bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colleges and Upward Economic Mobility: The Distinctive Contribution of HBCUs
Authors: Koch James V. , Swinton Omari H.
Published: May 2023

Relying on a panel of more than 600 four-year colleges (including 49 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)), we show that HBCUs as a group outperform other major classes of institutions (for example, flagship state universities) in generating upward economic mobility for their graduates.
Some suggestions for pain physicians working in real-world clinical settings
Authors: Lee Jung Hwan , Chang Min Cheol
Published: May 2023

Musculoskeletal pain is a common reason for patients visiting hospitals or clinics. Various therapeutic tools including oral medications, physical modalities, and procedures have been used to alleviate musculoskeletal pain. Numerous clinical trials have been conducted to demonstrate the therapeutic effect of each treatment and compare the efficacy of different protocols. These trials were conducted under controlled conditions with specific endpoints and timeframes, and the individual constraints of each patient were not considered. We believe that the findings of such studies may not accurately reflect clinical reality in real-world settings. In this article, we propose treatment principles for patients in pain clinics. We propose two principles for pain treatment: first, “Healing, in the end, is not healing.” and second, “The patient’s job is not a patient.” The main role of pain physicians is to quickly and actively reduce pain and help patients focus on their work and lives.
Forced transformation: religious institutions and the state during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Sokolovskiy Konstantin
Published: May 2023

Confessions take the introduced anti-epidemiological measures, although this often requires adjusting ritual actions and interpreting dogmatic precepts. In such conditions, they were forced to reconsider the forms of their activities, which marked the beginning of discussions, embarrassment and discontent among the clergy and parishioners. Their main topic was the resolution of the contradiction that lies both in the plane of state-administrative relations and in the field of theology: can a sacred place of worship also be a place for transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The purpose of the article is to study the variable reaction of confessions to the relevant prohibitions on the part of state bodies: from understanding, accepting and assisting the authorities to manifesting disobedience and deliberate violation of the quarantine regime. As research methods, general scientific and particular scientific methods of cognition such as: analysis, synthesis, comparative studies and other formal-logical scientific methods, and the method of political and legal analysis proposed by Y. Nisnevich. were used. As a result of the research, the following conclusions were made: the spread of the COVID-19 virus prompted religious organizations to large-scale implementation of new forms of communication with their own followers, as well as a forced transformation in state-confessional relations. The so-called «accelerated digitalization» is becoming a trend today - increasing communication with believers through online technologies, which, of course, will prompt religious organizations to rethink their usual, traditional forms of cult practice in the future. Current pandemic has also shown the readiness of religious organizations for more active social work and has presented confessions with a difficult dilemma - to facilitate ongoing sanitary measures or remain faithful to established traditions.
Key steps towards arms control in Europe
Authors: Mizin V. , Sevost'yanov P. , Matyuhin A.
Published: May 2023

The purpose of this article is to analyze and prepare specific recommendations on key, but still unresolved, topical issues of arms control in Europe. The recommendations, in particular, include the further prevention of the deployment of new medium- and shorter-range missiles, non-strategic ("tactical") nuclear weapons, as well as the identification of prospects for limiting the conventional arms race and issues of means to prevent dangerous military incidents. In this regard, the article analyzes a promising set of measures for creating a mutual system of European security and resolving a number of key problems in this area through the prism of the issues of the INF Treaty, TNW and other international documents and treaties, suggests concrete steps and ways of effective implementation in this direction. The article used systematic, retrospective, comparative, hermeneutic methods of scientific research. The novelty of the approach lies in the fact that the article does this in the context of an analysis of the aggravation of the situation around Ukraine, its attempts to join NATO and Russian demands to the United States and NATO on the need for legally binding guarantees of mutual security made in November-December 2021. The six concrete steps proposed by the authors towards arms control in Europe, as well as a set of measures in the field of limitation and reduction of conventional weapons in Europe, consisting of twelve points, are also innovative. The authors focus on the need to reduce the number of non-strategic nuclear warheads and their placement, eliminate certain classes of non-strategic nuclear weapons, exchange information on the types and number of delivery systems of non-strategic nuclear warheads, formalize obligations not to dock non-strategic nuclear warheads with their delivery systems, as well as obligations not to exceed the aggregate limit on non-strategic and non-deployed strategic warheads, conduct periodic mutual on-site inspections. The authors see promising measures to create a flexible and constructive security architecture in the European region in the intensification of both diplomatic and military dialogue between Russia and NATO, in the formation of legally fixed measures to prevent the threat of mutual military clashes, in the resumption of joint work on cooperation in airspace and in marine areas, in the development of new procedures for de-escalation military incidents and conflicts. The practical and theoretical significance of the work lies in the systematic analysis of a set of important security measures on the European continent after a fundamental change in the world security system, including the termination of almost all international arms control agreements. This was especially relevant already at the beginning of 2022 in the situation of Russia conducting a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine and increasing the likelihood of a military nuclear conflict between Russia and NATO.
Cardiac rehabilitation in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care program in the time of a COVID – 19 pandemic
Authors: Stawikowski Cezary , Zielonka Bartłomiej , Kowalczyk Ilona , Stachyra Bartłomiej , Wolanin Marta , Osińska Aleksandra , Wolanin Izabela , Krawiec Paulina , Madej Karolina , Dengler Barbara
Published: May 2023

