bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new method for customized fetal growth reference percentiles
Authors: Grantz Katherine L. , Hinkle Stefanie N. , He Dian , Owen John , Skupski Daniel , Zhang Cuilin , Roy Anindya
Published: March 2023

Background

Customized fetal growth charts assume birthweight at term to be normally distributed across the population with a constant coefficient of variation at earlier gestational ages. Thus, standard deviation used for computing percentiles (e.g., 10th, 90th) is assumed to be proportional to the customized mean, although this assumption has never been formally tested.

Methods

In a secondary analysis of NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons (12 U.S. sites, 2009–2013) using longitudinal sonographic biometric data (n = 2288 pregnancies), we investigated the assumptions of normality and constant coefficient of variation by examining behavior of the mean and standard deviation, computed following the Gardosi method. We then created a more flexible model that customizes both mean and standard deviation using heteroscedastic regression and calculated customized percentiles directly using quantile regression, with an application in a separate study of 102, 012 deliveries, 37–41 weeks.

Results

Analysis of term optimal birthweight challenged assumptions of proportionality and that values were normally distributed: at different mean birthweight values, standard deviation did not change linearly with mean birthweight and the percentile computed with the normality assumption deviated from empirical percentiles. Composite neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in relation to birthweight < 10th were higher for heteroscedastic and quantile models (10.3% and 10.0%, respectively) than the Gardosi model (7.2%), although prediction performance was similar among all three (c-statistic 0.52–0.53).

Conclusions

Our findings question normality and constant coefficient of variation assumptions of the Gardosi customization method. A heteroscedastic model captures unstable variance in customization characteristics which may improve detection of abnormal growth percentiles.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00912132.
Investigating the influence of masker and target properties on the dynamics of perceptual awareness under informational masking
Authors: Veyrié Alexandre , Noreña Arnaud , Sarrazin Jean-Christophe , Pezard Laurent
Published: March 2023

Informational masking has been investigated using the detection of an auditory target embedded in a random multi-tone masker. The build-up of the target percept is influenced by the masker and target properties. Most studies dealing with discrimination performance neglect the dynamics of perceptual awareness. This study aims at investigating the dynamics of perceptual awareness using multi-level survival models in an informational masking paradigm by manipulating masker uncertainty, masker-target similarity and target repetition rate. Consistent with previous studies, it shows that high target repetition rates, low masker-target similarity and low masker uncertainty facilitate target detection. In the context of evidence accumulation models, these results can be interpreted by changes in the accumulation parameters. The probabilistic description of perceptual awareness provides a benchmark for the choice of target and masker parameters in order to examine the underlying cognitive and neural dynamics of perceptual awareness.
Insurer green finance under regulatory cap-and-trade mechanism associated with green/polluting production during a war
Authors: Huang Fu-Wei , Lin Jyh-Jiuan
Published: March 2023

The cap-and-trade mechanism affects firms’ production and operation decisions and carbon emissions, making them move towards environmental sustainability. This article develops a contingent claims model to examine the impact of the regulatory cap-and-trade mechanism on the green finance strategy of an insurer during a war. Participating in the cap-and-trade scheme of the insurer that funds the borrowing firms also implicitly affects firm production and carbon emissions. The results show that increasing the green loans decreases the interest margin of the insurer but helps policyholder protection. The insurer is reluctant to provide green loans for the green borrowing firm and thus retards sustainable development. A stringent regulatory cap of the cap-and-trade mechanism raises the insurer’s interest margin but hurts policyholder protection. From the perspective of the insurer’s profit, regulatory cap efficiently derives insurer lending toward sustainability through borrowing-firm cleaner production. An increased war impacting the polluting borrowing firm increases the insurer’s interest margin but harms policyholder protection, affecting insurance stability adversely. This research enriches related literature and knowledge concerning insurer green finance practices indirectly associated with cleaner production. The research also highlights the significance of the regulatory cap-and-trade mechanism that reflects cleaner production in affecting insurer performance during a war.
Model-based economic evaluation of the effectiveness of “‘Hypos’ can strike twice”, a leaflet-based ambulance clinician referral intervention to prevent recurrent hypoglycaemia
Authors: Smith Murray D. , Ridyard Colin , Botan Vanessa , Brewster Amanda , Dunmore Sally , James June , Khunti Kamlesh , Laparidou Despina , Law Graham , Mountain Pauline , Roberts Leon , Rowan Elise , Spaight Robert , Spurr Keith , Siriwardena Aloysius N.
Published: March 2023

