bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solid wood impregnated with a bio-based phase change material for low temperature energy storage in building application
Authors: Nazari Meysam , Jebrane Mohamed , Terziev Nasko
Published: March 2022

Wood impregnated with a multicomponent mixture of fatty acids as a bio-based phase change material (BPCM) to improve its thermal characteristics was studied. The studied wood/BPCM composites can be used as internal elements in buildings for energy storage. Scots pine and beech sapwood were impregnated with a multicomponent mixture of linoleic acid and coconut oil fatty acids at a ratio of 20:80. Leakage test was conducted and revealed that the maximum leakage for pine and beech were 9 and 8%, respectively. Light microscopy was employed to demonstrate the distribution of the BPCM in the wood structure. Rays in both pine and beech wood served as pathways for impregnation of the BPCM to partly fill the tracheid lumens (pine) and vessels (beech). Thermal characterization of the studied samples employed T-history and DSC methods, concluding that the impregnated wood had significant thermal mass, ability to store excessive energy in terms of latent heat and keep the temperature constant for long time. The specific heat capacity of the impregnated samples was 4–5 J g−1 K−1 i.e., higher than that of the untreated control samples of ca. 2 J g−1 K−1. The thermal conductivity of the samples before and after the impregnation was measured using heat flow meter method and the results showed that the untreated beech wood had higher thermal conductivity compared to pine and the parameter improved when the cell lumens were filled with the BPCM. Scots pine wood with to 80% mass percentage gain (MPG) after impregnation demonstrated an increment in thermal conductivity of 33% while Scots pine and beech with 43 and 38% MPG demonstrated an increase of the conductivity with 8 and 11%, respectively.
Robustness verification of ReLU networks via quadratic programming
Authors: Kuvshinov Aleksei , Günnemann Stephan
Published: March 2022

Neural networks are known to be sensitive to adversarial perturbations. To investigate this undesired behavior we consider the problem of computing the distance to the decision boundary (DtDB) from a given sample for a deep neural net classifier. In this work we present a procedure where we solve a convex quadratic programming (QP) task to obtain a lower bound on the DtDB. This bound is used as a robustness certificate of the classifier around a given sample. We show that our approach provides better or competitive results in comparison with a wide range of existing techniques.
Performance evaluation of salient object detection techniques
Authors: Ahmed Kareem , Gad Mai A. , Aboutabl Amal Elsayed
Published: March 2022

Recently, the detection and segmentation of salient objects that attract the attention of human visual in images is determined by using salient object detection (SOD) techniques. As an essential computer vision problem, SOD has increasingly attracted the researchers’ interest over the years. While a lot of SOD models and applications have been proposed, there is still a lack of deep understanding of the issues and achievements. A comprehensive study on the recent techniques of SOD is provided in this paper. Precisely, this paper presents a review of SOD techniques from various perspectives. Various image segmentation techniques are presented such as segmentation based on machine learning or deep learning, the second perspective concentrates on classifying them into supervised and unsupervised learning techniques and the last one based on manual approach, semi-automatic approach, and fully automatic approach and so on. Then, the paper presents a summarization of datasets used for SOD. Finally, analyses of SOD models and comparison results are presented.
A methodology for mapping of quick clay in Sweden
Authors: With Christoffer , Löfroth Hjördis , Bastani Mehrdad , Persson Lena , Rodhe Lars , Hedfors Jim , Schoning Kristian
Published: March 2022

Landslides may cause severe destruction that affects both the individuals and functions vital for society. Minor landslides in an area with quick clay may trigger secondary slides, influencing a much greater area compared to slides in areas with no quick clay. Today’s expanding societies demand new areas for exploitation. To effectively meet this demand, there is an increased need to identify areas where quick clay may occur. Direct or indirect methods for assessing the presence of quick clay have previously been presented as well as a strategy for site investigations in quick clay areas. In this article, a methodology for mapping quick clays for the Swedish conditions with methods commonly available in this area is presented. The methodology presented in the article is structured in steps with different levels of detail and visualized with two conceptual flowcharts. Depending on the stage of planning, different types of surveys are recommended. The methodology has been applied at four sites where integrated interpretation of airborne and ground geophysical measurements as well as geotechnical investigations have been carried out. The results from two of these sites are presented here. The study reveals that all the methods used have their advantages and limitations. However, a combined use of the information provides much more accurate interpretation that can be used for a more cost-effective future planning and decision-making.
Recent technological advancements in membrane distillation and solar stills: preheating techniques, heat storage materials, and nanomaterials — a detailed review
Authors: Abdelgaied Mohamed , Seleem Mohamed Fathi , Bassuoni Mohamed Mahgoub
Published: March 2022

