bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Vibrations of Laminated Cross-Ply Composite Cantilever Plate in Subsonic Air Flow
Authors: Liu Gen , Zhang Wei , Xi An
Published: April 2020

The nonlinear vibrations and responses of a laminated composite cantilever plate under the subsonic air flow are investigated in this paper. The subsonic air flow around the three-dimensional cantilever rectangle laminated composite plate is considered to be decreasing from the wing root to the wing tip. According to the ideal incompressible fluid flow condition and the Kutta–Joukowski lift theorem, the subsonic aerodynamic lift on the three-dimensional finite length flat wing is calculated by using the Vortex Lattice (VL) method. The finite length flat wing is modeled as a laminated composite cantilever plate based on Reddy’s third-order shear deformation plate theory and the von Karman geometry nonlinearity is introduced. The nonlinear partial differential governing equations of motion for the laminated composite cantilever plate subjected to the subsonic aerodynamic force are established via Hamilton’s principle. The Galerkin method is used to separate the partial differential equations into two nonlinear ordinary differential equations, and the four-dimensional nonlinear averaged equations are obtained by the multiple scale method. Through comparing the natural frequencies of the linear system with different material and geometric parameters, the relationship of 1 : 2 internal resonance is considered. Corresponding to several selected parameters, the frequency-response curves are obtained. The hardening-spring-type behaviors and jump phenomena are exhibited. The influence of the force excitation on the bifurcations and chaotic behaviors of the laminated composite cantilever plate is investigated numerically. It is found that the system is sensitive to the exciting force according to the complicate nonlinear behaviors exhibited in this paper.
Pentagalloyl Glucose‐ and Ethyl Gallate‐Rich Extract from Maprang Seeds Induce Apoptosis in MCF‐7 Breast Cancer Cells through Mitochondria‐Mediated Pathway
Authors: Kantapan Jiraporn , Paksee Siwaphon , Chawapun Pornthip , Sangthong Padchanee , Dechsupa Nathupakorn
Published: April 2020

Bouea macrophylla Griffith, locally known as maprang, has important economic value as a Thai fruit tree. The maprang seed extract (MPSE) has been shown to exhibit antibacterial and anticancer activities. However, the bioactive constituents in MPSE and the molecular mechanisms underlying these anticancer activities remain poorly understood. This study aims to identify the active compounds in MPSE and to investigate the mechanisms involved in MPSE‐induced apoptosis in MCF‐7 treated cancer cells. The cytotoxic effect was determined by MTT assay. The apoptosis induction of MPSE was evaluated in terms of ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and apoptosis‐related gene expression. The compounds identified by HPLC and LC/MS analysis were pentagalloyl glucose, ethyl gallate, and gallic acid. MPSE treatment decreased cell proliferation in MCF‐7 cells, and MPSE was postulated to induce G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. MPSE was found to promote intracellular ROS production in MCF‐7 treated cells and to also influence the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, MPSE treatment can lead to increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 gene expression ratio, suggesting that MPSE‐induced apoptosis is mitochondria‐dependent pathway. Our results suggest that natural products obtained from maprang seeds have the potential to target the apoptosis pathway in breast cancer treatments.
Translocation-Based Algorithm for Publishing Trajectories with Personalized Privacy Requirements
Authors: Wang Shuai , Chen Chunyi , Zhang Guijie
Published: April 2020

Up to now, a large amount of trajectory data have been collected by trusted servers because of the wide use of location-based services. One can extract useful information via an analysis of trajectory data. However, the privacy of trajectory bodies risks being inadvertently divulged to others. Therefore, the trajectory data should be properly processed for privacy protection before being released to unknown analysts. This paper proposes a privacy protection scheme for publishing the trajectories with personalized privacy requirements based on the translocation of trajectory points. The algorithm not only enables the published trajectory points to meet the personalized privacy requirements regarding desensitization and anonymity but also preserves the positions of all trajectory points. Our algorithm trades the loss in mobility patterns for the advantage in the similarity of trajectory distance. Related experiments on trajectory data sets with personalized privacy requirements have verified the effectiveness and the efficiency of our algorithm.
Diarrheal Diseases in Under-Five Children and Associated Factors among Farta District Rural Community, Amhara Regional State, North Central Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Tafere Yilkal , Abebe Abate Bedilu , Demelash Enyew Habtamu , Belete Mekonnen Amsalu
Published: April 2020

