bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Super‐resolution of sodium images from simultaneous 1H MRF/23Na MRI acquisition
Authors: Rodriguez Gonzalo G. , Yu Zidan , Shaykevich Sarah , O'Donnell Lauren F. , Aguilera Liz , Cloos Martijn A. , Madelin Guillaume
Published: April 2023

In this work, we introduce a super‐resolution method that generates a high‐resolution (HR) sodium (23Na) image from simultaneously acquired low‐resolution (LR) 23Na density‐weighted MRI and HR proton density, T1, and T2 maps from proton (1H) MR fingerprinting in the brain at 7 T. The core of our method is a partial least squares regression between the HR (1H) images and the LR (23Na) image. An iterative loop and deconvolution with the point spread function of each acquired image were included in the algorithm to generate a final HR 23Na image without losing features from the LR 23Na image. The method was applied to simultaneously acquired HR proton and LR sodium data with in‐plane resolution ratios between sodium and proton data of 3.8 and 1.9 and the same slice thickness. Four volunteers were scanned to evaluate the method's performance. For the data with a resolution ratio of 3.8, the mean absolute difference between the generated and ground truth HR 23Na images was in the range of 1.5%–7.2% of the ground truth with a multiscale structural similarity index (M‐SSIM) of 0.93 ± 0.03. For the data with a resolution ratio of 1.9, the mean absolute difference was in the range of 4.8%–6.3% with an M‐SSIM of 0.95 ± 0.01.
Dynamic management network system of automobile detection applying edge computing
Authors: Cao Xianhong
Published: April 2023

Dynamic vehicle detection requires the transmission of large amounts of data collected by different types of sensors to the edge computing nodes. This is likely to cause network delays and congestion, affecting the computation of the edge computing nodes and thus posing serious security risks. Therefore, optimizing data transmission between vehicles and edge computing nodes is a new challenge to be addressed in the practical application of edge computing‐based vehicle dynamic detection architectures. The data requirements of VDT for vehicle detection dynamic detection in different environments are considered, the optimization objectives and constraints are analysed, and a deviation detection and greedy algorithm is proposed in this paper to address the problems of long mixed‐integer linear programme solution time and insufficient practical applications, and the performance of the algorithm is evaluated through simulation experiments conducted by simulation of urban mobility, a traffic flow simulation tool, and PreScan, a vehicle simulation test software. The results show that compared with the deviation detection algorithm, the greedy algorithm can reduce the communication overhead by 82.6%–86.2% in all cases and improve the performance by 13.6%–19.5%, which is more suitable for practical applications. The results of this paper contribute to the automation and modernization of vehicle technology management and information transfer.
Factors associated with the sleep disturbances of people with breast cancer during chemotherapy in China: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Zhu Wenjuan , Li Wanling , Gao Jinnan , Wang Linying , Guo Jun , Yang Hui
Published: April 2023

Aim

The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of sleep disturbance and its relationship with anxiety and depression symptoms, social support and hope in breast cancer patients in China during chemotherapy.

Design

A single‐centre cross‐sectional study.

Methods

A total of 329 breast cancer patients were selected via convenience sampling method before they began chemotherapy (n = 115), before the 5th week of chemotherapy (n = 117) or 1 month after chemotherapy ended (n = 97) and administered paper‐and‐pencil questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality, depression and anxiety symptoms, social support and hope. Risk factors significantly associated with sleep disturbance during bivariate were incorporated in the multivariate analysis. Bivariate analyses showed that age, menopausal status, depression and anxiety symptoms, emotional/informational support, tangible support, affectionate support, positive social interaction and total support were predictors of sleep disturbance.

Results

Sleep disturbance was prevalent in breast cancer patients before (27.0%), during (32.5%) and after (39.2%) chemotherapy, with 37.4%, 41.9% and 52.6% of participants, respectively, reporting sleeping below the recommended 7 h. Only 8.6%–15.5% of patients reported taking sedative‐hypnotic drugs during the chemotherapy. Multivariate analyses found that participants reporting clinically significant anxiety (HADS > 8) were 3.5 times more likely to report sleep disturbance (PSQI > 8) than participants without clinically significant anxiety, and each increment in emotional/informational support was associated with a 9.04% reduced risk of sleep disturbance. Moreover, age was an independent predictor of sleep disturbance during multivariate modelling.
Lower mitochondrial respiration does not lead to decreased fat oxidation in young African American women without obesity
Authors: Dubé John J. , Toledo Frederico G. S. , Coen Paul M. , Goodpaster Bret H. , DeLany James P.
Published: April 2023

Objective

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in African American women (AAW) is nearly twice that of White women. Lower insulin sensitivity and decreased mitochondrial function may be contributing factors. The purpose of this study was to compare fat oxidation in AAW and White women.

