bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kritische Systemtheorie und Kritische Theorie sozialer Systeme. Ein Plädoyer für eine fruchtbare Unterscheidung
Authors: Alvear Rafael , Haker Christoph
Published: November 2019

Die Systemtheorie und die Kritische Theorie sind Schulen, die Theoretikerinnen seit langem ein Zuhause bieten. In der Zeit ihres Bestehens kam es immer wieder zu Treffpunkten und Theoriekollisionen dieser beiden Traditionen des Denkens der Gesellschaft. Durch die hier entwickelte Metareflexion wird es möglich, zu analysieren, wie diese Theorietraditionen verbunden werden. Da sich die aktuelle Diskussion auf die Perspektive der Systemtheorie beschränkt, ist es notwendig, die Verbindung auch aus der Perspektive Kritischer Theorie zu debattieren. Denn erst die Unterscheidung der heute immer mehr ins Gespräch kommenden Kritischen Systemtheorie von der kaum diskutierten Kritischen Theorie sozialer Systeme macht es möglich, die volle Produktivität der Theoriekollisionen zu erkennen. Wir konzipieren unsere Metareflexion damit als eine Intervention im Sinne einer soziologischen Selbstkritik. Sie richtet sich gegen die Gefahr des theoretischen Dogmatismus und plädiert für die Öffnung der Kontingenz des eigenen Denkens der Gesellschaft.
Mehr Weiterbildung durch neue soziale Rechte?
Authors: Bothfeld Silke , Kaps Petra , Rosenthal Peer
Published: November 2019

Weiterbildung gilt als Schlüsselinstrument zur Bewältigung des Strukturwandels. Der Beitrag unterzieht die mit dem Qualifizierungschancengesetz 2019 eingeführten Bildungsgutscheine für Beschäftigte sowie zwei weitere in der Diskussion befindliche Neuregelungen zur Weiterbildung von Beschäftigten – das vom Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales vorgeschlagene Persönliche Erwerbstätigenkonto sowie den von Gerhard Bosch entwickelten Weiterbildungsfonds – einer institutionentheoretischen Policy-Analyse. Dieser Analyseansatz ist dadurch begründet, dass sich die Effektivität neuer Instrumente daran bemisst, ob Zweck und Zielgruppe angemessen spezifiziert sind, neue mit bestehenden individuellen und kollektiven sozialen Rechten in Einklang stehen und eine institutionelle Passförmigkeit mit dem bestehenden Policy-Regime insgesamt gegeben ist. Damit liefert die Analyse politische Maßstäbe für die Bewertung der Machbarkeit und der institutionellen Folgen von Vorschlägen zur Weiterbildungsförderung, die ebenso notwendig sind wie ökonomische Kosten-Nutzen-Abschätzungen.
Berufliche Qualifikationsmismatches bei Beschäftigten
Authors: Gericke Pierre-André , Schmid Alfons
Published: November 2019

Der Beitrag untersucht, welche Bedeutung Unterqualifikation und Überqualifikation in Deutschland haben, einerseits bezogen auf die Beschäftigten in einzelnen Berufen und anderseits auf die Gesamtheit aller Beschäftigten. Dafür werden die formalen Bildungs- und Ausbildungsabschlüsse der Beschäftigten mit den formalen Qualifikationsanforderungen ihres Arbeitsplatzes verglichen. Entgegen dem in der Literatur vorherrschenden Fokus auf die Überqualifizierung zeigt diese Untersuchung, dass in Deutschland die unterqualifizierte Beschäftigung, also ein Mangel an formalen Qualifikationen, welcher den Mismatch zwischen Qualifikations- und Anspruchsniveau des Arbeitsplatzes verursacht, insgesamt häufiger ist als die überqualifizierte. Nur ein Teil der bestehenden Theorien zu Qualifikationsmismatches bietet Ansätze zur Erklärung unterqualifizierter Beschäftigung. Zur Einordnung der hier vorgestellten empirischen Befunde können vor allem eine Betrachtung der Strukturen und Funktionsweisen relevanter Teilarbeitsmärkte sowie das Job-Assignment-Modell beitragen, ebenso die Institutionentheorie, deren Anwendung am Beispiel der Spezifität von Anforderungs- und Tätigkeitsprofilen illustriert wird.
Dealing With Randomness
Authors: Osterloh Margit , Frey Bruno S.
Published: November 2019

Decisions based on randomness are often taken to be “irrational” or “arbitrary”. The conventional strategy is to fight randomness; a more recent one is to accept and even celebrate randomness. We focus on a third approach that employs randomness as a managerial and social decision-making mechanism in a purposeful way. We argue that Controlled Random Decisions provide considerable advantages. They allow outsiders as well as novel ideas to have an influence, and they work against corruption. When persons and projects are selected, there must be a careful pre-selection. Controlled Random Decisions should be discussed and employed more extensively.
Duration of Organizational Decision Processes in Organizations in View of Simulation Calculations
Authors: Martin Albert
Published: November 2019

This article deals with the time course of decision processes in organizations. The interaction of important determinants of collective decision-making is analyzed using a simulation model. The results show that the course of decisions is largely determined by structural parameters, which can only be influenced to a limited extent, thus, paradoxically, escaping the direct effects of willful decision-making. The presentation of results is supplemented by considerations regarding the effectiveness of the simulation method.
Export of Hungarian SMEs – testing network internationalisation
Authors: Éltető Andrea , Udvari Beáta
Published: November 2019

