bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal footbaths for the treatment of dysmenorrhea: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xiao Min , Liu Lizhou , Tumilty Steve , Liu Dan , You Yanyan , Chen Yunhui , Tang Songqi , Huang Wei , Baxter George David
Published: May 2021

Background

Chinese herbal footbaths are an external therapy of traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat dysmenorrhea. This review aims to systematically evaluate its efficacy and safety for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

Methods

Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CIHAHL, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database(CBM), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed) will be searched from the inception to September 30, 2020. The eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be identified and included. The primary outcomes include pain intensity measured by validated scales of visual analog scale, numeric rating scale, and response rate of symptom reduction. The secondary outcomes are scores on validated pain questionnaires, quality of life measured by SF-36 or other validated scales, and adverse events. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of bias risk will be conducted by two reviewers independently. RevMan software (V.5.3.5) will be utilized to perform data synthesis. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will be performed when necessary. The strength of the evidence will be evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System.

Results

A high-quality synthesis of current evidence of Chinese herbal footbaths for patients with dysmenorrhea will be provided in this study.

Conclusion

This systematic review will provide evidence of whether Chinese herbal footbaths are an effective and safe intervention for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42020188256.
Mathematical model for the mitigation of the economic effects of the Covid-19 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Balike Dieudonné Zirhumanana
Published: May 2021

Since the apparition of the SRAS-Cov-2 in Wuhan in China, several countries have set diverse measures to stop its spread. Measures envisaged include national or local lockdown and travels ban. In the DRC, these measures have seriously prejudiced the economy of the country which is mainly informal. In this paper, a mathematical model for the spread of Covid-19 in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) taking into account the vulnerability of congolese economy is proposed. To mitigate the spreading of the virus no national lockdown is proposed, only individuals affected by the virus or suspicious are quarantined. The reproduction number for the Covid-19 is calculated and numerical simulations are performed using Python software. A clear advice for policymakers is deduced from the forecasting of the model.
The morning after the night before: Alcohol-induced blackouts impair next day recall in sober young adults
Authors: Jackson Judith , Donaldson David I. , Dering Benjamin
Published: May 2021

Binge-drinking in adolescents and young adults is a widespread problem, however, an often unreported consequence of binge-drinking behaviour is an alcohol-induced memory blackout (MBO). An MBO is a transient amnesic event resulting from rapid, excessive alcohol consumption. Here, we examine the short-term impact of an alcohol-induced MBO event (testing < 20 hours after blackout) on memory performance in people who have experienced a high volume of MBOs. In addition, we aimed to test the hypothesis that people who experience a high volume of MBOs may have poorer recall than non-blackout controls in either sober or intoxicated states. Three episodic memory paradigms consisting of free recall, serial recall, and depth of encoding tasks, were conducted by a group of alcohol drinkers who had never experienced a memory blackout, and those who reported at least 9 in the preceding 12-months. Studies were completed sober and after alcohol by all participants, and sober but after blackout by the experimental group. Accuracy of recall was assessed with linear mixed effects modelling for all experiments and conditions. Recall rate both before and after alcohol consumption was similar between groups, with poorer recall after drinking alcohol by all participants in all three studies. After blackout, MBO participants showed no significant improvement from their intoxicated state in serial recall and depth of encoding tasks, but an improvement in free recall. Further analysis of these findings revealed that 10 out of 23 participants showed significantly impaired performance after blackout during free recall, extending up to 17 participants in serial recall. In general, alcohol reduced recall rate in both blackout and control participants similarly, but recall following MBO remained poor. Our evidence suggests that alcohol-induced blackouts impair memory functioning the next day, and future research should establish the duration of deficits after an acute alcohol-induced blackout episode.
Depression and its determinants among adolescents in Jimma town, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Girma Shimelis , Tsehay Mekonnen , Mamaru Almaz , Abera Mubarek
Published: May 2021

Objectives

To determine the prevalence and socio-demographic and parental-related factors of depression among school adolescents in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional survey, 546 school adolescents were screened for depression using the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) from five randomly selected public and private schools. Oslo social support scale, adverse childhood experience tool, and socio-demographic questionnaire were used to gather data on risk factors. Linear regression analysis was used, and unstandardized beta (β) coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported to declare statistical significance.

Results

A total of 546 adolescents participated in the study, with a response rate of 97.3%. The mean (±SD) age of participants was 16.8 ± 1.3 years. The majority (81%) of the adolescents were attending day classes at public schools. The prevalence of depression was found to be 28% using the patient health questionnaire. Based on the PHQ-9 depression severity scale, 18.5% and 8.2% of the adolescent had moderate and moderate to severe depression while 1.3% had severe depression. In the final multivariate linear regression analysis, it was found that sex, rural residence, low social support, being in higher grade level, and adverse childhood experience were found to be independently associated with a higher score of depression.

