bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Methylation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Its Prognostic and Therapeutic Impacts in the Disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Chatzidavid Sevastianos , Kontandreopoulou Christina-Nefeli , Giannakopoulou Nefeli , Diamantopoulos Panagiotis T. , Stafylidis Christos , Kyrtsonis Marie-Christine , Dimou Maria , Panayiotidis Panayiotis , Viniou Nora-Athina
Published: February 2024

Epigenetic regulation has been thoroughly investigated in recent years and has emerged as an important aspect of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) biology. Characteristic aberrant features such as methylation patterns and global DNA hypomethylation were the early findings of the research during the last decades. The investigation in this field led to the identification of a large number of genes where methylation features correlated with important clinical and laboratory parameters. Gene‐specific analyses investigated methylation in the gene body enhancer regions as well as promoter regions. The findings included genes and proteins involved in key pathways that play central roles in the pathophysiology of the disease. Τhe application of these findings beyond the theoretical understanding can not only lead to the creation of prognostic and predictive models and scores but also to the design of novel therapeutic agents. The following is a review focusing on the present knowledge about single gene/gene promoter methylation or mRNA expression in CLL cases as well as records of older data that have been published in past papers.
Cu3P Nanoarrays Derived from 7,7,8,8‐Tetracyanoquinodimethane for High‐Rate Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reactions of Lithium‐Oxygen Batteries
Authors: Kim Chan Ho , Sung Myeong-Chang , Hwang Byoungjoon , Kim Dong-Wan
Published: February 2024

Efficient electrocatalysis at the cathode is crucial for addressing the challenges faced by lithium‐oxygen batteries (LOBs), including limited stability and low‐rate capability. To develop an efficient cathode for aprotic LOBs, self‐supported copper phosphide nanoarrays on carbon cloth are prepared at different heating rates via a phosphidation process using CuTCNQ nanoarrays. Different ramping rates have effects on particle size and intrinsic interaction, which in turn affect their catalytic properties. When phosphidation is carried out at a slow rate, it results in the formation of smaller, evenly distributed Cu3P particles on the nanoarrays (SG‐Cu3P NAs/CC) compared to fast rate phosphidation (FG‐Cu3P NAs/CC). As a result, SG‐Cu3P NAs/CC exhibits lower resistance and a higher concentration of active sites than FG‐Cu3P NAs/CC. The SG‐Cu3P NAs/CC demonstrates LOBs with a low overpotential of 1.51 V at a high current rate of 1 mA cm−2 and a long cycle life of 115 cycles at 0.1 mA cm-2. The in situ Raman spectroscopy supports that Li2O2 is uniformly formed and decomposed on the SG‐Cu3P NAs/CC surface. This study provides a compelling approach for the precise fabrication and analysis of binder‐free, self‐supported copper phosphides as highly efficient and stable materials for bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis.
The Effect of Free and Encapsulated Casein Hydrolyzates on the Oxidation Rate and Structural Properties of Mayonnaise
Authors: Sanei Sara , Shahab Lavasani Alireza
Published: February 2024

Casein is known as a source of bioactive peptides. In this study, the effects of mayonnaise enrichment with casein hydrolyzates on the oxidation process during 6 months were investigated. For this purpose, mayonnaise (≈60% oil) was treated with casein hydrolyzates and encapsulated casein hydrolyzates at concentrations of 100 and 200 ppm and compared with synthetic antioxidants (TBHQ). The results showed that the addition of casein hydrolyzates decreased the oxidation (peroxide, thiobarbituric acid, anisidine, and Totox indices) with a positive dose-response from 100 to 200 ppm. At similar concentrations, samples containing encapsulated casein hydrolyzates performed better than nonencapsulated casein hydrolyzates in retarding the oxidation and were able to compete with TBHQ. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed an improvement in the structure of samples containing encapsulated casein hydrolyzates. Therefore, the use of encapsulated casein hydrolyzates as natural antioxidants is recommended in functional foods and food emulsions such as mayonnaise.
A Feasibility Study on the Efficacy of Functional Near-Infrared Spectrometry (fNIRS) to Measure Prefrontal Activation in Paediatric HIV
Authors: Zondo Sizwe , Ferreira-Correia Aline , Cockcroft Kate
Published: February 2024

