bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postnatal maternal care moderates the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on offspring neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and transcriptomic outcomes
Authors: Lauby Samantha C. , Lapp Hannah E. , Salazar Melissa , Semyrenko Sofiia , Chauhan Danyal , Margolis Amy E. , Champagne Frances A.
Published: June 2024

Bisphenols (BP), including BPA and “BPA-free” structural analogs, are commonly used plasticizers that are present in many plastics and are known endocrine disrupting chemicals. Prenatal exposure to BPA has been associated with negative neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes in children and in rodent models. Prenatal BPA exposure has also been shown to impair postnatal maternal care provisioning, which can also affect offspring neurodevelopment and behavior. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the biological effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenols other than BPA and the interplay between prenatal bisphenol exposure and postnatal maternal care on adult behavior. The purpose of the current study was to determine the interactive impact of prenatal bisphenol exposure and postnatal maternal care on neurodevelopment and behavior in rats. Our findings suggest that the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on eye-opening, adult attentional set shifting and anxiety-like behavior in the open field are dependent on maternal care in the first five days of life. Interestingly, maternal care might also attenuate the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on eye opening and adult attentional set shifting. Finally, transcriptomic profiles in male and female medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala suggest that the interactive effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure and postnatal maternal care converge on estrogen receptor signaling and are involved in biological processes related to gene expression and protein translation and synthesis. Overall, these findings indicate that postnatal maternal care plays a critical role in the expression of the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on neurodevelopment and adult behavior. Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms involved might allow us to identify potential avenues to mitigate the adverse effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure and improve health and well-being in human populations.
The effect of outcome-based education on clinical performance and perception of pediatric care of the third-year nursing students in Mongolia
Authors: Lkhagvaa Khishigdelger , Tsogbadrakh Basbish , Gochoosuren Gankhuyag , Badamdorj Oyungoo , Stark Azadeh
Published: June 2024

Background

Mongolian government has set improvement of clinical proficiency of nursing students as one of its priorities. Nursing professionals have the sentinel role in providing healthcare services in rural areas. Outcome-based education (OBE) offers a promising pedagogical approach to actively mentally engage students to strengthen their clinical proficiencies. We implemented a pilot project with the objective of comparing students’ clinical performance under OBE with our traditional didactic techniques.

Methods

The researchers implemented a non-equivalent two-armed quasi-experimental post-test-only’ design approach study. The intervention arm (n = 34) received OBE pediatric training, while the control arm (n = 32) received the traditional pedagogical pediatric nursing training. Each arm of the study completed 16 hours of theory, 32 hours of clinical skills practice and 32 hours of seminars in pediatric nursing care. Data were collected using a five-section instrument, Demographic, Competency Inventory, Nursing Students’ Satisfaction, Course Experience, and Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Performance and knowledge proficiencies were evaluated by applying the two-sided independent T-test. The distributions of categorical variables were assessed by Fisher’s exact test or chi-squared test of significance.

Results

The intervention arm had higher mean score value in the competency inventory (X¯ = 238.70, SD = ± 23.07) compared to the control arm (X¯ = 222.11, SD = ± 39.94) (P = 0.04); similarly, the mean value for nursing students’ satisfaction was higher for the intervention arm (X¯ = 117.87, SD = ± 15.94) compared to the control group (X¯ = 109.76, SD = ± 16.94) (P = 0.049). Additionally, the difference in the mean value for course experience questionnaire between the intervention arm (X¯ = 125.33, SD = ± 19.30) and the control arm (X¯ = 110.41, SD = ± 11.28) was statistically significant (P = 0.0001). Finally, the intervention arm had a higher mean value (X¯ = 85.40, SD = ± 6.11) for objective structural clinical examination compared to the control arm (X¯ = 81.56, SD = ± 7.01) (P = 0.023).

Conclusion

OBE pedagogical approach offers promising benefits to improving nursing students’ clinical competencies; additionally, the OBE approach seems to increase students’ satisfactions with their clinical curriculum.
Do not believe everything you see online: The relationship between social media use, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and engagement in preventive behaviours
Authors: Mingoia John , Busque Brianna Le
Published: June 2024

Social media use has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and a proliferation of conspiracy beliefs about the pandemic has been seen on these platforms. We investigate (1) the extent to which people use social media to find health information, hold conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 and engage in preventive behaviours; (2) whether belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories mediated the relationship between using social media for health information and engaging in preventive behaviours and (3) whether differences exist in social media use between those who hold and those who do not hold COVID-19 pandemic conspiracy beliefs. Participants (N = 262; M age = 28.61, SD = 10.33) completed an online questionnaire with measures of social media use, conspiracy beliefs and engagement in COVID-19 preventive behaviours. We found participants used social media for over thirty minutes per day for health information and that approximately one in three people hold at least one conspiracy belief about COVID-19. Belief in conspiracy theories mediated the relationship between social media use and engagement in preventive behaviours. Furthermore, people who used Instagram for health information and those who primarily turned to influencer and personal accounts for health information were more likely to hold conspiracy beliefs.
New species of Corydalis DC. (Fumariaceae) from Western Caucasus
Authors: Mikhailova Marina A. , Shilnikov Dmitry S. , Sochivko Andrey V.
Published: June 2024

A new species, Corydalis arkhyzica Mikhailova et Shilnikov (sect. Corydalis), is described from Western Caucasus, the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic, the Pkhiya Pass at the junction of Abishir Akhuba and Arkasara ridges. The species differs from C. teberdensis A. P. Khokhr. by lemon-yellow (not white) corolla and shorter style, from C. paczoskii N. Busch by lemon-yellow (not purple-rose) corolla and shape of bracts, from both of them by thick (not thin) leaves.
Chromosome numbers of some native Iranian plants
Authors: Vaghefi Mirzadeh Saeedeh Sadat , Amini Rad Mohammad , Ashrafi Soheila , Jalili Adel
Published: June 2024

