bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Population Aging and the Three Demographic Dividends in Asia
Authors: Ogawa Naohiro , Mansor Norma , Lee Sang-Hyop , Abrigo Michael R.M. , Aris Tahir
Published: March 2021

The present study first examines the trends in age structural shifts in selected Asian economies over the period 1950–2050 and analyzes their impact on economic growth in terms of the first and second demographic dividends computed from the system of National Transfer Accounts. Then, using the National Transfer Accounts, we analyze the effect of the age structural shifts on the pattern of intergenerational transfers in Japan; the Republic of Korea; and Taipei,China. A brief comparison of the results reveals that, in the next few decades, the latter two are likely to follow in Japan's footsteps by increasing public transfers and asset reallocations, and by reducing familial transfers, particularly among older persons. Next, we consider a newly defined demographic dividend, which is generated through the use of the untapped work capacity of healthy older persons and to which we refer as “the silver” or “the third” demographic dividend. By drawing upon microlevel datasets obtained from Japan and Malaysia, we calculate the magnitude of the impact of that dividend on macroeconomic growth in each of the two economies, concluding that while in Japan the expected effect is substantial, in Malaysia it will take several decades before the country can enjoy comparable benefits.
Swimming and diving as social play in juvenile rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Arre Alyssa M. , Horschler Daniel J.
Published: March 2021

Although play is ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom, and in primates especially, the ultimate explanations and proximate mechanisms of play are not well understood. Previous research proposes that primate play may be important for the development of cognitive skills including executive function, emotional regulation, and impulse control, and could help to build social skills and network connections needed in later life. However, many of these hypotheses have not been thoroughly tested. Here, we report observations of novel play behaviour that could provide unique opportunities to explore these hypotheses: young rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) engaging in aquatic social play in a naturalistic setting. Based on our observations, we propose that aquatic play has social elements that make it ideal for testing ultimate explanations of primate play and hypotheses about the cognitive mechanisms that support it.
Petrus Lansselius and a New Edition of Plantin’s Polyglot Bible
Authors: Imhof Dirk
Published: March 2021

As of 1620 Balthasar Moretus I envisioned a new edition of the famous polyglot Bible that his grandfather Christopher Plantin had printed in Antwerp in the years 1568-1572. While he searched for the necessary type, he had the Jesuit Petrus Lansselius stay in Antwerp for several years to prepare a revised text and commentaries. After seven years of preparation it became clear that he would never be able to complete his project. The appearance of the first volume of the Parisian Polyglot in 1628 made it clear that he was too late and that he had to abandon the entire project. With this article I will demonstrate the importance of having strong support for prestigious editions. Even if a publisher had gathered enough financial means and all the type and paper that were necessary for printing his desired publication, without external backing it was extremely difficult to realize his dream.
A new rheophytic species of Syzygium (Myrtaceae) from the lower Kunene River of Angola and Namibia

Authors: SWANEPOEL WESSEL , DE CAUWER VERA , VAN WYK ABRAHAM E.
Published: March 2021

Syzygium kuneneense, here described as a new species, is known only from the northern part of the Namib Desert in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, southwestern Angola and adjacent northwestern Namibia. These rheophytic shrubs or small trees grow among rocks on the floodplain and banks of the lower Kunene River on the international boundary between Angola and Namibia. Diagnostic characters for Syzygium kuneneense include the oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic leaves, dense flower heads and the pedicellate flowers. A comparison of some of the more prominent morphological features to differentiate between S. kuneneense and the morphologically most similar species, S. guineense, is provided. Based on IUCN Red List categories and criteria, a conservation assessment of Vulnerable (VU D1) is recommended for the new species.
Revision of Eccoptolonthus Bernhauer (Coleoptera: Staphylininae: Philonthina) with descriptions of four new species from China
Authors: FEI XU-DONG , ZHOU HONG-ZHANG
Published: March 2021

This study revises the taxonomy of the genus Eccoptolonthus Bernhauer, 1912 and reports 14 species in the Chinese fauna. A catalogue of the remaining 15 Eccoptolonthus species from the Oriental and Afrotropical regions is also provided. Four new species are described from China: Eccoptolonthus conaensis Fei & Zhou, sp. nov. from Tibet, Eccoptolonthus fuyuensis Fei & Zhou, sp. nov. from Zhejiang, Eccoptolonthus dafoensis Fei & Zhou, sp. nov. from Guizhou, and Eccoptolonthus xiaolongmenensis Fei & Zhou, sp. nov. from Beijing. Eccoptolonthus (Eumorimotous) laevigatus laevigatus (Fauvel, 1895) is reported for the first time from Yunnan in China and Vietnam. A preliminary key to the Chinese species of Eccoptolonthus is also included in the paper. Color images and line drawings are provided to show diagnostic characters.
Modeling the Influence of Upstream Land-atmosphere Coupling on the 2017 Persistent Drought over Northeast China
Authors: Zeng Dingwen , Yuan Xing
Published: March 2021

