bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of induced hyperammonaemia on sleep and melanopsin-mediated pupillary light response in patients with liver cirrhosis: A single-blinded randomized crossover trial
Authors: Kann Anna Emilie , Ba-Ali Shakoor , Seidelin Jakob B. , Larsen Fin Stolze , Hamann Steffen , Bjerring Peter Nissen
Published: September 2022

Background & aims

Sleep disturbances are related to hepatic encephalopathy and hyperammonaemia in patients with cirrhosis. The circadian rhythm is regulated by light stimulation of the retina via melanopsin-containing ganglion cells. The study aimed to investigate whether induced hyperammonaemia affects the pupillary light response and sleep efficiency in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods

The study was a single-blinded crossover trial including nine patients with cirrhosis. Sleep was evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and monitored for twelve nights with wrist accelerometers and sleep diaries. On two experimental days, separated by one week, patients were randomized to ingest either an oral amino acid challenge (AAC) or an isocaloric glucose solution (GS). We measured pupillary light response, capillary ammonia, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), and two neuropsychological tests on both experimental days.

Results

The patients had poor self-assessed sleep quality. The amino acid challenge led to a significant increase in capillary ammonia and KSS. The time spent in bed sleeping after AAC was longer and with a reduced movement index compared to baseline but not different from GS. We found no difference in the pupillary light response or neuropsychiatric tests when comparing the effect of AAC with GS.

Conclusions

Patients with cirrhosis had impaired sleep quality. Induced hyperammonaemia led to increased sleepiness but had no acute effect on pupillary light response or the neuropsychiatric tests.

Trial registration

Registration number: NCT04771104.
The motivation for physical activity is a predictor of VO2peak and is a useful parameter when determining the need for cardiac rehabilitation in an elderly cardiac population
Authors: Mikkelsen Nicolai , Dall Christian Have , Frederiksen Marianne , Holdgaard Annette , Rasmusen Hanne , Prescott Eva
Published: September 2022

Background

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an essential contributor to a successful recovery for elderly cardiac patients. The motivation for physical activity is a psychological parameter seldom described in secondary prevention, and it is plausible that motivation contributes to the differential effect of CR.

Purpose

To investigate if motivation, measured using the behavioural regulation in an exercise questionnaire (BREQ-2), predicts VO2peak in elderly cardiac patients before and after CR.

Methods

A prospective cohort study of elderly ischemic cardiac patients and patients with valvular disease participating in cardiac rehabilitation was used. Motivation was measured using BREQ-2, which measures five constructs of motivation and a summed score—the relative autonomy index (RAI). VO2peak was measured before and after CR using a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET).

Results

Two hundred and three patients performed the baseline tests and initiated CR. One hundred and eighty-two completed CR and comprised the follow-up group. The mean VO2peak was 18 ml/kg/min (SD±5.1). VO2peak increased significantly with increasing motivation, 1.02 (.41–1.62) ml/kg/min pr. SD. Mean improvement from CR was 2.3 ml/kg/min (SD±4.3), the equivalent of a 12% increase. A change in VO2peak after CR was likewise positively associated with increased motivation, .74 (.31–1.17) pr. SD.

Conclusion

The level of motivation predicts VO2peak before CR, and is also able to predict changes in VO2peak following CR. Motivation measured with the BREQ-2 questionnaire can be applied as a screening tool for elderly cardiac patients before they initiate CR to identify patients with need of specific attention.
Molecular structure characterization analysis and molecular model construction of anthracite
Authors: Jia Jinzhang , Wu Yumo , Zhao Dan , Li Bin , Wang Dongming , Wang Fengxiao , Chen Yinuo
Published: September 2022

Coal is the largest non-renewable energy as well as an important basic energy and industrial raw material. Thus, correctly understanding the molecular structure characteristics of coal has important theoretical value for realizing carbon neutralization. In this work, we clarified the molecular structure characteristics of anthracite, where the organic matter in anthracite was characterized and analyzed by industrial/elemental analysis, FTIR, XPS, XRD and solid 13C NMR. The ratio of bridge carbon to the perimeter carbon of anthracite was 0.38, and the degree of condensation in the aromatic structure was high. Nitrogen in coal primarily exists in the form of pyridine and pyrrole. Based on the information on functional group composition, the carbon skeleton structure, and surface element composition, a molecular structure model of Yangquan anthracite could be constructed, where the molecular formula was C208H162O12N4. This study may serve as a reference for researchers in this field to consult and refer to the construction ideas and methods of molecular structure models of different coal samples.
The magnitude of mental distress and associated factors among a school of medicine and college of health sciences students at Debre Markos University, 2021
Authors: Amlak Baye Tsegaye , Bitew Mezinew Sintayehu , Getnet Asmamaw , Yitayew Fentahun Minwuyelet , Terefe Tamene Fetene , Tarekegn Tadesse Tsehay , Mihret Asmare Getie , Geleta Omega Tolessa , Alemu Gebrie Getu , GebreEyesus Fisha Alebel , Tsegaye Dejen
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Mental distress is a collection of mental health abnormalities characterized by symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating, and somatic symptoms. It affects society as a whole and no group is immune to mental distress; however, students have a significantly high level of mental distress than their community peers. The study is aimed to assess the magnitude of mental distress and associated factors among a school of medicine and college of health sciences students.

