bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved reperfusion following alternative surgical approach for experimental stroke in mice
Authors: Trotman-Lucas Melissa , Wong Raymond , Allan Stuart M. , Gibson Claire L.
Published: March 2020

Background: Following ischemic stroke, recanalisation and restoration of blood flow to the affected area of the brain is critical and directly correlates with patient recovery.  In vivo models of ischemic stroke show high variability in outcomes, which may be due to variability in reperfusion.  We previously reported that a surgical refinement in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of stroke, via repair of the common carotid artery (CCA), removes the reliance on the Circle of Willis for reperfusion and reduced infarct variability.  Here we further assess this refined surgical approach on reperfusion characteristics following transient MCAO in mice.

Methods: Mice underwent 60 min of MCAO, followed by either CCA repair or ligation at reperfusion.  All mice underwent laser speckle contrast imaging at baseline, 24 h and 48 h post-MCAO.

Results: CCA ligation reduced cerebral perfusion in the ipsilateral hemisphere compared to baseline (102.3 ± 4.57%) at 24 h (85.13 ± 16.09%; P < 0.01) and 48 h (75.04 ± 12.954%; P < 0.001) post-MCAO. Repair of the CCA returned perfusion to baseline (94.152 ± 2.44%) levels and perfusion was significantly improved compared to CCA ligation at both 24 h (102.83 ± 8.41%; P < 0.05) and 48 h (102.13 ± 9.34%; P < 0.001) post-MCAO.

Conclusions: Our findings show CCA repair, an alternative surgical approach for MCAO, results in improved ischemic hemisphere perfusion during the acute phase.
Optimization-Driven Scenario Grouping
Authors: Ryan Kevin , Ahmed Shabbir , Dey Santanu S. , Rajan Deepak , Musselman Amelia , Watson Jean-Paul
Published: March 2020

Scenario decomposition algorithms for stochastic programs compute bounds by dualizing all nonanticipativity constraints and solving individual scenario problems independently. We develop an approach that improves on these bounds by reinforcing a carefully chosen subset of nonanticipativity constraints, effectively placing scenarios into groups. Specifically, we formulate an optimization problem for grouping scenarios that aims to improve the bound by optimizing a proxy metric based on information obtained from evaluating a subset of candidate feasible solutions. We show that the proposed grouping problem is NP-hard in general, identify a polynomially solvable case, and present two formulations for solving the problem: a matching formulation for a special case and a mixed-integer programming formulation for the general case. We use the proposed grouping scheme as a preprocessing step for a particular scenario decomposition algorithm and demonstrate its effectiveness in solving standard test instances of two-stage 0–1 stochastic programs. Using this approach, we are able to prove optimality for all previously unsolved instances of a standard test set. Additionally, we implement this scheme as a preprocessing step for PySP, a publicly available and widely used implementation of progressive hedging, and compare this grouping approach with standard grouping approaches on large-scale stochastic unit commitment instances. Finally, the idea is extended to propose a finitely convergent algorithm for two-stage stochastic programs with a finite feasible region.
The impact of online self-management interventions on midlife adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review
Authors: Celik Aycan , Forde Rita , Sturt Jackie
Published: March 2020

Background:

Online self-management education programmes are now recommended for people with type 2 diabetes to improve self-management capacities. There is limited evidence to determine whether such programmes improve the health outcomes for midlife adults with diabetes.

Aims:

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the impact of online self-management interventions with digital consulting on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes distress, self-efficacy, and depression in midlife adults.

Methods:

A systematic review was undertaken searching Medline, Embase and CINAHL. Studies were appraised using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool.

Results:

Eight studies were included. Online interventions resulted in the improvement of HbA1c (pooled mean difference on HbA1c: -0.35%, 95% CI (-0.52, -0.18), P<0.001). A narrative synthesis was conducted for all secondary outcomes. No conclusions could be drawn on the impact of these outcomes.

Conclusion:

Online interventions improve HbA1c. Further research is needed for secondary outcomes.
Factors influencing sleep quality among Jordanian intensive care patients
Authors: Younis Mohammad Bani , Hayajneh Feryal , Rubbai Yousef
Published: March 2020

Sleep disturbance is common in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Numerous factors can contribute to this. High noise and light levels, nursing interventions and medication administration are major factors. This study investigated the demographic and environmental factors that might adversely affect ICU patients' quality of sleep. Data were collected from 103 patients using a demographic data sheet, the Freedman Quality of Sleep Scale and the Richards-Campbell Sleep Scale. Patients' demographic characteristics were found to have no significant effects on their perceived quality of sleep. Environmental factors, including noise, light, nursing interventions, diagnostic testing, the administration of medication, talking and phones ringing, were significantly related to the patients' perceived quality of sleep.
The Effect of Thinking Actively in a Social Context and Creative Problem-Solving Learning Models on Divergent-Thinking Skills Viewed from Adversity Quotient
Authors: Fauziah Muna , Marmoah Sri , Murwaningsih Tri , Saddhono Kundharu
Published: March 2020