Persistent drought events that cause serious damages to economy and environment are usually intensified by the feedback between land surface and atmosphere. Therefore, reasonably modeling land-atmosphere coupling is critical for skillful prediction of persistent droughts. However, most high-resolution regional climate modeling focused on the amplification effect of land-atmosphere coupling on local anticyclonic circulation anomaly, while less attention was paid to the non-local influence through altering large-scale atmospheric circulation. Here we investigate how the antecedent land-atmosphere coupling over the area south to Lake Baikal (ASLB) influences the drought events occurred over its downstream region (Northeast China; NEC) by using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and linear baroclinic model (LBM). When the ASLB is artificially forced to be wet in the WRF simulations during March-May, the surface sensible heating is weakened and results in a cooling anomaly in low level atmosphere during May-July. Consequently, the anticyclonic circulation anomalies over ASLB and NEC are weakened, and the severity of NEC drought during May-July cannot be captured due to the upstream wetting in March-May. In the LBM experiments, idealized atmospheric heating anomaly that mimics the diabatic heating associated with surface wetness is imposed over ASLB, and the quasi-steady response pattern of 500-hPa geopotential height to the upstream wetting is highly consistent with that in the WRF simulation. In addition, the lower level heating instead of the upper level cooling makes a major contribution to the high pressure anomaly over NEC. This study implies the critical role of modeling upstream land-atmosphere coupling in capturing downstream persistent droughts.
Generation of an improved precipitation data set from multisource information over the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Hong Zhongkun , Han Zhongying , Li Xueying , Long Di , Tang Guoqiang , Wang Jianhua
Published: March 2021

Precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) known as Asia’s water tower plays a critical role in regional water and energy cycles, largely affecting water availability for downstream countries. Rain gauges are indispensable in precipitation measurement, but are quite limited in the TP that features complex terrain and the harsh environment. Satellite and reanalysis precipitation products can provide complementary information for ground-based measurements, particularly over large poorly gauged areas. Here we optimally merged gauge, satellite, and reanalysis data by determining weights of various data sources using artificial neural networks (ANNs) and environmental variables including elevation, surface pressure, and wind speed. A Multi-Source Precipitation (MSP) data set was generated at a daily timescale and a spatial resolution of 0.1° across the TP for the 1998–2017 period. The correlation coefficient (CC) of daily precipitation between the MSP and gauge observations was highest (0.74) and the root mean squared error was the second lowest compared with four other satellite products, indicating the quality of the MSP and the effectiveness of the data merging approach. We further evaluated the hydrological utility of different precipitation products using a distributed hydrological model for the poorly gauged headwaters of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers in the TP. The MSP achieved the best Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (over 0.8) and CC (over 0.9) for daily streamflow simulations during 2004–2014. In addition, the MSP performed best over the ungauged western TP based on multiple collocation evaluation. The merging method could be applicable to other data-scarce regions globally to provide high quality precipitation data for hydrological research.
Expanding after School Program Access for Vulnerable Students: Examining the Efficacy of Federal Policy and Funding
Authors: Klumpner Susan K. , Woolley Michael E.
Published: March 2021

After school programs provide low income students and students of color with learning opportunities across both academic and non-academic domains that such students would otherwise not get. In this study, we examined the intersection of school characteristics (e.g., enrollment size, percent minority enrolled, and percent eligible for FARM) and the types of after school programming schools offered (e.g., fee-based, 21st CCLC, and other types) using binary logistic regression models. I n a sample of schools ( n = 1,601) surveyed by the National Center on Education Statistics 2008 FRSS, we found that under-resourced schools had lower odds of having a 21st CCLC program and higher odds of having a fee-based after school program (than schools with a lower percentage of students receiving FARM). That is counter to the stated goals of the 21st CCLC program. These findings highlight the need for a re-prioritization of 21st CCLC funding such that financial assistance provided to schools to support after school programs is allocated to schools serving students from low income families and communities.
Establishment of a digital simulated testing platform for radiation protection performance and preparation of three-layer coated flexible composites
Authors: Liu Guoyi , Zhao Xiaoming , Liu Yuanjun , Shen Yuhong
Published: March 2021

