bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostics for COVID-19: A case for field-deployable, rapid molecular tests for community surveillance
Authors: Frimpong Michael , A. Amoako Yaw , B. Anim Kwadwo , S. Ahor Hubert , Yeboah Richmond , Arthur Joshua , S. Dakorah Justin , Gborgblovor Delphine , Akrofi Samuel , Sekyi- Djan Phyllis , Owusu Michael , A. Sylverken Augustina , Binger Tabea , O. Phillips Richard
Published: February 2021

Across the globe, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing distress with governments doing everything in their power to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to prevent morbidity and mortality. Actions are being implemented to keep health care systems from being overstretched and to curb the outbreak. Any policy responses aimed at slowing down the spread of the virus and mitigating its immediate effects on health care systems require a firm basis of information about the absolute number of currently infected people, growth rates, and locations/hotspots of infections. The only way to obtain this base of information is by conducting numerous tests in a targeted way. Currently, in Ghana, there is a centralized testing approach, that takes 4-5 days for samples to be shipped and tested at central reference laboratories with results communicated to the district, regional and nationalstakeholders. This delay in diagnosis increases the risk of ongoing transmission in communities and vulnerable institutions. We have validated, evaluated and deployed an innovative diagnostic tool on a mobile laboratory platform to accelerate the COVID-19 testing. A preliminary result of 74 samples from COVID-19 suspected cases has a positivity rate of 12% with a turn-around time of fewer than 3 hours from sample taking to reporting of results, significantly reducing the waiting time from days to hours, enabling expedient response by the health system for contact tracing to reduce transmission and additionally improving case management.
COVID-19 pandemic and dental practice in Ghana
Authors: A. Hewlett Sandra , Blankson Paa Kwesi , B. Konadu Akua , Osei-Tutu Kofi , Aprese Dennis , Adjei Maxwell , E. Yawson Alfred , Donkor Peter , A. Nyako Ebenezer
Published: February 2021

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems and their provision of care has globally been challenged, including the delivery of Oral healthcare. In Ghana, it has become imperative that healthcare delivery including the practice of Dentistry and its sub-specialties be re-oriented in our peculiar setting to ensure minimal risk of spread of the infection. This article discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the practice of Dentistry in the country.
Ground radiometric mapping of Ondo State Nigeria using gamma ray spectrometry and geographic information system
Authors: Gbenu S.T. , Makinde O.W. , Ajenifuja E. , Olukotun S.F. , Fasasi M.K . , Balogun F.O. , Ogundele K.T.
Published: February 2021

The activity concentrations of U, Th and K in the soil samples of Ondo State, Nigeria, were determined using gamma spectrometry technique and the associated dose rates were calculated. The Kriging interpolation method was used to create the activity concentrations predictive maps of Ondo State with the aid of ArcGIS software. The validity of the predicted map values was established through validation and cross validation 238 processes. The activity concentrations ranged from 19.15±0.90 – 83.70±3.59 Bq/kg for U, 8.01±0.39 – 232 40 114.48±2.48 Bq/kg for Th and 2.75±0.13 – 501.98±24.56 for K. The absorbed dose rate was found to range -1 -1 from 39.39±0.21 to 177.24±5.23 nGyh with an average value of 90.94±3.13 nGyh . The predicted map obtained compares well with published values for the region. The root mean squared standardized errors 238 232 40 obtained were 1.021194, 1.024182 and 0.998373 for U, Th and K, respectively. These validated the appropriateness of the model used and the accuracy of the predicted values.

Keywords: Soil, Radioactivity; Geographic Information Systems; Map; Gamma Ray Spectrometry
Evaluation de la gestion des déchets solides hospitaliers: cas de l’hôpital Jamôt de Yaoundé et de l’hôpital de district de Biyem-Assi
Authors: Mbog Mbog Severin , Bidias Jacob , Sosso Mayi Olivier T , Bitondo Dieudonne , Ndoh Mbue Innocent
Published: February 2021

RésuméL’objectif général de cet étude est d’améliorer la gestion des déchets solides au sein de l’Hôpital de district de Biyem-Assi et à l’hôpital Jamôt de Yaoundé. La démarche méthodologique menée de juillet 2012 à septembre 2013e adoptée, a consisté à des entretiens et des observations directes et l’administration des questionnaires semi-structurés. Cette méthodologie a permis de réaliser l’étude en trois phases la recherche documentaire, la collecte et le traitement des données:Les résultats obtenus font ressortir deux grandes catégories de déchets : les déchets assimilables aux ordures ménagères (DAOM); les déchets d’activités de soins à risques (DASRI), 24,46 % est assimilable aux (DAOM) et 75,54 % (DASRI) à l’Hôpital Jamôt de Yaoundé. Tandis qu’à l’Hôpital de District de Biyem-Assi 86,23 % est assimilable aux (DAOM) et 13,77 % (DASRI). Par contre l’appréciation de l’efficacité du système de gestion des déchets solides révèle qu’à l’HJY après des interviews démontre que le système est mauvais: tandis qu’à l’HDB, le système est plus pris en charge par le personnel. Au vu des observations et constats faites, une amélioration du système de gestion des déchets solides et l’accroissement de la sensibilisation du personnel et des usagers sur les modes de gestion des déchets solides s’imposent.

