bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Efficiency Correlation between Various Image Fusion Techniques
Authors: Nayagi S. Bharani , Angel T. S. Shiny
Published: March 2023

Multi-focus images can be fused by the deep learning (DL) approach. Initially, multi-focus image fusion (MFIF) is used to perform the classification task. The classifier of the convolutional neural network (CNN) is implemented to determine whether the pixel is defocused or focused. The lack of available data to train the system is one of the demerits of the MFIF methodology. Instead of using MFIF, the unsupervised model of the DL approach is affordable and appropriate for image fusion. By establishing a framework of feature extraction, fusion, and reconstruction, we generate a Deep CNN of [Formula: see text] End-to-End Unsupervised Model. It is defined as a Siamese Multi-Scale feature extraction model. It can extract only three different source images of the same scene, which is the major disadvantage of the system. Due to the possibility of low intensity and blurred images, considering only three source images may lead to poor performance. The main objective of the work is to consider [Formula: see text] parameters to define [Formula: see text] source images. Many existing systems are compared to the proposed method for extracting features from images. Experimental results of various approaches show that Enhanced Siamese Multi-Scale feature extraction used along with Structure Similarity Measure (SSIM) produces an excellent fused image. It is determined by undergoing quantitative and qualitative studies. The analysis is done based on objective examination and visual traits. By increasing the parameters, the objective assessment increases in performance rate and complexity with time.
Facts, faith and Facebook: science communication during the 2020–21 La Soufrière, St Vincent volcanic eruption
Authors: Graham Omari , Thomas Thalia , Hicks Anna , Edwards Stacey , Juman Alia , Ramroop Arti , Robertson Richard
Published: March 2023

Social media has become an effective bidirectional communication tool used by risk management agencies during crises. Its interactive format can provide near real-time insight into public attitudes toward hazard and risk. While there is a growing body of research on risk communication and risk perception in developing countries, there is limited understanding of real-time public response to low-frequency, high-impact phenomenon like volcanic eruptions. Facebook, the social media platform, was one of the primary mass communication tools used by The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre during the 2020–21 eruption of La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent. This study analyses public response to hazard and risk information shared via Facebook. A thematic analysis of user comments and iconographic reactions during the eruption revealed a complex social response to the event and information on the event shared by scientists. Direct access to scientific information was widely appreciated, as was the scientific team, with whom the public developed a familiar relationship. The interplay of faith and science remains a key feature of risk perception in Caribbean society. Findings also highlight the utility of combining old and new broadcast technologies to engage diverse audiences.
SO
2
emissions during the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière, St Vincent, revealed with back-trajectory analysis of TROPOMI imagery
Authors: Esse Ben , Burton Mike , Hayer Catherine , Contreras-Arratia Rodrigo , Christopher Thomas , Joseph Erouscilla P. , Varnam Matthew , Johnson Chris
Published: March 2023

Determining SO
2
emission time-series from explosive eruptions can provide important insights into the driving magmatic processes, however accurate measurements are difficult to collect. Satellite-based platforms provide SO
2
imagery, however translating this to the altitude- and time-resolved emission history required to unravel volcanic processes is a major challenge. This means SO
2
emission time-series are rarely quantified for major eruptions, producing a gap in our understanding of explosive volcanism.

Here, we combine SO
2
imagery collected by the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) with PlumeTraj, a back-trajectory analysis toolkit, to reconstruct the SO
2
emission prior to, and during, the explosive eruption of La Soufrière volcano, St Vincent, in April 2021. Precursory SO
2
emissions were quantified the day before the eruption, with emission rates in agreement with ground-based measurements. We estimate initial magma sulfur contents by comparing the measured SO
2
emissions with erupted magma volumes, finding that the initial explosion was sulfur poor (730 ppm S) compared to the main eruption phase (up to 3400 ppm S). This suggests that the initial explosion cleared old, previously degassed magma resident in the shallow plumbing system, followed by the eruption of the main, mostly un-degassed magma source.
Combining Machine Learning with Physical Knowledge in Thermodynamic Modeling of Fluid Mixtures
Authors: Jirasek Fabian , Hasse Hans
Published: March 2023

Thermophysical properties of fluid mixtures are important in many fields of science and engineering. However, experimental data are scarce in this field, so prediction methods are vital. Different types of physical prediction methods are available, ranging from molecular models over equations of state to models of excess properties. These well-established methods are currently being complemented by new methods from the field of machine learning (ML). This review focuses on the rapidly developing interface between these two approaches and gives a structured overview of how physical modeling and ML can be combined to yield hybrid models. We illustrate the different options with examples from recent research and give an outlook on future developments.
TonB-Dependent Transport Across the Bacterial Outer Membrane
Authors: Silale Augustinas , van den Berg Bert
Published: March 2023

TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs) are present in all gram-negative bacteria and mediate energy-dependent uptake of molecules that are too scarce or large to be taken up efficiently by outer membrane (OM) diffusion channels. This process requires energy that is derived from the proton motive force and delivered to TBDTs by the TonB-ExbBD motor complex in the inner membrane. Together with the need to preserve the OM permeability barrier, this has led to an extremely complex and fascinating transport mechanism for which the fundamentals, despite decades of research, are still unclear. In this review, we describe our current understanding of the transport mechanism of TBDTs, their potential role in the delivery of novel antibiotics, and the important contributions made by TBDT-associated (lipo)proteins.
The Geometric Correlations of Leptonic Mixing Parameters
Authors: Xu Ding-Hui , Rong Shu-Jun
Published: March 2023

Leptonic mixing patterns are usually extracted on the basis of groups or algebraic structures. In this paper, we introduce an alternative geometric method to study the correlations between the leptonic mixing parameters. At the 3

σ

level of the recent global fit data of neutrino oscillations, the distribution of the scattered points of the angles between the vectors, which are constructed by the element of the leptonic mixing matrix, is analysed. We find that the scattered points are concentrated on several special regions. Using the data in these regions, correlations of the leptonic mixing angles and the Dirac CP violating phase are obtained. The implications of the correlations are shown through the predicted flavor ratio of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos (HANs) at Earth.
Trend in Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates in China, 2006–2030: A Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Modeling Study
Authors: Yuan Meiwen , Zhao Xuelian , Wang Honghao , Hu Shangying , Zhao Fanghui
Published: March 2023

Background:

There are no studies extrapolating the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in China by comparing incidence and deaths pattern between geographic and age groups.

Methods:

We applied age-period-cohort models to assess region-level trends in incidence and mortality from 2006 to 2016, with piecewise linear regression in a Bayesian framework to predict these trends to 2030.

Results:

Between 2006 and 2016, age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) for females aged 15 to 84 years increased by 3.7% (95% confidence interval, 3.1%–4.3%) annually from 11.01 to 16.41 per 100,000 females in China. In the 25 to 39 age groups, the incidence rates decreased in urban regions and inversely increased in rural regions. The age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) increased from 3.18 to 4.83, with annual increases of about 3.6% (1.5%–5.8%). From 2017 to 2030, the ASIR is expected to increase from 17.13 (15.91–18.46) to 23.22 (20.02–27.01) by 2.5% per year (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the average age at diagnosis is predicted to grow from 53.1 to 60.5 years. In the 15 to 54 age groups, the incidence rates decreased in urban regions but increased in rural regions. The ASMR is expected to increase consistently from 4.82 (4.38–5.31) to 9.13 (7.35–11.39) by 5.0% per year (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are projected to increase in China. In addition, the urban–rural incidence gap is estimated to widen further among young women.

Impact:

Cervical cancer prevention should consider the trend and diversity in incidence patterns between urban and rural regions.
Degradation of Ubiquitin-Editing Enzyme A20 following Autophagy Activation Promotes RNF168 Nuclear Translocation and NF-κB Activation in Lupus Nephritis
Authors: Zou Luxi , Sun Ling , Hua Ruixue , Wu Yu , Sun Linlin , Chen Ting
Published: March 2023

