bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mesophase behaviour of a cyanobiphenyl molecule in polar aprotic solvent: Rigidity effect
Authors:   Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, India, Nayak Suraj Kumar , Praveen P. Lakshmi ,   Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, India
Published: November 2020

In this paper, a theoretical study has been carried out on a liquid crystal compound named p-n-propyl cyanobiphenyl (3CB). The different modes of interaction energy values in a polar aprotic solvent (ethyl acetate) for small amount of translation and rotation are calculated. The corresponding probabilities have been calculated at both room temperature (300 K) and transition temperature (303.3 K). The rigidity parameter for stacking and in-plane interactions has been estimated and then the stability of molecule according to probability and rigidity at definite translation and rotation has been concluded. The change in the characteristics and stability of the compound at transition temperature has been observed. The dependence of mesophase behaviour with change in the certain configurations and orientation of the molecules have been discussed. These observed results provide an insight about the process of mesophase structure and its formation. The present compound may guide in establishing the other molecular models with transition temperature nearer to room temperature.
The influence of preparation factors on physical characteristics of chitosan nanoparticles
Authors:   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Ruslan Norra Shamiela , Mohtar Noratiqah ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Rahiman Siti Sarah Fazalul ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Mohd Gazzali Amirah ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia
Published: November 2020

Chitosan has been shown to have great potentials in various pharmaceuticals and biomedical applications, including drug delivery. Derived from chitin abundantly available in the shells of crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps, this naturally occurring polysaccharide is classified based on its molecular weight: low, medium or high. This study aimed to explore the production of chitosan nanoparticles (NP) and the influence of different factors on the physical properties of the NP produced. These factors were the concentrations of acetic acid, chitosan flakes and tripolyphosphate (TPP). The design of experiment (DoE) approach was used to determine the optimum conditions for the production of chitosan NP, with particle size (nm) and polydispersity index (PdI) being set as the responses. The chitosan flakes were solubilised in acetic acid at a specific concentration determined by the DoE before dropwise addition of TPP in an ice bath. The mixture was stirred at room temperature and subsequently centrifuged to remove the unformed materials, and then was spray-dried into powder. The size, surface charge, shape and morphology of the particles produced were characterised and infrared analysis was conducted. The results showed that the particles were spherical, slightly positively charged (ζ-potential: +2.89 at pH 7) and the infrared analysis displayed important peaks of the chitosan NP. The DoE results showed that not all combinations of parameters could produce NP; hence, determination of concentration for each parameter is essential. The equation produced by the DoE will be a useful guide to minimise error in this circumstance. In conclusion, the acetic acid and chitosan flakes concentrations were found to influence the particle size positively, whilst the increment in TPP concentration will adversely affect the particle size. Similar pattern of response was also observed for the PdI of the particles. The methods used in this study has successfully produced spherical particles, with evidence of interactions between TPP and chitosan in the NP as shown in the infrared spectrum.
Synthesis of 1ʹ-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) analogues and their inhibitory activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors:   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Anuar Nursyazwani , Mohamad Taib Mohamad Nurul Azmi ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Mohd Hanafiah Khayriyyah ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Al Shammary Aemen Ali Kudayr ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Shalan Nur Shazieyatul Nadiah ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Che Humaidi Siti Nur Izaty ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Awang Khalijah ,   University of Malaya, Malaysia
Published: November 2020

A series of 1ʹ-acetoxychavicol acetate analogues were synthesised and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using broth microdilution technique. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was used to determine whether the compounds had potential as inhibitory agents against the MRSA ATCC 43300, and the compounds with antimicrobial potential (<2000 μg ml–1) were tested for minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Based on this assay, compound 1 exhibited potent antimicrobial activity with MIC value of 250 μg ml–1. Meanwhile, compounds 2 and 13 showed the moderate activity with MIC values of 500 μg ml–1, respectively.
Antibacterial activity and essential oil composition of Calendula arvensis L.
Authors: SERVİ Hüseyin , VATANSEVER Cansu , DOĞAN Ahmet , MAJEED Vanya
Published: November 2020

Essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of Calendula arvensis L. were investigated. The essential oil of aerial part was obtained through hydro-distillation using a Clevenger type apparatus with 0.38 (v/w) yield. The essential oil components were determined by GC-MS analyses. Thirty-six components were identified in the essential oil that represented 91.8 % of the oil. The major components of the essential oil were δ-cadinene (14.8 %), epi-cubebol (10.7 %), α-cadinol (8.5 %), cubenol (7.7 %), cubebol (7.2 %), 1-epi-cubenol (5.4 %) and ledene (5.1 %). Antibacterial activity of essential oil was observed against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 by using a broth microdilution. The essential oil showed weak inhibitory activity against E. coli and B. cereus at 8 mg/mL. The oil didn‘t show any antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. These results revealed that the oil was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes as well as had a weak antimicrobial activity.
RP-HPLC-UV Analysis of the Phenolic Compounds, Antimicrobial Activity Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria and Antioxidant Activity of Fruit and Seed of Diospyros lotus L.ctivity of Fruit and Seed of Diospyros lotus L.
Authors: AKAR Zeynep , KARAKURT Aylin , OKUMUŞ Funda , CİNEMRE Sedanur , ÖZAD DÜZGÜN Azer , AKAR Bülent , CAN Zehra
Published: November 2020

