bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying protein complexes from protein–protein interaction networks based on the gene expression profile and core-attachment approach
Authors: Noori Soheir , Al-A’Araji Nabeel , Al-Shamery Eman
Published: April 2021

Defining protein complexes in the cell is important for learning about cellular processes mechanisms as they perform many of the molecular functions in these processes. Most of the proposed algorithms predict a complex as a dense area in a Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) network. Others, on the other hand, weight the network using gene expression or geneontology (GO). These approaches, however, eliminate the proteins and their edges that offer no gene expression data. This can lead to the loss of important topological relations. Therefore, in this study, a method based on the Gene Expression and Core-Attachment (GECA) approach was proposed for addressing these limitations. GECA is a new technique to identify core proteins using common neighbor techniques and biological information. Moreover, GECA improves the attachment technique by adding the proteins that have low closeness but high similarity to the gene expression of the core proteins. GECA has been compared with several existing methods and proved in most datasets to be able to achieve the highest F-measure. The evaluation of complexes predicted by GECA shows high biological significance.
Efficient Hyperparameter Optimization for Physics-based Character Animation
Authors: Yang Zeshi , Yin Zhiqi
Published: April 2021

Physics-based character animation has seen significant advances in recent years with the adoption of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). However, DRL-based learning methods are usually computationally expensive and their performance crucially depends on the choice of hyperparameters. Tuning hyperparameters for these methods often requires repetitive training of control policies, which is even more computationally prohibitive. In this work, we propose a novel Curriculum-based Multi-Fidelity Bayesian Optimization framework (CMFBO) for efficient hyperparameter optimization of DRL-based character control systems. Using curriculum-based task difficulty as fidelity criterion, our method improves searching efficiency by gradually pruning search space through evaluation on easier motor skill tasks. We evaluate our method on two physics-based character control tasks: character morphology optimization and hyperparameter tuning of DeepMimic. Our algorithm significantly outperforms state-of-the-art hyperparameter optimization methods applicable for physics-based character animation. In particular, we show that hyperparameters optimized through our algorithm result in at least 5x efficiency gain comparing to author-released settings in DeepMimic.
Interactive Path Tracing and Reconstruction of Sparse Volumes
Authors: Hofmann Nikolai , Hasselgren Jon , Clarberg Petrik , Munkberg Jacob
Published: April 2021

We combine state-of-the-art techniques into a system for high-quality, interactive rendering of participating media. We leverage unbiased volume path tracing with multiple scattering, temporally stable neural denoising and NanoVDB [Museth 2021], a fast, sparse voxel tree data structure for the GPU, to explore what performance and image quality can be obtained for rendering volumetric data. Additionally, we integrate neural adaptive sampling to significantly improve image quality at a fixed sample budget. Our system runs at interactive rates at 1920 × 1080 on a single GPU and produces high quality results for complex dynamic volumes.
Estimating DSGE Models: Recent Advances and Future Challenges
Authors: Fernández-Villaverde Jesús , Guerrón-Quintana Pablo A.
Published: April 2021

We review the current state of the estimation of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. After introducing a general framework for dealing with DSGE models, the state-space representation, we discuss how to evaluate moments or the likelihood function implied by such a structure. We discuss, in varying degrees of detail, recent advances in the field, such as the tempered particle filter, approximated Bayesian computation, Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, variational inference, and machine learning. These methods show much promise but have not been fully explored by the DSGE community yet. We conclude by outlining three future challenges for this line of research.
Review—CO2 Attenuation: Electrochemical Methods and Perspectives
Authors: Hanif Aamir , Pirzada Bilal Masood , Farooq Rabia , Peerzada Ghulam Mustafa , Rizvi Masood Ahmad
Published: April 2021

Anthropogenic CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion have led to the serious environmental consequence of global warming and associated climate change. Valorization of CO2 to value-added chemicals by electrochemical reduction has been suggested as one of the promising approaches of CO2 attenuation owing to its simple operational requirements and ambient process conditions. However, the sluggish kinetics and high overpotential of several CO2 reduction processes remain a challenge to its practical utility unless efficient electrocatalysts are applied. Over the past years, several electrocatalysts have been reported for the purpose with varying degree of success. In the current review, we critically evaluate the efficiency of various reported catalysts systems summarizing their advantages as limitations and providing insights into their mechanism of action. Based on the detailed review of different catalysts systems the outlook and future directions are proposed.
The balance of muscle oxygen supply and demand reveals critical metabolic rate and predicts time to exhaustion
Authors: Kirby Brett S. , Clark David A. , Bradley Eric M. , Wilkins Brad W.
Published: April 2021