The correlation between ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 and E3 ubiquitin ligase ring finger protein (RNF) 168 has been reported to be critical for repair of DNA damage. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of this regulatory interaction in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN). The expression of RNF168 and A20 was measured in the podocytes derived from MRL/lpr murine lupus as well as patients with LN. Cell-based studies using renal podocytes bearing silenced RNF168, over-expressed A20, autophagy-related gene (Atg) 5 (a ubiquitin-like modifier), or silenced Atg5 were used to assess the effect of RNF168, A20, and Atg5 on DNA damage repair and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation in LN. It was found that podocyte autophagy was over-activated in LN and the abnormal podocyte autophagy led to down-regulation of A20, up-regulation of RNF168, and activation of the NF-κB. RNF168 silencing or A20 restoration inhibited activation of NF-κB pathway and promoted repair of DNA damage, where the level of autophagy was not changed. Activated A20 in podocytes weakened the promoting action of cell autophagy on RNF168. The current results suggest that RNF168 dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of LN via down-regulation of A20 expression. Autophagy and RNF168 may be therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of LN.
Effect of the Ureteral Access Sheath Size on Acute Kidney Injury Biomarkers in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized Study
Authors: Aykanat Ibrahim Can , Balci Melih , Kilinckaya Muhammed Fevzi , Akdemir Serkan , Senel Cagdas , Guzel Ozer , Aslan Yilmaz , Turhan Turan , Arslan Murat , Guneri Cagri , Tuncel Altug
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the diameter of the ureteral access sheath (UAS) used during RIRS on kidney injury based on acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers. Methods: This prospectively randomized controlled study included a total of 125 patients divided into three groups: group 1 (n = 52) in which a 12/14 Fr UAS was used, group 2 (n = 52) in which a 9.5/11.5 Fr UAS was used, and group 3 (n = 21) that was designed as the control group with no urogenital disease history. Urine samples were collected preoperatively and at the postoperative second and 24th hours after surgery and analyzed for AKI using the urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1), N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocain biomarkers. Results: In group 1, there was no statistical change in any of the three AKI biomarkers at the postoperative second or 24th hour compared to the preoperative period. In group 2, the values of all three AKI biomarkers were statistically significantly increased at the postoperative second and 24th hours compared to the preoperative period while no statistical difference was observed between the two postoperative evaluation times. At the postoperative second hour, the uKIM-1 value was statistically significantly higher in group 2 compared to group 1 (p = 0.043). Conclusions: The results of our study showed that AKI was not observed in RIRS performed with a 12/14 Fr UAS while the use of a 9.5/11.5 Fr UAS resulted in AKI according to the assessment of the related biomarkers.
Long Sleep Duration and Dissatisfaction with Sleep Quality Are Associated with Ischemic Stroke in Young Patients
Authors: Kwon Hyuk Sung , Kim Chulho , Kim Young Seo , Koh Seong-Ho , Kim Hyun Young , Lee Seung-Hoon , Jung Keun-Hwa , Kim Jeong-Min , Kim Young Dae , Kwon Hyung-Min , Koo Dae Lim , Kim Beom Joon , Kim Bum Joon , Heo Sung Hyuk , Chang Dae-Il , Bushnell Cheryl D.
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Suboptimal sleep duration and poor sleep quality have been proposed to increase stroke risk. However, their significance in young ischemic stroke is unclear. We aimed to investigate the importance of sleep duration and quality on young ischemic stroke patients. Methods: A multicenter matched case-control study was performed to evaluate under-recognized risk factors in young (<45 years) ischemic stroke patients in 8 tertiary hospitals in Korea. A total of 225 patients and 225 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled in the same period. Detailed information about patients’ demographics, socioeconomic state, and traditional and nontraditional risk factors including sleep-related factors were obtained using structured questionnaires. Risk of ischemic stroke was estimated using conditional logistic regression analysis. Results: Although average sleep duration was similar in patients and controls, patients were more likely to have long (≥9 h) or extremely short (<5 h) sleep durations. In addition, the proportion of subjects with dissatisfaction with sleep quality was higher in patients than controls (66.2 vs. 49.3%, p < 0.001). In multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis, long sleep duration (OR: 11.076, 95% CI: 1.819–67.446, p = 0.009) and dissatisfaction with sleep quality (OR: 2.116, 95% CI: 1.168–3.833, p = 0.013) were independently associated with risk of ischemic stroke. Conclusions: Long sleep duration and dissatisfaction with sleep quality may be associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke in young adults. Improving sleep habit or quality could be important for reducing the risk of ischemic stroke.
Polymorphisms of Placental Iodothyronine Deiodinase Genes in a Rural Area of Northern China with High Prevalence of Neural Tube Defects
Authors: Wang Fang , Gu Yan-Hong , Guo Jin , Bao YiHua , Qiu ZhiYong , Zheng Ping , Ushijima Masaru , Matsuura Masaaki , Zhang Ting
Published: March 2023

Introduction: We have reported that high total homocysteine and the coexistence of inadequate thyroid hormones in maternal serum increase the risk of fetal neural tube defects (NTDs). Placental iodothyronine deiodinases (DIOs: DIO1, DIO2, and DIO3) play a role in regulating the conversions between different forms of maternal thyroid hormones. This study hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in placental DIOs genes could be related to NTDs. Methods: We performed a case-control study from 2007 to 2009 that included pregnant women from Lüliang, Shanxi Province, China. Nine distinct SNPs in DIOs genes were analyzed, and placental samples were obtained from 83 pregnant women with NTD fetuses and 90 pregnant women with normal fetuses. The nine SNPs were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage test and the Fisher’s exact test. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between case and control in the nine SNPs of DIOs (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that SNPs of DIO genes in the placenta among pregnant women have no statistically significant difference between the two groups, suggesting that other factors might be involved in metabolism of maternal thyroid hormone provided to fetuses, such as epigenetic modification of methylation and homocysteinylation and genomic imprinting in the placenta. Further functional studies on placenta samples are necessary.
Artificial Intelligence for the Classification of Pigmented Skin Lesions in Populations with Skin of Color: A Systematic Review
Authors: Liu Yuyang , Primiero Clare A. , Kulkarni Vishnutheertha , Soyer H. Peter , Betz-Stablein Brigid
Published: March 2023

