bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Earning a Living in Urban Africa: Maintaining the “Native Beer” Economy
Authors: Hård Mikael
Published: February 2023

Chapter 7 critiques the traditional—if not cliché—narrative about low-income areas, referred to as “slums,” in the Global South. According to this trope, those who live in such areas are destitute and desperate, their lives plagued by crime, their environment in decay. Yet the postwar history of life in “informal settlements” in Nairobi, Kenya, tells another story. Before and after independence from British colonizers, many of these settlements were economically vital places, populated by beer brewers and hairdressers, traders and carpenters, tailors and bicycle-repair people. Importantly, most of these activities were connected to the larger economy—regionally, nationally, and globally. By replacing the concepts of “slum” and “informal settlement” with the notion of the “flexible settlement,” we can better appreciate the creativity and innovativeness of those who live in low-income neighborhoods.
Confronting Menstruation in East Asia: Koreans Create Self-made Solutions
Authors: Hård Mikael
Published: February 2023

In the 1960s, as living standards in South Korea rose, consumers initially emulated lifestyles in the United States and Europe, and modern technologies entered the home. Chapter 8 shows that, compared to women in Western countries, women in South Korea slowly adopted disposable sanitary pads and other feminine-hygiene technologies. In fact, many women continued to use self-made sanitary napkins, and for a long time they rejected the use of tampons as a Western invention. Unlike consumers in Europe, many of whom experienced the United States as an “irresistible empire,” many in South Korea managed to resist elements of “the American way of life.” Rejecting the idea that women need to perform in the same way as men, women in South Korea distinguished themselves from what they viewed as Western: rationally performing women’s bodies.
Mentale Verursachung und Kausalität
Authors: Rolffs Matthias
Published: February 2023

Bis hierher habe ich sowohl den nicht-reduktiven Physikalismus als auch den Vorwurf des Epiphänomenalismus weitgehend unabhängig von der Frage behandelt, was Verursachung ist. Diese Frage ist jedoch von großer Relevanz für die Plausibilität des Vorwurfs des Epiphänomenalismus. Es ist daher naheliegend, sich etwas detaillierter mit der Philosophie der Kausalität auseinanderzusetzen, um sich der Frage nach der Schlagkräftigkeit des Vorwurfs des Epiphänomenalismus anzunähern. In diesem Kapitel geht es daher um den Zusammenhang zwischen verschiedenen Fragestellungen aus der Philosophie der Kausalität auf der einen Seite und dem Vorwurf des Epiphänomenalismus auf der anderen Seite.
Seed Development and Maturation
Authors: Sripathy K. V. , Groot Steven P. C.
Published: February 2023

In plants, a fascinating set of post-fertilization events result in the development of a dispersal unit known as a seed. During the maturation phase, seeds accumulate storage reserves and acquire desiccation tolerance, followed by an increase in seed vigour during maturation drying. Physiological (or mass) maturity may be attributed to the stage of seed maturation when maximum seed dry matter accumulation has occurred, marking the end of the seed-filling phase. The stage of maturity at harvest is one of the most important factors that can influence the quality of seeds. Recent studies established that seed vigour and longevity continue to increase even after physiological maturity, signifying the importance of the late maturation phase for maximizing seed quality. Among the plant hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) has been studied extensively for its role during seed development and maturation. Apart from ABA, gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinin and auxin also play a critical role during the development of seeds. Desiccation tolerance in seeds begins much before the attainment of physiological maturity. Acquisition of desiccation tolerance is associated with embryo accumulation of oligosaccharides of the raffinose family, low molecular weight antioxidants, late embryogenesis abundant proteins and heat shock proteins coupled with structural changes at the cellular level. To obtain seeds of maximum quality (in terms of germination, vigour and longevity), harvesting needs to be performed at or slightly after harvest maturity a period at which seed moisture content stabilizes with environmental factors. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to present the current understanding of seed development and maturation concentrating on various aspects viz. phases of seed development, the role of plant hormones, other factors affecting seed development, concepts of seed maturity, and its relevance to seed quality, maturity indices in crop plants and acquisition of desiccation tolerance in seeds.
Asymptotic analysis of domain decomposition for optimal transport
Authors: Bonafini Mauro , Medina Ismael , Schmitzer Bernhard
Published: February 2023

Large optimal transport problems can be approached via domain decomposition, i.e. by iteratively solving small partial problems independently and in parallel. Convergence to the global minimizers under suitable assumptions has been shown in the unregularized and entropy regularized setting and its computational efficiency has been demonstrated experimentally. An accurate theoretical understanding of its convergence speed in geometric settings is still lacking. In this article we work towards such an understanding by deriving, via$$\varGamma $$Γ-convergence, an asymptotic description of the algorithm in the limit of infinitely fine partition cells. The limit trajectory of couplings is described by a continuity equation on the product space where the momentum is purely horizontal and driven by the gradient of the cost function. Global optimality of the limit trajectories remains an interesting open problem, even when global optimality is established at finite scales. Our result provides insights about the efficiency of the domain decomposition algorithm at finite resolutions and in combination with coarse-to-fine schemes.
Cold-water coral framework architecture is selectively shaped by bottom current flow
Authors: Sanna Giovanni , Büscher Janina V. , Freiwald André
Published: February 2023

