bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Control Force Compensation and Wear Monitoring of Variable Stiffness Joints in Drive Machining Process
Authors: Wu Yanchen
Published: April 2021

Aiming at the joint flexibility and wear state existing in the process of driving mechanical parts, this paper first proposes a stiffness and position decoupling control method for variable stiffness joints, which realizes the joint position control and the unity of joint compliance. The joint stiffness model was obtained by using the static relationship between the Jacobian matrix and the model, and the nonlinear equations composed of the mechanical model and the stiffness model of the variable stiffness device were solved by the optimization method to realize the nonlinear decoupling of the stiffness and position of the variable stiffness joint. Secondly, this paper proposes an online monitoring method of wear state in the machining process based on machine tool information. In this method, OPC-UA communication technology was used to collect and store the information of CNC machine tools online, and the internal process information related to the wear of the machine tools was obtained. Based on such information and the corresponding wear information, a wear state recognition model is established by using a convolutional neural network. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed compliance control scheme and the performance of online monitoring of wear condition are analysed and verified by simulation experiments.
Design and Development of False Ceiling Board Using Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) Composite Reinforced with False Banana Fibres and Filled with Sawdust
Authors: Zeleke Yerdawu , Rotich Gideon K.
Published: April 2021

This work deals with design and development of false ceiling board from polyvinyl-acetate (PVAc) composite reinforced with false banana fibres and filled with sawdust. The aim was to develop a light weight and good strength performance false ceiling board using raw materials that are fully biodegradable including sawdust, thus solving the problem of its disposal. The false banana fibres were characterized for its tensile strength, elongation, and moisture content since these parameters affect the composite properties. Hand lay-up method combined with compression molding followed by curing was utilised in the manufacture of the false ceiling composites. The optimum proportions of the raw materials were identified using central composite design software, and the results were 40% sawdust, 40% binder (PVAc), and 20% fibres. The mechanical properties of the developed composite board were evaluated in terms of its tensile strength, flexural strength, and compressive strength. In addition, the composite physical properties were also evaluated including its density and moisture absorption. The optimum results obtained were tensile strength of 12.54 N/mm2, compressive strength of 7.03 N/mm2, and flexural strength of 5.13 N/mm2.
A Two-Stage Cascaded Detection Scheme for Double HEVC Compression Based on Temporal Inconsistency
Authors: He Peisong , Wang Hongxia , Zhang Ruimei , Li Yue
Published: April 2021

Nowadays, verifying the integrity of digital videos is significant especially for applications about multimedia communication. In video forensics, detection of double compression can be treated as the first step to analyze whether a suspicious video undergoes any tampering operations. In the last decade, numerous detection methods have been proposed to address this issue, but most existing methods design a universal detector which is hard to handle various recompression settings efficiently. In this work, we found that the statistics of different Coding Unit (CU) types have dissimilar properties when original videos are recompressed by the increased and decreased bit rates. It motivates us to propose a two-stage cascaded detection scheme for double HEVC compression based on temporal inconsistency to overcome limitations of existing methods. For a given video, CU information maps are extracted from each short-time video clip using our proposed value mapping strategy. In the first detection stage, a compact feature is extracted based on the distribution of different CU types and Kullback–Leibler divergence between temporally adjacent frames. This detection feature is fed into the Support Vector Machine classifier to identify abnormal frames with the increased bit rate. In the second stage, a shallow convolutional neural network equipped with dense connections is designed carefully to learn robust spatiotemporal representations, which can identify abnormal frames with the decreased bit rate whose forensic traces are less detectable. In experiments, the proposed method can achieve more promising detection accuracy compared with several state-of-the-art methods under various coding parameter settings, especially when the original video is recompressed with a low quality (e.g., more than 8%).
Laplace Operator with Caputo-Type Marichev–Saigo–Maeda Fractional Differential Operator of Extended Mittag-Leffler Function
Authors: Khan Adnan , Manzoor Tayyaba , Kahsay Hafte Amsalu , Wubneh Kahsay Godifey
Published: April 2021

In this paper, the Laplace operator is used with Caputo-Type Marichev–Saigo–Maeda (MSM) fractional differentiation of the extended Mittag-Leffler function in terms of the Laplace function. Further in this paper, some corollaries and consequences are shown which are the special cases of our main findings. We apply the Laplace operator on the right-sided MSM fractional differential operator and on the left-sided MSM fractional differential operator. We also apply the Laplace operator on the right-sided MSM fractional differential operator with the Mittag-Leffler function and the left-sided MSM fractional differential operator with the Mittag-Leffler function.
A Timetable Optimization Model for Urban Rail Transit with Express/Local Mode
Authors: Zhang Renjie , Yin Shisong , Ye Mao , Yang Zhiqiang , He Shanglu
Published: April 2021

