bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Telemedicine interventions in six conflict-affected countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region: a systematic review
Authors: Parkes Pylin , Pillay Timesh D. , Bdaiwi Yamama , Simpson Remi , Almoshmosh Nadim , Murad Lina , Abbara Aula
Published: December 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the use of telemedicine in both high and low resource settings however its use has preceded this, particularly in conflict-affected settings. Several countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean (EMR) region are affected by complex, protracted crises. Though telemedicine has been used in such settings, there has been no comprehensive assessment of what interventions are used, their efficacy, barriers, or current research gaps.

Main body

A systematic search of ten academic databases and 3 grey literature sources from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2020 was completed, identifying telemedicine interventions in select EMR conflict-affected settings and relevant enablers and barriers to their implementation. Included articles reported on telemedicine use in six conflict-affected EMR countries (or territories) graded as WHO Health Emergencies: Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. Data were extracted and narratively synthesised due to heterogeneity in study design and outcomes. Of 3419 articles identified, twenty-one peer-reviewed and three grey literature sources met the inclusion criteria. We analysed these by context, intervention, and evaluation. Context: eight related to Afghanistan, eight to Syria and seven to Iraq with one each in Yemen and Gaza. Most were implemented by humanitarian or academic organisations with projects mostly initiated in the United States or Europe and mostly by physicians. The in-country links were mostly health professionals rather than patients seeking specialist inputs for specialities not locally available. Interventions: these included both SAF (store and forward) and RT (real-time) with a range of specialities represented including radiology, histopathology, dermatology, mental health, and intensive care. Evaluation: most papers were observational or descriptive with few describing quality measures of interventions.

Conclusions

Telemedicine interventions are feasible in conflict-affected settings in EMR using low-cost, accessible technologies. However, few implemented interventions reported on evaluation strategies or had these built in. The ad hoc nature of some of the interventions, which relied on volunteers without sustained financial or academic investment, could pose challenges to quality and sustainability. There was little exploration of confidentiality, ethical standards, data storage or local healthcare worker and patient acceptability.
Deep learning-based speech analysis for Alzheimer’s disease detection: a literature review
Authors: Yang Qin , Li Xin , Ding Xinyun , Xu Feiyang , Ling Zhenhua
Published: December 2022

Background

Alzheimer’s disease has become one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases worldwide, which seriously affects the health of the elderly. Early detection and intervention are the most effective prevention methods currently. Compared with traditional detection methods such as traditional scale tests, electroencephalograms, and magnetic resonance imaging, speech analysis is more convenient for automatic large-scale Alzheimer’s disease detection and has attracted extensive attention from researchers. In particular, deep learning-based speech analysis and language processing techniques for Alzheimer’s disease detection have been studied and achieved impressive results.

Methods

To integrate the latest research progresses, hundreds of relevant papers from ACM, DBLP, IEEE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science electronic databases, and other sources were retrieved. We used these keywords for paper search: (Alzheimer OR dementia OR cognitive impairment) AND (speech OR voice OR audio) AND (deep learning OR neural network).

Conclusions

Fifty-two papers were finally retained after screening. We reviewed and presented the speech databases, deep learning methods, and model performances of these studies. In the end, we pointed out the mainstreams and limitations in the current studies and provided a direction for future research.
Effects of dietary oil sources and fat extraction methods on apparent and standardized ileal digestibility of fat and fatty acids in growing pigs
Authors: Wang Lu , Gao Wenjun , Zhou Junyan , Shi Huangwei , Wang Tenghao , Lai Changhua
Published: December 2022

Background

There is a lack of data for the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of fat and fatty acids in national feed databases. In addition, it is important to specify the procedures used for fat analyses. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to 1) determine the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and SID of fat and fatty acids in ten different oil sources for growing pigs and to develop prediction equations for SID of fat based on fatty acid composition; and 2) compare the effect of the fat extraction methods on the calculated values for endogenous loss and digestibility of fat.

Methods

Twenty-two barrows (initial body weight: 32.1 ± 2.3 kg) were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum, and allotted to 1 of 11 experimental diets in a 4-period Youden Square design. A fat-free diet was formulated using cornstarch, soy protein isolate and sucrose. Ten oil-added diets were formulated by adding 6% of dietary oil sources to the fat-free diet at the expense of cornstarch. All diets contained 26% sugar beet pulp and 0.40% chromic oxide.