AbstractThe general objective of this study is to improve the management of the solid waste within Biyem-AssiDistrict Hospital and the Jamôt Hospital , Yaoundé.The work was carried out from July 2012 to September 2013,and consisted to interviews and the direct observations and the administration of semi-structured questionnaires. This methodology permitted us to achieve the survey in three phases: the documentary research, the collection and the treatment of the data:The results obtained revealed two big categories of garbage taken out again: the garbage assimilated to the household waste (HhW); hospital waste (HoW). About 24, 46 % was assimilated to (HhW) and 75, 54 % (HoW) in the Yaounde Jamôt Hospital. While to the hospital of District of Biyem-Assi 86, 23 % is assimilated to them (HhW) and 13, 77% (DHoW). On the other hand the appreciation of the efficiency of the system of management of the solid waste reveals that to the HJY after interviews demonstrates that the system is bad: while to the HDB, the system is taken more in charge by the staff. Within sight of the observations and reports made, an improvement of the system of management of the strong garbage and the growth of the sensitization of the staff and users on the fashions of management of the strong garbage impose themselves.
Nutritional status and haemoglobin levels of pregnant adolescent girls in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon
Authors: Mbah Tihnje Abena , Tanya Agatha K.N. , Oben Julius
Published: February 2021

Recently, there has been so much attention on adolescent health issues such as adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and Human Immune Virus infections but adolescent pregnancy and nutrition have aroused very little interest. This cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the nutritional status of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Three referral hospitals were selected at random for the recruitment of subjects in Yaoundé. Body Mass Index (BMI), hemoglobin level, a 24-hour recall, food frequency and socio–demographic data were collected using a pretested questionnaire. Hemoglobin level and BMI were used as dependent variables to evaluate nutritional status. The data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 (ANOVA and student (t) test) with p <0.05. Sixty-two percent (62%) of subjects had a normal BMI, 28 % were overweight, and 10% were obese. Based on ANOVA analysis, Meal frequency, diet quality and the term of pregnancy had significant effect on BMI (p = 0.003<0.05). Diet quality had a significant effect on hemoglobin levels (p = 0.003<0.05). The term of pregnancy, especially at the third trimester, significantly affected BMI due to foetus additional weight. Thus, nutritional status depends on the quantity and quality of food intake.

RésuméRécemment, on a accordé tant d’attention aux problèmes de santé des adolescents tels que la grossesse chez les adolescentes, les infections sexuellement transmissibles et les infections à virus immunitaire humain, mais la grossesse et la nutrition des adolescentes ont suscité très peu d’intérêt. Cette étude transversale a été réalisée pour évaluer l’état nutritionnel des adolescents âgés de 15 à 19 ans dans la ville de Yaoundé, au Cameroun. Trois hôpitaux de référence ont été sélectionnés au hasard pour le recrutement des sujets à Yaoundé. L’indice de masse corporelle (IMC), le taux d’hémoglobine, un rappel de 24 heures, la fréquence d’alimentations et les données sociodémographiques ont été recueillis à l’aide d’un questionnaire prétesté. Les taux d’hémoglobine et l’IMC ont été utilisés comme variables dépendantes pour évaluer l’état nutritionnel. Les données ont été analysées en utilisant SPSS 17,0 (ANOVA et test de Student (t)) avec p <0,05. Soixante-deux pour cent (62%) des sujets avaient un IMC normal, 28% étaient en surpoids et 10% étaient obèses. Sur la base d’une analyse ANOVA, la fréquence des repas, la qualité du régime alimentaire et la durée de la grossesse ont eu un effet significatif sur l’IMC (p = 0,003 <0,05). La qualité de l’alimentation avait un effet significatif sur les taux d’hémoglobine (p = 0,003 <0,05). La durée de la grossesse, en particulier au troisième trimestre, a considérablement affecté l’IMC en raison du poids supplémentaire du foetus. Ainsi, l’état nutritionnel dépend de la quantité et de la qualité de l’apport alimentaire.
Унификация понятия «арбитраж (третейское разбирательство)» как заключительный этап третейской реформы
Authors: Сорокин В.П.
Published: February 2021

СТАТЬЯ ПОСВЯЩЕНА АКТУАЛЬНОЙ ПРОБЛЕМЕ РАЗВИТИЯ ПОЛОЖЕНИЙ ЗАКОНА
ОБ АРБИТРАЖЕ И СВЯЗАННОЙ С НЕЙ ВАЖНОЙ ПРОБЛЕМЕ УНИФИКАЦИИ БА-
ЗОВОЙ ТЕРМИНОЛОГИИ В ОБЛАСТИ ТРЕТЕЙСКОГО РАЗБИРАТЕЛЬСТВА. АВТОР
РАССМАТРИВАЕТ СЛЕДУЮЩИЕ ВОПРОСЫ: РАЗВИТИЕ АЛЬТЕРНАТИВНЫХ ФОРМ
РАССМОТРЕНИЯ И РАЗРЕШЕНИЯ СПОРОВ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ; ОТ-
СУТСТВИЕ В НАУЧНОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЕ И СУДЕБНОЙ ПРАКТИКЕ РАЗГРАНИЧЕНИЙ
В ТОЛКОВАНИИ НЕКОТОРЫХ БАЗОВЫХ ЮРИДИЧЕСКИХ ПОНЯТИЙ («АРБИТРАЖ»,
«АРБИТРАЖНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС», «ТРЕТЕЙСКИЙ СУД» И ДР.); ПОНИМАНИЕ ПРАВОВОЙ
ПРИРОДЫ ТРЕТЕЙСКОГО РАЗБИРАТЕЛЬСТВА; НОРМЫ ЗАРУБЕЖНОГО ЗАКОНОДА-
ТЕЛЬСТВА В ВОПРОСАХ ТЕРМИНОЛОГИИ; НЕОБХОДИМОСТЬ ВНЕСЕНИЯ ИЗМЕНЕ-
НИЙ В ЗАКОН ОБ АРБИТРАЖЕ. ЛОГИКА И ВЫВОДЫ СТАТЬИ ПОДТВЕРЖДАЮТСЯ
И АРГУМЕНТИРУЮТСЯ ССЫЛКАМИ НА ЗАКОНЫ, ПОСТАНОВЛЕНИЯ И ОБЗОРЫ ПО
ОТДЕЛЬНЫМ ВОПРОСАМ РОССИЙСКОГО ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВА.
Формирование авторитета судебной власти в условиях медиатизации общества как направление деятельности Совета судей Российской Федерации
Authors: Захаров В.В.
Published: February 2021