Chromosome numbers of 11 native species from five families (Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae, and Fabaceae) of Iran were investigated. Most of them are endemic or subendemic species. This study aimed to determine chromosome number and provide general information on karyotype characteristics of selected native species of Iran. For Achillea kellalensis (2n = 18), Noccidium hastulatum (2n = 14), Phlomoides glabra (2n = 22), Astragalus gompholobium (2n = 16), Astragalus urbanus (2n = 16), Astragalus askius (2n = 16), Oxytropis iranica (2n = 16), chromosome numbers are reported for the first time, for Prangos uloptera (2n = 44) for the first time based on material from Iran.
Astragalus teskhemicus Sytin et Shaulo (Fabaceae) is a new species for the flora of Mongolia
Authors: Dulepova Natalya A. , Koroluk Andrey Yu. , Pankova Tatyana V. , Shemetova Tatyana A.
Published: June 2024

Information is provided on the occurrence of Astragalus teskhemicus in the central and northwestern parts of Mongolia. The species was previously considered endemic to the Tsuger-Els sands in southern Tyva. It has been established that A. teskhemicus occurs as part of psammophyte communities – thyme and wormwood.
Sleep duration and periodontal health in older adults: an analysis of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study
Authors: Muniz Francisco , Pola Natália , da Silveira Taciane , Hugo Fernando , Hilgert Juliana , Simonsick Eleanor
Published: June 2024

Objective: To analyze the association between sleep duration and periodontal parameters in older adults. Materials and Methods: Data from 1,136 community-resident older adults participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study were used. Hours of sleep per night were determined by self-report. Probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were evaluated for all teeth present. Periodontal disease was categorized, considering different cut-points of PPD (at least one site with ≥4mm, ≥5mm, or ≥6mm) and CAL (≥3mm in >20%, >30%, or >40% of the sites). Multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance was used to estimate the association of PPD and CAL with sleep duration (>5h/day, >6h/day, and >7h/day). Analyses were adjusted by sociodemographic, behavioral, medical history, and oral health factors. Results: No association was observed between sleep duration and any level of PPD. However, older adults who sleep >7h/day presented a 15% higher prevalence ratio (PR) of presenting CAL ≥3mm in ≥30% of the sites (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.29). A similar trend was observed for CAL ≥3mm in ≥40% sites and sleep duration of >7h/day, but did not achieve statistical significance (PR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.99–1.36). Conclusion: Sleep duration was not consistently associated with periodontal parameters in older adults.
Las empresas basadas en el conocimiento universitarias (spin-offs) y las empresas emergentes. Régimen jurídico e incentivos fiscales
Authors: Aguilar Rubio Marina , Vargas Vasserot Carlos
Published: June 2024

La obra trata del régimen jurídico y fiscal en España de las empresas basadas en el conocimiento (spin-offs), de las empresas emergentes (startups) y de la investigación, desarrollo e innovación tecnológica. La novedad e interés de la publicación es innegable, dada la promulgación en fechas recientes de varias normas que afectan a estas materias. En particular, la Ley 17/2022, por la que se modificó la Ley 14/2011 de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y la Innovación, y la posterior promulgación de la Ley Orgánica 2/2023 del Sistema Universitario, la famosa LOSU, elaborada sin la debida coordinación con la norma anterior ni con una adecuada técnica jurídica, lo que ha complicado la interpretación de las medidas legales existentes para incentivar la movilidad temporal del personal investigador a empresas (excedencias y adscripciones) y la prestación de servicios en spin-offs (compatibilidad laboral y exenciones al régimen de incompatibilidades). De manera previa, a modo de introducción, se aborda el origen y la evolución de la función de la transferencia del conocimiento que, desde hace años, las universidades asumen como su tercera misión, junto a las tradicionales de la docencia e investigación. También se analizan los datos de varios indicadores de transferencia (contratos de investigación, patentes, spin-offs, etc.) de las universidades españolas, de los que se desprende que en la última década ha habido un cierto retroceso en alguno de ellos, debido a diversos motivos que son analizados en el estudio. Una manera importante de estimular la innovación es a través de un régimen fiscal que beneficie los gastos e inversiones en I+D que realicen las empresas y estimulen el desarrollo de proyectos innovadores. Por ello, el trabajo se cierra con dos capítulos con un sesgo eminentemente fiscal que abordan, de un lado, el régimen general de los incentivos fiscales a la innovación que contiene la Ley 27/2014 del Impuesto sobre Sociedades y, de otro, las medidas de fomento e impulso de las startups que regulan la Ley 28/2022 de Fomento del Ecosistema de las Empresas Emergentes.
MEMBANGUN INDEKS KOMPOSIT DALAM MENGEVALUASI EFEKTIVITAS KEBIJAKAN SNI WAJIB: LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Pramumardani Ery Vita , Bachtiar Arfan , Arvianto Ary
Published: June 2024