Methods

Participants were 22 AAW and 22 White women, matched for age (18.7–38.3 years) and BMI (< 28 kg/m2). Participants completed two submaximal (50% VO2max) exercise tests with indirect calorimetry and stable isotope tracers to assess total, plasma, and intramyocellular triglyceride fat oxidation.

Results

The respiratory quotient during the exercise test was nearly identical in AAW and White women (0.813 ± 0.008 vs. 0.810 ± 0.008, p = 0.83). Although absolute total and plasma fat oxidation was lower in AAW, adjusting for the lower workload in AAW eliminated these racial differences. There was no racial difference in plasma and intramyocellular triglyceride source of fat for oxidation. No racial differences were observed in rates of ex vivo fat oxidation. Exercise efficiency was lower in AAW when adjusted to leg fat free mass.

Conclusions

The data suggest that fat oxidation is not lower in AAW compared with White women, but additional studies are needed across exercise intensity, body weight, and age to confirm these results.
Nanomole‐scale photochemical thiol‐ene chemistry for high‐throughput late‐stage diversification of peptide macrocycles
Authors: Nolan Mark D. , Schüttel Mischa , Scanlan Eoin M. , Nielsen Alexander L.
Published: April 2023

The photochemical thiol‐ene reaction is an efficient method for rapid and chemoselective formation of thioether linkages under mild conditions. It has found widespread use in small‐molecule synthesis as well as peptide and protein chemistry. While high‐throughput experimentation provides an invaluable tool for drug discovery, the considerable potential of the thiol‐ene reaction remains unexplored in this context. Herein, we report the development of nanomole‐scale photochemical thiol‐ene chemistry, performed using an automated approach in 1536‐well plates in a cost‐efficient custom reactor. Through careful reaction design and selection of reactants, this chemistry is applied to the lateral diversification of peptidic macrocycles to yield high purity crude mixtures. Selection of the photoinitiator 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone yields volatile breakdown products, which facilitates removal in vacuo. We demonstrate the use of this approach in late‐stage diversification of peptidic macrocycles with 96 examples averaging 95% conversion to the desired product.
Characterization and mapping of MIS‐2 thermal contraction crack polygons in Western Transdanubia, Hungary
Authors: Farkas Beáta , Sipos György , Bartyik Tamás , Józsa Edina , Czigány Szabolcs , Balogh Richárd , Varga Gábor , Kovács János , Fábián Szabolcs Ákos
Published: April 2023

The Pannonian Basin was located in the southernmost, disputed limit of permafrost during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In the western part of the basin, over an area of 1,200 km2, more than 150 sites with polygonal patterned ground were surveyed, and 72 sediment samples from forms identified as relict sand wedges were collected. Ten optically stimulated luminescence ages were obtained from the infills, while morphometric analyses were also carried out on satellite images. Our study revealed that the polygonal networks developed in several phases, from 15.01 ± 1.68 to 23.0 ± 1.7 ka. The polygons have an average diameter of 13–23 m and are mainly present on flat surfaces, intruding into the gravelly, alluvial host of the paleo‐Rába. Statistical analyses highlighted the short transportation period of the sandy infill and multiple sediment provenances. This study adds further data to assess the presence of permafrost or deep seasonal frost and to the interpretation of the LGM in the central European periglacial domain.
Safety study of moxifloxacin in children with severe refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia
Authors: He Yu‐Shan , Yang Mei , Liu Gang , Ji Jian , Qian Su‐Yun
Published: April 2023

Background

With the increase in macrolide‐resistant M. pneumoniae infections, off‐label use is difficult to avoid. This study assessed the safety of moxifloxacin in pediatric patients with severe refractory M. pneumoniae pneumonia (SRMPP).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children with SRMPP between January 2017 and November 2020 at Beijing Children's Hospital. They were divided into the moxifloxacin group and azithromycin group according to whether or not moxifloxacin was used. The clinical symptoms, radiographs of both knees, and cardiac ultrasounds of the children were collected after drug withdrawal for at least 1 year. A multidisciplinary team reviewed all adverse events and determined their relationship with moxifloxacin.

Results

A total of 52 children with SRMPP were included in this study (31 in the moxifloxacin group and 21 in the azithromycin group). In the moxifloxacin group, four patients had arthralgia, one had joint effusion, and seven had heart valve regurgitation. In the azithromycin group, three patients had arthralgia, one had claudication, and one had heart valve regurgitation; no obvious knee abnormalities were observed in the radiographs. No statistically significant differences in clinical symptoms or imaging findings were found between the groups. As for the adverse events, 11 patients in moxifloxacin group were deemed to be doubtfully related and one possibly related to moxifloxacin; in the azithromycin group, four patients were regarded to be doubtfully related to azithromycin and one not related.