Dynamic muscle O2 saturation discriminates boundaries between exercise intensity domains, exposes a critical metabolic rate as the highest rate of steady state O2 supply and demand, describes time series depletion and repletion for work above critical power, and predicts time to exhaustion during severe domain whole body exercise. These results highlight the matching of O2 supply and demand as a primary determinant for sustainable exercise intensities from those that are unsustainable and lead to exhaustion.
Development of Perphenazine‐Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles: Statistical Optimization and Cytotoxicity Studies
Authors: Farsani Parisa Abbasi , Mahjub Reza , Mohammadi Mojdeh , Oliaei Seyed Sajad , Mahboobian Mohammad Mehdi
Published: April 2021

Objective. Perphenazine (PPZ), as a typical antipsychotic medical substance, has the same effectiveness compared to atypical antipsychotic medications for the treatment of schizophrenia. Despite the lipophilic essence, PPZ encounters limited bioavailability caused by the first‐pass metabolism following oral administration. In the present study, PPZ‐containing solid lipid nanoparticles (PPZ‐SLNs) were prepared and optimized based on different factors, including lipid and surfactant amount, to develop appropriate and safe novel oral dosage forms of PPZ. Methods. The solvent emulsification‐evaporation method was utilized to form SLNs by using soybean lecithin, glycerol monostearate (GMS), and Tween 80. Statistical optimization was done by the Box‐Behnken design method to achieve formulation with optimized particle size, entrapment efficiency, and zeta potential. Also, transmission electron microscopy, in vitro release behavior, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X‐ray diffractometry (P‐XRD) studies and cytotoxicity studies were assessed. Results. Optimization exhibited the significant effect of various excipients on SLN characteristics. Our finding indicated that the mean particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency of optimized PPZ‐SLN were, respectively, 104 ± 3.92 nm, −28 ± 2.28 mV, and 83% ± 1.29. Drug release of PPZ‐SLN was observed to be greater than 90% for 48 h that emphasized a sustained‐release pattern. The DSC and P‐XRD studies revealed the amorphous state of PPZ‐SLN. FTIR spectra showed no incompatibility between the drug and the lipid. Performing cytotoxicity studies indicated no significant cytotoxicity on HT‐29 cell culture. Conclusion. Our study suggests that PPZ‐SLNs can make a promising vehicle for a suitable therapy of schizophrenia for the oral drug delivery system.
Influence of Solvents on the Electroactivity of PtAl/rGO Catalyst Inks and Anode in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell
Authors: Vu Thu Ha Thi , Nguyen Minh Dang , Mai Anh Tuan Ngoc
Published: April 2021

This paper presents research on the effects of common solvents such as n-butyl acetate, isopropanol, and ethanol on the properties and electroactivity of catalyst ink based on PtAl/rGO. The inks prepared by mixing PtAl/rGO catalyst, Nafion solution (5 wt%), and solvent were coated on carbon cloth by the spin coating method. The results obtained showed that ethanol was the most suitable solvent for the preparation of catalyst ink with a volume ratio between catalyst slurry and solvent of 1 : 1 (CI-EtOH (1/1) ink). The surface of the CI-EtOH (1/1) coated electrode was smooth, flat, and even and had no cracks due to the increase of Nafion mobility, resulting in significant improvement in the interaction between Pt particles and ionomer. Moreover, the electrochemical activity of the CI-EtOH (1/1) ink in ethanol electrooxidation reaction, in both acidic and alkaline media, has the highest value, with the forward current density, IF, reaching 1793 mA mgPt−1 and 4751 mA mgPt−1, respectively. In the application in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), the CI-EtOH ink-coated anode also exhibited the highest power density in both PEM-DEFC (with a proton exchange membrane) and AEM-DEFC (with an anion exchange membrane) at 19.10 mW cm−2 and 27.07 mW cm−2, respectively.
Sex, Knowledge, and Attitude of Stroke Survivors Attending Bebe Herbal Center on Risk Factors before and after Stroke
Authors: Nwoha Polycarp U. , Okoro Florence O. , Nwoha Emmanuel C. , Chukwu Fidelia N. , Nwoha Chidinma O. , Ogoko Nkeiru C. , Nwoha Peace N. , Idaguko Chika A. , Obi Augustine U. , Agwu Ezenna M. , Ayoola Iyanu O. , Osonwa Sunday O. , Okpara Ifeoma H.
Published: April 2021

Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the extent stroke survivors who attended an herbal center knew of stroke risk factors and whether significant sex differences existed. Study Design. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from January to June 2018 at Bebe Herbal Center, and it involved two well-trained assistants who interviewed 149 first-time stroke survivors after consent and ethical approval were obtained. The survivors self-reported their knowledge, attitude, and beliefs on risk factors before and after stroke. Statistical Analyses. Means of continuous variables were compared using Student’s unpaired

t

-test, while categorical variables between males and the females were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test.

