bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Poverty and child agency in urban China
Authors: Yang Lichao , Walker Robert , Zhang ¹ Guanli
Published: September 2023

Scholars of childhood typically view children as agentic; poverty researchers, aware that poverty reduces children’s life-chances, may be tempted to consider them as victims. Adults experiencing poverty report feelings of powerlessness, and, by analogy, poverty may reduce children’s agency. However, comparatively little is known about the impact of poverty on child agency or the extent to which children use their agency to mediate the effects of poverty. Therefore, 55 low-income children from two Chinese schools were invited to participate in group discussions and qualitative interviews spread over several hours. Considering poverty to be multidimensional, children identified that their agency was restricted both by poverty and their status as children but argued that they were not without agency. This was confirmed in interviews with parents and teachers. Six strategies were identified that children use to ameliorate poverty’s effects. The strategies group into three pairs, the first strategy in each pair reflecting a child’s decision to accommodate to their circumstances with the second being an attempt to alter them. The first pair (norm adaptation and active communication) comprised coping strategies addressing the present; the second pair (self-improvement and self-sacrifice) were expressions of constructive agency; and the third pair (lowered expectations and rebellion) were partially acts of despair. Giving greater recognition to children’s attempts to improve the lives of their families and themselves may lead to more effective modes of policy intervention.
Does moving to paid work make me a better mum? Mismatches between political and social ideologies of ‘good motherhood’ and that of lone mothers in the UK
Authors: Jun Miyang
Published: September 2023

The current design of UK public policy and mainstream political and social discourse has consistently equated paid work with good citizenship and desirable parenting. The article presents findings from a recent qualitative study that explores how lone mothers with different moral rationalities judge themselves before and after making a transition from welfare (and being full-time carers) to paid work. The findings suggest that the design of public policy and related discourses worked well with the moral rationalities of some lone mothers who believed that paid work made them better mothers. However, it left others with moral values on direct care behind, as they suffered from physical and emotional exhaustion and feelings of guilt in paid work. The article highlights how dominant ideologies reinforce the pre-existing hierarchy of paid work and care, with the latter being viewed as deserving of less acknowledgement.
Priorities for day centre support and research, and the importance of centralised supportive information for day centres and their stakeholders
Authors: Orellana Katharine , Samsi Kritika , Manthorpe Jill , Green Caroline
Published: September 2023

The closure of day centres during the COVID-19 pandemic placed these, generally under-researched, services of day centres under the spotlight. We report priority areas for support and research concerning English adult and older people’s day centres identified by a 2021 survey. Day centres and other day centre stakeholders have an appetite for evidence and supportive resource materials, covering how to remain current and sustainable, demonstrate impact, and support the workforce. An underlying focus on day centres for older people and people living with dementia suggested that centres catering for these groups experienced the most difficulty in providing appealing evidence to service funders.
Competències, coneixements i carta de serveis del personal bibliotecari de dades
Authors: Serrat i Brustenga Marta
Published: September 2023

Objectius: els objectius principals de l'article són descriure les característiques del personal bibliotecari de dades (data librarian), justificar-nela rellevància en un context de creixent adopció de pràctiques de ciència oberta en el si de la biblioteca universitària, i aportar pautes per a la recapacitació del personal bibliotecari que ja ofereix serveis als investigadors en les institucions de recerca. Concretament, es pretén definir el personal bibliotecari de dades i desgranar quins coneixements i competències ha de tenir així com quina carta de serveis ha d'oferir a la comunitat investigadora.
 Metodologia: s'efectua una revisió bibliogràfica no exhaustiva a Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science i Zenodo combinant els termes data librarian, open science i library. També es consulten documents de les pàgines web d'organismes oficials i institucions com l'European Commission; la Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche (LIBER); la International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA); l'American Library Association (ALA); la United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), i la Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españolas (CRUE).
 Resultats: es constata que el personal bibliotecari de dades és una peça essencial que s'insereix al llarg de tot el procés de recerca per donar suport a la gestió de les dades. Ha de tenir una formació específica per conèixer amb profunditat el cicle de la recerca i tenir coneixements de gestió i curació de dades, així com habilitats tecnològiques i comunicatives que se sumin a les habilitats tradicionalment bibliotecàries. A més, ofereix una carta de serveis molt àmplia i flexible que respon a les necessitats de cada etapa de la recerca.
Experiencia de implementación de especificaciones de una estrategia de virtualización para hacerse cargo de obras de arte medieval obsoletas
Authors: Robledano Arillo Jesús
Published: September 2023

Objetivos: presentar un modelo de preservación digital de obras de arte medial basado en la virtualización, idóneo para las necesidades de preservación digital de los fondos objeto de trabajo en el proyecto 'Vocabularios para una red de archivos y colecciones de Media Art y sus efectos: metaliteracy y turismo de conocimiento', financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, y presentar un modelo de empaquetamiento de preservación digital apropiado para facilitar esta estrategia.
 Metodología: análisis del estado de la cuestión de fondos de arte medial y de proyectos que han implementado la estrategia de virtualización; análisis de necesidades de preservación digital de fondos de arte medial, y desarrollo e implementación de un modelo de virtualización.
 Resultados: modelo de trabajo para aplicar la estrategia de virtualización para la preservación digital de un fondo de arte medial que incluye unas especificaciones para el formato de empaquetamiento de preservación digital acordes con el estándar OAIS.
La política de preservación digital : modelos y elementos clave para su redacción
Authors: Leija Román David Alonso
Published: September 2023

