bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personal protective equipment training team: a community nursing initiative
Authors: Murphy Kevin
Published: June 2021

COVID-19 provided significant challenges for community services and care homes. Residential and nursing care patients are considered highly vulnerable to the coronavirus due to their physical needs and environmental factors. Significant concern was raised with personal protective equipment (PPE) availability and appropriate training and support in local care homes. Members of the district nursing team and community services formed a team to deliver face to face training and support to care home workers to improve PPE adherence and reduce risks of transmission. Visits were offered to all 46 care homes in the locality and over 55 visits for teaching were performed in the first month. Challenges were faced with managing and prioritising frontline clinical duties. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and care staff benefited from face-to-face delivery of education to support best practice.
Florence Nightingale's legacy on the role of men in community nursing
Authors: Harrison Thomas
Published: June 2021

Florence Nightingale is credited with reforming the profession of nursing, and her teachings allowed nursing to be perceived as an almost exclusively female career. However, the long history of men's role in nursing before Nightingale is frequently ignored. Males currently account for one in ten UK nurses, with that figure even less in community nursing, and the ones present receive differential treatment when it comes to hiring and promotion, career opportunities, and stigma associated with gender perceptions. This article attempts to gain a better understanding of the problems that face workforce planning with regards to the lack of men in community nursing.
The tangled web we weave: how humans influence predator-prey dynamics
Authors: Barker Kristin , Middleton Arthur D.
Published: June 2021

Large carnivores like gray wolves (Canis lupus) play key roles in regulating ecosystem structure and function. After being functionally extirpated from the United States by the early 1900s, wolves have recently recolonized portions of their historic ranges and are increasingly coming into contact with a rapidly-growing human population. When carnivores encounter humans, the way they behave, and therefore the way they shape ecosystems, is likely to change. Unfortunately, our ability to predict how wolves will affect ecosystems in human-dominated areas is limited by an incomplete understanding of how and why carnivores respond to human influence. We are therefore investigating wolf kill sites across Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where we can disentangle the effects of multiple simultaneous human influences. Specifically, we are evaluating whether and how spatiotemporal patterns of wolf predation may change in response to unnatural physical infrastructure, disturbance from general human activity, potential threat of mortality, and human-altered prey distributions. Our ongoing field study will help managers anticipate effects of wolf predation in and around human-influenced areas while contributing novel information to theories of predation risk and predator-prey interactions.

 

Featured photo by YNP on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/HGfKqs
Optimization of microwave emission from laser filamentation with a machine learning algorithm
Authors: Englesbe Alexander , Lin Jinpu , Nees John , Lucero Adrian , Krushelnick Karl , Schmitt-Sody Andreas
Published: June 2021

We demonstrate that is it possible to optimize the yield of microwave
radiation from plasmas generated by laser filamentation in atmosphere
through manipulation of the laser wavefront. A genetic algorithm
controls a deformable mirror that reconfigures the wavefront using the
microwave waveform amplitude as feedback. Optimization runs performed
as a function of air pressure show that the genetic algorithm can
double the microwave field strength relative to when the mirror
surface is flat. An increase in the volume and brightness of the
plasma fluorescence accompanies the increase in microwave radiation,
implying an improvement in the laser beam intensity profile through
the filamentation region due to the optimized wavefront.
Enhancement of the indistinguishability of single photon emitters coupled to photonic waveguides
Authors: Guimbao J. , Weituschat L. M. , Llorens Montolio J. M. , Postigo P. A.
Published: June 2021

One of the main steps towards large-scale quantum photonics consists of the integration of single photon sources (SPS) with photonic integrated circuits (PICs). For that purpose, the PICs should offer an efficient light coupling and a high preservation of the indistinguishability of photons. Therefore, optimization of the indistinguishability through waveguide design is especially relevant. In this work we have developed an analytical model that uses the Green’s Dyadic of a 3D unbounded rectangular waveguide to calculate the coupling and the indistinguishability of an ideal point-source quantum emitter coupled to a photonic waveguide depending on its orientation and position. The model has been numerically evaluated through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations showing consistent results. The maximum coupling is achieved when the emitter is embedded in the center of the waveguide but somewhat surprisingly the maximum indistinguishability appears when the emitter is placed at the edge of the waveguide where the electric field is stronger due to the surface discontinuity.
Rigorous imaging-based measurement method of polarization aberration in hyper-numerical aperture projection optics
Authors: Li Enze , Li Yanqiu , Liu Yang , Liu Ke , Sun Yiyu , Wei Pengzhi
Published: June 2021