Background: While skin cancers are less prevalent in people with skin of color, they are more often diagnosed at later stages and have a poorer prognosis. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) models can potentially improve early detection of skin cancers; however, the lack of skin color diversity in training datasets may only widen the pre-existing racial discrepancies in dermatology. Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically review the technique, quality, accuracy, and implications of studies using AI models trained or tested in populations with skin of color for classification of pigmented skin lesions. Methods: PubMed was used to identify any studies describing AI models for classification of pigmented skin lesions. Only studies that used training datasets with at least 10% of images from people with skin of color were eligible. Outcomes on study population, design of AI model, accuracy, and quality of the studies were reviewed. Results: Twenty-two eligible articles were identified. The majority of studies were trained on datasets obtained from Chinese (7/22), Korean (5/22), and Japanese populations (3/22). Seven studies used diverse datasets containing Fitzpatrick skin type I–III in combination with at least 10% from black Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, or Fitzpatrick IV–VI. AI models producing binary outcomes (e.g., benign vs. malignant) reported an accuracy ranging from 70% to 99.7%. Accuracy of AI models reporting multiclass outcomes (e.g., specific lesion diagnosis) was lower, ranging from 43% to 93%. Reader studies, where dermatologists’ classification is compared with AI model outcomes, reported similar accuracy in one study, higher AI accuracy in three studies, and higher clinician accuracy in two studies. A quality review revealed that dataset description and variety, benchmarking, public evaluation, and healthcare application were frequently not addressed. Conclusions: While this review provides promising evidence of accurate AI models in populations with skin of color, the majority of the studies reviewed were obtained from East Asian populations and therefore provide insufficient evidence to comment on the overall accuracy of AI models for darker skin types. Large discrepancies remain in the number of AI models developed in populations with skin of color (particularly Fitzpatrick type IV–VI) compared with those of largely European ancestry. A lack of publicly available datasets from diverse populations is likely a contributing factor, as is the inadequate reporting of patient-level metadata relating to skin color in training datasets.
Infarct‐Related Artery as a Donor of Collaterals in ST‐Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction With Concomitant Chronic Total Occlusion: Challenge of the Double‐Jeopardy Thesis
Authors: Scholz Matthias , Meyer Thomas , Maier Lars S. , Scholz Karl Heinrich
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

In ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a concomitant chronic total occlusion (CTO) in a non–infarct‐related artery (NIRA) is associated with adverse outcome. In the case of the infarct‐related artery (IRA) as a donor vessel for collaterals to the CTO, the IRA occlusion may lead to an acute threat to both the immediate IRA and the collaterally supplied CTO area, which has been described as a double‐jeopardy effect.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We investigated the role of preformed intercoronary collaterals to the CTO originating from either the IRA or NIRA. Data were obtained from 2 hospitals participating in the prospective FITT‐STEMI (Feedback Intervention and Treatment Times in ST‐Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) study. From a total cohort of 2102 patients with acute STEMI, 93 patients had single‐vessel CTO in an NIRA and well‐developed intercoronary collaterals to the CTO. In‐hospital mortality differed significantly with respect to the origin of the collaterals. Mortality was 15.2% with collaterals originating from the NIRA, 29.4% with a collateral origin from the IRA proximal to the acute STEMI occlusion, and 3.3% with a collateral origin from the IRA distal to the acute occlusion (
P
=0.044). A multivariate regression model confirmed that a proximal collateral origin had a significant higher mortality compared with a branching in the distal position from the acute STEMI occlusion (
P
=0.027; odds ratio = 20.8 [95% CI, 1.4–304.1]).

CONCLUSIONS

In STEMI with CTO in an NIRA, a CTO collateralization from the IRA distal to the acute occlusion is associated with a better prognosis. This finding challenges the double‐jeopardy assumption as the main cause of adverse outcome in STEMI with CTO in an NIRA.

REGISTRATION

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00794001.
Echo-Enhanced Embodied Visual Navigation
Authors: Yu Yinfeng , Cao Lele , Sun Fuchun , Yang Chao , Lai Huicheng , Huang Wenbing
Published: March 2023

Visual navigation involves a movable robotic agent striving to reach a point goal (target location) using vision sensory input. While navigation with ideal visibility has seen plenty of success, it becomes challenging in suboptimal visual conditions like poor illumination, where traditional approaches suffer from severe performance degradation. We propose E3VN (echo-enhanced embodied visual navigation) to effectively perceive the surroundings even under poor visibility to mitigate this problem. This is made possible by adopting an echoer that actively perceives the environment via auditory signals. E3VN models the robot agent as playing a cooperative Markov game with that echoer. The action policies of robot and echoer are jointly optimized to maximize the reward in a two-stream actor-critic architecture. During optimization, the reward is also adaptively decomposed into the robot and echoer parts. Our experiments and ablation studies show that E3VN is consistently effective and robust in point goal navigation tasks, especially under nonideal visibility.
Animals in Fashion: Portrayal of Animal Biodiversity on Children’s Clothing
Authors: Hooykaas Michiel Jan Dirk , Aalders Antonia Katharina , Schilthuizen Menno , Smeets Ionica
Published: March 2023

While cultural products such as clothes are usually not designed with an educational goal in mind, they may still raise biodiversity awareness. This study explored the portrayal of animal biodiversity on children’s clothing marketed by three major clothing retailers in the Netherlands. Findings showed that although nonhuman animals were a common theme, diversity was quite low. The portrayal was centered on mammals, in particular exotic and domestic species, and a gender binary was uncovered, restricting animals such as dinosaurs to boys’ clothes and butterflies to girls’ clothes. Moreover, portrayals were often highly simplified and anthropomorphic, which reduced recognizability. The results show that children’s clothes currently do not offer the balanced and iconic depiction of animal biodiversity needed for broadening people’s perceptions. To achieve a more extensive representation that can help connect people with biodiversity, a shift in ideas will be required of what animals are suitable to portray.
Growing Divides between Establishment and Climate Justice Proponents: A View from the Extremes of South Africa
Authors: Bond Patrick
Published: March 2023

