bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of an Implantable Capacitive Pressure Sensor for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Roh Ji-Hyoung , Shin Kyu-Sik , Song Tae-Ha , Kim Jihong , Lee Dae-Sung
Published: May 2023

In this study, a subminiature implantable capacitive pressure sensor is proposed for biomedical applications. The proposed pressure sensor comprises an array of elastic silicon nitride (SiN) diaphragms formed by the application of a polysilicon (p-Si) sacrificial layer. In addition, using the p-Si layer, a resistive temperature sensor is also integrated into one device without additional fabrication steps or extra cost, thus enabling the device to measure pressure and temperature simultaneously. The sensor with a size of 0.5 × 1.2 mm was fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology and was packaged in needle-shaped metal housing that is both insertable and biocompatible. The packaged pressure sensor immersed in a physiological saline solution exhibited excellent performance without leakage. The sensor achieved a sensitivity of approximately 1.73 pF/bar and a hysteresis of about 1.7%, respectively. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the pressure sensor operated normally for 48 h without experiencing insulation breakdown or degradation of the capacitance. The integrated resistive temperature sensor also worked properly. The response of the temperature sensor varied linearly with temperature variation. It had an acceptable temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of approximately 0.25%/°C.
Composite Diffraction-Free Beam Formation Based on Iteratively Calculated Primitives
Authors: Khorin Pavel A. , Porfirev Alexey P. , Khonina Svetlana N.
Published: May 2023

To form a diffraction-free beam with a complex structure, we propose to use a set of primitives calculated iteratively for the ring spatial spectrum. We also optimized the complex transmission function of the diffractive optical elements (DOEs), which form some primitive diffraction-free distributions (for example, a square or/and a triangle). The superposition of such DOEs supplemented with deflecting phases (a multi-order optical element) provides to generate a diffraction-free beam with a more complex transverse intensity distribution corresponding to the composition of these primitives. The proposed approach has two advantages. The first is the rapid (for the first few iterations) achievements of an acceptable error in the calculation of an optical element that forms a primitive distribution compared to a complex one. The second advantage is the convenience of reconfiguration. Since a complex distribution is assembled from primitive parts, it can be reconfigured quickly or dynamically by using a spatial light modulator (SLM) by moving and rotating these components. Numerical results were confirmed experimentally.
Multiplex Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes for Rapid Antibiotic Guidance of Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Harris Mohammed , Fasolino Tracy , Davis Nicole J. , Ivankovic Diana , Brownlee Noel
Published: May 2023

Identification of antimicrobial resistance markers in urinary tract infections could provide a more targeted approach in the diagnosis and treatment of UTIs while reducing overall public health burdens. We describe a molecular assay as a diagnostic tool for antibiotic resistance characterization to promote faster diagnosis of antibiotic regimens compared to standard microbiology techniques. Targeted antibiotic usage for pathogenic infections remains a main goal for effective antibiotic treatment protocols and reducing the overall public health burden. Rapid identification of the pathogen(s) causing the infection and harboring the antibiotic resistance gene is also a main area of exploration for antibiotic appropriation and stewardship. Urinary tract infections are a common clinical disease and reservoir for pathogenic infection and the development of antibiotic resistance, especially in hospital- and community-acquired settings. Standard methods require urine culture, which is time consuming and relies on phenotypic characterization. A genetic diagnostic method is warranted for the rapid molecular characterization of antibiotic resistance genes to reduce inappropriate exposure to antibiotics while improving the overall treatment model for urinary tract infections. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate logical viability for real-time molecular diagnostics for early identification, active surveillance and overall targeted antibiotic stratification that is proposed as an in vitro rapid and comprehensive tool for assessing proper antibiotic stewardship in UTIs. Here, we describe a multiplex real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for probe-based detection of the top 24 antibiotic resistance genes with targeted relationships to target molecular drug classes and administered antibiotics. Multiplexed analysis based on molecular features enables rapid testing while shifting the diagnostic detection paradigm from monocentric infections towards polymicrobial infections. We utilized 366 samples from the FDA-CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Isolate Bank to test the efficacy of the assay and propose a model to infer the identity of bacterial isolates. We found that, in addition to a high level of accuracy in predicting bacterial genus classification, the assay was mostly in agreement with CDC-tested genotypic and phenotypic results. This study provides evidence for using genetic diagnostic methods, such as multiplex qPCR, in the rapid identification of antibiotic resistance (ABR) genes for the characterization and treatment of urinary tract infections.
Obesity as a Risk Factor in the Appearance of Haematomas Caused by Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Díaz-González Candelaria de la Merced
Published: May 2023

