bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanical modulation of multifunctional responses in three-dimensional terahertz metamaterials
Authors: Han Donghai , Zhang Liuyang , Chen Xuefeng
Published: September 2021

Reconfigurable metamaterials have attracted a surge of attention for their formidable capability to dynamically manipulate the electromagnetic wave. Among the multifarious modulation methods, mechanical deformation is widely adopted to tune the electromagnetic response of the stereotype metamaterial owing to its straightforward and continuous controllability on the metamaterial structure. However, previous morphologic reconfigurations of metamaterials are typically confined in planar deformation that renders limited tunable functionalities. Here we have proposed a novel concept of out-of-plane deformation to broaden the functionalities of mechanically reconfigurable metamaterials via introducing a cross-shaped metamaterial. Our results show that the out-of-plane mechanical modulation dramatically enhances the magnetic response of the pristine metamaterial. Furthermore, by uncrossing the bars of cross-shaped meta-atoms, a L-shaped metamaterial is proposed to verify the effectiveness of such a mechanical method on the handedness switching via changing mechanical loading-paths. More importantly, the differential transmission for circularly polarized incidences can be continuously modulated from -0.45 to 0.45, and the polarization states of the transmission wave can be dynamically manipulated under the linearly polarized illumination. Our proposed mechanical modulation principle might open a novel avenue toward the three-dimensional reconfigurable metamaterials and shows their ample applications in the areas of chiroptical control, tunable polarization rotator and converter.
Compressive hyperspectral image classification using a 3D coded convolutional neural network
Authors: Zhang Hao , Ma Xu , Zhao Xianhong , Arce Gonzalo R.
Published: September 2021

Hyperspectral image classification (HIC) is an active research topic in remote sensing. Hyperspectral images typically generate large data cubes posing big challenges in data acquisition, storage, transmission and processing. To overcome these limitations, this paper develops a novel deep learning HIC approach based on compressive measurements of coded-aperture snapshot spectral imagers (CASSI), without reconstructing the complete hyperspectral data cube. A new kind of deep learning strategy, namely 3D coded convolutional neural network (3D-CCNN), is proposed to efficiently solve for the classification problem, where the hardware-based coded aperture is regarded as a pixel-wise connected network layer. An end-to-end training method is developed to jointly optimize the network parameters and the coded apertures with periodic structures. The accuracy of classification is effectively improved by exploiting the synergy between the deep learning network and coded apertures. The superiority of the proposed method is assessed over the state-of-the-art HIC methods on several hyperspectral datasets.
Designing absorbers for graphene based mid-infrared wide band waveguide photodetectors
Authors: Wang Dige , Madden Steve
Published: September 2021

The mid–infrared (MIR) spectral region is of great importance in scientific and real-world applications ranging from detecting forming planets to identifying molecular species for industrial process control. Existing instrumentation to perform analyses is neither low cost nor compact, robust, or low power consumption, presenting opportunities for a planar integrated MIR sensing device to cost effectively detect and extract information on a widespread scale and in handheld devices. A key missing element in this vision is low cost waveguide photodetectors, which can cover the necessary wavelength range and are made with a wafer scale process. Graphene based detectors could fill this void. A parametric study is presented on broadband light absorption in graphene on waveguide devices of varied designs, index contrasts and dimensions. Generic design information is provided, and Genetic Annealing algorithms combined with Finite Element modal analysis provide a shortest design of 121 µm long that absorbs >90% of light from 1 to 10 µm, and a wide range of designs under 500 µm long. This shows for the first time that 2-D material based broadband waveguide MIR photodetectors could be viably integrated in MIR planar optics devices.
Analysis of AM-to-PM conversion in MUTC photodiodes based on an equivalent circuit model
Authors: Song Zhenjie , Zhou Zhiqi , Huang Jian , Zou Xinbo , Yang Chun , Chen Baile
Published: September 2021

High-speed, high power-handling photodiodes with sufficiently low amplitude-to-phase (AM-to-PM) conversion coefficients are critical components in the systems that generate ultra-stable microwave signals. This paper reports the AM-to-PM conversion in modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (MUTC-PDs) with 20 µm and 40 µm diameters. The contributions of AM-to-PM conversions from the carrier transit-time and impedance were quantified systematically based on a photocurrent-dependent nonlinear equivalent circuit model. It is found that the AM-to-PM conversion in 40 µm PD is dominated by the nonlinear impedance, while for 20 µm PD, the transit-time impacts the AM-to-PM conversion more significantly. These results imply that, for large PDs, the nonlinearity of the PDs’ photocurrent-dependent impedance is the critical reason causing AM-to-PM conversion.
Thinly coated hollow core fiber for improved thermal phase-stability performance
Authors: Shi Bo , Sakr Hesham , Hayes John , Wei Xuhao , Numkam Fokoua Eric , Ding Meng , Feng Zitong , Marra Giuseppe , Poletti Francesco , Richardson David J. , Slavík Radan
Published: September 2021

