bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impfung gegen SARS-CoV-2 bei Krebspatienten
Authors: von Lilienfeld-Toal Marie , Rieger Christina , Giesen Nicola , Wörmann Bernhard
Published: May 2021

Patient*innen mit Krebserkrankungen haben ein erhöhtes Risiko, schwere Verläufe einer COVID-19-Erkrankung zu erleiden. Spezifische Schutzmaßnahmen inkl. der COVID-19-Impfungen sind daher hier von besonderer Bedeutung. Eine durch Therapie und Grunderkrankung oftmals bedingte Abwehrschwäche kann jedoch eine Herausforderung für Impfstrategien bei diesen Patient*innen darstellen. Aktuell sind in Deutschland vier COVID-19-Impfstoffe zugelassen, zwei mRNA- und zwei vektorbasierte Impfstoffe, die alle eine sehr gute Wirksamkeit gegen schwere Krankheitsverläufe zeigen. Hinsichtlich des Wirkmechanismus ist allen vier Impfstoffen die Induktion einer Produktion virusspezifischer Proteine in menschlichen Zellen gemeinsam mit nachfolgender Aktivierung einer adaptiven Immunantwort. Für Krebspatient*innen und medizinisches Personal wird die Impfung priorisiert empfohlen. Ein optimaler Zeitpunkt für die Impfung bei Neuerkrankten scheint vor Beginn einer Tumortherapie zu sein. Aufgrund des erhöhten Risikos von Krebspatient*innen für schwere Verläufe von COVID-19 wird die Impfung jedoch auch unter laufender Tumortherapie empfohlen. Die Impfantwort ist hier allerdings möglicherweise reduziert. In den besonderen Konstellationen einer vorherigen Stammzelltransplantation oder einer B‑Zell-depletierenden Therapie wird nach Möglichkeit ein mehrmonatiger Abstand zwischen Therapie und Impfung empfohlen, da hier ansonsten mit einer deutlich reduzierten Impfantwort gerechnet werden muss. Wenn sich erste Hinweise auf nur eine geringe Serokonversion bei Krebspatient*innen nach einmaliger Impfung bestätigen, können zukünftige Empfehlungen in Richtung mehrfacher Impfungen bei diesen Patient*innen gehen.
Europäische Währungsunion: schlecht gerüstet für große Krisen
Authors: Heine Michael , Herr Hansjörg
Published: May 2021

Bereits vor der Corona-Krise zeigte die Europäische Währungsunion (EWU) eine unbefriedigende wirtschaftliche Entwicklung mit niedrigem Wachstum und zu geringer Inflation. Zur Krisenbekämpfung ist die Koordination zwischen Geld- und Fiskalpolitik notwendig. Unzureichende Lohnsteigerungen, die zu Deflation führen, müssen vermieden werden. Nicht zuletzt ist ein Mechanismus zur Stabilisierung des Finanzsystems und zum schnellen Umgang mit notleidenden Krediten erforderlich. Abgesehen von der Geldpolitik fehlt es der EWU an Institutionen, welche die notwendige Wirtschaftspolitik unterstützen. Es besteht somit die Gefahr einer langfristigen Stagnation in der EWU.
Mechanical properties of lightweight foam concrete filler for roadbed of high-speed railway
Authors: Cai De-Gou , Wei Shao-Wei , Ye Yang-Sheng , Zhang Qian-Li , Li Zhong-Guo , Li Si
Published: May 2021

A high-speed railway has high requirements for line smoothness, and uneven settlement control is the primary factor considered in the design and operation of the subgrade. The emergence of lightweight subgrade structures meets the needs of the development of the high-speed railway. As a kind of filling material with good performance, lightweight foam concrete can effectively reduce the load and excessive settlement of subgrade and effectively reduce the cost of foundation treatment. This paper studied the dynamic characteristics of lightweight foam concrete with different wet densities and water-bearing states under train loading. The effects of wet density and fly ash content on the compressibility, impermeability, and frost resistance of lightweight foam concrete were analyzed in detail. The results show that the lightweight foam concrete still has high residual strength after compression, which is about 60% of its peak strength. Under different mix ratios, the critical dynamic stress of the lightweight foam concrete is generally 0.2–0.3 times the unconfined compressive strength, and the dynamic elastic modulus increases with the increase of wet density and cyclic stress amplitude. With the fly ash content increasing, the volume water absorption of lightweight foam concrete decreases first and then increases, and the critical value of fly ash content is 40%. The frost resistance of lightweight foam concrete gradually increases with the increase of wet density, and the dynamic elastic modulus of the sample with 279 kg·m−3 density lost 41.1% after 20 freeze–thaw cycles. When the content of fly ash is 20%, the frost resistance of lightweight foam concrete is equivalent to that of pure cement.
Execution of Knowledge-Intensive Processes by Utilizing Ontology-Based Reasoning
Authors: Rietzke Eric , Maletzki Carsten , Bergmann Ralph , Kuhn Norbert
Published: May 2021

