bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NORMAL VALUES FOR INNER INTERCANTHAL, INTERPUPILLARY, AND OUTER INTERCANTHAL DISTANCES IN THE INDIAN POPULATION
Authors: Gupta VP , Sodhi PK , Pandey RM
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this study was to establish a set of normal values for inner intercanthal distance (IICD), interpupillary distance (IPD) and outer intercanthal distance (OICD) in a normal Indian population aged 3–80 years and to find whether the difference between the values of these parameters is statistically significant. We also aimed to compute a regression equation for calculating these. Two thousand five hundred clinically normal Indians were enrolled in the study. A millimeter scale was used to measure IPD and IICD. OICD was measured from the bar reading of Hertel's exophthalmometer. Statistical methods were used to calculate the mean and standard deviation values for these parameters. T‐test was applied to determine whether difference between the mean values for these parameters in both sexes was statistically significant or not. A regression equation was also computed to find the values for these parameters in both sexes. The IICD, IPD and OICD ranges for males were 20–36 mm, 46–70 mm and 76–105 mm, and for females 20–36 mm, 46–75 mm and 71–105 mm, respectively. The difference between the mean values for these parameters was statistically significant in some age groups but not in others. Gender did not usually influence the normal values for IICD, IPD and OICD in the Indian population. The normal values of these parameters were usually lower than those observed for other races. A knowledge of normal values in this population subgroup can help in studying orbito‐cranial growth patterns, syndrome diagnosis, surgical management of cranio‐facial deformities and trauma, and manufacture of spectacles.
INFLAMMATION AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Authors: Gupta A , Pansari K
Published: April 2023

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is classified mainly as a neurodegenerative disease. Recent research, however, has shown that inflammatory mechanisms are also associated with AD and that they could have a role in contributing to the pathogenesis of this disease. The evidence is based on histopathological brain studies, laboratory studies of peripheral inflammation and the fact that certain anti‐inflammatory drugs could modify the course of AD. There is wide scope for further research using anti‐inflammatory therapies in the prevention/treatment of AD, thereby reducing the burden of this widely prevalent condition in the community.
HOW TO USE PSA TO SCREEN FOR PROSTATE CANCER
Authors: Little B , Young M
Published: April 2023

Prostate cancer screening of asymptomatic men is not recommended by the National Screening Council at present and is not encouraged in the NHS. A number of randomised controlled trials are under way to establish the place of routine screening of asymptomatic men. We report the possible practice of prostate cancer screening with reference to the appropriate age range for screening, how to screen for prostate cancer and how often, and what constitutes an abnormal result that would merit referral to a urologist for a prostate biopsy.
ABCIXIMAB AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE: USE IN PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION, ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES AND ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION
Authors: Gum PA , Lincoff AM
Published: April 2023

Abciximab irreversibly binds to the glycoprotein llb/llla receptor on both activated and unactivated platelets inhibiting platelet aggregation. It has been studied in a variety of clinical settings including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, and non ST‐elevation acute coronary syndromes. Abciximab has been demonstrated to reduce acute ischaemic events in the setting of percutaneous intervention with both percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasy and stenting. It has been shown to be particularly effective when used in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI. The data for its effective use in the medical phase of therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes, however, is not as consistent. In this article we review the major trials evaluating the use of abciximab in these clinical scenarios compared with placebo and alternative glycoprotein llb/llla inhibitors.
NEOADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY IN ANORECTAL MALIGNANT MELANOMA
Authors: Üner A , Kilic D , Mentes BB , Egehan I , Dursun A
Published: April 2023

Primary anorectal malignant melanoma is a rare neoplasm that carries a poor prognosis with a high metastatic potential. A case of a 60‐year‐old male who was admitted to the emergency service with signs of colonic obstruction forced us to reconsider diagnostic and therapeutic implications in anorectal melanoma. Following urgent decompression with laparoscopic sigmoid loop colostomy, the patient was treated with preoperative radiotherapy and local excision. He has since been free of disease for 30 months. The previously published reports are reviewed and the current therapeutic options are discussed.
LATE COLONIC OBSTRUCTION AFTER BARIUM MEAL EXAMINATION IN A MYXOEDEMATOUS PATIENT
Authors: Kounis NG , Zavras GM , Papadaki PJ , Kouni SN , Batsolaki M , Gouvelou‐Deligianni GV , Mallioris CN , Artinopoulos CJ , Feretis A , Koutsojannis CM
Published: April 2023

A case in which inspissated barium was retained and produced sigmoid obstruction after one year is described. The patient was elderly and myxoedematous. Prolonged retention of barium producing a bowel obstruction requiring surgery is a rare complication and, to our knowledge, is only the second case described in which the symptoms of obstruction appeared so late after the examination.
Deformation behaviors and fracture strength of β$\ubeta$‐Si3N4 single crystals
Authors: Tanabe Mami , Tatami Junichi , Iijima Motoyuki , Yahagi Tsukaho , Takahashi Takuma , Nakano Hiromi , Ohji Tatsuki
Published: April 2023

