bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reflections and Contemplations of Women professionals Contributions
Authors: Awasthi Shipra , Sukula Shiva Kanaujia
Published: April 2021

Literary history and libraries’ progress are evident of women professionals’ contributions. Since the beginning, women professionals’ roles and responsibilities in different capacities have been quite phenomenal. The present study highlights the contributions published in the Journal of Documentation for the period 2015-2019. It attempts to study the variations existing in research output from a gender perspective and a brief review of women professionals’ journey and job-related aspects from traditional to contemporary times. The information is collected from the Journal of Documentation (JoD). The study focuses on the year-wise distribution of articles and authors, collaboration patterns among the gender, authorship pattern, geographical distribution, the annual growth rate of female contributors, and average productivity of male and female authors per article. The findings revealed that the annual growth rate of the female contributors was 28.6 in 2019. The male author’s average productivity per article is 1.23, and 1.12 is the female contributors’ average productivity per paper. The study is beneficial in understanding the women’s contributions in international journals, and it has also revealed that the publication gap is not huge. Still, it is minimal except in a few circumstances.
Information Gathering Behaviour of Students of Government Diploma Institutes of Odisha through Print Media
Authors: Panigrahi Samir Kumar , Jena Puspanjali
Published: April 2021

The act of seeking information by the learners has few tenets which play important roles in upgrading collections, services, and facilities to effectively develop a library. The study investigates the information channels preferred by the students of Institutes imparting Diplomas in the Government sector in Odisha. The study adopts a questionnaire method to collect data on the use of print resources only for 3 weeks in January 2020 with the due permission of the faculty members of the institutions. While considering the optimum number of responses 400 sets of questionnaires have been distributed among the community of students out of which 351 reciprocated. The collected data has been analysed by using different statistical methods like simple percentage, mean, correlation coefficient, etc. The main objective of the paper is to find out the attributes of preference of print media over other formats, to compare the perceived values of print formats by the students of two branches i.e. civil engineering and mechanical engineering and to analyse the expectations of students from the library services. To establish the validity of the objectives, two hypotheses have been framed and tested. It is found that out of the four major formats of sources viz., print, electronic, audio, and audiovisual, the print resources have some unique advantages for which they are still preferred but the library needs to update its collections to meet the expectations of its users.
SALES & OPERATIONS PLANNING: Case study on the Engineer-To-Order production model in the entertainment industry
Authors: Romão Luciana de Oliveira Pedra , Scavarda Luis Felipe , Seeling Marcelo Xavier
Published: April 2021

Goal: This article characterizes the application of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process in an audiovisual content production industry, whose production model is Engineer-To-Order (ETO), adding important empirical knowledge for S&OP in this production strategy within a unique context. 

 Design / Methodology / Approach: The methodology adopted is based on an exploratory case study. The research adopts a well-known framework to characterize the process observed within the company.

 Results: The findings characterize the S&OP process based on the main components of the context, inputs, structure and process and outcomes / results, demonstrating that, even with the particularities of the industry, S&OP can be a key process to manage the business complexity and to achieve the objectives by the company.

 Limitations of the investigation: This study was based on the observations made in only one company, which is a research limitation towards the generalizability of the findings. Thus, for a deeper understanding of the theme, future research is necessary, expanding the observations to other companies.

 Practical implications: Practitioners can take stock of the S&OP characterization and the lessons learned herein to help to support their S&OP initiatives, especially regarding ETO contexts.

 Originality / Value: This article sought to reduce the research-practice gap in the literature concerning the need for a complete characterization of the S&OP process from empirical researches and the understanding of S&OP application in the ETO production model.
Tuning Optoelectronic Properties of Double Quantum Dot Structure Using Tight-Binding Model for Photo-Electric Applications
Authors: Al-mebir Alaa Ayad K. , AL-Saidi Shakir A.A.
Published: April 2021

In electronics field, researchers and industries have been working to fabricate low-cost optoelectronic devices by using less materials in the fabrication process. Thus, miniaturization concept has been used in the design and synthesis of the fabricated materials and devices based on nano-dimension. However, reducing the used materials would affects the overall performance of the devices and new building blocks materials are needed to pass the performance capacity limits of current silicon-based materials. Quantum Dots DQs have been introduced and attracted much attention among researchers because of their unique characteristics that are necessary for many potential applications by using nano-dimensions structures. These properties include size-tunable optical and other electronic characteristics that are not found in the current bulk materials. Although there has been interested QDs experimental studied that have been already carried out, different theoretical efforts must be introduced in order to provide good understanding of the possible and different QDs applications. In this work, therefore, optoelectronic properties of Double Quantum Dots DQDs system were studied theoretically to provide important information about the possibility of using this system in photoelectric applications. A tight-binding framework was adopted to describe the system, and all the calculations were carried out based on the steady state formalism. The proposed DQD structure was connected to metallic leads and studied to investigate the QD size dependent. The transmission calculation presented first through the electron transport mechanism. Tunneling current and conductance were then presented to provide general understanding about the behavior of the proposed system. A correlation of transmission, current and conductance results with QD radius R, incident photon energy Eph, Temperature and bias voltage have been identified. Therefore, this correlation is strongly supporting the proposal of using DQD system in fabricating nanoscale photovoltaic devices, particularly, solar cells.
New perspective? Comparing frame occurrence in online and traditional news media reporting on Europe’s “Migration Crisis”
Authors: Czymara Christian S. , Klingeren Marijn van
Published: April 2021

