bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tonnoidean gastropods of French Polynesia
Authors: BEU A.G. , BOUCHET P. , TRÖNDLÉ J.
Published: December 2023

The tonnoidean gastropod fauna of French Polynesia (54 species) includes 26 species recorded from the Austral Islands (including 10 from Rapa), 33 species from the Marquesas Islands, 39 from the Society Islands, 32 from the Tuamotu Islands, and 3 from the Tarava Seamounts. Most species have planktotrophic larval development and are distributed from East Africa to eastern Polynesia, but many common western Pacific species are not present. With the possible exception of Semicassis salmonea n. sp. (Cassidae), described from the Marquesas, and Gyrineum pusillum (Ranellidae), restricted to the Austral (and Tuamotu?) Islands in southeastern-most Polynesia, no species is endemic to any individual island groups, but several species with broad overall ranges are known from only one archipelago within French Polynesia. Three species (Monoplex intermedius, Septa peasei, Ranellidae; Distorsio graceiellae, Personidae) are much more common in the Marquesas Islands than further westwards. Three species of Bursidae (Bursa lamarckii, Bursina nobilis, Tutufa tenuigranosa) are recorded only from the Marquesas Islands, whereas the only record of Bursina fijiensis is from the Austral Islands. The two very similar species Bursa asperrima and B. cruentata have a complex distribution; only B. cruentata is common west of Hawaii, and only B. asperrima occurs east of Hawaii, but only B. cruentata has been collected at the Marquesas Islands. Ranella venustula is a synonym of Bursa rhodostoma. Neotypes are designated for Buccinum ponderosum Gmelin, 1791, B. nodulosum Gmelin, 1791, Cassis caputequinum Röding, 1798, C. denticulata Röding, 1798, C. glabra Röding, 1798, C. hamata Röding, 1798, Phalium edentulum Link, 1807, P. quadratum Link, 1807, Buccinum biarmatum Dillwyn, 1817, B. pantherina Dillwyn, 1817, Cassis tenuilabris Menke, 1828, and Dolium rufum Blainville, 1829, and lectotypes are designated for Buccinum cornutum Linnaeus, 1758, Murex bufonius Gmelin, 1791 and Cassis torquata Reeve, 1848.
Discovery of an established population of a non-native species of Viviparidae (Caenogastropoda) in Argentina
Authors: OVANDO XIMENA MARÍA CONSTANZA , CUEZZO MARIA GABRIELA
Published: December 2023

Discovery of an established population of Sinotaia quadrata (Benson, 1842) in a river and reservoir in Argentina is reported, representing the first report of a Recent viviparid species in South America. Viviparids are a family of freshwater snails occurring nearly worldwide. A study of the shell and aspects of the anatomy of S. quadrata are presented. It is distinguished from other native taxa by its large shell size, presence of a blackish axial band on the columellar side of the aperture and two to three carina on the body whorl. The invasive species Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1805 (Physidae) and Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) (Corbiculidae) also inhabit the same sites as Sinotaia quadrata. Co-occurring native species of molluscs are Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1822) (Ampullariidae) and Biomphalaria tenagophila (d´Orbigny, 1835) (Planorbidae). This record increases the total number of invasive gastropods in Argentina to six.
A new species of Crepipatella (Gastropoda: Calyptraeidae) from northern Chile
Authors: VELIZ DAVID , WINKLER FEDERICO M. , GUISADO CHITA , COLLIN RACHEL
Published: December 2023

Crepipatella occulta n. sp. is described from the intertidal zone in northern Chile. This species is morphologically cryptic with two other Crepipatella species from Chile, Crepipatella dilatata (Lamarck, 1822) and Crepipatella peruviana (Lamarck, 1822) (a senior synonym of C. fecunda), with respect to adult shell morphology and anatomy. However, Crepipatella occulta is clearly distinguishable from both of them on the basis of embryonic development. It can be distinguished from Crepipatella peruviana, a planktotroph, and Crepipatella dilatata, a direct developer with uncleaved nurse eggs, because it has direct devel-opment with developing nurse embryos that are consumed before the juveniles hatch. Genetic data from DNA sequences also support the distinct status of this species, and show that the South African species C. capensis (Quoy Gaimard, 1832–33) is more closely related to C. dilatata and C. peruviana than is C. occulta. In addition Crepipatella occulta displays diagnostic alleles in 14 allozyme loci when compared with the other two co-occuring Chilean species in northern Chile. Morphologically, Crepipatella occulta n. sp. does not attain the large size often observed in C. peruviana, and it typically has a shiny dark chest-nut or chocolate shell interior.
Ocean acidification and warming reduce juvenile survival of the fluted giant clam, Tridacna squamosa
Authors: WATSON SUE-ANN , SOUTHGATE PAUL C. , MILLER GABRIELLE M. , MOORHEAD JONATHAN A. , KNAUER JENS
Published: December 2023

