bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silk‐Elastin‐Like‐Protein/Graphene‐Oxide Composites for Dynamic Electronic Biomaterials
Authors: Martín‐Moldes Zaira , Spey Quintin , Bhatacharya Tiara , Kaplan David L.
Published: May 2022

Genetically engineered silk‐elastin‐like‐proteins (SELPs) synthesized with the combination of silk and elastin domains are bioengineered to also contain a graphene oxide (GO) binding domain. The conductivity and mechanical stability of graphene, combined with SELP‐specific graphene interfaces are pursued as dynamic hybrid materials, toward biomaterial‐based electronic switches. The resulting bioengineered proteins with added GO demonstrate cytocompatibility and conductivity that could be modulated by changing hydrogel size in response to temperature due to the SELP chemistry. Upon increased temperature, the gels coalesce and contract, providing sufficient condensed spacing to facilitate conductivity via the graphene domains, a feature that is lost at lower temperatures with the more expanded hydrogels. This thermally induced contraction‐expansion is reversible and cyclable, providing an “on–off” conductive switch driven by temperature‐driven hydrogel shape‐change.
Recent advances in LC‐MS‐based metabolomics for clinical biomarker discovery
Authors: Chen Chao‐Jung , Lee Der‐Yen , Yu Jiaxin , Lin Yu‐Ning , Lin Tsung‐Min
Published: May 2022

The employment of liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) untargeted and targeted metabolomics has led to the discovery of novel biomarkers and improved the understanding of various disease mechanisms. Numerous strategies have been reported to expand the metabolite coverage in LC‐MS‐untargeted and targeted metabolomics. To improve the sensitivity of low‐abundance or poor‐ionized metabolites for reducing the amount of clinical sample, chemical derivatization methods are used to target different functional groups. Proper sample preparation is beneficial for reducing the matrix effect, maintaining the stability of the LC‐MS system, and increasing the metabolite coverage. Machine learning has recently been integrated into the workflow of LC‐MS metabolomics to accelerate metabolite identification and data‐processing automation, and increase the accuracy of disease classification and clinical outcome prediction. Due to the rapidly growing utility of LC‐MS metabolomics in discovering disease markers, this review will address the recent advances in the field and offer perspectives on various strategies for expanding metabolite coverage, chemical derivatization, sample preparation, clinical disease markers, and machining learning for disease modeling.
Passive OFE multi‐Gbps VLC transmission using POF as a feeder line
Authors: Ribeiro Barbio Corrêa Carina , Mekonnen Ketema Addis , Huijskens Frans , Koonen Ton , Tangdiongga Eduward
Published: May 2022

This paper presents a novel in‐home communication system employing plastic optical fibers (POFs) acting both as transmission medium and access point for wireless links to user devices, hence no separate luminaires or optical–electrical–optical conversions is required. All active devices, such as lasers/detectors, can be remotely placed from the room ceilings, resulting in fully passive optical front‐ends, which is beneficial for maintenance and upgrading. We approach two concepts, the first aims to realize small but high‐capacity hotspots in a room, the second creates larger coverage areas to increase the number of users and allow user's mobility. The wavelength division multiplexing concept is used to maximize the wireless throughput and to serve different wireless access points on the ceilings from a single POF feeder. A transmission link comprising eye‐safe transceivers, 1‐mm core diameter step‐index POF, and free space link, achieving multi‐gigabit throughputs using spectral efficient modulation formats, is demonstrated.
The single‐wavelength 561 nm laser based on reflective volume Bragg grating
Authors: Chang Aolei , Wu Chunting , Yao Wenming , Wang Peng , Chen Jiansheng , Tan Huiming , Tian Yubing , Wu Xiaodong , Gao Jing
Published: May 2022

This article presents 561 nm single‐wavelength laser by laser diode end‐pumped Nd:YAG crystal. The reflective volume Bragg grating is used as the output coupling mirror to effectively select the center wavelength of 1123 nm. The single wavelength laser output at 561 nm is obtained by intracavity frequency doubling via LBO crystal cut in accordance with Type I phase matching condition. When the pump power is 4 W, the output power reaches 229.6 mW, and the power instability is less than 3% within 5 min. Experiments show that the reflective volume Bragg grating acts as both a frequency selection element and an output coupling mirror, which simplifies the resonator structure and improves the laser output power.
A novel cross‐coupled filter with triangular resonators
Authors: Zhang Simo , Huang Zhengwei , Cheng Yong
Published: May 2022