News media have transformed over the last decades, there being increasing numbers of online news suppliers and an increase in online news consumption. We examine how reporting on immigration differs between popular German online and print media over three crucial years of the so-called immigration crisis from 2015 to 2017. This study extends knowledge on the framing of the crisis by examining a period covering the start, peak, and time after the intake of refugees. Moreover, we establish whether online and print reporting differs in terms of both frame occurrence and variability. The period of the crisis provided an ideal test to see whether the focus of media reporting differed between online and print sources. Employing a most- similar- cases design based on (autonomous) online and print versions of three major German news outlets, we extract the dominant frames in almost 18,500 articles using algorithm-based topic modelling. While results indicate that many frames are more visible in either online or print media, these differences often do not follow theoretical expectations. Furthermore, online media are dominated by particular frames and, hence, show less diversity than print media. However, important key events happening during our period of investigation do not affect overall diversity of frames.
Car braking effectiveness after adaptation for drivers with motor dysfunctions
Authors: Sowiński Adam , Szczepański Tomasz , Koralewski Grzegorz
Published: April 2021

This article presents the results of measurements of the braking efficiency of vehicles adapted to be operated by drivers with motor dysfunctions. In such cars, the braking system is extended with an adaptive device that allows braking with the upper limb. This device applies pressure to the original brake in the car. The braking force and thus its efficiency depend on the mechanical ratio in the adapting device. In addition, braking performance depends on the sensitivity of the car’s original braking system and the maximum force that a disabled person can exert on the handbrake lever. Such a person may have limited power in the upper limbs. The force exerted by the driver can also be influenced by the position of the driver’s seat in relation to the handbrake lever. This article describes the research aimed at understanding the influence of the above-mentioned factors on the car braking performance. As a part of the analysis of the test results, a mathematical function was proposed that allows a parametric description of the braking efficiency index on the basis of data on the braking system, adaptation device, driver’s motor limitations, and the position of the driver’s seat. The information presented in this article can be used for the preliminary selection of adaptive devices to the needs of a given driver with a disability and to the vehicle construction.
Fibre development in an intensified mechanical pulping process
Authors: Sandberg Christer
Published: April 2021

Mechanical pulp for printing paper can be produced with a process that involve much less equipment and that require much lower specific energy compared to conventional processes. Even though common evaluation methods, e.g. handsheet testing, have shown that the pulp quality is similar for the simplified and the conventional processes, it is not known how fibre properties, at the microscopic level, is developed with the simplified process. In this mill scale study, the fibre properties attained with an “intensified” mechanical pulping process, consisting of single stage high consistency double disc refining followed by two stage low consistency refining and no reject treatment was investigated. The simplified process was compared to a process with a reject system. The simplified process rendered fibres with higher degree of fibrillation, higher share of axial splits, lower fibre wall thickness but slightly lower length than the conventional process. The fibrillar fines size distribution of the two processes was different. The conventional process generated more of small fibrillar fines which probably explains the higher tensile index at given density for that process. The results show that it is possible to simplify the production process for mechanical pulp and reduce the specific energy with over 700 kWh/adt.
The study of Iranian children and adolescents’ physical activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Alizadeh Adel , Negarandeh Reza , Bagheri Amiri Fahimehe , Yazdani Zahra
Published: April 2021

Objectives

This systematic and meta-analysis review was conducted to determine the status of Iranian children and adolescents’ physical activity.

Content

All the related articles which were published in the major databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Magiran, SID from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2019, were reviewed by researchers. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was also used to evaluate the quality of articles. Moreover, I
2 index and chi-square were used to assess the heterogeneity between the results.

490 articles were found as a result of the search in the selected international and local databases, where finally, 10 articles were included into the meta-analysis after the elimination of the duplicated articles and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results indicated that 29.5% of the girls were considered active according to WHO criteria (16.1–42.8: 95% CI) and also 20.5% of the boys (7.3–33.7: 95% CI).

