bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parenting style and the non-cognitive development of children at preschool age in rural China
Authors: Wang Lei , Song Meiyu , Ji Fuyu , Li Sicong , Rozelle Scott
Published: June 2024

A caregiver’s style of parenting is crucial for the formation of the non-cognitive development of children at preschool age. Less is known, however, about the association between parenting style and the non-cognitive development of preschool-aged children in rural China. The current study aims to address this gap and to explore how the adoption of different styles of parenting influences the non-cognitive development of young children. The sample includes 1159 children aged 49–65 months and their primary caregivers from rural areas of 11 counties in Shaanxi Province. The participants in the survey were those individuals that participated in both of the study’s surveys—in 2015 (when the sample children were 22–30 months old) and in 2017 (when the sample children were 49–65 months old). The main data in this study are from the survey conducted in 2017. Primary caregivers reported on their parenting styles as well as the non-cognitive development of their children. Linear regressions and multivariable regressions were used to analyze the data. According the findings of the survey, a large share of the sample children are shown to be suffering developmental delays in the non-cognitive skills both at age of 22–30 months (60.14%) and at age of 49–65 months old (51.77%). The results also demonstrate that when the primary caregiver tended to use an authoritative parenting style, the child had higher level of the non-cognitive development. In contrast, the authoritarian parenting style was negatively associated with the non-cognitive development of children. The findings of the study indicate that the scores of the authoritarian parenting style were much higher than the scores of the authoritative parenting style, which can partly explain the high prevalence of non-cognitive delays among the sample children. In addition, we also find a number of demographic characteristics of children and households were associated with the adoption of the different parenting styles by the primary caregivers. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the scientific style of parenting in the development of the non-cognitive skills of young children. Policies in rural China that focus on the improvement of child non-cognitive development should encourage primary caregivers to use styles related to an authoritative parenting rather than an authoritarian parenting style.
Assessment of Myocardial dysfunction of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Based on Myocardial Perfusion Imaging and Analysis of Potential Influencing Factors
Authors: Shao Kejing , Yuan Fenghong , Chen Fei , Pu Xiaojia , Xiao Yichun , Wang Yuetao , Zhu Bao
Published: June 2024

Backgroud:
The incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have increased annually over the past decade. The involvement of myocardium is one of the main reasons for the poor prognosis of patients with SLE. Identifying myocardial involvement in patients with autoimmune diseases and providing early targeted treatment can improve patient outcomes.
Objectives
The aim of this study is to evaluate myocardial dysfunction in patients with SLE using 99mTc-MIBI rest gated myocardial perfusion imaging (rGMPI) and to investigate factors associated with myocardial dysfunction.
Method
76 patients with SLE were prospectively enrolled in the study and 46 patients without autoimmune diseases or other inflammatory diseases who had undergone 99mTc-MIBI rGMPI were selected as a control group. Results of relevant blood test indicators, echocardiography and rGMPI were recorded, and comparison was made between the two groups. Meanwhile, based on diagnostic results of rGMPI, SLE patients were divided into myocardial dysfunction group and normal myocardial function group and to analyze the influencing factors of myocardial dysfunction in SLE patients.
Results
The incidence of myocardial dysfunction was significantly higher in SLE patients than in controls (30.3% vs 0%, χ2 = 16.131, p < 0.001). Moderate/severe disease activity, decreased myocardial perfusion and positive anti-SSA /Ro52kDa antibody were associated with impaired myocardial function in SLE patients (OR = 2.753, 5.359, 3.646; p = 0.049, 0.015, 0.014). Positive anti-SSA/Ro52kDa antibody was is independently correlated with myocardial dysfunction in SLE patients [OR (95%CI) = 3.159 (1.071–9.316), p = 0.037].
Conclusion
99mTc-MIBI rGMPI can noninvasively evaluate myocardial dysfunction in patients with SLE and provide evidence for clinical treatment decisions. Positive anti-SSA /Ro52kDa antibody was an independent risk factor for myocardial dysfunction in SLE patients.
Novel approach to quantifying long-term rainfall distribution variation
Authors: Barnes Andrew Paul , Stamataki Ioanna
Published: June 2024

The impacts of climate change on rainfall and flood regimes worldwide are increasingly evident, necessitating a deeper understanding and the development of more robust methodologies to understand and address these challenges. This paper introduces a new, novel framework for understanding how rainfall distributions are changing through time, enabling more accurate flood risk analysis. The framework offers two complementary approaches to comparing rainfall distributions, the first of these utilises a benchmark distribution to compare against whereas the second highlights a moving benchmark approach. The case study region of Europe is used to highlight the capability of both frameworks to capture different forms of rainfall distribution shift. The first approach reveals rainfall distributions have intensified since 1940 with the strongest intensification in Northern and Western Europe. The second unveils large shifts in rainfall variability across both Western and Eastern Europe during the 1960–1980 period. The suggested frameworks do not rely on fitting statistical distributions, enabling both long and short term change identification. This flexible nature provides opportunity to use this approach across a variety of domains, not least extreme weather evaluation. In this paper we have shown the approach offers flood risk managers a new solution to understanding local, regional, and global rainfall variability and quantification.
Enhancing external quantum efficiency in a sky-blue OLED by charge transfer via Si quantum dots
Authors: PEI ZINGWAY , WEI HAN YUN , LIU YI CHUN , SUBRAMANI THIYAGU , FUKATA NAOKI
Published: June 2024

