bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemical products for corn bacterial streak control
Authors: Pietrobon Alex Junior , Duarte Júnior José Barbosa , Kuhn Odair José
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum is one of the main bacterial diseases in corn, which causes damage to crops due to its fast dissemination and difficult control. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chemical products on its control and corn grain yield. The experimental design was randomized blocks, in a 2 x 7 factorial arrangement, with three replications. The first factor consisted of the corn hybrids P30F53VYHR (more resistant to the disease) and P4285VYHR (more susceptible) and the second one of six active ingredients (kasugamycin, sulfur, cuprous oxide, copper oxychloride, quaternary ammonia and potassium phosphite) and one control (no application). The obtained data were used to estimate the area under the disease progress curve. The products based on quaternary ammonia, cuprous oxide, copper oxychloride and kasugamycin provided a greater disease control. P30F53VYHR presented a higher grain yield than that for P4285VYHR. Therefore, the use of a genetically resistant hybrid is an efficient alternative for the management of this bacteriosis.
Genetic variability of the initial growth of Eugenia dysenterica DC.: implications for conservation and breeding1
Authors: Boaventura-Novaes Carolina Ribeiro Diniz , Novaes Evandro , Mota Elias Emanuel Silva , Telles Mariana Pires de Campos , Chaves Lázaro José
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT Eugenia dysenterica DC. is a native tree from the Brazilian Savanna known as a genetic resource for its fruits and culinary potential. The knowledge on the genetic variability of agronomic traits is important to support studies on its conservation and domestication. This study aimed to estimate the quantitative genetic parameters of initial growth traits among and within E. dysenterica subpopulations, in provenance and progeny testing, and establish a germplasm collection representative of the species distribution. For that, 25 natural subpopulations were sampled and, within each subpopulation, six mother trees. The progenies were sown in a nursery, in a randomized complete blocks design consisting of 150 progenies, four replications and five plants per plot. The analysis of variance of the initial development traits revealed a greater variability among the progenies within the subpopulation than that observed among the subpopulations. The aboveground biomass represented only 15 % of the total biomass, a recurrent characteristic in Brazilian Savanna species. The estimated heritability and coefficients of genetic variation presented selection potential for the initial development traits, which are important for commercial seedlings production. An in vivo ex situ germplasm collection was established for conservation and breeding purposes, using a sample of four plants from each progeny.
Fertilization factor associated with nitrogen sufficiency index for nitrogen topdressing fertilization in common bean
Authors: Nascimento Gustavo Henrique do , Moraes Luciana Correa , Moreira Silvino Guimarães , Martins Fábio Aurélio Dias , Pimentel Guilherme Vieira
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT The current recommendations for nitrogen (N) doses may not contemplate the complex dynamics of N in the soil, what may imply in insufficiency to the crop demand. This study aimed to evaluate the use of two portable chlorophyll meters (Minolta SPAD 502 and ClorofiLOG model CFL 1030), after defining the nitrogen sufficiency index (NSI), to estimate the nitrogen fertilization factor in modern bean genotypes. A block design was used, with four replications. Each experiment consisted of four treatments, with doses of 0, 5, 10 and 20 kg ha-1 of N for each 1 % considered below the NSI defined as adequate for each cultivar. At the end of the cycle, the production components and yield were evaluated. It was not possible to obtain precise adjustments in the methodology for the TAA Gol cultivar. The fertilization factor of 12.5 kg ha-1 of N for each 1 % below the NSI of 90 % proved to be efficient for the Pérola cultivar, when the SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter was used. In genotypes with size and cycle characteristics similar to those of the BRSMG Uai cultivar and the VR 20 strain, using a fertilization factor between 14 and 16 kg ha-1 of N, the NSI of 95 % must be reduced, in order to increase the efficiency of the nitrogen fertilization.
Agronomic potential and indications for the genetic breeding of sweet corn local varieties carrying the sugary1 gene
Authors: Souza Rosenilda de , Ogliari Juliana Bernardi , Seledes Rose Mari , Maghelly Otávio Rechsteiner , Reichert Júnior Francisco Wilson
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) local varieties are important gene sources for breeding programs, mainly in participatory research models. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of seven sweet corn local varieties (2255A, 2029A, 2276A, 2514A, 3000A, 741B and 319A) carrying the sugary1 gene under homozygotic condition and two controls, at four environments [Anchieta (altitudes: 422 and 717 m), Guaraciaba (altitude: 624 m) and Florianópolis (altitude: 5 m)], in the Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The varieties 3000A and 319A showed a good performance in the different altitudes for ear and grain length and ear yield. At intermediate altitudes (422 and 624 m), the mean husked ear yield (milky grain) of these varieties were close to 12.5 t ha-1 (3000A) and 10.0 t ha-1 (319A). The varieties 2029A, 741B, 2514A, 2276A and 2255A stood out for ear length and diameter, number of ear rows and grain length. The best performance of the sweet corn local varieties was observed in their region of origin, mainly at altitudes ranging from 400 to 650 m. These varieties are adapted to the region and are promising alternatives to be used in breeding programs focused on finding a greater potential variability for selection purposes.
EN COMPAÑÍA DE PAULO FREIRE: APRENDIENDO A DEVENIR
Authors: Llavador José Beltrán
Published: December 2021

