bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
States Of Ambiguity
Authors: Pisano Jessica
Published: January 2023

This chapter shows what happens when democratic institutions and regime-led political theater unfold in the same time and place. It examines a significant recent episode in Russian associational life: the development of a nationwide popular movement commemorating family losses in World War II called Immortal Regiment. The chapter demonstrates how, in Russia and Ukraine, broadly enmeshed relationships between civic associations and state institutions are both a consequence of market pressures and a reason why distinguishing between any state-led and grassroots participation—between political theater and traditional forms of democratic participation—is not a straightforward matter. It then discusses the ambiguity and uncertainty that results from performances of political theater. The chapter argues that irony and multiplicity are no longer solely instruments of disenchantment, but also tools of state power.
Civilized City
Authors: Grant Andrew
Published: January 2023

This chapter delves into the role of civilization in the civilizing machine as policy and practice. It examines how different programs of civilizational development have been deployed as material and aesthetic practices with important outcomes for where Xining's Tibetans live and work. The chapter shows how the politics of place has played out as Xining has become a “civilized city.” Municipal authorities in the twenty-first century have continuously remade Xining City in line with national urban standards that are themselves influenced by global world-class urban models. The chapter uncovers that urbanization's moving bar of “civilization” discriminates against Tibetans and Muslims by devaluing their neighborhoods and stigmatizing their bodies. Ultimately, the chapter explores the civilized-city campaign and its role in providing practices that cultivate urban civility, such as discouraging uncivil behaviors like jaywalking, shouting, and spitting. It then discusses the importance of “centers” for business, hospital access, and other public goods and services, and how urban Tibetans' lives have been shaped as Xining's centers have changed.
Urbanization as Civilizing Machine
Authors: Grant Andrew
Published: January 2023

This chapter shows that Tibetans' efforts to find their place in the city have not been made easy by China's civilizing machine. At China's western margins, this machine has manifested as a teleological developmental process that claims to simultaneously improve material economic conditions and to raise the cultural and social developmental level of China's ethnic peripheries through a “spiritual civilization” that supplements material development. To inform and guide its policies as a civilizing project, the chapter elaborates on how China's urbanization has relied on structuring dichotomies including center/periphery, urban/rural, and advanced/backward. As the chapter emphasizes, all three of these dichotomies come together in the civilizing machine's biopolitical project of creating responsible, aspiring middle-class citizens who happily participate in urban society as private property consumers. The chapter investigates if the civilizing machine has been successful in assimilating the places and peoples of the Tibetan Plateau into its project of material and spiritual civilization. It also examines how Tibetans were able to sustain, at least provisionally, a subaltern urbanism amid a civilizing machine calibrated to transform them on its own terms.
Conclusion
Authors: Selwood Jacob
Published: January 2023

This concluding chapter looks at Calvin's Case and Somerset's Case, which show how slavery shaped subjecthood. Calvin v. Smith implied that anyone born under the king's allegiance was a subject in all his dominions. Somerset v. Stewart shows that this had never functionally been the case, at least since the adoption of chattel slavery, not because it made an explicit statement about English subjecthood but rather because it did not. As Somerset's Case shows, the tensions between colonial and metropolitan subjecthood remained unresolved even by the 1770s. Although Calvin v. Smith had defined subjecthood expansively in 1608, within a century some English colonies were denying its rights to the majority of people within their jurisdictions. Jeronimy Clifford lived his life midway between these two landmark cases, and his own subjecthood reflects the contradictions that they illuminate.
The Future We Need
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita , Smith DeMaurice F.
Published: January 2023