The object of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial activity and phenolic compounds of fruit and seeds of Diospyros lotus L. The fruits consumed by humans as nutrients were harvested from the plants that grow naturally in the province of Trabzon-Akçaabat, Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. The antioxidant activities of fruit and seeds of Diospyros lotus were determined by using four methods (% DPPH radical scavenging activity, FRAP antioxidant power determination, CUPRAC reducing antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) in five different proportion of methanol-water extracts. All extracts of fruit and seeds of D. lotus analyzed through whole antioxidant analysis methods showed significant antioxidant activity. In addition, antimicrobial activity of fruit and seeds extracted with DMSO was determined against seven standard bacteria and three multi-drug resistance clinical strains. Although fruit extracts did not have the antimicrobial activity against bacteria, seeds showed antimicrobial effect to both standard strains (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) and antibiotic resistance clinical isolates (Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying blaKPC, Acinetobacter baumannii, harboring blaOXA-23 gene and resistance to colistin, and multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa). MICs’ value of plant seed extracts for standard strains was 0.75-25 mg/mL and antibiotic resistant clinical bacteria were 12.5 and 25 mg/mL. Additionally, phenolic compounds in methanol extracts of fruit and seeds were also determined in by HPLC using 19 standards. Gallic acid and chrysin phenolic compounds were the major phenolic compounds in fruit and seeds, respectively.
Social School of Human Resource Management: Succession and Synthesis of Ideas
Authors: Ivanova Elena Igorevna , Poliakov Valerii Anatolevich
Published: November 2020

Functioning of the organization in conditions of high uncertainty of the external environment increases the requirements for the creative and search nature of the Manager's activities. The article examines the current social schools of human resource management, from the classical school to the empirical school of scientific management, from formal organizational concepts to sociological models of interaction between generations in the process of activity. Synthesis of various theoretical approaches, its application in practice, allows managers to adapt to new conditions of life, improve the efficiency of management and staff performance.
Application of a Correctional and Developmental Program for the Formation of Cognitive Interest in Younger Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Russian Language Lessons
Authors: Dapyian Aiana Mal oolovna
Published: November 2020

The article is devoted to the issue of forming cognitive interest in younger students with intellectual disability. The issue is present not only among children with intellectual disability, but it is with them that it is most difficult to form it, since in primary school age these children still have a predominant play activity, as a result of which children with intellectual disability have distorted conception about the world around them. Intellectually disabled students tend to have a superficial acquaintance with any subject, as a result of which it is quite difficult for them to analyze and synthesize, so their perception and understanding also suffers. The correctional program presented in the article has a mission to eliminate these problems and help children in the formation of correct cognition.
The Concepts of the Newest Anthropology: a Review on the Monograph by N.N. Rostova “The Human Problem in Modern Philosophy”. M.: Prospect, 2020
Authors: Riabchun Natalia Petrovna
Published: November 2020

N. N. Rostova's monograph is considered in the review as an actual textbook for the study of philosophical anthropology in the system of higher and secondary professional education. Of particular interest in this monograph is a critical understanding of the latest Western concepts that have appeared in the last two decades and have not yet been reflected in textbooks on philosophical anthropology. These are speculative realism, nature anthropology, poststructuralist anthropology, evolutionary psychology, and philosophical horror. The article compares classical and post-non-classical concepts of man, his nature, essence, life purpose and place in the universe. Modern anthropology can be called anti-anthropology, because it denies human exclusivity, reduces man either to the organic world – animals, plants and microbes, or to the inorganic world – digital technologies.
Strategies for Preparing Different Types of Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles in Targeted Tumor Therapy
Authors: Zhuang Yong , Zhao Yiye , Wang Bingyue , Wang Qi , Cai Tiange , Cai Yu
Published: November 2020

At present, cancer is one of the most common diseases in the world, causing a large number of
deaths and seriously affecting people's health. The traditional treatment of cancer is mainly surgery, radiotherapy
or chemotherapy. Conventional chemotherapy is still an important treatment, but it has some shortcomings,
such as poor cell selectivity, serious side effects, drug resistance and so on. Nanoparticle administration can improve
drug stability, reduce toxicity, prolong drug release time, prolong system half-life, and bring broad prospects
for tumor therapy. Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs), which combine the advantages of polymer
core and phospholipid shell to form a single platform, have become multi-functional drug delivery platforms.
This review introduces the basic characteristics, structure and preparation methods of LPNs, and discusses targeting
strategies of LPNs in tumor therapy in order to overcome the defects of traditional drug therapy.
Cytokine Analysis in Patients with Different Stages of Thromboangiitis Obliterans
Authors: Shapouri-Moghaddam Abbas , Afshari Seyed Jalil Tavakkol , Saeed Modaghegh Mohammad-Hadi , Rahimi Hamid Reza , Mahmoudi Mahmoud , Fayazi Mojtaba , Ehteshamfar Seyed Morteza
Published: November 2020

Background:

Studies suggest that cytokines are involved in the development
of both inflammatory disorders and vascular diseases.

