bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women Were Created with the Exact Same Spiritual and Intellectual Capacity as Men, So of Course They Can Lead
Authors: El-Ali Leena
Published: December 2021

There is no justification whatsoever on a Qur’anic basis for preventing women from filling any leadership role, whether as religious leaders or imams or judges or heads of state. A large number of verses addressing men and women make it clear that both bear equal responsibility for building their societies. Moreover many Qur’anic verses addressing women’s issues came as a response to one or more woman’s activism at the time. Objectors to women’s leadership usually push back against women’s advancement primarily by citing supposed hadith denouncing women as such, and on some topics they appear to be virtually grasping at straws. A particularly strange yet common objection claims that the Prophet had said that no nation that entrusts its affairs to a woman can succeed, yet the historical evidence from his time and medieval jurist support for women as leaders tell a different story.
When Men Deprive Women of Their Free Will, They Are Not Protecting Anyone: They Are Obstructing God’s Plan
Authors: El-Ali Leena
Published: December 2021

If women cannot make their own decisions, what is God to judge them on? Women will certainly get no credit for a “good deed” that is forced upon them, much less grow spiritually from it, any more than they will for or from any good their menfolk do. As the Qur’an never tires of telling us, every single soul—whether male or female—will ultimately face God individually. Yet once again, faux-hadith arguments denigrating women’s moral nature and intellectual capacity are deployed to justify restricting women’s freedoms, including an eye-popping one placed in the Prophet’s mouth that makes a wife’s access to heaven essentially dependent on being in her husband’s good graces. What if he is a despicable fellow?
Digitale Souveränität: Soziotechnische Bewertung und Gestaltung von Anwendungen algorithmischer Systeme
Authors: Hartmann Ernst A.
Published: December 2021

Digitale Souveränität ist eng verbunden mit der Handlungsfähigkeit von Individuen und Organisationen. Auf der Ebene des Individuums können handlungs- und kontrolltheoretische Konzepte zu einer genaueren Beschreibung und Operationalisierung digitaler Souveränität beitragen. Auf der Ebene von Arbeitssystemen stehen seit Jahrzehnten erprobte Verfahren zur Bewertung und Gestaltung zur Verfügung. Aufbauend auf diesen methodisch-theoretischen Grundlagen wird ein Konzept für die soziotechnische Bewertung von Anwendungen algorithmischer Systeme – insbesondere auf Künstlicher Intelligenz basierter Systeme – in der Arbeitswelt vorgestellt. Die Potenziale dieses Konzepts für die Auditierung und Zertifizierung solcher Anwendungen, in Kooperation mit den anwendenden Unternehmen, werden diskutiert.
Wem gehören die Daten? Vertragliche Regelungen, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen bei der Nutzung datenbasierter Produkte
Authors: Froese Julia , Straub Sebastian
Published: December 2021

Dieser Beitrag nimmt die Geschäftsbeziehung zwischen Hersteller und Nutzer einer Maschine in den Blick und zeigt auf, welche Aspekte in Bezug auf die Daten, die bei der Nutzung der Maschine entstehen, vertraglich geregelt werden sollten. Aufbauend auf einer Einordnung der Thematik sowie einer kurzen Darstellung der gegenwärtigen (Rechts-)Lage werden anhand eines konkreten Fallbeispiels aus dem Werkzeugmaschinenbau die einzelnen Regelungsgegenstände, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Vertragsgestaltung aufgezeigt.
Digitalisierung im Werkzeug- und Formenbau als neue Wunderwaffe bei der Herstellung von Produkten!/?/!
Authors: Seul Thomas , Diehr Fabian
Published: December 2021

Prozesse verlieren zunehmend ihre Grenzschärfe. Sie überlagern und verzahnen sich – von der Produktidee bis zur Serienfertigung ist die Expertise des Werkzeugmachers gefragt. Digitalisierung und Produktion sind dabei die beherrschenden Themen. Doch gilt es hier, die vielen Worthülsen greifbar zu machen. Gerade für die kleinen Betriebe in Deutschland ist es wichtig, ohne Vorbehalte die ersten Schritte tun zu können. Denn die Umbrüche in unserer Branche machen nicht vor dem 10-Mann-Betrieb halt, auch wenn es diesen bereits in dritter Generation gibt … Wir müssen uns vielmehr der Effizienzforderung und der damit einhergehenden Vernetzung der Fertigungstechnik und der Logistik stellen! Wesentlich dabei ist, stets den Bezug zur Praxis aufzuzeigen. Die Werkzeugmacher-Branche in Deutschland lebt nämlich von den vielen kleinen „Hidden Champions“, die „Hands on“-Innovationen schaffen. Doch gerade hier kann Industrie 4.0 und Digitalisierung von Betrieb zu Betrieb ganz anders aussehen. Die einen beginnen mit Insellösungen, um diese sukzessive „aufzubohren“, die anderen streben nach der durchgängigen Komplettlösung. Allesamt vereint sie, dass man sich den Herausforderungen der „vierten industriellen Revolution“ stellen möchte, um weiterhin Spitzenreiter bei Qualität, Performance und Präzision zu sein.
Konzept zur zielgerichteten Kompetenzentwicklung für Initiativen des Maschinellen Lernens
Authors: Panusch Thorben , Büscher Jan , Wöstmann René , Deuse Jochen
Published: December 2021

