bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primeri uporabe nevarnih kemikalij v šolskem laboratoriju: Povezava tovrstnih kemikalij s homeopatskimi zdravili
Authors: Krampl Manca , Dojer Brina
Published: February 2023

Eksperimentalno delo pri pouku kemije je področje, pri katerem moramo dosledno upoštevati načela kemijske varnosti. Kemijska varnost v najširšem pomenu vključuje oceno in obvladovanje tveganja – ustrezno ravnanje s kemikalijami pri pouku in v neposredni okolici. Pomembno je prepoznavanje nevarnih snovi/kemikalij ter tveganj, ki jih te snovi predstavljajo. V delu so predstavljeni eksperimenti z izbranimi nevarnimi snovmi, ki se lahko izvajajo v osnovni ali srednji šoli kot demonstracijski eksperimenti ali pa jih izvajajo učenci samostojno. Nekatere prej omenjene nevarne snovi, ki jih uporabljamo v šolskih laboratorijih, se (v spremenjeni obliki) uporabljajo tudi v homeopatiji. Predstavljen je osnovni primer priprave homeopatskih zdravil in primeri uporabe izbranih homeopatskih zdravil. Osredotočili smo se na homeopatska zdravila kemijskega izvora, ki jih lahko kupimo v nekaterih lekarnah po Sloveniji.
What every EFL Instructor Needs to Know: Effective Implementation of Needs Analysis
Authors: Trendak-Suślik Olga
Published: February 2023

One of the first issues that any foreign language teacher needs to take into consideration prior to commencing on their language course is the implementation of a comprehensive learner needs analysis (NA) also referred to as needs assessment. Garnering information on, among others, students’ learning preferences, their previous learning experience or their goals is pivotal in order to design a course that would cater to students’ different needs and meet their expectations. A one-size-fits-all approach is not in line with the reality of language teaching in the 21st century, hence the need for the introduction of NA during language classes.

The aim of the following article is to explore the area of needs analysis – examine its beginnings and further development; define its basic components and also investigate the different data-collection instruments language teachers have at their disposal. The article will also present the results of a pilot study exploring Polish teachers’ perspectives on the introduction of needs analysis in the foreign language classroom.
Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy: Unified Protocol as an Example
Authors: BATMAZ Sedat
Published: February 2023

The fact that there are many limitations of the current classification systems led to the emergence of transdiagnostic approaches (TA) that focus on the common psychopathological processes underlying disorders rather than categorical diagnoses. TA focuses on the underlying common psychopathological processes in the emergence and persistence of mental disorders. Thus, even if the disorders are categorically diagnosed differently, it can be determined how they overlap or separate with each other. TA aims to treat mental disorders using these aspects. TA has a flexible and modular structure that can be easily integrated into cognitive behavioral therapies. The rest of this review will focus on the Unified Protocol (UP), one of the most popular TA examples. The main purpose of the UP is to enable patients to recognize their feelings and give more adaptive reactions to their negative emotions. Accordingly, UP consists of eight modules. The modules can usually be completed in a total of 11 - 17 weeks. Each 50 to 60-minute individual session is held once a week. If necessary, changes can be made to the number or the frequency of sessions allocated to modules. The goals of each module of the UP and the treatment approaches towards these goals allow a very clearly defined approach. For this reason, there is a need for a detailed evaluation, conceptualization and treatment plan before the UP is put into practice. We hope that mental health professionals from Turkey will contribute to the developments in the UP.
Methods to Treat Postpartum Hemorrhage: State of the Science
Authors: Kurilla Nancy A.
Published: February 2023

Objective:

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of global maternal death. PPH affects roughly 5% of births worldwide. PPH rates are increasing at alarming rates in many developed countries. This manuscript aims to explore the natural, therapeutic, and economical approaches to breastfeeding, breast and nipple stimulation, and skin-to-skin contact (SSC) as a conventional practice, along with commonly used methods for managing PPH.

Method:

A total of five articles published in the last 8 years were reviewed, focusing on breastfeeding or breast and nipple stimulation to prevent or treat PPH.

Results:

SSC and breast and nipple stimulation successfully managed PPH just as well or better than the standard treatment of synthetic oxytocin.

Conclusion:

Allowing the newborn to have SSC with the new mother through breastfeeding or using a breast pump releases natural oxytocin. Along with standard PPH treatment, this could prove to be an effective standard of care in the event of PPH.
Analgesic Role of Breastfeeding: Analysis of Effectiveness, Implementation Barriers, and Strategies to Promote Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Hirani Shela Akbar Ali , Ratushniak Adrienne
Published: February 2023

Objective:

Exposure to painful stimuli serves as toxic stress for infants, increasing their subsequent pain sensitivity and resulting in neurodevelopmental impairments. Besides offering nutritional, psychological, immunological, and economic benefits, breastfeeding is reported as the most effective analgesia for the management of minor procedural pain in infants. Although breastfeeding holds several advantages, implementation of this nonpharmacological intervention is still uncommon in many clinical settings.

Methods:

This scoping review presents an analysis of 29 clinical trials that compare the effectiveness of breastfeeding with other nonpharmacological methods.

