bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of modelling tools to assess climate change impacts on smallholder oil seed yields in South Africa
Authors: Kephe Priscilla Ntuchu , Mkuhlani Siyabusa , Rusere Farirai , Chemura Abel
Published: May 2024

Oil seed crops are the second most important field crops after cereals in the agricultural economy globally. The use and demand for oilseed crops such as groundnut, soybean and sunflower have grown significantly, but climate change is expected to alter the agroecological conditions required for oilseed crop production. This study aims to present an approach that utilizes decision-making tools to assess the potential climate change impacts on groundnut, soybean and sunflower yields and the greenhouse gas emissions from the management of the crops. The Decision Support Tool for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT v4.7), a dynamic crop model and the Cool Farm Tool, a GHG calculator, was used to simulate yields and estimate GHG emissions from these crops, respectively. Four representative concentration pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5), three nitrogen (0, 75, and 150 kg/ha) and phosphorous (0, 30 and 60 P kg/ha) fertilizer rates at three sites in Limpopo, South Africa (Ofcolaco, Syferkuil and Punda Maria) were used in field trials for calibrating the models. The highest yield was achieved by sunflower across all crops, years and sites. Soybean yield is projected to decrease across all sites and scenarios by 2030 and 2050, except at Ofcolaco, where yield increases of at least 15.6% is projected under the RCP 4.5 scenario. Positive climate change impacts are predicted for groundnut at Ofcolaco and Syferkuil by 2030 and 2050, while negative impacts with losses of up to 50% are projected under RCP8.5 by 2050 at Punda Maria. Sunflower yield is projected to decrease across all sites and scenarios by 2030 and 2050. A comparison of the climate change impacts across sites shows that groundnut yield is projected to increase under climate change while notable yield losses are projected for sunflower and soybean. GHG emissions from the management of each crop showed that sunflower and groundnut production had the highest and lowest emissions across all sites respectively. With positive climate change impacts, a reduction of GHG emissions per ton per hectare was projected for groundnuts at Ofcolaco and Syferkuil and for sunflower in Ofcolaco in the future. However, the carbon footprint from groundnut is expected to increase by 40 to 107% in Punda Maria for the period up to 2030 and between 70–250% for 2050, with sunflower following a similar trend. We conclude that climate change will potentially reduce yield for oilseed crops while management will increase emissions. Therefore, in designing adaptation measures, there is a need to consider emission effects to gain a holistic understanding of how both climate change impacts on crops and mitigation efforts could be targeted.
Development, confirmation, and application of a seeded Escherichia coli process control organism to validate Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi environmental surveillance methods
Authors: Philo Sarah E. , Zhou Nicolette A. , Lillis Lorraine M. , Raghava Venkata , Abraham Dilip , Kumar Vinoth , Kumar Nirmal , Rigby Jonathan , Harrison Joanna Ciol , Fagnant-Sperati Christine S. , Kossik Alexandra L. , Ong Angelo Q. W. , Swanstrom Rachael , Burnor Elisabeth , Demeke Bethel , Beck Nicola K. , Shirai Jeffry H. , Libby Stephen J. , Boyle David S. , Feasey Nicholas , Kang Gagandeep , Meschke John Scott
Published: May 2024

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) is the causative agent of Typhoid fever. Blood culture is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis, but this is often difficult to employ in resource limited settings. Environmental surveillance of waste-impacted waters is a promising supplement to clinical surveillance, however validating methods is challenging in regions where S. Typhi concentrations are low. To evaluate existing S. Typhi environmental surveillance methods, a novel process control organism (PCO) was created as a biosafe surrogate. Using a previous described qPCR assay, a modified PCR amplicon for the staG gene was cloned into E. coli. We developed a target region that was recognized by the Typhoid primers in addition to a non-coding internal probe sequence. A multiplex qPCR reaction was developed that differentiates between the typhoid and control targets, with no cross-reactivity or inhibition of the two probes. The PCO was shown to mimic S. Typhi in lab-based experiments with concentration methods using primary wastewater: filter cartridge, recirculating Moore swabs, membrane filtration, and differential centrifugation. Across all methods, the PCO seeded at 10 CFU/mL and 100 CFU/mL was detected in 100% of replicates. The PCO is detected at similar quantification cycle (Cq) values across all methods at 10 CFU/mL (Average = 32.4, STDEV = 1.62). The PCO was also seeded into wastewater at collection sites in Vellore (India) and Blantyre (Malawi) where S. Typhi is endemic. All methods tested in both countries were positive for the seeded PCO. The PCO is an effective way to validate performance of environmental surveillance methods targeting S. Typhi in surface water.
Prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus and associated factors among adult residents of Mizan Aman town, Southwest Ethiopia: Community-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Atrese Tsegaye , Fekadu Lata , Kune Guta , Shita Abel , Woldemikael Kifle
Published: May 2024

Background

Diabetes mellitus continues to be a significant global public health concern, and it is currently a public health issue in developing nations. In Ethiopia, about three fourth of adult population with diabetes are unaware of their diabetic condition. However, there is a limited research on this specific topic particularly in the study area.

