bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managing therapeutic uncertainty in the COVID-19 pandemic: rapid evidence syntheses and transparent decision-making
Authors: Leong Trudy D. , Gray Andy L. , Kredo Tamara , de Waal Renee , Cohen Karen , Parrish Andy G. , Dawood Halima
Published: September 2023

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to the practice of evidence-informed decision-making. Soon after the index case was identified in South Africa, the first local clinical guidelines were developed, reliant on preliminary evidence. Quick decisions were essential to inform practice and procurement at a time of exceptional global demand for medicine supply. This chapter describes how a rapid review mechanism was implemented to enable the development of evidence-informed and context-specific clinical treatment and prevention recommendations for COVID-19 in South Africa.

The chapter reflects on the extent to which there is evidence for the implementation of these recommendations in clinical practice, using medicinesutilisation data from the public sector. In order to manage the ‘infodemic’ of research evidence of variable quality, a robust mechanism of rapid evidence review, transparent decision-making, and dissemination of trustworthy, accurate and context-specific recommendations was developed. Rapid evidence syntheses were produced by a sub-committee of the National Essential Medicines List Committee, supported by the South African GRADE Network and SAMRC Cochrane Centre. A generic rapid review protocol was developed, relying on GRADE principles and an evidence-to-decision framework. Consensus recommendations informed the National Department of Health/National Institute for Communicable Diseases clinical guidelines. Reviews were published on the National Department of Health website to advance transparency and were updated as new evidence emerged. Medicinesutilisation data showed increased use of corticosteroids, but there was also evidence of increased use of medicines not recommended. Further investment in technical capacity and support is needed to strengthen implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of clinical guidelines.
The impact of COVID-19 on children: insights from the Western Cape experience
Authors: Shung-King Maylene , Lake Lori , Hendricks Michael , Delany Aislinn , Baker Yolande , Berry Lizette , Biersteker Linda , Goeiman Hilary , Mathews Shanaaz , Morden Erna , Murray Jaco , Scott Chris , Shand Lesley , van Stormbroek Ben , Wessels Thandi
Published: September 2023

In the initial phases of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa, children experienced relative neglect, as they were deemed to be at low risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19 infection. Overwhelmed by adult infections, the health system responded slowly to children’s complex needs brought about by the epidemic.

This in-depth case study outlines the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on child health in the Western Cape, and the subsequent remediating responses. The case study draws on multiple data sources including routine data, case examples of health system and organisational responses, and experiential evidence from practitioners across the health system. It draws substantially on a series of advocacy briefs that examine the multi-dimensional impacts of COVID-19 on children in the Western Cape.

Approximately 12 000 children (persons under 18) contracted COVID-19 in the province (March 2020 to March 2021). Thousands more were affected by the illness and death of relatives, and by the collateral effects of the epidemic including increased hunger, violence, injury and mental health problems, coupled with the disruption of healthcare services, schooling, early childhood development programmes, and social support networks.

Essential child health services were de-escalated and child-health resources were re-allocated for adult COVID-19 care, with both immediate and long-term consequences for child health. A proactive response from child health services, aided by the Western Cape’s relative socio-economic advantage, a strong civil society response, and a stable, well-functioning health system, helped to mitigate harm, but not before significant damage was done.

The Western Cape experience signals that, even in a well-resourced setting, children’s needs may be overlooked in times of crisis and there is a critical need for ‘voices’ speaking for and alongside children in all decision-making spaces, and for pro-active, well-planned, child-focused responses.
The SACCESS network for COVID-19 wastewater surveillance: a national collaboration for public health responsiveness
Authors: Bust Lynn , Berkowitz Natacha , Archer Edward , Davies Mary-Ann , Preiser Wolfgang , Street Renée , Suchard Melinda , London Leslie
Published: September 2023

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for stronger health systems, and the potential role of networks in this strengthening. In the early phase of the pandemic, wastewater surveillance as a predictive and monitoring tool for COVID-19 was identified internationally. This realisation alerted researchers in South Africa, who through various pathways formed the South African Collaborative COVID-19 Environmental Surveillance System (SACCESS) network. Made up of a wide range of actors, SACCESS has progressed rapidly in a field with many unknowns.

This qualitative case study aimed to explore the lessons that the SACCESS network provides in terms of network governance and bottom-up collaboration, and to apply this to health system strengthening. Key informant interviews (n=12) were conducted with purposively selected members of the SACCESS network. Data were analysed thematically.

Four main themes emerged: the enabling factors of network formation in the time of COVID-19; the importance of relationships; strengths and challenges of an informal network; and lessons for building health systems. Several lessons emerged for health system strengthening in the time of COVID-19 and beyond: the importance of informal networks, and bottom-up collaboration; recognition that individuals, not institutions, are key in informal networks; and the time required for building trust.

