bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From despair to hope: tackling Balochistan's suicide crisis with sustainable solutions
Authors: Riaz Mehr Muhammad Adeel , Imdad Imrana , Hisam Butool , Zeshan Muhammad
Published: April 2024

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, faces a concerning rise in self-harm and suicide, exacerbated by socioeconomic challenges, political instability and events such as climate change and recent suicide bombings. Despite the alarming suicide mortality rate, it remains a neglected public health issue. This perspective paper highlights the need for a comprehensive approach, including suicide prevention initiatives, community-based mental health services, education and research. We also suggest establishing a suicide prevention task force, inclusion of life skills and mental health education in school and undergraduate curricula, conducting research into self-harm, and fostering empathetic media reporting. Additionally, suggestions for sustainable economic change include job creation, development of marketable skills and interest-free microfinance initiatives to empower the community economically.
Functional connectivity of the amygdala subregions and the antidepressant effects of repeated ketamine infusions in major depressive disorder
Authors: Liu Haiyan , Wang Chengyu , Lan Xiaofeng , Li Weicheng , Zhang Fan , Hu Zhibo , Ye Yanxiang , Ning Yuping , Zhou Yanling
Published: April 2024

Background

Amygdala subregion-based network dysfunction has been determined to be centrally implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD). Little is known about whether ketamine modulates amygdala subarea-related networks. We aimed to investigate the relationships between changes in the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of amygdala subregions and ketamine treatment and to identify important neuroimaging predictors of treatment outcomes.

Methods

Thirty-nine MDD patients received six doses of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). Depressive symptoms were assessed, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed before and after treatment. Forty-five healthy controls underwent one MRI scan. Seed-to-voxel RSFC analyses were performed on the amygdala subregions, including the centromedial amygdala (CMA), laterobasal amygdala (LBA), and superficial amygdala subregions.

Results

Abnormal RSFC between the left LBA and the left precuneus in MDD patients is related to the therapeutic efficacy of ketamine. There were significant differences in changes in bilateral CMA RSFC with the left orbital part superior frontal gyrus and in changes in the left LBA with the right middle frontal gyrus between responders and nonresponders following ketamine treatment. Moreover, there was a difference in the RSFC of left LBA and the right superior temporal gyrus/middle temporal gyrus (STG/MTG) between responders and nonresponders at baseline, which could predict the antidepressant effect of ketamine on Day 13.

Conclusions

The mechanism by which ketamine improves depressive symptoms may be related to its regulation of RSFC in the amygdala subregion. The RSFC between the left LBA and right STG/MTG may predict the response to the antidepressant effect of ketamine.
Prevalence and Cancer-Specific Patterns of Functional Disability Among US Cancer Survivors, 2017-2022
Authors: Cao Chao , Yang Lin , Schmitz Kathryn H. , Ligibel Jennifer A.
Published: April 2024

PURPOSE

To examine the prevalence and cancer-specific patterns of functional disabilities among US cancer survivors.

METHODS

Data from 47,768 cancer survivors and 2,432,754 noncancer adults age 18 years and older from the 2017 to 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed. Functional disabilities assessed included mobility disability (ie, serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs) and self-care disability (ie, self-reported difficulty dressing or bathing). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between functional disabilities and sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors.

RESULTS

Cancer survivors tended to be older and non-Hispanic White than noncancer adults. The prevalence of mobility disability (27.9% v 13.4%) and self-care disability (7.4% v 3.8%) were higher among cancer survivors compared with noncancer adults. After multivariable adjustments, cancer survivors were more likely to report mobility (odds ratio [OR], 1.21 [95% CI, 1.16 to 1.26]) and self-care (OR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.10 to 1.29]) disability than noncancer adults. The prevalence of mobility (34.9% v 26.3%) and self-care disability (9.8% v 6.7%) was higher in cancer survivors who were receiving active cancer treatment than in those who had completed cancer treatment. Higher prevalence of mobility and self-care disabilities was observed in cancer survivors who were racial/ethnic minorities and with higher BMI, low physical activity, lower levels of education and/or income, comorbidities, and those experiencing cancer/treatment-related pain. Patterns of mobility and self-care disabilities varied across cancer types.

CONCLUSION

Over a quarter of US cancer survivors reported mobility disability, and nearly 10% reported self-care disability, with patterns varying across cancer types and treatment status. Racial/ethnic minorities, along with underserved groups and individuals with unhealthy lifestyles or comorbidities, were notably more affected by functional disabilities, underscoring the need for targeted disability prevention efforts.
Ultrasound-Guided Suprazygomatic Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block for Postdural Puncture Headache Resistant to Epidural Blood Patch: A Case Report
Authors: Alseoudy Mahmoud M. , Abd-elmoaty Wael A. , Ramzy Eiad A. , Abdelbaser Ibrahim , El-Emam El-Sayed M.
Published: April 2024

Even though epidural blood patch (EBP) is thought to be the definitive treatment for severe cases of postdural puncture headache (PDPH), it may be accompanied by complications like adhesion arachnoiditis, and cauda equina syndrome, especially if the injection is repeated. The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block is a new minimally invasive technique for the treatment of PDPH, with variable results according to the clinical situation and deployed approach. We describe a case of PDPH resistant to EBP in which we successfully managed symptoms using ultrasound-guided suprazygomatic SPG block to deliver local anesthetic directly into pterygopalatine fossa, thus avoiding a second EBP.
The Importance of Being Bitchy
Authors: Cohen-Vrignaud Gerard , Reader Simon
Published: April 2024