Durch die fortschreitende Digitalisierung und Automatisierung sind Unternehmen einem stetigen Transformationsprozess ausgesetzt. Dadurch entfallen alte Berufsbilder und gleichzeitig entstehen völlig neue Berufe mit veränderlichen und digitalen Kompetenzanforderungen. Um zu verhindern, dass der technologische Wandel mit einem Talentmangel, Massenarbeitslosigkeit und wachsender Ungleichheit einhergeht, müssen Unternehmen eine aktive Rolle bei der Unterstützung ihrer bestehenden Belegschaft durch Weiterbildung und Höherqualifizierung übernehmen. Dies ist besonders wichtig, da es einen positiven Kreislauf zwischen neuen Technologien und Weiterbildungen gibt. Die Einführung neuer Technologien fördert das Unternehmenswachstum, die Schaffung neuer Arbeitsplätze und den Ausbau bestehender Arbeitsplätze. Voraussetzung dafür ist, dass Mitarbeiter durch kontinuierliche Umschulung und Weiterbildung mit zukunftssicheren Fähigkeiten ausgestattet sind, um neue Chancen wahrzunehmen. Hierzu zählen besonders Kompetenzen im Bereich des Maschinellen Lernens (ML), das bisher ungeahnte Potenziale zur Wissensgewinnung eröffnet und so einen entscheidenden Erfolgsfaktor für Unternehmen bilden kann. Der Aufbau von digitalen Kompetenzen stellt jedoch für Unternehmen eine signifikante Herausforderung dar, besonders für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen. Oft fehlen für Weiterbildungen die zeitlichen und finanziellen Freiräume oder das notwendige Know-how. Zudem ist der Weiterbildungsmarkt äußerst unübersichtlich, was die Identifikation geeigneter Weiterbildungen erschwert. Um diese Problematik zu adressieren, wird in diesem Beitrag ein Konzept vorgestellt, das Unternehmen unterstützen soll, geeignete Maßnahmen zum zielgerichteten Aufbau von ML-Kompetenzen abzuleiten. Dies eröffnet Unternehmen einen Überblick über erforderliche Kompetenzen und Rollen, die mit den vorhandenen Kompetenzen im Unternehmen abgeglichen werden können. Ferner werden aktuelle Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten vorgestellt, auf deren Grundlage ein Schulungskatalog aufgebaut wird. Dieser erlaubt es, die identifizierten Kompetenzlücken mit geeigneten Weiterbildungen zu adressieren.
Quality of life, infection control, and complication rates using a novel custom-made articulating hip spacer during two-stage revision for periprosthetic joint infection
Authors: Lunz Andre , Omlor Georg W. , Schmidt Gunter , Moradi Babak , Lehner Burkhard , Streit Marcus R.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Two-stage revision remains the gold standard treatment for most chronically infected and complex total hip arthroplasty infections. To improve patient outcome and reduce complication rates, we have developed a novel custom-made articulating hip spacer technique and present our short-term results.

Materials and methods

Between November 2017 and November 2019, 27 patients (mean age 70 years) underwent two-stage revision for periprosthetic joint infection of the hip using the articulating spacer design described here. We retrospectively analyzed spacer-related complications as well as rates for complication, infection control, and implant survivorship after final reimplantation. Furthermore, we prospectively collected patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores prior to spacer implantation, with the spacer and after reimplantation of the new prosthesis.

Results

An additional round of spacer exchange was performed in two patients (8.3%), persistent wound discharge was the reason in both cases. We had one (4.2%) spacer-related mechanical complication, a dislocation that was treated with closed reduction. After reimplantation, infection control was achieved in 96% with an implant survivorship of 92% after a mean follow-up time of 19 (range 7–32, SD 7.2) months. While the scores for VR-12 MCS, VAS hip pain and patient-reported overall satisfaction significantly improved after first stage surgery, the scores for WOMAC, UCLA and VR-12 PCS significantly improved after second stage surgery.

Conclusions

Our two-stage approach for periprosthetic joint infection shows high infection eradication and implant survivorship rates at short-term follow-up. Spacer-related complication rates were low, and we achieved high patient satisfaction rates and low pain levels already during the spacer period. To further simplify comparison between different spacer designs, we propose a new hip spacer classification system.
Collaborative research as boundary work: learning between rice growers and conservation professionals to support habitat conservation on private lands
Authors: Hardie Hale Erin , Jadallah Christopher C. , Ballard Heidi L.
Published: December 2021

