bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study and characterisation of pad-based readout for RPC detector
Authors: L Umesh , Inbanathan S.S.R. , Saraf M.N. , Satyanarayana B. , Shinde R.R. , Majumder G.
Published: July 2022

The Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) is a parallel plate
avalanche type particle detector which uses a gas mixture as its
active detection medium. While high resistivity materials like glass
or bakelite plates are commonly used as the detector electrodes,
plastic core-based and metal foil laminated pickup panels with
segmented strips are used to readout the induced signals. Large area
RPCs (of dimension 2 m× 2 m) of this design are
chosen as the active detector elements for the India-based Neutrino
Observatory's (INO) magnetised Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector. One
of the main goals of the ICAL detector is a precision measurement of
neutrino oscillation parameters. As part of the ongoing detector
R&D, a pad-based — instead of strip-based readout — scheme is
being developed to improve localization of particle hit positions,
while retaining good charge profile and noise rate characteristics
of the strip-based RPC based detectors.
Higher landscape diversity associated with improved crop production resilience in Kansas-USA
Authors: Nelson Katherine S , Patalee Buddhika , Yao Becatien
Published: July 2022

Cropland expansion and agriculture intensification have been the primary methods to increase food production since the 19th century. The resulting landscape simplification, however, can impede long-term agricultural crop productivity. This paper examines the role of landscape diversification on resilience of corn, soy, and winter wheat production, in terms of crop yield and yield variability, in the state of Kansas. The study uses panel data analysis with county fixed effects and time trends to estimate the relationship between landscape diversity and crop production resilience. Results show that diversity has a significant positive effect on yields after controlling for weather, irrigation, and chemical inputs. We find that the yields of winter wheat increase, on average, by 28% at high levels of landscape diversity, while corn and soy yields increase 7% and 5%, respectively. In addition, we find that increases in landscape diversity are significantly associated with reduced yield variability for winter wheat and corn, and that landscape diversity mitigates the effect of extreme weather conditions on yield. Study findings suggest that within a single, relatively low diversity state, increasing landscape diversity is positively associated with crop production resilience. Future extreme climate conditions may reduce crop yields and yield stability, requiring appropriate policies to ensure food security. Our findings suggest that landscape diversification may be an important tool within a portfolio of approaches to increase crop resilience under highly variable weather conditions.
3rd International Conference on Sustainable Futures: Environmental, Technological, Social and Economic Matters
Authors: Semerikov S O , Chukharev S M , Sakhno S I , Striuk A M , Iatsyshin Andrii V , Klimov S V , Osadchyi V V , Vakaliuk T A , Nechypurenko P P , Bondarenko O V , Danylchuk H B
Published: July 2022

This paper represents a preface to the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Futures: Environmental, Technological, Social, and Economic Matters (ICSF 2022) held at the Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, 24–27 May 2022. Background information and the organizational structure of the meeting, program committee, and acknowledgments of the contributions of the many people who made the conference a success are presented.
Investigation into near-contour stresses in stoping with backfilling by the polarization-optical method
Authors: Shchokin V P , Kulish S A , Moshinskiy V I , Karapa I A , Karnauh A V
Published: July 2022

When mining deposits with room-and-pillar methods with backfilling, available hanging wall rocks and ores of medium or low stability can cause hanging wall rock collapses into stoping areas, thus causing escalation of ore dilution with waste rocks. The research work is aimed at determining areas of maximum stresses and their quantitative characteristics which can cause collapses of hanging wall rocks in the mined-out stope area and developing technological solutions to reduce concentration of stresses. Options of mining stopes located on the hanging wall of the deposit are investigated on polarization-optical models. According to the results of studying polarization-optical models with different designs of stope chains, there are obtained stress fields for each model in the zone of stope influence. The research reveals that when using a stoping method with partial processing of hanging wall rocks in the contact plane with the country rocks, the maximum stresses are much higher than in case of the arched form of the stoping area. On the basis of the obtained research results, it is recommended to carry out chambers with the formation of a vaulted shape of the roof from the hanging side in order to reduce the clogging of the ore.
Mathematical aspects of remote assessment of the radiation state of contaminated areas
Authors: Zabulonov Yu L , Popov O O , Skurativskyi S I , Bondar O I , Iatsyshyn Andrii V , Molitor N
Published: July 2022

