bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reflecting on Training to Facilitate Collaborative Online International Learning Courses
Authors: Anderson Amy ,   Spokane Community Colleges
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this reflective practice was to explore an unexpected revelation that Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses are an engaging and equitable way to enhance my students’ intercultural communication skills. This discovery happened after participating in a COIL training designed to mimic a virtual global exchange course. In this training, I learned to work collaboratively with an international teaching partner to design a course that would include a problem-based learning project with students from the United States and Brazil. Through the reflective process, my views about online learning were transformed, and I discovered that virtual learning could be collaborative and engaging. I also realized that COIL is a cost-effective alternative to study abroad programs where students can learn about various cultures. This reflective manuscript details my experience as I participated in training to facilitate COIL courses. A subsequent manuscript will elaborate on the reflective practice of my experience teaching a COIL class.
Motivating and Engaging Students: Reflections on Gamifying Online Courses Through a Digital Badging Program
Authors:   Grand Canyon University, Dyer Thomas , Aroz R. Jacob ,   Grand Canyon University
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this reflective critique was to explore faculty approaches to engage and motivate students while promoting community and building skills in the online classroom. One of the primary benefits of this critique is to bring focus to this often-overlooked aspect of gamification, students’ unsolicited feedback addressing the feasibility of digital badges in the online classroom. This reflective critique was supported by the theoretical framework of Lev Vygotsky and the theory of social development. We focused explicitly on the constructs of digital badging and gamification. We analyzed unsolicited student comments, which were useful in revealing additional information about student perceptions of a digital badging program. The implications of this type of analysis have value in its ability to reveal patterns in previously unused data that can be used to reflect on classroom practices. Data analysis resulted in four themes addressing the digital badging program: (a) digital badges motivate students in the online classroom, (b) digital badges promote community in the online classroom, (b) digital badges reward student participation in the online classroom, and (c) digital badges encourage skill development in the online classroom. While there are challenges in creating a digital badging program, most notably time, positive student and instructor experiences encouraged us to move forward.
End of Course Feedback: A Reflective Look at What Is Really Helpful and A Proposal For Change
Authors:   Grand Canyon University, Krupp Denise
Published: December 2022

College student end-of-the-semester evaluations of their college instructors and class experiences are meant to be used as a tool to reflect on the success of teaching effectiveness and future changes needed. However, these evaluations are limited, come after the semester has ended, and have many confluent factors affecting the outcome. Ideally, useful assessments need to be given regularly, providing a clearer picture of the class needs and assessing not only the classroom experience but also the relationship with the instructor. This reflection is one instructor’s insight into the need for ongoing student feedback in the classroom. It will show the importance of not only teaching effectively by getting regular feedback from students but also the importance of developing rapport and alliance in the classroom, which is a factor in increasing student learning satisfaction. Over the years, the counseling profession has adapted a way for clients to provide regular feedback on the client/counselor relationship. The feedback provides regular and consistent information for the therapist on how the therapeutic process and relationship are doing. This feedback is a relatively new trend in counseling, and now many agencies are implementing a form of it. This style of getting feedback from the client is a type of “customer satisfaction” survey. It provides counselors with real-time feedback on clients’ perceptions and can provide a springboard for dialogue for change. While there are many differences between counseling and teaching, this style of regular feedback may enhance classroom instruction.
Trends in and Factors Contributing to the Slowdown in Medicare Spending Growth, 2007-2018
Authors: Buntin Melinda B. , Freed Salama S. , Lai Pikki , Lou Klara , Keohane Laura M.
Published: December 2022

Importance

After decades of rapid increase, Medicare per-beneficiary spending growth was historically low in the period leading up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In the years immediately following the legislation, Medicare expenditure growth slowed even further.

Objective

To evaluate factors contributing to the slowdown in Medicare per-beneficiary spending growth.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cross-sectional study, expected spending growth for 2012 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018 was predicted holding payment rates and population characteristics constant. By contrasting predicted and actual spending growth during these periods, the contribution of population vs payment factors to the Medicare spending slowdown was determined. Analyses included all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 years and older, ranging from 30 to 35 million beneficiaries annually between 2007 and 2018. Data analyses were conducted from January 2018 to August 2018 and updated with new data in June 2021.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome included annual growth in total per-beneficiary spending. The roles of payment rate changes and differences in the Medicare population over time were considered, including demographic characteristics and numbers of chronic conditions.