P
<
0.05

was taken as significant. Results. Mean age of men (

64.81
±
1.24
 
yrs

) was significantly higher than that of women (

61.39
±
1.42
 
yrs

) (

F
=
0.096

,

t
=
1.79

,

df
=
147

;

P
<
0.05

). More men than women were 60 years and above while more women than men were below 60 years. Pearson’s chi-square test showed significant association of sex with education (

χ

2

=
12.31

;

df
=
3

,

P
<
0.006

), occupation (

χ

2

=
23.65

;

df
=
4

,

P
<
0.001

), alcohol intake (

χ

2

=
24.23

;

df
=
1

;

P
<
0.001

), and smoking (

χ

2

=
9.823

;

df
=
1

;

P
<
0.001

). The commonest risk factor suffered was hypertension (73.1%), followed by alcohol intake (59.1%), smoking (31.5%), and diabetes mellitus (26.7%); these affected men more than women. Male survivors unaware of their hypertensive status were more likely to have stroke than females, and age had a significant effect on the likelihood of developing a stroke; the same was occupation. Conclusions. These survivors suffered mainly from hypertension, triggered by psychosocial problems and diabetes mellitus; their stroke seemed fueled by unrecognized hypertension, unrecognized diabetes mellitus, ignorance of hyperlipidemia, and wide-scale belief in witchcraft as risk factor. Awareness programs in the third world should take these observations into consideration.
A Recurrent Temporal Model for Semantic Levels Categorization Based on Human Visual System
Authors: Karimi Mohammad Hossein , Ebrahimpour Reza , Bagheri Nasour
Published: April 2021

Humans can categorize an object in different semantic levels. For example, a dog can be categorized as an animal (superordinate), a terrestrial animal (basic), or a dog (subordinate). Recent studies have shown that the duration of stimulus presentation can affect the mechanism of categorization in the brain. Rapid stimulus presentation will not allow top‐down influences to be applied on the visual cortex, whereas in the nonrapid, top‐down influences can be established and the final result will be different. In this paper, a spiking recurrent temporal model based on the human visual system for semantic levels of categorization is introduced. We showed that the categorization problem for up‐right and inverted images can be solved without taking advantage of feedback, but for the occlusion and deletion problems, top‐down feedback is necessary. The proposed computational model has three feedback paths that express the effects of expectation and the perceptual task, and it is described by the type of problem that the model seeks to solve and the level of categorization. Depending on the semantic level of the asked question, the model changes its neuronal structure and connections. Another application of recursive paths is solving the expectation effect problem, that is, compensating the reduce in firing rate by the top‐down influences due to the available features in the object. In addition, in this paper, a psychophysical experiment is performed and top‐down influences are investigated through this experiment. In this experiment, by top‐down influences, the speed and accuracy of the categorization of the subjects increased for all three categorization levels. In both the presence and absence of top‐down influences, the remarkable point is the superordinate advantage.
Protein Substrate Alters Cell Physiology in Primary Culture of Vocal Fold Epithelial Cells
Authors: Kimball Emily E. , Sayce Lea , Xu Xiaochuan C. , Kruszka Chase M. , Rousseau Bernard
Published: April 2021

The basement membrane interacts directly with the vocal fold epithelium. Signaling between the basement membrane and the epithelium modulates gene regulation, differentiation, and proliferation. The purpose of this study was to identify an appropriate simple single-protein substrate for growth of rabbit vocal fold epithelial cells. Vocal folds from 3 New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were treated to isolate epithelial cells, and cells were seeded onto cell culture inserts coated with collagen I, collagen IV, laminin, or fibronectin. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was measured, and phase contrast microscopy, PanCK, CK14, and E-cadherin immunofluorescence were utilized to assess for epithelial cell-type characteristics. Further investigation via immunofluorescence labeling was conducted to assess proliferation (Ki67) and differentiation (Vimentin). There was a significant main effect of substrate on TEER, with collagen IV eliciting the highest, and laminin the lowest resistance. Assessment of relative TEER across cell lines identified a larger range of TEER in collagen I and laminin. Phase contrast imaging identified altered morphology in the laminin condition, but cell layer depth did not appear to be related to TEER, differentiation, or morphology. Ki67 staining additionally showed no significant difference in proliferation. All conditions had confluent epithelial cells and dispersed mesenchymal cells, with increased mesenchymal cell numbers over time; however, a higher proportion of mesenchymal cells was observed in the laminin condition. The results suggest collagen IV is a preferable basement membrane substrate for in vitro vocal fold epithelial primary cell culture, providing consistent TEER and characteristic cell morphology, and that laminin is an unsuitable substrate for vocal fold epithelial cells and may promote mesenchymal cell proliferation.
Perianal Hyperhidrosis Successfully Treated with Botulinum Toxin A
Authors: Reguero del Cura Leandra , Drake Monfort Marta , De Quintana Sancho Adrian , González López Marcos Antonio
Published: April 2021