Imaging-based measurement methods of polarization aberration (PA) are indispensable in hyper-numerical aperture projection optics for advanced lithography. However, the current methods are derived from the Kirchhoff model and ignore the 3D mask effect of the test mask, which will impact the measurement accuracy. In this paper, a novel imaging-based measurement method of PA is proposed based on a rigorous imaging model to improve the measurement accuracy. Through the quantitative description of the 3D mask effect, a rigorous imaging-based measurement model of PA is established. A synchronous orientation measurement method is designed to effectively reduce the cost of establishing the overdetermined equations. A deep neural network is used to retrieve the PA accurately. Simulations show that the proposed method effectively eliminates the impact of the 3D mask effect of test mask on PA measurement, and the measurement error is reduced by 72% compared with the measurement method based on the Kirchhoff model.
Structured light engineering using a photonic nanojet
Authors: Yousefi Maryam , Nečesal Daniel , Scharf Toralf , Rossi Markus
Published: June 2021

In this Letter, we present the photonic nanojet as a phenomenon in a structured light generator system that is implemented to modify the source focal spot size and emission angle. The optical system comprises a microlens array that is illuminated by a focused Gaussian beam to generate a structured pattern in the far field. By introducing a spheroid with different aspect ratios in the focus of the Gaussian beam, the source optical characteristics change, and a photonic nanojet is generated, which will engineer the far-field distribution. To probe the light fields, we implement a high-resolution interferometry setup to extract both the phase and intensity at different planes. We both numerically and experimentally demonstrate that the pattern distribution in the far field can be engineered by a photonic nanojet. As an example, we examine prolate, sphere, and oblate geometries. An interesting finding is that depending on the spheroid geometry, a smaller transverse FWHM of a photonic nanojet with a higher divergence angle produces an increased pattern field of view at the same physical size of the optical system.
Early amphibians evolved distinct vertebrae for habitat invasions
Authors: Carter Aja Mia , Hsieh S. Tonia , Dodson Peter , Sallan Lauren
Published: June 2021

Living tetrapods owe their existence to a critical moment 360–340 million years ago when their ancestors walked on land. Vertebrae are central to locomotion, yet systematic testing of correlations between vertebral form and terrestriality and subsequent reinvasions of aquatic habitats is lacking, obscuring our understanding of movement capabilities in early tetrapods. Here, we quantified vertebral shape across a diverse group of Paleozoic amphibians (Temnospondyli) encompassing different habitats and nearly the full range of early tetrapod vertebral shapes. We demonstrate that temnospondyls were likely ancestrally terrestrial and had several early reinvasions of aquatic habitats. We find a greater diversity in temnospondyl vertebrae than previously known. We also overturn long-held hypotheses centered on weight-bearing, showing that neural arch features, including muscle attachment, were plastic across the water-land divide and do not provide a clear signal of habitat preferences. In contrast, intercentra traits were critical, with temnospondyls repeatedly converging on distinct forms in terrestrial and aquatic taxa, with little overlap between. Through our geometric morphometric study, we have been able to document associations between vertebral shape and environmental preferences in Paleozoic tetrapods and to reveal morphological constraints imposed by vertebrae to locomotion, independent of ancestry.
Impact of donors’ financial fairness perception on donation intention in nonprofit organizations after COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Li Xia , Feng Linyan
Published: June 2021

Based on the investigation of financial fairness perception and donation intention of individual donors in non-profit organizations (NPOs), this paper uses structural equation model to analyze the impact of individual donors’ financial fairness perception on donation intention. The results show that individual donors’ perceptions on financial result fairness, financial procedure fairness and financial information fairness all have positive impact on donation intention; among which the perception on financial result fairness only has direct impact on individual donation intention, while the perceptions on financial procedure fairness and financial information fairness have direct and indirect impact on individual donation intention.
Influence of thromboembolic events in the prognosis of COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Results from a cross sectional study
Authors: Purroy Francisco , Arqué Gloria
Published: June 2021

Background

COVID-19 may predispose to both venous and arterial thromboembolism event (TEE). Reports on the prevalence and prognosis of thrombotic complications are still emerging.

Objective

To describe the rate of TEE complications and its influence in the prognosis of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 after a cross-sectional study.

Methods

We evaluated the prevalence of TEE and its relationship with in-hospital death among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who were admitted between 1st March to 20th April 2020 in a multicentric network of sixteen Hospitals in Spain. TEE was defined by the occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), acute ischemic stroke (AIS), systemic arterial embolism or myocardial infarction (MI).

Results

We studied 1737 patients with proven COVID-19 infection of whom 276 died (15.9%). TEE were presented in 64 (3.7%) patients: 49 (76.6%) patients had a VTE, 8 (12.5%) patients had MI, 6 (9.4%%) patients had AIS, and one (1.5%) patient a thrombosis of portal vein. TEE patients exhibited a diffuse profile: older, high levels of D-dimer protein and a tendency of lower levels of prothrombin. The multivariate regression models, confirmed the association between in-hospital death and age (odds ratio [OR] 1.12 [95% CI 1.10–1.14], p<0.001), diabetes (OR 1.49 [95% CI 1.04–2.13], p = 0.029), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 1.61 [95% CI 1.03–2.53], p = 0.039), ICU care (OR 9.39 [95% CI 5.69–15.51], p<0.001), and TTE (OR 2.24 [95% CI 1.17–4.29], p = 0.015).

