decrease the growth rate of the coronavirus and thus the peak of daily confirmed cases. We also find evidence to suggest that combinations of these measures decrease the daily growth rate at a level outweighing that of individual measures. Consequently, and despite extensive vaccinations, we contend that the implemented measures help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ease the overstressed capacity of the healthcare systems.
Reframing the policy discourse: A comparative analysis of teacher preparation for rural and remote education in Australia, South Africa and Mexico
Authors: Ledger Susan , Masinire Alfred , Angel Díaz Delgado Miguel , Burgess Madeline
Published: June 2021

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has highlighted a ‘vicious cycle of decline’ in rural, regional and remote (RRR) regions, with significant inequalities in educational outcomes between rural and urban areas. However, interventions have not resulted in transformative or lasting improvements to education in rural contexts. This paper presents a cross-comparative country analysis of current global policy on RRR education. We used a policy analysis framework to interrogate national policy texts concerning teacher education for RRR contexts in three countries - Australia, South Africa and Mexico. A rigorous selection process of the literature yielded 17 key policy texts, which were examined for the influences, practices, language and outcomes relating to teacher education preparation for RRR locales. Findings highlighted a legacy of historical influences and a metrocentric bias in policy texts, with limited examples of assets-based education. We argue that these factors may be perpetuating the significant and persistent disadvantage in RRR education. We recommend an alternative policy discourse that recognises the productivities and potentialities of an assets-based approach within the local context, where school leaders and teachers are positioned as central change agents in RRR education.
P-Adic metric preserving functions and their analogues
Authors: Vallin Robert W. , Dovgoshey Oleksiy A.
Published: June 2021

The p-adic completion ℚ
p
of the rational numbers induces a different absolute value |⋅|
p
than the typical | ⋅| we have on the real numbers. In this paper we compare and contrast functions f : ℝ+ → ℝ+, for which the composition with the p-adic metric dp
generated by |⋅|
p
is still a metric on ℚ
p
, with the usual metric preserving functions and the functions that preserve the Euclidean metric on ℝ. In particular, it is shown that f ∘ d

p
is still an ultrametric on ℚ
p
if and only if there is a function g such that f ∘ d

p
= g ∘ d

p
and g ∘ d is still an ultrametric for every ultrametric d. Some general variants of the last statement are also proved.
A characterization of the uniform convergence points set of some convergent sequence of functions
Authors: Karlova Olena
Published: June 2021

We characterize the uniform convergence points set of a pointwisely convergent sequence of real-valued functions defined on a perfectly normal space. We prove that if X is a perfectly normal space which can be covered by a disjoint sequence of dense subsets and A ⊆ X, then A is the set of points of the uniform convergence for some convergent sequence (fn
)
n∈ω
of functions fn
: X → ℝ if and only if A is Gδ
-set which contains all isolated points of X. This result generalizes a theorem of Ján Borsík published in 2019.
Distance Learning and New Forms of Discipline During the Pandemic
Authors: Turk Niskač Barbara
Published: June 2021

In the 19th century, compulsory education was introduced as a means of discipline within a new work ethic formed in the moral discourse of productivity and the state’s preoccupation with increasing profits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the compulsory schooling of children in Slovenia moved into the homes with the help of distance learning and technological solutions made possible by the digital revolution. As managing the shift to distance learning was left largely up to schools with little support from state structures and since much of the responsibility fell on parents, especially those with younger children, the Minister of Education publicly proclaimed students the corona winners of knowledge, winners of our and future times. Distance learning, however, cannot be considered in isolation as the pandemic changed how we organise all of our daily life. Each in their own way, families were confronted with coordinating their children’s distance learning, family obligations, work, and leisure. By analysing the reorganization of family daily life, the issues of protecting the privacy of students and their families, and the functioning of online market mechanisms, the paper presents distance learning as a new form of disciplining children between entrepreneurial work ethics, digitalisation, and biopolitics.
Šišmiš
Authors: Zaradija Kiš Antonija
Published: June 2021

U okviru kulturnoanimalističkih istraživanja te propitivanja nazočnosti životinja i njihove uloge u starijim književnim korpusima rad se fokusira na šišmiša, rijetko viđanu noćnu životinju, koja je u aktualno vrijeme pandemije koronavirusa bila u središtu pozornosti. U radu istražujem dugovremenu šišmiševu neodređenu vrstovnu pripadnost (ptica, miš, crv) koja mu pridaje karakter dvoličnosti, njegov smještaj među nečistim (biblijskim) životinjama te izrazito negativnu percepciju u ljudskoj povijesti. U tom smislu znakovita je njegova pojavnost u predajama i pučkoj medicini. U radu ću se s posebnom pozornošću osvrnuti na šišmiševu kasnosrednjovjekovnu simboliku bluda, nemorala i androginosti što će ga dodatno osuditi kao prijestupnika za sve negativnosti ovoga svijeta. Ta je šišmiševa simbolika razvidna u popularnom talijanskom djelu Fiore di virtù koje je tijekom nekoliko stoljeća prevođeno na više europskih vernakulara među kojima najstariji odlomak sa šišmišem bilježi hrvatski ćirilski rukopis Libro od mnozijeh razloga čiju smo 500. obljetnicu obilježili pandemijske 2020. godine. Uz sve povijesne šišmiševe negativnosti temeljene na zabludama i nedovoljnim znanstvenim spoznajama, u radu ću istaknuti šišmišev pozitivizam. S naglaskom na njegovu nezaobilaznu korisnost u stabilnosti ekosustava Zemljine biosfere koji obuhvaća sve organizme i njihov okoliš, apostrofirat ću pogrešnu osudu šišmiša u aktualnom društvenom kontekstu pandemije koronavirusa.
Loss of neuronal Miro1 disrupts mitophagy and induces hyperactivation of the integrated stress response
Authors: López‐Doménech Guillermo , Howden Jack H , Covill‐Cooke Christian , Morfill Corinne , Patel Jigna V , Bürli Roland , Crowther Damian , Birsa Nicol , Brandon Nicholas J , Kittler Josef T
Published: June 2021