Introduction and purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation in patients after myocardial infarction is an established form of therapy. Its main tasks in the context of the implementation of the KOS program are to improve quality of life, consolidate the effects of hospital treatment and ensure better functioning after a cardiovascular incident. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current level of knowledge regarding cardiac rehabilitation of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Description of the state of knowledge: COVID-19 poses a significant threat to patients with cardiovascular disease. Physiotherapy in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit involves a step-by-step, individualized rehabilitation plan in accordance with the patient's condition. An important tool for clinical evaluation is capacity tests, the results of which provide key information for the rehabilitation team in selecting exercise intensity. These tests are performed on the first and last days of rehabilitation. In Polish conditions, the most common tests examining capacity are an exercise test on a treadmill or bicycle cycler or a 6-minute walk test. Due to the diversion of a significant number of specialists and health care teams to treat COVID - 19 patients, access to the possibility of implementing the various stages of the Coordinated Specialized Care program after myocardial infarction has been limited.

Summary: Post-infection patients are often forced to live a sparing lifestyle. They show reduced exercise tolerance and easier fatigability. With these aspects in mind, improving the quality of life of patients after cardiovascular incidents in the era of the pandemic requires even greater involvement of the entire rehabilitation team.
Comprensión del Valor de Posición: Equivalencia Numérica y Composición Aditiva como Facilitadores en la Escritura de Numerales
Authors: Medina Rodríguez Diego Alonso
Published: May 2023

El valor de posición es una propiedad básica de los formatos de representación del Sistema de Numeración en Base Diez (snbd), y su comprensión facilita el desempeño matemático de los estudiantes en diferentes grados escolares. Algunas investigaciones sugieren que nociones como la composición aditiva y la equivalencia numérica participan en la emergencia de la comprensión de este principio, sin embargo, pocos estudios han intentado analizar la relación entre estas nociones o se han interesado en indagar —desde una perspectiva de la transcodificación numérica—, cómo estas afectan la producción de numerales arábigos durante los procesos iniciales del aprendizaje escolar. En tal sentido, esta investigación propone indagar si algunas de las invariantes del snbd —composición aditiva y equivalencia numérica— facilitan la comprensión del valor de posición y la escritura numérica en estudiantes de primer grado de primaria. Participaron 96 estudiantes adscritos a escuelas públicas de Cali, Colombia, en un estudio cuasi-experimental pre-posprueba con grupo control, que involucra la aplicación de un proceso de intervención diferente para cada grupo experimental: (a) composición aditiva y (b) equivalencia numérica. Los resultados plantean que los dos tratamientos aplicados facilitan la comprensión del valor de posición y generan efectos diferentes en la comprensión y producción de numerales arábigos. Además, los análisis develan cambios significativos entre aplicaciones para los grupos experimentales, pero no para el grupo control, lo cual sugiere que la composición aditiva y la equivalencia numérica son predictores en la escritura correcta de numerales.
Hollywood and airpower: Myths and realities
Authors: Hamourtziadou Lily , Jackson Jonathan
Published: May 2023

Narratives on state and power are constructed and propagated through events such as the Platinum Jubilee, with all its grandeur, pomp and glory, and its stories of British military superiority, as well as the popular fictions of Hollywood films, the latest of which builds on the usual war narratives of heroism, risk and sacrifice, while concealing realities of weakness, decline and risk-free wars. The rise of high-tech assassins in drone warfare, which are heavily used by the UK and the US in the War on Terror, has eliminated combat and instead has turned killing into an unfeeling, amoral exercise of power, safely conducted from a distance.
Availability, outage, and capacity of spatially correlated, Australasian free-space optical networks
Authors: Birch Marcus , Beattie James R. , Bennet Francis , Rattenbury Nicholas , Copeland Michael , Travouillon Tony , Ferguson Kate , Cater John , Sayat Mikhael
Published: May 2023