Findings:

Breastfeeding is an efficacious analgesia compared with sucrose, sweet solutions, and other nonpharmacological methods. When used alone or in combination with other nonpharmacological interventions, breastfeeding reduces infants’ biobehavioral responses to pain and promotes faster physiologic recovery after painful procedures. Breastfeeding is recommended as the first choice whenever feasible. Barriers to the uptake of this effective pain management method in clinical practice include misinformation/inconsistent use of evidence, an infant’s impaired sucking reflex, maternal–child separation, the workload of healthcare professionals, a lack of parental involvement, assumptions of healthcare providers, and a lack of adequate information/guidance for parents. Strategies to promote the uptake of breastfeeding for the management of procedural pain in infants include an effective partnership between healthcare providers and breastfeeding mothers, knowledge mobilization resources in multiple languages, informational support and media campaigns, and experiential learning opportunities for breastfeeding mothers.

Conclusions:

Successful implementation of baby-friendly hospital initiatives, a patient-centered approach, family-centered care, and the collaborative efforts of healthcare providers in all healthcare settings is recommended to promote the uptake of breastfeeding as analgesia.
PEMANFAATAN DIGITALISASI PENDIDIKAN DALAM PENGEMBANGAN KARAKTER PESERTA DIDIK
Authors: Sufyan Qurrotul A’yun , Ghofur Abdul
Published: February 2023

Abstrak

Kehadiran dari peserta didik tentunya menjadi sebuah hal yang esensial didalam proses kegiatan belajar mengajar.  Hal ini yang kemudian menjadikan peserta didik menjadi faktor yang sangat penting dalam pendidikan. Setiap peserta didik mempunyai sifat serta karakteristik yang tidak sama dengan yang lainnya. Oleh karena itu pendidik harus benar-benar mengetahui karakterisrtik dari masing- peserta didik tersebut. Perkembangan dalam dunia pendidikan saat ini, mengharuskan pendidik untuk beradaptasi terhadap penggunaan teknologi informasi dan komonikasi. Pemanfaatan dari TIK didalam proses belajar mengajar merupakan suatu bentuk transformasi sistem pembelajaran yang lebih mengarah kepada literasi baik guru dan peserta didik dalam penguasaan teknologi. Penggunaan dari teknologi memiliki dampak positif dan negatif, oleh karena itu diperlukan cara pandang yang netral sehingga menggunakan teknologi dengan bijak. Dalam artikel ini akan membahas mengenai pentingnya mengetahi karakter peserta didik, pendekatan belajar di era digital, memanfaatkan digitalisasi pendidikan dalam pengembangan karakter peserta didik.

Kata Kunci: digitalisasi pendidikan, karakter, peserta didik
ANALISIS KESULITAN GURU DALAM MENGIMPLEMENTASIKAN KURIKULUM MERDEKA
Authors: Ana Ana Nurul Falah , Safrizal  , Sunarti
Published: February 2023

which replaces the 2013 curriculum, the implementation of the new curriculum raises various problems or difficulties, one of which is felt by teachers as educators. The purpose of this study is to describe the forms of difficulties faced by teachers in implementing the independent curriculum. This study uses a descriptive qualitative research methodology. Informants in the study were teachers who were selected by means of snowball sampling. The instruments in this study were the researchers themselves, with data collection techniques in the form of observation, interviews and documentation studies. Data analysis techniques use the stages of data collection, data reduction, data display and conclusions. Guarantee the validity of the data in this study using triangulation, by combining the three ways of data collection. The results showed that teachers faced various difficulties in implementing the independent curriculum in the form of a lack of teacher readiness both in terms of training and funding, the use of replacement modules for lesson plans, the implementation of P5, and changes in the teaching and learning process and assessment.
Actuaría. Análisis de la profesión y del mercado laboral en México.
Authors: de Jesús Romo Verónica , Alcocer Álvarez Israel , Calderón Bautista Ulises
Published: February 2023

El libro presenta información clara y de fácil acceso acerca del perfil académico y laboral de los profesionales de la Actuaría, está dirigido a empleadores y estudiantes; y tiene como objetivo dar a conocer las habilidades y competencias de los estudiantes que egresan de la carrera para mejorar su inserción laboral, principalmente en las entidades federativas del país en donde la actividad del sector de Finanzas y Seguros tiene poca contribución al PIB. Con el paso del tiempo, las Ciencias Actuariales han ido evolucionando y adaptándose a las necesidades de la época. Lo cual, ha devenido en un perfil profesional basado en la rigurosidad y la formalidad matemática que se aplica a la medición y valuación del riesgo en materia de finanzas y seguros principalmente, valiéndose de herramientas estadísticas y computacionales. El perfil académico y profesional de un actuario es sumamente flexible para desenvolverse en otros campos de las ciencias económicas, sociales e incluso naturales, donde se puede aprovechar el talento de estos profesionales altamente calificados. En el libro se provee información acerca de cuáles son los conocimientos y habilidades que actualmente los empleadores están buscando en los actuarios. Asimismo, la caracterización de la demanda por actuarios en México que presentamos puede ser un guía e incentivo para que los futuros actuarios se formen y adquieran las habilidades en las áreas de conocimiento que les permita una mejor inserción al mercado laboral.
Fórum internacional de ginástica para todos
Authors: Paoliello Elizabeth
Published: February 2023