Modeling and executing knowledge-intensive processes (KiPs) are challenging with state-of-the-art approaches, and the specific demands of KiPs are the subject of ongoing research. In this context, little attention has been paid to the ontology-driven combination of data-centric and semantic business process modeling, which finds additional motivation by enabling the division of labor between humans and artificial intelligence. Such approaches have characteristics that could allow support for KiPs based on the inferencing capabilities of reasoners. We confirm this as we show that reasoners can infer the executability of tasks based on a currently researched ontology- and data-driven business process model (ODD-BP model). Further support for KiPs by the proposed inference mechanism results from its ability to infer the relevance of tasks, depending on the extent to which their execution would contribute to process progress. Besides these contributions along with the execution perspective (start-to-end direction), we will also show how our approach can help to reach specific process goals by inferring the relevance of process elements regarding their support to achieve such goals (end-to-start direction). The elements with the most valuable process progress can be identified in the intersection of both, the execution and goal perspective. This paper will introduce this new approach and verifies its practicability with an evaluation of a KiP in the field of emergency call centers.
Strain-Modulated Photoelectric Responses from a Flexible α-In2Se3/3R MoS2 Heterojunction
Authors: Cai Weifan , Wang Jingyuan , He Yongmin , Liu Sheng , Xiong Qihua , Liu Zheng , Zhang Qing
Published: May 2021

Semiconducting piezoelectric α-In2Se3 and 3R MoS2 have attracted tremendous attention due to their unique electronic properties. Artificial van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures constructed with α-In2Se3 and 3R MoS2 flakes have shown promising applications in optoelectronics and photocatalysis. Here, we present the first flexible α-In2Se3/3R MoS2 vdWs p-n heterojunction devices for photodetection from the visible to near infrared region. These heterojunction devices exhibit an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 2.9 × 103 A W−1 and a substantial specific detectivity of 6.2 × 1010 Jones under a compressive strain of − 0.26%. The photocurrent can be increased by 64% under a tensile strain of + 0.35%, due to the heterojunction energy band modulation by piezoelectric polarization charges at the heterojunction interface. This work demonstrates a feasible approach to enhancement of α-In2Se3/3R MoS2 photoelectric response through an appropriate mechanical stimulus.
The Structure and Delivery of Police Use of Force Training: A German Case Study
Authors: Staller Mario S. , Koerner Swen , Heil Valentina , Klemmer Isabel , Abraham Andrew , Poolton Jamie
Published: May 2021

The current study aims to investigate the current structure and delivery of police recruit training. Using a case study approach, we systematically observed a semester of police training that consisted of 30 h with a specific focus on police use of force training. Field notes and time-on-task data was analysed using an inductive approach. The results revealed, first, a lack of constructive alignment of the training modules and learning tasks within the training settings. Second, an adherence to traditional linear approaches to training resulting in high amounts of augmented instruction and feedback and a one-size-fits all approach to technical and tactical behaviour. Third, a non-efficient use of available training time with low amounts of engagement in representatively designed tasks that stimulated problem-solving processes. Based on these results we suggest that there is a need: (a) for police trainers and curriculum designers to align the objectives, practice structure and delivery of police training with the needs of police officers in the field (e.g. conflict resolution); (b) for police trainers to employ more learner-centred pedagogical approaches that account for individual action capabilities and resources, and allow for high amounts of training time with representatively designed training tasks; and (c) for senior managers of overall police training decision-makers to provide the necessary trainer education, in order to furnish trainers with the knowledge and tools to appropriately plan, deliver and reflect upon their practice in keeping with concept of constructive alignment.
Asymptotic Shallow Models Arising in Magnetohydrodynamics
Authors: Alonso-Orán Diego
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we derive new shallow asymptotic models for the free boundary plasma-vacuum problem governed by the magnetohydrodynamic equations which are vital when describing large-scale processes in flows of astrophysical plasma. More precisely, we present the magnetic analogue of the 2D Green–Naghdi equations for water waves under a weak magnetic pressure assumption in the presence of weakly sheared vorticity and magnetic currents. Our method is inspired by ideas for hydrodynamic flows developed in Castro and Lannes (2014) to reduce the three-dimensional dynamics of the vorticity and current to a finite cascade of two dimensional equations which can be closed at the precision of the model.
Rethinking Political Wellbeing in Representational Democracy in Japan
Authors: Kobayashi Yoshiaki , Kim Sangjoon
Published: May 2021

This study discusses how representational democracy is related to the issues of community wellbeing in that political promises are contested in process of election campaigns. Under the premises that many promises largely reflect issue of community wellbeing, we seek to enhance understanding of how styles of representative democracy impact community wellbeing by comparing aspects of single-member (SMD) and multimember districts (MMD) in the Japan case.