Results

The endogenous loss of ether extract (EE) was lower than that of acid-hydrolyzed fat (AEE; P < 0.01). There were significant differences in the AID and SID of fat and saturated fatty acids across the dietary oil sources (P < 0.05). The SID of AEE for palm oil was lower than that of sunflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, rice oil and flaxseed oil (P < 0.01). The AID and SID of fat ranged from 79.65% to 86.97% and from 91.14% to 99.18%. Although the AID of EE was greater than that of AEE (P < 0.01), there was no significant difference in SID of EE and AEE except for palm oil. The ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (U/S) had a positive correlation with SID of fat (P < 0.05), whereas C16:0 and long chain saturated fatty acids (LSFA) were significant negatively correlated with SID of fat (P < 0.01). The best-fit equation to predict SID of fat was SID AEE = 102.75 − 0.15 × LSFA − 0.74 × C18:0 − 0.03 × C18:1 (Adjusted coefficient of determination = 0.88, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

When calculating the SID of fat, the EE content of the samples can be analyzed using the direct extraction method, whereas the acid hydrolysis procedure should be used to determine the AID of fat. Fat digestibility of dietary oils was affected by their fatty acid composition, especially by the contents of C16:0, LSFA and U/S.
ScintPi 2.0 and 3.0: low-cost GNSS-based monitors of ionospheric scintillation and total electron content
Authors: Gomez Socola Josemaria , Rodrigues Fabiano S.
Published: December 2022

We have devoted efforts to the development and performance evaluation of new low-cost ionospheric instruments for studies that require distributed observations and for educational and citizen science initiatives. Here, we report results of some of these efforts. More specifically, we describe the design of new ionospheric sensors based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and single-board computers. The first sensor (ScintPi 2.0) is a multi-constellation, single-frequency ionospheric scintillation monitor. The second sensor (ScintPi 3.0) is a multi-constellation, dual-frequency ionospheric scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitor. Both sensors were created using Raspberry Pi computers and off-the-shelf GNSS receivers. While they are not intended to fully replace commercial ionospheric monitors, they cost a fraction of their price and can be used in various scientific applications. In addition to describing these new sensors, we present examples of observations made by ScintPi 3.0 deployed in Presidente Prudente, Brazil (22.12 S, 51.41 W, − 17.67° dip latitude). These examples show the ability of our system to detect scintillation events and TEC depletions such as those associated with equatorial plasma bubbles. Additionally, our observations were made in parallel with a commercial receiver (Septentrio PolaRx5S), which allowed an evaluation of the scintillation and TEC measurements provided by our system. The comparison shows that ScintPi 3.0 can provide estimates of the amplitude scintillation index (S4) and TEC that are in excellent agreement with those provided by PolaRx5S. We also show an example of the application of ScintPi 3.0 in distributed observations of ionospheric irregularities and scintillation over South America.

Graphical Abstract
Κριτική αναζήτηση ενός σύγχρονου ‘ολιστικού-μετασχηματιστικού’ μοντέλου επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης των εκπαιδευτικών στον 21ο αιώνα
Authors: Τζώτζου Μαρία , Πούλου Μαρία , Καραλής Θανάσης , Υφαντή Αμαλία
Published: December 2022

Στο παγκοσμιοποιημένο κοινωνικό-εκπαιδευτικό περιβάλλον του 21ου αιώνα, οι διαρκώς αναδυόμενες εκπαιδευτικές προκλήσεις δίνουν το έναυσμα της συζήτησης για την αναθεώρηση υφιστάμενων παραδοσιακών μοντέλων επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης των εκπαιδευτικών. Στο παρόν άρθρο επιχειρείται κριτική βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση της επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης του εκπαιδευτικού του 21ου αιώνα μέσα από μία ιστορική-συγκριτική προσέγγιση και κριτική ανάλυση μοντέλων επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης του προηγούμενου αιώνα προκειμένου να αναδειχθεί η ανάγκη προώθησης ενός σύγχρονου ‘ολιστικού-μετασχηματιστικού’ μοντέλου που θα ανταποκρίνεται στις σύγχρονες προκλήσεις και διεθνείς επιταγές για την υποστήριξη και ενδυνάμωση του σύγχρονου εκπαιδευτικού σε επίπεδο γνώσεων, δεξιοτήτων και αξιών μέσα από μία διαρκή αναστοχαστική και μετασχηματιστική διαδικασία προσωπικής και συλλογικής επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης.
Η χρήση των τεχνικών της Δραματικής Τέχνης στην Εκπαίδευση στην προσέγγιση ηθικών διλημμάτων
Authors: Παπαϊωάννου Θεοδώρα , Μάγος Κωνσταντίνος
Published: December 2022

Η παρούσα έρευνα εστιάζει στη διερεύνηση της επίδρασης των τεχνικών της Δραματικής Τέχνης στην Εκπαίδευση σχετικά με την προσέγγιση ηθικών διλημμάτων που αφορούν σε ζητήματα διαχείρισης της ετερότητας. Συγκεκριμένα περιγράφει τον σχεδιασμό, την υλοποίηση και την αξιολόγηση ενός Θεατροπαιδαγωγικού Προγράμματος κατά τη διάρκεια του οποίου πραγματοποιήθηκαν τεχνικές της Δραματικής Τέχνης στην Εκπαίδευση για την διερεύνηση ηθικών διλημμάτων με σκοπό την ανάπτυξη της διαπολιτισμικής ικανότητας μαθητών της Δ΄ τάξης του Δημοτικού σχολείου. Στην εν λόγω ποιοτική έρευνα ως μέσα συλλογής δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκαν οι ημιδομημένες συνεντεύξεις σε ομάδες εστίασης,  το ενδιάμεσο ερωτηματολόγιο και τα γραπτά κείμενα που παρήγαγαν οι μαθητές. Με βάση τα ευρήματα της έρευνας διαπιστώθηκε ότι οι τεχνικές της Δραματικής Τέχνης στην Εκπαίδευση διαμεσολάβησαν θετικά στην αλλαγή της αρχικής αρνητικής στάσης των μαθητών όσον αφορά στα ηθικά διλήμματα που τους είχαν τεθεί σε σχέση με την αποδοχή της εθνοτικής, πολιτισμικής, γλωσσικής και θρησκευτικής ετερότητας. Ειδικότερα, μέσω των ευρημάτων που προέκυψαν από την αξιοποίηση των ηθικών διλημμάτων, διαπιστώθηκε μετασχηματισμός αρνητικών στερεότυπων, μείωση των προκαταλήψεων και γενικότερα ανάπτυξη  της αποδοχής του διαφορετικού «άλλου».
M. Bakhtin and G. Shpet in the context of Hermeneutics and Communication Theory: legacy and research prospects
Authors: Syao Czin'yuy , Ivanova Ol'ga
Published: December 2022