Outlook

Overall, this study’s findings showed that a large percentage of Iranian children and adolescents do not achieve the level of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization. This can lead to undesirable consequences for this group of population that is considered as the human capital of any country; consequently, it seems necessary to take basic measures at the micro and macro levels in order to reduce such problems in the society.
Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Community Engagement and Data Collection Strategies in Post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico
Authors: Saum-Manning Lisa
Published: April 2021

Communities have a vital role to play in managing the risks associated with natural disasters. As such, their strengths, weaknesses, and priority concerns must be factored into policy decisions to ensure local recovery efforts reflect community needs. Regular engagement with community members provides opportunities for emergency managers and first responders to tap into a reservoir of local knowledge to build a shared understanding of how to foster local preparedness and help communities reduce the impact of a disaster. Not all communities are alike; needs can differ for a variety of reasons and can help determine the best ways to galvanize an appropriate response. The methods of engagement should also be tailored to ensure communities are willing and able to participate in the types of interactions emergency managers wish to initiate. In this paper, we used a mixed method approach to examine several different community engagement and data collection strategies conducted, observed or examined by our research team during six months of post-Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico from February to July 2018. The aim of this study is to assess whether different outreach approaches used illuminated different perceptions about disaster preparedness and recovery and to identify what works and what does not work when engaging communities in emergency preparedness and recovery activities.
Anthropometric, biochemical and hormonal profiles of the partially admixed pygmoid group in Rampasasa (Flores, Indonesia)
Authors: Pulungan Aman , Andarie Attika A. , Soesanti Frida , Yassien Muhammad Ramdhani , de Bruin Christiaan , Wijaya Andi , Firmansyah Agus , Wit Jan M.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

We performed a cross-sectional study on anthropometric and laboratory characteristics of inhabitants of Rampasasa (Flores, Indonesia). Adults were categorised according to ancestry into three groups: pygmoid (P/P, offspring of pygmoid parents, n=8), mixed pygmoid (P/N, offspring of pygmoid and non-pygmoid parents, n=12) and non-pygmoid (N/N, n=10). Children (n=28) were P/N.

Methods

Measurements included height, weight, sitting height, arm span, head circumference, haematological analysis and serum albumin, calcium, vitamin D, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3). Pubertal stage and bone age was assessed in children. Anthropometric data were expressed as standard deviation score (SDS) for age. IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio were expressed as SDS for age, bone age and pubertal stage.

Results

Mean height SDS showed a gradient from P/P (−4.0) via P/N (−3.2) to N/N (−2.3) (−3.4, −3.1 and −2.2 adjusted for age-associated shrinking). Sitting height and head circumference showed similar gradients. Serum IGF-I SDS was similar among groups (approximately −1 SDS). IGFBP-3 SDS tended toward a gradient from P/P (−1.9) via P/N (−1.5) to N/N (−1.1), but IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio was normal in all groups. In P/P and P/N, mean head circumference SDS was >2 SD greater than mean height SDS. Children showed a progressive growth failure and bone age delay, delayed female pubertal onset and an initial low serum IGF-I, normal IGFBP-3 and low IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio.

Conclusions

P/P showed proportionate short stature with relative macrocephaly and relatively low IGFBP-3; P/N presented an intermediate pattern. P/N children were progressively short, showed delayed skeletal maturation, delayed puberty in girls and low IGF-I and IGF-I/IGFBP-3.
Experience with the targeted next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets
Authors: Turan Ihsan , Erdem Sevcan , Kotan Leman Damla , Ozdemir Dilek Semine , Tastan Mehmet , Gurbuz Fatih , Bişgin Atıl , Karabay Bayazıt Aysun , Topaloglu Ali Kemal , Yuksel Bilgin
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Hereditary Hypophosphatemic Rickets (HHR) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by hypophosphatemia. Although the X-linked dominant HHR is the most common form, the genetic etiology of HHR is variable. Recently, developed next-generation sequencing techniques may provide opportunities for making HHR diagnosis in a timely and efficient way.

Methods

We investigated clinical and genetic features for 18 consecutive probands and their 17 affected family members with HHR. All patient’s clinical and biochemical data were collected. We first analyzed a single gene with Next-generation sequencing if the patients have a strong clue for an individual gene. For the remaining cases, a Hypophosphatemic Rickets gene panel, including all known HHR genes by Next-generation sequencing, was employed.

Results

We were able to diagnosis all of the consecutive 35 patients in our tertiary care center. We detected nine novel and 10 previously described variants in PHEX (9; 50%), SLC34A3 (3; 17%), ENPP1 (3; 17%), SLC34A1 (1; 5%), CLCN5 (1; 5%), and DMP1 (1; 5%).

