bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Samenzicht kweken in beleidsteams via visualiserend vergaderen
Authors: van Aarle Edward , Korzilius Hubert , Kroondijk Lyan , Munnich Quirine , Stultiens Hubertien
Published: March 2022

Visually supported consensus building in policy teams

During meetings, policy teams run the risk of producing false consensus and personal conflicts. Asserting one’s own viewpoint often reduces hearing those of others. Changing this requires developing recognition of the perspective of other team members, without depreciating one’s own. We aimed to study the effect of visualizing team members’ views of a problematic situation and their proposed policy approaches. We explored the feasibility of a network diagram visualization method, by assessing team members attitude towards it, expectations about the policy progress and its influence on their mental representation of the policy problem at hand. A field trial was conducted in two policy teams in two non-profit organizations: one healthcare and one financial. In both cases, we compared the newly developed visualization method with meeting as usual. Open and semi-structured interviews were used to collect team members’ views. The qualitative and quantitative analyses showed enhanced mental representations by means of visualization and positive ratings of both the method and its expected effect on consequent policy quality. In conclusion, the results warrant substantive investment into further large-scale research as to sample size, time window, and into its generalizability towards collaborative governance.
De veranderende rol van provincies bij de uitvoering van hun beleid voor maatschappelijke betrokkenheid bij natuur
Authors: de Boer Tineke , van Doren Didi , Kamphorst Dana , Bouwma Irene
Published: March 2022

The changing role of provinces in the implementation of their policy for social engagement with nature

Promoting societal engagement with nature is an important policy ambition of Dutch nature policy. This article provides an overview of how the provinces together with stakeholders have shaped their policy to increase the societal engagement of citizens with nature in recent years. The goals and governance modes embedded in the policy programs were analyzed, and results and experiences of the various involved parties with the policy were reviewed. Based on a national review and in dept study of three cases, this article describes different regional approaches for increasing societal engagement. In addition it discusses the recent developments within this policy field.

The analysis shows that provinces pursue different goals with societal engagement. It is both a policy goal in itself – provinces would like to increase the number of citizens involved – as well as a means of achieving a broader range of other goals (welfare, health, quality of life, shared responsibility, funding, support for nature policy). Provinces use different governance modes; they act as responsive and increasingly networking government. They use various policy instruments; financial support for initiatives and intermediaries, network building and communication. Furthermore, the analysis shows that past experiences have shaped provinces’ governance mode and that these are adapted accordingly. A shift is noted from leaving the initiative with communities to more direct facilitation by the government. Also governing based on performance, linked to new public management, is on the rise, as there is increasing demand for accountability of provincial expenditure.
Ethisch leiderschap: een onderzoek naar de rol van leiderschap bij ethische dilemma’s over datagebruik bij gemeenten
Authors: Zwanikken Pauline , Ruijer Erna
Published: March 2022

Ethical leadership: a study into the role of leadership in ethical dilemmas about data use in municipalities

The increasing datafication of society brings both opportunities and ethical dilemmas for public organisations. The aim of this research (in Dutch municipalities) is to gain insight into how ethical leadership can support professionals in a public organisation with ethical dilemmas about data use. Based on literature on data and ethical leadership, the authors have developed a conceptual model that indicates how an ethical leader can provide intrinsic and extrinsic support. The model was tested on the basis of 16 vignette interviews with municipal public professionals who work on providing insight into and combating subversion with data. Their findings show that ethical leaders can intrinsically provide support by being trustworthy and independent, leading by example, communicating about ethics and data use, and empowering others. In addition, ethical leaders can provide extrinsic support with ethical tools, such as ethical codes on data use, an ethics committee and training.
Geschiedenis van de (lokale) bestuurswetenschappen: bestuurskunde en rechtswetenschap
Authors: Reussing Rik
Published: March 2022

History of (local) administrative sciences: Public Administration and legal science

From 1964 (until 1990 globally) political science would become the dominant approach within the (local) administrative sciences in the Netherlands. This position took over from the legal approach. During this period, the concepts of politics, policy and decision-making were central to research and theory formation. In the period since 1990, we have seen a broader perspective emerging on institutions, management and governance in which Public Administration will increasingly profile itself as an independent discipline. This essay harks back to the importance of the legal approach for (local) administrative sciences from the time of the man who is regarded in the Netherlands as the founder of the discipline of Public Administration: Gerrit van Poelje. More specifically, the author addresses the question of the relationship between Public Administration and legal science in the more than one hundred years of (local) administrative science. After Gerrit van Poelje (his dissertation from 1914 is an important milestone in that history), the author discusses eleven other key persons who have made their own contribution to that history at various universities based on their legal expertise (in the broad senseHe concludes the essay with a brief discussion of the relevance of law and legal science for the future of public administration (the field) and Public Administration (the discipline).
Fragmentação socioespacial, espaço público e hip hop: as batalhas de MCs em Ribeirão Preto/SP
Authors: Roxo Rafael , Góes Eda Maria
Published: March 2022

