bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Marriage Plot, Again: A Feedback Loop
Authors: Ward Megan
Published: September 2023

Abstract: The bigamy plot—the courtship's evil twin—involves characters marrying, then marrying again, a phenomenon rife across Victorian novels. This repetition creates redundancy, both in terms of spouses and, from an informatic perspective, reinforcing the marriage plot's importance. In contrast to a regulated feedback loop that generates stasis, the bigamy plot accumulates more of the same, emphasizing the ongoing centrality of marriage plots in the Victorian novel. This essay argues that this redundancy within the bigamy plot mirrors the emerging imperial information systems and realist aesthetics of the time. With the rise of data management systems like censuses and registries, both literature and empire wrestled with representing individuals both as unique entities and as interchangeable units. Through a reading of the proliferation of records in Jane Eyre (1848), this essay demonstrates how bigamy and its imperial records emerge as a way to understand the struggle for representation, a brief moment in which personhood is extended across the system while also being retracted.
"Hermenautics": Toward a Disinformation Theory
Authors: Slater Avery
Published: September 2023

Abstract: This essay tracks cybernetic approaches to the task of hermeneutics. From the first paradigm of cybernetics through its development within contemporary lines of research, the question of information processing evokes problems of interpretation shared by humans and machines. The article discusses Friedrich Kittler's notion of "hermenautics" in the context of disinformation and contemporary politics. This argument draws out connections between scientist Heinz Von Foerster's writings on the ethics of second-order cybernetics and Hannah Arendt's reporting on the trial of Adolf Eichmann. Regimes of disinformation, working to blunt the task of interpretation, are only intensified by the information age. The study of cybernetics can prepare us for the task of adapting hermeneutics to an age of digital dissemination, reading (with) machines.
Cavity-birefringence-dependent vector pure-quartic soliton fiber laser
Authors: Zhu Zhiwei , Yang Song , He Chaojian , Lin Xuechun
Published: September 2023

Pure-quartic soliton (PQS) fiber lasers provide a promising avenue for exploring novel soliton interaction dynamics and generating high-energy pulses. Here, we present the numerical observation of vector PQSs generation and the evolution dynamics in a mode-locked fiber laser, using the coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations. We investigate the buildup dynamics of vector PQSs in a mode-locked laser with birefringent fibers, passing through three stages: energy amplification, energy pulsation owing to the cross-phase modulation (XPM) effect, and finally stabilization. Depending on the strength of the cavity-birefringence, the evolution of PQSs in non-polarization-maintaining fibers reveals that both the elliptical-polarization vector PQSs and near-linear-polarization vector PQSs can be formed by the energy conservation and balance between the two orthogonal directions. Additionally, we observe the transition process from vector PQSs to scalar PQSs with higher cavity-birefringence, resulting from the failure compensation of the walk-off via the soliton trapping effect between the two orthogonal components. These results provide valuable insights into the ultrafast transient process of vector solitons and enhance the understanding of PQS generation in fiber lasers.
417 W, 2.38 mJ Innoslab amplifier compressible to a high pulse quality of 406 fs
Authors: Gao Yongxi , Guo Jie , Huang Yuguang , Gao Zichen , Gan Zebiao , Tu Zhihua , Liang Xiaoyan , Li Ruxin
Published: September 2023

We demonstrate a 417 W, 175 kHz Innoslab chirped pulse amplification laser compressible to short and clean 406 fs pulse duration. A spectral bandwidth (full width at half maximum, FWHM) of ∼3 nm was maintained at full pump power, and the pulses exhibited good pulse quality in a wide tunable pulse energy range from 1.7 mJ to a maximum of 2.38 mJ. At the maximum output power, the compressed pulses were nearly pedestal free. The comprehensive effects of residual high-order dispersion from the front end, the gain shaping effects of the amplifier, and the slight mismatch of third-order dispersion (TOD) between the stretcher (CFBG) and the gating compressor, along with the small nonlinear phase shift accumulated in the amplifier, could have facilitated the high pulse quality. To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest pulse duration from the Innoslab amplifiers at hundreds of watts average power in the millijoule energy regime.
Observation of RIN reduction via spectral broadening in an NPR-based stretched pulse fiber laser
Authors: Xu Zishuo , Huang Qianqian , Tian Haochen , Huang Zinan , Dai Lilong , Yan Kaiquan , Song Youjian , Mou Chengbo
Published: September 2023

We show that an optimum mode-locking state with low relative intensity noise (RIN) can be identified by continuous broadening of an optical spectrum in a stretched-pulse fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR). Under the premise of keeping the overall spectral shape unchanged, either gradually increasing the pump power or unidirectionally adjusting the polarization controller (PC) can effectively reduce RIN as the optical spectral bandwidth broadens. The optimized intensity noise performance of the laser can be attributed to the increased pulse energy and reduced intra-cavity net dispersion. Moreover, the integrated RIN will further decrease as the maximum 3-dB bandwidth extends. In our experiment, the detected minimum integrated rms RIN is below 0.003% (from 100 Hz to 100 kHz). Our experimental results find that the absolute spectral width is not a necessary key condition for obtaining low RIN mode-locked laser, whereas it may help understand and design versatile low-noise ultrafast laser sources.
Experimental observation of stimulated Raman scattering enabled localized structure in a normal dispersion FP resonator
Authors: Li Tieying , Wu Kan , Zhang Xujia , Cai Minglu , Chen Jianping
Published: September 2023