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are causing ocean acidification and ocean warming; however, the synergistic effects of these stressors on giant clams are completely unknown. Juveniles of the fluted giant clam, Tridacna squamosa Lamarck, 1819, were exposed to present-day control seawater (416 μatm pCO2) and seawater treated with CO2 to simulate ocean conditions predicted for the next 50–100 years (622 μatm pCO2 and 1019 μatm pCO2). These CO2 treatments were cross-factored with seawater temperatures of ~28.5 °C, ~30.0 °C and ~31.5 °C. The majority of mortality occurred between 40 and 60 days. Survival of juveniles decreased with increasing pCO2 and decreased with increasing seawater temperature. The com-bination of the highest pCO2 and both the moderate and highest seawater temperatures resulted in the lowest survival of <20 % indicating survival of T. squamosa could be reduced considerably at ocean conditions predicted to occur around the end of this century.
Supplementary data and taxonomic changes in the subterranean beetles of the Balkan Peninsula from July 1 2016 to September 30 2023
Authors: ČEPLÍK DÁVID
Published: December 2023

Supplementary data and taxonomic changes are provided for the listing of the subterranean beetles of the Balkan Peninsula (Hlaváč, Perreau & Čeplík, 2017), published from July 1st 2016 to September 30th 2023. An illustrated supplement catalogue and distribution of taxa by zoogeographic regions sensu Hlaváč et al., are given.
Searching for the Most Extreme Temperature Events in Recent History
Authors: Cattiaux Julien , Ribes Aurélien , Thompson Vikki
Published: December 2023

Because they are rare, extreme weather events have critical impacts on societies and ecosystems and attract public and scientific attention. The most unusual events are regularly documented as part of routine climate monitoring by meteorological services. A growing number of attribution studies also aim at quantifying how their probability has evolved under human-induced climate change. However, it is often recognized that (i) the selection of studied events is geographically uneven, and (ii) the definition of a given event, in particular, its spatiotemporal scale, is subjective, which may impact attribution statements. Here we present an original method that objectively selects, defines, and compares extreme events that have occurred worldwide in the recent years. Building on previous work, the event definition consists of automatically selecting the spatiotemporal scale that maximizes the event rarity, accounting for the nonstationary context of climate change. We then explore all years, seasons, and regions and search for the most extreme events. We demonstrate how our searching procedure can be both useful for climate monitoring over a given territory, and resolve the geographical selection bias of attribution studies. Ultimately, we provide a selection of the most exceptional hot and cold events in the recent past, among which are iconic heatwaves such as those seen in 2021 in Canada and in 2003 in Europe.
Multiple Logics of Curriculum Leadership: How a Large Public School District Manages Institutional Complexity
Authors: Cooney Jonathan W. , Cohen Michael Ian
Published: December 2023

Purpose: This study contributes to a growing literature focused on institutional complexity, or the phenomenon of competing institutional logics, in PK-12 public education. Responding to calls for more nuanced characterizations of district-level administration, our purpose was to identify the logics of curriculum leadership in one large school district in the Western U.S. and examine how district leaders made sense of their multiple demands. Research Methods: Employing case study methods, we collected curricular documents and conducted 21 interviews of district-level curriculum leaders, principals, and teachers. We used inductive coding to identify patterns in the district's culture of curriculum leadership and then drew upon institutional theory to associate these patterns with particular institutional logics. Findings: We found three coexisting logics of curriculum leadership in the school district: a logic of uniformity, which called for teachers’ fidelity to a prescriptive curriculum; a logic of participation, which valued teacher voice and shared leadership; and a logic of performance, which placed a premium on measurable student achievement. These logics were often incompatible or contradictory, producing mixed messages and an institutional complexity that remained largely unacknowledged among leaders. Implications: Tensions among logics of curriculum leadership may not always result in open contestation, yet if leaders do not resolve them at the district level, teachers may be unsupported in their efforts to reconcile competing demands in their classroom practices. Identifying specific logics of curriculum leadership and considering their interactions may help leaders make sense of conflicting values and better support teachers in their classroom decision making.
Assessing cultural intelligence among health education specialists
Authors: Luquis Raffy R , Perez Miguel A
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Over the past three decades, cultural competence has been widely promoted in the health disciplines, including in health education and promotion, as a tool to address health disparities and promote health equity among diverse populations. Cultural intelligence (CQ), or the individual’s capability to adjust to cultural situations based on multiple factors including cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and behavioural characteristics, can be another useful tool when addressing the needs of diverse groups. The goal of this study was to assess the level of CQ among health education specialists and its relationship with cultural competence skills (CCS) among members of this group.

Design:

Five hundred and forty randomly selected health education specialists in the USA completed an online survey. The survey included questions to assess CQ, CCS and demographic information. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used to analyse the data.

Results:

Results from the study showed that there was a significant variation in CQ among health education specialists based on race/ethnicity, education, the percentage of cultural/racial/ethnic diverse people they serve, and participation in professional development training. There was also a positive correlation between CQ and CCS, and between each of the CQ capabilities and CCS. Finally, both CQ metacognitive and cognitive capabilities were significant predictors of the overall CCS score.