The three-dimensional (3D) structure of habitat-forming corals has profound impacts on reef ecosystem processes. Elucidating coral structural responses to the environment is therefore crucial to understand changes in these ecosystems. However, little is known of how environmental factors shape coral structure in deep and dark waters, where cold-water coral (CWC) reefs thrive. Here, we attempt to infer the influence of current flow on CWC framework architecture, using 3D scanning to quantify colony shape traits (volume compactness and surface complexity) in the reef-building CWCDesmophyllum pertusumfrom adjacent fjord and offshore habitats with contrasting flow regimes. We find substantial architectural variability both between and within habitats. We show that corals are generally more compact in the fjord habitat, reflecting the prevailing higher current speeds, although differences in volume compactness between fjord and offshore corals are more subtle when comparing the fjord with the more exposed side of the offshore setting, probably due to locally intensified currents. Conversely, we observe no clear disparity in coral surface complexity between habitats (despite its positive correlation with volume compactness), suggesting it is not affected by current speed. Unlike volume compactness, surface complexity is similarly variable within a single colony as it is between colonies within the same habitat or between habitats and is therefore perhaps more dependent than volume compactness on microenvironmental conditions. These findings suggest a highly plastic, trait-specific and functionally relevant structural response of CWCs to current flow and underscore the importance of multiple concurrent sources of hydrodynamic forcing on CWC growth.
Prospective cohort study on mesh shrinkage measured with MRI after robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus ventral hernia repair using an iron-oxide-loaded polyvinylidene fluoride mesh
Authors: Vierstraete Maaike , Beckers Roel , Vangeel Lorenz , Foriers Brend , Pletinckx Pieter , Muysoms Filip
Published: February 2023

Background

Mesh-reinforced ventral hernia repair is considered the gold standard treatment for all but the smallest of hernias. Human data on mesh shrinkage in the retrorectus mesh position is lacking. A prospective observational cohort study was performed to measure mesh shrinkage in robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus repair of ventral hernias.

Methods

A cohort of 20 patients underwent a robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus repair of their ventral hernia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging was performed one month and thirteen months after implantation of an iron-oxide-impregnated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mesh to assess the decrease in mesh surface area. Inter-rater reliability among three radiologists regarding measurement of the mesh dimensions was analyzed. Quality of Life scoring was evaluated.

Results

The inter-rater reliability between the radiologists reported as the intra-class correlations proved to be excellent for mesh width (ICC 0.95), length (ICC 0.98) and surface area (ICC 0.99). Between MRI measurements at one month and thirteen months postoperatively, there was a significant increase in mesh surface area (+ 12.0 cm2, p = 0.0013) and mesh width (+ 0.8 cm, p < 0.001), while the length of the mesh remained unchanged (−0.1 cm, p = 0.754). Quality of Life Scoring showed a significant improvement in Quality of Life after one month and a further improvement at thirteen months (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

There was an excellent inter-rater reliability between three radiologists when measuring width, length, and surface area of an iron-oxide-impregnated PVDF mesh using MRI visualization. Mesh shrinkage was not observed, instead the effective mesh surface area and width of the mesh increased.
A computational model for the transit of a cancer cell through a constricted microchannel
Authors: Wang Z. , Lu R. , Wang W. , Tian F. B. , Feng J. J. , Sui Y.
Published: February 2023

We propose a three-dimensional computational model to simulate the transient deformation of suspended cancer cells flowing through a constricted microchannel. We model the cell as a liquid droplet enclosed by a viscoelastic membrane, and its nucleus as a smaller stiffer capsule. The cell deformation and its interaction with the suspending fluid are solved through a well-tested immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann method. To identify a minimal mechanical model that can quantitatively predict the transient cell deformation in a constricted channel, we conduct extensive parametric studies of the effects of the rheology of the cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus and compare the results with a recent experiment conducted on human leukaemia cells. We find that excellent agreement with the experiment can be achieved by employing a viscoelastic cell membrane model with the membrane viscosity depending on its mode of deformation (shear versus elongation). The cell nucleus limits the overall deformation of the whole cell, and its effect increases with the nucleus size. The present computational model may be used to guide the design of microfluidic devices to sort cancer cells, or to inversely infer cell mechanical properties from their flow-induced deformation.
Reconfigurable chessboard coding plasma-based dielectric resonator structure for RCS reduction
Authors: Malhat Hend Abd El-Azem , Zainud-Deen Anas Saber , Badawy Mona Magdy
Published: February 2023