The optical phase accumulated when light propagates through an optical fiber changes with temperature. It has been shown by various authors that this thermal phase sensitivity is significantly smaller in hollow core fibers (HCFs) than in standard single-mode fibers (SSMFs). However, there have been considerable differences in the level of sensitivity reduction claimed, with factors in the range

×

3

to

×

20

improvement for HCFs relative to SSMFs reported. Here we show experimentally that this large variation is likely attributable to the influence of fiber coating, which is exacerbated in HCFs with a relatively thin silica glass outer wall (e.g., the wall thickness is typically just 20 µm in a 125 µm diameter HCF). Further, we show that the coating also causes the optical phase stability to suffer from relaxation effects, which have not been previously discussed in the HCF literature, to the best of our knowledge. In addition to demonstrating these relaxation effects experimentally, we analyze them through numerical simulations. Our results strongly suggest that they originate from the viscoelastic properties of the coating. To minimize the adverse effects of the coating, we have fabricated a HCF with a relatively thick wall (

∼

50

µ

m

) and a very thin coating (10 µm). This results in an almost 30-fold reduction in HCF thermal phase sensitivity relative to SSMFs – a significantly lower sensitivity than in previous reports. Moreover, our thinly coated HCF exhibits no discernable relaxation effects while maintaining good mechanical properties.
Demonstration of a compact, multi-joule, diode-pumped Tm:YLF laser
Authors: Tamer Issa , Reagan Brendan A. , Galvin Thomas , Galbraith Justin , Sistrunk Emily , Church Andrew , Huete Glenn , Neurath Hansel , Spinka Thomas
Published: September 2021

We report the demonstration of a diode-pumped Tm:YLF laser operating at 1.88 µm that produces pulse energies up to 3.88 J in 20 ns. The compact system consists of a

Q

-switched cavity-dumped oscillator generating 18 mJ pulses, which are then amplified in a four-pass power amplifier. Energies up to 38.1 J were obtained with long-pulse amplifier operation. These results illustrate the high energy storage and extraction capabilities of diode-pumped Tm:YLF, opening the path to high peak and average power mid-infrared solid-state lasers.
Parity–time symmetric optical neural networks
Authors: Deng Haoqin , Khajavikhan Mercedeh
Published: September 2021

Optical neural networks (ONNs), implemented on an array of cascaded Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs), have recently been proposed as a possible replacement for conventional deep learning hardware. They potentially offer higher energy efficiency and computational speed when compared to their electronic counterparts. By utilizing tunable phase shifters, one can adjust the output of each of MZI to enable emulation of arbitrary matrix–vector multiplication. These phase shifters are central to the programmability of ONNs, but they require a large footprint and are relatively slow. Here we propose an ONN architecture that utilizes parity–time (PT) symmetric couplers as its building blocks. Instead of modulating phase, gain–loss contrasts across the array are adjusted as a means to train the network. We demonstrate that PT symmetric ONNs (PT-ONNs) are adequately expressive by performing the digit-recognition task on the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology dataset. Compared to conventional ONNs, the PT-ONN achieves a comparable accuracy (67% versus 71%) while circumventing the problems associated with changing phase. Our approach may lead to new and alternative avenues for fast training in chip-scale ONNs.
High-efficiency and large light-receiving area superconducting nanowire single-photon detector integrated with high-contrast grating
Authors: Wei Chen , Wang Wencong , Liu Dongmei , Gu Min , Wu Xianqiu
Published: September 2021

By using a high-contrast grating (HCG, high transmittance

>
90
%

) to control the phase shift of incident light, we theoretically designed a novel-structured HCG-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (HCG-SNSPD) with a high-efficiency and large light-receiving area. Without enlarging the typical single-pixel SNSPD nanowire area (

10
  
μm
×
10
  
μm

), the effective detection area is expanded to 115 μm, while the absorption efficiency of the nanowire reaches 84.9% at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The effective detection area of HCG-SNSPD is increased by 11.5 times compared to that of conventional single-pixel SNSPDs. Moreover, the absorption efficiencies of HCG-SNSPD exceed 70% at wavelengths ranging from 1460 nm to 1650 nm, indicating high-efficiency broadband detection. This study promotes new possibilities for the application of SNSPDs.
Sculpturing spatiotemporal wavepackets with chirped pulses
Authors: Cao Qian , Chen Jian , Lu Keyin , Wan Chenhao , Chong Andy , Zhan Qiwen
Published: September 2021

Pulse shaping has become a powerful tool in generating complicated ultrafast optical waveforms to meet specific application needs. Traditionally, pulse shaping focuses on the temporal waveform synthesis. Recent interests in structuring light in the spatiotemporal domain rely on Fourier analysis. A space-to-time mapping technique allows us to directly imprint complex spatiotemporal modulation through taking advantage of the relationship between frequency and time of chirped pulses. The concept is experimentally verified through the generation of spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) and STOV lattice. The power of this method is further demonstrated by STOV polarity reversal, vortex collision, and vortex annihilation. Such a direct mapping technique opens tremendous potential opportunities for sculpturing complex spatiotemporal waveforms.
Control of phase, polarization, and amplitude based on geometric phase in a racemic helix array
Authors: Wu Chao , Li Quan , Zhang Zhihui , Zhao Song , Li Hongqiang
Published: September 2021

