Interesting Points Research Articles

A silver lining for pandemic-weary libraries: How blended and flipped instructional programs have improved upon pre-pandemic norms

The COVID-19 pandemic presented instructors and learners with novel challenges related to the delivery and consumption of instructional content. Within academic libraries, these changes have resulted in an expanded reliance on asynchronous learning content delivered through a variety of instructional approaches. The study described herein was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a blended and flipped program of information literacy (IL) instruction. Deploying a pre/post-test methodology within a quasi-experimental study of student learning outcomes, this research compares achievement across two cohorts of students receiving IL instruction as part of a first-year writing program (FYWP) requirement. While one cohort participated in a multi-shot, in-person, synchronous instructional program during the pre-pandemic period, another cohort participated in a blended and flipped instructional program delivered under pandemic-related restrictions. Comparative analysis revealed net positive achievement outcomes for both the pre-pandemic and pandemic cohorts, as well as interesting points of contrast between the two groups. In particular, students in the pandemic cohort arrived to their first year with less research experience than their pre-pandemic peers—signaling a gap in knowledge that pandemic-era library instruction must overcome. Fortunately, the blended and flipped instructional program experienced by the pandemic cohort proved successful in helping those students overcome their research experience gap, while delivering additional benefits that help confirm previous research in this area of practice.

Ameliorating educational concepts and the value of analytic philosophy of education

R. S. Peters and a small group of contemporaries set the foundations for analytic philosophy of education in the 1960s, a field which continues to this day. This article asks about the value of analytic philosophy of education today, and proposes alterations to its initial aims and methods to make its value clearer. I outline some critiques of analytic philosophy of education, and respond by clarifying its aims. The key insight is that if analytic philosophy of education is explicitly aligned with recent trends in social philosophy to focus on ameliorative analysis, then its value and relevance as a method in educational studies becomes clearer. Ameliorative analysis starts with the social role that a concept plays, and analyses it with this purpose in mind. I illustrate how R. S. Peters analysis of education would be approached differently with ameliorative analysis in mind, and conclude by pointing to some interesting points of discussion that arise from this approach.

In-Depth Characterization of Zika Virus Inhibitors Using Cell-Based Electrical Impedance.

ABSTRACTIn this study, we use electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS), an established cell-based electrical impedance (CEI) technology, to decipher the kinetic cytopathic effect (CPE) induced by Zika virus (ZIKV) in susceptible human A549 lung epithelial cells and to evaluate several classes of compounds with reported antiviral activity (two entry inhibitors and two replication inhibitors). To validate the assay, we compare the results with those obtained with more traditional in vitro methods based on cell viability and viral yield readouts. We demonstrate that CEI can detect viral infection in a sensitive manner and can be used to determine antiviral potency. Moreover, CEI has multiple benefits compared to conventional assays: the technique is less laborious and better at visualizing the dynamic antiviral activity profile of the compounds, while also it has the ability to determine interesting time points that can be selected as endpoints in assays without continuous readout. We describe several parameters to characterize the compounds’ cytotoxicity and their antiviral activity profile. In addition, the CEI patterns provide valuable additional information about the presumed mechanism of action of these compounds. Finally, as a proof of concept, we used CEI to evaluate the antiviral activity of a small series of compounds, for which we demonstrate that the sulfonated polymer PRO2000 inhibits ZIKV with a response profile representative for a viral entry inhibitor. Overall, we demonstrate for the first time that CEI is a powerful technology to evaluate and characterize compounds against ZIKV replication in a real-time, label-free, and noninvasive manner.IMPORTANCE Zika virus can cause serious disease in humans. Unfortunately, no antiviral drugs are available to treat infection. Here, we use an impedance-based method to continuously monitor virus infection in—and damage to—human cells. We can determine the Zika viral dose with this technique and also evaluate whether antiviral compounds protect the cells from damage caused by virus replication. We also show that this technique can be used to further unravel the characteristics of these compounds, such as their toxicity to the cells, and that it might even give further insight in their mechanism of antiviral action. Finally, we also find a novel Zika virus inhibitor, PRO2000. Overall, in this study, we use the impedance technology to—for the first time—evaluate compounds with anti-Zika virus properties, and therefore it can add valuable information in the further search for antiviral drugs.