Conclusions

To delineate the etiology of HHR cases in a cost and time-efficient manner, we propose single gene analysis by next-generation sequencing if findings of patients indicate a strong clue for an individual gene. If that analysis is negative or for all other cases, a Next-generation Sequence gene panel, which includes all known HHR genes, should be employed.
Barth syndrome with severe dilated cardiomyopathy and growth hormone resistance: a case report
Authors: Vanderniet Joel A. , Benitez-Aguirre Paul Z. , Broderick Carolyn R. , Kelley Richard I. , Balasubramaniam Shanti
Published: April 2021

Objectives

To describe the metabolic and endocrine features of a patient with Barth syndrome who showed evidence of growth hormone resistance.

Case presentation

A male proband deteriorated rapidly with lactic acidosis after a circumcision at age three weeks and was found to have severe dilated cardiomyopathy. A cardiomyopathy gene panel led to the diagnosis of TAZ-deficiency Barth syndrome. He subsequently experienced hypotonia and gross motor delay, feeding difficulties for the first four years, constitutional growth delay and one episode of ketotic hypoglycaemia. Cardiomyopathy resolved on oral anti-failure therapy by age three years. He had a hormonal pattern of growth hormone resistance, and growth hormone treatment was considered, however height velocity improved spontaneously after age 3½ years. He also had biochemical primary hypothyroidism.

Conclusions

With careful metabolic management with l-arginine supplementation, overnight corn starch, and a prescribed exercise program, our patient’s strength, endurance, level of physical activity and body composition improved significantly by age six years.
Sexual maturity assessment in Indian children—a study from western India
Authors: Lohiya Nikhil , Jahagirdar Rahul , Deshpande Ruma , Goyal Ankush
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Pubertal assessment is crucial as puberty is the transition from childhood to adulthood. Pubertal assessment, growth, and secular trend in puberty need to be explored further in India. The objectives were to assess Sexual Maturity Rating (SMR) among children and establish normative data of puberty from western India. We also compared age of attainment of various stages of puberty with BMI and secular trend in menarche.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken at a tertiary care pediatric center. The study population were healthy girls and boys between 6 and 18 years. Demographic data was noted. Anthropometry and SMR assessment (Tanner staging) were performed. The age of menarche was noted among the girls and their mothers. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.

Results

In girls, median age of thelarche, pubarche, and menarche was 9.37 (8.5–10.2), 10.18 (9.87–10.49), and 12.55 years (12.41–12.75) respectively. There was an early appearance of thelarche but menarche was delayed in overweight-obese girls (statistically not significant). Age of menarche showed a shift to left in girls as compared to their mothers (p=0.036). In boys, median age of testicular stage 2 and pubarche was 10.7 (9.9–11.8) and 11.6 years (11.1–12.1) respectively. In overweight-obese boys the pubertal milestones were achieved earlier (statistically not significant).

Conclusions

Normative data on pubertal assessment from western India is presented. Age of menarche shows a shift to left in girls as compared to their mothers. Pubertal milestones were observed at a younger age in overweight obese children which was not significant.
Rio de Janeiro noise mapping during the COVID-19 pandemic period
Authors: Gevú Nayara , Carvalho Bianca , Fagerlande Guilherme C. , Niemeyer Maria Lygia , Cortês Marina Medeiros , Torres Julio Cesar Boscher
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a comparison between the acoustic scenario at the Rio de Janeiro city center, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undergoing one of the most important pandemics of the recent history, the social isolation led to a new acoustic scenario for Rio de Janeiro. The study was realized at the city center, an area of historical, economic and cultural relevance. The comparison consisted of analyzing measured data and noise maps produced for the city center area. The maps were created according to measured and collected data of the respective time periods. The acoustic scenario prior to the pandemic time was reconstructed based on previous measurements and data collection, while the pandemic one was built with data survey during the highest social isolation index on July 2020. The comparative analysis showed a considerable noise reduction, between 10 and 15 dB, for areas where the traffic noise was not intense and where the human activities were predominant on the streets. However, there was no substantial noise decrease for the areas around the major avenues. This occurred due to the traffic intensity drop to 50% during the pandemic, which meant a noise reduction between 3 and 5 dB.
Development of traffic noise prediction model for major arterial roads of tier-II city of India (Surat) using artificial neural network
Authors: Ranpise Ramesh B. , Tandel B. N. , Singh Vivek A.
Published: April 2021

In the issue of expanding noise levels the world over, road traffic noise is main contributor. The investigation of street traffic noise in urban communities is a significant issue. Ample opportunity has already passed to understand the significance of noise appraisal through prediction models with the goal that assurance against street traffic noise can be actualized. Noise predictions models are utilized in an increasing range of decision-making applications. This study’s main objective is to assess ambient noise levels at major arterial roads of Surat city, compare these with prescribed standards, and develop a noise prediction model for arterial roads using an Artificial Neural Network. The feed-forward back propagation method has been used to train the model. Models have been developed using the data of three roads separately, and one final model has also been developed using the data of all three roads. Among the prediction in three arterial roads, the predicted output result from the model of Adajan-Rander showed a better correlation with a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.789 and R2 value of 0.707. But with the combined model, there is a slight deterioration in mean squared value (MSE) 1.550, with R2 not getting changed much significantly, i.e., 0.755. However, the combined model’s prediction can be adopted due to the variety of data used in its training.
Tensile Strength of Cemented Paste Backfill
Authors: Pan Andrew N. , Grabinsky Murray W. F.
Published: April 2021