Objetivo: Este ensaio objetiva apresentar uma retrospectiva do Fórum Internacional de Ginástica para Todos (FIGPT) que, nesta décima edição em 2022, comemorou seus 20 anos de existência. Método: Trata-se de um estudo bibliográfico referendado com aportes documentais. Resultados e discussão: A partir de uma bem-sucedida parceria entre a Unicamp e o SESC São Paulo, o FIGPT tem contribuído significativamente para a difusão da Ginástica para Todos (GPT) no Brasil, assim como no mundo. Seu principal objetivo é ser um espaço plural de: encontro, troca de experiências, conhecimentos acadêmicos, formação e apresentações de grupos; almejando o desenvolvimento da GPT. A atuação de profissionais do Sesc (com ênfase na unidade Campinas) e de professores e pesquisadores da Unicamp, a saber, do Grupo de Pesquisa em Ginástica (GPG – FEF-Unicamp) e, nas últimas edições, do Laboratório de Pesquisas e Experiências em Ginástica (LAPEGI – FCA-Unicamp), evidencia uma gestão realmente compartilhada. O formato escolhido para a programação, que se tornou uma referência internacional para outros eventos da área, engloba três eixos que se complementam: científico, pedagógico e artístico. O ensaio traz, ainda, um olhar atento sobre as relações e os valores humanos que caracterizam a concepção de GPT, pilar do evento, e que permeiam todas suas atividades, colaborando de forma singular para a consolidação e o reconhecimento da GPT pelos profissionais da área da Educação Física, que atuam em diferentes contextos sociais. Conclusão: Assim, este evento, nestas duas décadas, vem se reafirmando como lócus privilegiado de partilhas de saberes e de construção do conhecimento acerca da GPT, nacional e internacionalmente.
A Survey on various issues met by College Students in Online Education during covid 19
Authors:   Assistant Professor,S.T.E.T College, Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, Ms R.MANJUPARGAVI , Ms P.NISHANTHI ,   M.Sc IT Student, S.T.E.T College Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, Ms T.KARTHIKA ,   M.Sc IT Student, S.T.E.T College Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu
Published: February 2023

The education society was badly affected due to COVID 19 pandemic with educational organizations struggle to discover the solutions to open the door. Most of the educational Institutions plays a vital part for enriching the academic performance of students and refining the overall performance of education . In that situation online learning tools appeared as a biggest solution. Online learning provides many advantages for students those who want flexible while attending college. However pupils face more challenges in online classes and search for online learning solutions. This paper explore various issues met by students during online education. The purpose of this study was to examine the issues faced by college students as a result of online learning during COVID 19.
Crop Price Prediction Using Decision Tree
Authors:   Dept. of CSE R.N.S Institute Of Technology Bengaluru, B M Parashar , K Hrithik ,   Dept. of CSE R.N.S Institute Of Technology Bengaluru
Published: February 2023

In our nation, farming is the main support for economy. Indian families are depending on agriculture. The nation s GDP is basically concentrated on agriculture. It s far essential to improvize farming practices to fulfill the difficult necessi ties. The quick variations in crop charges are common place inside the market. These fluctuations in costs are specifically because of the previous methods. This results in varaiations in demand and additionally within the marketplace worth of a crop. As soon as the cost increases and farmers be afflicted by an investment deprivation after the worth reduces. It will lead the plants to become waste, turning into a drawback for purchasers. Farmers arenot aware about the call for inside the rising agricultural economy this is taking place. Farmers arenot any further seeking to utilize analytic to acquire data they want to realise workable insights and make clever choices. In other nations many of the farmers are start ing to move towards automatic cultivation. The choice tree set of rules are associated with the group of learning algorithms which might be supervised. Productiveness can be advanced by using expertise and forecasting growth expenses via machine learning. A logical crop rate predicting gadgets are able to provide cultivators possibilities which could advantage human beings in a bigger context.
Attendance management using face recognition and fingerprint
Authors:   Information Science and Engineering RNS Institute of Technology Bengaluru, Narayan Anshuman , Choudhary Abhishek ,   Information Science and Engineering RNS Institute of Technology Bengaluru, Kumar Arnav ,   Information Science and Engineering RNS Institute of Technology Bengaluru
Published: February 2023

In this era of technology where everything is getting automated, we are still relying on the old method of using pen and registers for attendance. This project aims to automate the attendance process using biometrics. In this project, Face Recognition and fingerprint have been used to mark attendance of students. This is implemented using Arduino UNO and Raspberry pi as the controllers. A fingerprint sensor is connected with Arduino and camera module with Raspberry pi. First, finger is scanned and then face is recognised with with the help of database. Final attendance is accessed via the internet by the authorized personnel.
Eco-Gamification Platform to Promote Consumers’ Engagement in the Textile and Clothing Circular Value Chain
Authors: Alves Luis , Faria Pedro Miguel , Cruz Estrela Ferreira , Lopes Sergio Ivan , Rosado da Cruz António Miguel
Published: February 2023