Thromboembolic disease (TED) is an important health problem in Europe due to its high morbimortality. Pharmacological prevention is achieved with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), among other strategies, which are supported by a high degree of evidence in the scientific literature. According to its safety data sheet, this injection produces local injuries at a rate of 0.1–1% after administration; however, these percentages are much lower than others reported in several studies focusing on LMWH (44–88%). This high incidence of injuries might be associated with procedural or individual variables. (1) Background: Among the most frequent side effects after the administration of LMWH are pain and haematomas (HMTs), which are influenced by obesity. We aimed to determine the relationship between abdominal skinfold (ASF) value and incidence of HMTs. In addition, I sought to determine how the risk of HMT changed with each mm increase in ASF. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study developed in the hospital unit of orthopaedic and trauma surgery was conducted over one year. All participants in the sample were classified based on their ASF and the appearance and area of HMTs were assessed after the administration of enoxaparin. The STROBE checklist was used to evaluate the study. Descriptive statistical analysis and analysis of variance of non-parametric factors were carried out. (3) Results: In a sample of 202 participants (808 Clexane injections), more than 80% presented HMTs. More than 70% of the sample was overweight and more than 50% had an ASF > 36 millimetres (mm). (4) Conclusions: An ASF over 36 mm confers a higher risk of developing HMTs: with each mm increase in the ASF, the risk increases by 4%. Participants who are overweight or obese also present a higher risk of HMT, and these conditions correlate positively with the area of the HMTs. Providing education for the self-administration of the drug after discharge and information about the probability of suffering from local injuries in a more individualised way will lead to fewer primary care nursing consultations, more adherence to the antithrombotic treatment, and, as a consequence, a decrease in TED and health costs.
The Relationship between Chlorophyll Concentration and ENSO Events and Possible Mechanisms off the Changjiang River Estuary
Authors: Wu Qiong , Wang Xiaochun , He Yijun , Zheng Jingjing
Published: May 2023

More and more attention has been paid to the study of the impact of extreme climatic events on the ecological environment off the Changjiang River Estuary. In this study, the relationship between the chlorophyll concentration and ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) events was studied. Several potential physical mechanisms between the ENSO and chlorophyll concentration were analyzed using observation and sensitivity experiments from a high-resolution ROMS-CoSiNE coupled model (Regional Ocean Modeling System-Carbon, Oxygen, Silicon, Nitrogen and Ecosystem) off the Changjiang River Estuary. Our results indicated that the April to August averaged chlorophyll concentration off the Changjiang River Estuary was significantly correlated with the December to February averaged ENSO indices in the previous winter. The 10 m wind speed and SST (Sea Surface Temperature) affected by an ENSO event had little effect on the chlorophyll concentration, while the discharge had a significant effect on the chlorophyll concentration off the Changjiang River Estuary, and the discharge was significantly and positively correlated with the ENSO indices. We tested the effect of interannual variations of the discharge and nutrients carried by discharge on the interannual variation in the chlorophyll concentration in the ENSO events. Two sensitivity experiments showed that when the nutrients in the freshwater discharge were kept as a constant seasonal cycle, the composite differences in the chlorophyll concentration between the positive and negative ENSO phases off the Changjiang River Estuary were reduced. When there were no nutrients in the freshwater discharge, the composite differences in the chlorophyll concentration between the positive and negative ENSO phases off the Changjiang River Estuary were reduced by one order of magnitude. The discharge can modify the stratification off the Changjiang River Estuary, and the nutrients carried by the discharge play a dominant role in determining the interannual variation of the chlorophyll concentration associated with the ENSO cycles.
Can Bike-Sharing Reduce Car Use in Alexandroupolis? An Exploration through the Comparison of Discrete Choice and Machine Learning Models
Authors: Narayanan Santhanakrishnan , Makarov Nikita , Magkos Evripidis , Salanova Grau Josep Maria , Aifadopoulou Georgia , Antoniou Constantinos
Published: May 2023

The implementation of bike-sharing systems (BSSs) is expected to lead to modifications in the travel habits of transport users, one of which is the choice of travel mode. Therefore, this research focuses on the identification of factors influencing the shift of private car users to BSSs based on stated preference survey data from the city of Alexandroupolis, Greece. A binary logit model is employed for this purpose. The estimation results indicate the impacts of gender, income, travel time, travel cost and safety-related aspects on the mode shift, through which behavioural insights are derived. For example, car users are found to be twice as sensitive to the cost of BSSs than to that of car. Similarly, they are highly sensitive to BSS travel time. Based on the behavioural findings, policy measures are suggested under the following categories: (i) finance, (ii) regulation, (iii) infrastructure, (iv) campaigns and (v) customer targeting. In addition, a secondary objective of this research is to obtain insights from the comparison of the specified logit model with a machine learning approach, as the latter is slowly gaining prominence in the field of transport. For the comparison, a random forest classifier is also developed. This comparison shows a coherence between the two approaches, although a discrepancy in the feature importance for gender and travel time is observed. A deeper exploration of this discrepancy highlights the hurdles that often occur when using mathematically more powerful models, such as the random forest classifier.
Teaching Inclusive Thinking through an Embodied Metaphor: A Developmental Study
Authors: Herranz-Hernández Pablo , Naranjo-Crespo María
Published: May 2023