The tensile strength is an important parameter in the design and analysis of cemented paste backfill (CPB) for underground mining. Although traditional axisymmetric dogbone-shaped specimens have been used to directly determine the tensile strength of rocks and concretes, such methods are not practical for CPB because of its much lower strength and associated difficulties in shaping the specimens. To determine the tensile strength of CPB, a castable rectangular dogbone specimen is developed, the apparatus including a compression to tension load converter, and a four-part split mold. The designed apparatus is validated using numerical analysis and shown through testing applications to be relatively simple, practical, and reliable. Results illustrate that the primary design allows the direct determination of tensile strength and characterization of the stress-strain behavior of isotropic materials. The stress-strain behavior could be reliably correlated with unconfined compression strength test results. The data show how the tensile strength is dependent on curing time and cement content. These results can lead to better mine backfill designs that fundamentally improve the underground mine stability.
Experimental Study on Impact Fracture of Side-Wing Offset Crack in Jointed Medium
Authors: Zhao Yong , Yang Renshu , Chen Cheng , Li Zhuangzhuang , Liu Yatian , Ding Liyun
Published: April 2021

Herein, to explore the interaction between joint and moving cracks under dynamic loads, bonded polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was selected to simulate the medium-containing joint. Using digital laser dynamic caustics experiments and the precrack offset distance as a single variable, the interaction mechanism between the moving crack and joint was investigated from the macro and micro perspectives. The failure mode of the specimens displayed significant differences. According to the fracture form when the crack passes the joint, it can be divided into three types: Type 1: the crack propagates directly along the original path when passing through the joint; Type 2: when the crack passes through the joint, it moves a certain distance along the joint and then cracks again to form a crack; Type 3: the crack moves for a certain distance along the joint and then cracks again to form main cracks and several subcracks of different lengths. With an increase in offset distance, the angle between the crack and joint decreases nonlinearly when passing through the joint, and the ability of the crack to propagate through the joint is continuously weakened. The macroscopic manifestation for the phenomenon is that the displacement of the crack along the joint movement gradually rises in steps. The offset distance of the crack along the joint and the number of cracks after passing through the joint were affected by the energy release rate along the joint direction. The microscopic appearance is that when the crack passes the joint, the stagnation time presents a gradually rising trend. The physical quantities such as the stress intensity factor at the initiation of the crack tip, the initial crack initiation time, and the time for the crack to penetrate the specimen all displayed a gradual enhancement with the increase in offset distance.
Prediction of Long-Term Creep Properties of Zirconium-2.5 % Niobium Alloy Using Wilshire Method
Authors: Patel Vivek , Singh R. N. , Krishnan Madangopal
Published: April 2021

Zirconium-2.5 % niobium alloy, used as a pressure tube material in pressurized heavy water reactors, have to experience extreme stress, temperature, and radioactive conditions to serve within the designed dimensional tolerance limit. Prolonged duration under high stress and high temperature causes the creep deformation, ultimately leading to deformation beyond the permitted limit or interference with other components, or both. Hence, a priori using particular material for a specific application, mechanical testing has to be done to investigate its deformation behavior. However, creep tests of material can last from a few hours to several months or even years. The cost of testing the material can eventually impact the cost of the component. Instead of carrying out long-term creep tests, an extrapolation technique named the Wilshire method is applied to predict the creep behavior of the material under any given test conditions. This method is also capable of reconstructing the complete creep curve using the data from accelerated creep tests. Such an approach can drastically scale down the cost and time required for the long-term creep tests. In the present study, zirconium 2.5 % niobium alloy, which is used as pressure tube material in pressurized heavy water reactors, is employed as a test material for the analysis using the Wilshire method.
High-Level Representations in Human Occipito-Temporal Cortex Are Indexed by Distal Connectivity
Authors: Walbrin Jon , Almeida Jorge
Published: April 2021