The Textile and Clothing (T\&C) value chain is one of the most polluting in the world and one that produces the most waste.
It is, therefore, important to encourage the Circular Economy (CE) model in this sector, to reduce pollution and mitigate the effects of waste production, and consequently increase environmental sustainability.
For that, the involvement of the final consumer is essential. And, the final consumer's use of an Eco-gamified application for registering and promoting Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) and Consumer-to-Business (C2B) activities, which extends the life time of textile products, is of utmost importance.
In this article, we survey gamification frameworks for analyzing system design level techniques that enable engaging the final consumer in the CE process. Then, we select and use one of such frameworks, Gameful Design Heuristics (GDH), for defining the gamification structure needed to implement on a Business-to-Consumer-to-Consumer (B2C2C) context of a circular economy.
As result, we present a B2C2C circular business process model for the T\&C value chain, and propose the design model of a gamified platform for the final consumers, which allows them to register the C2B and C2C activities, from the circular value chain's business process, and benefit from a game-like experience.
All model features have been mapped to GDH framework heuristics, validating that it is possible to support a set of defined heuristics of applied gamification for promoting CE in the T\&C value chain.
Frontline Sodium Channel-Blocking Antiseizure Medicine Use Promotes Future Onset of Drug-Resistant Chronic Seizures
Authors: Zierath Dannielle , Mizuno Stephanie , Barker-Haliski Melissa
Published: February 2023

The mechanisms of treatment-resistant epilepsy remain unclear. We have previously shown that frontline administration of therapeutic doses of lamotrigine (LTG), which preferentially inhibits the fast-inactivation state of sodium channels, during corneal kindling of mice promotes cross-resistance to several other antiseizure medicines (ASMs). However, whether this phenomenon extends to monotherapy with ASMs that stabilize the slow inactivation state of sodium channels is unknown. Therefore, this study assessed whether lacosamide (LCM) monotherapy during corneal kindling would promote future development of drug-resistant focal seizures in mice. Male CF-1 mice (n=40/group; 18-25 g) were administered an anticonvulsant dose of LCM (4.5 mg/kg, ip), LTG (8.5 mg/kg, ip), or vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose) twice daily for two weeks during kindling. A subset of mice (n=10/group) were euthanized 1 day after kindling for immunohistochemical assessment of astrogliosis, neurogenesis, and neuropathology. The dose-related antiseizure efficacy of distinct ASMs, LTG, LCM, carbamazepine, levetiracetam, gabapentin, perampanel, valproic acid, phenobarbital, and topiramate was then assessed in remaining kindled mice. Neither LCM nor LTG administration prevented kindling: 29/39 vehicle-exposed mice were kindled; 33/40 LTG-exposed mice were kindled; and 31/40 LCM-exposed mice were kindled. Mice administered LCM or LTG during kindling became resistant to escalating doses of LCM, LTG, and carbamazepine. Perampanel, valproic acid, and phenobarbital were less potent in LTG- and LCM-kindled mice, whereas levetiracetam and gabapentin retained equivalent potency across groups. Notable differences in reactive gliosis and neurogenesis were also appreciated. This study indicates that early, repeated administration of sodium channel blocking ASMs, regardless of inactivation state preference, promotes pharmacoresistant chronic seizures. Inappropriate ASM monotherapy in newly diagnosed epilepsy may thus be one driver of future drug-resistance, with resistance being highly ASM class-specific.
Evaluation of nursing competences and safety in critical patients during the CoVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Pla-Canalda Elsa , Martínez-Segura Estrella , Fernández-Sáez José , Concha-Martínez Pablo , Gil-Mateu Elsa , Jiménez-Herrera Maria.F.
Published: February 2023

On 11 March 2020, the COVID-19 emergency was declared and a large number of patients were admitted to the ICUs. Consequently, ICUs had to recruit nurses from other units as well as Nursing students without working experience in critical patients care. Since Critical nursing competence is crucial to avoid medical errors, the aim of this study was, to describe the level of safety and nursing competence in critical patient care of recruited nurses and students, during the COVID-19 pandemic in ICUs. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 66 participants using the validated competency assessment questionnaire for nurses in hospital care (COM-VA©) was performed. Our results showed that the level of safety perceived in critical patients care by the students on placement in ICUs and mentors scored higher than the rest of the participants. Interestingly, whereas the participant’s COM-VA© score indicated a level of competence good enough to work autonomously, the supervisor/mentor’s COM-VA© evaluation showed that only the group of students on placement obtained this level of competency. Altogether, we found that students on placement in ICU possesses a higher level of safety and COM-VA© scores than the rest of participants probably due to the close support of the mentor.
STEM Learning in Sustainability Issues to Improve Sustainability Consciousness of Junior High School Students
Authors: Firda Rahmania - , Kaniwati Ida , Sriyati Siti
Published: February 2023

