bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State Estimation and Attack Reconstruction of Picking Robot for a Cyber-Physical System
Authors: Dong Xu , Wang Zehe , Guo Shenghui
Published: November 2022

A novel method based on the unknown input observer is proposed to reconstruct sensor attacks and estimate system states for fruit and vegetable picking robot cyber-physical systems. By fully considering the nonlinear characteristics of the articulated fruit and vegetable picking robot system as well as the influences of external disturbances, the generalized system model is established and the unknown input observer is designed to reduce false positives and false negatives in the agricultural cyber-physical system. In view of the agricultural production environment, a digital prototype model is established for manipulators of picking robot with three joints. Following the Lagrange method, dynamic equations of the manipulator system are established and transformed into a corresponding state-space model, where the nonlinearity and unknown input information are taken into account. Then, the original system is converted into a generalized system through state augmentations based on the generalized system theory. Furthermore, an

H

∞

unknown input observer is designed to estimate the system state and reconstruct sensor attacks, accommodating nonlinear characteristics and external disturbance effects of the system. The asymptotic stability of the dynamic error system is proved via the Lyapunov function. By simulation and comparison with an existing method, the results demonstrate that the proposed method reconstructs sensor attacks and estimates system states effectively.
Determinants of Highland Bamboo (Yushania alpine) Culm Market Supply in Semen Ari District, South Omo Zone of Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Tsegaye Mintesnot , Adicha Asmera , Belay Tefera
Published: November 2022

Bamboo is among the most significant nontimber forest products that can potentially support Ethiopia’s economic development and environmental protection. However, its potential is constrained by limited understanding of its importance and market development. Thus, this study was conducted to fill the knowledge gap by identifying factors affecting highland bamboo culm market supply in Semen Ari district of the South Omo zone. Multistage sampling technique was employed to draw 183 bamboo producer households from three randomly selected highland bamboo producing sites. Household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were used to collect data. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression model. The result indicated that market information, extension service, land allocated for bamboo production, the experience of households in selling bamboo products, market distance, family size, sex of the respondent, and age of household head were variable that significantly affected the supply of bamboo culm to the market. Hence, enhancing the production and productivity of bamboo products through extension, regular training for farmers concerning the processing of bamboo products, improving the relationships of value chain actors, and improving infrastructure could increase producers’ revenue as well as the marketed supply of highland bamboo culms.
A Framework to Assess the Correlation between Transportation Infrastructure Access and Economics: Evidence from Iran
Authors: Faghihinejad Fereshteh , Mohammadi Fard Mahshad , Roshanghalb Alireza , Beigi Pedram
Published: November 2022

One of the most important impacts of access to transportation infrastructure is the economic and social well-being of residents. However, it is important to know, how much of an impact it has? Which of the access routes-road, rail, or air-has more impact? What methods can be used to assess this effect? Does this effect vary from country to country? This study attempts to provide a framework to examine the correlation between the access of a country’s cities (to various types of rail, air, and road transportation networks) and the economic and social parameters of its inhabitants. For this purpose, the connection of the city to the rail network was calculated by taking into account the distance in time between the city and the nearest station. A city’s road access is calculated by finding the average road distance of a city to other cities in that country. A city’s access to air traffic is calculated based on the weekly flights of that city’s airport (if that city has an airport). To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, a case study is conducted in Iran. The results of the case study show that the access of cities to transportation networks strongly influences economic development and population size in Iran. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between transport infrastructure and economic growth and population size are 0.641 and 0.725, respectively. It was also found that among the transport networks, road transport is more correlated with economic development and unemployment rate of Iranian cities compared to other transport modes.
Adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller for a single-stage inverted pendulum
Authors: Suprapto Suprapto , Zakarijah Masduki , Muslikhin Muslikhin
Published: November 2022

Sliding mode controller (SMC) has become a popular traditional control method in industries due to the most effective control strategies employing nonlinear control and the ability to reject disturbances, particularly for line trajectory control. However, this control method has chattering problems due to high-frequency switching. To cope with the shortcoming, an artificial intelligence (AI) method is utilized in the traditional SMC to eliminate or reduce this chattering problem. This paper investigates an adaptive fuzzy logic system combined with SMC algorithm to alleviate the problem. Fuzzy logic is chosen due to its advantages in tackling nonlinear properties using if-then thinking, whereas SMC method can be applied due to its ability to reject disturbance control. The inverted pendulum is selected as a controlled object and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink to investigate this control method. By combining the fuzzy logic system and the SMC approach, the chattering problems can be adaptively reduced on the line trajectory tracking signal. The adaptive fuzzy SMC achieved better performance with fast response compared with previous literature algorithms for similar plants.
On prognosis of variation of properties of multilayer structure by preliminary processing of the substrate
Authors: Pankratov Evgeny Leonidovich
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we analyze the effect of the preliminary processing of substrate on the properties of the grown heterostructure. It has been shown that the growth of an epitaxial layer on a buffer layer after preliminary (before starting of growth) annealing makes it possible to decrease the value of mismatch-induced stress. An analytical approach has been introduced for the analysis of mass and heat transfer in a multilayer structure with account mismatch-induced stress.
A comparative braking scheme in auto-electric drive systems with permanent magnet synchronous machine
Authors: Omeje Crescent Onyebuchi , Eya Candidus Ugwuoke
Published: November 2022