Nowadays, an express/local mode has be studied and applied in the operation of urban rail transit, and it has been proved to be beneficial for the long-distance travel. The optimization of train patterns and timetables is vital in the application of the express/local mode. The former one has been widely discussed in the various existing works, while the study on the timetable optimization is limited. In this study, a timetable optimization model is proposed by minimizing the total passenger waiting time at platforms. Further, a genetic algorithm is used to solve the minimization problems in the model. This study uses the data collected from Guangzhou Metro Line 14 and finds that the total passenger waiting time at platforms is reduced by 9.3%. The results indicate that the proposed model can reduce the passenger waiting time and improve passenger service compared with the traditional timetable.
A Novel Research Technology to Explore the Mystery of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Optogenetics
Authors: Luo Wei-Kang , Zhou Dan , Liu Jia-Miao , Hang Yang , Yang Zhao-Yu , Wu Yao , Zhang Liang-Lin , Wang Yang
Published: April 2021

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is gaining increasing popularity worldwide for the function of health promotion and adjuvant therapy. However, the world's understanding of TCM is far from enough, which seriously limits the modernization and internationalization of TCM. Therefore, modern and efficient analytical methods are urgently needed to understand the mechanism of TCM. Optogenetics is one of the most prevalent technologies in the 21st century and has been used to explore life science, especially neuroscience. It already has had great influences in the study of neural circuits and animal models of mental diseases and was named “Method of the Year” by the Nature Methods journal in 2010. Increased interests occurred in the applications of optogenetics to explore a myriad of medical and mental health disorders. However, it has not so far been noticed by TCM researchers. We elaborated on an idea that introducing this technique into the field of TCM research to improve diagnosis, treatments, and evaluating the therapeutic effects. In this review, we made a systematic prospect in the theory, feasibility, and application of TCM optogenetics. We mainly focused on applying optogenetic methodologies to make a more comprehensive understanding of TCM.
Raceway Defect Frequency Deviation of Full‐Ceramic Ball Bearing Induced by Fit Clearance in Wide Temperature Ranges
Authors: Bai Xiaotian , Zheng Hao , Wang Zinan , Wang Zhong
Published: April 2021

Full‐ceramic ball bearings are widely applied in wide temperature ranges due to their excellent thermal shock resistance, and the condition monitoring and fault diagnosis are mainly conducted through the spectrum analysis based on the defect frequencies. However, the outer ring has a spinning motion in the temperature‐related fit clearance, which leads to the deviation of raceway defect frequencies, and is not conducive to the fault diagnosis. In this paper, the temperature‐related fit clearance is considered in the dynamic model, and defects are added on the inner raceway and outer raceway. The motions of the rings are calculated and analyzed in the frequency domain, and the trends of peak frequencies with temperature are investigated. Simulation and experimental results show that the spinning speed of the outer ring increases with temperature, and the defect frequencies exhibit obvious deviation in wide temperature ranges. In a temperature range of 500 K, the defect frequencies exhibit deviations of over 3%, which is obvious in the defect frequency identification. The results provide insights on the full‐ceramic ball bearing dynamics and help with the fault diagnosis and status monitoring of the relevant devices.
Dynamic Evaluation Method of the EW-AHP Attribute Identification Model for the Tunnel Gushing Water Disaster under Interval Conditions and Applications
Authors: Wu Bo , Chen Huihao , Huang Wei , Meng Guowang
Published: April 2021

The gushing water disaster in tunnels is a kind of harmful and risky engineering disaster. It has become a key problem to evaluate the risk of tunnel gushing water accurately and objectively. A case study of a typical highway tunnel is performed for theory and practice analysis. For this reason, the risk identification is carried out on the assessed objects, and 10 evaluation indexes are determined. In turn, the risk evaluation index system and classification standard are established. Furthermore, the entropy weight method and the analytic hierarchy process are combined to assign the weight to each evaluation index. Therefore, a dynamic risk assessment system, including the pre-evaluation model and the postevaluation model, is constructed with the attribute identification model. As a result, the tunnel section with a high risk of water inrush is accurately assessed, which is consistent with the construction situation on site. Moreover, it is verified that the assessment results are reliable, which can provide a reference for the similar projects.
Dynamic Simulation of a Warship Control Valve Based on a Mechanical-Electric-Fluid Cosimulation Model
Authors: Han Jiazhen , Xie Yudong , Wang Yong , Wang Qixian
Published: April 2021

Control valves have an important function in the warship power system. In engineering practice, the fluid oscillation inside the control valve causes the additional load to the valve actuator. When the additional load is added to the original load of the valve, it is possible that the required driving force (or driving moment) of the valve is greater than the maximum force (or moment) output by the actuator, which may cause the abnormal stop of the actuator. Conventionally, the interaction effect of the valve mechanical and electric components on the valve chamber’s flow field cannot be considered in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, so the oscillating fluid loads cannot be accurately obtained. In order to solve this problem, the mechanical-electric-fluid integrated valve model, using the FLUENT and AMESim cosimulation method, was developed to embody the interaction effect between the components of each part of the control valve and exhibit the fluid oscillation during the operating process of the control valve. Compared with the pure software simulations, the unsteady flow characteristics and dynamic response of the actuator were synchronously obtained in this study, which accurately captured the sudden fluid loads required for further compensation. At the same time, the differences in performance of different valve plugs were compared. The stability time of the valve plug and oscillation amplitude of the unstable fluid loads were distinct for control valves with different flow characteristics. The results can aid in understanding the instability mechanism of the fluid load in the control valve better, which provides the calculation basis for compensating the additional load on the valve plug and improve the reliability of the control valve.
A Study of Third and Fourth Hankel Determinant Problem for a Particular Class of Bounded Turning Functions
Authors: Kaur Gaganpreet , Singh Gurmeet , Arif Muhammad , Chinram Ronnason , Iqbal Javed
Published: April 2021