In this paper, reconfigurable chessboard coding plasma-based dielectric resonator structure for radar cross section reduction is investigated. The radar cross section (RCS) reduction is essential in military applications. The metallic conductor surface is covered with plasma-based dielectric resonator (DRA) unit-cells arranged in chessboard configuration. The plasma DRA unit-cell consists of concentric cylindrical ring filled with ionized plasma placed over FR4 dielectric substrate. The plasma ionization voltage values are tuned to reflect the electromagnetic wave with phase shift of 180° and equal amplitudes. The phase 0° state represents the logic “0” while the phase 180° state represents the logic “1”. The chessboard arrangement consists of super-cells with 0/1 logic states. Different sizes of uniform super-cells 3 × 3, 4 × 4, 6 × 6, and 12 × 12 unit-cells are investigated for maximum RCS reduction. The scattered beams are directed to (± 30°, 180° ± 30°), (± 25°, 180° ± 25°), (± 20°, 180° ± 20°), (± 15°, 180° ± 15°) and (± 10°, 180° ± 10°) for 3 × 3, 4 × 4, 6 × 6, 8 × 8, and 12 × 12 uniform super-cells, respectively. The RCS is reduced over a wide angle range reduction with − 18 dBm2 at the broadside direction and below − 32 dBm2 over the angular range from − 90° to 90° according to the super-cell size. The non-uniform allocation of unit-cells in the super-cell chessboard arrangement is investigated. The RCS reduction bandwidth extended from 8.5 to 9.65 GHz. The scattered beam produces null in the broadside direction with wideband RCS reduction. The proposed structures are simulated using CST-MWS electromagnetic simulator.
A Twisted Version of Controlled K-theory
Authors: Hartmann Elisa
Published: February 2023

There are a number of (co-)homology theories on coarse spaces. Controlled operator K-theory is by far the most popular one of them. Our approach is geometric. We study when does the Roe-algebra of a space restrict to a subspace. Then we show the Roe-algebra is a cosheaf on the coarse topology. A result is a Mayer–Vietoris exact sequence in the presence of a coarse cover. We compute examples as an application.
Dismissed Psychiatry Residents Who Appeal: Exploring Unprofessional Behavior
Authors: Godschalx Judith , van Mook Walther
Published: February 2023

Objective

Dutch psychiatry residents who are dismissed from their training program have the opportunity to appeal the decision. Those appeals are publicly available. This report explores the appeals of residents dismissed for unprofessional behavior.

Methods

The authors analyzed caselaw of dismissed psychiatry residents brought before the conciliation board of The Royal Dutch Medical Association and compared them to a control group of caselaw of dismissed family medicine residents.

Results

From 2011 to 2020, 19 psychiatry residents were dismissed for failing to meet the competencies of the CanMEDS professional domain and matched with 19 family medicine residents. Most psychiatry residents deficient in professionalism were considered deficient in their attitude, in reliability of keeping agreements, or in their ability to profit from supervisors’ feedback. Insufficient professional behavior overlapped with insufficient communication, collaboration, and management. Half of the psychiatry residents with deficits in professionalism went on sick leave at some time. Between residents in psychiatry and family medicine, or between psychiatry residents with and without a favorable conciliation board decision, no statistical differences were found regarding gender, year of residency, and number of insufficient competencies.

Conclusions

The deficiencies in the professionalism of residents who challenged their program director’s decision to be dismissed mostly consisted of inadequate attitude or the inability to profit from feedback, suggesting that these residents lack empathy, introspection, or both.
Introduction to magnetic refrigeration: magnetocaloric materials
Authors: Mellari Souheila
Published: February 2023

This work presents a review of research work on the magnetic refrigerator, of which different research is presented. The principle of magnetic refrigeration at room temperature and its interests has been shown. The phase transitions, first-order and second-order, have been shown with the advantages and disadvantages of both. Indeed, the first-order materials benefit from high magnetic entropy and adiabatic temperature change. Their negative point consists in their great magnetic hysteresis. It is quite the opposite for second-order phase transition materials. An overview of existing materials and characterization of magnetocaloric effect have been explained.
Making Sense of Mass Education
Authors: Tait Gordon , Spina Nerida , Gillett-Swan Jenna , O'Brien Peter
Published: February 2023

Making Sense of Mass Education provides a contemporary analysis of the ideas and issues that have traditionally dominated education research, challenging outdated preconceptions with fundamental theory and discussion. It takes a demythologising approach in assessing these issues and their relevance to schooling and education in Australia. This text examines the cultural context of education and the influence of external media and new technologies, and highlights the many forms of discrimination in education, including social class, race and gender. It looks at alternative approaches to education, including the repercussions of gathering data to measure school performance, and considers the intersection of ethics and philosophy in classroom teaching. The fourth edition expands on these issues with three new chapters: on sexuality, children's rights, and neoliberalism and the marketisation of education. Each chapter challenges and breaks down common myths surrounding these topics, encouraging pre-service teachers to think critically and reflect on their own beliefs.
Understanding Accountability in Democratic Governance
Authors: Papadopoulos Yannis
Published: February 2023

This Element comprehensively scrutinizes the key issue of the accountability of policy-makers in democratic governance. The electoral punishment of the incumbents, parliamentary control of the government, and sanctions in the case of administrative misconduct or negligence are the most visible manifestations of accountability in politics. However, the phenomenon is much more complex, and fully understanding such a multifaceted object requires bridging bodies of work that usually remain disjointed. This Element assesses the effectiveness of vertical accountability through elections and how interinstitutional accountability operates in checks-and-balances systems, along with the growing role of the courts. It evaluates how the accountability of the bureaucracy has been affected by managerial reforms and different governance transformations. It also scrutinizes to what extent mediatization and policy failure boost accountability, before zooming in on the feelings and reactions of those who are held accountable. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Religion in the British Navy, 1815-1879
Authors: Blake Richard
Published: February 2023

