bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The interplay between temporal and seasonal distribution of heavy metals and physiochemical properties in Kaap River
Authors: Maphanga T. , Chidi B. S. , Phungela T. T. , Gqomfa B. , Madonsela B. S. , Malakane K. C. , Lekata S. , Shale K.
Published: January 2024

A key aspect of climate change is its impact on river water quality. Most research focuses on the impact of physiochemical parameters on water quality. However, the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns coupled with anthropogenic activities play a significant role in river contamination. Metals are known to have toxic effects and environmental persistence. This study evaluated the heavy metal content of the Kaap River, where mining and agriculture are the primary land use. A 7-year study was conducted to investigate the seasonal relationship between heavy metals and physiochemical parameters (EC and pH). Fe, Al, As, and Mn concentrations were analysed in a laboratory accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS). The Python package Seaborn was used to generate heat maps for improved data visualization. Seasonal and temporal fluctuations had a combinatorial impact on Mn, Fe, and Al levels of the river. However, As levels were unaffected. The pH of the rivers was within the recommended range, despite flow regime, seasonal, and time-dependent fluctuations. Seasonal and temporal variations were also observed for EC, with the highest value of 42.35 mS/m being recorded during the winter of 2022, exceeding the recommended threshold of 30 mS/m. The correlation analysis revealed positive and significant correlations for the EC/pH and Al/Fe combinations and a weak degree of association for other parameters (P < 0.05). A permanent monitoring of water quality is required to ensure sustainable livelihoods and the safety of Kaap River water, which is subject to significant heavy metal fluctuations over time.
Strong convergent algorithm for finding minimum-norm solutions of quasimonotone variational inequalities with fixed point constraint and application
Authors: Mewomo Oluwatosin T. , Ogwo Grace N. , Alakoya Timilehin O.
Published: January 2024

The class of quasimonotone mappings are known to be more general and applicable than the classes of pseudomonotone and monotone mappings. However, only very few results can be found in the literature on quasimonotone variational inequality problems and most of these results are on weak convergent algorithms. In this paper, we study the quasimonotone variational inequality problem (VIP) with constraint of fixed point problem (FPP) of quasi-pseudocontractive mappings. We introduce a new inertial Tseng’s extragradient method with self-adaptive step size for approximating the minimum-norm solutions of the aforementioned problem in the framework of Hilbert spaces. We prove that the sequence generated by the proposed method converges strongly to a common (minimum-norm) solution of the quasimonotone VIP and FPP of quasi-pseudocontractive mappings without the knowledge of the Lipschitz constant of the cost operator. We provide several numerical experiments for the proposed method in comparison with existing methods in the literature. Finally, we applied our result to image restoration problem. Our result improves, extends and generalizes several of the recently announced results in this direction.
Prediction of ball-on-plate friction and wear by ANN with data-driven optimization
Authors: Kovalev Alexander , Tian Yu , Meng Yonggang
Published: January 2024

For training artificial neural network (ANN), big data either generated by machine or measured from experiments are used as input to “learn” the unspecified functions defining the ANN. The experimental data are fed directly into the optimizer allowing training to be performed according to a predefined loss function. To predict sliding friction and wear at mixed lubrication conditions, in this study a specific ANN structure was so designed that deep learning algorithms and data-driven optimization models can be used. Experimental ball-on-plate friction and wear data were analyzed using the specific training procedure to optimize the weights and biases incorporated into the neural layers of the ANN, and only two independent experimental data sets were used during the ANN optimization procedure. After the training procedure, the ANN is capable to predict the contact and hydrodynamic pressure by adapting the output data according to the tribological condition implemented in the optimization algorithm.
Oil-soluble polymer brushes-functionalized nanoMOFs for highly efficient friction and wear reduction
Authors: Liu Jianxi , Qian Yong , Li Dongshen , Wu Wei , Zhang Mengchen , Yan Jie , Li Bin , Zhou Feng
Published: January 2024

Nanomaterials as lubricating oil additives have attracted significant attention because of their designable composition and structure, suitable mechanical property, and tunable surface functionalities. However, the poor compatibility between nanomaterials and base oil limits their further applications. In this work, we demonstrated oil-soluble poly (lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA) brushes-grafted metal-organic frameworks nanoparticles (nanoMOFs) as lubricating oil additives that can achieve efficient friction reduction and anti-wear performance. Macroinitiators were synthesized by free-radical polymerization, which was coordinatively grafted onto the surface of the UiO-67 nanoparticles. Then, PLMA brushes were grown on the macroinitiator-modified UiO-67 by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, which greatly improved the lipophilic property of the UiO-67 nanoparticles and significantly enhanced the colloidal stability and long-term dispersity in both non-polar solvent and base oil. By adding UiO-67@PLMA nanoparticles into the 500 SN base oil, coefficient of friction and wear volume reductions of 45.3% and 75.5% were achieved due to their excellent mechanical properties and oil dispersibility. Moreover, the load-carrying capacity of 500 SN was greatly increased from 100 to 500 N by the UiO-67@PLMA additives, and their excellent tribological performance was demonstrated even at a high friction frequency of 65 Hz and high temperature of 120 °C. Our work highlights oil-soluble polymer brushes-functionalized nanoMOFs for highly efficient lubricating additives.
The economic burden of pediatric growth hormone deficiency in Italy: a cost of illness study
Authors: Cappa M. , Pozzobon G. , Orso M. , Maghnie M. , Patti G. , Spandonaro F. , Granato S. , Novelli G. , La Torre D. , Salerno M. , Polistena B.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a rare condition with a worldwide prevalence of 1 patient in 4000 to 10,000 live births, placing a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. The aim of this study is to generate evidence on the economic burden of children and adolescents with GHD treated with rhGH and their parents in Italy.

