bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vegetation and land classification method based on the background noise rate of a photon-counting LiDAR
Authors: Wang Yantian , Yang Xuebo , Wang Cheng
Published: April 2022

The changing of vegetation is a sensitive signature of global warming, and satellite photon-counting laser altimeters provide an effective way to monitor the changing of vegetation. Based on the background noise difference between vegetation-covered areas and bare lands, we proposed a classification method to distinguish vegetation-covered areas from the raw photons measured by photon-counting laser altimeters in relatively flat areas. First, a theoretical noise model was established considering the influence of the sunlight incident direction and reflection characteristics of different surfaces. Second, the thresholds from the proposed theoretical model were calculated and tested to classify the along-track land-cover types for the Ice, Cloud, and Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) photon-counting laser altimeter. Then, the study areas near Seattle and Romania in summer were selected and the classification method was verified to achieve an overall accuracy of over 77% (the strong beam) and over 76% (the weak beam) for both thresholds and areas. Our method utilized the noise photons with vegetation canopy reflection information, which are enormous in quantity and easy to extract compared to the signal photons. More importantly, this method reduces the requirements of the optical images (that are used as prior knowledge). The results show that using the noise photons of the weak beam may be more potential for the classification of vegetation and land than using the signal photons of the weak beam. We extended the research on the mechanism and application of ICESat-2 in forestry.
Diode-pumped Tm3+,Ho3+ co-doped GAGG mode-locking laser near the 2.1μm wavelength region
Authors: Zhao Yuantao , Li Yang , Zhao Shengzhi , Liu Yizhou , Li Tao , Hu Ping , Mao Jiajia , Yang Kejian , Wang Chun , Feng Tianli
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a laser diode (LD) pumped passive mode-locking Tm,Ho:GAGG laser based on a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) is reported. By adjusting the group delay dispersions inside the laser cavity and transmissions of the output couplers (OCs), a shortest pulse duration of 10.84 ps at 2089.9 nm is achieved, the average output power is 33.17 mW and the laser runs at a 83.01 MHz repetition rate. A maximum average output power of 66.43 mW is also obtained at 2089.9 nm with a pulse duration of 16.56 ps by using an OC of 3%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the mode-locking Tm,Ho:GAGG laser.
5 Gbps optical wireless communication using commercial SPAD array receivers
Authors: Huang Shenjie , Chen Cheng , Bian Rui , Haas Harald , Safari Majid
Published: April 2022

Photon counting detectors such as single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays can be used to improve the sensitivity of optical wireless communication (OWC) systems. However, the achievable data rate of SPAD-based OWC systems is strongly limited by the nonlinearity induced by the SPAD dead time. In this work, the performance of a SPAD-based OWC system with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is investigated and compared with that of on–off keying (OOK). We employ nonlinear equalization, peak-to-average power ratio optimization by adjusting the OFDM clipping level, and adaptive bit and energy loading to achieve a record experimental data rate of 5 Gbps. The contrasting optimal regimes of operation of the two modulation schemes are also demonstrated.
Femtosecond laser plasmonic nano-printing metasurfaces for multiple-dimensional manipulation of light fields
Authors: Cheng Huachao , Liu Sheng , Li Peng , Liu Feng , Gan Xuetao , Guo Xuyue , Qi Shuxia , Zhong Jinzhan , Zhao Jianlin
Published: April 2022

Metasurfaces enable the multidimensional manipulation of light fields in a subwavelength scale. However, the low-cost preparation of large-area metasurfaces is still a challenge. In this Letter, we first, to the best of our knowledge, use the laser plasmonic nano-printing technique to efficiently manufacture metasurfaces with multidimensional manipulation capability. By utilizing a phase-polarization mapping method, we fabricated a silicon-based metasurface for color display, and indium tin oxide-based metasurfaces for decoupled near- and far-field holographic displays. This flexible and efficient laser plasmonic nano-printing method has great potential in the preparation of large-area metasurfaces, and is of great significance to promote the practical application of metasurfaces.
Error metrics for partially coherent wave fields
Authors: Levitan Abraham , Comin Riccardo
Published: April 2022

Lensless imaging methods that account for partial coherence have become very common in the past decade. However, there are no metrics in use for comparing partially coherent light fields, despite the widespread use of such metrics to compare fully coherent objects and wave fields. Here, we show how reformulating the mean squared error and Fourier ring correlation in terms of quantum state fidelity naturally generalizes them to partially coherent wave fields. These results fill an important gap in the lensless imaging literature and will enable quantitative assessments of the reliability and resolution of reconstructed partially coherent wave fields.
Spectrally multiplexed indistinguishable single-photon generation at telecom-band
Authors: Yu Hao , Yuan Chenzhi , Zhang Ruiming , Zhang Zichang , Li Hao , Wang You , Deng Guangwei , You Lixing , Song Haizhi , Wang Zhiming , Guo Guang-Can , Zhou Qiang
Published: April 2022

