bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Explorando a capacidade de produção textual e sentidos entre humanos e IA
Authors: Catelão Evandro de Melo
Published: August 2024

Recentemente, a popularização de algumas ferramentas de Inteligência Artificial (IA) no Brasil, como o ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), e as crescentes ondas de utilização de ferramentas semelhantes em ambientes digitais para a produção e/ou revisão de textos ou assistência virtual (Google Assistente, Alexa, Siri, Bixby) acenderam um debate e alertaram para um movimento inovador e ao mesmo tempo polêmico, por ter também complicadores e aspectos negativos (relativos aos direitos autorais), que parece não ter mais volta. Corroborando com esse debate, este estudo se concentra na análise comparativa entre resumos produzidos por estudantes/acadêmicos e textos gerados por inteligência artificial (IA) - ChatGPT. A pesquisa de caráter descritivo e explicativo busca identificar como elementos de nível textual, como componentes semânticos, composicionais e enunciativos, apresentam disparidade nos dois tipos de produção. O corpus contou com três resumos acadêmicos, um gerado pelo ChatGPT e dois produzidos por acadêmicos. A exploração dos textos permitiu uma experimentação a respeito da capacidade de produção textual entre humanos e IA, bem como a identificação de elementos que os diferenciam. Tendo em vista um mesmo enunciado/prompt de comando, os resultados demonstraram semelhanças quanto aos usos linguísticos para indicar orientação argumentativa e posturas enunciativas, como nas formas de referenciação ou citação, mas diferenças quando considerado um plano de texto de resumo acadêmico que contemple indicação de elementos como tema, objetivo, gênero e defesa de ponto de vista do texto base.
A arte como interlocutora histórica do ser humano imaginativo
Authors: Souza Wilmar Gomes de
Published: August 2024

A materialização e compartilhamento das experiências cotidianas encontraram na produção artística seu principal instrumento de registro, possibilitando que grande parte da história do ser humano fosse desvelada. O objetivo central deste artigo é compreender a função da Arte como interlocutora histórico-cultural na trajetória do ser humano. Como metodologia de pesquisa buscou-se estabelecer uma ligação entre os artefatos artísticos e a história do ser humano social. Com base nesse pressuposto e considerando as reflexões de teóricos como: Christoph Wulf, Edgar Morin, Walter Benjamin e Aby Warburg, foi possível estabelecer uma relação, entre a produção artística e o processo evolutivo dos seres humanos. Um procedimento que permitiu legitimar o pensamento que admite: toda a história dos seres humanos só pode ser contada por meio da arte.
Artistic and Critical Heritage of F.M. Dostoevsky: Based on Articles from the 1860s-1870s
Authors: Meshcherina Elena , Fedorov Andrei , Volkova Nina , Lobanova Julia , Panova Elena , Khripunova Elena , Jumanova Zulkhumar
Published: August 2024

Dostoevsky's artistic-critical heritage contains an analysis of the concepts of realism and artistic truth, and the psychological method in art, which with it, art fulfill its humanistic function. In this regard, Realism includes the need to understand the deep problems of human life, and the study of their phenomenal side. This study aims to analyze the artistic and critical heritage of Dostoevsky, based on the articles of '60s-70s century. The descriptive method is used to meet that aim and several related sources are considered.  The writer's statements about the essence and tasks of art in connection with specific events in artistic life in terms of the scale and depth of consideration of the problems raised, not only constitute the "golden fund" of Russian art criticism of the 19th century but also very useful from the point of view of modern problems of aesthetic perception and professional development of the artist. The review of the academic exhibition given by the writer includes an indication of the reasons for the formalistic understanding of realism in painting. That is mainly due to the shortcomings of academic education, which demonstrates clear tendencies towards utilitarianism, which contradicts a truly creative approach.
THE ROLE OF MENTAL WORKLOAD, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, COMPETENCE, KNOWLEDGE SHARING, AND WORK ENGAGEMENT ON CIVIL SERVANTS’ PERFORMANCE
Authors: Hidayat Veny , Mulyana Deddy , Sumin Sumin , Setiawati Farida Agus , Ayriza Yulia
Published: August 2024

The combination of high job demands and low resources increases stress among employees, therefore organizations must ensure an appropriate workload. High job demands can be alleviated by maximizing job resources by recruiting competent, emotionally committed employees who are willing to share knowledge within the organization. This current study aims to examine the direct effects and the mediating role of work engagement on employee performance. The variables in this study were assessed through the utilization of adapted instruments, namely the Three Component Model (TCM) questionnaire for employee commitment, competencies adapted from occupational expertise and self-competence instruments, the UTRECHT Work Engagement Scale (UWES) questionnaire for work engagement, NASA TLX for mental workload, and Performance Instrument for employee performance. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving civil servants (ASN) in Tasikmalaya with a total of 243 respondents (Male = 51.4%, Female = 48.6%). Descriptive data analysis was conducted using Stata/MP 17.0, while hypothesis testing employed Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEMPLS). The findings indicate that most research hypotheses are accepted,particularly the influence of competence and commitment on work engagement, which validates previous research findings. Only commitment and mental workload do not have direct effects on performance. These findings serve as a reference for Human Resource Management (HRM) practitioners to develop human resources through training and development initiatives,thereby enhancing work engagement and subsequently improving employee performance productivity.
Does Nominal Wage Stickiness Affect Fiscal Multiplier in a Two-Agent New Keynesian Model?
Authors: Ida Daisuke , Okano Mitsuhiro
Published: August 2024

