bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vascular Calcification Exacerbates Abnormal Blood Pressure Variability in Chronic Kidney Disease: A “Two-Step” Study in Rats
Authors: Xiong Yuqin , Yu Yang , Huang Ke , Liao Ruoxi , Wang Liya , Zhang Zhuyun , Li Jiameng , Qin Zheng , Sun Si , Li Yupei , Su Baihai
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Vascular calcification (VC) is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with poor cardiovascular prognosis. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of VC on blood pressure variability (BPV) in animal models of CKD. Methods: Two optimal modelling methods, adenine high-phosphorus (HP) diet + calcitriol and 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) + HP diet + calcitriol, for CKD-VC were chosen from the first-step experiment for the next step. A total of 36 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the standard-chow, sham-operated, adenine, 5/6Nx, adenine-VC, and 5/6Nx-VC groups. Continuous blood pressure (BP) measurement using the BP-2000 animal noninvasive BP analyser was started at the 9th week for the standard-chow, adenine, and adenine-VC groups and at the 7th week for the sham-operated, 5/6Nx, and 5/6Nx-VC groups. BPV metrics (BPVs), including the difference between maximum and minimum values, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, average real variability, and residuals derived from the generalized linear model of BP, were calculated. Results: The first experiment showed that the use of calcitriol accelerated the progression of VC in CKD rats (the modelling period was shortened from 16 weeks to 4–8 weeks) and confirmed the occurrence of VC at weeks 8 and 6 in the adenine-VC and 5/6Nx-VC groups, respectively. In the second experiment, 13 of 20 hour-to-hour BPVs increased significantly with the development of CKD and VC. BPV differences among the standard-chow, adenine, and adenine-VC groups were mainly due to the differences between the standard-chow and adenine-VC groups (7 of 10 BPVs were significantly different), followed by the differences between the standard-chow and adenine groups (3 of 10). BPV differences among the sham-operated, 5/6Nx, and 5/6Nx-VC groups were caused by the differences between the 5/6Nx-VC and 5/6Nx groups (4 of 10) or the 5/6Nx-VC and sham-operated groups (3 of 10). Conclusion: An increased BPV is observed in CKD rats, and VC further aggravates the abnormality of BPVs independent of CKD.
Stratospheric Ozone Changes Damp the CO2-Induced Acceleration of the Brewer–Dobson Circulation
Authors: Hufnagl Leonhard , Eichinger Roland , Garny Hella , Birner Thomas , Kuchař Aleš , Jöckel Patrick , Graf Phoebe
Published: February 2023

The increase of atmospheric CO2 concentrations changes the atmospheric temperature distribution, which in turn affects the circulation. A robust circulation response to CO2 forcing is the strengthening of the stratospheric Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC), with associated consequences for transport of trace gases such as ozone. Ozone is further affected by the CO2-induced stratospheric cooling via the temperature dependency of ozone chemistry. These ozone changes in turn influence stratospheric temperatures and thereby modify the CO2-induced circulation changes. In this study, we perform dedicated model simulations to quantify the modification of the circulation response to CO2 forcing by stratospheric ozone. Specifically, we compare simulations of the atmosphere with preindustrial and with quadrupled CO2 climate conditions, in which stratospheric ozone is held fixed or is adapted to the new climate state. The results of the residual circulation and mean age of air show that ozone changes damp the CO2-induced BDC increase by up to 20%. This damping of the BDC strengthening is linked to an ozone-induced relative enhancement of the meridional temperature gradient in the lower stratosphere in summer, thereby leading to stronger stratospheric easterlies that suppress wave propagation. Additionally, we find a systematic weakening of the polar vortices in winter and spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, ozone reduces the CO2-induced delay of the final warming date by 50%.

Significance Statement

A robust circulation response to enhanced CO2 is the strengthening of the equator-to-pole circulation in the stratosphere, the so-called Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC), which affects the ozone layer by tracer transport. This in turn alters stratospheric temperatures and thereby modifies the stratospheric circulation. In the present study, we perform model experiments to quantify the ozone-induced circulation changes caused by quadrupled CO2 concentrations. The results show that ozone changes damp the CO2-induced BDC strengthening due to radiative effects of the redistributed ozone layer by enhanced CO2. These ozone modifications lead to strengthened stratospheric easterlies in summer and decelerated westerlies in winter and spring. Moreover, the ozone changes reduce the CO2-induced delay of the polar vortex break down date in the Southern Hemisphere.
How the 1999 Climate Shift Has Changed MJO Propagation Diversity
Authors: Wang Bin , Wang Tianyi
Published: February 2023