Results

Between 2008 to 2011 and 2012 to 2015, the adjusted annual Medicare Parts A and B per-beneficiary spending growth rate declined from 3.3% to −0.1%. From 2016 to 2018, the mean annual Medicare spending growth rate rose relative to the previous period but remained lower than in the baseline period at 1.7% per year. This slowdown extended across all sectors within Parts A and B, except for physician-administered drugs offered under Part B. Changes in payment rates (including sequestration measures) and beneficiary characteristics explained 44% of the difference in overall per-beneficiary spending growth between 2007 to 2011 and 2012 to 2015, and 63% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2018.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of trends in spending growth per Medicare beneficiary aged 65 years or older, results suggested that Medicare payment policy, including sector-specific payment rate changes and sequestration, will be a critical determinant of whether the Medicare spending growth slowdown persists.
Engineering Stable Lead‐Free Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: Lessons from Materials Chemistry
Authors: Macdonald Thomas J. , Lanzetta Luis , Liang Xinxing , Ding Dong , Haque Saif A.
Published: December 2022

Substituting toxic lead with tin (Sn) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is the most promising route toward the development of high‐efficiency lead‐free devices. Despite the encouraging efficiencies of Sn‐PSCs, they are still yet to surpass 15% and suffer detrimental oxidation of Sn(II) to Sn(IV). Since their first application in 2014, investigations into the properties of Sn‐PSCs have contributed to a growing understanding of the mechanisms, both detrimental and complementary to their stability. This review summarizes the evolution of Sn‐PSCs, including early developments to the latest state‐of‐the‐art approaches benefitting the stability of devices. The degradation pathways associated with Sn‐PSCs are first outlined, followed by describing how composition engineering (A, B site modifications), additive engineering (oxidation prevention), and interface engineering (passivation strategies) can be employed as different avenues to improve the stability of devices. The knowledge about these properties is also not limited to PSCs and also applicable to other types of devices now employing Sn‐based perovskite absorber layers. A detailed analysis of the properties and materials chemistry reveals a clear set of design rules for the development of stable Sn‐PSCs. Applying the design strategies highlighted in this review will be essential to further improve both the efficiency and stability of Sn‐PSCs.
Dielectric Function of 2D Tungsten Disulfide in Homo‐ and Heterobilayer Stacking
Authors: Peci Ermes , Magnozzi Michele , Ramó Lorenzo , Ferrera Marzia , Convertino Domenica , Pace Simona , Orlandini Giorgio , Sharma Apoorva , Milekhin Ilya , Salvan Georgeta , Coletti Camilla , Zahn Dietrich R. T. , Bisio Francesco , Canepa Maurizio
Published: December 2022

The opto‐electronic properties of semiconducting 2D materials can be flexibly manipulated by engineering the atomic‐scale environment. This can be done by including 2D materials in tailored van der Waals (vdW) stacks, whose optical response is a function of the number and the type of adjacent 2D layers. This work reports a systematic investigation of the dielectric function of 2D semiconducting WS2 in various stacking configurations: monolayer, 3R/2H homobilayer, and WS2/MoS2 heterobilayer. Reliable, Kramers–Kronig‐consistent dielectric functions are obtained for WS2 in each configuration by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and related parametric optical modeling in a wide spectral range (1.55–3.10 eV). The results of SE are combined with photoluminescence and absorbance spectra to identify the spectral position of the main excitonic features in WS2, which manifest sizable redshifts depending on the stacking configuration. These results represent a consistent reference set for the dielectric function of WS2 in vdW stacking configurations of particular interest for the scientific and technological field, and can be fruitfully exploited for reliable predictions of the optical response of WS2‐containing systems.
Solid State Excitation‐Emission Spectroscopy for the Non‐Destructive Analysis of Band‐Gap & Defect States in Inorganic and Organic Semiconductors
Authors: Oliver Daniel J. , Volkov Victor V. , Perry Carole C.
Published: December 2022

A new approach to analyze band‐gap and defect states within semiconductors is reported. Solid state excitation‐emission matrices are used to deconvolve spectral signatures that will be superimposed in 1D spectral space; for example, the 570 nm emission peak in ZnO whose emissive state is of a different physical nature depending on the excitation wavelength used. The broad applicability of the technique is shown for a library of widely studied inorganic semiconductors CdS, CdSe, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnO (analytical standard and nanorods), and TiO2. Anthracene is included as a representative example of an organic semiconductor. The developed approach can identify spectral features from the band gap, defects, and trace impurities and provide information on the relative contributions of the different emission pathways. The technique, based on using a plate‐reader conventionally used for the study of biological samples in solution has applicability in both academic and industrial settings for semiconductor studies and quality control applications.
Tunable Bright White Light Emission with Ultra‐High Color Rendering Index Induced by Trigonal Bipyramid Unit
Authors: Lin Jiawei , Guo Zhongnan , Liu Kunjie , Sun Niu , Cao Jindong , Chen Xin , Zhao Jing , Liu Quanlin , Yuan Wenxia
Published: December 2022