Network capacity and reliability for free space optical communication
(FSOC) is strongly driven by ground station availability, which is
dominated by local cloud cover causing an outage. Here, we combine
remote sensing data and novel methods to provide a generalized
framework for assessing and optimizing optical ground station
networks. This work is guided by an example network of eight
Australian and New Zealand optical communication ground stations that
span approximately 60° in longitude and 20° in latitude.
Utilizing time-dependent cloud cover data from five satellites, we
present a detailed analysis that determines the network availability
and diversity, which showed that the Australasian region is
well-suited for an optical network with a 69% average site
availability and low spatial cloud cover correlations. Employing
methods from computational neuroscience, we provide a Monte Carlo
method for sampling the joint probability distribution of site
availabilities for an arbitrarily sized and point-wise correlated
network of ground stations. Furthermore, we develop a general
heuristic for site selection under availability and correlation
optimizations and combine it with orbital propagation simulations to
compare the data capacity between optimized networks and the example
network. We show that the example network may be capable of providing
tens of terabits per day to a low Earth orbit satellite and up to
99.97% reliability to geostationary satellites. We therefore used the
Australasian region to demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge,
novel, generalized tools for assessing and optimizing FSOC ground
station networks, as well as the suitability of the region for hosting
such a network.
Combined action observation and motor imagery improves learning of activities of daily living in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Scott Matthew W. , Wood Greg , Holmes Paul S. , Marshall Ben , Williams Jacqueline , Wright David J.
Published: May 2023

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is characterised by poor motor coordination, which interferes with the ability to execute activities of daily living (ADLs). Combined action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) involves observing movement videos whilst imagining simultaneously the sensations of executing the same movement. Laboratory-based research indicates that AOMI can help improve movement coordination in children with DCD, but no previous research had investigated the efficacy of AOMI interventions for learning ADLs. This study investigated the efficacy of a home-based, parent-led, AOMI intervention for learning ADLs in children with DCD. Children with confirmed (n = 23) or suspected (n = 5) DCD (total sample n = 28), aged 7–12 years, were assigned to either an AOMI intervention or a control intervention (both n = 14). Participants attempted the following ADLs at pre-test (week 1), post-test (week 4), and retention test (week 6): shoelace tying, cutlery use, shirt buttoning, and cup stacking. Task completion times and movement techniques were recorded. The AOMI intervention produced significantly faster task completion times than the control intervention at post-test for shoelace tying, and significantly improved movement techniques for shoelace tying and cup stacking. Importantly, for children who could not tie shoelaces at pre-test (n = 9 per group), 89% of those following the AOMI intervention learnt the skill successfully by the end of the study, compared to only 44% of those following the control intervention. The findings indicate that home-based, parent-led, AOMI interventions can aid the learning of complex ADLs in children with DCD, and may be particularly effective for facilitating the learning of motor skills that do not currently exist within these children’s motor repertoire.
A study protocol for comparing the treatment of varicose tributaries either concomitantly with or separately from endovenous laser ablation of the incompetent saphenous trunk (the FinnTrunk Study). A multicenter parallel-group randomized controlled study
Authors: Viljamaa Jaakko , Firoozi Khalil , Venermo Maarit , Pokela Matti , Pihlaja Toni , Halmesmäki Karoliina , Hakovirta Harri
Published: May 2023

Background

Opinions on the treatment of varicose tributaries in relation to saphenous ablation in varicose disease vary. Moreover, the possible role of the tributaries regarding the recurrence of varicose disease remains unclear. The aim of the FinnTrunk study is to compare two different treatment strategies for varicose disease in a randomized setting. In group one, the initial treatment will entail endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) of the incompetent saphenous trunk without tributary treatment. In group two, the varicose tributaries will be treated with ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) concomitantly with truncal ablation. The primary outcome measure is the need for additional procedures during the follow-up. The secondary outcome measures are the cost of treatment and recurrence of varicose disease.

Methods

Consecutive patients with symptomatic varicose disease (CEAP clinical class C2–C3) will be screened for the study. Patients who fulfil the study criteria and give their informed consent will be scheduled for the procedure and randomized to either study group. Patients will be followed-up at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. The post-procedure pain score based on a numeric rating scale (NRS) and also the use of analgesics, as well as possible procedure-related complications will be recorded at 3 months. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) will be recorded at 1 year. Data pertaining to the additional treatment of varicose tributaries, the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ), the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), and the health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) will be collected at each follow-up visit. A duplex ultrasound (DUS) examination will be performed at each visit, and data on varicose tributaries and the need for additional treatment will be recorded.

Trial registration

Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT04774939.
Analysis of ancestry-specific polygenic risk score and diet composition in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hardy Dale S. , Garvin Jane T. , Mersha Tesfaye B.
Published: May 2023

Background

Carbohydrate and protein dietary proportions have been debated as to whether higher or lower levels are optimal for diabetes metabolic control.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the associations, interactions, and mediational relationships between a polygenic risk score (PRS), carbohydrate and protein intake, and physical activity level on type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by genetic ancestry, in European Americans and African Americans. A secondary objective examined the biological pathways associated with the PRS-linked genes and their relationships to dietary intake.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study in 9,393 participants: 83.3% European Americans and 16.7% African Americans from 7-NHLBI Care studies obtained from the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes. The main outcome was T2DM. Carbohydrate and protein intake derived from food frequency questionnaires were calculated as percent calories. Data were analyzed using multivariable generalized estimation equation models to derive odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Ancestry-specific PRSs were constructed using joint-effects Summary Best Linear Unbiased Estimation in the train dataset and replicated in the test dataset. Mediation analysis was performed using VanderWeele’s method.

