bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zwicky Transient Facility and Globular Clusters: the Period–Luminosity and Period–Luminosity–Color Relations for Late-type Contact Binaries
Authors: Ngeow Chow-Choong , Liao Szu-Han , Bellm Eric C. , Duev Dmitry A. , Graham Matthew J. , Mahabal Ashish A. , Masci Frank J. , Medford Michael S. , Riddle Reed , Rusholme Ben
Published: July 2021

In this work, we aimed to derive the gri-band period–luminosity (PL) and period–luminosity–color (PLC) relations for late-type contact binaries, for the first time, located in globular clusters, using the homogeneous light curves collected by the Zwicky Transient Factory (ZTF). We started with 79 contact binaries in 15 globular clusters, and retained 30 contact binaries in 10 globular clusters that have adequate numbers of data points in the ZTF light curves and are unaffected by blending. Magnitudes at mean and maximum light of these contact binaries were determined using a fourth-order Fourier expansion, while extinction corrections were done using the Bayerstar2019 3D reddening map together with adopting the homogeneous distances to their host globular clusters. After removing early-type and “anomaly” contact binaries, our derived gri-band PL and period–Wesenheit (PW) relations exhibited a much larger dispersion with large errors on the fitted coefficients. Nevertheless, the gr-band PL and PW relations based on this small sample of contact binaries in globular clusters were consistent with those based on a larger sample of nearby contact binaries. Good agreements of the PL and PW relations suggested both samples of contact binaries in the local Solar neighborhood and in the distant globular clusters can be combined and used to derive and calibrate the PL, PW, and PLC relations. The final derived gr-band PL, PW, and PLC relations were much improved over those based on the limited sample of contact binaries in the globular clusters.
Consequences of Proposed Shoreline Deformation Scenarios for Jezero Crater, Mars
Authors: Baum Mark , Wordsworth Robin , Goudge Timothy A.
Published: July 2021

One of the most interesting questions about the climate and hydrology of early Mars is whether oceans existed and, if so, when. Various geologic features have been interpreted as ancient shorelines, but these features do not follow gravitational equipotentials. Prior work has shown that the elevation of the Arabia level, hypothesized to represent a large, early ocean, better conforms to an equipotential when correcting for global topographic change after its formation. Although the shoreline coordinates underlying these studies are debated, exploring the consequences of these topographic corrections allows additional observable consequences to be identified. Here we show that the topographic corrections cause Jezero crater, the landing site of the Perseverance rover, to be submerged under the proposed Arabia ocean. This precludes the ocean’s existence during known fluvio-lacustrine activity at Jezero and suggests the ocean did not exist during the main era of valley network formation in the Noachian/Early Hesperian. We identify a period of ∼108 yr years before fluvial activity at Jezero when the ocean could have existed and discuss potential observable consequences.
Correlation between Stage and Histopathological Features and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Glioma Tumors
Authors: Lona Andre , Kadri Alfansuri , Nasution Irina Kemala
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND: Brain tumor incidence continues to increase during the last decade in several countries. Determining the response of intracranial tumors to treatment remains a major challenge in the field of neuro-oncology. Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) is a widely used method for assessing the functional status of a patient.

AIM: This study aims to determine the relationship between stadium and histopathological features with clinical outcomes in patients with glioma tumors.

METHODS: This was an observational analytic study with a retrospective approach at the H. Adam Malik General Hospital in Medan from September 2019 to September 2020. The study population was glioma patients. The research sample was 36 subjects taken consecutively. The independent variables of the study were stage and histopathological features, while the dependent variable of the study was KPS. Statistical analysis with Gamma test.

RESULTS: Mean age was 38.11 ± 13.86 years. Most subjects were male, amounting to 20 subjects (55.6%). The most common type of glioma tumor was anaplastic astrocytoma, amounting to 8 subjects (22.2%). The highest tumor stage was a high-grade glioma, amounting to 19 subjects (52.8%), and the most histopathological features based on WHO criteria were WHO grade 3, totaling 13 subjects (36.1%). Most KPS is 80–100 with 19 subjects (52.8%). There is a significant correlation between the stage and histopathological features with KPS with a moderate correlation strength (p = 0.036; r = 0.598) (p = 0.024; r = 0.508)

CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between stage and histopathological features with KPS with moderate correlation strength
Transition numérique : la solitude du lien
Authors: Janssen Christophe
Published: July 2021

À partir d’œuvres de fiction, de la clinique et de l’usage quotidien des nouvelles technologies de la communication, l’auteur s’intéresse à la transition de notre monde vers davantage de virtuel. Il s’agit de réfléchir aux effets probables de cette transition sur les façons d’éprouver le lien à autrui. L’auteur développera sa pensée à partir principalement de deux concepts : les processus transitionnels et la capacité d’être seul (D.W. Winnicott).
Immigration et précarité : la cigarette des lendemains incertains
Authors: Rives Liza , Brossier Mélanie , Simon Patrick , Ducarroz Simon
Published: July 2021

