bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing a comprehensive model of home-based formal care for elderly adults in Iran: A study protocol
Authors: Mobasseri Khorshid , Kousha Ahmad , Allahverdipour Hamid , Matlabi Hossein
Published: August 2023

Background

Due to the increasing Iran’s aging population, designing a home care model is necessary. However, the data on designing the home care model for elderly adults among developing countries are limited. This study will be carried out to develop a formal home-based care model for elderly adults in Iran.

Methods

This multi-method study will include three phases: First, Mixed-methods sequential explanatory study including two steps: One, survey to determine the prevalence of dependence on formal and informal caregivers among people aged ≥ 60 years living in Tabriz metropolis; and two, content analysis approach includes face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with the older adults receiving formal care at home, their caregivers and relevant key informants on the characteristics of care and caregiver, challenges and expectations of standard care. In phase 2, a scoping review will be used to find out the components of home care in other countries, such as care provider organization, caregivers training, and financing. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, Google scholar databases and grey literature will be run to retrieve relevant evidence using proper MeSH terms. In phase3, the triangulation method (using the results of the previous phases, reviewing national upstream documents and the focus group discussion) will be done to reach consensus and design the initial model for the Iranian context. In the following, a Delphi study will be conducted on the validation and feasibility of the developed model.

Discussion

The current health infrastructure in Iran is focused on caring for younger people, despite the near future population aging. Most studies have addressed the challenges of geriatric care, but no study has addressed the various dimensions of home care in Iran and how to provide this service to elderly adults. Providing a comprehensive model of home care for the elderly can improve the quality of life and satisfaction of the elderly and their caregivers.
Differential expression of gluconeogenesis-related transcripts in a freshwater zooplankton model organism suggests a role of the Cori cycle in hypoxia tolerance
Authors: Malek Morad C. , Behera Jyoti R. , Kilaru Aruna , Yampolsky Lev Y.
Published: August 2023

Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is the process of regenerating glucose and NAD+ that allows for continued ATP synthesis by glycolysis during fasting or in hypoxia. Recent data from C. elegans and crustaceans challenged with hypoxia show differential and tissue-specific expression of GNG-specific genes. Here we report differential expression of several GNG-specific genes in the head and body of a model organism, Daphnia magna, a planktonic crustacean, in normoxic and acute hypoxic conditions. We predict that GNG-specific transcripts will be enriched in the body, where most of the fat tissue is located, rather than in the head, where the tissues critical for survival in hypoxia, the central nervous system and locomotory muscles, are located. We measured the relative expression of GNG-specific transcripts in each body part by qRT-PCR and normalized them by either the expression of a reference gene or the rate-limiting glycolysis enzyme pyruvate kinase (PK). Our data show that of the three GNG-specific transcripts tested, pyruvate carboxylase (PC) showed no differential expression in either the head or body. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C), on the other hand, is upregulated in hypoxia in both body parts. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP) is upregulated in the body relative to the head and upregulated in hypoxia relative to normoxia, with a stronger body effect in hypoxia when normalized by PK expression. These results support our hypothesis that Daphnia can survive hypoxic conditions by implementing the Cori cycle, where body tissues supply glucose and NAD+ to the brain and muscles, enabling them to continuously generate ATP by glycolysis.
The impact of expanded access to direct acting antivirals for Hepatitis C virus on patient outcomes in Canada
Authors: Chu Cherry , Gomes Tara , Antoniou Tony , Wong William W. L. , Janjua Naveed , Guertin Jason Robert , Schwartz Kevin L. , Feld Jordan , Kwong Jeff , Tadrous Mina
Published: August 2023

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has high global prevalence and can lead to liver complications and death. Access to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in Canada increased following several policy changes, however the real-world impact of expanded DAA access and increased use of these drugs is unknown.

Objective

We aimed to determine the early change in rates of HCV-related hospitalizations overall and HCV-related hospitalizations with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after expanded DAA access.

Methods

We conducted a population-based time series analysis using national administrative health databases in Canada. Rates of HCV-related hospitalizations and HCV-related hospitalizations with HCC were enumerated monthly between April 2006 and March 2020. We used Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models with ramp functions in October 2014 and January 2017 to evaluate the impact of policies to expand DAA access on hospitalization outcomes.

Results

Rates of HCV-related hospitalizations in Canada increased between 2006 and 2014, and gradually declined thereafter. The decrease after October 2014, or the first policy change, was significant (p = 0.0355), but no further change was found after the second policy change in 2017 (p = 0.2567). HCV-related hospitalizations with HCC increased until end of 2013, followed by a plateau, before declining in 2016. No significant shifts were found after the first policy change in 2014 (p = 0.1291) nor the second policy change in 2017 (p = 0.6324). Subgroup analyses revealed that those aged 50–64 and males had observable declines in rates of HCV-related hospitalizations in the year prior to the first policy change.

