bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emergency Medical Access Control System Based on Public Blockchain
Authors: Takahashi Taisei , Zhihao Yan , Omote Kazumasa
Published: September 2024

IT has made significant progress in various fields over the past few years, with many industries transitioning from paper-based to electronic media. However, sharing electronic medical records remains a long-term challenge, particularly when patients are in emergency situations, making it difficult to access and control their medical information. Previous studies have proposed permissioned blockchains with limited participants or mechanisms that allow emergency medical information sharing to pre-designated participants. However, permissioned blockchains require prior participation by medical institutions, and limiting sharing entities restricts the number of potential partners. This means that sharing medical information with local emergency doctors becomes impossible if a patient is unconscious and far away from home, such as when traveling abroad. To tackle this challenge, we propose an emergency access control system for a global electronic medical information system that can be shared using a public blockchain, allowing anyone to participate. Our proposed system assumes that the patient wears a pendant with tamper-proof and biometric authentication capabilities. In the event of unconsciousness, emergency doctors can perform biometrics on behalf of the patient, allowing the family doctor to share health records with the emergency doctor through a secure channel that uses the Diffie-Hellman (DH) key exchange protocol. The pendant’s biometric authentication function prevents unauthorized use if it is stolen, and we have tested the blockchain’s fee for using the public blockchain, demonstrating that the proposed system is practical.
Feasibility of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for quantification of zirconium in nuclear streams
Authors: Kumar Satendra , Maji S. , Sundararajan K.
Published: September 2024

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy is explored for the estimation of Zr in metallic fuel and pyrochemical reprocessing stream using filter paper as a sample substrate. Zr(II) emission line at 339.20 nm has been identified and used for its quantitative determination. Calibration curves are obtained after normalizing the intensity of Zr to C/Y emission lines as an internal standard, to get better linearity. Analytical capability of LIBS for Zr estimation is tested by comparing the measured value with ICP-OES in simulated samples. Good agreement between the measured values confirms the ability of LIBS application in nuclear streams.
Neuroprotective Properties of Coriander-Derived Compounds on Neuronal Cell Damage under Oxidative Stress-Induced SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma and in Silico ADMET Analysis
Authors: Jongwachirachai Papitcha , Ruankham Waralee , Apiraksattayakul Setthawut , Intharakham Saruta , Prachayasittikul Veda , Suwanjang Wilasinee , Prachayasittikul Virapong , Prachayasittikul Supaluk , Phopin Kamonrat
Published: September 2024

An imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant defense driven by oxidative stress and inflammation is a critical factor in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), a culinary plant in the Apiaceae family, displays various biological activities, including anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects. Herein, neuroprotective properties of three major bioactive compounds derived from coriander (i.e., linalool, linalyl acetate, and geranyl acetate) were investigated on hydrogen peroxide-induced SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell death by examining cell viability, ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptotic profiles. Moreover, underlying mechanisms of the compounds were determined by measuring intracellular sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) enzyme activity incorporated with molecular docking. The results showed that linalool, linalyl acetate, and geranyl acetate elicited their neuroprotection against oxidative stress via protecting cell death, reducing ROS production, preventing cell apoptosis, and modulating SIRT1 longevity. Additionally, in silico pharmacokinetic predictions indicated that these three compounds are drug-like agents with a high probability of absorption and distribution, as well as minimal potential toxicities. These findings highlighted the potential neuroprotective linalool, linalyl acetate, and geranyl acetate for developing alternative natural compound-based neurodegenerative therapeutics and prevention.
Numerical solution of nonclassical boundary value problems
Authors: Boito Paola , Eidelman Yuli , Gemignani Luca
Published: September 2024

We provide a new approach to obtain solutions of linear differential problems set in a Banach space and equipped with nonlocal boundary conditions. From this approach we derive a family of numerical schemes for the approximation of the solutions. We show by numerical tests that these schemes are numerically robust and computationally efficient.
International negotiations over the global commons
Authors: Rickard Stephanie J.
Published: September 2024

Countries today navigate a multipolar world defined by tensions between great powers. How do middle powers, small states, and Global South countries fare in this geopolitical landscape? Can they shape new international agreements on emerging, divisive topics, like trade-and-environment issues? To explore this question, I investigate the twenty years of negotiations that led to a new treaty seeking to preserve the global commons: the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS). Using text-as-data analyses and a rich trove of WTO documents, I investigate the sources of the treaty text. I find that middle powers, small states, and countries from the Global South contributed to the agreement; they did so by forming coalitions with like-minded countries. The findings demonstrate that a wider range of states can effectively participate in international negotiations than traditionally assumed.
The Differentiated Impact of Perceived EU Regional Policy on Citizens’ Positions on European Integration
Authors: Debus Marc , Schweizer David
Published: September 2024