The use of radioactive materials is widespread in scientific investigations and various sectors of the economy. There are also extremely radiation-hazardous objects, for instance the well-known Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Chornobyl, Ukraine) covering the large contaminated areas and the Shelter Object containing the materials of huge radioactivity of about 20 MCi. To safe handling with such objects and materials, the correct their monitoring, detection and characteristics evaluation are vital. The modern development of small flying machines, measurement equipment, and information technologies allow one to increase the amount of measurement data and their accuracy, and to reduce the processing time. On the other hand, the requirements to accuracy, quickness, and correctness of data interpretation increase as well. To solve these problems effectively, the mathematical tools of data processing should be improved. The main mathematical problem at the remote evaluation of radioactive fields relates to the solving the inverse problem for the Fredholm integral of the first kind. In this research, we consider the reconstruction of surface density of gamma radiation on the ground using the data of aerial shooting. We survey the methods for solving the inverse problem, their advantages and disadvantages. The adaptation of the methods to the reconstruction of nonstationary discontinuous radioactive fields is presented. We modify the numerical algorithms using the opportunities of modern calculating software. In particular, it is considered the task when the algorithm reconstructs the density distribution very well.
The impact of fuel delivery logistics on the cost of thermal energy on the example of biofuels boilers in Ukraine
Authors: Yu Bogoslavska O , Stanytsina V V , Artemchuk V O , Maevsky O V , Garmata O M , Lavrinenko V M , Zinovieva I S
Published: July 2022

One of the important directions for achieving the goals of sustainable development and decarbonization is to increase the share of biofuels, including in heat supply systems. In this case, an important factor in deciding on the use of biofuel boilers is the cost of fuel, which is affected by the delivery logistics. The authors determined the impact of logistics for different types of fuel for low-power boilers (0.5 and 1 MW, burning biofuels) on LCOH. The calculations take into account the existing rates of environmental tax. The paper considers the transportation of biofuels by road to small consumers over short distances (within a radius of several hundred kilometers). The study showed that the cost of delivery of pellets from producer to consumer can be up to 20% of their cost. It is established that the transportation of a ton of pellets per 1 km increases the cost of this ton by about 1.35 UAH, therefore, the logistical component in the final cost of pellets can be significant.
Building stone resources of Dnipropetrovsk region
Authors: Panteleeva N B , Syvyj M J , Kalinichenko O O , Volik O
Published: July 2022

The article deals with the analysis of building stone resources of Dnipropetrovsk region that are used and can be used in order to provide construction needs. Dnipropetrovsk region is one of the most economically developed Ukrainian regions due to mineral and raw material resources being located on its territory. A part of regional mineral raw extraction comes up to almost 50% of mineral deposit balance reserves and the provision exceeds three times the national rate. Crystalline Pre-Cambrian rocks of East European platform fundament as gneiss, granites, quartzites, migmatites, granodiorites, amphibolites and sedimentary apron rocks – malmrocks – are natural construction material in the region. 42 building stone deposits are located on the territory of the region among them 19 deposits are developed also refer to big and middle and 24 are not developed. The biggest amount of developed deposits is located in the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske and Nikopol districts. Building stone extraction is equal to approximately 14% from national quantity. Deposit exploitation is performed by commercial structures and state corporation enterprises. The conclusions are made about the ways of expanding capacities of building stone extraction due to complex iron ore deposit development and the opportunity of building stone reserve increase in the region.
Estimation of efficiency of use of water-lifting equipment in technological processes of agricultural production
Authors: Dotsenko N A , Batsurovska I V
Published: July 2022

The article presents the estimation of efficiency of use of water-lifting equipment in technological processes of agricultural production. It is outlined the principle of operation water-lifting equipment in technological processes of agricultural production. It is based on increasing the required pressure for the water supply network by direct repeated use of gravitational forces in the form of weight of the liquid column from natural or artificial pressure. The efficiency of the technological process is assessed by the amount of consumption of water and the speed of flow movement. These parameters (optimization criteria) depend on four main independent factors: the head height; volume of transit tanks; pipe diameter; pipe length. The optimal constructive and technological parameters of water-lifting equipment in technological processes of agricultural production are considered.
Use of the Esri’s ArcGis products to create indicators of the integrated characteristics of the WTG placement in the geoecological system on the territories of wind farms
Authors: Aleinykova K H , Siokhin V D
Published: July 2022

With the development of wind energy in the south of Ukraine, there was a question of the safety of its operation for the ecosystems of the region. The goal of many years of work was the development of methods for geoecological analysis of natural and technical geosystems in the territories of wind farms to assess the impact of wind turbine placement. An integrated approach in carrying out monitoring work and individual methods of analysis, as well as the characteristics of the natural and technical geosystem, using an integral approach, made it possible to synthesize various aspects into a single geoecological system, the analysis of which gives a more complete picture of the relationships and connections of the objects of the territory as a complex natural and technical geosystem. The resulting analysis of the criteria provides a better environmental assessment and selection of means to minimize the negative consequences of the impact on the natural environment.
Spatial distribution of micromollusks under the impact of recreation
Authors: Kunakh O , Umerova A , Degtyarenko E
Published: July 2022