Objective:

The changes in transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), interleukin 6 (IL6),
tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interferon γ (IFNγ) with the progression of the
thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) symptoms were investigated in this research.

Methods:

This study included 80 patients with TAO, who were selected from the
Vascular and Endovascular Research Center in Alavi Hospital, from the year 2012 to
2016. They were then categorized into three groups: Mild (migratory thrombophlebitis,
cold sensitivity or Raynaud's phenomenon, and skin discoloration), moderate (chronic
ulcers, claudication, and burning pain of the feet at night), and severe (pain at rest and
spontaneous gangrene) symptoms. The serum levels of TGFβ, IL6, TNFα, and
IFNγwere determined by the ELISA method and compared among the groups.

Results:

The first three predominant symptoms were pulse disorder (n = 76, 95.00%),
cold intolerance (n = 61, 76.25%), and claudication (n = 59, 73.75%). A comparison of
the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that both TGFβ and IL6 were
dysregulated as the severity of the symptoms increased from the moderate to the severe
stages; however, such changes were not significant (p > 0.05). In the multiple logistic
regression model, increased TNFα levels were seen in the presence of moderate
symptoms as compared to the severe ones (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

It could be concluded that TNFα, as part of the defining cytokineproduction
profile of T helper cells, can be significantly involved in the progression of
TAO from the moderate to the severe stages.
Novel MicroRNA Binding Site SNPs and the Risk of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC): A Case-Control Study
Authors: Gilyazova Irina R. , Beeraka Narasimha M. , Klimentova Elizaveta A. , Bulygin Kirill V. , Nikolenko Vladimir N. , Izmailov Adel A. , Gilyazova Gulshat R. , Pavlov Valentin N. , Khusnutdinova Elsa K. , Somasundaram Siva G. , Kirkland Cecil E. , Aliev Gjumrakch
Published: November 2020

Background:

Renal cell carcinoma represents 3% of all adult malignancies. MicroRNAs
exhibit specific functions in various biological processes through their interaction with cellular
mRNA involved in apoptosis and cell cycle control. Recent studies have reported the potential
association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA-binding sites of VHL-HIF1α
pathway genes with renal cancer development and progression.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to investigate the SNPs invoking an alteration in the nature
of interaction with miRNA binding sites of VHL-HIF1α pathway genes.

Methods:

Total 450 cases of histologically and clinically verified ccRCC and 490 controls were included
in our study. Genotyping was performed using a TaqMan PCR allelic discrimination
method. Kaplan-Meier method of statistical analysis was implemented to analyze the overall patient
survival rate.

Results :

Polymorphism rs10491534 in TSC1 gene was significantly associated with the risk of developing
advanced ccRCC. Allele G of rs1642742 in VHL gene was significantly prevalent in ccRCC
compared with the control group aged 55 and older (OR = 1.5566; CI [1.1532-2.1019]). Results
from the dominant model combining individuals with AG or AA genotype showed that the A
allele bearers of CDCP1 rs6773576 exhibited a higher risk of death compared to GG carriers (HR
3.93, 95% CI 1.76-17.21, log-rank P = 0.0033).

Conclusion:

The present study delineated the association of miRNA binding site variants in VHL-
HIF1α pathway genes with the ccRCC risk, which may affect the clinical outcomes.
2, 4, 5-Trideoxyhexopyranosides Derivatives of 4’-Demethylepipodophyllotoxin: De novo Synthesis and Anticancer Activity
Authors: Lu Yapeng , Zhu Li , Cai Rui , Li Yu , Zhao Yu
Published: November 2020

Background:

Podophyllotoxin is a natural lignan which possesses anticancer and antiviral
activities. Etoposide and teniposide are semisynthetic glycoside derivatives of podophyllotoxin and
are increasingly used in cancer medicine.

Objective:

The present work was aimed to design and synthesize a series of 2, 4, 5-trideoxyhexopyranosides derivatives of
4’-demethylepipodophyllotoxin as novel anticancer agents.

Methods:

A divergent de novo synthesis of 2, 4, 5-trideoxyhexopyranosides derivatives of 4’-demethylepipodophyllotoxin
has been established via palladium-catalyzed glycosylation. The abilities of synthesized glycosides to inhibit the growth of
A549, HepG2, SH-SY5Y, KB/VCR and HeLa cancer cells were investigated by MTT assay. Flow cytometric analysis of
cell cycle with propidium iodide DNA staining was employed to observe the effect of compound 5b on cancer cell cycle.