The main goal of the regional development programme of the European Union (EU) is to decrease disparities in the economic situation between the regional units of the EU member states. An important side note effect of EU regional policy is that citizens should be able to directly identify the positive aspects of European integration when realising the impact of the EU for structural programmes in their city or region. We aim to evaluate this mechanism and ask whether the individually perceived benefit of EU regional funds in the home area of a respondent has a positive impact on their position towards European integration. Furthermore, we discuss how a relational perspective on EU regional funds—that is, whether a respondent considers other regions or other EU member states to benefit more from the EU regional funds than their own region—mediates the expected positive impact of EU regional funds on an individual’s position on European integration. We answer these questions by analysing new survey data conducted in two German states, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Thuringia, which differ significantly in terms of the regional funding they receive. The analysis shows not only that there is a significant difference in the positions of respondents on European integration between the two regions but also that perceiving personal benefits of EU regional funding increases the support for European integration. Furthermore, individuals’ thinking that their own region benefits more from EU regional funding than other regions tends to increase their support for European integration.
Towards supply chain resilience: A structured process approach
Authors: Stentoft Jan , Mikkelsen Ole Stegmann
Published: September 2024

This paper aims to enhance the understanding of how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can bolster their resilience to supply chain disruptions by engaging and aligning cross-functional staff in the process of developing supply chain resilience (SCRES). Employing process theory, the study adopts a multiple case-study methodology involving 18 Danish production SMEs across two iterative phases: an exploratory phase encompassing eight case companies, and a subsequent refinement phase involving an additional ten case companies. Utilizing a mixed-method approach comprising semi-structured interviews, card sorting exercises, observational studies, and a questionnaire survey, the research proposes a four-stage process for enhancing SCRES. This process includes: 1) mapping the supply chain, 2) identifying vulnerabilities and capabilities within each function, 3) prioritizing and creating cross-organizational alignment, and 4) developing action plans. The refined approach, validated through the ten Danish SMEs in the refinement phase, offers a practical and relevant framework for companies seeking to mitigate vulnerabilities and enhance capabilities in their supply chains. By strengthening SMEs' resilience against supply chain disruptions, this approach serves as a potential model for other companies striving to achieve SCRES.
Currying Favour with the Algorithm: Online Sex Workers’ Efforts To Satisfy Patriarchal Expectations
Authors: Palatchie Brittany , Beban Alice , Nicholls Tracey
Published: September 2024

The rise of the online sex work industry is reshaping how people conceptualise and negotiate sexual encounters across digital and offline spaces. This article analyses content from an online sex work forum (AmberCutie Forum (ACF)) to examine how online sex workers establish boundaries between their online and offline lives to manage competing expectations from their partners and viewers. Our analysis reveals a misogynistic double standard whereby workers are seen to threaten monogamous values, while viewers escape the same level of moral culpability. We argue that the cultural logics of monogamy function to delegitimise the labour involved with online sex work and increase the risk posed to online sex workers through retributive misogyny, including cyber-harassment toward sex workers. This impacts sex workers’ emotional and financial wellbeing and reinforces gendered power relations by prioritising stereotypically masculine pleasure over workers’ economic interests.
Development of a short version of the German subjective cognitive decline questionnaire (SCD-Q17): a principal component analysis approach to item reduction
Authors: Tegethoff Paulina , Perneczky Robert , Hufnagel Anna , Kehrls Manolo , Wüsten Nikola Clara-Sophie , Kurz Carolin
Published: September 2024

Since it was shown that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begins many years before the onset of symptoms with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), there has been increasing interest in the early clinical stages where disease-modifying drugs are expected to have the greatest benefit. However, at this early stage cognitive testing may yield unremarkable results, it is necessary to find a tool that can provide a simple and reliable indication of SCD as a part of a screening tool for AD in the general population. The German version of the 24-item Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire (SCD-Q) with a dichotomous answer scale was tested, which then revealed some challenges. For this reason, an adaptation of the questionnaire was necessary. 360 participants completed the SCD-Q, all of whom were outpatients at a memory clinic. The most relevant subitems were identified by principal component analysis. This analysis focused on the self-perceived perspective of the decline. Results of the principal component analysis, consultations with experts and feedback from respondents were integrated into a short version of the SCD-Q with 17 items and a Likert scale – the SCD-Q17. The SCD-Q17 was sent to 100 participants of the original questionnaire for re-completion and, a new cut-off value was calculated by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. The SCD-Q17 is a useful tool for the reliable detection of subjective symptoms, and thus may prompt more in-depth assessments of the underlying etiology. CogScreen has been retrospectively registered at clinical trials (NCT06191952).
Inducing inhibition affects propagation of uncertainty and checking behaviors
Authors: Adler Hodaya , Eitan Renana , Linkovski Omer
Published: September 2024