M. M. Bakhtin and G. G. Shpet play an important role in the history of the humanities in Russia. Their philosophical views correspond to the time of their lives and generally reflect the tendencies in the development of the humanities in the first half of the twentieth century. The authors of the article demonstrate a close connection and a certain continuity of philosophical views and principled positions in the theoretical concepts of G. G. Shpet and M. M. Bakhtin. This concerns not only common scientific origins and common preferences in their contemporary scientific research, but, above all, conceptual convergence in a number of fundamental issues that unite both scientists by the framework of hermeneutics and, more specifically, the hermeneutical model of communication. This concerns common views on the methodology of humanitarian knowledge, the methodology of cognition, the intersubjectivity of understanding, an interest in the dynamics of development, co-being and deed, an attitude to the word as a sign, to contextualization as a condition of finding meaning, an attitude to speech as a deed, its belonging to the author, in general - an interest in the practice of social interaction between people, etc. The theories of G.G. Shpet and M.M. Bakhtin, each in its own way, are valuable, multifaceted and not fully exhausted in terms of scientific potential, projection and influence on modern humanitarian science. The authors insist on the need to consider the hermeneutic component of the works of M.M. Bakhtin and G.G. Shpet in tandem, using the methodology of comparative and comparative analysis. Particular emphasis is placed on the way in which M.M. Bakhtin developed and used in his works the principles of H.G. Shpet's hermeneutics, in particular his hermeneutic model of communication, extending it with the cultural component and extending "to all the sign phenomena of intellectual life". Of great scientific interest is the comprehensive (comparative) study of all the scientific works of M.M. Bakhtin and G.G. Shpet as an aggregate phenomenon in the history of Russian (Soviet) philosophy, including its relationship to communicativism. Such a study, in the opinion of the authors, is extremely needed and could yield useful results right now. The key concepts of G.G. Shpet and M.M. Bakhtin's theories - personality, uniqueness, identity, individuality, word, value, deed, responsibility, understanding, dialogue - become more than relevant scientific categories and targets of the dynamics of world and society development from the perspective of all forms and aspects of globalization we are experiencing, in conditions of radical nationalism and populism, with regard to modern trends in international relations and social interaction.
Service Communication as a Status-Oriented Type of Discourse: Linguistic and Communicative-Pragmatic Characteristics
Authors: Yan Can' , Goncharova Lyubov
Published: December 2022

The purpose of the study is to describe service communication as a status-oriented type of discourse, to analyze its communicative-pragmatic, genre-stylistic and linguistic characteristics.

The article defines the institutional features of service communication, describes the participants of the discourse and their communicative behavior in the process of interaction, analyzes the texts of service communication in its oral and written modes.

Methods and materials. The methods of observation and description, interpretation and generalization, linguosociological analysis were used in the work.

The sources of the language material were about 400 texts on the designated topic: websites of companies providing service, texts of instructions, letters and advertising messages of service companies.

As a result of the study, the following conclusions were made.

1. Service communication as purposeful communication, in which participants are within the specified framework of status-role relations, can be considered as a type of institutional discourse.

2. According to the function of institutions, we divide them into structures offering: 1) daily life services, 2) professional services (technical, intellectual, medical, etc.), 3) entertainment and leisure, cognitive, cultural and sports services.

3. Participants in service communication – representatives of the service sector (service providers) and clients (service recipients) are in a relationship of equality / inequality depending on their belonging to official status and related restrictions, which is manifested in the texts at lexical and stylistic level.
Organizational and methodological features of choosing a blended learning model for RFL
Authors: Livinskaya A.
Published: December 2022

At the moment the educational paradigm is undergoing significant changes, the issues related to the introduction of online technologies, optimization of the distance learning process are becoming more relevant. Even though all participants in the educational process are given a huge number of modern forms, techniques, technologies to solve methodological and educational problems, the most demanded is blended learning. In this regard, the issue of the methodology of formation of communicative competence of students in the format of blended learning RLI as the main trajectory in the construction of the learning process is relevant. Moreover, it is not always clear which model of blended learning should be used for effective teaching Russian as a foreign language in accordance with specific conditions and didactic objectives. For this reason, the aim of this article is to develop a checklist that will help teachers choose the appropriate model of blended learning in Russian as a foreign language.
Philology and missional hermeneutics: ontology of communication
Authors: Bobylev B.
Published: December 2022

The article highlights the methodological connection between philology and mission hermeneutics in communicative and ontological aspects.