Background. Diarrheal diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. One of the national initiatives to reduce its burden is an implementation of an open-defecation-free program. However, information related to the comparison of diarrheal diseases among residents in open-defecation-free and non-open-defecation-free. Hence, this study assessed the magnitude of diarrheal diseases among residents in open-defecation-free and non-open-defecation-free areas of Farta District, North Central Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 758 households (378 in open-defecation-free and 380 in non-open-defecation-free kebeles) who have under-five children using a structured questionnaire. A systematic sampling technique was used to select study participants. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with diarrheal diseases in the district. Results. Overall, 29.9% of children had diarrheal diseases in the last two weeks prior to the study. The magnitude of diarrheal diseases among under-five children living in open-defecation-free and non-open-defecation-free residents was 19.3% and 40.5%, respectively. Lack of functional handwashing facilities (AOR: 11, 95% CI (8.1–29.6)), improper excreta disposal (AOR: 3.84, 95% CI (2.15–5.65)), and residing in non-open-defecation-free areas (AOR: 2.4, 95% CI (1.72–3.23)) were factors associated with diarrheal diseases. Conclusions. The prevalence of diarrhea among children residing in open-defecation-free areas was lower than that among children those who resided in non-open-defecation-free areas. Lack of functional handwashing facilities, residing in non-open-defecation-free areas, and improper excreta disposal were significantly associated with diarrheal diseases in the district. Strengthening health promotion on non-open defecation, maintaining functional handwashing facilities, and preparing additional handwashing facilities are necessary. Continuous engagement of the community health extension workers is recommended, sustaining the implementation of open-defecation-free programs in the district.
Mortality and Disease Burden of Injuries from 2008 to 2017 in Anhui Province, China
Authors: Xing Xiu-Ya , Wang Peng , Xu Zhiwei , He Qin , Li Rui , Chen Ye-Ji , Liu Li-Na , Mao Yan-Mei , Zhao Chan-Na , Dan Yi-Lin , Wu Qian , Pan Hai-Feng , Liu Zhi-Rong , Hu Wenbiao
Published: April 2020

Objective. To investigate the temporal trends in mortality and disease burden of injuries in Anhui province from 2008 to 2017, so as to provide reference for injury control and prevention. Methods. Data of mortality were collected from 9 national surveillance points in Anhui province during 2008‐2017 in the Information System for Death Cause Register and Management. The surveillance data were analyzed by using crude mortality, standardized mortality rate (SMR), potential year of life lost (PYLL), PYLL rate (PYLLR), and average of year life lost (AYLL). Results. There were a total of 44855 people died from injury, accounted for 9.44% of the all‐cause mortality, ranked as the fifth leading cause of deaths in the whole population, and denoted the first leading cause of deaths in the 0‐44 year’s group. The leading causes of injury deaths were road traffic accidents, suicide, accidental falls, drowning, and poisoning. Road traffic accidents was the primary cause of injury deaths among the male population, while suicide was the dominate cause of injury deaths among the female population. Drowning, traffic accidents, and suicide accounted for the most injury deaths among the population aged 0‐14 years, 15‐64 years, and above 60 years, respectively. The road traffic accidents accounted for the largest proportion of injury PYLL and PYLLR, and drowning caused the highest AYLL among injury deaths. Conclusion. In Anhui province, road traffic accidents, suicide, accidental falls, drowning, and poisoning were the top five causes of injury deaths that harm the health of local residents; corresponding injury prevention strategies should be formulated.
Microstructural Study of Hydration of C3S in the Presence of Calcium Nitrate Using Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscopy (STXM)
Authors: Li Qinfei , Wang Yang , Geng Guoqing , Chen Heng , Hou Pengkun , Cheng Xin , Monteiro Paulo J. M. , Huang Shifeng , Kim Jae Hong
Published: April 2020

Calcium nitrate (CN) is used widely as an effectively inorganic setting accelerator and antifreeze admixture in concrete structures. In this paper, the multiscale investigation of CN on the hydration of C3S was studied by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) combined with near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), 29Si MAS NMR, calorimetry, scanning electron microscope, and N2 absorption. It was concluded that the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) surrounds the unhydrated C3S at 1-day hydrated C3S in the presence of calcium nitrate, while portlandite is partly in transformation and is formed partly. Based on Ca L3,2-edge NEXAFS spectra for 1-day hydrated C3S particle, calcium nitrate does not change the structure of the asymmetrically 7-fold coordination of calcium in the C-S-H. Calcium nitrate can accelerate the hydration of C3S to some extent and polymerization of the silicate chains within C-S-H considerably at early age, resulting in the increasing specific surface area.
An Inverse Transient Nonmetallic Pipeline Leakage Diagnosis Method Based on Markov Quantitative Judgment
Authors: Hao Yongmei , Ma Yifei , Jiang Juncheng , Xing Zhixiang , Ni Lei , Yang Jian
Published: April 2020

Aiming at the problems of early leakage monitoring of urban nonmetallic pipelines and the large positioning error, an inverse transient urban nonmetallic gas pipelines leakage location method based on Markov quantitative judgment was proposed. A Markov flow state transition probability matrix was established based on the flow data under different pressures obtained by experiments to quantitatively determine the pipeline leakage status. On this basis, an inverse transient leakage control equation suitable for urban nonmetallic gas pipeline leakage location was constructed according to the actual. The difference between the pressure and the calculated pressure was sought for the objective function. Finally, the objective function was optimized in conjunction with the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method to obtain the actual leakage parameters and calculate the size and location of the leakage source. The results show that the inverse transient leakage localization method based on Markov’s quantitative judgment can more accurately determine the leakage status of the pipeline and calculate the early leakage parameters and leakage location of the gas pipeline, which improves the positioning accuracy.
Impact of Temperature-Dependent Heat Source/Sink and Variable Species Diffusivity on Radiative Reiner–Philippoff Fluid
Authors: Sajid T. , Sagheer M. , Hussain S.
Published: April 2020

