bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of subsidies on tecnical efficiency of Algerian agricultural sector: using stochastic frontier model (SFA)
Authors: Moulay Ali Houari , Guellil Mohammed Seghir , Mokhtari Fayçal , Tsabet Abderrahmane
Published: May 2024

This study seeks to determine the impact of agricultural subsidies on the efficiency of Algerian farms. To do so, we estimated a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) for Algerian data covering the period from1970 to 2020. Two variables were used to describe the agricultural subsidy: the first is total agricultural support, and the second is a dummy variable that takes the values 0 and 1 to express the coupling of subsidies to production. The variable of support for agriculture production and producers takes the value of one (1) in the era when the support is not related to production (decoupled support). It takes the value zero (0) when there is explicit support for production and producers (coupled support).The findings revealed that total subsidies had a negative impact and statistically significant on the technical efficiency of Algerian farms. While, the decoupling has a positive effect on efficiency (negative on inefficiency), but without significance.
A hybrid approach for rice crop disease detection in agricultural IoT system
Authors: Wang Yu , Rajkumar Dhamodharan Udaya Suriya , Sarwar Nadeem , Almalki Faris A. , Naith Qamar H. , R Sathiyaraj , D Mohan
Published: May 2024

Agriculture is an essential sector that plays a necessary role in the economic improvement of a country. Prediction of plant diseases at the earliest stage may result in better yield and sustainable for growing population. The conventional method necessitates highly skilled inspectors to identify the phenotypic expression of different diseases. Alternatively, biochemical technologies offer more precise means of obtaining crop disease information by analyzing susceptible rice. However, these methods are time-consuming, expensive, reliant on laboratories, and require skilled professionals, rendering them unaffordable for most farmers. The paper aims to propose a solution to prevent infection at the earliest stage for the benefit of farmers. A novel crop disease detection model deploying a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DC-GAN) and with multidimensional feature compensation Residual Neural Network (MDFC-ResNet) and named as DC-GAN-MDFC–ResNet, which aims at fine grained disease identification system detects from three aspects, bacterial leaf blight, leaf streak and panicle blight. Initially the input data undergone preprocessing using the several processes like data improvement, data normalization, and Singular value decomposition (SVD) to reduce the negative influence that the data set has on the training of the model. When compared to traditional convolution models, the suggested DC-GAN-MDFC–ResNet architecture exhibits in terms of highest classification accuracy, Segmentation free methodology and training stability. The experiments done in this work using Plant Village dataset which show the proposed technique offering improved recognition with the rate of 95.99% accuracy and generating higher quality samples compared to other well-known deep learning models.
Delineating the uranium anomalous zones using remote sensing and radiometric data: a case study from Gabal Umm Tinassib area, North Eastern Desert, Egypt
Authors: Assran Assran Sayed Mohamed , El Qassas Reda Abdu Yousef , Ahmed Mohamed Salaheldin Zakaria , Abdel-Fattah Tharwat Ahmed , el Maghrapy Magdy Mahmoud Samy , Diab Hassan Ibrahim , Othman Manal Mohamed
Published: May 2024

Remote sensing (RS) and airborne gamma-ray spectrometric (AGS) methods are utilized to delineate significant uranium zones and altered mineralization areas in Gabal Umm Tinassib and its surrounding region, situated in the northern section of the Egyptian Eastern Desert. AGS serves as a valuable tool for mapping surface geology and conducting mineral exploration. It assesses the concentrations of radioactive elements such as potassium (K), equivalent uranium (eU), and equivalent thorium (eTh). The concentration of radioelements exhibits measurable and significant variation according to lithology. On the other hand, several processing steps are employed for the RS data to generate high-quality images for geological mapping and to identify the mineralized alteration zones. The analysis of RS and AGS data in this study led to insightful conclusions. The utilization of False Color Composite (FCC) with the three best bands derived from the Optimum Index Factor (OIF), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to extract two highly informative datasets, and the application of two band ratios contributed to accurate geological mapping. These band ratios notably identified identical alteration locations on both younger and older granite basement rocks. Additionally, the constrained energy minimization (CEM) technique effectively pinpointed alterations across these strata. The statistical analysis of AGS data revealed that radioactivity levels in the region range from 1.3 to 19.3 Ur for the total-count (TC), 0.2–3.6% for K, 0.09–11.6 ppm for eU, and 1.1–30.0 ppm for eTh. The estimated coefficient of variability (CoV) demonstrated that the three radio-elements exhibited normal distribution patterns across different rock units, with CoV values of less than 100%, except for K in the Malha Formation. High radiometric readings are observed in the outcroppings of younger and older granites. However, the lowest readings are recorded over undifferentiated Upper-Cretaceous sediments, Abu Rimth Formation, Galala Formation, and some parts of Quaternary sediments. The derived ternary radio-elements map highlights significant radiometric and related uranium anomalous zones as bright white regions. A strong correlation was found between high radiometric anomalous zones and the presumed occurrence of alteration zones in the study area.
Effects of environmental metal and metalloid pollutants on plants and human health: exploring nano-remediation approach
Authors: Rajput Priyadarshani , Singh Abhishek , Agrawal Shreni , Ghazaryan Karen , Rajput Vishnu D. , Movsesyan Hasmik , Mandzhieva Saglara , Minkina Tatiana , Alexiou Athanasios
Published: May 2024