Goal. Disclosure of the ontological foundations of communication carried out through sacred and artistic texts in a historical, cultural, aesthetic and theological context.

Methodology, methods and techniques. In the course of the research, general scientific and specific scientific methods are used, a system-overview, contextual-hermeneutic, spiritual-existential and polyparadimal approach are applied.

Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research consists in substantiating the synthesis and fundamental interdependence of the communicative ("technical") and ontological (substantive) aspects, "interpretation" and "understanding", "method" and "truth" based on the "good news", personal assimilation of the meaning of the text as a Word addressed to the reader.

Practical significance. The research creates prerequisites for improving the methodology and technology of philological, rhetorical, linguo-stylistic and functional-communicative analysis of the text.
Linguistic Security and Countering Communicative Threats in the Healthcare Sector (Materials of the International Round Table, RANEPA, Russkiy Mir TV and Radio Channel, 06/21/2022)
Authors: Slyshkin Gennadiy , Malygina L. , Pavlova E. , Sorokin A.
Published: December 2022

Review of the round table "Linguistic security. Anti-vaccination as a communicative threat: linguistic mechanisms of consciousness manipulation", organized by the staff of the research laboratory "Linguistic security and psychology of information impact" of the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. During the discussion, the changed nature of communication threats in general was considered, and the destructive flows of medical topics, in particular, the formed stereotypes and anti-values of the anti-vaccination discourse, were highlighted. The participants in the discussion distinguished between such concepts as “covid dissident” and “anti-vaccination”. An excursion into the history of vaccination is given, the path of the emergence of anti-vaccination discourse is traced. The Soviet experience of working with health education, as well as Chinese practices from the moment of the formation of the PRC to the present day, are analyzed. The participants of the round table highlighted the methods by which the Russian audience is retained and new users are involved, they dwelled in detail on the proximity strategy actively used by anti-vaccinators. Tactics for consolidating society in times of crisis are proposed, special attention is paid to the strategy of nomination, euphemization, which, from a manipulatory means, can become a therapeutic method with the help of mitigation. The functions of black humor as a popular form of popular opposition to destructive information flows are also indicated. Proposals have been put forward for the development of strategic programs for the training of new specialists, such as "infodemiologist", where informational and biological aspects will be equally taken into account when covering public health topics. Improvement of legislation in the field of content labeling seems to be tactical measures in the near future.
Accesibilidad en San Salvador, hacia la evaluación de movilidades cotidianas desde el enfoque de la sostenibilidad social
Authors: Grande Ayala Carlos Ernesto , Funes Ayala Boris Ernesto , Alfaro Henríquez Manuel Alejandro , Miranda Ventura Tatiana Mariel , Gracias Serrano Fabio Ernesto
Published: December 2022

El proceso descrito en este texto tiene como objetivo mejorar el análisis y planificación de la movilidad urbana, tal que, expongan el nivel de inclusión y equidad de una porción de ciudad, identificando falencias en el acceso a equipamientos urbanos debido a la organización de los sistemas de usos de suelo y transporte. Para ello se utiliza el enfoque de análisis de la Soste­nibilidad Social en la Movilidad Urbana (ssmu) y sistemas de información geográfica open source. La metodología establece dos análisis a escalas distintas de los niveles de servicio de equipamientos públicos. El primero a escala del Área Metropolitana de San Salvador (amss) utilizando teoría de lugares centrales, el segundo analiza las condiciones de accesibilidad a escala municipal de San Salvador (capital de El Salvador) a partir de modelos de localización óptima que permiten generar indicadores de eficiencia y equidad espacial. Los resultados obtenidos son la operativización del enfoque de ssmu, la aplicación de técnicas de análisis multiescalar estableciendo una estructura metropolitana que categoriza a los municipios en función de los niveles de servicio que los equipamientos urbanos prestan a sus ciudadanos, la caracterización de la situación de accesibilidad a nivel municipal para San Salvador con indicadores proxy para grupos vulnerables y la definición de áreas prioritarias para intervenir e impactar en la movilidad cotidiana. Finalmente se abre una discusión que identifica los pasos siguientes en la mejora de esta investigación para fortalecer futuros ejercicios de planificación en el contexto de escases de recursos y acceso a datos base típicos del sur global.
Berardinelli-Seip Congenital Lipodystrophy Discovered Following a STEMI Event
Authors: Beires Francisca , Helena Greenfield Helena Greenfield , José Brito da Silva José Brito da Silva , João Gil João Gil , Nuno Moreno Nuno Moreno
Published: December 2022