The principle aim of the current communication is to scrutinize the impact of distinguished effects like variable thermal conductivity and variable molecular diffusivity on non-Newtonian Reiner–Philippoff fluid moving over a stretchable surface. The process of heat transfer is carried out in the presence of nonlinear thermal radiation, variable thermal conductivity, and heat generation/absorption. Furthermore, the study of mass transfer phenomena is carried out in the existence of variable molecular diffusivity. The PDEs regarding our model are renovated into ODEs by utilizing similarity transformation. Furthermore, the dimensionless model is tackled with the help of the RK4 method in conjunction with the shooting technique. The effects of different physical parameters that emerged during the numerical simulation on mass transfer rate, heat transfer rate, and velocity field are portrayed in the form of tables and graphs. It is noteworthy that an elevation in the heat source/sink parameters causes a reduction in the temperature profile. Moreover, a positive variation in the species diffusivity parameter augments the mass fraction field. A variation in the fluid parameter is found to be significantly affecting the shear thinning and shear thickening behaviour of the fluid. Reliability of the numerical outcomes is judged by comparing the obtained outcomes with the already available literature. The article is unique in its sense that the heat and mass transfer analysis of Reiner–Philippoff fluid under the aforementioned effects has not been investigated yet.
Intratumoral Comparison of Nanoparticle Entrapped Docetaxel (CPC634) with Conventional Docetaxel in Patients with Solid Tumors
Authors: Atrafi Florence , van Eerden Ruben A.G. , van Hylckama Vlieg Marte A.M , Oomen-de Hoop Esther , de Bruijn Peter , Lolkema Martijn P. , Moelker Adriaan , Rijcken Cristianne J. , Hanssen Rob , Sparreboom Alex , Eskens Ferry A.L.M. , Mathijssen Ron H.J. , Koolen Stijn L.W.
Published: April 2020

Purpose:

CPC634 is a novel nanoparticle entrapping docetaxel, developed to enhance the intratumoral chemotherapy exposure. This randomized cross-over study compared the intratumoral and plasma pharmacokinetics of CPC634 with conventional docetaxel.

Patients and Methods:

Adult patients with solid tumors were randomized to receive CPC634 (75 mg/m2) in cycle 1, and conventional docetaxel (75 mg/m2) in cycle 2 or vice versa. The study was powered to identify a 25% increase of intratumoral total docetaxel exposure after CPC634 infusion compared with conventional docetaxel. Four patients were allocated per tumor sampling time point, that is, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, 7 and 14 days after infusion during both cycles. Total docetaxel and released docetaxel from the nanoparticle were determined in tumor tissue derived from a metastatic lesion and in plasma. Pharmacokinetic data were analyzed using linear mixed modeling.

Results:

In total, 24 evaluable patients were included. In the tumor, CPC634 exhibited a 461% higher total docetaxel (P < 0.001) and a comparable released docetaxel concentration (P = 0.43). Plasma AUCinf was 27% higher (P = 0.001) and Cmax was 91% lower (P < 0.001) for CPC634 released docetaxel. The median observed neutrophil count nadir after conventional docetaxel treatment was lower (0.50 × 109/L) compared with CPC634 (4.30 × 109/L; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Here, we demonstrated that CPC634 enhanced the intratumoral total docetaxel exposure compared with conventional docetaxel. The lower incidence of neutropenia during CPC634 treatment is presumably related to lower plasma Cmax of released docetaxel. The unique pharmacokinetic profile of CPC634 nanoparticles has the potential to improve docetaxel treatment. A phase II efficacy trial of CPC634 is currently ongoing.
Rifabutin-Cobicistat Drug Interaction Resulting in Severe Bilateral Panuveitis
Authors: Toomey Christopher B. , Lee Jeffrey , Spencer Doran B.
Published: April 2020

We report a novel case of severe bilateral panuveitis with hypopyon secondary to rifabutin and cobicistat drug interaction in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and latent tuberculosis (TB). A 63-year-old woman presented with bilateral conjunctival injection and decreasing vision of 5 days’ duration. She had a history of well-controlled HIV infection, latent TB, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis for which she was inadvertently being treated, due to a pharmacy error, concurrently with the anti-TB medicine rifabutin and the highly active antiretroviral therapy combination Genvoya® (elvitegravir 150 mg – cobicistat 150 mg – emtricitabine 200 mg – tenofovir alafenamide 10 mg). Ocular examination was significant for bilateral panuveitis with hypopyon. Blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and vitreous analysis were negative for infectious or rheumatologic abnormalities. Rifabutin was discontinued and the patient was treated with intravenous followed by oral steroids as an outpatient with eventual resolution of symptoms. This unique case of rifabutin-cobicistat drug interaction highlights the association between rifabutin drug levels and ocular inflammation and expands the potential presentation of rifabutin-associated uveitis to include bilateral panuveitis with hypopyon.
Neutropenic Enterocolitis in the Treatment of Solid Tumors: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Cherri Sara , Prochilo Tiziana , Rota Luigina , Mutti Stefano , Garatti Marco , Liserre Barbara , Zaniboni Alberto
Published: April 2020