The Pancharatnam–Berry geometric phase has attracted great interest due to the elegant phase control strategy via geometric transformation of optical elements. The commonly used geometric phase is associated with circular polarization states. Here, we show that by exploiting the geometric phase associated with the two elliptical eigen-polarization states in a racemic metallic helix array, exotic features including full range phase modulation for linear polarization states, diverse polarization conversion, and full complex amplitude modulation can be obtained with rotation of the helices. As a proof of concept, several devices for implementing polarization conversion, vortex beam generating, and lateral dual focusing are built with a racemic helix array in the microwave regime. The calculated and experimental results validate our proposals, which can stimulate various advanced metadevices.
Antimicrobial resistance and genomic characterization of Salmonella Dublin isolates in cattle from the United States
Authors: Srednik Mariela E. , Lantz Kristina , Hicks Jessica A. , Morningstar-Shaw Brenda R. , Mackie Tonya A. , Schlater Linda K.
Published: September 2021

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Dublin is a host-adapted serotype in cattle, associated with enteritis and systemic disease. The primary clinical manifestation of Salmonella Dublin infection in cattle, especially calves, is respiratory disease. While rare in humans, it can cause severe illness, including bacteremia, with hospitalization and death. In the United States, S. Dublin has become one of the most multidrug-resistant serotypes. The objective of this study was to characterize S. Dublin isolates from sick cattle by analyzing phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, the presence of plasmids, and phylogenetic relationships. S. Dublin isolates (n = 140) were selected from submissions to the NVSL for Salmonella serotyping (2014–2017) from 21 states. Isolates were tested for susceptibility against 14 class-representative antimicrobial drugs. Resistance profiles were determined using the ABRicate with Resfinder and NCBI databases, AMRFinder and PointFinder. Plasmids were detected using ABRicate with PlasmidFinder. Phylogeny was determined using vSNP. We found 98% of the isolates were resistant to more than 4 antimicrobials. Only 1 isolate was pan-susceptible and had no predicted AMR genes. All S. Dublin isolates were susceptible to azithromycin and meropenem. They showed 96% resistance to sulfonamides, 97% to tetracyclines, 95% to aminoglycosides and 85% to beta-lactams. The most common AMR genes were: sulf2 and tetA (98.6%), aph(6)-Id (97.9%), aph(3’’)-Ib, (97.1%), floR (94.3%), and blaCMY-2 (85.7%). All quinolone resistant isolates presented mutations in gyrA. Ten plasmid types were identified among all isolates with IncA/C2, IncX1, and IncFII(S) being the most frequent. The S. Dublin isolates show low genomic genetic diversity. This study provided antimicrobial susceptibility and genomic insight into S. Dublin clinical isolates from cattle in the U.S. Further sequence analysis integrating food and human origin S. Dublin isolates may provide valuable insight on increased virulence observed in humans.
Environmental DNA gives comparable results to morphology-based indices of macroinvertebrates in a large-scale ecological assessment
Authors: Brantschen Jeanine , Blackman Rosetta C. , Walser Jean-Claude , Altermatt Florian
Published: September 2021

Anthropogenic activities are changing the state of ecosystems worldwide, affecting community composition and often resulting in loss of biodiversity. Rivers are among the most impacted ecosystems. Recording their current state with regular biomonitoring is important to assess the future trajectory of biodiversity. Traditional monitoring methods for ecological assessments are costly and time-intensive. Here, we compared monitoring of macroinvertebrates based on environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling with monitoring based on traditional kick-net sampling to assess biodiversity patterns at 92 river sites covering all major Swiss river catchments. From the kick-net community data, a biotic index (IBCH) based on 145 indicator taxa had been established. The index was matched by the taxonomically annotated eDNA data by using a machine learning approach. Our comparison of diversity patterns only uses the zero-radius Operational Taxonomic Units assigned to the indicator taxa. Overall, we found a strong congruence between both methods for the assessment of the total indicator community composition (gamma diversity). However, when assessing biodiversity at the site level (alpha diversity), the methods were less consistent and gave complementary data on composition. Specifically, environmental DNA retrieved significantly fewer indicator taxa per site than the kick-net approach. Importantly, however, the subsequent ecological classification of rivers based on the detected indicators resulted in similar biotic index scores for the kick-net and the eDNA data that was classified using a random forest approach. The majority of the predictions (72%) from the random forest classification resulted in the same river status categories as the kick-net approach. Thus, environmental DNA validly detected indicator communities and, combined with machine learning, provided reliable classifications of the ecological state of rivers. Overall, while environmental DNA gives complementary data on the macroinvertebrate community composition compared to the kick-net approach, the subsequently calculated indices for the ecological classification of river sites are nevertheless directly comparable and consistent.
The impact of green credit on economic growth—The mediating effect of environment on labor supply
Authors: Chen Cai , Zhang Yingli , Bai Yun , Li Wenrui
Published: September 2021

Background

The progress of green credit in China is accelerating, but its development is uneven and insufficient in different regions. And whether the issuance of green credit can effectively promote the improvement of the environment and economy is not well understood.