This research aims to find out: (1) the more effective learning model on students' divergent-thinking skills; (2) the better adversity quotient on students' divergent-thinking skills; (3) the better adversity quotient to improve students' divergent-thinking skills in each learning model; and (4) the better learning model to improve students' divergent-thinking skills in each adversity quotient. This research uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental type. The fifth-grade students were selected as the research subjects. This research was carried out at the public elementary schools in Laweyan District, Surakarta, Indonesia. Test and questionnaire techniques were used to collect data. The data analysis was performed with the analysis prerequisite, hypothesis, and multiple-comparison tests. The results showed that the learning model and adversity quotient have an influence on divergent-thinking skills; for each adversity quotient, the thinking actively in a social context learning model is better than the creative problem solving and direct instruction learning model; the creative problem solving learning model is better than the direct instruction learning model; and adversity quotient of the climbers is better than that of the campers and the adversity quotient of the campers is better than that of the quitters in each learning model.
First occourence of the family Glaresidae in Italy, with description of the new species Glaresis gentile from Sardinia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Glaresidae)

Authors: ZIANI STEFANO , ULIANA MARCO , RATTU ROBERTO
Published: March 2020

Glaresis gentile sp. nov. is described from southwestern Sardinia, Italy, providing the first record of the family Glaresidae from Italy. The new species is compared with the other western European species and with some other taxa described from North Africa. It appears to be closest to the poorly known Iberian G. thiniensis Verdú & Galante, 2001, whose aedeagus morphology is precised. Finally, a key to the European species is provided. Key words: Scarabaeoidea, Glaresidae, Glaresis, new species, taxonomy, Sardinia, Spain, sand dunes
Solution-processed antireflective coating for back-contact perovskite solar cells
Authors: Bacal Dorota M. , Lal Niraj N. , Jumabekov Askhat N. , Hou Qicheng , Hu Yinghong , Lu Jianfeng , Chesman Anthony S. R. , Bach Udo
Published: March 2020

Back-contact architectures for perovskite solar cells eliminate parasitic-absorption losses caused by the electrode and charge collection layers but increase surface reflection due to the high refractive index mismatch at the air/perovskite interface. To mitigate this, a ∼85 nm thick layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with a refractive index between those of air and perovskite, has been applied as an antireflective coating. Transfer matrix modelling is used to determine the ideal PMMA layer thickness, with UV-Vis spectroscopy measurements used to confirm the increase in absorption that arises through the application of the antireflective coating. The deposition of a thin film of PMMA via spin coating onto a solar cell results in a 20–30% relative increase in short circuit current density and stable power output density.
Optical chaotic flip-flop operations with multiple triggering under clock synchronization in the VCSEL with polarization-preserved optical injection
Authors: Zhong Dongzhou , Yang Guangze , Zeng Neng , Yang Hua , Xu Zhe , Xi Jiangtao
Published: March 2020

We investigate the evolution of nonlinear dynamic behaviors of two polarization components (x-PC and y-PC), as well as the interplay of polarization bistability and injection strength in the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with polarization-preserved optical injection. We explore a new threshold mechanism to judge two logic outputs encoded in different dynamic behaviors of the x-PC and y-PC emitted by the VCSEL with polarization-preserved optical injection. We demonstrate implementations of two parallel optical chaotic reset-set flip-flop operations and two parallel chaotic toggle flip-flop operations that are synchronized by a clock signal and response for as short as 1 ns bit time. We further observe the reconfiguration of these two kinds of flip-flop operations with clock synchronization in different time periods by controlling the duration-time of the reset (toggle) signal with high-level. The probability of the correct trigger responses for these two kinds of flip-flop operations is controlled by the interplay of the duration-time of the reset (toggle) signal and the noise strength of the spontaneous emission. The probability that is equal to 1 for the reset-set flip-flop operations occurs in the long duration-time of the reset (toggle) signal ranging from 480 ps to 592 ps. The probability with 1 for the toggle flip-flop operations takes place in the short duration-time between 116 ps and 170 ps. Moreover, these two kinds of flip-flop operations have strong robust to the spontaneous emission noise. The optical chaotic flip-flop operation device with clock synchronization and reconfigurable trigger function proposed in our scheme offers interesting perspectives for applications where noise is unavoidable and synchronized multiple triggering is required.
Angle-dependent optical response of the plasmonic nanoparticle clusters with rotational symmetry
Authors: Chai Jiwang , Ge Lixin , Hu Peng , Xiang Hong , Han Dezhuan
Published: March 2020