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are gaining popularity due to renewable energy and the electrification of transportation. Permanent magnet synchronous machines are receiving interest because to their great dependability, low maintenance costs, and high-power density. This research compares surface mounted permanent magnet (SMPM) with interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous machines using MATLAB. Mathematical models and simulation analyses of two permanent magnet synchronous machines under regenerative braking are presented. Maximum regeneration power point (MRPP) and torque (MRPP-torque) for two machine types were simulated at variable electrical speed and q-axis current. Simulation results showed IPMSM produced more output power due to saliency than SMPM at varying speed and current with higher MRPP and MRPP-Torque. Simulation was used to compare the dynamic impacts of constant and variable braking torques on an auto-electric drive's speed and produced torque on a plain surface and a sloppy driving plane. 81.68% and 74.95% braking efficiency were measured on level ground and a sloppy plane, respectively. Simulations indicated that lithium-ion battery state of charge varied linearly with constant braking torque and exponentially with varying braking torque, reflecting efficiency values. All simulations were in MATLAB/Simulink 2014.
Synergetic control of micro positioning stage piezoelectric actuator
Authors: Ounissi Amor , Kaddouri Azeddine , Abdessemed Rachid
Published: November 2022

The work carried out in this article essentially relates to the application of a synergetic control to the piezoelectric positioning mechanism or piezoelectric actuator (PEA). A LuGre model has been followed, capturing the most physical phenomena, in order to be able to follow the most realistic and representative model possible. From this model, which is then identified by particle swarm optimization (PSO), we apply the synergetic control technique, which is a very efficient control method that allows demonstrating the good functioning of the stability of nonlinear system in closed loop. The simulation results have been compared to those obtained when using sliding mode to confer the best performance in terms of tracking error and minimization of oscillations.
Optimal assessment of smart grid based photovoltaic cell operational parameters using simulated annealing
Authors: Mehta Ridhima
Published: November 2022

With the ever-increasing load demand throughout the globe, natural renewable resources integrated into the existing network architecture for sustainable energy production are gaining considerable significance. Photovoltaic (PV) generation systems is one such technique to deal with the worldwide challenge for achieving green energy and low carbon footprint while simultaneously providing emission free electrical power from solar radiations. In this paper, we consider smart grid architecture connecting the end-users and the utility power plant with solar energy sources through an effective power optimization system. Multiple performance criteria associated with solar cell operation are evaluated and analyzed using the simulated annealing algorithm. These objectives considered for optimization include the cell saturation current, photo-generated current, material band gap, cell temperature, annualized life cycle cost, fill factor and cell efficiency. The formulated optimization conditions are specified in terms of two independent variables of cell ambient temperature and cell illumination. Moreover, the adaption of distinct values of short circuit current coefficients on the light originated current is measured. Through extensive simulation experiments, two disparate annealing procedures of fast annealing and Boltzmann annealing are applied coupled with three categories of temperature update schemes, viz. exponential, logarithmic and linear.
Mochileiros no Brasil: motivações de viagens e perfil dos viajantes
Authors: Avelar Mateus Deli , Dantas Matheus Luiz , Conceição Renan Augusto Moraes
Published: November 2022

Tendo em vista a necessidade de aproximar o setor turístico brasileiro às práticas de viagens alternativas, como o “mochilão”, torna-se necessário conhecer as características e motivações dos viajantes mochileiros no Brasil. Este artigo tem o objetivo de traçar o perfil desse público viajante e destacar suas principais motivações para realizar esse tipo de viagem. Nesse sentido, foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica e exploratória para delimitar o que se entende por esse tipo de viagem, bem como detectar um perfil amplo e geral dos praticantes. Posteriormente, construiu-se uma análise descritiva-quantitativa com base em respostas obtidas por meio de um questionário aplicado aos adeptos dessa atividade de forma a captar as motivações dessas pessoas e apontar o potencial que esse nicho de viagem tem para o mercado turístico brasileiro. Diante disso, verifica-se que o viajante mochileiro é predominantemente jovem e busca, durante suas viagens, por liberdade, aventura, autoconhecimento e, principalmente, economia. Por fim, compreende-se que esse público contribui para o turismo em pequenas localidades, necessitando de mais notoriedade por parte do setor turístico do Brasil.
Sympathetic Neural Overdrive, Aortic Stiffening, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Impaired Exercise Capacity in Severe COVID-19 Survivors: A Mid-Term Study of Cardiovascular Sequelae
Authors: Faria Diego , Moll-Bernardes Renata J. , Testa Laura , Moniz Camila M.V. , Rodrigues Erika C. , Rodrigues Amanda G. , Araujo Amanda , Alves Maria J.N.N. , Ono Bruna E. , Izaias João E. , Salemi Vera M.C. , Jordão Camila P. , Amaro-Vicente Graziela , Rondon Maria U.P.B. , Ludwig Katelyn R. , Craighead Daniel H. , Rossman Matthew J. , Consolim-Colombo Fernanda M. , De Angelis Katia , Irigoyen Maria C.C. , Seals Douglas R. , Negrão Carlos E. , Sales Allan R.K.
Published: November 2022

