bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical Perspectives on the Crises, Planned Change, and the Prospects for Transformation in African Higher Education
Authors: N'Dri T. Assié-Lumumba
Published: March 2023

This article is a summary of a forthcoming book that is a background text for CODESRIA's Multinational Working Group (MWG) on higher education. The crea­ tion and also the development of contemporary African higher education institu­ tions, especially the universities, in the colonial and post-colonial context, have been characterised by high expectations,contestations, crises, and struggles by vari­ ous African stakeholders to assert agency and introduce reforms and innovations in the search for structural transformation. Conceived as institutions for individual social mobility and national development, they could not attain theascribed devel­ opment role as a result of economic crises and austerity policies imposed by inter­national financial institutions, especially the World Bank through its structural ad­ justmentprogrammes. The initial and intemally driven reforms aimed at addressing philosophical and practical questions of relevance and Africanisation of the cur­ riculum transferred through colonial channels. In contrast, in the context of the economic crises and subsequent policies imposed by extemal powers, the new re­ forms and innovations since the 1990s tend to be technical and driven by the search for solutions as prescribed or expected by the international financialinstitutions. The author argues that given the old and new challenges - HIV/AIDS, 'brain drain',and globalisation with its corollaries such as GATS-related competition - threaten­ ing relative autonomy, African societies should take stock of, and effectively use, their assets and create a new higher education as a public good. These assets in­ clude African indigenous knowledge systems, the possibility for promoting fusion, the historie and new Diasporas, and the information andcommunication technolo­ gies. Any successful policy will require the inclusion ofhitherto marginalised groups, particularly on the basis of gender, in the production and use of knowledge. lt is
Evaluating The Effectiveness of A Non-Locally Developed Commercial Phage Cocktail on Kenyan Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates
Authors: MUTAIL Ivy Jepkurui , GEORGES Martin , NYACHIEO Atunga , ODOYO Eric , NYAMACHE Anthony Kebira , NGALLA Jillani
Published: March 2023

Objectives: The use of bacteriophages (phages) as an alternative treatment for multidrug-resistant bacteria has recently gained popularity. Phage cocktails have been proposed for broad-spectrum therapeutic effects against such resistant bacteria. However, the effectiveness of non-locally formulated phage cocktails for therapy on Kenyan isolates has yet to be evaluated and is a subject of investigation. This study aimed to determine the in vitro effectiveness of a non-locally made commercial pyophage cocktail on clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from Kenya.

Methodology: Forty-nine P. aeruginosa isolates from Kenya were subjected to a pyophage cocktail for efficacy studies using direct spot test (DST) and efficiency of plating (EOP).

Results: The success rate of the cocktail was observed on 16.3% (8/49) isolates only and ineffective on 83.7% (41/49) isolates. Six of the eight isolates that showed cross-reactivity from DST had complete lysis with a faintly hazy background. Five of these six isolates resulted in successful and high phage progeny production in plaquing efficiency (EOP ≥ 0.5).

Conclusion: Non-locally made commercial pyophage cocktail was ineffective against the 83.7% endemic clinical strains of the Kenyan P. aeruginosa isolates, demonstrating the importance of locally derived phage cocktails against endemic and multidrug-resistant isolates. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 12(4):25-30.
Assessment of Quantity and Quality of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis DNA Extracts Stored at Different Temperatures
Authors: MAKAMURE Beauty
Published: March 2023

Objectives: Globally, Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a public health concern. Rapid identification of MDR-TB using conventional or novel technologies is crucial for effective treatment. Here we assessed the quantity and quality of DNA extracted from MDR-TB isolates, allowing whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Methods: This was a retrospective study on MDR-TB isolates from five studies conducted in Zimbabwe between 2011 and 2019. The isolates were stored under ambient 37 oC and -80 oC temperatures, respectively. These isolates were resuscitated and confirmed to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). DNA was extracted using the N-Cetyl-N-trimethylammonium-bromide standard protocol. The concentration (A260nm) and purity (A260/280) of the extracted DNA before WGS (concentration ≥20ng/ul) were compared among the different storage conditions on Stata v15.

Results: A total of 85 samples were successfully recovered from 106 retrieved. The overall recovery rate was 80.2%. We found a significant difference (p=0.005) in the concentration of the DNA samples by storage temperatures, with samples stored at -80 oC having the lowest concentration. Similarly, a significant difference (p=0.018) was found in the purity of the DNA (samples within the optimal range of 1.8 ± 0.2) by storage conditions, with 34/39 (87.2%) stored under ambient temperature, 18/20 (90.0%) stored in a 37 oC incubator and 1/4 (25.0%) stored at -80 oC.