This essay argues that bitchiness is an art form, a style of misanthropy and satiric dissonance that breaks with pious norms of mundane accuracy and “niceness.” Like the more commonly discussed category of camp, bitchiness is an off-color queer sensibility born of social marginalization, reveling in upsetting good taste for laughs. Traversing literary studies and popular culture, this essay tells the story of bitchy luminaries in three historical scenes: the tart wit of nineteenth-century satirists Jane Austen, George Gordon Byron, and Oscar Wilde; classic Hollywood divas and their homosexual contemporaries such as Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams; and the drag culture increasingly visible since the 1980s.
Inefficient recruitment of DDX39B impedes pre-spliceosome assembly on FOXP3 introns
Authors: Nagasawa Chloe K , Bailey Aaron O , Russell William , Garcia-Blanco Mariano A.
Published: April 2024

Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) is the master fate-determining transcription factor in regulatory T (Treg) cells and is essential for their development, function and homeostasis. Mutations in FOXP3 cause immunodysregulation polyendocrinopathy enteropathy X-linked (IPEX) syndrome, and aberrant expression of FOXP3 has been implicated in other diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer. We previously demonstrated that pre-mRNA splicing of FOXP3 RNAs is highly sen-sitive to levels of DExD-box polypeptide 39B (DDX39B) and here we investigate the mechanism of this sensitivity. FOXP3 introns have cytidine (C)-rich/uridine (U)-poor polypyrimidine (py) tracts that are responsible for their inefficient splicing and confer sensitivity to DDX39B. We show that there is a deficiency in the assembly of commitment complexes (CCs) on FOXP3 introns, which is consistent with the lower affinity of U2AF2 for C-rich/U-poor py tracts. Our data indicate an even stronger effect on the conversion of CCs to pre-spliceosomes. We propose that this is due to an altered conformation that U2AF2 adopts when it binds to C-rich/U-poor py tracts and that this conformation has a lower affinity for DDX39B. As a consequence, CCs assembled on FOXP3 introns are defective in recruiting DDX39B and this leads to inefficient assembly of pre-spliceosome complexes.
Przemiany struktury funkcjonalno-przestrzennej miast w kierunku obszaru zrównoważonej innowacji (Sustainable Innovation Zone) – przykład kampusu Morasko w Poznaniu
Authors: Męczyński Michał , Ciesiółka Przemysław , Weiss Marc
Published: April 2024

W artykule podjęto próbę analizy oraz oceny zabudowy i zagospodarowania kampusu uniwersyteckiego Morasko w Poznaniu, pod względem zgodności z założeniami koncepcji obszaru zrównoważonej innowacji (Sustainable Innovation Zone), zaproponowanej przez Weissa (2016, 2023). W badaniach nawiązano także do opisanych w literaturze modelowych rozwiązań w zakresie kreowania dzielnic innowacji, opierając się głównie na propozycjach Katza i Wagnera (2014). Realizacja celu postawionego w artykule była możliwa dzięki przyjęciu podejścia badawczego, opierającego się na metodzie studium przypadku (case study). Pozwoliło to na przeprowadzenie pogłębionej charakterystyki kampusu uniwersyteckiego w oparciu o analizę danych zastanych, przy zastosowaniu metody typu desk research. Szczególne znaczenie miała jednak metoda inwentaryzacji urbanistycznej, która posłużyła do zebrania informacji źródłowych dotyczących aktualnego stanu zagospodarowania i użytkowania terenu zajmowanego przez kampus. Uzyskane wyniki badań wskazują na występowanie przejawów wdrażania założeń koncepcji obszaru zrównoważonej innowacji w odniesieniu do wybranych przestrzeni publicznych i dziedzińców budynków uniwersyteckich. Dostrzeżono ponadto podejmowanie pierwszych prób stosowania zrównoważonych innowacji w budynkach w postaci zielonych dachów, zielonych ścian i instalacji paneli fotowoltaicznych. Wdrażane inicjatywy mają charakter wyłącznie pilotażowy. Można jednak przyjąć, że rosnący wpływ polityki opierającej się na zrównoważonym rozwoju przejawiać się będzie w kolejnych inicjatywach podejmowanych przez władze Uniwersytetu w najbliższym czasie.
Γυναίκες, τύπος και δημόσιος χώρος
Authors: Μποτέλη Στεφανία
Published: April 2024