Multi-stakeholder initiatives for biodiversity conservation on working landscapes often necessitate strategies to facilitate learning in order to foster successful collaboration. To investigate the learning processes that both undergird and result from collaborative efforts, this case study employs the concept of boundary work as a lens to examine learning between rice growers and conservation professionals in California’s Central Valley, who were engaged in a collaborative research project focused on migratory bird conservation. Through analysis of workshop observations, project documents, and interviews with rice growers and conservation professionals, we identified five distinct factors of the collaborative research process that influenced learning amongst these two groups: having mutually beneficial goals, sharing ownership of the collaborative research process, building trust, integrating knowledge, and institutional alignment. We also examined and identified learning outcomes for both rice growers and conservation professionals, which included new knowledge of the social-ecological system, new practices around farming and collaboration, and shifting identities. Our findings suggest that applying these factors and outcomes for learning when structuring collaborative research, and other multi-stakeholder initiatives, can foster learning amongst diverse stakeholder groups to support new approaches for balancing resource use and adaptive management.
Investigating into the dual role of loan loss reserves in banking production process
Authors: Fukuyama Hirofumi , Tan Yong
Published: December 2021

This paper considers the use of loan loss reserves (LLRs) in the banking production process and treats it as one variable with a dual role. We establish a three-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis model to address this issue. Using a sample of 43 Chinese commercial banks over the period 2011–2019, the results show that the banks with the ratio between LLRs and total loans less than 1% have higher level of efficiency compared to the ones holding the ratio greater than 1%. The results show that when excluding LLRs in the production process, the efficiency scores are significantly inflated. We find that small and medium sized banks are more efficient than their big counterparts, however, the results show that big banks hold more than enough amounts of LLRs than the one required by the regulatory authority. When LLRs are excluded from the production process, it shows that big banks perform better than small and medium sized banks. Our findings show that less liquid banks perform better than the ones with higher levels of liquidity no matter in which way LLRs are treated. Finally, we find that lower capitalized banks, compared to the ones with high levels of capitalization, are less efficient. however, it shows that higher capitalized banks consistently keep more than 1% LLRs out of total loans.
Stage-t scenario dominance for risk-averse multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programs
Authors: Büyüktahtakın İ. Esra
Published: December 2021

This paper presents a new and general approach, named “Stage-t Scenario Dominance,” to solve the risk-averse multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programs (M-SMIPs). Given a monotonic objective function, our method derives a partial ordering of scenarios by pairwise comparing the realization of uncertain parameters at each time stage under each scenario. Specifically, we derive bounds and implications from the “Stage-t Scenario Dominance” by using the partial ordering of scenarios and solving a subset of individual scenario sub-problems up to stage t. Using these inferences, we generate new cutting planes to tackle the computational difficulty of risk-averse M-SMIPs. We also derive results on the minimum number of scenario-dominance relations generated. We demonstrate the use of this methodology on a stochastic version of the mean-conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) dynamic knapsack problem. Our computational experiments address those instances that have uncertainty, which correspond to the objective, left-hand side, and right-hand side parameters. Computational results show that our “scenario dominance"-based method can reduce the solution time for mean-risk, stochastic, multi-stage, and multi-dimensional knapsack problems with both integer and continuous variables, whose structure is similar to the mean-risk M-SMIPs, with varying risk characteristics by one-to-two orders of magnitude for varying numbers of random variables in each stage. Computational results also demonstrate that strong dominance cuts perform well for those instances with ten random variables in each stage, and ninety random variables in total. The proposed scenario dominance framework is general and can be applied to a wide range of risk-averse and risk-neutral M-SMIP problems.
Creep of particle and short fibre reinforced polyurethane rubber
Authors: Cui Yi , Clyne Trevor William
Published: December 2021

Tensile stress–strain testing and creep testing have been carried out on a polyurethane rubber, at three temperatures, with and without either particulate or short fibre alumina reinforcement. A previous paper reported concerning composites with particulate reinforcement and the present work is focused on the effect of the fibres. The samples were made via a blending and extrusion process that produced a certain degree of fibre alignment (along the direction of loading). Prior milling procedures were used to produce fibres with two different ranges of aspect ratio (with averages about 10 and 16). When expressed as true stress–strain relationships, all materials exhibit approximately linear responses. The dependence of stiffness on the volume fraction and aspect ratio of the reinforcement was found to conform well to the Eshelby model predictions. Moreover, the creep behaviour of all of the materials can be captured well by a Miller–Norton formulation, using the average matrix stress predicted by the Eshelby model. A striking conclusion is that it is both predicted and observed that short fibres are much more effective in reducing the creep rate than is the case with particles.
Impact of deep learning reconstruction on intracranial 1.5 T magnetic resonance angiography
Authors: Yasaka Koichiro , Akai Hiroyuki , Sugawara Haruto , Tajima Taku , Akahane Masaaki , Yoshioka Naoki , Kabasawa Hiroyuki , Miyo Rintaro , Ohtomo Kuni , Abe Osamu , Kiryu Shigeru
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether deep learning reconstruction (DLR) improves the image quality of intracranial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) at 1.5 T.

Materials and methods

In this retrospective study, MRA images of 40 patients (21 males and 19 females; mean age, 65.8 ± 13.2 years) were reconstructed with and without the DLR technique (DLR image and non-DLR image, respectively). Quantitative image analysis was performed by placing regions of interest on the basilar artery and cerebrospinal fluid in the prepontine cistern. We calculated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for analyses of the basilar artery. Two experienced radiologists evaluated the depiction of structures (the right internal carotid artery, right ophthalmic artery, basilar artery, and right superior cerebellar artery), artifacts, subjective noise and overall image quality in a qualitative image analysis. Scores were compared in the quantitative and qualitative image analyses between the DLR and non-DLR images using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Results

The SNR and CNR for the basilar artery were significantly higher for the DLR images than for the non-DLR images (p < 0.001). Qualitative image analysis scores (p < 0.003 and p < 0.005 for readers 1 and 2, respectively), excluding those for artifacts (p = 0.072–0.565), were also significantly higher for the DLR images than for the non-DLR images.