The studies framed in embodied cognition that analyze the metaphor of temperature and its relationship with the feeling of inclusion or exclusion always do so in the first person. That is, they take the perspective of the protagonist who is made to feel included or excluded to see how it affects his or her body thermally. However, there are no studies in which the participants morally evaluate other protagonists who are the ones who feel the inclusion or exclusion and the temperature, projecting these feelings onto them. This paper analyzes the relationship between terms related to temperature (cold or heat) and the moral judgements made toward a person who helps and another who does not help. All this occurs in a situation in which the person making the judgement is not involved in the first person and has to put themself in the place of the other. In addition, the possible difference in these judgements is examined by comparing children in the fourth grade of primary school with those in the sixth grade. The results indicate that older children give less extreme responses, but these are more influenced by temperature when it comes to morally judging a lack of help. When the behavior is helpful, they judge it morally the same regardless of temperature. In addition, interaction between the two variables appeared. These results have implications in promoting helping in the classroom in order to promote inclusion and represent a useful and accessible resource for such promotion.
Varying Cellular Immune Response against SARS-CoV-2 after the Booster Vaccination: A Cohort Study from Fukushima Vaccination Community Survey, Japan
Authors: Tani Yuta , Takita Morihito , Kobashi Yurie , Wakui Masatoshi , Zhao Tianchen , Yamamoto Chika , Saito Hiroaki , Kawashima Moe , Sugiura Sota , Nishikawa Yoshitaka , Omata Fumiya , Shimazu Yuzo , Kawamura Takeshi , Sugiyama Akira , Nakayama Aya , Kaneko Yudai , Kodama Tetsuhiko , Kami Masahiro , Tsubokura Masaharu
Published: May 2023

Booster vaccination reduces the incidence of severe cases and mortality related to COVID-19, with cellular immunity playing an important role. However, little is known about the proportion of the population that has achieved cellular immunity after booster vaccination. Thus, we conducted a Fukushima cohort database and assessed humoral and cellular immunity in 2526 residents and healthcare workers in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan through continuous blood collection every 3 months from September 2021. We identified the proportion of people with induced cellular immunity after booster vaccination using the T-SPOT.COVID test, and analyzed their background characteristics. Among 1089 participants, 64.3% (700/1089) had reactive cellular immunity after booster vaccination. Multivariable analysis revealed the following independent predictors of reactive cellular immunity: age < 40 years (adjusted odds ratio: 1.81; 95% confidence interval: 1.19–2.75; p-value: 0.005) and adverse reactions after vaccination (1.92, 1.19–3.09, 0.007). Notably, despite IgG(S) and neutralizing antibody titers of ≥500 AU/mL, 33.9% (349/1031) and 33.5% (341/1017) of participants, respectively, did not have reactive cellular immunity. In summary, this is the first study to evaluate cellular immunity at the population level after booster vaccination using the T-SPOT.COVID test, albeit with several limitations. Future studies will need to evaluate previously infected subjects and their T-cell subsets.
Return on Investment (ROI) of Three Vaccination Programmes in Italy: HPV at 12 Years, Herpes Zoster in Adults, and Influenza in the Elderly
Authors: Barbieri Marco , Boccalini Sara
Published: May 2023

The calculation of the return on investment (ROI) allows the estimation of the opportunity cost of a series of interventions and can therefore help to make allocative choices. The objective of this study is to estimate the ROI of three vaccinations (HPV for adolescents, HZ for adults, and influenza for the elderly) in the Italian context, considering the impact of increasing vaccination coverage based on target objectives of the National Immunization Plan (PNPV) 2017–2019 and accounting for different eligibility criteria of each vaccination. Three separate static cohort models were constructed, including the eligible population for these vaccinations on the basis of the PNPV 2017–2019 and following this population until death (lifetime horizon) or until vaccination waning. Each model compares the level of investment at current vaccine coverage rates (current VCRs scenario) with that of optimal NIP target VCRs with a non-vaccination scenario. The ROI for HPV vaccination was the highest among the programs compared and was always above 1 (range: 1.4–3.58), while lower values were estimated for influenza vaccination in the elderly (range 0.48–0.53) and for vaccination against HZ (range: 0.09–0.27). Our analysis showed that a significant proportion of savings generated by vaccination programs occurred outside the NHS perspective and might often not be estimated with other forms of economic evaluation.
Adapting domestic abuse training to remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of views from general practice and support services
Authors: Emsley Elizabeth , Szilassy Eszter , Dowrick Anna , Dixon Sharon , De Simoni Anna , Downes Lucy , Johnson Medina , Feder Gene , Griffiths Chris , Panovska-Griffiths Jasmina , Barbosa Estela Capelas , Wileman Vari
Published: May 2023

Background

Identifying and responding to patients affected by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is vital in primary care. There may have been a rise in the reporting of DVA cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures. Concurrently general practice adopted remote working that extended to training and education. IRIS (Identification and Referral to Improve Safety) is an example of an evidence-based UK healthcare training support and referral programme, focusing on DVA. IRIS transitioned to remote delivery during the pandemic.