Anthropogenic impacts lead to a decrease in the abundance and diversity of communities of living organisms. The rate of recovery of populations is inversely proportional to size: the smaller the size, the greater the potential for population recovery after negative impact. Therefore, under conditions of extremely high levels of anthropogenic impact, small-sized animals are a reliable source of ecosystem state. The aim of the work is to: 1) to evaluate rates of the micromollusc Vallonia pulchella (Müller, 1774) abundance in ecosystems that are subject to extremely high levels of recreational pressure; 2) to identify factors that influence the spatial patterns of soil micromollusks; and 3) to investigate the possibility of using micromollusks for the purposes of bioindication of recreational pressure. The soil sampling was performed on a regular grid with recording of local coordinates. The micromollusks were extracted from the soil samples by hand sorting. Physical properties of soil sensitive to recreational load were also measured. Micromolluscs were found to exhibit a non-linear response to recreational impact. The maximum abundance of animals is observed at a certain distance from recreational trails. This distance is specific for different species of micromollusks. Micromollusks have high population abundance even under conditions of high recreational load. The regular spatial patterns of these animals are caused by changes in the soil habitat, which are induced by recreational load. This circumstance allows to consider micromollusks as a reliable indicator of the level of recreational load.
Visualization of demographic statistical data
Authors: Bondarenko O V , Hanchuk O V , Pakhomova O V , Tsutsunashvili G , Zagórski A
Published: July 2022

In this publication, the authors address the content and objectives of demographic data visualization, generalize the most common techniques and tools for demographic data visualization, and share their own experience of testing various statistical visualization practices, namely World Population Dashboard of United Nations Population Fund and Population Reference Bureau. Special emphasis is placed on the implementation of Trendalyzer software, developed by the Swedish Gapminder Foundation, and the experience of demographic statistics visualization via interactive infographics made by Oxford Martin School (a structural unit of the Department of Social Sciences at Oxford University). The presented article evaluates the contribution to the visualization of statistical data made by such Ukrainian organizations as State Statistics Service, public organization “Ukrainian Center for Public Data”, BusinessViews and Top Lead. Outlining the advantages and disadvantages of various visualization practices, the authors argue that “dry” statistics being represent by means of visualization tools such as Trendalyzer and Our World Data may constitute a clear and expressive language of convincing facts that contribute to a holistic demographic worldview.
Re-faced and Pornified— A Visual, Narrative Analysis of Sexual Scripts in Police Cases of Image-based Abuse
Authors: Harder Sidsel Kirstine
Published: July 2022

This article analyses police cases to argue that image-based sexual abuse should not be understood as only happening to women who have shared risqué image of themselves. Anyone could have sexual images shared without consent, because all digital images can be pornified by the addition of sexually explicit iconography. Pornography is important to research visually because porn is a sexual script that can be used to alter any image from everyday and/or intimate to abusive. The research field on nonconsensual sharing of intimate images has abolished the term ‘revenge porn’ as contributing to victim blaming: Image-based sexual abuse is not caused by any acts justifying ‘revenge’. However, the relevance of the concept of ‘porn’ may have been too hastily dismissed.
Verifiable Conjunctive Dynamic Searchable Symmetric Encryption With Forward and Backward Privacy
Authors: Lu Haitang , Chen Jie , Ning Jianting , Zhang Kai
Published: July 2022

Dynamic searchable symmetric encryption (DSSE) with forward and backward privacy makes it possible to perform search on the outsourced encrypted database efficiently while still allowing updates under acceptable leakage. Current forward and backward private DSSE (FB-DSSE) scheme proposed by Zuo et al. cannot support conjunctive keyword query and the cloud server needs to be honest-but-curious. Recent FB-DSSE scheme supporting conjunctive keyword query proposed by Patranabis et al. cannot verify search results. On the other hand, searchable symmetric encryption scheme proposed by Wang et al. that supports conjunctive keyword query and the verification of search results cannot achieve forward and backward privacy. The problem of constructing a verifiable conjunctive FB-DSSE scheme is still open. In this paper, we propose a verifiable conjunctive dynamic searchable symmetric encryption scheme (VCDSSE). VCDSSE is a FB-DSSE scheme that additionally supports the verification of search results and conjunctive keyword query. We revisit homomorphic MAC to enable efficient verification of search results, adopt the technique of oblivious cross-tags to achieve conjunctive keyword query and utilize state chain to ensure forward and backward privacy. The formal security analysis and performance evaluation demonstrate that VCDSSE is secure and practical as compared with Mitra scheme in terms of search time.
Tree height-growth trajectory estimation using uni-temporal UAV laser scanning data and deep learning
Authors: Puliti Stefano , McLean J Paul , Cattaneo Nicolas , Fischer Carolin , Astrup Rasmus
Published: July 2022