Metal and metalloid pollutants severely threatens environmental ecosystems and human health, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Nanoparticle (NPs)-based approaches have gained significant attention as promising solutions for efficient removing heavy metals from various environmental matrices. The present review is focused on green synthesized NPs-mediated remediation such as the implementation of iron, carbon-based nanomaterials, metal oxides, and bio-based NPs. The review also explores the mechanisms of NPs interactions with heavy metals, including adsorption, precipitation, and redox reactions. Critical factors influencing the remediation efficiency, such as NPs size, surface charge, and composition, are systematically examined. Furthermore, the environmental fate, transport, and potential risks associated with the application of NPs are critically evaluated. The review also highlights various sources of metal and metalloid pollutants and their impact on human health and translocation in plant tissues. Prospects and challenges in translating NPs-based remediation from laboratory research to real-world applications are proposed. The current work will be helpful to direct future research endeavors and promote the sustainable implementation of metal and metalloid elimination.
Psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience: modelling adolescent mental health profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Butter Sarah , Shevlin Mark , Gibson-Miller Jilly , McBride Orla , Hartman Todd K. , Bentall Richard P. , Bennett Kate , Murphy Jamie , Mason Liam , Martinez Anton P. , Levita Liat
Published: May 2024

There has been concern about adolescent mental health during the pandemic. The current study examined adolescent mental health during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Using indicator of psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience, latent profile analysis was used to identify homogeneous mental health groups among young people aged 13–24 (N = 1971). Multinomial logistic regression was then used to examine which sociodemographic and psychosocial variables predicted latent class membership. Four classes were found. The largest class (Class 1, 37.2%) was characterised by moderate symptomology and moderate wellbeing. Class 2 (34.2%) was characterised by low symptomology and high wellbeing, while Class 3 (25.4%) was characterised by moderate symptomology and high wellbeing. Finally, Class 4 was the smallest (3.2%) and was characterised by high symptomology and low wellbeing. Compared to the low symptomology, high wellbeing class, all other classes were associated with less social engagement with friends, poorer family functioning, greater somatic symptoms, and a less positive model of self. A number of unique associations between the classes and predictor variables were identified. Although around two-thirds of adolescents reported moderate-to-high symptomology, most of these individuals also reported concurrent moderate-to-high levels of wellbeing, reflecting resilience. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate how a more comprehensive picture of mental health can be gained through adopting a dual-continua conceptualisation of mental health that incorporates both pathology and well-being. In this way, at-risk youth can be identified and interventions and resources targeted appropriately.
Water in Yorùbá (Southwest Nigeria) religious belief and practices
Authors: Raheem Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu
Published: May 2024

Among the Yorùbá, one of the three largest ethnic groups primarily based in southwest Nigeria, water holds several meanings which are usually demonstrated in its capacity as a regenerating and degenerating power. To draw upon its affirming quality and elude its caustic powers, the Yorùbá exhibit strong reverence for water and, therefore, give critical attention to it. This reverence manifests through various ritual observances and religious rites that may include the presentation of non-human life or blood or any other acceptable ritual material. In the literature, water is presented ordinarily in its fluid state or as a ‘staple’ consumed to sustain human, animal and plant life as well as satisfy all kinds of human needs. Among the Yorùbá, however, water is approached in a different light and beyond its mere physical state. Drawing on Yorùbá verbal texts such asodù ifá(divinatory poems or texts) andòwe(proverbs), oral interviews and secondary sources, I present a hermeneutic approach to the intrinsic capacity of water within the context of Yorùbá religious belief and practices. I also examine water as a numinous power in Yorùbá culture and myths. I argue that the Yorùbá people’s reverence for water informs the diverse religious and cultural practices that manifest across sites where sacred water bodies are situated and why verbal formulations have been developed to explain water’s ‘extraordinary’ powers.
Utilization of waste marble dust as cement and sand replacement in concrete
Authors: Ali Sajjad , Ahmad Salar , Ullah Ikram
Published: May 2024

In this paper, CaCO3 waste marble dust (WMD) has been utilized in the production of concrete. Raw materials (Cement, Sand, WMD and Crush) were collected from Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Concrete cubes were molded in the laboratory and investigated by XRD. Effect of WMD addition to the concrete was studied. It was reported that 10% addition of WMD as cement replacement showed enhanced performance of the compressive strength as compared to sand replaced WMD blended concrete. Increment in WMD contents beyond 10% resulted in significant decrement of compressive strength. Substituting WMD with cement resulted in a decrement of 29.76%, while with sand, the decrement was 6.09%. Concrete made with cement replaced WMD showed the lowest water absorption rate over 7 days curing as compared to sand replaced (intermediate water absorption) and clean concrete (highest water absorption) samples.