Objective

To assess prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus and its associated factor among adult residents of Mizan Aman town, south West Ethiopia.

Methods and material

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 23 to July 7, 2022, on 627 adult residents of Mizan Aman town. A multi stage sampling technique was used to obtain 646 study units. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaires were employed to gather socio-demographic and behavioral data. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and blood samples were taken from each participants. The fasting blood glucose level was measured after an 8-hour gap following a meal, using a digital glucometer to analyze a blood sample. Data were cleaned and entered into Epi-data v 3.1 and exported to SPSS v. 26 for analysis. Bi-variable analysis was done to select candidate variables and multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify independent predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI was computed and variables with p-value < 0.05 were declared to be predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.

Results

The study revealed that, the overall magnitude of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was 8.13% (95% CI: 6.1, 10.6). Predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus were; physical activity level less than 600 Metabolic equivalent/min per week (AOR = 3.39, 95%CI 1.08 to 10.66), family history of diabetes mellitus (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI 1.41, 5.85), current hypertension(AOR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.26, 6.69), fruit consumption of fewer than three servings per week(AOR = 2.64, 95% CI 1.18 to 5.92), and sedentary life(AOR = 3.33, 95% CI 1.63 to 6.79).

Conclusion

The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was 8.13%. Physical inactivity, family history of diabetes mellitus, current hypertension, sedentary life, and fruit servings fewer than three per week were independent predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.
Biofiltration of toluene in the presence of ethyl acetate or n-hexane: Performance and microbial community
Authors: Xue Xiaojuan , Wang Hai , Zhai Jian , Nan Xujun
Published: May 2024

This study describes the operation of two independent parallel laboratory-scale biotrickling filters (BTFs) to degrade different types of binary volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures. Comparison experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of two typical VOCs, i.e., ethyl acetate (a hydrophilic VOC) and n-hexane (a hydrophobic VOC) on the removal performance of toluene (a moderately hydrophobic VOC) in BTFs ‘‘A” and ‘‘B”, respectively. Experiments were carried out by stabilizing the toluene concentration at 1.64 g m−3 and varying the concentrations of gas-phase ethyl acetate (0.85–2.8 g m−3) and n-hexane (0.85–2.8 g m−3) at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 30 s. In the presence of ethyl acetate (850 ± 55 mg m-3), toluene exhibited the highest removal efficiency (95.4 ± 2.2%) in BTF “A”. However, the removal rate of toluene varied from 48.1 ± 6.9% to 70.1 ± 6.8% when 850 ± 123 mg m-3 to 2800 ± 136 mg m-3 of n-hexane was introduced into BTF “B”. The high-throughput sequencing data revealed that the genera Pseudomonas and Comamonadaceae_unclassified are the core microorganisms responsible for the degradation of toluene. The intensity of the inhibitory or synergistic effects on toluene removal was influenced by the type and concentration of the introduced VOC, as well as the number and activity of the genera Pseudomonas and Comamonadaceae_unclassified. It provides insights into the interaction between binary VOCs during biofiltration from a microscopic perspective.
(S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate has the potential to improve atopic dermatitis symptoms in NC/Nga mice by upregulating epidermal barrier function and inhibiting type 2 alarmin cytokine induction
Authors: Sahara Shunya , Ueno Ayumi , Wakita Natsuki , Iwai Miki , Uda Junki , Nakaoji Koich , Hamada Kazuhiko , Maeda Akito , Kaneda Yasufumi , Fujimoto Manabu
Published: May 2024

Atopic dermatitis is a multi-pathogenic disease characterized by chronic skin inflammation and barrier dysfunction. Therefore, improving the skin’s ability to form an epidermal barrier and suppressing the production of cytokines that induce type 2 inflammatory responses are important for controlling atopic dermatitis symptoms. (-)-Blebbistatin, a non-muscle myosin II inhibitor, has been suggested to improve pulmonary endothelial barrier function and control inflammation by suppressing immune cell migration; however, its efficacy in atopic dermatitis is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate, a derivative of (-)-blebbistatin, improves dermatitis symptoms in a mite antigen-induced atopic dermatitis model using NC/Nga mice. The efficacy of the compound was confirmed using dermatitis scores, ear thickness measurements, serum IgE levels, histological analysis of lesions, and filaggrin expression analysis, which is important for barrier function. (S)-(-)-Blebbistatin O-benzoate treatment significantly reduced the dermatitis score and serum IgE levels compared to those in the vehicle group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the histological analysis revealed enhanced filaggrin production and a decreased number of mast cells (p < 0.05), indicating that (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate improved atopic dermatitis symptoms in a pathological model. In vitro analysis using cultured keratinocytes revealed increased expression of filaggrin, loricrin, involucrin, and ceramide production pathway-related genes, suggesting that (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate promotes epidermal barrier formation. Furthermore, the effect of (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate on type 2 alarmin cytokines, which are secreted from epidermal cells upon scratching or allergen stimulation and are involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, was evaluated using antigens derived from mite feces. The results showed that (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate inhibited the upregulation of these cytokines. Based on the above, (S)-(-)-blebbistatin O-benzoate has the potential to be developed as an atopic dermatitis treatment option that controls dermatitis symptoms by suppressing inflammation and improving barrier function by acting on multiple aspects of the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.
Emigration and fiscal gap in population-exporting region
Authors: Li Mei-Qi , Zhang Yong
Published: May 2024