Certaines formes de précarité plus fréquentes pour les immigrés (surexposition au chômage, revenus plus faibles en moyenne, conditions de logement plus difficiles, expériences multiples de discrimination dans l’accès aux droits, aux biens et aux services, etc.) ou liées à leur statut administratif d’étranger sont des situations contribuant au tabagisme. Les facteurs socioéconomiques défavorables, les antécédents biographiques traumatiques, un accès limité aux services de santé sont des éléments particulièrement à risque en matière de tabagisme et de dépendance nicotinique. Dans cet article, nous nous proposons d’observer en quoi la précarité et la migration influencent les représentations et comportements tabagiques des immigrés ainsi que les stratégies de sevrage.
Different GARCH model analysis on returns and volatility in Bitcoin
Authors: Wang Changlin
Published: July 2021

The aim of this study was to examine the returns and volatility of Bitcoin. The study uses the daily closing price of Bitcoin from October 1, 2013 to July 31, 2020 as the sample data, which include 2496 observations. About the methodology, the paper describes the utilisation of GARCH models to analyse Bitcoin's returns and volatility. First, the data were tested by using the augmented Dickey-Fuller test to verify the stability and diagram tests sequence. After that, the lag order and determination results of the mean value equation show that the Lag 4 period is the best. Additionally, the paper describes an autocorrelation test of the residual series, which revealed that there is no significant autocorrelation in the residual term for the Bitcoin returns, but that the residual squared has significant autocorrelation. In addition, a linear graph of squared residuals was formulated and the ARCH-LM test was used to find the data that are suitable for modelling with GARCH models since the data have a strong ARCH effect. As result, a GARCH (1, 1) model was used; the findings indicated that the returns and volatility of Bitcoin have clustering characteristics, and that the returns and volatility of Bitcoin constitute a persistent process although the effects gradually reduce over time. Because of the limitations of the GARCH (1, 1) model and researching asymmetry of the returns and volatility of Bitcoin, TARCH and EGARCH models were adopted; the findings indicated that the returns and volatility of Bitcoin are without a "leverage effect". To further explain this special phenomenon, safe-property is quoted in this research. In the end, this paper demonstrates that Bitcoin, as a safe-haven property, can hedge financial risks in times of economic depression. Besides, Bitcoin has a revised asymmetric effect between positive and negative shocks that makes it a viable asset to add to the portfolios of investors.
Present Bias
Authors: Chakraborty Anujit
Published: July 2021

Present bias is the inclination to prefer a smaller present reward to a larger later reward, but reversing this preference when both rewards are equally delayed. Such behavior violates stationarity of temporal choices, and hence exponential discounting. This paper provides a weakening of the stationarity axiom that can accommodate present‐biased choice reversals. We call this new behavioral postulate
Weak Present Bias and characterize the general class of utility functions that is consistent with it. We show that present‐biased preferences can be represented as those of a decision maker who makes her choices according to conservative present‐equivalents, in the face of uncertainty about future tastes.
Robust Bayesian Inference for Set‐Identified Models
Authors: Giacomini Raffaella , Kitagawa Toru
Published: July 2021

This paper reconciles the asymptotic disagreement between Bayesian and frequentist inference in set‐identified models by adopting a multiple‐prior (robust) Bayesian approach. We propose new tools for Bayesian inference in set‐identified models and show that they have a well‐defined posterior interpretation in finite samples and are asymptotically valid from the frequentist perspective. The main idea is to construct a prior class that removes the source of the disagreement: the need to specify an unrevisable prior for the structural parameter given the reduced‐form parameter. The corresponding class of posteriors can be summarized by reporting the ‘posterior lower and upper probabilities’ of a given event and/or the ‘set of posterior means’ and the associated ‘robust credible region’. We show that the set of posterior means is a consistent estimator of the true identified set and the robust credible region has the correct frequentist asymptotic coverage for the true identified set if it is convex. Otherwise, the method provides posterior inference about the convex hull of the identified set. For impulse‐response analysis in set‐identified Structural Vector Autoregressions, the new tools can be used to overcome or quantify the sensitivity of standard Bayesian inference to the choice of an unrevisable prior.
TV Advertising Effectiveness and Profitability: Generalizable Results From 288 Brands
Authors: Shapiro Bradley T. , Hitsch Günter J. , Tuchman Anna E.
Published: July 2021