Have Quadruple and Quintuple Helices Emerged? Metaphors, Project Titles, and Empirical Research

Abstract In the original Triple Helix model (Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff 1995), the three “helices” of Universities, Industry and Government and the (3-way) interactions among and between them were proposed as a basis for looking at how entrepreneurship comes into being. Since the original article, other “helix-based” models have been proposed. Some vary the triple and others propose higher numbers of helix – with 4 and 5as the most typical extensions. In the article “Triple, Quadruple, and Higher-Order Helices: Historical phenomena and (neo-)evolutionary models,” Leydesdorff and Lawton Smith (2022) developed an Information-Theory based approach to look more formally at the need for higher-order helices. In the case of two helices, processes of mutual shaping can generate historical trajectories that could have been otherwise: other options providing possible states, which have not yet historically been realized (Petersen et al., 2016). Adding a third helix makes a substantive change from an information point of view: a Triple Helix model is not just the sum of three sets of 2-way interactions. However, once this number has been reached further additions can be decomposed into sets of triads (Batagelj et al., 2014; Simmel, 1902). This leads to the suggestion that higher-dimensional helix structures potentially add little to discourse. Four (sets of) authors were asked by the Editors of the Triple Helix to respond to Leydesdorff and Lawton Smith (2022). Many insightful and interesting points were raised including convenience, presentation and the need to allow a more unified theory model. These are discussed in this article’s “responses to just criticism” (Shostakovich, 1937). It continues the debate on triple and higher-order helices by summarising and responding to the points made by those commentators. What may be the status of triple and/or higher-order helices?

A Casson nanofluid flow within the conical gap between rotating surfaces of a cone and a horizontal disc

The present study highlights the flow of an incompressible nanofluid following the non-Newtonian flow. The non-Newtonian fluid behavior is characterized by the Casson prototype. The flow occupies the conical gap between the rotating/stationary surfaces of the cone and the horizontal disc. Heat and mass transfer is also considered. The novelty of the proposed mathematical model is supplemented with the impacts of a uniform magnetic field imposed vertically upon the flow together with Ohmic dissipation and chemical reactions. The constitutive equations of the Casson fluid have been interpreted along with the cylindrical coordinates. The governing partial differential equations of momentum, energy, and concentration are converted into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations via appropriate similarity transformations. This scheme leads to a set of coupled nonlinear ordinary equations concerning velocity, temperature, and nanoparticles concentration distributions. These equations are analytically solved by means of the Homotopy perturbation method (HPM). The theoretical findings are presented in both graphical and tabular forms. The main objective of this study is to discuss the effects of the rotations of both cone and disc and the effects of the other parameters in the two cases of rotation alternatively. Additionally, the effect of the angle between the cone and the disk is one of our interesting points because of the importance of its effect in some engineering industry applications. The rotation parameters are found to have reduction effects on both the temperature and the radial velocity of the fluid, while they have an enhancing effect on the azimuthal velocity. The effects of other parameters with these rotations are found to be qualitatively the same as some earlier published studies. To validate the current mathematical model, a comparison with the previous scientific reports is made.