Conclusions

Special attention is needed among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with TTE and other comorbidities as they have an increased risk of in-hospital death.
The impact of girl child marriage on the completion of the first cycle of secondary education in Zimbabwe: A propensity score analysis
Authors: Bengesai Annah V. , Amusa Lateef B. , Makonye Felix
Published: June 2021

Background

The association between girl child marriage and education is widely acknowledged; however, there is no large body of demographic studies from Zimbabwe that have addressed this aspect. This study aimed to examine the extent to which child marriage affects one academic milestone, i.e. completion of the Ordinary Level, the first cycle of high school, which is also the most critical indicator of educational achievement in Zimbabwe.

Methods

We used the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey and extracted 2380 cases of ever-married women aged between 20–29 years. We applied a propensity score-based method, which allowed us to mimic a hypothetical experiment and estimate outcomes between treated and untreated subjects.

Results

Our results suggest that child age at first marriage is concentrated between the ages of 15–22, with the typical age at first marriage being 18 years. Both logistic regression and PSM models revealed that early marriage decreased the chances of completing the first cycle of high school. Regression adjustment produced an estimate of prevalence ratio (PR) of 0.446 (95% CI: 0.374–0.532), while PSM resulted in an estimate (PR = 0.381; 95% CI: 0.298–0.488).

Conclusion

These results have implications for Zimbabwe’s development policy and suggest that girl-child marriage is a significant barrier to educational attainment. If not addressed, the country will most likely fail to meet sustainable development Goal 4.2 and 5.3. Social change interventions that target adults and counter beliefs about adolescent sexuality and prepubescent marriage should be put in place. Moreover, interventions that keep teenage girls in school beyond the first cycle of high school should be prioritised.
Association of perioperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen level and recurrence in low-risk stage IIA colon cancer
Authors: Kim Han-Gil , Yang Seung Yoon , Han Yoon Dae , Cho Min Soo , Min Byung Soh , Lee Kang Young , Kim Nam Kyu , Hur Hyuk
Published: June 2021

Background

The purpose is to investigate prognosis according to serum CEA levels before and after surgery in patients with stage IIA colon cancer who do not show high-risk features.

Methods

Among the patients diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma between April 2011 and December 2017, 462 patients were confirmed as low-risk stage IIA after surgery and enrolled. The ROC curve was used to determine cut-off values of pre- and postoperative CEA. Patients were classified into three groups using these new cut-off values.

Results

All recurrence occurred in 52 of 463 patients (11.2%). However, recurrence in group H was 15.9%, which was slightly higher than the other two groups (P = 0.04). Group L and M showed 10.5% and 12.8% overall survival, group H was higher at 21.0% (P = 0.005). Recurrence was the only risk factor in group H was significantly higher in group L (HR 2.008, 95% CI, 1.123–3.589, P = 0.019). Mortality was similar to recurrence (HR 1.975, 95% CI 1.091–3.523, P = 0.044).

Conclusion

Among patients with low-risk stage IIA colon cancer, recurrence and mortality rates were higher when perioperative serum CEA levels were above a certain level. Therefore, high CEA level should be considered a high-risk feature and adjuvant chemotherapy should be performed.
Implementing psychological first aid ontology
Authors: Jung Hyun-Ok , Han Seung-Woo
Published: June 2021

Background

This study develops an ontology of Psychological First Aid (PFA) by extracting relevant knowledge from a review of PFA literature.

Materials and methods

This study was conducted using the PFA ontology development 101 method. This review processes previously-developed PFA studies by consulting Google Scholar, CINHL, PUBMED, and MEDLINE. Protege 5.0 program was used to integrate with ontology development. The developed PFA ontology consisted of eight super classes: Action agenda, Assessment, Concrete method, Disaster type, Disaster disposition, Purpose, Qualification and Skill, Reaction. In total, 166 terms were collected.

Results

The eight super classes were divided into 72 classes and 64 subclasses. The composition yielded in a total of 166 axioms (85 logical axioms; 81 declaration axioms).

Conclusions

This study provides basic data to guide development and composition of PFA arbitration programs.
Diagnostic yield of exome sequencing in myopathies: Experience of a Slovenian tertiary centre
Authors: Babić Božović Ivana , Maver Aleš , Leonardis Lea , Meznaric Marija , Osredkar Damjan , Peterlin Borut
Published: June 2021

Background

Our aim was to present the experience of systematic, routine use of next generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical diagnostics of myopathies.

Methods

Exome sequencing was performed on patients with high risk for inherited myopathy, which were selected based on the history of the disease, family history, clinical presentation, and diagnostic workup. Exome target capture was performed, followed by sequencing on HiSeq 2500 or MiSeq platforms. Data analysis was performed using internally developed bioinformatic pipeline.

Results

The study comprised 86 patients, including 22 paediatric cases (26%). The largest group were patients referred with an unspecified myopathy (47%), due to non-specific or incomplete clinical and laboratory findings, followed by congenital myopathies (22%) and muscular dystrophies (22%), congenital myotonias (6%), and mitochondrial myopathies (3%). Altogether, a diagnostic yield was 52%; a high diagnostic rate was present in paediatric patients (64%), while in patients with unspecified myopathies the rate was 35%. We found 51 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in 23 genes and two pathogenic copy number variations.