Methods

A cost of illness analysis, adopting the prevalence approach, has been developed, producing evidence on the total annual cost sustained by the Italian National Health System (NHS) and by the society. The study is based on original data collected from a survey conducted among Italian children and adolescents with GHD and their parents.

Results

143 children/adolescents with GHD and their parents participated to the survey, conducted from May to October 2021. Patients had a mean age of 12.2 years (SD: 3.1) and were mostly males (68.5%).

The average direct healthcare cost sustained by the NHS was € 8,497.2 per patient/year; adding the out-of-pocket expenses (co-payments and expenses for private healthcare service), the total expense was € 8,568.6. The indirect costs, assessed with the human capital approach, were € 847.9 per patient/year. The total of direct and indirect cost is € 9,345.1 from the NHS perspective, and € 9,416.5 from a social perspective. The total cost incurred by the Italian NHS for children with GHD (range: 5,708–8,354) was estimated in € 48.5–71.0 million, corresponding to 0.04–0.06% of the total Italian public health expense in the year 2020.

Conclusions

The total annual cost for GHD children is close to € 10,000, and is mainly due to the cost of rhGH treatment. This cost is almost entirely sustained by the NHS, with negligible out-of-pocket expenses.

The economic burden on the Italian NHS for the health care of established GHD children is fourfold higher than the prevalence of the disease in the overall Italian population.
Load balancing of multi-AGV road network based on improved Q-learning algorithm and macroscopic fundamental diagram
Authors: Zhang Xiumei , Li Wensong , Li Hui , Liu Yue , Liu Fang
Published: January 2024

To address the challenges of traffic congestion and suboptimal operational efficiency in the context of large-scale applications like production plants and warehouses that utilize multiple automatic guided vehicles (multi-AGVs), this article proposed using an Improved Q-learning (IQL) algorithm and Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for the purposes of load balancing and congestion discrimination on road networks. Traditional Q-learning converges slowly, which is why we have proposed the use of an updated Q value of the previous iteration step as the maximum Q value of the next state to reduce the number of Q value comparisons and improve the algorithm’s convergence speed. When calculating the cost of AGV operation, the traditional Q-learning algorithm only considers the evaluation function of a single distance and introduces an improved reward and punishment mechanism to combine the operating distance of AGV and the road network load, which finally equalizes the road network load. MFD is the basic property of road networks and is based on MFD, which is combined with the Markov Chain (MC) model. Road network traffic congestion state discrimination method was proposed to classify the congestion state according to the detected number of vehicles on the road network. The MC model accurately discriminated the range near the critical point. Finally, the scale of the road network and the load factor were changed for several simulations. The findings indicated that the improved algorithm showed a notable ability to achieve equilibrium in the load distribution of the road network. This led to a substantial enhancement in AGV operational efficiency.
Fractional-order fuzzy sliding mode control of uncertain nonlinear MIMO systems using fractional-order reinforcement learning
Authors: Mahmoud Tarek A. , El-Hossainy Mohammad , Abo-Zalam Belal , Shalaby Raafat
Published: January 2024

This paper introduces a novel approach aimed at enhancing the control performance of a specific class of unknown multiple-input and multiple-output nonlinear systems. The proposed method involves the utilization of a fractional-order fuzzy sliding mode controller, which is implemented through online fractional-order reinforcement learning (FOFSMC-FRL). First, the proposed approach leverages two Takagi–Sugeno–Kang (TSK) fuzzy neural network actors. These actors approximate both the equivalent and switch control parts of the sliding mode control. Additionally, a critic TSK fuzzy neural network is employed to approximate the value function of the reinforcement learning process. Second, the FOFSMC-FRL parameters undergo online adaptation using an innovative fractional-order Levenberg–Marquardt learning method. This adaptive mechanism allows the controller to continuously update its parameters based on the system’s behavior, optimizing its control strategy accordingly. Third, the stability and convergence of the proposed approach are rigorously examined using Lyapunov theorem. Notably, the proposed structure offers several key advantages as it does not depend on knowledge of the system dynamics, uncertainty bounds, or disturbance characteristics. Moreover, the chattering phenomenon, often associated with sliding mode control, is effectively eliminated without compromising the system’s robustness. Finally, a comparative simulation study is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method over other control methods. Through this comparison, the effectiveness and performance advantages of the approach are validated.
Heat recovery optimization of a shell and tube bundle heat exchanger with continuous helical baffles for air ventilation systems
Authors: Bari Md Ashfaqul , Münsch Manuel , Schöneberger Bastian , Schlagbauer Bernhard , Tiu Andrea Alina , Wierschem Andreas
Published: January 2024