Cryptanalyzing a Feistel Chaotic Block Cryptosystem Based on Correlation Power Analysis

Chaos-based block encryption algorithms have been proposed for years and their securities have been tested using conventional statistical methodologies, i.e. frequency analysis, avalanche analysis, entropy analysis, etc. However, when those algorithms are carried out on hardware devices, some crucial physical information may leak during the encryption or decryption processes. Feistel chaotic block cryptosystem has been proposed recently and is used for the block ciphers in different applications such as Internet-of-Things. In this work, the security of a Feistel chaotic block cryptographic algorithm is investigated by using Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) when the cryptographic system is in the process of performing encryption. Especially, the cryptosystem is implemented on an Atmel XMEGA128D4 micro controller. The attack points of Feistel chaos-based block encryption algorithm and power mapping model are analyzed in detail, and the procedure of utilizing CPA is given to cryptanalyze its hardware security. In theory, Multiple Samples Correlation Power Analysis (MSCPA) has a higher correct key differentiating level than CPA. However, in practice, if the correct key cannot be recovered by using CPA, the interesting sample points of power trace cannot be found for MSCPA. Experimental results show that the CPA can successfully obtain the secret key of Feistel cryptosystems and interesting sample points of power trace can be found, which laid a foundation of MSCPA to combine multiple samples of power trace. Further, the CPA can hit 100% success rate within [Formula: see text]50 power traces. Overall, this work can help efficiently evaluate the hardware security of Feistel chaotic block cryptosystem.

Review: Ludified, edited by Marko Ciciliani, Barbara Lüneburg, and Andreas Pirchner

Review: <i>Ludified</i>, edited by Marko Ciciliani, Barbara Lüneburg, and Andreas Pirchner

An Aristotelian Resistance Against Transhumanism

Posthuman Bliss? The Failed Promise of Transhumanism by Susan B. Levin presents a well-informed and structured critique to transhumanism. Not only transhumanist ethical and sociopo-litical applications are challenged: the theoretical assumptions and implications of transhumanism are made explicit and put into discussion, thereby confronting transhumanism as a worldview of its own, from metaphysics, to epistemology, to philosophy of mind, down to ethics and politics. This worldview is then constantly put to the test of Levin’s own Aristotelian essentialist framework, which sees the human being as a holistic whole and our role in the world as the complex process of attaining human flourishing. First, I will spend a few words to frame the general aim of the book and to delineate the main contents of the seven chapters. After that, I will deal critically with four interesting focal points, where further research may be prompted or the standpoint of the author may be challenged: the attribution of (rational) essentialism to transhumanism, the definition of well-being underlying transhumanist positions, the apparent tension between the sociopolitical im-plications of transhumanism and its cultivation of radical personal autonomy, the critical evaluation of Levin’s American-centered adaptation of her Aristotelian virtue-ethics approach.

Thermomechanical interactions due to mode-I crack under modified temperature-rate dependent two-temperature thermoelasticity theory

Temperature-rate dependent two-temperature (TRDTT) thermoelasticity is reformulated by Shivay and Mukhopadhyay [On the temperature-rate dependent two-temperature thermoelasticity theory. J Heat Transfer. 2020;142(2):022102.] and it is suggested that the effect of the temperature-rate term should not be neglected in the two-temperature relation. As a result, an improved two-temperature theory has been proposed that generalize the TRDTT theory suggested by Youssef [Theory of two-temperature-generalized thermoelasticity. IMA J Appl Math 2006;71(3):383–390.]. The present work aims to investigate thermo-mechanical interactions due to the presence of crack under this modified TRDTT theory. We consider a homogeneous and isotropic 2D infinite medium weakened by mode-I crack of finite length. The boundary of the crack is subjected to time-dependent thermal and stress distributions. Laplace and Fourier transformations are used to solve the present problem in the transformed domain. Two different sets of dual integral equations are derived, which are solved by reducing them to the Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. The regularization method, along with a numerical integration technique, is used to solve this integral equation. Present results are validated with the results derived under GL (temperature-rate dependent) theory. Some interesting points highlighting the effects of a crack in the present context are concluded.