In this present paper, a new generalized classℛp,qfrom the family of function with bounded turning was introduced by usingp,q- derivative operator. Our aim for this class is to find out the upper bound of third- and fourth-order Hankel determinant. Moreover, the upper bounds for two-fold and three-fold symmetric functions for this class are also obtained.
Maternal and Neonatal Complications of Methamphetamine Use during Pregnancy
Authors: Premchit Suthanud , Orungrote Nawabhorn , Prommas Sinart , Smanchat Buppa , Bhamarapravatana Kornkarn , Suwannarurk Komsun
Published: April 2021

Background. Methamphetamine abuse has been a significant problem in Thailand. The methamphetamine abuse problem also affects pregnant women. The study of pregnancy outcomes among methamphetamine users during pregnancy is currently limited. Objective. To determine maternal and neonatal complications among methamphetamine-abusing parturients. Materials and method. This historical cohort study was conducted at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH), Bangkok, Thailand, between January 2017 and December 2019. The total number of women was 206 who were equally divided into a study and control group. Pregnant women who tested positive for methamphetamine in urine tests during the intrapartum period were compared to the control group with no history of drug abuse. Results. Maternal outcomes: gestational hypertension was found to be significantly increased in the study group compared to the control group at 14.6 vs. 1.0% (OR 17.4, 95%CI 2.5-134.3). Preeclampsia with and without severe features were found at higher rates in the study group without statistical significance. There were no eclamptic cases in this study. Neonatal outcomes: preterm birth rate of pregnant women who have tested positive in their urine methamphetamine test was significantly higher than in the control group (33.3%, 11.7%, OR 3.7, 95%CI 1.8-7.7). Average birth weight in the study and control group was 2779.1 ± 486.7 and 3049.5 ± 510 gm, respectively (p value < 0.001). Low APGAR score rates of both groups also had no significant difference. Conclusion. Methamphetamine use during pregnancy increased both maternal and neonatal complications in terms of gestational hypertension, preterm birth, and average birth weight.
Effect of Exogenous Melatonin on the Quality of Soybean and Natto Products under Drought Stress
Authors: Cao Liang , Kou Fang , Zhang Mingcong , Jin Xijun , Ren Chunyuan , Yu Gaobo , Zhang Yuxian , Wang Mengxue
Published: April 2021

Melatonin can directly or indirectly eliminate reactive oxygen species, regulate hormone levels, and improve drought-stressed soybean crop resistance, yield, and quality. The nutrient contents of soybeans grown under normal conditions (WW), drought stress (D), and drought stress with exogenous melatonin (D + M) (

p
<
0.05

) were compared. The differences in the quality of natto from the three groups of soybeans were also analyzed. The results showed that compared with soybeans under normal conditions, those grown under drought stress had reduced yield and carbohydrate, protein, essential amino acid, soybean isoflavone, and other nutrient contents. Besides, natto presented low nattokinase levels (674 U/mL), natto drawing ability was weak, the surface was dull, the taste was poor, and the sensory score was 12 points. Exogenous melatonin increased the carbohydrate content (starch, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) and improved the yield and quality of soybeans under drought. The natto produced by soybeans under drought stress with exogenous melatonin had high nattokinase content (756 U/mL) and long wire drawing. The surface of the product was rich in mucus and had a natto aroma. Its comprehensive sensory score was 20 points. Natto from soybeans under drought stress that were treated with exogenous melatonin showed significantly higher yield, nutrient content, and quality, than those under drought stress without treatment. This study provides theoretical data that can facilitate the development of new methods to improve the quality of soybeans grown under drought conditions.
Divisor Problems Related to Hecke Eigenvalues in Three Dimensions
Authors: Huang Jing , Liu Huafeng
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we consider divisor problems related to Hecke eigenvalues in three dimensions. We establish upper bounds and asymptotic formulas for these problems on average.
Circulating Levels of Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analyses
Authors: Dimou Niki , Mori Nagisa , Harlid Sophia , Harbs Justin , Martin Richard M. , Smith-Byrne Karl , Papadimitriou Nikos , Bishop D. Timothy , Casey Graham , Colorado-Yohar Sandra M. , Cotterchio Michelle , Cross Amanda J. , Marchand Loic Le , Lin Yi , Offit Kenneth , Onland-Moret N. Charlotte , Peters Ulrike , Potter John D. , Rohan Thomas E. , Weiderpass Elisabete , Gunter Marc J. , Murphy Neil
Published: April 2021

Background:

Epidemiologic studies evaluating associations between sex steroid hormones and colorectal cancer risk have yielded inconsistent results. To elucidate the role of circulating levels of testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in colorectal cancer risk, we conducted observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.