This study examines the effect of nominal wage stickiness on the fiscal multiplier in a two-agent new Keynesian model. We demonstrate that in the case of sticky nominal wages, an increased share of liquidity-constrained (LC) consumers decreases the money-financed (MF) fiscal multiplier. Our model shows that the fiscal multiplier under an MF regime outperforms that under a debt-financed (DF) regime. Under empirically plausible calibration, the benchmark model indicates that the MF government-spending multiplier is 1.5–3.0, whereas the DF multiplier is 0.8–1.5. We also find that an increased share of LC consumers magnifies the tax-cut multiplier in the cases of MF and DF regimes despite nominal wage stickiness.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies evaluating glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) as blood biomarkers of mild acute traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or sport-related concussion (SRC) in adult subjects
Authors: Mastandrea Paolo , Mengozzi Silvia , Bernardini Sergio
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Neurotrauma is the leading cause of death in individuals <45 years old. Many of the published articles on UCHL1 and GFAP lack rigorous methods and reporting.

Content

Due to the high heterogeneity between studies, we evaluated blood GFAP and UCHL1 levels in the same subjects. We determined the biomarker congruence among areas under the ROC curves (AUCs), sensitivities, specificities, and laboratory values in ng/L to avoid spurious results. The definitive meta-analysis included 1,880 subjects in eight studies. The items with the highest risk of bias were as follows: cut-off not prespecified and case-control design not avoided. The AUC of GFAP was greater than the AUC of UCHL1, with a lower prediction interval (PI) limit of 50.1 % for GFAP and 37.3 % for UCHL1, and a significantly greater percentage of GFAP Sp. The PI of laboratory results for GFAP and UCHL1 were 0.517–7,518 ng/L (diseased), 1.2–255 ng/L (nondiseased), and 3–4,180 vs. 3.2–1,297 ng/L, respectively.

Only the GFAP positive cut-off (255 ng/L) appears to be reliable. The negative COs appear unreliable.

Outlook

GFAP needs better standardization. However, the AUCs of the phospho-Tau and phospho-Tau/Tau proteins resulted not significantly lower than AUC of GFAP, but this result needs further verifications.
Kant und die metaethische Kritik der instrumentellen Rationalität
Authors: Thein Christian
Published: August 2024

The article discusses the role of Immanuel Kant’s practical philosophy in recent attempts to reformulate the critique of instrumental reason formulated by Max Horkheimer from a metaethical point of view. Here, the focus is on the determination of the relationship between normative and rational aspects with regard to the deontological conception expressed by the imperatives. Using the example of the differing readings of Christine Korsgaard and Konstantin Pollok on the relevance of the hypothetical imperative introduced by Kant in the second section of the Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten for questions concerning metaethics and the theory of action, the author shows that Kant’s practical philosophy can be interpreted both as an affirmative theory and as a criticism of instrumental reason. With Pollok, the article argues on the one hand for a reading of Kant that emphasises the prevalence of the categorical imperative over the instrumental forms of action. Simultaneously, it points to the problems of relating Kantian theorems to the socio-philosophical problems of a critique of instrumental reason that takes an overarching view of philosophical, scientific and social developments.
Lug und Selbstbetrug
Authors: Weber Marc Andree
Published: August 2024

People who, by intention or negligence, deceive themselves put other people at risk of being misinformed. The paper argues that this kind of misinforming other people is to be avoided for largely the same reasons for which lying is to be avoided – regardless of what exactly these reasons are. This makes the ethical evaluation of self-deception in part dependent on the ethical evaluation of lying. In order to bring out this result as clearly as possible, detailed characterisations of the concepts of attempted deception, lying, and self-deception are given.
Hervaeus Natalis und Franz Brentano über Intentionalität als Merkmal des Mentalen
Authors: Cesalli Laurent , Girard Charles
Published: August 2024

This paper compares the theories of Hervaeus Natalis and Franz Brentano on intentionality. It considers three questions: the status of the intentional object, the question of the definition of the intentional relation, and the identification of the mark of the mental. Throughout the study, the analysis of Aristotle’s works serves as a tertium comparationis between the two authors. Although the comparison reveals some similar approaches to the matter, it shows distinct strategies regarding the distinction between what is mental and what is not.
Single-ended protection scheme for three-terminal hybrid DC transmission system based on refractive coefficients
Authors: Wu Chuanjian , Li Kuan , Li Chenhao , Zhang Yan , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: August 2024