Dissipative Kerr nonlinear cavities attract intense interest due to their rich dynamics and capability to generate broadband, low-noise, mode-locked optical frequency combs for applications in optical communications, dual-comb spectroscopy, photonic lidar, etc. Different from the Kerr effect, which is an electronic response, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is a delayed response to molecular vibrations in materials. In microcavities, when driven in an anomalous group velocity dispersion (GVD) regime, SRS typically leads to a self-frequency shift of solitons and generation of breather solitons, which have been verified both theoretically and experimentally. However, when driven in a normal GVD regime, recent theoretical work predicts that SRS can cause the locking of switching waves (SWs) and thus support bright moving localized structure (LS), which we term as SRS enabled localized structure (SRS-LS). Limited by the design of suitable experimental parameters, experimental observation of this SRS-LS is not achieved yet. Here, we provide numerical investigation and, to our knowledge, the first experimental observation of the SRS-LS in a fiber Fabry–Perot (FP) resonator with ultra-low normal GVD. Such SRS-LS exhibits localized temporal features with strong oscillations at ∼13THz local frequency on the top of a flat-top pulse. The corresponding spectrum is a low-noise and broadband Kerr comb with a typical platicon-like spectrum in the center and two Raman Stokes and anti-Stokes peaks located near ±13THz away from the center. With such an SRS enabled broadband Kerr comb, we have achieved an SRS-LS spectrum with a repetition rate of ∼3.68GHz and a −30dB spectral width of 255 nm. The corresponding comb tooth count is >8500, covering the S + C + L telecommunication bands. Moreover, the formation process of such SRS-LS is also revealed, and it is found that the GVD plays a key role in its generation. Our work will help to advance the study of the dynamics of optical frequency combs under the influence of SRS, as well as provide a broadband coherent mode-locked optical source for wide applications.
Tracking of Prosaposin, a Saposin Precursor, in Rat Testis
Authors: Yamamiya Kimiko , Li Xuan , Nabeka Hiroaki , Khan Sakirul , Khan Farzana , Wakisaka Hiroyuki , Saito Shoichiro , Hamada Fumihiko , Matsuda Seiji
Published: September 2023

We tracked prosaposin (PSAP), a trophic factor, using an antibody specific to its proteolytic portion and an antibody to sortilin that traffics PSAP only to the lysosome. Immunostaining revealed that PSAP was distributed mainly on the basal side of seminiferous tubules, where many Sertoli cells and pachytene spermatocytes contained PSAP and its distribution differed depending on the stage of the spermatogenic cycle. The PSAP–sortilin complex was sorted to large lysosomes in the basal cytoplasm of Sertoli cells, where it may be processed into saposins. In contrast, in the thinner apical cytoplasm of Sertoli cells, PSAP in small lysosomes was transported to the apical side around sperm heads or into the lumen for secretion. The results of in situ hybridization analyses suggested that immature tubular cells in young animals produce PSAP to self-stimulate proliferation. However, in adults, not only Sertoli cells but also pachytene spermatocytes produce and secrete PSAP around germ cells or into the tubular lumen to stimulate cell proliferation or differentiation in a paracrine or autocrine manner. In summary, PSAP is not only a precursor of lysosomal enzymes but also a pivotal trophic factor in organogenesis in the immature testis and spermatogenesis in the mature testis.
Training and testing of a gradient boosted machine learning model to predict adverse outcome in patients presenting to emergency departments with suspected covid-19 infection in a middle-income setting
Authors: Fuller Gordon Ward , Hasan Madina , Hodkinson Peter , McAlpine David , Goodacre Steve , Bath Peter A. , Sbaffi Laura , Omer Yasein , Wallis Lee , Marincowitz Carl
Published: September 2023

COVID-19 infection rates remain high in South Africa. Clinical prediction models may be helpful for rapid triage, and supporting clinical decision making, for patients with suspected COVID-19 infection. The Western Cape, South Africa, has integrated electronic health care data facilitating large-scale linked routine datasets. The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning model to predict adverse outcome in patients presenting with suspected COVID-19 suitable for use in a middle-income setting. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using linked, routine data, from patients presenting with suspected COVID-19 infection to public-sector emergency departments (EDs) in the Western Cape, South Africa between 27th August 2020 and 31st October 2021. The primary outcome was death or critical care admission at 30 days. An XGBoost machine learning model was trained and internally tested using split-sample validation. External validation was performed in 3 test cohorts: Western Cape patients presenting during the Omicron COVID-19 wave, a UK cohort during the ancestral COVID-19 wave, and a Sudanese cohort during ancestral and Eta waves. A total of 282,051 cases were included in a complete case training dataset. The prevalence of 30-day adverse outcome was 4.0%. The most important features for predicting adverse outcome were the requirement for supplemental oxygen, peripheral oxygen saturations, level of consciousness and age. Internal validation using split-sample test data revealed excellent discrimination (C-statistic 0.91, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.91) and calibration (CITL of 1.05). The model achieved C-statistics of 0.84 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.85), 0.72 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.73), and 0.62, (95% CI 0.59 to 0.65) in the Omicron, UK, and Sudanese test cohorts. Results were materially unchanged in sensitivity analyses examining missing data. An XGBoost machine learning model achieved good discrimination and calibration in prediction of adverse outcome in patients presenting with suspected COVID19 to Western Cape EDs. Performance was reduced in temporal and geographical external validation.
Clinical profiles, epidemiological characteristics and treatment outcomes of COVID-19 patients in North-eastern Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Gedefie Alemu , Birara Tadesse , Misganaw Sisay , Bambo Getachew Mesfin , Kebede Samuel Sahile , Tilahun Mihret , Mohammed Ousman , Kassa Yeshimebet , Bisetegn Habtye , Alemayehu Ermiyas
Published: September 2023