Background:

COVID-19 has become a dramatic health problem during this century. In addition to high mortality rate, COVID-19 survivors are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases 1-year after infection. Explanations for these manifestations are still unclear but can involve a constellation of biological alterations. We hypothesized that COVID-19 survivors compared with controls exhibit sympathetic overdrive, vascular dysfunction, cardiac morpho-functional changes, impaired exercise capacity, and increased oxidative stress.

Methods:

Nineteen severe COVID-19 survivors and 19 well-matched controls completed the study. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography), brachial artery flow-mediated dilation and blood flow (Doppler-Ultrasound), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Complior), cardiac morpho-functional parameters (echocardiography), peak oxygen uptake (cardiopulmonary exercise testing), and oxidative stress were measured ~3 months after hospital discharge. Complementary experiments were conducted on human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured with plasma samples from subjects.

Results:

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity were greater and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, brachial artery blood flow, E/e′ ratio, and peak oxygen uptake were lower in COVID-19 survivors than in controls. COVID-19 survivors had lower circulating antioxidant markers compared with controls, but there were no differences in plasma-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells nitric oxide production and reactive oxygen species bioactivity. Diminished peak oxygen uptake was associated with sympathetic overdrive, vascular dysfunction, and reduced diastolic function in COVID-19 survivors.

Conclusions:

Our study revealed that COVID-19 survivors have sympathetic overactivation, vascular dysfunction, cardiac morpho-functional changes, and reduced exercise capacity. These findings indicate the need for further investigation to determine whether these manifestations are persistent longer-term and their impact on the cardiovascular health of COVID-19 survivors.
Physical Activity Is Inversely Associated With Severe Intracranial Stenosis in Stroke-Free Participants of NOMAS
Authors: Yang Dixon , Liu Minghua , Willey Joshua Z. , Khasiyev Farid , Tom Sarah E. , Rundek Tatjana , Cheung Ying K. , Wright Clinton B. , Sacco Ralph L. , Elkind Mitchell S.V. , Gutierrez Jose
Published: November 2022

Background:

Although protective in secondary stroke prevention of intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS), it is uncertain if the benefits of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) extend to asymptomatic ICAS or extracranial carotid stenosis (ECAS). Therefore, we sought to determine LTPA’s relationship with ECAS and ICAS in a stroke-free, race-ethnically diverse cohort.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study included participants from the magnetic resonance imaging substudy of the Northern Manhattan Study, of whom 1274 had LTPA assessments at enrollment. LTPA was represented continuously as metabolic equivalent score (MET-score) and ordinally as model-based cluster analysis (LTPA-cluster), both based on the same LTPA assessments. We evaluated ECAS sonographically using carotid intima-media thickening and number of carotid plaques. ICAS was assessed with time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiograph and defined as ≥50% or ≥70% stenosis. We applied regression analyses to evaluate the association between LTPA with ECAS and ICAS, adjusting for confounders.

Results:

Of 1274 included participants (mean age 71±9 years; 60% women; 65% Hispanic), the mean MET-score was 10±16 and 60% were in a LTPA-cluster with any activity. Among those with carotid ultrasound (n=1234), the mean carotid intima-media thickening was 0.97±0.09 mm, and 56% of participants had at least one carotid plaque identified. Among those with magnetic resonance angiograph (n=1211), 8% had ≥50% ICAS and 5% had ≥70% ICAS. For ICAS, MET-score was associated with ≥70% ICAS (adjusted odds ratio per unit increase in MET-score [95% CI, 0.97 [0.94–0.99]) but not with ECAS measures (carotid intima-media thickening, adjusted β-estimate per unit increase in MET-score [95% CI], 0.002 [−0.003 to 0.006] or number of plaques, adjusted β-estimate [95% CI], 0.0001 [−0.0001 to 0.0003]). Substituting MET-score with LTPA-clusters replicated the association between ≥70% ICAS and LTPA (adjusted odds ratio per each increased LTPA-cluster [95% CI], 0.83 [0.70–0.99]).

