bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding and countering the spread of conspiracy theories in social networks: Evidence from epidemiological models of Twitter data
Authors: Kauk Julian , Kreysa Helene , Schweinberger Stefan R.
Published: August 2021

Conspiracy theories in social networks are considered to have adverse effects on individuals’ compliance with public health measures in the context of a pandemic situation. A deeper understanding of how conspiracy theories propagate through social networks is critical for the development of countermeasures. The present work focuses on a novel approach to characterize the propagation of conspiracy theories through social networks by applying epidemiological models to Twitter data. A Twitter dataset was searched for tweets containing hashtags indicating belief in the “5GCoronavirus” conspiracy theory, which states that the COVID-19 pandemic is a result of, or enhanced by, the enrollment of the 5G mobile network. Despite the absence of any scientific evidence, the “5GCoronavirus” conspiracy theory propagated rapidly through Twitter, beginning at the end of January, followed by a peak at the beginning of April, and ceasing/disappearing approximately at the end of June 2020. An epidemic SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Removed) model was fitted to this time series with acceptable model fit, indicating parallels between the propagation of conspiracy theories in social networks and infectious diseases. Extended SIR models were used to simulate the effects that two specific countermeasures, fact-checking and tweet-deletion, could have had on the propagation of the conspiracy theory. Our simulations indicate that fact-checking is an effective mechanism in an early stage of conspiracy theory diffusion, while tweet-deletion shows only moderate efficacy but is less time-sensitive. More generally, an early response is critical to gain control over the spread of conspiracy theories through social networks. We conclude that an early response combined with strong fact-checking and a moderate level of deletion of problematic posts is a promising strategy to fight conspiracy theories in social networks. Results are discussed with respect to their theoretical validity and generalizability.
The association between intersystem prison transfers and COVID-19 incidence in a state prison system
Authors: Brinkley-Rubinstein Lauren , LeMasters Katherine , Nguyen Phuc , Nowotny Kathryn , Cloud David , Volfovsky Alexander
Published: August 2021

Prisons are the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Media reports have focused on whether transfers of incarcerated people between prisons have been the source of outbreaks. Our objective was to examine the relationship between intersystem prison transfers and COVID-19 incidence in a state prison system. We assessed the change in the means of the time-series of prison transfers and their cross-correlation with the time-series of COVID-19 tests and cases. Regression with automatic detection of multiple change-points was used to identify important changes to transfers. There were over 20,000 transfers between the state’s prisons from January through October 2020. Most who were transferred (82%), experienced a single transfer. Transfers between prisons are positively related to future COVID-19 case rates but transfers are not reactive to current case rates. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in carceral settings, it is crucial for transfers of individuals between facilities to be limited.
Segurança de barragens de rejeitos no Brasil: avaliação dos acidentes recentes
Authors: Pimenta de Ávila Joaquim , Sawaya Marta , Sayão Alberto , Ferreira Leonardo
Published: August 2021

As rupturas recentes de barragens de rejeitos no Brasil têm causado graves impactos ambientais, mortes e perdas financeiras. Este artigo apresenta uma breve descrição da evolução das atividades de mineração no Brasil e dos principais acidentes ocorridos nas últimas 4 décadas. As falhas são apontadas, com o intuito de sugerir os itens que demandam a atenção de técnicos, empresários e governantes. Alterações da gestão e operação dos rejeitos são necessárias para uma melhoria das condições de segurança das barragens de mineração.
O desenvolvimento da mecânica das rochas e perspetivas de evolução da investigação e dos domínios de aplicação
Authors: Lamas Luís , Vieira de Lemos José
Published: August 2021

A mecânica das rochas emergiu como uma disciplina independente no final da década de 50 do século XX, tendo tido um desenvolvimento acentuado até ao presente, que deverá continuar no futuro. Neste artigo faz-se uma breve retrospetiva dos mais importantes desenvolvimentos da mecânica das rochas até à atualidade e apresentam-se os aspetos em que se deverão registar desenvolvimentos significativos, quer em termos das aplicações, quer da investigação.
A geotecnia nos pavimentos e vias-férreas e prospetivas para a era digital
Authors: Gomes Correia António , Neves José , Fortunato Eduardo , Parente Manuel
Published: August 2021

O artigo tem como objetivo apresentar as principais contribuições da geotecnia e da era digital nos pavimentos e nas vias-férreas, com importância nas várias fases do ciclo de vida (projeto, construção, operação e manutenção). Neste contexto são apresentados aspetos da caracterização e modelação dos geomateriais e sua influência no desempenho dessas estruturas, através da demonstração de resultados de ensaios de laboratório e “in situ”. No que diz respeito à digitalização que caracteriza a indústria na atualidade (Indústria 4.0), são descritas algumas das maiores potencialidades que as áreas da otimização e das tecnologias de informação e comunicação podem ter na gestão e alocação inteligente de recursos em ambientes dinâmicos, tais como as terraplenagens, bem como nos sistemas de gestão de pavimentos, para além do recurso ao BIM ao longo das fases de projeto. Acresce ainda a integração de materiais com capacidade de auto-sensorização que constituirão as estruturas inteligentes do futuro.
Obras subterrâneas nos aproveitamentos hidroelétricos em Portugal
Authors: Lima Celso , Esteves Carlos , Oliveira Manuel , Resende Maria Eugénia , Plasencia Nadir
Published: August 2021