Neutropenic enterocolitis is a clinical condition characterized by inflammation of the colic mucosa, usually the caecum, associated with bowel wall thickening in patients with compromised immune system due to chemotherapy treatments. It can occur as well in other clinical conditions that lead to immunosuppression. Clinically, patients present with abdominal pain, fever, and neutropenia on blood tests. A number of major and minor criteria have been suggested for the clinical diagnosis of typhlitis. The most sensitive radiological investigation is represented by a computed tomography scan. There are no guidelines for treatment, but some factors may lead the clinician to medical treatments or prompt surgery as the best choice in that particular patient. The most implicated chemotherapeutic regimens are those based on taxanes. Here, we present a clinical case of a young patient with breast cancer and a review of the state of the art of knowledge regarding neutropenic enterocolitis in adult patients undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of solid tumors.
B Lymphocytes and Adipose Tissue Inflammation
Authors: Srikakulapu Prasad , McNamara Coleen A.
Published: April 2020

The immune system plays an important role in obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation and the resultant metabolic dysfunction, which can lead to hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance and their downstream sequelae of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. While macrophages are the most abundant immune cell type in adipose tissue, other immune cells are also present, such as B cells, which play important roles in regulating adipose tissue inflammation. This brief review will overview B-cell subsets, describe their localization in various adipose depots and summarize our knowledge about the function of these B-cell subsets in regulating adipose tissue inflammation, obesity-induced metabolic dysfunction and atherosclerosis.
Increasing Mortality From Premature Coronary Artery Disease in Women in the Rural United States
Authors: Bossard Matthias , Latifi Yllka , Fabbri Matteo , Kurmann Reto , Brinkert Miriam , Wolfrum Mathias , Berte Benjamin , Cuculi Florim , Toggweiler Stefan , Kobza Richard , Chamberlain Alanna M. , Moccetti Federico
Published: April 2020

Background

Previous reports have described a leveling off of mortality from premature coronary artery disease (CAD). In recent years, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors has increased in rural communities and young adults.

Methods and Results

We extracted CAD mortality rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database from 1999 to 2017, focusing on mortality from premature CAD (defined as <65 years of age in women) and urban–rural differences. Variations in mortality rates over time, assessed with Joinpoint regression modeling, are expressed as estimated annual percentage change (95% CI) and stratified by urbanization, sex, age, and race. Age‐adjusted mortality rates decreased for women and men. Stratification by urbanization revealed that premature CAD mortality is stagnating among women in rural areas. However, this stagnation conceals a statistically significant increase in CAD mortality rates since 2009 in women aged 55 to 64 years (estimated annual percentage change: +1.4%; 95% CI, +0.3% to +2.5%) and since 1999 in women aged 45 to 54 years (estimated annual percentage change: +0.6%; 95% CI, +0.2% to 1.0%). Since 1999, mortality has been stagnating in the youngest group (aged 35–44 years; estimated annual percentage change: +0.2%; 95% CI, −0.4% to +0.8%). Stratification by race indicated an increase in mortality rates among white rural women. Premature CAD mortality remains consistently higher in the rural versus urban United States, regardless of sex, race, and age group.

Conclusions

Premature CAD mortality rates have declined over time. However, stratification by sex and urbanization reveals disparities that would otherwise remain concealed: CAD mortality rates have increased among women from rural areas since at least 2009.
Binge Alcohol Exposure in Adolescence Impairs Normal Heart Growth
Authors: Ai Lizhuo , Perez Edith , Asimes AnnaDorothea , Kampaengsri Theerachat , Heroux Maxime , Zlobin Andrei , Hiske Mark A. , Chung Charles S. , Pak Toni R. , Kirk Jonathan A.
Published: April 2020

Background

Approximately 1 in 6 adolescents report regular binge alcohol consumption, and we hypothesize it affects heart growth during this period.

Methods and Results

Adolescent, genetically diverse, male Wistar rats were gavaged with water or ethanol once per day for 6 days. In vivo structure and function were assessed before and after exposure. Binge alcohol exposure in adolescence significantly impaired normal cardiac growth but did not affect whole‐body growth during adolescence, therefore this pathology was specific to the heart. Binge rats also exhibited signs of accelerated pathological growth (concentric cellular hypertrophy and thickening of the myocardial wall), suggesting a global reorientation from physiologic to pathologic growth. Binge rats compensated for their smaller filling volumes by increasing systolic function and sympathetic stimulation. Consequently, binge alcohol exposure increased PKA (protein kinase A) phosphorylation of troponin I, inducing myofilament calcium desensitization. Binge alcohol also impaired in vivo relaxation and increased titin‐based cellular stiffness due to titin phosphorylation by PKCα (protein kinase C α). Mechanistically, alcohol inhibited extracellular signal‐related kinase activity, a nodal signaling kinase activating physiology hypertrophy. Thus, binge alcohol exposure depressed genes involved in growth. These cardiac structural alterations from binge alcohol exposure persisted through adolescence even after cessation of ethanol exposure.