Results

The PRS in the highest tertile was associated with higher risk of T2DM in European Americans (OR = 1.25;CI = 1.03–1.51) and African Americans (OR = 1.54;1.14–2.09). High carbohydrate and low protein intake had lower risks of T2DM when combined with the PRS after adjusting for covariates. In African Americans, high physical activity combined with the high PRS and high protein diet was associated with a 28% lower incidence of T2DM when compared to low physical activity. In mediational models in African Americans, the PRS-T2DM association was mediated by protein intake in the highest tertile by 55%. The top PRS tertile had the highest magnitude of risks with metabolic factors that were significantly associated with T2DM, especially in European Americans. We found metabolic pathways associated with the PRS-linked genes that were related to insulin/IGF and ketogenesis/ketolysis that can be activated by moderate physical activity and intermittent fasting for better T2DM control.

Conclusions

Clinicians may want to consider diets with a higher portion of carbohydrates than protein, especially when the burden of high-risk alleles is great in patients with T2DM. In addition, clinicians and other medical professionals may want to emphasize the addition of physical activity as part of treatment regimen especially for African Americans. Given the metabolic pathways we identified, moderate physical activity and intermittent fasting should be explored. Researchers may want to consider longitudinal or randomized clinical trials to determine the predictive ability of different dietary patterns to inhibit T2DM in the presence of obesity and an elevated PRS.
Retrospective study of lameness in beef cattle in northeastern Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Morrone Sarah , Scanu Antonio , Gerolamo Masala , Crovace Alberto Maria , Romeo Stella Maria Teresa , Saderi Laura , Sotgiu Giovanni , Columbano Nicolò
Published: May 2023

Lameness is one of the most prevalent diseases affecting dairy and beef cattle, resulting in decreased animal performance, decreased animal welfare, and substantial economic loss. In extensive beef cattle farming, the risk factors for this multifactorial disease are largely unexplored. This study aims to conduct a preliminary epidemiological survey of risk factors in beef cattle in extensive breeding, evaluate the farmer’s perception of lameness, and determine the recurrence frequency of the pathologies under investigation in treated animals. The study was conducted in Sardinia, Italy. The population of the study consisted of 14379 cattle from 230 farms. An ad hoc questionnaire was developed to collect all the necessary data. A strong association was found between breed and the occurrence and recurrence of lameness (p < 0.0001). In addition, the Country of origin of both bulls and cows was found to be correlated with the incidence of lameness (p < 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). Farmers who indicated on the questionnaire that lameness was not important on their farm had more animals with recurrences (p < 0.0001) than other farmers. The veterinarian’s treatment choice differed significantly by farmer concern (p = 0.007) and was associated with less disease recurrence (p < 0.0001), resulting in greater farmer satisfaction (p < 0.007). Pure cow breed, French bull origin, and farmer’s age were detected as significant predictors of lameness issues, with pure cow breed and French bull origin having the strongest associations (p = 0.009). Even though the results of this study are preliminary, they indicate that breed selection is crucial in extensive beef farms to reduce lameness prevalence. In addition, it would be reasonable to train breeders to prevent and diagnose lameness early in order to collaborate with veterinarians to prevent recurrence.
Access to General Practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal—A survey study of patient experiences in an urban setting
Authors: Granja Mónica , Alves Luís , Correia Sofia
Published: May 2023

Background

In 2020, Portugal had high levels of unmet health care needs. Primary Care was reported as the main source of unmet needs.

Objectives

To describe face-to-face and remote access to GPs in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic. To discover patient experiences and attitudes to access to care. To identify determinants of access to care.

Methods

A survey of a random sample of 4,286 adults registered in a group of Family Practices was conducted in 2021. Paper questionnaires were sent by post to patients who had no e-mail address registered with the practice. Patients with an e-mail address were sent a link to an online questionnaire. Outcomes were reported waiting times for face-to-face and remote contacts with GPs, dichotomized to ascertain compliance with standards. Associations between participant characteristics and outcome variables were tested using logistic regression.

Results

Waiting times for face-to-face consultations with GPs during the pandemic often exceeded the maximum waiting times (MWT) set by the National Health Service. Remote contacts were mostly conducted within acceptable standards. Waiting times for speaking with the GP over the phone were rated as ‘poor’ by 40% and 27% reported requests for these calls as unmet. The odds of getting care over MWT increased for participants who reported poorer digital skills. Participants were less likely to get non-urgent consultations over MWT if they found it easy to use the online patient portal to book appointments (odds ratio 0.24; 99% confidence intervals 0.09–0.61), request prescriptions (0.18; 0.04–0.74) or insert personal data (0.18; 0.04–0.95).

