bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional risk in early childhood and parent-reported school concerns
Authors: Omand Jessica , Janus Magdalena , Maguire Jonathon L. , C. Parkin Patricia , Simpson Janis Randall , Keown-Stoneman Charles D.G. , Aglipay Mary , Birken Catherine S.
Published: September 2023

Objective: To determine if nutritional risk in early childhood is associated with parent-reported school concerns.

Design: A prospective cohort study conducted through the TARGet Kids! primary care research network (2011-2018). Nutritional risk was measured between 18 months and 5 years of age using validated parent-completed NutriSTEP® questionnaires with eating behaviour and dietary intake subscores (0 = lowest and 68 = highest total nutritional risk score). Parent-reported school concerns were measured at school age (4-10 years of age) and included: speech and language; learning; attention; behaviour; social relationships; physical coordination; fine motor coordination and self-help skills and independence. The primary outcome was any parent-reported school concerns, and individual school concerns were used as secondary outcomes. Multiple logistic regression models were conducted adjusting for clinically relevant confounders to assess the relationship between nutritional risk and school concerns.

Setting: Toronto, Canada.

Participants: Children aged 18 months to 10 years.

Results: The study included 3655 children, 52 % were male, mean NutriSTEP® score was 14·4 (sd 6·4). Each 1 sd increase in NutriSTEP® total score was associated with a 1·18 times increased odds of school concerns (adj OR: 1·18, 95 % CI 1·07, 1·28, P = 0·0004), and high nutritional risk was associated with a 1·42 times increased odds of school concerns (adj OR: 1·42, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·78, P = 0·002).

Conclusions: Nutritional risk in early childhood was associated with school concerns. Nutritional interventions in early childhood may reveal opportunities to enhance school outcomes.
Automated Self-Administered 24-H Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) recalls for parent proxy-reporting of children's intake (> 4 years of age): a feasibility study
Authors: Sharpe Isobel , Kirkpatrick Sharon I. , Smith Brendan T. , Keown-Stoneman Charles D. G. , Omand Jessica , Vanderhout Shelley , Maguire Jonathon L. , S. Birken Catherine , Anderson Laura N.
Published: September 2023

Background: Robust measurement of dietary intake in population studies of children is critical to better understand the diet-health nexus. It is unknown whether parent proxy-report of children's dietary intake through online 24-h recalls is feasible in large cohort studies.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to describe the feasibility of the Automated Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) to measure parent proxy-reported child dietary intake. A secondary objective was to compare intake estimates with those from national surveillance.

Methods: Parents of children aged 4-15 years participating in the TARGet Kids! research network in Toronto, Canada were invited by email to complete an online ASA24-Canada-2016 recall for their child, with a subsample prompted to complete a second recall about 2 weeks later. Descriptive statistics were reported for ASA24 completion characteristics and intake of several nutrients. Comparisons were made to the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 24-h recall data.

Results: A total of 163 parents completed the first recall, and 46 completed the second, reflecting response rates of 35% and 59%, respectively. Seven (4%) first recalls and one (2%) second recall were excluded for ineligibility, missing data, or inadvertent parental self-report. The median number of foods reported on the first recall was 18.0 (interquartile range (IQR) 6.0) and median time to complete was 29.5 min (IQR 17.0). Nutrient intakes for energy, total fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sodium, total sugars, and added sugars were similar across the two recalls and the CCHS.

Conclusions: The ASA24 was found to be feasible for parent proxy-reporting of children's intake and to yield intake estimates comparable to those from national surveillance, but strategies are needed to increase response rate and support completion to enhance generalizability.
Nutritional Risk in Early Childhood and School Readiness
Authors: Omand Jessica , Janus Magdalena , L. Maguire Jonathon , C. Parkin Patricia , Aglipay Mary , Simpson Janis Randall , Keown-Stoneman Charles D. G. , Duku Eric K. , Reid-Westoby Caroline , Birken Catherine S.
Published: September 2023

Background

Nutrition in early childhood is important for healthy growth and development. Achieving school readiness is considered one of the most important developmental milestones for young children.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to determine if nutritional risk in early childhood is associated with school readiness in kindergarten.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted through The Applied Research Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!) primary care research network in Toronto, Canada, 2015–2020. Nutritional risk was measured (18 mo to 5 y) using validated parent-completed questionnaires called Nutrition Screening for Toddlers and Preschoolers (NutriSTEP). High nutritional risk was categorized as scores ≥21. School readiness was measured using the validated teacher-completed Early Developmental Instrument (EDI), which measures 5 developmental domains in kindergarten (2 y of schooling, ages 4–6 y, before they enter grade 1). Vulnerability indicates scores lower than a population-based cutoff at the 10th percentile on at least 1 domain. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were conducted adjusting for relevant confounders.

Results

The study included 896 children: 53% were male, 9% had high nutritional risk, and 17% were vulnerable on the EDI. A 1-SD increase in NutriSTEP total score was associated with 1.54 times increased odds of being vulnerable on the EDI among children in year 2 of kindergarten (P = 0.001). High nutritional risk cutoff was associated with 4.28 times increased odds of being vulnerable on the EDI among children in year 2 of kindergarten (P < 0.001). NutriSTEP total score and high nutritional risk were associated with lower scores on all 5 EDI domains, with the strongest association observed for the domains of language and cognitive development and communication skills and general knowledge.