Conclusion

Our results provide evidence that phenotype driven exome analysis diagnostic approach facilitates the diagnostic rate of complex, heterogeneous disorders, such as myopathies, particularly in paediatric patients and patients with unspecified myopathies.
Prevalence and seroprevalence of Plasmodium infection in Myanmar reveals highly heterogeneous transmission and a large hidden reservoir of infection
Authors: Edwards Hannah M. , Dixon Ruth , Zegers de Beyl Celine , Celhay Olivier , Rahman Mousumi , Myint Oo Moe , Lwin Thandar , Lin Zaw , San Thiri , Thwe Han Kay , Myaing Nyunt Myaing , Plowe Christopher , Stresman Gillian , Hall Tom , Drakeley Chris , Hamade Prudence , Aryal Siddhi , Roca-Feltrer Arantxa , Hlaing Thaung , Thi Aung
Published: June 2021

Malaria incidence in Myanmar has significantly reduced over recent years, however, completeness and timeliness of incidence data remain a challenge. The first ever nationwide malaria infection and seroprevalence survey was conducted in Myanmar in 2015 to better understand malaria epidemiology and highlight gaps in Annual Parasite Index (API) data. The survey was a cross-sectional two-stage stratified cluster-randomised household survey conducted from July-October 2015. Blood samples were collected from household members for ultra-sensitive PCR and serology testing for P. falciparum and P. vivax. Data was gathered on demography and a priori risk factors of participants. Data was analysed nationally and within each of four domains defined by API data. Prevalence and seroprevalence of malaria were 0.74% and 16.01% nationwide, respectively. Prevalent infection was primarily asymptomatic P. vivax, while P. falciparum was predominant in serology. There was large heterogeneity between villages and by domain. At the township level, API showed moderate correlation with P. falciparum seroprevalence. Risk factors for infection included socioeconomic status, domain, and household ownership of nets. Three K13 P. falciparum mutants were found in highly prevalent villages. There results highlight high heterogeneity of both P. falciparum and P. vivax transmission between villages, accentuated by a large hidden reservoir of asymptomatic P. vivax infection not captured by incidence data, and representing challenges for malaria elimination. Village-level surveillance and stratification to guide interventions to suit local context and targeting of transmission foci with evidence of drug resistance would aid elimination efforts.
Learning non-adjacent rules and non-adjacent dependencies from human actions in 9-month-old infants
Authors: Lu Helen Shiyang , Mintz Toben H.
Published: June 2021

Seven month old infants can learn simple repetition patterns, such aswe-fo-we, and generalize the rules to sequences of new syllables, such asga-ti-ga. However, repetition rule learning in visual sequences seems more challenging, leading some researchers to claim that this type of rule learning applies preferentially to communicative stimuli. Here we demonstrate that 9-month-old infants can learn repetition rules in sequences of non-communicative dynamic human actions. We also show that when primed with these non-adjacent repetition patterns, infants can learn non-adjacent dependencies that involve memorizing the dependencies between specific human actions—patterns that prior research has shown to be difficult for infants in the visual domain and in speech. We discuss several possible mechanisms that account for the apparent advantage stimuli involving human action sequences has over other kinds of stimuli in supporting non-adjacent dependency learning. We also discuss possible implications for theories of language acquisition.
A Novel Multiparameter Scoring Model for Noninvasive Early Prediction of Ischemic Colitis: A Multicenter, Retrospective, and Real-World Study
Authors: Li Shan , Luo Yiwei , Wang Wei , Lu Jinlai , Hu Miao , Sun Qinjuan , Yang Xiaoqing , Han Junyi , Zhong Lan
Published: June 2021

INTRODUCTION:

Ischemic colitis (IC) is a common gastrointestinal ischemic disease caused by hypoperfusion or reperfusion injury. However, there are few studies on risk factors associated with poor prognoses of the disease. This study aimed to determine the predictors of poor prognoses in patients with IC and establish a prognostic scoring method with good internal and external validity for identifying severe cases in an early stage.

METHODS:

We established a prognosis model by conducting a multicenter, retrospective study of patients hospitalized with IC between November 2008 and May 2020. Predictive power was tested using 5-fold internal cross-validation and external validation.

JOURNAL/cltg/04.03/01720094-202106000-00007/inline-graphic1/v/2023-10-30T172353Z/r/image-tiff

RESULTS:

The following 6 factors were included in the prognostic model: neutrophil count, D-dimer level, ischemia of the distal ileum, ischemia of the hepatic flexure, ulceration, and luminal stenosis. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for internal cross-validation of the prediction model was 86%, and that for external validation was 95%. During internal validation, our model correctly identified 88.08% of the patients. It was further found that patients younger than 65 years with a higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and higher heart rate had poor prognoses. Patients aged 65 years and older with ischemia of terminal ileum, hepatic flexure, splenic flexure, and intestinal stenosis had poor prognoses.