Objective

To assess the magnitude of mental distress and associated factors among a school of medicine and college of health sciences students at Debre Markos University, 2021.

Methods

Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed from March 15–29, 2021. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 475 study participants. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with mental distress. Variables with a p-value less than 0.25 in the bivariable analysis were entered into multivariable logistic regression analysis and a P-Value of less than 0.05 was considered as having a statistically significant association.

Result

The magnitude of mental distress among students was found to be 35.4%, 95%CI (31%, 40%). Female sex [AOR = 1.95; 95%CI (1.24–3.06)], financial distress[AOR = 1.64; 95%CI (1.062.54)], feeling of insecurity [AOR = 2.49; 95% CI (1.13–3.54)], lack of interest to department [AOR = 2.00; 95%CI (1.75–4.36)] and cumulative grade point average less than expected [AOR = 2.63; 95%CI (1.59–4.37)]were significant variables with mental distress.

Conclusion

The magnitude of mental distress was high. Sex, financial distress, feeling of insecurity, lack of interest in the department, and cumulative grade point average less than expected were significant variables with mental distress, so special attention on mental health promotion is required from policymakers, college officials, parents, and other Non-Governmental organizations.
An empirical investigation of determinants & sustainability of public debt in Pakistan
Authors: Sundus  , Naveed Samina , Islam Tanweer Ul
Published: September 2022

An assessment of debt dynamics and its sustainability is very important in formalizing prudent and effective macroeconomic policies especially for the economies with weak macroeconomic fundamentals and alarming debt levels. Keeping in view the recent debt escalation in Pakistan, this study aims to explore the important factors that influence the public debt dynamics in case of Pakistan and to evaluate its sustainability. This study applies the debt dynamic approach for empirical assessment of drivers of changing debt levels and analysis of public debt sustainability. Furthermore, ARDL approach is utilized to study the short- and long-run debt dynamics using historic data from 1975 to 2021. This study is distinct from already existing work on debt assessment in Pakistan as it examines both important dimensions of public debt (determinants & stability) by employing the novel dynamic debt modelling approach and using most recent data. The study finds a positive and significant impact of fiscal deficit, exchange rate depreciation and interest rate on public debt in Pakistan. The debt sustainability analysis also reveals the instability of public debt for the entire study period except for few years. The regression results corroborate with the findings from stability analysis, and the main driving forces for increasing the debt burden of the country are found to be the fiscal indiscipline along with the rising cost on account of ER depreciation and higher interest rates.
Family‐Focused Child Therapy in Marital Separation
Authors: O'Gorman Shannon
Published: September 2022

When marriages and long‐term relationships break down, parents may refer their children and adolescents to therapy for a variety of reasons. While the systemic therapist's preference may be to work with the family system/s, high conflict separation may prohibit such an approach. This article discusses family‐focused child therapy that prioritises the needs of children while seeking to preserve a systemic approach. At a practice level this may involve: (a) individual child therapy, (b) engaging with smaller subsystems including siblings, (c) joint therapeutic work involving child/ren plus parent/s, and (d) any of these combinations; all while continuing to maintain a systemic understanding of the work. The article discusses the challenges of working with children from separated families, where there is restricted or no possibility of engaging with the broader family system.
Percepção dos atores sobre programas de PSA: um estudo de caso do Projeto Produtor de Águas Pipiripau-DF
Authors: Mendonça Isabele Sena , Santos Anadalvo , Hoeflich Vitor , Fernandes Ana Paula , Freitas Brenda Maria
Published: September 2022

O Projeto Produtor de Água do Pipiripau, desenvolvido no Distrito Federal desde 2012, esta inserido no Programa Produtor de Água desenvolvido pela Agência Nacional de Água com o intuito de promover melhorias nas condições hídricas e a adoção de estratégias de manejo com base na política de Pagamento por Serviços Ambientais - PSA, entretanto ressalta-se a necessidade de averiguar as informações sobre o desenvolvimento do projeto e seus resultados. Nesse sentido, este estudo visa a descrição do desenvolvimento das atividades no Projeto Produtor de Água do Pipiripau-DF, a partir da percepção dos principais atores envolvidos, para a compreensão da evolução do projeto. Para tanto, foram realizadas entrevistas com a aplicação de questionários, em que foi possível obter a participação de 13 produtores rurais e 16 instituições parceiras. Os resultados indicam que tanto os gestores como os produtores rurais apresentaram uma percepção similar quanto aos aspectos gerais do projeto, entretanto, quando questionados sobre a situação hídrica e a divulgação do projeto os gestores demonstraram que possuem uma informação superficial do assunto. Observa-se ainda que os gestores possuem dificuldades quanto à falta de coordenação das atividades desenvolvidas e quanto ao acompanhamento das atividades através de imagens de satélite, o que se torna um fator limitante para o avanço do projeto. Também destaca-se a necessidade da aproximação dos gestores do projeto aos critérios de boa governança a fim de validar a efetividade da implementação de políticas públicas.
Black Transgender Women’s Barriers to Gender Affirmation in Healthcare
Authors: Meyer Gabriel
Published: September 2022