RESUMEN El texto que sigue a continuación es un breve ejercicio de biograficidad, que sirve para seleccionar y ordenar algunos fragmentos de un itinerario académico y profesional jalonados por la presencia y la influencia del pedagogo brasileño Paulo Freire. La teoría de la biograficidad sostiene que la vida puede verse enriquecida con su relato, y que este contribuye a reordenar y dar sentido a las acciones del pasado y en curso. Este relato privilegia los momentos en los que el autor ha contado con la influencia –con la compañía intelectual y humana– de Paulo Freire. Sin duda, el mundo se ha enriquecido notablemente con la conversación, a la que me han invitado los escritos de Paulo Freire.
Methodological Features of the Formation of the Model of Healthcare Financing
Authors: Gradoboev Evgeny
Published: December 2021

The situation when, in the context of unsystematic risks caused by the influence of unpredictable factors, there is a need to implement reasonable methods of regulating the state of the health sector, manifested itself in practice during the period of threat to public health. In this regard, the theoretical substantiation of the ways of implementing the functions of healthcare management based on the assessment of the state and stages of development is an urgent area of research. Based on the study of threats to the economic security of the socio-economic system from healthcare in the regions of the Russian Federation, the article examines the main provisions of the theory of life cycles and evaluates the legitimacy of the formulated hypothesis about its applicability to the healthcare financing model. In the article, taking into account the substantiation of the legitimacy of the author's hypothesis about the dependence of the economic security of the socio-economic system on the healthcare financing mechanism, the requirements for the methodological approach to the model for assessing the economic security of the region are proposed. It is shown that on the basis of the implementation of the main provisions of the life cycle theory, subject to their meaningful development, it is possible to form such a model of the evolutionary transformation of the healthcare financing mechanism, which ensures a stable state of the socio-economic system of the region. Requirements for the healthcare financing model, which ensure the necessary state of economic security of the regional socio-economic system, are formulated.
Three-dimensional contact stresses of a slick solid rubber tyre on a rigid surface
Authors: De Beer M , Van Rensburg Y , Maina J W
Published: December 2021

The main aim of this paper is to quantify the three-dimensional contact stresses imposed by a single slow-moving (or rolling) slick solid rubber tyre on a relatively rough contact surface, such as stiff asphalt concrete or airport concrete surfacing layers. The results indicated the tyre-contact patch of a slick solid rubber tyre to be of rectangular shape for a vertical tyre loading range between 20 kN and 100 kN. The rectangular tyre contact shape was confirmed with static paper prints, as well as an electronically measured contact patch with the stress-in-motion pad device. The study included load calibration using a mass load scale, and a stress-in-motion device. These were used with an existing full-scale accelerated pavement test device, referred to as the heavy vehicle simulator. In addition, simplistic multi-layer linear elastic modelling was used to quantify differences between stress and strain responses of two types of two relatively 'stiff' based pavements, such as an asphalt concrete base and Portland cement concrete base, on similar subbase and subgrade layers. Notable differences were obtained, which could potentially influence further detailed studies on the performance of full-scale slick solid rubber tyres on typical multi-layered pavements.
Who is a Competent Person?
Authors: Marshall T.R.
Published: December 2021

SAMREC (The South African Code for the Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves) Clause 7 notes that 'Documentation detailing Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves from which a Public Report is prepared must be prepared by, or under the direction of, and signed by a Competent Person.' Similar statements with respect to Competent Valuators (CVs) and Qualified Reserves Evaluators (QREs) are contained in the SAMVAL (South African Code for the Reporting of Mineral Asset Valuations) and SAMOG (South African Code for the Reporting of Oil & Gas Resources) codes respectively. What does it mean to be a Competent Person (CP) in the context of compiling/signing-off on SAMCODE (South African Mineral Code) compliant documents? What do the registration and experience requirements mean? Who is ultimately responsible for the report and what does such responsibility prescribe?
Sulphate removal technologies for the treatment of mine-impacted water
Authors: van Rooyen M. , van Staden P.J. , du Preez K.A.
Published: December 2021

