bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Neglecting Health Disparities Promotes a Truncated Research Agenda
Authors: King Nancy M. P. , Henderson Gail E. , Churchill Larry R.
Published: January 2024

This chapter examines the application of bioethics to research with human subjects. It first reviews the history of empirical bioethics research and bioethics scholarship, practice, and service relating to research ethics. It then argues that the failure to consider the social determinants of health and health disparities in health-related human research promotes a truncated research agenda. Although the Belmont Report endorses a relatively narrow application of justice to human research regulation and oversight, new attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the development of learning health care systems enable bioethics researchers to promote multidisciplinary collaborations linking public health and biomedical research efforts. Increasing the diversity of clinical trial participants is necessary in order to distinguish between individual and structural contributions to disease and to study more effective prevention. The chapter explores ways for bioethics scholars in all settings to engage more effectively with justice questions both in and through research, using the example of the ELSI research program, which has led the way by showing that the effects of structural injustice on health and illness are often more significant than genetic ancestry. Bioethics scholars can and should advocate more effectively for research to improve human health and social justice.
Conclusion
Authors: King Nancy M. P. , Henderson Gail E. , Churchill Larry R.
Published: January 2024

The Conclusion notes that expanded attention to health justice is already underway outside mainstream bioethics. Many scholars of public health and the social sciences, and some bioethics scholars who focus specifically on justice issues, have undertaken the challenges of showing how structural injustices affect the social determinants of health and create health disparities. Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into both clinical ethics and health-related research has begun to connect individual health with consideration of broader societal forces. Perhaps most important, bioethics has always understood that advocacy is an essential component of its scholarship and practice; expanding that advocacy to include solidarity with underserved, underrepresented, and minoritized groups to improve public health and health care is not as big a step as it might first appear. New attention to narrative has helped overcome the limitations of “objectivity” in bioethics; this improved attention begins from true conversation with and genuine listening to individuals in treatment, prevention, and research relationships. From here, it should not be difficult to expand the field’s attention to justice in every aspect of bioethics work – and the results could make a difference to us all.
We All Own It
Authors: Hilliard Emily
Published: January 2024

This chapter takes us to Scotts Run, West Virginia, the multiethnic, multiracial former coal camp community that was documented by Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers and which inspired Eleanor Roosevelt’s first New Deal homestead, Arthurdale. In Scotts Run every Saturday, former residents meet at the museum they founded to recount old stories, shape a counternarrative, and reconstruct a place through collective memory. As a collective working in collaboration with retired West Virginia University professor Eve Faulkes, they demonstrate the power of collaborative community-engaged cultural work and offer an example of “creative placemaking” that is effective because it is both community-generated and prioritizes the quality of life of the local community itself, rather than being aspirationally tourism-driven. In this chapter, Hilliard employs folklorist Dorothy Noyes’ concept of a “network” which illuminates the complex and overlapping relationships of communities. The chapter draws on historical research of the Scotts Run community, which reveals an example of how conceptions of Appalachian regionalism have reinforced racial stereotypes and white supremacy.
Up Here You Use What You’ve Got
Authors: Hilliard Emily
Published: January 2024

This chapter explores the evolution of foodways traditions in the West Virginia Swiss community of Helvetia to examine how ethnographic fieldwork mirrors the evolution of folklife, specifically in that they are both dialogic processes, negotiated at every step through informal conversation. Through the lens of rosettes, fried cookies made for Helvetia’s pre-Lenten celebration, Fasnacht, Hilliard investigates how a specific localized tradition can be a point of inter- and cross-cultural connection—a potent example of how culture in Appalachia can be viewed as connective rather than singular and insular.
Crisis in Iran
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

In April 1951, Mohammad Mosaddeq became prime minister of Iran and nationalized the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. For Iranian nationalists, taking control of their oil industry was an important step toward freeing the nation from foreign influence. The British government strongly supported AIOC and sought to organize Mosaddeq’s removal from power and retain control over Iran’s oil. With the Korean War at its height, the United States wanted to avoid another crisis and US officials worried that nationalization and conflict with Great Britain would produce conditions where communists could take power in Iran. On the recommendation of Secretary of State Dean Acheson, President Harry S Truman sent veteran diplomat Averell Harriman to Iran to broker an agreement that would allow AIOC to remain in control, kept the oil flowing, and satisfy Iran’s nationalists. Neither side would compromise on the issue of control, and after the United States convinced the British to abandon plans to seize the giant AIOC refinery at Abadan, AIOC withdrew from Iran and instituted a boycott of Iranian oil exports.
Search for a Settlement
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