Among the questions considered: (1) Do voters’ choices increase in SMD compared to MMD systems? (2) Does issue voting increase in SMD? (3) Do SMD systems expand policy debate? and, (4) Does the voters’ will determine the policies of elected representatives? We measure each of these variables, related to mechanisms for electing representatives, with an assumption that wellbeing is closely related to voters’ participation and satisfaction. Based on our analysis, we conclude that SMD is not better than MMD at promoting these aspects of community wellbeing.
Structural, AC conductivity, dielectric and catalytic behavior of calcium oxide nanoparticles derived from waste eggshells
Authors: Madhu B. J. , Bhagyalakshmi H. , Shruthi B. , Veerabhadraswamy M.
Published: May 2021

Calcium Oxide (CaO) nanoparticles have been synthesized from waste eggshells (ES) as a source of calcium by solution combustion technique using muffle furnace and microwave oven. CaO nanoparticles obtained using muffle furnace (CaO-F) and via microwave oven (CaO-M) were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, AC conductivity and dielectric studies to correlate the physico-chemical behavior. The frequency dependence of AC conductivity, the permittivity (ε′) and dielectric loss tangent (D) studies have been undertaken in the frequency range 50 Hz–5 MHz at room temperature. AC conductivity was found to enhance with an increase in the frequency. The ε′ was found to decrease initially with the frequency and finally reaching a constant value at higher frequencies. The frequency dependence of D was found to exhibit a resonance peak in the studied frequency region. Catalytic activity of CaO-M was correlated with its dielectric behavior.
Optimization and validation of keratinase production by Bacillus aerius NSMk2 in a stirred tank reactor using response surface methodology
Authors: Bhari Ranjeeta , Kaur Manpreet , Singh Ram Sarup
Published: May 2021

Keratinase is a robust enzyme that is produced in the presence of keratin substrates. This enzyme has been recognized for its applications in waste management, leather and detergent industries. Our group has isolated a potential keratinase producing strain of Bacillus aerius NSMk2 from poultry dump soil, and its hide dehairing and stain removal applications have been studied. Considering commercial applicability of keratinase, the present study reports the keratinase production in a stirred tank reactor (5 l). Central composite rotatable design of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the effect of most influencing process variables, i.e., aeration (0.5–1.5 vvm), agitation (150–350 rpm) and incubation period (24–48 h) on keratinase production. The quadratic model predicted 15 experimental runs, and the influence of independent variables and their interaction on keratinase production were interpreted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test statistics. Coefficient of determination (R2) value close to 1 and Fisher F-value of 3743.77 showed good fit of experimental data to second-order polynomial equation. A reasonable agreement between experimental and predicted values showed the accuracy of deduced model. Applying the desirability function, aeration rate of 1.0 vvm, agitation rate of 276.88 rpm and incubation period of 33.68 h supported maximum keratinase production (318.38 U/ml). Confirmatory experiments were performed to evaluate the accuracy of desirability function. Maximum keratinase activity of 318.11 U/ml close to predicted value (318.38 U/ml) validates the model. The present study provides useful guidelines for large-scale production of keratinase that can be used for various commercial applications.

Article highlights

Keratinase production was optimized in a stirred tank reactor by RSM.

The influence of aeration, agitation and incubation period on keratinase production was studied.

A significant increase in keratinase production was observed at 1.0 vvm aeration and 276.88 rpm agitation after 33.68 h.
Spectroscopic evaluation of vibrational temperature and electron density in reduced pressure radio frequency nitrogen plasma
Authors: Fatima Hira , Ullah M. Usman , Ahmad S. , Imran Mubashair , Sajjad S. , S.Hussain  , Qayyum A.
Published: May 2021

The optical emission spectroscopy technique is used to determine the vibrational temperature of the second positive band system,$$ N_{2} (C,\upsilon^{^{\prime}} - B,\upsilon^{^{\prime\prime}}$$

N
2

(
C
,

υ

′

-
B
,

υ

″

) in the wavelength range 367.1–380.5 nm by using the line-ratio and Boltzmann plot methods. The electron temperature is evaluated from the intensity ratio of the selected molecular bands corresponding to $$N_{2}^{ + } (B,\upsilon - X, \upsilon^{^{\prime}} , $$

N

2

+

(
B
,
υ
-
X
,

υ

′

,

391.44 nm), and, $$N_{2} (C,\upsilon^{^{\prime}} - B,\upsilon^{^{\prime\prime}}$$

N
2

(
C
,

υ

′

-
B
,

υ

″

, 375.4 nm) transitions, respectively. The selected bands have a different threshold of excitation energies and thus serve as a sensitive indicator of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). The electron density has been determined from the intensity ratio of the molecular transitions corresponding to $$N_{2}^{ + } (B,\upsilon - X, \upsilon^{^{\prime}} , $$

N

2

+

(
B
,
υ
-
X
,

υ

′

,

391.44 nm), and, $$ N_{2} (C,\upsilon^{^{\prime}} - B,\upsilon^{^{\prime\prime}}$$

N
2

(
C
,

υ

′

-
B
,

υ

″

, 380.5 nm) for different levels of pressure and radio frequency power. The results show that the vibrational temperature decreases with increasing nitrogen fill pressure and radio frequency power. However, the electron temperature increases with radio frequency power and reduces with fill pressure. The electron density increases both with nitrogen fill pressure and radio frequency power that attributes to the effective collisional transfer of energy producing electron impact ionization. Plasma parameters show a significant dependence on discharge conditions and can be fine-tuned for specific surface treatments.