Freshwater and energy are critical components for the growth and progress of societies. The scarcity of freshwater and rapid population growth, especially in remote countries, has led to an urgent need to develop desalination technologies in order to raise its productivity and reduce its energy consumption rates. Membrane distillation is one of the effective methods characterized by its high productivity, but its disadvantage by higher electricity consumption. Also, solar stills are one of the sustainable and economical technologies, but the disadvantage by lower productivity. Accordingly, this manuscript dealt with a comprehensive review and detailed comparison of the most important modifications and innovations that were made to the design of the membrane distillation units, which aim to reduce electricity consumption rates, as well as the design of solar stills, which aims to maximize the productivity and efficiency. This was done by providing a detailed comparison of the most important three axes of modifications and innovations that were addressed by recent previous studies on the design of membrane distillation units and solar stills, and their statement as follows: preheating technology, use of the thermal storage materials, and nanomaterials technology. Finally, based on this review, the authors make some recommendations for future work in the field of solar and membrane desalination.
Auto-splitting D* lite path planning for large disaster area
Authors: Heo Shin-nyeong , Chen Jiaheng , Liao Yu-chi , Lee Hee-hyol
Published: March 2022

This research introduces a new path planning method for rescue robots in a dynamic and partially known area when the robots are performing tasks in a large area. The path planning of the rescue robots that move in the dynamic area is introduced to solve the issue of unnecessary areas, which are the disadvantages of the existing D*-based algorithms. This paper proposes a method to eliminate unnecessary expanded nodes of the dynamic and partially known environment by segmenting a map with an auto-clustering algorithm, which is able to achieve a faster execution time than conventional algorithms. Furthermore, to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, an expected value of re-planned nodes in the dynamic and partially known area is introduced using a probability-based approach.
The blood-to-plasma ratio and predicted GABAA-binding affinity of designer benzodiazepines
Authors: Manchester Kieran R. , Waters Laura , Haider Shozeb , Maskell Peter D.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The number of benzodiazepines appearing as new psychoactive substances (NPS) is continually increasing. Information about the pharmacological parameters of these compounds is required to fully understand their potential effects and harms. One parameter that has yet to be described is the blood-to-plasma ratio. Knowledge of the pharmacodynamics of designer benzodiazepines is also important, and the use of quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) modelling provides a fast and inexpensive method of predicting binding affinity to the GABAA receptor.

Methods

In this work, the blood-to-plasma ratios for six designer benzodiazepines (deschloroetizolam, diclazepam, etizolam, meclonazepam, phenazepam, and pyrazolam) were determined. A previously developed QSAR model was used to predict the binding affinity of nine designer benzodiazepines that have recently appeared.

Results

Blood-to-plasma values ranged from 0.57 for phenazepam to 1.18 to pyrazolam. Four designer benzodiazepines appearing since 2017 (fluclotizolam, difludiazepam, flualprazolam, and clobromazolam) had predicted binding affinities to the GABAA receptor that were greater than previously predicted binding affinities for other designer benzodiazepines.

Conclusions

This work highlights the diverse nature of the designer benzodiazepines and adds to our understanding of their pharmacology. The greater predicted binding affinities are a potential indication of the increasing potency of designer benzodiazepines appearing on the illicit drugs market.
Field and numerical study of the lateral response of rigid piles in sand
Authors: Wang H. , Lehane B. M. , Bransby M. F. , Wang L. Z. , Hong Y.
Published: March 2022

Large diameter, short monopiles are the preferred foundation type for offshore wind turbines. These piles demonstrate a rigid response with significant rotation of the pile base under ultimate lateral load. As traditional empirical p-y curves used in lateral loaded pile analysis have been derived from tests on small diameter onshore piles, there is some doubt about their applicability to rigid monopiles, particularly in view of the significant difference in the response of the pile base compared with a typical onshore pile. To address this issue, this paper reports on a unique series of field tests using instrumented driven pipe piles, complimented by numerical analysis, which was performed to examine explicitly the contribution of the pile base to the response under lateral load. The field tests, which included tests on pipe piles that had the sand plug removed to below pile tip level prior to testing, confirmed that the influence of the base on the lateral response for the tested 273- and 457-mm-diameter piles was negligible. Numerical analyses that were calibrated using the field test data showed that the contribution of the base to the lateral capacity of a monopile with a diameter as large as 10 m is negligible. Results also indicated that p-y curves are not affected by the length to diameter ratio and can be used to predict the response of monopiles in sand.
Deep learning-based 2D/3D registration of an atlas to biplanar X-ray images
Authors: Van Houtte Jeroen , Audenaert Emmanuel , Zheng Guoyan , Sijbers Jan
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The registration of a 3D atlas image to 2D radiographs enables 3D pre-operative planning without the need to acquire costly and high-dose CT-scans. Recently, many deep-learning-based 2D/3D registration methods have been proposed which tackle the problem as a reconstruction by regressing the 3D image immediately from the radiographs, rather than registering an atlas image. Consequently, they are less constrained against unfeasible reconstructions and have no possibility to warp auxiliary data. Finally, they are, by construction, limited to orthogonal projections.

Methods

We propose a novel end-to-end trainable 2D/3D registration network that regresses a dense deformation field that warps an atlas image such that the forward projection of the warped atlas matches the input 2D radiographs. We effectively take the projection matrix into account in the regression problem by integrating a projective and inverse projective spatial transform layer into the network.