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with disturbed neurotransmission and aberrant cortical networks. Although advances in the imaging of brain microarchitecture following neuroHIV has added to our knowledge of structural and functional changes associated with HIV, no data exists on paediatric HIV using optical neuroimaging techniques. This study investigated the feasibility of optical neuroimaging in paediatric HIV using functional near-infrared spectrometry (fNIRS). We measured prefrontal brain activation while participants executed a sustained attention task. We specifically tested whether patients living with HIV and study controls could perform the study protocol and whether we could measure the typical fNIRS haemodynamic response associated with neuronal activity. Eighteen participants (10 HIV participants, mean age: 13.9, SD = 1.66 years; 8 controls, mean age: 14.8, SD = 1.28 years), matched for sex, grade, and socio-economic status, were included in the study. All participants completed the Stroop colour word test (SCWT). Oxygenated haemoglobin concentration and the deoxygenated haemoglobin signal were recorded from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the frontopolar area (FA) using fNIRS. The control group performed significantly better in terms of reaction time on the congruent and incongruent condition (congruent: t (16) = −3.36, p<0.05: incongruent: p <0.05). A pooled group analysis of the sample indicated significant activation in the DLPF and FA to the congruent condition of the SCWT (p<0.05). Although cortical activation was noted in the DLPF and the FA in each of the groups when analysed independently, this neural activation did not reach statistical significance. The results show promise that fNIRS techniques are feasible for assessing prefrontal cortical activity in paediatric HIV. Future studies should seek to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio and consider inter-individual variability when measuring prefrontal activation in paediatric samples.
Hepatitis C Attributable Healthcare Costs and Mortality among Immigrants: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Erman Aysegul , Sahakyan Yeva , Everett Karl , Greenaway Christina , Janjua Naveed , Kwong Jeffrey C. , Wong William W. L. , Lu Hong , Sander Beate
Published: February 2024

Background. Data on the economic burden of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) among immigrants are limited. Our objective was to estimate the CHC-attributable mortality and healthcare costs among immigrants in Ontario, Canada. Methods. We conducted a population-based matched cohort study among immigrants diagnosed with CHC between May 31, 2003, and December 31, 2018, using linked health administrative data. Immigrants with CHC (exposed) were matched 1 : 1 to immigrants without CHC (unexposed) using a combination of hard (index date, sex, and age) and propensity-score matching. Net costs (2020 Canadian dollars) collected from the healthcare payer perspective were calculated using a phase-of-care approach and used to estimate long-term costs adjusted for survival. Results. We matched 5,575 exposed individuals with unexposed controls, achieving a balanced match. The mean age was 47 years, and 52% was male. On average, 10.5% of exposed and 3.5% of unexposed individuals died 15 years postindex (relative risk = 2.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6–3.5). The net 30-day costs per person were $88 (95% CI: 55 to 122) for the prediagnosis, $324 (95% CI: 291 to 356) for the initial phase, $1,016 (95% CI: 900 to 1,132) for the late phase, and $975 (95% CI: −25 to 1,974) for the terminal phase. The mean net healthcare cost adjusted for survival at 15 years was $90,448. Conclusions. Compared to unexposed immigrants, immigrants infected with CHC have higher mortality rates and greater healthcare costs. These findings will support the planning of HCV elimination efforts among key risk groups in the province.
Blockchain-Based Electronic Voting System: Significance and Requirements
Authors: El Kafhali Said
Published: February 2024

In a democratic regime, voting is crucial to making collective decisions. Unfortunately, although this activity has great significance and value, little effort has been made to improve the way we vote. Paper ballots are still the most used method, although this method is relatively simple, brings many inconveniences, and represents a contradiction to the modern world and its advances. This paper mostly focuses on a review study of blockchain-based voting systems. It aims at identifying the strategies and the guidelines as well as provides a comprehensive end-to-end electronic voting system based on blockchain, with the help of cryptographic techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs to improve privacy. The novelty of this paper is that we tackle the limitations of electronic voting systems found in the literature, including cost, identity management, and scalability problems. Our purpose is to provide key elements for organizations on how to design their proper electronic voting system based on blockchain technology.
Mechanical Fault Sound Source Localization Estimation in a Multisource Strong Reverberation Environment
Authors: Deng Yaohua , Liu Xiali , Zhang Zilin , Zeng Daolong
Published: February 2024

Aiming at the sound source localization of mechanical faults in a strong reverberation scenario with multiple sound sources, this paper investigates a mechanical fault source localization method using the U‐net deep convolutional neural network. The method utilizes the SRP‐PHAT algorithm to calculate the response power spectra of the collected multichannel fault signals. Through the utilization of the U‐net neural network, the response power spectra containing spurious peaks are transformed into “clean” estimated source distribution maps. By employing interpolation search, the estimated source distribution maps are processed to obtain location estimations for multiple fault sources. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, this paper constructs an experimental dataset using mechanical fault data from electromechanical equipment relays and conducts sound source localization experiments. The experimental results show that the U‐net network under 0.2 s/0.5 s/0.7 s reverberation time can effectively eliminate spurious peak interference in the response power spectrum. As the signal‐to‐noise ratio decreases, it can still distinguish the sound sources with a distance of 0.2 m. In the context of multifault source localization, the method is capable of simultaneously locating the positions of four fault sources, with an average localization error of less than 0.02 m. The method in this paper effectively eliminates spurious peaks in the response power spectra under conditions of multisource strong reverberation. It accurately locates multiple mechanical fault sources, thereby significantly enhancing the efficiency of mechanical fault detection.
Anatomical Bases of the Temporal Muscle Trigger Points
Authors: Garrido Luis Carlos Fernandez , Simonetti Giulianna , Saleh Samir Omar , Hojaij Flávio , Andrade Mauro , Jacomo Alfredo Luiz , Akamatsu Flavia Emi
Published: February 2024