В СТАТЬЕ РАССМОТРЕНЫ ПРИЧИНЫ РАЗРАБОТКИ, СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКИЕ И ТАКТИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ ИНФОРМАЦИОННОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ СУДЕБНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ В НАЧАЛЕ XXI В. СДЕЛАН ВЫВОД О ТОМ, ЧТО КОНЦЕПЦИИ 2001 И 2019 ГГ. ЯВЛЯЮТСЯ
АДЕКВАТНЫМ ОТВЕТОМ НА ВЫЗОВЫ ВРЕМЕНИ И ПРИ ПРАВИЛЬНЫМ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ ЭФФЕКТИВНЫМ ИНСТРУМЕНТОМ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ АВТОРИТЕТА СУДЕБНОЙ ВЛАСТИ.
Eklemeli İmalatla Üretilen İşlevsel Olarak Derecelendirilmiş Metal Yapılar
Authors: GÜLCAN Orhan , SİMSEK Ugur , KAVAS Baris
Published: February 2021

İşlevsel olarak derecelendirilmiş yapılar (İDY), konvansiyonel malzeme işleme yöntemleri ile elde edilemeyen, aynı parça içerisinde birden çok fiziksel özelliğin elde edilebilmesi için mikroyapı, gözeneklilik veya kimyasal kompozisyonun, malzemenin hacmi boyunca kademeli olarak değiştiği bir malzeme çeşididir. Metal İDY, farklı konvansiyonel üretim yöntemleri ile üretilebilmektedir fakat Eklemeli İmalat (Eİ) konusunda son zamanlarda elde edilen gelişmeler, karmaşık şekillerin üretilebilme ihtimali, düşük prototipleme maliyetleri, asgari kalıp üretimi, yüksek hassasiyet ve işlemin yüksek tekrar edilebilme özelliklerinden dolayı, farklı türlerde İDY’lerin üretilebilmesine olanak sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Eİ ile üretilen metal İDY’ler konusunda son yıllarda elde edilen gelişmelere odaklanılmıştır. Eİ ile üretilen metal İDY’lerin detaylı literatür taraması ve farklı endüstrilerde kullanımı bu çalışmada anlatılacaktır.
How “Native” Are Heritage Speakers?
Authors: Montrul Silvina
Published: February 2021

One of the chief characteristics of heritage speakers is that they range in proficiency from “overhearers” to “native” speakers. To date, the vast majority of linguistic and psycholinguistic studies have characterized the non-target-like linguistic abilities of heritage speakers as a product of incomplete acquisition and/or attrition due to reduced exposure and opportunities to use the language during childhood. This article focuses on the other side of the problem, emphasizing instead the high incidence of native-like abilities in adult heritage speakers. I illustrate this issue with recent experimental evidence from gender agreement in Spanish, a grammatical feature that is mastered at almost 100% accuracy in production by native speakers;yet it is one of the most difficult areas to master for non-native speakers, including near-natives.I discuss how age of acquisition and language-learning experience explain these effects.
Assessing the Oral Proficiency of Heritage Speakers According to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 – Speaking
Authors: Martin Cynthia , Swender Elvira , Rivera-Martinez Mildred
Published: February 2021

The article discusses the preliminary findings of a joint National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC)/American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) project conducted in 2010-11, Exploring Linguistic Profiles of Heritage Speakers of Spanish and Russian, that used the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 –Speaking (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2012b) to assess and analyze the oral proficiency of heritage speakers. The discussion of these findings follows a general discussion of what a rating based on an official ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) actually does and does not tell us about speakers, including heritage or native speakers, who fall into various ACTFL rating ranges. The joint NHLRC/ACTFL research project analyzed which features typically characteristic of heritage speakers of Spanish and Russian prevent them from receiving higher ratings on an official ACTFL OPI, and these findings are the focus of this article. Finally, some general recommendations related to instructional implications of these findings are discussed.
The Vitality of Spanish in the United States
Authors: Carreira Maria
Published: February 2021