Black transgender women (BTW) face an intersection of transphobia and racism that affects their ability to receive gender affirmation healthcare. Healthcare is both racist and transphobic, putting aside Black women’s feelings and requirements; the same is true for transgender people, in addition to needing to instruct doctors in their care. BTW face stigmas on multiple levels, lowering health outcomes, as gender affirmations are barred. This review of literature aims to compile and analyze issues faced by BTW in achieving gender affirmations in healthcare. BTW face stigma and barriers from their race and gender identity, affecting their mental health, ability to receive healthcare, and ability to receive gender affirmational healthcare. These barriers come from untrained doctors, transphobic insurance policies, distorted views of transgender people, and systemic racism. There are barriers in both seeking and receiving healthcare, which need to be eliminated for the betterment and achievement of gender affirmation in healthcare.
Agricultural Waste Can Solve Environmental Problems in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Muanda Meschack , Farag Hassan , Malash Gihan
Published: September 2022

The industrial mining factories in Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.) discharge effluents containing hexavalent chromium and this situation can be very harmful to the environment. So the hexavalent chromium contained in wastewater should be removed in order to prevent environmental problems. Therefore, the present work aims to investigate the use of sugar beet pulp available in D.R.C. for the removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewater. Variables studied were chromium initial concentration (10–50mg/L), pH (2–9), solid/liquid ratio (0.25/100–3/100), and contact time (30–180min). All the experiments were performed at room temperature and average results were reported. The highest percent removals for 10 ppm concentration (90.53%) and 50 ppm concentration (76.34%) were achieved at the following conditions: pH 2, contact time 90 min, and solid/liquid ratios of 2 g/100mL and 3 g/100mL respectively
Development of Smart Sorting Machine Using Artificial Intelligence for Chili Fertigation Industries
Authors: Abdul Aziz M. F. , Daud W. M. Bukhari , Sukhaimie M. N. , Izzuddin T. A. , Norasikin M.A. , Rasid A. F. A. , Bazilah N. F.
Published: September 2022

This paper presents an automation process is a need in the agricultural industry specifically chili crops, that implemented image processing techniques and classification of chili crops usually based on their color, shape, and texture. The goal of this study was to develop a portable sorting machine that will be able to segregate chili based on their color by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and to analyze the performance by using the Plot Confusion method. A sample of ten green chili images and ten red chili images was trained by using Learning Algorithm in MATLAB program that included a feature extraction process and tested by comparing the performance with a larger dataset, which are 40 samples of chili images. The trained network from 20 samples produced an overall accuracy of 80 percent and above, while the trained network from 40 samples produced an overall accuracy of 85 percent. These results indicate the importance of further study as the design of the smart sorting machine was general enough to be used in the agricultural industry that requires a high volume of chili crops and with other differentiating features to be processed at the same time. Improvements can be made to the sorting system but will come at a higher price.
Mitigative Effect of Vitex Negundo against Fluoride induced Oxidative Stress Mediated Cardio and Nephrotoxicity
Authors: Raghavendra Mitta , Sri Dake Pooja , Nikitha Desam , Yadav Pulala Raghuveer , Rajesham V. V. , Ali P. Roshan
Published: September 2022

The present study investigated the mitigative effect of Vitex negundo against sodium fluoride (NaF) induced cardio and nephrotoxicity. The hydroalcoholic extract of Vitex negundo leaves (HAEVNL) was prepared by the maceration method. Group I, Group II, and Group III served as normal, toxic, and plant control groups in the treatment schedule. Group IV and V (200 and 400 mg/kg b.wt, p.o) served as treatment groups. Group II, IV, and V treated with NaF (100ppm) through drinking water for 4 weeks. Cardiac and kidney parameters such as LDH, CK-MB, Lipid profile, Creatinine, Urea, and Uric acid were estimated. The heart and kidney tissues LPO, GSH, SOD, and CAT levels and histopathological studies were performed. Phytochemical investigation showed the alkaloids, saponins, phytosterols, flavonoids, phenols, and tannins. Rats administered with NaF have demonstrated a significant rise in the LDH, CK-MB, TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C, Creatinine, Urea, and Uric acid. Tissue LPO levels increased while there was a significant decrease in serum HDL-C and tissue SOD, GSH, and CAT levels. Treatment with HAEVNL showed effective recovery against NaF-induced cardio and nephrotoxicity. The histopathological evaluation also added to the benefits of the Vitex negundo leaves. The study concluded that Vitex negundo leaf extract showed a significant antioxidant and mitigative effect against fluoride- induced cardio and nephrotoxicity in rats.
Determination of Antioxidant and Anti quorum Sensing Activity of Aegle marmelos Picrorrhiza kurroa and Swertia chirayita
Authors: Kamble Pramod Ananda , Phadke Manju
Published: September 2022