Conclusion

One in three adolescents was found to have a depressive syndrome. We recommend schools to integrate school mental health service that contains routine screening and intervention services. Moreover, efforts are needed to sensitize and educate the communities on child protection, social support, and safeguarding to effectively tackle the magnitude of adolescent depression.
Egg masses as training aids for spotted lanternfly Lycorma delicatula detection dogs
Authors: Essler Jennifer L. , Kane Sarah A. , Collins Amanda , Ryder Kaley , DeAngelo Annemarie , Kaynaroglu Patricia , Otto Cynthia M.
Published: May 2021

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive species first detected in 2014. The insect feeds on plants causing severe damage in vineyards such as the occurrence of sooty mold fungus that impairs leaf photosynthesis. Currently, there is extensive research on how to track and ultimately prevent the spread of this species. It lays eggs that persist through the winter, while the adults die out, which presents a unique opportunity to enter infested or suspected infested areas to begin quarantine and management of the spread while the species is dormant. Detection dogs may be a tool that can be used to search out the spotted lanternfly egg masses during this overwintering period, however it is not known whether dogs can detect any specific odor from the spotted lanternfly eggs. Moreover, as the eggs are only available during certain times of the year, and hatch based on temperature, finding training aids for the dogs could prove difficult. In this study, we investigated whether three detection dogs could learn the odor from dead spotted lanternfly egg masses and if so, whether that would allow them to recognize live spotted lanternfly egg masses. We found that dogs could be trained to find dead spotted lanternfly egg masses, and could learn to ignore relevant controls, with high levels of sensitivity and specificity (up to 94.6% and 92.8%, respectively). Further, we found that after the training, dogs could find live spotted lanternfly egg masses without additional training and returned to previous levels of sensitivity and specificity within a few sessions. Coded videos of training and testing sessions showed that dogs spent more time at the egg masses than at controls, as expected from training. These results suggest that dead spotted lanternfly egg masses could be a useful training aid for spotted lanternfly detection dogs.
Genomics of Staphylococcus aureus ocular isolates
Authors: Johnson William L. , Sohn Michael B. , Taffner Samantha , Chatterjee Payel , Dunman Paul M. , Pecora Nicole , Wozniak Rachel A. F.
Published: May 2021

Staphylococcus aureusis a major cause of ocular infections, often resulting in devastating vision loss. Despite the significant morbidity associated with these infections, little is yet known regarding the specific strain types that may have a predilection for ocular tissues nor the set of virulence factors that drive its pathogenicity in this specific biological niche. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) can provide valuable insight in this regard by providing a prospective, comprehensive assessment of the strain types and virulence factors driving disease among specific subsets of clinical isolates. As such, a set of 163-memberS.aureusocular clinical strains were sequenced and assessed for both common strain types (multilocus sequence type (MLST),spa,agr) associated with ocular infections as well as the presence/absence of 235 known virulence factors in a high throughput manner. This ocular strain set was then directly compared to a fully sequenced 116-member non-ocularS.aureusstrain set curated from NCBI in order to identify key differences between ocular and non-ocularS.aureusisolates. The most common sequence types found among ocularS.aureusisolates were ST5, ST8 and ST30, generally reflecting circulating non-ocular pathogenicS.aureusstrains. However, importantly, ocular isolates were found to be significantly enriched for a set of enterotoxins, suggesting a potential role for this class of virulence factors in promoting ocular disease. Further genomic analysis revealed that these enterotoxins are located on mobile pathogenicity islands, thus horizontal gene transfer may promote the acquisition of enterotoxins, potentially amplifyingS.aureusvirulence in ocular tissues.
Feasibility of fast cardiovascular magnetic resonance strain imaging in patients presenting with acute chest pain
Authors: Riffel Johannes H. , Siry Deborah , Salatzki Janek , Andre Florian , Ochs Marco , Weberling Lukas D. , Giannitsis Evangelos , Katus Hugo A. , Friedrich Matthias G.
Published: May 2021

Background

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the current reference standard for the quantitative assessment of ventricular function. Fast Strain-ENCoded (fSENC)-CMR imaging allows for the assessment of myocardial deformation within a single heartbeat. The aim of this pilot study was to identify obstructive coronary artery disease (oCAD) with fSENC-CMR in patients presenting with new onset of chest pain.

Methods and results

In 108 patients presenting with acute chest pain, we performed fSENC-CMR after initial clinical assessment in the emergency department. The final clinical diagnosis, for which cardiology-trained physicians used clinical information, serial high-sensitive Troponin T (hscTnT) values and—if necessary—further diagnostic tests, served as the standard of truth. oCAD was defined as flow-limiting CAD as confirmed by coronary angiography with typical angina or hscTnT dynamics. Diagnoses were divided into three groups: 0: non-cardiac, 1: oCAD, 2: cardiac, non-oCAD. The visual analysis of fSENC bull´s eye maps (blinded to final diagnosis) resulted in a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 87%, as well as a negative predictive value of 96% for identification of oCAD. Both, global circumferential strain (GCS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) accurately identified oCAD (area under the curve/AUC: GCS 0.867; GLS 0.874; p<0.0001 for both), outperforming ECG, hscTnT dynamics and EF. Furthermore, the fSENC analysis on a segmental basis revealed that the number of segments with impaired strain was significantly associated with the patient´s final diagnosis (p<0.05 for all comparisons).