Η παρούσα διατριβή εστιάζει στο δίπολο ιδιωτικό/δημόσιο και στην ανάδειξη όψεων της «γυναικείας σφαίρας» του ελληνικού 19ου αιώνα σε ένα συγκριτολογικό περικείμενο, καθώς ιδέες που είχαν κυοφορηθεί και διαχρονικά εξελιχθεί στην Ευρώπη τους προηγούμενους αιώνες «παραδειγματοποιούνται» στον ελληνικό δημόσιο χώρο. Με τα ερευνητικά συγκριτικά εργαλεία που μας εξασφάλισε η μελέτη της «ευρωπαϊκής διάστασης» του «γυναικείου ζητήματος» και εφαρμόζοντας μεθοδολογικά τη μικροσκοπική ανάλυση σε ψηφίδες αρθρογραφίας του ελληνόφωνου Τύπου, φιλοδοξήσαμε να φέρουμε στο φως το ευρωπαϊκό υπόστρωμα στο οποίο θεμελιώθηκαν οι Λόγοι για το «γυναικείο ζήτημα» στην Ελλάδα του 19ου αιώνα, έτσι ώστε να κατανοήσουμε τις ιδεολογικές εκείνες ζυμώσεις που καθόρισαν τη φυσιογνωμία της «γυναικείας σφαίρας», ενώ ταυτόχρονα προλείαναν το έδαφος για τον μετασχηματισμό της ελληνικής «δημόσιας σφαίρας» τον 20ό αιώνα. Ειδικότερα, επιδιώχθηκε να παρουσιαστεί ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ελληνόφωνα έντυπα του 19ου αιώνα, δημοσιεύοντας «Λόγους» αντρών και γυναικών, συνέβαλαν στην «οριοθέτηση» ενός χώρου (κοινωνικού-πολιτικού-πολιτισμικού), στο πλαίσιο του οποίου η Ελληνίδα εκείνης της εποχής όφειλε να αντιληφθεί την υποκειμενικότητά της και να καθορίσει το περιεχόμενο της δράσης της. Για τον λόγο αυτόν, η μελέτη επικεντρώθηκε σε δημοσιευμένα έντυπα κείμενα με συντάκτες άντρες ή γυναίκες, που είτε επαγγέλλονται για το γυναικείο φύλο μια περισσότερο σημαντική θέση στη «δημόσια σφαίρα», αποδίδοντας σε αυτό μερίδιο της λογοτεχνικής και πολιτικής δημοσιότητας, είτε υποστηρίζουν ότι ο φυσικός χώρος της γυναίκας είναι αποκλειστικά ο ιδιωτικός χώρος του οίκου. Ουσιαστικά, παρουσιάζοντας διαφορετικές όψεις της «γυναικείας σφαίρας» μέσω του ελληνικού έντυπου λόγου του 19ου αιώνα, μπορέσαμε να εμβαθύνουμε στις ποικίλες εκδοχές αυτοπροσδιορισμού και ετεροπροσδιορισμού του γυναικείου φύλου την εποχή αυτή στο νεοσύστατο ελληνικό κράτος και στην ελληνική κοινότητα της Κωνσταντινούπολης, αναδεικνύοντας παράλληλα το ευρωπαϊκό ιδεολογικό υπόβαθρο τους, με κύριο στόχο την ανάδειξη της ελληνικής «πολυφωνίας» για το «γυναικείο ζήτημα» ως αναπόσπαστου στοιχείου της «πολυφωνικής» ευρωπαϊκής πραγματικότητας.
Identification of compounds from natural Peruvian sources as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro mutations by virtual screening and computational simulations
Authors: Barazorda-Ccahuana Haruna Luz , Cárcamo Rodriguez Eymi Gladys , Centeno-Lopez Angela Emperatriz , Paco-Chipana Margot , Goyzueta-Mamani Luis Daniel , Chavez-Fumagalli Miguel Angel
Published: April 2024

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a public health problem worldwide. Several therapeutic targets of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified, whereas the main protease (Mpro) is necessary for virus replication. Since SARS- CoV-2 Mpro mutation rates are inherently high, searching for new inhibitors remains challenging. Herein, this work aimed to evaluate 84 natural compounds from Peruvian sources against different mutations on the Mpro target. Methods We applied virtual screening, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy estimation by Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA). Results The virtual screening results helped us identify rutin as the top compound against different Mpro mutations. Likewise, the computational simulations demonstrated the high structural stability of the Mpro-rutin system. Conclusions his research evaluated the antiviral capacity of Peruvian sources against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and its mutations, which could be important in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
PERSONNEL SHORTAGE IN RUSSIAN ORGANIZATIONS AND DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION
Authors: Zaharov D. , Lobacheva A.
Published: April 2024

e article analyzes the problem of personnel shortage in Russian organizations, which is proposed to be considered from two complementary positions: the microeconomic aspect — the development strategy of each specific organization, its personnel policy, features of leadership style, existing personnel and all personnel management processes that influence the selection and retention of employees in the organization, as well as macroeconomic aspects general demographic trends occurring in the state and government polic y measures in the field of demography aimed at regulating and equalizing the current demographic situation. Statistics show that there is currently no population decline in the Russian Federation. Moreover, the population is gradually increasing. The problems of personnel shortages do not lie in the decline in population figures or in the lack of necessary qualified personnel in the labor market. The problem of personnel shortage is deeper and is associated with the working conditions required by workers in the new economic and information realities. In order to implement the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, a new national project “Demography” was developed, the objectives of which were: increasing the overall life expectancy of the population; encouraging citizens to lead a healthy lifestyle; an increase in the average fertility rate from 1.76 to 1.78 in 2024.
INTERNATIONAL LABOR MIGRATION TO RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF A SHORTAGE OF PERSONNEL IN THE ECONOMY: ANALYSIS OF CURRENT TRENDS
Authors: Mahmudova Muhabbat , Efremova Veronika
Published: April 2024

Objective: to determine the resource for increasing the efficiency of migration flows into the Russian economy during a period of personnel shortage. Methods: generalization, abstraction and analysis of the dynamics and structure of labor migration and their determining factors.

Results: Russian enterprises have been experiencing an acute shortage of personnel over the past 25 years. In the absence of internal sources of labor, the influx of foreign workers becomes a nomadic factor in ensuring the growth of national production.