The failure of elites negotiating global public goods – e.g., ending COVID-19 “vaccine apartheid,” forging geopolitical stability, reducing inequality, regulating international financial flows, and avoiding world recession – is nowhere more dangerous than the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s refusal to cut greenhouse gas emissions deeply and fairly. “Climate Justice” principles are ignored, so divisions grow between what ruling elites consider possible, and what activists demand. This is evident in a South Africa suffering among the world’s highest emissions levels, extreme weather events, the worst inequality, and a neoliberal, carbon-addicted corporate power bloc determining most of the policy terrain. But activists are forcefully resisting.
Integrating Degrowth and World-Systems Theory: Toward a Research Agenda
Authors: Frame Mariko Lin
Published: March 2023

This short conceptual article seeks to integrate world-systems theory and degrowth. It suggests that an ecological rendering of world-systems theory can clarify some of the most important quandaries of the degrowth movement in regards to global justice, decolonialism, the excessive material throughput of the Global North, and globalization. The article reframes these concerns from a world-systems framework that recognizes global hierarchies, imperialism, and dependencies, issues that the degrowth movement as a whole has failed to sufficiently address. It argues that while degrowth has made some progress in conceptualizing the kinds of changes that would be necessary for a more sustainable and just global economy, further proposals and research into deeper, world-systemic changes are necessary.
Cinema as Volcano: Thinking Cinema Through the Volcano with Malena Szlam, Werner Herzog and Jean Epstein
Authors: Mulvogue Jessica
Published: March 2023

In “Cinema Seen from Etna”, Jean Epstein makes an enigmatic comparison between cinema and the volcano. In witnessing the exploding Etna, Epstein proclaims that he saw cinema itself. This essay examines this connection between cinema and the volcano through an exploration of Werner Herzog’s documentary Into the Inferno (2016) and Malena Szlam’s geological films ALTIPLANO (2018) and MERAPI (2021). Drawing on literature in environmental humanities – especially those on the lithic and the elemental – I think the cinema through the volcano to arrive at the proposition that cinema, at least a certain kind of ‘volcanic cinema’, is a means of approaching something we might call ‘volcanic thinking’. This is a thinking alongside the elements, one that bears particular affinity with the sometimes explosive churning of rock and fire, a thinking that is necessary and critical for our volatile age.
Elemental Documentary: Fire, Forensics and Pyro-Epistemologies
Authors: Smith Patrick Brian
Published: March 2023

This article examines the interconnections between fire and Indigenous politics, geographies and epistemologies. More precisely, the article focuses on how different modes of emergent nonfiction media practice are engaging with the pyrological and interrogating its entanglements with Indigenous forms of existence and ecological-political struggle in a moment of escalating climate catastrophe and capitalist settler-colonial exploitation and extraction. The article explores how the pyrological and the ecological are framed and taken up in markedly contrasting discursive, visual and formal ways across these modes of nonfiction media practice. At a broader conceptual level, I examine these divergent engagements with pyro-ecologies to map out how countervailing currents in contemporary documentary practice differently approach conceptualisations of both the evidentiary and the epistemological in relation to Indigenous politics and ontologies. I argue that these engagements manifest differently across these works depending upon the degree to which they remain attentive to – and engaged with – Indigenous modes of ecologically-conscious land-based knowledge, pedagogy and evidence.
Earth After Death: Posthumous Cinematic Ecologies in Holocaust Documentary Film
Authors: Mroz Matilda
Published: March 2023

Recent environmental turns in research on the Holocaust and the moving images produced in its aftermath have suggested the potential of earth to bear “eco-witness” to atrocity and signal sites of mass burial through alterations to the topsoil and vegetation. However, the conjunction between the elemental and the human that occurs when a violated body decomposes in the earth to become ‘humus’ indicates a particularly distressing point of “trouble” for non-anthropocentric frameworks that focus on the material agencies involved in composting processes (Haraway) and trans-corporealities (Alaimo). This article examines how three documentaries (Shtetl, Neighbours and Birthplace) frame sections of Polish earth that have been re-shaped by Holocaust atrocity and human decomposition. While indicating a vaster posthumous network in which humus becomes entangled in rural soil-based activities such as cattle grazing, the article argues that human decomposition triggers attempts to cinematically recompose active earth as readable archive and fixed landscape.
Abbas Kiarostami, Global Art Cinema and the Material Imagination of Earth
Authors: Uhlin Graig
Published: March 2023

This article examines the multiform appearance of elemental earth in the 1990s films of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, including Life and Nothing More, Through the Olive Trees, Taste of Cherry, and The Wind Will Carry Us. Its aim is to consider the elemental aspects of global art cinema, arguing that art cinema treats elements intermedially. Art cinema’s alliance with the elemental has been comparatively overlooked given its associations with the cosmopolitan sites of global modernity, but this essay asserts that modernism is as much geophysical as geopolitical. I read Kiarostami’s films as staging encounters between human action and elemental agency; they set their characters in agonistic relation to the seismic movements and obdurate resistance of the earth. Drawing on elemental philosophy, this article demonstrates that the existential questions regarding life and death in Kiarostami’s filmmaking are oriented toward the earth (as ground, stone, and dust).
Geoblocking the Sun: Solar Eclipses in Transnational Artists’ Film
Authors: Solomon Stefan
Published: March 2023