Conclusions

Alcohol negatively impacts function in the adult heart, but the adolescent heart is substantially more sensitive to its effects. This difference is likely because adolescent binge alcohol impedes the normal rapid physiological growth and reorients it towards pathological hypertrophy. Many adolescents regularly binge alcohol, and here we report a novel pathological consequence as well as mechanisms involved.
Incremental Prognostic Impact of Peripheral Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction on the Development of Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Toya Takumi , Sara Jaskanwal D. , Ahmad Ali , Nardi Valentina , Taher Riad , Lerman Lilach O. , Lerman Amir
Published: April 2020

Background

Peripheral microvascular endothelial dysfunction (PMED) has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, but there is a lack of information characterizing the predictive value of PMED for future risk of ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods and Results

This retrospective observational cohort study enrolled 637 patients who underwent non‐invasive microvascular endothelial function assessment using reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry. Reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry index ≤2 was defined as PMED. Of 280 patients with PMED, 12 (4.3%) patients developed IS, compared with only 4 (1.1%) of 357 patients without PMED during a median follow‐up of 5.3 years. Patients with PMED had lower IS‐free survival compared with patients without PMED (log‐rank
P
=0.03). Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) analyses showed that PMED predicted the incidence of IS, with a HR of 3.43, 95% CI, 1.10–10.63 (
P
=0.03); adjusted HR of 3.70, 95% CI, 1.18–11.59 (
P
=0.02) after adjusting for sex, smoking history, and atrial fibrillation; adjusted HR of 3.45, 95% CI, 1.11–10.72 (
P
=0.03) after adjusting for CHA
2
DS
2
‐VASc score; adjusted HR of 5.70, 95% CI, 1.40–23.29 (
P
=0.02) after adjusting for revised Framingham Stroke Risk Score. Reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry index improved discrimination of risk for IS after adding reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry index to CHA
2
DS
2
‐VASc score and revised Framingham Stroke Risk Score.

Conclusions

PMED was associated with a >3‐fold increased risk of IS. These findings underscore the concept of the systemic nature of endothelial dysfunction, which could act as a potential marker to predict future risk of IS.
Short-term Smartphone App–Based Focused Attention Meditation Diminishes Cognitive Flexibility
Authors: Wolff Nicole , Beste Christian
Published: April 2020

Cognitive flexibility is an important aspect relevant to daily life situations, and there is an increasing public interest to optimize these functions, for example, using (brief) meditation practices. However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. On the basis of theoretical considerations, both improvements and deteriorations of cognitive flexibility are possible through focused attention meditation (FAM). We investigated the effect of a brief smartphone app–based FAM on task switching using EEG methods, temporal signal decomposition, and source localization techniques (standardized low-resolution electromagnetic brain tomography). The study was conducted using a crossover study design. We show that even 15 min of FAM practicing modulates memory-based task switching, on a behavioral level and a neurophysiological level. More specifically, FAM hampers response selection and conflict resolution processes and seem to reduce cognitive resources, which are necessary to rapidly adapt to changing conditions. These effects are represented in the N2 and P3 time windows and associated with ACC. It seems that FAM increases the attention to one specific aspect, which may help to focus but carries also the risk that behavior becomes too rigid. FAM thus seems to modulate both the stimulus- and response-related aspects of conflict monitoring in ACC. Motor-related processes were not affected. The results can be explained using a cognitive control dilemma framework, suggesting that particularly alterations in background monitoring may be important to consider when explaining the effects of FAM during task switching.
Inscribing the Corpus: Scribal and Ritual Practice in the Material Culture of Dunhuang
Authors: Dachille Rae
Published: April 2020

Qualities of the written sign impact the process of parsing a text, of making it accessible for vision, contemplation, recitation, and memory. In this article, I approach the manuscript as a visual field ordered by the configuration, combination, and differentiation of marks. This approach considers the particular challenges and potentialities that the space of the manuscript presents to a scribe as well as to a reader and how this blurs the boundaries between text and image. Through a case study of a Tibetan ritual manual, I illuminate the act of inscription as a technology with material, ritual, mnemonic, and pedagogical applications.
From the Archives to Living Tradition
Authors: Johnson Greg
Published: April 2020

This article is a brief response to Jennifer Graber’s The Gods of Indian Country and Pamela Klassen’s The Story of Radio Mind. The author responds to both texts with attention to questions of method and theory at the intersection of Indigenous studies and religious studies. This response includes comparative reflections from the author’s research contexts concerned with religion and law in contemporary Hawai`i and on Mauna Kea in particular.
North America, Turtle Island, and the Study of Religion
Authors: Graber Jennifer , Klassen Pamela E.
Published: April 2020