Objectius: aquest article identifica models i metodologies per desenvolupar polítiques de preservació digital, especialment en la descripció de la intenció, el compromís i la responsabilitat d'una organització que es fa en la redacció d'aquesta política.
 Metodologia: es tipifiquen mètodes per desenvolupar polítiques de preservació digital i models amb apartats descriptius per redactar polítiques de preservació digital. A continuació, s'identifiquen i es concreten coincidències funcionals en metodologies per desenvolupar polítiques de preservació digital. Per acabar, s'analitza un quadre comparatiu de models amb apartats descriptius per tal de considerar elements clau per redactar una política de preservació digital.
 Resultats: els models descriptius i els mètodes de desenvolupament de polítiques de preservació digital donen prioritat a la redacció d'apartats d'àmbit declaratiu que descriuen la importància de la preservació digital des de l'àmbit que comprèn i els objectius funcionals que té, els materials que cobreix, els responsables i les autoritats que donen suport a les accions; això, a fi de consolidar un pronunciament formal d'intenció, compromís i responsabilitat com a secció introductòria i clau en la política de preservació digital.
La preservación digital del patrimonio audiovisual en soporte magnético en la Biblioteca Nacional de España
Authors: Pastrana García Alicia , Cañas Plaza María Isabel
Published: September 2023

La Biblioteca Nacional de España (BNE) es consciente de la situación de riesgo en que se encuentra su patrimonio audiovisual debido a la inestabilidad, vulnerabilidad y degradación de los soportes en los que se halla, a pesar de haber sido conservado en condiciones ambientales controladas. De ahí que esté destinando parte de sus recursos a la digitalización de este patrimonio como medida de preservación. Se presentan las tareas principales en un proyecto de estas características. Por un lado, se destaca la importancia de la selección del material a digitalizar, especialmente en un fondo tan rico en volumen como el de la Biblioteca Nacional. Por otro lado, se muestran las dificultades para decidir los formatos y parámetros de digitalización y cómo las decisiones van a depender en gran medida de la calidad de los originales y de los recursos disponibles. Por último, se remarca la importancia de la consignación de la información en los ficheros de metadatos y las tareas necesarias para preservar esta colección digital a largo plazo.
Chipping Away at the Right to Strike
Authors: Dubal Veena
Published: September 2023

Abstract: On June 1, the Supreme Court issued a significant decision against the labor movement in Glacier Northwest v. Teamsters Local Union No. 174. In an 8–1 split, the Court found that the National Labor Relations Act does not protect striking cement truck drivers from being sued by their employer, who alleges damages for lost cement caused by their work stoppage. The decision, perhaps by design, has received little public outcry.
Modoru: Clos nanosecond optical switching for distributed deep training [Invited]
Authors: Wang Cen , Yoshikane Noboru , Elson Daniel , Wakayama Yuta , Soma Daiki , Beppu Shohei , Tsuritani Takehiro
Published: September 2023

Distributed deep training has become a significant consumer of bandwidth across datacenter-scale networks. The diverse parallel strategies employed in deep training require different communication patterns, necessitating the periodic adaptation of dynamic topologies. Since electrical switching approaches its capacity limit due to high bandwidths and has difficulties in regard to topology adaptation (i.e., logical and physical topologies are isomorphic), optical switching has become an attractive option to address these bottlenecks. In this paper, we propose Modoru, a wavelength- and datarate-agnostic Clos architecture with a switching speed of O(10ns). Modoru is a drop-in replacement solution that has no constraints on achieving a high radix. To verify its topological flexibility, we also develop topology-as-a-service, which provisions sequentially dynamic topologies for training jobs and guarantees high topology availability over the entire network. Large-scale simulations show a basic 7.9× acceleration in deep training jobs using Modoru. Additionally, experiments on the Modoru prototype demonstrate acceleration of deep training jobs through the provisioning of adaptive topologies.
Study of the anomalous behavior of the a-HFO2 refractive index with increasing Si doping by quantum molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Sulimov Vladimir , Kutov Danil , Sulimov Alexey , Grigoriev Fedor , Tikhonravov Alexander
Published: September 2023

This paper provides an atomistic exploration of amorphous composite HfO2-SiO2 oxides to explain the experimentally observed anomalous behavior of the refractive index with increasing Si content. We use an approach to obtain amorphous states of high-temperature oxides by melting–quenching the initial HfO2 crystal containing various amounts of Si impurities. The calculations are carried out by quantum molecular dynamics. The coordination numbers of Hf, Si, and O atoms are studied at various doping levels. The change in the atomic structure of a-HfO2 depending on the doping level qualitatively explains the anomalous behavior of the refractive index.
Optical force conversion and conveyor belt effect with coupled graphene plasmon waveguide modes
Authors: Wang Hao-yu , Ma Rui , Liu Gui-dong , Wang Ling-ling , Lin Qi
Published: September 2023