Three-terminal hybrid DC transmission technology has the advantages of long-distance and large capacity, and there is no phase change failure and other problems, which is an effective means of sending out new energy bases. Correspondingly, the reliability of the existing single-ended traveling wave protection is further degraded by the unknown fault characteristics introduced by the greater variety and combination of converters and add-ons in the three-terminal hybrid DC transmission system. Therefore, a single-ended protection scheme based on the refractive coefficient is proposed. First, an expression for the refraction coefficient of a three-terminal hybrid DC system is derived. Subsequently, the variability of the refraction coefficients for different faults is analyzed. Finally, a single-ended protection scheme using the fault characteristics of the refraction coefficients is proposed and validated by simulation. The program has the advantages of theoretical clarity, reliability, and the ability to recognize near-end faults.
Physicochemical properties in relation to the flow behavior of soybean meal
Authors: Du Yuxi , Han Xiaozhen , Wang Lingling , Wang Fengxuan
Published: August 2024

Caking of soybean meal during storage and the resultant difficulty in discharging from storage bin is a practical problem in animal feed‐related industries. This study investigated the physicochemical factors related to soybean meal flowability and the effect of anticaking agents. Results showed the soybean meal had a D50 of 389.1 µm and a D90 of 1.098 µm. The equilibrium relative humidity of soybean meal at various ambient temperatures ranged from 57 % to 69 %. Moisture had a major influence on soybean meal flowability and the critical moisture content for loss of free flow capacity was around 17.81 % (wet basis, wb). Soybean meal was characterized as amorphous by X‐ray diffraction analysis, and its glass transition temperature is greatly affected by the moisture content. The addition of silicon dioxide helps keep soybean meal free flowing when stored at a relative humidity of 90 % and a temperature of 45 °C possibly due to its low affinity for moisture. Overall, moisture absorption is perceived as the main factor causing the occurrence of caking of soybean meal.
Early enteral nutrition (EEN) following intestinal anastomosis in pediatric patients – what’s new?
Authors: Drossard Sabine , Schuffert Louisa
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Abdominal surgery in children may disrupt normal gut function, necessitating prolonged fasting, which can lead to complications such as dehydration and nutritional deficits. Early enteral nutrition (EEN) after surgical procedures can enhance wound healing, prevent malnutrition, and expedite recovery. Although concerns exist regarding the risk of complications associated with EEN, current evidence suggests that it is not linked to increased perioperative complications.

Content

This scoping review provides an overview of the role of EEN in pediatric abdominal surgery, exploring its benefits and risks within the context of recent literature from 2021 to 2024. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed database in April 2024 and the identified studies were compared. The search revealed 586 results, wherefrom eight studies (three systematic reviews and five clinical studies) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Five studies were added since 2021. Overall, EEN may reduce the length of hospital stay, time to full oral intake, and return of bowel function. It does not seem to increase the rate of anastomotic leakage. EEN is associated with lower rates of surgical site infections and wound dehiscence as well as fewer septic complications. One study showed an increase in nausea/vomiting and abdominal distension in the EEN group, which did not lead to further complications.

Summary and Outlook

Current evidence suggests that EEN after abdominal surgery in pediatric patients is not associated with a higher rate of complications. In fact, EEN seems to be beneficial and lead to improved patient outcomes and shorter hospital stays. Emphasis on patient and parent comfort, individualized feeding initiation based on clinical factors, and standardized postoperative feeding protocols are recommended to optimize outcomes in pediatric abdominal surgery.
“Science is in everything, whether we realize it or not”: using the IPA to encourage interest in the scientific study of language
Authors: Kaiser Ellie , Patson Nikole D. , Wagner Laura
Published: August 2024

One way to bring greater awareness to the fact that language can be, and often is, studied scientifically is to show people the scientific tools that linguists use to study it, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This project investigated how doing a common IPA activity might influence people’s perceptions of language science and linguists. Adult visitors to a science museum (N = 117) participated in an activity in which they saw their name transcribed into the IPA and were guided to notice how it differed from the standard spelling, informed about some basic articulatory phonetics connected to the sounds in their names, and encouraged to think about the differences between sounds and letters more generally. Participants were then surveyed about what they had learned and their attitudes about language science. The results showed that most participants learned at least some of the core content material. More notably, the participants were more likely to believe that aspects of language such as poetry and dialects could be studied experimentally by scientists than a control group of adults who had not participated. These results demonstrate that even a brief intervention, if thoughtfully conducted, can shift attitudes towards the belief that language can be studied scientifically.
Aging assessment of silicone rubber materials under corona discharge accompanied by humidity and UV radiation
Authors: Mahmood Atif , Muneeb Ahmed , Saeed Usman , Alam Shahid , Al-Ammar Essam A. , Kang Jee-Hyun , Zoubi Wail Al , Choi Dongwhi
Published: August 2024