Conclusion

Moxifloxacin was well tolerated and safe for treating SRMPP in children.
Lung perfusion assessment in children with long‐COVID: A pilot study
Authors: Pizzuto Daniele Antonio , Buonsenso Danilo , Morello Rosa , De Rose Cristina , Valentini Piero , Fragano A. , Baldi Fabiana , Di Giuda Daniela
Published: April 2023

Background

There is increasing evidence that chronic endotheliopathy can play a role in patients with Post‐Covid Condition (PCC, or Long Covid) by affecting peripheral vascularization. This pilot study aimed at assessing lung perfusion in children with Long‐COVID with 99mTc‐MAA SPECT/CT.

Materials and Methods

lung 99mTc‐MAA SPECT/CT was performed in children with Long‐COVID and a pathological cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Intravenous injections were performed on patients in the supine position immediately before the planar scan according to the EANM guidelines for lung scintigraphy in children, followed by lung SPECT/CT acquisition. Reconstructed studies were visually analyzed.

Results

Clinical and biochemical data were collected during acute infection and follow‐up in 14 children (6 females, mean age: 12.6 years) fulfilling Long‐COVID diagnostic criteria and complaining of chronic fatigue and postexertional malaise after mild efforts, documented by CPET. Imaging results were compared with clinical scenarios during acute infection and follow‐up. Six out of 14 (42.8%) children showed perfusion defects on 99mTc‐MAA SPECT/CT scan, without morphological alterations on coregistered CT.

Conclusions

This pilot investigation confirmed previous data suggesting that a small subgroup of children can develop lung perfusion defects after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Larger cohort studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results, providing also a better understanding of which children may deserve this test and how to manage those with lung perfusion defects.
Fisetin attenuates doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting the insulin‐like growth factor II receptor apoptotic pathway through estrogen receptor‐α/‐β activation
Authors: Lin Kuan‐Ho , Ramesh Samiraj , Agarwal Sakshi , Kuo Wei‐Wen , Kuo Chia‐Hua , Chen Michael Yu‐Chih , Lin Yueh‐Min , Ho Tsung‐Jung , Huang Pei‐Chen , Huang Chih‐Yang
Published: April 2023

Doxorubicin (DOX), an effective chemotherapeutic drug, has been used to treat various cancers; however, its cardiotoxic side effects restrict its therapeutic efficacy. Fisetin, a flavonoid phytoestrogen derived from a range of fruits and vegetables, has been reported to exert cardioprotective effects against DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated fisetin's cardioprotective role and mechanism against DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts and ovariectomized (OVX) rat models. MTT assay revealed that fisetin treatment noticeably rescued DOX‐induced cell death in a dose‐dependent manner. Moreover, western blotting and TUNEL‐DAPI staining showed that fisetin significantly attenuated DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the insulin‐like growth factor II receptor (IGF‐IIR) apoptotic pathway through estrogen receptor (ER)‐α/‐β activation. The echocardiography, biochemical assay, and H&E staining results demonstrated that fisetin reduced DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity by alleviating cardiac dysfunction, myocardial injury, oxidative stress, and histopathological damage. These findings imply that fisetin has a significant therapeutic potential against DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity.
Sustainable wastewater management: An imperative for urban development in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Seedat‐Khan Mariam , Ogunsola Victor Iyanuoluwa , Okocha Richard Obinna , Owoyomi Adekunle Victor , Ramnund‐Mansingh Aradhana
Published: April 2023

The disproportionate populace progression in Lagos, Nigeria, and industrial undertakings have augmented the region's quantity and quality of waste. The magnitude of waste has initiated a disparaging alteration in the ecosystem of Lagos. Combining the population and volume of industrial waste has overwhelmed the city's existing wastewater management system (WWMS). This study offers an exploratory review of contemporary scholarship, which has reconnoitered sustainable WWMS as a conduit for significant interventions. The qualitative data was extracted from secondary and primary sources. Key informant interviews were conducted with the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office officials. A non‐participant observation approach was used to retrieve the Ogba Industrial Estate data in Ikeja. A plastic manufacturing plant in Amowo Odofin and familial residences in Bariga and Surulere served as empirical observation sites. The analysis embraced a sustainability framework, countenancing the construction of a holistic approach inclusive of environmental, political, economic, and social culpability. While the study established associated legal statutes, lawful compliance with WWMS was deficient. Verification includes frustration with multiple taxations, unpredictable government guidelines and scarce land. Derisory prioritization on environmental impact, scant infrastructure and inadequate technical knowledge are rationalizations for non‐compliance with WWMS in Lagos. The study has identified the urgent need for practical, sustainable WWMS to meet an explosive urban population's needs. The realization of cost‐effective WWMS promises to deliver social and environmental benefits while augmenting socio‐economic and health prospects in Lagos.
Design‐based composite estimation rediscovered
Authors: Čiginas Andrius
Published: April 2023