This book brings a novel perspective to building worker power and what labor organizing could look like in the future, suggesting ways to evolve collective bargaining to match the needs of modern people—not only changing their wages and working conditions, but being able to govern over more aspects of their lives. Weaving together stories of real working people, the book positions the struggle to build collective bargaining power as a central element in the effort to build a healthy democracy and explore both existing levers of power and new ones we must build for workers to have the ability to negotiate in today and tomorrow's contexts. The book illustrates the necessity of centralizing the fight against white supremacy and gender discrimination, while offering paths forward to harness the power of collective bargaining in every area for a new era.
Introduction
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter questions why US workers lack a platform that would allow them to engage in decision-making within their companies, their industries, or the economy as a whole before a crisis arrived. The chapter explores the prevailing political economy of the United States and much of the world, which is based on principles originally espoused by Southern slave owners. It highlights approaches that ensure workers receive a fair return on their labor, to support their families and live with dignity and even with joy. The chapter emphasizes the importance of centralizing the fight against white supremacy and patriarchy in building and expanding access to collective bargaining. It showcases the creative strategy of Black workers, immigrant workers, southern workers, and workers from the global south as models to be scaled up in ways that viably challenge trends in today's global economy in order to build a society that works for everyone.
Collective Bargaining
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter explains the basic idea of collective bargaining. It considers collective bargaining as a powerful tool that workers can use to assert their rights, share in governance of the institutions they are part of, and reshape rules, processes, policies, and systems to bring about greater fairness and better lives for all. It also describes collective bargaining as a practice that people can use to transform the ways in which neighborhoods, cities, school and health-care systems, government agencies, and multinational corporations behave. The chapter looks at some facts about the antilabor bias that permeates too many corners of the educational system and the mass media in the United States. It emphasizes how the realities of collective bargaining is an essential foundation to considering how this powerful tool can be used to improve the lives of people.
Workplace Democracy does not happen by Accident
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter looks at the collective bargaining's history in order to show its important role in the national life, including how and why access to collective bargaining in some arenas today are enjoyed. It discusses what experience says about how the benefits of collective bargaining can be spread more widely. It also covers the story of the Black washerwomen of Atlanta who organized themselves during the 1880s. The movement of the Black washerwomen and other pioneering efforts were crucial building blocks in the foundation that would go on to support the institutions of organized labor that would later help codify the practices of organizing and collective bargaining in the United States. The chapter talks about how the movements illustrate the core truth that the right to organize and demand collective bargaining is not established by benevolent government officials or forward-thinking employers.
The Great Rollback
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter mentions antiunion corporations and their political allies that have attempted to roll back collective bargaining and all that the early labor movement leaders accomplished. It describes their coordinated attacks on labor unions, worker centers, organizing rights, and other principles of labor protection that have gutted the very sources of power that once helped to make working people equal, or nearly equal, at the bargaining table. The deliberate war on labor has been aided and accelerated by a number of economic trends and transformations that have changed the structure of society. The chapter explores economic trends that have led to the decline of collective bargaining and unions, such as the rise of globalization. The ability of global corporations to easily outsource production tasks to countries around the world where workers' rights are few, governmental regulations are scanty, and wages are minuscule puts intense downward pressure on workers in the United States.
Worth Fighting For
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter articulates why collective bargaining in the workplace is worth the fight. It introduces worker leaders, such as Rubynell Walker-Barbee from Detroit who was shocked to find that her co-workers in Atlanta were unaware of their right to form a union. The chapter focuses on some of the battlefields of the movement, putting emphasis on improving the chances of expanding collective bargaining beyond the workplace. The chapter reviews how some specific failures by organized labor have made unions and the people they represent vulnerable to new kinds of attacks by entrenched power and how a renewed willingness by workers make use of their most powerful defensive tools, such as walk-outs, wildcat strikes, and other direct actions. The chapter highlights the continuous trend toward increased labor activism, noting how the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 exposed existing repression and angered more workers to take action in defense of their livelihoods and their lives.
Beyond Workers
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter discusses the need for a movement that reaches beyond the workplace, representing us as whole people and not just as workers but as citizens, consumers, parents, patients, students, migrants, and more. It mentions Kimberly Mitchell, a retail worker in Washington, DC, who makes her case for being more than just a worker. The chapter explores how the specific mechanisms working people access must also change to apply to all the ways in which humans relate to capital. The chapter stresses economic democracy in the twenty-first century can be achieved by a more expansive definition of collective bargaining that adapts to the context of global capitalism and all its features, including addressing the material and cultural needs of the modern worker.
Bargaining With the Real Decision-Makers
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter emphasizes how trying to empower the voices of working people in a large retailer, hotel, hospital, manufacturer, or restaurant can be confusing today. Traditional collective bargaining strategies are often stymied by a lack of clarity over who the actual boss is. The chapter discusses the direct employer, which is often a franchisee or subcontractor, that may not actually have the power to adjust the exploitive business model, even if they are willing to negotiate with a union of their employees. The chapter highlights the need of workers to target the individuals and organizations that own the enterprises in order to hold significant positions of power in the economy within the new workplace of franchisees and subcontractors. In the new world of global capital there simply is no winning plan to build a shared prosperity without confronting individual owners or ultimate profiteers and their corporate power directly.
Community-Driven Bargaining
Authors: Smiley Erica , Gupta Sarita
Published: January 2023

This chapter describes workers in the construction trades, who are known to be out of work intermittently given the nature of the work and would have justifiably raised hell if unemployment benefits were taken away from them. It mentions Mark Butler, a Georgia labor commissioner, who cut off access to unemployment benefits for contracted school workers in the state, the majority of whom were Black women. School workers enlisted the support of Atlanta Jobs With Justice and others to reverse Butler's decision, establishing a community-based hub for organizing the Justice for School Workers Committee. The chapter details how the community-based coalition was able to win $8 million in previously denied unemployment benefits paid directly back to the workers. It mentions other organizations that are still organizing and trying to identify opportunities to collectively confront the powers that be in Georgia's public- and private-education sector.
The Hard-Fought Battle for NPT Extension
Authors: Gibbons Rebecca Davis
Published: January 2023