Shows how the rise of evangelical religion in the navy helped create a new kind of sailor, technologically trained and steeped in a higher set of values.
Publishing Business in Eighteenth-Century England
Authors: Raven James
Published: February 2023

Many more people encountered newspapers, business press products or jobbing print than the glamorous books of the Enlightenment. This book looks at the way in which print effected a business revolution.
Political Realism: An Essay on the Politics of Value Conflict
Authors: Sniderman Paul M.
Published: February 2023

The Ithiel de Sola Pool Award is for work throughout my career—work that I have done with many and with the help of so many more. I thank the committee for this honor and, with it, the opportunity to honor another: Merrill Shanks.
2022 HES PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: THE HISTORY OF ECONOMICS AS ECONOMIC SELF-PORTRAITURE
Authors: Boumans Marcel
Published: February 2023

I wrote this address during the first weeks of the murderous and devastating invasion of Russia in Ukraine, in a fluctuating mood of anger and sadness. My aim was addressing the issue of the use of history to legitimize ideology, and I was contemplating how I could convince you of the urgency of this issue, and then this war broke out.
Role of Backbone Fault System on Earthquake Spawning and Geohazards in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
Authors: Park Seongjun , Hong Tae‐Kyung , Kim Byeongwoo , Lee Junhyung
Published: February 2023

Major earthquakes in continental regions may cause significant damage. Preexisting fault system across megacity receives high attention for possible seismic damages. Earthquake occurrence mechanism is important to assess the geohazard potentials. Continental‐scale Quaternary fault system is developed across the Seoul metropolitan area where the population is the largest in the Korean Peninsula. Historical seismic‐damage records suggest potential seismic hazards in the Seoul metropolitan area. We investigate the fault motions and spatial distribution of earthquakes in the Seoul metropolitan area using a matched‐filter technique that is based on stacked waveform crosscorrelation functions among densely‐deployed seismic stations. The analysis detects 1103 earthquakes that include 360 events with magnitudes (ML) of −0.6 to 2.0 around the Chugaryeong fault and 34 events with magnitudes of −0.5 to 2.7 around Wangsukcheon, Pocheon, and Yeseonggang faults. The seismicity suggests a set of near‐vertical subparallel (or orthogonal) faults that develop from the major faults. A major fault system behaves as a backbone structure that makes branch faults develop, producing seismicity including major earthquakes. The backbone structure may control the fault development that conforms to the ambient stress field. The backbone faults may play a role to increase geohazard potentials.
An Integrated Nonlinear Analysis (INA) Software for Space Plasma Turbulence
Authors: Munteanu Costel , Kovács Péter , Echim Marius
Published: February 2023

We built an integrated nonlinear analysis software (INA)‐designed to study space plasma turbulence and intermittency. The MATLAB programming environment was used for the algorithmic development and implementation of methods for spectral analysis, multiscale fluctuations and multifractal analysis. The performance of INA is demonstrated using magnetic field measurements during an inbound pass through the Earth's magnetosheath region of the Cluster 3 spacecraft. We show how specific features of the power spectral density can be mapped to localized time‐frequency regions in the spectrogram representation, and identify multiple intermittent events using the wavelet‐based local intermittency measure. Multiscale probability density functions showed clear departures from Gaussianity, signifying the presence of intermittency. Structure functions and rank‐ordered multifractal analysis revealed the multifractal nature of the analyzed signal. INA is freely distributed as a standalone executable file to any interested user, and provides an integrated, interactive, and user‐friendly environment in which one can import a data set, customize key analysis parameters, apply multiple methods on the same signal and then export high‐quality, publication‐ready figures. These are only a few of the many distinguishing features of INA.
Divergent Urban Signatures in Rainfall Anomalies Explained by Pre‐Storm Environment Contrast
Authors: Shen Ye , Yang Long
Published: February 2023

Diverse urban‐induced rainfall anomalies across different cities highlight the need for additional insights into land‐atmosphere interactions over complex urban environments. Based on empirical analyses of 144 warm‐season storms and high‐resolution numerical simulations over Nanjing, China, we show divergent patterns of urban‐induced rainfall anomalies for storms with contrasting synoptic conditions, despite of rainfall enhancement over downtown from a climatological perspective. We propose two simple gage‐based metrics to characterize both the thermal and turbulent conditions in pre‐storm environment, and classify storms into different groups. Our results show that elevated rainfall magnitudes and heavy rainfall frequency are equally expected in either downtown or suburb regions (upwind or downwind). This is mainly dictated by the relative dominance of urban‐induced thermal perturbations and mechanical turbulence (i.e., related to surface roughness) under different synoptic conditions. We develop four paradigms of urban rainfall modification, and thus provide a predictive understanding of rainfall anomalies in urban environments.
Constraining Fault Damage Zone Properties From Geodesy: A Case Study Near the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence
Authors: Xu Xiaohua , Liu Dunyu , Lavier Luc
Published: February 2023