O presente artigo busca analisar a produção e a apropriação de espaços públicos a partir das práticas espaciais de jovens associados ao hip-hop, na cidade de Ribeirão Preto, SP. No contexto de aumento das desigualdades e da diferenciação socioespacial, que implicam novas segmentações e o crescimento das fronteiras materiais e simbólicas no espaço urbano, o uso combinado de espaços públicos centrais e periféricos associado às redes sociais virtuais, relativos às práticas espaciais dos coletivos hip-hop, aparecem como resposta à fragmentação socioespacial no sentido do restabelecimento do direito à cidade. A produção de novas centralidades e a reapropriação da cidade pelo hip-hop indica a formação de microordens no espaço urbano que atribuem novos significados e disputas acerca da relação centro-periférica e ao processo de fragmentação socioespacial em curso nas cidades.
Cartografia Escolar: oficinas didáticas sobre alfabetização e letramento cartográfico para a formação inicial de professores de Geografia
Authors: Silva Guilherme Moreira da , Batista Natália Lampert , Petsch Carina
Published: March 2022

Este trabalho tem como objetivo geral relatar oficinas pedagógicas sobre Alfabetização e Letramento Cartográfico para dar suporte pedagógico na formação inicial de professores de Geografia. A metodologia foi dividida em quatro oficinas. Na primeira, realizou-se uma reflexão teórica sobre o tema e na segunda, terceira e quarta oficinas, houve a aplicação de atividades práticas por parte dos ministrantes e dos participantes. Os participantes além de apresentarem atividades práticas sobre a temática, debateram aspectos sociais e políticos de seu espaço de vivência. Por meio das respostas dos participantes, concluiu-se que as oficinas apresentaram resultados positivos ao processo de formação docente, contribuindo como suporte didático e metodológico para futuras práticas em sala de aula, e potencialidade de aplicação em diversos contextos de formação inicial de professores de Geografia.
A geografia das exportações de produtos têxteis e de confecções no norte de Minas Gerais
Authors: Pereira Luiz Andrei Gonçalves , Santos Letícia Gonçalves Silva
Published: March 2022

A flexibilidade da produção e do consumo de produtos têxteis e de confecções ampliou as relações comerciais por meio das importações e exportações de insumos e de produtos acabados nos mercados globais. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar as dinâmicas espaciais das estruturas produtivas que viabilizaram as exportações de produtos têxteis e de confecções de empresas localizadas nos municípios da região norte de Minas Gerais, no período de 1997 a 2020. Na metodologia, utilizaram-se a revisão bibliográfica, a coleta e análise de dados secundários disponibilizados pelo Trad Map e pelo Comex Stat. Na (re)configuração espacial, focou-se no processo de surgimento, expansão, consolidação e de exportação de produtos das indústrias têxteis nos mercados mundiais. No norte de Minas Gerais, as exportações de produtos têxteis e de confecções se concentraram em oito municípios os quais conseguiram inserir os seus produtos nos mercados internacionais, principalmente dos Estados Unidos e Argentina.
Intervenção nas universidades: Cortes de verbas e imposições legais
Authors: Azevedo Sandra de Castro de , Fernandes Roberto Mauro da Silva , Cruz Abigail Bruna da
Published: March 2022

A autonomia da universidade garantida por meio da lei, está sendo ameaçada e esse processo se intensifica em um governo de extrema direita que se manifesta publicamente contra as universidades públicas e contra o servidor público. Para auxiliar na compreensão deste contexto, esse texto abordará a expansão do ensino superior no Brasil que se inicia em 2005 para evidenciar como a mudança do bloco do poder no governo, modifica o projeto e inicia uma política de intervenção nas universidades, seja por meio de cortes de verbas que inviabilizam muitas ações e também a intervenção por meio de políticas públicas aprovadas em forma de diretrizes e editais que atacam a autonomia da universidade. Para exemplificar esse movimento será feita uma análise pautada nos cursos de licenciatura que apresentam uma complexidade por estar vinculados a profissões desvalorizadas socialmente e financeiramente e que normalmente são oferecidas no período noturno para atender os alunos da classe trabalhadora que são provenientes de uma educação pública deficitária. A profissão docente é um espaço de disputa onde se enfrentam os defensores de uma formação ampla do profissional pautada em elementos que valorizam uma visão humana e emancipadora e os defensores de uma formação técnica que atende o mercado. No cenário político atual essa visão técnica está vencendo a disputa e está sendo imposta por meio da BNC-Formação que é uma Diretriz de formação de professores que impõem elementos relacionados a organização curricular e a avaliação dos cursos. A autonomia da universidade está ameaçada por diretrizes e editais que destinam verbas para esses cursos, desde que os mesmos atendam às exigências que estão articuladas. Diante deste cenário é importante estar atento e organizar estratégias de enfrentamento.
Análise Pluviométrica do município de Poços de Caldas-MG usando a metodologia de Anos-Padrão
Authors: Andrade Matheus Lima de , Oliveira Thomaz Alvisi de , Santos Bruno César dos , Vieira Gabriel Flora , Andrade Allan Carlos de
Published: March 2022