This chapter details the decision into extending the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It explains how the United States and its allies achieved their goal of the indefinite extension during the debate in 1995. According to a theory of regime adherence based on US global leadership, the US government expended great effort in trying to persuade all other NPT members to support indefinite extension. The chapter looks into the history surrounding the key event and the position of several states with varying levels of embeddedness within the US-led liberal order, including Japan, Indonesia, Egypt, and South Africa. It explicates the United States using all of its tools of persuasion depending on the countries' embeddedness level to achieve its desired outcome.
A Deeper History of Myanmar’s Political Transformation
Authors: Campbell Stephen
Published: January 2023

This chapter presents a political-economic history of state formation in Myanmar since the early twentieth century. It highlights the history of labor and state rule in Myanmar and its heritage of labor struggle. Myanmar's political transformation reveals a continuity between the elitist politics of state capture in the present, which eventually shaped the particular unevenness of the nation's capitalist landscape. The chapter then elaborates on the legacy of labor militancy in Myanmar. The political status quo in Myanmar become a constraint on capitalist modernization as mass street protests stressed the widespread disaffection with the military rule. The chapter notes the concept of passive revolution proposed by communist political theorist Antonio Gramsci.
Unfreedoms of Capitalism
Authors: Campbell Stephen
Published: January 2023

This chapter explicates the forms of unfree labor in Myanmar. It covers the cases of Yadana's young men who continue to seek work in places like the offshore raft fishing industry, despite the very real risks to their health and lives. In most cases, raft workers have not simply been unfree after being physically coerced into labor arrangements. The chapter addresses workers who accepted the initial offers of eight months' debt-bondage in return for a promised wage advance despite the fraud and violence they might face. On the other hand, domestic media and Myanmar-focused media abroad have gone on to publish numerous accounts of trafficking and violence in the raft fishing industry.
Conclusion
Authors: Campbell Stephen
Published: January 2023

This chapter looks into the disparate arrangement of precarious labor in transitional Myanmar under the correlation of modernity. It mentions the structural adjustment of Myanmar's reconstituted military junta. A growing body of research in critical development studies addresses the enduring structural unemployment and underemployment across the Global South and Global North, which correlates to industrial relocation, automation, and the casualization of labor. The chapter explains the relational anthropology being used for an ethnographic inquiry that approaches divergent socio-cultural formations as constituted through reciprocal relations. It also covers the notion of capitalist heterogeneity concerning the struggles surrounding proletarian politics, liberation, and variegated capitalism.
Class Making, Gangnam Style
Authors: Koo Hagen
Published: January 2023

This chapter focuses on the influence of Gangnam in shaping middle-class culture in Korea. It explains how Gangnam represents a newly affluent and privileged class segment even though not every area is affluent. However, Gangnamgu, Seochogu, and Songpagu do have middle or upper middle classes in terms of the economic status of their residents. The chapter expounds on the development of Gangnam, which included the development of the Han River. The speed of land transformation and housing construction in the state-managed Gangnam development project triggered issues in the real estate market. Gangnam, then, became the place where Korea's power elites congregate to live. Meanwhile, the sociospatial developments also led to the expansion and diversification of the Gangnam culture and lifestyle. The chapter looks into ethnographic studies that Gangnam residents are aware of their reputation for pursuing luxury and fashion.
Individuality and stability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal microbiota through time
Authors: Eisenhofer Raphael , Brice Kylie L. , Blyton Michaela DJ , Bevins Scott E. , Leigh Kellie , Singh Brajesh K. , Helgen Kristofer M. , Hough Ian , Daniels Christopher B. , Speight Natasha , Moore Ben D.
Published: January 2023

Gut microbiota studies often rely on a single sample taken per individual, representing a snapshot in time. However, we know that gut microbiota composition in many animals exhibits intra-individual variation over the course of days to months. Such temporal variations can be a confounding factor in studies seeking to compare the gut microbiota of different wild populations, or to assess the impact of medical/veterinary interventions. To date, little is known about the variability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) gut microbiota through time. Here, we characterise the gut microbiota from faecal samples collected at eight timepoints over a month for a captive population of South Australian koalas (n individuals = 7), and monthly over 7 months for a wild population of New South Wales koalas (n individuals = 5). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that microbial diversity was stable over the course of days to months. Each koala had a distinct faecal microbiota composition which in the captive koalas was stable across days. The wild koalas showed more variation across months, although each individual still maintained a distinct microbial composition. Per koala, an average of 57 (±16) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected across all time points; these ASVs accounted for an average of 97% (±1.9%) of the faecal microbial community per koala. The koala faecal microbiota exhibits stability over the course of days to months. Such knowledge will be useful for future studies comparing koala populations and developing microbiota interventions for this regionally endangered marsupial.
Hydrometeorological characterization and estimation of landfill leachate generation in the Eastern Amazon/Brazil
Authors: Reyes Flores Carlos Armando , Ferreira Albuquerque Cunha Helenilza , Cavalcanti da Cunha Alan
Published: January 2023