After the United Nations Security Council turned down a British request to intervene in the dispute with Iran, American officials devised a plan that would allow Iran formal control of its oil industry but would not damage the “fabric” of the privately-controlled international oil industry. The newly elected British government led by Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden rejected the plan, arguing that it was too favorable to Iran and could encourage other countries to nationalize British properties. The British believed that economic pressure from the oil boycott, combined with internal political intrigues, would force Mosaddeq from power and result in new government which would reverse nationalization. World Bank efforts to devise a settlement failed because Mosaddeq would not agree to conditions that would leave effective control with AIOC. Although the primary objective of US policy was maintaining Iran as “an independent country aligned with the free world,” the United States also feared that successful nationalization would endanger other oil concessions and threaten Western access to Middle Eastern oil.
The July Uprising
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

Following the failure of the World Bank effort, the United States and Britain stepped up efforts to convince the shah to replace Mosaddeq with someone willing to settle the oil dispute on terms that would preserve Western control of Iran’s oil. Mosaddeq disrupted these plans when he unexpectedly resigned on 16 July after the shah refused to relinquish control of the armed forces to the Majlis. The shah selected veteran statesman Ahmed Qavam, who the United States and Britain backed, as Mosaddeq’s successor, but massive popular opposition forced Qavam to resign after only five days in office. Mosaddeq returned to power determined to enact a program of social, economic, and political reforms. The July Uprising led the British to conclude that the only way to replace Mosaddeq was through a military coup. In contrast, the United States concluded that there was no acceptable alternative to Mosaddeq and that the best option was to find a way to stabilize his government without undermining the postwar petroleum order. The British sabotaged US attempts to reach an interim settlement, but their efforts to promote a coup failed and Iran broke relations with Britain and expelled British diplomats in late October.
The Final Attempt
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

Following the British withdrawal from Iran in October 1952, the United States launched another effort to resolve the oil dispute. Analysis of the situation convinced US policymakers that any attempt to remove Mosaddeq through a coup would probably fail due to the weakness of the opposition and the unreliability of the shah. Even if it were possible to oust Mosaddeq, the most likely beneficiary would be Ayatollah Abdolqassem Kashani, who US analysts believed would follow polices that increased the chances of a Tudeh takeover. In its final months in office, the Truman administration hoped to boost Mosaddeq’s financial position enough to keep him in power and agree to an oil settlement. The plan hinged on Britain and Iran reaching agreement on the compensation issue. Negotiations failed to produce an agreement, due in large part to British obstinance over the compensation issue. In late February, Mosaddeq publicly broke with the shah, suggesting to US officials that his coalition had fractured to the point that he would be forced, in time, to lean on support from the Tudeh Party. (173)
28 Mordad
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

Financed, guided, and supported by US and British agents, the anti-Mosaddeq opposition successfully overthrew the National Front government on 19 August 1953 (28 Mordad, according to the Iranian calendar) in a violent coup d’état combining indigenous forces with foreign actors. US policymakers had long believed that without the substantial oil revenues that the international oil companies could provide, Iran would descend into economic and political chaos, leading eventually to communist control. In March 1953, US policymakers became convinced that Mosaddeq would never accept a “reasonable” oil settlement with the British and that allowing him to remain in office would lead to disaster. From April to August 1953, the United States, Great Britain, and their Iranian allies worked to weaken Mosaddeq in preparation for a coup d’état. Great Britain had been attempting to organize Mosaddeq’s ouster since he first came to power and eagerly supported the American effort. Internal opposition to Mosaddeq, particularly military officers led by General Fazlollah Zahedi, sought out and accepted foreign assistance. The final and key element was the shah, who reluctantly agreed to participate once he received assurances of US and British backing.
Oil and Autocracy
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

Although the 28 Mordad coup removed Mosaddeq, the new regime had to end the oil dispute and the shah was determined to reassert his control over the military and play a much larger role in the government than before the crisis. The British were determined to get the best deal possible for AIOC and protect their oil interests in other countries. Although the United States forced the British to moderate their demands, it also insisted on an oil settlement that supported the interests of the international oil companies and was compatible with the privately managed postwar petroleum order. The United States wanted a stable, prosperous, and Western-aligned Iran as a barrier to the expansion of Soviet influence in the Persian Gulf and helped the shah and Zahedi crush the opposition and manipulate elections to ensure a compliant Majlis. In exchange, the shah accepted an oil agreement that gave control of Iran’s oil to an international consortium of oil companies, effectively reversing nationalization. The settlement ensured Western control of Iran’s oil for another two decades while providing the basis for an autocracy dominated by the shah and the military.
History and Contested Memories
Authors: Painter David S. , Brew Gregory
Published: January 2024