Mine-impacted water, including acid mine drainage (AMD), is a global problem. While precipitation of dissolved metals and neutralization of acidity from mine-impacted water is accomplished relatively easily with lime addition, removal of sulphate to permissible discharge limits is challenging. This paper presents a high-level comparison of four sulphate removal technologies, namely reverse osmosis, ettringite precipitation, barium carbonate addition, and biological sulphate reduction. Primarily operating costs, based on reagent and utility consumptions, are compared. Each process is shown to be subject to a unique set of constraints which might favour one over another for a specific combination of location and AMD composition. Access to and cost of reagents would be a key cost component to any of the processes studied. The total cost calculated for each process also depends on the type of effluents that are allowed to be discharged.
Evolution of oxide and nitride inclusions during processing of stainless steel
Authors: Kacar Y. , Kruger D. , Pistorius P.C.
Published: December 2021

Because of its superior properties, stainless steel has been widely used for many applications. Nonmetallic inclusions can influence the quality of stainless steel products. A set of samples was used to track the response of inclusion composition during processing of a heat of titanium-bearing 18% chromium steel, from deoxidation after decarburization, to the solidified slab. The oxide inclusions responded as expected to additions of deoxidizers and calcium treatment, changing from silica to alumina and spinels, and then to calcium aluminates. The samples confirmed that titanium nitride can nucleate on liquid calcium aluminate during steel solidification.
Connecting assessment and feedback: A customised and personalised experience for knowledge-building
Authors: Mahabeer Pryah , Akoo Fathima Firoz
Published: December 2021

Formative assessment coupled with effectual feedback is instrumental in enhancing student-learning experience and contributing to knowledge-building. However, feedback does not always translate into the desired outcomes for students receiving feedback and this compromises educational experiences and goals. In this small-scale empirical study, we worked with five postgraduate Honours students at a university in South Africa to explore their experiences of feedback on formative assessments in the learning space. We focused in a nuanced way on innovative opportunities and practices of feedback in the digital age. The data collected from the semi-structured interviews revealed that participants understood the value of quality formative assessment and feedback. Most participants reacted negatively to assessment grids and feedback received from lecturers. Some were unaccustomed to digital formative assessment and feedback as a developmental tool. They recommended a discipline-specific blended feedback approach that incorporates face-to-face feedback to make the digital feedback provided to them more meaningful. This would provide useful feedback that would create a customised and personalised learning experience for students in collaborative knowledge-building.
Teacher support, preparedness and resilience during times of crises and uncertainty: COVID-19 and education in the Global South
Authors: Sayed Yusuf , Singh Marcina , Bulgrin Eva , Henry Martin , Williams Dierdre , Metcalfe Mary , Pesambili Joseph , Mindano George
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing education inequities, further marginalising those with poor and limited education opportunities, particularly in conflict, fragile, and insecure contexts. In the Global South, the COVID-19 pandemic compounds existing crises, frailties, and inequities as the impoverished suffer food insecurity, physical conflict, and crises of health and water. Existing research suggests that the pandemic has further disadvantaged marginalised communities, weakened learner performance, increased learning losses, and stretched already strained education budgets. However, little is known about the role of teachers in the policymaking process relating to matters that have a direct impact on their work. It is this gap that we address in this paper. Drawing on research, commissioned by the Open Society Foundation and Education International, based on a detailed desk-based review and interviews with purposefully selected Teachers' Union and Government officials in eight African countries, we examine the role of teachers in education policy-making processes and the kinds of support made available to them, or the lack thereof, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the conceptual framing of de Sousa Santos's sociology of absences and cognitive injustice, we demonstrate that teachers have been absent from policymaking processes and have not been adequately provided with the necessary professional development (PD) and psychosocial support to navigate the uncertainties and pedagogical requirements imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
¿Debemos rendirle culto a María y a los santos? ¿Qué rol tienen ellos en nuestra salvación?
Authors: Álvarez Cristhian
Published: December 2021

La Iglesia Católica afirma que es posible rendir alguna clase de culto a María y los santos, aunque se diferencian en el honor que reciben porque el culto a María es superior. Sin embargo, las Escrituras no favorecen esto, pues enseñan que toda adoración debe ser dada a Dios, y nunca a una criatura. El presente artículo se explora la evidencia bíblica de todas las prerrogativas que el catolicismo asigna a María y la mediación de los santos en el cielo. En el NT, solo Jesús es el único mediador entre Dios y los hombres, y solo por medio de Él las personas llegan a Dios.
Engineering solutions for biological studies of flow-exposed endothelial cells on orbital shakers v1
Authors: Fernandes Andreia , Hosseini Vahid , Vogel Viola , Lovchik Robert
Published: December 2021