Difficulty tolerating uncertainty is a central deficit across psychopathologies, and checking behavior is a common response to uncertainty. Inducing inhibition improves resolution of uncertainty. However, it is unclear whether inducing inhibition improves decision-making under conditions of uncertainty or whether it reduces checking. This study evaluated how inducing inhibition affects resolution of uncertainty and checking separately. Healthy adults (N = 34) completed three experiments combining an inhibition-induction task with a novel visual-matching task, which dissociated resolving uncertainty from checking. In Experiment 1, the visual-matching task included only “certainty” trials with unlimited checking. In Experiment 2, the task featured “certainty” and “uncertainty” trials, without checking. In Experiment 3, the task featured “certainty” trials, without checking. All participants completed self-report assessments of relevant clinical constructs including obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depressive symptoms. Our results indicate that inducing inhibition reduces unnecessary checking in “certainty” trials. Inducing inhibition also improves accuracy in “uncertainty” trials when checking is impossible, by limiting the harmful propagation of uncertainty. The propagation of uncertainty correlated with depressive symptoms and checking correlated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Our results offer a novel measure of different uncertainty facets and demonstrate the interactions between inhibition, uncertainty, and checking. We also outline implications for understanding specific uncertainty facets in psychopathologies and suggest that inducing inhibition may play a role in alleviating certain mental health symptoms.
Temperature Dependence of the Pre-Chromatographic ‘Lawrence’ Method for Bivalves Contaminated with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins
Authors: Vale Paulo
Published: September 2024

Saxitoxins are potent neurotoxins originating the acute human neurological syndrome of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) via bivalve vectors. The official testing method in the European Union, commonly known as the ‘Lawrence method’, involves pre-column oxidation steps. The Portuguese monitoring adopted the hydrogen peroxide oxidation screening approach for bivalves contaminated with Gymnodinium catenatum toxins, which can quantify chromatographically at once 6 out of 10 analogues commonly found in bivalves. Seasonal fluctuation in the fluorescence yield of calibration curves was observed across years in a consistent manner. It correlated with fluctuations in average monthly air temperature in Lisbon, highlighting the importance of recording the room temperature during the oxidation steps as a matter of routine practice. Incubation experiments also showed an increase in fluorescence yield with temperature, more pronounced for the 11-hydroxysulphate analogues (dcGTX2 + 3, C1 + 2, GTX2 + 3) than for the 11-H toxins (dcSTX, GTX5[B1], STX). Temperature can be exploited to increase fluorescence yield, assisting in spectral confirmation, but must not exceed 40–50 °C to avoid toxin decomposition or production of extra oxidation products.
Aesthetics or Communication?: Social Semiotic Traits of Structured Forms in Studies of “Animal Beauty”
Authors: Ongstad Sigmund
Published: September 2024

The article investigates basic relations between aesthetics and communication based on studies of and discussions about what has been termed “animal beauty”. The concepts beauty, aesthetics, and communication are problematised, starting from utterances’ structured form, which is seen both as the physical basis for as well as one of five key aspects in animal utterances (form, content, act, time, and space). The relational, and thus social semiotic, communicational role of this aspect is searched in different studies leading to two major claims: Firstly, that five corresponding constitutional traits or aspects, aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, temporality, and spatiality collectively form a basis for animals’ evaluation of the subjective value of utterances. The importance of each of them varies depending on what kind of communication (life-genre) they are associated with. Secondly, that aesthetics should be comprehended on four integrated levels, from micro to macro, sign, utterance, life-genre, and life-world. These four levels plus five aspects or components in utterances make up a systemic, social semiotic communicational framework which in turn is applied for inspections of studies studying “beauty”. Methodological challenges applying them are briefly discussed. An overall conclusion is that research on the evolutionary role of animal beauty should treat the aesthetics of utterances as part of the hermeneutic circle, simultaneously as categorial and relational, in other words as a constitutive part of a whole, a semiotic, species-specific socio-communicational system.
National brands versus store brands: retailer fight against national brands to improve store brands via a dynamic discount pricing strategy
Authors: Yahyavi Dawood , Taleizadeh Ata Allah , Thaichon Park
Published: September 2024