Heralded single-photon source (HSPS) intrinsically suffers from the trade-off between the heralded single-photon rate and the single-photon purity. To break through this trade-off, one can apply multiplexing technology in different degrees of freedom that significantly improves the performance of the HSPS. Here, we propose a 1.5 μm chip-scale HSPS on lithium niobate on insulator by employing spectral multiplexing and active feed-forward spectral manipulating, and we demonstrate a proof-of-principle experiment with discrete fiber-based components. With continuous-wave laser pumping and three spectral modes multiplexed, our experimental results show that the spectral multiplexing improves the heralded single-photon rate by near threefold while keeping the

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(
2
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(
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as low as

0.0006
±
0.0001

at a measured single-photon rate of 3.1 kHz. By measuring the joint spectral intensity, we show that the spectral multiplexing and feed-forward control effectively erase the frequency correlation of photon pairs. Moreover, we implement the Hong–Ou–Mandel interference between the spectrally multiplexed single photons and photons from an independent weak coherence source, which indicates that the multiplexed single photons are highly indistinguishable after the spectral manipulation. Our results pave a way for on-chip scalable and high-performance HSPS with spectral multiplexing toward deterministic single-photon emission.
Arousal state affects perceptual decision-making by modulating hierarchical sensory processing in a large-scale visual system model
Authors: Sörensen Lynn K. A. , Bohté Sander M. , Slagter Heleen A. , Scholte H. Steven
Published: April 2022

Arousal levels strongly affect task performance. Yet, what arousal level is optimal for a task depends on its difficulty. Easy task performance peaks at higher arousal levels, whereas performance on difficult tasks displays an inverted U-shape relationship with arousal, peaking at medium arousal levels, an observation first made by Yerkes and Dodson in 1908. It is commonly proposed that the noradrenergic locus coeruleus system regulates these effects on performance through a widespread release of noradrenaline resulting in changes of cortical gain. This account, however, does not explain why performance decays with high arousal levels only in difficult, but not in simple tasks. Here, we present a mechanistic model that revisits the Yerkes-Dodson effect from a sensory perspective: a deep convolutional neural network augmented with a global gain mechanism reproduced the same interaction between arousal state and task difficulty in its performance. Investigating this model revealed that global gain states differentially modulated sensory information encoding across the processing hierarchy, which explained their differential effects on performance on simple versus difficult tasks. These findings offer a novel hierarchical sensory processing account of how, and why, arousal state affects task performance.
Reassembling a cannon in the DNA defense arsenal: Genetics of StySA, a BREX phage exclusion system in Salmonella lab strains
Authors: Zaworski Julie , Dagva Oyut , Brandt Julius , Baum Chloé , Ettwiller Laurence , Fomenkov Alexey , Raleigh Elisabeth A.
Published: April 2022

Understanding mechanisms that shape horizontal exchange in prokaryotes is a key problem in biology. A major limit on DNA entry is imposed by restriction-modification (RM) processes that depend on the pattern of DNA modification at host-specified sites. In classical RM, endonucleolytic DNA cleavage follows detection of unprotected sites on entering DNA. Recent investigation has uncovered BREX (BacteRiophage EXclusion) systems. These RM-like activities employ host protection by DNA modification, but immediate replication arrest occurs without evident of nuclease action on unmodified phage DNA. Here we show that the historical stySA RM locus of Salmonella enterica sv Typhimurium is a variant BREX system. A laboratory strain disabled for both the restriction and methylation activity of StySA nevertheless has wild type sequence in pglX, the modification gene homolog. Instead, flanking genes pglZ and brxC each carry multiple mutations (μ) in their C-terminal domains. We further investigate this system in situ, replacing the mutated pglZμ and brxCμ genes with the WT counterpart. PglZ-WT supports methylation in the presence of either BrxCμ or BrxC-WT but not in the presence of a deletion/insertion allele, ΔbrxC::cat. Restriction requires both BrxC-WT and PglZ-WT, implicating the BrxC C-terminus specifically in restriction activity. These results suggests that while BrxC, PglZ and PglX are principal components of the BREX modification activity, BrxL is required for restriction only. Furthermore, we show that a partial disruption of brxL disrupts transcription globally.
Economic evaluation of expanding inguinal hernia repair among adult males in Ghana
Authors: Thet Lwin Zin Min , Forsberg Birger , Keel George , Beard Jessica H. , Amoako Joachim , Ohene-Yeboah Michael , Tabiri Stephen , Löfgren Jenny
Published: April 2022