We report a numerical evaluation of the impact of continuous helical baffle on the heat recovery efficiency of counterflow tube bundle heat exchangers. The baffle inclination angle has been varied from $$11^{\circ }$$

11
∘

to $$22^{\circ }$$

22
∘

. Since the fluid flows over the tube bundle at an angle due to helical flow inside the shell, the heat exchanger operates in cross counter mode. Fluent simulations with the k-$$\omega$$
ω
transition shear stress transport turbulence model have been performed to investigate the thermal-hydraulic parameters of the system in terms of heat recovery efficiency, pressure loss, and overall heat transfer rate. Outside air temperature has been varied to mimic cold and warm weather. Pressure loss has been constrained to be less than 250 Pa, conforming to EU guidelines for energy labeling of residential ventilation units. At the maximum volume flow rate of 40 m$$^3$$

3

/h, the device performed with over $$80\%$$

80
%

heat recovery efficiency for the considered temperature difference. Continuous helical baffles helped to improve convective heat transfer by reducing cross flow area and increasing velocity. Smaller angles result in greater pressure loss while having no discernible effect on heat recovery efficiency for the considered geometry. The analysis demonstrates the potential of a compact counterflowing recuperative heat exchanger with continuous helical baffles for decentralized ventilation systems and serves as a basis for further optimization.
Identifying People’s Faces in Smart Banking Systems Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Nosrati Leili , Bidgoli Amir Massoud , Javadi Hamid Haj Seyyed
Published: January 2024

Due to the exponential rise of ICT technologies, the digital banking industry has made tremendous advancements in user-friendly, effective, and quick financial transactions. Numerous new banking services, products, and business opportunities have resulted as a result. Smart facial authentication is a cutting-edge technology used in mobile banking. Users can utilize this technology to verify their identification by using the facial recognition feature of the camera on their mobile device. This method makes use of complex algorithms that can analyze a person’s face and extract the distinctive characteristics that can be seen there. The attributes of the images of distinct persons are then categorized using learning algorithms and the K-means clustering method. An artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and decision tree (DT) computer system are used to authenticate persons. In this inquiry, the face is used. Additionally, the Wild Horse Optimizer (WHO) method has been used to enhance the precision and optimization of machine learning systems by weighting cluster features. Fuzzy logic is used to make decisions about authentication based on the results of machine learning algorithms. The best feature from a broad dataset is selected using a technique based on evolutionary algorithms. The simulation findings for diverse users have a precision of about 99.78% for user authentication of test samples. Notably, the suggested method reduced the FAR, FRR, and ERR errors by 0.23, 1.13, and 1.1, respectively. It has been proven that using people’s image data may enhance the quality of everyday cameras, and it is anticipated that this work will be applied to mobile banking applications to ensure the verification of rightful owners.
The Origins of Kant's Aesthetics
Authors: Clewis Robert R.
Published: January 2024

Organized around eight themes central to aesthetic theory today, this book examines the sources and development of Kant's aesthetics by mining his publications, correspondence, handwritten notes, and university lectures. Each chapter explores one of eight themes: aesthetic judgment and normativity, formal beauty, partly conceptual beauty, artistic creativity or genius, the fine arts, the sublime, ugliness and disgust, and humor. Robert R. Clewis considers how Kant's thought was shaped by authors such as Christian Wolff, Alexander Baumgarten, Georg Meier, Moses Mendelssohn, Johann Sulzer, Johann Herder, Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Edmund Burke, Henry Home, Charles Batteux, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire. His resulting study uncovers and illuminates the complex development of Kant's aesthetic theory and will be useful to advanced students and scholars in fields across the humanities and studies of the arts.
Competition reduces structural defense in an invasive thistle in the field
Authors: Lamb Rachel , Keller Joseph , Shea Katriona
Published: January 2024

Invasive thistles reduce the productivity of pastures and rangelands because their structural defenses make them unpalatable to grazing livestock. However, plants potentially alter their growth patterns, including their allocation of resources to defense, in response to the presence of competing vegetation. Understanding the effects of competition on the structural defense of problematic pasture weeds can inform management plans that reduce the economic harm caused by these pests. We grew musk thistle (Carduus nutans L., also commonly called nodding thistle) in a fully crossed factorial field experiment in a single abandoned pasture in 2017 with two experimental factors: the level of thistle infestation (1 thistle or 5, resulting in densities of 4 or 20 plants m−2) and the presence or absence of grazing (simulated by weekly trimming of competing vegetation). We assessed the effects of treatments on defense by counting prickles >3-mm long on leaves. Our analysis included leaf age and leaf size as covariates. Competition reduced the number of prickles present on leaves. Regression analysis showed that an increase from, for example, 50 g to 200 g of competing vegetation within 50 by 50 cm study plots reduced the expected average number of prickles on intermediate-aged leaves with average length 25.5 cm by 76.9 prickles per leaf, or 41%. This pattern was similar for leaves of all ages, although the oldest leaves generally had fewer prickles than younger leaves. We did not observe differences in defense structures between plants neighbored by conspecifics and those neighbored by other competitors. Carduus nutans has been previously managed using high densities of grazers, and this practice may be more likely to damage less-defended individuals such as those we observed in our treatments with competition. This finding suggests that maintaining competition in pastures may increase C. nutans vulnerability to grazing.
The Pleistocene footprints are younger than we thought: correcting the radiocarbon dates of Ruppia seeds, Tularosa Basin, New Mexico
Authors: Rachal David M. , Dello-Russo Robert , Cuba Matthew
Published: January 2024