The complex physical-chemical and microbiological composition of leachate in sanitary landfills sets the adequate treatment for different waste types. However, before the final disposal of wastes in receptor waterbodies, it is essential to use specific methods to quantitatively prevent internal flows to find proper treatments. The aim of the present research is to use hydrological models to estimate monthly leachate flow generation in Macapá’s Municipal Sanitary Landfill (ASMM), Amapá State, Brazil. Disregarding the temporal trend bias, the average (0.45 m3s−1), minimum (0.07 m3s−1) and maximum (0.72 m3s−1) flows were estimated based on hydrological models in the literature (Rmax = 99%, p < 0.05). The results estimated from different hydrological gauges pointed towards significant spatial variations in final discharge. Thus, estimated flows worked as reference to calculate the loads of coproducts and nutrients concerning different operational stages in ASMM. Therefore, rain intensity estimates have pointed out precipitation variability, and it has significantly affected leachate flow. In conclusion, there would be a proportional increase in leachate flow during extreme maximum precipitation events; overflow would be the effect of such flows and it would assumingly have impact on its surrounding areas. It is also possible estimating some degree of rainfall impact over ASMM’s infrastructure in the long term (>10 years), since it could influence its lifespan.
Dauer fate in a Caenorhabditis elegans Boolean network model
Authors: Kandoor Alekhya , Fierst Janna
Published: January 2023

Cellular fates are determined by genes interacting across large, complex biological networks. A critical question is how to identify causal relationships spanning distinct signaling pathways and underlying organismal phenotypes. Here, we address this question by constructing a Boolean model of a well-studied developmental network and analyzing information flows through the system. Depending on environmental signals Caenorhabditis elegans develop normally to sexual maturity or enter a reproductively delayed, developmentally quiescent ‘dauer’ state, progressing to maturity when the environment changes. The developmental network that starts with environmental signal and ends in the dauer/no dauer fate involves genes across 4 signaling pathways including cyclic GMP, Insulin/IGF-1, TGF-β and steroid hormone synthesis. We identified three stable motifs leading to normal development, each composed of genes interacting across the Insulin/IGF-1, TGF-β and steroid hormone synthesis pathways. Three genes known to influence dauer fate, daf-2, daf-7 and hsf-1, acted as driver nodes in the system. Using causal logic analysis, we identified a five gene cyclic subgraph integrating the information flow from environmental signal to dauer fate. Perturbation analysis showed that a multifactorial insulin profile determined the stable motifs the system entered and interacted with daf-12 as the switchpoint driving the dauer/no dauer fate. Our results show that complex organismal systems can be distilled into abstract representations that permit full characterization of the causal relationships driving developmental fates. Analyzing organismal systems from this perspective of logic and function has important implications for studies examining the evolution and conservation of signaling pathways.
Magnetic fields generated by submarine power cables have a negligible effect on the swimming behavior of Atlantic lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) juveniles
Authors: Durif Caroline M. F. , Nyqvist Daniel , Taormina Bastien , Shema Steven D. , Skiftesvik Anne Berit , Freytet Florian , Browman Howard I.
Published: January 2023

Submarine power cables carry electricity over long distances. Their geographic distribution, number, and areal coverage are increasing rapidly with the development of, for example, offshore wind facilities. The flow of current passing through these cables creates a magnetic field (MF) that can potentially affect marine organisms, particularly those that are magnetosensitive. The lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is a migratory species that is widely distributed in the North Atlantic Ocean and Barents Sea. It migrates between coastal spawning grounds and pelagic offshore feeding areas. We tested whether lumpfish respond to MFs of the same intensity as those emitted by high voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cables. Laboratory experiments were conducted by placing juvenile lumpfish in an artificial MF gradient generated by a Helmholtz coil system. The intensity of the artificial MF used (230 µT) corresponded to the field at 1 m from a high-power submarine cable. The fish were filmed for 30 min with the coil either on or off. Swimming speeds, and presence in the different parts of a raceway, were extracted from the videos and analyzed. Juvenile lumpfish activity, defined as the time that the fish spent swimming relative to stationary pauses (attached to the substrate), and the distance travelled, were unaffected by exposure to the artificial MF. The swimming speed of juvenile lumpfish was reduced (by 16%) when the coil was on indicating that the fish could either sense the MF or the induced electric field created by the movement of the fish through the magnetic field. However, it seems unlikely that a 16% decrease in swimming speed occurring within 1 m of HVDC cables would significantly affect Atlantic lumpfish migration or homing.
Problem Identification of Groundnut Cultivation in Bhadthar Market of Devbhoomi Dwarka District, India
Authors: Zalavadiya Denish , Mishra Snehal , Gondaliya Sahil , Bhatiya Montu , Vaghasiya Vishal , Venkat Naveen
Published: January 2023