Background

COVID-19 is a rapidly emerging global health threat and economic disaster. The epidemiology and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in Ethiopia are scarce. Thus, the present study aimed to assess clinical profiles, epidemiological characteristics, and treatment outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and to identify determinants of the disease outcome among COVID-19 patients in North-eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in North-eastern Ethiopia, from May 2020 to Jan 2022 on a total of 364 SARS-COV-2 infected patients. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted from the medical records of patients. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to determine the factors associated with the mortality of COVID-19 patients and variables with a P-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Result

Among 364 COVID-19 patients included in this study, two-thirds (68.1%) were males with a median age of 34 years. The majority; 42.9% & 33.0% respectively cases were detected at the health facility and community level surveillance. Furthermore, 6.6% of patients had pre-existing comorbidities of which diabetes mellitus (23.1%) and hypertension (15.3%) had the highest frequency. The symptomatic rate of COVID-19 patients was 30.5%. The most common clinical presentations were cough (26.9%), fever (26.1%), and shortness of breath (15.2%). Moreover, the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients was 4.1% which was independently predicted by a history of underlining co-morbidity (AHR:6.09; 95%CI:1.299–28.56; P = 0.022) and a history of severe or critical conditions (AHR 11.8; 95%CI:4.89–28.83; P = 0.003).

Conclusion

Severe or critical acute COVID-19 and underlining comorbidities are associated with higher mortality. Therefore, critical follow–up and management should be given to patients with underlying diseases is required.
Global public health intelligence: World Health Organization operational practices
Authors: Hamblion Esther , Saad Neil J. , Greene-Cramer Blanche , Awofisayo-Okuyelu Adedoyin , Selenic Minet Dubravka , Smirnova Anastasia , Engedashet Tahelew Etsub , Kaasik-Aaslav Kaja , Alexandrova Ezerska Lidia , Lata Harsh , Allain Ioos Sophie , Peron Emilie , Abdelmalik Philip , Perez-Gutierrez Enrique , Almiron Maria , Kato Masaya , Babu Amarnath , Matsui Tamano , Biaukula Viema , Nabeth Pierre , Corpuz Aura , Pukkila Jukka , Cheng Ka-Yeung , Impouma Benido , Koua Etien , Mahamud Abdi , Barboza Phillipe , Socé Fall Ibrahima , Morgan Oliver ,   World Health Organization Public Health Intelligence teams
Published: September 2023

Early warning and response are key to tackle emerging and acute public health risks globally. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has implemented a robust approach to public health intelligence (PHI) for the global detection, verification and risk assessment of acute public health threats. WHO’s PHI operations are underpinned by the International Health Regulations (2005), which require that countries strengthen surveillance efforts, and assess, notify and verify events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). PHI activities at WHO are conducted systematically at WHO’s headquarters and all six regional offices continuously, throughout every day of the year. We describe four interlinked steps; detection, verification, risk assessment, and reporting and dissemination. For PHI operations, a diverse and interdisciplinary workforce is needed. Overall, PHI is a key feature of the global health architecture and will only become more prominent as the world faces increasing public health threats.
Violence in fishing, hunting, and gathering societies of the Atacama Desert coast: A long-term perspective (10,000 BP—AD 1450)
Authors: Standen Vivien G. , Santoro Calogero M. , Valenzuela Daniela , Arriaza Bernardo , Verano John , Monsalve Susana , Coleman Drew , Marquet Pablo A.
Published: September 2023

In this study, we examine the long-term trajectory of violence in societies that inhabited the coast of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile using three lines of evidence: bioarchaeology, geoarchaeology and socio-cultural contexts (rock art, weapons, and settlement patterns). These millennia-old populations adopted a way of life, which they maintained for 10,000 years, based on fishing, hunting, and maritime gathering, complementing this with terrestrial resources. We analyzed 288 adult individuals to search for traumas resulting from interpersonal violence and used strontium isotopes87Sr/86Sr as a proxy to evaluate whether individuals that showed traces of violence were members of local or non-local groups. Moreover, we evaluated settlement patterns, rock art, and weapons. The results show that the violence was invariant during the 10,000 years in which these groups lived without contact with the western world. During the Formative Period (1000 BC-AD 500), however, the type of violence changed, with a substantial increase in lethality. Finally, during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000–1450), violence and lethality remained similar to that of the Formative Period. The chemical signal of Sr shows a low frequency of individuals who were coastal outsiders, suggesting that violence occurred between local groups. Moreover, the presence of weapons and rock art depicting scenes of combat supports the notion that these groups engaged in violence. By contrast, the settlement pattern shows no defensive features. We consider that the absence of centralized political systems could have been a causal factor in explaining violence, together with the fact that these populations were organized in small-scale grouping. Another factor may have been competition for the same resources in the extreme environments of the Atacama Desert. Finally, from the Formative Period onward, we cannot rule out a certain level of conflict between fishers and their close neighbors, the horticulturalists.
Scabrous is distributed via signaling filopodia to modulate Notch response during bristle patterning in Drosophila
Authors: Presser Adam , Freund Olivia , Hassapelis Theodora , Hunter Ginger
Published: September 2023