Masih ditemukannya produk yang tidak sesuai standar yang beredar di pasar menjadi dasar perlunya pengukuran efektivitas dari kebijakan SNI wajib di Indonesia. Indeks komposit merupakan salah satu metode yang banyak digunakan untuk menganalisis kebijakan public dan dapat mempermudah dalam monitoring dan kaji ulang kebijakan secara berkala. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi yang diharapkan dapat digunakan sebagai rujukan dalam penelitian pengukuran indeks efektivitas kebijakan SNI wajib, dengan cara melakukan analisis bibliometrik untuk mengetahui tren penelitian saat ini, serta melakukan Systematic Literature Review untuk mengetahui metode dan indikator apa saja yang dapat digunakan. Hasilnya diketahui walaupun terdapat peningkatan tren penelitian 10 tahun terakhir pada jurnal internasional, namun tidak ditemukan penelitian pada bidang standar produk dalam tren tersebut melainkan lebih banyak ditemukan pada kebijakan yang bersifat lingkungan seperti iklim, polusi, sustainability, dan sejenisnya. Sementara itu metode yang paling banyak digunakan adalah Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Benefit of Doubt (BoD), equal weight, entropy weight, dan Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Indikator efektivitas yang paling sering digunakan adalah penurunan impor dan kesesuaian hasil uji pengawasan pasar. Abstract [Building A Composite Index In Evaluating The Effectiveness of Mandatory SNI Policies: Literature Review] The discovery of products that do not comply with standards circulating on the market is the basis for measuring the effectiveness of the mandatory SNI policy in Indonesia. The composite index is a method that is widely used to analyze public policy and can ease to monitor and review policies periodically. This research aims to provide information that is expected to be used as a reference in research measuring the effectiveness index of mandatory SNI policies, by conducting bibliometric analysis to determine current research trends, as well as conducting a Systematic Literature Review to find out what methods and indicators can be used. The results show that although there has been an increase in research trends in the last 10 years in international journals, there was no research found in the field of product standards in this trend, but more was found in environmental policies such as climate, pollution, sustainability, and the like. Meanwhile, the methods most widely used are Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Benefit of Doubt (BoD), equal weight, entropy weight, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The most frequently used indicators of effectiveness are the reduction in imports and the suitability of market surveillance test results.Keywords: composite index; policy effectiveness; product standards; effectiveness indicators; weighting method
Urbanizace, industrializace, feminismus a ženské řeholní kongregace moderní doby: Několik poznámek k možnostem sociálních dějin k dalšímu výzkumu
Authors: Petráček Tomáš
Published: June 2024

The study deals with the typically modern phenomenon of European social and church history, which represents the origin and development of women’s religious congregations. It places the development of this specific form of women’s monastic life in the historical context and shows its connection with the modernization trends of Western society, especially with urbanization, industrialization and the rise of women’s and civic emancipation. Above all, it deals with the question of to what extent the methods and approaches of social history, historical anthropology and history of mentalities can still contribute to a deepened knowledge of this phenomenon. On the other hand, it demonstrates how the history of the activity of women’s congregations needs to be integrated into the economic and social history of the 19th and 20th centuries and what potential they entail for microhistory and history of everyday life.
Introduction to hydrogeology
Authors: Gurwin Jacek
Published: June 2024

Book review: Introduction to hydrogeology, by Johannes C. Nonner, 2015. CRC Press/Balkema, Talor & Francis Group, London, UK. 263 pages. Hardcover price £39.99, ISBN 978-1-138-02890-6 (paperback edition).
New PMMA-InP/ZnS nanohybrid coatings for improving the performance of c-Si photovoltaic cells
Authors: Althumairi Nouf Ahmed , El-Bashir Samah
Published: June 2024

Luminescent down-shifting (LDS) nanohybrid films are considered a potential solution to match the absorption spectrum of photovoltaic (PV) cells with the AM1.5 solar spectrum. LDS films were prepared by spin-coating polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) doped with indium phosphide/zinc sulfide (InP/ZnS) quantum dots (QDs). The effect of doping concentration was investigated using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that all PMMA LDS nanohybrid films were amorphous and exhibited thermal and chemical stability for all the doping concentrations of QDs. The optimal doping concentration was 0.06 wt%, demonstrating a tunable emission of the highest fluorescence quantum yield of 92% and the lowest reabsorption effect. This film showed the maximum enhancement of the efficiency of c-Si PV cells by 24.28% due to the down-conversion of ultraviolet A (UVA) portion of solar spectrum (320–400 nm) to match the sensitivity of c-Si PV cells. The implications of these results are significant for advancing affordable and clean energy in alignment with important sustainable development goals.
Photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and biological potentials of biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using the polar extract of Cyperus scariosus R.Br. (Cyperaceae)
Authors: Afzal Mohammad , Ullah Sher , Assad Nasir , Naeem-ul-Hassan Muhammad , Kanwal Maria , Mubashar Bakhtawar , Shahzad Roeel , Nauman Khan Muhammad , Javed Muhammad Ammar , Wahab Sana , Ali Baber , Adnan Muhammad , Kaplan Alevcan , Sarfraz Muhammad Hassan , Alkahtani Jawaher , Mehdaoui Imane
Published: June 2024

In this study, the polar root extract of Cyperus scariosus R.Br. was used for the biogenic synthesis of ZnO NPs. The results of this study show that ZnO NPs have a spherical structure with an average size of 85.4 nm. The synthesized catalysts were tested for their photocatalytic activity by degrading methyl orange and methylene blue under sunlight. Improved degradation efficiencies of 79.44% and 84.92% were achieved within 120 min. ZnO NPs exhibited strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes (18 mm) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (20 mm) and Gram-negative strains of Escherichia coli (16 mm) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (14 mm), as shown by the inhibition zones, which were comparable to the positive control (ceftriaxone) but larger than the plant root extract. ZnO NPs showed high antioxidant activity, as a ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay value of 66.29 µg (AAE µg·mL−1) and a DPPH value of 57.44 µg (AAE µg·mL−1) were obtained at a concentration of 500 µL, which was higher than those of the C. scariosus root extract. Quantification of the total phenolic and flavonoid content yielded values of 57.63 µg (GAE µg·mL−1) and 70.59 µg (QCE µg·mL−1), respectively. At a concentration of 500 μL (1 mg·mL−1), the tested nanoparticles (NPs) showed a greater anti-inflammatory effect (84.12%) compared to the root extract of C. scariosus (34.39%). Overall, our findings highlight the versatile properties of green synthesized ZnO NPs and demonstrate their potential for environmental remediation and antimicrobial formulations, as well as promising candidates for further investigation in biomedical fields such as drug delivery and therapy.
Facile fabrication of a flower-like superhydrophobic copper surface with superior corrosion resistance
Authors: Jiang Fan , Song Tongyu , Kuang Yilong , Wu Hongyan
Published: June 2024