Past studies have demonstrated that Ruppia cirrhosa (Ruppia), which typically grows in brackish water, is far too unreliable to serve as the chronological basis for radiocarbon dating because of the hard water effect (HWE). Despite this unreliability, Ruppia seeds have been used to date footprints along the margins of paleo-Lake Otero in southern New Mexico to around 23,000–21,000 cal yr BP. In this study, we employ a modern analog approach using δ13C values and radiocarbon dates from modern Ruppia plants growing in Salt Creek to calculate a maximum limiting age range for the footprints. Those plant samples with higher δ13C values produced greater age discrepancies. This simple relationship can be used to correct for the HWE and demonstrates that the human footprints purported to have been made during the local last glacial maximum could be at least ~7500 yr younger.
The art of Inuit administration: Post-war Canada, cultural diplomacy and northern administration
Authors: Stern Pamela , Arslan Ece
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we expand on existing studies of Canadian Inuit art in the international arena by examining ways in which this new art served domestic purposes, focusing primarily on the 1950s and 1960s. The Canadian government developed and promoted Inuit art as part of its project to transform Inuit from semi-independent hunters into modern Canadian citizens. In this effort, Canada took up and assimilated Inuit art as a genuine Canadian cultural product, presenting it as diplomatic gifts and for other forms of international cultural diplomacy. Previous studies of Canadian Inuit art from that era have noted the ways that the promotion of Canadian Inuit art supported the young nation’s claims to a deep history, while simultaneously marking the country’s distinction from both the United States and the United Kingdom. In the context of the Cold War, the promotion of Canadian Inuit art also asserted Canada as an Arctic power. Labelled as “primitive modernist” fine art, Inuit sculpture and prints provided a stark contrast to the contemporaneous socialist realist art of the Soviet Union and its allies. We argue that the success of the Inuit art program sustained a belief among government officials that their programme to remake Inuit lives and livelihoods would succeed. Inuit art likely deflected attention from the many things that were going wrong with that northern modernisation project.
The societal impact of individual placement and support implementation on employment outcomes for young adults receiving temporary health-related welfare benefits: a difference-in-differences study
Authors: Brinchmann Beate , Wittlund Sina , Lorentzen Thomas , Moe Cathrine , McDaid David , Killackey Eoin , Rinaldi Miles , Mykletun Arnstein
Published: January 2024

Background

Individual placement and support (IPS) is an evidence-based practice that helps individuals with mental illness gain and retain employment. IPS was implemented for young adults at a municipality level through a cross-sectoral collaboration between specialist mental healthcare, primary mental healthcare, and the government funded employment service (NAV). We investigated whether IPS implementation had a causal effect on employment outcomes for all young adults in receipt of a temporary health-related rehabilitation (work assessment allowance, WAA) welfare benefit, measured at the societal level compared to municipalities that did not implement IPS.

Method

We used a difference in differences design to estimate the effects of IPS implementation on the outcome of workdays per year using longitudinal registry data. We estimate the average effect of being exposed to IPS implementation during four-years of implementation compared to ten control municipalities without IPS for all WAA recipients.

Results

We found a significant, positive, causal effect on societal level employment outcomes of 5.6 (p = 0.001, 95% CI 2.7–8.4) increased workdays per year per individual, equivalent to 12.7 years of increased work in the municipality where IPS was implemented compared to municipalities without IPS. Three years after initial exposure to IPS implementation individuals worked, on average, 10.5 more days per year equating to 23.8 years of increased work.

Conclusions

Implementing IPS as a cross sectoral collaboration at a municipality level has a significant, positive, causal, societal impact on employment outcomes for all young adults in receipt of a temporary health-related rehabilitation welfare benefit.
Executive action that lasts
Authors: Lowande Kenneth , Poznansky Michael
Published: January 2024

Unilateral presidential action is thought to be limited by the ability of successors to easily reverse past decisions. Yet, most executive actions are never formally revoked. We argue that because of presidents’ unique position as chief executive, some actions create outcomes that make policy reversal more difficult or even infeasible. We develop a novel measure of policies with more immutable consequences and analyze the revocation of executive orders issued between 1937 and 2021. We find the degree of outcome immutability reduces the influence of political conditions on policy revocation. We further examine these dynamics in three cases in which presidents have substantial discretion – diplomacy, non-combatant detention, and police militarization. Scholarship has long highlighted the president’s first-mover status relative to other institutional actors as a key source of their power. Collectively, our argument and evidence demonstrate this applies to their relationship with successors.
Exploring African Abolitionism: Fante Perspectives on Domestic Slavery in the Nineteenth-Century Gold Coast
Authors: Odijie Michael Ehis
Published: January 2024