Conclusions

Expanding DAA access was associated with a drop in HCV-related hospitalizations in the overall Canadian population coinciding with the 2014 policy change. In light of the time required for HCV-related complications to manifest, continued ongoing research examining the real-world effectiveness of DAAs is required.
Nonadherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment, reasons and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in the communities in Indonesia
Authors: Lolong Dina Bisara , Aryastami Ni Ketut , Kusrini Ina , Tobing Kristina L. , Tarigan Ingan , Isfandari Siti , Senewe Felly Philipus , Raflizar  , Endah Noer , Sitorus Nikson , Pangaribuan Lamria , Simarmata Oster S. , Ariati Yusniar
Published: August 2023

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s major public health problem. We assessed the proportion, reasons, and associated factors for anti-TB treatment nonadherence in the communities in Indonesia.

Methods

This national coverage cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2013 to 2014 with stratified multi-stage cluster sampling. Based on the region and rural-urban location. The 156 clusters were distributed in 136 districts/cities throughout 33 provinces, divided into three areas. An eligible population of age ≥15 was interviewed to find TB symptoms and screened with a thorax x-ray. Those whose filtered result detected positive followed an assessment of Sputum microscopy, LJ culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF. Census officers asked all participants about their history of TB and their treatment—defined Nonadherence as discontinuation of anti-tuberculosis treatment for <6 months. Data were analyzed using STATA 14.0 (College Station, TX, USA).

Results

Nonadherence to anti-TB treatment proportion was 27.24%. Multivariate analysis identified behavioral factors significantly associated with anti-TB treatment nonadherence, such as smoking (OR = 1.78, 95% CI (1.47–2.16)); place of first treatment received: government hospital (OR = 1.45, 95% CI:1.06–1.99); private hospital (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.38–2.72); private practitioner (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.56–3.23); socio-demographic and TB status included region: Sumatera (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.05–1.98); other areas (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.30–2.61); low level of education (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.27–2.03); and current TB positive status (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.26–3.73).

Conclusions

Nonadherence to anti-TB drugs was highly related to the personal perception of the respondents, despite smoking, current TB status, a place for the first treatment, education, and region. The position of the first TB treatment at the private practitioner was significantly associated with the risk of Nonadherence to treatment.
Seroprevalence and risk factors of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia species infection in humans in Mongolia, 2016–2020
Authors: Ganbold Dashdavaa , Uudus Bayarsaikhan , Nyamdavaa Naranbat , Chultemsuren Yeruult , Zagd Amarbayasgalan , Tangad Mungunzaya , Bayarmaa Agarzandan , Lkunrev Rolomjav , Baasandagva Uyanga , Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh , Narankhajid Myadagsuren
Published: August 2023

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia spp. are worldwide causes of tick-borne infections. We aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against different tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and determine risk factors among Mongolians from 2016 to 2020. Blood samples were obtained from voluntary participants with a history of suspected tick bite who visited our hospital, and IgG antibodies against Rickettsia and Borrelia were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The IgG antibody seropositivity rate against Rickettsia was 21.8% (1032/4724), while 3.4% (162/4724) of participants tested positive for serum IgG antibodies against Borrelia by ELISA.Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate risk factors for tick-borne rickettsiosis (TBR) and tick-borne borreliosis (TBB) using IgG serum sample. Age, occupation, and residence were significantly associated with these diseases; however, sex did not show any significant association. Seroprevalence was significantly higher among herders (40.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 35.5–45.8; odds ratio [OR] 0.61; P < 0.001) and students (32.8%, 95% CI: 30.2–35.4; OR 0.75; P < 0.001) than among individuals with other occupations. The 25–29 age group had a slightly higher seroprevalence (35.1%, 95% CI: 28.1–42.6; OR 0.61; P < 0.006) than those in other age groups. Province was a stronger predictor of TBR than occupation and age group. In univariate subgroup analysis by age group, occupation, and residence were significantly associated with TBR seroprevalence, whereas age and province were associated with TBB seroprevalence. Thus, risk factors for TBD include residence, occupation, and age group. This study was conducted using samples from all Mongolian provinces and the capital city, and the risk factors and prevalence of Rickettsia and Borreliaare highlighted.
LIGHT (TNFSF14) promotes the differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into functional hepatocyte-like cells
Authors: Heo Sook-Kyoung , Yu Ho-Min , Kim Do Kyoung , Seo Hye Jin , Shin Yerang , Kim Sung Ah , Kim Minhui , Kim Youjin , Lee Yoo Jin , Noh Eui-Kyu , Jo Jae-Cheol
Published: August 2023

Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment option for patients with acute or chronic liver failure. However, the applicability and effectiveness of this modality are often limited by a shortage of donors, surgical complications, high medical costs, and the need for continuing immunosuppressive therapy. An alternative approach is liver cell transplantation. LIGHT (a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily) could be a promising candidate for promoting the differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) into hepatocyte-like cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of LIGHT on hBM-MSC differentiation into hepatocyte-like cells. Our previous results showed that LIGHT receptor lymphotoxin-β receptor (LTβR) is constitutively expressed on the surface of hBM-MSCs. Upon treatment with recombinant human LIGHT (rhLIGHT), the phenotype of hBM-MSCs changed to round or polygonal cells. In addition, the cells exhibited high levels of hepatocyte-specific markers, including albumin, cytokeratin-18 (CK-18), CK-19, cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A member 1 (CYP1A1), CYP1A2, CYP3A4, SRY-box transcription factor 17 (SOX17), and forkhead box A2 (FOXA2). These results indicate that rhLIGHT enhances the differentiation of hBM-MSCs into functional hepatocyte-like cells. Furthermore, rhLIGHT-induced hepatocyte-like cells showed a higher ability to store glycogen and uptake indocyanine green compared with control cells, indicating functional progression. Additionally, treatment with rhLIGHT increased the number, viability, and proliferation of cells by inducing the S/G2/M phase and upregulating the expression of various cyclin and cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) proteins. We also found that the hepatogenic differentiation of hBM-MSCs induced by rhLIGHT was mediated by the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and STAT5 pathways. Overall, our findings suggest that LIGHT plays an essential role in promoting the hepatogenic differentiation of hBM-MSCs. Hence, LIGHT may be a valuable factor for stem cell therapy.
Salicylic acid does not alleviate salt stress on physiological indicators and growth of guava
Authors: Nogueira de Lacerda Cassiano , Geovani Soares de Lima  , Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares  , Hans Raj Gheyi  , Pedro Dantas Fernandes  , Silva Idelvan José da
Published: August 2023

In the semi-arid region, the quality of water for irrigation stands out as a limiting factor for the expansion ofagriculture. Thus, it is extremely important to search for alternatives that minimize the effects of salt stress onplants. Foliar application of salicylic acid stands out among these strategies. In this context, the objective ofthis study was to evaluate the gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, and growth of guava as a function ofirrigation water salinity and exogenous application of salicylic acid in the post-grafting stage. The experimentwas conducted under greenhouse conditions, in a randomized block experimental design, in a 2 × 4 facto rialscheme, corresponding to two levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (0.6 and 3.2 dS m-1) and fourconcentrations of salicylic acid (0; 1.2; 2.4 and 3.6 mM), with three replicates. Irrigation with water of 3.2 dS m-1caused reductions in transpiration, CO2 assimilation rate, instantaneous water use efficiency and instantaneouscarboxylation efficiency of guava, at 150 days after transplanting. Water with electrical conductivity of 3.2 dSm-1 reduced the growth in stem diameter and the absolute and relative growth rates, as well as the relativewater content, and chlorophyll a and b contents of guava plants. The interaction between water salinity levelsand salicylic acid concentrations did not influence the physiological indices and growth of guava in the postgraftingphase.
The rubriquization of evaluation and the fabrication of teachers as “agents of change” in an inclusive secondary school in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Authors: Meo Analía Inés , Del Monte Pablo , Chervin Mariano
Published: August 2023

En Argentina, desde la década de 1970, y especialmente tras la sanción de la obligatoriedad del nivel secundario en el año 2006, se identifican una variedad de políticas que proponen transformar aspectos claves de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Entre ellos, las formas de evaluar han sido objeto central de atención. Este artículo contribuye al campo de estudios sociológicos sobre la evaluación escolar y la inclusión educativa al analizar los efectos que tuvo el dispositivo de evaluación estandarizado “rúbricas” en la fabricación (Ball, 2003) del/la docente ideal o deseado/a en una escuela “inclusiva” y “experimental”. Argumentamos que el proceso de problematización de la evaluación, mediante la adopción situada de rúbricas, reorganizó prácticas, alteró relaciones sociales entre docentes y entre ellos/as y autoridades, e interpeló sus identidades laborales—definiendo el trabajo del/de la docente deseable como “agente de cambio”, colaborativo, flexible, reflexivo y responsable de los aprendizajes de sus estudiantes. A partir de un estudio cualitativo, analizamos reuniones del llamado “Colegio de Docentes” en las que participaron autoridades, asesores pedagógicos y la gran mayoría de docentes; entrevistas a docentes y autoridades; y documentos escolares.
Concepções de Professores do Ensino Médio acerca da Utilização de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs)
Authors: Zorzi Fernanda Cristina , Griebler Gustavo , Mello Elena Maria
Published: August 2023

O presente trabalho apresenta um estudo acerca das concepções de professores e práticas em relação às Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TICs) num contexto de escolas situadas nas periferias de três cidades de fronteira do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, a saber pertencentes ao Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Farroupilha (IFFar). O objetivo do estudo foi refletir sobre as concepções de professores do Ensino Médio acerca da utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs). Estudo descritivo com dados coletados através do uso do Google Forms enviado aos professores via e-mail, com perguntas abertas e fechadas. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo, da qual foi possível obter quatro categorias de análise relacionadas à relevância das TICS, concepção sobre os objetos de aprendizagem que podem ser usados nas aulas, interlocução entre o uso das TICs e a interdisciplinaridade e a formação do professor para uso das mesmas. Tais resultados mostraram que os docentes têm familiaridade com as TICs, desenvolvem um ensino contextualizador, apesar de não terem tido formação para isso na graduação nem na formação continuada e com isto investem na autoaprendizagem.
Permanência, Êxito e Evasão de Estudantes Idosos no NETI-UNAPI
Authors: Koerich Guilherme Henrique , Forcelini Franciele , Mauerwerk Maria Eduarda , Hack Catapan Araci , Merino Giselle
Published: August 2023