Conclusion

DLR enables the production of higher quality 1.5 T intracranial MRA images with improved visualization of arteries.
Bridge over troubled water: managing compatibility and conflict among thought collectives in sustainability science
Authors: Soininen Niko , Raymond Christopher M. , Tuomisto Hanna , Ruotsalainen Laura , Thorén Henrik , Horcea-Milcu Andra-Ioana , Stojanovic Milutin , Lehtinen Sanna , Mazac Rachel , Lamuela Carlos , Korpelainen Noora , Vainio Annukka , Toivanen Reetta , McPhearson Timon , Nagatsu Michiru
Published: December 2021

Sustainability transformations call forth new forms and systems of knowledge across society. However, few tools and processes exist for promoting dialogue among different interests and normative stances in knowledge co-creation. In this article, we build on the notion of thought collectives to argue that understanding and moderating normative tensions are necessary if sustainability science is to provide successful solutions. Drawing on an analysis of the normative tensions between rival high-tech and low-tech thought collectives in the mobility and food production sectors, we discuss three strategic approaches: applying common evaluative frameworks, building contextual convergence and embracing complexity. We argue that these strategies indicate a need to distinguish different kinds of reflexivity in managing tensions among thought collectives. As a practical conclusion, we establish sets of reflexive questions to help sustainability scientists deploy the knowledge management strategies discussed.
The Role of Ablative Radiotherapy to Liver Oligometastases from Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ku Eric , Yeakel John , Gan Meng , Ahmed Faisal , Harris Jeremy P. , Kuo Jeffrey V. , Wolf Ronald , Fernando Dayantha M. , Seyedin Steven N.
Published: December 2021

Purpose of Review

This review describes recent data supporting locoregional ablative radiation in the treatment of oligometastatic colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Recent Findings

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) demonstrates high rates of local control in colorectal cancer liver metastases when a biologically equivalent dose of > 100 Gy is delivered. Future innovations to improve the efficacy of SBRT include MRI-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) to enhance target accuracy, systemic immune activation to treat extrahepatic disease, and genomic customization. Selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) with y-90 is an intra-arterial therapy that delivers high doses to liver metastases internally which has shown to increase liver disease control in phase 3 trials. Advancements in transarterial radioembolization (TARE) dosimetry could improve local control and decrease toxicity.

SBRT and SIRT are both promising options in treating unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer liver metastases. Identification of oligometastatic patients who receive long-term disease control from either therapy is essential. Future advancements focusing on improving radiation design and customization could further improve efficacy and toxicity.
First Eugereonidae (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera) from the Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous) of the Piesberg site near Osnabrück, Germany
Authors: Brauckmann Carsten , Herd Karl Josef , Leipner Angelika
Published: December 2021

Sandiella herbigi sp. nov. is the first record of the family Eugereonidae Handlirsch, 1906 (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera) in the Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous: Westphalian D) sequence of the Piesberg quarry near Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is represented by a single fragment of a mesothoracic wing with the typical coarse reticulation in this family. The species is mainly characterized by the following features: (i) the shape of the mesothoracic wing is extremely narrow, (ii) the posterior subcostal vein is ending before the wing apex, (iii) all the main veins show a typical bend close to the posterior margin. The new wing is the second most ancient record of the Eugereonidae.
Pot Song as a Novel Cancer Communication Intervention: Lessons Learned from Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Culturally Grounded Intervention for Breast Cancer Education in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Raisa Aantaki , Roberto Anthony J. , Love Richard R. , Steiness Heather L. Story , Salim Reza , Krieger Janice L.
Published: December 2021

Targeted public education may offer an approach to achieving more effective treatment in countries like Bangladesh, where breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women. Effective cancer education interventions address the target population’s cultural and contextual needs. However, there is little published literature to guide the development of educational cancer interventions in a region where lack of resources combined with cultural stigma about cancer contribute to poor breast health outcomes for women. The goal of the current study was to design, test, and evaluate a culturally grounded intervention to promote breast problem care among women in rural Bangladesh. The current manuscript first describes the process of formative evaluation that led to the development of the intervention, including decisions about the audience, message construction, and mode of intervention delivery. Second, we describe the testing process, including process and outcome evaluation. Finally, we describe the lessons learned from the process. We conclude with recommendations related to cultural grounding for message development, questionnaire design, data collection procedures, and analysis.
Cloning, expression, purification and characterization of chitin deacetylase extremozyme from halophilic Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22
Authors: Pawaskar Goutam Mohan , Raval Keyur , Rohit Prathibha , Shenoy Revathi P. , Raval Ritu
Published: December 2021

