bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Митология на загубата на красивото
Authors: Borissova Sylvia
Published: February 2023

The current paper is focused on the genealogy and the relevance of negative aesthetics as a distinct philosophical field and, in particular: 1) to draw a concept of the beautiful as a myth; then 2) to justify the need of a specific genealogy of loss of the beautiful, and, on this basis, 3) to bring out negative aesthetics in its main subject as a mythology of loss of the beautiful.
Ultrasound-assisted extraction optimization of polyphenols from jambolão (Sygium cumini) fruit and their in vitro antioxidant capacity
Authors: Ávila Suelen , Hornung Polyanna Silveira , Kruger Claudia Carneiro Hecke , Ferreira Sila Mary Rodrigues
Published: February 2023

Syzygium cumini fruit is a rich source of excellent bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and flavonoids with high antioxidant potential and pharmacological properties. Yet, this plant’s improvement of the extraction yield of total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant potential has never been inspected in depth. The objective of this study was to use a 23 factorial design with three repetitions of the central point to investigate the influence of combined parameters such as ultrasonication, solvent concentration, time, and temperature and to employ RSM to optimize the extraction of phenolic compounds from jambolão at three ripeness stages (unripe, mid-ripe and ripe) and maximize their antioxidant activity. The best conditions of the variables for increasing the yield, total phenolic and antioxidant capacity were obtained with 30 % ethanol for 68.4 min, at 39.2 °C for unripe jambolão, with 30 % ethanol for 30 min, at 47.2 °C for mid-ripe and with 90 % ethanol for 30 min, at 60 °C for ripe fruit. The yield, TPC, DPPH, ABTS and FRAP decreased during fruit ripeness. For such optimized conditions of ultrasound-assisted extraction, the highest yield and TPC were experimentally determined for the unripe stage at 9.01 % and 549.16 mg GAE/100g, respectively, with an antioxidant capacity of 45.19 mMol TE/100 g DPPH, 68.20 mMol TE/100 g ABTS and 72.30 mMol TE/100 g FRAP and agreed with the obtained model values. This study showed that it is possible to obtain bioactive-rich extracts from jambolão using experimental design to improve the extraction process.
The behavior of lemon-based thickened fluids submitted to the IDDSI flow test as a strategy for dysphagia treatment
Authors: Maieves Helayne Aparecida , Silva Bruna Vaz da , Ewerling Marielly , Comparotto Ugo Ribeiro , Lessa Francielly Becker , Lemos Amábile Nunes , Hepp Júlia Porto
Published: February 2023

Dysphagia is a health condition that causes swallowing difficulty, which may be treated by many techniques. Feeding modified foods should be a usual protocol for these individuals, as it will rarely be a diet of choice but a diet necessary to maintain a safe oral intake of nutrients. All people who suffer from changes in swallowing have difficulty in oral feeding, which compromises their nutritional status, mainly due to dehydration. Thickening of fluids is a well-established management strategy for oropharyngeal dysphagia. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate commercial lemon-based beverages (juices and flavored waters) with the addition of thickeners through the gravity flow test, according to the protocol established by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). Eight commercial beverage samples, categorized as flavored carbonated water (L01, L02, L03, L04), isotonic beverage (L05), liquid soft drink (L06) and powdered soft drink (L07 and L08), in addition to two thickeners based on xanthan gum were used. A 10 mL slide-tip syringe with a barrel length of 61.5 mm was employed for the flow test. thickening agents to lemon-based beverages caused substantial changes in their rheological properties. Differences between samples and treatments were observed according to the type and amount of thickener. Samples L05 and L08 showed 8.55 and 8.05 mL retention in the syringe, respectively, classifying them as moderately thickened liquids, while the others samples were classified as slightly thickened liquids. The ideal treatment for the dysphagic patient aims to ensure a safe intake and a correct nutritional and water supply, in addition to the consequent improvement of the patient’s general clinical condition. According to their nutritional profile, the inclusion of these beverages may be interesting in increasing some micronutrients such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. The flow properties of lemon-based beverages can be a good option for patients with dysphagia when improved using low amounts of thickening agents to suit their diets.
Integral development of coordination and cognitive abilities of young basketball players 6-7 years old
Authors: Zaichenko Yurii
Published: February 2023