Results

Comprehensive experiments conducted on simulated DRRs from patient CT images demonstrate the efficacy of the network. Our network yields an average Dice score of 0.94 and an average symmetric surface distance of 0.84 mm on our test dataset. It has experimentally been determined that projection geometries with 80$$^{\circ }$$

∘

to 100$$^{\circ }$$

∘

projection angle difference result in the highest accuracy.

Conclusion

Our network is able to accurately reconstruct patient-specific CT-images from a pair of near-orthogonal calibrated radiographs by regressing a deformation field that warps an atlas image or any other auxiliary data. Our method is not constrained to orthogonal projections, increasing its applicability in medical practices. It remains a future task to extend the network for uncalibrated radiographs.
Präventionsbedarfe und -interessen bei Berufslernenden
Authors: Paz Castro Raquel , Meyer Christian , Rumpf Hans-Jürgen , Schaub Michael P. , Wenger Andreas , Haug Severin
Published: March 2022

Hintergrund

Bislang ist zum Sucht- und Gesundheitsverhalten von Jugendlichen, die berufliche Schulen besuchen, nur wenig bekannt.

Ziel der Arbeit

Auf Grundlage der Daten einer Stichprobe Berufslernender in der Schweiz wird untersucht, (1) in welchen demographischen Subgruppen Suchtverhaltensweisen, Belastungs- und Schutzfaktoren besonders prävalent sind und (2) welche Themen innerhalb eines multibehavioralen Suchtpräventionsprogramms für Berufslernende auf besonderes Interesse stoßen.

Material und Methoden

Insgesamt nahmen im Schuljahr 2020/2021 58 % der Berufslernenden aus 60 Schulen und 493 Schulklassen an einer Gesundheitsbefragung im Rahmen des Präventionsprogramms ready4life teil. Die Daten von 5622 (von 7495, 75 %) Lernenden, die ihr Einverständnis zur Teilnahme am Programm gaben, liegen vor. Anhand von Mehrebenenmodellen und Regressionen wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen demographischen Merkmalen und Suchtverhaltensweisen, Belastungs- und Schutzfaktoren untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Die Mehrheit der Berufslernenden (77,1 %) zeigte ein risikoreiches Suchtverhalten in einem bis drei der vier untersuchten Bereiche (1) Alkoholkonsum, (2) Tabak‑/Nikotinkonsum, (3) Cannabiskonsum und (4) Internetgebrauch. Weibliche Lernende berichteten häufiger, sich gestresst, wenig sozialkompetent und selbstwirksam zu erleben und zeigen häufiger einen risikoreichen Alkoholkonsum und Internetgebrauch. Unter männlichen Lernenden war dagegen risikoreicher Konsum von Tabak/Nikotin und Cannabis prävalenter. Unter den am Programm ready4life Teilnehmenden bestand das größte Interesse an den Themen Stress und Internetgebrauch.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Arbeit gibt Aufschluss über Subgruppen von Lernenden mit besonders hohen Suchtrisiken und Hinweise auf Präventionsbedarfe und -interessen dieser Zielgruppe.
Comparative Study of the Effects of La-Substituted Ca in (Bi, Pb):2212 and (Bi, Pb):2223 Superconductors
Authors: Sedky A. , Salah Amna
Published: March 2022

We report here a comparative study of the effects of La-substituted Ca on (Bi, Pb):2212 and (Bi, Pb):2223 superconductors with various La content (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.30). Regardless of the effects of La, it is evident that the superconducting volume fraction, excess of oxygen, critical concentration for quenching superconductivity, Vickers hardness, anisotropy, interlayer coupling, critical magnetic fields, and critical current were higher for the 2212 series than the 2223 series. In contrast, orthorhombic distortion, c-parameter, crystallite diameter, doping distance, distance between two Cu atoms, hole carrier/Cu ion ratio, melting temperature Tm, critical temperature Tc, onset of diamagnetic TcM, surface energy, elastic component, resistance pressure, and c-axis coherence length were higher for the 2223 series than the 2212 series. An inverse linear relationship between Tm and Tc was estimated for both series, and for room-temperature (RT) bismuth–strontium–calcium–copper–oxide (BSCCO) superconductors, the required Tm values should be 1048.03°C for the 2223 series and 784.48°C for the 2212 series. Surprisingly, the difference in temperature between zero resistivity and diamagnetic onset |TcM − TcR| for La = 0.30 samples is 30 K. In the critical field region (CFR), the exponents of order parameters (OPD) are two-dimensional (2D), but their values were higher for the 2212 series than the 2223 series. Further, they became three-dimensional (3D) as La increased to 0.30 due to the reduced effective length in highly substituted samples. Our results were discussed with the help of the differences in the physical parameters between the considered series. These findings revealed that the 2212 series is more suitable for applications that need higher hardness and critical fields and currents. In contrast, the 2223 series is more suitable for research for higher Tc and altering plastic deformation. To our knowledge, the present systematic investigation has not been reported elsewhere, which highlights the present work.
Wild Heterotrophic Nitrifying Strain Pseudomonas BT1 Isolated from Kitchen Waste Sludge Restores Ammonia Nitrogen Removal in a Sewage Treatment Plant Shocked by Thiourea
Authors: Deng Jingxuan , Huang Zhenxing , Wang Jinbo , Shan Xiaohong , Shi Wansheng , Ruan Wenquan
Published: March 2022