From the ancient period, humans have been fighting pathogenic microorganisms for survivalpurposes and in this context, man has developed antibiotics as a powerful weapon to treat various infections caused by pathogens. Nevertheless, the need to discover new antimicrobial agents is increasing at an alarming rate. This is because the microorganisms have developed various mechanisms to resist the action of antibiotics. One such mechanism is the production of biofilm. Infections caused by biofilm-forming pathogenic microorganisms are very difficult to treat, even using potent antibiotics. However, in folk medicine, many plants are found to be helpful to treat certain infectious diseases. This is because of the synthesis of a variety of bioactive compounds by plants with high medicinal value. Hence, in the present study, three different plants were used viz Aegle marmelos, Picrorrhiza kurroa, and Swertia chirayita to determine their antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing activities. According to the literature, antioxidants delay the oxidation process and nullify the effect of free radicals that cause damage and accelerate aging. Quorum sensing is the chemical way of communication between biofilm-forming microorganisms. Among the alcoholic extracts, the methanolic extract of P. kurroa showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity of 82.11%. All the plant extracts under investigation exhibited anti-quorum sensing activity against the standard culture of Chromobacterium violaceum MTCC 2656; however, the plant extracts of A. marmelos were found to be more potent as compared to P. kurroa and S. chirayita. Plant extracts P. kurroa and S. chirayita showed almost similar anti-quorum sensing activity. This confirms the pharmaceutical importance of plant materials of interest, which might prove to be useful to treat damage caused by free radicals and biofilm-related infections, after due consideration of clinical trials for safety issues.
Contributions from the ethico-onto-epistemological perspective for research in the field of education policy
Authors: Mainardes Jefferson
Published: September 2022

This paper explores the concept of ethico-onto-epistemology and its contributions to education policy research. Specifically, it seeks to define onto-epistemology and ethical-onto-epistemology, with special reference to Anna Stetsenko’s work. The main arguments developed are the following: a) ethics is one of the structuring elements of research (and not a mere appendix); b) all research involves ethical issues; c) the ethico-onto-epistemological perspective can contribute to the development of more integrated and coherent research; and d) the transformative activist stance contributes to achieving the social purpose of the research and the researcher’s work.
Financial Reporting Quality and Invest Decisions: Evidence from Listed Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria
Authors: AJAYI-OWOEYE Ayooluwa Olotu , AKINWUNMI Abiodun Jelil , OLAYINKA Ifayemi Moses , PELEMO Morayo Abimbola
Published: September 2022

The disparaging nature of the Nigerian capital market, investment environment and the outline of the entire economy affirms the need for investors to give ample responsiveness to the precariousness of the global economic climate before investment decisions are undertaken since the resultant effect is seen in the deceleration in domestic expansion, prompted economic instability, increased inflation rate amongst others which has affected market value of shares of firms in the economy. Therefore the study examined the effect of financial reporting quality on investment decision in Nigerian listed manufacturing companies. The study employed ex-post facto research design. The population of the study was 52 manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian exchange as at 31st December, 2020. Ten companies were purposively chosen for the study owing to data availability and total asset base covering a sample period of 2011-2020. Descriptive and inferential (Multiple Regression) statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that financial reporting quality have a significant effect on market price per share of listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria (Adj.R2= 0.316560, F(3)= 16.28516, p<0.05).The study concluded that financial reporting quality as measured by earnings quality, timely loss recognition and accounting conservatism has significant effect on market price per share of listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study has implication for investor to understand the dynamics of financial reporting quality (timely loss recognition in terms of information, accounting conservatism and earnings quality) to guide them in portfolio diversification and investment decisions.
A High‐Value Agriculture‐Based Strategy for Reducing Poverty in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Yeh Stuart S.
Published: September 2022

Abstract

The World Bank and IMF emphasize privatization and economic liberalization as a strategy to reduce poverty in developing nations. However, results have been disappointing. This article offers an alternative, in the form of a practical strategy for improving economic growth and reducing poverty in sub‐Saharan Africa that flows directly from an analysis of why Africans remain poor. This strategy aims to raise rural incomes and stimulate aggregate demand and output through the widespread introduction of rainwater harvesting, micro drip irrigation systems, and systems of agricultural cooperatives to cultivate and market high‐value agricultural products. The article concludes that the income generated in the rural sector would be multiplied by increases in income from induced consumption expenditures. The overall impact would be substantial and could greatly improve economic growth rates in sub‐Saharan Africa. The article discusses issues that must be addressed to realize these benefits fully, but concludes that an agriculture‐based poverty‐reduction strategy may potentially be much more effective than orthodox World Bank and IMF strategies.
Exploring the Economic Determinants of Immigration Attitudes
Authors: Miller Beth
Published: September 2022