Purpose: to theoretically substantiate and experimentally verify the method of integral development of coordination and cognitive abilities of young basketball players 6-7 years old.Material and methods. The following research methods were used in the work: theoretical analysis of scientific special literature, methods of movement tests, methods of psychophysiological testing, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. The developed method of integral development of coordination and cognitive abilities can be used during training in groups of initial basketball training.Results. In the experimental group, the increase in indicators was significant (p<0.05) according to the results of four tests out of five. Only in the test "sense of time (5 seconds), deviation s" the difference between the results before the experiment and after the experiment was not reliable (p>0.05). The difference between the test results of the control and experimental groups after the experiment turned out to be significant (p<0.05) in three out of five tests.Conclusions. The positive influence of the experimental method on the results of psychophysiological testing was revealed. In the experimental group, the time of PZMR decreased by 7.56% from 426.83 ± 38.55 ms to 394.58 ± 37.06 ms (р<0.05), the time of PZMR in the test "Choosing two elements from three" - by 8.42% from 529.33 ± 45.17 ms to 484.75 ± 47.86 ms (p<0.05). The result in the "Selection of a point in space" test improved by 8.02% from 21.83 ± 1.95 to 23.58 ± 1.93 (р<0.05). The number of errors during tests has decreased. If these changes were found to be unreliable when performing the test for PMSMR (p>0.05), then the number of errors during the performance of the test "Choosing two elements out of three" decreased by 18.2% from 5.5 ± 1 to 4.5 ± 0 .9 errors (p<0.05). In the control group, the increase in all indicators was found to be unreliable (p>0.05).
Aspects of the unity of sports, science and art. Review article
Authors: Kozin Oleksii
Published: February 2023

Purpose of the work is to methodologically and experimentally substantiate the ways of practical implementation of the integration of sports, science and art. Material and Methods: analysis of literary data and Internet resources, analysis of personal experience of outstanding athletes and teachers, methods of determining the functional state of the athletes' body, pedagogical experiment, mathematical and statistical methods. Results. On the basis of literary data and analytical work, the theoretical concept of the unity of sports, science, and art is revealed, which illustrates the organic unity of the three aspects, in which human development reaches a qualitatively new level, characterized by the possibility of holistic manifestation of human abilities. Conclusions. It is shown that the unity of sports, science, and art brings human development to a new level as a factor contributing to the harmonious development of all parts of the brain in organic unity.
Technology of combination of physical exercises and poems about nature for integral development physical fitness and cognitive possibilities children of preschool age
Authors: Kozina Zhanneta , Kozin Oleksii , Grygorieva Sofiia , Khvorost Valeriia , Kaparchuk Polyna
Published: February 2023

Purpose of this work is to highlight the features of the author's systems of integral development of preschool children. Material and Methods. A system of lessons with newborns and infants with the help of dynamic exercises has been developed, as well as an author's system of lessons with children from 1 to 7 years old. The exercises are performed with verses about nature. Results. The use of dynamic gymnastics for newborns and infants "Miracle of Nature" helps to strengthen the musculoskeletal system and all body systems; development of strength, flexibility, agility, endurance, and later - speed; prevention or reduction of child injuries during the subsequent development of walking, running, jumping, etc.; increasing resistance to adverse environmental influences; formation of a base for the tolerance of intellectual workloads associated with studies; creating a solid foundation for subsequent practice of any sport. Conclusions. It is shown that performing exercises not counting, but under poetic images, which is most acceptable for children from 1 year old, promotes integral development, reduces the feeling of fatigue, saturates emotionally classes, making gymnastics very attractive for children and adults.
Plan de continuidad académica ante la contingencia del COVID-19: Estudio comparado entre México y España
Authors: Donaji Silva Solís Andrea , Saucedo Rodríguez Paola , Tapia Cortes Carolina
Published: February 2023

Ante la contingencia del Covid-19, las diversas universidades públicas y privadas tuvieron que suspender todas las actividades presenciales y desarrollar planes de continuidad académica de forma diferente, con el objetivo de asegurar la permanencia de la formación universitaria. En este sentido, este trabajo presenta los resultados de un estudio comparado en relación con los planes de continuidad académica desarrollados por instituciones de educación superior privadas, a partir de la pandemia del Covid-19. Se utilizó un diseño cualitativo, a través de la aplicación de entrevistas semiestructuradas online a profesores universitarios de la Universidad de Monterrey (México) y de la Universidad de Francisco de Vitoria (España). El análisis se realizó desde una perspectiva comparada para establecer convergencias y divergencias, a partir de cuatro categorías de análisis: acceso, disponibilidad, uso y formación de las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación; actividades académicas; proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje; continuidad académica presencial. Los resultados revelaron que existen convergencias en las cuatro categorías analizadas en ambos contextos universitarios. Lo anterior permite evidenciar que los planes de continuidad académica en la Universidad de Monterrey y la Universidad Francisco de Vitoria tienen características y estrategias similares. De igual forma, se demuestra que ambas instituciones privadas desarrollaron acciones al interior de su administración para dar respuestas de forma rápida, pertinente y en coordinación con los diferentes departamentos de la institución. Asimismo, se evidencia que en el caso de las dos universidades se tenía implementados proyectos de mejora continua antes de la contingencia, lo que permitió una respuesta de forma inmediata a la continuidad de las actividades académicas. Finalmente, este estudio pretende contribuir a la literatura, en relación con la efectividad de los planes de continuidad académica en universidades privadas durante la contingencia.
Avances de la vinculación del modelo STE(A)M en el sistema educativo Español, Estadounidense y Colombiano. Una revisión sistemática de literatura
Authors: Rojas Mesa Julio Ernesto , Martín Perico Juana Yadira , Garibello Suan Bernardo , García Murillo Paulo Germán , Franco Ortega Julio Alejandro , Manrique Torres Carolina
Published: February 2023