Conclusions:

In this diverse stroke-free population, we found LTPA most strongly associated with asymptomatic ≥70% ICAS. Given the high-risk nature of ≥70% ICAS, these findings may emphasize the role of LTPA in people at risk for ICAS.
Prognostic Role of Hemispherical Functional Connectivity in Stroke: A Study via Graph Theory Versus Coherence of Electroencephalography Rhythms
Authors: Vecchio Fabrizio , Pappalettera Chiara , Miraglia Francesca , Deinite Gregorio , Manenti Rosa , Judica Elda , Caliandro Pietro , Rossini Paolo Maria
Published: November 2022

Background:

The objective of the present study is to explore whether acute stroke may result in changes in brain network architecture by electroencephalography functional coupling analysis and graph theory.

Methods:

Ninety acute stroke patients and 110 healthy subjects were enrolled in different clinical centers in Rome, Italy, starting from 2013, and for each one electroencephalographies were recorded within <15 days from stroke onset. All patients were clinically evaluated through National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Barthel Index, and Action Research Arm Test in the acute stage and during the follow-up. Functional connectivity was assessed using Total Coherence and Small World (SW) by comparing the affected and the unaffected hemisphere between groups (Stroke versus Healthy). Correlations between connectivity and poststroke recovery scores have been carried out.

Results:

In stroke patients, network hemispheric asymmetry, in terms of Total Coherence, was mainly detected in the affected hemisphere with lower values in Delta, Theta, Alpha1, and Alpha2 (
P
=0.000001), whereas the unaffected hemisphere showed lower Total Coherence only in Delta and Theta (
P
=0.000001). SW revealed a significant difference only in the affected hemisphere in all electroencephalography bands (lower SW in Delta (
P
=0.000003), Theta (
P
=0.000003), Alpha1 (
P
=0.000203), and Alpha2 (
P
=0.028) and higher SW in Beta2 (
P
=0.000002) and Gamma (
P
=0.000002)). We also found significant correlations between SW and improvement in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (Theta SW: r=−0.2808), Barthel Index (Delta SW: r=0.3692; Theta SW: r=0.3844, Beta2 SW: r=−0.3589; Gamma SW: r=−04948), and Action Research Arm Test (Beta2 SW: r=−0.4274; Gamma SW: r=−0.4370).

Conclusions:

These findings demonstrated changes in global functional connectivity and in the balance of network segregation and integration induced by acute stroke. The findings on the correlations between clinical outcome(s) and poststroke network architecture indicate the possibility to identify a predictive index of recovery useful to address and personalize the rehabilitation program.
Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Longitudinal Assessment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Deferoxamine Treatment at 3T in a Mouse Model
Authors: Lai Joseph H.C. , Liu Jiaxin , Yang Tian , Huang Jianpan , Liu Yang , Chen Zilin , Lee Youngjin , Leung Gilberto K.K. , Chan Kannie W.Y.
Published: November 2022

Background:

Noninvasive imaging of molecular alterations after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) could provide valuable information to guide and monitor treatments. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance imaging has demonstrated promises in identifying proliferation, necrosis, and changes in cellularity in brain tumors. Here, we applied CEST magnetic resonance imaging to monitor molecular changes in hematoma without and with treatment noninvasively over 2 weeks at 3T using endogenous contrast.

Methods:

CEST contrast related to proteins at 3.5 ppm (amide proton transfer) and proteins/lipids at −3.5 ppm (relayed nuclear overhauser effect [rNOE]) were examined over 14 days in a collagenase-induced ICH mouse model. Imaging findings were validated with immunohistochemistry based on the ICH neuropathology. We also examined iron-containing phantoms that mimicked iron concentrations in hematoma to ensure the iron will not attenuate the CEST contrast during disease progression. Based on the validity of the CEST contrast of hematoma, we further examined related molecular alterations under iron-chelation treatment with deferoxamine.

Results:

We observed the temporal and spatial differences of CEST contrasts between rNOE at −3.5 ppm and amide proton transfer at 3.5 ppm, in which the core and perihematoma could be identified by rNOE on day 3 and day 14, and amide proton transfer on day 1, day 7, and day 14. Moreover, we observed a 25.7% significant reduction (
P
<0.05) of rNOE contrast after deferoxamine treatment to the ICH mice on day 3, which was not observable in amide proton transfer contrast. Our histology data indicated that rNOE primarily correlated with the myelin pathology, and amide proton transfer could reflect the cellularity increase at hematoma up to day 7.

Conclusions:

Significant rNOE changes correlated well with histologic findings, especially myelin lipids, and regional characteristics in hematoma indicate the uniqueness of CEST magnetic resonance imaging in monitoring molecular changes during ICH and treatment.
Greening China’s Belt and Road Initiative: From Norm Localization to Norm Subsidiarity?
Authors: Sun Yixian , Yu Bowen
Published: November 2022