During development, cells in tissues must be patterned correctly in order to support tissue function and shape. The sensory bristles of the peripheral nervous system on the thorax of Drosophila melanogaster self-organizes from a unpatterned epithelial tissue to a regular spot pattern during pupal stages. Wild type patterning requires Notch-mediated lateral inhibition. Scabrous is a protein that can bind to and modify Notch receptor activity. Scabrous can be secreted, but it is also known to be localized to basal signaling filopodia, or cytonemes, that play a role in long-range Notch signaling. Here we show that Scabrous is primarily distributed basally, within the range of signaling filopodia extension. We show that filamentous actin dynamics are required for the distribution of Scabrous protein during sensory bristle patterning stages. We show that the Notch response of epithelial cells is sensitive to the level of Scabrous protein being expressed by the sensory bristle precursor cell. Our findings at the cell-level suggest a model for how epithelial cells engaged in lateral inhibition at a distance are sensitive local levels of Scabrous protein.
Enhancement of in vivo targeting properties of ErbB2 aptamer by chemical modification
Authors: Park Jun Young , Cho Ye Lim , Chae Ju Ri , Lee Jung Hwan , Kang Won Jun
Published: September 2023

Aptamers have great potential for diagnostics and therapeutics due to high specificity to target molecules. However, studies have shown that aptamers are rapidly distributed and excreted from blood circulation due to nuclease degradation. To overcome this issue and to improve in vivo pharmacokinetic properties, inverted deoxythymidine (idT) incorporation at the end of aptamer has been developed. The goal of this study was to evaluate the biological characterization of 3’-idT modified ErbB2 aptamer and compare with that of unmodified aptamer via nuclear imaging. ErbB2-idT aptamer was labeled with radioisotope F-18 by base-pair hybridization using complementary oligonucleotide platform. The hyErbB2-idT aptamer demonstrated specific binding to targets in a ErbB2 expressing SK-BR-3 and KPL4 cells in vitro. Ex vivo biodistribution and in vivo imaging was studied in KPL4 xenograft bearing Balb/c nu/nu mice. 18F-hyErbB2-idT aptamer had significantly higher retention in the tumor (1.36 ± 0.17%ID/g) than unmodified 18F-hyErbB2 (0.98 ± 0.19%ID/g) or scrambled aptamer (0.79 ± 0.26% ID/g) at 1 h post-injection. 18F-hyErbB2-idT aptamer exhibited relatively slow blood clearance and delayed excretion by the renal and hepatobiliary system than 18F-hyErbB2 aptamer. In vivo PET imaging study showed that 18F-hyErbB2-idT aptamer had more stronger PET signals on KPL4 tumor than 18F-hyErbB2 aptamer. The results of this study demonstrate that attachment of idT at 3’-end of aptamer have a substantial influence on biological stability and extended blood circulation led to enhanced tumor uptake of aptamer.
What facilitates or prevents academic fraud in a Colombian faculty of medicine–Protocol of a study using fuzzy cognitive mapping
Authors: Pimentel Juan , López Paola , Rincón Johan , Neira Laura , Jiménez Daniel , Correal Camilo , Sarmiento Iván
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Academic fraud is any behavior that gives a student an undeserved advantage over another student. Few studies have explored the causes of and possible solutions to academic fraud in Latin America. We aim to map the knowledge of stakeholders in a Colombian faculty of medicine about the factors that facilitate and prevent academic fraud.

Methods

Fuzzy cognitive mapping. We will use the approach proposed by Andersson and Silver to generate fuzzy cognitive maps representing stakeholder knowledge. This process consists of ten steps: (1) definition of the research question; (2) identification of participants; (3) generation of ideas; (4) rationalization of ideas; (5) organization and connection of ideas; (6) weighing; (7) pattern grouping; (8) list of links and digitization; (9) combination of maps and network analysis; and (10) deliberative dialogue. To draw the maps, we will invite medical students, interns, resident physicians, master’s students, and professors in the faculty of medicine. Four medical students will receive training to facilitate the sessions. Participants will identify the factors contributing to academic fraud and their causal relationships. We will use a combination of network analysis and graph theory to identify the chains of factors with greatest influence on academic fraud.

Conclusion

The maps will serve to discuss strategies to reduce academic fraud in the Faculty of Medicine and to identify factors that could be addressed in other contexts with similar problems. This research will allow the students who facilitate mapping sessions to learn about research techniques, fuzzy cognitive mapping and academic fraud.

