bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of The Implementation of The Cost Structural Standard Policy
Authors: Yulianto Jauhar Rafid , Lestari Niken Ajeng , Hartanto Hartanto , Febrianto Andrie Mulya
Published: July 2020

In order to realize an effective and efficient budgeting, a Standard Cost Structure (SSB) policy was prepared, namely by applying a supporting cost percentage for non-regulatory service output of 45%. The study analyzes how SSB policy is implemented within the Ministry of Finance, identifies the problems that occur, and provide solutions for each of these problems. The results of the study show that there is no satker in the Ministry of Finance that uses an exact amount of 45% for supporting costs in the output of its non-regulatory services. The study identifies two underlying problems. First, according to the respondents, the concept of main and supporting cost is clear and well-defined but difficult to implement. The second problem is that the RKA-KL is yet to be able to smoothly facilitate the selection of the main and supporting costs.
I utkanten av den sociala barnavården. Vem har rätt till en plats på kollo?
Authors: Münger Ann-Charlotte
Published: July 2020

Vad är det som bestämmer vilka barn och ungdomar som ska få en plats på kollo? I följande artikel ska uttagningsprocessen i en kommunal koloniverksamhet stå i fokus. Studiens övergripande syfte handlar om utifrån vilka bedömningsgrunder barnen väljs ut och på vilket sätt begrepp som behov och sociala problem får för betydelse för vilka barn som tilldelas respektive nekas en plats på kommunenssommarkollo.
Debatt: Incitament, piska eller morot? Debattreplik: Framåt – bakåt – varåt?
Authors: Eriksson Lena , Dahlstedt Magnus
Published: July 2020

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Att skriva vägen till Santiago
Authors: Gemzöe Lena
Published: July 2020

Sedan början av 2000-talet har intresset för pilgrimsvandringar till den medeltida vallfärdsorten Santiago de Compostela ökat markant i Sverige, vilket bland annat visar sig i mängden av text som produceras om fenomenet. I den här artikeln analyseras tre litterära skildringar av Santiago-vallfärden, vilka kan infogas i en cirkularitet av skrivande, berättande och resande som kännetecknar pilgrimskulturen. Kan pilgrimsvandringar ses som uttryck för »religionens återkomst« och vad kan de i så fall säga oss om en sådan återkomst?
Att prioritera i socialtjänsten – Om kommunalt handlingsutrymme och beslutsfattande
Authors: Wörlén Marie
Published: July 2020

Artikeln beskriver förutsättningar för, samt erfarenheter av prioriteringar i socialtjänsten. Studiens respondenter består av tjänstemän och politiker i sex svenska kommuner. Med prioriteringar avses på vilket sätt resurser fördelas mellan olika klientgrupper samt vilka klientgrupper som ämnas få ta del av resurser i första hand.
Risker och sidoeffekter i läkemedelsassisterad rehabilitering av opioidberoende – en forskningsöversikt
Authors: Johnsson Björn
Published: July 2020

Läkemedelsassisterad rehabilitering med metadon eller buprenorfin är idag den vanligaste behandlingsmetoden vid opioidberoende. Trots starkt forskningsstöd är metoden inte okontroversiell. I artikeln diskuteras de vanligaste invändningarna och riskerna, med utgångspunkt i en översikt över svenskt och internationell forskning. Sammantaget tyder genomgången på att flera av invändningarna är överdrivna. Några risker bör dock tas på stort allvar. Detta gäller framför allt risken för läckage till den illegala drogmarknaden och den därmed sammanhängande risken för metadon- eller buprenorfinrelaterade dödsfall utanför behandlingen. Ett problem i sammanhanget är att de åtgärder som används för att minska dessa risker ofta varit kontraproduktiva, såtillvida att de medfört betydande terapeutiska försämringar för patienterna, utan att för den skull lösa de problem de varit avsedda för.
Specialisering eller integration? En studie av socialarbetares syn på arbetsvillkor och insatser i tre organisationsformer
Authors: Morén Stefan , Blom Björn , Lundgren Minna , Perlinski Marek
Published: July 2020

Det är en tydlig trend under de senaste tjugo åren att Socialtjänstens organisation av individ- och familjeomsorgen blivit alltmer specialiserad. I den här artikeln redovisas en studie av socialarbetares syn på arbetsvillkor och insatser i tre kommuner med olika organisationsformer: specialiserad, integrerad respektive blandad organisationsform.
Stöd och service till personer med utvecklingsstörning En studie om förändringar i Sverige och Finland mellan åren 1990 – 2010
Authors: Blomberg Barbro , Widerlund Lena , Lindqvist Ann-Marie
Published: July 2020

Stödet och servicen till personer med utvecklingsstörning har genomgått stora förändringar under de senaste decennierna i både Sverige och Finland vad gäller såväl målen som organisationen av verksamheten. Konsekvenserna av dessa förändringar har medfört både möjligheter och hinder.
Valfrihet och mångfald – ett dilemma för hemtjänsten
Authors: Andersson Katarina
Published: July 2020