Myths and misperceptions, many originally propagated to justify opposition to nationalization and legitimize the coup, have long distorted understanding the crisis. Some of the most common include the argument that US policy throughout the crisis was driven by security concerns and had little or nothing to do with protecting the interests of US and British oil companies; that the United States acted as an “honest broker” between Iran and Great Britain during negotiations to resolve the nationalization dispute; that Mosaddeq’s intransigence was the main reason why negotiations failed; that Mosaddeq’s policies were leading to communism; and that the coup was carried out mainly by Iranian “patriots” acting independently rather than supported and directed by Anglo-American agents.
The Clinical-Racial Gaze
Authors: Willoughby Christopher D. E.
Published: January 2024

This chapter examines the emergence of two different ways of examining and studying humans’ bodies in the Atlantic World in the first half of the nineteenth century, and how they shaped medical practices. In the antebellum period, many American students flocked to the leading hospitals in Paris to learn clinical medicine. Specifically, they were trained to analyze the effects and causes of diseases on bodies through postmortem examination. Combined with statistical analysis of these causes and effects, physicians created complex and comparatively rigorous nosologies of disease. Critically, American physician-racial scientists applied these same methods to understanding racial difference, tallying statistics on cranial capacity postmortem, an approach called craniometry. This application of clinical methods to racial difference constituted the “clinical-racial gaze.”
Mastering Anatomy
Authors: Willoughby Christopher D. E.
Published: January 2024

This chapter relates how anatomical notions of difference were taught in medical schools in the antebellum United States, focusing on four types of curricula. First, medical students learned about supposed racial differences in anatomical textbooks. In lectures, students studied racial differences through oratorical, tactile, and visual methods. They listened to lectures, analyzed visuals, and measured human remains. In the medical museum, they could go further, studying displays of racialized remains from around the world that were organized into racial hierarchies. Finally, some students wrote about anatomical, racial differences in their senior thesis, parroting much of what they learned from textbooks, lectures, and the museum.
Jeffries Wyman, Travel, and the Rise of a Racial Anatomist
Authors: Willoughby Christopher D. E.
Published: January 2024

This chapter charts the career and intellectual evolution of Harvard Professor of Comparative Anatomy Jeffries Wyman from his first job as a Professor of Anatomy at Hampden-Sydney College to the curator of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Born into a well-known family in Boston, Wyman appeared at first to be an unlikely racial scientist with few connections to slave societies. Wyman’s career and intellectual interests would change this dynamic. As a professor in Virginia in the 1840s, he relied on enslaved labor, and he exploited the bodies of enslaved people in the classroom. Later, in an 1857 trip to Suriname, Wyman racially analyzed enslaved people on plantations, and spent several weeks among the self-liberated Saamaka maroon community, describing them as having reverted to supposedly inferior African customs and practices.
Introduction
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

The introduction presents the Coachella Valley’s early history and frames the United Farm Worker movement as a “field of stories,” a collection of political visions that shaped and were shaped by industrial agriculture’s social relations. It also approaches the UFW’s origins, dynamics, and ends by stressing historical contingency produced by a multitude of actors, the interaction of local and trans-local spaces, and an increasingly hostile political climate. Lastly, the introduction adopts the UFW term, “the Rancher Nation” to understand California’s rural communities and the racialized deprivations sustaining agricultural profits. In the Rancher Nation, ranchers ruled with impunity and relied on their allies to undercut farmworker resistance. A brief discussion notes the limits of the existing UFW historiography, especially its exclusive focus on the UFW’s leadership.
The Known World
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

Chapter two turns to the Coachella Valley’s non-white labor force. In the mid twentieth century, farmworkers toiled in date groves, between citrus trees, under grape vines, and near the ground for vegetables. Though farmworkers shared low wages, poor working and living conditions, and limited political power, they nonetheless held diverse backgrounds, expectations, and aspirations. Chapter two identifies three sets of submerged stories contesting the Coachella Valley’s Rancher Nation. The first two traced histories of rebellion to make citizen-based claims. Mexican American residents, for instance, who were largely not farmworkers, used their citizenship to demand greater political representation, equal social and municipal services, and public education reforms. Similarly, Filipino American members of the Agricultural Worker Organizing Committee (AWOC), who were largely not Coachella Valley residents, demanded the wages and benefits that other unionized US workers took for granted. Neither substantively engaged the ethnic Mexican farmworker community, whose stories of rebellion and possibility were primarily rooted in early twentieth revolutionary Mexico. Lastly, the chapter foregrounds farmworkers’ racialized and gendered experiences, noting their intersections with class subjection and migration.
A Flash Flood in Red
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

Chapter three covers the UFW movement’s five-year campaign (1965-1970) to unionize table grape workers in California’s San Joaquin and Coachella valleys. In these five years, pro-UFW farmworkers and their Chicana/o allies confronted the Rancher Nation in multiple spaces in the Coachella Valley, culminating like a flash flood in 1970, when local table grape ranchers capitulated to UFW contract demands. This chapter reiterates farmworker diversity and identifies the multiple social movements that are often identified as singular. Of particular importance, the chapter highlights the misrecognitions between ethnic Filipino and ethnic Mexican strikers, emergent tensions that would later play a role in the union’s setbacks.
In a Field of Flowers
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