Information on tree height-growth dynamics is essential for optimizing forest management and wood procurement. Although methods to derive information on height-growth information from multi-temporal laser scanning data already exist, there is no method to derive such information from data acquired at a single point in time. Drone laser scanning data (unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV-LS) allows for the efficient collection of very dense point clouds, creating new opportunities to measure tree and branch architecture. In this study, we examine if it is possible to measure the vertical positions of branch whorls, which correspond to nodes, and thus can in turn be used to trace the height growth of individual trees. We propose a method to measure the vertical positions of whorls based on a single-acquisition of UAV-LS data coupled with deep-learning techniques. First, single-tree point clouds were converted into 2D image projections, and a YOLOv5 (you-only-look-once) convolutional neural network was trained to detect whorls based on a sample of manually annotated images. Second, the trained whorl detector was applied to a set of 39 trees that were destructively sampled after the UAV-LS data acquisition. The detected whorls were then used to estimate tree-, plot- and stand-level height-growth trajectories. The results indicated that 70 per cent (i.e. precision) of the measured whorls were correctly detected and that 63 per cent (i.e. recall) of the detected whorls were true whorls. These results translated into an overall root-mean-squared error and Bias of 8 and −5 cm for the estimated mean annual height increment. The method’s performance was consistent throughout the height of the trees and independent of tree size. As a use case, we demonstrate the possibility of developing a height-age curve, such as those that could be used for forecasting site productivity. Overall, this study provides proof of concept for new methods to analyse dense aerial point clouds based on image-based deep-learning techniques and demonstrates the potential for deriving useful analytics for forest management purposes at operationally-relevant spatial-scales.
Mechanism of the 2017Mw 6.3 Pasni earthquake and its significance for future major earthquakes in the eastern Makran
Authors: Yang Xiaodong , Qiu Qiang , Feng Wanpeng , Lin Jian , Zhang Jinchang , Zhou Zhiyuan , Zhang Fan
Published: July 2022

Makran subduction zone is very active with ∼38 mm yr−1 convergence rate and has experienced great earthquakes in the past. The latest great earthquake of 1945 Mw 8.1 event also triggered a large tsunami and led to ∼4000 casualties. However, due to incomplete historical seismicity records and poor modern instrumentation, earthquake mechanism, co-seismic slip and tsunami characteristics in Makran remain unclear. On 2017 February 17, an Mw 6.3 earthquake rattled offshore Pasni of Pakistan in the eastern Makran, marking the largest event after the 1945 Mw 8.1 earthquake with good geodetic and geophysical data coverage. We use a combination of seismicity, multibeam bathymetry, seismic profile, InSAR measurements and tide-gauge observation to investigate the seismogenic structure, co-seismic deformation, tsunami characteristics of this event and its implication for future major earthquakes. Our results indicate that (1) the earthquake occurred on the shallow-dipping (3°–4°) megathrust; (2) the megathrust co-seismically slipped 15 cm and caused ∼2–4 cm ground subsidence and uplift at Pasni; (3) our tsunami modelling reproduces the observed 5-cm-high small tsunami waveforms. The Pasni earthquake rupture largely overlaps the 1945 slip patch and disturbs the west and east megathrust segments that have not ruptured yet at least since 1765. With such stress perturbation and possible stress evolution effect from the 1945 earthquake, the unruptured patches may fail in the future. This study calls for more preparedness in mitigating earthquake and associated hazards in the eastern Makran.
The incorrect use of CD75 as a synonym for ST6GAL1 has fostered the expansion of commercial “ST6GAL1” antibodies that do not recognize ST6GAL1
Authors: Haldar Barnita , Hwang Jihye , Narimatsu Yoshiki , Clausen Henrik , Bellis Susan L
Published: July 2022

The ST6GAL1 Golgi sialyltransferase is upregulated in many human malignancies, however, detection of ST6GAL1 protein in cancer tissues has been hindered by the prior lack of antibodies. Recently, numerous commercial antibodies for ST6GAL1 have become available, however, many of these do not, in fact, recognize ST6GAL1. Decades ago, the CD75 cell-surface epitope was mistakenly suggested to be the same molecule as ST6GAL1. While this was rapidly disproven, the use of CD75 as a synonym for ST6GAL1 has persisted, particularly by companies selling “ST6GAL1” antibodies. CD75 is reportedly a sialylated epitope which appears to encompass a range of glycan structures and glycan carriers. In this study, we evaluated the LN1 and ZB55 monoclonal antibodies, which are advertised as ST6GAL1 antibodies but were initially developed as CD75-recognizing antibodies (neither was raised against ST6GAL1 as the immunogen). Importantly, the LN1 and ZB55 antibodies have been widely used by investigators, as well as the Human Protein Atlas database, to characterize ST6GAL1 expression. Herein, we used cell and mouse models with controlled expression of ST6GAL1 to compare LN1 and ZB55 with an extensively validated polyclonal antibody to ST6GAL1. We find that LN1 and ZB55 do not recognize ST6GAL1, and furthermore, these 2 antibodies recognize different targets. Additionally, we utilized the well-validated ST6GAL1 antibody to determine that ST6GAL1 is overexpressed in bladder cancer, a finding that contradicts prior studies which employed LN1 to suggest ST6GAL1 is downregulated in bladder cancer. Collectively, our studies underscore the need for careful validation of antibodies purported to recognize ST6GAL1.
Have lower-income groups benefited more from increased government health insurance subsidies? Benefit incidence analysis in Ningxia, China
Authors: Hu Min , Mao Wenhui , Xu Ruyan , Chen Wen , Yip Winnie
Published: July 2022