Äldreomsorgen har på senare år genomgått stora förändringar i riktning mot olika former av marknadslösningar. Kundvalssystemet är en sådan, som idealt sett antas öka både brukarinflytandet och kvaliteten i hemtjänsten.  Artikeln utgår framförallt från äldre med hemtjänstinsatser och personalens erfarenheter av omsorg och arbete i en kommun som infört kundval.
Debatt: Den problematiska socialarbetarrollen i ett diskursivt perspektiv
Authors: Valentin Jan
Published: July 2020

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Antisemitiska och antiromska hatbrott i Sverige – erfarenheter, konsekvenser och hantering av utsatthet
Authors: Wigerfelt Berit , Wigerfelt Anders
Published: July 2020

Anti-Semitic and anti-Roma hate crimes in Sweden – Experiences, consequences and copingBased on interviews, the purpose of the article is to study how Roma and Jews experience everyday violations and hate crime and how the victims deal with this exposure. The victims’ narratives are analysed using, for example, theories and research on anti-Semitism, anti-Ziganism, everyday racism and power relations. During the post-war period Jews have largely been seen by the majority population as belonging to the white ”Swedishness”, while the Roma belong to one of many deeply despised minorities that often are exposed to everyday violations and hate crime. However, there is anti-Semitism in Sweden that in certain situations and circumstances is explicitly expressed in the form of abuse, threats or violence. The article describes and analyses how the victims of hate crime deal with this exposure and how the crimes affect them. Some Roma and Jews ”are forced” to live a kind of double life because they are afraid of being ”exposed” as a Roma or a Jew. For example, Jewish and Roma symbols are often spontaneously concealed. The damage that hate crime causes is spread beyond the individual to the victim’s entire group, a form of ”message crimes”. The consequences for the individual concerned can be very serious. Roma and Jewish groups as a whole can also be affected by the restrictions imposed on their lives.
Nya avhandlingar: Påtvingad avflyttning från bostad. En rättssociologisk studie av socialtjänstens roll i teori och praktik
Authors: Svensson Gustav
Published: July 2020

Pia Kjellbom, avhandling i socialt arbete, Rapport i socialt arbete 146. Institutionen för socialt arbete, Stockholms universitet, 2014.
Socialtjänstens roll i samhällets krisberedskap – en studie ur personalens perspektiv
Authors: Cuadra Carin Björngren
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge as regard the relationship between the social services and the public system for crisis preparedness as seen from the perspective of social services staff with direct contact with clients and/or first-line leaders. Empirically the study concerns the staff’s experience of severe events and of activities and processes pertaining to crisis preparedness, such as risk and vulnerability analysis, education and exercises. Further, it concerns staff’s valua- tion of major risks and of crisis preparedness as an area of operation. The material was obtained with a web based questionnaire (N=1020) with closed and open questions and with room for free text. The material was analysed in terms of frequencies and subjected to open qualitative coding. The results suggests that the staff are not involved in the activities and processes of crisis prepared- ness to a significant extent, although they seem to be motivated. They do not seem to have been given opportunities to develop an understanding of crisis preparedness and how it affects social services. They also seem to have a composite understanding of central concepts in the area of crisis preparedness such as crisis, extraordinary events, risk and vulnerability. Their understanding seems to be underpinned by considerations involving intersubjective dimensions of security. It is concluded that it would be beneficial for the system of crisis preparedness if the social servi- ces were systematically involved and differing notions of central concepts were clarified. Further, given an acknowledgement of the role of intersubjective dimensions of security the social services could contribute perspectives informed by their close contacts with users and the general popula- tion as regards risks, vulnerability and consequences of crisis and disasters. It is argued that this would contribute qualitatively to crisis preparedness as an area of operation.
Fostran till rättskänsla?
Authors: Vainik Anne-Lie
Published: July 2020

Unwanted actions in Swedish compulsory schools, such as violent and threatening behaviour, occur among children, and school-related reports to the police concerning children under the age of criminal responsibility have increased. There are no specific regulations stating that the police must be contacted when a child hits or threatens other children in school. However, school staff are obliged to report concerns about children’s well-being to social services. In Swedish compul- sory schools, it is usually the school principal who decides whether an incident should be reported to the police. In this article seventeen interviews with principals about their attitudes to school- related reports to the police are analysed, focusing on children aged 7–14 who subject other child- ren to violent and threatening acts in school. If children under the age of 15 are alleged to have committed crimes, they are diverted from the justice system to the welfare system, i.e. the social services. In most cases a report to the police of a child under 15 suspected of crime leads to a referral by the police to the social services with concern for a child at risk. Results demonstrate that principals differ considerably in assessing which acts are to be regarded as suspected crimes and at what minimum age a report should be made to the police. This suggests that the same unwanted action can be met with completely different reactions from the adult world in different schools. Some principals said that they report incidents among minors to highlight their concern about the welfare of the suspected child, having previously repeatedly expressed concerns to social services and sometimes to parents, without seeing any measures taken to prevent the child from continuing to commit unwanted actions in school.
Kriget med mig själv Om romer och tillhörighet i migrationens Sverige
Authors: Dahlstedt Magnus
Published: July 2020