Today, there is a lot of competition between competitors in the market of different products. The level of complexity of relationships and behavior of active players in the market has also increased. So that a manufacturer and retailer work together to increase the profit of the supply chain through the sale of products. On the other hand, the retailer and the manufacturer as competitors are competing with each other to sell more of their products. This issue has increased the complexity of the relationship between retailers and manufacturers. This study aims to explore how retailers can strengthen the self-introduced store brand (SB) and resist the pressures of manufacturers by using dynamic discount pricing (DDP) strategy. Numerical examples are proposed to clearly explain the validity and applicability of the model. Based on the managerial insights developed by analyzing the model's results, we evaluated the influences of DDP strategy on the retail prices and demands of national brands (NB) and SB and the profit of the retailer and the manufacturer. We found that discounts on the manufacturer's product by the retailer increase the demand for both NB and SBs. An increase in demand leads to an increase in the profits of manufacturers and retailers. However, the increase in the manufacturer's profit does not compensate for the decrease in his market share. In other words, the introduction of an SB always causes damage to the manufacturer, but the amount of damage depends on various factors. These findings offer manufacturers and retailers useful insights and help them adopt effective marketing strategies.
Reactions of citrinin with amino compounds modelling thermal food processing
Authors: Brückner Lea , Cramer Benedikt , Humpf Hans-Ulrich
Published: September 2024

Citrinin (CIT) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin, produced by several species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Monascus. The foodstuffs most frequently contaminated with CIT include cereals, cereal products, and red yeast rice. Studies on the occurrence of CIT in food have shown that the CIT concentrations in processed cereal-based products are generally lower than in unprocessed industry cereal samples. One possible explanation is the reaction of CIT with major food components such as carbohydrates or proteins to form modified CIT. Such modified forms of CIT are then hidden from conventional analyses, but it is possible that they are converted back into the parent mycotoxin during digestion. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate reactions of CIT with food matrix during thermal processes and to gain a deeper understanding of the degradation of CIT during food processing. In this study, we could demonstrate that CIT reacts with amino compounds such as proteins, under typical food processing conditions, leading to modified forms of CIT.
On cubic-line arrangements with simple singularities
Authors: Talar Przemysław
Published: September 2024

In the present note, we study combinatorial and algebraic properties of cubic-line arrangements in the complex projective plane admitting nodes, ordinary triple and $$A_{5}$$

A
5

singular points. We deliver a Hirzebruch-type inequality for such arrangement and study the freeness of such arrangements providing an almost complete classification.
Negotiating Meaning with Machines: AI's Role in Doctoral Writing Pedagogy
Authors: Parker Jessica L. , Richard Veronica M. , Acabá Alexandra , Escoffier Sierra , Flaherty Stephen , Jablonka Shannon , Becker Kimberly P.
Published: September 2024

This paper examines the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in doctoral writing pedagogy. It explores how AI augments traditional teaching and composition processes, fosters a new paradigm of cognitive engagement and collaborative academic writing, and the broader ethical and social implications of human-AI writing in doctoral writing pedagogy. A community-engaged participatory research methodology was employed within a Doctor of Healthcare Administration program. Data were collected through discussion board messages, self-assessment papers, student reflections, and a focus group interview, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The research unearthed a hybrid human-AI writing process characterized by dynamic brainstorming, continuous negotiation of meaning, and comparative evaluation. These practices enhanced students' cognitive and metacognitive engagement, confidence, and learner agency, signifying a shift toward a collaborative approach to academic writing. The findings highlight the need for academic institutions to adapt policies and curricula to incorporate AI technologies ethically and responsibly. Emphasis on AI literacy and academic integrity is crucial for preparing graduates for an AI-integrated workforce. This study contributes to the understanding of AI's role in doctoral education, specifically doctoral writing development, presenting a novel perspective on the synergistic collaboration between students and AI in academic writing and its implications for institutional policies and writing pedagogy.
Methodologic Strategies for Quantifying Associations of Historical and Contemporary Mortgage Discrimination on Population Health Equity: A Systematic Review
Authors: Edwards Janelle R. , Ong Christian , Barber Sharrelle , Headen Irene , Tabb Loni P. , De Roos Anneclaire J. , Schinasi Leah H.
Published: September 2024

Background

Mortgage discrimination refers to the systematic withholding of home mortgages from minoritized groups. In recent years, there has been an increase in empirical research investigating associations of historical and contemporary mortgage discrimination on contemporary  outcomes. Investigators have used a variety of measurement methods and approaches, which may have implications for results and interpretation.

Purpose

We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature that has quantified links between both historical and current mortgage discrimination with contemporary adverse environmental, social, and health outcomes. Our goals were to document the methodology used to measure and assign mortgage discrimination, to assess implications for results and interpretation, and to make recommendations for future work.

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, literature searches were conducted in September 2022 using terms that combined concepts of mortgage discrimination, health, and neighborhood environment.