Conclusion

Patient reported access to GPs during the pandemic was uneven in Portugal. Obtaining non-urgent consultations and remote contacts over MWT affected mainly those patients with poor digital skills. Telephone access to GPs received the worse ratings. Access through traditional pathways must remain available, to prevent the widening of inequities.
One of these things is not like the other: Mixed predator cues result in lopsided phenotypic responses in a Neotropical tadpole
Authors: Rosenthal Dean M. , Deng Luana , Rose Tarif , Touchon Justin C.
Published: May 2023

Many organisms have evolved to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental variation.Dendropsophus ebraccatustadpoles develop opposing shifts in morphology and coloration when they are exposed to invertebrate vs vertebrate predators. Each of these alternate phenotypes are adaptive, conferring a survival advantage against the predator with which tadpoles were reared but imposing a survival cost with the mismatched predator. Here, we measured the phenotypic response of tadpoles to graded cues and mixed cues of both fish and dragonfly nymphs. Prey species likeD.ebraccatuscommonly co-occur with both of these types of predators, amongst many others as well. In our first experiment, tadpoles increased investment in defensive phenotypes in response to increasing concentrations of predator cues. Whereas morphology only differed in the strongest predation cue, tail spot coloration differed even at the lowest cue concentration. In our second experiment, tadpoles reared with cues from both predators developed an intermediate yet skewed phenotype that was most similar to the fish-induced phenotype. Previous studies have shown that fish are more lethal than dragonfly larvae; thus tadpoles responded most strongly to the more dangerous predator, even though the number of prey consumed by each predator was the same. This may be due toD.ebraccatushaving evolved a stronger response to fish or because fish produce more kairomones than do dragonflies for a given amount of food. We demonstrate that not only do tadpoles assess predation risk via the concentration of predation cues in the water, they produce a stronger response to a more lethal predator even when the strength of cues is presumed to be identical.
It’s all metacognitive: The relationship between informal learning and self-regulated learning in the workplace
Authors: Kittel Anne Frieda Doris , Seufert Tina
Published: May 2023

Informal workplace learning accounts for a large extent of employees’ learning. Informal learning activities such as reflection or keeping up-to-date resemble self-regulated learning strategies that indicate the ability to plan, monitor, and regulate one’s learning. However, little is known about the relationship between informal learning behaviors and self-regulated learning strategies. Structural equation modeling with data from 248 employees revealed that the informal learning behaviors of reflection, keeping up-to-date, feedback-seeking, and knowledge-sharing are strongly related to the metacognitive self-regulated learning strategies of monitoring and regulation. However, informal learning behaviors lack the deep-processing strategies of elaboration and organization, and the resource strategies of help-seeking and effort regulation. Only innovative behavior is strongly related to effort regulation. These results suggest a potential deficit in employees’ strategy use. Employees should consider further resources to increase their learning effectiveness in the workplace. The results are discussed, and practical implications are outlined.
Characterization and comparative analysis of the complete plastid genomes of four Astragalus species
Authors: Moghaddam Mahtab , Wojciechowski Martin F. , Kazempour-Osaloo Shahrokh
Published: May 2023

Astragalus is the largest flowering plant genus. We assembled the plastid genomes of four Astragalus species (Astragalus iranicus, A. macropelmatus, A. mesoleios, A. odoratus) using next-generation sequencing and analyzed their plastomes including genome organization, codon usage, nucleotide diversity, prediction of RNA editing and etc. The total length of the newly sequenced Astragalus plastomes ranged from 121,050 bp to 123,622 bp, with 110 genes comprising 76 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and four ribosome RNA (rRNA) genes. Comparative analysis of the chloroplast genomes of Astragalus revealed several hypervariable regions comprising three non-coding sites (trnQ(UUG)–accD, rps7 –trnV(GAC) and trnR(ACG)–trnN(GUU)) and four protein-coding genes (ycf1, ycf2, accD and clpP), which have potential as molecular markers. Positive selection signatures were found in five genes in Astragalus species including rps11, rps15, accD, clpP and ycf1. The newly sequenced species, A. macropelmatus, has an approximately 13-kb inversion in IR region. Phylogenetic analysis based on 75 protein-coding gene sequences confirmed that Astragalus form a monophyletic clade within the tribe Galegeae and Oxytropis is sister group to the Coluteoid clade. The results of this study may helpful in elucidating the chloroplast genome structure, understanding the evolutionary dynamics at genus Astragalus and IRLC levels and investigating the phylogenetic relationships. Moreover, the newly plastid genomes sequenced have been increased the plastome data resources on Astragalus that can be useful in further phylogenomic studies.
Identification and initial characterization of Hfq-associated sRNAs in Histophilus somni strain 2336
Authors: Subhadra Bindu , Cao Dianjun , Jensen Roderick , Caswell Clayton , Inzana Thomas J.
Published: May 2023