High voltage (HV) outdoor insulators are subjected to both electrical and environmental stresses, which may lead to their failure. Among the causes, corona discharge, humidity and UV radiation are considered to be the most damaging factors. Efforts are therefore underway to investigate new materials for improving the performance of insulating systems. In this research work, silicone-based room temperature vulcanized samples filled with alumina trihydrate (ATH), silicon dioxide and magnesium hydroxide (MH) were prepared and exposed to AC corona discharge for a duration of 110 h. The electric discharge was also accompanied by UV radiation and two different humidity levels. Following aging of the test samples, diagnosis was conducted to assess their integrity. Measurements based on determining the static contact angle demonstrated the loss of hydrophobicity of all the materials, while hydrophobicity recovery phenomena revealed that ATH-doped materials demonstrated a comparatively higher increase in the contact angle than in samples filled with silicone dioxide (silica) and MH. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed deep cracks and block-like structures on their surfaces. Similarly, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis indicated the signs of surface oxidation of the aged samples. However, the data of elemental composition exhibited the loss of filler contents as well as that of carbon from the base matrix. The overall assessment showed that resistance to suppress aging is influenced by both the filler type and its concentration in the investigated composites. The ATH-filled composites exhibited outstanding performance when exposed to the rigors of corona discharge and other environmental stresses. This research contributes to materials science and HV engineering by addressing the development of composites for enhanced insulator performance, with future aspects lying in the utilization of nano-composites for advanced functionality and durability.
Investigation on recycling and reprocessing ability of self-healing natural rubber based on ionic crosslink network
Authors: Zainol Mohd Hafiz , Khimi Shuib Raa , Ibrahim Ismail , Abd Razak Fairul Sharin , Mohd Sani Noor Faezah , Lam Trans Dai
Published: August 2024

Natural rubber (NR) is a complex material that is often discarded due to its three-dimensional structure. Recycling of rubber is difficult due to its complex structure, and only 1.7 million tonnes of waste, such as tyres and gloves, are considered recyclable. This study aims to develop self-healing rubber, which allows a product to recover without affecting structural reliability. Commercial NR was ionically crosslinked with zinc thiolate, forming an ionic crosslink network between rubber chains and zinc thiolate ions. The ionic crosslinks allow the rearrangement of rubber molecular chains under external heat, providing self-healing capabilities. The highest ionic crosslink density was found in NR with 35 phr zinc thiolate. The self-healing NR can recover 90 % of its initial properties at room temperature for 10 min and can be reprocessed and recycled three times without compromising its properties. It also shows excellent weldability, making it a promising material for repairing existing rubber products in heavy engineering applications.
Unraveling mitochondrial dysfunction: comprehensive perspectives on its impact on neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Mohamed Yusoff Abdul Aziz , Mohd Khair Siti Zulaikha Nashwa
Published: August 2024

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a significant challenge to modern medicine, with their complex etiology and progressive nature posing hurdles to effective treatment strategies. Among the various contributing factors, mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as a pivotal player in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of how mitochondrial impairment contributes to the development of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, driven by bioenergetic defects, biogenesis impairment, alterations in mitochondrial dynamics (such as fusion or fission), disruptions in calcium buffering, lipid metabolism dysregulation and mitophagy dysfunction. It also covers current therapeutic interventions targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in these diseases.
Demand Jump and Preemption under Irreversible Investment
Authors: Fagart Thomas
Published: August 2024

This article shows that the possibility of preemption depends on the form of demand evolution and of the cost function. It characterizes the Markov perfect and open-loop equilibria of a two period game of capacity accumulation. When there is no demand evolution, there is no possibility of preemption under linear prices of investment. Preemption only appears when the demand shock between both periods is large enough.
Entlastungsbetrag für Alleinerziehende: Verteilungswirkungen aktuell und bei Weiterentwicklung in einen Abzug von der Steuerschuld
Authors: Stöwhase Sven , Wilhelm Julia
Published: August 2024

The governing coalition would like to translate the existing income tax deduction for single parents into a tax relief. The aim is to treat all single parents more equally, regardless of the amount of their taxable income. We use detailed microdata from official tax returns to analyze the distributional effects of both, the present tax deduction and those of a revenue-neutral tax relief. Our analysis shows that the switch from deduction to relief will benefit single parents with low incomes. This comes at the expense of higher incomes. Overall, the number of reform winners outnumbers those of the reform losers.
Dialysis Leaching Test Method for Measuring Solute Diffusion in Bentonites
Authors: Sample-Lord Kristin M. , Tong Shan , Bohnhoff Gretchen L. , Adeleke Daniel D. , Rahman Sayed A. B.
Published: August 2024