Background and Purpose. Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a chronic or acute form of musculoskeletal pain that affects nearly three-quarters of the world’s population. It is characterized by muscle pain and stiffness, with palpable nodules and hyperirritability areas called myofascial trigger points (MTPs). The temporal muscle is frequently involved in MPS, and four MTPs in the temporal muscle have been described in the literature, but no anatomical description of the MTPs has been reported. The present study described the entry points of deep temporal nerves in the temporal muscle belly and related these points to the MTPs described in the literature. Method. Temporal muscles of 14 adult cadavers were studied. The muscle bellies were divided into six areas, three superior (1.2 and 3) and three inferior areas (4, 5, and 6) lower, according to a Cartesian plane to analyze and describe the entry points of the branches of the deep temporal nerves into the muscle. The branching distribution was analyzed using Poisson log-linear tests with Bonferroni post hoc tests for comparison between groups (sextants) (p<0.05). Results. Deep temporal nerve entry points were found in the temporal muscle in all areas. Most of the branches were observed in areas 2 and 5, which coincide with the muscle fibers responsible for mandible elevation and related to the previously described MTPs. Fewer branches were found in areas 1 and 6, where contraction produces mandible retraction. Conclusion. There is an anatomical correlation between the branching pattern of the deep temporal nerve and temporal muscle trigger points. Adequate knowledge of the innervation of the temporal muscle may help elucidate the pathophysiology of myofascial syndromes and provide a rational basis for interventional or conservative approaches and help surgeons avoid iatrogenic lesions to the deep temporal nerve lesion.
Effects of Salinity on the Egg Fertilization, Hatching, and Tadpole Growth and Survival Rates of the Thailand Frog (Rana tigerina Dubois, 1981)
Authors: Huong Huynh Kim , Huang Cheng-Ting , Nam Ho Khanh , My Nhan Nguyen Thi , Diep Doan Xuan
Published: February 2024

We studied the effects of salinity on the egg fertilization, hatching, and tadpole growth and survival rates of the Thailand frog (Rana tigerina Dubois, 1981), an introduced species that is commonly cultured in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Salinity levels of 2, 6, and 4% significantly affected the fertilization and hatching rates of the eggs, as well as the tadpole survival rates from the newly hatched to yolk sac exhaustion stages, respectively p<0.05. Notably, during the stage from yolk sac exhaustion to juvenile tadpole, a salinity of 3% resulted in an increase in the final weight of the tadpoles throughout the stage and a significant increase in Phase 1 (the tadpole stage from yolk sac exhaustion to the onset of foreleg emergence) and Phase 2 (the tadpole stage from the onset of foreleg emergence to the onset of hind leg emergence); however, it did not show a significant effect on tadpole survival rates in Phases 1 and 2 of this stage p>0.05. A salinity level of up to 5% showed no significant effect on the growth performance but caused a significant reduction in the survival rates of the tadpoles during this stage. We recommend that the artificial reproduction process of Thai frogs should be performed using salinities of <2%, with salinities of ≤2 and 3% being suitable for rearing tadpoles from the newly hatched to yolk sac exhaustion stage and from the yolk sac exhaustion to juvenile stage, respectively.
Well-Differentiated Liposarcoma That Increased in Size after Menopause: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature
Authors: Hoshino Tatsuji , Takada Yoshihiro , Sugihara Ayako , Kinugasa Masato , Tsuji Yoshiyuki
Published: February 2024

This study reports a case of uterine liposarcoma together with a literature review. At 52 years old, our patient was diagnosed with lipoleiomyoma by MRI. A mass (39×32×41 mm3) protruding from the anterior wall of the uterine body was observed. When the patient was 58, her previous doctor found that the tumor had grown, and she was referred to the gynecology department of our hospital. On MRI, the major diameter was 1.23-fold longer and the volume was 1.85-fold higher compared with the prior imaging findings. Diffusion-weighted images revealed no significant anomalous signals. Thus, malignant tumors were included in the differential diagnosis. The patient consented to total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The mass on the anterior wall remained completely in the myometrium. No implantation was found in the abdominal cavity, and ascites was not detected. No bleeding or necrosis was observed on the cut surface. Histopathologically, differences in the sizes of adipocytes and stromal cells were identified. There were irregularities in the nuclear findings. The immunohistochemical findings were as follows: CDK4 (+), desmin (+), S100p (−), and Ki−67=1%. Therefore, a diagnosis of well-differentiated liposarcoma was rendered. The lesion was localized in the uterus, and it was completely removed during surgery. Well-differentiated liposarcoma of uterine primary has no possibility of recurrence following complete resection, and thus, the patient underwent follow-up without additional treatment. No metastasis or recurrence has been observed for 10 months after surgery.
A + AVD for Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma Variant of Richter’s Transformation
Authors: Heyman Benjamin , Choi Michael , Kipps Thomas J.
Published: February 2024