Study registration: Registered in OSF Registries on August 2nd, 2022. Registration number: osf.io/v4amz
Factors associated with offer and uptake of provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling among men attending healthcare facilities in Moshi Municipality, Northern Tanzania
Authors: Kyilyosudu Hellen , Msuya Sia E. , Ngocho James S. , Damian Damian J.
Published: September 2023

Background

HIV Testing and Counseling is a critical entry-point for HIV care, treatment and prevention. Tanzania adopted the WHO recommendations of Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling (PITC) in 2007 with the aim of increasing early HIV diagnosis and timely access to treatment and support services. However, approximately 55% of men are still unaware of their HIV status. This study aimed to determine the level of PITC uptake and factors associated with PITC availability and uptake among men attending healthcare facilities in Moshi Municipality, Northern Tanzania.

Method

A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2019 in five selected healthcare facilities in Moshi Municipal, Kilimanjaro region. Exit interviews were conducted with men aged 18 years and above who attended for care in the selected facilities. Modified Poisson regression modelling with robust standard errors were used to determine factors independently associated with being offered and accepting the PITC offer.

Results

A total of 562 men participated in this study. The median age of participants at enrollment was 37 (IQR: 26–59) years. Only 58% of participants reported to have been offered provider-initiated HIV counseling. Of these, 83% accepted the offer of HIV testing. Age between 35–59 years (aPR = 1.2; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.0, 1.4; p = 0.033) and having primary education (aPR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6, 0.9; p = 0.010) were factors independently associated with being offered PITC. Age between 35–59 years (aPR = 0.8; 95% CI: 0.7, 0.9; p = 0.002); having been previously tested for HIV (aPR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.5; p = 0.011) and visiting a health facility twice or more in previous year (aPR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.5; p<0.001) were independently associated with uptake of HIV testing.

Conclusion

Despite high PITC uptake, about 2 in 5 men attending healthcare facilities in Moshi municipality were not offered the service. Providers should target men aged ≤ 34 years, with primary education, visiting facilities for the first time and who have never been tested for HIV.
Needle phobia among adult Jordanians: General awareness, prevalence; and exploring microneedles as a promising solution
Authors: Abdelghany Sharif , Al-Muhaissen Suha , Thaher Yazan Al , Melhem Mais , Fashho Majd , Alfuqaha Othman , Saleh Mais
Published: September 2023

Needle phobia remains a major drawback of conventional injectable medications, leading to avoidance and low adherence among a reasonable portion of patients. Despite this, there is a limited number of studies investigating needle phobia prevalence and symptoms. In this survey, we studied the knowledge and prevalence of needle phobia and its manifestations among 1182 adult Jordanians. Moreover, we assessed the feasibility of microneedles delivery systems as an alternative approach to conventional injectable methods. The results revealed that 28.5% of the participants identified themselves with needle phobia, with a notably higher prevalence among females compared to males (p-value < 0.001). The overall prevalence of needle phobia based on its measured manifestations was found to be 27.4%. The survey also found that 68% of the population were unfamiliar with the concept of microneedles despite the reasonable proportion of the population who were aware of the disadvantages of conventional injectable medications. Furthermore, the survey identified four significant predictors of needle phobia through hierarchical linear regression analysis. Gender, occupation, and negative past experiences with needle injections accounted for 3%, 1%, and 1% of the variance in needle phobia, respectively. In addition, the participants’ preference for microneedles over conventional injectables medications appeared as another significant predictor, contributing 5% of the variance. Overall, the model explained 10% of the variance in needle phobia. Collectively, this study provides an insight into needle phobia prevalence and manifestations in Jordan, while also exploring microneedles as an alternative drug delivery system for patients with needle phobia.
Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Arabic Self-Care Inventory
Authors: Rababah Jehad A. , Al-Hammouri Mohammed Munther , Luciani Michela
Published: September 2023

Background

Self-care is a fundamental aspect of health and well-being for healthy individuals and those with chronic illnesses. However, the available self-care measurement instruments have limited support regarding their psychometric properties. Research about the validation of comprehensive, theory-based self-care tools in the Arabic language and culture is also limited. In addition, many self-care measurement tools are available only for people with chronic illnesses.

Objective

To examine the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Self-care Inventory (SCI) in the general adult population in Jordan.

Methods

This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Data collection was performed using a demographics questionnaire, and Arabic versions of the SCI, Self-care Self-Efficacy, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-revised. SPSS and AMOS were used to analyze the data. Data analysis was conducted by performing confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, internal consistency, and bivariate correlations.

Results

The results revealed that the SCI comprises three scales: self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management. The goodness of mode fit indices showed that the models of these scales fit the data well by meeting the following set a priori criteria: (RMSEA < .07, CFI > .95, and X2/df < 5). The factor loadings of the individual items of the SCI provided further evidence about the factor structure of the three scales. Regarding measurement invariance, the results indicated that partial invariance across participants’ sex is assumed. The values of both Cronbach’s α and composite reliability showed that the internal consistency of the SCI is supported. Cronbach’s α of the self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management were .82, .86, and .83, respectively.

