bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative capsule protection can reduce the potential risk of adjacent segment degeneration acceleration biomechanically: an in silico study
Authors: Huang Fei , Huang Gang , Jia Junpengli , Lu Shihao , Li Jingchi
Published: February 2024

Background

The capsule of the zygapophyseal joint plays an important role in motion segmental stability maintenance. Iatrogenic capsule injury is a common phenomenon in posterior approach lumbar interbody fusion operations, but whether this procedure will cause a higher risk of adjacent segment degeneration acceleration biomechanically has yet to be identified.

Methods

Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) with different grades of iatrogenic capsule injury was simulated in our calibrated and validated numerical model. By adjusting the cross-sectional area of the capsule, different grades of capsule injury were simulated. The stress distribution on the cranial motion segment was computed under different loading conditions to judge the potential risk of adjacent segment degeneration acceleration.

Results

Compared to the PLIF model with an intact capsule, a stepwise increase in the stress value on the cranial motion segment can be observed with a step decrease in capsule cross-sectional areas. Moreover, compared to the difference between models with intact and slightly injured capsules, the difference in stress values was more evident between models with slight and severe iatrogenic capsule injury.

Conclusion

Intraoperative capsule protection can reduce the potential risk of adjacent segment degeneration acceleration biomechanically, and iatrogenic capsule damage on the cranial motion segment should be reduced to optimize patients’ long-term prognosis.
m1A-Ensem: accurate identification of 1-methyladenosine sites through ensemble models
Authors: Suleman Muhammad Taseer , Alturise Fahad , Alkhalifah Tamim , Khan Yaser Daanial
Published: February 2024

Background

1-methyladenosine (m1A) is a variant of methyladenosine that holds a methyl substituent in the 1st position having a prominent role in RNA stability and human metabolites.

Objective

Traditional approaches, such as mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis, proved to be time-consuming and complicated.

Methodology

The present research focused on the identification of m1A sites within RNA sequences using novel feature development mechanisms. The obtained features were used to train the ensemble models, including blending, boosting, and bagging. Independent testing and k-fold cross validation were then performed on the trained ensemble models.

Results

The proposed model outperformed the preexisting predictors and revealed optimized scores based on major accuracy metrics.

Conclusion

For research purpose, a user-friendly webserver of the proposed model can be accessed through https://taseersuleman-m1a-ensem1.streamlit.app/.
Comparative analysis of the Potter Tower and a new Track Sprayer for the application of residual sprays in the laboratory
Authors: Bonds Jane , Parsons George , Walker Kyle J. , Murphy Annabel , Lees Rosemary Susan , Nimmo Derric , Clayton John , Malone David
Published: February 2024

Background

Efforts to evaluate the residual efficacy of new indoor residual spraying (IRS) formulations have identified limitations with the industry standard laboratory sprayer, the Potter Spray Tower (PT). Calibrating the PT can be time-consuming, and the dosing of surfaces may not be as accurate or uniform as previously assumed.

Methods

To address these limitations, the Micron Horizontal Track Sprayer with Spray Cabinet (TS) was developed to provide higher efficiency, ease of operation and deposition uniformity equal to or better than the PT. A series of studies were performed using a fluorescent tracer and three IRS formulations (Actellic® 300CS, K-Othrine WG250 and Suspend PolyZone) sprayed onto surfaces using either the PT or the TS.

Results

Deposition volumes could be accurately calibrated for both spray systems. However, the uniformity of spray deposits was higher for the TS compared to the PT. Less than 12% of the volume sprayed using the PT reaches the target surface, with the remaining 88% unaccounted for, presumably vented out of the fume hood or coating the internal surfaces of the tower. In contrast, the TS deposits most of the spray on the floor of the spray chamber, with the rest contained therein. The total sprayed surface area in one run of the TS is 1.2 m2, and the operational zone for spray target placement is 0.7 m2, meaning that 58% of the applied volume deposits onto the targets. The TS can treat multiple surfaces (18 standard 15 × 15 cm tiles) in a single application, whereas the PT treats one surface at a time and a maximum area of around 0.0225 m2. An assessment of the time taken to perform spraying, including the setup, calibration and cleaning, showed that the cost of application using the TS was around 25–35 × less per tile sprayed. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for calibration and use of both the Potter Tower and Track Sprayer have been developed.

Conclusions

Overall, the TS represents a significant improvement over the PT in terms of the efficiency and accuracy of IRS formulation applications onto test substrates and offers a useful additional tool for researchers and manufacturers wanting to screen new active ingredients or evaluate the efficacy of IRS or other sprayable formulations for insect control.

Graphical Abstract
Epigenome-wide association study of dietary fatty acid intake
Authors: Lange de Luna Julia , Nounu Aayah , Neumeyer Sonja , Sinke Lucy , Wilson Rory , Hellbach Fabian , Matías-García Pamela R. , Delerue Thomas , Winkelmann Juliane , Peters Annette , Thorand Barbara , Beekman Marian , Heijmans Bastiaan T. , Slagboom Eline , Gieger Christian , Linseisen Jakob , Waldenberger Melanie
Published: February 2024

Background

Dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may have a protective effect on the development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression and cancer, while a high intake of n-6 PUFA was often reported to be associated with inflammation-related traits. The effect of PUFAs on health outcomes might be mediated by DNA methylation (DNAm). The aim of our study is to identify the impact of PUFA intake on DNAm in the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) FF4 cohort and the Leiden Longevity Study (LLS).