In this article, a novel isosceles right triangle resonators filter is presented based on cross‐coupling technology. The whole filter is a square structure and it consists of four isosceles right triangle resonators. By introducing negative cross‐coupling between two resonators, a fourth‐order cross‐coupling dielectric waveguide filter with two out‐of‐band transmission zeros (TZs) is implemented. By changing the sign of the coupling coefficient, the TZ can be changed around the passband. Positive coupling is achieved through a coupling partition and shallow coupling blind holes, and negative coupling is achieved through symmetrical upper and lower blind holes. The new resonator structure is introduced and the design, simulation, and physical measurement of the filter are discussed. The results show that the center frequency of the filter is 3.5 GHz and the relative bandwidth is 5.7%. The passband return loss is more than 14 dB, the insertion loss is less than 0.1 dB.
RF coil design for accurate parallel imaging on 13C MRSI using 23Na sensitivity profiles
Authors: Sanchez‐Heredia Juan D. , Olin Rie B. , Grist James T. , Wang Wenjun , Bøgh Nikolaj , Zhurbenko Vitaliy , Hansen Esben S. , Schulte Rolf F. , Tyler Damian , Laustsen Christoffer , Ardenkjær‐Larsen Jan H.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To develop a coil‐based method to obtain accurate sensitivity profiles in 13C MRI at 3T from the endogenous 23Na. An eight‐channel array is designed for 13C MR acquisitions. As application examples, the array is used for two‐fold accelerated acquisitions of both hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging of pig kidneys and the human brain.

Methods

A flexible coil array was tuned optimally for 13C at 3T (32.1 MHz), with the coil coupling coefficients matched to be nearly identical at the resonance frequency of 23Na (33.8 MHz). This is done by enforcing a high decoupling (obtained through highly mismatched preamplifiers) and adjusting the coupling frequency response. The SNR performance is compared to reference coils.

Results

The measured sensitivity profiles on a phantom showed high spatial similarity for 13C and 23Na resonances, with average noise correlation of 9 and 11%, respectively. For acceleration factors 2, 3, and 4, the obtained maximum g‐factors were 1.0, 1.1, and 2.6, respectively. The 23Na profiles obtained in vivo could be used successfully to perform two‐fold acceleration of hyperpolarized 13C 3D acquisitions of both pig kidneys and a healthy human brain.

Conclusion

A receive array has been developed in such a way that the 13C sensitivity profiles could be accurately obtained from measurements at the 23Na frequency. This technique facilitates accelerated acquisitions for hyperpolarized 13C imaging. The SNR performance obtained at the 13C frequency, compares well to other state‐of‐the‐art coils for the same purpose, showing slightly better superficial and central SNR.
Limonene‐derived hollow polymer particles: Preparation and application for the removal of dyes and heavy metal ions
Authors: Wei Xin , Deng Siyu , Chen Dong , Wang Li , Yang Wantai
Published: May 2022

Herein, a unique kind of sustainable limonene‐derived hollow polymeric particles (LHPPs) were synthesized based on a widely available biomass monocyclic terpene limonene, which could act as efficient adsorption material to remove cationic dyes (methylene blue, MB) and heavy metal ions (Ni2+). Benefiting from the hollow structure/porous shell layer and abundant carboxylic groups, LHPPs exhibit outstanding sorption ability, quick sorption velocity, and excellent regeneration. The adsorption results of MB and Ni2+ onto LHPPs were analyzed by utilizing two most common models, and the adsorption isotherms were better simulated by Langmuir equation, showing maximum sorption capacities of 909 and 75.8 mg/g. Furthermore, the sorption processes were better described with pseudo‐second order equation. Besides, the LHPPs exhibit a remarkable pH‐sensitive adsorption property because of the existence of carboxylic groups. When the pH value changed from 2 to 10, the sorption capacity for MB increased sharply from 226 to 829 mg/g, and the sorption capacity for Ni2+ enhanced remarkably from 6 to 74.9 mg/g with pH value increased in the range of 2–6. Moreover, these biobased adsorbents show high reusability over five adsorption/desorption cycles, making LHPPs promising sustainable absorbents for practical application in water treatment.
Phytotonic effects of thiamethoxam on sugarcane managed with glyphosate as a ripener
Authors: de Silva Deise Paula , Oliveira Marcela Pacola , Oliveira Josiane Aparecida Viveiros , Jacomassi Lucas Moraes , Momesso Letusa , Garcia Ariani , Ferraz de Siqueira Gabriela , Foltran Rodrigo , Soratto Rogério Peres , Dinardo‐Miranda Leila Luci , Crusciol Carlos Alexandre Costa
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Thiamethoxam and glyphosate are widely used in sugarcane production as an insecticide and ripener, respectively. In this study, the potential of these chemical products to also elicit phytotonic effects and enhance the physiological development and yield of sugarcane was evaluated. In field experiments, thiamethoxam and glyphosate were applied to sugarcane individually or in combination, and the effects of these chemical management strategies on sugarcane biometric and technological parameters were assessed.

RESULTS

Thiamethoxam application improved biometric parameters, especially stalk yield. Glyphosate application increased sugar yield, despite reducing the number of stalks and consequently the stalk yield.