Article Highlights

Spectrum analysis of RF-driven nitrogen plasma for varying discharge conditions

Evaluation of vibrational temperature using line-ratio and Boltzmann plot methods

Comparison of vibrational temperatures for line-ratio and Boltzmann plot methods

Evaluation of electron temperature and density using the intensity-ratio of bands

Correlation of temperature and density with varying fill pressure and RF power
Using NSQIP Data to Reduce Institutional Postoperative Pneumonia Rates in Non-ICU Patients: A Plan-Do-Study-Act Approach
Authors: Alligood Daniel M. , Albo Daniel , Meiler Steffen E. , Cartwright Sarah MI. , Kelly Allen , Xu Hongyan , Saeed Muhammad
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND:

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) is a program designed to measure and improve surgical care quality. In 2015, the study institution formed a multidisciplinary team to address the poor adult postoperative pneumonia performance (worst decile).

STUDY DESIGN:

The study institution is a 450+ bed tertiary care center that performs 12,000+ surgical procedures annually. From January 2016 to December 2019, the institution abstracted surgical cases and assigned postoperative pneumonia as a complication per the NSQIP operations manual. Using a plan-do-study-act approach, a multidisciplinary postoperative pneumonia prevention team implemented initiatives regarding incentive spirometry education, anesthetic optimization, early mobility, and oral care. The team measured the initiatives' success by analyzing semiannual reports (SAR) provided by the ACS NSQIP and regional adjusted percentile rankings provided by the Georgia Surgical Quality Collaborative (GSQC).

RESULTS:

The 2015 SAR postoperative pneumonia rate was 4.20% (odds ratio [OR] 3.86, confidence interval [CI] 2.92–5.11). After project initiation, the postoperative pneumonia rates decreased for all NSQIP cases, from 2.51% (OR 2.67, CI 1.89–3.77) in 2016 to 2.08% (OR 2.61, CI 1.82–3.74) in 2017, to 0.85% (OR 1.10, CI 0.69–1.75) in 2018, and then increased slightly to 1.14% (OR 1.27, CI 0.84–1.92) in 2019. The institution's adjusted percentile regional rank of participating regional ACS NSQIP hospitals' postoperative pneumonia rate improved from 14/14 (July 2015–June 2016) to 6/14 (July 2018–June 2019).

CONCLUSIONS:

The multidisciplinary postoperative pneumonia prevention team successfully decreased the postoperative pneumonia rate, therefore improving surgical patients' outcomes. Furthermore, this quality improvement project also saved valuable revenue for the hospital.
Algorithms and Autonomy
Authors: Rubel Alan , Castro Clinton , Pham Adam
Published: May 2021

Algorithms influence every facet of modern life: criminal justice, education, housing, entertainment, elections, social media, news feeds, work… the list goes on. Delegating important decisions to machines, however, gives rise to deep moral concerns about responsibility, transparency, freedom, fairness, and democracy. Algorithms and Autonomy connects these concerns to the core human value of autonomy in the contexts of algorithmic teacher evaluation, risk assessment in criminal sentencing, predictive policing, background checks, news feeds, ride-sharing platforms, social media, and election interference. Using these case studies, the authors provide a better understanding of machine fairness and algorithmic transparency. They explain why interventions in algorithmic systems are necessary to ensure that algorithms are not used to control citizens' participation in politics and undercut democracy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
You're Not Trying
Authors: SHER GEORGE
Published: May 2021

At one point or another, most of us have been accused of not trying our hardest, and most of us have leveled similar accusations at others. The disputes that result are often intractable and raise difficult questions about effort, ability, and will. This essay addresses some of these questions by examining six representative cases in which the accusation is leveled. The questions discussed include (1) what trying one's hardest involves, and (2) the conditions under which complaints about lack of effort are true, and (3) how much their truth matters. One conclusion that emerges is that both the relevant form of effort and the impediments to making it can vary greatly, while another is that trying one's hardest is less important than trying as hard as one could reasonably be expected to try.
The Poetics of Exile: Gulielmus Laurus the Recusant
Authors: Stevenson Jane
Published: May 2021

Gulielmus Laurus, a recusant exile and neo-Latin poet from Yorkshire has left a variety of evidence for his existence from 1587 through to the late 1590s, mostly in published verse in which he reflects on his life and experience, protests against the Anglican settlement, and asserts his faith. The article attempts to piece together his biography from the meagre information he gives, and offers two alternative interpretations of the data: one in which he was born around 1565, and one, marginally preferable, which makes him about ten years older. His poems are highly personal documents which reveal his interactions with the ‘republic of letters’ in Belgium, Germany and France, and the intense practical and psychological pressures of life as a friendless exile.
Money Laundering and Tax Crimes in Spain: Doctrine and Jurisprudence
Authors: Nieto-Montero Juan José
Published: May 2021

As regulated in Spanish law, money laundering requires a prior illicit activity that has generated the assets that are the subject of laundering. One of the subjects that has been deeply discussed in recent years by certain doctrinal sectors, even with support in various jurisprudential rulings, has been the suitability of crimes against the Public Treasury, especially tax fraud, as the prior offence underlying money laundering. Thus, it has been debated whether the tax offender carrying out one of the activities typified in the Criminal Code (acquiring, possessing, using, converting or transmitting assets) automatically commits a type of money laundering. In that case, it would become an automatic and inevitable consequence of the tax crime itself. If, on the contrary, some other component must be required (essentially through the subjective elements of the unjust) to determine the existence of a second crime, that of money laundering, the prohibition of non-bis in idem confronts us, to a greater or lesser extent. Furthermore, doctrinal approaches and some judgements of the Spanish highest courts have generated a reinterpretation of the criminal law that fits badly with the principles of criminality. Nor is it easy to delineate the assets that are the object of the tax offence that may be subject to laundering, since, by definition, they are assets that were originally in possession of the offending subject and, besides, they are pecuniary obligations. To that extent, the presumption of innocence could, in many cases, determine the exoneration of the suspect.
The Gift of Peace, Christians with Impairments, and the Church
Authors: Tumeinski Marc
Published: May 2021