An improved understanding of how the climate mean-state variation modulates MJO property is key to comprehending projected MJO’s future change. After 1999, the Pacific shows a mega La Niña–like cooling, enhancing mean precipitation and MJO variability over the Maritime Continent and the northern Indo-Pacific warm pool. However, how the 1999 shift changed MJO propagation has not been studied. This study has detected significant changes in MJO propagation diversity across the 1999 climate shift. From epoch period 1 (P1; 1979–98) to P2 (1999–2018), the number of standing oscillation (SO) events has doubled, but the fast eastward-propagating (fast) events have decreased by 42%, the slow eastward-propagating events have increased by 150%, and the zonal extents of the MJO propagation have shifted westward by 10°–20° of longitude. The SO (fast) events are often associated with a La Niña–like (El Niño–like) mean state. Therefore, the La Niña–like mean-state change associated with the 1999 climate shift has increased the chance for more SO but fewer fast events. The La Niña–like mean-state shift has also promoted the slow-propagating events from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific (WP) by increasing moisture content, convective instability, low-level convergence, and upward transport moisture over the equatorial WP. The results imply that the future change of the MJO propagation would critically depend on how the anthropogenic forcing changes the Indo-Pacific sea surface temperature pattern, especially an El Niño–like or La Niña–like warming pattern. The existing uncertainties in projecting the Pacific warming pattern could pose a significant ambiguity in anticipating MJO’s future change.
Study on the Slant-Path Effect in the Simulation of Clear-Sky Thermal Radiance for the GK2A AMI
Authors: Lee Su Jeong , Ahn Myoung-Hwan
Published: February 2023

Taking the slanted satellite viewing geometry into account is important in the simulation of satellite radiances, which vary with the atmospheric conditions along the line of sight. As a first step to take the slanted satellite viewing geometry into account in the numerical weather prediction system operated in the Korean Meteorological Administration, the slant-path modeling is applied for the simulation of clear-sky thermal radiances of a geostationary satellite imager, the Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) on board the Geo-KOMPSAT-2A (GK2A). The observations minus simulations (O − B) and the Jacobians before and after the slant-path calculation are compared. Since most infrared channels of AMI are not sensitive to the atmosphere above the tropopause, the size of slant-path effect for AMI is overall smaller than the effect shown in the microwave sounders. Still, the slant-path modeling is found to have a noticeable effect on the three water vapor absorption channels of AMI peaking between 300 and 600 hPa, particularly at large satellite zenith angles and on the regions with high water vapor variabilities in the model field along the line of sight. On average, the slant-path interpolation reduces the standard deviation of O − B of the water vapor channels by around 2.0% on land and 1.4% over the ocean for zenith angles 40°–60°, and it also influences not only the shape and magnitude but also the height of the peak of the Jacobians. In addition, the retrieval experiment based on the optimal estimation also demonstrates the impact of this new approach in the retrieved moisture field, though the improvement is not as significant as shown in the simulation experiment.
Convection Initiation Associated with a Boundary Layer Convergence Line over a Real-World Sharp Vegetation-Contrast Area
Authors: Liu Hongjun , Meng Zhiyong , Zhu Yuning , Huang Yipeng
Published: February 2023

Convection initiation (CI) has remained a major challenge in weather forecasting worldwide. The Hetao area in North China, the location of Asia’s largest irrigation area, contains highly heterogeneous vegetation where near-surface convergence lines (boundaries) parallel to the oasis–desert border often emerge over the desert and initiate convection. This study investigated the evolution of such a boundary and its influence on the CI process where a series of cells were successively initiated along the boundary on 4 June 2013. Our results indicated that uneven surface heating across the oasis–desert border produced mesoscale thermal circulation. The westerly oasis breeze in the thermal circulation converged with the southerly background wind and formed a boundary over the desert along the high-temperature contrast line. A middle-hemisphere westerly trough further enhanced uplift and facilitated CI. Our simulation revealed that the first 30-dBZ parcels in each cell originated from either the desert side at a low level or the oasis side at a middle level, rather than from the oasis at a low level, as indicated by previous idealized studies. Southerly low-level parcels veered above the boundary and experienced a longer lifting time over the desert, while western parcels originating from the oasis experienced a shorter lifting time and smaller vertical displacement, resulting in middle-level parcels instead of low-level parcels that reached their level of free convection. Even though CI occurred over a surface boundary without a near-surface stable layer, the inflow may have originated from middle levels rather than in contact with the surface.