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) aim to achieve high efficiency by using excitons to achieve a 100% quantum efficiency (QE). However, developing functional organic materials for this purpose can be time-consuming. To address this challenge, a new method has been proposed to incorporate inorganic quantum dots into the organic luminescent layer to enable unlimited exciton formation and approach the 100% QE limit. Inorganic quantum dots are clusters of atoms that contain numerous thermally generated electrons and holes at conduction and valence bands. Immersed quantum dots act as charge generation centers, providing electrons and holes with unlimited amounts to form excitons. After radiative recombination, these excitons generate photons that cause internal QE to nearly 100%. This concept has been demonstrated using Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) and phosphorescent materials. The average size of SiQDs is approximately 6 nm, and they are well-dispersed within the guest-host blue phosphorescent light-emitting materials. With only 5×10-3 % (in weight) of SiQDs in the precursor, external QE increased from 2% to 17.7%, nearly a nine-fold enhancement. The prolonged decay time from 1.68 to 5.97 ns indicates that electrons are transferred from SiQDs to the luminescent materials. This universal method can be applied to green and red emissions with various inorganic quantum dots in different organic luminescent material systems.
Observing Shifts In Global Tropical Flowering Phenology
Authors: Graves Skylar , Spitz Gladiana , Manzitto-Tripp Erin
Published: June 2024

Shifts in flowering phenology have cascade effects across entire ecosystems and are indicative of more severe effects of climate change. Studies investigating flowering phenology at large geographic and taxonomic scales have been limited to temperate and boreal latitudes. Here, we employ a global-scale dataset to analyze changes in flowering times across tropical latitudes using museum specimens. Between 1850 to 2021, flowering times shifted significantly at all 14 locations investigated, on average 98 days across sites. These shifts ranged from a low of 56 days at Las Cruces Research Station in Costa Rica to 110 days at Korup National Park in Cameroon. Parsed by region, the Neotropics witnessed an average of 81 days shifted compared to 92 in the Afrotropics and 103 in Southeast Asia. The severity of shifts is indicative of greater ecosystem-wide changes occurring amongst the most biodiverse regions of Earth.
The effect of over-expressed miR-192 fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma on Freund's adjuvant-induced Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Dadi Saeedeh , Sayadi Mahtab , Karam Forouzan , Ashabyamin Reza , Sajjadi Seyed Mehdi , Sarab Gholamreza Anani
Published: June 2024

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an inflammatory illness characterized by joint inflammation and cartilage erosion, currently has limited therapeutic options due to adverse effects. In an experimental model, human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells expressing miR-192 and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) were applied to alleviate RA symptoms. RT-PCR measured COL1A2 gene expression after transfecting HDF cells and increasing the MIR-192 expression. Male Wistar rats were injected with 100 µl CFA into the foot pad to induce RA. 36 rats were randomly assigned to Model, MTX, Backbone, PRP, miR-192, and PRP + miR-192 groups. Peltysmometers measured paw volume. Standardized arthritis grading was employed. Histopathological changes in ankle joint tissue were investigated using hematoxylin-Eosin staining and serum RF and anti-CCP levels were measured by ELISA. The overexpression of miR-192 in HDF cells increased COL1A2 gene expression 13-fold compared to the control group. PRP and miR-192-expressing HDF cells combination reduced paw volume, arthritic score, serum RF, and anti-CCP. PRP + miR-192 demonstrated less inflammatory cell infiltration and no cartilage damage than other groups. PRP and HDFs expressing miR-192, boosted collagen expression, improved RA symptoms, and prevented cartilage and joint erosion.
Thermophysical Properties of Silver/Graphene Hybrid Nanoparticles Reinforced Ethylene Glycol– Glycerol Mixture Based Nanofluids
Authors: Zaaba Athirah Najwa , Muhsan Ali Samer , Nasif Mohammad Shakir , Shahid Muhammad Umair
Published: June 2024