Aim

To understand the adaptations and impact of remote DVA training in IRIS-trained general practices by exploring perspectives of those delivering and receiving training.

Design and setting

Qualitative interviews and observation of remote training of general practice teams in England were undertaken.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants (three practice managers, three reception and administrative staff, eight general practice clinicians, and seven specialist DVA staff), alongside observation of eight remote training sessions. Analysis was conducted using a framework approach.

Results

Remote DVA training in UK general practice widened access to learners. However, it may have reduced learner engagement compared with face-to-face training and may challenge safeguarding of remote learners who are domestic abuse survivors. DVA training is integral to the partnership between general practice and specialist DVA services, and reduced engagement risks weakening this partnership.

Conclusion

The authors recommend a hybrid DVA training model for general practice, including remote information delivery alongside a structured face-to-face element. This has broader relevance for other specialist services providing training and education in primary care.
Globocentrismo, reprimarização e neoextrativismo : reflexões sobre a mineração no Brasil contemporâneo
Authors: Carrato Ângela , Mello Breno Cesar de Souza , Santos Gilmar José dos , Bernardo Heloísa Pinna , Pires Mauro Eduardo Leopoldino Vicente , Diniz Sofia Maria Carrato
Published: May 2023

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Ambiente construído e a caminhada entre os idosos: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Magalhães Jefferson , Da Silva Portugal Licinio
Published: May 2023

O envelhecimento populacional é uma tendência demográfica global. Neste contexto, a adoção da caminhada para a prática de atividade física regular é de fundamental importância para o envelhecimento ativo da população. Assim, intervenções no ambiente construído (AC) são um dos elementos-chaves para o planejamento de cidades mais caminháveis para os idosos, assegurando-lhes maior independência nos deslocamentos aos destinos prioritários para a manutenção de uma melhor qualidade de vida. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão sistemática de 41 estudos publicados entre 2000 e 2020 que analisaram a influência do AC na caminhada entre os idosos, considerando diferentes motivos de viagem e contextos geográficos, e a relação entre medidas objetivas e subjetivas do AC. Os resultados obtidos permitiram identificar nove variáveis do AC positivamente associadas à caminhada para diferentes motivos de viagem. Os efeitos de algumas dessas variáveis são não lineares e dependentes do contexto geográfico. Contudo, apenas três artigos preocuparam-se em relacionar as medidas objetivas do AC às percepções dos idosos acerca dessas características. Chama-se a atenção para a escassez de estudos em países em desenvolvimento, onde um melhor entendimento dos contextos de caminhada depende da maior inclusão dos idosos para qualificar e perceber as medidas objetivas e subjetivas do AC.
From Gaussian Distribution to Weibull Distribution
Authors: Jiajin Xu , Zhentong Gao
Published: May 2023

The Gaussian distribution is one of the most widely used statistical distributions, but there are a lot of data that do not conform to Gaussian distribution. For example, structural fatigue life is mostly in accordance with the Weibull distribution rather than the Gaussian distribution, and the Weibull distribution is in a sense a more general full state distribution than the Gaussian distribution. However, the biggest obstacle affecting the application of the Weibull distribution is the complexity of the Weibull distribution, especially the estimation of its three parameters is relatively difficult. In order to avoid this difficulty, people used to solve this problem by taking the logarithm to make the data appear to be more consistent with the Gaussian distribution. But in fact, this approach is problematic, because from the physical point of view, the structure of the data has changed and the physical meaning has changed, so it is not appropriate to use logarithmic Gaussian distribution to fit the original data after logarithm. The author thinks that Z.T. Gao method can give the estimation of three parameters of Weibull distribution conveniently, which lays a solid mathematical foundation for Weibull distribution to directly fit the original data.
Relevanţa gândirii critice pentru educaţie într-o societate în schimbare
Authors: MIHAIL Rarita
Published: May 2023

The large volume of information and the variety of daily situations require new cognitive functions, which combine knowledge, experience and intellectual skills. Critical thinking, as a type of higher-order reasoning and transversal ability, can be considered an important resource to manage the challenges of the contemporary world. However, critical thinking is not a self-developing ability, it must be practiced and encouraged in a correct learning environment. Critical thinking has become one of the most important educational goals, which must be achieved by the various educational institutions through all the programs studied by students in the different educational cycles, but also by students in the university environment. Starting from these considerations, this article analyses different types of actions aimed at introducing critical thinking skills in professional training activities by rethinking the perspectives on instructional paradigms, the integrated approach to the curriculum, reforming policies at the level of the curricula and integrating the practices of critical thinking into teaching and learning strategies.
Associative relationship between sperm motility, oxidative stress and cytokines
Authors: Melnyk O.V. , Vorobets M.Z. , Fafula R.V. , Vorobets Z.D.
Published: May 2023