Human object recognition is dependent on occipito-temporal cortex (OTC), but a complete understanding of the complex functional architecture of this area must account for how it is connected to the wider brain. Converging functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence shows that univariate responses to different categories of information (e.g., faces, bodies, and nonhuman objects) are strongly related to, and potentially shaped by, functional and structural connectivity to the wider brain. However, to date, there have been no systematic attempts to determine how distal connectivity and complex local high-level responses in occipito-temporal cortex (i.e., multivoxel response patterns) are related. Here, we show that distal functional connectivity is related to, and can reliably index, high-level representations for several visual categories (i.e., tools, faces, and places) within occipito-temporal cortex; that is, voxel sets that are strongly connected to distal brain areas show higher pattern discriminability than less well-connected sets do. We further show that in several cases, pattern discriminability is higher in sets of well-connected voxels than sets defined by local activation (e.g., strong amplitude responses to faces in fusiform face area). Together, these findings demonstrate the important relationship between the complex functional organization of occipito-temporal cortex and wider brain connectivity.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHuman object recognition relies strongly on OTC, yet responses in this broad area are often considered in relative isolation to the rest of the brain. We employ a novel connectivity-guided voxel selection approach with functional magnetic resonance imaging data to show higher sensitivity to information (i.e., higher multivoxel pattern discriminability) in voxel sets that share strong connectivity to distal brain areas, relative to (1) voxel sets that are less strongly connected, and in several cases, (2) voxel sets that are defined by strong local response amplitude. These findings underscore the importance of distal contributions to local processing in OTC.
Prior Cocaine Exposure Increases Firing to Immediate Reward While Attenuating Cue and Context Signals Related to Reward Value in the Insula
Authors: Pribut Heather J. , Vázquez Daniela , Brockett Adam T. , Wei Alice D. , Tennyson Stephen S. , Roesch Matthew R.
Published: April 2021

The insula contributes to behavioral control and is disrupted by substance abuse, yet we know little about the neural signals underlying these functions or how they are disrupted after chronic drug self-administration. Here, male and female rats self-administered either cocaine (experimental group) or sucrose (control) for 12 consecutive days. After a 1 month withdrawal period, we recorded from insula while rats performed a previously learned reward-guided decision-making task. Cocaine-exposed rats were more sensitive to value manipulations and were faster to respond. These behavioral changes were accompanied by elevated counts of neurons in the insula that increased firing to reward. These neurons also fired more strongly at the start of long-delay trials, when a more immediate reward would be expected, and fired less strongly in anticipation of the actual delivery of delayed rewards. Although reward-related firing to immediate reward was enhanced after cocaine self-administration, reward-predicting cue and context signals were attenuated. In addition to revealing novel firing patterns unique to insula, our data suggest changes in such neural activity likely contribute to impaired decision making observed after drug use.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe insula plays a clear role in drug addiction and drug-induced impairments of decision making, yet there is little understanding of its underlying neural signals. We found that chronic cocaine self-administration reduces cue and context encoding in insula while enhancing signals related to immediate reward. These changes in neural activity likely contribute to impaired decision making and impulsivity observed after drug use.
GPER mediates estrogen cardioprotection against epinephrine-induced stress
Authors: Fu Lu , Zhang Hongyuan , Ong’achwa Machuki Jeremiah , Zhang Tingting , Han Lin , Sang Lili , Wu Lijuan , Zhao Zhiwei , James Turley Matthew , Hu Xide , Hou Hongjian , Li Dongye , E Harding Sian , Sun Hong
Published: April 2021

Currently, there are no conventional treatments for stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SCM, also known as Takotsubo syndrome), and the existing therapies are not effective. The recently discovered G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) executes the rapid effects of estrogen (E2). In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of GPER on epinephrine (Epi)-induced cardiac stress. SCM was developed with a high dose of Epi in adult rats and human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). (1) GPER activation with agonist G1/E2 prevented an increase in left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole, the decrease both in ejection fraction and cardiomyocyte shortening amplitude elicited by Epi. (2) G1/E2 mitigated heart injury induced by Epi, as revealed by reduced plasma brain natriuretic peptide and lactate dehydrogenase release into culture supernatant. (3) G1/E2 prevented the raised phosphorylation and internalization of β2-adrenergic receptors (β2AR). (4) Blocking Gαi abolished the cardiomyocyte contractile inhibition by Epi. G1/E2 downregulated Gαi activity of cardiomyocytes and further upregulated cAMP concentration in culture supernatant treated with Epi. (5) G1/E2 rescued decreased Ca2+ amplitude and Ca2+ channel current (ICa-L) in rat cardiomyocytes. Notably, the above effects of E2 were blocked by the GPER antagonist, G15. In hiPSC-CM (which expressed GPER, β1AR and β2ARs), knockdown of GPER by siRNA abolished E2 effects on increasing ICa-L and action potential duration in the stress state. In conclusion, GPER played a protective role against SCM. Mechanistically, this effect was mediated by balancing the coupling of β2AR to the Gαs and Gαi signaling pathways.
Interlocking Multi-Twisted Wires Versus Interrupted Simple Sternal Wires for Closure of Median Sternotomy
Authors: Mourad Faisal , Ali Ihab
Published: April 2021