Efficient broadband emitting organic–inorganic metal hybrids (OIMHs) have attracted great attention recently as promising single‐component white light emitters. Here a new zero‐dimensional (0D) OIMH (C13H14N)2InCl5 (C13H14N+ = N‐methyldiphenylammonium) is reported, which features unique five‐coordinated [InCl5]2− trigonal bipyramid motif. For the first time, it is demonstrated that the trigonal bipyramid units in 0D OIMH can act as luminescence centers, showing blue emission under UV light. Remarkably, incorporating Sb3+ in [InCl5]2− trigonal bipyramids induces a new dual‐band emission at 540 and 735 nm resulting from the singlet and triplet self‐trapped excitons in [SbCl5]2−, leading to complete coverage of the entire visible spectrum. The resulting emissions in (C13H14N)2InCl5:Sb3+ are tunable from cold to warm white with the correlated color temperatures changing from 5574 to 3473 K and more importantly, an ultra‐high color rendering index (CRI) up to 96 being observed, which is comparable to the highest value in hybrid metal halides. A high photoluminescence quantum yield of 46.26% is simultaneously obtained in this system. This work demonstrates that the 0D OIMH with trigonal bipyramid motif is an excellent system for realizing the single‐component white light emission with both high efficiency and ultra‐high CRI.
Amplification of Inflammation by Lubricin Deficiency Implicated in Incident, Erosive Gout Independent of Hyperuricemia
Authors: Elsaid Khaled , Merriman Tony R. , Rossitto Leigh‐Ana , Liu‐Bryan Ru , Karsh Jacob , Phipps‐Green Amanda , Jay Gregory D. , Elsayed Sandy , Qadri Marwa , Miner Marin , Cadzow Murray , Dambruoso Talia J. , Schmidt Tannin A. , Dalbeth Nicola , Chhana Ashika , Höglund Jennifer , Ghassemian Majid , Campeau Anaamika , Maltez Nancy , Karlsson Niclas G. , Gonzalez David J. , Terkeltaub Robert
Published: December 2022

Objective

In gout, hyperuricemia promotes urate crystal deposition, which stimulates the NLRP3 inflammasome and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β)–mediated arthritis. Incident gout without background hyperuricemia is rarely reported. To identify hyperuricemia‐independent mechanisms driving gout incidence and progression, we characterized erosive urate crystalline inflammatory arthritis in a young female patient with normouricemia diagnosed as having sufficient and weighted classification criteria for gout according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EULAR gout classification criteria (the proband).

Methods

We conducted whole‐genome sequencing, quantitative proteomics, whole‐blood RNA‐sequencing analysis using serum samples from the proband. We used a mouse model of IL‐1β–induced knee synovitis to characterize proband candidate genes, biomarkers, and pathogenic mechanisms of gout.

Results

Lubricin level was attenuated in human proband serum and associated with elevated acute‐phase reactants and inflammatory whole‐blood transcripts and transcriptional pathways. The proband had predicted damaging gene variants of NLRP3 and of inter‐α trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 3, an inhibitor of lubricin‐degrading cathepsin G. Changes in the proband's serum protein interactome network supported enhanced lubricin degradation, with cathepsin G activity increased relative to its inhibitors, SERPINB6 and thrombospondin 1. Activation of Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR‐2) suppressed levels of lubricin mRNA and lubricin release in cultured human synovial fibroblasts (P < 0.01). Lubricin blunted urate crystal precipitation and IL‐1β induction of xanthine oxidase and urate in cultured macrophages (P < 0.001). In lubricin‐deficient mice, injection of IL‐1β in knees increased xanthine oxidase–positive synovial resident M1 macrophages (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our findings linked normouricemic erosive gout to attenuated lubricin, with impaired control of cathepsin G activity, compounded by deleterious NLRP3 variants. Lubricin suppressed monosodium urate crystallization and blunted IL‐1β–induced increases in xanthine oxidase and urate in macrophages. The collective activities of articular lubricin that could limit incident and erosive gouty arthritis independently of hyperuricemia are subject to disruption by inflammation, activated cathepsin G, and synovial fibroblast TLR‐2 signaling.

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How does the go‐with‐the‐flow export strategy affect corporate environmental performance?—Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms
Authors: Yu Zhuangxiong , Cheng Jiajia , Shi Xunpeng , Yang Yang
Published: December 2022

How the export strategy affects corporate environmental performance (CEP) is an integral part of trade and environmental issue. This paper investigates the impact of the go‐with‐the‐flow export strategy on CEP during the period 2000 to 2013 by the Chinese Industrial Firms Green Production Emissions Database and the China Customs Database. The study shows that the go‐with‐the‐flow export strategy increases firms' pollution emissions, that is, the more the firms follow the market, the higher their SO2 emission intensity. However, this environmental degradation effect is only found in small and domestic‐owned firms. Furthermore, this study finds that the go‐with‐the‐flow export strategy could lead to a conservative production strategy and low survival pressure, which makes firms shortsighted in terms of less investment in clean innovation and sustainable production. Based on these empirical results, the government should reduce firms' cost of clean innovation and ameliorate the problem of market information asymmetry. Such efforts would allow firms to devote more resources to sustainable production rather than information gathering. In addition, environmental regulations should go hand in hand with the promotion of green technology to avoid the expelling effect of regulation and for firms' sustainable production.
Differential transform method for couple stress fluid flow in a channel with a porous base
Authors: Vyas Paresh , Gajanand
Published: December 2022

The paper presents an application of the semi‐analytical differential transform method (DTM) to thermofluidics of generalized Couette flow of couple stress fluid inside a composite channel. The channel comprises a fluid‐saturated porous layer and a clear fluid region. The flow is caused by a uniformly favorable pressure gradient applied at the mouth of the channel and the shear of the moving upper wall of the channel. The matching conditions are taken such that the velocity, temperature, and respective gradients are continuous at a clear fluid–porous medium. The problem is novel because this is the first mathematical endeavor to treat fluidic systems involving composite channels. Besides the mathematical rigor, it presents an analysis of thermodynamic irreversibility and other quantities of interest, viz, skin friction and Nusselt number. The results derived from DTM are compared with those obtained by exact solution showing excellent agreement. The plots and tables are drawn and discussed.
Dealing with pancreatitis in cats and dogs
Authors: Rogers‐Smith Emma
Published: December 2022

Background: Pancreatitis can be challenging from a diagnostic and management point of view in both canine and feline patients.