CONCLUSIONS

Application of the insecticide thiamethoxam to sugarcane attenuates the depreciative effect of ripener (glyphosate) and has a potential phytotonic effect by increasing sugar yields in the early and late seasons. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Interfirm cooperatives enabling organizational ambidexterity, a case study of the printing industry in Colombia
Authors: Camargo Benavides Andres Felipe , Ehrenhard Michel , De Visser Matthias , de Weerd‐Nederhof Petra C.
Published: May 2022

Research into organizational ambidexterity at the interorganizational level is limited, but it is even more scarce when considering emerging markets and alternative organizational forms such as the cooperative enterprise. We will attempt to fill these research gaps by offering in‐depth case studies of three interfirm cooperatives within the printing industry in Colombia. We analyze how interfirm cooperatives enable organizational ambidexterity in its small‐to‐medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and explore which factors are hindering ambidexterity. Our findings indicate that lower socioemotional wealth in SMEs undermines the need to invest in exploration. Additionally, cooperation within an interfirm cooperative appears to be entirely reliant on its component SMEs agreeing on the right balance of social and economic values. We conclude that, although the interfirm cooperative may play an important role in facilitating ambidexterity in emerging markets, transitioning from a primarily transactional role to a higher role as intermediator of ambidexterity poses significant challenges.
NF‐κB mediates silica‐induced pulmonary inflammation by promoting the release of IL‐1β in macrophages
Authors: Zhang Jing , Yang Xiaojing , Yang Yushan , Xiong Min , Li Ning , Ma Lan , Tian Jiaqi , Yin Haoyu , Zhang Lin , Jin Yulan
Published: May 2022

Long‐term exposure to respirable silica particles causes pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis primarily promoted by cytokines released from alveolar macrophages, yet the underlying mechanism is still unclear. From the perspective of nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), we studied the mechanism of IL‐1β biosynthesis and release. Utilizing BAY 11‐7082, an NF‐κB specific inhibitor, we showed the alteration of macrophage viability and examined the expression of both IL‐1β and NF‐κB in vitro. We found that silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were internalized by macrophages and caused damage to cell integrity. The immunofluorescence assay showed that SiNPs exposure enhanced the expression of IL‐1β and NF‐κB, which could be effectively suppressed by BAY 11‐7082. Besides, we built silica exposure mouse model by intratracheally instilling 5 mg of SiNPs and checked the effect of silica exposure on pulmonary pathological changes. Consistently, we found an upregulation of IL‐1β and NF‐κB after SiNPs exposure, along with the aggravated inflammatory cell infiltration, thickened alveolar wall, and enhanced expression of collagens. In conclusion, SiNPs exposure causes pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis that is regulated by NK‐κB through upregulating IL‐1β in alveolar macrophages.
Wheat Panache: A pangenome graph database representing presence–absence variation across sixteen bread wheat genomes
Authors: Bayer Philipp E. , Petereit Jakob , Durant Éloi , Monat Cécile , Rouard Mathieu , Hu Haifei , Chapman Brett , Li Chengdao , Cheng Shifeng , Batley Jacqueline , Edwards David
Published: May 2022

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of humanity's most important staple crops, characterized by a large and complex genome with a high level of gene presence–absence variation (PAV) between cultivars, hampering genomic approaches for crop improvement. With the growing global population and the increasing impact of climate change on crop yield, there is an urgent need to apply genomic approaches to accelerate wheat breeding. With recent advances in DNA sequencing technology, a growing number of high‐quality reference genomes are becoming available, reflecting the genetic content of a diverse range of cultivars. However, information on the presence or absence of genomic regions has been hard to visualize and interrogate because of the size of these genomes and the lack of suitable bioinformatics tools. To address this limitation, we have produced a wheat pangenome graph maintained within an online database to facilitate interrogation and comparison of wheat cultivar genomes. The database allows users to visualize regions of the pangenome to assess PAV between bread wheat genomes.
Detection and molecular identification of blood parasites in rodents captured from urban areas of southern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Authors: Perison Putri Wulan Dari , Amran Nurul‐Shafiqah , Adrus Madinah , Anwarali Khan Faisal Ali
Published: May 2022

Background

Rodent species are well known for their potential as hosts and reservoirs for various zoonotic diseases. Studies on blood parasite infection in small mammals focused on urban cities in Peninsular Malaysia and have been conducted over the years. In contrast, there are information gaps related to molecular detection of blood parasites in urban areas of Sarawak that are associated with veterinary importance and zoonotic spillover potential. Increasing prevalence and transmission of blood parasite diseases is the most crucial public health issue, particularly in developing urban areas of Sarawak. Therefore, molecular identification studies were performed to determine and identify the blood parasites infecting rodents.

Methods

A total of 40 rodent blood samples were analysed for blood parasite infection and a combined approach using polymerase chain reaction‐based technique, and traditional microscopic examination (blood smear test) was conducted. 18s rRNA (Plasmodium spp.) and cytochrome b (Hepatocystis spp.) gene marker were used to identify the blood parasites.