An unmet need for inguinal hernia repair is significant in Ghana where the number of specialist general surgeons is extremely limited. While surgical task sharing with medical doctors without formal specialist training in surgery has been adopted for inguinal hernia repair in Ghana, no prior research has been conducted on the long-term costs and health outcomes associated with expanding operations to repair all inguinal hernias among adult males in Ghana. The study aimed to estimate cost-effectiveness of elective open mesh repair performed by medical doctors and surgeons for adult males with primary inguinal hernia compared to no treatment in Ghana and to project costs and health gains associated with expanding operation services through task sharing between medical doctors and surgeons. The study analysis adopted a healthcare system perspective. A Markov model was constructed to assess 10-year differences in costs and outcomes between operations conducted by medical doctors or surgeons and no treatment. A 10-year budget impact analysis on service expansion for groin hernia repair through increasing task sharing between the providers was conducted. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for medical doctors and surgeons were USD 120 and USD 129 respectively per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted compared to no treatment, which are below the estimated threshold value for cost-effectiveness in Ghana of USD 371–491. Repairing all inguinal hernias (1.4 million) through task sharing between the providers in the same timeframe is estimated to cost USD 194 million. Total health gains of 1.5 million DALYs averted are expected. Inguinal hernia repair is cost-effective regardless of the type of surgical provider. Scaling up of inguinal hernia repair is worthwhile, with the potential to substantially reduce the disease burden in the country.
Development of the Sterile Insect Technique to control the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) in Sri Lanka
Authors: Ranathunge Tharaka , Harishchandra Jeevanie , Maiga Hamidou , Bouyer Jeremy , Gunawardena Y. I. Nilmini Silva , Hapugoda Menaka
Published: April 2022

Background

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is presently being tested to control dengue in several countries. SIT aims to cause the decline of the target insect population through the release of a sufficient number of sterilized male insects. This induces sterility in the female population, as females that mate with sterilized males produce no offspring. Male insects are sterilized through the use of ionizing irradiation. This study aimed to evaluate variable parameters that may affect irradiation in mosquito pupae.

Methods

AnAe.aegypticolony was maintained under standard laboratory conditions. Male and femaleAe.aegyptipupae were separated using a Fay and Morlan glass sorter and exposed to different doses of gamma radiation (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 Gy) using a Co60source. The effects of radiation on survival, flight ability and the reproductive capacity ofAe.aegyptiwere evaluated under laboratory conditions. In addition, mating competitiveness was evaluated for irradiated maleAe.aegyptimosquitoes to be used for future SIT programmes in Sri Lanka.

Results

Survival of irradiated pupae was reduced by irradiation in a dose-dependent manner but it was invariably greater than 90% in control, 40, 50, 60, 70 Gy in both male and femaleAe.aegypti. Irradiation didn’t show any significant adverse effects on flight ability of male and female mosquitoes, which consistently exceeded 90%. A similar number of eggs per female was observed between the non-irradiated groups and the irradiated groups for both irradiated males and females. Egg hatch rates were significantly lower when an irradiation dose above 50 Gy was used as compared to 40 Gy in both males and females. Irradiation at higher doses significantly reduced male and female survival when compared to the non-irradiatedAe.aegyptimosquitoes. Competitiveness index (C) scores of sterile and non-sterile males compared with non-irradiated male mosquitoes under laboratory and semi-field conditions were 0.56 and 0.51 respectively at 50 Gy.

Signification

Based on the results obtained from the current study, a 50 Gy dose was selected as the optimal radiation dose for the production of sterileAe.aegyptimales for future SIT-based dengue control programmes aiming at the suppression ofAe.aegyptipopulations in Sri Lanka.
Lost in the North Sea—Geophysical and geoarchaeological prospection of the Rungholt medieval dyke system (North Frisia, Germany)
Authors: Wilken Dennis , Hadler Hanna , Wunderlich Tina , Majchczack Bente , Schwardt Michaela , Fediuk Annika , Fischer Peter , Willershäuser Timo , Klooß Stefanie , Vött Andreas , Rabbel Wolfgang
Published: April 2022

We performed geophysical and geoarchaeological investigations in the Wadden Sea off North Frisia (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) to map the remains and to determine the state of preservation of the medieval settlement of Rungholt, especially its southern dyke segment, called theNiedamdyke. Based on archaeological finds and historical maps, Rungholt is assumed to be located in the wadden sea area around the island Hallig Südfall. During medieval and early modern times, extreme storm events caused major land losses, turning cultivated marshland into tidal flats. Especially the 1stGrote Mandrenke (or St. Marcellus’ flood), an extreme storm surge event in 1362 AD, is addressed as the major event that flooded and destroyed most of the Rungholt cultural landscape. Cultural traces like remains of dykes, drainage ditches, tidal gates, dwelling mounds or even plough marks were randomly surveyed and mapped in the tidal flats by several authors at the beginning of the 20thcentury. Due to the tidal flat dynamics with frequently shifting tidal creeks and sand bars, the distribution of cultural remains visible at the surface is rapidly changing, making it hard to create a comprehensive map of the cultural landscape by surveying. Today, the Niedam dyke area is fully covered by tidal flat sediments, depriving any remains from further archaeological investigation. Since little is known about the precise location or state of preservation of these remains, our investigation aimed at the rediscovery of the medieval dyke system and associated structure with modern and accurate geophysical, geodetical and geoarchaeological methods. Magnetic gradiometry revealed a large part of the medieval dyke, confirming two tidal gates and several terps connected inland with the dyke, providing a detailed example of a Frisian medieval dyke system. Based on our results, the so far inaccurate and incomplete maps of this part of Rungholt can now be specified and completed. Beyond that, seismic reflection profiles give a first depth resolving insight in the remains of the dyke system, revealing a severe threat to the medieval remains by erosion. The site is exemplary for the entire North Frisian coast, that was influenced by multiple flood events in the middle ages to modern times.
Is there a maternal blood biomarker that can predict spontaneous preterm birth prior to labour onset? A systematic review
Authors: Hornaday Kylie K. , Wood Eilidh M. , Slater Donna M.
Published: April 2022