“‘Hypos’ can strike twice” (HS2) is a pragmatic, leaflet-based referral intervention designed for administration by clinicians of the emergency medical services (EMS) to people they have attended and successfully treated for hypoglycaemia. Its main purpose is to encourage the recipient to engage with their general practitioner or diabetic nurse in order that improvements in medical management of their diabetes may be made, thereby reducing their risk of recurrent hypoglycaemia. Herein we build a de novo economic model for purposes of incremental analyses to compare, in 2018–19 prices, HS2 against standard care for recurrent hypoglycaemia in the fortnight following the initial attack from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS). We found that per patient NHS costs incurred by people receiving the HS2 intervention over the fortnight following an initial hypoglycaemia average £49.79, and under standard care costs average £40.50. Target patient benefit assessed over that same period finds the probability of no recurrence of hypoglycaemia averaging 42.4% under HS2 and 39.4% under standard care, a 7.6% reduction in relative risk. We find that implementing HS2 will cost the NHS an additional £309.36 per episode of recurrent hypoglycaemia avoided. Contrary to the favourable support offered in Botan et al., we conclude that in its current form the HS2 intervention is not a cost-effective use of NHS resources when compared to standard NHS care in reducing the risk of hypoglycaemia recurring within a fortnight of an initial attack that was resolved at-scene by EMS ambulance clinicians.
Correlates of self-reported and biomarker based adherence to daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among a cohort of predominantly men who have sex with men in Nigeria
Authors: Adeyemi Olusegun A. , Nowak Rebecca G. , Marzinke Mark , Morgan Daniel , Sam-Agudu Nadia , Craddock Jaih , Zhan Min , Crowell Trevor A. , Baral Stefan , Ndembi Nicaise , Adebajo Sylvia , Charurat Manhattan E. ,   for the TRUST/RV368 Study Group
Published: March 2023

Introduction

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition. However, studies have demonstrated discordance between self-reported measures and biomedical benchmarks of PrEP adherence. We estimated the correlation between self-reported PrEP adherence and PrEP biomarkers and explored factors associated with adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria.

Methods

TRUST-PrEP, an open-label, prospective study; conducted in Abuja between April 2018 and May 2019. MSM ≥ 18 years with substantial HIV risk were enrolled. Participants reported PrEP adherence in the last month using a 4-point scale from “poor” to “perfect” and serum samples for PrEP biomarkers were collected at months 3 and 9. Serum tenofovir concentration was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and considered protective for adherence if ≥ 4.2 ng/ml. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to estimate correlation between self-reported adherence and measured tenofovir levels. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between self-reported adherence and laboratory-measured adherence.

Results

A total of 219 MSM with median age 23 (interquartile range 20–27) years had at least one PrEP biomarker assay. Only 66/219 (30%) had at least one record of protective tenofovir concentration. Correlation between tenofovir and self-reported adherence at 3 and 9 months were 0.1 and 0.02 respectively. Furthermore, 17/219 (8%,) and 49/219 (22%) had serum tenofovir of 4.2–35.4 ng/mL and ≥ 35.5 ng/mL, corresponding to at least 4 and 7 days’ PrEP use in a week, respectively. PrEP adherence was higher among participants introduced to PrEP in the clinics compared with communities (aOR: 8.35, 95%CI: [3.24, 21.5]) and those with same-sex practices family disclosure (aOR: 3.60 95% CI: [1.73, 7.51]).

Conclusion

Self-reported PrEP adherence poorly correlated with biomarkers. Facilitating clinic-based PrEP introduction and disclosure of same-sex practices to family among MSM may improve PrEP adherence.
Timed hazard networks: Incorporating temporal difference for oncogenetic analysis
Authors: Chen Jian
Published: March 2023

Oncogenetic graphical models are crucial for understanding cancer progression by analyzing the accumulation of genetic events. These models are used to identify statistical dependencies and temporal order of genetic events, which helps design targeted therapies. However, existing algorithms do not account for temporal differences between samples in oncogenetic analysis. This paper introduces Timed Hazard Networks (TimedHN), a new statistical model that uses temporal differences to improve accuracy and reliability. TimedHN models the accumulation process as a continuous-time Markov chain and includes an efficient gradient computation algorithm for optimization. Our simulation experiments demonstrate that TimedHN outperforms current state-of-the-art graph reconstruction methods. We also compare TimedHN with existing methods on a luminal breast cancer dataset, highlighting its potential utility. The Matlab implementation and data are available athttps://github.com/puar-playground/TimedHN
Ethnic differences in the age-related distribution of serum prostate-specific antigen values: A study in a Taiwanese male population
Authors: Tsai Tsung-Hsun , Chu Ta-Wei , Lin Tien-Huang , Hsieh Teng-Fu , Chen Chi-Cheng , Liu Hsin-Ho , Chuang Yuan-Chieh , Lin Chia-Wen , Lee Shang-Sen
Published: March 2023