At war with myself. On Roma and belonging in multi­ethnic Sweden is article deals with belonging in multi-ethnic Sweden, with a focus on the boundaries and meanings of belonging. e focus is on the situation of Roma in Sweden. e point of departure is the individual story of Ana, a young woman who has migrated to Sweden from Hungary. Ana’s story about her migration, her struggles to nd her way and become part of a Swedish societal community is illustrative in terms of (non)belonging, about not being recognized for who you are and not recognizing yourself. e story illustrates some of the inner and societal tensions appea- ring in an era of migration. In the article, Ana’s story is used to discuss a double paradox of citizenship in an era of migration: As a Swedish citizen, she formally belongs to the societal community. At the same time, she does not quite belong to the community, as she was born a ”foreigner” – a Roma. Firstly, Ana’s ways of dealing with the tensions caused by her di erent ”belongings” – as a Swede, Hungarian and Roma – are presented. Secondly, a brief historical exposé of the situation of Roma in Sweden is provided, illustrating a dark history of repression and exclusion. is dark history is related to Frantz Fanon’s thoughts about the colonial situation in Africa and the impli- cations of the colonial fantasies for the colonized ”black people”, which are then used as a point of departure to further analyse Ana’s contradictory story about (non)belonging to a Swedish socie- tal community. irdly, Ana’s story is related to the situation of Roma in today’s Europe, where Roma EU migrants such as berry-pickers and beggars have in recent years been the targets of discrimination and deportation. e article concludes with a discussion on the situation of Roma in the light of ongoing negotiations of belonging in contemporary Europe.
Introduktion
Authors: Lundqvist Åsa , Mulinari Diana
Published: July 2020

Introduktion till temanumret.
Den transparanta organisationen
Authors: Hollertz Katarina , Jacobsson Kerstin , Seing Ida
Published: July 2020

The transparent organization: The caseworker and the culture of visibility in the Social Insurance Agency

The expansion of ”audit culture” in public sector governance is well documented, including its implications for caseworkers whose performance is constantly monitored. Transparency is an inherent part of the audit culture, yet there are fewer studies researching how the ideal of the transparent organization plays out in everyday life in welfare bureaucracies. Drawing on ethnographic research in five local offices of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, this article investigates how the transparency ideal is enacted on an everyday basis in this agency. The analysis reveals how the transparency ideal penetrates the organizational life in a much more pervasive way than is usually acknowledged in the audit society literature. Special attention is given to the relevance of a horizontal dimension of transparency. It is argued that the horizontal dimension of transparency is a central aspect in relation to goal achievement and the normative governance of the caseworkers. However, even if the transparency ideal is central to the internal organizational life of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, transparency is much less salient in relation to clients and the outside world. The article explores this organizational regime of visibility, as established in everyday social interaction as well as in organizational routines.
Från galenskap i vardagslivet till sjukdom i generna
Authors: Eriksson Rikard , Ellingsen Pål
Published: July 2020

From madness in everyday life to diseases in the genes of the body – The Swedish Asylum Agency’s conceptual formations of causes of mental illness, 1860–1910

This article is about how the language used with regard to insane people in Sweden changed during the period 1860–1910. The focus is on when discourses about madness in the mid-1800s was managed by the Asylum Agency, as the government’s authority for the steering and control of the institutional care of the insane. With this management, the understanding of madness became structured by the Asylum Agency through its annual reports, which consist of diagnoses, descriptions of treatments, and descriptions of the care institutions’ architecture. The causes that are presented in the Asylum Agency’s annual reports do not reflect where the mental illnesses fit, and what biological pathologies they consist of. There is a clear link between ontological uncertainty about mental illness and epistemological vagueness. We see here how the categorization of social phenomena, such as madness, and the concepts that describe it, are brought to life as a result of the spirit of the age, ideology, morality, politics, culture, lifestyles and technologies.
Introduktion
Authors: Jacobsson Katarina
Published: July 2020

Introduktion till numret.
Har invandrare som arbetar inom äldreomsorgen en besvärligare arbetssituation än sina svenskfödda kollegor?
Authors: Giertz Anders , Jönson Håkan
Published: July 2020