In this study, the yield stress and fracture strength of ‐Si3N4 single crystals were directly measured by bending tests of microcantilever beam specimens that were prepared by a focused ion beam method. The ‐Si3N4 single crystals were plastically deformed at room temperature under high bending stress, and the yield stress depended on the crystal orientation. Transmission electron microscopy observation of the specimens after bending tests indicates that the plastic deformation resulted from dislocations in the primary slip system <0001>, and the critical resolved shear stress of this slip system determined from the yield stress was 1.34 GPa. The fracture strength of ‐Si3N4 single crystals ranged approximately up to 20 GPa, depending on the crystal orientation as with the yield stress. The fracture behavior of ‐Si3N4 single crystals was discussed in terms of the accumulation of dislocations.
Line‐field confocal optical coherence tomography of cutaneous vascular lesions: Morphological assessment and histopathological correlations
Authors: Cappilli S. , Suppa M. , Ricci C. , del Marmol V. , Peris K. , Di Stefani A.
Published: April 2023

Background

Cutaneous vascular lesions (VLs) are benign or malignant processes involving blood and/or lymphatic vessels, usually readily diagnosed with dermoscopy. However, cases showing unclear clinical/dermoscopic findings may require further investigations. Line‐field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC‐OCT) is a new, non‐invasive imaging technique displaying high resolution and deep penetration. The aim of this study was to describe the LC‐OCT features of the most common benign and malignant VLs and to correlate them with histopathological substrates.

Methods

Clinical, dermoscopic, LC‐OCT and histopathological images of VLs were retrospectively collected. Detailed LC‐OCT description and histopathological correlations were produced for different types of VLs.

Results

The study included 71 VLs belonging to 50 caucasian patients [31 (62%) females; median age 56.8 (30–83) years] study lesions included 25 cherry haemangiomas, 15 angiokeratomas, 10 thrombosed haemangiomas, six pyogenic granulomas, five venous lakes, four targetoid haemosiderotic haemangiomas, four Kaposi's sarcomas and two extraungual glomus tumours. LC‐OCT detected increased dermal vascularity, assuming different size and shape according to the particular type of VLs. LC‐OCT criteria correlated well to established histopathologic findings.

Conclusion

The results of our preliminary observations indicate that in vivo evaluation with LC‐OCT may provide practical clues for the identification of the vascular nature of a lesion and its differential diagnosis.
The prevalence of anxiety disorders in dermatology outpatients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Storer B. , Kershaw K. A. , Braund T. A. , Chakouch C. , Coleshill M. J. , Haffar S. , Harvey S. , Newby J. , Sicouri G. , Murphy M.
Published: April 2023

Anxiety is common in those with medical conditions and has significant impacts on mental well‐being as well as physical health outcomes. While several systematic reviews have examined the prevalence of anxiety in specific dermatological conditions, no reviews have examined the prevalence across the entire dermatology outpatient setting. This systematic review aims to provide an overview to dermatologists of the prevalence of, and trends in, anxiety in their outpatient clinics. As such, prevalence of anxiety in dermatology outpatient clinics was examined, and variations across type of anxiety and dermatological conditions were assessed. A search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and PsycINFO was conducted for studies that assessed anxiety prevalence in dermatology outpatients, with the last search conducted on 7 September 2022. Results underwent title/abstract and full‐text screening, followed by data extraction. Studies of patients 16 years and older and representative of dermatology clinics were included. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Meta‐analysis was conducted using CMA software, and subgroup analysis was conducted on relevant variables. 5423 studies were identified, and 32 included, with a total n = 12,812 participants. Under the random effects model, prevalence was estimated at 26.7% (95%CI 22.4–31.4; 95%PI 9.7–55.4). Subgroup analysis revealed a higher prevalence among studies of psoriasis patients than general dermatology studies. Estimates of prevalence were higher when assessed via self‐report screening than diagnostic interview. Anxiety occurred frequently among dermatology outpatients, especially psoriasis outpatients, at a higher rate than common estimates of prevalence in the general population. Given the effect of anxiety on patient outcomes and well‐being, dermatologists are encouraged to consider how anxiety may impact patients in their clinic, and how they can best identify patients with anxiety and subsequently support them.
Bleaching techniques impact on some quality parameters in two different cold‐pressed oils obtained at farm scale
Authors: Ferfuia Claudio , Zuliani Fabio , Piani Barbara , Costa Luisa Dalla , Corazzin Mirco , Turi Maurizio , Baldini Mario
Published: April 2023

The consumption of cold‐pressed oil, such as linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) oil has increased recently. In these oils obtained on the farm, a large number of components able to affect oil quality (mainly chlorophylls) are present. Given this, an experiment was conducted with the following aims: (1) to compare different bleaching methods by applying ultrasound waves and earths in cold‐pressed hempseed and linseed oils and (2) to evaluate the effect of different types (acid‐activated and natural) and amount (2% and 4%) of earths with different processing temperatures (60 and 80°C) in hempseed oil, utilizing a bleaching method with earths alone. Regarding the linseed oil, any bleaching methodologies adopted must not include ultrasound treatment, as the high temperatures reached determine high levels of oxidation to the detriment of the oil. Concerning the hemp oil, the natural earths, especially at farm level, should be preferred, because in addition to removing chlorophyll satisfactorily, when used at 4% even at the lowest temperature (60°C), an improvement of the stability and nutritional value (Vit. E) of the oil was observed.