Plasmonic nanoparticle clusters are widely considered experimentally and numerically. In the clusters consisting of one central particle and N satellite particles, not only the magnetic modes but also the toroidal modes can exist. Here, the eigenmodes of such clusters and the corresponding excitation efficiency under the illumination of a plane wave are studied analytically by using the eigen-decomposition method. The angular dependence of the optical response of these clusters is clearly demonstrated. The behavior of excitation efficiency is dependent on both the value and the parity of N, the number of satellite particles. Our results may provide a guide for the selective excitation of plasmonic modes in the plasmonic nanoparticle clusters.
Optical Eratosthenes’ sieve for large prime numbers
Authors: Li Bohan , Maltese Giorgio , Costa-Filho J. I. , Pushkina A. A. , Lvovsky A. I.
Published: March 2020

We report the first experimental demonstration of a prime number sieve via linear optics. The prime numbers distribution is encoded in the intensity zeros of the far field produced by a spatial light modulator hologram, which comprises a set of diffraction gratings whose periods correspond to all prime numbers below 149. To overcome the limited far field illumination window and the discretization error introduced by the spatial light modulator finite spatial resolution, we rely on additional diffraction gratings and sequential recordings of the far field. This strategy allows us to optically sieve all prime numbers below 1492 = 22201.
Compound-eye metasurface optics enabling a high-sensitivity, ultra-thin polarization camera
Authors: Miyata Masashi , Nakajima Mitsumasa , Hashimoto Toshikazu
Published: March 2020

Polarization imaging is key for various applications ranging from biology to machine vision because it can capture valuable optical information about imaged environments, which is usually absent in intensity and spectral content. Conventional polarization cameras rely on a traditional single-eye imaging system with rotating polarizers, cascaded optics, or micropolarizer-patterned image sensors. These cameras, however, have two common issues. The first is low sensitivity resulting from the limited light utilization efficiency of absorptive polarizers or cascaded optics. The other is the difficulty in device miniaturization due to the fact that these devices require at least an optical-path length equivalent to the lens’s focal length. Here, we propose a polarization imaging system based on compound-eye metasurface optics and show how it enables the creation of a high-sensitivity, ultra-thin polarization camera. Our imaging system is composed of a typical image sensor and single metasurface layer for forming a vast number of images while sorting the polarization bases. Since this system is based on a filter-free, computational imaging scheme while dramatically reducing the optical-path length required for imaging, it overcomes both efficiency and size limitations of conventional polarization cameras. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated that our system improves the amount of detected light by a factor of ∼2, while reducing device thickness to ∼1/10 that of the most prevalent polarization cameras. Such a sensitive, compact, and passive device could pave the way toward the widespread adoption of polarization imaging in applications in which available light is limited and strict size constraints exist.
Enhanced stimulated Raman scattering of water by KOH
Authors: Wang Ying , Li Fabing , Wang Chong , Fang Wenhui , Sun Chenglin , Men Zhiwei
Published: March 2020

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) of water and a 1 M KOH–H2O solution are investigated using a Nd:YAG laser in both forward and backward directions. An obvious enhanced SRS signal is realized by dissolving KOH in liquid water. Compared with pure water, the performance improvements include the appearance of low-wavenumber Raman peaks, higher Raman intensity, an increased Raman gain, and an enhanced hydrogen bonding network. In this paper, the SRS enhancement phenomenon is explained from both the hydrogen bonding structure and the mechanism of stimulated Raman scattering. We consider it to be a very important SRS enhancement technique, which is low cost, simple, but reliable. Meanwhile, it can easily be extended to other alkali hydroxides.
Off-axis spiral phase mirrors for generating high-intensity optical vortices
Authors: Longman Andrew , Salgado Carlos , Zeraouli Ghassan , Apiñaniz Jon I. , Antonio Pérez-Hernández Jose , Eltahlawy M. Khairy , Volpe Luca , Fedosejevs Robert
Published: March 2020

In this work, we present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, and practical method for generating optical vortices in high-power laser systems. Off-axis spiral phase mirrors are used at oblique angles of incidence in the beam path after amplification and compression, allowing for the generation of high-power optical vortices in almost any laser system. An off-axis configuration is possible via modification of the azimuthal gradient of the spiral phase helix and is demonstrated with a simple model using a discrete spiral staircase. This work presents the design, fabrication, and implementation of off-axis spiral phase mirrors in both low- and high-power laser systems.
Self validating Mueller matrix Micro–Mesoscope (SAMMM) for the characterization of biological media
Authors: Saytashev Ilyas , Saha Sudipta , Chue-Sang Joseph , Lopez Pedro , Laughrey Megan , Ramella-Roman Jessica C.
Published: March 2020

Reflectance Mueller matrix (MM) polarimetry is being used to characterize biological media in multiple clinical applications. The origin of the reflectance polarimetric data is often unclear due to the impact of multiple scattering and tissue heterogeneity. We have developed a new, to the best of our knowledge, multimodal imaging technique combining MM reflectance, MM digital confocal imaging, and co-registered nonlinear microscopy techniques. The instrument unveils the origin of reflectance polarimetric signature in terms of confocal reflectance data. The reconstructed reflected MM demonstrates the capability of our method to provide depth-resolved 3D polarization response from complex biological media in terms of depolarization, retardance, and orientation parameters.
All-digital Stokes polarimetry with a digital micromirror device
Authors: Manthalkar Amogh , Nape Isaac , Bordbar Najmeh Tabe , Rosales-Guzmán Carmelo , Bhattacharya Shanti , Forbes Andrew , Dudley Angela
Published: March 2020