Results:

Twelve D and L monosaccharides derivatives 5a-5l have been efficiently synthesized in three steps from various
pyranone building blocks employing de novo glycosylation strategy. D-monosaccharide 5b showed highest cytotoxicity on
five cancer cell lines with the IC50 values from 0.9 to 6.7 mM. It caused HepG2 cycle arrest at G2/M phase in a concentration-dependent manner.

Conclusion:

The present work leads to the development of novel 2, 4, 5-trideoxyhexopyranosides derivatives of 4’-
demethylepipodophyllotoxin. The biological results suggested that the replacement of the glucosyl moiety of etoposide with
2, 4, 5-trideoxyhexopyranosyl is favorable to their cytotoxicity. D-monosaccharide 5b caused HepG2 cycle arrest at G2/M
phase in a concentration-dependent manner.
Tin as an Emerging Surrogate for Lead-free Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Shyma Arunkumar Prabhakaran , Grace Andrews Nirmala , Raghavan Vimala , Jacob George , Sellappan Raja
Published: November 2020

Perovskite-based photovoltaic technology has gained significant attention owing to its tunable
electrical and optical properties. Among them, lead-based perovskites are considered as the most
efficient one that delivers maximum power conversion efficiency with ample stability. In the current
scenario, the perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) can be classified into two main categories, i.e. highly
efficient lead-containing and underperforming lead-free based. Even though lead-based PSCs delivers
high efficiency, it loses the charm in the context of lead toxicity. The toxicity issue related to lead
stands as a barrier to the commercialization of lead-based PSCs. To date, various materials have been
prepared and implemented as an alternative to lead in the absorber layer. Tin (Sn) based perovskites
are explored as an alternative absorber material owing to their photovoltaic properties that are comparable
to lead. Tin-based perovskites exhibit some drawbacks, such as rapid crystallization, lack of oxidation
stability, etc. Many research groups have addressed the problems regarding tin-based perovskites
and modified its structural and morphological aspects through compositional engineering and
functional additives and managed to obtain an efficiency of around 10%. In this review, we portray the
state of the art developments of tin-based PSCs and their future perspectives.
Importance of Multiple Reinforcing Comments and Areas for Change in Optimizing Dietary and Exercise Self-Monitoring Feedback in Behavioral Weight Loss Programs: Factorial Design
Authors: Krukowski Rebecca , Kim Hyeonju , Stansbury Melissa , Li Qian , Sen Saunak , Farage Gregory , West Delia
Published: November 2020

Background

Individualized dietary and physical activity self-monitoring feedback is a core element of behavioral weight loss interventions and is associated with clinically significant weight loss. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated individuals’ perspectives on the composition of feedback messages or the effect of feedback composition on the motivation to self-monitor.

Objective

This study aims to assess the perceptions of feedback emails as a function of the number of comments that reinforce healthy behavior and the number of areas for change (ie, behavioral changes that the individual might make to have an impact on weight) identified.

Methods

Emailed feedback followed a factorial design with 2 factors (ie, reinforcing comments and areas for change), each with 3 levels (ie, 1, 4, or 8 comments). A total of 250 adults with overweight or obesity who were interested in weight loss were recruited from the Qualtrics research panel. Participants read 9 emails presented in a random order. For each email, respondents answered 8 questions about the likelihood to self-monitor in the future, motivation for behavioral change, and perceptions of the counselor and the email. A mixed effects ordinal logistic model was used to compute conditional odds ratios and predictive margins (ie, average predicted probability) on a 5-point Likert response scale to investigate the optimal combination level of the 2 factors.

Results

Emails with more reinforcing comments or areas for change were better received, with small incremental benefits for 8 reinforcing comments or areas for change versus 4 reinforcing comments or areas for change. Interactions indicated that the best combination for 3 of 8 outcomes assessed (ie, motivation to make behavioral changes, counselor’s concern for their welfare, and the perception that the counselor likes them) was the email with 8 reinforcing comments and 4 areas for change. Emails with 4 reinforcing comments and 4 areas for change resulted in the highest average probability of individuals who reported being very likely to self-monitor in the future.

Conclusions

The study findings suggest how feedback might be optimized for efficacy. Future studies should explore whether the composition of feedback email affects actual self-monitoring performance.
Informal and Formal Peer Teaching in the Medical School Ecosystem: Perspectives From a Student-Teacher Team
Authors: Tong Anson Hei Ka , See Christopher
Published: November 2020

These personal views, drawn from the experiences of a medical student and a medical school lecturer, advocate caution of the current trend for formal adoption of peer teaching into medical school curricula. Using a metaphor from physics, we highlight the need for cautious deeper exploration of the informal world of peer-teaching in medical schools, which is a complex part of the educational ecosystem, prior to incorporating such activities into faculty-led initiatives. We support a measured approach to the introduction of compulsory peer-teaching activities given the recognized theoretical and pedagogical benefits.
Rapid Implementation of Video Visits in Neurology During COVID-19: Mixed Methods Evaluation
Authors: Saliba-Gustafsson Erika A , Miller-Kuhlmann Rebecca , Kling Samantha M R , Garvert Donn W , Brown-Johnson Cati G , Lestoquoy Anna Sophia , Verano Mae-Richelle , Yang Laurice , Falco-Walter Jessica , Shaw Jonathan G , Asch Steven M , Gold Carl A , Winget Marcy
Published: November 2020