Results

Note that 67.5% (n = 27) blood samples were tested negative for blood parasites, while 32.5% (n = 13) blood samples collected were infected with at least one protozoan parasite. Out of 13 samples, 69.2% (n = 9) were detected with Hepatocystis sp., while 15.4% (n = 2) were positive with Hepatozoon ophisauri. Two individuals had multiple infections from both species. No Plasmodium spp. have been detected throughout this study using universal primer (targeted Plasmodium spp.); however, different parasite species which were H. ophisauri were detected.

Conclusion

Although there is no evidence of human infection from H. ophisauri and Hepatocystis sp. detected from the study, the data show the host species are heavily infected, and the information is essential for future prevention of zoonotic outbreaks and surveillance programmes. Therefore, it is suggested that the surveillance programmes should be incorporated in targeted areas with a high risk of disease emergence.
No evidence for collateral effects of electromagnetic fields used to increase dissolved oxygen levels on the behavior and physiology of freshwater fishes
Authors: Elvidge Chris K. , Bihun Christian J. , Davis Colin , Ulhaq Saad , Fung David T. , Vermaire Jesse C. , Cooke Steven J.
Published: May 2022

Hypoxia in surface waters driven by warming climate and other anthropogenic stressors is a major conservation concern, and technological solutions for water quality remediation are sorely needed. One potential solution involves the use of low‐intensity electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to increase dissolved oxygen levels, but potential collateral effects of the EMFs on aquatic animals have not been formally evaluated. We examined the effects of EMF exposure on wild‐caught, captive sunfish (Lepomis spp.) over 8‐day and 3‐day exposures, with and without aeration in mesocosms and stock tanks (respectively). We also quantified ambient fish abundance in close proximity to EMF devices deployed in Opinicon Lake (ON). We found no significant differences in a suite of blood‐based stress physiology biomarkers, behaviors, and putative aerobic capacities between EMF and control conditions over 8 days. Aerated mesocosms equipped with activated EMFs consistently had higher oxygen levels in the water than aerated controls. There were no differences in mortality during 3‐day oxygen depletion trials under EMF or control conditions, and we detected no differences in fish abundance when the devices were activated in the lake. Our findings suggest that deploying EMF devices in field settings is not likely to exert negative effects on exposed fish populations.

Practitioner Points

Low‐cost, low‐energy technological solutions to remediate aquatic hypoxia are sorely needed

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can increase oxygen flux across air/water interfaces and increase dissolved oxygen levels

We found no evidence of negative effects of EMFs on fish physiology or behavior and our results support their use in alleviating hypoxic conditions
Conceptualising Second Generation Immigrants in South Africa: The Experiences of Nigerian Second Generation Immigrants
Authors: Onukogu Chioma Joyce
Published: May 2022

Migration research emanating from the west and the global south about immigrant children has often concentrated on “migrant or refugee children.” Little attention is being paid to second generation immigrant children, who in most cases, have different migration trajectory. This chapter observes the gap in literature and presents a conceptualisation of second-generation from a South African perspective. Drawing on evidence from a qualitative study of 10 Nigerian second generation immigrant children in Johannesburg, South Africa, the chapter presents an understanding of a South African second generation immigrants. Place of birth, age at migration and parent’s immigration status at the time of birth are found to be factors that separate 1 s generation from another.
The Role of Interpersonal Communication in Re-identity of Voluntary Economic Migrants Living in South Africa
Authors: Sitto Karabo
Published: May 2022

This chapter highlights the growth of voluntary movement of labour force through globalisations and resultant pressure on economies to compete with one another. In this global economic environment, demand to acquire access to those individuals with critical professional skills has grown, thus opening up opportunities for individuals to move to recruiting countries and employer organisations across the globe. This has been evidenced by the exponential rise of degreed migrants in comparison to low-skilled migrants. These voluntary economic migrants, are individuals with some university education, with special professional skills who choose to move to a destination country for professional opportunities. Adapting to a new social context or setting involves overcoming social representation barriers arising from acculturation schismogenesis and the discussion highlights the similarities of such individuals to other migrants. The challenge for individual migrants is in working to reconstruct their identities in their transnational context to build themselves a new social reality through stabilising schism arising from their transnational social representations meeting. Eleven voluntary economic migrants’ interpersonal online and offline communication was analysed using three sets of data and arranged into themes related to their process of re-identity. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the implications of such skilled individuals being unable to reconstruct and stabilise their identity in their new context on recruiting countries, namely financial cost and loss of critical skills.
“No, We Are Not Fighting Against Foreign Workers and We’ll Never Fight Against Foreign Workers”: Trade Unions and Migrant Rights
Authors: Lorgat Aisha
Published: May 2022