Aim of the article: This article considers the differences in anatomy and pathophysiology between dogs and cats and discusses a practical approach to these cases in the clinic. It also highlights when it's appropriate to manage these cases the same way, as well as the critical times when clinicians should remember that cats aren't just small dogs.
Examining self‐efficacy and COVID‐19 disease prevention behaviors among socially vulnerable populations
Authors: Mace Firebaugh Casey , Wojtyna Amie , Rich Debbie , Beeson Tishra
Published: December 2022

Social vulnerabilities are associated with higher COVID‐19 disease morbidity and mortality. Primary forms of COVID‐19 disease prevention aside from vaccination, are health behaviors including masking, hand washing, social distancing, and staying home when one is sick. Understanding the self‐efficacy of these behaviors in vulnerable populations can inform health interventions to improve COVID‐19 disease outcomes. A repeated cross‐sectional study with three waves (Wave 1 = pilot, Wave 2, n = 1258, Wave 3, n = 477) was conducted using an online survey. This analysis only included Wave 2 and Wave 3. The study targeted Yakima County, WA, USA, an area with pronounced social, environmental, and health disparities. Measures included demographic, household, and self‐efficacy constructs. Binary logistic regression was used to determine which demographic and household factors were related to constructs of self‐efficacy. An independent t‐test was performed to determine if there were significant differences between population levels of self‐efficacy over time (Wave 2 vs. Wave 3). Household size, identifying as Hispanic/Latino, and measures of socioeconomic status were significantly related to various self‐efficacy beliefs about COVID‐19 disease prevention behaviors and the ability to protect oneself from COVID‐19 disease in general. Self‐efficacy increased for each measure between Wave 2 and Wave 3 (p < 0.001). Socially vulnerable groups continue to experience disparate health outcomes in the face of COVID‐19 disease. Future studies should examine ways to increase self‐efficacy among populations that are experiencing lower levels as self‐efficacy is a significant factor related to health outcomes.
SFTS bunyavirus NSs protein sequestrates mTOR into inclusion bodies and deregulates mTOR‐ULK1 signaling, provoking pro‐viral autophagy
Authors: Feng Kuan , Zhang Huijiao , Jiang Zhenyu , Zhou Min , Min Yuan‐Qin , Deng Fei , Li Peiqing , Wang Hualin , Ning Yun‐Jia
Published: December 2022

Autophagy is emerging as a critical player in host defense against diverse infections, in addition to its conserved function to maintain cellular homeostasis. Strikingly, some pathogens have evolved strategies to evade, subvert or exploit different steps of the autophagy pathway for their lifecycles. Here, we present a new viral mechanism of manipulating autophagy for its own benefit with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus (SFTSV, an emerging high‐pathogenic virus) as a model. SFTSV infection triggers autophagy, leading to complete autophagic flux. Mechanistically, we show that the nonstructural protein of SFTSV (NSs) interacts with mTOR, the pivotal regulator of autophagy, by targeting its kinase domain and captures mTOR into viral inclusion bodies (IBs) induced by NSs itself. Furthermore, NSsimpairs mTOR‐mediated phosphorylation of unc‐51‐like kinase 1 (ULK1) at Ser757, disrupting the inhibitory effect of mTOR on ULK1 activity and thus contributing to autophagy induction. Pharmacologic treatment and Beclin‐1 knockout experimental results establish that, in turn, autophagy enhances SFTSV infection and propagation. Moreover, the minigenome reporter system reveals that SFTSV ribonucleoprotein (the transcription and replication machinery) activity can be bolstered by autophagy. Additionally, we found that the NSs proteins of SFTSV‐related bunyaviruses have a conserved function of targeting mTOR. Taken together, we unravel a viral strategy of inducing pro‐viral autophagy by interacting with mTOR, sequestering mTOR into IBs and hence provoking the downstream ULK1 pathway, which presents a new paradigm for viral manipulation of autophagy and may help inform future development of specific antiviral therapies against SFTSV and related pathogens.
Sensory analysis of microwave‐roasted fenugreek and coffee blend
Authors: Yazicioglu Nalan
Published: December 2022