Significance Statement

The purpose of this study is to understand the evolution of a real-world near-surface convergence line and the associated deep convection initiation (CI) along the border of Asia’s largest irrigation area and the desert in northern China. Notably, previous works have mainly focused on shallow convection over uneven vegetation distributions based on idealized simulations, which may be quite different from real-world interactions between thermal circulation and background flow. Our results highlight different parcel sources in different convections initiated by the same convergence line, which is different from the idealized situation where parcels mainly originate from the low-level oasis side.
Cross-sectional audit assessing the quality of dried bloodspot specimens received by UK metabolic biochemistry laboratories for the biochemical monitoring of individuals with Phenylketonuria
Authors: Hogg Sarah L , Carling Rachel S , Cantley Nathan WP , Hamilton Gillian , Goddard Philippa , Aitkenhead Helen , Barski Robert , Collingwood Catherine , Moat Stuart J , Kemp Helena J
Published: February 2023

Background

Sapropterin has been approved as a treatment option for individuals with Phenylketonuria in the United Kingdom. Individuals are assessed as responsive to Sapropterin by a ≥30% reduction in Phenylalanine (Phe) concentrations using dried blood spot (DBS) specimens. DBS quality is critical for accurate and precise measurement of Phe. Currently, UK national guidelines for DBS specimen acceptance do not exist for patient-collected DBS specimens. We adopted evidence-based guidelines for specimen acceptance criteria and retrospectively assessed the impact of introducing these guidelines on specimen rejection rates. Methods: Laboratories were invited to audit the quality of DBS specimens routinely received for Phe monitoring using: (1) existing acceptance/rejection criteria and (2) proposed national guidelines.

Results

Ten laboratories audited 2111 specimens from 1094 individuals. Using existing local guidelines, the median rejection rate was 4.0% (IQR 1.5–7.2%). This increased to 21.9% (IQR 10.0–33.0%) using the proposed guidelines. Where reason(s) for rejection were provided ( n = 299); 211/299 (70.6%) of DBS specimens were too small or multi-spotted. 380 individuals had more than one sample evaluated; 231/380 (60.8%) provided specimens of acceptable quality, 37/380 (9.7%) consistently provided poor-quality DBS specimens.

Conclusions

There is significant variability in the quality of patient-collected DBS specimens. If unacceptable specimens are not rejected, imprecise/inaccurate results will be used in clinical decision making. Using annual workload data for England, this equates to 12,410 incorrect results. Individuals and parents/carers should receive ongoing training in blood collection technique to ensure use of evidence-based acceptability criteria does not cause undue distress from increased sample rejection rates.
Hepcidin analysis in pneumonia: Comparison of immunoassay and LC-MS/MS
Authors: Oppen Kjersti , Brede Cato , Skadberg Øyvind , Steinsvik Trude , Holter Jan Cato , Michelsen Annika E , Heggelund Lars
Published: February 2023

Background

The iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin is a promising biomarker to differentiate anaemia of inflammation from iron deficiency. Plasma hepcidin concentrations increase substantially during inflammation, and the amount of smaller, non-biologically active isoforms of hepcidin increase in inflammatory conditions. These smaller isoforms are measured in some, but not all analytical methods. Thus, we evaluated the comparability of two analytical methods with different isoform selectivity during and after acute-phase pneumonia as a highly inflammatory model disease.

Methods

Blood samples from a cohort of 267 hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia patients collected at admission and a 6-week follow-up were analysed. Hepcidin was measured in plasma by an immunoassay, which recognizes all hepcidin isoforms, and a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which selectively measures the bioactive hepcidin-25. Additionally, a subset of serum samples was analysed by LC-MS/MS.

Results

Hepcidin measurements by immunoassay were higher compared with LC-MS/MS. The relative mean difference of hepcidin plasma concentrations between the two analytical methods was larger in admission samples than in follow-up samples (admission samples <200 ng/mL: 37%, admission samples >200 ng/mL: 78%, follow-up samples >10 ng/mL: 22%). During acute-phase pneumonia, serum concentrations were on average 22% lower than plasma concentrations when measured by LC-MS/MS.

Conclusions

Immunoassay measured higher hepcidin concentrations compared with LC-MS/MS, with more pronounced differences in high-concentration samples during acute-phase pneumonia. These findings should be considered in local method validations and in future harmonization and standardization optimization of hepcidin measurements.
Understanding Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventions to Address Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Qualitative Perspectives of Middle Managers
Authors: Ryan Grace W. , Charlton Mary E. , Scherer Aaron M. , Ashida Sato , Gilbert Paul A. , Daly Eliza , Askelson Natoshia M.
Published: February 2023

Engaging individuals in middle management positions (eg, nurse or clinic managers) could facilitate implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to improve uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Our goal was to understand middle managers’ role in and perspectives on implementation of EBIs for HPV vaccination. We conducted qualitative interviews with middle managers in pediatric and family practice clinics. We used constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to design the interview guide and as a coding framework. Participants (n = 19) reported overseeing implementation related to HPV vaccination. Across interviews, CFIR inner setting constructs (eg, structural characteristics and implementation climate) were identified as being both barriers and facilitators. As evidenced in this study, middle managers have a deep understanding of organizational factors, and they have the ability to facilitate implementation efforts related to HPV vaccination. Future efforts could focus on engaging middle managers and leveraging their expertise and understanding of barriers and facilitators.
Blue, Rather Than Red Light Can Nudge Employees to Choose Delayed But Larger Wage Payment
Authors: Geng Xiaowei , Zhang Kai , Ma Jiatao , Yang Huiming , Chen Ziguang , Li Shu
Published: February 2023