China’s government subsidies on the demand side—such as subsidizing medical insurance premiums—have accelerated progress towards universal health coverage. We examined whether the increased government subsidies had benefited the population, especially the poor. We conducted two rounds of household surveys and collected the annual claims reports of a rural medical insurance scheme in Ningxia (a relatively underdeveloped region in Western China). We used benefit incidence analysis to evaluate the distribution of benefits for different health services received by individuals with different living standards, as measured by the household wealth index. From 2009 to 2015, the benefit received per capita tripled from 101 to 332 CNY, most (>94%) of which was received for inpatient care. The overall distribution of benefits improved and became pro-poor in 2015 [the concentration index (CI) changed from −0.017 to −0.092], mainly driven by inpatient care. The poorer groups benefited disproportionately more from inpatient care from 2009 to 2015 (the CI changed from −0.013 to −0.093). County and higher-level inpatient care had the greatest improvements towards a pro-poor distribution. The distribution of subsidies for outpatient services significantly favoured the poorer groups in 2009, but less so in 2015 (CI changed from −0.093 to −0.068), and it became less pro-poor in village clinics (CI changed from −0.209 to −0.020). The increased government subsidies for the rural medical insurance scheme mainly contributed to inpatient care and allowed the poor to use more services at county and higher-level hospitals. China’s government subsidies on the demand side have contributed to equity in benefit incidence, yet there is a noticeable increasing trend in utilizing services at higher levels of providers. Our findings also indicate that outpatient services need more coverage from rural medical insurance schemes to improve equity.
Expert insights on digital contact tracing: interviews with contact tracing policy professionals in New Zealand
Authors: Chambers Tim , Egan Richard , Maclennan Karyn , Emery Tepora , Derrett Sarah
Published: July 2022

Digital contact tracing (DCT) is the application of digital tools to assist with identifying and informing close contacts of a COVID-19 case. DCT is a potential solution to capacity constraints of current manual contact tracing processes. Expert opinion from contact tracing professionals rarely informs public discourse on the benefits and limitations of DCT solutions. Three focus groups were undertaken in New Zealand to understand benefits and limitations of DCT solutions from contact tracing professionals. One was with the National Investigation and Tracing Centre (NITC) and two were with Public Health Units (PHUs). Participants highlighted four key themes including: (i) equity, (ii) privacy, (iii) communication and public perception and (iv) the operational model. Participants were concerned DCT solutions could exacerbate existing health inequities due to lack of access to, or familiarity with, technology. Poor communication and public understanding of DCT were seen as a major threat to both the efficacy of DCT solutions and the wider COVID-19 response. Most importantly, end-users were cautious of the operational model for DCT data that might: (i) attempt to replace manual processes that cannot or should not be automated by technology (case investigations, follow-ups); (ii) place undue burden on citizens and (iii) increase the workload for the current system beyond its capacity, for unproven or limited benefit. To be effective, contact tracing professionals believed DCT technologies must have strong privacy safeguards, a clear and simple communication strategy, interoperability with the existing contact tracing system and a foundation of health equity.
Health and economic impact of a smoking cessation program in Korean workplaces
Authors: Kim Soo Kyoung , Lee Jeongeun , Lee Jaeun , Ahn Jeonghoon , Kim Hyekyeong
Published: July 2022