Small area estimation methods are used in surveys, where sample sizes are too small to get reliable direct estimates of parameters in some population domains. We consider design‐based linear combinations of direct and synthetic estimators and propose a two‐step procedure to approach the optimal combination. We construct the mean square error estimator suitable for this and any other linear composition that estimates the optimal one. We apply the theory to two design‐based compositions analogous to the empirical best linear unbiased predictors (EBLUPs) based on the basic area‐ and unit‐level models. The simulation study shows that the new methods are efficient compared to estimation using EBLUP.
Deep variance gamma processes
Authors: Berry Caitlin M. , Kleiber William
Published: April 2023

Lévy processes are useful tools for analysis and modeling of jump‐diffusion processes. Such processes are commonly used in the financial and physical sciences. One approach to building new Lévy processes is through subordination, or a random time change. In this work, we discuss and examine a type of multiply subordinated Lévy process model that we term a deep variance gamma (DVG) process, including estimation and inspection methods for selecting the appropriate level of subordination given data. We perform an extensive simulation study to identify situations in which different subordination depths are identifiable and provide a rigorous theoretical result detailing the behavior of a DVG process as the levels of subordination tend to infinity. We test the model and estimation approach on a data set of intraday 1‐min cryptocurrency returns and show that our approach outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art subordinated Lévy process models.
Scaled concrete beams containing maximum levels of coarse recycled aggregate: Structural verifications for precast‐concrete building applications
Authors: Fiol Francisco , Revilla‐Cuesta Víctor , Skaf Marta , Thomas Carlos , Manso Juan M.
Published: April 2023

The use of Recycled aggregate (RA) enhances concrete sustainability. If used on an industrial‐scale, structural verification, and testing will be required to confirm that RA concrete can meet relevant industrial standards and the requirements of manufacturers, especially in the precast‐concrete industry. In this paper, an experimental campaign with the participation of a precast‐concrete manufacturer is reported. The objective is to test a self‐compacting concrete (SCC) mix, designed for structural applications, that contains maximum amounts of 100% coarse RA, in order to establish its compliance with the habitual requirements of precast‐concrete manufacturers. Thus, scaled beams (12 × 24 × 180 and 24 × 24 × 130 cm) were subjected to bending, shear‐bending, shear, and long‐term‐deflection tests. In addition, the performance of that SCC mix in the bending and shear‐bending tests was compared with the performance of an SCC mix of similar compressive strength containing 0% coarse RA. In the failure tests, the experimental results were between 1.5 and 3 times higher than the required values. The elastic behavior of both SCC mixes was also very similar in those tests, regardless of the amount of coarse RA, due to the robust design of the water and superplasticizer content of the SCC, which balanced the decreased flowability and the lower compressive strength of SCC that resulted from the additions of coarse RA. The SCC mix with 100% RA showed a lower load‐bearing capacity after failure and narrow compliance margins with the deflection limits of the long‐term‐deflection test. Even though the SCC mix with 100% RA met all the standard technical specifications of the precast‐concrete manufacturer, reference should always be made to the serviceability limit states that are applicable at the time of the structural design phase.
Recent Advanced Applications of Ionic Liquid for Future Iontronics
Authors: Ono Shimpei
Published: April 2023

Recently, electronic devices that make use of a state called the electric double layers (EDL) of ion have opened up a wide range of research opportunities, from novel physical phenomena in solid‐state materials to next‐generation low‐power consumption devices. They are considered to be the future iontronics devices. EDLs behave as nanogap capacitors, resulting the high density of charge carriers is induced at semiconductor/electrolyte by applying only a few volts of the bias voltage. This enables the low‐power operation of electronic devices as well as new functional devices. Furthermore, by controlling the motion of ions, ions can be used as semi‐permanent charge to form electrets. In this article, we are going to introduce the recent advanced application of iontronics devices as well as energy harvesters making use of ion‐based electrets, leading to the future iontronics research.
Versatile Synthesis of Carbon Materials using Protic Ionic Liquids and Salts as Precursors
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhang Yan , Ni Wenpeng , Zhang Shiguo
Published: April 2023

Carbon materials (CMs) hold immense potential for applications across a wide range of fields. However, current precursors often confront limitations such as low heteroatom content, poor solubility, or complicated preparation and post‐treatment procedures. Our research has unveiled that protic ionic liquids and salts (PILs/PSs), generated from the neutralization of organic bases with protonic acids, can function as economical and versatile small‐molecule carbon precursors. The resultant CMs display attractive features, including elevated carbon yield, heightened nitrogen content, improved graphitic structure, robust thermal stability against oxidation, and superior conductivity, even surpassing that of graphite. These properties can be elaborate modulated by varying the molecular structure of PILs/PSs. In this Personal Account, we summarize recent developments in PILs/PSs‐derived CMs, with a particular focus on the correlations between precursor structure and the physicochemical properties of CMs. We aim to impart insights into the foreseeable controlled synthesis of advanced CMs.
The fate and movements of aquarium‐released giant trevally Caranx ignobilis inferred from acoustic telemetry
Authors: Mann Bruce Quintin , Daly Ryan , Dixon Russell Bruce , Filmalter John David , Murray Taryn Sara , Cowley Paul Denfer , Kyle Robert , Chater Simon , Mann‐Lang Judy Brenda
Published: April 2023