The study was aimed on “Problem Identification of Groundnut Cultivation in Bhadthar Market of Devbhoomi Dwarka District”. The study type was descriptive research. Since groundnut was the most important crop farmed in the area during the Kharif season, the study was primarily focused on groundnut. The research was carried out in Bhadthar, Bhinda, Movan, Golan Sherdi, and Thakar Sherdi villages of Khambaliya Taluka in Gujarat's Devbhoomi Dwarka District. The primary data were collected from 150 respondents from the previously mentioned villages. To meet the study's objectives, both primary and secondary data were collected. The primary survey was carried out with the help of a Semi-structured Schedule. Groundnut farmers' major problems were the high input cost followed by diseases like rust and tikka disease, wilting, seed rot, and yellowing. The retailer’s suggestion was the highest influencing factor followed by a farmer’s/friend’s suggestion, demonstration, farmer meeting, exhibition, leaflets, TV advertisement, poster, wall paintings and jeep campaigns, which influence the farmer’s purchase decision of pesticides followed by the farmer/friend’s suggestion and demonstration.
Adaptation Strategies against Climate Induced Changes by Farming Communities: The Case of Chilika Lake Wetland Ecosystem of Odisha
Authors: Tomy Vyshak , Narayan Mishra Sarba , Dash Abhiram
Published: January 2023

The aim of the study is to identify various adaptation strategies of farming communities under climate-induced changes in the wetland and to estimate the parameters involved in determining the strategies. The study was carried out in Chilika lake including the peripherals districts Khurda, Puri and Ganjam of Odisha. Primary data of 120 farmers across different sectors and secondary data pertaining to natural calamities occurred in the area has been used for the analysis. Probit analysis was used to estimate the parameters and its marginal effects on different adaptation strategies being identified. Among the farming community water conservation methods entailed, Integrated farming system, institutional aids, agronomic measures and cultivation of climate resilient varieties, identified as major adaptation strategies. It was discovered that 62.5 per cent of the farmers were going for climate resilient varieties, especially salt, drought and pest tolerant varieties. About half of the farmers were adopting agronomic measures to cope with climate change. Almost 60 per cent were depending upon institutional aids for various adaptation practices as well as gathering information for preparedness against any natural calamity. Less than half of the farmers responded that they were practicing integrated farming system and using water saving techniques against uncertainties in the weather. The model revealed that age, education, landholding, income from wetlands, Income from other sources and level of awareness were found to have a significant role in going for various adaptation strategies. This study provides understanding of adaptation decisions adopted by farmers of Chilika.
Conditional Power
Authors: Saville Benjamin R. , Detry Michelle A. , Viele Kert
Published: January 2023

This JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods article examines conditional power, calculated while a trial is ongoing and based on both the currently observed data and an assumed treatment effect for future patients.
Trends in FDA Adverse Events Reporting for Inferior Vena Cava Filters and Estimated Insertions in the US, 2016 to 2020
Authors: Warren Rachel E. , Dhruva Sanket S. , Kinard Madris , Neuhaus John M. , Redberg Rita F.
Published: January 2023

This quality improvement study identifies adverse events for inferior vena cava filters and reports changes in adverse event reporting and estimated insertions between 2016 and 2020 in the US.
Efficacy and Safety of Proposed Biosimilar Natalizumab (PB006) in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Hemmer Bernhard , Wiendl Heinz , Roth Karsten , Wessels Hendrik , Höfler Josef , Hornuss Cyrill , Liedert Bernd , Selmaj Krzysztof
Published: January 2023

Importance

Proposed biosimilar natalizumab (biosim-NTZ) PB006 is the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody therapy developed for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment.

Objective

To evaluate matching efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity between biosim-NTZ and reference natalizumab (ref-NTZ) in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Design, Setting, and Participants

The Antelope trial was a phase 3, parallel-group, randomized, active-controlled study, conducted between October 2019 and March 2021, with last patient follow-up visit on August 23, 2021. The study took place in 48 centers in 7 countries. Of 531 patients with RRMS aged 18 to 60 years screened, 266 were excluded before randomization in line with study criteria. Eligible participants had 1 or more documented relapse within the previous year and either 1 or more gadolinium-enhancing T1-weighted or 9 or more T2-weighted brain lesions, Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 0 to 5.0 (inclusive), and John Cunningham virus index of 1.5 or less at screening. One patient withdrew consent before dosing.