It is important for network governance to be flexible as it evolves, particularly in times of crisis. It may be difficult for an informal network to interact with more formal, bureaucratic structures. There is need to explore how to create a recognised role and space for informal networks, such as the SACCESS network, to move towards stronger health systems.
“Even if I’m well informed, I will never get it”: COVID-19 vaccine beliefs, intentions and acceptability among adolescents and young people in South Africa
Authors: Gittings Lesley , Casale Marisa , Kannemeyer Natasha , Rayalo Nokubonga , Cluver Lucie , Kelly Jane , Logie Carmen , Toska Elona
Published: September 2023

Vaccines are an essential public health intervention in response to global emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19. South Africa aims to vaccinate 67% of its population in 2021 to contain the transmission and effects of COVID-19. While evidence suggests that younger South African adults may be less likely to accept vaccines than older adults, little is known about vaccine hesitancy among South African adolescents and young people.

This chapter discusses findings on vaccine-related beliefs, intentions and acceptability from participatory work with South African adolescents and young people ages 17 to 29 years, conducted through online closed-group activities.

Findings highlight vaccine hesitancy among adolescents and young people that, if not addressed, may undermine the effectiveness of the vaccine-based COVID-19 response. Reasons provided for reluctance to use vaccines include: mistrust of government and scientists; low illness vulnerability perceptions; conspiracy-related beliefs; fear of injections and potential side-effects, and a preference for non-biomedical (traditional and/or natural) remedies. Potential enablers of vaccine acceptability and uptake include: receiving information from trusted sources; the desire for safety; perceived vaccine effectiveness, and observing the safe uptake among trusted people such as peers and family members.

Access to accurate information is important, but may in itself be insufficient. We suggest a multi-dimensional approach aimed at addressing perceptions of low vulnerability to disease, mistrust and the perceived effectiveness and safety of vaccines. Ensuring accurate information from trustworthy sources, meaningfully engaging traditional and alternative health practitioners, developing family- and peer-based initiatives, and building trust in government and international health infrastructure may support vaccine uptake, thus strengthening social and health outcomes for South Africa’s next generation.
Mobilising Uncertainties in Air Pollution Science in Copenhagen
Authors: Dalsgaard Steffen , Tyge Haarløv Rasmus
Published: September 2023

In this short article we discuss three different ways of measuring air pollution in Copenhagen, Denmark, in relation to the potential for using technoscientific tools and expertise to influence public policymaking meant to curb pollution. Based upon a mix of data ranging from scientific literature and public reports to interviews with scientific and lay stakeholders, we outline how the introduction of Google’s Project Air View, in combination with an increase in citizen engagement in air pollution, has come to play a key role in the re-invigoration of local concerns over air pollution. Previously, expertise on the city’s air pollution has been the domain of established scientists operating fixed monitoring stations, but this recently stable relation between science and policy is currently being replaced by an assemblage of contrasting views on air pollutants. Our analysis suggests that the measurements of emerging pollutants by Google’s project and by citizens themselves have impelled policymakers in Copenhagen to accept, to engage with and act upon new scientific uncertainties. We see this as giving rise to a degree of humility where emerging modes of knowing air pollution are treated as complementary with established ones.
Everything is a prototype, but not at all in the same way
Authors: Healy Liam
Published: September 2023

In this article I reflect on discussions from the 2022 DASTS conference around the shifting nature of prototyping in design research. Specifically, I reflect on Ruth Neubauer and colleagues’ work on ‘prototyping living spaces’ (2022, and this volume), and Simy Gahoonia and Christopher Gad’s (Forthcoming; 2022) study of the Danish Technical Comprehension experiment. I also reflect on an element of my own design-research that has involved developing speculative prototypes, namely a tandem bicycle that was designed as an ‘interview machine’ for gathering research on the Calais Jungle refugee camp in France (Healy, 2021). I go on to develop what I refer to as a prototyping ecology to underpin the above and to consider the different modes and methods involved in different kinds of prototyping practices, and the ways they stabilise and destabilise the situations they enter into. Finally, I ‘test’ this ecology by revisiting the aforementioned examples to explore the forms of ‘stirring’ that prototypes participate in, how they straddle the ecology, and the ways they produce and encourage research events where I argue for the importance of how one might become attuned to the ways they encourage the unexpected by forming new relations and events through material intervention.
Is Denmark a green entrepreneurial state?
Authors: Veng Adam , Papazu Irina , Ejsing Mads
Published: September 2023