Conclusions: The better concentration and purity obtained from samples stored at 37 oC and ambient temperatures provide an impetus that such storage conditions could be used in many resource-limited settings where power supplies are a limitation to long storage conditions. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 12(4):31-37.
The Prevalence of Sleep Disorders Among Children with Chronic Functional Constipation, a Study in Arak, Iran
Authors: Maleki Mahshid , Hashemi Mojtaba , Zamanian Maryam , Shayganfard Mehran , Yousefichaijan Parsa
Published: March 2023

Background: Functional constipation (FC) is a common problem in childhood worldwide. This disorder can lead to various physical and behavioral problems and ultimately reduce the quality of life. Sleep disorders are also among the complaints of patients with FC. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with chronic FC. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 children aged 5 to 12 with chronic FC referred to the specialized pediatrics clinic of Amirkabir Hospital of Arak, Iran. The functional constipation was diagnosed based on Rome ΙV criteria. Children and their parents were requested to complete the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using the chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests to find significant associations at the significance level of 5%. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 7.36 ± 1.6, and most participants were boys (65.7%). The prevalence of sleep disorders in children with chronic FC was 62.9% (95% CI: 54.5 - 70.2). Sleep resistance and sleep apnea were the most common minor sleep disorders. The prevalence of sleep disorders was significantly higher in girls (81.3%) than in boys (53.3%) with chronic FC (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with chronic FC aged 5 to 8 and 9 to 12. Conclusions: In the present study, the results showed that the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with chronic FC was significant, and it was higher compared to other studies conducted on healthy children, and also it was found that girls had a significantly higher rate of sleep disorders than boys.
Frequency of Clostridioides difficile Infection Among Hospitalized Patients in Kerman City, Iran
Authors: Shojaei Mohammad Saeed , Rokhbakhsh-Zamin Farokh , Rezazadeh Zarandi Ebrahim , Sarafzadeh Farhad , Khoshroo Sayed Mohammad Reza
Published: March 2023

Background: Clostridioides difficile is one of the major causes of nosocomial infections, being responsible for 15 to 25% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. It is important to determine the epidemiology and prevalence of this bacterium at hospitals and healthcare centers. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of C. difficile infection (CDI) by identifying toxigenic isolates of C. difficile in different wards of the hospital. Methods: A total of 417 diarrheal stool samples were taken from hospitalized patients in different wards of three educational hospitals in Kerman City, Iran from 2018 to 2020. The samples were cultured on cycloserine-cefoxitin fructose agar and C. difficile suspected colonies were isolated. Identification of the cdd-3 gene for definitive diagnosis of C. difficile and identification of toxin genes in the positive isolates was performed using the PCR method. Results: A total of 68 isolates (16.3%) of C. difficile were isolated from the specimens. Besides, 8.6% (36/417) and 7.6% (32/417) of the isolates were toxigenic and nontoxigenic, respectively; thus, the prevalence of CDI was 8.6%. Most of the toxigenic isolates had the A+B+CDT- toxin phenotype. The highest prevalence of CDI was observed in males, ICU ward, and age group of 41 - 60. Conclusions: A total of 8.6% of hospitalized patients with diarrhea were infected with C. difficile. The prevalence of CDI in Kerman City is lower than that in Europe, East Asia, and other parts of Iran, but it is almost the same as that in the Middle East.
Herpes Simplex Infection in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Patients: A Seroepidemiological Study
Authors: Abolbashari Samaneh , Seydali Seyf Abad Ehsan , Aryan Ehsan , Dehghani Toktam , Moohebati Mohsen , Ghayour Mobarhan Majid , Meshkat Zahra , Meshkat Mojtaba , Hooshyar Chechaklou Amin , Khoshakhlagh Mahdieh , Gholoobi Aida
Published: March 2023

Background: Herpes simplex viruses have been implicated as a cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to their widespread distribution and ability to infect human vascular endothelial cells. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the link between Herpes simplex infections and cardiovascular disease. Methods: This case-control study involved 236 patients aged 35 - 65, 118 with known cardiovascular disease and 118 controls. Patients’ cardiovascular disease evaluation was based on data from questionnaires, a specialist’s physical examinations, and paraclinical tests. Herpes simplex viruses (HSV)-antibodies (IgM, IgG) were determined using ELISA in serum samples, and the biochemical blood indicators were analyzed to examine their relationship to the level of HSV antibodies. All the data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: IgM antibodies against herpes simplex were negative among all 236 patients. The positivity rate of IgG antibodies against herpes simplex was 58.8 and 51.2% in the case and control groups, respectively with no significant difference (P = 0.253). Patients with cardiovascular disease had a 0.587-fold higher positive rate of IgG antibodies than patients in the control group (odds ratio (OR) = 0.587). The mean age of patients with positive IgG antibodies was significantly lower than patients with negative IgG antibodies (P = 0.012). IgG positivity among men and women (P = 0.670) and different job statuses (P = 0.866) were not significantly different. Conclusions: The positivity rate of IgG antibodies against herpes simplex was not significantly different among the study groups. Although patients with positive IgG antibodies’ mean age was lower than those with negative IgG antibodies, the gender and job status were not different.
Supporting global competence learning for engineering students: for key lessons (to be) learnt
Authors: Richter Tanja , Kjellgren Björn
Published: March 2023