Movements of four adult giant trevally Caranx ignobilis were tracked using passive acoustic telemetry after being released from uShaka Sea World Aquarium in Durban, South Africa, where they had been kept on display for a period of 8 years. All four individuals were detected on a large network of deployed acoustic receivers for a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of over 6 years. Their movements were compared to 43 wild‐caught and tagged C. ignobilis over a similar period and two individuals adopted movement behavior similar to that of their conspecifics, including repeated annual seasonal migrations to a known spawning aggregation site. This study shows that with good animal husbandry, indigenous fish kept in captivity can be released back into the wild and not only survive but adopt natural movement behavior and contribute to future generations of their species.
Argentina: Minority Indigenous Teachers of Bilingual Intercultural Education
Authors: Hecht Ana Carolina
Published: April 2023

In the province of Chaco (northeastern Argentina) bilingual and intercultural school models emerged to help meet the educational needs of indigenous children. Bilingual intercultural education schools implemented a system in which two teachers coexist in the same classroom: a non-indigenous teacher and a minority indigenous teacher. However, in recent decades, indigenous languages are being displaced by Spanish, which is becoming widespread as a means of daily communication for indigenous families. In this scenario, the role of indigenous teachers is currently focused on linguistic revitalization and the teaching of the indigenous language as a second language. Considering this complex sociolinguistic panorama, this chapter analyzes specific aspects of these new practices among the Toba/Qom teachers whose pedagogical tasks have shifted from teaching the indigenous language to reversing language shift. Additionally, it examines the experiences and knowledge of the native tongue among these minority teachers, who range from fluid bilingual speakers to less competent ones. As a consequence, from an anthropological perspective, the question of Bilingual Intercultural Education is raised because one of its principal objectives (bilingualism) is blurred. The findings are drawn from observations and ethnographic records from fieldwork conducted in 2016/2017 in a school in a Toba/Qom neighborhood in Chaco, and in-depth interviews with thirty-six teachers who identify as Toba/Qom.
Foster Child of the Family: An Autoethnography of an International Minority Teacher Educator in a U.S. University
Authors: Chu Yiting
Published: April 2023

In this chapter, I used critical autoethnography to document my experiences as a minority teacher educator in a predominantly White institution (PWI) of higher education in the United States and examined how my intersectional identities as a foreign-born, non-White, non-native English speaking, teacher educator of Asian descent had influenced my practices as a multicultural educator and researcher. I used tenets of the critical race theory (CRT) and Asian critical theory (AsianCrit), in particular counterstorytelling and intersectionality, as analytic lens to frame my explorations of what it meant to be a minority educator in a foreign cultural and institutional context. Data in the form of reflective narratives drawn from my lived experiences and documents were analyzed and presented as counternarratives to explicate my intersectional identities and navigational strategies used to negotiate my position and practices in the often-limiting, PWI academic space. I ended the chapter with a call for more inclusive CRT and AsianCrit frameworks to understand the unique transnational lives and identities of minority educators in an increasingly global world. By sharing my autoethnographic recollections and counternarratives, I hope this chapter will serve as an empowering invitation for international minority scholars to join the collective endeavor to advance the conversation and transform higher education towards a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable space.
Pedagogical Challenges of Immigrant Minority Teacher Educators: A Collaborative Autoethnography Study
Authors: Yang Xuexue , Pak Byungeun
Published: April 2023

Oftentimes, novice teacher educators need to navigate social and institutional context when they transitioned from teachers to teacher educators. This is particularly true for minority teacher educators. To date, studies on pedagogical challenges that minority teacher educators encountered when teaching in a dominating foreign culture are understudied. This paper concerns pedagogical challenges of two novice teacher educators teaching in a transcultural context where their home languages and cultures are marginalized relative to the U.S. mainstream culture. Using collaborative autoethnography, we investigated our own pedagogical challenges related to language, culture, and power structure through the notion of third space. In a teacher preparation program at a mid-western university, we as doctoral students taught white teacher candidates in courses of world language and elementary mathematics methods, respectively. We position ourselves as immigrant MTEs from China and South Korea. The study focuses our reflection on teaching practices as novice teacher educators in the U.S. and the relationships of these practices to personal and professional life experiences in home countries. We collected the data by interviewing each other with topics, such as our teaching practices and pedagogical challenges. We analyzed the data by coding inductively and deductively. To increase the reliability and creditability of our analysis process, we did a cross check by examining each other’s selected interview excerpts and codes that we labeled. We presented three findings on pedagogical challenges pertaining to language, culture, and sociopolitical dimensions and how we negotiated our perspectives of teaching and learning. This study has implications on supporting minority teacher educators and the pedagogy of teacher education.
Kurdish Teachers in Turkey Within the Context of History Education
Authors: Yazıcı Fatih
Published: April 2023