This article is based on digital methods research using the tools Hyphe, Gephi and CorText to map the relations between public Danish actors – from informal civil society groups and NGO’s to business and state actors - and their “matters of concern” (cf. Latour 2004) in the heated political situation around the development of green transition policies following the enactment of the Climate Act in 2019. The Act was, according to the newly elected social democratic government, the “most ambitious Climate Act in the world”. It included such political innovations as the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change, a group of 99 randomly selected citizens mandated to give recommendations to parliament, and a series of Climate Partnerships, business and industry collaborations tasked with developing recommendations and frameworks for the business community’s engagement in the green transition. The Climate Act was passed after massive popular pressure from the civic climate movement leading up to the election. Despite these efforts and the apparent political will to engage with multiple voices and interests, our network mapping shows that the business community, with an emphasis on “innovative and technological solutions”, were soon to become dominant in the network and align themselves more closely with the political system than the civil society actors were able to with their repeated calls for more radical and political action on climate change.
Le témoignage de la pierre qui a entendu
Authors: Doane Sébastien
Published: September 2023

Les études bibliques, en phase avec les enjeux contemporains, développent une herméneutique écologique. Cet article utilise le cadre théorique développé par Norman Habel (2008) — suspicion, identification, retrieval — pour l’appliquer à la pierre dressée en Jos 24,26-27. Cet élément naturel inanimé a la faculté d’entendre les paroles de YHWH et de témoigner contre les destinataires du récit. Cette pierre est sujet à part entière d’une communauté écologique. Lire Jos 24 à partir de son point de vue permet une posture critique de résistance devant l’anthropocentrisme et la stigmatisation de l’autre.
Le Livre de Josué dans les manuscrits de la mer Morte
Authors: Duhaime Jean
Published: September 2023

Parmi les documents découverts près de la mer Morte, principalement dans les grottes de Qumrân entre 1947 et 1956, figurent des fragments de quelques manuscrits du Livre de Josué et de textes qui s’en inspirent. Après un inventaire de ces manuscrits et de leur contenu, on examine deux extraits représentatifs de leur intérêt pour les chercheurs. Le premier, provenant d’un manuscrit biblique (4Q47 1-2), fait mention d’une cérémonie de lecture de la Loi après la traversée du Jourdain (Josué 4), ce qui remet en question sa localisation au mont Ébal selon la tradition massorétique (Jos 8,30-35) et la version grecque (Jos 9,3-8) du Livre de Josué. Le second, tiré d’un Apocryphe de Josué (4Q379 22 ii 7-15), comporte une interprétation de la malédiction proférée après la prise de Jéricho (Jos 6,26) qui témoigne de la réception de ce texte vers la fin de la période du Second Temple.
Extrême liminarité : l’impossible cohabitation de la grâce et du péché dans l’âme du moine (IVe-VIe siècle)
Authors: Vecoli Fabrizio
Published: September 2023

La doctrine ascétique du monachisme primitif se présente comme une série d’enseignements qui visent à transformer celui qui les met en pratique. L’objectif final est la perfection de l’être humain, dont le caractère transcendant est une constante qui pose un problème général lorsqu’il s’agit de segmenter et de cartographier le parcours ascétique censé y mener. Les textes proposent une technique très concrète, mais leur but relève de l’incompréhensible. Il y a, de toute évidence, une incompatibilité ontologique entre le lieu de départ — la condition humaine prise en compte par la technique ascétique — et la destination convoitée – l’expérience d’une transcendance définie par la réflexion théologique. La question qui se pose est donc celle du changement, c’est-à-dire de la relation dynamique entre deux conditions totalement distinctes. Or, le changement, qui peut être compris comme progrès, devrait logiquement inclure une phase où le mal qui doit être rejeté et le bien qui doit être accueilli se trouvent à cohabiter dans la même personne. Mais cela, bien qu’évident au niveau de la pratique, pose une difficulté d’ordre théologique : le divin peut-il cohabiter avec le terrestre. Dans cet article, nous proposons d’examiner la tension qui parcourt les textes monastiques de l’Antiquité tardive quant à ce problème : la variété des positions révèle, entre autres, le poids des contraintes imposées par l’orthodoxie doctrinale, qui influence la théorisation de la praxis ascétique et de l’expérience mystique.
Les effets des coupes budgétaires et des réductions de personnel sur la satisfaction au travail des employés
Authors: Kaboré Tigawendé Prosper , Charbonneau Étienne
Published: September 2023

Des effets négatifs sur le bien-être des employés sont présumés dans la foulée des coupes. Ces présupposés sont avancés de manière répétée dans la littérature, bien que les preuves empiriques restent encore assez limitées. La présente étude tente de déterminer si les coupes budgétaires et réductions de personnel des ministères touchés ont eu les répercussions pressenties dans la littérature sur la satisfaction au travail des fonctionnaires fédéraux au Canada. Des restrictions budgétaires de 5 %, mais inférieures à 10 %, sans réduction de personnel, ont été la norme. Des coupes budgétaires se sont rarement ajoutées aux réductions de personnel. Les résultats montrent que seules les réductions budgétaires d’au moins 10 % affectent négativement, mais marginalement, la satisfaction des fonctionnaires. Globalement, une légère baisse de satisfaction au travail a été observée, alors que la théorie prévoyait une perte de satisfaction plus prononcée. Pour de prochains épisodes d’austérité, des coupes paramétriques de 5 % du budget ou des effectifs pourraient être maintenues afin de minimiser les effets pervers sur la satisfaction au travail des fonctionnaires fédéraux.
“You Know What’s Cool about James Baldwin, Man?”
Authors: Sandler Matt
Published: September 2023