Conclusion:

Findings from this study showed that CQ is associated with CCS among health education specialists. The results of the study suggest that health education specialists should consider CQ a useful tool with which to increase CCS.
School violence in Saudi Arabia: A scoping review
Authors: Bamalan Omar Abdulqader , AlSharit Mohammed Abdulmohsen , Sabbagh Khalil Ibrahim , Abuzaid Abdullah Haleem , Aljubran Hussain Jawad , Alzahrani Waleed Abdullah , Alosaimi Nader Mohammed , Menezes Ritesh G.
Published: December 2023

School violence comprises a broad spectrum of physical, psychological, and sexual acts that impact children and adolescents physically, psychologically, and academically. The aim of this article is to provide a scoping review of school violence in Saudi Arabia. The adversities of school violence and related forensic, legal, and social aspects from a Saudi Arabian perspective are discussed. The articles were extracted through the Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases in a comprehensive criteria-based search strategy using relevant MeSH terms to identify papers related to school violence in Saudi Arabia from inception to October 6, 2022, and a total of 14 studies have been extracted and discussed. There were indicates that male students tend to engage in physical violence while females tend to engage in verbal violence. The consequences included having a significant impact on students’ mental wellbeing, followed by a decrease in academic performance. Therefore, this study will identify the risk factors and present the preventive methods that can guide local institutions to establish new policies to increase awareness and implement culturally acceptable, community-based programs against school violence in Saudi Arabia.
The Legal Formation of Class in Migrant Care and Domestic Work
Authors: Wide Elisabeth
Published: December 2023

This article analyses the relationship between law and class formation through the case of migrant care and domestic work, and puts sociological class theory into conversation with critical migration research. It contributes to class theory by analysing how law helps produce class relations in the Finnish context. The Finnish state channels migrants into cleaning and domestic work through policy measures, and migration law ties them to the reproductive sector, making law a central social relation that defines migrants’ relation to production. The analysis draws on interviews with migrant care and domestic workers (N = 30) holding temporary work permits and examines their structural and affective descriptions of a position restricted by law. The article argues that the way migrant domestic work is formalised in the legislation produces a class relation for migrants, in which they lack full ownership over their labour power. The findings demonstrate how migrant domestic workers express gratitude for their employment despite experiencing it as devalued, indicating labour as repayment of the ‘gift’ of the residence permit.
Density and pandemic urbanism: Exposure and networked density in Manila and Taipei
Authors: Chen Hung-Ying , McFarlane Colin , Tripathy Priyam
Published: December 2023

Density has been a key focus in research on the urban dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this work has debated the role of density in infection rates. In contrast, we develop a comparison of the management of pandemic urbanism in two high density Asian cities with divergent pandemic experiences: Manila and Taipei. To pursue the comparison, we develop two conceptualisations of density: exposure density and networked density. Our approach allows us to examine the nature and consequences, especially for the urban poor, of different approaches to density in the pandemic, and to advance research on urban density.
Advantaging Tourism Through Influencers: Applying Transaction Cost Theory to Recognize Top Hero, Hub, and Hygiene Content Tactics for Tourism Marketing
Authors: Saleh Mahmoud Ibraheam
Published: December 2023

This study is the first to apply transaction cost theory to identify optimal influencer marketing strategies for the tourism sector through three content types: hero, hub, and hygiene content. Transaction cost theory posits that stakeholders seek to minimize information search and delivery costs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with different experienced level tourists to measure the effect of influencer attributes and content on inspiration levels. The findings indicate that differentiating content based on targeted personas minimizes transaction costs. Hero content highly motivated specific tourist personas to visit destinations. Hub content provided practical trip planning details. Hygiene content addressed fundamental customer concerns. By framing influencer marketing through the lens of transaction cost economics, this study contributes to the literature by tailoring influencer content (hero, hub, and hygiene content) to meet the specific needs of tourist personas, which managerially can optimize credibility and value while reducing tourism stakeholders’ information search and delivery costs.
‘a revolt within a revolt’: feminist political ideas in Chile’s social uprising
Authors: Cruz Melany
Published: December 2023

This article analyses the role of feminist activists and feminist political ideas in Chile during the 2019 popular revolt. In the last months of 2019, a popular anti-neoliberal revolt was marked by social protests, violent and nonviolent civil disobedience and political upheaval. Feminists, specifically from the collective Coordinadora Feminista 8 de Marzo (C8M), became central during this period. They not only participated in the organisation of protests and artistic interventions but also helped to install and advance feminist ideas in mainstream public debate. Based on qualitative interviews with feminist activists, conducted between February and April 2021, this article identifies three strands of feminist political ideas that were predominant during and after the popular revolt: 1) autonomism as anti-neoliberal organising; 2) the resurgence of the idea of political-sexual violence; and 3) the link between neoliberalism and the precariousness of life. Following these three strands, this article argues that what occurred in Chile was a feminist revolt, understood as the potencia to transit from concept-building to demand-making in order to push forward feminist horizons as a central political idea.
visual methods for desire and wonder in the digital heritage
Authors: Hansson Karin
Published: December 2023