Smoking is a leading cause of diseases and death, with significant socioeconomic consequences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health and economic effectiveness of a workplace smoking cessation program. A total of 89 smokers from seven workplaces in Korea were the participants of the program. For 4 months, individual counseling based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) was conducted and interpersonal and organizational components were applied to encourage entire workplaces to encourage employee smoking cessation. The primary outcome was whether participants quit smoking or not. We also evaluated the changes in attitude and perceptions related to smoking cessation before and after the program and estimated the program’s economic effects. Economic effects were defined as reductions in productivity losses and medical expenses. We calculated the return on investment (ROI) values representing the averted cost through the program compared to program cost. At the end of the program, 40.4% of participants quit smoking. Improvements were observed in TTM-based attitudes and perceptions. The mean reduction in productivity losses was estimated to be $187,609.94 for 2 yr and the mean reduction in medical expenses was $3,136.49 at 20 yr among seven workplaces. When accounting for these reductions, the ROI was 15.39 (ranging from -1.00 to 44.53). These effects were robust under various scenarios. The smoking cessation program should be expanded to a wider variety of workplaces. In the future, more sophisticated economic assessment methods should be developed and applied to facilitate workplace recruitment and attract management support.
One person’s meat is another’s poison: representations of the meat-health nexus in UK news media
Authors: Mroz Gilly , Painter James
Published: July 2022

Mainstream media play a central role in shaping the ways diet and nutrition are discussed in the public sphere, yet few studies have explored its depictions of the meat-health nexus. Focusing on eight of the most popular news online sites consumed by lower-income groups in the UK—the demographic most likely to eat meat, according to a survey conducted for this study—we carried out content analysis of 128 articles. We found, first, a multiplicity of pro- and anti-meat narratives across all news outlets; second, that the dominant recommendation, found in 40% of our sample, was to eat less or no red meat; and third, that a balanced or neutral sentiment was present in over half of our sample, with a ratio of 3:2 (anti-versus pro-meat) in remaining articles. We found that the editorial leaning of a news outlet was not closely correlated with its overall sentiment towards meat consumption; all were neutral or slightly anti-meat, with the exception of LAD Bible, the only clearly pro-meat outlet. Qualitative analysis uncovered three key themes: the risk of red meat on colorectal cancer, uncertainty around plant-based options, and individual dietary choice. We use case studies guided by these themes to highlight some of the shortcomings of health communication and provide recommendations, with a focus on improved dialogue between journalists and researchers.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance: a comprehensive scoping review of global literature
Authors: Majid Umair , Ahmad Mobeen , Zain Shahzadi , Akande Adebisi , Ikhlaq Fahham
Published: July 2022

As countries continue the third year of the pandemic, we believe that there has been unfair attention to COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and safety, while tacitly ignoring serious challenges with vaccine uptake, without which vaccination may not be effective against the spread of COVID-19. While several studies have been published on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, there remains a need to conduct a comprehensive global analysis of vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a scoping review of 60 studies published globally on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance. We conducted a qualitative analysis to identify motivators and barriers to vaccination across several cultural and demographic contexts. We found the following factors to be relevant in any discussion about addressing or minimizing vaccine hesitancy: risk perceptions, trust in health care systems, solidarity, previous experiences with vaccines, misinformation, concerns about vaccine side effects and political ideology. We combine our insights from this comprehensive review of global literature to offer an important and practical discussion about two strategies that have been used to improve vaccine uptake: (i) communication and education and (ii) vaccine rollout and logistics.
Russia's power projection into Syria and its interactions with local states
Authors: Alim Eray
Published: July 2022

By analysing Russia's engagements with Israel and Turkey in the Syrian theatre, this article sheds light on the kinds of interactions that may occur between an external great power and local states following the former's projection of power into the latter's region. The literature on power projection examines interactions between regional and extra-regional actors in the context of competition between great powers, thus overlooking interactions between great powers and non-great powers. Other literature, such as that on coercive diplomacy, does deal with this neglected issue, but it treats local states as the great power's target states. This, however, need not be the case, since great powers may engage local states while pursuing wholly different goals in a region. As this article illustrates, although Israel and Turkey have not been Russia's target states, Russia has frequently interacted with them to ensure that they refrain from acts harmful to its interests in Syria. Russia has succeeded in this endeavour, as local states have mostly complied with Russia's rules and restrictions while operating in Syria. When this was not the case, Russia introduced restrictive or punitive measures against Israel and Turkey, which enabled Moscow to keep the local environment conductive to its interests.
Testing the limits of international society? Trust, AUKUS and Indo-Pacific security
Authors: Barnes Jamal , Makinda Samuel M
Published: July 2022

When Australia reneged on a AUD$90 billion submarine contract with France in 2021 as it joined AUKUS, a new trilateral military partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, it was accused of lying and breaching France's trust. This perceived act of betrayal not only led to a deterioration in the diplomatic relationship between Australia and France, but it also drew attention to the consequences of violating the norm of pacta sunt servanda—agreements must be kept. Although it is recognized that breaches of trust undermine relationships, what has been underexplored is how a violation of norms can also undermine the presumption of trust in international society more broadly. Focusing on how Australia broke its contract with France after it joined AUKUS, this article argues that Australia's conduct not only harmed its relationship with France, but it also led the European Union (EU) to raise questions about how much to trust AUKUS partners as it engages in the Indo-Pacific region. It posits that adherence to international norms is important for developing trust between states in international society and has the potential to facilitate cooperation and enhance security in the complex Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Gendering Sweden's nuclear renunciation: a historical analysis
Authors: Rosengren Emma
Published: July 2022