We estimate the distribution of television advertising elasticities and the distribution of the advertising return on investment (ROI) for a large number of products in many categories. Our results reveal substantially smaller advertising elasticities compared to the results documented in the literature, as well as a sizable percentage of statistically insignificant or negative estimates. The results are robust to functional form assumptions and are not driven by insufficient statistical power or measurement error. The ROI analysis shows negative ROIs at the margin for more than 80% of brands, implying over‐investment in advertising by most firms. Further, the overall ROI of the observed advertising schedule is only positive for one third of all brands.
Bootstrap Standard Error Estimates and Inference
Authors: Hahn Jinyong , Liao Zhipeng
Published: July 2021

Asymptotic justification of the bootstrap often takes the form of weak convergence of the bootstrap distribution to some limit distribution. Theoretical literature recognized that the weak convergence does not imply consistency of the bootstrap second moment or the bootstrap variance as an estimator of the asymptotic variance, but such concern is not always reflected in the applied practice. We bridge the gap between the theory and practice by showing that such common bootstrap based standard error in fact leads to a potentially conservative inference.
Extreme Points and Majorization: Economic Applications
Authors: Kleiner Andreas , Moldovanu Benny , Strack Philipp
Published: July 2021

We characterize the set of extreme points of monotonic functions that are either majorized by a given functionfor themselves majorizefand show that these extreme points play a crucial role in many economic design problems. Our main results show that each extreme point is uniquely characterized by a countable collection of intervals. Outside these intervals the extreme point equals the original functionfand inside the function is constant. Further consistency conditions need to be satisfied pinning down the value of an extreme point in each interval where it is constant. We apply these insights to a varied set of economic problems: equivalence and optimality of mechanisms for auctions and (matching) contests, Bayesian persuasion, optimal delegation, and decision making under uncertainty.
La especialización productiva y agrícola desde su análisis bibliométrico (1915-2019)
Authors: Pacheco-Almaraz Victoria , Palacios-Rangel María Isabel , Martínez-González Enrique Genaro , Vargas-Canales Juan Manuel , Ocampo-Ledesma Jorge G.
Published: July 2021

La creciente importancia de la planificación regional genera que la geografía económica y el análisis espacial, así como la producción científica en torno al tema, tomen relevancia. En ese sentido, se realizó un análisis bibliométrico basado en veintiséis conceptos relacionados con “productive specialization” identificando relaciones entre términos y áreas temáticas en dicha categoría de análisis, para el periodo 1915-2019. Se analizaron 1764 documentos obtenidos de Scopus, mediante estadística descriptiva y el software VOSviewer, con técnicas bibliométricas. Se encontró que las líneas que más estudian estos conceptos son especialización regional y crecimiento económico, neurociencia en humanos y animales y producción y prácticas agrícolas. Además, existe un aumento progresivo en la proporción de artículos con mayor colaboración entre autores y países que abordan el tema. Se concluye que son múltiples los sectores estudiados a través de los conceptos planteados, pero destaca el industrial, generando vacíos de conocimiento en el agropecuario.
Aspirations and Contradictions in Shaping a Cosmopolitan Africa: Arturo Mezzedimi in Imperial Ethiopia
Authors: Galli Jacopo
Published: July 2021

The life and career of Arturo Mezzedimi are the rare tale of an immigrant who conquered the main stage of his adoptive motherland. This paper reconstructs the trajectory of a young technical surveyor who became the semi-official architect of Ethiopia’s last emperor, Haile Selassie. From his apprenticeship in Asmara’s Italian bourgeois society to the construction of “Selassie’s gifts” to Eritrea, Mezzedimi reached the highest levels of achievement, building the Africa Hall and the United Nations headquarters in Africa, and shaping the modern face of Addis Ababa as the moral capital of a continent. The paper reassesses Mezzedimi as a cosmopolitan global expert with a gift for interpreting Haile Selassie’s ambitions to mix European modernity and resilient Ethiopian traditions. This process of cross-pollination led the Italian architect to interpret Ethiopian millennial history and future aspirations while acquiring a self-taught professionalism that allowed him to design and build more than 250 constructions at an impressive pace of hyper-production.
A city shaped by diplomacy
Authors: van Gameren Dirk , Tola Anteneh Tesfaye
Published: July 2021