Perianal hyperhidrosis (HH) is a rare form of primary focal HH and may become a major problem for the patient with a significant psychosocial burden and negative impact on the quality of life. Botulinum toxin injections are widely used as a second-line treatment option for axillary, palmar, and plantar HH with a good safety profile. Herein, we pre­sent a case of primary perianal HH successfully treated with Botulinum toxin A at a dose higher than that previously reported in literature, with a longer response, a higher degree of satisfaction, and no adverse effects. Moreover, we review the main aspects of the perianal anatomy that are essential to carry out the technique correctly and make dermatologists achieve expertise with the procedure.
Close Observation versus Additional Surgery after Noncurative Endoscopic Resection of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Song Byeong Geun , Kim Ga Hee , Cho Charles J. , Kim Hyeong Ryul , Min Yang Won , Lee Hyuk , Min Byung-Hoon , Song Ho June , Kim Yong-Hee , Lee Jun Haeng , Jung Hwoon-Yong , Zo Jae Ill , Shim Young Mog
Published: April 2021

Introduction: After noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC), additional esophagectomy is generally recommended. However, considering its high mortality and morbidity, it is uncertain if additional surgery improves the clinical outcomes. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients who were observed without additional treatment and those who underwent radical esophagectomy. Methods: A total of 52 patients with SESCC who underwent complete but noncurative ESD from January 2008 to December 2016 at the Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center in Korea were retrospectively analyzed. Clinicopathologic characteristics and oncologic outcomes were compared between the observation group (n = 23) and the additional surgery group (n = 29). Results: During a mean follow-up of 34.4 and 41.7 months, respectively, the rates of death (observation vs. surgery, 17.4 vs. 10.3%; p = 0.686), recurrence (observation vs. surgery, 13 vs. 17.2%; p = 1.000), and disease-specific death (observation vs. surgery, 4.3 vs. 6.9%; p = 1.000) did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. The 3-year overall survival was 86.3 and 96.4%, respectively (p = 0.776). The 3-year recurrence-free survival (observation vs. surgery, 85.0 vs. 88.7%; p = 0.960) and disease-specific survival (observation vs. surgery, 95.2 vs. 96.4%; p = 0.564) also did not significantly differ. Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of close observation of noncuratively resected SESCC are comparable to those of additional surgery, at least in the midterm. The wait-and-see strategy could be a feasible management option after noncurative ESD of SESCC in selected patients.
An electric circuit model for a lithium-ion battery cell based on automotive drive cycles measurements
Authors: Khalfi Jaouad , Boumaaz Najib , Soulmani Abdallah , Laadissi El Mehdi
Published: April 2021

The on-board energy storage system plays a key role in electric vehicles since it directly affects their performance and autonomy. The lithium-ion battery offers satisfactory characteristics that make electric vehicles competitive with conventional ones. This article focuses on modeling and estimating the parameters of the lithium-ion battery cell when used in different electric vehicle drive cycles and styles. The model consists of an equivalent electrical circuit based on a second-order Thevenin model. To identify the parameters of the model, two algorithms were tested: Trust-Region-Reflective and Levenberg-Marquardt. To account for the dynamic behavior of the battery cell in an electric vehicle, this identification is based on measurement data that represents the actual use of the battery in different conditions and driving styles. Finally, the model is validated by comparing simulation results to measurements using the mean square error (MSE) as model performance criteria for the driving cycles (UDDS, LA-92, US06, neural network (NN), and HWFET). The results demonstrate interesting performance mostly for the driving cycles (UDDS and LA-92). This confirms that the model developed is the best solution to be integrated in a battery management system of an electric vehicle.
Smart cities: Understanding policies, standards, applications and case studies
Authors: Salkuti Surender Reddy
Published: April 2021

This paper presents the integration of required basic facilities of living such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure for building the smart cities. The administrations of smart cities should have the smart governance, safety measures with cultural and social stimulus. Four building blocks of smart cities, i.e., people and environment, smart utilities, smart technology and smart administration are described in the present paper. The aim of this paper is to give a clearer perspective of the key decisions with spatial reference that may assume a key part in the plan of a smart city technique. Application of various technologies, for examples big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, block chain technology to the smart cities are discussed in this paper. Various challenges of smart cities such as information technology (IT) infrastructure, cost, privacy, security, efficiency, fossil fuel dependency and congested commutes with proposed solutions are also presented in this paper.
VANET-Based Traffic Monitoring and Incident Detection System: A Review
Authors: Hamdi Mustafa Maad , Audah Lukman , Rashid Sami Abduljabbar , Alani Sameer
Published: April 2021

As a component of intelligent transport systems (ITS), vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), which is a subform of manet, has been identified. It is established on the roads based on available vehicles and supporting road infrastructure, such as base stations. An accident can be defined as any activity in the environment that may be harmful to human life or dangerous to human life. In terms of early detection, and broadcast delay. VANET has shown various problems. The available technologies for incident detection and the corresponding algorithms for processing. The present problem and challenges of incident detection in VANET technology are discussed in this paper. The paper also reviews the recently proposed methods for early incident techniques and studies them.
Neural Correlates of Hand–Object Congruency Effects during Action Planning
Authors: Zhang Zuo , Zeidman Peter , Nelissen Natalie , Filippini Nicola , Diedrichsen Jörn , Bracci Stefania , Friston Karl , Rounis Elisabeth
Published: April 2021