Global competence is an essential attribute for engineering graduates working in an interconnected and culturally diverse world, and higher engineering education needs to adapt to ensure that their students will acquire it before entering the labor market. For universities, the only way to ensure comprehensive global competence learning for all students is the holistic integration of related learning outcomes throughout curricula – which requires engineering educators to be able to (re)design their courses and programs accordingly. Considering that most engineering educators are subject experts of their discipline – but lay people when it comes to such competencies – we set out to compile a practical guideline for those wanting to integrate global competence learning within their disciplinary courses. Following a participatory action research approach, we connected our own insights as global competence educators at a technical university with those of several cohorts of engineering educators and students enrolled in global competence courses. Synthesizing these insights, we could identify four essential lessons for integrated global competence learning: 1) learning opportunities can be found (nearly) everywhere, 2) relevance and authenticity must be emphasized, 3) theory and practice need to be integrated and 4) global competence cannot be taught, but it can be learnt. These lessons are illustrated with practical examples for fostering global competence learning in regular engineering courses.
The engagement of students using the virtual platform tools. A successful case in a required subject of 1st year in mathematics in engineering (UPC)
Authors: Prat Farran Joana d'Arc , Massana Hugas Immaculada
Published: March 2023

Fonaments matemàtics is a required 1st year subject in engineering career at the university EPSEVG (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) with approximately 270 students enrolled each semestre that traditionally it had a medium pass rate. Over the last 6 years we have introduced gradual changes in the teaching planning of it with the idea of achieving: 1) that students work throughout the course, 2) leveling knowledge and 3) reduce the number of students not presented to any exam. The changes have been implemented and corrected based on our feedback from students (engagement, grades, acceptance and survey assessments). The introduction of the calculator, laptops and tablets in everyday life and the use of the tools of the UPC virtual platform have been key. In this contribution, we present the strategies used and the good results obtained.
Analysis of Conditions and Problems of Pre-Departure Training for Caregiver Candidate Internships in Indonesia
Authors: Novita Rozaliana Fadillah Andi , Fahrul Rochim Julita
Published: March 2023

Within a decade, starting in 2008, the Japanese government opened up the acceptance of foreign workers in the caregiver field, and Indonesia is one of the countries with the most significant number of senders of caregivers in Japan. There are at least four routes for sending caregivers to Japan, one of which is through sending caregiver interns "Kaigo Ginou Jisshuu." This study analyzes the conditions and problems of pre-departure training for caregiver intern candidates in Indonesia. The method used in this study is qualitative and quantitative. Data collection techniques used were interviews, observations, and questionnaires. This study used a purposive sampling technique. The "Ginou Jisshuu" program, through the case study of Nagomi Kaigo Gakkou, can be described that most teachers at LPK are interns with quite high Japanese language skills and experience living in Japan, where this becomes potential in teaching Japanese to prospective interns. The results of this research can become a reference for higher education institutions in community service activities, especially in improving Japanese language teaching in LPK.
Power in/and the University
Authors: Ahmed Sabeen , Burgos Adam , Fourlas George , Harfouch John ,   DePaul University
Published: March 2023

The following conversation examines the role of the university in our present moment and examines the necessity of anti-colonial praxis in the academy. The dialogue takes as its starting point the long history of white, heteropatriarchal capitalist supremacy that has oriented the institutional production of knowledge and considers its present permutations in such practices as diversity initiatives in teaching and hiring. The discussants in turn reflect on their own approaches and strategies for enacting liberatory pedagogy in light of the contingent, historical, and material limitations of higher education today.
Defeating Wrongdoing
Authors: Duus-Otterström Göran , Page Edward A. ,   Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Published: March 2023

It is sometimes suggested that victims of unjust harm should take priority over victims of other forms of harm. We explore four arguments for this view: that victims of unjust harm experience greater suffering; that prioritizing victims of unjust harm would help prevent unjust harm in the future; that it is good for perpetrators that their victims be prioritized; and that it is impersonally better that victims of unjust harm are prioritized. We argue that the first three arguments fail but that the fourth argument succeeds. Moral agents have a reason to prioritize victims of wrongdoing because this secures the impersonal value of corrective justice. However, this reason can be activated differently for different agents depending on how they are situated relative to the wrongdoing, and it may be outweighed by other factors, such as the extent of the harm that could be alleviated.
Political Liberalism and Reasonable Disagreement
Authors: Anantharaman Muralidharan ,   Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Published: March 2023

On the standard version of political liberalism, the exercise of political power is legitimate only if it is justifiable to all reasonable persons. Correspondingly, reasonable disagreement about the moral doctrines underlying a law makes that law not justifiable to all reasonable persons. In this paper, I argue that political liberals are committed to understanding reasonable disagreement as being rational, rather than praiseworthy disagreement between morally reasonable person because other conceptions of reasonableness commit them to an incoherent triad of claims.
Genus Schismatothele Karsch, 1879 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): taxonomic notes and seven new species description
Authors: Moeller Wolf , Weinmann Dirk , Guadanucci José Paulo Leite
Published: March 2023