O padrão climático de um dado local é influenciado por inúmeros fatores e elementos, que podem ser tanto naturais ou antrópicos. Os fatores e elementos naturais estão relacionados à expressão da topografia, à localização, ao posicionamento latitudinal, à presença de tipos vegetacionais característicos entre outros. Os elementos antrópicos são aqueles que, de alguma forma, alteram esse padrão climático, emissão de gases do efeito estufa. O município de Poços de Caldas contextualizado no Sul do estado de Minas Gerais apresenta particularidades relacionadas ao meio físico que impõem diferenciações climáticas importantes quando comparadas àquelas verificadas nos municípios circunvizinhos. A altimetria elevada com a presença de serras, o posicionamento latitudinal e a localização interiorizada, ou seja, mais distante da costa interferem na distribuição dos totais pluviométricos mensais e anuais bem como nas médias de temperatura. Sob essa ótica de análise, foi desenvolvido um estudo com o objetivo de identificar a habitualidade atmosférica do município nos últimos anos com base na metodologia de anos-padrão, analisando a precipitação a partir dos dados disponibilizados numa série de 16 anos disponibilizados pela Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio - CBA e Departamento Municipal de Água e Esgoto - DMAE. Os resultados obtidos permitem destacar a delimitação de dois comportamentos atmosféricos, sendo o primeiro com constância pluviométrica, ou seja, onde a habitualidade é confirmada na média histórica, e o outro, com oscilação, exposto neste estudo através dos anos extremos que estão relacionados a eventos extremos de chuva ou seca.
Pix2pix network for fingerprint texture image synthesis
Authors: Cordeiro Jader dos Santos Teles , Saito José Hiroki
Published: March 2022

GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) were proposed to generate realistic synthetic images. In this work, we will discuss the use of GANs as alternative reconstruction of different fingerprint images from the original ones. The samples result in the same person fingerprint but obtained with other textures. Thus, it is intended to contribute to improving the method to increase databases with new samples, incorporating textures, when the quantities are insufficient for any purpose. To verify the similarity of the synthesized images with the original ones, a convolutional Xception network and the RMSE metric are used. The results obtained with fingerprint images of 3 persons, 20 of each finger, and 4 different textures, showed the tradeoff between similarity, recognizability, and the number of epochs of the Pix2pix training.
Coffee plant image segmentation and disease detection using JSEG algorithm
Authors: Dias Jeferson de Souza , Saito José Hiroki
Published: March 2022

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, and then there are many challenges to maintain the high quality and purity of the beans. Thus, it is important to study coffee plants, and help agronomists to detect diseases, such as rust, with resources of computer science. In this work, it is described experiments using image segmentation algorithm JSEG, which is capable to segment images in multi-scale. Using a coffee tree image database RoCoLe (Robusta Coffee Leaf Images), the JSEG algorithm is used to segment these images in four scales. It is selected typical segments in each scale and they are grouped using similarity of normalized color histograms. In this way the several scales segmentations are compared. It is concluded that the segments in scales 1 and 2, in which the colors are more homogeneous then in scales 3 and 4, are adequate to use as training samples for the detection of rust diseases.
Facial Expression Recognition to Aid Visually Impaired People
Authors: Silva João Marcos , Silva Romuere , Veras Rodrigo , Aires Kelson , Britto Neto Laurindo
Published: March 2022

Facial expression recognition systems can help a visually impaired person to identify the emotions of the person with whom she interacts, assisting in her non-verbal communication. Among the various researches carried out in recent years on recognition of facial expressions, the best results obtained come from methods that use deep learning, mainly with the use of convolutional neural networks. This work presents a literature review on the problem of recognition of facial expressions, through the use of convolutional neural networks and proposes two approaches in which the first one uses pre-trained CNN models together with the Linear SVM classifier that, applied to the bases CK+ and JAFFE data, obtained maximum accuracy of 89.6% and 95.7%, respectively. And in the second approach, a CNN model built from scratch is used with the CK+ and FER2013 databases, which obtained accuracy rates of 85% and 65.8%, respectively.
A Proposed Analysis and Digital Image Processing For Indication of Tailings Dam Failure
Authors: Lima Fernando Paim , Mendes Bruna , Pimenta José Luis , Lima Paloma Oliveira Maira
Published: March 2022

Due to the recent accidents with ore tailings dams in Brazil, many researchers have been interested in alternatives to minimize the impact of such disasters. This paper proposes a method for analysis of surveillance images related to Córrego do Feijão mine dam, located in the city of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The method uses digital image processing and computer vision algorithms to obtain an indication of the moment of its rupture. The results found show that the technique is relevant to the identification of dam rupture. The methodology in this paper can be used to develop autonomous monitoring solutions for the purpose of failure warning, which might provide time for people to take refuge in higher places before being reached by the slurry wave.
Pavement Crack Segmentation using a U-Net based Neural Network
Authors: Galina Raido Lacorte , Melo Thadeu Pezzin , Komati Karin Satie
Published: March 2022