Shear stress is extremely important for endothelial cell (EC) function. The popularity of 6-well plates on orbital shakers to impose shear stress on ECs has increased among biologists due to their low cost and simplicity. One characteristic of such a platform is the heterogeneous flow profile within a well. While cells in the periphery are exposed to a laminar and high-velocity pulsatile flow that mimics physiological conditions, the flow in the center is disturbed and imposes low shear stress on the cells, which is characteristic of atheroprone regions. For studies where such heterogeneity is not desired, we present a simple cell-patterning technique to selectively prevent cell growth in the center of the well and facilitate the exclusive collection and analysis of cells in the periphery. This guarantees that cell phenotypes will not be influenced by secreted factors from cells exposed to other shear profiles nor that interesting results may be obscured by mixing cells from different regions. We also present a multi-staining platform that compartmentalizes each well into 5 smaller independent regions: four at the periphery and one in the center. This is ideal for studies that aim to grow cells on the whole well surface, for comparison with previous work and minimal interference in the cell culture, but require screening of markers by immunostaining afterwards. It allows to compare different regions of the well, reduces antibody-related costs, and allows the exploration of multiple markers essential for high-content screening of cell response. By increasing the versatility of the 6-well plate on an orbital shaker system, we hope that these two solutions motivate biologists to pursue studies on EC mechanobiology and beyond.
Cross-linking/MS analysis of TBEV and neuroblastoma cells v1
Authors: Barrass Sarah , I. A. Pulkkinen Lauri , Vapalahti Olli , H. Kuivanen Suvi , Anastasina Maria , Happonen Lotta , J. Butcher Sarah
Published: December 2021

Virus-host protein-protein interactions are central to viral infection, but are challenging to identify and characterise, especially in complex systems involving intact viruses and cells. Here, we describe a proteome-wide approach to identify virus-host interactions using chemical cross-linking coupled with mass spectrometry. We adsorbed tick-borne encephalitis virus onto metabolically-stalled neuroblastoma cells, covalently cross-linked interacting virus-host proteins, and performed limited proteolysis to release primarily the surface-exposed proteins for analysis by mass spectrometry. Proteins in the sample were identified using data-dependent acquisition mass spectrometry and cross-linked peptides were identified using the software pLink2. Cross-links are validated using the intraviral cross-links as an internal control.
Test Document Protocol v1
Authors: Test Test
Published: December 2021

This is a test
MODERN FEATURES OF EMPLOYMENT TRANSFORMATION AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL OF BANKING INSTITUTIONS
Authors: Grishnova O.А.
Published: December 2021

The article defines the essence of the process of employment transformation, characterizes current trends related to socio-economic and innovation-technological development of the economy, their impact on employment, human and social capital of organizations. Based on the analysis, it is emphasized that modern changes in the structure of employment are caused by a symbiosis of two factors: the spread of new non-standard forms of employment and models of working time and global digitalization of all spheres of socio-economic activity. Main trends in the field of employment, which are complex in nature, have been identified. In accordance with results of the research, a model of employment transformation under the influence of modern tendencies is built, within the framework of which special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the development of non-standard forms of employment. In order to assess the impact of modern transformational changes in employment and opportunities for national enterprises to adapt to these changes, the potential of Ukraine is analyzed by a system of indicators for assessing the competitiveness of human and social capital in the context of main parameters of modern innovation environment. An assessment of the relationship between the dynamics of main indicators of the banking sector and the level of employment in it by groups of banks, which determined that the causes of qualitative and quantitative changes in employment structure of banking institutions were quarantine measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and digitalization. The impact of digitalization and the spread of non-standard forms of employment have led to imbalances in the structure of labor and occupations, loss of much human capital, but made it possible to save the banking system from economic processes caused by the crisis and its social capital. Prospects for the development of human and social capital in accordance with transformational changes in employment in banking sector, involving the mobilization of modern knowledge, skills, development of professional skills and other components that characterize the level of compliance of modern banking with requirements of the profession.
Ensuring Legal Protection of the Results of Intellectual Activity and the Commercialization of Rights to Them in the EAEU
Authors: Ivliev G. P. , Egorova M. A.
Published: December 2021