Introduction

The ability to predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) prior to labour onset is a challenge, and it is currently unclear which biomarker(s), may be potentially predictive of sPTB, and whether their predictive power has any utility. A systematic review was conducted to identify maternal blood biomarkers of sPTB.

Methods

This study was conducted according to PRISMA protocol for systematic reviews. Four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus) were searched up to September 2021 using search terms: “preterm labor”, “biomarker” and “blood OR serum OR plasma”. Studies assessing blood biomarkers prior to labour onset against the outcome sPTB were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed based on the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Increased odds of sPTB associated with maternal blood biomarkers, as reported by odds ratios (OR), or predictive scores were synthesized. This review was not prospectively registered.

Results

Seventy-seven primary research articles met the inclusion criteria, reporting 278 unique markers significantly associated with and/or predictive of sPTB in at least one study. The most frequently investigated biomarkers were those measured during maternal serum screen tests for aneuploidy, or inflammatory cytokines, though no single biomarker was clearly predictive of sPTB based on the synthesized evidence. Immune and signaling pathways were enriched within the set of biomarkers and both at the level of protein and gene expression.

Conclusion

There is currently no known predictive biomarker for sPTB. Inflammatory and immune biomarkers show promise, but positive reporting bias limits the utility of results. The biomarkers identified may be more predictive in multi-marker models instead of as single predictors. Omics-style studies provide promising avenues for the identification of novel (and multiple) biomarkers. This will require larger studies with adequate power, with consideration of gestational age and the heterogeneity of sPTB to identify a set of biomarkers predictive of sPTB.
Oral vitamin A supplementation in preterm infants to improve health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Phattraprayoon Nanthida , Ungtrakul Teerapat , Soonklang Kamonwan , Susantitaphong Paweena
Published: April 2022

Objective

To determine the effects of oral vitamin A supplementation on clinical outcomes in preterm infants.

Design

We conducted the meta-analysis by searching PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception to 12 August 2021, including reference lists of retrieved articles. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of oral vitamin A on premature babies were included. We used a random-effects model to calculate risk ratios (RRs) and weighted mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used the GRADE approach to grade evidence quality and assess how oral vitamin A supplementation affects clinical outcomes.

Main outcomes measures

The primary outcomes were respiratory outcomes, including the length of respiratory support, the need for oxygen at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA), and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks PMA. Secondary outcomes were hospitalization time, vitamin A status, mortality, other related outcomes, and potential adverse drug-related events.

Results

We included four RCTs, with 800 patients total. In all trials, oral vitamin A treatment was compared to a placebo. Oral vitamin A supplementation did not significantly affect mechanical ventilation duration (MD, −1.07 days; 95% CI, −2.98 to 0.83 days), oxygen requirement at 36 weeks PMA (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.33 to 1.31), or moderate-to-severe BPD at 36 weeks PMA (RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.07 to 4.17). However, oral vitamin A supplementation yielded a slightly shorter noninvasive ventilation duration (MD, −0.96 days; 95% CI, −1.59 to −0.33 days).

Conclusions

Administering oral vitamin A to preterm newborns did not alter the mechanical ventilation duration, oxygen needed at 36 weeks PMA, moderate-to-severe BPD at 36 weeks PMA, death, or short-term benefits. However, oral vitamin A supplementation may slightly affect the duration of noninvasive respiratory support without adverse drug-related events.
Neutral public good mechanisms
Authors: Kim Jin Yeub
Published: April 2022

In this paper, I justify neutral mechanisms as the reasonable solutions for public good provision and cost shares in public goods problems. I illustrate that neutral mechanisms can be easily computed by the tractable set of conditions with straightforward interpretations for a class of public goods problems. I show that, unlike neutral mechanisms, ex ante incentive efficient mechanisms are not robust to a perturbation of the information structure at the time of mechanism selection. I highlight several merits of using neutral mechanisms instead of interim incentive efficient mechanisms: Neutral mechanisms yield sharp predictions, are invulnerable to the possibility of information leakage during the selection process, and have the attractive properties of both efficiency and equity. I discuss implications for the analysis of ex ante and interim incentive efficient mechanisms for public goods problems.
PIAS1-mediated SUMOylation of influenza A virus PB2 restricts viral replication and virulence
Authors: Wang Guangwen , Zhao Yuhui , Zhou Yuan , Jiang Li , Liang Libin , Kong Fandi , Yan Ya , Wang Xuyuan , Wang Yihan , Wen Xia , Zeng Xianying , Tian Guobin , Deng Guohua , Shi Jianzhong , Liu Liling , Chen Hualan , Li Chengjun
Published: April 2022