Abstract

This study explores the economic determinants of attitudes toward immigration across fortyseven countries. The extant research addressing public opinion on immigration tends to concentrate on Anglo attitudes toward immigrants in the United States or attitudes toward immigrants in Western Europe. Thus, empirical evidence currently draws from a limited pool including advanced industrial democracies. To more accurately and completely generalize statements regarding support for economic theories of self‐interest in regards to immigration, cross‐national research outside of the advanced industrial arena is necessary. Merging individual‐level survey data from Pew's Global Attitudes Project with country‐level economic data, the study finds that self‐assessed poverty plays a significant role in structuring immigration attitudes independent of the effect of objective measures of economic status (education, employment, and income). Further, national economic conditions also play a role in shaping immigration attitudes across countries.
Book Review: Global Child Poverty and Well‐Being: Measurement, Concepts, Policy and Action” by Alberto Minujin and Shallen Nandy
Authors: Beard Virginia Parish
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Of the countless people around the world enduring deprivation and tremendous suffering from poverty and malnutrition, hundreds of millions are children. But research on poverty and development has only relatively recently begun to focus on this aspect of global poverty. Featuring contributions from leading researchers, this book examines how child poverty and well‐being are conceptualized, defined, and measured and presents regional and national studies of child poverty from around the world. Global Child Poverty and Well‐Being is an urgent call to arms for researchers and policymakers to confront one of the world's great ongoing tragedies.
Person Centered Medicine
Authors: Snaedal Jon
Published: September 2022

Person centered medicine has emerged as a response to the organ specific, technical and fragmented medical treatment and care that has evolved during the last century in health care systems worldwide. Nevertheless, person centered medicine is not a new concept, as it is rooted in ancient medicine, exemplified by the medical culture of the ancient Greeks. The main components of Person Centered Medicine described here are the cornerstone for successful medical treatment and care. The physician needs to use his communicative skills for this purpose, adhere to attentive, empathic listening, be aware of the cultural, social and educational background of the patient and understand the expectations of the patient for the therapy ahead. He must place the narrative of the patient at the center of clinical evaluation. For this to be possible, the physician needs to have the necessary professional competence and to adhere to the basic ethical principles of medicine. He needs to collaborate not only with the patient, and in some instances with his or her family, but also with other health care workers, whether in a close therapeutic team or with individual professionals. He needs to critically evaluate evidence‐based medicine that is most often presented by various, complicated statistics and to adapt the results of research to his patients in a person centered fashion. For this to be possible, the curricula of Medical Faculties, as well as to mainstream, continuous professional development programs, needs to include the components of Person Centered Medicine.
A Case Study in Translating Medical Evidence into Mobile Decision Support
Authors: Sheets Lincoln
Published: September 2022

Background: Combination oral contraceptives are prescribed 10 million times a year in the United States alone. Prescribers have more than 70 oral‐contraceptive choices, but individual women's medical conditions may make some contraceptives inappropriate or dangerous. Traditional sources of prescribing information are impractical at the point of care. Mobile apps are revolutionizing clinical workflow, but none have been deployed for oral‐contraceptive selection. Objective/Purpose: to design of an evidence‐based interactive tool for selecting oral contraceptives, as a model for dissemination of clinical practice guidelines to clinical settings via mobile applications. Methods: I indexed the practice guidelines for hormonal contraception from the World Health Organization and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and expert recommendations from two contraceptive textbooks. I gathered the rules into IF‐THEN use cases, annotated with evidence quality and prioritized by likelihood and importance, and classified contraceptive choices into specific recommendation groups. Results: The sources yielded 32 guidelines and 24 expert recommendations using a total of 73 data elements, mostly TRUE/FALSE choices or numeric values. Organizing these into 22 use cases evaluating one to eight data elements each, few enough to fit on a smartphone screen, permits the entire questionnaire to be navigated in 22 or fewer screens. Discussion/Conclusions: Handheld clinical applications can facilitate evidence‐based medicine, and reduce medical errors, by moving the best available medical knowledge from laborintensive traditional resources to prescribers' fingertips. They may create privacy and data‐security risks, but limiting apps to anonymous single‐use queries obviates these. Potential enhancements include additional object‐oriented treatment domains, automatically updating rules engines using the Guideline Elements Model, and allowing user communities to add rules.
Inequalities in Health: Realities, Efforts and Way Forward
Authors: Paudel Deepak , Abera Muluemebet , Kyeyune Rachel , Solis‐Soto Maria Teresa , Lohani Ashish , Wandiga Steve , Nji Akindeh , Froschel Guenter
Published: September 2022