The paper is devoted to the legislative and organizational instruments employed to ensure protection of the results of intellectual activity and the commercialization of rights to them in the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), in particular in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan (Observer in the EAEU). The authors have examined the regulatory and legal framework in the field of intellectual property of the EAEU countries, the experience of national patent offices, problematic issues of the modern development of the intellectual property (IP) market, commercialization of the results of intellectual activity (RIA). The role of the intellectual property market institutions in the management of rights to RIA was identified using a Russian venture company as a case study. The legislation analysis has revealed differences in approaches and depth of elaboration of the IP market institutionalization, heterogeneity of innovative and technical potential and legislation in the field of innovation. In addition, the analysis has determined the tasks of the EAEU member countries in the field of intellectual property protection and the need for further integration of the EAEU countries to form an effective IP market. The paper draws attention to the possibility of integrating the EAEU member states in the field of IP, which is important in the context of the progressive socio-economic development of countries. At the level of national economies, it is advisable to form IP ecosystems with due regard to the harmonization of the EAEU countries legislation in the field of protection of rights to RIA, as well as to create conditions for an effective institutional environment, that is flexible and adaptive in relation to all EAEU countries interested in cooperation. Constructing an interstate system of legal, financial, organizational mechanisms for the commercialization of rights to IP objects, using IP objects and the dissemination of best practices, for example, the experience of the Russian Venture Company as a development institut, constitute integral conditions for the effective functioning of the common IP market of the EAEU countries is the ion.
Trust Management of Other People's Property: Reform on the Warpath
Authors: Zikun I. I.
Published: December 2021

The paper describes possible ways to reform the rules on trust management agreements in connection with the upcoming reform of Part II of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Currently, the reform of this part of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation is being carried out in relation to financial transactions, but the rules on intermediary transactions have not been changed, while the situation is complicated by the fact that the reform of property law has not taken place. The improvement of the provisions of Chapter 53 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on trust management agreements is due to the development of economic relations for the management of corporate rights, securities, investments, pension contributions, the emergence of a number of new forms of investment activity, as well as a significant difference in the relationship of "consumer management" of property in family and inheritance law (management by virtue of the law), as well as "professional management" of property in investment and other business areas (voluntary transfer of property to management).

The Anglo-American experience of the trust, as well as other models of "trust property" cannot be borrowed by Russian law in any form. The ownership right must remain unitary and cannot take any form. In view of this, the paper suggests using European alternative models of managing someone else's property in the form of mandatory legal institutions for conducting someone else's business using various forms of representation (direct and indirect) instead of the Anglo-American trust. The author considers the possibility of differentiating the professional and non-professional regime of managing someone else's property, the nature of the beneficial interest, the rules of segregation of the management object and the nature of the trustee's responsibility.
Assessing the optimality of euro adoption in Romania through shock correlations
Authors: Bodea Adrian
Published: December 2021

The present paper is concerned with the prospect of euro adoption in Romania. The study starts from the relevant literature of the Optimum Currency Areas and identifies the most widely acknowledged meta property and methodological model for this purpose: the SVAR Blanchard and Quah decomposition for identifying the supply and demand shocks. Employing the indicated model and the most recent data, we are able extract and analyse the underlying shocks that hit 34 European economic entities in the period 1995-2019, while also taking into account two crucial structural changes for the Romanian economy – central bank independence and EU accession. After performing the pairwise correlations between Romania and the rest of the economic entities for both the supply and demand disturbances, we map them on a bidimensional graph. We discover that while there is relevant integration and connectedness that ensures relatively high correlations between supply shocks, the politically-motivated monetary and fiscal policy disturbances that created ample and hectic demand side movements, are a factor of great concern for the prospect of single currency adoption in this Eastern European country. The findings support the view that there is room for the conduct of macro policies to become more supportive to the process of euro adoption and that the respect of convergence criteria would help in this respect. To our knowledge, this is the first study performing pairwise shock correlations between Romania and many other European economic entities, while also isolating the effect of post 2005 structural changes.
Parenchymal lung changes on CT in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Authors:   Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of radiology, Halldórsson Arnljótur Björn , Axelsson Gísli Þór ,   University of Iceland, Faculty of medicine, Jónsson Helgi Már ,   Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of radiology, Ísaksson Jóhann Davíð ,   Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of radiology, Harðardóttir Hrönn ,   Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Sleep, Guðmundsson Gunnar ,   University of Iceland, Faculty of medicine, Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Sleep, Hansdóttir Sif ,   University of Iceland, Faculty of medicine, Landpitali, National University Hospital of Iceland, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Sleep
Published: December 2021