Thiourea is used in agriculture and industry as a metal scavenger, synthetic intermediate, and nitrification inhibitor. However, in wastewater, it can inhibit the nitrification process and induce the collapse of the nitrification system. In such a case, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) lose their ability to remove ammonia. We investigated the nitrification system of a 60,000-t/d municipal sewage treatment plant in Nanjing, which collapsed after receiving 5–15 ppm (5–15 mg/L) thiourea. Ammonia nitrogen removal quickly recovered to more than 95% after inoculation with 10 t high-efficiency nitrification sludge, which was collected from a kitchen waste treatment plant. A heterotrophic nitrification strain was isolated from the inoculated sludge and identified as wild Pseudomonas by 16S rDNA sequencing and named “BT1.” Based on thiourea tolerance tests, BT1 can tolerate a thiourea content of more than 500 ppm. For comparison, the in situ process was imitated by the simulation system, and the wastewater shocked by 10 ppm thiourea could still meet the emission standard after adding 1% (V/V) BT1. High-throughput sequencing analysis was applied to study microbial succession during thiourea shock loading. The results showed that Hydrogenophaga and Thiobacillus grew with the growth of BT1. Pseudomonas BT1 was used for a 6,000-t/d printed circuit board (PCB) wastewater treatment system, the nitrification system returned to normal in 15 days, and the degradation rate stabilized at more than 95%.
Collaborating Across Occupational Boundaries: Towards a Theoretical Model
Authors: Striković Aldin , Wittmann Eveline
Published: March 2022

The digital transformation leads to changing work contexts and new work objects that give rise to the necessity of collaboration across occupational boundaries. Yet there is a lack of theoretical models of cross-occupational collaboration, particularly with regard to individuals’ cross-occupational collaboration competency (COCC). In order to close this research gap, this article presents a theoretical model of COCC and associated indicators which can be subject to education and diagnostics in VET. In accordance with activity theory, cross-occupational collaboration is characterized as an activity system. While an activity is collective in nature, its role-constituting elements (e.g., division of labor) point to role-theoretical approaches. This paper reviews role-theoretical frameworks and applies structural symbolic interactionism as a framework for modeling an individual’s COCC. Using its conceptual apparatus, a hierarchical model of an individual’s capacity for cross-occupational collaboration within an activity system is developed. Its elements are (i) knowledge about one’s own occupational role, (ii) knowledge about the roles of the cooperation partners with other occupations, (iii) latent role distance, (iv) role-taking, and (v) object-oriented role coordination/role-making. This model can also be used as a basis for assessments that may lead to empirical investigations of how to promote individuals’ COCC.
Three crucial considerations when presenting alternative paradigms in sustainability research
Authors: Boda Chad S. , Harnesk David
Published: March 2022

Sustainability science (SS) is diverse field of problem-driven and solution-oriented research that is still developing. The further maturation of the field relies on its practitioners formulating alternative paradigms to use-inspired knowledge production to facilitate comparison and reasoned judgment on what constitutes scientific best practices. In this short article, we flag several blind spots that can arise in attempts to articulate potential paradigms in SS. We identify and discuss three crucial components that should be included when constructing and presenting potential paradigms in the field, namely the necessity of 1) comparing suggested alternatives with available competitors, 2) preserving scientific integrity in scientific knowledge production, and 3) clarifying the particular contribution of scientific knowledge to social change. Keeping sight of these three important issues will allow the still developing field of SS to mature in a way that builds on scientific comparison and reasoned judgment among the field’s practitioners, with implications for advancing its research agenda. The issues we outline here should not only concern authors, but reviewers and editors of SS journals as well.
Zur Relevanz von Ausstattungsunterschieden für Forschungsleistungsvergleiche
Authors: Püttmann Vitus , Thomsen Stephan L. , Trunzer Johannes
Published: March 2022