Background

Telemedicine has been used for decades. Despite its many advantages, its uptake and rigorous evaluation of feasibility across neurology’s ambulatory subspecialties has been sparse. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted health care systems worldwide to reconsider traditional health care delivery. To safeguard health care workers and patients, many health care systems quickly transitioned to telemedicine, including across neurology subspecialties, providing a new opportunity to evaluate this modality of care.

Objective

To evaluate the accelerated implementation of video visits in ambulatory neurology during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used mixed methods to assess adoption, acceptability, appropriateness, and perceptions of potential sustainability.

Methods

Video visits were launched rapidly in ambulatory neurology clinics of a large academic medical center. To assess adoption, we analyzed clinician-level scheduling data collected between March 22 and May 16, 2020. We assessed acceptability, appropriateness, and sustainability via a clinician survey (n=48) and semistructured interviews with providers (n=30) completed between March and May 2020.

Results

Video visits were adopted rapidly; overall, 65 (98%) clinicians integrated video visits into their workflow within the first 6 implementation weeks and 92% of all visits were conducted via video. Video visits were largely considered acceptable by clinicians, although various technological issues impacted their satisfaction. Video visits were reported to be more convenient for patients, families, and caregivers than in-person visits; however, access to technology, the patient’s technological capacity, and language difficulties were considered barriers. Many clinicians expressed optimism about future utilization of video visits in neurology. They believed that video visits promote continuity of care and can be incorporated into their practice long-term, although several insisted that they can never replace the in-person examination.

Conclusions

Video visits are an important addition to clinical care in ambulatory neurology and are anticipated to remain a permanent supplement to in-person visits, promoting patient care continuity, and flexibility for patients and clinicians alike.
A Live Video Mind-Body Treatment to Prevent Persistent Symptoms Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Greenberg Jonathan , Singh Tanya , Iverson Grant L , Silverberg Noah D , Macklin Eric A , Parker Robert A , Giacino Joseph T , Yeh Gloria Y , Vranceanu Ana-Maria
Published: November 2020

Background

Every year, approximately 42 million people sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI, also known as concussion), with particularly high rates among college-aged individuals. A substantial proportion of these people (44%-64%) develop persistent symptoms that are challenging to treat, costly, and associated with significant disability. Anxiety has emerged as a risk factor for progression from acute to persistent mTBI symptoms.

Objective

This study aims to develop, adapt, and establish the feasibility of the Toolkit for Optimal Recovery after Concussions (TOR-C), an innovative mind-body program aimed at preventing persistent symptoms among young adults with mTBI and comorbid anxiety. Here, we describe the proposed study design, methodology, measurement, and treatment manuals.

Methods

In phase 1, we will conduct individual, live video qualitative interviews (up to n=20) with college-aged individuals with mTBI and comorbid anxiety to inform adaptation of the intervention and study procedures. In phase 2, an open pilot of the live video TOR-C (n=5) with exit interviews will be conducted to explore the initial feasibility, acceptability, and credibility of the program and to refine the study procedures. Phase 3 will involve conducting a feasibility randomized controlled trial (N=50) of the TOR-C versus a health education control (Health Enhancement for Concussions; HE-C), both delivered via live video, to establish feasibility of recruitment procedures (screening, eligibility, and enrollment) and data collection; feasibility, credibility, and acceptability of the live video TOR-C and HE-C (adherence, retention, fidelity, and satisfaction) following prespecified benchmarks; and a signal of improvement in outcomes.

Results

Phase 1 of the study has been approved by the Massachusetts General Hospital Institutional Review Board. Study completion is anticipated by early 2025.

Conclusions

We will develop and test the first mind-body intervention focused on prevention of persistent symptoms following mTBI in young adults with comorbid anxiety problems. This will allow us to establish feasibility markers in postconcussive symptoms, anxiety, disability, and fear avoidance to inform a future efficacy trial of the TOR-C versus HE-C.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/25746
Measurement of Semantic Textual Similarity in Clinical Texts: Comparison of Transformer-Based Models (Preprint)
Authors: Yang Xi , He Xing , Zhang Hansi , Ma Yinghan , Bian Jiang , Wu Yonghui
Published: November 2020

BACKGROUND

Semantic textual similarity (STS) is one of the fundamental tasks in natural language processing (NLP). Many shared tasks and corpora for STS have been organized and curated in the general English domain; however, such resources are limited in the biomedical domain. In 2019, the National NLP Clinical Challenges (n2c2) challenge developed a comprehensive clinical STS dataset and organized a community effort to solicit state-of-the-art solutions for clinical STS.