Fenugreek is one of the well‐known legumes, used for its antimicrobial, antioxidant, nutritional, and pharmaceutical properties. It was aimed to obtain coffee by blending microwave (600 W)‐roasted fenugreek with coffee arabica and to determine the best roasting conditions (2 and 4 min), and blending ratios (20% and 50%) for fenugreek seeds by consumer sensory analysis. A voluntary, minimal‐trained consumer panel of 80 panelists was conducted. Coffee from roasted Arabica beans (100%) was used as a control. Cronbach's alpha values of 67.2% and 90.9% were obtained for the reliability of the first and second parts of the survey, respectively. The attributes “brown” color, “burnt,” and “bitter” taste, and “astringent” texture were significantly different between samples (p < 0.05), whereas oily appearance, green color, coffee, green/vegan, fruity, sour, sweet, nutty, caramel, cacao, caffeine and creamy flavor, and viscosity sensation were statistically the same. The Tamhane T2 post hoc test showed that the color of the control sample was more brownish, whereas the 50% blend of 4 min roasted fenugreek had a more burnt, bitter, and astringent taste. Appreciation scores for taste/aroma, appearance, and mouthfeel also differed significantly between samples, whereas odor was rated as the same by panelists. This study shows that sample with 20% mixture of fenugreek roasted for 4 min at 600 W had statistically the same scores as the control sample in terms of odor, appearance, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. These findings were also supported by physical and antioxidative quality measurements such as color, pH, moisture content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity.
A survey to assess perspectives of people with chronic stroke about customized safety harnesses for dance‐based exergaming in home settings
Authors: Subramaniam Savitha , Wang Edward , Bhatt Tanvi
Published: December 2022

Background

Early dance‐based exergaming (DBExG) trials in people with chronic stroke (PwCS) have shown promising results, but there remains a lack of knowledge if PwCS are interested in receiving such training in their homes and the applicability of a fall‐protection safety harness in the home environment.

Objective

To survey people with chronic stroke to understand the perspectives and preferences of various customized safety harnesses for home‐based harness assisted dance‐based exergaming rehabilitation.

Methods

Participants were included in this survey study if they had a stroke, lived in the community, and understood English. Participants completed a study‐specific safety harness survey via mail, in‐person, or online. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and survey responses.

Results

One hundred two survey responses were returned. The majority of participants voted for a door mountable harness (51%), side‐release style buckle (58%), and preferred to receive a manual to explain how to use the harness (51%). Seventy‐eight percent of the participants required permission to install or use a harness system in their homes. More than half of the participants preferred exhibiting independence by strapping the harness themselves (68%), along with choosing to live independently (the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, comfortably, and able also perform their activities of daily living, regardless of physical ability level) (89%).

Conclusions

PwCS opted to use ShA‐DBExG in their homes. The current survey serves as a guideline to develop, customize, and prescribe home‐based ShA‐DBExG rehabilitation.
Evaluation of different rainwater harvesting techniques for improved maize productivity in semi‐arid regions of Zimbabwe with sandy soils
Authors: Chiturike Pasipanodya , Nyamadzawo George , Gotosa Jephta , Mandumbu Ronald , Nyakudya Innocent Wadzanayi , Kubiku Friday Nguvayasvika Mudondo , Kugedera Andrew Tapiwa
Published: December 2022

Background

Maize production in semi‐arid areas has been hindered by moisture stress and poor soil fertility. Long frequent droughts and shortening of growing seasons have been causing yield reduction. Limited knowledge of soil water management by farmers is another key contributor to poor maize yields in the smallholder sector. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the effects of contour‐based and field‐based water harvesting technologies on maize grain yield and rainwater use efficiency under rain‐fed conditions on three farms (Jera, Kudzeeta and Manjengwa) with sandy soils in the Marange smallholder farming area of Zimbabwe. The experiment was laid out as a split plot in a randomised complete block design with three replications at each site. Contour‐based rainwater harvesting structures were the main treatments comprising tied contour (TC), standard contour (STDC) and infiltration pits (IP). Field‐based rainwater harvesting structures were the subplot treatments comprising tied ridges (TR), pot holing (PH) and the flat system (FLAT).

Results

Results showed that the contour‐based water harvesting structures significantly influenced (p < 0.05) maize grain yields. TCs had the highest maize grain yields compared with infiltration pits and STDCs over two cropping seasons. Maize yields on field‐based TR were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than on the FLAT but were not different (p > 0.05) with what was obtained on PH. The combination of TC and TR water harvesting technologies resulted in significantly higher maize yields (p < 0.05) than other combinations. TR and STDC also gave higher maize grain yield at Jera farm which was significantly different from other two farms. Rainwater use efficiency followed the same trend as maize grain yields, with TC having higher values but not significantly different (p > 0.05) from STDC.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that farmers in semi‐arid areas adopt a combination of TC with either TR or PH to improve rainwater use efficiency and maize yields.
Design, Synthesis of New Pyrazoles and Chromenes as ERK‐2 Inhibitors, Apoptosis inducers and Cell cycle interrupters Based on Thiophene‐Chalcone Scaffold
Authors: Metwally Nadia Hanafy , Eldaly Salwa Magdy
Published: December 2022