Conclusions: Modern external labor migration is characterized by a flow of unskilled labor, which hinders the development of technological progress, increased wages, productivity growth, etc. To cover the shortage of personnel, it is proposed to expand the attraction of foreign labor from countries with which we currently have a visa entry regime. However, the migration policy should be very competent, because we are in conditions of fierce competition for labor with the countries of Southeast Asia.
Unterrichten als Beruf
Authors: Franken Lina
Published: April 2024

Für die Gestaltung des Schulunterrichts und das gelernte Wissen spielen Lehrerinnen und Lehrer die zentrale Rolle. Bei ihrer Arbeit ist Kultur doppelt bedeutsam: als vermittelter Inhalt und als kulturelle Prägung. Lina Franken untersucht die Arbeitswelt von Lehrenden und deren subjektive Perspektiven auf den Unterricht. Welche Praktiken entwickeln sie? Wie verändern sich ihre Vorgehensweisen mit zunehmender Erfahrung? Welche Methoden und Materialen verwenden sie? Welche Rolle spielen die eigene Biografie und Identität? https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Kausale Mechanismen und Process Tracing
Authors: Nullmeier Frank
Published: April 2024

Kausale Mechanismen und Process Tracing stehen im Zentrum der Methodendiskussion in der Politikwissenschaft. Die beiden Begriffe werden jedoch häufig nur als Schlagworte verwendet. Dieses Buch zeigt, wie Politikforschung mittels Process Tracing systematisch angelegt und wie politische Prozesse mittels kausaler Mechanismen im Detail besser verstanden und erklärt werden können. Es beleuchtet Geschichte und theoretische Grundlagen des Konzepts der kausalen Mechanismen und stellt eine Weiterentwicklung zu einer Theorie kausaler Mechanismen vor. Darüber hinaus wird erläutert, wie in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Literatur bereits identifizierte Mechanismen zur Erklärung politischer Entwicklungen genutzt werden können. Ein Leitfaden zur Vorgehensweise mittels Process Tracing bietet abschließend eine Hilfe zur eigenständigen Analyse politischer Prozesse durch Forscher_innen und Studierende. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Imaginationen von Nachhaltigkeit
Authors: Fladvad Benno
Published: April 2024

Imaginationen von Nachhaltigkeit entwerfen unterschiedliche Möglichkeitsräume eines sozial-ökologischen Wandels. Als positive oder negative Vorstellungswelten tauchen Katastrophenängste und Endzeitszenarien, Normalitätsbeschwörungen und ökologische Ignoranz, Technikglaube und Fortschrittsoptimismus, aber auch utopische Bilder eines guten Lebens im Zukunftsbewusstsein der Gegenwart auf. Welche Spannungen und Konfliktlinien entstehen, wenn sich moderne Gesellschaften von derart konträren Imaginationen von Nachhaltigkeit leiten lassen? Mit Beiträgen von Frank Adloff, Gerard Delanty, Benno Fladvad, Martina Hasenfratz, Eva Horn, Albrecht Koschorke, Sighard Neckel, Heike Paul und Peter Wagner.
Woran arbeiten wir?
Authors: Eckhardt Dennis
Published: April 2024

Plattformen werden im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs häufig als maßgebendes Merkmal des digitalen Kapitalismus unserer Gegenwart genannt. Doch werden selten Einblicke in diesen Kapitalismus ermöglicht, die nicht nur als Berichte der Mitarbeitenden zu bewerten sind. Dennis Eckhardt führt in dieser Ethnografie Gesprächsnotizen und Praktiken von Mitarbeitenden der Plattformökonomie zusammen. Er zeigt damit, dass die digitale Ökonomisierung den Menschen entgegen gängiger Annahmen nicht überflüssig macht. Im Gegenteil sind wir selbst diejenigen, die mit Begeisterung neue Wertschöpfungsmodelle schaffen, indem wir unsere Bedürfnisse digitalisieren und damit neue Absatzmärkte in Form von E-Commerce-Märkten erschließen. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.de
Nach dem Privateigentum?
Authors: van Dyk Silke , Reitz Tilman , Rosa Hartmut
Published: April 2024

Politische Konflikte um Eigentumsverteilung, prekäre Infrastrukturen, technologische Entwicklungen sowie ökonomische und ökologische Krisen lassen einen Strukturwandel des Eigentums im 21. Jahrhundert vermuten. Die Beiträge des Bandes untersuchen diesen Wandel aus soziologischer Perspektive. Sie widmen sich dabei besonders nichtindustriellen Gütern – von Wissen und Information bis zu Grund und Boden – sowie kollektiven Beiträgen und Infrastrukturen, die zunehmend kapitalistische Ökonomien bestimmen. Obwohl das Privateigentum nach Jahrzehnten der Deregulierung und Konzentration mächtiger denn je ist, gerät es in eine ernsthafte Krise und wird durch neue Zugriffs- und Teilungsordnungen ergänzt, mit denen sich auch individuelle und kollektive Weltverhältnisse verschieben. E-Book im Open Access verfügbar. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.de
Mutual Integration in Immigration Society
Authors: Wang Bodi
Published: April 2024

The public culture of the receiving society and the dominant understanding of belonging and political membership can influence the social participation of immigrants as much as immigration law. However, current discussions of integration focus primarily on the distribution of rights and neglect the role of tacit knowledge. Through a systematical and philosophical analysis of identity’s role in policy-making, governance and social practice, Bodi Wang shows how a one-sided understanding of integration resembles »assimilation« and why integration should be expected from locals as well. Weaving together extensive findings in sociology, history, critical race theory and Chinese philosophy with ethics and migration studies, this book provides a compelling argument for adopting the concept of »mutual integration« to overcome injustice and to enhance social solidarity.
Unerhörte Jugendliche
Authors: Sarfert Nadine
Published: April 2024