Cracks on the concrete surface are symptoms and precursors of structural degradation and hence must be identified and remedied. However, locating cracks is a time-consuming task that requires specialized professionals and special equipment. The use of neural networks for automatic crack detection emerges to assist in this task. This work proposes one U-Net based neural network to perform crack segmentation, trained with the Crack500 and DeepCrack datasets, separately. The U-Net used has seven contraction and seven expansion layers, which differs from the original architecture of four layers of each part. The IoU results obtained by the model trained with Crack500 was 71.03%, and by the model trained with DeepCrack was 86.38%.
The interference of optical zoom in human and machine classification of pollen grain images
Authors: Borges Felipe Silveira Brito , Balta Juliana Velasques , Roghanian Milad , Gonçalves Ariadne Barbosa , Alvarez Marco , Pistori Hemerson
Published: March 2022

Palynology can be applied to different areas, such as archeology and allergy, where it is constantly growing. However, no publication comparing human classifications with machine learning classifications at different optical scales has been found in the literature. An image dataset with 17 pollen species that occur in Brazil was created, and machine learning algorithms were used for their automatic classification and subsequent comparison with humans. The experiments presented here show how machine and human classification behave according to different optical image scales. Satisfactory results were achieved, with 98.88% average accuracy for the machine and 45.72% for human classification. The results impact a single scale pattern for capturing pollen grain images for both future computer vision experiments and for a faster advance in palynology science.
Patch-Based Model for the Classification of Soybean Leaf Diseases
Authors: S. Gustavo Vigilato G. , Cavalcanti Pablo G.
Published: March 2022

The disease detection is vital to increase the productivity and quality of soybean cultivation and this detection is usually carried out in a laboratory, which is time consuming and costly. To overcome these issues, there is a growing demand for technologies that aim at a faster detection and classification of diseases. In this context, this work proposes the extraction of several patches from a leaf image and combining a convolutional neural network with a support vector machine, we present a complete model for the classification of soybean leaf diseases. In this approach, an image dataset with evidence of diseases commonly observed in soybean crops was analyzed and our experiments achieved precisions greater than 90%.
Automatic Segmentation and ROI detection in cardiac MRI of Cardiomyopathy using q-Sigmoid as preprocessing step
Authors: Coltri Eduardo , Costa Gabriel S. Figueredo , Silva Kelvin Lins , Martim Pedro Zigante , Bergamasco Leila Cristina C.
Published: March 2022

The growth of data volume is a reality in all such as segments of our society. Despite of personalized experiences, accurate and fast information, new challenges had arisen. For healthcare industry, for example, it was noted an increase of radiologists workload which may cause visual fatigue and, consequently, errors during diagnosis. intelligence was pointed as an option to support Artificial physicians analysis and reduce the visual fatigue. Thus, this paper focus on the proposal of a novel strategy to enhance cardiac magnetic resonance images (MRI) and automatically detect their region-of-interest (ROI) using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Our object of study is the disease of Cardiomyopathy and the desirable ROI is the left ventricle from axial slices. We evaluated q-Sigmoid performance using it as a preprocessing step and validate the results through modified CNNs: U-Net and ResNet.
This Article Corrects: “Persistent and Widespread Pain Among Blacks Six Weeks after MVC: Emergency Department-based Cohort Study”
Authors: Beaudoin Francesca , Zhai Wanting , Merchant Roland , Clark Melissa , Kurz Michael , Hendry Phyllis , Swor Robert , Peak David , Pearson Claire , Domeier Robert , Ortiz Christine , McLean Samuel
Published: March 2022

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This Article Corrects: “Toxicologic Exposures in California Emergency Departments in 2011 and Its Risk Factors”
Authors: Lotfipour Shahram , Au Connie , Saadat Soheil , Bruckner Tim , Singh Parvati , Chakravarthy Bharath
Published: March 2022

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Effect of Magnetohydrodynamic on Cutaneous Wound Healing in Rat Model
Authors: Safari Mohammad Reza , Karimkhan-Zand Mani , Fakhraei Nahid , Mohammadi Fatemeh , Nili Fatemeh , Eivazi Faranak , Norouzi Javidan Abbas , Khodaei Akbar , Dehpour Ahmad Reza
Published: March 2022

Background: Exogenous electrical stimulation of the skin may mimic its endogenous bioelectric currents. In this study, a combination of direct current (DC) and magnetic field (MF) was investigated in an excision wound model in rats. Methods: A circular wound was created on the posterior of the neck, and an electrode was fixed in the wound center. Rats were divided into sham, DC (600 µA), MF (~0.8 T), and magnet-direct current (MDC) groups. The study was conducted in 14 days with 20-min treatment daily. Results: The DC and MDC groups had higher healing percentages (P < 0.01) with mean differences of -13.42 and -15.63, respectively. Direct current on days 2, 5, and 6, and MDC on days 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 showed higher wound closing. In the DC-treated group, angiogenesis was improved on day 7. In MDC-treated rats, angiogenesis and fibroplasia were improved on day 13. The MF and MDC groups had lower granulation thicknesses on day 7. Granulation thickness increased on day 13 in the MF and MDC groups, while it decreased in the DC group. Direct current treatment improved healing in the first half of the study period, whereas MDC enhanced it in the second half, overtaking DC. From day 7, the magnet group's healing started to overtake the control group slightly in the last four days. Conclusions: To accelerate wound healing, we suggest applying DC in the first days of wounding and MDC in the following days.
Second record and new locality of the Bulgarian endemic species Insignia macrostoma Angelov, 1972 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) – more than 40 years after its description
Authors: Georgiev Dilian
Published: March 2022