La presente investigación busca establecer cuál ha sido la producción académica que ha tratado el tema de la implementación de los modelos STEM (Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas) y STEAM (Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería, Artes y Matemáticas) en los sistemas educativos de Colombia, España y Estados Unidos, entre los años 2014 a 2021, para ello se recurre a una revisión sistémica de la literatura, teniendo en cuenta el proceso de búsqueda, descripción, evaluación y análisis de bibliografía relacionada con el modelo STE(A)M tanto en la implementación  de actividades en el aula como sin la implementación de actividades y lo correspondiente a algunos estados del arte. Como resultado de esta revisión se evidencian cuestiones enriquecedoras en lo concerniente a estrategias educativas para el desarrollo del pensamiento computacional y la ingeniería, como también acerca de la fuerte influencia del pensamiento científico y matemático en el modelo STE(A)M y su reconfiguración para la inclusión o participación de las Artes, igualmente se ponen de manifiesto temas relacionados con los esfuerzos gubernamentales y de la sociedad en conjunto para fortalecer la accesibilidad y permanencia de jóvenes en programas STE(A)M, reconociendo la importancia de las categorías de Género y diversidad cultural. Lo anterior deriva en una discusión con respecto a aspectos que se han ido anexando al pilar fundamental de la educación STE(A)M como lo es la alfabetización científica, así como en la identificación de los planteamientos encontrados en la literatura acerca de la necesidad o pertinencia de la Ingeniería en la sociedad, la enseñanza de las ciencias y sus implicaciones en el desarrollo de las competencias STE(A)M, la comprensión de algunas perspectivas en las nuevas propuestas metodológicas, los modelos STE(A)M en Colombia, España y Estados Unidos, las necesidades relacionadas al aspecto inclusivo de Género, entre otras cuestiones que se desarrollan en los escenarios de la escuela
“¿Que dice la Política Chilena para la Integración Escolar?: Un análisis crítico desde la perspectiva de la equidad”
Authors: Fierro Belén , Treviño Villarreal Ernesto
Published: February 2023

El presente escrito se enfoca en el análisis de las políticas gubernamentales actuales de Chile y su aplicación ejecutiva en los establecimientos educacionales respecto a la inclusión educativa. Específicamente, la Política Nacional de Integración Escolar Chilena, pretende la inclusión escolar de todos los niños y niñas con alguna Necesidad Educativa Especial en el Sistema Escolar Regular. El objetivo es analizar, bajo la perspectiva de la equidad, las principales características de dicha política, identificar cuáles son los principales beneficiarios y cuáles son las amenazas y oportunidades para el desarrollo de la equidad en los colegios, para con esto entregar algunas recomendaciones basadas en la perspectiva de la equidad (Ainscow et al., 2012) identificando estrategias apropiadas para responder a la diversidad de acuerdo con el contexto en el cual las familias y comunidad educativa están inmersas. El método de investigación se concibe bajo el enfoque cualitativo, de tipo descriptivo, utilizando como herramienta principal el análisis del discurso escrito. Los principales hallazgos están relacionados con la escasa promoción de la equidad y la inclusión, esto en gran parte debido a la mercantilización de la educación y la promoción de la competencia por sobre la cooperación, competencia que se refleja en la obtención de resultados óptimos en pruebas estandarizadas y con esto la segregación de segmentos menos aventajados; a pesar de que los esfuerzos internacionales y nacionales se orientan en la dirección de la inclusión y la justicia, existen problemas estructurales de la sociedad en su conjunto los cuales profundizan y perpetúan las inequidades ya existentes en el sistema educacional chileno.
Philanthropising Teacher Education? The Emerging Activities of Corporate Philanthropy in Teacher Development
Authors: Kurz Benedict , Parreira do Amaral Marcelo
Published: February 2023

One crucial feature of the Global Education Industry (GEI) is its new mix of players. Within the GEI, corporate philanthropies have emerged as influential actors. They are increasingly involved in teacher education, in particular in the continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers which not only constitutes a new market, but also a policy instrument to disseminate ideas and beliefs. In this context, corporate philanthropies preferably collaborate with the state, for instance by forging public-private partnerships. Drawing on Anheier’s (2018) comparative approach, we explore the activities of Varkey Foundation, a new edu-philanthropy, and Bosch Foundation, a more traditional corporate philanthropy, in teacher CPD. Based on documents, we will apply a comparative perspective to explicate their purposes, approaches and roles, highlighting how both strive for change and, thus, engage in CPD. To conclude, we point out several implications for education policymaking, practice and future research.
Cross-Border Shadow Education: Private Supplementary Tutoring in the Global Education Industry
Authors: Bray Mark , Zhang Wei
Published: February 2023