Framed by the UFW’s grape contract years (1970-1973), chapter four focuses on the social transformations spurred by the UFW victory in 1970 and the signing of labor contracts in table grape fields. Through the union’s grievance procedures, Coachella Valley UFW members fought grape ranchers’ abusive treatment and challenged the region’s substandard working and living conditions. As one UFW organizer explained, UFW contracts in the grape fields offered more than higher wages. They also initiated a constitutional revolution in which the rancher-king lost his former impunity. This chapter foregrounds farmworker women’s critique of rancher and farmworker patriarchies and highlights how women utilized the UFW to advance a set of feminist priorities. The chapter ends with the development of Agbayani Village, a retirement home initially used by Filipino farmworker unionists.
Chicana/o Coachella and the Civic Retreat of the Rancher Nation
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

Chapter five traces the local Chicana/o movement’s campaign for Mexican American political and civil rights. Chicana/o activists fought for integrated, bilingual, and bicultural education, and increased opportunities to attend post-secondary institutions. They fought against police violence, political under-representation, and discriminatory practices. They turned to US citizenship discourses to make demands on the nation, arguing that they only sought what was already guaranteed to them by way of birth in a democratic country. Like pro-UFW farmworkers, Chicanas/os led an unprecedented drive for egalitarian social relations in the Coachella Valley. Despite their shortcomings, they contested the racialized Rancher Nation that only a few years before seemed unassailable.
Here Is Where We Meet
Authors: Paiz Christian O.
Published: January 2024

By the 1980s, the UFW and Chicana/o movements in the Coachella Valley faced an overwhelmingly reactionary opposition. And yet, even then, as chapter ten argues, these social movements continued to produce afterlives and the potential for new social ruptures. In interviews, oral history participants emphasized the UFW and Chicana/o movements’ roles in spurring reforms in education and social services, and the development of local leadership since the 1980s. Some activists formed new labor and political organizations to address conditions in and out of the region’s agricultural fields. Others turned to building new schools, founding free health clinics, and/or joining pro-immigrant campaigns. Ultimately, chapter ten argues, The Strikers of Coachella narrates how a collection of marginalized peoples in a small desert valley at the country’s edge offered alternatives-plural, contingent, evolving-to the Rancher Nation in the mid-twentieth century, and how such alternatives became increasingly untenable by the late 1970s and early 1980s.
A Novel Hypothesis for Migraine Disease Mechanism: The Creation of a New Attractor Responsible for Migraine Disease Symptoms
Authors: Garehdaghi Farnaz , Sarbaz Yashar , Baradari Elham
Published: January 2024

Migraine Disease (MD) is one of the common primary headaches that can prevent patients from their everyday life. Despite the high prevalence, the pathophysiology of the disease has not been clearly understood yet. Here, the brain is considered as a dynamical system. The Chua’s circuit with a chaotic attractor is the proposed model. This attractor has a one-scroll mode representing a healthy brain and a double-scroll mode representing a migraine sufferer brain. We believe that MD and Chua’s systems have certain behavioral similarities. The boundaries of the attractor are the sensitive brain areas in which any small trigger can start the ictal phase of the migraine. The transition from the inter-ictal phase to the ictal phase in migraine patients occurs due to a decrease in serotonin levels when the brain is within the boundaries of the first attractor. Here, this is the results of the increase of system parameters. In addition, the transition from the ictal phase to the inter-ictal phase in a migraine sufferer brain is caused by a disruption of coordination in the brain’s structures and this lasts for a certain period for every migraine patient. The structures which are the result of the Migraine Generator Network (MGN) and Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD). This explanation may propose newer methods for preventing or curing MD. To better understand MD to control it and shrink the areas involved in this disease, it is better to know the dynamic systems better. It may help prevent the formation of migraine ictal attractor or even make the migraine ictal phase attractor smaller even after it has been formed.
Sistem Informasi Inventory Alat Perlindungan Diri Di PT. Karya Mas Energi
Authors: Asmarandani Kintan , Sucipto Sucipto , Wardani Anita Sari
Published: January 2024