Results

In total, 45 papers fit the eligibility criteria. In these, researchers investigated associations between mortgage discrimination and: (1) health outcomes (N = 28); (2) environmental and social exposures including heat, air pollution, greenspace, soil lead levels, and crime (N = 12); and (3) built environment features, including presence of retail alcohol, fast food, and tobacco stores (N = 5). Eleven included studies used Home Mortgage Discrimination Act (HMDA) data to identify racialized bias in mortgage discrimination or redlining, and 34 used Homeowner Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps. The construction and parametrization of mortgage discrimination or redlining and the spatial assignment of HOLC grades to contemporary addresses or neighborhoods varied substantially across studies.

Conclusions

Results from our review suggest the need for careful consideration of optimal methods to analyze mortgage discrimination such as HOLC spatial assignment or HMDA index parametrization, contemplation of covariates, and place-based knowledge of the study location.
Insight into Limited Recoveries in Printed Circuit Board Leaching: Evidence of Gold Adsorption Loss to Polymeric Particles
Authors: Oluokun Oluwayimika Olasunkanmi , Otunniyi Iyiola Olatunji
Published: September 2024

Sustainable resource utilization ultimately depends on total recovery during recycling operations. PCB leach pulp for target metal recovery contains ceramic and polymeric particles resistant to reagent attack. The investigation herein shows the physicochemical behavior of five polymeric particles namely green, red, black, white, and blue in gold chloride complex [AuCl4]− solution. Gold concentration change was monitored over time to study how the gold solution interacted with the polymeric particles and how the interaction conforms to known adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. The black and green polymeric particles have the highest adsorption per unit mass to about 1.81 mg/g and 2.18 mg/g, respectively. Four adsorption kinetic models evaluated for insight on the adsorption mechanism observed show Elovich and pseudo-second-order (PSO) models fit the kinetic data best compared to other models with correlation coefficients of 0.9867 and 0.9863, respectively. Of the seven adsorption isotherm models evaluated, Sips model shows best fit for the isotherm data with correlation coefficients of 0.9727 and 0.9328 for green and black particles, respectively. Isotherm and kinetic model analyses of the experimental data indicated physisorption and chemisorption as driving mechanism of the interaction between PCB polymeric particles and gold chloride complex aliquot.

Graphical Abstract
Climate change and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa: an empirical analysis of aggregate- and sector-level growth
Authors: Chamma Desalegn Dawit
Published: September 2024

This paper utilizes a panel dataset encompassing 43 sub-Saharan African countries spanning from 1970 to 2019 to investigate the impact of climate change on both aggregate- and sector-specific economic growth. Via fixed effects and seemingly unrelated regression models, I show that climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and diminishing precipitation, exerts a detrimental influence on both aggregate and sectoral growth, albeit with varying degrees of severity. Such diverse effects emanate from the significant impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector, resulting in discernible alterations in output. Conversely, the industry, manufacturing, and service sectors demonstrate comparatively minor susceptibility to climate-induced change. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that the sub-Saharan African countries most vulnerable to climate change experience the greatest economic repercussions, and the most sensitive countries suffer the most.
Emerging trends in large format additive manufacturing processes and hybrid techniques
Authors: Vanerio Daniele , Guagliano Mario , Bagherifard Sara
Published: September 2024

Large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) technologies are rapidly growing with significant potential for application in multiple technological sectors like aerospace, tooling, automotive, marine, construction, and energy. LFAM processes offer significant advantages including reduced lead time, cost, and material waste, which are further amplified due to the increased volume of the components. This review paper focuses on LFAM technologies with the highest technology readiness level, i.e., metal Directed Energy Deposition (DED), polymer extrusion, and solid-state deposition (i.e. cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM)). Common system setups, the maximum deposition rate, and the range of processable materials, along with the achievable mechanical properties and geometrical characteristics, are outlined for each technology, both in individual and hybrid manufacturing formats. The main technological challenges are gathered and discussed to highlight the areas that require further development. Finally, the current industrial applications for LFAM technologies and the expected future developments are outlined. This review provides an overview of LFAM technologies’ current status and discusses their potential in improving the manufacturing of complex and large geometries, with a significant reduction in material and energy consumption, while ensuring high-quality and high-performance components.
Use of QR Codes to Enhance Learning in a Graduate-Level Clinical Course
Authors: Minard Carey
Published: September 2024