Graphical Abstract
The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation
Authors: Paine Joshua
Published: May 2024

This book uses environmental disputes as a focus to develop a novel comparative analysis of the functions of international adjudication. Paine focuses on three challenges confronting international tribunals: managing change in applicable legal norms or relevant facts, determining the appropriate standard and method of review when scrutinising State conduct for compliance with international obligations, and contributing to wider processes of dispute settlement. The book compares how tribunals manage these challenges across four key sites of international adjudication: adjudication in the World Trade Organization and under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, International Court of Justice litigation, and investment treaty arbitration. It shows that while international tribunals perform several key functions in the contemporary international legal order, they are subject to significant constraints. Paine makes a genuine addition to literature on the role of international adjudication in international law which will benefit academics, practitioners, and policymakers.
Líĺwat Climbers Could See the Ocean from the Peak of Qẃelqẃelústen: Evaluating Oral Traditions with Viewshed Analyses from the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex Prior to Its 2360 BP Eruption
Authors: Angelbeck Bill , Springer Chris , Jones Johnny , Williams-Jones Glyn , Wilson Michael C.
Published: May 2024

Among Líĺwat people of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, an oral tradition relays how early ancestors used to ascend Qẃelqẃelústen, or Mount Meager. The account maintains that those climbers could see the ocean, which is not the case today, because the mountain is surrounded by many other high peaks, and the Strait of Georgia is several mountain ridges to the west. However, the mountain is an active and volatile volcano, which last erupted circa 2360 cal BP. It is also the site of the largest landslide in Canadian history, which occurred in 2010. Given that it had been a high, glacier-capped mountain throughout the Holocene, much like other volcanoes along the coastal range, we surmise that a climber may have reasonably been afforded a view of the ocean from its prior heights. We conducted viewshed analyses of the potential mountain height prior to its eruption and determined that one could indeed view the ocean if the mountain were at least 950 m higher than it is today. This aligns with the oral tradition, indicating that it may be over 2,400 years old, and plausibly in the range of 4,000 to 9,000 years old when the mountain may have been at such a height.
Bubble departure and sliding in high-pressure flow boiling of water
Authors: Kossolapov Artyom , Hughes Matthew T. , Phillips Bren , Bucci Matteo
Published: May 2024

Bubble growth, departure and sliding in low-pressure flow boiling has received considerable attention in the past. However, most applications of boiling heat transfer rely on high-pressure flow boiling, for which very little is known, as experimental data are scarce and very difficult to obtain. In this work, we conduct an experiment using high-resolution optical techniques. By combining backlit shadowgraphy and phase-detection imaging, we track bubble shape and physical footprint with high spatial (

$6\,\mathrm {\mu }{\rm m}$

) and temporal (

$33\,\mathrm {\mu }{\rm s}$

) resolutions, as well as bubble size and position as bubbles nucleate and slide on top of the heated surface. We show that at pressures above 1 MPa bubbles retain a spherical shape throughout the growth and sliding process. We analytically derive non-dimensional numbers to correlate bubble velocity and liquid velocity throughout the turbulent boundary layer and predict the sliding of bubbles on the surface, solely from physical properties and the bubble growth rate. We also show that these non-dimensional solutions can be leveraged to formulate elementary criteria that predict the effect of pressure and flow rate on bubble departure diameter and growth time.
Instability of a weakly viscoelastic film flow on an oscillating inclined plane
Authors: Du Shaofeng , Xiao Yue , Wang Shaowei , Zeng Li , Zhao Moli
Published: May 2024

The long- and finite-wavelength instabilities of weakly viscoelastic film on an oscillating inclined plane are investigated. By using the Chebyshev series solution with the Floquet theory, the combined effects of viscoelasticity and forcing amplitude on instability are described when the inclined plane oscillates in streamwise and wall-normal directions. For long-wavelength instability, the solution to the eigenvalue problem is obtained analytically by the asymptotic expansion method. Results show that the Floquet exponent is independent of the wall-normal oscillation amplitude. The effects of inclined angle, gravity and surface tension on the stability of viscoelastic liquid film are also discussed. For finite-wavelength instability, numerical results corresponding to the wall-normal oscillation disclose that with the increase of viscoelasticity, the unstable gravitational boundary moves to a higher wavenumber, and the critical amplitudes of subharmonic and harmonic instabilities are reduced. The neutral curve of gravity instability for streamwise oscillatory flow is divided into two parts, and a stable bandwidth is formed for a large value of the viscoelastic parameter. Besides, a new oscillatory mode is identified at small angles of inclination, which will be enhanced if the effect of viscoelasticity is incorporated.
Modelling the first droplet emission from an electrified liquid meniscus hanging at the nozzle tip
Authors: Chen Hao , Wang Guozhen , An Tao , Yin Zhouping , Fang Haisheng
Published: May 2024

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-induced droplet emission is an efficient method for the production of micron- and submicron-sized droplets in technological applications. Existing studies propose several scaling laws to determine the size of the emitted droplet. However, they have usually focused on the tip streaming phenomena of a droplet when subjected to a uniform electric field. In most applications, a non-uniform distribution of the electric field is created owing to the nozzle-to-plate configuration. Here, we employ an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method to demonstrate the mechanism of the first droplet emission from an electrified liquid meniscus with a fixed volume hanging at the nozzle tip. The critical condition when tip streaming occurs is determined using our numerical results. A phase diagram in terms of the electric field and initial liquid volume is presented to obtain the commonly used jetting mode. The effects of the liquid volume, electric field strength and electrical conductivity of the liquid on the processes of jet formation and breakup are further investigated. We find a particularly non-monotonic dependence of the size of the emitted droplet on the electrical conductivity. These findings could be useful for generating microdroplets and improving injection frequency in EHD printing technology.
‘Palermo is a mosaic’: cosmopolitan rhetoric in the capital of Sicily
Authors: Wyer Sean
Published: May 2024