Arylmethylene derivatives, chromenes and aminothiophenes were synthesized from 2‐cyano‐N‐(4‐(3‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)acryloyl)phenyl)acetamide 2. The anticancer activity of most synthetic compounds was assessed in breast cancer (MCF‐7), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG‐2) and cervical cancer (HeLa), with five of arylmethylene and chromene derivatives showing highest cytotoxic activity. Further, treatment of breast cancer (MCF‐7) cell lines with 4 d and 6 b, the most cytotoxic compounds; revealed down regulation for ERK‐2 protein with expression concentration; 527.7±6.61 and 427.7±8.39 pg/ml, respectively compared to staurosporine; 440.9±5.02 pg/ml. Moreover, cell death induction was assessed by Annexin V‐ FITC/PI assay and these compounds caused cell death by apoptosis, besides the DNA fragmentation was assessed by gel electrophoresis and ELISA and the data showed increase in the percentage of fragmentation in treated MCF‐7 of values; 30.49 % and 28.19 % in 4 d and 6 b, respectively confirming the same effect as staurosporine. The DNA‐flow cytometric cell cycle analysis showed that 4 d and 4 g arrested the cell cycle at S phase and 8 b arrested it at G1/S phase. Molecular docking was carried out together with physicochemical properties prediction using DruLiTo program.
An Efficient Route for the Synthesis of 1,5‐Disubstituted Tetrazoles and their Anti‐Microbial Activity Against Salmonella Paratyphi
Authors: Preetham Ramesh , Vijaya Kumar Malahalli S. , Swaroop Toreshettahally R. , Divyashree S. , Kiran Kuppalli R. , Sreenivasa Marikunte Y. , Sadashiva Maralinganadoddi P. , Rangappa Kanchugarakoppal S.
Published: December 2022

Carbimidothioates were synthesized by the reaction of Grignard reagents with arylisothiocyanates followed by methylation with methyl iodide. Further, these carbimidothioates were cyclized with sodium azide in DMF at 120 °C to get 1,5‐disubstituted tetrazoles, which are important class of compounds in medicinal chemistry. Hence, we evaluated the antibacterial activity against Salmonella Paratyphi bacteria. Among the series, compounds 6 a, 6 c, 6 f and 6 i effectively inhibited Solamonella Paratyphi. Compound 6 f performed well in the agar well diffusion experiment. Compound 6 i outperformed the standard drug in micro dilution assay and biofilm inhibition experiment using Crystal violet at 1 mM concentration. These studies demonstrates that active molecules are the most promising options for reducing S. paratyphi biofilm. In order to know the binding mode of the synthesized molecules, we performed molecular docking studies with protein Salmonella Paratyphi A lipopolysaccharide acetyltransferase periplasmic domain (PDB ID‐6SE1). Among the series, compounds 6 f and 6 i exhibited the most significant affinity score with 6SE1 protein.
Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Dementia
Authors: Smith Sarah C.
Published: December 2022

Dementia presents unique challenges for the measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL). The subjective nature of the HRQL construct, the cognitive demands of questionnaires, and the necessity of sometimes relying on a proxy report taken together mean that traditional questionnaires scored using classical psychometrics may not provide robust measurement. Advanced psychometric methods, such as those based on Rasch measurement theory, can provide possible solutions to these challenges. Rasch based methods have been used with the DEMQOL/DEMQOL-Proxy disease specific HRQL instrument to measure HRQL in people with dementia, to provide robust scales, to equate self- and proxy-reported instruments, and to create a cross walk from a proxy-reported measurement to the equivalent self-reported measurement. These methods also provide a qualitative understanding of statistical change. Advanced psychometric methods such as those based on Rasch measurement theory therefore provide a potentially powerful way to address the challenges of measuring HRQL for people with dementia. However, the use of these methods is not a quick fix. They require careful development of a conceptual framework describing the construct (HRQL) and a commitment to keeping the person with dementia’s perspective central at all stages of the process.
Improving Clinical Practice with Person-Centered Outcome Measurement
Authors: Allen Diane D. , Pak Sang S.
Published: December 2022

Measurement choices play a critical role in improving healthcare systems. As this book describes, improved measurement can promote excellence in person-centered outcomes through health policy, methodology, theory, and clinical practice. This chapter focuses on measurement choices within clinical practice that can guide decision-making for improved outcomes. The overall objective is for clinical practice to deliver high-quality and equitable healthcare tailored to the unique situation of each specific person. Separate sections discuss the context surrounding measurement choices, specific dilemmas or competing priorities that affect measurement choices, and recommendations for improving person-centered outcome measurement.
An Adaptive Strategy for Measuring Patient-Reported Outcomes: Incorporating Patient Preferences Relevant to Cost-Benefit Assessments of Vision Rehabilitation
Authors: Massof Robert W. , Bradley Chris
Published: December 2022