Ecological–Health Risk Assessments of Copper in the Sediments: A Review and Synthesis

The ecological and children’s Health Risk Assessments (HRA) of Copper (Cu) in aquatic bodies ranging from rivers, mangrove, estuaries, and offshore areas were studied using the Cited Cu Data in The Sediments (CCDITS) from 125 randomly selected papers published from 1980 to 2022. The ecological and children’s HRA were assessed in all CCDITS. Generally, local point Cu sources (8%) and lithogenic sources were the main controlling factors of Cu concentrations. The present review revealed three interesting points. First, there were 11 papers (8%) documenting Cu levels of more than 500 mg/kg dw while China was the country with the highest number (26%) of papers published between 1980 and 2022, out of 37 countries. Second, with the Cu data cited from the literature not normally distributed, the maximum Cu level was higher than all the established guidelines. However, the median Cu concentration was lower than most of the established guidelines. The median values of the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated a status of ‘unpolluted‘ and ‘moderate contamination’ for the contamination factor (CF), and ‘low potential ecological risk’ for the ecological risk (ER) of Cu. However, the Cu ER could be based at present on the above mentioned 8% of the literature in the present study. Third, the calculated hazard index (HI) values were found to be below 1, indicating no potential chance of Cu non–carcinogenic effects in both adults and children, except for children’s HI values from Lake Pamvotis of Greece, and Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. Thus, regular monitoring (every 2 years), depending upon the available resources, is recommended to assess the ecological–health risk of Cu pollution in aquatic bodies to abate the risk of Cu exposure to children’s health and avoid injurious impacts on the biota. It can be concluded that there is always a need for the mitigation and management of a Cu exposure risk assessment that can be used successfully for screening purposes to detect important human health exposure routes. Consequently, any sediments contaminated with Cu require rapid sediment remediation techniques.

THE RITE OF CIRCUMCISION AMONG THE PEOPLES OF THE CAUCASUS

For the peoples of the Caucasus, ritual culture, the preservation of family and household traditions and the family well-being associated with them have been and remain the most significant life values. One of the important traditions, which is strictly observed by the majority of the peoples of the Caucasus who profess Islam, is circumcision – “sunnat/sunnet”. The authors attempt to consider and analyze this tradition, which in the Caucasian ethnography has been studied episodically. The authors aim to demonstrate the variety of the tradition, its role in the family and social rituality of different regions of the Caucasus, the dynamics of its transformation; to provide a clearer picture about the importance of such a family-social ritual in traditions of those Caucasians, who practiced it. The article describes the ritual complex, beliefs, omens, rites, that accompanied this important ceremony, and analyses the common and particular aspects in the regional diversity among the peoples of the Caucasus. In the course of our study, we applied a systematic approach – the study of family customs and rituals in conjunction with other aspects of traditional culture (social life, religious beliefs, ritual culture) and a historical and comparative method – material was obtained on different peoples of the Caucasus in order to identify common patterns and distinctive features. The methodological and theoretical basis for writing the article was the research of Caucasian scholars, thanks to which its authors identified the most interesting points regarding the ritual culture related to the subject of the study.

Comparing the effects of a patient-designed-and-informed participant information leaflet in comparison with a standard, researcher-designed information leaflet on recruitment, retention and understanding: A study-within-a-trial

Background and aimThe process of trial recruitment is vital, given its impact on resources, statistical power and the validity of findings. A participant information leaflet (PIL) is often the initial and primary source of information engaged by potential participants during recruitment. Research suggests that a variety of manipulations to a PIL can be made during its development to enhance understanding, readability and accessibility. In light of this, PIL-design led by Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) may also yield positive effects in this respect, as well as consent and retention. This study-within-a-trial (SWAT) compared the effects of a PPI-developed PIL with a standard, researcher-developed PIL on rates of consent, retention, decision certainty, understanding, readability, accessibility, likeability and decision to consent. MethodThis SWAT used a double-blind, two-armed randomised design. The SWAT was conducted within a host trial of cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis. ResultsA total of 234 people expressed interest in the trial, of which 94 were retained at 6-month follow up. Results revealed no effects on levels of consent and retention between the two PIL groups. ConclusionsThese null effects provide interesting points of discussion and important implications for not only future research on PILs, but also for future research that involves recruitment to health-related interventions.