Due to the global economic crisis of 2008, small and medium-sized enterprises were forced to increase their international (export) activities. As Hungary is one of the most integrated countries in global production networks, we use its example to explore what factors promote or hinder the Hungarian SMEs’ internationalisation process focusing on the effects of network internationalisation. Our questionnaire survey provided a sample of 148 exporting SMEs. Our first hypothesis is that there are differences between network-participants and non-supplier firms in terms of export promoting and hindering factors. The results show such differences, but these are not statistically significant. Our second hypothesis is that stronger and looser network participant SMEs differ, which we illustrate by two case studies, pointing to the importance of management strategy.
Preferences for car sharing service attributes among university students: Evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Bojković Nataša , Jeremić Veljko , Petrović Marijana , Tica Slaven
Published: November 2019

Car sharing is a specific business model that allows a new form of personal mobility. University students, generally very receptive to the concept of a sharing economy, are recognized as a prospective customer group for car sharing operators. This paper proposes an ex ante analysis that aims to reveal how students from an area where car sharing is underdeveloped perceive this mobility option. University students in Belgrade were asked to state their preferences regarding a mix of attributes and levels replicating service design from current practice. Preferences for particular service attributes were explored using stated preference survey and Choice-Based Conjoint analysis, while further preference-based segmentation was obtained using the Partitioning Around Medoids method. The contribution of this work is that it delivers findings on an emerging car-sharing market where there is very little research on user profiles. From a methodological point of view, we form distinctive customer clusters based on the uniformity of their preferences. By being aware of users’ prior expectations, service providers can determine their operational priorities more easily when unlocking the market. The paper outlines both the similarities and differences between students in an emerging market and their counterparts in more developed countries. Our findings reveal that the student population is homogeneous regarding critical aspects of service adoption like cost, distance to vehicles, and parking convenience. Specific service attributes such as the pricing scheme and keeping vehicles clean are found to be issues of peculiar interest in our study market. Although our proposed approach to shaping user preferences was developed for car sharing analysis it is applicable to other service-oriented businesses in the initiation phase.
Droits de l’homme et insecurité pendant le processus de démocratisation en République Démocratique du Congo: Cas de la ville de Lubumbashi
Authors: KAKUDJI Martial MUMBA
Published: November 2019

La République Démocratique du Congo, aux termes de la Constitution du 18 fevrier 2006, est un Etat de droit et démocratique. L’Etat de droit présuppose l’application de lois, le respect des droits de l’homme et de la démocratie. Mais, cette conception souffre de sa mise en pratique. Ceci s’explique notamment, par le fait que le processus électoral de 2018 en République Démocratique du Congo a été emaillé de certains cas graves de violations des droits de l’homme voilées par l’insécurité dans la ville de Lubumbashi. Pourtant, ces libertés et droits fondamentaux ont un caractère juridique obligatoire depuis la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme de 1948 et bien d’autres instruments juridiques internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’homme déjà ratifiés par la République Démocratique du Congo. Ces droits et libertés sont censés être appliqués effectivement dans tout Etat qui se veut Etat de droit et engagé dans le chemin de la démocratie. Et donc, le processus de démocratisation ne peut constituer en rien un obstacle pour leur application. C’est plutôt un moment propice de faire valoir la capacité de les appliquer. Notons quand meêm que ces violations sont à mettre à l’actif de la majorité comme de l’opposition.
Défis pour la spiritualité de demain
Authors: Breton Jean-Claude
Published: November 2019

Je voudrais présenter ici les défis qui attendent l’avenir de la spiritualité. M’inspirant d’une définition de la spiritualité proposée par S. Schneiders et qui recoupe la mienne, j’identifie ce que chaque composante de cette définition suggère comme difficulté, afin d’anticiper, dans la mesure du possible, comment relever ces défis. L’essentiel de mon propos m’est inspiré par mes lectures en spiritualité et mon expérience d’enseignement.
Rencontrer la spiritualité autochtone
Authors: Roussel Jean-François
Published: November 2019

Comment approcher la spiritualité autochtone en évitant tout autant son travestissement que son enfermement dans le passé ? Nous ne traitons pas ici de contenus spirituels autochtones (symboles, rites, récits, etc.), mais plutôt des rapports établis entre eux et des horizons d’interprétation variés, y compris allochtones. Nous souhaitons éviter l’essentialisation de la spiritualité autochtone, essentialisation qui donne souvent prise à son objectivation puis à sa marchandisation. Nous examinons d’abord le concept de spiritualité autochtone, employé par des autrices autochtones, en évaluant l’adéquation de ce concept de spiritualité pour l’étude des traditions « spirituelles » autochtones. Par la suite, nous présentons en survol le « retour à la tradition » engagé parmi les peuples autochtones depuis le début des années 1970. Dans la troisième partie, nous présentons quelques discours autochtones qui apparaissent comme des actualisations novatrices de la spiritualité autochtone en contexte de décolonisation et qui, à notre avis, invitent à appréhender le spirituel autochtone comme une posture personnelle et collective de résistance et de créativité, nourrie à une tradition contextualisée et actualisée.
Medicalization and its Discontents: Gender, the History of Medicine, and Nora Jaffary’s Reproduction and Its Discontents
Authors: Ramos Christina
Published: November 2019