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) based cooling nanofluids have attracted tremendous attention due to low cost and high thermal conductivities. However, GNPs are not stable in common base fluids without proper surface treatments or surfactants. These surfactant or surface treatments impede the potential thermal conduction of GNPs. Several studies have addressed this issue by hybridizing GNP-based nanofluids with different highly thermal conductive materials to overcome that loss of thermal conduction. Besides carbon materials, metal nanoparticles still have higher potential thermal conductivities. Amongst high-conductive metal nanoparticles, silver has the highest proven thermal conductivity and stability. On the other hand, regarding extreme weather or specific industrial conditions ethylene glycol as base fluid has been mostly used, however, it has serious toxicity and environmental concerns. Therefore, in the current work, being the highest conductive and stable metal, silver nanoparticles have been incorporated with GNPs, and the binary mixture of ethylene glycol and glycerol in a ratio of 40:60 has been selected as less toxic and compatible with extreme conditions. The thermophysical properties are optimized based on different GNPs/Ag concentrations. Results showed that at 0.1 vol% of GNPs/Ag nano-additives, the thermal conductivity was significantly increased (102.85%) as compared to the base fluid. The zeta potential was remarkably increased (~100%) after adding T-80 surfactant to the 0.1 vol% GNPs/Ag hybrid nanofluid even after 7 days, where it recorded 35.2 mV compared to 15.7 of that without surfactant. Moreover, a minor increase of 19.84% in viscosity with 0.1 vol% GNPs/Ag hybrid nanofluid was noted relative to the base fluid. The reported hybrid nanofluids have shown potential usage as a cooling fluid in extreme thermal conditions.
Peripheral endotoxin exposure in mice activates crosstalk between phagocytes in the brain and periphery
Authors: Boles Jake , Huarte Oihane Uriarte , Tansey Malú Gámez
Published: June 2024

Background Inflammation is a central process of many neurological diseases, and a growing number of studies suggest that non-brain-resident immune cells may contribute to this neuroinflammation. However, the unique contributions of specific immune cell subsets to neuroinflammation are presently unknown, and it is unclear how communication between brain-resident and non-resident immune cells underlies peripheral immune cell involvement in neuroinflammation.Methods In this study, we employed the well-established model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and captured brain-resident and non-resident immune cells from the brain and its vasculature by magnetically enriching cell suspensions from the non-perfused brain for CD45 + cells. Then, we identified immune subtype-specific neuroinflammatory processes using single-cell genomics and predicted the crosstalk between immune cell subtypes by analyzing the simultaneous expression of ligands and receptors.Results We observed a greater abundance of peripheral phagocytes associated with the brain in this model of neuroinflammation, and report that these professional phagocytes activated similar transcriptional profiles to microglia during LPS-induced neuroinflammation. And, we observed that the probable crosstalk between microglia and peripheral phagocytes was activated in this model while homotypic microglial communication was likely to be decreased.Conclusions Our novel findings reveal that microglia signaling to non-brain-resident peripheral phagocytes is preferentially triggered by peripheral inflammation, which is associated with brain infiltration of peripheral cells. Overall, our study supports the involvement of peripheral immune cells in neuroinflammation and suggests several possible molecular signaling pathways between microglia and peripheral cells that may facilitate central-peripheral crosstalk during inflammation. Examining these molecular mediators in human disease and other rodent models may reveal novel targets that modify brain health, especially in comorbidities characterized by peripheral inflammation.
Dynamics of Impact of polymer droplets on Viscoelastic Surfaces
Authors: Yadav Saurabh , Pathak Binita
Published: June 2024

Droplet impact on soft surfaces is important in many industrial, biological and agricultural applications. In this paper, we have analysed the dynamics of impact of polymer droplets upon PDMS surfaces. We varied the impact velocity (0.5-2 m/s) and found that impact velocity plays a crucial role in the process. The elasticity of the substrate has also been varied to study its effect upon the droplet dynamics. We delineate the entire process into three different stages and employ force balance equations to identify the governing forces during each stage. The initial spreading is strongly inertia-controlled and the maximum diameter obeys a power-law relation with the Weber number (We.25), irrespective of the impact velocity and the surface properties. The viscoelastic nature of the surface has a dominant influence upon the retraction of the droplets. The effect is more prominent at a higher velocity wherein, the droplet retraction is completely eliminated. A damped harmonic oscillator-type analogy shows that the damping is higher on soft surfaces and at higher velocities.
DATIS: Data Augmentation for Trust Intensity Prediction in Incomplete Signed Networks
Authors: Shadrooh Shiva , Nørvåg Kjetil
Published: June 2024

Prediction of trust and distrust in nodes in signed network analysis is an important task with diverse applications. However, the presence of imbalanced and incomplete rankings in signed networks makes prediction of node-level trust values using machine learning (ML) methods a very challenging task. To overcome these challenges, we introduce \method, an innovative approach employing generative adversarial networks (GANs) for data augmentation in node-level trust prediction tasks in signed networks. \method addresses imbalances in both sign and value of rankings, handling missing rankings by training on nodes' local and global network features without explicit information on edge rankings assigned to nodes. Unlike existing methods, we consider the trust prediction problem as a regression task to imply the strength of trust a node gained in a network. Our experimental evaluation shows that \methodcan significantly improve the accuracy of node-level trust intensity prediction on real-world datasets.
Knowledge Accuracy and Reducing Hallucinations in LLMs via Dynamic Domain Knowledge Injection
Authors: Capellini Roman , Atienza Frank , Sconfield Melanie
Published: June 2024