Objective

Previous research has found that green credit promotes economic growth through improvement of the industrial structure and green technological innovation. However, these studies have not considered the positive externality of environmental improvement even though environmental improvement and economic growth are requirements of the sustainable development concept.

Methods

We use the chain-mediated model to estimate the impact of green credit issuance on the economic growth of different provinces since the large-scale implementation of green credit in China with data from 2008 to 2016.

Results and conclusion

This paper shows that the issuance of green credit can improve labor supply rather than labor productivity through the improvement of air quality to achieve regional economic growth. Such a chain-mediated path is different from the economic growth caused by industrial structural adjustment and green technology innovation. At the national level, every 1% increase in green credit issuance relative to industrial loans will increase the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) by approximately 4.6 yuan, or 0.012%, through air quality and labor supply, accounting for 2.875% of the total effect. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that due to regional industrial structure differences and diminishing marginal effects, the impact of green credit is stronger in the western region than in the eastern and central regions. For every 1% increase in the proportion of green credit issuance relative to industrial loans, the per capita GDP growth achieved through the chain-mediated path is approximately 30.17 yuan in the western region, approximately 6.6 times greater than that at the national level. Within a 95% confidence interval of 5000 bootstrap samples, this path is found to be true, and the chain-mediated effect accounts for approximately 12.96% of the total indirect effect.

Limitations

The limitation of this paper is the measurement of green credit. Although green credit has a large volume, it remains underdeveloped, and there is a lack of perfect indicators. Most existing studies have adopted only alternative or reverse indicators to measure the issuance of green credit. For example, this paper takes the interest expenditure of six high-energy-consuming enterprises as the reverse indicator, which may to a certain extent lead to the overestimation of the issuance of green credit and its impact on the environment and economy. Future research can accurately explore the performance of green credit on the basis of its mature development.
Immobilization of Proteinase K for urine pretreatment to improve diagnostic accuracy of active tuberculosis
Authors: Panraksa Yosita , Amin Anita G. , Graham Barbara , Henry Charles S. , Chatterjee Delphi
Published: September 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for the development of a rapid, biomarker-based, non-sputum test capable of detecting all forms of tuberculosis (TB) at the point-of-care to enable immediate treatment initiation. Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) is the only WHO-endorsed TB biomarker that can be detected in urine, an easily collected sample matrix. For obtaining optimal sensitivity, we and others have shown that some form of sample pretreatment is necessary to remove background from patient urine samples. A number of systems are paper-based often destined for resource limited settings. Our current work presents incorporation of one such sample pretreatment, proteinase K (ProK) immobilized on paper (IPK) and test its performance in comparison to standard proteinase K (SPK) treatment that involves addition and deactivation at high temperature prior to performing a capture ELISA. Herein, a simple and economical method was developed for using ProK immobilized strips to pretreat urine samples. Simplification and cost reduction of the proposed pretreatment strip were achieved by using Whatman no.1 paper and by minimizing the concentration of ProK (an expensive but necessary reagent) used to pretreat the clinical samples prior to ELISA. To test the applicability of IPK, capture ELISA was carried out on either LAM-spiked urine or the clinical samples after pretreatment with ProK at 400 μg/mL for 30 minutes at room temperature. The optimal conditions and stability of the IPK were tested and validation was performed on a set of 25 previously analyzed archived clinical urine samples with known TB and HIV status. The results of IPK and SPK treated samples were in agreement showing that the urine LAM test currently under development has the potential to reach adult and pediatric patients regardless of HIV status or site of infection, and to facilitate global TB control to improve assay performance and ultimately treatment outcomes.
Species, causes, and outcomes of wildlife rehabilitation in New York State
Authors: Hanson Melissa , Hollingshead Nicholas , Schuler Krysten , Siemer William F. , Martin Patrick , Bunting Elizabeth M.
Published: September 2021