Seismologic studies have reported seismic velocities reduction and Vp/Vs ratio changes over damage zones associated with seismogenic faults. The structure and elastic properties of these damage zones indicate the maturity of faults and affect the rupture dynamics of future seismic events. Therefore, they contain critical information about fault properties that could inform seismic hazards. Here we present a geodetic modeling approach to constrain velocity changes and elastic properties of fault damage zones under stress perturbation from nearby earthquakes. Compared to seismic tomographic analysis that is usually limited by resolution, this geodetic approach provides tighter constraints on the elastic properties and geometry of the damage zone at shallow depths. Our results imply that a major component of the shallow strain release is distributed and inelastic. The existence of numerous shallow faults either may indicate a locally detached shallow layer or they are remnants from earlier fault evolution.
Variations of Carbonyl Sulfide During the Dry/Wet Seasons Over the Amazon
Authors: Wang Xinyue , Jiang Xun , Li King‐Fai , Liang Mao‐Chang , Kuai Le , Tan Lin , Yung Yuk L.
Published: February 2023

Mid‐tropospheric Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) retrievals from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) are utilized to study OCS distributions during the dry/wet seasons over the Amazon rainforest. TES OCS retrievals reveal positive OCS anomalies (∼16 ppt) over the central and southern parts of the Amazon during August–October (dry season) compared to January–March (wet season). There is less OCS taken up by vegetation and soil and more OCS released from biomass burning during the dry season, which causes an increase in OCS concentrations. Strong sinking air during the dry season also helps to trap OCS and this contributes to positive OCS anomalies. MOZART‐4 model captures positive OCS anomalies over the central and southern regions of the Amazon and negative OCS anomalies over the northern part of the Amazon, which are similar to those from TES mid‐tropospheric OCS retrievals. Our studies can help us better understand OCS variations and photosynthetic activities.
Influence of Synoptic‐Scale Waves on the Interdecadal Change in Tropical Cyclone Activity Over the Western North Pacific in the Early 2010s
Authors: Huangfu Jingliang , Tang Yulian , He Zhuoqi , Huang Gang , Chen Wen , Huang Ronghui
Published: February 2023

In this study, we investigated the interdecadal change in tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) in the early 2010s. At the western boundary of the WNP, the interdecadal change in TC activity exhibited a meridional tripole pattern. In contrast to the reduced activity over the northern South China Sea (SCS) and Taiwan, TC activity increased over the southern SCS and to the north of Shanghai after the early 2010s. Herein, we focused on the northern WNP. Over the last decade, frequent TC occurrences have affected East China, Korea and Japan. In this work, we examined the influence of synoptic‐scale waves (SSWs) on the interdecadal change in TC activity. During the 2011–2021 period, SSWs tended to propagate northward, resulting in more TC tracks affecting the northern WNP and surrounding countries. In contrast, the westward‐propagating SSWs before the early 2010s were more likely to favor westward‐moving TCs.
Out of Sight Out of Mind: Household Perceptions of “Fair” Water Prices in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Fuente David , Mulwa Richard , Cook Joseph
Published: February 2023

Providing piped water and sewer services is extremely capital intensive, yet most of this infrastructure is buried, hidden from citizens and ratepayers. Roman emperors built elaborate public fountains to increase the salience of massive infrastructure investments to the public, yet modern households give scarce thought to the water network that serves them. At the same time, tariffs are often too low to recover operations and maintenance costs, let alone capital replacement and system expansion. We use a field experiment to investigate whether providing 353 households in Nairobi, Kenya with information about the water infrastructure that serves them changes their perceptions of water and sewer bills. Compared to a control group, we find that providing households verbal and visual information (in person) about the capital intensity of water service delivery in Nairobi increased their perceptions of “fair” water bills by 15%–24% above the control mean of 404 KSH/mo.
Accurate prediction of oxygen vacancy concentration with disordered A-site cations in high-entropy perovskite oxides
Authors: Park Jiyun , Xu Boyuan , Pan Jie , Zhang Dawei , Lany Stephan , Liu Xingbo , Luo Jian , Qi Yue
Published: February 2023

Entropic stabilized ABO3 perovskite oxides promise many applications, including the two-step solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production. Using binary and quaternary A-site mixed {A}FeO3 as a model system, we reveal that as more cation types, especially above four, are mixed on the A-site, the cell lattice becomes more cubic-like but the local Fe–O octahedrons are more distorted. By comparing four different Density Functional Theory-informed statistical models with experiments, we show that the oxygen vacancy formation energies ($${E}_{V}^{f}$$

E

V

f

) distribution and the vacancy interactions must be considered to predict the oxygen non-stoichiometry (δ) accurately. For STCH applications, the $${E}_{V}^{f}$$

E

V

f

distribution, including both the average and the spread, can be optimized jointly to improve Δδ (difference of δ between the two-step conditions) in some hydrogen production levels. This model can be used to predict the range of water splitting that can be thermodynamically improved by mixing cations in {A}FeO3 perovskites.
Silver nanoparticles and platelet-rich fibrin accelerate tendon healing in donkey
Authors: Abdelhakiem Mohammed A. H. , Hussein Ayman , Seleim Samia Moustafa , Abdelbaset Abdelbaset Eweda , Abd-Elkareem Mahmoud
Published: February 2023