Seven new species of Schismatothele Karsch, 1879 (Araneae, Theraphosidae) are described, almost doubling the diversity of the genus: S. caeri sp. nov.; S. caiquetia sp. nov.; S. merida sp. nov.; S. moonenorum sp. nov.; S. quimbaya sp. nov.; S. timotocuica sp. nov. and S. wayana sp. nov. An identification key for all species of Schismatothele (except S. kastoni) is presented, as well as a complementary diagnosis for the genus. Also, a standardized nomenclature is proposed to describe the prolateral keels of male palpal bulbs of species of Schismatothele.
ANÁLISE DE CONFLITOS APLICADA À PRODUÇÃO DE CONHECIMENTOS DE INTELIGÊNCIA
Authors: Nogueira Silveira Thiago
Published: March 2023

Serviços de Inteligência produzem conhecimentos sobre conflitos desde que foram criados e institucionalizados. A natureza dessas disputas, entretanto, sofreu transformações ao longo do tempo, principalmente após as guerras mundiais do século XX e, mais recentemente, com o fim da Guerra Fria. A análise de conflitos se desenvolveu nesse contexto, reunindo estudos sobre guerra e paz, diplomacia, negociação, prevenção e gerenciamento de conflitos. Este artigo objetiva explorar possibilidades de aproveitamento de modelos, técnicas e ferramentas da análise de conflitos em apoio ao processo de produção de conhecimentos de Inteligência, com vistas a contribuir para a discussão, ainda incipiente, sobre convergências e divergências entre as duas práticas. Para isso, foram analisados e cotejados estudos e manuais práticos sobre atividade de Inteligência, análise de conflitos e produção de conhecimento. Para além da apresentação de ferramentas e possíveis usos práticos de técnicas acessórias, o artigo também incentiva a reflexão dos profissionais de Inteligência a respeito de seus objetos de análise enquanto espaços de disputa e competição entre diferentes partes.
CIÊNCIA DE DADOS E PRODUÇÃO DE CONHECIMENTOS DE INTELIGÊNCIA
Authors: Fugisawa de Souza Daniel , Damasceno do Bomfim David Ricardo
Published: March 2023

Nos últimos 20 anos, o escopo de interesse da atividade de Inteligência expandiu de modo a abranger conteúdos e métodos que foram gerados de forma digital (ou passaram a deixar registros digitais). Ante as peculiaridades dos dados de redes sociais, torna-se necessário incorporar técnicas da Ciência de Dados ao conjunto de métodos de análise de Inteligência. O presente artigo expõe o potencial das técnicas da Ciência de Dados na análise de dados de redes sociais digitais para a produção de conhecimentos de Inteligência. A motivação deste ensaio é divulgar e fomentar o debate acerca do aperfeiçoamento constante de métodos, técnicas e ferramentas da Ciência de Dados adotados na análise de redes sociais.
ESTAMOS EM OBRAS
Authors: Cruz Anna
Published: March 2023

Estudos sobre mulheres na atividade de Inteligência frequentemente recaem em relatos biográficos sobre pioneiras ou curiosidades sobre grandes feitos assinados por figuras femininas; o presente trabalho, em abordagem diversa, busca refletir sobre práticas cotidianas limitantes para as carreiras das mulheres. A sub-representação em cargos estratégicos, o silêncio sobre questões de gênero na arquitetura coorporativa e a persistência de ideias pré-concebidas e estereótipos sobre mulheres são discutidos neste artigo, que reconhece também — mas por ora exclui da análise — a existência de outras condições que, somadas ao gênero, tornariam ainda mais complexa a avaliação de impactos, como etnia, idade, corporeidade, condição socioeconômica. O estudo conclui que defender características baseadas em gênero como definidoras de predisposições é uma armadilha para homens e mulheres.
APONTAMENTOS SOBRE A ORGANIZAÇÃO DAS ATIVIDADES DE INTELIGÊNCIA DE UMA PERSPECTIVA SISTÊMICA
Authors: Ribeiro Dias Edgar
Published: March 2023

Segundo a Teoria de Sistemas de Niklas Luhmann, a sociedade atual apresenta-se como um sistema (mundo) de (sub)sistemas sociais funcionais diferenciados, como a economia e o direito, os quais operam comunicações específicas em seu âmbito, produzidas por eles próprios (autopoiese). Tratase de uma sociedade de complexidade crescente. As organizações são sistemas complexos que operam decisões (comunicação) e objetivam reduzir incertezas (complexidades) nesse decidir. Podem estar ou não vinculadas a um sistema social, por exemplo, sistema econômico/bancos. As organizações de Inteligência podem ser compreendidas nesse conceito. Esse mesmo arcabouço teórico, como ferramenta de análise, mostra-se capaz de proporcionar descrições mais próximas da realidade social. Assim, se, por um lado, a teoria fornece instrumentos para compreensão dessas organizações e, com isso, abre possibilidades de melhoria de gestão delas para assessorar o complexo sistêmico Poder Público, por outro, mostra-se mais uma ferramenta de referência metodológica para a produção de conhecimentos dessas próprias estruturas. Ademais, a atuação dessas organizações deve ser mediada pela confiança; daí a necessidade de ferramentas e estruturas que proporcionem confiabilidade e gerem qualidade crescente de seus serviços.
Instâncias Orientadoras para Contadores e Contadoras de Histórias
Authors: Marinho Jorge , Tenenblat Nitza
Published: March 2023