Sustainability Consciousness is the expected result with the existence of ESD that is a complicated construction that can be influenced by various factors. ESD aims to develop students' understanding of sustainability issues and change students' attitudes and behavior regarding environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to determine the improvement of students’ sustainability consciousness after attending STEM learning in sustainability issues. This study used quasi experimental method with one group pretes-posttest design. It was conducted in 28 seventh grades students of junior high school in Surabaya. The instrument was declared as valid based on expert’s judgment and showed Alpha Cronbach score 0,85. Data was collected by pretest and posttest of sustainability consciousness questionnaire. Based on the data analysis, it showed that sustainability issues were effectively integrated into STEM learning to enhance the sustainability consciousness of junior high school students. N-gain average of sustainability consciousness were 0,18 as low category. The findings suggest that required learning strategies that can provide more opportunities for students to learn about sustainability issues and develop pro-sustainability attitudes and behaviors.
STEM Flexibel Model in Kindergarten
Authors: Lestari Maya , Kurniati Euis
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore how the concept of STEM were used and negotiated by teachers in kindergarten. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are inseparable parts of everyday life. This study was focused on teachers' perspectives on STEM learning in kindergarten level. STEM learning in this article included activities integrated into the existing themes in kindergarten. STEM learning involves children's creativity and stimulation to solve problems, know the solutions, and think logically, mathematically, and critically. In its implementation, STEM learning cannot be separated from the teachers' perspectives. Thus, analysing teachers' perspectives on STEM learning in kindergarten, including what activities were included, will contribute to early childhood education development. This research was a qualitative study and carried out using an online interview. Drawing on data from 50 kindergarten teachers in Indonesia as the respondents, findings of this study indicated that the term STEM was still considered unfamiliar for kindergarten teachers, the implementation and benefits of STEM in kindergarten also implemented with a more flexible model.
Towards a Living Income for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: Assessing companies' efforts to date
Authors: Gneiting Uwe , Arhin Albert
Published: February 2023

This report analyzes existing strategies and interventions implemented by cocoa and chocolate companies operating in Ghana to raise the income of cocoa farmers in their supply chains. It has two main aims: first, to complement companies’ learning efforts by pulling together and distilling lessons and insights from across the sector; and second, to strengthen transparency and accountability around living incomes by bringing greater visibility to companies’ efforts and their impact on raising the incomes of farmers in their supply chains to date. The report covers three main areas: 1. Mapping of companies’ living income strategies; 2. Assessment of farmer income conditions; 3. Analysis of the effectiveness and impact of companies’ living income strategies. The findings might not necessarily be new for individual companies that have been implementing sustainability programs in Ghana for many years. However, the lessons that companies have learned have rarely been shared with a wider audience. This research aims to make these lessons more visible across the sector and create a joint foundation of knowledge upon which to build future living income strategies.
Earthquake Risk Sensitivity Mapping at the Local Level for Sustainable RSLUP
Authors: Barua Uttama , Ansary Mehedi Ahmed , Islam Ishrat , Munawar Hafiz Suliman , Mojtahedi Mohammad
Published: February 2023

Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning (RSLUP) is the process of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and management parameters in land use planning. To ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of RSLUP, it is necessary to identify and understand the existing risk sensitivity of the land use plan. This research aims to develop a GIS-based multi-criteria zoning approach for mapping earthquake risk sensitivity of land use at local level. The methodology applied in this research is comprised of two steps. Firstly, assessment of the spatial earthquake risk sensitivity of the land use of an area based on the risk themes and corresponding risk attributes including both natural characteristics as well as built environment factors. Secondly, mapping of earthquake risk sensitivity by overlaying the spatial risk attribute maps based on weights determined through the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The research findings show that risk sensitivity map provides a guideline for policymakers to understand “where” and “why” RSLUP interventions are necessary. This research contributes to the theory and practices of disaster risk reduction and management by proposing a risk sensitivity assessment and mapping methodology. This will facilitate RSLUP at local level as a decision support system ensuring sustainability by reflecting the risk sensitivity accordingly and effectively.
Identifying Decision Support Needs for Emergency Response to Multiple Natural Hazards – an Activity Theory Approach
Authors: Gustafsson Viktor Sköld , Granberg Tobias Andersson , Pilemalm Sofie , Waldemarsson Martin
Published: February 2023

Planning and decision making in emergency responses systems face new challenges due to climate changes and the increased risk of multiple or compound natural hazards. This is especially the case in areas with inexperience of such events. The aim of this paper is to identify important activities concerning planning and decision-making during responses to natural hazards, and their potential need of decision support. The knowledge base of the study consists of interviews with 12 representatives from the Swedish emergency response system, supplemented by documents covering policies, operations, and responsibility. Thematic coding was applied to the interview data for identification of important planning and decision activities. Needs of decision support were identified by applying activity theory to the identified activities. We found needs of decision support connected to eight identified key activities concerning consequence analysis, national reinforcements, and resource management. The results illuminate a lack of technology to support response activities during both single and multiple natural hazards. The findings can inform policy makers in emergency response of where to concentrate the development of tools for collaborative preparedness and response work to cope with future challenges from natural hazards.
Resting state neurophysiology of agonist-antagonist myoneural interface in persons with transtibial amputation
Authors: Chicos Laura , Rangaprakash D. , Barry Robert , Herr Hugh
Published: February 2023

The agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI) is a novel amputation surgery that preserves sensorimotor signaling mechanisms of the central-peripheral nervous systems. Our first neuroimaging study investigating AMI subjects (Srinivasan et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 2020) focused on task-based neural signatures, and showed evidence of proprioceptive feedback to the central nervous system. The study of resting state neural activity helps non-invasively characterize the neural patterns that prime task response. In this first study on resting state fMRI in AMI subjects, we compared resting state functional connectivity in patients with transtibial AMI (n=12) and traditional (n=7) amputations, as well as biologically intact control subjects (n=10). We hypothesized that the AMI surgery will induce functional network reorganization that significantly differs from the traditional amputation surgery and also more closely resembles the neural configuration of controls. We found AMI subjects to have lower connectivity with salience and motor seed regions compared to traditional amputees. Additionally, with connections affected in traditional amputees, AMI subjects exhibited a connectivity pattern more closely resembling controls. Lastly, sensorimotor connectivity in amputee cohorts was significantly associated with phantom sensation (R2=0.7, p=0.0008). These findings provide researchers and clinicians with a critical mechanistic understanding of the effects of the AMI surgery on the brain at rest, spearheading future research towards improved prosthetic control and embodiment.
Spatial pattern of Land use types and their driving mechanism of watershed lagged effect in Karst drainage basin, Central Guizhou of China*
Authors: he Zhonghua , Zhao Cuiwei , Liang Hong , Yang Zhaohui
Published: February 2023

The occurrence of drought indicates that there is no rainfall or little rainfall within a certain period. Nevertheless, no or little rainfall within a certain time implies that drought may not happen. The drought occurrence in different regions or seasons shows a certain lag to some extent. The lag time and intensity (i.e. the contribution rate of rainfall in previous period to runoff in current period) are deeply affected by watershed water storage capacity. Subsequently, rainfall deficit is a necessary and insufficient for the droughts. To reveal the mechanism of watershed lagged effects and the impact of human activities on droughts, the characteristics of lagged effects and human activities in Central Guizhou of China are analyzed by the Lagged index and Landscape index based on land use data, rainfall and runoff data during the period 1971–2016. The results demonstrate that the impact of the same land use type at different ages 1970s-2010s on watershed lagged intensity has a significant difference (P < 0.001). Among them, the impact of woodland, grassland and cultivated land gradually increases with the passage of time, and the cultivated land reaches the maximum in the 2000s. Nevertheless, the water body and construction land do not change significantly with the increase of years. The influence of land use type transfer on watershed lagged effect is particularly significant (P < 0.001). With the extension of lagged variables (periods), the impact of forest land type transfer on lag intensity gradually increases and reaches the maximum value at the lag-1 variable (Xt−1), and it is not of great significance for the rest of types. The impact of principal components (Zs) for morphological characteristics of land use types at different time scales (1–12 months), different lagged variables (Xt-Xt−3) and different ages (1970s-2010s) on watershed lagged effect is particularly significant (P < 0.001). Among them, this impact of grassland and water body on lagged intensity gradually increases with the time scales increasing and reaches the maximum value at the scale of 9 months, followed by the woodland and cultivated land, with reaching the maximum at the scales of 9 and 6 months respectively. Meanwhile, construction land is the smallest and reaches the maximum at the 9-month scale. As a subsequence, this study enriches the research content of landscape ecology, and it provides a theoretical basis for revealing the mechanism of agricultural and hydrological droughts in Karst drainage basins.
Effect of direct ultrasonic exposure on histopathology of ovaries, inflammatory and oxidative responses in dogs
Authors: Rajabi Arian , Mogheiseh Asghar , Nazifi Saeed , Ahrari-Khafi MohammadSaeed , Dehghanian AmirReza , Vesal Naser , Bigham-Sadegh Amin
Published: February 2023

Background: The harmful effect of ultrasonic waves on sex gonads may be a non-surgical spays method in dogs. This research was designed to evaluate the effects of ultrasound waves on ovarian germinal tissue and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)), acute phase proteins (serum amyloid A (SAA), C reactive protein (CRP)) and oxidative stress (total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA)) in dogs. Twenty six clinically healthy adult mix-breed female dogs were aligned into three groups. Laparotomy was performed in control (n=6) and treatment (T5, n=10; T10, n=10) groups. The therapeutic ultrasonic transducer was used by round motions on the ovaries (1 MHz frequency, 1.5 W⁄cm2) for 5 min in T5 group and for 10 min in T10 group. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein into plain glass tube on days 0 (before laparotomy), 3, 6 and 9 after surgery. Ovariectomy was conducted for histological evaluation on day 60.
Results: Direct exposure of ovaries with ultrasound waves induced inflammation and oxidative stress in compared with control group. Histopathological evaluation of treated ovaries with ultrasound waves indicated decrease number of primordial follicles (ovarian reserve) and oocyte preservation score in compared with controls.
Conclusions: These changes may be able to cause infertility and sterility in long term and it seems that inflammatory response and oxidative stress is a factor in the permanent damage of ovarian tissue.
Prognostic factors in undifferentiated uterine sarcoma – a subanalysis of the SARCUT study.
Authors: Mačuks Ronalds , Yildirim Yusuf , Mancari Rosanna , Achimas-Cadariu Patriciu , Madhuri Thumuluru K. , Ortega Eugenia , Mallmann Michael R. , Zapardiel Ignacio
Published: February 2023