Chitin deacetylase (CDA) (EC 3.5.1.41) is a hydrolytic enzyme that belongs to carbohydrate esterase family 4 as per the CAZY database. The CDA enzyme deacetylates chitin into chitosan. As the marine ecosystem is a rich source of chitin, it would also hold the unexplored extremophiles. In this study, an organism was isolated from 40 m sea sediment under halophilic condition and identified as Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22 by 16S rRNA sequencing. The CDA gene from the isolate was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli Rosetta pLysS and purified using a Ni–NTA affinity chromatography. The enzyme was found active on both ethylene glycol chitin (EGC) and chitooligosaccharides (COS). The enzyme characterization study revealed, maximum enzyme velocity at one hour, optimum pH at 7 with 50 mM Tris–HCl buffer, optimum reaction temperature of 30 ºC in standard assay conditions. The co-factor screening affirmed enhancement in the enzyme activity by 142.43 ± 7.13% and 146.88 ± 4.09% with substrate EGC and COS, respectively, in the presence of 2 mM Mg2+. This activity was decreased with the inclusion of EDTA and acetate in the assay solutions. The enzyme was found to be halotolerant; the relative activity increased to 116.98 ± 3.87% and 118.70 ± 0.98% with EGC and COS as substrates in the presence of 1 M NaCl. The enzyme also demonstrated thermo-stability, retaining 87.27 ± 2.85% and 94.08 ± 0.92% activity with substrate EGC and COS, respectively, upon treatment at 50 ºC for 24 h. The kinetic parameters Km, Vmax, and Kcat were 3.06E−05 µg mL−1, 3.06E + 01 µM mg−1 min−1 and 3.27E + 04 s−1, respectively, with EGC as the substrate and 7.14E−07 µg mL−1, 7.14E + 01 µM mg−1 min−1 and 1.40E + 06 s−1, respectively, with COS as the substrate. The enzyme was found to be following Michaelis–Menten kinetics with both the polymeric and oligomeric substrates. In recent years, enzymatic conversion of chitosan is gaining importance due to its known pattern of deacetylation and reproducibility. Thus, this BaCDA extremozyme could be used for industrial production of chitosan polymer as well as chitosan oligosaccharides for biomedical application.
Conceptualising A Role for The Common Law in Environmental Protection in Singapore
Authors: Chng Kenny
Published: December 2021

In Singapore, the key institutions driving environmental protection are the legislature and the executive. The judiciary's role in environmental protection has thus far been relatively minor. By drawing upon environmental law theory and comparative analysis of other common law jurisdictions, this article explores avenues through which the common law can be engaged more meaningfully to further environmental protection in Singapore. A conceptualisation of environmental law as directed at furthering the rule of law by promoting carefully-considered and participatory environmental governance will be suggested as a fruitful way forward for thinking about the role of the common law in environmental protection. Drawing upon this theory, as well as the experience of other common law jurisdictions, the article proposes a set of concrete steps by which greater common law engagement with environmental protection in Singapore can be achieved.
1970s Drought, State Crisis, and Opportunities for Transnational River Development in the Senegal Basin
Authors: Wall Rebecca E.
Published: December 2021

During the early 1970s, the Sahel suffered from drought and famine. Previous research has emphasized how these factors weakened West African states. The drought, however, provided an opportunity for a transnational river organization in the Senegal River basin (the OMVS) to obtain financing for an integrated development program. Wall shows how the OMVS leveraged concern about famine to obtain funding. She uses digital text analysis to demonstrate institutional priorities shifting to focus on agriculture. This combination of document analysis with digital methods demonstrates how famine strengthened a multi-state organization, requiring a revision of how this event affected African political capacity.
Genetic variability of the HPV16 early genes and LCR. Present and future perspectives
Authors: Bletsa G. , Zagouri F. , Amoutzias G. D. , Nikolaidis M. , Zografos E. , Markoulatos P. , Tsakogiannis D.
Published: December 2021

Human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) infection is the aetiologic factor for the development of cervical dysplasia and is regarded as highly carcinogen, because it is implicated in more than 50% of cervical cancer cases, worldwide. The tumourigenic potential of HPV16 has triggered the extensive sequence analysis of viral genome in order to identify nucleotide variations and amino acid substitutions that influence viral oncogenicity and subsequently the initiation and progression of cervical cancer. Nowadays, specific mutations of HPV16 DNA have been associated with an increased risk of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) development, including
E6
: Q14H, H78Y, L83V,
Ε7
: N29S, S63F,
E2
: H35Q, P219S, T310K,
E5
: I65V, whereas highly conserved regions of viral DNA have been extensively characterised. In addition, numerous novel HPV16 mutations are observed among the studied populations from various geographic regions, hence advocating that different HPV16 strains seem to emerge with different tumourigenic capacities. The present review focuses on the variability of the early genes and the long control region, emphasising on the association of specific mutations with the development of severe dysplasia. Finally, it evaluates whether specific regions of HPV16 DNA are able to serve as valuable biomarkers for cervical cancer risk.
Arquile Varieties – Varieties Consisting of Power Series in a Single Variable
Authors: Hauser Herwig , Woblistin Sebastian
Published: December 2021