Selecting hand actions to manipulate an object is affected both by perceptual factors and by action goals. Affordances may contribute to “stimulus–response” congruency effects driven by habitual actions to an object. In previous studies, we have demonstrated an influence of the congruency between hand and object orientations on response times when reaching to turn an object, such as a cup. In this study, we investigated how the representation of hand postures triggered by planning to turn a cup was influenced by this congruency effect, in an fMRI scanning environment. Healthy participants were asked to reach and turn a real cup that was placed in front of them either in an upright orientation or upside–down. They were instructed to use a hand orientation that was either congruent or incongruent with the cup orientation. As expected, the motor responses were faster when the hand and cup orientations were congruent. There was increased activity in a network of brain regions involving object-directed actions during action planning, which included bilateral primary and extrastriate visual, medial, and superior temporal areas, as well as superior parietal, primary motor, and premotor areas in the left hemisphere. Specific activation of the dorsal premotor cortex was associated with hand–object orientation congruency during planning and prior to any action taking place. Activity in that area and its connectivity with the lateral occipito-temporal cortex increased when planning incongruent (goal-directed) actions. The increased activity in premotor areas in trials where the orientation of the hand was incongruent to that of the object suggests a role in eliciting competing representations specified by hand postures in lateral occipito-temporal cortex.
The Myth of Zheng He: Kenya-China Encounters in Yvonne Owuor's The Dragonfly Sea
Authors: Yuan Mingqing
Published: April 2021

The year 2005 marked the 600th anniversary of Zheng He’s first voyage on the Indian Ocean and the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. In the same year Mwamaka Sharifu, a girl from La mu island in Kenya, also a descendent of sailors of Zheng He’s fleet (1405-1433). was awarded a scholarship to study in her “home country”. In 2019, the novel The Dragonfly Sea by the Kenyan female writer Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, which incorporates the story of Mwamaka Sharifu, was published by Alfred A. Knopf By using the concept of “fictive ethnicity”, proposed by Bali bar, and “push back”, as articulated by Ruth Simbao, this paper tries to explore how the history of Zheng He is adopted and narrated to construct, blur or refute boundaries of nation and ethnicity in The Dragonfly Sea. It also investigates how fictional writing, both aesthetically and culturally, intervenes and responds to the dominant discourses surrounding “China-Africa” by exhibiting the ambiguity and nuances within. It shows that an epistemological and discursive fracture exists between Africa and China that leads to a binary construction of the myth of Zheng He, which might be effective to some degree but runs the risk of repeating nation-state and ethnic configurations.
Rethinking the Political Economy of Chinese-African Agricultural Cooperation: The Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers
Authors: Pepa Mariasole
Published: April 2021

This paper explores the Chinese agricultural technology demonstration centers (ATDCs) in Africa, a recent evolution of Chinese-African agricultural cooperation often recognized as a representative example of South-South cooperation. More specifically, the study observes the development of the ATDCs in Africa, through a literature review, and indicates major limitations in ATDCs research. This paper proposes a new political economy approach that accounts for place and space, which are crucial lenses for the analysis of ATDCs in Africa. The reconsideration of spatial relations takes into account the importance of the local territory, where operations are based, as an active constituent in China-Africa agricultural cooperation.
Development Modernity in India, an Incomplete Project: From Nehru to Modi
Authors: Tripathy Jyotirmaya
Published: April 2021

Modernity as a set of attitudes based on reason, or as the cultivation of scientific temper, was informed by the imperative of development in a postcolonial state like India. Alongside the rise of democracy, there was the pressing need for removing poverty and ensuring fulfilment of basic needs for the common people. It is in this sphere of addressing poverty and underdevelopment that India became modern in a very material and substantive sense. The paper makes a case for an understanding of modernity that is deeply rooted in the material needs of the people and traces this impulse of development modernity from the time of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru till the present government led by Narendra Modi. While doing so, it problematises Nehru’s and Modi’s statist understanding of development and brings them to conversation to understand the continuing promise of modernity predicated on development. In the process both Nehru and Modi are interpreted vis-à-vis the times they lived in as well as their responses to what constituted India’s core values, their relationship with modernity and development’s place in it.
Matrimony of Discordant: Developmental State and Ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia, 2001–2018
Authors: Bitew Birhanu
Published: April 2021

