bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extracellular vesicles – propagators of neuropathology and sources of potential biomarkers and therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Vassileff Natasha , Cheng Lesley , Hill Andrew F.
Published: December 2020

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by the irreversible degeneration of neurons in the central or peripheral nervous systems. These include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and prion diseases. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), a type of EV involved in cellular communication, have been well documented as propagating neurodegenerative diseases. These sEVs carry cargo, such as proteins and RNA, to recipient cells but are also capable of promoting protein misfolding, thus actively contributing to the progression of these diseases. sEV secretion is also a compensatory process for lysosomal dysfunction in the affected cells, despite inadvertently propagating disease to recipient cells. Despite this, sEV miRNAs have biomarker potential for the early diagnosis of these diseases, while stem cell-derived sEVs and those generated through exogenous assistance demonstrate the greatest therapeutic potential. This Review will highlight novel advancements in the involvement of sEVs as propagators of neuropathology, biomarkers and potential therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases.
Hydrostatic pressure prevents chondrocyte differentiation through heterochromatin remodeling
Authors: Maki Koichiro , Nava Michele M. , Villeneuve Clémentine , Chang Minki , Furukawa Katsuko S. , Ushida Takashi , Wickström Sara A.
Published: December 2020

Articular cartilage protects and lubricates joints for smooth motion and transmission of loads. Owing to its high water content, chondrocytes within the cartilage are exposed to high levels of hydrostatic pressure, which has been shown to promote chondrocyte identity through unknown mechanisms. Here, we investigate the effects of hydrostatic pressure on chondrocyte state and behavior, and discover that application of hydrostatic pressure promotes chondrocyte quiescence and prevents maturation towards the hypertrophic state. Mechanistically, hydrostatic pressure reduces the amount of trimethylated H3K9 (K3K9me3)-marked constitutive heterochromatin and concomitantly increases H3K27me3-marked facultative heterochromatin. Reduced levels of H3K9me3 attenuates expression of pre-hypertrophic genes, replication and transcription, thereby reducing replicative stress. Conversely, promoting replicative stress by inhibition of topoisomerase II decreases Sox9 expression, suggesting that it enhances chondrocyte maturation. Our results reveal how hydrostatic pressure triggers chromatin remodeling to impact cell fate and function.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Reproducible parallel inference and simulation of stochastic state space models using odin, dust, and mcstate
Authors: Knock Edward S. , Whittles Lilith K. , Perez-Guzman Pablo N. , Bhatia Sangeeta , Guntoro Fernando , Watson Oliver J. , Whittaker Charles , Ferguson Neil M. , Cori Anne , Baguelin Marc , FitzJohn Richard G. , Lees John A.
Published: December 2020

State space models, including compartmental models, are used to model physical, biological and social phenomena in a broad range of scientific fields. A common way of representing the underlying processes in these models is as a system of stochastic processes which can be simulated forwards in time. Inference of model parameters based on observed time-series data can then be performed using sequential Monte Carlo techniques. However, using these methods for routine inference problems can be made difficult due to various engineering considerations: allowing model design to change in response to new data and ideas, writing model code which is highly performant, and incorporating all of this with up-to-date statistical techniques. Here, we describe a suite of packages in the R programming language designed to streamline the design and deployment of state space models, targeted at infectious disease modellers but suitable for other domains. Users describe their model in a familiar domain-specific language, which is converted into parallelised C++ code. A fast, parallel, reproducible random number generator is then used to run large numbers of model simulations in an efficient manner. We also provide standard inference and prediction routines, though the model simulator can be used directly if these do not meet the user’s needs. These packages provide guarantees on reproducibility and performance, allowing the user to focus on the model itself, rather than the underlying computation. The ability to automatically generate high-performance code that would be tedious and time-consuming to write and verify manually, particularly when adding further structure to compartments, is crucial for infectious disease modellers. Our packages have been critical to the development cycle of our ongoing real-time modelling efforts in the COVID-19 pandemic, and have the potential to do the same for models used in a number of different domains.
Financial Inclusion in India
Authors: Thermadam Simon
Published: December 2020

Financial inclusion, the process of ensuring access to financial services along with timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups, helps the weaker sections and low-income groups in different ways. With an active intervention of the government, a large number of the unbanked segments of the society could be included in various financial services in the last few years. As a result, the number of bank accounts has been increasing. Members from the marginalised groups, women, etc. are some of the direct beneficiaries of financial inclusion. By utilizing micro data of World Bank, ‘Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) Database 2017, the author observes that socio-economic factors, like educational level, age group, and employment have an important role in determining one’s access to banking services. But some problems arise when the account holders do not utilize the banking facilities properly, especially when a majority stays idle. Lack of money is still considered one of the major factors for a lack of interest in holding a bank account. The ownership of bank account by other members in the same family also stops many from opening a bank account. The government has to take active measures to solve these issues. Moreover, the remaining unbanked sections of the society have to be included in the financial services, by solving the various reasons cited.
Book Review: A Book about Hope
Authors: Koushik Kailash
Published: December 2020