Conclusions

Higher nutritional risk in early childhood is associated with lower school readiness in year 2 of kindergarten. Nutritional interventions early in life may offer opportunities to enhance school readiness. This trial was registered http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01869530.
Non-Western immigrant children have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D than children from Western families
Authors: Omand Jessica , Darling Pauline B , C. Parkin Patricia , Birken Catherine S. , Khovratovich Marina , Thorpe Kevin E. , Carsley Sarah , DeGroot Julie , Maguire Jonathon L.
Published: September 2023

Objective: To determine if children aged 1-6 years from non-Western immigrant families have lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels than children from Western-born families and examine which factors influence this relationship.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Toronto, Canada.

Subjects: Healthy children (n 1540) recruited through the TARGet Kids! practice-based research network. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations of non-Western immigrants were compared with those of children from Western-born families. Children from non-Western immigrant families were defined as those born, or their parents were born, outside a Western country. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify factors which might influence this relationship.

Results: Median age was 36 months, 51 % were male, 86 % had 'light' skin pigmentation, 55 % took vitamin D supplements, mean cow's milk intake was 1·8 cups/d and 27 % were non-Western immigrants. Median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 83 nmol/l, with 5 % having 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l. Univariable analysis revealed that non-Western immigrant children had serum 25(OH)D lower by 4 (95 % CI 1·3, 8·0) nmol/l (P = 0·006) and increased odds of 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l (OR = 1·9; 95 % CI 1·3, 2·9). After adjustment for known vitamin D determinants the observed difference attenuated to 0·04 (95 % CI -4·8, 4·8) nmol/l (P = 0·99), with higher cow's milk intake (P < 0·0001), vitamin D supplementation (P < 0·0001), summer season (P = 0·008) and increased age (P = 0·04) being statistically significant covariates. Vitamin D supplementation was the strongest explanatory factor of the observed difference.

Conclusions: There is an association between non-Western immigration and lower 25(OH)D in early childhood. This difference appears related to known vitamin D determinants, primarily vitamin D supplementation, representing opportunities for intervention.
Children’s screen use and school readiness at 4-6 years: prospective cohort study
Authors: Vanderloo Leigh M. , Janus Magdalena , Omand Jessica , Keown-Stoneman Charles D.G. , Borkhoff Cornelia M. , Duku Eric K. , Mamdani Muhammad , Lebovic Gerald , Parkin Patricia C. , Simpson Janis Randall , Tremblay Mark S. , L. Maguire Jonathon , Birken Catherine S.
Published: September 2023

Background

The primary aim of this study was to determine if screen use in early childhood is associated with overall vulnerability in school readiness at ages 4 to 6 years, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Secondary aims were to: (1) determine if screen use was associated with individual EDI domains scores, and (2) examine the association between screen use and EDI domains scores among a subgroup of high screen users.

Methods

This prospective cohort study was carried out using data from young children participating in a large primary care practice-based research network in Canada. Logistic regression analyses were run to investigate the association between screen use and overall vulnerability in school readiness. Separate linear regression models examined the relationships between children’s daily screen use and each separate continuous EDI domain.

Results

A total of 876 Canadian participants participated in this study. Adjusted logistic regression revealed an association between increased screen use and increased vulnerability in school readiness (p = 0.05). Results from adjusted linear regression demonstrated an association between higher screen use and reduced language and cognitive development domain scores (p = 0.004). Among high screen users, adjusted linear regression models revealed associations between increased screen use and reduced language and cognitive development (p = 0.004) and communication skills and general knowledge domain scores (p = 0.042).

Conclusions

Screen use in early childhood is associated with increased vulnerability in developmental readiness for school, with increased risk for poorer language and cognitive development in kindergarten, especially among high users.
Validation of a parent proxy-reported beverage screener compared to a 24-hour dietary recall for the measurement of sugar-containing beverage intake among young children
Authors: Sharpe Isobel , Kirkpatrick Sharon I. , Smith Brendan T. , Keown-Stoneman Charles D. G. , Omand Jessica , Vanderhout Shelley , Warren Christine , L. Maguire Jonathon , Birken Catherine S. , Anderson Laura N.
Published: September 2023