One of the demands facing the church is the call for unity with Christians with profound intellectual and physical impairments. As the church becomes a community of justice with and for people with impairments, she is an instrument of God's shalom. However, too many of our sisters and brothers with impairments find themselves on the outside looking in. How can the church continue to move toward a more complete welcome and participation? Responding to this theological question precedes clinical or legal concerns. The best the world has to offer is not what the church needs, though she can learn from reasonable professional approaches. The message and peace of Christ can undo the walls of separation that keep Christians with impairments out. Such a transformation would be a sign that the church is being built up in peace, and would offer a model of true communion among a diversity of people.
II. The Question of God in the Struggle for Racial Justice
Authors: Pramuk Christopher
Published: May 2021

In March 1943, having narrowly escaped Europe three years earlier, Abraham Joshua Heschel published “The Meaning of This War,” his first essay in an American publication. The essay shows, quite remarkably, his full command of literary English. It also shows, as biographer Edward Kaplan remarks, that Heschel “had found his militant voice.” “Emblazoned over the gates of the world in which we live,” the essay begins, “is the escutcheon of the demons. The mark of Cain in the face of man has come to overshadow the likeness of God. There have never been so much guilt and distress, agony and terror. At no time has the earth been so soaked with blood.” Heschel's extraordinary life's witness, his whole body of work, traverses precisely this anthropological and theological knife's edge: The mark of Cain in the face of man has come to overshadow the likeness of God. Where is God? Or better, Who is God? in relation to the rapacious misuse and idolatrous distortion of human freedom? Or simply, Is God?
New Perspectives on Migration into the Tlajinga District of Teotihuacan: A Dual-Isotope Approach
Authors: Buckley Gina M. , Storey Rebecca , Longstaffe Fred J. , Carballo David M. , Hirth Kenneth G. , Renson Virginie
Published: May 2021

The city of Teotihuacan (AD 1–550) was a major multiethnic urban center that attracted migrants from as far away as west Mexico and the Maya region. Past research in the Tlajinga district at Teotihuacan using oxygen isotopes from human remains estimated that nearly 30% of the population of Tlajinga 33, a single apartment compound, were migrants. This study takes a dual-isotope approach (87Sr/86Sr and δ18Op) to reevaluate the proportion of in-migration at Tlajinga and includes data from two additional apartment compounds, Tlajinga 17 and 18 (n = 23). New results indicate that migrants comprised ~45% of the Tlajinga population. Previously acquired radiocarbon dates combined with mortuary and isotope data suggest that immigration to Tlajinga was highest during the first centuries of compound occupation. Nevertheless, migration was a continual process throughout its history. Additionally, a new finding suggests that residents of Tlajinga 33 ingested foods with higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios than did those of Tlajinga 17 and 18. We hypothesize that the incorporation of imported lime for the nixtamalization process skewed the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of human remains, a potentially important finding for future studies at Teotihuacan.
Exceptional multifunctionality in the feeding apparatus of a mid-Cambrian radiodont
Authors: Moysiuk Joseph , Caron Jean-Bernard
Published: May 2021

Radiodonts (stem Euarthropoda) were ecologically diverse, but species generally displayed limited functional specialization of appendages along the body axis compared with crown group euarthropods. This is puzzling, because such functional specialization is considered to have been an important driver of euarthropod ecological diversification. One way to circumvent this constraint could have been the functional specialization of different parts of the frontal appendages, known to have been ecologically important in radiodonts. This hypothesis has yet to be tested explicitly. Here we redescribe the poorly known mid-Cambrian hurdiid radiodontStanleycaris hirpexfrom the Burgess Shale (Stephen Formation) and quantitatively assess functional specialization of the frontal appendages of stem euarthropods. The appendages ofStanleycarisare composed of 14 podomeres, variously differentiated by their possession of pectinate endites, mono- to trifurcate medial gnathites, and outer spines. The oral cone is tetraradially organized and can be uniquely distinguished from those of other hurdiids by the presence of 28 rather than 32 smooth tridentate plates. Our phylogenetic analysis findsStanleycarisin a grade of hurdiids retaining plesiomorphic raptorial appendicular functionality alongside derived adaptations for sweep feeding and large, bilaterally opposed gnathites. We conclude that the latter performed a masticatory function, convergent with gnathal structures like mandibles in various panarthropods. Taken together,Stanleycarisand similar hurdiids provide an extreme example of the evolution of division of labor within the appendage of a stem euarthropod and suggest that this innovation may have facilitated the functional transition, from raptorial to sweep feeding, at the origin of the hurdiid clade.
Changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents, storages, and stoichiometry during land degradation in jasmine croplands in subtropical China
Authors: Jin Qiang , Peñuelas Josep , Sardans Jordi , Romero Estela , Chen Sicong , Liu Xuyang , Lin Shaoying , Wang Weiqi
Published: May 2021