Do immigrants working in formal eldercare have a more precarious situation at work than their native co-workers?In this article, we investigate whether immigrants as a category have worse working conditions than their Swedish-born colleagues, when characteristics such as age, gender, education and workplace are the same. The article is based on a dataset that was gathered in 2012 in order to investigate working conditions among members of the trade union Kommunal. Data consist of records for 5675 individuals and multivariate analyses (factor analysis and OLS regression) were used to investigate difficult work conditions. Twenty-four per cent of the respondents were born outside Sweden. The differences between the categories immigrants and native-born were small overall, but immigrants experienced more support and control over their own work and less workload, although they had higher values on a factor that indicates discontent with other aspects of the work situation. A surprising finding was that men born outside Sweden experienced less workload than other workers and did not differ significantly on other factors.The main conclusion of the study, that immigrants as a category cannot be linked with specific vulnerability, needs to be interpreted with some major limitations taken into account. Only union members were investigated and it is likely that immigrants and employees with precarious working conditions were underrepresented in the sample. The dataset did not allow for a division among immigrants of different origin, and specific narratives about vulnerability were not available. Despite these limitations, the study indicates that there is a large group of “established” immigrants in elder care who perceive their working conditions in a way that is similar to that of native care workers.
Nya böcker
Authors: Levin Claes
Published: July 2020

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I en annan situation?
Authors: Storm Palle
Published: July 2020

In a different situation? Experiences of being a man, born outside Europe working in nursing homesThe normative picture of a care worker as a white middle-aged woman is under transition; today more Swedish-born men and more immigrant women and men work in residential care. However, there is scarce knowledge regarding migrant men’s experience of care work, an occupation dominated by women where the requested characteristics challenge stereotypical assumptions about immigrant masculinities. In order to reduce this knowledge gap this study aims to explore the experiences of being a non-white man working in nursing homes. The study is based on qualitative interviews, and the data is analysed from a theoretical perspective that considers the body as a situation where lived experiences shape the individual’s scope of discretion. The findings focus on five themes: the way into the work, the questioned body, collegial relationships, relations with female and male residents, and the non-white body as vulnerable. The analysis indicates that both gender and skin colour are fundamental to understand the men’s situation, but these categories had different meaning depending on the situation. When the men helped female residents, they had to balance between respecting the women’s bodily integrity and convincing them to accept help. When they helped male residents, gender was considered as shared experience, which meant that they could understand the men differently than women workers. However, as several of the women rejected men as care workers, the men’s situation became conditional since too many men generated organizational dilemmas. The men also faced racism from residents, but although this evoke feelings of anger, they argued that racist comments were an integral part of their work, and therefore difficult to change. Another challenge was to defend their occupation to migrant men outside their work place who considered care work unsuitable for men in their situation.
Socialt arbete och människor med psykiska problem – en introduktion
Authors: Topor Alain , Denhov Anne , Bülow Per
Published: July 2020

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Boendestöd – innebörder och effekter
Authors: Andersson Gunnel , Gustafsson Hjördis
Published: July 2020

Social support in independent living for persons with psychiatric disabilities – meanings and impactsSocial support in independent living is the most common social intervention for persons with psychiatric disabilities in Sweden. This article investigates what constitutes supportive social support, its meanings and impacts in respect of context, interaction and time. The article emanates from a reanalysis of the results of three user-oriented studies. In total, 56 persons with experience of this type of social support were interviewed. The analytical framework derives from theories of social interaction. The findings reveal that supporting social support is a complex social intervention conveyed through ”the doing”, the talking and the company of the support worker. The findings also show that the restraints of everyday life are allayed or abrogated due to the support: the undoable becomes doable. Finally there are impacts on the psychosocial situation: it contributes to increased well-being and improved psychiatric conditions.
Barnrättspolitik och vuxensyn
Authors: Sköld Johanna , Osvaldsson Cromdal Karin
Published: July 2020

Children’s rights policies and the adult perspective – stability and change in the outreach work of BRIS?This article sets out to explore how a Swedish children’s rights organization has accounted for adults’ capability or incompetence to address children’s interests and how such notions have changed over time and have been negotiated between actors within the organization. Since its establishment in 1971, The Children’s Rights in Society (BRIS – Barnens rätt i samhället) has been an organization of adults working for children. Children’s rights organizations often stress that their work is guided by a child perspective, although much children’s rights advocacy is performed by adults. What is the bearing of this discrepancy when it comes to the formulation of child rights policies? Is it possible to distinguish an adult perspective operating in the shadow of the embraced child perspective? The results demonstrate that in the 1970s, the organization identified parents as the children’s main betrayers, but that the importance of child experts and child welfare professionals as advocates for children’s voices and opinions was gradually emphasized more. During the second period of study (2007–16) the need for increased resources and competences of child welfare professionals has been accentuated as welfare institutions such as school, social services and child and adolescent psychiatry are simultaneously seen as the cause of and key to children’s problems while the generational conflict between children and parents has been downplayed.
Inledning: Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift och svensk välfärd under ett kvartssekel
Authors: Swärd Hans
Published: July 2020

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Testosterone Acts Within the Medial Amygdala of Rats to Reduce Innate Fear to Predator Odor Akin to the Effects of Toxoplasma gondii Infection
Authors: Singh Dhiraj Kumar , Hari Dass Shantala Arundathi , Abdulai-Saiku Samira , Vyas Ajai
Published: July 2020