As obras subterrâneas encontram-se associadas aos aproveitamentos hidroelétricos nos seus elementos principais: na barragem, contribuindo na satisfação das exigências de comportamento estrutural e hidráulico-operacional, e na central e circuito hidráulico, como elementos fundamentais do sistema hidráulico que possibilita a produção de energia. Neste artigo, são focadas obras subterrâneas realizadas, ao longo de um século, nos grandes aproveitamentos hidroelétricos de Portugal, dando-se destaque às obras consideradas mais relevantes pelo seu layout ou pelas suas características específicas. Nas obras mais recentes, é dada relevância a aspetos relacionados com análises numéricas, segurança, monitorização estrutural e ambiental, estratégias e métodos construtivos.
FOOD QUALITY AS A FACTOR OF ENSURING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF AIC PRODUCTS ON THE NATIONAL AND WORLD MARKETS
Authors: Butakova M. M. , Sokolova O. N. , Goryaninskaya O. A.
Published: August 2021

The research problem is related to the necessity and complexity of achieving the UN sustainable development goal in the context of ensuring food security and improving nutrition; the goals of increasing the volume of exports of products of the agro-industrial complex, set by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 07.05.2018 No. 204 “On national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024”. In the work, the authors investigated the category of “quality” of food and analyzed the impact of the transformation of the category of “quality of food” on the prospects for growth in the volume of supplies to the national and world markets of agricultural products, reflects the problems of ensuring the competitiveness of food raw materials and products of plant origin in the world market. Based on the methods of quantitative analysis, an assessment is made of the possibilities of increasing the competitiveness of foodstuffs, improving the quality characteristics of food products in accordance with the requirements of the national market and the largest importers as a factor in increasing demand for products of the agro-industrial complex of Russia. The authors identified the problems of increasing the export potential by improving the quality characteristics and considered the economic conditions for their implementation. The research results will expand the boundaries of scientific knowledge regarding the impact of food quality on the competitiveness and export opportunities of producers.
INFLUENCE OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEGAL FORMS OF FUNCTION OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES ON THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS
Authors: Shevchuk N. A. , Kudinova M. G.
Published: August 2021

In the early 1990s, when state and collective farms were undergoing a reorganization procedure, the most heated debate was about which organizational and legal forms are most suitable for agricultural organizations in a market economy. The article examines the dynamics of the development of such structures in the context of organizational and legal forms. In the course of the study, using materials from the Altai Territory, an assessment was made of the presence of animals belonging to various agricultural producers, the dynamics of their products and the level of production efficiency. An assessment of the economic efficiency of the activities of agricultural organizations in the Rodinsky and Romanovsky districts of the region is given. As a result of a comparative analysis, it was revealed that the most effective organizational and legal form is production in subsidiary plots of the population (citizens).
Eumenes of Cardia — General of the Early Hellenistic Period
Authors: Mikhaylov V.B.
Published: August 2021

The article pays special attention to the study of a new type of military formations — the so-called Hellenistic armies. The author examines the key battles involving one of the influential figures of the early Hellenistic era — Eumenes of Cardia. The analysis of the contingent of the armies, both of the diadoch and its opponents, is carried out. An important aspect of the study is the assessment of Eumenes as commander-in-chief, given his special position among the rest of the pleiad of heirs of Alexander the Great. An attempt is also made to determine the main tactical orientations of the commander, as well as his leadership qualities. The relationship between Eumenes and ordinary soldiers of his military formation is noted. The orientalist position of the commander is traced, his continuity in the conduct of battles like King Alexander. In addition, the analysis of the effectiveness of a new type of troops in the armies of the Macedonians — war elephants and their interaction with other units in the army of the Diadochis is carried out. The key to effective conduct of battles in the early Hellenistic era, according to the author, was the successful combination of "new" and "traditional" in the art of war.
The Role of the Critic
Authors: Murphy John M. , Lechuga Michael
Published: August 2021

We discuss the role of critics in rhetorical studies. Working from different, yet often synchronous, perspectives, we try to thrash out the relationships of critics to texts, the responsibilities of critics in their current context, the ways that critics craft authority, and more.
Why “Anticolonial” International Rhetorical Studies?
Authors: deTar Matthew
Published: August 2021

Rhetorical studies as a discipline relies on a set of theories and a geography of case studies that circularly reinforce one another to authorize white-Euro-American traditions of knowledge beholden to colonial ways of knowing the world. Calls to “internationalize” the cases and topics of rhetorical studies are easily subsumed by the self-authorizing racist epistemology of the discipline, since additive models of “diverse” cases repurpose diversity to reinforce the authority of the discipline as it already exists. How should the globalization of rhetorical studies address the disciplinary logic of white, colonial, U.S. normativity? Studying non-U.S., non-Western rhetorical practice must be an anticolonial political intervention to fundamentally reimagine the discipline or it will risk reproducing a racist disciplinary structure.