Spaces of power series solutions

$y(\mathrm {t})$

in one variable

$\mathrm {t}$

of systems of polynomial, algebraic, analytic or formal equations

$f(\mathrm {t},\mathrm {y})=0$

can be viewed as ‘infinite-dimensional’ varieties over the ground field

$\mathbf {k}$

as well as ‘finite-dimensional’ schemes over the power series ring

$\mathbf {k}[[\mathrm {t}]]$

. We propose to call these solution spaces arquile varieties, as an enhancement of the concept of arc spaces. It will be proven that arquile varieties admit a natural stratification

${\mathcal Y}=\bigsqcup {\mathcal Y}_d$

,

$d\in {\mathbb N}$

, such that each stratum

${\mathcal Y}_d$

is isomorphic to a Cartesian product

${\mathcal Z}_d\times \mathbb A^{\infty }_{\mathbf {k}}$

of a finite-dimensional, possibly singular variety

${\mathcal Z}_d$

over

$\mathbf {k}$

with an affine space

$\mathbb A^{\infty }_{\mathbf {k}}$

of infinite dimension. This shows that the singularities of the solution space of

$f(\mathrm {t},\mathrm {y})=0$

are confined, up to the stratification, to the finite-dimensional part.

Our results are established simultaneously for algebraic, convergent and formal power series, as well as convergent power series with prescribed radius of convergence. The key technical tool is a linearisation theorem, already used implicitly by Greenberg and Artin, showing that analytic maps between power series spaces can be essentially linearised by automorphisms of the source space.

Instead of stratifying arquile varieties, one may alternatively consider formal neighbourhoods of their regular points and reprove with similar methods the Grinberg–Kazhdan–Drinfeld factorisation theorem for arc spaces in the classical setting and in the more general setting.
The legislature as political control: change and continuity in Cameroon's National Assembly (1973–2019)
Authors: Morse Yonatan L.
Published: December 2021

abstract

A growing literature has begun to more closely examine African legislatures. However, most of this research has been attentive to emerging democratic settings, and particularly the experiences of a select number of English-speaking countries. By contrast, Cameroon is a Francophone majority country that reintroduced multiparty politics in the early 1990s but continues to exhibit significant authoritarian tendencies. This article provides a longitudinal analysis of Cameroon's National Assembly and builds on a unique biographical dataset of over 900 members of parliament between 1973 and 2019. The article describes changes in the structure and orientation of the legislature as well as the social profile of its members, in particular following the transition to multipartyism. While the legislature in Cameroon remains primarily a tool of political control, it is more dynamic, and the mechanisms used to manage elites within the context of complex multiethnic politics have evolved.
How should conservation be professionalized?
Authors: Appleton Michael R. , Barborak James R. , Daltry Jennifer C. , Long Barney , O'Connell Mark , Owen Nisha R. , Singh Rohit , Sparkes Emily , Sterling Eleanor J. , Valencia Lina M.
Published: December 2021

Meeting the complex demands of conservation requires a multi-skilled workforce operating in a sector that is respected and supported. Although professionalization of conservation is widely seen as desirable, there is no consistent understanding of what that entails. Here, we review whether and how eight elements of professionalization observed in other sectors are applicable to conservation: (1) a defined and respected occupation; (2) official recognition; (3) knowledge, learning, competences and standards; (4) paid employment; (5) codes of conduct and ethics; (6) individual commitment; (7) organizational capacity; and (8) professional associations. Despite significant achievements in many of these areas, overall progress is patchy, and conventional concepts of professionalization are not always a good fit for conservation. Reasons for this include the multidisciplinary nature of conservation work, the disproportionate influence of elite groups on the development and direction of the profession, and under-representation of field practitioners and of Indigenous peoples and local communities with professional-equivalent skills. We propose a more inclusive approach to professionalization that reflects the full range of practitioners in the sector and the need for increased recognition in countries and regions of high biodiversity. We offer a new definition that characterizes conservation professionals as practitioners who act as essential links between conservation action and conservation knowledge and policy, and provide seven recommendations for building a more effective, inclusive and representative profession.
Damasiphrōn Khrusos: Act, Implement and Tekhnē in Pindar
Authors: Dickson Keith M.
Published: December 2021

— And so, I said, the art of medicine does not look to the advantage of medicine but rather to that of the body.

— Yes, he answered.

— Neither does horsemanship look to benefit itself but rather horses.

Nor does any other art look to its own advantage, for it has no need to, but instead that of its object.