OBJECTIVE

This study presents our transformer-based clinical STS models developed during this challenge as well as new models we explored after the challenge. This project is part of the 2019 n2c2/Open Health NLP shared task on clinical STS.

METHODS

In this study, we explored 3 transformer-based models for clinical STS: Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), XLNet, and Robustly optimized BERT approach (RoBERTa). We examined transformer models pretrained using both general English text and clinical text. We also explored using a general English STS dataset as a supplementary corpus in addition to the clinical training set developed in this challenge. Furthermore, we investigated various ensemble methods to combine different transformer models.

RESULTS

Our best submission based on the XLNet model achieved the third-best performance (Pearson correlation of 0.8864) in this challenge. After the challenge, we further explored other transformer models and improved the performance to 0.9065 using a RoBERTa model, which outperformed the best-performing system developed in this challenge (Pearson correlation of 0.9010).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated the efficiency of utilizing transformer-based models to measure semantic similarity for clinical text. Our models can be applied to clinical applications such as clinical text deduplication and summarization.
Saudi EFL learners’ Perceptions of The Use of Corpora in Academic Writing Teaching
Authors: Alsolami Turki , Alharbi Assrar
Published: November 2020

The study explores Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions of the effect of applying corpus-based approach as a pedagogical approach on academic writing instruction. The purpose of the study is to evaluate students’ perspectives towards using corpus-based activities on their academic writing learning, more precisely, their lexico-grammatical abilities. In the study, seven female preparatory year students at an intermediate language proficiency level participated. Learners were asked to compose written tasks during three weeks using corpus tools. To explore learners’ attitudes, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results of the interviews suggest that learners have positive attitudes towards the corpus-based approach to their academic writing performance. Based on the results of the interviews, four themes were found to be recurrent in learners’ responses, which are: Increasing Learners’ Confidence as EFL Writers, Fostering learners’ Language Awareness, Providing Availability of Input, and Promoting Learners’ Autonomy.
Utilización de subproductos agroindustriales para la bioadsorción de metales pesados
Authors: Sanchez-Silva Jonathan M. , González-Estrada Ramsés R. , Blancas-Benitez Francisco J. , Fonseca-Cantabrana Ángel
Published: November 2020

La contaminación por metales pesados es un problema que afecta a los ambientes acuáticos y terrestres, y cuya principal fuente son las actividades antrópicas. Para atender este problema, la comunidad científica ha desarrollado métodos físico-químicos para la remoción de metales pesados en efluentes contaminados: sin embargo, la mayoría no son económicamente favorables, ya que presentan elevados costos de operación y mantenimiento, además de que algunos generan residuos difíciles de manejar. Sin embargo, existe un método de bajo costo, altamente eficiente y sin formación de contaminantes secundarios, denominado bioadsorción. La bioadsorción utiliza subproductos agroindustriales con el objetivo de utilizar la excesiva generación de estos residuos como bioadsorbentes, para la remoción de metales pesados en aguas residuales. La utilización de subproductos agroindustriales como bioadsorbentes ha mostrado ser una alternativa para su aprovechamiento, consecuentemente, México tiene potencial en la producción de bioadsorbentes. El objetivo de esta revisión es proporcionar información sistematizada del método de remoción de metales pesados por bioadsorción a través del uso de subproductos agroindustriales.
Penyelesaian Perkara Pelanggaran Hak atas Merek
Authors: Adiputra I Gede Mahendra Juliana , Widiati Ida Ayu Putu , Ujianti Ni Made Puspasutari
Published: November 2020

The existence of competition causes the original brand owner to feel disadvantaged because the sales result has decreased. It is permissible for someone to use another party's mark as long as they ask permission from the trademark owner first. The owner can give trademark rights to other people as agreed in an agreement. The formulation of the problem in this research is as follows: how is the legal protection of trademark rights and how to resolve violations of trademark rights. The research method used in this research is normative legal research. The results of the discussion in this study are as follows: Legal protection of the right to a trademark has been regulated by Law Number 20 of 2016 concerning Trademarks and Geographical Indications, in the provisions of the Law it is expressly stated that if it has been registered in the law that the right to a trademark has been protected. The sanction imposed on the perpetrator of the crime of trademark rights is a fine of Rp. 20,000,000, - (twenty million rupiah) on condition that if the fine is not paid, he will be subject to imprisonment for 6 (six) months. Settlement of trademark cases can be carried out through institutions that can be used to resolve trademark disputes, including: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration and Courts. Alternative dispute resolution wants the disputing parties to resolve their own dispute with the aim of obtaining a mutual agreement, if the agreement fails, can take arbitration, namely the disputing parties to be able to resolve the dispute to the arbitration institution based on the agreement, furthermore, if the arbitration is successful the last action is through the court, namely the commercial court which has the authority to adjudicate trademark disputes.
The Expressive Illocutionary Acts Found in Webtoon True Beauty and Their Translation into Indonesian
Authors: Muliawati Ni Wayan Pering , I Nyoman Sedeng  , Ida Ayu Made Puspani
Published: November 2020