Natural language processing has seen substantial progress with the development of highly sophisticated models capable of understanding and generating human-like text. However, a persistent challenge remains in enhancing the accuracy of these models when dealing with domain-specific knowledge, particularly in avoiding hallucinations or generating plausible but incorrect information. The dynamic domain knowledge injection mechanism introduced in this research represents a significant advancement by allowing continuous integration and prioritisation of specialised information, thereby improving the model's performance and reliability. By dynamically adjusting the hidden weights of GPT-Neo based on domain relevance and accuracy, the modified model achieved higher precision, recall, and F1-scores, and exhibited reduced hallucination rates across diverse domains such as cybersecurity, medical information, financial data, and legal documents. A comprehensive evaluation framework, including benchmark creation and performance metrics, validated the effectiveness of the approach, demonstrating that dynamic domain knowledge injection can substantially enhance the utility of large language models in specialised fields. The results highlight the transformative potential of this method, offering a robust pathway for the development of more accurate and contextually aware language models. Detailed analysis and ablation studies further elucidate the contributions of each component within the modification process, providing critical insights into the optimisation and future applications of this innovative approach.
palatal obturator - a case report
Authors: Goyal Sakshi
Published: June 2024

Maxillary jaw abnormalities can be traumatic, acquired, congenital, developmental, or surgical, and they can have an impact on the mouth cavity and nearby anatomical tissues. If the soft palate and/or hard palate are lost whole or partially, the remaining tissues will have an inadequate structure or will no longer function as they once did. Defects can lead to nasal reflux during deglutition and influence speech production by affecting articulation and airflow. This study aims to explore postoperative oroantral or oral-nasal communication for patients who underwent partial maxillectomy and received prosthetic rehabilitation. The complete denture was fabricated with an extension into the defect. As a result, this permanent prosthesis improved the patient's masticatory function, speech clarity, and general quality of life.
Veneers: A Perfect Solution to Imperfect Teeth
Authors: MESA JWALITHACLARE  , Dr. Sudheer Arunachalam  , Gontu Sneha  , Susmita Mondal
Published: June 2024

Porcelain laminate veneer is one of the most conservative and aesthetically pleasing methods we may use to restore the human dentition and enhance the appearance of an anterior tooth.  In 1928, C.L. Pincus introduced the Hollywood Veneer. He used thin porcelain veneers to make movie stars teeth more aesthetically pleasing. Over the past few decades, laminate veneers have developed into one of the most widely used restorative procedures in esthetic dentistry. They are considered as the primary option to enhance the  esthetics of anterior teeth and consequently quality of life. This purpose of this article is to review the literature and highlight crucial factors for the long-term effectiveness of porcelain veneers, including case selection, tooth preparation, provisionalization, cementation, and patient maintenance.
A New Growth Prediction Method Involving Maxillofacial Hard and Soft Tissue Calibrations- A Radiological Analysis
Authors: Patil Dr.Neha , Joneja Dr. Purva , Sarvade Dr. Dhanvarsha
Published: June 2024

OBJECTIVE: Growth prediction is of key importance in pediatric patients as well as growing individuals opting for orthodontic or orthopedic treatment. The objective of this study is to assess a new growth prediction method involving maxillofacial hard and soft tissue calibrations. Orthodontic treatment is most favourable and effective during pubertal growth and hence growth assessment and prediction are significant in planning treatment for dental and maxillofacial abnormalities. It can also be helpful in diagnosis of various growth disorders in pediatric patients.
MATERIAL AND METHOD: The sample comprises of standardized lateral cephalometric radiograph with the size of 100 subjects including male and female of 8-16 years of age who visited Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. All cephalometric radiographs were taken and the chosen hard and soft tissue calibrations like ramus length and nasolabial angle and CVM staging were evaluated and correlated using One-way ANOVA and Spearman correlation.
RESULT:  CVM staging showed positive correlation with ramus length and age but  no correlation with nasolabial angle. One-way ANOVA showed highly significant correlation of age, NLA and RL values between different CVM stages and Spearman correlation showed highly significant correlation of CVM with age, NLA and RL
CONCLUSION: Growth can also be predicted from ramus length and age of the patient as the study shows positive correlation between CVM staging and ramus length but no correlation with nasolabial angle. The calibrations are correlated to each other as cvm directly proportional to ramus length and age  and inversely proportional to nasolabial angle.
“Development and Validation of Professionalism, Perception, Fear, and Anxiety Assessment Scale of Dental Students about Dentistry After Outburst of Covid-19 And Its Variant.”
Authors: Agrawal Neha , Bais Deepika Rajendrasingh , Maheshwari Sandhya
Published: June 2024

Introduction:
 