The relationship between Turks and Kurds, two peoples who have lived together for nearly a thousand years, has become tense with the nation-building policies that have been implemented in Turkey for over a century. The imposition of a singular identity based on Turkishness on a wide range of national/ethnic differences ranging from the constitution to educational policies has caused limitations in Kurds’ living their own identities along with other minority communities. Due to its close relationship with national identity, history courses are among the areas of education that tend to ignore ethnic/cultural differences in Turkey. Kurdish teachers of history, who have to teach a content organized with such an understanding, are trapped between the truths of official history and the truths of their own identities, as well as the identity problems they face in the social and political field. In this study, interviews were conducted with Kurdish teachers of history of different religious/sectarian, political and sexual identities and their relations with their students, colleagues and educational bureaucracy and the meaning of history lessons for them were revealed. Thus, it was tried to understand what it means to be a Kurdish teacher of history in Turkey.
South Africa: Desegregated Teaching, Democratic Citizenship Education and Integrating of Ethnic Minority Teachers
Authors: Davids Nuraan
Published: April 2023

Much of the debates on South Africa’s recently desegregated schools centre on intersectional tensions between access/participation; external inclusion/internal exclusion; and assimilation/integration – as it pertains to minority-group learners. Limited attention has been given to the experiences of minority group teachers, as they struggle to find professional and personal inclusion in historically prohibited schools. Yet, not only do minority group teachers experience untold professional undermining within majoritarian schools, but they are often subjected to prejudicial scrutiny by parents and learners, as will be highlighted in this chapter. Leaning on a narrative inquiry, this chapter centres on the experiences of a first year, ‘black’ female teacher, Slindile, at a historically advantaged (‘white’) school in South Africa. The narrative inquiry brings to the fore her dialectical experiences, while simultaneously revealing the normative discourses which have thus far remained intact at the school. Underscored by a discursive synchronicity between presumptions of privilege and prejudice, the findings reveal a powerful, yet painful social reality. Firstly, a construction of ‘black incompetence’ is necessary for the preservation of ‘white competence’. Secondly, perceptions of Sindile’s ‘black’ body lends itself to an intersectional tension, which provides for deep considerations on how whiteness reduces the other to the extent of erasure. Thirdly, assigning blame for racism and discrimination to institutional cultures ensures the avoidance of individual accountability. Lastly, minority group teachers are not the only ones at risk. The less diverse a teacher corps is, the less capacitated schools are in advancing democratic citizenship education.
China: Decolonization and Teaching: An American Professor’s Experience at Yunnan University
Authors: Lee MaryJo Benton
Published: April 2023

This chapter describes the experiences of an American Sociology professor who taught Chinese Education students at Yunnan University, People’s Republic of China, in 2017. The author explains how she structured the teaching of two classes, Qualitative Research Methods and Writing for the Social Sciences, to show respect for the collective history and cultures of her Chinese graduate students. The chapter illustrates how curriculum (what is taught) and instruction (how it is taught) can be rethought to avoid overreliance on Western examples to the neglect of local context. The methodology used is autoethnography, which has been described as research and writing that connects the autobiographical and personal to the cultural and social. The author discusses how an understanding of Southern theory, as it has been developed by Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell, shaped her work. Connell makes a distinction between two types of theorizing. The first, Northern theory, privileges the perspectives of metropolitan society (the former imperial powers) while presenting itself as universal knowledge. The second, Southern theory, is an alternative way of thinking about the world from the viewpoints of the global periphery (the former colonized world). The chapter concludes with three concrete pedagogical tips—on experiential education, on cooperative learning and on mutual learning—for academics considering a teaching experience beyond their own national borders.
Ethnic Identity as a Cultural Mediator in Teaching: An Autoethnography of a Latinx Teacher
Authors: Barreto Jennifer M.
Published: April 2023

In this chapter, the author examines her experience of education as a Latinx in the United States, first as a student, and then as a teacher, through the intersectionality of language bias, racism, and elitism. Producing autoethnographic research acknowledges and validates her Latinx presence and draws attention to her marginal position inside the dominant structures of education. This autoethnography puts the critical focus on her experiences within the broader context of education (Denzin NK, Interpretive ethnography: ethnographic practices for the 21st century. Sage, 1997). This personal narrative (Bochner AP, Narrat Inq 22:155–164, 2012) employs the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and Latinx critical race theory (CRT; Delgado R, Stefancic J, Critical race theory: an introduction. University Press, 2001) to explore the tensions of being Latinx in the United States education system. This cultural analysis considers personal, social, and culturally constructed identities. The author discusses the everyday negotiations between Latinx culture and teaching in an elementary school. Centering the critical framework, the author interrogates how society shapes our narratives, identities, and lives (Kehly MJ, Gend Educ 7:23–31, 1995) through culture, power, and language.
Sweden and Germany: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Policy Making in the Re-professionalization of International Teachers
Authors: Putjata Galina , Economou Catarina , Ennerberg Elin , Arnold Jana
Published: April 2023