INTRODUCTION Infections due to COVID-19 can lead to life threatening pneumonia. Accompanying severe disease are more prominent pulmonary changes on Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the chest. The goal of this study was to describe pulmonary CT changes during acute COVID-19 and at follow up and whether the extent of changes correlate with severity of illness, demographics or other risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Included in this study are all individuals that had confirmed COVID-19 and came for a follow up CT of the chest at Landspitali from May to September 2020. Information regarding medical history was obtained retrospectively from medical charts. All CT scans were reviewed using an international staging system to evaluate the extent of lung changes. RESULTS Eighty-five patients with a mean age of 59 years were included in the study. Sixty patients (71%) were hospitalized during the acute phase and 18 (21%) were admitted to the ICU. During the acute phase more pronounced lung involvement was seen in males and patients admitted to the ICU. At follow-up females had less lung involvement but there was a significant relationship between a higher CT score and age, ICU admissions and days in the ICU. Full recovery was seen at follow-up CT in 31% of patients (median 68,5 days between acute and follow-up imaging). CONCLUSION Patients with severe COVID-19 have more pronounced lung involvement on CT than patients with milder disease during the acute phase and follow-up. Older patients and males are at greater risk of acute and persistent COVID-19 related lung changes.
Utility of serum tryptase in Emergency Department patients with possible anaphylaxis
Authors:   Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Hansen Karólína , Björnsson Hjalti Már ,   Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Emergency department, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland, Gunnbjörnsdóttir María I ,   Department of Allergology, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND Diagnosing anaphylaxis is often straightforward but can be challenging if the presentation is atypical. In patients with atypical symptoms suspected to be due to an acute allergic reaction, s-tryptase can give additional diagnostic information. Measuring s-tryptase is also helpful in diagnosing mastocytosis. Obtaining s-tryptase levels has been done in the emergency department (ED) at Landspitali since 2011. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of obtaining s-tryptase levels in the ED. METHODS With institutional review board approval, all cases where s-tryptase level was obtained in ED patients from 2011 – 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. A database was collected including information on patient demographics, presenting symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, s-tryptase level and follow up. RESULTS A total of 214 patients had a s-tryptase level measured. Serum tryptase was elevated (>12 µg/L) in 36 cases. Females were 131 and average age 40.6 years. Of the patients, 86.4% had skin or mucosal symptoms, 48.1% cardiovascular symptoms, 49.5% respiratory symptoms and 36.0% had gastrointestinal symptoms. An allergist reviewed 126 returning patients and 65 were considered to have had an episode of anaphylaxis. Of those 65 were 4 patients which did not meet the diagnostic criteria for anaphylaxis but had raised s-tryptase levels. Sensitivity of s-tryptase measurement was 40.9% and specificity 97.1%. CONCLUSIONS Obtaining a s-tryptase level from ED patients with possible anaphylaxis seems to be useful in atypical cases. The measurement is specific but not sensitive. No cases of mastocytosis were identified in the patient cohort.
Diagnosis, rehabilitation and development of disability 2000-2019 in Iceland
Authors:   The Social Insurance Administration, Guðmundsson Ólafur Ó , Hjaltalín Guðmundur ,   The Social Insurance Administration, Eggertsson Haukur ,   The Social Insurance Administration, Jónsdóttir Þóra ,   The Social Insurance Administration
Published: December 2021

INTRODUCTION: The disability assessment standard based on medically recognized illnesses or disabilities was introduced in Iceland 1999. The aim of this study is to examine the development of Social Insurance Administration (Tryggingastofnun ríkisins, TR) rulings regarding rehabilitation and disability pensions over a twenty-year period, since its introduction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All registered diagnoses in the medical certificates of TR due to the approved rehabilitation or disability pension were examined in the period 2000-2019. The gender distribution and age distribution of these applicants and the number development during the period are described. At the same time, costs as a percentage of government expenditure are examined. RESULTS: The number of younger rehabilitation pensioners has increased rapidly in recent years, at the same time as the relative increase in disability pensioners has slowed slightly. Mental and musculoskeletal disorders are by far the most common types of illness leading to disability. Mental illnesses differ in terms of age distribution and increase over time. The proportion of individuals aged 18-66 with a 75% disability assessment has increased by a third during the period, from about 6% to 8%. The gender distribution of disability pensioners remains similar, with women accounting for 62% in total. Women are much more likely to receive disability pension due to musculoskeletal disorders than men and men are somewhat more likely to suffer from mental illness. The relative development of central government expenditure on total payments to rehabilitation and pensioners continues to grow as a proportion of central government expenditure. CONCLUSION: The number of rehabilitation pensioners has increased significantly since 2018, at the same time as the number of disability pensioners has decreased and there are indications that rehabilitation results in a lower number of new disability pensioners. Mental and musculoskeletal disorders are by far the most common types of illness leading to disability. A slightly lower proportion of disabled people have psychiatric diagnosis as a first diagnosis in the period 2000-2019 compared to those with a valid disability assessment in 2005, but the proportion of musculoskeletal disorders is slightly higher. Nevertheless, mental illnesses differ in age distribution and increase over time.
Professional moral character of physicians and clinical working environment
Authors:   Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Sigurbjörnsson Svanur , Árnason Vilhjálmur ,   Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Iceland
Published: December 2021