Infertility is one of the most urgent medical and social problems in the whole world. Male factors of infertility reach 50% of all cases. Approximately 7% of men worldwide suffer from infertility. Spermatozoa are extremely vulnerable to oxidative damage since their membranes are enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids and do not have repair systems. Oxidative stress leads to damage to axonemes and an increase in morphological defects in the middle part of spermatozoa, which leads to a decrease in their mobility. The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between sperm motility, the activity of the glutathione antioxidant system and the concentration of cytokines. The study group included 68 healthy men who were divided into two subgroups according to the percentage of motile spermatozoa after one hour: low motility (LM, n=32) and high motility (HM, n=36). The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was 1.3 times (p<0.05) higher in the LM group compared to the HM group. Similarly, the mean values of IL-1β, IL-18, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were higher in the LM group than in the HM group. At the same time, the concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β1 in both studied groups were not significantly different. The results of this study showed that the percentage of motile sperm after 1 hour was negatively correlated with the levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and TNFα. No significant correlation was found between age and sperm motility. Lower sperm motility in healthy men is associated with reduced glutathione content and lower glutathione peroxidase and increased cytokine levels, which may be associated with increased oxidative stress in seminal plasma as evidenced by increased MDA levels. Thus, our study demonstrates the relationship between sperm motility, the state of pro-/antioxidant and antioxidant systems, and concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines.

Keywords: sperm plasma, oxidative stress, fertility, glutathione.
ORA House: An Ecosystemic Approach to Design of a Net-Zero House for the Middle East
Authors:   Heriot Watt University, Muhammed Shameel
Published: May 2023

A net-zero residential unit for a harsh climate condition as that of the middle east is a challenging goal. With temperatures rising to 50-degree celsius during peak summer, in addition to occasional dust storms and high humidity levels, achieving a desirable indoor comfort condition require architects and engineers to break away from the conventional design strategies and look for innovations in spatial planning, materials and building technology. In hot arid climate regions, there is a heavy reliance on efficient air-conditioning to achieve optimum indoor comfort condition. When it comes to achieving energy efficiency in building performance in the middle east, strategies to reduce the cooling load is a crucial factor the dictates design decisions.
Sustainable urbanisation in developing countries: Cities as places to innovate, trade, and work
Authors: Delbridge Victoria , Harman Oliver , Oliveira-Cunha Juliana , Venables Anthony
Published: May 2023

As the transition to a net zero global economy takes hold, there will be new opportunities for growth across a wide range of urban industries and services. City governments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia need to proactively plan how they will leverage this to deliver on local productivity and job creation objectives.
TEACHERS' CHALLENGES AFFECTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW BUSINESS SUBJECTS’ CURRICULUM IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UGANDA
Authors: Muhwezi Innocent
Published: May 2023

The study aimed at identifying the teacher challenges that affect Business Subjects teachers’ preparedness in the implementation of the new Business Subjects curriculum in selected secondary schools of Kabale district, Uganda. Based on the pragmatist perspective, a concurrent triangulation research design was adopted. Data were collected from 37 business subject teachers and 13 directors of studies across 13 secondary schools in Kabale district, making a total of 50 participants. Semi-structured interview schedules and closed questionnaires were used for data collection. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings indicated that teacher challenges that affected the implementation of the new Business subject’s curriculum included: lack of adequate teacher in-service training; limited competent human resources among others. The quantitative findings as Business Subjects indicated that they were being faced with both inside and outside school challenges while in the implementation of the new Business Subjects curriculum This denoted also a high percentage of over 67% that was posted by all the items that were used to measure teacher challenges that affected Business Subjects teachers’ preparedness for the implementation of the new Business Subjects curriculum in both private and public secondary schools.
ESTUDO DO PROCESSO DE ENFERMAGEM NO CURSO TÉCNICO DE ENFERMAGEM
Authors: Oliveira Valessa Gizele Ramos , Almeida Rosiney Rocha
Published: May 2023

Este artigo busca discutir sobre aspectos relacionados à ausência e à introdução do estudo do Processo de Enfermagem (PE) no curso Técnico de Enfermagem. Para tanto, foram aplicadas entrevistas semiestruturadas aos docentes enfermeiros do curso Técnico de Enfermagem do Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais Campus Januária e os dados obtidos foram organizados e categorizados segundo a análise de conteúdo, dando origem a três categorias de análises, e discutidos à luz do referencial teórico levantado. O PE é a base científica do cuidado e, embora, deva ser utilizado por todas as categorias de enfermagem, ainda hoje, seu estudo se mantém praticamente restrito às graduações. Os resultados alcançados apontam que a falta do ensino do PE no curso técnico pode ser considerada uma falha no processo formativo e que o PE deve ser abordado de forma teórica e prática, ao longo do curso, em diversas disciplinas e durante os estágios, onde ocorra o cuidado de enfermagem.
RECONTEXTUALIZAÇAO CURRICULAR NA EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL
Authors: Soares Júnior Néri Emílio
Published: May 2023