Wie gehen Jugendliche in der Jugendhilfe mit hegemonialen Normen, Anforderungen und Zuschreibungen um? Nadine Sarfert untersucht die Lebenssituation von Jugendlichen in der stationären Jugendhilfe. Sie zeigt, wie die jungen Menschen dort mit hegemonialen Ordnungen ringen und darin spezifische Selbstverhältnisse ausbilden. Deutlich wird, wie diese Subjektivierungsweisen mit institutionellen Zwängen und gesellschaftlichen Widersprüchen korrelieren. Ziel der Studie ist es, durch eine kritisch-reflexive Analyse die bewussten und unbewussten Momente von Herrschaft zu verstehen, die die Denk-, Gefühls- und Handlungsweisen in der öffentlichen Erziehung prägen.
Three Types of Fatalistic Practice
Authors: Pettenkofer Andreas
Published: April 2024

This chapter illustrates how treating Weltbeziehungen as objects of social research helps go beyond some assumptions that current theories of society take for granted. A case in point is the widely shared notion that modern social practices are sustained by the idea of an open future: This notion ignores the importance of fatalistic ways of relating to the world, and the role of practices whose participants project a future about which they have little to choose. As this chapter tries to show, fatalistic ways of relating to the world are closely tied to activities which are crucial for the dynamics of “modern” society; several puzzling forms of political activity—including some improbable types of collective action—become easier to explain if one recognizes that they are shaped by such fatalistic ways of relating to world. Therefore, taking such attitudes into account offers new explanatory possibilities—including alternatives to current normativist strategies of explanation.
Triumphant Utopia—Shabby Bourgeois World—Totalitarianism
Authors: Gángó Gábor
Published: April 2024

The chapter deals with different interpretations of Walter Benjamin’s Marxism from the early 1970s in two countries of the Soviet Bloc, East Germany and Hungary. Similar to the debates in the GDR of the early 1970s, also Sándor Radnóti’s road to Walter Benjamin was situated within the context of the polemic between the Frankfurt School and the review alternative regarding the appropriation of Benjamin’s work. In contrast to the German scene, Radnóti sought a third way by presenting Benjamin as a theoretical support of the political orientation towards democratic socialism. In comparison with the reception in the GDR, the contribution reconstructs the intellectual constellation that made Radnóti’s decision possible as well as the subsequent “Frankfurtization” of Benjamin’s interpretation, which absorbed the later approaches of the Budapest School to Benjamin as well. Radnóti’s advocation of collective culture as a vehicle of pluralist and resonant structures poses a challenge to the comparative theory of East European totalitarianism and its reverberations in current Critical Theory in the form of forced resonance.
Nachdenken über Tibet
Authors: Hui Wang
Published: April 2024

Die Frage nach der Zugehörigkeit Tibets zum chinesischen Kulturraum sorgt seit langem für Debatten. Nachdem das tibetische Hochplateau im 18. Jahrhundert China eingegliedert wurde, drang um die Wende vom 19. zum 20. Jahrhundert die britische Kolonialmacht aus Indien nach Tibet vor. Woher kommt es, dass westliche und chinesische Ansichten zur »Tibet-Frage« so stark divergieren? In seiner Analyse erörtert Wang Hui Probleme, die weit über den Einzelfall Tibets hinausgehen: Was macht einen Nationalstaat heute aus? Lässt sich dieses westliche Konzept auf den ostasiatischen Fall übertragen, in dem die Beziehungen zwischen politischer Zentrale und staatlich wenig definierten Regionen historisch ganz anders gewachsen sind? Ist das Nationalstaatsprinzip überhaupt noch aktuell oder schürt es religiöse, soziale und ethnische Konflikte? Das Buch bietet fundierte Einsichten zu einer Schlüsselregion der Welt und lädt kundig wie thesenreich zu gemeinsamer Debatte ein. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
Urbane Psyche
Authors: Bieler Patrick
Published: April 2024

Wie beeinflusst urbanes Leben unsere psychische Gesundheit? Und wie wirkt sich andersherum der Umgang mit psychischer Gesundheit auf das Zusammenleben in Städten aus? In seiner ethnografischen Feldforschung in Berlin untersucht Patrick Bieler, wie Menschen, die mit schweren psychischen Problemen leben, ihren Alltag bewältigen, und er betrachtet, wie das dortige sozialpsychiatrische Versorgungssystem mit den Herausforderungen des angespannten Wohnungsmarktes umgeht. Der ethnografische Blick auf die Entstehungsbedingungen und gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen urbaner Umwelten schafft eine sozialwissenschaftlich fundierte Perspektive auf bekannte Alltagsphänomene. Aus dem dichten Verständnis urbaner Lebensbedingungen und ihrer politischen Dimensionen ergeben sich Konsequenzen für zukünftige Stadtgestaltung und interdisziplinäre Forschung. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
Plurale Kritik
Authors: Flügel-Martinsen Oliver
Published: April 2024

Kritische politische Theorie lässt sich nur im Plural denken: als kritische politische Theorien. Dieser Band porträtiert deshalb zentrale ideengeschichtliche und zeitgenössische Autor*innen des Diskurses kritischer politischer Theorie und stellt die konstitutive Vielfalt dieses Diskurses heraus. Der Fokus liegt nicht allein auf Politischer Philosophie, Theorie und Ideengeschichte, sondern bezieht ebenso Positionen aus der Sozialphilosophie, der Gesellschaftstheorie, den Gender Studies, den Postcolonial Studies und den Cultural Studies ein. Der Betrachtung liegt ein epistemischer und ontologischer Postessentialismus zugrunde – ein gemeinsames Denkmotiv der kritischen politischen Theorie unserer Gegenwart. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
Activities of living, 4: breathing
Authors: Peate Ian
Published: April 2024

Breathing is the focus of this article in the series discussing the activities of living ( Roper et al, 2000 ). Breathing is a fundamental and vital activity of living; it plays a crucial role in the process of respiration. It is the mechanism by which gases are exchanged, primarily oxygen and carbon dioxide, with their environment. This process is essential for the production of energy through cellular respiration, which is crucial for the survival of most aerobic organisms, including humans.