Bentonite-based materials are used extensively in engineered containment barriers to limit leakage and advective flux of contaminants into the surrounding environment because of the high osmotic swell, low hydraulic conductivity (k), and absorption properties of the bentonite. Diffusion becomes an important, if not dominant, contaminant transport mechanism relative to advection in barriers with k < 10−9 m/s. However, measurement of bentonite diffusion coefficients often requires long test durations, limiting available data for modeling barrier performance. A new dialysis-leaching test (DLT) method was developed and refined for measuring diffusion properties of clayey materials. The method is relatively simple (e.g., can be performed independently by an undergraduate student), time efficient (<5-day duration), and may be applied for a range of clays/clay mixtures and temperatures. In addition to describing the DLT methodology, example results are provided herein for apparent diffusion coefficients measured for a range of bentonite-based barrier materials using potassium chloride and calcium chloride solutions. Experimental results were found to be reproducible between two independent laboratories and are compared with data measured with existing diffusion test methods.
Fertile grounds: Co-creating agroecological knowledge in a pluriverse
Authors: Steele Janis , Steele-McCutchen Connor , Gonchikara Sriramappa , Hossain Shamim , McCutchen Brooks
Published: August 2024

How can civil society support community-based organizing that puts ways of knowing and being at the heart of food systems change? Drawing upon a collaboration between 2 nonprofit organizations and a community-based network of rural women across Bangladesh, this essay explores frictions and contradictions that trouble our efforts to co-create knowledge for agroecological transformations. Rather than suggesting these troubles can be resolved, we attempt to stay with them in this article, locating them as vital disruptions to the hegemonic order of one-world-making. Using personal vignettes as framing devices, we combine critical analysis, art, and poetry to explore working with and within a plurality of ways of knowing and being. With a vignette about soil, we begin with unsettling questions about what constitutes knowledge in a world where constructs of truth and belief rub up against each other. We then tension this in the context of agroecological markets and social justice activism as these intersect with different notions of relationality. We pursue this further by introducing a narrative-framing tool called a “value web” which mobilizes both material and immaterial domains of agroecology. Finally, we conclude by examining the role of international civil society in food system transformation and raising fundamental questions of allyship which help us navigate the constitutive contradictions of knowledge co-creation.
The Chinese Freshwater Jellyfish Unbound
Authors: Luk Christine Y. L.
Published: August 2024

Jellyfish are commonly known as dangerous sea creatures that humans should avoid. Focusing on the newly discovered freshwater jellyfish in the late nineteenth century, this article explores a global history of Craspedacusta sowerbii, a species native to China first noted in nineteenth-century Britain but since traveling the world over. The worldwide distribution of C. sowerbii, as both polyps and medusae, made it a global subject of scientific inquiry. However, no independent study has examined the history behind the origin, circulation, and implication of the freshwater jellyfish and its relationship with marine types. The late nineteenth century was the period when our premodern knowledge of jellyfish transformed from it being purely a marine life to the modern recognition of jellyfish as both marine and freshwater organisms, triggered by the discovery and discussion of the Chinese freshwater jellyfish C. sowerbii among naturalists and philosophers. This article focuses on Arthur de Carle Sowerby’s engagement with C. sowerbii in terms of narratives of evolution, nomenclature, and bioinvasion between 1880 and 1941. I argue that jellyfish, as a lowly form of invertebrates, should be taken more seriously by historians of modern China and historians of biology who are interested in the diverse roles of animals in shaping human–animal interactions in the Anthropocene. While the scientific research of jellyfish’s global bloom abounds, the interpretation of the global rise of jellyfish could benefit from a historically and culturally bound analysis of this classical animal. This is particularly so as scientists recognized the diverse perceptions of jellyfish. The global jellyfish bloom requires historical perspectives on a topic that has hitherto received scant attention from historians of science.
The Economic Evaluation of Rare Disease Medicines
Authors: Skarayadi Oskar , Untari Eka Kartika , Octaviani Peppy , Larasati Niken
Published: August 2024

Economic evaluation of rare diseases and orphan drugs has gained prominence among scientists, managers, and the general public. This challenging problem requires evaluation and analysis from a variety of perspectives. Economic assessment of technologies can support decision-making and resource allocation. The research objective describes and discusses several important issues when addressing economic evaluation in rare diseases and orphan drugs. The method used in this article review is to search the Pubmed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases using specific keywords for research articles published in English between 2016 and 2021. We found 537 studies that economically evaluated the cost of treating rare diseases. The selected studies met the eligibility criteria that had been established. To assess the quality of the selected papers, we used a 10-point checklist derived from Drummond's criteria for economic evaluation. Seven papers were reviewed from the initial 20 articles that met the eligibility criteria, and 537 records were initially found across the three databases. The quality of the selected papers ranged from 70% to 100% in meeting Drummond's 10-point checklist. The conclusion of this research is to consistently and continuously identify cost-effective and cost-saving solutions that may help achieve good clinical outcomes and reduce the burden of disease. Future research should focus on the clinical implementation of interventions along with accompanying economic evaluations.
Long-Term Effects of Exercise on Balance and Fear of Falling in Elderly
Authors: Widagdo The Maria Meiwati , Laurentia Claudia Bella , Suryadiningrat Bagus Anggawaisna Anggawaisna , Perdamaian Teguh Kristian
Published: August 2024