Soil degradation is characterized by loss of soil organic matter, decline in fertility, imbalance in elemental content, deterioration of soil structure, and overall a deterioration of soil environment. According to the classification method of Pieri et al. (1992), the soil is classified into different degradation classes by calculating the soil structural stability index (St) of each sample point. We aimed to investigate changes in the contents, storages and stoichiometry of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) together with changes in soil physical traits along a soil degradation gradient in jasmine croplands in Fuzhou area (China). The content and storage of soil C and N decreased with increasing intensity of land degradation. Soil organic C content was 15.4%, 32.3%, and 38.8% lower, respectively, in the low, medium, and high degree of degradation soils, than in the nondegraded soils. The soil C:N ratio was 18.5% higher in soils in the middle degree of degradation than in the nondegraded soils. Compared with nondegraded soils, the bulk density of the degraded soils increased and water content decreased. The decrease of soil pH coupled with salinity (conductivity) and the loss of aggregate stability are the main traits that distinguish degraded from nondegraded soils. We also detected a general N and P deficiency that is aggravated by the degradation process. Unreasonable management easily leads to degradation associated with a loss of organic C and total soil nutrients, thus impairing even more a general N and P deficiency in this area. Therefore, higher inputs of organic fertilizer should be added to alleviate the lack of organic matter, and appropriate burial should be conducted to reduce nutrient loss. Moreover, a rise of N and P fertilizer application is also advisable.
Political Ecology: Nature and Society against the Grain
Authors: McElwee Pamela
Published: May 2021

This essay advances the argument for James C. Scott as a preeminent political ecologist, despite the fact that he has not claimed such a title for himself. While he is variously described as an (errant) political scientist, an (adopted) anthropologist, and a (most of the time) Southeast Asianist, he has not usually been called a card-carrying political ecologist. But in fact, his many works have foreshadowed a number of the topical concerns of political ecologists of Asia, such as his attention to subsistence strategies of peasants, to hegemony and resistance, to state power and simplifications, to anarchism and self-organization, and to ecological transitions and human-nonhuman interactions. The fact that Scott is one of the most-cited theorists in the field of political ecology is further proof of his influence, with authors using Scottian themes to launch critical investigations of how power shapes environmental relations and how politics plays a role in the co-constitution of nature and society.
Response: Works and Days
Authors: Scott James C.
Published: May 2021

The large-spirited, learned, and sharp-witted organizers and contributors to this collection of essays have come to understand that I have quite mixed feelings about Festschriften and have dodged them for as long as possible. Why? Well, there are two reasons. The first reason is that such performances risk becoming a classic example of what I have elsewhere called “the public transcript.” The form tends to suppress dissent in favor of praise and filters out the “backstage” chorus of criticism and parody that accompanies, and should accompany, any body of work in social science. The second reason is that such celebratory events tend to occur at the dusk of a scholar's career, and, simply by summing up a trajectory of thought, resemble an intellectual funeral. “Well, that's that; what on earth does what he wrote add up to?” Since I flatter myself that I may still have a few novel and interesting things to say, things that may change my epitaph, my inclination is to not show up at the premature wake.
Precision silver nitrate cautery of the posterior nasal cavity
Authors: Watson J , Nix P
Published: May 2021

Background

This technical note describes a novel method of cauterising the posterior nasal cavity through the use of a plastic straw and silver nitrate.

Objective

This technique aims to prevent unwanted damage to surrounding nasal mucosa.

Methods

Once the nasal cavity has been prepared for cauterisation, the silver nitrate stick is navigated to the bleeding point covered by the plastic straw. The silver nitrate stick is then advanced onto the bleeding point allowing precise cauterisation of the nasal mucosa, without effecting surrounding healthy mucosa.
Tax compliance and social desirability bias of taxpayers: experimental evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Iraman Endra , Ono Yoshikuni , Kakinaka Makoto
Published: May 2021

Identifying taxpayers who engage in noncompliant behaviour is crucial for tax authorities to determine appropriate taxation schemes. However, because taxpayers have an incentive to conceal their true income, it is difficult for tax authorities to uncover such behaviour (social desirability bias). Our study mitigates the bias in responses to sensitive questions by employing the list experiment technique, which allows us to identify the characteristics of taxpayers who engage in tax evasion. Using a dataset obtained from a tax office in Jakarta, Indonesia, we conducted a computer-assisted telephone interviewing survey in 2019. Our results revealed that 13% of the taxpayers, old, male, corporate employees, and members of a certain ethnic group had reported lower income than their true income on their tax returns. These findings suggest that our research design can be a useful tool for understanding tax evasion and for developing effective taxation schemes that promote tax compliance.
THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT LANGUAGE APTITUDE AND THE EFFECTS OF THE TIMING OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK
Authors: Fu Mengxia , Li Shaofeng
Published: May 2021