This article highlights the recognition that breathing is a fundamental aspect of daily life that contributes to an individual's overall wellbeing. The healthcare assistant (HCA) and assistant practitioner (AP) have a key role to play in assisting people, where needed, with this activity of living.
Coming of age: the assistant practitioner role 21 years on
Authors: Morris Andy
Published: April 2024

In 2023, a milestone was reached, marking 21 years of education, training and development of the assistant practitioner (AP) role at the University of Bolton. This is the first of two articles looking at the development of the assistant practitioner (AP) role in the north-west of England and the involvement of the University of Bolton in it over the past 21 years. It looks at the history and background of the programme at Bolton, from the first cohort in 2002 to the present apprenticeship programme for assistant practitioners in health.
Relativism in the British and French Enlightenment
Authors: Maioli Roger
Published: April 2024

Abstract: Long neglected, the history of relativism has been the topic of a number of surveys in recent years. These studies, however, have been ambivalent on whether relativism really existed in the eighteenth century. Following Isaiah Berlin’s contention that the eighteenth-century witnessed the emergence of pluralism rather than relativism, historians have concluded that the Enlightenment at best prefigured nineteenth-century developments in relativistic thinking. In response, this article argues that relativism was a recognizable thesis in eighteenth-century Britain and France. Its principles and consequences were frequently articulated, either to be rejected or defended, by a wide range of philosophers and imaginative authors, from Ralph Cudworth and Ann Radcliffe to Julien Offray de la Mettrie and Alberto Radicati. This neglected chapter in the history of relativism, I argue, matters for several strands in eighteenth-century studies, as it inflected Enlightenment reflections on aesthetic and moral values, human hierarchies, and cross-cultural relations.
Smokey Hollow: Circulations of Race and Value in Tallahassee, Florida
Authors: McCreary Tyler , Jones Caitlin , Campbell Charles , Barrett Emma
Published: April 2024

The historic neighborhood of Smokey Hollow was the center of a vibrant Black community
in Tallahassee, Florida. While it was the site of the city dump and gasification plant, it had its own
bustling circulations and flows. In this paper, we examine how the State of Florida and the City of
Tallahassee mobilized conceptions of race, value, and circulation to categorize Smokey Hollow as
blighted. We draw on archival documents and oral histories to illustrate how governing authorities
linked white mobility with value and Blackness to stagnancy and waste. They used these discourses to
forward urban renewal efforts that erased Black place and its circulations to make way for
transportation infrastructure that better connected white suburban spaces to the Tallahassee Capitol
Center, and later, greenspace. Examining five moments in the historic transformation of Smokey
Hollow—from Black place to greenspace—shows how relations of race, value, and circulation inform
the production of urban space. We argue that logics of circulation and stagnancy need to be brought
into conversation with critical analysis of racial capitalism and valuation to better understand urban
renewal and how the destruction of Black place is rationalized in the U.S. South.
Theoretical impact of chromatic aberration correction on visual acuity
Authors: Nankivil Derek , Cottaris Nicolas P. , Brainard David H.
Published: April 2024

It has been known for more than 220 years that the image quality of the human eye is significantly degraded by chromatic aberrations. Recently, it was shown experimentally that correcting chromatic aberrations results in a 0.2- to 0.8-line improvement in visual acuity. Here we ask, is this expected? We developed tools that enable simulations of the optical impact of physiologically relevant amounts of chromatic aberration in real human eyes and combined these with tools that compute the visual acuity of an ideal observer. This allows us to characterize the theoretical impact of chromatic aberration correction on visual acuity. Results indicate a substantive improvement of 0.4- to 2-lines in ideal observer visual acuity with chromatic aberration correction. Ideal observer thresholds benefit significantly more from correction of longitudinal than correction of transverse chromatic aberration. Finally, improvements in ideal observer visual acuity are greater for subjects with less monochromatic aberration, such that subjects with better baseline optical quality benefit most from correction of chromatic aberrations.
Tunable polarization control with self-assembled arrays of anisotropic plasmonic coaxial nanocavities
Authors: Ni Haibin , Ping An , Cai Tong , Ni Bo , Chang Jianhua , Krasavin Alexey V.
Published: April 2024