Wildlife rehabilitation is a publicly popular practice, though not without controversy. State wildlife agencies frequently debate the ecological impact of rehabilitation. By analyzing case records, we can clarify and quantify the causes for rehabilitation, species involved, and treatment outcomes. This data would aid regulatory agencies and rehabilitators in making informed decisions, as well as gaining insight into causes of species mortality. In New York State, the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has licensed rehabilitators since 1980 and annual reporting is required. In this study, we analyzed 58,185 individual wildlife cases that were attended by New York rehabilitators between 2012 and 2014. These encompassed 30,182 (51.9%) birds, 25,447 (43.7%) mammals, 2,421 (4.2%) reptiles, and 75 (0.1%) amphibians. We identified patterns among taxonomic representation, reasons for presentation to a rehabilitation center, and animal disposition. Major causes of presentation were trauma (n = 22,156; 38.1%) and orphaning (n = 21,679; 37.3%), with habitat loss (n = 3,937; 6.8%), infectious disease (n = 1,824; 3.1%), and poisoning or toxin exposure (n = 806; 1.4%) playing lesser roles. The overall release rate for animals receiving care was 50.2% while 45.3% died or were euthanized during the rehabilitation process. A relatively small number (0.3%) were permanently non-releasable and placed in captivity; 4.1% had unknown outcomes. A comparable evaluation in 1989 revealed that wildlife submissions have increased (annual mean 12,583 vs 19,395), and are accompanied by a significant improvement in release (50.2% in the study period vs 44.4% in 1989) (χ2(1) = 90.43, p < 0.0001). In this manuscript, we aim to describe the rehabilitator community in New York State, and present the causes and outcomes for rehabilitation over a three-year period.
Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 among LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness
Authors: Abramovich Alex , Pang Nelson , Moss Amanda , Logie Carmen H. , Chaiton Michael , Kidd Sean A. , Hamilton Hayley A.
Published: September 2021

Background

LGBTQ2S youth are overrepresented among youth experiencing homelessness and experience significantly higher rates of mental health issues compared to heterosexual and cisgender youth. COVID-19 related challenges for LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness remain unknown. To address this gap, this study aimed to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on LGBTQ2S youth at risk of, and experiencing, homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada and surrounding areas.

Methods

Utilizing a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness were recruited to participate in virtual surveys and in-depth one-on-one interviews. Surveys included standardized measures and were administered to measure mental health outcomes and collect information on demographic characteristics, and health service use. Survey data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and statistical tests for difference of proportions. Interviews were analyzed using an iterative thematic content approach.

Results

Sixty-one youth completed surveys and 20 youth participated in one-on-one interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data showed that youth have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways, including experiencing poor mental health, such as suicidality, depression, anxiety, and increased substance use, and lack of access to health and social support services.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the need for LGBTQ2S inclusive and affirming health care and support services for precariously housed adolescents to address the pre-existing social and health issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Teaching in the time of COVID
Authors: Paul Lissa , Ferretti Heather , Lee Veronica , Shoalts Kerry
Published: September 2021

This essay arose as a response to teaching the final post-graduate course in the taught master's programme of the Faculty of Education at Brock University (St. Catharine’s Ontario Canada) in the spring and autumn of 2020, just after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the complete closures of schools and universities. Three students wrote about their relationships with teaching in the time of COVID. An experienced middle-school teacher discusses how the transition to suddenly homeschooling her five-year-old focused her attention on distinctions between curriculum-driven education and maternal teaching. A newly graduated teacher, concerned about the complete cancellation of extra-curricular sport programmes researches their histories. She discovers the ways in which intercollegiate sport, especially in the United States, transformed what had been healthy competition between undergraduate teams of students into multi-million-dollar businesses driving university revenue streams, eclipsing academic life and exploiting student athletes. In the United States, with academic institutions limiting or prohibiting in-person instruction in 2020-201, basketball and football teams competed. COVID spiked and people died. A nurse-educator, faced with the sudden requirement to remove of all nursing students from their required clinical placements at the onset of the pandemic writes about recalibrating the relationships between virtual experience (including simulations) and practical experience in nursing instruction. Given the vulnerability of clinical placements to sudden closures (SARS in 2003 had been a warning), the nurse-educator explains why it is time to determine which programme components could best be moved online. The contributions by the three students are framed by the professor's own adaptation to an online environment, including her development of asynchronous iMovie instruction combined with short synchronous seminars (with no more than five students at a time) and one-on-one tutorials.
Experiments in sandscaping: Liminal entanglements on the Norfolk and South Holland Coast
Authors: van der Voet Rosanne
Published: September 2021

This hybrid creative-critical article explores how new ways of living beyond the current environmental crisis are forged on two sandscaping schemes that have been constructed as new experimental measures against coastal erosion. The Zandmotor, created in 2011, is an artificial peninsula built out of sand on the coast of South Holland. The success of this project inspired a similar sandscaping scheme at Bacton on the coast of Norfolk, constructed in 2019. The strange liminal landscapes that are the result of these projects are not just symbols of adaptive, nature-based water management in times of rising sea levels, they also become time machines, making fossils of different times emerge out of the sand taken from the seabed of the North Sea. In addition, the sandscapes are symbols of the artificialization of the coastal landscape, given the fact that sand suppletions disrupt not only life on the beach, but also destroy much bottom-dwelling life on the seabed from which the sand is harvested. However, these unique liminal landscapes between land and sea also create new ecological opportunities. At the Zandmotor, for example, rare bristle worms and Baltic clams have made their unexpected appearance. Moreover, the sandscape invites people not just to look for fossilized mammoth teeth, but also inspires them to create sense-altering art projects specifically adapted to the unique conditions in the area. In this article, I trace these various significances of both sandscaping schemes and argue that they cannot be reduced to any of these different meanings. Instead, I describe the Zandmotor as an example of Donna Haraway’s idea of ‘staying with the trouble’ (: 4) and Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s concept of ‘contaminated diversity’ (: 30). For although enormous amounts of animal and plant life have been destroyed for the creation of the Zandmotor, this does not discredit the fact that this new liminal environment has opened up new ecological opportunities for multispecies flourishing, creating unexpected combinations of landscapes and creatures. These new combinations inspire a shift in thinking about coastal environments and present new ways of living that may emerge beyond the current environmental crisis.
Posibilidades y limitaciones de la indagación inductiva con métodos mixtos en el análisis de la dinámica de diálogo en una comunidad de práctica profesional on-line
Authors: García-Monge Alfonso , González-Calvo Gustavo , Bores-García Daniel
Published: September 2021