Cecil Brown is nearing eighty years old and starting new projects all the time.
He is currently writing a historical novel about the life of the enslaved poet
George Moses Horton and a memoir about his friendship with James Baldwin. He met
Baldwin early in his career, during a trip to Europe after the translation of
his first novel, The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger
(1969) [trans. La vie et les amours de Mr. Jiveass le
Nègre, 1972]. They remained friends until Baldwin’s
death in 1987. This interview collates several conversations about Baldwin that
took place in December 2022 and January 2023. Brown reflects on their
relationship, on Baldwin’s influence for him personally, and on the
meaning of Black cultural celebrity more broadly; he also touches on
Baldwin’s situation between Black Power and Black feminism, and the
ramifications of the politics of the 1970s for the present.
Composing Baldwin’s Joyful Song
Authors: Braggs Rashida K. , Murray William , Parks Elijah
Published: September 2023

Music lives and breathes through the spaces of much of James Baldwin’s
oeuvre. This article introduces a course that features Baldwin’s musical
literature and teaches students to compose music inspired by their newfound
knowledge of Baldwin. The course, entitled “James Baldwin’s
Song,” was taught in the department of Africana Studies at Williams
College in fall 2021. It guided students to listen to Baldwin in a different
way—through a musical lens and by relating Baldwin’s wisdom to
their own lives. This article takes readers behind the scenes as it shares some
of the curricular choices that guided the course and student insights gleaned
from it. Though students heard many things in Baldwin’s musical oeuvre,
two ideas sang out most clearly: that the blues was not just music but was also
a way of living, and that joy differed from happiness. Accordingly, the second
half of this article illustrates these key concepts as featured in original
songs from the professor and student co-authors.
“Love Is the Key”
Authors: Maltese Emanuela
Published: September 2023

Often overlooked by James Baldwin criticism or addressed according to its unique
relationship to sex and gender, love plays a central role in the writer’s
oeuvre. This article, conceived as a contrapuntal reading between A
Dialogue (1972)—the transcript of a four-hour conversation
between James Baldwin and poet Nikki Giovanni in November 1971—and
If Beale Street Could Talk (1974), Baldwin’s fifth
novel, will shed light on Baldwin’s “poethics” of love in
the 1970s, after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the
author’s engagement with Black Power and feminism. This revision takes
its cues from intersectionality and extends them via Hortense Spillers’s
bold critique of Baldwin’s politics of intimacy, his writing style, and
the American family grammar. His vision of love as moral “energy”
not only anticipates what Denise Ferreira da Silva terms a “Black
Feminist Poethics,” but is also a potential “key” to end
“the racial nightmare” and “save the children,”
thereby becoming a poethics of love for the infancy of the world.
“A Very Dangerous Effort”
Authors: Corber Robert J.
Published: September 2023

The author reviews the recently released short film The Baldwin
Archives (Laura Seay, 2022), and argues that, in restaging the most
important moments of Baldwin’s 1963 interview for the BBC television
program Bookstand, it helps us understand better
Baldwin’s belief that people had a moral obligation “to deal with
other people as though they were simply human beings.” Following the rise
of the Black Power movement in the mid-1960s, this belief contributed to
Baldwin’s marginalization by a younger generation of Black activists who
identified it with a lack of militancy that they attributed to his gender and
sexual nonconformity. But in focusing on the moments in the BBC interview where
Baldwin elaborated his understanding of this obligation, The Baldwin
Archives enables us to grasp its radicalism more fully.
Downregulation of Dickkopf-3, a Wnt antagonist elevated in Alzheimer’s disease, restores synapse integrity and memory in a disease mouse model
Authors: Martin Flores Nuria , Podpolny Marina , McLeod Faye , Workman Isaac , Crawford Karen , Ivanov Dobril , Leonenko Ganna , Escott-Price Valentina , Salinas Patricia C
Published: September 2023

Increasing evidence supports a role for deficient Wnt signaling in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies reveal that the secreted Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) colocalizes to amyloid plaques in AD patients. Here, we investigate the contribution of DKK3 to synapse integrity in healthy and AD brains. Our findings show that DKK3 expression is upregulated in the brains of AD subjects and that DKK3 protein levels increase at early stages in the disease. In hAPP-J20 and hAPPNL-G-F/NL-G-F mouse AD models, extracellular DKK3 levels are increased and DKK3 accumulates at dystrophic neuronal processes around plaques. Functionally, DKK3 triggers the loss of excitatory synapses through blockade of the Wnt/GSK3β signaling with a concomitant increase in inhibitory synapses via activation of the Wnt/JNK pathway. In contrast, DKK3 knockdown restores synapse number and memory in hAPP-J20 mice. Collectively, our findings identify DKK3 as a novel driver of synaptic defects and memory impairment in AD.
Contributions of associative and non-associative learning to the dynamics of defensive ethograms
Authors: Le Quan-Son Eric , Hereford Daniel , Borkar Chandrashekhar D , Aldaco Zach , Klar Julia , Resendez Alexis , Fadok Jonathan P
Published: September 2023