This paper analyzes how emigration impacts fiscal gap of population-exporting region in the long term. We construct a general equilibrium model of emigration and fiscal gap and make empirical verification using two-step system GMM model. Among the major lessons from this work, five general and striking results are worth highlighting: (1) the economic losses of emigration are the immediate cause of widening the fiscal gap. (2) in the short and long term, emigration can expand the fiscal revenue gap through the superimposed effect of tax rate and tax base. (3) the gap in fiscal expenditure is widened by the outflow of people in the short term. However, local governments would change the strategy to keep the spending gap from widening in the long run. (4) a positive impact of emigration on the fiscal gap. the more severe population emigration, the larger the fiscal gap. (5) when the trend of emigration becomes irreversible, the subsequent efforts of local governments to expand fiscal expenditure for attraction population would not only fail to revive the regional economy, but aggravate the expansion of fiscal gap. The contribution of research is twofold. On the one hand, it fills the theoretical gap between emigration and fiscal gap because previous studies have paid little attention to the fiscal problems of local government of population outflow. On the other hand, the selection of Northeast China that has been subject to long-term out-of-population migration is good evidence to verify this theory, which is tested very well using the 2S-GMM model. The comprehensive discussion on the relationship between emigration and fiscal gap is helpful to guide those continuous population-exporting regions that are facing a huge fiscal gap how to solve the fiscal gap and unsustainability from the perspective of fiscal revenue and expenditure.
Exploring self-experience practices in dementia care: A scoping review
Authors: Wittmann Janina , Bieber Anja , Carroll Joanne , Forristal Kealan , Hopper Louise , Janssen Niels , Meyer Gabriele , Riello Marianna , de Vugt Marjolein , Bauernschmidt Dorothee
Published: May 2024

Background

Recognised as essential for high-quality dementia service, person-centred care aims to understand and respect the unique needs of each individual. Self-experience practices may offer caregivers an opportunity to acquire knowledge, empathy, and skills related to person-centred care, especially through recreating experiences similar to dementia. Given the need to enhance the understanding of self-experience practices in dementia care, a more comprehensive investigation of these training interventions for (future) caregivers is needed.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review to map the evidence on the use of self-experience practices in dementia training. We systematically searched Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. We also searched for grey literature, as well as registry entries, and conducted backward citation tracking of included reviews. We analysed data on intervention characteristics, factors influencing the implementation, and learning outcomes based on Kirkpatrick’s model.

Results

We included 44 reports across 30 intervention programmes. The majority of reports (91%) were published from 2016 onwards, with 32% originating from the USA and 25% from the UK. We identified passive, interactive, immersive, and multicomponent self-experience interventions in dementia education and training. Learning outcomes based on Kirkpatrick’s model were fairly distributed across all identified modalities. Both consumers and providers emphasised aspects related to the development and implementation of practices, particularly organisational-related considerations such as temporal and spatial planning of trainings.

Conclusions

Our review highlights diverse interventions incorporating self-experience practices, with an increasing role for technological tools. While self-experience interventions engage participants, the impact on individuals with dementia and organisational levels remain largely unreported. Our overview, informed by current literature, underscores unique considerations and challenges associated with dementia-related self-experience practices. Implementing and evaluating complex training interventions using self-experience practices should consider ethical aspects.

Trial registration

Registry: Registered within the Open Science Framework (available at https://osf.io/fycxa/).
Combined effects of border irrigation and super-absorbent polymers on enzyme activity and microbial diversity of poplar rhizosphere soil
Authors: Liu Fangchun , Zhuang Ruonan , Qiao Yanhui , Jing Dawei , Dong Yufeng
Published: May 2024

Fast-growing poplar plantations are considered a great benefit to timber production, but water availability is a key factor limiting their growth and development, especially in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Super-absorbent polymers facilitate more water retention in soil after rain or irrigation, and they are able to release water gradually during plant growth. This study aimed to examine the effects of reduced irrigation (60% and 30% of conventional border irrigation) co-applied with super-absorbent polymers (0, 40 kg/ha) on root exudates, enzyme activities, microbial functional diversity in rhizosphere soil, and volume increments in poplar (Populus euramericana cv. ‘Neva’). The results showed that 60% border irrigation co-applied with super-absorbent polymers significantly increased the content of organic acids, amino acids and total sugars in the root exudates, and the activities of invertase, urease, dehydrogenase, and catalase in the rhizosphere soil in comparison to conventional border irrigation without super-absorbent polymers. Meanwhile, this treatment also enhanced the average well-color development, Shannon index, and McIntosh index, but decreased the Simpson index. Additionally, the average volume growth rate and relative water content of leaves reached their maximum using 60% irrigation with super-absorbent polymers, which was significantly higher than other treatments. However, using 30% irrigation with super-absorbent polymers, had a smaller effect on rhizosphere soil and volume growth than 60% irrigation with super-absorbent polymers. Therefore, using an appropriate water-saving irrigation measure (60% conventional border irrigation with super-absorbent polymers) can help to improve enzyme activities and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil while promoting the growth of poplar trees.
Drag Syndrome
Authors: Stevens Adam D.-F.
Published: May 2024