Falls is the main cause of injuries in elderly. Studies on the long-term effects of balance training are still limited. This study aimed to assess the long-term impact of a physical exercise on the balance and fear of falling in community dwelling elderly. This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-post design. The participants were older people ≥60 years with balance problems. They received a one-month physical exercise. The instruments included Functional Reach Test (FRT) to assess balance and Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) to assess fear for falling. Assessment was conducted at pre- and post-intervention and two years later. Data were analysed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and linear mixed model regression. Data of 23 participants were analysed. There were significant differences inn FRT and FES-I between pre-and post-intervention, pre-intervention and two years later. There was no significant difference in FRT and FES-I between post-intervention and two years after. There was significant improvement in the balance and fear of falling one month and two years after the program. The balance program had long-term effect that lasted at least for two years. Inclusion of the balance program in community-based health program for elderly can improve balance and prevent falls.
Mapping the Sociocultural Implication on Tuberculosis Management and Control Programs: A Scoping Review
Authors: Handayani Sri , Shaluhiyah Zahroh , Widjanarko Bagus , Susanto Henry Setyawan , Agushybana Farid
Published: August 2024

The effectiveness of tuberculosis (TB) management and control programs is influenced by several factors, including sociocultural problems that affect delays in diagnosis and treatment and increased transmission risk in the community. How people viewed diseases and seeking behavior was socially constructed. The scoping review aims to understand the extent and type of evidence about the sociocultural implications of TB management and control programs. To address the research questions, a scoping review was conducted following PRISMA ScR as a guideline. Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases. Searches were conducted in October 2022. The CASP checklist was used to measure the article's quality before being reviewed. A total of 15 articles were included, nine (9) studies conducted in Africa, two (2) studies in Papua New Guinea, one (1) study in India, one (1) study in Brazil, one (1) study in Yemen, and one (1) study in Nepal. Most studies were based on individual interviews (7), and three (3) studies included traditional/faith healer perspectives. Three main themes have been identified; sociocultural factors affected TB prevention, sociocultural factors affected TB-seeking behavior, and sociocultural factors affected treatment adherence. The review discovered that community practices, norms, and attitudes regarding perceived sickness impact TB care and control. To be effective and meaningful for the target population, the intervention must be attentive to cultural differences.
Socioeconomic and Public Health Impacts of Waste Management in Piyungan Landfill, Bantul-Indonesia
Authors: Astuti Farida Afriani , Syafrudin Syafrudin , Susilowati Indah
Published: August 2024

Piyungan Landfill in Bantul, Indonesia, still uses an open dumping system, leaving environmental impacts. This research examined the effects of open dumping on the socioeconomic and health conditions of nearby populations. Surveys and interviews using questionnaires were employed with households as the analysis unit. From four sub-villages (Ngablak, Banyakan III, Sentulrejo, and Baruwan I), 128 respondents were sampled randomly. Statistical quantitative analysis was employed to analyze the research data. Descriptive statistics were selected to describe sample data. Data were then expressed as percentages and presented in pie charts. Results show that for people who salvaged recyclables, the landfill was their primary source of livelihood. More than half (62.5%) earned an average of IDR1,093,095 (approximately USD70) per month as waste pickers. However, open dumping lowered the environment’s aesthetic value due to the unpleasant view and smell, and large populations of animals like rats, flies, cats, and mosquitoes attracted to waste piles. Nearly all respondents (90.6%) expressed their anxiety about these adverse effects, triggering social conflicts. It was claimed that property values and public health were, however, unaffected. Most respondents stated that the landfill did not lower the property values (96.9%) and did not cause health concerns (71.9%).
Treatment of subclinical hyperthyroidism in patients older than 50 years: a randomized controlled study
Authors: Goichot Bernard , Lefebvre François , Vinzio Stéphane , Cailleux Anne , Kuhn Jean-Marc , Schneegans Olivier , Catargi Bodgan , Gilly Olivier , Baltzinger Philippe , Meyer Nicolas , Caron Philippe , _ _ , _ _ , Catargi B , Schneegans O , Bourahla K , Ladsous M , Proust Lemoine E , Migaud MC , Archambeaud  , Orgiazzi  , Ducottet† XM , Martin C , Perrin A , Mestre B , Millot L , Raingeard I , Klein M , Rodier M , Jourdan N , Lennhardt L , Maréchaud R , Hadjadj S , Koussa H , Hecart AC , Schvartz C , Kuhn JM , Cailleux A , Goichot B , Luca F , Vinzio S , Baltzinger  , Caron P , Renoult-Pierre P , Lecomte P
Published: August 2024

Objective

Subclinical hyperthyroidism (SCH) is common and associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) risk in the elderly. Current guidelines rely on a low level of evidence.