This essay discusses Jaffary’s award-winning book in light of its contribution to the history of medicine. Reproducton and Its Discontents makes crucial scholarly inroads in two fundamental ways: first, by building on feminist scholarship that has examined the rise of male expertise on matters of reproduction and gynecology, while simultaneously rejecting narratives of a “golden age” in women’s healthcare; second, by inserting discussions of medicine and gender into Latin America’s burgeoning medical history. At its heart, Jaffary’s book meticulously deals with the medicalization of the female body, its national and local manifestations, and its striking limitations and costs.
“Bachelor Girl Farmers” and the Queer Challenges to Western Heteronormativity
Authors: Korinek Valerie J.
Published: November 2019

Korinek’s article assesses the contribution of Imperial Plots to the writing of queer western histories, particularly women’s histories. The “single” English women who strike out for the west, individually and in pairs, challenge our preconceived notions of the presumed heterosexuality of all prairie settlers. Furthermore, Korinek argues that Carter’s research insights in this award-winning volume deserve to have a wide audience beyond the fields of gender histories, ideally integrated into scholarly and popular histories of the Canadian prairies and Canadian social histories.
Joan González: «En catalán hay público; lo que se necesita es constancia y ofrecer buena producción»
Authors: Clares Gavilán Judith , Barreiro González Mª Soliña
Published: November 2019

Joan González, director de Parallel 40 (Barcelona, Medellín y Valparaíso) y DocsBarcelona, es entrevistado por las profesoras Judith Clares y María Soliña Barreiro en el marco del proyecto de investigación «EU-VOS Patrimonio cultural inmaterial. Para un programa europeo de subtitulado en lenguas no hegemónicas» (CSO2016-76014-R), del grupo Estudos Audiovisuais de la Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
Audio en Processing
Authors: Martí Francesc
Published: November 2019

La música electrónica ayudó al compositor a independizarse del timbre de los instrumentos o las escalas cromáticas. Hoy día, existen una serie de programas que ayudan al artista sonoro en su producción; Processing es uno de los más importantes.
Rafel Luján
Authors: Pérez Beatriz
Published: November 2019

Entrevista a Rafel Luján, periodista y actual coordinador de BTV Notícies, el portal web de los informativos de Barcelona Televisió (BTV).
Propuesta de arquitectura de la información de un sitio web
Authors: de la Calle Muñoz Ernesto
Published: November 2019

La finalidad de la práctica era la elaboración de una propuesta de arquitectura de la información del sitio Web Norma Editorial. A partir de una primera fase de análisis, se debían crear los documentos básicos de una propuesta de arquitectura de información: el árbol contenidos, y los wireframes principales del sitio web.
La medición del Social Media: ¿podemos medir la inteligencia emocional colectiva?
Authors: Morales Maribel
Published: November 2019

Maribel Morales nos explica en este artículo cómo se mide la inteligencia emocional colectiva y qué efecto tiene ésta en una marca, servicio o producto.
Derechos de autor y el territorio digital: problemas de encaje
Authors: Soria Eva
Published: November 2019

Eva Soria nos habla en este artículo sobre la propiedad intelectual, los derechos morales en Internet y la polémica entre Internet y los derechos de autor.
Plug-ins WordPress: primeros pasos
Authors: Córcoles César
Published: November 2019

Recorrido por la interfaz de administración de WordPress, el gestor de contenidos de Mosaic.
'Tú' genérico en el español de la Ciudad de México
Authors: Orozco Leonor
Published: November 2019

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of generic you in the Spanish of Mexico City. A sociolinguistic study of the distribution of this pronominal subject is carried out. For this purpose, speech samples from two moments are analyzed, the first around 1970 and the second circa 2000. The results suggest that, on the one hand, generic you is used more and more frequently in Mexican Spanish and that there are more speakers who resort to their employment. On the other hand, the contexts of use of generic you have also been extended, because, although it occurs mainly with verbs in the present, it is also documented, to a lesser extent, in other contexts even with verbs in perfective aspect.
Terminología y parámetros del voseo
Authors: Vázquez-Larruscaín Miguel , Teira María Mercedes , Sieder Ana Laura
Published: November 2019

RESUMEN: Este trabajo propone una terminología de referencia para el grupo de variedades voseantes en el español americano. Pretende contribuir a la literatura sobre el voseo en dos aspectos de relevancia. Por un lado, el sistema paramétrico indica los límites del espacio de variación para la minigramática del voseo. Por otro lado, el sistema paramétrico sienta las bases de una terminología transparente, eficiente, consistente y mnemotécnicamente adecuada. El sistema paramétrico del voseo que aquí se presenta pretende dar cabida a todas las variedades voseantes en el plano gramatical, dejando completamente a un lado cualquier tipo de consideración sociolingüística o ecoglótica. Contiene además revisiones de términos anteriores, una elaboración de los aspectos morfosintácticos del voseo, así como un nuevo enfoque funcional como criterio para entender la conjugación de las variedades con voseo tuteante. No es, desde luego, un trabajo definitivo que cierre el tema de forma concluyente.
1H-NMR spectroscopy identifies potential biomarkers in serum metabolomic signatures for early stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Liu Yan-Yan , Yang Zhong-Xian , Ma Li-Min , Wen Xu-Qing , Ji Huan-Lin , Li Ke
Published: November 2019

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most prevalent types of upper gastrointestinal malignancies. Here, we used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) to identify potential serum biomarkers in patients with early stage ESCC.