Measures that can provide reasonably accurate estimates of sugar-containing beverage (SCB) intake among children are needed. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relative validity of a short beverage screener (Nutrition and Health Questionnaire, NHQ) compared to a 24-hour recall (Automated Self-Administered 24-h (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool-Canada) for assessing parent proxy-reported daily SCB intake among children aged 4-14 years from the TARGet Kids! research network in Toronto, Canada. Children for whom a NHQ completed between March 2018 and June 2019 and an ASA24 completed within one year were included. A total of 471 parents who completed the NHQ beverage screener were also asked to complete the ASA24. One-hundred sixty-three completed the ASA24 and of this group, 109 were analyzed. Estimates of daily intake of 100% juices, sweetened drinks and soda, and total SCBs from the two measures were compared. The mean difference in beverage intake, Spearman correlations, and Bland-Altman plots were estimated for continuous measures. The kappa coefficient, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated for dichotomous measures of any daily intake versus none. The mean difference in total SCB intake between the NHQ and ASA24 was 0.14 cups/day (95% CI 0.01, 0.29) and the correlation was 0.43 (95% CI 0.26, 0.57). Sensitivity and specificity for any daily SCB intake were 0.63 and 0.76, respectively. Overall, parent proxy-reporting of children's total SCB intake from a beverage screener can provide reasonable estimates of SCB intake when detailed dietary assessment is not feasible.
Predictive Validity of the Infant Toddler Checklist in Primary Care at the 18-month Visit and School Readiness at 4 to 6 Years
Authors: Nurse Kimberly M. , Janus Magdalena , Birken Catherine S. , Keown-Stoneman Charles D.G. , Omand Jessica , Maguire Jonathon L. , Reid-Westoby Caroline , Duku Eric , Mamdani Muhammad , Tremblay Mark S. , C. Parkin Patricia , Borkhoff Cornelia M.
Published: September 2023

Objective: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental surveillance and screening in early childhood in primary care. The 18-month visit may be an ideal time for identification of children with delays in language and communication, or symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about the predictive validity of developmental screening tools administered at 18 months. Our objective was to examine the predictive validity of the Infant Toddler Checklist (ITC) at the 18-month health supervision visit, using school readiness at kindergarten age as the criterion measure.

Methods: We designed a prospective cohort study, recruiting in primary care in Toronto, Canada. Parents completed the ITC at the 18-month visit. Teachers completed the Early Development Instrument (EDI) when the children were in Kindergarten, age 4-6 years.We calculated screening test properties with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses adjusted for important covariates.

Results: Of 293 children (mean age 18 months), 30 (10.2%) had a positive ITC including: concern for speech delay (n=11, 3.8%), concern for other communication delay (n=13, 4.4%), and concern for both (n=6, 2.0%). At follow-up (mean age 5 years), 54 (18.4%) had overall EDI vulnerability, 19 (6.5%) had vulnerability on the 2 EDI communication domains. The ITC sensitivity ranged from 11%-32%, specificity from 91%-96%, false positive rates from 4%-9%, PPV from 16%-35%, NPV from 83%-95%. A positive ITC screen and ITC concern for speech delay were associated with lower scores in EDI communication skills and general knowledge (β= −1.08; 95% CI: −2.10, −0.17; β= −2.35; 95% CI: −3.63, −1.32) and EDI language and cognitive development (β= −0.62; 95% CI: −1.25, −0.18; β= −1.22; 95% CI: −2.11, −0.58). 

Conclusions: The ITC demonstrated high specificity suggesting that most children with a negative ITC screen will demonstrate school readiness at 4-6 years, and low false positive rates, minimizing over-diagnosis. The ITC had low sensitivity highlighting the importance of ongoing developmental surveillance and screening. 
Agreement between a health claims algorithm and parent-reported asthma in young children
Authors: Omand Jessica , Maguire Jonathon L. , O’Connor Deborah L. , C. Parkin Patricia , S. Birken Catherine , Thorpe Kevin E. , Zhu Jingqin , To Teresa
Published: September 2023

Introduction: Asthma prevalence is commonly measured in national surveys by questionnaire. The Ontario Asthma Surveillance Information System (OASIS) developed a validated health claims diagnosis algorithm to estimate asthma prevalence. The primary objective was to assess the agreement between two approaches of measuring asthma in young children. Secondary objectives were to identify concordant and discordant pairs, and to identify factors associated with disagreement. 

Study design and setting: A measurement study to evaluate the agreement between the OASIS algorithm and parent‐reported asthma (criterion standard). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with disagreement. 

Results: Healthy children aged 1 to 5 years (n =3642) participating in the TARGet Kids! practice based research network 2008‐2013 in Toronto, Canada were included. Prevalence of asthma was 14% and 6% by the OASIS algorithm and parent‐reported asthma, respectively. The Kappa statistic was 0.43, sensitivity 81%, specificity 90%, PPV 34%, and NPV 99%. There were 3249 concordant and 393 discordant pairs. Statistically significant factors associated with asthma identified by OASIS but not parent report included: male sex, higher zBMI, and parent history of asthma. Males were less likely to have asthma identified by parent report but not OASIS. 

Conclusion: The OASIS algorithm identified more asthma cases in young children than parent‐reported asthma. The OASIS algorithm had high sensitivity, specificity, and NPV but low PPV relative to parent‐reported asthma. These findings need replication in other populations.
Evaluating the accuracy of a geographic closed-ended approach to ethnicity measurement, a practical alternative
Authors: Omand Jessica , Carsley Sarah , Darling Pauline B , Parkin Patricia C. , Birken Catherine S. , Urquia Marcelo L. , Khovratovich Marina , L. Maguire Jonathon
Published: September 2023

Purpose: Measuring ethnicity accurately is important for identifying ethnicity variations in disease risk. We evaluated the degree of agreement and accuracy of maternal ethnicity measured using the new standardized closed-ended geographically based ethnicity question and geographic reclassification of open-ended ethnicity questions from the Canadian census. 