The political messaging of Leoluca Orlando, who served five terms as mayor of Sicily's capital, Palermo (most recently, until 2022), articulates a cosmopolitan vision of local identity. Orlando seeks to emphasise Palermo's ‘tolerant’ values, invoking the city's history to foster this image, as well as using a variety of rhetorical strategies. He portrays Palermo as having a true ‘essence’, which is necessarily multicultural. I analyse Orlando's pronouncements on his official Facebook page, as well as observing his audience's reactions to his messaging, both supportive and critical. I examine how Orlando articulates the narrative that Palermo has historically been a ‘mosaic’ of various cultural influences, proposing that the contemporary city is the ‘true’, welcoming face of the Mediterranean. As well as exploring the political utility Orlando sees in such arguments, I analyse the risks inherent in this essentialising project.
Rotation of the globular cluster population of the dark matter deficient galaxy NGC 1052-DF4: Implication for the total mass
Authors: Li Yuan , Brewer Brendon J. , Lewis Geraint
Published: May 2024

We explore the globular cluster population of NGC 1052-DF4, a dark matter deficient galaxy, using Bayesian inference to search for the presence of rotation. The existence of such a rotating component is relevant to the estimation of the mass of the galaxy, and therefore the question of whether NGC 1052-DF4 is truly deficient of dark matter, similar to NGC 1052-DF2, another galaxy in the same group. The rotational characteristics of seven globular clusters in NGC 1052-DF4 were investigated, finding that a non-rotating kinematic model has a higher Bayesian evidence than a rotating model, by a factor of approximately 2.5. In addition, we find that under the assumption of rotation, its amplitude must be small. This distinct lack of rotation strengthens the case that, based on its intrinsic velocity dispersion, NGC 1052-DF4 is a truly dark matter deficient galaxy.
Men of Color, Linked Fate, and Support for Women of Color Candidates
Authors: Matos Yalidy , Sanbonmatsu Kira
Published: May 2024

Scholars are increasingly interested in “of color” identities. Yet, studies of “of color” identities have neglected attention to the gendered identities of men who could be categorized as “of color.” Meanwhile, women of color are playing a growing role in US politics as candidates and elected officials but are underrepresented in comparison with their presence in the population. We investigate whether Black and Latino men express a “men of color” linked fate and whether it has implications for support for women candidates of color. We seek to understand how Black and Latino men’s gender, race, and “of color” identities impact their evaluations of women candidates who are Black, Latina, and “of color” to better understand coalitional possibilities across gender and race lines. We find that Black and Latino men subscribe to “men of color” linked fate, with political consequences.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying cognitive control in psychosis
Authors: Maitra R. , Lemmers-Jansen I. L. J. , Vooren M. , Vanes Lucy , Szentgyorgyi Timea , Crisp Charlotte , Mouchlianitis Elias , Shergill S. S.
Published: May 2024

Background

Cognitive control (CC) involves a top–down mechanism to flexibly respond to complex stimuli and is impaired in schizophrenia.

Methods

This study investigated the impact of increasing complexity of CC processing in 140 subjects with psychosis and 39 healthy adults, with assessments of behavioral performance, neural regions of interest and symptom severity.

Results

The lowest level of CC (Stroop task) was impaired in all patients; the intermediate level of CC (Faces task) with explicit emotional information was most impaired in patients with first episode psychosis. Patients showed activation of distinct neural CC and reward networks, but iterative learning based on the higher-order of CC during the trust game, was most impaired in chronic schizophrenia. Subjects with first episode psychosis, and patients with lower symptom load, demonstrate flexibility of the CC network to facilitate learning, which appeared compromised in the more chronic stages of schizophrenia.

Conclusion

These data suggest optimal windows for opportunities to introduce therapeutic interventions to improve CC.
Control framework of the ROBILAUT soil sampling robot: system overview and experimental results
Authors: Di Vito Daniele , Di Lillo Paolo , Arrichiello Filippo , Ferone Cesare , Amico Raffaele , Antonelli Gianluca
Published: May 2024

The paper presents the control architecture of a crawler mobile robot designed and developed to sample potentially contaminated lands. The robot, developed in the framework of an Italian national project named ROBILAUT, carries a driller with a customized sampling mechanism to implement on-site the required quartering, and it is controlled to move the drilling device on specific points acquired in real time before the mission starts. The paper describes the software architecture for the navigation and control, focusing on the control framework of the robotic platform. Specifically, the robot exhibits a differential drive kinematics with actuators’ constraints, and two different control strategies have been experimentally tested for comparison both in a structured environment and in the real site in May 2023.
Housing Instability and Policy Considerations for Equitable Aging in Place in Canada
Authors: Wyndham-West C. Michelle , Dunn James R.
Published: May 2024

Background

In this article, we apply a gender-based analysis plus framework to research the housing experiences of older, low-income adults living and aging in Hamilton. Low-income older adults with intersectional identities are at risk of not aging in place due to marginalization and housing instability.