Defensive behavior changes based on threat intensity, proximity, and context of exposure, and learning about danger-predicting stimuli is critical for survival. However, most Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms focus only on freezing behavior, obscuring the contributions of associative and non-associative mechanisms to dynamic defensive responses. To thoroughly investigate defensive ethograms, we subjected male and female adult C57BL/6 J mice to a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm that paired footshock with a serial compound stimulus (SCS) consisting of distinct tone and white noise (WN) stimulus periods. To investigate how associative and non-associative mechanisms affect defensive responses, we compared this paired SCS-footshock group with four control groups that were conditioned with either pseudorandom unpaired presentations of SCS and footshock, shock only, or reversed SCS presentations with inverted tone-WN order, with paired or unpaired presentations. On day 2 of conditioning, the paired group exhibited robust freezing during the tone period with switching to explosive jumping and darting behaviors during the WN period. Comparatively, the unpaired and both reverse SCS groups expressed less tone-induced freezing and rarely showed jumping or darting during WN. Following the second day of conditioning, we observed how defensive behavior changed over two extinction sessions. During extinction, the tone-induced freezing decreased in the paired group, and mice rapidly shifted from escape jumping during WN to a combination of freezing and darting. The unpaired, unpaired reverse, and shock-only groups displayed defensive tail rattling and darting during the SCS, with minimal freezing and jumping. Interestingly, the paired reverse group did not jump to WN, and tone-evoked freezing was resistant to extinction. These findings demonstrate that non-associative factors promote some defensive responsiveness, but associative factors are required for robust cue-induced freezing and high-intensity flight expression.
The evaluation of university management performance using the CS-RBM algorithm
Authors: Guo Huifang
Published: September 2023

Amidst the ongoing higher education reforms in China, the escalated investments in colleges and universities underscore the need for an effective assessment of their performance to ensure sustainable development. However, traditional evaluation methods have proven time-consuming and labor-intensive. In response, a novel approach called CS-RBM (Crow Search Restricted Boltzmann Machine) prediction algorithm has been proposed for the educational management of these institutions. By integrating the CS algorithm and an enhanced RBM algorithm, this method facilitates the scoring of project performance indicators, bolstered by insights from user evaluation form reports. The comprehensive project performance is ultimately derived from this combination. Comparative analysis with the standard particle swarm optimization algorithm on public data sets demonstrates a remarkable 45.6% reduction in prediction errors and an impressive 34.7% increase in iteration speed using the CS-RBM algorithm. The accuracy of the tested data set surpasses 98%, validating the efficacy of the CS-RBM algorithm in achieving precise predictions and effective assessments. Consequently, this innovative approach exhibits promising potential for expediting and enhancing the performance evaluation of colleges and universities, contributing significantly to their sustainable development.
An observational study on the adherence to study registrations in German interventional and observational studies from various fields
Authors: Thiele Christian , Hirschfeld Gerrit
Published: September 2023

Background

The registration of studies, especially in the case of clinical trials, is required by the declaration of Helsinki and the policies of various scientific journals. However, numerous analyses have found considerable discrepancies between published articles and accompanying trial registrations. The aim of this study is to assess such discrepancies for a sample of studies with recruiting locations in Germany. Additionally, the association between the adherence to registrations and possible involvement of Coordinating Centers for Clinical Studies (KKS) as well as Universities of Excellence was tested.

Methods

For a sample of 376 interventional or observational study registrations, we found 115 published articles. Subsequently, we searched for discrepancies in the study design, the key inclusion criteria, the interventions, the blinding, and a primary and a secondary outcome.

Results

We found discrepancies in 26% of all studies, most frequently in the secondary outcomes, where 16.5% of the secondary outcomes per study that were registered in most detail had discrepancies. When running regression models for adherence discrepancies, the only variable that had a statistically significant association with better adherence was registration on ClinicalTrials.gov. The association of potential involvement of a KKS with adherence ratings was positive, too, but statistically insignificant.