Since the coming of Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (eprdf) into power, Ethiopia has oscillated with the trial of different economic models. In 2001, the regime adopted developmental state model along with ethnic federalism while abandoning liberalism. Taking these facts into account, this paper assesses the tension and compatibility between developmental state and ethnic federalism. The findings of this paper reveal that there are no problems associated with the developmental state in terms of rhetorical points of view. It can improve development if the governments strictly observe and implement the pillars that the developmental state needs to have. However, the marriage between developmental state and ethnic federalism incurs the possibility of the non-enforcement of the main pillars of the developmental state. The nature of the developmental state and the way Ethiopia’s federal system structured is incompatible, which I call such a relation the ‘matrimony of discordant’.
International Investment Law and Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention
Authors: Garde Amandine , Zrilič Jure
Published: April 2021

It is increasingly acknowledged that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) create immense human and economic costs, disproportionately affecting developing countries. This article, which serves as an introduction to this Special Issue on international investment law and NCD prevention, outlines the international framework for the prevention of NCDs, noting the more advanced development of tobacco control policies compared to policies relating to other NCD risk factors, such as unhealthy diets and alcohol consumption. Drawing on the Philip Morris v Uruguay case, the article explains how international investment law and NCD prevention interact and the problems this interaction may raise for States willing to adopt robust NCD prevention strategies involving the regulation of the tobacco, alcohol and food industries. It concludes by introducing other contributions in this Special Issue and by highlighting the need to build legal expertise in this area.
A New Approach to Arabic Tense Form-Content Mismatch in Four Translations of the Qurʾan
Authors: El-Zawawy Amr M.
Published: April 2021

The tense systems in English and Arabic are markedly similar, but one striking feature makes the two-part ways: Arabic boasts the capacity of expressing the past and the future in forms that are not tallied with what English does. Arabic and English can express the future and the past in the present form. Yet Arabic, especially Qurʾanic Arabic, has the singular capacity for expressing the future in past form and the past in present form. The mismatch in the Arabic tense system in the English translation of the Qurʾan is given due attention in the present paper, and a new approach is presented to address this significant problem. The four translations selected are Arberry’s, Yusuf Ali’s, Pickthall’s and Asad’s. A model is proposed to analyze significant selections of such mismatches, based on graphical representations of TOC, TOE and linking form. The study concludes that the most inconsistent translation is Pickthall’s, while Arberry’s is the most consistent of all. It also reveals that although Asad is not fully proficient in English like Arberry, he succeeds in clearing the hurdle of translating tense form-content mismatch most of the time.
تحفيز العصب الرأسي العاشر بين الطرق الطبية الطبيعية والقرآن والسنة النبوية والممارسات الإسلامية
Authors: Al-Alami Zina M. , Ahmad Adawi Alladein Mohammad
Published: April 2021

Vagus nerve (the tenth cranial nerve), is responsible for several vital physiological conditions and several motor and sensory actions in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Because of its importance, scientists usually stimulate it electrically in certain medical conditions, or naturally for the wellbeing of individuals. The aim of this study is to compare between the natural ways that stimulate the vagus nerve, that were suggested by anatomists, physiologists and medical doctors, and between what it is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah and practiced by Muslims. The study found that many of the documented natural practices that stimulate the vagus nerve are actually mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah. We concluded that some natural methods of vagus nerve stimulation are mentioned in many Islamic textual sources and Islamic practices.
‘Planting and Harvesting’ Godly Sincerity: Pastoral Wisdom in the Practice of Public Worship
Authors: Witvliet John D.
Published: April 2021

Concern for sincerity in public worship is a biblical ideal which has long been prominent in evangelical spirituality and in congregational life. Yet sincerity is a complex term which is operationally defined and experienced quite differently across cultures and ecumenical contexts. In light of this high ideal and this complexity, the essay argues that healthy pastoral practice emerges by expanding the definition of sincerity to include aspirational and empathetic prayer, focusing on enduring dispositions more than fleeting emotion states, celebrating the mutual interdependence of ritual and sincerity, and resisting both the separation of sincerity and truthfulness and ‘hypersincere’ practices which self-consciously call attention to sincerity. The essay concludes with preliminary reflections on healing and resisting insincerity, affirming sincerity as a Holy Spirit-given gift which we should pray for and testify about, but never coerce.
The Contemporary Relevance of Biblical Explanations for the Rich
Authors: Beed Clive , Beed Cara
Published: April 2021

This article considers whether biblical explanations for the rich can account for the existence of the rich in the developed world today. This involves identifying the biblical concept of the rich, and its relation to modern understandings of the rich. Biblical causes for the rich as interpreted by a selection of biblical scholars are reviewed. Empirical evidence identifying the rich in the modern developed world, and reasons for their existence are canvassed. The question asked is how this compares with biblical explanations, and also with normative biblical instruction for desired behavior of the rich. The conclusion is that biblical guidelines for human relationships would preclude the development of a highly rich social stratum.
Eternal Torment or Destruction? Interpreting Final Judgment Texts
Authors: Duke Rodney K.
Published: April 2021