The basis for works by such filmmakers as James Benning and Kevin Jerome Everson, the “Great American Eclipse” of August 2017 demonstrated the desire of artists’ film to capture the unique phenomenon of totality, when the moon completely obscures the sun for a period of several minutes. Beyond the borders of the United States, the transnational efforts of Lukas Marxt’s Double Dawn (2014) in Australia and J.P. Sniadecki’s The Yellow Bank (2010) in China also render the solar eclipse as a phenomenon of great cultural and ecological scope. While the astronomical event in each of these films itself provides a singular and contingent spectacle for the camera, this article argues that the eclipse’s mythical conjugation of the elemental forces of fire and earth also resonates unexpectedly with the diverse environments that fall under the moon’s shadow.
Parliaments and their Evolution
Authors: Patzelt Werner J.
Published: March 2023

This paper aims to open a new path for the comparative cross-historical and cross-cultural analysis of deliberating or deciding assemblies. For this purpose, it makes use of a wide concept of parliament, in contrast to the conventional narrow one which focuses on democratic elections and a free mandate. The essay starts with an overview of the large variety of “parliamentarianisms” across history and culture, and then points out the shortcomings of the “historically flat” legislative research conducted to date. It goes on to show how the use of non-biological evolutionary theory can enhance comparative historical research on institutions. Finally, it is demonstrated how “institutional morphology”, which draws a distinction between no fewer than five different forms of similarity, can be fruitfully used for empirical research into parliaments in particular, and institutions in general.
Public Engagement in the Welsh Parliament
Authors: Prior Alex , Stirbu Diana
Published: March 2023

This article provides an analysis of public engagement as it is practised and conceptualised by the Welsh Parliament. It does so by applying an interpretive framework to elite interviews and parliamentary committee report forewords, in order to identify institutional narratives of public engagement. These narratives are identified and discussed at three different levels of decision-making (and in ascending levels of ‘abstraction’): practice, strategy, and concept. The chosen framework and methodology show the usefulness of narrative at a conceptual and analytical level. The conclusions drawn – regarding 1) the need for a shift from public-facing to public-engaging committee work, 2) a lack of clarity on desired outcomes, and 3) continued tensions around sources of evidence and knowledge – are relevant and applicable to parliaments across a range of contexts.
Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India
Authors: KARTHIK B. , MURUGESAN M. , ANUSUBA V. , PREMKUMAR M. , THARANI R.
Published: March 2023

Symplocos sisparensis, a new species of Symplocaceae has been collected from Mukurthi National Park in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). The new species is morphologically similar to Symplocos foliosa Wight, however it is differing from by its habit, branchlets, leaves, calyx lobes, style and fruit characters. Therefore, the new species is described with detailed description, phenology, distribution (including map) along with photographic plates and illustration to facilitate easy identification of this species in the field.
Two new species of the planthopper genus Deferunda Distant from China (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Achilidae), with the first description of the male of Deferunda acuminata Chou & Wang
Authors: LV SHASHA , CHEN XIANGSHENG , LONG JIANKUN
Published: March 2023

Two new species of the genus Deferunda Distant, 1912, D. dentata sp. nov. and D. interanea sp. nov. from China (Shandong and Hainan provinces, respectively), are described and illustrated, bringing the total number of species within the genus to 17. The male genitalia of D. acuminata Chou & Wang, 1985 is described and illustrated for the first time. Geographical information, a checklist and key to all known species of Deferunda are provided.
Fissured legacies in Roysten Abel's In Othello
Authors: García-Periago Rosa M.
Published: March 2023

In Othello (2003) offers both a critique and inadvertent affirmation of racial and colonial hierarchies and a reflection on the postcolonial nation. The film fosters Orientalist sensibilities via a fetishisation of ‘otherness’, in order to subvert it. It is a hybrid and ambivalent production in which the characters possess intersectional identities that are always multiple, in line with Hindu philosophy. This hybridity can also be observed in the mixture of traditions on which the film is based, and as such, it serves as a ‘rhizomatic interrelation’. The film shows how Shakespeare's play may provide a meditation on the Indian nation, where issue ssuch as transgressive romance, ostracisation, and gender roles remain unsettled.
Design and control of helicopter main reducer semi-active vibration isolation system based on MR damper
Authors: Wang Yunzhi , Zhou Jin , Cao Xiaoyan , Guo Xinxing
Published: March 2023