The rapidly spreading COVID-19 via respiratory droplets and aerosol made dentists treat only emergencies during this period as they deal with most of the aerosol-generating procedures. Not only day-to-day practice but even the education system has also been affected, leading to a new educational system through online teaching and learning.
Methodology: The study was divided into three phases: first, item tool development using Focus Group Discussion; second, content and face validation by a panel of experts; and third, psychometric testing (internal consistency, stability, and construct validity).
Results: The faculty Focus Group Discussion (FGD)produced three scale domains, whereas the dentistry students' FGD yielded 28 items. A group of experts certified the tools' content using LAWSHE's Scale. Two items were eliminated due to the content analysis, with a (CVR) critical of < 0.538. Using factor analysis, the researchers discovered many subscales in each domain: Professionalism: Empathy and Humanism, and Responsibility: Perception: for learning and clinical training, academic and social self-perceptions, and perceived infectability, as well as Covid-19 Phobia in Fear and Anxiety. It has a high level of internal consistency, as seen by the overall Cronbach's coefficient values. The content, face, construct validity, and retest reliability of the three domains of the instrument, as well as its subscales, were all found to be relatively stable.
Conclusion: The new tool was found to be valid and trustworthy. It may be used to evaluate dental students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various institutions Pan India and different Countries.
“Comparative Evaluation of Microleakage in Zirconia Crowns Cemented With Bioactive, Conventional Gic and Dual Cure Resin Luting Cements - An in Vitro Study”
Authors: Geeta
Published: June 2024

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the microleakage in Zirconia crowns cemented with Bioactive, Conventional GIC, and Dual Cure Resin Luting Cements.
Materials and Methods: 45 Freshly extracted permanent molars were randomly equally divided. Group 1- Bioactive Cement, Group 2: Conventional GIC and Group 3: Dual Cure Resin Cement. Teeth were embedded in resin blocks 1 mm cervical to CEJ and prepared according to the standardized protocols, zirconia crowns were fabricated using CAD CAM technology and cemented onto the respective tooth preparations according to the manufactures instructions and excess cement was removed. After cementation all restored teeth were placed in buffered saline solution at 37 degrees centigrade for 1 day. Samples of each group were divided into 3 subgroups i.e. A, B and C, (5 samples each) and for aging subgroup B and C of all groups were placed in a thermocycler for 6000 and 10,000 cycles alternating between 5 degrees centigrade and 55 degrees centigrade to simulate aging at 6 months and 12 months respectively. All samples were painted with acrylic varnish to within 1 mm of crown margin and were placed in 2 % basic fuchsin dye solution. After 24 hrs. they were sectioned buccolingually, and were examined under a stereomicroscope at 30 X magnification for microleakage and scored.
Results: Based on results obtained by statistical analysis of the readings recorded from stereomicroscope for microleakage it was concluded that the microleakage score of group 1 samples was significantly less than that of samples in group 2 (p value-0.001*) and in group 3 (p value-0.007*). There was no significant difference in the microleakage score of groups 2 and 3 samples (p value-0.061).
Conclusions: The research revealed that the Bioactive luting agent exhibited lower microleakage than Conventional GIC, and Dual Cure Resin Luting Cement. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected.
An Establishment of Sexual Dimorphism by odontometric study of permanent maxillary canines among dental students : a cross sectional study
Authors: GARIMA RANI
Published: June 2024

Aim & Objectives: To investigate sexual dimorphism by odontometric study of permanent maxillary canine teeth & to establish the effectiveness of maxillary canine index in sexual dimorphism. Materials and Method – A total of 100 dental students aged 17- 25 years were finalized for study. Following verbal consent, impressions of the upper arch were made using alginate material and casts were poured in dental stone. Mesio-distal diameter (MD) and inter-canine width (ICW) measurements of permanent maxillary canine were obtained using a sliding digital caliper and maxillary canine index was calculated. Results- The mesio-distal diameter of maxillary canines for both right (p=0.001) and left sides (p=0.005) was significantly higher among male subjects than females, Similar observation was found for inter-canine width too (p=0.0001). In contrast, the maxillary canine index (MCI) for right and left was statistically insignificance (p>0.05) for both male and female subjects. Conclusion - Maxillary canines can be used in gender identification as an aid for forensic odontology.
ROLE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN NEONATAL JAUNDICE
Authors:   RUSE UNIVERSITY, Ivanichka SERBEZOVA
Published: June 2024

The article presents results of a copyright study in the Department of Neonatology in the Obstetrics and Gynecology complex of the University Hospital of Ruse 15th Oct 2015 till 15th Oct 2016. 150 students participated from the 3rd and 4th course specialty Midwife and Nurse, Bachelor degree from the University of Rousse “Angel Kanchev”. Neonatal jaundice occurs in about two-thirds of all infants during the first postnatal week. The aim of this study is to determine how the knowledge, skills and competencies of student midwives and nurses form clinical thinking and help build a plan of care in a real professional environment in neonatal jaundice.
Thermoelasticity of phase D and implications for low-velocity anomalies and local discontinuities at the uppermost lower mantle
Authors: Hao Shangqin , Yang Dapeng , Wang Wenzhong , Zou Fan , Wu Zhongqing
Published: June 2024