While drawing on much common knowledge in biblical studies, this article distinctively first explains how the popular final-judgment position of eternal torment mistakenly arises from four factors: 1) not weighting the type of biblical literature from which doctrine is being drawn, 2) forgetting the NT concept of awaiting a general resurrection of the dead prior to final judgment, 3) not recognizing the biblical anthropology that presents humans holistically as mortals, and 4) wrongly conflating terms and symbols of different states of judgment (e.g. pre-resurrection vs. post-resurrection, and Gehenna vs. Hades) into an umbrella concept of ‘hell’. Second, this paper clarifies some frequently misunderstood ‘final judgment’ texts while demonstrating a commonsense method of biblical interpretation that draws on the cultural symbols of the first-century setting. The results lead to the better conclusion that in the final judgment those who are alienated from God suffer the ‘second death’ of destruction.
Oral History and the Beginning and End of the Gospel of Mark
Authors: Chenoweth Ben
Published: April 2021

The textual status of Mark’s Gospel, specifically the fact that the beginning and end of this gospel were lost at a very early stage, sheds light on the period of time when the stories concerning Jesus’s ministry, death, and resurrection were being transmitted orally. It is proposed that during this time the oral history of Jesus came to include an overarching ‘gospel’ structure, and that Mark’s Gospel is essentially a snapshot of this oral history, marginally altered as Mark personally retold the account of Jesus within the bounds permitted by those exercising control over the oral history. Support for these interrelated proposals comes from the fact that Mark’s Gospel sustained damage and was not immediately repaired: it was not seen as replacing the oral history of the eyewitnesses. However, later (when the eyewitnesses were dying out) Mark’s Gospel was rescued, copied, and circulated, but only in its already damaged form.
‘The centre of Christianity—the doctrine of the cross’: Andrew Fuller as a Reformed Theologian
Authors: Clary Ian Hugh
Published: April 2021

Studies of Andrew Fuller on the atonement typically focus on the question of whether or not he was influenced by the New Divinity of the followers of Jonathan Edwards in America. With the recent scholarly interest focusing on hypothetical universalism as a common view of the atonement amongst the Reformed Orthodox, evaluations of Reformed theologians like Fuller are appropriate. This article examines whether or not Fuller’s view of the atonement fits within the diverse views of the Reformed on this subject in light of growing understanding of the movement’s diversity. It concludes that though Fuller made some changes in his language between editions of The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, his theology of the atonement is within the bounds of Reformed Orthodoxy on the atonement as expressed at the Synod of Dordt.
Allegory or Literal Historical Interpretation?: Andrew Fuller’s Critique of Robert Robinson’s View of the Canonicity of the Song of Songs
Authors: Yoo Jeongmo
Published: April 2021

This study deals with Andrew Fuller’s (1754–1815) critique of Robert Robinson of Cambridge (1735–1790) with a particular focus on Fuller’s critique of Robinson’s view of the canonicity of the Song of Songs. Fuller’s defence of the canonicity of the Song of Songs and his interpretation of it evidently follows the mainstream Protestant view of the Reformation and the Post-Reformation eras in continuity with the patristic and medieval exegetical tradition. In particular, standing firm with the predominant exegetical tradition of previous centuries, Fuller takes allegory as the main exegetical method to interpret the Song of Songs. Even though Fuller emphatically rejects the use of vain allegory as a human invention, his interpretation of the Song of Songs indicates that if allegory may be able to connect appropriate features in an Old Testament passage with a greater truth revealed in Christ, he allows for the use of allegory to expose the meaning of the text.
Jonathan Edwards Jr.’s Relish for True Religion: The Advance of the New England Theology in the Sermon on the Mount
Authors: Banks John S.
Published: April 2021

Jonathan Edwards Jr. is often portrayed as a spiritless preacher who drove away his congregation with metaphysical preaching. This narrative, produced by the early liberalism of the pre-civil war era, has stuck to Edwards Jr. for nearly two hundred years. Accordingly, this narrative typically describes Edwards Jr. and his fellow New Divinity pastor-theologians as distorting the Edwardsean legacy. This essay begins to amend the inherited narrative by showing that between the younger and elder Edwards there can be no line of demarcation. In particular, the younger shares his father’s relish that true religion would flourish in his own congregation through the Holy Spirit’s influences. Since the Sermon on the Mount has been the traditional territory of theological liberalism, this research examines Edwards Jr.’s forty-six manuscripts from the Sermon on the Mount which demonstrate a strong reliance upon Religious Affections.
On the Formation of Tropopause Folds and Constituent Gradient Enhancement Near Westerly Jets
Authors: Hitchman Matthew H. , Rowe Shellie M.
Published: April 2021

The role of differential advection in creating tropopause folds and strong constituent gradients near midlatitude westerly jets is investigated using the University of Wisconsin Non-hydrostatic Modeling System (UWNMS). Dynamical structures are compared with aircraft observations through a fold and subpolar jet (SPJ) during RF04 of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Analyses of Regional Transport (START08) campaign. The observed distribution of water vapor and ozone during RF04 provides evidence of rapid transport in the SPJ, enhancing constituent gradients above relative to below the intrusion. The creation of a tropopause fold by quasi-isentropic differential advection on the upstream side of the trough is described. This fold was created by a southward jet streak in the SPJ, where upper tropospheric air displaced the tropopause eastward in the 6-10 km layer, thereby overlying stratospheric air in the 3-6 km layer. The subsequent superposition of the subtropical and subpolar jets is also shown to result from quasi-isentropic differential advection.