Methods: A prospectively designed study of respondent agreement of mothers of healthy children age 1-5 years recruited through the TARGet Kids! practice based research network. For the primary analysis, the degree of agreement between geographic reclassification of the Canadian census maternal ethnicity variables and the new geographically based closed-ended maternal ethnicity variable completed by the same respondent was evaluated using a kappa analysis. 

Results: 862 mothers who completed both measures of ethnicity were included in the analysis. The kappa agreement statistic for the two definitions of maternal ethnicity was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84-0.90) indicating good agreement. Overall accuracy of the measurement was 93%. Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 83-100% and 96-100% respectively. 

Conclusion: The new standardized closed-ended geographically based ethnicity question represents a practical alternative to widely used open-ended ethnicity questions. It may reduce risk of misinterpretation of ethnicity by respondents, simplify analysis and improve the accuracy of ethnicity measurement.
25-hydroxyvitamin D and health service utilization for asthma in early childhood
Authors: Omand Jessica , To Teresa , O’Connor Deborah L. , C. Parkin Patricia , S. Birken Catherine , Thorpe Kevin E. , L. Maguire Jonathon
Published: September 2023

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood and a common reason for hospital admission. Studies suggest that low vitamin D levels may be associated with health service utilization (HSU) for childhood asthma. The primary objective was to determine if vitamin D serum levels in early childhood were associated with HSU for asthma including: a) hospital admissions; b) emergency department visits; and c) outpatient sick visits. Secondary objectives were to determine whether vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy or childhood were associated with HSU for asthma. 

Methods: Prospective cohort study of children participating in the TARGet Kids!practice-based research network between 2008 and 2013 in Toronto, Canada. HSU was determined by linking each child's provincial health insurance number to health administrative databases. Multi variable quasi-Poisson and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy, and childhood and HSU for asthma. 

Results: A total of 2926 healthy children aged 0-6 years had 25-hydroxyvitamin D data available and were included in the primary analysis. Mean (IQR) 25-hydroxyvitmain D level was 84 nmol/L (65-98 nmol/L), 218 and 1267 children had 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations <50 nmol/L and <75 nmol/L, respectively. In the adjusted models,there were no associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations (continuously or dichotomized at 50 and 75 nmol/L), vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy or childhood and HSU for asthma. 

Conclusions: Vitamin D blood values do not appear to be associated with HSU for asthma in this population of healthy urban children.
Resource leveling in construction projects with activity splitting and resource constraints: a simulated annealing optimization
Authors: Piryonesi S. Madeh , Nasseri Mehran , Ramezani Abdollah
Published: September 2023

Overtime and over-budget construction projects are not pleasant to any stakeholder. Stakeholders want construction projects to be completed without delay and excessive cost. It is possible to meet these objectives by using resource management techniques such as resource leveling. Due to the limitation of resources and different types of them in a construction project, optimizing the resource utilization is crucial. In this paper, a meta-heuristic simulated annealing resource leveling model is presented. The novelty of this model lies not only in the type of modeling and optimization but also in its assumptions. Our model simultaneously allows activities to split and considers a limitation in resource availabilities. The developed model was implemented in a computer program. Then, it was applied to an example from the literature of resource leveling. The model successfully solved the problem. The results of our model are compared with those already available in the literature.

 
Smart Manufacturing—Theories, Methods, and Applications
Authors: Bi Zhuming , Xu Lida , Ouyang Puren
Published: September 2023

[para. 1:] " Smart manufacturing (SM) distinguishes itself from other system paradigms by introducing ‘smartness’ as a measure to a manufacturing system; however, researchers in different domains have different expectations of system smartness from their own perspectives. In this Special Issue (SI), SM refers to a system paradigm where digital technologies are deployed to enhance system smartness by (1) empowering physical resources in production, (2) utilizing virtual and dynamic assets over the internet to expand system capabilities, (3) supporting data-driven decision making at all domains and levels of businesses, or (4) reconfiguring systems to adapt changes and uncertainties in dynamic environments. System smartness is measured by one or a combination of system performance metrics, such as the degree of automation, cost-effectiveness, leanness, robustness, flexibility, adaptability, sustainability, and resilience. This SI aims to present the most representative works in advancing the theories, methods, and applications of SM."
Design and optimization of a XY compliant mechanical displacement amplifier
Authors: Eskandari Ardalan Bahrami , Ouyang Puren
Published: September 2023