Host defense systems employ posttranslational modifications to protect against invading pathogens. Here, we found that protein inhibitor of activated STAT 1 (PIAS1) interacts with the nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), and polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2) of influenza A virus (IAV). Lentiviral-mediated stable overexpression of PIAS1 dramatically suppressed the replication of IAV, whereas siRNA knockdown or CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of PIAS1 expression significantly increased virus growth. The expression of PIAS1 was significantly induced upon IAV infection in both cell culture and mice, and PIAS1 was involved in the overall increase in cellular SUMOylation induced by IAV infection. We found that PIAS1 inhibited the activity of the viral RNP complex, whereas the C351S or W372A mutant of PIAS1, which lacks the SUMO E3 ligase activity, lost the ability to suppress the activity of the viral RNP complex. Notably, the SUMO E3 ligase activity of PIAS1 catalyzed robust SUMOylation of PB2, but had no role in PB1 SUMOylation and a minimal role in NP SUMOylation. Moreover, PIAS1-mediated SUMOylation remarkably reduced the stability of IAV PB2. When tested in vivo, we found that the downregulation of Pias1 expression in mice enhanced the growth and virulence of IAV. Together, our findings define PIAS1 as a restriction factor for the replication and pathogenesis of IAV.
Introduction
Authors: Jancovich Mark
Published: April 2022

A discussion of the relationship between the horror genre and the western and a brief introduction to the articles that make up the current issue.
‘Ages five and up’: Alien toys for children and the question of horror’s histories
Authors: Antunes Filipa , Plowman Alec
Published: April 2022

This article considers the children’s toys made by Kenner for the original release of Alien (1979) and argues that they present a challenge to some of the most frequently repeated assumptions about the horror genre and its history. Specifically, the article questions the ‘natural’ association between horror and transgression, and the genre’s supposed separation from child audiences, noting the way these assumptions become tangled with notions of quality. The article historicizes Kenner’s Alien line in the context of the 1970s toy industry and the rest of children’s culture, including film franchises, where horror and monster adventures were popular children’s entertainment. The article then matches these findings to an analysis of Alien’s original critical reception, suggesting Alien as a text held between coexisting definitions of horror in 1970s culture: a genre for all-ages entertainment, as defined dominantly across pop culture, but also a (film) genre where emerging intensity was allowed by the newly introduced R rating. The article thus argues for the need to question traditional histories of horror and re-examine their limiting assumptions about children, transgression and quality. Moreover, the article highlights the need to look beyond single media industries when exploring the cultural expression of the horror genre and of ‘canonical’ texts, especially where franchise relationships are involved.
Clive Barker’s rhetorical dialectics: Stretching the intellectual imagination
Authors: Hurley Gavin F.
Published: April 2022

This article examines Clive Barker’s early work, specifically: The Damnation Game (1985) and The Hellbound Heart (1986), and assorted short stories from his Books of Blood collections. After outlining the appropriateness of rhetorically minded classical dialectics, the article illustrates the layered complexity of Barker’s dialectics that are woven throughout his literature. These dialectics cross over one another at nexuses between worldly tensions as well as physical/metaphysical tensions. This article suggests that these nexuses of horizontal (worldly) and vertical (physical–metaphysical) axes provide a unique framework that invites readers to rhetorically participate in the philosophical tensions within horror fiction itself. Ultimately, this investigation demonstrates how horror literature can uniquely stretch the imagination of both the artist and audience to make the narrative intellectually engaging.
The sound of evil: How the sound design of Hereditary manifests the unseen and triggers fear
Authors: Kattelman Beth
Published: April 2022

This article examines the soundtrack and score for Ari Aster’s 2018 film Hereditary, illustrating how the sound design heightens the film’s emotional and psychological impact by delivering unseen elements of the narrative auditorily and through its inclusion of sonic elements that can directly affect audience members physiologically. Hereditary’s narrative is strongly supported by musician Colin Stetson’s evocative score, which relies heavily upon his ability to coax unusual sounds from reed instruments by using uncommon fingerings, accompanying vocalizations, percussive key striking and circular breathing. After a brief synopsis and examination of the film’s themes, the article delves into particular elements that make Hereditary’s soundscape so effective, including the Shepard tone, infrasound, subliminal and corporeal sounds, and the use of silence, exploring in-depth how the sound design supports and enriches the film by building tension, enhancing dread, triggering fear and delivering unseen narrative information in a shorthand way. The article also has a wider application in that it discusses how the critical-yet under-theorized element of sound design is crucial to horror entertainments’ ability to create affect in a variety of ways and shows how the sonic components used in Hereditary have a demonstrated efficacy as shown by their use in a wide variety of horror films and thrillers.
Instituto Geográfico Nacional (2021). La pandemia COVID-19 en España. Primera ola: de los primeros casos a finales de junio de 2020
Authors: García Coll Arlinda
Published: April 2022