Hodgkin lymphoma variant of Richter’s transformation (HvRT) is a rare complication for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with an overall poor prognosis. We present the first known case series of patients with HvRT treated with the combination of brentuximab vedotin, doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A + AVD). In our series of 4 patients, two patients treated with A + AVD for HvRT had durable remissions of 40 and 42 months, while two patients had disease progression and ultimately died. Continued investigation into the optimal management for patients with HvRT is still needed.
Antioxidant and Neuroproliferative Effects of THL-3-PTD5 Peptide Derived from Hydramacin-1 Antimicrobial Peptide
Authors: Lee Ping-Chien , Lin Ching-Chun , Hsu Hui-Hsuan , Lung Feng-Di T.
Published: February 2024

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by reduced dopamine levels in the brain, affecting over 6 million people worldwide. While current treatments for patients primarily focus on symptom relief, there is a necessity for the development of novel therapeutic agents due to the presence of side effects and declining effectiveness. Functional peptides, known for their high selectivity, specificity, and diverse bioactivities, have shown the potential to develop therapeutic candidates for neurodegenerative diseases. Notably, the macin family of proteins exhibits potent antimicrobial activity and nerve repair effects. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activity and neuroproliferative effects of a series of truncated peptides (THL, THL-1, THL-2, and THL-3) derived from the C-terminal sequence of hydramacin-1. Results showed that THL-3 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity (EC50 of 22.5 μM) in ABTS-radical scavenging assays, with amino acid residues Cys5, Pro6, Leu7, Lys9, and Lys10 playing critical roles in its activity. Upon conjugation with the cell-penetrating PTD5 peptide to form THL-3-PTD5, it exhibited a significant dose-dependent neuroproliferative effect, increasing the viability of SH-SY5Y cells by 118% at 100 μM. However, it did not exhibit neuroprotective effects under in vitro conditions of oxidative stress induced by an exogenous oxidizing agent. This study suggests that THL-3-PTD5 may serve as a potential candidate for developing therapeutic agents against neurodegenerative diseases.
Integrated Analysis of a ceRNA (lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA) Regulatory Network for Prostate Cancer
Authors: Wu Hongliang , Wang Sheng , Chen Zhijun , Yang Shuai , Sun Wenyan , Guan Han
Published: February 2024

Objective. This study was to construct a ceRNA (lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA) regulatory network for prostate cancer (PCa) and to explore the prognostic correlation, key biological functions, and pathways of core RNAs. Methods. Three subgene expression matrices (miRNA, lncRNA, and mRNA expression matrix) were taken from the TCGA database and used in this investigation. Differential expression analysis and differential expression miRNAs were carried out. Next, the ceRNA (lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA) regulatory complex was used to visualize our data and show how they interacted. Ultimately, the primary molecular roles and biological pathways of PCa were identified using enrichment analysis by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). An effect of AC016773.1 on prostate cancer cell proliferation was investigated by knocking out AC016773.1 in an animal model. The interrelationship between AC016773.1 and hsa-mir-25 was validated using RNA immunoprecipitation technology. Results. The lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA expression matrices obtained from the TCGA database contain 16901, 1881, and 19962 transcripts, respectively. Through differential expression analysis, we obtained 2010 de lncRNA comparative information, 75 lncRNA and miRNA interaction pairs, and 31 targeted de mRNAs. Through the differential expression analysis of RNA nodes in the ceRNA regulatory network, we found that compared with the NP group, in the PCa group, there were 14 lncRNAs upregulated and 25 lncRNAs downregulated, 1 miRNA upregulated and 3 miRNA downregulated, and 10 mRNA upregulated and 21 mRNA downregulated. In KEGG enrichment analysis, the pathways identified by targeted DE-mRNAs were mainly related to calcium signaling pathway, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, melanoma, PI3K−Akt signaling pathway, and proteoglycans in cancer. In animal models, it was found that knocking down AC016773.1 significantly reduced tumor volume and weight, indicating that AC016773.1 may promote the proliferation of PCa cells. The use of RNA immunoprecipitation technology indicates a direct binding between AC016773.1 and hsa-mir-25. Conclusion. We elucidated the network regulatory relationship of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA in PCa and further explored the key molecular functions, biological pathways, and prognostic value of targeted DE-mRNAs.
Development Aid Institutions in International Investment Law: towards a Holistic Approach to Development Financing Flows
Authors: Mottola Milena
Published: February 2024