This study investigates age-specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) distributions in Taiwanese men and recommends reference ranges for this population after comparison with other studies. From January 1999 to December 2016, a total of 213,986 Taiwanese men aged above 19 years old without history of prostate cancer, urinary tract infection, or prostate infection were recruited from the Taiwan MJ cohort, an ongoing prospective cohort of health examinations conducted by the MJ Health Screening Center in Taiwan. Participants were divided into seven age groups. Simple descriptive statistical analyses were carried out and quartiles and 95th percentiles were calculated for each group as reference ranges for serum PSA in screening for prostate cancer in Taiwanese men. Serum PSA concentration correlated with age (r = 0.274, p<0.001). The median serum PSA concentration (5th to 95th percentile) ranged from 0.7 ng/ml (0.3 to 1.8) for men 20–29 years old (n = 6,382) to 1.6 ng/ml (0.4 to 8.4) for men over 79 years old (n = 504). The age-specific PSA reference ranges are as follows: 20–29 years, 1.80 ng/ml; 30–39 years, 1.80 ng/ml; 40–49 years, 2.0 ng/ml; 50–59 years, 3.20 ng/ml; 60–69 years, 5.60 ng/ml; 70–79 years, 7.40 ng/ml; over 80 years, 8.40 ng/ml. Almost no change occurred in the median serum PSA value in men 50 years old or younger, while a gradual increase was observed in men over 50. Taiwanese men aged 60 years above showed higher 95th percentile serum PSA values compared to Caucasian men and men in other Asian countries but were closer to those of Asian American and African American men. Results indicate significantly different PSA levels correlating to different ethnicities, suggesting that Oesterling’s age-specific PSA reference ranges might not be appropriate for Taiwanese men. Our results should be further studied to validate the age-specific PSA reference ranges for Taiwanese men presented in this study.
Validation of a 3D perfused cell culture platform as a tool for humanised preclinical drug testing in breast cancer using established cell lines and patient-derived tissues
Authors: Liu Peng , Roberts Sophie , Shoemaker James T , Vukasinovic Jelena , Tomlinson Darren C , Speirs Valerie
Published: March 2023

3D cell culture models of cancer are currently being developed to recapitulate in vivo physiological conditions and to assess therapeutic responses. However, most models failed to incorporate the biochemical and biophysical stimuli from fluid flow. In this study, a three-dimensional scaffold, SeedEZ was applied within the PerfusionPal perfused culture system to investigate how perfusion, and blood-like oxygen delivery influenced breast cancer cell growth and their responses to a commonly used breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Our results showed that breast cancer cells could be maintained over 3 weeks in PerfusionPal with increased cell viability compared to static 3D culture in fully humanised conditions. This platform also supported examining the effect of tamoxifen on breast cancer cell lines and in primary patient-derived breast cancer samples. Future work is warranted to further the adaption for fully humanised assessment of drug effectiveness in a patient personalized approach with the aim to reduce the burden of animal use in cancer research and increase the degree of human pre-clinical data translation to clinic.
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance sequence and CA125/CEA ratio can be used as add-on tools to ultrasound for the differentiation of ovarian from non-ovarian pelvic masses
Authors: Nunes Pereira Patrick , Françoise Derchain Sophie , Yoshida Adriana , Hoelz de Oliveira Barros Ricardo , Menezes Jales Rodrigo , Sarian Luís Otávio
Published: March 2023

Objective

To provide a straightforward approach to the sequential use of ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance (MR) and serum biomarkers in order to differentiate the origin of pelvic masses, making the most efficient use of these diagnostic resources.

Study design

This is a cross-sectional study with 159 patients (133 with ovarian and 26 with non-ovarian tumors) who underwent surgery/biopsy for an adnexal mass. Preoperative CA125 and CEA serum measurements were obtained and a pelvic/abdominal ultrasound was performed. Preoperative pelvic MR studies were performed for all patients. Morphological and advanced MR sequences were obtained. Using a recursive partitioning algorithm to predict tumor origin, we devised a roadmap to determine the probability of non-ovarian origin using only statistically significant US, laboratory and MR parameters.

Results

Upfront US classification as ovarian versus non-ovarian and CA125/CEA ratio were significantly associated with non-ovarian tumors. Signal diffusion (absent/low versus high) was the only MR parameter significantly associated with non-ovarian tumors. When upfront US designated a tumor as being of ovarian origin, further MR signal diffusion and CA125/CEA ratio were corrected nearly all US errors: patients with MR signal diffusion low/absent and those with signal high but CA125/CEA ratio ≥25 had an extremely low chance (<1%) of being of non-ovarian origin. However, for women whose ovarian tumors were incorrectly rendered as non-ovarian by upfront US, neither MR nor CA125/CEA ratio were able to determine tumor origin precisely.

Conclusion

MR signal diffusion is an extremely useful MR parameter to help determine adnexal mass origin when US and laboratory findings are inconclusive.
Burnout among healthcare providers: Its prevalence and association with anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Macao, China
Authors: Zheng Yu , Tang Pou Kuan , Lin Guohua , Liu Jiayu , Hu Hao , Wu Anise Man Sze , Ung Carolina Oi Lam
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Burnout in healthcare providers (HPs) might lead to negative consequences at personal, patient-care and healthcare system levels especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of burnout and the contributing variables, and to explore how, from health workforce management perspective, HPs’ experiences related to carrying out COVID-19 duties would be associated with their burnout.