Contemporary developments in international affairs underscore the need for successful outcomes in the field of nuclear disarmament. However, feminist scholars have shown how linkages between masculinity and nuclear posturing continue to make disarmament appear as a policy of the weak, associated with emasculation and/or feminization. In this article I show how a feminist study of Swedish nuclear history has the potential to complicate, and disrupt, such linkages. Analysing a broad range of primary sources through a discourse analytical lens, the article shows how Sweden (re)constructed a white masculine self through its nuclear renunciation and disarmament engagement in the 1950s and 1960s. The article contributes with new insights about how gender, nuclear renunciation and disarmament interact; how lessons from the past can inform our understanding of disarmament dilemmas in the present; and the policy implications of such an analysis. Arguing that such knowledge is crucial for imaginative and transformative disarmament policy in the present, the article concludes that to reach a world free from nuclear weapons, it is crucial to expose, and challenge, those power relations that contribute to sustain a gendered and racialized nuclear order.
Examining ‘gender-sensitive’ approaches to nuclear weapons policy: a study of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
Authors: Brown Laura Rose , Considine Laura
Published: July 2022

The past decade has seen a push for ‘gender sensitive’ approaches within nuclear policy-making. Yet the significance of this approach, and how it understands ‘gender sensitivity’ are unclear and have not been studied. This article asks the question: how does work done on ‘gendering’ nuclear policy to date understand what a gender sensitive approach to nuclear weapons means and requires? The article provides an overview of the movement to include gender in nuclear policymaking before conducting an analysis of the discourse on gender in a core institution of nuclear politics, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Through qualitative analysis of five years of NPT texts, we find that dominant understandings of a ‘gender sensitive approach’ centre on the inclusion of women. We further find that there is almost no mention of men and masculinity in the NPT discourse; women are constructed as a homogenous category of outsiders; and women's inclusion is understood mainly as a means of increasing institutional efficiency. We suggest that the next steps in ‘gendering’ nuclear policy engage more with feminist policy analysis and the experiences of those already working within the policy space, and consider further how and if one can meaningfully link gender sensitive approaches to the practice of nuclear deterrence. The findings of this study also have significance beyond nuclear weapons, illuminating the broader dynamics and challenges of ‘gendering’ international security spaces.
Abortion access and Colombia's legacy of civil war: between reproductive violence and reproductive governance
Authors: Daigle Megan , Duffy Deirdre N , Castañeda Diana López
Published: July 2022

In 2022, Colombia decriminalized abortion, making it ostensibly a site of progressive abortion politics. Within hours, however, the ruling was met with intense, high-level backlash that positioned abortion as a threat to the Colombian family and gestured to gendered conflict harms past and present. Colombia's legal framework on abortion has emerged largely due to campaigning that unfolded during periods of intense political violence and insecurity, in a setting where conflict and (post-)conflict exist on a continuum. Combined, this points to the significance of (post-)conflict politics to understanding abortion politics, and vice versa, in the Colombian space. Here, we use interview data gathered in 2018 to argue that the two should be understood in tandem—and, indeed, that one cannot be properly understood without the other, shaped as they both are by a militant conservative nationalism inflected by religion, machismo and natalism, and by the material legacies of conflict. Decriminalization should therefore be understood as part of resurgent conservative reproductive governance, and abortion politics itself as an agonistic space of contestation rather than straightforwardly progressive. Beyond Colombia, it is also indicative of the rich insights on gender justice in conflict spaces that can be drawn from analysing abortion politics.
Masculinity and the Cuban Missile Crisis: gender as pre-emptive deterrent
Authors: Bayard de Volo Lorraine
Published: July 2022

Sixty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, academics and policy-makers still pore over the details for lessons in foreign policy. In those details, participants and observers regularly remark on the gendered dynamics of the crisis. Despite such observations and the vastness of the missile crisis literature, there remains little explicitly gendered research. This study takes up the feminist IR question ‘What work is gender doing here?’ by comparing the masculine performances of Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy. It finds that the three leaders embraced similar masculine traits in themselves that they denied in each other and that gender operated as a preemptive deterrent to mindsets and approaches considered feminine, such as diplomacy and negotiation. The ongoing pursuit of masculinity, particularly toughness and cool-headed rationality, were powerful though underappreciated motivations that introduced biases and counterproductive decisions, whereas purportedly feminine options—cooperation and negotiation—were rejected out of hand, never arose, or were concealed from the public. Gender analysis of security events challenges claims to rationally-driven brinkmanship and the counterproductive limitation of options. As crisis unfolds, awareness of how gender can operate as a preemptive deterrent can serve to keep more options and negotiable details on the table.
Feminism and Gandhi: imagining alternatives beyond Indian nuclearism
Authors: Sreekumar Anand
Published: July 2022