Flight has developed into a new research focus worldwide, but, only a few projects are concerned with newly immigrated teachers. Meanwhile, increasing importance is politically assigned to them and their linguistic resources. Despite these expectations, there are hardly any studies that address language diversity in the professional training of immigrant teachers. As a reaction to this lacuna, we have conducted a qualitative study in two countries: Sweden and Germany. These cases are particularly interesting to compare as they approach the re-professionalization of immigrant teachers in very different ways. In Sweden the introductory programs are the result of a political measure (top-down-policy making) and hold no language requirement in Swedish, whereas in Germany these programs are the result of bottom-up initiatives on behalf of universities and academics, which consequently result in a varying dealing with linguistic diversity. The difference in approach is of extreme interest with regard to top-down- and bottom-up processes of language education policy making, as the chapter will explicate with a specific focus on research review thus far. It will then present a qualitative study that focuses on multilingual practices in teacher training. To access this level, interviews were conducted with the respective actors – programme coordinators and lecturers. The results allow deep insights into the process of language policy making and their implementation on the institutional level. Finally, we will discuss the potentials of top-down- and bottom-up approaches and formulate implications for international teacher education.
“After Building Relationships, Language Is No Longer a Barrier”: Two Bilingual Mathematics Teachers’ Growth Through Student Teaching Experiences
Authors: I Ji Yeong , Bahng EunJin
Published: April 2023

We followed the journeys of two bilingual mathematics teachers during their student teaching experiences. Both bilingual teachers initially expressed the high anxiety they experienced when speaking English as a Second Language speakers during their student teaching. As they interacted with supportive co-operating teachers, along with culturally and linguistically diverse students, both teachers showed how they underwent a crucial shift in their thinking from deficit views to asset-rich views in terms of their own cultural and linguistic identities. The results of this case study suggest that teacher preparation programs should integrate ways of supporting bilingual teachers to help foster a positive cultural identity and to bring enriching linguistic backgrounds into future classrooms.
Digital Work in East Asia
Authors: Yan Min-Ren , Shajek Alexandra , Hartmann Ernst Andreas
Published: April 2023

Recent developments and the actual status regarding Digital Work are described for the East Asia/Pacific region, based on data and analyses available for the region. This includes aspects like decent work, the effects of digital technologies on tasks, competences, labor market opportunities, the effects of digital work and labor platforms, and issues of gender (in)equality. Challenges and political actions taken by national governments are described by looking at the example of Taiwan, one of the most advanced economies in East Asia and worldwide.
Participation in Work of People with Disabilities by Means of Technical Assistance
Authors: Bächler Liane , Behrendt Hauke
Published: April 2023

The comprehensive realization of social participation for all individuals is a particular challenge in which the working world proves to be an important sphere. Despite normative reference points through socio-political innovations, people with intellectual disabilities and a high need for support are particularly excluded. Even in sheltered workshops, this group of people is excluded from participating in work as the challenges of life and labor in the 21st century are becoming ever more complex and the demands of production and business stricter. As a result, people with intellectual disabilities and a high need for support often fall off the radar in current inclusion efforts and – despite legal obligations – do not receive adequate support to participate in work. To counteract the negligence and tacit acceptance of the deprivation of a large part of the sheltered workshop employees – in the sense of social affiliation by work participation – design options for promoting work participation require careful consideration. This paper analyses the use and impact of technical assistance to promote work participation for people with intellectual disabilities and high support needs and reports the results of a field study on the use of technical assistance in a sheltered workshop.
Digital Work – Transforming the Higher Education Landscape in South Africa
Authors: Kanyane Modimowabarwa
Published: April 2023

There are twenty-six public universities in South Africa. Yet, there is no digital transformation in most higher education workplaces. In some universities, digital technologies are advanced, and in others, they are not. The education landscape is partially transformed, and in others, it is a work in progress. Therefore, the study explored the digital environment in the twenty-six public universities in South Africa by using qualitative methods and found that the digital environment in higher education poses digital inequalities that make it difficult for academic staff to work smarter across the board. The playfield is not seamless and given the digital society of a new normal, digital work deserves close attention. The study concludes that digital work in South African higher education requires digital transformation to enable the academic staff to optimally work from everywhere in any educational environment to maximize productivity in the advancement of the academic project and to produce globally competitive and locally relevant graduates.
The Influence of the Rake Angle on the Cutting of Low-Lead and Lead-Free Brass Alloys
Authors: Müller Magdalena S. , Sørby Knut
Published: April 2023