Obwohl Leistungen in der Forschung nicht unabhängig von den jeweils gegebenen institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen sind, bleiben letztere bei einem Vergleich von Forschungsleistungen jedoch häufig unberücksichtigt. Basierend auf Daten zur personellen und finanziellen Ausstattung durch den Hochschulträger können wir vier Gruppen wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Abteilungen an Universitäten in Deutschland identifizieren und vergleichen Promotionen, Drittmittel, Publikationen und Platzierungen im Ranking der Plattform Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) als gängige Indikatoren für Forschungsleistungen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse bestätigen erwartungsgemäß Zusammenhänge zwischen Inputs und Outputs. Besonders bedeutsam für den quantitativen Forschungsoutput (insb. abgeschlossene Promotionen und Publikationen je Professur) scheinen die Anzahl der Studierenden je Professur und die damit zusammenhängende personelle Ausstattung der Professuren zu sein. Top-Publikationen und hohe RePEc-Platzierungen finden sich hingegen insbesondere in Abteilungen mit tendenziell größerem und jüngerem Professorium. Andere Abteilungen leisten dennoch vielzitierte Forschung, ohne dass sich hier aber eine eindeutige Tendenz bezüglich der Inputfaktoren zeigt. Die Analyse unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit einer Differenzierung bei Leistungsvergleichen und soll als Diskussionsanstoß für die Weiterentwicklung der Wirtschaftswissenschaften in Deutschland dienen.
In vivo evaluation of additively manufactured multi-layered scaffold for the repair of large osteochondral defects
Authors: Tamaddon Maryam , Blunn Gordon , Tan Rongwei , Yang Pan , Sun Xiaodan , Chen Shen-Mao , Luo Jiajun , Liu Ziyu , Wang Ling , Li Dichen , Donate Ricardo , Monzón Mario , Liu Chaozong
Published: March 2022

The repair of osteochondral defects is one of the major clinical challenges in orthopaedics. Well-established osteochondral tissue engineering methods have shown promising results for the early treatment of small defects. However, less success has been achieved for the regeneration of large defects, which is mainly due to the mechanical environment of the joint and the heterogeneous nature of the tissue. In this study, we developed a multi-layered osteochondral scaffold to match the heterogeneous nature of osteochondral tissue by harnessing additive manufacturing technologies and combining the established art laser sintering and material extrusion techniques. The developed scaffold is based on a titanium and polylactic acid matrix-reinforced collagen “sandwich” composite system. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the scaffold were examined, and its safety and efficacy in the repair of large osteochondral defects were tested in an ovine condyle model. The 12-week in vivo evaluation period revealed extensive and significantly higher bone in-growth in the multi-layered scaffold compared with the collagen–HAp scaffold, and the achieved stable mechanical fixation provided strong support to the healing of the overlying cartilage, as demonstrated by hyaline-like cartilage formation. The histological examination showed that the regenerated cartilage in the multi-layer scaffold group was superior to that formed in the control group. Chondrogenic genes such as aggrecan and collagen-II were upregulated in the scaffold and were higher than those in the control group. The findings showed the safety and efficacy of the cell-free “translation-ready” osteochondral scaffold, which has the potential to be used in a one-step surgical procedure for the treatment of large osteochondral defects.

Graphic abstract
Optimising Diversity in Classifier Ensembles
Authors: Ivaşcu Carina , Everson Richard M. , Fieldsend Jonathan E.
Published: March 2022

Ensembles of predictors have been generally found to have better performance than single predictors. Although diversity is widely thought to be an important factor in building successful ensembles, there have been contradictory results in the literature regarding the influence of diversity on the generalisation error. Fundamental to this may be the way diversity itself is defined. We present two new diversity measures, based on the idea of ambiguity, obtained from the bias-variance decomposition using the cross-entropy error or the hinge-loss. If random sampling is used to select patterns on which ensemble members are trained, we find that the generalisation error is negatively correlated with diversity at high sampling rates; conversely generalisation error is positively correlated with diversity when the sampling rate is low and the diversity high. We use evolutionary optimisers for small ensembles to select the subsets of patterns for predictor training by maximising these diversity measures on training data. Evaluation of their generalisation performance on a range of classification datasets from the literature shows that the ensembles obtained by maximising the cross-entropy diversity measure generalise well, enhancing the performance of small ensembles. Regarding big ensembles, we define tree selection methods that favour ambiguous ensembles over unambiguous ensembles. Our results show that the approach that prefers ambiguous ensembles reduces the generalisation error the most and considerably reduces the number of trees needed to obtain good generalisation performance.
Hépatite B et C: une mise à jour sur lʼhépatite virale chronique
Authors: Ongaro Marie , Negro Francesco
Published: March 2022

L’hépatite virale est une problématique de santé publique majeure contre laquelle l’organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) a proposé de nombreuses stratégies pour son élimination. Malgré de nombreuses avancées thérapeutiques, il reste des freins pour atteindre les objectifs ambitieux proposés par l’OMS. Concernant le virus de l’hépatite B (VHB), un effort doit être fourni pour promouvoir la vaccination universelle et réduire le risque de transmission materno-fœtale. La recherche d’un traitement curatif est également à considérer et nous passerons brièvement en revue les avancées dans ce domaine.

L’élimination du virus de l’hépatite C (VHC) rencontre des difficultés différentes. En effet, malgré la disponibilité d’un traitement antiviral efficace dirigé contre le VHC, les données récentes montrent que seulement 5 % de la population mondiale diagnostiquée aurait bénéficié d’un traitement. Les stratégies actuelles doivent axer leurs efforts sur l’accès au circuit de soin pour les patients virémiques. Une autre difficulté réside dans le suivi des patients guéris avec des recommandations de suivi encore débattues.