Perkembangan teknologi yang pesat dalam era globalisasi saat ini telah memberikan banyak keuntungan dalam berbagai bidang usaha. Kemampuan komputer dalam melakukan pengelolaan, perhitungan serta penyimpanan data membuat banyak instansi memanfaatkannya. PT. Karya Mas Energi merupakan salah satu instansi pengembang proyek biogas di Indonesia. Adanya pandemi covid-19, PT. KME mulai menerapkan protokol kesehatan seperti penyediaan masker, handsanitizer, desinfektan, face shield dan sarung tangan. Namun, sistem yang berjalan di PT. KME saat ini masih mengalami kendala dalam pengelolaan APD. Hal ini dikarenakan perusahaan masih menerapkan sistem konvensional di mana prosesnya masih dilakukan dengan manual dan masih menggunakan buku catatan yang mengakibatkan terlambatnya staff gudang dalam pembuatan laporan. Berdasarkan uraian tersebut, maka penulis melakukan penelitian untuk membuat suatu sistem informasi berbasis web dengan judul “Sistem Informasi Inventory Alat Perlindungan Diri Pada PT. Karya Mas Energi”.
Seasonal particulate organic carbon dynamics of the Kolyma River tributaries, Siberia
Authors: Keskitalo Kirsi H. , Bröder Lisa , Tesi Tommaso , Mann Paul J. , Jong Dirk J. , Bulte Garcia Sergio , Davydova Anna , Davydov Sergei , Zimov Nikita , Haghipour Negar , Eglinton Timothy I. , Vonk Jorien E.
Published: January 2024

Abstract. Arctic warming is causing permafrost thaw and release of organic carbon (OC) to fluvial systems. Permafrost-derived OC can be transported downstream and degraded into greenhouse gases that may enhance climate warming. Susceptibility of OC to decomposition depends largely upon its source and composition, which vary throughout the seasonally distinct hydrograph. Most studies on carbon dynamics to date have focused on larger Arctic rivers, yet little is known about carbon cycling in lower-order rivers and streams. Here, we characterize the composition and sources of OC, focusing on less studied particulate OC (POC), in smaller waterways within the Kolyma River watershed. Additionally, we examine how watershed characteristics control carbon concentrations. In lower-order systems, we find rapid initiation of primary production in response to warm water temperatures during spring freshet, shown by decreasing δ13C-POC, in contrast to larger rivers. This results in CO2 uptake by primary producers and microbial degradation of mainly autochthonous OC. However, if terrestrially derived inorganic carbon is assimilated by primary producers, part of it is returned via CO2 emissions if the autochthonous OC pool is simultaneously degraded. As Arctic warming and hydrologic changes may increase OC transfer from smaller waterways to larger river networks, understanding carbon dynamics in smaller waterways is crucial.
Connecting competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal (CSR) theory and Lund Potsdam Jena managed Land 5 (LPJmL 5) to assess the role of environmental conditions, management and functional diversity for grassland ecosystem functions
Authors: Wirth Stephen Björn , Poyda Arne , Taube Friedhelm , Tietjen Britta , Müller Christoph , Thonicke Kirsten , Linstädter Anja , Behn Kai , Schaphoff Sibyll , von Bloh Werner , Rolinski Susanne
Published: January 2024

Abstract. Forage offtake, leaf biomass and soil organic carbon storage are important ecosystem services of permanent grasslands, which are determined by climatic conditions, management and functional diversity. However, functional diversity is not independent of climate and management, and it is important to understand the role of functional diversity and these dependencies for ecosystem services of permanent grasslands, since functional diversity may play a key role in mediating impacts of changing conditions. Large-scale ecosystem models are used to assess ecosystem functions within a consistent framework for multiple climate and management scenarios. However, large-scale models of permanent grasslands rarely consider functional diversity. We implemented a representation of functional diversity based on the competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal (CSR) theory and the global spectrum of plant form and function into the Lund Potsdam Jena managed Land (LPJmL) dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) forming LPJmL-CSR. Using a Bayesian calibration method, we parameterised new plant functional types (PFTs) and used these to assess forage offtake, leaf biomass, soil organic carbon storage and community composition of three permanent grassland sites. These are a temperate grassland and a hot and a cold steppe for which we simulated several management scenarios with different defoliation intensities and resource limitations. LPJmL-CSR captured the grassland dynamics well under observed conditions and showed improved results for forage offtake, leaf biomass and/or soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to the original LPJmL 5 version at the three grassland sites. Furthermore, LPJmL-CSR was able to reproduce the trade-offs associated with the global spectrum of plant form and function, and similar strategies emerged independent of the site-specific conditions (e.g. the C and R PFTs were more resource exploitative than the S PFT). Under different resource limitations, we observed a shift in the community composition. At the hot steppe, for example, irrigation led to a more balanced community composition with similar C, S and R PFT shares of aboveground biomass. Our results show that LPJmL-CSR allows for explicit analysis of the adaptation of grassland vegetation to changing conditions while explicitly considering functional diversity. The implemented mechanisms and trade-offs are universally applicable, paving the way for large-scale application. Applying LPJmL-CSR for different climate change and functional diversity scenarios may generate a range of future grassland productivities.
An ensemble estimate of Australian soil organic carbon using machine learning and process-based modelling
Authors: Wang Lingfei , Abramowitz Gab , Wang Ying-Ping , Pitman Andy , Viscarra Rossel Raphael
Published: January 2024