INTRODUCTION. A survey of the experience of Icelandic medical candidates, general physicians, and specialty physicians of clinical work, aimed to show how the working environment affects doctors’ moral character and experience of support, well-being and expectations. For comparison, results of a British survey with the same questions for specialty physicians were used. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A total of 89 physicians answered 15 questions. Statistical comparison was made between results from topical clusters of questions. RESULTS. The results show a significant problem in work conditions of Icelandic doctors. Their experience is rated low in the second quarter (2,1 – 3,0) on a numerical scale of how the environment thwarts professional character and of lack of support. In comparison with British specialists, their experience is similar but slighly better regarding supportiveness. Icelandic candidates and general physicians experience significantly more stress, less support and autonomy in their work than specialists. Compared to the British, the experience of Icelandic specialists was more positive about professional autonomy and emotional attachment to the work. Our survey shows for the first time the effect of the working environment on professional virtues of Icelandic doctors. DISCUSSION. These findings resonate with the literature that the moral character of doctors contributes to satisfaction, flourishing and experience of meaningfulness. They substantiate views raised by Icelandic physicians about tremendous work stress and scarcity of staff. The survey demonstrates the doctors‘ experience of work-related challenges and provides reasons for society to improve their working conditions to enable them to live up to their ideals.
Beasts from the East
Authors: Havas Júlia , Mártonfi Anna , Gergely Gábor
Published: December 2021

This article interrogates the figure of the Eastern European itinerant in contemporary prestige BBC drama to highlight the figure’s role in mobilizing ideas of nationhood and foreignness in Brexit-era Britain. Our critical analyses of Dracula (BBC1, 2020), Killing Eve (BBC America, 2018–), and Call the Midwife (BBC1, 2012–) show that programming that putatively celebrates British multiculturalism and diversity configures the Eastern European foreigner as a threat to idea(l)s of Britishness, by deploying this figure in strikingly similar imaginaries of contagion, deviance, and savagery. Such treatment embeds these portrayals in discourses of white nationalism that seek to manage national belonging by articulating the limits and rules of the national community as implicitly racialized terms of culture and space.
Your Race Sounds Familiar?
Authors: Baker Catherine
Published: December 2021

Your Face Sounds Familiar, a celebrity talent television format developed by the Dutch production company Endemol and first broadcast in Spain in 2011, has entertained audiences in more than forty countries with the sight of well-known professional musicians impersonating foreign and domestic stars through cross-gender drag and, on many national editions, cross-racial drag, with results that would widely be regarded as offensive blackface where this has already been extensively challenged as racist in public. In central/south-east Europe, however, blackface is sometimes justified by arguing that it cannot be a racist practice because these countries have not had the UK and USA’s history of colonialism and racial oppression. Through a study of the Croatian edition Tvoje lice zvuči poznato (2014–), where until 2020 blackface had rarely been publicly challenged, this paper explores how far a critical race studies lens towards blackface can also be applied there.
On-Site Architectural Drawing with Hand-held Mobile Instructions
Authors:   the National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, Tai Nan-Ching
Published: December 2021

The advances in computer-aided design tools have enabled design visualization and realization to become more efficient and effective. However, these fast-growing digital technologies are also gradually reducing the presence of hand drawings in architectural education. This leads to a reduction in the ability to be inspired from the direct observation of the architectural environment through on-site freehand sketching. This study aims to implement digital technology as a teaching aid to retrieve these lost abilities. Analytical drawing is a method that encourages thinking before drawing, laying out the invisible underlying structure, and finalizing it with a visible appearance. This method remains an effective way of three-dimensional visual thinking. Accordingly, this study presents an interactive smartphone application that brings computer-assisted instructions into mobile learning. Promising responses from students revealed that using digital technology as a teaching aid can help to retrieve the lost abilities of visual thinking through on-site sketching.
Evaluating Pangasinan State University Faculty Performance Using Associative Rule Analysis
Authors:   Pangasinan State University, Philippines, Patacsil Frederick F. , Cenas Paulo V. , Roaring Bobby F. , Parrone Jennifer M. , Garcia Daniel Bezalel A.
Published: December 2021

Evaluating faculty members' performance is a very complex area to study. In addition, predicting the performance of these faculty members is a very difficult and challenging task. However, the core of education is teaching and learning, and teaching-learning works to its fullest when there are effective teachers. Measuring the effectiveness of faculty members is done based on the student evaluation of faculty. This research aims to develop a model to predict the performance of the faculty members using associative rule based on the existing evaluation form used by PSU to evaluate faculty members. The model is designed to utilize the knowledge of text analytics rule capabilities that will provide great support for the decision-making of Pangasinan State University in the Philippines. The result reveals that the term good is still the top one terms occurred for all campuses followed by teaching. The results indicated that teacher/faculty members on all campuses are good teachers. Associating words reveal that "teaching good subject/topic," "explains simply" and other meaningful associated words can be utilized to evaluate the performance of the teacher. The results exposed not only the quantitative values of faculty evaluation it also exposed the qualitative opinion of the students in the performance of their faculty members. This study reveals important aspects of the faculty member's teaching performance in terms of words/association of words that will describe their teaching performance. The results can be utilized in coaching and mentoring faculty members to cope with their weaknesses. The proposed model can be utilized by Pangasinan State University to evaluate the faculty members in terms of their teaching performance by utilizing the comments/opinions of the students.
A Systematic Review and Trend Analysis of Personal Learning Environments Research
Authors:   the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia, Serhan Sarah A. L. , Yahaya Noraffandy
Published: December 2021