Purpose
The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors related to the recurrence rate and overall survival of patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma.
Methods
An international multicenter study involving 43 international centers, the SARCUT study, collected 966 uterine sarcoma cases; among them 39 cases corresponded to undifferentiated uterine sarcoma and where included in the present subanalysis. The risk factors related to the oncological outcomes where analyzed.
Results
The median age of the patients was 63 (range 14–85) years. Seventeen (43.5%) patients presented FIGO stage I. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 15.3% and 12-months disease-free survival (DFS) 41%. FIGO stage I was significantly associated with a better prognosis. In addition, patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy showed significant longer disease-free survival compared to those without adjuvant radiotherapy (20.5 vs. 4.0 months, respectively; p = 0.04) and longer overall survival (34.7 vs. 18.2 months, respectively; p = 0.05). Chemotherapy administration was associated with shorter DFS (HR 4.41, 95% CI 1.35–14.43, p = 0.014). Persistent disease after primary treatment (HR = 6.86, 95%CI 1.51–31.09, p = 0.012) and FIGO stage IV (HR 4.12, 95%CI 1.37–12.44, p = 0.011) showed significant worse prognosis for OS.
Conclusion
FIGO stage seems to be the most important prognostic factor in patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. Adjuvant radiotherapy seems to be significantly associated also to a better disease-free and overall survival. On the contrary, the role of chemotherapy administration remains unclear since was associated to a shorted DFS.
Climate change as a driver of insect invasions: Dispersal patterns of a dragonfly species colonizing a new region
Authors: Gil-Tapetado Diego , López-Collar Diego , Gómez Jose Francisco , Mañani-Pérez José , Cabrero-Sañudo Francisco José , Muñoz Jesús
Published: February 2023

The dragonfly Trithemis kirbyi Sélys, 1891 recently colonized Western Europe from North Africa. Since its first record in the Iberian Peninsula in 2007, the species has been spreading northward and has become naturally established in the central and eastern Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and southern France. Despite its worldwide distribution, its rapid colonization of the western Mediterranean area occurred only very recently. We found that the dispersal and recent establishment of T. kirbyi in southwestern Europe strongly depends on increasing temperatures, particularly summer temperature peaks, which has allowed this species to disperse farther and more effectively than during years with average summer temperatures. The most important variable in the suitability models is the minimum temperature of the coldest month, which, in recent decades, has become less of a limiting factor for ectotherms. According to the models, suitable areas for the species are currently found throughout the eastern Mediterranean parts of Europe, and it is likely that it can naturally colonize these areas as it did in the Iberian Peninsula. Trithemis kirbyi is a model of how climate change and observed rising temperatures have turned previously inhospitable regions into suitable areas for exotic species, which may successfully colonize them naturally if they can reach these promising lands on their own. However, this study serves as a warning that such species can also colonize these new regions with a little help from unsuspecting ‘friends’, which are often responsible for the increasingly common presence of invasive, noxious taxa in Europe.
A novel Genetically Engineered Microbial (GEM) biosensor for specific detection of Cd 2+ , Zn 2+ and Pb 2+ heavy metals; calibration and validation aspects
Authors: Herath H. M. L. P. B. , De Silva W. Rohini M. , Dassanayake R. S. , Gunawardene Y. I.N.S. , Jayasingha J. R. P. , Gayashan M. K. , Afonso L. O.B. , De Silva K. M. Nalin
Published: February 2023

Background
In this study, we designed a novel genetic circuit sensitive to Cd2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ by mimicking the CadA/CadR operon system mediated heavy metal homeostasis mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The regular DNA motifs on natural operon were reconfigured and coupled with the enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (eGFP) reporter to develop a novel basic NOT type logic gate CadA/CadR-eGFP to respond metal ions mentioned above. A Genetically Engineered Microbial (GEM)-based biosensor (E.coli-BL21:pJET1.2-CadA/CadR-eGFP) was developed by cloning the chemically synthesised CadA/CadR-eGFP gene circuit into pJET1.2-plasmid and transforming into Escherichia coli (E. coli)-BL21 bacterial cells.
Results
The GEM-based biosensor cells indicated the reporter gene expression in the presence of Cd2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ either singly or in combination. Further, the same biosensor cells calibrated for fluorescent intensity against heavy metal concentration generated linear graphs for Cd2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ with the R2 values of 0.9809, 0.9761 and 0.9758, respectively as compared to non-specific metals, Fe3+ (0.0373), AsO43− (0.3825) and Ni2+ (0.8498) making our biosensor suitable for the detection of low concentration of the former metal ions in the range of 1–6 ppb. Furthermore, the GEM based biosensor cells were growing naturally within the concentration range of heavy metals, at 37 oC and optimum pH = 7.0 in the medium, resembling the characteristics of wildtype E.coli.
Conclusion
Finally, the novel GEM based biosensor cells developed in this study can be applied for detection of targeted heavy metals in low concentration ranges (1–6 ppb) at normal bacterial physiological conditions.
Air pollutant dispersion around high-rise building cluster forms: the case of Port City, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Authors: Vidanapathirana Malithie , Perera Narein , Emmanuel Rohinton , Coorey Shaleeni
Published: February 2023