Methods

Randomized clinical trial including patients 50 years and older, with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) <0.4 mU/L and normal thyroid hormone concentrations. All patients showed autonomy on thyroid scan. They were randomized either to receive radioiodine (I-131) or to be monitored and treated only if they underwent AF or evolved toward overt hyperthyroidism. Primary outcome was the onset of new AF. Secondary outcomes were treatment-induced hypothyroidism rate and health-related quality of life.

Results

One hundred forty-four patients (mean age: 65.3 ± 8.9 years, 76% females) were randomized, 74 to surveillance and 70 to treatment. Four patients in the surveillance group and one in the treatment group developed AF (P = 0.238). However, the patient who developed AF in the treatment group maintained TSH <0.4 mU/L at AF onset. A post-hoc analysis was carried out and showed that when normalization of TSH was considered, the risk of AF was significantly reduced (P = 0.0003). In the surveillance group, several patients showed no classical characteristics associated with AF risk, including age >65 years or TSH < 0.1mU/L. Of 94 patients treated using radioiodine, 25% developed hypothyroidism during follow-up.

Conclusion

Due to recruitment difficulties, this study failed to demonstrate that SCH treatment can significantly reduce the incidence of AF in patients older than 50 years with thyroid autonomy even if all the patients who developed AF maintained TSH <0.4 mU/L. This result must be balanced with the increased risk of radioiodine-induced hypothyroidism.
“Eating is a hustle”: The complex realities of food in federal prison
Authors: Wilson Amanda , Courchesne Julie , Zahran Ghassan
Published: August 2024

Juxtaposing insights from the academic literature with those drawn from lived experience, this Perspective article explores the role of food in federal prisons in Canada. Highlighting its multiple meanings and uses, we underscore the complexity of food in prison as well as its fundamental importance in shaping the overall experience of incarceration. Rather than following the more traditional format of an academic article, our discussion takes the form of a conversation and collective reflection between the three of co-authors.
Balancing acts:
Authors: Niimi-Burch Seri , Black Jennifer
Published: August 2024

While Canadian policy makers are considering expanding school food programs in Canada, parents remain primarily responsible for packing lunches. Although women perform disproportionate amounts of foodwork, including feeding their children on school days, little research has investigated mothers’ experiences of packing school lunches in Canada. Drawing on 14 interviews with mothers of elementary-aged children in British Columbia, this study explored how mothers experience and make meaning of packing school lunches. Mothers described lunch packing largely as an individualized responsibility for children’s nutritional health and general wellbeing. Mothers strived to enact largely unattainable ideals about packing a “good” school lunch and engaged in diverse forms of physical, mental, and emotional labour to do so. When mothers were perceived to fall short of elusive lunch packing ideals, mothers judged themselves and other mothers, and also reported feeling scrutinized by other parents, teachers, and their children. While assuming the bulk of labour related to school lunch work, mothers also forged connections with their children through lunch packing, which they viewed as emotionally meaningful and a symbol of their care, love, and parental responsibility. These findings show that mothers’ experiences with lunch packing are complex and wrapped up in notions of “good” mothering and feeding ideals. For mothers, a “balanced” lunch requires not only a nutritionally adequate meal, but also involves balancing various forms of labour and contradictory emotions about food work. Understanding mothers’ experiences of lunch packing is pivotal for successfully developing school food programs that meet the complex expectations of Canadian families.
Can historians order off the menu?:
Authors: Song-Nichols Koby
Published: August 2024

While historians have used menus to tell part of the histories of restaurants, little guidance has been provided on how we should approach these unique culinary documents. This lack of instruction becomes more apparent in light of the impressive amount of archival work and digitization of historical menus done in recent years. As a response, this article presents a method that I have developed for analyzing menus. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives as well as experience teaching and researching with menus, this method recognizes menus as documents that can reveal the many relationships and connections intersecting in, flowing through, and making up restaurants. This method is divided into four steps: 1) (Un)Identifiable details; 2) Logics/story; 3) Mess or Marginalia; and 4) Cross-Menu comparison. By moving the reader through the method and offering an example of historical menu analysis, this article demonstrates some of the many historical insights that emerge through careful consideration of these sources.
From greedy grocers to carbon taxes and everything in between:
Authors: Pentz Brian , Ehrlick Taylor , Katz-Rosene Ryan , Loring Philip A
Published: August 2024

In Canada, the task of explaining food prices falls to a handful of grey literature reports that shape media coverage and public understanding and carry significant political and policy influence. We performed an in-depth analysis of fifty-one of these influential reports, including thirty-nine reports by Statistics Canada (including Consumer Price Index reports and other studies) and twelve reports from the Canada Food Price Report (CFPR) series. Our goal was twofold: 1) to identify and classify the various explanations given for food price changes, and 2) to evaluate the scientific rigor of these explanations. We identified 232 total explanations for food price changes, spread across seven thematic categories and thirty-two sub-categories. We find that most claims made in these reports are scientifically incomplete (only 28.6% of all claims meet established criteria for the completeness of scientific arguments). We also identify a lack of comprehensiveness in the areas of emphasis and the claims being presented and drivers being explored, particularly with respect to issues presently at the centre of food price discourse in Canada, such as the agency of grocers and other supply chain actors, corporate growth imperatives, and climate change. Considering the importance of food prices and food security to prosperity and well-being in Canada, we conclude with a series of recommendations for strengthening the scientific rigor of these reports, including greater inclusion of supporting evidence, opportunities for peer review, and increased transparency regarding conflicts of interest and funding sources.
Review of Growing and Eating Sustainably: Agroecology in Action
Authors: Bloomfield Richard S.
Published: August 2024