One shell of Insignia macrostoma Angelov, 1972 without an operculum was found on 10 Dec 2011 in cave river deposits of the Toplya cave, Bulgaria, Stara Planina Mts., near the village of Golyama Zhelyazna. It is the second finding of this species after more than 40 years and a new locality.
Měkkýši národní přírodní památky Kopičácký rybník (střední Čechy) [Molluscs of the Kopičácký rybník National Nature Monument (Central Bohemia)]
Authors: Beran Luboš , Škodová Jana
Published: March 2022

The habitat diversity of the Kopičácký rybník National Nature Monument (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) contains a pond with littoral vegetation and nearby fens, and surrounding Molinia meadows. The first malacological records originate from a short visit in 2004 when an abundant population of Vertigo angustior was found there. A detailed research during 2005–2012 resulted in the discovery of Anisus vorticulus, a critically endangered freshwater snail species. This local small population is even more worthy of a specific protection management as the site seems to be one of the last refugees of this species in the Czech Elbe Basin.
Participation in a Culturally Grounded Program Strengthens Cultural Identity, Self-esteem, and Resilience in Urban Indigenous Adolescents
Authors: Hunter Amanda , Carlos Mikah , Muniz Felix B. , Leybas Nuño Velia , Tippeconnic Fox Mary Jo , Carvajal Scott , Lameman Breanna , Yuan Nicole
Published: March 2022

Culturally grounded after-school programs (ASPs) aim to promote health and well-being among Indigenous youth. Native Spirit is a 10-session ASP that focuses on local cultural values and activities facilitated by local cultural practitioners. This pilot study used a single group, pretest-posttest design (N = 18) with Indigenous adolescents in grades 7-12 and conducted participant interviews (N = 11) to assess the impact of the program on cultural identity, self-esteem, and resilience. There were immediate post-program increases in mean strength in cultural identity (p = 0.002), resilience (p = 0.161), and self-esteem (p = 0.268). Themes related to benefits of program participation included curiosity and commitment to cultural identity, increases in self-esteem, and ability to build resilience. This study provides new insights on the relationship between cultural engagement and adolescent health.
valuating the Impact of a Culturally Sensitive Art Program on the Resilience, Perceived Stress, and Mood of Urban American Indian Youth
Authors: Pepic Vesna , McWilliams Suzanne , Shuler Shaylynne , Williamson Heather J. , Secakuku Aaron
Published: March 2022

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth face a history of adversity and trauma that are linked to academic and health concerns. Culturally grounded art-based interventions hold promise to address challenges faced by AI youth. AI culture and wisdom can evoke a sense of capability in youth that strengthens their resilience. This study sought to evaluate a culturally oriented art therapy curriculum on its impact on resilience, stress, and mood for AI youth (n = 36). A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare the perceived stress scores of the participants before and after a 12-week art intervention. There was a significant decrease in participant perceived stress between the pre (M = 16.7, SD = 4.7) and post conditions (M = 20.4, SD = 4.6); t (24) =, -3.5 p = 0.002). A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare the mood of each participant before and after each instance of art activity to see if there was a self-reported change in mood. There was a significant improvement in participant mood in 10 out of 11 of the intervention weeks. Although no statistically significant change was found in participant resilience, participants in this study did report high levels of resilience. This study provides promising evidence that a culturally salient after-school art curriculum program can reduce stress and improve mood for urban AI youth.
Romera, J. e Yllera, A. (eds.), Investigaciones semióticas III. Retórica y Lenguajes. Actas de III Simposio Internacional de AES, Madrid: UNED, 1990, 2 vols.
Authors: Maestro Jesús G.
Published: March 2022

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María Angeles Rodríguez González: Lenguaje de signos. Madrid: Confederación Nacional de Sordos de España/Fundación ONCE. 1992
Authors: Dietrick Deborah
Published: March 2022

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Análisis formal de la Historia Apolloni Regis Tyri
Authors: Fernández-Savater Martín María Victoria
Published: March 2022

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Ética y determinismo en el pensamiento de Georg Lukács (Sobre la relación entre la sociedad y la literatura)
Authors: Wahnón Sultana
Published: March 2022

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Trigonometry and the World Water Crisis
Authors: Fox Courtney , DeJarnette Anna
Published: March 2022

This full unit in trigonometry introduces the world water crisis. Students engage in real-world problem-solving activities that access 21st-century skills while learning mathematics.
“Ideas for Establishing Lesson-Study Communities”
Authors: Takahashi Akihiko , Yoshida Makoto , Gottlieb Introduction by: Dewey
Published: March 2022