Cette revue passera rapidement en revue les avancées récentes concernant les virus de l’hépatite B et C.
Chronischer Pruritus
Authors: Kremer Andreas E.
Published: March 2022

Chronischer Pruritus ist ein häufiges Symptom mit einer Prävalenz von rund 15 %. Neben klassischen Hauterkrankungen wie der atopischen Dermatitis oder Psoriasis leiden auch zahlreiche Patienten mit internistischen, neurologischen und psychiatrischen Krankheitsbildern an Pruritus. Die häufigsten internistischen Ursachen des chronischen Pruritus sind chronische Niereninsuffizienz, Leber- und Gallengangerkrankungen, lymphoproliferative Neoplasien sowie Medikamentennebenwirkungen. Seltener sind Patienten mit endokrinen oder metabolischen Störungen, Malassimilationssyndromen, Infektionskrankheiten oder soliden Tumoren betroffen. Die Basistherapie besteht aus rehydrierenden und rückfettenden Topika. Bei chronischer Niereninsuffizienz ist die Wirksamkeit der Kalziumkanalblocker Gabapentin und Pregabalin gut belegt. Agonisten des κ‑Opioidrezeptors stellen neuartige Therapieansätze dar. Bei hepatobiliären Erkrankungen werden Gallensäurebinder, Rifampicin, Fibrate, μ‑Opioidrezeptor-Antagonisten und Antidepressiva eingesetzt. Zukünftig werden auch ileale Gallensalz-Wiederaufnahme(IBAT)-Hemmer Anwendung finden. Bei lymphoproliferativen Erkrankungen sind häufig JAK-STAT-Inhibitoren effektiv.
Comparative studies for the treatment of industrial effluents employing advanced processes: towards enhancement of environmental performance
Authors: Shah Hardik , Ruparelia Jayesh
Published: March 2022

The investigation was inspired by the declaration of critically polluted industrial zones in India. It was also reported that most of the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) are non-compliant due to higher COD values in discharge than regulatory norms. Furthermore, most of the literature has not reported the efficacy of advanced wastewater technologies for real industrial effluent. Thus, this research focused on field trials of scalable advanced wastewater technologies in Vatva Industrial Estate (VIE), Ahmedabad. The potential of physico-chemical and advanced treatment processes are explored for applicability in industrial wastewater treatment. Thus, for this research, three industries from each sector, i.e., textile processing, dyes, and dye intermediates, a total of nine different industries were chosen. A sufficient volume of effluent was collected from each industry for detailed investigations. The initial COD loading observed was in the range of 68 to 7074, 30 to 896, and 100 to 1541 kg COD/day for textile processing, dyes, and dye intermediates, respectively, with significant variation in the qualitative profiles. The collected effluent was treated by electrocoagulation and Fenton's reagent in batch scale reactors. The batch scale reactors for both the technologies were of 1L size. The results of treatability studies represented that Fenton's reagent performed better than the electrocoagulation process for most of the industries selected in this study. This research provides insight for improvement in the environmental performance of the individual industries in general and CETPs in particular.
Philosophy of Developmental Biology
Authors: Weber Marcel
Published: March 2022

The history of developmental biology is interwoven with debates as to whether mechanistic explanations of development are possible or whether alternative explanatory principles or even vital forces need to be assumed. In particular, the demonstrated ability of embryonic cells to tune their developmental fate precisely to their relative position and the overall size of the embryo was once thought to be inexplicable in mechanistic terms. Taking a causal perspective, this Element examines to what extent and how developmental biology, having turned molecular about four decades ago, has been able to meet the vitalist challenge. It focuses not only on the nature of explanations but also on the usefulness of causal knowledge – including the knowledge of classical experimental embryology – for further scientific discovery. It also shows how this causal perspective allows us to understand the nature and significance of some key concepts, including organizer, signal and morphogen. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Fairness in Algorithmic Policing
Authors: PURVES DUNCAN
Published: March 2022

Predictive policing, the practice of using of algorithmic systems to forecast crime, is heralded by police departments as the new frontier of crime analysis. At the same time, it is opposed by civil rights groups, academics, and media outlets for being ‘biased’ and therefore discriminatory against communities of color. This paper argues that the prevailing focus on racial bias has overshadowed two normative factors that are essential to a full assessment of the moral permissibility of predictive policing: fairness in the social distribution of the benefits and burdens of policing as well as the distinctive role of consent in determining fair distribution. When these normative factors are given their due attention, several requirements emerge for the fair implementation of predictive policing. Among these requirements are that police departments inform and solicit buy-in from affected communities about strategic decision-making and that departments favor non-enforcement-oriented interventions.
Conspiracy Theories, Populism, and Epistemic Autonomy
Authors: HARRIS KEITH RAYMOND
Published: March 2022

Quassim Cassam has argued that psychological and epistemological analyses of conspiracy theories threaten to overlook the political nature of such theories. According to Cassam, conspiracy theories are a form of political propaganda. I develop a limited critique of Cassam's analysis.

This paper advances two core theses. First, acceptance of conspiracy theories requires a rejection of epistemic authority that renders conspiracy theorists susceptible to co-option by certain political programs while insulating such programs from criticism. I argue that the contrarian nature of conspiracy theories partially accounts for the prominence of such theories in populist movements.