This paper focuses on the so-called shadow education provision of private supplementary tutoring by companies operating internationally. Some have a history of decades, while others are younger and emerged to take advantage of technological developments. Contributing to analysis of the Global Education Industry, the paper notes variations in the penetration and manifestation across world regions. In so doing, it draws on theories of isomorphism, while noting divergence as well as convergence in institutional models. The analysis includes remarks on regulatory regimes, many of which permit and even facilitate such international companies, but some of which – most obviously in China – restrict their operation. Thus, conceptually the paper analyses patterns with understanding of the forces in operation. Some of these forces are economic (pricing, marketing, etc.), but others are political (shaped particularly by government regulations), and social (shaped by different socio-economic groups within the countries in question).
El profesorado en el punto de mira: estrategias de influencia de las empresas españolas en el sistema educativo
Authors: Turienzo Daniel , Prieto Miriam , Manso Jesús , Thoilliez Bianca
Published: February 2023

El sistema educativo español se ha caracterizado históricamente por la colaboración entre iniciativas privadas y públicas en la provisión de educación. Sin embargo, en el contexto expansivo de la Industria Educativa Global (IEG) numerosos y diversos actores emergen con nuevas estrategias de influencia. En este artículo abordamos el estudio de los programas educativos ofrecidos de manera gratuita por las fundaciones de cuatro empresas (Samsung, Endesa, Mapfre, Repsol) que se caracterizan por tener su base en España y por no operar en el sector educativo como área de negocio. La selección de estos programas responde al objetivo de identificar en el contexto del sistema educativo español la presencia y las acciones de influencia de agentes empresariales que no tienen un perfil educativo, pero que dirigen sus productos a actores de dicho sector, especialmente al profesorado. El análisis de los productos educativos se ha desarrollado empleando los tres momentos identificados por Jessop desde el enfoque de la Economía Política Cultural: variación, selección y retención. Los resultados muestran la legitimación de la participación de agentes privados en el sistema educativo sobre la que se asientan los programas que se refleja en la ausencia de discursos justificativos de los programas; el foco de las propuestas formativas en las prácticas escolares, concretamente en elementos curriculares (competencias, contenidos, metodologías didácticas) y la formación de profesorado; y el empleo de premios económicos y compensaciones de carácter tecnológico, cursos y materiales didácticos estandarizados como principales acciones de influencia. En conjunto estas acciones buscan impactar en el sistema educativo situando al profesorado como destinatario de sus intervenciones. Las empresas construyen con sus discursos y acciones un régimen de conocimiento educativo de mercado que enfatiza el valor utilitario del sistema educativo y que tiene a las instituciones públicas como colaboradoras.
Google en Iberoamérica: expansión corporativa y capitalismo digital en educación
Authors: Jarquín Ramírez Mauro Rafael , Díez Gutiérrez Enrique Javier
Published: February 2023

Con la expansión del capitalismo digital y como efecto del cierre de escuelas derivado de la pandemia, las corporaciones multinacionales de base tecnológica GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon y Microsoft) han consolidado su oferta de servicios educativos en el campo de la Industria Educativa Global en Iberoamérica. Del grupo, Google ha resultado un actor primordial, al incrementar sustancialmente la cantidad de usuarios en sus plataformas mediante estrategias corporativas como alianzas público-privado, convenios con centros escolares y formación docente. El artículo analiza las estrategias que este gigante tecnológico ha impulsado en un conjunto delimitado de centros educativos certificados y “distinguidos” por Google for Education, denominados Google Reference Schools ubicados en México y España. Se analizan las implicaciones pedagógicas y políticas de ello. La metodología de investigación utiliza el modelo tridimensional del Análisis Crítico del Discurso aplicado a los informes elaborados por los propios centros de referencia y alojados en el directorio de Google for Education. Los resultados muestran la forma mediante la cual Google es adoptado en los centros educativos en tanto la opción para apuntalar la mejora educativa pero que introduce también formas de gobierno en la distancia en el terreno educativo. En las conclusiones se discute si poner en manos de estos nuevos actores de la Industria Educativa Global la infraestructura de la comunicación e interacción digital de los centros educativos de Iberoamérica supone no solo entregar el poder a un actor privado que tiene objetivos e intereses comerciales y políticos concretos, sino que cierra también las puertas a caminos alternativos de hacer y saber en la educación. Como futuras líneas de investigación, consideramos que se debe ampliar el análisis a otros países más allá del área iberoamericana.
Intellectual enthusiasm, a playground, God’s work: understanding contractors' rationales in International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) contracts
Authors: Addey Camilla
Published: February 2023

Why are contractors keen to develop, implement, and analyse International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) when they appear to make no financial gains? What makes ILSA contracts so attractive? This paper takes as its starting point the fact that almost all ILSA contractors interviewed stated their ILSA work is an investment, either in the form of a break-even or a loss contract. Applying policy borrowing and lending theory to non-state actors, and analysing 35 interviews with OECD and IEA staff and ILSA contractors, the paper discusses why contractors carry out ILSA contracts or donate to ILSAs. Rationales relate to interests in methodological developments and innovation; research; social responsibility; learning; exposure; prestige; credibility; networks; business opportunities; and individual rationales. The paper identifies parallels with the motives of corporate philanthropy in education. The paper concludes that ILSA contractors are using ILSAs to forward their political agendas, which include growing the learning assessment market.
Private provision of teaching services: Exploring trends and developments in temporary teachers in the Netherlands
Authors: Camphuijsen Marjolein , Stolp Tom
Published: February 2023