En la investigación sobre Comunidades de Práctica (CdP) on-line puede haber múltiples enfoques en función de los presupuestos ontológicos y epistemológicas de los investigadores. Cada enfoque presenta fortalezas y debilidades. En este artículo, a partir de la investigación sobre la dinámica de diálogo de una CdP on-line, estudiamos las posibilidades y limitaciones de la utilización de un acercamiento inductivo usando métodos mixtos. A partir de un diseño secuencial exploratorio, se analizan desde diferentes perspectivas los diálogos producidos por la CdP durante dos años. Los resultados de dichos análisis son contrastados en diferentes momentos con entrevistas a los participantes. Los análisis progresivos permiten definir el concepto “zonas de diálogo”, característico de la dinámica de esta CdP. El análisis del proceso metodológico seguido muestra cómo este tipo de diseños ayudan a generar conceptos teóricos, permiten a los participantes comprender sus propias dinámicas, facilitan el estudio diacrónico del fenómeno y aportan visiones más complejas del caso. El soporte digital del intercambio en estas CdP facilita los sucesivos análisis cuantitativos y cualitativos sobre los diálogos. Sin embargo, esta metodología precisa de tiempos prolongados de estudio, una inmersión prolongada en el contexto y una buena relación con los participantes. Por otra parte, los textos on-line no recogen los contextos de producción del discurso ni las transformaciones sufridas por aquellos participantes que no escriben.
Marine plastic debris in Indonesia: Baseline estimates (2010-2019) and monitoring strategies (2021-2025)
Authors: Nurhati Intan Suci , Cordova Muhammad Reza
Published: September 2021

Indonesia set the mission to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% between 2018-2025 with a global significance to support the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.1. This short communication assesses marine debris baseline estimates in Indonesia before 2020 from available contributions and provides recommendations for monitoring marine debris mitigation between 2021-2025. Widely ranging model estimates of plastic debris released into seas highlight the roles of data source, the spatial resolution of models, and in situ data to provide representative baseline values. Recognizing the strengths and uncertainties of available contributions, model outputs converge on a baseline value of 0.52 ± 0.36 million tons (Mt) per year prior to 2020 in Indonesia, therefore setting a targeted reduced number of 0.16 Mt of marine debris releases in 2025. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences showed a preliminary value of plastic debris accumulation in beaches at 113.58 ± 83.88 g/m2 monthly or equivalent to 0.40 Mt/year by assuming plastic debris is most pervasive within 3 meters from Indonesia’s 99,093 km-long coastlines. It is important to distinguish that while river monitoring data informs land-based plastic debris releases, stranded beach debris represents a fraction of debris that is not present in the water column and bottom sediments. Moving forward, monitoring initiatives to mitigate marine debris should leverage on nationwide municipality-level model estimates (e.g., the source to leakage route framework of the National Plastic Action Partnership) as well as in situ river and coastal particularly but not limited to sites co-identified in previous monitoring studies (i.e., Medan, Batam-Bintan, Padang, Jakarta-Seribu Islands, Semarang, Pontianak, Bali, Lombok, Makassar, Manado, Bitung). The latter should be conducted at least seasonally, considering evidence of monsoonal variations of marine debris release and accumulation in Indonesia. Indonesia's vastness and regional diversity require coordination among stakeholders (government agencies, research institutions, universities, NGOs, citizen scientists) to monitor progress in the environments.
Model Perbenihan Padi di Sumatra Utara: Mendukung Program Lumbung Pangan Dunia 2045
Authors:   North Sumatra Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, Girsang Setia Sari , Girsang Moral Abadi ,   North Sumatra Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, Parhusip Dorkas ,   North Sumatra Assessment Institute for Agricultural technology, Purba Hendri Ferianson ,   North Sumatra Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, Manurung Erpina Delina ,   North Sumatra Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology
Published: September 2021