We propose a double-layer graphene sheets side coupling to a strip of graphene to obtain the optical pulling or pushing force. Combined with coupled mode theory and finite-difference time-domain simulations, it is found that the conveyor belt effect can be realized in conjunction with the lateral optical equilibrium effect upon the radiation loss κe equal to the intrinsic loss κo. The maximum total optical force acting on the strip in the symmetric mode (S-mode) can be up to ∼5.95 in the unit of 1/c and the anti-symmetric (AS-mode) mode reach ∼2.75 1/c. The optical trapping potential Ux and optical trapping force Fx for the S-mode have a value around -22.5 kBT/W and 240 pN/W, while for the AS-mode can up to ∼-56 kBT/W and 520 pN/W, respectively. Our work opens a new avenue for optical manipulation with potential applications in optoelectronic devices and lab-on-a-chip platforms.
Generation of high-order harmonics and attosecond pulses in the water window via nonlinear propagation of a few-cycle laser pulse
Authors: Shim Bonggu , Nagar Garima C. , Wu Yi , Chang Zenghu
Published: September 2023

We theoretically and computationally study the generation of high-order harmonics in the water window from a semi-infinite gas cell where a few-cycle, carrier-envelope-phase-controlled 1.7-µm driving laser pulse undergoes nonlinear propagation via optical Kerr effect (self-focusing) and plasma defocusing. Our calculation shows that high harmonic signals are enhanced for extended propagation distances and furthermore, isolated attosecond pulses in the water window can be generated from the semi-infinite gas cell. This enhancement is attributed mainly to better phase matching for extended propagation distances achieved via nonlinear propagation and resulting intensity stabilization.
Multi-wavelength diffractive neural network with the weighting method
Authors: Feng Jianan , Chen Hang , Yang Dahai , Hao Junbo , Lin Jie , Jin Peng
Published: September 2023

Recently, the diffractive deep neural network (D2NN) has demonstrated the advantages to achieve large-scale computational tasks in terms of high speed, low power consumption, parallelism, and scalability. A typical D2NN with cascaded diffractive elements is designed for monochromatic illumination. Here, we propose a framework to achieve the multi-wavelength D2NN (MW-D2NN) based on the method of weight coefficients. In training, each wavelength is assigned a specific weighting and their output planes construct the wavelength weighting loss function. The trained MW-D2NN can implement the classification of images of handwritten digits at multi-wavelength incident beams. The designed 3-layers MW-D2NN achieves a simulation classification accuracy of 83.3%. We designed a 1-layer MW-D2NN. The simulation and experiment classification accuracy are 71.4% and 67.5% at RGB wavelengths. Furthermore, the proposed MW-D2NN can be extended to intelligent machine vision systems for multi-wavelength and incoherent illumination.
Simultaneous measurement of temperature and salinity based on a hole-assisted dual-core fiber
Authors: Liu Yu , Yang Jing , Xue Yuxiao , Gao Shan , Tian Peixuan , Ye Peng , Duan Zhenyu , Shi Jinhui , Yang Jun , Yuan Libo , Grattan K. T. V. , Guan Chunying
Published: September 2023

An optical fiber sensor based on a hole-assisted dual-core fiber (HADCF) has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated for dual-parameter measurements. The dual-mode interferometer created uses the LP01 mode and LP11 mode in the suspended core of a specialist optical fiber, combined with a directional coupler formed by using the suspended core and the center core in a 16 mm long HADCF. Using this, the simultaneous measurement of salinity (due to the presence of NaCl) and temperature has been achieved through monitoring the interference dip and resonance dip. The sensitivities of the measurement of salinity and temperature are 190.7 pm/‰ and -188.2 pm/°C, respectively. The sensor developed has the advantages of simplicity of fabrication, a high level of integration and the potential for measurement of dual parameters, supporting its potential applications in marine environment measurements.
Pulse duration dependent optical nonlinearities of Bi2Se3 thin films
Authors: Karimbana-Kandy Arjun , Campos Andrea , Cabié Martiane , Natoli Jean-Yves , Lumeau Julien , Iliopoulos Konstantinos
Published: September 2023

Topological insulators, such as the Bi2Se3 material, exhibit significant optical nonlinearities. This work investigates the impact of the pulse duration on the nonlinear optical responses of Bi2Se3 layers. Scanning electron microscopy studies have been performed to reveal the crystalline structure of the samples. The nonlinear optical performance has been investigated for a wide range of pulse durations, from 400 fs to 10 ps, using 1030 nm laser excitation. The nonlinear absorption coefficients recorded in this study range from -1.45 x10−7 m/W to -4.86 x10−7 m/W. The influence of two different mechanisms on optical nonlinearities was observed and discussed. Identical experimental conditions have been employed throughout the studies allowing a direct comparison of the results.
Experimental demonstration of a dynamic range enhancement method for a phase-shifted PADC by using a modulo operation
Authors: Li Qiuyan , Qiu Jifang , Zhang Bowen , He YiJun , Li Yan , Wu Jian
Published: September 2023