This article draws on a variety of primary sources to first illustrate the rise of African abolitionism in the Fante region in the mid-nineteenth century and then situate local abolitionists in the context of colonial legal abolition in the Gold Coast. When the British abolished slavery in 1874, various Fante groups had been developing local anti-slavery views and strategies closely connected to the evolution of a Fante ethnic identity fashioned against the “barbaric” Asante. Tensions arose between the Fante intelligentsia, which spearheaded local abolitionism, and British colonial elites. The article examines the rise of local abolitionism among the coastal Fante through specific ideas, individuals, and events, and discusses subsequent dynamics in the “first age” (1874–1900) of colonial abolitionism in the Gold Coast. It shows that the 1874 abolition was opposed by members of the Fante anti-slavery movement not—as has been argued—because Fante intellectuals were pro-slavery or opposed to the idea of abolition, but because they held different visions of emancipation and were critical of British abolition laws that, unlike in the West Indies, did not compensate slaveowners.
The experience of fathers of children hospitalised with advanced heart disease
Authors: Samsel Chase , Reichman Jeffrey R. , Barreto Jessica A. , Brown David W. , Hummel Kevin , Sleeper Lynn A. , Blume Elizabeth D.
Published: January 2024

Background:

There are little reported data on the perspectives of fathers caring for children with chronic conditions. Although survival of children with advanced heart disease has improved, long-term morbidity remains high. This study describes the experience and prognostic awareness of fathers of hospitalised children with advanced heart disease.

Methods:

Cross-sectional survey study of parents caring for children hospitalised with advanced heart disease admitted for ≥ 7 days over a one-year period. One parent per patient completed surveys, resulting in 27 father surveys. Data were analysed using descriptive methods.

Results:

Nearly all (96%) of the fathers reported understanding their child’s prognosis “extremely well” or “well,” and 59% felt they were “very prepared” for their child’s medical problems. However, 58% of fathers wanted to know more about prognosis, and 22% thought their child’s team knew something about prognosis that they did not. Forty-one per cent of fathers did not think that their child would have lifelong limitations, and 32% anticipated normal life expectancies. All 13 fathers who had a clinical discussion of what would happen if their child got sicker found this conversation helpful. Nearly half (43%) of the fathers receiving new prognostic information or changes to treatment course found it “somewhat” or “a little” confusing.

Conclusions:

Fathers report excellent understanding of their child’s illness and a positive experience around expressing their hopes and fears. Despite this, there remain many opportunities to improve communication, prognostic awareness, and participation in informed decision-making of fathers of children hospitalised with advanced heart disease.
Reduced morbidity with early surgical ligation of patent ductus arteriosus in extremely low birth weight infants: a retrospective single-centre study
Authors: Loeffler Katherine A. , Behere Shashank P. , Williams Patricia K. , Nakamura Yuki , Burkhart Harold M. , Campbell Matthew D.
Published: January 2024

Introduction:

Failure of the patent ductus arteriosus to close is common among extremely low birth weight neonates and has been associated with increased morbidities. The objective of this study was to compare outcomes between early and late surgical ligation in extremely low birth weight patients.

Methods:

This was a single-centre retrospective cohort study of infants who required surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus between January 2017 and August 2022.

Results:

A total of 43 neonates were identified with birth weight less than 1 kg that underwent surgical patent ductus arteriosus ligation. Compared to the late ligation group, the early ligation group experienced fewer total days of mechanical ventilation (43.9 days vs. 97.2 days, p < 0.05) and a shorter length of hospital stay (114.2 days vs. 169.0 days, p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Early surgical ligation of haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus in extremely low birth weight neonates may improve hospital morbidity, including improved ventilatory outcomes and a shorter length of stay.
Indigenous Voices and Votes: Assessing the Dynamics of Indigenous Politics in Chile’s Constitutional Referendum of 2022
Authors: Disi Pavlic Rodolfo
Published: January 2024

Many analysts have tried to discern the reasons behind the Chilean Constitutional Convention’s draft failure in the 2022 plebiscite. A significant explanation is the draft’s inclusion of indigenous rights and its plurinationality principle (Bargsted and González 2022). Despite Chile being unique in Latin America in its lack of constitutional recognition for its indigenous population (Acevedo 2021), most voters in indigenous areas appeared to have opposed the draft (Pairican 2022).1
Constitution-Making in the 21st Century: Lessons from the Chilean Process
Authors: Heiss Claudia , Suárez-Cao Julieta
Published: January 2024