The alleged increase of temporary teachers that are sourced by private employment agencies has generated a heated debate about its benefits and pitfalls. At the same time, little is known about the scope of the private teacher employment industry and the composition of the temporary teacher workforce. Using a large and representative labor survey administered by the Central Bureau of Statistics Netherlands, we provide context for the discussion and examine the scale and development of temporary teaching in the Netherlands. We furthermore depict characteristics of temporary teachers and their jobs. We find that the amount and share of temporary teachers in primary and secondary education more than doubled during the last decade. Moreover, we show that teachers who are relatively young, male and have a migration background are more likely to take up temporary teaching. Our study also shows that temporary teachers work less hours and, on average, earn less.
Evaluación de la satisfacción laboral docente. Revisión teórica y estudio comparativo
Authors: Gómez-García Claudia , Fernández-García Carmen-María , Inda-Caro Mercedes
Published: February 2023

Este artículo pretende ofrecer una visión comparativa de las distintas medidas que se emplean para el estudio de la satisfacción laboral docente. Teniendo como base los fundamentos de la Educación Comparada, se lleva a cabo una revisión teórica en la que se analizan diferentes instrumentos y se lleva a cabo una búsqueda de las medidas más empleadas para la evaluación de la satisfacción laboral de este colectivo. Como resultado, se expone una tabla con los nueve instrumentos más destacables y sus principales características. Además, se lleva a cabo una recopilación de los estudios más relevantes en los que se han empleado cada una de esas medidas. Finalmente, se discute acerca de la idoneidad y la necesidad de dedicar futuras investigaciones a la reflexión sobre la elección y la adaptación de estas medidas a otros contextos.
Editorial: La industria educativa global: análisis de su expansión y de sus múltiples manifestaciones desde una perspectiva comparada
Authors: Verger Antoni , Moschetti Mauro , Fontdevila Clara
Published: February 2023

La industria educativa se encuentra en plena expansión. Así se manifiesta en la creciente demanda educativa y en la creación de nuevos mercados. También en la extensión geográfica de numerosos negocios educativos, y en elcrecimiento económico del sector. Asesores financieros como GSV-Advisors y HolonIQ tasaron el valor del mercado de la educación mundial en 6,5 billones de dólares estadounidenses en 2020 y creen que alcanzará los 10 billones de dólares en 2030[1]. La emergencia de nuevos productos, marcas, nichos de mercado, fusiones y adquisiciones entre empresas hacen de la industria educativa un sector en auge y en constante cambio. El concepto de "industria educativa global" (IEG), originalmente acuñado por James Tooley (1999) para describir la creciente centralidad de la provisión educativa privada en los países de bajos ingresos, ha devenido pertinente y ha cobrado relevancia recientemente para capturar un fenómeno que va mucho más allá (Verger, Lubienski y Steiner-Khamsi 2016; Parreira do Amaral, Steiner-Khamsi y Thompson 2019). Actualmente la industria educativa cubre un mayor número de ámbitos de actividad, de territorios y de actores de lo que contemplaban los primeros estudios sobre el tema. Se constata también que, si bien el sector público es un actor clave en la industria educativa, tanto en su rol de regulador como de proveedor de servicios, en las últimas décadas el sector privado ha adquirido un papel todavía más preponderante. Con ello, han emergido nuevas lógicas de acción y formas de comercialización y lucro en el sector.
International Norms: The Impact of Women in Peace Building Processes
Authors: Akkoyun Aişe Gül
Published: February 2023

This study points out that the rules of positive international law need to be more effectively enforced in practice. It explains the absence of women from peace processes as a result of a lack of effort to include them in official peace processes rather than women’s lack of experience in negotiation or conflict resolution. It emphasizes women as crucial agents in the transition from war to peace in order to promote social cohesion and political legitimacy. An excellent first step would be to use gender-sensitive language in a peace agreement and to create a platform for women to discuss the importance of including women in peace processes.
Information and Communication Technologies and the Law: Some Concrete Boundaries
Authors: Ayuda Fernando Galindo
Published: February 2023

Laws and regulations are crucial in governing technology, especially in regards to its development and use in society. While it is undeniable that technology, specifically information and communication technologies (ICTs), has a relationship with the law, this relationship should be restricted to the actions of judges and lawyers rather than being exercised directly or indirectly by ICTs themselves. There are various proposals that contradict this idea and pose a threat to the rule of law. This article aims to address this issue and provide concrete examples and references to illustrate the importance of avoiding such attitudes.
The Role of a Condominium’s Association in Adapting, Complying, and Self-Reducing Anxiety in Response to COVID-19 Precautionary Measures
Authors: Fucà Romina , Cubico Serena , Leitão João
Published: February 2023