Nicole S Cohen and Greig de Peuter, New Media Unions: Organizing Digital Journalists, Routledge, March 24, 2020, [ISBN 978-1-138-32711-5] Pp.118
Some Remarks on the Entanglement Number
Authors: Androulakis George , McGaha Ryan
Published: December 2020

Gudder, in a recent paper, defined a candidate entanglement measure which is called the entanglement number. The entanglement number is first defined on pure states and then it extends to mixed states by the convex roof construction. In Gudder's article it was left as an open problem to show that Optimal Pure State Ensembles (OPSE) exist for the convex roof extension of the entanglement number from pure to mixed states. We answer Gudder's question in the affirmative, and therefore we obtain that the entanglement number vanishes only on the separable states. More generally we show that OPSE exist for the convex roof extension of any function that is norm continuous on the pure states of a finite dimensional Hilbert space. Further we prove that the entanglement number is an LOCC monotone, (and thus an entanglement measure), by using a criterion that was developed by Vidal in 2000. We present a simplified proof of Vidal's result where moreover we use an interesting point of view of tree representations for LOCC communications. Lastly, we generalize Gudder's entanglement number by producing a monotonic family of entanglement measures which converge in a natural way to the entropy of entanglement.Quanta 2020; 9: 22–36.
ERGONOMIC EVALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL TRACTORS USED IN FORESTRY OPERATIONS
Authors: Machado Jelvis Santos , Schettino Stanley , Colen Fernando , Pereira Sidney
Published: December 2020

The objective of this work was to evaluate farming machines adapted to forestry work and to verify if their characteristics meet the safety, ergonomics and working conditions necessary to maintain the health and safety of the operators. Thus, three farming tractors were selected, with a closed cabin and a minimum power of 73.5 kW, a widely used specification in the forestry sector. The following ergonomic parameters were considered: acess to the cab, cab dimensions, visibility, seat, controls and operation, work posture, cabin air conditioning, noise, lighting and maintenance aspects. The evaluations were based on the guidelines contained in the “Ergonomic Guidelines for Forest Machines” of the Swedish Forestry Research Institute, developed for forestry machines. The results showed that all the evaluated machines presented ergonomic standards below those indicated in all evaluated aspects, particularly related to access to the work station and difficulties during mechanical maintenance, besides the necessity of adopting forced postures during the working day due to operator’s seats. It was concluded that the farming machines adapted for work in forest processes presented significant gaps in relation to the ergonomic aspects, which represents high and imminent risks of development of occupational diseases in their operators, as well as the predisposition to work accidents.
Optimal quantization for amplitude and phase in computer-generated holography
Authors: He Zehao , Sui Xiaomeng , Jin Guofan , Chu Daping , Cao Liangcai
Published: December 2020

Owing to the characteristics of existing spatial light modulators (SLMs), the computer-generated hologram (CGH) with continuous complex-amplitude is conventionally converted to a quantized amplitude-only or phase-only CGH in practical applications. The quantization of CGH significantly affects the holographic reconstruction quality. In this work, we evaluated the influence of the quantization for both amplitude and phase on the quality of holographic reconstructions by traversing method. Furthermore, we considered several critical CGH parameters, including resolution, zero-padding size, reconstruction distance, wavelength, random phase, pixel pitch, bit depth, phase modulation deviation, and filling factor. Based on evaluations, the optimal quantization for both available and future SLM devices is suggested.
Non-orthogonal-polarization multiplexed metasurfaces for tri-channel gray-imaging
Authors: Li Zile , Ren Renyuan , Deng Juan , Deng Liangui , Li Gongfa , Zheng Guoxing
Published: December 2020

Metasurface based polarization multiplexing is usually conducted in two orthogonal-polarization states, e.g., linearly polarized along x/y axes, left/right-handed circularly polarized states, etc. Herein, we show metasurfaces can be employed to implement tri-channel polarization multiplexing in three non-orthogonal-polarization states, merely with a single-size nanostructure design approach. Specifically, nanostructured metasurfaces acting as nano-polarizer arrays can modulate the incident light intensity pixel-by-pixel by controlling the orientation angles of nanostructures, governed by Malus’s law. Hence, by inserting a metasurface between a bulk-optic polarizer and an analyzer, and elaborately controlling their polarization combinations, we show that the Malus-assisted metasurface can simultaneously record a continuous gray-image and two independent binary-patterns in three different information channels. We experimentally demonstrate this concept by recording three independent gray-images right at the metasurface surface. With the advantages of high information density, high security, high compatibility and ultracompactness, the proposed gray-imaging meta-device can play a significant role in the field of optical storage, anti-counterfeiting, and information multiplexing, etc.
High-efficiency, fifth-harmonic generation of a joule-level neodymium laser in a large-aperture ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystal
Authors: Begishev I. A. , Brent G. , Carey S. , Chapman R. , Kulagin I. A. , Romanofsky M. H. , Shoup M. J. , Zuegel J. D. , Bromage J.
Published: December 2020