The occurrence of low values of ozone, water vapor, and potential vorticity on the equatorward side of the SPJ can be explained by convective transport of low-ozone air from the boundary layer, dehydration in the updraft, and detrainment of inertially-unstable air in the outflow layer. An example of rapid juxtaposition with stratospheric air in the jet core is shown for RF01. The net effect of upstream convective events is suggested as a fundamental cause of the strong constituent gradients observed in midlatitude jets. Idealized diagrams illustrate the role of differential advection in creating tropopause folds and constituent gradient enhancement.
Moral distress in nurses caring for patients with Covid-19
Authors: Silverman Henry J , Kheirbek Raya Elfadel , Moscou-Jackson Gyasi , Day Jenni
Published: April 2021

Background:

Moral distress occurs when constraints prevent healthcare providers from acting in accordance with their core moral values to provide good patient care. The experience of moral distress in nurses might be magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Objective:

To explore causes of moral distress in nurses caring for Covid-19 patients and identify strategies to enhance their moral resiliency.

Research design:

A qualitative study using a qualitative content analysis of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. We purposively sampled 31 nurses caring for Covid-19 patients in the acute care units within large academic medical systems in Maryland and New York City during April to June 2020.

Ethical considerations:

We obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Results:

We identified themes and sub-themes representative of major causes of moral distress in nurses caring Covid-19 patients. These included (a) lack of knowledge and uncertainty regarding how to treat a new illness; (b) being overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the Covid-19 illness; (c) fear of exposure to the virus leading to suboptimal care; (d) adopting a team model of nursing care that caused intra-professional tensions and miscommunications; (e) policies to reduce viral transmission (visitation policy and PPE policy) that prevented nurses to assume their caring role; (f) practicing within crisis standards of care; and (g) dealing with medical resource scarcity. Participants discussed their coping mechanisms and suggested future strategies.

Discussion/Conclusion:

Our study affirms new causes of moral distress related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Institutions need to develop a supportive ethical climate that can restore nurses’ moral resiliency. Such a climate should include non-hierarchical interdisciplinary spaces where all providers can meet together as moral peers to discuss their experiences.
Genome-wide identification and transcriptional characterization of DNA methyltransferases conferring temperature-sensitive male sterility in wheat
Authors: Li Dan , Feng Bian-E , Liu Yong-Jie , Gong Jie , Tang Yi-Miao , Zhang Li-Ping , Pang Bin-Shuang , Sun Ren-Wei , Zhang Feng-Ting , Chen Zhao-Bo , Wang Yong-Bo , Chen Xian-Chao , Wang Ai-Ping , Zhao Chang-Ping , Gao Shi-Qing
Published: April 2021

Background

DNA methyltransferase (DMT) genes contribute to plant stress responses and development by de novo establishment and subsequent maintenance of DNA methylation during replication. The photoperiod and/or temperature-sensitive genic male sterile (P/TGMS) lines play an important role in hybrid seed production of wheat. However, only a few studies have reported on the effect of DMT genes on temperature-sensitive male sterility of wheat. Although DMT genes have been investigated in some plant species, the identification and analysis of DMT genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based on genome-wide levels have not been reported.

Results

In this study, a detailed overview of phylogeny of 52 wheat DMT (TaDMT) genes was presented. Homoeolog retention for TaDMT genes was significantly above the average retention rate for whole-wheat genes, indicating the functional importance of many DMT homoeologs. We found that the strikingly high number of TaDMT genes resulted mainly from the significant expansion of the TaDRM subfamily. Intriguingly, all 5 paralogs belonged to the wheat DRM subfamily, and we speculated that tandem duplications might play a crucial role in the TaDRM subfamily expansion. Through the transcriptional analysis of TaDMT genes in a TGMS line BS366 and its hybrids with the other six fertile lines under sterile and fertile conditions, we concluded that TaCMT-D2, TaMET1-B1, and TaDRM-U6 might be involved in male sterility in BS366. Furthermore, a correlation analysis showed that TaMET1-B1 might negatively regulate the expression of TaRAFTIN1A, an important gene for pollen development, so we speculated regarding an epigenetic regulatory mechanism underlying the male sterility of BS366 via the interaction between TaMET1-B1 and TaRAFTIN1A.

Conclusions

Our findings presented a detailed phylogenic overview of the DMT genes and could provide novel insights into the effects of DMT genes on TGMS wheat.