Practical applications

The use of ultrasound, applied together with bleaching earths, is considered an interesting and efficient bleaching method, in order to remove several pigments able to affect quality of many vegetable oils, with the exception of linseed oil. In fact, the use of ultrasound during the bleaching process determines a high oil temperature (120°C) and this, in an oil such as that of linseed characterized by a very high percentage (> 55%) of α‐linolenic acid, negatively affects the oil stability by the formation of high quantity of primary oxidation products, evidenced by very high peroxide values. In the bleaching activity carried out at farm level in particular, natural earths should be preferred to the acid‐activated ones. The latter, despite demonstrating an effective bleaching efficiency for few specific pigments, could increase the level of free fatty acids, reduce the antioxidant compounds (tocopherols) naturally present, and release undesirable contaminants in the oil.
Reticuloendothelial activation and phenotypic alteration of peripheral monocytes with enhanced liver recruitment drive liver injury secondary to yellow phosphorus
Authors: Vijayalekshmi Balakrishnan , Choudhary Anita , Alexander Vijay , Prabhu Savit B , Sharma Anand , Balasubramanian Kunissery A , Zachariah Uday , Eapen Chundamannil E , Goel Ashish
Published: April 2023

Background and Aim

Monocytes and macrophages play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acute liver failure (ALF). We aimed to study reticuloendothelial activation and its correlation with disease severity in commonly encountered yellow phosphorus (rodenticide)‐induced hepatotoxicity patients. We also studied peripheral monocyte phenotype in a subset of patients.

Methods

Reticuloendothelial activation markers were analyzed and correlated with disease severity score in a prospectively collected database of yellow phosphorus‐related hepatoxicity patients between 2018 and 2021. In a prospective cohort of these patients and age‐matched healthy controls, peripheral blood monocyte phenotyping was performed.

Results

Reticuloendothelial activation markers were analyzed in 67 patients [Age: 23(12–64) years; median (range), men: 25, acute liver injury (ALI): 38, ALF: 29, model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) score: 28 (7–40)] of yellow phosphorus‐induced hepatotoxicity. Serum ferritin (927; 10.3–34 807 ng/mL), sCD163 (4.59; 0.11–12.7 μg/mL), sCD25 (3050; 5.6–17 300 pg/mL) and plasma von Willebrand factor (423.5, 103–1106 IU/dL) were increased and showed significant correlation with liver disease severity assessed by MELD score (ρ = 0.29, ρ = 0.6, ρ = 0.56 and ρ = 0.46 respectively).

Phenotyping and serum immune markers were performed in seven patients (M: 4; age: 27, 15–37 years; median, range; MELD score: 36, 21–40) and compared with eight healthy controls. Increase in classical monocytes and decrease in patrolling and intermediate monocyte subsets were observed in ALF cohort. HLA‐DRlowCD163hi (immune exhaustion), CD64hi (immune complex‐mediated response), and CCR2hi (liver homing) monocyte phenotype was noted.

Conclusion

Altered peripheral monocyte phenotype with enhanced liver homing and macrophage activation, suggests important role of innate immune activation, and provides a potential therapeutic target, in yellow phosphorus‐induced hepatotoxicity.
An updated classification for the hyper‐diverse genusCorydalis(Papaveraceae: Fumarioideae) based on phylogenomic and morphological evidence
Authors: Chen Jun‐Tong , Lidén Magnus , Huang Xian‐Han , Zhang Liang , Zhang Xin‐Jian , Kuang Tian‐Hui , Landis Jacob B. , Wang Dong , Deng Tao , Sun Hang
Published: April 2023