Conclusion

The psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the SCI demonstrate its validity and reliability as a robust assessment tool for measuring self-care in the general adult population.
Sensi «criptati» di una novella esemplare (Decameron iv, 5)
Authors: Di Franco Marcella
Published: September 2023

Il contributo si propone di indagare la novella «Lisabetta da Messina» di Giovanni Boccaccio, la quinta della IV giornata del Decameron, tra le più note, per il carattere tragico-elegiaco che la connota, ma anche tra le più resistenti ad un’esegesi che esaurisca la sua profondità di senso e sciolga in via definitiva la natura stratificata che la ammanta. Il carattere sfuggente della novella accentua il fascino intatto nei secoli del capolavoro novellistico di Boccaccio, oggetto di molteplici riletture critiche nel tempo, scaturite dalle sottili ambiguità suscitate dai testi impliciti sottesi, dai numerosi paratesti inglobati o allusivamente richiamati, soprattutto i classici della tradizione greco-latina, o i rimandi medievali coevi e anteriori che moltiplicano i possibili approcci interpretativi, ognuno dei quali svela parzialmente la verità, ma senza mai illuminarla e chiarire del tutto i sensi ultimi di una novella esemplare.
How can policy making influence waterfront accessibility and active mobility?
Authors: Wondratschek Florian
Published: September 2023

In recent years, waterfront design and river swimming have become more important in Europe. In terms of mobility policy in particular, one should be aware of the natural local recreation opportunities on the shore. The connections between urban infrastructure and urban planning and political premises are crucial. In order to analyze the importance of river bathing, bathing opportunities and bank activities, the City of Stuttgart, as one city with great civil society commitment to the "Stadt am Fluss" ("City on the River"), was to be compared with Basel and Munich in the River Studies using a structured systematic observation with a standardisized checklist. These should also clarify the extent to which policy making influences the process and the target to compare the different cities.
Accessibility and Inclusiveness of New Information and Communication Technologies for Disabled Users and Content Creators in the Metaverse
Authors: Radanliev Petar , De Roure David , Novitzky Peter , Sluganovic Ivo
Published: September 2023

This article is focused on accessibility and inclusiveness of the new Metaverse(s). We conducted a detailed review of the existing standards and we cannot find anything that would ensure these technologies are inclusive of people with physical disabilities. This is the first step in providing some of the answers, and in this article, we discuss many new technologies that can assist disabled people to use the Metaverse(s). Although these technologies are not always designed with the intention of empowering disabled people, they can be used for that purpose, and the Metaverse concept is also empowering for disabled people, because they can work, socialise, and even get physical activity in the Metaverse.
[RETRACTED: The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence on the Human Society]
Authors: Ansari Waisuddin
Published: September 2023

Retracted article
Evaluación del Burnout en Psicólogos de la Ciudad de Neiva, Colombia
Authors: Gómez Acosta Andrés , Sierra Barón Willian , Vinaccia Alpi Stefano , Clavijo Bolívar Mario Eduardo , Salcedo Katherine , Andrade Yedinson Fernando
Published: September 2023

El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar los niveles de Burnout en una muestra poblacional de psicólogos colombianos, dada la poca información al respecto. Para ello, se evaluaron 351 psicólogos con una edad promedio de 36 años (60 % hombres y 40% mujeres) con el Inventario de Burnout de Psicólogos – IBP y el Inventario de Sintomatología del Estrés – ISE, siguiendo las consideraciones éticas vigentes, y se analizó la información con estadísticos comparativos y correlacionales. Se identificaron altos niveles de agotamiento emocional y despersonalización; se encontraron niveles bajos tanto a nivel de estrés físico, psicológico y social, y se encuentran diferencias estadísticamente significativas conforme a variables sociodemográficas, años de experiencia laboral y de graduación, y tipo de vinculación laboral. Los análisis de regresión múltiple plantearon que las variables agotamiento emocional y realización personal tuvieron un peso significativo sobre la sintomatología derivada del estrés laboral. Estos resultados permiten concluir que el aumento en síntomas psicológicos podría estar asociado con mayores niveles de estrés percibido y de burnout, pero estos, a su vez, podrían ser mitigadas a partir de la presencia de algunas variables tanto sociodemográficas como de la historia académica y laboral.
Prevalencia de consumo de sustancias psicoactivas y su relación con características sociodemográficas, familiares y de personalidad en estudiantes en formación tecnológica
Authors: Rueda Ramirez Sandra Milena , Velásquez Correa Juan Carlos , Alvarán López Sandra Milena , Ramírez Valencia Maria Isabel
Published: September 2023