High-energy deep ultraviolet (UV) sources are required for high-density plasma diagnostics. The fifth-harmonic generation of large-aperture neodymium lasers in ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) can significantly increase UV energies due to the availability of large ADP crystals. Noncritical phase matching in ADP for (ω + 4ω) was achieved by cooling a 65 × 65-mm crystal in a two-chamber cryostat to 200 K. The crystal chamber used helium as the thermally conductive medium between the crystal and the crystal chamber, which was surrounded by a high-vacuum chamber with a liquid nitrogen reservoir. A temperature variation of 0.2 K across the crystal aperture was obtained. The total conversion efficiency from the fundamental to the fifth harmonic at 211 nm was 26%.
Optical resolution photoacoustic computed microscopy
Authors: Qi Weizhi , Liang Xiao , Ji Yaoyao , Liu Chengbo , Xi Lei
Published: December 2020

Optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM) has demonstrated both high resolution and rich contrast imaging of optical chromophores in biologic tissues. To date, sensitivity remains a major challenge for ORPAM, which limits the capability of resolving biologic microvascular networks. In this study, we propose and evaluate a new ORPAM modality termed as optical resolution photoacoustic computed microscopy (ORPACM), through the combination of a two-dimensional laser-scanning system with a medical ultrasonographic platform. Apart from conventional ORPAMs, we record multiple photoacoustic (PA) signals using a 128-element ultrasonic transducer array for each pulse excitation. Then, we apply a reconstruction algorithm to recover one depth-resolved PA signal referred to as an A-line, which reveals more detailed information compared with conventional single-element transducer-based ORPAMs. In addition, we carried out both in vitro and in vivo experiments as well as quantitative analyses to show the advanced features of ORPACM.
Results of a person-centered maternal health quality improvement intervention in Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Montagu Dominic , Giessler Katie , Nakphong Michelle Kao , Roy Kali Prasad , Sahu Ananta Basudev , Sharma Kovid , Green Cathy , Sudhinaraset May
Published: December 2020

Background

Poor patient experiences during delivery in Uttar Pradesh, India is a common problem. It delays presentation at facilities after the onset of labor and contributes to poor maternal health outcomes. Patient-centered maternity care (PCMC) is recognized by the World Health Organization as critical to overall quality. Changing PCMC requires changing the process of care, and is therefore especially challenging.

Methods

We used a matched case-control design to evaluate a quality improvement process directed at PCMC and based on widely established team-based methods used in many OECD countries. The intervention was introduced into three government facilities and teams supported to brainstorm and test improvements over 12 months. Progress was measured through pre-post interviews with new mothers, scored using a validated PCMC scale. Analysis included chi-squared and difference-in-difference tests.

Findings

On a scale to 100, the PCMC score of the intervention group increased 22.9 points compared to controls. Deliveries attended by midwives, dais, ASHAs or non-skilled providers resulted in significantly higher PCMC scores than those attended to by nurses or doctors. The intervention was associated with one additional visit from a doctor and over two additional visits from nurses per day, compared to the control group.

Interpretation

This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a team-based quality improvement intervention to ameliorate women’s childbirth experiences. These improvements were locally designed and led, and offer a model for potential replication.
Assessing the performance of a commercial multisensory sleep tracker
Authors: Mouritzen Nanna J. , Larsen Lisbeth H. , Lauritzen Maja H. , Kjær Troels W.
Published: December 2020

Wearable sleep technology allows for a less intruding sleep assessment than PSG, especially in long-term sleep monitoring. Though such devices are less accurate than PSG, sleep trackers may still provide valuable information. This study aimed to validate a commercial sleep tracker, Garmin Vivosmart 4 (GV4), against polysomnography (PSG) and to evaluate intra-device reliability (GV4 vs. GV4). Eighteen able-bodied adults (13 females, M = 56.1 ± 12.0 years) with no self-reported sleep disorders were simultaneously sleep monitored by GV4 and PSG for one night while intra-device reliability was monitored in one participant for 23 consecutive nights. Intra-device agreement was considered sufficient (observed agreement = 0.85 ± 0.13, Cohen’s kappa = 0.68 ± 0.24). GV4 detected sleep with high accuracy (0.90) and sensitivity (0.98) but low specificity (0.28). Cohen’s kappa was calculated for sleep/wake detection (0.33) and sleep stage detection (0.20). GV4 significantly underestimated time awake (p = 0.001) including wake after sleep onset (WASO) (p = 0.001), and overestimated light sleep (p = 0.045) and total sleep time (TST) (p = 0.001) (paired t-test). Sleep onset and sleep end differed insignificantly from PSG values. Our results suggest that GV4 is not able to reliably describe sleep architecture but may allow for detection of changes in sleep onset, sleep end, and TST (ICC ≥ 0.825) in longitudinally followed groups. Still, generalizations are difficult due to our sample limitations.
Association between household environmental conditions and nutritional status of women of childbearing age in Nigeria
Authors: Morakinyo Oyewale Mayowa , Adebowale Ayo Stephen , Obembe Taiwo Akinyode , Oloruntoba Elizabeth Omoladun
Published: December 2020