From 2015, China began to promote eco-sustainability in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through not only vision statements but also specific guidelines and governance initiatives. What has driven these policy changes? Bringing together theories of norm localization, norm subsidiarity, and policy deliberation, we argue that China’s move toward green BRI began as a norm localization process where environmental norms emerged in the open policy space created by China’s top leaders carrying the ambition to make the BRI a new global governance model. After adopting a broad norm on environmental stewardship, state bureaucracies found opportunities to create procedural and operational rules. A novel procedural rule-making methodology emphasizing inclusive dialogue with host countries has emerged, driven by top leaders’ pursuit of international leadership and preexisting local norms guiding South–South cooperation. With operational rules, different actors follow their preferences to localize existing international standards or develop new ones.
ℓ
2
-Relaxation: With Applications to Forecast Combination and Portfolio Analysis
Authors: Shi Zhentao , Su Liangjun , Xie Tian
Published: November 2022

We propose ℓ2-relaxation, which is a novel convex optimization problem, to tackle a forecast combination with many forecasts or a minimum variance portfolio with many assets. ℓ2-relaxation minimizes the squared Euclidean norm of the weight vector subject to a set of relaxed linear inequalities to balance the bias and variance. It delivers optimality with approximately equal within-group weights when latent block equicorrelation patterns dominate the high-dimensional sample variance-covariance matrix of the individual forecast errors or the assets. Its wide applicability is highlighted in three real data examples in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and finance.
Market Access, Trade Costs, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Northern Tanzania
Authors: Aggarwal Shilpa , Giera Brian , Jeong Dahyeon , Robinson Jonathan , Spearot Alan
Published: November 2022

We collect data on prices, travel costs, and farmer decisions to quantify market access for chemical fertilizer and its impact on agricultural productivity in 1,180 villages in Northern Tanzania. Villages at the bottom of the travel cost-adjusted input price distribution face 40%–55% less favorable prices than those at the top. A standard deviation increase in village-level remoteness is associated with 20%–25% lower input adoption. A spatial model of input adoption conservatively estimates that total trade costs are 4 times pecuniary travel costs. Counterfactuals suggest that halving travel costs would more than double adoption and reduce the adoption-remoteness gradient by 63%.
Praxis of Reform: The Politics of Zaytūna Student Housing in Colonial Tunis
Authors: Weideman Julian
Published: November 2022

This article expands the category of “reform” to encompass a key area of urban infrastructure in colonial Tunis—the housing for students at the Zaytūna Mosque-University. Focusing on the French protectorate in Tunisia (1881–1956), I use documents from the Tunisian National Archives to frame housing as an intra-Zaytūna matter from which French officials withdrew during the interwar period. The housing sector saw Zaytūna students mobilize against their own professors, including prominent reformist intellectuals, who used evictions and other disciplinary tactics to manage and police students. This social history clarifies the praxis of reform, a topic usually studied in terms of intellectual history.
Redescription and molecular characterisation of Panagrolaimus labiatus (Kreis, 1929) Andrássy, 1960 (Rhabditida, Panagrolaimidae) from India and proposal of P. burdwanensis Chaturvedi & Khera, 1979 as a junior synonym of P. labiatus
Authors: Yadav Kajol , Bhat Aashaq Hussain , Abolafia Joaquín , Machado Ricardo A.R. , Wani Shaheen Majeed , Chaubey Ashok Kumar
Published: November 2022

Two populations of bacterial-feeding nematodes belonging to the genus Panagrolaimus were recovered from infected slugs collected from gardens, agricultural areas and nurseries of the Baghpat district (India). Initial morphological characterisation of these populations show that they resemble Panagrolaimus labiatus from China and Bulgaria, P. burdwanensis from India, and P. cf. labiatus from Iran. To clarify taxonomical affiliations, we morphologically compared these two new populations to those recovered from China, Bulgaria, India and Iran. In addition, we sequenced several taxonomically relevant genes and used them to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships. Our results show that the two Indian populations do not significantly differ morphologically from the specimens used to describe the species P. labiatus, and also do not differ among them. We only observed small variations in the size of males and females. In addition, morphologically, the nematodes used to describe P. burdwanensis are very similar to the nematodes used to describe P. labiatus and to the two populations described in this study. Therefore, we propose P. burdwanensis as a junior synonym of P. labiatus and that the two populations recovered from India belong to the P. labiatus species. Phylogenetic analyses using the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 18S and 28S rRNA gene sequences support our morphological conclusions. Our study therefore provides a detailed morphological description and molecular marker 18S and 28S gene sequences that can support future taxonomical studies of this species and highlights the importance of using both molecular and morphological data for the proper description of soil microfauna.
The Malaysian Media Council: Will Self-Regulation Work?
Authors: Haron Hafidz Hakimi , Shuaib Farid Sufian
Published: November 2022

After the 2018 General Election, the incoming coalition made numerous institutional reform pledges, including the establishment of a Malaysian media council to self-govern the press. Nevertheless, the concept is not new as it was initially proposed in 1973. Following stakeholders’ discussions over the past few years, it was decided that a self-regulatory media council should be formed. This is a critical step towards restoring the country’s long-suffering press freedom that had been stifled by press regulations. Hence, it is necessary to study the self-regulatory paradigm as Malaysia is moving towards the formation of a self-regulatory media council to govern its press. The United Kingdom’s vast experience with media self-regulation may help Malaysian policymakers decide whether to adopt a self-regulatory approach to governance or not. The authors in this study used textual analysis of legislation and case law and secondary data from existing works to examine the proposal of establishing a self-regulatory Malaysian media council.
Human Rights Protection in the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau
Authors: Yin Yanhong
Published: November 2022