O texto analisa os fatores que influenciam no trabalho dos professores no processo de recontextualização curricular. Foi realizado um estudo de caso de uma instituição de educação profissional do estado de Goiás com a realização de análise documental e entrevista. Os interlocutores da pesquisa foram sete professores, sendo dois professores da área técnica e cinco do núcleo comum. O estudo foi realizado a partir da noção de recontextualização curricular e do trabalho docente pela perspectiva da ergologia. Foram identificados os seguintes fatores que influenciam na recontextualização curricular dos professores participantes da pesquisa: organização do trabalho pedagógico, história de vida dos professores e o significado social da instituição, dimensão pessoal e o caráter socioeconômico do trabalho, estudantes, campo disciplinar, área de atuação, experiência profissional, políticas educacionais e curriculares e os valores dos professores.
NEOLIBERALISMO NO BRASIL E OS ATAQUES AOS DIREITOS TRABALHISTAS DE 1990 A 2021
Authors: Novaes Marcos Adriano Barbosa de , Silva Sara Mayra Nogueira da , Lima Felipe Augusto Alves Correia , Gonçalves Ruth Maria de Paula
Published: May 2023

Diante do atual cenário assolador dos direitos trabalhistas historicamente conquistados no Brasil, as ofensivas neoliberais, no mundo do trabalho, se tornaram cada mais incisivas, o que influenciou mudanças em leis já consolidadas e marcou um período de retrocessos para a classe trabalhadora. No que tange aos direitos trabalhistas, desde a adesão do modelo neoliberal na década de 1990, consumado nos governos seguintes, a formação sócio-histórica do Brasil perpassou por diversas mudanças e processos considerados perversos para os trabalhadores. Neste sentido, o presente artigo visa analisar as mudanças e as implicações para o mundo do trabalho no Brasil (1990-2021). Metodologicamente, recorremos à pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Para tanto, nos debruçamos em autores como Pochmann (2020), Antunes (2004), Di Benedito (2017) e outros. Em síntese, no Brasil, há mais de três décadas, a aplicação do receituário neoliberal focaliza nas políticas sociais a privatização, a terceirização e o enxugamento dos investimentos estatais. Consequentemente, essas ações têm submetido a classe trabalhadora a situações de jornada de trabalho intensificada, impossibilitando a estabilidade profissional, modificando substancialmente as relações trabalhistas e colocando em dúvida as próprias condições de sobrevivência do trabalhador, por meio de reformas que coadunam na retirada – e não na ampliação – dos direitos trabalhistas.
(NÃO) EDUCAÇÃO DA PRIMEIRA INFÂNCIA PERIFÉRICA PARA A CIDADANIA
Authors: Silva Otavio Henrique Ferreira da
Published: May 2023

Esta pesquisa buscou compreender o que dizem e fazem professoras e famílias da comunidade escolar de uma instituição de educação infantil da periferia quanto a educação das crianças de três anos para o exercício da cidadania. Os objetivos específicos foram: a) conceituar o que são sujeitas e sujeitos da comunidade escolar de uma instituição de educação infantil da periferia; b) conceituar o que é cidadania e sua relação com as lutas emancipatórias; c) discutir as concepções de cidadania das professoras e das famílias de crianças de três anos de uma turma de creche da educação infantil; d) identificar como a cidadania se materializa ou não nas ações cotidianas no contexto da instituição de educação infantil e familiar-social das crianças da turma de creche 3 pesquisada; e e) analisar como as concepções das famílias e professoras sobre a cidadania se relacionam com a educação das crianças oprimidas-periféricas. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa que articula em toda discussão os campos teóricos e empíricos com base na ético-ontoepistemologia ativista dos estudos decoloniais-emancipatórios e no método do estudo de caso etnográfico. Na parte teórica analisou-se, principalmente, a relação entre cidadania, periferia e educação infantil. Na empírica, análise de documentos, observação participante no período de agosto a dezembro de 2019 junto a uma turma de crianças de três anos do Centro Infantil Municipal Palmares, em Betim-MG, e entrevistas com três professoras e cinco famílias. Conclui-se que o CIM Palmares é uma comunidade escolar periférica, as crianças e famílias possuem o perfil de baixa renda (95,14%), crianças negras (58,5%), sendo que muitos pais (25,4%) e mães (19,2%) das crianças não concluíram a educação básica e um alto percentual de crianças e famílias não possuem lar próprio (41%). A educação das crianças é realizada sob a encruzilhada, em que, mesmo quando os processos educativos estão influenciados por normalizações, padrões de comportamento, moralizações, prevenções à marginalidade ou relacionado aos discursos que conformam os modos de ser, poder e saber na sociedade do projeto moderno-capitalista-colonizador-eurocêntrico; há também na práxis dos sujeitos periféricos potencialidades educativas contra-colonizadoras/de(s)colonizadoras e emancipatórias junto das crianças, visto que buscam ensiná-las os caminhos da solidariedade, da consciência crítica, do empoderamento, do antirracismo e da convivência coletiva.
Effect of annealing ambient on SiGe layer formation using Al–Ge paste for III–V solar cell application
Authors: Suzuki Shota , Matsubara Moeko , Minamiyama Hideaki , Dhamrin Marwan , Uraoka Yukiharu
Published: May 2023