Methods

Sixty-five serum samples from early stage ESCC patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 40) were analysed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. We distinguished between different metabolites through principal component analysis, partial least squares-discriminant analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) using SIMCA-P+ version 14.0 software. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to verify potential biomarkers.

Results

Using OPLS-DA, 31 altered serum metabolites were successfully identified between the groups. Based on the area under the ROC curve (AUROC), and the biomarker panel with AUROC of 0.969, six serum metabolites (α-glucose, choline, glutamine, glutamate, valine, and dihydrothymine) were selected as potential biomarkers for early stage ESCC. Dihydrothymine particularly was selected as a new feasible biomarker associated with tumor occurrence.

Conclusions

1H-NMR spectroscopy may be a useful tumour detection approach in identifying useful metabolic ESCC biomarkers for early diagnosis and in the exploration of the molecular pathogenesis of ESCC.
Screening and identification of key candidate genes and pathways in myelodysplastic syndrome by bioinformatic analysis
Authors: Le Ying
Published: November 2019

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy derived from hematopoietic stem cells and the molecular mechanism of MDS remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate potential markers of diagnosis and prognosis of MDS. The gene expression profiles GSE19429 and GSE58831 were obtained and downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MDS were screened using GEO2R and overlapped DEGs were obtained with Venn Diagrams. Then, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway functional enrichment analyses, protein–protein interaction network establishment and survival analyses were performed. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly enriched in the interferon signaling pathway, immune response, hematopoietic cell lineage and the FOXO signaling pathway. Four hub genes and four significant modules including 25 module genes were obtained via Cytoscape MCODE. Survival analysis showed that the overall survival of MDS patients having BLNK, IRF4, IFITM1, IFIT1, ISG20, IFI44L alterations were worse than that without alterations. In conclusion, the identification of these genes and pathways helps understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of MDS and provides candidate targets for the diagnosis and prognosis of MDS.
O CÉREBRO ADOLESCENTE E O PROCESSO BIOLÓGICO HISTORICAMENTE CONDICIONADO: CONTRIBUIÇÕES DA TEORIA HISTÓRICO-CULTURAL À EDUCAÇÃO ESCOLAR
Authors: Dos Anjos Ricardo Eleutério , Duarte Newton
Published: November 2019

O presente artigo é parte integrante de uma tese de doutorado e tem como objetivo analisar as mudanças que ocorrem no cérebro adolescente e discutir, a partir da psicologia histórico-cultural e da pedagogia histórico-crítica, o papel da educação escolar no desenvolvimento omnilateral nessa etapa do desenvolvimento humano. Para tanto, este estudo foi dividido em dois itens: No primeiro foram apresentadas as primeiras aproximações dos estudos sobre a fisiologia do cérebro, os quais foram denominados como a fenomenologia do cérebro adolescente. No segundo, buscou-se a compreensão para além da aparência fenomênica do cérebro adolescente por meio da análise da atividade social e a unidade dialética dos processos psíquicos e fisiológicos. O artigo conclui que a complexidade psíquica do ser humano se forma em decorrência da atividade social e tais estruturas podem não se formar se certas atividades não existirem para uma determinada pessoa.
EDUCAÇÃO EM TEMPOS DE REDEMOCRATIZAÇÃO: PLANEJAMENTO E EDUCAÇÃO EM SANTA CATARINA 1985-1990
Authors: Goularti Filho Alcides , Rabelo Giani
Published: November 2019

O objetivo principal deste artigo é analisar e discutir os principais documentos formulados no âmbito da educação pelo governo brasileiro e catarinense na chamada redemocratização dos anos de 1980. Os efeitos positivos da Redemocratização da educação iniciada nos meados dos anos de 1980 foram colhendo frutos ao longo das duas décadas seguintes. Mesmo com os retrocessos da política econômica do neoliberalismo, a educação seguiu seu caminho transformador ao longo dos anos de 1990. O ambiente democrático garantiu a diversidade do debate e trouxe ganhos coletivos
Determination of Physico-chemical Properties in Soil Samples of Prayagraj (Allahabad) District, Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Verma Chahat , Lal Abhinav , David Alec D. M. , Rao P. Smriti
Published: November 2019

Physico-chemical properties of soils from different land use systems viz. agriculture, olericulture, horticulture etc in Prayagraj (Allahabad) Uttar Pradesh were analyzed in 2018-19. Samples were collected from 4 different sites of Allahabad district viz., ECC gaughat, Jhunsi, Karchhana & Subedarganj having distance between them of at least 4 kms. Some soils samples had higher water holding capacity & value of organic carbon. They have average value of pH and EC as compared to the cultivated soils. Potassium was found to be of low content in soil samples. Physical properties and parameters for all soils were average or medium whereas as variation in chemical properties were observed.
Usage of Information and Communication Technologies among Agrarian Youths of Manipur, India
Authors: Devi Mayanglambam Victoria , Devarani Loukham , Singh R. J. , Hemochandra L.
Published: November 2019