The distribution of water reservoirs in the deep Earth is critical to understanding geochemical evolution and mantle dynamics. Phase D is a potential water carrier in the slab subducted to the uppermost lower mantle (ULM), and its seismic velocity and density characteristics are important for seismological detection in water reservoirs, but these properties remain poorly constrained. Here, we calculate the seismic velocities and density of Mg-end-member phase D (MgSi2H2O6) under the ULM conditions using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. The velocities of phase D are higher than those of periclase and slightly lower than those of bridgmanite by 0.5–3.4% for VP and by 0–1.9% for VS between 660 and 1000 km depths. Considering its relatively low content, phase D can hardly produce a low-velocity anomaly in the ULM observed by seismological studies. However, its strong elastic anisotropy may contribute significantly to the observed seismic anisotropy at a similar depth. Additionally, phase D dehydrates into bridgmanite and stishovite at the ULM, producing insignificant velocity changes but a substantial density increase of ∼14%. Therefore, the dehydration is probably too weak to generate discontinuities associated with velocity jumps. In contrast, it may account for seismic discontinuities sensitive to impedance changes, particularly density jumps, near the dehydration depth observed in some subduction zones.
Uramphite, (NH4)(UO2)(PO4)·3H2O, from the second world occurrence, Beshtau uranium deposit, Northern Caucasus, Russia: Crystal-structure refinement, infrared spectroscopy, and relation to uramarsite
Authors: Gurzhiy Vladislav V. , Kasatkin Anatoly V. , Chukanov Nikita V. , Plášil Jakub
Published: June 2024

Uramphite, (NH4)(UO2)(PO4)·3H2O, was found at Beshtau uranium deposit, Northern Caucasus, Russia, as the second world occurrence besides its type locality, Tura-Kavak uranium-coal deposit in Kyrgyzstan. In Beshtau, it occurs as yellow tabular crystals up to 0.3 mm grouped in crusts on a matrix composed of albite, microcline, quartz, and chamosite in association with liebigite, meta-autunite, and plumbogummite. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 6 O apfu and 3 H2O is [(NH4)0.91K0.08]Σ0.99P0.99U1.016+O6·3H2O. According to single-crystal X-ray diffraction, uramphite is tetragonal, P4/nmm, with a = 6.9971(3), c = 8.9787(9) Å, V = 439.59(6) Å3, and Z = 2. The crystal structure was refined to R1 = 3.28% for 255 unique observed reflections with |Fo|≥4σF. A model for the distribution of H2O and NH4+ molecules in the interlayer space based on the electron density distribution data is proposed. The mineral belongs to the meta-autunite group. The IR spectrum shows the splitting of the band of H-N-H bending vibrations into four components, which is explained here by the resonance splitting of a group of NH4+ cations occurring around the fourfold axis at close distances from each other. Uramphite is related to uramarsite, (NH4)(UO2)(AsO4)·3H2O. The two minerals have similar crystal structures and IR spectra. However, they are not isostructural. Uramarsite is triclinic, contains a significant amount of P in arsenate sites, and significantly differs from uramphite by the arrangement of H2O and NH4+ molecules in the interlayer space (planar and well organized in uramphite vs. disordered in uramarsite).
Yaratılan Kimlikler: Çerkeslerde Kadın Olmak [Created Identities: Being a Woman among Circassians]
Authors: Arslan Sevda
Published: June 2024

Bu makale Çerkes millî kimliğinin tanımlanmasında kadına biçilen rolü toplumsal cinsiyet kavramı altında ele almaktadır. Çerkes ve Çerkes üst kimliğine atıfta bulunan Abhaz ve Abaza yazarlar tarafından Türkçe yazılmış romanlara dayanarak millî kimlik tanımlamasında; kadına yüklenen görevler, “kültür taşıyıcısı olarak kadın” ve “ideal kadın” başlıklarını tartışmaktadır. Azınlık, sürgün ya da göçmen topluluklarda kadın tanımlamalarına eklemlenen eğitmen, geleneğin uygulayıcısı - koruyucusu ve hafıza mekânı rollerini irdelemekte bu rollerin kaynağını sorgulamaktadır. Bunun yanı sıra mitleşmiş “Çerkes güzeli” tanımlamasına toplumsal cinsiyet açısından yaklaşmakta, yaratılmış güzellerin edebiyata yansımasının izini sürmektedir.
Kenyan comedy: transmogrifying stereotypes and fashioning a ‘Kenyanness’ of aesthetic escapism
Authors:   , Lumasia Patrick Chesi
Published: June 2024