Ethiopia is an old country with a long history of political change, both domestically and towards the rest of the world. Internally, Ethiopia’s ever-changing socio-political behavior was manifested by a tradition of relocating its seat of government. Axum, Lalibela, Teguelat, Gondar, Magdala, Ankober, and Mekele are only a few examples of such temporary headquarters, and many other “roving capitals” are excluded.1 The most recent shift was the foundation of the current capital city Addis Ababa in 1886. In the 131 years since then, this city has evolved from a simple village of hot springs and encampments into a global diplomatic center. The city’s diplomatic relevance has grown especially rapidly since 1950. Today, it hosts continental and global institutions such as the African Union (AU), a number of United Nation institutions (UN-ECA, UNDP, UNESCO) and others, in addition to diplomatic institutions for bilateral relations. Until today, Addis Ababa contains only fragments of the disruption caused by the brief period of Italian occupation between 1936 and 1941, when the occupiers attempted to erase the existing city and build a new colonial capital. This paper looks at the evolution of Addis Ababa through the agency of diplomacy. It focuses on the morphological and architectural manifestations of diplomacy in the city, based on a timeline of five recognizable periods. Using exemplary cases, it illustrates the physical and spatial impact and architectural influences associated with diplomacy and diplomatic institutions. Subsequently, we argue that the emergence of Addis Ababa as a diplomatic center in its first couple of decades anchored it as a lasting political center, while the diplomatic developments that followed and their physical manifestations played a vivid formative role in the city’s urbanization. Within Addis Ababa’s poly-nuclear structure, the diplomatic institutions prevail as frames and points of reference, spread out over the whole city.
Rome / Kabul / Rome: Elective Affinities and an Embassy ProjectThe First Italian Embassy in Kabul
Authors: Rosso Michela
Published: July 2021

As both symbols of the State and places devoted to the representation of sovereignty, embassies represent an aspect of the “conspicuous visibility” of Italians abroad that still deserves some critical attention. Although the Italian unification marked a new departure in the way the national government shaped foreign policy in part by means of architectural projects outside Italy, it was especially during the Fascist regime that national propaganda was spatially materialized through the promotion of new embassy buildings, one prominent example being the one in Ankara. This paper proposes to explore the overlooked case of the Italian embassy in Kabul. The project’s inception and subsequent history are necessarily intertwined with the historic phases of Italian politics, from the end of the Great War, through the rise of Fascism until the post-World War II years, marked by a new aspiration towards a moral and physical reconstruction of the country. The embassy’s origins can be traced back to 1919, when Carlo Sforza, the Italian plenipotentiary minister in Istanbul, signed an agreement with the Afghan king Amanullah Khan pledging Italian financial support for the Third Afghan War. Architect Andrea Bruno was commissioned to design the present embassy building, which opened in 1974. Since the early 1960s, Bruno had been involved in the restoration works on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, later inscribed on the unesco List of World Heritage in Danger.
Féminités prophétiques
Authors: Bellio Alfonsina
Published: July 2021

Les conférences de l’année 2019‑2020 ont commencé un cycle biennal qui porte sur des spiritualités, que nous avons qualifiées de « prophétiques », dont la singularité est de s’agencer autour de formes de contact direct avec les morts, les anges, les saints et les figures divines. Religion, genre et politique d’un côté, anthropologie du corps et pratiques de guérison de l’autre, représentent les axes capitaux de ce cheminement. Ces thématiques renvoient au cadre général de l’émergence dans les sociétés occidentales contemporaines de spiritualités et de pratiques souvent en conflit avec les formes institutionnalisées du religieux.
Measuring, monitoring and verification of geological carbon storage
Authors: White D
Published: July 2021

Aquistore CO2storage site - 6 years of monitoring: Time-lapse seismic; Induced seismicity.
Coronavirus disease 2019 infection presenting as acute abdomen
Authors: Sharifi Parastoo , Moghtaderi Mastaneh
Published: July 2021

Data from published epidemiological and virology studies around the world provide evidence that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a lower incidence rate in children compared with adults. COVID-19 infection typical presentations include respiratory symptoms, such as cough, respiratory distress and hypoxia, fever, and dyspnea, which are considered the main symptoms of this novel disease in adults, but atypical presentations, especially in children, could be a diagnostic challenge. We report a child whose initial presentation was gastrointestinal, and in whom COVID-19 infection was confirmed, concluding that cases of mesenteric adenitis may be confusing and may mask this virus infections, and they should therefore be investigated in this respect. Earlier studies reported 15–16% of COVID-19-infected patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms such asloss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and variable liver injury. Gastrointestinal symptoms may be associated with respiratory symptoms or without it. There are very few studies on COVID-19 infection in children, and there are uncertainties in the published papers. Thisarticle isabout a 5-year-old COVID-19-infected girl who presented with acute abdomen owing to mesenteric adenitis.
Interface dynamics in a two-phase tumor growth model
Authors: Kim Inwon C. , Tong Jiajun
Published: July 2021

We study a tumor growth model in two space dimensions, where proliferation of the tumor cells leads to expansion of the tumor domain and migration of surrounding normal tissues into the exterior vacuum. The model features two moving interfaces separating the tumor, the normal tissue, and the exterior vacuum. We prove local-in-time existence and uniqueness of strong solutions for their evolution starting from a nearly radial initial configuration. It is assumed that the tumor has lower mobility than the normal tissue, which is in line with the well-known Saffman–Taylor condition in viscous fingering.
Evaluation of groundwater potential using aquifer characteristics on parts of Boki Area, South- Eastern Nigeria
Authors: Ugbaja Anthony A. , William God'swill A. , Ugbaja Uduak A.
Published: July 2021

Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) and pumping test (constant discharge and recovery test) was carried out in parts of Boki Local Government Area to evaluate the groundwater potential, using aquifer characteristics of the study area. Sixteen (16) VES point was employed for this study using the Schlumberger array, with a maximum spread of 400- 600m. The stimulated result from the field data shows 3-5 layers resistivity model with the following curve types A, AK, KH, KHA, QH, QHA and QHK. The geoelectric properties include resistivity of the various layers ranging from 33.58 - 2.29 x 105Ώm, thickness from 0.2 - 50.2m, depth to basement varies from 2.99 - 74.60m across the study area. The litho logs show a top layer comprising of laterite, gravel/gravelly sand and intercalations of siltstones, the layers underneath are made-up of clay, weathered basement containing migmatites and gneisses, fractured and unfractured basement are made up of granitic and metamorphic rocks. The weathered and fractured layers constitute the aquiferous layers in the study area. Hydraulic parameters show transmissivity (T) range of 4.1x 10-5 - 1.92 x 10-1 m 2/day, specific capacity (SC) ranges from 2.09-21.42m2 /day, hydraulic conductivity (K) varies from 2.6 x 10-5 - 3.0 x10-3m/day and mean static water level (SWL) of 7.39m. Iso resistivity map of saprolite, fractured basement map, isopach map and the transmissivity map show that the studied area falls within the low-moderate groundwater potential zone.
Studies on recovery of heavy metals from tannery wastewater
Authors: Shukla Abhimati , Mahmood Zainab , Singh Lalit Kumar
Published: July 2021

Heavy metal salts are widely used in the tanning process in the form of Chrome alum and Chromium[III] sulfate. It is a highly toxic metal and cannot be degraded thus deposited and incorporated in water, sediment and aquatic ecosystems which poses various respiratory, skin and other health issues to humans and also cause serious issues to microbial, plant and aquatic life. The cost of these heavy metal salts is high due to which the tanners need a lot of investment for the tanning process because of its abundant use. So, to overcome such issues numerous techniques have been developed for the recovery and reuse of these heavy metal salts from the wastewater of the tanneries to reduce the pollution in the wastewater streams and exempt the tanners from the high cost of these salts.
Assessment of noise pollution at various locations of Gorakhpur
Authors: Yadav Maharshi , Patel Ratnesh Kumar , Yadav Abhishek , Sharma Gaurav , Pandey Govind
Published: July 2021

Noise pollution is one of the major concerns in big cities as well as in the crowded area of small cites, Gorakhpur is fastgrowing city and has many locations with high noise levels. Various crossroads and intersections have traffic issues this causes high noise level. In this study, three locations were selected for noise level assessment, nearby areas of Gorakhnath Temple, BRD medical college and MMMUT. These locations are educational (silent) and low noise level zone but because they situated near traffic roads, which cause high noise levels around them. In this study outside periphery of educational institutions noise level increases due to traffic. Noise level is found to be high due to large number of human activities.
Utility-Taguchi based hybrid optimization approach in machining of graphite composites
Authors: Kumar Jogendra , Kharwar Prakhar Kumar , Verma Rajesh Kumar
Published: July 2021

In the present scenario, composites material is widely used in various engineering areas like satellite components, aircraft parts, chemical and sports industries. Graphite is an allotrope of carbon that possesses various electrical and mechanical properties. In this paper, graphite is taken as reinforcement into the epoxy matrix. In this study, the hybrid optimization module is developed to tackle multi-objective machining performance optimization issues. Utility concept coupled Taguchi approach is used to find out optimum values of responses in three input factors i.e., drill speed, feed rate and fiber volume percentage varied at four discrete levels and surface roughness (Ra) and material removal rate (MRR) are taken as process response. Taguchi L16 OA has been used to perform the machining operation. Multiple responses aggregated into a single function i.e., overall utility (U) and finally optimized by the Taguchi concept. Utility embedded Taguchi approach determined the favorable machining setting which the confirmatory test has verified shows satisfactory results. ANOVA outcomes reveal that feed rate (73.37%) is the most important factor trailed by drill speed (3.44%) and fiber volume percentage.
Solid waste management in India: a review
Authors: Singh Saumya , Singh Jeeoot
Published: July 2021

In India, rate of waste generation varies from 0.12-0.60 kg/capita/day. This paper lists established solid waste management practices in India by providing the latest factual data from various reports and surveys being conducted in India in the period 2016 and beyond. This paper also gives an insight into some of the recent studies that have been in India related to solid waste and waste to energy technologies by describing their study area along with mentioning their critical observations.
Economic Burden of Tuberculosis Diabetes Co-Morbidity in Tuberculosis Patients Attending Two Chest Clinics in Lagos State
Authors: Ayeni F.A. , Oyetunde O.O. , Aina B.A. , Yarah H.O.
Published: July 2021