DISCUSSION:

Patients with ischemia in the hepatic flexure and the distal ileum, endoscopic evidence of ulcer or stenosis, higher neutrophil counts, and higher D-dimer levels have worse prognoses. This information could aid in the selection of timely and appropriate treatment.
Film education in a migration society: A conversation
Authors: Bachmann Alejandro , Kopf Christine , Zahn Manuel
Published: June 2021

In May 2020, during the lockdown in Germany and Austria due to the coronavirus pandemic, Manuel Zahn arranged to have an email conversation with Christine Kopf and Alejandro Bachmann. Since 2017, both have been a part of the project Intercultural Film Education, which is the central concern of the email exchange. Since the beginning of 2019, Manuel Zahn and his co-researcher Katja Lell have been involved with this project in the form of action research. The project has brought together people and institutions from the German-speaking field of film education, and it aims to foster an intercultural sensibility within that field. The conversation provides information about the history of the project and the project partners, as well as about the forms of work as a learning group. In addition, it discusses the central concepts (intercultural attitude, for example) and objectives of the project. This encompasses and touches upon ideas such as adopting an intercultural attitude as a teacher, the selection of films, the concrete form of seminars, the negotiation of normative concepts and the sustainable structural change of institutions in cultural education.
Greek teenagers’ cultural taste and identity expression through a documentary-making project
Authors: Arnaouti Eirini
Published: June 2021

This article explores a film education project conducted on an extra-curricular after-school basis in a Greek secondary school in Tampouria, Piraeus. A documentary-making project exploring the area around the school was realized by a group of ten 15-year-old students under the supervision of their English teacher/researcher. The following case study explores how aspects of the students’ cultural taste and identity were expressed through this moving image literacy project, carried out in a foreign language. Various forms of data – observation, textual and audiovisual – are analysed within a social semiotic framework. The article seeks to demonstrate how the students’ cultural taste was formed by different kinds of global and local influences, and how aspects of their multifaceted identities were revealed during the documentary-making process, and expressed through the creation of media texts within a context of Greek education.
Diversity or decolonization? Searching for the tools to dismantle the ‘master’s house’
Authors: Arshad Muminah , Dada Rachel , Elliott Cathy , Kalinowska Iweta , Khan Mehreen , Lipiński Robert , Vassanth Varun , Bhandal Jotepreet , de Quinto Schneider Monica , Georgis Ines , Shilston Fiona
Published: June 2021

Within the literature on decolonizing the curriculum, a clear distinction is frequently made between diversity and decolonization. Whiledecolonizationentails dismantling colonial forms of knowledge, including practices that racialize and categorize,diversityis a policy discourse that advocates for adding different sorts of people to reading lists and the staff and student body. As a team of staff and students, we are committed to decolonization, but we are also aware that within our discipline of political science, calls for diversity are more likely to be understood and accepted. We therefore bid for, and obtained, funding to conduct a quantitative review of our department’s reading lists in order to assess the range not only of authors, but also of topics and ideas. We found that male White authors wrote the majority of the readings, with women of colour authoring just 2.5 per cent of works on our curriculum. Our reading lists also featured disappointingly little theoretical diversity, with very little coverage of feminist, critical race or queer theory approaches, for example. We therefore used the standard methodologies and approaches of our discipline in order to point towards the silences and gaps that a decolonizing approach would seek to remedy. In this article, we explain our approach and findings. The project has been educational in the best sense and has disrupted hierarchical relationships between staff and students. It has helped us think more deeply about how data and research inform, and sometimes limit, change, as well as how the process of learning about how knowledge, including reading lists, is generated can support decolonization in itself.
“We Never Get Stuck:” A Collaborative Analysis of Change and Coastal Community Subsistence Practices in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas, Alaska
Authors: Huntington Henry P. , Raymond-Yakoubian Julie , Noongwook George , Naylor Noah , Harris Cyrus , Harcharek Qaiyaan , Adams Billy
Published: June 2021

The Indigenous communities of the northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea are experiencing extensive social, economic, and technological change. The region’s marine ecosystem is also characterized by a high degree of variability and by rapid change. Residents of eight coastal communities from Savoonga to Utqiaġvik were involved in the Chukchi Coastal Communities Project, which used the results of a literature review together with the experiences of the community participants to co-analyze what is known about societal and environmental change in the region and what the communities’ experiences have been in responding to those changes. Some of the observed changes are transient in duration and effect, such as the passage of an individual ship, whereas others, such as the creation of the Red Dog Mine Port Site, persist and may force coastal residents to make lasting changes in their activities. Some responses can use existing knowledge (e.g., hunting bowhead whales in fall as well as spring), whereas others may require learning and experimentation (e.g., harvesting new species such as the Hanasaki crab). Our findings show that the results of a change are more important than the source of the change. They also emphasize the continuing importance of traditional values and practices as well as attitudes conducive to persistence and innovation. Indigenous leadership is an essential component of continued resilience as the ecosystem continues to change. The resilient characteristics of coastal communities and their ability to determine their own responses to change need greater attention to match the research effort directed at understanding the ecosystem.
Sustainable Tourism Development In India: An Exploratory Research On Sustainability Of Delhi Tourism
Authors: Venugopalan T.
Published: June 2021