Methods

A cross-sectional, open online survey, informed by physical and psychological attributes reportedly related to burnout, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), was completed by HPs in Macau, China during October and December 2021. Factors associated with burnout were analysed using multiple logistic regressions.

Results

Among the 498 valid responses, the participants included doctors (37.5%), nurses (27.1%), medical laboratory technologist (11.4%) and pharmacy professionals (10.8%), with the majority being female (66.1%), aged between 25-44years (66.0%), and participated in the COVID-19 duties (82.9%). High levels of burnout (personal (60.4%), work-related (50.6%) and client-related (31.5%)), anxiety (60.6%), and depression (63.4%) were identified. Anxiety and depression remained significantly and positively associated with all types of burnout after controlling for the strong effects of demographic and work factors (e.g. working in the public sector or hospital, or having COVID-19 duties). HPs participated in COVID-19 duties were more vulnerable to burnout than their counterparts and were mostly dissatisfied with the accessibility of psychological support at workplace (62.6%), workforce distribution for COVID-19 duties (50.0%), ability to rest and recover (46.2%), and remuneration (44.7%), all of which were associated with the occurrence of burnout.

Conclusions

Personal, professional and health management factors were found attributable to the burnout experienced by HPs during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring actions from individual and organizational level. Longitudinal studies are needed to monitor the trend of burnout and to inform effective strategies of this occupational phenomenon.
Dps-dependent in vivo mutation enhances long-term host adaptation in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Luo Mei , Chen Guozhong , Yi Chunrong , Xue Baoshuai , Yang Xiaoman , Ma Yao , Qin Zixin , Yan Jin , Liu Xiaoyun , Liu Zhi
Published: March 2023

As one of the most successful pathogenic organisms, Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) has evolved sophisticated regulatory mechanisms to overcome host stress. During long-term colonization by V. cholerae in adult mice, many spontaneous nonmotile mutants (approximately 10% at the fifth day post-infection) were identified. These mutations occurred primarily in conserved regions of the flagellar regulator genes flrA, flrC, and rpoN, as shown by Sanger and next-generation sequencing, and significantly increased fitness during colonization in adult mice. Intriguingly, instead of key genes in DNA repair systems (mutS, nfo, xthA, uvrA) or ROS and RNS scavenging systems (katG, prxA, hmpA), which were generally thought to be associated with bacterial mutagenesis, we found that deletion of the cyclin gene dps significantly increased the mutation rate (up to 53% at the fifth day post-infection) in V. cholerae. We further determined that the dpsD65A and dpsF46E point mutants showed a similar mutagenesis profile as the Δdps mutant during long-term colonization in mice, which strongly indicated that the antioxidative function of Dps directly contributes to the development of V. cholerae nonmotile mutants. Methionine metabolism pathway may be one of the mechanism for ΔflrA, ΔflrC and ΔrpoN mutant increased colonization in adult mice. Our results revealed a new phenotype in which increased fitness of V. cholerae in the host gut via spontaneous production nonmotile mutants regulated by cyclin Dps, which may represent a novel adaptation strategy for directed evolution of pathogens in the host.
Effects of Emotional Leadership within the Nursing Organization Which is Perceived by Korean Hospital Nurses on Their Job Stress and Resignation
Authors:   Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Praxis, Park Min Hyang
Published: March 2023

This study aims to clarify the relationship among emotional leadership, job stress, and resignation for efficient personnel management of nurses This study has been conducted on 230 nurses who worked at general hospitals in C-dos understanding the objective of this study and agreeing to participate in it from March 1st to April 21st, 2019. RMR, GFI (Goodness of Fit Index 0.9), NFI (Normed Fit index 0.8), and CFI (Comparative Fit Index 0.9) were used to verify goodness-of-fit of model. According to the result of study, t-value of structured equation model turned out to be higher than 1.965 Secondly, according to the result of multi-group analysis with structured equation, influence of job stress among groups with high level of emotional leadership on resignation in the hospital was .351 followed by .95 for those with low level of emotional leadership. Emotional leadership is expected to reduce job stress among nurses and also resignation rate at the same time.
política externa de José Sarney:
Authors: Maciel Franklin Ruben
Published: March 2023

O artigo investiga as principais linhas de ação da política externa brasileira durante a administração do presidente José Sarney, entre 1985 e 1989, isto é, logo após o encerramento do regime militar e início do processo de redemocratização. Utilizando-se de uma densa produção bibliográfica sobre o período em questão, bem como dos discursos do presidente na ONU, procuramos demonstrar como seu deu uma ruptura paradigmática na direção de uma diplomacia presidencial, indicando os contornos de uma inédita inserção do Brasil no sistema internacional a partir de três vetores: a democracia, a regionalização e política econômica.
políticas públicas comparadas na América Latina:
Authors: Cardozo Nelson
Published: March 2023