Maternal undernutrition remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Yet, most interventional programmes are focused on infant and child nutrition outcomes and not on maternal nutrition‐related outcomes. Evidence suggests that the integration of household environmental interventions into nutrition actions can make a difference in reducing the burden of maternal undernutrition. This study examined the influence of household environmental conditions (HHEC) on the nutritional status of women of childbearing age in Nigeria using secondary data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The original sample of 38,948 women age 15–49 years was selected using multi-stage probability sampling. The sample for the current analysis was 23,344 after exclusion of women due to health status or provision of incomplete information. The dependent and main independent variables were undernutrition (defined as Body Mass Index below 18.5) and HHEC (generated from cooking fuel, toilet type, source of drinking water, and housing materials) respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and logistic regression model at 5% level of significance. The prevalence of undernutrition among women living in houses with unimproved and improved HHEC was 17.2% and 7.2% respectively. The adjusted odds of undernutrition was significantly higher among women who lived in houses with unimproved HHEC (aOR = 2.02, C.I = 1.37–2.97, p <0.001). The odds of undernutrition are greater in young women (aOR = 2.38, C.I. = 1.88–3.00, p <0.001) compared to older, and those of lower wealth status (aOR = 2.14, CI = 1.69–2.71, p <0.001) compared to higher. Other predictors of undernutrition in women of reproductive age in Nigeria include the level of education, marital status, and working status. Living in a house with unimproved environmental conditions is a predictor of undernutrition in women. The integration of environmental and nutrition programmes could assist in addressing this burden in Nigeria.
Genomic diversity of class I integrons from antimicrobial resistant strains of Salmonella Typhimurium isolated from livestock, poultry and humans
Authors: Rao Sangeeta , Linke Lyndsey , Doster Enrique , Hyatt Doreene , Burgess Brandy A. , Magnuson Roberta , Pabilonia Kristy L. , Morley Paul S.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a serious issue prevalent in various agriculture-related foodborne pathogens including Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) Typhimurium. Class I integrons have been detected in Salmonella spp. strains isolated from food producing animals and humans and likely play a critical role in transmitting antimicrobial resistance within and between livestock and human populations.

Objective

The main objective of our study was to characterize class I integron presence to identify possible integron diversity among and between antimicrobial resistant Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from various host species, including humans, cattle, swine, and poultry.

Methods

An association between integron presence with multidrug resistance was evaluated. One hundred and eighty-three S. Typhimurium isolates were tested for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Class I integrons were detected and sequenced. Similarity of AMR patterns between host species was also studied within each integron type.

Results

One hundred seventy-four (95.1%) of 183 S.Typhimurium isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial and 82 (44.8%) were resistant to 5 or more antimicrobials. The majority of isolates resistant to at least one antimicrobial was from humans (45.9%), followed by swine (19.1%) and then bovine (16.9%) isolates; poultry showed the lowest number (13.1%) of resistant isolates. Our study has demonstrated high occurrence of class I integrons in S. Typhimurium across different host species. Only one integron size was detected in poultry isolates. There was a significant association between integron presence of any size and specific multidrug resistance pattern among the isolates from human, bovine and swine.

Conclusions

Our study has demonstrated a high occurrence of class I integrons of different sizes in Salmonella Typhimurium across various host species and their association with multidrug resistance. This demonstration indicates that multidrug resistant Salmonella Typhimurium is of significant public health occurrence and reflects on the importance of judicious use of antimicrobials among livestock and poultry.
Phenotypical antimicrobial resistance data of clinical and non-clinical Escherichia coli from poultry in Germany between 2014 and 2017
Authors: Mesa-Varona Octavio , Kaspar Heike , Grobbel Mirjam , Tenhagen Bernd-Alois
Published: December 2020

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat in humans and animals, and antimicrobial usage (AMU) has been identified as a main trigger of AMR. The purpose of this work was to compare data on AMR in clinical and non-clinical isolates of Escherichia coli in German broilers and turkeys between 2014 and 2017. Furthermore, we investigated AMR changes over time and the association of changes in AMU with changes in AMR. Data on clinical and non-clinical isolates together with data on therapy frequency of broilers and turkeys were collected from German monitoring systems. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between the explanatory factors (AMU, year and isolate type) and the dependent variable (AMR). In broilers, the analysis showed lower resistance proportions of clinical isolates of E. coli to ampicillin and colistin (ampicillin: Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.44 (0.3–0.64), p<0.001; colistin: OR and 95% CI = 0.75 (0.73–0.76), p<0.001) but higher proportions for cefotaxime (OR and 95% CI = 4.58 (1.56–15.1), p = 0.007). Resistance to ampicillin, gentamicin and tetracycline was less frequent in clinical isolates in turkeys (ampicillin: OR and 95% CI = 0.4 (0.29–0.53), p<0.001; gentamicin: OR and 95% CI = 0.5 (0.26–0.94), p = 0.035; tetracycline: OR and 95% CI = 0.4 (0.29–0.55), p<0.001). The analysis found decreasing associations of AMU with resistance to tetracycline in turkeys and to colistin in broilers. Year was associated with a decrease in resistance to colistin in broilers and to tetracycline in turkeys. Differences in resistance found in this study between clinical and non-clinical isolates might play an important role in resistance prevalence. This study indicated that further data analyses over longer time intervals are required to clarify the differences found between clinical and non-clinical isolates and to assess the long-term effects of changes in AMU on the prevalence of AMR.
Quantitative assessment of choriocapillaris flow deficits in diabetic retinopathy: A swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography study
Authors: Dai Yining , Zhou Hao , Zhang Qinqin , Chu Zhongdi , Olmos de Koo Lisa C. , Chao Jennifer R. , Rezaei Kasra A. , Saraf Steven S. , Wang Ruikang K.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To quantitatively assess choriocapillaris (CC) flow deficits in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).