Piezoelectric actuators are increasingly becoming popular for the use in various industrial, pharmaceutical, and engineering applications. However, their short motion range limits their wide applications. This shortcoming can be overcome by coupling the piezoelectric actuators with a mechanical displacement amplifier. In this paper, a new design for a XY planar motion compliant mechanical displacement amplifier (CMDA) based on the design of a symmetric five-bar compliant mechanical amplifier is introduced. Detailed analysis with Finite Element Method (FEM) of static and dynamic characteristics of the proposed XY CMDA design is also provided. Finally, the optimization process and results to increase the Amplification Ratio (AR) of the proposed XY compliant mechanism with minimal compromise in Natural Frequency (NF) is discussed. 
Open data and injuries in urban areas—A spatial analytical framework of Toronto using machine learning and spatial regressions
Authors: de Noronha Vaz Eric , Cusimano Michael D. , Bação Fernando , Damásio Bruno , Penfound Elissa
Published: September 2023

Injuries have become devastating and often under-recognized public health concerns. In Canada, injuries are the leading cause of potential years of life lost before the age of 65. The geographical patterns of injury, however, are evident both over space and time, suggesting the possibility of spatial optimization of policies at the neighborhood scale to mitigate injury risk, foster prevention, and control within metropolitan regions. In this paper, Canada’s National Ambulatory Care Reporting System is used to assess unintentional and intentional injuries for Toronto between 2004 and 2010, exploring the spatial relations of injury throughout the city, together with Wellbeing Toronto data. Corroborating with these findings, spatial autocorrelations at global and local levels are performed for the reported over 1.7 million injuries. The sub-categorization for Toronto’s neighborhood further distills the most vulnerable communities throughout the city, registering a robust spatial profile throughout. Individual neighborhoods pave the need for distinct policy profiles for injury prevention. This brings one of the main novelties of this contribution. A comparison of the three regression models is carried out. The findings suggest that the performance of spatial regression models is significantly stronger, showing evidence that spatial regressions should be used for injury research. Wellbeing Toronto data performs reasonably well in assessing unintentional injuries, morbidity, and falls. Less so to understand the dynamics of intentional injuries. The results enable a framework to allow tailor-made injury prevention initiatives at the neighborhood level as a vital source for planning and participatory decision making in the medical field in developed cities such as Toronto.

 
Does Land Use and Landscape Contribute to Self-Harm? A Sustainability Cities Framework
Authors: de Noronha Vaz Eric , Shaker Richard Ross , Cusimano Michael D. , Loures Luís , Arsanjani Jamal Jokar
Published: September 2023

 

Self-harm has become one of the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. The overall rate for suicide in Canada is 11.3 per 100,000 according to Statistics Canada in 2015. Between 2000 and 2007 the lowest rates of suicide in Canada were in Ontario, one of the most urbanized regions in Canada. However, the interaction between land use, landscape and self-harm has not been significantly studied for urban cores. It is thus of relevance to understand the impacts of land-use and landscape on suicidal behavior. This paper takes a spatial analytical approach to assess the occurrence of self-harm along one of the densest urban cores in the country: Toronto. Individual self-harm data was gathered by the National Ambulatory Care System (NACRS) and geocoded into census tract divisions. Toronto’s urban landscape is quantified at spatial level through the calculation of its land use at different levels: (i) land use type, (ii) sprawl metrics relating to (a) dispersion and (b) sprawl/mix incidence; (iii) fragmentation metrics of (a) urban fragmentation and (b) density and (iv) demographics of (a) income and (b) age. A stepwise regression is built to understand the most influential factors leading to self-harm from this selection generating an explanatory model.
Data Analysis of Land Use Change and Urban and Rural Impacts in Lagos State, Nigeria
Authors: Onilude Olalekan , de Noronha Vaz Eric
Published: September 2023

This study examines land use change and impacts on urban and rural activity in Lagos State, Nigeria. To achieve this, multi-temporal land use and land cover (LULC) datasets derived from the GlobeLand30 product of years 2000 and 2010 for urban and rural areas of Lagos State were imported into ArcMap 10.6 and converted to raster files (raster thematic maps) for spatial analysis in the FRAGSTATS situated in the Patch Analyst. Thus, different landscape metrics were computed to generate statistical results. The results have shown that fragmentation of cultivated lands increased in the rural areas but decreased in the urban areas. Also, the findings display that land-use change resulted in incremental fragmentation of forest in the urban areas, and reduction in the rural areas. The fragmentation measure of diversity increased in the urban areas, while it decreased in the rural areas during the period of study. These results suggest that cultivated land fragmentation is a complex process connected with socio-economic trends at regional and local levels. In addition, this study has shown that landscape metrics can be used to understand the spatial pattern of LULC change in an urban-rural context. Finally, the outcomes of this study will help the policymakers at the three levels of governments in Nigeria to make crucial informed decisions about sustainable land use.
Mumbai's business landscape: A spatial analytical approach to urbanisation
Authors: de Noronha Vaz Eric , Damásio Bruno , Bação Fernando , Kotha Mahender , Penfound Elissa , Rai Shailendra Kumar
Published: September 2023