This research paper explores the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural sustainability of Delhi tourism from the perspective of tourists. Primary research was conducted among tourists based on a structured questionnaire at various tourist places across Delhi. This research paper used exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM) for examining and analysing the sustainability of tourism. The research findings on environmental pressure (EP) validate that tourism has been exerting huge pressure on the environment. The environment management (EM) system adopted by the tourism industry has failed in mitigating the adverse impacts of tourism and achieving environmental sustainability. The findings about economic empowerment (EP) prove that tourism has failed to achieve economic sustainability by empowering the local community. The destination governance (DG) mechanisms are directly contributing to the sustainability of tourist places. However, the findings on socio-cultural pressure (SP) fail to substantiate the argument that tourism is putting huge pressure on socio-cultural sustainability. Thus, tourism development in Delhi is not conducive to achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Hence, the government should adopt proactive measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of tourism on the environment and economy integrating local communities while formulating and implementing tourism plans and programmes.
On almost e-ℐ-continuous functions
Authors: AL-Omeri Wadei , Noiri Takashi
Published: June 2021

This work is concerned with a new class of functions called almost

e

e

-

ℐ

{\mathcal{ {\mathcal I} }}

-continuous functions containing the class of almost

e

e

-continuous functions. This notion is stronger than almost

δ

β

ℐ

\delta {\beta }_{{\mathcal{ {\mathcal I} }}}

-continuous functions and is weaker than both almost

e

e

-continuous functions and

e

e

-

ℐ

{\mathcal{ {\mathcal I} }}

-continuous functions. Relationships between this new class and other classes of functions are investigated and some characterizations of this new class of functions are studied.
Numerical solution of highly non-linear fractional order reaction advection diffusion equation using the cubic B-spline collocation method
Authors: Dwivedi Kushal Dhar , Das Subir , Rajeev  , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: June 2021

In this article, the approximate solution of the fractional-order reaction advection-diffusion equation with the prescribed initial and boundary conditions is found with the help of a cubic B-spline collocation method, which is unconditionally stable and convergent. The accuracy of the scheme is validated by applying the method on four existing problems having analytical solutions and through the evaluation of the absolute errors between numerical results and the exact solutions for different particular cases. Applying the proposed method on the last two numerical problems, it is shown that the method performs better than the existing methods even for very less number of spatial and temporal discretizations. The main contribution of the article is to develop an efficient method to solve the proposed fractional order nonlinear problem and to find the effect on solute concentration graphically due to increase in the non-linearity in the diffusion term for different particular values of parameters.
Crosstalk characterization in homogeneous multicore fiber using discrete changes model under bidirectional propagation
Authors: Kumar Dablu , Ranjan Rakesh
Published: June 2021

For the first time, the discrete changes model has been explored for crosstalk estimation under the bidirectional propagation condition. Crosstalk characterization in homogeneous multicore fiber (MCF) has been discussed, with different crosstalk estimation methods, such as, conventional model for perfectly homogeneous core, discrete changes model for real homogeneous core, and propagation direction interleaving (PDI) approach for backward propagation. The forward crosstalk expression under bending and twisting conditions, derived by the authors, has been utilized to visualize the impact of fiber twisting over a wide range. Discrete changes model has been analyzed for backward crosstalk, in order to observe the XT behavior for deterministic bending and twisting effects. For the crosstalk analysis in bidirectional propagation, 12-core MCF has been used, with circular lattice and square lattice arrangements for single-mode propagation. Moreover, for optimization and crosstalk suppression, trench-assisted core and PDI technique have been used to obtain the significantly low crosstalk in limited cladding diameter of 200 µm. The influence of fiber length and wavelength has been exhibited on crosstalk performance. The worst crosstalk level, and relative spatial efficiency in these MCFs have been compared with recently reported works.
Are neonatal outcomes of triplet pregnancies different from those of singletons according to gestational age?
Authors: Mitsiakos Georgios , Gialamprinou Dimitra , Chatziioannidis Ilias , Pouliakis Abraham , Kontovazainitis Christos Georgios , Chatzigrigoriou Fotini , Karagkiozi Anastasia , Lazaridou Eleni , Papacharalambous Efthimia , Poumpouridou Effimia , Theodoridis Theodoros , Babacheva Evgenyia , Karagianni Paraskevi , Grimbizis Grigorios , Soubasi Vassiliki
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Multiple pregnancies sustain the high pace of extreme prematurity. Little evidence is available about triplet gestation given the evolution in their management during the last decades. The aim of the study was to compare the neonatal outcomes of triplets with those of matched singletons in a cohort study.