A evasão escolar é um fenômeno complexo e multifatorial, influenciado por aspectos sociais, econômicos, práticas pedagógicas, dentre outros. Este artigo busca analisar a permanência, êxito e evasão dos estudantes idosos em atividades socioeducativas do NETI, uma Universidade Aberta para as Pessoas Idosas (UNAPI). Para tanto, foram utilizados registros de diários de classe digitais, implementados em 2019, e do acompanhamento pedagógico dos estudantes com frequência irregular. A pesquisa foi dividida em cinco etapas: (1) fundamentação teórica, (2) implementação do diário de classe digital, (3) acompanhamento pedagógico; (4) organização dos dados coletados e (5) análise dos dados coletados. Os resultados demonstram que a implementação do diário de classe digital permitiu à equipe pedagógica acompanhar a frequência do estudante e intervir em caso de irregularidades em tempo real. Com isto, foi observada a redução no percentual de evasões, o aumento do êxito e um efeito positivo na retomada do estudante para atividade em curso após o acompanhamento. O principal motivo de frequência irregular e evasão são de ordem pessoal e de saúde. O  estudo ainda
identificou a predominância de estudantes do sexo feminino (82,5%), com faixa etária entre 60-69 anos (47,4%), domiciliados majoritariamente em Florianópolis (93,3%).
Chemistry Workshop in Brazilian High School using the Three Pedagogical Moments Methodology
Authors: Santos Aline Joana , Lampe Leandro , Sangiogo Fábio André , Preto Carolina
Published: August 2023

This paper deals with the importance of educational methodologies which enable linear and propaedeutic education to be eliminated, while problematization and dialogicity are stimulated. It describes a study that focuses on the evaluation of Three Pedagogical Moments (3 PMs) with planned and implemented activities in the workshop "Coarse salt bath and the study of solutions", which was carried out with high school students in chemistry classes. Workshops are developed and carried out as the result of a partnership between a university and a high school in Pelotas, a city located in southern Brazil. The production of the empirical material was based on students’ responses to a questionnaire and notes in a field diary performed by the team. Results of the content analysis showed the learning potential offered by the thematic workshop related with daily lives and chemistry teaching to students and it was observed as differentiated and alternative methodology from traditional classroom classes. Due to obtained results in the activities developed at thematic chemistry workshop organized and based in the 3 PMs, the Project have continued with the elaboration and development of other workshops that are available on the project website.
A Percepção de Formandos de um Curso Técnico de Informática e sua Importância para Inserção no Mundo Profissional de Computação
Authors: Rodrigues Andrea Carla , Quadros João Roberto
Published: August 2023

Considerando o crescente avanço da tecnologia da informação no mundo atual, faz-se importante verificar a formação dos participantes desse ramo professional, de modo a perceber sua formação e como ela se adequa as exigências profissionais vigentes. Nessa área de tecnologia de informação, ou computação, percebe-se que, na busca de novos profissionais, se inclui aqueles que possuem formação em cursos técnicos. Dessa feita, a proposta desse estudo foi averiguar dados, através do exame de questionários passados a formandos, sobre o quanto um curso técnico de informática específico, da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, pode criar condições, tanto para prover continuidade nos estudos de computação, quanto permitir que esses estudantes se inseriram mais cedo, e bem preparados, neste mercado profissional. Acrescentou-se a essa análise de dados, um estudo bibliográfico sobre a história dos cursos técnicos no país e sobre o perfil do curso estudado. Ao final, essa análise procura apresentar esses formandos como pessoas capazes de se iniciar cedo nesse mercado, muitas vezes dispensado a formação em cursos de graduação, sem prejuízo do seu desenvolvimento profissional, demostrando que um curso técnico pode prover saberes adequados na área de computação a esses futuros profissionais.
Olive: Oblivious Federated Learning on Trusted Execution Environment against the Risk of Sparsification
Authors: Kato Fumiyuki , Cao Yang , Yoshikawa Masatoshi
Published: August 2023

Combining Federated Learning (FL) with a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) is a promising approach for realizing privacy-preserving FL, which has garnered significant academic attention in recent years. Implementing the TEE on the server side enables each round of FL to proceed without exposing the client's gradient information to untrusted servers. This addresses usability gaps in existing secure aggregation schemes as well as utility gaps in differentially private FL. However, to address the issue using a TEE, the vulnerabilities of server-side TEEs need to be considered---this has not been sufficiently investigated in the context of FL. The main technical contribution of this study is the analysis of the vulnerabilities of TEE in FL and the defense. First, we theoretically analyze the leakage of memory access patterns, revealing the risk of sparsified gradients, which are commonly used in FL to enhance communication efficiency and model accuracy. Second, we devise an inference attack to link memory access patterns to sensitive information in the training dataset. Finally, we propose an oblivious yet efficient aggregation algorithm to prevent memory access pattern leakage. Our experiments on real-world data demonstrate that the proposed method functions efficiently in practical scales.
DeepJoin: Joinable Table Discovery with Pre-Trained Language Models
Authors: Dong Yuyang , Xiao Chuan , Nozawa Takuma , Enomoto Masafumi , Oyamada Masafumi
Published: August 2023