International human rights instruments do not explicitly include protection of undocumented migrants, but arguments for their inclusion are made on both normative and pragmatic basis. These denizens are often prevented from accessing rights de facto due to social practices, even when they are accorded de jure rights through legislation. As a result, the overwhelming majority of migrants are faced with limited options, have little voice, and have to make a living among and as part of the precariat. After 1994, South Africa was increasingly seen as a favourable destination for migrants seeking asylum and/or economic opportunities. Migrants are perceived as serving as a reserve of labour that is highly flexible, easily exploited, and unlikely to seek legal recourse for violations of labour law or to join a trade union. This labour market effect is particularly apparent and problematic in host countries with pre-existing high unemployment rates. As official workers representatives trade unions have a major role to play in recognising and mitigating the dangers inherent in dividing workers into citizens and denizens. Trade unions themselves though are in decline, with union density rates falling largely as a result of increasing use of non-standard employment arrangements by employers. Trade unions find it extremely difficult to access and organise these atypical workers, many of whom are migrants. The research for this chapter considered official union publications as well as interviews with trade union officials in the construction sector in Cape Town to assess trade unions responsiveness to migrant rights claims. Migrants are generally located in the periphery due to their more vulnerable status, and this position in the labour market renders their claims to rights and the role of trade unions in supporting these claims more difficult but equally necessary.
Conclusion
Authors: Xulu-Gama Nomkhosi , Rugunanan Pragna
Published: May 2022

This book has provided a sociology of migration in southern Africa. It is widely acknowledged that Africa is historically differently positioned from other continents and that the relations within the continent are more complex in their specific, geographic and historical ways. The specific focus on southern Africa is indicative of and acknowledges the different dynamics in the various parts of Africa. This book moves away from the traditional approach in the literature, which views the African continent as homogenous with only shared characteristics. The continent has vast religious, linguistic, racial, national, ethnic, historical, economic, and geopolitical differences. While the focus of the book is on southern Africa, far-reaching empirical and theoretical conclusions can still be drawn because some of the migratory experiences discussed in this book are shared across countries in the context of a broader Global South. These commonalities are often characterised by unequal distribution of resources that shape the socio-economic and political dynamics of migration in the Global South.
Policy Implementation Challenges for Worker Education and Foreign National Migrants
Authors: Xulu-Gama Nomkhosi , Nhari Sibongile Ruth , Malabela Musawenkosi , Mogoru Tebogo
Published: May 2022

The importance of worker education around the presence of foreign national migrants “beyond the apartheid workplace” (Webster & von Holdt, 2005: 4) is undisputed. Our intention is to establish the extent to which worker education programmes benefit foreign-national migrants and also to establish the possible challenges in the implementation of the related legislation and policies. The current context of neoliberal capitalism and growing informalisation of work (Webster & von Holdt, 2005; Muller & Esselaar, 2004) is particularly important, as it tends to challenge the existence and effectiveness of worker education while promoting divisions among the workers. During the apartheid era, worker education was a resource used by the trade union movement to address struggles in the workplace and those percolating to the communities (see Xulu-Gama, 2018; Von Holdt, 2002; Webster, 1985; Friedman, 1987). Worker education always took into consideration the history of the South African workplace, which made it relevant, comprehensive, critical and progressive (Hamilton, 2014).
Content of Quantitative Papers
Authors: Luby Stephen , Southern Dorothy L.
Published: May 2022

The title and abstract of the manuscript should provide a clear summary of the work. For a manuscript to be legible to scientific readers, it should be organized in the standard format of introduction, methods, results, and discussion. The introduction explains why the study question engaged by your manuscript is important. An introduction should focus only on those issues relevant to the study question and not try to present a more general summary of the topic. The method section describes how the study team addressed the study question. The method section should be written in chronological order, should clarify key sample size assumptions, and should emphasize the steps taken to protect human subjects. The results present the new findings from the study. The discussion section explains the conclusions or scientific inferences the authors draw from this study. This section also explains the limitations to scientific inference from the study and how the results should be interpreted because of these limitations. Avoiding naïve theories of change when making recommendation based upon the results improves the credibility and impact of the work.
Recording Scientific Data
Authors: Luby Stephen , Southern Dorothy L.
Published: May 2022

The core of a scientific manuscript is the new data the authors are presenting. These core data should be presented with an appropriate degree of precision that does not go distractingly overboard. Readers are particularly interested in the numbers associated with each group and how these compare. A common error is to frame the study around p-values. A p-value is never the most interesting or most important result. Instead, communicate the magnitude of differences between groups, and use p-values as a secondary assessment of whether the results are likely to be due to sampling error. Well-constructed tables are a useful format for presenting detailed data that readers can carefully review. These tables should be accompanied by a concise narrative in the results section that summarizes the principal finding. Using tables that are clearly described, that are numbered sequentially in the order they are referred to in the text, that allow for clear comparisons, and that avoid common formatting errors improves the communication of your findings.
Moving Beyond Health in All Policies: Exploring How Policy Could Front and Centre the Reduction of Social Inequities in Health
Authors: Holt Ditte Heering , Frohlich Katherine L.
Published: May 2022