Second, the contrarian nature of conspiracy theories partially accounts for their attractiveness, especially among those to whom populism already appeals. I argue that for those who resent what appears from their perspective as the shaping of the epistemic landscape by alien perspectives, conspiracy theorizing may facilitate the reassertion of epistemic autonomy.
Community Disaster Resilience and Risk Perception in Earthquake-Stricken Areas of China
Authors: Ma Zhixing , Zhou Wenfeng , Deng Xin , Xu Dingde
Published: March 2022

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to further deepen our understanding of the relationship between community resilience and disaster risk perception of residents, so as to provide beneficial enlightenment for the construction of community resilience disaster prevention system and disaster risk management.

Methods:

This study surveyed 327 rural households in four counties of Sichuan Province, China, that were affected by the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes. Community disaster resilience was divided into five dimensions: connection and caring, resources, transformative potential, disaster management, and information and communication. Residents’ disaster risk perception was divided into three dimensions: possibility, threat, and worry. This study analyzed the characteristics of community disaster resilience and residents’ disaster risk perceptions. Ordinary least squares (OLS) methods were used to explore the correlations between these factors.

Results:

The results show that (1) Residents’ overall disaster risk perception was at a moderate level, and the community’s overall disaster resilience were above the moderate level. (2) Community connection and caring has a positive significant correlation with the possibility perception of disaster occurrence; transformative potential has a negative significant correlation with the possibility perception of disaster occurrence; the overall community disaster resilience has negative significant correlations with the possibility and the overall residents’ perception of disaster risk occurrence.

Conclusions:

The implication for the local government is that the government should appropriately increase its contact with external institutions/organizations, especially some Non-Governmental Organization, to strengthen the resilience and disaster prevention capacity of the community. Establish and improve information and communication networks to ensure the timely and effective transmission of effective disaster information, and strengthen the supervision of the dissemination of false information to reduce the losses caused by false information to residents. Attention should be paid to psychological counseling for people in disaster-hit areas to reduce the psychological trauma of the disaster.
Implementation of an Emergency Power Rule: Compliance of Florida Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Authors: June Joseph W. , Peterson Lindsay , Hyer Kathryn , Dobbs Debra
Published: March 2022

Objective:

Thea aim of this study was to explore the relationship between Florida nursing home and assisted living facility characteristics and their ability to comply with a new emergency power rule in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Methods:

This study used characteristics data on Florida nursing homes (NHs) (N = 680) and assisted living facilities (ALFs) (N = 2940) in operation between September 2017 and January 2019. Logistic regressions were used to determine whether certain characteristics were associated with compliance with the emergency power rule by January 1, 2019.

Results:

A total of 219 (32.9%) NHs and 2219 (75.5%) ALFs had an emergency power plan implemented by January 1, 2019. Results suggest having a dementia care unit increased the odds of compliance for NHs, while chain membership, for-profit status, and a higher reliance on Medicaid decreased the odds. Additionally, smaller size, mental health specialty license, and higher reliance on supplemental state funding increased the odds of compliance for ALFs, while nursing care specialty license and for-profit status decreased the odds of compliance.

Conclusions:

Policy implications from these results include informing policy-makers on the barriers faced by NHs and ALFs to implement a new regulation that may cause financial difficulties and compromise quality care.
Fractal projections with an application in number theory
Authors: YU HAN
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we discuss a connection between geometric measure theory and number theory. This method brings a new point of view for some number-theoretic problems concerning digit expansions. Among other results, we show that for each integer k, there is a number
$M>0$
such that if
$b_{1},\ldots ,b_{k}$
are multiplicatively independent integers greater than M, there are infinitely many integers whose base
$b_{1},b_{2},\ldots ,b_{k}$
expansions all do not have any zero digits.
Effects of board gender diversity and sustainability committees on environmental performance: a quantile regression approach
Authors: Muhammad Hussain , Migliori Stefania
Published: March 2022

This study examines the effect of board gender diversity (BGD) and sustainability committees on environmental performance. Using a quantile regression approach and a sample of publicly listed firms in Italy, we find that BGD and sustainability committees have different effects on firms' environmental performance over different points of conditional distribution. This shows that BGD and sustainability committees have greater quantitative impact in firms performing better environmentally and are positively related to environmental performance. We further discover that large Italian firms that reach a critical mass of three female directors maintain a stronger attitude towards environmental sustainability. Overall, the results confirm that BGD and sustainability committees enhance board effectiveness and help promote sustainable environmental initiatives. This study provides empirical evidence from a context that has not yet been investigated. It further augments the literature by employing a quantile regression approach, mostly unexamined by previous studies.
Introduction: Primitive Accumulation and Socialism
Authors: Goldman Wendy Z.
Published: March 2022