Madrid, Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana. 159 pp., ISBN 978-84-416-6547-7. DOI 10.7419/162.10.2021
Fernández-Maroto, M. (2021). Urbanismo y evolución urbana de Valladolid (1979-2012). Del proyecto reformista a la hegemonía de lo inmobiliario.
Authors: Camerin Federico
Published: April 2022

Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid. 336 pp., ISBN: 978-84-1320-149-8
Camerin, F. (2021). Asuntos y debates en torno a las instalaciones militares en abandono. Una reseña en perspectiva internacional
Authors: Longato David
Published: April 2022

Santarcangelo di Romagna: Maggioli, 258 pp., ISBN: 978-88-916-4667-5
Children of Hope: The Odyssey of the Oromo Slaves from Ethiopia to South Africa, by Sandra Rowoldt Shell. Ohio University Press, 2018, 352 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8214-2318-9. Hardcover price: $49.95.
Authors:   University of North Carolina, Girma Hewan
Published: April 2022

Sandra Rowoldt Shell's recounting of 64 first-person narratives of enslaved Oromo (Ethiopian) children is an innovative and well-written piece of research. As the Horn of Africa is an under-researched geographic area for the study of both domestic and external slave trades, the plurality of these first-person slave narratives has much to teach the reader about the sensitive topic of African domestic slavery. While we can question if these accounts of the enslaved children (aged 10 to 19, with an average age of 14 at the time of the interviews) are typical, they nonetheless reveal a complicated and detailed history of slavery from the Horn of Africa.
The Value of Human Dignity in the Refugee Protection
Authors:   University of the Western Cape, Kavuro Callixte
Published: April 2022

This article seeks to illuminate the significance and importance of human dignity in the evolution of the legal protection of refugees and asylum-seekers at international, continental and national level. Human dignity “as a value and a right“ plays an important role in the interpretation of the rights as outlined in the South African Bill of Rights and the various laws and policies that give effect to them. The article demonstrates how human dignity contributed (and still contributes) to the advancement of South Africa's refugee regime, whose main objective is to ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers are afforded access to their constitutional rights. A further objective is ensuring that refugees and asylum-seekers are afforded the kind of treatment that is consistent with global and constitutional standards of dignity, which inform the ethics of refugee reception and treatment.
The Migration Processes in Ghana: The Case of Northern Migrants
Authors:   University for Development Studies, Deen-Ziblim Shamsu , Yidana Adadow
Published: April 2022

Over the past four decades, Accra has witnessed an increasing influx of young women who migrate to the city with the sole aim of carrying goods. This paper examines the migration processes of these young women, who mostly migrate from the northern part of Ghana to Accra, in the South. A sample of 216 female porters were selected for the study. A survey, personal interviews, and focus group discussions were the main tools for data collection. The reasons for their migration, the parties involved in the decision to migrate, and how their migration was financed were explored. The study revealed that the migration process of female porters is enabled by social networks; the women have varying levels of social capital, which facilitates movement and settlement. These social networks increase the social asset base of female porters and provide safety nets for them. It is found that the reasons for their migration are related to the declining importance of agriculture and the non-availability of jobs at their origin, which can be blamed on the liberalisation of the Ghanaian economy. It is also found that mothers are deeply involved in their daughters' migration decisions.
Migrants in Countries in Crisis: The Experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerien Migrants during the Libyan Crisis of 2011
Authors:   University of Ghana, Kandilige Leander , Hamidou Manou Nabara ,   Abdou Moumouni University
Published: April 2022

Using the experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian migrants who were implicated in the 2011 Libyan crisis as a case study, this paper highlights the importance of examining micro-level factors in explaining migration decision-making processes. It therefore challenges the uncritical use of macro-level factors as exogenous â€˜root causes of migration especially in developing country contexts. Adopting mainly qualitative approaches among seventy-five key informants from six distinct categories, the study finds that migration culture, household livelihood aspirations, geographical propinquity, the existence of social networks and migrant smuggling rings motivate migrations to Libya. The paper also challenges scholarship on the 2011 Libyan crisis that treats the experiences of sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants in the country as an undifferentiated group. The paper concludes that within a developing country context, the political economy of the origin country contributes to the establishment, over time, of a migration culture especially among youth who feel trapped in waithood and are unable to realize basic socio-cultural and economic markers in life. The paper recommends the regionalization of evacuation and repatriation programmes to facilitate the timely extraction of trapped migrants from countries in crisis.
Living on the Fringes of Life and Death: Somali Migrants, Risky Entrepreneurship and Xenophobia in Cape Town
Authors:   University of Pretoria, Angu Pineteh E.
Published: April 2022