This is the two authors’ response to the comments on their books, The Gods of Indian Country and The Story of Radio Mind, offered by Kathleen J. Martin, Sylvester A. Johnson, Tiffany Hale, and Greg Johnson. It addresses questions regarding the history of land in North America and Turtle Island, and reflects on the authors’ own ancestors’ histories, the use of a variety of sources to tell Indigenous and settler histories, and the politics and protocols of stories.
New Technologies, New Challenges for Human Rights? The Work of the Council of Europe
Authors: Lwoff Laurence
Published: April 2020

Convergence of emerging technologies (e.g. biotechnologies, information and cognitive technologies) has opened new perspectives for progress with regard to human health. However, these technologies also open new possibilities for interventions on human beings, which may be more invasive, and possibly affect and modify individuals. Established practices in the field of biomedicine are also evolving in a way that exerts pressure on existing protective mechanisms. Thus, consideration is required as to whether existing human rights provisions are still fit for purpose or whether there is a need to re-examine, clarify or re-enforce them or even a need to identify new human rights and protective measures. This article gives an overview of the main issues considered by the Committee on Bioethics of the Council of Europe to develop a Strategic Action Plan aimed at ensuring appropriate protection of human rights in the developments in biomedicine, promoting thereby progress for human health.
Participation and Superfluity
Authors: Wieland Jan Willem , van Oeveren Rutger
Published: April 2020

Why act when the effects of one’s act are negligible? For example, why boycott sweatshop or animal products if doing so makes no difference for the better? According to recent proposals, one may still have a reason to boycott in order to avoid complicity or participation in harm. Julia Nefsky has argued that accounts of this kind suffer from the so-called “superfluity problem,” basically the question of why agents can be said to participate in harm if they make no difference to it. This paper develops and responds to Nefsky’s challenge.
Anti-Paracelsianism from Conrad Gessner to Robert Boyle
Authors: Gunnoe Charles D. , Daniel Dane T.
Published: April 2020

This article surveys the current knowledge of the anti-Paracelsian movement from a confessional perspective. It outlines the rise of the critique of Paracelsus by academic physicians such as Conrad Gessner, Thomas Erastus’s vociferous demonization, and an ambivalent Catholic reaction. Andreas Libavius and other chymical theorists remained critical of Paracelsus’s natural philosophy while engaging aspects of his alchemy. The cumulative impact reveals a widespread anti-Paracelsian discourse, which escalated in the seventeenth century due to the growing popularity of Paracelsian spiritualism.
De Pestilitate and Paracelsian Cosmology
Authors: Kahn Didier
Published: April 2020

De pestilitate is an interesting treatise on plague falsely attributed to Paracelsus and published as such by Johann Huser (who believed it authentic) in Paracelsus’s Bücher und Schrifften (1589–1591). It can be dated from before 1578. This article shows that it features conflicting cosmologies issued in different works of Paracelsus. This article also discusses its theory of plague, based on the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm, as compared with the authentic plague theory of Paracelsus.
Secrets from the Family Album: Official and Silenced Knowledge on Migration
Authors: Gil-Glazer Ya’ara
Published: April 2020

This article analyses photo elicitation workshop encounters of Arab and Jewish students in an academic college in Israel. Focused on family albums, the workshop, facilitated by the author, examined family histories of migration shared by both peoples in ways insufficiently addressed in scholarly, educational and daily discourse. The encounters were informed by a critical pedagogy approach, with emphasis on recognizing cultural differences and silenced personal-political histories, and producing new knowledge through critical discussions. One central theme that emerged in the workshop was official and silenced knowledge on migration and uprooting. Distinct from the official knowledge provided by the state curriculum, the alternative knowledge elicited from the albums challenges the divisiveness of national narratives. It has the potential of developing critical and empowered awareness and identity and of promoting social change.
The Tent of Meeting and the Women’s Mirrors in 1 Sam 2:22 and Exod 38:8
Authors: Lo Sardo Domenico
Published: April 2020

This article evaluates the relationship between the texts of 1 Sam 2:22 and Exod 38:8 using a methodology that proceeds from textual criticism to literary criticism. According to a traditional text-critical approach of the available textual witnesses (MT, LXX, 4QSama), the short reading of 1 Sam 2:22 found in LXXB 4QSama is preferable to that of MT. By contrast, using a literary critical approach, this article proposes that MT-Exod 38:8 depends on MT-1 Sam 2:22 and not vice versa. MT-1 Sam 2:22 has greater affinity with Num 4:23 and 8:24 regarding the terminology used for the women’s ‘cultic service’ at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 1 Sam 2:22b ought to be regarded as a post-P addition made after the text of the LXX had been translated from the Hebrew. For Exod 38:8 and related texts, we examine the role of the Vetus Latina in resolving this text-critical problem.
Tales in the Paasaali Dirge: Structure and Moral Lessons from the Past
Authors: Sanka Confidence Gbolo , Adu-Gyamfi Samuel , Marfo Charles Ofosu
Published: April 2020