Este artigo visa fazer um balanço do campo das políticas públicas comparativas na América Latina no século XXI. A sub-área de análise comparativa de políticas públicas começou a crescer desde os anos 90 nos países centrais e no século XXI na América Latina. Este artigo fornece uma visão histórica da área, delineando suas etapas e principais características. Em seguida, ele realiza um estudo empírico sobre a produção de artigos científicos comparativos sobre políticas públicas. Para este fim, foram tomadas 56 revistas no campo das políticas públicas na região e 181 artigos foram analisados a fim de mapear a produção temática e suas características. Finalmente, será feita uma avaliação desta produção e dos principais desafios enfrentados pela pesquisa comparativa sobre políticas públicas na América Latina, bem como das oportunidades apresentadas pela pandemia através da virtualização e do fortalecimento das redes acadêmicas.
Freshwater Form of Fourhorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) from Lake Tuborg, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, with Reference to other Canadian Lacustrine and Riverine Populations
Authors: Babaluk John A. , Reist James D. , Lewis Ted
Published: March 2023

Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) is ubiquitous in Canadian Arctic waters with a more common marine and brackish form and a rarer freshwater form. There is a paucity of information available for the freshwater form from Canadian waters. In the summer of 2003, we serendipitously collected 28 of the freshwater form of fourhorn sculpin from Lake Tuborg, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. The fish ranged in size from 62 mm to 171 mm total length and age from 1 to 12 years with females growing faster and to a larger theoretical maximum total length than males. The sculpin preyed mainly upon the crustacean, Mysis segerstralei, but were also opportunistic feeders (e.g., Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) eggs) and cannibalistic. Although our sample of fourhorn sculpin is small, the data from these fish represent the only information from a fully freshwater form population of the species from Canadian waters. We also present an updated list of the known Canadian lacustrine and riverine populations of fourhorn sculpin.
Local Capacity for Energy Transition in Northern and Indigenous Communities: Analysis of Gwich’in Communities in Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: McMaster Rhys , Noble Bram , Poelzer Greg , Menghwani Vikas
Published: March 2023

Introducing local renewable energy solutions into the fossil fuel dominated energy mix of many northern and off-grid Indigenous communities has the potential to create new socio-economic opportunity and address historical energy injustices. However, energy systems are comprised not only of technology and infrastructure but also the communities who generate, use, and benefit from energy. The design of local energy systems that are community appropriate thus requires an understanding of a community’s socio-technical capacity, coupled with an understanding of the social processes that stimulate and sustain transitions and the longer-term, desired outcomes from local energy. This paper explores the socio-technical capacity for renewable energy transitions in northern and Indigenous communities, based on a case study of four Gwich’in communities in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Results show that the foundational attributes of socio-technical capacity for energy transition in northern communities are interconnected, and strengths or challenges in one area often reflect strengths or challenges in another. Several capacity strengths already exist to support energy transition, including community energy values inclusive of community vision and the embedded and transferable skillsets of communities, coupled with next generation leaders. In turn, there are areas where significant capacity building is required, including supports for local energy champion(s) and enabling inter-local energy networks. Results also demonstrate that recent scholarly literature regarding local capacity for community energy does not tightly align with, or reflect the nuances of, energy transition needs in northern and Indigenous communities.
“Are These People Real?”: Designing and Playtesting an Alternative Reality, Educational Simulation
Authors: McDonald Jason , Balzotti Jonathan , Franklin Melissa , Haws Jessica , Rowan Jamin
Published: March 2023

In this design case, we report our design and playtest of a form of alternative reality, educational simulation that we call a playable case study (PCS). One of the features that make our simulations unique is how they are designed to implement a principle called This Is Not a Game, or TINAG, meaning that the affordances we design into the simulation suggest to students that the experience they are having is real, in contrast to the way the artificial nature of the expe- rience is highlighted in many computer games. In this case, we describe some challenges we encountered in designing a PCS to align with TINAG, along with how the situation in which we play tested the simulation highlighted other ways in which the principle of TINAG was challenging to achieve.
Learning from Design Failures: A Virtual Mathematics Tutoring Program
Authors: Zydney Janet , Hord Casey
Published: March 2023

In this design case, we describe our first attempt to create a virtual mathematics tutoring program for students with learning disabilities. We describe in detail how the design was motivated by the pandemic which forced schools into remote learning, how a university and school collaborated on the design, the rationale for our design decisions, and aspects of the design that did not meet the intended outcomes. Three interrelated design failures included problems with flexible scheduling, challenges seeing students’ work, and inconsistent use of a collaborative, communication tool. Pervasive to all these failures were underlying communication issues associated with being remote. We share our experience learning from and altering our design of these features for the future
Introduction to the Special Section on Design Failure In Learning Design Practice
Authors: Lachheb Ahmed , Watson Nikisha
Published: March 2023