Review of: Drag Syndrome
Evolved and Cultural Intuitions. Highly Speculative Remarks on the Origins of our Sense of Fairness
Authors: Braicovich Rodrigo
Published: May 2024

The question of whether the sense of fairness constitutes an exclusively human trait has been answered mostly from two polar positions: the first one unambiguously affirms such exclusivity, thus denying the relevance of cognitive ethology to understand our evaluations of justice; the second one, on the contrary, postulates the existence of a (proto) sense of fairness in non-human animals, strongly related to ours, which would make cognitive ethology highly relevant to understand the mechanisms on which our evaluative practices are based. From a position of extreme caution in relation to the possibility of (eventually) offering concrete evidence in favor of innatist theses such as the one I will defend here, I will suggest that i) in line with the rupturist positions, it is possible to preserve the human exclusivity of the sense of justice, ii) in line with the continuist positions, the relevance of studies coming from cognitive ethology is guaranteed, insofar as (ex hypotesi) our evaluative practices often take as input innate psychological dispositions shared with other species. Finally, I will suggest that the concept of rationalization is central to determine in each case the possible articulation between innate dispositions and explicit justifications.
Normatividad en estado salvaje. Aportes de Frans de Waal
Authors: Kaufmann Laurence
Published: May 2024

Según Frans de Waal, tanto los primates humanos como los primates no humanos poseen instintos, emociones y predisposiciones innatos que facilitan la vida social. Las actividades sociales, como entablar relaciones, participar en objetivos compartidos y mostrar empatía hacia los demás, no son obligaciones impuestas desde el exterior; más bien, son aspectos inherentes y deseables de la vida social. Contra el modelo utilitario del interés propio y la inteligencia maquiavélica, de Waal sugiere una especie de reversión de la gestalt: lejos de ser un mero medio para lograr objetivos individuales, las interacciones sociales son un fin valioso en sí mismas.
The Anthropocentric Bias in Animal Cognition
Authors: Scotto Carolina
Published: May 2024

In the classical philosophical tradition, animals had the special function of serving as “objects of comparison” concerning humans. In that sense, philosophy adopted a peculiar comparative perspective focused on the categoric difference that separates humans from other creatures: an exceptionalist perspective. The Humanities developed an anthropocentric canon for the study of animals and privileged the search for differences over similarities of these with humans. On the other hand, the great boost that animal studies received under the influence of Darwin's work promoted a different comparative perspective in the natural sciences. However, especially in comparative psychology, ingent efforts were devoted to avoid the errors that anthropomorphism would entail: attributing human properties to other creatures and privileging similarities over differences. It assumed that anthropomorphic bias entails a more fundamental type of error than anthropocentric bias. Now, this asymmetric diagnosis has beenunmasked with different arguments. In the context of both disciplinary traditions, it is timely to reexamine the most persistent and negative manifestations of anthropocentric bias as a comparative bias for the study of animal cognition. In this work I will identify the following: the homogenization of animals into a single general category; psychological speciesism and the “de-mentalization” of animals; the survival of a hierarchical conception of cognitive abilities; the selective application - only to animals - of Morgan's Canon or anthropodenial and its complement, the assumption of idealized mental capacities in the human case or anthropofabulation; asymmetrical or distorsive methodological strategies for the study of animals versus humans which affects the comparative interpretations; and different manifestations of semantic anthropocentrism.
Normatividad natural: el “es” y el “debe” del comportamiento animal
Authors: De Waal Frans B. M.
Published: May 2024

Suele suceder que la evolución del comportamiento se considera irrelevante para la comprensión de la moral humana, por el hecho de que carece de carácter normativo (el ‘debe’) y consiste enteramente en descripciones de cómo son las cosas o cómo sucedieron (el ‘es’). No obstante, el comportamiento que es producto de la evolución, incluido el de otros animales, no está completamente desprovisto de normatividad. Si se define la normatividad como la adhesión a un ideal o estándar, existe amplia evidencia de que los animales tratan a sus relaciones sociales de esta manera. En otras palabras, persiguen valores sociales. En este artículo reviso la evidencia sobre el hecho de que los primates no humanos intentan activamente preservar la armonía dentro de su red social, por ejemplo, reconciliándose después de un conflicto, protestando contra las divisiones desiguales y deteniendo peleas. Al hacerlo, corrigen las desviaciones respecto de un estado ideal. Sumado a ello, y con el fin de prevenir tales desviaciones, muestran autocontrol emocional y resolución anticipada de conflictos. El reconocimiento de la orientación hacia una meta y el carácter normativo del comportamiento social animal nos permite cerrar parcialmente la brecha entre el ‘es’ y el ‘debe’ erigida en relación con el comportamiento moral humano.
letras, la filología, la política
Authors: Scotto Victoria
Published: May 2024