Inequalities in health are not a new phenomenon but a challenge for public health practitioners around the globe. Considering the importance of the topic, a one day symposium was organized targeting public health, medical and social science professionals and students in Munich, Germany on March 17th, 2012. The paper documents major highlights of the event and summarizes the importance of such events in sensitizing current and future professionals on different aspects of health inequality and in drawing their attention into the topic.
Enhanced design of PID controller and noise filter for second order stable and unstable processes with time delay
Authors: Rahul Banda Sai , Ajmeri Moina
Published: September 2022

In this work, a PID controller along with a noise filter is designed using direct synthesis method for second order stable and unstable processes with time delay. Proposed method involves a single design parameter λ whose value need to be adjusted such that a desired balance between performance and robustness of the system is achieved. Guidelines to select suitable values of λ based on the maximum sensitivity values are provided. Various computer simulations are performed in presence of measurement noise on stable, unstable, integrating and double integrating dynamic systems to illustrate the advantages of suggested control method over some contemporary techniques. Performance measures (integral absolute error and integral squared error) and robustness measures such as maximum sensitivity (M
s), complimentary sensitivity (M
t) are calculated for the quantitative performance evaluation of the proposed tuning strategy. The suggested tuning algorithm is simple and it yields improved closed loop response compared to some reported methods, satisfactory robustness and smooth control action in presence of noise.
Stable 𝔸1-connectivity over a base
Authors: Druzhinin Anderi Eduardovich
Published: September 2022

Morel’s stable connectivity theorem states the vanishing of the sheaves of the negative motivic homotopy groupsπ¯is⁢(Y){\underline{\pi}^{s}_{i}(Y)}andπ¯i+j,js⁢(Y){\underline{\pi}^{s}_{i+j,j}(Y)},i<0{i<0}, in the stable motivic homotopy categories𝐒𝐇S1⁢(k){\mathbf{SH}^{S^{1}}(k)}and𝐒𝐇⁢(k){\mathbf{SH}(k)}for an arbitrary smooth schemeYover a fieldk. Originally the same property was conjectured in the relative case over a base schemeS. In view of Ayoub’s conterexamples the modified version of the conjecture states the vanishing of stable motivic homotopy groupsπ¯is⁢(Y){\underline{\pi}^{s}_{i}(Y)}(andπ¯i+j,js⁢(Y){\underline{\pi}^{s}_{i+j,j}(Y)}) fori<-d{i<-d}, whered=dim⁡S{d=\dim S}is the Krull dimension. The latter version of the conjecture is proven over noetherian domains of finite Krull dimension under the assumption that residue fields of the base scheme are infinite. This is the result by J. Schmidt and F. Strunk for Dedekind schemes case, and the result by N. Deshmukh, A. Hogadi, G. Kulkarni and S. Yadavand for the case of noetherian domains of an arbitrary dimension. In the article, we prove the result for any locally noetharian base scheme of finite Krull dimension without the assumption on the residue fields, in particular for𝐒𝐇S1⁢(ℤ){\mathbf{SH}^{S^{1}}(\mathbb{Z})}and𝐒𝐇⁢(ℤ){\mathbf{SH}(\mathbb{Z})}. In the appendix, we modify the arguments used for the main result to obtain the independent proof of Gabber’s Presentation Lemma over finite fields.
Kantian Constructivism and Kantian Constitutivism: Some Reflections
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: September 2022

Is moral constructivism an account of the basis of the content of morality or of its authority? In fact, different writers have understood constructivism to be addressing different issues. In this paper I argue that Kant should be understood as a constructivist about the content of morality – or better about a limited set of general substantive principles – and as a constititutivist about its authority. After some general remarks in Section 1 about contemporary discussions of constructivism, in Section 2 I discuss Rawls’s understanding of Kant’s constructivism; Rawls takes Kantian constructivism to be a view about the content of morality. In Section 3, I give an overview of Kant’s moral conception as constructivist about the content of morality and as constitutivist about its authority. In Section 4 I address a worry whether certain features of Kant’s constitutivism rest his constructivism on a realist foundation, arguing that they do not.
lncRNA NORAD promotes lung cancer progression by competitively binding to miR-28-3p with E2F2
Authors: Mao Wenjun , Wang Shengfei , Chen Ruo , He Yijun , Lu Rongguo , Zheng Mingfeng
Published: September 2022

Lung cancer (LC) is a prevailing primary tumor in the lung. lncRNA non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) is a popular target in human cancers. This experiment is designed to probe the mechanism of lncRNA in LC progression. NORAD expression in normal lung epithelial cells and LC cells was examined and then silenced to assess its effect on LC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Subcellular localization of NORAD was analyzed through online databases and then corroborated by fractionation of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA assay. The target binding relations between NORAD and miR-28-3p and between miR-28-3p and E2F2 were verified. Eventually, LC cells with NORAD silencing were transfected with miR-28-3p inhibitor or pcDNA3.1-E2F2 to measure LC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. NORAD was overexpressed in LC cells and NORAD knockout led to suppressed LC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Besides, NORAD targeted miR-28-3p and miR-28-3p targeted E2F2 transcription. Inhibiting miR-28-3p or overexpressing E2F2 could both annul the inhibitory role of si-NORAD in LC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Generally, our findings demonstrated that NORAD competitively bound to miR-28-3p with E2F2, to promote LC cell progression.
Does real interest rate parity really work? Historical evidence from a discrete wavelet perspective
Authors: Ghaemi Asl Mahdi , Canarella Giorgio , Miller Stephen M. , Tavakkoli Hamid Reza
Published: September 2022