Many investment arbitrations have arisen out of investments financed through aid resources. Yet, the legal framework governing aid disbursements remains mostly unexplored in investment awards and in the literature on international investment law. This article is an initial attempt at identifying the interactions between these two legal orders. It finds that 1) multilateral and bilateral aid institutions are not perfect third parties to the investor-State relationship; rather, they influence the content of investment contracts, supervise contract implementation and have a role to play in dispute prevention and resolution; 2) uncertainties surround the jurisdiction of investment tribunals over aid-financed ‘investments’; 3) development institutions may participate as disputing and non-disputing parties in the arbitrations arising out of aid-financed projects. More broadly, the article suggests that the increasing trend of leveraging aid to incentivize private investments warrants an integrated and hence more realistic approach to the different development finance flows.
Towards Foreign Direct Investment for Development in the Host State? Revisiting Charter Cities
Authors: Forere Malebakeng Agnes
Published: February 2024

The phenomenon of population growth, scramble for employment, congestion in cities coupled with underdevelopment has been a cause for concern over the years. Many solutions, such as aid and conclusion of international investment agreements with a view to attract foreign direct investment, have been explored and tried with no real changes. In recent years, there is a strong movement on charter cities, championed by the former World Bank Chief Economist, Paul Romer. Romer’s grand charter city would be developed on a vacant land, offered by the host State, for free, to the developer of the city. The city adopts a constitutive act, spelling out basic rights of the residents and the responsibilities of the city government but then imports functional rules from a developed country/countries being guarantor(s), and the latter ensure(s) enforcement of these rules. This paper explores charter cities as a panacea to poverty and underdevelopment in Africa and it lays bare the problematic conceptual issues on charter cities. Thus, it finds that charter cities could be another vehicle facilitating scramble for land in Africa as seen in Madagascar where the idea was explored. In addition, a need for uninhabited land threatens relocations and removals, which have often been forceful and impacts on the socio-economic conditions of communities as witnessed in Lesotho when the highlands water project, serving South Africa with water, began construction. Relocations are not only economically debilitating; they are highly emotive to many Africans based on the past experiences. Further, substituting the host state’s control with that of developed nation/s (sponsor/guarantor) can only be regarded as neo-liberal colonialism. Another problem is in relation to freedom to reside in the city, thereby extending free residency to everyone from anywhere in world, compromising sovereignty for the host and not solving employment crisis. While charter cities can solve poverty and underdevelopment in Africa, these conceptual problems need to be addressed; otherwise, we are facing neoliberal land dispossessions.
The Theories of “Differential Optimums” and “Vertical Integration” and Their Implications for China
Authors: Huang Philip C. C.
Published: February 2024

Chayanov, outside of his theoretical analysis of how peasant households are distinctive for being at once a production and a consumption unit, and the multiple implications of that fact, has made two other major theoretical contributions, one making clear that peasant economies observe the logic of “differential optimums” rather than the simple logic of economies of scale, the other having to do with the need for co-operatives for “vertical integration” of small peasant economies, in order to preserve for the peasants more of the value of their products in the BIG MARKET. The former can be readily observed in the “new agriculture revolution” of the Chinese economy in the past few decades; the latter can be readily seen in the striking modernization of the “East Asian” (i.e. Japan, South Korea, and the Taiwan area) economies since 1945. China’s annual “Number One Documents” about agriculture of the past two decades have shown how the country first mistakenly tried to imitate the simple scale-economy logic of the United States, and then shifted since 2018 toward a new emphasis on the peasants as the principal agents of agricultural development and of peasant villages as the basic unit for agricultural co-ops. Those have been the basis for new advances as well as for reinterpretations and modifications of Chayanov’s two major theoretical visions.
What Is Minimalist Governance?
Authors: Ouyang Jing
Published: February 2024

“Informality” and “semiformality” are the primary characteristics of minimalist governance. The operation of minimalist governance assumes a boundary between state and society and some amount of autonomous space between them at the ground level. Whether in a traditional or modern form, minimalist governance stands in contrast to the formal, hierarchical bureaucracy of the state. Minimalism is a pragmatic approach to governance tailored to local conditions, a form of semiformal or informal government that emphasizes operational effectiveness over elaborate bureaucratic procedures. Since minimalist governance does not rely entirely on the hierarchical power of the state apparatus, this semiformal approach is simple and effective, hence its “minimalist” appearance. The key to solving the problem of formalism at the basic level of government lies in managing the relationship between “a thousand threads above” and “a single needle below.” Autonomy and self-governance must be granted to the basic level of the government so that party committees may fulfill their integrative political functions and their role in minimalist governance. Ultimately, this will allow the “needle” of grassroots organizations to connect with “a thousand threads above” while also penetrating deeply into local society. There is significant practical and theoretical importance in understanding the uniqueness of Chinese-style modernization, and the modernization of rural governance, from the perspective of “social foundations,” but to achieve this Chinese-style modernization we must learn from the West and from China’s own traditional and contemporary experiences.
Peasant Agency and Community Mutual Aid: An Alternative to Capital and Market Dominance
Authors: Li Zhanshuo
Published: February 2024