Polarization control with nanostructures having a tunable design and allowing inexpensive large-scale fabrication is important for many nanophotonic applications. For this purpose, we developed and experimentally demonstrated nanostructured plasmonic surfaces based on hexagonal arrays of anisotropic coaxial nanocavities, which can be fabricated by a low-cost self-assembled nanosphere lithography method. Their high polarization sensitivity is achieved by engineering anisotropy of the coaxial nanocavities, while the optical response is enhanced by the excitation of surface plasmon resonances. Particularly, varying the geometrical parameters of the coaxial nanocavities, namely the height and tilt angle of their central core nanoellipsoids, the plasmonic resonance wavelengths as well as the polarization-selective behavior can be individually tuned in the entire visible and near-infrared spectral regions, which makes such nanostructures good candidates for the implementation of polarization-controlled optical switches and polarization-tunable filters. Moreover, the developed nanostructures demonstrate sensitivity up to 1335 nm/RIU in refractive index sensing.
Narrow-linewidth Fano microcavities with resonant subwavelength grating mirror
Authors: Mitra Trishala , Singh Gurpreet , Darki Ali Akbar , Madsen Søren Peder , Dantan Aurélien
Published: April 2024

We report on the theoretical and experimental investigations of optical microcavities consisting in the plane-plane arrangement of a broadband high-reflectivity mirror and a suspended one-dimensional grating mirror possessing a high-quality factor Fano resonance. By varying the length of these cavities from the millimeter to the few-micron range, we observe at short lengths the reduction of the spectral linewidth predicted to occur for such a Fano cavity as compared to a conventional broadband mirror cavity with the same length and internal losses. Such narrow linewidth and small modevolume microcavities with high-mechanical quality ultrathin mirrors will be attractive for a wide range of applications within optomechanics and sensing.
Roles of vaporization and thermal decomposition in the dynamic evolution of laser-induced bubble on the surface of a submerged metal plate
Authors: Yuan Xin , Duan Wenqiang , Wang Kedian , Wang Wenjun , Fan Zhengjie , Lv Jing , Mei Xuesong
Published: April 2024

This paper aims to explain when the vaporization or thermal decomposition prevails during laser-induced bubble growth and how they influence bubble morphology. Bubbles were generated by irradiating a 304 stainless steel plate submerged in degassed water using millisecond lasers with a pulse width of 0.4 ms and powers of 1.6 kW and 3.2 kW, respectively. The dynamic evolution of bubbles was recorded by a high-speed camera. Moreover, the numerical models were developed to obtain a vaporization model and a decomposition model by incorporating the source terms due to the vaporization and decomposition mass fluxes into the governing equations, respectively. The simulated dynamic bubble evolution is consistent with the experimental results. When the laser power is 1.6 kW, a thin-layer bubble is formed, which gradually shrinks and eventually disappears after the laser stops irradiating. When the laser power is 3.2 kW, a spherical bubble is formed, and its volume decreases significantly after the laser stops irradiating. Subsequently, it remains relatively stable during the observation period. The fundamental reason for the difference between the bubble morphologies obtained from the vaporization model and the decomposition model lies in the presence of a condensation zone in the gas phase. When water vaporization or thermal decomposition dominates, the temperatures obtained from the models align with the decomposition ratios at varying temperatures reported in the literature. Our findings are significant for understanding the dynamic behavior of bubbles, with implications for various laser processing underwater.
Comparative study of the multiple wavelength lasing of nitrogen ions: the role of vibrational level-dependent photoionization
Authors: Qin Siyu , Zhou Chaohui , Mei Haicheng , Lu Qi , Wang Kailu , Jiang Zixiang , Liu Xiaojing , Peng Peng , Xu Liang , Liu Yi
Published: April 2024

We report on an optical amplification and energy threshold of the two most prominent emission lines, 391.4 and 427.8 nm, of the cavity-less lasing of nitrogen ions pumped by femtosecond laser pulses. It was found that the two transitions both show optical amplification under a low gas pressure condition, while the 391.4 nm emission is barely amplified under high gas pressure. Moreover, the 427.8 nm emission presents a significant lower pump laser energy threshold and a larger gain factor than the 391.4 nm emission. Numerical simulations based on a three-state coupling model suggest that the smaller ionization Franck–Condon factor from the ground state of N2 to the vibrational level ν = 1 in X2Σ
g
+ state of N2+ favors the formation of population inversion corresponding to the 427.8 nm emission. Meanwhile, the competition between the strong field ionization and excitation induced by the pumping laser requires higher laser intensity to acquire the population inversion for the 391.4 nm radiation, leading to a corresponding larger energy threshold.
Monolayer directional metasurface for all-optical image classifier doublet
Authors: Xia Rui , Wu Lin , Tao Jin , Zhao Ming , Yang ZhenYu
Published: April 2024

Diffractive deep neural networks, known for their passivity, high scalability, and high efficiency, offer great potential in holographic imaging, target recognition, and object classification. However, previous endeavors have been hampered by spatial size and alignment. To address these issues, this study introduces a monolayer directional metasurface, aimed at reducing spatial constraints and mitigating alignment issues. Utilizing this methodology, we use MNIST datasets to train diffractive deep neural networks and realize digital classification, revealing that the metasurface can achieve excellent digital image classification results, and the classification accuracy of ideal phase mask plates and metasurface for phase-only modulation can reach 84.73% and 84.85%, respectively. Despite a certain loss of degrees of freedom compared to multi-layer phase mask plates, the single-layer metasurface is easier to fabricate and align, thereby improving spatial utilization efficiency.
Experimental demonstration of a quantum downstream access network in continuous variable quantum key distribution with a local local oscillator
Authors: Qi Dengke , Wang Xiangyu , Li Zhenghua , Ma Jiayu , Chen Ziyang , Lu Yueming , Yu Song
Published: April 2024