Conclusion

In patients with acute chest pain, myocardial strain imaging with fSENC-CMR may serve as a fast and accurate diagnostic tool for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease.
Natural and synthetic antimicrobials reduce adherence of enteroaggregative and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli to epithelial cells
Authors: Ortiz Yaraymi , García-Heredia Alam , Merino-Mascorro Angel , García Santos , Solís-Soto Luisa , Heredia Norma
Published: May 2021

Adherence of bacteria to the human intestinal mucosa can facilitate their internalization and the development of pathological processes. Escherichia coli O104:H4 is considered a hybrid strain (enteroaggregative hemorrhagic E. coli [EAHEC]), sharing virulence factors found in enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), and enteroaggregative (EAEC) E. coli pathotypes. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of natural and synthetic antimicrobials (carvacrol, oregano extract, brazilin, palo de Brasil extract, and rifaximin) on the adherence of EHEC O157:H7, EAEC 042, and EAHEC O104:H4 to HEp-2 cells and to assess the expression of various genes involved in this process. Two concentrations of each antimicrobial that did not affect (p≤0.05) bacterial viability or damage the bacterial membrane integrity were used. Assays were conducted to determine whether the antimicrobials alter adhesion by affecting bacteria and/or alter adhesion by affecting the HEp-2 cells, whether the antimicrobials could detach bacteria previously adhered to HEp-2 cells, and whether the antimicrobials could modify the adherence ability exhibited by the bacteria for several cycles of adhesion assays. Giemsa stain and qPCR were used to assess the adhesion pattern and gene expression, respectively. The results showed that the antimicrobials affected the adherence abilities of the bacteria, with carvacrol, oregano extract, and rifaximin reducing up to 65% (p≤0.05) of E. coli adhered to HEp-2 cells. Carvacrol (10 mg/ml) was the most active compound against EHAEC O104:H4, even altering its aggregative adhesion pattern. There were changes in the expression of adhesion-related genes (aggR, pic, aap, aggA, and eae) in the bacteria and oxidative stress-related genes (SOD1, SOD2, CAT, and GPx) in the HEp-2 cells. In general, we demonstrated that carvacrol, oregano extract, and rifaximin at sub-minimal bactericidal concentrations interfere with target sites in E. coli, reducing the adhesion efficiency.
Knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A nationwide distribution
Authors: Hosen Ismail , Pakpour Amir H. , Sakib Najmuj , Hussain Nur , al Mamun Firoj , Mamun Mohammed A.
Published: May 2021

Assessing individuals’ knowledge and preventive behaviors towards the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for the related public health surveillance strategies. Although some of the studies were conducted in Bangladesh, none of these studies considered the geographical distribution of knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19. Therefore, the present nationwide cross-sectional study with 10,067 samples for the first-time aims to assess the knowledge gap by presenting the geographical distribution of the COVID-19 knowledge and preventive behaviors across all administrative districts of Bangladesh. The measures included socio-demographics and questions about knowledge and preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. One-way ANOVA, independent t-test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. In addition, GIS-based mapping identified district-wise distribution of the outcomes. Results indicated that the overall mean score of knowledge related to COVID-19 was 14.363 ± 3.073, whereas 16.95 ± 2.89 was for preventive behaviors. Participants’ being male, being divorced or widowed, consuming alcohol, smoking cigarettes, living in villages, and having no formal education reported lower performing preventive COVID-19 behaviors. Those participants with higher knowledge scores reported higher preventive COVID-19 behaviors (β = 0.053, p<0.001). However, the model predicted only 13.2% of the variation in preventive COVID-19 behaviors while the overall model being significant. The findings suggest that the Bangladeshi government should initiate appropriate far-reaching program of health education focusing on knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19 at a community level. After all, the strategies to combat COVID-19 will require individuals’ involvement to control and prevent the disease outbreak, for which education is essential.
What’s next for social media companies? The digital regulatory scene in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tunç Aslı
Published: May 2021

In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, on 9 April 2020, a draft bill was presented to fight against the spread of COVID-19 in Turkey. Eight articles were buried deep in the proposed legislation, which mostly included economic measures and aid packages, directly targeting any social media company that had a platform accessed by over one million users daily. Although the articles on social media were dropped from the parliamentary schedule on 14 April 2020 to make way for more urgent bills on the economy and health, the uncertainty regarding social media companies’ situation in the country remained. Then, on 29 July 2020, the new social media law, officially ‘The Law on Making Amendments to the Law on Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed by Means of Such Publication’, numbered 7253 was adopted by the parliament. This article approaches this issue from the perspective of social media companies, specifically Facebook and Twitter, and analyses the post-Coronavirus digital scene and public policy attempts from the corporate point of view.
Government repression disguised as anti-disinformation action: Digital journalists’ perception of COVID-19 policies in Hungary
Authors: Bleyer-Simon Konrad
Published: May 2021