Fire proximity suits serve as the highest level of thermal protective clothing for firefighters when passing through the scene of a fire and within close range of open fire. A digital simulated testing platform for radiation protection performance was established based on the TPP701D thermal protective performance tester, by comparison of simulated data and measured results for the outer material of the fire proximity suit. Using single-, double- and three-layer flexible composites and the fabric as the base material, the reliability of the established simulation test platform was investigated. Based on this simulated test platform, in this paper the influence of the material structure and performance parameters (thickness, thermal conductivity, specific heat, density, emission rate and thermal reflectivity) of the heat radiation layer possessed by the three types of coating (thermal radiation protective coating, fireproof heat insulated coating and heat insulating coating) of three-layer coated flexible composites are discussed, thus providing the theoretical basis for the optimization and preparation of alternative outer materials for fire proximity suits. Based on the simulation data and measured results, the radiation protection performance of the three-layer structure is enhanced. Improving the average reflectivity of the heat rays for the thermal radiation protective coating, increasing the thickness of the heat insulating coating and reducing the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating coating are effective means of improving the radiation protection performance of the three-layer coated flexible composites.
Performing the ecological fix under state entrepreneurialism: A case study of Taihu New Town, China
Authors: Zhang Fangzhu , Wu Fulong
Published: March 2021

China’s eco-cities are often regarded as branding tactics of the entrepreneurial local state for economic growth and land revenue generation. However, it is not clear whether the ecological goal has been pursued at all. This paper fills this lacuna using a case study of Taihu New Town. Through an ecological fix perspective we suggest that ecological enhancement through the production of nature is attempted in conjunction with the production of the built environment. The ecological fix is not confined to an economic agenda. Under state entrepreneurialism, the central state maintains environmental governance in the name of ‘ecological civilisation’, while the local state performs the ecological fix. In Wuxi, the fixes include the removal of low-efficiency, polluting town and village enterprises (TVEs); creation of green space and infrastructure; the development of renewable energy; and low-carbon transition.
Federal Nutrition Programs after the Pandemic: Learning from P-EBT and SNAP to Create the Next Generation of Food Safety Net Programs
Authors: Balasuriya Lilanthi , Berkowitz Seth A. , Seligman Hilary K.
Published: March 2021

It is thought that childhood food insecurity rates increased to 18 million impacted children in 2020. In response, innovative policy solutions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) were swiftly implemented. These innovations must serve as catalysts to create the next generation of food safety net programs. These include the removal of administrative barriers to enrollment, the use of streamlined procedures to access food, the expansion of P-EBT to daycare and childcare centers, and the uncoupling of receipt of benefits from physical presence in schools. Critical gaps also remain. SNAP benefit amounts are often too low, leaving many families ineligible. More realistic benefit amounts are needed, such as those used in the USDA’s Moderate Cost Food Plan. Eligibility cut-offs exclude many food insecure families. Better alignment of SNAP eligibility with income levels that substantially increase food insecurity risk are critical. Lastly, creating slower phase-out periods for benefits as incomes rise is essential. Additionally, food insecurity continues to disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minority populations and low-income households. These deeply rooted inequalities in access to nutrition play an important role in driving health disparities, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic comorbidities and must be further examined. Changes to SNAP and the P-EBT program illustrate how innovative, broad-scale policy solutions can expeditiously support the nutritional needs of families with children. While pandemic-inspired innovation offers critical lessons for designing the next generation of nutrition assistance, there remain gaps that can perpetuate disparities in access to food and health. As a community of medical providers, we must advocate for broader, more inclusive policies to support those facing food insecurity. The future depends on it.
Beatriz Palacios: Ukamau’s Cornerstone (1974–2003)
Authors: Seguí Isabel
Published: March 2021

Beatriz Palacios’s instrumental role in the Ukamau group has been largely ignored by film historiography and criticism. The authorial persona of her comrade and husband, Jorge Sanjinés, has eclipsed Palacios’s work and ideas. Her erasure is due to the perspectives chosen to analyze Ukamau (male-centered auteurist and formalist approaches) and to the almost exclusive use of the voice of Sanjinés (interviews, essays, and films interpreted in an authorial key) to construct the group’s history. Ignoring the contribution and importance of Palacios’s work and not accounting for her share in the authorship of the films made during the years they lived and worked together impedes a correct understanding of the complexity of the production context and the amplitude of the contribution of Ukamau to Latin American cinema. While her work as a producer is increasingly recognized, delving into her roles as a disseminator of political cinema in alternative circuits, evaluator of the impact of the movies on the popular classes, and documentary director completes the portrait of her all-encompassing life and career.