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) three-fold. The cost of accessing care for TB-DM co-morbidity poses a significant burden on patients, as they bear both direct and indirect costs of treatment, mostly of out-of-pocket.Objective: To estimate the direct medical cost of illness in patients with TB-DM co-morbidity in two chest clinics in Lagos State.Materials and Methods: An observational study, carried out in two chest clinics in Lagos State to evaluate direct medical costs associated with TBDM co-morbidity during TB treatment. A semi structured questionnaire, pharmacy price list of drugs and an online transportation service lara.ng was employed to document and quantify prescribed medications, laboratory investigations, number of clinic attendance and attendant transportation costs.Results: Among the participants, 53.8% were females. The mean age was 50.7±9.7 years. The total direct medical and non-medical costs for TBDM management was NGN8,604,819 (USD24,585.20) for the duration of TB treatment. Average cost per patient (CPP) was NGN179,384.85 (USD512.53). This was equivalent to 49.8% of the current national minimum wage. Male patients incurred more mean direct medical cost than female patients (NGN26, 647.90 vs NGN24, 020.40), while female patients incurred more mean direct non-medical costs than the males (NGN22, 314.30 versus NGN13, 041.70). Patients aged 60 years and above incurred the highest mean direct costs compared to other age groups.Conclusion: Direct medical costs are substantial in TBDM co-morbidity and increase with age.
Preliminary Characterization of Co-processed Excipients of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Mucilage and Pregelatinized Potato Starch
Authors: Akonlula A.
Published: July 2021

Background: Okra mucilage is highly viscous with good binding properties in tablets. Pregelatinized starches have significantly improved flow properties but produce tablets of poor mechanical strength.Objective: Preliminary evaluation of co-processed excipients of Okra mucilage and pregelatinized potato starch as directly-compressible excipients.Methods: Polymers were characterized for morphology (SEM), crystallinity (FT-IR) and flow properties. Coprocessed excipients were developed with Okra mucilage and pregelatinized potato starch at different ratios of starch: mucilage (95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 70:30), using the co-fusion method. The flow, packing and compaction properties of the co-processed excipients were evaluated using density measurements, angle of repose, angle of internal friction, Kawakita model, consolidation index (C) and consolidation rate (K).Results: Larger agglomerates of the co-processed excipients indicated formation of a new polymer. FT-IR spectra showed retention of all the major peaks of individual polymers. Okra mucilage imparted swelling while starch improved flow in the co-processed excipients (Hausner’s ratio 1.12-1.20). Values from Kawakita plots revealedcohesiveness and compressibility were imparted to the co-processed excipients (a = 0.300–0.329; b = 0.078–0.361) suggesting good compactibility. Consolidation index and rate were observed to increase with Okra mucilage content, implying improved rate of packing as well as enhanced flow (C = 0.566-1.389; K = 0.123-0.424). The batch containing starch: mucilage 70:30 gave the best properties of good flow, cohesiveness and compactibility, essential parameters required in directly-compressible excipients.Conclusion: The co-processed excipients of Okra mucilage and pregelatinized potato starch could therefore be used as excipients for direct compression in tablet formulations.
Antibiotics Susceptibility Pattern of Bacteria Isolated from Ready-To-Eat Vegetables Sold in Mohammadu Gumi Market, Kaduna, Nigeria
Authors: Obajuluwa A.F. , Kefas A. , Parom S.K.
Published: July 2021

Background: Freshly consumed vegetables are considered to have more nutritional value than cooked ones. However, they are a potential source of foodborne illnesses due to possible microbial contamination, this poses safety threat.Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the bacteriological quality of ready-to-eat vegetables sold in Mohammadu Gumi market, Kaduna and to determine the antibiotics resistance pattern of the bacteria isolates.Methods: A total of 40 samples of cabbage were collected. Gram staining, growth on selective media and biochemical tests were carried out to identify the isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer agar disc diffusion method. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were detected with the use of cefoxitin disc agar diffusion test.Results: A total of 46 bacteria isolates were obtained with a total colony count range from 4 – 9 x 106CFU/ml. The following bacteria were isolated:   aureus (41.3%), Escherichia coli (28.3%), Salmonella spp (19.6%),  Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.7%) and Serratia spp (2.2%). The result of antimicrobial susceptibility test showed thatthe isolates were highly susceptible to ofloxacin: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia spp (100%), E. coli (92.3%) and Salmonella spp (87.5%). The isolates were all resistant to penicillin and ampicillin while 89.5% of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were phenotypically methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.Conclusion: This study showed that the vegetables (cabbage) were highly contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria, this can be a source of infection to the consumers and a potential means of transmitting multidrug resistant bacteria strains in the community.
Methanol Stem Bark Extract of Tamarindus indica Exhibited Antidepressant Activity in Mice
Authors: Yunusa S. , Bidazun I.D. , Magaji S.Y. , Ashemi F.H.
Published: July 2021