A Data-Driven Lens to Understand Human Biology: An Interview with Daphne Koller

A Data-Driven Lens to Understand Human Biology: An Interview with Daphne Koller

Italian Field Hospital Experience in Mozambique: Report of Ordinary Activities in an Extraordinary Context.

On March 15, 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall near the port city of Beira in central Mozambique causing significant casualties and serious damage to infrastructure. The Emergency Medical Team Type 2 - Italy Regione Piemonte (EMT2-ITA) was deployed approximately two weeks after the disaster to support the country in need, providing essential medical and surgical care.The EMT2-ITA staff was composed of 77 team members including two rotations and integrating local staff. A total of 1,121 patients (1,183 triage admissions) were treated during the 27 days of field hospital activity; among all the admissions, only few cases (17; 1%) were directly or indirectly attributed to the disaster event. Only three cases of cholera were confirmed and transferred to one of the treatment centers set up in Beira. The EMT2-ITA performed a total of 62 surgical operations (orthopedic, gynecological, general, and plastic surgery), of which more than one-half were elective procedures.The objective of this manuscript is to report the mission of the EMT2-ITA in Mozambique, raising interesting points of discussion regarding the impact of timing on the mission outcomes, the operational and clinical activities in the field hospital, and the great importance to integrate local staff into the team.

The Effects of Brief Heat During Early Booting on Reproductive, Developmental, and Chlorophyll Physiological Performance in Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Rising temperatures due to climate change threaten agricultural crop productivity. As a cool-season crop, wheat is heat-sensitive, but often exposed to high temperatures during the cultivation period. In the current study, a bread wheat panel of spring wheat genotypes, including putatively heat-tolerant Australian and CIMMYT genotypes, was exposed to a 5-day mild (34°C/28°C, day/night) or extreme (37°C/27°C) heat stress during the sensitive pollen developmental stage. Worsening effects on anther morphology were observed, as heat stress increased from mild to extreme. Even under mild heat, a significant decrease in pollen viability and number of grains per spike from primary spike was observed compared with the control (21°C/15°C), with Sunstar and two CIMMYT breeding lines performing well. A heat-specific positive correlation between the two traits indicates the important role of pollen fertility for grain setting. Interestingly, both mild and extreme heat induced development of new tillers after the heat stress, providing an alternative sink for accumulated photosynthates and significantly contributing to the final yield. Measurements of flag leaf maximum potential quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) showed an initial inhibition after the heat treatment, followed by a full recovery within a few days. Despite this, model fitting using chlorophyll soil plant analysis development (SPAD) measurements showed an earlier onset or faster senescence rate under heat stress. The data presented here provide interesting entry points for further research into pollen fertility, tillering dynamics, and leaf senescence under heat. The identified heat-tolerant wheat genotypes can be used to dissect the underlying mechanisms and breed climate-resilient wheat.

Self-Otherness in Tourism. A Semiotic Analysis of China Travel Posters

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of how otherness takes shape in the discipline of travel and tourism, and how it relates to neighbouring fields such as postcolonial and decolonial studies. First, we will expose how otherness is regarded in tourism research. Second, we will conduct a semiotic study of travel posters, focusing on the representation of otherness in advertising. Methodology includes the study of a sample made up of 29 travel posters using a table adapted from Vergara-Leyton, Garrido-Peña and Undurraga-Puelma (2013). The results of this analysis show some interesting points: China’s political – territorial complexities, appropriation of the Orientalist (folklorised ima¬ginary) for tourism promotion purposes, which can be linked to cultural diplomacy and changes in global power dynamics. Keywords: tourism, poster, marketing, otherness, self-Orientalism, postco¬lonial studies.