Methods

An observational retrospective cohort study of triplets and matched singletons born between 2004 and 2017 matched by gestational age was conducted. Additionally, the investigation performed in regard to data from the overall Greek population of interest. The primary outcome was mortality or severe neonatal morbidity based on pregnancy type.

Results

A total of 237 triplets of 24–36 weeks’ gestation and 482 matched singletons were included. No differences in the primary outcome between triplets and singletons were found. Rates of severe neonatal morbidities did not differ significantly between triplets and singletons. A threshold of 1000 gr for birthweight and 28 weeks’ gestation for gestational age determined survival on triplets [OR: 0.08 (95% CI: 0.02–0.40, p=0.0020) and OR: 0.13 (95% CI: 0.03–0.57, p=0.0020) for gestational age and birthweight respectively]. In Greece stillbirths in triplets was 8 times higher than that of singletons (OR: 8.5, 95% CI: 6.9–10.5). From 3,375 triplets, 94 were stillborn, whereas in singletons, 4,659 out of 1,388,273. In our center 5 times more triplets than the expected average in Greece were delivered with no significant difference in stillbirths’ rates.

Conclusions

No significant differences were identified in mortality or major neonatal morbidities between triplets and matched singletons highlighting the significance of prematurity and birthweight for these outcomes.
SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic pregnant women in South Brazil: RT-PCR and serological detection
Authors: Chiste Jullie Anne , Furuie Isabella Naomi , Nogueira Meri Bordignon , da Silva Longo Jessica , Fugaça Cyllian Arias , Cavalli Barbara Maria , Dino Carolina Tanaka , Raboni Sonia Mara , Sobieray Narcizo Leopoldo Eduardo da Cunha , de Carvalho Newton Sérgio
Published: June 2021

Objectives

This study aims to detect the SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in asymptomatic pregnant women.

Methods

A group of 195 asymptomatic pregnant women who attended the prenatal care outclinic and to the obstetric emergency department was tested concomitantly for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR and serological tests.

Results

The virus was detected by RT-PCR in two (1.02%) cases and 17 (8.71%) patients had antibodies detected by immunochromatographic tests.

Conclusions

Due to the high risk of this emerging infection in the health of pregnant women, fetuses and newborns, we suggest the universal screening of all pregnant women admitted to hospital through the combined method RT-PCR and serological.
Black phosphorus nanosheets and paclitaxel encapsulated hydrogel for synergistic photothermal-chemotherapy
Authors: Sang Shoushan , Jiang Zhipeng , Xie Ning , Rao Huaxin , Liao Kedan , Hu Qinqin , Zhang Ziyong , Guo Rui , Fan Taojian , Deng Kaixian
Published: June 2021

Gastric cancer treatment remains a major challenge because of its aggressiveness and spread. In this study, we developed a hydrogel system for the treatment of gastric cancer, which can kill tumor cells through photothermal action and drug treatment. Based on the formation of Schiff base linkage, the OSA/AHA/BP/PTX hydrogel was prepared by mixing oxidized sodium alginate (OSA), aminated hyaluronic acid (AHA), black phosphorus (BP), and paclitaxel (PTX) under physiological conditions, which exhibited excellent photothermal effect and slow release ability PTX. Moreover, CCK-8 and live/dead fluorescent confirmed that OSA/AHA/BP/PTX hydrogel could obvious inhibition the proliferation of gastric cancer cells (SGC7901). More importantly, in vivo experiments further show that the prepared hydrogel can significantly improve the tumor treatment effect of tumor-bearing mice by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting the proliferation of new tumor cells. Compared with chemotherapy alone, photothermal combined chemotherapy had a better antitumor effect. The results of this study indicate that the composite hydrogel with controlled release of paclitaxel can be used as a candidate material for cancer treatment.
Adaptive optics enables multimode 3D super-resolution microscopy via remote focusing
Authors: Navikas Vytautas , Descloux Adrien C. , Grussmayer Kristin S. , Marion Sanjin , Radenovic Aleksandra
Published: June 2021

A variety of modern super-resolution microscopy methods provide researchers with previously inconceivable biological sample imaging opportunities at a molecular resolution. All of these techniques excel at imaging samples that are close to the coverslip, however imaging at large depths remains a challenge due to aberrations caused by the sample, diminishing the resolution of the microscope. Originating in astro-imaging, the adaptive optics (AO) approach for wavefront shaping using a deformable mirror is gaining momentum in modern microscopy as a convenient approach for wavefront control. AO has the ability not only to correct aberrations but also enables engineering of the PSF shape, allowing localization of the emitter axial position over several microns. In this study, we demonstrate remote focusing as another AO benefit for super-resolution microscopy. We show the ability to record volumetric data (45 × 45 × 10 µm), while keeping the sample axially stabilized using a standard widefield setup with an adaptive optics addon. We processed the data with single-molecule localization routines and/or computed spatiotemporal correlations, demonstrating subdiffraction resolution.
Optical vortex lattice: an exploitation of orbital angular momentum
Authors: Zhu Liuhao , Tang Miaomiao , Li Hehe , Tai Yuping , Li Xinzhong
Published: June 2021