This study investigated the effect of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in the healing of the severed superficial digital flexor tendon in donkeys (SDFT). Twenty-seven adult donkeys were used in the study. The animals were divided into three equal groups. The first group (control group) in which the severed SDFT was sutured without the addition of any adjuvant. In the second group, there was a suture of severed SDFT with the addition of 1 ml of 1 mM silver nanoparticles (AgNPs group). The third group was subjected to the cutting of SDFT and then the addition of PRF after its suture. Each group of animals was divided into three equal subgroups that were examined after 1, 2, and 3 months. Each group of animals was clinically evaluated by assessing lameness. Gross and microscopic examinations of the healed tendons were performed after 1, 2, and 3 months of surgery. In comparison to the control group, the lameness degree decreased in the PRF and AgNPs groups, particularly in the third month after surgery. Furthermore, the lameness decreased significantly after the 3rd month relative to the 1st-month lameness in the AgNPs group. Interestingly, it was found that the PRF and AgNPs enhanced cell alignment and collagen deposition at the site of tendon injury, particularly among third-month subgroups. Therefore, it could be concluded that the PRF and AgNPs are effective materials for enhancing SDFT healing in donkeys.
Super-fast iodine capture by an ionic covalent organic network (iCON) from aqueous and vapor media
Authors: Prince  , Hassan Atikur , Chandra Sohom , Alam Akhtar , Das Neeladri
Published: February 2023

Schematic representation of iCON-4 as an ion-exchange based adsorbent with high iodine uptake capacity in various media such as vapour phase and aqueous solution.
The electronic and interfacial properties of a vdW heterostructure composed of penta-PdSe2and biphenylene monolayers
Authors: Nazir Muhammad Azhar , Shen Yiheng , Hassan Arzoo , Wang Qian
Published: February 2023

The vdW PdSe2/biphenylene network heterostructure withn-type Schottky contact and negative band-bending is theoretically designed to carry current in n-channel field effect transistor devices.
Ultra-stretchable graphene aerogels at ultralow temperatures
Authors: Yang Guohui , Zhang Xiaofang , Wang Ruijia , Liu Xu , Zhang Jianming , Zong Lu , Yang Hongsheng
Published: February 2023

An ultra-stretchable graphene aerogel with a record reversible elongation (−95%–400%) and temperature-invariant stretchability (−196.5 °C–300 °C) shows the lowest sensitivity at large strain (50%–400%) and high sensitivity at small strain (< 50%).
Prospect of Ru(edta) complexes in nitrogen cycle electrocatalysis: a mini review
Authors: Chatterjee Debabrata , Impert Olga , Eldik Rudi van
Published: February 2023

This mini review chronicles the role of Ru(edta) (edta4− = ethylenediaminetetraacetate) towards catalysing the electrochemical transformation of nitrogen cycle reactions, elucidating the complex mechanistic schemes.
Regiospecific deoxygenative deuteration of ketones via HOME chemistry
Authors: Gui Ruohua , Li Chao-Jun
Published: February 2023

A ruthenium-catalyzed deoxygenative deuteration of ketones is developed under mild conditions via HOME chemistry with 91% to 96% deuterium content.
Evaluation of the parameters affecting the loading of anticancer drug Paclitaxel on coated gold nanoparticles for breast cancer treatment
Authors: kharazmi Afrooz , Attaran Neda
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this study is the design and synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) conjugated with paclitaxel and to investigate the parameters affecting the stability of synthesised nanoparticles with drug delivery capability. Here, synthesised GNPs were coated with polyethylene glycol. Then these particles were conjugated with paclitaxel under different conditions and the physical and structural characteristics, as well as the factors affecting the loading of paclitaxel on nanoparticles, were evaluated by ultraviolet spectrophotometer, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and zeta potential apparatus. It was found that pegylated GNPs have a limited loading capacity at the time of 24 h of incubation and the Paclitaxel loading was observed to be pH dependent. The use of these particles in the treatment of breast cancer (MCF7) was also investigated using the MTT test. It was determined that the survival percentage of MCF7 cells in the presence of paclitaxel‐bound nanoparticles decreases to about 55% at the maximum measured concentration (690 μM).
Impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale freshwater carp and coastal brackish water shrimp farming in India
Authors: Hait Debesh , Vignesh Murugesan , Das Shib Kinkar
Published: February 2023