Stokes polarimetry is widely used to extract the polarization structure of optical fields, typically from six measurements, although it can be extracted from only four. To measure the required intensities, most approaches are based on optical polarization components. In this work, we present an all-digital approach that enables a rapid measure of all four intensities without any moving components. Our method employs a polarization grating (PG) to simultaneously project the incoming mode into left- and right-circular polarized states, followed by a polarization-insensitive digital micromirror device (DMD), which digitally introduces a phase retardance for the acquisition of the remaining two polarization states. We demonstrate how this technique can be applied to measuring the SoP, vectorness, and intramodal phase of optical fields, without any moving components, and shows excellent agreement with theory, illustrating fast, real-time polarimetry.
Photon-counting 3D integral imaging with less than a single photon per pixel on average using a statistical model of the EM-CCD camera
Authors: Hotaka Hisaya , O’Connor Timothy , Ohsuka Shinji , Javidi Bahram
Published: March 2020

We investigate photon-counting 3D integral imaging (PCII) with an electron multiplying charged-coupled device (EM-CCD) camera using dedicated statistical models. Using conventional integral imaging reconstruction methods with this camera in photon-counting conditions may result in degraded reconstructed image quality if multiple photons are detected simultaneously in a given pixel. We propose an estimation method derived from the photon detection statistical model of the EM-CCD to address the problems caused by multiple photons detected at the same pixel and provide improved 3D reconstructions. We also present a simplified version of this statistical method that can be used under the correct conditions. The imaging performance of these methods is evaluated on experimental data by the peak signal-to-noise ratio and the structural similarity index measure. The experiments demonstrate that 3D integral imaging substantially outperforms 2D imaging in degraded conditions. Furthermore, we achieve imaging in photon-counting conditions where, on average, less than a single photon per pixel is detected by the camera. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of PCII with the EM-CCD camera employing its statistical model in 3D reconstruction of PCII.
Enhancing extraction efficiency of quantum dot light-emitting diodes introducing a highly wrinkled ZnO electron transport layer
Authors: Zhang Dandan , Xu Jianlong
Published: March 2020

Light extraction efficiency is crucial for achieving highly efficient and bright quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs), and current efforts toward introducing light outcoupling nanostructures always require complicated procedures. An extremely simple and efficient method to introduce light outcoupling nanostructures in the ZnO electron transport layer (ETL) is demonstrated by adopting a certain heating rate during the annealing process. The ultimate device exhibits a current efficiency of 9.1 cd/A, giving a 50% efficiency improvement compared to the control device with a flat ZnO ETL. This arises from the increased light extraction efficiency induced by random nanostructures formed on a wrinkled ZnO ETL, which could also be modulated by adjusting the heating rate during the annealing process. This study not only provides a simple and efficient method to introduce light outcoupling nanostructures, but also shows ample room for further performance enhancement of QLEDs with the guideline of light extraction.
Plasmonic transmitted optical differentiator based on the subwavelength gold gratings
Authors: Yang Weiji , Yu Xuanyi , Zhang Jialin , Deng Xiaoxu
Published: March 2020

A nanoscale plasmonic optical differentiator based on subwavelength gold gratings is investigated theoretically and experimentally without Fourier transform lenses and prisms. In the vicinity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), the transfer function of subwavelength gold gratings is derived by optical scattering matrix theory. Simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, the wavelengths of optical spatial differentiation performed by subwavelength gold gratings are tuned by the grating period and duty cycle, while the throughput of edge extraction is mainly adjusted by the grating thickness. Without Fourier transformation, the fabricated plasmonic optical differentiator experimentally achieves real-time optical spatial differentiation in transmission and implements SPR enhanced high-throughput edge extraction of a microscale image with a resolution of 10 µm at 650 nm, which has potential applications in areas of optical analog computing, optical imaging, and optical information processing.
Bragg solitons in topological Floquet insulators
Authors: Ivanov S. K. , Kartashov Y. V. , Maczewsky L. J. , Szameit A. , Konotop V. V.
Published: March 2020

We consider a topological Floquet insulator consisting of two honeycomb arrays of identical waveguides having opposite helicities. The interface between the arrays supports two distinct topological edge states, which can be resonantly coupled by additional weak longitudinal refractive index modulation with a period larger than the helix period. In the presence of Kerr nonlinearity, such coupled edge states enable topological Bragg solitons. Theory and examples of such solitons are presented.
Highly efficient stimulated Raman scattering of sub-picosecond laser pulses in BaWO4 for 10.6  µm difference frequency generation
Authors: Kinyaevskiy I. O. , Kovalev V. I. , Danilov P. A. , Smirnov N. A. , Kudryashov S. I. , Seleznev L. V. , Dunaeva E. E. , Ionin A. A.
Published: March 2020