The United States is home to the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world. This demographic presence translates into high levels of capacity, opportunity, and desire for U.S. Spanish. However, as this paper illustrates, the long-term sustainability of Spanish in the United States remains uncertain due to a number of factors, notably (a) declining immigration rates from the Spanish-speaking world, (b) low rates of intergenerational transmission among U.S. Latinos, and (c) negative attitudes surrounding Spanish and U.S. Latinos. The discussion points to linguistic resilience as a particularly important tool for combating the latter two factors.
Museums as a Site for Racialization and Heritage Language Maintenance
Authors: Callahan Laura
Published: February 2021

Racialization is a process by which a group of people comes to be associated with and defined by certain essentialized characteristics. Racialization assumes unindividuated populations, and qualities such as intelligence, industriousness, and educational attainment can attach to an entire ethnic group. I argue that some practices in American museums may unintentionally contribute to the racialization of Spanish and Spanish speakers in the United States. This happens, first, by virtue of what printed language appears in Spanish and what does not, and second, by the particular features of the written Spanish that does appear. In reference to linguistic landscapes and language maintenance, Landry and Bourhis (1997) underline the benefit a language’s
ingroup users may obtain from its prevalence in a given area; other researchers point out ways in which written language on signage can help second language learners. Heritage language learners lack ample exposure to written forms of their language, and museums— as custodians of knowledge and high culture—could provide one more venue and also offer access to symbolic capital. This paper invites reflection on questions such as whether or not some Spanish in a museum is better than none, and if the features of the Spanish that appears there matter.
The Acquisition of Noun Plurals among Early Sequential Russian-Hebrew Speaking Bilinguals: A Longitudinal Multiple Case Study
Authors: Schwartz Mila , Nir Bracha , Leikin Mark , Levie Ronit , Ravid Dorit
Published: February 2021

The focus of the present study was the trajectory of the acquisition of noun pluralization in Hebrew as a window into the development of inflectional morphology among early sequential Russian-Hebrew speaking bilinguals. Our participants were six early sequential bilingual children between 36 and 42 months of age at the beginning of the study, who acquired Russian (L1) at home and at preschool within a ‘first language first approach’ and whose age at the onset of their acquisition of Hebrew (L2) was about 3 years. We investigated both qualitative and quantitative features of noun pluralization in Hebrew (L2) acquisition in order to determine (1) whether early sequential bilingual children are delayed or accelerated in this domain; (2) whether they show similar or different patterns of errors in comparison to the L1 children; and (3) at what age sequential bilingual children acquire regular versus irregular noun plural forms
compared with the L1 children.

We relied on a multi-faceted longitudinal analysis of noun pluralization, examining both correct and incorrect production- in structured elicitations as well as in (semi-) spontaneous interactions. Comparing our data to those collected for Hebrew L1 speakers, the results for monolinguals and early sequential bilinguals show a striking similarity with respect to the development of pluralization. These findings suggest that the accelerated rate of ESBs’ L2 pluralization mechanism provides evidence of the linguistic maturation hypothesis.
Chinese Language Learning Anxiety: A Study of Heritage Learners
Authors: Luo Han
Published: February 2021

This study examines Chinese language learning anxiety and its associated factors among heritage learners. Heritage learners are those who have at least one parent whose native language is a variety of Chinese. They form three sub-groups: heritage learners without a Chinese language background, heritage learners with a background in Mandarin, and heritage learners with a nonMandarin variety background. Chinese heritage learners were found to experience lower levels of anxiety compared to foreign language learners in previous studies and to be more anxious about reading and writing than about speaking and listening. The three sub-groups of Chinese heritage learners’ anxiety experiences in Chinese classes were different. Heritage learners without a Chinese language background were the most anxious, followed by heritage learners with a non-Mandarin variety background, with the Mandarin group being the least anxious. The Mandarin group was significantly less anxious about speaking and listening than the other two
groups. The three sub-groups’ anxiety experiences associated with reading and writing tended to be more similar. Correlation and multiple regression results showed that motivation, perceived difficulty level of Chinese, perceived language learning ability, and self-perceived achievement in Chinese classes were significant predictors of anxiety.
Manifestations of /bdg/ in Heritage Speakers of Spanish
Authors: Rao Rajiv
Published: February 2021

Inspired by the relatively sparse amount of previous work on heritage Spanish phonetics and phonology, this study examined the intervocalic productions of /bdg/ in the read and spontaneous data of eight participants between the ages of 18-21, each of whom was classified as a regular speaker, a childhood speaker, a childhood addressee or a speaker with minimal exposure to Spanish (cf. Oh & Au, 2005). An acoustic analysis of the data revealed a three-way allophonic classification of all relevant tokens: pure approximants, tense approximants and stops (cf. Martínez Celdrán, 1985, among others). Mixed-effects models were run to analyze the effects of phoneme, syllable stress, task, and word position, as well as interactions between these variables, on the realizations of /bdg/. The statistical results showed that the native-like pure approximants appeared at a significantly lower rate in /b/, in stressed syllables, at word boundaries, and in the
reading task. The phoneme /b/’s interactions with the word boundary and spontaneous task variables generated a significant decrease and increase in pure approximants, respectively. When /b/ corresponded with the grapheme , tense approximants were at their highest rate, but they were significantly lower in the spontaneous task. A significant interaction between these two variables informed us that /b/ reduced its tense approximant rate in the spontaneous task. Stops namely exhibited opposing significant main effects and interactions when compared to pure approximants. Regarding individual differences, regular speakers’ productions resembled native-like patterns, while highly variable patterns were present across the other three speaker classes, suggesting that a consistent connection with Spanish well beyond childhood is important for achieving target-like pronunciation in a heritage language as a young adult.
Developing Critical Language Awareness via Service-Learning for Spanish Heritage Speakers
Authors: Pereira Kelly Lowther
Published: February 2021