Our article is part of a micro-inquiry into the small reality of co-ownership to formulate hypotheses on the evaluation of behaviors (non-pharmaceutical precautionary measures) in addition to pharmaceutical actions put in place by the authorities against future pandemics. Our article takes its first steps in the fact that one of the most common ways to fight the COVID-19 virus is to avoid close contact between people. Indeed, our condominium meetings have been canceled at the first COVID-19 vague (in late February 2020), and social distancing as well as the use of masks and hand sanitizer in the concierge are measures still adopted at the end of 2022. External people (parents, visitors in general, and patients from the three health offices housed in the condominium) have been reduced, and certain businesses, such as bed and breakfasts, which were operating until 2019, had been closed following the first vague of COVID-19 pandemics. The general condominium association has been centralized under the conscious direction of the doorman led by the administrator of the condominium and a support lawyer. Stray animals at the foot of the condominium and fed by a couple of residents have been reduced to the strict minimum. On a sample of 39 people questioned and from an age range between 17 and 93 years, actually residing in the condominium and excluding those members of families who do not actually reside there, we inquired how the risk of COVID-19 infection has decreased over the past year (December 2021-December 2022). The useful variables to determine the correlations between the precautionary behaviors adopted by the co-owners and a possible reduction in the risk of infection are: 1) size of the family (self-observed); 2) level of education (self-observed); 3) professional status (self-observed); 4) salary (self-observed); 5) travel history (self-observed); 6) annual charity (self-observed estimate); 7) confidence in sustainability (interviews via mobile chat); 8) doses of vaccines already taken to the time of the survey (interviews via mobile chat); and 9) depressive symptoms (interviews via mobile chat). Our survey targets to highlight how residents’ safety in the case of one of the most recent periods of COVID-19 pandemics—i. e. the starting winter season 2022‒2023—is somehow safeguarded by cooperative games because of condominiums rules’ fulfillment as well as by socio-juridical precautionary measures taken by the ruling association.
Sweepstakes reproductive success via pervasive and recurrent selective sweeps
Authors: Árnason Einar , Koskela Jere , Halldórsdóttir Katrín , Eldon Bjarki
Published: February 2023

Highly fecund natural populations characterized by high early mortality abound, yet our knowledge about their recruitment dynamics is somewhat rudimentary. This knowledge gap has implications for our understanding of genetic variation, population connectivity, local adaptation, and the resilience of highly fecund populations. The concept of sweepstakes reproductive success, which posits a considerable variance and skew in individual reproductive output, is key to understanding the distribution of individual reproductive success. However, it still needs to be determined whether highly fecund organisms reproduce through sweepstakes and, if they do, the relative roles of neutral and selective sweepstakes. Here, we use coalescent-based statistical analysis of population genomic data to show that selective sweepstakes likely explain recruitment dynamics in the highly fecund Atlantic cod. We show that the Kingman coalescent (modelling no sweepstakes) and the Xi-Beta coalescent (modelling random sweepstakes), including complex demography and background selection, do not provide an adequate fit for the data. The Durrett–Schweinsberg coalescent, in which selective sweepstakes result from recurrent and pervasive selective sweeps of new mutations, offers greater explanatory power. Our results show that models of sweepstakes reproduction and multiple-merger coalescents are relevant and necessary for understanding genetic diversity in highly fecund natural populations. These findings have fundamental implications for understanding the recruitment variation of fish stocks and general evolutionary genomics of high-fecundity organisms.
eRNA profiling uncovers the enhancer landscape of oesophageal adenocarcinoma and reveals new deregulated pathways
Authors: Ahmed Ibrahim , Yang Shen-Hsi , Ogden Samuel , Zhang Wei , Li Yaoyong ,   The OCCAMs consortium, Sharrocks Andrew D
Published: February 2023

Cancer is driven by both genetic and epigenetic changes that impact on gene expression profiles and the resulting tumourigenic phenotype. Enhancers are transcriptional regulatory elements that are key to our understanding of how this rewiring of gene expression is achieved in cancer cells. Here, we have harnessed the power of RNA-seq data from hundreds of patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) or its precursor state Barrett’s oesophagus coupled with open chromatin maps to identify potential enhancer RNAs and their associated enhancer regions in this cancer. We identify ~1000 OAC-specific enhancers and use these data to uncover new cellular pathways that are operational in OAC. Among these are enhancers for JUP, MYBL2, and CCNE1, and we show that their activity is required for cancer cell viability. We also demonstrate the clinical utility of our dataset for identifying disease stage and patient prognosis. Our data therefore identify an important set of regulatory elements that enhance our molecular understanding of OAC and point to potential new therapeutic directions.
Inhibition of noradrenergic signalling in rodent orbitofrontal cortex impairs the updating of goal-directed actions
Authors: Cerpa Juan Carlos , Piccin Alessandro , Dehove Margot , Lavigne Marina , Kremer Eric J , Wolff Mathieu , Parkes Shauna L , Coutureau Etienne
Published: February 2023