India has proven to be one of the most diverse and dynamic economic regions in the world. Its industry focuses predominantly on the service sector and immediate economic growth seems to steer India into the economic superpower. India's unique business landscape is felt at a regional level, where massive urbanization has become an unavoidable consequence of population growth and spatial allocation to the economic hubs of metropolitan cities. Mumbai, one of the world's largest cities, represents a unique combination of a diverse economic landscape and the growth of a megacity. The role of Mumbai in India's growth is of crucial importance for India's business landscape. This paper explores the massive urbanization processes of Mumbai's peri-urban areas and compares urban sprawl with the location of its business landscape. A spatial accounting methodology based on the proximity of Mumbai's different economic hubs will be used to measure the underlying pattern of the Mumbai region, concerning past and present urbanization, and the effect of this urbanization process has on the possible location of businesses. This business-urban ecosystem perspective will be implemented by a spatial analysis on the correlation between urban compactness and urban footprints, in relation to business concentration and its spatiotemporal evolution over the last hundred years. 
Theoretical Foundations in Support of Small and Medium Towns
Authors: de Noronha Teresa , de Noronha Vaz Eric
Published: September 2023

This theoretical review aims to create a comprehensive and systematic analysis based on previously published literature explaining how contemporary technological developments may promote new paths for small and medium-sized towns (SMTs) and their networking systems. Much has been said concerning the capacity of towns to absorb strategic knowledge, which is highly dependent on local governance systems. In this paper, five levels of multidisciplinary approaches will be addressed so as to pinpoint the theoretical grounds for the promotion and advocacy of small and medium-sized towns (SMTs) as major drivers of regional sustainability: agglomeration advantages and networking efficiencies—representing strict economic accounting of cost and benefits; clustering in a context of online environments, and its extension to open networking systems; sustainable innovation processes for SMTs, technology, and knowledge transfer in open innovation systems—both settings for discussions within the framing of new technological developments and artificial intelligence; knowledge and new technological developments with local spillovers—to be enhanced employing new educational programs and learning diffusion at advanced levels; the social functions of small and medium-sized towns—to be addressed in the areas of sociology, architecture, and planning.
Modeling Nature-Based and Cultural Recreation Preferences in Mediterranean Regions as Opportunities for Smart Tourism and Diversification
Authors: Samora-Arvela André , Ferreira Jorge , de Noronha Vaz Eric , Panagopoulos Thomas
Published: September 2023

The tourism and recreational offer of Mediterranean destinations involves, essentially, the promotion of mass tourism, based on the appeal of the sun and beach, and the quality of its coastal assets. Alongside the impacts of climate change, poor tourism diversification represents a threat to the resilience of the territory. Thus, heterogenization of noncoastal tourism products presents an opportunity to strengthen regional resilience to present and future challenges, hence the need to study, comparatively, the complementary preferences of tourists and residents of these regions in order to unveil their willingness to diversify their recreational experience, not only in coastal spaces, but also—and especially—in interior territories with low urban density. Consequently, this strategic option may represent a way of strengthening resilience and sustainability through diversification. In this context, a survey was conducted among 400 beach tourists and 400 residents of a case study—namely, three municipalities of the Algarve region in southern Portugal—in order to analyze their degree of preference for activities besides the sun and beach, such as nature-based and cultural tourism activities, and to probe the enhancement potential of each tourism and recreational activity through the various landscape units considered by experts, stakeholders, and tour operators. The respective degree of preference and enhancement potential were indexed to the area of each landscape unit. Subsequently, respecting the existing recreational structure and constraints, a suitability map for territory enhancement and the implementation of smart tourism practices for each tourism activity and landscape unit is presented. Results show a significant preference for noncoastal outdoor recreational activities.
Getting Civil About Food: The Interactions between Civil Society and the State to Advance Sustainable Food Systems in Canada
Authors: Koc Mustafa , MacRae Rod , Desjardins Ellen , Roberts Wayne
Published: September 2023

Canada has a long history of civil society involvement in food activism. While neo-liberal developments and deregulation since the 1970s were global in scope, Canada’s political response was distinct due to its unique geography, social history, and system of governance. The first significant civil society collaboration to address food system inequities was the Peoples’ Food Commission in 1978. The second wave of activism was precipitated by the need for civil society participation in the World Food Summits in 1996 and 2002 and led to the formation of Food Secure Canada-Sécurité Alimentaire Canada (FSC-SAC) in 2005. The current challenge for FSC-SAC is how to make an impact within the increasingly reregulated policy decision system. Several opportunities for civil society-state interaction are offered, including possibilities for new types of regulatory action toward greater food system sustainability.
Candy Darter: Background, Threats, and Conservation for an Endangered Fish
Authors: Baldisimo Jem , Confesor Kristina , King Ashley , Lu Boyang , Palissery Gates , Raghu Veda , Uhelski Dominic , VanDiest Isaac
Published: September 2023