In recent years a growing number of researchers have urged for the adoption of critical
pedagogies for the teaching of Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) in the US (Leeman, 2012; Leeman, Rabin & Román-Mendoza, 2011). Such critical stances to SHL instruction
acknowledge the dynamic interplay between language, power, identity and ideology and aim to develop critical language awareness among students in which students gain an understanding of social hierarchies and language subordination. Merging this critical perspective with approaches that unite SHL learners and communities through service-learning programs (Martinez, 2010; Villa, 2010), the current paper examines how service-learning can accomplish critical pedagogical goals. Bridging the fields of sociolinguistics and language pedagogy, the current study examines data collected over four semesters from student journals, interviews and questionnaires in a university Spanish heritage speakers course with service-learning. Qualitative and quantitative analyses explore students’ perspectives on language use, sociolinguistic variation, identity and connectedness to the Latino community. This study demonstrates how service-learning
contributes to the development of students’ awareness of sociolinguistic and sociopolitical issues affecting local Latino communities and the construction of positive identities. Expanding on sociolinguistic research aimed to better meet the needs of SHL learners (see Carreira, 2003; Potowski, 2005; Martinez, 2003; Valdés, 2001), the current study makes critical pedagogical considerations for SHL instruction, with particular emphasis on how to integrate discussions of sociolinguistic variation and language ideologies into the SHL classroom and how to raise critical language awareness among SHL students through community engagement. Overall, this study addresses the complex relationship between language, power, ideology and identity in SHL
instruction.
Preposition Stranding in Spanish as a Heritage Language
Authors: Pascual y Cabo Diego
Published: February 2021

Previous research examining heritage speaker bilingualism has suggested that interfaceconditioned properties are likely to be affected by crosslinguistic influence (e.g., Montrul & Polinsky, 2011; White, 2011). It is not clear, however, whether the core syntax can also be affected to the same degree (e.g., Cuza, 2013; Depiante & Thompson, 2013). Departing from Cuza’s (2013) and Depiante and Thompson’s (2013) research, the present study seeks to determine the extent to which this is possible in the case of Spanish as a heritage language. With this goal in mind, a total of thirty-three Spanish heritage speakers (divided into sequential and simultaneous bilinguals) and a comparison group of eleven late Spanish-English bilinguals completed a battery of off-line tasks that examined knowledge and use of preposition stranding (i.e., a syntactic construction whereby the object of the preposition is fronted while the preposition itself is left stranded), an understudied core syntactic phenomenon that is licit in English but precluded in Spanish. Overall findings reveal that the sequential heritage speakers
pattern with participants from the control group. The simultaneous heritage speakers, on the other hand, seem to have a grammar that is not so restricting as they accept and produce ungrammatical cases of preposition stranding. Herein, we argue that these results do not obtain the way they do due to incomplete acquisition or L1 attrition but crucially because of the timing of exposure to the societal language. We propose that this property was completely acquired, although differently acquired due to the structural overlap observed between the two languages involved (e.g., Müller & Hulk, 2001), and most importantly, to the timing of acquisition of English (e.g., Putnam & Sánchez, 2013).
“Muslim-American Identity Acquisition”: Religious Identity in an Arabic Language Classroom
Authors: Engman Mel M.
Published: February 2021

The social turn in second language acquisition (SLA) has led scholars to involve a more social semiotic approach in their research (Johnson, 2004; Ortega, 2013). In heritage language contexts, this means greater attention to learners as individuals who construct, enact, and resist multiple identities in the classroom (Gee, 2000; McKay & Wong, 1996; Norton & Toohey, 2011; Pierce, 1995). For Arabic heritage language learners (HLLs) the question of identity is fraught with complexities across linguistic (Ryding, 1991; Abu-Rabia, 2000), cultural (Temples, 2013), political (Brown, 2009), social (Sehlaoui, 2008) and religious domains. This paper examines the role of religious identity for second-grade Arabic language learners at a K-12 Islamic school. This sociocultural linguistic study highlights the ways in which learners’ religious identities intersect, support, and overlap with their social and academic identities in a language course exclusively for Muslim HLLs. Findings point to the ways that identity is negotiated through talk, highlighting how Muslim learners draw on their religious identities in Arabic class to support and strengthen their academic and social identities. Religion can serve as a resource for HLLs even in the absence of ethnic and/or ancestral links to the language given adequate ideological and implementational space (Hornberger, 2005).
Modal Categories in Contact: The Case of Heritage Ambon Malay in the Netherlands
Authors: Moro Francesca R.
Published: February 2021