We propose what we believe to be a novel approach to enhance the dynamic range of a photonic analog-to-digital converter (PADC) without the need of additional custom-designed circuits or components. The method utilizes the unique characteristic of our previously reported multimode interference (MMI) coupler-based optical quantizer that exploits the periodicity of the optical phase to realize a modulo operation. Experiments were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method on our phase-shifted optical quantization ADC (PSOQ-ADC) chip. Experimental results show that our proposed method enhance the dynamic range from [−V
π
, V
π
] to [−2V
π
, 2V
π
] and has the potential to be further extended. Additionally, we successfully reconstructed radio frequency (RF) signals at a sampling rate of 30 Gs/s. Our work provides a promising solution for achieving a high dynamic range in on-chip PSOQ-ADC.
3D salient object detection based on light field integral imaging
Authors: Kou Yu , Guo Junfeng , Liu Shouxin , Zhang Chongyang , Zhao Chongji , Li Ying , Li Qiang , Kim Seok-Tae , Li Xiaowei
Published: September 2023

Potent usage of the multi-scale light field information for salient object detection (SOD) is the essential requirement of three-dimensional (3D) SOD. On this basis, a light field 3D-SOD scheme is proposed that employs the pixel mapping algorithm to achieve a more distinct representation of spatial and angular information in the four-dimensional (4D) light field, collaboratively mining the global saliency cues via the co-salient object detection (CoSOD) network. Compared with the previous method, our scheme filters out most of the noise by thoroughly leveraging the global dependence of the 4D light field, offering significant enhancements in saliency extraction performance and efficiency. Additionally, the 3D reconstruction results demonstrate the integral retention of the spatial and angular information of the original light field.
Corner cube retroreflector with a spiral phase structure generating annular far-field diffraction pattern
Authors: Tang Kai , Deng Huarong , Geng Renfang , Zhang Zhongping
Published: September 2023

The importance of the far-field diffraction pattern (FFDP) for retroreflectors lies in its ability to describe the performance of retroreflectors commonly used for positioning or measurement in optical systems. We proposed a new, to the best of our knowledge, retroreflector structure integrating a metal-coated corner cube retroreflector (CCR) and a spiral phase plate (SPP) to produce an annular FFDP. We analyzed the propagation characteristics of the light beam traveling through this combination and described the mechanism underlying the generation of an annular FFDP. We developed a simulation program to calculate the far-field pattern for various critical parameters of the spiral phase CCR and experimentally demonstrated its annular FFDP.
Self-starting mode-locking in an all-PM Yb-doped fiber laser oscillator enabled by a 3x3 nonlinear optical lossy loop mirror
Authors: Pielach Mateusz , Jamrozik Agnieszka , Krupa Katarzyna , Stepanenko Yuriy
Published: September 2023

Artificial saturable absorbers based on loop mirrors often suffer from a not self-starting mode-locking operation. It is usually necessary to provide an additional phase shift in the loop, guaranteeing repeatable initiation of the pulsed regime. 3x3 even fiber couplers have recently enabled the introduction of a phase shift in an all-fiber loop mirror architecture. Until now, mode-locking induced by a 3x3 fiber coupler has been associated only with nonlinear amplifying loop mirrors. Here, we present a self-starting ultrafast dispersion-managed all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doped oscillator that utilizes a nonlinear optical lossy loop mirror instead. We show three ways of introducing asymmetric losses in a loop via a variable optical attenuator, a fiber coupler, and a very simple lossy splice. Complete characterization of all output ports of the oscillator proves significant spectral and temporal breathing of the pulse when circulating through the net normal dispersion cavity, which can deliver nJ-level pulse energy. The system guarantees excellent stability and performance comparable to nonlinear amplifying loop mirrors while being simpler, cheaper, and providing more usable output ports with different characteristics.
Experimental and simulation investigation of stereo-DIC via deep learning algorithm based on initial speckle positioning technology
Authors: Shao Xinxing , Dai Minglu , Wei Kang , Gao Ben , Zhou Bin
Published: September 2023

For deep learning-based stereo-digital image correlation technique, the initial speckle position is crucial as it influences the accuracy of the generated dataset and deformation fields. To ensure measurement accuracy, an optimized extrinsic parameter estimation algorithm is proposed in this study to determine the rotation and translation matrix of the plane in which the speckle is located between the world coordinate system and the left camera coordinate system. First, the accuracy of different extrinsic parameter estimation algorithms was studied by simulations. Subsequently, the dataset of stereo speckle images was generated using the optimized extrinsic parameters. Finally, a dual-branch convolutional neural network, named Displacement and Strain Network (DAS-Net), was established to simultaneously reconstruct the displacement and strain fields. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the optimized extrinsic parameters can reduce the relative displacement errors to less than 2%. Furthermore, the DAS-Net algorithm accurately measures the displacement and strain fields as well as their morphological characteristics.
Trop-2 Is Highly Expressed in Early Luminal-Like Breast Cancer
Authors: Coelho Rafael C. , Ruppenthal Rubia D. , Graudenz Marcia S.
Published: September 2023