This essay maps three ways that scholars studying “international” cases have led a restructuring of the discipline by challenging the presumptions of universality that creep into scholarship. Anticolonial rhetorical scholars challenge processes of universalization as method, as rhetorical practice, and as ontology. When these processes of universalization become the object of study for rhetorical scholars, there is a possibility that rhetorical studies can develop the reflexivity to challenge its own circularly reinforcing, exclusionary disciplinary logic of white-U.S. normativity.
Digitality, Diversity, and the Future of Rhetoric and Public Address
Authors: Hartelius E. Johanna , Lu Jessica H. , Pfister Damien Smith , Woods Carly S.
Published: August 2021

The pandemic and economic catastrophes of 2020 and the forms of resistance that surged against racist systemic and physical violence indicate, we contend, that studying public address in the present moment requires attention to the mutual contingency of rhetoric and digitality. Relying on interdisciplinary literatures and a global perspective, we direct such attention along three vectors: platforms, commons, and methods. We indicate how theorizing rhetoric and digitality transforms critical and historical traditions. In expanding the purview of the public address tradition while retaining the tradition’s hermeneutic potential, we emphasize the need to challenge disciplinary terms and the desirability of expanded analytical methods. We submit that by not attending sufficiently to the advent and diffusion of digital media technologies, public address scholarship misses opportunities to shape ongoing conversations about how rhetoric mediates public affairs; and that insofar as struggles for racial justice are bound up with, not just mediated by, digitality, the prospects of diversifying rhetoric’s professoriate increase when research on this topic is central rather than peripheral.
Metaphors to Live and Die By
Authors: Houdek Matthew
Published: August 2021

Decolonial smuggling is a practice that falls at the intersections of fugitivity (Moten) and delinking (Mignolo, Wanzer-Serrano). It is geared toward disrupting rhetorical studies’ zero-point epistemology to open space to marshal alternative epistemologies—of Black being, Indigeneities, and their relational formations—against the canon to enable more radical, decolonial disciplinary futures. Building on the work of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars, this essay details the forms of whiteness and knowledge production that reproduce epistemic violence, performs metaphoric (meta)criticism across various strands of race scholarship, and comments on white scholars’ role in these conversations. This essay seeks to add clarity to what decolonization looks like for rhetoricians with respect to the epistemologies and ontologies embedded within the metaphors that, for many, are matters of life and death.
Decolonizing Settler Public Address: The Role of Settler Scholars
Authors: Johnson Taylor N. , Endres Danielle
Published: August 2021

We argue that decolonization must be a future direction for the study of rhetoric and public address. Settler rhetoricians must not only recognize that the field is founded on settler colonialism but also commit to an ongoing process of unsettling the field and making both mundane and extraordinary tangible engagements with decolonization. What the field needs is to begin charting a path for all rhetoricians to participate with decolonization struggles, particularly settler scholars. Drawing from research from Indigenous scholars and Native American and Indigenous studies, we focus on tactics for settler scholars to engage with this important research trajectory. This essay teases out the distinctions between theories of postcoloniality, decoloniality, and decolonization; highlights the active role rhetoric plays in settler colonialism; and lays out tactics for settler rhetorical scholars to enact forms of accountability and responsibility in their research, at their universities, and in the field of rhetoric.
Sobre narratividade
Authors: Fonseca Fabio , Kerinska Nikoleta , Menoud Lorenzo
Published: August 2021

Nesta entrevista, Lorenzo Menoud, nos oferece uma estimulante reflexão sobre a narratividade. Segundo ele, a narratividade não é um conceito que seria inequivocamente definido por certas propriedades essenciais, mas sim um termo do qual todos temos uma ideia, mais ou menos precisa e mais ou menos variável. Assim, a narratividade é constituída numa rede conceptual no cruzamento de várias questões, entre as quais: o que é considerado uma narrativa e porquê? que relação tem a narratividade com a ficção e a arte? por que razões contamos histórias? Lorenzo Menoud desenvolve suas ideias, fornecendo um quadro teórico essencial à compreensão das questões da narrativa e da narratividade, não somente na arte, mas também numa perspectiva geral.
ÍNDICE DE CONDIÇÃO DE VIDA E DISTRIBUIÇÃO GEOGRÁFICA DOS CASOS DE COVID -19 EM FOZ DO IGUAÇU (PR) - PERÍODO MARÇO-SETEMBRO 2020
Authors: Flores Diego Moraes , Gamarra Carmen Justina , Fernandes Camila Meireles , Salavaldez Angela Paredes
Published: August 2021