From the Archives highlights articles from NCTM’s legacy journals, as chosen by leaders in mathematics education.
Inflow turbulence effects on large eddy simulations of the flow around an axisymmetric hill
Authors: Bose Rikhi , Simiu Emil
Published: March 2022

Turbulent flow around an axisymmetric hill at Reynolds number Re H ? 1.3 10 5 with respect to the hill height is studied using resolved large-eddy simulations (LES). The purpose of the paper is to examine the effect of turbulence in the inflow boundary condition on the flow around the hill. To this end LES simulations were performed for the following inflow boundary conditions: (i) mean turbulent boundary-layer profile obtained experimentally, and (ii) unsteady turbulent velocity profiles from a precursor LES, with the mean profile of the precursor LES forced to agree with experimental results, all other flow parameters in the two simulations being identical. Comparisons with reliable experiments available in the literature showed that the flow, in particular the complex separation dynamics in the lee-side of the hill, is sensitive to the inflow boundary condition. It was found that the mean flow and turbulence statistics in the turbulent-inflow simulation are in good agreement with the experimental results both upstream and downstream of the hill. However, the steady-inlet simulation yields a thicker and longer separation region than was observed experimentally. Consequent recovery of the flow downstream is also delayed where an inner vortex rotating in the same direction accompanies an outer vortex in either side of the midspan plane; the inner vortex pair is not obtained in either the experiment or the turbulent-inflow simulation. Despite these significant discrepancies, the upstream-side flow and the separation location for both simulations are in reasonably good agreement with the experiment. This can be attributed to the fact that the pressure gradient set by the geometry dictates the separation initiation through the formation of an internal layer. Incoming turbulence in a simulation suppresses the separated shear layer by increasing the near-wall velocity gradient, thereby causing early reattachment as in the experiment.
Sentiment Analysis of German Texts in Finance: Improving and Testing the BPW Dictionary
Authors:   University of Bayreuth, Pöferlein Matthias
Published: March 2022

Using the dictionary-based approach to measure the sentiment of finance-related texts is primarily focused on English-speaking content. This is due to the need for domain-specific dictionaries and the primary availability of those in English. Through the contribution of Bannier et al. (2019b), the first finance-related dictionary is available for the German language. Because of the novelty of this dictionary, this paper proposes several reforms and extensions of the original word lists. Additionally, I tested multiple measurements of sentiment. I show that using the edited and extended dictionary to calculate a relative measurement of sentiment, central assumptions regarding textual analysis can be fulfilled and more significant relations between the sentiment of a speech by a CEO at the Annual General Meeting and subsequent abnormal stock returns can be calculated.
Gastrointestinal Tract Lymphoma
Authors: Ahn Ji Yong
Published: March 2022

The gastrointestinal tract is the most common site of extranodal lymphoma, and more than 95% of gastrointestinal lymphoma cases are of the non-Hodgkin type. The stomach is the primary site of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and more than 98% of primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) cases are diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. Because PGL usually presents with nonspecific clinical symptoms and various endoscopic features, its diagnosis is mainly dependent on histopathologic findings. Chemotherapy is the first-line treatment choice for gastric DLBCL, whereas Helicobacter pylori eradication is the primary treatment for gastric MALT lymphoma. However, some cases of gastric adenocarcinoma resemble PGL endoscopically, complicating treatment decisions. There are various types of gastrointestinal lymphomas, such as natural killer T-cell, lymphomatous polyposis, mantle cell, follicular, immunodeficiency-related gastrointestinal, and Hodgkin. These can invade the small and large intestines. Although these lymphomas are rare, clinical outcomes differ among these types. Therefore, it is necessary for endoscopists to distinguish the clinical and endoscopic findings of the different lymphomas on biopsy to improve diagnostic accuracy.
Towards a component-based system model to improve the quality of highly configurable systems
Authors: Abbasi Tehseen , Hafeez Yaser , Asghar Sohail , Hussain Shariq , Yang Shunkun , Ali Sadia
Published: March 2022