We test for real interest rate parity using data from six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom), Japan, and the United States over a period of more than two centuries. Our contribution is threefold. First, we implement a wavelet-based analysis, which examines both frequency and time information contained in a time series. Second, we employ the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany as alternative base countries in the wavelet regressions to ascertain the sensitivity of the results to the choice of the base country. Third, we test the real interest rate parity over the entire period (1800–2018) and for several non-contiguous subperiods that hold historical significance and relative importance. Three subperiods link to the three globalization waves (1870–1914, 1944–1971, and 1989–2018), and four subperiods connect to the exchange rate regimes. The wavelet-based results suggest that the validity of the real interest rate parity is scale-dependent. The specific evidence in most cases supports the parity at lower frequencies but not at higher frequencies, which is consistent with the idea that the purchasing power parity and uncovered interest parity, the two main ingredients of the real interest rate parity, are mostly valid in the long run.
Lire et écrire en réseau : exemple d’une séquence didactique en français au primaire en appui au développement des compétences globales et numériques
Authors: Nadeau-Tremblay Sophie , Allaire Stéphane
Published: September 2022

Depuis plus de 20 ans, l’initiative École en réseau (ÉER) déploie le travail collaboratif intra et interclasses au primaire et au secondaire partout au Québec (Allaire et Laferrière, 2013 ; Laferrière et al., 2006). Des enseignants engagés y développent des projets éducatifs novateurs pour favoriser l’apprentissage et l’engagement des élèves ainsi que leur propre développement professionnel (Allaire et al., 2009). Après un bref historique de l’initiative ÉER, l’article présente une séquence d’activités interclasses sous l’angle du développement des compétences à « Lire, Écrire et Apprécier des œuvres littéraires ». L’écriture collaborative constitue un levier reliant le cadre de référence des compétences globales (Conseil des ministres de l’Éducation [Canada], 2016) et des dimensions de la compétence numérique (gouvernement du Québec, 2019) dans les milieux éducatifs au primaire, tant chez les élèves que chez les enseignants. À travers des rencontres en visioconférence et des moments d’écriture en classe, seuls et en collaboration, les élèves contribuent à la coélaboration de connaissances d’une communauté d’apprentissage engagée. Des apports et défis sont relevés afin de soutenir la mise en place d’une telle initiative pédagogique.
Neural Representation of Intraoral Olfactory and Gustatory Signals by the Mediodorsal Thalamus in Alert Rats
Authors: Fredericksen Kelly E. , Samuelsen Chad L.
Published: September 2022

The mediodorsal thalamus is a multimodal region involved in a variety of cognitive behaviors, including olfactory attention, odor discrimination, and the hedonic perception of flavors. Although the mediodorsal thalamus forms connections with principal regions of the olfactory and gustatory networks, its role in processing olfactory and gustatory signals originating from the mouth remains unclear. Here, we recorded single-unit activity in the mediodorsal thalamus of behaving female rats during the intraoral delivery of individual odors, individual tastes, and odor-taste mixtures. Our results are the first to demonstrate that neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus dynamically encode chemosensory signals originating from the mouth. This chemoselective population is broadly tuned, exhibits excited and suppressed responses, and responds to odor-taste mixtures differently than an odor or taste alone. Furthermore, a subset of chemoselective neurons encodes the palatability-related features of tastes and may represent associations between previously experienced odor-taste pairs. Our results further demonstrate the multidimensionality of the mediodorsal thalamus and provide additional evidence of its involvement in processing chemosensory information important for ingestive behaviors.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe perception of food relies on the concurrent processing of olfactory and gustatory signals originating from the mouth. The mediodorsal thalamus is a higher-order thalamic nucleus involved in a variety of chemosensory-dependent behaviors and connects the olfactory and gustatory cortices with the prefrontal cortex. However, it is unknown how neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus process intraoral chemosensory signals. Using tetrode recordings in alert rats, our results are the first to show that neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus dynamically represent olfactory and gustatory signals from the mouth. Our findings are consistent with the mediodorsal thalamus being a key node between sensory and prefrontal cortical areas for processing chemosensory information underlying ingestive behavior.
What determines the diversity and succession of lichens inhabiting post-bark beetle snags in the Western Carpathians?
Authors: Tanona Magdalena , Czarnota Paweł
Published: September 2022