Trop-2, a transmembrane glycoprotein, has been identified in human epithelial cells as a contributor to tumor growth and unfavorable prognosis in breast cancer (BC). Our study aimed to assess the expression of Trop-2 protein via immunohistochemistry (IHC) and correlate it with clinicopathological features in early luminal-like BC. We conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating Trop-2 protein expression in tissue microarrays using IHC. The expression was evaluated by the H-score and the following categorization was used: H-Score 0 to <100 as low, H-Score 100 to 200 as intermediate, and H-Score >200 to 300 as high. The study included 84 patients with a median age of 57, of whom 70% had invasive ductal carcinomas, 75% were classified as T2, and 47.6% had no affected lymph nodes. Trop-2 expression was high in 56% of patients and intermediate in 38%. None of the patients had an H-Score of zero. No correlation was observed between Trop-2 expression and clinicopathological features, including age, histological subtype, grade, Ki67, tumor size, nodal status, lymphovascular invasion, tumor subtype, and pathological staging. We demonstrated that Trop-2 is highly expressed in early luminal-like BC and is not influenced by clinicopathological features.
Adipokine levels and their association with clinical disease severity in patients with dengue
Authors: Kuruppu Heshan , Wickramanayake W. P Rivindu H. , Jeewandara Chandima , Peranantharajah Deneshan , Colambage H. S. , Perera Lahiru , Gomes Laksiri , Wijewickrama Ananda , Ogg Graham S. , Malavige Gathsaurie Neelika
Published: September 2023

Adipokines have not been studied in acute dengue, despite their emerging role in inducing and regulating inflammation. Therefore, we sought to identify adipokine levels in patients with varying severities of acute dengue to understand their role in disease pathogenesis. We determined the levels of leptin, resistin, omentin, adiponectin, as well as IFNβ, and NS1 using quantitative ELISA in patients with dengue fever (DF = 49) and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF = 22) at admission (febrile phase) and at the time of discharge (recovery phase). The viral loads and serotypes of all samples were quantified using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Resistin levels (p = 0.04) and omentin (p = 0.006) levels were significantly higher in patients who developed DHF. Omentin levels in the febrile phase also correlated with the AST (Spearman’s r = 0.38, p = 0.001) and ALT levels (Spearman’s r = 0.24, p = 0.04); as well as serum leptin levels with both AST (Spearman’s r = 0.27, p = 0.02) and ALT (Spearman’s r = 0.28, p = 0.02). Serum adiponectin levels in the febrile phase did not correlate with any of the other adipokines or with liver enzymes, but inversely correlated with CRP levels (Spearman’s r = -0.31, p = 0.008). Although not significant (p = 0.14) serum IFNβ levels were lower in the febrile phase in those who progressed to develop DHF (median 0, IQR 0 to 39.4 pg/ml), compared to those who had DF (median 37.1, IQR 0 to 65.6 pg.ml). The data suggest that adipokines are likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of dengue, which should be further explored for the potential to be used as prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.
The Gull Alpha Power Lomax distributions: Properties, simulation, and applications to modeling COVID-19 mortality rates
Authors: Tolba Ahlam H. , Muse Abdisalam Hassan , Fayomi Aisha , Baaqeel Hanan M. , Almetwally Ehab M.
Published: September 2023

The Gull Alpha Power Lomax distribution is a new extension of the Lomax distribution that we developed in this paper (GAPL). The proposed distribution’s appropriateness stems from its usefulness to model both monotonic and non-monotonic hazard rate functions, which are widely used in reliability engineering and survival analysis. In addition to their special cases, many statistical features were determined. The maximum likelihood method is used to estimate the model’s unknown parameters. Furthermore, the proposed distribution’s usefulness is demonstrated using two medical data sets dealing with COVID-19 patients’ mortality rates, as well as extensive simulated data applied to assess the performance of the estimators of the proposed distribution.
Synthesis of copaiba (Copaifera officinalis) oil nanoemulsion and the potential against Zika virus: An in vitro study
Authors: Carvalho Tamara , Landim Marcela Guimarães , Lima Maria Letícia Duarte , Bittar Cíntia , Faria Beatriz Carvalho de Araújo Oliveira , Rahal Paula , de Lima Milena Campelo Freitas , Junior Valdir Florêncio da Veiga , Joanitti Graziella Anselmo , Calmon Marilia Freitas
Published: September 2023