The digitalisation of cultural heritage creates expectations for improved research methods and more diverse and inclusive memory institutions. However, it is difficult to take advantage of the opportunities the quantification might give owing to deficient and inadequate metadata. The diversity of standards and wilfulness in different historical archive practices creates problems when aggregating data from various sources. The ambition to create more diverse and inclusive memory institutions, compensating for the historical lack of justice, also creates the risk of excluding important contexts from the digital collections. To develop research methods that take this archival wilfulness into account, in this study I have used speculative design to explore images from Europeana, the digital archive that aggregates data from memory institutions all over Europe. Instead of seeing this archive as something lacking in terms of shared standards and inclusive vocabularies, I suggest we see Europeana as a queer collection of wilful archival practices, by showing the desires and imaginations represented in the archival context. By contrasting the visual content of an image with the metadata that describes the image, the norms and desires in the archival practice come into focus, as the metadata points out what at the time was considered interesting about an image, and the reason the photograph was taken. Images described as ‘Swedes’, for example, rarely show pictures of Swedes in Sweden. Swedes are described as Swedes when they are outside Sweden. It is the exotic and foreign that are categorised. Most importantly, the person who controls the camera is not in the picture, but the choice of perspective and the metadata description of the image tell us something about the photographer’s and archivist’s will and desires. By visually reversing the perspective and making visible both norms and deviations, I show how one can approach this digital heritage with a methodology of feminist wonder.
Accurate Segmentation and Tracking of Chorda Tympani in Endoscopic Middle Ear Surgery with Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Ding Xin , Huang Yu , Zhao Yang , Tian Xu , Feng Guodong , Gao Zhiqiang
Published: December 2023

Objective: We introduce a novel endoscopic middle ear surgery dataset specifically designed for evaluating deep learning (DL)-based semantic segmentation of chorda tympani. Methods: We curated a dataset comprising 8240 images from 25 patients, divided into a training set (20%, 1648 images), validation set (5%, 412 images), and test set (75%, 6180 images). We employed data enhancement techniques to expand the picture size of the training and validation sets by 5 times (training set: 8240 images, verification set: 2060 images). Subsequently, we employed a multistage transfer learning training method to establish, train, and validate various convolutional neural networks. Results: On the validation set of 2060 labeled images, our proposed network achieved good results, with the U-net exhibiting the highest effectiveness (mIOU = 0.8737, mPA = 0.9263). Furthermore, when applied to the test dataset of 6180 raw images and contrasted with the prediction of otologists, the overall performance of the U-net was excellent (accuracy = 0.911, precision = 0.9823, sensitivity = 0.8777, specificity = 0.9714). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that DL can be successfully employed for automatic segmentation of chorda tympani in endoscopic middle ear surgery, yielding high-performance results. This study validates the potential feasibility of future intelligent navigation technologies to assist in endoscopic middle ear surgery.
Treatment of Work Type II Congenital First Branchial Cleft Anomalies: A Summary of 35 Cases
Authors: Wang Hao-cheng , Yuan Hu-wei , Zeng Chun-qin , Teng Yi-shu
Published: December 2023

Objective: This study aims to summarize the data and treatment of 35 children with Work type II congenital first branchial cleft anomalies (CFBCAs) to provide significant insights into the correlation between these anomalies and the facial nerve. Methods: A total of 35 children diagnosed with Work type II CFBCAs who received treatment at the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Shenzhen Children’s Hospital from August 2017 to March 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Pearson chi-square tests and Fisher’s exact tests were used to examine the relationship between clinical characteristics and the location of the lesion, which included the superficial and deep surfaces as well as the area between the branches of the facial nerve. Results: All 35 children underwent open incision and complete resection of fistulae. During the surgery, the lesions were found to be in the superficial facial nerve in 12 (34.3%) cases, between branches in 5 (14.3%) cases, and in the deep facial nerve in 18 (51.4%) cases. In those patients, lesions in females, with a lower edge of the lesion located below the angle of the mandible and the presence of a tympanic membranous attachment, are more likely to be located deep to the facial nerve or between its branches. The difference is statistically significant ( P = .007, .032, .015). Conclusion: The treatment principle of Work type II CFBCAs consists of achieving a quiescent stage of inflammation, followed by a complete resection of the lesion on the premise of preserving facial nerve function. Certain clinical features of this disease can predict the relationship between the lesion and the facial nerve. The lesions in females, with a lower edge of the lesion located below the angle of the mandible, non-cystic type of Olsen, and the presence of tympanic membranous attachment, tend to be located deep to the facial nerve or between its branches.
Incomplete Kawasaki Disease Presenting as Retropharyngeal Abscess: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Chen Jun , Wen Yang
Published: December 2023