During the first wave of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, the Hungarian government has increased its control over the flow of official information. Its actions were justified with the aim of stopping the spread of misinformation and rumours that could jeopardize its efforts to successfully tackle the pandemic. However, media practitioners, watchdogs and politicians in Hungary and abroad criticized the measures for their adverse effects on the right to information, the freedom of expression, and especially for their potential chilling effect on the work of journalists. This interview-based study examines how journalists in digital newsrooms have perceived the measures imposed during the pandemic, and how those have impacted their daily work. As evidence from digital newsrooms shows, the malign policy had only limited adverse effects on the work of newsrooms. Media pluralism, however, was further decreased in the country through the governing political elite’s interference in the media economy.
From social distancing to digital un-distancing: The COVID-19 pandemic and new challenges for digital policy in the cultural and audio-visual sectors
Authors: Kolokytha Olga , Rozgonyi Krisztina
Published: May 2021

Lockdowns almost everywhere in the world as a result of the pandemic have led to an unprecedented shift from physical to digital. In the culture sector, this shift has made a large pool of previously inaccessible content available mostly in the form of archival material from cultural events and performances. Although in the past digital did not automatically mean more inclusive, as restrictions to access of cultural content were posed by copyright legislation, institutional policies or the resistance to the digital turn, with this abundant and almost unlimited offer of online content suddenly the discussion of obstacles in access has come to a halt. Our contribution looks into these developments focusing on high-profile cultural (e.g. national theatres, opera houses and concert halls) and audio-visual (AV) institutions with a public interest (e.g. Public Service Broadcasters and AV archives) in the European Union area. We are looking into policy aspects from an institutional perspective and focus on developments particularly vis-à-vis AV media policy and copyright policy. We argue this momentum is a unique opportunity to remember and reconsider policy objectives for an open, democratic and European AV cultural content. We identify this new reality and the implications it brings forward for the existing policies as well as the challenges and opportunities it holds for the AV culture sector, and identify possible policy directions and measures. We urge for the interpretation of broad and flexible exceptions and limitations to copyright for online access to cultural content while transposing the DSM Directive into national laws, and for a focused and coordinated effort related to the regulation of large online video sharing platforms enabled by the new AVMSD, involving such platforms in the financing, distribution and visibility of European AV content.
Section 230 and global content moderation: Uncertainty in the time of COVID-19
Authors: Sebastian Melinda
Published: May 2021

Content moderation was already a highly polarized policy topic before the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent onslaught of misinformation and disinformation on COVID-19 has also led to multiple platform policy responses by private US-based companies and beyond. Discussion of these policies has also contributed to a sense that this level of media attention to a formerly somewhat obscure US law – Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – could lead to a change in that law. This commentary provides a look into this small piece of legislation that has historically had a big impact on western internet governance. This is framed within a more global view of internet governance, and the impact this may have on the internet more broadly.
Understanding eco-immunology of bacterial zoonoses and alternative therapeutics toward "One Health"
Authors: Behera Manisha , Ghorai Soma Mondal , De Sachinandan , Kaur Hardeep
Published: May 2021

The current review identifies key bacterial zoonoses, the understanding of comparative immunology, evolutionary trade-offs between emerging bacterial pathogens and their dynamics on both arms of immunity. The several gaps in the literature limit our understanding of spread of prominent bacterial zoonotic diseases and the host-pathogen interactions that may change in response to environmental and social factors. Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how anthropogenic activities affects the spread of emerging zoonotic diseases, is essential for predicting and mitigating future disease emergence through fine-tuning of surveillance and control measures with respect to different pathogens. This review highlights the urgent need to increase understanding of the comparative immunity of animal reservoirs, design of vaccines according to the homology in host-pathogen interactions, and the alternative strategies to counter the risk of bacterial pathogenic spillover to humans with eventual spread of zoonotic diseases.
Vállalati jövőkép – küldetés – kockázat
Authors: Pálinkás Jenő
Published: May 2021

A vállalati versenyképesség megteremtése és javítása szükségessé teszi a megfelelô elôretekintést, a vállalat alapvetô céljainak összefüggéseiben is átgondolt megfogalmazását és a tervekben vállalt kockázat analízis eredményeinek döntéshozatali folyamatba történô visszacsatolását. A szerzô e stratégiai kérdések megválaszolásához ad segítséget.
Evaluation of the Isotopic Abundance Ratio of Consciousness Energy Healing Treated L-Tryptophan Using LC-MS Spectrometry
Authors: Trivedi Dahryn , Trivedi Mahendra Kumar , Branton Alice , Jana Snehasis
Published: May 2021