In order to effectively reduce the vibration of the helicopter rotor transmitted from the main reducer to the fuselage, a semi-active vibration isolation system (SAVIS) with a magnetorheological (MR) damper was proposed and effective control strategies were designed. Firstly, the structural scheme and working principle of helicopter main reducer SAVIS were proposed. Secondly, the mechanical properties of the MR damper were tested, and the dynamic model of the MR damper was established based on the hyperbolic tangent model. In addition, the model errors of MR damper were analyzed and quantified. Thirdly, according to the design requirements and parameters of a helicopter, the structural parameters of SAVIS were designed. Then, the virtual prototype of helicopter main reducer SAVIS was established by using 3D drawing software and ADAMS software, and the vibration characteristics of three directions were analyzed. Finally, two controllers of equivalent skyhook and continuous skyhook were designed. The numerical analysis results indicate that compared with passive vibration isolation and equivalent skyhook controller, the continuous skyhook controller has the best vibration isolation performance and disturbance resistance, which can effectively reduce the vibration transmitted from helicopter rotor to fuselage.
Assessment of total and unbound cell-free heme in plasma of patients with sickle cell disease
Authors: Vissa Madhav , Larkin Sandra K , Vichinsky Elliott P , Kuypers Frans A , Soupene Eric
Published: March 2023

Intravascular hemolysis results in the release of cell-free hemoglobin and heme in plasma. In sickle cell disease, the fragility of the sickle red blood cell leads to chronic hemolysis, which can contribute to oxidative damage and activation of inflammatory pathways. The scavenger proteins haptoglobin and hemopexin provide pathways to remove hemoglobin and heme, respectively, from the circulation. Heme also intercalates in membranes of blood cells and endothelial cells in the vasculature and associates with other plasma components such as albumin and lipoproteins. Hemopexin has a much higher affinity and can strip heme from the other pools and detoxify plasma from cell-free circulatory heme. However, due to chronic hemolysis, hemopexin is depleted in individuals with sickle cell disease. Thus, cell-free unbound heme is expected to accumulate in plasma. We developed a methodology for the accurate quantification of the fraction of heme, which is pathologically relevant in sickle cell disease, that does not appear to be sequestered to a plasma compartment. Our data show significant variation in the concentration of unbound heme, and rather unexpectedly, the size of the unbound fraction does not correlate to the degree of hemolysis, as measured by the concentration of bound heme. Very high heme concentrations (>150 µM) were obtained in some plasma with unbound concentrations that were several fold lower than in plasma with much lower hemolysis (<50 µM). These findings underscore the long-term effects of chronic hemolysis on the blood components and of the disruption of the essential equilibrium between release of hemoproteins/heme in the circulation and adaptative response of the scavenging/removal mechanisms. Understanding the clinical implications of this loss of response may provide insights into diagnostic and therapeutic targets in patients with sickle cell disease.
Epidemiology of the use of inferior vena cava filters in Brazil between 2008 and 2019
Authors: Louzada Andressa Cristina Sposato , Diamante Leiderman Dafne Braga , Alexandrino da Silva Marcelo Fiorelli , Cassino Portugal Maria Fernanda , Carlos de Campos Guerra João , Teivelis Marcelo Passos , Wolosker Nelson
Published: March 2023

Objectives

The primary objective was to study the totality of inferior vena cava filter placements and their temporal and geographic distribution in the Brazilian Public Health System, which insures more than 160 million Brazilians. The secondary objective was to analyze in-hospital mortality after filter placement and deaths due to pulmonary embolism.

Methods

Public and open data on in-hospital mortality due to pulmonary embolism and on rates of inferior vena cava filters placement, its associated diagnosis, and in-hospital mortality in Brazilian public hospitals between January 2008 and December 2019 were extracted from Ministry of Health databases.

Results

A total of 9108 inferior vena cava filters were placed, 98.18% of which was therapeutic. We observed a significant increase in the use of these devices over the years, from 508 inferior vena cava filters placed in 2008 to 965 in 2019. In-hospital mortality rate in patients who received inferior vena cava filters was 6.21%, stable over time, and 96.64% of causes of these causes were attributed to venous thromboembolism. The in-hospital mortality rate due to pulmonary embolism, regardless of the placement of vena cava filters, has increased significantly.

Conclusion

We observed a low but increasing rate of inferior vena cava filter placements in Brazil between 2008 and 2019, most indications were therapeutic. Our findings were heterogeneous across Brazilian regions and contrasted to those observed in the USA, which is likely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors.
Pattern and variation in simple sequence repeat (SSR) at different genomic regions and its implications to maize evolution and breeding
Authors: Zhao Meiqi , Shu Guoping , Hu Yanhong , Cao Gangqiang , Wang Yibo
Published: March 2023

Background

Repetitive DNA sequences accounts for over 80% of maize genome. Although simple sequence repeats (SSRs) account for only 0.03% of the genome, they have been widely used in maize genetic research and breeding as highly informative codominant DNA markers. The genome-wide distribution and polymorphism of SSRs are not well studied due to the lack of high-quality genome DNA sequence data.

Results

In this study, using data from high-quality de novo-sequenced maize genomes of five representative maize inbred lines, we revealed that SSRs were more densely present in telomeric region than centromeric region, and were more abundant in genic sequences than intergenic sequences. On genic sequences, tri- and hexanucleotide motifs were more abundant in CDS sequence and some mono- and dinucleotide motifs were more abundant in UTR sequences. Median length and chromosomal density of SSRs were both narrowly range-bound, with median length of 14-18 bp and genome-wide average density of 3355.77 bp/Mbp. LTR-RTs of < 0.4 Mya had higher SSR density (4498-4992 bp/Mbp). The genome-specific and motif-specific SSR polymorphism were studied. Their potential breeding applications were discussed.