The genusCorydalis, with ca. 530 species, has long been considered taxonomically challenging because of its great variability. Previous molecular analyses, based on a few molecular markers and incomplete taxonomic sampling, were clearly inadequate to delimit sections and subgenera. We have performed phylogenetic analyses ofCorydalisand related taxa, using 65 shared protein‐coding plastid genes from 313 accessions (including 280 samples of ca. 226 species ofCorydalis) and 152 universal low‐copy nuclear genes from 296 accessions (including 271 samples ofCorydalis) covering all 42 previously recognized sections and five independent “series”. Phylogenetic trees were inferred using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood. Eight selected morphological characters were estimated using ancestral state reconstructions. Results include: (i) of the three subgenera ofCorydalis, two are fully supported by both the plastid and nuclear data; the third, subg.Cremnocapnos, is weakly supported by plastid DNA only, whereas in the nuclear data the two included sections form successive outgroups to the rest of the genus; (ii) among all 42 sections and five “series”, 25 sections and one “series” are resolved as monophyletic in both data sets; (iii) the common ancestor ofCorydalisis likely to be a perennial plant with a taproot, yellow flowers with a short saccate spur, linear fruits with recurved fruiting pedicels, and seeds with elaiosomes; (iv) we provide a new classification ofCorydaliswith four subgenera (of which subg.Bipapillataeis here newly described), 39 sections, 16 of which are consistent with the previous classification, 16 sections have been recircumscribed, one section has been reinstated and six new sections are established. Characters associated with lifespan, underground structures, floral spur, fruit and elaiosomes are important for the recognition of subgenera and sections. These new phylogenetic analyses combined with ancestral character reconstructions uncovered previously unrecognized relationships, and greatly improved our understanding of the evolution of the genus.
Consistency matters: Exploring the different roles of climate variability on collective turnover
Authors: Iwai Tatiana , Bortoluzzo Adriana Bruscato , Story Joana
Published: April 2023

Research on climate has been explored from multiple perspectives over the years. It is generally agreed that global climate (the mean value of the climate ratings of individual members) is positively related to many important individual and organizational outcomes. However, having a positive global climate is not enough. The level of variability in climate dimensions ratings also matters as it could influence how employees appraise their work environment. In this study, we explored the different roles of climate variability, defined as the level of dispersion across climate dimensions, to explain collective turnover. Drawing on signalling theory, we tested the direct and moderating effects of climate variability on collective turnover using a large and heterogeneous database composed of 25,288 individuals from 150 small‐sized to large organizations in different industries. After controlling for global climate, we found that climate variability had a curvilinear association with collective turnover. Although lower levels of climate variability had milder effects on collective turnover, moderate to higher levels of climate variability were associated with higher collective turnover rates. Moreover, climate variability also played a moderating role in the relationship between global climate and collective turnover such that a higher level of climate variability impaired the beneficial effects of a positive global climate on collective turnover. Implications for theory, practice and future research are discussed.
Explainable probabilistic deep learning framework for seismic assessment of structures using distribution‐free prediction intervals
Authors: Noureldin Mohamed , Abuhmed Tamer , Saygi Melike , Kim Jinkoo
Published: April 2023

A new probabilistic framework is proposed for providing a distribution‐free prediction interval (PI) of seismic responses required for various earthquake engineering applications. The framework overcomes the limitation of point prediction models and avoids the complexity of traditional probabilistic methods. The framework utilizes a few assumptions of probability distributions and requires no prior assumed statistical distribution for the PI. Ensemble probabilistic deep learning models (DLMs) are used to provide quality‐driven PIs of seismic responses for low‐ to mid‐rise buildings with limited irregularity. Considering these systems and ground motions with the aid of Monte Carlo simulation and nonlinear time‐history analysis (NLTHA), huge datasets are generated for training. To have an insight into the probabilistic DLM, explainable artificial intelligence techniques are used. The superiority of the proposed framework in quantifying uncertainties is validated by comparison with the conventional Bayesian method. In addition, its applicability is investigated by providing bounds of seismic fragility curves, life cycle cost, and resilience index obtained by NLTHA for a benchmark case study model. The results showed that the proposed framework is robust and outperforms the conventional Bayesian method in uncertainty quantification for the considered dataset.
Building a community‐centered archive for Cherokee language description, documentation, and reclamation
Authors: Snead Taylor , Cushman Ellen
Published: April 2023

In light of recent calls for decolonial approaches to Indigenous language learning, documentation, and reclamation, we describe the creation of a digital archive initiated and sustained by community collaboration. We work with members of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes to translate and analyze Cherokee texts. Cherokee speakers participate in the narrative commentary around these previously dormant texts. We find three ways in which a digital archive can be leveraged for language reclamation, description, and documentation, while being initiated and sustained by community collaboration: (a) by developing collaborative translation environments across communities of users, (b) by developing software engineering methods to build reliable infrastructure for the archive, and (c) by creating collaborative workflows that center community practices and design insights. Translating historically dormant texts for this archive creates a use‐inspired language act central to language description, documentation, and reclamation. The collective translation process of building this digital archive provides a sense of continuity that grounds language learning in use‐inspired practices. Going forward, we will continue to center speaker and community‐use‐inspired language practice as we expand the archive to support more types of community contributions and other languages.
Phospholipase C: Diverse functions in plant biotic stress resistance and fungal pathogenicity
Authors: Fang Yuanpeng , Jiang Junmei , Ding Haixia , Li Xiangyang , Xie Xin
Published: April 2023