This study examines the associations between implicit and explicit language aptitude and the effects of the timing of corrective feedback (CF). A total of 112 seventh-grade EFL learners were assigned to three groups: Immediate CF, Delayed CF, and Task Only. The three groups underwent three treatment sessions during which they performed six focused communicative tasks eliciting the use of the English past tense. The Immediate and Delayed CF groups received CF treatments in the first and final sessions, respectively, and the Task Only group performed the communicative tasks without receiving any feedback. Treatment effects were measured through an untimed grammaticality judgment test and an elicited imitation test. Implicit language aptitude was operationalized as procedural memory and explicit language aptitude as working memory and declarative memory. Multiple regression analysis showed that procedural memory was significantly predictive of the effectiveness of Immediate CF, declarative memory was significantly associated with Delayed CF and Task Only, and working memory was a significant predictor of Immediate CF and Delayed CF. The results were interpreted by consulting the methodological features of the treatments and the mechanisms of the three cognitive abilities.
Thue equations that simultaneously fail the Hasse principle
Authors: BENGOECHEA PALOMA
Published: May 2021

We refine a previous construction by Akhtari and Bhargava so that, for every positive integer m, we obtain a positive proportion of Thue equations F(x, y) = h that fail the integral Hasse principle simultaneously for every positive integer h less than m. The binary forms F have fixed degree ≥ 3 and are ordered by the absolute value of the maximum of the coefficients.
Implementing UNESCO’s Convention on Cultural Diversity at the regional level: Experiences from evaluating cultural competence centers
Authors: Betzler Diana
Published: May 2021

This article deals with the question of whether regional cultural competence centers foster the diversity of cultural expressions and how the objectives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Convention on Cultural Diversity are implemented. By introducing the Convention on Cultural Diversity, the conditions of regional cultural policy governance, and the idea of regional cultural competence centers, a framework for evaluation is outlined. The evaluation of four regional cultural competence centers in the Swiss Central Region shows that fostering cultural diversity is complex and has many different approaches and effects. The final discussion concludes that principles such as “interculturality,” “freedom,” and “access for all” under the Convention on Cultural Diversity can promote a diversity of cultural expressions but that these criteria have to be set from outside—for example, by public funding institutions—so that regional actors implement them.
Post-error adjustment among children aged 7 years with a familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: A population-based cohort study
Authors: Burton Birgitte Klee , Petersen Anders , Eichele Heike , Hemager Nicoline , Spang Katrine S. , Ellersgaard Ditte , Christiani Camilla Jerlang , Greve Aja , Gantriis Ditte , Jepsen Jens Richardt M. , Mors Ole , Nordentoft Merete , Thorup Anne AE , Plessen Kerstin Jessica , Vangkilde Signe
Published: May 2021

The cognitive control system matures gradually with age and shows age-related sex differences. To gain knowledge concerning error adaptation in familial high-risk groups, investigating error adaptation among the offspring of parents with severe mental disorders is important and may contribute to the understanding of cognitive functioning in at-risk individuals. We identified an observational cohort through Danish registries and measured error adaptation using an Eriksen flanker paradigm. We tested 497 7-year-old children with a familial high risk of schizophrenia (N = 192) or bipolar disorder (N = 116) for deficits in error adaptation compared with a control group (N = 189). We investigated whether error adaptation differed between high-risk groups compared with controls and sex differences in the adaptation to errors, irrespective of high-risk status. Overall, children exhibited post-error slowing (PES), but the slowing of responses did not translate to significant improvements in accuracy. No differences were detected between either high-risk group compared with the controls. Boys showed less PES and PES after incongruent trials than girls. Our results suggest that familial high risk of severe mental disorders does not influence error adaptation at this early stage of cognitive control development. Error adaptation behavior at age 7 years shows specific sex differences.
Management of life-threatening flecainide overdose: a case report of an infant
Authors: Tuncer T.
Published: May 2021

Flecainide overdose is associated with an approximately 10% mortality rate. The drug’s slow rate of elimination and high oral bioavailability make successful management extremely challenging. I present the management of a life-threatening flecainide overdose of an infant who had a protracted course due to the exposure to the drug in both the fetal and neonatal periods.
Aspects of Cognitive Impairment Associated with Agitated Behaviour during Post-traumatic Amnesia
Authors: Spiteri Courtney J. , Ponsford Jennie L. , Roberts Caroline M. , McKay Adam
Published: May 2021

Objectives:

Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a transient period of recovery following traumatic brain injury (TBI) characterised by disorientation, amnesia, and cognitive disturbance. Agitation is common during PTA and presents as a barrier to patient outcome. A relationship between cognitive impairment and agitation has been observed. This prospective study aimed to examine the different aspects of cognition associated with agitation.

Methods:

The sample comprised 82 participants (75.61% male) admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital in PTA. All patients had sustained moderate to extremely severe brain injury as assessed using the Westmead Post-Traumatic Amnesia Scale (WPTAS) (mean duration = 42.30 days, SD = 35.10). Participants were assessed daily using the Agitated Behaviour Scale and WPTAS as part of routine clinical practice during PTA. The Confusion Assessment Protocol was administered two to three times per week until passed criterion was achieved (mean number assessments = 3.13, SD = 3.76). Multilevel mixed modelling was used to investigate the association between aspects of cognition and agitation using performance on items of mental control, orientation, memory free recall, memory recognition, vigilance, and auditory comprehension.