A 60-year-old man, with a history of familial lipodystrophy, hypertriglyceridaemia, hepatic steatosis and bone cysts, was admitted due an acute coronary event. Coronary angiography showed significant stenosis in the left anterior descending artery, which was treated. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a slightly dilated left ventricle with diffuse and heterogeneous thickening of its walls, slightly decreased left ventricular function and reduced global longitudinal strain. Due to these echocardiographic findings, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was requested, which identified intramyocardial diffuse fibrosis of the basal septum and points of insertion of the left and right ventricles, without oedema, microvascular obstruction or myocardial infarction. Owing to the constellation of symptoms and distinctive features on cardiac imaging, a diagnosis of Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL) was suspected, which was confirmed through genetic testing of the pathogenic variants in BSCL2 and AGPAT2. BSCL is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by the congenital absence of adipose tissue and triglyceride deposition in other tissues, such as muscle, liver and heart.
The implant passport: a tool for implant maintenance and post-operative care
Authors: Grewal Kuljit Kaur , Daly Alex , Trainor Jenna
Published: December 2022

This article discusses the use of an implant passport to document and standardize important information relating to specific implant treatment for both the patient and their present and future clinicians. This aims to facilitate monitoring and provide salient information for any future clinician providing implant care.

CPD/Clinical Relevance: The implant passport is a useful aid to deliver information concisely and accurately to the patient's GDP
Guided Endodontics in Calcified Root Canals
Authors: VIEIRA FRUJERI MARIA DE LOURDES , LIMA DA ROCHA BRUNA MIRELLI DE , BALARINE MELO LEANDRO HENRIQUE
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Endoguide is a device that has significantly aids the treatment of calcified root canals. This device involves modern technologies as 3D printing and computed tomography, which increase the accuracy of dental work. Guided endodontics has currently been emphasized because it facilitates more complex endodontic treatments, such as partial or total obliteration of the root canals precluding the conventional endodontic treatment. This method has demonstrated high percentages of safety for both patient and dentist. It is a fast endodontic access system that prevents perforations, unnecessary removal of dentin and tooth structure. This treatment method is more effective than conventional methods for locating calcified root canals due to its accuracy, speed of time and precision of direction.

Objective: To review the current literature on Endoguide in calcified root canals, analyze its practice, advantages, disadvantages, indications and limitations.

Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 20 papers in Portuguese and English from the year 2016 to April 2022, and a classic article from year 1995, searched in the databases PubMed, Google Scholar and Bireme. The following keywords were used: Calcified canal, Guided endodontics, Endodontic access, Endoguide.

Results: This technique showed greater predictability in calcified canals, reducing the risk of perforations and allowing faster and more efficient access, with many advantages, except for its high cost.

Conclusion: Based on this literature review, it can be suggested that the Endoguide technique in calcified canals provides great benefits to both dentist and patient, such as reduction of clinical time, agility and confidence in treatment, reduced risk of accidents and complications such as perforations and unnecessary dentin removal.
Dropinn holar steininn. Upplifun stjórnmála- og fjölmiðlafólks af óvæginni umræðu og áreitni á netinu
Authors: Einarsdóttir Bríet B. , Ólafsson Jón Gunnar
Published: December 2022

Markmið rannsóknarinnar er að kanna upplifun og viðhorf stjórnmála- og fjölmiðlafólks hérlendis af óvæginni umræðu og áreitni á netinu. Slík umræða og áreitni hefur verið áberandi að undanförnu og er af mörgum álitin vaxandi vandamál í ört breytilegu fjölmiðla- og stjórnmálaumhverfi, sem einkennist af breyttum samskiptaháttum fólks, meðal annars á samfélagsmiðlum. Rannsóknin varpar ljósi á þau áhrif sem óvægin umræða og áreitni getur haft í för með sér á fjölmiðla- og stjórnmálafólk, bæði á líf þeirra og störf, en ekki síður á lýðræðið. Framkvæmd var eigindleg rannsókn þar sem tekin voru viðtöl við einstaklinga úr hópi fjölmiðla- og stjórnmálafólks, en um var að ræða áberandi persónur í þjóðfélaginu. Viðtölin voru þemagreind og notast var við verklag grundaðrar kenningar til að draga fram helstu niðurstöður. Þær voru síðan settar í sam hengi við fræðilega umfjöllun og rannsóknir um samfélagsmiðla og netáreitni. Niðurstöðurnar fólu í sér þrjú meginþemu og voru þau eftirfarandi: samfélagsmiðlar sem tvíeggja sverð, normalísering á netáreitni og loks upplifun, áhrif og afleiðingar slíkrar áreitni. Hugmyndir viðmælenda um samfélagsmiðla fólu meðal annars í sér að þeir væru búnir bæði jákvæðum og neikvæðum eigin leikum. Þá einkenndist orðræðan að miklu leyti af því að normalísera netáreitni, reynt var að draga úr áhrifum hennar og hún að nokkru leyti álitin eðlilegur fylgifiskur þess að vera opinber persóna. Hvað upplifun, áhrif og afleiðingar varðaði sást meðal annars skýr kynjamunur á persónulegri upplifun viðmælenda af netáreitni, bæði hvað algengi hennar, eðlismun og alvarleika varðaði. Eins mátti greinilega merkja meiri áhrif netáreitni meðal viðmælenda en talið var í fyrstu og alvarleiki hennar ágerðist eftir því sem leið á viðtölin.
Proton irradiation hardness of periodically poled Rb:KTP for spaceborne parametric frequency converters
Authors: Mølster Kjell Martin , Duzellier Sophie , Zukauskas Andrius , Lee Cherrie , Laurell Fredrik , Raybaut Myriam , Pasiskevicius Valdas
Published: December 2022