Se realizó un estudio observacional, transversal retrospectivo sobre el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas (SPA) en estudiantes de un Instituto de formación tecnológica. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la prevalencia del consumo de SPA y los factores asociados con las características sociodemográficas, familiares y de personalidad. El estudio se realizó en un Instituto de formación tecnológica de carácter público Medellín, 2016. La muestra estuvo conformada por 891 estudiantes a quienes se les aplicó los instrumentos ASSIT, APGAR Familiar, NEO-FFI, ERI y un cuestionario de variables sociodemográficas. Los resultados mostraron que la prevalencia de consumo de sustancias psicoactivas fue de 51,6%; con mayor consumo de alcohol (49,7%). La prueba de regresión logística sugiere que ser hombre (OR= 2,97), con edad entre 18 y 24 años (OR= 2,72), con expresión en estado bajo en las relaciones intrafamiliares (OR= 1,63) y prestar un nivel muy bajo en amabilidad (OR=9,32) se asocia de forma negativa con el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas. Se resalta la importancia de fortalecer aspectos de la personalidad relacionados con la amabilidad (confianza, franqueza, actitud conciliadora, sensibilidad a los demás), además de las relaciones intrafamiliares y aspectos que faciliten prevenir el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en los estudiantes
Validez de contenido de un instrumento de medición para medir competencias sociales, emocionales e interculturales de estudiantes de pregrado
Authors: Yepes Zuluaga Sara María , Montes Granada Willer Ferney , Alvarez Salazar Johny
Published: September 2023

Una de las funciones misionales de las instituciones de educación superior es la formación humana integral de sus estudiantes. El objetivo de este trabajo de investigación descriptivo y no experimental es evaluar la validar y la confiabilidad de un instrumento de recolección de información destinada a estudiantes de pregrado de una IES, con el fin de medir las competencias sociales, emocionales e interculturales (SEI), desarrolladas en ellos a partir del aporte de las estrategias de internacionalización curricular ofrecidas desde la institución. En la valoración participaron 13 expertos en el tema, quienes validaron el contenido del instrumento. Se obtuvo como resultado una razón de validez de contenido (CVR) en el rango de 0.23 a 1, con un índice de validez de contenido (CVI) de 0.92, el cual, por rebasar el punto de corte mínimo de 0.54, da cuenta de que el instrumento de medición evaluado es aceptable, y un índice Alfa de Cron Bach promedio de 0.81, resultados que indican que el instrumento evaluado aplica para los objetivos de la investigación.
Динамика точно решаемой нелинейной модели квантовой электродинамики резонаторов
Authors: Башкиров Евгений Константинович , Bashkirov Evgenii Konstantinovich
Published: September 2023

Рассмотрена система, состоящая из двух идентичных искусственных атомов (кубитов), нерезонансно взаимодействующих посредством вырожденных двухфотонных переходов с модой теплового квантового поля идеального микроволнового резонатора при наличии керровской нелинейности. Для рассматриваемой модели получено точное решение квантового уравнения Лиувилля для полной матрицы плотности системы «два кубита + мода поля резонатора». Для решения квантового уравнения эволюции использовано представление «одетых» состояний,
то есть собственных функций гамильтониана.
Найден полный набор «одетых» состояний рассматриваемой модели.
С его помощью первоначально найдено решение уравнения эволюции для перепутанных начальных состояний кубитов и фоковских состояний поля резонатора, то есть состояний с определенным числом фотонов в резонаторной моде. Указанное решение использовано для построения точного решения квантового уравнения Лиувилля в случае теплового состояния поля резонатора.
Усреднением полной матрицы плотности по переменным поля резонатора найдена редуцированная матрица плотности двух кубитов.
Двухкубитная матрица плотности использована для вычисления параметра перепутывания кубитов в аналитическом виде для двух типов начальных перепутанных состояний кубитов белловского типа.
В качестве количественного критерия перепутывания кубитов выбран параметр Переса-Хородецких, или отрицательность.
Проведено численное моделирование временной зависимости параметра перепутывания кубитов для различных параметров модели и начальных состояний кубитов.
Наиболее интересным представляется результат, заключающийся в том, что для некоторых параметров модели учет керровской нелинейности приводит к существенной стабилизации начального перепутывания кубитов, а также к исчезновению эффекта мгновенной смерти перепутывания.
Halaman Sampul
Authors: Editor Editor
Published: September 2023

Cover, Dewan Redaksi, Daftar Isi
Problems in English-Chinese and Chinese-English legal translation: with a case study of mistranslations
Authors: Chan Clara Ho-yan , Galdia Marcus
Published: September 2023

In this article, characteristic features of the Chinese legal language are approached from the perspective of legal translation from and into Chinese. The main focus is put upon the emergence of meaning in legal texts, which is reflected in the process of legal translation. Problems of meaning emergence in the Chinese law are regularly connected to legal transfers and legal implants borrowed from foreign languages such as English as well as other text forming devices. Translation is regularly inherent in such processes. As a result, legal translation influences processes in which legislation and the legislative language are shaped. Meanwhile, general problems of translation remain out of the scope of this study. Therefore, specific features of translation of legal texts from and into Chinese dominate the discussed issues. These specific issues include some little-explored ones such as translating traditional Chinese law and social attitudes to legal translation. Moreover, Chinese is the language of legislation and of court and administrative procedures in several jurisdictions as well as in numerous international organizations. Its legal status differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and displays its pluricentric character. Legal acts that are issued in these jurisdictions demonstrate therefore different levels of terminological formation and other legal-linguistically relevant varieties. It is the task of legal lexicography to register lexical varieties of legal Chinese in the relevant jurisdictions. Examples based on translations of legal texts in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau complement the main corpus of the article. The analysed texts show that legal translation and shaping legal language are closely interrelated creative activities.
Nineteenth-century religious-spiritual revival movements in the Catholic Church. The religious and social context of the life and activity of Jadwiga Zamoyska née Działyńska
Authors: Piasecki Piotr
Published: September 2023