In recent years there has been a proliferation of concepts to describe intersectoral health policies. Much of this work orients around the promise of Health in All Policies (HiAP), an intersectoral approach that promotes addressing the social determinants of health (SDH) and social inequities in health. However, in practice, questions of health equity are often marginal or unattainable. Based on a conceptual critique of HiAP, we explore some of the problems involved when trying to effectively design and implement policies with the explicit goal of reducing social inequities in health. We find that the intersectoral approaches to policymaking and implementation of health equity policies should be seen as distinct from Health in All Policies. Using the example of intersectoral health policies seeking to reduce smoking, we argue that they have been relatively ineffective at reducing social inequities in smoking. We suggest that the capability approach (CA) could provide the basis of a policy framework for guiding more effective intersectoral policy action to reduce social inequities in health.
Conclusion: The Added Value of Political Science in, of, and with Public Health
Authors: de Leeuw Evelyne , Fafard Patrick , Cassola Adèle
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into never-before-seen sharp focus the challenges at the interface between health and public policy. To address these challenges, epistemic trespassing is required and, more precisely, engagement between public health and political science. This book highlights the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of public health political science, explores the empirical contributions, and calls for deeper engagement between public health and political science. Not surprisingly, challenges remain: the need to unite, both spatially and conceptually, the global network of colleagues at this interface and expand it to include perspectives from the Global South and from places where democratic institutions are truncated if not completely absent; the need to promote more cross-disciplinary teaching, training, and research in public health and political science; and engagement with the full range of political science sub-disciplines beyond those highlighted in this volume. Finally, there is a need to leave the ivory towers of academe (whether political science or public health) and more proactively engage with policymaking efforts if we are to not simply make a point but make a difference.
Sidestepping the Stalemate: The Strategies of Public Health Actors for Circulating Evidence into the Policy Process
Authors: Clavier Carole , Gagnon France , Poland Blake
Published: May 2022

The premise of this book is that public health policy is locked in a stalemate between the evidence-based and the politics-driven policy-making perspectives. This chapter argues that local public health actors on the ground develop strategies to work around this stalemate and circulate their evidence into the policy process. These strategies are indicative of a politically savvy conception of the policy process. The argument builds on data from an empirical study of active transportation policies in Montréal and Toronto (Canada) using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). In several instances, public health actors sidestepped political constraints by circulating their data to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and citizens or by building “coalitions” with stakeholders sharing similar policy values. We argue that these strategies for circulating evidence show how science and politics are intertwined in local practices. Local public health actors sometimes take the moral high ground but are also keenly attentive and attuned to local politics. The following strategies could help sidestep the stalemate: better connecting public health evidence with practical policy solutions; developing sustained interactions with non-public health actors working with or advocating for these policy solutions and getting the help of boundary actors skilled in connecting problems and solutions across policy sectors.
Geographies and Theories of Geography: An Introduction
Authors: Jakobsen Peter , Jönsson Erik , Larsen Henrik Gutzon
Published: May 2022

Approaching Nordic human geography as an evolving community of practice with strong historical-geographical legacies, this chapter introduces the two overarching themes of the book. On the one hand, we foreground how geography has been, and is, theorised in Nordic human geography, particularly (but not exclusively) as socio-spatial theory. On the other hand, if often intersecting with the former, we seek to highlight the importance of historical-geographical context in geographical theorising and research. Following from this, and acknowledging that the balancing of these themes differs between the individual contributions, the chapter outlines the approach of the book.
Nordic Geographies of Nation and Nationhood
Authors: Häkli Jouni , Strømsø Mette
Published: May 2022

This chapter explores the development of Nordic socio-spatial theories on nation, nationalism, and national identities. We begin by providing an overview of the body of theoretical work on nation by Nordic scholars, with attention to key authors, their main theoretical positions, and methodological orientations. We intend to show how the research area emerged by the early 1990s as a minor theme in Nordic human geography, but then developed and intensified in the subsequent decades, along with the rise of the subfield of political geography in some Nordic countries and Finland in particular. We also describe how the research field transformed in the 2000s, along with the growing interest in globalization and transnationalization. After this we move into reflections on nation and nationalism arising from our own research trajectories, and how they link with and build on the Nordic theoretical traditions. This discussion will situate our chapter both through our own work as Nordic scholars, and through empirical illustrations from Finland and Norway. We conclude by outlining current challenges and new horizons in Nordic theoretical work on nation and nationalism.
Urban Space and Everyday Life: A Personal Theoretical Trajectory Within Nordic Social and Cultural Geography
Authors: Simonsen Kirsten
Published: May 2022

As an example of socio-spatial theorization within the Nordic context, this chapter is written as an autobiographic narrative of my intellectual development from the 1970s to 2021. It is a story involving a steady positioning in the ‘Nordic’ context, but within that a range of shifts in affiliations, as well as a participation in different intellectual networks – both Danish, Nordic and ‘International’ – all of which have influenced my thinking. The chapter is arranged in four parts: First, a presentation of some Nordic predecessors. This is followed by an intellectual history of what I call theoretical approximations to (a) a non-deterministic social ecology, (b) towards a theory of practice, and (c) an engagement with the formulation of a critical phenomenology – all involving issues of the urban question, of everyday life and of modalities of social space.
Territorial Structure: An Early Marxist Theorisation of Geography
Authors: Jakobsen Peter , Larsen Henrik Gutzon
Published: May 2022