Results

DNA methylation levels were measured in whole blood from the population-based KORA FF4 study (N = 1354) and LLS (N = 448), using the Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip and Illumina HumanMethylation450 array, respectively. We assessed associations between DNAm and intake of eight and four PUFAs in KORA and LLS, respectively. Where possible, results were meta-analyzed.

Below the Bonferroni correction threshold (p < 7.17 × 10–8), we identified two differentially methylated positions (DMPs) associated with PUFA intake in the KORA study. The DMP cg19937480, annotated to gene PRDX1, was positively associated with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in model 1 (beta: 2.00 × 10–5, 95%CI: 1.28 × 10–5-2.73 × 10–5, P value: 6.98 × 10–8), while cg05041783, annotated to gene MARK2, was positively associated with docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in our fully adjusted model (beta: 9.80 × 10–5, 95%CI: 6.25 × 10–5-1.33 × 10–4, P value: 6.75 × 10–8). In the meta-analysis, we identified the CpG site (cg15951061), annotated to gene CDCA7L below Bonferroni correction (1.23 × 10–7) associated with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) intake in model 1 (beta: 2.00 × 10–5, 95% CI: 1.27 × 10–5–2.73 × 10–5, P value = 5.99 × 10–8) and we confirmed the association of cg19937480 with DHA in both models 1 and 2 (beta: 2.07 × 10–5, 95% CI: 1.31 × 10–5–2.83 × 10–5, P value = 1.00 × 10–7 and beta: 2.19 × 10–5, 95% CI: 1.41 × 10–5–2.97 × 10–5, P value = 5.91 × 10–8 respectively).

Conclusions

Our study identified three CpG sites associated with PUFA intake. The mechanisms of these sites remain largely unexplored, highlighting the novelty of our findings. Further research is essential to understand the links between CpG site methylation and PUFA outcomes.
New score to predict COVID-19 progression in vaccine and early treatment era: the COVID-19 Sardinian Progression Score (CSPS)
Authors: De Vito Andrea , Saderi Laura , Colpani Agnese , Puci Mariangela V. , Zauli Beatrice , Fiore Vito , Fois Marco , Meloni Maria Chiara , Bitti Alessandra , Moi Giulia , Maida Ivana , Babudieri Sergio , Sotgiu Giovanni , Madeddu Giordano
Published: February 2024

Background

Several scores aimed at predicting COVID-19 progression have been proposed. As the variables vaccination and early SARS-CoV-2 treatment were systematically excluded from the prognostic scores, the present study's objective was to develop a new model adapted to the current epidemiological scenario.

Methods

We included all patients evaluated by the Infectious Disease Unit in Sassari, with SARS-CoV-2 infection and without signs of respiratory failure at the first evaluation (P/F > 300). Disease progression was defined by the prescription of supplemental oxygen. In addition, variables related to demographics, vaccines, comorbidities, symptoms, CT scans, blood tests, and therapies were collected. Multivariate logistic regression modelling was performed to determine factors associated with progression; any variable with significant univariate test or clinical relevance was selected as a candidate for multivariate analysis. Hosmer–Lemeshow (HL) goodness of fit statistic was calculated. Odds ratio values were used to derive an integer score for developing an easy-to-use progression risk score. The discrimination performance of the risk index was determined using the AUC, and the best cut-off point, according to the Youden index, sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and likelihood ratio, was chosen.

Results

1145 patients [median (IQR) age 74 (62–83) years; 53.5% males] were enrolled; 336 (29.3%) had disease progression. Patients with a clinical progression were older and showed more comorbidities; furthermore, they were less vaccinated and exposed to preventive therapy. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 60 years, COPD, dementia, haematological tumours, heart failure, exposure to no or one vaccine dose, fever, dyspnoea, GGO, consolidation, ferritin, De Ritis ≥ 1.2, LDH, and no exposure to early anti-SARS-CoV-2 treatment were associated with disease progression. The final risk score ranged from 0 to 45. The ROC curve analysis showed an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.90–0.93) with a 93.7% specificity and 72.9% sensitivity. Low risk was defined when the cut-off value was less than 23. Three risk levels were identified: low (0–23 points), medium (24–35), and high (≥ 36).

Conclusions

The proportion of patients with progression increases with high scores: the assessment of the risk could be helpful for clinicians to plan appropriate therapeutic strategies.
Two-dimensional imaging of elastic properties of rock core samples from measurements of angle-dependent ultrasonic reflection coefficients
Authors: Olszowska Daria , Gallardo-Giozza Gabriel , Torres-Verdín Carlos
Published: February 2024

Laboratory and field measurements often fail to identify small-scale variations in rock elastic properties. Due to limited spatial resolution, conventional laboratory methods cannot properly describe rock formations exhibiting a high degree of heterogeneity, thereby masking differences between stiff and compliant layers. Continuous sample measurements can mitigate this problem but are not widely used by the industry. We build upon our previous work and apply laboratory angle-dependent ultrasonic reflection coefficient (ADURC) measurements to achieve detailed two-dimensional descriptions of the elastic properties of complex rock samples. This method successfully yields high-resolution information on P- and S-wave velocities, as well as bulk density, across the surface of rock samples. Elastic properties are estimated using a nonlinear inversion algorithm that matches laboratory measurements with numerical simulations. ADURC data acquired at various sample locations enable detailed rock descriptions, where the effective measurement area is determined by the size of the receiver, measurement frequency, and incidence angle. Consequently, the sampling area is smaller compared with triaxial loading and acoustic transmission tests, for which the resolution is controlled by sample size. Measurements conducted on samples exhibiting different levels of spatial complexity validate the capability of the ADURC method to identify small-scale heterogeneities. For the reported experiments, variations in angle-dependent reflectivity give rise to corresponding variations in the estimated P- and S-wave velocities and density, which can exceed 60%. These small-scale variations across heterogeneous rock samples often are overlooked by conventional laboratory methods.
Smallpox and the Choctaw Civil War
Authors: Sparacio Matthew J.
Published: February 2024