The present study was simultaneously conducted in two distantly located areas to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on farming processes, instantaneous financial impacts and mitigation strategies adopted by the farmers in the small scale freshwater carp farming and coastal brackish water shrimp farming sectors in India. Primary data were collected through interview of the farmers with the help of pre-tested structured interview schedules. Though the initial impact in both the sectors were substantial, freshwater carp farmers mitigated the crises comparatively well because of wider option in alternative livelihood, low cost locally available inputs, mobilization of local market, direct door to door vending of live fish and mobilization of women work force from the family in the farming sector. Untapped resource in the form of women's' participation in the freshwater farming practices was noteworthy during the pandemic period which increased polynomially (y  =  –1.0714x2 + 7.5286x − 2.2; R2 = 0.9648). As the shrimp farming sector was dependent upon external markets and burdened with high cost inputs primarily supplied by the input dealers on credit basis, the sector has to bear the burden most. Garret's Rank analysis revealed that integration with other production sectors ranked first as mitigation perception to the freshwater carp farmers, whereas, to the coastal shrimp farmers, the highest rank was with the perception that everything will be normalized within 2–3 months naturally. Garret's Rank analysis also revealed that in both the sectors, the farmers most important need was credit from the Govt. source in mitigating COVID-19 like crisis in future.
Comparative comparison of growth and development characteristics of T.Officinale wiggand T.Kok-saghyz rodinspecies
Authors: Yuldasheva Sokhiba , Khaydarova Halima , Saparova Gulnoz
Published: February 2023

The reserve of medicinal plants growing in natural conditions is limited, and therefore, it is necessary to rationally use and protect plant species, study their bioecological properties, properly use plant reserves. In this research, the morphobiological characters of T. officinale and T. kok-saghyz species were researched. During field experiments, Kh. Karshiboev and Rakhimova methods were employed to study the morphological structure and changes of the plant. The results showed that on the sixth day, the seeds of the plant produced two complete seeds. Every fifth day, one leaf started to emerge from the seeds of the plant planted in cups in greenhouse conditions. It was found that he length of the root was 3-4 cm, whereas the length of the hypocotyl was 0.8-1 cm.
Selective extraction-photometric determination of silver (i) with dithizone
Authors: Abdullayeva D. K. , Giyasov A. Sh. , Ziyayeva M. A. , Sharipova U. I. , Ibragimov N. I. , Choriyev R. E. , Shamuratova Sh. M. , Usmonxodjayeva I. T.
Published: February 2023

A method has been developed for the selective, simple and accelerated extraction-photometric determination of silver, based on the selective extraction of silver (I) from a strongly acidic medium in the presence of iodide ions and dimethylformamide and its complexation with dithizone directly in the organic phase. The apparent molar extinction coefficient of the dithizone complex of silver (I) at a maximum light absorption of 495 nm is 3.46·104. The calibration graph is linear in the range of 0.5-50 mkg of silver (I) in 10 ml of extract. The determination of silver is not interfered with by large amounts of foreign ions in 100,000 multiples within the range of 2-5%. The developed extraction-photometric method for the determination of silver is recommended for the analysis of silver in ores, rocks, industrial waste and other materials with complex chemical composition without separating accompanying elements.
Improving cotton irrigation methods in erodible soils of Tashkent province, Uzbekistan
Authors: Isaev Sabirjan , Tadjiev Sunnat , Ibragimov Odiljon , Zokirova Sanoatkhon , Khojasov Allamurat
Published: February 2023

Agricultural degradation areas are increasing worldwide. From them, 56% due to water erosion, 28% due to wind erosion, 12% due to soil nutrient depletion, salinization, pollution processes, and 4% due to densification, swamping, and subsidence processes. As a result of such negative processes and the existence of the water shortage problem in 80 countries of the world, 7 million hectares of arable land are withdrawn from agricultural use every year, and the problem of food security is arising in the world. In this article, the results of scientific research and cost-effectiveness calculations on 3 different slopes of cultivated fields on soils prone to irrigation erosion are written. In Uzbekistan, great attention is paid to solving the problems of improving land reclamation and increasing the productivity of irrigated lands. In the Action Strategy for the further development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, it is stated that “... further improvement of the reclamation condition of irrigated lands, development of the network of reclamation and irrigation facilities, wide introduction of intensive methods of agricultural production, first of all, modern water and resource-saving agrotechnologies, highly productive tasks on the use of agricultural machinery” are defined. It is necessary to develop new technologies for effective methods of increasing the productivity of lands prone to irrigation erosion in order to implement part of the specified tasks.
Prospects for the use of oil shale in the Republic of Uzbekistan
Authors: Mukhamedzhanov M. , Rakhmatova N. , Karabayeva Z.
Published: February 2023

Oil shale is widespread throughout the world. The world resources of organic carbon accumulated in oil shale are enormous. However, despite significant reserves, the development of the oil shale industry in various countries was characterized by periodic ups and downs. The article considers the analysis of the current state of the existing reserves of oil shale in the deposits of the Republic of Uzbekistan, provides brief information about the deposits of oil shale. The features of oil shale are presented, which make it possible to consider them as an energy, chemical, technological, as well as mineral raw material for use in various industries, which is an urgent problem. Technological possibilities in the processing of oil shale are considered.
Features of the mineral composition of ores in the oxidation zone of the Okzhetpes ore field (on the example of the gold mining area “Ore Zone No. 3”)
Authors: Ishbobaev Timur , Mirusmanov Mirvasid , Khaidarov Zokir , Tangirov Abdimutal , Urunov Bakhrom
Published: February 2023