Components manufactured from brass alloys are widely used in plumbing systems. Traditionally, lead is added to the alloy to improve the machinability. In recent years, the use of lead has been restricted due to health and environmental concerns. New lead-free and low-lead alloys were developed. These alloys usually show a higher cutting force compared to traditional lead-containing brasses. This paper investigates the influence of different rake angles and tool coating on cutting force and chip formation. The two lead-free brass alloys, CW511L and CW724R, are compared to the low-lead brass CW625N.
Development of a Holistic Framework for Identifying Energy Efficiency Potentials of Production Machines
Authors: Ioshchikhes Borys , Piendl Daniel , Schmitz Henrik , Heiland Jasper , Weigold Matthias
Published: April 2023

A prerequisite to identify energy efficiency potentials and to improve energy efficiency is the measurement and analysis of the energy demand. However, in industrial practice, approaches to identify energy efficiency measures of production machines are associated with high costs for metering equipment and time consuming analysis requiring expertise. Against this background, this paper describes a comprehensive and cost-efficient framework from acquisition to analysis of energy data to serve as a starting point to increase energy efficiency in manufacturing. For this purpose, an energy transparency and analysis system is being developed that can measure, record and analyze electrical quantities. The validity of the data acquisition can be verified by utilizing a Raspberry Pi as a low-cost edge analyzer device. Measurement data is stored with associated metadata in a SQLite database for subsequent processing in a Python-based web application, in which machine learning algorithms can be deployed. The algorithms can be used to process vast amounts of data and to provide a basis for calculating energy performance indicators to reveal energy efficiency potentials. The overall workflow is validated using a lathe and a cleaning machine within the ETA Research Factory at the Technical University of Darmstadt.
Industrial Digital Twin in Industry 4.0: Enabling Service Exchange Between Assets in Manufacturing Systems
Authors: van Erp Tim , Pedersen Frederik Bredahl , Larsen Niels Peter Lamm , Lund Rasmus Bæk
Published: April 2023

The idea of the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is currently evolving into a framework for the Industrial Digital Twin in Industry 4.0 since more and more industrial use cases for its application as well as AAS sub-models with standardized semantic properties are being defined. The concept of the AAS enables data interoperability and thus provides novel opportunities for exchanging services between manufacturing assets, digital platforms, and value chain actors. Services in this sense are fabrication or assembly operations and tasks. It is demonstrated, how the data link and exchange between different AASs on the equipment level can be accomplished through an overlaying AAS on the manufacturing system level. A conceptual model for the service exchange is developed based on the state-of-the-art within the field of Industry 4.0. The model is subsequently verified and validated through a case implementation at the University of Southern Denmark’s Industry 4.0 lab.
Concept and Implementation of a Student Design Project for the Development of Sustainable Products
Authors: Wurst Johanna , Rosemann Daniel , Mozgova Iryna , Lachmayer Roland
Published: April 2023

Technology is a major driver for leveraging the potential of multidimensional sustainable development, regardless of the sector examined. Therefore, engineers have an important contribution in developing innovative technical solutions to ensure more sustainable alternatives to conventional processes or products. In order to support this comprehension from an early age on, it is the task of lecturers at universities by developing students access to sustainable engineering activities with new teaching programs. Regarding conventional product development, the question arises how sustainable products can be developed, which concepts for design and which methods for validation and quantification can be used. These and further questions are the basis of the project-based learning (PBL) approach introduced in this paper as part of a new module "Development of Sustainable Products" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Leibniz University Hannover. In this paper, the need for new courses in the ecological sustainability context and the requirements for student project work are presented. The concept of the project and the overall objective, that the students are required to assess the ecological environmental impact of electric toothbrushes over the entire product life cycle based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) is introduced. After successfully participating in this project, students are able to conduct ecological sustainability analyses and understand the complexity within the development of sustainable products.
Spatiotemporal localisation patterns of technological startups: the case for recurrent neural networks in predicting urban startup clusters
Authors: Kubara Maria
Published: April 2023

More attention should be dedicated to intra-urban localisation decisions of technological startups. While the general trend of innovative companies being attracted to metropolitan areas is well-known and thoroughly researched, much less is understood about the micro-geographical patterns emerging within cities. Considering the growing number of papers mentioning that agglomeration externalities attenuate sharply with distance, such an analysis of micro-scale localisation patterns is crucial for understanding whether these effects are of importance for technological startups. Using a sample of startups from the up-and-coming market in Central-East Europe in Warsaw, Poland, their spatial organisation across the years will be tracked to investigate whether there is a defined pattern consistent with highly localised externalities operating within cities and how this pattern evolves over time. Additionally, the paper will show how recurrent neural networks may help predict the locations of technological startup clusters. It will be presented how to include the spatial dimension in the model in a computationally effective way and how this augmentation improves the results by allowing the network to “understand” the spatial relations between neighbouring observations.