Conclusions

We found that the median length of SSR sequences of different SSR motifs was nearly constant. SSR density in genic regions was much higher than intergenic regions. In addition, SSR density at LTR-RTs of different evolutionary ages varied in a narrow range. The SSRs and their LTR-RT carriers evolved at an equal rate. All these observations indicated that SSR length and density were under control of yet unknown evolutionary forces. The chromosome region-specific and motif-specific SSR polymorphisms we observed supported the notion that SSR polymorphism was invaluable genome resource for developing highly informative genome and gene markers in maize genetic research and molecular breeding.
Association between raised blood pressure and elevated serum liver enzymes among active-duty Royal Thai Army personnel in Thailand
Authors: Sakboonyarat Boonsub , Poovieng Jaturon , Lertsakulbunlue Sethapong , Jongcherdchootrakul Kanlaya , Srisawat Phutsapong , Mungthin Mathirut , Rangsin Ram
Published: March 2023

Background

The relationship between hypertension (HT) and serum liver enzymes was reported in a few studies, but the findings were inconsistent. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the association between elevated serum liver enzymes and raised BP through the use of a large sample of Royal Thai Army (RTA) personnel.

Methods

The dataset obtained from the annual health examination database of RTA personnel in Thailand was utilized. A total of 244,281 RTA personnel aged 35–60 were included in the current study. Elevated serum liver enzymes were defined as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 40 U/L in males and ≥ 35 U/L in females. HT was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg. A multivariable linear regression model was used to estimate the coefficient and 95% confidence intervals (CI), whereas a multivariable logistic regression model was applied to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% CI for the association between raised BP and serum liver enzymes.

Results

Compared to individuals with SBP < 120 and DBP < 80 mmHg, the β coefficients of log-transformed AST and ALT were 0.13 (95% CI: 0.12–0.13) and 0.11 (95% CI: 0.11–0.12) in males with HT. Meanwhile, the β  coefficients of log-transformed AST and ALT were 0.03 (95% CI: 0.02–0.04) and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.05–0.08) in females with HT. In males, HT was associated with elevated AST (AOR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.85–2.01) and elevated ALT (AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.38–1.48). On the other hand, in females, HT was associated with elevated AST (AOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.21–1.66) and elevated ALT (AOR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.21–1.57).

Conclusion

Raised BP was positively correlated with elevated AST and ALT in active-duty RTA personnel. Moreover, HT was independently attributed to higher odds of elevated AST and ALT in comparison to optimal BP in both males and females. Furthermore, the relationship between serum liver enzymes and BP was modified by sex.
Pulmonary fibrosis model of mice induced by different administration methods of bleomycin
Authors: Gul Aman , Yang Fangyong , Xie Cong , Du Wenjing , Mohammadtursun Nabijan , Wang Bin , Le Jingjing , Dong Jingcheng
Published: March 2023

Background

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive disease of the lung. How to build a typical human mimicking animal model has been a challenge. Thus, to reveal the mechanism and to make it useful for IPF clinical treatment, a different type of mice model and inspection methods are used to evaluate which one is applicable for the study of IPF.

Method

69 Twelve-weeks-old C57BL/6 mice were divided into 3 type groups (n = 7 for each control group, n = 8 for each BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis groups), as intraperitoneal injection, intratracheal administration, and intravenous administration of bleomycin (BLM) to initiate lung fibrosis. Changes of the lung function measured through mice Pulmonary function test (PFT). Morphological changes in mice were observed by PET/CT, Masson and Picro-Sirius staining, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Biochemical changes were tested by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa).

Results

PET/CT of BLM-receiving mice showed an increase in fibrotic consolidations and an increase in non-aerated lung area in BLM-treated mice compared with that in controls. TGF-b1, TNF-a, IL-6, GM-CSF in BALF and serum. PAI-1, HYP in the lung tissue of mice were significantly different in each BLM groups than those in the controls. The results of Masson staining in mice indicate that the lung tissues of all BLM received groups, the intratracheal groups, the intravenous groups, and the intraperitoneal groups have a higher degree of pulmonary septal thickening and collagen fiber consolidation compare to saline control. Picro-Sirius staining results are consistent with the results of Masson staining. Compared with the saline control group, the ratio of Col 1/Col 3 was significantly increased in each BLM group. TEM results found that in BLM group, type I alveolar epithelial cells were degenerated. Exfoliated endothelial cells were swelling, and type II alveolar epithelial cells were proliferated, the shape of the nucleus was irregular, and some tooth-like protrusions were seen.

Conclusions

With three different methods of animal model construction, high dose of each show more compliable, and BLM can successfully induce animal models of pulmonary fibrosis, however, certain differences in the fibrosis formation sites of them three, and tail vein injection of BLM induced PF model is closer to the idiopathic pulmonary interstitial fibrosis.