Regarding the construction of the surrender agreements between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, there has been ongoing consideration and debate on the basic principles and rules. Human rights protection in the surrender of fugitive offenders between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau is as important as that in traditional extraditions. But the rights need to be protected in a sophisticated, interactive, and constructive way under the ‘one country, two systems’ regime. This article compares the extradition and surrender systems, concluding that Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau should take human rights protection into serious consideration, while complying with the obligation to protect the common interest of the whole country and to promote human rights development in China. The combined obligations require that the requested region play a more responsible, involved and proactive role in surrender-related human rights issues. The European Arrest Warrant experience can offer some inspiration for this. But more tailored measures should be developed in the legal context of Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The article identifies several specific human rights that should be protected in the surrender procedure. Some traditional extradition principles as well as human rights provisions have already been used to protect these rights. Human rights protections are contained in Chinese legislation, but more attention should be paid to law enforcement procedures in relation to the surrender of fugitive offenders. This article suggests that evaluation, assurance, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms should be applied, and the main role should be delegated to judicial authorities under the principle of mutual trust. This article also suggests that the procedural rights of the requested individuals in the requested region should be protected.
Public Servants
Authors: Juarez-Garcia Mario I. , Schaefer Alexander
Published: November 2022

Several political philosophers have recently pointed out that current electoral democracies fail to facilitate accurate and reliable feedback on the performance of public officials. Rather than rejecting democracy as a hopeless ideal, we defend an institutional reform called Service Responsibility, which introduces a superior incentive structure that better aligns the interests of citizens and public officials. Service Responsibility requires increasing or decreasing the income of public officials insofar as they succeed or fail to achieve democratically chosen goals. Later, we consider an alternative institutional scheme, recently proposed by Claudio López-Guerra: Piloting Responsibility. According to this alternative proposal, public officials must utilize a public provider whenever they seek out a basic service. We show that Piloting Responsibility fails to realize the democratic ideal because it generates a perverse incentive structure for public officials. We conclude that Service Responsibility outperforms both the status quo and Piloting Responsibility as an institutional scheme for ensuring competent governance and public justification.
Contact-Induced Language Change: the Case of Mixtec Adverbial Clauses
Authors: Martinez Jesus Olguin
Published: November 2022

It is now clear that languages not-genetically related can come to share syntactic structures that were not necessarily borrowed directly in their modern forms. Although it can be challenging to spot these structures, striking similarities in certain patterns and in fine details of usage may shed light on this process. Not only may spotting the patterns be a difficult task, but also establishing the source of diffusion of a trait (i.e., who passed it to whom). These points are illustrated here with constructions termed ‘adverbial clauses’. Examples are drawn from Mixtec languages. The analysis focuses on six types of adverbial clauses. In particular, it is explained how several Mixtec adverbial clause-linking strategies may have spread to Huasteca Nahuatl (Uto-Aztecan) and vice versa.
The Lesser Antillean Origins of Guianese
Authors: Parkvall Mikael , Jacobs Bart
Published: November 2022

This paper investigates the origins of Guianese French Creole. Whereas the existing literature assumes Guianese was formed in situ, we argue the creole is in fact genetically related to Lesser Antillean French Creole. We support our hypothesis by means of a range of comparative linguistic data. Furthermore, a historical framework is provided that accounts for linguistic transfer from the Lesser Antilles to French Guiana in the second half of the 17th century.
Ars longa vita brevis
Authors: Dickey Stephanie S.
Published: November 2022

It is therefore nothing short of frustrating that the passing on 4 October 1669 of Rembrandt van Rijn, long considered the greatest among seventeenth-century Dutch painters, has left scarcely any traces. In her essay Stephanie Dickey reconstructs the circumstances of the artist’s death. Her piece amounts to a cultural history of death and burial in Protestant Amsterdam. Rembrandt was buried like any other citizen. No elaborate funeral ceremony took place; no eulogies were composed; no funeral monument was erected. He ended up in a rented grave with two other men. The now lost stone slab probably only included his name. The exact location in the Westerkerk went unrecorded. As Dickey almost ruefully concludes, ‘(…) Rembrandt’s modest burial suited his standing as one established artist among many in the busy city’.
China’s Buffer Thinking towards Taiwan
Authors: Chen Yu-Hua
Published: November 2022