A mixed paste of aluminum (Al) and germanium (Ge) (7:3) was prepared and screen-printed on silicon (Si) substrates, followed by annealing at a peak temperature of 1000 °C in an IR rapid thermal annealing furnace to investigate the liquid-phase growth of silicon–germanium (SiGe) epitaxial layers. The gas ambient during annealing was changed to investigate the effect on SiGe layer quality and physical properties. The SiGe formed samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Oxygen-containing atmosphere suppressed the SiGe layer formation by oxidizing the Al particle surface, limiting the reaction of the particle to the Si surface. On the other hand, annealing in an argon atmosphere without oxygen resulted in the formation of SiGe layers with a thickness of over 30 μm.
Formation of high-quality SiO2/GaN interfaces with suppressed Ga-oxide interlayer via sputter deposition of SiO2
Authors: Onishi Kentaro , Kobayashi Takuma , Mizobata Hidetoshi , Nozaki Mikito , Yoshigoe Akitaka , Shimura Takayoshi , Watanabe Heiji
Published: May 2023

While the formation of a GaO
x
interlayer is key to achieving SiO2/GaN interfaces with low defect density, positive fixed charge is rather easily generated through the reduction of GaO
x
layer if the annealing conditions are not properly designed. In this study, we minimized the unstable GaO
x
layer by sputter SiO2 deposition. Negligible GaO
x
growth was confirmed by synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, even when post-deposition oxygen annealing up to 600 °C was performed. A MOS device with negligible capacitance–voltage hysteresis, stable flat-band voltage, and low leakage current was demonstrated by performing oxygen and forming gas annealing at temperatures of 600 °C and 400 °C, respectively.
Printed organic Schottky diode with self-assembled monolayer for 13.56 MHz band near-field communication
Authors: Yamada Masaya , Takeda Yasunori , Tokito Shizuo , Matsui Hiroyuki
Published: May 2023

We demonstrate printed organic Schottky diodes for the rectification of the 13.56 MHz near-field communication carrier wave. Printed silver electrodes covered with a self-assembled monolayer of 4-methylbenzenethiol were employed for the Schottky barrier. Optimizing the conditions of the self-assembled monolayer treatment was performed to improve the rectification ratio to 106 and the forward current density to 1 A cm−2. Finally, organic half-wave and full-wave rectifiers were demonstrated with a high-frequency response of output rectifying voltage of more than 5 V at 13.56 MHz.
Interpretable Neural Networks for Video Separation: Deep Unfolding RPCA with Foreground Masking
Authors: Joukovsky Boris , Eldar Yonina C. , Deligiannis Nikos
Published: May 2023

This paper presents two deep unfolding neural networks for the simultaneous tasks of background subtraction and foreground detection in video. Unlike conventional neural networks based on deep feature extraction, we incorporate domain-knowledge models by considering a masked variation of the robust principal component analysis problem (RPCA). With this approach, we separate video clips into low-rank and sparse components, respectively corresponding to the backgrounds and foreground masks indicating the presence of moving objects. Our models, coined ROMAN-S and ROMAN-R, map the iterations of two alternating direction of multipliers methods (ADMM) to trainable convolutional layers, and the proximal operators are mapped to non-linear activation functions with trainable thresholds. This approach leads to lightweight networks with enhanced interpretability that can be trained on few data. In ROMAN-S, the correlation in time of successive binary masks is controlled with a side-information scheme based on L1-L1 minimization. ROMAN-R enhances the foreground detection by learning a dictionary of atoms to represent the moving foreground in a high-dimensional feature space and by using reweighted-L1-L1 minimization. Experiments are conducted on both synthetic and real video datasets, for which we also include an analysis of the generalization to unseen clips. Comparisons are made with existing deep unfolding RPCA neural networks, which do not use a mask formulation for the foreground. The models are also compared to a 3D U-Net baseline. Results show that our proposed models outperform other deep unfolding models, as well as the untrained optimization algorithms. ROMAN-R, in particular, is competitive with the U-Net baseline for foreground detection, with the additional advantage of providing video backgrounds and requiring substantially fewer training parameters and smaller training sets.
Multifractality in Parasympathetic-Sympathetic Responses and their Interactions: From 1/f Noise to Long-range Correlations
Authors: Pratiher Sawon , Sahoo Karuna P. , Lavanuru Pravallika , Acharya Mrinal , Ghosh Nirmalya , patra amit
Published: May 2023

This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessible. 
Asynchronous Dynamic Quantization for Nonlinear Systems with One-bit Data Transmission
Authors: Almakhles Dhafer , Abdelrahim Mahmoud
Published: May 2023