Since the 2008 attacks on African migrants, xenophobic violence has become a form of social agency for responding to increasing unemployment, destitution and crime in South Africa. Africans living and operating businesses in urban and peri-urban areas are now objects of different forms of social violence, as they are repeatedly blamed for unfulfilled political promises by the ANC-led government. One of most victimised African migrant communities is the Somali community, whose business activities in cities and townships are perceived as undesirable threats to locals sources of livelihood. This article uses qualitative data collected from 30 Somali migrants in Bellville and Khayelitsha, Cape Town to examine how Somalis co-existence with South Africans and their business tactics in Cape Town intersect to influence xenophobic violence. It explores the relationship between risky entrepreneurship and xenophobia, and the threats that this relationship poses to Somali lives.
The Human Security Implications of Migration on Zimbabwean Migrant Women in South Africa
Authors:   University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mutambara Victoria , Maheshvari Naidu
Published: April 2022

A large number of people enter the South African borders legally and illegally from Zimbabwe in pursuit of secure, better living conditions. Amongst those people are women. This paper argues that most of the women who migrate to South Africa escape from insecurity in Zimbabwe, only to be confronted with other human security challenges in South Africa. The paper presents an overview of the theoretical framework of the human security paradigm, which helps to unpack how the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant women can be labelled as forms of insecurity. Using qualitative data, the paper discusses the possible human insecurity aspects that force the women to leave their home country and the challenges that they encounter in the host country. The findings of the paper indicate that economic insecurity and poverty highly influence the decisions and choices for migration for most of the women. However, the women's expectations of better lives and human security appear to contradict their social experiences. The migrant women face multiple forms of discrimination and violence that are constructed around their identities as women, non-citizens and black Africans. Cumulatively, most of the women experience gender-based violence and discrimination from South African citizens, foregrounded in xenophobic sentiments. Therefore, this paper reaches the conclusion that migrant women are victims of the compounded trauma of insecurities, as many of them would have encountered human insecurity consequences in their home country.
Stateless Transnational Migrant Children in South Africa: Implications and Opportunities for Social Work Intervention
Authors:   University of the Witwatersrand, Warria Ajwangâ€™
Published: April 2022

Migrant children who are vulnerable to statelessness are a growing at-risk population worldwide, and in South Africa. Migrant children often travel unaccompanied or become separated from their families during the journey, thus increasing their vulnerability. These children are often denied their rights in countries of transit and resettlement and might even be detained due to lack of documentation. They are subject to high levels of violence and status-exclusion within the migratory process. This paper considers statelessness in migrant children in South Africa, and undertakes a review of the literature to understand this phenomenon. The results show that a considerable number of migrant children in South Africa are at risk of statelessness. While all children may have roots that can be traced, situations and technicalities arise within the migration and registration framework that result either in children becoming stateless or at risk of becoming such. These childrenâ€™s childhoods fall through the gaps as they lack a sense of belonging. They also have limited rights and none of the protection that goes with being recognized as nationals. Social workers are able to play a significant role in assessing and determining if migrant children are either stateless or at risk of becoming stateless and offer appropriate intervention to help them realize their rights, potential and contributions.
COVID-19 and its Effects on the Lives and Livelihoods of Congolese Female Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the City of Cape Town
Authors:   Rhodes University, Mulu Ngwi Nnam Thecla
Published: April 2022

This paper explores the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of Congolese female asylum seekers and refugees living in Cape Town. It is framed around the assumption that this group of women exist at the intersection of multiple forms of vulnerability by virtue of their migrant status, gender, race, and social class. The study adopted a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. One-onone in-depth interviews were conducted with seven female asylum seekers and refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, using a semi-structured interview guide. Drawing on a feminist intersectional framework, the findings revealed that containment measures imposed by the South African government to curb the spread of COVID-19 significantly increased asylum-seeking and refugee women's care roles in homes, while rendering paid work more precarious. We argue that resilience strategies adopted by these women during the pandemic varied, depending on their demographic and socioeconomic status, educational level, nature of employment or entrepreneurial activity and their residency status in South Africa. This article concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing inequalities experienced by female Congolese asylum seekers and refugees and created new ones, with long-term implications for their lives and livelihoods.
Evidence of Spiritual Capital in the Schooling of Second-Generation Ghanaians in Amsterdam
Authors:   Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kyei Justice Richard Kwabena Owusu , Smoczynski Rafal ,   Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Setrana Mary Boatemaa ,   Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana
Published: April 2022