Despite the proliferation of stereotypes in Kenyan comedy, little research exists to show the two intersect to shape a peculiar notion of ‘Kenyanness’. Indeed, Kenyan comedy, besides reproducing and playing on the quotidian and the historical, is heavily invested with ethnic and gender stereotypes that reflect the Kenyan milieu as it intersects with the global. This comedy is oftentimes seen by some critics as detrimental to Kenyan society because it supposedly shapes and reinforces ethnic and/or gender relations in the country. However, this study contends that Kenyan comedy is open to multiple interpretations and meaning contestations that are not necessarily clear to the comedians and audiences due to the asymmetry that abounds between the production and consumption ends of the comedy’s spectrum. The comedy is therefore ambivalent. This research seeks to demonstrate that Kenyan comedy—as a form of entertainment and critique of society—does not seek to fix and reify Kenyan identities. Instead, the comedy frees these identities from the presumed vice-hold, constricting world of stereotypes by disrupting the linearity of the stereotypes, thereby unsettling the hierarchical structure of hegemonic ideology embedded in them through postmodern humour: a form of humour amenable to postmodern sensibilities. To this end, the comedy offers Kenyans momentary escape into a comedic utopia, through which, they address pertinent issues affecting their nationhood, even as they endeavor to fashion a ‘Kenyanness’ of aesthetic escapism that is celebratory of the country’s rich socio-cultural diversity. The study employs Jörg Schweinitz’s (2011) stereotype theory and the postpositivist realist theory of identity in its study of stand-up, scripted episodic and topical comedy as transposed on to YouTube. Specifically, the thesis considers: the Churchill Show (2012 – 2022) that aired on NTV; 2012–2022; The Real Househelps of Kawangware (2014–2021) on KTN/NTV; Auntie Boss (2016–2021) on NTV; The Wicked Edition and The Trending Trend Talkers (2014–).
Jazz pedagogical strategies: an A/R/Tographic investigation into the implementation of the South African jazz CAPS syllabus
Authors:   , Rungan Natalie
Published: June 2024

The Jazz stream of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement Further Education and Training music curriculum was introduced in South Africa in 2012 (DBE, 2011a). Despite the intentions of the government to promote diversity, social transformation, and inclusion, subject music is still weighted towards Western Art Music, perpetuating past biases of a Eurocentric model for music education. This study, which uses a mixed-method approach, seeks to create strategies to advance Jazz education in South Africa through an a/r/tographic analysis of the author’s Jazz pedagogical methods at Durban High School in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Key approaches include curriculum theory, currere, a/r/tography, among others. After reviewing Jazz pedagogy in the U.S.A. and South Africa as a starting point, using Pinar’s (1994) method of currere, the author demonstrates how past personal music educational processes have led to present Jazz pedagogical methods. Six original compositions were written that outline the influences that infused these methods and added to the creative output related to this research. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the Jazz community to gain perspective about the current state of Jazz education, and with students to provide insight into their reactions to the Jazz stream of CAPS. This presents new information about the curriculum from a learners’ perspective. Ethical clearance for research with children was sought and received (Appendix A). Findings show that the ability of learners to recognise the value in, and identity relating to, their African culture through Jazz points to a pivotal departure from previous Eurocentric music education models. However, despite South Africa being positioned as one of the only countries offering Jazz as a subject choice to high school learners, the selection of Jazz in the subject of Music remains underutilised. This study concludes that for Jazz education to advance in South African high schools, there needs to be intentional engagement with Jazz professionals at the high school level.
Re-gendering Art: A Study of Ravi Varma’s Shakuntala Writing a Love Letter on a Lotus Leaf
Authors:   Mount Carmel College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, Chandra I. Vinitha
Published: June 2024

As a reflection of social patterns, culture is bound to change and the representations from the past distorted in the present need to be decoded to remove the staleness and fixation on various notions passed as absolute truths. This dichotomy inspires an investigation into an iconic representation of womanhood from the stature of an episode from mythological epic Mahabharata and the paintings of Shakuntala by the painter Prince Ravi Varma of erstwhile Travancore in the state of Kerala in colonial India to unravel the stories that characterized popular imagination of women in history. The theoretical framework of aesthetics in the depiction of human forms that define perceptions of gender directs this study to avail a close reading to evaluate the growth of empowerment of women within the dialectics of history and culture. ‘Ekphrasis’ studies mainly how visual arts are represented in literature and here interestingly visual art becomes the ekphrasis of the written text. A proposal of the theory of ‘elimination’, the study intends to debunk the societal gaze of the feminine form as fragile hindering the strength of character by analyzing the hidden details in art. The relevance becomes manifold in the twenty-first century as the new generation is ardently trying to break stereotypes. The limitations of binary ideas of masculine and feminine are interwoven mainly with physical characteristics. The pressure to mimic these attributes leads to the exclusion of anything beyond that idea which disturbs the balance of gender equality and justice.
Visual Voices: The Techniques and Emotions of Czechoslovakia’s Illustrative Masters (1979-2015)
Authors:   Painting Department, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran, Zabolinezhad Hoda , Mokhtarpour-e-Saravi Mitra , Mehtarlou Zahra Falah ,   Tehran Markaz of Azad University of Iran
Published: June 2024