Objective

Policy currently homogenizes the experience of aging by sidelining intersectional factors that have a bearing on aging well in place. The research aims to develop policy recommendations to address this gap.

Methods

Several methods captured the housing experiences of low-income older adults, including interviews, participant observation, and arts-based techniques.

Findings

Findings illustrate how gender and intersectional factors shape both housing trajectories and agentive practices low-income adults utilize to try to age well and in place. These strategies encompass practicing cultural citizenship, which is a claim for inclusion when excluded from mainstream ideals of aging in place.

Discussion

We provide policy recommendations informed by participants’ lived experiences aimed at promoting equitable aging in place as fundamental to full citizenship.
The Association between Residential Environment and Self-Rated Mental Health among Older Canadians: The Moderating Effects of Education and Gender
Authors: Cheung Ethan Siu Leung
Published: May 2024

This study examined the associations between residential environment and self-rated mental health (SRMH) among Canadians aged 65 or older (n = 16,304) and whether education and gender moderated the associations. Data came from the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test the associations. Analyses revealed that increased dwelling size was associated with better SRMH among older women with high school education. Older adults with higher satisfaction with their dwelling design were more likely to report better SRMH, except for women with some college education. Feeling safer in the community was uniquely associated with better SRMH for men with high school education and women with a university degree. Results confirmed significant associations between specific home and residential environment features and SRMH for each gender-by-education group. Environmental programs designed to improve SRMH for older adult populations should consider within- and between-group diversity.
Increased difficulty accessing food and income change during the COVID-19 pandemic among youth living in the eThekwini district, South Africa
Authors: Jesson Julie , Zulu Bongiwe , Closson Kalysha , Basham C Andrew , Beksinska Mags , Dong Erica , Zharima Campion , Singh Rishav , Pakhomova Tatiana , Dietrich Janan , Kaida Angela
Published: May 2024

Objective:

To estimate the effect of income change on difficulty accessing food since the COVID-19 pandemic for South African youth and evaluate whether this effect was modified by receiving social grants.

Design:

A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted between December 2021 and May 2022. Primary outcome was increased difficulty accessing food since the COVID-19 pandemic. Income change was categorised as ‘Decreased a lot’, ‘Decreased slightly’ and ‘Unchanged or increased’. Multivariable logistic regressions were used, with an interaction term between social grant receipt and income change.

Setting:

eThekwini district, South Africa.

Participants:

Youth aged 16–24 years.

Results:

Among 1,620 participants, median age was 22 years (IQR 19–24); 861 (53 %) were women; 476 (29 %) reported increased difficulty accessing food; 297 (18 %) reported that income decreased a lot, of whom 149 (50 %) did not receive social grants. Experiencing a large income decrease was highly associated with increased difficulty accessing food during the COVID-19 pandemic (adjusted OR [aOR] 3·63, 95 % CI 2·70, 4·88). The aOR for the effect of a large income decrease on difficulty accessing food, compared to no income change, were 1·49 (95 % CI 0·98, 2·28) among participants receiving social grants, and 6·63 (95 % CI 4·39, 9·99) among participants not receiving social grants.

Conclusions:

While social grant support made a great difference in lowering the effect of income decrease on difficulty accessing food, it was insufficient to fully protect youth from those difficulties. In post-pandemic recovery efforts, there is a critical need to support youth through economic empowerment programming and food schemes.
Providence and Puritan Deceit: John Davenport's Forgery Revisited
Authors: Wang Christy
Published: May 2024

Many scholars have told the story of how John Davenport (bap. 1597, d. 1670), a prominent Congregationalist minister in New England, was fatally discredited as a fraudster when a letter he had forged was exposed in 1669. However, no one has analyzed how this extraordinary scandal fits into the larger narrative of puritan providentialism and its disenchantment. Focusing on the manipulation of providential language, this article shows that intra-Congregationalist conflicts over church polity could often be more political than theological. God-talk, or ‘providential pragmatism’, empowered New Englanders to navigate the ecclesiological ambiguities inherent in the Congregational system in a way that most benefited themselves. Davenport's scandal, precisely because it was the most blatant form of such pragmatism, offers a case study of a pattern of self-contradiction and double standard already observable in similar cases of schisms over church membership and infant baptism in late seventeenth-century New England.
The Rev. John Stainsby and the ‘diffusion of Gospel truth’ in Early Nineteenth-Century Jamaica
Authors: Kinghorn Alice
Published: May 2024

First dispatched to Jamaica in 1818 by The Conversion Society, the Rev. John Stainsby became a prominent figure on the island. This article examines his intense involvement in Anglican missionary affairs to reveal how dishonesties and concealment of belief were used to expand Anglican missions in the Caribbean. Firstly, this article examines two key sites of contention between missionaries and the plantocracy – Sunday markets and baptism – where Stainsby used deception to reconcile his religious duties and colonial law. Secondly, it considers the motivations and actions of The Conversion Society and the Church Missionary Society more generally, including the heavily censored material used for religious instruction. Finally, it examines Stainsby as an enslaver, and considers the religious justifications used to support enslavement by many resident Anglican clergymen in the early nineteenth century.
Hypocrisy, ‘Prudence’, ‘Conscience’ in Administration: The Congregation of Bishops and Regulars in Seventeenth-Century Italy
Authors: Maghenzani Simone
Published: May 2024