Methods

Diabetic subjects with different stages of DR and age-matched healthy subjects were recruited and imaged with SS-OCTA. Theen faceCC blood flow images were generated using previously published and validated algorithms. The percentage of CC flow deficits (FD%) and the mean CC flow deficit size were calculated in a 5-mm-diameter circle centered on the fovea from the 6×6-mm scans.

Results

Forty-five diabetic subjects and 27 control subjects were included in the study. The CC FD% in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold greater than in control eyes (12.34±4.14% vs 8.82±2.61%,P< 0.001). The mean CC FD size in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold larger than in control eyes (2151.3± 650.8μm2vs 1574.4±255.0 μm2,P< 0.001). No significant difference in CC FD% or mean CC FD size was observed between eyes with nonproliferative DR and eyes with proliferative DR (P= 1.000 andP= 1.000, respectively).

Conclusions

CC perfusion in DR can be objectively and quantitatively assessed with FD% and FD size. In the macular region, both CC FD% and CC FD size are increased in eyes with DR. SS-OCTA provides new insights for the investigations of CC perfusion status in diabetes in vivo.
Changes in sucrose metabolism in maize varieties with different cadmium sensitivities under cadmium stress
Authors: Li Cong , Liu Yu , Tian Jing , Zhu Yanshu , Fan Jinjuan
Published: December 2020

Sucrose metabolism contributes to the growth and development of plants and helps plants cope with abiotic stresses, including stress from Cd. Many of these processes are not well-defined, including the mechanism underlying the response of sucrose metabolism to Cd stress. In this study, we investigated how sucrose metabolism in maize varieties with low (FY9) and high (SY33) sensitivities to Cd changed in response to different levels of Cd (0 (control), 5, 10, and 20 mg L−1 Cd). The results showed that photosynthesis was impaired, and the biomass decreased, in both varieties of maize at different Cd concentrations. Cd inhibited the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SS) (sucrose synthesis), and stimulated the activities of acid invertase (AI) and SS (sucrose hydrolysis). The total soluble sugar contents were higher in the Cd-treated seedlings than in the control. Also, Cd concentrations in the shoots were higher in SY33 than in FY9, and in the roots were lower in SY33 than in FY9. The decreases in the photosynthetic rate, synthesis of photosynthetic products, enzyme activity in sucrose synthesis direction, and increases in activity in hydrolysis direction were more obvious in SY33 (the sensitive variety) than in FY9 (the tolerant variety), and more photosynthetic products were converted into soluble sugar in SY33 than in FY9 as the Cd stress increased. The transcript levels of the sugar transporter genes also differed between the two varieties at different concentrations of Cd. These results suggest that sucrose metabolism may be a secondary response to Cd additions, and that the Cd-sensitive variety used more carbohydrates to defend against Cd stress rather than to support growth than the Cd-tolerant variety.
Determinants of soil-transmitted helminth infections among pre-school-aged children in Gamo Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia: A case-control study
Authors: Asfaw Mekuria Asnakew , Wegayehu Teklu , Gezmu Tigist , Bekele Alemayehu , Hailemariam Zeleke , Gebre Teshome
Published: December 2020

Background

Pre-school aged children (PSAC) are highly affected by soil-transmitted helminths (STH), particularly in areas where water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are inadequate. Context-specific evidence on determinants of STH infections in PSAC has not been well established in the study area. This study, therefore, aimed to fill these gaps in Gamo Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based unmatched case-control study, nested in a cross-sectional survey, was conducted in January 2019. Cases and controls were identified based on any STH infection status using the Kato-Katz technique in stool sample examination. Data on social, demographic, economic, behavioral, and WASH related variables were collected from primary caregivers of children using pre-tested questionnaire. Determinants of STH infections were identified using multivariable logistic regression model using SPSS version 25.

Results

A total of 1206 PSAC (402 cases and 804 controls) participated in this study. Our study showed that the odds of STH infection were lowest among PSAC living in urban areas (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.39–0.79), among those from households with safe water source (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47–0.0.93), and in those PSAC from households with shorter distance from water source (<30 minutes) (AOR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.39–0.67). On the other hand, the odds of STH infection were highest among PSAC from households that had no functional hand washing facility (AOR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04–1.77), in those PSAC from households that had unclean latrine (AOR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.19–2.78), and among those PSAC under caregivers who had lower score (≤5) on knowledge related to STH transmission (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.13–3.01).