Phospholipase C (PLC) generates various second messenger molecules and mediates phospholipid hydrolysis. In recent years, the important roles of plant and fungal PLC in disease resistance and pathogenicity, respectively, have been determined. However, the roles of PLC in plants and fungi are unintegrated and relevant literature is disorganized. This makes it difficult for researchers to implement PLC‐based strategies to improve disease resistance in plants. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the structure, classification, and phylogeny of the PLCs involved in plant biotic stress resistance and fungal pathogenicity. PLCs can be divided into two groups, nonspecific PLC (NPC) and phosphatidylinositol‐specific PLC (PI‐PLC), which present marked differences in phylogenetic evolution. The products of PLC genes in fungi play significant roles in physiological activity and pathogenesis, whereas those encoded by plant PLC genes mediate the immune response to fungi. This review provides a perspective for the future control of plant fungal diseases.
Promoting Citizens' willingness to participate in coproduction in public service through information frames
Authors: Wang Yan , Zhang Jinfeng
Published: April 2023

Public service provision reform widely calls for coproduction. Based on the framing effect theory, we took waste sorting as a research context and explored the effects of goal frames and temporal frames on citizens' willingness to participate in coproduction through two between‐subject survey experiments. We found that citizens' participation willingness was significantly increased when using goal frames or temporal frames. Furthermore, compared with gain frames, the effect of loss frames on citizens' willingness was significantly stronger, whereas the difference in the effect of present‐oriented frames and future‐oriented frames was not significant. When the information was constructed by combining loss frames and present‐oriented frames, citizens' willingness reached the highest level among the four combinations. This study has implications for nudging coproduction by information frames and implies that presenting the loss‐framed information in present‐oriented frames can maximally promote citizens' willingness to participate in coproduction.
The Teen‐Age Program: The expansion of a US government experiment in international education from postwar Germany and Austria to the early Cold War world
Authors: Fett Anna
Published: April 2023

This article examines the Teen‐Age Program, an international academic exchange program for high‐school‐age students established by the US government in 1949. Relying on dominant American child development theories, the officials who designed this program believed that all secondary school students, anywhere in the world, underwent the same critical period of psychological development during their acutely malleable teen years. They also claimed that all high school‐age students required adequate parental supervision to ensure that they developed well‐adjusted “democratic” personalities during this intense transitional phase from childhood to adulthood. Fearing the influence of what were considered to be authoritarian childrearing practices on secondary students in postwar occupied Germany and Austria, planners designed this exchange program to give select German and Austrian teenagers a chance to experience the American way of democratic living for themselves, by letting American sponsor parents raise these foreign young people as members of their own families for a full academic year. Believing the program was a success by the mid‐1950s, planners decided to expand it to target other secondary school students from world regions of geopolitical interest in the fight against Soviet Communism.
Attentional biases toward auditory weight‐related information among females with weight dissatisfaction
Authors: Chen Yixuan , Leng Xuechen , Yao Jiayi , Chen Tingji , Liao Yu , Jiang Yiyao , Feng Chengzhi , Feng Wenfeng
Published: April 2023

Although there is substantial evidence of visual attentional biases in processing weight‐related information among individuals with weight dissatisfaction, few studies have examined auditory attentional biases in these individuals. The identification of attentional biases may provide an impetus for interventions to reduce distress, negative body image, and pathological eating patterns among weight‐dissatisfied individuals. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the attentional biases, as well as the neural consequences, toward auditory weight‐related information among weight‐dissatisfied young females. In this experiment, young female participants were assigned to an experimental group with high weight dissatisfaction (HWD) and a control group with low weight dissatisfaction (LWD) according to the levels of weight dissatisfaction. Using a spatial cueing paradigm, auditory fatness‐related, thinness‐related, and neutral household words were presented laterally as cue stimuli, followed by visual stimuli presented at either the cued or uncued location. The results revealed that auditory fatness‐related words elicited significantly larger N2ac amplitudes than auditory thinness‐related and neutral words in the HWD group. However, for the LWD group, thinness‐related words elicited a significantly larger N2ac than fatness‐related and neutral words. These results suggest an orienting attentional bias toward auditory fatness‐related body words among females with HWD and an orienting attentional bias toward auditory thinness‐related words among females with LWD.
Ruth Barcan Marcus and Minimal Essentialism
Authors: Leech Jessica
Published: April 2023