L-tryptophan is an essential α-amino acid, necessary for the normal growth in newborns, nitrogen balance in adults, protein synthesis, precursor of serotonin, melatonin, niacin, and albeit inefficiently in human, also the precursor of indole alkaloids and auxins in plants. This current study was designed to investigate the impact of the Trivedi Effect®-Biofield Energy Healing Treatment (Blessing) on the structural properties and the isotopic abundance ratio of L-tryptophan using LC-MS analytical technique. L-tryptophan sample was divided into two parts, one part of L-tryptophan was considered as the control sample (no Biofield Energy Treatment was provided), while the second part was treated with the Trivedi Effect®-Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment/Blessing remotely by a renowned Biofield Energy Healer, Dahryn Trivedi and termed as the treated sample. The mass spectra of both the control and treated samples with respect to the chromatographic peak at retention time (Rt) 2.1 minutes exhibited the mass of the molecular ion peak adduct with hydrogen ion at m/z 205.08 (calcd for C11H13N2O2+, 205.1), along with low molecular fragmented mass peaks at m/z 188, 159, and 102 for C11H12N2O2+, C10H11N2+, and C8H6+, respectively were also observed. The isotopic abundance ratio of PM+1/PM (2H/1H or 13C/12C or 15N/14Nor17O/16O) in the treated L-tryptophan was significantly increased by 35.93% compared with the control sample. Hence,the 13C, 2H, 15N, and 17O contributions from C11H13N2O2+ to m/z 206.08 in the treated L-tryptophan was significantly increased compared to the control sample. It could be hypothesized that the changes in the isotopic abundance and mass peak intensities due to the modification in nuclei possibly through the interference of neutrino particles using the Trivedi Effect®-Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment. The Biofield Energy Treated/Blessed L-tryptophan with increased stable isotopic abundance ratio might have changed the physicochemical properties with higher force constant in the molecule. The new form of treated L-tryptophan would be a better and more stable in the supplements, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical formulations, which would be advantageous for the prevention and treatment of pellagra, depression, kynurenine. It could also maintain the normal label of tryptophan and avoid increase of its metabolite, lower the neurotoxin and a metabotoxin behavior, glutaric aciduria type I (glutaric acidemia type I) disorder, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS), incurable and sometimes fatal flu-like neurological condition, etc. As tryptophan is the precursor for the plant hormones like indole alkaloids and auxins, hence, this treated L-tryptophan would be advantageous for the improvement of yield, productivity, and quality of crops and other plants.
Os Sertões de Araraquara
Authors: Leite Jorge , Nadin Odair Luiz
Published: May 2021

No presente artigo objetiva-se apresentar um recorte de uma pesquisa em desenvolvimento no âmbito da Toponímia Rural Humana, o qual ocupa-se da análise de escrituras do período entre 1855-1858 de propriedades rurais da cidade de Araraquara – SP. Nesse domínio, seguindo os pressupostos teórico-metodológicos de Dick (1990; 1992),  extrai-se o corpus a partir dos mapas oficiais do IBGE escala 1:50.000 (2010), do Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária – INCRA, e do Registros de propriedades do munícipio de Araraquara (1855-1858), que foram analisados, segundo a motivação, seguindo o modelo taxionômico de Dick (1992). Ao entrelaçar a Toponímia com a História e a Geografia, foi atestado que elementos de natureza circundante possuem grande influência na denominação de espaços geográficos, e em pontos de referência nas cartas analisadas. Além disso, os topônimos apresentados são todos conservados até 2020, o que comprova que a partir de uma análise histórico-linguística, é possível compreender a verdade do nome de lugar.
Entre caminhos e nomes
Authors: Mendes Letícia Rodrigues Guimarães
Published: May 2021

A linguagem, por seu valor e relevância para o homem e a sociedade, sempre foi alvo de inúmeros estudos. Abordagens atuais enfocam a língua como algo intimamente relacionado à cultura, às formas as quais o indivíduo possui de enxergar, habitar e interpretar o mundo e o ambiente em que está inserido. O presente artigo apresenta um recorte dos resultados parciais de uma pesquisa de doutorado em andamento, desenvolvida na Faculdade de Letras da UFMG sobre a toponímia urbana na cidade de Pedro Leopoldo (MG), com contribuições que integram os objetivos  do ATEMIG – Atlas Toponímico do Estado de Minas Gerais.  Tem como foco o estudo dos nomes dos logradouros daquela cidade e a relação léxico-ambiente-cultura, apoiada nos estudos de Leite de Vasconcelos (1928); Meillet (1948); Dauzat (1951); Sapir (1961); Labov (1968); Biderman (1981; 2001); Guérios (1994), Dick (1990a; 1990b; 1997; 2006), Duranti (2000), entre outros.
Preditores do sucesso nas políticas de organização didático-pedagógica do ensino superior: Meta-avaliação dos relatórios das comissões
Authors: Pereira Cleber Augusto , Araújo Joaquim Filipe Ferraz Esteves , Machado-Taylor Maria de Lourdes
Published: May 2021

O estudo procura identificar os preditores de sucesso nos relatórios de avaliação de cursos do Ensino Superior (ES) entre 2018-2019. Utilizou-se métodos mistos de pesquisa, combinando análises qualitativas e quantitativas aplicadas sobre o conteúdo textual. Na análise de conteúdo foram realizadas a Classificação Hierárquica Descendente, Análise de Similitude e Nuvem de Palavras. Os resultados sugerem como preditores de sucesso na Organização Didático-Pedagógica as classes: componentes do processo de ensino-aprendizagem; características de excelência dos cursos; expectativas científicas na formação; os discentes e; procedimentos de Garantia da Qualidade (GQ). A formalização da GQ como elemento das avaliações pelo INEP poderia levar à melhoria do controle dos processos no ensino superior brasileiro.
Not great, not terrible: distance learning of chemistry in Russian secondary schools during COVID-19
Authors: Anokhin Evgeny O. , Aleshin Gleb Yu. , Tishkin Alexey A. , Korolev Vladimir V. , Sobol Alexander G. , Evdokimov Konstantin M. , Chepiga Alexey A.
Published: May 2021