Rats infected with the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii exhibit a reduced aversion to cat odor. This behavioral change is thought to increase trophic transmission of the parasite. Infected male rats also show a greater testicular synthesis of testosterone and epigenetic change in arginine vasopressin within the medial amygdala. Here, we show that exogenous supply of testosterone within MeA of uninfected castrates recapitulates reduction in innate fear akin to behavioral change attributed to the parasite. We also show that castration post establishment of chronic infection precludes changes in fear and medial amygdala arginine vasopressin in the infected male rats. These observations support the role of gonadal hormones and pursuant neuroendocrine changes in mediating the loss of fear in the infected rats. This work also demonstrates that testosterone acting specifically within the medial amygdala sufficiently explains reduced defensive behaviors often observed during the appetitive component of reproductive behaviors.
Modelling and Simulation of Transpiration Cooling Systems for Atmospheric Re-Entry
Authors: Bandivadekar Deep , Minisci Edmondo
Published: July 2020

Aerothermodynamic heating is one of the primary challenges faced in progressing towards reliable hypersonic transportation. In the present study, the transpiration cooling method applied to the thermal protection system of re-entry vehicles is investigated. The complexity in analysing the incoming heat flux for re-entry lies not only in the extreme conditions of the flow but also in the fact that the coolant flow through the porous medium needs to be treated appropriately. While the re-entering spacecraft passes through various flow regimes, the peak conditions are faced only near continuum regime. Focusing on these conditions, traditional computational fluid dynamics techniques are used to model transpiration cooling for re-entry vehicles. In the current work, the open source CFD framework OpenFOAM is used to couple two different solvers iteratively and then analyse the thermal response for flow speed conditions typical of re-entry vehicles. Independent computations are performed using the explicit, loosely coupled procedure for high speed argon flow over a 2D axi-symmetrical cylindrical vehicle. The results presented indicate distinct heat flux drop along the surface of the cylindrical vehicle as a function of parameters such as coolant pressure and wall temperature.
Farmers’ Beliefs and Concerns about Climate Change: An Assessment from Southern Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alotaibi Bader Alhafi , Kassem Hazem S. , Nayak Roshan K. , Muddassir Muhammad
Published: July 2020

Climate change constitutes a major threat to agricultural production, food security, and natural resource management. Saudi Arabia is particularly susceptible to increasing temperatures and extreme climatic events, such as arid weather and drought. The purpose of this study is to assess farmers’ beliefs and concerns as regards climate change. Extensive interviews were conducted with 164 farmers in the Jazan region. Results revealed that 89.6% of the farmers believed that climate change is due to human activities and 93.3% believed that it is because of natural change. Seventy-five percent of the farmers were concerned about insects and 73% about the prevalence of weeds on their farms. Findings of cluster analysis revealed that farmers who are more likely to believe in climate change are more in agreement with the role of extension services in capacity building. Farmers’ beliefs about climate change were significantly influenced by membership of agricultural cooperatives, access to loans, use of extension services, age, farm size, and level of soil fertility. Access to loans was the only significant factor to explain the differences in farmers’ concerns. These results suggest the need for capacity-building activities targeted at improving farmers’ adaptability to manage climate variability.
Humic Substances Improve Vegetable Seedling Quality and Post-Transplant Yield Performance under Stress Conditions
Authors: Qin Kuan , Leskovar Daniel I.
Published: July 2020

Vegetable growers require vigorous transplants in order to reduce the period of transplant shock during early stand establishment. Organic media containing solid humic substances (HS) are amendments that have not been comprehensively explored for applications in containerized vegetable transplant production systems. In this study, HS (1% v/v) were applied to a peat-based growth medium to evaluate pre- and post-transplant growth modulation of four economically important vegetable species. Those were: pepper, tomato, watermelon, and lettuce. Seeding for all species was performed in two periods in order to evaluate their post-transplant yield performance under drought (water deficit vs. well-watered) and heat (hot vs. cool season) stresses. Compared with control, HS-treated plants had: (1) increased leaf and root biomass after transplanting due to faster growth rates; (2) lower root/shoot ratio before transplanting, but higher after 10 days of field establishment; and (3) increased root length and surface area. The negative effects of heat and drought stresses on crop yield were more prominent in control plants, while HS-treated transplants were able to mitigate yield decreases. The results clearly demonstrated the benefits of using solid HS as a management input to improve transplant quality in these crop species.
The Conical Stones Olive Oil Mill: Analysis through Computer-Aided Engineering
Authors: Rojas-Sola José Ignacio , De la Morena-De la Fuente Eduardo
Published: July 2020