En gran medida, el papel instrumental de Beatriz Palacios en el grupo Ukamau ha sido ignorado por la historiografía y la crítica cinematográficas. La persona autoral de su camarada y esposo, Jorge Sanjinés, ha eclipsado la obra e ideas de Palacios. Dicha eliminación se debe a las perspectivas elegidas para analizar Ukamau (enfoques y formalistas) y al uso casi exclusivo de la voz de Sanjinés (entrevistas, ensayos y películas interpretadas en clave autoral) para construir la historia del grupo. Ignorar la contribución e importancia del trabajo de Palacios, así como su participación en la autoría de las películas realizadas durante los años que vivieron y trabajaron juntos, impide una correcta contribución de Ukamau al cine latinoamericano. Mientras que su trabajo como productora es cada vez más reconocido, ahondar en su labor como divulgadora de cine político en circuitos alternativos, evaluadora del impacto de las películas en las clases populares y directora de documentales, completa debidamente retrato de su vida y carrera.
Before the “Ecologically Noble Savage”: Gendered Representations of Amazonia in the Global Media in the 1970s
Authors: Sarzynski Sarah
Published: March 2021

An analysis of media representations of the Amazon and indigenous peoples reveals how media producers and filmmakers foregrounded discourses naturalizing gendered and racialized differences that distinguished the Amazon from the West in the 1970s, a decade during which the Brazilian military dictatorship promoted development projects in Amazonia. These representations often sexualized indigenous peoples and the Amazon itself, portraying them as primitive, cannibal savages, animals or part of nature, or victims of exploitation. The “Othering” of the Amazon and Amazonians was further elaborated through a discourse of binary oppositions that portrayed Western white men as explorers and exploiters who dominated the screen, scripts, studies, and development projects even if they were doomed to fail. By relying on a symbolic system of difference, global media coverage and films about Amazonia in the 1970s were complicit in legitimizing authoritarian decrees promoting large-scale development that depicted indigenous peoples and the environment as obstacles.

Un análisis de las representaciones mediáticas de la Amazonía y sus pueblos indígenas revela cómo, en la década de 1970, productores y cineastas mediáticos resaltaron discursos que naturalizaron las diferencias de género y racializadas con las que se distinguían a la Amazonía del Occidente en una época durante la cual la dictadura militar brasileña promovió proyectos de desarrollo en la región. Dichas representaciones a menudo sexualizaban a los pueblos indígenas y a la Amazonía misma, retratándolos como primitivos, caníbales salvajes, animales o elementos naturales, o víctimas de explotación. La “otredad” de la Amazonía y los amazónicos se elaboró a través de un discurso de oposiciones binarias que retrataba a los hombres blancos occidentales como exploradores y explotadores que dominaban la pantalla, los guiones, los estudios y los proyectos de desarrollo, incluso si estos estaban condenados al fracaso. Al confiar en un sistema simbólico de diferencia basado en oposiciones binarias y estereotipos, la cobertura mediática global y las películas sobre la Amazonía en la década de 1970 fungieron como cómplices en la legitimación de los tipos de proyectos y políticas llevados a cabo en la región.
Transgressive Female Sexuality and Desire in Contemporary Colombian Cinema: Hermida’s La luciérnaga and Rodríguez’s Señoritas
Authors: Valderrama-Burgos Karol
Published: March 2021

The contemporary Colombian films made by women La luciérnaga (Hermida, 2016) and Señoritas (Rodríguez, 2013) subvert patriarchal gender norms of classic Colombian film narratology through their representation of lesbianism, female sexual self-exploration, and orgasms. The cinematic techniques of these filmmakers construct a specific view of female pleasure, emphasizing the plurality and visibility in cinema of female sexuality and desire. An interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of specific sequences suggests that the aesthetics and visual strategies of these women filmmakers evince pioneering female characters and subjectivities that challenge the traditional gaze on female bodies. Their films offer liberating representations that deconstruct the dominant basis of heteronormativity that has historically characterized Colombian narrative cinema.

La luciérnaga (Hermida, 2016) y Señoritas (Rodríguez, 2013), dos películas colombianas contemporáneas realizadas por mujeres, subvierten las normas patriarcales de la narratología clásica del cine colombiano a través de su representación del lesbianismo, la autoexploración sexual femenina y los orgasmos. Las técnicas cinematográficas empleadas construyen una visión específica del placer femenino, haciendo hincapié en la pluralidad y visibilidad de la sexualidad y el deseo femenino. Un análisis de secuencias específicas con enfoque interdisciplinario sugiere que la estética y las estrategias visuales de estas cineastas evidencian personajes femeninos pioneros y subjetividades que desafían la mirada tradicional sobre los cuerpos femeninos. Las películas muestran representaciones liberadoras que deconstruyen la base heteronormativa dominante que históricamente ha caracterizado al cine narrativo colombiano.
Personalisation policy in the lives of people with learning disabilities: a call to focus on how people build their lives relationally
Authors: Power Andrew , Coverdale Andy , Croydon Abigail , Hall Edward , Kaley Alex , Macpherson Hannah , Nind Melanie
Published: March 2021