Most businesses have been severely affected during the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as they lack sufficient cash reserves for turnaround in this devastated business environment. This study presents a nudge-based approach for encouraging employees to choose delayed but larger wage payment. Through two laboratory experiments and one field experiment, we found that blue light more likely promotes individuals choosing the farsighted intertemporal option (i.e., delayed but larger payment) than red light. We further investigated why blue light can promote such a farsighted decision and found that the intradimensional difference comparison—that is, comparing the difference between the two options in the time dimension (∆ time A,B) and the difference in the payoff dimension (∆ payoff A,B)—mediates the effect of blue (vs. red) light on intertemporal choice. The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of light color and provides a solution to nudge people to make farsighted choices.
Purveyors of Radical Islamism or Casualty of Cultural Nationalism: Situating Jamaat-e-Islami in Contemporary Bangladesh Politics
Authors: Hajjaj Bobby
Published: February 2023

Between 1979 and 2013, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was the largest Islamist political party in the country and the only one that ever played a prominent role in government. In 2013, the party had its registration revoked, effectively banning it from running in elections, and has since been stigmatized as a terrorist, or at the very least a terror-sympathizing, organization. This paper looks at the nature of the party and the roles it has played historically in Bangladesh politics. It also investigates the party’s alleged links with religious extremism and terrorist activities in the country, and the roles the party has played in perpetuating religious nationalism.
Examining the Role of Biomass Energy for Clean Environment in African Countries
Authors: Raji Jimoh Olajide , Adeel-Farooq Rana Muhammad , Ahmad Siti-Aznor
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the influences of biomass energy, fossil fuel, and some controlled variables on CO2 emission in African countries over the 1980–2014 period. The study employs pool mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effect (DFE) estimators. In addition, it employs weighted fully modified ordinary least squares and weighted dynamic ordinary least squares to validate the robustness of estimates. The results reveal that the relation of fossil fuel with CO2 is positively significant. Conversely, biomass energy exerts a significant negative impact on CO2. In addition, the dampening effect of biomass energy utilization on CO2 emission helps to validate the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.
A strange and sublime longing: Looking back at childhood in Calcutta in A Strange and Sublime Address and The Blue Bedspread
Authors: Sanyal Pallavi
Published: February 2023

Childhood is a universal trope in literature, where the figure of the child engenders feelings of pity, affection or horror in readers. This article will examine two novels — A Strange and Sublime Address by Amit Chaudhuri ([1991] 2016) and The Blue Bedspread by Raj Kamal Jha ([1995] 2009) — in order to explore how narratives about childhood in the city of Calcutta, one nostalgic and the other traumatic, deploy the figure of the child within the bhadralok milieu, to convey a nostalgic mood for the idea of Bengali middle class identity. This article engages with the possibility of how nostalgia for an apparently declining middle class is glossed by a seemingly interiorized reflection of bhadralok domesticity juxtaposed with a bleaker self-aware representation, seen through the eyes of children.
Forensic and Business Ethics
Authors: Lloyd Leslie , Barros-Bailey Mary , Vercillo Amy , Landon Trenton J.
Published: February 2023

Now in its fifth edition, the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors continues to clarify and expand behavioral guidelines and practice for those in the rehabilitation counseling profession. Specific to certified rehabilitation counselors (CRC) in the private sector, this article details changes in the revised Code specific to Forensic Services (Section F) and Business Services (Section K). It also briefly describes the historical development of these sections of the Code and explores its implications.
Better Health Through Exercise: Self-Management of Activity Tracking by Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Haymes Linda K. , Storey Keith
Published: February 2023

Individual with intellectual disabilities can have special health care concerns and will often need support in managing their health care needs. These health care needs can include diabetes, obesity management or fitness. Activity trackers have become widely available as a tool for managing health needs by monitoring number of steps, activities, and consumption. Individuals with ID can become independent users of activity trackers using self-management skills such as visual checklists and task analysis. This article provides a model for setting up and using activity trackers with self-management for individuals with ID.
The coupling effects of seawater aging and fatigue micro-crack on mechanical degradation of carbon fiber/epoxy plain woven composites
Authors: Zhu Guang , Liu Tao , Wang Shujuan , Sun Yan , Gao Xingzhong , Li Shixiong , Bai Yuan , Zhou Rui , Li Guosheng , Fan Wei
Published: February 2023