Radical geography came only patchily to Nordic geography, and the development of theoretical Marxist geography was even sparser. But in the radical geography environment at Copenhagen University, a group of geographers in the 1970s developed a vocal and self-assured Marxist theory, which became known as the territorial-structure approach and drew its inspiration from the work of the GDR geographer Gerhard Schmidt-Renner. In this chapter we present a critical discussion of the territorial-structure approach as an example of an early theorisation of geography from a Marxist perspective. We discuss the central controversies that came to surround the approach, and we discuss the territorial-structure approach as a conscious effort to resist disciplinary specialisation and fragmentation of (human) geography. Our aim is not to resurrect the territorial-structure approach, but rather to investigate this theory as an important step towards socio-spatial theory in Nordic geography.
Synthesis of Physical and Human Geography: Necessary and Impossible?
Authors: Holt-Jensen Arild
Published: May 2022

Throughout its recorded history, the aims of geography have shifted between synthesis and specialized systematic studies. Cosmography, as understood by Alexander von Humboldt and others, presented an ambitious synthesis of climate, topography, biogeography, settlement and human life. Explorations financed by geographical societies gradually led to growth of specialized disciplines, particularly in natural sciences. This broad activity was regarded as geography by the general public and those that established geography chairs 1870–1910. The first professors adhered to synthesis of human and physical geography and found relevant research themes. Initially geography was dominated by environmental determinism, possibilism and a focus on regional geography through synthesis. Gradually specialized research in systematic branches led to a nomothetic shift to spatial science, inspiring models in both human and physical geography. Synthesis of physical and human geography remained an aim within spatial science but provided few integrating research exemplars. Synthesis of physical and human geo-factors was fundamental for the first professors and was seen as a goal for many geographers in the following generations, but has been difficult to attain in research projects. However, present global changes give our discipline new relevance for research on global sustainability.
The Problem with XSD Binary Floating Point Datatypes in RDF
Authors: Keil Jan Martin , Gänßinger Merle
Published: May 2022

The XSD binary floating point datatypes are regularly used for precise numeric values in RDF. However, the use of these datatypes for knowledge representation can systematically impair the quality of data and, compared to the XSD decimal datatype, increases the probability of data processing producing false results. We argue why in most cases the XSD decimal datatype is better suited to represent numeric values in RDF. A survey of the actual usage of datatypes on the relevant subset of the December 2020 Web Data Commons dataset, containing 19 453 060 341 literals from real web data, substantiates the practical relevancy of the described problem: 29%–68% of binary floating point values are distorted due to the datatype.
The Impacts of Online Education on Ecology of Learning and Social Learning Processes
Authors: Bağcı Cahit
Published: May 2022

Developments in the IT sector and technological advancements around the world have forced educational systems to also change accordingly. Radically affecting the usual flow and order of economic and social life around the world, the global COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation have generated rapid changes. The ongoing process has revealed no previous preparations to have occurred or principles to have been designed for dealing with unforeseen circumstances in terms of matters ranging from internet infrastructure to technological equipment, digital educational tools, access to content, education managers, educators, students, and parents, digital literacy, and social learning environments. A future remodeling of social learning processes, particularly the role of school, ecology, and models of learning is predicted. Education is expected to become a hybrid system composed of face-to-face and online learning processes paralleling one another, whereas teaching is predicted to take place over digital platforms through different modules and software programs. Evaluation, accreditation, and certification are fully expected to take place digitally. Schools will be reshaped with a functional mission in mind, paying special attention to behavior, ethics, consciousness, values, culture, civilization, history, art, and sports; the development of skills, socialization, group work, and teamwork; social and psychological development; and analytical thinking. Rather than engaging in theoretical discussions, this article will tackle the predomination of digitalization and the effect of online education policies and applications on social learning processes as well as the ecology of learning. This article will present solutions, analyzing these matters regarding their pedagogical as well as problematic dimensions.
Conceptions of Society and Education Paradigm in the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Erdoğan Coşkun Aynur
Published: May 2022

This chapter describes the structural features and problem areas of modern education systems, then discusses new social and educational ideas that offer solutions to these problems. From the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, information was given on the social models and educational systems that coincided with the turning points of industrial developments. While factory organization as characterized by mass production and nation-state citizenship shaped the education system of industrial societies, digitization and its values have left their mark on educational systems in the information society. Advanced technological developments in areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, or the Internet of things have led to a techno-futuristic model of society being placed on the agenda. In this context, we pursue the questions of how new technologies are changing the education system and what kind of solutions they are offering to its problems for education in future societies. New technologies are argued to have not eliminated the basic problems we must deal with in the contemporary world such as equal opportunity in education and student-centered education.
Complementary omics strategies to dissect p53 signaling networks under nutrient stress
Authors: Galhuber Markus , Michenthaler Helene , Heininger Christoph , Reinisch Isabel , Nössing Christoph , Krstic Jelena , Kupper Nadja , Moyschewitz Elisabeth , Auer Martina , Heitzer Ellen , Ulz Peter , Birner-Gruenberger Ruth , Liesinger Laura , Lenihan-Geels Georgia Ngawai , Oster Moritz , Spreitzer Emil , Zenezini Chiozzi Riccardo , Schulz Tim J. , Schupp Michael , Madl Tobias , Heck Albert J. R. , Prokesch Andreas
Published: May 2022