Conclusions

In summary, the amount of discrepancies between registrations and published articles remains elevated.
Exploring the relationship between nutritional intake and menstrual cycle in elite female athletes
Authors: Miyamoto Mana , Shibuya Kenichi
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to examine potential variations in nutritional intake among female athletes, including top-level, throughout the menstrual cycle. A total 122 female athletes participated in the study, documenting their food consumption over a 3-day period. The menstrual status of female athletes was also assessed, and using the survey results, the phase of the menstrual cycle (the follicular, early luteal, or late luteal) during which each meal was recorded was determined. Consequently, the meal records were categorized into the respective three phases. The findings of this study indicated that there were no notable disparities in nutritional intake, encompassing energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, and fiber, across the three phases of the menstrual cycle. The results imply that female athletes may experience comparatively smaller variations in nutrient intake related to the menstrual cycle. This could be attributed to the higher energy requirements of female athletes because of their rigorous training. This study underscores the significance of accounting for the population when examining nutrient intake changes associated with the menstrual cycle.
Comprehensive analyses of genetic diversities and population structure of the Guizhou Dong group based on 44 Y-markers
Authors: Zhang Hongling , Huang Xiaolan , Jin Xiaoye , Ren Zheng , Wang Qiyan , Yang Meiqing , Xu Ronglan , Yuan Xiang , Yang Daiquan , Liu Hongyan , Shen Wanyi , Zhang Huiying , Que Yangjie , Huang Jiang
Published: September 2023

Background

The non-recombining region of the human Y chromosome (NRY) is a strictly paternally inherited genetic marker and the best material to trace the paternal lineages of populations. Y chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) is characterized by high polymorphism and paternal inheritance pattern, so it has been widely used in forensic medicine and population genetic research. This study aims to understand the genetic distribution of Y-STRs in the Guizhou Dong population, provide reference data for forensic application, and explore the phylogenetic relationships between the Guizhou Dong population and other comparison populations.

Methods

Based on the allele profile of 44 Y-markers in the Guizhou Dong group, we estimate their allele frequencies and haplotype frequencies. In addition, we also compare the forensic application efficiency of different Y-STR sets in the Guizhou Dong group. Finally, genetic relationships among Guizhou Dong and other reference populations are dissected by the multi-dimensional scaling and the phylogenetic tree.

Results

A total of 393 alleles are observed in 312 Guizhou Dong individuals for these Y-markers, with allele frequencies ranging from 0.0032 to 0.9679. The haplotype diversity and discriminatory capacity for these Y-markers in the Guizhou Dong population are 0.99984 and 0.97440, respectively. The population genetic analyses of the Guizhou Dong group and other reference populations show that the Guizhou Dong group has the closest genetic relationship with the Hunan Dong population, and followed by the Guizhou Tujia population.

Conclusions

In conclusion, these 44 Y-markers can be used as an effective tool for male differentiation in the Guizhou Dong group. The haplotype data in this study not only enrich the Y-STR data of different ethnic groups in China, but also have important significance for population genetics and forensic research.
Discursos de género: Supuestos epistemológicos que subyacen al Programa de Educación Ciudadana en IV° medio y las prácticas pedagógicas
Authors:   ,   Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Facultad de Educación, Castro Hernández Daniela Soledad
Published: September 2023

Este Trabajo Final de Egreso se enmarca en las propuestas ministeriales del último tiempo sobre una educación con perspectivas de género, pues en el ámbito curricular se ha optado por una transversalización de dicho enfoque para promover la equidad. En este sentido, este estudio indagatorio bajo un paradigma postestructural, explora los discursos de género que se producen en la arquitectura curricular del Programa de Estudio de Educación Ciudadana para IV° medio y en las prácticas pedagógicas, en tanto se presentan como objeto/sujetos vinculantes. Para levantar la información, se utilizó la metodología cualitativa, cuya aproximación se basó en el Análisis Crítico del Discurso (ACD) para indagar en la construcción de marcos enunciativos del documento y las entrevistas de los docentes que imparten o impartieron la asignatura para dar cuenta de sus prácticas. De esta forma, los resultados obtenidos apuntaron a discursos que producen y reproducen la norma binaria de género, cuyos supuestos epistemológicos se basan en la dialéctica de normalidad y diferencia. En consecuencia, tanto para el texto curricular como para los docentes, enseñar de acuerdo con una perspectiva de género significa implementar estrategias compensatorias y normativas que equilibran la escasa representación de las mujeres en comparación con los hombres.
Improving the Antioxidant Activity of a Carbonated Lemon Soft Drink
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Yehia Sayed , Saad Rasha , El-Aleem Fatma Shafik Abd , Lotfy Shereen Nazeh , Fadel Hoda Hanem Mohamed
Published: September 2023

The carbonated functional soft drinks are a new concept that provides health benefits for the consumers. The aim of this study was to improve the antioxidant activity of a carbonated lemon soft drink, while preserving its characteristic flavour, by blending the lemon oil (L) with oregano (Or) essential oil. The effect of different thickeners, usually used in formulation of the soft drinks, on release of the volatile compounds from simple model solutions was evaluated, separately. Blending lemon oil with oregano essential oil (1.5 µL Or /100 µL) improved the odour acceptability and increased the DPPH scavenging ability of lemon oil by 40%. Studying the effect of different thickeners indicated that the xanthan, Arabic gum and pectin at levels 0.05, 6.0 and 0.01 g/100 mL water, respectively, showed the highest release of limonene and citral, the most contributors to lemon aroma, from the simple model solutions. This finding was mainly correlated to the interaction between the thickeners. In view of this result a lemon soft drink was formulated. Carbonation of the soft drink improved the sensory characteristics, decreased the pH value, increased the acidity and showed insignificant changes (P > 0.05) in total soluble solids and total sugars.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Microfinance Initiatives in Alleviating Poverty in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh
Authors: Zaman Mst. Nishrat , Sakib Md. Nazmus
Published: September 2023