Interventions

Intravenous infusions every 4 weeks of biosim-NTZ, 300 mg, or ref-NTZ, 300 mg (1:1 randomization), from week 0 to week 44 (end-of-study visit: week 48). At week 24, the ref-NTZ group was rerandomized and 30 patients were switched to biosim-NTZ for the remainder of the study.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was the cumulative number of new active lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (new gadolinium-enhancing T1-weighted lesions and new/enlarging T2-weighted lesions without double counting) over 24 weeks. Additional end points included further magnetic resonance imaging parameters, annualized relapse rate, and Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale score. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity assessments included adverse events, laboratory evaluations, and positivity for anti–John Cunningham virus antibodies and antinatalizumab antibodies.

Results

A total of 264 participants (mean [SD] age, 36.7 [9.38] years; 162 [61.4%] female) received treatment with biosim-NTZ (n = 131) or ref-NTZ (n = 133). At week 24, the model-based mean difference in cumulative number of new active lesions between biosim-NTZ and ref-NTZ treatment groups was 0.17 (least square means [SE]: biosim-NTZ, 0.34 [0.34]; ref-NTZ, 0.45 [0.28]; 95% CI, –0.61 to 0.94 within the prespecified margins of ±2.1). No significant differences between treatment groups were observed across secondary efficacy end points, safety, tolerability, or immunogenicity assessments.

Conclusions and Relevance

Biosim-NTZ matched ref-NTZ in efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity for patients with RRMS in the tested setting. This phase 3 trial supports proposed biosim-NTZ as a biosimilar alternative to ref-NTZ for treating RRMS.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04115488
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy—How to Translate Updated Diagnostic Criteria for This Multifaceted Disorder to Clinical Practice?
Authors: Biessels Geert Jan , Costa Ana Sofia
Published: January 2023

This Viewpoint discusses recent efforts to update diagnostic criteria for cerebral amyloid angiopathy as well as questions and challenges in counseling patients about prognosis and deciding on optimal treatment.
Patronage
Authors: Adam Thomas
Published: January 2023

The term “patronage” has been used by artists and scholars alike, over the centuries, to refer to a mutually beneficial relationship between art patron and artist. Patrons provided support for artists and the arts in general in order to enhance their social and political standing and their visibility. Artists were willing to accept that support in order to have the ability to engage in creative work. Within scholarly discourse in the second half of the twentieth century, the term “patronage” was used to identify and separate the private support of the arts from the private support for social welfare and education. This divide was used to create a gap between (bourgeois) philanthropy in the United States and (feudal) art patronage in continental Europe. Newer research has overcome this artificial divide that had no evidentiary basis.
Viruses, Computer
Authors: Choi Kyung‐shick , Won Yongki
Published: January 2023

Viruses can be defined simply as self‐replicating programs; however, viruses continue to be maliciously combined with cybercrime, which has become rampant as society grows more dependent on information systems. Most organizations cannot handle the viruses that are reported every day on their own, because these viruses have developed various techniques to conceal themselves. As high‐tech devices such as the Internet of Things and wearable and smart speakers make their way into our lives, computer viruses continue to get closer and closer to us via IT systems. Fortunately, the necessary technology to detect and treat these viruses has improved significantly, and it has become more organized than ever before. Now is the time to look at bringing cutting‐edge technology and social factors together, in an effort to prevent customized virus attacks on individuals.
Tönnies, Ferdinand (1855–1936)
Authors: Splichal Slavko
Published: January 2023

Ferdinand Tönnies is the founder of German sociology as an academic discipline and author of the most famous conceptual dichotomy in sociology,Gemeinschaft–Gesellschaft. In his approach to the study of society, reconciling the organic and social‐contract conceptions of society, he distinguished between three branches of general sociology: social biology, social psychology, and special sociology – “special sociology” corresponding to what is now usually called “general sociology,” rather than sociological disciplines or (special) sociologies, and consisting of three parts that mutually inform each other: pure sociology, applied sociology, and empirical sociology or sociography. His major works includeGemeinschaft und Gesellschaft(1887),Thomas Hobbes: Leben und Lehre(1896),Marx: Leben und Lehre(1921),Kritik der öffentlichen Meinung(1922),Einführung in die Soziologie(1931), andGeist der Neuzeit(1935). His complex, sometimes overinclusive analyses integrating competing theories into a single theory and somewhat archaic style of writing did not receive the scholarly attention that some of his contemporaries enjoyed. Some recently published English analyses and translations of his works together with publication of his collected works in German seem to indicate a resurgence of interest in Tönnies' sociology.
Soft Optomechanical Systems for Sensing, Modulation, and Actuation
Authors: Pujol‐Vila Ferran , Güell‐Grau Pau , Nogués Josep , Alvarez Mar , Sepúlveda Borja
Published: January 2023