Background: Although closure of a sternotomy incision is usually a simple procedure, failure to do so (sternal dehiscence) is a serious complication and is an independent factor that poses a high degree of morbidity or mortality after open heart surgery. Instability of the bone fragments can lead to complete sternal breakdown, sternal wound infection, and mediastinitis. The stainless-steel encircling wire used as either interrupted simple sutures or as figure of eight sutures is the current standard method of median sternotomy closure. Interlocking multi-twisted sternal wire closure is an alternative that provides rigid sternal fixation. We aim to identify the best method of sternal closure in order to implement it as a standardised protocol for our department.
Methods: Two-hundred patients aged 18-70 years were undergoing cardiac surgeries at Ain Shams University hospitals. They were divided into two groups: Group I included 100 patients with sternal closure using simple wire, and group II included 100 patients with sternal closure using interlocking multi-twisted wires. The day 7, 1 month, and 3 months sternal instability, superficial wound infection, ventilation time, cross-clamp time, length of ICU stay, and length of hospital stay were analyzed.
Results: The incidence of sternal instability on the 7th day, 1 month, and 3 months was significantly higher in the simple wire closure group (P < 0.05). However, incidence of superficial wound infection, length of ICU stay, and duration of mechanical ventilation were comparable between the two groups.
Conclusion: The interlocking multi-twist is a safe, effective, and easily reproducible method for preventing sternal dehiscence.
Importance of artificial neural networks in civil engineering: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Valderrama Purizaca Frank Jesús , Chávez Barturen Daniel Armando , Muñoz Pérez Sócrates Pedro , Tuesta-Monteza Victor A. , Mejía-Cabrera Heber Ivan
Published: April 2021

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have a relevant role nowadays; several areas apply this technique due to the advantages they have to solve complex problems with many constraints compared to traditional methods, which are becoming outdated. Very little is known about this technique and its application in different branches of Civil Engineering. For this reason, the present research aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature to identify the use of this technique and to determine the results of the application of ANN models in civil engineering. A total of 41 scientific articles were included, distributed as follows: 6 in Scopus, 1 in ScienceDirect, 23 in ProQuest, 7 in Google Scholar, 2 in DialNet, 2 in SciELO. It was found that ANNs are used to predict or forecast variables associated with the fields of study in civil engineering; 8 applications of ANN were found for concrete properties, 11 for soil properties, 5 for seismic analysis, 9 for hydraulics, 7 for real estate valuation and 1 for bridge design. Likewise, it was found that the multilayer Perceptron is the most used ANN model, achieving an average R2 of 0.99, which shows advantages to solve problems with precision, in shorter times, with missing data in the data sets, as well as the reduction of the error factor.
Risikocontrolling und COVID-19-Pandemie
Authors: Eichholz Julia , Knauer Thorsten , Winkelmann Sandra
Published: April 2021

Während die Kosten des Risikocontrollings für Unternehmen vergleichsweise leicht zu kalkulieren sind, ist der Nutzen eines fortschrittlichen Risikocontrollings a priori regelmäßig unsicher. Zudem ergibt sich die paradoxe Situation, dass sich Risiken in geringerem Maße materialisieren und daher aufgrund eines fortschrittlichen Risikocontrollings unterschätzt sowie der Nutzen des Risikocontrollings hinterfragt werden können.
Honra e litígio no interior mineiro oitocentista
Authors: Semíramis Sutil Séfora
Published: April 2021

Neste artigo abordamos o conceito de honra e realizamos um estudo de caso sobre o aumento da possibilidade de litígio devido à expansão do sistema de Justiça do Império do Brasil. A reflexão teórica se referência nas abordagens sociológico-histórica e antropológica da honra como fenômeno social, familiar e subjetivo. Os estudos históricos evidenciam que as disputas de honra, com a estruturação do Estado moderno, gradativamente passaram a ser objeto jurídico. Pessoas de variadas camadas sociais passam a usar a Justiça para defesa de sua imagem pessoal. A honra era um valor pelo qual compensavam as disputas, violentas ou não, pois conferia prestígio social. O caso de Pedro Cazanga, um morador do arraial de Arcos, interior das Minas Gerais oitocentista, que disputou na Justiça seu “direito” à honra, exemplifica a importância deste elemento para as relações sociais e as alternativas possibilitadas pelo sistema de Justiça.
Anxiety, depression and health locus of control in secondary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors:   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Kuty-Pachecka Marta ,   Marta Kuty-Pachecka Cognitive Behavioural Diagnosis and Therapy Practice, Wrocław, Poland, Kozłowska Monika ,   Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Skórska Karolina ,   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Gucwa Katarzyna ,   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Trzebińska Magdalena ,   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Stępień-Grzelak Patrycja ,   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland, Żurawska Ewa ,   Centre for Teacher Education, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
Published: April 2021