Abstract. Spatially explicit prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) serves as a crucial foundation for effective land management strategies aimed at mitigating soil degradation and assessing carbon sequestration potential. Here, using more than 1000 in-situ observations, we trained two machine learning models (random forest, and K-means coupled with multiple linear regression), and one process-based model (the vertically resolved MIcrobial-MIneral Carbon Stabilization (MIMICS)) to predict SOC content of the top 30 cm of soil in Australia. Parameters of MIMICS were optimized for different site groupings, using two distinct approaches, plant functional types (MIMICS-PFT), and the most influential environmental factors (MIMICS-ENV). We found that at the continental scale, soil bulk density and mean annual temperature are the dominant controls of SOC variation, and that dominant controls vary for different vegetation types. All models showed good performance in SOC predictions with R2 greater than 0.8 during out-of-sample validation with random forest being the most accurate, and SOC in forests is more predictable than that in non-forest soils. Parameter optimization approaches made a notable difference in the performance of MIMICS SOC prediction with MIMICS-ENV performing better than MIMICS-PFT especially in non-forest soils. Digital maps of terrestrial SOC stocks generated using all the models showed similar spatial distribution with higher values in southeast and southwest Australia, but the magnitude of estimated SOC stocks varied. The mean ensemble estimate of SOC stocks was 30.08 t/ha with K-means coupled with multiple linear regression generating the highest estimate (mean SOC stocks at 38.15 t/ha) and MIMICS-PFT generating the lowest estimate (mean SOC stocks at 24.29 t/ha). We suggest that enhancing process-based models to incorporate newly identified drivers that significantly influence SOC variations in different environments could be key to reducing the discrepancies in these estimates. Our findings underscore the considerable uncertainty in SOC estimates derived from different modelling approaches and emphasize the importance of rigorous out-of-sample validation before applying any one approach in Australia.
Sarcopenia is common in ulcerative colitis and correlates with disease activity
Authors: Neelam Pardhu B , Pal Rimesh , Gupta Pankaj , Singh Anupam K , Shah Jimil , Mandavdhare Harshal S , Singh Harjeet , Sekar Aravind , Bhadada Sanjay K , Dutta Usha , Sharma Vishal
Published: January 2024

Background/Aims: Association of sarcopenia with disease severity in ulcerative colitis (UC) is not clearly defined. We planned to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with UC as per the revised definition and its relation with the disease severity.Methods: A cross-sectional assessment of sarcopenia in patients with UC was performed. Disease activity was graded according to complete Mayo score. Hand grip strength was assessed with Jamar hand dynamometer, muscle mass using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, and physical performance with 4-m walk test. Sarcopenia was defined as a reduction of both muscle mass and strength. Severe sarcopenia was defined as reduced gait speed in presence of sarcopenia.Results: Of 114 patients (62 males, mean age: 36.49±12.41 years), 32 (28%) were in remission, 46 (40.4%) had mild-moderate activity, and 36 (31.6%) had severe UC. Forty-three patients (37.7%) had probable sarcopenia, 25 (21.9%) had sarcopenia, and 14 (12.2%) had severe sarcopenia. Prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in active disease (2 in remission, 6 in active, and 17 in severe, P<0.001). Of 14 with severe sarcopenia, 13 had severe UC while 1 had moderate UC. On multivariate analysis, lower body mass index and higher Mayo score were associated with sarcopenia. Of 37 patients with acute severe colitis, 16 had sarcopenia. Requirement of second-line therapy was similar between patients with and without sarcopenia. On follow-up (median: 18 months), there was a non-significant higher rate of major adverse events in those with sarcopenia (47.4% vs. 33.8%, P=0.273).Conclusions: Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia in UC correlate with the disease activity.
ARTISTIC ASPECTS OF TRADITIONAL BESSARABIAN FURNITURE (LATE 19TH CENTURY - MID-20TH CENTURY)
Authors: Madan Elena
Published: January 2024

The study focuses on the artistic aspects of traditional furniture from Bessarabia, dating from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. We emphasize the importance of materials, decorative techniques, artistic means, and decorative structure in the crafting and decorating of traditional furniture. The motivation for this research lies in analyzing how the culture and folk art of Moldova are reflected in the characteristics of traditional furniture. The specific hypothesis of this study posits that Moldovan traditional furniture represents an expression of the talent and artistic sense of the craftsmen and householders from Moldova. The research aims to conduct a detailed analysis of the materials used, including wood and others, as well as decorative techniques such as carving, sculpture, and painting. The objectives include a comprehensive description of the mentioned materials and techniques. The research methods included documentary analysis, relevant illustrations, and extensive field research in all regions of the Republic of Moldova, spanning the years 2007-2023, contributing to the scientific and applied foundation of the research. The main results consist of highlighting the role of traditional furniture in reflecting Moldovan culture and folk art, providing data and illustrative images to support these aspects.
LINGUISTIC RECONSTRUCTION OF POST-COLONIAL SOUTH AFRICA AND LESOTHO: ENGLISH DOMINANCE DILEMMA
Authors: Ngcobo Sandiso , Makumane Makhulu A. , Masala Phumzile
Published: January 2024