Conclusions

Given efforts required eliminating STH by 2030; the existing preventive chemotherapy intervention should be substantially strengthened with WASH and behavioral interventions. Thus, an urgent call for action is required to integrate context-specific interventions, particularly in rural areas.
How zoo-housed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) target gestural communication within and between age groups
Authors: Oliveira Miguel Filipe da Silva , Wasterlain Sofia N.
Published: December 2020

Gestural communication among nonhuman primates evolved as a response to their complex social environment. In this scope, males and females, adults and non-adults employ different gestures, probably due to their distinct social roles. In this study, a within and between age group analysis of the gestures produced in different contexts was carried out. For this purpose, a community of 16 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) was observed during a 3-month period. Initially, data were collected through ad libitum sampling in order to identify their gestural repertoire. Subsequently, focal sampling was used to identify who gesticulated with whom and in what context. Overall, the results showed that juvenile chimpanzees tend to direct their gestures to different age groups according to the context; more specifically, juvenile chimpanzees frequently gesticulate within their age group in play contexts, and with older individuals in locomotion and affiliation contexts. Based on this, a certain degree of flexibility in juvenile chimpanzees gestural signalling is suggested, to the extent that they rather direct their gestural signs to chimpanzees of an apparently more adequate age group, with the aim of involving themselves in the activities’ context in which the gestural sign is produced.
Inflamação periapical nos indivíduos da necrópole medieval de São João de Almedina (Coimbra, Portugal) (séc. XII/XVI)
Authors: Carvalho Liliana , Wasterlain Sofia N.
Published: December 2020

A inflamação periapical resulta da invasão da cavidade polpar por bactérias orais (na sequência de trauma, desgaste severo ou cárie dentária). Diferentes lesões periapicais (granuloma, quisto, abcesso, osteomielite) têm repercussões diversas, desde desconforto durante a mordida até efeitos sistémicos graves. O objetivo deste estudo consiste em avaliar a frequência dos diversos tipos de lesões periapicais numa amostra de esqueletos da necrópole medieval (séculos XII-XVI) de São João de Almedina (Coimbra, Portugal) de modo a inferir o seu impacto na qualidade de vida dos indivíduos. Observaram-se macroscopicamente 1040 alvéolos de 54 indivíduos adultos (26 masculinos, 16 femininos, 12 de sexo indeterminado). O diagnóstico diferencial das lesões foi efetuado seguindo Dias e Tayles (1997) e Hillson (2001). Foram observadas lesões periapicais em 31,5% dos indivíduos e 3,2% dos alvéolos. Das 33 lesões registadas, 29 eram granulomas ou quistos e quatro eram lesões residuais. As lesões foram observadas mais frequentemente no sexo masculino (38,5%, 9/26) do que no feminino (31,3%, 5/16). O principal fator causador das lesões foi a cárie. Atendendo a que apenas foram identificadas lesões relativamente benignas e assintomáticas, conclui-se que a inflamação periapical não terá tido um impacto muito negativo nos indivíduos estudados.
The Impact of Labor Income Tax Progressivity on the Fiscal Multipliers in the Context of the Fiscal Consolidation
Authors: Santos Mariana
Published: December 2020

Fiscal multipliers depend on several structural characteristics of each economy. In this study it is argued that labor income tax progressivity lowers the fiscal multipliers of fiscal consolidation programs. By calibrating an incomplete‑ markets, overlapping generations model for the United States for different values of the labor income tax progressivity, it is shown that as progressivity increases the recessionary impacts of fiscal consolidation are lower in the case of consolidation through decrease of government spending and are more recessionary in the case of consolidation financed with tax hikes.
Universal basic income and skill‑ biased technological change
Authors: Coelho José
Published: December 2020

In the last decades, income inequality has been on the rise in the U.S. The growing skill premium suggests the pivotal role of skill‑ biased technological change (SBTC) in promoting the observed increase in inequality levels. In this context, labor income tax structures have been central to the policy debate. We have developed an overlapping generations model to perform a welfare evaluation of Universal basic income (UBI) tax structures and verify how these interact with SBTC. I find that an UBI system would have improved social welfare in 2010 when compared to the existing tax system and determine that this result is primarily motivated by SBTC.
Routinization and Covid‑19: A Comparison Between the United States and Portugal
Authors: De Dominicis Piero
Published: December 2020

The purpose of this study is to identify the role of automatization in increasing wage inequality, by comparing the United States to Portugal. Using the PSID and Quadros de Pessoal (Personnel Records), we find that labor income dynamics are strongly determined by the variance of the individual fixed component. This effect is drastically reduced by adding information on workers’ occupational tasks, confirming that a decreasing price of capital and the consequent replacement of routine manual workers have deepened wage inequality. During the current crisis, we find that the ability to keep working is strongly related with the kind of occupation. As such, we foster the impact of a permanent demand shock using an overlapping generations model with incomplete markets and heterogeneous agents to quantitatively predict the impact of Covid‑ 19 and lockdown measures on wage premium and earnings inequality. We find that wage premia and earnings dispersion increase, suggesting that earnings inequality will increase at the expense of manual workers.
Technológiai úttérképezés. Tapasztalatok, további kutatási és fejlesztési irányok
Authors: Pataki Béla , Bíró-Szigeti Szilvia , Zsuzsanna Szalkai
Published: December 2020