This study investigates how spiritual capital accrued from religiosity influences the educational mobility of second-generation migrants in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We propose that inherently, religiosity possesses resources that have consequences for the socio-economic and cultural life of the adherents. The study adopts ethnographic research methods including in-depth interviews, participant observation and informal interviews in the religious field of African Initiated Christian Churches (AICCs) in Amsterdam. Fifty second-generation migrants participated in the research out of which thirty-five were women and fifteen were men. Nine representatives of AICCs were interviewed. All the research participants were purposively selected. The study found that although educational attainment is not a driving force for the creation of AICCs, religiosity has consequential effects on the schooling of second-generation Ghanaians. The study also found that spiritual capital accumulated through prayers, reading of Holy Scriptures, participation in religious services and church commitment may facilitate or deter progress in the schooling of second-generation Ghanaians. The paper concludes that religiosity and schooling are not incompatible; rather, they are complementary in the integration of second-generation migrants in the Dutch society.
Bureaucratic Barriers to Social Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers during the COVID-19 Disaster in South Africa
Authors:   University of Cape Town, Khan Fatima , Kolabhai Mikhail ,   University of Cape Town
Published: April 2022

The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic could be minimised by social protection instruments such as unemployment insurance and distress relief grants. This paper assesses the ability of refugees and asylum seekers to access these instruments in South Africa. In general, the bureaucratic system of asylum documentation acts as a barrier to access social protection, as exemplified by the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Social Relief of Distress grants during the pandemic. While this problem has traditionally been articulated in terms of equality and socio-economic rights, this paper proposes that asylum administration should also be prioritised as a disaster preparedness and management infrastructure, as well as an essential service. This is to ensure refugees and asylum seekers need for protection is not neglected in a disaster.
Use of watermelon seed meal as a replacer of soybean meal in African catfish diets: effect on growth, body composition, haematology, and profit margin
Authors: JIMOH Wasiu Adeyemi , AYELOJA Ahmed Ayodeji , SHITTU Mohammed Olayemi , YUSUF Yusuf Olatunji
Published: April 2022

The effects of replacing soybean meal with watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seed meal (CLM) on growth, body composition, haematology and profit margin in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) breeding was evaluated. Juvenile catfish (n = 150) were acclimatised for a week, weighed and allotted into five dietary treatments; D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5 containing 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 % replacement of soybean meal with watermelon seed meal, respectively. The diets were isonitrogenous and isolipidic. Each treatment was conducted in triplicate with ten fish per replicate. The results from the study indicate that there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in growth, carcass composition, and nutrient utilization. However, a significant variation (p < 0.05) existed in the haematological parameters among the fish fed the different dietary treatments. The incidence of cost showed that the production of fish was cheaper when CLM was used as a replacement for soybean meal. The higher carcass yield and profit per kg of fish fed CLM justifies the use of CLM as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet of African catfish.
Farmers’ decision to participate in agri-environmental measures for the conservation of extensive grasslands in the Haloze region
Authors: NOVAK Ana , ŠUMRADA Tanja , ČERNIČ ISTENIČ Majda , ERJAVEC Emil
Published: April 2022

Understanding the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to participate in agri-environmental measures (AEMs) is crucial to meeting the environmental goals of agricultural policy. We investigated the factors of farmers’ involvement in AEM aimed at maintaining extensive grassland use by analysing data from a survey of 258 farms and 40 interviews with farmers in the Haloze region. Results show that, in addition to adequate payment, farmers’ attitudes towards grassland conservation and their self-identity are also important factors in increasing their willingness to join AEMs. A production-oriented view of farming prevailed among the interviewed farmers, with grassland conservation being important to them primarily in terms of maintaining a tidy landscape and achieving production and economic goals, while biodiversity conservation was often of negligible importance. The results indicate the educational and extension need in terms of farmers’ understanding of the relationship between agriculture and nature conservation. The latter can be encouraged by strengthening advisory support and the use of locally and practically oriented knowledge transfer approaches, as well as by introducing result-based AEMs.
Assessing the impact of varietal resistance and planting dates on pest spectrum in chickpea
Authors: JABA Jagdish , PAVANI T. , VASHISTH Sumit , MISHRA Suraj Prasad , SHARMA Hari Chand
Published: April 2022

The cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera [Hübner (1808)] is one of the most widely spread pest which limits the chickpea production, while the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner, 1808) has emerged as a serious pest in recent years, in southern India and parasitic wasp Campoletis chlorideae Uchida, 1968 is an important larval parasitoid which naturally manages both pests under field condition. Insecticides adoption leads to development of resistance in pod borer. In view of climate change scenario, the focus of the present studies was the identification of climate resilient cultivars of chickpea for pod borers and the results reveled, that there were significant variations in the level of eggs and larval population among the genotypes. Across seasons, the crop sown in October recorded the maximum number of eggs. ‘ICC 3137’ had the highest number of H. armigera eggs (11.6) across seasons. ‘JG 11’, (6.3) in 2012 and’ ICCV 10’ (3.6) in 2013 recorded the lowest number of H. armigera eggs. During 2014-15, the maximum(80.7) H. armigera larval incidence was observed in October sown crop and the lowest (21.1) in January crop. The number of S. exigua larvae were substantially higher in the December crop. For all seasons, the highest number of C. chlorideae were found in October crop. Across seasons, multiple regression analysis for both pest had a strong interaction with weather patterns.