Deep image retrieval using artificial neural network interpolation and indexing based on similarity measurement

In content-based image retrieval (CBIR), primitive image signatures are critical because they represent the visual characteristics. Image signatures, which are algorithmically descriptive and accurately recognized visual components, are used to appropriately index and retrieve comparable results. To differentiate an image in the category of qualifying contender, feature vectors must have image information's like colour, objects, shape, spatial viewpoints. Previous methods such as sketch-based image retrieval by salient contour (SBIR) and greedy learning of deep Boltzmann machine (GDBM) used spatial information to distinguish between image categories. This requires interest points and also feature analysis emerged image detection problems. Thus, a proposed model to overcome this issue and predict the repeating pattern as well as series of pixels that conclude similarity has been necessary. In this study, a technique called CBIR-similarity measure via artificial neural network interpolation (CBIR-SMANN) has been presented. By collecting datasets, the images are resized then subject to Gaussian filtering in the pre-processing stage, then by permitting them to the Hessian detector, the interesting points are gathered. Based on Skewness, mean, kurtosis and standard deviation features were extracted then given to ANN for interpolation. Interpolated results are stored in a database for retrieval. In the testing stage, the query image was inputted that is subjected to pre-processing, and feature extraction was then fed to the similarity measurement function. Thus, ANN helps to get similar images from the database. CBIR-SMANN have been implemented in the python tool and then evaluated for its performance. Results show that CBIR-SMANN exhibited a high recall value of 78% with a minimum retrieval time of 980 ms. This showed the supremacy of the proposed model was comparatively greater than the previous ones.

FACTORS AFFECTING PURCHASING DECISION OF CONDOMINIUM IN THONBURI AREA OF BANGKOK, THAILAND

This research aims to observe demographic characteristics, behavior and experience used in condominiums purchasing and to define marketing factors of condominiums purchasing in the Thonburi area of Bangkok. This research applies the quantitative method to collect demographic data. The population is 400 people working in Bangkok were surveyed during 1-30 August 2021. The sample was determined by calculating from Taro Yamane's formula. The questionnaire with content accuracy was then used to experiment with 30 samples (Pilot Test) and calculate the confidence value through the Statistical program to check the reliability of the questionnaire. For most of the sample population, the top three reasons for purchasing condominiums are convenience, safety, and reasonable room price. Most of the respondents consider the shared facilities that affect the condominium purchasing decision. Overall, there are some interesting points such as: respondents prioritize the condo location rather than price factors; female sample group is more focused on the shared facilities of the condominium and so on.

Штрихи к портрету выдающегося ученого — профессора Юрия Ефремовича Аврутина (к 75-летию со дня рождения)

The article is dedicated to the outstanding legal scholar, Professor Yuri Efremovich Avrutin. March 23, 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of this outstanding scientist in the field of administrative law. The article tells about interesting points from the communication between the author and Professor Yu.E. Avrutin. The contribution of Professor Yu.E. Avrutin in the development of modern science of administrative law in Russia.

Effects of the Anti-Tumor Agents Trabectedin and Lurbinectedin on Immune Cells of the Tumor Microenvironment.

Immune cells in the tumor micro-environment (TME) establish a complex relationship with cancer cells and may strongly influence disease progression and response to therapy. It is well established that myeloid cells infiltrating tumor tissues favor cancer progression. Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs) are abundantly present at the TME and actively promote cancer cell proliferation and distant spreading, as well as contribute to an immune-suppressive milieu. Active research of the last decade has provided novel therapeutic approaches aimed at depleting TAMs and/or at reprogramming their functional activities. We reported some years ago that the registered anti-tumor agent trabectedin and its analogue lurbinectedin have numerous mechanisms of action that also involve direct effects on immune cells, opening up new interesting points of view. Trabectedin and lurbinectedin share the unique feature of being able to simultaneously kill cancer cells and to affect several features of the TME, most notably by inducing the rapid and selective apoptosis of monocytes and macrophages, and by inhibiting the transcription of several inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, depletion of TAMs alleviates the immunosuppressive milieu and rescues T cell functional activities, thus enhancing the anti-tumor response to immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. In view of the growing interest in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, the availability of antineoplastic compounds showing immunomodulatory effects on innate and adaptive immunity deserves particular attention in the oncology field.