This article reports the preliminary findings of a study examining the semantics of modal
verbs in heritage Ambon Malay, a language variety spoken by Dutch-Ambon Malay
bilinguals in the Netherlands whose dominant language is Dutch. In this study, I examined the use of the necessity modal musti [must] in the speech of heritage language (HL) speakers and compared it to that of monolingual homeland Ambon Malay speakers and monolingual Dutch speakers. The findings show convergence between the modal system of the heritage language (Ambon Malay) and that of the dominant language (Dutch). More precisely, the heritage necessity modal musti [must] has extended its semantic range to resemble its Dutch equivalent moeten [must.] I discuss three main factors that account for this innovation, namely (i) psychological factors – semantic convergence is one of the strategies adopted by bilinguals to reduce their cognitive load, (ii) universal principles of language development in contact settings ̶conceptual naturalness facilitates semantic influence from Dutch, and (iii) social factors ̶the language history of HL speakers shows that the innovation correlates with type
of bilingualism and amount of exposure to Ambon Malay. Finally, the findings of this study support the Functional Discourse Grammar hierarchy of language change and, to a lesser extent, the typological hierarchy of Matras (2007).
Recent Advances in the Development of Bio-Reducible Polymers for Efficient Cancer Gene Delivery Systems
Authors:   Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA, Yong Kiel Sung ,   Center for Chemically Controlled Delivery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA, Sung Wan Kim ,   Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA,   Center for Chemically Controlled Delivery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
Published: February 2021

Gene therapy is the unique method for the use of genetic materials such as Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (pDNA), and small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) into specific host-cells for the treatment of inherited disorders in any diseases. The successful way to utilize the gene therapy is to develop the efficient cancer gene delivery systems. In this paper, the successful and efficient gene delivery systems are briefly reviewed on the basis of bio-reducible polymeric systems for cancer therapy. The viral gene delivery systems such as RNA-based viral and DNA-based viral vectors are also discussed. The development of bio-reducible polymer for gene delivery system has briefly discussed for the efficient cancer gene delivery of viral vectors and non-viral vectors.
A Phase-2 Study on the Kinetics of the Improvement in Lymphocyte-toMonocyte Ratio by High-Dose Pineal Hormone Melatonin in Lymphocytopenic Untreatable Metastatic Cancer Patients
Authors:   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy, Paolo Lissoni , Giorgio Porro ,   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy, Vezika Cenaj ,   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy, Tiziana Aymerich ,   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy, Arianna Lissoni ,   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy, Giuseppe Di Fede ,   Institute of Biological Medicine, Milan, Italy
Published: February 2021

It is known that lymphocytopenia is one of the most negative biomarkers in cancer patients, being an expression of cancer-related immunosuppression. Today it is known that, despite its complexity, the antitumor immunity is mainly mediated by dendritic cell-T lymphocyte system and suppressed by the macrophage-regulatory T lymphocyte system. Then, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) has been proven to represent a more appropriate prognostic clinical index than the simple lyphocytopenia alone. Because of the fundamental role of lymphocytes in mediating tumor cell destruction, the correction of cancer-related lymphocytopenia could influence the clinical history of the neoplastic disease. At present, the only cytokine able to induce a clear in vivo lymphocytosisis IL-2. However, it has been demonstrated that the immune system is physiologically under a neuroendocrine control, and that the pineal hormone MLT may stimulate T lymphocyte proliferation and activation. On these bases, we have evaluated the effect of highdose MLT therapy in metastatic solid tumor patients with persistent lymphocytopenia and abnormally low values of LMR. The study included 14 patients, and the results were compared to those found in a control group of 20 lymphocytopenic untreatable metastatic cancer patients treated with the only best supportive care alone. Patients received MLT at a dose of 100 mg/day orally in the evening for 3 consecutive months. Lymphocyte mean count increases on MLT therapy, and the values observed after two months of therapy were significantly higher than the pretreatment ones, with a normalization of lymphocyte number in 4/14 (29%) patients, whereas no spontaneous lymphocyte rise occurred in the control group. On the other hand, monocyte count rapidly diminished on MLT therapy, and LMR mean values observed after only one month of treatment was significantly higher than that found prior to therapy, whereas it significantly decreases in controls. This preliminary study shows that high-dose MLT may improve the immune status of cancer patients, and be effective in the treatment of disseminated cancer-related lymphocytopenia.
Cancer on Twitter
Authors:   Department of Medical Oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra and Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, USA, Muhammad Wasif Saif ,   Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
Published: February 2021

The way we communicate and receive information increases in speed and mode each year. Beginning with emails in the 1990s to the use of text messages and then using the Twitter, has revolutionized our communication.
Safety of Antimetabolite 2-Deoxy-D-arabinohexose (2DG) as a Coadjuvant Metabolic Intervention in 268 Cancer Patients
Authors:   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Prieto Gratacós E , García Oliver P ,   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, RP Álvarez ,   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, MA Redal ,   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, I Sosa ,   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, M Laguzzi ,   Metabolic Therapy Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Published: February 2021

Although previously found to be quite safe and potentially useful as a metabolic sensitizer against a wide spectrum of cancer subtypes, 2-Deoxy-D-Arabinohexose, commonly known as 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2DG), has remained somewhat ignored in the clinical setting. As a glycolysis inhibitor, 2DG preferentially targets tumour cells, which densely overexpress glucose transporters (GLUTs) in their cytoplasmic membranes, as well as glycolytic and fermentation enzymes hexokinase 2 (HK-2) and lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme A (LDH-A). The pronounced functional asymmetry, the distinct metabolic phenotypes that set apart neoplastic and normal cells offer a therapeutic window of opportunity to overcome multidrug resistance in the treatment of cancer. Nutripharmacological corrections of blood glucose, followed by the timely introduction of several nonmetabolizable structural analogues, is a cost-effective, minimally invasive coadjuvant treatment for solid tumours. Further, our research group has shown that a metabolic intervention with antimetabolites of glucose and pyruvate is strongly enhanced by a systemic suppression of the natural substrates of their catalyzing, rate-limiting enzymes within cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate that 2DG, perhaps the archetypal glucose antimetabolite, is very safe in humans.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Incidentalomas: A Case Series
Authors:   Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, Mina Ferig , Sylvia Alarcon Velasco ,   Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, Layla Van Doren ,   Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, Muhammad Wasif Saif ,   Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA,   Department of Medical Oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra and Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, USA
Published: February 2021