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a cryptic and self-limiting vasculitis predominantly seen in children, often posing a diagnostic challenge due to its varied clinical presentations. Among these, the emergence of deep neck infections, particularly retropharyngeal abscesses, stands out as an extremely rare manifestation. Herein, we present a case of a 10-year-old girl who was hospitalized for fever, neck pain, swollen cervical lymph nodes, and increased inflammation markers. Although anti-infective treatment was initiated, her condition remained unchanged. A cervical computed tomography scan revealed an abscess in the retropharyngeal space. Remarkably, on the third day post-admission, the patient developed symptoms synonymous with KD, such as conjunctival redness, reddened lips, and a strawberry tongue. Subsequent treatment with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and oral aspirin led to swift symptom relief, including complete abscess resolution verified by a follow-up neck magnetic resonance imaging. This unique co-presentation of KD and a retropharyngeal abscess, possibly linked to infections like Streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus, underscores the importance of quick diagnosis and KD management, especially when conventional treatments prove ineffective.
A Tale of Two Tweets: What Factors Predict Forgiveness of Past Transgressions on Social Media?
Authors: Dawson Andrew J. , Williams Sarah , Wilson Anne E.
Published: December 2023

As more of our lives take place online, it is increasingly common for public figures to have their current image tarnished by their mistakes and transgressions in what is often the distant past. Three experiments ( N = 2,296) found that judgments of a public figure who tweeted racist statements in the past were less harsh when more time had passed and when the public figure was younger at the time of the tweet. However, politics also played a powerful role. Independent of time and age, liberals allowed less possibility of redemption for anti-Black tweets, while conservatives were less forgiving for anti-White tweets. Such partisan differences extended not only to moral judgments of the individual, but also general moral principles and participants’ subjective perceptions of the situation itself, including subjective temporal distance from the tweet, the subjective age of the public figure, and the current relevance of the past statements.
Exploring Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity as Knowledge Regimes: A Heuristic Tool for Disentangling Understandings in Academia and Policy
Authors: Vienni-Baptista Bianca , Pohl Christian Erik
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a heuristic tool aiming at bringing the multiple dimensions of interdisciplinarity (ID) and transdisciplinarity (TD) into direct conversation for researchers, funders, and policymakers. These societal actors have divergent conceptions, definitions, and practices of ID and TD that can be fruitfully put into dialogue to prosecute successful projects and programs. We anchor our study on the concept of “knowledge regime” and its three components (ideologies and myths, shared beliefs and practices, and imaginaries and values) to develop a comprehensive view of the heterogeneous understandings of ID and TD that goes beyond the cognitive dimension. Founded on a qualitative methodology, we designed a heuristic tool to disentangle this heterogeneity and bridge the different understandings in a comparable way. Through a semi-structured dialogue, users of the tool discuss ten questions that guide reflections on understandings of ID and TD used in projects, funding programs, and policy processes and their implications to reveal differences and increase mutual understanding. The findings offer details on the tool and systematize insights from those users who tested it in different contexts. We conclude by discussing the contribution this heuristic tool makes when considering ID and TD as knowledge regimes in the scientific and policy domains.
“This place is no better than a jail”: The geographies of surrogate houses in India
Authors: Bhattacharjee Dalia
Published: December 2023

The commercial surrogacy industry in India administers in a way where the women working as surrogate mothers live in surrogate houses. It is a space deliberately designed and run by either the fertility clinics or a third-party agency, where the surrogate mothers are required to stay for the entire gestation period. The surrogacy industry in India utilizes the vulnerability of couples who do not or cannot have children, in order to prepare valuable and docile bodies which can serve as a platform for accumulation of wealth. This paper draws from an ethnographic inquiry of the surrogate housing facilities functioning in two cities in India: Anand and Bengaluru. The paper will argue that the surrogacy industry in India produces geographies of carceral domesticity by deploying disciplining apparatuses governing the day-to-day mundane activities of the reproductive laborers. The medical experts often resort to the narrative that these women cannot be trusted with the safety of the babies they carry, hence, justifying their confinement in the surrogate house. Further, the possibility that the surrogate mothers may develop emotional attachments to the babies they carry, which in turn, will endanger the surrogacy arrangements, also runs through such narratives of regulation.
Weathering Saharan dust beyond the Spanish Mediterranean Basin: An interdisciplinary dialogue
Authors: Sabin Lucy , Cantos Jorge Olcina
Published: December 2023