Transient stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) of 0.3 ps 515 nm laser pulses in

B
a
W

O
4

crystal was experimentally demonstrated with efficiency up to

∼

20

%

for the Stokes component with a wavenumber of

∼

925

c
m

−
1

in a simple single-pass geometry. This anomalous high efficiency was obtained due to the laser pulse self-phase modulation resulting in spectral broadening and seeding the SRS. The applicability of seed pulse production for a high-pressure sub-picosecond

C
O

2

laser amplifier via difference frequency generation in

L
i
G
a
S

2

crystal was numerically verified.
Radio Adelaide: A case study of community radio change and resilience within the non-profit industrial complex
Authors: Bedford Charlotte
Published: March 2020

The Australian community radio sector is a rich source of information for researchers, activists and practitioners working to support and develop community broadcasting worldwide. With a 46-year history, it represents an established and enduring third tier of independent local broadcasting with over 450 non-profit radio services legislated to provide opportunities for community engagement and participation. This article focuses on the political, economic and institutional factors involved in a change of ownership and management of Radio Adelaide, the country’s longest running community radio station. The process illustrates the impact and effects of the non-profit industrial complex as stations struggle for financial survival and independence in an increasingly competitive, corporatized environment. It is a case study which questions the contemporary understanding of a strong and resilient sector, highlighting themes to inform community media research and practice internationally.
Community radio contradictions in Canada: Learning from volunteers impacted by commercialising policies and practices
Authors: King Gretchen , Rahemtullah Omme-Salma
Published: March 2020

Community radio has been defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as promoting non-profit ownership of stations and volunteer participation. The increasing commercialisation of community radio in Canada, evident in changing station practices and regulatory policies, has resulted in the erosion of volunteer run governance and programming. This article draws on community media, anti-oppression, and third-sector studies literature to investigate the experiences of volunteers from two stations, CHRY in Toronto and Radio Centre-Ville in Montréal. Current Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations define community radio ‘by virtue of its place in the communities served.’ This article concludes that reducing the engagement and empowerment of volunteers in community radio programming and governance limits the place of community radio in the community. The authors will also identify best practices that are needed to re-centre community radio within the community while ensuring a sustainable non-profit community broadcasting sector.
Moments of danger: The struggle for community-based public radio in Baltimore
Authors: Loviglio Jason
Published: March 2020

This article explores the struggle of The Center for Emerging Media, an independent community media organisation in Baltimore with roots in the radical traditions of the American left, and aspirations for leveraging new media technologies to empower a new generation of voices and stories, to find audiences at the margins of the US public radio industry in a neoliberal moment of danger. As US Public radio networks have increasingly catered to well-to-do listeners keen to hear about social difference but not from the voices of the marginalised, organisations like the CEM have become increasingly endangered, resilient and necessary. This article explores those dangers and the resilience they inspire, and considers possible futures for alternative community media.
Is community radio in crisis in the Global North?: Lessons from Australia and the United States
Authors: Anderson Heather , Rodríguez Clemencia
Published: March 2020

This article explores the relevance of community radio in the Global North. Its significance in the Global South is uncontested (Gumucio Dagron, 2011; Rodríguez, 2011; Tacchi, 2002), however, in the Global North the role of community radio is not necessarily so clear. According to a 2017 study published by New York University, newer digital services are changing the way people listen to content, endangering the future of traditional radio (Miller, 2017). In this environment, the relevance of community radio can be put into question. Based on three different case studies – two in Australia and one in the US – our analysis explores community broadcasters’ strategic initiatives that, although different, intend to address specific communication needs in particular audiences. Our analysis suggests that the future of community radio in the Global North depends on its ability to detect needs and audiences at the hyper-local level.
Not just surviving but thriving: Practices that sustain a new generation of Latin American community media makers
Authors: Coryat Diana
Published: March 2020

Over ten years ago, two community media initiatives were founded by young people in their early twenties in Bogota, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador. While the Colombia-based collective, Ojo al Sancocho, has struggled to build bridges among urban and migratory communities uprooted by an entrenched, decades-old armed conflict, the Ecuadorian group, El Churo Comunicación, has fostered audiovisual autonomy and resistance among indigenous, feminist and ecological social movements that have had to defend their rights even though they were supposedly guaranteed by a so-called progressive government. Despite formidable challenges, each has fulfilled a long-held dream - a community movie theater, and the expansion of a radio-based practice to a multiplicity of practices that include community filmmaking, cyberfeminism and capacity-building of communities across Ecuador and Latin America. Together with other collectives, Ojo al Sancocho and El Churo are building a network of community filmmakers across Latin America. Using each organization’s 2017 annual gathering as a point of departure, and subsequent meetings in 2018-2019, this article analyzes the characteristics that have led to innovation and sustainability in diverse contexts. It also indicates key challenges they face. This is an engaged, ethnographically-based, scholarly work.
From community to communal media: Lessons for the sustainability of community media from the Bolivarian experience
Authors: Potter Rich
Published: March 2020