The concept of personal learning environments (PLEs) is relatively new and is continuously developing. Over the past decade, there has been a significant upsurge in the number of PLEs-related research. Nevertheless, there is a lack of recent systematic reviews and trend analysis covering many PLEs studies; to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, the current systematic review is significant and indispensable in reviewing journal articles that discussed PLEs between 2000 and 2020. We searched Web of Science, Scopus, Sciences Direct, JSTOR, Springer, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore for studies published in English without limit in location or time to retrieve accurate results. Trend graphics for the extracted themes were also analyzed using descriptive statistics in Excel. According to the defined inclusion criteria, one hundred forty-eight articles were selected for the analysis. This study reveals that literature on PLEs has progressed from 2000 to 2020; the majority of PLEs-related articles were published between 2011 and 2020, with the year 2013 having the highest number of published articles (17 articles), followed by 16 papers published in both years 2014 and 2017. We found that the published PLEs research originated from 46 countries; 26 (17.6%) were from Spain. The majority of the authors had education, computer science, information technology and engineering backgrounds. This review also showed that numerous platforms had been used in PLEs research, with Web 2.0 the most commonly used platform. We noted that the most common objectives of the included articles were PLEs custom system development, analysis of the PLEs, description of experiments, investigations, development of factor models, framework development, and examination. The most common theoretical perspectives in the published articles were self-regulated learning, self-directed learning, and constructivism. The current systematic review and trend analysis can become a guidance platform for researchers, educators, policymakers or even journal publishers for future research in PLEs research.
The Development of Online Active Learning Management with Application for Pre-service Teachers
Authors:   the Faculty of Education, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Thailand, Korbuakaew Tubtimthong , Robroo ntira , Korbuakaew Somkiat
Published: December 2021

The technological breakthrough grows rapidly and plays an important role in our daily life. It is allowed people to communicate with teachers, instructors, students, and friends. Thus, learning management between teachers and students should be adjusted by using a variety of technical materials to support their learning ability. The purposes of this study were to develop online active learning management with application for pre-service teacher. The participants were 30 Early Childhood students, Suan Sunundha Rajabhat University. The findings revealed that the online learning efficiency was 88.06/85.67. The experimental outcome reveals that learning achievement is significantly different from before the use of online learning, at the statistical level of 0.05. After applying the online learning in the classroom, learning retention dropped down not less than 20%. The results can be concluded that the participants have learning retention after the use of the online learning.
Paths and detours in the trajectory of the Brazilian psychiatric reform
Authors: Sade Rossana Maria Seabra , Sashidharan Sashi P. , Silva Maria de Nazareth Rodrigues Malcher de Oliveira
Published: December 2021

This article looks at the principles and guidelines of the Unified Health System as well as the current situation and the limitations and possibilities of Brazilian mental health policy. Based on a review of national and international government documents and the scientific literature from 2015-2020, the study observed positive advances in mental health. However, the psychiatric reform has experienced setbacks, and the balance of mental health care has swung towards hospital-centered treatment. These changes have impeded the implementation of the Psychosocial Care Network, as well as the development of therapeutic practices and strategies focused on the person’s experience, their daily life and their relations with the health promotion network. By questioning the supremacy of medical-psychiatric knowledge in the treatment of “mental illness” in the public health care system, the psychiatric reform cleared a path for the construction of new ways of addressing psychological suffering. These gains are currently at risk, making a wider debate on the current trends in mental health care in Brazil essential.
Правовая оценка применения насилия негосударственными структурами
Authors: Овчаров Артем Валерьевич
Published: December 2021

Статья посвящена рассмотрению вопроса возможности наделения негосударственных структур, а именно частных военных и охранных компаний, правом на применение насилия. В статье кратко рассматривается история вопроса права государства на легитимное насилие как составляющей государственного суверенитета в работах различных исследователей. Автором анализируется деятельность частных военных компаний в современных военных конфликтах, приводятся различные факты их деятельности и делается вывод о том, что наделение подобных структур правом на насилие с одной стороны разрушает государство, а с другой порождает преступность в военной сфере.