Due to the usefulness in data enrichment for data analysis tasks, joinable table discovery has become an important operation in data lake management. Existing approaches target equi-joins, the most common way of combining tables for creating a unified view, or semantic joins, which tolerate misspellings and different formats to deliver more join results. They are either exact solutions whose running time is linear in the sizes of query column and target table repository, or approximate solutions lacking precision. In this paper, we propose DeepJoin, a deep learning model for accurate and efficient joinable table discovery. Our solution is an embedding-based retrieval, which employs a pre-trained language model (PLM) and is designed as one framework serving both equi- and semantic (with a similarity condition on word embeddings) joins for textual attributes with fairly small cardinalities. We propose a set of contextualization options to transform column contents to a text sequence. The PLM reads the sequence and is fine-tuned to embed columns to vectors such that columns are expected to be joinable if they are close to each other in the vector space. Since the output of the PLM is fixed in length, the subsequent search procedure becomes independent of the column size. With a state-of-the-art approximate nearest neighbor search algorithm, the search time is sublinear in the repository size. To train the model, we devise the techniques for preparing training data as well as data augmentation. The experiments on real datasets demonstrate that by training on a small subset of a corpus, DeepJoin generalizes to large datasets and its precision consistently outperforms other approximate solutions'. DeepJoin is even more accurate than an exact solution to semantic joins when evaluated with labels from experts. Moreover, when equipped with a GPU, DeepJoin is up to two orders of magnitude faster than existing solutions.
Enabling Secure and Efficient Data Analytics Pipeline Evolution with Trusted Execution Environment
Authors: Gao Haotian , Yue Cong , Dinh Tien Tuan Anh , Huang Zhiyong , Ooi Beng Chin
Published: August 2023

Modern data analytics pipelines are highly dynamic, as they are constantly monitored and fine-tuned by both data engineers and scientists. Recent systems managing pipelines ease creating, deploying, and tracking their evolution. However, privacy concerns emerge as many of them are deployed on the public cloud with less or no trust. Unfortunately, the unique nature of pipelines prevents the adoption of existing confidential computing techniques with different computational patterns and large performance overhead. Being a potential approach, trusted execution environments (TEEs) are efficient in protecting the confidentiality and integrity of data and computation. However, fast-changing pipelines with latency requirements bring the challenge of reducing the cold start overhead --- the main bottleneck in the latest TEE. To support end-to-end private pipeline evolution, we present SecCask, a TEE-based data analytics pipeline management system. SecCask overcomes the problems of a naive design that isolates complete pipeline execution in one enclave by administering enclaves and runtimes. To reduce cold start overheads, our approach consists of reusing trusted runtimes for different pipeline components and caching them to avoid the cost of initialization. We leverage the latest Intel SGX to conduct experiments on representative workloads. The results demonstrate that SecCask reduces the total execution time by 68.4% compared to not reusing, is faster than running all components in one enclave, and incurs a modest average performance overhead of 29.9% over insecure baselines.
Parallel Colorful
h
-Star Core Maintenance in Dynamic Graphs
Authors: Gao Sen , Qin Hongchao , Li Rong-Hua , He Bingsheng
Published: August 2023

The higher-order structure cohesive subgraph mining is an important operator in many graph analysis tasks. Recently, the colorful
h
-star core model has been proposed as an effective alternative to
h
-clique based cohesive subgraph models, in consideration of both efficiency and utilities in many practical applications. The existing peeling algorithms for colorful
h
-star core decomposition are to iteratively delete a node with the minimum colorful
h
-star degree. Hence, these methods are inherently sequential and suffer from two limitations: low parallelism and inefficiency for dynamic graphs. To enable high-performance colorful
h
-star core decomposition in large-scale graphs, we propose highly parallelizable local algorithms based on a novel concept of colorful
h
-star
n
-order H-index and conduct thorough analyses for its properties. Moreover, three optimizations have been developed to further improve the convergence performance. Based on our local algorithm and its optimized variants, we can efficiently maintain colorful
h
-star cores in dynamic graphs. Furthermore, we design lower and upper bounds for core numbers to facilitate identifying unaffected nodes in presence of graph updates. Extensive experiments conducted on 14 large real-world datasets with billions of edges demonstrate that our proposed algorithms achieve a 10 times faster convergence speed and a three orders of magnitude speedup when handling graph changes.
MITra: A Framework for Multi-Instance Graph Traversal
Authors: Li Jia , Zhao Wenyue , Ntarmos Nikos , Cao Yang , Buneman Peter
Published: August 2023