Among the Paasaala people in the Upper West Region of Ghana who speak paasaali, dirge performance and the execution of the tale go hand in hand; the two genres complement each other. This paper investigates the close relationship between tales and dirges and establishes some of the reasons that bind them together in the Paasaala funeral context. By using the theory of ethno-poetics and methodologies such as close observation of live performances of dirges, interviews with poet cantors and cultural custodians of some selected Pasaala communities, recordings of live dirge performances as well as references to some documented sources on dirges and tales, the researchers find that there are different structural types of dirges among the Paasaala, but the marriage between appellations, the tale, and song is unique, and it is one of the most complex forms. This union is imbued with several merits, and these merits range from the aesthetic to the utilitarian.
Assessing the Impacts of Two Averaging Methods on AIRS Level 3 Monthly Products and Multiyear Monthly Means
Authors: Ding Feng , Savtchenko Andrey , Hearty Thomas , Wei Jennifer , Theobald Michael , Vollmer Bruce , Tian Baijun , Fetzer Eric
Published: April 2020

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite provides more than 16 years of data. Its monthly gridded (Level 3) product has been widely used for climate research and applications. Since counts of successful soundings in a grid cell are used to derive monthly averages, this averaged by observations (ABO) approach effectively gives equal importance to all participating soundings within a month. It is conceivable then that days with more observations due to day-to-day orbit shift and regimes with better retrieval skills will contribute disproportionately to the monthly average within a cell. Alternatively, the AIRS Level 3 monthly product can be produced through an averaged by days (ABD) approach, where the monthly mean in a grid cell is a simple average of the daily means. The effects of these averaging methods on the AIRS version 6 monthly product are assessed quantitatively using temperature and water vapor at the surface and 500 hPa. The ABO method results in a warmer (slightly colder) global mean temperature at the surface (500 hPa) and a drier global mean water vapor than ABD method. The AIRS multiyear monthly mean temperature and water vapor from both methods are also compared with the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) product and evaluated with a simulation experiment, indicating the ABD method has lower error and is more closely correlated with MERRA-2. In summary, the ABD method is recommended for future versions of the AIRS Level 3 monthly product and more data services supporting Level 3 aggregation are needed.
The Double-edged Sword of Oppositional Category Positioning: A Study of the U.S. E-cigarette Category, 2007–2017
Authors: Hsu Greta , Grodal Stine
Published: April 2020

To gain attention and build support for new categories, market entrepreneurs often define a new category through its contrast with related, established offerings. Existing research has largely focused on the benefits of this oppositional categorical positioning. In this study, we explore how this strategy might be a double-edged sword. Through a longitudinal inductive study of the e-cigarette category in the U.S. (2007–2017), we develop theory on the risks of associating with an already established category. In our empirical case, we document how value-based distinctions between cigarettes and e-cigarettes became eroded and the e-cigarette category grew increasingly stigmatized. We then propose several mechanisms through which the symbolic and social boundaries between a new and an established category can weaken and the stigma associated with an existing category can become diffused, intensified, and generalized—both across organizational features and across organizations in the new category. This case allows us to investigate the processes by which strategies to legitimize categories may backfire and to consider the role that a diverse set of core and peripheral stakeholders—who enter the market with pre-existing knowledge and motivations—play in category stigmatization processes.
Outcomes Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Before, During, and After Transition to a Default Transradial Approach at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Authors: Bagai Jayant , Bhuiyan Azad R. , White Christopher J. , Mukherjee Debabrata , Paul Timir K.
Published: April 2020

Transradial coronary intervention (TRI) lowers bleeding and mortality compared with transfemoral coronary intervention (TFI). There are limited data on outcomes as TFI operators transition to a default TRI practice. The aim of this study was to assess TFI and TRI outcomes before, during, and after the year TRI was first learned by femoral operators. Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 2006 to 2012 were included. In 2009, TRI was learned by all operators and then used as the default PCI approach from 2010 to 2012. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were collected. Predictors of major bleeding, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and mortality were determined by multivariable analysis; 1192 veterans were included. TRI rates were 9% (2006-2008), 65% (2009), and 90% (2010-2012). Incidence of 1-year MACE and mortality was 5.4% and 3.9%, respectively, in 2009, and 5.6% and 3%, respectively, during 2010 to 2012. Major bleeding remained at <1%. Age, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction were independently associated with major bleeding, whereas TRI was protective. Transition to default TRI is feasible over a short time period and associated with low rates of MACE and mortality and very low rate of major bleeding.
Transnational terrorism and restrictive immigration policies
Authors: Helbling Marc , Meierrieks Daniel
Published: April 2020