Provinsi Sumatra Utara sebagai daerah penghasil padi nasional keenam memiliki peran penting dalam mendukung swasembada pangan nasional. Program Desa Mandiri Benih yang telah dilaksanakan oleh Provinsi Sumatra Utara sejak tahun 2015 bagaimanapun juga masih memerlukan pemantauan dan evaluasi berkelanjutan secara berkala. Penulisan buku ini merupakan salah satu cara atas upaya tersebut. Selain sebagai pembelajaran untuk menghindari pengulangan kesalahan dan sebagai cara untuk meningkatkan peluang strategi perbenihan padi, buku ini diharapkan juga dapat meningkatkan semangat petani dalam kegiatan penangkaran benih. Ditulis oleh Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Pertanian, khususnya Balai Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian Sumatra Utara, buku yang memotret dan merekam kegiatan nasional yang digagas oleh Kementerian Pertanian dalam mendukung Program Lumbung Pangan Dunia 2045 ini juga berkontribusi menyajikan rekomendasi kebijakan yang dapat diambil oleh Pemerintah Sumatra Utara. Pendeknya, buku yang memotret dan merekam kesuksesan serta permasalahan petani penangkar benih di Sumatra Utara ini cocok dibaca oleh siapa saja yang menghendaki peningkatan dan penyebaran varietas unggul baru, khususnya dengan menjadikan Sumatra Utara sebagai kawasan mandiri benih pada masa yang akan datang.
Study of Thyroid Function in Patients of Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, Who Were Suffering from Various Depressive Disorders
Authors: Gupta Silla Vijaya Bhaskara , Geetanjali M. Padma , Kumari Devi Ladi Bharati
Published: September 2021

BACKGROUND Thyroid disorder patients are more prone to develop depressive symptoms. Depression is also associated with various thyroid abnormalities.1 Slight change in thyroid hormone levels show symptoms of depression, anxiety, increasing fatigability and psychomotor slowing. The depressive symptoms are more in elderly patients with rapid changes in thyroid hormone levels.1 In depressive disorder patients, 1 % to 4 % have primary (Overt Hypothyroidism) and 4 % to 40 % have subclinical Hypothyroidism.2 Overt thyroid dysfunction is usually mild. Thyroid abnormality is not a causal factor, it is mainly a risk factor for depression.2 We intended to study the thyroid function in various depressive disorder patients of Srikakulam district at Government medical college & General hospital Srikakulam. Srikakulam district has been chosen for this study for its backwardness in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. The objectives were to find out thyroid function levels like serum TSH, T3 and T4 in various depressive disorder patients and compare with the severity of clinical score, analyse and correlate with various depressive disorder patients of different age and sex groups, locality (both rural and urban areas). METHODS This observational study of thyroid function was conducted among 61 various depressive disorder patients of both males and females of 21 to 60 years age group who attended OPD and IPD of Psychiatry, Government medical college and general hospital, Srikakulam. We analysed and correlated serum TSH, T3 & T4 levels with various depressive disorders. RESULTS It was observed that subclinical hypothyroidism had a clinical severity of 16.39 %, overt hypothyroidism was 1.63 %, secondary hyperthyroidism was 1.63 % and euthyroidism was 80.33 % of various depressive disorders and was more common in females than in males and equal in distribution in both the rural and urban population. CONCLUSIONS Hypothyroidism was found to have been associated with various depressive disorders, cognitive function and psychosis among female patients and hyperthyroidism was associated with psychosis, anxiety, depression and cognitive impairment. KEY WORDS Depression, Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Euthyroidism
Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST) in a Young Female with COVID-19 Infection and Oral Contraceptive Pill Ingestion Double Hit? – A Case Report
Authors: Dubey Apurva , Acharya Sourya , Shukla Samarth , Kumar Sunil
Published: September 2021

The Chinese centre for disease control and prevention detected a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome - coronavirus 2 (SARS - CoV2) from a nasopharyngeal swab in a patient with atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on January, 2020.1 Corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) has a high mortality rate in critically ill patients. Acute heart injury, acute kidney injury and sudden thromboembolic events are becoming more common and they can occur regardless of pulmonary or respiratory symptoms.1-5 COVID-19 has been shown to have the ability to create a hypercoagulable state in recent studies.2,3,6,7 Viral infections can cause endothelial cell dysfunction, resulting in excessive throbbing production and fibrinolysis inhibition.8- 10 Hypoxia is also linked to an increase in blood viscosity and the activation of hypoxia-related genes that regulate coagulation and fibrinolysis making thrombotic events more likely.11,12 This septic-like coagulopathy can also lead to venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and, in the worst-case scenario, disseminated intravascular coagulation.3,4 Cerebral venous thrombosis, in particular, can manifest itself in a wide range of neurologic signs and symptoms.13,14 and had consistently fatal results.
STEM escape rooms for public engagement
Authors: Mathieson Amanda , Duca Edward
Published: September 2021