In this dossier, Marx's concept of primitive accumulation is applied to socialist development in the Soviet Union, China, and Romania, three countries in which socialist revolution occurred before the full development of capitalism. The introduction profiles the ideas of Evgenii Preobrazhensky, the Soviet theorist and left oppositionist, who first applied Marx's concept to the problems of socialist development, and was executed under Stalin in 1937. Preobrazhensky advanced the idea of “primitive socialist accumulation”, a process that would fund industrialization by extracting surplus through planned, non-coercive transfers from market-based and state sectors. Preobrazhensky's ideas sparked debates within communist parties over collectivization and the tempo of development. The introduction and articles in the dossier point the way towards future comparative research, suggesting that the processes of primitive capitalist and socialist accumulation shared painful similarities.
Blood on the Red Banner: Primitive Accumulation in the World's First Socialist State
Authors: Goldman Wendy Z.
Published: March 2022

This article provides a reinterpretation of Stalinism through the lens of Marx's concept of primitive accumulation. It connects a series of defining events that are usually viewed separately – the debates and oppositional movements of the 1920s, industrialization, collectivization, and the “Great Terror” – to the state's need to accumulate capital for development. Using the idea of “primitive socialist accumulation”, first introduced by the Soviet theorist and left oppositionist Evgeny Preobrazhensky, it examines the challenges of building socialism in an underdeveloped, overwhelmingly peasant country. It argues that the emergence of the left and right oppositions in the 1920s and the grain crisis in 1927–1928 resulted from the state's struggle to create a stable balance between rural and urban exchange. The hastily implemented move to collectivize resulted in a cascade of unintended consequences, including a disastrous famine, decrease in food supplies, and a precipitous fall in real wages that impelled record numbers of women into the labor force. Against a background of social instability and discontent, the Kirov murder proved a fearful trigger, igniting fears among Party leaders that ultimately resulted in mass political and social repression. The article is part of a dossier, comprising an introduction and three articles, which offers a new approach to our understanding of socialism in the Soviet Union, China, and Romania.
The remembered future: Macedonian pop icon Toše Proeski and musical life after death
Authors: Wilson Dave
Published: March 2022

When an iconic pop star dies, agency regarding that artist's persona and work is distributed in ways that transform the artist's significance and reveal much about the societies in which the artist participated. This article examines Macedonian pop singer Toše Proeski, an iconic star celebrated throughout former Yugoslavia who died in 2007 at age 26. For Macedonians and people throughout former Yugoslavia, Toše represented ideals of a moral alternative to corruption and violence, and of international recognition of Macedonia that could engender economic and political stability. The article argues that, after the death of Toše, such ideals that are distant from reality are displaced to a ‘remembered future’, a future that would have occurred had he lived. The agency of the living transforms a dead artist into a nostalgic bridge to a remembered future, producing a cathartic, if temporary, satisfaction of longings for unattainable ideals.
Do anthropogenic sources of food increase livestock predation in the area surrounding Ruaha National Park?
Authors: Kalyahe Montan M , Hofer Heribert , East Marion L
Published: March 2022

Wild carnivores are threatened by human activities, particularly by lethal responses to livestock predation. As natural prey populations decline, predation of livestock and consumption of discarded livestock ‘waste’ (carcasses and body parts) should increase. We investigated whether parameters linked to the production of livestock waste affected the likelihood of livestock predation. We interviewed 160 households near Ruaha National Park in Tanzania to obtain information on households, livestock ownership, predation and parameters linked to livestock waste production. Our analysis identified parameters that affected the likelihood of predation on cattle, sheep and goats. When these parameters were controlled for, we found an increased likelihood of cattle predation as waste from diseased and slaughtered cattle increased. Sheep predation was more likely and cattle predation was less likely as sheep deaths from starvation increased. Goat predation was more likely in medium-sized than smaller or larger villages, suggesting a trade-off to predators between the increasing benefit of more livestock waste and the costs of higher human disturbance and diminishing natural prey abundance as village size category increased. Our findings suggest that improved disposal of livestock waste from slaughtered cattle and measures to decrease cattle deaths from disease should reduce predation of highly prized cattle.
« Même si l’usage du français décline, là où pourtant il était si foisonnant… » : The sociolinguistic situation of French in Andorra
Authors: Hawkey James
Published: March 2022

The independent microstate of Andorra lies on the border of France and Spain and constitutes a case of complex societal multilingualism. The country’s official language, Catalan, coexists with French and Spanish, among others. French is an important vehicle of education, with around three quarters of Andorran children taught exclusively or partly through French. However, recently, the position of French has become increasingly precarious, and the language is rarely heard or used in the public domain. This article presents the results of a mixed-methods study that seeks to determine the current and future place of French in Andorra by studying language attitudes, ideologies and policies. Quantitative analysis of attitude survey data reveals that French is associated with employment opportunities but does not fulfil in-group solidarity roles. A critical analysis of semi-structured interview data shows how lack of in-group ‘pride’ (Heller and Duchêne 2012) attached to French reinforces its perceived lack of instrumental value. Finally, the analysis of public discourse from Emmanuel Macron in his role as co-Prince of Andorra highlights how combining existing strategies that emphasize historicity and civic duty with discourses appealing to the extensive migrant population could be a more suitable means to safeguard French in Andorra.