The International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL) is pleased to publish this Special Section on Design Failure in Learning Design in diverse contexts. This Special Section includes seven design cases; six of them highlight diverse stories of failed learning design projects, and one design case highlights the use of failure-based learning strategies/techniques to engage learners in productive failure (i.e., learning with/through failure).
Desarrollo de un método analítico por cromatografía iónica para la cuantificación de aniones en aguas residuales de origen minero
Authors: Cardona-Castaño Julio-Andrés , Rivera-Giraldo Juan-David , Chávez-Vallejo Fernando-Antonio
Published: March 2023

El objetivo de este trabajo fue desarrollar un método por cromatografía iónica con detector de conductividad para la determinación simultánea de tiocianato en aguas residuales mineras y aniones como bromuro, cloruro, fluoruro, fosfato, nitrito, nitrato y sulfato. Como eluente se utilizó hidróxido de potasio (KOH) en un rango de concentraciones entre , flujos entre  y corriente del supresor entre . Se determinó que la mejor separación de las especies estudiadas se logró con una concentración de KOH de  en modo isocrático y un flujo de  en una columna analítica AS20. Además, se determinó una serie de parámetros analíticos como sensibilidad, linealidad, precisión, exactitud y límites de detección y cuantificación que permiten la validación del método analítico. Se obtuvieron valores de desviación estándar relativa (RSD) menores al 20 % en cuanto a la precisión del método analítico, con recuperaciones mayores al 96 %. El método desarrollado es por lo tanto adecuado para la determinación de tiocianato y aniones en aguas residuales de origen minero.
Smart Greenhouse and Agriculture 4.0
Authors: Marín-Garcia Edward , Torres-Marín José-Neftalí , Chaverra-Lasso Alexandra
Published: March 2023

In Colombia, agricultural exports have become notoriously prevalent in recent years, causing the creation of new methods capable of increasing production in order to meet the global demands. A very efficient option is the use of greenhouses, given their low building cost, ease of construction, ability to protect crops from natural phenomena and plagues, and the possibility to keep the internal temperature steady during day and night, thus allowing crops to grow fast and healthy. Nowadays, advancements in electronics have allowed boosting the positive effects of these environments, which is why this document introduces a procedure for the implementation of an automated pyramid-type greenhouse, utilizing techniques related to Precision Agriculture (PA) and based on concepts related to the Internet of Things (IoT) for remote monitoring through emerging communication technologies such as the NFRL2401 cards and the Arduino Nano and Mega boards. Inside the greenhouse, variables such as temperature and ambient humidity are measured and controlled via the PCE-P30U Universal Input Signal Converter Data Logger, while ground humidity is monitored by ZD510 capacitive sensors. Outside, variables such as temperature, ambient humidity, negative and positive pressure, and wind speed are measured. Data obtained is taken wirelessly to the server using Windows Server 2019 Datacenter, with Broker MQTT EMQ-X services and MYSQL databases, providing a suitable and efficient environment for agricultural research processes. With the procedure developed in this document, a baseline is proposed for the implementation of a smart greenhouse that can be replicated and used as a test system for smart sowing processes, adapting to the different climate and production conditions of the country.
You Cannot Have the Cake and Eat It – How to Reconcile Liberal Fundamental Rights with Answers to the Climate Crisis
Authors: Lohse Eva Julia , Berros María Valeria
Published: March 2023

Our Western-style constitutional systems are not only built on 16th to 18th century social contract theory, but also mainly on a liberal understanding of individual human rights. They are an element of constitutions and international treaties and are increasingly used as a basis for claims of individuals against states for more action to tackle the climate change crisis. However, a human right to a sustainable climate meets plenty of challenges if understood as a classic human right. The question is whether human rights offer a solution to legal questions of the climate crisis by empowering people to demand specific measures from states. The authors demonstrate how the search for solutions has altered the understanding of human rights globally and will continue to do so. It sheds a light on whether the premises on the relationship between state and individual and burdens on individual freedom can still be answered by paradigms from social contract theories and whether the social contract needs to be enlarged by including non-human actors (like eco-systems) or future generations.
Segmental contributions to word recognition in Arabic sentences
Authors: Aldholmi Yahya , Pycha Anne
Published: March 2023