The presence of chilakwa (smallpox) in Choctaw villages between 1747 and 1748 complicated factionalism and civil war. Utilizing Sharla Fett’s approach to health culture—defined as “the social relations of healing”—this article outlines how eighteenth-century Choctaws arrived at acceptable contingency plans when faced with illness and argues that community responses to smallpox helped ease factional tensions. Iksa (moiety) obligations for funeral rites—embodying the notion of iyyi kowa (generosity)—bridged political differences, accounting for a period of collaboration between groups best understood as the “smallpox peace.” Smallpox, therefore, surprisingly did not immediately contribute to political instability, although its indirect consequences proved significant during later stages of the civil war. Choctaw health culture informed individual and communal responses to chilakwa, which in turn shaped Choctaw factionalism.
Indigenous People and Smallpox in Argentina’s Desert Campaign, 1879–1881
Authors: Christensen Robert
Published: February 2024

Argentina’s 1879–85 Desert Campaign formed the basis for dispossessing the Indigenous community of its southern frontier. This article argues that the Desert Campaign should be understood as much as an epidemiological event as a military one, focusing on the most intense phase of a smallpox epidemic that ravaged communities of Indigenous survivors. More lives were lost to smallpox than to combat, particularly as the disease permeated prisoner camps. A general lack of concern for the health of Indigenous prisoners punctuated their experience of dispossession at the hands of the Argentine army and “distribution” into forced labor systems throughout the country.
Gaze tracking of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) in a motion capture system
Authors: Itahara Akihiro , Kano Fumihiro
Published: February 2024

Previous studies often inferred the focus of a bird's attention from its head movements because it provides important clues about their perception and cognition. However, it remains challenging to do so accurately, as the details of how they orient their visual field toward the visual targets remain largely unclear. We thus examined visual field configurations and the visual field use of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler 1827). We used an established ophthalmoscopic reflex technique to identify the visual field configuration, including the binocular width and optical axes, as well as the degree of eye movement. A newly established motion capture system was then used to track the head movements of freely moving crows to examine how they oriented their reconstructed visual fields toward attention-getting objects. When visual targets were moving, the crows frequently used their binocular visual fields, particularly around the projection of the beak-tip. When the visual targets stopped moving, crows frequently used non-binocular visual fields, particularly around the regions where their optical axes were found. On such occasions, the crows slightly preferred the right eye. Overall, the visual field use of crows is clearly predictable. Thus, while the untracked eye movements could introduce some level of uncertainty (typically within 15 deg), we demonstrated the feasibility of inferring a crow's attentional focus by 3D tracking of their heads. Our system represents a promising initial step towards establishing gaze tracking methods for studying corvid behavior and cognition.
Realny popyt na specjalistów z dyplomem studiów geograficznych w świetle analiz ofert pracy oraz wypowiedzi pracodawców i pracowników
Authors: Piróg Danuta
Published: February 2024

W artykule przedstawiono analizę wielkości i struktury popytu rynku pracy na osoby z dyplomem studiów geograficznych wraz z weryfikacją stopnia zaspokojenia tego popytu u pracodawców, którzy takie potrzeby kadrowe faktycznie zgłosili. Aby w sposób wiarygodny i uprawniający do wyciągania wniosków o charakterze ogólnym określić zapotrzebowanie na konkretnych specjalistów, należy w dłuższym czasie i w skali co najmniej krajowej śledzić realne, czyli wyrażone w ofertach pracy, potrzeby kadrowe. Właśnie dlatego badaniami objęto sześć krajów (Austria, Irlandia, Niemcy, Polska, Szwajcaria, Wielka Brytania), a całość procedury trwała ponad trzy lata. W każdym z nich najpierw realizowano monitoring ogłoszeń o pracę. Następnie przeprowadzono wywiady weryfikujące zaspokojenie potrzeb pracodawców na specjalistów z zakresu geografii oraz gromadzące doświadczenia pracowników zatrudnionych w wyniku ogłoszonej oferty. W ten sposób ustalono, że przez półtora roku w badanych krajach do geografów skierowano ponad 17 tys. ofert pracy, tworzących 18 głównych grup. Zarówno w przypadku wielkości, jak i struktury najbardziej zróżnicowane potrzeby ujawnił rynek pracy w Wielkiej Brytanii i Irlandii, kolejno – w krajach niemieckojęzycznych, a na końcu – w Polsce. Pracodawcy generalnie pozyskali potrzebnych im pracowników, przy czym największe trudności zgłaszali ci szukający nauczycieli do pracy w niepełnym wymiarze. Wysoko ocenili oni kwalifikacje oraz kompetencje pracujących u nich absolwentów studiów geograficznych. Pracownicy z kolei deklarowali zadowolenie z merytorycznego zakresu zadań, ale nie zawsze, zwłaszcza w Polsce, byli usatysfakcjonowani wynagrodzeniem i stabilnością zatrudnienia. Wyniki z przeprowadzonych badań, oprócz uzupełnienia luki w stanie wiedzy, mogą być przydatne tym jednostkom, które chcą konstruować programy kształcenia zwiększające pomyślność tranzycji absolwentów na rynek pracy do profesji związanych z ukończonym kierunkiem studiów.
Επίδραση του όζοντος της ατμόσφαιρας στη ρινική ροή και στη φλεγμονή των αεραγωγών παιδιών σχολικής ηλικίας στην περιοχή της Θεσσαλονίκης
Authors: Αγγελής Νικόλαος
Published: February 2024