Vision rehabilitation aims to improve daily functioning in patients with chronic disabling vision impairments – low vision – by providing vision assistive equipment and teaching patients effective use of the equipment; teaching patients adaptations to obviate dependence on vision; modifications of the patient’s environment to improve visibility and increase safety; and psychosocial counseling and education to help patients cope with the stress of impaired vision. The interventions that constitute vision rehabilitation are tailored to each patient’s functional goals and personal preferences. This chapter describes the theory, structure, and mechanics of an adaptive patient-reported outcome measure – the Activity Inventory (AI). The AI was developed to identify each patient’s unique set of functional goals within a hierarchical framework, to specify the cognitive and motor activities (i.e., tasks in different functional domains) the patient customarily performs to achieve his or her personal goals, and to elicit ordinal patient ratings of the importance and difficulty of each goal and the difficulty of relevant subsidiary tasks under goals that meet or exceed defined importance and difficulty criteria. The theoretical assumptions of a Rasch psychometric model that is employed to estimate measures of the patient’s overall visual ability from goal difficulty ratings and ability in each functional domain from task difficulty ratings before and after vision rehabilitation are presented and the results for a large group of low vision patients are reviewed. This chapter then explores the issue of how individual patient preferences must be factored into the outcome measures to determine the utility of functional improvements from vision rehabilitation. A theoretical framework for incorporating the utility of individual vision rehabilitation outcomes is offered and its application to functional outcome data is demonstrated.
Functional Binocular Vision: Toward a Person-Centered Metric
Authors: Powers Maureen , Fisher William P.
Published: December 2022

A research program investigating correctable issues in Functional Binocular Vision (FBV) related optometric variables to responses from a symptom survey and reading test results. The study was mounted with no explicit attention to measurement modeling. Data from this research program were retrospectively analyzed with the aims of evaluating the potential for learning from the existing observations, and for improving the study design in future iterations. Results suggest that the physical and psychological measurements of vision combine into a model of FBV that could be standardized and deployed for use in diagnosing significant numbers of untreated vision problems negatively impacting learning outcomes.
Studying Expertise Online
Authors: Egher Claudia
Published: December 2022

This chapter discusses the paradoxical position that expertise has come to occupy nowadays, as it is both ubiquitous and very much challenged. It highlights how the Internet has contributed to these developments and provides a brief overview of the main theoretical perspectives developed on expertise in science and technology studies (STS). A new conceptualization of expertise is subsequently put forward. It is suggested that expertise is a practical achievement, realized though coordination and affective labor among stakeholders who occupy multiple and shifting positions across a complex ecosystem.
Online Expert Mediators: Expanding Interactional Expertise
Authors: Egher Claudia
Published: December 2022

This chapter shows that the Internet does not always favor the powerful, but this still does not mean that it is democratizing. It traces the online activities of two bloggers diagnosed with bipolar disorder using the concept of interactional expertise (Collins & Evans, 2002). I argue that by combining medical knowledge with their situated experiences and the affordances of blogs, these bloggers have become a new type of stakeholder, “online expert mediators.” The notion of interactional expertise is extended by illustrating the relevance of the medium through which interactional expertise is performed and by showing that it has a substantial bi-directional character.
Digital Biocommunities: Solidarity and Lay Expertise About Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Egher Claudia
Published: December 2022

This chapter shows that despite an increased focus on individualization in the provision of mental healthcare, people diagnosed with bipolar disorder perform solidarity online, which encourages the development of lay expertise. The role of affective labor in epistemic practices is highlighted in this chapter, as it is argued that it facilitates the sharing of intimate information and the development of new collectives. The notion of digital biocommunities is put forward to denote a new type of subgroup, which emerges not only based on a common diagnosis, life circumstances, experiences, and values, but also based on similar engagements with digital technologies.
Designing Allocation Rules in Economic Problems
Authors: Kasajima Yoichi
Published: December 2022

How should we divide a resource among a group of agents who have conflicting claims for it? A typical example is the bankruptcy problem: The liquidation value of a bankrupt firm must be divided among creditors. An alternative example with the same mathematical structure is the taxation problem: The cost of some public projects must be collected by a government through taxing incomes. An awards vector determines the division of the resource among the agents. An allocation rule, or simply a rule, is a function that associates an awards vector to each problem of this kind. Our goal is to construct “good” rules. By that, we intend to learn how to achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). In our study of rules, we follow the axiomatic approach. That is, we (i) formulate rules (mathematically), (ii) introduce “desirable” properties of rules (called axioms), and (iii) study those implications (e.g., identify rules that satisfy those properties). We present some well-known characterization results based on the properties analyzed.
Reconstruction Under Nuclear Disaster and Making Resilient Society in Fukushima
Authors: Matsuoka Shunji
Published: December 2022

This chapter examinesthe “Balancing Reconstruction with Decommissioning” problem of reviving Fukushima from a double disaster called the Great East Japan Earthquake and the 1F (Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant) nuclear disaster. This issue is a typical case of sustainability and resilience in the twenty-first century in the century of the disaster. First, this paper discusses that it is the reconstruction policy of the declining and aging population with the creative reconstruction in a century, the twenty-first century of the disaster in Japan. This paper then examines the reconstruction policy from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the way of the Fukushima nuclear accident processing before establishing “incompleteness of the nuclear crisis response and surplus of the Great Earthquake disaster reconstruction policy.” Finally, this paper clarifies the difficulty of the issue called “Balancing Reconstruction with Decommissioning” in Fukushima based on the analysis of 1F decommissioning policy, and Fukushima lectures possibly falling into a state such as “Mutual Destruction of Reconstruction and Decommissioning” without altering 1F decommissioning governance. This chapter contributes to SDGs 11; Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Production and Quality Management for SDGs
Authors: Nakashima Kenichi
Published: December 2022