Com o advento da COVID – 19, pesquisas para conter a sua dispersão são cada vez mais necessárias e imediatas. Relacionar índices socioeconômicos e casos de notificação da doença, em um recorte de tempo e espaço é uma forma de conhecer o padrão de distribuição desta geograficamente e planejar ações para tomada de decisão. Este trabalho aplicou índice de condição de vida (ICV), elaborado a partir dos setores censitários do Censo de 2010 do IBGE e correlacionou-o aos casos de notificação de COVID – 19, utilizando um SIG (Sistema de Informações Geográficas) para o período de março a setembro de 2020, referente ao município de Foz do Iguaçu (PR). Dentre os principais resultados, obteve-se ICV relativamente baixo para os setores censitários que compõem o município (0.1 – 0.3). A sobreposição dos dados das notificações absolutas e de concentrações de casos de COVID – 19, por setor censitário indicou proximidade geográfica entre aqueles que apresentaram ICV mais elevado (0.4 – 0.6) e seus setores circunvizinhos mais baixos (0.1 – 0.3). A análise das principais comorbidades associadas à COVID – 19 indicou também proximidade entre os setores de ICV alto e os seus contíguos de ICV baixo. Diferenças pontuais entre algumas áreas da cidade foram observadas.
Atividade de estudo e prática docente: entre a teoria e a prática, a busca de caminhos possíveis para um processo pedagógico transformador
Authors: Miller Stela
Published: August 2021

O presente dossiê traz ao leitor um conjunto de artigos que têm como foco a relação entre a atividade de estudo e a prática docente, tendo em vista a necessidade premente, que ainda temos no cenário educacional brasileiro atual, de que o desenvolvimento do processo pedagógico se faça sobre uma base teórica sólida, que ofereça ao professor a possibilidade de planejar sua atividade de ensino, organizar meios adequados para desenvolvê-la junto com os estudantes e coordenar suas ações direcionadas à implementação de uma prática transformadora dos sujeitos da aprendizagem. É fato que o educador-professor está sempre em busca de algo que possa fazer para obter uma resposta favorável dos estudantes em termos de sua atenção, concentração e adesão às ações que se processam em sala de aula. Anseia por conseguir fomentar sua aprendizagem, vê-los interessados em participar ativa e dedicadamente do processo de resolução das questões que estão implicadas nessas ações.
Atividade de estudo e organização do trabalho docente
Authors: Sforni Marta Sueli de Faria , Serconek Giselma Cecília , Lizzi Maria Sandreana Salvador da Silva
Published: August 2021

De acordo com a Teoria Histórico-Cultural, a atividade de estudo, meio pelo qual os estudantes se apropriam dos conhecimentos das diferentes ciências que compõem o currículo escolar, é responsável pelas mudanças mais relevantes nos processos psíquicos e na formação da personalidade das crianças em idade escolar. Essa atividade produz uma neoformação psicológica importante no processo de humanização, a formação do pensamento teórico. A formação dessa atividade constitui a essência do trabalho docente. Mas, como o conhecimento sobre a atividade de estudo pode contribuir para a organização do trabalho docente? Para responder a essa questão, o presente artigo, resultado de uma pesquisa bibliográfica, traz reflexões acerca da atividade de estudo, as quais sinalizam caminhos para a organização do ensino. Para isso, buscamos apoio na produção teórica de psicólogos e didatas da Teoria Histórico–Cultural e do Ensino Desenvolvimental para compreender: a atividade de estudo no conjunto das atividades promotoras do desenvolvimento humano; as particularidades do pensamento teórico, como neoformação específica desse período da escolarização, e as ações peculiares da atividade de estudo objetivadas na tarefa de estudo. Na sequência, voltamos nossa atenção para as demandas que a formação da atividade de estudo traz ao trabalho docente.
A atividade de estudo na produção do conhecimento histórico escolar
Authors: Soares Olavo Pereira
Published: August 2021

O texto trata da atividade de estudo e das suas potencialidades nos processos de produção do conhecimento histórico escolar. No primeiro momento, são analisadas três categorias essenciais desta proposta didática: as tarefas de estudo, a motivação e a aprendizagem conceitual. O referencial teórico sobre tais categorias está baseado em precursores da teoria histórico-cultural e dos pesquisadores que desenvolveram as categorias básicas para a compreensão da atividade de estudo enquanto perspectiva teórico-metodológica para a didática. Na segunda parte apresenta proposições e princípios que sejam plausíveis de ser recomendados tanto para os professores que atuam nas práticas escolares quanto para as pesquisas que se dedicam ao ensino e a aprendizagem da história na escola. O artigo destaca que a atividade de estudo é um referencial teórico-metodológico que abre promissoras possibilidades de melhorias qualitativas para a produção do conhecimento histórico escolar.
Educação escolar e pesquisa na Teoria Histórico-Cultural
Authors: Amorim Lóren Grace Kellen Maia
Published: August 2021

Na presente resenha, tem-se a intenção de apresentar o livro organizado por Manoel Oriosvaldo de Moura, Educação escolar e pesquisa na teoria histórico-cultural, São Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2017. Ressalta-se que o tema apresentado, na perspectiva teórica explicitada, vem ganhando espaço nas discussões sobre educação e a obra, sem sombra de dúvidas, tem uma grande contribuição para os estudiosos dessa temática. Justifica-se, assim, a sua divulgação devido à importância para as pesquisas no campo da Didática, do ensino e da aprendizagem de Matemática. O organizador do livro, Manoel Oriosvaldo de Moura, é professor titular da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade de São Paulo (FEUSP) e do Programa de Pós-graduação da mesma instituição. Atua na área de Educação Matemática, com foco em metodologia do ensino de Matemática, formação de professores e teoria da atividade. É coordenador do Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa sobre Atividade Pedagógica (GEPAPe) . Desse grupo participam pesquisadores de diferentes instituições brasileiras, estudantes de pós-graduação e graduação e professores de educação básica.
Face Recognition Based on Statistical Texture Features
Authors: Ibrahim Lama Akram , Nasser Nasser , Ali Majd
Published: August 2021