Air quality in dense urban environments is a growing concern, especially in rapidly developing cities. In the face of growing traffic associated with urbanization, there is evidence for high levels of pollutant concentration at street level which is influenced by building forms. In this paper, we examine the potential effects of high-rise, cluster developments permitted by the local planning authorities in the newly established Port City development in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We designed possible building forms based on specific guidelines for the development in terms of plot coverage, floor area ratio, and maximum height. The three-dimensional building clusters were simulated using the RANS k-epsilon turbulence model, to determine pollutant dispersion of a complex street formation in a high dense high-rise building cluster, within the development and the surrounding context (existing Colombo).
Results show that in a complex building cluster there is no single building form which will provide uniformly better pollution dispersion across the development. Flow patterns are significantly affected by the building morphology, context, and ambient wind direction. Thus, individual building permits should be considered in their contexts and surrounding geometries need to be accounted for.
Unsupervised Outlier Detection for Time-Series Data of Indoor Air Quality Using LSTM Autoencoder with Ensemble Method
Authors: Park Junhyeok , Seo Youngsuk , Cho Jaehyuk
Published: February 2023

The proposed framework consists of three modules as an outlier detection method for indoor air quality data. We first use a long short-term memory autoencoder (LSTM-AE) based reconstruction error detector, which designs the LSTM layer in the shape of an autoencoder, to build a reconstruction error-based outlier detection model and extract latent features. The latent feature class-assisted vector machine detector constructs an additional outlier detection model using previously extracted latent features. Finally, the ensemble detector combines the two independent classifiers to define a new ensemble-based decision rule. Furthermore, because real-time anomaly detection proceeds with unsupervised learning, more stable and consistent external detection rules are defined than when using a single ensemble model. Laboratory tests with five random cases were performed for objective evaluation. Thus, we propose a framework that can be applied to various industrial environments by detecting and defining stable outlier decision rules.
WITHDRAWN: Sources of Thin Single Photon for Quantum Communications
Authors: BASIL NOORULDEN
Published: February 2023

Research Square has withdrawn this preprint due to overlapping text with a published manuscript.
Implementation of a Primary Care Asthma Management Quality Improvement Programme across 68 General Practice Sites
Authors: Gilchrist Francis , Carroll William , Clayton Sadie , Price David , Jarrold Ian , Small Iain , Sutton Emma , Lenney Warren
Published: February 2023

Introduction
Despite national and international guidelines, asthma is frequently misdiagnosed, control is poor and unnecessary deaths are far too common. Large scale asthma management programme such as that undertaken in Finland, can improve asthma outcomes.
Methods
A primary care asthma management quality improvement programme was developed with the support of the British Lung Foundation (now Asthma + Lung UK) and Optimum Patient Care (OPC) Limited. It was delivered and cascaded to all relevant staff at participating practices in three Clinical Commissioning Groups. The programme focussed on improving diagnostic accuracy, management of risk and control, patient self-management and overall asthma control. Patient data were extracted by OPC for the 12 months before (baseline) and after (outcome) the intervention.
Results
In the three CCGs, 68 GP practices participated in the programme. Uptake from practices was higher in the CCG that included asthma in its incentivised quality improvement programme. Asthma outcome data were successfully extracted from 64 practices caring for 673,593 patients. Primary outcome (Royal College of Physicians Three Questions [RCP3Q]) data were available in both the baseline and outcome periods for 10,328 patients in whom complete asthma control (RCP3Q=0) increased from 36.0% to 39.2% (p<0.001) after the intervention. The odds ratio of reporting complete asthma control following the intervention was 1.15 (95% CI 1.09-1.22), p<0.0001.
Conclusions
This asthma management programme produced modest but highly statistically significant improvements in asthma outcomes. Key lessons learnt from this small-scale implementation will enable the methodology to be improved to maximise benefit in a larger scale role out.
A Pure Mathematical Proof of the 4-Colour Theorem
Authors: Wang John
Published: February 2023

This work "A Pure Mathematical Proof of the 4-Colour Theorem" is related to the previous proof assited by computer. "Triangulations of Euler Convex Polygon" provides a fresh beginning point for the proof. The central concept is to discover an extended invariant property of Standard Graph’s boundary, which is described as "3-Colour All Phase States (3CP)" in this work and it is demonstrated that the standard graph’s boundary and sub-bound are 3CP and 4-colorable（4-3CP） via the expanded operation e(+, pi) and e(-, pi). It's exciting that this regularity was discovered for the first time and the 4-3CP invariant can naturally derive the 4-Colour Theorem. The majority of the definitions, theorems, and proof strategies are shown in this work.