How are we to understand China’s decades-long sovereignty claim over Taiwan? One assumption upheld by many international relations scholars is that state behaviour will change according to a variance of polarity in the international system. Yet while China can flexibly manage its territorial issues elsewhere, its goal of unification with Taiwan has not changed despite multiple structural changes in the international system over the decades. This paper argues that historical and nationalist approaches alone do not explain China’s unswaying obsession with this island. Geopolitics plays a far more prominent role in the minds of Chinese leaders than scholars have previously acknowledged. Since 1949, China has viewed Taiwan as a geopolitical buffer protecting the security of Chinese coastal areas. China’s buffer thinking towards Taiwan was a significant factor in China’s decisions to launch military action against Taiwan in 1954, 1958, and 1996.
Investigating the Instructional Leadership of STEM Educators in Thailand
Authors: Teo Tang Wee , Faikhamta Chatree , Lau Shao Yu Marcus
Published: November 2022

This article reports on the survey findings of a study on the STEM leadership of 134 STEM middle school educators (118 teachers and 16 principals) in Thailand who led in STEM curriculum writing and teaching in their schools. The data were analysed using Rasch analysis of three constructs, namely, their views about STEM teaching, STEM capital and self-empowerment to teach STEM lessons. The findings showed that the educators generally responded positively to the three constructs. They thought that STEM should be integrated and could potentially stand alone as an independent discipline. The teachers wished for more resources and had the support of colleagues. The teachers lacked confidence in STEM teaching. Implications for specific areas of support, especially the forming of STEM professional learning communities to support the teachers, are suggested.
Taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties in some Cactaceae of Greater Antilles
Authors: GUIGGI ALESSANDRO , MARIOTTI MAURO
Published: November 2022

The recently debated identity and incertus status of Cereus serruliflorus, Opuntia taylorii, O. tuna. and of its presumed close relatives, O. dillenii and O. jamaicensis from the Caribbean region, are here investigated to clarify the correct application of the names through an analysis of the protologues, original material, and examination of other specimens. One new endemic species to Jamaica (O. kingstoniana) was described; O. repens subsp. taylorii comb. nov. is proposed; an epitipe was designated for Cactus tuna (≡ O. tuna) and Cereus serruliflorus (≡ Serrulatocereus serrulatus); O. jamaicensis is here accepted as a valid species, distinct from O. tuna sensu auct.
Irisin alleviates lung injury in asthma mice by inhibiting phosphoinositide-3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) phosphorylation and release of inflammatory factors
Authors: Sun Jingru , Jia Xinhua , Duan Yingfeng , Zong Aiyun
Published: November 2022

Asthma refers to a common chronic airway inflammation disease, which is accompanied by T type 2 (Th2) mediated reaction and inflammatory factor excessive expression. The relationship between irisin and asthmatic lung injury is poorly reported. Employed ovalbumin (OVA) treatment was
used to induce asthma rat model, and rats were then treated with irisin or PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitors. The reactivity of rats after different treatments was observed by immunohistochemical analysis of lung tissue damage degree and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), to detect serum
and release of inflammatory factors in lung and bronchial lavage fluid. Protein phosphorylation was observed by Western blot analysis of PI3K/AKT pathway activation. Irisin improved the general condition of asthmatic model rats and reduced damage to lung tissue. In addition, irisin significantly
reduced PI3K/AKT phosphorylation, which was induced by OVA and suppressed inflammation factors level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum. Beneficial effect of irisin in reducing the levels of inflammatory factors in serum and BALF of rats was similar to that of PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitors.
Irisin effectively reduced the OVA induced asthma model rats with lung injury, with inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway phosphorylation and inflammatory related cytokines release. Results from this study not only shows irisin is an effective active molecules to treat asthma, but at the same time
suppresses phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT axis in the progress of asthma and inflammation factors, and the specificity of the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor may also be potential targets for asthma treatment.
Impact of Automated Reminder Calls in a Safety-Net Setting on Surgical Clinic No-Show Rates
Authors: Braschi Caitlyn , Gutierrez Griselda , Liu Jessica K. , Yetasook Amy K. , Simms Eric R. , Petrie Beverley A. , Moazzez Ashkan
Published: November 2022

In surgical clinics, missed appointments may lead to delayed diagnosis and postponed surgical intervention. Automated reminder calls (robocalls) have replaced live staff phone calls in many systems as a cost-saving measure. This study aims to evaluate whether robocalls reduced the outpatient appointment no-show rate for surgical patients in a county hospital. Demographic and clinic data from two surgical clinics at a safety net hospital were collected over two time periods: 3-months immediately before robocalls went live and 3-months immediately after robocalls went live. No-show rates were compared between time periods. Multivariate analysis confirmed that robocalls were independently associated with reduced no-show rates (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.0-1.7; P = .032). In addition, new appointments were independently predictive of higher no-show rates (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.0-1.7; P = .048). Robocalls appear to be an effective tool for improving appointment attendance overall. Furthermore, robocalls may free limited staff to perform higher value work in the healthcare system.
Improving the recommendation accuracy of TrustSVD via trustworthy analysis in the social network environment
Authors: Sun Ruoxi , Yan Jun , Ren Fenghui
Published: November 2022