The COVID-19 outbreak has influenced virtually all aspects of our life, in particular, hundreds of millions of people around the world have been forced to study online. To observe the practical realization of emergency remote teaching of chemistry during the first wave of COVID-19 in Russia we gave the survey to 217 teachers and 355 students from more than 50% regions of Russia about their experience during distance learning of chemistry. 17% of students were lacking chemistry lessons at all. We compared this with the situation in Letovo international boarding school in Moscow and found relative success in terms of lessons adaptation and overall satisfaction compared to the Russia-wide survey. This might be because of the fine educational organization effort and implemented learning management system (LMS). There is a high probability of a second COVID-19 wave or any other occasion that may lead to sudden change to distance learning. Teacher community should learn from world-wide and country-wide experiences of the first COVID-19 wave to become prepared for future challenges. Those preparation measures may include implementing LMS and strategy development.
Practice Makes Dialogue: Reconceptualizing Constitutional Interaction between Courts and Legislatures
Authors: Yosef Bell E
Published: May 2021

The question of how to understand and conceptualize inter-institutional interaction between courts and legislatures, particularly in the context of constitutional challenges, has drawn considerable attention over the years. This question is of special importance to the apprehension of constitutional dialogue as simultaneously describing and shaping constitutional interaction. This article focuses on the descriptive aspects of the constitutional dialogue and through them proposes a reconceptualization of constitutional dialogue, which is not based on the mere existence of legislative responses or the number thereof, or on the existence of different structural constitutional mechanisms. Instead, this reconceptualization is based on the de facto use in constitutional practices during the routine constitutional examination process, by the judiciary and political branches altogether. The article introduces a breadth-and-depth approach, which observes many constitutional decisions and legislative responses and uses them to analyze the nature of courts-legislatures dynamics. These insights are derived not only from the mere existence of a ruling or a statute, but also from the content and design of the institutional outcome thereof. The conclusions drawn using this approach are comprehensive, providing insight into the constitutional and dialogic interaction between courts and legislatures in each constitutional system, as well as identifying trends and changes as they occur. The article also offers an application of this approach to Israeli jurisprudence, illuminating the depth and complexity of this interaction, and enabling us to recognize it as a constitutional system with strong dialogic characteristics.
Underwater wireless optical communication: a case study of chlorophyll effect
Authors: Mikhlif Haitham Mawlood , Ali Mazin Ali A. , Saleh Zeyad A.
Published: May 2021

In this paper, a system was designed to simulate the study and analyze the effect of chlorophyll on the underwater wireless optical communication system. Chlorophyll was extracted and characterized by measuring absorption and fluorescence spectra, the performance of system was observed by mixing various volumes added to water. The optical beam was modulated at different frequencies by the frequency shift key, once through clean water and once through water mixed with chlorophyll and different metrics such as received power (P

r
), attenuation coefficient (α), peak-to-peak voltage (V
p-p), voltage gain (A

v
), and signal-to-noise ratio were measured to assess the performance of the system. The results refer that the system exhibits a good link quality to the received frequencies under different conditions.
Vasa previa: when antenatal diagnosis can change fetal prognosis
Authors: Sutera Miriam , Garofalo Anna , Pilloni Eleonora , Parisi Silvia , Alemanno Maria Grazia , Menato Guido , Sciarrone Andrea , Viora Elsa
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Evaluate ultrasound diagnostic accuracy, maternal−fetal characteristics and outcomes in case of vasa previa diagnosed antenatally, postnatally or with spontaneous resolution before delivery.

Methods

Monocentric retrospective study enrolling women with antenatal or postnatal diagnosis of vasa previa at Sant’Anna Hospital in Turin from 2007 to 2018. Vasa previa were defined as fetal vessels that lay 2 cm within the uterine internal os using 2D and Color Doppler transvaginal ultrasound. Diagnosis was confirmed at delivery and on histopathological exam. Vasa previa with spontaneous resolutions were defined as fetal vessels that migrate >2 cm from uterine internal os during scheduled ultrasound follow-ups in pregnancy.

Results

We enrolled 29 patients (incidence of 0.03%). Ultrasound antenatally diagnosed 25 vasa previa (five had a spontaneous resolution) while four were diagnosed postnatally, with an overall sensitivity of 96.2%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 96.2%, and negative predictive value of 100%. Early gestational age at diagnosis is significally associate with spontaneously resolution (p 0.023; aOR 1.63; 95% IC 1.18–2.89). Nearly 93% of our patient had a risk factor for vasa previa: placenta previa at second trimester or low-lying placenta, bilobated placenta, succenturiate cotyledon, velametous cord insertion or assisted reproduction technologies.