Quantum networks provide opportunities and challenges across a range of intellectual and technical frontiers, including quantum computation, communication, and others. Unlike traditional communication networks, quantum networks utilize quantum bits rather than classical bits to store and transmit information. Quantum key distribution (QKD) relying on the principles of quantum mechanics is a key component in quantum networks and enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key, thereby ensuring the security of data transmission. In this work, we propose a cost-effective quantum downstream access network structure in which each user can get their corresponding key information through terminal distribution. Based on this structure, we demonstrate the first four-end-users quantum downstream access network in continuous variable QKD with a local local oscillator. In contrast to point-to-point continuous variable QKD, the network architecture reevaluates the security of each user and accounts for it accordingly, and each user has a lower tolerance for excess noise as the overall network expands with more users. Hence, the feasibility of the experiment is based on the analysis of the theoretical model, noise analysis, and multiple techniques such as the particle filter and adaptive equalization algorithm used to suppress excess noise. The results show that each user can get a low level of excess noise and can achieve secret key rates of 546 kbps, 535 kbps, 522.5 kbps, and 512.5 kbps under a transmission distance of 10 km, respectively, with the finite-size block of 1×108. This not only verifies the good performance but also provides the foundation for the future multi-user quantum downstream access networks.
Ka-band thin film lithium niobate photonic integrated optoelectronic oscillator
Authors: Ma Rui , Huang Zijun , Gao Shengqian , Wang Jingyi , Wang Xichen , Zhang Xian , Hao Peng , Yao X. Steve , Cai Xinlun
Published: April 2024

Photonics integration of an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) on a chip is attractive for fabricating low cost, compact, low power consumption, and highly reliable microwave sources, which has been demonstrated recently in silicon on insulator (SOI) and indium phosphide (InP) platforms at X-band around 8 GHz. Here we demonstrate the first integration of OEOs on the thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform, which has the advantages of lower V
π
, no chirp, wider frequency range, and less sensitivity to temperature. We have successfully realized two different OEOs operating at Ka-band, with phase noises even lower than those of the X-band OEOs on SOI and InP platforms. One is a fixed frequency OEO at 30 GHz realized by integrating a Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) with an add-drop microring resonator (MRR), and the other is a tunable frequency OEO at 20–35 GHz realized by integrating a phase modulator (PM) with a notch MRR. Our work marks the first step of using TFLN to fabricate integrated OEOs with high frequency, small size, low cost, wide range tunability, and potentially low phase noise.
Quantifying climate risks to infrastructure systems: A comparative review of developments across infrastructure sectors
Authors: Verschuur Jasper , Fernández-Pérez Alberto , Mühlhofer Evelyn , Nirandjan Sadhana , Borgomeo Edoardo , Becher Olivia , Voskaki Asimina , Oughton Edward J. , Stankovski Andrej , Greco Salvatore F. , Koks Elco E. , Pant Raghav , Hall Jim W.
Published: April 2024

Infrastructure systems are particularly vulnerable to climate hazards, such as flooding, wildfires, cyclones and temperature fluctuations. Responding to these threats in a proportionate and targeted way requires quantitative analysis of climate risks, which underpins infrastructure resilience and adaptation strategies. The aim of this paper is to review the recent developments in quantitative climate risk analysis for key infrastructure sectors, including water and wastewater, telecommunications, health and education, transport (seaports, airports, road, rail and inland waterways), and energy (generation, transmission and distribution). We identify several overarching research gaps, which include the (i) limited consideration of multi-hazard and multi-infrastructure interactions within a single modelling framework, (ii) scarcity of studies focusing on certain combinations of climate hazards and infrastructure types, (iii) difficulties in scaling-up climate risk analysis across geographies, (iv) increasing challenge of validating models, (v) untapped potential of further knowledge spillovers across sectors, (vi) need to embed equity considerations into modelling frameworks, and (vii) quantifying a wider set of impact metrics. We argue that a cross-sectoral systems approach enables knowledge sharing and a better integration of infrastructure interdependencies between multiple sectors.
Serological diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminth (Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm) infections: A scoping review
Authors: Roose Sara , Vande Velde Fiona , Vlaminck Johnny , Geldhof Peter , Levecke Bruno
Published: April 2024

Background

The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of integrated monitoring and evaluation in neglected tropical disease (NTD) control programs. Serological assays offer a potential solution for integrated diagnosis of NTDs, particularly for those requiring mass drug administration (MDA) as primary control and elimination strategy. This scoping review aims (i) to provide an overview of assays using serum or plasma to detect infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in both humans and animals, (ii) to examine the methodologies used in this research field and (iii) to discuss advancements in serological diagnosis of STHs to guide prevention and control programs in veterinary and human medicine.

Methodology

We conducted a systematic search in the Ovid MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases, supplemented by a Google search using predefined keywords to identify commercially available serological assays. Additionally, we performed a patent search through Espacenet.

Principal findings

We identified 85 relevant literature records spanning over 50 years, with a notable increased interest in serological assay development in recent years. Most of the research efforts concentrated on diagnosing Ascaris infections in both humans and pigs, primarily using ELISA and western blot technologies. Almost all records targeted antibodies as analytes, employing proteins and peptides as analyte detection agents. Approximately 60% of sample sets described pertained to human samples. No commercially available tests for Trichuris or hookworms were identified, while for Ascaris, there are at least seven different ELISAs on the market.

Conclusions

While a substantial number of assays are employed in epidemiological research, the current state of serological diagnosis for guiding STH prevention and control programs is limited. Only two assays designed for pigs are used to inform efficient deworming practices in pig populations. Regarding human diagnosis, none of the existing assays has undergone extensive large-scale validation or integration into routine diagnostics for MDA programs.