This paper investigates the problem of asynchronous dynamic quantization for nonlinear systems with unknown initial conditions and subject to external disturbances and delays. We propose a novel two-level dynamic quantizer that only depends on the sign of the quantization error to quantize the actual input signal. Building on the sliding mode approach, the proposed quantizer is enabled to capture the state/input in a finite time and maintains the quantization error bounded after capturing. Sufficient conditions are provided to ensure closed-loop stability in terms of Lyapunov functions. Furthermore, the robustness of the quantization policy with respect to external disturbances and time delays is also investigated. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through a numerical example.
Speech Command Recognition: Text-to-Speech and Speech Corpus Scraping Are All You Need
Authors: Kuzdeuov Askat , Nurgaliyev Shakhizat , Turmakhan Diana , Laiyk Nurkhan , Varol Huseyin Atakan
Published: May 2023

Speech Command Recognition (SCR) is rapidly gaining prominence due to its diverse applications, such as virtual assistants, smart homes, hands-free navigation, and voice-controlled industrial machinery. In this paper, we present a data-centric approach to creating SCR systems for low-resource languages, particularly focusing on the Kazakh language. By leveraging synthetic data generated by Text-to-Speech (TTS) and data extracted from a large-scale speech corpus, we successfully created the Kazakh language equivalent of the Google Speech Commands dataset. Moreover, we also compiled the Kazakh Speech Commands dataset with data collected from 119 participants. This dataset was used to benchmark the performance of the Keyword-MLP model trained using our synthetic dataset. The results showed that the model achieves 89.79% accuracy for the real-world data demonstrating the efficacy of our approach. Our work can serve as a recipe for creating customized speech command datasets, including for low-resource languages, obviating the need for laborious and costly human data collection.
Information Flow-Based Fuzzy Cognitive Maps with Enhanced Interpretability
Authors: Tyrovolas Marios , Liang X. San , Stylios Chrysostomos
Published: May 2023

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) is a graph-based methodology successfully applied for knowledge representation of complex systems modelled through an interactive structure of nodes connected with causal relationships. Due to their flexibility and inherent interpretability, FCMs have been used in various modelling and prediction tasks to support human decisions. However, one of the main limitations of FCMs is that they may unintentionally absorb spurious correlations presented in the collected data, resulting in poor prediction accuracy and interpretability. This article proposes a novel framework for constructing FCMs based on Liang-Kleeman Information Flow (L-K IF) analysis to address this limitation. The novelty of the proposed approach is the identification of actual causal relationships from the data using an automatic causal search algorithm. The actual causal relationships are then imposed as constraints in the FCM learning procedure to rule out spurious correlations and improve the aggregate predictive and explanatory power of the model. Numerical simulations were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by comparing it with state-of-the-art FCM-based models.
Effect of Incubation Period and Vitamin C on in vitro Sperm Activation in Oligozoospermic infertile Patients by using FertiCult Flushing Medium
Authors: Abo-Saibaa Athmar J. , Al–Hefery Jinan J. , Al-Shimerty Dhirgam F.
Published: May 2023

Objectives: This study was aimed to know effects of Incubation period and vitamin C on sperm for Oligospermic infertile patients parameters by activated at using mixing technique and using FertiCult Flushing Medium.
Methodology: This study was perform on 32 samples, belongs to 26 patients. In this study divided one samples into two parts. The first part activated by FertiCult Flushing Medium and incubation period (30,45,60,75) min while the second part activated by FertiCult Flushing Medium with vitamin C.
Results: The results showed that there was a significant improvement (P<0.05) in the sperm motility percent and sperm grade activity in comparison to the results before activation and the results showed significant improvement (P<0.05) in the sperm motility percent and sperm grade activity in 60 min activation Incubation period comparison to that activation in Incubation period (30,45,75) min. The results showed that there was a significant improvement (P<0.05) in the sperm motility percent, sperm grade activity in activation at using FertiCult Flushing Medium with vitamin C in 60 min Incubation period comparison to its result in activation at used by FertiCult Flushing Medium without vitamin C in 60 min Incubation period.
Conclusion : using 60 min Incubation period a human sperm activation can give a better results than the activation in (30,45,75) min Incubation period. Also, it was found that addition of vitamin C to FertiCult Flushing Medium improve the sperm parameters in Oligospermia.
Assessment of Psychological status of Infertile Women in Erbil Kurdistan Region
Authors: Mohammed Saja H. , Gardi Abdulqader H. Hamad
Published: May 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the psychological status on infertile women.
Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted on 200 infertile women who attending to infertility center in Erbil City since the period of 2nd February 2005 to 6th April 2005.
Results: These results showed that (68%) infertile women were having higher level of anxiety. Anxiety is the psychological problems which have been most commonly investigated, most of the infertile (49%) women had a depression.
Conclusion: There were high percentage of infertile women had psychological disturbances (abnormal level of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem).
Recommendation: the study recommended that Establish highly specialized infertility center to provide infertility treatment and psychological counseling to all infertile women.