Methods:

The observational analyses included 333,530 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank with testosterone and SHBG measured. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. For MR analyses, genetic variants robustly associated with hormone levels were identified and their association with colorectal cancer (42,866 cases/42,752 controls) was examined using two-sample MR.

Results:

In the observational analysis, there was little evidence that circulating levels of total testosterone were associated with colorectal cancer risk; the MR analyses showed a greater risk for women (OR per 1-SD = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01–1.17), although pleiotropy may have biased this result. Higher SHBG concentrations were associated with greater colorectal cancer risk for women (HR per 1-SD = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05–1.29), but was unsupported by the MR analysis. There was little evidence of associations between free testosterone and colorectal cancer in observational and MR analyses.

Conclusions:

Circulating concentrations of sex hormones are unlikely to be causally associated with colorectal cancer. Additional experimental studies are required to better understand the possible role of androgens in colorectal cancer development.

Impact:

Our results from large-scale analyses provide little evidence for sex hormone pathways playing a causal role in colorectal cancer development.

See related commentary by Hang and Shen, p. 1302
Association of Oophorectomy and Fat and Lean Body Mass: Evidence from a Population-Based Sample of U.S. Women
Authors: Karia Pritesh S. , Joshu Corinne E. , Visvanathan Kala
Published: April 2021

Background:

Bilateral oophorectomy during a nonmalignant hysterectomy is frequently performed for ovarian cancer prevention in premenopausal women. Oophorectomy before menopause leads to an abrupt decline in ovarian hormones that could adversely affect body composition. We examined the relationship between oophorectomy and whole-body composition.

Methods:

Our study population included cancer-free women 35 to 70 years old from the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. population. A total of 4,209 women with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were identified, including 445 with hysterectomy, 552 with hysterectomy and oophorectomy, and 3,212 with no surgery. Linear regression was used to estimate the difference in total and regional (trunk, arms, and legs) fat and lean body mass by surgery status.

Results:

In multivariable models, hysterectomy with and without oophorectomy was associated with higher total fat mass [mean percent difference (β); βoophorectomy: 1.61%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00–2.28; βhysterectomy: 0.88%; 95% CI, 0.12–1.58] and lower total lean mass [βoophorectomy: −1.48%; 95% CI, −2.67, −1.15; βhysterectomy: −0.87%; 95% CI, −1.50, −0.24) compared with no surgery. Results were stronger in women with a normal body mass index (BMI) and those <45 years at surgery. All body regions were significantly affected for women with oophorectomy, whereas only the trunk was affected for women with hysterectomy alone.

Conclusions:

Hysterectomy with oophorectomy, particularly in young women, may be associated with systemic changes in fat and lean body mass irrespective of BMI.

Impact:

Our results support prospective evaluation of body composition in women undergoing hysterectomy with oophorectomy at a young age.
Sulindac Modulates the Response of Proficient MMR Colorectal Cancer to Anti–PD-L1 Immunotherapy
Authors: Yi Bin , Cheng Hao , Wyczechowska Dorota , Yu Qingzhao , Li Li , Ochoa Augusto C. , Riker Adam I. , Xi Yaguang
Published: April 2021

Immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has been widely used to treat different human cancers, particularly advanced solid tumors. However, clinical studies have reported that ICI immunotherapy benefits only ∼15% of patients with colorectal cancer, specifically those with tumors characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI), a molecular marker of defective DNA mismatch repair (dMMR). For the majority of patients with colorectal cancer who carry proficient MMR (pMMR), ICIs have shown little clinical benefit. In this study, we examined the efficacy of sulindac to enhance the response of pMMR colorectal cancer to anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy. We utilized a CT26 syngeneic mouse tumor model to compare the inhibitory effects of PD-L1 antibody (Ab), sulindac, and their combination on pMMR colorectal cancer tumor growth. We found that mice treated with combination therapy showed a significant reduction in tumor volume, along with increased infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes in the tumor tissues. We also demonstrated that sulindac could downregulate PD-L1 by blocking NF-κB signaling, which in turn led to a decrease in exosomal PD-L1. Notably, PD-L1 Ab can be bound and consumed by exosomal PD-L1 in the blood circulation. Therefore, in combination therapy, sulindac downregulating PD-L1 leads to increased availability of PD-L1 Ab, which potentially improves the overall efficacy of anti–PD-L1 therapy. We also show that low-dose sulindac does not appear to have a systemic inhibitory effect on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). In conclusion, our findings provide unique insights into the mechanism of action and efficacy for sulindac as an immunomodulatory agent in combination with anti–PD-L1 therapy for the treatment of pMMR colorectal cancer.
Variation in Antithrombotic Therapy and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Preexisting Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Sherwood Matthew W. , Gupta Aakriti , Vemulapalli Sreekanth , Li Zhuokai , Piccini Jonathan , Harrison J. Kevin , Dai David , Vora Amit N. , Mack Michael J. , Holmes David R. , Rumsfeld John S. , Cohen David J. , Thourani Vinod H. , Kirtane Ajay J. , Peterson Eric D.
Published: April 2021

Background:

Optimal antithrombotic management of patients with preexisting atrial fibrillation undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement is challenging given the need to balance the risk of bleeding and thromboembolism. We aimed to examine variation in care and association of antithrombotic therapies with 1-year outcomes of stroke, bleeding, and mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement with concomitant atrial fibrillation in the United States.