The article argues that the post-Tridentine papacy was more focused on maintaining its own centrality than on implementing the reforms established by the Council of Trent. It shows that the Roman Curia often undermined its own bishops and interfered with their efforts to reform their dioceses. This practice – which might be perceived as hypocritical by us and was viewed as such by some contemporary commentators – was seen as justified by the baroque political virtue of ‘prudence’, and the idea of bishops being the conscience keepers of their dioceses. The article, in pondering the theme of hypocrisy, explores the work of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, which was responsible for overseeing the episcopate and religious orders. It uses previously unnoticed sources from the Bodleian Library in Oxford to show how the Congregation operated and how it perceived its role in defending the rights of the church and its clergy.
Development and validation of Avena integrated management (AIM): a bioeconomic decision support tool for wild oat management in Australian grain production systems
Authors: Thornby David , Squires Caleb C. , Walsh Michael J.
Published: May 2024

Wild oat is a long-standing weed problem in Australian grain cropping systems, potentially reducing the yield and quality of winter grain crops significantly. The effective management of wild oat requires an integrated approach comprising diverse control techniques that suit specific crops and cropping situations. This research aimed to construct and validate a bioeconomic model that enables the simulation and integration of weed control technologies for wild oat in grain production systems. The Avena spp. integrated management (AIM) model was developed with a simple interface to provide outputs of biological and economic data (crop yields, weed control costs, emerged weeds, weed seedbank, gross margins) on wild oat management data in a cropping rotation. Uniquely, AIM was validated against real-world data on wild oat management in a wheat and sorghum cropping rotation, where the model was able to reproduce the patterns of wild oat population changes as influenced by weed control and agronomic practices. Correlation coefficients for 12 comparison scenarios ranged between 0.55 and 0.96. With accurate parameterization, AIM is thus able to make useful predictions of the effectiveness of individual and integrated weed management tactics for wild oat control in grain cropping systems.
Evaluating the vegetative and reproductive response of hemp (Cannabis sativa) to simulated off-target events of 2,4-D and dicamba
Authors: Essman Alyssa I. , Loux Mark M. , Lindsey Alexander J. , Kelly Michael , Yao Siyu , Jordan Cameron
Published: May 2024

Introducing soybean cultivars resistant to 2,4-D and dicamba allowed for postemergence applications of these herbicides. These herbicides pose a high risk for off-target movement, and the potential influence on crops such as hemp is unknown. Two studies were conducted from 2020 through 2022 in controlled environments to evaluate hemp response to rates simulating off-target events of 2,4-D and dicamba. The objectives of these studies were to (1) determine the effects of herbicide (2,4-D and dicamba) and rate (1× to 1/100,000× labeled rate) on visible injury, height, and branching, and (2) determine the effect of 2,4-D rate (1× to 1/100,000× labeled rate) on visible injury, height, branching, and reproductive parameters. Herbicides were applied in the early vegetative stage, and evaluations took place 14 and 28 d after treatment (DAT) and at trial termination (42 DAT in the greenhouse trial and at harvest in the growth chamber trial). In the greenhouse study, 2,4-D and dicamba at the 1× rate, and the 1/10× rate of dicamba, caused 68%, 78%, and 20% injury 28 DAT, respectively. At the time of trial termination 42 DAT, plants treated with 1× rates of 2,4-D and dicamba, or 1/10× dicamba, were 19, 25, and 9 cm shorter than the nontreated control, respectively. Simulated off-target rates of 2,4-D and dicamba did not influence branching or plant weight at trial termination. In the growth chamber study, the 1× and 1/10× rates of 2,4-D caused 82% and 2% injury 28 DAT, respectively. Plant height, fresh weight, and cannabidiol (CBD) levels of plants treated with simulated off-target rates of 2,4-D were not different from the nontreated control. These studies suggest that hemp grown for CBD exposed to off-target rates of 2,4-D or dicamba in early vegetative stages may not have distinguishable effects 42 DAT or at harvest.
Efficacy of dicamba and dicamba/tembotrione with and without ammonium sulfate for broadleaf weed control
Authors: Singh Mandeep , Barnes Ethann , Dintelmann Brian , Bradley Kevin , Hager Aaron , Jhala Amit J.
Published: May 2024