Since the publication of Kit Fine's “Essence and Modality”, there has been lively debate over how best to think of essence in relation to necessity. The present aim is to draw attention to a definition of essence in terms of modality that has not been given sufficient attention. This neglect is perhaps unsurprising, since it is not a proposal made in response to Fine's 1994 paper and ensuing discussion, but harks back to Ruth Barcan Marcus's earlier work in the 1960s and 1970s on essentialist claims. At the core of Barcan Marcus's account is Minimal Essentialism, of which there are several extensions, in particular, for cases of referential predicates (such as “x is identical to Socrates”), Individuating Essentialism, and Aristotelian Essentialism. I argue that Minimal Essentialism fares favourably against a host of familiar examples. I close with some historical observations, that the distinction between essence and necessity was already commonplace in the early days of quantified modal logic and its philosophy.
A Socratic essentialist defense of non‐verbal definitional disputes
Authors: Koslicki Kathrin , Massin Olivier
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we argue that, in order to account for the apparently substantive nature of definitional disputes, a commitment to what we call ‘Socratic essentialism’ is needed. We defend Socratic essentialism against a prominent neo‐Carnapian challenge according to which apparently substantive definitional disputes always in some way trace back to disagreements over how expressions belonging to a particular language or concepts belonging to a certain conceptual scheme are properly used. Socratic essentialism, we argue, is not threatened by the possibility that some apparently substantive definitional disputes may turn out to be verbal or conceptual, since this pluralist strategy, in our view, requires a commitment to more, rather than fewer, essences. What is more, a deflationary, metaphysically ‘light‐weight’ construal of the essence‐ascriptions in question leads to a peculiar conception of the pursuit of metaphysicians as behaving like deceptive (or self‐deceived) grammarians pretending to be scientists. Moreover, this deflationary attitude, we argue, spreads beyond metaphysics and philosophy more broadly to apparently substantive definitional disputes in the sciences as well as other in other disciplines, such as art criticism.
Operation Friendship: Soviet and British Pen‐Pals Discuss War, Work, and Womanhood
Authors: Peri Alexis
Published: April 2023

During World War II, the British and Soviet governments permitted more personal contact between their citizens in hope that they would develop feelings of goodwill and become more supportive of their Alliance. This article examines the wartime correspondence exchanged between women of Britain and the Soviet Union as well as between two organizations, which facilitated their interactions. Participants from both countries used personal and gendered language to frame the Alliance and their contributions to it. Despite their ideological and political differences, the participants found common ground by focusing on their shared experiences as mothers, wives, and workers as well as by stressing a model of womanhood, which contained both radical and traditional elements. They combined essentializing concepts of femininity, which emphasized women’s maternalism and vulnerability, with arguments for women’s empowerment, based on their ability to change state policies and overcome gender inequities. The two committees that facilitated the exchanges wielded this feminine ideal to bolster the Alliance as well as to advance their own institutional agendas. Ultimately, these conversations shed light on: popular participation in the Anglo‐Soviet alliance, the power of emotion to forge political ties, and how womanhood was conceptualized and put in service of military and political goals.
The Many Nationalities of Tamara Khanum: Friendship of the Peoples at Home, Abroad, and Within
Authors: Shaw Charles D.
Published: April 2023

Inspired by scholarship on empire and historical biography, this article examines the life of Soviet entertainer Tamara Khanum (1906–91) and her formation as a socialist intermediary. First, it considers how an ethnic Armenian born in the Uzbek SSR came to represent an image of liberated Eastern femininity to domestic audiences. Then it considers her genre of song, dance, and costume of various nationalities as a technology of Soviet cultural politics, suited to mediate interethnic harmony at home and as a weapon of Cold War cultural diplomacy. It proposes her genre as a linking strand between various eras of Soviet internationalism, helping to define a distinctive emotional dimension to Soviet Central Asia’s role as model for the Third World. Integrating autobiographical, biographical, and archival sources, the article contends that one of the byproducts of a career spent facilitating interethnic connection was Khanum’s adoption of firm but heterodox convictions on nationality and the Soviet doctrine of Friendship of the Peoples.
Left partisan politics and pension privatisation at the crossroads of political legacy and contemporary politics (1980–2017)
Authors: Doctrinal Laure
Published: April 2023

Pension reforms undertaken by affluent OECD countries in recent decades have resulted in substantial changes in the balance of public and private pension provision, characterised as a growing privatisation of old‐age incomes. However, research on the political determinants of this trend remains limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the political determinants of pension privatisation, and to bring partisan politics back into the theoretical framework of pension reforms. The focus is on left government strength, and a distinction is made between left government historical legacy and contemporary left government strength. Time‐series cross‐sectional regressions of pension privatisation on left government strength are performed, analysing 17 OECD countries during the period 1980–2017. The results show that partisan politics matter for pension privatisation, despite structural constraints imposed by demographic and economic factors. Left government historical legacy is associated with less privatisation compared to right and/or centre government historical legacy. Left government legacy also shapes the role of contemporary politics, as contemporary left parties in government tend to privatise less in the context of historically strong left parties in government.
Developmental regulation and physical interaction among enzymes involved in sorgoleone biosynthesis
Authors: Maharjan Bal , Vitha Stanislav , Okumoto Sakiko
Published: April 2023