Showing the context of the religious and social revival in Europe at the turn of the 19th and 20th century appears to be necessary to present the atmosphere in which Jadwiga Zamoyska lived and worked. A wide panorama of issues related to the renewal of spirituality helps to find the roots and motives of the awakening religious and social awareness, the role of the laity in this process, and especially the women’s movement. Pointing to the sources of renewal gushing from European centers is intended to show the relationship between spirituality in Poland and the spirituality of the Church in Europe, which then influenced the development of spirituality around the world. Numerous schools of spirituality point to the richness of the religious life of that period. One of them, the Oratorian school, deepens Zamoyska’s spirituality. Undoubtedly, also other schools, whose spirituality permeated the faithful living in the Polish lands, had an impact on the beginning and development of the religious and social activities of the founder of the School of Economics in Kórnik.
Spiritual message of the desert mothers: Syncletica, Sarah and Theodora
Authors: Wygralak Paweł
Published: September 2023

The article presents the teachings of the three desert mothers: Syncletica, Sarah and Theodora, focusing on those indications that can support the spiritual development of both lay and consecrated persons. The basic source is the apophthegmata in the Gerontikon. The analysis of the statements of the desert mothers allows us to conclude that the content of many of their thoughts remains valid to the present day. Importantly, all of them are the fruit of the experience of spiritual life, not theoretical, pious considerations.
Płaszcz babiloński we fragmencie 791 Arystofanesa
Authors: Rosół Rafał
Published: September 2023

In the Etymological Dictionary of Akkadian, recently published, the noun pampallu ‘a garment or a woollen cloth’ is accompanied by a short note: “Of interest is a Phrygian word for a ‘coat’ (and the genitals) transmitted by Hesychios: βάμβαλον· ἱμάτιον· καὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον. Φρύγες”. The paper presents some other relevant data, especially Aristophanes’ fragment 791, attested in the lexicon of Photius: βάμβαλον· ἱμάτιον Βαβυλώνιον. οὕτως Ἀριστοφάνης – “bambalon: a Babylonian coat. Aristophanes [says] so”. The final result of the study is that there are two homonyms: 1. βάμβαλον ‘a Babylonian-style warm coat’, and 2. βά(μ)βαλον ‘genitals’. The former is a Semitic borrowing connected with the Akkadian pampallu, the latter is probably Phrygian, but its etymology remainsunknown.
Akustyka, mimetyka, estetyka, artykulacja: Grecy o głoskach języka
Authors: Wolanin Hubert
Published: September 2023

The paper contains a thorough examination of the criteria used by the ancient Greeks for defining, describing and classifying the phones of the language. References are made to works by Plato and Aristotle, as well as to the text of the Techne grammatike attributed to Dionysius Thrax. In the dialogues of Plato, and especially in the Cratylus, one can find the first categorical characteristics of different groups of phones, formulated in acoustic terms, as well as individual descriptions of the mimetic qualities of particular phones, based on either sound effects or articulatory features. In Poetics, Aristotle defined the phone as such, connecting it with the notion of voice characterized by indivisibility, ability to create a complex voice (i.e. a word) and exclusively human origin. In setting out three main classes of phones, he based their definitional criteria on their articulatory features (the contact of speech organs or lack of it) on the one hand, and on their phonetic and acoustic properties (audible voice), i.e. on sound distinctness manifesting itself in acoustic autonomy on the other. In the Techne grammatike, in turn, particular classes of phones were identified and defined by formulating the conditions in which they produce voice characterized by a definite – high or law – aesthetic value. Despite the absence of an articulatory criterion, Greek grammarians succeeded in distinguishing all basic classes of phones, although they constantly looked at phones through the prism of letters, which led to them confusing the phonetic level with the graphic one, and thus made it impossible to create a conceptual and terminological apparatus which would be the means appropriate for identifying and describing correctly the whole stock of Greek phones.
Staram się być niewidoczny. O sztuce przekładu z profesorem Marianem Szarmachem rozmawia Barbara Bibik
Authors: Bibik Barbara
Published: September 2023

The interview about the art of translation with Prof. Marian Szarmach by Barbara Bibik
While Theseus Was Sailing Away… PSI XV 1468 (= fr. 37 APHex): a Few Thoughts
Authors: Bartol Krystyna
Published: September 2023

The article presents a new proposal to supplement v. 12 of the anonymous hexametric piece containing, most likely, the lament of Ariadne abandoned by Theseus on Naxos. The suggestion offered here (οὐκ or, better, οὐδ’ αἰδ]ὼς ἐν ὀνείρωι instead of δήλ]ωσεν ὀνείρωι or ὡς ἐν ὀνείρωι developed by other scholars) allows us to guess that the piece may have expressed Ariadne’s contradictory feelings and her moral dilemma.
Mikołaj Rej and his “Kupiec” and Religious Topics on the Polish Stage
Authors: Bering Piotr
Published: September 2023

The present paper focuses on the Polish religious polemic during the first phase of the Reformation period. Today we know only a few plays from this period. Fortunately, they do allow us, nevertheless, to analyse the main topic and to reconstruct their hypothetical staging.