This article seeks lessons for the sustainability of community media by looking at its role in Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. It draws on recent theorization to define community media as an articulating mechanism of a maximally democratic civil society. It then situates this understanding in relation to the Gramscian notion of a ‘civil state’, which has increasingly informed Latin American socialism and in which the state’s role is to maximise participatory governance within civil society. The article then analyses the weaknesses of the Venezuelan community media sector under a liberal framework, and attempts to establish a new legal structure that would integrate participatory media with civil society and the Bolivarian ‘commune’ system. These efforts demonstrate that heterarchical institutional structures may best integrate community media with civil society in a manner that assures sustainability and autonomy.
A két világháború közti libanoni rendszer természetrajza
Authors: Rashed Daher
Published: March 2020

The reconfiguration of the Middle East after the First World War can be regarded as the first wave of Europeanization in the Middle East. The centuries-long imperial order that defined the region and originated from local factors were replaced by a European-type modern state system, in which mandate powers such as France and Great Britain established Western institutions with their secular ideology, administrative basis, and understanding of sovereignty. It was evident from the beginning, that the arbitrarily designated borders broke many wellestablished local compromises and subverted the delicate balance between different sects, religions, language groups, and nations. The case of Lebanon – as the most complex area concerning the ethnic and sectarian divisions – illustrates the fact that implementing a European style nationstate into a Middle Eastern environment met with resistance and these set of internal contradictions have been exerting influence on the political situation of the region ever since. Although the mandate system of the interwar period broke up and Lebanon gained independence after the Second World War, the original demands by local movements (e.g. establishing a Greater Syria) was not possible owing to the firm establishment of new borders after 1918. In practice, this meant that independence was materialized in a framework defined by France and Great Britain and this condition considerably limited the space of action both on the political and the social level.
Comparative Analysis of Atherosclerosis Risk Factors in the Staff of the Tbilisi (Georgia) Cleaning Service
Authors: Kantaria Murman , Kantaria Murman , Machavariani Pavle , Ormotsadze Giorgi , Ormotsadze Giorgi , Ormotsadze Giorgi , Kakabadze Ketevan , Chkhikvishvili Irakli , Chkhikvishvili Irakli , Buleishvili Maka , Buleishvili Maka , Buleishvili Maka , Kipiani Nina , Agladze Vazha , Sanikidze Tamar , Sanikidze Tamar
Published: March 2020

Objective
Search of pathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors of atherosclerosis in the employees of the cleaning service in Tbilisi.

Materials and Methods
As a result of a preliminary survey and examination of 200 employes of Tbilisi cleaning service aged 25-45 years (2014-2016), 22 patients with angina, hypercholesterolemia, intimae-media thickness > 0.65 mm, were selected into I group, and 23 individuals without these disorders into II group. In the blood plasma of the selected patients the intensity of oxidative metabolism parameters, TAA and MDA were determined. The variance and correlation analysis (АNOVA) was used for conducting the comparative analysis of the levels of studied parameters.

Results
In the combined group (I+II) there are several reliable correlations between the Age -TCol, Age-MDA, BMI-Tg, BMI-MDA, LDLChol-HDLChol, LDLChol–TChol, HDLChol-TChol, LDLChol-MDA, LDLChol-TAA. no correlation between these parameters in individual groups (I and II) was found. That indicates that we have an imaginary correlation related to the large intergroup difference between the average values of the group indicators, that is the values of various indicators change during the development of the pathological process, but there is no causal relationship between these alterations.

The reliable TAA-MDA correlation in the combined group (I+II) is related to the high anticorrelation between these parameters and the significantly higher average value of TAA in the low-risk group (II) in comparison to the high-risk group (I).

Conclusion
The results analysis indicates both the diagnostic value of redox status indicators and their leading role in the atherogenesis processes. In populations with a high risk of atherosclerosis, monitoring of serum TAA is recommended.
Prophylactic Endoscopic Clipping Does Not Prevent Delayed Postpolypectomy Bleeding in Routine Clinical Practice: A Propensity Score–Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Forbes Nauzer , Hilsden Robert J. , Lethebe Brendan Cord , Maxwell Courtney M. , Lamidi Mubasiru , Kaplan Gilaad G. , James Matthew T. , Razik Roshan , Hookey Lawrence C. , Ghali William A. , Bourke Michael J. , Heitman Steven J.
Published: March 2020

Introduction:

Delayed postpolypectomy bleeding (DPPB) is a relatively common adverse event. Evidence is conflicting on the efficacy of prophylactic clipping to prevent DPPB, and real-world effectiveness data are lacking. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of prophylactic clipping in preventing DPPB in a large screening-related cohort.