Background: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting nearly 17% of the world population and the existing antidepressant drugs used in clinical settings are largely associated with serious side effects. Tamarindus indica (Fabaceae) is a plant that has been used ethno-medicinally as a remedy for depression.Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the antidepressant activity of methanol stem bark extract of Tamarindus indica using mice, also to determine the LD50 and phytoconstituents of same extract.Methods: Fresh leaves of Tamarindus indica were collected, pulverised and extracted using 70% v/v methanol. Phyto-constituents of the extract were screened and Median lethal dose (LD50) was determined using standard protocols. Antidepressant effects of the extract were investigated using Tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST) models.Results: The results of median lethal dose revealed the LD50 value of 470 mg/kg body weight and the phytochemical screening showed the presence of saponins, alkaloids and glycosides. The extract at the doses of 75 and 150 mg/kg body weight significantly (p<0.05) and dose-dependently decreased the immobility time in tail suspension test (TST) as compared to control. In forced swim test, the extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased the immobility time only at the highest tested dose (150 mg/kg) when compared to placebo group.Conclusion: Methanol stem bark extract of Tamarindus indica contains secondary metabolites that possess antidepressant action and thus, justifying the traditional use of this plant in the treatment of mental disorders including depression.
Memoria migratoria, identidad y antigitanismo bajo la mirada anarquista de Cláudio Domingos Iovanovitchi
Authors: Cairus Brigitte Grossmann
Published: July 2021

El elemento étnico gitano ha estado presente en Brasil desde el inicio del período colonial. No obstante, este rastro de legitimidad histórica en el tejido social brasileño, su trayectoria está marcada por matices de extrema intolerancia, marginalidad y alteridad, de carácter deletéreo. Décadas después de que los afrobrasileños e indígenas obtuvieran la sanción oficial, el gobierno del presidente Luís Inácio Lula da Silva finalmente reconoció a los gitanos brasileños como una minoría importante del Brasil multicultural al inaugurar el Día Nacional del Gitano en 2006. Pero la lucha por los derechos de ciudadanía y visibilidad étnica comenzó, a través de la agencia gitana, años antes, a fines de la década de 1980. Mediante el uso de un enfoque más fluido de la historia oral italiana contemporánea, este texto presenta el testimonio del líder Rom Cláudio Iovanovitchi, presidente de la Asociación para la Preservación de la Cultura Gitana (APRECI) de Curitiba, Paraná desde 1995 y pionero de la política étnica gitana en Brasilia. Claudio habla de los recuerdos diaspóricos de su familia; se preocupa por el fenómeno de la globalización cultural; ve el nomadismo como una consecuencia de la alteridad generada por el antigitanismo, así como como un facilitador de nuevos caminos y nuevos encuentros; analiza las disputas y políticas étnicas instauradas en Brasilia y promueve, a través de su memoria familiar, una reflexión sobre el silencio sobre Porrajmos, el holocausto gitano. Desde la perspectiva gitana, el testimonio ofrece una comprensión transnacional del antigitanismo, así como una elucidación de la historicidad de las políticas étnicas gitanas nacionales, con sus debidas disputas entre gitanos y no gitanos en Brasilia.
A Crack in the Looking-Glass Self: Hearing and Socialization
Authors: Keyes Grace
Published: July 2021

A significant problem of classic theories of socialization, such as Cooley’s looking-glass self, is that such theories fail to consider biological factors such as hearing in the process of socialization. To address this problem, I raised a two-pronged question: how does deafness affect social interactions upon which much of socialization is dependent and can the experiences of one person’s lifelong socialization help uncover limitations of a classic theory of socialization? The key study participant in this instrumental case study is an individual with moderately severe hearing loss and whose lifelong experiences were collected primarily through ethnographic field techniques. Findings from secondary data provide ample evidence that hearing loss can have serious effects on social interaction and socialization and findings from the individual case itself, while somewhat inconclusive, are suggestive of how hearing loss affected this individual during her lifetime, this being more strongly observed in the later stages of her socialization. Key points that emerge from this study are that (a) the complexity of socialization poses great challenges in teasing out its many factors, but (b) including hearing as a factor advances our insight of the process and (c) this in turn, has implications for how educators understand and teach the concept, and (d) this insight can increase our sensitivity for individuals with hearing loss.
“The lunchroom is dirty and the food is nasty”: Ethical Dilemmas in Conducting Qualitative Food Studies Research in Detroit and New York City Public Schools
Authors: Rodriguez Sophia , Lupinacci John , Goessling Kristen
Published: July 2021