Clearance of mitochondria following damage is critical for neuronal homeostasis. Here, we investigate the role of Miro proteins in mitochondrial turnover by the PINK1/Parkin mitochondrial quality control system in vitro and in vivo. We find that upon mitochondrial damage, Miro is promiscuously ubiquitinated on multiple lysine residues. Genetic deletion of Miro or block of Miro1 ubiquitination and subsequent degradation lead to delayed translocation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin onto damaged mitochondria and reduced mitochondrial clearance in both fibroblasts and cultured neurons. Disrupted mitophagy in vivo, upon post‐natal knockout of Miro1 in hippocampus and cortex, leads to a dramatic increase in mitofusin levels, the appearance of enlarged and hyperfused mitochondria and hyperactivation of the integrated stress response (ISR). Altogether, our results provide new insights into the central role of Miro1 in the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis and further implicate Miro1 dysfunction in the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative disease.
Bases in finite groups of small order
Authors: Banakh T.O. , Gavrylkiv V.M.
Published: June 2021

A subset $B$ of a group $G$ is called a basis of $G$ if each element $g\in G$ can be written as $g=ab$ for some elements $a,b\in B$. The smallest cardinality $|B|$ of a basis $B\subseteq G$ is called the basis size of $G$ and is denoted by $r[G]$. We prove that each finite group $G$ has $r[G]>\sqrt{|G|}$. If $G$ is Abelian, then $r[G]\ge \sqrt{2|G|-|G|/|G_2|}$, where $G_2=\{g\in G:g^{-1} = g\}$. Also we calculate the basis sizes of all Abelian groups of order $\le 60$ and all non-Abelian groups of order $\le 40$.
Narrativas digitais e ciberliteratura infantil
Authors: Nunes Andrea karla Ferreira , Santos Vinicius Silva , Santos Jacques Fernandes , Santos da Silva Camila Gomes
Published: June 2021

Objetiva discutir a utilização das narrativas literárias digitais como possibilidade para a formação de leitores na segunda infância, tendo como análise os apontamentos e vivências de uma experiência exploratória, realizada com crianças de 05 e 06 anos de idade numa escola de educação infantil. Prioriza os achados, os sentimentos e interlocuções das crianças com o uso de dispositivos digitais de acesso a literatura, destacando suas potencialidades enquanto recurso capaz de ampliar os repertórios de linguagens, estimulando e ampliando as experiências relacionadas às aprendizagens infantis, com destaque para funções cognitivas, tais como: imaginação, abstração, curiosidade, atenção e criação, necessárias a essa fase de desenvolvimento.
problema do amor e da distância em Anne Carson
Authors: Saldanha Rafael
Published: June 2021

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a rearticulação do problema do amor na obra da classicista e poeta Anne Carson. Em seu livro Eros, the bittersweet, Carson realiza uma reconstrução do problema do amor na tradição helênica. A operação, porém, não se restringe a uma mera reconstrução histórica, visto que as elaborações conceituais da autora acabam pondo o problema do amor como um tipo de situação que tem sua força justamente na transcendência das condições particulares. Analisaremos, portanto, como Carson concebe os contornos da dinâmica do amor como uma relação entre amante, amado e a distância entre eles, a partir das obras de Safo de Lesbos. Em seguida, discutiremos no artigo como, a partir dessa concepção da relação amorosa, a autora elabora, por meio de uma leitura do diálogo Fedro de Platão, os desdobramentos do problema do amor na questão da composição dos sujeitos (ou seja, redefinindo “o que é um sujeito” a partir do problema do amor) e nas experiências do tempo e do espaço. No fim, procuramos demonstrar como a obra de Carson nos fornece uma visão renovada do problema do amor.
Characteristics of Cognitive Functioning in Children of Primary School Age
Authors: Petrova Borislava
Published: June 2021

The period of primary school age is especially important in the formation of the content and function of the self-concept, which is directly related to the cognitive functioning of children. Researchers’ interest in the problem of the cognitive development of the younger generation has not abated. The article is devoted to the characteristic features of cognitive functioning in children of primary school age. The positions of the author regarding the changes that occur in the cognitions of children depending on the stages of development are discussed. The levels of functioning during the different age periods are presented. A detailed analysis of the specific mental operations is conducted.
Aspects of cooperation between the communication partners are traced. The theory of multiple intelligences is highlighted.
Mobilising for Justice
Authors: McPhillips Kathleen
Published: June 2021

This article investigates the field of social justice responses to institutional child sexual abuse in religious organisations and the contribution of activist-based groups to social change agendas. A sociological analysis reveals that organised survivor groups, lobby groups, the media and individual activists both shape and become a vital part of collective knowledge practices, making a critical contribution to the remediation of the traumatic impacts of child sexual abuse on the lives of victims, their families and related communities. The pursuit of justice and redress plays a vital educative role in enhancing public discourse and in launching public inquiries that investigate miscarriages of justice. This article examines the specific contribution to social change by activist voices across four areas in Australian social life and examines how they operate and how their collective experience shifts public awareness of institutional abuse. Despite the debilitating impacts of sexual violence and the social stigmatisation typically attached to victims, the courage and persistence of survivors in giving voice to their suffering and seeking justice constitutes a powerful movement in the global struggle for human change and remediation. The article will analyse the models of effective collective survivor agency as a response to individual and collective trauma and communicates the multiple ways these groups contribute to positive social change.