METHODS:

We manually reviewed records of patients who underwent polypectomy from 2008 to 2014 at a screening facility. Endoscopist-, patient- and polyp-related data were collected. The primary outcome was DPPB within 30 days. All unplanned healthcare visits were reviewed; DPPB cases were adjudicated by committee using a criterion-based lexicon. Multivariable logistic regression was performed, yielding adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for the association between clipping and DPPB. Secondary analyses were performed on procedures where one polyp was removed, in addition to propensity score–matched and subgroup analyses.

RESULTS:

In total, 8,366 colonoscopies involving polypectomy were analyzed, yielding 95 DPPB events. Prophylactic clipping was not associated with reduced DPPB (AOR 1.27; 0.83–1.96). These findings were similar in the single-polyp cohort (n = 3,369, AOR 1.07; 0.50–2.31). In patients with one proximal polyp ≥20 mm removed, there was a nonsignificant AOR with clipping of 0.55 (0.10–2.66). Clipping was not associated with a protective benefit in the propensity score–matched or other subgroup analyses.

DISCUSSION:

In this large cohort study, prophylactic clipping was not associated with lower DPPB rates. Endoscopists should not routinely use prophylactic clipping in most patients. Additional effectiveness and cost-effectiveness studies are required in patients with proximal lesions ≥20 mm, in whom there may be a role for prophylactic clipping.
Identidade étnica e territorialidade no Colégio Estadual Indígena Dom Jackson Berenguer Prado
Authors: Altmicks Alfons Heinrich , Canton Anayme Aparecida
Published: March 2020

O presente artigo propõe uma análise sobre a presença de características subjetivas, denotadoras de identidade, pertencimento e territorialidade nas atividades pedagógicas, planejadas, elaboradas e executadas por docentes do Colégio Estadual Indígena Dom Jackson Berenguer Prado. Como lastro dessas características, sustenta-se que o currículo sugerido e adotado pelos professores e as dinâmicas de legitimação da identidade indígena, propostas nas suas classes, respondem diretamente pelo diálogo entre as atividades desenvolvidas no cotidiano pedagógico da supracitada instituição escolar e a necessidade da comunidade de legitimar a sua identidade indígena Kaimbé, o seu pertencimento étnico e a sua territorialidade própria. À guisa de identidade metodológica, esta investigação subscreve-se à categoria de estudos de viés etnográfico. Possui um caráter iminentemente descritivo, com análise qualitativa. O recurso utilizado foi, basicamente, o cruzamento crítico das informações, obtidas da apropriação teórica e da observação participante.
Participação popular em saúde mental
Authors: Resgis Marjorie Aires , Altoé Dayene Patricia Gatto
Published: March 2020

O presente estudo foi desenvolvido no âmbito da formação em serviço conectado ao Programa de Residência Multiprofissional em Saúde Mental da Autarquia Municipal de Saúde de Apucarana, Paraná, (Turma 2016-2018), tendo como cenários de práticas os dois Centros de Atenção Psicossocial da cidade. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, com a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas, com questões semiabertas aplicadas a doze usuários, objetivando identificar as percepções dos usuários quanto à participação popular no contexto de seu processo de cuidado, à luz das discussões sobre educação popular em saúde. Os resultados indicaram que os usuários pouco conhecem sobre a questão da luta de direitos no Sistema Único de Saúde, especificamente na saúde mental; e também indicaram ausência ou insuficiência de ações viabilizadoras de acesso a informações por parte dos serviços, ocasionando pouca ou nenhuma representatividade nos espaços de participação popular na esfera municipal. A educação popular em saúde, considerada como uma nova forma de pensar e fazer saúde, na qual as pessoas são vistas como sujeitos capazes de superar o instituído, de serem protagonistas de seu cuidado e partícipes na luta por condições de saúde, foi apontada como estratégia para o fomento da mobilização coletiva dos usuários.
Assistência estudantil e promoção de Direitos Humanos
Authors: Silveira Mariana Coelho da
Published: March 2020

Este trabalho tem o propósito de apresentar a experiência da implementação de um Edital da Assistência Estudantil de uma Instituição da Rede Federal de Ensino Profissional e Tecnológica cujo objetivo é estimular ações de promoção de Direitos Humanos, diversidades, de combate às opressões e enfrentamento das discriminações vivenciadas pelos estudantes. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo da experiência desenvolvida, trazendo um exame crítico e qualitativo da importância da formação integral para a permanência dos estudantes. Assim, este ensaio parte dos princípios da Política Nacional de Assistência Estudantil (2010) e dialoga com reflexões de Paulo Freire (1987). Essas reflexões são muito apropriadas ao momento histórico contemporâneo e ao desenvolvimento do trabalho da Assistência Estudantil que vem compreendendo a permanência estudantil também como a promoção e a ampliação dos valores éticos de liberdade, igualdade e democracia evidenciados por meio dos processos educativos fomentados pelo Edital proposto.
Low Temperature Vulcanisation Technique for CR BIIR Blend for Encapsulation of Oceanic Sensors
Authors: Mohanadas P. N. , Mukundan T. , Santhanakrishnan T.
Published: March 2020