Teaching health professions at the graduate level often involves instructors guiding students through active learning labs for the practical application of content. Clinical courses may necessitate covering a substantial amount of information, requiring instructors to adopt efficient and effective teaching methods to maximize lab time. In a Master of Occupational Therapy Program, students were observed being off-task and disengaged with provided materials during group work in active learning labs. In response to this, Quick Response (QR) codes were introduced as a strategy to enhance self-directed learning and maintain focus on tasks while the instructor offered supplemental assistance as needed. A Microsoft Form survey was administered after classes to assess the effectiveness of QR codes as a technology-supported instructional method and gather students’ perceptions. The survey results overwhelmingly indicated that students were receptive to using QR codes and found them helpful in facilitating learning and maintaining attention during lab activities.
‘Saying No’: Frames of Sexual Abuse in Survivors’ Narratives
Authors: Girod Romaine
Published: September 2024

Using qualitative interviews with survivors and activists against sexual violence in the Catholic Church in Switzerland, this article suggests that the expression “saying no” or the idea of “refusal” frames discussions regarding child sexual abuse with detrimental consequences. This discourse is sometimes linked to a restrictive understanding of sexual consent and is applied to children in very asymmetrical relationships, who should be placed outside the scope of sexual consent. Particularly for men who have been sexually abused as children, this understanding of consent is referred to when speaking about sexual abuse. This asks questions about the gender norms influencing the discourse of consent and the challenges of understanding oneself as a victim of abuse. The article argues for a critical examination of the concept of consent and its connection to children and minors. It suggests that it is crucial, as many (feminist) scholars in different fields have argued, to abandon a negative standard of consent (saying no, resisting) in politics against sexual violence and instead focus on the capability to participate in and determine the sexual relationship.
Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors: guardians against excitotoxicity in ischemic brain injury, with implications for neonatal contexts
Authors: Mielecki Damian , Salińska Elżbieta
Published: September 2024

The group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), comprising mGluR4, mGluR6, mGluR7, and mGluR8, offer neuroprotective potential in mitigating excitotoxicity during ischemic brain injury, particularly in neonatal contexts. They are G-protein coupled receptors that inhibit adenylyl cyclase and reduce neurotransmitter release, mainly located presynaptically and acting as autoreceptors. This review aims to examine the differential expression and function of group III mGluRs across various brain regions such as the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum, with a special focus on the neonatal stage of development. Glutamate excitotoxicity plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of brain ischemia in neonates. While ionotropic glutamate receptors are traditional targets for neuroprotection, their direct inhibition often leads to severe side effects due to their critical roles in normal neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. Group III mGluRs provide a more nuanced and potentially safer approach by modulating rather than blocking glutamatergic transmission. Their downstream signaling cascade results in the regulation of intracellular calcium levels, neuronal hyperpolarization, and reduced neurotransmitter release, effectively decreasing excitotoxic signaling without completely suppressing essential glutamatergic functions. Importantly, the neuroprotective effects of group III mGluRs extend beyond direct modulation of glutamate release influencing glial cell function, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which contribute to secondary injury cascades in brain ischemia. This comprehensive analysis of group III mGluRs multifaceted neuroprotective potential provides valuable insights for developing novel therapeutic strategies to combat excitotoxicity in neonatal ischemic brain injury.
Decolonising Australian Gold Rush Narratives with Critical Geopolitics
Authors: Bellingham Robin A. , Fricker Aleryk
Published: September 2024

Settler-colonial futurity and colonial onto-epistemology are embedded across mainstream Australian public education institutions and schooling. While Country is central to Indigenous being, knowledges and pedagogy, Australian public and school education and curricula regularly fail to engage with Country and place in its historical, political, institutional, more-than-human, and relational dimensions. This paper investigates how colonial discourse and narratives permeate public and schooling education resources about mining and the Australian gold rush, including those presented in local Victorian gold rush museums. These support an influential story of Australia’s past/present that erases First Nations1 custodial relations with Country, strengthens settler-colonial futurity and celebrates and legitimises its colonising and extractive relations between people, Country, and ecologies. The paper presents an argument for attending to critical, relational geopolitics in education and environmental education to destabilise and shift these ways of understanding. It considers opportunities and challenges presented by Australian curricula in terms of their capacity to develop geopolitical understandings of past/present/future social and ecological in/justice, and to support new political understandings and sense of connection and belonging with Country.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Non-Paraneoplastic Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Canadian Single-Center Experience
Authors: Hansen Megan , Kapadia Ronak , Alikhani Katayoun , de Robles Paula , Hahn Christopher
Published: September 2024

Background:

Autoimmune encephalidities (AIE) are becoming an increasingly recognized cause of encephalitis. While diagnosis and acute management are well described, information on long-term management and outcomes is limited. Given this, we reviewed 5 years of AIE patients, reporting on chronic management, relapse incidence and possible relapse predictors.