A superhydrophobic copper coating was prepared by combining ionic liquid copper electrodeposition and a brief stearic acid modification process. After modification, the copper stearic acid was well formed and flower-like clusters were present on the surface of the superhydrophobic coating. Finally, the surface of the sample exhibits a good superhydrophobic performance with a contact angle of 158° and obvious self-cleaning behavior. The results of potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance measurements revealed that the presence of a superhydrophobic surface could improve the anti-corrosion property of the samples.
Kommunikationsdynamiken in „Klassenchats“
Authors: Wenzl Thomas
Published: June 2024

Der Beitrag geht von der Beobachtung aus, dass sich die Kommunikationsdynamiken in Klassenchats von Schüler*innen im Kindes- und im Jugendalter stark unterscheiden. Während die selbstorgansierten Klassenchats von Kindern regelmäßig in einer Flut von Nachrichten versinken, beruhigt sich diese Situation in den Klassenchats jugendlicher Schüler*innen deutlich. Für diese Differenz bietet der Beitrag eine „kommunikationsstrukturelle“ Deutung an, die nicht an den individuellen kommunikativen Voraussetzungen von Kindern und Jugendlichen ansetzt, sondern die die Peergroups von Kindern und Jugendlichen als kollektive Akteure betrachtet. Es wird die These entfaltet, dass die „Interaktionssysteme“ der Kindheit und der Jugend durch zwei zwar ähnliche, letztlich aber doch strukturell verschiedene Gleichheitsprinzipien gekennzeichnet sind, die es im Falle der Kindheit verunmöglichen, dass in größeren Gruppen sinnvoll „öffentlich“ kommuniziert werden kann, während sich in jugendlichen Peergroups allmählich die kollektive Fähigkeit, als Peergroup öffentlich miteinander zu kommunizieren, herausbildet.
Analisis Pengembangan Kurikulum MBKM Program Studi Pendidikan Ekonomi FEB Unnes yang Adaptif dan Berwawasan Konservasi
Authors: Kusumantoro  , Nurkhin Ahmad , Setiaji Khasan
Published: June 2024

Kebijakan MBKM yang dijalankan prodi menghadapi kendala rekognisi dan pelaksanaan yang lebih sesuai dengan bidang studi. Permasalahan yang muncul di prodi Pendidikan Ekonomi FEB UNNES dapat diselesaikan dengan mengembangkan kurikulum MBKM yang lebih adaptif dan berwawasan konservasi. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis pengembangan kurikulum MBKM prodi Pendidikan Ekonomi FEB UNNES yang adaptif dan berwawasan konservasi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian pengembangan untuk menghasilkan kurikulum MBKM Prodi Pendidikan Ekonomi.  Desain penelitian pengambangan mengacu pada pendapat Borg dan Gall (1889) dengan tahapan pengembangan; (1) analisis pendahuluan, (2) pengembangan produk, (3) validasi produk, dan (4) uji kelayakan produk. Penelitian akan dilakukan di program studi Pendidikan Ekonomi FEB UNNES pada bulan Mei sd September 2023. Pihak yang terlibat adalah dosen, mahasiswa, alumni, pengguna alumni, mitra Kerjasama, asosiasi profesi, pengelola prodi sejenis, pakar kurikulum, dan pihak terkait lainnya. Pengembangan kurikulum akan dilakukan melalui kegiatan FGD (focus group discussion), benchmarking, dan tracer study. Hasil dari penelitian ini yaitu terbentuk struktur kurikulum yang masih tetap mengedepankan keahllian program studi namun tidak menghambat dalam mengakomodasi mahasiswa untuk mengikuti kegiatan MBKM.
Schlanke Steuerung eines Effizienz-Programms
Authors: Dingler Markus , Kurtz Dennis
Published: June 2024

Kostensenkungs-Programme werden in der Regel aufwendig neben dem regulären Berichtswesen überwacht und gesteuert. Gruner + Jahr legte hierbei Wert auf transparente Zielbildung sowie offene Kommunikation und angemessene Partizipation in einer von Vertrauen geprägten Führungskultur. So konnte das Programm über fünf Jahre mit einem einfachen, aber hoch wirksamen Controlling-Prozess geführt werden.
Improved vacuum dewatering of grease-proof paper utilizing a multi-slit vacuum suction box in laboratory scale
Authors: Öman Björn , Sjöstrand Björn
Published: June 2024