This study explores how microfinance initiatives have reduced poverty, particularly in Bangladesh's Rangpur division. This study aims to find the microfinance initiatives' effectiveness in alleviating poverty in the Rangpur Region of Bangladesh. A survey-based exploratory approach, the study is grounded on the primary data collected from 120 respondents who have obtained Microcredit from different non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The study used several statistical tools to investigate the findings using IBM SPSS (V-23). The study observed the demographic traits, attitudes towards microcredit programs, and their effects on asset ownership, income, housing, education, and health. The results provide significant information for regulators and development professionals to construct new, more focused interventions to reduce poverty in Bangladesh.
Assessing Risk Factors of Diabetes Mellitus based on Rural-urban Residence in Bangladesh: Findings from Two Cross Sectional Surveys
Authors: Akter Salma , Parvin Shahanaj , Soni Most Sifat Muntaha , Hossain Md. Ismail , Ireen Shahjadi , Sultana Rebeka , Begum Mansura
Published: September 2023

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a rising global health issue that causes a number of health complications and is becoming increasingly prevalent in countries with low and medium incomes. The objective of the study is to assess the changes of the prevalence and associated risk factors of diabetes mellitus in the middle-aged and elderly population in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh between the years 2011 and 2018. 

Methods: The relationship between the outcome variables and the covariates was evaluated using a chi-square test. In order to identify the risk factors strongly linked to diabetes mellitus, two distinct multivariate binary logistic regression models were utilized (one for urban and the other for rural areas).

Results: In 2011 there were 8.3% of respondents who had diabetes, and 11% in 2017–18. Multivariate analysis of the determinants of diabetes status in relation to place of residence revealed a significant impact on age, education, wealth status, region, and survey year. Diabetes risk was lower in rural Bangladesh (OR = 0.87), according to the odds ratio. In terms of fixed effects, the risk of diabetes was significantly 2.34 times higher for rich households compared to poor urban households, whereas the risk was 1.98 times higher for rural households. Unemployed respondents had a higher risk of diabetes (OR = 1.33 for urban and OR = 1.31 for rural residences) than employed respondents. Both urban and rural respondents without hypertension were at less risk of diabetes than those with hypertension (OR = 0.73 for urban and OR = 0.77 for rural).

Conclusion: A large proportion of the adult population in Bangladesh suffers from diabetes.  Different health education programs are required to develop appropriate strategies, including proper weight control, physical activity, and healthier eating habits to prevent the prevalence of diabetes in Bangladesh.
Cyanobacteria Mediated CO2 Segregation: A Promising Alternative Method for Sustainable Bioremediation and Biomass Production
Authors: Haque Natasha Nafisa , Alam Md. Ashraful , Roy Chapol Kumar , Zenat Mst. Elina Akther , Munshi John Liton
Published: September 2023

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the CO2 absorbent (NaOH) affected Spirulina sp. medium culture to verify growth rate, CO2 fixation ability and biomass production from S. platensis using the Zarrouk medium.

Methodology: Cyanobacterium Spirulina sp. was cultured with Zarrouk’s medium at 30±2°C, pH 9 which was obtained from the Applied Botany Section of BCSIR. Besides, to prevent precipitation, the medium without the carbon source was autoclaved for 30 min at 121°C and then the carbon source and NaOH were added. Furthermore, every 6-day intervals, the biomass c content, pH, and alkalinity were measured. The samples were obtained for the same analyses when the biomass concentration reached the blend concentration (0.5 g L-1).

Results: The first concentration was used 0.5 g/L. 47g/L (1.64 mmol/L) of absorbent. The mean increase of 2.45% for biomass generated by the assay using control (2.09 ± 0.11 g) when compared to the NaOH (2.04 ± 0.25 g) was due to the larger number of growth cycles. Besides, a larger number of growth cycles 35.4% for CO2 fixation rate increase compared to the control. The final protein (28.2 ± 4.5 % ww-1) and carbohydrate (19 ± 2.5 % ww-1) content in the biomass cultivated using NaOH was lower than normally found in the control assay (43.4 ± 2.9 % ww-1) and (11.5 ±1.2 % ww-1).