Small RNAs (sRNA), in association with the global chaperone regulator Hfq, positively or negatively regulate gene expression in bacteria. For this study, Histophilus somni sRNAs that bind to Hfq were identified and then partially characterized. The Hfq-associated sRNAs in H. somni were isolated and identified by co-immunoprecipitation using anti-Hfq antibody, followed by sRNA sequencing. Sequence analysis of the sRNA samples identified 100 putative sRNAs, out of which 16 were present in pathogenic strain 2336, but not in non-pathogenic strain 129Pt. Bioinformatic analyses suggested that the sRNAs HS9, HS79, and HS97 could bind to many genes putatively involved in virulence/biofilm formation. Furthermore, multi-sequence alignment of the sRNA regions in the genome revealed that HS9 and HS97 could interact with sigma 54, which is a transcription factor linked to important bacterial traits, including motility, virulence, and biofilm formation. Northern blotting was used to determine the approximate size, abundance and any processing events attributed to the sRNAs. Selected sRNA candidates were confirmed to bind Hfq, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays using sRNAs synthesized by in vitro transcription and recombinant Hfq. The exact transcriptional start site of the sRNA candidates was determined by RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends, followed by cloning and sequencing. This is the first investigation of H. somni sRNAs that show they may have important regulatory roles in virulence and biofilm formation.
Linking global citizenship education and critical pedagogy: Women’s leadership and power
Authors: Guajardo Maria , Vohra Swati
Published: May 2023

Global citizenship education (GCE) as a global social justice practice centres on a pedagogy that is responsive to the needs of learners and provides for the reimagining of an educator’s role, and the learner/educator relationship. While the literature on GCE emerged from a western perspective and tended to ignore gender, through gendered GCE, the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, social class and gender reveals the complexity of the influence of these factors and a need for action. This article presents critical pedagogy (CP) as an approach for learner-centred education that activates a GCE process for learners to be co-designers of their learning experience. The defining principles of CP, along with the qualities of an educator within a critical pedagogical practice will feature the tandem relationship of educator and learner. The results are an emerging process of dynamic self-awareness, cultivating a questioning mind and empowering praxis. Disrupting the understanding of leadership, agency and power allows for the emergence of an empowering approach to one’s identity as a leader and social change agent. This provides a new perspective for positioning women’s leadership and power within GCE. This case study reveals that when students connect to a palpable sense of agency, they become learners that know too much to revert to passive receptacles of information. New opportunities await in the development of leadership, social change and GCE when learners bear witness to lived experiences through a critical lens.
Conversations on Global Citizenship Education: Perspectives on Research, Teaching, and Learning in Higher Education, Emiliano Bosio (Ed.) (2021)
Authors: Killick David
Published: May 2023

Review of: Conversations on Global Citizenship Education: Perspectives on Research, Teaching, and Learning in Higher Education, Emiliano Bosio (Ed.) (2021)

New York: Routledge, 216 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-36774-056-6, p/bk, £36.99
A Kiss across the Ocean: Transatlantic Intimacies of British Post-Punk and US Latinidad, Richard T. Rodríguez (2022)
Authors: Buszek Maria Elena
Published: May 2023

Review of: A Kiss across the Ocean: Transatlantic Intimacies of British Post-Punk and US Latinidad, Richard T. Rodríguez (2022)

Durham, NC and London: Duke University Press, 256 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47801-858-2, p/bk, £17.59
A Book of Days, Patti Smith (2022)
Authors: Loydell Rupert
Published: May 2023

Review of: A Book of Days, Patti Smith (2022)

London: Bloomsbury, 400 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-52665-098-6, h/bk, £25.00

 

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono (2022)

London: Hutchinson Heinemann, 576 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-52915-178-7, h/bk, £25.00
Damaged: Musicality and Race in Early American Punk, Evan Rapport (2020)
Authors: Woods Maxwell
Published: May 2023

Review of: Damaged: Musicality and Race in Early American Punk, Evan Rapport (2020)

Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 364 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-49683-122-4, p/bk, $30.00
Vértigo posicional paroxístico benigno y enfermedad de Menière: análisis retrospectivo
Authors: Fernández-Bardón Irene , Pacheco-López Sofía , Peña-Navarro Paula , Marcos-Alonso Susana , Calvo-Boizas Enrique , Batuecas-Caletrio Ángel
Published: May 2023