This article analyzes an olive oil mill formed of four conical stones used in the milling of the olive. To this end, a study of computer-aided engineering (CAE) was carried out using the parametric software Autodesk Inventor Professional, consisting of a static analysis using the finite-element method (FEM) of the three-dimensional (3D) model of the mill under real operating conditions. The results obtained revealed that the conical stones mill was a very robust machine. When studying the assembly in the most unfavorable situation (blockage of one of its millstones), we observed that the element with the highest von Mises stress was the bearing nut, reaching a value of 263.9 MPa, which was far from the elastic limit of cast iron (758 MPa). On the other hand, the machine hardly presented any equivalent deformations or displacements that could jeopardize the operation as a whole. The maximum displacement obtained was 2.494 mm in the inertia flywheel, and the equivalent deformations did not reach 0.1% of the part dimension. Similarly, the element with the lowest safety coefficient (2.87) was the same bearing nut with the highest von Mises stress, although the next element with the second lowest safety coefficient had a value of 8.69, which showed that the set was clearly oversized. These results demonstrate the convenience of redesigning the set in order to resize some of its elements, and that they could have lower safety coefficients of between 2 and 4. After an initial analysis, the resizable elements would fundamentally be those related to the movement transmission system and the frame structure.
Improving the Red Color and Fruit Quality of ‘Kent’ Mango Fruit by Pruning and Preharvest Spraying of Prohydrojasmon or Abscisic Acid
Authors: Kumar Sudheeran Pradeep , Maurer Dalia , Feygenberg Oleg , Love Cliff , Alkan Noam
Published: July 2020

Pre-harvest application of prohydrojasmon (PDJ) or abscisic acid (ABA) induces the red color in fruits that were exposed to sunlight at the orchard. In this large-scale work, we evaluated the effect of two different pruning techniques of ‘Kent’ mango orchards, one leading to opening the orchard canopy to expose as much fruit as possible to sunlight, while the second pruning leads to square-shaped trees and subsequently reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the fruit. These two pruning methods were combined with preharvest spraying with prohydrojasmon (PDJ) or abscisic acid (ABA) using two different types of sprayers, i.e., regular and air-jet sprayer. Pruning the canopy of the orchards to open and closed trees exposed 80% or 30% of fruits to sunlight, respectively. Both of the application with air-jet and regular sprayers effectively covered the fruit without causing fruit detachment and damage to yield. Both the phytohormones (PDJ and ABA) application treatments induced red blush skin, red intensity, anthocyanin, and flavonoids, particularly in fruit grown outside the tree canopy in both open and closed trees. PDJ and ABA treatments exhibited marginally reduced acidity than the untreated control, while the brix was not affected much by any of the treatments. Besides these, exposure to sunlight and PDJ treatment also reduced postharvest decay and increased chlorophyll degradation and yellowing in comparison to the controls. This study promoted applicative evidence about the positive effects of exposure to sunlight, prohydrojasmon (PDJ), and abscisic acid (ABA) on red color development without compromising the mango fruit’s quality.
Comparative Study on Multiway Enhanced Bio- and Phytoremediation of Aged Petroleum-Contaminated Soil
Authors: Ptaszek Natalia , Pacwa-Płociniczak Magdalena , Noszczyńska Magdalena , Płociniczak Tomasz
Published: July 2020

Bioremediation and phytoremediation of soil polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are an effective and eco-friendly alternative to physicochemical methods of soil decontamination. These techniques can be supported by the addition of effective strains and/or surface-active compounds. However, to obtain maximum efficacy of bioremediation, the interactions that occur between the microorganisms, enhancement factors and plants need to be studied. Our study aimed to investigate the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from an aged and highly polluted soil (hydrocarbon content about 2.5%) using multiway enhanced bio- and phytoremediation. For this purpose, 10 enhanced experimental groups were compared to two untreated controls. Among the enhanced experimental groups, the bio- and phytoremediation processes were supported by the endophytic strain Rhodococcus erythropolis CDEL254. This bacterial strain has several plant growth-promoting traits and can degrade petroleum hydrocarbons and produce biosurfactants. Additionally, a rhamnolipid solution produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used to support the total petroleum hydrocarbon loss from soil. After 112 days of incubation, the highest PH removal (31.1%) was observed in soil planted with ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. cv. Pearlgreen) treated with living cells of the CDEL254 strain and rhamnolipid solution. For non-planted experimental groups, the highest PH loss (26.1%) was detected for soil treated with heat-inactivated CDEL254 cells and a rhamnolipid solution. In general, the differences in the efficacy of the 10 experimental groups supported by plants, live/dead cells of the strain tested and rhamnolipid were not statistically significant. However, each of these groups was significantly more effective than the appropriate control groups. The PH loss in untreated (natural attenuation) and soils that underwent phytoremediation reached a value of 14.2% and 17.4%, respectively. Even though the CDEL254 strain colonized plant tissues and showed high survival in soil, its introduction did not significantly increase PH loss compared to systems treated with dead biomass. These results indicate that the development of effective biological techniques requires a customized approach to the polluted site and effective optimization of the methods used.
Morphological Traits and Phenolic Compounds in Tunisian Wild Populations and Cultivated Varieties of Portulaca oleracea L.
Authors: Sdouga Dorra , Branca Ferdinando , Kabtni Souhir , Di Bella Maria Concetta , Trifi-Farah Neila , Marghali Sonia
Published: July 2020