The present study aimed at analysing the usage of ICTs by the agrarian youths of state Manipur, India. The locale of study was Imphal-West district of Manipur, from where 120 respondents have been randomly selected from six villages of the two sub-divisions viz., Patsoi and Wangoi. The study delved into examining whether the socio-economic profiles of youths have any significant dependence with the utilization of different ICT tools viz., Radio, T.V., Mobile Phone, PC/Laptop, Internet and Information Kiosk. The major findings of the analysis reveal that ‘Attitude towards ICTs’ has significant dependence at 5% level of significance with the utilization of Radio. The variable ‘Education’ has significant dependence with the utilization of television at 10% level of significance. The utilization of PC/laptop by respondents had significant dependence with ‘Education’, ‘Attitude towards ICTs’, ‘Cosmopoliteness’ and ‘Social participation’ at 1% level of significance. With respect to utilization of Internet by agrarian youths, the variables, namely ‘Education’, ‘Attitude towards ICTs’, ‘Cosmopoliteness’ and ‘Social Participation’ have significant dependence at 1% level of significance. Pertaining the utilization of information kiosks by respondents, the variable ‘Age’ has significant dependence at 1% level of significance. Lack of infrastructural facilities to access ICTs was the most profound constraints faced by agrarian youths of Manipur.
Estimation of Serum Homocysteine and Vitamin B12 in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Authors: Sadaria Roshni G. , Vasava Smita N. , Bhalgariya Jaydeepsinh D. , Bhanushali Vruti J. , Bhoi Manish , Chandnani Praneta , Chavda Meet
Published: November 2019

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder characterized by absolute or relative deficiencies in insulin secretion and/or insulin action associated with chronic hyperglycemia and disturbances of carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. Homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor strongly linked to cardiovascular complications in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Hcy requires 5-methyltetrahydrofolate as methyl donor and vitamin B12 as a co-factor. So, Vitamin B12 deficiency will lead to hyperhomocysteinemia. Biochemical and clinical vitamin B12 deficiency has been demonstrated to be highly prevalent among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: To assess the serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels in type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients.

Methodology: The present case control study was conducted at Dhiraj hospital, Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat, India in which 80 subjects were enrolled, out of which 40 were cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 40 were controls. The age group for the study was 35 to 70 years. Blood samples were drawn to measure RBS, HbA1c, serum homocysteine and vitamin B12. Interpretation of data was done using Medcalc software.

Results: The mean levels of serum homocysteine was higher in T2DM patients than normal healthy individuals, difference between them was statistically highly significant (p<0.0001). The mean levels of vitamin B12 was lower in T2DM patients than normal healthy individuals, difference between them was statistically highly significant (p<0.0001). There is no correlation found between Homocysteine, vitamin B12 & HbA1c.

Conclusion: A significant increase in serum Hcy level was observed in T2DM patients in our study. Raised serum Homocysteine is considered as an early marker of B12 deficiency. Hyperhomocysteinemia will lead to cardiovascular complications. Therefore, the hyperhomocysteinemia could serve as another important marker of poor diabetic control and developing complications.
Oral Contraceptive Pills: Socio-demographic Characteristics of Acceptors at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
Authors: Nonye-Enyidah EI , Wekere F. C. C. , Donubari R.
Published: November 2019

Background: Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) are the most widely prescribed form of hormonal contraception both in developed and developing countries. They are also the most popular non-surgical method of contraception.

Objective: To determine the prevalence rate and socio-demographic characteristics of oral contraceptive pills acceptors at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt.

Methods: A 10 year review of all clients who accepted oral contraceptive pills in the family planning clinic of the hospital from 1st January, 2008 to 31st December, 2017. Data was extracted, coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) IBM version 25.0 (Armonk, NY).

Results: There were 1893 contraceptive acceptors during the study period, out of which 86 (4.5%) accepted the oral pills. Majority of the clients 66 (76.8%) were between the age range of 20 to 34, married 82 (95.3%), multiparous 48 (55.8%), Christians 82 (95.3%) and 82 (95.3%) had formal education. Clinical personnel were the commonest source of information on the use of oral contraceptive pills, accounting for 36 (41.8%).

Conclusion: Oral contraceptive pills are methods of contraception used by young, multiparous and educated women. Only 4.5% of the women accepted OCPs during the study period therefore concerted efforts should be made to improve its uptake in the family planning clinic.
Kinneddar
Authors: Noble Gordon , Cruikshanks Gemma , Dunbar Lindsay , Evans Nicholas , Hall Derek , Hamilton Derek , MacIver Cathy , Masson-MacLean Edouard , O'Driscoll James , Paskulin Lindsey , Sveinbjarnarson Oskar
Published: November 2019

The early Christian sculpture from Kinneddar has long been noted as a major assemblage. New survey work by the University of Aberdeen and AOC Archaeology has identified a large vallum enclosure around the site that was renewed on at least one occasion. The vallum enclosures surrounded an area of up to 8.6ha, and the groundplan presents striking resemblances to other major ecclesiastical sites, particularly Iona. Evaluative excavations instigated through research- and development-led projects have provided an outline chronology for the vallum enclosures, identified an additional annexe and has located settlement features inside the enclosures. Radiocarbon dating suggests activity as early as the late 6th century with the vallum likely to date to the 7th or 8th century. This article sets out the evidence from the site and discusses Kinneddar in relation to other likely major ecclesiastical sites in northern Pictland and its wider early medieval Insular context.
Nacre‐Inspired Composite Electrolytes for Load‐Bearing Solid‐State Lithium‐Metal Batteries
Authors: Li Aijun , Liao Xiangbiao , Zhang Hanrui , Shi Lei , Wang Peiyu , Cheng Qian , Borovilas James , Li Zeyuan , Huang Wenlong , Fu Zhenxuan , Dontigny Martin , Zaghib Karim , Myers Kristin , Chuan Xiuyun , Chen Xi , Yang Yuan
Published: November 2019

Solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries with solid electrolytes are promising for next‐generation energy‐storage devices. However, it remains challenging to develop solid electrolytes that are both mechanically robust and strong against external mechanical load, due to the brittleness of ceramic electrolytes and the softness of polymer electrolytes. Herein, a nacre‐inspired design of ceramic/polymer solid composite electrolytes with a “brick‐and‐mortar” microstructure is proposed. The nacre‐like ceramic/polymer electrolyte (NCPE) simultaneously possesses a much higher fracture strain (1.1%) than pure ceramic electrolytes (0.13%) and a much larger ultimate flexural modulus (7.8 GPa) than pure polymer electrolytes (20 MPa). The electrochemical performance of NCPE is also much better than pure ceramic or polymer electrolytes, especially under mechanical load. A 5 × 5 cm2 pouch cell with LAGP/poly(ether‐acrylate) NCPE exhibits stable cycling with a capacity retention of 95.6% over 100 cycles at room temperature, even undergoes a large point load of 10 N. In contrast, cells based on pure ceramic and pure polymer electrolyte show poor cycle life. The NCPE provides a new design for solid composite electrolyte and opens up new possibilities for future solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries and structural energy storage.
Probing Contact‐Electrification‐Induced Electron and Ion Transfers at a Liquid–Solid Interface
Authors: Nie Jinhui , Ren Zewei , Xu Liang , Lin Shiquan , Zhan Fei , Chen Xiangyu , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: November 2019

As a well‐known phenomenon, contact electrification (CE) has been studied for decades. Although recent studies have proven that CE between two solids is primarily due to electron transfer, the mechanism for CE between liquid and solid remains controversial. The CE process between different liquids and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film is systematically studied to clarify the electrification mechanism of the solid–liquid interface. The CE between deionized water and PTFE can produce a surface charges density in the scale of 1 nC cm−2, which is ten times higher than the calculation based on the pure ion‐transfer model. Hence, electron transfer is likely the dominating effect for this liquid–solid electrification process. Meanwhile, as ion concentration increases, the ion adsorption on the PTFE hinders electron transfer and results in the suppression of the transferred charge amount. Furthermore, there is an obvious charge transfer between oil and PTFE, which further confirms the presence of electron transfer between liquid and solid, simply because there are no ions in oil droplets. It is demonstrated that electron transfer plays the dominant role during CE between liquids and solids, which directly impacts the traditional understanding of the formation of an electric double layer (EDL) at a liquid–solid interface in physical chemistry.
Ultrahigh‐Sensitivity Sandwiched Plasmon Ruler for Label‐Free Clinical Diagnosis
Authors: Nan Jingjie , Zhu Shoujun , Ye Shunsheng , Sun Weihong , Yue Ying , Tang Xiaoduo , Shi Jingwei , Xu Xuesong , Zhang Junhu , Yang Bai
Published: November 2019

Optical biosensors, especially those based on plasmonic structures, have emerged recently as a potential tool for disease diagnostics. Plasmonic biosensors have demonstrated impressive benefits for the label‐free detection of trace biomarkers in human serum. However, widespread applications of these technologies are hindered because of their insufficient sensitivity, their relatively complex chemical immobilization processes, and the use of prism couplers. Accordingly, a sandwiched plasmon ruler (SW‐PR) based on a Au nanohole array with ultrahigh sensitivity arising from the plasmonic coupling effect is developed. Highly confined surface charges caused by Bloch wave surface plasmon polarizations substantially increase the coupling efficiency. This platform exhibits thickness sensitivity as high as 61 nm nm−1 and can detect at least 200 000‐fold lower analyte concentrations than a nanowell sensing platform with the same wavelength shift. Additionally, the sandwiched plasmonic biosensor allows precise and label‐free testing of clinical biomarkers, namely C‐reactive protein and procalcitonin, in patient serum samples without requiring a sophisticated prism coupler, extra antibodies, or a chemical immobilization technique. This study yields new insight into the structural design of plasmon rulers and will open exciting avenues for disease diagnosis and therapy follow‐up at the point‐of‐care.
MXene‐Based Dendrite‐Free Potassium Metal Batteries
Authors: Tang Xiao , Zhou Dong , Li Peng , Guo Xin , Sun Bing , Liu Hao , Yan Kang , Gogotsi Yury , Wang Guoxiu
Published: November 2019

Potassium metal batteries are considered as attractive alternatives beyond lithium‐ion batteries. However, uncontrollable dendrite growth on the potassium metal anode has restrained their practical applications. A high‐performance potassium anode achieved by confining potassium metal into a titanium‐deficient nitrogen‐containing MXene/carbon nanotube freestanding scaffold is reported. The high electronic transport and fast potassium diffusion in this scaffold enable reduced local current density and homogeneous ionic flux during plating/stripping processes. Furthermore, as verified by theoretical calculations and experimental investigations, such “potassium‐philic” MXene sheets can induce the nucleation of potassium, and guide potassium to uniformly distribute in the scaffold upon cycling. Consequently, the as‐developed potassium metal anodes exhibit a dendrite‐free morphology with high Coulombic efficiency and long cycle life during plating/stripping processes. Such anodes also deliver significantly improved electrochemical performances in potassium–sulfur batteries compared with bare potassium metal anodes. This work can provide a new avenue for developing potassium metal‐based batteries.
Color‐Based Optical Detection of Glass Transitions on Microsecond Timescales Enabled by Exciplex Dynamics
Authors: Canossa Stefano , Filonenko Georgy A.
Published: November 2019