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics applied in the marine industry are often exposed to conditions of seawater and alternating loads for extended periods, which can cause the complex degradation process of the composites. In this work, the coupling effects of micro-cracks and the seawater aging on the carbon fiber/epoxy resin-based plain woven composites were experimentally investigated. The micro-cracks were introduced into the composites through the three-point bending fatigue load. The results indicate that the residual stress generated by different expansions between carbon fiber and epoxy resin that reduces the interfacial properties of the composite is the primary reason for seawater aging. Besides, seawater aging causes the bending strength of the specimens with fatigue damage to decrease more seriously than that of the undamaged specimens. This is because micro-cracks increase the specific surface area of the composites in contact with seawater to provide channels for seawater diffusion. The coupling effects suggest the maintenance cycle of the composite parts should be gradually reduced if micro-cracks occur in some composites.
Osteomalacic myopathy: A re-emerging scourge hiding in plain sight
Authors: Garg Divyani , Agarwal Ayush
Published: February 2023

We present a cluster of patients with osteomalacic myopathy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that the home confinement of these children may have contributed to the resurgence of this condition. This deficiency is eminently reversible.
Book review: Shannon Philip. 2022. Becoming Young Men in a New India: Masculinities, Gender Relations and Violence in the Postcolony
Authors: Susewind Raphael
Published: February 2023

Shannon Philip. 2022. Becoming Young Men in a New India: Masculinities, Gender Relations and Violence in the Postcolony. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press. xii + 197 pp. Appendix, references, index. ₹795 (hardback—ISBN: 9781009158718)
Book review: Mahuya Bandyopadhyay and Rimple Mehta, eds. 2022. Women, Incarcerated: Narratives from India
Authors: Sikri Smriti
Published: February 2023

Mahuya Bandyopadhyay and Rimple Mehta, eds. 2022. Women, Incarcerated: Narratives from India. Hyderabad: Orient Black Swan. 356 pp. 1210 (paperback—ISBN: 9789354421884)
Book review: Sreedeep Bhattacharya. 2020. Consumerist Encounters: Flirting with Things and Images
Authors: Rajput Shivani
Published: February 2023

Sreedeep Bhattacharya. 2020. Consumerist Encounters: Flirting with Things and Images. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 292 pp. Figures, references, index. ₹1695 (hardback—ISBN 9780190125561)
Rethinking and transforming Area Studies and Indian Studies: A new cosmopolitanism and the challenges of planetary realisations
Authors: Giri Ananta Kumar
Published: February 2023

Area Studies was an important way of studying different parts of the world after the Second World War that was promoted by US-European academic establishments. This construction emerged after the end of the Second World War and reflected the geopolitical construction of the world into different areas. It formed part of the Cold War environment, applying American social science tools to regional analysis.  This essay argues that we rethink and transform such a geopolitical construction of Area Studies. It suggests that we critically engage with the epistemologies of the Euro-American world that lie behind such Area Studies projects in order to transform Area Studies and consider the claims of cosmopolitanism and planetary conversations across borders.
Rethinking Women’s “Performance and Image-Enhancing Drug Consumption”: An Agenda for Ontopolitically-Oriented Research
Authors: Fomiatti Renae , Toffoletti Kim , Pienaar Kiran
Published: February 2023

Women’s “performance and image-enhancing drug consumption” is a growing phenomenon yet remains an under-studied area of research. This essay reviews the existing literature on women’s consumption and draws on Fraser’s concept of ontopolitically-oriented research to develop an agenda for future research. Ontopolitically-oriented research applies insights from Science and Technology Studies (STS) to consider the ontological politics of research practices, that is, the realities they enact and foreclose. We argue that the current focus in the existing literature on a limited set of methods and issues risks obscuring the diverse meanings and practices of women’s substance consumption for fitness and strength-training, and genders agency in ways that further entrench assumptions of women’s vulnerability and passivity. We consider issues pertaining to the nomenclature of performance and image-enhancing drugs, the gendering of agency in formulations of “health” risks and initiation experiences, and the need to understand women’s consumption practices in relation to broader cultural changes in health optimization and digital fitness cultures. We argue that ontopolitically-oriented research into women’s substance consumption for fitness and strength-training requires greater methodological diversity and attention to the politics of data generation. It should aim to constitute women’s experiences through terms, connections and coalitions that expand our understandings of women’s agency, and the gendered and social contexts of enhancement practices.
Center-Left Parties and Developmental Regimes in Latin America: Assessing the Role of Democracy
Authors: da Silva Pedro Perfeito , Bandeira Julia Veiga Vieira Mancio
Published: February 2023

Comparison of the paths of two countries with developmental regimes led by left-of-center parties, Chile and Mexico, shows that the democratic regime, Chile’s, had better social indicators than its authoritarian counterpart at the price of slower industrialization.