This paper presents MITra, a framework for composing multi-instance graph algorithms that traverse from multiple source vertices simultaneously over a single thread. Underlying MITra is a model of multi-instance traversal that uniformly captures traversal sharing across instances. Based on this, MITra provides a programming model that allows users to express traversals by declaring vertex ranks and specify computation logic via an edge function. It synthesizes multi-instance traversal algorithms from declared vertex ranks and edge functions adopted from classic single-instance algorithms, automatically sharing computation across instances and benefiting from SIMD. We show that MITra can generate multi-instance algorithms provably better than existing ones, while being more expressive than traditional frameworks. In addition to the ease of programming, we experimentally verify that MITra is on average an order of magnitude faster than approaches based on existing frameworks for common graph algorithms, and is comparable to the state-of-the-art highly optimized one-off algorithms.
Effect of ramp slope on intensity thresholds based on correlation properties of heart rate variability during cycling
Authors: Fleitas‐Paniagua Pablo R. , de Almeida Azevedo Rafael , Trpcic Mackenzie , Murias Juan M. , Rogers Bruce
Published: August 2023

An index of heart rate variability (HRV), detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA a1) has gathered interest as a surrogate marker of exercise intensity boundaries. The aim of this report was to examine heart rate variability threshold (HRVT) behavior across different ramp incremental (RI) slopes. Seventeen participants completed a series of three RI (15, 30, and 45 W · min−1 slopes) with monitoring of gas exchange parameters, heart rate (HR) and HRV. HRVT1 was defined as the V̇O2 or HR at which DFA a1 reached 0.75 and the HRVT2 at which these values reached 0.5. HRVTs were compared by Pearson's r, Bland–Altman analysis, ICC3,1, ANOVA, and paired t‐testing. An excellent degree of reliability was seen across all three ramps, with an ICC3,1 of 0.93 and 0.88 for the HRVT1 V̇O2 and HR, respectively, and 0.90 and 0.92 for the HRVT2 V̇O2 and HR, respectively. Correlations between HRVT1/2 of the individual ramps were high with r values 0.84–0.95 for both HR and V̇O2. Bland–Altman differences ranged between −1.4 and 1.2 mL · kg−1 · min−1 and −2 and +2 bpm. Paired t‐testing showed no mean differences between any HRVT1/2 ramp comparisons. Cycling ramp slope does not appear to affect either HRVT1 or HRVT2 in terms of HR or V̇O2.
Bamboo charcoal affects soil properties and bacterial community in tea plantations
Authors: Zhang Si-Hai , Wang Yue , Hu Jin-Jie , Chen Wei-Jia , Wu Jia-Le , Seah Rachel Wan Xin , Zhu Yang-Chun , Guo Zhi-Ping , Chen Jie
Published: August 2023

Bamboo charcoal, a type of manufactured biochar, is produced by pyrolyzing bamboo residue under anoxic conditions. Its beneficial properties in absorption, catalyst support, and agricultural function have attracted significant attention; however, relatively few studies have examined its effects on the soil microbiota. In this study, we analyzed the effects of bamboo charcoal on soil physicochemical properties, enzymes, and microbial community structure in tea plantations and investigated the optimal amount of bamboo charcoal to be added to organic fertilizer. The results show that bamboo charcoal can further increase soil available nitrogen, total and available phosphorus and potassium, organic carbon content, pH, and urease activity. However, only the combined use of bamboo charcoal and organic fertilizer significantly increased total nitrogen, sucrase, and β-glucosidase activities in the soil. Bamboo charcoal also significantly increased the Chao1 and Shannon indices of microbiota diversity in a concentration-dependent manner. The structure of the bacterial community changed significantly after the bamboo charcoal addition, with Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes increasing and Acidobacteria decreasing. This study provides fundamental insights into the suitability of bamboo charcoal application for the ecological remediation of diseased soils.
Effect of clamping position on the residual stress in wire arc additive manufacturing
Authors: Ujjwal Kumar , Anand Mukul , Bishwakarma Harish , Das Alok Kumar
Published: August 2023

The distortion of components printed by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) due to repeated thermal cycles affects the build quality. The residual stress generated due to these thermal cycles can be predicted with the help of the finite element method. The temperature distribution and residual stresses in the WAAM component are predicted using a numerical model presented in this paper. Also, the effect of clamping position on the substrate is investigated. For this, two different clamping positions are compared with the unclamped state. The residual stress is minimum for the unclamped case and has maximum strain. The case where the substrate is clamped at the centre generates 77 % more tensile stress when compared with the corner clamped case.
Ideologies and attitudes of Spanish pre-service teachers on ELF
Authors: Calvet-Terré Júlia , Llurda Enric
Published: August 2023