Facial recognition has attracted the attention of researchers and has been one of the most prominent topics in the fields of image processing and pattern recognition since 1990. This resulted in a very large number of recognition methods and techniques with the aim of increasing the accuracy and robustness of existing systems. Many techniques have been developed to address the challenges and reliable recognition systems have been reached but require considerable processing time, suffer from high memory consumption and are relatively complex. The focus of this paper is on extracting subset of descriptors (less correlated and less calculations) from the co-occurrence matrix with the goal of enhancing the performance of Haralick’s descriptors. Improvements are achieved by adding the image pre-processing and selecting the proper method according to the database problem and by extracting features from image local regions.
Licht, Luft, Raum – Bauen für Forschung und Kultur
Authors: Grevesmühl Christa , Andreae Jens , Schneider-Kempf Barbara
Published: August 2021

Für die Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin investierte der Bund seit den 2000er Jahren enorme Summen, um dieser Institution wie auch den in ihr aufbewahrten Beständen von Weltgeltung eine sowohl architektonisch wie auch konservatorisch-technisch angemessene Unterbringung zu garantieren. Rund 100 Jahre Architektur- und Baugeschichte zeigen sich nun an dem größten historischen Gebäudekomplex des Berliner Zentrums am Boulevard Unter den Linden: Eröffnet im Jahr 1914, erlitt das Bibliotheksgebäude dreißig Jahre später durch Bombentreffer teils schwere Beschädigungen, welche in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, unter schwierigen technischen und ökonomischen Bedingungen, für einen Bibliotheksbetrieb nur teilweise beseitigt werden konnten. Dank der Wiedervereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten eröffnete sich die Chance, für die 1661 gegründete Bibliothek wieder Rahmenbedingungen zu schaffen, die ihrer Bedeutung wie auch ihrer Leistungsfähigkeit entsprechen. Mit den architektonischen, technischen und planerischen Konzepten des beginnenden 21. Jahrhunderts wurde der Altbau des Gebäudes instandgesetzt und zugleich auf ein modernes technisches Niveau gehoben. Im gleichen Zuge konnte das Jahrzehnte zuvor verloren gegangene architektonische wie auch funktionale Zentrum des Bibliotheksgebäudes durch ein neues ersetzt werden.
Die Bibliotheken der Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) im Wandel: Biblioteca universitaria di Lugano – Biblioteca dell’Accademia di architettura
Authors: Dosi Davide , Windholz Angela
Published: August 2021

Die beiden Bibliotheken Biblioteca dell’Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio (BAAM) und Biblioteca universitaria Lugano (BUL) bilden zusammen die Biblioteche dell’Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). In den letzten Jahren haben sie gemeinsame, aber auch autonome Projekte durchgeführt. Die BUL hat zur Schaffung der BiblioAgorà auf dem neuen Campus Lugano-Viganello beigetragen, einem Raum, der die Bibliotheksdienste von USI und Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) beherbergen soll. Die BAAM hat im Januar 2021, nach mehrjährigen Renovierungsarbeiten den 1. Stock des Palazzo Turconi, eines Krankenhausbaus aus der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts, bezogen. Die Konzeption der neuen Bibliothek auf 1 800 qm, die über sehr heterogene Bestände und Sondersammlungen, wie Autorenbibliotheken, Archivalien, Fotografie- und Graphikbestände und eine Rarasammlung verfügt, wurde in enger Zusammenarbeit mit dem Architekturbüro Cube aus Lausanne erarbeitet. Ziel war die Freihandaufstellung und Zugänglichmachung möglichst aller Bestände unter Beibehaltung optimaler konservatorischer Bedingungen.
Punktgenau auf Tag und Stunde: eine Buchungs-App für Bibliothekslesesäle. Das Beispiel der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek
Authors: Ceynowa Klaus , Gillitzer Berthold
Published: August 2021

Nicht erst unter Pandemiebedingungen stellt die Option einer digital gesteuerten Buchung begrenzter Leseplatzkapazitäten in Bibliotheken ein drängendes Desiderat dar. Die Bayerische Staatsbibliothek hat daher in Zusammenarbeit mit einer Internetagentur eine Reservierungs-App entwickelt, die die einzelplatz- und stundengenaue Reservierung von Arbeitsplätzen in Lesesälen per Smartphone erlaubt. Der Beitrag stellt Funktionalität und Technologie der App vor, diskutiert die besonderen Herausforderungen von Bibliotheksdiensten an der digital-analogen Schnittstelle und lädt zur Nachnutzung des entwickelten Konzepts ein.
Agilität und Weltkulturerbe: Erfahrungen mit sieben Jahren agilen Methoden an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Eine Fallstudie I/II
Authors: Zellhöfer David
Published: August 2021