Candy darters, once abundant in the West Virginia and Virginia water basins, now require substantial conservation efforts due to habitat destruction and hybridization with the variegate darter species. Direct human effects have also escalated the destruction of candy darter habitats, making the protection of this important species and what remains of their habitat of utmost importance. With the designation of candy darter as an endangered species and the designation of their critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act, they are afforded powerful legal protections they have not had in the past. While instances of proactive legislation have been implemented, many proposed and ongoing projects (including infrastructure, extraction, and forest management) are potentially overlooking their risks to candy darters. Any long term impacts on candy darter populations are not easily remedied at this time, and would increase the risk of extinction for an already endangered species. To this end, both future and ongoing projects should carefully consider their direct and indirect impacts on waterways and protected critical habitats. Due to difficulties in obtaining data on candy darters, we recommend the precautionary principle be implemented for any ongoing or upcoming projects that impact either current candy darter range and their critical habitat. We also recommend the completion of relevant research before management decisions are made, especially if the decision would be difficult to revert - otherwise an adaptive management framework can be used. Agencies (e.g., US Fish and Wildlife Service) have already published multiple documents advising how to avoid further harming candy darter populations, and we suggest any other agencies or private entities follow their recommendations during project creation, implementation, completion, and monitoring.
No balanço das águas de Mareia
Authors: Uzêda André Luís Mourão de
Published: September 2023

Resenha crítica do romence Mareia (2019), de Miriam Alves. A leitura parte de duas chaves de leitura para ressaltar o aspecto de reivindicação de uma reparação histórica para com a população negra de descendência africana que ainda hoje sofre com o racismo estrtutural em razão do regime colonial e escravagista. A primeira toma o diálogo indireto com os personagens do romance O cortiço  (1890), de Aluísio Azevedo, mencionado pela própria autora em artigo de 2019. A segunda traça paralelo com a simbologia do mar na tradição nagô-yorubá representada pela figura arquetípica do Orixá feminino Yemanjá, senhora dos mares e oceanos. Ao final de nossa análise, pontuamos a necessária defesa de uma política de reparação histórica para com as populações negras e indígenas brasileiras relacionando-a com o papel fundamental a ser ocupado pela Educação Básica nesse projeto.
CRIANÇAS AUTORAS DE LITERATURA NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: EXPERIÊNCIAS SIGNIFICATIVAS DE LEITURA E ESCRITA
Authors: Souza de Macedo Zappa Cristina
Published: September 2023

Esse texto apresenta reflexões a respeito de um projeto realizado considerando o interesse, as curiosidades e as experiências de uma turma de Educação Infantil, com crianças de 5/6 anos de idade, no Centro de Referência em Educação Infantil Realengo (CREIR) do Colégio Pedro II, no Rio de Janeiro. O projeto desenvolvido desencadeou a construção de um livro literário escrito e ilustrado pelas próprias crianças dessa turma e intitulado: Como Viramos Detetives. Por conta de todo o percurso e história desse projeto, a turma passou a ser reconhecida como Turma Detetives e resolveu contar essa experiência em forma de um livro fazendo seu lançamento em uma Manhã de Autógrafos.  Nessa práxis, afirmamos nosso compromisso, respeito e garantia com o que Candido (2004) chama de direito à Literatura e nesse escrito demonstramos que além do direto, a criança também pode produzir Literatura e se relacionar com a língua escrita de maneira contextualizada e significativa em oposição a sistematização desse ensino através de práticas mecânicas e descontextualizadas. Em simultâneo, consideramos o direito ao convívio com a natureza e na primeira página do livro, as crianças demonstram esse amor inato pela vida ao ar livre, de contato e respeito com nosso meio ambiente e com o desenrolar do projeto percebemos também a ampliação do sentimento de pertencimento das crianças pelo espaço escolar.
LITERATURA NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: RELATOS DE AÇÕES PRÁTICAS PARA A FORMAÇÃO DO LEITOR
Authors: Lima Valéria da Silva , Dos Anjos Maylta Brandão , Rôças Giselle -
Published: September 2023

Este trabalho é um recorte da Tese de Doutorado da primeira autora. Representa frutos de vivências, estudos e inquietações sobre como inserir a criança pequena no universo literário por meio da Contação de Histórias. Para isso, debruçamos nas leituras que precedem ao trabalho docente e apresentamos uma experiência de um trabalho desenvolvido por uma professora da Educação Infantil com o livro “A Ponte” de Eliandro França e ilustrações de Paulo Thumé (2018). O trabalho com a literatura infantil demanda formação, estudo e leituras diversas a fim de rompermos com práticas que defendem o reducionismo literário, que limitam perguntas e, consequentemente, respostas. Inúmeras são as possibilidades do trabalho com a literatura infantil, para isso é necessário formação e leituras com autores que versam sobre a formação do leitor como Freire (2017), Sisto (2012), Parreiras (2012) e uma sensibilidade refinada para trabalhar com eles. Isso é adquirido na vontade e na percepção de se afinar com e no outro. As atividades realizadas, as dicas de trabalhos por meio de contações de histórias, leituras individuais e coletivas fortalecem as práticas em sala de aula. Concluímos que as histórias enriquecem a literatura, a vida, auxiliam o ensino e favorecem a imaginação, fantasia e formação de leitores nas infâncias.
Educação de surdos no Brasil e Bilinguismo: um olhar sobre o tema.
Authors: Nordio Vera Aparecida , Neves Rogério da Costa
Published: September 2023