Introducción y objetivo: El Vértigo Posicional Paroxístico Benigno (VPPB) es más frecuente dentro del subgrupo de pacientes con Enfermedad de Menière (EM). El presente estudio tiene como objetivo describir las características clínicas tanto del VPPB como de la EM cuando se encuentran asociados. Método: Realizamos un análisis retrospectivo de 22 pacientes con EM diagnosticados de VPPB entre el 1999 y el 2021 en el Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca. Se recogieron variables clínicas, tanto de las características del VPPB como de la EM. Resultados: En nuestra base de datos, el 66,66 % de los 22 pacientes eran mujeres con una edad media de 59,33 años. El canal semicircular afecto con más frecuencia fue el posterior derecho. En cuanto al VPPB, un 19% se trata de VPPB multicanal, en casi la mitad (47,62%) se tuvieron que realizar más de tres maniobras para solucionarlo y tardó más de un mes en resolverse en más de la mitad (57,14%). Por otro lado, la EM era bilateral en el 19% de los pacientes, con un tiempo de evolución desde el diagnóstico de más de tres años en el 71,42%. Un tercio de los pacientes había presentado más de 10 crisis en los últimos seis meses, y fluctuación en la audición. En base a estos resultados, parece que los pacientes con EM avanzada tienen más probabilidades de presentar VPPB y con peor resultado en su tratamiento. Conclusión: La aparición conjunta del VPPB y la EM podría afectar al pronóstico de ambas patologías por separado.
DETERMINATION OF DESIGN PARAMETERS OF ASPHALT PAVEMENT BASED ON PG TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Zhang Haitao , Gao Meiyi , Ma Shengsheng , Xiong Huizhong
Published: May 2023

The design parameters are one of the important factors to ensure the quality of asphalt pavement design. In “Highway Asphalt Pavement Design Specification” (JTGD50-2017), the stander of China, used the asphalt mixture anti-pressure resilience modulus at a single temperature of 20 ℃ as the design metrics. However, asphalt mixture, as a sticky-bullet plastic material, shows different mechanical properties at different temperatures. China is a vast territory, and there are great differences between the high and low temperature value (m and n) of each region. Therefore, it is unreasonable to design asphalt pavement only with the asphalt mixture anti-pressure resilience modulus value at 20 ℃. Studies show that the design parameters using PG technology can improve the high temperature anti-rutting and low temperature cracking performance of asphalt pavement.
AN INVESTIGATION OF DAMPING MODIFICATION FACTORS CORRESPONDING TO DIFFERENT DAMPING RATIOS FOR SDOF SYSTEMS
Authors: Çelik Emre Çağlar , Merter Onur
Published: May 2023

The damping ratio is an important parameter in dynamic analyses and plays a key role in the design of building structures. Elastic response spectra are widely used in this design to describe the earthquake action in specific site classes. 5% damped response spectra are generally used for most of the conventional structures. However, other types of structures may not have a damping ratio of 5% and can have much lower or much larger damping ratios. The damping ratio is recommended at about 5% for concrete structures whereas it is estimated at 2% for steel structures. Tall slender buildings may have much lower damping ratios and low-rise buildings may be designed using much larger damping ratios than 5%. For these types of buildings, elastic response spectra are modified to account for different levels of damping ratios. This study proposes the damping modification factors (DMFs) which are computed using 5% response spectra as the benchmark. A strong ground motion set has been selected for the stiff site class and the displacement, pseudo-velocity, and pseudo-acceleration response spectra have been computed for single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems. DMFs have been obtained in terms of these spectra and 3%, 10%, 20%, and 30% damping ratios have been considered. Variations of DMFs with different damping ratios have been obtained graphically. It can be seen from the results that DMFs are sensitive to the vibration period of the SDOF system.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PERVIOUS CONCRETE TO IMPEL IT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF PAKISTAN
Authors: Madiha Madiha Shamim , Hira Hira Shakeel , Shafaq Shafaq Naseer
Published: May 2023

Pakistan is facing adverse environmental issues peculiarly in major cities. The condition gets worst during monsoon period when the whole city faces the urban flooding due to stagnation of storm water on all major streets and areas. The main reason is the lack of infra-structure to mitigate the crisis which is faced by the country during whole rainfall season. The introduction of Pervious Concrete in major pavement infra-structure can easily limit the problems of sump of rain water. As a part of road infrastructure, the upper layer of pavement can be pervious, making runoff water to move to sub-base. This paper offers the exploratory research to ascertain the compressive strengths and infiltration rate of different samples of Porous Concrete following the American Concrete Institute guidelines. The experiments were done with varying the properties of Pervious Concrete. The effects which were considered are curing time, mix proportion, percentage quantity of fine aggregate, ratio of water to cement and varying coarse aggregate size. The mix design ratio considered were 1:4, 1:5 and 1:6. For further experiment of infiltration rate, the custom slab was formed with dimensions 2’x1’x4” and was tested for all the desired ratios. For the purpose of cost comparison, a fixed size on land is kept as standard. The cost is compared for construction on the land, using three different materials:   Pervious concrete,   Traditional concrete and   Asphalt premix.It was showed that the Traditional concrete is cheaper than the Pervious and Asphalt layer but Pervious concrete is also economical than Asphalt layer.
Research on a safety evaluation system for railway-tunnel structures by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation theory
Authors: Li Yanfeng , Li Jialong , Zhao Jihe , Zhao Tongfeng , Guo Dong
Published: May 2023