We investigate the relationship between transnational terrorism and the restrictiveness of immigration policies. We argue that transnational terrorism may create incentives for governments to implement more restrictive migration policies. First, more restrictive policies may make terrorism a more costly endeavor, discouraging future terrorist activity. Second, voters may hold the government accountable for the increased insecurity and economic instability terrorism produces; more restrictive migration policies may signal political resolve and meet public demand for security-providing policies, consequently reducing the government’s chances of electoral defeat. We provide an empirical analysis of the effect of transnational terrorism on migration policy restrictiveness for a sample of 30 OECD countries between 1980 and 2010. We find that a greater exposure to transnational terrorism is associated with stricter migration controls, but not stricter migration regulations regarding eligibility criteria and conditions. This finding is robust to different model specifications, estimation methods, operationalizations of terrorism, and instrumental-variable approaches. It points to the securitization of immigration, providing partial support for the notion that transnational terrorism incentivizes migration policy change towards greater restrictiveness. However, the policy response appears to be surgical (affecting only migration controls) rather than sweeping (and thus not influencing broader migration regulations) for the countries in our sample.
Moaners, Gloaters, and Bystanders: Perceived Fairness of the United Kingdom’s 2016 Referendum on the European Union
Authors: Schaffner Florian S
Published: April 2020

Referendums divide the electorate into winners, losers, and abstainers. Research has shown that these three groups tend to differ substantially in their evaluations of the fairness of a referendum. However, no study has investigated the nature and determinants of citizens’ perceptions of the fairness of a national referendum from long before until long after the vote. I address this lacuna by studying perceived fairness of the Brexit referendum using a four-wave panel dataset that tracks perceptions of fairness from before the referendum to 10 months after. The results demonstrate that winners, losers, and abstainers differ significantly in their fairness expectations and fairness evaluations after the vote and that the gap between them widened over time. Strength of identification with the referendum camps substantially moderates perceived fairness. Winners who expected to win did not expect the referendum to be conducted more fairly than winners who expected to lose.
COVID-19 and orthopaedic surgeons: the Indian scenario
Authors: Jain Vijay K , Vaishya Raju
Published: April 2020

The emergence of COVID-19 has impacted orthopaedic surgery worldwide. India, with its large population and limited health resources, will be overwrought over the coming days due to the number of cases of critically ill patients with COVID-19. It is important to understand the challenges for orthopaedic (and other) surgeons in India when dealing with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights the challenges in the triaging of patients, care in dealing with a patient with COVID-19 in orthopaedic surgery, and the effects on academics and research activities; it also suggests immediate measures and recommendations that also apply to other specialties.
Access granted: Facebook’s free basics in Africa
Authors: Nothias Toussaint
Published: April 2020

This article explores one of the most notorious and controversial initiatives by tech corporations to increase connectivity across the Global South: Facebook’s Free Basics project. Public attention focused on its ban in India following nationwide protests about net neutrality. In Africa, however, Free Basics expanded without much public scrutiny to some 32 countries. This article traces this quiet expansion by using an innovative virtual private network (VPN)-based method and by calling for an analytical focus on the landscape of the digital civil society in Africa. Specifically, I outline two key, interrelated phenomena: (1) Facebook’s evolving strategy, including a greater engagement with civil society organizations and (2) the focus of digital rights activists in Africa on issues like Internet shutdowns, government surveillance, and the lack of data privacy frameworks. In the process, I illuminate broader trends in the digital industry including tech corporations’ growing investments in mobile social media, network infrastructures, and in civil society; the use of disadvantaged populations and unregulated territories for digital experiments and data extraction; and the mounting recognition of Facebook’s political role, both within and outside the corporation.
Breaking up is hard to do: The Neil Sedaka theory of independence referendums
Authors: Qvortrup Matt
Published: April 2020

This article analyses the factors conducive to recognising independence referendums and to winning these votes. After a tour d’horizon of the history of referendums on independence and a summary of the legal position, this article argues that independence referendums are most likely to be implemented when this is in the interest of the three Western powers on the UN Security Council. While there is a statistically significant correlation between the support for independence (the yes-vote) and international recognition, this is much lower than the 100% association between support of the three permanent Western powers on the Security Council and international recognition. Countries may cite legal, democratic and philosophical principles, but the statistical and historical facts suggest that these are of secondary importance when it comes to recognising states after independence referendums.
Accept or Reject: The Role of Immune Tolerance in the Development of Stem Cell Therapies and Possible Future Approaches
Authors: Haworth Richard , Sharpe Michaela
Published: April 2020

In 2011, Goldring and colleagues published a review article describing the potential safety issues of novel stem cell-derived treatments. Immunogenicity and immunotoxicity of the administered cell product were considered risks in the light of clinical experience of transplantation. The relative immunogenicity of mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) was being addressed through in vitro and in vivo models. But the question arose as to whether the implanted cells needed to be identical to the recipient in every respect, including epigenetically, to evade immune recognition? If so, this set a high bar which may preclude use of many cells derived from iPSCs which have vestiges of a fetal phenotype and epigenetic memory of their cell of origin. However, for autologous iPSCs, the immunogenicity reduces once the surface antigen expression profile becomes close to that of the parent somatic cells. Therefore, a cell product containing incompletely differentiated cells could be more immunogenic. The properties of the administered cells, the immune privilege of the administration site, and the host immune status influence graft success or failure. In addition, the various approaches available to characterize potential immunogenicity of a cell therapy will be discussed.