Zika virus (ZIKV) has spread all over the world since its major outbreak in 2015. This infection has been recognized as a major global health issue due to the neurological complications related to ZIKV infection, such as Guillain–Barré Syndrome and Zika virus Congenital Syndrome. Currently, there are no vaccines or specific treatments for ZIKV infection, which makes the development of specific therapies for its treatment very important. Several studies have been developed to analyze the potential of compounds against ZIKV, with the aim of finding new promising treatments. Herein, we evaluate the ability of a copaiba (Copaifera officinalis) oil nanoemulsion (CNE) to inhibit ZIKV. First, the highest non-cytotoxic concentration of 180 μg/mL was chosen since this concentration maintains 80% cell viability up to 96h after treatment with CNE in VERO cells resulted from MTT assay. The intracellular uptake assay was performed, and confirmed the internalization of the nanoemulsion in cells at all times analyzed. VERO cells were infected with ZIKV and simultaneously treated with CNE and the nanoformulation without oil (ENE) at the highest non-toxic concentration. The results evaluated by plaque assay revealed a viral inhibition of 80% for CNE and 70% for ENE. A dose-dependence assay revealed that the CNE treatment demonstrated a dose-dependent response in the viral RNA levels, whereas all ENE tested concentrations exhibited a similar degree of reduction. Taken together, our results suggest CNE as a promising nano-sized platform to be further studied for antiviral treatments.
Comparison of survival analysis approaches to modelling age at first sex among youth in Kisesa Tanzania
Authors: Materu Jacqueline , Konje Eveline T. , Urassa Mark , Marston Milly , Boerma Ties , Todd Jim
Published: September 2023

Background

Many studies analyze sexual and reproductive event data using descriptive life tables. Survival analysis has better power to estimate factors associated with age at first sex (AFS), but proportional hazards models may not be right model to use. This study used accelerated failure time (AFT) models, restricted Mean Survival time model (RMST) models, with semi and non-parametric methods to assess age at first sex (AFS), factors associated with AFS, and verify underlying assumptions for each analysis.

Methods

Self-reported sexual debut data was used from respondents 15–24 years in eight cross-sectional surveys between 1994–2016, and from adolescents’ survey in an observational community study (2019–2020) in northwest Tanzania. Median AFS was estimated in each survey using non-parametric and parametric models. Cox regression, AFT parametric models (exponential, gamma, generalized gamma, Gompertz, Weibull, log-normal and log-logistic), and RMST were used to estimate and identify factors associated with AFS. The models were compared using Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC), where lower values represent a better model fit.

Results

The results showed that in every survey, the Cox regression model had higher AIC and BIC compared to the other models. Overall, AFT had the best fit in every survey round. The estimated median AFS using the parametric and non-parametric methods were close. In the adolescent survey, log-logistic AFT showed that females and those attending secondary and higher education level had a longer time to first sex (Time ratio (TR) = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.06, TR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02–1.08, respectively) compared to males and those who reported not being in school. Cell phone ownership (TR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91–0.96), alcohol consumption (TR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.84–0.93), and employed adolescents (TR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92–0.98) shortened time to first sex.

Conclusion

The AFT model is better than Cox PH model in estimating AFS among the young population.
Artificial intelligence in medicine: A comprehensive survey of medical doctor’s perspectives in Portugal
Authors: Pedro Ana Rita , Dias Michelle B. , Laranjo Liliana , Cunha Ana Soraia , Cordeiro João V.
Published: September 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly influential across various sectors, including healthcare, with the potential to revolutionize clinical practice. However, risks associated with AI adoption in medicine have also been identified. Despite the general understanding that AI will impact healthcare, studies that assess the perceptions of medical doctors about AI use in medicine are still scarce. We set out to survey the medical doctors licensed to practice medicine in Portugal about the impact, advantages, and disadvantages of AI adoption in clinical practice. We designed an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach and developed an online survey which addressed the following aspects: impact on healthcare quality of the extraction and processing of health data via AI; delegation of clinical procedures on AI tools; perception of the impact of AI in clinical practice; perceived advantages of using AI in clinical practice; perceived disadvantages of using AI in clinical practice and predisposition to adopt AI in professional activity. Our sample was also subject to demographic, professional and digital use and proficiency characterization. We obtained 1013 valid, fully answered questionnaires (sample representativeness of 99%, confidence level (p< 0.01), for the total universe of medical doctors licensed to practice in Portugal). Our results reveal that, in general terms, the medical community surveyed is optimistic about AI use in medicine and are predisposed to adopt it while still aware of some disadvantages and challenges to AI use in healthcare. Most medical doctors surveyed are also convinced that AI should be part of medical formation. These findings contribute to facilitating the professional integration of AI in medical practice in Portugal, aiding the seamless integration of AI into clinical workflows by leveraging its perceived strengths according to healthcare professionals. This study identifies challenges such as gaps in medical curricula, which hinder the adoption of AI applications due to inadequate digital health training. Due to high professional integration in the healthcare sector, particularly within the European Union, our results are also relevant for other jurisdictions and across diverse healthcare systems.
Spatial impacts of the intercity flow of long stay international visitors based on mobile phone data in Yangtze River Delta, China
Authors: Wang Yao , Zhu Meilin , Meng Xiaodong
Published: September 2023