Formalist legal and economic theories axiomatically assume the “rational economic man” and the “inevitable optimal resource allocation by perfectly competitive markets,” thereby justifying the ownership of corporate entities by the holders of capital assets. Professional cooperatives, guided by this formalist logic, predominantly serve the interests of capitalized large-scale peasants. In contrast, the organizational practices from mutual aid to comprehensive cooperation during the Chinese revolutionary period reveal an alternative possibility diverging from formalist logic. This alternative centers on community-based rationality of small-scale peasant households, promoting agricultural development by enhancing resource use efficiency through community mutual aid among smallholders to meet their collective production and living needs. This substantivist logic, grounded in mutual aid practices, can also provide direction for integrating small-scale peasant households into large markets in the contemporary context.
On Photographic Monumentalism: Nineteenth-century Representations of Architectural and Historical Sites
Authors: Behdad Ali
Published: February 2024

This article addresses the intertwined history of photography and architectural historiography in the nineteenth century. Focusing on European photography of Egyptian antiquity and Palestine’s biblical sites, it elaborates how a commemorative form of historiography deploys photographic images of what came to be known as the “historic monument” to construct notions of patrimony, historical heritage, national identity, and imperial mission. The second part of the essay discusses photographic monumentalism in Qajar, Iran, and Ottoman Turkey as different responses to Orientalist representations of Middle Eastern architecture by Europeans.
The City Objectified: Histories of Common Patterns of Pictorial Renditions
Authors: Shalem Avinoam
Published: February 2024

When was the city visually regarded and depicted as a comprehensive and intact entity?

Going beyond historiographical conventions and temporal boundaries, this study discusses the specific and crucial moments of discovering the image of the city as a whole, its wide-ranging skyline, full profile, and clear outer borders. Thus, histories of the formation of the distant gaze, a sort of visual withdrawal which enabled us to capture the city as a whole – as an object of visual desire – are disclosed, and attention is drawn to the common patterns of these specific pictorial renditions. Likewise, the sense of detachment is exposed when distance moves beyond its denotation of spatial stance and appears related to discovering the historical time of these urban renditions.
Drawing the Isolated Mosque
Authors: Jamaleddine Ziad
Published: February 2024

From the early-nineteenth century onwards, Orientalist visual constructs heavily shaped European depictions and analyses of mosque architecture. Over time, these representations shifted from the Orientalist exoticized scenographic model to the “scientific” language of the orthographic drawing. This article analyzes that process, tracing the evolution of a series of published plan drawings for five historical mosques. Unpacking their authors’ drafting techniques and examining the relationship between the isolation of the drawing and the understanding of the mosque as a timeless monument highlights the gaps of knowledge reproduced within the canonical texts of Islamic architecture and their disciplinary impact.
Rethinking the Friday Mosque: a Critical Enquiry of an Architectural Paradigm
Authors: Kana’an Ruba
Published: February 2024

Questioning the notion of master narratives in the study of architecture, this article explores various histories of the Friday mosque in different geographical and temporal contexts and through the lenses of different schools of religious interpretation. The text presents three case-based examples from ʿAbbasid Baghdad, Mamluk Cairo, and Safavid Isfahan to demonstrate that the pre-modern history of the Friday mosque does not follow a neat chronology. By examining the complex nodes of agencies and associations between the Friday mosque, its patrons and users, and the textual juridical engagements with mosques and prayer, the article demonstrates that the evolution of the Friday mosque was multicentred and asynchronous and always reflecting local religious and political contexts.
The Külliye as Hypotext: a New Reading of Ottoman Imperial Mosques and Tombs
Authors: Avcıoğlu Nebahat
Published: February 2024

This article reflects on Istanbul as a palimpsest city, more specifically, about how architectural typologies, practices, visual tropes and narratives migrate through different contexts in time and space. As a city inherited from the Byzantine Empire, negotiating the intersection of past and present as well as topography and politics has been fundamental to shaping Ottoman Istanbul. The article explores the imperial city through one of its ‘original’ Ottoman structures, the religious and social complex known as külliye, in order to frame its agency, both formal and urbanistic, to reveal not only its extremely rich and imaginative iterations from the conquest of Constantinople to the Tanzimat but also the spatiotemporal relationships between them.
Architecture and Resettler Nationalism: Demographic Engineering during and after the Christian-Muslim Partition of 1923
Authors: Akcan Esra
Published: February 2024

This article theorizes on resettler nationalism while discussing the architectural impacts of partitions and compulsory mass migrations that have drawn the borders of modern countries. It concentrates on the resettling process after the “Exchange of Populations” (Antallagi/Mübadele, 1923) between Greece and Turkey, which was in effect a partition dividing the Christian and Muslim communities of the Ottoman Empire. It argues that the national and international authorities treated land settlement as a top-down demographic engineering device and its architecture as a modern technological enterprise in a post-conflict setting, failing to notice the trauma of mass expulsion. Reading migrant testimonies on both sides of the Aegean Sea and tracing architectural histories from below exposes the contrast between the accounts of state agents and those subject to resettler nationalism. It reconceptualizes partition as the rift between rulers and peoples and not the rift between two communities.
Principals or Agents? How State Education Agencies Build Trust to Balance Support and Accountability in Turnaround Policy Implementation
Authors: Torres A. Chris
Published: February 2024