The life strategy of Norway spruce allows the recovery of European spruce forests in a scenario of catastrophic disturbances caused by the European spruce bark beetle. However, little is known about how the development of this insect infestation has influenced the preservation of the ecological balance in these forests over the last decades. Based on the upper montane spruce forests in the Polish Western Carpathians, we decided to check what species of lichens are using the decaying wood of post-bark beetle snags and how the progressive changes in wood hardness and stand decomposition affect the process of species exchange. In 2018–2019, we investigated spruce snags on permanent monitoring plots in Gorce National Park, whose cause and time of death have been recorded since 1999, and earlier in 1992 and 1997. The study covered 374 post-bark beetle spruce snags at 76 sites. We found 84 species, including 77 lichens, 6 lichenicolous fungi and one non-lichenised fungus, 15 of which were exclusively wood-inhabiting species in Gorce range. Using generalised linear models, the wood age (A) and the scale of the forest stand breakdown phenomenon (B) were compared with the altitude (C), the aspects of hillside exposure (D) and the forest plant community (E) in the assessment of their effect on lichen species diversity and abundance. "A” was the most important of the tested factors, significantly and positively influencing both parameters, while “B–D” only weakly influenced lichen abundance. Five groups of wood age, significantly different in the lichen abundance and the composition of species were distinguished, and a characteristic combination of dominant species was determined for each of them. Based on the measurements of the wood hardness under the thalli using Shore’s method, the succession of species during the colonisation of the post-bark beetle snags was determined and four groups of species were selected, most frequent in the successive stages of wood decay process. The wood of spruces killed by the bark beetle is both an important substrate enabling the survival of obligately wood-inhabiting lichen species, as well as providing a habitat supporting the maintenance of epiphytes in the Carpathian forests. This study extends the knowledge about the specific requirements of lichens inhabiting spruce snags, as well as the pace and course of lichen succession on this substrate.
Phylogenetic analysis of Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. in Salicaceae using complete chloroplast genome sequence
Authors: He Xudong , Wang Yu , Zheng Jiwei , Jiao Zhongyi , Zhou Jie , Wang Baosong , Zhuge Qiang
Published: September 2022

As a unique and endangered species in the family Salicaceae, Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. has great potential for use in ornamental and industrial purposes. Despite its comprehensive importance, the phylogenetic position of C. arbutifolia within Salicaceae is still ambiguous. In the present study, the whole chloroplast genome of C. arbutifolia was sequenced and compared with the genome of other Salicaceae species. A phylogenetic tree was established based on the maximum-likelihood (ML) methods. The de novo assemblies generated 155684 bp in length for the completed cp genome of C. arbutifolia, including a large single-copy region of 84551 bp, a small single-copy region of 16217 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 27458 bp each. In total, 130 genes were predicted, of which 85 protein-coding genes were annotated in at least one of the five reference databases. In the repeat analysis, 23 forward, 15 palindromic, one complement, one reverse long repeats, and 221 putative SSRs were identified. The results of genome comparison showed that the large single copy region (LSC) region was more divergent than the small single copy region (SSC) and inverted repeated (IR) regions, and a higher divergence occurred in non-coding regions than in coding regions. Significant contractions or expansions were also observed at the IR-LSC/SSC boundaries. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 Salicaceae species confirmed that C. arbutifolia is closely related to Salix species and may therefore be treated as a member of the genus Salix. The complete C. arbutifolia chloroplast genome will provide insight into the chloroplast architecture, function, and evolution of this species and provide additional resources for future research.
Above-ground biomass estimation in a Mediterranean sparse coppice oak forest using Sentinel-2 data
Authors: Moradi Fardin , Sadeghi Seyed Mohammad Moein , Heidarlou Hadi Beygi , Deljouei Azade , Boshkar Erfan , Borz Stelian Alexandru
Published: September 2022

Implementing a scheduled and reliable estimation of forest characteristics is important for the sustainable management of forests. This study aimed at evaluating the capability of Sentinel-2 satellite data to estimate above-ground biomass (AGB) in coppice forests of Persian oak (Quercus brantii var. persica) located in Western Iran. To estimate the AGB, field data collection was implemented in 80 square plots (40×40 m, area of 1600 m2). Two diameters of the crown were measured and used to calculate the AGB of each tree based on allometric equations. Then, the performance of satellite data in estimating the AGB was evaluated for the area of study using the field-based AGB (dependent variable) as well as the spectral band values, spectrally-derived vegetation indices (independent variables) and four machine learning (ML) algorithms: Multi-Layer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLPNN), k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Regression (SVR). A five-fold cross-validation was used to verify the effectiveness of models. Examination of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between AGB and the extracted ‎values showed that IPVI and NDVI vegetation indices had the highest correlation with AGB (r = 0.897). The results indicated that the MLPNN algorithm was the best ML option (RMSE = 1.71 t ha-1; MAE = 1.37 t ha-1; relative RMSE = 24.75%; R2 = 0.87) in estimating the AGB, providing new insights on the capability of remotely sensed-based AGB modeling of sparse Mediterranean forest ecosystems in an area with limited number of field sample plots.