(Plato,Republic342c.1-6)

Few things emerge more clearly from Pindar, despite the praise of successful human action to which the odes are devoted and from which their occasion is drawn, than the utter contingency of that success. Ultimately this results from a flaw that is inscribed aboriginally in the nature of human being. However common in source the race of gods and that of men may be, they are split along a primordial rift indunamis(‘power’, ‘capacity’) that grounds all other inequalities between them (Nem.6.1-4). It is in the practical realm of desire, aim, will and action that the consequences of this rift become especially evident. On one side, divine action orpraxisencompasses the fulfilment of every aim — ‘the goal of every act is in your power’ (Nem.10.29f.; cf.Ol.13.104f.) — since the god's powers are sufficient to achieve whatever hiselpis(‘hope’) aspires to (Pyth.2.49). This is because for the god there is a virtual equivalence ofdunamisto desire: no distance intervenes between the inner movements that are his desire and will and their perfect accomplishment in and as reality. Divine causality is such that through its workings desire enjoys swift translation into act — ‘swift is thepraxisof gods once moved to act, short the pathways’ (Pyth.9.67f.) — and act into desire's flawless actualization. The full range of the god'sdunamisin fact surpasses even credibility (cf.Pyth.10.48-50), imagination and hope, making fulfilment of desire a ‘light achievement’ (Ol.13.83).
Inverse scattering transforms for non-local reverse-space matrix non-linear Schrödinger equations
Authors: MA WEN-XIU , HUANG YEHUI , WANG FUDONG
Published: December 2021

The aim of the paper is to explore non-local reverse-space matrix non-linear Schrödinger equations and their inverse scattering transforms. Riemann–Hilbert problems are formulated to analyse the inverse scattering problems, and the Sokhotski–Plemelj formula is used to determine Gelfand–Levitan–Marchenko-type integral equations for generalised matrix Jost solutions. Soliton solutions are constructed through the reflectionless transforms associated with poles of the Riemann–Hilbert problems.
The great diversity in kinds of seed dormancy: a revision of the Nikolaeva–Baskin classification system for primary seed dormancy
Authors: Baskin Jerry M. , Baskin Carol C.
Published: December 2021

This review provides a revised and expanded word-formula system of whole-seed primary dormancy classification that integrates the scheme of Nikolaeva with that of Baskin and Baskin. Notable changes include the following. (1) The number of named tiers (layers) in the classification hierarchy is increased from three to seven. (2) Formulae are provided for the known kinds of dormancy. (3) Seven subclasses of class morphological dormancy are designated: ‘dust seeds’ of mycoheterotrophs, holoparasites and autotrophs; diaspores of palms; and seeds with cryptogeal germination are new to the system. (4) Level non-deep physiological dormancy (PD) has been divided into two sublevels, each containing three types, and Type 6 is new to the system. (5) Subclass epicotyl PD with two levels, each with three types, has been added to class PD. (6) Level deep (regular) PD is divided into two types. (7) The simple and complex levels of class morphophysiological dormancy (MPD) have been expanded to 12 subclasses, 24 levels and 16 types. (8) Level non-deep simple epicotyl MPD with four types is added to the system. (9) Level deep simple regular epicotyl MPD is divided into four types. (10) Level deep simple double MPD is divided into two types. (11) Seeds with a water-impermeable seed coat in which the embryo-haustorium grows after germination (Canna) has been added to the class combinational dormancy. The hierarchical division of primary seed dormancy into many distinct categories highlights its great diversity and complexity at the whole-seed level, which can be expressed most accurately by dormancy formulae.
Peripeteia
Authors: Jakovljević Branislav , Looser Diana
Published: December 2021

How can performance help us to think about the problem of climate change and its integral relationships to social and political frameworks? What directions do societies and arts need to take in order to forge different futures? Reflections on the proposals put forward in this installment of the special issue on Peripeteia raise questions toward further conversation.
Cruel Optimism, Ironic Pessimism, Poetic Terrorism
Authors: Van Assche Annelies
Published: December 2021

Meyoucycle(2016) was the eagerly awaited result of a collaboration between choreographer Eleanor Bauer and composer Chris Peck. The characters of this dance and song–cycle have developed tactics to withstand the exploitative demands of neoliberal semiocapitalism; the creative team deployed performative and dramaturgical tactics for the same purpose.
Suzanne Lacy between Kaprow and Chicago
Authors: Jones Amelia
Published: December 2021

Social practice and dematerialization are often cited as the most radical innovations in Euro-American contemporary art since the late 1960s, but rarely have historians acknowledged the crucial role of experimental pedagogy in this shift of art towards performance, conceptualism, and activism. The practice of Los Angeles–based performance artist Suzanne Lacy radically extended the ideas of her teachers and mentors Allan Kaprow and Judy Chicago into revised structures of artmaking towards activist social practice performances driven by conceptual, political, and embodied concerns.
Eating Bananas Outside the National Museum
Authors: Krakowska Joanna
Published: December 2021

The banana protest, a mass reenactment of Consumer Art (1972), a series of photographs by Natalia LL that was removed from the National Museum in April 2019, was staged as a grassroots protest against this act of censorship and the Polish conservative government’s “decency” policy as well as the underrepresentation of women’s art in museums and galleries.
The Invention of (YouTube) Ritual and Pierre Huyghe’s Holiday
Authors: Vogt Naomi
Published: December 2021

Pierre Huyghe’sStreamside Dayshifts the boundaries between representing and producing rituals. In 2003, the artist scripted a holiday for a freshly built, suburban-style neighborhood in New York State, which he simultaneously turned into a documentary film and quasi-liturgical participatory installation. Beyond the art world, innumerable new rituals are formalizing and circulating through videos online.
Theatre’s On-Screen Persona
Authors: Kozinn Sarah
Published: December 2021