Grease-proof paper is an energy-demanding paper product to manufacture, especially during refining and dewatering. Increases in energy efficiency in either stage could result in major savings. This article investigates the potential gains with addition of a stepwise progression vacuum suction box to the forming section during production. For both a lighter, 50 g/m2, and a heavier paper grade, 100 g/m2, with a pulp-drainability of 86 °SR, a stepwise progression vacuum suction box in four steps would result in increased dryness, simultaneously with decreased energy expenditure. The observed effects were higher for the lower basis weight paper (50 g/m2). Both basis weights experienced clogging of the forming fabric due to the high degree of refining. This adversely affected the dewatering rate, decreasing the amount of air pulled through the paper even when increasing the vacuum pressure. When a stepwise progression suction box in four steps was compared to a single vacuum suction box, there was a 14% increase in dryness for lighter paper, over an equal energy consumption, measured as amount of air pulled through the paper. For the 100 g/m2 paper, the increase in dryness was 3% compared to the 50 g/m2 paper run over a single vacuum suction box. The results show great promise for energy savings when utilizing stepwise progression suction box dewatering for grease-proof paper production.
Is It Possible to Increase Fertility in Latvia in the Near Future?
Authors: Komarova Vera , Sondore Anita , Čižo Edmunds , Kokarevica Anita
Published: June 2024

This article aims to study the medium-term fertility trend in Latvia answering the following research question: is it possible to increase fertility in the near future, as planned in the “Population Reproduction Strategy FAMILY – LATVIA – 2030 (2050)”? The authors analyzed the total fertility rate (TFR) in Latvia for the period of 1970–2022 (53 years). This interdisciplinary (demography, mathematics, economics, sociology) study applies mathematical analysis for investigating socio-demographic trends, as well as the theory of economic cycles for identifying demographic cycles and their phases in Latvia and forecasting fertility rate in the near future. Furthermore, the analysis of data from comparative sociological surveys helped the authors to understand the main reason for the decline in fertility in Latvia. This reason is value changes in society, in which the child is no longer at the center of the value system of men and especially women in Latvia. In turn, short-term ups and downs in fertility are determined mainly by socio-economic and political factors. Based on the results of differentiating the function of the total fertility rate (TFR) it can be expected that the decline in fertility in Latvia will continue for several more years before the bottom of the next demographic cycle is reached and there will be an upturn in a linearly declining fertility trend. Although, the upcoming bottom will be lower than the previous one, i.e. below 1.22–1.25 children on average per woman and the next peak will most likely be below 1.74. Thus, the increase in TFR in Latvia to 1.77 by 2027, planned in the “Population Reproduction Strategy,” is considered by the authors of this study to be absolutely unattainable.
The influence of health status on the changes of gut microbiota and performance of racing pigeons
Authors: Kalinaj Blažej , Zigo František , Farkašová Zuzana , Lacková Zuzana , Récky Andrej , Arvaiová Juliana , Rehan Ibrahim F.
Published: June 2024

During the race season of racing pigeons, the demands on their care, zoohygienic conditions, balanced feeding and maintaining an optimal state of health increase. Any deviation in the mentioned factors causes a stressful situation associated with the changes in the bacterial representation in the digestive tract, weakens the individual´s state of health and thus reduces his performance. The work aimed to monitor the health status of racing pigeons and evaluate their performance during one racing season. From 60 pigeons, swabs from the cloaca and crop were taken at regular intervals at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the race season with a focus on monitoring the representation of the intestinal microflora and the most common diseases. The pigeons were also clinically examined with subsequent sampling for monitoring coccidiosis, trichomonosis and respiratory syndrom during the individual phases of the race season. The total count of bacteria (TCB) in both the cloaca and the crop did not show any significant variation in their abundance throughout the entire racing season. On the other hand, with increasing stress and the occurrence of diseases, the coliform bacteria (CB) in the cloaca and crop was increased in the end of the racing season. Of the identified bacteria Ent. columbae, E. coli, Ent. faecium, Ent. gallinarum a S. intermedius were most frequently represented in swabs from the cloaca. As in the cloaca, the swabs from the crop were most frequently represented by Ent. columbae a E. coli together with lactobacilli and Ent. gallinarum. At the end of race season, E. coli, Ent. faecium, Ent. columbae and staphylococci were significantly represented in the cloaca and in the crop Ent. columbae, E. coli, Ent. gallinarum together with staphylococci again. By comparing the prevalence of Eimeria spp. and Trichomonas spp. before, during and at the end of the race season were noticed their increased occurrence at the end of the season. From the race placements, we found that in pigeons in which the prevalence of opportunistic pathogens Staphylococcus spp. a Ent. gallinarum from swabs of the cloaca and crop at the lowest level together with the occurrence of Eimeria spp., they achieved constant results the entire race season and also achieved the best points position.
Renal cystic masses management: Literature review
Authors: Maachi Youssef , Fouimtizi Jaafar , Anas Mehedra , Slaoui Amine , Karmouni Tariq , El Khader Khalid , Koutani Abdellatif , Attya Andaloussi Ahmed Iben
Published: June 2024

This review article aims to cover the anatomical and pathological characteristics of cystic renal tumors as well as their treatment. The reason behind delving into this topic is due to an increase in diagnoses of renal cysts, which necessitates knowledge on how to correctly identify and handle potentially malignant lesions. Renal cysts are classified using the Bosniak system by medical professionals worldwide to determine their potential for malignancy. The likelihood of cancerous cells increases from 0% in category I, up to 95% in category IV. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common pathology observed and usually presents with a low grade and stage. Cysts categorised as IIF (indicating follow-up) have a chance of malignancy at around 25%, which necessitates monitoring every six months for five years after detection via imaging such as CT scans, MRI or contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. Although biopsy was formerly not recommended, it can now prevent roughly forty percent of unnecessary surgeries required while treating benign growths. Symptomatic treatments like sclerotherapy or laparoscopic deroofing may be applied if dealing with categories I through II cysts; however, lesion types categorized under III & IV should receive treatment akin to malignant tumours requiring margins that ensure safety during interventions conducted on them.
Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder: a case report
Authors: Boughaleb Abdelmounim , Tariqi Reda , Bote Hicham EL , Abidi Hamza EL , Boualaoui Imad , Ibrahimi Ahmed , Sayegh Hachem EL , Nouini Yassine
Published: June 2024