Soft optomechanical systems have the ability to reversibly respond to optical and mechanical external stimuli by changing their own properties (e.g., shape, size, viscosity, stiffness, color or transmittance). These systems typically combine the optical properties of plasmonic, dielectric or carbon‐based nanomaterials with the high elasticity and deformability of soft polymers, thus opening the path for the development of new mechanically tunable optical systems, sensors, and actuators for a wide range of applications. This review focuses on the recent progresses in soft optomechanical systems, which are here classified according to their applications and mechanisms of optomechanical response. The first part summarizes the soft optomechanical systems for mechanical sensing and optical modulation based on the variation of their optical response under external mechanical stimuli, thereby inducing mechanochromic or intensity modulation effects. The second part describes the soft optomechanical systems for the development of light induced mechanical actuators based on different actuation mechanisms, such as photothermal effects and phase transitions, among others. The final section provides a critical analysis of the main limitations of current soft optomechanical systems and the progress that is required for future devices.
Smart Skin‐Adhesive Patches: From Design to Biomedical Applications
Authors: Wong Siu Hong Dexter , Deen G. Roshan , Bates Jeffrey S. , Maiti Chiranjit , Lam Ching Ying Katherine , Pachauri Abhishek , AlAnsari Renad , Bělský Petr , Yoon Jinhwan , Dodda Jagan Mohan
Published: January 2023

With the advancement of medical and digital technologies, smart skin adhesive patches have emerged as a key player for complex medical purposes. In particular, skin adhesive patches with integrated electronics have created an excellent platform for monitoring health conditions and intelligent medication. However, the efficient design of the adhesive patches is still challenging as it requires a strong combination of network structure, adhesion, physical properties, and biocompatibility. To design an assimilated device, one must have a deep knowledge of various skin adhesive patches. This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent advances in skin‐adhesive patches, including hydrogel‐based adhesive patches, transdermal patches, and electronic skin (E‐skin) patches, for various biomedical applications such as wound healing, drug delivery, biosensing, and health monitoring. Furthermore, the key challenges, implementable strategies, and future designs that can potentially provide researchers in designing innovative multipurpose smart skin patches are discussed. These advanced approaches are promising for managing the health and fitness of patients who require regular medical care.
Molecular Layer Deposition of Pyrrone Thin Films by Oxidative Polymerization
Authors: Ghafourisaleh Saba , Vehkamäki Marko , Vihervaara Anton , Zhang Chao , Heikkilä Mikko J. , Leskelä Markku , Putkonen Matti , Ritala Mikko
Published: January 2023

In this paper, the deposition of pyrrone thin film materials by molecular layer deposition (MLD) is reported for the first time using pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 3,3'‐diaminobenzidine (DAB) as monomers, and ozone as a promoting precursor. Besides ozone, the effect of water, hydrogen peroxide, and oxygen is also tested to promote the growth of MLD thin films. Ozone as a strong oxidant is the best reactant in this process. Two precursor pulsing sequences are tested and both result in pyrrone films. With the DAB+O3+PMDA sequence, growth per cycle (GPC) of 1.2 Å is obtained at 250–300 °C, whereas with the DAB+PMDA+O3 sequence, GPC of 1.5 Å is obtained. When only DAB and O3 are used, indamine films with GPC of 1.0 Å are obtained. The films are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Chemical, thermal, and electrical properties of the films are also investigated. The films are stable in acidic and basic solutions and organic solvents, and they withstand 300 °C when annealed in air.
Prospects in Broadening the Application of Planar Solution‐Based Distributed Bragg Reflectors
Authors: Palo Emilia , Daskalakis Konstantinos S.
Published: January 2023

Distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are primarily used in lasers and telecommunications. Liquid film deposition of DBRs holds great promise for expanding their utilization in environmental friendly, low‐cost, and large‐area applications. In this perspective, this work reviews the progress in solution‐based DBR research and evaluates their application in light‐emitting devices, photovoltaics and sensing. For these applications, a high refractive index contrast between the alternating layers of a DBR is important for achieving high reflectivity from only a small number of layers. While there is a plethora of solution processes that can produce low‐refractive index films, the realization of high‐refractive index films is challenging. Recent advances in materials and coating processes have addressed this challenge and novel solution‐based DBRs showed remarkable performance which is on par with traditional physical/chemical vapor phase deposition. This work examines what inhibits solution‐based DBRs, despite the great progress, to reach the stage of commercial application. In addition, this work found that DBR research is substantially extended beyond photonics, thus by summarizing materials and processes in a single table it aims to provide the necessary information to researchers with diverse backgrounds.
Interfacial Tension Driven Open Droplet Microfluidics
Authors: Khor Jian Wei , Lee Ulri N. , Berthier Jean , Berthier Erwin , Theberge Ashleigh B.
Published: January 2023