This interdisciplinary dialogue draws on climatology and cultural studies to explore the phenomenon of “Saharan dust” that passes through and beyond the Spanish Mediterranean Basin. The dialogic process seeks to unearth the power relations within which weather stories and the authors are always already entangled, with a view to re-imagining weather writing and climatic storytelling in decolonial terms. Our parallel inquiries trace how origin stories, material mobilities, atmospheres, and environmental regulation work to codify the aeolian dust as an intrusion across borders. Drawing on critical theory, we argue that this weather “from” the Sahara Desert is othered in Eurocentric weather narratives, mapping onto geopolitical logic of “Fortress Europe”. Our research is instructed by postcolonial thought, political ecology, and the speculative feminist position of weathering. Through critical engagement with science in context, we dwell lastly on African air quality and experiences of weathering atmospheric dust further upwind. Our concluding comments speculatively drift with Mediterranean winds to animate a positionality of middleness.
Politicization, postpolitics and the open city: Openness, closedness and the spatialisation of the political
Authors: Pile Steve , Keith Michael , Murji Karim , Solomos John , Yazici Edanur , Cramer-Greenbaum Susannah
Published: December 2023

The idea of the open city has been used both conceptually and analytically to understand the politics of the city. The contrast between the open city and the closed city relies, in part, upon an understanding of the global systems that enfold cities and, consequently, the politics that are – and are not – afforded cities. Notions such as the postpolitical city depend not on temporality where the city has ceased to be political, but a spatialisation of politics where the (properly) political has become excluded by the closed systems that envelope cities. In this paper, we explore analytical and theoretical responses to the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire to disclose the ways that different critiques of neoliberalism and racial capitalism deploy and rely upon different conceptions of the open and closed systems of the city. Rather than settle for the open/closed binary, we seek to understand how different forms of openness and closedness afford/constrain the politicisation (and depoliticization) of city life – and its catastrophes.
Zany beetroot: architecture, autopoiesis, and the spatial formations of late capital
Authors: Krivý Maroš , Gandy Matthew
Published: December 2023

Using a pedagogic experiment at an architectural school in Tallinn as an empirical and conceptual starting point, this article explores the significance of autopoiesis in contemporary urban design. We suggest that organic processes—in this case the use of vegetable peels as a novel substrate—have been widely deployed in architectural discourse as a form of biomimicry. At a theoretical level these conceptual moves mark part of a wider set of dialogues between the arts and the sciences that rest on a form of degraded or even “phantom” modernism. The article draws on various insights, including the recent work of Fredric Jameson and Sianne Ngai, to explore the changing relationship between aesthetic categories and critical theory in the urban arena. We argue that aesthetic motifs derived from nature, including various forms of organicist architecture, are being effectively recycled under the aegis of late capital.
Acute kidney injury during extracorporeal life support in cardiogenic shock: Does flow matter?
Authors: Vaynrub Anna , Ning Yuming , Kurlansky Paul , Wang Amy S , Beck James , Fried Justin A , Takeda Koji
Published: December 2023

Background

This study examines the role of extracorporeal life support flow in the development of acute kidney injury in cardiogenic shock.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 465 patients placed on extracorporeal life support at our institution between January 2015 and December 2020 for cardiogenic shock. Flow index was calculated by dividing mean flow by body surface. Stages of acute kidney injury were determined according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) organization guidelines.

Results

There were 179 (38.5%) patients who developed acute kidney injury, 63.1% of which were classified as Stage 3--the only subgroup associated with 1-year mortality (hazard ratio = 2.03, p < .001). Risk of kidney injury increased up to a flow index of 1.6 L/min/m2, and kidney injury was more common among patients with flow index greater than 1.6 L/min/m2 ( p = .034). Those with kidney injury had higher baseline lactate levels (4.4 vs 3.1, p = .04), and Stage 3 was associated wit higher baseline creatinine ( p < .001).

Conclusions

In our cohort, kidney injury was common and Stage 3 kidney injury was associated with worse outcomes compared to other stages. Low flow was not associated with increased risk of kidney injury. Elevated baseline lactate and creatinine among patients with acute kidney injury suggest underlying illness severity, rather than flow, may influence kidney injury risk.
Optimal antegrade cerebral perfusion flow in patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection: A retrospective single-center analysis
Authors: Gerritse Matthijs , van Brakel Thomas J. , van Houte Joris , van Hoeven Marloes , Overdevest Eddy , Soliman-Hamad Mohamed
Published: December 2023

Background

Systemic hypothermia with bilateral antegrade selective cerebral perfusion (ASCP) is the preferred cerebral protective strategy for type A aortic dissection surgery. The optimal ASCP flow rate remains uncertain and the target flow cannot always be reached due to pressure limitations. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between ASCP flow and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on 140 patients with acute type A aortic dissection who underwent surgery with moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest and bilateral ASCP between 2015 and 2021. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between ASCP flow and rSO2.

Results

The median circulatory arrest duration was 46.5 (IQR:37.0-61.0) minutes. There was no significant correlation between ASCP flow and rSO2 for both the right (r = -.02, p = .851), and the left hemisphere (r = - .04, p = .618). The rSO2 values for ten patients who received > 10 mL/kg/min flow did not differ significantly from 130 patients who received 10 mL/kg/min or less for both the left hemisphere ( p = .135), and the right hemisphere ( p = .318). The ASCP flow was 5.1 (IQR:5.0- 6.5) mL/kg/min in five patients with, and 7.2 (IQR:5.8-8.3) mL/kg/min in 135 patients without a watershed infarction ( p = .098).