Methods:

We performed a chart review of all patients with non-paraneoplastic AIE presenting to Calgary Neuro-Immunology Clinic and Tom Baker Cancer Centre between 2015 and 2020. Severity of relapse was determined using the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis (CASE). Variables were assessed with descriptive analysis and/or t-test.

Results:

Patients were followed for a mean of 38.2 months. Outcome data were assessable in 37/38 patients. Relapse rate ranged from 0% (GFAP) to 67% (NMDA), with a mean of 46%. Most relapses (76%) occurred within 3 years. Time to treatment initiation at relapse was significantly shorter than initial presentation (p = 0.0015), and patients had less severe relapses compared to initial presentation (CASE score 5.18 vs 6.53; p = 0.040).

Use of chronic immunotherapy did not appear to impact overall relapse risk, although patients on any immunotherapy at relapse had milder relapses based on ΔCASE (p = 0.0035).

Conclusion:

Relapse was not uncommon (46%) for various AIE subtypes in our cohort, particularly within the first 3 years. Our data enforce the importance of long-term follow-up, which in our study allowed for earlier treatment and less severe relapses compared to initial presentation, as well as the need to further explore which patients would benefit from chronic immunotherapy.
Management and Enforcement Theories for Compliance with the Rule of Law
Authors: Mavrouli Roila
Published: September 2024

Following the contemporary debate surrounding two alternative perspectives on compliance – enforcement and management – this article suggests an analysis through the lens of the rule of law crisis. Specifically, the financial and techno-managerial strategy developed by the EU for the indirect protection of the rule of law relies on mechanisms that combine characteristics from both the enforcement and management approaches. This article will identify these mechanisms, namely the European Semester, the Conditionality regulation, the European Structural Investment Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, in order to determine their nature, features, and tools for ensuring compliance with the rule of law. The hypothesis of this article relies on the idea that the EU’s tools are characterised by a mismatch between the causes of the identified problems and the chosen solutions. Considering that the deployment of the above measures has not re-established compliance, the EU strategy toes between inducing rule conformity on the one hand and deterring rule of law violations on the other. However, it seems that only the former can restore the rule of law, as the latter is considered ill-equipped to reverse or at least halt instances of backsliding. This mismatch explains why the Justice Scoreboard, the Framework, and the Review Cycle with its Annual Report have not made any difference, and more generally, why management strategies are unfit for dealing with deliberate backsliding.1
Swirling electrolyte. Part 2. Secondary circulation and its stability
Authors: Suslov Sergey A. , Hayes Daniel T.
Published: September 2024

The asymptotic analysis of steady azimuthally invariant electromagnetically driven flows occurring in a shallow annular layer of electrolyte undertaken in Part 1 of this study (McCloughan & Suslov, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 980, 2024, A59) predicted the existence of a two-tori flow state that has not been detected previously. In Part 2 of the study we confirm its existence by numerical time integration of the governing equations. We observe a hysteresis, where the type of solution obtained for the same set of governing parameters depends on the choice of the initial conditions and the way the governing parameters change, which is fully consistent with the analytic results of Part 1. Subsequently, we perform a linear stability analysis of the newly obtained steady state and deduce that the experimentally observed anti-cyclonic free-surface vortices appear on its background as a result of a centrifugal (Rayleigh-type) instability of the interface separating two counter-rotating toroidal structures that form the newly found flow solution. The quantitative characteristics of such instability structures are determined. It is shown that such structures can only exist in sufficiently thin layers with the depth not exceeding a certain critical value.
The development of sodium reduction targets for New Zealand fast foods and a comparison with the current sodium contents of products
Authors: Gomes Shona , Mackay Sally , Gerritsen Sarah , Eyles Helen
Published: September 2024

Sodium intake attributed to fast food is increasing globally. This research aims to develop maximum sodium reduction targets for New Zealand (NZ) fast foods and compare them with the current sodium content of products. Sodium content and serving size data were sourced from an existing database of major NZ fast-food chains. Target development followed a step-by-step process, informed by international targets and serving sizes, and previous methods for packaged supermarket foods. Sodium reduction targets were set per 100 g and serving, using a 40% reduction in the mean sodium content or the value met by 35–45% of products. Thirty-four per cent (1797/5246) of products in the database had sodium data available for target development. Sodium reduction targets were developed for 17 fast-food categories. Per 100 g targets ranged from 158 mg for ‘Other salads’ to 665 mg for ‘Mayonnaise and dressings’. Per serving targets ranged from 118 mg for ‘Sauce’ to 1270 mg for ‘Burgers with cured meat’. The largest difference between the current mean sodium content and corresponding target was for ‘Other salads’ and ‘Grilled Chicken’ (both –40% per 100g) and ‘Fries and potato products’ (–45% per serving), and the smallest, ‘Pizza with cured meat toppings’ (–3% per 100 g) and ‘Pies, tarts, sausage rolls and quiches’ (–4% per serving). The results indicate the display of nutrition information should be mandated and there is considerable room for sodium reduction in NZ fast foods. The methods described provide a model for other countries to develop country-specific, fast-food sodium reduction targets.
The Atrato River as a Bearer and Co-creator of Rights: Unveiling Black People’s Legal Mobilization Processes in Colombia
Authors: González-Serrano María Ximena
Published: September 2024