A cikk röviden ismerteti a technológiai úttérképezés kifejlődésének okát és fő vonalát, valamint a módszercsalád alapvető jellemzőit. Bemutatja a szerzők néhány fontos tapasztalatát és módszertani fejlesztését, amelyek a vállalati léptékű úttérképezési tanácsadásaik során jöttek létre, összehasonlítva más szerzők hasonló tapasztalataival és fejlesztéseivel. A cikk a vállalati szintű úttérképezésen belül kiemelten foglalkozik a speciális marketingstratégiai fókuszú alkalmazás lehetőségével, amely irányban a szerzők már megtették a kezdeti lépéseket. A szerzők bemutatják az iparági szintű technológiai úttérképezés területén eddig elért eredményeiket is, konkrétan a lakossági háztartási energiatakarékosság, azon belül elsősorban az épületenergetika témájában. Végül két perspektivikus új fejlesztési irányt vázolnak fel: egyrészt az üzleti szférán kívüli szervezetekre, másrészt a több szervezeten átívelő folyamatokra irányuló technológiai úttérképezés lehetőségét.
A projektportfólió-menedzsment elmúlt évtizede. Hazai körkép
Authors: Sebestyén Zoltán
Published: December 2020

A projektportfólió-menedzsment hazánkban is kezd meghonosodni. Az előző évtized a téma súlyának megfelelő, intenzív kutatási tevékenységet eredményezett Magyarországon is, és a szemléletet már számos szakterületen alkalmazzák. Az ezredforduló legelején megjelent definíciók, illetve a folyamat akkoriban kialakult legfontosabb lépései alapvetően azóta sem változtak, azonban a részletek kidolgozása, az alkalmazási területek további lehetőségeinek megtalálása új feladatokkal látta el a témával foglalkozókat. A hazai szakemberek aktívan részt vettek az alapok lefektetésében, a projektportfólió-menedzsment elterjesztésében, és a témát széles spektrumon, színvonalasan dolgozták fel. A következő tíz évben várhatóan még több szakember vesz részt a projektmenedzsment e speciális területének magyarországi népszerűsítésében, oktatásában és kutatásában, ami azt is előrevetíti, hogy a gyakorlatban is kiforrottabb módszerekkel találkozhatunk majd, s a projektportfólió-menedzsment alkalmazása az eddig érintetlen területeken is megjelenik. A cikk áttekinti a projektportfólió-menedzsment hazai tíz évének mérföldköveit.
Kockázat és megbízhatóság a menedzsmentben
Authors: Árva Gábor , Bognár Ferenc , Erdei János , Kövesi János
Published: December 2020

A termékek és szolgáltatások kockázatának és megbízhatóságának modellezése dinamikusan fejlődik, mivel a kiszámíthatóság fontos szerepet tölt be az üzleti sikerben. A szerzők a szakirodalom s a vonatkozó szabványok áttekintésével bemutatják a kockázat és megbízhatóság modellezésének legfontosabb matematikai meghatározásait. A tanulmány áttekinti a valószínűségszámítás és a megbízhatóság-tervezését alapvető elgondolásait, melyek megalapozzák a megbízhatóság előrejelzését és a karbantartás tervezését. A tanulmány figyelmet fordít egy új, a meghibásodási görbe becslésére szolgáló eljárás bemutatására és a kádgörbe szerepére a megbízhatóság tervezése során. A karbantartási rendszerek ( megbízhatóságalapú karbantartás, teljes körű hatékony karbantartás, kockázatalapú karbantartás) kulcsfogalmait és a különböző ciklikus karbantartási stratégiákat szintén részletesen bemutatják a cikk szerzői.
A minőség biztosításának kihívásai a magyar felsőoktatásban
Authors: Surman Vivien , Szabó Tibor
Published: December 2020

A magyar felsőoktatási intézményekre elsődlegesen a hivatali, állami fenntartású intézményi kultúra jellemző. A jogszabályokban a minőséghez fűződő eljárások, hatáskörök vannak a fókuszban – a dokumentumelemzések alapján megállapítható, hogy a közvetlen fenntartói beavatkozás elterjedt eszköz és a minőség fogalma elsősorban a fenntartó minőségérzékeléséhez kapcsolódik. A Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem minőségmenedzsment dokumentációs rendszerében a Clark-féle tipológia mindhárom eleme megjelenik. A dokumentációs rendszer meghatározó eleme a TQM-filozófia, mely szerint vizsgálva az egyetem minőségmenedzsment-rendszerét, látható, hogy a vevőközpontúság alapelvhez kötődően a legtöbb érintett véleményét nyomon követi. Jelenleg négy részből áll ez a rendszer, melyek fókusza a végzettek, a felvett hallgatók, a Műegyetemi Állásbörze kiállítói és az egyetem Nyílt Napján részt vevő középiskolások. Az érintettek véleményének folyamatos felmérése, az eredmények elemzése oktatásfejlesztési programok bázisát adhatják.
Referências institucionais para a produção descolonial dos direitos das indígenas crianças:
Authors: Oliveira Assis da Costa
Published: December 2020