The emergence of English as a tool for global communication among multilingual speakers poses relevant challenges to traditional ways of learning and teaching the language. To this end, teacher education becomes of crucial importance not only to raise students’ awareness of the global status of the language, but also to align their practices in a way that respond to the changes brought about by English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research, from an Anglocentric and monolingual-based perspective to a pluricentric representation of English in multilingual environments. In this paper, we intend to unearth the ideology and attitudes towards English as a global lingua franca held by 569 pre-service teachers through a survey addressed to students in English-related university BA and MA degrees across Spain. The survey seeks to explore the impact on pre-service teachers’ views and attitudes towards the language of the following factors: (i) study-abroad experience; (ii) attendance to courses promoting ELF-awareness; (iii) current year of study. The findings suggest that a positive effect is found at the level of ideology; however, participants are less prone to adhere to principles of ELF-aware teaching when practically evaluating non-standard forms.
Low-velocity impact behaviours of sandwiches manufactured from fully carbon fiber composite for different cell types and compression behaviours for different core types
Authors: Bozkurt Ilyas , Kaman Mete Onur , Albayrak Mustafa
Published: August 2023

This study aims to manufacture sandwich composite structures consisting of fully fiber-reinforced composites and then to investigate experimentally and numerically the impact and compressive strength and damage mechanisms of these structures for different cell and core types. To achieve this, firstly, composite sandwich plates with triangular, square and rectangular cell structures were manufactured. Low-velocity impact tests were run on sandwich structures with these three different cell geometries and the effect of cell shape on impact strength was determined. Although the maximum contact force of the square structure under impact load was smaller than the maximum contact force of the triangular and rectangular specimens, the specific contact force was 15.52 % greater than the triangular specimen and 16.29 % greater than the rectangular specimen. Then, the specimens with square, egg box and lattice core types were manufactured and compression tests were performed. The specific peak load value for square specimens was 33.2 % greater than that of egg box specimens and 78.1 % greater than that of lattice specimens. In the numerical study, the experimental results were confirmed by applying the progressive failure analysis with the LS-DYNA finite element program.
Students’ Perspectives on the Application of Internet of Things for Redesigning Library Services at Kurukshetra University
Authors: Kumar Rajender
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions regarding the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) at Kurukshetra University Library. A descriptive survey method was employed, utilizing a random sampling technique to survey 250 students from five different faculties: Arts & Linguistics, Social Science, Science, Engineering & Technology, and Law. A total of 237 completed questionnaires were received that were correctly filled out, resulting in a response rate of 94.8%. The analysis of data was done through the utilization of statistical software such as Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Microsoft Excel. Statistical analysis was performed using percentages and analysis of variance to evaluate the significance of the findings at a 0.05% level. The findings indicate that a majority of students strongly support the use of IoT to replace outdated library processes and services. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed in the mean values of students’ perceptions and the usefulness of employing IoT in the library across the five faculties. These results are presented in tabular format, accompanied by an appropriate explanation. The study offers insights into the potential benefits associated with implementing IoT in university libraries and underscores the importance of staying abreast of modern technological advancements in the field of libraries.
Activity in Barrel Cortex Related to Trace Eyeblink Conditioning
Authors: Silva-Prieto May-Li , Hofmann Julian I. , Schwarz Cornelius
Published: August 2023

In mammals several memory systems are responsible for learning and storage of associative memory. Even apparently simple behavioral tasks, like pavlovian conditioning, have been suggested to engage, for instance, implicit and explicit memory processes. Here, we used single-whisker tactile trace eyeblink conditioning (TTEBC) to investigate learning and its neuronal bases in the mouse barrel column, the primary neocortical tactile representation of one whisker. Behavioral analysis showed that conditioned responses (CRs) are spatially highly restricted; they generalize from the principal whisker only to its direct neighbors. Within the respective neural representation, the principal column and its direct neighbors, spike activity showed a learning-related spike rate suppression starting during the late phase of conditioning stimulus (CS) presentation that was sustained throughout the stimulus-free trace period (Trace). Trial-by-trial analysis showed that learning-related activity was independent from the generation of eyelid movements within a trial, and set in around the steepest part of the learning curve. Optogenetic silencing of responses and their learning-related changes during CS and Trace epochs blocked CR acquisition but not its recall after learning. Silencing during the Trace alone, which carried major parts of the learning-related changes, had no effect. In summary, we demonstrate specific barrel column spike rate plasticity during TTEBC that can be partially decoupled from the CR, the learned eye closure, a hallmark of implicit learning. Our results, thus, point to a possible role of the barrel column in contributing to other kinds of memory as well.
Agroecology and revolution: Agricultural policies on land, autonomy, and priority crops
Authors: Figueroa Alfonso Galia
Published: August 2023

The literature on agroecology in Cuba agrees that Cuban agroecology is small-scale, non-state, and not prioritized by state agricultural input allocation policies. This article grapples with these 3 assumptions by analyzing the historical and recent agricultural policies of the Cuban revolution in relation to land, producer autonomy, and conventional input allocation and by analyzing the performance of state and non-state agriculture in the period of 2009–2015. Based on in-depth interviews, and analysis of relevant policy documents and secondary data, this article argues that the revolution’s historical policies and post-1990s anti-crisis policies regarding land distribution and limits to wealth accumulation, together with the country’s long-stay financial constraints to purchase conventional inputs facilitated a more or less stable space for small-scale, non-state, non-prioritized agriculture. Nevertheless, the productive performance by crops shows that state and non-state agriculture obtain similar results and face similar challenges.
Przemiany społeczno-polityczne lat 90. XX wieku a tożsamość jednostki w literaturze wspomnieniowej na przykładzie utworu Alhierda Bacharewicza Мае дзевяностыя
Authors:   Uniwersytet Warszawski, Drozd-Urbańska Katarzyna Anna
Published: August 2023