Este artigo compartilha reflexões para contadores e contadoras de histórias e introduz três instâncias orientadoras que visam contribuir com o ofício e arte de contar histórias na contemporaneidade, prática amplamente utilizada como recurso no contexto educacional. A pesquisa se fundamenta na práxis do ator, contador de histórias e educador Jorge Marinho, membro da Coletiva Teatro, com suporte nos autores e autoras da área de educação Paulo Freire e Jorge Larrosa Bondía, contação de histórias e teatro Ângela Barcellos Café, Regina Machado, Gislayne Avelar Matos e Jorge Dubatti, bem como em análises de práticas artísticas da contadora de histórias Jan Blake. As três instâncias orientadoras para contadores e contadoras de histórias são nomeadas como 1. Princípios do/a contador/a; 2. Estratégias na contação e 3. Dispositivos para contar com, e perpassam o trabalho do/a artista sobre si mesmo/a; aspectos ontológicos da contação de histórias; e aspectos técnicos. O artigo apresenta análises, questões e abordagens técnicas, links para vídeos com demonstração de exemplos e instigações para uma prática mais autônoma, criativa e consciente, considerando o potencial transformador da contação de histórias como arte convivial.
Medication Errors Despite the Utilization of Electronic Medical Record: Examining The Missing Link From Nurses’ Perspective
Authors:   Aspen University Denver, CO, USA, NSHI GOODLUCK , Hill Dana ,   Aspen University Denver, CO, USA
Published: March 2023

Background: The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system has proven to be very reliable in reducing medication errors and improving patient safety. It offers quick access to patient's medical information and alerts clinicians on safety issues such as allergies to medication, wrong patient, wrong medication, or other factors such as contraindication or potential drug interactions. Despite widespread implementation of the use of the EMR system in hospitals across the United States, medication errors still occur, with thousands of medication error-related incident reports being filed yearly. Antibiotics, anticoagulants, anti-hypertensive agents, and oral hypoglycemic agents are the most reported medicines involved in medication errors. To lock the loopholes leading to such errors, the missing links must be identified and fixed. Objective: The study sought to find out the missing links that lead to medication errors despite utilizing the EMR system from the nurses’ perspectives and proffer solutions to close the missing links. Method: The study was a qualitative analysis from case studies with incident reports filed by nurses on medication errors in hospitals in different States across the United States. Results: Eight missing links that lead to medication errors while using the EMR were identified in the study. Solutions for medication error prevention were recommended. Conclusion and Recommendation: Medication errors still occur despite the deployment of the EMR system. The study identified medication errors that still occur despite the utilization of EMR from nurses' perspectives and recommended solutions for fixing the missing links. It was recommended that as hospitals review each incident report involving medication errors, the error should be reviewed as a breakdown in the system and not as intentional.
Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Excessive Daytime Sleep Among Mass Transit Bus Drivers in the South-East, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Enugu State University of Science and Technology Enugu, Nigeria., Eze Uchenna , Ndie Elkenah ,   Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Science, National Open University of Nigeria, University Village, Cadastral Zone, Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Jabi, Abuja, Nigeria.
Published: March 2023

Background: On April 25, 2008 the United Nations (UN) declared a decade (2011-2020) of Action on Road Safety’ in an effort to reduce the incidence of road traffic accidents (RTAs). RTA has been linked to Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) by several studies. Nigeria has been indicted as one of the most notorious countries for bad roads leading to RTAs. Bad road coupled with EDS is a bad omen for road users. Risk for EDS has been said to be increased by factors such as obesity. Obesity is measured by Body Mass Index (BMI). Although study exists in Nigeria that linked RTAs to EDS, none has linked EDS to specific factors such as BMI. The current study attempts to fill the gap and to create an empirical basis for targeted public health measures against EDS and RTAs. Aim: The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) among Mass Transit Bus Drivers (MTBDs) in the South East, Nigeria. The study had one Null hypothesis (H0.) that there is no significant relationship between BMI and the risk of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) among the Mass Transit Bus Drivers (MTBDs) in South-East, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional analytical study design was used. The target population was all the bus drivers employed by seven major registered mass transit companies in South-East, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select participants for the study using arbitrary fixed inclusion criteria. The instrument, a questionnaire used for data collection, was explicitly designed for the study. The instrument was pre-tested at Ifesinachi Park, Nsukka, and validated by experts. A Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.8 was obtained. Ethical approvals were obtained from the ethics and research committee of Ebonyi State University and the mass transit companies. Five research assistants were used to collect data. Data was collected from 401 MTBDs. Findings: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. The findings among other things established a significant relationship between BMI and EDS (P<0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a positive significant relationship between BMI and EDS. Based on the findings, it was among other things recommended that nutrition education with proper Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) materials be provided for the MTBDs.
Community Based Tourism in The Development of Sustainable Tourism in Baubau City
Authors: Salma  , Wijaya Andy Arya Maulana , Basir Muh. Askal , Lawelai Herman
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this research is to find out Community Based Tourism in Sustainable Tourism Development in Baubau City. The type of research used in this research is descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The results of this study indicate that Community-Based Tourism Development is to involve the community as in the development planning deliberation process, where the government and the community are together in managing tourism objects. In addition, tourism awareness groups also receive benefits from tourism activities by increasing the economy from tourism activities in Baubau City. Ensuring Environmental Sustainability is to ensure the sustainability of the environment so that it is not damaged or polluted, it is necessary for the role of the government, NGOs, and the community not to damage the physical environment at tourist sites. In addition, providing support both in the form of materials and policies such as providing character education counseling is an effort made in maintaining local character and culture in tourism areas in Baubau City.
Metacognitive Strategy and Its Interplay Towards Speaking Performance: A Case in SMPN 29 Buton
Authors: Luviana Vivy , Jimad Wa Ode Venny Novahriana , Suherman La Ode Achmad
Published: March 2023