Highland Park Is Here, staged online and centering on community and community engagement, worked to build vital connections between participants and overcome the restrictions of Zoom boxes. The process revealed that when the integrity of a show’s theatre-ness is challenged by moving it online, the piece becomes a placeholder for the live event.
Poverty alleviation and state building in peripheral areas: evidence from China
Authors: Cheng Chao-Yo
Published: December 2021

The literature suggests that the distributive allocations of local public goods help politicians secure support and thus contribute to political survival. We argue that the selective assignment of state-led infrastructure projects can bolster political control in peripheral areas by inducing the government's investment in essential administrative and security apparatus for project implementation and long-term state building. Drawing on a unique county-level dataset, we study the effects of poverty alleviation transfers in Xinjiang. We find that poverty alleviation was associated with significant increases in government spending on public management and security. In contrast, these alleviation transfers had a small and ambiguous effect on increasing agricultural production and reducing ethnic violence in the province. Our findings highlight the importance of comparing the capacity and welfare implications of distributive politics, as fiscal subsidies may change the actions of the leader's local agents more than altering the behaviors and attitudes of those who may benefit from these transfers.
Introducing cover crops as fallow replacement in the Northern Great Plains: II. Impact on following wheat crops
Authors: Bourgault Maryse , Wyffels Samuel A. , Dafoe Julia M. , Lamb Peggy F. , Boss Darrin L.
Published: December 2021

The introduction of cover crops as fallow replacement in the traditional cereal-based cropping system of the Northern Great Plains has the potential to decrease soil erosion, increase water infiltration, reduce weed pressure and improve soil health. However, there are concerns this might come at the cost of reduced production in the subsequent wheat crop due to soil water use by the cover crops. To determine this risk, a phased 2-year rotation of 15 different cover crop mixtures and winter wheat/spring wheat was established at the Northern Agricultural Research Center near Havre, MT from 2012 to 2020, or four rotation cycles. Controls included fallow–wheat and barley–wheat sequences. Cover crops and barley were terminated early July by haying, grazing or herbicide application. Yields were significantly decreased in wheat following cover crops in 3 out of 8 years, up to maximum of 1.4 t ha−1 (or 60%) for winter wheat following cool-season cover crop mixtures. However, cover crops also unexpectedly increased following wheat yields in 2018, possibly due in part to residual fertilizer. Within cool-, mid- and warm-season cover crop groups, individual mixtures did not show significant differences impact on following grain yields. Similarly, cover crop termination methods had no impact on spring or winter wheat grain yields in any of the 8 years considered. Wheat grain protein concentration was not affected by cover crop mixtures or termination treatments but was decreased in winter wheat following barley. Differences in soil water content across cover crop groups were only evident at the beginning of the third cycle in one field, but important reductions were observed below 15 cm in the last rotation cycle. In-season rainfall explained 43 and 13% of the variability in winter and spring wheat yields, respectively, compared to 2 and 1% for the previous year cover crop biomass. Further economic analyses are required to determine if the integration of livestock is necessary to mitigate the risks associated with the introduction of cover crops in replacement of fallow in the Northern Great Plains.
Garnering sympathy: moral appeals and land bargaining under autocracy
Authors: Lin Wanlin
Published: December 2021

Local governments in autocracies typically undercompensate residents for their land and take it through eminent domain, while residents lack effective formal channels for bargaining with them. I find that some residents nonetheless can defend against such predation through extralegal land bargaining. By sending resistance signals to challenge the legitimacy of local governments, publicize their grievances, and garner public sympathy, such residents embarrass governments, make it likely higher-level governments will punish local governments, and spur concessions. Such signals, however, are often costly or unavailable, so onlyresistant entrepreneurscan send them. I illustrate the argument by treating ‘nail-house resistance’ in China as a resistance signal: by refusing to vacate their houses, engaging in violence or self-burning, or turning to the media, some residents stop land takings or gain compensation. The findings enrich our understanding of the political and moral economy of land bargaining and institutional change in a transitional autocracy.
Airborne Electromagnetic Signatures of an Ancient River in the Water‐Stressed Ganga Plain, Prayagraj, India: A Potential Groundwater Repository
Authors: Chandra Subash , Tiwari Virendra M. , Vidyasagar Mulavada , Raju Kattula B. , Choudhury Joy , Lohithkumar K. , Nagaiah Erugu , Chandrapuri Sateesh , Ahmed Shakeel , Verma Saurabh K.
Published: December 2021

The rapid depletion and deterioration of groundwater in the Ganga River Basin requires an effective water management plan for sustained water availability. An airborne electromagnetic study in the Ganga‐Yamuna doab, India, supplemented with drilling and logging data to address the groundwater crisis, has unraveled exhaustive aquifer information with a discovery of 45 km long buried river, having dimensions comparable to those of Ganga and Yamuna. This ancient river, likely to be extending toward the Himalaya, is characterized by a porous and permeable structures and is hydrogeologically linked with Ganga and Yamuna rivers through an underlying principal aquifer, which might hold a great promise for management of the current declining groundwater resources in the region. Interestingly, the location of this major paleoriver falls within the region where a lost mythological river was believed to be flowing in the past. The results add a new physical dimension to this belief.