This series of two articles describes the introduction and establishment of agile methods at the Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) during its ongoing digital transformation. This article showcases structural factors and typical challenges that can be addressed well with agile methods and also be transferred to other organizations. The article focusses on a chronological presentation of carried-out actions and the resulting agile approaches chosen to leverage the collaborative and user-centered development of digital library services.
Nach über einem Jahr Corona
Authors: Büchel Claudia
Published: August 2021

Seit über einem Jahr grassiert inzwischen die Corona-Epidemie mit Auswirkungen auch auf die Bibliotheken und die Menschen, die in ihnen arbeiten oder sie nutzen. Die Stadtbibliothek Neuss steht hierbei exemplarisch für die vielen Öffentlichen Bibliotheken in Deutschland. Der vorliegende Praxisbericht versucht den Perspektivenwechsel und stellt die Pandemie-bedingten Herausforderungen aus der Sicht der Bibliotheksleitung, der Mitarbeitenden, der Auszubildenden und der Kund*innen dar.
Between Singularity and Plurality: Kierkegaard and the Paradox of Absolute Difference
Authors: Kulak Avron
Published: August 2021

This study is dedicated to exploring the ways in which Kierkegaard provides a criterion for thinking about the principles of plurality when, in the context of distinguishing between Socrates and Christ, between different conceptions of difference—between those that support the difference of the other and those that do not—he writes that, just as no one must separate what God has joined, so no one must join what God has separated. When Kierkegaard then makes central to faith the incommensurability of single individuals, he indicates that the inviolable singularity of self and other is the one principle that can be true for all—that can be plural—since it is the one principle that is inclusive of all. In my paper I argue through Kierkegaard that the relationship between the singular and the plural embraces the paradox of absolute difference, the paradox of difference as absolute: the single individual exists only by standing in absolute relation to all others as absolute; the plural exists only insofar as it involves the commitment to the singular standard that, as absolute, preserves the difference of all.
Ecophilosophy and the Ambivalence of Nature: Kierkegaard and Knausgård on Lilies, Birds and Being
Authors: Mjaaland Marius Timmann
Published: August 2021

In The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air (1849), Kierkegaard presents a succinct critique of Romantic aesthetics, in line with contemporary critiques of ecocriticism and ecophilosophy, e.g. by Timothy Morton. Whereas Romantic poets see nature as a mirror of their inner thoughts and pathos, thereby divinising themselves and their creativity, Kierkegaard emphasises the authority of the Creator and the exteriority of nature. He identifies the consequences of such Romantic self-infatuation on all levels of discourse: aesthetics, ethics, epistemology and ontology, and seeks to formulate an alternative. I argue that the discourses thus represent an alternative philosophy of nature, revealing an immediate joy for the gift of being-there. Being human thus means being dependent on and embedded in nature. This makes Kierkegaard a highly relevant interlocutor for contemporary ecophilosophy and ecocriticism, as revealed by Knausgård’s novel Morgenstjernen (2020).
The Tale of Two Seducers: Existential Entrapment in the Works of Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky
Authors: Vaškovic Petr
Published: August 2021

The present study poses a simple question, namely, what are the specific forces that might at times hinder rather than advance individual moral development? To answer this inquiry, I will investigate the writings of Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky, examining the two aesthetic protagonists found in their works—Johannes the Seducer and Dmitri Karamazov. I will utilise the Kierkegaardian framework of the three existential stages to illustrate that it is an over-reliance on gratification, coupled with an instrumental approach towards beings that not only prevents these two aesthetes from behaving morally, but also from even recognising the ethical perspective as a viable existential position.
Is Hell the Other? Kierkegaard and Sartre on the Dialectic of Recognition
Authors: Söderquist K. Brian
Published: August 2021

This study asks how Sartre’s version of the dialectic of recognition is present in Kierkegaard’s works. For Sartre, the dialectic begins with an awareness that the other sees me and judges me. I experience this as a threat to my autonomy, and I fight back with a variety of strategies designed to mitigate the effects. Inter-subjective relationships are grounded in conflict from which there is no exit. Similarly, Kierkegaard characterizes the natural, self-centered way of seeing the other as inherently self-centered and contentious. And yet some of Kierkegaard’s texts lay the ground for a way out. Unlike Sartre, he is sensitive to modifications to the structure of the dialectic of recognition that depend on a change in the basic mode of looking. That is, how I see, evaluate, and judge the other can alter the foundation of the interaction from something mutually contentious to something mutually edifying.
State of knowledge and updated distribution of the northern naked-tailed armadillo Cabassous centralis Miller, 1899 (Cingulata, Chlamyphoridae)
Authors: Chacón-Pacheco Julio , Ramos Madera Camilo , Superina Mariella
Published: August 2021