Mixing ammonium sulfate (AMS) can increase dicamba volatility. Therefore, AMS cannot be used with dicamba products in dicamba-resistant soybean. However, most dicamba products applied in corn are labeled to mix with AMS. The objectives of this study were to evaluate broadleaf weed control with dicamba (DiFlexx®) and dicamba/tembotrione (DiFlexx® DUO) applied alone or with AMS or AMS substitute and their effect on broadleaf weed density and biomass. Field experiments were conducted in Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska in 2018 and 2019. In Illinois and Nebraska, mixing AMS + crop oil concentrate (COC) with dicamba applied at 1,120 g ae ha−1 increased the control of Palmer amaranth and waterhemp (Amaranthus species) from 78% to 92% and velvetleaf from 73% to 96% compared with dicamba applied alone 14 d after application (DAA); however, Missouri data showed no difference. Mixing AMS + COC with dicamba/tembotrione at 597 and 746 g ai ha−1 did not improve broadleaf weed control 14 DAA at any site compared with dicamba/tembotrione applied alone. Control of Amaranthus species was increased from 82% with dicamba applied at 840 g ae ha−1 to 96% when mixed with AMS + COC 28 DAA in Illinois; however, control was similar to dicamba applied at 1,120 g ae ha−1. Broadleaf weed control did not differ among dicamba or dicamba/tembotrione 28 and 56 DAA in Missouri and Nebraska. Broadleaf weed density decreased from 64 plants m−2 to 24 plants m−2 with dicamba at 1,120 g ae ha−1 with AMS + COC 14 DAA in Nebraska; however, no differences were observed in broadleaf weed density or biomass 56 DAA in any state. The results suggest that dicamba or dicamba/tembotrione can be applied without AMS or AMS substitute, especially at higher rates, without losing broadleaf weed control efficacy.
Assessing Rheology Effects and Pore Space Complexity in Polymer Flow Through Porous Media: A Pore‐Scale Simulation Study
Authors: Amiri Mehdi , Qajar Jafar , Raeini Ali Q. , Raoof Amir
Published: May 2024

Non‐Newtonian fluid flow within porous media, exemplified by polymer remediation of contaminated groundwater/aquifer systems, presents complex challenges due to the fluids' complex rheological behavior within 3D tortuous pore structures. This paper introduces a pore‐scale flow simulator based on the OpenFOAM open‐source library, designed to model shear‐thinning flow within porous media. Leveraging this developed solver, extensive pore‐scale flow simulations were conducted on μ‐CT images of various real and synthetic porous media with varying complexity for both power‐law and Cross‐fluid models. We focused on the macroscale‐averaged deviation between bulk viscosity and the in‐situ viscosity, commonly denoted by a shift factor. We provided an in‐depth evaluation of the shift factor's dependency on the fluid's rheological attributes and the rock's pore space complexity. The least‐squares fitted values of the shift factor fell in the range of 1.6–9.5. Notably, the most pronounced shift factor emerged for extreme flow behavior indices. Our findings highlight not just the critical role of rheological parameters, but also demonstrate how the shift factor fluctuates based on tortuosity, characteristic pore length, and the cementation exponent. In particular, less porous/permeable systems with smaller characteristic pore lengths exhibited larger shift factors due to higher variations of shear rate and local viscosity in narrower flow paths. Additionally, the shift factor increased as rock became more tortuous and heterogeneous. The introduced pore‐scale simulation proves instrumental in determining the macroscopic averaged shift factor. This, in consequence, is vital for precise computations of viscosity and pressure drop when dealing with non‐Newtonian fluid flow in porous media.
Pharmacogenomic insights in psychiatric care: uncovering novel actionability, allele-specific CYP2D6 copy number variation, and phenoconversion in 15,000 patients
Authors: Patel Jai N. , Morris Sarah A. , Torres Raul , Rhead Brooke , Vlangos Chris , Mueller Daniel J. , Brown Lisa C. , Lefkofsky Hailey , Ali Muneer , De La Vega Francisco M. , Barnes Kathleen C. , Zoghbi Anthony , Stanton Joseph D. , Badgeley Marcus A.
Published: May 2024

Pharmacogenomic testing has emerged as an aid in clinical decision making for psychiatric providers, but more data is needed regarding its utility in clinical practice and potential impact on patient care. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the real-world prevalence of pharmacogenomic actionability in patients receiving psychiatric care. Potential actionability was based on the prevalence of CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 phenotypes, including CYP2D6 allele-specific copy number variations (CNVs). Combined actionability additionally incorporated CYP2D6 phenoconversion and the novel CYP2C-TG haplotype in patients with available medication data. Across 15,000 patients receiving clinical pharmacogenomic testing, 65% had potentially actionable CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 phenotypes, and phenotype assignment was impacted by CYP2D6 allele-specific CNVs in 2% of all patients. Of 4114 patients with medication data, 42% had CYP2D6 phenoconversion from drug interactions and 20% carried a novel CYP2C haplotype potentially altering actionability. A total of 87% had some form of potential actionability from genetic findings and/or phenoconversion. Genetic variation detected via next-generation sequencing led to phenotype reassignment in 22% of individuals overall (2% in CYP2D6 and 20% in CYP2C19). Ultimately, pharmacogenomic testing using next-generation sequencing identified potential actionability in most patients receiving psychiatric care. Early pharmacogenomic testing may provide actionable insights to aid clinicians in drug prescribing to optimize psychiatric care.
Metastasis-associated fibroblasts in peritoneal surface malignancies
Authors: Ramos Cristiano , Gerakopoulos Vasileios , Oehler Rudolf
Published: May 2024