The research is aimed to find the expressive of illocutionary acts found in the comic and analyze the technique of translation implemented by the translator while translating comic ‘True Beauty’. The data used to support all the analysis for this study were taken from the Webtoon comic entitled ‘True Beauty’ with its translation into Indonesian ‘Secret of Angel’ of season 1. Even though the title in Indonesian is in English, but all conversation in the comic is in Indonesian. Documentation method was used in this study by reading the data source attentively and doing note-taking. This research was designed using qualitative method, and the result of analysis was descriptively explained. The theory supporting this study was proposed by Leech (1993) illocutionary speech act, theory of translation technique written by Molinda and Albir, and ethnography of SPEAKING proposed by Hymes (2009). The results of this study showed that there were 47 expressive illocutionary acts found in the comic. the expressive illocutionary act forms found were: thanking with 23 data, apologizing with 13 data, surprising with 5 data, dislike with 2 data, congratulating with 4 data. the translation technique employed by the translator were; literal translation (37), particularization (6), modulation (3), and discursive creation (1).
Translation of Weiman Kou’s ‘Corona Virus’ Comic into Indonesian: Covid-19 Prevention Educational Strategy
Authors: Umiyati Mirsa , Susanthi I Gusti Ayu Agung Dian
Published: November 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic having been spreading throughout the world has resulted in the emergence of various literary works with the aim of educating the wider community on how to anticipate it. One form of literary work helping educate and is well responded to by the community, especially school-aged children, is comics. Comics are very effective in attracting people to listen and read since the information is conveyed in attractive pictures and in easily digestible language. The comics written are translated into various languages ​​so that people in the regions and speakers of other languages ​​can receive the messages conveyed through the comics in question. Identifying the advantages of comics in educating the prevention of Covid-19 around the world, this research focuses on examining the process of translating a comic by Weiman Kou into Balinese. Translation is an effective way to develop learning, not only in college but also in the wider community environment. This study examines the procedure for translating comics by graduate students of linguistics. The results showed that the comic was translated by literal, calque, and borrowing procedures. In order to achieve quality translation results, it is suggested that translating does not only apply three types of procedures but also many other types of procedures, including communicative and idiomatic procedures. By applying these procedures, the message conveyed is perceived the same to both the source language reader and the target language reader.
Does Problem-Based Learning Affect Students’ Speaking Skill and Attitude toward ELL?
Authors: Sutrisna Gede , Luh Putu Artini
Published: November 2020

As a typical learning method which is grounded from a scientific approach, problem-based learning (PBL) does not only enhance students’ critical thinking but also helps them actively construct their knowledge and skill. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of PBL on (1) students’ speaking skill and (2) their attitude toward ELL. This study employed an embedded mixed-method design which combined one-group pretest-posttest and descriptive qualitative design. It involved a group of 41 students as the sample. The quantitative data were collected through pretest-posttest and questionnaire (closed-ended). Meanwhile, the qualitative data were obtained through observation and open-ended questionnaire. The findings of the study found that students demonstrated better speaking performance after being treated through PBL activities. Besides, they exhibited more positive behavioral, cognitive, and affective attitude toward ELL.
An Analysis of Pronunciation Errors Made by Medical Students at S&I Learning Centre
Authors: Maharani Ida Ayu , Pastika I Wayan , Indrawati Ni Luh Ketut Mas
Published: November 2020

This study discusses about pronunciation errors made by medical students at S&I Learning Centre. The study aims to describe the types of pronunciation errors found in students' utterances using descriptive qualitative method. The subject are medical students at S&I Learning, meanwhile the object of this exploration are students' utterances in English. The data was collected through audio recording and then those was analysed by using theory proposed by Corder by classifying errors into three types. The results show that the sorts of pronunciation errors created by medical student and 2) the cause of pronunciation errors produced by medical students. Students’ pronunciation errors are also classified into three types. Those are interference errors, intralingual errors, and developmental errors. In speaking, teacher and students had their effect to each other. The teacher has duties to assess and address the error of students by addressing the errors produced by learners permanently, particularly at the time when they drilled and practiced the correct pronunciation in speaking skill. In addition, students too should be more dynamic in surveying and correcting the pronunciation themselves. They have to create and improve their pronunciation capacity by appreciating the hypothetical about legitimate phonological. In accordance with this reason, it is necessary to apply an appropriate learning model to reduce pronunciation errors produced by students.
Impact of Public Debt, Deficit and Debt Financing on Private Investment in a Large Country: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Kia Amir
Published: November 2020