We examined the contributions of segment type (consonants vs. vowels) and segment ratio to word recognition in Arabic sentences, a language that has a nonconcatenative morphological system in which consonants indicate semantic information, while vowels indicate structural information. In two experiments (with a balanced vowel-to-consonant ratio in Experiment 1 and an imbalanced ratio in Experiment 2), we presented participants with spoken sentences in Modern Standard Arabic, in which either consonants or vowels had been replaced by silence, and asked them to report what they could understand. The results indicate that consonants play a much greater role than vowels, both for balanced and also imbalanced sentences. The results also show greater word recognition for stimuli that contained a higher ratio of consonants to vowels. These results support and supplement previous findings on the role of consonantal roots in word recognition in Semitic languages, but clearly differ from those previously reported for non-Semitic languages which highlight the role of vowels in word recognition at the sentence level. We interpret this within the framework of root-and-pattern morphology, and further argue that segmental effects on word recognition and speech processing are crucially modulated by morphological structure.
Stain removal performance of moisture-wicking fabric during home laundry
Authors: Shi Wenhua , Pei Liujun , Gu Xiaomin , Wang Jiping
Published: March 2023

Moisture-wicking clothes are widely used in various sports or athletic activities due to their function of moisture absorption and perspiration. In this study, the washing and decontamination of moisture-wicking fabrics, especially the performance and decontamination effect of moisture-wicking fabrics after washing were investigated. The results showed that the physical morphology of moisture-wicking fabric is very different from that of an ordinary polyester fabric. The cross-section of the moisture-wicking fabric is hexagonal, and this fabric has good hydrophilicity. After the degreasing & thermosetting process, the air permeability of the moisture-wicking fabric is increased from 1013 mm/s to 2911 mm/s. However, the air permeability is decreased after one washing, but it has little effect during the subsequent washing cycles. Moreover, the degreasing & thermosetting process also improve the stains removal index. If the moisture-wicking fabric was washed before the preparation of stained fabric, the stain removal index of carbon black soil and sebum stains is increased. Although most of the aggregated particles on the surface of the fibers are removed after washing, a small amount of sebum still remains in the spaces between the fibers. These results indicate that most of the carbon black in the stained area is removed after washing, while oil components are hardly removed from the moisture-wicking fabric during home laundry. Compared to other surfactants, C18 fatty acid methyl ester ethoxylates and nonionic surfactants with long carbon chains can effectively reduce the surface tension of water and improve the wettability of moisture-wicking fabric, so that water molecules can diffuse well between fibers and stains, the binding force between stains and fabric is weakened, and the decontamination of the fabric is improved.
Die Eigenkapitalrentabilität deutscher Industrieaktiengesellschaften 1925–1929
Authors: Flüggen Markus
Published: March 2023

In historical works, one likes to argue with profits or gains. Corporate profits also play a central role in Knut Borchardt’s well-regarded thesis that the economy in the middle phase of the Weimar Republic could be described as an «abnormal, in fact sick, economy» and therefore problems had accumulated that were extraordinarily significant on the long run in the collapse of Germany’s first democracy. According to this view, excessive wages in particular have caused a compression of those incomes that normally finance investment. A verification of this profit compression thesis is not possible with only commercial balance sheets, as these are considered unreliable due to the large entrepreneurial discretion involved in balance sheet preparation. The situation is different with tax balance sheets: tax law severely restricts the scope for discretion in balance sheet preparation, and tax balance sheets have been subject to scrutiny by the tax authorities since 1925. Therefore, tax balance sheets are considered as a very reliable basis for return calculations.

By using all surviving tax balance sheets, Mark Spoerer has presented a study of the return on equity of industrial stock corporations for the years 1925 to 1941. For the years from 1925 to 1929, he concludes that in the «Golden Twenties» the return on equity of industrial stock corporations could not have been more than two to a maximum of five percent. He claims that through his work the profit compression thesis has been empirically verified.

So far, there has been no critical examination of this work. The aim of this paper is to make up for this. It is shown that the surviving balance sheets do not allow conclusions to be drawn about the profitability of all industrial joint-stock corporations. On the other hand, it is shown that some tax balance sheets of very large companies, which have been included with a high degree of weight in the calculation of returns, contain considerable errors. In addition, some companies have used special tax rules to transfer the expense of future or previous periods to the years 1925 to 1929. Both – the erroneous accounting and the special tax rules – result in significant understatements of profits in the surviving tax balance sheets. Consequently, the calculated returns cannot be correct. Finally, an outlook is given on the consequences of the results of this paper for the use of tax balance sheets.
„Hymny” polskie jako projekty tożsamości
Authors: Czajkowska Agnieszka
Published: March 2023

The subject of the article is a reflection on the shape of Polish identity, emerging from the texts of songs that played an important historical role and in 1926 were candidates for the title of the national anthem. It turns out that the elements that make up the sociological concept of identity can also be found in Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, Bogurodzica, Warszawianka, Rota i My, Pierwsza Brygada. These are historical, geographical, family, social, religious (in some cases) determinants, and the understanding of Polishness as an idea and a state. On their basis, by referring to individual texts, it is possible to demonstrate historical and cultural changes. Some of the listed pieces changed their shape depending on the needs of the performers or the current moment. This is an important signal of social needs and self-description activities. On the basis of the popularity of a given song at a certain time, changes in the understanding of Polish identity and its genesis related to the dominance of the nobility can also be seen.
Представление равнодушия в польской и русской (стандартной и нестандартной) фразеологии
Authors: Wysoczański Włodzimierz
Published: March 2023