Over decades, peritoneal surface malignancies (PSMs) have been associated with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. However, advancements in perioperative systemic chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery (CRS), and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have significantly improved clinical outcomes. PSMs predominantly result from the spread of intra-abdominal neoplasia, which then form secondary peritoneal metastases. Colorectal, ovarian, and gastric cancers are the most common contributors. Despite diverse primary origins, the uniqueness of the peritoneum microenvironment shapes the common features of PSMs. Peritoneal metastization involves complex interactions between tumour cells and the peritoneal microenvironment. Fibroblasts play a crucial role, contributing to tumour development, progression, and therapy resistance. Peritoneal metastasis-associated fibroblasts (MAFs) in PSMs exhibit high heterogeneity. Single-cell RNA sequencing technology has revealed that immune-regulatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAFs) seem to be the most prevalent subtype in PSMs. In addition, other major subtypes as myofibroblastic CAFs (myCAFs) and matrix CAFs (mCAFs) were frequently observed across PSMs studies. Peritoneal MAFs are suggested to originate from mesothelial cells, submesothelial fibroblasts, pericytes, endothelial cells, and omental-resident cells. This plasticity and heterogeneity of CAFs contribute to the complex microenvironment in PSMs, impacting treatment responses. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing targeted and local therapies to improve PSMs patient outcomes.
Cardiopulmonary deconditioning and plasma volume loss are not sufficient to provoke orthostatic hypertension
Authors: Hoenemann J.-N. , Moestl S. , de Boni L. , Hoffmann F. , Arz M. , Berger L. , Pesta D. , Heusser K. , Mulder E. , Lee S. M. C. , Macias B. R. , Tank J. , Jordan J.
Published: May 2024

Orthostatic hypertension, defined by an increase of systolic blood pressure (SBP) of ≥20 mmHg upon standing, harbors an increased cardiovascular risk. We pooled data from two rigorously conducted head-down tilt bedrest studies to test the hypothesis that cardiopulmonary deconditioning and hypovolemia predispose to orthostatic hypertension. With bedrest, peak VO2 decreased by 6 ± 4 mlO2/min/kg (p < 0.0001) and plasma volume by 367 ± 348 ml (p < 0.0001). Supine SBP increased from 127 ± 9 mmHg before to 133 ± 10 mmHg after bedrest (p < 0.0001). In participants with stable hemodynamics following head-up tilt, the incidence of orthostatic hypertension was 2 out of 67 participants before bedrest and 2 out of 57 after bedrest. We conclude that in most healthy persons, cardiovascular deconditioning and volume loss associated with long-term bedrest are not sufficient to cause orthostatic hypertension.
Na in diamond: high spin defects revealed by the ADAQ high-throughput computational database
Authors: Davidsson Joel , Stenlund William , Parackal Abhijith S. , Armiento Rickard , Abrikosov Igor A.
Published: May 2024

Color centers in diamond are at the forefront of the second quantum revolution. A handful of defects are in use, and finding ones with all the desired properties for quantum applications is arduous. By using high-throughput calculations, we screen 21,607 defects in diamond and collect the results in the ADAQ database. Upon exploring this database, we find not only the known defects but also several unexplored defects. Specifically, defects containing sodium stand out as particularly relevant because of their high spins and predicted improved optical properties compared to the NV center. Hence, we studied these in detail, employing high-accuracy theoretical calculations. The single sodium substitutional (NaC) has various charge states with spin ranging from 0.5 to 1.5, ZPL in the near-infrared, and a high Debye-Waller factor, making it ideal for biological quantum applications. The sodium vacancy (NaV) has a ZPL in the visible region and a potential rare spin-2 ground state. Our results show sodium implantation yields many interesting spin defects that are valuable additions to the arsenal of point defects in diamond studied for quantum applications.
Lattice-commensurate skyrmion texture in a centrosymmetric breathing kagome magnet
Authors: Hirschberger Max , Szigeti Bertalan G. , Hemmida Mamoun , Hirschmann Moritz M. , Esser Sebastian , Ohsumi Hiroyuki , Tanaka Yoshikazu , Spitz Leonie , Gao Shang , Kolincio Kamil K. , Sagayama Hajime , Nakao Hironori , Yamasaki Yuichi , Forró László , Krug von Nidda Hans-Albrecht , Kezsmarki Istvan , Arima Taka-hisa , Tokura Yoshinori
Published: May 2024

Skyrmion lattices (SkL) in centrosymmetric materials typically have a magnetic period on the nanometer-scale, so that the coupling between magnetic superstructures and the underlying crystal lattice cannot be neglected. We reveal the commensurate locking of a SkL to the atomic lattice in Gd3Ru4Al12 via high-resolution resonant elastic x-ray scattering (REXS). Weak easy-plane magnetic anisotropy, demonstrated here by a combination of ferromagnetic resonance and REXS, penalizes placing a skyrmion core on a site of the atomic lattice. Under these conditions, a commensurate SkL, locked to the crystal lattice, is stable at finite temperatures – but gives way to a competing incommensurate ground state upon cooling. We discuss the role of Umklapp-terms in the Hamiltonian for the formation of this lattice-locked state, its magnetic space group, and the role of slight discommensurations, or (line) defects in the magnetic texture. We also contrast our findings with the case of SkLs in noncentrosymmetric material platforms.