Metacognitive strategies are important strategies in many areas of learning. The aims of this study were to find out the influence of metacognitive strategy in students of SMPN 29 BUTON’ speaking performance, that is, to know the extent of correlation between metacognitive strategies and speaking performance and to know the types of metacognitive strategies used in speaking. The method of this study was a mixed method design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The types of metacognitive strategies used in speaking were first analyzed, which was followed by quantifying the correlation level between metacognitive strategies in speaking and the speaking performance. The instruments used in this study were speaking test and metacognitive strategy questionnaire. The population of this study was students of SMPN 29 BUTON in the academic year of 2020/2021. The results of this study indicated that the level of metacognitive strategy use in speaking performance of students of SMPN 29 BUTON and the level of their speaking performance are moderate (M = 2.03 and M = 63) as well as the correlation between metacognitive strategy and their speaking performance (R = 0.45 and probability value = 0.00). Furthermore, it was found the frequency of using several types of metacognitive strategies in planning and monitoring speaking was quite high, but not in metacognitive strategies for evaluation.
ما الفائدة من تحليل الخطاب السياسي؟
Authors: شارودو باتريك , بدر الدين القاسمي
Published: March 2023

يحاول باتريك شارودو من خلال هذا المقال تحديد تموقع تحليل الخطاب بالنسبة لباقي تخصصات العلوم الإنسانية والاجتماعي، حتى يتسنى له التعريف بما يميزه كمنهج علمي ومقاربة تحليلية ونقدية عن باقي المباحث التي تجعل من الحقل السياسي موضوع لها، وعليه فقد انطلق من ربط مفهوم الخطاب بالفعل والسلطة تحت طائلة توضيح ماهيته التأثيرية في توجيه الرأي العام دون أن يغفل رهاناته المتعددة في مقابل باقي المجالات كانت قانونية أو إعلامية أو اجتماعية. ليخلص إلى ضرورة الأخذ بعين الاعتبار عند دراسة الخطاب السياسي الأثر المشكلة له كالوقائع سياسية والاجتماعية القانونية فضلًا عن الأخلاقية والنفسية كالممارسات المنبثقة من المنظومة القيمية.
التصوف: من القراءة التاريخانية إلى التأصيل الإبستمولوجي-التاريخي
Authors: بكيري عبد الله
Published: March 2023

يحاول هذا البحث تجاوز الدراسات التقليدية للنص الصوفي وبناء تصور جديد من خلال التأصيل لدراسة علمية، فلطالما كان التصوف الإسلامي معبرًا بصدق عن أعلى مراحل العمق الفكري، ومجسدًا لأكبر مراتب الترميز، متميزًا بلغة خاصة عميقة ومركبة، مخلفًا تراثًا واسعًا من الأفكار والعلوم المرتبطة به. إن النص الصوفي كأي بحث علمي وكأي موضوع علمي له موضوع ومنهج ومصطلح خاص به، وهذه العناصر تتجلى في أربعة حدود إبستيمية، المتمثلة في الحد التعريفي الذي يشمل الاشتقاقات والتعريفات ثم حد المصطلح الذي يؤدي إلى فهم النص الصوفي كنص له بناء عرفاني لا بناء منطقي، كما له مصطلح خاص إضافة إلى حد النفس الذي يمكننا من ربط نفس صاحب النص العرفاني بمراتب العرفان "الأحوال والمقامات" وأخيرًا حد الانتقال من العبارة إلى الإشارة أي من ظاهر اللفظ إلى باطن هو مدلوله.
Local elections in the Republic of Serbia 2016 and 2020: Political consequences of lowering the electoral threshold
Authors: Perišić Nikola , Kaličanin Boris
Published: March 2023