In recent years, policymakers and scholars argued that state education agencies (SEAs) should move away from simply acting as compliance monitors and take on more prominent roles as providers of technical support to schools and school districts. Scholars find that SEAs have struggled to do so, yet there is little empirical work to explain what SEAs do or why they struggle. This study looks at Michigan's Partnership model for School and District turnaround, which began in 2018 and includes the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as a formal partner in building the capacity of school districts to craft and meet ambitious student learning targets. Analyzing interviews with MDE “liaisons” and turnaround leaders, I find that Partnership leaders reported a deeper sense of trust with the SEA compared to prior years because liaisons were more focused on support and understanding individual school/district contexts. However, supports were generally “passive” (e.g., sending standardized emails with resources/links; helping navigate compliance issues) rather than targeted technical assistance that helped Partnership leaders build capacity. I argue that this was in part due to the SEA's conflicting role as both accountability monitor and technical assistance provider. I show how SEAs navigated this dynamic and provide suggestions for how SEAs can balance district autonomy with support through trust building, ideas of “controlled autonomy,” and “flexible specificity,” which recommends highly specific technical guidance paired with ongoing processes of feedback and experimentation from implementers so that guidance matches context.
Social Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case Study of Selected Public Sector Undertakings
Authors: De Anupam
Published: February 2024

This study analyses the social impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending undertaken by the major Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in India. An attempt has been made to measure the social impact of CSR spending on selected PSUs by taking suitable proxies. A comparative study of the social impact of the selected PSUs with respect to CSR spending has been made by four-quadrant approach, taking high and low CSR spending and high and low social impact after normalising the data. Multiple regression analysis is used to measure the social impacts of different CSR activities. CSR activities have been ranked in terms of their social impact.
Two different controllers-based DPC of the doubly-fed induction generator with real-time implementation on dSPACE 1104 controller board
Authors: Yessef Mourad , Taoussi Mohammed , Benbouhenni Habib , Lagrioui Ahmed , Colak Ilhami , Ameziane Hatim , Majout Btissam , Bossoufi Badre
Published: February 2024

The direct power command (DPC) of the doubly-fed induction generators (DFIG) has garnered increasing attention due to its simplicity, ease of implementation, and fast dynamic response that distinguished it from other controls. Recently, nonlinear controllers have been suggested to improve the DPC robustness, in particular the minimization of the DFIG power fluctuations. In the present research work, two different controls are used to regulate the DFIG power, where the first is a traditional DPC and the second is the DPC based on neural super-twisting algorithm (NSTA) controllers. The NSTA controllers were used instead of hysteresis comparators in the DPC technique, and the pulse width modulation (PWM) technique was used as a suitable solution instead of the switching table to better manage the state of switches and simplify the control system. The proposed controls were investigated and implemented using Matlab software and Dspace 1104 card with different tests to determine the best control. Experimental and simulation results show the good efficiency of the NSTA controller in improving energy and current quality. Also, the comparison is made between both techniques and the other controls in terms of reducing current harmonic distortions and ratios of the DFIG power fluctuations.
Achieving highly accurate cavity thickness measurements in fabric compaction
Authors: Sousa Pedro , Liu Xiao , Lomov Stepan V. , Ivens Jan
Published: February 2024

The compaction of a fabric reinforcement in a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) allows to determine the achievable fiber volume fraction across a wide range of pressures, a valuable information for composite manufacturing. As seen in the first international compressibility benchmark, inaccuracies in the fabric stack thickness measurement, the approach to compliance correction and the non-parallelism between compaction plates resulted in highly inaccurate compression curves. In this paper, the different variability sources affecting indirect thickness methods, based on the machine displacement, and direct methods with laser sensors are presented and its impact on the accuracy is estimated. In conclusion, both thickness measurement methods produced similar results; however, the thickness measured by direct methods experienced more variability due to minor changes in the rig’s displacement or the orientations between plates, combined with other sources of variability such as external interferences or vibrations from the compaction plate which led to variations in measurement precision throughout the tests.
Recreational Nitrous Oxide Dosing and Administration and Its Use in Traffic: An Online Survey
Authors: Vinckenbosch Frederick , Theunissen Eef , Stelling Agnieszka , Goldenbeld Charles , Ramaekers Johannes G.
Published: February 2024

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a popular recreational intoxicant and associated paraphernalia are increasingly being found at road traffic accident scenes in the Netherlands, suggesting that N2O intoxication causally contributes to the occurrence of a significant number of road traffic accidents. However, information on the pharmacodynamics- and kinetic characteristics of recreational N2O use is limited, impeding policy making and enforcement. This investigation aimed to determine a representative dosing method for recreational N2O use and establish a relevant timeframe for assessing psychomotoric functioning in future research. Online survey responses of 511 N2O users revealed that the majority inhaled N2O from party balloons filled with 4–14 L of N2O. Inhalation typically involved a repetitive “rebreathing” technique with 20–30 second breaks every six cycles, or without breaks, for approximately 12 cycles in total. 10.3% of respondents admitted to have inhaled N2O during driving in the past. Driving departure within 1 hour of inhalation was common, providing a relevant timeframe for the investigation of psychomotoric effects of recreational N2O use in future research.
Analysis of Off-The-Wall Smash Shots in Men’s and Women’s Professional Padel
Authors: Martín-Miguel Iván , Muñoz Diego , Escudero-Tena Adrián , Sánchez-Alcaraz Bernardino J.
Published: February 2024