This study aims to evaluate the bio-morphological and biochemical variability of three Tunisian wild populations and one growing cultivar of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.). The studied varieties should be easily distinguished by the color and the habitus of the plant as mentioned in literature, but the various analyses have shown a strong morphological heterogeneity within and among the wild and cultivated accessions as presented by the variance analysis test (ANOVA) and the PCA (Principal component analysis). We found high intrapopulation variability through the wild populations that make it hard to differentiate them only on the base of morphology. We analyzed the biochemical profile of those populations based on the analysis of freeze-dried samples of leaves and stems. We identified and quantified twelve different phenolic compounds by the HPLC-diode array detector (DAD) technique. Six phenolic acids and flavonoids were identified in the leaves and stems of the wild and cultivated populations. Sinapic acid and myricetin are the majors identified compounds through our samples. The results were significantly different in relation to the plant organs and to the geographic origin for most of the compounds. The obtained results highlighted the importance of Portulaca as a medicinal plant by showing its richness in phenols and flavonoids that have multi-medicinal effects besides their antioxidant power.
Drivers of Antibiotic Resistance Transmission in Low- and Middle-Income Countries from a “One Health” Perspective—A Review
Authors: Iskandar Katia , Molinier Laurent , Hallit Souheil , Sartelli Massimo , Catena Fausto , Coccolini Federico , Craig Hardcastle Timothy , Roques Christine , Salameh Pascale
Published: July 2020

Antibiotic resistance is an ecosystem problem threatening the interrelated human-animal-environment health under the “One Health” framework. Resistant bacteria arising in one geographical area can spread via cross-reservoir transmission to other areas worldwide either by direct exposure or through the food chain and the environment. Drivers of antibiotic resistance are complex and multi-sectoral particularly in Lower- and Middle-income countries. These include inappropriate socio-ecological behaviors; poverty; overcrowding; lack of surveillance systems; food supply chain safety issues; highly contaminated waste effluents; and loose rules and regulations. In order to examine the drivers of antibiotic resistance from a “one health” perspective, a literature review was conducted on three databases including PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. A total of 485 studies of potential relevance were selected, out of which 182 were included in this review. Results have shown that the aforementioned market failures are the leading cause for the negative externality of antibiotic resistance that extends in scope from the individual to the global ecosystem. Incremental and sustainable global actions can make the change, however, the problem will continue to prevail if governments do not prioritize the “One health” approach and if individual’s accountability is still denied in a world struggling with profound socio-economic problems.
Squalamine and Aminosterol Mimics Inhibit the Peptidoglycan Glycosyltransferase Activity of PBP1b
Authors: Boes Adrien , Brunel Jean Michel , Derouaux Adeline , Kerff Frédéric , Bouhss Ahmed , Touze Thierry , Breukink Eefjan , Terrak Mohammed
Published: July 2020

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential polymer of the bacterial cell wall and a major antibacterial target. Its synthesis requires glycosyltransferase (GTase) and transpeptidase enzymes that, respectively, catalyze glycan chain elongation and their cross-linking to form the protective sacculus of the bacterial cell. The GTase domain of bifunctional penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) of class A, such as Escherichia coli PBP1b, belong to the GTase 51 family. These enzymes play an essential role in PG synthesis, and their specific inhibition by moenomycin was shown to lead to bacterial cell death. In this work, we report that the aminosterol squalamine and mimic compounds present an unexpected mode of action consisting in the inhibition of the GTase activity of the model enzyme PBP1b. In addition, selected compounds were able to specifically displace the lipid II from the active site in a fluorescence anisotropy assay, suggesting that they act as competitive inhibitors.
Medicinal Plant Polyphenols Attenuate Oxidative Stress and Improve Inflammatory and Vasoactive Markers in Cerebral Endothelial Cells during Hyperglycemic Condition
Authors: Taïlé Janice , Arcambal Angélique , Clerc Patricia , Gauvin-Bialecki Anne , Gonthier Marie-Paule
Published: July 2020

Blood-brain barrier endothelial cells are the main targets of diabetes-related hyperglycemia that alters endothelial functions and brain homeostasis. Hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress may play a causal role. This study evaluated the protective effects of characterized polyphenol-rich medicinal plant extracts on redox, inflammatory and vasoactive markers on murine bEnd3 cerebral endothelial cells exposed to high glucose concentration. The results show that hyperglycemic condition promoted oxidative stress through increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, deregulated antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and altered expression of genes encoding Cu/ZnSOD, MnSOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) redox factors. Cell preconditioning with inhibitors of signaling pathways highlights a causal role of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), while a protective action of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on redox changes. The hyperglycemic condition induced a pro-inflammatory response by elevating NFκB gene expression and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion, and deregulated the production of endothelin-1 (ET-1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) vasoactive markers. Importantly, polyphenolic extracts from Antirhea borbonica, Ayapana triplinervis, Dodonaea viscosa, and Terminalia bentzoe French medicinal plants, counteracted high glucose deleterious effects by exhibiting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In an innovative way, quercetin, caffeic, chlorogenic and gallic acids identified as predominant plant polyphenols, and six related circulating metabolites were found to exert similar benefits. Collectively, these findings demonstrate polyphenol protective action on cerebral endothelial cells during hyperglycemic condition.
Perivascular Adipose Tissue as a Target for Antioxidant Therapy for Cardiovascular Complications
Authors: Man Andy W. C. , Zhou Yawen , Xia Ning , Li Huige
Published: July 2020