Due to ever-evolving software developments processes, companies are motivated to develop desired quality products quickly and effectively. Industries are now focusing on the delivery of configurable systems to provide several services to a wide range of customers by making different configurations in a single largest system. Nowadays, component-based systems are highly demanded due to their capability of reusability and restructuring of existing components to develop new systems. Moreover, product line engineering is the major branch of the component-based system for developing a series of systems. Software product line engineering (SPLE) provides the ability to design several software modifications according to customer needs in a cost-effective manner. Researchers are trying to tailor the software product line (SPL) process that integrates agile development technologies to overcome the issues faced during the execution of the SPL process such as delay in product delivery, restriction to requirements change, and exhaustive initial planning. The selection of suitable components, the need for documentation, and tracing back the user requirements in the agile-integrated product line (APL) models still need to improve. Furthermore, configurable systems demand the selected features to be the least dependent. In this paper, a hybrid APL model, quality enhanced application product line engineering (QeAPLE) is proposed that provides support for highly configurable systems (HCS) by evaluating the dependency of features before making the final selection. It also has a documentation and requirement traceability function to ensure that the product meets the desired quality. Two-fold assessments are undertaken to validate the suggested model, with the proposed model being deployed on an active project. After that, we evaluated the proposed model performance and effectiveness using after implementing it in a real-world environment and compared the results with an existing method using statistical analysis. The results of the experimental study proofs that the proposed model is practically and statistically significant as compared to the existing method in terms of effectiveness and participants’ performance. Hence, the statistical results of the comparative analysis show that the proposed model improved ease of understanding and adaptability, required effort, high-quality achievement, and version management are significant i.e., more the 50% as compared to the exiting method i.e., less than 50%. The proposed model offers to assist in the development of a highly configurable system that achieves the needed quality. Therefore, the proposed model manages the variation identification, versions control, components dependency for correct selection of components, and validation activities from domain engineering to application engineering.
Perception, knowledge, and attitude of medical doctors in Saudi Arabia about the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Alyahya Danah , Kashoo Faizan Z.
Published: March 2022

Objectives

There is compelling scientific evidence about the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation. However, patients with vestibular-associated dizziness and balance disturbances are seldom referred to physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to achieve insight into perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and referral practices among Saudi Arabian medical doctors relating to the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation.

Methods

A sample of 381 medical doctors practicing in Saudi Arabia participated in this nationwide cross-sectional study. The sample was obtained from 226 hospitals across 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia by stratified sampling method. The 23-item questionnaire developed by a team of experts was emailed to medical doctors practicing in various hospitals across Saudi Arabia.

Results

Out of 1,231 medical doctors invited, 381 medical doctors responded, giving a response rate of 30.9%. One hundred ninety-three (50.6%) medical doctors reported managing patients with vestibular rehabilitation. The most preferred specialist for managing patients with vestibular disorders was an Ear Nose Throat (ENT) specialist (n = 173, 89.6%). Related Sample Cochran’s Q test showed statistically significant difference between preferred specialist for managing patients with vestibular disorders (ENT specialists, physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists and audiologists) (χ2(4) = 482.476,p = 0.001). Out of 193 medical doctors, 153 (79.2%) reported no role of the physiotherapist in vestibular rehabilitation. One hundred forty-five (75.1%) of medical doctors reported that they were not aware of the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation. Only 27 (15.5%) medical doctors reported referring patients with vestibular disorders to physiotherapists.

Conclusion

The study reports that physiotherapy services are underutilized in vestibular rehabilitation due to limited referral from Saudi Arabian medical doctors. Therefore, there is a need to increase the awareness among Saudi Arabian doctors about the physiotherapist’s role in vestibular rehabilitation.
Association between MRI Findings and Histopathological Examination in Carcinoma Cervix: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Yogaraj . , Kumaran .
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Staging of cervical cancer plays a major role in the treatment and prognosis of the patients. Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is widely reviewed as a method to stage cervical cancer. Aim: To evaluate the role of MRI in the staging of cervical cancer in correlation with Histopathological Examination (HPE). Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational hospital- based study was done on 48 patients with Carcinoma Cervix attending the Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamilnadu. The patients, who had undergone MRI (on 1.5 Tesla Unit) of abdomen and pelvis from June 2018 to July 2019 were included in the study. Tumour location, size, vaginal, parametrial extension, pelvic sidewall involvement, pelvic and retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, spread to adjacent pelvic organs and distant organs following retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy were reviewed from reports, and histopathology reports were analysed. International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging was done for all the cases. HPE findings and MRI findings were assessed for correlation. IBM SPSS version 22.0 was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive analysis was carried out, and values were represented as mean with standard deviation for quantitative variables, frequency and proportion for categorical variables. Results: The mean age was 54.46±9.29 years. The majority 42 (87.5%) of the patients had Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix on HPE. The majority 23 (47.91%) of the patients had stage IB carcinoma of the cervix. MRI revealed pelvic lymphadenopathy in 04 (8.33%) of cases, pelvic lymph nodal metastasis was seen in 02 (4.16%) of the HPE cases. Conclusion: MRI is useful in staging of Carcinoma cervix in stage IB or greater and for planning of treatment. Hence, MRI has the potential to be used as a one-stop-shop diagnostic tool for cervical cancer.
A Study on Validity of Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Assessment of Uterine Adnexal Masses
Authors: Debbarma Tanusri , Ray Jaybrata , De Asim , Ray Manasi Saha
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Adnexal mass lesions are common among women which has a prevalence of 0.17%-5.9% in asymptomatic women and 7.1%-12% in symptomatic women of all ages. Making a differential diagnosis among adnexal masses is difficult and complex. Recognising the severity of the problem, appropriate and timely evaluation and treatment with good outcome is the goal. Aim: To find out the validity of Ultrasonography (USG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in evaluation of uterine adnexal masses. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 50 subjects with suspected various adnexal masses has been conducted over a period of two years from November 2017 to November 2019 in the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Pathology, for USG were included. All patients later underwent surgery and biopsy specimens were sent for Histopathological Examination (HPE). The data was entered in master chart then mean, Standard Deviation (SD) and other statistical tests was applied and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16 statistical package, Chi-square test has been used to compare the sensitivity of Transabdominal Ultrasound (TAUS) and MRI scan with level of significance of <0.05. The results were expressed in form of tables, charts, graphs, figures and photographs. Results: The subjects age ranged from 9 to 84 years with a mean age of 40.36. Ovary was the most common site of origin of adnexal masses was (right 44% and left 30%), main symptoms was lump followed by pain abdomen. Most common adnexal masses on HPE were papillary followed by serious cystadenocarcinoma in malignant cases. USG showed an overall sensitivity of 88.9%, specificity of 81.3% PPV-72.7% and NPV- 92.9% in comparison to the histopathological findings benign cases had peripheral vascularity (65.62%) and had 59.4% cases with more than 0.8 resistive index. Among malignant cases (88.9%) had central vascularity with 83.3% cases having resistive index less than 0.8. Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV of MRI was 94.4%, 93.8%, 89.5% and 96.8%, respectively. Conclusion: USG is the initial choice of imaging modality for evaluation of adnexal mass lesions. But imaging with MRI has high accuracy in identifying the origin of a mass, characterising its tissue content and staging and preoperative plan. But still the HPE of specimen obtained from laparotomy of adnexal mass is the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis.
Heat Treated African Kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides, roxb.benth.) Flour Influenced Lipid Peroxidation, Liver Enzymes and Organ Histology of Wistar Rats
Authors: Ifeanacho M. O. , Omeodu S. I.
Published: March 2022