Background: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCUB) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with limited clinical data due to its infrequency. This case report contributes to the existing knowledge by presenting a patient with SCUB and highlighting the diagnostic workup, treatment course, and clinical outcomes. Case presentation: A 57-year-old man presented with lower urinary tract symptoms and hematuria. Imaging revealed a 4 cm bladder tumor. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) confirmed pT2 sarcomatoid carcinoma. Radical cystoprostatectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and urinary diversion was performed. Pathological examination confirmed SCUB with no lymph node involvement. The patient remains disease-free at two years follow-up. Conclusion: SCUB is an uncommon malignancy with a poor prognosis. Radical cystectomy is the preferred treatment; however, outcomes remain poor. A multimodal approach may offer improved outcomes for locally advanced diseases. Further research is needed to establish more effective treatment strategies.
Hortelã
Authors: da Silva Boneti Rochele
Published: June 2024

Há mais de 25 espécies naturais de plantas do gênero Mentha, sendo que hortelã e menta são nomes popularmente usados para chamar espécies desse gênero. A identificação botânica pode ser dificultada, uma vez que as espécies facilmente se cruzam (Haber; Clemente, 2013). As espécies mais comuns no Brasil são: Mentha spicata L., Mentha piperita L., Mentha ardensis L. e Mentha x villosa Huds (Haber; Clemente, 2013). Neste capítulo, serão apresentadas as espécies: Mentha spicata L. (hortelã-comum) e Mentha piperita L.(hortelã-pimenta).
Noz-Moscada
Authors: Nunes Couto Analie , Freitas Annes Maria Luiza , Côrtes da Rosa Melissa
Published: June 2024

A noz-moscada é uma especiaria altamente valorizada, conhecida desde a Antiguidade por características aromáticas, afrodisíacas e curativas (Agbogidi; Azagbaekwe, 2013). Seu principal uso é como tempero culinário, uma vez que possui uma agradável fragrância aromática e sabor forte, com habilidade para melhorar o sabor de diversas preparações, como bolos, pudins, bebidas e salsichas (Rahman et al., 2015). Neste capítulo, serão apresentados o histórico, as características da planta, o cultivo, a composição química e nutricional, as propriedades fisiológicas e funcionais, a toxicidade e seu uso em preparações culinárias.
Pimenta Dedo-de-Moça
Authors: Pasqualotto Costa Bruna , Bordignon Nunes Fernanda , Viegas Haute Gabriela , Rodrigues de Oliveira Jarbas
Published: June 2024

A pimenta do gênero Capsicum é uma das principais e mais antigas especiarias cultivadas em todo o mundo. Apreciada por sua pungência (ardência), sabor e aroma, a pimenta é um condimento amplamente utilizado na culinária global (Andrews, 1999). No passado, era utilizada, sobretudo, na culinária e na medicina tradicional; atualmente também está presente em produtos farmacêuticos, corantes naturais e cosméticos, agregando importância econômica (Govindarajan; Salzer, 1986; Paran; Knaap, 2007; Kraft et al., 2014).
Sálvia
Authors: da Gama Ettrich Betina
Published: June 2024

Salvia officinalis L. (Figura 1) caracteriza-se por ser uma pequena planta perene subarbustiva, com caules lenhosos, folhas acinzentadas e flores azuis e violáceas. É nativa da região mediterrânea e cultivada em diferentes países (Horváthová et al., 2016).
Wasabi
Authors: Breda Martins Renata , Baccarin Ianiski Valéria , Augustin Schwanke Carla Helena
Published: June 2024

As raízes com sabor pungente agregam sabor e aroma à culinária. Dentre elas, podemos destacar o gênero wasabia, que é compreendido por duas espécies, a Wasabia tenuis (selvagem) e a Wasabia japônica (espécie cultivada e disponível para consumo), pertencente à família das Brassicaceae, conhecida também como raiz-forte japonesa ou wasábia. É um condimento popular em muitos países asiáticos, especialmente na culinária japonesa, acompanhando algumas preparações tradicionais do local, como o sushi e o sashimi (Ortiz, 1994; Loukie; Cox, 2012).
Alecrim
Authors: Goergen Caroline , Velho da Rosa Crissiê , Belato Teixeira Julia , Vieira Pecoits Roberta , Dias da Rosa Rosane
Published: June 2024

O nome “Rosmarinus” tem duas origens possíveis: do latim, significando “orvalho que vem do mar”, e do grego, significando “arbusto aromático”, devido às suas características (Alonso, 1998; Borges et al., 2019). Já a segunda parte do nome científico, “officinalis”, é uma denominação tipicamente empregada na nomenclatura para se referir a plantas com aplicação medicinal (Borges et al., 2019). Em relação ao nome da planta na língua portuguesa, a palavra “alecrim” tem origem no termo árabe al-iklil (Lorenzi; Matos, 2002; Martins et al., 1998; Gomes, 2003).
A prática do futebol e futsal para acadêmicas do curso de Educação Física
Authors: Araújo Farias Ana Vivian , Ramalho Carla Chagas
Published: June 2024