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is the connective tissue surrounding most of the systemic blood vessels. PVAT is now recognized as an important endocrine tissue that maintains vascular homeostasis. Healthy PVAT has anticontractile, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative roles. Vascular oxidative stress is an important pathophysiological event in cardiometabolic complications of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Accumulating data from both humans and experimental animal models suggests that PVAT dysfunction is potentially linked to cardiovascular diseases, and associated with augmented vascular inflammation, oxidative stress, and arterial remodeling. Reactive oxygen species produced from PVAT can be originated from mitochondria, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases, and uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase. PVAT can also sense vascular paracrine signals and response by secreting vasoactive adipokines. Therefore, PVAT may constitute a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize recent findings on PVAT functions, ROS production, and oxidative stress in different pathophysiological settings and discuss the potential antioxidant therapies for cardiovascular diseases by targeting PVAT.
DDS-Based Containment Control of Multiple UAV Systems
Authors: AL-Madani Basem , Elkhider Siddig M. , El-Ferik Sami
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we present a robust containment control design for multi Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (UAVs) based on the Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware and L 1 adaptive controller. The Data Distribution Service middleware, L 1 adaptive controller and graph theory technique are utilized for the navigation of the UAVs. The L 1 controller is utilized as a local controller for each UAVs and the graph theory approach is utilized to constitute the followers inside their leaders. Finally, the DDS Middleware is used to exchange data between the followers and their leaders. Robust adaptation of the L 1 controller makes the system robust with a high level of performance. Matlab simulation verified the robustness of the L 1 controller. We provide stability proofs using Lyapunov analysis for the UAVs framework.
Simulation of Lid-Driven Cavity Flow with Internal Circular Obstacles
Authors: Huang Tingting , Lim Hee-Chang
Published: July 2020

The Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has been applied for the simulation of lid-driven flows inside cavities with internal two-dimensional circular obstacles of various diameters under Reynolds numbers ranging from 100 to 5000. With the LBM, a simplified square cross-sectional cavity was used and a single relaxation time model was employed to simulate complex fluid flow around the obstacles inside the cavity. In order to made better convergence, well-posed boundary conditions should be defined in the domain, such as no-slip conditions on the side and bottom solid-wall surfaces as well as the surface of obstacles and uniform horizontal velocity at the top of the cavity. This study focused on the flow inside a square cavity with internal obstacles with the objective of observing the effect of the Reynolds number and size of the internal obstacles on the flow characteristics and primary/secondary vortex formation. The current LBM has been successfully used to precisely simulate and visualize the primary and secondary vortices inside the cavity. In order to validate the results of this study, the results were compared with existing data. In the case of a cavity without any obstacles, as the Reynolds number increases, the primary vortices move toward the center of the cavity, and the secondary vortices at the bottom corners increase in size. In the case of the cavity with internal obstacles, as the Reynolds number increases, the secondary vortices close to the internal obstacle become smaller owing to the strong primary vortices. In contrast, depending on the sizes of the obstacles ( R / L = 1/16, 1/6, 1/4, and 2/5), secondary vortices are induced at each corner of the cavity and remain stationary, but the secondary vortices close to the top of the obstacle become larger as the size of the obstacle increases.
Post-Developmental Roles of Notch Signaling in the Nervous System
Authors: Salazar Jose L. , Yang Sheng-An , Yamamoto Shinya
Published: July 2020

Since its discovery in Drosophila, the Notch signaling pathway has been studied in numerous developmental contexts in diverse multicellular organisms. The role of Notch signaling in nervous system development has been extensively investigated by numerous scientists, partially because many of the core Notch signaling components were initially identified through their dramatic ‘neurogenic’ phenotype of developing fruit fly embryos. Components of the Notch signaling pathway continue to be expressed in mature neurons and glia cells, which is suggestive of a role in the post-developmental nervous system. The Notch pathway has been, so far, implicated in learning and memory, social behavior, addiction, and other complex behaviors using genetic model organisms including Drosophila and mice. Additionally, Notch signaling has been shown to play a modulatory role in several neurodegenerative disease model animals and in mediating neural toxicity of several environmental factors. In this paper, we summarize the knowledge pertaining to the post-developmental roles of Notch signaling in the nervous system with a focus on discoveries made using the fruit fly as a model system as well as relevant studies in C elegans, mouse, rat, and cellular models. Since components of this pathway have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders in human, understanding the role of Notch signaling in the mature brain using model organisms will likely provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying these diseases.