Conclusions

There was no correlation between ASCP flow rate and rSO2 in patients with acute type A aortic dissection. Furthermore, ASCP flow below 10 mL/kg/min was not associated with a reduction in rSO2. Definitive associations between ASCP flow and neurological outcome after type A aortic dissection surgery need further investigation.
Current practice of cyanoacrylate endovenous ablation: American vein and lymphatic society position statement
Authors: Vasquez Michael A , Di Iorio Michael , Worthington-Kirsch Robert L , Fakhoury Elias , Blebea John
Published: December 2023

Background

Cyanoacrylate endovenous ablation and closure of incompetent saphenous veins have become increasingly utilized since its approval for use in the United States in 2015. This increase in usage necessitates a societal update to guide treatment and ensure optimal and consistent patient outcomes.

Method

The American Vein and Lymphatic Society convened an expert panel to write an updated Position Statement with explanations and recommendations for the appropriate use of cyanoacrylate endovenous ablation for patients with venous insufficiency.

Result

A Position Statement was produced by the expert panel with recommendations for appropriate use, treatment technique, outcomes review, and potential adverse events. Their recommendations were reviewed, edited, and approved by the Guidelines Committee of the Society.

Conclusion

This societal Position Statement provides a useful document for reference for physicians and venous specialists to assist in the appropriate use of cyanoacrylate endovenous ablation in the treatment of patients with venous insufficiency.
Remarkable effects of infliximab on severe radiation-induced side effects in a patient with uterine cervical cancer: a case report
Authors: Toft Morén Amelie , Bull Cecilia , Bergmark Karin
Published: December 2023

Pelvic radiotherapy is a powerful treatment for a broad range of cancers, including gynecological, prostate, rectal, and anal cancers. Despite improvements in the delivery of ionizing beams, damage to non-cancerous tissue can cause long-term effects that are potentially severe, affecting quality of life and daily function. There is an urgent need for new strategies to treat and reverse the side effects of pelvic radiotherapy without compromising the antitumor effect. A woman with severe radiation-induced intestinal side effects was treated with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor infliximab with a dose of 5 mg/kg every 4 to 6 weeks. With infliximab treatment, a remarkable improvement in her bowel health was observed. The patient’s late bowel toxicity was reduced from Grade 2 to Grade 0 (RTOG/EORTC Late Radiation Morbidity Scale). Although it is necessary to proceed cautiously because of the risk of serious side effects from immunosuppressants, our case suggests that infliximab can be used to treat symptoms of chronic bowel dysfunction after radiotherapy.
Situational belonging in high school band ensembles and high schools
Authors: Siegal Cameron R
Published: December 2023

Students’ perceived belonging in academic spaces has emerged as a critical nexus of overall academic achievement, social-emotional outcomes (e.g., self-concept and self-efficacy), and engagement in K–12 schools. Furthermore, researchers have documented inverse relations of belonging and psychological distress, alienation, and isolation. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in participants’ levels of belonging in band ensembles and school outside of band ensembles. Participants of this quantitative study—suburban and rural high school band students in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States—responded to modified General Belongingness Scales and a Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to measure individuals’ perceived levels of belonging both in their band ensembles and in their schools outside of band ensembles. The data indicated that secondary music students experienced greater levels of belonging in band ensembles than in the school environment outside of band ensembles. These findings highlight the potential for band classes/ensembles to foster belonging and support social-emotional well-being for high school students and have the potential to inform secondary education policy.
Filling the hole? On new geographies of the subsurface
Authors: Bosworth Kai
Published: December 2023

A proliferation of examinations of vertical, voluminous, subsurface, subterranean/subaqueous, geological, or underground relationships has emerged in the last few years of geographic thought. This article seeks to summarize four key themes in which the subsurface has gained prominence: geopolitics, natural resource extraction, cultural geographies, and epistemological politics. The article nonetheless critiques ahistorical, presentist, and/or Eurocentric tendencies in accounts of subsurface spaces, topographical verticalities, and the desire to “fill” a supposed “hole” of subsurface geographies. Altogether, I call for more precise, comparative, and historicized interpretations of the varieties of spatial relations above and below the surface of the earth.
Safety Evaluation of the First Bus Rapid Transit System in Tanzania
Authors: Kitali Angela E. , Fabian Kadeha Cecilia , Kutela Boniphace , Kidando Emmanuel , Semu Derick D. , Novat Norris , Matyenyi Janeroza W.
Published: December 2023