The northern naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous centralis) is a small, poorly known armadillo species. We update the state of knowledge on this species, provide information on its current and potential distribution, and assess its conservation status and threats. We reviewed the existing literature and obtained georeferenced records from publications, online databases, and field researchers. A total of 174 documents mentioning C. centralis have been published between 1855 and 2019, about half of which (83) provided information on its distribution. The majority of publications came from Colombia. About 10% of publications included information about its ecology, concluding that it is a rare species that mainly occurs in areas with secondary vegetation. It seems to prefer complex habitats, as it is rarely found in fragmented or modified habitats. Consequently, it is possible that its ability to adapt to land use change is low. A total of 224 confirmed records allowed us to extend the species range to the northern Lacandona Forest in Mexico, the Andes of Colombia and southwards in Ecuador. Nevertheless, a distribution model suggests that the species could be even more widely distributed. C. centralis is listed in a threatened category in two countries, whereas more than half of the range countries have not assessed its conservation status. We consider its current global listing as Data Deficient to be appropriate, as many aspects of its ecology, reproduction, population size and trend, and the degree of impact of potential threats remain unknown.
Voicing the absented presence of blackness in Canada: a multimodal critical discourse analysis
Authors: Amideo Emilio
Published: August 2021

Canada makes of multiculturalism its trademark in a process caught between a (yet to come) full openness toward cultural and linguistic diversity, and the removal of an ambiguous collective memory rooted in racio-cultural violence. One that at different times in Canadian history considered Black people unwanted citizens, making of their experience an “absented presence” within the Canadian discourse. Drawing on Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, the aim of this essay is to investigate the retrieval of part of that absented presence through an exploration of the 2015 miniseries The Book of Negroes (dir. Clement Virgo) which traces the life story of the West African storyteller Aminata Diallo as she is captured, sold into slavery and then slowly regains her freedom. The essay focuses on the analysis of the different semiotic resources employed in the miniseries and on the way a reflection of their co-articulation contributes not only to the meaning-making potential of the narrative but also to a specific response in the audience. The multiple ‘languages’ of storytelling through which Aminata’s story unfolds emphasise the need for a rethinking of national belonging by way of privileging diasporic affiliations that reject the violence inherent in monolithic and appropriating discourses.
Freiheit – ein schriftgemäßes Grundrecht. Eine evangelisch-methodistische Perspektive
Authors: Schuler Ulrike
Published: August 2021

Der Artikel entfaltet den in der methodistischen Schöpfungs- und Gnadenlehre begründeten Einsatz für Menschenrechte. Demnach ist der Mensch – ausgestattet mit Verstand und einem freien Willen – fähig, Gottes Gnadenangebot anzunehmen und beauftragt, Gottes Liebe weiterzugeben. Er ist für den Schutz der religiösen und bürgerlichen Freiheit aller Menschen mit verantwortlich. Diese theologischen Erkenntnisse spiegeln sich in den Grundlagen methodistischer Lehre und Praxis.
Unani medicinal herbs as potential air disinfectants: an evidence-based review
Authors: Mahfooz Shaista , Itrat Malik , Uddin Hamid , Khan Tariq Nadeem
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Indoor air quality has a significant impact on our health and quality of life, as people spends 80–90% of their time indoors. Fumigation of several medicinal herbs has been recommended by Unani scholars to improve air quality, but their efficacy in air purification is still unknown. Hence, this article aims to discuss the applicability of proposed medicinal herbs in the light of current researches.

Methods

A manual literature survey of classical Unani texts was conducted to collect information about the herbs recommended for air purification. In addition, research databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were extensively searched for evidence on the efficacy and mechanism of action of the suggested herbs in air purification.

Results

In classical Unani texts, authors have found descriptions of 26 herbs that have been recommended for improving air quality. In-vitro studies have confirmed the antimicrobial activity of 19 of these herbs. Moreover, the efficacy of Styrax benzoin, Commiphora myrrha and Acorus calamus fumigation on aerial microbes have also been validated by studies.

Conclusions

The findings of the literature review clearly demonstrated that the herbs recommended by Unani scholars for air purification have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, indicating that these herbs could be a potential candidate for air disinfectant. Therefore, authors recommend the further researches on proposed herbs to validate their efficiency against airborne pathogens in the vapour phase.
‘You said, we did’: a corpus-based analysis of marketising discourse in healthcare websites
Authors: Chałupnik Małgorzata , Brookes Gavin
Published: August 2021

In recent years, social and political commentators have criticised the ongoing marketisation of the UK’s state-based healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS). This paper examines the websites of 187 NHS’s Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), exploring how the CCGs represent themselves and their actions, and considering the extent to which these reflect and indeed enact this process of marketisation. Taking a corpus-based approach to Critical Discourse Studies, the analysis shows how the CCGs represent themselves as accountable, collaborative, patient-centred, responsive and self-determining organisations. It is thus argued that these websites function as forms of ‘prestige advertising’, reflecting the increasingly marketised nature of contemporary UK healthcare. Following the analysis, the potential motivations for these representations are considered, as are their possible implications for website users and the broader UK healthcare landscape.
Wege aus der Covid-19-Krise: Chinesische Banken und die Hoffnung auf globales Wirtschaftswachstum
Authors: Böhnke Victoria
Published: August 2021