This paper analyses the direct impact of fiscal variables on private investment. The current literature ignores one or more fiscal variables and, in many cases, the foreign financing of debt. In this paper, an aggregate investment function for an economy in which firms incur adjustment costs in their investment process is developed. The developed model incorporates the direct impact of government expenditure, public debt and investment, deficits and foreign-financed debt on private investment. The model is tested on US data. It is found that public investment does not have any impact on private investment, but government expenditure, deficit, debt and foreign-financed debt crowd out private investment over the long run. However, deficit crowds in the private investment over the short run.
Solução de Academic Analytics focado em Instituições Comunitárias de Ensino Superior
Authors: Paz Fábio Josende , Cazella Silvio Cézar
Published: November 2020

O ambiente educacional está cada vez mais complexo e competitivo, muitos dados são gerados e necessitam ser tratados e interpretados com competência e agilidade. Nesse sentido, esse artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma solução de Academic Analytics para apoiar a gestão de Instituições Comunitárias de Ensino Superior. A pesquisa teve abordagem exploratória e interpretativa. O método de pesquisa focou na prototipação. Inicialmente foi realizada uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura para identificar publicações acadêmicas focadas em Learning Analytics e Academic Analytics com foco em gestão acadêmica, por fim foi desenvolvido um protótipo de um sistema de Academic Analytics integrando técnicas de Learning Analytics, onde são apresentados indicadores importantes as Instituições Comunitárias de Ensino Superior organizados em painéis de fácil acesso, visualização e entendimento, evidenciando as possibilidades de apoio a gestão acadêmica.
Vantagens, dificuldades e reflexos dos dispositivos móveis na educação
Authors: Almeida Felipe Gustavo Vieira de , Silva Wellington Blender Palheta , Castro Caren Vanessa Pinheiro de , Sales Reinaldo Eduardo da Silva
Published: November 2020

Mesmo com o grande potencial de comunicação que os dispositivos móveis possuem, na educação eles ainda têm sido pouco usados pelos professores. Por isso, investigou-se as vantagens, dificuldades e reflexos destes dispositivos na educação. Participaram da pesquisa 22 alunos do curso de técnico em informática do Instituto Federal do Pará. Utilizou-se a abordagem quanti-qualitativa, de caráter exploratório com a aplicação de questionários em uma atividade em sala de aula, com o uso dos celulares em um jogo construído a partir das métricas da gamificação e conteúdo de uma das disciplinas do curso. O emprego das tecnologias móveis foi apontado como vantajoso para 90% dos alunos, e a gamificação deixou a aula mais interessante para 95% da turma. Os dispositivos móveis aliados a gamificação influenciaram positivamente no aprendizado trazendo benefícios para as atividades acadêmicas, como maior interesse, autonomia e criatividade dos estudantes.
Decifrando o “Trump tropical”: análise das percepções dos think tanks dos Estados Unidos sobre a eleição e o governo Bolsonaro
Authors: Wietchikoski Luciana , Svartman Eduardo
Published: November 2020

Desde a campanha eleitoral, o presidente brasileiro Jair Bolsonaro emula a retórica e iniciativas do presidente estadunidense Donald Trump e proclama o alinhamento do Brasil com os Estados Unidos. Diante deste realinhamento, o presente artigo avalia as percepções através das quais o novo governo brasileiro tem sido caracterizado em Washington, particularmente junto aos think tanks dedicados à política internacional. Estas organizações da sociedade civil, cuja produção ideacional visa influenciar a opinião pública e a formulação de políticas públicas, desempenham papel importante na difusão de narrativas a respeito do Brasil nos meios político, econômico, midiático e acadêmico estadunidense. Utilizando a metodologia da análise de conteúdo, demostra-se que, a despeito da aposta do governo brasileiro no alinhamento com os Estados Unidos e da acolhida inicialmente positiva do governo Donald Trump, a produção ideacional a respeito do novo presidente, sua agenda doméstica e política externa tem sido mais crítica do que elogiosa.
Neuroimaging findings and risk factors for neurologic toxicity after hematopoietic stem cell transplant in children
Authors: Duke Elizabeth , Lehman Leslie , Ullrich Nicole
Published: November 2020

Neurologic complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
in children are poorly described, but may contribute to morbidity and
mortality. We retrospectively reviewed 261 patients who underwent
allogeneic or autologous HSCT, of whom 57 had brain magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) post-transplant, and subsequently identified indications
for imaging and determined correlation of findings with neurologic
symptoms. Approximately half of imaging studies were done to investigate
new neurologic symptoms; of those, 1/3 had acute findings on MRI that
correlated with symptoms. Imaging done in patients at risk for
neurologic processes but without active neurologic symptoms did not
demonstrate acute or actionable findings.
SILENT CHALLENGE. EARLY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT FAILURE AND CARDIOMYOPATHY.
Authors: Santana-Estupiñán Raquel , Valga Francisco , Marco Maria del Val Groba , Quevedo-Reina Juan Carlos , Bongiovanni David , Rodríguez-Pérez José Carlos
Published: November 2020

Differentiation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotypes is challenging
but crucial for appropriate management. We report a case of myocardial
oxalate deposition as an unfrequent cause of infiltrative
cardiomyopathy.