Methods:

Patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with preexisting atrial fibrillation from November 2011 through September 2015 in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy registry linked to the Medicare database were examined according to receipt of oral anticoagulants (OACs) or antiplatelet therapies (APTs) or a combination of these (OAC+APT) at discharge. To assess the associations of antithrombotic therapies with 1-year outcomes of stroke, bleeding, and mortality, we utilized inverse probability weighting for antithrombotic therapies and multivariable regression modeling to adjust for patient- and hospital-level variables.

Results:

In the 11 382 patients included in our study, 5833 (51.2%) were discharged on OAC+APT, 4786 (42.0%) on APT alone, and 763 (6.7%) on OAC alone. There was significant variability in discharge medication patterns, including 42% of patients discharged without OAC therapy. In adjusted analyses, the risk for all-cause mortality and stroke was not significantly different when comparing the 3 different antithrombotic strategies. Risk of bleeding was higher with OAC+APT compared with APT alone (hazard ratio, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.05–1.27]) and similar compared with OAC alone (hazard ratio, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.93–1.47]).

Conclusions:

There was significant variability in discharge medication patterns across US sites in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, including significant underuse of OAC in this high-risk cohort. The use of OAC+APT (versus OAC alone or APT alone) was not associated with a lower risk of stroke or mortality but was associated with increased risk of bleeding complications at 1 year compared with APT alone.
Herpes Zoster Vaccine Live and Risk of Stroke Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Yang Quanhe , Chang Anping , Tong Xin , Merritt Robert
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose:

Herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with increased risk of stroke, and zoster vaccine live (ZVL, Zostavax) reduces the risk of HZ. No study has examined the association between ZVL (Zostavax) and risk of stroke. Present study examined association between receipt of ZVL (Zostavax) and risk of stroke among older US population.

Methods:

Our study included 1 603 406 US Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥66 years without a history of stroke and who received ZVL (Zostavax) during 2008 to 2014, and 1 603 406 propensity score-matched unvaccinated beneficiaries followed through to December 31, 2017. We used Cox proportional hazard models to examine association between ZVL (Zostavax) and composite fatal or nonfatal incident stroke outcomes.

Results:

During a median of 5.1 years follow-up (interquartile range, 3.9–6.7), we documented 64 635 stroke events, including 43 954 acute ischemic strokes and 6727 hemorrhagic strokes, among vaccinated beneficiaries during 8 755 331 person-years. The corresponding numbers among unvaccinated beneficiaries were 73 023, 50 476, and 7276, respectively, during 8 517 322 person-years. Incidence comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated beneficiaries were 7.38 versus 8.57 per 1000 person-years for all stroke, 5.00 versus 5.90 for acute ischemic stroke, and 0.76 versus 0.84 for hemorrhagic stroke (
P
<0.001 for all difference). Adjusted hazard ratios comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated beneficiaries were 0.84 (95% CI, 0.83–0.85), 0.83 (0.82–0.84), and 0.88 (0.85–0.91) for all stroke, acute ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke, respectively. The association between ZVL (Zostavax) and risk of stroke appeared to be stronger among younger beneficiaries, beneficiaries who did not take antihypertensive or statin medications and who had fewer comorbid conditions (
P
<0.05 for interaction) but largely consistent across sex, low-income status, and racial groups.

Conclusions:

Among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, receipt of ZVL (Zostavax) was associated with lower incidence of stroke. Our findings may encourage people to get vaccinated against HZ to reduce HZ and HZ-associated stroke risk.
Illusions of Autonomy: Why Europe Cannot Provide for Its Security If the United States Pulls Back
Authors: Meijer Hugo , Brooks Stephen G.
Published: April 2021

Europe's security landscape has changed dramatically in the past decade amid Russia's resurgence, mounting doubts about the long-term reliability of the U.S. security commitment, and Europe's growing aspiration for strategic autonomy. This changed security landscape raises an important counterfactual question: Could Europeans develop an autonomous defense capacity if the United States withdrew completely from Europe? The answer to this question has major implications for a range of policy issues and for the ongoing U.S. grand strategy debate in light of the prominent argument by U.S. “restraint” scholars that Europe can easily defend itself. Addressing this question requires an examination of the historical evolution as well as the current and likely future state of European interests and defense capacity. It shows that any European effort to achieve strategic autonomy would be fundamentally hampered by two mutually reinforcing constraints: “strategic cacophony,” namely profound, continent-wide divergences across all domains of national defense policies—most notably, threat perceptions; and severe military capacity shortfalls that would be very costly and time-consuming to close. As a result, Europeans are highly unlikely to develop an autonomous defense capacity anytime soon, even if the United States were to fully withdraw from the continent.
Why Rebels Stop Fighting: Organizational Decline and Desertion in Colombia's Insurgency
Authors: Nussio Enzo , Ugarriza Juan E.
Published: April 2021