Ammonium in the soil is converted into nitrate by nitrifying bacteria or archaea. While nitrate is readily available for plants, it is prone to leaching and contributes to eutrophication. In addition, when the soil conditions become anaerobic, nitrate can be reduced to nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Therefore, slowing nitrification in agricultural soil offers some benefits by reducing nitrogen loss and decreasing water and air pollution. Since nitrogen is a limiting nutrient for most ecological niches, many plants have evolved specialized compounds that reduce nitrification. One such compound, sorgoleone, which is secreted from the root hair of sorghum, has been relatively well studied due to its allelopathic function, with most enzymes involved in its biosynthesis elucidated. However, the secretion mechanisms remain unknown. Previous studies reported numerous lipidic vesicles in the sorghum root hair and speculated that they are involved in sorgoleone storage or secretion, but their roles remain unclear. Also, the subcellular organelles that are involved in sorgoleone synthesis have not been identified. In the present study, we found that the expression of sorgoleone biosynthesis enzymes is induced in a specific root zone, indicating that the secretion is developmentally regulated. The accumulation of internal vesicles preceded the peak of sorgoleone biosynthesis and secretion, indicating that the vesicles play a role in precursor storage rather than secretion. Moreover, our data suggest that enzymes that catalyze the first three steps, SbDES2, SbDES3, and SbARS1, interact with each other to form a multi‐enzyme complex on the endoplasmic reticulum surface.
Dificultades en la prevención del cáncer cervicouterino: discurso de las mujeres quilombolas
Authors: Gonçalves De Souza Thais , Pereira Alves Beatriz , Lira da Silva Anna Beatryz , Alves Barbalho Isabela Lunara , de Abreu Temoteo Rayrla Cristina , Costa Fernandes Marcelo
Published: April 2023

Resumen
Introducción: se observa que la población negra es más vulnerable frente a algunas enfermedades por cuestiones genéticas, ambientales, económicas y sociales. En la salud de la mujer negra se evidencia la necesidad de una mayor atención al desarrollo del cáncer de cuello uterino. Objetivo: identificar las dificultades en la prevención del cáncer de cuello uterino desde el discurso de las mujeres quilombolas. Método: investigación descriptiva con enfoque cualitativo, mediada por la metodología de investigación acción, realizada en la comunidad quilombola remanente denominada Os Quarenta, ubicada en la ciudad de Triunfo, Paraíba, Brasil, en 2019. Resultados: se constató en los discursos de las participantes, dos ideas centrales sobre los problemas o dificultades que impiden el diagnóstico precoz del cáncer de cuello uterino: la vergüenza como obstáculo para la práctica del examen preventivo y la auto negligencia como factor determinante en la ausencia de demanda de servicios de salud. Conclusiones: se advierte que al insertar información de salud es importante tener en cuenta los factores sociales y culturales de la comunidad para adecuar las prácticas de acuerdo con las representaciones sobre el tema.
Archival Research in Sport Management: A Review for Research Methods Courses
Authors: Demiris Tiffany , Seifried Chad
Published: April 2023

The present study aimed to explain archival research and demonstrate its relevance as a distinct research method to include in sport management research methods course instruction. The current essay implicitly shows how archival research can complement other research methods and possibly improve upon their limitations. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that training in archival research can offer skills to students who might pursue employment in the sport industry. The review outlines what archival research is. Next, the various limitations and considerations to aid course instructors and subsequently researcher or practitioner comprehension are provided. Finally, the paper offers a guide for approaching physical archives and outlines expectations for archival research. Techniques necessary for analyzing information gleaned from archival research are presented and explained along with sample course assignments that are available to not only research methods classes but also potentially other coursework.
Journaling as Contemplative Practice for Sport Management Education
Authors: Clevenger Samuel M. , DeLuca Jaime R.
Published: April 2023

Journaling assignments are generative practices for the sport management classroom because they can help students process course content through self-reflection and relate their acquired knowledge to their experiences and worldviews. This essay presents journaling as an example of contemplative pedagogy, an educational technique that supports the development of skills in mindful self-awareness, as well as the translation of course content to practical knowledge through calm and creative expression. The essay outlines the practical implementation of contemplative journaling in undergraduate courses and contends that it is a useful pedagogical tool for the sport management classroom, particularly in helping students engage with topics concerning social justice and inequalities in the industry.
The Response of Corporate Innovation to Climate Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from China
Authors: Zhu Ning , Zhang Xiao , Ren Xiaohang , Wang Lan
Published: April 2023

As the climate change risks’ effects on social development increase, how to deal with these challenges has become extremely urgent, and it is necessary for companies to adapt to the changing circumstances. This paper estimates the impact of climate policy uncertainty on corporate innovation using unbalanced panel data with 2,449 listed companies from 2009 to 2020. The findings show a significant positive correlation between climate policy uncertainty and corporate innovation investment. Specially, two possible mechanisms are explored. Government environmental regulations force companies to produce cleanly. Optimistic market expectations encourage firms to shift to a green development model. Further, the renewable energy industry and state-owned enterprises’ powers of innovation are more robust. Jointly, our findings offer the government a clear direction for policy making by identifying the effects of climate policy uncertainty on corporate innovation.
Evaluating the Pertinence of Pose Estimation model for Sign Language Translation
Authors: Amrutha K. , Prabu P.
Published: April 2023