A distinctive feature of 21st-century constitution making is the role assigned to citizens through various forms of direct participation, as well as special efforts to include groups underrepresented and marginalized in ordinary politics. The legitimacy of these processes increasingly requires a role for actors and groups previously excluded from crucial institutional decisions (Elster 1998; Fishkin 2011; Reuchamps and Welp 2023; Rubio-Marín 2020; Welp and Soto 2020). However, vested interests have proven challenging to overcome amid a global crisis of representation. The failed Chilean process of 2021–2022 provides valuable lessons about the triumphs and pitfalls of embracing an open approach to constitution making.
Mid-Upper Arm Circumference only protocol in Pakistan: missed opportunities for children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition? A mixed-methods observational study
Authors: Guesdon Benjamin , Faruqi Meena Iqbal , Siddiqui Muhammad Ilyas , Usman Gulzar , Ariser Kanwal Naz , Shah Rafaina , Amin Fatima , Masoud Muntaha , Tagar Qamar Din , Tonon Brigitte , Lesieur Elise , Memon Khalida Naz
Published: January 2024

Objective:

We investigated the missed treatment opportunities affecting programs using Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) as the sole anthropometric criterion for identification and monitoring of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).

Design:

Alongside MUAC, we assessed Weight-for-Height Z-score (WHZ) in children screened and treated according to the national MUAC only protocol in Pakistan. Besides, we collected parents’ perceptions regarding the treatment received by their children through qualitative interviews.

Setting:

Data were collected from October to December 2021 in Tando Allah Yar District, Sindh.

Subjects: All children screened in the health facilities (n=8818) and all those discharged as recovered (n=686), throughout the district, contributed to the study. All children screened in the community in the catchment areas of five selected health facilities also contributed (n=8459). Parents of 41 children randomly selected from these same facilities participated in the interviews.

Results:

Overall, 80.3% of the SAM cases identified during community screening and 64.1% of those identified in the health facilities presented a “WHZ-only” diagnosis. These figures reached 93.9% and 84.5% respectively in children aged over 24 months. Among children treated for SAM and discharged as recovered, 25.3% were still severely wasted according to WHZ. While parents positively appraised the treatment received by their children, they also recommended to extend eligibility to other malnourished children in their neighborhood.

Conclusion:

In this context, using MUAC as the sole anthropometric criterion for treatment decisions (referral, admission and discharge) resulted in a large number of missed opportunities for children in need of timely and adequate care.
“Morbid spectacle”: allegorical dialectics of mammonism, humanity, and necropower inSquid Game(2021)
Authors: Park Eunhee
Published: January 2024

This article uses Mbembe's concept of necropolitics as an analytical category to examine the representations of necropower in Squid Game. In the global “organ economy,” organ sellers decide to supply, and brokers then mediate between them and buyers. In contrast, South Korean loan sharks commodify delinquent debtors' organs by forcing them to sign a body waiver as collateral. Recent South Korean dramas have thematized this distinctive systemization of the black economy. Borrowing Lowenstein's “allegorical moment” concept, this article aims to illuminate representations of fluid necropower through children's games as a hinge between reality and the imaginary that invites viewers to dialectically evaluate death problems. The contestations of money and humanity synthetically emerge as necropower constantly moves among different entities: VIPs, a frontman, players, game rules, and money. This article claims that viewers process numerous allegorical moments created by the iconography of necropower and synthetically realize necropolitics and corporeality in Squid Game. Organ extractions and trade in episode two in particular represent “morbid spectacle” and the culmination of mammonism. This article analyzes scenes of death, games, the technique of killing, and esthetics to connect historical examples of the necropolitics that Mbembe draws on and to discuss representations of the organ trade in this recent Korean drama.
Sudden Commencements and Geomagnetically Induced Currents in New Zealand: Correlations and Dependance
Authors: Smith A. W. , Rodger C. J. , Mac Manus D. H. , Rae I. J. , Fogg A. R. , Forsyth C. , Fisher P. , Petersen T. , Dalzell M.
Published: January 2024

Changes in the Earth's geomagnetic field induce geoelectric fields in the solid Earth. These electric fields drive Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) in grounded, conducting infrastructure. These GICs can damage or degrade equipment if they are sufficiently intense—understanding and forecasting them is of critical importance. One of the key magnetospheric phenomena are Sudden Commencements (SCs). To examine the potential impact of SCs we evaluate the correlation between the measured maximum GICs and rate of change of the magnetic field (H′) in 75 power grid transformers across New Zealand between 2001 and 2020. The maximum observed H′ and GIC correlate well, with correlation coefficients (r2) around 0.7. We investigate the gradient of the relationship between H′ and GIC, finding a hot spot close to Dunedin: where a given H′ will drive the largest relative current (0.5 A nT−1 min). We observe strong intralocation variability, with the gradients varying by a factor of two or more at adjacent transformers. We find that GICs are (on average) greater if they are related to: (a) Storm Sudden Commencements (SSCs; 27% larger than Sudden Impulses, SIs); (b) SCs while New Zealand is on the dayside of the Earth (27% larger than the nightside); and (c) SCs with a predominantly East‐West magnetic field change (14% larger than North‐South equivalents). These results are attributed to the geology of New Zealand and the geometry of the power network. We extrapolate to find that transformers near Dunedin would see 2000 A or more during a theoretical extreme SC (H′ = 4000 nT min−1).
Satellite Video Remote Sensing for Flood Model Validation
Authors: Masafu Christopher , Williams Richard
Published: January 2024