The first bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Tanzania and the third in Africa became operational in 2016. As it was introduced to relieve congestion and promote efficient means of public transportation, most previous researchers have focused on its effectiveness on travel time reliability. While travel time is important, the safety aspect of the BRT system is equally important. This study conducted a comprehensive safety evaluation of the BRT system in Tanzania using five years (2016–2020) of crash data. The hot spot analysis was conducted to identify locations experiencing more crashes. The text mining approach was used to understand the key themes from crash narratives. The established themes were further analyzed using a Bayesian network (BN) to understand their association with the severity of crashes that involved BRT buses. Analysis of the results showed that major intersections and locations with commercial activities are the hot spots for crashes involving BRT buses. The text network revealed that most crashes involving a BRT bus and pedestrians were associated with drivers failing to obey traffic control devices. Crashes involving a collision between BRT buses and non-motorized road users were more likely to be severe. The BN findings showed that distraction, collision with non-motorized road users, and disregarding traffic control devices are associated with a higher likelihood of severe crashes. The findings are anticipated to assist agencies in improving the safety of existing and future BRT systems.
Effects of empty fruit bunch on the structures and properties of starch-based bioplastics
Authors: Yang Jianlei , Xu Shicai , Chee Ching Yern , Ching Kuan Yong , Chuah Cheng Hock
Published: December 2023

This paper aimed at maximizing the application of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers to reinforce the starch-based bioplastics with superior mechanical and water resistance properties. EFB fibers were thermally modified with dry method by incorporating different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Thermal treatments with NaOH exceeding 10 wt% caused significant fiber loss. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) exhibited the part removal of fatty acid, hemicellulose, and lignin and SEM observed clean surfaces for the treated fibers. The crystallinity index of the fibers increased from 13.82% to 97.60%, but their thermal stability decreased due to the treatments. The influence of treated fibers on the structure and properties of starch-based bioplastics was characterized. EFB fibers treated with 10 wt% NaOH attained the high yield of 52.44% and demonstrated the best reinforcing effects on the bioplastics. This was confirmed by higher thermal stability, tensile strength, and water resistance compared to the other starch-based bioplastics.
“We Used to Have Four Seasons, but Now There Is Only One”: Perceptions Concerning the Changing Climate and Environment in a Diverse Sample of Israeli Older Persons
Authors: Ayalon Liat , Ulitsa Natalie , AboJabel Hanan , Engdau-Vanda Shelly
Published: December 2023

Solastalgia is the pain caused by the loss of solace and isolation from one’s environment. Solastalgia is contrasted with nostalgia, which is defined as melancholy characterized by homesickness or the distance from one’s home. The present study examines the two concepts of solastalgia and nostalgia in the context of climate change among diverse populations of older Israelis. In total, 50 older persons from four different population groups (e.g., veteran Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and Ethiopian immigrants) were interviewed. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Members of all four groups expressed emotional distress and grief associated with the changing climate, increased environmental pollution, and the disappearance of nature. Perceptions around the undesirability of these changes were quite unanimous, thus leading us to conclude that the outcomes associated with solastalgia and nostalgia are quite similar despite different etiological explanations.
Evaluating Urban Heat Mitigation across Networks of Plans
Authors: Keith Ladd , Meerow Sara , Jensen Lauren , Trego Shaylynn , Schmidt Erika Lynn , Berke Philip
Published: December 2023

Cities must equitably plan for heat resilience as heat risks increase but lack integrated approaches to coordinate strategies across community plans and prioritize heat mitigation for the most vulnerable communities. We adapted the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ (PIRS™) methodology, originally developed for flood hazards, to heat and piloted it in five geographically diverse U.S. cities. We used PIRS™ for Heat to analyze how policies across community plans would affect urban heat and compared spatial patterns in policy attention with indicators of vulnerability. We find that heat mitigation policies are not targeting the highest heat risk areas.
Voices in Dialogue: Taking Polyphony in Academic Writing Seriously
Authors: Karsten Andrea
Published: December 2023

In the past decades, the notion of voice in the theorizing and teaching of academic writing has been the subject of much debate and conceptual change, especially concerning its relation to writer identity. Many newer accounts of voice and identity in academic writing draw on the dialogical concept of voice by Bakhtin. However, some theoretical and methodological inconsistencies have surfaced in the adaptions of the concept. Working from a refinement of the dialogical notion of voice based on the concepts of polyphony and interiorization, this article presents a methodological approach for analyzing voice(s) in writing. The article presents material around the evolution of an early-career researcher’s dissertation synopsis. The material is multilayered, including the writer’s text, transcripts from an interdisciplinary peer-feedback conversation with two colleagues, and a video-stimulated interview with the writer. Excerpts of the material were analyzed to trace the polyphony of interiorized voices that influenced the writing. This focus revealed the multivoicedness of academic texts as an effect of their history of coming into being. This article contributes to the question of voice and identity in academic writing from a dialogical psycholinguistic perspective by presenting a de-reifying notion of voice grounded in an understanding of writing as a polyphonic activity, which also feeds into the formation of a writer’s self.