Escape rooms are a relatively new cultural phenomenon, attracting a wide range of audiences to test their puzzle-solving skills. While this format has been trialled in an educational context, there has been little exploration of it as a tool for engagement. We ran a STEM-based escape room, open to the public, over five days at a science centre in Malta. This was an exploratory exercise to determine whether escape rooms could be successful in an informal science engagement context. Over seventy players attempted the game and completed our evaluation. Our results suggest that escape rooms can be used in engagement contexts as they provide a positive experience that encourages future interactions with science. They may also draw audiences not normally interested in science and help them engage with scientific content in a more accessible manner. Interestingly, players were able to persist in engaging with content they found difficult while still finding it enjoyable, which has implications for the science communication of complex topics. Finally, players perceived that they were able to learn science through the escape room, which may increase their self-efficacy.
Propiedades psicométricas de la versión en español del Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills en población general mexicana
Authors:   Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, México, Orozco Arturo , García Georgina ,   Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, México, Venebra Arturo ,   Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, México, Aguilera Ulises ,   Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, México
Published: September 2021

Introducción: Uno de los instrumentos más usados internacionalmente para medir la conciencia plena es el Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Debido a que esta escala no ha sido traducida ni adaptada a la lengua española, la investigación examinó la validez del constructo, su consistencia interna y validez de criterio, en una muestra mexicana. Método: La muestra estuvo conformada por 485 participantes (145 hombres y 340 mujeres). Resultados: Los resultados revelan una buena fiabilidad de la escala general Asimismo, confirman que las cuatro dimensiones del inventario son factores sustantivos de la conciencia plena. Un análisis factorial confirmatorio muestra que los datos se ajustan de manera adecuada al modelo de cuatro factores. Conclusiones: Se concluye que este inventario es un instrumento válido y fiable para evaluar la conciencia plena en población general mexicana.
Teacher perceptions of influence, autonomy, and satisfaction in the early Race to the Top era
Authors: Wright Kim B. , Shields Samantha M. , Black Katie , Banerjee Manjari , Waxman Hersh C.
Published: September 2021

In the present study, hierarchical linear modeling with random intercept models was used to estimate the impact school and teacher-level factors had on K-12 teachers’ perceptions of school influence, curricular and pedagogical autonomy, and job satisfaction in the early years of the Race to the Top Era. The main predictors investigated were whether students’ standardized test scores were used as a component of either a teacher’s formal teacher evaluation or compensation, as well as whether teachers worked in a Race to the Top state. Additional school- and teacher-level predictors included percentage minority teachers and students, urbanicity of the school, teacher grade band, years teaching experience, and annual base salary. The study’s findings include statistically significantly yet small, negative correlations between teaching in a RTTT Phase I or II state at the time of the survey and teachers’ perceptions of their school-level influence, curricular autonomy, and pedagogical autonomy. In addition, the use of SGM measures in teacher evaluation, compensation, or both, statistically significantly negatively predicted both teachers’ pedagogical and curricular autonomy, as well as job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with previous studies that found teachers’ classroom autonomy and job satisfaction to be lessened post-NCLB (Crocco & Costigan, 2007; Faulker & Cook, 2006; Huss & Eastep, 2011).
Play and Moral Education in the Choruses of Plato’sLaws
Authors: Pageau-St-Hilaire Antoine
Published: September 2021

Among the educative games of Plato’s Cretan city, choral performances have a prominent role. This paper examines the function of play (παιδιά) in the choral education in virtue in Plato’sLaws. I reconstruct the notion of play as it is elaborated throughout this dialogue, and then show how it contributes to solving the problem of virtue acquisition in the Athenian’s account of moral education through songs and dances. I argue that play in theLawsis best understood as an imitative activity that is intrinsically pleasurable, ordered by rules and patterns of repetition, and undertaken for its own sake by a player whose psychic condition is childish. Thus interpreted, we are in a better position to see why choruses must be engaged in playfully. Because the self-likening process (ὁμοίωσις) choral performances aim at requires pleasure and because pleasure normally obtains when there is a concordance between one’s character and the imitations, virtue acquisition is best secured if the imitations of virtue in choruses are performed or spectated playfully.
Construction of a new luminescent Cd(ii) compound for the detection of Fe3+ and treatment of Hepatitis B
Authors: Huang Min-Min , Xu Li-Na
Published: September 2021

A novel porous Cd(ii) metal–organic framework (MOF) with the chemical composition of {[H3O][Cd(bci)]}
n
·2n(H2O) (1, H3bci = bis(2-carboxyethyl)isocyanurate) was prepared via hydrothermal responses of H3bci and Cd(NO3)2·4H2O. Luminescent property investigations indicated that compound 1 had high sensitivity toward Fe3+, and the detection limit of Fe3+ was as low as 2.15 × 10−4 M. The application values of Fe3+ on Hepatitis B were assessed, and its associated mechanism was identified simultaneously. First, the cytotoxic mediator (TNF-α) substance released into plasma was measured through the ELISA. In addition, real-time RT-PCR was employed to determine the Hepatitis B viral replication gene relative expression levels. Finally, the novel compound’s toxicity against human normal liver cells was tested by using the CCK-8 assay.