Satellite‐based optical video sensors are poised as the next frontier in remote sensing. Satellite video offers the unique advantage of capturing the transient dynamics of floods with the potential to supply hitherto unavailable data for the assessment of hydraulic models. A prerequisite for the successful application of hydraulic models is their proper calibration and validation. In this investigation, we validate 2D flood model predictions using satellite video‐derived flood extents and velocities. Hydraulic simulations of a flood event with a 5‐year return period (discharge of 722 m3 s−1) were conducted using Hydrologic Engineering Center—River Analysis System 2D in the Darling River at Tilpa, Australia. To extract flood extents from satellite video of the studied flood event, we use a hybrid transformer‐encoder, convolutional neural network (CNN)‐decoder deep neural network. We evaluate the influence of test‐time augmentation (TTA)—the application of transformations on test satellite video image ensembles, during deep neural network inference. We employ Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) for non‐contact‐based river surface velocity estimation from sequential satellite video frames. When validating hydraulic model simulations using deep neural network segmented flood extents, critical success index peaked at 94% with an average relative improvement of 9.5% when TTA was implemented. We show that TTA offers significant value in deep neural network‐based image segmentation, compensating for aleatoric uncertainties. The correlations between model predictions and LSPIV velocities were reasonable and averaged 0.78. Overall, our investigation demonstrates the potential of optical space‐based video sensors for validating flood models and studying flood dynamics.
Camouflaging attenuated Salmonella by cryo-shocked macrophages for tumor-targeted therapy
Authors: Wu Leyang , Du Zengzheng , Li Lin , Qiao Liyuan , Zhang Shuhui , Yin Xingpeng , Chang Xiaoyao , Li Chenyang , Hua Zichun
Published: January 2024

Live bacteria-mediated antitumor therapies mark a pivotal point in cancer immunotherapy. However, the difficulty in reconciling the safety and efficacy of bacterial therapies has limited their application. Improving bacterial tumor-targeted delivery while maintaining biosafety is a critical hurdle for the clinical translation of live microbial therapy for cancer. Here, we developed “dead” yet “functional” Salmonella-loaded macrophages using liquid nitrogen cold shock of an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009-contained macrophage cell line. The obtained “dead” macrophages achieve an average loading of approximately 257 live bacteria per 100 cells. The engineered cells maintain an intact cellular structure but lose their original pathogenicity, while intracellular bacteria retain their original biological activity and are delay freed, followed by proliferation. This “Trojan horse”-like bacterial camouflage strategy avoids bacterial immunogenicity-induced neutrophil recruitment and activation in peripheral blood, reduces the clearance of bacteria by neutrophils and enhances bacterial tumor enrichment efficiently after systemic administration. Furthermore, this strategy also strongly activated the tumor microenvironment, including increasing antitumor effector cells (including M1-like macrophages and CD8+ Teffs) and decreasing protumor effector cells (including M2-like macrophages and CD4+ Tregs), and ultimately improved antitumor efficacy in a subcutaneous H22 tumor-bearing mouse model. The cryo-shocked macrophage-mediated bacterial delivery strategy holds promise for expanding the therapeutic applications of living bacteria for cancer.
Temperature and quantum anharmonic lattice effects on stability and superconductivity in lutetium trihydride
Authors: Lucrezi Roman , Ferreira Pedro P. , Aichhorn Markus , Heil Christoph
Published: January 2024

In this work, we resolve conflicting experimental and theoretical findings related to the dynamical stability and superconducting properties of$$Fm\bar{3}m$$Fm3¯m-LuH3, which was recently suggested as the parent phase harboring room-temperature superconductivity at near-ambient pressures. Including temperature and quantum anharmonic lattice effects in our calculations, we demonstrate that the theoretically predicted structural instability of the$$Fm\bar{3}m$$Fm3¯mphase near ambient pressures is suppressed for temperatures above 200 K. We provide ap–Tphase diagram for stability up to pressures of 6 GPa, where the required temperature for stability is reduced toT > 80 K. We also determine the superconducting critical temperatureTcof$$Fm\bar{3}m$$Fm3¯m-LuH3within the Migdal-Eliashberg formalism, using temperature- and quantum-anharmonically-corrected phonon dispersions, finding that the expectedTcfor electron-phonon mediated superconductivity is in the range of 50–60 K, i.e., well below the temperatures required to stabilize the lattice. When considering moderate doping based on rigidly shifting the Fermi level,Tcdecreases for both hole and electron doping. Our results thus provide evidence that any observed room-temperature superconductivity in pure or doped$$Fm\bar{3}m$$Fm3¯m-LuH3, if confirmed, cannot be explained by a conventional electron-phonon mediated pairing mechanism.
Assembly of a unique membrane complex in type VI secretion systems of Bacteroidota
Authors: Bongiovanni Thibault R. , Latario Casey J. , Le Cras Youn , Trus Evan , Robitaille Sophie , Swartz Kerry , Schmidtke Danica , Vincent Maxence , Kosta Artemis , Orth Jan , Stengel Florian , Pellarin Riccardo , Rocha Eduardo P. C. , Ross Benjamin D. , Durand Eric
Published: January 2024