In a constantly changing environment, organisms must track the current relationship between actions and their specific consequences and use this information to guide decision-making. Such goal-directed behaviour relies on circuits involving cortical and subcortical structures. Notably, a functional heterogeneity exists within the medial prefrontal, insular, and orbitofrontal cortices (OFC) in rodents. The role of the latter in goal-directed behaviour has been debated, but recent data indicate that the ventral and lateral subregions of the OFC are needed to integrate changes in the relationships between actions and their outcomes. Neuromodulatory agents are also crucial components of prefrontal functions and behavioural flexibility might depend upon the noradrenergic modulation of the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, we assessed whether noradrenergic innervation of the OFC plays a role in updating action-outcome relationships in male rats. We used an identity-based reversal task and found that depletion or chemogenetic silencing of noradrenergic inputs within the OFC rendered rats unable to associate new outcomes with previously acquired actions. Silencing of noradrenergic inputs in the prelimbic cortex or depletion of dopaminergic inputs in the OFC did not reproduce this deficit. Together, our results suggest that noradrenergic projections to the OFC are required to update goal-directed actions.
Community Engagement in Co-designing an Innovative Health Equity Program: A Case Report
Authors: Berrett-Abebe Julie , Mattison Melissa , Perez McAdoo Sarah
Published: February 2023

INTRODUCTION Community-based interprofessional education is a promising strategy for socializing students into team-based care and centering the voices of community members in health equity-focused work. Particularly in resource limited areas, it is vital to collaborate across institutions, professions, and constituents to plan and implement interprofessional education offerings. However, little is known about the factors that support the process of co-designing an interprofessional health equity program centering the community.
METHODS Using a convergent, case study framework, this mixed methods project used quantitative data (Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory) and qualitative data from working group feedback forms, to evaluate our collaborative process.
RESULTS Quantitative analysis reveals collaborative strengths that include skilled leadership, unique group purpose, and mutual respect. Collaborative challenges include appropriate cross-section of members and sufficient funds. Qualitative themes (analyzed to further illuminate quantitative results) include sense of purpose, importance of thoughtful leadership, and community engagement.
DISCUSSION Building sustainable academic-hospital-community relationships and centering the community in health equity work are keys to success in co-designing an interprofessional health equity curriculum. Committed funding also supports sustainability and sends an important message about the value of community members and community-based work. While these recommendations may be common sense, they are not yet common practice.
TTECCDU: a blockchain-based approach for expressive authorization management
Authors: Mahar Uzma , Aleem Muhammad , Zahoor Ehtesham
Published: February 2023

Authorization uses the access control policies to allow or limit a user the access to a resource. Blockchain-based access control models are used to manage authorization in a decentralized way. Many approaches exist that have provided the distributed access control frameworks which are user driven, transparent and provide fairness with its distributed architecture. Some approaches have used authorization tokens as access control mechanisms and mostly have used smart contracts for the authorization process. The problem is that most of the approaches rely on a single authorization factor like either trust or temporal; however, none has considered other important factors like cost, cardinality, or usage constraints of a resource making the existing approaches less expressive and coarse-grained. Also, the approaches using smart contracts are either complex in design or have high gas cost. To the best of our knowledge, there is no approach that uses all the important authorization factors in a unified framework. In this article, we present an authorization framework: TTECCDU that consists of multi-access control models i.e., trust-based, cost-based, temporal-based, cardinality-based, and usage-based to provide strong and expressive authorization mechanism. TTECCDU also handles the delegation context for authorization decisions. The proposed framework is implemented using smart contracts which are written in a modular form so that they are easily manageable and can be re-deployed when needed. Performance evaluation results show that our smart contracts are written in an optimized manner which consume 60.4% less gas cost when the trust-based access is compared and 59.2% less gas cost when other proposed smart contracts from our approach are compared to the existing approaches.
Effects of swimming before and during pregnancy on placental angiogenesis and perinatal outcome in high-fat diet-fed mice
Authors: Zhu Xiaofeng , Chen Weiwei , Wang Haitang
Published: February 2023

Background

We explored the mechanism underlying exercise-mediated placental angiogenesis and perinatal outcome using mouse models.

Methods

Three-week-old C57BL/6 female mice were randomly divided into four experimental groups: standard-chow diet (SC), standard chow diet + exercise (SC-Ex), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet + exercise (HFD-Ex). After 13 weeks of exercise intervention, the male and female mice were caged. Approximately six to seven pregnant female mice from each experimental group were randomly selected for body composition, qRT-PCR, histological, and western blot analysis. The remaining mice were allowed to deliver naturally, and the perinatal outcome indexes were observed.

Rusults

The results showed that exercise intervention significantly improved the body composition and glucose tolerance in HFD-fed pregnant mice. The HFD group showed adipocyte infiltration, placental local hypoxia, and villous vascular thrombosis with a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the expression of VEGF and ANGPT1 proteins. Exercise intervention significantly elevated the expression of PPARγ, alleviated hypoxia and inflammation-related conditions, and inhibited angiogenesis. sFlt-1 mRNA in HFD group was significantly higher than that in SC group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HFD significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the fertility rate in mice.