Every measurement technique operates on a given timescale and measurements using emissive small molecule sensors are no exception. A family of luminescent sensors providing first optical characterization of dynamic phenomena in polymers at a timescale of several microseconds is described. This performance originates from the dynamics manifested in the excited state of the sensor molecules where diffusioncontrolled events select the emission color while radiative phenomena define the global operation timescale. Since the mechanism responsible for signal generation is confined to the short lived excited state of emissive probe, it is possible observe an unprecedented link between the timescale of sensory action and that of photoluminescence. An application of this new methodology is demonstrated by performing general, short timescale detection of glass transitions in a temperature ranges precluding the informative range of conventional techniques by tens of degrees.
Dimetallic Palladium‐NHC Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Application for Direct C−H Arylation Reaction of Heteroaromatics with Aryl Chlorides
Authors: Lee Jhen‐Yi , Ghosh Debalina , Kuo Ya‐Ting , Lee Hon Man
Published: November 2019

A series of dimetallic palladium(II)‐NHC complexes comprised of 1,4‐naphthalenyl or 9,10‐anthracenyl spacer sandwiched between two imidazole rings was successfully synthesized. These complexes were characterized by 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The structures of two dimetallic palladium complexes and a related mononuclear palladium complex to be used for comparative studies were further characterized by X‐ray diffraction. The dimetallic palladium complex with the 9,10‐anthracenyl linker was very efficient in catalyzing direct C−H arylation reactions of heteroaromatic compounds (imidazoles, imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine, and thioazole) with a broad range of aryl chlorides, employing a mild monopalladium loading of 1.5 mol%. It allows for the effective use of aryl chlorides to prepare arylated heterocycles, previously only accessible with the more reactive bromide counterparts. Importantly, the catalytic activity of the dimetallic precatalyst was found to be higher than that of an analogous mononuclear complex.

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Molecular subtype and growth hormone effects on dysmorphology in Prader–Willi syndrome
Authors: Oldzej Jeannine , Manazir Javeria , Gold June‐Anne , Mahmoud Ranim , Osann Kathryn , Flodman Pamela , Cassidy Suzanne B. , Kimonis Virginia E.
Published: November 2019

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) affects 1/15,000–1/30,000 live births and is characterized by lack of expression of paternally inherited genes on 15q11.2‐15q13 caused by paternal deletions, maternal uniparental disomy (UPD), or imprinting defects. Affected individuals have distinct physical features, and growth hormone (GH) deficiency occurs in some individuals with PWS. The aim of this study is to test the hypotheses that (a) individuals with deletions and UPD have different physical and dysmorphic features, (b) individuals treated with GH have different physical and dysmorphic features than those not treated, and (c) GH treatment effects are different for individuals with UPD in comparison to those with deletions. Study participants included 30 individuals with deletions or UPD, who did or did not have GH treatment. Participants’ molecular abnormalities were determined by molecular and cytogenetic analysis. Clinical data were obtained by a single dysmorphologist. Individuals with deletions were found to be heavier (p = .001), taller (p = .031), with smaller head circumferences (p = .042) and were more likely to have fair skin and hair than their family members (p = .031, .049, respectively) compared to UPD patients. Females with deletions more commonly had hypoplastic labia minora (p = .009) and clitoris (.030) in comparison to those with UPD. Individuals who received GH in both deletion and UPD groups were taller (p = .004), had larger hands (p = .011) and feet (p = .006) and a trend for a larger head circumference (p = .103). Interestingly, the GH‐treated group also had a lower rate of strabismus (esotropia [p = .017] and exotropia [p = .039]). This study showed statistically significant correlations between phenotype and molecular subtypes and also between phenotype and GH treatment.
Chiral Brønsted Acid from Chiral Phosphoric Acid Boron Complex and Water: Asymmetric Reduction of Indoles
Authors: Yang Kai , Lou Yixian , Wang Chenglan , Qi Liang‐Wen , Fang Tongchang , Zhang Feng , Xu Hetao , Zhou Lu , Li Wangyang , Zhang Guan , Yu Peiyuan , Song Qiuling
Published: November 2019

A new chiral Brønsted acid, generated in situ from a chiral phosphoric acid boron (CPAB) complex and water, was successfully applied to asymmetric indole reduction. This “designer acid catalyst”, which is more acidic than TsOH as suggested by DFT calculations, allows the unprecedented direct asymmetric reduction of C2‐aryl‐substituted N‐unprotected indoles and features good to excellent enantioselectivities with broad functional group tolerance. DFT calculations and mechanistic experiments indicates that this reaction undergoes C3‐protonation and hydride‐transfer processes. Besides, bulky C2‐alkyl‐substituted N‐unprotected indoles are also suitable for this system.
Effects of interactions between soy protein isolate and pectin on properties of soy protein‐based films
Authors: Amado Laís Ravazzi , Silva Keila de Souza , Mauro Maria Aparecida
Published: November 2019