En este trabajo se propondrá un primer acercamiento a un objeto aún no lo suficientemente estudiado: la historia de la cátedra de Filología Hispánica de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Se hará foco en dos décadas convulsionadas en términos políticos, emplazadas en un vaivén entre dictaduras y democracias especialmente violentas de la historia argentina. Este estudio se enmarca en un análisis de los procesos de institucionalización y profesionalización en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, ejercido de acuerdo con los parámetros ofrecidos por el INTERCO‒SSH Project para el análisis de la organización de un subcampo académico específico, la filología, en una universidad puntual de Argentina. Este trabajo se centra en el devenir académico institucional de la cátedra de Filología Hispánica durante dos décadas, y para ello se propone trabajar con los programas de la materia, publicaciones de los titulares y documentos que dan cuenta de diversas formas de las condiciones de acceso, permanencia y salida del cargo de los profesores que dictaron la materia. Se espera que contribuya no solo con el estudio de la historia específica de la Universidad, área vacante, sino con el conocimiento de la institucionalización y profesionalización de la filología en Argentina.
Relatos de iniciación: el Festival Infantil del Centro Socialista Femenino y la Compañía Teatral Infantil de Angelina Pagano
Authors: Borgatello Montserrat
Published: May 2024

El artículo se propone indagar en la prensa periódica una zona de la industria del entretenimiento vinculada con la infancia en la década de 1920. Los casos del Festival Infantil organizado por el Centro Socialista Femenino en el Parque Japonés para celebrar el 1° de mayo y la creación de la Compañía Teatral Infantil de la actriz Angelina Pagano permiten acercarse a una forma del entretenimiento sumamente exitosa en el período asociada con la idea de la fantasía. Este particular código estético se alejaba deliberadamente de un tipo de representación realista y en esa distancia buscaba capturar la atención de un público desafiante por su cualidad inquieta y su tendencia a la distracción. La propuesta en este trabajo consiste en reflexionar sobre los diferentes motivos que llevaron a la confluencia en una misma matriz estética de eventos culturales promovidos por agrupaciones políticas de izquierda y agentes de la escena teatral comercial.
Articulación entre arte y vida: una lectura política de la conceptualización del diseño de Tomás Maldonado (1948‒1954)
Authors: Brandoni Ana
Published: May 2024

El trabajo propone una lectura en clave política del surgimiento del diseño en Argentina, enfocado en la figura de Tomás Maldonado. La periodización (1948‒1954) inicia con su expulsión del Partido Comunista Argentino y aborda un momento de inflexión en su actividad y pensamiento, que lo lleva a compartir su interés por la pintura con el diseño y la arquitectura. Parte de la historiografía interpreta esta inflexión como una señal del desencanto de Maldonado hacia el compromiso político y el cambio social, construyendo una idea del diseño como apolítico. Sostenemos la hipótesis de que, aunque alejado del partidismo, las reflexiones de Maldonado apuestan a sostener un programa de articulación entre arte y vida a través del diseño. En este sentido, el objetivo es proponer una mirada más integral sobre el diseño que reúna las experimentaciones estéticas y los posicionamientos ideológicos como componentes intrínsecos de un todo indivisible. Para esto, resulta productivo pensar el diseño como una neovanguardia, un término que, sin intensiones de catalogar o encasillar esta experiencia, permite introducir aportes de distintos teóricos del arte, a la vez que evita caer en ciertos relatos canónicos de tendencia despolitizadora que tienden a minimizar o excluir esta dimensión de sus relatos.
Proyecto de Matemáticas en Metodología COIL: solución de problemas de aplicación relacionados con optimización y razones de cambio en contextos reales
Authors: Martínez Ramírez Ángeles , Fiallo Rendón Nini Johana , Leon Enríquez Diego Alberto
Published: May 2024

La metodología “Collaborative Online International Learning” (COIL) ha sido ampliamente difundida e implementada en el mundo desde 2006 como parte de la estrategia Internacionalización del currículo en Instituciones de Educación Superior. En este trabajo se presenta la experiencia en la implementación de un proyecto COIL para los cursos de Matemáticas I y Cálculo Diferencial de la Universidad Politécnica de San Luis Potosí y la Universidad Católica de Colombia, respectivamente, enfocada en la solución de problemas relacionados con optimización y razones relacionadas de cambio en contextos reales para estudiantes de Ingeniería.
Avances en los registros espeleobiológicos del sistema cárstico de La Paz (Santander). Un aporte a la biodiversidad nacional
Authors: Castellanos Morales César A. , Vargas Frank , Longas Flórez Yeneyda Zulay , Benítez Muñoz Sandra Johana , Gamboa Contreras Wilson
Published: May 2024