In this article, reflecting critically on past school food studies and considering the landscape of qualitative methods, notably youth participatory action research methodologies, the authors share methodological suggestions for centering social justice and sustainability with the lived experience of youth by drawing on their critical qualitative research in Detroit and New York City public schools. We advance an analytic framework that aims to center youth voices and solutions to social problems such as food justice and equity. To this end we call for attention to human rights, youth participatory research, and relational ethics as part of our intention to center youth voices. Furthermore, the article emphasizes how this critical research with urban communities, ought to, and can, directly involve young people in schools together with their teachers and school leaders working and learning to take actions in support of the health, strength, and sustainability of their communities.
Sexual Assault and Alcohol Use among College Students: A Critical Review of the Literature
Authors: Calasso Kaili , Thompson-Memmer Carly , Kruse-Diehr Aaron J , Glassman Tavis
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to assess the extant literature on the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault among college students. A literature search was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO, JSTOR, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Key search terms included sexual assault, alcohol, and college students. A total of 23 articles met inclusion criteria, the plurality (47.8%) of which were cross-sectional and featured convenience samples (43.5%). All studies were conducted at public higher education institutions in the United States. The most salient crosscutting themes included perceived low risk for sexual assault among female college students, higher likelihood of severe sexual assault among women who consumed more alcohol, and general information about polysubstance use and sexual assault risk. Methodological shortcomings included an overreliance on convenience sampling, lack of reporting of where samples were obtained, and single-site data collection. Given the large number of studies that found women who consume alcohol are more likely than their nondrinking counterparts to experience sexual assault, public health educators must continue to prioritize female college students who drink. However, interventions should target potential perpetrators rather than focusing solely on how victims can avoid risky situations. Future research should include diverse, random samples across multiple institutions topromote greater generalizability of findings.
JUUL Use Among Adolescents: A Call to Action
Authors: Oliver Alexander P. , King Keith A. , Vidourek Rebecca A.
Published: July 2021

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are novel technological devices that enable users to receive nicotine. Since 2018, JUUL has captured 60.1% of the electronic cigarette market share compared to 35.7% market share one-year prior, thus establishing itself as the most popular ENDS device. With JUUL’s consistent increase in popularity, it has also increased in heightened attractiveness and use among adolescents. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature regarding JUUL use among adolescents, potential public health concerns, and consequences of such use. Recommendations for future research are provided.
THE RHETORIC OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A SIMEO - PRAGMATIC APPROACH
Authors: BOUZEKRI Mohammed , SALAMI Mohammed
Published: July 2021

The main step in this research assumes that political discourse should be treated as a convincing speech that pleads the different means of linguistic and non-linguistic argumentations to influence and induce the recipient, where we will discuss political discourse in terms of semiotic and pragmatics behaviors that take it out of a normal nature to a different coding. We will also see it as a new organization of semantic units at the heart of the culture incubating meanings, as accessing and reviving them, but it is done by digging into the memory of the political, and evoking - as much as possible - its cultural dimensions, which can only be done by activating the semantic power. From this perception, everything that is politicized can refer to a particular human situation that is culturally framed, through certain cultural conditions but with the need to know the semantic relationships that allow us to move from direct reporting cases to various possible inspirational and dynamic aspects.
COLOR SEPARATION WITH COMPUTER VISION
Authors: CEYLAN Hüseyin , ÇOKAKLI Ömer
Published: July 2021

From the first day of existence human beings have been carrying out various production activities to meet their basic needs. Today, the majority of products are produced within factories. The identification, differentiation or classification of these products plays an extremely important role in factory operation and efficiency. Human factors and mechanical systems in factories cause a waste of time, defects or faulty separation of products. According to these requirements and problems, the methods used in factories have necessarily become more functional. Various cases such as whether the products produced in the factories comply with the required standards or their classification are determined according to varying parameters. One of these parameters is the color of the product (or the color of some part on the product). In this study, product images of different colors will be imported to the Matlab environment via camera, and those images will be determined and separated according to their colors (Red, Green, Blue) by applying computer vision and image processing techniques in the Matlab environment.
La representación de arquitectura en la prensa no especializada. El caso de ABC y Blanco y Negro
Authors: Ruiz Colmenar Alberto
Published: July 2021

La difusión de temas relacionados con la arquitectura en la prensa diaria ha necesitado históricamente de una aportación visual que ayude a su comprensión por parte del público no especializado. Esta aportación se ha basado principalmente en la fotografía, pero también se ha echado mano, en ocasiones, de mecanismos de representación gráfica de elaboración manual. Mediante la selección de algunos ejemplos representativos, aparecidos en el periódico ABC en diferentes momentos de los años en que la arquitectura española intentaba incorporarse a la “modernidad”, se plantea un análisis con perspectiva histórica de la utilización de recursos gráficos en el tratamiento de temas arquitectónicos en prensa y de cómo estos ayudaron a su difusión y progresiva aceptación por parte de la sociedad española.