Σκοπός της παρούσης μελέτης είναι η διερεύνηση των βραχυπρόθεσμων επιδράσεων της έκθεσης σε περιβαλλοντικό όζον (Ο3) στην ρινική ροή αέρα, μέσω της διενέργειας ρινομανομετρίας και στη φλεγμονή των αεραγωγών, μέσω της μέτρησης του εκπνεόμενου Μονοξειδίου του Αζώτου (FeNO), παιδιών σχολικής ηλικίας, 10-11 ετών, στην περιοχή της Θεσσαλονίκης. Συμπεριλήφθηκαν 91 παιδιά σχολικής ηλικίας – 47 εκ των οποίων υποβλήθηκαν σε ρινομανομετρία. Η μελέτη πραγματοποιήθηκε κατά το ακαδημαϊκό έτος 2013-2014 σε 4 εβδομάδες που κάλυπταν την εποχιακή διακύμανση. Διανεμήθηκαν ερωτηματολόγια χρόνου- δραστηριοτήτων, προσωπικοί δειγματολήπτες Ο3, ροόμετρα για την καθημερινή μέτρηση της μέγιστης εκπνευστικής ροής και 1 εβδομάδα αργότερα πραγματοποιήθηκαν μετρήσεις αναπνοής και παραλήφθηκαν τα υλικά που είχαν παραδοθεί στα παιδιά. Οι περιοχές μελέτης επιλέχθηκαν σύμφωνα με τα επίπεδα O3 και τα σχολεία ταξινομήθηκαν σε περιοχές με υψηλή και χαμηλή περιεκτικότητα σε O3. Εξετάστηκαν επίσης καθημερινές μετρήσεις του Ο3 και άλλων ρύπων σε εξωτερικούς χώρους από σταθερούς κρατικούς μετρητές. Για την ανάλυση εφαρμόστηκαν μικτά μοντέλα με έλεγχο συγχυτικών παραγόντων. Αύξηση 10 μg/m3 στις εβδομαδιαίες συγκεντρώσεις προσωπικής έκθεσης στο O3 συσχετίστηκε με μείωση 12,7% στη ροή εισπνευστικού αέρα από τη μύτη (29,4% κατά την περίοδο υψηλής περιεκτικότητας σε Ο3) που δεν έφτασε το συμβατικό επίπεδο στατιστικής σημαντικότητας. Όταν λήφθηκε υπόψη η έκθεση σε εξωτερικούς χώρους της ίδιας και της προηγούμενης ημέρας, τα αντίστοιχα ποσοστά ήταν 13,48% και 43,58% (P=0,02). Όσον αφορά την προσωπική έκθεση στο O3 και τη σχέση της με το FeNO - για την υποομάδα των παιδιών που είχαν υποβληθεί σε ρινομανομετρία - παρατηρήθηκε αύξηση στο FeNO (μη στατιστικά σημαντική) η οποία εμφανίζει συσχέτιση με τις εβδομαδιαίες προσωπικές μετρήσεις μετά από προσαρμογή για πολλούς συγχυτικούς παράγοντες και ρύθμιση για τη συγκέντρωση των μικροσωματιδίων με διάμετρο 10μm (PM10). Δε βρέθηκε σημαντική συσχέτιση μεταξύ της προσωπικής έκθεσης στο O3 και των σπιρομετρικών παραμέτρων, αν και η δυναμική ζωτική χωρητικότητα (FVC) μειώθηκε με την αύξηση της έκθεσης σε O3. Υπάρχει ένδειξη για αυξημένο κίνδυνο ρινικής απόφραξης κατά την έκθεση των παιδιών σε υψηλή συγκέντρωση Ο3. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι πιο έντονο όταν λαμβάνονται υπόψη τα αποτελέσματα βραχυχρόνιας έκθεσης και όταν περιορίζεται στις μετρήσεις που λήφθηκαν κατά την περίοδο της Άνοιξης.
Expert Assessment of the Relative Responsibilities of the Manager in the Execution Business Plan Subsystems
Authors: Fomicheva I. , Yudina O. , Polyakov D.
Published: February 2024

An analysis of the work on intra-company planning has been carried out. An example of the distribution of relative responsibility based on the data of the expert matrix of the business plan is considered. To coordinate expert assessments and expert competencies, the rank method was adopted. A methodology is proposed for assessing the relative responsibility of the manager in the execution of business plan subsystems based on the coefficient of relative importance and the coefficient of mutual responsibility (utility). The variants of calculating the relative responsibility of the functional divisions of the organization in the execution of business plan subsystems are proposed.
Eksistensi Kematian sebagai Akhir: Thanatos dan Eros dalam Ziarah Karya Iwan Simatupang (Perspektif Psikoanalisis Freudian)
Authors: Rahayu Titin Puji , Atikurrahman Moh. , Alfin Jauharotin
Published: February 2024