The article discusses the impact of the sociopolitical transformations of the 1990s on the shaping of the identity of the individual – Alhierd Bacharevič and the community – the nation. In the memoir Мае дзевяностыя, the author recalls events important for his personal dimensions, such as the choice of language and career path. Moreover, it also refers to those that are important for Belarusians, such as the 1995 referendum or the presidential elections. He also marks the moment when Alexandr Lukashenka’s policy changed its direction. It also evaluates the transitions at the end of the last century. It depends on the perspective taken. The author evaluates his own choices positively, he has no regrets. However, in relation to the nation, he perceives the period of change negatively.
Deminutiv-hypokoristische Verbalformen in der belarussischen Sprache
Authors:   Universität Salzburg, Austria, Bieder Hermann
Published: August 2023

The aim of our research is a historical analysis of a specific, rare phenomenon of Belarusian word formation – the diminution of infinitives in colloquial tender speech with small children. The investigation base consists of representative data from the main Belarusian dictionaries and grammars of the 19th and 20th centuries. The article describes the results of the following: suffixation (suffixes and their variability), morpheme structure and word stress of diminutive infinitives; substantival and adjectival origin of diminutive verbal suffixes; historical and functional change of hypocoristic infinitives on the background of Russian language policy; remarks on hypocoristic verbal forms in East-Slavonic and West-Slavonic languages.
Рождество и колядная обрядность Брестчины в современных нарративах
Authors:   National Anhui University, Chiny, Szwed Ina
Published: August 2023

The article presents contemporary written and oral stories about Christmas and carol rituals of the Brest region, which can be qualified as a hypertext of a common semantic field (the status of the folklore genre is not recognized yet for its prose components). They reveal the social meaning of spiritual (religious, philosophical, aesthetic) aspects of the holiday in the development of society and the communicative and pragmatic potential of verbal and nonverbal forms of ritualized interaction in particular communities.
Польська термінологія на позначення радянського тоталітарного режиму: волинський текст (на матеріалах рубрики „Оcaleni od zapomnienia” двомовного видання „Волинський монітор”)
Authors:   Волинський національний університет ім. Лесі Українки, Діхтярук Ганнa , Сухарєва Світлана ,   Волинський національний університет ім. Лесі Українки
Published: August 2023

The article highlights the problems and methods of translating the terminology used to denote the Soviet period and methods of its translation from Ukrainian to Polish. The work reveals the concept of the “Soviet totalitarian regime” and “terminology of the Soviet period”, analyses the presence of such vocabulary in the biweekly newspaper Volyn Monitor and presents the most popular difficulties faced by a linguist during translation. Various options for translating the researched terminology are proposed in view of the need to use synonymous vocabulary.
Why Do Science Lecturers Distinguish the Use of Mobile Technologies for Instruction?
Authors: Onojah Amos Ochayi , Obielodan Omotayo Olabo , Onojah Adenike Aderogba , Alani Taye Rasheed
Published: August 2023

Lecturers are not engaging in the frequent use of mobile technologies to support and supplement instructions and their learning experiences, as these technologies assist in simplifying concepts and could lead to improved academic performance. The objectives were to investigate science lecturers' perceived use of mobile technologies for instruction. The study was a descriptive research of survey type and a random sampling technique was adopted to select 172 respondents. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage and t-test. The findings established that science lecturers have a bright perception of the use of mobile technologies for instruction. The study concluded that science lecturers’ perception of the use of mobile technology boosts their students’ learning. It was thus recommended that government should provide an affordable platform for lecturers and students to have their personal technological devices (computer set) which they can use independently and for group learning.

Abstrak

Dosen tidak sering menggunakan teknologi seluler untuk mendukung dan melengkapi instruksi dan pengalaman belajar mereka, karena teknologi ini membantu menyederhanakan konsep dan dapat meningkatkan kinerja akademik. Tujuannya adalah untuk menyelidiki dosen sains yang menggunakan teknologi seluler untuk pengajaran. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif dengan tipe survey dan teknik random sampling digunakan untuk memilih 172 responden. Analisis data menggunakan frekuensi hitung, persentase dan uji-t. Temuan menetapkan bahwa dosen sains memiliki persepsi yang cerah dalam penggunaan teknologi seluler untuk pengajaran. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa persepsi dosen IPA tentang penggunaan teknologi seluler meningkatkan pembelajaran siswa mereka. Oleh karena itu, direkomendasikan agar pemerintah menyediakan platform yang terjangkau bagi dosen dan mahasiswa untuk memiliki perangkat teknologi pribadi (perangkat komputer) yang dapat mereka gunakan secara mandiri dan untuk pembelajaran kelompok.