Comparação das trajetórias de dois países com regimes desenvolvimentistas dirigidos por partidos do centro-esquerda no Chile e México demostra que o regime democrâtico chileno teve maiores indicadores sociais que sua contraparte autoritária às custas de uma industrialização mais lenta.
Predefined-time synchronization of competitive neural networks with deterministic disturbances and stochastic noises
Authors: Garza-Alonso Alison , Basin Michael , Rodriguez-Ramirez Pablo
Published: February 2023

This paper presents the drive-response synchronization problem for competitive neural networks in predefined time. The response system is considered in the presence of deterministic disturbances satisfying Lipschitz conditions and in the presence of both stochastic white noises and deterministic disturbances satisfying Lipschitz conditions. The effect of deterministic disturbances and stochastic noises is suppressed by designing a linear time-varying continuous control input driving the synchronization errors at the origin for an a priori predefined time, independently of initial conditions, deterministic disturbances, and stochastic noises. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate validity of the obtained theoretical results. The conducted comparisons with other predefined-time convergent synchronization algorithms reveal better performance of the proposed synchronization technique.
Patterns of relational aggression, narcissism, and self-esteem: Adolescents’ social goals unraveled
Authors: Voulgaridou Ioanna , Kokkinos Constantinos M. , Fanti Kostas
Published: February 2023

This study applies latent profile analysis to identify profiles of adolescents differentiated on levels of relational aggression (RAgg), self-esteem, and narcissism. To understand the social aspects of these profiles within the adolescent peer context, we compare them to their reported social goals of dominance, popularity, and intimacy. Greek junior high school students ( N = 2,207), selected via random stratified cluster sampling, aged 13–16 ( M = 14.04, SD =.81), completed a self-report survey. Based on self-esteem, narcissism, and RAgg scores, four groups emerged: the group with the lowest scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem (“low risk”), the group with the highest scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem (“relational aggressors with narcissistic self-esteem”), the group with moderate scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem (“moderate risk”), and the group with high RAgg and narcissism scores but low self-esteem (“relational aggressors with vulnerable self-esteem”). Relational aggressors with high narcissism and self-esteem scored higher on social goals than those with vulnerable self-esteem (high narcissism but low self-esteem). Preventive policies should replace excessive and unconditional praise with more realistic self-esteem sources and teach adolescents how to respond to negative feedback and to cope with ego threats or social placement concerns.
Isaiah 62:5: Who is Zion’s Husband?
Authors: Chia Philip Suciadi
Published: February 2023

Who is the husband of Zion in Isaiah 62:5? English modern translations are divided into three different primary readings: ‘your builder’ or ‘God’, ‘your builders’ or ‘foreigners’, and ‘your sons’. This article will weigh on each translation with textual criticism as its tool to seek out this answer.
From Catch-and-Harvest to Catch-and-Release: Trout Unlimited and repair-focused deinstitutionalization
Authors: Crawford Brett , Toubiana Madeline , Coslor Erica
Published: February 2023

Increasingly we are faced with broad societal challenges that encourage us to rethink existing institutions. Yet many people also want to preserve institutions they cherish. This tension points to the need for change that can erode or discontinue unsustainable or problematic aspects of institutions while also maintaining what is sacred and valued. In this paper we ask how can organizations deinstitutionalize taken-for-granted practices while also preserving the institution? We answer this question by exploring how Trout Unlimited deployed visual and discursive tactics to push out unsustainable catch-and-harvest fly fishing practices and insert new catch-and-release practices. Our primary theoretical contribution is a model of repair-focused deinstitutionalization, illustrating how custodians utilize three forms of work to respond to threats—mending, caring, and restoring—all with an eye on deinstitutionalization via repair rather than disruption. Importantly, we show how the construct of repair is multipurpose, not limited to maintenance strategies, but can also be a catalyst for change. In addition, we extend research on deinstitutionalization by presenting a multimodal approach that goes beyond discourse, with particular attention to visuality and show how different modalities present different affordances in longer-term repair efforts.
Race, Capitalism, and the Necessity/Contingency Debate
Authors: Conroy William
Published: February 2023

Interest in the relationship between race and the expanded reproduction of capitalism has exploded across the social sciences and humanities over the past several years. Despite this widespread appreciation and interest, profound disagreement, debate, and analytical impression persists, not least regarding the relationship between race and the necessary ‘laws of motion’ of capitalist society. This article begins by tracing the core approaches to the race and capitalism conversation, paying particular attention to their understanding of the necessity/contingency distinction. It then proceeds to make the case for race as a contingent – which, emphatically, does not mean local or insignificant – relatively autonomous, and historically path-dependent terrain of struggle in capitalist society, which has largely functioned to maintain capital’s necessary disequilibrium between the value form and its value relations, but need not do so. It closes by exploring the implications of this claim in relation to recent historical-geographical research on post-1898 US imperialism.
Deep learning-extracted CT imaging phenotypes predict response to total resection in colorectal cancer
Authors: Pan Xiang , Cong He , Wang Xiaolei , Zhang Heng , Ge Yuxi , Hu Shudong
Published: February 2023

Background

Deep learning surpasses many traditional methods for many vision tasks, allowing the transformation of hierarchical features into more abstract, high-level features.