The paper examines the political consequences of the change in electoral legislation through a comparative analysis of election results at the local level in 2016 and 2020. In addition to the analysis of the election results themselves, and bearing in mind the boycott of the majority of the opposition in the 2020 elections, the paper will also show a simulation of the election results of 2016 with a reduced electoral threshold of 3% in order to better understand the effect of lowering the electoral threshold, considering that at that time all relevant political parties participated in local elections. The electoral results from cities that are the seat of administrative districts (24) in the Republic of Serbia, excluding the city of Belgrade and Kosovo and Metohija, are used as a sample for the analysis. The main findings of the research show that the lowering of the electoral threshold did not increase representativeness. More precisely, the number of lists represented in local parliaments did not increase, neither in absolute nor in effective numbers. However, the impact of the boycott of the opposition parties in the 2020 election process should be taken into account. On the other hand, the analysis shows that a larger number of lists would have crossed the electoral threshold if the three-percent electoral threshold had been applied in 2016. In addition, in 2020, a smaller number of so-called "wasted votes" was observed. Lastly, lowering the electoral threshold did not help the citizens groups to achieve better election results in 2020.
Scientific Truth and Judicial Truth: Philosophy and Method
Authors: Mancini Massimo
Published: March 2023

A sinthetic excursus of modern epistemology across some methodological contributes of Aristotle, Descartes, Galilei and Freud, with special regard to alethic and verisimilar knowledge in law sciences and legal reasoning, in order to analyse dialectic opposition of involved parts in legal argumentations and verdict’s rational motivation in trials.
The Problematic Nature of Periodization and the Alleged Paradigm Shifts: Courtly Love Poetry (Minnesang), Petrarch’s Sonnets, Goethe’s Erotic Compositions, and Brecht’s Dreams of Love
Authors: Classen Albrecht
Published: March 2023

This study raises the scepter regarding the heuristic value of literary periodization and hence also of the concept of the paradigm shift. Undoubtedly, throughout time, changes in the cultural epochs took place, and we can easily determine larger cultural, material, technical, political, and religious transformations Hence the genre of literary histories that inform us in a concise and authoritative manner about that phenomenon. By the same token, however, we might be forced to realize that many of those changes taking place from period to period affected more the form and the text-external references and less the idealistic concern by the individual poets. To illustrate this phenomenon, here I trace a long-term discourse on love from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century to identify a fundamental trope that resisted all paradigm shifts and proved to have a universal staying power beyond all measures. Although value systems and social-economic conditions underwent profound changes from the past to the present, the human dimension itself was apparently quite resistant to those transitions, as the topic of love confirms from the earliest time until today.
The Case for the Historical Simmel
Authors: Podoksik Efraim
Published: March 2023

There is a gap between the particulars ofour scholarly knowledge about Georg Simmel and our image of him as a mind in its totality. The existing paradigmatic interpretations of Simmel's thought as a whole are often outdated and driven by anachronistic motivations. The task of the historian is to update these paradigms on the basis of our better and broader knowledge of Simmel and his contexts. My book is one such attempt. The paradigm it puts forward may help us to discard the familiar stereotypes of Simmel, while offering a more nuanced understanding of the main parameters of his thought and its development. It can also serve as a foundation for future non-historical studies of Simmel.
The cellular architecture of memory modules in Drosophila supports stochastic input integration
Authors: Hafez Omar A , Escribano Benjamin , Ziegler Rouven L , Hirtz Jan J , Niebur Ernst , Pielage Jan
Published: March 2023

The ability to associate neutral stimuli with valence information and to store these associations as memories forms the basis for decision making. To determine the underlying computational principles, we build a realistic computational model of a central decision module within the Drosophila mushroom body (MB), the fly’s center for learning and memory. Our model combines the electron microscopy-based architecture of one MB output neuron (MBON-α3), the synaptic connectivity of its 948 presynaptic Kenyon cells (KCs), and its membrane properties obtained from patch-clamp recordings. We show that this neuron is electrotonically compact and that synaptic input corresponding to simulated odor input robustly drives its spiking behavior. Therefore, sparse innervation by KCs can efficiently control and modulate MBON activity in response to learning with minimal requirements on the specificity of synaptic localization. This architecture allows efficient storage of large numbers of memories using the flexible stochastic connectivity of the circuit.
Vein fate determined by flow-based but time-delayed integration of network architecture
Authors: Marbach Sophie , Ziethen Noah , Bastin Leonie , Bäuerle Felix K , Alim Karen
Published: March 2023

Veins in vascular networks, such as in blood vasculature or leaf networks, continuously reorganize, grow or shrink, to minimize energy dissipation. Flow shear stress on vein walls has been set forth as the local driver for a vein’s continuous adaptation. Yet, shear feedback alone cannot account for the observed diversity of vein dynamics – a puzzle made harder by scarce spatiotemporal data. Here, we resolve network-wide vein dynamics and shear rate during spontaneous reorganization in the prototypical vascular networks of Physarum polycephalum. Our experiments reveal a plethora of vein dynamics (stable, growing, shrinking) where the role of shear is ambiguous. Quantitative analysis of our data reveals that (a) shear rate indeed feeds back on vein radius, yet, with a time delay of 1–3 min. Further, we reconcile the experimentally observed disparate vein fates by developing a model for vein adaptation within a network and accounting for the observed time delay. The model reveals that (b) vein fate is determined by parameters – local pressure or relative vein resistance – which integrate the entire network’s architecture, as they result from global conservation of fluid volume. Finally, we observe avalanches of network reorganization events that cause entire clusters of veins to vanish. Such avalanches are consistent with network architecture integrating parameters governing vein fate as vein connections continuously change. As the network architecture integrating parameters intrinsically arise from laminar fluid flow in veins, we expect our findings to play a role across flow-based vascular networks.
Emergence of time persistence in a data-driven neural network model
Authors: Wolf Sebastien , Le Goc Guillaume , Debrégeas Georges , Cocco Simona , Monasson Rémi
Published: March 2023