This article explores personality dynamics in Indonesian literature by taking the theme of death in the novel Ziarah by Iwan Simatupang (1969). The concept of 'Thanatos and Eros' from Freudian psychoanalytic research is understood as the relationship between instincts in human behavior, which are described as conflicting settings, namely the death instinct and the life instinct. This research uses a qualitative description method and a content analysis method in the form of presenting data in the form of words and sentences taken from the novel Ziarah by Iwan Simatupang (1969) on the aspects of Thanatos (death instinct), eros (life instinct) and anxitas (anxiety). The research techniques used are literature review, note-taking, and data processing techniques. Thus, research into personality dynamics in the novel Ziarah by Iwan Simatupang obtained six data on Thanatos (death instinct), five data on eros (life instinct), and one data on anxitas (anxiety). Thanatos (death instinct) data emphasizes the death instinct in the form of aggression and suicidal actions in the Painter character, the Young and Old Operative character, and the Mayor character. The eros data (life instinct) emphasizes the sexual instinct in the painter's characters and the non-sexual instinct (lamentation poetry) in fulfilling physical needs such as feelings of hunger, thirst, work, and others. Anxiety data emphasizes the anxiety of death in the painter's character.
In Absentia Data Bahasa dalam Kejahatan Berbahasa Putusan Mahkamah Agung: Kajian Linguistik Forensik
Authors: Hidayat Rahmat , Arimi Sailal
Published: February 2024

Violation of language norms committed by an individual can result in sanctions or punishment. The penalties imposed in cases of hate speech may include fines or imprisonment. In the case of Bahar bin Smith and Yulianus Paonganan, there were language violations, particularly in the form of insults, defamation, and tarnishing the reputation of President Joko Widodo. Bahar bin Smith was sentenced to six months and fifteen days, while Yulianus Paonganan was sentenced to one year of imprisonment. Interestingly, in the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Bahar bin Smith’s case, there is no information regarding language violations. This raises questions about how a punishment for language-related crimes can be decided without linguistic evidence. This research is descriptive and qualitative, using a semantic approach to identify forms of hate speech. The linguistic forensic research results highlight the forms, types, and grammatical meanings of hate speech. Furthermore, the research findings indicate that the Supreme Court, in issuing decisions, is not always professional, lacks transparency, and exhibits negligence and carelessness, as evidenced by the issuance of a verdict without linguistic violation evidence.
A season of change: managing menopause with adult congenital heart disease
Authors: Greenaway Beth
Published: February 2024

In this patient story, Beth Greenaway describes her experience of menopause and the additional challenges that a congenital heart condition can bring to this life stage.
Risk assessment of heavy metal content in yam tubers locally produced in selected local government areas of Taraba State, Nigeria
Authors: OLAWALE OTITOJU FRANCIS , ABAH MOSES ADONDUA , EMMANUEL OZIOMA PRINCE , OTITOJU GRACE TAIWO , ABERSHI AJIDUKU LEYOA , TEMITOPE DADA FOLASHADE , ANDREW ASOGWA EMEKA , ABDULKADIR SAAD , JOHN AMSA
Published: February 2024

Abstract. Olawale OF, Abah MA, Emmanuel OP, Otitoju GT, Abershi AL, Temitope DF, Andrew AE, Abdulkadir S, John A. 2023. Risk assessment of heavy metal content in yam tubers locally produced in selected local government areas of Taraba State, Nigeria. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 21: 6-12. Yam is one of the most cultivated tubers in northern Nigeria. The increasing yam consumption and pest attack on the crop have led to increased use of fertilizers and pesticides during the cultivation process to prevent and control pest attacks. This study aims to determine the concentration of several heavy metals (Hg, Cr, Cd, Pb, and As) in locally produced yam samples harvested from Jalingo, Takum, Mutum Biyu, Wukari and Zing Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba state as well assessing the Total Cancer Risk and Hazard Quotient associated with consuming the analyzed yam samples. The samples were collected in duplicates from five LGAs of Taraba state (Jalingo, Takum, Mutum Biyu, Wukari, and Zing). They were washed, peeled, and dried before being analyzed for heavy metal content using the method of Nitric acid-hydrochloric acid digestion (APHA 3030 f. 2018) by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The data were analyzed using ANOVA (P<0.05). The results showed that Hg and As values were below the permissible limit recommended by WHO, with values ranging from 0.02-0.05 mg/kg. Cadmium content was significantly high, ranging from 8.00-14.00 mg/kg. Chromium content from Zing LGA was higher than in other locations, ranging from 100.00 to 103.00 mg/kg. The risk assessment analysis revealed that chromium and arsenic had the highest and lowest hazard quotient values of 37.32 and 0.00180, respectively, for yam samples cultivated in Jalingo LGA. The highest TCR value was obtained in chromium (3.2×10-3) and the lowest in the lead (1.23×10-8). High levels of heavy metals present in yam samples could be due to excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers during cultivation, burning of plastics and rubbers, deposition from mountains, and other anthropogenic activities. The results of this study are expected to gain public awareness that consuming locally produced yam from LGAs contaminated with heavy metals is at risk of heavy metal toxicity, such as renal, neural, and respiratory disorders, among others.
Don't Go! Some Agoraphobic Postulates for a Post-Travel World Derived from Ingeborg Bachmann's 'Probleme Probleme'
Authors: Magshamhráin Rachel
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This article explores the new relevance of Ingeborg Bachmann's short story 'Probleme Probleme' and the agoraphobia it examines in what ideally, for environmental reasons, should soon become a post-travel age, which relies on its virtual possibilities to replace movement. The article examines how Bachmann's story deconstructs movement per se , proposing inertia and imagined or text-based journeys in the place of penetrative and real travel. Dieser Artikel untersucht die Relevanz von Ingeborg Bachmanns Kurzgeschichte 'Probleme Probleme' und die darin thematisierte Agoraphobie für ein virtuelles Zeitalter, das möglichst schnell aus Umweltschutzgründen posttouristisch werden sollte. Der Artikel zeigt, wie Bachmanns Text Bewegung als solche dekonstruiert und Trägheit sowie imaginäres oder textbasiertes Reisen als Alternative zu realem Reisen vorschlägt.
'Costa Rica, der ruhigste und glücklichste von sämmtlichen Freistaaten des spanischen Amerika': Karl von Scherzer and Moritz Wagner in Central America and their Texts about Costa Rica, 1854–1855
Authors: Blecha Laurin
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This article analyses the works of the Austrian scientist Karl von Scherzer and the German geographer Moritz Wagner that deal with their travels to Central America from 1853 to 1855, focusing especially on their writings on Costa Rica. The texts are part of the extensive travel literature that was written in the mid-nineteenth century. They not only reflect the interest of the travellers and scientists in the region's 'exotic' nature and its inhabitants; they also form part of the discursive basis of imperialism. They make visible the manner in which the imperial powers in the Global North asserted their political influence, securing access to natural resources and pursuing territorial expansion in a region of enormous potential and considerable complexity. Dieser Artikel analysiert ausgewählte Werke des österreichischen Wissenschaftlers Karl von Scherzer und des deutschen Geographen Moritz Wagner, die sich mit ihrer Reise nach Zentralamerika von 1853 bis 1855 befassen; insbesondere stehen ihre Schriften zu Costa Rica im Mittelpunkt. Die Texte sind Teil der umfangreichen Reiseliteratur, die um die Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts verfasst wurde und nicht nur das Interesse der Reisenden und Wissenschaftler wiederspiegelt, das 'Exotische' der Natur der Region und ihrer Bewohner:innen zu dokumentieren. Darüber hinaus gewinnen die Schriften als diskursive Grundlage Kontur, auf der die imperialen Mächte des Globalen Nordens ihren politischen Einfluss, ihren Zugang zu natürlichen Ressourcen sowie eine mögliche territoriale Expansion in die damaligen Peripherien der Welt geltend machten.
Writing from the Periphery: Alma Karlin's Autobiography, Travel Writing and the Journey towards Self-Discovery
Authors: Perry Nicole
Published: February 2024