Industry has undertaken mass production and consumed resources to optimize only economic efficiency. Most products are discarded or disposed at the end of their lifetimes. Therefore, most companies should design and manage their production system for sustainability. One of the most important factors to develop a sustainable production system is the environmental aspect. Environmentally conscious operations management makes some contributions to sustainable development goals (SDGs) #9 and #12. This chapter deals with production and quality management systems for SDGs. Firstly, representative operations management systems such as inventory management and total quality management (TQM) are introduced. These systems are useful to control the production processes efficiently. Secondly, we explain the Just-in-Time (JIT) production system which is based on the two key concepts, JIT and JIDOKA. Some advantages of the JIT production system include its simplicity in production scheduling, reduced burden on operators, ease of identification of parts by the two kinds of kanbans attached to the containers, and substantial reduction in the process work. Finally, we consider environmentally conscious manufacturing and describe a closed loop supply chain which includes activities necessary to acquire end-of-life products from customers to recover value.
Economic Growth: Why Are There Rich and Poor Countries?
Authors: Oikawa Koki
Published: December 2022

Sustainable economic growth is one of the main goals of SDGs. To achieve this goal, we need to know what drives the long-run dynamics of the wealth of nations. In this chapter, we first learn how to measure the level of a country’s wealth and its growth from data, as well as some widely observed facts such as steady growth in some developed countries, the huge international difference in economic growth, and so forth. Next, we develop theoretical models to explain those observations. We present a basic theory of growth with capital accumulation as the driving force and check the consistency with the observed data. Further, we consider firms’ investments into research and development (R &D) and see how innovations drive economic growth. It also tells us the effects of growth policies. Lastly, we discuss other factors that create international difference in economic growth such as education, institution, and misallocation of resources. This chapter contributes to Goal 8 (economic growth) and 9 (innovation) in SDGs.
Protein cysteine S-glycosylation: oxidative hydrolysis of protein S-glycosidic bonds in aqueous alkaline environments
Authors: Buchowiecka Alicja K.
Published: December 2022

Some glycoproteins contain carbohydrates S-linked to cysteine (Cys) residues. However, relatively few S-glycosylated proteins have been detected, due to the lack of an effective research methodology. This work outlines a general concept for the detection of S-glycosylation sites in proteins. The approach was verified by exploratory experiments on a model mixture of β-S-glucosylated polypeptides obtained by the chemical transformation of lysozyme P00698. The model underwent two processes: (1) oxidative hydrolysis of S-glycosidic bonds under alkaline conditions to expose the thiol group of Cys residues; (2) thiol S-alkylation leading to thiol S-adduct formation at the former S-glycosylation sites. Oxidative hydrolysis was conducted in aqueous urea, dimethyl sulfoxide, or trifluoroethanol, with silver nitrate as the reaction promoter, in the presence of triethylamine and/or pyridine. The concurrent formation of stable protein silver thiolates, gluconic acid, and silver nanoclusters was observed. The essential de-metalation of protein silver thiolates using dithiothreitol preceded the S-labeling of Cys residues with 4-vinyl pyridine or a fluorescent reagent. The S-labeled model was sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry to obtain data on the modifications and their distribution over the protein chains. This enabled the efficiency of both S-glycosidic bonds hydrolysis and S-glycosylation site labeling to be evaluated. Suggestions are also given for testing this novel strategy on real proteomic samples.
Revisiting QUIC attacks: a comprehensive review on QUIC security and a hands-on study
Authors: Chatzoglou Efstratios , Kouliaridis Vasileios , Karopoulos Georgios , Kambourakis Georgios
Published: December 2022

Built on top of UDP, the recently standardized QUIC protocol primarily aims to gradually replace the TCP plus TLS plus HTTP/2 model. For instance, HTTP/3 is designed to exploit QUIC’s features, including reduced connection establishment time, multiplexing without head of line blocking, always-encrypted end-to-end security, and others. This work serves two key objectives. Initially, it offers the first to our knowledge full-fledged review on QUIC security as seen through the lens of the relevant literature so far. Second and more importantly, through extensive fuzz testing, we conduct a hands-on security evaluation against the six most popular QUIC-enabled production-grade servers. This assessment identified several effective and practical zero-day vulnerabilities, which, if exploited, can quickly overwhelm the server resources. This finding is a clear indication that the fragmented production-level implementations of this contemporary protocol are not yet mature enough. Overall, the work at hand provides the first wholemeal appraisal of QUIC security from both a literature review and empirical standpoint, and it is therefore foreseen to serve as a reference for future research in this timely area.