Conclusions

Thus, HFD aggravates placental inflammation and the hypoxic environment and downregulates the expression of PPARγ and PPARα in the placenta. However, exercise intervention can significantly alleviate these conditions.
Transcriptome analysis of transcription factors and enzymes involved in monoterpenoid biosynthesis in different chemotypes of Mentha haplocalyx Briq
Authors: An Xin , Wan Jingqiong , Jiang Hui , Liao Yangzhen , Liu Chang , Wei Yuan , Wen Chongwei , Ouyang Zhen
Published: February 2023

Background

The main active ingredients of Mentha haplocalyx Briq. essential oils are monoterpenes. According to the component of essential oils, M. haplocalyx can be divided into different chemotypes. Chemotype variation is widespread in Mentha plants but its formation mechanism is unclear.

Methods

We selected the stable chemotype l-menthol, pulegone, and carvone of M. haplocalyx for transcriptome sequencing. To further investigate the variation of chemotypes, we analyzed the correlation between differential transcription factors (TFs) and key enzymes.

Results

Fourteen unigenes related to monoterpenoid biosynthesis were identified, among which (+)-pulegone reductase (PR) and (−)-menthol dehydrogenase (MD) were significantly upregulated in l-menthol chemotype and (−)-limonene 6-hydroxylase was significantly upregulated in carvone chemotype. In addition, 2,599 TFs from 66 families were identified from transcriptome data and the differential TFs included 113 TFs from 34 families. The families of bHLH, bZIP, AP2/ERF, MYB, and WRKY were highly correlated with the key enzymes PR, MD, and (−)-limonene 3-hydroxylase (L3OH) in different M. haplocalyx chemotypes (r > 0.85). The results indicate that these TFs regulate the variation of different chemotypes by regulating the expression patterns of PR, MD, and L3OH. The results of this study provide a basis for revealing the molecular mechanism of the formation of different chemotypes and offer strategies for effective breeding and metabolic engineering of different chemotypes in M. haplocalyx.
Hyaluronic Acid in Periodontal Regeneration and Implant Dentistry-A Review
Authors: Masurkar Deepika Ajit , Jaiswal Priyanka , Kale Bhairavi , Rathod Aishwarya
Published: February 2023

The glycosaminoglycan Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is present in the connective tissue of vertebrates. In the extracellular matrix of soft periodontal tissues, it is the most prevalent glycosaminoglycan with a higher molecular weight. In medical fields such as orthopaedics, dermatology, and ophthalmology, the use of HA in the treatment of inflammatory processes is well established. The extracellular matrix of various tissues, including connective tissue, synovial fluid, and other tissues, contains HA, a naturally occurring linear polysaccharide. Its efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory conditions has been proven. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects in the treatment of gingivitis and periodontitis in dentistry. It could be used as an adjunct to mechanical therapy in the treatment of periodontitis because of its tissue healing properties. Use of HA for implant surface modification has also been extensively studied. HA has proven to be effective in peri-implantitis. The purpose of this review paper is to explain HA’s involvement in periodontal therapy.
Migration of Special Education Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
Authors: Brazas Irish D.
Published: February 2023

The trend of special education in the Philippines is the migration of special education (SpEd) teachers to find better living in the United States. Currently, there is a shortage of special education teachers in the U.S. Personnel shortages are the result of recruitment and retention challenges which includes poor working conditions (excessive paperwork, unmanageable caseloads, inadequate support, professional isolation) leading to professional leaving special education, insufficient funding, fewer qualified faculty and increasing education costs, and limited supply of qualified personnel. The increasing number of Filipino special education teacher is startling. Using qualitative phenomenological approach, the researcher extracted the lived experiences of SpEd teachers to explore their migration narratives.
Teacher Moves and Knowledge in Preparing Students for General Certificate of Education Examination
Authors: Atanga Napthalin A. , Nkepah Beyoh Dieudone
Published: February 2023

This study investigated an experienced teacher’s moves in preparing high school students for an end of year certificate examination. Six consecutive lessons taught by this teacher were observed and videotaped in the second term of the 2020/2021 academic year. These lessons were transcribed and coded for teacher moves as well as teacher knowledge deployed in any of the moves. First, the two researchers coded teacher moves independently and agreed on them. Second, interviews were used to obtain justification for teacher moves used. Third, Ball, Thames and Phelps’s (2008) categorizations of mathematical knowledge for teaching was used to determine which teacher knowledge motivated the move. Results revealed that this teacher, Ngwa, a pseudonym, deployed the following moves: reading through all the topics to identify key concepts and determine connections between and among them, connecting ideas from one topic to another, returning to previous chapters or units for review of mathematical ideas, reinforce understanding by modifying problems, adoption/adaptations and extension of problems to generate the use of more ideas, withdrawal of the teacher and creation of space for interaction, announcing or advertising what will be learned in the next lesson, and learners designing their own questions for the class to engage with. The findings also revealed that understanding the structure of an examination might be a form of specialized content knowledge as it drives teaching. In addition, teaching and learning was found to be forward and backward to review concepts and reinforce learning in learners. Furthermore, teachers must intentionally create space for student-student interaction which provide opportunities for learners to make sense of what is being taught. The findings of this study might be beneficial to teacher educators and professional development experts to focus training on productive teaching moves. Classroom teachers can also use the outcome of this study for the improvement of their practice of teaching.