O objetivo geral do estudo foi investigar como ser mulher interfere na prática do conteúdo de futebol e futsal no curso de graduação em Educação Física (EF) licenciatura, na Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (Unimontes). Utilizou-se como método o materialismo histórico-dialético e o instrumento metodológico foi o questionário passado de forma virtual. O questionário continha questões abertas e fechadas e foi distribuído online, via Google Forms, obtendo 12 respondentes. Ao final da pesquisa, foi possível analisar que os desafios, de natureza multifacetada, podem restringir a participação feminina nessas práticas esportivas, prejudicando a capacidade de desenvolvimento pessoal, social e físico que esses esportes oferecem. O resultado permitiu concluir que, nas aulas das disciplinas de futebol/futsal da referida universidade, é possível observar diferenças que incluem oportunidades limitadas, baseadas em estereótipos sobre a falta de habilidades e experiência corporal das mulheres, além de exclusão social e dificuldades na comunicação.
Scotogenic gauge mechanism for neutrino mass and dark matter
Authors: Phung Van Dong , Nguyen Huy Thao
Published: June 2024

Scotogenic is a scheme for neutrino mass generation through the one-loop contribution of an inert scalar doublet and three sterile neutrinos. This work argues that such inert scalar doublet is a Goldstone boson mode associated with a gauge symmetry breaking. Hence, the resultant scotogenic gauge mechanism is very predictive, generating neutrino mass as contributed by a new gauge boson doublet that eats such Goldstone bosons. The dark matter stability is manifestly ensured by a matter parity as residual gauge symmetry for which a vector dark matter candidate is hinted.
Tracking Bodies Motions on the Lunar Surface: Apollo XVI Footage
Authors: Simon Andrea , Michelotti Alessio
Published: June 2024

This manuscript introduces a robust analytical method to trace and analyze the movement of bodies shot during the Apollo XVI mission on the lunar surface. By employing both 2D and 3D analysis techniques, we aim to provide a detailed comparison of the observed kinematic events against theoretical models.
The paper extends a previous work focused on the kinematics of lunar dust utilizing footage from the “Grand Prix” sequence of the Apollo XVI mission "Ballistic motion of dust particles in the Lunar Roving Vehicle dust trails" published in 2012 on the American Journal of Physics by Mihaly Horanyi and Hsiang-Wen Hsu: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258468670 [Ann. 1 – Ann. 2].
The objective is to validate lunar environmental models and enhance the understanding of motion dynamics on the lunar surface. This comprehensive analysis reconstructs the image production chain and the photographic and television transmission technology used during the Apollo 16 mission and indicates the good practices to follow for the correct digital transposition of the various types of film produced. Not only does it reassess existing data but also introduces new methodologies in order to interpret the lunar surface motions of bodies captured during Apollo missions.
Exploiting Contextual Target Attributes for Target Sentiment Classification
Authors: Xing Bowen , Tsang Ivor W.
Published: June 2024

In the past few years, pre-trained language models (PTLMs) have brought significant improvements to target sentiment classification (TSC). Existing PTLM-based models can be categorized into two groups: 1) fine-tuning-based models that adopt PTLM as the context encoder; 2) prompting-based models that transfer the classification task to the text/word generation task. Despite the improvements achieved by these models, we argue that they have their respective limitations. For fine-tuning-based models, they cannot make the best use of the PTLMs’ strong language modeling ability because the pre-train task and downstream fine-tuning task are not consistent. For prompting-based models, although they can sufficiently leverage the language modeling ability, it is hard to explicitly model the target-context interactions, which are widely realized as a crucial point of this task. In this paper, we present a new perspective of leveraging PTLM for TSC: simultaneously leveraging the merits of both language modeling and explicit target-context interactions via contextual target attributes. Specifically, we design the domain- and target-constrained cloze test, which can leverage the PTLMs’ strong language modeling ability to generate the given target’s attributes pertaining to the review context. The attributes contain the background and property information of the target, which can help to enrich the semantics of the review context and the target. To exploit the attributes for tackling TSC, we first construct a heterogeneous information graph by treating the attributes as nodes and combining them with (1) the syntax graph automatically produced by the off-the-shelf dependency parser and (2) the semantics graph of the review context, which is derived from the self-attention mechanism. Then we propose a heterogeneous information gated graph convolutional network to model the interactions among the attribute information, the syntactic information, and the contextual information. The experimental results on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of our model, which achieves new state-of-the-art performance.
Mitigating Value Hallucination in Dyna-Style Planning via Multistep Predecessor Models
Authors: Aminmansour Farzane , Jafferjee Taher , Imani Ehsan , Talvitie Erin J. , Bowling Michael , White Martha
Published: June 2024

Dyna-style reinforcement learning (RL) agents improve sample efficiency over model-free RL agents by updating the value function with simulated experience generated by an environment model. However, it is often difficult to learn accurate models of environment dynamics, and even small errors may result in failure of Dyna agents. In this paper, we highlight that one potential cause of that failure is bootstrapping off of the values of simulated states, and introduce a new Dyna algorithm to avoid this failure. We discuss a design space of Dyna algorithms, based on using successor or predecessor models---simulating forwards or backwards---and using one-step or multi-step updates. Three of the variants have been explored, but surprisingly the fourth variant has not: using predecessor models with multi-step updates. We present the \emph{Hallucinated Value Hypothesis} (HVH): updating the values of real states towards values of simulated states can result in misleading action values which adversely affect the control policy. We discuss and evaluate all four variants of Dyna amongst which three update real states toward simulated states --- so potentially toward hallucinated values --- and our proposed approach, which does not. The experimental results provide evidence for the HVH, and suggest that using predecessor models with multi-step updates is a fruitful direction toward developing Dyna algorithms that are more robust to model error.
Çandarlı Mahmud Çelebi ve İznik Vakfı
Authors: Özyalvaç Şükriye Pınar
Published: June 2024