Results:

Findings showed that improvement in orientation was significantly associated with lower agitation levels. A nonsignificant trend was observed between improved recognition memory and lower agitation.

Conclusions:

Current findings suggest that the presence of disorientation in PTA may interfere with a patient’s ability to understand and engage with the environment, which in turn results in agitated behaviours. Interventions aimed at maximizing orientation may serve to minimize agitation during PTA.
A Royal Romance: The Cult of Cyrus the Great in Modern Iran
Authors: ANSARI ALI
Published: May 2021

This article looks at the continuing fascination with the idea of monarchy in Iran, dismissed and condemned after the revolution but gradually rehabilitated through an engagement with the Shahnameh and a reinvigorated interest in ancient Iran. The interest in Sasanian Iran, as the cradle for the development of Islamic civilisation, has in turn enabled a popular re-acquaintance with Achaemenid Iran, previously frowned on for its association with Mohammad Reza Shah but legitimised by the enthusiastic endorsement of the figure of Cyrus the Great by President Ahmadinejad. This political myth of Cyrus the Great reflects the changing political dynamics of the Islamic Republic and the need to appropriate popular nationalist iconography to the state.
India and the pandemic: democratic governance at crossroads
Authors: Ghosh Sujay
Published: May 2021

Covid-19 seems to have unlocked the reality of democracy's ongoing tension in many parts of the world, including India. The present government, led by Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, enjoys absolute majority in the lower House of Samshad (Indian Parliament); thus satisfies WHO requirement of strong political leadership for meeting the challenge of Covid-19 pandemic. Through analysis of various acts, rules, notifications, social media behaviour, media-representations and reports, two aspects of governance become relevant: the process of policy-communication on the pandemic, particularly while declaring and extending lockdowns, through widely publicised speeches of the Prime Minister, packed with emotive appeals and policy-propaganda. However, government's several omissions and commissions have defied the norms of democratic accountability. In response, opposition political parties and civil society activism have continuously contested these trends, for stretching the democratic space wider and achieving better governance outcomes.
The Same Yesterday and Today and Forever? A Hermeneutical Study of the Use of the Old Testament in the Epistle to the Hebrews and its Implications for Scriptural Authority and Biblical Preaching in a Secularized Western Setting
Authors: Maginnis Samuel
Published: May 2021

Secularization and pluralism have created a crisis of biblical authority within contemporary Western Christianity. Responding to this, Christine McSpadden has produced a manifesto for preachers which approaches the Bible not as just one ‘sacred text’ amongst others but as a unique means of life-changing encounter with the living and active Word of God. Though she makes no reference to it, McSpadden’s understanding of Scripture closely echoes that of one of the earliest Christian texts, the Epistle to the Hebrews. The purpose of this paper is to examine Hebrews’ use of the Old Testament and what its interpretive method reveals about the author’s understanding of the nature of Scripture; to identify the extent to which McSpadden’s approach follows this understanding and method; and to determine what further implications this shared tradition may have for the doctrine of scriptural authority and the practice of biblical preaching in a contemporary Western setting. It concludes that McSpadden’s approach stands firmly in the tradition first articulated in Hebrews and that together they reflect the most ancient Christian understanding of scriptural authority, which protects the Bible texts from historical irrelevance on one hand and from unduly speculative and subjective interpretations on the other.
Comparison of TOA and BOA LW Radiation Fluxes Inferred From Ground‐Based Sensors, A‐Train Satellite Observations and ERA Reanalyzes at the High Arctic Station Eureka Over the 2002–2020 Period
Authors: Blanchard Yann , Pelon Jacques , Cox Christopher J. , Delanoë Julien , Eloranta Edwin W. , Uttal Taniel
Published: May 2021

This study focuses on the accuracy of longwave radiation flux retrievals at the top and bottom of the atmosphere at Eureka station, Canada, in the high Arctic. We report comparisons between seven products derived from (a) calculations based on a combination of ground‐based and space‐based lidar and radar observations, (b) standard radiometric observations from the CERES sensor, (c) direct observations at the surface from a broadband radiation station, and (d) the ERA‐Interim and ERA5 reanalyzes. Statistical, independent analyses are first performed to look at recurring bias and trends in fluxes at Top and Bottom of the Atmosphere (TOA, BOA). The analysis is further refined by comparing fluxes derived from coincident observations decomposed by scene types. Results show that radiative transfer calculations using ground‐based lidar‐radar profiles derived at Eureka agree well with TOA LW fluxes observed by CERES and with BOA LW fluxes reference. CloudSat‐CALIPSO also shows good agreement with calculations from ground‐based sensor observations, with a relatively small bias. This bias is shown to be largely due to low and thick cloud occurrences that the satellites are insensitive to owing to attenuation from clouds above and surface clutter. These conditions of opaque low clouds, cause an even more pronounced bias for CERES BOA flux calculation in winter, due to the deficit of low clouds identified by MODIS. ERA‐I and ERA5 fluxes behave differently, the large positive bias observed with ERA‐I is much reduced in ERA5. ERA5 is closer to reference observations due to better behavior of low and mid‐level clouds and surface temperature.