Scarcity of protein-rich foods has been the bane of developing countries with its attendant nutritional problems. Research efforts have been directed towards finding solutions to this problem. This include investigation into the nutritional potentials of some lesser known legumes and grains. This paper looked at the effect of processed kudzu flours on the liver enzymes,alkaline phosphotase (ALP), aspartate amino transferase (AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALT); lipid peroxidation of the liver and pancreatic tissues as well as the liver and pancreatic architecture of wistar rats. Raw, cooked and time-controlled autoclaved (20mins,40mins, 60mins) kudzu seeds were made into flours and compounded into 7 diets. Diet 1contained the raw kudzu flour,diet 2 and 7 had the cooked kudzu flour while diets 3-5 had time-controlled autoclaved (20mins,40mins, 60mins) kudzu flour respectively. Diet 6 was the negative control diet and diet 8 was the positive control.Diet 8 had lower ALP value ( 51.6±6.5iu) than the other groups though not statistically (p≤0.05) different. Diet 3had the highest AST(51.0 ± 0.iu) which was statistically (p≤0.05) different from the other groups and ALT (48.0 ± 0.1 iu) that was statistically (p≤0.05) not different with only group 4. The level of malondialdehyde in the liver was lowest in Diet 2 (2.75 x 10-5 ± 0.07 x 10- 5MDA unit) followed by Diets 6 and 8.While the level in the pancreatic tissues was lowest in Diet 8 (83.25 X 10-5± 0.07 x 10-5 MDA unit). However,the variations in the level of MDA in both organs in all the groups were not statistically (p≤0.05) different. Histopathological examination of the liver tissues showed various degrees of abnormalities in Diets (1, 3,4,5 and 6) while Diets 2,7 and 8 had normal cell architecture. The pancreatic tissues showed normal architecture. The results therefore suggest that kudzu when processed poses no toxicological danger to animal and by extension man.
Evaluation of Zinc Status and Socio-Economic Profile of Pregnant Women in Osogbo Metropolis, South-Western Nigeria
Authors: Olamide OLAYIWOLA Kehinde , Aderonke AYODELE Ifeoluwa , Oluwapolola OLANIYAN Adebola , Abolape IYANDA Ayobola
Published: March 2022

Purpose: Zinc status during gestation affects both maternal and fetal health. The study was designed to investigate maternal zinc status and relate it with dietary zinc and socioeconomic levels in first, second and third trimester pregnant women.

Methods/Patients: Forty-five [15 for each trimester] pregnant women and thirty non-pregnant women that served as control were recruited for the study. Serum zinc concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. From structured questionnaire, information was obtained on age, dietary zinc content, and socioeconomic status [education, occupation]. Zinc status was summarized as mean ± standard deviation. Data were analyzed using Student t- test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Chi-square test. P < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Only first but not second and third trimester pregnant women featured significantly lower zinc levels compared with control. Non-significant difference in zinc levels were observed when the three trimesters were compared. Of the women in first trimester which featured significantly lower serum zinc level compared with control, all were of high educational status although only < 50% were of high occupational status yet over 70% belong to high dietary zinc sub-group.

Conclusion: Data obtained from the study revealed that depleted serum zinc level was observed in the first trimester and educational status rather than socioeconomic status played a role in choice of zinc- rich containing food.