RESUMO: O objetivo deste texto consiste em fazer um levantamento do processo histórico da educação de surdos no Brasil e introduzir elementos que cooperem para a reflexão sobre a complexidade do que temos entendido como bilinguismo, com enfoque para a relevância da Língua Brasileira de Sinais (LIBRAS) no ensino de pessoas surdas e sua influência no processo formativo. É importante compreender que a educação de surdos no Brasil ficou historicamente inserida no campo da educação especial desde os seus primeiros registros e durante, praticamente, todo o século XX. Disputas ideológicas se fizeram presente e o debate sobre a língua ideal para a escolarização de surdos transitou entre a língua de sinais, o oralismo e a comunicação total. Somente nas últimas duas décadas desse século, o bilinguismo assumiu centralidade dos debates sobre educação de surdos e, desde então, vem se estabelecendo como uma tendência e influenciando a forma de se compreender a surdez, atualmente, nos estudos surdos, entendida a partir de um enfoque da diferença.  Assim, através de fontes bibliográficas, a investigação se ocupará de apresentar os marcos essenciais da educação de surdos no Brasil, apresentar reflexões sobre a língua e a ausência de língua e evidenciar a relevância do bilinguismo na educação de surdos. Destacamos que esse artigo traz um recorte do referencial teórico da dissertação de mestrado intitulada “Uma investigação das expectativas de jovens surdos para a etapa final da educação básica: em discussão o ensino médio técnico integrado.”
ENSINO DE BOTÂNICA: POSSIBILIDADES PARA A EDUCAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA EM UMA ESCOLA RIBEIRINHA NO SUDOESTE DO AMAZONAS
Authors: Melo Paula Regina Humbelino de , Batista Eliane Regina Martins , Abreu Thiago Ferreira , Camargo Tatiana Souza de , Ferreira Daniele do Nascimento
Published: September 2023

A botânica é a ciência que estuda todas as características morfológicas, genéticas, fisiológicas e evolutivas dos vegetais, sendo seus conhecimentos essenciais para humanidade, uma vez que existe uma relação mútua com os seres vivos. Com a importância da botânica como ciência, este artigo apresenta uma análise da inserção de atividades didáticas no ensino de ciências naturais em uma escola ribeirinha no sudoeste do Amazonas, sendo o público-alvo estudantes de 7º, 8º e 9º ano da escola. A metodologia consistiu em uma breve análise do conteúdo sobre os vegetais no livro adotado pela escola, desenvolvimento de atividades práticas, como coleta de material botânico para a produção de exsicatas, aula prática de microscopia e o ensino lúdico, os dados foram analisados qualitativamente buscando refletir sobre o ensino de botânica na escola ribeirinha de São Miguel. Os resultados apontaram a importância da utilização de atividades práticas no processo de ensino de estudantes ribeirinhos, bem como as contribuições das atividades para a educação científica, além da necessidade de articulações de conhecimentos tradicionais e escolares. Diante dos resultados, é primordial que professores pensem em estratégias de interligação de conhecimento no ensino de ciências, principalmente ao considerar o público-alvo dessa pesquisa.
A LEITURA DELEITE NOS PLANEJAMENTOS DE ALFABETIZADORAS INICIANTES
Authors: Ferreira Carmen Regina Gonçalves
Published: September 2023

: O presente artigo visa apresentar dados referentes ao trabalho com a leitura nas salas de alfabetização com professoras que estão iniciando a carreira docente. O objetivo foi verificar se essas docentes utlizavam em suas ações pedagógicas a leitura deleite, aquela realizada pelo simples prazer de ler. Ao promover a inserção da leitura deleite como uma atividade permanente nas salas de alfabetização, os alunos podem perceber que em diversos momentos da vida cotidiana a leitura está presente com diferentes finalidades e uma delas é a leitura para o divertimento, para o bel-prazer. Esta é uma pesquisa qualitativa (BOGDAN & BIKLEN, 1994) que situa-se  no campo da formação de professores por meio da metodologia pesquisa-formação (JOSSO, 2004), que reuniu um grupo de sete alfabetizadoras em encontros quinzenais para estudar e discutir diversas temáticas dentre elas, a leitura. Os dados aqui apresentados são oriundos de transcrições das gravações dos encontros e por meio das narrativas das alfabetizadoras, evidenciam  que inexistiam espaços de leitura deleite em seus planejamentos para as turmas de alfabetização,pois acreditavam que as ações com a leitura deveriam estar sempre acompanhadas de uma atividade pedagógica de análise da língua ou aspectos relacionados à exploração estrutural do texto. Os dados sinalizaram que o desconhecimento de um arcabouço teórico mais amplo sobre as diversas formas de trabalho com a leitura no ciclo da alfabetização, pode prejudicar um trabalho com a leitura para além da exploração do texto em seus aspectos formais.
RESENHA DE UM DOCUMENTÁRIO FORA DE SÉRIE
Authors: Pinheiro Laís Lemos Silva Novo
Published: September 2023

FORA de Série. Direção de Paulo Carrano. Rio de Janeiro: Observatório Jovem do Rio de Janeiro-LIDE UFF, 2018. Documentário (90min.)