Large aperture periodically-poled Rb:KTP crystals designed for optical parametric amplifiers in 2 µm LIDAR systems were radiation hardness tested by exposure of proton beams at 10 MeV and 60 MeV energies. An irradiation dose of 55 Gy was used to commensurate the crystals’ estimated exposure on board a mission in the low-Earth orbit. The irradiation effects were investigated by comparing optical transmission spectra and 2D effective nonlinearity mapping in a 2 µm OPO setup before and after irradiation. The results reveal that the periodically poled structure remained intact after irradiation, and the changes in the optical transmission and nonlinear properties were close to the measurement uncertainty. This investigation is essential for realizing efficient frequency converters for space applications, such as spaceborne active greenhouse gas monitoring LIDAR instruments or correlated photon-pair sources.
Parameter estimation for nonlinear sandwich system using instantaneous performance principle
Authors: Li Zhengbin , Ma Lijun , Wang Yongqiang
Published: December 2022

The vast majority of reports mainly focus on the steady-state performance of parameter estimation. Few findings are reported for the instantaneous performance of parameter estimation because the instantaneous performance is difficult to quantify by using the design algorithm, for example, in the initial stage of parameter estimation, the error of parameter estimation varies in a specific region on the basis of the user’s request. With that in mind, we design an identification algorithm to address the transient performance of the parameter estimations. In this study, the parameter estimation of nonlinear sandwich system is studied by using the predefined constraint technology and high-effective filter. To achieve the above purpose, the estimation error information reflecting the transient performance of parameter estimation is procured using the developed some intermediate variables. Then, a predefined constraint function is used to prescribe the error convergence boundary, in which the convergence rate is lifted. An error equivalent conversion technique is then employed to obtain the transformed error data for establishing an parameter adaptive update law, in which the estimation error convergence and the predefined domain can be achieved. In comparison with the available estimation schemes, the good instantaneous performance is obtained on the basis of the numerical example and practical process results.
Scalable agroinfiltration-based production of SARS-CoV-2 antigens for use in diagnostic assays and subunit vaccines
Authors: Demone Jordan , Maltseva Mariam , Nourimand Maryam , Nasr-Sharif Mina , Galipeau Yannick , Alarcon Emilio I. , Langlois Marc-André , MacLean Allyson M.
Published: December 2022

Agroinfiltration is a method used in biopharming to support plant-based biosynthesis of therapeutic proteins such as antibodies and viral antigens involved in vaccines. Major advantages of generating proteins in plants is the low cost, massive scalability and the rapid yield of the technology. Herein, we report the agroinfiltration-based production of glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein. We show that it exhibits high-affinity binding to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and displays folding similar to antigen produced in mammalian expression systems. Moreover, our plant-expressed RBD was readily detected by IgM, IgA, and IgG antibodies from the serum of SARS-CoV-2 infected and vaccinated individuals. We further demonstrate that binding of plant-expressed RBD to ACE2 is efficiently neutralized by these antibodies. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that recombinant RBD produced via agroinfiltration exhibits suitable biochemical and antigenic features for use in serological and neutralization assays, and in subunit vaccine platforms.
Shifts in floristic composition and structure in Australian rangelands
Authors: Baruch Zdravko , Guerin Greg , Martín-Forés Irene , Munroe Samantha , Sparrow Ben , Lowe Andrew J.
Published: December 2022

Monitoring shifts in vegetation composition over time is essential for tracking biodiversity changes and for designing ecosystem management strategies. In Australia, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) provides a continent-wide network of monitoring sites (AusPlots) that can be used to assess the shifts in vegetation composition and structure of Australian Major Vegetation Groups (MVGs). Here we use time-series site data to quantify the extent and rate of MVG shifts between repeat visits and to recommend the most appropriate sampling frequency for specific MVGs. The research area spans a ~1,500 km latitudinal gradient within south/central Australia from arid rangelands in the north to Mediterranean vegetation in the south. The standardized AusPlots protocol was employed to repeatedly survey 103 one-hectare plots, assessed between 2011 and 2019. Floristic and growth form dissimilarities between visits were calculated with distance metrics and then regressed against survey interval. Multivariate ordination was used to explore temporal floristic shifts. Rank-dominance curves were used to display variations in species’ importance. Between repeated visits, sites exhibited high variability for all vegetation parameters and trajectories. However, several trends emerged: (a) Species composition moved away from baseline linearly with intervals between surveys. (b) The rate of species turnover was approximately double in communities that are herbaceous versus woody-dominated. (c) Species abundances and growth forms shift at different speeds. All floristic and structural metrics shifted between re-visits, with varying magnitude and speed, but herbaceous-dominated plots showed higher floristic dynamism. Although the expanse, logistics, and the short time between visits constrained our analysis and interpretation, our results suggest that shorter revisit intervals may be appropriate for herbaceous compared to woody systems to track change most efficiently.
Trade, GDP value adding activities and income inequality in the East African community
Authors: Kadigi Reuben M. J.
Published: December 2022