Dana James and Evan Bowness’ book, Growing and eating sustainably: Agroecology in action, provides a portrayal of existing sites of a radically different food system than our present industrial one. The authors explore the origin of agroecology as a social movement, before expanding on the ways in which grower-eater relations can and are being strengthened in southern Brazil. Finally, they envision a future of global food systems that centre the justice and intersectionality explicit within the agroecological movement. The authors’ presentation of both photography and text draws individual stories out from abstract notions of ideal futures and brings them to life with their particularities.
Evaluation of substrates for optimizing vermicomposting products
Authors: Dejene Wondwosen , Natarajan Pavanasam , Ayele Shiferaw
Published: August 2024

The high global market value of fresh mushrooms implies high importance of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) as a by-product that poses environmental challenges, if not properly treated. Reported studies demonstrate the positive effects of SMS on earthworm growth and reproduction, particularly when combined with other substrates such as cow dung (CD). This study utilized SMS and CD as substrates in varying ratios. A total of 375 young non-clitellated Eisenia fetida were randomly assigned to plastic containers, ensuring similar average individual worm weight, and maintained at 50% to 60% moisture. Weekly observations were made on earthworm average weight, cocoon production, and hatchling count. The growth and reproduction of earthworms differed significantly among treatments, with Treatment 3 (T3) (50:50 SMS and CD) showing the highest growth and Treatment 5 (T5) (0:100 SMS and CD) the lowest. Changes in pH, EC, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total organic carbon (TOC), C/N ratio, and total available phosphorus (TAP) were observed over the experimental period, indicating dynamic nutrient dynamics within the substrates. The exchangeable potassium decreased with increasing proportions of CD, while the exchangeable sodium content showed variation across treatments. The observed variations can be attributed to differences in initial substrate composition and microbial activity during vermicomposting.
instantes e anomalias: por uma historiografia de deusas, bruxas e profetisas
Authors: Cardoso Nancy
Published: August 2024

Esta texto conversa com a história antiga e nova do imaginário e as práticas religio- sas de mulheres desacreditadas e perseguidas – na Bíblia e nas realidades Latino Americanas e do Caribe - e recoloca a tradição bíblica em situação de conflito pro- pondo procedimentos metodológicos para recuperação de fragmentos de memória de bruxas, deusas e profetisas.
Anat - A deusa guerreira: A deidade como símbolo cultural de resistência e força do Panteão Ugarítico
Authors: Martins Furlan Marisa
Published: August 2024

A força da expressão das divindades não apenas serve para apresentação do divino aos fiéis, mas também demonstra a ameaça e a proteção que cada uma delas pode causar dentro do cosmo. A deusa Anat é uma figura importante na mitologia do Anti- go Oriente Próximo, em particular do período cananeu, e é frequentemente associada à guerra e a violência. Além disso, a figura de Anat também pode ser vista como uma representação da dualidade humana, pois ela é ao mesmo tempo uma figura divina, feroz e violenta, mas também uma mãe protetora e amorosa. Sua relação com outras divindades do panteão, como Ba’al e Mot, mostra como as divindades do antigo Oriente Próximo estavam interconectadas e trabalhavam juntas para manter a ordem do universo. Nesse ensaio, vamos explorar, ainda que brevemente, alguns membros desse conjunto de deuses e o contexto ao qual ele nos é apresentado, com destaque para Anat, a deusa guerreira, com sua história e características e sua relação com outras divindades do Panteão Ugarítico.
Astarot/Astaret en Canaán y el Antiguo Cercano Oriente: La desconocida pero conocida identidad de una diosa
Authors: Ernesto Martínez Aquiles
Published: August 2024

Análisis de la diosa Astarot/Astaret y la ancestral religión de la que ella fue el centro según la Biblia hebrea, pero también a la luz de la evidencia textual, epigráfica e ico- nográfica del Antiguo Cercano Oriente. En base a la información disponible, el autor de este artículo argumenta que, a pesar de que la identidad específica de Astarot (en su forma plural) y Astaret (en su forma singular) es realmente un misterio, aun así, podemos tener una idea general de esta popular diosa, sus seguidores y algunas de sus prácticas religiosas. Con los debidos ajustes metodológicos, este perfil puede ser reconstruido a pesar de la ideología anti politeísta y la praxis iconoclasta del mono- teísmo oficialista de la Biblia hebraica.