Desertion, or the unauthorized exit from an armed group, has major implications for counterinsurgency, war termination, and recruitment dynamics. While existing research stresses the importance of individual motivations for desertion, organizational decline, in the form of military and financial adversity, can also condition desertion. Organizational decline undermines a group's instruments to channel individual preferences into collective action. These instruments include selective incentives, ideological appeal, and coercion. When the binding power of these instruments diminishes, individual desires start to dominate behavior, making desertion more likely. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) insurgency is used to examine this argument with a multimethod approach. First, a quantitative analysis employs unique data on more than 19,000 reported FARC deserters from 2002 to 2017, provided by the Colombian Ministry of Defense. Guarding against threats to causal inference, statistical analysis indicates that organizational decline drives desertion. Second, a qualitative analysis uses a large body of detailed reports on interviews with deserters conducted by Colombian military personnel. The reports demonstrate that organizational decline weakens selective incentives, group ideology, and a credible coercive regime, and fosters desertion through these mechanisms. These findings provide key insights for policymakers, given that desertion can both contribute to ending conflict and accelerate the recruitment of new combatants.
Some new and known species of Bomolochidae (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) parasitic on Japanese actinopterygian fishes, 3
Authors: Izawa Kunihiko
Published: April 2021

Orbitacolax bispinus sp. nov., Orbitacolax leptoscari (Yamaguti, 1953), Paraorbitacolax sphyraenae Izawa, 2021, and one male specimen of a Bomolochidae sp. are (re)described. The male and copepodid V female of O. leptoscari, and the male and copepodid V male of P. sphyraenae are described for the first time for the respective species. A description performed in Izawa (2020, 2021) that the maxilliped of the female bears a dorsal process in Orbitacolax and Paraorbitacolax spp., was wrong and is herein corrected.
Population dynamics of Stenothoe valida Dana, 1852 (Amphipoda, Stenothoidae) at Cheongsapo beach of Busan, Republic of Korea
Authors: Lee Ye Ji , Park Won Gyu
Published: April 2021

The population dynamics of Stenothoe valida Dana, 1852 were studied at Cheongsapo beach of Busan, Republic of Korea, from March 2019 to March 2020. Sampling was conducted once a month at low tide during spring tides. Specimens were grouped by the cephalic length at 0.025 mm intervals, and classified into four categories: females, ovigerous females, males and juveniles. The sex ratio, defined as females : total males + females, exceeded 0.5 during most of the study period. Brood size was significantly coupled with ovigerous female size. Two to four cohorts appeared at each study period. New cohorts occurred at almost every sampling except in the samples Jun-2, and Nov-2. Life span was estimated at 1-2 months. The juvenile ratio, the ratio of ovigerous females, and the recruitment rate estimated by FiSAT were commonly high in summer and winter. The life history of S. valida was not coupled with water temperature, but had a strong seasonal pattern.
The Two-Act Structure: A Narrative Device in Akkadian Epics
Authors: Helle Sophus
Published: April 2021

Most Akkadian epics are organized according to the same structure: the narrative arc is divided into two acts, of which the second mirrors and expands the first. The structure has already been observed in Atra-hasis, Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh, and Etana, but the recurrence of the pattern has not previously been noted. The essay explores the widespread application, individual adaptations, and literary significance of this device, noting its presence in nine cuneiform compositions.
Deep Sea Mining Partnerships with Developing States: Favourable Collaborations or Opportunistic Endeavours?
Authors: Willaert Klaas , Singh Pradeep A
Published: April 2021

In order to engage in deep sea mining activities on the international seabed (otherwise known as ‘the Area’), non-State actors must be sponsored by a State, which bears the responsibility to ensure that the sponsored entity complies with the applicable rules. Not only the State of nationality, but also the State which exercises ‘effective control’ might be required to serve as a sponsoring State, depending on the circumstances. However, it is not completely clear how ‘effective control’ should be interpreted. Forum shopping seems a realistic possibility, and the recent trend of partnerships between private deep sea mining companies and developing States can produce similar effects. These collaborations might be beneficial to both parties, but given the privileges awarded to developing States, it should be scrutinised as to whether such partnerships undermine the principle of the common heritage of mankind and the objective to realise benefits for mankind as a whole.
The Freedom to Use the High Seas to Protect and Preserve the Marine Environment: Case Study of the Activities of The Ocean Cleanup
Authors: Ramphal Talitha
Published: April 2021

Activities to tackle marine debris are conducted on the high seas by The Ocean Cleanup. The high seas are open to all States and may be used as long this is consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) and other rules of international law. This article argues that the LOSC provides for the freedom to use the high seas to protect and preserve the marine environment, including tackling marine debris, when interpreting Article 87 of the LOSC in light of present day needs.
Catholicity Under Heaven: Reformed Ecclesiology and Chinese Visions of Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Kuo Henry S.
Published: April 2021