This paper investigates the extent to which the East African Community (EAC) countries have developed economically over time and whether income inequality decreases with economic growth. The relationship between trade and GDP per capita amongst EAC member countries is evaluated using the World Bank’s meta-data of development indicators and the EAC Secretariat’s data spanning from 2000–2019. Convergence in GDP per capita and inequality are tested using Coefficient of variation (CV) and weightedbeta. The results show that agriculture, manufacturing, trade and repair, construction, and transport and storage constituted the top five GDP value adding activities, contributing about 38 percent to total annual GDP. The EAC GDP per capita were diverging in the long run but converging in short to medium terms, implying increase and decrease in the regional income inequality respectively. Agriculture, electricity and gas, transport and storage, real estate activities, public administration, and education were income inequality-increasing sectors. Together with finance and insurance, these sectors were also positively associated with GDP per capita. The exports of EAC member countries were found to be highly concentrated in few sectors and destination markets, implying limited diversification of products and markets. In their quest to diversify, these countries should choose the right mixes of export goods and services keeping in view of the prevailing market factors in importing countries, such as, changing taste and demands.
Da Natureza, Senhora da Mesa, à Mesa, Mestra da Natureza. 8º Colóquio Luso-Brasileiro de História e Culturas da Alimentação DIAITA, Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra-Alcobaça, 26-28 de outubro de 2022
Authors: Barata Dias Paula , Ferreira Nelson
Published: December 2022

Nos finais de outubro decorreu o oitavo encontro luso-brasileiro de especialistas e investigadores em estudos de alimentação. A organização contou com a coordenação de Carmen Soares, Professora catedrática da secção de Estudos Clássicos do Departamento de Línguas Literaturas da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra; Maria Helena da Cruz Coelho, Professora catedrática jubilada da secção de História do Departamento de História, Arqueologia e Estudos Europeus da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Inês Ornellas e Castro, Professora auxiliar convidada do Departamento de Português da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Paula Barata Dias, Professora auxiliar da secção de Estudos Clássicos do Departamento de Línguas Literaturas da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, e Nelson Ferreira, Investigador do Centro de Estudos Clássicos e Humanísticos. A comissão executiva contou com o serviço de Isabel Gouveia e Daniela Pereira, Técnicas superiores do Centro de Estudos Clássicos e Humanísticos. O desenvolvimento dos trabalhos recebeu ainda o apoio de um secretariado constituído por estudantes do 1º ciclo de Estudos Clássicos, (Eulália Marques e do 2º ciclo de Alimentação: Fontes, Cultura e Sociedade (Henrique Camões, Leonardo Sousa, Maira Loureiro Polatto, Marta Mamede, Susana Tavares) e do 3º ciclo em Patrimónios Alimentares: Culturas e Identidades (Marina Prezotti).
El concepto de historia y de historiografía en Vives
Authors: Fernández Requena Pedro
Published: December 2022

En nuestro artículo, se analiza la percepción de Vives sobre la historia y la historiografía, en una época en la que el pensamiento humanista le dio gran importancia. Con este fin, se han extraído algunos pasajes de obras como Veritas Fucata, De disciplinis o De ratione dicendi; en estas, el valenciano expone sus inquietudes teóricas sobre la ciencia del pasado. Por último, hallamos una aplicación pragmática del marco teórico en los Commentarii in XXII libros De civitate Dei. En efecto, Vives plantea, en este comento, una renovación de San Agustín; en su trabajo le asistieron las referencias históricas e historiográficas.
A Pressure Sensitive Occlusal Contact Indicator for Implant Restorations: An Observational Clinical Evaluation
Authors: Millstein Philip , Sabrosa Carlos E. , Yung Wai
Published: December 2022

Contact intensity is a significant factor in immoveable implant restorations. This study visually compares the use of four occlusal contact indicators one of which measures contact intensity and surface area in a single subject. The need for an occlusal contact indicator that can be used with fixed implant restorations is examined. Three contact indicators used in practice are visually compared to a novel system where pressure sensitive information and surface area can be evaluated numerically and stored. Findings suggest that intensity and surface area should be measured upon implant placement. Limitations of this observational study are discussed. Directions for future research and more systematic study are offered
Maputo, the divided city: fragmentation and (re)qualification
Authors: Stacciarini João Henrique Santana , Chaveiro Eguimar Felício , Azevedo Helsio Amiro Motany de Albuquerque
Published: December 2022