The discovery of new deposits every year becomes more difficult, since promising areas are located at a relative depth, are characterized by more complex mining and geological conditions and smaller sizes. In addition, these new areas are overlain by younger formations, where intense supergene processes are often developed, which require other more advanced methods of forecasting and estimating hidden positions. The Okzhetpes antiform in the core is composed of carbonate rocks (limestones, dolomites) of the Devonian-Carboniferous age of the structural-material complex (SMC) Murun, and on the wings - overlying terrigenous rocks of the Early Paleozoic. Previously, many studies of the oxidation zone of Western Uzbekistan were considered from the point of view of the search for bauxites, zeolites and other mineral resources. Mineralogical studies of recent years are aimed at assessing the gold content of the oxidation zones. The article considers the materials obtained by the authors in the study of the mineral composition of the ores of the gold ore area "Ore zone No. 3" of the Okzhetpes ore field. The processes of desulphurization, the behavior of finely dispersed gold, which are in the composition of ores, are disclosed. The obtained research results confirm that the predominant part of gold remains in the minerals replacing sulfides (pyrite, arsenopyrite) with the preservation of gold and its characteristic companions in the products of sulfide oxidation (hedrogoethite, goethite and scorodite).
Selective extraction of iron (III) and its spectrophotometric determination directly in the organic phase
Authors: Rakhmatullayeva N.T. , Giyasov A.Sh. , Lutfullayeva N.B. , Niyazova M.M. , Gapparova Z.X. , Raxmatov U.N. , Mirkomilov Sh.M. , Rakhmatullayeva N.T.
Published: February 2023

Scientific and industrial development and the introduction of new technological processes are leading to increasing environmental pollution. In order to prevent an environmental catastrophe, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive environmental monitoring system, which allows for systematic information on the state of the natural environment. The developed method of extraction of iron (III) and the spectroscopic determination of iron directly in the organic phase differ from the existing selectivity, sensitivity, simplicity, rapidity and is recommended for the analysis of production solutions, waste water, ores, concentrates and other chemically complex materials without separation of accompanying elements directly in the organic phase.
Extraction of cellulose from paulownia plants and its simple ester carboxymethyl cellulose (na-kms) technology
Authors: Mukhitdinov U. , Sayfutdinov R. , Abdumavliyanova M. , Mirkamilov Sh.
Published: February 2023

In this experiment, Paulownia fiber plant is ground to 0.5-1 cm. In order to determine the optimum alkali solution concentration to extract cellulose from the raw material, the optimum degree of polymerization was determined by boiling in 25, 35, 50, 55 g/l solution. It can be seen from the table that certain properties of cellulose produced under the influence of different concentrations of alkali have different indicators. At alkaline concentration of 50 g/l, the cellulose yield was 49.6%, α-cellulose 89.5%, and the degree of polymerization was known in 1100 experiments. Ash content was a positive indicator of 1.78%. The scientific essence is that the cellulose is first soaked in isopropyl alcohol and mercerized in caustic alkali (NaOH) solution. Then, the alkylation process is carried out by adding a certain amount of monochloroacetic acid to the alkaline cellulose. Then, the alkylation process is carried out by adding a certain amount of monochloroacetic acid to the alkaline cellulose. The resulting carboxymethylcellulose is sent for purification. Na-CMC with 38-40% moisture content is washed in 53% ethyl alcohol and dried.
Morphological structure, agrophysical and agrochemical properties of irrigated typical gray and grass soils
Authors: Burkhanova D. , Urmanova M.
Published: February 2023

The article presents information on morphological structures, general physical and agrochemical properties of typical irrigated gray and grassland soils. The general physical properties of the soil are that in typical gray soils the bulk density decreases and the porosity increases, while in grassland soils the bulk density decreases and the total porosity increases compared to typical gray soils. A typical irrigated gray soil is composed of large dust particles according to its mechanical composition and belongs to the category of medium sandy loam. According to the level of availability of humus and nutrients of the studied soils, typical gray and meadow soils irrigated are low in humus (0.36-0.87%), very low in mobile phosphorus (5.33-15.60 mg/kg), exchangeable potassium It is highlighted that it is provided with low (100-200 mg/kg).
Role of regional faults in the formation and placement of gold ore objects in western Uzbekistan
Authors: Turapov M. K. , Akbarov H. A. , Tulyaganova N. Sh. , Zhonibekov B. O. , Ummatov N. , Raxmatullayeva Sh. D.
Published: February 2023

The results of the study, the relationship of regional faults with the processes of formation and mixing of gold ore occurrences in Western Uzbekistan are presented. According to researchers, the gold deposits of the region were formed under the influence of regional northwestern and transverse northeastern faults. So that the results of their research could serve as search signs and predictive criteria, they have not been studied enough to date. It is shown that the analysis of data on the location of gold ore occurrences in the network of regional faults in the region showed that 32% of gold ore objects were formed in the zones of northwestern faults. It is noted that the inter-fault space plays an important role in the placement of gold ore manifestations. Another important feature of the relationship between gold manifestations and regional faults has been revealed - this is the morphological feature (curvature area) of the faults, which determines the saturation of the inter-fault zone with manifestations of gold mineralization. The identified features of the relationship between regional faults and ring structures with gold occurrences are recommended to be used in forecasting and prospecting for gold.