El sistema cárstico de La Paz, ubicado en el municipio de La Paz, forma parte integral de la formación Rosablanca de la provincia santandereana de Vélez, en el departamento de Santander. Esta zona cuenta con gran cantidad de ambientes hipogeos, como cuevas, cavernas, hoyos y grutas, que en total contabilizan a la fecha 21 unidades. Sin embargo, reportes de habitantes locales sugieren que este número puede aumentar hasta algo más de 30 cavidades subterráneas en todo el municipio. Se actualiza en este trabajo la información de los principales grupos taxonómicos de fauna subterránea como un aporte al conocimiento de la biodiversidad colombiana en la que la biología subterránea juega un papel muy importante por su marcada tendencia a los endemismos y registros de especies con algún riesgo de extinción. El estudio incluye información obtenida en campo, así como la revisión y valoración de información válida. Los resultados de este trabajo indican la presencia de diferentes grupos taxonómicos, como aves, murciélagos, peces, crustáceos e insectos. Se registran al menos dos especies endémicas (un cangrejo y un pez) en los ambientes de cavernas en el municipio de La Paz
Modelado y simulación de curvas de persecución para el problema de Bouguer mediante Python
Authors: Riveros Herrera Jhonnnatan , Triana Laverde Juan Gabriel
Published: May 2024

En este trabajo se estudia el problema de persecución conocido como problema de Bouguer, el cual se modela a través de ecuaciones diferenciales de orden superior. Para la construcción de soluciones numéricas del problema, se reescribe el modelo mediante sistemas de ecuaciones diferenciales y se emplea el software Python. Con el fin de determinar si es más conveniente implementar los métodos numéricos o los comandos propios de librerías específicas, se construyen aproximaciones de la solución mediante el comando odeint y empleando el método de Runge-Kutta de orden 4, estas soluciones se comparan con la solución exacta del problema para determinar cuál es más acertada.
Química, medio ambiente y sociedad aspectos de un proyecto de sostenibilidad ambiental en el aula
Authors: Pérez Fuentes Wilberto
Published: May 2024

La química aplicada a la sostenibilidad ambiental debe definirse como la transformación de la sociedad en general y cada individuo en particular. La necesidad de abastecer de agua a algunas áreas de la Universitaria causó una inquietud por parte de los estudiantes de primer semestre de las ingenierías industrial y mecatrónica. La construcción de un filtro purificador de agua es el campo para aplicar algunos conceptos básicos de la química, para ayudar a la conservación del medio ambiente y para ligar al núcleo familiar en la construcción de este artefacto. Las comparaciones de las épocas de prepandemia, pandemia y pospandemia en la presentación de proyectos de los estudiantes nos proporciona resultados de gran valor para analizar cómo ejecutan los estudiantes el proyecto.
Evaluation of toxicity of Vitex negundo L. synthesized silver nanoparticles against Aedes aegypti
Authors: George Jincy A , Ying Ying Jiang , Pappuswamy Manikantan , Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan , Chaudhary Aditi , Paari Kuppusamy Alagesan
Published: May 2024

Dengue, chikungunya, and zika are some of the fatal diseases that are causing a high number of deaths. Therefore, this work is designed to provide an effective control measure against these species of mosquito. Vitex negundo L. leaves were used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which were proven to have significant larvicidal and pupicidal activity when tested against the developmental stages of Aedes aegypti. The nanoparticles were synthesized using silver nitrate, and the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using techniques such as UV-visible spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction to confirm the presence of nanoparticles. The conditions for the larval hatchability from the first instar to adult stages were optimized at different pH ranges with three water sources: reverse osmosis water, tap water, and stagnant water. The LC50 of the subjected stages was found to be 441.43, 308.74, and 490.66 µl/L for the third and fourth instar and pupal stages of A. aegypti, respectively. The plant secondary metabolites were utilized as ligand compounds to target mosquito juvenile hormone-binding protein. Our study attempted to identify a plant-based nanomaterial that showed promising results in controlling larval development.
Evaluation of Anti-angiogenic Activity of Iraqi Mesembryanthemum cordifolium using rat aorta ring assay
Authors: Jasim Abed Zahraa , Khamees Amjed Haseeb
Published: May 2024

New blood vessels are produced during angiogenesis, which is necessary in both normal and abnormal physiological and pathologic states. The use of non-toxic plant extracts that inhibit angiogenesis might lead to more focus on the use of natural sources as a pivotal therapeutic agent in the treatment of many diseases and malignancies. Mesembryanthemum cordifolium is belongs to the Aizoaceae family and commonly known as the Heartleaf Ice Plant or Tiny Sun Rose. The plant was cultivated in the city of al Diwaniyah. No previous research has been conducted on this plant and its antiangiogenic properties. Hence, this research aimed to assess the antiangiogenic capacity of the Iraqi M. cordifolium. For this study, male albino rats aged 12 to 14 weeks were used. With a Soxhlet apparatus, the defatted plant components were extracted in 85 % methanol for 12 h. Subsequently, each fraction was fractionated using petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate and each fraction underwent phytochemical analysis. Rat aortic rings were infused with 100 ?g/mL of each plant component and placed in a growth medium. In addition, the dose-response relationship was assessed for the most active fraction at 6 different concentrations ranging from 6.25 ?g/mL to 100 ?g/mL. Compared to the negative control (1 % DMSO), the results demonstrated that fractions of M. cordifolium inhibit the growth of blood vessels in a dose-dependent manner; chloroform demonstrates the most potent effect. The results indicate that the chloroform fraction derived from M. cordifolium has a good ability to limit blood vessel development. This makes it a viable option for future investigation as an angiogenesis inhibitor.
Weft insertion guideway design based on high-temperature superconducting levitation
Authors: Zhang Chengjun , Liu Yue , Peng Yi , Wang Yi , Li Chengyuan , Zuo Xiaoyan , Xu Chuqiao , Zhou Xiangyang
Published: May 2024