Establishing accurate as well as interpretable models of network activity is an open challenge in systems neuroscience. Here, we infer an energy-based model of the anterior rhombencephalic turning region (ARTR), a circuit that controls zebrafish swimming statistics, using functional recordings of the spontaneous activity of hundreds of neurons. Although our model is trained to reproduce the low-order statistics of the network activity at short time scales, its simulated dynamics quantitatively captures the slowly alternating activity of the ARTR. It further reproduces the modulation of this persistent dynamics by the water temperature and visual stimulation. Mathematical analysis of the model unveils a low-dimensional landscape-based representation of the ARTR activity, where the slow network dynamics reflects Arrhenius-like barriers crossings between metastable states. Our work thus shows how data-driven models built from large neural populations recordings can be reduced to low-dimensional functional models in order to reveal the fundamental mechanisms controlling the collective neuronal dynamics.
Reassessment of weak parent-of-origin expression bias shows it rarely exists outside of known imprinted regions
Authors: Edwards Carol A , Watkinson William MD , Telerman Stephanie B , Hulsmann Lisa C , Hamilton Russell S , Ferguson-Smith Anne C
Published: March 2023

In mouse and human, genes subjected to genomic imprinting have been shown to function in development, behavior, and post-natal adaptations. Failure to correctly imprint genes in human is associated with developmental syndromes, adaptive, and metabolic disorders during life as well as numerous forms of cancer. In recent years researchers have turned to RNA-seq technologies applied to reciprocal hybrid strains of mice to identify novel imprinted genes, causing a threefold increase in genes reported as having a parental origin-specific expression bias. The functional relevance of parental origin-specific expression bias is not fully appreciated especially since many are reported with only minimal parental bias (e.g. 51:49). Here, we present an in-depth meta-analysis of previously generated RNA-seq data and show that the methods used to generate and analyze libraries greatly influence the calling of allele-specific expression. Validation experiments show that most novel genes called with parental-origin-specific allelic bias are artefactual, with the mouse strain contributing a larger effect on expression biases than parental origin. Of the weak novel genes that do validate, most are located at the periphery of known imprinted domains, suggesting they may be affected by local allele- and tissue-specific conformation. Together these findings highlight the need for robust tools, definitions, and validation of putative imprinted genes to provide meaningful information within imprinting databases and to understand the functional and mechanistic implications of the process.
Transition of an estuarine benthic meiofauna assemblage 1.7 and 2.8 years after a mining disaster
Authors: Coppo Gabriel , Pais Fabiano S. , Ferreira Tiago O. , Halanych Ken M. , Donnelly Kyle , Mazzuco Ana Carolina , Bernardino Angelo F.
Published: March 2023

Background

Estuaries are transitional coastal ecosystems that are threatened by multiple sources of human pollution. In 2015, mining tailings from an upstream dam failure caused massive metal contamination that impacted benthic assemblages on the Brazilian Rio Doce estuary.

Methods

In this study, we investigate and compare meiofaunal assemblages with eDNA metabarcoding 1.7 years (2017) and 2.8 years (2018) after the initial contamination by mine tailings in order to evaluate the continued impact of sediment mine tailing contaminants on the structure of benthic assemblages after the disaster.

Results

The community was dominated by Arthropoda and Nematoda 1.7 yr after the impacts (42 and 29% of meiofaunal sequence reads, respectively) but after 2.8 years Arthropoda (64.8% of meiofaunal sequence reads) and Rotifera (11.8%) were the most common taxa. This continued impact on meiofaunal assemblage revealed a lower phylogenetic diversity (7.8-fold) in 2018, despite overall decrease in metal concentration (Al, Ba, Cr, As, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd, Co) in sediments. Our data suggests that differences in benthic assemblages and loss of diversity may be influenced by contaminants in sediments of this estuary, and indicate that broad eDNA assessments are greatly useful to understand the full range of biodiversity changes in dynamic estuarine ecosystems.
Smart Medical System Integrated into the Design of Real-Time Monitoring System for Efficient Medical Students' Physical and Mental Health
Authors: Yanli Tian
Published: March 2023

An embedded visual remote medical monitoring front-end system is introduced, which has the functions of embedded Web transmission of medical students' mental health monitoring data, voice intercom and high-definition visual monitoring. A survey was conducted among 718 medical students using the Five-Factor Mindfulness Awareness Scale, College Students' Psychological Harmony Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, Interpersonal Interpersonal Diagnosis Scale, Trait Coping Style Questionnaire and Symptom Self-Rating Scale. The construction strategy of the smart medical system aims to provide new ideas and references for the smart medical system to adapt to the ever-expanding medical application needs. SPSS 21.0 is used to test the internal consistency of the questionnaire results.