Long-term health detection of railway-tunnel is the development direction and trend of future railway tunnel research. Based on the actual engineering of a railway tunnel, this study developed a safety evaluation model for railway tunnel structures using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and examined a health state evaluation method suitable for most railway tunnel structures. The results showed that the evaluation method comprehensively reflected the impact of various factors, which had strong practicality. The evaluation results were clear, accurate, and consistent with engineering practice. When using the safety factor index to study the stress of a railway tunnel structure, Midas/civil analysis showed that different levels of the surrounding rock structural vault in railway tunnels were in a tensile, control-bearing capacity state. When calculating safety factors, the range of a 60° central angle of a railway tunnel vault was calculated according to the tensile control-bearing capacity. Theoretical formulas of the range of the center angle φ0 of the vault tension zone were derived and then verified by experiments and numerical analysis.
Technology Acceptance in Learning History Subject Using Augmented Reality Towards Smart Mobile Learning Environment: Case in Malaysia
Authors: A. I. H. Suhaimi  , N. N. Aziz  , E. N. Mior Ibrahim  , W. A. R. Wan Mohd Isa
Published: May 2023

In alignment with smart city initiatives, Malaysia is shifting its educational landscape to a smart learning environment. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has made History a mandatory subject for passing the Malaysian Certificate of Education to grow awareness and instil patriotism among Malaysian students. However, History has been known as one of the difficult subjects to study for many students. On the other hand, the Malaysian Government Education Blueprint 2013-2025 seeks to “leverage ICT scale up quality learning” across the country. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors that influence the intention to use Augmented Reality (AR) for mobile learning in learning History subject among secondary school students in Malaysia. Quantitative approach has been chosen as the research method for this study. A direct survey was conducted on 400 secondary school students in one of the smart cities in Malaysia as the target respondents. The collected data are analysed through descriptive statistics and Multiple Linear Regression analysis by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Based on the results, the identified factors that influence the intention to use AR for mobile learning in learning History subject are Gender, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Enjoyment, and Attitude Towards Use. The identified factors can be a good reference for schools and teachers to strategize their teaching and learning methods in pertaining to History subject among secondary school students in Malaysia. Future studies may include the study of various types of schools in Malaysia and explore more moderating effects of demographic factors.
Vibration Control Using Modern Control System for Hybrid Composite Flexible Robot Manipulator Arm
Authors: Sengalani Ramalingam , S Rasool Mohideen
Published: May 2023

In this research, a model of a robotic manipulator flexible structure and an equation of motion for controller design is planned. The structural material for the robot structure is chosen as a hybrid composite for this investigation along with a comparison study is carried out for the aluminium 6082 alloy of flexible manipulator arm application. To analyses, the vibration behavior and control implementation by adding joint flexibility in the system is organized. Using simulation algorithm, system parameter calculation is carried out through MATLAB software for vibration amplitude, transient period, steady-state error, and settling time of flexible robotic arm system. In a systematized way of motion equation, flexible robotic deflections are organized via the assumed mode (AM) and Lagrange techniques (LT). The graph analysis of hybrid composite and AL6082 materials with high stiffness coefficients is plotted. These obtained values from the plot are utilized for Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller design. The LQR output facts for both aluminium structural robotic arm and composite material robotic arms are established.
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Detecting Driver Drowsiness
Authors: Boppuru Prathap Rudra , Kukatlapalli Pradeep Kumar , Kukatlapalli Pradeep Kumar , Chowdary Cherukuri Ravindranath
Published: May 2023

The number of vehicles on the road rises in tandem with the development of vehicle manufacture. With the rapid growth of automobiles, the number of road accidents appears to be steadily increasing. Accidents are a typical occurrence in our daily lives. Road accidents are the top cause of death from injuries worldwide in the top 10. It now forms an amazingly important part of the global burden of illness. An estimated 1.2 million people are killed in accidents every year, and an estimated 50 million are injured while receiving bone marrow transplants in leading countries. Drowsiness, along with fatigue of drivers, are some of the major causes of road accidents. Every year, we see an increase in death numbers worldwide. This study also looks into automatically detecting driver drowsiness with AI, visuals, and CNN. The Driver Drowsiness System works on the concept of Multi-Layer Feed Forward Network, especially on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). CNN was developed with the help of around 7000 images of eyes in both drowsiness and non-drowsiness states with different facial architectures. These images were split into training (80 percent of images) and testing (20 percent of images) datasets. The images under the training dataset are given as the input for the network for training purposes. Backpropagation algorithms and optimizers are used to reduce the loss as much as possible. We created an algorithm for detecting, tracking, and analysing motor and visual effects to measure ROI.