Neste artigo, objetivo analisar processos em curso de reconstrução das práticas institucionais de atendimento dos povos indígenas no âmbito da rede de proteção dos direitos das crianças no Brasil. Trata-se de experiências na cidade de Maringá, no Paraná, relativo à temática do trabalho infantil indígena; e na cidade de Altamira, no Pará, em relação ao tema da violência sexual de indígenas crianças. Ambas as experiências são avaliadas quanto às condições de classificação como referências institucionais de produção descolonial dos direitos das crianças, com base em minha própria vivência direta, assim como de entrevistas, documentos e na observação direta. Ambos os municípios possuem redes de proteção que reconheceram publicamente a incompletude dos seus arranjos institucionais para atender às indígenas crianças, mas também com a disposição de realizar aberturas para o diálogo intercultural e o mútuo benefício na articulação entre direitos indígenas e direitos das crianças.
Shariah Governance, Maqasid al-Shariah, SMEs Performance: The Role of Gender and Age
Authors: Kurniawati Sri Lestari , Lestari Wiwik , Sari Linda Purnama , Dewi Kartika Titis Puspitaningrum
Published: December 2020

This study's primary objective is to develop shariah governance and maqasid alshariahÂ models in improving the performance of SMEs in Surabaya, Indonesia. TheÂ sampling technique used is the purposive sampling method, and the analysis modelÂ used is the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results show that creating aÂ conducive pre-condition/situation, Sharia governance principles, and ethics, and codeÂ of conduct have insignificant influence on SMEs' performance. In contrast, maqasidÂ al-shariah has a significant influence on the performance of SMEs. Besides, the resultsÂ also show that gender positively moderates the influence of ethics and code of conductÂ on the performance of SMEs. In contrast, age negatively moderates the influence ofÂ the creation of conducive pre-condition/situation and ethics and code of conduct onÂ SMEs' performance. The results of this study are expected to be used as input forÂ SMEs to improve their performance. SMEs need to understand the Sharia governanceÂ indicators and increase their understanding of maqasid al-shariah in running theirÂ business.
The four systemic errors of economic policy in spain after the pandemic: A values perspective
Authors: Parra-Luna Francisco
Published: December 2020

The present work tries to demonstrate that, mainly since the emergence of the world economic crisis in 2020, those responsible (theoretical and practical) for the Spanish economy, have been making four mistakes that are causing an unnecessary delay in getting out of the crisis. These errors would be: first, not having started from an analysis of the Spanish "value system" in which the crisis occurs; second, not having known how to differentiate before the international markets and organizations the specificities of the Spanish system that, because important and unusual, would have allowed economic growth superior to that of the surrounding countries; third, not having developed an integrated and quantified global model with the series of measures proposed; and fourth, to continue being attached to obsolete economic theories that do not give rise to the innovation demanded by the new characteristics of complex societies.
Icelandic Online: twenty years of development, evaluation, and expansion
of an LMOOC
Authors: Arnbjörnsdóttir Birna , Friðriksdóttir Kolbrún , Bédi Branislav
Published: December 2020

In this article, the developers of seven Language Massive Open Online
Courses (LMOOCs), Icelandic Online (IOL, https://icelandiconline.com/),
describe the technological and pedagogical principles that have contributed
to the program’s longevity. Development began in 2001 with a courseware
system later upgraded to a multiplatform app. Over 80,000 users have
completed one or more of the curated and pedagogically driven courses, which
are monitored by a tracking system. The tracking system and follow-up
surveys generate unique, large-scale empirical data enabling sustained
engagement with participants’ views and behaviors as they go through the
courses, some of which are offered in three different delivery modes.
Finally, further development projects based on the versatile IOL
non-language specific, multiplatform system are presented, including Virtual
Reality (VR) projects, courses in other languages, and L2 literacy courses
for children.
Improving Spanish-speaking students’ pragmatic competence through SCMC: a
proposal
Authors: Di Sarno García Sofia
Published: December 2020

Due to the scarcity of studies analysing Spanish-speaking students’
acquisition of pragmatic competence in English, this paper focuses on the
preliminary stage of a longitudinal study on the impact that Synchronous
Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) has on the use of apologies and the
acquisition of intercultural communicative competence. In other words, this
paper presents the type of explicit instruction that students from Spain
need in order to improve their ability to express apologies, and how
interaction with English-speaking students through Skype will help them to
acquire the strategies that L1 speakers use in everyday conversations.
Spanish-speaking students will complete a pre- and post-test questionnaire
to measure their level of pragmatic knowledge before and after the
interaction with English-speaking students. Additionally, a control group
will carry out the task via face-to-face interaction. It is envisaged that
after the telecollaborative exchanges, Spanish students in the experimental
group will experience greater improvement in the performance of apologies
than those in the control group and, subsequently, in their pragmatic
competence.
Sentiment analysis of students’ attitudes toward mobile learning
activities
Authors: Ilic Peter
Published: December 2020

In this research, students’ sentiments and emotions embedded in their
learning journals are analyzed to understand their attitudes to mobile-based
lessons as they progress during an English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
course. Sentiment Analysis (SA) was utilized to extract emotions and
sentiment throughout students’ learning experience, as expressed in their
weekly online learner journals. The sentiment scores were generated from
four sentiment dictionaries with different scales. The findings suggest that
overall, the students had a positive sentiment and emotions toward mobile
learning, consisting of anticipation, trust, joy, and surprise. The
strongest negative emotion was fear, which may be explained by anxiety
surrounding communication in a foreign language.