Recommender systems help Internet users quickly find information they may be interested in from an extremely large amount of resources. Recent studies have shown that incorporating auxiliary social trust relationship information into the recommender system improves the accuracy of recommendations. Most existing research only considers explicit trust relationships, which result in sub-optimal recommendation performance. In this research, we present a trust model which analyses user trustworthiness based on user’s behaviours on the social networks. The proposed trust model increases the density of trust relationships by considering explicit and implicit social trust relationships and also reflects a more fine-grained and realistic trust level between users. This improved social trust information is then incorporated into TrustSVD, a matrix factorisation–based social recommendation method. By analysing the prediction result using a real-world data set, Douban-600k from the Douban Movie website, we found that our proposed method provides more accurate predictions compared with SVD++ and traditional TrustSVD, improving users’ experiences.
Anticancer potential of poly(2-aminobenzoic acid)-blend-Aloe vera against the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231
Authors: Sebastian Julia , Mary Samuel Jhancy
Published: November 2022

Breast cancer in women is amongst the most significant concerns from time immemorial in the field of oncology. This study proposes an anticancerous polymeric material based on an electroactive substituted polyaniline blend, poly(2-aminobenzoic acid)-blend-Aloe vera (PABA/AV) synthesized by the emulsion polymerization method. The structural, thermal, and morphological characteristics determined using FT-IR and UV-Visible Spectroscopy, XRD, TGA, DTA, and SEM-EDX validated the thermally stable, semi-crystalline, emeraldine salt structure. The material is semi-conducting, and the electrical conductivity measured is 1.86 × 10−3 S/cm. It shows bactericidal efficacy against Enterococcus faecalis at a minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration of 50 μg/mL. The radical cations in the emeraldine polymer chain reduce the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and exhibit a significant % of DPPH scavenging (89.85%) at 20 μL. The polymer blend is active against the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and causes 78.65% cytotoxicity at a concentration of 125 μg/mL. The synergistic effect of the ancient healing Aloe vera plant and the electroactive biocompatible poly(2-aminobenzoic acid) certainly opens up new developments in the field of cancer therapy.
Impact of Experienced Regret on Donation Willingness: Advertising Appeal and Framing Effect
Authors: Tang Jiansheng , Gong Heming , Bian Xuemei , Zheng Chundong , Yang Xiaoxuan
Published: November 2022

Donors often experience donation regret caused by charity wrongdoings and mismanagement, which will reduce future donation willingness. The literature has not fully delineated the underlying mechanism of donors’ response to experienced regret. The effective advertising appeal and message framing which could be used to mitigate the detrimental impact of experienced donation regret also remain unknown. This research dissects the impact of experienced regret on donation willingness by revealing the mediational effect of anticipated regret and the moderating role of advertising appeal (altruistic vs. egoistic) and message framing (gain- vs. loss-framed). The findings of two studies demonstrate that experienced regret negatively influences donation willingness through anticipated regret. Compared with egoistic appeals, altruistic appeals are more effective in extenuating the impacts of experienced regret. Gain-framed (compared with loss-framed) messages better mitigate anticipated regret and result in a higher level of willingness to donate. In addition to theoretical contributions, actionable practical implications are discussed.
Safe spaces? Grounding political talk in WhatsApp groups
Authors: Zhu Qinfeng , Esteve-Del-Valle Marc , Meyer Julia K
Published: November 2022

Instant messaging (IM) platforms are believed to foster intimate and controlled conversations within small groups and hence provide safe social settings for political conversations, and yet we know little about how political talk emerges from the everyday social interactions in these environments. To fill the gap, this study examines how sociability within small, private WhatsApp groups shapes the extent and forms of political talk among young adults. Relying on in-depth interviews conducted in the Netherlands, we find that young people perceive politics as personal, offensive, divisive, and depressing, hence unsafe for WhatsApp groups where they find comfort in communicating care and phatic exchanges. Nonetheless, rules, relationship qualities, and strategies enacted in these groups allow some political talk to become temporarily possible. However, they perceive that what makes political talk safer also makes it unproductive. Our findings thus contribute to a finer-grained understanding of political talk in the closed digital spaces.
Visual focus groups: Stimulating reflexive conversations with collective drawing
Authors: Ferrari Elisabetta
Published: November 2022

In this methodological article, I introduce a qualitative research method, called the visual focus group (VFG), which incorporates a collective drawing task within the structure of a focus group. The VFG was specifically developed to support engaged research about how activists conceptualize the political role of technology, by stimulating participants to reflect on their unspoken assumptions about digital technologies. After reviewing the relevant literature on focus groups and graphic elicitation techniques, the article presents two types of VFGs: diagnostic and speculative. While diagnostic VFGs are primarily a research tool meant to enable researchers to assess how people envision technology, speculative VFGs encourage participants to imagine better digital technologies. I describe the structure of both types of VFGs and offer examples of their outputs; I then discuss the limitations of this method and propose other research topics for which it might be used.