Droplet microfluidics enables compartmentalized reactions in small scales and is utilized for a variety of applications across chemical analysis, material science, and biology. While droplet microfluidics is a successful technology, barriers include high “activation energy” to develop custom applications and complex peripheral equipment. These barriers limit the adoption of droplet microfluidics in labs or prototyping environments. This work demonstrates for the first time an open channel droplet microfluidic system that autonomously generates droplets at low capillary numbers. Hundreds of droplets are produced in a run using only an open channel, pipettes, and a commercially available carrier fluid. Conceptual applications that showcase the process of droplet generation, splitting, transport, incubation, mixing, and sorting are demonstrated. The open nature of the device enables the use of physical tools such as tweezers and styli to directly access the system; with this, a new method of droplet sorting and transfer unique to open systems is demonstrated. This platform offers enhanced usability, direct access to the droplet contents, easy manufacturability, compact footprint, and high customizability. This design is a first step in exploring the space of power‐free open droplet microfluidic systems and provides design rules for similar channel designs.
Electron Modulation and Morphology Engineering Jointly Accelerate Oxygen Reaction to Enhance Zn‐Air Battery Performance
Authors: Zhao Xue , Chen Jianbing , Bi Zenghui , Chen Songqing , Feng Ligang , Zhou Xiaohai , Zhang Haibo , Zhou Yingtang , Wågberg Thomas , Hu Guangzhi
Published: January 2023

Combining morphological control engineering and diatomic coupling strategies, heteronuclear FeCo bimetals are efficiently intercalated into nitrogen‐doped carbon materials with star‐like to simultaneously accelerate oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The half‐wave potential and kinetic current density of the ORR driven by FeCoNC/SL surpass the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The overpotential of OER is as low as 316 mV (η10), and the mass activity is at least 3.2 and 9.4 times that of mononuclear CoNC/SL and FeNC/SL, respectively. The power density and specific capacity of the Zn‐air battery with FeCoNC/SL as air cathode are as high as 224.8 mW cm−2 and 803 mAh g−1, respectively. Morphologically, FeCoNC/SL endows more reactive sites and accelerates the process of oxygen reaction. Density functional theory reveals the active site of the heteronuclear diatomic, and the formation of FeCoN5C configuration can effectively tune the d‐band center and electronic structure. The redistribution of electrons provides conditions for fast electron exchange, and the change of the center of the d‐band avoids the strong adsorption of intermediate species to simultaneously take into account both ORR and OER and thus achieve high‐performance Zn‐air batteries.
Anatomically Designed Triboelectric Wristbands with Adaptive Accelerated Learning for Human–Machine Interfaces
Authors: Fang Han , Wang Lei , Fu Zhongzheng , Xu Liang , Guo Wei , Huang Jian , Wang Zhong Lin , Wu Hao
Published: January 2023

Recent advances in flexible wearable devices have boosted the remarkable development of devices for human–machine interfaces, which are of great value to emerging cybernetics, robotics, and Metaverse systems. However, the effectiveness of existing approaches is limited by the quality of sensor data and classification models with high computational costs. Here, a novel gesture recognition system with triboelectric smart wristbands and an adaptive accelerated learning (AAL) model is proposed. The sensor array is well deployed according to the wrist anatomy and retrieves hand motions from a distance, exhibiting highly sensitive and high‐quality sensing capabilities beyond existing methods. Importantly, the anatomical design leads to the close correspondence between the actions of dominant muscle/tendon groups and gestures, and the resulting distinctive features in sensor signals are very valuable for differentiating gestures with data from 7 sensors. The AAL model realizes a 97.56% identification accuracy in training 21 classes with only one‐third operands of the original neural network. The applications of the system are further exploited in real‐time somatosensory teleoperations with a low latency of <1 s, revealing a new possibility for endowing cyber‐human interactions with disruptive innovation and immersive experience.
ECM‐Inspired Hydrogels with ADSCs Encapsulation for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Authors: Zhu Haofang , Wu Xiangyi , Liu Rui , Zhao Yuanjin , Sun Lingyun
Published: January 2023

Due to their intrinsic anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) are explored as a promising alternative in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To address the poor survival and function loss of directly injected stem cells, efforts in this area are focus on the generation of efficient cell delivery vehicles. Herein, a novel extracellular matrix (ECM)‐inspired injectable hydrogel for ADSCs encapsulation and RA treatment is proposed. The hydrogel with dendritic polylysine and polysaccharide components is formed through the reversible Schiff base crosslinking. It possesses self‐healing capability, superior mechanical properties, minimal toxicity, and immunomodulatory ability. When encapsulated with ADSCs, the hydrogel could recover chronic inflammation by directly reversing the dominant macrophage phenotype from M1 to M2 and inhibiting the migration of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes. Through a collagen‐induced arthritis rat model, the tremendous therapeutic outcomes of this ADSCs‐laden hydrogel, including inflammation attenuation, cartilage protection, and bone mineral density promotion are demonstrated. These results make the ECM‐inspired hydrogel laden with ADSCs an ideal candidate for treating RA and other autoimmune disorders.