The intercity daily flow of long stay international visitors (LSIV) reflects the economic globalisation and regional integration of a region. We made the first attempt to use mobile phone data to identify international visitors who stayed longer than one month in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in 2019, analysed the spatial patterns of LSIV, and revealed the impact factors associated with the daily intercity flow of LSIV. We discussed spatial dependence using multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), and performed cluster analysis to understand the combination effects. The results show that enterprises have the largest effect, AQI and administrative hierarchy have relatively low effects, and income, imports and exports do not have any significant effect. Overall, the economically developed eastern regions of the YRD region are more attractive for daily travel by LSIV, with the Shanghai metropolitan area being the most attractive. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between the intercity daily flow of LSIV and the urban economy and society in the delta region to help suggest planning recommendations to enhance the globalisation development strategy and provide a better environment for international visitors in the delta region.
Genetic diversity of Salmonella enterica isolated over 13 years from raw California almonds and from an almond orchard
Authors: Moyne Anne-laure , Lawal Opeyemi U. , Gauthier Jeff , Kukavica-Ibrulj Irena , Potvin Marianne , Goodridge Lawrence , Levesque Roger C. , Harris Linda J.
Published: September 2023

A comparative genomic analysis was conducted for 171 Salmonella isolates recovered from raw inshell almonds and raw almond kernels between 2001 and 2013 and for 30 Salmonella Enteritidis phage type (PT) 30 isolates recovered between 2001 and 2006 from a 2001 salmonellosis outbreak-associated almond orchard. Whole genome sequencing was used to measure the genetic distance among isolates by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses and to predict the presence of plasmid DNA and of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence genes. Isolates were classified by serovars with Parsnp, a fast core-genome multi aligner, before being analyzed with the CFSAN SNP Pipeline (U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition). Genetically similar (≤18 SNPs) Salmonella isolates were identified among several serovars isolated years apart. Almond isolates of Salmonella Montevideo (2001 to 2013) and Salmonella Newport (2003 to 2010) differed by ≤9 SNPs. Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 isolated between 2001 and 2013 from survey, orchard, outbreak, and clinical samples differed by ≤18 SNPs. One to seven plasmids were found in 106 (62%) of the Salmonella isolates. Of the 27 plasmid families that were identified, IncFII and IncFIB plasmids were the most predominant. AMR genes were identified in 16 (9%) of the survey isolates and were plasmid encoded in 11 of 16 cases; 12 isolates (7%) had putative resistance to at least one antibiotic in three or more drug classes. A total of 303 virulence genes were detected among the assembled genomes; a plasmid that harbored a combination of pef, rck, and spv virulence genes was identified in 23% of the isolates. These data provide evidence of long-term survival (years) of Salmonella in agricultural environments.
“You're a Cog in a System that Needs to Work”: Conditional Acceptance of LGBTQ College Athletes
Authors: Scott D. Travers , Brody Evan , Pariera Katrina
Published: September 2023

A thematic analysis of interviews with lesbian, gay, and transgender US athletes who were out while playing varsity collegiate sports is examined for LGBTQ and athletic identifications. Conceptualizing being out as an ongoing process, we asked participants to describe their experiences over the years they were playing. Participants described athletic identifications as superordinate to and predating LGBTQ identifications. Although they initially anticipated overt conflict while out, they experienced more implicit than explicit homo/transnegativity. We draw upon theoretical perspectives of common in-group identity model and superordinate identity to analyze their descriptions. However, given that such models treat identities as separate, interacting things, they lack the dynamism and fluidity of contemporary queer perspectives, we add the concept of entanglement. Identifications were described as entangled in supportive ways but conditioned upon prioritizing athletic identifications as superordinate. We conclude urging scholarship on LGBTQ athletes to move past conflict-based expectations of explicit homophobia.
Test of Creative Imagery Abilities (TCIA): A Study of Adaptation into Turkish
Authors: NARİN KIZILTAN Handan , ERALDEMİR Birnur
Published: September 2023

The relationship between imagery ability and creative skill has been researched by many theorists, and it has been stated that individuals with high artistic skills, who are educated in art or who are creative individuals, have high imagery ability. For this reason, it is important to determine the imagery ability in the admission of art education students in undergraduate education, in identifying creative individuals and in revealing the cognitive skill levels that art education requires. This research was carried out in order to adapt the “Test of Creative Imagery Abilities (TCIA)”, developed by Polish researchers Jankowska and Karwowski into Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties. The original language is English and there are seven incomplete figures in the test. Each figure is evaluated in three dimensions (vividness, originality and transformativeness) in light of the guide handbook of the test. Both the test and the handbook were translated into Turkish by Turkish-English language experts and expert opinion was taken for Turkish-English compatibility. For linguistic equivalence, the original and Turkish forms were administered to 39 students two weeks apart, and the correlation between the two forms was calculated. In order to check the validity of the fit structure with the model of the test, a sample group of 300 undergraduate students participated in the research. The results of the reliability values and model fit criteria that emerged after the analyses revealed that the test is a valid and reliable measurement tool to measure the level of creative imagery.
Development of Self-Determined Learning (Heutagogy) Skills Scale: Validity and Reliability Study
Authors: ŞAHİN SARKIN D. Bahar , GÜVERCİN SEÇKİN Gökçe
Published: September 2023