The study aims to review the illustration methods of four top illustrators in Czechoslovakia. Its purpose is to understand their successful approaches and recognize the unique characteristics of their works, which convey personal ideas and thoughts. The study delves into the most important illustration techniques employed by these artists. The central research question seeks to uncover the expression methods and execution techniques used by these top illustrators to convey their ideas and emotions. Culture and customs play a pivotal role in an illustrator’s work. No artist can create truly ingenious works divorced from the cultural context of their hometown. Their visual language becomes a reflection of their culture, and this authenticity contributes to the value of their creations. Sensitivity to children’s perceptions of life, art, culture, and the future is essential for compassionate and impactful work. These illustrators are deeply committed to their young audience, shaping the future through their art. This research follows a fundamental descriptive-analytical approach, with data collection primarily based on library resources.
Politics of Symbolising Female Characters in Paulo Coelho’s By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
Authors:   Assistant Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Sebastian Rajat
Published: June 2024

Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho’s works are generally known for inspiring readers and using literary symbols to narrate complex philosophical concepts. Out of the seventeen works of Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept describes the conflicts faced by two lovers who are brought together by fate after eleven years. Re-joined, they set out for an excursion together as the issues in their relationship emerge again. Though Coelho explicitly uses water as a literary symbol in the novel, this paper closely analyses how the female characters in the same novel are also symbolised, making them symbols of self-submission. It thereby probes the complexity of the connection between female characters and water as literary symbols within the same context.
Exploring English Teaching Materials and Methods at the HSC Level: An Empirical Study
Authors:   Department of English, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh, Rahman Md. Munibur , Jamila Marium , Yeasmin Farhana
Published: June 2024

This study focused on the teaching-learning materials and methods used by the teachers at the Higher Secondary Level in Bangladesh. This study tried to find out the types of methods and materials used by the teachers, how they used these, and how these catered to the diverse needs of the learners. This research followed a quali-quantitative method using questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. A total of 530 students, 28 teachers, 10 teacher-interviewees, and 5 key informants participated in this study. The findings revealed that the materials and methods employed in teaching English at the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level do not align with the curriculum objectives. Moreover, the teachers follow a medley of methods and materials that neither significantly match the latest teaching-learning approaches nor serve the purpose of making the students proficient in English. It was also found that most teachers have no training in language teaching methods, materials, and pedagogy. So, this study felt the necessity for arranging teacher training, redesigning materials, and creating interactive teaching-learning environments to ensure learners’ more comprehensive grasp of English language proficiency in real contexts.
Becoming a Tradition: Presentation of Ti Qin Opera in Funerals in Chongyang County, China
Authors:   Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Shijie Li , Chieng Julia , Jan Chan Cheong
Published: June 2024

Ti Qin Opera, a popular local performing art in Chongyang County, Hubei Province, China, was mainly performed during the birthday celebrations of the local people and the Chinese Spring Festival to enliven the atmosphere. However, in the last two decades, Ti Qin Opera has been frequently performed at funerals, forming a new practice—the mourning ritual—which has been widely accepted by the locals and has become a tradition. In this regard, two questions arise: Why does Ti Qin Opera appear at local funerals? How did the mourning ritual become a tradition? This study applies an ethnographic approach to investigate the performance of Ti Qin Opera at funerals. The emergence of the mourning ritual in funerals is attributed to the emotional need for filial piety and the local people’s competitive mentality. The family of the deceased believes that if other families hire a Ti Qin Opera troupe to perform the mourning ritual, their family should not miss out on holding this last event for the deceased. Ti Qin Opera performers rely on their reputation and prestige accumulated over the centuries, and acceptance by the locals is a key factor in making the mourning ritual a tradition. Increased economic status among the Chongyang people and, subsequently, better financial capacity to hire Ti Qin Opera troupes further contribute to the development of the mourning ritual tradition.
Graph Neural Networks with Multi-features for Predicting Cocrystals using APIs and Coformers Interactions
Authors: Mswahili Medard Edmund , Jo Kyuri , Lee SeungDong , Jeong Young-Seob
Published: June 2024

Introduction:

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have gained direct
pharmaceutical interest, along with their in vitro properties, and thus utilized as auxiliary
solid dosage forms upon FDA guidance and approval on pharmaceutical cocrystals
when reacting with coformers, as a potential and attractive route for drug substance
development.

Methods:

However, screening and selecting suitable and appropriate coformers that may
potentially react with APIs to successfully form cocrystals is a time-consuming, inefficient,
economically expensive, and labour-intensive task. In this study, we implemented
GNNs to predict the formation of cocrystals using our introduced API-coformers relational
graph data. We further compared our work with previous studies that implemented
descriptor-based models (e.g., random forest, support vector machine, extreme gradient
boosting, and artificial neural networks).

Results:

All built graph-based models show compelling performance accuracies (i.e.,
91.36, 94.60 and 95. 95% for GCN, GraphSAGE, and RGCN respectively). RGCN demonstrated
effectiveness and prevailed among the built graph-based models due to its capability
to capture intricate and learn nuanced relationships between entities such as
non-ionic and non-covalent interactions or link information between APIs and coformers
which are crucial for accurate predictions and representations.

Conclusion:

These capabilities allows the model to adeptly learn the topological structure
inherent in the graph data.