Conclusions

Maternal and fetal outcomes in case of vasa previa antenatally diagnosed are significally improved. Our data support the evaluation of umbilical cord insertion during routine second trimester ultrasound and a targeted screening for vasa previa in women with risk factor: it allows identification of fetus at high risk, reducing fetal mortality in otherwise healthy newborns.
What participles are a mixture of
Authors: Van Eynde Frank
Published: May 2021

It is commonly assumed that participles show a mixture of verbal and adjectival properties, but the issue of how this mixed nature can best be captured is anything but settled. Analyses range from the purely adjectival to the purely verbal with various shades in between. This lack of consensus is at least partly due to the fact that participles are used in a variety of ways and that an analysis which fits one of them is not necessarily equally plausible for the other. In an effort to overcome the resulting fragmentation this paper proposes an analysis that covers all uses of the participles, from the adnominal over the predicative to the free adjunct uses, including also the nominalized ones. To keep it feasible we focus on one language, namely Dutch. With the help of a treebank we first identify the uses of the Dutch participles and describe their properties in informal terms. In a second step we provide an analysis in terms of the notation of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar. A key property of the analysis is the differentiation between core uses and grammaticalized uses. The treatment of the latter is influenced by insights from Grammaticalization Theory.
On the grammaticality of morphosyntactically reduced remnants in Polish sluicing
Authors: Nykiel Joanna , Kim Jong-Bok
Published: May 2021

This paper explores the grammaticality status of reduced sluicing remnants (i.e., remnants realized as NPs due to preposition drop) in Polish. We provide experimental evidence that reduced remnants are variously acceptable in a specific environment (where there is a prior explicit correspondent in the antecedent clause) and are as unacceptable as ungrammatical structures elsewhere. We interpret this pattern as reflecting elaboration effects (i.e., effects that the degree of elaboration of explicit correspondents has on the acceptability of reduced remnants) that follow from the cue-based retrieval theory of sentence processing. Our data support the option of treating reduced remnants as ungrammatical but sometimes acceptable and the option of treating them as grammatical but sometimes degraded, and we discuss how they fit into the current theories of clausal ellipsis.
Pentagonal quasigroups, their translatability and parastrophes
Authors: Dudek Wieslaw A. , Monzo Robert A. R.
Published: May 2021

Any pentagonal quasigroup

Q

Q

is proved to have the product

x
y
=
φ

(

x

)

+
y
−
φ

(

y

)

xy=\varphi \left(x)+y-\varphi (y)

, where

(

Q
,
+

)

\left(Q,+)

is an Abelian group,

φ

\varphi

is its regular automorphism satisfying

φ

4

−

φ

3

+

φ

2

−
φ
+
ε
=
0

{\varphi }^{4}-{\varphi }^{3}+{\varphi }^{2}-\varphi +\varepsilon =0

and

ε

\varepsilon

is the identity mapping. All Abelian groups of order

n
<
100

n\lt 100

inducing pentagonal quasigroups are determined. The variety of commutative, idempotent, medial groupoids satisfying the pentagonal identity

(

x
y
⋅
x

)

y
⋅
x
=
y

\left(xy\cdot x)y\cdot x=y

is proved to be the variety of commutative, pentagonal quasigroups, whose spectrum is

{

1

1

n

:
n
=
0
,
1
,
2
,

…

}

\left\{1{1}^{n}:n=0,1,2,\ldots \right\}

. We prove that the only translatable commutative pentagonal quasigroup is

x
y
=

(

6
x
+
6
y

)

(

mod

11

)

xy=\left(6x+6y)\left({\rm{mod}}\hspace{0.33em}11)

. The parastrophes of a pentagonal quasigroup are classified according to well-known types of idempotent translatable quasigroups. The translatability of a pentagonal quasigroup induced by the group

Z

n

{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{n}

and its automorphism

φ

(

x

)

=
a
x

\varphi \left(x)=ax

is proved to determine the value of

a

a

and the range of values of

n

n

.
Quantum effects of gas flow in nanochannels
Authors: Wang Xuefang , Dong Xianshan , Xiao Junfeng , Zhang YuYu , Xu Jianfeng , Liu Sheng , Gao Liang
Published: May 2021

Based on the thermal theory of Newtonian mechanics, the pressure difference in the macro channels will drive the gas flow until the pressure difference inside is zero. However, the 12-year vacuum packaging experiments in our laboratory showed that when the macroscopic channel is reduced to a critical size and reaches the nanometer level, the gas flow inside the channel is hindered, that is, the differential pressure cannot become zero. To explain this paradoxical phenomenon, this study analyzes the flow of air molecules in the channel by using the De Broglie’s matter waves and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Based on the law of quantum mechanics, when the diameter of the nanochannel is reduced to a certain size, it has a localized high pressure in the channel, which impedes the gas flow. This article introduces quantum mechanics into nanochannel’s gas fluid dynamics for the first time, expanding the new direction of fluid mechanics.
Overview of nanocellulose as additives in paper processing and paper products
Authors: Li Ao , Xu Dezhong , Luo Lu , Zhou Yalan , Yan Wen , Leng Xin , Dai Dasong , Zhou Yonghui , Ahmad Hassan , Rao Jiuping , Fan Mizi
Published: May 2021