Maputo - the Mozambican capital - has expanded itself vertiginously in the midst of the late independence process (1975). Its population has been multiplied about twelve times during the decades from 1950 to 2020, reaching more than 1.1 million inhabitants. The political, commercial, and financial center of the country, the urban fabric of the capital is the stage for complex processes of economic growth and spatial segregation triggered in recent decades. The central region, known locally as the "cement city", concentrates on modern and widely diversified infrastructures. Squares and parks, luxury condos surrounded by modern offices, international standard hotels, shopping, and a set of pharaonic constructions - built at a cost of billions - set the landscape tone of progress induced and concentrated in favor of a small elite. However, beyond this "stronghold", around 92% of the population lives in the peripheral part of Maputo, popularly known as the "reed city". These, however, are located in very precarious housing, produced informally by the residents themselves, and subjected to the complete absence of infrastructure and public services. These issues contribute directly to the fact that Mozambique has the ninth-worst Human Development Index (HDI) on the planet. In this way, the present article - elaborated from fieldwork, interdisciplinary discussions and dialogues undertaken within the scope of an international scientific project between universities in Brazil and Mozambique - seeks to present and interpret the set of urban connections that make Maputo a fragmented and complex city, full of continuous socio-territorial transformations in which multiple clashes emerge linked to segregation, gentrification, real estate speculation, among others.
MONETARY VS FISCAL DOMINANCE IN TURKISH PUBLIC FINANCES
Authors: CAN Cansın Kemal
Published: December 2022

The interactive roles of monetary and fiscal policies are represented by two competing theories in the literature. The advocates of the first theory, the monetarist view, argue that the fiscal authorities tune the primary balance in an attempt to preserve the fiscal solvency for each price level. On the contrary, the proponents of the new approach assert that the fiscal authorities are able to set primary surplus without making a binding commitment to restore solvency. In this study, the purpose is to figure out which approach is valid for Turkish public finances. To accomplish this objective, we run a model based on Bohn (1998) using the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method so as to determine the type of regime prevalent in the Turkish economy. Besides, we run a Toda-Yamamoto type causality analysis to detect the direction of causality among public debt and primary balances. The results from both analyses reveal that the Turkish public finances are characterised by monetary dominant regimes which indicate that the fiscal solvency is restored by primary balance alterations by a set of active fiscal policy actions.
Campus by the Sea: Adapting the Landscape to Evolving Salinity
Authors: Elhusseini Rami , Battikha George
Published: December 2022

A lush green campus has been the American University of Beirut (AUB) flagship for the last five decades. The present decade however, saw the water well bear the brunt of growing population, decreased rainfall, and unsustainable consumption[1]. The bliss of the neighboring sea turned into a curse, as the aquifers fell short, and the extraction overload left the water table brackish and polluted. To mitigate the recently increased salinity, we combined the responsible consumption goal with the experiential education, and the innovative use of infrastructure. Water use awareness drove this effort. Luckily, the water network availed (regarding the plan to segregate the brackish network from the main waterlines). Same for the health system (streamlined vaccination program[2]) and the educational facility (greenhouse/nursery labs) both of which were intrinsic to this collaboration. Returning the greenery without spending too much green!Keyword: Innovation in adaptation, SDGs in education, Salinity tolerance, Greenery in brackish settings, Green Metrics Campus
Best practices in greening transportation at Wageningen University & Research
Authors: Luttik Joke , Maters Erna
Published: December 2022

Key words for the sustainable mobility policy of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) are: safe, healthy, sustainable, accessible, emission reduction and future-focused. WUR mobility policy has three key elements, in the following order of importance: 1) less travel, 2) transition to sustainable modes of transport, and 3) efficient, clean transport. The objective is to further decrease our annual carbon emissions by at least 2%. WUR’s long-term mobility policy is outlined in the Mobility Plan 2030. Measures are focused on encouraging cycling and use of public transport, and discouraging use of fossil fuels for business travel and commuting. Alternatives to air travel and sustainable transport options are facilitated. Examples of promoting sustainable transport are offering e-bike test drives for employees and the introduction of an app for business trips with electric cars, bicycles and public transport. A stricter policy on business travel by train within Europe was implemented, with a Travel Check for staff to find alternatives for air travel. In addition, due to the corona pandemic, WUR drew up a policy on remote working and aims to maximise sustainability benefits of remote work.Keyword: Sustainable transport, sustainable mobility, low-emission vehicles, remote working
Navigating COVID-19 Pandemic and Building Resilience: A Case Study of Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University ATU
Authors: Al-Zuhairy Mudhaffar S. , Al-Zaini Essam O.
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems and, in particular, the higher education system in human history. Social distancing and restrictive movement policies have significantly disturbed traditional educational practices. Indeed, such disruption will not be the last to impact the continuity of higher education has led to an interest in the concept of institutional resilience. Also, returning to the original operation state of universities campuses after relaxation of restriction is another challenge with many new standard operating procedures. Like almost all other academic institutions, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical university ATU provides people with professional and personal skills and capabilities. ATU has access to a remarkable number of young and curious people who are passionate, creative, and desire a better world. ATU, therefore, needs to ensure equipping current and future leaders, decision-makers, teachers, and innovators with the knowledge, skills, and motivation towards facing such unpredictable challenges. The current article highlights in-depth five steps undertaken by ATU university’s leader to improve the university's complicated infrastructure systems to building resilience and withstanding current and futuristic distributions.Keyword: ATU-resilience, ATU- infrastructure, COVID-19 Pandemic