In crisis times a stable financial system is the basis to stimulate economic growth. In the bank-centered Chinese financial system mainly banks provide additional capital to the economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, the Chinese banking system represents one of the key weak spots of global financial stability. Do Chinese banks mitigate the negative consequences of the Covid-19 crisis or do they increase the risks? Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese banking system, I discuss the relevance of China for global economic growth. In summary, Chinese banks secure China’s short-term growth and lead the global economy back on the growth track. In the long run, the stability of the financial system depends on China’s ability to shape a sustainable financial system based on even more extensive reforms.
Reciprocal Changes in Voltage-Gated Potassium and Subthreshold Inward Currents Help Maintain Firing Dynamics of AVPV Kisspeptin Neurons during the Estrous Cycle
Authors: Starrett J. Rudolph , DeFazio R. Anthony , Moenter Suzanne M.
Published: August 2021

Kisspeptin-expressing neurons in the anteroventral-periventricular nucleus (AVPV) are part of a neural circuit generating the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) surge. This process is estradiol-dependent and occurs on the afternoon of proestrus in female mice. On proestrus, AVPV kisspeptin neurons express more kisspeptin and exhibit higher frequency action potentials and burst firing compared with diestrus, which is characterized by a pulsatile rather than a prolonged surge of GnRH secretion. We hypothesized changes in voltage-gated potassium conductances shape activity profiles of these cells in a cycle-dependent manner. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings of GFP-identified AVPV kisspeptin neurons in brain slices from diestrous and proestrous mice revealed three subcomponents of the voltage-sensitive K+current: fast-transient slow-transient, and residual. During proestrus, the V50of inactivation of the fast-transient current was depolarized and the amplitude of the slow-transient component was reduced compared with diestrus; the residual component was consistent across both stages. Computational models were fit to experimental data, including published estrous-cycle effects on other voltage-gated currents. Computer simulations suggest proestrus-typical K+currents are suppressive compared with diestrus. Interestingly, larger T-type, persistent-sodium, and hyperpolarization-activated currents during proestrus compensate for this suppressive effect while also enabling postinhibitory rebound bursting. These findings suggest modulation of voltage-gated K+and multiple subthreshold depolarizing currents across the negative to positive feedback transition maintain AVPV kisspeptin neuron excitability in response to depolarizing stimuli. These changes also enable firing in response to hyperpolarization, providing a net increase in neuronal excitability, which may contribute to activation of this population leading up to the preovulatory GnRH surge.
Prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and associated factors
Authors: Sousa George Jó Bezerra , Maranhão Thatiana Araújo , Leitão Terezinha do Menino Jesus Silva , Moreira Thereza Maria Magalhães , Souza Jerffeson Teixeira de , Pereira Maria Lúcia Duarte
Published: August 2021

Objective: to estimate the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and associated factors. Methods: a retrospective study that evaluated 74,006 cases of tuberculosis registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System. In the multivariate analysis, the outcome variable “drug resistance” was used to estimate the prevalence ratio of factors associated with drug resistance. Results: a rate of 0.5% of drug resistance was estimated (n=388). A higher prevalence was observed in cases classified as relapse, post-dropout re-entry, and transfer. There was a 53.0% increase when sputum smear microscopy was positive and a 6.5 increase for positive sputum culture. The opposite effect was observed when the diagnostic test for human immunodeficiency virus was not performed. Conclusion: a low prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis was estimated compared to international scenarios. The main factors associated with the disease were related to retreatments and positive sputum smear and culture results.
The liver-alpha-cell axis after a mixed meal and during weight loss in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Otten Julia , Stomby Andreas , Waling Maria , Chorell Elin , Ryberg Mats , Svensson Michael , Holst Jens Juul , Olsson Tommy
Published: August 2021

Objective

Glucagon and amino acids may be regulated in a feedback loop called the liver-alpha-cell axis with alanine or glutamine as suggested signal molecules. We assessed this concept in individuals with type 2 diabetes in the fasting state, after ingestion of a protein-rich meal, and during weight loss. Moreover, we investigated if postprandial glucagon secretion and hepatic insulin sensitivity were related.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a 12-week weight-loss trial (Paleolithic diet ± exercise) in 29 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Before and after the intervention, plasma glucagon and amino acids were measured in the fasting state and during 180 min after a protein-rich mixed meal. Hepatic insulin sensitivity was measured using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with [6,6-2H2]glucose as a tracer.

Results

The postprandial increase of plasma glucagon was associated with the postprandial increase of alanine and several other amino acids but not glutamine. In the fasted state and after the meal, glucagon levels were negatively correlated with hepatic insulin sensitivity (rS = −0.51/r = −0.58, respectively; both P < 0.05). Improved hepatic insulin sensitivity with weight loss was correlated with decreased postprandial glucagon response (r = −0.78; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Several amino acids, notably alanine, but not glutamine could be key signals to the alpha cell to increase glucagon secretion. Amino acids may be part of a feedback mechanism as glucagon increases endogenous glucose production and ureagenesis in the liver. Moreover, postprandial glucagon secretion seems to be tightly related to hepatic insulin sensitivity.