Wide-width weaving machines typically employ the method of increasing the shuttle’s initial speed to achieve a broader weft insertion. However, this approach not only leads to issues such as significant equipment vibrations, high noise levels, increased energy consumption, and reduced lifespan but also has limitations in achieving substantial increases in the fabric width. The article proposes a wide-width weft insertion method based on high-temperature superconducting magnetic levitation technology. It utilizes the levitation characteristics of high-temperature superconducting shuttles in a permanent magnet array’s magnetic field to levitate the shuttle. The shuttle is then propelled by a traveling wave magnetic field generated by an array of electromagnetic coils, enabling wide-width weft insertion. Based on the required thrust values and weaving speed for the shuttle insertion process, the structural parameters of the weft insertion guideway were calculated. A superconducting suspended weft insertion structure was designed, and a mathematical model between the weft insertion guideway and the shuttle was established. Subsequently, a simulation model of the weft insertion guideway was created using Simulink, and the model was simulated, verified, and analyzed using the field-oriented control algorithm. The simulation results indicate that the operating speed of the levitated shuttle and the driving force for weft insertion meet the requirements for high-speed wide-width weaving.
Clinical diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurodyspepsia syndrome using intelligent medicine
Authors: Zhu Jingyu , Meng Wei , Liu Liang , Hu Peixin , Liang Yuling , Zhu Wenwen , Zhu Xiaoyan
Published: May 2024

Against the backdrop of rapid social economy and scientific and technological development, intelligent medical technology expanded based on the Internet plays a crucial role in the innovation and development of the modern medical industry. Intelligent medical technology has completely changed the fixed medical methods of the past, and it can solve the isolated defects between various unit systems, greatly improving the overall informatization level of hospitals. This article analyzed the clinical diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurodyspepsia syndrome (NDS) in intelligent medicine. Dyspepsia can cause palpitations, vomiting, abdominal distension, dizziness, and other symptoms so that it can cause discomfort and pain in the middle or around the epigastric region. Therefore, it is necessary to make a correct diagnosis of neurodyspepsia in order to reduce the discomfort of patients. Intelligent medical technology is of great significance in improving patients’ symptoms. This study sets up a control group and an experimental group for the experiment. The control group used conventional medication technology, while the experimental group used intelligent medical technology to analyze the patient samples taken. By comparing the factors that affect patients with NDS, it was found that the physical function score of the experimental group was 6.3% lower than that of the control group. Intelligent medical technology has high diagnostic efficiency and can achieve rapid diagnosis of NDS, meeting the clinical diagnosis and prevention requirements of NDS.
STF-Net: sparsification transformer coding guided network for subcortical brain structure segmentation
Authors: Zhang Xiufeng , Tian Lingzhuo , Guo Shengjin , Liu Yansong
Published: May 2024

Subcortical brain structure segmentation plays an important role in the diagnosis of neuroimaging and has become the basis of computer-aided diagnosis. Due to the blurred boundaries and complex shapes of subcortical brain structures, labeling these structures by hand becomes a time-consuming and subjective task, greatly limiting their potential for clinical applications. Thus, this paper proposes the sparsification transformer (STF) module for accurate brain structure segmentation. The self-attention mechanism is used to establish global dependencies to efficiently extract the global information of the feature map with low computational complexity. Also, the shallow network is used to compensate for low-level detail information through the localization of convolutional operations to promote the representation capability of the network. In addition, a hybrid residual dilated convolution (HRDC) module is introduced at the bottom layer of the network to extend the receptive field and extract multi-scale contextual information. Meanwhile, the octave convolution edge feature extraction (OCT) module is applied at the skip connections of the network to pay more attention to the edge features of brain structures. The proposed network is trained with a hybrid loss function. The experimental evaluation on two public datasets: IBSR and MALC, shows outstanding performance in terms of objective and subjective quality.
Impact of filler type and proportion on the performance of rubberized coconut fiber-polystyrene composites
Authors: Adeniyi Adewale George , Abdulkareem Sulyman Age , Emenike Ebuka Chizitere , Amoloye Mubarak A. , Ezzat Abdelrahman O. , Iwuozor Kingsley O. , Al-Lohedan Hamad A. , Oyekunle Ifeoluwa Peter , Majiyagbe Amzat Ayomide
Published: May 2024

This research investigates the production of composite materials by utilizing a polystyrene-based resin (PBR) as the matrix and a blend of coconut fiber (CF) and rubber tire (RT) as fillers. The composites were produced in varying proportions, and their mechanical and chemical properties were characterized through hardness tests, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. The findings highlight the notable influence of filler type and proportion on the mechanical and chemical attributes of the composites. The hardness tests demonstrated a substantial enhancement in composite hardness with the incorporation of CF and RT fillers, with CF exerting a more pronounced effect. FTIR analysis disclosed the presence of aromatic and aliphatic groups in all composites, and the introduction of CF and RT particles led to the emergence of additional peaks. EDS analysis indicated that carbon was the predominant element in all composites, followed by oxygen, while the SEM images revealed a heterogeneous microstructure for all composites, with good dispersion of CF and RT particles in the PBR matrix. The resulting composites exhibit potential applications in diverse fields such as construction, automotive, and packaging.
Öko-Startups und der grüne Geist des Kapitalismus – zur unternehmerischen Bearbeitung von ökologischen Herausforderungen
Authors: Gajewski Eltje , Kungl Gregor
Published: May 2024