Abstract: Alma Karlin is considered the most famous female Austrian travel writer of the 1920s and 1930s. On her typewriter 'Erika', she documented her eight-anda-half-year global journey before returning home to Cilli/Celje in present-day Slovenia. This article considers Alma Karlin's autobiography Ein Mensch wird and excerpts from the first volume of her travel trilogy Einsame Weltreise as examples of her self-perception as a solitary female traveller. The analysis takes into consideration Annegret Pelz's work on the relationship between travel literature and female autobiographical writing together with Bernd Stiegler's discussion of 'room travel', to argue that the act of travelling within oneself and the physical act of travel adhere to similar principles and possess a similar status in the identity household of the agents. Karlin's writing affords insights into her experiences that are partly personal and partly political; they have to do with gender, disability and citizenship. Her dissatisfaction with her Yugoslav passport, for example, allows us to consider to what degree Karlin's travels and identity were impaired in light of her new-found status as a 'Slav'. Alma Karlin gilt als die berühmteste deutschsprachige Reiseschriftstellerin der 1920er und 1930er Jahre. Mit ihrer Schreibmaschine 'Erika' dokumentierte sie ihre achteinhalbjährige Weltreise, bevor sie nach Cilli/Celje im heutigen Slowenien zurückkehrte. Der vorliegende Artikel betrachtet Alma Karlins Autobiographie Ein Mensch wird und Auszüge aus dem ersten Band ihrer Reisetrilogie Einsame Weltreise als Beispiele für ihre Selbstwahrnehmung als allein reisende Frau. Die Analyse berücksichtigt Annegret Pelz' Arbeit über Reiseliteratur als weibliches autobiographisches Schreiben sowie Bernd Stieglers Diskussion über 'Zimmerreisen', um zu argumentieren, dass Reisen im eigenen Selbst und der physische Akt des reisenden Ausgriffs im Raum ähnlichen Prinzipien folgen und eine parallele Bedeutung für den Identitätshaushalt der Betroffenen haben. Karlins Texte, ihre Auseinandersetzungen mit Geschlecht, Behinderung und Staatszugehörigkeit ermöglichen Einsichten sowohl privater wie politischer Natur. Ihre Abneigung gegen den ihr nach 1918 verordneten jugoslawischen Pass gibt einen Eindruck davon, wie stark Karlins Reisetätigkeit und ihr Selbstverständnis von der aufgezwungenen Identität als 'Slawin' beeinträchtigt waren.
'Reisen ist Rast in der Unruhe der Welt': Stefan Zweig as homo viator
Authors: Tobiasz Aleksandra
Published: February 2024