Social care provision across high-income countries has been transformed over the last ten years by personalisation – a policy agenda to give people with eligible support needs more choice and control over their support. Yet the ideological underpinnings of this transformation remain highly mutable, particularly in the context of reduced welfare provision that has unfolded in many nations advancing personalisation. How the policy has manifested itself has led to an expectation for people to self-build a life as individual consumers within a care market. This article draws on a study exploring how people with learning disabilities in England and Scotland are responding to the everyday realities of personalisation as it is enacted where they live and show the relationality inherent in their practices. We propose that the personalisation agenda as it currently stands (as an individualising movement involving an increasing responsibilisation of individuals and their families) ignores the inherently relational nature of care and support. We propose that social care policy needs to recognise the relational ways in which people build their lives and to advocate a redistribution of responsibility to reduce inequalities in the allocation of care.
Exceptional talent in the 21st century context: Conceptual framework, definition, assessment, and development
Authors: Maker C June
Published: March 2021

With problem-solving as the focus and wisdom as the goal, the concept of giftedness is reconceptualized in the 21st century context. The two most prominent constructs in the field of education for the gifted, creativity and intelligence, are integrated into a view of exceptional talent as consisting of the ability and willingness to solve complex problems, the ability to solve varied types of problems, and a highly integrated and interconnected knowledge base. Both intelligence and creativity involve similar processes, but these processes are used in different ways during the problem-solving process. Using the framework of a paradigm as outlined by Dai and Chen, the elements of a different perspective resulting from more than 40 years of developing a conceptual framework, implementing practices based on that framework, and research on these practices are presented: definition (What?), assessment (Who?), purpose (Why?), and development (How?).
Fatigue in advanced disease associated with palliative care: A systematic review of non-pharmacological treatments
Authors: Mochamat  , Cuhls Henning , Sellin Julia , Conrad Rupert , Radbruch Lukas , Mücke Martin
Published: March 2021

Background:

Fatigue is a common complaint reported by patients with advanced disease, impacting their daily activities and quality of life. The pathophysiology is incompletely understood, and evidence-based treatment approaches are needed.

Aim:

This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions as treatment for fatigue in advanced disease.

Design:

The review design follows the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of interventions.

Data sources:

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov and a selection of journals up to February 28th 2019, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of non-pharmacological treatments for fatigue in advanced disease associated with palliative care. Further potentially relevant studies were identified from the reference lists in relevant reviews, and in studies considered for this review.

Results:

We screened 579 publications; 15 met the inclusion criteria, with data from 1179 participants: 815 were treated with physical exercise, 309 with psycho-educational therapy and 55 with an energy restoration approach. Sources of potential bias included lack of description of blinding and allocation concealment methods, and small study sizes. Physical exercise as treatment for fatigue in patients with advanced cancer was supported by moderate-quality evidence.

Conclusion:

Physical exercise should be considered as a measure to reduce fatigue in patients with advanced cancer, but data on other advanced diseases is lacking. Due to the differences between studies, no clear recommendations can be made with respect to the best type of physical therapy. Restoration exercise and psycho-educational therapy are promising treatment options, although further research is needed.
PET imaging of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor: A head-to-head comparison of a novel radioligand, 11C-GW2580, and 11C-CPPC, in mouse models of acute and chronic neuroinflammation and a rhesus monkey
Authors: Zhou Xiaoyun , Ji Bin , Seki Chie , Nagai Yuji , Minamimoto Takafumi , Fujinaga Masayuki , Zhang Ming-Rong , Saito Takashi , Saido Takaomi C , Suhara Tetsuya , Kimura Yasuyuki , Higuchi Makoto
Published: March 2021

Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) is a specific biomarker for microglia. In this study, we developed a novel PET radioligand for CSF1R, 11C-GW2580, and compared it to a reported CSF1R tracer, 11C-CPPC, in mouse models of acute and chronic neuroinflammation and a rhesus monkey. Dynamic 11C-GW2580- and 11C-CPPC-PET images were quantified by reference tissue-based models and standardized uptake value ratio. Both tracers exhibited increased uptake in the lesioned striata of lipopolysaccharide-injected mice and in the forebrains of AppNL-G-F/NL-G-F-knock-in mice, spatially in agreement with an increased 18-kDa translocator protein radioligand retention. Moreover, 11C-GW2580 captured changes in CSF1R availability more sensitively than 11C-CPPC, with a larger dynamic range and a smaller inter-individual variability, in these model animals. PET imaging of CSF1R in a rhesus monkey displayed moderate-to-high tracer retention in the brain at baseline. Homologous blocker (i. e. unlabeled tracer) treatment reduced the uptake of 11C-GW2580 by ∼30% in all examined brain regions except for centrum semi-ovale white matter, but did not affect the retention of 11C-CPPC. In summary, our results demonstrated that 11C-GW2580-PET captured inflammatory microgliosis in the mouse brain with higher sensitivity than a reported radioligand, and displayed saturable binding in the monkey brain, potentially providing an imaging-based quantitative biomarker for reactive microgliosis.
Returns to migration after job loss—The importance of job match
Authors: Kekezi Orsa , Boschma Ron
Published: March 2021