Der Beitrag trägt zur Debatte über die Bearbeitung von ökologischen Herausforderungen im Gegenwartskapitalismus bei, indem er das Konzept des „grünen Geistes des Kapitalismus“ empirisch begründet weiterentwickelt. Anknüpfend an die Arbeiten von Sombart, Weber und Boltanski/Chiapello untersucht er anhand von neun qualitativen Fallstudien die Konstitution des kapitalistischen Geistes bei ‚grünen‘ Unternehmer:innen. Dabei zeigt sich, auf welche Weise sich in der Geisteshaltung der Befragten ökologische und kapitalistische Sinngehalte miteinander verbinden und wie sie mögliche Widersprüchlichkeiten bearbeiten. Zwar lassen sich in den untersuchten Fällen situative Brüche mit kapitalistischen Prinzipien beobachten, diese führen jedoch nicht zu einer substanziellen Überwindung kapitalistischer Grundprinzipien wie Gewinnstreben oder Wettbewerbsorientierung. Als Grund identifizieren wir spezifische Deutungsmuster, die die Wirtschaftsgesinnung der Befragten im Fall von Konflikten zwischen ökologischen und ökonomischen Zielsetzungen stabilisieren.
Marcación media en español: afección, control y sujetos no canónicos
Authors: Conti Jiménez Carmen
Published: May 2024

Middle markers (such as reflexives in Spanish) are used to encode both semantically connected situations and some semantic properties of the subject participants. Previous literature on the topic usually mentioned two of these properties: affectedness (Klaiman 1988 and 1991; Kemmer 1993; Maldonado 1999; Zúñiga/Kittilä 2019) and control (potential control, Klaiman 1991; non-canonical control, Kaufmann 2007). Middle marking in Spanish has been also related to both affected/patient subjects (García-Miguel 1985; Mendikoetxea 1999; Jiménez Juliá 2016) and agentive/intentional subjects (Martín Zorraquino 1979; Morimoto 2011; Di Tullio 2012). Nevertheless, there is not a comprehensive study on affectedness, control and middle marking in Spanish. This paper seeks to shade some light on the topic offering a detailed analysis of affectedness, control, and their correlations within a verbal sample from 13 semantic classes of the middle domain. In particular, we claim that middle marking changes the status of the subject entity, which can be [+affected], [+control], or [-control] depending on the semantics of the verb, the semantics of the sentence, the status of the entity in the active voice, and on our world knowledge. Lastly, we argue that the general function of middle marking is to encode non-canonical subjects on the control construct.
High frequency as a morphomic coherence inhibitor: evidence from the evolution of some Catalan verbs
Authors: Badal Manuel
Published: May 2024

During the Middle Ages, a new verb class was formed within the Catalan 2nd conjugation, characterized by the presence of a velar augment (/g/ or /sk/) in the L-pattern (first-person present indicative and present subjunctive) and PYTA (preterite, old conditional and imperfect subjunctive). In this paper, we study three verbs that avoided, totally or partially, the analogical velarization undergone by most 2nd conjugation verbs: haver ‘to have’, ser ‘to be’, and voler ‘to want’. Based on a corpus of Catalan works ranging from the 13th to the 19th century, we test the extent to which the L- and PYTA-patterns of these three verbs are psychologically real for speakers. The results confirm what some authors have already observed for other languages, pointing out that the high frequency of these specific verbs or the need for phonological congruence could inhibit the morphomic pattern or even block analogical levelling.
Due testimoni parziali delle Historiae adversus paganos di Paolo Orosio secondo il volgarizzamento di Bono Giamboni
Authors: Divizia Paolo
Published: May 2024

The article aims to investigate two fragmentary manuscript witnesses to Bono Giamboni’s vernacular Italian translation of Paulus Orosius’ Historiae. Neither of these witnesses has been studied until now. The article provides an edition of the shorter fragment, preserved in MS Vatican Library Barb. Lat. 4119, and a full description of the second codex, MS British Library Add. 16554, a multi-text codex that contains a large anthology of Orosius’ Historiae. Among the works preserved in this latter manuscript, particularly noteworthy is the presence of an unknown vernacular Italian version of Sallust’s De coniuratione Catilinae. The article also provides some new insights into the early printed editions of the Italian vernacular translation of Orosius and the authorship of the printed text.
Dt. Proviant: ein Pseudo-Italianismus
Authors: Schweickard Wolfgang
Published: May 2024

Contrary to what is assumed in German lexicography, Italian provianda ‘provisions, food supplyʼ is a borrowing from German and not vice versa. The numerous historical variants in German (provante, provande, provandie, proviant, etc.) have their starting point in late Latin provenda < praebenda.