Purpose: our aim was to analyze the characteristics of the off-the-wall smash in men´s and women´s padel, and to compare gender differences in the set-dependent frequency of these shots. Study sample: through systematic observation, we analyzed 441 off-the-wall smashes from the Final Master of the 2022 season of the World Padel Tour. Results: showed that the women performed twice as many off-the-wall smashes as the men. This shot was executed most frequently (90%) from the center and right side of the court and from the dominant side, usually providing volley continuity (73%) and sometimes resulting in point winners (21.5%). Furthermore, there were gender differences, depending on the defense zone from which the wall smashes were defended ( p = .014) and on the final match result ( p = .018). In men’s padel, the losing pair performed more off-the-wall smashes, while in women’s padel, the winning pair performed more of these smashes. Finally, between both genders, most off-the-wall smashes occurred in the first set and decreased in number in the third set, with the second set containing the fewest off-the wall smashes.
Image deblurring by multi-scale modified U-Net using dilated convolution
Authors: Shi Xiao-Pei , Lin Song-Yih , Yang Min-Lang , Huang Chung-Chi , Lee Jen-Chun
Published: February 2024

In modern urban traffic systems, intersection monitoring systems are used to monitor traffic flows and track vehicles by recognizing license plates. However, intersection monitors often produce motion-blurred images because of the rapid movement of cars. If a deep learning network is used for image deblurring, the blurring of the image can be eliminated first, and then the complete vehicle information can be obtained to improve the recognition rate. To restore a dynamic blurred image to a sharp image, this paper proposes a multi-scale modified U-Net image deblurring network using dilated convolution and employs a variable scaling iterative strategy to make the scheme more adaptable to actual blurred images. Multi-scale architecture uses scale changes to learn the characteristics of different scales of images, and the use of dilated convolution can improve the advantages of the receptive field and obtain more information from features without increasing the computational cost. Experimental results are obtained using a synthetic motion-blurred image dataset and a real blurred image dataset for comparison with existing deblurring methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the image deblurring method proposed in this paper has a favorable effect on actual motion-blurred images.
Beyond Conventional Metrics: Alternative Middle-Class Choice among Chinese Homeschooling Families
Authors: Lee Trevor Tsz-lok
Published: February 2024

Sociologists have extensively studied the prevalence of intensive parenting among middle-class families as a response to uncertainties about maintaining their privileged class status. Most studies, however, have focused on traditional school systems, which overlooks the full spectrum of middle-class parenting values and practices, particularly those beyond mainstream schooling. To address this gap, this study explores an alternative middle-class choice for raising and educating children through the lens of Chinese homeschooling. Drawing on in-depth interviews with middle-class parents from 30 Chinese families of school-age children being homeschooled in Taipei and Hong Kong, this study investigates the paradoxes and ambiguities that arose as the parents navigated and negotiated competing values for their children. The findings reveal that the parents mobilised their cultural repertoires to seek a coherent narrative that made sense of and justified their homeschooling goals and practices in the Chinese context.
Simulation and experimental study on transverse nonlinear vibration of axially moving yarn
Authors: Li Yang , Hu Xudong , Peng Laihu , Yuan Yanhong
Published: February 2024

This article focuses on the nonlinear dynamics of transverse vibration of the axially moving yarn system. In this article, the motion of yarn in actual production is analyzed, and the transverse nonlinear vibration equation of the viscoelastic axially moving yarn system with Kelvin model is established by using Newton’s second law. In the modeling process, the viscoelasticity of yarn material and the periodic fluctuation of tension in the process of movement are considered. The partial differential control equations of the system are transformed into ordinary differential equations by the Galerkin method. In the first three modes, when the speed is low, the related trial functions occupy the main part, and with the increase of speed, the trial functions of other orders occupy more proportion in the modal functions. Through numerical analysis, it is found that when the moving yarn is subjected to external excitation, the lateral vibration displacement has an increasing trend, and it is found that the nonlinear dynamic phenomenon alternates with the change of system parameters, such as single periodic motion, double periodic motion, and multiple periodic motion. Finally, an experimental platform for lateral vibration of yarn transmission was built and its working principle introduced. The lateral vibration of axially moving yarn was studied from the experimental point of view. It was proved that there are abundant phenomena of periodic motion, period doubling motion, and chaotic motion in the axially moving yarn system, which provides an experimental reference for theoretical research of lateral nonlinear vibration of axially moving yarn.