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic young people are experiencing anxiety and tension associated with an unusual, unclear and unpredictable situation. Deterioration of the economic situation resulting from the pandemic, social distancing, school closure and a real threat to health and life are strong anxiety-inducing factors. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the level of depression among adolescents and which of the factors related to the pandemic (health-related anxieties and restrictions) were the most difficult for them. We also wanted to verify the differences in depression and anxiety in girls and boys, and the relationship between anxiety, depression and health locus of control in adolescents. Method: The study covered 296 people from 17 to 19 years old. The research was carried out using the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC). Results: The results of the study indicate that the youth experience elevated levels of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. 75% of the participants experienced depression symptoms. The severity of the perceived state of anxiety and depressive symptoms was significantly higher among adolescent girls than among boys. In addition, individuals who reported anxious thoughts about the possibility of someone in their family contracting COVID-19 experienced significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than those who did not. Additionally, the internal health locus of control negatively correlated with both anxiety as a state and depression, while the external (chance-related) health locus of control correlated positively with depression and anxiety.
Children’s Behaviour Questionnaire Very Short Form (CBQ VSF) and its adaptation to the population of the Czech Republic
Authors:   Department of Christian Education, Sts. Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic, Potměšilová Petra , Potměšil Miloň ,   Institute of Special Pedagogy Studies, Faculty of Education, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Published: April 2021

This study provides information on the adaptation of the CBQ VSF (Children’s Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form) temperament description questionnaire. Objectives: The aim of the study was to adapt the CBQ VSF temperament questionnaire to the Czech child population for possible distribution to child psychologists for research purposes. Materials and methods: The data were obtained from a representative sample of parents of 840 children, 442 boys (53%) and 398 girls (47%), between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Results: The tool was tested in terms of its factor structure and the internal consistency and attributes of each item, all with respect to the age and gender of children in the target group. Scales were created for boys and girls and stratified by age and gender. Upon the completion of the work, the CBQ VSF questionnaire was adapted for use in research activities targeting the Czech population. Study limits: The results are based on the parental evaluation, but this was entirely consistent with the process of creation of the original tool.
Assessment of intensity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in parents of children with blood cancer at different time points following diagnosis
Authors:   Chair of Sociology, Psychology and Communication in Management, Faculty of Management, Czestochowa University of Technology, Częstochowa, Poland, Chrapek Ewelina , Gmitrowicz Agnieszka ,   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
Published: April 2021

In the recent years, there has been a remarkable progress in treatment of cancer in children. Nevertheless, it still remains a disease that represents a real threat to a child’s life. This threat as well as a deep fear for a child’s life which is strongly associated with it have a key impact on psychological difficulties experienced by parents at the time of establishing their child’s diagnosis and throughout therapy. Aim: The study was focused on assessment of the dynamics of posttraumatic symptoms intensity in parents of children suffering from blood cancers depending on a period of time that passed since the moment the disease was diagnosed. Materials and methods: A prospective study model was applied – the parents were assessed at three time points, i.e. up to one month (t1), six months (t2) and one year (t3) following their child’s diagnosis. The study included 47 parents of children diagnosed with leukaemia or lymphoma. The number of the subjects taking part in successive measurements was 32 (t2) and 31 (t3), respectively. The Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) was used to assess severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in the parents. Results: Severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in the parents decreased within one year following their child’s diagnosis. An analysis of intensity of particular dimensions of posttraumatic stress at the successive time points revealed their variability. The level of symptoms related to avoidance did not decrease significantly in the period between one and six months following the diagnosis, or between six months and one year following the diagnosis. Conclusions: The study results provide grounds for putting forward of recommendations concerning diagnostic and therapeutic measures. At the time of diagnosis, parents should be provided with special psychological intervention, whereas, at next stages of a child’s treatment, therapists should focus their attention mostly on avoidance symptoms and the role they play in the process of parents’ adaptation to their child’s illness.
Quartz crystal microbalance monitoring of large-area graphene anodization reveals layer fracturing
Authors: Svetlova Anastasia , Beltramo Guillermo , Kireev Dmitry , Offenhäusser Andreas
Published: April 2021

Graphene has numerous potential applications in ultrathin electronics. There an electrode should function in contact with fluids and under mechanical stress; therefore, its stability is specifically of concern. Here, we explored a custom-made quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor covered with wet-transferred large-scale monolayer graphene for investigation of an electrode behavior. Monolayer graphene was found to be stable on an oscillating substrate in contact with air and liquid. Under the liquid flow and simultaneously applied electrochemical potential, we managed to induce graphene oxidation, impact of which was observed on a quartz crystal microbalance monitoring and Raman spectra. Applied potentials of 1 V and higher (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode) caused graphene oxidation which led to loss of the layer integrity and erosion of the material.

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