Composite films in coacervation condition offer an alternative to change properties of protein‐based films, and they present potential applications such as inclusion, stabilization, and release of bioactive compounds in foods. Maximum interactions between soy protein isolate (SPI) (5%) and high methoxyl pectin (PEC) (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2%), by zeta potential analysis, are found at a pH of 3. The transparency of the SPI films is lost at this pH. When PEC is added to SPI films, the elasticity, solubility, and permeability to water vapor are not significantly altered, but the tensile strength increases. Permeabilities to oxygen are higher for low PEC contents, but as PEC is added, their values are typical of SPI films produced at a pH of 11. A homogeneous structure is found at the higher PEC concentrations. The interactions of PEC–SPI can be useful to tailor films and coatings for applications such as to carry and protect substances of interest. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48732.
Hybrid shell microcapsules containing isophorone diisocyanate with high thermal and chemical stability for autonomous self‐healing of epoxy coatings
Authors: Attaei Mahboobeh , Vale Mário , Shakoor Abdul , Kahraman Ramazan , Montemor M. Fátima , Marques Ana C.
Published: November 2019

Silica‐polyurea/polyuretane hybrid shell microcapsules (MCs) loaded with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) with long shelf‐life and high thermal and chemical stability are prepared via emulsification followed by interfacial polymerization at the surface of oil droplets of the oil‐in‐water emulsion. The resultant MCs are aimed at self‐healing performance in epoxy coatings. A commercially available, highly reactive polyisocyanate named tris(p‐isocyanatophenyl) thiophosphate is successfully employed as shell forming agent, while triethoxyoctylsilane and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDMS) are tested as “latent” active hydrogen sources. The resulting MCs display core–shell morphology, spherical shape with diameter of 5–20 μm, shell thickness ca. 1–2 μm, and an IPDI core fraction of 69 and 65 wt %, when HDMS and triethoxyoctylsilane are employed, respectively. MCs exhibit an increased thermal stability, comparing with pure IPDI, which makes them robust enough to resist the thermal cycles involved in the coating's preparation. Stability of MCs inside specific solvents and chemicals, their chemical composition and shelf‐life as well as effect of MCs on the epoxy curing are evaluated by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. MCs, remarkably, show excellent environment stability and a long shelf‐life of more than 3.5 months. Their addition to an epoxy formulation is found to heal damaged zones in the epoxy coating, as shown by scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48751.
Maturity assignment based on histology‐validated macroscopic criteria: Tackling the stock decline of the Mediterranean swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
Authors: Marisaldi Luca , Basili Danilo , Candelma Michela , Sesani Vittoria , Pignalosa Paolo , Gioacchini Giorgia , Carnevali Oliana
Published: November 2019

Effective stock assessment relies on the evaluation of the reproductive potential of a population, but this is often achieved using fast, inexpensive, and inaccurate macroscopic indicators of gonadal maturity. Indeed, this approach suffers from high error rates as a result of misclassification and operator errors. Although histology is considered the gold standard to assign reproductive stages, it represents a time‐consuming and expensive method. Therefore, cost‐effective approaches are currently needed to assess the species‐specific reproductive potential and define the correct size at first maturity (L50).

In the present study a histology‐calibrated method based on the gonadal index (GI) was developed to assign maturity stages to the overfished Mediterranean swordfish (Xiphias gladius), supported by histological classification of gonadal development, an estimation of L50, and an analysis of the reproductive output of this species.

The performance of this new method had an overall agreement of 90% with histological data, and the L50 calculated by the GI‐based method compared with histology analysis was not statistically different (p > 0.05). Moreover, in order to apply this method without bias, a thorough validation of the relationship between length and gonad weight was carried out and the suitability of the GI to compare individuals of different size and maturity stages was confirmed.

The present findings provide a comprehensive picture of the patterns characterizing Mediterranean swordfish reproduction and a promising method to assign maturity stages based on a macroscopic indicator. This method has the potential to be extensively applied during routine fish sampling activities in the field because of its simple requirements.
A diagnostic study of extreme precipitation over Kerala during August 2018
Authors: Viswanadhapalli Yesubabu , Srinivas Challa Venkata , Basha Ghouse , Dasari Hari Prasad , Langodan Sabique , Venkat Ratnam Madineni , Hoteit Ibrahim
Published: November 2019

The state of Kerala, located on the west coast of India, experienced a record 100‐year flood that resulted in major landslides from unprecedented prolonged and extremely heavy rainfall (50–480 mm·day−1) during August 1–19, 2018, causing extensive damage and about 500 causalities. Rainfall observations indicate that the heavy rainfall occurred over two spells (August 7–10 and 14–18) in association with an offshore trough, and a depression over the Bay of Bengal (BOB). High‐resolution 38‐year climatology data (5 km) and the ERA‐Interim reanalysis dataset show a strong low‐level jet over the Arabian Sea and a depression over the BOB with a southwestward tilt during the heavy rainfall. Very high‐resolution (2‐km) mesoscale model simulations suggest that this high convective instability due to the strong westerly jet along with the formation of offshore vortex, the transport of mid‐tropospheric moisture under the presence of conducive vertical shear of horizontal wind, and transport of mid‐tropospheric moisture from the BOB are the major factors (as shown in the schematic diagram) behind the extreme heavy rainfall over Kerala.