Reformed catholicity suffers from a fragility that causes it to easily fragment over comparatively small differences. This study wagers that an important resource that can be useful for addressing this problem is the Chinese philosophy of tianxia. The article introduces the idea of a ‘Reformed catholicity under Heaven’ by placing a more liberal interpretation of tianxia in conversation with the problems in Reformed approaches to the church’s catholicity. In doing so, the article demonstrates tianxia’s ecclesiological usefulness while articulating two dimensions of ‘Reformed catholicity under Heaven’ that can deepen how Reformed churches inhabit catholicity in ways that promote unity.
Discipleship in Three Dimensions: A Critical Examination of John Wesley’s Doctrine of Holiness and its Implications for Contemporary Small Group Discipleship
Authors: Fellows Philip
Published: April 2021

This paper critically examines John Wesley’s understanding of holiness, and the system he created to encourage it, in order to begin to understand its implications for contemporary small group discipleship.

First, it is argued that Wesley understood holiness primarily as a transformation of the affections that required response from the believer. Wesley’s discipleship system was designed to facilitate that response. The system itself is then analysed to determine how this process was intended to operate.

Wesley’s model is then critiqued in light of small group theory and transformative learning theory. Finally, principles are advanced that could guide a church in adapting Wesley’s system for contemporary use.

Throughout it is argued that Wesley’s model flourished because of a shared understanding of the Christian life and the provision of a complex ecology of groups. It is a model that, when adjusted and simplified, could provide significant benefits for the contemporary church.
אצחצח דבר גבורות: The Discovery of the Opening Section of Shelomo Suleiman al-Sinjari’s Seder ha-ʿAvodah
Authors: Hacohen Eden Menachem
Published: April 2021

This is the first publication of the beginning of one of the sidrei ʿavodah for the Day of Atonement by Shelomo Suleiman al-Sinjari, a prolific Palestinian paytan who lived in the second half of the 9th century. Although well known to researchers, this piyyut was incorrectly attributed to the greatest Palestinian poet: Eleazar b. Qallir. My consultation of a copy of the seder ʿavodah in a Cairo Geniza manuscript and the database of the Ezra Fleischer Geniza Research Project for Hebrew Poetry led to the correct identification of the author of אצחצח דבר גבורות as Shelomo Suleiman. The article contains a critical edition of the beginning of this seder ʿavodah with annotations and variants.
Jochen Hoock – Neithard Bulst. Un parcours amical et scientifique
Authors: Bulst Neithard
Published: April 2021

Cet article résume le parcours scientifique de mon ami Jochen Hoock et le mien pendant cinquante ans, depuis notre première rencontre en 1968 à l’Université de Heidelberg où nous étions assistants à l’Institut d’Histoire, lui comme moderniste et moi comme médiéviste. En dehors d’un enseigne-ment commun et de nos publications communes à Heidelberg et à Bielefeld, notre intérêt portait sur l’établissement d’une coopération fran-co-allemande durable entre historiens, ce qui s’est concrétisé dans des acti-vités selon plusieurs niveaux : conférences, colloques, conventions institu-tionnelles etc. et finalement dans la fondation du cursus intégré «Histoire Bielefeld-Paris 7».
La numération cardinale en nahuatl, aux XVIe-XVIIe siècles
Authors: Thouvenot Marc
Published: April 2021

The vigesimal Nahuatl numeration has been well known, in language, since the 16th century. But its graphic expression in pictographic writing is less well known. It is this difference that this text seeks to reduce, by presenting, jointly, the writing of the referential numeration and that which is denominative. The sources used - both pictographic and alphabetic – are diverse both spatially and temporally. They come from Mexico-Tenochtitlan as well as from nearby but distinct localities such as Texcoco, Chalco or the Puebla region. Some sources are probably close to the time of the Conquest, while others were written a century later.

For the purposes of this presentation everything has been put together. This therefore represents the state of numeration and its writing over a period of a century after the Conquest and over a wide area. It would, of course, be desirable to have a more precise view of the local forms and developments that occurred during this century, because it is inconceivable that the brutality of the shock of conquest and colonization had no effect on the system that the Nahuatl language and its pictographic writing constituted, especially in the field of numeration.
Book Reviews
Authors: KITLV Redactie
Published: April 2021