The objective of this research was to create a reliable and valid measurement tool for measuring self-determined learning skills among university students. The research was conducted with the participation of 574 university students. In line with expert opinions and suggestions, 30-item trial form of the scale was developed. The collected data were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a structure that explained 42.17% of the total variance was obtained. It has been determined that the Self-Determined Learning Skills Scale (SDLSS) consists of 22 items and four dimensions. In addition, as a result of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), it was seen that the fit indices of the scale were between excellent and acceptable values, and the four-factor structure of the scale consisting of 22 items was confirmed. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale is .86, and the reliability coefficient calculated by the split-half method is .80. To determine the distinctiveness of the items in the scale, the corrected item-total correlation was calculated, and 27% lower-upper group comparisons were made. Findings from item analysis showed that all the scale items were distinctive. As a result, it can be said that the “SDLSS” developed is a valid measurement tool and will provide reliable scores in determining self-determined learning skills.
Relationship Between Professional Attitudes and Professional Commitment of Classroom Teachers: The Mediating Role of Teacher Self-Efficacy Belief
Authors: İSPİR Bünyamin , YILDIZ Ali
Published: September 2023

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between classroom teachers' commitment to their profession and professional attitudes, as well as the mediating role that self-efficacy belief plays in this relationship. The relational screening model was chosen as the method in the research. The study group of the research consists of a total of 235 classroom teachers, 188 of whom are female and 47 male, working in various primary schools in Turkey. In the research, attitude towards the teaching profession, dedication to the teaching profession, and teacher self-efficacy belief scales were used as data collection tools. Data were analyzed by correlation and structural equation model analysis. The analyzes show that there are positive and moderately significant relationships between teacher self-efficacy belief and attitude towards the teaching profession, and between commitment to the teaching profession and teacher self-efficacy belief. In addition, the results reveal that there is a highly significant positive relationship between commitment to the teaching profession and attitude towards the teaching profession. On the other hand, the Z value calculated according to the Sobel test equation was found to be 4.64 and it was concluded that self-efficacy belief partially mediated the relationship between professional attitude and commitment to the profession. In order to increase the validity of the significance levels of direct and indirect effects, bootstrapping was performed and the mediating role of self-efficacy belief was supported in the relationship between professional attitude and commitment to the profession.
Impact of Policy Wordings on Imposition of Liability in Marine Insurance in India
Authors: Venkataraman Nithyashree , Vyakaranam Lasya
Published: September 2023

Specific clauses used in marine insurance policies and the wordings thereof have an impact on the imposition of liability on the insurer. Such an impact can be proved by establishing that there is a statistically significant relationship between the two variables, and the extent of influence can be measured by examining the correlation between them. This paper limits the scope of such an examination to marine insurance claims in India regarding breach of warranties, representation, and disclosure requirements. The authors have selected the marine hull policies of public insurance companies that have been subject to such litigation and have used Fisher’s Exact Test to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between imposition of liability on the insurer and the policy used. Upon finding a statistically significant relationship, the policies and cases arising therefrom were examined in detail. The comprehensiveness of certain clauses of some policies, as well as the absence of these clauses in other policies, has directly contributed to the imposition of liability on the insurer in certain cases, leading to the conclusion that modification of certain clauses and addition of others could reduce rates of imposition of liability on the insurer.
Ultra-short cell-free DNA fragments enhance cancer early detection in a multi-analyte blood test combining mutation, protein and fragmentomics
Authors: Wang Fenfen , Li Xinxing , Li Mengxing , Liu Wendi , Lu Lingjia , Li Yang , Chen Xiaojing , Yang Siqi , Liu Tao , Cheng Wen , Weng Li , Wang Hongyan , Lu Dongsheng , Yao Qianqian , Wang Yingyu , Wu Johnny , Wittkop Tobias , Faham Malek , Zhou Huabang , Hu Heping , Jin Hai , Hu Zhiqian , Ma Ding , Cheng Xiaodong
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Cancer morbidity and mortality can be reduced if the cancer is detected early. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomics emerged as a novel epigenetic biomarker for early cancer detection, however, it is still at its infancy and requires technical improvement. We sought to apply a single-strand DNA sequencing technology, for measuring genetic and fragmentomic features of cfDNA and evaluate the performance in detecting multiple cancers.

Methods

Blood samples of 364 patients from six cancer types (colorectal, esophageal, gastric, liver, lung, and ovarian cancers) and 675 healthy individuals were included in this study. Circulating tumor DNA mutations, cfDNA fragmentomic features and a set of protein biomarkers were assayed. Sensitivity and specificity were reported by cancer types and stages.

Results

Circular Ligation Amplification and sequencing (CLAmp-seq), a single-strand DNA sequencing technology, yielded a population of ultra-short fragments (<100 bp) than double-strand DNA preparation protocols and reveals a more significant size difference between cancer and healthy cfDNA fragments (25.84 bp vs. 16.05 bp). Analysis of the subnucleosomal peaks in ultra-short cfDNA fragments indicates that these peaks are regulatory element “footprints” and correlates with gene expression and cancer stages. At 98 % specificity, a prediction model using ctDNA mutations alone showed an overall sensitivity of 46 %; sensitivity reaches 60 % when protein is added, sensitivity further increases to 66 % when fragmentomics is also integrated. More improvements observed for samples representing earlier cancer stages than later ones.

Conclusions

These results suggest synergistic properties of protein, genetic and fragmentomics features in the identification of early-stage cancers.