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent approximately 0.2% of all gastrointestinal tumors. GISTs can occur anywhere along the length of the gastrointestinal tract. Most common clinical manifestations of GISTs include GI bleeding, abdominal discomfort, distention and pain. Small lesions can be found incidentally during imaging studies, endoscopy, surgery and post-mortem. The progression of disease from incidentally found indolent to symptomatic disease is unknown. CASE SERIES Here we describe a series of cases of incidentally found GIST and their management. The first patient was a 38-years old morbid obese female with an incidentally found GIST in the stomach following an elective laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The second patient was a 69-year-old male who underwent elective sleeve gastrectomy for his obesity and associated refractory acid reflux. On pathologic examination of the gastrectomy specimen, GIST was diagnosed in the gastric fundus. DISCUSSION Coexistence of GIST with other malignancies is higher than previously reported and should draw attention of clinicians towards these incidental findings. Prognosis in these patients is usually determined by other malignancy and not significantly influenced by GIST. Therefore, treatment algorithms should be focused on prognostically relevant malignancy.
Shooting-Bouncing-Rays Technique to Model Mine Tunnels: Theory and Accuracy Validation
Authors: Kasdorf Stephen , Troksa Blake , Harmon Jake , Key Cam , Notaros Branislav
Published: February 2021

We present a shooting-bouncing rays technique for electromagnetic modeling of wireless propagation in long tunnels focusing on the accuracy of ray-tracing computation. The
examples demonstrate excellent agreement with the traditionally more accurate but less efficient alternative ray-tracing approach using path corrections based on image theory and with a commercial solver.
Composite Materials Development for Fused Filament Fabrication of RF Systems
Authors: Parsons Paul , Larimore Zachary , Mirotznik Mark , Mitchell Gregory
Published: February 2021

In this paper we present the development of feedstock materials, specifically tailored permittivity materials used in fused filament fabrication (FFF), for microwave applications. One of the major bottlenecks in utilizing additive manufacturing for useful radiofrequency (RF) applications is the lack of suitable materials. Flexible, high-dielectric constant and low dielectric loss tangent composite materials, consisting of a mixture of polymer and ceramic nanoparticles in controlled volume fractions, are manufactured. Effective medium
approximations (EMA) to predict composite properties, such as Bruggeman approximations, are validated with measurements between 18 – 40 GHz and are presented.
Modelling and Impact of 3D Print Inaccuracies on the Performance of Circular Waveguide Hybrid Coupler
Authors: Bal Amrita , Huff Gregory
Published: February 2021

Circular waveguide hybrid coupler operating over a frequency range of ISM 57-64 GHz, additively printed and metal plated using electroless technique is introduced. Effects of orientation of print and thickness of intricate structures on the performance of circular waveguide hybrid coupler are presented. The structure is printed using commercially available stereolithographic (SLA) printer. Circulatory system operated by a peristaltic pump is used for selective silver deposition of the hybrid coupler.
Calculating Scattering Spectra using Time-domain Modeling of Time-modulated Systems
Authors: Mock Adam
Published: February 2021

Obtaining agreement between theoretical predictions that assume single-frequency excitation and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations that employ broadband excitation in the presence of time-varying materials is challenging due to frequency mixing. A simple solution is proposed to reduce artifacts in FDTD-calculated spectra from the frequency mixing induced by harmonic refractive index modulation applicable to
scenarios in which second order and higher harmonics are negligible. Advantages of the proposed method are its simplicity and applicability to arbitrary problems including resonant structures.
Wide Band Antenna with Ultra-smooth Spectral Characteristics
Authors: Raghunathan Agaram , Girish B. , Somashekar R. , Srivani K. , Singh Saurabh , Subrahmanyan Ravi , Shankar N. , Rao Mayuri Rao , Nambissan T. Jishnu
Published: February 2021

Understanding the evolution of Universe is, in the forefront of, the modern day observational cosmology. It requires precise and accurate measurement of cosmological
signal, orders of magnitude weaker than the bright sky background. Detection of such a signal having distinct spectral signature, needs an antenna with frequency independent
characteristics over more than an octave bandwidth. A spherical monopole antenna has been designed to operate in the frequency range 50-200 MHz with a spectral smoothness of about few parts in 104. The structure has been modeled and optimized using WIPL-D, to minimize spectral features arising out of abrupt reflections of surface currents and frequency dependent radiation patterns. A prototype has been built to validate the design. This paper presents the methodology adopted in the overall antenna design, experiences in its prototyping and simulation and the measurement results.
Side-Frame Dual-Band MIMO Antennas for 5G Smartphone Applications
Authors: Wei Guobo , Feng Quanyuan
Published: February 2021