Purpose

To evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative computed tomography (CT) image texture features and deep learning self-learning high-throughput features (SHF) on postoperative overall survival in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Material and Methods

The dataset consisted of 810 enrolled patients with CRC confirmed from 10 November 2011 to 10 February 2018. In contrast, SHF extracted by deep learning with multi-task training mechanism and texture features were extracted from the CT with tumor volume region of interest, respectively, and combined with the Cox proportional hazard (CoxPH) model for initial validation to obtain a RAD score to classify patients into high- and low-risk groups. The SHF stability was further validated in combination with Neural Multi-Task Logistic Regression (N-MTLR) model. The overall recognition ability and accuracy of CoxPH and N-MTLR model were evaluated by C-index and Integrated Brier Score (IBS).

Results

SHF had a more significant degree of differentiation than texture features. The result is (SHF vs. texture features: C-index: 0.884 vs. 0.611; IBS: 0.025 vs. 0.073) in the CoxPH model, and (SHF vs. texture features: C-index: 0.861 vs. 0.630; IBS: 0.024 vs. 0.065) in N-MTLR.

Conclusion

SHF is superior to texture features and has potential application for the preoperative prediction of the individualized treatment of CRC.
The possibility of visualizing TGF-β1 expression in ApoE−/− mice atherosclerosis using MR targeted imaging
Authors: Xia Min , Wu Fen , Yang Yawen , Lu Wenye , Song Mengxing , Ma Zhanlong
Published: February 2023

Background

Endothelial TGF-β1 signaling is a primary driver of atherosclerosis-associated vascular inflammation. Targeted imaging and inhibition of the expression of TGF-β1 may reduce the atherosclerotic vessel wall inflammation and stop the progression of atherosclerotic plaque.

Purpose

To investigate the possibility of the anti-TGF-β1-ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) specific probe as an imaging marker for the expression of TGF-β1 in ApoE–/– mice atherosclerosis detected with 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Material and Methods

Here, 70 ApoE–/– mice on a high-fat diet served as the experimental group and 30 C57BL/6 mice on a normal diet served as the control group. The morphology of plaques was viewed by H&E staining, and the expression and distribution of TNC and TGF-β1 were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Another 40 mice in the experimental group were classified into a targeted group, which was administrated an anti-TGF-β1-USPIO probe, and the pure group, which was injected with pure USPIO.

Results

The 7.0-T MRI showed that the relative signal intensity (rSI) changes of the targeted group decreased more than those of the pure group (−19.34 ± 0.68% vs. −5.61 ± 0.57%; P < 0.05). Histopathological analyses demonstrated expression of TGF-β1 in atherosclerotic plaque formation progression from 10 to 28 weeks. The MR images of the expression of TGF-β1 in atherosclerosis correlated well with the pathological progression of atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Conclusions

Anti-TGF-β1-USPIO could provide a useful molecular imaging tool for detecting and monitoring the expression of TGF-β1 in atherosclerotic plaques by MRI.
Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in an antimigraine-treated preclinical model of cortical spreading depolarization
Authors: Vila-Pueyo Marta , Cuenca-León Ester , Queirós Ana C. , Kulis Marta , Sintas Cèlia , Cormand Bru , Martín-Subero José Ignacio , Pozo-Rosich Patricia , Fernàndez-Castillo Noèlia , Macaya Alfons
Published: February 2023

Background

Cortical spreading depolarization, the cause of migraine aura, is a short-lasting depolarization wave that moves across the brain cortex, transiently suppressing neuronal activity. Prophylactic treatments for migraine, such as topiramate or valproate, reduce the number of cortical spreading depression events in rodents.

Objective

To investigate whether cortical spreading depolarization with and without chronic treatment with topiramate or valproate affect the DNA methylation of the cortex.

Methods

Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with saline, topiramate or valproate for four weeks when cortical spreading depolarization were induced and genome-wide DNA methylation was performed in the cortex of six rats per group.

Results

The DNA methylation profile of the cortex was significantly modified after cortical spreading depolarization, with and without topiramate or valproate. Interestingly, topiramate reduced by almost 50% the number of differentially methylated regions, whereas valproate increased them by 17%, when comparing to the non-treated group after cortical spreading depolarization induction. The majority of the differentially methylated regions lay within intragenic regions, and the analyses of functional group over-representation retrieved several enriched functions, including functions related to protein processing in the cortical spreading depolarization without treatment group; functions related to metabolic processes in the cortical spreading depolarization with topiramate group; and functions related to synapse and ErbB, MAPK or retrograde endocannabinoid signaling in the cortical spreading depolarization with valproate group.