Loss of specific human capital is often identified as a mechanism through which displaced workers might experience permanent drops in earnings after job loss. Research has shown that displaced workers who migrate out of their region of origin have lower earnings than those who do not. This paper extends the discussion on returns to migration by accounting for the type of jobs people get and how related they are to their skills. Using an endogenous treatment model to control for selection bias in migration and career change, we compare displaced stayers with displaced movers in Sweden. Results show that migrants who get a job that matches their occupation- and industry-specific skills display the highest earnings among all displaced workers. If migration is combined with a job mismatch, earning losses are instead observed. This group experiences the lowest earnings among all displaced workers.
Olfaction and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Authors: Doty Richard L.
Published: March 2021

In this paper, a description of olfactory anatomy is presented, followed by a brief review of modern procedures for testing olfactory function. Information from the sole study which has quantitatively examined olfactory function in patients with apparent multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is presented. In essence, this study suggests that MCS is associated with increased nasal airflow resistance, respiration rate, heart rate, and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, but not with significant changes in odor detection threshold sensitivity to phenyl ethyl alcohol and methyl ethyl ketone, the two target stimuli evaluated. Whether MCS patients evidence hypersensitivity to other chemicals is unknown.
Modelling Anxiety Disorders Following Chemical Exposures
Authors: Adamec Robert
Published: March 2021

The effects of kindling and inverse benzodiazepine receptor agonist -carbolines on animal models of anxiety are briefly reviewed in relation to affective disorder associated with chemical exposure. Recent experimental results are described. In the present study, cats were given the inverse benzodiazepine receptor agonist, FG-7142, a powerful anxiogenic compound in humans and animals. Neural transmission in pathways involved in defensive behavior in the cat was monitored using evoked potential techniques. Change in these pathways was related to behavioral changes induced by the drug. It was found that a single dose offG-7142 lastingly increased defensive response to rodents for at least 40 days after drug administration. Behavioral change was specific to defensive response, since approach-attack behavior remained unchanged, replicating previous studies. The benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, Flumazenil, reversed the increase in defensiveness in a drug-dependent manner, replicating previous findings. Increased defensiveness was paralleled by a delayed onset potentiation of neural transmission between the amygdala and the medial hypothalamus of the left hemisphere. Potentiation in the left hemisphere was transient, decaying between 6 and 12 days after the drug. There was a longer lasting potentiation (LTP) of activity evoked in the left and right amygdalo-periacqueductal gray pathways and in the right amygdalo-medial hypothalamic pathway. Potentiation in these pathways appeared at the time of behavioral change. Potentiation of the right amygdalo-periacqueductal gray and right amygdalo-medial hypothalamic pathways persisted until the end of the experiment. In contrast, potentiation of the left amygdalo-periacqueductal gray pathway faded by 40 days after the drug. Flumazenil decreased potentiation only in the right amygdalo-periacqueductal gray pathway. These data strongly suggest that lasting affective change is mediated by lasting changes in particular efferents of the amygdala of the right hemisphere. Behavioral and physiological effects offG-7142 were blocked by the N-methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker, AP7. The data suggest that failure of neural inhibition induced by FG-7142 engages NMDA receptor processes to produce lasting potentiation of transmission in neural circuits that mediate defensive response with behavioral consequences. Since FG-7142 interferes with GABA mediated neural inhibition and is proconvulsant, its action might mimic the action of other environmental chemicals with similar properties, such as chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides. The relationship of the present data to the literature on the neural and behavioral effects of insecticide exposure is discussed. The significance of these findings for multiple chemical sensitivity disorder is also briefly discussed.
Psychiatric Symptoms in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Authors: Simon Gregory E.
Published: March 2021

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are among the most prominent manifestations of generalized chemical sensitivity. Patients, clinicians, and researchers are in agreement that symptoms such as depression, irritability, and mood instability are prominent among the distressing and disabling symptoms occurring in response to low-level chemical exposure. Beyond that point, however, agreement is difficult. The pathophysiology and clinical management of these symptoms remain quite controversial.