The main goal of these considerations is to identify the properties of this linguistic fragment of the image, which is created using Polish and Russian phraseology (standard and non standard), recreating indifference as a special emotional state.
Z zagadnień kontekstów czesko-polskiej ekolingwistyki.Analiza tekstów transparentów strajkujących przeciwko zmianom klimatycznym w Polsce i w Czechach
Authors: Patycki Michał
Published: March 2023

The climate crisis is no longer just a question of crisis, but a question of rescue. In 2019, the word of the year in the Oxford Dictionary became the term climate emergency. Ecolinguistic schools are popping up, such as the one founded by Arran Stibbe, who teaches about the necessary shift in language resources. So how do we begin to talk about what lies ahead in relation to the climate crisis? Which ecolinguistic resources to use? Since when can we talk about ecolinguistics? Why is ecolinguistics an important element of discourse, especially in the Czech-Polish linguistic field? This article focuses on ecolinguistics in the Czech-Polish environment, on its terminological definition, as well as on the genesis of the discipline in Polish and Czech linguistics and Czech linguistics. The research material consists of the texts of banners striking against the climate crisis in Poland and the Czech Republic. The result of this work is an analysis of environmental discourse and its comparison in both countries.
Consistency of LSE for the many-dimensional symmetric textured surface parameters
Authors: Dykyi Oleksandr , Ivanov Alexander
Published: March 2023

A multivariate trigonometric regression model is considered. In the paper strong consistency of the least squares estimator for amplitudes and angular frequencies is obtained for such a multivariate model on the assumption that the random noise is a homogeneous or homogeneous and isotropic Gaussian, specifically, strongly dependent random field on ${\mathbb{R}^{M}},M\ge 3$.
Visual Vandalism: Marginal Communication in the Megapolis
Authors: Olesya Blinova
Published: March 2023

A distinctive feature of a resident of a modern megapolis is the desire not just to live, but to participate in its management. A modern citizen is someone who has the right to the city and has the opportunity to implement it. Today, a citizen is deprived of this right, it is privatized by officials and local governments, as a result of which, a citizen turns out to be an outcast, alienated from the megapolis. But it is important for a modern person to be the master of his life, which encourages him to take actions to restore the right to the city, which determines the relevance of this study. In this regard, the aim of this work is to analyze the power-citizen communication and ways to activate it. For this purpose, the effectiveness of local self-government and various forms of visual vandalism were analyzed as a way of appropriating urban space and one of the options for attracting attention to the quality of communication between citizens and the authorities. The main research methods were trendwatching, semantic analysis of vandal images and texts, and regulatory analysis of legislation regulating the activities of local governments and acts of vandal behavior. Yekaterinburg acted as the empirical base of the study. During the study, two main areas of communication between citizens and municipal authorities were identified, this is a socio-political direction, including demographic problems, political experiences, problems of prices, road quality and others, and a cultural one, including a religious aspect, raising issues related to education, the fight against COVID-19, religious conflicts, etc. The results of the study were conclusions about the insufficient effectiveness of the activities of local self-government bodies; the low level of involvement of citizens in local self-government; the fact that residents of the megapolis are looking for ways to establish communication with municipal authorities; communication established by residents is marginal and is embodied in the form of vandal activity.
Museum as a Subject of Cultural Industries and Urban Development
Authors: Maria Belyaeva
Published: March 2023

In this article, the authors substantiate the idea that the museum of local lore in a small town should assume the role of a cultural leader and influence the choice of urban development strategies and geocultural branding, performing not only the traditional functions but also new ones due to the modern museum openness trend. This is, firstly, the function of updating museum collections in the process of interaction with museum audiences, including through the implementation of virtual museum practices; secondly, the function of updating the territory in which the museum is located, through the creation of a unique cultural product based on historical heritage and intended for both internal and external (tourism) consumption; thirdly, the implementation of an expert-protective function that ensures the special role of the museum in regional cultural policy as a key entity capable of preserving, systematizing, and transforming the cultural capital of the territory into a symbolic capital necessary for the formation of the territory’s image. Based on the experience of the Krasnoufimsky Museum of Local Lore, the authors demonstrated how the idea of the brand "Krasnoufimsk – the city of Zemstvo traditions" originated on the basis of local lore research and how modern museum practices can promote this brand. Museum practices, representing the communication of the museum and urban communities, the museum and a particular visitor, are proposed to be considered as an empirical level of museum anthropology. The article provides examples of the participation of the Krasnoufimsky Local Lore Museum in municipal projects aimed at improving and developing the city of Krasnoufimsk – the administrative center of the Krasnoufimsky district of the Sverdlovsk region, as well as examples of fruitful cooperation with external partners from the non-governmental sector.