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Gram-negative bacteria inhibits competitor cells through contact-dependent translocation of toxic effector proteins. In Proteobacteria, the T6SS is anchored to the cell envelope through a megadalton-sized membrane complex (MC). However, the genomes of Bacteroidota with T6SSs appear to lack genes encoding homologs of canonical MC components. Here, we identify five genes inBacteroides fragilis(tssNQOPR) that are essential for T6SS function and encode a Bacteroidota-specific MC. We purify this complex, reveal its dimensions using electron microscopy, and identify a protein-protein interaction network underlying the assembly of the MC including the stoichiometry of the five TssNQOPR components. Protein TssN mediates the connection between the Bacteroidota MC and the conserved baseplate. Although MC gene content and organization varies across the phylum Bacteroidota, no MC homologs are detected outside of T6SS loci, suggesting ancient co-option and functional convergence with the non-homologous MC of Pseudomonadota.
Single-sided magnetic resonance-based sensor for point-of-care evaluation of muscle
Authors: Sherman Sydney E. , Zammit Alexa S. , Heo Won-Seok , Rosen Matthew S. , Cima Michael J.
Published: January 2024

Magnetic resonance imaging is a widespread clinical tool for the detection of soft tissue morphology and pathology. However, the clinical deployment of magnetic resonance imaging scanners is ultimately limited by size, cost, and space constraints. Here, we discuss the design and performance of a low-field single-sided magnetic resonance sensor intended for point-of-care evaluation of skeletal muscle in vivo. The 11 kg sensor has a penetration depth of >8 mm, which allows for an accurate analysis of muscle tissue and can avoid signal from more proximal layers, including subcutaneous adipose tissue. Low operational power and shielding requirements are achieved through the design of a permanent magnet array and surface transceiver coil. The sensor can acquire high signal-to-noise measurements in minutes, making it practical as a point-of-care tool for many quantitative diagnostic measurements, including T2 relaxometry. In this work, we present the in vitro and human in vivo performance of the device for muscle tissue evaluation.
Microglia govern the extinction of acute stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in male mice
Authors: Chen Danyang , Lou Qianqian , Song Xiang-Jie , Kang Fang , Liu An , Zheng Changjian , Li Yanhua , Wang Di , Qun Sen , Zhang Zhi , Cao Peng , Jin Yan
Published: January 2024

Anxiety-associated symptoms following acute stress usually become extinct gradually within a period of time. However, the mechanisms underlying how individuals cope with stress to achieve the extinction of anxiety are not clear. Here we show that acute restraint stress causes an increase in the activity of GABAergic neurons in the CeA (GABACeA) in male mice, resulting in anxiety-like behaviors within 12 hours; meanwhile, elevated GABACeAneuronal CX3CL1 secretion via MST4 (mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4)-NF-κB-CX3CL1 signaling consequently activates microglia in the CeA. Activated microglia in turn inhibit GABACeAneuronal activity via the engulfment of their dendritic spines, ultimately leading to the extinction of anxiety-like behaviors induced by restraint stress. These findings reveal a dynamic molecular and cellular mechanism in which microglia drive a negative feedback to inhibit GABACeAneuronal activity, thus facilitating maintenance of brain homeostasis in response to acute stress.
Whole transcriptome analysis highlights nutrient limitation of nitrogen cycle bacteria in simulated microgravity
Authors: Verbeelen Tom , Fernandez Celia Alvarez , Nguyen Thanh Huy , Gupta Surya , Aarts Raf , Tabury Kevin , Leroy Baptiste , Wattiez Ruddy , Vlaeminck Siegfried E. , Leys Natalie , Ganigué Ramon , Mastroleo Felice
Published: January 2024

Regenerative life support systems (RLSS) will play a vital role in achieving self-sufficiency during long-distance space travel. Urine conversion into a liquid nitrate-based fertilizer is a key process in most RLSS. This study describes the effects of simulated microgravity (SMG) on Comamonas testosteroni, Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrobacter winogradskyi and a tripartite culture of the three, in the context of nitrogen recovery for the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA). Rotary cell culture systems (RCCS) and random positioning machines (RPM) were used as SMG analogues. The transcriptional responses of the cultures were elucidated. For CO2-producing C. testosteroni and the tripartite culture, a PermaLifeTM PL-70 cell culture bag mounted on an in-house 3D-printed holder was applied to eliminate air bubble formation during SMG cultivation. Gene expression changes indicated that the fluid dynamics in SMG caused nutrient and O2 limitation. Genes involved in urea hydrolysis and nitrification were minimally affected, while denitrification-related gene expression was increased. The findings highlight potential challenges for nitrogen recovery in space.