Conclusion: Recent advances in CO2 fixation and biomass production utilizing microalgae were compiled and analyzed, with an emphasis on how adding the CO2 absorbent affected the growth kinetics and biomass composition of Spirulina sp. When compared to the chemical absorbent assay, the control assay's high growth and CO2-fixation rates provide several advantages.
Effect of Different Pre - Sowing Seed Treatments on Germination and Growth of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Seedlings cv. Arka Surya
Authors: Rao G. Siva Koteswara , Krishna V. N. P. Sivarama , Srinivasulu B. , Sivaram G. Thanuja , Padmaja V. V. , Arunodhayam K.
Published: September 2023

A study on effect of pre-sowing seed treatments with organics, chemicals and plant growth regulators on seed germination and seedlings growth of papaya cv. Arka Surya was carried out at YSRHU- College of Horticulture, Anantharajupeta during the year 2021 - 2022, under complete randomized design with eighteen treatments and replicated thrice. The papaya seeds were subjected to various organic, chemicals and plant growth regulators treatments. Papaya seeds soaked in KH2PO4 @ 0.5% (T7) had recorded minimum days for initiation of germination (8.67) and 50% germination (10.34). The treated seeds had also recorded maximum germination percentage (86.66), germination index (1.16), dry weight of shoots (2.00 g), tap root length (26.33 cm), number of lateral roots per seedling (22.84), dry weight of roots (0.79 g), quality index of papaya seedlings (0.47) and seedling survivability (100.00%). In addition the same treatment exhibited higher chlorophyll content (3.51 and 3.91 mg/g), photosynthetic rate (15.32 and 17.76 µmol Co2m-2s-1), transpiration rate (4.61 and 5.69 mmol m-2 s-1) and stomatal conductance (2.73 and 4.12 mol m-2             s-1) at 35 and 45 DAS, respectively. While the lowest values for germination and growth parameters were observed in treatment salicylic acid @ 2 mM (T16). Among all the treatments, KH2PO4 @ 0.5% (T7) was found to be superior to the other treatments followed by KNO3 @ 0.5% for the enhancement of germination, growth and physiological traits.
An Analysis of the Hidden Markov Model for Surveilling the Transmission of Lassa Fever Epidemic Disease in Nigeria during Dry Season
Authors: Nkemnole E. B.  , Oyewole J. O.
Published: September 2023

Lassa fever is an infectious viral disease that is endemic in Nigeria and other West African countries. Early detection and response to outbreaks of the disease are critical to prevent its spread and reduce illnesses and death. Finding some mathematical patterns that explain the mechanisms of Lassa fever transmission, as well as a thorough understanding of the biological contributing to affecting the disease, are necessary in putting in place a surveillance system with a view to preventing further spread of the disease. In this study, we developed a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approach to surveil the transmission of Lassa fever virus infections in Nigeria. The HMM was developed using the susceptible Infection recovered (SIR) model to formulate the transition matrix and data from past outbreaks of the disease to compute the observations. Our results showed that the dry season as the peak period for Lassa fever and recorded the lowest numbers during the rainy season. The transition matrix showed a 98% chance of transitioning to the infected state from being susceptible and a 96% chance of remaining infected. The stable probability resulted in a 97.9% probability of transitioning to the infected state and a 1.7% chance of transitioning to the susceptible state. The Empirical analysis using the proposed HMM approach does not only provide a valuable tool for public health officials to track and respond to outbreaks of Lassa fever, leading to more effective disease control strategies but also, establishes an efficient structure for other infectious diseases modeling to aid in early detection and response to epidemic outbreaks.
Kinetic Study and Modeling of Nigerian Sub Bituminous Coal Char Using the Random Pore Technique
Authors: Odineze M. C. , Olowokere J. A.
Published: September 2023

Inorder to augment for the short supply of energy for industrial purposes, the kinetics of carbon-dioxide gasification of two Nigerian sub bituminous coal chars was studied in this work using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). This paper, reports the findings on gasification of typical Enugu (Udi) and Kogi (Okaba) coal of Nigeria in carbon dioxide medium at atmospheric pressure. Proximate and ultimate analysis was performed on the coal samples based on their origin to determine their properties and values. Result shows that Udi coal has a higher heating value as compared to Okaba coal. The effect of the temperature of gasification ranging from 900oC to 1000oC at different concentration of carbon dioxide of 100%, 70% and 40% at atmospheric pressure was studied. The gasification process of coal involves pyrolysis and char gasification. It was found that the reactivity of char gasification increased with the increase of pyrolysis heating rate, which demonstrate the effect of temperature on gasification. A random pore model approach with a novel kinetic scheme was used to describe the behaviour of the coal char. The simulated predictive model result was compared with the observed experimental result, which were in good agreement. Based on the obtained result, it was observed that the rate of carbon conversion increases with increase in concentration of carbon dioxide over time, and vice versa. The activation energy for the coal samples vary depending on their origin and were found to be 97.58kJ/mol and 103kJ/mol for Kogi coal and Enugu coal respectively. Products of coal gasification will serve as a promising fuel alternative.