Generally, an optical vortex lattice (OVL) is generated via the superposition of two specific vortex beams. Thus far, OVL has been successfully employed to trap atoms via the dark cores. The topological charge (TC) on each optical vortex (OV) in the lattice is only ±1. Consequently, the orbital angular momentum (OAM) on the lattice is ignored. To expand the potential applications, it is necessary to rediscover and exploit OAM. Here we propose a novel high-order OVL (HO-OVL) that combines the phase multiplication and the arbitrary mode-controllable techniques. TC on each OV in the lattice is up to 51, which generates sufficient OAM to manipulate microparticles. Thereafter, the entire lattice can be modulated to desirable arbitrary modes. Finally, yeast cells are trapped and rotated by the proposed HO-OVL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first realization of the complex motion of microparticles via OVL. Thus, this work successfully exploits OAM on OVL, thereby revealing potential applications in particle manipulation and optical tweezers.
Water barrier and mechanical properties of sugar palm crystalline nanocellulose reinforced thermoplastic sugar palm starch (TPS)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend bionanocomposites
Authors: Nazrin Asmawi , Sapuan Salit Mohd , Zuhri Mohamed Yusoff Mohd , Tawakkal Intan Syafinaz Mohamed Amin , Ilyas Rushdan Ahmad
Published: June 2021

The disposal of non-biodegradable synthetic plastic wastes is linked with air, land, and marine pollutions. Incineration of plastic wastes released toxic substances into the air while recycled plastics end up accumulated in landfill and dumped into the ocean. In this study, novel sugar palm starch reinforced with sugar palm crystalline nanocellulose was blended with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with various formulations to develop alternative materials potentially substituting conventional plastics. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated broad amorphous scattering background with minor diffraction peaks at 2θof 19.4° and 22° associated with VH-type and B-type crystal structure for all blend bionanocomposites samples. Higher solubility rates were observed for PLA20TPS80 (96.34%) and PLA40TPS60 (77.66%) associated with higher concentration of plasticizers providing extra space in the polymer chains to be penetrated by water molecules. Increasing PLA content was not necessarily enhancing the water vapor permeability rate. Dynamic mechanical analysis presented a significant increment in storage modulus (E′) for PLA60TPS40 (53.2%) compared to the trivial changes of PLA70TPS30 (10%) and PLA80TPS20 (0.6%). However, significant improvement in impact strength occurred only at PLA40TPS60 (33.13%), and further addition showed minor improvement between 12 and 20%. Overall, it is noted that PLA60TPS40 demonstrated adequate functional properties to be used in food packaging application.
Algorithmic Agency and Autonomy in Archaeological Practice
Authors: Huggett Jeremy
Published: June 2021

A key development in archaeology is the increasing agency of the digital tools brought to bear on archaeological practice. Roles and tasks that were previously thought to be uncomputable are beginning to be digitalized, and the presumption that computerization is best suited to well-defined and restricted tasks is starting to break down. Many of these digital devices seek to reduce routinized and repetitive work in the office environment and in the field. Others incorporate data-driven methods to represent, store, and manipulate information in order to undertake tasks previously thought to be incapable of being automated. Still others substitute the human component in environments which would be otherwise be inaccessible or dangerous. Whichever applies, separately or in combination, such technologies are typically seen as black-boxing practice with often little or no human intervention beyond the allocation of their inputs and subsequent incorporation of their outputs in analyses. This paper addresses the implications of this shift to algorithmic automated practices for archaeology and asks whether there are limits to algorithmic agency within archaeology. In doing so, it highlights several challenges related to the relationship between archaeologists and their digital devices.
Third phase formation behaviour of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and tri-n-alkyl phosphates in the extraction of mineral acids and tetravalent metal ions
Authors: Sarkar Subramee , Suresh A. , Sivaraman N.
Published: June 2021

The formation of third phase is a detrimental phenomenon witnessed in the nuclear separation processes during the extraction of certain metal salts by an organic solution, which comprises of a neutral extractant, tri-n-butyl phosphate dispersed in a non-polar diluent, n-dodecane (n-C12H26). In the present work, a comparative analysis on the third phase formation behaviour of three trialkyl phosphates, TBP, its linear and branched higher homologues tri-n-amyl phosphate and tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate (T2MBP), respectively, have been provided which will be useful for the identification of an extractant with minimum third phase formation tendency. The organic phase splitting behaviour during the extraction of three mineral acids (HClO4, HCl and HNO3) and two tetravalent metal nitrates (Th(IV) and Zr(IV)) by trialkyl phosphates has been investigated to understand the influence of anionic and cationic components, respectively, in third phase formation of trialkyl phosphates. The effect of structure of the alkyl groups of trialkyl phosphate and chain length of diluents on third phase formation during Zr(IV) extraction from HNO3 media have also been studied. Overall, the third phase formation behaviour of T2MBP was found to be lower both for the extraction of mineral acid and Zr(IV), thereby indicating its potentiality for applications in various solvent extraction processes.