Signaling trough p53is a major cellular stress response mechanism and increases upon nutrient stresses such as starvation. Here, we show in a human hepatoma cell line that starvation leads to robust nuclear p53 stabilization. Using BioID, we determine the cytoplasmic p53 interaction network within the immediate-early starvation response and show that p53 is dissociated from several metabolic enzymes and the kinase PAK2 for which direct binding with the p53 DNA-binding domain was confirmed with NMR studies. Furthermore, proteomics after p53 immunoprecipitation (RIME) uncovered the nuclear interactome under prolonged starvation, where we confirmed the novel p53 interactors SORBS1 (insulin receptor signaling) and UGP2 (glycogen synthesis). Finally, transcriptomics after p53 re-expression revealed a distinct starvation-specific transcriptome response and suggested previously unknown nutrient-dependent p53 target genes. Together, our complementary approaches delineate several nodes of the p53 signaling cascade upon starvation, shedding new light on the mechanisms of p53 as nutrient stress sensor. Given the central role of p53 in cancer biology and the beneficial effects of fasting in cancer treatment, the identified interaction partners and networks could pinpoint novel pharmacologic targets to fine-tune p53 activity.
Stratospheric Planetary Flows from the Perspective of the Euler Equation on a Rotating Sphere
Authors: Constantin A. , Germain P.
Published: May 2022

This article is devoted to stationary solutions of Euler’s equation on a rotating sphere, and to their relevance to the dynamics of stratospheric flows in the atmosphere of the outer planets of our solar system and in polar regions of the Earth. For the Euler equation, under appropriate conditions, rigidity results are established, ensuring that the solutions are either zonal or rotated zonal solutions. A natural analogue of Arnold’s stability criterion is proved. In both cases, the lowest mode Rossby–Haurwitz stationary solutions (more precisely, those whose stream functions belong to the sum of the first two eigenspaces of the Laplace-Beltrami operator) appear as limiting cases. We study the stability properties of these critical stationary solutions. Results on the local and global bifurcation of non-zonal stationary solutions from classical Rossby–Haurwitz waves are also obtained. Finally, we show that stationary solutions of the Euler equation on a rotating sphere are building blocks for travelling-wave solutions of the 3D system that describes the leading order dynamics of stratospheric planetary flows, capturing the characteristic decrease of density and increase of temperature with height in this region of the atmosphere.
The Impact of Post‐Thyroidectomy Neck Stretching Exercises on Neck Discomfort, Pressure Symptoms, Voice and Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Thorsen Rikke Taudal , Døssing Helle , Bonnema Steen Joop , Brix Thomas Heiberg , Godballe Christian , Sorensen Jesper Roed
Published: May 2022

Background

Following surgery for benign nodular goiter, patients may experience neck and shoulder pain, neck pressure and tightness, choking sensation, altered voice function, and dysphagia leading to decreased short‐term quality of life (QoL). This single‐blinded randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of post‐thyroidectomy rehabilitative neck stretching and movement exercises on these variables including QoL.

Methods

Patients undergoing thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy were randomized to perform neck stretching and movement exercises three times daily in four weeks following surgery (intervention group) or conventional follow‐up without exercises (control group). Outcome measures were scores in the following questionnaires: Disease‐specific Thyroid‐Related Patient‐Reported Outcome (ThyPRO‐39) involving symptoms of “sense of fullness in the neck,” “pressure in the throat,” and “discomfort swallowing” combined in the multi‐item Goiter Symptom Scale, the Voice Handicap‐Index‐10 (VHI‐10), neck and shoulder pain measurement by a numeric rating scale (NRS), and General measure of health (EQ‐5D‐5L). All scores were assessed prior to surgery and one, two, four weeks, and three months after surgery. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model.

Results

Eighty‐nine patients were included and randomized to the control (n = 45) or the intervention group (n = 44). At three months after surgery, both the control and the intervention group experienced large to moderate improvements in the Goiter symptom and Hyperthyroid symptom scale of the ThyPRO questionnaire (p < 0.004). No significant between‐group differences were found in any of the other applied scales.

Conclusions

This study confirms that patients experience profound improvements in QoL after surgery for benign nodular goiter. However, early post‐thyroidectomy neck stretching and movement exercises did not result in further QoL improvement, reduction in pain or less impacted subjective voice function for patients primarily undergoing thyroid lobectomy.

Trial Registration Number NCT04645056 (https://clinicaltrials.gov)