The rapid economic growth and environmental concerns have led to high demands on paper and paper-based products in terms of variety, quantity, quality, and specialty. Enhancement and functionalization with additives are constantly required. Moving away from traditional petroleum-based additives, researchers have attempted to use “green” nanoadditives by introducing renewable environmentally friendly nanocellulose. This article studies the functions of nanocellulose as bio-additives (enhancer, retention and filtration reagent, and coating aid) in paper and paper products, and overviews the research development of nanocellulose-based additives and their applications in the paper industry for both efficient production and paper functionalization. The review shows that (1) a variety of nanocellulose-based bioadditives have been reported for various applications in paper and paper-based products, while commercially viable developments are to be advanced; (2) nanocellulose was mostly formulated with other polymer and particles as additives to achieve their synergistic effects; (3) major interests have concentrated on the nanocellulose in the specialty papers as representing more value added products and in the efficient utilization of recycled fibers, which remains most attractive and promising for future development. This report shall provide most useful database information for researchers and industries for paper recycling and enhancement, and paper-based products innovation and application.
Advances in polymeric ionic liquids-based smart polymeric materials: emerging fabrication strategies
Authors: Ejeromedoghene Onome , Oderinde Olayinka , Adewuyi Sheriff
Published: May 2021

Polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) are a class of materials characterized by fascinating physicochemical properties as well as tunable functionality that are quite interesting for the fabrication of materials. They have attracted tremendous attention because they are easy to prepare and can be manipulated into a polymeric matrix via covalent and noncovalent linkage/interactions to form new intelligent/smart polymeric materials with improved properties and multiple functionalities for application in many fields. These new materials are specially designed to change their performance properties when subjected to external environmental stimuli including pH, temperature, light, chemicals and electromagnetic fields. Therefore, this chapter presents the progress in the preparation of PILs via different polymerization reactions and highlights the emerging advances in the fabrication of PILs-based smart polymeric materials.
Relationship between percolation mechanism and pore characteristics of recycled permeable bricks based on X-ray computed tomography
Authors: Lian Songsong , Meng Tao , Song Hongqi , Wang Zhongjia , Li Jiabin
Published: May 2021

The relationship between percolation mechanism and pore characteristics for recycled permeable bricks with different porosities is investigated in this study based on X-ray computed tomography (X-CT). Permeability coefficients are measured and some characteristics including size, amount, and distribution of the pore are analysed. The results show that the effective porosity and permeability coefficient of the recycled permeable bricks exhibit a linear relationship first and then a quadratic curve relationship, where the critical effective porosity is 12%. Meanwhile, we discovered that nonlinear channels in permeable bricks are larger and fewer compared with linear percolation channels, regardless of whether the percolation stage is linear or nonlinear. Additionally, when the area and number ratios of the linear and nonlinear percolation channels reached 80% and 10%, respectively, the overall percolation state of the permeable bricks changed from linear to nonlinear percolation. This research is helpful to improve the mechanical and percolation properties of recycled concrete bricks and promote the application of porous permeable material.
Das Wist-Jubiläumsfragespiel: 19 aus 71
Authors: Raffelhüschen Bernd
Published: May 2021

1971 wurde die Zeitschrift WiSt von den Herausgebern Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Erwin Dichtl und Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Otmar Issing ins Leben gerufen.In unserer Serie beantworten Autorinnen und Autoren der Zeitschrift 19 Fragen aus 71. Warum gerade 19 aus 71? Die Zahlen sind an das Jahr 1971 angelehnt. Für den Fragebogen haben wir uns unter anderem den „Proust´schen Fragebogen“ zum Vorbild genommen. Ursprünglich ist dieser ein beliebtes Gesellschaftsspiel, das einen fast unendlichen Spielraum von Antwortmöglichkeiten gibt: Die Person kann alles über sich preisgeben oder ein Rätsel bleiben. Gedacht ist es als ein Spiel, ein launiger Zeitvertreib, um einen kurzen, persönlichen Blick hinter den offiziellen Autorenlebenslauf zu werfen und unsere Autorinnen und Autoren etwas näher kennenzulernen.Aus 71 Fragen wählen wir für jeden Teilnehmer zufällig 19 Fragen aus. Von diesen können die Autorinnen und Autoren insgesamt fünf Fragen mit solchen aus dem Pool der übrigen 52 Fragen austauschen. Der vollständige Fragenkatalog ist auf unserer Homepage abrufbar. In diesem Heft fragen wir Prof. Dr. Bernd Raffelhüschen.
The Implementation of Massive Open Online courses into Educational Processes at Russian Universities
Authors: Bokova Tatiana Nikolaevna , Kabanova Olga Aleksandrovna
Published: May 2021

Interest in massive open online courses (MOOCs) as a new resource for distance learning is due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies within the framework of education. The 2000s precipitated the development of e-learning in the direction of open learning opportunities which resulted in the phenomenon known as MOOCs. MOOCs are now a widespread and accepted means of higher education which implies interactive online learning. Therefore, it is relevant to define the most appropriate form of MOOC integration, to study the contemporary experiences of MOOC implementation into higher education along with analysing the experience of using online courses within the context of face-to-face classes. This study observes the development of MOOCs by using comparative analysis and literature examination to reveal some accepted blended learning models for higher education. This paper also attempts to show possible challenges and outcomes of MOOC integration into a face-to-face class. The findings are dedicated to effective use of massive open online courses in universities in Russia.