Language was one of the tools used by colonialists in destroying the heritage of African nations. Yet, there is limited research on how African nations have linguistically faired post their independence. The purpose of this paper is to assess the endeavors of two neighboring African governments, South Africa and Lesotho, in the post-colonial era to linguistically reconstruct their nations. Qualitative data were collected through a comparative analysis of these two countries’ constitutions, with a focus on language rights and language in education. The data analyses were conducted using the language planning theory to evaluate how available policies enhance the position of previously marginalized African languages. The results revealed that whilst South Africa has a linguistic diversity challenge and Lesotho a language homogeneity advantage, they both still retain a colonial language, English. The international status of English has resulted in it retaining its colonial dominance as a lingua franca, a language of economy, politics and education. There is still more work that needs to be done by African nations to redress the past oppressive policies that devalued their languages. Education should be given priority as a vehicle to revitalize and intellectualize African languages and liberating Africa from its dependency on colonial languages, whilst also promoting multilingualism.
FEATURES OF AESTHETIC EDUCATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VISUAL LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS
Authors: Hadji-Bandalac Mariana
Published: January 2024

This work emphasizes some theoretical and practical provisions of aesthetic education, which have an important role in the development of visual language of architecture students. The principle of integrating scientific knowledge and creative skills ensures the success of the architecture student, valuing language as a tool used in free expression. One of the solutions refers to the analysis of the architectural context and project development based on visual language skills, and brainstorming, an idea-generating activity, can be taken as a method. Another solution would be to encourage students to take responsibility for the transmission of visual language from the perspective of aesthetic values. Taking on the role of a future architect by developing analytical skills and conveying aesthetic values, the student gains experience in modelling space and effectively conveying visual images of architectural edifices.
REVIEW OF THE COLLECTIVE MONOGRAPH "ANALYSIS OF RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA"
Authors: Rudic Valeriu , Arîcu Aculina
Published: January 2024

The collective monograph "Analysis of the risks associated with food in the Republic of Moldova" was carried out within the project 20.80009.5107.09 "Improving the quality and safety of food through biotechnology and food engineering" within the State Program (2020-2023), Strategic Priority II "Agriculture sustainable, food security and food safety". The work includes the analysis of the risks associated with improper nutrition, the behavioral characteristics of consumers in relation to the consumption of salt, sugar, sweeteners, trans fats. The risks of contamination of raw materials and food products along the food chain with technogenic pollutants are analyzed in detail: food contamination caused by the environment, contamination caused by animal breeding and care, food contamination during processing, food contamination during transportation and contamination in the result of contact with food packaging.
Paroxysmal Throbbing Pain Precipitated by Swallowing, Followed by Syncope, are Fatal Processes of Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
Authors:   Medical School, Jiangsu University, Jiangsu 212000, China, Ma Rui
Published: January 2024

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is not a simple disease with just sensory neurodynia, which could be followed by fatal cardiac syncope.
The Efficacy of Slow-Release Copper Capsule Administration on Postpartum Anestrus in Dairy Cows
Authors:   Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran, Hamali Hossein
Published: January 2024

Deficiency of single or multiple minerals or their imbalances may cause various reproductive failures, such as infertility, poor conception, and anestrus. Copper deficiency is related to reproductive disorders. This study investigated the effects of slow-release copper bolus administration in postpartum anestrus cows.
Can Brief Illness Perception Predict Pain Related Outcomes for People with Chronic Low Back Pain?
Authors:   Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, Vestermarksvej 15-17, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark, Elsborg Thomas
Published: January 2024

Treating patients with complex chronic non-malignant pain can be complicated by psychological and/or social factors. A vital importance for recovery is how the patient copes with pain and the emotional suffering that accompanies it.
Computational Biology Approach Exploring Morbific and Control Strategies to Cure Typhoid
Authors:   Department of Tech. Biosciences, Digianalix, South Samaj Street, Tharpakhna, Ranchi-834001, Jharkhand, India, Nitin Mukesh
Published: January 2024

Typhoid is a life threatening disorder caused by Salmonella enterica typhi has been a crucial topic of study in developing and underdeveloped countries especially India, some Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries which are reported to be affected with this bacteria.
The Determination of the Electrochemically Active Surface Area and its Effects on the Electrocatalytic Properties of Structured Nickel Electrodes Produced by Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Čolić Viktor
Published: January 2024