This paper will review available data on the prevalence and form of psychiatric symptoms among those suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity. Various models explaining the relationship of psychiatric symptoms to chemical sensitivity will be discussed. Finally, the implications of these models for clinical management and future research will be reviewed.
Neuropsychology and Psychology of MCS
Authors: Fiedler Nancy , Kipen Howard , Deluca John , Kelly-Mcneil Kathie , Natelson Benjamin
Published: March 2021

Neurological symptoms are frequently reported by patients with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Methods to compare the psychiatric, personality, and neuropsychological function of patients with MCS, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and normal controls are described. Increased rates of Axis I psychiatric diagnoses are observed in the literature for MCS and CFS subjects relative to controls. Findings on the MMPI-2 and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale reveal prof iles consistent with the tendency to report somatic rather than emotional symptoms in response to stress. However, many of the reported somatic symptoms also coincide with those found in neurologic disorders. The overall neuropsychological prof ile for MCS subjects does not reflect cognitive impairment. Relative to normal controls, the only difference in neuropsychological performance observed is reduced recognition of nontarget designs on a visual memory task. More fruitful areas for future psychological research will include measurement of the interaction between behavioral response styles and attentional processes in cognition, as well as observations under controlled challenge conditions.
Hanger forces optimization of ground test device on deployable structure
Authors: Lin Fei , Chen Chuanzhi , Zhou Jinhua , Dai Yuhang
Published: March 2021

When using suspension method to simulate the microgravity environment, part of the hanger forces are used to offset the influence of gravitational field on the deployable structure, while the other part produces additional forces that affect the driving forces and precision of the deployable structure. In order to reduce the adverse effect of hanger forces, and avoid the construction of complex finite element theoretical model, an optimization method based on adaptive genetic algorithm with MATLAB and Nastran co-simulation is proposed. Then, the hanger forces are optimized, and the deployable structure deformation has been reduced 49%. It suggests that the adverse effect of hanger forces has been effectively reduced and the proposed optimization method works well.
Dual-finite distributed H∞ filtering in sensor networks
Authors: Wang Changshuo , Wen Jiwei , Luan Xiaoli
Published: March 2021

Generally, distributed H∞ filtering approach achieves a certain disturbance attenuation level in the full frequency range. However, the energy of system noise or reference input usually limits in a specified frequency range. To reduce such a design conservatism, this article develops a distributed filtering approach based on dual scale, that is, filtering over a finite-time interval from time scale and also on a specified finite-frequency region from the frequency scale. Our target is to make the filtering error under sensor networks monitoring be relaxed into an ellipsoid bound rather than asymptotically converging to zero for exogenous noise in a specified frequency range. Finally, two illustrative examples demonstrate the strength of the developed filtering approach.
Russia–China–Pakistan Engagement in the Changing Global Context: Scrutinizing the Realist Logic of a Trilateral ‘Axis’
Authors: Biswas Samprity
Published: March 2021

Russia’s robust engagement with China coupled with the recalibration of its ties with Pakistan, coming at the backdrop of Russia’s increasing estrangement with the West, Pakistan’s dissatisfaction with the USA over the suspension of security assistance, and India’s closeness toward the latter are leading scholars and political analysts to remark that Russia, China, and Pakistan are gradually inching toward the formalization of an ‘axis’ or a strategic ‘counter alliance’ in a bid to push for a greater bipolarity in world affairs. Though there are not enough signs to prove that Russia–China–Pakistan ‘axis’ is a reality, what is of significance is the emergence of converging interests among these three states that is gradually leading toward deeper engagements among them. It is in this broader context that the article will endeavor to analyze the factors propelling such a development and seek to discern the possible implications it may have on the time-tested ties between Russia and India. The study will move beyond the realist concepts of a power-centric and relative-gain approach that presents this trilateral engagement as a ‘counter alliance’ to the USA and India’s supremacy in the region; instead the article argues that the factors as presented in the realist narratives are inadequate to explain the nature of Russia–China–Pakistan engagement in the light of (a) Russia’s invested relationship with India that is steeped in historical nostalgia which makes it highly unlikely for Russia to turn against the latter; (b) second, Russia’s tactical relationship with Pakistan inevitably weakens one leg of the so-called axis; (c) third, Russia’s robust partnership with China invalidates the realist argument that Russia retains an interest in countering China’s growing status as a countervailing power in the region; (d) fourth, the ‘other’ ( i.e., the USA and India) vis-à-vis which the realists attempt to posit the Russia–China–Pakistan ‘axis’ as a counter strategic alliance is itself noninstitutionalized and fraught with many challenges.
Changes in the social fabric of victims of the armed conflict in Colombia based on an analysis of their sound environments
Authors: Rodríguez-Sánchez Andrea , Cabedo-Mas Alberto
Published: March 2021