This article makes an important theoretical and empirical contribution to the growing literature on nuclearism, using the case-study of India. Despite sustained criticism of and organized resistance to Indian nuclearism for decades, nuclear weapons and power continue to enjoy a high degree of legitimacy, often attributed in part to a lack of articulations of alternative pathways beyond the world-view of nuclearism. Against this backdrop, I argue that a potential starting point for such a conversation in India specifically can be found in the incipient Gandhian undercurrents within Indian anti-nuclear feminist activism. After highlighting the limitations of existing attempts to coalesce Gandhian and feminist strands, I argue that a feminist-Gandhian ethic can be built around the themes of intersubjective self, emotions and ahimsa on which both these strands converge. I then illustrate how such a feminist-Gandhian ethic could help move India beyond nuclearism thanks to its capacity to facilitate more effective disaster scripting and a counter-hegemonic cultural alternative and to legitimize non-exploitative and pluralistic forms of techno-science, before concluding with its policy implications in India and beyond. Besides the addition of a regional world-view under the purview of global International Relations, this work augments a nascent strand of post-western IR theorizing which critically interrogates the binaries of the West / non-West.
Theorizing Public Performances for International Negotiations
Authors: Svendsen Øyvind
Published: July 2022

This article theorizes how public performances matter in international negotiations. Studies of international negotiations are predominantly focused on power-political instruments in use around the negotiating table. I argue that public communication cannot be dismissed as cheap talk but that it plays a constitutive role in and on international negotiations. Contributing to the international relations (IR) literature on negotiations, the article suggests an orientation toward an increasingly important aspect of international negotiations in a hypermediated world political context, namely public performances that challenge the distinction between domestic signaling and claim-making toward negotiating parties. Hypermediated negotiations mean that much of what goes on in IR is spread to large audiences in new and emerging digital sites in near real time. Actors use public performances to define and legitimize their desired visions for negotiating outcomes. As public performances, these are power-political instruments in and of themselves, part of the array of tactics that states turn to when competing for influence in international negotiations. The theorization is illustrated with an example from the UK–EU Brexit negotiations. The illustration is a qualitative Twitter analysis that shows the performative toolbox in use, as well as the importance of public performances themselves in the endgame of the Brexit negotiations.
Management of elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer
Authors: Kobayashi Satoshi , Ueno Makoto , Ishii Hiroshi , Furuse Junji
Published: July 2022

Systemic chemotherapy plays important role in pancreatic cancer not only for palliative treatment of unresectable disease, but also for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of resectable disease. Most clinical trials of systemic chemotherapy have been conducted in non-elderly patients, and the results cannot always be extrapolated to elderly patients because of the uniqueness of this population. The number of elderly patients with pancreatic cancer has increased in an aging society; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop specific treatments for elderly patients with pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine or S-1 monotherapy is generally considered appropriate even for vulnerable elderly patients. FOLFIRINOX is considered inapplicable based on its safety profile. Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and nanoliposomal irinotecan with fluorouracil plus folinic acid can be administered to elderly patients, because the phase III trials have shown the efficacy and safety for patients including those who were 75 years or older. However, the feasibility of these therapies for elderly patients is still under debate since the number of elderly populations was relatively small in these studies. To determine the indication for these regimens in the elderly, the background of each patient should be considered. Geriatric assessment such as the Geriatric 8 and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index can identify vulnerabilities and are therefore recommended in daily clinical practice as well as in clinical studies of elderly patients. It is expected that geriatric assessment will elucidate the eligibility criteria for those regimens in elderly individuals. Randomized clinical trials are ongoing to establish a standard treatment in the vulnerable elderly with advanced pancreatic cancer, who cannot tolerate the same regimen as in the non-elderly patients.
Copaganda and post-Floyd TVPD: broadcast television’s response to policing in 2020
Authors: Bernabo Laurena
Published: July 2022

After George Floyd was murdered in 2020, U.S. police procedurals faced increased scrutiny with regards to the ideological implications of how police are represented. This genre has historically represented police as the “good guys,” even when they break the rules in their quest for justice, but cop shows face increased public pressure to include more diverse perspectives and stop normalizing brutality. This study examines ten U.S. police procedurals that aired in the 2020–2021 season to investigate how they navigated public calls for police reform. As a cultural forum, contemporary cop shows offered varied narrative strategies and ideological positions as they articulated the problems in modern policing, considered potential solutions for improving policing, and identified impediments to progress. This forum is ultimately quite limited in scope, reinforcing the status quo even as narratives lack resolution.