Additively manufactured (AM) nickel electrodes offer a great potential as an efficient solution for oxygen evolution catalysts in alkaline electrolyzers, since advanced fabrication methods allow the design of high surface area electrodes. The accurate determination of the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) is a key step in the evaluation of the intrinsic catalytic activity of complex electrodes. In this work, we fabricated Ni electrodes with different macroscopic lattice structures using laser powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M). The selected designs allow exploring the effects of the electrode geometry on the electrochemical performance. X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) and a non-contact optical profilometer (NCOP) were used to investigate the composition and surface morphology of the electrodes. The ECSA was determined by three different approaches. 1. Linear and non-linear allometric fitting of the double layer capacitance from voltammetric experiments. 2. Integration of the Ni2+/Ni3+ transition, also from voltammetry. 3. Assessing double layer capacitance determined from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at open circuit potential (OCP) and the adsorption capacitance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) intermediates. Comparing these methods, large deviations in the resulting ECSAs were found, motivating a comprehensive discussion. In addition, four different reactions were investigated, ferri-ferrocyanide redox system, hydrogen evolution, ethanol electrooxidation, and oxygen evolution reaction. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of AM to tailor electrode performance by altering electrode geometry. The findings underline the importance of the ECSA determination for the comparison of the electrocatalytic activity in different electrodes.
Composição centesimal e mineral de diferentes formulações de multimisturas provenientes da região central do Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Kaminski Tiago André , Silva Leila Picolli da , Bagetti Milena
Published: January 2024

O presente estudo avaliou 20 amostras de multimisturas quanto à composição centesimal e mineral. Considerando-se a resolução nº 53 da ANVISA, em vigor na época da coleta e análise das amostras, 55% das amostras apresentaram teor de umidade e substâncias voláteis superior ao máximo de 6,0g% e apenas 15% atingiram o teor mínimo de 5,5g% de cinzas. Atualmente, vigora a Resolução n° 263 da ANVISA, na qual o único parâmetro estipulado é o limite de 15% para umidade e substâncias voláteis; portanto, as amostras estão de acordo com a nova legislação. As médias dos grupos estatísticos, em g% de massa seca, variaram de 11,42 a 16,10 para proteína; de 3,53 a 8,54 para extrato etéreo; de 36,41 a 56,65 para carboidratos e de 14,66 a 29,76 para fibra alimentar. Foram encontrados altos teores de minerais nas amostras, atingindo 30% das Ingestões Diárias Recomendadas (IDRs) para crianças de até 10 anos, conforme a Portaria n° 33 da ANVISA. No entanto, como o acréscimo de multimistura é de cerca de 5% da dieta, apenas o mineral manganês fica caracterizado como fonte por ter atingido 15% da IDR em 65% das amostras e, ainda como alto teor em 10% das amostras por ter apresentado 30% da IDR.
Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana de preparações de própolis comercializadas na cidade de São Paulo
Authors: Auricchio Mariângela Tirico , Bugno Adriana , Almódovar Adriana Aparecida Buzzo , Pereira Tatiana Caldas
Published: January 2024

A própolis é uma substância resinosa de diferentes origens, com propriedades anti-inflamatórias e antimicrobianas, a qual tem sido estudada sob vários aspectos. Neste estudo, nove preparações de própolis comercializadas em farmácias da cidade São Paulo, foram avaliadas quanto à atividade contra Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis e Streptococcus mutans. Utilizou-se o método de difusão em ágar, avaliando-se cada produto em condição não diluída, na diluição indicada e em um décimo da diluição recomendada. Os resultados indicaram que as diluições recomendadas nos rótulos dos produtos não evidenciaram atividade antimicrobiana.
Perfil dos principais componentes em bebidas energéticas: cafeína, taurina, guaraná e glucoronolactona
Authors: Carvalho Joelia Marques de , Maia Geraldo Arraes , Sousa Paulo H. M. de , Rodrigues Sueli
Published: January 2024

As chamadas bebidas energéticas tiveram um grande crescimento no mercado nacional e internacional, principalmente entre os jovens e praticantes de atividades esportivas, seus maiores consumidores. Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão de literatura sobre os componentes mais comuns presentes nas bebidas energéticas: cafeína, taurina, guaraná e glucoronolactona, dando ênfase à legislação do Brasil, composição, ação sobre o organismo, aspectos toxicológicos e metabólicos. As pesquisas e estudos publicados demonstram que ainda há muitas divergências em relação às concentrações adequadas para o uso destes componentes na formulação destas bebidas e que se faz necessário maiores estudos sobre a interação destes componentes com outras substâncias como o álcool, uma vez que as bebidas energéticas são frequentemente consumidas misturadas às bebidas alcoólicas com a finalidade de potencializar o efeito do álcool.