Blend of chloroprene rubber (CR) and bromobutyl rubber (BIIR) is used for encapsulation of piezo sensors used in sea water. Conventional encapsulation method of these sensors involving high temperature vulcanisation (HTV) often leads to deterioration of piezo properties due to thermal degradation. This paper reports a low temperature vulcanisation (LTV) technique carried out at 90 °C for CR-BIIR blend using chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) as compatibiliser and LTV system consisting of modified di-o-tolyl guanidine and thiocarbanilide as accelerators and ZnO as curing agent. The conventionally used scavenger MgO was eliminated and only ZnO was used to boost the cure reaction. Properties specific to sonar sensors, namely, acoustic transparency, electrical resistivity, water absorption and physico‑mechanical properties were evaluated besides evaluation of morphology. The results are found to compare better than the conventional blend. Accelerated thermal ageing at 70 °C for 7 days yielded 97 % retention of tensile strength. The technique was implemented in a PZT hydrophone sensor and was successfully underwater tested.
Cognitive Workload Analysis of Fighter Aircraft Pilots in Flight Simulator Environment
Authors: Mohanavelu K. , Poonguzhali S. , Ravi D. , Singh Pushpendra K. , Mahajabin Mistu , K. Ramachandran , Singh Upendra Kumar , Jayaraman Srinivasan
Published: March 2020

Maintaining and balancing an optimal level of workload is essential for completing the task productively. Fighter aircraft is one such example, where the pilot is loaded heavily both physically (due to G manoeuvering) and cognitively (handling multiple sensors, perceiving, processing and multi-tasking including communications and handling weapons) to fulfill the combat mission requirements. This cognitive demand needs to be analysed to understand the workload of fighter pilot. Objective of this study is to analyse dynamic workload of fighter pilots in a realistic high-fidelity flight simulator environment during different flying workload conditions. The various workload conditions are (a) normal visibility, (b) low visibility, (c) normal visibility with secondary task, and (d) low visibility with secondary task. Though, pilot’s flying performance score was good, the physiological measure like heart rate variability (HRV) features and subjective assessment (NASA-TLX) components are found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) between tasks. HRV features such as SD2, SDNN, VLF and total power are found to be significant at all task load conditions. The features LFnu and HFnu are able to differentiate the effect of low visibility and secondary cognitive task, which was imposed as increased task in this study. This result benefits to understand the pilot’s task and performance at each flying phase and their cognitive demands during dynamic workload using HRV, which could assist pilot’s training schedule in optimal way on simulators as well as in actual flight conditions.
Numerical Study of the Effect of Wing Position on Autonomous Underwater Glider
Authors: Shankar R.V. Shashank , Vijayakumar Rajagopalan
Published: March 2020

Autonomous underwater gliders are a class of underwater vehicles that transit without the help of a conventional propeller. The vehicle uses a buoyancy engine to vary its buoyancy and with the help of the wings attached executes its motion. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the vehicle affect the longitudinal and turning motion. This paper discusses the effect of the wing’s position on the vehicle’s lift and drag characteristics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool is used to estimate the lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients of the vehicle. The numerical methodology is validated using flow over NACA0012 wing results for low Reynolds numbers, and the results of CFD are discussed for possible application in estimation of glider motion.
Effects of Projectile and Gun Parameters on the Dispersion
Authors: Dursun Tolga
Published: March 2020

Main battle tanks constitute one of the most powerful fire powers for the armoured land forces. To use this very high fire power efficiently, the dispersion of shot impacts becomes crucial. Dispersion is affected by the aerodynamic factors, gun-projectile interactions, projectile and gun dependent factors, manufacturing tolerances and environmental factors. The change in aerodynamic factors and environmental conditions varies the aerodynamic forces applied on the projectile and this affects the dispersion characteristics of the projectile. In this study, the effects of the changes in recoil stiffness, gun support stiffness, projectile muzzle velocity and manufacturing tolerances of projectile forward/rear bourrelet diameters on the dispersion for 120 mm L44 and L55 calibre guns are investigated. Armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot type projectile is used in the analysis. Statistical dispersion analyses including interior ballistic, in-bore balloting and exterior ballistic analyses are conducted using PRODAS ballistic software. According to the results, it is determined that the decrease in projectile/bore clearance (forward/rear bourrelet diameter) results in improved dispersion of ammunition. The 10% changes from the nominal recoil stiffness and the vertical support stiffness values have negligible effects on the dispersion. In addition, the results show that muzzle velocity variations influence the dispersion in vertical direction substantially. Using the procedure applied in this study, it is shown that different clearance conditions can be analysed and most suitable tolerances may be determined taking into consideration of both the gun system performance and manufacturability.