Frederick H. Smith; Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History (Franklin W. Knight)Stephan Palmié; Wizards and Scientists: Explorations in Afro-Cuban Modernity and Tradition (Julie Skurski)Miguel A. De la Torre; The Quest for the Cuban Christ: A Historical Search (Fernando Picó)L. Antonio Curet, Shannon Lee Dawdy & Gabino La Rosa Corzo (eds.); Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology (David M. Pendergast)Jill Lane; Blackface Cuba, 1840-1895 (Arthur Knight)Hal Klepak; Cuba’s Military 1990-2005: Revolutionary Soldiers during Counter-Revolutionary Times (Antoni Kapcia)Lydia Chávez (ed.); Capitalism, God, and a Good Cigar: Cuba Enters the Twenty-First Century (Ann Marie Stock)Diane Accaria-Zavala & Rodolfo Popelnik (eds.); Prospero’s Isles: The Presence of the Caribbean in the American Imaginary (Sean X. Goudie)Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond (ed.); The Masters and the Slaves: Plantation Relations and Mestizaje in American Imaginaries (Danielle D. Smith) David J. Weber; Bárbaros: Spaniards and Their Savages in the Age of Enlightenment (Neil L. Whitehead)Larry Gragg; Englishmen Transplanted: The English Colonization of Barbados, 1627-1660 (Richard S. Dunn)Jon F. Sensbach; Rebecca’s Revival: Creating Black Christianity in the Atlantic World (Aaron Spencer Fogleman)Jennifer L. Morgan; Laboring Women: Reproduction and Gender in New World Slavery (Verene A. Shepherd)Jorge Luis Chinea; Race and Labor in the Hispanic Caribbean: The West Indian Immigrant Worker Experience in Nineteenth-Century Puerto Rico, 1800-1850 (Juan José Baldrich)Constance R. Sutton (ed.); Revisiting Caribbean Labour: Essays in Honour of O. Nigel Bolland (Mary Chamberlain)Gert Oostindie; Paradise Overseas: The Dutch Caribbean: Colonialism and its Transatlantic Legacies (Bridget Brereton)Allan Pred; The Past Is Not Dead: Facts, Fictions, and Enduring Racial Stereotypes (Karen Fog Olwig)James C. Riley; Poverty and Life Expectancy: The Jamaica Paradox (Cruz María Nazario)Lucia M. Suárez; The Tears of Hispaniola: Haitian and Dominican Diaspora Memory (J. Michael Dash)Mary Chamberlain; Family Love in the Diaspora: Migration and the Anglo-Caribbean Experience (Kevin Birth)Joseph Palacio (ed.); The Garifuna: A Nation Across Borders (Grant Jewell Rich)Elizabeth M. DeLoughery, Renée K. Goss on & George B. Handley (eds.); Caribbean Literature and the Environment: Between Nature and Culture (Bonham C. Richardson)Mary Gallagher (ed.); Ici-Là: Place and Displacement in Caribbean Writing in French (Christina Kullberg)David V. Moskowitz; Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall (Kenneth Bilby)John H. McWhorter; Defining Creole (Bettina M. Migge)Ellen M. Schnepel; In Search of a National Identity: Creole and Politics in Guadeloupe (Paul B. Garrett)
Contesting the Past: Narratives of Trinidad & Tobago history
Authors: Brereton Bridget
Published: April 2021

Discusses the national narratives developed historically in Trinidad and Tobago. Author describes how the past has been interpreted differently, for different purposes, and by different ethnic groups. She first pays attention to 2 hegemonic historical narratives during the colonial era: the British imperial historical narrative and the French Creole one, associated with political and/or planter elites. Next, she discusses how since the mid-20th c. the anticolonial, nationalist movement responded to this, including academics, resulting in the Eric Williams-led Afro-Creole narrative, dominant in the decades since the 1961 independence, connecting Trinidad as a nation with African-descended Creoles. Further, she highlights challenges to the dominant Afro-Creole narrative, mainly since the 1970s, emerging partly in the domain of "public history", and mostly ethnicity-based. She discusses the politics of (Amerindian) indigeneity in Trinidad, the Tobago narrative, related to its distinct history, the Afrocentric narrative, and the Indocentric narrative, the latter including a more recent extreme Hinducentric narrative. Author points out that the Afro-Creole master narrative, and subsequent (ethnic) counternarratives eclipsed (at least academically) increasing class-based, or gendered historical narratives.
The Ever-Studied Isle
Authors: Centeno Miguel A.
Published: April 2021

[First paragraph]Cuba Transnational. Damián J. Fern ández (ed.). Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005. xvii + 216 pp. (Cloth US$ 65.00)Cuba’s Aborted Reform: Socioeconomic Effects, International Comparisons, and Transition Policies. Carme lo Mesa-Lago & Jorge F. Pére z-Lópe z. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005. xx + 223 pp. (Cloth US$ 59.95)Cuba, the United States, and the Post-Cold War World: The International Dimensions of the Washington-Havana Relationship. Moris Morley & Chris McGillion (eds.). Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005. xi + 286 pp. (Cloth US$ 65.00)There are perhaps few countries other than France for which the ratio of academic word per population is higher than Cuba. Notwithstanding its symbolic significance over the past fifty years, it is important to remember that we are talking of a small island of something over ten million souls exporting sand and sugar. Even the Cuban diaspora has benefited from this arguably undeserved notoriety, and hardly a week goes by without yet another exile memoir. Over the past two weeks (this is being written in mid-August 2006), the attentionmeter once again jumped as Fidel’s illness and the temporary (?) transfer of power was documented by the global media. Given all this attention, new books on Cuba face a daunting challenge: to say something new about a place that has been much studied, but which, in many ways, has remained the same for the past half century. Is there something we don’t yet know?