A side-frame dual-band multi-input multi-output (MIMO) antenna system for fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication in smartphone applications is presented, operating in 3.5 GHz band (3400-3600 MHz) and 5 GHz band (4800-5000 MHz). The proposed four-element antenna array is placed at four corners of the circuit board and printed on the side edge frame. The height of the structure is only 4.1 mm, which is compatible for ultra-thin full screen smartphones. According to the verification of HFSS and CST, ideal impedance matching bandwidths (superior to 10dB) and excellent isolations (superior to 18 dB) are obtained over the 3.5 GHz band and 5 GHz band, with peak gain of 6.18 dB and 4.9 dB, respectively.
Asymmetric Carbon Nanotube Dimers for Novel Sensing Applications
Authors: Dey Sumitra , Hassan Ahmed
Published: February 2021

In this work, we study the use of asymmetric carbon nanotube (CNT) dimers for the contactless detection of foreign nano-particles. Asymmetric CNT dimers create a unique field distribution, through the electromagnetic coupling, which in turn generates two distinct resonances representing the bonding and anti-bonding modes. The presence of a foreign nano-particle (NP) in the vicinity of the CNT dimer perturbs the dimer’s field distribution and causes the bonding and anti-bonding resonances to shift by unequal amounts depending on the NP location. By studying the difference in the shift of the
bonding and the anti-bonding resonances, we show that the NP relative location can be reconstructed. The computational experiments performed in this work show how asymmetric CNT dimers can be used for novel sensing applications.
Nonlinear Supra-Electroporation in Realistic Stem Cell Morphologies
Authors: Baidya Somen , Hassan Ahmed
Published: February 2021

Exposing cells to ultrashort electric field pulses can lead to the permeabilization of the membranes of the internal cell organelles, such as the nucleus, which is termed as supra-electroporation. In this paper, we study the supra-electroporation of stem cells with realistic morphologies under nanosecond electrical pulse stimulation. For such short pulses, the cell and the nucleus membranes exhibit non-linearity in their conductance. Therefore, we used a non-linear model for the cells’ membranes, coupled with a quasi-static electromagnetic solver, and obtained the solution using a commercial Finite Element Method (FEM) solver. The results show that the outer shape of the cell has a strong effect on the magnitude and the spatiotemporal patterns of the electric field inside the cell, which affects the rate of the supra-electroporation of the nucleus. These variations in the rate of the supra-electroporation of the nucleus can guide the selective targeting of desired cells with specific shapes.
Shooting-Bouncing-Rays Technique to Model Mine Tunnels: Algorithm Acceleration
Authors: Kasdorf Stephen , Troksa Blake , Harmon Jake , Key Cam , Notaros Branislav
Published: February 2021

We present and discuss acceleration of a shooting and bouncing rays (SBR) algorithm for ray-tracing electromagnetic analysis of electrically very large structures such as underground mine tunnels at modern wireless communication frequencies. The acceleration is based on the parallelization of the SBR technique on NVIDIA GPUs using the OptiX application programming interface. The results show dramatic speedups of the parallel SBR algorithm compared with serial implementation.
Optimization and Inverse-design Techniques for Metalens Synthesis
Authors: Campbell Sawyer , Whiting Eric , Jenkins Ronald , Werner Pingjuan , Werner Douglas
Published: February 2021

Phase-gradient metasurfaces enable designers to tailor the behavior of electromagnetic waves at surfaces by exploiting the generalized form of Snell’s law. This ability has led to the investigation of metalenses which have the potential to significantly reduce the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of conventional optical systems. While traditional lenses are made from individual glasses, metalenses are comprised of patterned meta-atom unit Cells which are arranged in such a way so as to give the metalens its desired behavior. Therefore, any metalens’s performance is ultimately determined by that of its underlying
unit cell components. However, designing meta-atoms that simultaneously achieve high performance over wide frequency bandwidths and fields-of-view is an extremely challenging problem that is best addressed with powerful optimization and inverse-design techniques.
Deep Neural Network Inverse-Design for Long Wave Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Fowler Clayton , An Sensong , Zheng Bowen , Tang Hong , Li Hang , Guo Wei , Zhang Hualiang
Published: February 2021

This paper presents a deep learning approach for the inverse-design of metal-insulator-metal metasurfaces for hyperspectral imaging applications. Deep neural networks are able to compensate for the complex interactions between electromagnetic waves and
metastructures to efficiently produce design solutions that would be difficult to obtain using other methods. Since electromagnetic spectra are sequential in nature, recurrent neural networks are especially suited for relating such spectra to structural parameters.
PERSEPSI MAHASISWA TENTANG APLIKASI CHATTING SIGNAL
Authors: WIJOYO HADION
Published: February 2021

Signal adalah aplikasi perpesanan yang memungkinkan pengguna untuk mengirim pesan dan menelepon teman atau keluarga. Sama seperti WhatsApp, Signal juga menggunakan enkripsi end-to-end yang berarti pesan pengguna lebih terlindungi dan tidak mudah terbaca oleh siapapun, termasuk Signal itu sendiri. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif, di mana penulis melakukan wawancara tidak terstruktur dengan Mahaiswa di group Whatsapp mahasiswa STMIK Dharmapala Riau dan STAB Maitreyawira sebanyak 150 orang. Alasan melakukan wawancara di dalam group mahasiswa adalah karena informan adalah pengguna aplikasi whatsapp. Dari hasil penelitian aplikasi signal masih belum familiar bila di bandingkan dengan aplikasi lainnya seperti telegram dan line.