In 2016, Colombia’s Constitutional Court recognized the Atrato River as the first water body in Latin America to have its own rights. This article interrogates the historical roots of the judicial decision declaring the river a rights holder. Drawing on my long-term engagement with social organizations as an activist, lawyer, and then researcher, I illuminate the influence of Black people from the Atrato River in the transformation of law in at least three areas: ethnic territorial rights, transitional justice, and river rights. To do so, I combine interdisciplinary theoretical critique with socio-legal research using community-based and autoethnographic approaches to trace the community methods and historical practices of political contestation deployed along the rivers. Thus, I conceptualize how an organic and distinctive style of claiming and creating rights has been constructed in the basin. Moreover, by listening to the voices of the riverine representatives, I argue that the river is a nonhuman existence that has participated in the processes of rights-making in conjunction with local communities and a broader mosaic of allied actors. However, I also outline how legal systems still function to overlook crucial socio-legal claims of marginalized and resistant communities.
Italy between liberalism and democracy: universal suffrage and the 1913 elections
Authors: Adinolfi Goffredo
Published: September 2024

In 1912, the Italian parliament approved the extension of male suffrage, making it ‘almost’ universal. This process of revising representation transformed the very idea of the relationship between citizens and the state and shaped a profoundly different Italy. The aim of this article is to trace both the process leading to the approval of universal suffrage and its impact on the party system. With a compilation and analysis of data developed from scratch for the elections of 1909 and 1913, it was possible to analyse the main dimensions of the two rounds in a disaggregated manner. Three aspects make 1913 a year of transition. First, the degree of competition in the electoral process, especially in the South, increased considerably. Second, the decline of liberal formations was not transformed into defeat, thanks only to the Catholic vote. Third, the birth of the Popular Party and the failure to create a mass party of conservatives were causes of the imbalance in the party structure.
Two terms of endearment? Incumbent-party performance in US presidential elections
Authors: Kane John V.
Published: September 2024

Presidential elections are arguably the most consequential recurring political event in the United States. Understanding the factors that determine their outcomes, therefore, is of substantial importance. One proposed factor pertains to presidential candidates' incumbency status, yet its nature is complex and difficult to study with observational data. In particular, the individual-level mechanisms underlying incumbency effects remain unclear. This study proposes many citizens generally believe that, ceteris paribus, presidents should be afforded two terms. Crucially, such a norm implies that incumbency status possesses an inherent effect, operating independent of other mechanisms that may stem from incumbency. A large, pre-registered survey experiment was therefore employed to isolate the effect of incumbency status on presidential vote choice. The experiment finds strong evidence that one-term incumbent candidates have an inherent advantage against their non-incumbent opponents. The results also clarify that the two-term disadvantage present in observational data is not inherent, and is perhaps better understood simply as the absence of the one-term advantage. The study thus points toward a micro-foundational mechanism underlying incumbent-party performance in presidential elections. Finally, analyses of panel data explore which voters may be systematically inclined to vote based upon the incumbency status of presidential candidates.
Blessed are the Pure of Heart
Authors: Frances S. M.
Published: September 2024

ALL those who would re-enter Paradise must first be tried by fire’, says St Ambrose. Thus the soul which aspires to the earthly Paradise of union with God in contemplation must necessarily be purified, for only the pure of heart can see God. Thus purification both of the senses and of the mind, says Père Garrigou-Lagrange, is caused by a special breathing of the Holy Spirit whose working here becomes manifest in the Gifts of knowledge, Filial Fear and Fortitude for the purification of the senses, and the Gift of Understanding for the purification of the mind.

Knowledge shows experimentally the nothingness of creatures, both within and outside ourselves. It differs from Wisdom in that we see created things in their proximate cause (i.e., failures and imperfections) and not in the Supreme Cause. This Knowledge of the nothingness of created things is meant to lead us to the desire of God alone.

Filial Fear is the Gift which inspires the soul with the fear of being unfaithful, and in spite of the sensitive nature being greatly depressed, weak and sluggish in good works by reason of the lack of attraction, the spirit is ready and strong.