Conclusions

Our results may provide insights into the underlying physiological mechanisms of migraine with aura and emphasize the role of epigenetics in migraine susceptibility.
Accessing special collections during the COVID-19 pandemic in university libraries in Nigeria
Authors: Omeluzor Saturday U , Gbemi-Ogunleye Philomena F , Alarape Asimi Akibu , Bello Lateef Alhaji
Published: February 2023

The accessibility of special collections during the COVID-19 pandemic was a matter of concern for libraries and their users due to the specific nature of special collections compared to other information sources in libraries. This study therefore investigated the accessibility of special collections in university libraries in the South South zone of Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. The population of the study included 233 librarians in federal, state and private universities in the zone. The study adopted an online questionnaire and there was a total of 197 respondents. The findings show that special collections were accessible to library users through library websites, institutional repositories, CD-ROMs and flash drives during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The study reveals some of the challenges affecting the accessibility of special collections during the COVID-19 pandemic in university libraries in Nigeria and recommends ways of enhancing the accessibility of special collections during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Optimization for the Multiday Urban Personalized Trip Design Problem With Time Windows and Transportation Mode Recommendations
Authors: Zhong Jian , Wang Xu , Li Longxiao
Published: February 2023

The urban tourism market has been increasingly dominated by the demand for personalized experiences. This paper focuses on the multiday urban personalized trip design problem considering the time windows and transportation mode recommendations (MUPTDP-TW-TMR). A two-stage methodology is proposed to solve this problem. In the first stage, a linear programming model for the multiday urban personalized trip design problem with time windows (MUPTDP-TW) is proposed. A modified memetic algorithm (MMA) is devised to solve it, containing efficient operators. In the second stage, a novel transportation mode recommendation model is developed, which considers the diversity of tourist preferences. A modified label-setting algorithm is applied to solve the model. The data from Chongqing, the most popular city in Southwest China, are collected to evaluate the performance of our approach. The case study based on tourist and popular preferences is conducted. Compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms, the experimental results show that our approach can design more reasonable and personalized itineraries for tourists.
Investigating Anticipated Changes in Post-Pandemic Travel Behavior: Latent Segmentation-Based Logit Modeling Approach Using Data From COVID-19 Era
Authors: Khan Nazmul Arefin , Morency Catherine
Published: February 2023

The unprecedented situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 has drastically changed daily mobility patterns around the world. Various measures were implemented to prevent the transmission of the virus, which have resulted in short- and long-term impacts on the activity systems and daily travel. To capture the impacts of the pandemic on travel behaviors and activity systems, a web-based survey was designed and administered in April–May 2020 in Montreal, Canada. In addition to questioning on pre- and during COVID-19 behaviors, it included a section on how people expected to travel, telework, shop online, and so forth in the post-pandemic era. Using data from this survey, which gathered 1,620 completed questionnaires, this paper proposes insights into how people are planning to travel in a post-COVID-19 world using latent segmentation-based logit modeling technique. Three models are estimated to identify factors related to expected trip frequency, expected transit usage, and expected bike usage. Undertaking such modeling approach provides opportunity to understand different types of individuals’ preferential behaviors. This study probabilistically identifies two latent segments, suburbanite and urbanite people, and finds considerable heterogeneity across sample individuals. For example, urbanite people tend to increase their expected number of trips after COVID-19 if they have at least one bike in their household. Suburbanite people exhibit an opposite relationship, and they are more likely to keep their trip frequency the same as before. Findings of this study will assist decision makers in developing effective policy measures to better prepare for the changes in travel behaviors after COVID-19.
Understanding Flex-Route Transit Adoption from a Stage of Change Perspective
Authors: Yu Jingcai , Zheng Yue , Li Wenquan , Zhang Jin , Guo Rongrong , Wu Lei
Published: February 2023

Given the potential benefits of flex-route transit for the environment and traffic congestion, many cities have goals for diffusing flex-route transit. However, previous studies have focused on practical experience, strategic planning, and operational planning of flex-route transit. Few studies have identified the determinants of flex-route transit adoption. This study aims to address the effect of demographic characteristics and psychological factors on flex-route transit adoption by employing a stage of change framework. First, the transtheoretical model is applied to divide respondents into five ordered stages (i.e., Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance). Second, a survey was conducted in Beijing, China, using an online platform to obtain the demographic characteristics and measurement items of the respondents in the five ordered stages. Then, a structural equation model is applied to quantify psychological factors. In addition, the partial proportional odds (PPO) model is employed to estimate the best model and identify the determinants of flex-route transit adoption. Finally, an elasticity analysis is conducted to uncover the effect of determinants on flex-route transit adoption in the five ordered stages. The results suggest that the PPO model has the best fit and validity. The model reveals the significant implications of psychological factors and demographic characteristics for transport policy in various stages. These findings show that, regardless of the initial stage, interventions concentrating on psychological factors and demographic characteristics appear to have the potential to transfer the stage of individuals from one to another. To make policies as effective as possible for promoting flex-route transit adoption, the targeted interventions should be complemented in the specific stage.