The objective of this study was to analyse the changes in social fabric caused by the armed conflict in Colombia among people who had been the victims of forced displacement and who, when arriving in the new places, participate in a musical-social programme. The study was conducted using testimonies from interviews and in the form of sound postcards, an ethnographic research tool. Twenty-one interviews with 14 interviewees in the Music for Reconciliation (MFR) programme of the Batuta National Foundation (BNF) and their families were analysed, and 70 sound postcards, revealing the meaning of interviewees’ sonic landscapes, or soundscapes, in their everyday lives. Their sound environments were found to have changed significantly; having been rural before forced displacement they became urban, and there were also changes in interviewees’ social bonds with people and relationships to objects in the environment. The study reveals a significant change in their sound landscapes before and after forced displacement and analyses the impact of these sonic landscapes and their meaning in the everyday lives of the participants. Finally, the use of sound postcards highlights MFR music centres as places where displaced people can be helped to form new bonds. The sound environment of these music centres give meaning to music making, generating positive feelings and providing participants with an emotional support network.
Occupational engagement scale-student: Psychometric properties in Turkish university students
Authors: Şensoy Gözde , Siyez Diğdem M. , Kalen Serhat
Published: March 2021

Young adults pursue a career path in the face of many barriers, such as financial worries and parental influences. Engaging in occupational behaviours enables them to know themselves and the world better, and also provides them with opportunities to have experiences that help them decide on a career. This study adapts the Occupational Engagement Scale-Student (OES-S) into Turkish and examines its psychometric properties in a university sample. Participants consisted of 304 university students (149 females and 155 males). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the original unidimensional factor structure of the OES-S. For discriminant and concurrent validity, significant relationships were found between the OES-S and subscales of the Career Decision Scale. The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) was .80. The results indicated that the OES-S could be considered as a valid and reliable tool to measure the occupational engagement of young adults.
Influence of food hydrocolloids on the structural, textural and chemical characteristics of low-fat banana chips
Authors: Paramasivam Suresh Kumar , David Amelia Keran , Marimuthu Somasundaram Saraswathi , Suthanthiram Backiyarani , Shiva Karur Nallappagounder , Subbaraya Uma
Published: March 2021

Banana chips are gaining popularity as a deep-fried product for its unique taste and flavour. This study is aimed to investigate the effect of hydrocolloids on oil absorption, physico-chemical and sensory properties of banana chips from two different varieties (var. Popoulu and var. Nendran), when fried at 180 °C for 3 min. The reduction in oil content was about 15%–35% and 19%–30% for hydrocolloid treated Popoulu and Nendran chips, respectively. The Free fatty acid content (FFA) of hydrocolloid treated banana chips was lower than that of untreated chips. The peroxide value (PV) values of all samples fell below 2 meq oxygen kg−1. CMC pre-treated banana chips were crispier than other formulations on both the varieties. Microscopic analysis showed the improved cellular integrity without large void spaces in hydrocolloid treated banana chips. PCA analyses elucidated that variables such as physical appearance, colour, crispiness, after taste, overall acceptability contributed positively, whereas hardness and sogginess contributed negatively to the correlation among the variables. From the chemical and sensory attributes, 0.5% CMC treated Popoulu chips and 1% CMC treated Nendran chips is recommended to produce chips with lower oil content.
Effect of high frequency ultrasound pre-treatment on nutritional and technological properties of tomato paste
Authors: Piazza L , Picchi V , Cortellino G , Faoro F , Masseroni E , Girotto F
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the separate effect of sonication (US, carried out for 5 and 15 min) and thermal treatment (90 °C for 5 min) on nutritional and technological properties of tomato paste. US treatments did not affect the colour parameters and decreased the level of total acidity. Ascorbic acid content was slightly reduced after 5 min US but halved by pasteurization, while total carotenoids (TCC) and lycopene (LC) decreased in non-pasteurized samples after 15 min US. Neither the TCC nor the LC significantly changed in US-pasteurized samples if compared to controls. Microscopic analyses suggested a possible increased bioaccessibility of lycopene in US treated samples due to an enhancement of free lycopene clusters. Viscosity decreased as a consequence of thermal stress, although sonication contributed as well. The present findings suggest that 5 min sonication before pasteurization can enhance the nutritional characteristics of tomato paste, besides improving its texture.
The effects of debt restructurings on income inequality in the developing world
Authors: Biglaiser Glen , McGauvran Ronald J.
Published: March 2021

Developing countries, saddled with debts, often prefer investors absorb losses through debt restructurings. By not making full repayments, debtor governments could increase social spending, serving poorer constituents, and, in turn, lowering income inequality. Alternatively, debtor governments could reduce taxes and cut government spending, bolstering the assets of the rich at the expense of the poor. Using panel data for 71 developing countries from 1986 to 2016, we assess the effects of debt restructurings on societal income distribution. Specifically, we study the impact of debt restructurings on social spending, tax reform, and income inequality. We find that countries receiving debt restructurings tend to use their newly acquired economic flexibility to reduce taxes and lower social spending, worsening income inequality. The results are also robust to different model specifications. Our study contributes to the globalization and the poor debate, suggesting the economic harm caused to the less well-off following debt restructurings.