Sign Language is the natural language used by a community that is hearing impaired. It is necessary to convert this language to a commonly understandable form as it is used by a comparatively small part of society. The automatic Sign Language interpreters can convert the signs into text or audio by interpreting the hand movements and the corresponding facial expression. These two modalities work in tandem to give complete meaning to each word. In verbal communication, emotions can be conveyed by changing the tone and pitch of the voice, but in sign language, emotions are expressed using nonmanual movements that include body posture and facial muscle movements. Each such subtle moment should be considered as a feature and extracted using different models. This paper proposes three different models that can be used for varying levels of sign language. The first test was carried out using the Convex Hull-based Sign Language Recognition (SLR) finger spelling sign language, next using a Convolution Neural Network-based Sign Language Recognition (CNN-SLR) for fingerspelling sign language, and finally pose-based SLR for word-level sign language. The experiments show that the pose-based SLR model that captures features using landmark or key points has better SLR accuracy than Convex Hull and CNN-based SLR models.
A New Multi-objective Hybrid Gene Selection Algorithm for Tumor Classification Based on Microarray Gene Expression Data
Authors: Li Min , Wu Bangyu , Deng Shaobo , Lou Mingzhu
Published: April 2023

Tumor classification based on microarray gene expression data is easy to fall into overfitting because such data are composed of many irrelevant, redundant, and noisy genes. Traditional gene selection methods cannot achieve satisfactory classification results. In this study, we propose a novel multi-target hybrid gene selection method named RMOGA (ReliefF Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm), which aims to select a few genes and obtain good tumor recognition accuracy. RMOGA consists of two phases. Firstly, ReliefF is used to select the top 5% subset of genes from the original datasets. Secondly, a multi-objective genetic algorithm searches for the optimal gene subset from the gene subset obtained by the ReliefF method. To verify the validity of RMOGA, we conducted extensive experiments on 11 available microarray datasets and compared the proposed method with other previous methods. Two classical classifiers including Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine were used to measure the classification performance of all comparison methods. Experimental results show that the RMOGA algorithm can yield significantly better results than previous state-of-the-art methods in terms of classification accuracy and the number of selected genes.
A Systematic Review on Electrospun Polymer Nanocomposites Used for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Uma Maheshwari Subramanian , Govindan Kadarkarai , Illakkiam Devaraj
Published: April 2023

Trauma, disease and various pathological conditions of bone may lead to the need of bone grafts and their substitutes to the affected patients. Bone grafting is a surgical process that repairs, rebuilds or replaces the lost bone. The main function of bone grafts is to induce osteoconduction, osteoinduction and osteogenesis along with providing the structural support for adherence and proliferation of bone cells at the implanted site. Bone grafts are available in a variety of substances broadly categorized into natural and synthetic grafts. The gold standard is autografts, where the bone from a person’s own body is used for implant. Other than autogenous grafts, allografts, xenografts and various isolated or polymer composites of calcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate and hydroxyapatite are available. Zeroing in on an ideal bone graft for a specific clinical situation is a surmounting task as all grafts do not have the same properties. Hence, this review presents a deep study on the history of bone developments in the field of tissue engineering. It presents a thorough account on the natural and synthetic biodegradable electrospun polymers used for scaffolding purpose to engineer the bone.
CLEF. A Linked Open Data Native System for Crowdsourcing
Authors: Daquino Marilena , Wigham Mari , Daga Enrico , Giagnolini Lucia , Tomasi Francesca
Published: April 2023

Collaborative data collection initiatives are increasingly becoming pivotal to cultural institutions and scholars, to boost the population of born-digital archives. For over a decade, organisations have been leveraging Semantic Web technologies to design their workflows, ensure data quality, and a means for sharing and reusing (Linked Data). Crucially, scholarly projects that leverage cultural heritage data to collaboratively develop new resources would benefit from agile solutions to simplify the Linked Data production workflow via user-friendly interfaces. To date, only a few pioneers have abandoned legacy cataloguing and archiving systems to fully embrace the Linked Open Data (LOD) paradigm and manage their catalogues or research products through LOD-native management systems. In this article we present
Crowdsourcing Linked Entities via web Form (CLEF)
, an agile LOD-native platform for collaborative data collection, peer-review, and publication. We detail design choices as motivated by two case studies, from the Cultural Heritage and scholarly domains respectively, and we discuss benefits of our solution in the light of prior works. In particular, the strong focus on user-friendly interfaces for producing FAIR data, the provenance-aware editorial process, and the integration with consolidated data management workflows, distinguish CLEF as a novel attempt to develop Linked Data platforms for cultural heritage.