Abstract: The article presents Stefan Zweig as homo viator for whom travelling played an important existential role which allowed him to reshape his self-understanding in a time of political othering and in response to cultural alterity. Drawing on phenomenological approaches, the article explores Zweig's 'phenomenology of travel' (Matjaž Birk) shedding light on the writer's mechanisms of selfidentification evolving in a dialogue with the Other, here in particular with America and Soviet Russia. Zweig's motivations for travelling ranged from the urge for self-promotion to the need for self-transfiguration. Moreover, his constant movement in space was nourished by two dimensions of freedom that changed over the course of time. In times of political stability Zweig's curiosity in relation to distant lands intensified and he sought to express a positive sense of freedom by broadening his horizons; in less predictable times the urge to escape historical turmoil imposed itself, and Zweig pursued the negative freedom of exile. Contrary to the pre-war period of journeys to far-off lands, which served Zweig to affirm his bonds with Europe, the later travels did not alleviate the feeling of alienation from his European homeland. Der Artikel stellt Stefan Zweig als homo viator vor, für den das Reisen eine wichtige existentielle Rolle spielte, die es ihm ermöglichte, sein Selbstverständnis angesichts kultureller Alterität und in Momenten der Entfremdung von menschenfeindlichen Zeiterscheinungen neu zu gestalten. Auf der Grundlage eines phänomenologischen Ansatzes zielt der Beitrag darauf ab, Zweigs 'Phänomenologie des Reisens' (Matjaž Birk) zu untersuchen und die Mechanismen der Selbstidentifikation des Schriftstellers zu beleuchten, die sich im Dialog mit dem Anderen ausprägen: insbesondere in Auseinandersetzung mit Amerika und Sowjetrussland. Zweigs Beweggründe für seine Reisen reichten vom Drang zur Selbstdarstellung bis hin zum Bedürfnis nach Selbstverklärung. Darüber hinaus wurde seine ständige Bewegung im Raum von zwei Auffassungen von Freiheit genährt, die sich im Laufe der Zeit veränderten. Während ein stabiler politischer Kontext Zweigs Neugier auf ferne Länder verstärkte und ihn ermutigte, die positive Freiheit, seinen Horizont zu erweitern, zu verwirklichen, erzwang die berechenbare, hektische Wirklichkeit den Drang, den historischen Wirren auf der Suche nach der negativen Freiheit im Exil zu entkommen. Im Gegensatz zu den Reisen in ferne Länder in der Vorkriegszeit, die Zweig dazu dienten, seine Verbundenheit mit Europa zu affirmieren, milderten die späteren Reisen nicht das Gefühl der Entfremdung von seiner europäischen Heimat.
The Libyan Desert as a Space of Experience: Richard A. Bermann as Chronicler of the 1933 Almásy-Expedition
Authors: Stuhlmann Andreas
Published: February 2024

Abstract: Richard A. Bermann (1883–1939) was a prominent Austrian travel writer who wrote for prestigious newspapers in Berlin, Vienna and Prague and published a dozen travelogues and adventure novels set in foreign destinations from Brazil to the Sudan and Samoa. In March 1933, as part of a group around Count László Almásy, he embarked on an expedition into the largely unmapped heart of the Libyan Desert. Very quickly it became obvious that Bermann was physically and mentally overwhelmed by the exertions of desert exploration but also underprepared for the complexity of material and discursive practices accumulated in centuries of desert exploration. In spite of these challenges, Bermann published a series of articles about the journey for a Viennese newspaper, a book-length travelogue and a report for the Geographical Society in London. It was this report that inspired Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje to write his global bestseller The English Patient . Richard A. Bermann (1883–1939) war ein bekannter österreichischer Reiseautor der für die großen Zeitungen in Berlin, Prag und Wien Reisereportagen verfasste, dazu Reisebücher und Abenteuerromane, die an weit entfernten Schauplätzen spielen. Im März 1933 brach er mit einer Gesellschaft, die von Graf László Almásy angeführt wurde, zu einer Expedition in eine bisher unkartierte Gegend der Libyschen Wüste auf. Bermann hatte Erfahrung in der Berichterstattung aus abgelegenen Weltgegenden, doch auf dieser Expedition stieß er an seine Grenzen. Ihm wurde bald klar, dass ihn die Anstrengungen der Wüste physisch und mental überforderten. Trotz dieser Herausforderungen verfasste er Artikel für eine Wiener Zeitung, einen Reisebericht in Buchlänge und einen Bericht für die Geographische Gesellschaft in London, auf dem der kanadische Schriftsteller Michael Ondaatje seinen Bestseller-Roman The English Patient basierte.
Fallmeister Franza: Journeys of Mastery in Ransmayr and Bachmann
Authors: Brennan Conor
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This article presents a close comparative reading of Ingeborg Bachmann's novel fragment Das Buch Franza [ The Book of Franza ] and Christoph Ransmayr's 2021 novel Der Fallmeister [The Fall Master], a high-literary climate dystopia. The textual echoes of Bachmann's fragment in the later novel are strong enough to highlight shared concerns between the two authors, including a concern with gendered domination. Their commonalities complicate the critical consensus on Ransmayr's work and suggest a direct influence of Bachmann's Todesarten [Ways of Dying] project on his writing. The article analyses these intertexts in terms of a shared preoccupation with 'mastery', considering aspects of gender and narrative perspective; character triads and their relationship to allegory; guilt and confession; and an associative logic that links different types of victims and perpetrators, discussed here in terms of 'archetypal' representation. The article carries a content warning for sexual assault and femicide. Der Artikel unternimmt eine vergleichende Lektüre von Ingeborg Bachmanns Romanfragment Das Buch Franza und Christoph Ransmayrs Roman Der Fallmeister (2021), einer hochliterarischen Klimadystopie. Die Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Bachmanns Fragment und dem späteren Roman sind stark genug, um gemeinsame Anliegen der beiden Autoren—einschließlich der Auseinandersetzung mit gender-spezifischen Herrschaftsverhältnissen—hervorzuheben. Diese Gemeinsamkeiten problematisieren den kritischen Konsens über Ransmayrs Werk und legen einen direkten Einfluss von Bachmanns Todesarten -Projekt auf sein Schreiben nahe. Der Artikel analysiert die Intertexte im Hinblick auf Aspekte von Gender und Erzählperspektive; Figurenkonstellationen im Verhältnis zur Allegorie; Schuld und Beichte sowie eine assoziative Logik, die verschiedene Opfer und Täter miteinander verbindet. Diese Logik wird hier im Sinne einer 'archetypischen' Darstellung aufgefasst. Trigger Warnung: In dem Aufsatz kommen die Themen sexuelle Gewalt und Femizid zur Sprache.
Where Are the Missing Workers? Anticipated and Unanticipated Labor Supply Changes in the Pandemic's Aftermath
Authors: Abraham Katharine G. , Rendell Lea E.
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT: Labor force participation and average hours of work both fell sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither had fully recovered by the end of 2022. The drop in participation between December 2019 and December 2022 implies a loss of 3 million people from the labor force; the decline in average hours over the same period translates to the equivalent of 2.6 million fewer workers. Demographic and other trend factors that predated the pandemic explain most of the participation shortfall. Taken together, COVID-19-related health effects and the persistent (though shrinking) effects of the fear of contracting COVID-19 more than explain the rest. In contrast, pre-pandemic factors account for little of the shortfall in hours. COVID-19-related health effects account for perhaps 40 percent of that decline, but we are unable to explain the majority of the hours shortfall. We speculate that the lower level of hours in the post-pandemic period may reflect a shift in the desired balance between work and other aspects of workers' lives.
Is the Global Economy Deglobalizing? If So, Why? And What Is Next?
Authors: Goldberg Pinelopi K. , Reed Tristan
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT: Data on global trade as well as capital and labor flows indicate a slowdown, but not reversal, of globalization since the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Yet profound changes in the policy environment and public sentiment in the largest economies over the past five years suggest the beginning of a new era. Increasing anxiety about the labor market effects of import competition from low-wage countries, especially China, laid the groundwork but was not the catalyst for the reversal in attitudes toward globalization. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic provided novel arguments against free trade based on global supply chain resilience, but neither the pandemic nor short-run policy response had enduring effects on trade flows. We demonstrate that global trade was remarkably resilient during the pandemic and that supply shortages would likely have been more severe in the absence of international trade. After a temporary decline in 2020, global trade in goods and services increased sharply in 2021. Russia's invasion of Ukraine raised new concerns about national security and the exposure of supply chains to geopolitical risk. This was followed by demands to diversify away from "non-friendly" countries and toward the employment of trade policy, export restrictions in particular, to halt China's technological development. The future of globalization is highly uncertain at this point, but these new policies will likely slow global growth, innovation, and poverty reduction even if they benefit certain industries in certain countries. Regarding resilience, the main goal of recent trade policy changes, measures of trade volatility or concentration can be helpful, but resilience will be elusive as long as we lack benchmarks against which policy performance can be measured.
Women in the Brain: A History of Glial Cell Metaphors
Authors: Upchurch Meg , Fojtová Simona
Published: February 2024