Anadolu’daki beyliklerden biri olarak tarih sahnesine çıkan Osmanlı Devleti, büyük
bir imparatorluk olma sürecinde güçlü ve vizyon sahibi devlet adamlarıyla siyasi ve iktisadi
politikasına yön vermiştir. Kuruluş devrinde bu vazifenin önemli bir kısmını üstlenen
Çandarlı ailesi, yaklaşık yüz yıl sultanların hizmetinde yer alan nüfuzlu yöneticiler
yetiştirmiştir. Devletin siyasi yönetim sahasını genişletmesinde, teşkilatlanmasında,
Osmanlı kimliğinin kentlere yerleşmesinde önemli roller üstlenen bu aile vakıflar yoluyla
da toplumda bütünleştirici bir rol üstlenmiştir. Bu bağlamda çalışma, ailenin kurucusu
Kara Halil Paşa’nın torunu Çandarlı Mahmud Çelebi’ye odaklanmış ve onun 15. yüzyıla
tarihlenen İznik’teki vakıf kompleksinin işlevi değerlendirilmiştir. Cumhurbaşkanlığı
Osmanlı Arşivi, Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü defterleri (TK.GK.d) tasnifinde
yer alan 2149 numaralı vakfiye defterinin ana kaynak olarak ele alındığı bu çalışmada,
Mahmud Çelebi’nin içinde bulunduğu siyasî, sosyal ve iktisadî şartlar dikkate alınarak
sahip olduğu imkânlar ve bunları tasarruf etme yöntemleri araştırılmıştır. Bu amaçla
öncelikle Mahmud Çelebi’nin hayatı ile vakfın tesis edildiği yüzyıldaki tarihî çevreye
değinilmiş ardından vakfın kuruluş aşaması, yönetimi, personeli, mutfak harcamaları ve gelir kaynakları incelenmiştir. Böylece Osmanlı mimarisinin ilk örneklerini veren
Çandarlı ailesinin bir mensubu olan Mahmud Çelebi’nin, vakıf eserleri üzerinden siyasî
ve sosyal yapı üzerindeki katkısı anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır.
Gün Görmeyen Sokak ve Havada Bulut Yok Adlı Romanlara Karşılaştırmalı Bir Bakış
Authors: Biçer İsmail Alperen
Published: June 2024

Bu makale, Şahap Sıtkı İlter’in Gün Görmeyen Sokak ile Cevdet Kudret Solok’un
Havada Bulut Yok adlı romanlarından yola çıkarak yazarların gerçek karşısındaki
tavırlarını, toplumsal gerçekliğe bakışlarını karşılaştırmalı olarak incelemeyi amaçlıyor.
Her ikisi de 1958 yılında yayımlanan bu romanlarda, dönemin sanat ve edebiyat anlayışına
uygun olarak sırasıyla Nurseren ve Süleyman isimli iki ‘öğretmen’ gözüyle mahalle
sakinlerine, köye, köylüye ve memura bakılır. Romanların hâkim zihniyeti; eğitimin ve
kalkınmanın önemi, orta ve alt tabakaya mensup insanların içinde bulundukları durumun
epey zorlu ve eziyetli oluşudur. Bunlarla beraber Şahap Sıtkı, toplumsal gerçekliği
sanatkâr duyarlılığıyla görmesine rağmen eserin kurmaca dünyasını ve bu dünyanın
kişilerini sosyal ve ekonomik temelde ele almaz; eserinde değindiği toplumsal sorunlara
karşı bir ‘çözüm yolu’ veya ‘reçete’ sunmaz. Buna mukabil Cevdet Kudret, her ne kadar
başarısızlıkla sonuçlansa da toplumsal gerçeklik karşısında ‘müdahaleci’ bir tavır takınır;
roman kişisi Süleyman üzerinden yanlış bulduğu gerçeklikle mücadele eder. Bu bağlamda
denebilir ki Gün Görmeyen Sokak realist; Havada Bulut Yok ise toplumcu gerçekçi bir
romandır.
Evliya Çelebi Mizahının İzahı
Authors: Çakmak Cengiz
Published: June 2024

Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnâme’si, Osmanlı sahasında yazılmış, alanının en önemli
eseri olarak dikkat çekmektedir. Seyyahın anlatımında, kendine has dil ve üslubun temel
dayanaklarından biri onun mizahçı mizacıdır. İlhamını yaşadığı dönemin zengin
ve verimli mizah atmosferinden alan Evliya Çelebi, mizahçı mizacının ve kibar-komik
bakış açısının yardımıyla güldüren birçok olay ve hikâye anlatmaktadır. Seyahatnâme
düşünüldüğünde bu koca eserin meydana getirilmesinde ilk sebep, kökende yer alan ironik
bir “dil sürçmesi”dir. Mizahi kökenli bir olayla başlayan yolculuk boyunca mizahın
türlü veçhelerinin izlerine rastlanmaktadır. Latifeler, şakalar, nükteler, gülünç hikâyeler
vasıtasıyla görünen mizahın altında başka aparatların veya gereçlerin kullanıldığı
izlenmektedir. Bu gereçlerden ilki “Söz Cambazlıkları”dır. Cinaslı, uyaklı, ikilemeli
tekerlemeler şeklindeki bu gülümseten aparatlar, ya satırlar boyunca devam eden “uzatmalı”
örnekler ya “Komik Benzetmeler” ya da herhangi bir şehrin isminin kökenine dair
seyyahın “uydurma”larıdır. İkincisi, bilmezlenerek dolaylı yollardan anlatma durumları
için kullanılan “Tecahülüarifane Şakalar”dır. Son olarak “Grotesk Nitelikteki Şakalar”
şeklinde kodlanabilecek “halkın gülüşü” metaforuyla kapsanan, bedensellik ilkesinin imgeleri (yeme, içme, dışkılama ve cinsel hayata ait imgelerin temsili), norm karşıtlığı
ve sövgülü anlatımlardan oluşan mizahi yapıdır.