Cells within the nervous system are generally divided into two types: Neurons and glia. Neurons have the capacity to change their electrical potential, hence to be "active," and have received the bulk of attention from researchers. However, recent evidence shows that one form of glial cell, the astrocyte, contributes to communication within the nervous system in a fashion that is increasingly characterized as "active." Astrocytes were previously regarded as passive supporting elements. Metaphorical descriptions of the cells changed from lifeless "packing material" to "housekeepers," "nursemaids," and other social roles characterized by female gender and subordinate status. A turning point in the conceptualization of glial cells came when researchers reported that chemicals released from glial cells appeared to regulate the formation of synapses, the communication points between neurons. With this evidence that glial cells not only contributed to, but actively regulated, a process highly valued by neuroscientists, glial cells moved up in social rank and changed gender, becoming "masters of the synapse" and "architects of the brain." The metaphors clearly imply that as cells become more valuable to nervous system function, they become metaphorically masculine.
Crises of the Political Imagination: The Aesthetics of Colonial and Planetary Violences
Authors: Frankowski Alfred
Published: February 2024

Abstract: In this article, I focus on intersections between colonial violence, aesthetics, and ecological crises as reflections of a crisis of the political imagination. I engage Namita Goswami’s Subjects That Matter and argue that the ways in which her text pursues forms of questioning racialized and gendered colonial violences provides a context for approaching variations of colonial violence collectively. By engaging Goswami’s text, I propose a postcolonial aesthetics as a way of rethinking our planetary bonds, aesthetically. I further argue that postcolonial aesthetics runs contrary to our contemporary political imagination, and that it makes the crisis of this imaginary apparent.
St. Beowulf: Hagiography and Heroic Identity in Beowulf
Authors: Ramey Peter
Published: February 2024

Abstract: Debates over the role of Christianity in Beowulf have not fully taken into account hagiographic models. Although saints' lives were among the first written materials to flourish in early medieval England, relatively little has been done to examine the influence of hagiography on Beowulf . After considering some of the reasons for the lack of such approaches, this essay examines Beowulf in light of hagiographic conventions and concepts, arguing that the Beowulf -poet invests the traditional warrior identity of the hero Beowulf with conceptions of sanctity found in saints' lives composed by Bede, Felix, and others. In the process, this essay challenges the prevailing "dramatic irony" view of the poem that divorces the religious understanding of the narrator from that of the characters. A thorough analysis reveals that characters and narrator speak a shared theological language and that the religious perspectives of narrator and dramatis personae are indistinguishable.
The Cloak and the Clog: Tudor Portraiture and Sir Thomas Wyatt's "Myne owne John Poyntz"
Authors: Martin Carl Grey
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This essay explores how the visual culture of the portrait in the early Tudor period, epitomized by Hans Holbein's work, informed and intensified the self-examination, pictorialism, and textual play of Sir Thomas Wyatt's "epistolary satire" to John Pointz, a fellow courtier. Specifically, I argue that Wyatt's ambivalent self-description in this overtly self-righteous poem reimagines the memento mori —a visual reminder of vulnerability and death, often incorporated in portraiture—to deliberately undermine his Stoic self-assertion and to rebuke the reader's credulity.